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Archdeaconry of Bedford
Luton Deanery
The Parish Church of St Margaret, Streatley
Patron – The Bishop
PARISH PROFILE
St. Margaret’s Church Sharpenhoe Road Streatley Beds LU3 3PN
Websites: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7752/find-us
https://www.stmargaret-streatley.org.uk
The Parish Centre Lucas Gardens Luton Beds LU3 4BG
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WELCOME
Welcome to this Profile of the Parish of St. Margaret’s Streatley. We are very proud of our beautiful Church and Parish. In the following pages, we hope you will find much to interest you in the possibility of becoming our new Parish Priest. We have an active Parochial Church Council comprising many talents, a steady and loyal congregation and we are all looking forward to welcoming our new priest with a warm and hearty welcome. Please read on and decide whether the Parish of St. Margaret’s Streatley could be for you.
Contents
Page Our Vision 3 The person we are looking for 3 In return we offer 3 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges/Threats 4 Overview of the Parish 5 The Vicarage 6 Education 6 Housing and Centres of Community 6 Proposed new development 6 Keech Hospice Care 7 The Worshiping Community 8 Services 9 Average Attendance 10 Ministerial Team 10 Wider Ministry 11 The PCC and its Committees 11 Pastoral and Outreach 12 Partnerships 13 Finance 13 Friends of Streatley Parish Church 13 Charities associated with St. Margaret’s Church 13 Picture Page 14
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Our Vision
Our vision for future growth and progress is to continue to be a growing, welcoming, prayerful, spirit-filled, diverse and inclusive Christian community, with a desire to demonstrate and share God’s love. Actively reaching out to and serving the community and providing Christian witness relevant for the 21st century.
The Person we are looking for
We are seeking to welcome a Priest who will enjoy working as part of a team and who will creatively encourage, challenge and inspire people with the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Is a person of prayer who can lead us in worship
Has a gift for presenting and teaching the Gospel in a way that attracts and inspires people of all ages, in a growing and changing community.
Is a pastoral leader who listens to and motivates others. Empowering and nurturing their gifts and vocations.
A skilled and sensitive communicator.
Will have missional skills. Be outward looking and help us to develop and deliver our Mission Action plan.
In return we offer
A welcoming and friendly congregation.
An exciting mix of rural and urban ministry.
The challenge of both parish ministry and the part-time role of Co-Ordinating Chaplain for Keech Hospice, which cares for adults and children.
A beautiful and well-maintained historic church.
A modern and self-financing parish centre which hosts; Sunday and mid-week services, community groups and social events.
The opportunity and challenge of proposed new housing and infrastructure.
A committed PCC, offering support, hard work and openness.
Our Committed PCC
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Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges/threats
Strengths
Historic church in a beautiful location A modern, well maintained Parish Centre in the middle of our community Established lay and ordained leaders A flourishing youth club for 8-13 year olds Caring, faithful and supportive congregation Good hospitality and social events Strong Ladies Guild and Care Committee Enthusiastic organist and growing choir Weekly coffee morning Hard working teams that help to beautify our Church and Parish Centre Links to schools and wider community organisations Links with Keech Hospice Care
Weaknesses
Unable to pay full Parish Share Stable active church depending on fewer people Not nurturing people effectively from baptism to discipleship Need to further develop social media profile including website
Opportunities
Further development of contact with residential homes To reach out to the lonely and isolated Build greater connections with parish schools and colleges Build greater connection with uniformed groups Develop chaplaincies
Challenges/Threats
Challenges Insufficient funding and giving Impact of social media and digital transformation Struggle to gain young adults No prayer group or Sunday school Increasing social isolation Where and what church is in todays worldly non church society
Threats Not having a full time Priest Increasing ageing population locally
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Overview of the parish
The parish of Streatley, in the southern part of Bedfordshire, has a population of around
10,000. The Church, a well maintained and much loved, traditional, historic building stands in the village of
Streatley, on the Chiltern escarpment in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The village was originally a
Bronze Age settlement. There are some beautiful countryside walks within and adjacent to Streatley
Parish, (Sharpenhoe Clappers, Sundon Hill Country Park, Warden
Hills and many more). Luton town centre is approximately 5 miles
away and London Luton Airport is approximately 7 miles. The
parish is within easy reach of 3 mainline train stations (Luton,
Leagrave, Harlington). Bus services are regular and the M1
Motorway is approximately 4 miles away. The parish has a variety
of schools and shops.
The Parish also has the following amenities A view from Sharpenhoe Clappers Lancaster Avenue Bowls Club South Bedfordshire Golf Club The Chequers, Public House, Streatley The Brim and Crown, Public House and Restaurant The Warden Hill, Beefeater Restaurant Sunshine Riding School Homebase DIY Store Sainsbury’s Superstore
Sharpenhoe Clappers
Parish Map
The parish includes the village of Streatley and two distinct parts of north Luton:
Warden Hill, which was built in the 1930’s
Barton Hills / Bramingham, which was built in the 1980’s
The geography and demographics mean that the parish embraces both rural and urban communities.
