Cloverfield Community Church , Parish Profile 2020 Contents

Introduction 3

Our New Team Vicar 4

Cloverfield Community Church 5-8

The Town of Thetford 9-10

The Thetford Team Ministry 11-16

The United Reformed Church in Thetford 17

Other Churches in Thetford 17

The Vicarage 18

Contact 19 Introduction

Thetford is a bustling and historic market town of some 25,000 people in south-west which, along with surrounding villages, is served by the Thetford Team Ministry.

We are seeking to appoint an evangelical man or woman to be Team Vicar with primary responsibility for Cloverfield Community Church. The area of Cloverfield was developed in the 1990s and Cloverfield Community Church was planted in 1992 as a partnership between the Church of and the United Reformed Church to serve this new community. The church meets in the purpose-built Cloverfield Church and Community Centre which also functions as the hub for many community groups and activities.

This profile describes who we are looking for in our new Team Vicar, as well as what we can offer to you, and describes our churches and communities in more detail. Thank you for your interest in the post; please contact us if you would like any further information (see page 19).

3 Our New Team Vicar

We are excited to see who God will call to be our new Team Vicar, serving alongside committed lay people in a friendly, caring and lively church family at Cloverfield Community Church, as well as with the churches and communities across the rest of the benefice. We offer the opportunity to serve as part of a close and supportive Team Ministry who enjoy having fun together.

At Cloverfield Community Church there are many We are seeking a Team Vicar who loves Jesus, opportunities for mission and for helping people His people and His world, and is: to grow in discipleship, including openings to build on the existing strong links with the wider • Committed to growth in their own Christian community. It is hoped that the new Team Vicar discipleship; will play an important role in reaching out to the • Evangelical in their convictions and ministry; large new housing development of Kingsfleet. • A gifted Bible teacher, committed to God’s Word and whose life and ministry are This full-time post is one of incumbent- submitted to its authority; level responsibility and carries with it a full • Prayerful and sensitive to the leading of the incumbent’s stipend, a full day off per week (plus Holy Spirit; an additional day off once per month) and six • Pastorally caring, with a love for people of weeks’ holiday per year. The Vicarage is a modern all ages and backgrounds and for the wider four-bedroom house and is described more fully community; later in the profile. • Committed to making disciples of all nations and able to inspire and equip others to join them in mission, including to children, young people and their families; • Able to lead people deeper in discipleship and service, setting an example in life and faith; • Able to work across the diverse range of contexts and styles within the Team.

4 Cloverfield Community Church

Cloverfield Community Church Services and Regular Groups at Cloverfield is an LEP (Local Ecumenical We are an evangelical church worshipping with Partnership) which was jointly a contemporary style of music alongside some sponsored by the Diocese of more traditional hymns; once a month we have a and the United Reformed café style all-age service, ‘The Sunday Mix’, aimed at families. On that Sunday we hold a reflective Church. The church was planted evening service, Abide. We also hold occasional in 1992 and initially worshipped united services with other churches in the area. in a nursery on the Cloverfield We currently have two Authorised Worship Assistants, a Prayer Ministry Team and Pastoral development. Our purpose-built Care Team. There are two Home Groups and a building was put into use in the Men’s Discipleship Group. Our worship band is year 2000. The church family made up of guitarists, drums, violin and a variety of wind instruments, depending on availability. currently numbers approximately 65 people, with around 45 adults On Sundays other than ‘The Sunday Mix’ our and five to ten children attending services include a supervised creche as well as a group for school-age children. Our children join on a typical Sunday. in with a ‘Countdown Prayer’ as they go out to their groups.

5 Cloverfield Community Church

Prayer is an important part of our church life. We We hold regular fellowship events such as have a dedicated Prayer Ministry Team who not bring and share lunches, breakfasts and picnics only manage prayer requests left at the church in the park. and on the website but also offer one-to-one prayer at the end of every Sunday service and Some members of the church family attend following Communion. conventions and events organised by groups such as New Wine and The Filling Station. Every other month there is a Prayer Evening open to all in the church. We have also hosted 24/7 prayer events over the last few years in our dedicated prayer room. We pray for each street on the Cloverfield development throughout the year, focussing on three streets each week.

