1

The Parish Church and Community Centre of St Paul’s

Goodmayes

Mission statement “Forward into God’s embrace”

Embracing the Father and the Son and the Spirit to: Enable the whole community

Members, friends, young and old alike to Belong more fully to God’s family

Reconciling our God given gifts to His glory Affirming us all in faith, hope and love

Committed to his mission in the world, and to Each other as brothers and sisters in Christ

2

DEANERY PROFILE – REDBRIDGE DEANERY (prepared for St Paul’s Goodmayes)

Redbridge is a highly populous outer London borough comprising nearly 300,000 people. We

have just 36.8% self-identify as Christians; this is the lowest percentage of all of the outer-

London boroughs (in our diocese only Newham is considered an inner-London borough). We

also have the highest percentage of Muslims at 23.3% of the population (more than any other

deanery except Newham). Ilford, at the heart of the borough, has been designated one of the

ten strategic development hubs for the new London. This, together with the advent of Crossrail,

makes us one of the fastest growing boroughs in the country.

Changes in the availability of stipendiary clergy mean that Chelmsford diocese is undertaking a

major exercise entitled “Re-Imagining Ministry”, which calls for “Mission and Ministry Units” of

several parishes overseen by a few stipendiary clergy working as a team. Whilst many

deaneries can argue for retaining a higher stipendiary allocation, it is worth noting that

Redbridge will be increasingly strategic and demanding as a mission field. Informing our

strategy for the future shape of ministry, we also note that there are comparatively few

retirements expected in the short-term (as the average age of Redbridge clergy is somewhat

lower than the diocesan/national averages) and therefore restructuring may have to take place

over a slightly longer timescale. Nevertheless, we can say that any new incumbent must be

prepared to work in a team and across more than one parish.

In the last few years we have moved to a cluster model of parishes covering the whole of

Redbridge and through this have already had significant experience of working collaboratively.

With the end of the Redbridge Deanery Youth Worker project, it was natural for us to reorganise

youth work provision at a cluster level, ensuring that there were viable youth groups in every

cluster and a named point of contact in every parish. This move to clustering has been

somewhat prophetic and these clusters are likely to feature large in our thinking about viable

units for the future. There are many things that, as a deanery, we can celebrate. Most of our

parishes have significant community engagement with good multi-cultural links and a vibrant

presence in their local area. Some parishes have particular expertise in areas such as

evangelism, Messy Church and youth work. We hope that each parish’s expertise can be

shared more widely.

St Paul’s has been an active participant in the local cluster and will therefore be at the heart of

the future Mission and Ministry unit. The church has the most distinctively catholic tradition of

the four parishes, which is highly valued, but any incumbent will have to be willing to continue

the pattern of close involvement with neighbouring parishes and will need to demonstrate

3

flexibility in order to work with colleagues from varying traditions. This will include sharing

responsibility for ministry in other settings of a different churchmanship.

Paul Harcourt, Area Dean 12/4/14

4

Who we are St Paul’s Church is Anglo-Catholic in both its faith expressions and Liturgy. It is more “liberal” catholic, welcoming the ministry of women together with definite warmth of inclusiveness, in ethos, mission and outlook.

We have an electoral roll of 46 people of which about one third are male. Geographically, of these 46 people, approximately half live within the parish and half outside the parish reflecting the commitment and affinity of parishioners to their church even when it may not be their local one. Additionally the members of the church vary considerably in age and ethnicity.

Our Worship The parish has a long established catholic tradition with emphasis on the sacraments. There is a tradition of wearing ceremonial vestments together with the use of incense and music in our worship.

The new revised standard version of the Revised Common Lectionary is used for the principal Sung Mass at 10.00am on a Sunday. This Mass is accompanied by music from one of five mass settings. The Celebration Hymnal for Everyone and the English Hymnal are used throughout the year. After the service, the Angelus is recited or, during Eastertide, the Regina Caeli is sung. There is also an act of worship on Sunday evening, either one of Benediction, Healing Mass or Evening Prayer. During Lent Stations of the Cross take place on Friday evenings.

There are Masses during the week on Monday (evening), Tuesday (noon) and Wednesday morning, as well as on feast days. On ferial weekdays the Roman Missal is used. Traditional ceremonies are used in Holy Week and at Easter. Confessions are heard on request.

