St Pauls Goodmayes Parish Profile April 2014 Compressed
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The Parish Church and Community Centre of St Paul’s Goodmayes ! Mission statement “Forward into God’s embrace” Embracing the Father and the Son and the Spirit to: Enable the whole community Members, friends, young and old alike Belong more fully to God’s family Reconciling our God given gifts to His glory Affirming us all in faith, hope and love Committed to his mission in the world, and to Each other as brothers and sisters in Christ !1 Who we are St Paul’s Church is Anglo-Catholic in both its faith expressions and Liturgy. It is more “liberal” catholic, welcoming the ministry of women together with definite warmth of inclusiveness, in ethos, mission and outlook. ! We have an electoral roll of 46 people of which about one third are male. Geographically, of these 46 people, approximately half live within the parish and half outside the parish reflecting the commitment and affinity of parishioners to their church even when it may not be their local one. Additionally the members of the church vary considerably in age and ethnicity. ! Our Worship The parish has a long established catholic tradition with emphasis on the sacraments. There is a tradition of wearing ceremonial vestments together with the use of incense and music in our worship. ! The new revised standard version of the Revised Common Lectionary is used for the principal Sung Mass at 10am on a Sunday. This Mass is accompanied by one of five mass settings. The Celebration Hymnal for Everyone and the English Hymnal are used throughout the year. After the service, the Angelus is recited or, during Eastertide, the Regina Caeli. There is also an act of worship on Sunday evening, either Benediction, a Healing Mass or Evening Prayer, with Stations of the Cross during Lent. ! There are Masses during the week on Monday (evening), Tuesday (noon) and Wednesday morning, as well as on feast days. On ferial weekdays the Roman Missal is used. Traditional ceremonies are used in Holy Week and at Easter. Confessions are heard on request. ! Qualities we are looking for in a new incumbent 1. First and foremost, the parish requires a full-time priest trained in the catholic tradition with the desire to lead the form of worship described above. The new incumbent should have a talent for teaching the faith accordingly, the skill for the proper administration of sacraments, order of service and pastoral care ! 2. The new incumbent should be a capable leader but willing to consult the Parochial Church Council over any initiatives after an initial period within the parish ! 3. An excellent communicator, with the ability to teach the Gospel making it relevant to our modern lifestyles. A new incumbent with the right balance of scholarship, spirituality, evangelism and humour !2 ! ! ! Our parish would welcome: 4. Someone with musical ability and a willingness to lead a sung Mass 5. A priest with prior experience in industry or a profession 6. A male or female priest who is single or married 7. A priest willing to engage with the ecumenical and cluster church activities that have been built up over the years 8. A new incumbent who is keen to maintain the strong sense of community and develop the social life of the parish ! Items 1, 2 & 3 above are regarded as essential. Others are a matter of preference. ! ! Where we are Parish location St Paul`s Church Goodmayes is situated at the junction of Atholl Road and Barley Lane in Goodmayes, Essex within the London Borough of Redbridge. It is part of the Church of England, a parish in the Diocese of Chelmsford and located within the Redbridge Deanery. The correspondence address is St Paul`s Vicarage, 20 Eastwood Road, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex IG3 8XA. ! ! !3 ! Parish boundaries The boundary of the parish runs along the centre of the railway line parallel to the A118 High Road from Westwood Road to Grove Road. It continues along Grove Road to Gresham Drive, along Gresham Drive across Barley Lane, through Goodmayes Hospital to Seven Kings Water. The boundary continues following Seven Kings Water to Westwood Road and to the High Road. The population of the parish, according to the Chelmsford directory 2013, is 7000. ! Follow this on the map of the parish boundary. ! ! Description of the local area There are several green spaces within the parish and Hainault Forest is about 10 minutes drive from the church. Places of Christian worship within the parish include St. Cedd Roman Catholic Church, Goodmayes Methodist Church and Grace Church. The parish has an Islamic Community Centre with Mosque and library and there is also a Sikh Gurdwara. ! Amenities within the Parish Within the parish you will find a retail park with a Tesco Extra, Currys and Wickes; numerous independent retailers, a