St Mary the Virgin, Garforth
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WELCOME TO ST MARY THE VIRGIN, GARFORTH Our mission statement: To know God, to show God, to share God ... … and spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. St Mary’s, Garforth? Where on earth is that? It’s in West Yorkshire. Oh, that’s the place where t h e y a l l d r i n k t e a , e a t p u d s , w e a r f l a t c a p s a n d s p e a k funny? Well it may be, but just wait until you see everything our wonderful parish has to offer. Besides, when it comes to God, we all speak the same language anyway. How very true. I’m intrigued. Tell me more... St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 1 of 19 Where...? Garforth is a small town on the edge of Leeds, with a bustling Main Street and excellent transport links. There's lots happening here for all We have outstanding schools, ages, from the very young to the lovely parks, independent coffee young at heart! shops ... and even a micro brewery. Who...? We are a warm, welcoming congregation who get involved at St Mary's in a variety of ways. Our experienced and friendly team We are all ages from 0 up to 90+, includes three Readers, two with everyone being valued and Churchwardens, a Verger, a playing an important role in our Director of Music and full church. complement of PCC officers. St Mary's is well attended, with 70 Why...? - 80 worshippers at 10am services, but we've got plenty of space to welcome newcomers into the fold. We’d love you to help us grow. We have strong traditions and St Mary's is a beautiful, lovingly plenty of new ideas for the future cared for building. You won't need ... and we're very open to your to worry too much about leaking vision too. roofs or broken boilers here! St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 2 of 19 Could I be the right priest for you? We are looking for a new priest who will help and encourage us to grow as disciples of Jesus, reach out to all the people within our community, and lead our church into growth by: Working collaboratively within the church and with Churches Together in Garforth, and being a visible presence in the community life of Garforth. Continuing the excellent work and traditions of St Mary’s, whilst being willing to develop and encourage new initiatives and styles of worship. Committing to pastoral care both within the church and our local community. Building on all the good work already taking place at St Mary’s as well as moving forward to meet the future challenges. Effective preaching, teaching and leading that encourages, challenges and inspires us. Supporting the use of our website and social media to spread the good news of Jesus Christ within our community. ... and would I be able to serve God effectively here? Yes! St Mary’s offers: A well-maintained and re-ordered church, with an excellent, well-used Parish Centre. A strong team of three Readers and skilled lay support staff committed to the church’s mission and aims for the future. A dedicated team of volunteers working in all areas of church life. A warm and welcoming church community who are looking forward to greeting their new priest. A friendly and popular place to live and work that has very good schools, shopping facilities and excellent road and rail links. A large 1960s four bedroomed detached Rectory that provides excellent accommodation set within large gardens, mainly laid to lawn. Undisturbed days off and holidays! Payment of reasonable monthly expenses in full. St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 3 of 19 Tell me more about your Parish. your Parish. Parish boundaries map. Garforth is a small town on the outskirts of Leeds, with a population of 16,000 and rising. It’s a relatively affluent area with 80% of residents owning their own home. COMMUNITY Garforth has a real sense of community, with lots of popular events (such as the annual Lions Gala in the summer and the Christmas lights switch-on) – and a warm and friendly welcome for newcomers. Residents are of all ages: there are plenty of families with children, working couples, and also quite a number of older people, with several nursing homes, sheltered accommodation, and a retirement park on Garforth Cliff. We have a wide variety of clubs, groups and organisations. There is Garforth Town AFC, two cricket clubs, a bowling club, and a Badminton centre. In addition, there are numerous amateur sports teams for children and adults. St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 4 of 19 TRANSPORT Garforth is very well connected by both road and rail. We have two train stations (Garforth and East Garforth), with half-hourly trains to Leeds and York, as well as direct rail links to Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Blackpool. It’s just a few minutes’ drive to the A1(M) and M1, and the M62 is only a little further. Buses run frequently into Leeds, and to nearby villages. CHURCHES Garforth has six churches: St Mary’s and Garforth Methodist are on Church Lane; Garforth Evangelical is at the top of Main Street and St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church is by Garforth Train Station. Dayspring Baptist Church meet in the library and Shekinah Glory Ministries meet at the Holiday Inn Hotel. SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN Garforth is a great place for families. All five primary schools in Garforth are Ofsted-rated Good or Outstanding; the secondary school, Garforth Academy, is also rated Outstanding. There is also SLP College of Dance, a further education college. There are three parks/playgrounds in Garforth – Glebelands, Firthfields and Barley Hill. Glebelands has a skateboard park and outdoor public exercise equipment, and Barley Hill has tennis courts and bowling greens. All three have excellent, modern playgrounds suitable for children aged 0 -12. Garforth also has two soft play centres: Megaplay and Monkey Maze. INDUSTRY AND SHOPS Ginetta Cars is based in Garforth, at the industrial park on Isabella Road, along with a range of other light industry. Our thriving Main Street has a wide range of shops – including bakeries, two greengrocers, a butchers, a DIY store (Pease of Garforth), and a cobbler’s – plus some lovely independent cafes. Like most towns and villages, we also have a number of chain shops, including a large Tesco near Garforth’s main Train Station. Further out from the centre of Garforth, we have Dumouchel’s patisserie, which is very popular … and within easy walking distance of the Rectory! St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 5 of 19 What do I need to know about St Mary’s? THE CHURCH AND ITS PEOPLE We have a friendly and welcoming congregation at both our 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. St Mary’s three Readers and two Church Wardens are assisted by Deputy Wardens and a committed team of dedicated volunteers in all areas of church life. As you might well imagine, there are lots of rotas! Our Verger manages all the bookings for our Parish Centre which is very well used by the church and by the community. St Mary’s PCC is quite large with a membership of 21 people who meet six times a year. There are smaller “Task Groups” who meet to consider issues of Fabric & Maintenance, Finance, and to organise Social and Fundraising events, reporting back to the main PCC. We have a full complement of PCC officers. We also have a talented team of Flower Arrangers who work hard to ensure that there are lovely displays of flowers in church each week. They excel themselves at Easter, Harvest and Christmas, and of course at weddings. We have a strong Mothers’ Union branch which holds both afternoon and evening meetings so that people who are working during the daytime can still be active members and enjoy the friendship and fellowship MU offers. The Electoral Roll, as of April 2017, numbers 94 people, 12 of whom live outside the parish (but still like to worship at St Mary’s and who can blame them)! St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 6 of 19 WORSHIP PATTERNS Weekly Services Sundays: 8.00am: Communion Service (said) with a sermon. Average attendance about 12 people. 10.00am: Communion Service with hymns, choir anthem, and parts of the Eucharist sung: Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei. Average attendance is 70 to 80 people. There is a four bell peal beforehand. Wednesdays: 9.30am: Communion Service (said) Other Regular Services Sundays: 3.00pm (every 2 months): Stepping Stones, with Café style worship lead by Readers and supported by Music Group 3.00pm (every 4 months): Memorial Service 3.00pm (every 3 months): Messy Church (with Churches Together in Garforth, hosting rotating monthly); held at St Mary’s 4 times a year. Thursdays: 1.30pm (fortnightly): Play and Pray, for pre-school children and parents/carers The churchmanship at St Mary’s is central. We have a robed choir and full Eucharistic Vestments worn. Annual Services Easter: Stations of the Cross Harvest: Family Communion Remembrance Sunday (the war memorial is currently situated inside the church) Advent/Christmas: Christingle; Carols by Candlelight; Crib Service 4pm Christmas Eve; Christmas Day services at 8am and 10am. St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 7 of 19 The Christingle Service and Crib Service St Mary’s, Garforth: Parish Brochure Page 8 of 19 MUSIC At St Mary’s, we are proud of our strong musical tradition and realise the fundamental importance of music in worship.