St Mary’s Church, Banbury - Diocese of · PDF fileSt Mary’s Church, Banbury -...

St Mary’s Church, BanburyA shared church of the Church of England and

the United Reformed Church

Parish Profile - November 2015

St Mary’s Church, Banbury - Parish Profile 2015 A shared church of the Church of England and the United Reformed ChurchPage

St Mary’s Church, BanburyA shared church of the Church of England and

the United Reformed Church

Parish Profile - November 2015

Foreword by the Bishop of Dorchester

1

Banbury is a town with a strong sense of its own identity in a County where there is always a danger that everything focuses on the City of Oxford. Part of that identity lies in the very distinguished Church of St Mary’s and it has been a great encouragement to me to see the way in which the building itself, together with its congregations, have engaged more and more in the life of the town over recent years.

Any priest coming to this post must be fully committed to an outward facing ministry – happy to engage both with civic life, the arts, and community life in all its aspects. There are, I believe, also opportunities to grow the congregation more, both spiritually and numerically, and to share with them in the exciting journey they are embarked on – reflected in the exciting plans they have for their building but by no means bound by them.

It’s a job for someone with energy and vision who longs to see God at work in people’s lives and I warmly commend it to you.


ContentsThe Mission Context

The Town of Banbury The Interfaith and Ecumenical Context

St Mary’s

A Shared Church Our Ministry Team Our Buildings

St Mary’s Project

‘Let us build a house…’ Looking Forward… The Task Ahead… Archdeacon’s Statement Working in Partnership

LiveArts@St Mary’s The Mustard Seed at St Mary’s Welcoming Visitors Civic Services Other Shared Services Messy St Mary’s St Mary’s School Church Care The Beacon Centre Emergency Appeals The Anglican Parish at St Mary’s

Vision Statement and Mission Action Plan Statistics Worship Sustaining the Sacred Centre Pastoral Care Music Bells Walk with… Youth Work Adventurers Home Groups Leading Our Church into Growth Social and Fundraising

2

The United Reformed Church at St Mary’s

Governance Structure A Shared Church Parochial Church Council The URC Elders and Church Meeting Joint Church Council Safeguarding

Managing the Finances of St Mary’s

Introduction Finance Working Group Parish Share Stewardship Campaign Gift Aid The Anglican Deanery

What we can offer

The Opportunity The Challenge The People The Vicarage The Location

What we are praying for


The Mission Context The Town of Banbury

Banbury is a historic market and manufacturing town in the South Midlands, 27 miles south of Coventry, 21 miles north of Oxford and only 64 miles (an hour by train) from London. It contains a wealth of 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings, and its location on the edge of the Cotswolds and 20 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Leamington Spa makes it an attractive place to live as well as a potential tourist destination.

Several new housing developments mean that its current population of 48,000 is projected to grow to 54,000 within the next five years. The principal industries are food processing and advanced motor engineering. Jacobs Douwe Egberts, who produce Kenco, Carte Noire and Jacobs coffee, and Fine Lady Bakeries manufacture in the town. Silverstone racetrack is 16 miles away, and most of the world’s Formula 1 racing teams, together with their network of support services and suppliers, are based here or nearby. Its excellent road communications and central location have made Banbury an important hub for warehousing and distribution.

3

The closure of the cattle market (once the largest in Europe), the growth of out-of-town retailing and competition from neighbouring towns such as Stratford, Coventry and Milton Keynes have nevertheless caused the historic town centre surrounding St Mary’s to struggle economically. The Old Town Association, of which St Mary’s is a member, was formed seven years ago in response to the challenges of town centre trading and now has a membership of over 50 largely independent traders.

Overall, the town has little unemployment, and the availability of work has attracted significant immigration. Banbury was designated an expanding town in 1966, since when its population has doubled, initially as a result of overspill agreements with Birmingham and London. In the 2011 census 16% of the people living in St Mary’s parish had been born outside the UK, 10% did not speak English as their first language and only 61% identified themselves as Christian.


The continuing availability of unskilled, low-paid jobs has not prevented some serious deprivation, with the immediate neighbourhood in which St Mary’s is located now being among the 15% most deprived in England, and the parish as a whole being among the 10% most deprived in the diocese. As well as child sexual exploitation, human trafficking and drug and alcohol abuse, particular concerns include the number of people of pension age living on very low incomes and the number of single-parent families. The local authority has been active in tackling deprivation through its Brighter Futures in Banbury initiative, but more remains to be done. St Mary’s is currently considering how best it can respond, with our ecumenical partners, to the possible closure by the County Council of the one open-access children’s centre in the parish.

The Town Council takes great pride in its civic traditions and in its connection with St Mary’s as the civic church, holding regular civic services in the church and maintaining our churchyard, clock and carillon.

4

The Interfaith and Ecumenical Context

In 2011, 2.3% of the population of Banbury identified themselves as Muslim (up from 1.2% in 2001), 0.4% as Hindu, 0.4% as Buddhist and 0.4% as Sikh, and the town supports two mosques and a small gurdwara. A multi-faith forum exists as a channel of communication between faith groups and the public sector, and an interfaith network is being set up. At St Mary’s we have held a series of exchange visits to the places of worship of other faith communities.

All the main Christian denominations are present in the town, and their leaders meet regularly for lunch as Banbury Christians Together and organise a number of ecumenical initiatives, including a Good Friday procession of witness and a free drinks give-away from St Mary’s churchyard during the three-day Michaelmas Fair. Women’s World Day of Prayer rotates around the churches.

The non-denominational Sea of Faith network that explores the implications of accepting religion and religious faith as a human creation is active in Banbury. It provides a forum for theological discussion and is supported by some members of St Mary’s.


