Oakworth Village with Christ Church Newsholme Village with St John's
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Newsholme Village with St John’s Oakworth Village with Christ Church Summary of the brochure Our Mission to Know, Show and Share God’s love Bishop’s Statement for Oakworth pages 3 - 4 What we are looking for in a new priest pages 5 - 6 About the villages of Oakworth and Newsholme pages 7 - 9 The Churches of Oakworth Parish pages 10 - 11 Church people page 12 Church services pages 13 - 14 The Church and the Community pages 15 –16 Church Buildings page 17 The Vicarage page 18 Church finances page 19 Our invitation to you page 20 The wider Diocesan context pages 21 –22 Useful links page 23 Romans 8:28 page 24 Moorside flock seeks good shepherd to feed us, tolerate our bleatings, look after the stragglers and help find our path. www.oakworthchurch.org.uk OakworthParishChurches 2 Bishop’s Statement for Oakworth Oakworth is a valued parish within the Bradford Episcopal Area and the Diocese of Leeds. The village has expanded over recent years, and new housing continues to be built. Giving residents the opportunity to discover Jesus and the life of the local church will remain an important task for the immediate future. There is a good ministry team in place and the finances and buildings of both Christ Church and St John’s are in good order. Christ Church has recently been reordered, making it a more attractive building for holding events with the community, and there are plans to further improve the facilities there. Other recent positive developments include the development of stronger relationships with other organisations in the village, such as the Oakworth Community Trust and Oakworth Village Society. The next stage will be to build on these to develop further regular work with young families. We are looking for an enabling leader, who can work with the congregations to keep growing the churches, developing confident lay discipleship, and increasing the profile and engagement of the church within Oakworth and the local community in creative ways. Especially given the part-time nature of this post, we are seeking a person who can inspire and develop others into ministry, leadership and responsibility alongside themself. From the perspective of the Episcopal Area, we see three particular priorities for the incoming incumbent: a) To provide enabling leadership, which will grow the churches numerically as well as spiritually and in service to their local community, reimagining ministry with a ‘mixed economy’ of new forms of church and worship alongside traditional ones and developing pathways to take lay discipleship and lay leadership on to the next level. (S)he will therefore need excellent teaching, team building and team leadership skills. 3 Bishop’s Statement for Oakworth b) To support and extend effective ministry with families, young adults and children to grow young people as Christians, and to deepen existing links with the local Oakworth and Oldfield primary schools and the uniformed organisations. c) To develop active and visible relationships within the village in creative ways, both personally as an individual and also through the congregations. S(he) should be able to engage strategically with the life of the community, developing relationships (for example) with Oakworth Village Society and Oakworth Community Trust, and contributing with others to a vision both for Oakworth, and for the place of the churches in Oakworth. Our vision as a Diocese is about confident clergy equipping confident Christians to live and tell the good news of Jesus Christ. In appointing to this post, we are therefore looking for someone who is both visionary and enabling, with the capacity to lead into a new era of growth. The new incumbent will have a joyful and confident faith which has inspired a track record of church growth, both numerically and spiritually. The Deanery of Aire and Worth, now nearly 3 years old, is comprised of parishes with a similar demographic to this benefice, many of whom are experimenting with mixing new approaches to worship and mission alongside inherited patterns. Most of the incumbents have been appointed to the Deanery in the past three years. The new incumbent will therefore find a group of creative and supportive colleagues in the Deanery chapter, all of whom will be familiar with the joys and challenges that each other faces. We expect the new post holder to work with a spirit of generosity in sharing wisdom and insights about ministry within the Deanery of Aire and Worth, and across the Episcopal Area. +Toby Bradford 23 October 2019 4 What we are looking for in a new priest We want to welcome someone who has prayerfully considered this position and been prompted by the Holy Spirit that this might just be the right post for them. We hope that they are attracted to a parish which offers opportunities, excitement and challenges. We pray that they feel able to join with us to discern what God wants for the Parish of Oakworth and to help us on our journey of faith so that we can grow in the love of Christ and carry that love to all in our community. Here are some of the qualities we would like to see: Teacher, leader, pastor. Able to relate to all ages – a people person who’s always approachable. Able to work in an established team and willing to delegate. Good communicator with the ability to recognise everyone’s gifts and encourage these to be used. A heart for mission and community. Have a vision of how the church can play its part in it. Adaptable. Able and willing to try new things and be open to a variety of worship styles. A sense of humour. “We need a shepherd, priest and friend” We are blessed to have many committed people with in our congregations who already take on key roles and responsibilities. They are eager to support a new priest who is active in some of the following areas: Helping us to grow in faith, understanding and discipleship through Bible-based and Spirit- filled teaching – equipping us to share our faith, our hope and the love of God in the wider world. Supporting our work with children and young people – not only in the church context but also in local schools where there are strong links. Helping us to nurture, develop and encourage children and young families. Helping us to recognise the needs within our community and enabling us to respond to them with the love of Christ. 5 What we are looking for in a new priest Supporting the needs of both congregations – overseeing pastoral care for all ages, developing skills, using our varied gifts and talents and developing leadership capabilities. Heightening the visibility of the church and encouraging stronger links between church and community organisations. Supporting and participating in the social life of church and community. We asked our Sunday Club Explorers group what kind of person they would like for their new vicar, using a game of consequences. Here are some of the vicars they drew! We wonder if you would fit the bill? 6 About the villages of Oakworth and Newsholme The village of Oakworth is situated near the town of Keighley on the edge of the beautiful Pennine moorland with the hamlet of Newsholme just a mile away. Oakworth is close to its more famous literary neighbour, Haworth—home of the Bronte family, and enjoys a share of tourists that come to visit the steam trains on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway with the historic station in Oakworth Village Oakworth which featured in the 1970’s film of the Railway Children. Oakworth Station More recently, it has become a destination for cycling enthusiasts wanting to test their stamina on some of the gruelling hill climbs experienced during the Tour de France and latterly the annual Tour de Yorkshire both of which have passed Christ Church. Tour de Yorkshire In the last 25 years Oakworth has expanded with several developments of new estate housing but still retains a friendly village atmosphere. The communities’ immediate needs are served by two shops and a selection of food and service retailers. It also has three pubs and a social club which contribute lively events and social activities. Those looking for sports will find a thriving cricket club, junior football team and golf club within the parish bounds. The village has its own GP surgery which is part of a larger partnership group and an independent pharmacy. 7 About the villages of Oakworth and Newsholme In Victorian times, the village boasted an elegant house, built in the style of an Italianate villa, which belonged to MP, inventor and manufacturer, Sir Isaac Holden. All that remain now are the portico and the grottos which form part of Holden Park. Oakworth Manor Care home is a small, privately-owned residential care home Holden Park looking after older people, including those with physical disabilities and dementia. Oakworth has a Methodist Church which supports a range of village activities as well as its regular services of worship: a pre-school group runs four days a week during term time; a weekly lunch club offers a hot meal and social activities for over 55’s and a hugely successful children’s pantomime is staged annually during February half-term. Schools Oakworth has a two-form entry primary school with nursery which is consistently rated “Outstanding”. The school is now part of the Bronte Academy Trust along with Oldfield Primary, a small but much-valued rural community school. Beckfoot Oakbank is the local secondary school situated just outside the Parish. Most local young people go there, with a small number of students catching dedicated buses from Oakworth to state- Oakworth School maintained, selective grammar schools in Skipton and Halifax.