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Newchurch Parish Profile

CONTENTS

OUR PARISH

OUR CHURCH History

The Buildings

Ministry

Services Further Information

Plans for the Future

OUR CONGREGATION Parish Working Groups

Church Organisations

Churches Together

FINANCES

OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

THE RECTORY

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OUR PARISH Newchurch Parish Church serves the area of

Culcheth, an ancient village which has expanded considerably in recent years.

Culcheth lies to the North-East of Warrington

and has a population of about 10,000. Over the past 40 years it has been transformed

from a rural community into a thriving village.

It is a residential community serving the cities

of Manchester and Liverpool and the towns of Warrington and Leigh. Its location close to the

motorway network also makes the village

popular with those commuting further afield.

OUR CHURCH History

Newchurch Parish Church was originally a chapel-of-ease of the famous Norman

church at Winwick. It was erected sometime around 1528 and was almost

certainly originally built of wood. Nothing is known about the dedication of the church and the first record of a Rector is for Henry Abram who came in 1563.

A new building, paid for by public subscription, was erected on the same site in 1743. Sadly this was badly damaged by fire in April 1903. The only part of the

building not completely destroyed was the tower. The parish registers and the six

bells were saved.

The Buildings

The new ‘Newchurch’ was opened on 23rd July 1904 and

consecrated a week later. In 1992 the West end of the church building was modernised to create a room with an adjoining kitchen. This is

called ‘The Family Room’ and it provides an excellent meeting room

for social activities and groups and is the base for our Junior Church during the morning service each Sunday.

The fabric of the church is in good

condition and well maintained. There is a large, well-kept, open

churchyard surrounding the

church.

The Parish Hall is located in the

centre of the village, a short walk away from the main church, and is a focal point

for thriving congregation and community

activity.

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Ministry

Rector - Vacant OLM – Reverend Barbara Alldred

OLM in Training – Jill Wheatley

Readers in Training – Jane Simmons and Suzanne Quick

The Parish is part of a United Benefice with Christ Church Croft. There is a Shared

Ministry Team across the two parishes.

Services Services at present in Church

Day /Time

Type of Service

Congregation average

Sunday 8am

Holy Communion (said) in traditional language

15

Sunday 10.30am Sunday 10.30am

- Holy Communion 1st and 3rd Sundays - Morning Worship 2nd and 4th Sundays - 5th Sunday as announced.

Junior Church in the Family Room.

80 70 80 10-14

Sunday

(monthly) 6.30pm

Evening Service as announced Including: Christingle, Renewal of Marriage Vows, Healing Services, Taize Services, Palm Sunday and Harvest Evensong, All Souls, Advent and Carol Services, Crib Service

Variable

Tuesday 9.30am

Holy Communion in the Family Room 6

Special Services are regularly held, usually as part of the Sunday Morning Worship and often they include the wider community such as the local schools and families, uniformed organisations and local community leaders. These include:- Education Sunday, Civic Service, Remembrance Service, Parade Services, Annual Walking Day, Nativity

Services at present in the Parish Hall

Day /Time

Type of Service

Congregation average

Thursday 10.00am

Holy Communion 20

5th Sunday of the month 3pm

Café Service (fresh expression) as announced. Lay led worship.

40

Additional Services at present

There are several joint services with Christ Church, Croft each year. There are also monthly services in care homes in the village. The Rector leads assemblies in the local Primary schools. The High School and the Primary Schools visit the church for their own Harvest,

Christmas and End of Year services.

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Further Information

During 2013 there were

Wedding Bookings for 2014 -2016

Baptisms 35 2014 2015 2016

Adults Confirmed 2 Weddings 18 9 4

Young People Confirmed 3

Weddings 12

Funerals 47

Plans for the Future

Based on the Diocesan ‘Growth Planning Framework 2’ the PCC intends to …..

● look at how we can encourage the whole congregation in welcoming and

hospitality. This will be achieved through sermons and magazine plus website

articles. The Church welcome leaflet will also be adapted to enable visitors to leave their contact details for follow up;

● look at better facilities for children (including pew bags). This may include re-

ordering of the toilet and entrance area as funds allow; ● help people to read and reflect upon the Bible. To this end we aim to start a

Bible Study group and hold an Away Day during the year;

● redress the balance between mission and maintenance. The PCC will have

mission as a main agenda item for its meetings in the coming year; ● actively engage with a mission partner outside the UK. This will include regular

Prayer support, as well as charitable giving and providing regular information

for the congregation; ● look at our baptism policy and procedures. Can we be better – in terms of

building good, supportive and ongoing relationships with baptism families? We

recognise that there is no quick fix – but we intend to explore what other churches are doing to see if we can improve our practice;

● develop the pastoral group and raise its profile – so that other people can share

in the care of all members.

