st peter's church, parr, st helens - anglican diocese of ... · 6 st peter’s church, parr st...

Parish Profile St Peter’s Church, Parr and

St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill

‘To know Christ better and to make Him better known’

Table of Contents

An Invitation 3

What do we expect from

our Team Vicar? 4

The Parishes of St Peter, Parr

& St Philip, Derbyshire Hill 5

St Peter’s Church, Parr

Introduction 6

Either… Or 7

Our Prayerful Decision 8

People of St Peter’s 9

Services 10

A 360o View 10

Activities 11

Outside Missions 12

The Church Graveyards 13

The Vicarage 13

Community Links 14

Heritage Open Days 15

Missionary Links 15

Finances 16

Are you called to join us? 17

Appendices

Appendix I 21

Appendix II 22

Appendix II 24

St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill

Introduction 18

Church Members 18

Church Services 18

Clergy 19

User Groups 19

PCC 20

Prayer Life 20

The Parr Team

St Peter’s Accounts Summary 2014

(as presented to the 2015 APCM)

St Philip’s Accounts Summary 2014

St Peter & St Philip, Parr Team 3

An Invitation

to share in our vision of how we build on our heritage

of over 150 years of serving God in the community of Parr and to equip it

and ourselves for the future

We are seeking a person who will join us in our vision of bringing the Gospel of God's Love and Redemption to the people of Parr.

R S V P We are in an area of multiple deprivation with low educational and aspirational goals. St Helens was once a thriving industrial town, but now is a town of low employment – particularly in low-skilled and blue-collar jobs. At St Peter’s. we are about to refurbish our Victorian church building to make it fit for purpose in the 21st Century, to make it flexible for use as a worship centre and for and by the community. We have the funds available to do this and we hope work will start early in 2016. At St Philip’s, there is a kitchen refurbishment currently being undertaken and a new PA system is being installed. We need help to reach out to families and young people, as well as supporting the needs of elderly people both within our congregation and within the wider community.

Are you the person who feels they might be the one

for whom this invitation is intended and who would like to serve God with us?

Then please read on . . .

4 St Peter & St Philip, Parr Team

What do we expect from our Team Vicar? We need a Team Vicar who can help us to achieve our vision for both St Peter's and St Philip’s, to take us forward in the 21st century, in newly refurbished churches, to serve the community of Parr. We believe that the needs of the parishes at the present time would be met by a man or a woman who is . . . (in no particular order)

a team player who is able to work with the existing vision

interested in families, youth and children

a good communicator

a good listener

approachable

an evangelical, bible-based, inspiring preacher

supportive of evangelism

prayerful and willing to be involved in church prayer

flexible/adaptable

a leader

an encourager

an innovator

able to develop gifts in the congregation

a working knowledge of IT

We need a person who will make a long term commitment to the parishes and who will help us to build on, and further develop, strong relationships with the wider community; a person who will develop the worshipping life of our churches and who is able to lead and grow the church in these parishes.


The Parishes of St Peter Parr and

St Philip Derbyshire Hill

On the East side of St Helens lie the four churches within the Parr Team. The newly appointed Team Rector, to be licensed in March, is Rev Clive Doran. He is based at St Paul's Blackbrook, where he has been Team Vicar since July 2013.

Two of these churches are: St Peter Parr St Philip Derbyshire Hill Broad Oak Road Derbyshire Hill Road Parr Derbyshire Hill St Helens St Helens WA9 2DZ WA9 2LJ the other two churches within the Parr Team are:

St Paul's Blackbrook Holy Trinity Parr Mount Chain Lane Traverse Street Blackbrook Parr Mount St Helens Fingerpost WA11 9QF WA9 1NR (see page 17) (see page 17)

all four churches are of the evangelical tradition

St Peter & St Philip, within St Helens

and NW England Mapping Data © OpenStreetMap Contributors

St Peter St Philip

6 St Peter’s Church, Parr

St Peter Parr

The parish of St Peter's Parr is an urban district, with a large percentage of the population on low income/benefits.

The latest Church Urban Fund data says:

“The population of St Peter Parr is 7,160 and the IMD rank is 12,543 out

of 12,660 (where 1 is the least deprived parish).

The most significant poverty-related issue in this parish is the relatively

high rate of working age poverty. The next most significant issue is the

relatively low qualification levels.

Child poverty, pensioner poverty, working age poverty and lone parent-

hood in this parish are among the highest in the country. Male life

expectancy, female life expectancy and qualification levels in this parish are

among the lowest nationally."

