Curacy in the of

Title post in the A contemporary & informal church, seeking to live out & parish of share God’s love in our & community & beyond… Boney Hay part of the Chase Team Welcome to Lichfield Diocese

Cradled at the intersection of the Midlands and the , to the sparsest upland communities of North, and the interface between and the Moorlands and Welsh Borders. , the is the ancient centre And we embrace the widest spectrum of church of Christianity in what was the Kingdom of . traditions – evangelical and catholic, liberal and We are rightfully grateful for the inheritance we conservative, choral and charismatic, as we journey have from St Chad that leads us to focus on together – as a colleague recently put it, it is our Discipleship, Vocation and Evangelism as we live goal to be a ‘spacious and gracious diocese’. and serve among the communities of Staffordshire, northern Shropshire and the . ‘…a spacious and Wherever in the Diocese you may be placed, you will benefit from being part of a wider family, gracious diocese.’ mixing with people serving in a wide variety of contexts – from the grittiest inner-city It is my determination and that of my fellow-

neighbourhoods of Stoke and the Black Country, to bishops that your calling to a title post will be a the leafiest rural parishes of Staffordshire and time of encouragement, ongoing formation, challenge and (while rarely unbridled) joy. Our As we follow Christ in the footsteps of St Chad, we pray that colleagues among the Diocesan staff keenly bring their various specialisms both spiritual and practical the two million people in our diocese encounter a Church to serve our parishes, fresh expressions, schools and that is confident in the gospel, knows and loves its chaplaincies. communities, and is excited to find God already at work in the world. We pray for a church that reflects the richness and variety of those communities. We pray for a Church that +Rt Revd Dr partners with others in seeking the common good, working for justice as a people of hope. (Diocesan Vision Statement) 2

A caring diocese children, and a number of higher Lichfield Diocese is one of the largest in the education centres can be found in country, covering an area of 1744 square miles and Stoke, Keele, , Shrewsbury, serving a population of more than 2 million. Telford, Wolverhampton and .

The Diocese consists of three episcopal areas with Vocation and mission of all three Area Bishops (of Wolverhampton, Stafford Our vision for the Diocese is that all and Shrewsbury) ministering alongside the people, lay and ordained alike, will Diocesan Bishop, each overseeing a different grow ever more deeply into their geographic area. This indicates the Diocese’s vocation as disciples of Christ. We commitment to its different contexts, and to the hope to become a Church where all our members “Our time as a family in my pastoral care of our clergy. are equipped to know they are called by God to curacy in rural Shropshire worship and to be the has been one of the best of Homes and schools eyes, hands, feet and our lives. I’ve learned that We aim to provide high mouth of Christ in their the priestly role is vital in quality housing for our own contexts. the community. I’m clergy with a continuous particularly enjoying To further these aims, and programme of working with seniors, and to develop creative improvements to houses enabling the giftings of patterns of ministry, we ask and responsive, specialist others which resulted in a all training parishes to contractors for successful Messy Church offer ‘sixth-day’ emergencies. starting in one of the opportunities for curates – villages. I give thanks to As well as the 208 Church which might be a God for this special time, of England schools in the chaplaincy attachment and for everyone who’s Diocese, there are many (school, hospital, prison or been there for me and good schools and colleges that will welcome clergy’ hospice), involvement with local gardening supported me throughout.” ventures, night-shelter involvement – to mention just a few possibilities. Revd Jassica Castillo-Burley 3

Everything but the sea

Staffordshire prides itself on being ‘the Creative Road and rail links County’: Shropshire is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the Black Country is renowned for its industry and all have significant opportunities for spouses who wish to develop careers in any sphere.

David Rayner (Wikipedia) / Stoke-on- Trent Bottle Kiln / CC BY-SA 2.0 For those days off when you need space away from the parish, the area has everything you could wish for – except the sea: wild landscapes, cultured museums and stately homes. Sports of many kinds (including Premiership football) and at least two theme parks For those with family and friends in other parts of the country, the Diocese has great transport links: Shrewsbury Flax Mill – the prototype skyscraper / Tk420 (Wikipedia) / CC BY-SA 4.0 the M6/M6Toll bisects the centre of the Diocese north-south, and the M5 originates at our southern

Opening of the Lighthouse Project at tip. Heading west, the A5/M54 give easy access to Kingsland CE Academy, Bucknall north and mid Wales, while the A50, A5 and M6Toll give swift access to the M1, M42 and A38 for the East Midlands and the south-east.

