Parish Profile

Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale, Glossop

With supporting information from St. John the Evangelist, Charlesworth and The Bishop Geoffrey Allen Church, Gamesley

Table of Contents AN INTRODUCTION by Rev’d Colin Pearson Area Dean, The Peak Deanery ...... 3 The Peak Deanery – development of Mission Community ...... 3 Glossopdale Mission Community ...... 3 A time of transition...... 4 The post and the role...... 4 Summary ...... 4

PARISH PROFILE FOR HOLY TRINITY, DINTING VALE, GLOSSOP...... 5 Church and Community ...... 5 Mission opportunities in the area ...... 9 Patterns of Worship ...... 10 Strengths and Weaknesses ...... 11 Finance and the Way Ahead...... 13 What we are looking for in a new vicar ...... 14

PARISH PROFILE FOR ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, CHARLESWORTH ...... 15 Church and Community ...... 15 The Vicarage ...... 15 Mission Opportunities ...... 16 Strengths and Weakness ...... 17 Finance and the Way Ahead ...... 17

PARISH PROFILE FOR THE BISHOP GEOFFREY ALLEN CHURCH, GAMESLEY ...... 18 Church and Community ...... 18 Mission Opportunities ...... 18 Strengths and Weaknesses ...... 20 Finance ...... 20

2

An Introduction by Rev’d Colin Pearson Area Dean, The Peak Deanery Diocese of Derby

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the post at Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale. I hope the following introduction is helpful as you read the profile and consider your application.

This is an exciting and interesting opportunity for the successful candidate. We are in an important time of development in the Diocese of Derby and the Peak Deanery. In response to the challenges of being church in our age, the Diocese has established a renewed understanding of deaneries as a key strategic place for mission. The creation of eight new larger deaneries and the appointment of an Area Dean to each, sit within diocesan strategic priorities as we seek to better enable growth and mission. Our aim is to facilitate greater missional collaboration and partnership. Deanery development is an intentional strategic response to the challenge of growth and mission in our time.

The Peak Deanery – development of Mission Community The Peak Deanery vision of Mission Community aims to be intentionally growth and mission focused pioneering in approach, creative in deployment, and sacrificial in action. A Mission Community brings together different Anglican churches to move the growth and mission agenda forward within their context, supporting it through their prayer and with their resources, and developing a culture which thinks Kingdom first. The aim is to build a shared response to the challenges of our time, a community of churches sharing a common purpose and a sense of interdependence in which the pooling of wisdom, gifts and resources flourishes. Through the Mission Community the churches respond collaboratively to mission and growth opportunities, offering willing and sacrificial support for projects which may not be in my parish or run by my church, rejoicing in God’s activity in a place where the Mission Community discerns Kingdom is best served. It aspires to reach all, but aware that outreach to children and young people is often weak; it aspires to offer support to all, but aware of significant unmet needs of the poor and marginalised; and it aspires to plant new worshipping communities.

Glossopdale Mission Community The appointment to Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale is a key strategic part in the continuing development of the Glossopdale Mission Community. The seven Anglican churches in Glossopdale – Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale; St Johns, Charlesworth; The Bishop Geoffrey Allen Church, Gamesley; St Andrews, Hadfield; The Parish Church of All Saints, Glossop; St James and St Lukes, the Whitfield Parish – reflect a rich diversity of mission and ministry across the breadth of tradition. They have a long history of working collaboratively for mission and ministry in Glossopdale, not only among themselves but also with ecumenical partners.

3

A time of transition This appointment comes at a significant time of transition. Strategic deployment to maximise growth and mission opportunity sits at the heart of our plans. Bringing the fullness of the Mission Community vision together will, by necessity, unfold in stages as conversation and developments continue. Our aim is to support and hold together developments we are able to make now with those that may follow later. This post and the role This is a full time stipendiary post with two key elements:

 0.5 Priest in Charge of Holy Trinity Dinting Vale – offering leadership, ministry and support to grow the excellent work being done.

 0.5 Pioneer Missioner for Glossopdale Mission Community – offering experience and insight into the mission conversation across all seven churches in the Mission Community. In consultation with incumbent colleagues and participation from excellent lay support, the aim is to work collaboratively to develop existing mission endeavour, consider new opportunities, discern places of growth and establish ways to resource the work.

