Serving the town of Witham and the villages of Terling, Fairstead, White Notley, Faulkbourne, Rivenhall and Silver End Team Profile & Role Description for post of Team Vicar (Pioneer) April 2017 The Heart of Essex from White Notley to the North Blackwater Estuary Witham and Villages Team Ministry The Witham and Villages Team Ministry was formed in November 2014 and incorporates the town of Witham and the villages of Rivenhall, Silver End, Terling, Fairstead, White Notley and Faulkbourne. The ministry team includes the Team Rector, two Team Vicars, six Authorised Lay Preachers (ALP) and a Pastoral Assistant. In addition, at present, we have a full-time stipendiary curate in his second year and a part-time self-supporting curate (SSM) in her third year. We also have an ordinand in training who will be ordained deacon in September 2017 and will serve as a Locally Deployed Self-Supporting Minister (LDSSM). The Team Rector has overall responsibility for ministry across the Team and day to day responsibility for St Nicolas’ Church, Witham. The departure of one of our two Team Vicars has enabled us to re-consider the focus of our mission and ministry across the Team. We have been able to think strategically following the decision by the Diocese of Chelmsford to recruit an Associate Priest who will have a diocesan role as Rural Adviser housed in the Vicarage in Terling and offering Sundays plus two days in the villages of Terling, Fairstead and Faulkbourne. The creation of this new post means that our new Team Vicar (Pioneer) will be able to focus his or her ministry principally in the area of new housing and development in South Witham which is where the Vicarage is located. We are excited by the new opportunities which this opens up for us across the Team. Our other Team Vicar lives in Silver End and has responsibility for the villages of Silver End, Rivenhall and White Notley. Three of the ALPs are based in Witham and three in the villages. We have a (paid) Parish Administrator who works 15 hours each week. Chelmsford Diocese The Diocese of Chelmsford is a large and diverse diocese serving East London and the entire county of Essex, over 3 million people in total. There are three Episcopal Areas, 24 Deaneries, 463 parishes and approximately 500 clergy. The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell has been Bishop of Chelmsford since 2010. Witham Deanery Witham and Villages Team Ministry is in the Deanery of Witham which is part of the Archdeaconry of Colchester in the Colchester Episcopal Area of Chelmsford Diocese. The town of Witham (see below) has, by some considerable margin, the largest population in the Deanery, followed by Tiptree (population 9,000). The Deanery comprises 33 parishes (38 churches) and aside from Witham and Tiptree is rural and includes Mersea Island. The Witham and Villages Team Ministry and Thurstable and Winstree Team Ministry (Tiptree and surrounding villages) are the only Team Ministries in the Deanery. Thurstable and Winstree TM have recently joined with the villages of Kelvedon and Fearing to form a Mission and Ministry Unit (MMU). Deanery Synod meets three times each year and is well attended. There is good support and fellowship between the clergy of the Deanery who meet monthly in Chapter and enjoy a Quiet Day together annually. The current Team Rector of Witham and Villages TM is the Area Dean. 2 Witham Witham is a market town in mid-Essex with a population of 25,353 (2011 Census). The town was originally based round the Chipping Hill area in prehistoric and Saxon times but the town centre around Newland Street was settled by the Knights Templar in the 12th Century, and developed as a staging post in the 18th Century. Witham expanded rapidly in the 1960s and 70s with the establishment of several housing on the outskirts through a Town Development agreement with the former Greater London Council. Significant additional housing and limited retail development is currently in progress in the south west of the town with the development of 600/800 new homes. Situated on the A12 and with good rail links, the population includes those whose families have lived in Witham for generations as well as those of more recent arrivals, many of whom commute to Chelmsford or London. The community is served by doctors' and dentists' surgeries with the nearest emergency hospital being Broomfield in nearby Chelmsford and community hospitals in Braintree and Maldon. Witham has seven primary schools and two secondary schools including Howbridge Church of England Junior School situated in the south of the town. Chipping Hill Primary School (despite its name) is also situated in the south of Witham. There are also two children's centres and a family support centre. Other amenities include a new Sports Centre as well as a range of other specialist sports clubs. There is also a Town Hall/Visitor Centre (home to Witham Town Council WTC), Public Hall, public library and Citizen's Advice Bureau. The River Walk, managed by WTC, is a central feature which leads to Whetmead Nature Reserve. Economically, Witham is mixed. Some areas are fairly affluent but there are pockets of deprivation. Witham PCC (St Nicolas’ Church) currently receives part of the deprivation grant payable to low-income Dioceses. In 2013, a Food Bank was set up in the town by Churches Together in Witham as part of the Trussell Trust scheme, and is supported by food donations and volunteers from St. Nicolas' Church and the other town churches. 