Profile for the proposed Parish of Bradley Stoke - Are you the missing piece? - CHRIST THE KING
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Profile for the proposed Parish of Bradley Stoke CHRIST THE KING HOLY TRINITY Are you the missing piece? 1
Contents A Shared Vision 3 Two distinct churches in partnership Introducing Bradley Stoke 4-5 Transport links create a fast-moving population Local employment Shopping Local amenities and activities Local Schools Other local churches The view from Christ the King 6-8 Vision Opportunities Worship and Services Church Attendance Service Activities Resources Church Events Childrens Activities and Youth Work Church Building Finances Strengths, Areas for Development, Challenges The view from Holy Trinity Bradley Stoke 9-11 Holy Trinity Vision Ecumenical Partnership Shared leadership team Growing up with Bradley Stoke A worshipping community The building provides natural links with the community Some of our many opportunities for growth and service within our community A focus on young people The Church and School Characteristics and Qualities sought in the new vicar 12 Are you the missing piece? 2
A Shared Vision Would you like to apply to be the Incumbent (designate) of the proposed new parish of Bradley Stoke? The churches of Christ the King and Holy Trinity in Bradley Stoke are inviting applications from someone who wants to help them to take the next step into their future. After twenty-five years of building, Bradley Stoke has grown from open fields to be an established town. The two churches planted during this building phase have settled in, and in a historic move, the church boundaries are going to change to create a new Parish of Bradley Stoke. There is huge opportunity for growth within the area, with both churches being located in the centre of large communities. The churches are committed to missional growth and have a strong desire to see the Kingdom of God reach out in this area. Both churches have many capable members and are looking for someone who enjoys working collaboratively, mentoring and enabling others to develop their vision and strategies during this transition. The appointed person will be assisted by a Transition Minister (the current Priest in Charge at Holy Trinity until 2015). As Bradley Stoke moves to a more settled community there is a need to help build disciples and to develop mission as the church members engage with an increasingly all-age community. Two distinct churches in partnership Both churches started as church plants and have grown and developed as Bradley Stoke has evolved. The congregations wish to keep their separate identities and characters, but firmly believe this is an opportunity for reshaping and rethinking, and are looking at ways to work together. Holy Trinity is a seamless Local Ecumenical Partnership (Anglican, Methodist and URC), for whose members denomination is largely unimportant. Worship is highly informal, evangelical and charismatic and regularly includes All-Age worship, Café style and an informal “messy church”. Holy Trinity has a mission to the VA Primary school that is an integral part of its building. Christ the King is a friendly, active Anglican church with a flexible worship pattern for morning and evening services, from café style ‘Streams’ service, All-Age worship to the more traditional services of Holy Communion. Similarly it describes itself as evangelical and open to the Spirit. In the first instance the post holder would be Team Vicar at Christ the King until pastoral reorganisation is complete, which should be within the next 2 years. Both churches are committed to every member ministry, are heavily involved in youth work with children and young people who don’t come to church. They are well respected by the local community who make good use of the modern church buildings during the week for coffee mornings, pre-schools and youth work. The churches are running a joint Alpha after Easter and both have a vision for local growth and share joint acts of worship during the year. There have been meetings of the two church councils, leadership teams and one joint congregational meeting to discuss the way forward. Please apply Please apply if you think you can encourage us, inspire us and enable us to fulfil our vision of reaching out in mission and seeing God’s Kingdom come in Bradley Stoke. Are you the missing piece? 3