6 Cloverfield Community Church

Mission Statement Finances

Cloverfield Community Church seeks to be: The church receives income from regular • A welcoming place where Christ’s love can be member giving (including gift aid) and from seen and experienced; hire of the premises. In the last year our income • A united family, caring for one another; was approximately £45,000. Our expenditure worshipping, praying and learning together; was approximately £40,000. We were fortunate • A committed group of God’s followers who enough to benefit from grants in 2018/19 to the bring his words and works to others; sum of almost £43,000, which enabled us to refit • A hub for the local community. our kitchen to catering standards.

Events for the Community

A weekly afternoon tea club is run by one of the church members for over 60’s with entertainment and activities included.

Regular outreach events have become part of the community calendar such as the Christmas Nativity Service, Easter Egg Hunt and Light Night, with around 100-150 people attending.

We support Operation Christmas Child with a monthly stall, donating items and acting as a drop off centre, with 339 boxes being sent off in November 2019.

7 Cloverfield Community Church

Governance Strengths and Opportunities

We have a Leadership Team who meet bi- As the Cloverfield Community Church family monthly and work with the Minister to manage and Leadership Team have prayerfully the church. The church is governed using a considered the next chapter in the church’s life, congregationalist approach involving a roll of we have identified the following strengths of voting church members (currently numbering our current church life for which we thank God: 35) and church meetings which take place every second month for church members to discuss • A friendly, relaxed, lively and fun church family and vote forward actions. The church is overseen in which absolutely everyone is welcome; by a Joint Ecumenical Council which includes • A prayerful, Bible-based church; representatives from Thetford PCC, the Thetford • Flexible and multi-sensory worship with music United Reformed Church and Cloverfield led by a strong worship band; Community Church. • An outward-focussed and forward-looking church which has experienced numerical growth in recent years; • The involvement of a wide range of people, including children, in the life of the church and a committed core of servant-hearted volunteers; • A modern, purpose-built Church and Community Centre including a children’s room, prayer room, office and new kitchen.

We have also identified the following particular areas for growth and development:

• Growing our missional and discipleship work with children, young people and their families; • Drawing members of our monthly ‘The Sunday Mix’ service more deeply into the life of the church; • Further outreach, including to the Cloverfield development, groups who use our facilities regularly and to the new Kingsfleet development; • Motivating, equipping and training church members for service and leadership.

8 The Town of Thetford

Thetford is the ancient heart of East Anglia, one-time home to Boadicea and later the site of a 12th Century Cluniac Priory. In Medieval times it was one of the largest and most influential towns in England. Centuries of gradual decline were turned around in the second half of the 20th Century when Thetford was adopted as one of the overspill towns, with several large housing estates being built on the edges of the quiet market town. This growth continued into the 21st Century, including the development of Cloverfield, where the church is situated. Cloverfield is a pleasant development of approximately 1650 houses (predominantly private housing) which added a greater variety of housing stock than the earlier periods of expansion. The town’s growth will continue over the next few years through the Kingsfleet development, adjacent to Cloverfield, with a further 5000 houses planned with associated schools, employment and leisure areas.

Prior to expansion the population of Thetford had dwindled to around 5,000 people. By the end of the London overspill programme in the 1980s the population had risen to 21,000, making it the fastest growing town in the country. Population is currently estimated at around 25,000 including a large number of recent migrants from Russia, Poland, Slovakia, and Portugal, drawn mainly by the abundance of agricultural work in the area. The last census revealed that almost 30% of the Thetford population was of Portuguese descent.

9 The Town of Thetford

Thetford is at the centre of some outstanding selection of shops and other amenities. The town countryside. Thetford Forest is the largest lowland has a cinema, leisure centre with a pool and there pine forest in Britain and the SSSI Brecks area is are also several private gyms. The town has two unique and steeped in history. Further afield is the doctors’ surgeries and a community hospital, the enigmatic Fens area and the Norfolk Broads. The Healthy Living Centre. town is on the main train line from to Norwich, and the A11 is dual carriageway all There are two senior schools available. Thetford the way from Thetford to Cambridge, providing Academy is a secondary school and sixth form good access to London and other motorway links. centre rated as good by OFSTED. There are There are the usual range of supermarkets and several feeder schools for the Academy, with out of town superstores and, although shopping two schools within easy walking distance of the in the old town centre is a little limited, Bury St Vicarage. The historic Thetford Grammar School is Edmunds is a short drive away with a much larger an independent school catering for all ages.

10 The Thetford Team Ministry

The benefice of Thetford comprises the parish of Thetford together with the two village parishes of Croxton and Kilverstone. Each of the villages has one church, whilst Thetford Parish has three: St Cuthbert’s, Cloverfield and Grace Churches.

