St Andrew’s Chorleywood Parish Profile 2016St Andrew’s ChurchQuickley LaneChorleywoodHertfordshireWD3 5AE
Tel: 01923 447111
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.st-andrews.org.uk
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Living God’s Love
We live in the context of a world of insecurity. We are in a time of rough seas. For those who like windy weather, such days are exciting.
When Jesus comes to His disciples over a stormy sea, His first words are: “Do not fear.” So do not fear, people of God: we are in a context ideally made for us. It’s the sea we swim best in. It’s a sea in which it’s for us to give, to suffer, to die, to convert, to transform.
It is not a time for safe hands and faint hearts. It is a time for courage and adventure, and living as the people we really are.
The only certainty in the world is Jesus Christ. He is completely true, completely faithful, completely trustworthy. He simply asks us, His servants, to live in a way that witnesses to Him in this world.
Archbishop Justin WelbyMarch 2016
(adapted)
Going deeper into God Transforming communities Making new disciples
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Index
Section Page
1 Parish setting 42 History 53 Vision 74 Values 85 What we look for in our new vicar 96 What we offer that the new vicar can build on 107 How we hope to go forward 118 Some of the challenges we may meet 119 Church life 1210 Church organisation 1911 Estate 2312 Finances 2413 Map of the parish 25
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1. Parish setting
Population 11,500
Chorleywood lies in the South West corner of Hertfordshire on the border with Buckinghamshire. Well served by local shops and restaurants, it is residential in character with a little local industry. Chorleywood has excellent transport links, with the Metropolitan Line Tube and Chiltern Railway train services each providing a circa 30-minute journey into Central London. Junctions 17 and 18 of the M25 are both less than two miles away and Heathrow and Luton Airports are within easy driving distance.
There are two highly regarded primary schools in the parish – The Russell School and Chorleywood Primary School. Just outside the parish there is a third – Christ Church CofE School. Older children either attend St Clement Danes School (an Academy) in Christ Church parish or else travel to secondary schools in Rickmansworth, Watford or elsewhere.
Unemployment rates for the parish and surrounding area are low (approx 1.8%), 62% of households are owner occupied and 51% of people are educated to above A Level. There is a thriving retired community with 25% of residents over the age of 65. Whilst Chorleywood appears to be an affluent neighbourhood, there are nevertheless some less affluent areas. House prices, and therefore mortgage levels are very high, so disposable incomes can be lower than might otherwise be supposed. Despite this, it is a popular area for young families to move into because of the educational facilities.
Chorleywood Common is a central recreation area for the village: 200 acres of open and wooded land designated as a Country Heritage Site. Very popular with residents for walking and horse riding, it also hosts a 9-hole golf course and a cricket club. The adjacent Chess Valley has some of the most attractive countryside in the Chiltern area, itself an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Chorleywood has a tennis club and a well-used village hall. There is Film Society and an active U3A.
Location and transport links
Education facilities
Residential profile
Recreational opportunities
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2. History
St Andrew’s Church was founded in 1908 as a missional community from Christ Church, Chorleywood, originally worshipping in the building now known as “The Bridge”. The parish of St Andrew’s (see map at the end) was created in 1963 from parts of Christ Church Chorleywood, Chenies and Chalfont St Peter parishes. The current church building was consecrated in 1966 and has since been extended several times.
From its early days St Andrew’s has been open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, had mission at its heart and been willing to respond to new ideas and change. St Andrew’s was one of the earliest churches in the 1960’s to experience charismatic renewal and its effect on both the congregation and the parish. The church was again impacted by the move of the Holy Spirit in the 1980’s, discovering that the gifts and ministries of the Spirit were to be exercised by all members of the Body of Christ. The church became a focus for people who were looking for more in their Christian lives, and served as a resource and encouragement for many visitors, both through normal weekly worship and through Leaders’ Conferences.
New Wine, Soul Survivor and Onelife had their genesis at St Andrew’s. These began as small local initiatives, but they grew to become independent organisations. There has been a steady flow of candidates for ordination over the past decades, and some people have gone overseas as missionaries, with others doing short-term missions. It has always been important to us that what God gives us, we are to give away.
