September 2018 St Barnabas and St Paul, with St Thomas the Martyr
Parish profile
Unity and Mutual Respect
United, friendly and welcoming – we hope that is the impression our congregation might Why I worship here: make on a first-time visitor to our principal service, the 10.30am Sunday High Mass at St Traditional liturgy with Barnabas. Ours is not a predominantly elderly congregation: we have young families as well its timeless beauty and as people who have worshipped here for many decades, and everything in between. holiness. Originally worshippers came predominantly from the parish itself, then an industrial suburb; now they come from all over Oxford and beyond – indeed, all over the world – drawn by our Tractarian heritage, with its beautiful liturgy, excellent music, and sound but concise sermons. The congregation also reflects Oxford’s place in the wider world; many nationalities and backgrounds are represented, pointing to the profound truth that we are one Contents: in Christ. Unity and Mutual Respect
Our New Incumbent
History
Liturgy and Worship
Music
Church Life
Parish Links
About the Parish
Vicarage
Properties
Challenges and Opportunities
From the Bishop
The Oxford Deanery
This fellowship is also expressed socially. The newly-installed kitchen/servery at the west Appendices: end of the church not only encourages a lively coffee-time after Mass but enables us to Summary Accounts 2017 gather for Lent courses and study days over a shared lunch and to celebrate feast days in some style. Motion & Statement of Need
Map of Parish Throughout this profile the reader will find occasional statements headed ‘Why I worship here’. They speak of our shared values and give a flavour of our parish: a sense of the Person Specification numinous and the beauty of holiness, and of the friendships that are formed here and our care for each other. They also make clear that within the parish family there is a range of strongly-held and differing doctrinal opinion. However, each member of the parish chooses Why I worship here: I love the peace and to accept this difference and focus on the prayer and worship that are at the heart of all we space of St Barnabas do: at Mass we come together as one body, uniting our worship with that of the whole and the many kind and gentle people. company of Heaven. The way in which we have learned to live together as the body of Christ is, we believe, something we offer to the wider Church of England as a pattern, and something we look to our new incumbent to sustain and cherish.
OUR NEW INCUMBENT
Essential Attributes Other Attributes Spirituality. The work of the parish is grounded Our liturgy is supported, deepened and enriched by in prayer offered at the Daily Office and in the Mass. our musical tradition. We do not need our priest to We expect that our priest will see this daily be a musical expert, but an appreciative discipline as the foundation of both personal and understanding would be very welcome. corporate spiritual life. We would obviously hope that our new priest will be Leadership. The incumbent would lead the approachable and friendly to all. We would like the ministry team consisting of Vicar, Deacon, two new incumbent to be available for both parishioners LLMs and an Honorary Assistant Priest, who will and congregation to seek advice, comfort, and share the duties of preaching and pastoral care. We inspiration for moving forward with a prayerful life. have an active lay membership with a wide range of professional skills and expertise. Our priest will be Our priest should be a good role model. able to delegate, as well as to motivate this wider team.
Why I worship here: Teaching. Our priest will be able to link all our It’s like all the air in here is christening you. activity back to the Word of God and the teaching of Confirmation candidate – 9 years old. the Church, and ensure that preaching and catechesis of a high quality enrich our corporate life. As a congregation we are eager to deepen our sacramental, worshipping life through participation in activities such as the recent ‘Learning Christ’ Statement of Theological Need course, lectio divina, and the daily parish prayer The PCC has requested that arrangements be scheme. made for the parish in accordance with paragraph 22 of the House of Bishops’ Engagement. Our priest should be a visible Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and pastoral presence within the parish, and engage in a Priests. Our request is that our next incumbent positive way with the Church School and with those is a man who has been ordained by a bishop of other faiths. He should also develop and foster the who is a man and who has been consecrated in partnerships in the wider City of Oxford that are the historic, male episcopate. We would needed to revitalize St Thomas’. welcome either a Traditionalist who is enthusiastic about serving and honouring the Pastoral care. We have an organised pastoral needs of a congregation which includes non- team and our priest would play an active part in this Traditionalist members or a non-Traditionalist ministry. who is enthusiastic about serving and Working with children and young families. Our honouring the needs of a congregation which previous incumbent brought young families and includes Traditionalists. We ask that our next children into our Church; they are a much-valued incumbent gladly accept and fully honour both presence, and our priest needs to be able to connect the spirit and the letter of our Statement of with them and to minister to them. Theological Need, dated March 2018, which is appended. Liturgy. We have a reputation for unfussy excellence. Our new priest needs to be liturgically skilled and confident.
