St John the Baptist Parish Profile A Christian community, seeking to know God and to make God known Foreword

Thank you for expressing an interest in the vacancy for an incumbent at St John the Baptist Church, . Searching for a new vicar is an exciting opportunity for us as we are an active Christian community living within a thriving local area that offers many opportunities for mission and outreach. We have a desire to see God’s work flourish and we have grown a variety of worship, social and practical activities that aim to help make God’s love known. This ministry has evolved over the years and we are now ready for a refocusing of our energies.

Members of St John’s, aged from 6 to 86, have contributed to this Parish Profile and it presents an insight into how our Christian community lives out its faith in worship, service and mission.

At heart we are our mission statement, ‘A Christian community, seeking to know God and to make God known’. We are a church where the congregation appreciates traditional and contemporary liturgy and enjoys a variety of approaches to worship. We are a congregation where laity has the confidence to initiate and lead. Diversity is one of our strengths, but we are probably missing opportunities for using this diversity to enhance the spiritual lives of all. There is a strong sense of church community and a vibrant life that is supported by many creative and talented people who long for growth and opportunities for mission, especially amongst the elderly, families, young people and children. However, in recent years children and young people have become distanced from our Sunday worship.

We are looking for a leader to join us, one who is able to minister to the breadth of interests that come together here, and one who can nurture Christian disciples and thereby inspire our vision and purpose and to challenge us as we move forward in the fulfillment of our mission.

Throughout our vacancy it has been our prayer that St John’s would deepen as a place where spirituality, authentic love and Christian compassion are exhibited in ways that all are touched by the love of God. We seek to be a community living faithful, prayerful and loving lives where God becomes better known to us so we can in turn make Him known to others.

Our prayers at this time are for you in your search for God’s leading. We are delighted to share our Parish Profile with you and if you feel that God is drawing you towards St John’s, we will be pleased to hear from you.

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Our Next Incumbent

It is our hope that as you read this Parish Profile you will see that St John’s has much to offer with regards to life, mission and ministry. • The local area is thriving and offers the benefits of both town and countryside with a population open to spiritual matters. • Our congregation offers a number of experienced, supportive and willing leaders with enthusiastic volunteers keen to get involved in all areas of church life. • Our church finances are improving. The PCC are willing to explore new initiatives. • We care about each other and recognise and will support your need for a healthy work/life balance. We value the diversity in styles of worship, music and spirituality that are found at St John’s and we are grateful for the mature lay involvement that supports all that we do. We also delight in our strong sense of family and fellowship, but recognise the challenges we have before us in terms of mission and outreach. We are looking for a leader who will enable us to: • Develop faith that leads to deeper discipleship and Christian service • Expand our spiritual vision for mission • Further develop our pattern of worship so that we can better serve the needs of the congregation and the parish. • Grow our work with children, young people and families so that they have a greater presence within our church, bringing all generations together within the love of God. • Maintain our unity as our worship grows more diverse.

We are looking for a spiritual leader who has a heart for mission. Someone who is able to see opportunities for God to be present in the wider community and can encourage us to keep looking outwards for opportunities to develop our work with children, young people and families. A person who will be able to refresh our vision and enable us to fully become the people God wants us to be. We are not expecting any single individual to meet all of our requirements but after reflecting on the challenges that lie before us, we are hoping to embrace the future with someone who is: • Secure in their Christian faith, prayerful and able to encourage others to make the best use of their skills and talents in order to help further the church’s mission. • An excellent communicator who is able to preach challenging sermons that encourage us to live the Scriptures. • Personally engaging and confident with all generations in a range of social settings. • An open evangelical; adhering to the tradition of Scripture and church whilst engaging in contemporary application. And someone who can: • Minister to the breadth of interests that come together here, yet who is able to draw us together in vision and purpose. • Demonstrate both leadership and management skills – who knows how to establish a direction and when to delegate to others. We consider consultation and listening to be essential components of leadership.

