CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : CONTENTS

Contents 2 INTRODUCTION 13 DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH 2 Context and Location 13 Demographic Information 3 Bishop’s Statement of Need 14 Transport Links 4 Pastoral Organisation 14 Issues and Concerns 4 Wider Context 15 THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY 5 THE PARISH MISSION 15 Christian Churches in 6 Events and Reasons for Caversham Celebration 16 Other Faiths 7 Strengths and Struggles 16 The Churches 7 Our Ministry Team 17 Worship 9 DESCRIBING THE ROLE 17 Life of the Church – Groups 9 The Parish Vision for the and Events Future 18 Organisation

10 PERSON SPECIFICATION 19 ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE 11 SUPPORT WE WILL OFFER 19 Parish Administration 11 Financial Support 19 Finance, Giving and Stewardship 11 Parish Structure 20 Local Trusts 12 THE RECTORY 20 Other Buildings

21 INTERESTED?

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION

Introduction Context and Location aversham is a large suburb of Reading in Berkshire, attached to it C administratively but separated from it geographically by the River Thames and by a distinctive village atmosphere which sets it apart from other suburbs of Reading. The Parish consists of three churches: St Peter near the historic centre of Caversham, St John the Baptist in Lower Caversham, and St Margaret A rare unwelcome visitor to St Margaret’s Church in Mapledurham. There are approximately 20,000 parishioners. The geographical area covered comprises much of Caversham and also a large area of more rural land to the west and north, including the village of Mapledurham. There are two other neighbouring parishes taking in the rest of Caversham. It is a popular residential area for London commuters seeking a quieter pace of life to return home to. Mapledurham is a picturesque hamlet comprising the church, a stately home, and a watermill, along with a number of residential properties. It is surrounded by farmland. The church draws worshippers from a wide area of the surrounding countryside. The village has provided locations for many films and TV series, including The Eagle Has Landed (with Michael Caine, pictured) and Midsomer Murders. Caversham: a suburb of Reading, but with a village atmosphere

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION

CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION

Bishop’s Statement of Need This vacancy for a Rector in Caversham Thameside and Mapledurham offers a real opportunity to a priest with vision and a desire to see the Church grow, to build on the ministry of the Revd. Dan Tyndall, the The Bishop of Reading, previous incumbent, to take this Parish forward. the Rt Revd Andrew Proud In the Oxford Diocese, our purpose is to create a caring, sustainable and growing Christian presence in every community. This requires faith, creativity, flexibility, vision and a real desire to work in partnership with all God’s people. This is a large Parish, by any reckoning. Church life is well established and well-resourced and the churches are committed to a common, shared vision. But there is much to do. It will be important for the new Rector to take people deeper spiritually, to foster lay ministry across the Parish and to work with colleagues to develop the potential in each of the three churches, to the full. Because of the scale and scope of the work, this post requires a priest with a proven track record in parish ministry. We are looking for a mission- minded priest who loves the Church’s traditions, but is ready and willing to embrace new initiatives to draw people in. A priest with imagination and flair and a deep personal faith who is ready both to take the lead and to work collaboratively with the laity, to build up these communities of faith in reaching out, beyond their walls, into the communities they serve. This is a challenging job, but a hugely rewarding one. The people here are ready to work with their new Rector and they have much to give. Please pray with us as we discern who God is calling to work with His people here.

The Parish of Caversham C Thameside and Mapledurham (shaded) showing the locations of the three churches

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION

‘Liturgy and Learning’ ‘The Pilgrim Church’ ‘Community Ministry’ Looking out over Caversham Court to the Nestling between the village of On Gosbrook Road in the heart of lower River Thames, St Peter’s is a gathered Mapledurham and the River Thames, in Caversham, St John the Baptist Church is church with a focus on liturgy and the shadow of Mapledurham House, St a neighbourhood church with a focus on learning, seeking to grow by welcoming Margaret’s Church is a pilgrim church community ministry, seeking to grow by people through the church doors. An with a focus on companionship. It has a engaging with people who live in the ancient church, site of worship for over a reputation for hospitality, and seeks to area. Community outreach has been the thousand years, it is the historic mother grow by embracing others on the journey key to its success since the formation of church of Caversham. It has a reputation of faith. The church doors are open every the new Parish, with its ministry taking for liturgical tradition and musical day welcoming walkers and day-trippers place as much in the streets and houses excellence. The emphasis is on the drawn to the peace and tranquillity of of lower Caversham as within the church Eucharist as the centre of corporate this unspoilt corner of Oxfordshire. building. St John’s is the main base for worship and the spirituality of the English the Anglican component of Caversham’s choral tradition. Fresh Expressions ecumenical initiative. www.stpetercaversham.org.uk/ www.stmargaretmapledurham.org.uk/ www.stjohnthebaptistcaversham.org.uk/

