The Evenlode Vale Benefice Adlestrop | Bledington | Broadwell | Evenlode | Icomb | Oddington | Westcote VENLODE VALE BENEFICE seven parishes united for the the future Welcome to the Evenlode Vale Benefice ur parishes nestle in an outstandingly beautiful part of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds, in rolling Ocountryside close to the county border with Oxfordshire, and tucked between the pretty market towns of Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in- Marsh, and Chipping Norton. Our villages are mostly built from traditional honey-coloured Cotswold stone; the area is affluent, with good village pubs and many nearby cafes and restaurants, and there are excellent primary and secondary schools in both state and independent sectors. But it’s also an area with significant challenges: prosperity sometimes deafens our communities to the call of Jesus Christ, and pockets of rural deprivation, limited public transport in the villages, and issues with employment and affordability of housing stocks for younger residents can make daily living tough for some. As a church, we also recognise the specific challenges of developing our outreach in our villages, as well as enhancing the spiritual and prayer life of our regular congregations. It’s a very beautiful place to live, but presents no lack of opportunities as we minister to our communities and keep faithful to our Gospel imperative to go and make disciples of all nations. MATT 28:19 VENLODE VALE BENEFICE 2 seven parishes united for the the future Recent history venlode Vale Benefice was created in 2000, and comprises We are members of the North Cotswold Gospel Partnership, an informal seven villages and their associated hamlets along the upper grouping of evangelical churches in our locality from Gloucester, Oxford Ereaches of the Evenlode river, with eight well-maintained and Coventry dioceses, which exists to support clergy and their parishes church buildings. with resources on a range of topics. In recent years, we have been part of Passion for Life mission events organized within this partnership, with Our previous Rector, Richard Rendall, served the Benefice for 16 years further events planned for 2022. until his retirement, and during that time strengthened the commitment of our churches to Bible-based ministry through the Our Benefice enjoys the support of the Evenlode Vale Ministry Trust, an faithful preaching and exposition of scripture, Sunday-by-Sunday. independent Christian trust which works alongside the seven parishes. The Trust employs our Youth Minister and also funds a part-time We have also developed a hub and spoke model of ministry which placement worker from the Gloucestershire charity PSALMS (Putting aims to obey the Great Commission by fostering teaching and training Sports Alongside Local Ministry). through Holy Ascension church in Oddington, and by encouraging outreach and evangelism through the wider parishes. In order to The Benefice has strengthened ministry links over recent years with our facilitate this approach, a major reordering of the interior of Holy Methodist friends from Westcote Chapel. Together we hold regular joint Ascension was undertaken in 2012 to create a flexible meeting space services, Lent events and prayer groups, and an occasional evangelistic for combined services, training events, youth work and social Café Church. Under a joint agreement, and as part of the Diocesan activities, as well as an office for our Benefice Administrator. OneLife vision, the Methodist chapel also funds our youth minister, Mark Smallwood, to work one day per week in a growing housing Our parish churches normally hold Sunday services at least twice per development adjacent to our Benefice. We hope to develop this joint month (with the exception of Oddington), offering services in varied ministry further over the coming years. formats. There’s a monthly United Benefice Communion at Holy Ascension, and a further monthly contemporary worship service at Holy Ascension using iSing recordings, although this pattern is still evolving as Covid-19 restrictions come and go. Holy Ascension is a flexible space for services, youth nights and Benefice events VENLODE VALE BENEFICE 3 seven parishes united for the the future Our values, vision and mission As congregations we value: ‣ clear and energizing biblical preaching and teaching; ‣ regular worship in our individual village churches; ‣ our young people—our Sunday congregations are mostly mature in age, but we have an active children’s ministry in local schools and our villages; ‣ learning together through home groups and events such as Lent courses; ‣ praying together at our monthly benefice prayer meeting; and ‣ reaching out to our communities through our village churches and events. Our vision is to develop four facets of ministry—belonging, exploring, teaching and serving; we aim to: ‣ grow our village churches to be places where people feel they can belong, where they can explore faith issues safely, and