THE PARISH OF HOUGHTON REGIS
ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH
www.allsaintshoughtonr.org.uk
Houghton Regis Town Council: www.houghtonregis.org.uk
All Saints Parish Church Houghton Regis
Welcome to our Parish Profile. We hope it will give you an insight into our Parish life at All Saints and inspire you to visit. Our vision is to be a welcoming, open and inclusive church, providing for all ages a programme of nurture and teaching that increases understanding of the faith, Our Lord’s teaching, fellowship with our members and the wider community.
The priorities from our Mission Action Plan are: 1. Attract more people into the congregation by improving the awareness of the Church of England in the community. 2. Broadening faith through nurture groups. 3. Develop a caring, nurturing and inclusive ethos enabling all to feel cared for and supported.
It is hoped that our next Parish Priest will welcome our MAP goals and objectives and actively promote them. The Churchwardens and PCC will be supportive and encouraging. Sections of the wider community are already involved in the life of the Parish and this will be actively encouraged, continued and developed under the Parish Priest’s leadership.
Our Parish Priest will have prayer, liturgy teaching and pastoral care as his priority as we seek to develop lay ministries and create confident disciples of Our Lord.
Our Parish We are a diverse congregation with all age groups worshipping together every Sunday in a picturesque 13th Century Grade 1 listed church situated in the centre of Houghton Regis. Our worship is a lively catholic Eucharistic tradition. The music is led by our committed all-age robed choir together with a semi-professional organist leading the music. There is a competent, well-trained and enthusiastic young serving team and a well-trained team of bellringers of all ages. A Sunday School takes place during the Sung Eucharist in term time. There is a Code of Behaviour for the Care and Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in place.
We arrange varied social and fundraising activities on a regular basis, aiming to include others from the Parish and the wider community as much as possible.
The Parish community regard the church building as the focal point in the town, and on occasions when the church is open on weekdays they and visitors take the opportunity to come in, pray, light a candle or simply look around and chat with whoever is in church.
We have recently rescinded Resolution A and are now no longer under Alternative Episcopal Oversight. We are looking for a male priest with the ability to minister within diverse views of our congregation enabling us to move forward into the community while at the same time respecting traditions and styles of worship.
Worship
Our main Sunday Service is a Sung Parish Eucharist with a full serving team and chalice assistants. Vestments are worn and incense is used. The readings and intercessions are led by members of the congregation, choir and serving team. Our all-age robed choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music, and sings anthems at the main Sunday service and additionally at special services. The Organ is an early-twentieth century two manual instrument, although regularly maintained it is presently in need of some attention. There is a team of award winning bell ringers. The choir, serving team and bell ringers encompass all age groups. The congregation is diverse and actively welcomes and encourages members of other denominations to worship with us.
Sunday Worship 8.30am Holy Communion – a BCP service 10am Sung Parish Eucharist with address including Sunday School and refreshments afterwards. Tuesday 9.30am Said Eucharist Wednesday 9.30am Said Eucharist at St Thomas’ Meeting House followed by coffee and fellowship
Average Average Day Time Attendance Communicants Sunday 8.30am 12 11 10.00am 73 57 Tuesday 9.30am 8 8 Wednesday 9.30am 14 14
There is an open baptismal policy. Baptisms take place most Sundays after, or occasionally during, the Parish Eucharist. Confirmation services have taken place in All Saints’ on a regular basis. Weddings occur mainly between Easter and October, and occasionally at other times too. The Parish Church is used for the majority of funerals within the wider community.
Baptisms 75 Weddings 15 Funerals 50
Occasional and Special Services A Candlelit Carol Service takes place before Christmas. On Christmas Eve there is a children’s crib service, as well as Midnight Mass, and a Sung Eucharist on Christmas Morning.
Average Average Service Attendance Communicants Carol Service 150 Crib Service 100 Midnight Mass 118 100 Christmas Day 76 37
Full Holy Week services are observed from the Palm Sunday procession, the Easter Triduum and a children’s service on Good Friday followed by craft activities.
Average Average Service Attendance Communicants Palm Sunday 83 64 Maundy Thursday 52 37 Children’s Good Friday 30 Good Friday 39 37 Holy Saturday 43 31 Easter Vigil Easter Day 165 109
The faithful departed from the Parish are remembered at a Requiem Mass on All Souls’ Day.
Other services well attended by the community at large include Carols by Candlelight before Christmas, Midnight Mass, Good Friday and Easter Day. Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are both observed with an Act of Remembrance taking place on the village green. Civic Services and Women’s World Day of Prayer Services are held at All Saints’ on a rota with the other churches in the town. In 2013 the Battle of Britain Service was held for the first time.