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• Balance the demands of working within a busy church and parish – allocating time for their own personal spiritual refreshment alongside managing the tasks, maintaining the administration, and the pastoral needs of the community. • Develop a vision for harnessing the strengths of all our leaders so that their combined efforts are greater than the sum of their parts. • Be creative with worship and make appropriate use of audio visual technology to enhance impact and effectiveness. • Lead both traditional and informal services for all ages, encouraging both spiritual growth and Christian discipleship.

The new vicar should be, approachable, energetic, supportive, open to new ideas, fun, able to relate to all ages and traditions (The thoughts of a mother and her teenage daughter)

Locks Heath

Our parish, St John the Baptist, Locks Heath is in the suburban Western Wards of the Borough of , located between and and close to the popular sailing area based around on the . Communications to the area are good with a local train station at Swanwick and commuter lines to London from Fareham and Southampton. Southampton has an international airport and ferries run to the . Ferries to the continent also leave from Portsmouth. The M27 affords easy communication along the south coast and connection with main routes to the Midlands and London. In addition to the attractions of , the area is close to both the and New Forest National Parks.

The parish is in a compact area with a population of 11,700 (2011). It contains a district shopping centre, two pubs, an area of retail superstores and a small number of local shops. Up until the 1970s, market gardening was the major industry growing soft-fruits, especially strawberries, for the London market. An infrastructure of roads and railways grew within the area in order to transport goods but generally the area remained predominantly rural until the housing boom of the 1970s and 1980s. This led to considerable growth of the population and a change in the socio-economic dynamics of the area. With the decline of the agricultural industry, land was turned over to developers to support the need for housing in the burgeoning communities of Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth.

The majority of housing is owner occupied. As there are few opportunities for employment within the immediate area, people tend to work in southern or commute to London.

There are two primary schools in the parish, St John the Baptist Church of (Controlled) Primary School and Primary School. We have good relationships with the other schools in the area, both primary and secondary.

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The Story of St John’s

St John’s was built in the 1890s, and was a Mission Church of St Peter’s, , in the neighbouring village. The rapidly increasing population in the 1970s and 80s led to a comparable growth within the church. As we have grown in numbers we have searched for ways of supporting the breadth of Christian traditions that come together at St John’s. The concept of family has been strengthened by a commitment to pastoral care, teaching and our work with children and young people. Our spiritual lives have been enhanced with creative liturgies, music and opportunities to worship using different traditions and forms.

Over the years, lay leadership has been a key feature of our development to the extent that all aspects of our work, spiritually, pastorally, socially and practically are either led or supported by lay members. There is within the congregation the capacity and confidence to appreciate new opportunities, initiate ideas and execute plans.

In 2006 the worship life of St John’s added a fresh strand with the introduction of ‘The Happening’, a café style informal service with worship and discussion that runs in the church hall at the same time as the Eucharistic service in church.

The church fully supports the ministry of women. St John’s has had a number of female curates and readers and currently enjoys and values the ministry of women. We have also encouraged a number of people towards both stipendiary and non-stipendiary service.

In recent years St John’s, along with many other churches, has experienced a gradual decline in overall numbers. New people are joining the fellowship but the church is not currently attracting significant numbers of young families as it did in the past. The size of the congregation has reduced, financially our reserves have dwindled and increasing age and frailty is becoming a limiting factor for some in terms of the service they can offer. However, there is still a full calendar of events some of which are focused on the elderly members of our church family. Other activities draw upon the variety of talents shown by the congregation. Arts and crafts, music, catering and other practical skills are all used to support the life of the Church and there are many opportunities for people to get involved, to invite others along and to help keep the mission flourishing.

The church family remains a caring, compassionate and supportive community of people who come together for both worship and fellowship. There is much laughter and warmth that creates a strong sense of family and belonging.

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“I love being a member of the St John’s Christian family, surrounded by friendship and caring.”

“St John’s is very special to me, a sacred place in which to share fellowship, fun and spiritual growth which can then be shared with the wider community.”

“There is a quality of ‘down to earthness’ and a warmth of acceptance which I have experienced over the years along with a strong strand of prayerfulness underlying all that is done – and there is plenty to do!”

