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Welcome to St Catharine’s, Gloucester, and thank you for
prayerfully considering if God is calling you to serve here. We
are about half a mile from Gloucester city centre, with
around 100 adults worshipping each Sunday.
We want to see our church grow, both in our spiritual lives
and in our numbers. We’d love to continue to be relevant to
our parish and its diversity of families, students, and residents
of care homes, but need to improve our organisation to do
this effectively.
Both the strength and the challenge of St Catharine’s is our
strong commitment to unity alongside our respect for
diversity. Our current church family holds together those
firmly committed to broad, traditional Church of England
perspectives and others with passionate evangelical
commitments. Whatever our perspective, we are committed
to our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to our parish, and to finding
ways to work together in love to serve both. We want to see
unity amongst ourselves and outreach to our community,
though we recognise at times we fail in both. We seek a
pastor who can pull us together and equip and empower us
to serve Jesus today.
If this challenge excites you – please read on!
This profile has been written by a
subcommittee of the PCC, but some of the
content comes from 66 responses to a church
survey, and from an open consultation
workshop with around 50 members of the
church family in November 2018, where we
tried to build some consensus around our
direction as a church.
’
7
A community of faith, hope and love
Whoever you are, whatever your story:
You are Welcome
St Catharine's church is a welcoming Bible-based
fellowship of faith, hope and love that aims to make a
difference in the lives of our local community.
We are a diverse group of people that accept and care
about everyone no matter what.
We are half a mile from Gloucester City centre with a
great desire to know Jesus better and reach out to our
neighbours with his life changing love; to be formed by
His Word and empowered by His Spirit.(from our website, www.stcatharine.org.uk)
’
8
We asked people how they would describe St Catharine’s and
what the strengths are. Here are some of the replies:
9
St Catharine’s exists to serve Jesus today, and as followers of Jesus,
we want our mission to be His mission. We strive to follow Jesus’
command to make disciples, baptise and teach His ways (Matthew
28:19). We aspire to be a community of disciples, and to be a people
who ask Jesus daily how we can serve Him.
At St Catharine’s, as followers of Jesus, we believe we are called to:
• serve Jesus, bringing God’s Kingdom to our community by serving,
ministering to those in need and sharing the good news of the Gospel,
• build God’s church, growing in our love for Jesus and one another.
We will do this through Spirit-filled and Bible-based fellowship,
worship, teaching and ministry, experienced together, in small groups
and alone,
• equip all to follow Jesus’ call, identifying and developing natural and
spiritual gifts, stepping out together into the world to use these gifts in
His service.
(from our website, www.stcatharine.org.uk)
10
In November 2018, around 50 of the church family
met in consultation to discuss where we want to be
in five years. These are some of the top ideas:
Outreach / community (finding out community needs and taking
action to meet them inside and outside the church; welcoming friends,
neighbours, the young, and the marginalised and vulnerable; continuing
to strengthen links with the community especially the residential
homes; working with other churches and organisations as
appropriate)
Closer unity (having a strong, confident identity without excluding
others, and more activities to bring the church family together;
exuding a culture of inclusivity)
Children / young people (focusing on millennials and younger
people; developing a thriving children’s work to encourage the next
generation)
Teaching (fun and engaging; investing in young people; scriptural;
equipping for ministry and mission (including overseas); strengthening
each other in small groups)
Become more diverse (improving facilities (including a disabled
toilet!); services and activities that include all ages and abilities)
Other answers
from the survey:
11
As part of our desire to welcome everyone to St
Catharine’s, we value a variety of different worship styles
and services, but with continuity of teaching across them all.
