And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “AshfordAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Town Parish name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Ashford Town Parish is one of the largest parishes in the country in terms of population and is set to grow further with continuing development. As we begin a process of seeking to discern a vision and corresponding priorities for the future that respond to the movement of God’s mission in our Parish, we are looking to appoint a Parish Mission Enabler to join us on the journey for the next three years. The person appointed will work as an integral part of the Core Ministry Team in enabling the whole Parish to address together our emerging priorities for mission, with a focus on building up teams that can sustain key initiatives. Loving God : Serving Ashford And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “AshfordAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Town Parish name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” An introduction from Bishop Rose: Where we’re heading: Thank you for taking an interest in the role of Ashford Parish Team Missioner. At the heart of all we do is a vision of transformation for ourselves and our You’ll see from the rest of the profile some of the specific things that the benefice communities: no one can encounter God and remain unchanged. In our diocese, is looking for – and a little of what the team here hopes the future may look we want to increasingly become a Christian community transformed through our like. Of course, part of your discernment process in coming to this role is gaining encounter with Christ, overflowing to transform and bless the families, homes and a sense of the bigger picture of us as a diocesan family, our vision and priorities communities we serve in Kent: → . In your role, in for the future. your place, we’ll be looking for you to play a crucial part in making this vision a reality. Who we are: Changed Lives → Changing Lives unites us in purpose but will be expressed in Founded in 597 by St Augustine, Canterbury Diocese is the oldest diocese in different ways according to what makes sense for different parts of our diocesan England and has a special place in the life of the national and worldwide Church. family. It’s also a living strategy – as we listen to God and one another, the shape With its iconic Cathedral it forms a focal point for the life of the whole Anglican of our work together will undoubtedly change and grow - you could help to develop Communion, offering a spiritual home and place of pilgrimage for people from this vision for the future. Find out more here or speak to the Ven Darren Miller, every nation and walk of life. Archdeacon of Ashford on 01233 712649 or at [email protected]. Kent is renowned as the ‘Garden of England’ and this rural heart is core to our Our commitment to you: identity - yet the communities we serve are very diverse. Our Diocese stretches We know that supporting healthy, flourishing ministers (lay and ordained) is crucial from Maidstone to Thanet, from the Isle of Sheppey to the Romney Marsh. for a healthy, flourishing diocese. That’s why we offer the ‘Canterbury Diet’ to all We have 350 miles of coastline with historic ports and seaside resorts, alongside our incumbent ministers – this is an intentional programme for ministerial rural communities, market towns and commuter-belt urban developments. development, health, growth and faith. A lay programme is in development too. Affluent areas often sit alongside pockets of major deprivation, offering an Additionally, we offer a range of specialised training events, as well as opportunities exciting and challenging mission context. for growth in prayer and spirituality. In short, I hope that you will be as excited by our vision, priorities and opportunities as we are. Be assured of our prayers as you consider your next step in ministry, The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin Bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury Loving God : Serving Ashford And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “AshfordAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Town Parish name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Main Responsibilities: The Parish Mission Enabler serves alongside the Core Ministry Team to enable the whole Parish to address together our emerging priorities, with a focus on building up teams that can sustain key initiatives. In conjunction with lay and ordained colleagues, helping the Parish to plan and act fruitfully and effectively on the basis of the vision and priorities for mission that are being discerned Contributing to the training, teaching, and equipping of congregations to share in God’s mission Building up teams to sustain key missional initiatives beyond the end date for this post Supporting missional activities based at St Francis, Cryol Road, and helping to grow church connections with the communities in the more deprived areas of the town Supporting missional activities elsewhere in the Parish as agreed with the Team Rector Developing lasting partnerships with other churches and agencies that can contribute to effectiveness in mission Helping the Parish to learn from current thinking about mission in the wider church and to reflect theologically on its own missional practice. Loving God : Serving Ashford And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “AshfordAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Town Parish name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” About Us: Ashford Town Parish is one of the largest parishes in the The local leadership teams have country in terms of population and is set to grow further responsibility for mission and ministry in with continuing development. It currently includes eleven their community, however, they serve the worship centres (six parish churches, three chapels of united parish and its combined resources ease, and two community centres), while the Core Ministry have enabled us to instigate exciting Team has thirteen members, with a mix of lay and mission initiatives across our town. ordained. The Parish encompasses different kinds of These include Ignite: informal communities and church for the marginalised, communities, including areas of significant deprivation Make Lunch: free food for children and parents in school holidays, Ashford alongside historic villages and newly built executive Debt Centre: providing debt help in partnership with Christians Against housing. The average age across our congregations is significantly higher Poverty, and Education: extensive work in Ashford’s schools and college. than that of the communities they serve, and the gap is widening. Mindful of the scale of the opportunities and challenges Whilst many activities have had to be scaled back or stopped since the global before us at this time, we are beginning a pandemic, the Parish is process of seeking to discern a vision and starting a Mission Action corresponding priorities for the future that Planning process and we respond to the movement of God’s mission in are also actively involved our Parish. We are looking for a Parish Mission in cross-denominational Enabler to join us on the journey for the next initiatives, including food three years. distribution projects and Street Pastors. Loving God : Serving Ashford And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “AshfordAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Town Parish name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We have an excellent partnership with Ashford Council, which sees the community benefits that the Parish brings. The Council has provided The catchphrase that “Ashford” is direct funding and has enabled Developer “Best Placed to Live” is based on funding for several of our projects. its connectivity, the travel time from Ashford to London via the We are mission-minded and keen to twice hourly High-Speed rail link re-imagine ministry and enable our people is now 38 minutes. Ashford is less to extend God’s work in Ashford Town. than two hours away from Paris and one hour from Lille via Eurostar, and Eurotunnel carries vehicles between Folkestone and Calais. Revelation Ashford, ‘a live event venue’ in the centre of the town. Historically, Ashford has played an important role in the railway industry from the opening of the works in 1847 (now permanently closed) but there are plans to convert them into state-of-the-art film studios.