OUR CONGREGATION

There are currently 114 on the Electoral Roll.

Parish Working Groups

Finance Way Forward

Pastoral

Charity Parish Hall Management

Shared Ministry

Grounds Maintenance

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Church Organisations

Bellringers Choir

MC2 – Christian Musicians of Croft and Culcheth

Servers

Mothers’ Union Christian Focus

Junior Church – meets in the Family room during Sunday 10.30 service and

has approximately 25 on roll aged 3-15yrs

Local branches of the Guide and Scout Movement (Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beaver Scouts, Cub scouts and Scouts) have links with the

church and are invited to Parade and other

services during the year.

The church organises many events within the

parish. The meeting place is either the Parish Hall or

Newchurch Church, depending on the activity.

These events and activities include:-

Harvest Supper, Pantomime, Christmas Fair, Christmas Tree Festival, Coffee Mornings,

Film Nights, Frugal Lunches, concerts and

other charitable and social activities.

The 2014 pantomime was Treasure Island

Jigsaw Festival

Flower Festival

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Churches Together

Churches Together in Croft, Culcheth and Glazebury is a well-established, ecumenical group made up of the 8 churches in the three villages. Together we

run ecumenical activities including joint Services, vigils, fellowship days, social

lunch sessions and a very successful Charity Christmas Postal service. The eight

Churches represented are - Culcheth Methodist Church

- Glazebury Methodist Church

- Culcheth Christian Fellowship (Independent Methodist)

- Culcheth Community Church

(Presbyterian and includes Quench Café

and Foodbank) - St Lewis’ Roman Catholic Church, Croft

- All Saints Glazebury (Church of England)

- Christ Church Croft (Church of England) - Newchurch (Church of England)

FINANCES

TOTAL INCOME & RECEIPTS 2013

£47,929.65

£9,458.05

£13,531.40

£26,940.50

£2,707.71

£1,272.73

£1,930.32

Planned Giving

Individual Donations

Fund Raising Events & Activities

Other Income

Parish Magazine

From Christ Church Croft

Other Receipts

TOTAL EXPENDITURE & PAYMENTS 2013

£7,893.86

£12,512.86

£2,722.02

£1,548.12

£54,550.73

£2,418.25

£3,869.48

Ministry

Church Building

Upkeep of Services

Communication

Dues to Diocese

Other Expenses

Other Payments

2013 has been a relatively good year financially and this is enabling Newchurch to

gradually recover from previous years, when there were large costs for building

maintenance projects.

Total Income & Receipts for 2013 = £103,770.36

Total Expenditure &

Payments for 2013 = £85,515.32

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OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Culcheth village has two large supermarkets, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op, which along with the many

smaller, independent shops in the village create an

excellent shopping experience. There are several coffee shops and pubs with restaurants to suit all

tastes. The village also supports a Post Office, two

banks, a public library and a garage.

In the village there are three local authority Primary Schools and one 11 - 19 High

School with approximately 1200 pupils. There are several pre-school nursery and

playgroups. Lifelong Learning is provided at the High School through Culcheth Adult Education Centre. The Culcheth-based charity, the ‘Culcheth Educational

Trust’ exists to provide financial help for young people for educational purposes.

The Rector is ex-officio and it meets approximately four times a year.

Medical facilities are provided by two doctors’

surgeries, several clinics, dentists and pharmacies.

All these are grouped around the village green

where there is a children's playground. Holcroft Grange and High Peak provide residential and

nursing care for the elderly in the

village; there are also two Retirement Apartment

complexes.

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There are many social, sport and cultural activities available in Culcheth. A local authority sports field provides facilities for organised league sports for both adults and

children and both Culcheth High School (the Livewire Gym) and Culcheth Sports &

Social Club (known as ‘The Daten’) offer a wide range of activities .

There are many more clubs and societies active in the community, including:

Age UK, Women's Institute (WI), Probus, Parent and Toddler groups, Flower Club,

Horticultural Society, Lions, Scouts & Guides, Ramblers' Association, Society of Artists,

Rotary Club, Royal British Legion, Dance classes, Karate lessons.