Management and administration. The union of Why I worship here: Encouragement and inclusion of the two benefices has brought many changes. The young people in many aspects of major works required at St Thomas’ will have to be Church life. done in partnership with another Anglican Church and/or another institution: our priest would need to be a shrewd negotiator who is competent at Why I worship here: managing change. The parish has not got a paid A rock of continuity and administrator. nourishment. HISTORY
St. Barnabas’ (1869) is a daughter parish of St. Paul’s, Walton St.; and St. Paul’s was in turn the daughter of St. Thomas’. The parish of St Paul was carved out of the parishes of St Thomas and St Giles, and the parish church in Walton Street, the finest Grecian church in Oxford, was consecrated in 1836. By the 1850s it had become renowned for its elaborate ritual and processions, and drew so many worshippers that another church was needed to serve the poor, overcrowded and disease-ridden area of Jericho. One of the St Paul’s church wardens, Thomas Combe, Superintendent of the Clarendon Press, had St Barnabas built for Jericho at his own expense. The architect Arthur Blomfield decided on an Italian Romanesque design but, in accordance with Thomas Combe’s wishes, built the walls out of cement-rendered builders’ rubble, and added a striking campanile. It is now a grade 1 listed building. St Paul’s declined after the Second World War, and in 1963 the two parishes were amalgamated. In 1969 St Paul’s was closed. It is now a café.
St Barnabas was designed for Tractarian worship, with its east end making visible the high doctrine of the Sacrament that is the hallmark of Anglo-Catholic devotion. On entering the church, the visitor may first notice the great openwork iron cross suspended above the nave (based on Fr Montague Noel’s SSC cross and memorably borrowed by Thomas Hardy in Jude the Obscure), then the baldacchino crowning the high altar, and finally the great Pantocrator decorating the vault of the apse. To receive the sacrament kneeling with Christ in Majesty looking down is a deeply moving experience.
St Thomas the Martyr: Grandmother became sister in St Thomas' was closely 2015, when the benefice of St Thomas was united with associated with the early that of St Barnabas. St Barnabas is the parish church of the days of the Oxford new benefice, and St Thomas the Martyr a chapel of ease. Movement. Some of its leading lights – Dr Pusey, Canon Liddon, Dr Neale, Fr Lowder and Edward King – preached here. It was the first parish church to revive daily services since the time of Queen Anne, and the wearing of Eucharistic vestments was resumed on Whitsunday 1854 by Canon Chamberlain, who was vicar for 50 years.
As the slums were cleared, and their St Thomas’ is the historic parish of West Oxford. The inhabitants rehoused, the church was founded in the twelfth century by the parish declined. In 2012 Augustinian canons of Osney Abbey: the oldest part is the the Bishop of Oxford Norman chancel, with three Norman windows. On the invited the clergy of St south side of the chancel is the priest’s door, dating from Barnabas to look after St Thomas’. 1250, with its original iron work. The east window is 14th century. The nave and tower date from the mid-15th Our friends in the Romanian Orthodox Congregation have century. some regular use of St Thomas’.