At 9.30am on Sunday, we hold a traditional Holy Communion
service using Common Worship (with some sung elements,
and aided by servers) including hymns and teaching, offering
space to meet with God in Word and Sacrament, and the
opportunity to receive prayer ministry. Much of the singing is
accompanied by the organ, although once a month songs are
led by a worship band. On every first Sunday of the month
there is a children's group. The 9:30 congregation is generally
older and has diverse churchmanship and theology. For the
past 8 years, the same 20-minute talk has been given in both
the 9.30 and the 11.15 services. We take the Word of God
seriously and it is the basis of our teaching. Talks have followed
a number of themes over recent years, including excerpts from
the Gospel of Mark, the letter to the Hebrews, and the Gospel
of John. The lectionary is followed during the major festivals.
There is a coffee time between the 9.30 and 11.15 services
where both congregations can mingle and catch up with each
other.
12
The 11.15am Sunday service is more informal with a gently
charismatic feel and a service structure influenced by New
Wine, including prayer ministry and opportunity to respond to
the teaching. Singing is led by a contemporary band every week.
There are a group of around 15 musicians and singers of all ages
who contribute to the band and we feel privileged to have our
younger members involved. The 11:15 congregation tends to be
more evangelical and includes many young families.
Children's groups take place in parallel with the service every Sunday both in the church
building (for pre-schoolers) and in our adjacent church hall (for school-age children). Once
a month adults and children worship together in an all-age communion service (using
Common Worship), followed by a lunch with the whole church together.
We aim to provide activities and opportunities to participate for those of all ages and
abilities, so that families and those who come with a wide range of disabilities can truly be a
part of our church family and worship together. This includes instruments and banners for
use during sung worship, a ‘messy’ corner where children can play, and a table with
colouring sheets or other activities for those with autism who find it harder to sit with the
rest of the congregation. Both the 9.30 and 11.15 services use a screen to project the
service (with service sheets as well at 9.30), and frequently we use powerpoint slides and
other visual aids to enhance the teaching.
13
We have a said communion service (including a short
reflective talk) at 8am on Sunday and at 10am on
Thursday, with several regular attenders at each,
including some who come from other churches. Both
use the liturgy from Common Worship. Although we
were initially able to keep offering the 8am service on a
Sunday every week after the vicar left, unfortunately we
had to reduce this to just twice a month when our
curate also left and we no longer had the necessary
local capacity. We hope to be able to restore a weekly
service once resources allow. The Sunday service is
primarily reflective, giving time to rest in God’s
presence, whereas the Thursday service is followed by
an extended opportunity to relax and talk with one
another over a coffee.
14
We are blessed to have children and young people as part
of our family, taking an active part in many aspects of church
life. We have prioritised ministry to them over the past few
years and in 2012 we appointed a Children’s Outreach
Worker (20 hrs per week), under whose leadership the
ministry grew and thrived. The team of volunteers was
further developed and equipped to lead and facilitate our
provision for Children and Young People within the church
as well as in the community and in local schools. In 2017,
this worker moved to another parish in Gloucester to train
as a Pioneer Minister and we are now recruiting a full time
Children’s and Families Worker to take this on, and a
broader remit within the community.
Not having a Children’s Outreach worker has required the
wider church family to step up and maintain as best we can
the provision within the church and (to a lesser extent) out
in the community. It is great to see this commitment to the
ministry and we all benefit from the contribution of the
children and young people to our life together as they play
in worship bands, work on the tech team, help in the groups
and dance during our worship. Our current provision is
given on the next pages.
Sparklers - The pre-school group in our 11:15
service where children spend time singing, listening
to bible stories, making things, being creative and
playing together in a safe place whilst parents
worship.
Rock n Roll - Primary school aged children who come along to our 11:15
service go to this. Usually they follow the Scripture Union curriculum which
provides a great Bible basis for the session. There are singing, games, drama, art
and craft, prayer and lots of fun.
CCYG - School years 6-9 meet on Sunday evenings in term time from 6:30 -
8:00 pm. This is currently a thriving young youth group with a varied programme
of activities that go alongside the Scripture Union curriculum that forms the
basis of the bible slots and prayer times.
NRG - A group for school years 10-13 who meet on Friday evenings from 7-9
pm in term time for a varied programme which includes socials, bible study and
days out. Currently this is a very small group, who are going through Youth Alpha.
