1 in the Chelmsford Diocese We Believe That God Is Calling His

In the Chelmsford Diocese we believe that God is calling his church to be a transforming presence. Our vision is that the church - that is the people of God here in Essex and East London - should be a transforming presence in every one of our parishes.

These are our priorities –

 To inhabit the world distinctively  To evangelise effectively  To hold ourselves accountable to one another and to God for the stewardship of the gospel  To re imagine the way we minister so that each ordained minister and each individual Christian discovers their part in God's ministry and so that each church flourishes.

To this end we are looking for priests who are excited by this vision of becoming a church which is itself transformed, and which is becoming a more visible and effective presence in the huge diversity of communities that make up this most exciting and energetic part of England. There are many challenges ahead of us.

 We are a diocese generously subsidised by the national church. We need to become financially self-sufficient.

 Leadership often seems distant. We are creating patterns of leadership that are closer to the parishes. And we are looking to develop missionary leadership at all levels of church life. Nearly half our clergy will retire in the next ten years. We need to find out how to minister with fewer stipendiary clergy and with a re-imagining of how stipendiary ministry works. We need to re-organise the way parishes relate to each other in what we are calling Mission and Ministry Units.

 Some of our congregations still think ministry is what Vicars do. We have a vision of ministry where the whole people of God are involved in the whole of God's ministry. We are also experimenting with new forms of authorised lay ministry.

 Church must be a safe place. All those in ministry will be expected to undergo training that will equip them to respond well in situations associated with safeguarding.

 Levels of church going are below the national average. We need to get evangelism on to the agenda and into the lifeblood of every church. We encourage and train churches to put on weekends of mission and outreach. One of our aspirations is that every benefice should have a trained lay evangelism enabler.

 We are developing missionary discipleship, so that every church in the diocese is a place where Christians are formed in order to be sent out in witness and service.

Despite planning for a future with fewer stipendiary clergy, we remain as committed as ever to the local church. And what is the local church, but that community of men and women gathered around Christ, and living and sharing the gospel in the networks and neighbourhoods of their lives? But we need priests to lead and to serve.

We know we need to change. We can only be a transforming presence when we have allowed God to transform us. Therefore at the heart of all we do is a longing for intimacy with God and a renewed life of prayer. First and foremost a priest is a minister of the word and sacrament. All ministry flows from this. But a priest shares the ministry of the bishop, therefore presbyteral ministry will increasingly be a ministry of oversight, guiding, nurturing and directing the mission of God's church in the communities we serve.

It is an exciting time to be part of God's missionary movement for the world, and the Diocese of Chelmsford is an exciting place to serve. We have a clear vision and we are looking to appoint clergy who will share this with us. In every parish we long to see each person and each community grow in faithfulness and ministry so that together we may serve in the world and Christ may be made known.

+Stephen

Please read on to see the parish profile for St Andrew’s and St Michael’s churches, Westcliff-on-Sea

February 2016

Thank you for considering applying for this exciting new post of Associate Priest working across the two evangelical parishes of St Michael’s and St Andrew’s. At St Michael’s and St Andrew’s we are like- minded in our passion for Jesus and seeing lives transformed by Him.

After serving my curacy within a Team Ministry in the Diocese of Chelmsford, in October 2014 I was appointed Priest in Charge of St Michael & All Angels, Westcliff-on-Sea, a lively evangelical church in the heart of this wonderful seaside town. Following the recent retirement of the vicar at our neighbouring parish of St Andrew’s, our two churches welcomed the opportunity to form an informal partnership as part of the diocesan strategy to adapt to the future challenges facing the Church of England. As such I will be appointed Priest in Charge of both St Andrew’s and St Michael’s.

In order to adequately resource this exciting venture, the diocese are providing us with this full-time stipendiary Associate position to work alongside myself, and the rest of the existing ministry team which includes a Reader, a Youth Worker, and an ordinand in training (ordained this June, and based at St Andrew’s).