St Barnabas can justly be described as a flourishing church Why I worship here: after Father Jonathan’s transforming ministry. St Thomas’ There is a sense of reverence in the services which helps one connect with the worship of needs considerable work to improve fabric and amenities, the universal Church and with the ongoing but also a vision of how best it can serve its community. heavenly liturgy. LITURGY AND WORSHIP
Services Average Sunday attendance for all services in the parish in The Parish Mass, celebrated at St Barnabas at 10.30am, is 2017 was 102 adults and 15 children, with the Parish Mass the colourful, vibrant, and welcoming heart of our parish at St Barnabas accounting for 70 adults and 15 children. life. It draws together a wide mix of people of all ages and There was one wedding, three baptisms and six funerals. backgrounds. Great value is placed on a combination of The parish has 113 people on its electoral roll. well-known and loved hymnody (generally NEH), appropriate choral and congregational liturgical music, Sunday School thoughtful preaching, reverent ceremonial, and a Jenny Pittaway LLM leads our children’s work; she is willingness to enjoy being together as God’s family. assisted by a team of Sunday School helpers. Fr James Finnemore has a special ministry to young people. We There is a full serving team under the leadership of an would love to see youth work develop. experienced Head Server, and the singing is led and supported by a committed voluntary choir. There are well- On the first Sunday of each appointed sacristies and vestries. Full Eucharistic month there is an ‘All in vestments have been worn in the parish since the 1860s, Sunday’, where the children including birettas when desired. The parish is blessed in are fully involved in taking having a number of historic Mass sets. part in the liturgy: serving at the altar, singing in the The serving team is made up of men, women, boys, and junior choir, reading the girls. It has regularly been augmented by ordinands on lessons and helping to lead placement from the theological colleges in Oxfordshire, the intercessions. The and also by members of the Pusey House community, with sermon is interactive, and the whom we have shared Holy Week in the parish including preacher ensures that the children are involved in some a full Triduum. Lay people often administer the chalice. way. Common Worship Order One (Traditional Language) is On the second, fourth and fifth Sunday, we have Sunday used at all Masses, which are celebrated eastward, with the school for children (including babes-in-arms) up to the age 'Pray, brethren' as well as propers from the Missal as of ten. They are taught and nurtured in the Christian faith, required. At present we use the one-year BCP Lectionary, exploring different ways of prayer, and learning stories but some of the congregation would prefer the three-year from scripture through activities which include song, Common Worship Lectionary. dance, drama, craft and colouring. Their work is shared Morning and Evening Prayer are said daily in Church. with the congregation after Mass; art is taken home or During the week Mass is said on Wednesdays and Fridays displayed in the children’s corner. at St Thomas’ and on Thursdays at St Barnabas. Ideally, On the third Sunday we have ‘Exploring the Mass we would have a daily Eucharist, but the pattern is teaching’, which is especially offered for the children who difficult to sustain during the interregnum. On Saturday receive Communion. This enables them to gain a better evenings the Vigil Mass at St Thomas’ has been replaced understanding of what takes place during the Eucharist. during the interregnum by a joint service of Vespers with The children return to the main body of the church at the the Romanian Orthodox Congregation. Peace, and kneel at the back to look and listen. The On Sundays Mass is said in St Barnabas at 8am (BCP) in children also participate in the special festivals of the addition to the 10.30 Parish Mass. Evensong (BCP, said church year: bringing gifts to the altar at Harvest, acting with organ and hymns) is at 6.30 pm at St Barnabas’ and is out the Christmas story and giving out flowers on occasionally replaced by Solemn Evensong and Mothering Sunday. The Crib Service is much loved and Benediction, with choir. attracts new visitors to the Church.
MUSIC
The 10.30am Mass is usually supported by up to twelve singers. Our team includes ex- professionals and academic experts, but we believe our ethos needs to remain that of a welcoming and supportive amateur parish choir drawn mainly from the active worshipping congregation. Recently our use of Gregorian chant has grown significantly, and this is becoming a distinctive feature of our liturgies. Once or twice a month, the Junior Choir (an enthusiastic group of choristers aged 6-17) joins the adults, and then we tend to include more traditional Anglican mass settings and anthems.