The focus on worship, teaching and Holy Spirit ministry led to significant growth in the number of people visiting St Andrew’s, and the church gained a certain fame or notoriety, depending on people’s viewpoints. The large numbers in the church led to the formation of Mid-Size Communities where family and pastoral needs could be met. Some of these met in the parish, some in other locations. These were fresh expressions of church in action, although regrettably the presence of these was not always helpful to the existing Anglican congregations in parish churches.
The MSC structure of the church was good for a season, but eventually difficulties arose, including the draining effect on leaders, who were also working at their own jobs throughout the week. New members joining the MSCs did not have the same sense of belonging to St Andrew’s and gradually this dispersed model became a problem. Core attendance at St Andrew’s decreased as people were less likely to travel to worship in Chorleywood. We experienced a noticeable drop in numbers in the congregation and on the Electoral Roll, and there was a commensurate decrease in our income.
It is clear that although the Great Commission does not change, there are different ways in which we at St Andrew’s are called to fulfil it, and that God effects changes in the church from time to time.
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In the last six years, there has been a different emphasis, and we have become more of a parish church, which in turn has improved our relationships with our local community, deanery and diocese. We sense that we have been in a God-given season of pruning. Through sound preaching and application of the Word, and the work of the Holy Spirit, we have become more fully Christ-centred, with stronger foundations.
Some of our members have had to struggle through very difficult times and this has brought us together as a family, supporting and loving each other deeply, and developing within us, individually and as a church, a faith which can face the realities of life. As a result, there has been a re-establishing and strengthening of relationships with God and within our church family, and we have greater confidence in Him as we move into the next phase.
We have been greatly blessed in the past by being part of several moves of God, each of which has had an impact within His church and on those outside who have been brought into the Kingdom. Like the tide coming in, each wave is followed by a period of retrenchment, where we focus on Him and rekindle our first love, rather than being caught up solely in work. We believe that the past few years have been vital in preparing the ground for whatever the future holds for us as a church.
As we look back with gratitude at all that God has done, we also face the future with faith and expectation, watching for the new things that He is doing.
Recent history
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3. Vision
We want to:
• Live New Testament Christianity in the context of being fully engaged in the Anglican Communion.
• Be good news and bring good news to our neighbours.
• Be a people through whom God can reach the hurting world with His grace and power.
• Be a safe place where broken people can receive God’s love and healing. We want to be a church where there is mutual love and support, where Biblical truth is proclaimed and the work of the Holy Spirit is welcomed and encouraged.
• Become more effective as disciples who help to make other disciples, bringing the presence of Christ to our families, communities and work places.
In order to do this, we aim:
• ‘To follow Jesus, in company with each other, for the good of the world’
• To be a community that is
• Grounded in the Word
• Growing in the Spirit
• Giving of our time, talents and money
• Going into all the world, on fire with the love of Christ.
We have a history of being a place of renewing and resourcing for the church and we believe this might happen again. We have been given prophetic words concerning the need to “re-open the wells of grace” and this has been happening as we ourselves have learnt to walk in God’s grace, with gratitude and humility, strengthened faith, and greater love. From the deep roots carefully tended in the previous incumbency, we look forward to seeing the growth that God intends for us as we look to Him alone, serving others as He directs, and loving them with His love.
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4. Values
We value growing in our knowledge and love of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, both corporately and individually. This involves our commitment to Word and Sacraments, worship, preaching, prayer, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and service.
Word: We value the Bible as God’s word written which points us to God’s Word spoken. In addition to our private reading, we have read the entire Bible aloud during two recent Lenten periods, and a monthly Bible Book Club over the past three years has resulted in many members having studied and discussed every book in turn.
Sacraments: Holy Communion is a regular commitment: for about 20 people at 8.00am on Sundays, whilst others participate in the fortnightly 10.30am or 6.30pm communion services.
Worship: We include a range of styles, including regular use of contemporary music, as well as other expressions of worship using art and other creative gifts. Our primary focus is always to be on God and to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Preaching: Our understanding and appreciation of the living Word and the truths of our faith, are developed through the sermons which are usually biblical exposition, either of a book or of a biblical theme over a series of weeks. In turn this encourages us to delve more deeply into the Word and to apply it in our daily life as part of our own spiritual growth.
Prayer: We are committed to prayer, which we do through a combination of informal styles and more structured liturgy. We pray in church, in groups, on our own, with and for other people. We are keen to grow and deepen in this.
