PARISH PROFILE 2016 Welcome

1 WelcomePARISH PROFILE 2016St Peter &St Paul s ChurchAylesfordKent3 ContentsWelcome and and Eccles in we can offer you?..5 Who are we looking for?..6 PARISH and and exploring and Young and Church in the and on where we are the of Aylesford and Trusts and British Legion more information , please contact:Ven Clive MansellArchdeacon of 01892 520660 Thank you for taking an interest in our PARISH ; maybe you will be our new Vicar!We hope you will find much in this PROFILE to interest you and please do contact us if you would like any further are a friendly and welcoming church community. Under the leadership of our last vicar we have strengthened links with the community as a whole, taking a leading part in village events and opening the church for a variety of concerts and social events. Teaching, including the use of home groups, has been encouraged too.

2 However, we are conscious that we Welcome and Overvieware not growing in numbers, and we are ready to be led sensitively through believe there are great opportunities in our PARISH and we need a vicar who can help us identify our PARISH includes the historic centre of Aylesford village, suburban and rural areas. There are two main villages: Aylesford and Eccles, located in Mid Kent, at the foot of the North Downs, on the banks of the River Medway approximately half way between Rochester and Maidstone and close to the M20 and and Eccles in brief5> We are a single PARISH , single church benefice with many opportunities for mission and ministry.> Our congregations are friendly, relaxed and welcoming.> We are receptive to change if it is introduced well.> We have strong lay participation in leadership and worship.> The vicarage is a modern, detached four bedroom home.> We enjoy a historic village atmosphere on the edge of What can we offer you?

3 Maidstone and in the midst of beautiful Kent countryside, on the Pilgrims Way and very close to the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.> We benefit from excellent transport links, road and rail, to London, the coast, and the continent.> We have a variety of good schools, primary and secondary, serving the Almshouses6 PARISH LifeWho are we looking for?We hope the following comments will help you discern whether this role will suit you. We seek a vicar who:-> is a prayerful and spiritual person, showing in his or her own life the outworking of faith.> is able, with imagination and enthusiasm, to help us to attract new people, especially children and younger people, including further developing our important school links.> Is a skilled and practical leader and communicator who has the confidence to listen and respond to the views and ideas of others, to delegate, and to identify and develop latent potential.

4 > will, as a good pastor, teach and mentor others, and support and encourage lay ministry training.> will be able to engage with people from all backgrounds in our community, irrespective of their faith, to build the place of the Church in the community.> is prepared to work with the ministry team and others; is comfortable with a broad range of worship styles, and willing to encourage us into trying new ways, embracing the risk.> accepts the challenge and opportunities presented by the new housing developments.> will explore how we might interface more effectively with businesses and other organisations in our PARISH .> is alive to the potential of new means of communication such as social worship is held as follows:Normal Sunday attendance 8am 20 10am 80 Electoral Roll: 112 7 Our services vary in style, with an established musical tradition led by the choir and organ but with a congregation willing to participate in different ministry team looks forward to working with our new ReadersJohn Smelt who also has permission to take funeralsPeter SmithTwo Pastoral Assistants Cherith BourneJanet Holdstock One Evangelist Jenny RelfMinistry team8am - said Holy Communion (Common Worship).

5 10am First Sunday of each month is a family service with Second, fourth and fifth Sunday is sung Holy Communion (Common Worship).10am - Third Sunday is a flexible morning prayer service based on Common Worship with an interactive - said Holy Communion (Common Worship).SundayWednesday8We celebrated 16 weddings in 2015 . Our church is popular for weddings as it is in a scenic setting. We also offer bells, organ and choir which adds to the attraction. Where marriage is sought and one of the parties has been married previously and their former spouse is still alive, the House of Bishops Guidelines are applied. Usually, this has resulted in the offer of a blessing rather than a conducted 38 baptisms in 2015 . These generally take place in the Family in 2015 numbered 47. The churchyard is closed to burials except burial of ashes. Local burials take place in the nearby cemetery.

