REVEL BENEFICE Passionate about sharing God’s love with the whole community

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BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION

There has been a willingness and commitment of the within the Revel Benefice to re- think how mission and ministry might look in their rural context. A few years ago, I challenged them to do some work on what the future shape of their ministry might look like. To their great credit they have taken up the challenge and responded very well. The Profile reflects how far their thinking has come, along with changes in structure they have already made. They have engaged healthily with the 8 Essential Qualities, which they have undertaken as a whole benefice.

This has enabled their journey of growing as a mission shaped to continue. A growth in shared ministry, lay leadership and working together has continued to bear fruit through Messy church, and a growing relationship with schools, has enabled the mission and ministry to continue even with the challenges posed by illness and early retirement of the previous incumbent.

The Revel journey draws on a spiritual heritage I found very inspiring when arriving in . It can be read in a little but influential book by Stephen Verney called, ‘Fire in Coventry’, and describes how the Spirit moved in the hearts of people in Monks Kirby and the spiritual awakening across the Diocese that happened as a result. My hope and prayer is that this benefice may once again be a place of influential spiritual momentum.

This heritage in the spiritual dynamic of laity, has given energy to new forms of mission and ministry in a rural context. There is the potential addition of Newbold on Avon and the parish of Clifton and Newton, covered by an Incumbent (the new appointee to the existing Revel Benefice) and an Associate Minister – more information about this can be found in the Summary below. The vision is that they will work together closely building on and developing opportunities, not only to harness the missional energy of a rural benefice, but to have a significant long-term influence in wider Deanery and Diocesan developing its fresh approach to rural ministry.

I warmly commend this post to you.

With my prayers Christopher

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DEANERY SUMMARY

The Rugby Deanery is situated to the North and East of the County of . It shares a border with the Diocese of Leicester to the North and the Diocese of Peterborough to East and is one of the largest in the Diocese. There are 29 Parishes varying from urban to rural. Most of the population resides in the town of Rugby and its suburban housing estates (around 70,000 according to 2011 census data) with another 30,000 living in the surrounding areas. This number is increasing all the time. There is a lot of new housing planned in the Deanery, not least of all the Houlton development on the old Rugby BT mast site, Long Lawford and in the area between Bilton and Dunchurch – to name just a few. Much of this work has already begun.

Rugby was the first deanery in the diocese to formulate a Deanery Plan. One of the major issues this plan takes into consideration is the implementation of a new system for determining parish share in the deanery. This was finally implemented for 2020 although the effect of the current time on parish and deanery finances is yet to be fully seen. The new system is more equitable and easier to understand. Over all, the plan gives a framework for the closer working together of parishes on issues of mutual concern and enables us to look at mission and ministry in a more cohesive way in a quickly changing environment. It is a document that will change as need and situation change around the deanery.

Due to all the new housing and infrastructure being built across the town, along with 5 clergy vacancies in the deanery, the process of drawing up a second deanery plan to shape the church for mission began in November of 2019. We felt that there was a major opportunity to make some much needed alterations to parish and benefice structures. There is currently a major consultation going on with parishes discussing how aspects of the plan will affect them. The results of these discussions and eventual decisions are, at this point, not known, but it is the hope of the DMPC that there will be a major reordering of our rural areas in larger benefices with two clergy working in each.

In the case of the Revel Benefice the current proposals are to add two parishes, Newbold on Avon and Clifton and Newton. If that proposal is accepted and then formalised by a pastoral scheme then the Revel Benefice would have 7 parishes and 9 worship centres, covered by an Incumbent (the new appointee to the existing Revel Benefice) and an Associate Minister, who would work together closely with each other in bringing complementary gifts and experience to encourage the churches in this new grouping in their own mission and ministry. The new plan is wide-ranging and complex and we appreciate that we may be appointing someone into an environment where the sand is shifting, but we are putting our trust in God to show us the way forward. Surprisingly this period of consultation has been something that we have been able to make good progress on during this time of the pandemic when so many other things have been laid aside. (Cont.)

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DEANERY SUMMARY (Cont.)

There has in recent years been a growing desire for both Clergy and Laity to work more closely together in the deanery. There have been a number of initiatives that have helped us do this. A Church Wardens’ Forum meets quarterly to discuss areas of mutual concern and to hear talks on various subjects from diocesan staff and others. It has also proved to be a good forum for wardens to give one another support and share information and give the benefit of experience to others.

The Deanery Chapter normally meets once a month for lunch, prayer and support. We are quite a large group (18 when all posts are filled) which makes for a great atmosphere. There is always much fun and laughter at our meetings! Before lockdown, the previous two years have seen the chapter focussing more on prayer and mutual support and it tries to keep business brief and to a minimum. The result of this has been a deeper drawing together of clergy in the Deanery. In previous years we have shared together in a pastoral/team building exercise by having a day trip on a canal barge with pub lunch.

Rugby Deanery is a great place to live and to work and we hope that you seriously consider applying for this post.