Qualities we are looking for in a new incumbent 1. First and foremost, the parish requires a full-time priest trained in the catholic tradition

with the desire to lead the form of worship described above. The new incumbent should have a talent for teaching the faith accordingly, the skill for the proper administration of sacraments, order of service and pastoral care

2. The new incumbent should be a capable leader but willing to consult the Parochial

Church Council over any new initiatives after an initial period within the parish

3. An excellent communicator, with the ability to teach the Gospel making it relevant to our

modern lifestyles. A new incumbent with the right balance of scholarship, spirituality, evangelism and humour

5

Our parish would welcome:

4. Someone with musical ability and a willingness to lead a sung Mass 5. A priest with prior experience in industry or a profession 6. A male or female priest who is single or married 7. A priest willing to engage with the ecumenical and cluster church activities that have

been built up over the years 8. A new incumbent who is keen to maintain the strong sense of community and develop

the social life of the parish Items 1 – 3 above are essential items 4 – 8 are desirable.

Where we are

Parish location St Paul`s Church Goodmayes is situated at the junction of Atholl Road and Barley Lane in Goodmayes, Essex within the London Borough of Redbridge. It is part of the Church of England, a parish in the Diocese of Chelmsford and located within the Redbridge Deanery.

The correspondence address is St Paul`s Vicarage, 20 Eastwood Road, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex IG3 8XA.

Parish boundaries The boundary of the parish runs along the centre of the railway line parallel to the A118 High Road from Westwood Road to Grove Road. It continues along Grove Road to Gresham Drive, along Gresham Drive across Barley Lane, through Goodmayes Hospital to Seven Kings Water. The boundary continues following Seven Kings Water to Westwood Road and to the High Road. The population of the parish, according to the Chelmsford directory 2013, is 7000. Follow this on the map of the parish boundary.

6

Description of the local area There are several green spaces within the parish and Hainault Forest is about 10 minutes drive from the church. Places of Christian worship within the parish include St. Cedd Roman Catholic Church, Goodmayes Methodist Church and Grace Church. The parish has an Islamic Community Centre with Mosque and library and there is also a Sikh Gurdwara. Amenities within the Parish Within the parish you will find a retail park with a Tesco Extra, Currys and Wickes; numerous independent retailers, a variety of ethnic food shops, excellent healthcare provision and a Children’s Centre. Schools There are a number of primary schools with nursery provision and one Secondary Academy within the parish boundaries. The parish is also served by independent schools and private nurseries. Public transport links The parish is accessible by rail and bus links. The Abellio Greater Anglia line from Liverpool Street to Shenfield stops at Goodmayes, the nearest station to the church.

There are two buses that pass the church in Barley Lane, number 387, which travels between Little Heath and Barking and number 364, which travels between Ilford and Dagenham East. The 86 bus travels along the High Road between Stratford Station (home of the Olympic Games 2012) and Romford Station.

History of the church The building and how it has changed The foundation stone was laid in 1903 but building work and enlargement continued until 1929. Our first priest was appointed in 1917. The church was the daughter church of St Chad’s Church Chadwell Heath now in the Deanery of Barking and Dagenham. The church is one of three built at about that time, to fill the needs of people moving into the area. Over the years benefactors have left memorials to the church in the form of statues and stained glass windows, some of which feature the designs of William Morris and Burne-Jones.

7

Today the church can seat about 180 people in the Nave, 18 in the Lady Chapel with additional seating if needed in the side aisles. The main sanctuary area of the church was reordered between 1998 and 2000. In 2010 we replaced our stations of the cross with a set produced by a local artist through Commission4Mission.

(These can be viewed on our website: stpaulsgoodmayes.org.uk). In 2013 the church invested in the replacement of its rainwater goods. The fabric has been well maintained throughout the history of the church.

St Paul’s main sanctuary area decorated at Christmas

Some notable events in the past and recent history

The parish undertook a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1997, a Mission to the parish in 2000 and in 2012 a retreat day with a focus on Transforming Presence (Bishop Stephen of Chelmsford’s initiative).

How we worship The congregation attend a number of services during the week, which are distinctly liturgical in style, and of an Anglo-catholic tradition. The sacrament of the Eucharist is central to worship. Additionally music, incense, bells, candles and colourful vestments are used to elevate and express the worship.