The new Associate Priest will be based at St Andrew’s church and take a lead for the majority of the day-to-day ministry at St Andrew’s. This will include the worship and pastoral life of the church, and also the significant outreach programmes St Andrew’s runs for the local community working with children and youth, vulnerable adults and the homeless. The associate will also have opportunity to work across both parishes and will likely be given responsibility for a specific area of ministry. It is anticipated this will be in the area of evangelism or discipleship, but can be tailored to fit the giftings of the new Associate.

Both our parishes support the ordination of women and welcome the ministry of female priests. However, due to theological convictions, St Andrew’s church believes the primary leadership of the church should be male. For this reason the PCC of St Andrew’s have requested under the Bishop’s Declaration that only male candidates be considered for this post.

As Priest in Charge of two churches I find myself very much in new waters, as both churches do, but I am hugely encouraged at the prospect of working again within the familiar setting of team ministry, and am committed to ensuring that we mutually support one another. The following profile is essentially that of St Andrew’s but it includes, for information, a description of St Michael’s church and ministry at Sections 7 and 8.

I hope you will consider us, and I leave you to enjoy reading our Parish Profile.

Yours in the gospel,

Rev Tom Loh.

St Andrew’s Church

1. Summary We are looking to appoint a stipendiary Associate Priest who will work alongside colleagues across the two parishes of St Michael and All Angel’s and St Andrew’s in the heart of Westcliff-on-Sea. The Associate will have special responsibility for St Andrew’s, and for the significant outreach projects based within this densely populated, urban parish. Both churches are evangelical in tradition and committed to preaching God’s Word faithfully. St Andrew’s have a strong community focus, especially in children’s and youth work, and Open House groups, which offers support to people with vulnerable and fragile lives, especially those with mental health issues, those on the edge of society, and those who live on the streets. The Associate position is newly created and is designed to work with the Priest in Charge, the Rev Tom Loh (based at St Michael’s) to enable the churches to flourish by being stronger together and being a more effective witness to Jesus Christ. The recent partnership between our churches has been something we have been considering for a number of years, and both churches welcome enthusiastically. This position therefore offers a unique opportunity to work as part of a team in an exciting and new venture for these two vibrant and like-minded churches.

2. Required qualities We are looking for an Associate Vicar who:

. Finds our summary exciting and has a passion to reach out to people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures, including those with mental health issues and other social challenges. . Has good leadership skills, can communicate and relate effectively with a wide range of ages, especially the un-churched, and has a pastoral heart. . Is good at building, organising and running volunteer teams to support our significant outreach programmes. . Is a faithful and gifted teacher of the Bible and committed to prayer. . Is comfortable leading worship in a variety of settings and contexts, from formal communion on a Sunday, to mid-week prayer meetings with the homeless. . Is passionate about equipping and preparing the congregation to serve in the mission and ministry of St Andrew’s. . Enjoys working collaboratively and is committed to working as part of a team in developing the shared ministry between St Andrew’s and St Michael’s.

In return we will:

. Encourage, pray and work with you.

. Give support from both leadership teams, PCCs and congregations. . Continue to show commitment to the many ministries of the churches. . Continue to have a desire for the ministry of St Andrew’s to grow and reach out to the community.

3. St Andrew’s strengths and weaknesses The PCC compiled this list whilst considering the ‘Serving with Accountability’ Diocesan document.

Strengths: . A competent and well-established leadership team. . A long tradition of evangelical faith and emphasis on good Bible Teaching for all ages. . A growing church especially with young people and new families arriving most weeks. . An extensive, well-structured and broad programme of outreach initiatives and engagement within the community. . Excellent facilities, which are well used for mission and ministry. . A core of committed members and volunteers. . A part-time employed youth worker, to manage the youth work programme. . A thriving children’s ministry for all ages in Sunday services, a week night group and holiday club days. Weaknesses: . Raising up new volunteers to serve in the church and in the outreach programmes . Though evangelism is strong, there is a clear need for this to translate to discipleship and committed membership of the church. . More structure and emphasis could be given to discipleship and corporate prayer life. . Lack of a music group to support and encourage the worship.