The longer term trajectory is to bring together Holy Trinity Dinting Vale, and St John the Evangelist Charlesworth and Bishop Geoffrey Allen Church Gamesley into one single incumbency. There is no timetable for this, but if the opportunity arose to explore it within the tenure of the candidate we appoint, we would welcome opening up those conversations at that time. With the support of the current incumbent in Charlesworth and Gamesley, we envisage this appointment building healthy relationships in these contexts by offering particular mission support to them. Accordingly, the profile includes contributions from all three churches to give candidates the best possible background information. Both elements of the role enjoy a common aim – to help develop growth and mission plans with these enthusiastic, warm and welcoming churches, and make a creative contribution into the wider Glossopdale Mission Community developments.

Essential requirements of the person we are looking for The successful candidate will grasp the Mission Community ideals – a willingness to support the growth and mission endeavour by working collaboratively; a desire to share wisdom and resource; a leadership style that positively encourages cross church conversation; a heart that wants to set all God’s people free to participate. The essential requirement is experience of the church in mission and demonstrable understanding of the complexities that underpin church growth.

Summary The area is a wonderful place to live. Mission Community is a bold vision holding interesting and exciting opportunities. The successful candidate will enjoy collegiate relationships and a shared sense of mutual support and participation. Great potential exists for Kingdom growth, but it will not be without challenge. Applicants will need an approach which is creative and courageous yet able to exercise leadership with sensitivity, recognising that the journey ahead will need careful navigation and respect for all contexts and diversity.

I warmly commend this exciting opportunity to you.

Rev’d Colin Pearson – Area Dean, Peak Deanery

4

PARISH PROFILE FOR HOLY TRINITY, DINTING VALE, GLOSSOP

Church and Community

The parish of Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale Glossop is located within the High Peak and is situated immediately on the A57 from Manchester to Sheffield. The church was built in 1875 and is a Grade II listed building. Both the bells and organ are original and considered to be amongst the best of their type within the Diocese. Whilst not a defined community catchment area, (the electoral roll currently has 53 listed, the majority of whom are from outside the parish boundaries), we are fortunate in having a Voluntary Aided church school immediately next door, and the catchment area for the church extends beyond the parish boundaries, to those looking for our particular style of worship. Until recently the age group of the congregation was drawn mainly from a more senior age range; however, work done through baptism contacts, the school links and growing confidence in our mission has resulted in more young families being attracted to join us.

The church was built by the Wood family primarily to accommodate the need of mill workers, and to serve the school. We do not have a hall and work over time has attempted to ensure the church building can accommodate a more community centred vision. This may be limited by the ability to provide full access facilities, whilst still meeting listed building status. When full, the pews can accommodate approximately 200 people. However, it is fair to say that the church body wishes to expand this to ensure the building can respond to the needs of church, school and the local community. We do not have car parking facilities, owing to the proximity of the A57 nor a graveyard, although we are currently exploring the possibility of creating a memorial garden, within the church grounds.

5

We currently use the school for toilet facilities, although we are exploring the potential for installing a fully functioning kitchen area and rest facilities within the building. Finance and restrictions with regard to the listed building status are seen as challenges to be addressed in the coming years.

The PCC were encouraged when a local resident was heard to berate a church member of the fact that ‘there is always something going on at that church! This includes a “Fresh Expression” Soup and Fellowship Service on the last Friday of each month at 18.30. We have extended this to include a monthly, Friday afternoon “Scones of Praise” for the older congregation and others, especially residents of local care homes. This service includes hymns by request, tea and cake and conversation. It lasts for about an hour. In addition, we also now hold a breakfast service with a Celtic Morning Prayer on the fourth Sunday as long as there is no baptism that month. We have a group of ladies, who were formerly the Mothers Union, but are now in the process of redefining themselves.

House groups also form part of the congregation’s regular worship and we have two – one of which is held on a weekly basis, and one on a monthly basis. We also have a monthly prayer meeting. We open church on the first Saturday of the month for private prayer and reflection. We have also set up a “lending library” for reference books to help with private study or curiosity; this is available to everyone within our group of churches.

6

The bells are currently not being rung due to problems with the bell frame. Repairing this will be a hugely expensive endeavour and is seen as less important than the provision of toilets and kitchen. Choir practice is held on a Wednesday evening where preparation is made for both the forthcoming Sunday service including hymns and a psalm, together with practising for special services. We always hold a service of 9 lessons and Carols during Advent, which many members of other churches attend. Our Christmas Eve Family Crib service is also extremely well attended by the local community. Whilst small (8 in number), the choir is made of a group of enthusiastic amateurs, and we welcome people from other churches for larger services!