variety of ethnic food shops, excellent healthcare provision and a Children’s Centre. ! Schools There are a number of primary schools with nursery provision and one Secondary Academy within the parish boundaries. The parish is also served by independent schools and private nurseries. ! Public transport links The parish is accessible by rail and bus links. The Abellio Greater Anglian line from Liverpool Street to Shenfield stops at Goodmayes, the nearest station to our church. There are two buses that pass the church in Barley Lane, number 387, which travels between Little Heath and Barking and number 364 which travels between Ilford and Dagenham East. !4 The 86 bus travels along the High Road between Stratford Station (home of the Olympic Games 2012) and Romford Station. ! History of the church The building and how it has changed The foundation stone was laid in 1903 but building work and enlargement continued until 1929. Our first priest was appointed in 1917. The church was the daughter church of St Chad’s Church Chadwell Heath now in the Deanery of Barking and Dagenham. The church is one of three built at about that time, to fill the needs of people moving into the area. Over the years benefactors have left memorials to the church in the form of statues and stained glass windows, some of which feature the designs of William Morris and Burne-Jones. Today the church can seat about 180 people in the Nave, 18 in the Lady Chapel with additional seating if needed in the side aisles. The main sanctuary area of the church was reordered between 1998 and 2000. In 2010 we replaced our stations of the cross with a set produced by a local artist through Commission4Mission. (These can be viewed on our website: stpaulsgoodmayes.org.uk). In 2013 the church invested in the replacement of its rainwater goods. The fabric has been well maintained throughout the history of the church. ! St. Paul`s High Altar at Christmas ! ! ! ! !5 Some notable events in the past and recent history ! The parish undertook a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1997, a Mission to the parish in 2000 and in 2012 a parish retreat day with a focus on Transforming Presence (Bishop Stephen of Chelmsford’s initiative). ! ! How we worship The congregation attend a number of services during the week, which are distinctly liturgical in style, and of an Anglo-catholic tradition. The sacrament of the Eucharist is central to worship. Additionally music, incense, bells, candles and colourful vestments are used to elevate and express the worship. There are three services on a Sunday: Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the principal service, a Sung Eucharist, at 10a.m. On the last Sunday of every month the principal service is centred on our younger members. At this Family Eucharist our youth group are encouraged to participate and have, on special occasions, led parts of the worship. Weekday Masses are said in church on Monday evening at 6.30pm, Tuesday at noon and Wednesday at 9.00am. Additionally, at 10.00am on the first Monday of the month, Mass is said at a local retirement home for the elderly. At St Pauls we celebrate major festivals of our Lord with sung Masses and some acts of non- Eucharistic worship throughout the year, with other services in the seasons of Lent and Advent. ! Serving Team At present we have a Sacristan who looks after all the church linen and also acts as server and thurifer during the Mass. Occasionally the Sacristan is helped by others. We would like to see an increase in the number of servers. One of the Eucharistic minsters serves at a low Mass during the week. ! Sunday school The children of the Sunday school continue to contribute to the life and worship of the church. They have participated in regular Family Eucharist through prepared readings as well as writing their own intercessions. The group presented a well-received nativity play this year and ran the Christingle service in aid of the Children’s Society. The children have also enjoyed taking part in the “Transforming Presence” sessions where they worked !6 separately to the adults on a linked theme and presented their discussions (and sometimes their creations!) to the rest of the congregation at the end. ! Ecumenical partnerships Fellowship churches The Goodmayes Fellowship of Churches is an Ecumenical group of churches that work together to promote Christianity within Goodmayes. The group includes: All Saints Goodmayes, Goodmayes Baptist Church, St Cedd’s RC, Goodmayes Methodist Church and St Paul’s Goodmayes. Shared events over the last year have included: Women’s World Day of Prayer Service, shared Lent lunches and a March of Witness on Good Friday. ! Cluster Churches Our local Cluster is made up of four Church of England Churches (All Saints, St John the Evangelist, St Paul’s Goodmayes, St Peter’s Aldborough Hatch).