GFS - The St Catharine’s Girl’s Friendly Society meets on Friday evening during
term time for a variety of activities, fun and fellowship. The group has been run
by the same family for three generations and has evolved from being a place for
girls to meet while the boys went to choir practice to what it is today.
15
Junior Church - This group happens on the first Sunday of the
month during our 9:30 service. It usually follows the service
teaching theme and is for all primary school aged children.
SPREE Camp - For the past couple of years we have taken
our 8-14 year olds (and some of their school friends) to the
Urban Saints SPREE West Midlands Camp in Evesham. The
camp is a great place for the children and young people to
explore faith in Jesus as they enjoy great worship and teaching
as well as an exhausting number of activities and a very cheap
tuck shop!
Each year, we run events that are more outward-looking, providing
an opportunity to invite our wider community.
Good Friday Children’s Celebration - For the last few years
we have run an Easter-themed celebration on Good Friday
morning, aimed at primary-aged children and attended by many
(with their parents) from beyond our immediate church family.
We play games, have craft activities, worship and retell the Easter
story.
Light Party - 31 October is a great opportunity to invite our
community to come and celebrate Jesus as the light of the world
and enjoy a fun, safe alternative to Halloween. This is again aimed
at primary-aged children but many of our young people join in by
helping to run the activities.
Christingle and Crib Service – we put on several Christmas
activities with families of the wider community in mind, including a
Christingle service, carol service and crib service.
‘I love all the children’s groups and all the services are really engaging for kids’
‘I like the singing’
‘The atmosphere and community are amazing’
‘The age range of children’s groups’
‘The quality of childcare’
‘All the activities we get to do in CCYG and SPREE’
‘I like how the children can be part of the band’
‘The children’s group is fun’
‘Singing’
‘CCYG is really fun’
‘It is something to do on a Sunday’
‘Youth groups’
’
16
We value being involved in our community, and many in our
family desire to be involved more. We have some well-
established missional activities that provide us with opportunities
to serve Jesus and be a blessing to our community, as well as
enriching and blessing us as a church family. Regular activities
include:
Our Parish has a significant number of care homes, including
many for the elderly and several catering for people with special
needs (learning, emotional or physical). A small team from the
church make regular visits, sometimes running activities, sharing
communion and praying, or just taking time to be with people in
their home.
This is a developing outreach that is currently run monthly on a
Wednesday morning, aimed at providing a welcoming and friendly place
to meet and enjoy company. Until recently, the main demographic was
the retired, but the coordinating team have been keen to expand this
in recognition that there are many others who value the opportunity
to meet. Provision for pre-school children is now available and parents
and carers now regularly attend. The team are also looking to take
some training in supporting and caring for the vulnerable and forming
links with mental health services as there seems to be a particular
need in our area for safe, welcoming places for those finding life
isolating or lonely.
After many years of keeping the church building open each
day, we were finally required to lock it following several thefts
and minor vandalism. In response, many in the church offered
to ‘man’ the church, keeping it open on weekday mornings
and giving an amazing opportunity to provide not just a
building to visit, but also a welcome. St Catharine’s is located
close to the main Gloucester hospital and we have a good
number of visitors who are looking for a quiet space and the
ability to offer a coffee and a friendly welcome is fantastic.
17
For many years Alpha has been run in Autumn term, whether
in the context of small groups, in the lounge of a local cafe
(Roots Coffee and Community) or in the church. It tends to
be relatively small, with usually 4 or 5 guests. Many have
gone on to develop a personal faith and join our church
family. It remains a great way to introduce people to Jesus
and demystify what the Christian faith is all about. Alpha is a
key bridge to help draw those we encounter on the fringes
of our church community (through personal friendships,
baptism families or wedding couples, and church community
events) into a living and active faith with Jesus.