Introducing Bradley Stoke Holy Trinity Bradley Stoke sits south of the M4-M5 junction, just to the north of Bristol. It is a recent development that was planned in the 1970s and named after the local Christ Parish of the Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams. The first buildings went up in 1987, and Patchway King over the following 25 years the town has grown from a settler community into Parish of one where many of the people who live in the new houses were born in the Stoke town. A 2011 census put the recorded population as 27,805. Gifford Christ the King and Holy Trinity churches were placed at the South and North of the development respectively, with Christ the King being a plant from the Anglican church of St Michael’s, Stoke Gifford, and Holy Trinity being a plant Proposed from the Local Ecumenical Partnership of St Chad’s, Patchway. Bradley Stoke has Parish of grown to the point that it now makes sense to reconfigure the Parish Bradley boundaries and form a single parish of Bradley Stoke, to be served by Christ the Stoke King and Holy Trinity churches. The fine details of the new boundaries are still to be decided, and the new parish will include some, or all, of the original village of Little Stoke. While finalising these details will take two to three years, the people in both churches are keen to see their outreach and impact grow in the area. Transport links create a fast-moving population Bradley Stoke has fast transport links to many parts of the country. Bristol Parkway station lies less than a mile to the south, with regular fast services to London, Birmingham, the South West and South Wales. Having the M4 and M5 on our doorstep means that road users can get rapid access to key routes. A consequence is that many people see the area as a ‘dormitory settlement’ and commute to work, especially those who live in the south of the area. There are reasonable bus services through the town, taking people to places within the town as well as into central Bristol or out into some of the local villages. Local employment There is some local employment , including Rolls Royce, RAC, the Willow Brook Centre and business parks at the north end of the town. Just outside the proposed parish boundary lie the Aztec West business area, Abbey Wood MOD site, BAe Systems and Bristol Business Park. Shopping Bradley Stoke is approximately three miles away from the shopping mall at Cribbs Causeway, which is on the next junction of the M5. Also in that area is a retail centre of larger stores including Argos, Currys, B&Q, Morrisons, and Asda. The Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke opened on 13 October 2008 and has around 18 units. Stores currently include Tesco Extra, PoundStretcher, Pets at Home, Pound World, Argos, Brantano, Boots, Timpsons, Dominos, Harvester, KFC, Taylor’s Estate agency, Greggs, Costa Coffee, Subway, Logical Personnel Solutions, Phoenix Dental Practice, two hairdressers, Carphone Warehouse, Specsavers, Shoe Zone, Property Centre, Explore Learning, Card Factory, O2, Ocean, Santander Agency, Giant, Anytime Fitness and Panasonic. Elsewhere in the town there are two Tesco Express stores, and an Aldi store. Are you the missing piece? 4
Local amenities and activities Bradley Stoke has a predominantly The town was planned around domestic residents and the car, providing young population1 less public space and other facilities than are normally found in an area of comparable size and population, but there are some playing fields, restaurants and public houses. The Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve is an area of about 60 hectares (150 acres) in the town and includes bluebell woods, rough grassland, brooks, ponds, and the man-made Three Brooks Lake. There is a leisure centre that has a swimming pool and public library, gym and beauty salon. The secondary school next door has a large astroturf area and indoor sports facilities that are used by local sports clubs in the evenings, and nearby in Cribbs Causeway there is bowling, a large multiplex cinema and restaurants. The town's local football team is 1. See reference at end of document Bradley Stoke Town FC. The cricket club is Bradley Stoke Cricket Club. Bradley Stoke Town Council (www.bradleystoke.gov.uk) organises an annual festival in June each year in addition to other activities. Bradley Stoke is twinned with Champs-sur-Marne in France, on the outskirts of Paris. A modern residential area in Bradley Stoke is named after Champs -sur-Marne. Next to the Willow Brook Centre there is a recently completed retirement complex, which provides 50 one and two bedroom independent living retirement flats for the over 50s. Local Schools There are seven primary schools that fall within the boundaries of the proposed new parish: five are state schools, one is a Roman Catholic school. The seventh is Holy Trinity school, which is run as a joint Church of England/Methodist VA Church School and shares the same building as Holy Trinity church. The secondary school, Bradley Stoke Community School, opened in September 2005 and takes up to 1,080 students. A post-16 centre at the school was completed in summer 2010. The school has just been awarded Academy status. Other local churches Other churches form a ‘Fraternal’ with us in the proposed parish - Bradley Stoke Evangelical Church and Bridge Community Church, which meets in the Community School. The churches of the Fraternal in the town co-operate well in mission initiatives, open air services (as