St Mary with St Philip and St James

Woodford Parish Church

PARISH PROFILE NOVEMBER 2008

207 High Road South Woodford

London E18 2PA

www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk Parish Office 020 8505 3000

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Parish Profile This profile occasionally refers readers to the website www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk where supplementary information can be found. The Vacancy The vacancy follows the appointment of The Revd. Geoffrey Smith to the position of Rector of Loughton, also in the Diocese of Chelmsford. Geoffrey had been our Rector for 10 years, succeeding Canon Bob Birchnall who served St Mary’s for 33 years. The Parish Profile The team charged with putting together the profile would like to thank all those who submitted their views. Over 40 did so orally in consultation meetings, and we also received more than 50 written submissions. This process highlighted some perceptions that are disturbing and that will have to be addressed. We hope we have avoided any suggestion of complacency in this document. Statistics in the profile are Crown Copyright material, reproduced with permission. They apply to Church End Ward, an area that comprises the largest section of the parish. These statistics were compiled as a preliminary step in our engagement with a Growing Healthy Churches programme. The Mission of St Mary’s

We want to place St Mary’s firmly at the centre of the whole community. The parish has made significant and successful efforts in recent years to persuade people living nearby to make the 30 metre walk from the High Road to the door of the Church. Hosting occasions such as The Big Draw and building on other recent initiatives like the Holiday Club for primary school children in the summer have been steps in the right direction. The club runs in the first full week of the schools’ summer holiday and about 60 children attend each year, of whom at least half have no other contact with

Church. We want the worshipping community to expand, and also want to minister to those whose faith may be less committed, to those of different denominations and faiths, and to those whose faith is known only to themselves. In the most recent survey 61.5% of people described themselves as Christian, 5.5% as Jewish, 3.8% as Muslim, 3.4% as Hindu, and 17.3% as having no religion. These closely reflect the figures in the Deanery profile. Submissions to the Parish Profile reveal a significant range in the Anglican traditions of those who see St Mary’s as their spiritual home. Sustaining, supporting and challenging this worshipping community is a significant aspect of the ministry team’s responsibilities. The last Parish Profile stressed the need for a teaching ministry. There has been a significant amount of attention paid to this in the last ten years, and this ministry is not confined to sermons. Nevertheless, it will require energy and commitment to maintain the momentum.

Action at the 2008 Holiday Club

The Big Draw 2008 Reflecting the Light

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We were concerned to learn that some parents of young children perceive St Mary’s as reluctant to embrace them and their children and specifically feel that very young children are not welcome at the Parish Eucharist. (There is regular (nearly every week) attendance from about seven families with children under three.) There is a crèche for younger children and their parents. We hoped to encourage parents of young children to feel completely at home during the consecration and the communion. We have not succeeded. This is a challenge we shall address immediately.

However, the over-threes are well catered for at St Mary’s. Every Sunday children take part in the Seekers and Quest groups. Seekers is for young children aged three to about nine. There are 37 children on the Seekers l is t and average attendance is about 15. Quest is a lively group of young people aged ten to thirteen-plus. There are 12 children on the Quest list and average attendance is about six .

On Thursday mornings the Mothers and Toddlers Group meet after a brief service in the Chapel. In common with many parishes we want to keep teenagers in contact with the Church. We acknowledge that retaining the interest and commitment of boys at the Quest age group is particularly challenging, and we need to explore new paths. Perhaps we, in common with many other churches, should be looking more closely at working with other parishes and denominations in the area. There are many expressions of our commitment to the wider community. Mission and charitable giving play a large part in this commitment. Volunteers from St Mary’s also do their best to make the lives of the house-bound richer and more varied, and to attend to the needs of those who are seriously marginalised by society at charities such as the Manna Centre or Redbridge Night Shelter. We have decided to embrace the Emmaus courses as a way of reaching those who want to learn more about their faith. Our last incumbent developed the House Groups that grew from the courses, and there is now a tradition of members of St Mary’s exploring their beliefs without embarrassment.

St Mary’s is in an outer London suburb with a highly mobile population. There is a lot of (justified) nostalgia for the days 30 years ago when St Mary’s had a regular worshipping

congregation of 400. Now there is typically only between a third and a half of the ‘core’ congregation in Church on a Sunday. This highlights the importance of fostering new members of the congregation. Some new members have suggested that we could have done more to make them feel welcome at St Mary’s.