There are numerous other missional activities that we either initiate or take
part in. Members from the church are involved with Healing on the Street
with like-minded Christians from a number of other churches. We take a
team into the city centre on the Saturday before Easter to bless our
community by handing out free Creme Eggs and taking time to talk and pray
with those happy to take time out from their shopping.
‘Friday morning with St Catharine’s’ is a Fresh Expression of church that
meets in the Kingsholm Children’s Centre. The group is aimed at parents
and carers who have dropped their children off but is open to anyone. They
worship, pray and engage with the Bible in very creative ways as well as
caring for one another.
Friday morning’s with St Catharine’s is one of the most exciting
developments in our church community and how it will evolve is not clear
but there is a committed team facilitating each week and this team is growing
as Friday regulars get stuck in. The opportunities the Friday mornings
present is one of the reasons the PCC is committed to recruiting a full time
Children’s and families outreach worker.
As a church we support two overseas mission partners, the
Yanez family in southern Spain who minister to a very diverse
community of refugees, migrants and the Spanish and Jane Ingle
working with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Cameroon. In 2017,
we also supported Katherine Lawson, one of our church
members, who visited Sierra Leone for a fortnight to help with
building work at the local hospital, clinic and school, and a
young person from the church on a mission trip to India.
18
We currently have 5 small groups. They meet on different days, some during the day and some in the evenings, either in people’s homes or
in the Church. Numbers vary between about 4 and 8 and one of the groups acts as a post-Alpha group to offer something that is familiar
and welcoming to people who have just completed the course, where getting started in the life and fellowship of the Church can be a bit
daunting.
We hope to offer an atmosphere of friendship and fellowship in a very relaxed and informal way, to nurture and deepen our faith in God
and to learn more about Him. Each group has a slightly different style and format, but all focus on reflecting on the Bible, the vital
importance of prayer in the life of a Christian and equipping the use of spiritual gifts.
Meetings often involve a general chat over a cup of coffee; some form of study, which may involve looking at a recent sermon topic or bible
passage or watching a DVD or video and discussing it afterwards and a time of prayer for each other and others we know of who need our
prayers . The level of involvement is down to the individual and just listening and being amongst friends is absolutely fine.
Many group members feel that, for them, it is important for church to be more than just for Sundays and the greater fellowship that is
experienced between a smaller number of people in a less formal setting has, for many, been of great value. In probably all of the groups,
there have been times when individuals have experienced other group members supporting them through some difficult times where a
burden prayed about and shared has made all the difference
We are open to God in the way He would like small groups to grow and develop in our Church and feel that this will be an essential and
important part of our life as a Church family in future years.
19
Every other year for the past few years we have organised a Church Family away
weekend. For the past two occasions it has been held at the Hill House Christian centre
in Somerset. On both occasions we have had about 60 people coming along. The format
revolves around teaching sessions by inspirational guest speakers, interspersed with
prayer sessions and loads of getting together fun activities.
We have a really good cross section of people, from the very young to the much “more
mature”, and those who typically attend different Sunday services have a really good time
together over the weekend. Many whole families within the Church come along. It is an
excellent event at uniting our Church.
We feel it is important that we properly cater for the needs of our children and young
people who come along. So we have used the services of Pulse Ministries who were able
to engage our young people in activities that had both a relevant spiritual content and
were fun at the same time. One area to improve in the future is by making it more
accessible to our friends from some of the care homes. This could mean we may have to
look for somewhere a little more local next time with better disabled facilities.
We feel the weekend should be open to all, irrespective of budget, and that the cost of
coming should not deter anybody coming along who wishes to. Due to the generosity of a
number of people nobody who wishes to come has ever been left out, and the finances
have always balanced!
20
The summer New Wine conferences have been an annual
highlight for a good number of our church family for several
years. The opportunity to spend time away together (despite
the camping) continues to be a blessing to those who can make
it but has also proved to be a blessing to our whole church as
much of the teaching, worship and ministry has inspired and
shaped who we are as a church family. The desire to broaden
the experience of time away together to those who either can’t
or don’t want to camp for 6 nights in a (usually soggy) field was
a key reason we started to run our weekends away.
