Parish Profile 2015 Benefice of Wilden with Ravensden and Colmworth North Bedfordshire St Nicholas Church All Saints Church St Denys Church1 Contents Welcome 3 An Opportunity for Renewal & Growth 4 The Post 5 Partnering with St Mary’s Eaton Socon 7 What we can offer 8 The Benefice 9 The Buildings 10 The Church Family 11 Education 12 Services 13 Our Churchwardens Worship 14 Mission Action Plan – Goals 15 Fellowship & Social Events 16 Going Forward 17 The Rectory 18 2 Welcome St Nicholas Church, Wilden Names: All Saints Church, Ravensden St Denys Church, Colmworth County: Bedfordshire Diocese: St Albans Deanery: Sharnbrook Oversight: St Mary’s Eaton Socon Patron: Bishop of St. Albans www.wilden.bedsparishes.gov.uk Websites: www.ravensdenvillage.org.uk www.colmworth.org.uk Our Churchwardens Our Mission statement is to: ! To continue to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ ! Live in God’s love to improve discipleship ! To remain focused on active worship ! To continue our participation in outreach and fellowship 3 An Opportunity for Renewal & Growth The Opportunity… Working in partnership with the leadership of St Mary’s Eaton Socon and each of the Benefice Churches, there is a shared desire to see spiritual renewal and growth brought to these communities. A pilot project for St Alban’s Diocese, this is an opportunity to explore different ways of ‘being and doing’ church through rethinking and re-envisioning both the Benefice’s Ministry and Administration and how the Churches relate to each other and the wider Church community. Through working with St Mary’s Eaton Socon, a Church that has experienced significant change over the past 15 years, along with an enthusiastic Benefice Team, the successful applicant will be part of a team that promises to make this one of the most exciting pilot projects ever! Good ‘Change Management and Conflict Resolution Skills’ or the ability to learn these skills ‘on the job’ are essential for this project to work. We anticipate lots of laughter and fun on this shared journey! 4 The Post… Interested? Then please do keep reading... The successful applicant will become ‘Associate Vicar of St Mary’s Eaton Socon’ with responsibility for Wilden, with Ravensden and Colmworth, together with sharing in the life of Eaton Socon according to their gifts and skills. Essential Characteristics: ! Can identify with and work within an evangelical framework whilst enjoying a variety of worship styles ! Has a sound theological background, capable of delivering logical, interesting and structured teaching relevant to life today ! Undertake and encourage outreach to the families and young people in the community (e.g. Schools) ! Has a good sense of humour and can laugh a lot! ! Able to develop a working knowledge and practical understanding of rural ministry and to use this in engaging with the community ! Shows proactive leadership 5 The Post… Essential Characteristics (continued): ! Is willing to delegate and able to encourage people to become actively involved in the life of the benefice and its activities ! Is able to mentor us in our quest to make our churches and worship central in the lives of the people in our villages ! Has a sensitive but firm approach when handling problems and people ! Is dynamic, has drive, is a strong team player and able to support a committed benefice Desirable Characteristics: ! Understands how to use multimedia resources in Services (PA; Projector; iSingworship/EasyWorship or equivalent programs) ! Can multi-task in services when other human resources are scarce ! Well organised ! Good IT skills ! Full, clean, current driving licence 6 Partnering with St Mary’s… Working in partnership with St Mary’s Eaton Socon whose leadership will give oversight, direction and is responsible for this exciting pilot project, St Mary’s will offer: ! Help in developing and overseeing a ‘fresh’ pattern of corporate worship and prayer ! Build appropriate small group ministries ! Identify and help implement a seeker-based course ! Prioritise work amongst young families and the local schools ! Review, re-envision and implement alternative organisational and administrative procedures to enable the Benefice to work more effectively together ! Participation in undertaking a Benefice wide Community audit ! Access to & appropriate use of St Mary’s Office resources including Photocopier / IT ! Additional Clergy support from Eaton Socon’s Leadership Team comprising of Vicar, Assistant Curate and three retired clergy ! Annual Financial Support of up to £2,500 to help resource a particular project or ministerial need as agreed with St Mary’s leadership 7 What the Benefice can offer ! A vibrant church family committed to honouring God through our worship, witness, service and fellowship ! An appreciation that ministry belongs to the whole church community and where all are enabled and encouraged to be ‘the body of Christ’ ! An understanding that the new Minister will come with his/her own strengths and gifts ! An openness to engage in new things that will help us to expand our ministry and grow as a church for the glory of God ! A prayerful, supportive and friendly church fellowship within a happy and thriving rural community. ! A comfortable 4-bedroom Rectory, well-sited, with ample space inside and out, together with full re-imbursement of expenses incurred in the course of carrying out his/her duties. ! A very warm welcome to whoever God sends to be our next Minister! 