part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival), a ‘walk of witness’ on Good Friday, an open air carol service in the Willow Brook Centre, and regular primary school assemblies. The Vicarage The Vicarage is a 20 year old detached house in Cooks Close, a short walk from Holy Trinity church. It has a medium sized, fenced garden at the back with the front laid to lawn. The house was extended about 10 years ago. Upstairs, the house has five bedrooms with en-suites to the main bedroom and Guest bedroom and a family bathroom with shower. Downstairs is a living room, dining room, kitchen, utility room, cloakroom, study, office and a WC. The Vicarage; http://tinyurl.com/cwuywuu Adjacent to the house is a garage with additional off-street parking. Are you the missing piece? 5
Christ the King Church GROWING, LOVING, SERVING, SHARING We are a warm and welcoming church that feels privileged to have been placed by God in such a diverse community; where we have the opportunity to grow His kingdom by engaging with people in many different ways. We aspire to be a church that is growing in God, showing God’s love, serving God’s people and sharing His good news, in all that we do. WORSHIP AND SERVICES (i) The style of worship within the Church is varied to Opportunities accommodate differing age groups (as seen in chart below) (ii) Participation by the congregation is encouraged in all OUTREACH AND MINISTRY services Through a number of initiatives aimed at discerning God’s will for our church, He (iii) There is private prayer ministry after each morning service has affirmed in us the need to be passionate and focussed in reaching out to the WEEK SERVICE ELEMENTS community we serve. A major part of this outreach centres around the activities 1st Sunday Morning Worship Worship Band that take place within the church and are largely run by church members. These AM include: PM Evening Holy Contemplative service Communion Children: Toddler groups, Pre-school, 3 Youth Groups for different ages. 2nd Sunday Morning Holy Prayer Ministry during AM Communion Communion. Keyboard. Adults: 7 homegroups (approximately 40% of Church Family attend), Prospects for adults with Learning Difficulties, Craft groups, ClicktoKnit. PM Prayer and Praise Modern format. Small Retired: Chatroom lunch, Fit4LaterLife. worship band. All age groups: a thriving Coffee morning where a significant number attending 3rd Sunday AM Family Service All age service, youth band and choir are from the local community, men’s breakfast, ladies supper, ‘bring and share’ lunches. PM Evening Holy Keyboard Communion Engaging with the local 4th Sunday AM Morning Holy Prayer Ministry during council, police and Communion Communion. Worship support groups and Band. understanding how the PM Streams Café style worship. Small church can play a part band. in supporting what they 5th Sunday AM Morning Worship Worship band do. The church family provides food for the PM Evening Holy Keyboard Crisis Centre (a friendly Communion place for the homeless) and to the North Bristol Food Bank. We encourage mission partners through monetary aid and prayers. CHURCH ATTENDANCE The church has a multi –national, all age congregation. The socio The church is used by the parish for many other activities, and is a good – economic structure of the people at Christ the King includes, opportunity for evangelism. These include:- the unemployed, those on benefits and retired. Students in full Children: Baby sensory, Music with Mummy, Twinkle Toes, Jo Jingles, Incredible time education and the working household constitute kids (Families with additional needs). approximately 30% of the total population. The people within this 30% are constantly changing. Adults: National Childbirth Trust, Slimming World, Young at Heart (over 50’s club), Local Art club, Music Classes. We offer a short morning prayer ministry which takes place 3 times a week and a monthly Prayer meeting, both of which take We are also active in encouraging and developing people’s journey in faith at place within the church building. There is also an opportunity for whatever stage they are in their Christian life. Many have benefitted from the people to have prayers said for them around the parish, by Alpha courses that we run and this year we will be extending this work by accessing the Prayer Wheel, or by attending homegroups. Home undertaking a joint course with Holy Trinity and introducing a special version of and hospital communion is available. Prayer support is also the course for our Prospects group. Additionally, Network (a course which seeks offered through the ‘Prayer Wheel’, homegroups and prayer box – where people can leave prayer requests for inclusion in the to identify spiritual gifts), Lent courses and homegroups, prove valuable in helping Morning Prayer service. people to grow spiritually. Church members are also encouraged to connect further with church life through involvement in many other day to day ministries. The Occasional Services for 2012 were 11 Baptisms for 12 years and under, 3 Baptisms for 13 years and over, 2 Confirmations, no We have a long established record of partnership with other churches in our area weddings and 1 funeral. through our Fraternal of Ministers. Events are put on jointly by this group and it is responsible for organising the schools ministry that we undertake. We bring the word of God to our com- munity through the Easter walk of witness, Christmas carols in the town centre and major evangelistic events. Average Sunday Attendance = 129 6