The Mothers’ Union is an international Christian Charity that seeks to
support families worldwide; our vision is a world where God’s love is
shown through loving, respectful and flourishing relationships. Our aim
is to show our Christian faith by the transformation of communities
worldwide. Our members are not all mothers, there are single,
married, grandparents, and at St Catharine’s we have men who are
members.
We meet as a group once a month except August, our meetings are
very varied, but all have a Christian-based ethos, always starting with
prayer which we feel is so important. We include speakers from our
own church family, visits to historical churches within Gloucestershire,
looking at beautiful gardens. Our programme includes a Lent Service
and Carols and Readings afternoon in December.
We support our Deanery and Diocesan Mothers Union by attending
special events and services, we support projects by raising money at a
cake stall on Mothering Sunday and holding a Garden Party in the
beautiful gardens of the care home next door to the church.
Everyone is welcome to our meetings and events, not just members.
’
We have a regular morning prayer meeting on Monday and
evening prayer every Tuesday, as well as running a Taizé prayer
service once a month in the hospital chapel. During the vacancy,
we have also started praying together for the parish and the
new vicar early on every Monday morning and once a term on
Sunday evenings. The church family have been encouraged to
join in more regularly with prayer bookmarks as a daily
reminder. Prayer is also a fundamental part of small groups.
Prayer ministry has become a key part of our Sunday services
over the past few years with many church members involved in
praying for and supporting each other this way.
21
The church family here at St Catharine’s are renowned for sharing time together to partake in food.
Give us any excuse and out comes the teapot and cakes are made. Afternoon tea for newcomers,
buffet lunch after an organ recital, minces pies at the Carol service are just a few of the occasions.
The twice a year Care in the Community services, Christmas and Easter are times to share
fellowship with our care homes. Mince pies or hot cross buns are served depending on the time of
year, provided by our local supermarket.
Coffee and biscuits are served between the services on a Sunday giving time for people to mingle
and share conversation with others from different services.
Coffee, Company and Cake happens once a month on a Wednesday morning, this started with a
remark from a Care Home- “it would be nice to have somewhere they could go that was close for
morning coffee”, apart from lots of chatter, board games are played. This has now extended from the
elderly to mums with young children, an opportunity for them to get out and meet others, in a
warm inviting environment.
The biggest gathering happens on the first Sunday of the month at our Open Church Lunch – a
team of cooks provide a main course and/or a pudding, vegetables, rice etc and bread are added to
this. An average of 70 people of all ages and from all services partake in good food and fellowship, a
time to make new friends or catch up with old ones. These lunches are appreciated by all for
different reasons, those living alone get company and a good lunch, families enjoy time to sit, relax
and have a meal cooked for them, the children look forward to these Sundays a time to be together
with their church friends or to have two puddings without parents watching! Whatever food we
have, God always provides, ensuring everyone has plenty, it’s like feeding the Five Thousand.
22
Other annual events in the church calendar include:
Church Fete: Held in June, and run jointly with the St Catharine’s
Under 5s playgroup, this attracts a large crowd of people from the
local community into the church, and is a chance for many from across
the church family to get involved. Alongside the variety of stalls and
activities and music from a local band, we have included a family-friendly
prayer space to encourage interaction with God as well as each other.
Family Barn Dance: Each year we hold a family barn dance as close
as possible to St Catherine’s Day, a great opportunity to bring together
all ages from our church family. In recent years, live music has been
provided by Peterfolk, a band made up mainly of St Catharine’s
members.
Craft Fayre: The regular craft fair provides a chance for people to
display their talents and interact with others from the local community.
Christmas Display: In 2017, we hosted a display of Christmas trees
decorated by church groups and other local organisations, encouraging
people into the church to visit and chat with each other. In 2018, we
are hosting a display of nativities, with a similar aim.