Organ music and particularly liturgical improvisation is an appreciated part of our worship, and the director of music, assistant director, and organist are all accomplished We have three choral scholars aged 16-18 supported by players. There is a new project, still in its infancy, to the Ouseley Trust, and one 10-year old organ student replace the organ at St Barnabas with a more distinguished (referred to as the Montague Noel Junior Organ Scholar). instrument. Were it to be regularly used, the organ at St Our vision includes expanding these initiatives to make St Thomas’, which is a good instrument, would need Barnabas more of a centre for teaching about how to make substantial restoration. music in a liturgical context. CHURCH LIFE Pastoral care The parish has a major interest, and a key involvement The Church places great emphasis on the pastoral care of including three trustees, in the Jericho Wharf Trust, which its members and has a weekly ministry meeting led by the is responsible for the plan to develop the Jericho Wharf incumbent. During the interregnum our honorary assistant canalside site on behalf of the community. Proposals to priest, Fr James Finnemore, is taking the lead assisted by develop the derelict Oxford boatyard into a Venetian- licensed lay ministers Maggie Ellis and Jenny Pittaway. style piazza have been provisionally approved. They Deacon Sue Gillingham joins when time allows. feature a row of townhouses and a new community centre built around a large Italian-style square. A new boatyard is Charities also envisaged with two dry docks and a wet dock. A The Church has an annual collection for Christian Aid, St. bridge will give public access across the Oxford Canal. Nicholas Homes and the Additional Curates’ Society, and After what at times seemed an endless saga, the Jericho supports Farm Africa at its Harvest Festival. Wharf development has recently sprung into life. The Jericho Wharf Trust and the PCC are in talks with the Parish school: St Barnabas’ Church of England Aided developer, the Strategic Iconic Assets Heritage Primary School Acquisition Fund (SIAHAF) and – while there is some St Barnabas is a colourful and friendly primary school way to go – discussions have been constructive. with 210 pupils on roll. It was founded as a Church School in 1854 by St Paul’s parish and transferred to St Jericho Matters incorporating St. Thomas Quarter is a Barnabas in 1869. It is now financed by the Oxfordshire print magazine produced three times a year highlighting County Council in partnership with the Diocese of both community and church life and distributed free of Oxford. The majority of the children are from the local charge to every household in the parish. catchment area. The school has a fluid and diverse The Church has its own wine club, which meets three or community, with over twenty languages being spoken, four times a year for tutored tastings given by one of the from a variety of cultural and faith backgrounds. A strong church wardens, who looks after two College cellars. partnership exists between the parish church, its clergy and the school community. A member of the parish ministry team leads collective worship at the school every Thursday. The incumbent is an ex-officio Governor.
Detail from the stained glass in St. Barnabas School
The Church is regularly used for a wide range of concert bookings, an annual folk festival, as the venue for the annual Artweeks Oxfordshire lecture, for Jericho Singers’ rehearsals and concerts. The parish participates enthusiastically in the annual Jericho Street Fair, which has grown out of our patronal festival. The church is open to visitors and the centrepiece of a carnival of stalls and hospitality. This is how the school sees itself: ‘We have close links with St Barnabas’ Church and promote Christian values within a multi-cultural, multi faith community. Members of the community are delighted with the inclusive ethos of the school’ (school website).
Community Relations The Church plays an active role in the community. It is represented on the Jericho Community Association and the Jericho Wharf Trust. The Jericho St Barnabas Community Centre, on the corner of Canal Street and Cardigan Street, hosts many local activities, including a babies’ and toddlers’ club and a Saturday community café, as well as numerous classes including ballet, Tai Chi and pre-natal. The building (originally the Church Institute) is owned by the parish and operated by the Community Association. PARISH LINKS As a result of its convenient location close to the city We are active members of Churches Together in Central centre, Jericho has now become a desirable area for young Oxford (CTCO), an organisation which we value for the professional people, though it also retains many residents ecumenical contacts it encourages, the occasions it who have spent all their lives here. The area is vibrant and provides for worship together, and the opportunity it gives has restaurants and pubs. to work together for the community. CTCO projects include providing home-made soup to the Gatehouse (a Over time, St Thomas’ church became enveloped by the local day care centre) during the winter, meeting regularly expanding city. In previous centuries the area played host to pray for and exchange news about the homeless in to a variety of factories, most famously Frank Cooper’s Oxford, and, this year, to provide ten extra beds for the marmalade company. Industry brought with it numerous social challenges including poverty, sickness, and crime. homeless during the winter months (we partner St Ebbe’s Church in this venture). In more recent times, it is fair to say that the social
Jericho is home to the Synagogue, which is the centre for challenges of the area are not entirely gone. Homelessness the Oxford Jewish Community. The Synagogue is the is evident in the churchyard. Numerous nightclubs and starting point of the annual Friendship Walk organised by bars are located in the area, although these have been the Oxford Council of Faiths, which proceeds to the closing as the area is developed into residential Church of St Mary the Virgin and ends at the Central accommodation and university buildings. The area has Mosque in Cowley. been developing rapidly, and is now the gateway for many of those arriving in Oxford by train, bus or car. Theological Colleges: St Stephen’s House, Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Wycliffe Hall. We have links with all three institutions which regularly send us placement students. Why I worship here: Members of the Pusey House community worship in the Community support and fellowship parish during the vacations, and there have been a number of joint liturgical celebrations. There has also been a joint pastoral assistant/chapel intern scheme since 2014, with VICARAGE the parish providing pastoral and liturgical opportunities for those exploring a vocation to ordained ministry.