You can find out a little more about the deanery and all the deaneries in the diocese by viewing the deanery video here: http://dioceseofcoventry.org/index.php?page_ref=1639

Tim Cockell Area Dean of Rugby

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VISION STATEMENT

Our new Priest-in-Charge will share our wish to connect all parts of our community with God’s love. He or she will be passionate about attracting and integrating children, youth and young families into our church life and mission, and also reaching out to the elderly, and growing our ministry in the local residential care homes. The new Priest-in-Charge will help us draw in those who feel left out of society, and of the church.

We believe everyone needs the hope that Jesus offers, so our vision is to become churches communities that:

 help people find that hope and grow in their relationship with Him.

 know Jesus and make Jesus known.

 make a lasting and on-going difference in the life of our community, by being an integral part of it.

 make the following of Jesus’ path integral in our daily lives.

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BACKGROUND TO POST

The Revel Area, and therefore the Revel Benefice, takes its name from the local ancient estate and manor of “Newbold Revel”, which in turn got its name from the Revel family who were Lords of the Manor in the 13th Century.

The Revel Benefice has existed in its current form of 6 churches and 8 villages since 2004. Our last retired from that post in December 2019 after a long period of illness. Our long-serving and much loved Reader also retired recently, and sadly died shortly afterwards. However, we have been fortunate to have a new Reader (who is a former churchwarden at Churchover) to serve our church family.

Particularly over the last 6 years, we have worked hard to address the challenges of running a rural benefice of this size, and are developing to become a more mission shaped church. The 6 churches, church councils and churchwardens have worked closer together and become really mutually supporting. This close working relationship and the structures that we developed helped us greatly during the long illness and subsequent retirement of last rector, and whilst we recognise that there is still work to be done, with our new incumbent we are ready to grow in our shared mission.

1. In 2014 we were only paying 55% of the Parish Share being asked of us by the Diocese. We subsequently agreed that we would increase the sum that we actually paid by 10% year-on-year until we were paying our full share. The value of the full share itself has also increased year on year, but in 2020 we are now paying 71% of that share, having increased the payment that we made in 2014 by 46%.

2. We acknowledged that, with a Benefice of 6 churches it was not possible for our Priest-in-Charge to be involved in all aspects of the running and administration of the benefice. We therefore developed the “Functional Structure” shown in the paragraph titled “Governance and Administration” on p.26. Full details are in that paragraph, but it is worth highlighting: -the existence of the churchwarden’s council, ~ the Priest-in-Charge does not have to attend Church Council meetings; ~ the Priest-in-Charge does not have to be involved in fundraising

3. With 6 churches there could be a heavy demand on the Priest-in-Charge to take services. To reduce this we decided that each church should only have a Holy Communion service every other month, and on at least one Sunday each month, all 6 churches come together for a Group Service. There are now also a large number of lay led services in each church each month. Full details are given in the paragraph headed “Our Services” below on p.30.

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ROLE DESCRIPTION PERSON SPECIFICATION

The role of this post is to lead the church in fulfilling For our new Priest-in-Charge, we are seeking someone who: the Diocesan Mission Purpose of:  Is a good team player, friendly, approachable, at ease  Worshipping God with people, and with a good sense of humour.  Making New Disciples  Is able to encourage and train laity in leadership and  Transforming Communities. developing their God-given gifts and, skills in the variety This will be achieved by developing eight essential of roles of church life (e.g. leading services, social events, outreach). qualities in the life of the church:  Can lead inspiring worship across a wide variety of styles Empowering Leadership Gift-oriented Ministry  Is passionate about attracting and integrating children, Passionate Spirituality youth and young families into the life and mission of the Inspiring Worship church, whilst at the same time recognising the needs of Holistic Small Groups those who prefer a more traditional way of being church. Need-oriented Outreach Loving Relationships  Will take the lead, but is able to delegate to others Functional Structures according to their skills and abilities.

 Is committed to clear, practical, Bible-based teaching which has relevance in people’s daily lives.

 Recognises the need for the church to further engage with the local community as a whole. Will work to personally become a recognisable part of that community.

 Will lead us to identify and pursue initiatives for church growth.

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THE DIOCESAN MISSION PURPOSE AND EIGHT ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF HEALTHY CHURCHES

The Mission Purpose of the is: Worshipping God, Making New Disciples, Transforming Communities.

The Revel Benefice is fully committed to fulfilling these three aspects.

We believe that we will achieve this Mission Purpose by developing the 8 essential qualities of Natural Church Development

8 Essential Qualities of Natural Church Development

(Summary)

Empowering Leadership – We are seeking a Priest-in-Charge with a vision to help us to grow outwardly into our communities; a person with strategic vision to help grow our parishes and empower new Christians to take up roles within our churches. As a team we have many committed leaders who enthusiastically run services and events but we need a leader with the vision to enable our growth.

Gift Orientated Ministry – Our new Priest-in-Charge will recognise that there is a great wealth of gifts being used already across our churches; we would like them to support us to express all our gifts not merely the most useful.

Passionate Spirituality – We struggle to express individual spirituality outside of formal worship. We would like to go on a journey of praying and talking and doing, to connect deeply with the love of God, and to carry this love into every part of our daily lives.

Inspiring worship – Worshipping together is one of the greatest connections that our churches have with each other. As a group we offer a varied selection of services which helps add diversity to our worship. Our challenge is to promote the benefits of worship, worship can be liberating and concentrates the mind on the greatness of God. With the right incumbent we are confident we can continue to grow, inspire and hearten worship within our church family.