We hold, as part of our mission, regular coffee mornings within Glossop town centre where the church becomes truly visible and also assists with fund raising. Whilst some do not regularly attend church, Holy Trinity does have a special place within the hearts of locals both through church and school links. Indeed several members of our own and other local churches are Foundation Governors at the school. We have also experimented in using the church building for both fundraising and profile raising events such as a Fair Trade fashion show, concerts and school shows. This helps both raise the profile of the church and is seen as part of the mission to our community. Glossopdale Community College (senior school) has used our church for their Carol concert. Members of our church are also Trustees of Holy Trinity, Dinting sports ground which is used by Dinting Cricket Club. Traditionally the Vicar has been a Trustee. The church has a long standing commitment to the local food bank, raising funds for them and collecting donations of dried and tinned food. The Associate Priest is a member of the food bank management committee and produces statistical information for them and for the local authority. Our harvest gifts are often given to the food bank.

7

We see our work with young families through baptisms, Sunday teaching, Super Sunday Club, weddings and with the wider community for funerals and bereavement support as being a pivotal part of our mission and outreach.

8

Mission opportunities in the area Mission in the locality is a key area for our church. It includes ministry in local residential homes, mission to the elderly in the shape of our Scones of Praise afternoons and the monthly Soup service. We are also aware that there are mission opportunities in respect of young parents isolated at home, those who work outside the valley and therefore know few people and those moving into the new housing developments that are being built in the area.

Another key mission area is that of our aided school. We have strong representation on the Governing Body, involvement in Collective Worship and offer mutual support whenever possible. We would like to encourage joint services and activities involving our church and school in order to further strengthen our ties. We also look to the future and hope to forge links with other schools, especially the new Glossopdale Secondary School.

The Occasional Offices represent one of our strengths and we celebrate our present levels of success and our established reputation in the community for providing care and support for families at these important family occasions.

We would like to develop our visibility at community events and our collaborative and ecumenical working in the valley. These have been developed already through our joint Lent breakfast services, prayer events, concerts and other social events plus joint services on occasions such as Maundy Thursday, Ash Wednesday and for memorial services.

9

Patterns of Worship Over the years, Holy Trinity as part of the wider group of Glossop Churches has developed a flexible approach to the type of services offered. We have, therefore, developed a pattern as follows:

1st Sunday Choral Communion at 9.30 am (Common Worship) 2nd Sunday Morning Prayer at 9.30 am Led by a reader

BCP Choral Evensong at 6.30 pm 3rd Sunday Holy Communion at 9.30 am (Common Worship) 4th Sunday Morning Prayer at 9.30 am Often a baptism service

5th Sunday Celtic Communion

In addition to this we hold occasional services in due season – some of which are designed to be led by a lay person where appropriate. All ordained ministers and readers are robed, as are our 4 part Choir. Whilst we are not “high church”, we do enjoy a mix of both traditional and modern services to meet our various congregation needs. Average attendance at morning services stands at 35 approximately and for evening services is approximately 15. We specifically pray for those who have requested prayer both via our notices and prayer board within church at our monthly “First Tuesday” prayer meeting. The school add their prayers to our prayer board, so the whole wider community is prayed for on a regular basis.

10

Strengths and Weaknesses As previously stated, historically Holy Trinity has adapted to sharing an ordained minister and we are fortunate to have two Readers in addition to the self-supporting Curate. One of our strengths is considered to be that we can – and do – share the responsibilities for ministry and this has encouraged others to explore how they can contribute to the life of Holy Trinity. It is fair to say that the team within Holy Trinity is a real team who assist each other and all are prepared to be flexible to meet the needs of the congregation. We currently have two Churchwardens, one of whom is due to stand down, in line with Diocesan guidelines in 2018. We also have a child and vulnerable adult protection officer, members of the congregation meet with prospective Baptism families, and we also have a sacristan who prepares and sets up for all services. People visiting our church regularly comment on the warm welcome extended and this is testament to the skills of our sidespeople. We are especially pleased that, in recent years, work with a group of young children has become a regular feature, and the children leave during the service for their own style of learning within the choir vestry. Over time we hope to improve these facilities.

Previously Holy Trinity was part of a United Benefice with St John’s Charlesworth and Gamesley and this experience gave us the ability to work closely within this group, learning to appreciate and celebrate differences. This stood us in good stead when building links with All Saints, Old Glossop and St Andrews Hadfield. We regularly welcome individual members from other congregations to a variety of our services, and members of our congregation feel equally comfortable visiting other churches to experience various styles of worship. Our Associate Priest and readers have a great deal of experience in collaborating with ministers from other churches and encourage others to adopt this approach. We also have established working links with both the local Roman Catholic and Methodist churches.