Pastoral Organisation Until 2010 St John had its own parish, with St Peter and St Margaret constituting a separate one. The process of joining the two parishes commenced in November 2008, with the installation of a new Priest in Charge of both Parishes. It was concluded in June 2010 when the Parish of Caversham Thameside and Mapledurham was officially created. Since then the three churches have worked closely together. However, each maintains its own distinctive character and mission, as outlined in the panel.

Wider Context The parish is part of the Diocese of Oxford, whose vision is defined by Living Faith, a framework introduced in November 2008 to provide a 5-year model for the development of the Church in the diocese. More information can be found here: www.oxford.anglican.org/living-faith-for-the-future/

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION

The Parish he congregations are committed to the three core values of the T Parish, which were arrived at through a series of workshops and Mission prayer, and which form the basis for the Mission Action Plan (MAP), developed in 2012. Our three core values are: GENEROUS INCLUSIVE LIFE-GIVING These are embodied in the Mission Action Plan which… …sets out the Parish’s desire to see three thriving Churches who: Offer a generous …into an inclusive …fostering a life- “ welcome… community… giving vocation. Generous, inclusive and life-giving: More information about the MAP, including a downloadable version of” a celebration in the Rectory the plan showing progress to-date, can be found here: Garden, 2012 www.ctmparish.org.uk/mission-action-plan/ The MAP was developed jointly by members of all three churches. However, while the three churches work as a coherent unit at Parish level, they have separate identities and distinct missions which each pursues individually or collaboratively as appropriate. So the MAP is organised into tasks at Parish level and others at Church level. The MAP covers the period to 2015, but a review will commence in 2014. At that point we intend to consider what we have achieved, what remains to be done, and what other areas we should develop plans for. So far the Parish has made great strides in setting up support structures for parishioners, such as small house groups and pastoral teams for the less mobile members of the congregation. St Peter’s streams its main High quality publicity materials Sunday service on the internet every week. The Parish has achieved its advertise Parish events goal of establishing high quality publicity materials for forthcoming events and ensuring its website remains informative and up-to-date. We launched a stewardship campaign to address the aim of ‘fostering a culture of giving one’s time and money for the sake of others’. An area of the MAP where we are less well advanced is encouraging and developing personal vocations within the congregations. This has been deferred until a new incumbent has been installed. At the individual church level, we are still at the early stages of addressing and serving the needs of the local and global community, of encouraging conversations about the use and order of individual churches and engaging with other institutions and groups. However, each Church has made progress in all these areas.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION

Events and Reasons for Celebration The Parish played a major role, as part of Churches Together in Caversham, in organising a number of events in 2012. The Caversham Festival, which drew an estimated 10,000 attendance, incorporated a number of Christian elements including Christian bands, free attractions and an information tent. There was also a local More Than Gold event to coincide with the London Olympics and a Holiday Club for young people. The Holiday Club is an enduring Olympic legacy, a second successful event having taken place in summer 2013. Another ecumenical initiative where the Parish is strongly represented Preparing a meal at ARCC is REInspired Caversham, which delivers religious education to local schools. In its first two years awareness has blossomed, with more and more schools expressing an interest in the services offered. The Fresh Expression of Church movement is well-represented in the Lower Caversham area, centred around St John’s. This has given rise to the Amersham Road Cooking Club (ARCC), an initiative to encourage young children and their parents to prepare and cook simple dishes, play games and make crafts. In the more traditional spheres of worship and preaching, two initiatives at St Peter’s have drawn significant numbers of people who would not normally attend church. The Sunday Supplement was a series of talks on the subject of the three Parish values – generous, life giving and inclusive – given by members of Rabbi Lionel Blue at the three major Abrahamic faiths: Judaism (represented by Rabbi Lionel St Peter’s Church Blue), Islam (Munawar Karim, Headteacher of the country’s only Muslim Montessori School) and Christianity (Revd Dan Tyndall). Enhancing Evensong is an initiative to showcase the musical tradition of St Peter’s and to offer thought-provoking preaching on subjects suggested by members of the congregation (eg ‘What would Jesus vote?’). Speakers have included Canon Roger Royle, from Eton College, Patron of St Margaret’s Church. The discussion continues after the service over wine and nibbles. 2011 and 2012 social events included a live screening of the royal wedding at St Peter’s; various concerts at St John’s; a Jubilee garden party in the grounds of Mapledurham House, followed by a service of thanksgiving for the Queen at St Margaret’s; and the Big Lunch at St John’s, also celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. In 2013 we celebrated St John’s 125th anniversary with a special patronal festival and confirmation service led by the Bishop of Reading.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION

Strengths and Struggles Although these vary somewhat from church to church, we see our main strengths as: Musical excellence: St Peter’s Choir  An age profile endowed with great experience Director, Ian Westley, with recent recipients of RSCM awards  Huge reserves (particularly for work on church fabric and outreach)  Musical excellence  New young families joining us in worship  Pastoral work …and our biggest challenges as:  Insufficient annual revenue to meet Parish Share, bills etc  A consequent considerable reduction in charitable giving – a situation we would want to rectify as soon as possible  Leadership for and direction of youth work  Maintaining a spiritual awareness of the need for a balance between ‘being’ and ‘doing’  A top-heavy age profile (insufficient younger members)  Falling numbers at St Margaret’s, and St Peter’s 8am service  Enabling the fringe to journey further into faith  Going out into the community  The failure so far to fill the SSM/LLM role for St Margaret’s Church and the long-term implications this has for ministry Our Ministry Team The Ministry Team consists of the ministers and the Parish Sunday worship at Administrator. Each minister within the Parish has his or her own St John’s Church responsibilities and is primarily associated with one of the churches, whilst still working closely together as a team. They frequently minister in the other churches, including taking regular services and occasional offices. There is more information about them on the following page. The Ministry Team are supported by one Church Leadership Team for each Church. The CLTs are comprised of the minister based at the church, the church wardens for that Church and members of the congregation appointed by ministers and wardens.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION

Our Ministers Vacancy Rector He or she will be based primarily at St Peter’s (and at St Margaret’s until the SSM/LLM vacancy is filled) but will have overall responsibility for the whole Parish and will lead the ministry team. Revd Jeremy Tear Community Priest Jeremy has a background in sports chaplaincy and was a vicar in Macclesfield for 7 years before joining the Parish in 2010. His original brief was to lead on mission at St John’s and to enable mission at the other two churches (though the latter has not yet happened due to growth at St John’s). It is hoped that the appointment of the new Rector will allow the Community Priest to re-connect to the original purpose of his role. Jeremy is married with two daughters. Revd Marion Pyke  Self-Supporting Curate Marion was ordained in 2011. She has lived in Caversham since 1964, so knows her congregation well. She has responsibility for Pastoral Care for St Peter’s. She is a full-time minister based at St Peter’s, taking all types of services both in Church and in the wider community. Her background is in Psychiatric Social Work, and she is a trained counsellor and psychotherapist. Revd John Dudley Associate Priest John was ordained in 1997 and is now semi-retired but enjoys the responsibility of leading a Thursday morning congregation at St. John's and giving support to the St John’s Mothers’ Union.

Vacancy SSM / LLM We have so far been unable to fill this post, which is to be based primarily at St Margaret’s.

Stipendiary Curate Until his installation as priest-in-charge of St. Luke’s, Reading in June, we were fortunate enough to have the Revd. Dr. Graeme Fancourt with us as a stipendiary curate. We would hope that, with the right incumbent, we might be allocated another stipendiary curate for training in the future.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : DESCRIBING THE ROLE

Describing The Parish Vision for the Future the Role n its new Rector the Parish is seeking a person with an excitement for I new beginnings and a willingness to try out new initiatives. However they must also appreciate the need to consolidate and firm up some of the more recent changes which are still bedding down. He/she will need to maintain the impetus of change and re-generation already taking hold across the Parish to ensure we can realise our desire to bring people more firmly into the churches’ embrace. Below are the main priorities for the new incumbent. These are further expanded in the separate Role Description document.