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8 Essential Qualities of Natural Church Development (Summary)(Cont.)

Holistic Small Groups – The very nature of rural worship is that they themselves are small groups. However, we are looking to expand outreach, particularly amongst the elderly and vulnerable, and to maintain and possibly multiply the number of small groups across the parishes. In order to achieve this, we will need to identify and train small group leaders and put in place suitable structures to support them.

Needs Orientated Outreach – There is great potential for mission which has been sporadically considered by the lay members. Most of the needs in the area are hidden but we know within our own group that they exist. We can see a clear space for our Priest-in-Charge to gather a team around them to extend and engage with residents.

Loving Relationships – One of the greatest strengths of the Revel is the love our churches show for each other. When you step inside a Revel Parish Church you will be welcomed wholeheartedly. We are not averse to the challenge that change brings, but we have previously embraced it and worked together to the best of our ability. “Growth is the only evidence of life.”. Functional Structures - we have worked to develop a structure which provides ..John Henry Cardinal Newman 1864 . . good admin support to our Priest-in-Charge, and relieves him/her of some of the more mundane duties. Full details of this structure are given in the item headed “Governance and Administration below.

Further details relating to the “8EQs” are given in the attached Appendix “A”.

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BENEFICE/VILLAGES/PARISHES

Church Electoral Roll

OVERVIEW OF THE BENEFICE Brinklow, 27 St John the Baptist 12 The Benefice is now made up of six churches and eight villages. It lies to the Churchover, Holy Trinity immediate North of Rugby and is principally rural in nature. The parishes range in size from roughly 100 to 1,000 inhabitants with Brinklow being by far the Harborough 44 largest. Magna with Easenhall, All Saints 34 Outside the villages the land use is predominantly agricultural with a mixture of Monks Kirby, arable and livestock farming. Modern farming methods require little labour, as a St Edith result the population of the villages tends to be employed in the surrounding , 18 towns and cities in manufacturing and service industries or in their professional St Denys support. Willey, 11 St Leonard There is some light industry based in units at Stretton Wharf and at Harborough Magna. Village The Revel also has two care homes St Mary’s at Harborough and Town Thorns at Village Population Easenhall (2011 census) Brinklow 1101 There is a primary school “The Revel School” at Monks Kirby with an annexe in Churchover 251 Brinklow for reception class pupils (there is also an “Early Birds” nursery in Harborough Magna). The Revel School is a C of E (Aided) Primary School with Harborough 502 Roman Catholic provision, drawing pupils from the Revel Area and beyond. Magna Secondary and further education is centred on Rugby, with some children from Easenhall 291 Churchover and Willey attending schools in . Monks Kirby 445 The area has a well-equipped surgery at Brinklow, a dental surgery in Pailton and Pailton 516 there are hospitals at Rugby and Walsgrave in Coventry. Stretton –u- 234 Fosse Willey 155

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BRINKLOW

Brinklow is a lively, busy village originally built as a T-shape along the Roman built Fosse Way. We are lucky to have a Post Office/shop, a delicatessen and café, two take-aways, three pubs (which offer food), a wedding shop and a purpose built medical centre with pharmacy.

Brinklow has a nursery and the Revel C of E Primary School Reception site, the School in particular has developed great links with the Church.

There are also many groups and organisations within the village which include an Allotments Society, Football Club (catering for age 5 to seniors), Scouting groups, Youth Club and a WI with a strong membership. There is a Community Hall within the village with modern facilities where many groups meet – from the footballers who use the changing facilities to sports classes, clubs and private parties/events. The hall is next to the village playing fields and children’s play area.

The village has a good community spirit which can not only be seen by the numbers participating in clubs and groups, but also by the village events that are held – which require the village to work together. The village is mainly surrounded by farming land and fields and so there are lots of lovely walks in and around the village, including Brinklow Castle ‘The Tump’ - where you can see for miles if you venture to the top.

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CHURCHOVER

Churchover is a small, attractive village set in the River Swift Valley, close to both the M1 and M6 motorways with the town of Rugby just five miles away. There are 120 homes and 250 people in Churchover, and the new development of Coton Park, just across the A426. There is a good social mix in including families with small children and teenagers, couples, and retired people. Apart from Holy Trinity Church (c1300), the villagers also gather at the Community Centre which is open 5 nights a week and has a bar as well as a well-furnished hall and kitchen. The hall itself is used for activities such as skittles, quizzes, parties, bands, and snooker.

There are still two working farms, one arable and the other livestock, and these use the surrounding fields. In recent times, Churchover has battled against a number of major developments adjacent to the village including a proposed wind-farm (which was successfully defeated), and a motorway service station (which is under construction).

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HARBOROUGH MAGNA WITH EASENHALL

The church itself has a small yet dedicated and loving congregation who have the ability to come together to worship, decorate, clean and maintain a building that they love. The church not only hosts a selection of different services but also opens its doors to local villagers when hosting fetes and fund raising events like Macmillan Coffee Mornings. The church has opened its doors more recently to the likes of Elizabeth I and Nell Gwyn and rumour has it Anne Boleyn is to make an appearance in November!

