St. Stephen’s Church with St. Eanswythe’s, TonbridgeParish Profile

Our ChurchSt Stephen’s is a family friendly church located in the heart of South Tonbridge in Kent. We’re a place where people of all ages can learn what it means to follow Jesus. Together we seek to worship God, deepen our relationship with Him, support one another and show God’s love in our community.

Across St. Stephen’s and St. Eanswythe’s we have a committed congregation of 400+ who worship at five regular services during the week (Sunday and Wednesday). Our services are predominately informal however the BCP and CW are used at some services.

Working alongside our incumbent Mark, are two non-stipendiary associate vicars and a Children & Families Pastor. In addition, there is also a large staff team supporting the work of the church.

As a church we are committed to outreach into our community. We have our own OFSTED registered Pre-School, a toddler group, a bumps & babes group, Who Let the Dads Out? as well as a church café. We run after school youth drop in sessions, a Saturday evening youth club as well as a myriad of other youth and children’s groups, which meet across the week.

We have a large number of small cell groups (or Connect Groups as they are known at St. Stephen’s), which meet throughout the week in the daytime and evenings ensuring there is always a group available for everyone.

St. Stephen’s works closely with the other churches in Tonbridge under the banner of Tonbridge Area Churches Together (TACT). Our incumbent, Mark Barker chairs this group of local church leaders.

St. Eanswythe's was an independent Mission Chapel overseen by a Missioner until the end of 2013, at which point the trustees asked St. Stephen's if we would take on responsibility for the weekly service and pastoral care of the small congregation. Since the start of 2014 we have been doing this and the mission is now part of St. Stephen's Parish. A brand new mission chapel was built 9 years ago.

As a church, we have developed a vision for where we believe God is calling us to be by 2020. This big picture is based on:

Christlikeness – hosting the present of God; Open & Hosted Church – helping others encounter God through ministry in the church

and out in the community; Growth – through multiple services, growing the church to 1000+ and Resources – providing space, finances and people to enable and equip the vision

St. Stephen’s Church with St. Eanswythe’s, TonbridgeParish Profile

What are we like?

IDENTITY - Who are we? St. Stephen’s is the Church of England parish church in and for South Tonbridge. We are affiliated to the New Wine Network and strive to be: Biblical: we believe that the Bible is inspired by God and is therefore the basis of all our

teaching. Spirit led: we believe that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and look expectantly for his

work in our lives. Christ-centred: we believe that we are to live Christ-centred, God honouring, prayerful lives

individually and as a church.

PURPOSE / MISSION – Why do we exist?St. Stephen’s seeks to be a church who are ‘Powered by the presence of God and shaped for the purposes of God’

These purposes are: To glorify God and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit – worship To serve others with the compassion, grace and generosity of Jesus – ministry To proclaim the good news of Jesus through words, work, and witness - evangelism To build a Christ-centred community that welcomes and accepts all – fellowship To grow in faith, love and knowledge of God and in the character of Jesus – discipleship

VALUES/PRINCIPLES – What guides how we do things? We prayerfully look to put these core purposes into practice using the following values: Generous - to reflect God’s grace, encouraging each other to use all that God has given us for

the benefit of all Genuine - to live lives of integrity, open and real with one another Fun - to have fun together Passionate - to live whole-hearted lives for God, doing the very best we can so that we bring

honour to God Relevant - to help people connect faith with everyday life, believing in a God who speaks and

acts today. Open - to be a church that is outward focused and accessible to all Caring – to show compassion and grace to all Empowering - to help and equip people to discover and use their God given gifts, and to

teach and raise up servant leadership in every aspect of church life

The Parish

St. Stephen’s Church with St. Eanswythe’s, TonbridgeParish Profile

TonbridgeThe town of Tonbridge is in the county of Kent mid way between London and the South Coast of England. London is 30 miles to the north whilst on the coast to the south, Hastings is 30 miles. The town has a mainline railway station giving fast and regular services to the coast and into London. With the M25, M2 and M20 motorways not far away, Tonbridge has become a popular and growing commuter town.

Tonbridge has a 12th century castle, extensive parks, swimming pool and leisure centre. A usual mix of supermarkets and shops can be found on and around the High Street, although for larger stores and chains it is necessary to travel to Tunbridge Wells or Bluewater.

Tonbridge is well served by schools. There is one major public school, two girls grammar schools, one boys grammar, three comprehensive secondary, several prep/private and a large number of primary. Within our parish are five of the secondary schools and two of the primary schools. There are currently plans for the addition of a new primary school in 2016 and also a special needs school will also be moving into the parish. In addition, West Kent College, with links to the University of Kent is within the parish boundary and there is an Adult education centre in the town.

The ParishThe Parish of St. Stephen’s with St. Eanswythe’s is situated in the south end of Tonbridge with a rising population of approximately 13,000 people (2011 census), although it is estimated that about 10,000 people are added to this number each school day. The age split of the parish population is 0-4 years (7%), 5-15 (14%), 16-64 (67%), 65+ (12%). The average age is 35.6. The parish is mainly residential, although there are areas of light industry. St. Eanswythe’s mission is situated some half mile from the main church and became part of the parish during 2015. The parish is also shared with three other churches; a URC, a free evangelical and a strict Zion Baptist.

The Church BuildingsSt. Stephen’s was built in 1852 after the coming of the railway to Tonbridge. In the past 10 years considerable refurbishment of the main building has been undertaken including the removal of all pews and the implementation of new flooring, heating, seating, lighting, electrics, Audio Visual and kitchen facilities. St. Eanswythe’s mission was completely rebuilt just 10 years ago replacing an old tin hut style mission hall. It is a modern building, which can seat 40-50 people comfortably.

Associate Vicar HousingA 4-bedroom family home situated to the rear of the St. Eanswythe’s mission hall has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and will be available for the Associate Vicar and his / her family.

Contact Information

St. Stephen’s Church with St. Eanswythe’s, TonbridgeParish Profile

Incumbent: Rev Mark BarkerAddress: St. Stephen’s Church Office – 37 Waterloo Road, Tonbridge, Kent. TN9 2SWTelephone: 01732 771977Email: mark.barker@ststephenstonbridge.orgWebsite: www.ststephenstonbridge.orgFacebook: www.Facebook.com/StStephensChurchTonbridgeTwitter: @StephensChurch