SERVICE ACTIVITIES Children up to the age of 14 Years leave for their own activities for part of every morning service, except for the Family Service. Church members and the Youth Worker lead the teaching of the young people. Creche: Up to 3 Years of age Bubbles: 3—School Age Sparklers: School Age—11 Lazers: 11-14. RESOURCES There are about 100 members of the congregation (85% of our electoral roll) involved in church services each month, from preparing the church through to organizing the coffee after morning services. CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES AND YOUTH WORK Christ the King Church pays an active role in the community and, through We have 1 Lay Reader and 1 retired clergy, and the our youth projects we are in regular contact with around 80 children who congregation are involved with intercessions, bible come to our weekly groups. We strive to continue to develop our already readings, helping at Communion, preaching and at thriving youth group work. We feel that engaging and educating youth in the moment, leading services. a safe environment is key to helping them to develop social skills, life All morning and some evening services use skills and confidence. These groups attract a significant number of non- projected Powerpoint slides. church youth and there is excellent opportunity here for outreach. The Church Administrator supports the work of the The three main groups are:- church 5 mornings a week including acting as an Daring 2B Different (D2BD) 6 – 11 years ambassador for outreach. CHURCH EVENTS 4mation 11 – 14 years We have social events to encourage fellowship, BigWhy? 14 – 18 years which includes all ages. From Viney Hill—under canvas, Spring Harvest, Day visits to places of All three of the groups are open to any youngster in the community. The Interest, church weekends away for teaching. We clubs have attendance from across Bradley Stoke including a large also take part in ‘The Noise’, an initiative which proportion from the local social housing families. seeks to undertake manual work and run social events within local communities over the May Day We aim to provide an integrated youth provision across all age groups bank holiday. that is to a consistently high standard and that links all of the groups so that we do not ‘lose’ children as they transfer between groups. Each of the youth groups are run by a large number of volunteers – around 20 volunteers across all the groups. These volunteers range from 15-18 year olds who help as ‘young leaders’ at 4mation to retired Individuals. In order that the youth provision is co-ordinated and to a high standard the church has a student youth worker who is in receipt of focussed training on both the skills required for youth work and exploring and developing faith. 7
2011 2012 CHURCH BUILDING INCOME The church building opened in 1991. It has been a focus for worship and a hub for the community since the early development of Bradley Stoke. Its Tax Efficient Standing Orders £57,733 £54,275 flexible floor space has resulted in daily use with the building open from Gift Aid from HMRC £15,454 £15,103 8am until 9pm most days with a weekly footfall of over 1000 people. Collections £8,341 £11,746 There are audio-visual capabilities including data projection, a comprehensive sound desk and deaf loop system. A kitchen and adequate Other Donations £17,655 £11,310 storage are available. There is a small secure outdoor play area for pre- Lettings £11,398 £14,793 school use, a 22 space car park but no attached churchyard. TOTAL £110,581 £107,227 EXPENDITURE Mission Tithe £10,597 £775 Parish Share £70,008 £71,004 Clergy Expenses £2,691 £986 Church Running expenses £13,715 £13,087 Other expenses £1,474 £846 Support Costs £1,359 £851 FINANCES Over the years we have been pleased to pay the ever increasing Parish Administration £12,834 £13,039 Share to the Diocese because we recognize the importance of it, and we Reserve Fund £1,000 £4,000* have also given 10% of the previous year’s income to charities as Mission Tithe. Following the budget predictions during 2012, the DCC had to make TOTAL £113,678 £104,308 some searching decisions about how the money was spent. * (see Table) The Reserve Fund had to be topped up to meet the mini- OVERALL GAIN OR LOSS £3,098 Loss £2,919 Gain mum reserve requirements of the Charity Commission. STRENGTHS, AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES Christ the