We see the congregation flourish at services like Harvest Festival where we host a world famous auction of local produce…..you’d be a fool to miss out on odd shaped vegetables and homemade chutney! Mothering Sunday, Easter Sunday, Christingle and Christmas Services are an absolute joy as we see our pews fill up with loving hearts. The connection with the nursery school also brings a new wave of faces when the Earlybird pupils put on the finest Easter and Christmas Services…..who doesn’t love a 3 year olds rendition of little donkey?

We are currently in the exciting stages of building a new community room a short distance from the church itself. This new room will provide great facilities for all to use and we are hoping to encourage a cross pollination of village and church activities.

Cont.,

Page 13 of 32 HARBOROUGH MAGNA WITH EASENHALL (Cont.)

Easenhall is less than a mile by footpath across two fields. The village chapel is owned by the village and is used for a variety of meetings. A Prayer and Praise, our local ecumenical group meets monthly and has done for many years. Easenhall also has a quintessential cricket field and pavilion which stages larger events like the Annual Horticultural Show, Bonfire Party and Pentecost picnic that all villages can share in.

Within the Parish of Harborough and Easenhall is a large residential home catering for all needs and is involved with the village events, hosting Lent and Christmas services and also a fete of its own. A monthly communion is available to residents also.

St Mary’s local nursing home currently offers communion once a month and local church family visit many local residents who reside there.

We are so blessed to have these buildings and areas to worship together in and we are looking forward to welcoming our incumbent into the heart of our Church.

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MONKS KIRBY WITH STRETTON-UNDER- FOSSE

The parish of Monks Kirby consists of the village itself and its outlying farms, the village of Stretton-under-Fosse and the hamlets of and Little Walton. In Monks Kirby there are around 130 houses, St. Joseph’s , and one pub. There is a village hall where the WI, Revel Gardening Club, Kirby Café and a toddler group meet on a regular basis. The and his family live at Newnham Paddox on the edge of the village.

The Revel C of E Aided Primary School is also located in the village. This was formed in 1996 during a time of educational reorganisation in Warwickshire by the amalgamation of schools from across the Revel area. The school traditionally serves the needs of 5 to 11 year olds, both Anglican and Catholic, from the Revel, but has expanded to take children from a wider catchment area.

The school hold their main seasonal services in Church and the clergy take regular assemblies in the school. The Priest- in-Charge is on the board of Governors and the PCC appoints a further two foundation governors. We have an excellent relationship with the headteacher and her staff. The Rectory is a two minutes’ walk from the school.

Page 15 of 32 PAILTON

The village of Pailton has 210 houses and is almost exclusively residential, with some local families having lived in Pailton for a number of generations. There have been a few housing developments in the last thirty years whose occupants mainly hold technical, professional, or managerial positions in the larger towns and cities in this area.

The Post Office, village shops and village school have now all gone. The village public house has been closed for 4 years, but has recently been purchased by the (civil) Parish Council with the aim of restoring it and reopening it as Community Asset.

A major focal point for the village is the Village Hall, which is administered by the Village Trust. A Play Group, a Friendship Club and other groups meet there regularly. It also provides a wide-ranging entertainment programme, some performances being staged under the “Live and Local” initiative. The Village Trust and the Church Council also jointly organize the Summer Fête, and other social and fundraising events, ~ proceeds from which are divided equally between them. Infant and junior pupils attend the Revel School. All secondary and further education establishments are in Rugby. Subsidised school buses take all pupils to these schools and colleges.

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WILLEY

Willey is an ancient settlement which appears in the Domesday Book and may well have much earlier origins. It is a beautiful place, enhanced by the gardening expertise of many of its residents. For such a small place the occupations and backgrounds of the village are surprisingly diverse. Amongst other professions there are farmers, artists, teachers, engineers, postal workers and NHS staff. Some residents are relative newcomers while others have families who have been connected to the village for generations.

Willey is enjoying something of a population boom at the moment, with children ranging from sixteen all the way down to seven months. Children attend nurseries and schools in Brinklow, Rugby and Lutterworth, which is an expression of the village’s location right on the Warwickshire/Leicestershire border.

Until recently the village was well known for its outstanding local pub, which unfortunately closed a few months ago. The potential sale and reopening of it is the subject of a lot of village speculation! In the absence of an meeting point the village has shown the spirit for which it is locally renowned by organising many social events and communicating electronically during the Covid19 crisis.

The Covid crisis has sadly curtailed many social events. In a typical year these include a spring village litter pick, a summer fete, a harvest auction, a Bonfire Night party and a Christmas lunch. These are always joyful occasions with money raised used to maintain the church and smart village hall, as well as supporting local charities.

Willey is a wonderful place with a deserved and much enjoyed reputation for being just a little bonkers. We hope for a Priest- in-Charge who will fall in love with the village as much as we all have.

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OUR BUILDINGS

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH – BRINKLOW

The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist was built in the 13th century and is sited on the side of the Fosse Way in Brinklow, a recorded list of Rectors dates from 1257. The Church has serviced the village for over 750 years and was partly rebuilt towards the end of the 15th century, whilst the interior was extensively altered in the 19th century.