The Holy Spirit: As a charismatic church, we have always sought the ministry of the Holy Spirit among us and through us. We have a Ministry Team, trained to pray with people, available at nearly all services
Service: A large number of us help with various aspects of church life; we encourage each other in the ministries and gifts we have been given.
Many of those who live in the village are involved with organisations and individuals in the parish, others are engaged within our own local communities. We all acknowledge God’s call on our lives to serve others as He has served us.
Café Church
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5. What we look for in our new vicar
We believe we need someone who:
• Lives with their primary focus on Christ, committed to the practice and development of their own spiritual walk in humble obedience, through prayer, sacrament, and the study of Scripture, allowing it to form and shape their life and character.
• Welcomes the work of the Holy Spirit in their own life and that of the church.
• Is committed to preaching God’s word faithfully, opening the Scriptures with their message of God’s grace and helping us to apply the truth to our lives.
• Wants to share the good news with others and will encourage us to do so also.
• Is committed to the calling to the cure and care of souls, both in the church and in the parish, and is able to offer pastoral support to those in need.
• Will be confident in the development of others: encouraging ministries, gifts and leadership potential; equipping the congregation for the work of service, and helping individuals to grow in their discipleship.
• Relates well to people of all ages, both in church and in the local parish, and is willing to be out and about in the village as a visible representative of the church and the Kingdom.
• Is able to provide leadership and direction to a staff team, probably having had earlier experience of this.
• Is willing to assess and value what is already in place, and discern how to build on the solid foundations established in recent years, motivating and leading the congregation to engage with what they believe God is saying.
• Takes appropriate time off in order to maintain their own well-being.
Christmas decorations
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6. What we offer that the new vicar can build on
A loving community:
• The regular members of the congregations at all three services believe they are called to be part of St Andrew’s, even though around half may live outside the parish. This knowledge of calling engenders a sense of belonging, and the family atmosphere is strong. We know we are all equal in God’s love and we value each other.
• Many within the church give generously out of whatever they have. Within the church community are some with significant material means, and some with little.
• As a family we support each other through the very difficult things that come to us – ill-health, unemployment, family worries, bereavement. Our pastoral visiting team is committed, and their service is complemented by the prayerful, practical care of others, including those in our Life Groups, who are willing to walk alongside us in the mess of life.
• Being hospitable is one of our core values. We have a team of people on welcoming duties for each service. Refreshments after the services offer time for people to gather in the lounge to chat and catch up with each other.
• We have fun together through a variety of social events. We have wonderful gifts of creativity within the congregation and these are used to great effect at major festivals.
A spiritual community:
• Those of us who have a personal commitment to Christ, seek as disciples to deepen that relationship. We have a genuine thirst for more – of the Kingdom, of the Word, of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, in the church and in the world, of the presence of God in the church and of the transformation necessary for us to be better conformed to Christ’s image.
• Worship and prayer are integral to who we are and we seek to ensure that our lives are rooted in them.
• We aim to show the practical outworking of our faith in supporting people in our community by activities such as the Friendship Club for the elderly, and the Mums and Toddler Groups, both of which benefit non-church families in the village.
• As a church we have a great heritage, with a history of being part of significant moves of God within the Church in England. We long to move forward as He directs.
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7. How we hope to go forward
8. Some of the challenges we may meet
• We are firmly rooted in the Word and in the message of grace and forgiveness, and we want to build on these foundations. We want to build with integrity and under the Lord’s direction.
• We want to continue to grow in confidence as we minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, outside church as well as inside.
• We want to be able to make the life of grace accessible to those who come in to the church; that they will find us to be a safe place and a resource for those who are broken and in need, and that they will find His grace for themselves.
• We hope to become more and more the carriers and demonstrators of good news to those around us, locally and in our workplaces.
• We want to help to reignite the faith that some outside the church already have. Many of the children and young people in the area have come into contact with the Gospel but no longer give it place in their lives. Older generations may have experience of church from childhood and only think about faith at crises points of life. We need to grow in living attractive Christ-like lives so that people want to reacquaint themselves with the Lord.
• Reaching the men in our area with the truth of God’s love is one of our top aims and we need to hear God’s way forward in this. We have a significant men’s ministry in the Men’s Breakfasts which attract around 50 people, but we want to find other ways to offer them encounters with the gospel.
• The age profile of our regular congregation affects who we naturally connect with in the community, and may also affect our finances as older members retire.
• There is a need to develop and maintain the intergenerational connections within the church.