4. St Andrew’s future priorities and opportunities We identified our priorities alongside our strengths and weaknesses by consultation with the congregation, discussion within the PCC and drawing on work done in response to the Diocesan ‘Serving with Accountability’ paper. Our priorities for the near future: . Build, grow, and support the volunteers to ensure the continuity of the outreach programmes. . Introduce opportunities for worship and Bible study/discussion during the mid-week and Sunday evening Open House sessions. . Developing evangelistic courses such as Alpha and Christianity Explored for new seekers. . Develop a discipleship programme to build up the body of the church, i.e. home groups, or other teaching events/courses such as the Diocesan School of Discipleship.

. Build a worship team to encourage and develop the musical worship by encouraging good joined-up worship, ensuring a mixture of style, choice and culture to build us up spiritually in our services. . Encourage the congregation in the regular prayer life of the church. Opportunities: . The possibility of seeking a grant for St Andrew’s and St Michael’s to obtain a joint youth worker and a joint administrator. St Andrew’s current youth worker is on a short term contract. . Building and supporting new volunteers. . Collaborating with St Michael’s in mission and children’s work . Maintaining links with Love Southend.org which is a hub for local churches working together in Southend to share God’s love. . To develop our website and improve use of technology. . Encourage and disciple our young people towards confirmation. . Relaunch the Men’s Group.

5. Diocesan policy and deanery plan The deanery of Southend covers most but not all of the borough, and has fourteen parishes within it. The diocesan strategy Transforming Presence and Reimagining Ministry envisages parishes working more closely together, and the collaboration between St Michael’s and St Andrew’s is part of that strategic development.

The parishes in the deanery vary across the churchmanship spectrum, and serve communities which are very varied indeed in terms of their social makeup. I have as a new area dean been struck by the way in which relationships at a clerical level are cordial and helpful- there are many informal contacts which make working together in the more formal ways envisaged by the diocesan strategy feasible. At a borough level there is a sympathy to the Church on the part of the council which makes civic engagement possible with councillors and MPs, and ecumenical contacts are generally warm. Southend is unusual in having a particularly strong Baptist and Salvation Army presence.

Jonathon Collis Area Dean

Over the last few years in line with Transforming Presence and with the introduction of Mission and Ministry Units (MMUs), we have had informal workings amongst St Andrew’s, St Michael’s and St Luke’s, Southend on sea, regarding the possibility of creating a non-geographic MMU.

6. The church of St Andrew’s and its people

6.1 About us St Andrew’s is an evangelical church that appreciates a breadth of worship styles within the Anglican tradition and is known for its warm and friendly people. Located in the heart of a densely populated area of Southend-on-Sea, St Andrew’s parish boasts a diverse population with a rich tapestry of backgrounds and cultures. Our area of Westcliff-on-Sea is increasingly regarded as a desirable place to live especially for young