“There is a warmth, friendliness, a closeness as soon as I walk into St John’s, I feel the Lord is near.”

“There is a lot of love at St John’s and I value it greatly.”

A sample of the groups at St John’s

Notelets Children’s Activity Choir each Tuesday during term time. Notelets is for children 5-15 years of age in Church. Choir St John’s choir practise each Friday evening in preparation for the Sunday morning service. Sunday Café 1st Sunday every second month – an opportunity to join with our church family for a delicious two-course meal served in the church hall. Fellowship 1st Tuesday of each month in the Church Hall. A chance for older folk to gather together. Mainly 4 Men A variety of activities with men in mind. 2nd Tuesday of each month in the Hall. Messy Church 2nd Wednesday of the month in the Church for children under 11 with their parents. Fun activities, singing, stories and good food. Take part in the creative re-enactment of a bible story, a huge range of activities including music, ending with a meal. Spirit Café 2nd Saturday of the month at 8.00 in the Grove Room – an evening of musical contributions hosted by the house-band ‘Cahoots’. Lunch Club 3rd Tuesday each month in the Church Hall – begins with a short service followed by simple soup lunch. Craft Café 4th Thursday – coffee and crafts in the Church Hall Grounds Maintenance Two or three Saturdays each year, ongoing and seasonal maintenance Ladies Prayer Breakfast 1st Saturday of the month. Fellowship, discussion and occasional speakers.

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Mission

We aim to live out our mission statement through prayer and worship, offering service to the community through our work with the local schools, having a heart for supporting God’s work world-wide through our External Giving Group and our support of Tradecraft. We have a mission partner through CMS, we are active supporters of the Diocesan Link with Ghana and in recent years our congregation has been supporting the work of Christian groups in Bulgaria.

Making God’s love known is always a challenge. We are keen to do so and look for opportunities to engage with people from the local community. Communion is taken to local care and retirement homes, offering the sacraments to all Christians who request it. Over the years we have provided opportunities to learn more about the Christian faith through our homegrown ‘Basics’ course, ‘Alpha’ and ‘Christianity Explored’. Our festival services are extremely well supported by the community and provide both quality and familiarity. Then three times a years the St John’s All Age Orchestra (which has over 70 members) enhances key services.

There is a growing ministry amongst those families who bring their children for baptism. Ongoing contact is maintained with an invitation to join our all age family worship and later in the year to attend a Teddy Bear’s Picnic event during the summer months.

Our evening All Souls service is another much appreciated event where there is the opportunity for thanksgiving and remembrance for those who have been recently bereaved.

Social engagement with the community is a feature of our outreach. For example, the monthly men’s group, ‘Mainly for Men’, offers beer and curry and is an opportunity to develop friendships and a sense of belonging to men from within and beyond the congregation. We also offer a Fellowship Group and Lunch Clubs for the elderly and Messy Church for families.

Our church premises are a useful resource for mission and outreach. Last autumn, over 600 children attended a Life Expo event, hosted in our church, where a multi- media interactive presentation of the gospel was shared with local churches, school children and the wider community.

We are keen to be actively involved within the life of our church school. The incumbent and other members of the congregation serve on the Governing Body, and support regular acts of collective worship within the school. In addition to this our church offers opportunities of pastoral care for staff.

Local schools use the church and special seasonal services are held for them. Pupils from primary and secondary schools join our own young people in making music either through the Notelets or with the All-age Orchestra.

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The Wider Church Community

The life and mission of St John’s Church benefits greatly from the wealth and breadth of resources that come from within and beyond the diocese. Locally we belong to the Western Wards Church Network, an ecumenical group of 11 churches who support each other through prayer, fellowship and worship. Deanery context We also work within the Fareham Deanery. Members of our church serve on the Deanery Synod and each year we sign up to the Deanery Covenant where we agree to work together and to share resources. Members of our church are active in deanery matters with a full take up of places on Deanery Synod. One member of our congregation also chairs a Cross-Deanery Education Group, promoting educational events across Fareham and Deaneries.