A stained glass window made by our Seekers group

and right, Quest at work on a Sunday morning

Some new members have suggested that we could have done more to make them feel

welcome

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The ministry to the rich – or to the would-be rich – is a major challenge in this parish. The poor we have with us conspicuously. We try to address the needs of those who beg, who squat, or who ‘embarrassingly’ appear in Church. But it is very difficult to reach out to those who live in gated communities where the clergy are denied entrance. Huge developments have gone up in the last 24 months. Queen Mary’s Gate is largest of them all. The new incumbent, the ministry team and all who are committed to putting St Mary’s at the heart of the local community will have to be creative in their approach to Queen Mary’s Gate.

Many submissions asked us to use the term ‘inclusive’ when describing St Mary’s. For example, we want to continue to be a Church where lack of parental commitment has never been a barrier when offering Baptism to children. We have made real progress in re-establishing our links with local schools, and acknowledge that we have to work hard to maintain them. The largest school in the parish is Churchfields, which has both Infant and Junior Schools. These are heavily over-subscribed and a major rebuilding project has been promised. The new Incumbent The Parish has rejected Resolutions A and B of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993. In the light of present discussions within the Church of England, we want to state very clearly that the parish has welcomed and benefited from the ordination of women and looks forward to the prospect of women being consecrated as Bishops. There are many qualities we hope to find in our new incumbent. The Archangel Gabriel being unavailable, we should like to focus on: Experience The last incumbent restored our status as a training parish. It is important that the new incumbent continues to maintain this. We are lucky enough to own a four-bedroom Curate’s house. Desirable, though not essential, is experience outside the workings of the Anglican Church. Someone who had worked in a world beyond the immediate structure of the Church of England may have a perspective that could be of enormous benefit to the parish.

Personal qualities Sense of humour was often mentioned as a desirable quality in the new incumbent. This shouldn’t put anybody off applying. It’s difficult to imagine a potential incumbent who’d describe themselves as ‘totally lacking a sense of humour’.

It will have become clear to anyone interested in becoming Rector of Woodford that there is no way that every issue can be immediately addressed. The capacity to delegate and to prioritise is essential.

Churchfields

The new development at Queen Mary’s Gate

The capacity to delegate and prioritise is essential.

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We know that finding time for his or her own spiritual development and refreshment is part of the incumbent’s parochial responsibilities. It is important that these responsibilities leave proper time for the incumbent to give to family and friends. Geography of the Parish The data used in this section was taken from the 2001 census and is based on the Church End Ward which forms about 80% of the parish. Since the census there have been three major housing developments which have increased the housing stock in the area by about 1000 properties. Since the last profile there are two main business growth areas nurseries and restaurants. There are at present six private nurseries and five play or toddler groups. There are 20 pubs, restaurants and takeaways in the area. The parish is an area of about two square miles. There is a link to a local map on the website. www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/location.htm. The postcode for web map searches is E18 2PA. In 2001 there were:

Employment within the parish is limited to some light industry, small professional practices, shops and restaurants. There are three supermarkets (with the prospect of another one). It is reasonable to assume that the majority travel some distance to their work. The Christian community in the parish includes a Roman Catholic church, a Methodist church and two evangelical churches, as well as St Mary’s. There is a synagogue in the parish, and a mosque and another synagogue nearby. The Worshipping Community

St Mary’s believes itself to be truly Anglican in embracing both Catholic and Reformed traditions. Details of the regular Sunday and week-day services can be found on the home page of the website. Additions to this pattern include:

• If it is a festival Sunday there is a Choral Evensong. The custom is to sing Compline during Lent.

• On the third Sunday of the month the Parish Eucharist is an all age service. For a long time we have made a presentation by children the central point of the

Since the census there have been three major housing developments which have increased the housing stock in the area by about 1000 properties.

⇒ 1562 people under 18;

⇒ 6139 people between 18 and 65;

⇒ 1370 people over 65;

⇒ 607 single pensioners;

⇒ 791 single person households;

⇒ 262 single parent households.

⇒ 75% of households were owner-occupied;

⇒ Three quarters of all households owned at least one car.

Christingle 2007

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Sermon, but in addition children are now centrally and responsibly involved in leading the worship.

• Most evensongs are BCP but do involve special seasonal provision. For example, in Advent a series of Services of Light take place. This flexibility allows for other formats to be used.

• A Christingle service is usually incorporated into the Sunday Parish Eucharist, and on Christmas Eve there is a children’s service and a Midnight Mass.