23
We have been exploring ministries to help us grow as disciples of Jesus, intentionally looking to equip Christians within our church family
and beyond. We recognise our role as a (relatively) well-resourced church within Gloucester. As we have explored how to do this, we have
run several events and have plans for similar events in the future.
Learning to Hear God’s Voice: In 2017, we hosted a day of teaching with practical training in prophetic ministry with Revd. Mark
Aldridge (New Wine). It has equipped and emboldened many in the church, and was great to welcome others keen to develop and grow
from churches and fellowships across the city.
Disability, Inclusion, Church: In Lent 2018, we ran a series of evenings to equip people to include those with disabilities more fully in the
church, moving beyond just ‘welcome’. This was attended by many from across the Diocese.
Unlocking the Bible: In October 2018, we held the first in a series of Saturday teaching sessions run by Revd. Daniel Button of
Gloucestershire Theology School. ‘Unlocking the Bible’ covered an overview of the books of the Bible, different types of literature, the
grand narrative of the Bible, and how to navigate our way through it. The intention is to enable church members to get more from their
own Bible study and help them to ‘rightly handle the word of truth’.
The Worship Foundation: The Worship Foundation is a charity headed up by Neil Bennetts, a worship leader, songwriter, author and
theologian. It aims to serve the church in the formation of worship leaders and their teams. In partnership with the Diocese of Gloucester,
they are providing training sessions, developing an on-line learning community, and providing a number of practical resources to provide
ongoing development of contemporary worship in the diocese. St. Catharine’s is partnering with the Worship Foundation to be a host
church for this training in Gloucester. More details can be found at https://theworshipfoundation.org/partnerships/
24
We are structured around a number of groups and committees reporting to the PCC as shown in the diagram.
25
The vicar would be supported by a
good-sized team taking on
different aspects of leadership in
the church, and an even larger
team of volunteers responsible for
welcoming, prayer ministry,
pastoral visits, the open church
team, etc.
We have been a training parish
with back-to-back curates for the
past 17 years, and have always
given space for encouraging people
to develop their gifts and go on to
serve, with 5 members moving
into ordination over the past few
years. Some trainee lay readers
have requested St Catharine’s for
their placement.
26
Map data ©2018 Google Imagery ©2018 , DigitalGlobe, Getmapping plc, Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky, Landsat / Copernicus, The GeoInformation Group
28
Schools in the parish include Kingsholm C of E Primary School, Denmark Road
High School and Elmbridge Primary School. The closest relationship is with
Kingsholm, where St Catharine’s provides a school governor, and we have run
‘Explore Christmas’, ‘Explore Easter’ and ‘Explore Pentecost’ events for them.
‘Friday morning with St Catharine’s’ is a Fresh Expression of church that meets
next to the school, especially aimed at parents who have dropped their children
off. Kingsholm regularly invites St Catharine’s to help with assemblies, including
those run by the ‘Open the Book’ team, and both schools contribute to a
Christmas carol service.
Kingsholm School wrote that they appreciate ‘
• the strong link that we have had, the children and youth worker supporting us
with explore events at both school and church and working with our worship
team.
• Foundation governors monitoring spirituality and helping us prepare for SIAMs.
• Open the book make our worship exciting and we love it when they come
into school to tell us their stories. We like going to the church for explore.
They are always fun and we learn lots.
At secondary level, Denmark Road High School (in the parish) and Sir Thomas
Rich’s School (just outside) have used the church for concerts or special services,
and have appreciated the new chancel area. Although technically outside the
parish, the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus is just a few minutes
walk from the church and has just expanded its teaching and accommodation
facilities, some of which are in the parish.
29
When asked about what they would like from a new vicar, Kingsholm Primary
School gave the following priorities from their perspective:
*To be part of our Kingsholm family, someone who the children know, respect and
can learn from. They should make the church accessible to the children.
*A more community focus. They have a great opportunity to work with and help
our families. They have a wealth of resources and should work in partnership with
school and other local organisations to make a difference.