In 2014 Fareham Deanery Synod approved a Ministry Deployment Plan to accommodate the needs of two large housing developments being built within the Deanery. This plan proposes some reorganisation of clergy over the coming years, but the plan for Locks Heath Parish is to continue to have a full time incumbent through to at least 2030. The new incumbent will be expected to offer two days a month in the support of the aims of the Deanery Plan. The Deanery Chapter is currently considering how best to implement collaborative working between the parishes. Fareham Deanery

Diocesan context More widely, we belong to the Diocese Portsmouth Diocese of Portsmouth that is made up of 139 parishes. There is much diversity across the diocese which serves both rural and urban areas and encounters both affluence and significant deprivation. Three Archdeacons support Bishop Christopher in his ministry. There is, by and large, a great acceptance of each other, regardless of churchmanship.

Bishop Christopher writes, “This is a unique diocese, Portsmouth’s distinction lies not in its size or its staffing but in the qualities of its people, both its churchgoers and the wider population. In this diocese we are flexible and nimble, hard-working and robust, responsive and creative. I see this, value it, and thank God for it. More than once people have said that this diocese can punch beyond its weight. Though I am not wholly at ease with the boxing metaphor I know what they mean, but our calling is not to outdo or beat anyone else. We are to play our part in the work of all the people of God, the whole church, in proclaiming the kingdom and living its emerging reality”.

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The Spiritual Life of St John’s

St John’s offers a wide variety of services that embrace a range of worship styles. These have evolved over the years in response to the developing interests of the congregation. We use Common Worship for our Communion services and a variety of other sources to inspire the liturgy and structure for our non-communion services. We have a library of printed services for all seasons and occasions throughout the year. Prayer ministry is offered at all our 9.30 services.

Twice a month there are parallel morning services: a traditional sung communion supported by the choir in the Church alongside the informal ‘Happening’ in the Hall with worship songs and opportunities for teaching, prayer and discussion.

Other services within our pattern of worship each month have distinct identities and include; Common Worship 2, All-age Family worship, Iona evening prayer, Café style worship and Prayer and Praise.

Across all of our services, there is a wide range of music offered to support the worship. Services in church are generally supported by either the organ or electronic piano. We have a robed SATB choir, and on special occasions throughout the year, an all age orchestra. There is a worship band for Family Services and the Happenings. The pool of musicians has reduced in recent years and some services sing songs to recorded music and video.

A new development for us has been the recent installation of a Visual Projection System in the church building. It is currently used to project hymns, liturgy and multimedia content into services and is a resource that could be used further to continue to enhance our worship.

We are not a ‘one size fits all’ church. The range of services makes it possible for people to choose a particular style of worship that suits them. However, many appreciate the range of services and are able to engage with God and find meaning through the variety.

Maintaining the breadth of worship at St John’s is very important to us; we recognise that there is a need for us to retain our identity as one congregation while allowing a diversity of practice. At the same time we need to find opportunities to bring the congregation together in worship and for our worship to focus more on mission.

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“A lovely, inclusive Eucharistic community – and with something for everyone.”

“Family worship – I love the service because it is so happy, lively and praises God.”

“Family worship – I love seeing young families in church and the informal worship. Also the freedom of different styles of worship.”

“I love the peace of the 8.00am service and I consider the congregation of St John’s to be my extended family.”

“Quiet and contemplative services deepen my faith.”

“Having been brought up in the High Church end of the CofE, I very much appreciate the BREADTH of worship that we expect and enjoy at St John’s.”

“I like the variety of services St John’s has to offer. Some quiet, contemplative, others more lively.”

“I think my main concern is the division over the last few years into separate ‘churches’. We do need to accommodate all styles of worship but I would like to see a positive effort towards unifying our congregations – even if that means sacrificing/ adapting some of the more formal monthly services – and that’s from a choir member!”

“Family Service – I enjoyed saying the prayers and I thought the music was awesome.” Reuben age 6

“Family service – faith, commitment, teaching, enthusiasm. Youngsters leading. God’s love in action. Wow!”