Average Average Service Attendance Communicants All Souls’ Requiem 85 42 Remembrance Sunday 280
Cards are sent out to the recently baptised, married couples and the recently bereaved inviting them to attend appropriate services at Christmas, Easter and All Souls. This has helped to boost the congregations at these times, especially for the Christmas Carol service, Midnight Mass, Good Friday, Easter Day and the All Souls Requiem.
Resolutions During the Vacancy, and after consultation with the congregation the PCC decided that a male priest is the way forward at the present time, (maintaining Resolution B), returning the Parish to the pastoral care of the Bishop of St Albans from the Bishop of Richborough. We are a Parish that values the riches of a catholic worship tradition but within that there is a diversity of position. We are hoping that our new Parish Priest will be able to help us understand the tradition we have come from and lead us forward whilst healing any divisions brought about by the recent changes in the Resolutions.
Leadership The Churchwardens do their best to ensure unity and peace and take their responsibilities in the church and in the community very seriously, leading the congregation and supporting the incumbent. The current PCC of 13 people with a varied age group and background, is made up of 9 elected members, 2 ex-officio churchwardens and 2 ex-officio members of Deanery Synod. There are a number of sub-committees, some of which are open to those not on the PCC, but reporting to it. The full PCC normally meets four times a year with a Standing Committee meeting usually held two weeks before. There are currently 94 on the electoral roll.
The Parish Office, with an answerphone and broadband internet connecti on, is located in the Sacristy, and is staffed by a paid Part-time Parish Administrator who gives assistance to clergy and other PCC officials as and when required.
Communications There has been a Quarterly Parish Magazine distributed to the Church School and parts of the community as well as being available in church. A new editor has recently volunteered to again publish this. The web site is currently being developed further. A weekly pew slip is produced, which is published on the website, giving the Sunday readings, notices about various aspects of church life, and publicising future services and events. Notices of forthcoming events are also published on the Church noticeboards, the website and on Houghton Regis Town Council’s website.
Pastoral and Ecumenical Hospital and hospice visits are made to the sick when required or requested as well as to those at home or in residential homes. A Vestry hour is held in church on Friday evenings, to discuss and book occasional offices on a weekly basis, with the opportunity of alternative appointments if required. In the past there have been monthly lay led services in some of the residential homes and a request has been made for a church presence in one of the residential care homes. A new monthly morning service is being introduced in the local rehabilitation centre. Within the Parish there is a local Food Bank which is supported by church members and other Churches in the town. ‘Houghton Churches Together’ exists in order that the various church leaders in the town meet ecumenically. Representatives from other churches frequently take part in the Mayor’s Carol Service, the Civic Service, the Women’s World Day of Prayer and the Armistice Day Service held on the Green.
Buildings Our picturesque 13th century Grade 1 listed church is in need of some repair, particularly to a 15th Century recessed tomb reputed to be of Sir John Sewell, Knight, who lived within the parish at Sewell Manor. The buttress adjoining the northwest wall also requires attention. The early twentieth century pipe organ is well maintained and tuned regularly, but needs attention, and currently fundraising for this is taking place. The churchyard is closed for new graves, although some are incomplete, and the maintenance of the grounds is the responsibility of Houghton Regis Town Council. There is a Garden of Remembrance for the interment of ashes of those in the congregation. The church is well ordered with a cleaning team who regularly maintain the inside of the church.
St. Thomas’ Meeting House
St. Thomas’ Meeting House was originally set up in the 1970s in a house as a mission church serving one of the two large estates. Due to growth the current building was built and dedicated in 1988 with an attached clergy house, currently being privately let by the Diocese. A well- attended Communion Service and coffee morning occurs every Wednesday.
The Clergy House
Attached to the side of the Meeting House as part of the structure and built to the Green Guide specification is the Clergy House. It is a two story house with an attached garage and a single storey link to the Meeting House It has four bedrooms, a bathroom, shower room and separate toilet on the first floor. The ground floor comprises a sitting room with sliding door to the dining room, study, downstairs cloakroom kitchen and utility with a fair sized garden at the back. The house is centrally heated. The building is in a fairly good state of repair.
The Hall Facility
The hall facility is widely used by the community on a regular basis and is available for occasional hire. Various groups meet there including Houghton Regis Town Band, dance, exercise and wellbeing classes. Some Church social and fundraising events also take place here.
Finance Accounts from APCM
A pledged giving scheme with donations made either by regular weekly envelopes or by bankers order is operated.
The congregation is actively encouraged to use the widely available Gift aid envelopes especially for the occasional offices. A Gift Aid Donations return is submitted to HMRC annually which provides additional income.
