PPPARISHPAARRISISHARISHH PPRROOFFILILEEPROFILE The Benefices of Bredon and the Beckford Group J , ° n ¾ °f° n ½ @- Ŧ,ff - --@- Ŧ° f½¾ ¾ Ŧ¾ f½f¾ @-@-@--D--I D Ŧ-nf¾Ŧ fffŦf °¾¯¯¯° ° @¾¾°¾nf °¾¾°¯ °¾½¾ff°°f f½½°¾f ŦŦ¾¯f°–¯¯¯° °Ŧ Welcome from the Bredon Hill Group Ministry On behalf of the parishes of Bredon Hill we welcome your interest in this post and we look forward to working alongside whoever is appointed. The Bredon Hill Group consisting of four benefices which comprises of fourteen churches, is currently in a time of transition following the untimely deaths of two previous incumbents. This appointment to the Benefices of Bredon and the Beckford Group is instrumental to work with the existing incumbent of the Eckington Benefice to take forward the future ministry and mission of the Group. As incumbent you will be assisted by retired clergy, Authorised Lay Ministers and by our excellent network of churchwardens. The Group Ministry is well established as these benefices have been working together since 2008. The Group was made fully formal in the legal sense in April 2017. Over time the vision for ministry shared between clergy and laity has been established. Part of the ongoing vision you will need to bring and work collaboratively with, is the revision of the Sunday service rota which has clergy and lay ministers deployed across the whole fourteen churches, albeit with the intention of each focusing mostly on their home benefice(s). There is an expectation to appoint to a third clergy position in the future, the exact nature of which is yet to be decided. Over the last few years a united service for the whole Group has been held on most “5th Sundays” with the summer one followed by a picnic lunch. Other joint initiatives have included shared Lent courses, united services at Advent and Easter, and occasional training events. On the afternoon of Good Friday, we hold a service on top of Bredon Hill which regularly draws a crowd of 300 or more. This appointment will be an exciting opportunity of leadership, to discern with others how the Holy Spirit guides and shapes the future of the Bredon Hill Group Ministry and invites us to be a part. If you are looking to minister collaboratively and to minister where clergy and laity work creatively together, then this might be the place for you. If you are reasonably flexible and resilient and have a good sense of fun, we would love to hear from you. Reverend Sarah Dangerfield Reverend Allison Davies Rural Dean of Pershore Vicar of Eckington We believe that the Challenges facing the two benefices are: To engage with the latent spirituality within all our communities. To explore a wider variety of regular worship To develop/build upon an outreach programme for all ages. To build on what has been achieved and motivate us to embrace a future that encompasses all Worship (Fresh Expressions). We seek a Minister who is: Someone who values the biblical preaching ministry, who will travel with us, inspire us, and encourage us along the road. Approachable and empathetic, with the ability to listen Able to engage with all people across the generations Clear thinking, with effective management skills Sympathetic to the challenges of rural ministry and is sufficiently experienced to take on the responsibility of being a key player in the Bredon Hill Group Ministry. Has a desire to see the bigger picture and grow diverse worship thus enhancing us all as Kingdom People. THE BENEFICE OF BREDON WITH BREDON’S NORTON There are many ways of spelling Bredon – from Braid-own to Brydun, but all are based on the Celtic word “Bre” and the Anglo-Saxon “Dun”, both meaning precisely the same – a Hill or High Ground. Some say the history of Bredon goes back to a hill fort of the 2nd century BC. Nothing remains of these early days, but we do know that in 716 AD the King of Mercia gave the land for a monastery to be built here. The Parish of Bredon is made up of 5 villages – Bredon, Bredons Hardwick, Bredon’s Norton, Kinsham, and Westmancote. Approximately 2,600 people live in our community. 