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11 The Thetford Team Ministry

The Team Rector is Peter Herbert, who has been in post for just over a year. Peter is married to Caroline and in his spare time enjoys walking, visiting interesting places and playing the piano.

Peter and Caroline Herbert The Heywood Family

As well as leading the Team, Peter has primary The clergy team enjoy strong friendships, support responsibility for the worshipping and pastoral and partnership in ministry with one another. life of St Cuthbert’s Church. They meet weekly for lunch and a staff meeting as well as for Morning Prayer twice a week and Tony Heywood is the Team Vicar with particular for social get togethers (including families) from responsibility for Grace Church. Tony has been time-to-time. with the Team for eight years, is married to Helen, and has two young children, Martha (6) and The stipendiary clergy are supported across Nathaniel (4). In his spare time Tony enjoys doing the benefice by two retired members of clergy, the Thetford Park Run, following the England three Readers and three Authorised Worship cricket XI, watching war films and reading the Assistants (AWAs; two at Cloverfield and one at St novels of Patrick O’Brian. Cuthbert’s). Within the Diocese of Norwich, AWAs are recommended, trained and supported by their benefice, and licensed by the Bishop, to assist with preaching, teaching and conducting worship.

The Ministry Team, comprising the stipendiary and retired clergy, Readers and AWAs, meet together once per half term.

12 The Thetford Team Ministry

Across the Benefice responsibility for Cloverfield Community Church, as described more fully earlier in the profile. There is a warmth of friendship and good degree of cooperation between the different churches in In terms of Sunday services, the services at the benefice, and especially between the three Cloverfield Community Church will be the churches in Thetford parish. In autumn 2019 we primary focus of the new Team Vicar, although launched a monthly ‘Team Prayer Night’ to which in our current pattern he or she will also lead members of all the churches in the benefice are and preach at the Grace Church and main St invited for just over an hour of catching up with Cuthbert’s services from time-to-time. Likewise, one another, worshipping together and praying the Team Rector and other Team Vicar will lead for God’s work across our Team and beyond. and preach on occasion at Cloverfield.

Many of our evangelistic events operate at the Services in the villages and the secondary services benefice-wide level, such as the Christianity at St Cuthbert’s, as well as special services held at Explored (or similar) courses run most terms, St Cuthbert’s (such as Ash Wednesday, Ascension Men’s Breakfasts and Ladies’ Teas (which happen Day and our annual Memorial Service), are shared approximately termly) and the ‘mini-mission’ evenly between the Team Rector and Team Vicars, which has been run in May in recent years. or taken by other members of the Ministry Team.

The Team Rector and the Team Vicars each take Occasional Offices across the benefice are, again, a share in the worshipping life and pastoral shared equally amongst the stipendiary clergy provision for all the churches in the benefice. or, especially in the case of funerals, taken by Within Thetford, each member of clergy has other members of the Ministry Team. Across the primary responsibility for one of the three benefice in 2019 we took 11 baptisms and seven churches, and our new Team Vicar will take primary thanksgivings, four weddings and 37 funerals.

13 The Thetford Team Ministry

The Parish of Thetford Leaders from the Holmsund churches, twinning visits by members of the congregations happen Ministry in Thetford includes engagement in civic approximately every other year. and town life, as well as particular links with four of the town’s schools. These links bring a mixture St Cuthbert’s is located in the centre of Thetford, of assemblies, visits to St Cuthbert’s and services adjacent to the main shopping street and such as Christmas and Easter services. We have marketplace. Services at St Cuthbert’s are particularly close links with the Bishop’s School (a currently all traditional and liturgical in style. Church of England Primary School) and each week The main service each Sunday is at 10.30 a.m., an assembly is taken there by either our ‘Open the features a robed choir and organ-accompanied Book’ team or by a member of the clergy team. hymns, and has a typical congregation numbering around 40, predominantly older, The Thetford Youth Project is run in partnership people. The sermons are mostly expository in between the Thetford Parish churches, other nature and usually follow the lectionary. denominations in Thetford and Integrate Youth for Christ. An after-school youth club, a youth The fortnightly 8 a.m. Communion service discipleship group and mentoring of pupils attracts a handful of people, and the monthly during the transition to secondary school are all Evensong and weekly midweek Communion run as part of the Project. services average six to ten people. There is one home group meeting regularly. Thetford is also a target area for Strategic Development Funding obtained by the The first phase of a redevelopment project has Diocese for the purposes of church planting recently been completed at St Cuthbert’s. The and revitalisation. We are in the early stages work includes an extended, catering-grade of assessing how we might partner with the kitchen which is due to shortly be used to open a Diocese’s sports ministry team and invest social enterprise café. additional resources in youth work as we aim to reach young people in Thetford with the gospel.

