Associate Minister (House for Duty) with Shared Responsibility for St Andrew’S, Great Linford
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STANTONBURY ECUMENICAL PARTNERSHIP Milton Keynes Diocese of Oxford ASSOCIATE MINISTER (HOUSE FOR DUTY) WITH SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR ST ANDREW’S, GREAT LINFORD MINISTRY DESCRIPTION and PARTNERSHIP PROFILE August 2016 1 2 What are we looking for? We are looking for an ordained Anglican minister to be an Associate Minister (House for Duty) at St Andrew’s, Great Linford, within the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership (SEP), who will: Lead worship at St Andrew’s for up to three Sundays a month Offer a further two days of ministry a week, or equivalent, in the church and community The House for Duty minister will be a member of the SEP ministerial team, and will work particularly closely with Rev David Lewis, our full-time Baptist minister. The two ministers will share leadership at St Andrew’s and divide the tasks and responsibilities of ministry between them. Within the St Andrew’s congregation there are also a number of lay and ordained ministers who are willing and able to share in this ministry. Working together we will: Offer pastoral care to the congregation and the wider community Respond positively to requests for baptisms, marriages and funerals, and the mission opportunities these present Enable growth in discipleship in the church membership Encourage the development of the children’s work at St Andrew’s Engage with our local primary schools, particularly St Andrew’s CofE Infant School Pursue opportunities available for worship and pastoral care in the residential care homes in the Great Linford pastoral area Continue our mission engagement with the community of Great Linford We hope that you will have: A strong faith rooted in worship and prayer A willingness to work in an ecumenical situation with colleagues from different traditions A desire to offer relevant and practical preaching and teaching from the Bible An ability to relate to people of all ages A pastoral heart A passion for mission A team spirit What will we offer to you? In return for your ministry among us we offer to you: The opportunity to live and minister in the beautiful village setting of Great Linford, yet just minutes from the abundant amenities and transport links of Milton Keynes A church steeped in history and yet looking forward to the future A lively, active, vibrant, ecumenical congregation A committed membership of over 100, many of whom are actively involved in ministry in St Andrew’s and the Great Linford community A friendly and supportive team of ministerial colleagues to work with A flexible way of working which will be open to your gifts, strengths and needs Financial support for retreats and ministerial development Full monthly remuneration of working expenses A comfortable, modern, four-bedroom Rectory 3 STANTONBURY MINISTERS The Ministerial Team Team Leader / Team Vicar Rev Andy Jowitt (CofE) Pastoral responsibility for St Lawrence, Bradwell and Cross and Stable Church, Downs Barn Length of service in Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: since September 2000 Baptist Minister Rev David Lewis Pastoral responsibility for Christ Church, Stantonbury and shared responsibility for St Andrew’s, Great Linford Length of service in Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: since November 2015 Methodist Minister Rev Nicola Martyn-Beck Shared pastoral responsibility at St James, New Bradwell (and also Circuit Minister for Newport Pagnell, Woburn Sands and Hanslope) Length of service in Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: since September 2015 Team Rector Rev Paul Smith (CofE) Pastoral responsibility for St Mary Magdalene, Willen and St James, New Bradwell Length of service in Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: since September 2002 Baptist Lay Preacher Mrs Maggie Prisk (Accredited and with permission to preside at Baptist Holy Communion) Lay Chair of Stantonbury Ecumenical Council and co-opted onto the Ministerial Team by agreement Length of service in the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: 20 years Ministers attached to St Andrew’s Congregation Rev Judy Rose (CofE) formerly NSM in the Stantonbury Ministerial Team Rev Peter Dudeney (Methodist Supernumerary) Rev Dr John Beazley (CofE) with Bishop’s permission to officiate Mr Arthur Chadwick (CofE) Licensed Lay Minister Mr Colin Taylor (CofE) Prospective Licensed Lay Minister 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE RECTORY The Rectory is situated just off The Green in Great Linford village. It is an early 1970s large, brick-built family home which is in a secluded location set back from the access road with a large garden. The Rectory is within walking distance of Great Linford village, which includes the High Street, village pub (The Nags Head), the Grand Union Canal, Great Linford Manor and Park, and St Andrew’s Church. A local centre, including Co-op Supermarket, is also easily accessible. By car central