• The imbalance of our gender profile makes it harder to reach men.
• The busyness of those in church and those around us is often frenetic. It affects our volunteer work, and makes it hard to be involved with the community.
• The ethnic mix of the church does not yet fully reflect that of the village.
• We are a parish church and need to be fully engaged there. With half our people coming from outside the parish, not everyone understands the importance of involvement in village activities.
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9. Church life
The 2016 electoral roll figure is 255, of which 112 members are resident in the parish. Of those not resident in the parish, 14 or so live within Chorleywood and most of the rest are within 6 miles of the church. There is a very stable core membership, many of whom can measure their commitment to St Andrew’s in decades, but we are pleased that there is also a steady, though not huge, flow of new people joining, almost entirely from within the parish. Our average attendance figures by service are given in the next section. Across all services the average number of adults attending once or more on any given Sunday is around 235.
The age profile of our membership mirrors that in the local population, there being quite a large proportion of over-50’s, many of whom are now retired. There are around 20 families with children of school age or under who attend regularly and participate in the children’s activities, and between them there are 10 babies and toddlers under school age. More families come in from time to time. There is a noticeably smaller group of teenagers in the church than might be expected, partly attributable to the influence of school and other activities taking priority. The gap is also due to a non-denominational church which began around ten years ago in the village and catered almost exclusively for young families. This has also somewhat reduced the 40-50 age group in the church.
The 18-30+ group is thriving, with 15-20 attending weekly. Many of these are actively involved with the Sunday evening services and contribute a large number of talented musicians to our worship groups.
Not surprisingly, our electoral roll shows a ratio of men to women of approximately 4:7, and this is reflected in the attendance at services. There is, however, a more equal balance in the 18-30+ group.
9.1 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Youth and children’s activities
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The schedule below gives an indication of some of the main services and events which currently take place during a typical term-time week.
9.2 CHURCH ACTIVITIES
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Wednesday
Saturday
(Av. attendance)08.00
07.00
07.00
07.00
07.00
07.00
08.30
10.30
19.30
10.30
10.00
10.00
10.00
19.00
19.30
16.30
17.30
15.15
10.00
20.00
19.00
18.30
20.00
1919387
Holy Communion
Early Morning Prayer (lay led)
Early Morning Prayer (lay led)
Early Morning Prayer (lay led)
Early Morning Prayer (lay led)
Early Morning Prayer (lay led)
Occasional Men’s and Women’s breakfasts ~ once each per term
Morning Worship, Holy Communion, or “Funday Sunday”
Cha-Cha Chorleywood (dancing classes)
Friendship Club (lunch club for the elderly)
Toddlers Group
Toddlers Group
Toddlers Group
ACTS – Youth (11-14 years)
Breakout – Youth (14-18 years)
SPACE – Children’s (5-8 years) after school club
VIP – Children’s (9-11 years) after school club
Backstage school drama group (8-11 years)
Mother & Baby Group
Life Groups meet in homes mostly on Wednesday evenings
Prayer in the Chapel
Holy Communion, Celebration Service or Café Church
PCC (~ 6x per year) or Standing Committee (10-11x per year)
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Baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals
Intercessory prayer meetings
Pastoral care
Social events
Conferences
Baptisms
Weddings
Funerals
Confirmations
In the calendar year 2015 there were 2 Infant Baptisms, 2 Adult Baptisms, 3 Weddings and 4 Funerals. Our current practice with respect to each of these is as follows:
There are regular intercessory prayer meetings in the early morning (term time weekdays at 7:00am) and on Tuesday evenings. We also have occasional days, half-nights or weeks of prayer, especially during the run up to major events and festivals.
Currently the primary place for pastoral care is our network of Life Groups. We also have a pastoral visiting team of volunteers who visit the sick, housebound and bereaved and we offer prayer ministry at the end of each service. We offer marriage support, pre and post-marriage.
We have had a variety of activities such as concerts, Open Mic nights, barbecues, ceilidhs, and an evening exploring politics before the last General Election. These are for both members and guests and have been well-supported.
We hold occasional training days and conferences. We hosted a New Wine Leaders Conference last year, and OneLife have frequently held their conferences here. We held a conference – “Eyes Wide Open to Grace, Truth and Love” – in October 2015 with speakers Simon Ponsonby, Guy Chevreau and David White.