• Choral Eucharist is celebrated at 8.00 p.m. on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Holy Saturday Evening, Ascension Day, Corpus Christi and All Souls’ Day. We invite the friends and families of all for whom we have conducted funerals to All Souls’ Day. Prayers for the sick and contemplative prayer take place monthly, as does an ecumenical service in Churchfields nursing home, which we host in rotation with our immediate ecumenical partners, St Anne Line and Derby Road Methodist Church. Other Ecumenical services take place during the year, usually on Sunday evenings. We also hold three or four quiet days a year, usually on a Saturday. Parish retreats to Pleshey have taken place every other year, and the last incumbent established a tradition of parish pilgrimages in the UK and abroad. These arrangements are not set in stone. It is likely that a new incumbent will suggest and implement changes. Ministry Team/Organisation

The ministry team will comprise the Incumbent, the Curate (in recent years more often than not a priest), and two Readers. We are fortunate to have as a member of our Church family a retired priest whose commitment to St Mary’s predates her ordination. One member of the congregation has trained as a lay evangelist, and two others have recently completed the Bishop’s Certificate in Children’s Ministry. The PCC currently meets every other month, as does the Standing Committee. There is a salaried Parish Secretary and a newly refurbished office on the ground floor.

The website provides up-to-date details of the work of all the groups run by St Mary’s or affiliated to the Church www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/activities.htm The parish magazine (quarterly), the monthly diary and the weekly notice sheet are other channels of communication. Copies are on the web site: www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/magazines.htm and www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/diary.htm. Music at St Mary’s St Mary’s has a long and rich music tradition, and the robed choir has about 20 members of mixed ability. Samples of performance can be heard on the website: www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/choirmusic.htm Occasional music groups have performed in services, and this is a potential area of development.

The new office in 2006

“Following the footsteps of St Paul” The Parish pilgrimage to Greece

2008

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A junior choir has recently been ‘re-formed’. We have funding to award choral scholarships to talented teenagers, and this has been a successful venture in the last two years.

Occasional concerts are given in Church, and earlier this year the choir sang Choral Evensong in Rochester Cathedral.

Common Praise is the main hymn-book for the Parish Eucharist, and Junior Praise is used for all age worship. The responsorial psalm is sung along with one of four congregational settings depending on the liturgical

season. Two motets are sung during Communion. The organ is a very fine recital instrument and detailed specifications can be found on the website.www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/music.htm No potential incumbent should be put off because they are not a musical specialist. This section is an indication of the current tradition, and we should like to stress that music is seen as an aid to worship. Occasional offices Electoral Roll The Electoral Roll was completely revised in 2007. At the Annual Meeting in 2007 there were 291 names on the roll. Of these 165 were resident in the parish and 126 outside. In 2008 the numbers were 294, with 166 resident in the parish and 128 outside. Communicants—The average number of communicants in 2007, at the principal service, was 146. Links with the wider world and the wider Church

The Diocese of Chelmsford has close links with the Anglican Church in Kenya. At St Mary’s we have a specific partnership with the Church of the Good Shepherd, Muchunguri in the Diocese of Mbeere. This is a major focus of our prayers and of our charitable giving. We have been fortunate to have established personal relationships with Christians in Muchunguri through visits to Kenya, and through our offering hospitality and opportunities to talk about our common belief in informal and larger meetings in Woodford. The profits from the annual Charity Bazaar are all given to charities, and the range of them can be seen in the section on page 10. This tradition is a strong one: a few years ago the PCC was unanimous in rejecting a proposal that a

proportion of the bazaar takings should be assigned to the parish finances.

Junior and adult choirs -

2005 2006 2007

⇒ Baptisms

12 12 13

⇒ Weddings

8 1 5

⇒ Funerals

31 33 47

The Church of the Good Shepherd is a major focus of our prayers and of our charitable giving.