*Someone who visits us regularly, leads worship, who gets the children excited
about their visits.
*Someone who can form good relationships with our staff and children, can provide
us with worships that are engaging and appropriately pitched for our children.
*Someone who wants to be in our school working with us. They must like children
and know how to talk to us. They need to make worship fun and make sure that we
learn things from it.
Other churches in the parish include Destiny Temple, Lonsdale Methodist Church, the hospital
chaplaincy and the Kingsholm House Church, who are very closely involved with Roots Café and the
community activities centred there. Several St Catharine’s members also support Roots and
Gloucester City Mission, and the Food Bank, which are also based within the parish.
30
A unique and significant aspect of St Catharine’s parish is the presence of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Wotton Lawn psychiatric hospital,
and a very large number of care homes for the elderly and disabled (we have a list of 34 of them). Most services at St Catharine’s include a
number of residents who come with their carers, and an important part of our ministry is being a church that includes all. During Lent 2018,
we ran an evening course entitled ‘Disability, Inclusion, Church’ to encourage a move beyond just ‘welcome’.
Members of the church organise monthly visits to seven elderly care homes and one adult disability home to offer communion and celebrate
special events, as well as an annual ‘Carols for Caring Communities’ service at the church.
31
The current church building was finished in 1915, but it has been re-ordered in recent years
and now provides a spacious, bright, attractive, and flexible space which is used throughout
the week.
Seating in the large nave consists of cushioned chairs which can easily be moved aside to
create open space for events such as Explore Christmas, Explore Easter and the Light Party.
The chancel is now a raised dais where the movable forward altar is situated. The dais is fully
wired for power and audio, enabling the worship band to play from it. The organ console is
also accessible from it.
The main entrance, at the west end, opens into an enclosed lounge area at the back of the
nave, which is heavily used for church meetings, weekday open church, children’s activities, etc.
It provides a comfortable and attractive space for all sorts of uses.
Also in the church is a small side chapel, the vestry (now used for children’s activities on a
Sunday), the vicar’s vestry and a toilet. There is a small kitchen area which is great for
preparing refreshments and for serving the monthly open church lunch. The church office is
located in the south-west corner of the church above a store room.
A significant weakness is the limited toilet facilities, with only one toilet in the church building and the rest in the church hall. There are
no disabled facilities, which is a challenge for our emphasis on inclusion in our activities. A small group are thinking through the options
to improve this situation.
A quinquennial inspection was conducted towards the end of 2017 with the report being delivered in the spring of this year. There is
some work required to the fabric of the building.
32
To the rear of the church in a separate building is the church hall. Although
it has seen better days, the building is well-used and is a good source of
income for the church. A playgroup hires the hall 5 mornings per week and
we have very good relations with them. Various other groups use it in the
afternoons and early evenings, such as St Catharine’s Over 60s, Girls’
Friendly Society, Guitar Group, Slimming World and Weightwatchers
The small churchyard has never been used for burials, but there is a garden
of rest for the interment of ashes at the east end of it.
There is a small car park with fairly limited parking; most people park on
local roads.
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0
50
100
150
200
250
Electoral roll
2017 2018
Weddings 1 2
Baptisms 8 12
Church
Funerals
9 6
2017 2018
Adults Children Adults Children
Average Oct Sunday
attendance
122 25 97 21
Thursday
communion
17 15
Friday morning with
St Cats
16 3 12-15?
Easter services 106 29 154 34
Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day
289 75 NA
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Over the years, God has been good and the congregation has been faithful in giving. We are
allocated the full parish share each year and for many years we have met our obligation. For
some years we were able to contribute extra parish share to help meet shortfalls in other
parishes. Income is from regular giving and rent revenue of hall lettings. Our full Report and
Accounts can be found on the Charity Commission website:
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk and our Charity Registration No. 1132760.
During the last 8 years we have financed two major projects in the church: a completely new
heating system and just recently we have refurbished the chancel which will enable the church
to utilise this space for concerts with a full orchestra and drama projects. Through the
generosity of our church family we have been able to cover over 90% of the costs, with the
balance being covered by grants.
