Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe Introduction Full benefice name: Benefice of Attleborough with Besthorpe Deanery: Thetford and Rockland Location: South Norfolk Type of area: Attleborough is a rapidly expanding market town on the A11 corridor between Thetford and Norwich, with a population of 12,000. The Benefice also includes the village of Besthorpe situated approximately a mile away from the town centre. Tradition: Worship is centred around the Eucharist. The tradition of the Churches could be described as broadly liberal catholic towards the upper end of the central Anglicanism. Besthorpe is slightly ‘lower’ than Attleborough. The worship in both churches has an air of relaxed formality. Who the role is for: A title post for a male or female deacon who expects to be ordained priest Incumbent: Revd Matthew Jackson The Rectory, Surrogate Street Attleborough, NR17 2AW 01953 453185 [email protected] Website: www.attleboroughchurch.org.uk www.besthorpechurch.org.uk 2 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe Our setting and the context Situated on the edge of the Breckland area of Norfolk, Attleborough is approximately 15 miles south west of Norwich and serviced by good road, bus and rail links to Norwich, Cambridge and London. There is an hourly train to Norwich and Cambridge and the East Midlands Train from Norwich to Liverpool (which calls amongst other places at Ely, Peterborough and Manchester) stops in Attleborough. Connection to the Motorway system takes approximately one hour’s travel by road. Attleborough is a lively market town. Historically and to the present day its commercial and business life has been associated with the county's agricultural heritage. A major industry in previous times was cider making and, until the early 1990s, Attleborough was the base for Gaymer's Cider. Poultry processing is a major local industry with attractive industrial estates situated around the town providing other local employment. The town centre is well served with local shops including two in-town supermarkets and a small market is held in the town centre on a Thursday morning, The town has two Primary Schools and an Academy. The Academy has an established sixth form. There are a number of playgroups and nursery schools. Though none of the schools is a church school, strong links exist between them and the church. The church also has links with a school for children with special needs which was located in the town until 2017 before relocating three miles away to Old Buckenham. The 2011 census reported that the population of the benefice was 3 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe approximately 11,000. Attleborough has grown rapidly over the last few years with the building of several large and small housing developments. Much of the incoming population has tended to be either young families or retired couples. The town is well served with two large medical centres and numerous care homes. Besthorpe is a widely spread agricultural village approximately one mile from Attleborough. It is divided into three main areas: Mill Lane (which could be described as a suburb of Attleborough) Black Carr and Norwich Road. The population is approximately 600. Attleborough, in keeping with many market towns in the county, is designated for major growth over the next two decades which will see the town double in size. This inevitably raises issues and concerns with regard to strain on the local infrastructure and services but there is a general acceptance that the growth is welcome. 4 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe The Churches There are two Anglican Churches in the Benefice. Christians have worshipped on the site where St Mary’s now stands in Attleborough since Saxon Times. The origins of the current building are 11th Century with later additions. The furnishings are mostly portable and can be moved or removed relatively easily to give the church a true medieval feel as an open space with benches around the wall. The church has the capacity to seat up to 200 people. The two most notable features of historic interest in the church are the rood screen and the medieval wall paintings. The most recent major development was the construction of a new church hall connected to the church which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. The complex offers a large hall, a small meeting room, a modern well-equipped parish office, a kitchen of commercial standard and a bathroom for the use of elderly people with impaired mobility. This facilitates the use of the hall as an independent day care centre for the elderly three days a week, which is supported by Social Services. Besthorpe Church (dedicated to All Saints’) is approximately one mile from St Mary’s. Its origins are in the 14th Century. The building has recently been redecorated and in recent years has benefitted from the inclusion of a new vestry, meeting room and toilet. 