Keble College, as joint patron of the parish (with Christ Church), offers a parish day every other September, a corporate Communion service with dinner in hall and a clergy conference every other January. Parishes are invited to all of these events.
The Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, Oxford are joint patrons with Keble. Christ Church supports the incumbents of its ninety livings through grants for study, administration and holidays, as well as offering a biennial conference and loans for the purchase of a car.
Worcester College, which is in the parish, has personal links through The Parsonage House is a two-storey end-of-terrace house Professor Sue Gillingham, Fellow and in St Barnabas Street. Built in 1869, it has four bedrooms, Tutor in Theology at the College, and a a small courtyard garden and off-street parking in a garage recently ordained Deacon licensed to the opposite the front of the house. It is adjacent to the church parish. The parish has traditionally and within easy walking or cycling distance of all the celebrated its dedication festival in amenities of Jericho and the centre of the city. An extra October with a lunch in the College. grant towards moving-in costs is made available by Christ Church. Nuffield College, which is just outside the parish, has plans to redevelop many of the buildings around St Thomas’, and is keen to explore ways of working together PROPERTIES to invigorate the local community (see below under Challenges and Opportunities). The parish has three houses. There are two Victorian terrace Why I worship here: houses opposite St A happy family church with uplifting Barnabas Church. services in a beautiful setting. These are rented out on the open market for £1400 and £1120 pcm John Coombe ABOUT THE PARISH House, situated at St Modern Jericho is home to a lively, mixed community. Thomas’s, is a four-bedroom house. In the coming Official statistics suggest a significant range of household academic year it is intended to accommodate a small incomes: nearly a quarter are rented from the Council; and religious community of young lay people who will more than half are privately rented. Some 29% of contribute to the life of St Thomas’s. To this end we are Jericho’s children are considered to live in income working in partnership with Pusey House, whose clergy deprived families, as do 25% of its older people. will provide pastoral oversight.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The new incumbent would lead us in a process of setting priorities and developing a vision for the next twenty years that reflects the Diocese’s call for us to be Christlike: contemplative, compassionate and courageous.
Mission We hope that the new incumbent will help us discover our future as a united parish: one parish, two churches.
Most of those regularly attending services at St Barnabas now come from outside the parish. Although demographic changes and buy-to-let have reduced the number of long-term residents, we hope the new incumbent will continue to develop the mission to the geographical parish and grow the Church by connection with local people.
Since the merger of the parishes we have focused mainly on the practicalities of planning the future of the buildings at St Thomas’. The church serves as a chapel of ease for the parish. There is great potential to reach more people and institutions in this part of the parish. St Thomas’ has a small but loyal congregation but also attracts commuters and office workers particularly on holy days of obligation. The building is underused, and people living nearby or using the railway station have little awareness of the parish. The new incumbent St. Barnabas. will want to lead a process of restoration and re-ordering at St Detail from the reredos in the Thomas’, the only church in Oxford on the ‘at risk’ register at Lady Chapel the Church Building Council: the potential is enormous. We hope that we might enter into a partnership with another Anglican church and also possibly Nuffield College. The College proposes to build a Social Science Area including residential space for key workers between Frideswide Square Detail from the Tree of Life and the Jam Factory and Oxpens; St Thomas’ Church would banner be at the centre of this development.
The parish benefits from the generosity of the John Coombes House Parish Room Charity which owns John Coombes House and the Galilee Room, buildings that are situated within St Thomas’ Churchyard. In partnership with the PCC, the Charity is in the process of developing the Galilee Room into a state of the art day nursery. The renovations will be funded by the sale of land on the edge of the churchyard to be developed for private accommodation. On completion of the works our income from the nursery will increase thanks to an improved rental agreement for tenancy in the refurbished building.
John Coombes House, through the Parish Room Charity, has also historically provided an income to the PCC, most recently through a partnership arrangement with Pusey House.
So in the longer term the improvements to the fabric of St Thomas’ and the changes to its surroundings offer potential for mission: new residents and travellers using the railway station, who will see St Thomas’ from St Frideswide’s Square.