27% of the population are aged 65 and over. 19% are under 18 years. There is a high level of private housing ownerships (84%). The types of property very much reflect these statistics with a very healthy number of bungalows, a number of retirement properties, and also social housing. ST GILES The building is light and spacious. The Nave, Chancel and Porch are Norman, but the unusually high steeple was added in the 1300’s together with the Mitton Chapel (Lady Chapel). The Vestry was added in the 20 th Century. There is medieval glass, Victorian glass, 20 th century glass (including two windows by Sir Ninian Comper). An amazing alabaster memorial; incredibly old “coffins”, a coffin front unearthed during repairs, an Easter Sepulchre, its endless – you just have to see this beautiful, peaceful place of worship. We are blessed with a large congregation averaging 64. Currently we have a service every Sunday at 10.30am – Eucharistic on the first, third, and fourth Sundays; the second Sunday is our regular relaxed Village worship. Morning prayer is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The bells and spire of St. Giles were made famous by A.E. Housman (In summer time on Bredon) and John Masefield who wrote of (“All the land from Ludlow Town to Bredon Church’s Spire”). For nearly 90 years it was believed the bells would destabilise the tower. This proved to be incorrect. In 2003 they were restored and a sixth bell added. About our church facilities . The Church Rooms are adjacent to St. Giles. The building is leased from the Worcester Diocese at a small rent. There is a hall, committee room, kitchen and cloakrooms, with limited parking outside. The rooms are used for various meetings, storage, and provides the printing and distribution centre for the parish magazine. Church Yard – The churchyard is currently open and still available for burials and ashes interment. We recognise that space is now limited, and the time will come, probably in the next 2 to 3 years when it will have to be closed. The PCC are in discussion with the Parish Council to provide additional space. Our School – Bredon Hancock’s is a very successful voluntary aided Church of England First School at the heart of the village community. We have been graded Outstanding by both OFSTED and SIAMS and have always enjoyed a very close working partnership with St Giles’ Church. We enjoy a variety of services in church during the year and we hope soon to have a weekly worship in school with the Rector, once again. Our vision is for a school which provides equality of opportunity for all in partnership with the whole school community, within a loving Christian environment, and which seeks to promote and develop every child’s potential to the full in a positive, fun and meaningful way. Our strap line is: “Dream, Believe, Work, Achieve” and we are very proud of the distinctively Christian ethos that prevails, which is underpinned by 12 core Christian values. These values have evolved over the last few years and come from an overarching umbrella of “Love” – as described in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13. We are a one form entry first school, with close links to the Middle School and feeder Pre-schools in the area. We have 175 children on roll arranged in 6 classes. We have a very keen and productive PTA. We have many helpers in school, who are from extended families or are Open The Book members and everyone feels that they are part of the Bredon family. We would like a new Rector who loves us and is keen to further develop the strong relationship between church and school. We will welcome you on to the full governing body of the school helping to shape, protect and direct our future. These things are really very important to us- a visit to Bredon Hancock’s would show you just how much! Melanie Millar, Head Teacher Our Playgroup Bredon Playgroup was registered in 1992 and is a community pre-school. The group is run by experienced staff and managed by a committee of parents. The Playgroup is self-financing and is a registered charity. There are close links with Bredon Hancock’s First School. The Reception Teacher will visit and pre-school children will visit the school. The curriculum follows EYFS . Our Outreach: Bredon with Bredon’s Norton are blessed with active groups working alongside our Rector. We have: A Local Ministry Team, Home Groups, Regular Lent groups (often 5) working with the other members of the Bredon Hill Group Ministry on an agreed theme. A Village Worship planning team. We are one of the few churches in the Group that still has a choir. The Friends of St. Giles – a dedicated team that work tirelessly to raise funds specifically for the maintenance of the church. A Parish Magazine – edited by a retired member of the clergy and for the benefit of the Parish. And we must not forget the Dust busters, Flower Guild, Polishers and Shiners, Bell ringers etc. Drop in Café has grown from a thought first voiced 3 ½ years ago. Run and operated on a rota basis by church members and held in the Village Hall, it fulfils two roles being a monthly weekday venue for people to meet for a catch-up and a drop off point for food and other items donated by villagers for Tewkesbury Foodbank Mustard Seed is a joint programme between St.