Culcheth lies on the main bus route

between Warrington and Leigh and there

is a regular bus service through the

village. The nearest train station is at Birchwood for express trains travelling

East/West (approx 1.5 miles away) or

Warrington Town Centre stations for all trains including North/South travel

(approx 7 miles away).

There are many paths in the countryside

surrounding the village including Culcheth Linear Park. There are other leisure

facilities nearby including Birchwood Forest Park, Risley Moss and Pennington Flash

Country Park in Leigh (which provide good opportunities for walking, plus sailing at

Pennington Flash). All these hold regular

events and activities. Warrington, Manchester, Liverpool and

Chester are all within easy travelling

distance.

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THE RECTORY

A modern detached house in the centre of Culcheth, 0.75 miles from Newchurch and 1.5 miles from Christ Church.

It comprises:

Ground Floor

Vestibule giving direct access to

the study

Lounge

Dining room

Large kitchen with separate

utility area

Cloakroom and toilet

First Floor

Four bedrooms

Bathroom with shower

Separate WC

Storeroom

Hatch into main attic space

The Rectory is fully double-glazed with uPVC windows throughout and it is

heated by gas-fired central heating. There is a double garage and a sizeable

garden area.

USEFUL LINKS Further information on the villages of Culcheth and Croft and both Parish Churches can be found at the following Websites:

www.essentialguidemagazine.co.uk www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk

www.newchurch-christchurch.net

http://christchurchcroft.magix.net

Parish Profile

Contents

Croft Village

Our Church

Our hall Sunday School

Ladies Fellowship Coffee and craft group

Worship

Worship group Our Congregation

Festivals Music

Services

Plans for the future Finances

Churches Together The Rectory

Shared Ministry Team

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CROFT VILLAGE

The history of Croft goes back to the 13th century, a ribbon development

between Culcheth and Winwick. The village remained a small,

mainly rural community until the 20th century, the population be-

ing approximately 970 in 1901. During the 1960s and the 1970s

two new housing developments resulted in the population mak-

ing a dramatic increase and at the present time there are just

over 3,000 residents.

The village benefits from two excellent primary schools, a com-

munity primary and a Roman Catholic primary and two pre-

schools. Secondary education takes place at Culcheth High

School Community campus. Sixth form education is currently

available at Culcheth or at Priestly College Warrington, and Win-

stanly College Wigan..

The village has an active WI, bowls club and thriving uniformed

organisations; Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Air

Cadets. The Youth Activity Centre pro-

vides a venue for a range of activities

and a football academy is to open in Sep-

tember. There is also a village hall used

by organisations including pre-school,

indoor bowls and WI.

The scene of the annual carnival and

bank holiday car boot sales is the playing

field which has a well- equipped and

popular playground and football pitch. .

Croft is home to three pubs, a small vil-

lage shop, hairdressers and gallery.

The proximity of the M6 and M62

motorways affords the village ex-

cellent communications with air-

ports and rail links close at hand.

Liverpool and Manchester are

within easy reach. The local town

of Warrington is one of the fastest

growing in the country.

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Our church was built in 1833 by public subscription from the farmers of the area who

wanted their church to be situated between the villages of Croft and Risley. Today it oc-

cupies a peaceful setting on the outskirts of the village and away from the main road. It is

a Grade 2* listed building and it and its grounds, including an open graveyard and large

car park, are well maintained by our members. The local Air Cadets have also been in-

volved in ground maintenance.

Our parish is part of a United Benefice with Newchurch.

OUR HALL

The church has been recently renovated

and is well used by the community. A

Brownie pack and the Rangers meet

there and have strong links with the

church. The Young Farmers use it as a

base and a village art group meets there

weekly. The WI holds its monthly read-

ing group there and it is hired out for

meetings and celebrations.

OUR CHURCH

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SUNDAY SCHOOL

Our Sunday School meets on the first Sunday of the month. It is small but growing and

provides a happy environment for children to learn about the faith.

We hold an annual Christmas Tree Light-

ing Service , followed by refreshments,

which involves the local school and the

Brownies. Our Carols in the Barn Service,

held at a local farm, is a popular event for

families in the village.

LADIES FELLOWSHIP

Ladies Fellowship meets monthly for a Service in a

friendly atmosphere, followed by coffee and the

opportunity for catching up. This is a long estab-

lished and popular meeting which attracts ladies of other denominations and none.

COFFEE AND CRAFT GROUP

This group was formed to produce items for the

Festival Of Angels in 2012. It has continued and

grown since then and meets on Monday mornings

knitting for charity, fundraising and working on

embroidered items for the church.