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Service pattern Average Attendance

1st Sunday 8.00 Holy Communion Common Worship 1, said service with short sermon. 27 9.30 All Age Worship Informal all-age service. Often lay led with a band to 73 with 19 U16s support the music. 11.00 Holy Communion Common Worship 2 in traditional language with sermon, 52 hymns and a choir. 6.30 Iona Evening Worship Evening prayer using liturgy from the Iona Community 22

2nd Sunday 8.00 Holy Communion As above 27 9.30 Holy Communion Common Worship 1 with setting, sermon, hymns and a choir. 104 9.30 Happening Café style in the Hall with worship songs led by either a live 45 band or recorded music, a talk and discussion. 6.30 Faith Café Café style in the Grove Room with worship songs, 14 a talk and discussion.

3rd Sunday 8.00 Holy Communion As above 25 9.30 Morning Worship Often Common Worship but sometimes from other sources, 138 with sermon and often with a particular theme and supported by the choir. 6.30 Holy Communion ‘Open The Word’, a shorter Common worship 1 with a longer 19 expository sermon.

4th Sunday 8.00 Holy Communion As above 18 9.30 Holy Communion As 2nd Sunday 90 9.30 Happening As above 45 6.30 Prayer Service Informal prayer and praise service focusing on current 12 topics for intercession.

5th Sunday 8.00 Holy Communion As above 17 9.30 Holy Communion Common Worship all age communion involving children and 127 with 5 U16s young people as much as possible and as informal as can be with sermon 6.30 Informal Praise Informal praise service 10

The Occasional Offices 2015

Weddings 10 We use the recommended ‘Love and Marriage’ preparation course run by Fareham Community Church. For those who wish to re-marry following divorce we offer an interview involving clergy. Marriage prayers 0 Funerals in church 16 All families requesting funerals are supported by the clergy. Funerals elsewhere 20 Baptisms – monthly at 11.30am 35 Laity complete the initial home visit after which families are welcome to church for a rehearsal conducted by clergy. Families are formally welcomed by the church community at the first All-age Worship following the baptism. Confirmations 0 The services are shared by all deanery churches, following a short preparation course.

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Statistics for Mission 2015

Number on electoral roll 256 45% live outside of the parish Number of Sunday adults 139 Number of under 16s 7 Easter communicants 241 Easter total 266 Advent special services congregation 1898 including school services Advent special other 4 Christmas communicants 467 Christmas all 1367 October 1st Sunday adults*. 351 Harvest Festival with all-age orchestra U16 76 2nd Sunday adults 115 U16 4 3rd Sunday adults 148 U16 5 4th Sunday adults 157 U16 5 Messy Church Adults 15 U16 35

Total worshipping community 160

Children and Young People in Church

Within the local area there is a growing number of households where the dependent children have moved out of the family home and thus we have seen diminishing numbers of families and young adults coming to St John’s. However, those who are with us bring their own life and identity to our church. They join in with the music, offer help with the technology and perform dramas within our services. This particularly applies to the monthly non- Eucharistic all age service.

On other Sundays there are groups running alongside the service offering teaching and activities tailored to their age and needs. This includes ‘Godly

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Play’ which has become a much valued part of our programme. In the past, children had a greater presence within our services, either to be part of the service or to return for the sharing of Communion. In recent years this practice has declined and thus we are losing the presence of children and young people in our services. We want this to change and we are keen to see children and young people being fully included within the worshipping life of St John’s.

Recently we have been developing all age communion services. This remains a ‘work in progress’ and there is room for us to reflect on further ways of drawing children and young people into the worshipping life of St John’s.

The teenage group, ‘Yoof’ meet twice a month on a Sunday evening. It has its own social events and is currently planning a day visit to Soul Survivor. The church has healthy links with local Scout, Cub and Brownie packs who join us for Remembrance and other key services.

“Godly Play is really important – allows our children to access something on a Sunday when we wish to attend services that are more difficult for them to access. We are relatively new (2 years) and have felt very welcomed by all here at St John’s.”