Rail links are also good with all major towns having direct services to London and Birmingham and four major airports surround our borders – Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester and Liverpool.

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many museums including Walsall’s New Art Gallery and the RAF museum at Cosford; not to mention excellent sporting options for both watching and participating – from premiership football to the Tamworth Snowdome. Along with Wedgwood, theatres and cinemas, restaurants and superb tea shops just begging to be discovered… Wulfrun Centre in Wolverhampton is one of many shopping destinations in the region © Roger Kidd -/ Dovedale (location of one of the Diocese’s two residential retreat geograph.org.uk/p/1171894/ CC BY 2.0 centres) / Shaun Dunmall (wikipedia) / CC BY-SA 2.0 Leisure and pleasure Lichfield Diocese has everything but the sea. For walkers and climbers, there’s an extensive network of , Chase, The Roaches, and the Shropshire—Welsh borders (for example). If you’re into more organised fun, Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Theme Park can provide it. And then there’s

Wightwick Manor nr Wolverhampton / Tony Hisgett (Wikipedia) / CC BY-SA 4.0 Apedale Valley Light Railway nr Stoke is one of many transport and leisure museums in the Diocese / Simon Jones Alton Towers near Jeremy Thompson/Flickr / CC BY 2.0 If shopping is your thing, there is a range of options, from the chic boutiques at Barton Marina, and Shrewsbury to large malls in or near the urban centres. We’re fortunate in being the home of many fine ales and beers brewed in Burton on Trent (the museum is well worth a visit), and Staffordshire oatcakes are a unique local delicacy to be discovered. 5

St John’s Community Church, Chase Terrace

The Context: with Morrisons, Aldi and Heron Foods, various take- aways & good curry houses, Costa, post office, Chase Terrace and Boney Hay are situated in what doctor’s surgery and dentists. There’s a new gym, as was historically a former mining community. Along well as Burntwood Leisure Centre with its own with neighbouring areas and swimming pool and extensive sports facilities. Burntwood, the four distinct towns make up the Within the parish, there are three primary schools larger town of Burntwood (and yes, having an area (Holly Grove, Chase Terrace, and Boney Hay – all called Burntwood within the larger town of recently rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted) and a large Burntwood can get confusing!) secondary school with 6th Form, Chase Terrace The population of the parish is 11,600 residents Technology College – again, rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. (Burntwood as whole has 30,000+). There is a range There is a large Scout Group (1st Chase Terrace) in of residential property in the area, from five the parish, other churches of various bedroomed detached to low rent social housing, denominations, including Methodist, New Life and there’s a mix of suburban, semi-rural and Pentecostal, and Elim. Most local churches including industrial settings. However, alongside a variety of St John’s belong to ‘Churches Together in parks (including Chase Terrace Park situated next to Burntwood’, a local ecumenical group which offers St John’s), and Cannock Chase AONB support and a shared mission outlook, expressed are within walking distance or a short drive, primarily through the local Foodbank. meaning the countryside is never far away. Cannock Above all, the best thing about the parish of Chase (a large town) & Lichfield (a small city) are a short Terrace & Boney Hay is its people – it is an bus ride away, whilst Birmingham is a half hour’s incredibly friendly & down to earth place to live, journey, reached via good train & motorway links. making it an exciting & receptive place to share ‘Sankey’s Corner’ is the main shopping area for God’s affirming love. Chase Terrace (although even more confusingly the signs call it ‘Burntwood Shopping Centre’!) Although it is in need of some investment and regeneration, it has a reasonable mix of outlets, 6 and Boney Hay

Services in the churches: Across the other three churches in the Benefice, the

service pattern includes:

On Sundays at St John’s Community Church, we St Anne’s, Chasetown: Usually Common Worship; have two services: often robed, with singing group/organ-led music