 Build on a strong spiritual  Engender a culture of foundation within the Parish personal giving and through worship, preaching stewardship. and example.  Build on existing initiatives  Continue the impetus for  Trust, listen to and enthuse change and advancement. all members of the  Seek ways of engaging the congregation. wider community,  Define the nature of the particularly the young. team ministry to serve the  Encourage and support all three churches to best members of the Parish in the effect. furtherance of its mission.  Use imagination to attract  Delegate to ministers and an SSM/LLM to serve St laity. Margaret’s Church.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : PERSON SPECIFICATION

Person embers of the three churches were asked which qualities they M were most looking for in their new Rector, rating their top 5 in Specification order of importance. There were 121 responses. Below are data clouds showing the results. The most important characteristics are shown in the largest font sizes. The separate Role Description document goes into more detail. St Margaret St John St Peter

The Whole Parish

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : SUPPORT WE WILL OFFER

Support We Financial Support Will Offer he Parish funds annual retreats and courses to support the spiritual T growth and development of all their clergy. All reasonable expenses are paid for out of Parish funds. The church family is committed to ensuring the incumbent has a comfortable standard of living, including their family home life and time off for recreation and paid holidays. Additionally, Christ Church, Oxford is the patron of St Peter's Church, and the Rector of Caversham has historically enjoyed the financial support associated with a Christ Church living. Finally, considerable financial support is also available to support specific Parish projects, subject to eligibility criteria, from Church House funds (see below). Parish Structure The congregation are committed to ensuring that the Parish continues as a thriving community, and many play an active role in running the churches. In the past four years a full set of parish committees and other groups have been created to ensure smooth running of all aspects of Parish life in keeping with our values. This framework ensures that the incumbent receives the appropriate support to enable him or her to develop their ministry in the Parish. Recent major developments in the Parish Structure  The Implementation of a firm governance structure for  The creation of a set of Mission Action Plans for the the whole Parish with defined roles and responsibilities whole Parish and for individual churches: and full representation and accountability: www.ctmparish.org.uk/mission-action-plan/ www.ctmparish.org.uk/pcc-governance-structure/  The implementation of policies covering health and  The setting up of a system of regular communication: safety, safeguarding of children and vulnerable www.ctmparish.org.uk/category/newsletters/ adults, and grievance procedures.

PCC Parish Governance (clergy, wardens, 3 elected Structure elected members, etc) 3 elected members members St Peter’s St John’s 3 elected Church St Margaret’s Church members Leadership Church Leadership Team Leadership Team Team St Peter’s St John’s Church Forum Church Forum St Margaret’s

Church Forum

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE RECTORY

The Rectory short walk away from St Peter’s Church is the Grade II listed A Rectory dating from 1823. Although still retaining a wealth of original character, the building was refurbished in 2009 to the highest standards, including carpeting throughout. See: www.francisconstruction.co.uk/case-restore-cr.php It is a large family home boasting a spacious kitchen and breakfast room, two spacious reception rooms, a cloakroom and an office (with separately-metered heating). Upstairs there are 5 bedrooms (two with balconies) and 2 bathrooms. The large back garden is accessed from the living room and kitchen via a terrace. There is a double garage and plenty of off-road parking. The house enjoys an enviable position fronting the River Thames (with private mooring rights) and adjacent to Caversham Court Gardens. These gardens are also listed and contain several further Grade II listed buildings. The gardens have been in receipt of the prestigious Green Flag Award for the last three years. Attached to the Rectory there is a suite of parish rooms, with a separate public entrance. It comprises a meeting room with kitchen area, a parish office and a cloakroom. Utilities for the parish rooms are metered separately and paid for by the Parish. The Rectory, Caversham Court and St Peter’s Church all form part of the St Peter’s Conservation area of central Caversham. The property is well placed to enjoy easy access to numerous local St Peter’s Rectory amenities and leisure pursuits, including a variety of shops and Left: from the road; the wing restaurants, three golf clubs, a health spa and tennis and rowing clubs. containing the parish rooms is on the right The beautiful South Oxfordshire countryside is also nearby and is ideal Right: the garden as seen from the for walking, cycling, horse-riding and many other outdoor activities. River Thames

