CHRIST CHURCH CHE LTENHAM PARISH PROFILE CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG 2 PARISH PROFILE CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG PARISH PROFILE 3 CONTENTS 4 WELCOME & INTRODUCTION 10 The Parish Centre 16 FINANCE 5 Our Parish 11 The Friendship Club 11 Evangelism 17 CHURCH BUILDING 6 WORSHIP – FACING GOD 11 Prayer Visiting 6 Style of Worship 11 Christ Church Playgroup 18 OUR PRESENT 7 Clergy and Readers Team 11 Schools 7 Music for Worship 12 Churches Together, 20 OUR FUTURE Clusters 8 MINISTRY – 12 Mission Partners 21 PERSON SPECIFICATION FACING EACH OTHER 12 Arts and Culture 8 Home Groups 12 Coffee Concerts 22 APPENDICES 8 Pastoral Team 12 Fête a. The Vicarage 8 Prayer Ministry 12 Outreach Magazine b. Our Town 8 Home Communion and Communications c. Church Building 8 Parish Picnic - History 9 Parish Weekend Away 14 ADMINISTRATION - Present 9 Youth and Children’s Work 14 The Parish Office - Future 14 Parochial Church Council d. Finance 10 MISSION – e. Congregational Data FACING OUR COMMUNITY 15 OUR PEOPLE CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG 4 PARISH PROFILE WELCOME & INTRODUCTION Thank you so much for your interest in Christ Church. We are a single-parish benefice blessed with a gifted and diverse congregation – we have inherited Our prayer is that this profile will help you to hear a Grade 2* listed iconic and well-loved building. God’s call, whether it is to join Christ Church Currently, we have an electoral roll of 196, down Cheltenham and lead us in shared growth, or to go from 268 three years ago. Yet we are convinced to an equally rewarding ministry elsewhere in God’s Christ Church has a powerful future, as God uses Kingdom. We want it to allow you to interpret our us to transform lives and build his Kingdom. dreams, discern our gifts, and understand our We are excited to meet those men and women weaknesses. To that end, this profile is the product who believe they might play this central role in of a broad conversation both within the congregation that future, unlocking our gifts by means of theirs. and outside it, with our friends and neighbours. We sought to build a shared understanding of what The heart of this document is the Person Specification. we have become, and what we seek to be. This is a description of the gifts we believe our church needs to return to growth. It builds on the two key This document is the result. It first describes the life sections Our Present and Our Future which set out we currently share and goes on to offer a frank what our next incumbent will face, and what we hope, assessment of our present, and a hopeful description under God, we will become under their leadership. of our possible future. CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG PARISH PROFILE 5 OUR PARISH Christ Church is a demographically varied urban parish just outside the historic centre of Cheltenham, containing a mix of impressive period properties, nursing homes, schools, a large new housing development and social housing. The parish serves the areas of Lansdown and Alstone. Although there are within the parish boundaries some expensive properties, there are also areas of significant deprivation, some of which are hidden in numerous flats behind the facades of large Georgian terraces. In the immediate vicinity of the church is Airthrie Prep School, a number of boarding houses belonging to Cheltenham Ladies’ College, two nursing homes, Christ Church Primary School and Gloucester Road Primary School. CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG 6 PARISH PROFILE WORSHIP – FACING GOD STYLE OF WORSHIP At the very core of our life together is our desire to or Morning Worship (once a month). Afterwards we express, enjoy, and develop our shared experience of enjoy refreshments together in the Parish Centre. God’s presence through worship in ways that respect Following the monthly All Age Worship, at 12 noon the breadth of our individual experiences. We value there is a Shortened Communion (6-10). preaching, and we value music. We cherish words, and we cherish silence. We love times of celebration and Our monthly evening service may be Choral Eucharist/ times of stillness. In our corporate worship we have a Evensong at 6.30pm (15-20) or a special service keen awareness that we are standing on holy ground. including those which allow for exploration of alternative forms of worship. Christ Church began life at the height of Victorian evangelicalism, but the congregation has remained Monday – Friday we have Morning Prayer 8.45am (7) open to other influences. Our worship and teaching in the Side Chapel and Communion at 10.30am on are the product of many generations of cautious but Wednesday mornings (10-15). faithful exploration. At Christmas our atmospheric Carols by Candlelight These days our evangelicalism is open and reflective service attracts a congregation of 400. On