Page 1 The Parish Church of St Paul Church Lane Coven Wolverhampton WV9 5DE Parish Profile 2018 Contents Title Page Number General Information 3 Context- Church & Parish 3 The Challenge & Role 4 & 5 Statement from the Bishop of Ebbsfleet 6 What we have to offer; why we love our 6,7 & 8 Church and Church leadership Mission Action Plan 8 & App 1 Church Finances 8 & 9 Styles and traditions of worship, services, 9 & 10 music & the congregation Church Building, Churchyard, Vicarage 11 Parish activities & programmes 12 Children, youth & school work 13 & 14 Communication 14 Pastoral Offices 15 & 16 The Parish 16 & 17 The Area 17 Mission Action Plan Appendix 1 Annual Accounts Appendix 2 Parish Church of St Paul, Coven A parish in the Diocese of Lichfield and under the Pastoral and Episcopal care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet General Information Address St Paul’s (new) Vicarage Church Lane Coven Wolverhampton WV9 5DE 01902 791923 Telephone Email [email protected] Context - Church and Parish St Paul’s Coven was built in 1857. It is in a good state of repair and has recently been reordered and redecorated. It serves the very pleasant semi-rural village community of Coven located in South Staffordshire on the North-West border of Wolverhampton. It currently has a population of 4500 which is expected to increase over the next decade. We are a growing congregation with 74 on the electoral roll. Average Sunday Mass attendance has risen from twenty seven, four years ago, to forty four today. There is also a midweek Mass on Wednesdays, and a period of meditation on Monday evenings. The Church building itself is used extensively throughout the week and for social events. A few years ago, the pews were removed and replaced with chairs which provides flexibility in its use. It is carpeted and there is a sound system with an induction loop. A new central heating system was installed in 2012. The Lady Chapel was renovated and reinstated two years ago and provides a prayerful space for mid-week Low Mass and prayer. The benefice of Coven was created three years ago, having previously been in plurality with Holy Cross, Bilbrook. The parish have received assurances that this status will remain and there are no plans for pastoral reorganisation. The benefice is a House for Duty post Since 1992 the parish has been a resolution A & B parish. When the House of Bishops Resolution came into effect, the PCC thought about, discussed and prayed about the way forward. The decision to come fully under the pastoral and sacramental care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet was passed unanimously, to ensure the unity of the congregation. A Word from the Bishop of Ebbsfleet Dear Reader: The Christian community that has set out in this profile its call to priests who have been formed in the catholic tradition in the Church of England and are excited about its future, to join them in serving the Lord in Coven, has a strong sense of commitment to their wider community and hope for the future. The congregation rightly has a high expectation of the spiritual leadership and teaching of their parish priest, but they also have a growing sense also of the shared mission of clergy and people, and of the challenge of community evangelism. They are imaginative and forward-looking in terms of communication and outreach, dedicated to growing in and sharing with others the rich spiritual treasures of catholic faith, worship and evangelism, to meeting human need, and to supporting one another as a real family in Christ. I pray that as you read you will remain open to the possibility that it is indeed you whom God is calling, and that if he is then you will apply so that we have the opportunity to take the conversation further. We’re praying for you – please pray for us. +JONATHAN The Challenge The challenges for our parish and the new priest are: Growing new disciples We have identified in the congregation a need for teaching, so that there is a theological base for the mission that has already started to happen. Discovering the heart of God In terms of worship, we are a Eucharistic community and there is scope for further development of this in terms of music and further lay participation. Reaching new generations In the last few years considerable progress has been achieved by outreach into the wider community. We want to work with our new priest to strengthen what has already been achieved and explore ways of developing this further. The Role of the next Vicar of Coven Worship and Preaching Be an excellent communicator, preacher and teacher of the faith. Specifically reflecting, interpreting and preaching the gospel in a way that will encourage faith development, adapting content and style for different audiences, occasions and purpose. Mission and Outreach Able to integrate and develop rapport with the community, the congregation and a wide range of people by developing relations with the community and external organisations to promote positive links with the Church. Enjoy working with our Church Primary School as a partner in mission. Stewardship and parish organisation Be insightful, have a good sense of humour with the passion and energy to make things happen, with the help of a gifted team of PCC members, the Pentecost group and an enthusiastic congregation. Leadership and working collaboratively Encouraging and building up the community of faith by attracting and stimulating people unfamiliar with traditional Church contexts by creating different worship style, specifically aimed at engaging young families in the village of Coven. Pastoral Care Be a visible witness to the work of the Church community, by demonstrating active listening and empathetic behaviour to sustain St Paul’s identity as a village parish Church with already strong connections to village life and activities. The role of parish priest at St Paul’s, Coven will particularly suit a man who: has a pastoral heart and a caring nature has a sense of humour, is approachable and prepared to become involved with the wider community of the village will support and develop the initiatives already started and able to use the talents and gifts of the PCC and congregation What we have to offer? This is best explained by looking at what we believe we offer physically and spiritually. We care very much for our Parish Priest. We will love him and support him. We will respect his days off and holiday entitlements. We will support him by our prayers and by our presence. St Paul’s is a collaborative parish community, we are used to debating issues and are able to see things from one another’s point of view. We may have differences of opinion, but we seek to ensure these never fester and cause harmful rifts. We will reimburse expenses of office, we will help with maintaining the vicarage and gardens, and we will provide administrative support and we don’t expect our Parish Priest to ‘do it all himself’. Why do we love our Church? Our worship and prayer is central to everything we do. We are very much a family. We love and care about one another. The Church has a strong witness to, and involvement with, the local community. We have an extensive social life. We have a beautiful Church building which is well loved. Church Leadership The PCC consist of 10 members. We currently meet every 2 months and have an excellent working relationship. Members of the PCC have a wide range of relevant and useful skills which are put to good use. Two members of the PCC are regular and committed attendees of the Deanery Synod and report back at each PCC meeting. During the vacancy 4 members of the PCC have staffed and run the parish office, dealing with all Banns, Weddings, Baptism and other enquiries. The Verger and Churchwardens have dealt with all funeral and Churchyard related matters. We have made our own arrangements to secure Society priests to cover our main Masses and other services. Our Verger holds an extended license from the Bishop to take Holy Communion to the sick and the housebound. Once a month Holy Communion is taken to the residents of Coven Court, an independent living community. We have a team of readers, leaders of intercessions, sides people and Eucharistic Assistants (who hold the Bishop’s licence). A monthly rota for these roles is produced and circulated by a designated member of the congregation. In February of 2017 the previous incumbent and one of the churchwardens attended the Leading Your Church into Growth conference in Leeds. This was organised by the Missioner to the catholic parishes of the Diocese of Lichfield. What we learnt there became the catalyst for developing this work in our own parish. We have started on the journey, but realise that we have a long way to travel. 6 members of the congregation (the Pentecost Team) undertook to deliver the Leading Your Church into Growth local course to the rest of the congregation. Numbers attending were small, but made powerful contributions and we are in the process of rolling out the initiatives suggested. There is a strong desire and thirst to develop our spiritual growth and servanthood much further. Mission Action Plan Our most recent and current Mission Action Plan was drawn up at a PCC Away Day held in the autumn of 2016. It is attached as Appendix 1, with an indication of what we have achieved so far. Church Finances th As at 28 September 2017 Our Current Account balance was £13,181.51 Our Deposit Account balance was £7226.57 Our Bonus Ball Account balance was £1,083.71 Our Parish Share is currently £18,216 per annum, it is paid monthly (£1,518) and we do not have any arrears.