6 families, but still has within it aspects of deprivation and social need. Our church works hard to be a church that is there for the community, sharing God’s saving love with everyone, especially those who could be considered “left behind” by society. As such, we have a strong community focus, especially in our children’s and youth work and in Open House, which offers daily support to people with vulnerable and fragile lives, especially those with mental health issues, those on the edge of society, and those who live on the streets. By turning the back of our church into a café area, we are able to offer an open door policy, and provide opportunities for friendship, creative activity, food and refreshment. We are blessed to be supported by a great team of about 25-30 committed volunteers enabling the church building to be used by the community every day of the week. Most weeks we see several hundred people from our local community use our building and attend our variety of outreach programmes. Our congregation is a happy mixture of all ages, and well reflects the diversity of the surrounding population. Though we are not a large church (average Sunday attendance of 50 adults, 20 children), we are a growing, vibrant, and busy church, with a passion to see new people come to faith in Jesus and become wholehearted followers of Him. At St Andrew’s we are blessed with wonderful church buildings and facilities (including church hall, youth centre, kitchens, welcome lounge and shower facilities), much of which has been updated and extended in recent years. This places us in a unique position to meet the needs of our community and help us realise our vision to be a church without walls. Our newly created link with our neighbouring parish, St Michael’s, has been something our two churches have been planning together for a number of years, and welcomes enthusiastically. Although serving very different areas (St Michael’s being situated in a more suburban and affluent area), both our churches share a common evangelical faith and passion for outreach, evangelism and good Bible teaching. Because we have different strengths and weaknesses our churches are well situated to work together and complement each other in both mission and ministry. Therefore, we feel we are on the cusp of a new and exciting chapter in the life of our church, and are looking forward to exploring this relationship and becoming stronger together as churches.

6.2 Worship We have a variety of services with Bible teaching and Communion being the main focus. Our order of service is taken from Common Worship. Although following liturgical guidelines there is a great deal of flexibility. Our regular services are as follows: 1st Sunday of the month: 10am - Informal All-Age Service (no Communion) with a mixture of Bible

7 reading, teaching and worship suitable for all ages. The children usually actively participate in this service by leading prayers and contributing a song etc. Baptisms, Thanksgivings and Commissioning are also included on 1st Sundays. 6pm - Quiet and meditative service with Communion.

2nd Sunday of the month 10am - Communion with varying worship and Biblical teaching.

3rd Sunday of the month: 10am - With Biblical teaching, Communion and an opportunity for prayer for healing.

4th Sunday of the month: 10am - Communion with varying worship and Biblical teaching, often with a special emphasis or theme.

5th Sunday of the month: 10am - Communion usually with a special theme and often with guest speakers attending.

During the Sunday services there is a special focus on the children, usually including a short talk, before they leave for their Sunday school groups. The children and young people return to the service for Communion. Thursday Weekly Service: 10am - Quiet Communion in the Holy Spirit Chapel, with Biblical teaching and up to 20 attending.

Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals St Andrew’s continues to see a number of baptisms celebrated in the church. During 2015 at St Andrew’s there were 5 baptisms, 2 weddings and 1 funeral conducted (church and crematorium). St Michael’s during 2015 had around 10 funerals (church and crematorium), 1 wedding and 5 baptisms.

Music: We use a variety of music and are fortunate to have a pipe organ that is well maintained. Our organist plays several hymns on three Sundays a month, as well as supporting worship by playing at the beginning, during Communion and at the end of these services. We also have a member of the congregation who plays the flute which often supports quiet meditation during Communion. We are also pleased to have a sound system and a member of the church who prepares more modern and contemporary songs with CDs and downloads, which are used during the services and throughout the All-Age Service. During the last hymn, there are flags and percussion instruments that primarily the children enjoy concluding the service.

6.3 Children’s ministry The Rapids - our Rapids groups meet every Sunday morning during the 10am service. We share news and a song together before splitting into our individual age groups - Springs 0-2 years, Brooks 3-6 years, Streams 7-10 years and Rivers 11-16 years to complete Bible teaching, activities and crafts appropriate to each age group. The Rapids groups are very popular with approximately 20 attending regularly.

ALF and ALF Plus (About Life and Faith) - we run a mid-week club with Bible teaching for children of primary school age 4-11 years each week. They enjoy craft, sharing news and learning about the Bible as well as Bible inspired games/quizzes. We have up to 20 children attending each week, which has grown over the past year with many children wanting to bring their friends. For some children this is their only encounter with church. For secondary school age children, we have ALF Plus that is run by the youth worker at the same time as ALF. Activities are tailored for their age group using the Emmaus material. Both groups combine to finish with refreshments, which is a good opportunity for leaders to catch up with parents. ALF Days - annually St Andrew’s holds a holiday club in the summer holidays and have around 20-30 children attend. The children are invited to bring a lunch and enjoy fun activities, games, crafts, worship and bible teaching based around a theme. Some of these children we only see at holiday club, but there are also some are from the congregation and other children’s groups. A holiday club day during the Easter holidays has also been planned.