St Mary’s A Shared Church

For the past 22 years St Mary’s has been shared by the Church of England and the United Reformed Church. Although we have different ecclesiologies and different liturgical traditions and are not in a Local Ecumenical Partnership, we share a welcoming, liberal and inclusive theology and undertake most of our mission and outreach together. As our joint mission statement says,

We, the Anglican and United Reformed Church congregations at St Mary’s Church in the heart of Banbury, are committed to a journey following Jesus by:

• CelebratingGod’sloveinworship• Nurturingaspiritualspace• Offeringourresourcesinaspiritof loving service to the wider community• Caringforoneanother• Challenginginjustice

5

Our Ministry Team

Our Anglican and URC ministry team currently comprises:

• The Vicar• The URC Minister (a part-time stipendiary post with responsibility for four churches), the Revd Barrie Cheetham, who also serves as County Ecumenical Officer for Buckinghamshire• An Anglican curate-in-training, the Revd Beom-Jin Shin, who having completed his training is leaving at Christmas with his wife to work as CMS mission partners in South-East Asia• Two Anglican part-time self-supporting associate priests, one of whom, the Revd Sue Newby, leads on our children’s work, while the other, the Revd Jeff West, also serves as Area Dean• A part-time self-supporting URC minister, the Revd Lynda Spokes, who serves as a Foundation Governor of St Mary’s Church of England VC Primary School• An Anglican licensed lay minister, Roger Verrall, who leads our pastoral care team and takes the lead on our funeral ministry

The ministry team meets regularly to pray together, plan worship and develop all aspects of our shared mission at St Mary’s. They are assisted by three Anglican clergy, the Revd Louise Adey-Huish, the Revd Canon John Whitwell and the Revd Stella Fairbairn, who, although not licensed to the parish, belong to the Anglican congregation and have permission to officiate, and by two retired URC ministers, the Revd Elizabeth Nash and the Revd Duncan Wilson.


Our BuildingsSt Mary’s Church, rebuilt by Act of Parliament in the 1790s, is Banbury’s only Grade I listed building and its most conspicuous landmark. Its tower is visible from every direction as one approaches the town, and its prominence means that it is sought out not only by visitors, but by anyone looking for a church, whether to ask about baptisms or weddings, or simply because they are seeking somewhere to sit quietly, offer a prayer, enquire about faith or find someone to talk to.

Designed by the architect Samuel Pepys Cockerell to seat 2,500 worshippers, St Mary’s was at the time the second largest church to have been built in England since the Reformation, surpassed in size only by St Paul’s Cathedral. Ninety feet square, dwarfing most other parish churches, and originally with a gallery on all four sides, it was a building of its time, a cathedral-sized Temple of Reason. It was transformed in the 1860s and 70s into a building more suited to Eucharistic worship by the Anglo-Catholic vicar Henry Back, who commissioned the architect Arthur Blomfield to open up the chancel and re-order and redecorate the church in a Byzantine style derived in part from San Clemente in Rome. The stained-glass windows by Heaton, Butler and Bayne illustrating the life and parables of Jesus and the apse paintings of Christ in Majesty and the disciples are all of the highest quality and are still invaluable as teaching aids.

6

By the 1980s the soft Hornton stone was in need of serious attention, the congregation was dwindling in numbers and the threat of closure loomed. However, under the leadership of the Revd David Ineson numbers started to increase, and the Sharing Agreement with the United Reformed Church renewed hope and vision for the church. Fifteen years ago, we received what is still the third highest ever grant of £1,131,000 from the Joint Places of Worship Grant Scheme, and with a further £600,000 raised from local councils, businesses and individuals, a partial re-ordering and repair project was undertaken to enable the church to serve as a venue for the performing arts as well as a place of worship. Unfortunately, even this major initiative was insufficient to do all the work that was needed, and the building is still on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

‘An Amazing Church, Glory to God’ Robert & Carol Warton, Sydney Australia

‘Very Beautiful and Awe-Inspiring, Thank you’ Jim & Nancy Dismuke, Missouri USA


It has just received the maximum grant offer of £100,000 from the Government’s time-limited Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, and a contract has been let for the next phase of repairs. Further work likely to cost well over £1million is still needed to secure the future of the building and equip it as effectively as possible for its ministry of witness and service in the 21st century.

A Development Group has been set up to take this forward as the St Mary’s Project (see below). We are exceptionally fortunate in being able to draw on a wealth of expertise within our two congregations, which include a number of senior professionals with experience of designing, managing and fundraising for major projects in Grade I buildings. This means that our new vicar will have the opportunity to provide leadership and help shape our vision without having to shoulder the whole of the burden themselves.

7

To the south of the churchyard is St Mary’s Church Centre, built in the 1980s to provide a separate community hall and church offices. This is currently used by a range of community groups, including the Beacon Centre, a drop-in centre for homeless and marginalised people that opens four mornings a week. The St Mary’s Project will also need to look at how these facilities might be improved.

‘Beautiful, Lovely and Great History’ Holly Laken, Florida USA


St Mary’s Project‘Let us build a house ...’

Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live, a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive. Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace; here the love of Christ shall end divisions: All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

In recent times this hymn, written by Marty Haugen, has become a favourite of our congregations. It expresses eloquently, hopefully and simply the desire and vision of a company of Christians to create a meeting place that mirrors their calling to be followers of Christ, gladly embracing the world in which they live.

The house that is spoken of is both a spiritual and physical home. Such a house we have already in St Mary’s, built by our forebears over 200 years ago. Our ongoing task and challenge is to keep it in good order whilst also using our imagination to envisage how it may better serve what we, all of us, understand to be our calling as Christ’s Body in God’s world.

We find ourselves at something of a kairos moment. Without major attention our building, now officially listed as ‘at risk’, will deteriorate beyond the point where its structure and beauty can survive, and this despite major repairs less than 20 years ago. We have a vital opportunity to rethink and reshape St Mary’s according to a fresh sense of our purpose, outreach, service, witness and common life. Like generations before us, we are on the move. So …

Looking Forward ...