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Ecumenical links in an outer London suburb present interesting problems. Ideally The Woodford Fellowship of Churches would provide a forum for discussion and mutual support. But South Woodford is as unique as are other areas of the Deanery, and in recent years the most fruitful ecumenical partnerships have been with the Methodist and Roman Catholic churches that are both within walking distance of St Mary’s. We hope that the new incumbent will embrace the opportunity to attend the monthly lunches for the clergy of these three churches. St Mary’s is also actively involved with the lively East London Three Faiths Forum. Trusts

The incumbent is ex officio Chair of the trustees of the Woodford Parish Memorial Hall. www.stmaryswoodford.org.uk/halls.htm As the website shows, the building is next door to the Church. The PCC appoints four of the trustees, and the Churchwardens are ex officio trustees. In recent years an ongoing refurbishment programme has brought the halls and the meeting rooms up to a greatly improved standard. The Church While the website indicates the current state of the fabric, it is worth stressing that a great deal of work has been undertaken recently in order to make the Church building as sound and accessible as practicable. In response to the 2002 Quinquennial a major programme of restoration and refurbishment was carried out. Continuing works followed the 2007 Quinquennial, and a disabled-access lift has recently been installed, making the Gwinnell Room and the new kitchen accessible to all.

Week-day services are usually held in the Chapel of St Philip and St James, where the Reserved Sacrament is kept. A folding screen divides the Chapel

from the main body of the Church. The chairs in the East-facing Chapel can be turned round to provide more space for a large congregation in the Church.

The Tower is architecturally the most fascinating aspect of the Church (dated early eighteenth century but with a staircase that seems at least hundred years older). We hope that the open-plan main body of the Church, rebuilt after the fire in 1972, will become recognised as a reflection of the ways in which the Church of England in Woodford addressed the challenges of the 1970s. The result makes for a contemporary flexible space and a favourite concert venue for many groups, in particular because of the resonant acoustic. There is no trace above ground of the twelfth century Church on this site. It was founded by monks of Waltham Abbey. William the Conqueror’s first Norman appointment in England was to the position of Abbot of Waltham Abbey (where King Harold’s body was taken after the Battle of Hastings). Churches all over the immediate vicinity were founded by the Abbey. The Rectory

This is a comfortable, detached four bedroom house, less than a minute’s walk from the Church. It is a 1930s building, bought by the Diocese 20 years ago. During the interregnum it has been made more comfortable and economic through the installation of double-glazing in all the windows. There is a double garage and front and back gardens.

A painting of The restored fleche at the Memorial Hall

St Mary's Church Tower

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Church Finances These figures are taken from the Annual Report for 2007

Balance Sheet at 31 December 2007 2007 2006

£ £

FIXED ASSETS

Tangible Fixed Assets 179793 179793

CURRENT ASSETS

Sundry Debtors 3727 1531

CBF Deposit 260663 242360

Bank Balance 7272 7380

271662 251271

LIABILITIES

Amounts falling due within one year 3836 2720

NET CURRENT ASSETS 267826 248551

NET ASSETS 447619 428344

FUNDS

Unrestricted:

General Purpose 371509 371499

Earmarked 64154 44336

Total Unrestricted Funds 435663 415835

Restricted Funds 11956 12509

TOTAL FUNDS 447619 428344

Fixed Assets Current Assets Liabilities FUND BALANCES

£ £ £ £

General Purpose Fund 179,793 194,408 2,692 371,509

Earmarked Funds

Fabric Fund - 49,147 - 49,147

Clergy House Fund - 4,081 - 4,081

Lift, Kitchen, Office - 2,225 - 2,225

Special Donations - 8,701 - 8,701

TOTAL UNRESTRICTED FUNDS 179,793 258,562 2,692 435,663

RESTRICTED FUNDS

Choir Fund - 3,769 - 3,769

Organ Fund - 3,148 1144 2,004

Vestments Fund - 286 - 286

Service, Hymn Fund - 201 - 201

Pinney Fund - 200 - 200

Mission Fund - 5,496 - 5,496

TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS - 13,100 1,144 11,956

TOTAL FUNDS 179,793 271,662 3,836 447,619

Analysis of Funds and Net Assets

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For the year ended 31 December 2007