Andy’s Club - in 2014 a new youth club was launched at St Andrew’s in partnership with the council, for ages 11-16. The youth club is now solely run by St Andrew’s due to council cuts and now has approximately 8 young people. For the majority this is their first encounter of coming into a church. Many of the young people who came to this group now come along to other events and services held by the church.

Youth Events -through the Southend interdenominational youth organisation ‘Blaze’ and the youth leaders network on Facebook we are kept informed of local youth events occurring on a

9 monthly basis. Each event is at a different local venue and is a chance for young people to engage with the gospel in a variety of worship expressions and meet other Christians their own age. St Andrew’s arranges and accompanies young people who wish to attend. Lunch Bites - a weekly group that meets at lunch time at Chase High School that starts to lay the foundations of being a Christian to young people who have little or no experience of knowing about Christianity. In addition, through partnering with other local Christian youth workers, our youth worker had been able to represent St Andrew’s and share the gospel at eight different schools over the last two years.

6.4 Open House Many of the members of Open House are on the edge of society or on the streets and/or have mental health issues or care for those with mental health issues. A number of the people who come along don’t have any connections in the community and Open House provides them with somewhere they can meet and have friendships.

Sunday evening Open House - provides a place where homeless and vulnerable adults can get something to eat, use shower facilities and just as importantly somewhere safe where they can sit and socialise. Each week we cook 40 portions of a hot meal and dessert, through the donations and time of volunteers. We have seen a steady increase over the last year, with over 100 on the register and around 25-40 attending each week. It can really be seen how Open House has built a sense of community for them.

Tuesday and Wednesday Open House - is a place of welcome and support for those in need of social interaction through loneliness, bereavement, or any other reason, but especially for those experiencing any mental ill health or emotional difficulties and those supporting them.

We provide an opportunity for a listening ear over a cup of tea, biscuits and an assortment of activities such as board games, crafts, painting etc. Although many who attend Open House have little or no religious background or faith and have a wide range of problems, they all appreciate the church and it has been beneficial to have the presence of the vicar and volunteers from the congregation to offer spiritual guidance and support to those who desire it. In recent years, members of Sunday night Open House have attended special Christmas carol services and this year it was followed by a Christmas meal and gifts, and some of the male members came along to a special men’s meal, joining

10 with other men from the church and local community. We are increasingly finding that many who attend would like to talk about Christian matters and attend a prayer time or make a prayer request. Over the last year, several members have come to be baptised and joined our Sunday congregation.

6.5 Tiddlers This is a popular group run by the church for 0-3 age children and their carers. Around 15 children come each week with their family, where they are provided with an assortment of age-appropriate activities, toys and crafts alongside opportunities for prayer and sharing Bible stories. The families mainly come from the local area.

6.6 Prayer groups Members from the congregation, PCC and leadership team meet regularly to pray. . First Monday of the month 6pm for prayer and worship. . Every Tuesday in context of Open House. . Every Sunday morning before the 10am service. . Every Sunday evening towards end of Open House.

6.7 ‘Thursdays at 8’ house group This is a weekly house group that takes place in a member of the congregation’s home for fellowship, Bible study and prayer.

6.8 Women’s Bible study group This is a fellowship group that meets every other week on a Thursday in the church, with the important focus for worship, prayer and teaching.

6.9 Women’s Fellowship service These services are held three times a year led by members of the Women’s Bible study group and ‘Thursdays at 8’ house group. Up to 40 women attend the services.

