CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : CONTENTS Contents 2 INTRODUCTION 13 DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH 2 Context and Location 13 Demographic Information 3 Bishop’s Statement of Need 14 Transport Links 4 Pastoral Organisation 14 Issues and Concerns 4 Wider Context 15 THE WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY 5 THE PARISH MISSION 15 Christian Churches in 6 Events and Reasons for Caversham Celebration 16 Other Faiths 7 Strengths and Struggles 16 The Churches 7 Our Ministry Team 17 Worship 9 DESCRIBING THE ROLE 17 Life of the Church – Groups 9 The Parish Vision for the and Events Future 18 Organisation 10 PERSON SPECIFICATION 19 ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE 11 SUPPORT WE WILL OFFER 19 Parish Administration 11 Financial Support 19 Finance, Giving and Stewardship 11 Parish Structure 20 Local Trusts 12 THE RECTORY 20 Other Buildings 21 INTERESTED? 1 CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION Introduction Context and Location aversham is a large suburb of Reading in Berkshire, attached to it C administratively but separated from it geographically by the River Thames and by a distinctive village atmosphere which sets it apart from other suburbs of Reading. The Parish consists of three churches: St Peter near the historic centre of Caversham, St John the Baptist in Lower Caversham, and St Margaret A rare unwelcome visitor to St Margaret’s Church in Mapledurham. There are approximately 20,000 parishioners. The geographical area covered comprises much of Caversham and also a large area of more rural land to the west and north, including the village of Mapledurham. There are two other neighbouring parishes taking in the rest of Caversham. It is a popular residential area for London commuters seeking a quieter pace of life to return home to. Mapledurham is a picturesque hamlet comprising the church, a stately home, and a watermill, along with a number of residential properties. It is surrounded by farmland. The church draws worshippers from a wide area of the surrounding countryside. The village has provided locations for many films and TV series, including The Eagle Has Landed (with Michael Caine, pictured) and Midsomer Murders. Caversham: a suburb of Reading, but with a village atmosphere 2 CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION Bishop’s Statement of Need This vacancy for a Rector in Caversham Thameside and Mapledurham offers a real opportunity to a priest with vision and a desire to see the Church grow, to build on the ministry of the Revd. Dan Tyndall, the The Bishop of Reading, previous incumbent, to take this Parish forward. the Rt Revd Andrew Proud In the Oxford Diocese, our purpose is to create a caring, sustainable and growing Christian presence in every community. This requires faith, creativity, flexibility, vision and a real desire to work in partnership with all God’s people. This is a large Parish, by any reckoning. Church life is well established and well-resourced and the churches are committed to a common, shared vision. But there is much to do. It will be important for the new Rector to take people deeper spiritually, to foster lay ministry across the Parish and to work with colleagues to develop the potential in each of the three churches, to the full. Because of the scale and scope of the work, this post requires a priest with a proven track record in parish ministry. We are looking for a mission- minded priest who loves the Church’s traditions, but is ready and willing to embrace new initiatives to draw people in. A priest with imagination and flair and a deep personal faith who is ready both to take the lead and to work collaboratively with the laity, to build up these communities of faith in reaching out, beyond their walls, into the communities they serve. This is a challenging job, but a hugely rewarding one. The people here are ready to work with their new Rector and they have much to give. Please pray with us as we discern who God is calling to work with His people here. The Parish of Caversham C Thameside and Mapledurham (shaded) showing the locations of the three churches 3 CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : INTRODUCTION ‘Liturgy and Learning’ ‘The Pilgrim Church’ ‘Community Ministry’ Looking out over Caversham Court to the Nestling between the village of On Gosbrook Road in the heart of lower River Thames, St Peter’s is a gathered Mapledurham and the River Thames, in Caversham, St John the Baptist Church is church with a focus on liturgy and the shadow of Mapledurham House, St a neighbourhood church with a focus on learning, seeking to grow by welcoming Margaret’s Church is a pilgrim church community ministry, seeking to grow by people through the church doors. An with a focus on companionship. It has a engaging with people who live in the ancient church, site of worship for over a reputation for hospitality, and seeks