There are three services on a Sunday: Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the principal service, a Sung Eucharist, at 10am. On the last Sunday of every month the principal service is

8

centred on our younger members. At this Family Eucharist our youth group are encouraged to participate and have, on special occasions, led parts of the worship.

Weekday Masses are said in church on Monday evening at 6.30pm, Tuesday at noon and Wednesday at 9.00am. Additionally, at 10.00am on the first Monday of the month, Mass is said at a local retirement home for the elderly.

At St Pauls we celebrate major festivals of our Lord with sung Masses and some acts of non-Eucharistic worship throughout the year, with other services in the seasons of Lent and Advent. Serving Team At present we have a Sacristan who looks after all the church linen and also acts as server and thurifer during the Mass. Occasionally the Sacristan is helped by others. We would like to see an increase in the number of servers. One of the Eucharistic minsters serves at a low Mass during the week. Sunday school

The children of the Sunday school continue to contribute to the life and worship of the church. They have participated in regular Family Eucharist through prepared readings as well as writing their own intercessions. The group presented a well-received nativity play this year and ran the Christingle service in aid of the Children’s Society. The children have also enjoyed taking part in the “Transforming Presence” sessions where they worked separately to the adults on a linked theme and presented their discussions (and sometimes their creations!) to the rest of the congregation at the end.

Ecumenical partnerships Fellowship churches The Goodmayes Fellowship of Churches is an Ecumenical group of churches that work together to promote Christianity within Goodmayes. The group includes: All Saints Goodmayes, Goodmayes Baptist Church, St Cedd’s RC, Goodmayes Methodist Church and St Paul’s Goodmayes. Shared events over the last year have included: Women’s World Day of Prayer Service, shared Lent lunches and a March of Witness on Good Friday. Cluster Churches Our local Cluster is made up of four Church of England Churches (All Saints, St John the Evangelist, St Paul’s Goodmayes and St Peter’s Aldborough Hatch). These churches work together to promote and support each other and their respective communities in worship and social events.

9

St Paul’s and St John’s have worked closely together and have organised a number of joint events. These include the annual Palm Sunday procession with donkey from one church to the other, Songs of Praise in the Park and exhibitions of Christian Art as well as the Area 5 Community Festival in Barley Lane Recreation Ground in the summer.

With the support of the Cluster, St Paul’s were able to arrange a successful art festival in the church on the same weekend as the Community Festival. Lay ministry We have a rota of readers and intercessors. We have six Eucharistic ministers who assist during Mass and provide communion to the sick at home and also one who has a specific role at Goodmayes Hospital. A member of the congregation has recently qualified as a Spiritual Director. Community links We have a link with one of the retirement homes in the local area at which a Mass is celebrated once a month.

St Paul’s has in the past had close links with Goodmayes Hospital (which is part of the mental health trust) through the hospital Chapel. We continue to maintain this link by making donations of gifts to the patients at Christmas, which are gratefully received. The Parish Magazine The St. Paul`s Church parish magazine, which is issued monthly, is produced in-house and solely by its editor. With contributions from the incumbent and occasional articles from parishioners, it is considered one of our major outreach resources. One hundred copies are printed at the Diocesan Print Unit and ten or more of these are posted out of the area. The magazine just about covers its cost once account is taken of advertising income from local businesses. The magazine is also distributed to churches within the vicinity and the local newspaper, the Ilford Recorder, which carries a ‘Faiths Forum’ page in which we are frequently mentioned. Our magazine is highly regarded by others within the area, particularly as some parishes do not have the resource to produce a magazine. You can find further information about the parish through the website stpaulsgoodmayes.org.uk. Parish social events

St. Paul`s has an Entertainment and Fundraising Committee which plans and organises Parish social events. Subject to time available throughout the year, these include Jumble Sales and a

10

Barbecue. The Barbecue is usually linked with a ‘Songs of Praise’ before-hand. One event, which is held every year in November, is the Christmas Bazaar. As well as being our biggest fund-raiser, the Bazaar, like the Parish Jumble Sale, is a good ‘Outreach’ event, bringing us into contact with many from the local area.

