Profile

The Parish Church of St Edmund

Warkton

April 2009 The Joint Benefice of with Warkton is seeking a conservative evangelical minister to lead the congregations in seeking through Scripture to follow more closely the Lord Jesus Christ; following the retirement of the Rector, J. Martin Perris, in September 2009.

In January 2009 the PCC of St Edmund revisited the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1994.

They voted against 'Resolution A', "That this Parochial Church Council would not accept a woman as the minister who presides at or celebrates the Holy Communion or pronounces the Absolution."

They voted for 'Resolution B', That this Parochial Church Council would not accept a woman as the incumbent or priest-in-charge of the benefice or as a team vicar for the benefice."

Therefore the position as the incumbent of the Joint Benefice of Barton Seagrave with Warkton is only open to male applicants. The two parishes comprise the large and well established district of Barton Seagrave and the nearby rural village of Warkton, both on the outskirts and to the east of the market town of .

The worship ranges from the less formal all-age services to those from the Prayer Book; with music to suit all aspects of worship.

The Joint Benefice, with the overseeing eye of the Rector, provides activities for the spiritual growth of its congregations.

It is supported by three lay ministers, two pastoral assistants, full-time youth minister, part- time children's worker and a number of service leaders. Together with structured services, regular outreach initiatives range from Christianity Explored, guest services, coffee mornings, activities for those older in years, work in local schools and community activities.

The congregation of St Edmund's Church includes residents of the village and residents of Kettering, Ise Lodge, Barton Seagrave and outlying areas.

The church building of St Edmund is in good condition with an office, meeting room (Warren Room) with small kitchen area and cloakroom; it has an active bell tower (six bells) and use of the village hall. Warkton Lodge

Ise Lodge Estate Parish of Christ the King

copyright Google In the Rector we look for

A Conservative Evangelical who lives under the Word of God, who finds joy and celebration in worship and who, by his personal example, will help us to live and walk closer to our Lord Jesus.

A Pastor - Teacher, gifted in speaking from the whole Bible on all the different issues of life with clear exposition and application both from the pulpit and in small groups; a creative and engaging ministry from the Word to win the lost and to grow disciples.

A Man of Prayer, committed to encouraging and promoting prayer as central to the life of the church.

A man who loves people and relates to them well, who is committed to all-member ministry and who wants to see each church member develop their gifts.

An effective leader who has experience in management and motivation.

A man who is a discerning minister, enabling each member of the body of Christ to use the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives them in order to encourage, strengthen and build up the church.

A man who is open, yet discerning to the outworking of the Holy Spirit in the life and worship of the church.

A man who supports and leads a variety of patterns of worship.

This Rector should also should have a strong commitment to

• outreach, evangelism, church growth • the nurture of new Christians • mission, with a vision for God's work in the whole world • pastoral care and its development in others • the role of music in worship The Rector will be able to

• train curates • consolidate the effective work of recent years • continue the growth of the Youth Ministries • develop the ministry to families • be at ease with both contemporary and traditional styles of worship • be a good communicator, able to relate well to a wide range of people • be sensitive to the all-age nature of the church communities • be someone who enjoys working visibly within the community • be open to dialogue, co-operation and fellowship with other local Christian churches. Services

A service is held at 11.00am every Sunday.

Typically the number in the congregation is 40 adults and 7 children.

A monthly cycle of services, set out in a service book, follow the traditions and innovations of worship.

Presently, Morning Worship and Order 1 Communion from the Book of Common Worship are followed by Morning Prayer and 1662 Communion from the Book of Common Prayer.

When there are five Sundays in a month an All-Age service is added to the structure though not necessarily on the last Sunday of that month.

Each service is followed by refreshments. Activities/Ministry

The Sunday School has weekly sessions for children in school years 'R' to 8. Years 9 and over are encouraged to attend services at St Edmund's while joining the LINK young people's session during the week St Botolph's.

St Edmund's has one homegroup which is part of the Joint Benefice structure.

The monthly 'Coffee Morning', held in the Warren Room, provides a light touch outreach to the village and the congregation. This is supplemented in the summer by a weekly 'open' home - 'Coffee and Chat' - in one of the village cottages.