An unusual feature inside is the steep slope from east to west of some 12 feet, and there is a ring of eight bells that are rung regularly for Sunday services, weddings and other occasions. The Church has an active group of bell ringers who also hold lessons for anyone (young and old) to learn to ring the bells.

A flush toilet was installed in 2002 and refurbishment work to the roof and other areas of the Church have recently taken place – although this is an ongoing project financed via fundraising projects along with grant applications..

Cont.

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ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH – BRINKLOW (CONT.)

St. John’s aims to be an active and integral part of the community. Young people are encouraged to take an active role in a monthly service, from reading to leading Worship and taking ownership of services. This increased participation has led to the introduction of Youth Emmaus – a group where older children can meet to discuss the Bible. The Church works closely with the local Primary School as their reception site is located close to St. John’s – and at least four services are held each year in conjunction with the School, which are always well attended by the children’s families and friends.

To increase engagement within the village, a monthly ‘café church’ was established – and this encouraged new members to attend Church, many of whom now help organise and run the sessions. St John’s also works closely with the URC in the village, which includes running a monthly outreach coffee morning and holding joint services.

As part of fundraising efforts for renovation work, a summer event was held six years ago – which involved the whole community. Since then and due to its success, a village ‘festival committee’ was formed to continue running community events. The Church still has a central and integral role in organising events such as the biennial Scarecrow festival and annual Christmas Fayre. These are not only fundraising activities, but an opportunity to encourage people into the Church and for the Church to engage with the wider community.

At the end of the day, the people make the Church in Brinklow – and that is why it is so special.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH ~ CHURCHOVER

Holy Trinity is a gem of an English country church, in the heart of the small village of Churchover. Our congregation can be small, but numbers swell for festivals such as the carol service (pictured), and we reach into the community for celebrations including harvest supper.

The church itself is a much-loved historic landmark, with many memorials to the Dixwell family, who signed the death warrant for King Charles I.

The royal connection continues with a chancel screen which was presented by Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Other notable features include a spectacular stained glass window designed by the Danish artist, Baron Arild Rosenkratz.

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ALL SAINTS CHURCH ~ HARBOROUGH MAGNA WITH EASENHALL

All Saints Church nestles in the heart of the village of Harborough Magna. The church was founded in 1307 and the tower is the first glimpse people see of the village whether approaching by road, footpath or canal.

The original north aisle and tower were added in the 17th century, further building and restoration took place during the 19th century.

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ST EDITH’S CHURCH ~ MONKS KIRBY

We are a small but loving congregation who would love to grow alongside our new Priest-in-Charge and as a community we try and promote that closeness with lunch together (pre-COVID) every month. As a church we aim to provide worship for all and have services from the Book of Common Prayer through to Spy missions and nearly everything in between.

The church is used for many community events during the year, however, it only full to capacity on such occasions as the Lessons &Carols by Candlelight Service, school services and for weddings and funerals of prominent people.

The first church on this site was built in 917AD by Ethelfleda, daughter of King Alfred the Great. After the , King William gave lands in the area to one of his , Geoffrey de la Guerche, a Bréton. He rebuilt the Saxon church and endowed it with a Benedictine prior and seven monks from Angers, France. Since the time of Henry VIII our benefactor has been Trinity College, Cambridge. We are pleased that very cordial relations are still maintained between church and college.

The priory church today is the most prominent feature of the village. The priory church of St. Edith’s can seat 300 people. The tower possesses a fine ring of eight bells the oldest cast in 13th Century and these are rung for every service. The church has a new room built at the back of it that is used as a community space and for smaller worship events.

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ST DENYS’ CHURCH ~ PAILTON

St Denys’ Church was originally built as a 'Chape1 of Ease' to the mother church of St. Edith's Monks Kirby. The Church is a small Victorian building of Romanesque style, made of brick, with sandstone and limestone dressings and has a plain tile roof. Inside it is a simple but well-loved building with a single Nave coupled with an Apsidal Chancel area. It was built in 1884, stands in its own grounds near the centre of the village, and seats approximately 90 people.

Since 1974 it has been a District Church with its own Church Council, and has operated independently from the Mother Church, paying its own part of the Benefice’s Parish Share.

The last Quinquennial Inspection was carried out in 2015 and the Architect's report referred very favourably to the overall condition of the church and standard of maintenance, with no major works being required. St Denys’ is licensed for weddings. It has no graveyard.

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ST LEONARDS CHURCH ~ WILLEY

St Leonard’s Church is a well-used and much loved village institution. It dates from the Norman Conquest and contains some exciting and unusual historical treasures. There is a committed group of regular churchgoers, and young families fill the building with joy and laughter during our regular “Messy Church” services. At Christmas time the church is packed, as it is for our annual Harvest Service, at which there is always a performance from the Lutterworth brass band.

The villagers are committed to St Leonard’s, and a proportion of proceeds from the harvest auction and the popular annual Willey village street fair are donated for maintenance and improvement. Residents are as generous with their time and expertise as they are with their money. When repairs need to be done it is members of the congregation who organise the work, and on festival and holy days flowers and other decorations are provided and arranged by volunteers.