6.10 Priory House services

Once a month a group of members from St Andrew’s lead a service in a residential care home.

6.11 Other church events and interests Quiet day at Pleshey - for many years up to 20 members from the congregation have attended an annual day trip to the Pleshey Diocesan Retreat House for teaching from a guest speaker.

Sizewell weekend - in recent years, a group of up to 50 members from the congregation have attended an annual weekend to Sizewell Hall, Suffolk. The focus of the holiday weekend is ‘the Church as a Family’ where there are opportunities for fellowship, worship and separate age-based teaching for adults, children and youth. St Andrew’s and St Michael’s will share a joint weekend to Sizewell in September 2016. Involvement in Hope-on-Sea - we played a large part in the deanery Hope-on-Sea mission 2014. We hosted a team of six from Through Faith Missions and ran a variety of activities throughout the week for adults, children, youth and the local community. The week built up our community links and has since boosted our numbers who attend the youth and children’s work and has encouraged the congregation to evangelise more.

St Andrew’s in Harare - a link providing mutual support and prayer. We share correspondence with letters and send food and educational supplies. Training - members have attended various training opportunities including safeguarding courses, Christian Resources Exhibition, Christian Studies Course and currently a Bible course run by our Priest in Charge Tom Loh. Spring Harvest/ New Wine - in previous years, members of the church and youth groups have enjoyed these events. Alpha Course and Men’s Group - in the past, St Andrew’s have enjoyed the benefits of these two groups and we hope to be able to offer them again in the near future. Operation Christmas Child - each year we gather together, as a mix of ages and individuals, to pack and wrap shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. We produce between 100-150 boxes to be sent abroad to children less fortunate. Our goal this year is to increase to 200 as we have been made aware there is a greater need.

6.12 Mission Links Love Southend - we have enjoyed supporting many events, alongside a local group of churches, showing God’s love. Street Pastors - a member of our congregation is a Street Pastor for Southend, showing God’s love in both spiritual and practical ways. Christian Aid and Children’s Society - various times of year the congregation makes a collection on behalf of these charities. Two African churches also use our buildings to hold their services each Sunday, and contribute to the upkeep of our church building. Chalkwell Group of Churches - both our churches are part of the Chalkwell Group of Churches which includes Anglican, Baptist, Evangelical, Elim, Methodist, URC and Hospice Chaplaincy. This group offers mutual support and many shared services, including Lent and summer evenings with different venues and a Good Friday act of witness open air service in Chalkwell Park.

7. The church of St Michael’s and its people Historically, both St Michael’s and St Andrew’s were daughter churches of the neighbouring St Saviour’s parish. All three parishes have an evangelical heritage, going back to 1906, and some of the earliest development in the area. Only about 25% of St Michael’s Parish is in Westcliff, the remaining 75% being in Leigh-on-Sea. In fact, the boundary between Leigh and Westcliff passes through the middle of the church site.

St Michael’s is a welcoming evangelical church, with an emphasis on good Biblical exposition and teaching, and with an openness to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Worship is mainly contemporary, but using key elements of liturgy from CW. Our 10.30am family service is the main Sunday meeting with an average attendance of 70 adults and 15 children/ youth. On the second Sunday of each month uniformed organisations join us and participate in the service, and on third Sundays we celebrate Holy Communion. On most Sundays there is also an informal evening service in the church hall, where the opportunity is taken to experiment with different styles of worship, prayer and study. On Wednesday mornings we also have an 11.00am Holy Communion service (BCP) which is attended by up to 20 people. Our Sunday morning (10.30am) worship features a mix of songs and choruses from the last 40 years, but including some hymns from the rich history of church hymn writing. We have an instrumental group who play keyboard, flute, bass guitar and drums, plus a singing group of around 6-8 people. Messy Church has been operating for around four years now, meeting on the third Monday of a month in the early evening. It follows Messy Church principles, attracting around 60 children/parents each month, with a focus on craft activities, a short talk and a shared cooked meal.