Regular giving Planned giving does not at present meet the parish share. The new incumbent should be prepared to lead an effective Folk Festival stewardship campaign, in which he will be supported by the PCC.
The Community From its foundation the church has been dedicated to care in Why I worship the community. Retaining and strengthening strong here: relationships with all members of the local community is Fun and faith vitally important so that the church can regain its high profile both in Jericho and in the St Thomas Quarter. FROM THE BISHOP OF OXFORD Bishop of Ebbsfleet and I have agreed to collaborate in a sustained manner in the provision of episcopal ministry as The Parish of St need requires in Bishop’s Jonathan’s role as an Assistant Barnabas and St Paul Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford. The Wardens (in the with St Thomas the vacancy), and the incumbent should feel free to continue Martyr serves two key to invite the Bishop of Ebbsfleet to conduct confirmations areas of the city of or other services. They and other licensed clergy should Oxford: the distinctive feel free to seek his pastoral advice from time to time as and vibrant residential an expression of this sustained and ongoing area of Jericho and the relationship and in the spirit of this collaboration. former St Thomas’ + Stephen Oxford parish which is one of the key gateways to the city. There will be very significant THE OXFORD DEANERY redevelopment in both of these communities The geographical and sociological area covered by the in the next decade. Oxford Deanery is very diverse, covering the central commercial and retail areas of the city, the world-class The next parish priest needs to give the highest priority to University of Oxford, the highly populated suburban areas engagement with the parish and local community, and the smaller and larger village communities outside including St. Barnabas’ School and to ensure that the Oxford’s ring road. There are areas of considerable Church plays its part in the key developments which will affluence and poverty, including a homeless community shape these communities for the next generation. The that lives on the streets and in the hostels of the city priest will need the right gifts and skills for this centre. community engagement as well as the liturgical, pastoral and teaching gifts to grow and nurture the existing The Oxford Deanery is part of the Oxford Archdeaconry congregations and encourage the planting of new and the wider Oxford Diocese, under the Episcopal communities particularly in St. Thomas’ Church. oversight of the Bishop of Oxford. The Cathedral of the Oxford Diocese is also in the Oxford Deanery. The The parish has been well served by its previous priest and deanery meets regularly for Chapter and Synod meetings, as the statement of needs demonstrates, the congregation at which speakers are invited to talk on a range of issues set a very high priority on unity in mission. I have set out that are of shared concerns to the parishes. below the key paragraphs of my response to the passing of the resolution in relation to the House of Bishops Some of the key features of the Oxford Deanery are as Declaration concerning the pastoral and sacramental follows: ministry of priests and bishops. We have good links with our neighbouring Cowley The Diocese of Oxford is currently also developing fresh Deanery which covers the southern and eastern half vision around the theme of becoming a more Christ-like of the city. Church for the sake of God’s world: more contemplative, more compassionate and more courageous. Within the There is a full spectrum of churchmanships Oxford area we are pioneering in the next year new reflected in the parishes: Traditional Anglo- patterns of accompanying enquirers and new believers to Catholic, liberal Catholic, central, Charismatic and baptism and confirmation. A commitment to this renewal conservative Evangelical and also shades of of catechesis in this parish and more broadly will be different practice expressed in the same benefice/ essential alongside a concern to reach out to the whole parish. community in love and service. Some of the largest congregations of the Oxford The provision of episcopal and priestly ministry Diocese are found in our Deanery. These tend to be I accept the PCC’s request as set out in the (although are not exclusively) eclectic resolution and the two documents “Unity congregations with large groups of people coming into the parish to worship. and Flourishing” and “The detail of our request…”
The PCC is clear that the ministry of priests in the parish Parishes/benefices outside the city centre have a should continue to be men who have been ordained by a church attendance made up of people who are bishop who is a man and who has been consecrated in the much more likely to live within the parish historic male episcopate. boundaries, and who are therefore more likely to be involved in the life of their local communities. The PCC is further clear that the episcopal ministry is provided by bishops who are men and who have been More ordination candidates are produced in a year consecrated by bishops who are men, standing in the from our many thriving churches in the deanery historic male episcopate. than some small dioceses.