Pastoral care is seen as extending to anyone within these wider boundaries and many members of the congregation have developed this over time. The school make use of the church for collective worship including occasional communion services which are well supported by the wider community, the school also use the church building for shows and big school events like Leavers’ Day. The provision of better facilities in church will enable the school to use the space more effectively and regularly. The close association with the school works both ways with church using the school space for special services and social events.

11

Another important social occasion for us is our annual Songs of Praise, held during the summer at or near to our patronal festival on Trinity Sunday. This began following a flower festival several years ago and has become a much loved social occasion, not only for Holy Trinity but also for our neighbouring churches. At the flower festival we invited local groups and organisations to provide a display on the theme of a hymn and then used these hymns for our first Songs of Praise. Other Songs of Praise themes have been: the Queen’s birthday, with hymns drawn from her favourites and a celebration of the church year.

12

A current weakness is the lack of facilities available within the church building - we have no office facilities attached to the church, although a member of PCC undertakes any photocopying for us. Holy Trinity relies on the goodwill of individuals to provide administrative support to the Parish. As previously mentioned, we are exploring the addition of disabled toilet and baby changing facilities along with a small kitchen and meeting room. The faculty is in progress, an architect has been appointed and we have begun fund raising in earnest. We have applied for a grant from the diocese, earmarked money from our reserves and set up crowd funding. Other fund raising projects such as the market stall and open house events are also adding to our resources.

When an exercise was recently carried out at a PCC meeting to identify our strengths and weaknesses, it was pleasing to see that all our strengths were associated with people, pastoral care and mission and the weaknesses related to lack of finances to help us develop the church building to become more community friendly. However, one of our overall strengths is the ability to be inventive and we are hopeful that, with God’s guidance, we shall achieve our long-term aim to assist with the mission within the Glossopdale community. Finance and the Way Ahead. We have met our portion of the Parish Share now the Common Fund for the last 10 years, although historically Holy Trinity has struggled with this commitment. It is seen as a priority for the PCC to pay the Share, but we also have been fortunate over the past 10 years to meet immediate issues highlighted in the Quinquennial (next due 2021), specifically repairs to the Rose Window costing approximately £8000, some of the stained glass windows, and also work on the mortar within the Spire (£6K). The Roof was replaced in 1995, owing to funds being made available through the Heritage Lottery Funding. We now have a schedule of repairs highlighted in our most recent Quinquennial report – 2016 – which will require members of the congregation to complete some works plus specific fund raising. We have recently done work on the interior lighting, electrics and updated the sound system. This has been completed through funding from both a generous bequest and also specific fundraising appeals. Because of the profile of our congregation it has always been, and remains, that we practice good housekeeping and stewardship of limited financial resources. Owing to this, we are proactive and inventive when looking for funding sources.

13

Whilst Holy Trinity does not have a formal mission statement, it is the wish of the PCC to continue to work to reflect the needs of the congregation and to collaborate within the wider community to ensure that the ministry and mission within Glossopdale continues to thrive, and to benefit from shared learning experiences. Part of this is the desire to refashion the interior of the church to retain the sanctity of the building, but also be flexible in meeting the needs of the wider church family and community, and we look forward to welcoming someone into our church family who can help and support us in this vision for the whole of Glossopdale.

What we are looking for in a new vicar to work with Holy Trinity and other churches in the valley.

1. Experience of multi parish working 2. A willingness to encourage, develop and celebrate the role of our children in our worship. 3. A willingness to respect and embrace the traditions of different churches. 4. The ability and confidence to delegate and utilise the skills and talents of those available to them. 5. Change management skills, time management skills and the ability to observe and analyse before acting. 6. Sensitivity, compassion, tact, diplomacy and a sense of humour. 7. Care and consideration for others and for themselves 8. Being prepared to work towards and committed to improving the environment and accessibility of the church. 9. Strong leadership and strength of character 10. A willingness and eagerness to build on what has already been achieved 11. A commitment to the local community, especially schools

14

PARISH PROFILE FOR ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, CHARLESWORTH

Church and Community The church and adjoining school were built in the mid-19th Century long after the Independent Chapel and Baptist Chapel were established. The church is Grade II listed and in good repair. An area at the back of the church has been cleared of pews for flexible space and community use. In the north transept there is a servery area and WC with plans for upgrading. The church yard was closed in 2016 and is now the responsibility of High Peak Borough Council. Charlesworth is a traditional Derbyshire village of around 3000 inhabitants including the hamlet of Chisworth and 13 miles east of Manchester with easy access by train. Currently there is one public house, a village club, four shops, a garage, a Rugby Club, a Cricket Club, an Equestrian Centre and a split-site primary school and a nursery. There is also an open recreation field. Charlesworth has a broad mix of housing types that enables a wide range of people to make a home here.