Our 10am service is an 10.15am (Holy Communion, All Age, Morning informal, lively gathering, Worship) with a worship band, teaching, prayer, ‘Sunday 6.00pm (Holy Communion, Evening Prayer) Stars’ children’s groups Christ Church, Burntwood: Usually Common and an opportunity for Worship, usually robed, with organ-led, robed choir the Spirit to move in times of ministry. We 8.00am (Holy Communion – BCP/Traditional) celebrate Communion 10.30am (Morning Worship, Communion) once a month, with baptisms also occurring 6.00pm (Evensong. Holy Communion, Evening once a month or so as Prayer) part of the service. St John the Baptist, : Usually Our 6pm service has a four-week pattern, with a Common Worship, organ-led music distinct focus for each Sunday: Prayer, Praise, Bible & Communion. These evenings offer the chance for 10.00am (Holy Communion, Morning Prayer) a more reflective time together, & generally provide 5.30pm (Evening Prayer, Holy Communion) an opportunity for extended times of prayer and worship. There are daytime midweek services at St Anne’s each week, alongside a monthly Messy Church. We also take a midweek extended Communion There are fortnightly midweek services at Christ service in Chaseview Residential Home twice a Church, and a monthly daytime service of Holy month. Communion at St John the Baptist, Hammerwich. 7

St John’s Community Church, Chase Terrace

Your Training Incumbent involvement, whilst understanding the need for balance between work, rest & play!

Revd Matt Wallace Matt’s leadership of 3 Chapel Street, Chase Terrace, Burntwood, St John’s continues Staffordshire, WS7 1NL (07855 960179) to seek to ensure  Trained: Trinity College, Bristol the church is  Ordained: 2011, Lichfield Diocese known for serving  Curacy: St John’s Community Church people in ways (2011-2015) which follow Jesus  Team Vicar: Since 2015 & are empowered by his Spirit. St Matt was ordained in his mid-30s following various John’s has seen jobs, including working as an antique furniture significant growth restorer, manager for HMV, receptionist at Ronnie in recent years, as Scott’s Club, drummer & prior to ordination as a God seems to be blessing the approach the church full-time church youth worker. is taking in reaching & caring for its community. Matt is passionate about holistic mission, good He served his curacy at St John’s, before being communication, church growth, community appointed team vicar following the retirement of his partnerships, & exploring the Bible in its context & training incumbent. Although transitioning from applying it to today’s culture. He is progressive & curate to vicar in the same context is relatively rare, inclusive in his theology, & whilst his church- Matt was grateful for the opportunity to build on preference would be low & informal, he is happy to church & community links in an area he & his family be part of a diverse team of churches. had grown to love. His first-hand experience of life as a curate at St John’s will hopefully be beneficial Matt is married to Gemma, with two children, Heidi in his approach to being a training incumbent – & Bobby. He is a big West Ham fan, loves pubs, is prioritising collaborative leadership, identifying & keen on curry, & enjoys music, films, history, releasing giftings, encouraging community gardening & travelling to new places.

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attending our service including 100 local The Ministry St John’s Community Church cubs/scouts; our Christmas Day lunch; 3 local latest annual figures: primary schools visiting the church for lessons, Mission: As our name ‘St John’s Community Electoral Roll 200 Church’ suggests, we strive to be at the heart of our concerts & seasonal celebrations which we run; community, & each week hundreds of local people alongside significant Christmas & Easter events – Average Sunday 130 Adults use our modern & versatile building for various all geared towards fringe/unchurched people. Attendance 31 Children groups, events, lunches, classes & meetings. The A key opportunity in curacy would therefore Marriages 2 church itself also runs a variety of weekly groups, be playing a full & active part in this vital including two ‘Little Friends’ toddler group sessions, Funerals 32 ministry of mission, outreach & service. three ‘YPC’ Friday night youth groups, and the Drop Baptisms 14 Inn café (a ‘Place of Welcome’). Worship: Our two Sunday services at St John’s include band-led worship, communal prayer, A key area of our ministry is therefore welcoming, teaching & prayer ministry, as well as groups for befriending, serving, & leading people into a children & refreshments following the service. The deeper awareness of God’s love & purposes for aim is to make these services accessible to them. We prioritise ‘relational evangelism’ – newcomers whilst offering a deep enough spiritual generally avoiding explicit ‘evangelistic’ events in experience to feed, challenge & inspire our regulars. favour of opportunities to build relationships with Service leaders & preachers don’t robe, & as vicar, local folks, both for their own sake, but also as a Matt doesn’t wear a clerical collar. A curate would potential means for sharing the motivation behind be expected not to robe/collar at St John’s. all that we do – God’s love, as incarnated in Jesus & now active through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Services tend to have a regular pattern of worship- teaching-response-prayer, with an emphasis on Alongside groups such as ‘Little Friends’ which has being open to the Spirit in a thoughtful yet informal 150 children coming each week, our key missional setting. Our worship bands are very gifted & lead us opportunities include ‘Play in the Park’ where we in extended times of sung worship. serve over 1,000 free burgers each summer in Chase Terrace Park next door to church; a monthly Curry We don’t do All-Age services, Messy Church, or any Club; Remembrance Sunday, with over 600 intentional ‘Fresh Expressions’ at St John’s. This is a 9