6 Cremation is at either of two nearby OfficesChoir History of the choir dates back 150 choir is robed but not backwards looking. We embrace modern hymns and worship songs but still retain the best of traditional focus is to find ways to bring people of all ages to church through music and this has resulted in a strong junior A fine Forster and Andrews organ (1865) recently refurbished. Several organ recitals are planned for 2016 ringing a keen band ring before the 10 am service, at weddings and special events. Handbells are rung occasionally at services and other and Worship9> Confirmation and Alpha groups are held regularly.> Home, prayer, study and discussion groups meet frequently. Currently five groups meet in the PARISH .> Away days: time to be together for quiet time or discussion of our faith.> Lent and Advent reflection: each year there is an opportunity to reflect on the coming Christmas or Easter and exploring faith> Sunday Club for children aged from 4 11.

7 A small group meets during the 10 am service for Christian teaching, games and fun. We are exploring ways of increasing numbers.> Bible Bats for young people from 11 years old who meet in the church tower on the 3rd Sunday of each month to learn more about their faith.> Holiday Club - for children aged 4 - 11 in each half term. Christian teaching, games and craft.> We continue to give serious consideration to starting Messy Church, but have so far not seen how we could staff and Young People10We aim to complement the work of ministry and mission with fun and fellowship. Some of the events are organised on behalf of the PCC, whilst the Friends of Aylesford Church also has a comprehensive programme. We hold frequent PARISH lunches, and the Brassey Bazaar offers a meeting place with refreshments most Saturdays. Every other month we have a Men s Supper jointly with our neighbouring PARISH of Burham and church has been a venue for musical concerts, of all sorts including jazz, choral, brass band and organ music.

8 Less conventionally it has hosted murder mystery evenings and a family games Fun and FellowshipLinks with the wider world, sharing our love of Jesus. > We hold an annual Community Service inviting PARISH councillors and schools.> Christian Aid annual collection ( 2015 raised 3,494).> We are a Fair Trade church and hold Traidcraft sales.> We have an active Environmental group.> Chaplaincy: The vicar is usually asked to be the Chaplain to the Royal Naval Association and also help at the Royal British Legion & Church in the Community> The Friars, Aylesford: a Roman Catholic Carmelite religious community with whom we have a good relationship.> Eccles Methodist church: Our vicar or one of our Readers usually takes one service each month in Eccles church.> Heart of Kent Hospice: our vicar or a Pastoral Assistant is invited to take an afternoon service several times each year.> Sports Clubs.

9 There are a number of active sports clubs in the village which provide opportunities for outreach, something we have not so far Prayer Visiting Team out and aboutThe Prayer line is always there for the whole community11night. All have proved popular, drawing in non-churchgoers and helping to establish the church as a familiar and friendly place for recent years many of us have enjoyed all age days out to various interesting locations in Kent and Sussex including a vintage Big Red Bus trip and a voyage of discovery up the are looking forward to a Saint Peter and Paul celebration week held annually with a variety of events have helped run the village Big Lunch (part of a national scheme) held in the summer on the Village produce and distribute a monthly magazine with a circulation of approximately Notes are issued to the congregations with announcements and have a well-established website ( ) and, more recently, have opened a Facebook recognise that communication (internal and external)

10 Is key and that we may need to overhaul our arrangements, particularly as social media in all its forms becomes more and more have three pre-school playgroups in the PARISH , one in Eccles, and two in neighbouring towns are other secondary and grammar schools which also serve the from the congregation go into the schools under the auspices of the charity CAST (Churches and Schools Together); the schools say this has been very A particular success was the Easter Experience, a Gloucester Diocese initiative bringing together schools and church to share the story of Holy Week and Easter. Pretend baptisms and weddings also proved popular and Vicar regularly held assemblies and visited all four schools. In addition special Christmas and Easter services were arranged for each of the is an expectation that the vicar will be a Governor of both church schools and would also be enthusiastically welcomed to join the Governing body of Aylesford More than 2200 attend schools in our PARISH .