We have marked out already some of the major roles which both our building and our people fulfil. There may be others awaiting us. The key question is how we make changes to ourselves and to our buildings that will build upon, equip and enhance both so that we are fit to face the future.

8

We are a worshipping community. Our building is a focus of people’s praise and also the search for a n d expression of their Christian faith.

We are a sign of unity and inclusion. St Mary’s stands out in the Banbury landscape, almost as a lighthouse, being both a historic and present gathering place for all its people.

We are a serving community. As individuals and groups we reach out to the life of Banbury, especially to those who are vulnerable.


We are a place of hospitality. We encourage people to enjoy our church and our company and our table. They are the ‘angels we welcome whilst often unaware’.

We are a place for learning. Our church itself is a ‘visual aid’ for the faith we share. Children and young people are led to explore it. Others too. It uplifts and inspires.

We are a fellowship of ‘all comers’. Centred on the breaking of bread and human friendship, mutual love, support and caring are constantly celebrated.

We are a place of refuge and sanctuary. Whenever the doors are open, people bring their hopes, fears, and tears to a place where they believe God listens.

We are a centre of public life. Special commemorations unite the wider public in expression of their life and service. Civic life is challenged and honoured.

We are the focus of family events. Baptisms, wedding and funerals open our doors to folk making perhaps a first or rare visit when feelings are most sensitive.

We are an oasis of peace. St Mary’s offers a place of timely withdrawal from a busy or perplexing world or personal life. God is encountered in waiting.

We are a source and centre of ministry. In listening to the stranger, in all kinds of conversation, in the assurance of unconditional acceptance, Christ is known.

We are a place rich in resources. With gifted people, a treasury of experience and faith and a newly configured church shop, we have much to give, lend and share.

We are a performance venue. A rich variety of entertainments brings many into the church for their first taste of our welcome and encouragement of the arts.

The Church Centre is a vital and integral part of our outreach. It is the home of the Beacon Centre and a place of recreation and meeting for others.

We are more besides…….

9


The Task Ahead ...

Is to draw together the gifts, enthusiasm and imagination of all our members, and of the others who visit and use our buildings, so that we can begin to see the shape of things to come;

Is to identify existing and new sources of advice and funding for what will be a major and expensive project;

Is to appoint key people to interpret the ‘vision’, translate the requirements, draw up the design and lead the project to fruition;

Is to commit all the above to God in ongoing prayer and ourselves to each other in this adventure together.

10

Archdeacon’s Statement

The Venerable Judy French, Archdeacon of Dorchester, facilitated an open meeting to consider the St Mary’s Project in July 2015 and provided the following statement.

“St Mary’s Church, set as it is in the centre of an active, busy town, has a unique opportunity to engage with the local community. Unique because there is quite simply no other building quite like it, and opportunity because the current need for repair and reordering is putting the focus on the purpose of this church in this context. The church community has begun to think long and hard about its life and mission in this setting, and how they can develop. A big key is how to develop their building to provide a sacred space, where all are invited to encounter the holy, and are welcomed, cared for and nurtured.

In particular, while the building is unique, it is also inflexible, and as the church considers its mission here, so will the need for better facilities and flexible space become more central to its development. It’s a huge space in which to worship, and one of the questions is how to match the worship with such a dramatic setting. Another is how to maximise this church’s key role in the community as a space for civic events, whether it’s a service of worship, or an Arts Exhibition, or a concert, or a place where help may be found on issues such as debt, counselling or other needs identified in the local community.

Wherever this journey leads, there is a team of committed and enthusiastic people to travel with. They would hugely appreciate someone who can lead them with enthusiasm, inspiration, prayer and energy.”

We have established a Development Group to lead the process, with people from within our leadership teams who have experience of successfully carrying out similar major fundraising and development projects. We have already secured the maximum £100,000 grant offer from the Government’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, and we have the initial phase of work, including some of the most urgent repairs, in hand.

Although they will be well supported by the existing team, to help shape our vision for the future of the building we need a new vicar who will be energised and not intimidated by the challenges of carrying out a major development project within the constraints of a Grade I listed building, and who will see it not as diversion from ministry but as an opportunity for outreach and mission.


Working in PartnershipMany of the key activities of St Mary’s are collaborative ventures between the Church of England and the United Reformed Church.

LiveArts@St Mary’s

With the radical renovation of the church building in 2001-05 came the provision of a stage, a generous number of toilets and theatre-style sound and lighting, together with an obligation, agreed with the Heritage Lottery Fund, that St Mary’s would become a major performance events venue for Banbury and beyond. Thus, St Mary’s opened its doors to a wider public and encouraged a range of performers to use this space and the general public to enjoy them. LiveArts, through its management group, enables this to happen with some 25 to 35 events every year. Links with various choirs, orchestras, music groups, schools and their sponsors have proved lasting and fruitful. It has also created and developed relationships with other local charities and organisations, who have grown in a sense of ownership of their Parish Church as a centre for community life and expression. In many ways, LiveArts has become the public face of St Mary’s entertaining up to 3,000 people each year.

11

It depends upon members of both churches to provide voluntary support for a wide range of tasks and roles, and shares the services of the church administrator. As a branch activity of the Joint Church Council, LiveArts contributes some 10% to 12% of its income.

With a new website in preparation it hopes to attract the interest of a wider public and connect with more potential users of its services. At the same time, LiveArts is anxious to upgrade its facilities and enhance all aspects of the visitor’s and performer’s experience, in terms of cultural diversity and artistic expression as well as welcome and hospitality. The hope is that St Mary’s will be regarded and experienced as an important and natural gathering place for the people of Banbury and North Oxfordshire.