The PCC’s request is that the Bishop of Oxford works We hope that the new incumbent will play a full and with the Bishop of Ebbsfleet and agree together how active part in the life of the Deanery, along with other best to collaborate in providing for the clergy staff and lay members at St Barnabas with St sacramental and pastoral ministry of the parish and to Thomas. You will be most welcome! build up its unity and mission. In order to fulfil the PCC’s Warmly in Christ request, I will remain the Area Bishop for the Parish. The Will Donaldson (Revd) Area Dean, Oxford
SUMMARY ACCOUNTS 2017
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total Funds £’000 £’000 £’000
Income 118 26 144 Expenditure -110 -12 -122 Gross Transfers Between Funds 15 -15 0 Net movement in Funds 23 -1 22
In 2017 the Parish share was £53,000, accounting for 48% of the PCC’s unrestricted expenditure and representing 45% of the PCC’s unrestricted income.
The Parish is committed to maintaining its musical tradition and an annual salary of £6,500 is paid to the Director of music (currently shared between the DoM and Assistant DoM). Alongside this, the purchase of music and maintenance of the piano and organ, expenditure on music typically totals £10,000 per annum.
The cost of heating, lighting and insurance for the two churches is the other main area of expenditure, usually around £23,000.
Church repairs and maintenance of the church yard accounted for a further £10,000 in 2017.
The Parish is heavily reliant on income from property. Over the last few years a significant investment has been made to maintain and improve numbers 47 and 50 Cardigan Street. The works have meant that it has not been possible to rent out the properties for substantial periods of time and this double impact of increased expenditure and foregone income has made the management of the PCC’s finances more challenging.
The level of investment in the houses reflects a long period of underinvestment in the assets and the PCC now has plans in place to put aside money every year towards the upkeep of the houses. There is still further work required including upgrading the bathrooms.
Planned giving was £28,000 in 2017, accounting for just 24% of unrestricted income, excluding gift aid. A further £12,000 was collected in open plate donations and sundry donations of £4,000 were received. It has been about three years since the last stewardship campaign.
The church is increasingly used for concerts and £8,000 was raised in 2017 from church bookings.
The PCC benefits from partnerships with community organisations and businesses. The Church Institute is currently managed by the Jericho Community Association who pay £8,000 per annum to the PCC. The current annual income from St Thomas’s Day Nursery is £24,000.
The John Coombes House Parish Room Charity made a net contribution to the running of the parish of £10,000.
The PCC has four assets on its balance sheet:
Church Institute £ 850,000 47 Cardigan Street £ 340,000 50 Cardigan Street £ 350,000 St Thomas’s Nursery site £ 1,700,000
The 2017 accounts are available on the parish website (sbarnabas.org.uk) THE PARISH OF ST BARNABAS AND ST PAUL, WITH ST THOMAS THE MARTYR
“Unity and Flourishing” A Motion and Statement of Need for the parish concerning the pastoral and sacramental ministry of priests and bishops.
The Motion to understand how best to adapt to the Church of “To maintain the unity of the parish this PCC requests, on England’s new settlement on this matter, as delivered grounds of its several theological convictions, that by the General Synod in 2014. arrangements be made for it in accordance with the c) We are not a ‘party’ parish, strongly pushing one Statement of Need set out below and with the House of particular view or position of conscience in this matter Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and because we recognize that this would cause offence to Priests.” others who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We
are not a parish in which any one can say; “My party Our Statement of Need about the pastoral and has triumphed”. Rather we are a parish in which all sacramental ministry of priests and bishops. 1. Our aspiration: strive to live together in bonds of love, mutual understanding and respect. a) We desire sacramental unity in our common life and recognize this to be a central Gospel precept, in d) Our congregation includes amongst its number: accordance with Christ’s prayer to the Father before i. Those who hold the conviction that the Incarnation is his Passion: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their about all humanity, and therefore the ordination of word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in women to the priesthood and consecration to the episcopate fulfills and completes these ministries. me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the ii. Those who believe the calling of the twelve apostles, glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that who were alone with Jesus at the Institution of the they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Eucharist, is integral to the Church’s tradition of thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and reserving priestly and episcopal ministry to men alone; that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and since the time of the apostles the Church has retained hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. St John 17: 20- this pattern, as