While St Leonard’s is somewhat worn and tired in places, this is precisely because it is so well used and so loved. We hope our new Priest-in-Charge will be as enthusiastic about it as we are.

Page 24 of 32 THE RECTORY

The Rectory is a modern (20 years old) 4 bedroom detached house with detached double garage.

It is superbly located in Gate Farm Drive, Monks Kirby, ~a quiet, private cul-de-sac of three similar family homes, overlooking open countryside and farmland.

Trinity College Cambridge (patron of Monks Kirby) will give an additional grant towards relocation/settling-in costs where they are not covered by diocesan funds.

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GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

The governance and administration of a rural 6-church Benefice could, on the face of it, appear to be challenging. However, we have worked to develop a structure which provides good admin support to our Priest-in-Charge, and relieves him/her of some of the more mundane duties. This is greatly helped by a high degree of continued co-operation and mutual support between all churchwardens and between all church councils. Our structure is as follows:

Churchwardens’ Council. ~ Each month the Priest-in-Charge chairs a meeting of the churchwardens of all six churches in the Revel Group. This meeting:-  Agrees the schedule of services across all churches in the benefice  Determines the split of shared financial liabilities between the 6 church councils.  Determines matters relating to the general administration of the benefice, including matters relating to the Benefice Office and the Benefice Website.  Co-ordinates on any matter of common concern or issue across the 6 Church Councils.

Church Councils ~There are 6 Church Councils (CCs) in the benefice. Each individual CC determines the frequency and times of its own meetings. However, because of the role of the Churchwardens Council, the Priest-in-Charge is not normally required to attend these meetings, although the Priest-in-Charge may of course attend any meeting that he/she wishes, and the CC may ask him/her to attend if there are any special items on which they would like the Priest-in-Charge’s input, etc..  CCs take full responsibility for maintenance and repair of the church buildings, and for any associated “” applications, ~ again freeing the Priest-in-Charge from these time consuming activities.  CCs also take full responsibility for fundraising activities, and whilst the Priest-in-Charge is kept fully informed of these, he/she is not normally actively involved. Within their village, CCs also co-operate with other bodies (e.g. scouts, village trusts) on fundraising, and each year there is a major fundraiser (“Daffodil Sunday”) on which all 6 churches work together to organise.

Parish Office.~ There is a “Parish Office” staffed by volunteers, which assists with the administration of the benefice. It provides the focus for Wedding and Baptism enquiries, produces the “Sunday Link” weekly newssheet, and provides printing and general admin support.

Parish Website ~The Benefice also has its own website which is maintained by volunteers from Churchover. However, the Churchwardens Council has recently agreed that the website needs a general revision, including provision for CCs themselves to add more information about their current issues and forthcoming services and events.

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ECUMENICAL LINKS

The Revel Area has for many years maintained strong ecumenical relations fostered in particular by the fact that the Revel School is a C of E (Aided) Primary School with Roman Catholic provision. There a URC chapel at Brinklow and the Roman Catholics have St Joseph’s Church in Monks Kirby.

“Revel Churches Together” is an ecumenical group representative of all the villages and churches; and it meets 3 to 4 times a year. The group organises the services and events for the Week of Christian Unity and Lenten devotions (these tend to alternate between house groups and themed weekly services). Socially the group also organises a ramble through the parishes at Rogation- tide and a Revel Picnic at Pentecost. The group also supports Christian Aid Week with a well-attended coffee morning.

In Brinklow St John’s and the URC chapel have been mutually available to either congregation whenever the need has arisen. In like manner St Edith’s has been freely made available to the Roman Catholics whenever attendances likely to be too high for St Joseph’s are expected, such as at funerals.

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SCHOOL LINKS

As referred to on the relevant village pages above, “The Revel School” is mainly located in Monks Kirby with an annexe in Brinklow for reception class pupils. (There is also an “Early Birds” nursery in Harborough Magna). The Revel School is a C of E (Aided) Primary School with Roman Catholic provision, drawing pupils from the Revel Area and beyond.

The Churches have formed strong links with the school, with their main seasonal services being held in Church and clergy taking regular assemblies in the school. The Priest-in-Charge is on the board of Governors and the PCC appoints a further two foundation governors. The Rectory is a two minutes’ walk from the school in Monks Kirby, and relations with the headteacher and her staff are excellent.

We asked the headteacher for a comment from the school for the Profile. That is shown on the following page, and we will let it speak for itself. (the comment about “shirts” may have something to do with our previous rector!).