We try to hold at least two Parish shared lunches throughout the year, typically on the Patronal Festival (29th June) and Harvest Thanksgiving, which often coincide with Back to Church Sunday. On these occasions, the food brought by parishioners and shared with each other, together with wine frequently gifted by benefactors, offers an enjoyable and sociable occasion. These lunches, like the barbecues, are generally well supported. In past years we have had parish outings by coach to France, Ely and Walton on the Naze. More recently we have arranged small group outings by train to Winchester and Windsor, both culminating in attending Evensong at Winchester Cathedral and St. George`s Chapel. Uniformed Groups The 4th Goodmayes (St Paul’s) Scout Group has 3 sections, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. All sections are thriving with good numbers. They are multi-faith and multi-ethnic in makeup. Some 80% of all attending are from faiths other than Christian. They have a dedicated area of the Community Centre called ‘The Gaffery’, the smaller hall at the back of the Centre. It has its own entrance, kitchen, office and toilets.

The 4th Goodmayes Brownies and Rainbows also meet in ‘The Gaffery’ and are also thriving. They are multi-faith and multi-ethnic in makeup. They visit the church and attend services during the year such as Mothering Sunday, Harvest and Christingle. We are keen to strengthen the links with both of these groups. Links with the local Authority

The London Borough of Redbridge invests in a number of community events in different parts of the borough to promote integration and community cohesion. One such event is the Area 5 Annual Community Festival, which takes place in the local recreation ground a short distance from the church. St Paul’s takes part with a presence at the festival and an invitation to the community to visit the church, which is open on that day. Visitors to the church are offered refreshments and the opportunity to view the artworks and memorials in the church or take advantage of the quiet space for reflection if they choose.

What we do Church associated groups Mothers’ Union St Paul’s has a thriving branch of the Mothers’ Union with 16 members. Members are fully involved in a variety of church activities. Prayers for the worldwide membership, as well as for

11

the parish, are at the heart of the branch. They meet on the first Tuesday of the month in the evening. Events include invited speakers, games and two Afternoon Teas to which the whole parish is invited. One of our members is a Vice President and Trustee of Chelmsford Diocese Mother’s Union. Choir The parish boasts a modest choir of 4 female sopranos. They lead the hymnody and Responsorial Psalm at the weekly Sunday Mass and also, when appropriate, the Advent Prose, the Lent Prose and the Victimae Paschali. Simple Communion anthems are sung from time to time and, if necessary, one or two male voices can be seconded for these occasions. We have five Mass settings, four of which are in regular use and one of which was written specifically for us by Alan Gulliver, a previous organist. The organist, a former chorister, who is, by choice, unpaid, has been in post for around five years. A keen amateur, his musical tastes are wide and range from Buxtehude, JS Bach, Couperin and other 17th/18th century composers to the 20th century French masters, Vierne, Dupre, Messiaen, Durufle, Tournemire et al. Typically, he provides an occasional Prelude, a regular Gospel Fanfare (outside Lent), a quiet and meditative Communion piece and a Postlude voluntary appropriate to the season. Around 1-2% of our budget is allocated to music and three times in the last few years we have imported professional musicians, organist and singers, to lead us in Choral Evensong or Advent Carols. We are seeking further opportunities for such occasions. Occasionally, too, we have combined with the other Cluster churches – for confirmation in 2011 and for the Centenary of All Saints in 2012. Supporting our young people St Paul’s aims to provide a place where its young people feel accepted and among friends. It also helps them to engage with world issues and seek ways to support people outside the group. Last and not least, it seeks to have fun. As we currently do not have enough young people to hold a Youth Club at St Paul’s, a couple of our older youth members attend a Youth Club at St John’s, a nearby church in our “cluster”. The children of the Sunday school continue to contribute to the life and worship of the church. They have participated in the regular Family Eucharist through prepared readings as well as writing their own intercessions. The children have also enjoyed taking part in the “Transforming Presence” sessions where they work separately to the adults on a linked theme and present their discussions (and sometimes their creations!) to the rest of the congregation at the end. We usually take the young people out for a couple of trips each year, which in the past have included: ten-pin bowling; local pantomime; cinema and museums. They particularly enjoy going out to eat.

Last year we completed a Youth Emmaus Course, which was run by St Paul’s Youth Leaders. This has helped to develop our young people as whole people and enabled them to know themselves, to know God and to grow as Christians. One of our Youth Leaders is regularly involved in helping to organise and run Deanery Youth Events.

