PARISH PROFILEST.GEORGE’S CHURCH
MADRIDEST 1925
2019
COntents
3 Our City
5 Our Church
6 Our Ministry Team
7 Our Services
9 Our People
12 Church Life
15 Our Future
St.George’s Church Madrid2019 Parish Profilewww.stgeorgesmadrid.com
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15 C/Nuñez de Balboa, 43 – 28001 Madrid
+34 915 76 51 09 @stgeorgesmadrid
Madrid, one of the main capitals of
Europe, is a bustling cosmopolitan city
that houses Spain’s main governing
institutions and a significant part of the
country’s economic activity, as well as
being a cultural centre.
There is a wonderful Mediterranean
lifestyle in the city; people love to be
out shopping, eating, exercising,
educating themselves or just relaxing.
The cost of living is far lower than in
the UK. It’s considered to be almost
40% lower than London and 20% lower
than that of the UK as a whole.
There is a lovely park, the Retiro, which
offers 350 acres of green space in the
city centre, as well as the Botanical
Gardens. There are museums of many
descriptions, including the world
OUR CITY
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Eating out or stopping for a mid-
morning/afternoon snack is part of the
culture and sitting outside at the many
bars and restaurants is a regular way
of life. Many restaurants offer a three
course lunch (the Menu del Dia)
Monday to Friday ranging from €9-€15.
There are key areas for this such as the
side streets off calle Carretas, Sol, or
around the San Miguel Market, which
is a popular spot for drinks & snacks.
There are several cinemas in the city
where films can be enjoyed in English
and many a show, ballet or opera
can be enjoyed without knowing any
Spanish.
famous Prado, and many of the
museums are free of charge at certain
times.
Public transport around the city is
excellent and very cheap. Buses
run approximately 6:00am-
11:30pm and the metro
(underground) from 6:00am-
1:30am. There are also plenty of
public & private taxi companies.
Madrid lies at the centre of the
Iberian Peninsula, at an altitude
of over 2000 feet. It has a very
dry climate, with long hot
summers and cold winters. In
winter there is snow on the
mountains surrounding the city
and whilst it is unusual to get snow
in the city centre the temperature
can certainly drop below zero.
July and August are the height of
the summer when daily
temperatures remain above 30
degrees Celsius and barely drop
overnight. Sleeping is a struggle
and air conditioning a welcome
relief. In August most local
people leave the city to head for
the coast or the cooler air of the
surrounding hills but the city
remains busy with tourists.
Madrid is considered one of the
safest cities in Europe, although it
is advisable to take precautions
against pick-pockets especially
around tourist areas.
As well as several private schools
that follow the British curriculum
and exam system, there are
many bilingual state schools that
offer education in both English
and Spanish. For higher
education there are several
universities, many of which also
offer courses taught in English.
St. George’s Church is centrally
located in Madrid in an area
called Barrio de Salamanca, on
the corner of the calles (streets)
Nuñez de Balboa and Hermosilla.
It’s quite an upmarket district full
of businesses, apartment
buildings and shops. It is well
connected by the metro, buses
and trains.
The church and site can be
considered as a landmark within
the Barrio de Salamanca. The
building complex consists of the
church, consecrated in 1925, the
church hall, and Church House
(containing the office, a back
room, the library, a bathroom
with a shower, and a small
kitchen downstairs; and a one-
bedroom flat upstairs)..
OUR CHURCH
All of these buildings open up to
a courtyard dominated by a two-
hundred-year-old fig tree, which
serves as a gathering place after
services, for events, and day-to-
day use by different groups.
The chaplaincy of St George’s is
part of the Diocese in Europe
which defines itself as “a mission-
shaped diocese - a network of
Christian communities and
congregations serving Anglicans
and other English-speaking
Christians across an enormous
geographical area.” .
In addition to the Chaplain, the
Ministry team is composed of a
Licensed Reader and an
Ordinand. The Reader is very
dedicated and offers a great
deal of support to the Chaplain.