Christmas rather than tribal, self-critical rather than triumphalist. Eve afternoon we hold our family-friendly Christingle We strive to broaden our congregation’s spiritual services. These are held at both 3.30pm and 5.30pm experiences by carefully balancing old and new and in order to cater for the large numbers attending by bringing in elements of different traditions. Our (1,000 combined). worship is liturgical, but our liturgy is open to the needs of the moment and very often specially composed or Our midweek activity focuses on Scripture. Long- curated from authorised material. Worship is not a established homegroups meet weekly for bible study matter of following a script. The emphasis in the main and fellowship. During Lent and Advent, a larger Sunday morning service is on creativity within (largely proportion of us study scripture together, in depth, with unspoken) limits. We are led by a robed SATB choir off-the-shelf resources or perhaps using homegrown and a lively, acoustic worship group, as well as a materials developed by our clergy and Readers. splendid organ. We quite often make use of all these musical forces in a single act of worship. In recent years, our emphasis has been on inclusion and we reflect regularly on how our worship can convey this Our Sunday pattern of worship begins quietly with welcome from the point of view of the newcomer or 8am Communion (15-20 attendees) followed by our occasional attendee. Our former vicar also challenged main 10.30am service (150) of Parish Communion us to re-examine our beliefs about human sexuality, (twice a month), All Age Worship (once a month) without seeking to lead us to any definite position. CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG PARISH PROFILE 7 CLERGY AND READERS TEAM We have four experienced licenced Readers contributing to away days throughout the year. and one retired priest who all make a significant contribution towards the planning We have often been a training ground for and leadership of the services and who, in curates and it is hoped that this practice will their different ways, maintain and enrich a continue in the future. It’s a source of joy high quality of preaching. The Christ Church when members of our congregation come family has appreciated and benefitted from forward for ordination or Reader training and consistently good preaching and teaching we support them through this. Clergy and both during the services and weekday evening Readers take part in regular ministry team courses with the team playing an important meetings to evaluate and plan programmes teaching role in ways such as leading Lent of services in collaboration with the Director groups, creating in-house course materials and of Music and Worship Group Leader. MUSIC FOR WORSHIP Within our services music is led by the choir, pride in the choir, numbers are near minimum organ and worship group. Music is chosen viable. The contribution of the choir is valued collaboratively with the Clergy Readers team by the congregation so we would welcome to serve the chosen service themes and engagement to help grow numbers again so occasions. Hymns A&MNS and Songs of that we can offer a wider range of music in Fellowship are our main resources although our worship. we are drawing increasingly on the riches available from other material. The choir is run by our Director of Music who receives remuneration. Since 1845 Christ Church has been blessed with a robed SATB choir, a tradition unbroken Led from the piano, 8-13 voices and a range of to this day. Leading worship regularly on instruments, the Worship Group contributes Sundays, the choir has an extensive music most Sundays, with members from 7–70 years library supporting the musical settings in the old. Music is selected to support the liturgy and liturgy. On special occasions the choir delivers service themes, choosing from contemporary to a high standard, when, for example, leading songs, chants, re-imagined hymns and worship in Cathedrals (Coventry Cathedral, appropriate music from beyond the faith Oct 2019) and is well represented at Evensong. community. The annual Christingle services However, on typical Sunday mornings, while are a high-spot where the group performs live there are quality singers who take justifiable seasonal music from secular to sacred. CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG 8 PARISH PROFILE MINISTRY – FACING EACH OTHER Within the church our sense of love and responsibility Prayer Ministry for each other is expressed in a variety of ways. A committed team of people are available during our Home Groups main services to pray privately with those who need it. There are six long established home groups which Home Communion meet for Bible study and discussions; importantly they also provide fellowship and support for their members . One of our Readers organises a monthly rota so that Combined membership of 30-40.