Although the crafters at present

are women, we do welcome

anyone who wants to drop in for

a coffee and a chat.

It is a good base for outreach

into the village and surrounding areas

and the tea and toast mornings have

proved to be very popular.

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WORSHIP GROUP

A very active Worship Group meets with the clergy to plan Services such as Harvest and

Mothering Sunday in which Sunday School, Guides and Brownies are invited to take part,

It is currently planning and leading Morning Worship services during the interregnum.

A screen and projector were recently installed enabling us to widen the scope of the mu-

sic we use and offers the facility to download materials for use in worship.

FESTIVALS

In recent years we have held two major

events, a Festival of Angels and a Harvest

of Talents which involved many of the com-

munity groups in the village including the

school, whose pupils made banners to hang

in church, and the Brownies who were in-

volved in an all age workshop making life-

sized cardboard angels.

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OUR CONGREGATION

There are currently 98 on the electoral roll.

Our congregation is aged. We have few families and at present no young adults attending

regularly. A major and urgent target for the coming year is outreach into the community,

particularly towards the young.

MUSIC

The choir sings at the 10.30am Service. It is, for the most part, a unison choir consisting

of loyal members and meets for practice on Friday afternoons.

Our organ is a pipe organ which is regularly maintained,

SERVICES

Time Service Congregation

9 am Communion BCP, said (fortnightly) 26

10.30 am Holy Communion 2nd and 4th Sundays 36

Morning Worship 1st and 3rd Sundays 33

5th Sunday as announced 45

Special Services e.g. Education Sunday,

Mothering Sunday, Christingle, Carols

in the barn

6.30 pm Evening Service as announced, including Variable

Songs of Praise, Healing Services and

Carol Services

In addition there are the following weekday Services:

Wednesday 9.30 am Morning Prayer (in the church)

Ladies Fellowship 10.00 am The 1st Tuesday in the month (in the hall)

In 2013 there were 12 Baptisms

5 Weddings

10 Funerals

We operate a policy of Shared Ministry involving the Worship Group and also embracing

the roles of OLM and readers across both parishes.

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PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Following discussions by the PCC on the financial situation and based on

Diocesan growth Planning Framework 2 we plan to:

review our finances through the ‘Finance Group’ with the intention of

putting the church on a better financial footing, continuing to address our signify

cant Parish Share arrears;

increase our links with the community; to provide a wide range of social/

fundraising activities that will appeal to a wide range of people and interests; to

encourage them to support the church through regular giving of money and time;

introduce other means of giving e.g. text and through the website;

look at our welcome and hospitality—in particular to develop a welcome pack for

each household and for newcomers to church and to further develop our website;

set up a pastoral group in order to offer effective and supportive care for those

going through difficulties;

look at the use of creative silence in our services;

provide opportunities to receive prayer requests;

develop our Wednesday Morning Prayer Service, specifically to develop a ‘Cycle

of Prayer’ for local and other needs;

look more widely at our work with families and young people, specifically to offer

our buildings for family/youth related activities and to support them where possi-

ble;

to encourage shared ministry and leadership

In addition we intend to develop our links with the wider church and the

community by offering the use of our church and hall as an Away Day / meeting centre.

We are in the process of getting a WiFi connection.

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FINANCES

Financial statement for 2013

Total Income £46,692

Total Expenditure £52,583

Restricted fund (legacy) £90,309

Parish Share debt carried forward £36,000

Our finance group is currently working on and implementing strategies to address our

financial situation.

200 Club

This operates monthly and has proved to be a regular source of income. In the coming

year it is planned to promote it more widely in the community.

CHURCHES TOGETHER

Christ Church is a part of the local churches together and is in involved in shared Ser-

vices, lunches and delivering Christmas Post to raise funds for local charities.

THE RECTORY

This is situated in Culcheth and is shared with Newchurch.

SHARED MINISTRY TEAM

OLM - Rev Barbara Alldred

OLM in training - Jill Wheatley

Readers in training - Suzanne Quick and Jane Simmons

Church website (under development)

http://christchurchcroft.magix.net

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for YOU if you are an outgoing person who can

engage with both church and community and if you are an inspirational Leader who can

- work collaboratively with both colleagues and church volunteers

- develop and confidently lead the changes needed to move both

parishes successfully into the future

- show vision, leadership and enthusiasm in helping to grow our congregations

- show commitment to mission within the community