Our mission is to equip and encourage churches and individual Christians in and around NorthOxfordshire by providing a friendly and informed retail outlet to support them as they seek to explore and to share the love of Jesus.

Welcoming Visitors

We now have a team of 40 volunteer stewards who help on a regular or casual basis to welcome visitors. The stewards come mainly from the Anglican congregation at St Mary’s supported by St Mary’s URC congregation and other Banbury churches. Our aim is to be open six days a week throughout the year. From the end of March to the end of October opening hours are 10.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Saturday, and during the winter months 12.00 to 2.00pm Monday to Friday and 10.00am to 2.00pm on Saturdays.

People come into church for a variety of reasons: to look at the building, to talk, to pray or be quiet and think, to pass the time, to buy a special card, gift or book. By offering their time and skills the stewards make all of this possible. In 2014 we welcomed 6,562 visitors to St Mary’s.

‘Friendly welcome to a vibrant church’ Carole Goldsack

‘Thanks to you kind people for being so welcoming’ Catharine Hurst

‘Very helpful, friendly volunteers’ Rose Galway

‘Lovely Friendly Church’ Mr & Mrs Rauph

12

The Mustard Seed at St Mary’s

The Mustard Seed is Banbury’s only Christian gift and bookshop. It is now run by St Mary’s, following a move last year from its previous base in the Methodist Church. A dedicated team of volunteers from the URC and Anglican congregations manage and staff the shop, which stocks and supplies a wide range of religious books and literature, Bibles, cards for all occasions, Traidcraft products and faith-themed gifts and candles as well as providing Communion wine for many churches in the area.


Other Shared Services

Although the two churches generally worship separately, over the last few years the Anglican and URC ministry teams have worked in partnership to deliver a number of excellent shared services, one highlight being the Christingle and Crib Service attended by some 350 people on Christmas Eve last year. Together we organise two Eucharists with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, and a Seder Meal and a Eucharist on Maundy Thursday. This year we also shared our Harvest Festival, which was combined with a shared breakfast before the service. In the past we have arranged shared services during August, and although no set pattern for this has been established we are open to further exploration.

Civic Services

St Mary’s has always been Banbury’s civic church, and the Town Council is keen for this relationship to continue. Every year St Mary’s works closely with the Council to provide services to commemorate the Battle of Britain in September and Remembrance Sunday in November, when the church will reach its safe capacity of 700 and be full to overflowing. Other civic services in recent years have included those celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and commemorating the outbreak of the First World War, as well as memorial services for former mayors and other local dignitaries.

Unless a mayor has a particular connection with another church, clergy from St Mary’s are generally asked to serve as the mayor’s chaplain.

13


Messy St Mary’s

Messy Church is a joint venture between the Anglican and URC that has been running for almost four years, and has attracted an ecumenical attendance from across the town. Unfortunately numbers have been falling, and a marketing campaign and re-launch is planned in the New Year, with a re-evaluation in March 2016.

14

St Mary’s School

St Mary’s School (the historic Banbury Bluecoat School) is now a Church of England VC Primary School, and as such it is the responsibility of the Church to provide the school with two foundation governors, one of whom is currently the Revd Lynda Spokes, one of the URC ministers at St Mary’s, who serves on the school’s Finance and Resources Committee and is the governor responsible for health and safety. She conducts one whole-school assembly a week, leads the services when the school comes to the church for their Harvest, Easter and Christmas celebrations and is the link governor for Year 6, accompanying them on school outings and residential holidays and listening to some of them read on a one-to-one basis. The other foundation governor is Mrs Susan Holding.

Under its new head, Victoria Wood, the school welcomes its involvement with the church; Years 5 and 6 attend the termly ‘Walk With...’ learning programme provided by St Mary’s (see below), while the younger children visit the church to find out about the building, baptisms, and other RE-curriculum related topics.

‘The Walk with... series is always good but this is the best ever.’ St. Mary’s C of E Primary School, Banbury


The Beacon Centre

The Beacon is a drop-in centre that meets in the St Mary’s Church Centre on Monday to Thursday mornings from 10.00am to 12.15pm. It supports clients with issues such as homelessness, substance abuse, mental health problems or a history of offending, or who are otherwise isolated or marginalized. Over the last year they averaged 25 people per session. The Beacon provides companionship, nourishment (hot drinks and snacks) and a safe and accepting environment, and forms part of Cherwell District Council’s homeless prevention policy. Workers from Connection Floating Support attend on Mondays and Wednesdays to help its clients with a raft of interventions and support options. It is run by a part time coordinator, Nigel Deakin, and a team of 23 volunteers and is funded by an annual grant from the District Council and through donations from churches, individuals, service organisations and fund raising events. St Mary’s supports its work through reduced rent, through our harvest and food bank collections, and through our regular mission giving and through special appeals.

15

Church Care

While the Parochial Church Council remains legally responsible for the maintenance of the buildings of St Mary’s Church, the practical work to care for, maintain and manage the built fabric is carried out by the Church Care Group, which reports to the Joint Church Council. The group is led by Churchwarden John Punter, and includes representatives from both churches, each bringing valuable skills and knowledge of caring for complex historic buildings.

With the support of our Church Architect, Nick Cox, and the Oxford DAC we are working through the recommendations made in our 2013 Quinquennial Inspection Report. The Church Group also takes the lead on health and safety.

Emergency Appeals

As well as working together to support the Beacon Centre and managing a food collection centre for distribution to the Beacon and to the Banbury Food Bank, we have jointly responded to earthquake, famine and flooding disasters, usually through the Disasters Emergency Committee or by supporting a charity such as Us or Oxfam. There have been recent collections for Haiti, the Philippines and Gaza, and we also responded to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.


The Anglican Parish at St Mary’sVision Statement and Mission Action Plan

In 2011, the PCC reviewed its own previous strategies and agreed a new vision statement for the Anglican congregation at St Mary’s. While continuing to reflect the Shared Mission Statement, it was aligned more closely with the five strands of the Oxford Diocese Living Faith initiative.