The Vicarage, Parish Centre and Curate’s house are located in Bramingham. Services are held at the Church
and the Parish Centre. There are two other community centres within the parish: Streatley village hall and
Warden Hill community centre.
St. Margaret’s Church >
< Parish Centre Vicarage >
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The Vicarage
The Vicarage is a very pleasant
and modern four bedroom
family home. With gardens and
off-road parking. Situated in a
lovely close and is offered with
the post.
Education
The parish contains five schools/nurseries:
Bramingham Primary School
Cardinal Newman Catholic School (secondary)
Grasmere Nursery School
Warden Hill Infant and Junior School
Bright Horizons Bramingham Day Nursery and Preschool
The parish also contains, Enterprise Way Campus of Barnfield College.
Housing and Centres of Community
The parish contains a mixture of village and suburban housing, residential and daycare centres, agricultural land, retail shops and modern light industrial/commercial units.
The parish also contains many other centres:
Keech Hospice Care, which is the adult hospice for Luton and South Bedfordshire and the children’s
hospice for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes. Six centre’s, for retired, elderly and disabled people. Two houses in Wycombe Way (Respite care for 16 – 19 year olds with physical and learning
disabilities). Bramingham Baptist Church. St. John’s Methodist Church.
Proposed New Development – South Bedfordshire Local Plan
The plan is for an urban extension of 4,000 houses and infrastructure to the north edge of Luton, between
the M1 to the west and the A6 to the east. This is dependant on the building of the proposed new M1 and
A6 link road.
A percentage of this extension will fall within the Streatley Parish.
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Keech Hospice Care
Keech Hospice Care is an adult hospice for Luton and South Bedfordshire and the children’s hospice for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes and is located in the parish of St Margaret’s Church, Streatley. It provides high quality accessible specialist palliative care and works in partnership to influence and educate others in end of life care.
The hospice aims to lead the way in providing excellent care, supporting children and adults with life limiting conditions and those affected by death and dying, helping them to live well and make every day count.
St. Margaret’s Church hosts Keech Hospice Care Annual Remembrance Service and some of its parishioners’ volunteer in Keech Hospice Care shops.
Website https://www.keech.org.uk
Keech Hospice Care Chaplaincy Service: Co-Ordinating Chaplain
We are looking for someone who, within their church position, will work as part of our multidisciplinary team for one day per week. The role will include recruiting, training, co-ordinating and supervising a multi-faith voluntary chaplaincy service, to support Hospice staff, volunteers and patients.
The post holder will work with partner organisations and the Hospice volunteering department to provide this service and will provide leadership and support to these volunteers in their chaplaincy role.
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The Worshipping Community
Following the full revision of the Parish Electoral Roll, there are currently 96 people on the
Electoral Roll: 51 people are resident in the parish and 45 people are non-resident in the parish. There
were 13 new applicants in 2018, however figures represent an overall decline of 43 in the past year (after a
full revision year).
The normal Sunday worship programme operates on a monthly basis:
Every Sunday 9.30am Parish Communion (Common Worship) St. Margaret’s Church 11.15am Parish Centre Holy Communion (Common Worship) every Sunday apart from the first Sunday of the Month
Second and Fourth Sunday 8.00am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer, without hymns) St. Margaret’s Church
First Sunday 11.15am Family Service St. Margaret’s Church
The style of worship is best described as traditional with vestments, alb and stole.
Additional Worship:
Wednesday 10.15am Parish Centre Communion
Second Thursday 8.00pm Compline St. Margaret’s Church
Family Services
Wednesday Morning Communion Service At the Parish Centre
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Services
During 2018 the following services took place:
Remembrance Service at the Village Memorial Stone
Christingle Service
During 2018 the numbers of Occasional Offices were as follows:
Baptisms 15 Weddings 8 Blessings of Marriage 2 Funerals (9 at St. Margaret’s, 31 at the Vale Crematorium) 40 Burial of Ashes 19
Parish Communion 52 Services of the Word 3 Wednesday Holy Communions 50 Sunday Communions 8.00am 24 Family Services 11 Compline Services 12 Holy Communion Services in Trefoil House 12 Communion visits to Widecombe Nursing Home 12 Annual Remembrance Service for the Hospice 1 Bereavement Service for All Souls 1 Carols by Candlelight Service 2 Christingle Services 2 Patronal Festival 1 Remembrance Day Service at Village Memorial Stone 1 Carol Service at Trefoil House 1 Pastoral visits to Quantock Court 12
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Average Attendance
Ministerial Team
We are blessed with:
A Curate in training (final year) Teresa our Reader
A Reader
Sacristan
Verger
Offertory Servers
We also have a number of Lay members in the congregation who assist with the following services:
Sunday Parish Communion Service
Parish Worker, Residential Home services
Taking Holy Communion to the sick and housebound
Compline Service
Sunday services Time Average Attendance 2018
Average Attendance 2018 Under 16’s
BCP Holy Communion St. Margaret’s Church (2nd and Last Sunday of the month)
8.00am
8
0
Common Worship Holy Communion St. Margaret’s Church (weekly)
9.30am
56
4
Common Worship Holy Communion Parish Centre (weekly apart from 1st Sunday of the month )
11.15am
14
0
All age Family Service St. Margaret’s Church (1st Sunday of the month)
11.15am
29
18
Wednesday Time Average Attendance 2018
Average Attendance 2018 Under 16’s
Common Worship Holy Communion Parish Centre Weekly
10.15am
18
0
Thursday Time Average Attendance 2018
Average Attendance 2018 Under 16’s
Compline and Reflection St. Margaret’s 2nd Thursday of the month
8.00pm
4
0
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Wider Ministry
Chaplaincy is provided within the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust by a member of
St. Margaret’s Church, who is a commissioned Lay Chaplain.