8 The Benefice The parishes are situated on gently undulating land north east of Bedford with easy access to the A1, M1, A14 and good rail links to London and the south coast and the north. There is limited public transport in the villages and private transport is a necessity. The three villages are quite different in character although they are all predominantly residential. At present this is a largely agricultural area and although there is no major industry in the villages, there are many small businesses and, with farm diversification, several small industrial estates. There is no GP Surgery in the benefice. Wilden is the most compact of the three villages with a population of 450 and is basically a farming community with a number of retired people. There are working families who commute as far as London and Milton Keynes. Wilden is an attractive residential village where housing is generally in high demand. There is a variety of housing including privately owned and rented accommodation. There is also a pub, a lower school and a thriving farm shop with garden nursery. Victoria Arms, Wilden Ravensden originally comprised of small clusters of farm dwellings which, with post-war infilling, developed into three small hamlets. The communities are predominately residential, apart from the village shop, repair garage, an Indian Restaurant at the crossroads and a pub at Church End. There is also a lower school and again, there is a wide mix of housing from the mobile home park through to substantial detached houses. Most people work in Bedford and there is a significant retired population. Recently a large development on the outskirts of Bedford has added a retirement home and several hundred houses to the parish of Ravensden bringing the population to approximately 1,900. Horse and Jockey, Ravensden Colmworth is a largely agricultural village with approximately 380 residents. There is a significant number of small businesses within the village including a pre-school nursery and a restaurant/small hotel. There is a mix of housing with some council and some Pilgrim housing but the majority are detached private dwellings. A significant number of villagers commute to Cambridge, London and Milton Keynes. The population is an ageing one with plenty of recently retired people to organise clubs and who are actively involved in community projects. Cornfields, Colmworth9 The Buildings St Nicholas Church, Wilden St Nicholas is a fine medieval church which is in good order. The last Quinquennial report did not reveal any major issues. We have a kitchen and a toilet for general use which is suitable for disabled people. The laity play an important role in keeping the churchyard and building in good repair. There is no church hall. All Saints Church, Ravensden All Saints is also a lovely medieval church. A working group continues with repairs to the internal plastering. The roof and structure are in good condition and parishioners maintain the churchyard. The building maintenance is supported by the ‘Friends of All Saints’. St Denys Church, Colmworth St Denys is a 15th Century building with a nationally recognised monument and a spectacular East window. There is a servery and toilet inside the church. Unfortunately the last Quinquennial identified major issues. A ‘Friends of St Denys’ has been established to organise fundraising and to promote the use of the building for social activities. All churchyard maintenance is by laity with a day of action annually to tidy up. There are no other buildings. 10 The Church Family At the present time there are three PCCs each with their own Chairman who meet at least four times a year. Wilden has 10 members, Ravensden 10 and Colmworth 8. There are two churchwardens elected to each Parish and the six meet quarterly or as needed to discuss issues, co-ordinate and bring the Parishes together. Electoral Roll numbers: Wilden=44 Ravensden=25 Colmworth=39. Social Committees arrange fund-raising functions such as Race Nights, Safari Suppers, Harvest Suppers, Quiz Nights, Children’s activities, Teddy Bear Drop, Concerts, Wedding Exhibitions, Flower Festivals, Christmas Tree Exhibition etc. Teddy Bear Drop There is also a Benefice Prayer Group which meets regularly in members’ homes for prayer and Bible study and the group includes members from other denominations. This provides a valuable pastoral care network within each village. There are Baptist chapels in Wilden, Ravensden and Colmworth working together to spread the Gospel.