UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA MINISTRY AREA PROFILE Mid Torfaen Ministry 2020 Area UNITY FAITH HOPE and COMMUNITY 1 Gathering in Love, Growing in Faith, Giving Hope to All UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA From the Archdeacon of the Gwent Valleys - The Venerable Sue Pinnington Thank you for taking the time to look at this profile for the post of Ministry Area Leader (Team Rector) of Mid Torfaen. This new Ministry Area offers an exciting opportunity to develop collaborative ministry and mission. The churches are growing closer together, realising the benefits of sharing resources, skills and the desire to grow spiritually and numerically. They are embodying the ideal of Unity and Diversity, as a way of celebrating a single desire to be the People of God, but recognising that each church community does this in its own special way. Throughout the current pandemic they have worked hard to support each other in practical and spiritual ways. They would like to extend their existing mission and should the Diocesan Bid to the Church in Wales Evangelism Fund be successful, more financial support for mission will be heading to the Valleys. The Ministry Area is very well served currently by two committed and active priests: Full time Associate Minister/Team Vicar, Fr Philip Godsell and The Reverend Alison Littler, House for Duty, who serve alongside a team of lay ministers. The new MA is blessed to have a super group of Churchwardens, who have been key to the development of the MA and they and all the ministry team are all very much looking forward to working and developing the mission and ministry in the new Ministry Area. However, this post is not without its challenges. These are the same challenges faced by the whole of the Archdeaconry, which covers the eastern post-industrial valleys of South Wales. All our communities face issues relating to poverty and deprivation, but we work hard together to address and tackle these issues. You will have the support of an excellent Area Dean and Clergy Chapter, alongside my full support. I hope you will consider prayerfully if you are being called to the Mid Torfaen Minis- try Area. They are places of great potential and passion to proclaim the Good News in their communi- ties. The people are warm, welcoming and have a genuine desire to grow the Kingdom of God in their communities. I have been in the Valleys for just two years and can’t imagine serving anywhere else. For an informal conversation or further information please contact me on 07741 661154 or [email protected] With my best wishes Sue Pinnington Sue Pinnington 2 Gathering in Love, Growing in Faith, Giving Hope to All UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA Contents Section Page Invitation 4 Our new Ministry Area Leader 5 Church Life 6 Our Congregation and what happens’ on Sundays? 7—8 Ministry Area Information 9 Community Activities and Organistions 10 Geographic Information including schools and education 11—13 The Ministry Area Team 14 The Buildings Churches, Church Halls & Vicarage 15—17 Money 18 Where are we now? 19 Communication 20 Future focus 21 For Social and Cultural Statistics on some of our local community areas please go to: Sebastopol https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np45dr Wainfelin https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np46ef Trevethin https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np48dl Penygarn https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np48js New Inn https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np40xb Panteg https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/np45lx Griffithstown https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/statistics-griffithstown-torfaen- 15824.html Pontypool https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/statistics-pontypool-torfaen- 30927.html Please note there are not statistics for each specific area within our Ministry Area. This information ia included to give a flavour of the Eastern Valley villages and areas to potential applicants. 3 Gathering in Love, Growing in Faith, Giving Hope to All UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA Invitation Here within the Mid Torfean Ministry Area, we would like to extend the welcome we give to others to anyone considering becoming our future Ministry Area Leader. The Mid Torfaen Ministry Area is newly formed and consists of 7 churches. The Ministry Area was created from the amalgamation of the Benefice of Panteg and Griffithstown, and part of the upper Torfaen Ministry area. All our churches have been in a period of interregnum in recent times. The last few years have been very challenging for our churches, but the officers and congregations are proud that things have been maintained, due , in no small measure, to the efforts and energy of the support from some retired clergy and of course our ministry teams within each of the parishes. The people of the ministry area are looking forward to welcoming the new person and working with them to move forward and achieve both short- and long-term plans at a great time of change within the Church, the parishes and the Ministry Area. We trust that whoever is appointed will enjoy their time within the Ministry Area and with God’s help we will move forward in faith together. Thus, we offer a profile of the Mid Ministry Area, its people, it’s strengths and it’s needs, alongside its history, it’s place in the community, and our hopes for the future. We pray for a team leader who is focussed on caring and engaging the congregations and communities in all aspects of praise and worship so that we can continue to shine Christ’s light in all we do. Current congregations have taken ownership of their churches and are enthusiastic about encompassing any new projects that will allow our churches to develop and flourish. The churches within the Mid Torfaen Ministry Area are all welcoming churches and we would like our Ministry Area Leader and team to continue to develop this, hopefully inspiring faith. MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA VISION We are creating a new church family of seven different churches and we want to build on our unity, whilst celebrating our diversity. We recognise the need for wisdom, sensitivity and prayerfulness, as we seek to develop our dreams, hopes and new endeavours, whilst acknowledging our fears and apprehensions. We desire, we want to be a prayerful, loving and inclusive presence in all our communities proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ and expressing the abundant love of God for everyone. We aspire to be a Christian family that people will want to belong to. 4 Gathering in Love, Growing in Faith, Giving Hope to All UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA Our New Ministry Area Leader. We hope for a Ministry Area Leader who will be: ❖ Forward looking - has a clear vision for the future of the new Ministry Area and will work with us to build on plans for spiritual, missional and numerical growth and develop a team which can bring this about. Resulting in strong local worshipping communities which celebrate the joys of the Christian Faith and demonstrate readiness for any new ministries, which God seeks to develop here. ❖ Caring - has a strong pastoral heart and passion for encouraging the members of each of the congregations in discipleship, building a strong unity in Christ. ❖ Collaborative in nature - working well with the Ministry Team lay and ordained within the Ministry Area and is a good team player. ❖ Confident - able to discern, with others, how best they minister in the Ministry Area, effect change and where they might take the lead in engagement With children and young people, or poverty, or new expression of church/worship. ❖ Community focussed - being a visible presence in the Ministry Area, helping us to develop both our ministry of service and a blessing to our diverse communities and our ministry to all people. ❖ Engaging - has energy and commitment to working with our local schools, older peoples services and develop our ministry and mission to all people. For this we envisage a person who: ❖ values our sacramental tradition, yet will encourage us to try new ways of worship and reaching out to newcomers, especially young families. ❖ has good communication and organisational skills, and is a collaborative leader in mission ❖ Recognise, respect and encourage the skills, gifts and knowledge of those supporting mission and ministry in the Ministry Area ❖ enjoys schools ministry, and would share in the development of the Ministry Area’s ministry to children and young people. ❖ Help us to value, engage with and encourage the older members of the communities ❖ recognises the importance of a ministry of presence, and would help discern and act on opportunities for community engagement, especially in serving the disadvantaged. ❖ is prepared to invest in using our occasional offices to inspire faith and give welcome and invitation. ❖ has keen antennae for vocations, both lay and ordained. ❖ who values an inclusive church where all are welcome ❖ Who has a good sense of humour and the desire to embrace Valleys life 5 Gathering in Love, Growing in Faith, Giving Hope to All UNITY FAITH HOPE COMMUNITY MID TORFAEN MINISTRY AREA CHURCH LIFE The churches within the Ministry Area are traditional churches with the Eucharist be- ing the main weekly act of worship. Across the Ministry Area there are a range of Eucharist services at varying times, the earliest one is at 0800hrs and the latest morn- ing one commences at 1100hrs. Music plays an important role within our worship and we have a range of organists to call upon as well as a choristers. Within our Ministry Area communities, commitment is high, and we try and involve as many people as possible in the worship and activities of the Church.