Pakefield Missional parish on the beautiful east coast Committed to Growth www.dioceseofnorwich.org Profile: Pakefield Parish Church 2 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church Introduction Full benefice name: Pakefield Parish Deanery: Lothingland Location: East Suffolk Type of area: Pakefield is a beautifully picturesque seaside location on the edge of Lowestoft. Overlooking the North Sea, we are blessed with amazing sunrises and a long beach to walk along. There is a population of about 7000 (in the winter, higher in the summer). It is a single Parish Benefice with a unique semi- detached thatched church. Who the role is for: A title post for a male or female deacon who expects to be ordained priest Theological Emphasis Open Evangelical Incumbent: Revd Sharon Lord Pakefield Rectory, Causeway, Pakefield, NR33 0JZ 01502 516800 [email protected] Ordained 2015 Appointed 2018 Website: www.pakefieldchurch.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Pakefield-Parish-Church- 103555059711416/ Twitter @PakefieldChurch YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3c97uvk 3 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church Our setting and the context If this an advert and we were only allowed 1 sentence, we would say: We are a Christian family who worship God, care for one another and the local community and reach out to encourage others to know Jesus and his love. We are looking for a curate who wants the opportunity to join us, here in Pakefield, to grow God’s kingdom, through worship, life events, pastoral care, special events and services, discipleship, teaching and outreach into our community. We can offer lots of opportunities for you to learn about parish life, to equip you for your future ministry, as an Incumbent, wherever that might take you. Plus, it is a fabulous place to live! If you want to know more about us than is contained in our profile, please follow us on Facebook or Twitter or visit our Website or YouTube channel or contact our Rector, Sharon, she will be very happy to chat with you. The People… We are very blessed with our amazing teams. There is a tradition of many member ministry here, so that is something that we want to promote and encourage. This extends to our groups and clubs too. Where we live… Pakefield Benefice comprises of a single parish in East Suffolk in the Diocese of Norwich. We are three miles south of Lowestoft, on the east coast, bisected by the A12. It was a village, but is now a suburb, it still retains a bit of a village feel, especially in the oldest part near the church. It is generally a quiet, peaceful place, with a small industrial and retail estate that includes everything you need. In the village, there are two small supermarkets, a post office and chemist, as well as an excellent takeaway. There are several pubs in the village that all serve excellent food. There are also several cafes and restaurants on the retail park, as well as just north of the parish, along the sea front. 4 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church About ninety years ago there was severe coastal erosion and about a mile of Pakefield was lost to the sea, including part of the churchyard! The church ended up on the edge of the cliff. Since then a wide shingle beach has reclaimed land, and there is a lovely sandy beach too which is popular with holiday makers. Coastal erosion continues, and although it isn’t directly affecting the church building, it is affecting our parish and several homes are at risk. The population of Pakefield has expanded considerably in the last twenty years so there are now about 2800 homes. The housing is generally privately owned, varying from large to terraced houses in old Pakefield, there are lots of bungalows built in the 1950’s, and modern houses of various sizes on the estate where the Curate’s house is sited. There is some sheltered housing too. We hold a monthly Holy Communion service there. There are several care homes just outside our parish. There is also holiday accommodation with 2 caravan parks and a holiday park (Pontins) . There is a popular primary and High School in the parish We have excellent relationships with the primary school and lead Collective Worship twice a term (split between key stages 1 and 2). Classes come to the church to learn about Christianity and we have held mock baptism and wedding services with the children. We also hold end of term services in the church and these are fabulous occasions and I’m not sure who has more fun us of the children! (This is the only time they can fit the whole school together in one room). We also have good relationships with the high school and our Children’s and Youth Leader is involved with the mentoring programme there. This is something we want to be able to grow and develop 5 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church The church The building and grounds All Saints and St Margaret’s church, known locally as The church on the cliff, is unique, It dates back to Saxon times with a mention in the doomsday book. It is in fact a pair of semidetached churches, built in the 11th century, each with their own Rector and Patron. By the 1700’s there was one Rector and the dividing wall was demolished. So, there are 2 naves and 2 sanctuaries (neither of which is a lady chapel or side chapel!). The building was hit by an incendiary device in the second world war, and the church lay in ruins until it was rebuilt and re-dedicated in 1950. So, at the beginning of 2020 we celebrated our 70th anniversary of the rededication of the church, with stories from local people who remembered the night the church was on fire. The internal space is very versatile as it is furnished with chairs which is especially wonderful for Messy Church and Holiday Club and our seasonal Café’s. We also have a hall with a professional style kitchen and youth lounge (Portacabin). This is where the parish office is too. The hall is busy during the week with church and community groups, from carpet bowls to art group from dog training to keep fit. As part of reaching into our community we run events, the primary reason is for mission and secondary for fund raising. There is a café run on Friday mornings during Lent, the Summer and for our Patronal Festival of All Saints. We organise events such as our Summer and Christmas fairs, Quiz evenings. Murder Mysteries, as well as treasure hunts. These are all great opportunities for mission through conversations as well as promoting services and the Alpha course. 6 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church Pattern of Services We have a growing and active congregation. Like many churches the majority of the congregation is retired, we also attract the newly retired as Pakefield is popular place to retire to. We also attract holiday makers, and we have those who are ‘regulars’ with us over the summer We have a thriving Youth and Children’s programme, with Sunday and Midweek groups. 8am Holy Communion is from Book of Common Prayer (weeks 1&3) or Common Worship Weeks 2&4). We have an average of 18 people attending. It is lovely quiet and calm way to start a Sunday morning. 10.30am services we have Holy Communion, All Age Worship, or Morning Worship and sometimes Baptisms too. This is a lively service with mostly contemporary worship and we have a band. We have an average of 66 people attending plus about 8 children. The children go out to Sunday Club for part of the service but are naturally an integral part of our worshipping family, they love to be involved especially during the All Age worship which is led by our Youth Leader. This service is also live streamed on Facebook at the moment. Our Evening services are a real mixed bag of traditional and informal, with monthly healing services, Evening Prayer, and Monthly Holy Communion. We have an average of 16 attending Our Mid-week Holy Communion service is slowly growing too, we have about 10 attending, as are our Gathering to Worship (an informal service with time for testimony and sung worship) this attracts Christians from other churches too, as well as those who have attended our Alpha courses. The Daily Office (Morning Prayer) is said in church Tuesday to Saturday (our Rector Sharon, has Monday’s off) and we have Evening Prayer once a month, plus during Advent, Lent and Holy Week. Children’s and Youth Ministries (CYM) Our Children’ and Youth Leader leads an enthusiastic group of volunteers who support her in everything that we do. For the majority of our Children and Young People Tuesday after school is their church. We have over 40 that regularly come. They range in age from 5 to 18. Our older youth meet in their lounge known as the Portacabin, We utilise the indoor and outdoor space, as well as the beach! 7 Profile: Pakefield Parish Church We have a monthly Messy Church and Toddler service (Teddy Edward). There is also a weekly parent/carer and toddler group, that although is independent, is well supported by church members as volunteers. We also run an annual holiday club in the summer holidays. We encourage the children and young people to learn through play as well as worship and a favourite is our light party with fireworks! Naturally we celebrate all major festivals with a menu of services to suit our occasional visitors, those wondering what Christianity is all about, and those who are mature in their Christian faith.