established by our Lord. 23 iii. Those who consider that a change to the nature of the b) We desire to live and flourish as a parish, set within the threefold ministry to admit women as priests and wider life and structures of the Church of England, in bishops could be received but only if this was with the accordance with the Five Guiding Principles set out in authority of the whole Church, both East and West. the House of Bishops’ Declaration. iv. Those who are reluctant to take any steps to formalize c) We are committed to playing a full part in Christ’s the status quo for fear of this being seen by others as a mission in the Diocese of Oxford, under the Bishop of narrowing or restricting of our life together. Oxford, whoever he or she may be, as the Ordinary. v. Those who regard the custom of reserving priestly and d) We wish to maintain our present fellowship and spirit episcopal ministry to men alone as too early and too of common endeavour for the building up of the Body holy a tradition to be changed now. of Christ in the parish and also to contribute to the vi. Those for whom this is not a matter of great moment, diversity and inclusiveness of the wider Diocese and and whose paramount concern is the unity of the the Church of England. parish. e) We recognize that our parish, with its distinctive e) Within this diverse spectrum of convictions, in order to history and traditions, set in amongst the Universities, promote unity and flourishing, it is necessary for all to Theological Colleges and City of Oxford, is uniquely be able to receive the same sacraments in the same positioned and called upon to play its part, in the wider parish church. Church, in building up a spirit of mutual flourishing of
which we can all justly be proud. 3. Our need:
We ask the Bishop of Oxford to provide pastoral and 2. Who we are: sacramental ministry for us, of bishops and priests, a) Our overriding wish as a parish is to flourish and which can be received by all members of the parish, maintain unity whilst allowing differing theological and that will thus express and support our needs and views to be held with integrity. We live with and identity as described above. cherish a status quo in which we strive to achieve this.
This status quo covers many aspects of the life of 4. Conclusion: discipleship and it is one in which the pastoral and We hope and pray that we will be allowed to proceed sacramental ministry in the parish has been offered by together and flourish as a parish – the etymology of the priests and bishops whose ministry can be received by word parish, is the New Testament Greek παροικία all members of the parish. The parish rejoices in the (paroikia), meaning ‘a sojourning in a foreign land’. In preaching, teaching and serving ministry of both this our exile we are bound to uphold one another: women and men. acknowledging our fallen nature, the most important thing b) Historically Resolutions A, B and C were in place at St we do together is to ask God’s mercy and, kneeling upon Thomas and Resolution B at St Barnabas. These our knees, receive our viaticum, our heavenly food for the Resolutions ceded with the formation of the new journey. We need to continue to do this together as a parish in 2015; since then the PCC has been working congregation, ‘and with joy we’ll persevere.’ MAP OF PARISH
Freud’s, formerly St. Paul’s Church PERSON SPECIFICATION:
THE PARISH OF ST BARNABAS AND ST PAUL, WITH ST THOMAS THE MARTYR
We hope to find a new Parish priest who:
Has been ordained for over three years with a prayerful sense of calling to this post Is a person of Vision who is skilled at attracting and building a ministry team of men and women, lay and ordained Has a spirituality rooted in the Daily Office and the Mass, who will deepen the sacramental and devotional life of the church Has enthusiasm for work with a congregation with a diversity of views but a strong desire for unity Has proven gifts in delegation, management and administration Is confident in presiding at the liturgy and in sympathy with its music Has the ability to preach the Word and expound the teaching of the Church in ways that engage young and old alike Has the desire and ability to minister effectively in the local community and church school and develop our work with children and young families Has a vision for developing the joint benefice and the skills to manage and facilitate its reordering and the future growth of St Thomas Has a track record of growing a congregation in faith with God through preaching, worship, teaching, prayer and service to the community Is committed to pastoral care to the sick, the elderly and those in difficulty, and who can encourage lay people to take part in this activity Recognises the talents and skills of lay people and encourages, motivates and enables their use Favours a collaborative approach to decision making, and is willing to give support and input to ensure that PCC business is done in a timely and appropriate manner Can take forward plans at St Thomas and St Barnabas with community groups, council, developers, and diocese Would welcome cooperation with other local churches in ministry and mission, especially at St Thomas Can communicate confidently with people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, and is outgoing, open-minded, adaptable, and energetic Can negotiate and mediate in difficult situations Will work creatively with the Bishop of Oxford and Diocesan Staff