Though hard work for leaders and helpers, it has been a rewarding enterprise which clearly meets a need for young families, and offers a valuable opportunity to reach out to unchurched adults and young children. One of St Michael’s strengths over a number of years has been the involvement of lay members of the congregation in leading services and preaching. Currently we have one reader, three authorised local preachers, and a team of seven lay assistants. Sunday Club is held in parallel with part of the 10.30am service, and caters for all children up to the age of 16, in various groups. A team of 10 to 12 leaders teaches up to 20 children. A number of home groups meet regularly on weekday evenings plus two daytime groups. Around 30% of those on the electoral roll are in a home group. As at January 2014, there are 115 people on the electoral roll. Of these 53% are resident in the parish and 47% outside. St Michael’s has good connections with a number of local care homes. A small team conducts regular short services, including Holy Communion, for those wishing to take part. Each Christmas, a group of singers perform short carol services in several of the local care homes. The St Michael’s Pre-School operates within the financial and organisational structure of the church but is managed autonomously. It operates every weekday and is highly regarded for its quality of care and professionalism. It received an excellent review at the last Ofsted inspection. Most of the rooms in St. Michael’s Church Centre are in regular use, both for church events (fellowship lunches, summer fete, autumn fayre, quiz nights etc.) and for a large range of outside groups, e.g. dance classes, senior citizens club, jazz band practice, uniformed organisations, St Michael’s Pre-School. The use by outside groups provides a service to the local community and raises some income for the church.

8. Parish description of St Andrew’s and St Michael’s

The Southend-on-Sea Borough is the most densely populated part of Essex and the largest town in the Diocese. St Andrew’s Church is in the Westborough ward which is more than double as densely populated as the rest of the Borough - 11,905 per square km compared to 4,187 per square km in the rest of the Southend Borough (ONS 2011). St Michael’s parish also has a relatively high population density at 7,000 per square km.

There is a diverse population with a mix of socio-economic and multicultural backgrounds with a range of housing options. A substantial number of houses have been converted into flats or multiple occupancies with more of the affluent housing being in Leigh, which is a contrast between St Andrew’s and St Michael’s parishes that we believe will lead to the enrichment of the new close working relationship.

There is one primary school (Chalkwell Hall) on the border between the two parishes and many others in the surrounding area, one of which has on occasions used St Andrew’s building and another where our youth worker has created a weekly lunch time meeting group. Primary schools just outside the parish borders include Westborough, Darlinghurst, St Mary’s C of E and Our Lady of Lourdes RC. Secondary schools include four single sex grammar schools (Westcliff and Southend High Schools) which usually appear in the top 100 schools in the UK league tables, and two RC secondary schools (St Bernard’s and St Thomas More) with academic streams. Both Leigh and Westcliff are well provided for with a wide selection of shops and amenities including grocery stores, a library, cafés and restaurants, as well as a selection of parks, playgrounds and local museums, all within walking distance.

Transportation links are also good with a full bus service and railway lines to London.

Westcliff and Leigh are within easy reach of the seafront (Thames Estuary) and the Southend shopping centre. As well as access to the popular restaurants and amusement areas including the Cliffs Pavilion Theatre, the Golden Mile, Adventure Island attractions, Southend Pier and the Sea life Centre. Southend-on-Sea’s popularity as a tourist resort has increased over 100% over recent years, partly due to the locality of Southend Airport.

9. St Andrew’s church buildings St Andrew’s impressive architecture has been described as the most beautiful in the area. It was consecrated in 1934 and mentioned in “Pevsner’s Buildings of England”. The now church hall was originally the church when first built in early 1920s, with a wooden hall on the site of our present day church. We are fortunate to now have extensive church buildings offering flexibility for the many worship opportunities and activities held within. The light and airy main body of the church is spacious and oblong in shape with arched side aisles running the full length of the nave. With high arched beamed ceilings and many traditional architectural features. The chancel is fitted with inward facing choir stalls and reader’s and vicar’s desks. The altar stands beneath beautiful large golden-glazed windows. At the front of the congregation seating we have an area for children, so they can sit together and be part of the service. At the back, separating the seating area from the rear of the church we have screen dividers. There is a good traditional organ played from the small North Chapel, and a small Lady Chapel and robing area that is also used by those leading the service to prepare.