Adult Discipleship

The congregation of St John’s finds spiritual refreshment from a variety of sources. Home groups meet throughout the year and other groups come together during Lent. Currently around 80 people meet regularly in Home Groups. There is a very well stocked church library. Members of the church attend diocesan and deanery training events and some take advantage of opportunities such as Spring Harvest, New Wine, Greenbelt and retreats to Wantage and Iona.

Refreshment is also found through prayer. Morning prayer is held daily during the week, a small group of people meet weekly to pray for the children and young people of our parish. There is a Ladies Prayer Breakfast and a Julian Prayer group which both meet monthly. Last autumn a number of our congregation took part in ‘A Week of Accompanied Prayer’, a deanery event that was hosted in the church.

“It’s not just me, but it appeared that all the pilgrims on this course have been surprised, shocked and incredibly moved by the awareness of God”. (About the Week of Accompanied Prayer)

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Leadership and personnel

The PCC provides the strategic lead for the church as well as taking responsibility for the ministry and fabric. They meet monthly and are guided by the Vicar and Churchwardens.

Lay leadership is a key element of our structure. Pastoral care, worship, adult discipleship, youth and children’s work, buildings and maintenance, administration, stewardship and outreach are all areas of church life that are led by lay members. In recent years it has become difficult for us to find people who are willing and able to take responsibility for some of the key leadership roles.

Our Pastoral Care Team is proactive and organized in their support of those in need through visits and by offering practical help. Their work demonstrates the collaborative nature of the people of St John’s, a recognition that ministry in this church is shared.

The clergy team comprises of seven retired clergy and four retired Readers (all with Permission to Officiate) and one licensed Reader. These people help to maintain our current service pattern and address some of our pastoral needs. They are very willing and much appreciated but are becoming frailer with age and their capacity to serve is reducing. This is likely to have implications for the future in terms of the number and range of services we are able to offer and could place additional demands on the vicar’s role as priest.

There is also a team of twelve laypersons who lead our informal worship services.

Currently these two teams work independently of each other and we are looking for someone who is able to develop a vision for harnessing the strengths of both groups.

Two employees work part time to manage administration within the church. A cleaner supports the maintenance of the site. The Vicar has traditionally acted as line manager to these employees. A member of the congregation acts as a non-stipendiary verger.

Day to day, a large number of dedicated volunteers keep the church running behind the scenes. They fulfill a variety of roles and are a valuable resource for our ministry and mission.

“Our pastoral care is second to none – not the ‘official one’, that’s taken as read, simply we are a family and we love and care for each other as such!”

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Church Buildings

The church building is Victorian and celebrated its centenary in 1995. It is well maintained although some of the fabric is dated. In recent years a Prayer Corner has been created at the west end and a Visual Projection System has been installed. Quinquennial reports indicate a need for reroofing in the near future and emergency repairs to the roof have been carried out this year.

The Church Centre is integrated with the main church providing a number of rooms on three floors including the church office and library. Other rooms are used for conferences, workshops, interviews, counselling, training courses and church meetings. A lift to the upper floors makes the building fully accessible. On the ground floor, the Grove Room is connected by glass doors to the nave and can seat 50 people. During the week it is used for reception purposes, community activities, small informal services and meetings.

The Church Hall was completed in 1992 and was refurbished a few years ago. It provides flexible accommodation on two floors. Downstairs there is a foyer, choir vestry, toilets, hall accommodating 125, and a well-equipped kitchen. The kitchen has recently been redesigned in order to meet modern hygiene standards and to give greater flexibility. There is a glazed corridor linking the Hall to the Centre. On the first floor there is a small meeting room and storage space.

The garden and grounds are well cared for. There are two car parking areas with a capacity for 36 cars. The grounds have been used for alfresco services, fetes and picnics celebrating special events.

There is a small secluded Garden of Remembrance that offers an attractive and peaceful environment for quiet reflection and contemplation.