5 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe Pattern of Services Attleborough: 8am Holy Communion CW Order 1 (Contemporary) on 1st and 3rd Sunday 1662 on 2nd and 4th Sunday 10am Parish Eucharist with good choir and, on alternate Sundays, ‘Sunday Club’ and ‘Sunday Club Plus’ 6.30pm Evening Prayer (BCP) Cathedral style Choral Evensong on the last Sunday of the month • Vestments are worn and incense used at major festivals • Baptisms are held in the afternoon on the first Sunday of the month • The usual Sunday attendance is 100 adults plus 12 children Weekday services: There is a Service of Holy Communion every Thursday at 10am with a congregation of between 10 and 15. On ‘Red Letter Days’ a Eucharist is held at 5pm. On major Festivals which fall during the week a Choral Eucharist takes place at 7.30pm. Morning Prayer is said daily at 8.45am and Evening Prayer at 5pm. Clergy are usually joined by a Reader and often one or two other members of the congregation. Besthorpe: 11.30am Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sunday CW Order 1 (Contemporary) Lay led Service on 5th Sundays • The usual Sunday attendance is 15 6 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe Occasional Offices Occasional Offices are taken seriously as a means of outreach. A high priority is given to serving the benefice through Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals and in the follow up to these services. In 2018 there were: Baptisms: 23 Weddings: 13 Funerals: 45 Ecumenical Relationships Apart from St. Mary's there are Methodist and Baptist Churches, and Christ Community Church in the town. The Roman Catholic Church uses the Baptist Church for its worship. There has not been a formal Churches Together for many years however in recent years the ministers have started meeting together regularly and occasional ecumenical services are held, most notably during Christian Aid Week. 7 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe The Incumbent and Ministry Team The ministry team includes the stipendiary clergy, a self-supporting minister, one active Reader and currently two retired clergy. There is a paid administrator, hall caretaker and church cleaner as well as a paid organist and assistant organist. Lay involvement: Lay people read, lead intercessions and assist in administering the chalice. There are also robed servers at the Parish Eucharist. There is a team of pastoral visitors and a team which takes communion to the elderly and housebound, and to the residential and nursing homes. The Revd Matthew Jackson - Rector Matthew Jackson is Rector of Attleborough with Besthorpe. Following training at Ripon College Cuddesdon, he was ordained Deacon in 2001 and Priest in 2002. He served his curacy in the Benefice of St Margaret with St Nicholas, King’s Lynn in Norwich Diocese. His first Incumbency was the Parish of Pembury in Rochester Diocese and he became Rector of Attleborough with Besthorpe in May 2010. He is also Rural Dean of Thetford and Rockland, a surrogate for marriages and serves on Diocesan Synod. Matthew is married to Emma, a physiotherapist, and has two children aged 7 and 9. He enjoys reading, cinema going and exploring the country in ‘Daisy’ the campervan. 8 Profile: Attleborough with Besthorpe The role of the Training Incumbent Matthew, the Rector says, “I believe that the curate is placed to grow in his or her ministry so that they may come to the end of their time in the Benefice ready to minister to their own parish(es). As such I prefer to work as colleagues and to encourage a curate to explore areas of ministry which fit with their skills and gifts whilst covering all the necessary elements of priestly formation. Richard (our last curate) arranged a flower festival as part of his ministry but another curate would be encouraged to explore their own ministry.” The role of the Curate You would be expected to take a full and active part in the life of the parishes, participating in long establish parish activities while developing your own areas of ministry; to be active in the community and in pastoral care. You would be a full member of the ministry team and involved in all decisions made. Areas of particular responsibility would be decided by a process of discussion and discernment with the incumbent. You would be offered: • a real ministry in a joyful benefice • the opportunity to work as part of a team with other clergy, readers and lay people; key relationships being with the incumbent and parish administrator • the privilege of engaging with the community through occasional offices and their preparation and follow-up • the opportunity to minister in a relatively large church at the centre of the community • the possibility of being part of a Church in a growing town, discovering how to 'be Church' in a quickly expanding community • the opportunity to engage with the wider community • the possibility of following interests in the wider diocese and church • the prayerful and practical support of the congregations All working expenses are met in full.