Parish Profile: ECCLESFIELD ST MARY the VIRGIN
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Parish Profile: ECCLESFIELD ST MARY THE VIRGIN Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield S35 9XY ̴ The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world. ̴ Contents 1. Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Ecclesfield ..................................................................... 3 2. Sheffield & Ecclesfield ...................................................................................................... 3 3. Sheffield Diocese and Ecclesfield Deanery ....................................................................... 4 4. The Parish of Ecclesfield and the Church of St. Mary ...................................................... 5 5. The Tradition of Services at St. Mary’s ............................................................................. 6 6. Church Resources and Staff ............................................................................................... 8 7. Church Organisations......................................................................................................... 9 8. Village Organisations....................................................................................................... 11 9. Finances ........................................................................................................................... 12 10. Accommodation ............................................................................................................... 13 11. VICAR: Experience and Skills required .......................................................................... 14 Church Mission Statement ....................................................................................................... 14 The Diocese and St. Mary’s (Statement from the Archdeacon of Sheffield & Rotherham) .... 14 The Deanery and St. Mary’s (Statement from the Area Dean) ................................................ 14 Role Description ...................................................................................................................... 15 Person Specification................................................................................................................. 16 Other Items and Conditions ..................................................................................................... 17 12. Further Information and Applications ......................................................................... 18 Appendix 1: Mission Action Plan Highlights 2015 ................................................................. 20 Appendix 2: Church Urban Fund Poverty Statistics for Ecclesfield Parish ............................ 21 Appendix 3: Audited Accounts for 2014 ................................................................................. 22 2 Diocese of Sheffield Parish Profiles 1. Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Ecclesfield Thank you for reading our profile and considering our parish. We hope this gives you a good idea of what our parish is like. The previous Vicar of Ecclesfield moved to take up a new role as Priest in Charge of a group of parishes in Devon in April 2015. We are seeking an energetic and enthusiastic Priest to take on a responsible and busy role; to inspire us to discern, lead and deliver a vision for mission for the next 10 years, to continue to grow the church and build on our existing involvement in the community. This information pack provides full details about the Parish of Ecclesfield with information about the post and type of person required together with information on how to apply. 2. Sheffield & Ecclesfield About Sheffield Sheffield is located in the County of South Yorkshire and is the 4th largest city in England by population. The city, which is famous for producing the iconic Sheffield Steel and for inventing stainless steel, has seven hills, five rivers, two and a half million trees and more parks and woodland than any other UK city. The city is surrounded by spectacular countryside and boasts the Peak District Park within its boundaries. Due to this dramatic landscape, Sheffield was chosen to host the 2014 Tour de France. A vibrant city centre features art galleries, several museums and two famous theatres – The Crucible and The Lyceum. There are two concert venues in the City Hall and Sheffield Arena. Sport is an important part of Sheffield life with the impressive UK Institute of Sport close to the City centre and thriving football, cricket, rugby and ice hockey clubs. The Meadowhall shopping mall matches the best retail centres in the UK. The city boasts two universities – The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. It is home to 60,000 students. More students decide to stay and live in Sheffield after they graduate than any other UK city. Sheffield is an easy city to get to; it is situated close to the heart of the UK. The city has 4 major airports within 1 hours’ travelling time, has close links to the M1 motorway and has a regular rail service to London taking just over 2 hours. About Ecclesfield Ecclesfield has its origins as an ancient rural village on the northern edge of Sheffield, now part of the Sheffield commuter belt. It has seen significant expansion in the last two decades with new housing developments and shopping facilities but still retains a strong sense of community. The local primary and secondary schools have long established links to St Mary’s Church. 3 Diocese of Sheffield Parish Profiles It has a well-established grassroots football and cricket clubs and a popular local amateur dramatic theatre. The church has a regular coffee shop every Tuesday and Friday as outreach and to assist in raising church funds and there are other fundraising groups and events such as the Ecclesfield in Bloom. Ecclesfield is about 6 miles from the city centre with easy access to the M1 motorway about 2 miles away. The village offers countryside to the North and West which is ideal for those who love walking and cycling. The population of the village is 7,000, of mixed ages and social groups, approximately 96% white English with limited ethnic minorities. Unemployment is below the City average of nearly 10%. See also Appendix 1. 3. Sheffield Diocese and Ecclesfield Deanery Ecclesfield Parish is part of Ecclesfield Deanery within the Sheffield Diocese. The Diocese has two Archdeaconries with Ecclesfield falling under the Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham. 4 Diocese of Sheffield Parish Profiles 4. The Parish of Ecclesfield and the Church of St. Mary The parish of Ecclesfield consists of approximately 5 square miles with a population of 7,000 people. There is a single church building dating back to 1470 - 1500 but with some parts from the previous building c 1200. It is an unusually large building for a village church but historically, Ecclesfield was once one of the largest parishes in England. The building acquired the nickname of “Minster of the Moors” in the 17th century and this is still used to this day. A Church is believed to have stood in the village on the same site for well over 1,000 years. Facilities have been improved over the years and the building has a kitchen, toilet and office, a sound re-enforcement system with hearing loop and efficient gas central heating boilers installed in 2013. The building is Grade 1 listed – one of only three such churches in Sheffield and has an internal alarm system and a system of active infra-red beams on the roof coupled with recorded CCTV cameras and monitored centrally. It can seat a maximum of around 450 people using chairs to supplement the pews. The only other church in the village, the Methodist Church, closed in 2009. Some facts and figures Number on Electoral Roll 133 Baptisms annually 36 Confirmation candidates 3 in 2015. Weddings annually 31 planned for 2015 plus some blessings; 33 already booked for 2016 The neighbouring parish of Chapeltown uses our building for weddings as they do not have a church building. A number of weddings and baptisms are people with a qualifying connection to St. Mary’s from the Parson’s Cross Estate area, outside Ecclesfield parish. Funeral services annually 26 funeral services plus 10 services at the crematorium in 2014 Copies of Parish Magazine per month 200 Typical Sunday communicants 80 – 115 Mission Partnerships We are in the very early stages of a Mission Partnership with neighbouring parishes of Grenoside, High Green and Chapeltown. Our Deanery Plan has allocated 3 full time stipendiary priests to this Mission Partnership. Currently Ecclesfield and Chapeltown each have a full time stipendiary Priest, Grenoside and High Green share the other. At this stage the only discussions that have taken place so far are between members of the clergy, although we have had a number of joint services. We are keen to develop this Partnership further, with meetings involving members of the PCCs of each parish. One area already identified, where there is potential for cooperation, is youth work. 5 Diocese of Sheffield Parish Profiles Parish Magazine The Parish Magazine is published monthly with a circulation of approximately 200. It is on sale by subscription and in church (particularly the Coffee Shop), the library and some shops in the parish. The main contributors are the vicar, ministry team and various church-related and community groups. We also encourage members of the congregation and community to contribute articles. The magazine is not intended