Infant Baptism: Infant Baptism preparation is undertaken and the baptism normally takes place during one of our 10.30am services.
Infant Dedication: For some parents the choice to dedicate their child to God is preferred over baptism. Infant dedications are handled in a generally similar way to infant baptisms.
Adult Baptism: St Andrew’s has a baptistery and can offer baptism for young people and adults by full immersion, following appropriate preparation. When requested we will also renew baptismal vows made for a candidate as an infant. These baptisms normally take place at a 6.30pm service.
We conduct marriage services for all couples who qualify in terms of residency in the parish or under special license. We allow the remarriage of divorced persons subject to certain conditions at the discretion of the incumbent.
We conduct funeral services for all those who were living in the Parish of St Andrew’s and all St Andrew’s church members wherever they reside.
We hold confirmation services occasionally.
9.3 OCCASIONAL SERVICES
9.4 OTHER ACTIVITES
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Small groups
Youth
Youth, children and families work
Approximately 200 of our church members belong to a Life Group, of which there are currently 21.
Life Groups generally meet in members’ homes, normally on a Wednesday evening. Church members, especially new ones, are encouraged to join a Life Group, and we endeavour to match each person to an appropriate group. Life Groups are a place where we can grow spiritually through study, discussion and prayer. They are usually the first people members turn to when in need of pastoral care and practical support. Life Groups are encouraged to be missional also, running activities within their area and inviting others in. Life Group leaders are provided with a degree of central co-ordination and encouragement, regular training and optional resources.
We have encouraged TiE (Three is Enough) groups to foster closer friendships where we can be accountable and challenged by people who know us well.
St Andrew’s has an active Youth ministry for 11-18 year olds. The vision is “to be a family who encounter and are transformed by the love of Christ and who seek to share this love with others that it may transform the world too.” Weekly meetings are held on Tuesday (Acts) and Thursday (Breakout) evenings for 11-14 and 14-18 year olds respectively. Acts and Breakout also meet on a Sunday morning during the 10.30 service. During an average week, 28 young people attend one or more of these three meetings. A number of special events are also held.
Last summer a team of 12 young people and 4 adults visited Jenga (Uganda) for 10 days and a short-term mission trip is planned for 2017 also.
This is a very significant part of our outreach strategy to the parish, and this is reflected in the level of commitment of staff and other resources to the work.
9.5 CHURCH GROUPS
Youth activities Funday Sunday
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Children and familiesChildren’s work at St. Andrew’s church is based on two foundational beliefs:
• That the Kingdom of God; the Word and the Spirit, is for children as much as adults
• That God is not boring!
We have a total of 75 children engaged in our weekly children’s activities, through mid-week and Sunday groups, and we would usually expect to see about 50 of these in any one week. Intergenerational community and worship are important to us and we hold ‘Funday Sundays’ every two months at which people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy eating, relaxing and worshipping together.
Our outreach strategy involves:
• Primary school work including whole school services at St. Andrew’s three times a year. (These are not church schools)
• Toddler Groups with a combined membership of approximately 100 local families, run by church volunteers and supported by the Children’s staff team.
• A Christian summer holiday week for primary school children, called ‘Detonate’, attended by over 300 children and run by about 150 volunteers from across all the local churches.
• Encouragement for members to invite newcomers along to groups and events. Funday Sunday is particularly effective at attracting newcomers, especially families. It is lively, intergenerational church, with shared breakfast, fun activities and an all-age service.
Funday Sunday Chorleywood Primary School Service
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Detonate summer holiday club
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We support the following people in their mission work:
Mark and Kathy Knight, serving with OM, are based in Carlisle with responsibility for the ships’ ministry. They have been Global Link Partners with St Andrew’s for more than 30 years now.
Jane Jerrard, serving with CMS, has recently returned from 20 years working in Hyderabad seeking to improve the education particularly of young girls. Currently Jane is based in Oxford helping formulate strategy for CMS with partners in Asia.
Chris and Linda Mumford, serving with WEC, have served in Kyrgistan, Turkey and the US but are currently working in Portugal where they are involved in evangelism and member care.
Clare McCabe, serving with LIV, is a Social Worker who has helped establish an Orphanage village in a Homeland near Durban for children whose parents have died particularly from HIV.
Tariq and Angelina Waris, serving with OM, have been seconded to the FGA Bible College in Lahore where Tariq is the Vice-Principal. Tariq is currently completing a Masters in Muslim-Christian studies at Oxford University.