She often leads Evening Prayer,
assists in leading Bible Studies and
has helped conduct retreats. The
Ordinand will need the
Chaplain’s support to complete
his training but is already a
valuable part of the Ministry
team.
As an Anglican Church in a
predominantly Roman Catholic
country, St George’s is a member
of FEREDE, the federation of
Evangelical religious entities of
Spain, which assists with the
relationship between non-
Catholic (Christian) churches and
the State.
OUR ministry TEAM
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OUR Services
St George’s currently holds three
regular services on Sunday: one at
8:30h (said Holy Communion), a
Family Service with Communion at
10.00h, and and a more formal
Sung Eucharist at 11:30h. There are
also mid-week services on
Wednesdays at 19:30h (Evening
Prayer), and on Friday morning at
10:00h (Eucharist).
The following tables provide the
statistics for attendance at services
offered by the church for 2018:
*Note: These are average figures for the month ofOctober excluding the monthly service at El Escorial.
Music for the 11:00h and 11:30h
services, as well as special services,
is directed by a well-qualified
musician who plays the organ,
directs the singing and is supported
by a deputy organist.
There is a Carol service held near
Christmas with a full choir and a
selected programme that attracts
people from outside the
congregation (requiring special
rehearsal time).
As seen in the statistics above, services
at Easter and Christmas attract a
significant number of people who do
not normally attend Church. Many
families with children attend and there
is a special service on Christmas Eve
where children are encouraged to
dress as Nativity characters and which
enjoys a large turnout.
After the services, people generally
gather in the courtyard to share
experiences, discuss chaplaincy life,
and get to know new people. During
the months of July and August when
most people leave the city, attendance
is very low and services are normally
reduced to two each Sunday with no
midweek services in August.
Additionally, there is a Sunday
evening service held once a month
in a Chapel in the town of El
Escorial, about 60km north of
Madrid, which was started as an
outreach for English-speaking
people living in the area known as
the Sierra that covers a number of
towns (collectively with a sizeable
population).
Average attendance at Sunday Services*
Average attendance at other Services*
“Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalm 95:6
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OUR PEOPLE
There are many people from the
UK, most of whom have lived in
Spain for a considerable time
and have strong ties with the
local community, as well as
people from Germany,
Switzerland, Finland and of
course Spain.
We also have members from
North America, from Africa
(particularly from Nigeria) and
from Asia. Most members speak
more than one language.
Among this diverse group we
have people from several non-
Anglican denominations
(Catholic, Lutheran, etc…).
There is a wide disparity in ages
among our congregation, with a
significant number of people over
the age of 65. However, there are
also a number of families with
children who attend regularly,
and a number of young adults.
As in many churches, our
congregations from the different
services each week are quite
separate and need to be drawn
together more.
“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:7
Our Congregation
St George’s congregation can
be considered as diverse in
terms of nationalities as in age,
faith or background.
Many of our congregation do not live
near the Church, but rather come
from all parts of Madrid including the
suburbs. Some live more than 10
kilometres from the Church and are
motivated by the spiritual and
community life that St George’s
offers. This geographic distance
presents a challenge for the Church.
St. George's is more than just a place
to grow spiritually and worship God.
For many of our congregation it is the
only place in Madrid where they will
naturally mix with other English
speakers and where they can keep
in touch with their own cultures and
traditions. Experiences of living
abroad, having bilingual families, the
challenges of dealing with
bureaucracy as a foreigner etc are
all shared experiences at St
George’s.
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It is difficult to arrange regular,
informal, social events as people
don’t want to travel into the city, and
it can also be difficult to find a time
for Council Meetings when alll
members can get to the Church.
Creating a sense of unity and
oneness is something we need to
work on
There is a constant turnover within
the congregation because,
apart from the people who have
made Spain their permanent
home, there are always
professional people working in
Madrid for 2 or 3 years who join
the congregation for a short time.
We need to offer an attractive
‘home away from home’ for these
people and integrate them
quickly into the life of the Church,
whilst knowing that we will lose
them again just as soon as they
get settled.