Simmondley is a suburb of Glossop, with a population of around 5000. It is a large housing development, including the small original village, a mile to the east of Charlesworth but partially within both Charlesworth and Dinting Parishes. Many of the occupants commute to work within Greater Manchester. It has a shopping parade including doctor’s surgery, dentist and chemist together with a large Primary School which has good links with St James’ Whitfield. Active Christians attend churches across Glossopdale.

Gamesley Is an area of predominantly social housing with St John’s daughter church, the Bishop Geoffrey Allen Church and Centre as described in the Gamesley profile.

The Vicarage was purpose built in 1982 and is adjacent to St. John’s Church. It affords a superb view over the hills to the rear and has an easily maintained garden.

Patterns of Worship: Our church tradition is Open Evangelical and open to the Holy Spirit. Services are quite varied with a more reflective BCP Holy Communion service at 8 am twice monthly. The main 10 am service comprises Morning Prayer, Holy Communion or ‘All Age Worship’, or a shared service with Gamesley. Our expectation has been that we will have sung worship led by a music group. Children and young people have their own ‘Kidztime’ as part of the 10am service. There are two home groups, one meeting in the afternoon. The other ‘Life-Link’ is an evening group linked to social media and web talks enabling anyone to participate in the study material anywhere, anytime. ‘Saturday Prayer Breakfast’ occurs monthly in church members’ homes.

Church Membership: The combined electoral roll for Charlesworth and Gamesley is just under a hundred. Currently, usual service attendance at Charlesworth is around 30. All ages attend our services, both men and women, the largest group of which comprises active retired people. A Youth Emmaus Group is currently preparing some of our youngsters for confirmation. 15

Mission Opportunities

We support the Christian Community Café in Gamesley, RAHOCA (a community HIV/AIDS project in Uganda), Toybox (helping Street children in Guatemala), supported by Kidztime. Other charities receive support as and when the need arises. Church members are active in a number of local and international charities.

Current missional activities include:

1. The Brownies meet in both church and school are very much part of our family 2. A recently established ‘Tea, Toast & Talk’ Group meets in church which provides companionship for people in Charlesworth 3. There is also a Food Bank drop-off in the church, well supported by church members. 4. Monthly ‘Open the Book’ assemblies in Charlesworth Primary School 5. Annual Easter Activity for all of the Charlesworth Primary School, who also come into the school for special services. 6. Carols round the Tree in the centre of the village has become a well attended tradition 7. St. John’s holds an outdoor service at the annual Well Dressing 8. A missional presence at the Annual Carnival 9. A team from St. Johns leads Marriage by Design also offered to couples getting married in other churches 10. Families coming for Baptism are welcomed to the service on the day and offered support in their spiritual journey both before and after the service. 11. Church members use other activities e.g. the men’s walking group and fund raising events, to foster relationships with people outside the current church community.

Aspirational We have worked with an external diocesan facilitator extending the work with sessions from local lay leadership to establish a vision and missional projects. This lead to the establishment of the ‘Outreach and Fundraising Action Group’ which has started ‘Tea, Toast and Talk’ and us establishing a missional presence at this year’s carnival. Our young people also wanted to serve by doing a bag packing session in a local supermarket. We welcome the establishment of the Glossopdale Missional Community and see it as an opportunity for collaborative ministry and greater involvement with Glossopdale High School.

16

Strengths and Weakness Our principal Strengths and Weaknesses are perceived as:

Strengths  We are a welcoming community with a core group of people who love God and know they are called to serve His purpose in their local church  A light airy building that is seen as attractive and felt to be a ‘thin place’ by many  Lay people are involved in leading intercessions, prayer ministry at services, puppet ministry, reading of scripture, distribution of Holy Communion both within services and the community  Our ‘Welcoming and Hospitality’ team  The variety of church traditions represented by those in our worshiping community  Future working with Dinting and other churches in Glossopdale builds on experience of past collaboration

Weaknesses  Building, whilst an asset, would benefit from adaptation for work in 21st century  There have been tensions over the extent to which lay people can lead services, music ministry and preach  Despite the majority of church members living on Simmondley we have no overt presence which would enable the church to connect with people living there  Paying our Common Fund in full remains aspirational

Finance and the Way Ahead 2017 saw large expenditure of £25,000 on the fabric of the church with renewal of the heating boilers and associated equipment including a new gas mains and meter.