King was established as a church plant in 1987. It has evolved into a church where both regular members and visitors can come before the Lord in a warm, friendly and non-threatening environment. Our outreach initiatives, such as the monthly cafe style service, annual Christmas fair, special Easter and Christmas services all aim to encourage our community to become Involved and to regard the church as a place where they can find help and support in time of need. Attendance numbers are stable despite a transient working population. However, we are not complacent and acknowledge the challenge in increasing our electoral roll. We believe that, through our regular reviews of strategy and vision, we will be guided by God as to the most appropriate way forward. We are clear, for example, that more work is needed in following up non-church families who bring their children for Baptism and couples who choose the church for their wedding. We pray too for the courage and confidence to respond to God’s guiding in this area. Once the new benefice of Bradley Stoke is created, we will be working much more closely with Holy Trinity church. This can be a time of mixed reaction, whereby some are very wary of change and, at the other end of the scale, The Turf cutting of CTK, stormy weather on the others relish the challenge of bringing the churches together to deliver an day but all present had a sunny outlook! effective ministry in our community. This transition, therefore, needs to be progressed very carefully. Aspects such as lay leadership development and improvements associated with other areas of church life are excellent opportunities to make the most effective use of resources and engender an atmosphere of inclusiveness and unity between the two churches. 8
Holy Trinity’s vision Local ecumenical partnership The Church’s Vision Statement is summed up Holy Trinity is a local ecumenical partnership and the in the phrase, ‘Building up and reaching out congregation meet as one, sharing their experiences of with the love of Jesus Christ.’ church and worship, allowing all members of the church to We aim to be a contemporary expression of feel welcome. The current team comprises: Jesus’ love, and be a people who share God’s Anglican Transition Rev Bill Post is paid half-time, and runs love to each other and to those in Minister / Priest in MacDougall until Sept 2015. the neighbourhood. Charge of Holy Trinity The build- Methodist Rev David Hart Also Superintendent of the ing was Bristol and South Glos. circuit opened in and minister of Victoria Methodist Church in Bristol. 1994 URC Rev Stephen Also leads URC churches in Lewis Thornbury, Rush Hill and Welham Green. Shared Leadership Team The church is led by an Ecumenical Church Council (ECC) and the Ministry Team. The ECC is the formal body, and has delegated responsibility for the church’s spiritual life to the Ministry Team. Alongside the ordained staff, the church has one part-time administrator, two Are you the Anglican lay readers, a Methodist Local Preacher and a Methodist Local missing Preacher in training. The church has two church wardens who also fill the role as Methodist Stewards and URC Elders. Exciting beginnings at piece? the “Blue hut”. Growing up with Bradley Stoke 1989 First meeting in front room of newly built vicarage. Three of that first congregation are still actively involved in the church. 1990 Moved to portacabin, known as the ‘blue hut’. 1994 Holy Trinity is opened, with the building deliberately linking the church and the primary school in a single development. 2000 The members started shaping Holy Trinity into a ‘Cell Church’. 2005 Over time the leadership realised that ‘Cell’ was no longer the most appropriate format for Bradley Stoke, but we still use the cell church principles of: Jesus Christ at the Centre Art class on 2011 Every person in ministry Parish Weekend Every person growing Building Community at Brunel Manor. Seeking growth 9
A worshipping community The majority of members of the church live locally and are below 65 years of age. There are some older members of the church whose fellowship is highly valued. This year an average of 45 adults and 13 children have attended normal Sunday services, with up to twice those numbers at festivals and baptisms. The church aims to use little formal liturgy. The open format of the worship area enables services to be held in ‘cafe format’ and ‘in the Informal round’, as well as in more conventional layouts. All services are contemporary structured to encourage every member ministry and congregational participation. worship. Holy Trinity practises both infant baptism and full immersion of adults using the baptistery. Quarterly, on a Sunday HTC offers an open community morning based on creative activities, which provides a bridge for local unchurched families. The church worship group (Praise Raisers) provides music for all services and joins in the role of choosing songs/hymns in collaboration with