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH

Description hile retaining a village atmosphere, Caversham is really a small W town with all the amenities you would expect. There are shops, of the Parish restaurants, schools, gyms, doctors and dentists, etc. all within five minutes’ walking distance of the Rectory. Anything you cannot find in Caversham (a cinema for instance!) is probably available in Reading, which is a short bus journey or a short walk away across the river. For general information about Caversham and its amenities, see: www.caversham.org.uk/ and www.choosecaversham.co.uk/ To get a better understanding of the community and its issues, see the Caversham and District Residents Association website, here: www.cadra.org.uk Apart from the retail sector, Caversham is principally residential with a small amount of light industry mostly in Lower Caversham. Demographic Information Caversham consists of four wards of Reading Borough Council: Caversham, Mapledurham, Peppard and Thames. Only Caversham and Mapledurham are broadly situated within the Parish boundary, but congregations are drawn from all four (a total population of 30,965), as well as the surrounding rural area, which falls under South Oxfordshire District Council. So far only high level census information, for Reading as a whole, is available from the 2011 census: www.reading.gov.uk/council/key-statistics/2011-census-statistics/ More detailed information, from the 2001 census, is available here: www.reading.gov.uk/council/key-statistics/Census2001/ Caversham is well-served by schools (pre-school, primary and secondary), both council run and private. More information is available here: www.caversham.org.uk/intheknow/schools.html (Caversham specific) www.reading.gov.uk/residents/EducationandLearning/Schools/ListofSchools/ St Peter’s Church is depicted on this landmark signpost erected in Reading is a vibrant town with realistic aspirations to gain city status. It the heart of the community has a large University which received its Royal Charter in 1926. Close to the M4 motorway there is the 25,000 seater Madejski Stadium (home ground of Reading FC, recently in the Premiership but starting the 2013/14 season back in the Championship, and London Irish RFC) and an international business complex, Green Park, comprising the offices of over 60 organisations.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH

Transport Links All areas of Caversham are served by council and/or private bus services to central Reading: www.reading-buses.co.uk/ The redeveloped Reading Station (Council bus numbers 2, 2a, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 28a, 29) www.arrivabus.co.uk/serviceInformation.aspx?id=12562 (Arriva also runs buses to Henley-on-Thames, Marlow and High Wycombe) www.thames-travel.co.uk/busx39x40/busx39x40.htm (Thames Travel also runs buses to Wallingford and Oxford) For travelling further afield, public transport largely revolves around Reading Station, situated in the centre of town. The station is one of the biggest railway exchanges in the country outside London and has recently undergone a major modernisation to improve the facilities and increase its capacity. This will eventually remove a longstanding bottleneck at this point of the network. There are frequent bus services from central Caversham to the station, where First Great Western run fast trains to London Paddington (25 mins), Oxford (25 mins), the West Country and Wales. Other services go to Birmingham, Manchester and Bournemouth (operated by Cross Country) and London Waterloo, Guildford and Gatwick Airport (run by South West Trains). There is also a direct coach service from the station to Heathrow Airport (60 to 75 mins, depending on terminal). By car, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Maidenhead, Bracknell and Wallingford are less than 30 minutes away, and Oxford, Swindon, Basingstoke, High Wycombe and Winchester can all be reached in under an hour. There are motorway links to London and the M25 and to the west via the M4 (a 20 minute journey away south of Reading); to the north via the M40 (30 minutes to the north); and to the south coast via the M3 (join at Basingstoke 40 minutes to the south down the A33).

