Welcome ...

... and thank you for your

interest in the vacancy

of Priest in Charge

of St Faith’s with St Mary’s.

St Mary’s Church

St Faith’s Church

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What we are looking for:

We want to find a Priest who can lead and support us, taking

us forward prayerfully and sensitively to:

grow our churches spiritually and numerically.

improve our mission to the local community, e.g. care

homes, Waterloo Primary School and, in the case of St

Mary’s, our neighbours in the Brook Vale Estate

disciple our network of occasional attenders through

existing e-mail, website and visits to the house bound

(we are in regular contact with many people who are part

of our churches but attend once a month or less).

continue to develop our ministry to children and

especially teenagers, perhaps by exploring Fresh

Expressions of Church.

discern the future ministry of St Mary’s as we complete

the redundancy process for the church building in 2017.

steer the development of the area at the back of St

Faith’s to provide much needed facilities for all church

users, developing our church into an exciting and vibrant,

broadly based community “fit for mission” with buildings

that are “fit for purpose”.

uphold St Mary’s commitment to Inclusive Church.

Over the past two years, the four Anglican churches in Waterloo (Christ Church, St Faith’s, St John’s

and St Mary’s) have been working more closely with each other in order to discern the best way to

minister to and serve the needs of Waterloo. An active Group Council has been set up, which meets

regularly as part of this process.

Each church holds a unique position in terms of churchmanship and outlook. Working closely as part

of the Group Council has allowed us to respect and value these differences, while also enabling us to

recognise our many points of similarity.

As a result of this collaboration, the PCCs of the four churches have resolved to move towards

becoming a United Parish.

The successful candidate will be appointed as Priest-in-Charge to the United Benefice of St Faith’s

with St Mary’s and it is expected that the role will become Associate Priest for the new United Parish.

Deanery Service and

Barbecue

Our local schools:

Waterloo Primary School is developing strong links with St Mary’s,

which has provided both Experience Christmas and Easter events for

the school for the past two years.

It is hoped that our new incumbent will take up the vacant governor position at the nearby church

primary school of St John’s, Waterloo.

There are several privately run pre-schools in the area.

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Waterloo Primary School

About our area

Waterloo is situated about five miles north of Liverpool city centre although our parishes

also encompass parts of Crosby.

We have around two miles of sandy beach which includes Antony Gormley’s Another Place.

Waterloo has good transport connections to both Liverpool and the seaside resort of

Southport which lies further along the coast to the north.

St Mary’s is situated in the Waterloo Park Conservation Area.

Housing:

There is a mix of housing, including

some terraced houses, semi detached

properties, flats and social housing.

Some housing is owner occupied,

some are privately rented

accommodation.

We have several care homes in our

parishes which provide residential and

day care services.

Antony Gormley’s Another Place

Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School is an independent school

which has historical links with St Faith’s. St Faith’s hosts

their annual carol service as well as events for other schools.

Merchant Taylors’

We belong to the ecumenical

group, Churches Together in

Waterloo.

Waterloo in the 2011 census:

66% of residents are of working age, 17.5% are children and 17% are aged 65 or over, of which

2% are aged 85 or over

90% people are White British or Irish

23% of households contain only pensioners, of which 14% comprise a single pensioner living

alone

80% of households are owner occupiers

69% of working age residents are in employment

84% of residents are in “very good” or “good” health

72% of residents described their religion as Christian

28% have a degree level (or higher) qualification

Leisure facilities:

We have a Marina with a boating lake

The Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre is

situated by the waterfront and contains a

gymnasium, bar and restaurant and also

provides conference facilities and overnight

accommodation.

Waterloo has a wide range of local shops.

There are many pubs, bars, cafes and

restaurants.

We have a public library and a community

run cinema (The Plaza).

There are several high standard amateur

music groups in the area.

There is a large recreational area called

Rimrose Valley next to St. Mary’s church

which is popular for dog walking. The

“Friends of Rimrose Valley” committee hold

their meetings at St. Mary’s.

View from the Marina

South Road – local shopping centre

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The Parish Church of St Faith, Great Crosby

St Faith’s was consecrated in 1900 from the benefaction of our founder,

Douglas Horsfall. It stands in the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition, and we look

for a priest who will, with the grace of God, sustain this vision as we continue

our journey in and with the local community and our fellow churches. We seek

to maintain our tradition of weekday Eucharists and daily offices and to build

on these both spiritually and pastorally.

Our church has nurtured over 30 vocations to the

priesthood, including Bishops and an Archbishop of

Canterbury, and we have both a priest and a reader currently in training,

together with a very active ministry team, including two retired priests, two

readers and an emeritus reader. With their help and that of other members of

our congregation we are able to maintain a committed programme of visiting

the housebound and the sick. There are 85 on the electoral roll, 45 of whom live

in the parish, and attendance at the 11.00 am Sunday Sung Eucharist currently

averages 55. There are some 5,000 people living in the parish: the area is largely

residential with many small shops and businesses.

We produce a regular church magazine, Newslink, and a busy and comprehensive website

www.stfaithsgreatcrosby.org.uk, which contains extensive records of our history and traditions, as

well as regularly-updated details of current activities. We also maintain an independent Facebook

presence, the Friends of St Faith’s.