where they can be taught and equipped in the faith; ‣ welcome people of all ages, especially families, and enable all to flourish and reach maturity in the faith; and ‣ be a group of parishes that can serve their communities confidently and bring the good news of Jesus Christ into people’s lives by deed as well as by word. Our mission is to go and make disciples of all nations: ‣ to go: to reach out to our communities in sharing the gospel of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ; and ‣ make disciples: to bring our congregations to maturity in the faith, equipped for every good work. Paws service at St Leonard’s, Bledington VENLODE VALE BENEFICE 4 seven parishes united for the the future The role and person specification uch has been achieved under God’s gracious hand in the past Prayer: Our monthly Benefice prayer meeting usually attracts around couple of decades in Evenlode Vale. But there is much still to 10 participants. We need to develop our collective prayer life and Mbe done. We have identified a number of specific challenges increase attendance, that all we do might be undergirded in prayer. for the future: Mission focus: Our external mission focus is limited currently to Covid-19: Over the past year regular services have been disrupted three partners; Ibba Girls School, Long Lartin Prison, and Bible and church members have been absent through shielding and translation work, which we support in prayer at regular meetings and isolation. We need to recover the pattern of regular churchgoing. through limited fundraising and private donations. There is room to develop our mission focus, both centrally through Benefice events and Families: Our congregations are well-taught, and we have a lively in individual parishes, to develop a broader view of gospel work. children’s ministry in our local schools and villages through clubs and events, but very few families join us in Sunday worship. Worship styles: we enjoy a range of preferences across our congregations. The tension of managing preferences for traditional Festival services: Our churches are full on ‘high days’, such as against contemporary and informal styles of worship needs to be Christmas, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance, but we have a much carefully handled so that all feel they have a place in church life. smaller level of support on ‘ordinary’ Sundays, and in some areas these numbers have fallen. There is much local goodwill towards As we address these challenges together, we will require our new church, but we need to turn that into regular attendance. minister to be grounded in the scriptures and to be able to communicate biblical teaching faithfully, clearly and engagingly. So Mission and evangelism: We need to encourage our congregations we’re looking for a capable servant leader with the enthusiasm and in day-to-day outreach, as well as just in special events. We hope to energy to lead us forward. If you have a strong desire to see God’s join nearby churches in a joint mission planned for 2022. kingdom advanced through the power of the Word, the equipping of Midweek groups: Prior to the Covid-19 restrictions, we ran three the Holy Spirit, and through prayer, this may be for you. You’ll be part regular home Bible-study groups, attended by about 20 members, and of a benefice of seven parishes, with the encouragement of a further midweek activities during Lent. It would be good to grow our committed staff team and many faithful people supporting you in the groups, both in the number we offer as well as in attendance. life and work of the church. VENLODE VALE BENEFICE 5 seven parishes united for the the future We seek someone who… In qualification and training ‣ is an ordained minister within the Church of England, and has In knowledge, skills and competencies satisfactorily completed Initial Ministerial Education; ‣ has the administrative and technology skills to work with and ‣ has a minimum of graduate level education; and through others; ‣ is up to date with Church of England safeguarding training and ‣ is able to train others to share in the ministry of the church; has a high regard for the importance of safeguarding across all ‣ is willing and able to delegate responsibility; and age groups. ‣ is a good communicator. In Christian life In general attributes ‣ has a deep love for the Lord, evidenced in life and ministry; ‣ is a person of truth and integrity, and has a confident but has a pattern of daily devotions; and ‣ humble personality; ‣ adheres to the supreme authority of the Bible. ‣ is hospitable, personable and approachable with good In experience interpersonal skills; and ‣ has helped people to come to faith and on to spiritual maturity; ‣ is able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. ‣ has held positions of leadership and management; and ‣ leads by example to motivate and facilitate the ministry of If you think God might be calling you to join us - read on! church members in outreach and living out their faith.