Approximately 15% of the population is over 65, but this is not reflected in our congregation where the majority is over 65. St Helens had several large coal mines, a thriving textile industry, a chemical industry, was the home of an international pharmaceutical company, and the international home of flat/float glass manufacture, besides having several other types of glass manufacture and railway works. Many small businesses and shops relied on this strong industrial base which is now much reduced. St Peter, Parr, is an evangelical church, with a Sunday morning service having a congregation of approximately 45. The congregation being predominantly elderly this number varies dependent on weather and time of year, due to the fact that the heating system has gone through major faults in the past three/four years, and now is defunct. The church currently conducts on average 60 funerals a year, approximately 6 weddings a year, and a similar number of baptisms. There is a weekly Dining Club open to all, and a monthly Coffee Morning which raises funds for the church as well as for several charities. Until recently there was a weekly Toddler Group for pre-school age children accompanied by an adult (whether that be Mum, Dad, Grandma, Granddad, carer, guardian). This was held in the large hall that has had to be sold (along with the church field) in order to fund the work we hope to carry out.

St Peter’s Church, Parr 7

Either . . . Or St Peter's had reached the point a few years ago where the church building was in need of refurbishment. The congregation had reduced in number for various reasons down to an average of 45 (Electoral Roll 2015 is 73) and bills for repairs and maintenance plus our Parish Share (based on a congregation of 87) were constant worries as our Reserves rapidly diminished. The church as a whole looked at the problems, prayed and discussed the issues. We waited on the Lord to show us the way forward. This He did in slow steps.

First, we looked at our assets…

The obvious solution suggested by some, mainly those who did not know and understand the area, was to close the church and for a few thousand pounds adapt the hall complex. We would be warm, comfortable and able to pay our bills.

… an attractive and much loved

Victorian church with a small hall

next to it…

… and a large hall complex, built

in the 1960s on a field owned by

St Peter’s Church


Our Prayerful Decision This, however, was not what God had in mind for us and our mission to spread His kingdom in Parr and beyond.

We have about six weddings and baptisms, and fifty to sixty funerals a year. Some funerals have over one hundred in church.

Our Carol Service with Parr Band has the church full – last year 2014 we had

150 people, 2015 we had 180 people, in a church with no heating.

Mention St Peter's to people outside the congregation, and the expression “that's my church” often comes into the conversation. By listening to people and our own hearts and minds it was clear that the Victorian church, with all its problems, was our greatest asset in helping us to spread God's message throughout – not just Parr – but all of St Helens. Once we were confident that we were on the right path the hall complex and field were put up for sale, and we as a church started the process of refining and clarifying our vision of how we were to serve God in an effective way. We looked at our strengths and weaknesses, the needs of the community, how we could wisely use the money to achieve the vision. Prayer, discussion, listening and participating in the TEAR Fund Catalyst Programme helped us to know in practice how we could show God's love for people. People in Parr are very “family” orientated, not always what is conventionally called a family, and often two, three or four generations will attend an event. Split them up into age groups as in school or college and you will lose them. The vision we have for our newly refurbished building is to show God's love to the community as we help them in their everyday lives – basic family skills that were once taught in the home and schools, plus basic life skills (computers, form-filling, etc), all which can be run alongside the toddler group, dining club, and any other group formed from church members or wishing to use our facilities, and open to all members of the community.


People of St Peter's

Our worship leaders

Some of our PCC members

Our worship leaders are Rev Hilda McCann (OLM) – who semi-retires in February 2016 - Chris Pye and Craig Jevins, our two Readers. A Morning Worship or Holy Communion Service (Common Worship) is held each Sunday morning, plus there is usually one BCP Holy Communion held in the month. Holy Communion is taken to Parr Nursing Home and Gaskell Court (a sheltered housing complex), we have a good link with the local Darby & Joan Club, and for the past five years our Good Friday worship has been shared with the local Salvation Army. When we are able to worship weekly in church (March/April – October/November), our full or part services are projected, via PowerPoint, onto a central screen at the front of church – the screen being raised during Holy Communion services whilst the bread and wine is taken at the communion rail in front of the Holy Table in the chancel.

There are eleven members of the PCC

(8 elected and 3 ex-officio) meeting once a month - other than August. Mission Plans are drawn up each year in accordance with both Deanery and Diocesan protocols, along with submitting Diocesan Growth Planning documents to the Diocese. The re-ordering/refurbishment of St Peter's is very much at the centre of our plans so that the church building will not only meet current but future missional needs. We are at the planning stage at the moment, and are including our architect in the meetings with ourselves and the Diocesan Heritage Officer to ensure we get our plans correct first time round.