St John’s Community Church, Chase Terrace deliberate choice for our context, as in tandem with sometimes courses which we write ourselves. In our approach to mission, our aim is to make our addition, there are teaching opportunities at each main services as accessible to visitors as possible. In of our Friday YPC children’s & youth groups. addition, our children tell us they enjoy their groups Our Sunday morning sermons (we tend to call them instead of staying in for a whole service! ‘talks’) are usually 20-30 minutes in length with We believe adopting this approach has led to God PowerPoint slides & video clips, & are based on blessing us with encouraging Sunday growth, with series/themes rather than on the lectionary. In our ASA increasing from 90 to 164 in the last five addition to Matt, we have two readers, two retired years, & a current electoral roll of 200, up from a clergy, & a number of lay preachers/service leaders. previous high of 130. In all, our ‘worshiping All our talks are available on the church website, & community’ now numbers over 600 people. our aim is for them to offer life application as well as teaching drawing on Bible passages. We’re not Services in the other 3 churches in the Burntwood afraid to tackle difficult subjects, & in recent years Chase Team generally have a more liturgical, formal have covered human sexuality, divorce, suffering, feel, but there are Messy Church & All Age services hell, & explored (& challenged!) views on biblical too. These different contexts provide a broader inerrancy & infallibility. training opportunity than St John’s can offer on its own, & time would be given for a curate to attend, A key opportunity in curacy would therefore be lead & preach in services across the team. playing a full & active part in helping to teach & disciple others on Sundays & through midweek A key opportunity in curacy would therefore be settings, ideally belonging to &/or leading a playing a full & active part in leading & house group. preaching, developing teaching & communication gifts in various service settings. Pastoral Care: The bulk of our pastoral care at St John’s takes place through the network of House Discipleship: St John’s has a network of 12 house Groups. House Group leaders ‘look after’ the groups, ranging in size (6-18) & age (11-90) profile. immediate pastoral needs of their group, but we Groups follow a mix of material: sometimes set also have a dedicated pastoral care team who meet studies, sometimes following up Sunday series, 10 and Boney Hay people for listening & prayer, make home visits, & new ministries as agreed with Matt as Training offer practical help. Alongside this, we have a Incumbent. ‘WhatsApp’ Intercessory Prayer Team who commit Our part-time Parish Administrator is Marie Hiley. to praying for confidential needs, & a more general She works from the church office. Marie is often the text prayer chain. There is also a weekly first contact for visitors, & offers pastoral support Bereavement Help Group we run in conjunction alongside her office duties. with St Giles Hospice. Lottie Backhouse is our part-time Children’s We support our local Foodbank, & are a key player Ministry Worker (15 hours/week), delivering groups in ‘Burntwood Be A Friend’, a community support such as Little Friends, Sunday Stars, YPC & seasonal organisation set up in response to the Coronavirus events. outbreak.