When possible the church is opened by a team of volunteers and available for quiet reflection and prayer.

The choir meets to practice on Friday evenings.

The bell tower practice takes place on Mondays. Mission

Away from Warkton

St Edmund's gives financial support to CrossLinks and the Beryl Theyer Memorial Africa Trust.

Two Christian residents in the village, doctors Peter McCormick and Paul Wharin, work in the Cameroon through the Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust. This charity helps provide treatment for children with Burkitt's Lymphoma, a highly aggressive cancer of children in the tropics. The charity also provides other much needed medical equipment for the hospitals (run by the Baptist Hospitals in the Cameroon) which Peter and Paul visit.

Within Warkton Availability in village, coffee morning, open home in summer, participation in Joint Benefice Christmas pageant, Mission, Songs of Praise, Sunday School sports, Sunday School Christmas party, Concerts, Warren Lectures (speakers include Lord George Carey, Gervais Phinn, Pam Rhodes and Terry Waite). , Kettering and Warkton.

Northamptonshire is known as 'The Rose of the Shires', a county of 'Squires and Spires.' There has been substantial industrial development but the county is still largely agricultural.

Kettering was once a small market town. The , now with a population of around 86,000, has all but lost the boot and shoe manufacturers who built many of the houses to the north of the town for their employees. Distribution has now become one of the major industries in the area because of Kettering's central position on the A14 which links, to the west, the Midlands (M1) and the North (M6) with, to the east, the A1 and the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.

Warkton is situated to the north-east of Kettering, on a hill overlooking the River Ise. Queen Maud, wife of William the Conqueror gave the village and its surrounding land to the abbey of Bury St Edmund and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the village was granted to Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice.

Future Development is planned. The Ecclesiastical Parish boundary of St Edmund joins with that of St Botolph in extending to an area of future development to the east side of Kettering. The extent of the current Planning Application is for 5,500 dwellings and related development. The time scale is approximately 21 years with the start date of 2010/2011 but being put back because of the present economic situation. Further applications for an extension of such development to give another 3000/4000 houses would be anticipated by 2031. Warkton - the Village and the Parish

The village is a conservation area and its uniform and attractive character is maintained largely because of the influence of The Boughton Estates. The population is some 104 people (47 dwellings) with the Warkton Lodge area (10 dwellings) adding approximately another 35 people.

The age range and employment spread is diverse.

Many of the houses are tenanted by The Boughton Estates. There are two farms, one managed and the other tenanted by The Boughton Estates which the company lets as business units. There is a Smithy and a Village Hall (previously the Church Primary School). The Hall comprises a kitchen, main hall area and an outside W.C. The building is let to the Parish Council with management by a Village Hall Committee.

Much of the village and the surrounding land forms part of the 10th Duke of Buccleuch's Estate, Lady Elizabeth Montagu having married the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch.

The avenue of lime trees to the east of the village leading to were planted by John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, known as 'John the Planter' and who died on 1749.

The village community group, 'Warkton Heritage' has detailed information on the historical, social, and educational interest of the village. St Edmund's Church Building

The present church building is the result of many major re-constructions or extensions, the latest being in 1997/8 when new rooms were added to the west side of the building (to the north and south of the tower), providing an office, kitchen/ meeting room, W.C and a loft area.

The earliest parts of the building date back to the Anglo Saxon period, but the visible parts of the nave are Norman and date from the late 12th century. The monuments in the chancel, commemorating the 2nd Duke and Duchess of Montagu (by Roubiliac) and their daughter (by Van Gelder) and grand daughter (by Campbell), are the finest in Northamptonshire.

The building is well maintained because of financial support given by the Warkton Church Charity. Planned future works include restoration of the Montagu monuments, a guide rail to the chancel and an extension to the churchyard. Finances

To the year ending December 2008

Receipts were £22064.53.

A grant of £22023.03 was made from the Warkton Church Charity.

Total payments were £44726.16 (£14744.00 Parish Share).

Charitable giving totalled £1012.93.