the We strongly service speaker/leader. encourage Holy Trinity encourages members to also join a mid-week group. service A monthly mid-week evening service, entitled ‘Sure Foundation’, leaders not provides opportunity for worship and prayer for church members and to wear members of other churches in the area. robes. The building provides natural links with the community Since the church was opened, it has supplied a meeting place for various community groups such as St John Ambulance, Toddler and pre-school groups, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, as well as being the local polling station. Holy Trinity sponsors and oversees Trinity Pre-school, Trinity Tots, a Daily Monday evening children’s group and a youth group meeting in flexible use the church building on Sunday evenings. by the community On Saturday mornings the church runs a football club ‘Cosmic United’ for children up to age 11, and a drama group ‘Gifted’ for children aged 8-12. The school field is used for football practices, the worship area for drama, and the church foyer for fellowship with families who are on the fringe of our church’s extended family. The church has recently started a Wednesday coffee morning as a way to reach out to the local community. Previous Anglican ministers have had close links with these groups, and often led worship sessions at events like thanksgivings and prize-givings. 10
Some of the many opportunities for growth and service within our community In many ways we have had a tough The majority of our first contact is with the more than 1000 people four years, with multiple changes of who use the building during the week. This is a natural point of leadership and uncertainty about growth that needs thinking about carefully. the future. Consequently we are Exploring and extending the link with the school is another natural struggling in a number of areas of opportunity. church life. Some people have left, We have a number of points of contact with young people but there are many great people and families who live on our doorstep that could be who haven’t because they believe developed further. that God has a plan for this Bradley Stoke has many areas of need, financial, relational and community, and believe there are spiritual. These present challenges to us as well as opportunities for many opportunities for growth. The reaching out in service. challenge will be deciding which ones to prioritise, and which ones to Church members are keen to develop their faith and live this out in resource first. Here are just some of their lives, and we need to constantly assess our approach to ensure the options. it meets current needs. A focus on young people Our free annual holiday club books The church has believed it should have a particular up fast and gives focus on serving young people. Throughout its life it 100 local children a has employed five youth workers in different great three days, capacities. There are various children’s and young with food for life. people’s programmes for those up to the age of 16 to engage with. At the moment there is no youth worker, but there is a strong desire to employ one. Young people have groups on Sunday mornings. The Church and School Holy Trinity Primary School is a Church of England/Methodist voluntary aided (VA) school, with space for 210 pupils. It has 6 classes in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 plus the reception class. The staff of the school are expected to support the school’s distinct Christian ethos. The church and school share the school hall and playing fields, and An the school uses the worship area. integrated The minister of Holy Trinity is expected to take an active role in primary the school and become a member of the governing body. school 11
Characteristics and Qualities sought in the new Vicar What we are looking for. We pray for a leader who is passionate about God’s Kingdom, evangelical and open to the Spirit, ecumenically minded, strategic and collaborative to help us shape and realise our shared vision for mission and growth in this diverse and predominantly young community of Bradley Stoke at a significant time of change. Useful Information: Addresses: Christ the King, Holy Trinity Church, Mautravers Close, Broad Croft, Bradley Stoke, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, Bristol, BS32 8EE BS32 0BD Tel: 0117 931 2304 Tel: 01454 856947 E-mail: admin@ctkchurch.org.uk E-mail: htcbradleystoke@btinternet.com Websites: Christ the King www. ctkchurch.org.uk Holy Trinity Church www.htcbradleystoke.co.uk Holy Trinity School www.holytrinity-pri.s-gloucs.sch.uk Trinity Pre School www.trinitypreschoolbradleystoke.co.uk References: Page 5: Data in the graph is drawn from ”Mapping Mission Opportunities: Using Detailed Information to Improve Strategic Mission Thinking” by Rev. Are you the Leighton Carr, 2012, The Clifton Publishing Company” missing piece? 12
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