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A summary of the work of the Diocesan Board of Education with schools can be found at: http://www.dioceseofcoventry.org/images/document_library/UDR01414.pdf

The school performance and inspection data, including the latest SIAMS reports, can be viewed at https://www.therevelprimaryschool.co.uk/inspection-data-and-learning-improvement/

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BASIC PATTERN OF SERVICES CURRENTLY OPERATED IN OUR BENEFICE

Village 1st Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday 5th Sunday 10.30 Café Church Brinklow 10.30 All Age Service (lay led) 10.30 Holy Communion (lay led) (CW) 5pm Youth Emmaus Alternate-months (lay led)

10.30 Café Church

Churchover 10.30 Holy Communion 10.30 Morning Praise (Community Hall) 10.30 Group HC 10.30 Group HC (CW) (lay led (lay led) (CW) Service (CW) Service Alternate months ) (on rotation) (on rotation)

Harborough 6.30pm Evening Prayer 10.30 Café Church 09.00 Holy Communion

Magna (lay led) (lay led) (BCP)

(4:00pm in Winter) Alternate months

09.00 Holy Communion Monks Kirby 10.30 All age Service 10.30 Morning Praise (BCP) (lay led (lay led) Alternate months

Pailton 10.30 Morning Praise 09.00 Holy Communion 10.30 Morning Praise (lay led) (BCP) (lay led) Alternate months 10.30 Holy Communion 4.00pmMessy Church Willey ------(CW) (lay led) or Morning Praise in alternate months

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FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP

The table below summarises our financial situation in 2019. Full sets of accounts for the last three years are available on request.

Brinklow Churchover Harborough Monks Kirby Pailton Willey Benefice Total Magna

General Income £12,700 £1,055 *£9,774 £10,863 £2,482 £6,260 £43,134 Planned Giving £3,056 £4,623 *(included in £7,277 £4,954 £19,910 above) Gift-Aid (not claimed £1,827 £1,564 £2,929 £1,641 £1,610 £9,571 this year) Fundraising £6,670 £2,709 £4,112 £7,373 £4,495 £4,599 £29,958 (e.g. .fetes) Grants £0 General £12,427 £2,075 £6,826 £12,468 £3,351 £5,689 £42,836 Expenditure Parish Share £10,761 £7,105 £7,935 £8,868 £7,467 £3,734 Contribution £45,870 Unrestricted £26,570 £6,003 £17,222 £9,048 £22,602 £4,325 £85,770 Reserves Restricted *£62,000 £13,098 £11,803 £7,583 £7,226 £10,301 £112,011 Reserves Any special *Funds & considerations, Grants being future raised for expenditure £240k of work etc.? on Church

Clergy expenses are met in full, the cost being apportioned between the churches as determined by the Churchwardens’ Council

Benefices in the Rugby Deanery are expected to fund the costs of their own ordained ministry, and to make a contribution to Training and Mutual Aid budgets. The total payment required is referred to as the Parish/benefice Share. The cost of this for the Revel Benefice being apportioned between the churches as determined by the Churchwardens’ Council

For some years the Revel Benefice has been unable to pay its full Parish Share, and is grateful for the support that it has received from other Benefices/Parishes in the Deanery, However, since 2014 under a process agreed with the Deanery, we have been moving towards paying our full share, and have made great progress towards this. Further details are shown above under the paragraph headed “Background to Post”

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FURTHER DETAILS

For further details and an application form please contact: Matt Robinson, Administrative Assistant to the Archdeacons By email to [email protected]

For informal conversations, please contact: Archdeacon Missioner, Barry Dugmore, on tel: 07487 578311 ([email protected]) Acting Area Dean, Rev Diane Bussey on tel: 07504 133449

Closing date for applications: Noon, Friday 8th January Interviews: To be held on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st January

An application form can be downloaded from the Diocesan Website: http://www.dioceseofcoventry.org/vacancies

Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for this post.

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APPENDIX “A”

EIGHT ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF HEALTHY CHURCHES

The Mission Purpose of the Diocese of Coventry is: Worshipping God, Making New Disciples, Transforming Communities.

The Revel Benefice is fully committed to fulfilling these three aspects.

We believe that we will achieve this Mission Purpose by developing the 8 essential qualities of Natural Church Development

Empowering Leadership

The Revel Benefice comprises six churches and eight villages, making the empowerment of leadership at a local level particularly important.

The dispersed nature of the Benefice, coupled with the unexpected and sudden early retirement of our two last rectors, has forged a network of enthusiastic and committed lay leaders who are passionate about church growth and service to their local communities. The team is talented and competent, with its members used to rolling up their sleeves and turning their hands to whatever needs to be done. Five members have already completed the first year of the Bishop's Certificate in Discipleship with one going on to finish the full three year course.

Already there are a number of valued and well received services led by lay leaders, with "Messy Church" proving to be particularly effective at bringing children and their families closer to Christ.

The Revel's lay leaders would like a Priest-in-Charge with vision, able to channel their energy strategically to ensure our efforts are fruitful.

Our ideal candidate would be inspiring and encouraging, and would also help us sensibly and logically hand responsibility for others in our churches to provide for sustainable and measured growth.

We all feel we are ready for real leadership and can't wait to have our energy directed by someone active, considered and wise.