We also get a small number of
visitors attending services who
are in Madrid for holidays.
Many of the stalwarts of our
congregation are now of
retirement age and we are
concerned that we need to draw
more people into our community
and get them involved in the life
of the Church. Only in this way
can we secure the future of St
George’s.
Churchwardens and Council
The Council takes safeguarding very
seriously and is working to ensure that
we are fully compliant with all the
guidelines.
The Godly Play team is actively run
by a team of volunteers (who have
received specific training for this as
well as all appropriate safeguarding
training), and it presently serves
children through early and middle
childhood. Once a month, St
George’s celebrates a session of
“Godly Play in Church” where we
bring adults and children together to
worship God in a child-friendly
manner.
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Throughout the school year, the
10:00h service includes a children’s
Sunday School programme in the
form of Godly Play, a well-established
programme built on Montessori
principles that helps children explore
their faith through story, to gain
religious language, and to enhance
their spiritual experience through
wonder and play.
Our Council consists of 2
Churchwardens, one of whom
has been on the Council in
different roles for many years and
the other who is in her 20s but
grew up at St George’s and is
very committed to its future
development. The Council
consists of an additional 9
members, and 3 ex-officio
members who are our 2
Archdeaconry Synod
representatives and our Licensed
Reader.
Council membership has changed
regularly over the years but the
current Council has begun to work
well together during our Interregnum.
Children and Young Adults
Beyond Godly Play we have no
programme for older children or
teenagers and we see this as a key
challenge for the future. How do we
keep the children coming to Church
as they get older and how can we
develop a programme that would
interest teenagers and young adults?
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CHURCH LIfe
Fundraising events play an important
role in our Church life and we have a
small but incredibly dedicated team
who organise events such as a
Christmas Fair and Summer Bazaar,
jumble sales, book sales, etc. These
raise an extraordinary amount of
money and play a very significant
part in making St George’s financially
viable. Social events are also
organised throughout the year both
as fund-raisers and to encourage
fellowship.
to promote English-speaking
associations and businesses.
Additionally, there is a special
Remembrance Day service held
each year with a reception
sponsored by the British Embassy.
Life beyond the Church walls, for
example interaction with other
ecumenical groups, takes place
mainly in Spanish.
“Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.” Psalm 84:4
Events and Activities
To keep the congregation informed
and involved, and to attract visitors
and new people, St George’s has a
website and a Facebook page, and
in addition we publish a quarterly
magazine, The Grapevine, with
articles written by congregation
members.
Over the past few years,
considerable effort has been devoted
towards improving relations with
other churches. St George’s is now a
member of the Foro Ecuménico
Pentecostés and also hosts one of
the services during the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity. Over
recent years there has been
increasing interest from local Spanish
people to learn more about the
Anglican Church and we often
provide guided tours of St George’s
for school groups, students or tourists.
Ecumenical Relations
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On the spiritual side, we have Advent
and Lent Bible groups and organise
retreats on an adhoc-basis but we
feel this is an area where we should
develop.
We maintain good relationships with
local English-speaking businesses and
organisations, such as the British
Benevolent Fund, British Ladies
Association or the American Women’s
Club. Once a year, an event called
“Fresh Madrid” is held on our premises
We have established agreements
with two other congregations to hold
regular services in our premises: the
Charismatic Episcopal Church and a
Spanish-speaking Lutheran Church.
Additionally, there is a small
congregation from the Serbian
Orthodox Church who occasionally
worship on our premises.
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There is a church office on the
premises, staffed by a part-time
administrator (12h/week) who takes
care of the day-to-day functioning of
the Church and its buildings and
manages the hall bookings.
Other part time paid staff are the music
director and a cleaner (9h/week).
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Moreover, to help spread the
financial burden we believe we
need to expand our
congregation numbers.
Administration
St George’s Madrid is entirely self-
supporting. In addition to stewardship,
our income comes from fund-raising
events, hall and flat lettings and
donations from the other
congregations who use our premises.