Currently we only have one Church Warden, Dennis Morgan. He has been in post since 2010, and will be found each Sunday alongside the duty sidespersons giving a warm welcome to all who come into St Peter's. As stated earlier, we are an elderly congregation, and although Dennis is well-supported by those who are able to do so, other commitments prevent anyone taking on the position of the second Warden as a permanent role.

Our Church Warden


The church services within a month at St Peter's are:

First Sunday - 10.30 am Holy Communion (CW) Second Sunday - 9.00 am BCP Holy Communion - 10.30 am Morning Worship / Baptism Third Sunday - 10.30 am Morning Worship Fourth Sunday - 10.30 am Morning Worship Fifth Sunday - 10.30 am Morning Worship

Services normally have lay involvement by way of the Bible readings and intercessory prayers, as well as involvement in the choice of hymns/music.

If you would like a 360° view of St Peter's then please click on the following link: https://stpetersparr.wordpress.com/ or visit the site if you are reading a hard copy of this Profile.

St Peter's boasts a Father Willis organ, installed in the church shortly after the church was built in 1865. The organ is in its original state apart from some modifications made in the 1970s. Although this two manual organ is small, it has been described as a fine instrument, one that 'speaks very well and can produce a glorious sound'. There is also a more modern electric keyboard to play the hymns/songs of today. Marjorie Follin and Carol Littler are our main music providers, playing at two of the four/five Sunday services in a month. Music at the other two/three of the Sunday services is provided via CD, Laptop (MP3) or a guest player.

https://stpetersparr.wordpress.com/


Activities

. . . the weekly Dining Club, which meets at lunchtime on a Friday, offering a three-course meal at a very reasonable cost. It is not restricted to pensioners or church-goers, and provides a social opportunity for those attending – as several attendees stated “this can sometimes be the only time we have a chat with anyone all week”. Up to 20 people attend.

. . . Coffee Mornings are held monthly with proceeds going to the Building & Grounds Fund of the church (used for the general maintenance around the buildings and grounds), or to specific charities (eg Macmillan Cancer Support, Willowbrook Hospice, etc). Normally between 20 and 30 people attend during the morning.

. . . the weekly Craft Group, the AA meetings, as well as any church meetings not needing a large capacity space, plus it is used by the local Council for election purposes. These groups/meetings cannot expand without a larger space being available, and this is factored into our refurbishment plans of the church building.

To the side of the church is the Memorial Hall, which was built in the late 1970s. This comprises a small meeting room, a kitchenette, and a toilet with facilities for the disabled. At the moment it is the home of . . .


Outside Missions

We know our limitations, we are not afraid to seek and use outside help. On several occasions we have brought in Mission Groups from both Capernwray College (Cumbria) and 'Come Back to God' (Glasgow) to help with different projects, and if necessary we will use outside help again.

The Toddlers' Group (pre-school age) met in the Delta Road Hall on a Monday afternoon in term-time, for free-play, craft activities, etc. Refreshments for everyone gave the Mums/carers a break in their daily routine. It was an “open” group, with no need to book or be a church member. We had a very good relationship with those who came to the Toddler Group, but it had to close when we sold the hall complex. The Mums and carers understood our situation and look forward to returning to the group when it re-opens in the refurbished building where there will be space for them to meet again. We have their addresses and contact details to keep them up-to-date with our progress, and the children will receive their usual 'Real Easter Egg' in March. The Delta Road Hall complex was also used for church social events such as a Summer Tea, the Harvest Supper, etc. These events will continue once more when the refurbishment/re-ordering of the church is completed.


The Church Graveyards

The Vicarage . . . was built in the early 1970s, and stands in its own grounds to the side of the Memorial Hall. Its main entrance is in Delta Road.

It has two reception rooms, kitchen, study and cloakroom on the ground floor, and four bedrooms and a family bathroom on the first floor, and has just been re-wired. There is an attached garage, a large garden, mostly under grass, and a substantial number of trees bordering the garden.

The church has two graveyards, the older of the two within the church grounds to the rear of the church and bordering Epsom Street and Delta Road, and the smaller, 'new', graveyard in Delta Road. The upkeep of these is a major task and we are fortunate to have the help of a Community Payback team to keep these tidy, as well as keeping the grounds around the church building tidy.


Community Links Schools within the Parish We have links with all the schools in the parish, and hope to continue to build on these links throughout 2016.