We have around 35 funerals & 12 baptisms each Housing & Accommodation: year, both of which involve home visits for The Diocese of Lichfield either has a curate’s house preparation & provide opportunities for pastoral in the benefice or a 'strategic' house for curates in follow up. close proximity of the benefice. These are good houses, mainly with four bedrooms. If there is no A key opportunity in curacy would therefore be curate’s house in the benefice and where such a playing a full & active part in offering pastoral strategic property exists within easy reach of the care to those in need, through listening, prayer, proposed training parish this will be the preferred communion, funerals, baptisms, practical help, curate’s house. If there is no strategic housing home & hospital visits. available nearby the diocese is committed to Wider Church Involvement: There are various providing appropriate accommodation for all those other opportunities for a curate to be involved in entering ministry. We generally do not offer rented the wider life of the church & the team, including accommodation except as an emergency short term PCCs & Team meetings. The hope is that a curate measure. Our curates can be confident that their would be able to both support existing & pioneer home will be of a consistently high standard. More information is available from the DDO. 11 Curacy in Lichfield Diocese

Pattern of training Supporting learning and formation The programme focuses on grounded and situated Curate learning, formation and development is learning and prioritises the Diocese‘s focus on strongly valued and affirmed in Lichfield Diocese. Discipleship, Vocation and Evangelism: Curates receive ongoing supervision and reflection on ministry in the parish, complemented by our  In Year 1 establishing you in your new curate-training programme in which you share with ministerial context and practice, and your year-group of peers. The aim of the training supporting your preparation for ordination programme is to enable each person to flourish in as priest. their ministry and inhabit more deeply their  In Year 2, deepening your practice and vocation as deacons and priests. This programme understanding of mission and ministry with supports learning and formation through a the theological tools and skills you need to partnership between the Diocese and The Queen’s contextualise this. Foundation. And it takes place in the context of  In Year 3 helping you prepare for life-long parish supervision and reflection on ministry. ministry and to take up a post of responsibility to be entered into with skill The programme provides space and an and confidence. environment beyond the parish context in which curates come together with skilled tutors to learn with and from each other’s shared experience, so that they can better integrate their practice and reflection, develop their personal qualities, spiritual, ministerial and professional gifts and skills, and deepen their desire to learn.

The curacy experience is very much a collective one, often gathering at Lichfield Diocese’s centrally-located Shallowford House for study, prayer, retreat and de-stressing with peers: as such, it’s a much less scary venue during IME2 than as a base for a BAP!

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IME2 to equip for ministry

At the heart of the programme are residential Many second-year curates have the opportunity to grow through visits to our link in Canada, events which bring together a year-group of Africa, or Germany – this group enjoying a day on curates. They reflect the diversity of the Church, safari. while the different ministry contexts reflect the diversity of the Diocese. This cohort is the primary context for the essential learning and formation to develop your ministries, focusing on ministerial formation, and on the development of relationships which enable mutual flourishing for all.

Opportunities for academic awards Care for curates and families Alongside the IME2 training you may wish to The wellbeing of clergy and their families is very continue studying on an accredited pathway with important to us. In addition to the supervisory Common Awards. Curates who already have a aspects to curacy, we have a free, confidential Diploma award from IME1 may register for a BA in counselling service (the Listening Ear scheme) for all Theology, Ministry and Mission. Others who clergy, diocesan staff and their families. already have a degree or higher award or are recognised as potential theological educators have More info opportunities to further their studies alongside their – contact the DDO (details on back cover) or visit curate programme. Lichfield.anglican.org/curacy

“We have had amazing support from the diocese over the past 6 years through both of our curacies and that’s not always been straightforward- particularly when ‘life’ sometimes gets in the way!

“But the support, through thick and thin has been fantastic, particularly discerning Adam’s call to pioneering ministry and curacy under ‘pioneer’ supervision.”

Revds Adam & Charlotte Gompertz

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Curacy in Lichfield Diocese

For further information In the first instance, please contact:

The Revd Romita Shrisunder, Bishops’ Director of Ordinands 01543 306220 [O] 07949 033091 [M]

E-mail: [email protected] www.stjohnscommunitychurch.org.uk Find us on: A growing, contemporary & Website: informal church of all ages & stjohnscommunitychurch.org.uk backgrounds where everyone

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