Issues and Concerns Although a major commercial centre at the heart of England’s Silicon Valley, Reading has not escaped the economic downturn, nor the recent increase in immigration of economic migrants from the EU and further afield. There are undoubted pockets of poverty in the town and unemployment is increasing. While not entirely insulated from this, Caversham is a relatively affluent part of Reading, with little economic hardship. The area of most concern in this regard is Lower Caversham, which is the core target area for St John’s community ministry.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY

The Christian Churches in Caversham Worshipping n addition to St Peter and St John the Baptist, there are 10 churches in I the Caversham area, including five along the main road that runs Community through Caversham's centre. St Andrew's and St. Barnabas are the other Anglican Churches, each with its own parish. Our Lady and St. Anne's is the Catholic church and the Methodists have two churches, one on Gosbrook Road and one in Caversham Heights. The Baptists are represented in the centre of Caversham at Caversham Baptist Church. Grace Church Caversham meets at Caversham Hill Chapel, and is part of Newfrontiers, and The New Testament Church of God (Pentecostal) meets in Caversham's old cinema. Caversham Park Church meets in Caversham Park Primary School each Sunday and is an ecumenical project made up of Anglicans, Baptists and Methodists. Finally, Caversham Evangelical Church meets at the Youth and Community Centre in Emmer Green. Further afield in South Oxfordshire the pattern of worship tends to follow that of Mapledurham: a parish church located in a small centre of population serving a large surrounding rural area. Other denominations tend not to be represented outside the major towns. The Parish is committed to the support of Churches Together in Caversham and participates in special Community initiatives. Recent ecumenical initiatives have included the Olympic More than Gold service and festival by the river, an annual holiday club for local children, and prayer meetings in support at the participating Churches. An annual Christmas Carol Service in Caversham Court Gardens, led by St Peter’s Church Choir and the Salvation Army Band draws a large crowd (over 600 in 2012). The Churches coordinate Christian Aid collection and hold joint services to witness support. Lenten study groups are ecumenical across the parishes. The Caversham Bridge is a Table showing 2012 worship monthly ecumenical newspaper originally set up by a previous statistics for the Parish of incumbent of St Peter’s. The Parish contributes to it and also provides it Caversham Thameside and Mapledurham with clerical support. 2012 St Peter St Margaret St John Parish Total Electoral Roll (2013 in brackets) 199 (135) 51 (40) 65 (60) 315 (235) Average Sunday Attendance* 110 + 12 25 + 0 40 + 10 175 + 22 Baptisms 15 5 9 29 Weddings 18 7 1 26 Funerals† 4 + 8 2 + 4 3 + 20 9 + 32 Confirmations (2011 in brackets) 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (5) * Adults + children; 3 services at St Peter, 1 service each at St John and St Margaret † The second figure relates to ceremonies conducted in the crematorium, not church

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY

Other Faiths Although there are representatives of other faiths in Caversham, including Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims, there are no centres of worship for these communities north of the river. Reading, which has far larger populations of non-Christians, has centres of worship for all major world faiths. Christian churches across the area maintain close links with these faiths through the Reading Interfaith Group: www.readinginterfaith.org/ The Churches St Peter's Church was founded pre-1100. There is still some evidence of St Peter’s Church east window the Norman building, but much of the structure dates from later and high altar periods, in particular the 19th century when considerable changes were made. The building has a number of high quality stained glass windows. Following a recent quinquennial report, the main doors, which are Victorian and made of solid wood, will shortly be replaced with glass ones to make the interior more welcoming to visitors. An aged pew heating system has recently been replaced with a more efficient one. Both projects are funded from existing legacies restricted to work on the fabric of the church. The churchyard is closed for burials and is part of a conservation area. Despite being surrounded by a busy commercial town, the church itself is relatively secluded, so cannot be left unlocked unattended. A system of ‘churchwatch’ is operated by members of the congregation to keep it as accessible as possible. The Rectory is a short walk away through Caversham Court, the historic home of Rectors of Caversham. The presence of a church in Mapledurham is noted in the Domesday Book, suggesting worship has been conducted on the site of St Exterior of the Bardolph Aisle Margaret’s Church since before 1086. The nave wall and chancel of the at St Margaret’s Church current building date from 1254 to 1289. The closed south aisle, named after its founder Sir Robert Bardolf, was built between 1381 and 1395. It has connections with the owners of neighbouring Mapledurham House, a Roman Catholic family who have held the Manor and Mapledurham Estate since 1490. The churchyard is still open for burials and burial of cremated remains, although there are very few remaining unused burial plots. There are plans to create a garden of remembrance. The church is left open during the hours of daylight allowing passing walkers to enter. There is no parsonage; the nearby vicarage, dating to 1830, is now in private hands.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY

St John’s Church was consecrated in November 1888 to serve the increasing population in Lower Caversham. It seats about 150 people comfortably. The flexibility of the nave seating enables the church to be Jubilee ‘street party’ at St John’s Church used as a dual-purpose building. It is used for events such as the May Fair and the Harvest Supper and as a performance venue by local choirs, orchestras and jazz bands. A recent quinquennial inspection highlighted the need for some repairs to the roof of the church. Plans for a community café to be run inside the church in conjunction with the Lower Caversham Community Partnership are at an advanced stage as is the creation of a community garden in the churchyard. The church grounds already include a garden of remembrance. There is a vicarage next door to the church where Revd Jeremy Tear and his family live. Worship St Peter’s holds three Sunday services: two communion services (8am, BCP/said, and 9.45am, Common Worship/sung) and evensong at 6.30pm. St Margaret’s and St John’s hold one weekly Sunday communion service each, at 11am and 10am respectively. In addition St John’s hold an 8.30am communion service every second Sunday. All three churches adapt their Sunday worship regularly to provide services specifically oriented towards family/all-age worship. Other services are held throughout the week at St Peter’s and St John’s. Full details of times and styles of worship are available here: www.stpetercaversham.org.uk/services/ www.stmargaretmapledurham.org.uk/services/ www.stjohnthebaptistcaversham.org.uk/services/ Regular services of Holy Communion are also conducted in various residential homes in the Parish. Life of the Church – Groups and Events There are numerous groups through which parishioners provide fellowship and perform a particular ministry. And Christ’s message is regularly brought more fully to the wider community by annual events staged by the Parish. Examples are shown on the following page. Further information on groups and annual events can be found here: www.stpetercaversham.org.uk/groups-and-activities/ www.stmargaretmapledurham.org.uk/groups-and-activities/ www.stjohnthebaptistcaversham.org.uk/groups-and-activities/

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY

Some of the groups who serve the Parish and the community… St Peter’s choir, which maintains the Teams of flower arrangers for each Various uniformed organisations Church’s long-standing choral church. (scouts, brownies, guides, etc) tradition and has a reputation for associated with both St Peter’s and St St Peter’s Ramblers musical excellence. John’s. For young people there are St Peter’s Teams of bell-ringers for St Peter’s Sunday Club, St Margaret’s Junior and St Margaret’s. Church and St John’s Sunday Club. Pastoral teams in St John’s and St Sadly the St Peter’s ‘Elevenses’ youth Peter’s (the Olive Branch led by Revd group fell into abeyance with the Marion Pyke), who minister departure of Revd Graeme Fancourt communion to the elderly and sick in and Sarah Tyndall, the previous their own homes and provide other Rector’s wife, but it will be reinstated St Peter’s ramblers, who regularly pastoral help, including practical as at the earliest opportunity. meet to enjoy walks in the local well as spiritual aid. countryside. The Fresh Expressions team at St Five small house groups run and John’s. The Parish website team. hosted by lay people.

…and some of the events regularly staged by the Parish…

The Caversham Church Fete is a Caversham Church Fete St Margaret’s Day (July 20th) is major event run annually by the celebrated annually in Mapledurham Churches of St Peter and St with a service of thanksgiving and a Margaret, held in early July in celebratory meal to which the whole Caversham Court. It has been Parish is invited. running for over 20 years. It is a St John’s Church organises a May Fair major fundraiser (raising between and a Christmas Fair, which are £6,000 and £9,000 each year) and is annual fund-raising events. also an important occasion for the Churches to show their position at There are also Christmas Carols held the heart of the Caversham annually in Caversham Court led by St community. In 2013 the event bomber flanked by a Spitfire and a Peter’s Church choir. featured a flypast by a Lancaster Hurricane.