Milton Keynes, which includes one of the county’s largest shopping malls, is less than 10 minutes away. The M1 and A5 can be reached in 10 minutes, as can MK Central railway station, which is on the West Coast Main Line to London (35 minutes) and other major UK cities. The property comprises: Downstairs Kitchen/diner with adjacent utility room (which includes access to the garage) 2 large reception rooms Hallway and stairs to first floor A study for church business; this is accessed by the front-door area (which includes a cloakroom) which can be locked separately from the rest of the property Upstairs Four good-sized bedrooms (two of which have wash basins) Toilet with shower Family bathroom Additional Large double garage Small patio area accessible from main reception room The property has gas-fired central heating. A fully operational burglar alarm system is in place. Great Linford Rectory 5 ST ANDREW’S, GREAT LINFORD Membership and Worship There are currently 105 on our membership roll. The basic pattern of Sunday worship is: 1st Sunday of each month: Open Door – an informal family service 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays each month: Holy Communion 3rd Sunday of each month: usually Baptism, followed by Holy Communion Average Sunday Attendance = 60 On the 1st Wednesday of each month the church is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a Communion Service at 10 a.m. followed by refreshments. Average attendance = 25. This service is led by one of our retired Priests and is growing in popularity. Some services have been led by lay members of the congregation (particularly during the interregnum) with support from the ordained ministers in service planning and practical tips on leading a service. We have had successful house groups, prayer groups, study groups, Lent courses and Lent lunches, which have been mainly lay led. Music plays an important role in the life of our church with an enthusiastic four-part choir for special services, particularly Christmas and Easter, encouraged and supported by professional singers and instrumentalists from the congregation. A small children’s choir sings at the monthly Open Door service. Cream Teas are served on Sunday afternoons in August and are accompanied by our musicians. These afternoons are very popular, as are the occasional concerts organised as fund raisers either for the church or for Christian Aid or other charitable causes. The church is popular for weddings. The attractive location may be a factor in this, along with long- held family links. The number of young families moving into new housing areas near to Great Linford is reflected in a steady stream of infant baptism enquiries. Leadership The Church Council meets on a bi-monthly basis, with Congregational Meetings held in the intervening months. School Links St. Andrew’s CofE Voluntary Controlled Infant School has close links with St. Andrew’s – holding services in the church. Members of the congregation are on the governing body and volunteer at the school. History of the building The church dates back to Norman times with Norman arches, mediaeval floor tiles, Georgian wall paintings in the roof above the plaster ceiling and Victorian glass windows. The pews were removed 35 years ago and replaced with chairs. The boiler was replaced in 2015 but the church is in need of redecoration which it is hoped to carry out in the next year or two. The church tower houses six bells (refurbished in recent years) and there is an active bell-ringing group. 6 The six churches of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership St Andrew's, Great Linford Christ Church, Stantonbury St James, New Bradwell St Mary Magdalene, Willen St Lawrence, Bradwell Cross and Stable, Downs Barn 7 STANTONBURY ECUMENICAL PARTNERSHIP The ‘SEP’ is a local ecumenical partnership of the Church of England, the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church. It includes the six churches featured on page 7. Each has a ‘pastoral area’ within the parish boundary; in most cases the grid roads that run between the grid squares of the new town layout provide neat boundaries. We respect those pastoral areas as designating to the local church the priority for mission and pastoral care in that area. Most of the churches in the partnership, including St Andrew’s, have full ‘sharing agreements’ signed by the four denominations. When the SEP was inaugurated in 1982 the Constitution stated: “The overall purpose of the LEP shall be to share together in the ministry of Christ to the world, and within this context to explore further the meaning and possibility of Christian Unity in worship, mission, service and education …” We have been working recently on thinking through the vision and defining mission purpose of the SEP and have drawn up these statements: Our Vision Six thriving and growing churches, making Christ known in our area of Milton Keynes. Our Mission o To live and proclaim the good news of God o To make a difference for good in our communities o To support each other in love and fellowship Our Priorities i.