The Parish Share during the interregnum is currently £33,544. With a Priest in post this will increase to about £43,280, reflecting that demographically the Parish is the poorest in the Dunstable Deanery. The PCC recognises that we are struggling financially as there is insufficient income to meet our considerable outgoings and every effort is being made to boost our income. The Parish aims to pay as much of the Parish Share as it can afford by monthly standing order. Additional payments are now being made quarterly if sufficient funds are available. Please refer to the accounts for further details.
As part of its charitable giving the church supports the Bishop of St Albans’ Harvest Appeal and the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal each year.
Expenses All clergy are reimbursed for travel expenses at the Diocesan rate. Officiating retired clergy are also paid the appropriate fee.
Strengths and weaknesses All Saints’ is recognised as a welcoming church with strong empathy within the community. There is a good use of St Thomas’ to involve as much community activity as possible. The young people in the church are very willing to help and are encouraged to take on responsibilities within the everyday life of the church. Houghton Regis is a large, substantially urban parish with significant numbers of occasional offices of weddings, baptisms and funerals which amounts to a busy and sometimes hectic workload. The PCC are aware of the need to encourage and motivate other members of the congregation to accept the demands of stewardship in all its forms, in terms of their talents and contribution to church life. Our Outreach needs to be further enhanced to reach the wider community, including all the schools and public buildings in the town.
Our Town The Parish of Houghton Regis is a large single benefice with a population of about 25,000 and growing. It has a 13th Century Grade 1 Listed Parish Church and a Meeting House built in 1988 with a dedicated sanctuary area which is also used as a Church hall. The hall area is also used for a variety of activities by the community and congregation. The Parish borders on Dunstable and Luton, running alongside part of the M1 and beyond the A5 taking in the village of Sewell. There is easy access to the M1, A5 and A6 roads and to Luton Airport and Luton Railway Station via the new express busway. Houghton Regis is close to the North Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Houghton Regis has a diverse community across all age groups with a mix of council, social and private housing. Originally a village, Houghton Regis expanded significantly in the 1960s, with two large GLC overspill estates developed to help the post-war social housing problem. There is continuing expansion with major developments planned for the immediate future of a new Motorway junction and link road to the A5 as well as several thousand new houses. This will have a substantial impact on the town’s infrastructure. With the development of additional housing the demand for an already substantial number of occasional offices is likely to increase further.
Houghton Regis achieved town status in the 1980s. It has its own Town Council within the area of Central Bedfordshire Council. In the centre there is a community hall and small shopping precinct with a range of shops including a supermarket, Medical Centre and Library. Residential care homes, nursing homes and warden- attended retirement flats are in the centre of the town. There are a number of industrial estates in the area providing work for some of the community, who see the picturesque historic church as the centre of the town, providing a venue for baptisms, weddings and funerals for much of the town and the Parish.
There are a number of pubs and social clubs in the Parish and a leisure centre. There is also a skateboard park. Houghton Regis Town Council arranges diverse activities on the Green on a regular basis, that are normally well- attended by the community. Cricket is played on the village green and there are sporting activities available including a Rugby Club and Bowls.
Schools There are a number of Primary schools, two of which are church schools - Thomas Whitehead Primary, attached to All Saints’ and St. Vincent’s Roman Catholic Church.
Situated behind the Parish Church, Thomas Whitehead VA Primary School has historically been closely linked with All Saints’ through the Thomas Whitehead Trust. Thomas Whitehead is a thriving school with approximately 200 pupils (plus nursery), and has recently transferred from being a Lower School to becoming a Primary. It now offers places to children up to the age of 11, and is currently building a new classroom to accommodate them. An Early Years Provision is being set up which will enable children as young as 2 to start their education within a caring Christian environment. The school places a strong emphasis on the spiritual well-being of the children with each class having a prayer table and daily innovative Collective Worship. The children regularly come into church for major festivals and end of term services, and are involved with events such as the Remembrance Service and the Christmas Tree Festival. Some members of the congregation play a vital role as Governors of the school.
Sponsored jointly and largely financed by The Diocese of St Albans and the University of Bedfordshire, All Saints’ Academy is a secondary school situated on the border with Dunstable, offering education to A-level, and has a full time Anglican Chaplain. The other academy is undergoing change and development.
Priest’s profile All Saints’ are seeking a Priest who will guide us through a period of change and lead us forward whilst maintaining the best of Anglican Catholic liturgical tradition with the following attributes:
Has good pastoral empathy with worshippers and occasional visitors. Has broad experience of Anglican Catholic liturgical and pastoral practice. Is a man of prayer and devotion, a shepherd to lead us all to a better witness to Christ in the Parish and wider community. Is a good communicator and a discreet listener. Is an efficient enabler to encourage and actively promote lay ministries. Has a sense of mission to engage with wide and growing community to encourage them into church life. Has varied interests. Has a sense of humour!