Groups who hire the premises include Alcoholics Anonymous Art group Baby Clinic iTalk – NHS mental health provision Locks Heath Wives Maracajacks – music activities for pre-school children Sea Scouts Slimming World University of the Third Age Weight Watchers Women’s Institute Yoga

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Finance

St John’s has always been a well resourced church. Over the last 25 years our church has raised funds for capital projects in order to build both the hall and the church centre, landscape the grounds, redesign the hall kitchen and install a visual projection system. The regular giving from our congregation allows us to employ staff, maintain our premises, grow our resources for worship and honour all our commitments to the diocese. We have also enjoyed the security of healthy reserves.

The last 10 years has seen a change in our financial affairs as regular giving has not managed to meet the required costs and the shortfall has been met from reserves. The PCC has engaged in a review of costs and commitments, and with limited reserves, have set a balanced budget for the coming year. A stewardship campaign was held in autumn 2015 and as a result regular giving has significantly increased and a number of donations have been received. We are hopeful for the coming year that with wisdom and prudence we will have the resources to fulfil our mission.

The current PCC created a Special Projects Reserve fund to receive unrestricted legacy income. We have used this for improving the lighting in the chancel area and for the purchase of new hymn books. There are no capital projects planned for 2016

During the 2000s, a restricted youth ministry fund was created in order to support a Youth Minister within our church. The youth ministry itself has not grown and we do not have a Youth Minister but the funds remain and they are significant. We are not clear about what the future holds for youth work within this parish and how this money can be best used to serve God’s purposes.

Figures taken from 2015 accounts

Income Total £204,525.66

Expenditure Total £199,293.28

Parish share £120,474.00

External Giving Team £8,262.58 (April – September 2015)

Reserves Youth Ministry Fund £32,273.89

Special Projects £10,846.50 (from legacies)

PCC reserves £6,816.03

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The Vicarage

The Vicarage is adjacent to the church and is an attractive, modern detached house built in 1992. The ground floor has two large, bright reception rooms one currently used as a lounge (with open fire) and the other as a dining room with patio doors leading on to the patio area and garden, a large kitchen diner with newly installed oven and hob, a good sized utility room with door leading to the garden and a cloakroom. It also has a large study that can be accessed from the entrance hallway and can function as a location for meetings independently of the family home. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms (two doubles and two good-sized singles all with built-in wardrobes and vanity units) and two bathrooms, one with an enclosed shower unit. The house is heated by gas central heating and is in good decorative condition.

It has a private drive, single garage, ample parking space for four vehicles and a secluded garden which is mainly laid to lawn with mature shrubs and trees. Behind the back door is space for a kitchen garden/vegetable patch. There is also a garden shed and woodstore.

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Finally

We hope you have gained an understanding of our parish, seen our strengths and where the challenges lie. If you now think that God is calling you to Locks Heath, we would love to hear from you. We believe this is an exciting parish with lots of potential and we look forward to welcoming our new incumbent and working together to know God and make God known.

We have a call To be loved and to love To be shown mercy and to show mercy To be forgiven and to forgive To receive hope and to offer hope To know joy and share joy To feel peace and bring peace To be made whole and offer wholeness We have a call Listen... Listen... Do you hear?

http://www.faithandworship.com Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

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St John the Baptist Church 7 Church Road, Locks Heath, Southampton, SO31 6LW Tel No: 01489 578082 Email: [email protected] Website: www.stjohnslocksheath.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/st john’s locks heath

Fareham Deanery Website: www.fareham.deanery.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/fareham.deanery

Diocese of Portsmouth Website: www.portsmouth.anglican.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/CofEPortsmouth

School Websites www.st-johns-titchfield.hants.sch.uk www.locksheathinfant.com www.locksheathjunior.com www.parkgate.hants.sch.uk www.brookfield.hants.sch.uk

Community Organisation Websites Fareham Borough Council – www.fareham.gov.uk

Locks Heath Community Magazines www.bigvoicedirectories.co.uk www.forgetmenotonline.org www.solentlife.co.uk www.loopmagazine.net

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