16

St Mary’s Anglican congregation is a church community following Christ

We aim to encourage ourselves and others on life’s journey by openness and welcome, by valuingandaffirmingall

We will grow in prayer and spirituality, personally and corporately

We will grow in numbers

We will increase participation in church and community

We will grow in Christian maturity and confidence

We will work at developing new lay leaders by encouraging every member in their God- given ministry.

This was published as a leaflet and given to all members of the congregation in 2011, and remains a working document, underpinning the work of the PCC, its sub groups and the ministry team. In March 2014, the PCC drew up its first Mission Action Plan, focusing on our vision of what we believed God was calling our church to become over the next few years:

A place where everyone experience’s God’s love by becoming closer

To God through worship and discipleship

To each other through friendship, welcome and encouragement

To our community through service


Statistics

Our worshipping community currently comprises around 170 people, including around 18 children and 12 young people aged 11-17. The electoral roll stands at 110. A considerable number (74) live outside the Parish boundary but most live within the town of Banbury. The PCC have noted a small decline in the electoral roll over the last few years as a result of deaths and family movements and a slight resistance from new members of the congregation to sign-up to the roll.

Sunday attendance: over the three years from 2012 to 2014 our usual Sunday attendance has risen from 106 to 115, including 20 children. October Sunday attendance, which includes attendance at baptisms, has risen from 149 to 177. Easter attendance has fallen from 210 to 171, while Christmas attendance has risen from 495 to 601.

Baptisms average 36 a year, marriages 6 a year and funerals 33 a year. Around 12 of the funerals are in church and the remainder either at Banbury Crematorium or, very occasionally, in the funeral directors’ private chapels.

Worship

Anglican worship at St Mary’s is centred on the Eucharist, with two celebrations each Sunday. The said 8.00am service, which alternates between BCP and Common Worship, has been growing in popularity in recent years, and now regularly attracts between 12 and 20 communicants. The main 9.30am Common Worship Parish Communion service, which typically attracts between 75 and 100 worshippers including around 15 children, has been described as ‘traditional with a smile’, with the relaxed formality of a robed choir and acolytes, sung communion settings and gospel and offertory processions. Lay people are involved as Eucharistic assistants and in reading lessons and leading intercessions, and with the Bishop’s permission we prepare children to receive communion before confirmation. Once a month the 9.30am service takes the form of an All-age Communion, with the Adventurers (our Sunday School) joining us for the whole service, the Junior Choir singing and children and young people taking a full part in the service; our band replaces the organ, and we use one of the shorter Eucharistic prayers recently authorised for use with young people.

As well as continuing to develop our main services, we regularly experiment with other forms and times of service, ranging from informal evening services, weekday Eucharists and an occasional choral evensong.

Seasonal services include weekday Eucharists during Advent, a choral Nine Lessons and Carols service before Christmas, a Midnight Communion on Christmas Eve and reflections and compline during Holy Week. Together with the URC we arrange two Eucharists with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday and a Seder Meal and a Eucharist on Maundy Thursday.

17

Sundays

8.00am Holy Communion (alternately BCP and Common Worship)9.30am Parish Communion (Common Worship) with Adventurers (2nd Sunday: All-age Communion)11.15am URC Morning Service 3.00pm (3rd Sunday) Messy Church3.30pm (4th Sunday) Said BCP Evening Prayer or Choral Evensong

Weekdays

Monday 9.30am Morning Prayer (CW)Thursday 9.45am Morning Prayer (CW)Thursday (2nd Thursday) 10.30am Holy Communion (CW)Friday 12.00 Midday Prayers


Sustaining the Sacred Centre

A small group of interested people meets to foster spiritual development in the church, through ongoing prayer, organising Ignatian retreats and developing contemplative prayer for all. We call this ‘Sustaining the Sacred Centre’, after the central theme of the Diocesan Living Faith initiative.

18

Pastoral Care

A small team has been commissioned to support the Vicar and other ministers by carrying out a wide range of tasks in this important are of church ministry. It is at present lay-led and meets regularly to share experiences. It is committed to try and ensure that everyone in the parish and from the congregation is given support where needed. Members of the team visit or phone those who may not be able to get to church, and take communion to those who are housebound or in nursing homes.

Recognizing that pastoral care is a much wider activity, a new policy has been drawn up by the team and approved by the PCC. This covers in-reach and outreach, our pastoral ministries of baptism, weddings and funerals, befriending visits and home communions. An annual ’Time to Remember’ service, which provides support for the bereaved, is held on the Sunday nearest All Souls. The policy embraces the new Diocesan safeguarding requirements, which relate to children and older or vulnerable adults in a variety of pastoral encounters.

Music

Our Anglican worship is greatly enhanced by music at St Mary’s, and we are affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music.

Our organ pre-dates the church building, and traces its origin to a three-manual instrument of 17 stops installed in the previous church in 1765. It has been enlarged and re-voiced on several occasions and is now a cathedral-sized instrument with 39 stops. Its unreliable pneumatic action, fitted in 1924, was replaced by solid-state electronics in 2012 following a special appeal for funds.

What we have today is a superb three manual instrument with final tonal qualities and great depth of expression. It is used to support our regular Sunday worship, weddings, funerals, civic services and concerts.

St Mary’s Church, Banbury - Parish Profile 2015 A shared church of the Church of England and the United Reformed ChurchPage 19

Our main robed choir comprises both adult members and young choristers, who are encouraged to work for RSCM ‘Voice for Life’ awards. It is not auditioned, and is open to anyone who enjoys singing, but nevertheless includes some experienced choral singers and achieves a creditable standard, particularly on major occasions. It accompanies the 9.30am Parish Communion, sings the occasional choral evensong and sings at civic services and for other special occasions including the Nine Lessons and Carols.