Appendix Page 1 of 5

Passionate Spirituality

We are strong together, but can struggle to express individual

Gift-Oriented Ministry spiritual vitality, outside of formal church worship. We have some

good building blocks. We can make occasions to talk deeply about

We cover six Churches and eight villages, and personal faith and journeys, for example in the Lent discussion although each Church can operate individually, co- groups. For some, helping to plan and run services is also growing operation and working together is essential. It has their confidence in sharing their inner spiritual life. And in all of our been important to recognise the talents and strengths churches, we have developed a real sense of cohesion through our of individuals within the Church, and we are lucky to shared faith, and this finds a natural outlet in the love and have volunteers who are willing and able to share compassion we show to those who are experiencing hard times. We their skills and gifts. We have a high level of lay need help in creating more opportunities to strengthen our personal participation which includes encouraging young spirituality. We want to express our faith with passion and courage. people to lead services and contribute at a deeper level in some Churches, particularly with family We would like to go on a journey of praying and talking and doing, orientated and all age services. to connect deeply with the love of God, and to carry this love into

every part of our daily lives. We have talented members who can offer much including flower arranging, musicians, crafting and pottery to name a few, and it is important to encourage and harness the enthusiasm of people willing to share their gifts in order to engage more members of the community. It should be recognised that volunteers are essential within the Church for cleaning, maintenance and organisation, and we have tended to focus on the jobs that need to be done on occasion. Even though people generally say they have felt fulfilled doing these types of jobs, it is important that support is offered to make sure individuals do not feel isolated, and they are able to release the gifts they can do best - rather than what is needed.

Appendix Page 2 of 5

Inspiring Worship

Worship is the one of the strongest connections we have between each church. These gatherings help set the stage for us as worshippers, to live out the Christian faith in our everyday life. Holistic Small Groups ‘God is surely at work amidst His people when they gather together to worship Him’. The reality of rural ministry is that most of our Churches are themselves ‘small groups’. However, we are lucky to As a group we offer a varied selection of services which helps add have enthusiastic and dedicated people willing to be small diversity to our worship. We continue to enjoy and grow our group leaders – and so have a wide range of options open Messy and Cafe Church services, but still have strong support for for people across the Revel including House Groups, Lent more ‘traditional’ worship. We are also running Youth Emmaus Groups, Coffee and Chat, Café Church, Youth Emmaus which has encouraged worship in a new age group, that had (for older children) and a Discipleship Group. perhaps previously been lacking. We are looking to expand outreach, particularly amongst We have excellent lay people who are passionate and committed to the elderly and vulnerable, and to maintain and possibly growing our worship through many styles of service, but we would multiply the number of small groups across the parishes welcome an incumbent who can communicate well and lead from over the next few years. In order to achieve this, we will the top down. As a group we would love to strengthen our existing need to identify and train suitable small group leaders and link with the local nursery and school, our vision is to inspire put in place suitable structures to support those leaders. young people and families to worship. Looking forward, we would like to offer a house group where It has also been identified that, whilst there is a lot going newcomers would be welcomed and encouraged to worship within on in the individual Churches and villages, there is our churches. Our challenge is to promote the benefits of worship, sometimes a lack of unity and there could be a significant worship can be liberating and concentrates the mind on the benefit obtained in bringing some of the small groups and greatness of God. activities together.

We live in a busy society where people think twice before However, the Revel Group is not insular, with an active committing their time to something they are unfamiliar with. As Churches Together programme and the Churches do work church attendance is voluntary, it is important that the time people together – having regular group services, fundraising set aside to turn up and worship is well invested. With the right activities and look at engaging with other traditions and incumbent we are confident we can continue to grow, inspire and denominations where possible. hearten worship within our church family

Appendix Page 3 of 5

Need-Oriented Outreach

There is a great need for mission in the Revel Group; many of the local residents support their churches whilst not attending services on a regular basis. Within the group there have been a variety of initiatives to reach non-regular attendees such as small group bible study, messy church and other activities but we can see a clear space for our Priest-in-Charge to gather a team around them to extend and engage with residents.

There is great potential for mission which has been sporadically considered by the lay members. Many of the leading lay members of the congregations take services on non-communion Sundays and this helps free the Priest-in-Charge to work with families/all residents on non-communion mission based activity. Most of the needs in the area are hidden but we know within our own group that they exist.

We have good links with The Revel School which is a C of E school with catholic provision. The school is very welcoming to visits from the Priest-in- Charge and churches, and 3 of the churches host services several times a year. In Monks Kirby a regular church member runs an afternoon group for people of all faiths and none in the village hall. Whilst this is not a formal part of the church it has always been well received when the Priest-in-Charge has engaged with the group.

The Villagers Choir; whilst again not primarily church focused this group has sung for services and is keen to support church activities as part of their activities. A number of regular and irregular church goers are part of the group and they are usually to be found at Christmas/Easter services as well as other prominent events.

More widely Brinklow have an active Scouts and cubs group. The youth club in Brinklow maintain links with the church by helping to clean St Johns.

“There exists a great love for our churches we believe could translate into a real love for Jesus.” Appendix Page 4 of 5

Loving Relationships

When you step inside a Revel Church you will be welcomed wholeheartedly. The love and friendship between the church members is something we can celebrate. Friendships old and new have flourished within the benefice, support between each church is evident.

We are not averse to the challenge that change brings, but we have previously embraced it and worked together to the best of our ability. This has led to a strong sense of community which at its finest can come together and put on the outstanding social events, which in turn, become excellent fund raisers… All in the name of God. Hallelujah!

Functional Structures

Over the last few years, we have worked to develop a structure which provides good admin support to our Priest-in-Charge, and relieves him/her of some of the more mundane duties.

Full details of of our Functional Structures are given in the item headed “GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION” in the main body of our Parish Profile.

Appendix Page 5 of 5