Parish Profile for Duxford, Hinxton and Ickleton
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Parish Profile for Duxford, Hinxton and Ickleton Except the LORD build the House, they labour in vain that build it. Psalm 127: 1 Parish Profle: Introducing Hinkledux Introducing Hinkledux Hinkledux is a group of three individual churches – Hinxton, Ickleton and Duxford – united by a common desire to reach out further to our communities and share God’s love in word and action. Across the churches there is a range of worship styles and traditions appealing to a broad variety of tastes and ages so that we can engage people at different places on their spiritual journey. In the past we have had a full time priest in charge but are aware that things will be different in the future. We believe that the experiences of the prolonged vacancy and Covid have helped us to see new possibilities for ministry. We want to focus on what the church can be, and do, in our villages. Although we are rooted in our communities we want to broaden our connection with them, reaching more people, especially younger people, and to make Christ relevant to their lives. We are looking for a new priest-in-charge to help guide us forward to grow in numbers and discipleship, helping us to deepen our relationships with God and each other. Parish Profle: Introducing Hinkledux Growing Together… In the words of our youngest worshippers we are looking for ‘someone warm and welcoming and who smiles easily so we can play at their house.’ In the words of our PCCs: ‘someone whose Christian faith is visible and who will inspire us and others.’ We are looking for a priest who will: Help us to pray and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ Be an inspiring leader who can identify and help develop the gifts of everyone Encourage families and young people to see that Christ is relevant to their lives Recognise and help us address the particular needs and opportunities in Duxford parish. And last, but by no means least, we need a new incumbent who will enable us all to grow in our relationship with God in prayer, discipleship and mission. Parish Profle: across the 3 Hinkledux parishes Hinkledux overview Before providing information on each church, this section details aspects in common. Rectory, 13 St. John’s Street, Duxford The spacious 4-bedroom rectory is set in a large garden. All previous vicars have used the adjacent annexe as a parish office. This annexe has a main door independent of the vicarage and is separated from the vicarage building by a lockable internal door. The whole building has been recently renovated to a high standard. Parish office and administration Administrative support will be funded by the PCCs, to work alongside priest-in- charge and volunteers to facilitate the smooth running of the parishes. Ministerial team As well as the priest-in-charge, we have an Associate Priest and a Licensed Lay Minister. Phil Sharkey has been our Associate Priest since 2013 and leads worship in all three parishes. Phil is also a chaplain at Addenbrookes and Papworth Hospitals. Julie Baillie is an LLM living in Hinxton with a ministry across all three parishes. An Authorised Lay Minister (ALM), Margaret Malcolm, is trained in leading worship. She resides in Hinxton and is able to preach occasionally. We also have links with the neighbouring church of Whittlesford, sharing in some services and Bible studies. Judith Sutcliffe is ‘Reader in charge’ at Pampisford, and resides in Ickleton where she takes services occasionally. With so much of our activity being relevant across all three churches a ministry team of clergy and volunteers regularly meet to discuss services and agree joint activities. Lay volunteers also work alongside clergy to plan and deliver services, especially for families and festivals. Each church has its own PCC meetings and joint PCCs are scheduled to address shared issues. We are currently looking at our form of governance as we continue to grow together. Parish Profle: across the 3 Hinkledux parishes Duxford Church of England Community Primary School Links between the churches and school are strong, with the previous priest-in-charge, and a team of other parishioners, taking weekly assemblies as well as running an annual Church Day of Christian-themed events in June. It was inspected most recently by Ofsted in January 2018; the school was rated as GOOD. The SIAMS inspection in 2015 described the church distinctiveness as ‘outstanding’. The detailed report can be found on the school website www.duxford.cambs.sch.uk. A recent fire has galvanised the support of the local communities and the Christian ethos has been a significant factor in developing a positive response to this major challenge. Focus on Families and Young People Young families are one of our main priorities. Over recent years we have been exploring different ways to engage with children and their parents. All parishes are developing family