to area. Community outreach has been the thousand years, it is the historic mother grow by embracing others on the journey key to its success since the formation of church of Caversham. It has a reputation of faith. The church doors are open every the new Parish, with its ministry taking for liturgical tradition and musical day welcoming walkers and day-trippers place as much in the streets and houses excellence. The emphasis is on the drawn to the peace and tranquillity of of lower Caversham as within the church Eucharist as the centre of corporate this unspoilt corner of Oxfordshire. building. St John’s is the main base for worship and the spirituality of the English the Anglican component of Caversham’s choral tradition. Fresh Expressions ecumenical initiative. www.stpetercaversham.org.uk/ www.stmargaretmapledurham.org.uk/ www.stjohnthebaptistcaversham.org.uk/ Pastoral Organisation Until 2010 St John had its own parish, with St Peter and St Margaret constituting a separate one. The process of joining the two parishes commenced in November 2008, with the installation of a new Priest in Charge of both Parishes. It was concluded in June 2010 when the Parish of Caversham Thameside and Mapledurham was officially created. Since then the three churches have worked closely together. However, each maintains its own distinctive character and mission, as outlined in the panel. Wider Context The parish is part of the Diocese of Oxford, whose vision is defined by Living Faith, a framework introduced in November 2008 to provide a 5-year model for the development of the Church in the diocese. More information can be found here: www.oxford.anglican.org/living-faith-for-the-future/ 4 CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION The Parish he congregations are committed to the three core values of the T Parish, which were arrived at through a series of workshops and Mission prayer, and which form the basis for the Mission Action Plan (MAP), developed in 2012. Our three core values are: GENEROUS INCLUSIVE LIFE-GIVING These are embodied in the Mission Action Plan which… …sets out the Parish’s desire to see three thriving Churches who: Offer a generous …into an inclusive …fostering a life- “ welcome… community… giving vocation. Generous, inclusive and life-giving: More information about the MAP, including a downloadable version of” a celebration in the Rectory the plan showing progress to-date, can be found here: Garden, 2012 www.ctmparish.org.uk/mission-action-plan/ The MAP was developed jointly by members of all three churches. However, while the three churches work as a coherent unit at Parish level, they have separate identities and distinct missions which each pursues individually or collaboratively as appropriate. So the MAP is organised into tasks at Parish level and others at Church level. The MAP covers the period to 2015, but a review will commence in 2014. At that point we intend to consider what we have achieved, what remains to be done, and what other areas we should develop plans for. So far the Parish has made great strides in setting up support structures for parishioners, such as small house groups and pastoral teams for the less mobile members of the congregation. St Peter’s streams its main High quality publicity materials Sunday service on the internet every week. The Parish has achieved its advertise Parish events goal of establishing high quality publicity materials for forthcoming events and ensuring its website remains informative and up-to-date. We launched a stewardship campaign to address the aim of ‘fostering a culture of giving one’s time and money for the sake of others’. An area of the MAP where we are less well advanced is encouraging and developing personal vocations within the congregations. This has been deferred until a new incumbent has been installed. At the individual church level, we are still at the early stages of addressing and serving the needs of the local and global community, of encouraging conversations about the use and order of individual churches and engaging with other institutions and groups. However, each Church has made progress in all these areas. 5 CAVERSHAM THAMESIDE AND MAPLEDURHAM : THE PARISH MISSION Events and Reasons for Celebration The Parish played a major role, as part of Churches Together in Caversham, in organising a number of events in 2012. The Caversham Festival, which drew an estimated 10,000 attendance, incorporated a number of Christian elements including Christian bands, free attractions and an information tent. There was also a local More Than Gold event to coincide with the London Olympics and a Holiday Club for young people. The Holiday Club is an enduring Olympic legacy, a second successful event having taken place in summer 2013. Another ecumenical initiative where the Parish is strongly represented Preparing a meal at ARCC is REInspired Caversham, which delivers religious education to local schools.