We recently appointed a new Choir Director and Organist who is keen to explore opportunities to develop work with our band and develop choral singing at St Mary’s. We have established a Junior Choir, who are growing in confidence and focusing on the all-age services and special services such as the Christingle and Crib Service. Their first ‘evensong’ with eight choristers attracted a congregation of around 50 and was a joy for all.

Our band, which has between six and twelve members, leads the music at all-age services.

Bells

Our ten bells rank among the best in the country and are rung for Sunday services from 8.45am-9.30am and for other services such as weddings and Remembrance Sunday. At present the band consists of seven experienced members all 60+ in age, but we also have several recruits, three teenagers and two adults.


Walk with…

‘Walk with…’ is a major initiative, a schools learning programme probably only paralleled in some cathedrals with a full-time education department. Each term around 300 Year 5 and 6 pupils from primary schools in and around Banbury come to St Mary’s to be introduced to what it means to live a Christian life, and to encounter characters from Bible stories and from Christian history as real living people. Developed for St Mary’s by the Revd Sue Newby over the last three years, events now take place each term, with ten sessions over the course a week. Titles include ‘Walk with the disciples’, ‘Walk with Jesus’, ‘Walk amongst the Easter people’ and ‘Walk with the people who wanted to change the world’. Leaders are drawn from the St Mary’s and other churches in the area.

‘We had a great time learning about Thomas.... All of us thought that John was very, very interesting; I would love to be his friend…. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit…. Thank you for setting up all the activities and for making our visit so interesting and fun.’ The Grange County Primary School, Banbury

Youth Work

Since 2014 the youth club has been jointly run with St Francis’ Church, and interest and attendance has steadily grown. The Revd Lynda Spokes (who as well as being one of the URC ministers at St Mary’s also serves at St Francis’s) has been working with the Revd Beom-Jin Shin and several helpers from St Mary’s and St Francis to run the club, its outings and outdoor activities. The club attracts 7-10 young people aged 11+, and they meet at St Francis’s on the first Saturday of each month and at St Mary’s on the third Friday.

Adventurers

Adventurers is our Sunday School, which follows a two-year rolling programme specially written for St Mary’s by the Revd Sue Newby, who is a former primary school headteacher. We have four leaders and four helpers who run the programme on a rota basis. Numbers vary between two and fourteen children.

We currently have a number of mothers with babies and toddlers attending the 9:30am service, and consideration is being given as to how best we support them.


Home Groups

Home groups have been running for three years as vehicle to nurture spiritual growth. They have proved to be a great opportunity for church members, especially newcomers, to get to know each other and find a comfortable place to talk about faith. Members have met during Lent and Advent and over the summer for study, prayer and conversation and social gathering using the materials from York Course, the Church Mission Society and Christianity Explored. There are currently two groups, of seven people each, meeting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings using the Pilgrim course.

Leading Our Church into Growth

For several years now, lay leaders from the church have joined members of the ministry team at a series of training sessions organised by the Diocese using the ‘Leading Your Church into Growth’ programme developed by the Revd Robin Gamble. They have proved inspirational for many of the participants.

Social and Fundraising

A working group of the PCC runs a programme of social and fundraising events at St Mary’s. These include our annual summer fete that attracts large numbers from the town, particularly when coordinated with the Old Town Party, and two craft fairs, held at the church around Easter and before Christmas. Their success relies heavily on volunteers from the congregation to staff the stalls and provide cakes and prizes. Whatever the weather these events are always a great deal of fun and bring in much needed funds for St Mary’s.

In addition to these major fundraisers, the group also helps to host social events for the congregation through the year including a spring quiz night and a summer barbeque.


The United Reformed Church at St Mary’sThe Banbury United Reformed Church entered into a Sharing Agreement with the Church of England to share the St Mary’s church buildings in 1993. The URC building in South Bar was in poor condition and it was deemed economic sense for the two congregations to share premises rather than have their mission impaired by two expensive buildings in need of major repair and restoration. The move was very controversial at the time, especially for the URC. After a trial period of 18 months the URC members agreed to make the move permanent, and so entered into the formal Sharing Agreement. The Anglicans were pleased to welcome the URC and costs were originally shared equally as the size of the two congregations were roughly the same. Anglican growth and URC decline has meant that currently the URC congregation contributes 25% of the normal maintenance and running costs of the buildings.

The URC currently has 31 members and we usually expect around 25 people to our services at 11.15am on Sunday mornings. Though small we have a richness of talent and contribute to the life of St Mary’s in many different ways and in accordance with the joint Mission Statement. For example we have six places on the Joint Church Council, have members on the Live Arts management committee, help to run the Mustard Seed bookshop and Messy Church, and play a part in joint worship activities and civic services. We see ourselves as partners with the Church of England in the care and development of St Mary’s church buildings and in mission to the surrounding communities.

22

The URC ministers are the Revd Barrie Cheetham (part-time stipendiary) and the Revd Lynda Spokes (non-stipendiary). Banbury URC is part of the Bernwode Forest Group of United Reformed churches and Barrie and Lynda also work with three other small churches in north Buckinghamshire. Lynda also has responsibilities at St Francis’s, a Local Ecumenical Partnership in the north of Banbury, and is a foundation governor of St Mary’s Primary School. The Revd Duncan Wilson (retired URC minister) chairs St Mary’s LiveArts management committee. Retired ministers within the congregation often lead and contribute to worship, along with lay preachers, Elders, musicians, and many of the members. We value the simplicity and orderly informality of our worship, along with congregational involvement and a leaning towards liberal theology. We also value our tradition of conciliar decision making though the quarterly Church Meeting, supported by the three Elders and two joint Church Secretaries who meet with the ministers at least bi-monthly.