Allanson Street Primary School - a two form entry school with an intake of up to sixty children each September. It also has a sixty-place Nursery which offers morning or afternoon sessions for children following the term that they are three years of age. This school has been judged by OFSTED to be an outstanding school in 2010 and 2015.

Lansbury Bridge School and Sports College - a large special needs school, purpose built and opened in 2005 that caters for 208 pupils aged 3-16 years. OFSTED in their last visit noted that the school had some very good features.

Mill Green School - a co-educational day special needs school/college, opened 2014, for learners aged 11-19. It has wide-ranging community links, including coming along to St Peter's at various times throughout the year for special services. OFSTED judged this school as “outstanding” in their 2015 visit.

Broad Oak Community Primary School is a 2.5 form entry school on the boundary of St Peter's Parr parish but is within the parish of St Philip's Derbyshire Hill, and is a school with which we, along with St Philip's, have good links. Broad Oak received an OFSTED “good” visit rating in 2015. Care for the Elderly Within the parish there is Parr Nursing Home, which is a privately owned care home with nursing for 60 residents, Burrows Court Sheltered Housing, and Gaskell Court Retirement/Sheltered Housing. Besides these three specialists, there is also sheltered housing provided by other local social housing companies.

Parr (St Helens) Band We have a long and close relationship with Parr Band – it's not just a Christmas tradition, they come along to give a concert when we open our church building for the Heritage Open Days, held nationally each year. The band's conductor considers St Peter's part of their heritage – the band having been formed from a church band pre-WW2 – and we quite happily allow them to use the church without charge for their annual concert, and if needed for the odd rehearsal.


Heritage Open Days

We celebrate our heritage of over 150 years each September by opening the church for people to explore the displays of pictures of bygone days and events enjoyed by the past parishioners of the church. They can also remember those from the area who gave their lives during the two World Wars. The lives of the 200+ young men commemorated on the World War I Memorial screen and the World War II Memorial plaque have been researched and information is available in the church. Besides enjoying music played by Parr Band on one of the

open days, those visiting the church on the other open days can enjoy music played by a guest organist on our Father Willis organ – on all days free refreshments are provided, and of course there is no entry fee. A follow-on from the Heritage Open Days in 2014 was the request by two of the local schools (Broad Oak Community Primary and Holy Spirit Catholic Primary) to visit the church to look at the War Memorials and the displays we had to help with their school projects for the 100th Anniversary of WW1. Representatives from Broad Oak then attended the Remembrance Day Service and presented the church with two mosaic plaques made with broken pieces of tile they had made in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary. St Peter's also took out commemorative copies of the St John's Gospel issued to soldiers in WW1 to 17 primary schools in the borough for their Year 6 classes who had been working on a WW1 project (700 copies in total).

Missionary/Charity Links

TEAR Fund, The Leprosy Mission, CMS/SAMS, are missionary societies who we support as much as we can. We have not had sufficient funds recently to give as we once did, but we send what we can as well as giving prayer support. We also support SHINE (St Helens Inter-Church Neighbourhood Evangelisation) a local trust involving all denominations working to further the Gospel in St Helens. A local hospice (Willowbrook) receives the proceeds from one of our monthly Coffee Mornings, as does Macmillan Cancer Support.

Several of the past congregation have gone into full-time ministry (some are still in active ministry and have regular contact with us), we are actively involved in the Church of England Synods at all levels, and our Treasurer is involved with several local schools as a governor, being chair of one of them.


Parish Finances As stated at the beginning of this document, our finances over the past few years had reduced drastically, and to keep St Peter's as a viable business we had to take the decision to reduce the amount of Parish Share we paid to the diocese each month to 50% of what it should have been. This enabled us to continue to meet all other parochial expenses and to “stay afloat” as a church.

We also therefore had to make the decision to sell the church hall and field to pay off the debt to the diocese and to refurbish/re-order the church building to make it fit for purpose in the 21st Century.

The sale was finally concluded in August 2015, and we were able to start the process of drawing up plans, etc for work to go ahead on the church building, ensuring that the finances for this are in a separate account. We have paid our debt to the diocese, completed all our Parish Share payments for 2015, and set aside funds in another account to ensure that we can meet our Parish Share payments for the next financial year.

We have a small current account to meet the day-to-day expenses of the church, along with a small restricted fund for the general maintenance/repair costs that come along, and a small general reserve fund.

A summary of the 2014 Annual Accounts are attached (Appendix II).