friendly spaces and together we plan activities for all ages. In Duxford the previous vicar was building relationships with pre-school children and their families through a monthly toddler group. Another group was beginning to explore cafe church. Sadly the sudden departure of our previous priest did not enable a tidy hand-over and, unfortunately, we lost track of a number of families and individuals who were making small steps in the direction of church involvement. This is an area with considerable potential and we would like it to be a priority for our new incumbent. A monthly Sunday Club for children of all ages has been run in Ickleton by volunteers from all three parishes, alongside the monthly Eucharist. Our parishes lead a deanery youth project called YOUTHINC. This funds a Christian youth worker to support volunteers and clergy. Its main aim is to build relationships with young people as they grow up, helping them explore what it means to know Jesus Christ. A monthly discussion group of 9-14 year olds meets with neighbouring parishes to explore what being a Christian means. The older members of this group have recently formed a Hinkledux Churches Youth Council to help plan church activities and they feedback through PCCs. Safeguarding Each church has a safeguarding officer who, together with the priest-in-charge, reviews policies and practice annually. Together we maintain records of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for the relevant people in the parishes. Parish Profle: across the 3 Hinkledux parishes Service pattern across the three churches The pre-COVID pattern of services across the three churches aimed to ensure that all churches had at least one main parish Eucharist per month at 10 am, and 8 am Holy Communion and evening services where possible. Taize services thus far have been lay-led. Zoom services in COVID times have connected worshippers across village boundaries. Between lockdowns we have welcomed the return to small local services of Compline and Morning Prayer and a few gatherings across villages to celebrate together in new ways. 1st Sunday 8 am Holy Communion (BCP) Duxford 10 am Parish Eucharist & Sunday Club Ickleton 6.30 pm Evensong (BCP) Hinxton 2nd Sunday 10 am Church family service with Holy Communion Duxford 3rd Sunday 8 am Holy Communion (BCP) Ickleton 10 am Parish Eucharist Hinxton 5 pm Taize (lay led) Ickleton 4th Sunday 8 am Holy Communion (BCP) Hinxton 10 am Parish Eucharist Duxford 6.30 pm Evensong (BCP) Ickleton 5th Sunday 10 am Joint parish service with Whittlesford and Pampisford Other activities In addition to the regular services there are other activities led from each church: - lay-led Bible study in homes - monthly YOUTHINC discussion group with neighbouring parishes - occasional Hinkledux Church youth council Duxford - Tiddlers monthly toddler group (suspended during interregnum) - seasonal family activities - bell ringing - occasional cafe church, sometimes in school - craft cafe Ickleton - Julian meeting monthly - Window of Prayer - Fortnightly Tuesday coffee morning Parish Profle: across the 3 Hinkledux parishes ! Website There is a basic website www.hinkledux.com maintained by a volunteer. Local area and amenities In general, the characteristics of the three parishes are similar in terms of ethnic groups and socioeconomic status, although Duxford, as the largest village, has the most diverse population. o Across the three villages there is a range of amenities including pubs in all villages, with shops in Duxford and Ickleton. There is easy access to the larger towns of Sawston and Cambridge to the north and Saffron Walden to the south. Transport links: All three villages are well placed, with a motorway junction and mainline train station. Stansted Airport less than half -an- hour away. Roads links include o M11 Junction 10 (north and south entrances / exits) 1½ miles. o 20 mins to central Cambridge (on a good day) o 25 mins to London Stansted airport o 30 mins to M25 Junction 27 o A505, A14, A10 and A11 trunk roads are quickly accessed from all the villages Bus: The number 7 bus runs between Cambridge and Saffron Walden; buses pass through the villages every hour (each way). Hinxton, unfortunately, is less well served. Rail: Whittlesford Parkway Station and Audley End for trains to London Liverpool Street (approximately 1hr 15 mins) and Cambridge (approximately 11 mins). There are non-stop trains to London Kings Cross from Cambridge. Local schools (KS3 and 4): Sawston Village College is the nearest secondary school. It was rated as GOOD in its most recent inspection (November 2017). Cambridge is noted for its excellent state Sixth Form Colleges. St Peter’s, Duxford _________________________________ The Parish of St. Peter’s, Duxford lies ten miles south of Cambridge, in the most southerly part of Cambridgeshire. It is just three miles from the Essex border, nine miles from Hertfordshire and fourteen miles from Suffolk.