We do not own the Church buildings
but are responsible for their upkeep.
Finances
Over the last few years, our expenses
have exceeded income, partly
because we faced a major expense
for repairs to the drainage system
under the Church which was
unforeseen but critical. In 2018,
despite obtaining a grant towards
some of the drainage work, we had a
deficit of over €8,000.
We have some small reserves in our
bank account but these are
diminishing and we cannot continue to
run at a deficit.
Significant efforts have been made to
streamline costs but finance remains a
significant challenge for the Church.
There hasn’t been a stewardship
campaign for some years and we feel
this should be a priority.
St George’s owns a furnished flat
close to the Church (about 10-15
minutes walking distance, or a
short bus ride). The flat is 90
square metres in size, which is
quite large for this centrally-
located prime property area of
Madrid.
Chaplain’s accommodation
It consists of a living-dining room,
two bedrooms, a separate
kitchen (fully equipped, including
a washing machine and
dishwasher), a smaller ‘service’
room, one bathroom and a
cloakroom, and a large terrace
which is suitable for dining
outdoors and entertaining.
Located on the sixth and top
floor of the building, the flat has
abundant light. Additionally, it
has blinds to shut out the sun in
summer and has air conditioning
in the main rooms. There is a
small supermarket a few metres
away and the area is well
connected with metro and bus
stops nearby. There is also a
nearby medical centre.
We are happy to discuss
alternative options for a Chaplain
with a family needing larger
accommodation.
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OUR FUTURE
In Godly Play St George’s has a well-
established programme for children
although there is still room for further
development of this concept. We
have no project for children once
they grow out of Godly Play and
there is nothing to offer teenagers or
young adults.
Young people and children
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
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As mentioned in the Finances
section, we face some challenges to
turn around our financial position.
We believe there are several ways to
achieve this. The first, over the longer
term, is to expand our congregation
to attract new members and the
second, more immediate task, is to
run a Stewardship campaign to
increase the level of committed
giving from our congregation.
Growth and Stewardship
We see the latter as a priority for
2020. We also have a plan to
improve the management of our
property and resources with a
dedicated group looking at how we
can become better stewards of
these resources.
We have been too inward looking
over recent years because of our
financial struggles. We collect
contributions for a local foodbank
and donate goods to other local
charities but little else in the way
of outreach. We are keen to
open our eyes to the world
outside and find ways to help our
wider community.
Outreach
The following are the areas identified by the Church Council as priorities for
our development and growth:.
The monthly service we hold at El
Escorial has great potential for
development as there are many
English-speaking families living in
this area of the Sierra. We
believe that further satellite
chapels could be set up to
expand our Church beyond the
city
Developing satellite chapels
We currently hold Bible Studies
during Lent and at Advent and
organise occasional retreats, but
we would like to develop a more
extensive and organised
programme. Likewise, we offer
Spiritual refreshment and formation
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St George’s has a solid base of
volunteers who are deeply
committed to the Church. We
believe this could be expanded
and that with active
encouragement, invitation and
training we could encourage
those people who have a
vocation to become more
involved in the life of the Church.
Discipleship and team building
Similarly, we believe that our
teamwork could be improved.
We have some teams which work
well, such as our sidespeople and
chalice assistants, but in other areas
we work too much as individuals and
believe we could achieve more if we
worked more closely together.
St George’s will celebrate its
centenary in 2025. We need to
develop plans for the celebration well
in advance as this will be a wonderful
celebration both of our history and of
who we are today, as well as an
excellent opportunity to raise our
visibility and better serve our wider
community.
Centenary
With the Grace of God, strong
leadership, enthusiasm and teamwork
we see all these ideas as achievable
and look to the future with
confidence.
preparation for baptisms,
confirmations and weddings but
are keen to establish follow-up
programmes for these to
encourage people to remain part
of the Church
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ST.GEORGE’S CHURCH
MADRIDEST 1925
www.stgeorgesmadrid.com
C/Nuñez de Balboa, 43
28001 Madrid
+34 915 76 51 09