We are not a congregation that is fossilised in the past or resistant to change. In our secular working lives we have seen more change than the Church has in several hundred years. We have a very loyal and generous congregation.

Although we are small in number,

we have a wide range of gifts and experience between us.

We are united in God's love and purpose.

The Lord is adding to our numbers as our more elderly members

pass on.

Are you called to join us?

18 St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill

St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill St Philip’s Church was built in 1992. The church has a large hall with dividing screens. There are three large rooms, one of which is used by the Sunday School, two are used at the moment as store rooms for some of the user groups using the building. There is a large kitchen which is currently under refurbishment, three store rooms, one of which is in the hall. A new PA system is being installed along with a static projector and electric screen. There is a car park with a grassy area and access to a rear garden.

Church Members The electoral roll has 34 members registered at the moment. The congregation are between 30 and 94 years of age and six young people aged between 4 and 11. The average Sunday attendance is 25 to 30 worshippers. There is a regular Sunday School attended by our young people.

Church Services Services start at 10.30 am: 1st Sunday of the month is All Age Service with Baptism 2nd Sunday of the month is Holy Communion 3rd & 4th Sunday is Service of the Word. Services are followed by refreshments apart from Holy Communion Services. A mid-week coffee morning with a said Holy Communion Service is held on alternate Wednesdays at 10.30am. The average attendance of this service is 15. When Holy Communion is not possible a Celtic Morning prayer Service is held. There is a children’s ministry on the first Monday of each month in the form of Messy Church. This has a regular attendance of 12 children.

St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill 19

Clergy For the past two-and-a-half years, St Philip’s has been lead by a Pioneer Minister, Sister Sandra Doore of the Church Army. Sandra is currently training for ordination and is scheduled to complete her training in May 2016, when she will be ordained as a curate in another Parish. The ministry team is: OLM Rev. Alan Kirkham Lay reader Mrs Jenny Stone Lay reader Mr Dave Jones Church Warden Mr Dave Jones Deputy Warden Mrs Rhoda Jackson Worship is lead by: Mr David Stone Piano Mrs Rhoda Jackson Piano/Organ Mr Dave Jones Guitar The services are accompanied by piano, organ or guitar depending on the needs of the service. All Age Services are accompanied by electric keyboard and guitar. Extended communion is distributed in local care homes.

User Groups During the week St Philip’s has a full programme of community groups using the building. Monday: 5.00pm – 7.00pm Rainbows and Brownies Tuesday: 9.30am – 11.30am Mums and Toddlers 5.30pm – 7.30pm Morris dancers Wednesday: 1.30pm – 2.30pm Tai Chi 5.00pm – 9.00pm Slimming World Thursday: 9.30am – 11.30am Mums and Toddlers 12.00 – 1.00pm Chair Exercise Group 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guides Saturday: 1 0.30am – 11.30am Dance Theatre The building is also used as a Polling Station during elections.

20 St Philip’s Church, Derbyshire Hill

PCC The PCC meets bi-monthly after Sunday Services. Church Treasurer is Mrs. Gill Pinder Church Secretary is Mrs Doreen Hunt Between April 2015 and March 2016 there were 3 Funerals and 4 Baptisms. 10% of the church’s annual income is donated to chosen charities.

Prayer life The church has a prayer Window for prayer requests. These are read during the said communion services on alternate Wednesday. Names on the window are regularly welcomed. There are bi-monthly prayer sheets, which include suggested prayer, prayers for members of the church and prayers for streets within the local community

A few of our photographs . . . Messy Church July 2014 Pyramid Rock Holiday Club August 2015

Broadoak School Carol Concert at St Philip’s Church 2015


Appendix I Parr Team

The other two churches in the Parr Team are: St Paul's Blackbrook

The population here is 7,710 and the IMD rank is 10,341. A modern building, built in 1973, with two services each Sunday. There is also a monthly 'Messy Church (for primary school aged children and their families), Tiddlers (parents and toddler groups), InFocus (11-18s), a monthly pensioners' lunch club, various mid-week study and social groups, and a successful church-run pre-school play group each morning. Within the parish there is a community primary school (Ashurst), with which the church has strong links, a Roman Catholic primary school (St Mary's), a community centre and a nursing home.

Holy Trinity Parr Mount The population here is 2,310 and the IMD rank is 12,594. It is a Grade II listed building, situated within a busy shopping area. The church recently received a grant from English Heritage and is undergoing major repair/re-ordering work. It is used by several community groups throughout the week, and also houses a local Food Bank. Merton Bank is the local primary school.


Appendix II


Appendix III

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