Organisation The PCC meets 4 times a year, and the Standing Committee meets as necessary. Each church has a Church Leadership Team, which meets to discuss issues of relevance to the individual churches. Transparency is a key watchword of the Parish and church forums have been set up as a place where the whole church is kept up-to-date with church initiatives. They tend to be well-attended and lively. They are open to all members of the congregation and take place at least 3 times a year. Details can be found here: www.ctmparish.org.uk/pcc-governance-structure/

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

Administration Parish Administration and Finance he Parish has two part-time paid administrative employees, both T with significant professional experience of administration and office management, gained working for various bodies including large Caroline Smith commercial organisations. www.ctmparish.org.uk/contact/ Caroline Smith, the Parish Administrator, works 4 mornings a week throughout the year. Her office is in the Parish Rooms, adjacent to the Rectory, where she works closely with the Rector and the rest of the Ministerial Team. Her responsibilities include liaising with wedding couples and funeral directors, and managing the invoicing and receipt of fees. She is the PCC secretary and electoral roll officer and maintains the directory of church members. As the only lay member of the Ministerial Team, she also provides strategic advice and support to the clergy. Alex Humphreys, the Parish Secretary, works 3 mornings a week (term- time only) in the Parish Office in Church House, which is in Caversham’s main shopping street. She produces weekly pew sheets for all three churches and monthly parish newsletters as well as providing clerical assistance for any other adhoc items. As the main public face of the Alex Humphreys parish, she also administers Church House bookings and coordinates the receipt of copy for Caversham Bridge, Caversham’s monthly ecumenical newspaper. Finance, Giving and Stewardship The Parish owns a number of Restricted Funds valued at circa £1.9M comprising the four properties detailed below together with investments and deposits with Central Board of Finance. The uses of the capital and income are restricted but the income from three of the properties detailed below (excluding Church House) are used to defray the Parish expenses. The Parish has unrestricted liquid assets of circa £150k of which circa £55k is designated for specific purposes. The three Churches operate the envelope scheme and the majority of the congregation Gift Aid their stewardship. In recent years we have been able to meet our Parish Share in full and to qualify for the early- payment rebate although the Churches are fairly stretched to meet their share thereof. Since the creation of the Parish in 2010 there has been a five year plan to support St. John’s Church financially.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

The 2012 Financial Statements and Trustees Report are available at: www.ctmparish.org.uk/news/2013/annual-parochial-church-meeting-2013/ Local Trusts The incumbent is an ex officio member of two local charitable trusts. Caversham Consolidated Charities meets once a year and in between meetings uses email to agree awards for local people in cases of hardship for specific household goods or expenses. It can give up to £4k annually. The Lister Charity meets once a year to agree nominal cash awards totalling £250 to people in the ancient parish of Mapledurham. Other Buildings In addition to the three churches, St Peter’s Rectory and St John’s Vicarage, the Parish is well-endowed with other properties in and around Caversham, which generate a useful income. 57-59 Church Street (known as Church House) This building generates significant income from a number of commercial leases and also provides the Parish with a presence at the very heart of the commercial district of Caversham. One room is used as the Parish Office and two other rooms are regularly let out at very low rates to community groups. Grants totalling between £10,000 and £20,000 are made annually for specific Parish purposes from surpluses generated by Church House. More information is available here: www.ctmparish.org.uk/church-house-leadership-team/ www.ctmparish.org.uk/pcc-grants-team/

6 Gosbrook Road 6 Gosbrook Road (previously known as the Parish Room) This is sited on the edge of Caversham’s main shopping area and is currently fitted out as a shop. Although unoccupied at present, we hope to re-let it to another retail tenant by the end of 2013. 51 Galsworthy Drive This is a house in Caversham Park Village, let out on a commercial basis. Although empty at the time of going to press, we expect it to be re-let from autumn 2013. 25 Ilkley Road This is a house in Caversham Heights. It has previously been used as a curate’s house, but is now privately let on a commercial basis.

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CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTERESTED?

Interested? f, having read this profile, you think you might be interested in leading I this generous, inclusive (not to mention large and complex) Parish, with all the life-giving opportunities we believe come with the post, then we would love to hear from you. A combined Role Description and Person Specification is available from the same place as you obtained this Parish Profile. Please read it and see if you think you might be the person we’re looking for. For an informal chat about the position please contact Jeremy Tear ([email protected]) or Marion Pyke ([email protected]).

For further information, in the first instance Applications should be made to the office of the please contact the Parish Administrator: Bishop of Reading: Mrs Caroline Smith Bishop's House Parish Office Tidmarsh Lane Church House Tidmarsh 59 Church Street Nr Reading Caversham RG8 8HA Reading Tel: +44 [0]118 984 1216 RG4 8AX Fax: +44 [0]118 984 1218 Tel: +44 [0]118 996 8836 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Or visit www.ctmparish.org.uk

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