Our large Grade II listed church building is well

maintained and supports several community and civic

initiatives. These include a well-established programme of

free summer Saturday lunchtime recitals by a wide range

of musicians, the Crosby Symphony Orchestra’s concerts,

and our highly regarded free Christmas Tree Festival,

showcasing local and national charities and welcoming

the parish, schools and the wider local community. Local

schools also visit us for services and concerts, and we

have strong links with local state and independent

secondary schools. We seek to strengthen and build on

these connections, making use of our prominent and

centrally situated landmark building.

We have a fine organ and four-part choir under our energetic musical director, maintaining the rich

musical traditions of our distinctive style of worship. Our vicarage and garden are within the

grounds and are in excellent condition. 5

THIS CHURCH OF SAINT FAITH IS DEDICATED TO THE GLORY

OF GOD AS A THANKOFFERING FOR THE REVIVAL OF

CATHOLIC FAITH AND DOCTRINE IN THE CHURCH OF

ENGLAND DURING THE SIXTY YEARS REIGN OF HER MOST

GRACIOUS MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA

Our well-maintained parish hall is adjacent to the church and is in constant use for church and

community activities, including our uniformed organisations, table sales, regular parish lunches,

community groups, children’s parties and receptions.

We are proud of our well-run and enthusiastic

uniformed organisations, who provide a youth

programme for the parish, and take leading roles in our

Sunday church parades. Our newly established Teddy

Bear Trail involved all groups of the congregation and is

proving popular with our younger visitors.

We have always been very aware of those outside the

church and parish who need our prayerful and practical

help. We actively support Christian Aid through

collections and events, likewise the Children’s Society,

as well as two overseas charities, Medic Malawi and the Waterloo Partnership, Sierra Leone, the

latter of which we were instrumental in setting up. Our Service Families Support Group, unique in

the North West, meets monthly for worship, fellowship and to welcome visiting speakers, and has

strong links with the local British Legion. We are also involved with community programmes

through such organisations as Traidcraft, the Fairtrade movement and Mission groups.

Financially we are able to meet our responsibilities but

are overdue a stewardship campaign. After meeting

the expense of two major lead thefts in 2014, we are

planning to create a kitchen, toilets and crèche at the

back of the church to enhance our facilities for

community use.

Over past years, St Faith’s has embraced liturgical

changes with dignity and grace – liturgy that has

furthered our growth and spirituality. We recognize

that to flourish we must continue that movement. We

see these challenges as exciting prospects and commit

ourselves to supporting mission and outreach both

locally and further afield.

Inscription on the chancel wall of St Faith’s

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We are a multigenerational church family. We

enjoy each other’s company, support one

another, and we like to laugh together.

We are a local church. Half of our Electoral

Roll of 59 live in the parish or just outside it.

We have a strong Ministry Team of one

retired priest, two licensed Readers, and a

Reader in training.

We are proud to be members of Inclusive

Church.

We are a well-run church, with a strong PCC

and active Standing Committee, but we prefer

informal ways of tackling problems, face to

face.

We like to be generous when we can,

supporting local charities, Bootle Foodbank

and Fairtrade as well as charities further afield,

e.g. Sierra Leone and a kindergarten in

Malawi.

We have been through a lot in the last few

years. Some things have been positive

(spiritual growth, new people). Some things

have been difficult (uncertainty, loss of church

building). But we know we have grown in

confidence, and generally we are positive and

up-beat.

Financially we are able to meet our liabilities

although no reserves are currently held. We

are up to date with our Parish Share

payments.

As a PCC, we own an Annexe building which

fronts onto the Brook Vale estate.

Our facilities are well-used by both church

and community groups, e.g. our formation

group “We Believe”, our Tuesday Club and

the local Residents’ Association.

We had to close our lovely Victorian church

building in September 2015 because of dry

rot. We miss it, but have adapted well to

worshipping in the hall.

Baptism during the Sunday service

Maundy Thursday

Christingle

Our children’s work was recognised by the Diocese

in 2015, and includes:

A special approach Baptism ministry (reviewed

September 2015)

A weekly Sunday School, crèche space and

church-run toddler group.

A very successful church-run Holiday Club.

A close relationship with the Guiding

organisations that meet in the hall.

Experience Christmas and Easter.

Supporting St. John’s, a neighbouring church in

Waterloo with their Messy Church.

Holiday Club

Central worship style which is

flexible/creative

Main Sunday service is the Parish

Communion with occasional family and

parade services. Average Sunday

Attendance, excluding special services, is 30.

Café-style communion service, ‘The Parish

Brunch’ replaces the Parish Eucharist four

times a year.

Wednesday morning

Eucharist

Wednesday morning Meeting Room Eucharist with

discussion/Bible Study. Average attendance of 17.

For some who attend, this is their main or only act

of worship.

Celtic-style alternative worship service ‘The Brook’

held monthly on a Sunday evening.

Well attended one-off services – All Souls’ service,

Christingle and a Pets’ Service.

Pet Service

Visit us online at

http://www.stmaryswaterloopark.co.uk

or via our Facebook group

St Mary's, Waterloo Park 8

What the United Benefice can offer you:

A warm welcome

Friendship and support

Our prayers

Enthusiasm and willingness to try new ideas

A strong Ministry team comprising Priests and Readers of both genders

Strong and supportive lay teams

An established Group Council, consisting of the four Waterloo Anglican

Churches, which allows us to work more closely together whilst still

retaining our unique characteristics

Two churches with differing worship styles and traditions.

An expectation that you will take your weekly day off, your holiday

entitlement and also take opportunities for further reading, training and

personal development

A large, modern vicarage with pleasant gardens adjacent to St. Faith’s

church on Milton Road, Waterloo.

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