12

Assets and resources Community Centre

St Paul’s has a modern purpose built Community Centre with two halls. The building is DDA compliant. The main hall has a fully fitted kitchen, toilets and an office. The smaller hall is the home of 4th Goodmayes Scout group. By arrangement with the scouts it is also used for youth and parish activities. The two halls are divided by a walking wall, which can be moved to form a much large space. There are 12 flats on the two floors above the Community Centre, which are managed by

North East London Mental Health Trust. The two ground floor flats at the rear are managed by Redbridge Social Services for people with physical disabilities.

During 2003 the PCC gave consideration to the state of the old Parish Hall and agreed to investigate partnering with a Housing Association to replace the hall with a housing complex and a Community Centre at ground level. During 2004 agreement was reached with Family Housing Association to develop the site. In March 2005 a 127 years Lease was granted to Family Housing Association for a specific area of land adjoining the church. The 4th Goodmayes Scout Group were compensated for the loss of their hall with exclusive use of the hall at the rear of the Centre. This area, with the agreement of the scouts, can be used for parish events.

The old Parish and Scout Halls were then demolished and a new Community Centre erected. This was officially opened by HRH Duke of Gloucester on 29th September 2006. In 2012, a new extension was added, to house additional toilets and storage for the principal lessee of the centre. The principle lessee uses the Centre from 7am to 7pm on weekdays for most of the year providing much needed community services. These include: a Preschool, Breakfast Club, After School Club and a holiday club running during school holidays.

Community groups including Karate and Zumba classes use the Centre on weekday evenings. The centre is also used for private lettings on Saturdays. The lettings are booked through an administrator who works 2 mornings a week from the office in the Centre. She is also responsible for marketing the spare capacity and managing the administration of Community Centre. The Centre is well maintained with annual redecoration and refurbishment of the sprung

13

wooden floor. The parish sees the Centre as a financial asset and a benefit to the community. (The centre is also used for refreshments after the Sunday morning services)

Finances For the last seven years, overall Parish finances have been in good shape. A significant and increasing deficit on Parish activities and housekeeping has been more than covered by a comfortable surplus from the Community Centre. The residual surplus has allowed us to build a modest but necessary reserve (against risk) and deal with a number of significant outstanding fabric needs including the complete renewal/replacement of the rainwater goods, electrical wiring, surrounding pillars and brickwork, window guards, a new Vestry safe (required by our insurers) and Smartwater coating for the roofing. In addition, we have built a £100,000 extension to the Community Centre to house additional toilets and storage for the nursery which occupies the premises on week days. They shared the cost of the extension with us.

This welcome surplus has enabled us to pay our full share of the Family Purse to the Diocese and we have twice won the Bishop`s Platinum Award for so doing. We have also been able to give proper consideration to Charitable Giving and have given £2,000 p.a. in total for each of the last several years to four charities on a regular basis and a further three on an occasional basis.

The Community Centre, however, is now in its eighth year of operation and itself requires and will continue to require an increasing proportion of its surplus for its own maintenance. So fairly urgent action is required to stem the burgeoning church deficit, the problem with which is less our expenditure, which is quite well controlled, as with income. Although Stewardship is reasonable, giving overall is stagnant. Fund-raising, too, has declined by nearly 25% in the past few years, as the increasing emphasis on Mission and Outreach has made for more activities, which are not financially productive. In addition, a congregation mix of elderly pensioners and families with teenage and growing children does not lend itself to the support of quizzes and similar fund-raising events.

One of the legacies of the extension is the need to repay a £35,000 loan from the Diocese of which £29,000 remains outstanding. This is more than matched by additional income of £12,000 p.a. from the nursery for their share of the costs. With a turnover in excess of £100,000 p.a. now, we are applying to the Charity Commission for full registration as a charity.

St Paul’s Vicarage

The vicarage (20 Eastwood Road) adjoins the western boundary of the church site. It is a large family residence, of brick and slate construction, built at about the same time as the church, although not then as the vicarage.

Upstairs there are five bedrooms and two bathrooms. On the lower floor there are two

14

reception rooms, a study, kitchen, utility room and cloakroom/toilet. There is also a small basement. The building has gas central heating and is fully double-glazed.

The front garden is laid to lawn with a privet hedge. The rear garden is also laid to lawn with trees, flowerbeds and a shed against the rear wall. Between the Church and the vicarage there is a designated parking space for the Vicar in the private car parking area, which belongs to Atholl Court (Family Mosaic Housing Association).