The Parish of St George Hyde Parish Profile
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The Parish of St George Hyde Parish Profile 1 Contents Welcome .............................................................................................. 3 About Hyde .......................................................................................... 3 About us ............................................................................................... 4 Weekly Services ................................................................................... 5 Other Services ...................................................................................... 6 Children and Young People .................................................................. 6 Safeguarding ........................................................................................ 7 St George’s Primary School…………………………….………………………………..8 Home Groups ....................................................................................... 8 Prayer ................................................................................................... 8 Parish Magazine, Website and Social Media ....................................... 9 The Church Building and Grounds ....................................................... 9 The Vicarage and Curacy House ........................................................ 10 Bell Ringing ......................................................................................... 11 Mission ............................................................................................... 11 PCC ..................................................................................................... 11 Finance ............................................................................................... 11 Social Events ...................................................................................... 12 Looking Forward ................................................................................ 12 Finally ................................................................................................. 13 2 Welcome Welcome to the parish profile of St George’s Church, Hyde in Cheshire. We at St George’s Church are a warm, friendly and welcoming family that encompasses all ages; a place where all are welcome to share in our worship and fellowship. About Hyde Hyde has a vibrant and multi-cultural community, conveniently located between the hustle and bustle of Manchester city centre and the tranquillity and natural beauty of the Peak District. Historically, Hyde is a former Cheshire market and mill town and this is evident today through its architecture, market ground, canals, factories and rail network. Today Hyde is a popular destination for commuters, due to its close proximity to the M67 motorway. It has five railway stations and a new modern bus station. It has a good selection of shops including many independent traders, a daily market and more recently a successful and popular monthly artisan market. Hyde is unique in the Chester Diocese because of its diverse community. We have a large Bangladeshi community in the parish and there are many events in the town which aim to promote community cohesion and mutual understanding. Such events include mosque and church tours, shared meals and family fun days. Due to its industrial past, Hyde does have areas of deprivation and incomes are generally low. We are fortunate to have a large number of people who are passionate about where they live and work and this is evident through the many community groups, events and schemes dedicated to creating a strong community spirit and sense of pride in the town. The Hyde area is made up of several villages and suburbs, Gee Cross, Godley, Newton, and Flowery Field with the town centre and St George’s parish in the middle. Hyde is blessed with a number of natural beauty spots including the Peak Forest canal, The Tame Valley, Hyde Park and Werneth Low Country Park. The town is also home to a number of good schools, a popular leisure centre and multiple community centres, a library and bus station. 3 About us The electoral roll has one hundred and sixty eight members and our weekly congregation averages one hundred across both morning services. As demonstrated in our data this is made up of around twenty aged under sixteen whilst around two thirds of the adults are currently of retirement age. We are excited about the missional opportunities we have to change this demographic, particularly linking in with local schools and families. Our vision is to be a church inspired by God’s love to worship God, follow Jesus, share the gospel and care for our neighbours. We have a low evangelical churchmanship with an inclusive congregation. Our service and worship styles vary and include traditional and modern forms. This is also reflected in the types and styles of music we use including organ, piano, choir and music group, Mission Praise and Songpro. We strongly support the role of women in our church with four of our six lay readers being women. We have also had the pleasure recently of having a female vicar. The team of six lay readers includes one reader who began his training in 2017. They work collaboratively with the incumbent, thus sharing the work load and providing a mixture of teaching and skills. We also have a retired vicar in our congregation who is willing to help out when needed. Of our congregation, 66% live outside the Parish of St George’s. Some have been drawn to us following attendance at weddings, baptisms or funerals, whilst others may have lived within the boundary of the parish in the past and now live within another parish but continue to attend at St George’s Church where they are attracted by the churchmanship, ministry, fellowship and welcome. During the past five years we have followed the Growth Action Plan (GAP) process which has resulted in a range of activities – improved links and communication within the local community, pastoral care, and work with families and young people and also changes to our building. We are a ‘sending’ church. Recently one female member has become ordained; another has been licensed as a pastoral Worker, another as a lay reader. We have also been a training parish for lay readers and curates (one of whom has now become a Bishop). Our main activities and opportunities for mission:- •Our ‘Mums and Tots’ group meet each week in church and has a regular average attendance of twenty five pre-school children and associated parents or guardians. New members, who are attracted by word of mouth, are made to feel welcome and encouraged to feel part of our church and are invited to attend church events and services e.g. Messy Church, Easter Fun day, Nativity and Altogether Services etc. 4 •Children and young people play an important part in our church family and we have both Sunday School and Young People’s Fellowship. Here children are introduced to the Christian Faith in a gentle, fun and exciting way supported by leaders who have been called to this role. •A number of church members are involved with projects and activities within the wider community both in the parish and beyond e.g. St George’s School Governing Body and as School Volunteers, Hyde Fellowship of Churches Community Food Store, the Millennium Green, linking with the Bangladeshi community and the Bangladeshi Welfare Centre, Hyde Fellowship of Churches, Tameside Hospital, Carols and Open Air Nativity in the local market place etc., All of these enable them to be Jesus hands and feet - to support those in need and offer friendship and fellowship to whoever and wherever they may meet. •Weddings, funerals and baptisms provide opportunities to welcome visitors into the congregation. Although we do not conduct many weddings, we held a Wedding Fair in September 2017. As part of our pastoral work we hold monthly gatherings for those who are bereaved and have held a Memorial Service. •The Men’s Group and Ladies Group both hold events, often involving food and drink at local pubs to which friends and colleagues can be invited. We also have a ‘70’ club which provides events for the older members of the congregation such as Afternoon Tea and a Christmas Party. •Various community groups utilise the church building; many who attend feel part of the church family and are encouraged to join in with us in our weekly worship activities. •Our church bells are rung each Sunday and remind people within the community, and further afield, that we are a church active in worship seeking to serve God. Finally, we continue to prayerfully seek God’s guidance to enable us to share His love and message to other people in our community and thereby be more effective for Him. Weekly Services On Sunday mornings we have a traditional service at 9.15am using Common Worship, and at 10.45am we have a less formal service using a data projector and song pro. Holy Communion is generally celebrated weekly at either service. On the 4th Sunday in the month we have Morning Worship and an All Age Worship service at 10.45am; this is a more informal service within which the children are encouraged to take part. We also have a monthly 6pm service offering a variety of Compline, Celtic Prayer or Holy Communion with prayers for healing. During the month of August we have one service at 10am for everyone. 5 Each Wednesday during term time the children from school hold their assembly in church which the incumbent leads with the occasional helper. This is a vital link with our school and is cherished by us all. Other Services We have an annual Carol Service usually the week before