Mike and Elsie Lyth, serving with OM, were in Pakistan for many years and then were based in Carlisle. Mike is now pioneering B4T [Business for Transformation] principally in Asia with funding from various sources.
9.6 GLOBAL LINK PARTNERS
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10. Church organisation
10.1 STAFFING OVERVIEW
Clergy and readers
Paid staff
In addition to the Vicar, we may have an Associate Vicar and a Curate, when one is allocated to us (this will not be before 2018.) Our most recent Associate Vicar, Rachel Gibson, left last summer to take up an incumbency in Oxford, and our previous curate, Andy Reid, now has his own parish in Musselburgh.
There are two retired members of the clergy in the parish, and they are sometimes available for duties.
In addition there are four Lay Readers and one ordinand currently in training.
St Andrew’s is blessed with a diverse and talented staff team, although in recent years, mainly for financial reasons, we have significantly decreased our salaried staff base – by about 35% since 2011 – and we continue to seek opportunities to migrate church activity from paid staff to volunteers. Our current team comprises the following:
Full time (4 days per week or more)
• Worship Pastor
• Youth Pastor
• Children and Families Pastor
• Vicar’s PA
• Church Administrator and Receptionist
Part time
• Admin Assistant (currently on maternity leave from Dec 2015)
• Small Groups Coordinator
• Caretaker and Facilities Manager
• Premises Care Officer
• Financial Controller
• Children & Families intern (contract ends July 2016. We are aiming to recruit a PT Assistant Pastor)
A significant volunteer base, including:
• Church Manager (3 days per week) – manages support staff and oversees administration (currently on sabbatical)
• Lay Ministry Co-coordinator (2 days per week) – encourages lay ministry and a culture of service within St Andrew’s.
• Our Prayer Ministry and Pastoral Care teams, both led by volunteers
• Large teams of volunteers supporting our various ministries and activities.
A pattern of weekly meetings, currently mostly on a Monday, brings various members of staff together as appropriate, e.g. to plan. There is also a meeting of all staff each Tuesday morning.
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Members of the Church team
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10.2 CHURCH GOVERNANCE
The PCC
The Finance Sub-group
The Mission Committee
The Mission Finance Committee
The Standing Committee
The PCC consists of 9 members elected in threes on a rolling three year cycle, together with the Wardens, Synod members and clergy. The Church Manager is usually in attendance, though without voting rights. There are usually around 6 meetings per year, sometimes chaired by one of Wardens who is the Lay vice chair. We aim to have a strategic item at each meeting, reviewing a major strand in church life and considering the way forward. All statutory procedures are covered appropriately, including review of the Health and Safety Policies and those relating to working with Vulnerable Adults. Our Safe-Guarding obligations are taken seriously.
The Mission Committee supports our Global Link Partners – missionaries who have been on long-term service – as well as advising on the selection of new people to be supported. In addition, we have short-term mission trips being undertaken by individuals and small groups and these benefit from the expertise available. We have links with Jenga – a small mission in south east Uganda and several visits have been made by members of St Andrew’s over the years, including one by our Youth Group last summer.
The Mission Finance Committee brings together members of the Finance Sub-group and Missions Committee to to bring process, transparency and accountability to the decision-making behind St Andrew’s mission giving. It is chaired by one of the wardens and comprises two member of the Finance Group and two members of the Mission Committee. It meets two to three times each year.
The Finance Sub-group provides ad hoc support to the Treasurer and another level of accountability and transparency to the oversight of the finances of St Andrew’s. It typically consists of five members, including the Treasurer and Financial Controller and reviews the regular financial updates, budget process and preparation of annual accounts. Communication is primarily done electronically.
The Standing Committee meets 9 or 10 times each year to consider matters in more detail than is possible at a PCC meeting, and to ensure confidentiality where necessary. In addition to the Wardens and clergy, the Treasurer and the PCC Secretary, there are two other members elected by the PCC.
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10.3 LOCAL CHURCHES, DEANERY AND DIOCESE
Relationship with local parishes and churches
Relationship with the deanery and diocese
Church plant
St Andrew’s enjoys good relations with other local churches, and contributes fully to various local, shared initiatives. For example, the open air Good Friday Service in the centre of Chorleywood is a collaboration between all the Chorleywood churches: Chorleywood Free Church (Baptist), St John Fisher (Roman Catholic), Church in the Swillett (St Andrew’s church plant), Christ Church Chorleywood (Anglican) and Connect Church (non-denominational).