The PCC and it’s Committees
The parish is well served by its PCC, with 12 elected members, 1 co-opted member who represents the
Friends of Streatley Church, 2 Church Wardens and 2 Deanery Synod representatives. The PCC operates
through a number of committees:
Care Committee. Its brief is to raise funds and nominate charities to be supported outside the
parish. The PCC requires that 10% of the Church’s income goes to charities. The Care Committee
also works with Plan International and has been doing so for over 10 years. They currently sponsor
4 children, one from each of the following countries: Kenya, Toga, Colombia and Bangladesh. They
have 38 sponsors who pay £15 per year for each child they sponsor.
Parish Centre Management Committee.
Fund Raising Committee (Summer Fete, Christmas Fayre and Social Events)
Pastoral Committee, which organises the annual Harvest Appeal donations and includes the Way
Wardens, a Pastoral Team of over 60 volunteers who deliver The Messenger, Easter and Christmas
cards and look after the whole parish.
Churchyard Maintenance Group. Not all regular Church attendees
Communication Groups including:
Proclamation, the Parish Magazine with a monthly circulation of 300 copies.
The Messenger, a leaflet delivered twice a year to all homes in the parish.
The Parish Website.
Weekly pew leaflet.
Additional Teams and Helpers who are invaluable
They help to put on our services and enhance them:
Intercessors, Readers of the Lessons, Organist, Choir, Sidesmen and Parish Safeguarding Officer.
Flower Arrangers, Cleaners, Laundry Team, Refreshment Teams.
Brenda. Always on hand to keep our church looking Blooming Beautiful
Our talented Organist And Joyful Choir
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Pastoral and Outreach
Residential Homes
There are many care establishments located in the Parish. Trefoil House, Quantock Court and Widecombe
Home have received regular ministry and pastoral visits for about eight years by the previous Incumbent
and the Parish Worker.
During December we sing Carols at both Quantock Court and Sainsbury’s Supermarket.
Groups, Organisations and Activities for all the Community
Buggy Group: For Mum’s and Toddlers. Meets every Tuesday in the Parish Centre (Term time only).
The Ladies Guild: Has a membership of over 50 people. It meets monthly at Streatley Village Hall
and enjoys a wide range of speakers and outings. Members man cake stalls at the Summer Fete and
Christmas Bazaar and serve teas for the Hospice Thanksgiving and Remembrance Service.
Talking Elephants: For those who are bereaved. In partnership with Neville Funeral Directors. It
meets on Wednesday mornings for coffee in the Parish Centre.
Thursday Coffee Morning Group: Meets in the Parish Centre and is open to all
The Hub Youth Group: This has been running for nearly two years. It is for 8-13 year olds. There
are presently 70+ children on the books and on average 25+ children turn up each week.
Crafty Church: Seasonal fun activities for children and their parents.
Parish Walks: Everyone welcome.
Buggy Group (Teddy Bears Picnic) Parish Walk
The Hub Youth Group Meets at the Parish Centre every Thursday evening
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Partnerships
St. Margaret’s Church works closely with other Anglican churches and other denominations.
St. Margaret’s is an active member of Luton Churches Together in Limbury which organises
joint walks of witness, biennial Lent Groups and Quiet Days and celebrates the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity.
Finance
The Parish Share for 2018 was £58,841. Insufficient funding remains a concern as we failed to pay our full
Parish Quota.
Stewardship is practised through the Parish Giving Scheme, envelope scheme and collection from services.
2018 was the first full year of giving under the new Parish Giving Scheme by direct debit and the scheme is
growing.
The Curate’s house is rented out and the Parish Centre is self-funding and contributes income to the
Church.
Friends of Streatley Parish Church
Friends of Streatley Parish Church is a registered charity. Its aim and activities are to raise monies for the
maintenance and preservation of St. Margaret’s Church. The Vicar of Streatley or any person in Holy
Orders, Licensed or in charge of the parish, is a member of the Executive Committee.
Charities associated with St. Margaret’s Church
Two small charities are associated with St. Margaret’s Church
Smyths Educational Charity
Streatley and Sharpenhoe Trust
The Incumbent and Churchwardens are Trustees by virtue of their office.
Our Churchwardens John and Dorothy Lay Vice Chair, Julia
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Buggy Group Leaders
The Hub Youth Leaders
Gardening Team
Ladies Guild Christmas Party Coffee Morning Team
Jean
our Sacristan
Our modern, self-financing Parish Centre hosts many of our group
activities