Regular giving reduced throughout 2017 and into 2018 but plate giving increased and the church faces a challenging time to balance income and expenditure so as to not eat into savings designated for further work on the church including an accessible toilet, redesigned servery area and opening up the chancel worship area by the removal of some front pews

In 2017 we paid 92% of the Common Fund requested and for 2018 we hope to pay 100%, but this is dependent on successful fundraising and increased giving. Common Fund requested for 2018 is a slightly reduced figure over 2017. Charity giving has remained at the 2017 level with RAHOCA and Café Jericho being supported by quarterly/monthly donations respectively. We continue to support children’s work through the Toybox donations raised by Kidztime.

17

PARISH PROFILE FOR BISHOP GEOFFREY ALLEN CHURCH, GAMESLEY

Church and Community

Fifty years ago when Manchester Corporation planned the Gamesley estate, St John’s Church had the vision for a daughter church here in the centre of the estate which would also serve the local community. Local fundraising and a generous donation from the then Bishop of Derby, The Rt Rev’d Geoffrey Allen saw the project to completion, also, at the time, providing the library and the doctor’s surgery. The church still owns the building but Derbyshire County Council are responsible for repairs.

Decades later things have moved on and there are now separate libraries and doctor’s surgeries on the estate and a nursery school next door has benefitted the community but compromised our original front entrance. Our vicar, the Rev’d Felicity Walters has been negotiating with Derbyshire County Council over refurbishment of the building, in particular the exterior which is very dilapidated, and is assured that this is scheduled and in the budget, but we have yet to see the work start.

Gamesley church worships here weekly with Holy Communion once a month, but staffing of services has been very difficult for the last couple of years. The congregation of about a dozen has had its viability questioned on occasions for the last decade or so. A number of members have died, yet the church keeps on slowly adding new people and integrating them into the church community. Church members do not have their own transport and there is no Sunday bus service, so worship on the estate is vital. The majority of church members attend Bible study on Thursdays.

Mission Opportunities

In the last year or so the congregation, with help from others, has undertaken a number of missional activities. We work closely with Gamesley Community Cafe, and with help from St John‘s too we cleared our garden area of rubbish to create a quiet green space next to the church which we now open to the public.

18

At Easter we erected a full-sized cross in the garden, adding a crown of thorns on Good Friday as part of our service and then replacing it with a floral wreath made by worshippers after the Good Friday service together with discarded grave clothes, on Easter Day. After a couple of weeks the vicar wanted to pack it all away until next year, but the church members insisted that the plain cross remain as a witness that the building is a church , not just a community hall.

Working with the Café, in the summer of 2017 we held a BBQ for the community, and in the autumn a community harvest supper with a short ‘Bread Alone?’ address. We had heard that there had been several untimely deaths on the estate, so we held an ‘A Time to Remember’ service focussing on the needs of those who had not had church funerals. Our vicar led the busy Christingle service organised by and held in the Café.

HARVEST FESTIVAL WITH HARVEST SUPPER

It took several years of prayer and negotiation for us to be welcomed into Gamesley School and for the last three years we have hosted, with the help of a large team from St John’s, ‘Experience Easter’, an interactive prayer activity, for Year 3 children, who have then invited us back to their Passion Play. We hope to expand this in future years. We have met young children thirsty for God and long to be able to reach them, perhaps through regular Christian clubs in school. We also would love to see greater input into Glossopdale High School, perhaps expanding on the chaplaincy which has started there.

We are planning a Songs of Praise to celebrate 50 years of the estate before this year’s community BBQ.

19

Strengths and Weaknesses

Our strength is our warmth and our accessibility; we actually live here unlike many people who seek to serve Gamesley. Our weakness is that we are all women and of a certain age. Nonetheless, if we were able to reach all of the women of that age living in Gamesley, it would be revival indeed and impact on everyone else!

Finance

Gamesley congregation have paid their allotment of Common Fund in full and are proud to do so. Through embracing sacrificial and generous giving the plate collections were increased by £850 last year, despite the fact that no one is a tax-payer able to claim Gift Aid.

20