St Andrew’s is part of the Rickmansworth Deanery within the diocese of St Albans. We have strengthened relationships with both deanery and diocese in recent years. Over the past few years, we have had various members of St Andrew’s on the Diocesan Synod, and currently have one serving on the General Synod, now into his second term.
We have a former church plant, Church in the Swillett (CiS) with which we have a supportive relationship. CiS is a small group meeting in a local primary school within the parish. CiS has one paid member of staff who, for administrative convenience, is on the payroll of and contracted through St Andrew’s, although with the costs borne by CiS. Her duties include regular Homework clubs, and Youth and Kids’ Clubs, reaching children of unchurched families within the parish.
The Bridge
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11. Estate
Our main church building was built in 1966 and has been extended several times since. It consists of the Sanctuary, Chapel, Lounge, Upper Hall, Patio Room, various offices, a three bedroom flat, a well equipped kitchen plus a smaller kitchen and a foyer. The main sanctuary seats approximately 250 people and this can extend to up to 500 by using the Upper Hall, Patio Room, Church Lounge and Chapel as overflow areas (with video links). There are office areas on the ground, first and second floors. A major refurbishment in 2005 involved building a new entrance and foyer, installing new toilets, replacing the pews with chairs, carpeting throughout and installing new audio, video projection and lighting systems. Our last quinquennial inspection was in 2011, when the building was found to be generally in a good state of repair.
The Church Flat is a self-contained, three bedroom, first floor flat situated above the Chapel in the main Church building. The flat is configurable so that two of the bedrooms can be isolated and used as offices. Currently it is occupied in its full 3-bedroom configuration by the Youth Pastor and a lodger.
The Bridge (formerly Lower Hall) was built in 1908 and was the only Church building until 1966 when it was converted to a church hall. It is equipped with a hall, kitchen, toilets and two meeting rooms. It is a multi-purpose facility and is well used for children’s and youth work and other community-focused activities such as dancing classes. Our Toddlers’ groups use it three mornings a week and on occasional Saturdays. There is limited hiring out for community events. A major refurbishment was undertaken in 2012, following which the building was renamed “The Bridge”.
The Vicarage was built in 1964 and is located across the car park from the church. It has a living room inter-connecting with the dining area, a small ground floor study, four bedrooms, a large attic (usable for storage only), a garage which most recently has been used as a snug/library/music room, plus a garden. The upstairs bathroom and downstairs cloakroom are in need of some refurbishment, and this should be undertaken during the vacancy.
Main Church Building
Church Flat
The Bridge
The Vicarage
The Vicarage
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12. Finances
Our financial aim is to give away as much as possible for the Kingdom. As a reflection of this the members of St Andrew’s seek to give generously, and have increased their giving proportionately in recent years, whilst there has been restraint on discretionary expenditure and reduction in operating costs, following falls in attendance. Staff team reductions have been largely achieved through voluntary reductions in hours and non-replacement of staff. There are about 200 regular givers, and standing orders and gift aid account for 80% of income. Last year’s income and expenditure is summarised below:
Income (£)Unrestricted Funds 602,514Restricted Funds 67,883Total income 670,397
Expenditure (£)Gifts:Overseas missions and support 45,918Home missions and support 13,022Special gifts distribution 44,665
103,605Diocesan parish shareStipendiary Contribution 72,939Support Contribution (reduced from £134 K) 85,000
157,939Church activities 52,020Church running costs 91,633Salaries & staff costs:Administrative staff 98,106Ministry staff 108,518
206,624Employment costs 19,364Fees, charges, stationery etc 11,035Total expenditure 671,229
The budgeted income for the current year has been reduced by 6.5% on last year, though this income is at present being exceeded. The PCC has a policy of maintaining sufficient cash to cover at least three months’ core operating expenses. Current levels more than meet this provision, to ensure that any disruption during the vacancy period can be absorbed.
In recent years there has been an extensive refurbishment project of the The Bridge, funded by donations of £355,000.
As we increase our income over time, we plan to keep our costs under control so that we can not only meet our Parish Share commitments but also increase our giving.
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE 2015
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13. Map of the parish
Parish boundary