Governance StructureA Shared Church

St Mary’s is a shared church, a relatively unusual status, and not a Local Ecumenical Partnership. This means that the two churches who share the use of the building and work together in mission and service to the community have nevertheless retained their separate identities, traditions and membership.

Parochial Church Council

Our Parochial Church Council currently has 15 members, comprising the clergy and lay minister, churchwardens, lay diocesan and deanery synod members and five members elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. It normally meets six times a year, and is charged ‘to work with the incumbent in promoting the whole mission of the church’. A number of working groups of the PCC cover finance, outreach and welcome, social and fundraising, pastoral care, ‘discipleship and nurture’ and ‘sustaining the sacred centre’ – key themes of the diocesan ‘Living Faith’ initiative.

The PCC is legally responsible for the maintenance of the church building and of St Mary’s St Mary’s Church Centre. In practice this responsibility, along with some others, is shared with the United Reformed Church congregation and exercised through the Joint Church Council.

23

The URC Elders and Church Meeting

Full details of the Governance Structure of the United Reformed Church are set out in the URC Manual which can be found in the United Reformed Church website. The following information about Church and Elders Meetings are a brief attempt to explain how they work at Banbury URC.

The main decision making body in any United Reformed Church is the Church Meeting. It meets at least once per quarter. The Church Meeting is charged with ‘finding the mind of Christ’. It will set policy and direction, particularly in relation to its local mission, ensures that the local church is run properly, oversees the finances of the church, provides for the pastoral care of its members, encourages ecumenical work and supports the day to work of the ministers. Each church member has the responsibility to help run effectively the local church and to contribute to decision making. Meetings are usually chaired by one of the ministers who will act as a moderator, giving advice and guidance, and enabling discussion and decisions to be made. Decisions are made by consensus if possible or by majority voting.


The Elders Meeting supports the Church Meeting in many of its functions and will advise the Church meeting on issues and may recommend courses of action. The Elders Meeting has a number of other functions which include ensuring regular worship and the offering of the sacraments, arranging for the pastoral care of members, keeping the roll of members and advising the Church Meeting on membership issues, advising the Church Meeting on its mission and supporting the ministers. Currently there are three Elders at Banbury who along with the two ministers and two Church Secretaries (one of which is one of the three Elders) meet at least once every two months. The Church Treasurer will advise the Elders on financial matters.

Joint Church Council

Our Joint Church Council was established in 1993 under the formal Sharing Agreement drawn up by the Diocese and the United Reformed Church. The JCC normally meet six times a year to oversee our joint church life, and has over the years taken on a range of executive responsibilities, including employing a part-time administrator and establishing two management committees, one of which, LiveArts@St Mary’s, runs an events and performing arts programme, while the other, The Mustard Seed, runs a Christian gift and book shop and supplies other churches in the Banbury area.

Also reporting to the JCC are the Church Care Group which takes day-to-day responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings and their contents, and the Development Group which has been set up to oversee the St Mary’s Project.

Safeguarding

National Church of England and diocesan policies are followed to safeguard all children, young people and vulnerable adults at St Mary’s, and we have an appointed safeguarding officer who administers DBS checks, a verifier and a recruiter.


Managing the Finances of St Mary’s Introduction

Responsibility for the finances of St Mary’s Church is divided between the PCC and the JCC in accordance with the sharing agreement made in 1993 between the Church of England and the United Reformed Church, but as legal responsibility for the maintenance of the church building remains with the PCC, the PCC has access to the building fund held by the Joint Church Council and to an Appeal Fund that is a separately constituted charity (number 1084929).

PCC finances are managed through a Finance Working Group that meets regularly to review income and expenditure and mission giving and to manage the stewardship programme including Gift Aid recovery. We have a Treasurer who is an elected member of the PCC. There is a strong budget process that dovetails the requirements of the PCC and the JCC, and monthly management reporting. Our planned mission giving is based on 6% of our combined Pledge and Plate income.

The PCC annual financial report is prepared in house using a receipts and payments approach. The financial summary for this year is contained within Appendix A.

Finance Working Group

The group meets three to four times a year to review the finances, report to the PCC, make recommendations and lead on matters such as the stewardship campaign. The groups sets out an annual timetable for the campaign to be presented to the APCM. An annual pattern is established and reviewed at each meeting.

Every two years a stewardship campaign is run to encourage the congregation to reconsider their offering of time talents and treasures to support the Church and its mission. Various models are considered to encourage giving in a positive and sensitive way, and sermons throughout the year are used to support this process.

Parish Share

St Mary’s meets 100% of its parish share commitment. However, we are a small congregation for the size of the church in an area of comparatively low income. We are therefore generously subsidised to allow for this, and each year we have to budget for an increase in the share of around 3.0%. This of course is a challenge for us. The share in 2015 was £35,583.

Stewardship Campaign

The biennial stewardship campaign sought to address concern concerning the deficit budget and to encourage continued giving organised by the Finance Working Group. It was based on the Giving in Grace Programme. Packs, including a leaflet on understanding our finances, are sent out to all church members to increase their giving and encourage new volunteers.

Gift Aid

Planned giving and the use of Gift Aid is encouraged, and a parish giving officer has been appointed to ensure that every gift-aided donation is claimed from HMRC.

The Annual report up to April 2015 gives more detailed information on the church finances and is available on request.

25


The Anglican Deanery Area Deans Jeff West and Hilary Campbell Lay Chair Lindsay Mills Asst. Lay Chair Lynne Philpott

St Mary’s has consistently had the highest October Sunday attendance figures of any benefice in Deddington deanery, although not the highest electoral roll, which probably reflects the transient nature of its town-centre congregation. We are very pleased that one of our associate priests, the Revd Jeff West, is currently the Area Dean.