3 St. Nicolas’ Church, Chipping Hill, Witham (www.withamparishchurch.org.uk) St. Nicolas' Church is a large 14th century building built on a site which is believed to have been a place of worship dating back to prehistoric times. The well-maintained Grade I listed church is within the historically and archaeologically important Chipping Hill area of Witham. Our Vision: St. Nicolas' Church strives to be a Christian community which, sustained by the sacraments, worship and fellowship, reaches out into the local area and beyond to share the gift of Christ. We are pleased that we are able to leave the church building unlocked during the day, every day. Worship is rooted in the 'Liberal Catholic' tradition of the Church of England and is fully inclusive. There is a crèche area for children. A Toddler Group (Chatterbox) takes place on Monday mornings for pre-school children and their carers and begins with a short service in church. In August 2015, we began a monthly Messy Church on a Tuesday at 4pm. This has proved to be very successful and there are over 100 children on the books. We have recently launched a Youth Group (“the Crib”) who meet monthly on a Thursday evening. Occasional offices are an important element of our ministry at St. Nicolas'. In 2016 there were 50 baptisms, 20 weddings (28 booked for 2017) and 55 funerals (in the church, at the graveside and at the crematorium). The main Sunday service is the Parish Eucharist (CW Order 1) at 10.00 am, with Holy Communion (Order 2) at 8.00 am and Evensong (BCP) at 6.00 pm. Regular weekday services include Morning and Evening Prayer daily and Holy Communion on Thursday mornings. The congregation encompasses a demographic mix from young families and people new to the area to those who have lived in Witham and worshipped at St. Nicolas' for many years. The number on the electoral roll as of 2nd April 2017 is 225. Music plays an important part in the worship life of St. Nicolas'. Since the installation of the Kenneth Tickell Organ, installed in 2002, the church has funded an Organ Scholarship and has welcomed a succession of young people to develop their skills, many of whom have gone on to study music at degree level. The successful and inclusive robed choir (which includes children) is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music. A dedicated team of volunteer bell ringers ring for all main services and at weddings. The organ is an outstanding instrument which regularly attracts visiting organists. The church hall, converted from stables in 1971, contains the Parish Office as well as kitchen, storage and toilet facilities. The congregation is supported by a growing range of activities such as Enquirers' Groups, Bible Study, Lent Groups, a Walking Group and the occasional Quiet Day. The Mothers' Union branch celebrated its 125 year anniversary in 2016. We have a team of highly skilled flower arrangers and a team who take responsibility for the upkeep of the churchyard. The PCC and its sub-committees are made up of an enthusiastic cross-section of church members. We hold monthly Baptism Preparation Evenings, twice yearly Marriage Preparation Days, and both clergy and lay members of the congregation are involved in visits to and services at local care 4 homes and supporting the bereaved. In the last few years Witham Town Council have held their annual Civic Service at St Nicolas’ Church and the Royal British Legion are involved in our Remembrance Day service. We are committed to building up the place of St. Nicolas' Church at the heart of the community with a focus on pastoral care and outreach. Our annual Mediaeval Fayre, which started in 1977, takes place in the churchyard and inside the church on the last Saturday in June and is a major feature of town life and a major church outreach opportunity. Our financial position as at the end of 2016 is as follows: Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds (General and Equipment Funds) were £117,276 and after expenses, including the payment of £80,587 in respect of the Parish Share, and after adding bank and deposit balances brought forward at the beginning of the year, the balance carried forward at 31st December for the ordinary restricted fund totalled £18,856.