St Cuthbert’s, Cloverfield and Grace Churches together have particular links with three sets of Parish Mission Partners. Our partnerships involve prayer and financial support, as well as sharing news and, when possible, face-to-face visits.

The parish is also twinned with the Parish of Holmsund, in the Diocese of Luleå in Sweden (the Diocese of Norwich’s link diocese). As well as annual visits to Thetford each autumn by Young

14 The Thetford Team Ministry

Grace Church meets each week on Sunday Services are informal in style, with contemporary afternoon in the Bishop’s School on the Abbey music, and the preaching is expository; mostly Estate, one of the post-war London-overspill working consecutively through books of the Bible estates to be built in Thetford and an area (or parts thereof), but with occasional thematic of significant social challenge and material series. There is a dedicated group for children and deprivation. The majority of the congregation young people. Associated with Grace Church are are drawn from the Abbey Estate itself and on a an evening home group, a daytime women’s Bible typical week number around 20 adults and six to Study group and a parent and toddler group. ten children and young people. The Revd Tony Heywood is supported in the leadership and oversight of Grace Church by two lay elders.

15 The Thetford Team Ministry

Croxton Kilverstone

Croxton is a village of some 400 people just north Kilverstone is the smallest parish in the benefice, of Thetford. It has an active village community, in with a population of around 60 people. It is located which the church plays its part. Two services are on the north-eastern edge of Thetford. The parish is held per month with the congregation usually dominated by Kilverstone Hall and the Kilverstone numbering ten to 20 people, although many Estate, and all the residential properties in the more parishioners attend the Christmas and parish are connected with the estate. harvest services. A Communion service is held once a month with the congregation typically numbering fewer than ten people. Special events such as Christmas and harvest services, the harvest supper and annual flower festival are well supported by parishioners and others.

Please note that a further parish, with Illington, is legally part of the Thetford benefice, but operates independently of the Team Ministry. Discussions about some reorganisation of parishes within the Deanery are at an early stage.

16 The United Reformed Church in Thetford

Cloverfield Community Church was planted in Currently without its own Minister, it is part of partnership with the United Reformed Church in the Mid-Anglia pastorate and has three worship Thetford, and the churches retain good links. leaders, two of whom are authorised for the Sacraments. The church believes in actively The URC church in Earls Street has served the town supporting local, national and international for over 200 years and in addition to its weekly causes from Toilet Twinning, Planting Olive trees services, it provides a base for the Peace Centre in Palestine to the local foodbank. It provides a and also for a very active young family programme range of facilities for local people and groups through its weekly Songs and Stories session. to use. Its Peace Garden is open 24/7 and every day of the year and it holds Continuing the Thetford URC actively contributes to the wider Conversation sessions and provides regular work of the Eastern Synod of the URC and one of pastoral listening and care support. its current worship leaders holds the Advocacies for Faith in Action, Inter-faith and joint chair of the Area Partnership.

Other Churches in Thetford

Thetford is also home to a variety of other Thetford Ministers Together and Thetford churches. The leaders of these churches form the Christians Together facilitate inter- supportive and collaborative Thetford Ministers denominational working on projects like the Together, which meets most months for lunch, Thetford Youth Project, the Thetford Night Shelter discussion and prayer. There is also an active and a week of 24/7 prayer for the Thy Kingdom Thetford Christians Together, comprised of Come initiative. ministers and lay people, which meets several times per year.

17 The Vicarage

The Vicarage is a modern detached house with good facilities within five minutes’ walk of Cloverfield Community Church.

The house has a lounge, dining room, kitchen, utility room, toilet and study on the ground floor. Upstairs there are four bedrooms (one en suite) and a bathroom. There is gas central heating and the house is in a good state of repair and decoration.

At the front is a spacious drive and double garage, whilst the enclosed back garden is of a reasonable size and laid to grass.

18 Contact

More information about the life of Cloverfield Community Church can be found on our website: www.cloverfieldchurch.org

For further information or for an informal discussion about the post, please contact the Team Rector, the Revd Dr Peter Herbert ([email protected]; 01842 763579).

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