The small Holy Spirit Chapel, with stained glass windows, can seat up to 30. It is used regularly for prayer meetings and Thursday morning Communion. Leading from the chapel is the old vestry which has been converted into a useful office primarily for the youth worker and treasurer. There is also a smaller upstairs vestry. The rear of the church has been arranged to accommodate a great variety of activities. There are sofas and coffee tables, café style tables and chairs. All these can be moved to create appropriate settings and the whole of this area can be rearranged and screens removed in the event of especially large services, allowing for maximum seating. The rear area is used regularly for after service refreshments, Open House, ALF group and shared lunches and many other occasions such as after funerals and weddings. The main kitchen is newly built, with a large hatch opening to both church and hall and is fitted with industrial appliances suitable for preparing and serving large quantities of hot food.

Further to the rear of the church, close to the entrance, is the ‘children’s corner’. It is part contained, with tables and chairs for refreshment as well as a play kitchen, selection of toys, colouring and books. The children enjoy having their own area to relax and play where parents can be close by. The glass front porch and foyer area was the last of our building projects to be completed (summer 2015) and, as yet, has not been fully furnished. Leading to both the church and hall facilities, this has given us more opportunity to offer hospitality and makes the church building more welcoming. The hall facilities include a living room fitted with a fireplace and sofas and coffee table and is used for two of our children’s groups as the area is spacious but can also be made more contained by closing sliding doors. There is also a small hatch that accesses an additional kitchen. These facilities are used regularly by hirers of the hall, bowls and drama clubs, amongst others. The large and spacious church Hall is well used by all and has storage arrangements. There are several toilet facilities, suited to different needs, including one with disabled facilities, a children’s toilet including a baby change area and one with a shower, that is used regularly by Sunday Open House. Leading from the hall is also an ‘upper room’ used primarily as a youth room, and is furnished appropriately for this. It is a creative space with the original stained glass window preserved from when built as the church.

10. St Andrew’s church finances We have been blessed in receiving financial grants for our church building and facilities, Tiddlers and Children’s Corner, The Rapids’ Children’s Church and youth worker. These have created opportunities that we have been able to sustain and even grow. The Open House Project began with a grant but is now self-supporting after implementing a small charge for users which includes refreshments. We also provide up to 40 hot meals weekly at Sunday Open House through the kind donations of church members and those in the local community. Our congregation’s giving and tithing are received by collection plate, standing order and envelopes and all eligible are encouraged to gift aid. Our congregation’s giving equates to 78% of our income with 22% from hall lettings. We have also conducted stewardship campaigns, with the most recently being TRIO. The congregation is known for sacrificial giving when in need. The Parish Share has been paid in full since 2009, achieving diocesan ‘Gold Status’.

11. St Andrew’s vicarage One of the original houses in the area and five mins walk from St. Andrew’s Church. This is a large double fronted detached Edwardian home with many original features. It has a drive with off- street parking, space for 2/3 cars with detached garage onto moderate sized back garden, and has recently been fitted with new gate and fence panels. The house features three large reception rooms (including study) and patio doors from back room onto garden. The home is double glazed with gas fired central heating, a new boiler and fitted with new carpets throughout. The recently modernized generous kitchen/diner leads to a utility room and a downstairs toilet. The hall has two porches to front and rear of house with original internal doors and floor tiling. The upstairs landing leads to three large double bedrooms, one small bedroom and a box room. The recently modernized bathroom contains toilet, bath and separate shower cubicle.