Deddington deanery, the most northerly in the diocese of Oxford, is unusual in bringing together a rural hinterland and an urban area that contains some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England. The current estimated population is 68,000, of whom 48,000 live in Banbury and 20,000 in the surrounding villages. There are twenty nine parishes in the deanery with thirty four churches, grouped into twelve benefices. Within Banbury, there are five single-parish benefices, one of which, St Mary’s, shares its building with the United Reformed Church, while another, St Francis’s, is in a Local Ecumenical Partnership with the United Reformed Church and the Methodists. There are three multi-parish benefices north and west of Banbury, and four benefices each centred on a large village to the south.

The Deanery Mission and Pastoral Plan identified as mission priorities planning for an effective Christian presence on the new estates being built in and around Banbury, developing our work with schools and young people, encouraging and developing lay leadership, and making better use of our church buildings as witnesses to a living faith. St Mary’s is playing a full part in working towards these objectives.

St Mary’s as the “civic church” in Banbury plays a lead role in the town and the active leadership team has always been very supportive of deanery activities for which we are very grateful. We look forward to this continuing in the future with the new incumbent.

The deanery currently has eleven beneficed stipendiary clergy posts, two house-for-duty posts, two curates in training, five self-supporting clergy and eight licensed lay ministers. In some of the parishes people have been authorised for preaching, leading worship, or leading communion services by extension. One of the incumbents takes the lead on interfaith work, one serves as Deanery Training Officer and one as Deanery Vocations Officer and another as Ecumenical Officer. The incumbents meet regularly for lunch, and the clergy chapter is friendly and supportive, with four business meetings a year, a quiet day together and summer and Christmas socials to which partners are invited. Licensed lay ministers and retired clergy are invited to full chapter meetings.

26


What We Can Offer The Opportunity:

• Tonurturegrowthinnumbers• Tonurtureourgrowthinspirituality• Tonurtureourmissioninpartnership with the URC

The Challenge:

• Asignificantparishchurchwithabusy programme of worship and events within an economically challenged area• Achurchwithanimportantcivicrole• Asharedchurchwithacomplex governance structure • Achurchbuildingthatneedstochange

The People:

• Apart-timechurchadministrator• Acommittedgroupofvolunteers• AnenergisedPCC,URCandJCC• Anexperiencedministryteam

27


The Vicarage:

The Rectory, 89 Oxford Road, Banbury, OX16 9AJ

The Rectory is situated half a mile to the south of the church near the Horton General Hospital. It is a well-planned modern 4-bedroom detached house with a large front and rear garden. It has a good-sized study with a separate front entrance and WC, use of a double garage and parking for about 6 cars.

The Archdeaconry Buildings Sub-Committee have confirmed that they would support a proposal to relocate the vicarage within the Parish if a suitable existing property or development opportunity was identified. The PCC have explored options during the vacancy and would be very pleased to work with the Vicar on this if desired.

The Location:

Banbury benefits from being in the centre of England, at Junction 11 of the M40 between London and Birmingham and having excellent rail connections. It is within easy commuting distance of Oxford (with a half-hourly train service taking less than 20 minutes), Reading, London, Birmingham, Coventry and High Wycombe., Nottingham, Peterborough, London, Winchester, Southampton, Bristol, Hereford, Shrewsbury, and the Peak District are all within two hours’ drive.

The town’s old shopping streets together with the modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre offer a selection of retail outlets, pubs, cafes, and restaurants. There is also a multitude of leisure opportunities in and around Banbury including Spiceball Leisure Centre and Woodgreen Leisure Centre with a 50m open-air swimming pool. The town enjoys more than 100 park and open spaces including multi-use games areas and skate parks. Bowls is a popular sport locally and the town offers many sporting clubs for sailing, tennis, cricket, hockey, golf, football and rugby.

28


Find out more about us @ ...www.stmaryschurch-banbury.org.uk

www.facebook.com/stmaryschurchbanbury

twitter.com/StMarysBanbury

vimeo.com/84468050

www.livearts-at-stmarys.co.uk

Banbury has a general hospital, part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with an accident and emergency department.

There are four secondary schools, the North Oxfordshire Academy (rated good), the Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sports College and the Warriner School (both academy converters) and Banbury Academy (requires improvement). The nearest primary schools to the vicarage are Harriers Banbury Academy, the Grange Community Primary School and Bishop Loveday VA Church of England School (all rated good).

Banbury and Bicester College (rated good and in some areas outstanding) offers further and higher education, including apprenticships and university-level programmes, for those aged 14+.

Independent schools include St John’s Priory School (mixed 3-11), Tudor Hall (girls 11-18) and Bloxham School (a co-educational Woodward school for pupils aged 11-18).

Findoutmoreinthe‘OfficialTownGuide’availableatwww.banbury.gov.uk/Banbury-Town-Council


What We Are Praying For Like every parish, we looking for a good priest who will lead us, inspire us and re-energise us, who will deepen our spirituality and remind us of God’s presence with us.

And in particular, for this church in this place at this time, we are praying for:

• acollaborativeleader,abletoworkinanunusualgovernancestructure;

• apriestwhowillenjoyworkingecumenically,andwhowillbeopentoengagingwithotherlocal churches and faith groups;

• apriestwhowillbecomfortablewithaprominentcivicrole;

• apriestappreciativeofourEucharisticandmusicaltraditions;

• apriestwhowillhelpusdevelopourworshipandoutreach;

• apriestabletoleadworshipeffectivelyinaverylargebuilding;

• apriestenthusiasticabouttheartsandarchitecture;

• apriestenergisedandnotintimidatedbytheprospectofamajorfundraisingandreordering initiative, and who will see it as a positive opportunity for outreach and growth.

30

Date post:	25-Mar-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	trinhthien
View:	215 times
Download:	0 times

St Mary’s Church, Banbury - Diocese of · PDF fileSt Mary’s Church, Banbury -...

Documents