2006

2007

Earmarked

Unrestricted

Restricted

2007

2006

GP Fund

TOTAL

TOTAL

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

INCOMING RESOURCES

From Donors

102830

118564

6945

125509

50

125559

103380

Other Voluntary Income

12183

8721

3939

12660

5678

18338

54477

Income From Charitable Actviities

936

1926

0

1926

0

1926

936

Other Ordinary Income

4100

0

0

0

0

0

4100

Investment Income

9421

10728

2353

13081

502

13583

12214

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES

129470

139939

13237

153176

6230

159406

175107

RESOURCES USED

Grants

0

0

5050

5050

5300

Activities Directly related to the Work of the Church

111057

119188

5175

124363

1388

125751

180915

Fundraising and publicity

90

108

0

108

345

453

416

Church Management and Administration

8660

8877

0

8877

0

8877

8660

TOTAL RESOURCES USED

119807

128173

5175

133348

6783

140131

195291

NET INCOMING/O

UTGOING RESOURCES

9663

11766

8062

19828

-553

19275

-20184

Interfund Transfers

-15000

-11756

11756

0

0

0

Gain on Investment Revaluation

0

0

0

NET M

OVEMENT IN FUNDS

-5337

10

19818

19828

-553

19275

-20184

BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD AT 1

JANUARY

376836

371499

44336

415835

12509

428344

448528

BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD

371499

371509

64154

435663

11956

447619

428344

10

St Mary’s Mission and Charity Giving 2007

Mission Societies £ £

CMS 1000 Marie Curie Cancer Care 150

Leprosy Mission 500 Royal Association for the aid of Deaf People

100

USPG 500 Samaritans 100

Church of the Good Shepherd 200 ELHAP 100

Mathieson Music Trust 300 Total Charities 1050

Medicines for Muheza 300 TOTAL 5050

Total Mission Societies 2800

Church Societies Special Collections

Bible Society 350 Send a Cow 754

Children’s Society 200 Bishop’s Lent Appeal 802

Church Army 250 Church of Good Shepherd 608

Manna Society 200 Makutano Orphanage 283

Essex Clergy Charity 100 CMS 217

Christian Aid 100 ELHAP 805

Total Church Societies 1200 Manna Centre 257

Charities Redbridge Night Shelter 741

Redbridge Night Shelter 300 Church Army 330

Macmillan Cancer Support 200 TOTAL

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

4797

Royal Commonwealth Society For the Blind

100

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REDBRIDGE DEANERY PROFILE – PREPARED FOR ST MARY’S WOODFORD The Deanery of Redbridge is almost co-terminus with the London Borough of Redbridge. It has a population of 250,000 of whom at the last census about half identified themselves as Christian, about 12% are Muslim, 8% Hindu, 6% Sikh. 10% declared themselves of no religion and a further 8% declined to answer. About 64% of the population is White (mainly White British), 25% Asian and 8% Black. 46% of the working population is in professional employment, 37% in secretarial or customer service occupations and 17% in unskilled work. There is however considerable variation within the borough with some areas of significant affluence (especially in the Woodford and Wanstead areas) and other areas of significant deprivation (notably in South Ilford and to the east of the borough). The parish of St Mary Woodford has a higher than average white population at around 80%. About 60% of people identify themselves as Christian while 16% state that they have no religion, 7% are Jewish. Of those working the majority are in professional and higher skilled occupations (41%), with fewer (13 %) in manual or semi-skilled work. Unemployment is below the average for the Borough at 2.5%.The area is one of relative affluence in the borough. There are 21 parishes in the deanery, served by 23.5 stipendiary clergy and 6 Self Supporting Ministers. There are 6 curates in training (2 stipendiary and 4 SSM). These represent the broad range of traditions within the church. The majority of churches in the deanery are fully accepting of women’s ministry (three are under alternative Episcopal oversight) and as priests we seek as a deanery to work collaboratively across our tradition offering mutual respect. There is a three faith forum in the deanery seeking to understand more of the Abrahamic faiths and the Redbridge faith forum (for all the faiths) arranges regular conferences on issues concerning all religions and from this there are some growing opportunities for engagement with the Borough and other civic institutions. The Deanery is currently engaged, with the support and encouragement of our Bishop, in developing a Deanery Vision. While this is a work in progress it is clear that with changing social and demographic patterns we will need to move to much more collaborative working within the deanery. The Chapter has spent some time over the last 18 months listening to each others stories to build trust and we are now asking each parish to take one practical step to collaborative ministry with a neighbour, either another Anglican parish, or an ecumenical partner. The parish share assessment (£81,000 in 2008) is significantly above average (it is the 3rd highest) reflecting the size of congregation and relative affluence of the area. We are greatly appreciative of the hard work of the parish in meeting this in full. In our deanery plan we are looking at ways of offering mutual support in this task. As a deanery we look forward to working with a new colleague in this parish, which is one of great significance in the deanery. We would hope that the new incumbent would play a full part in the life of the deanery sharing skills and insights and helping us to fashion our life more effectively for ministry and mission. In return in chapter and synod we commit ourselves to offer a warm welcome, fellowship and support to the person appointed. Revd Robert Springett Area Dean rector@parishofwanstead.org (020) 8989 9101