Over the past few years we have funded a children’s worker, music director and clergy
assistant. We are still supporting a clergy assistant and we’re looking to recruit a full-time
children and families worker, despite our very constrained finances.
We currently help support two mission partners each year: a family working in Spain and a
linguist working in the Cameroon. We also try and help those in our congregation who are
called to offer their services in overseas projects.
The PCC actively encourages a faith-filled approach to finances, committing to strategic
activities and looking to God to provide what is needed to fund them, rather than waiting until
all funds are in place before stepping out. It has been great to see God make the books balance
time and again as we make events like the Weekend Away open to all regardless of ability to
pay and yet find the costs are covered, it gives a real ‘Acts church’ feel and blesses us all.
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At our consultation workshop, the following things were identified
that St Catharine’s does less well:
• Pastoral care needs organising
• Using the wonderful C of E lectionary to guide our choice of
readings
• Talk less!
• Too much of a focus on the church building
• Accessible worship times for families
• Connecting with real people and their interests
• Money
• Caring for each other
• Are we supporting each other in the ways we are trying to reach
out individually to people in our workplaces?
• World mission engagement
• Nurture of traditional congregation
• Youth work
• Not enough 15-30s
• Bringing people on. Too reliant on the same people.
• Finding people to staff all our great ideas
• Discipleship
• Honouring our diversity of worship needs and styles of
spirituality
Other challenges were given in response to the survey:
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• A person of prayer and integrity who loves to worship and who will ignite us with the same passion for God
• Someone able to inspire and lead us in engaging with and taking the gospel into our community
• A compassionate pastor who can unite and nurture the whole church family
• Someone who holds together the equal importance of word, sacrament and Spirit in the context of a diverse
variety of worship styles
• A team leader who will support, encourage and grow the existing team
• Someone with experience to organise, motivate and lead a church seeking to grow
• Energetic and inspirational with a good sense of humour
• Experience of working with people with disabilities
• Sensitivity to people of different traditions and theologies
• Happy to communicate in various ways and comfortable with social media
• With the security and authenticity to share life in vulnerability within the church family
• Dedicated assistant to the clergy, 12 hours a week
• A good-sized team of lay preachers, service leaders, worship leaders, retired clergy, a reader and licensed lay
worker
• Encouragement and prayer
(these are the priorities identified by the PCC, prayerfully thinking about the trajectory over recent years and the
input from the survey and consultation (raw data given in Appendix 2))
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•Developing diverse lay and ordained
leaders from the communities we serve
•Piloting liberating models of leadership
and ministry, especially in multi-parish
benefices
•Creating learning networks for lay and
ordained leaders
•Investing in our engagement with baptism families
to spark an amazing adventure with Jesus Christ
•Placing schools at the heart of our mission with
creative connections between churches and schools
•Encouraging new and courageous ways of
worshipping, in different places, which connect with
more people
•Approaching the use, upkeep and future of our
church buildings in bold and creative ways
More info at https://www.gloucester.anglican.org/about-us/our-vision/
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•Enabling people to discover new depths to
prayer and spiritual growth, individually and
together
•Nurturing confident disciples to live out
their faith seven days a week
•Sharing our stories in new and
different ways, including through digital
media
•Being advocates for human flourishing, through
initiatives which combat injustice, environmental
destruction, exclusion and isolation
•Using sport, music and art to build relationships
and share the Christian faith
•Connecting with new housing developments in
innovative ways
•Investing in people and programmes, which
excite young people to explore and grow in faith
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The vicarage is a spacious Edwardian 4-bed detached property in
a quiet cul-de-sac, just 3-4 minutes walk from the church. It
occupies a secluded plot in a smart avenue of similar executive
homes. It is a 15-minute walk from central Gloucester and the
Hospital. The house has central heating, double glazing, and solar
panels for cheaper electricity.
On entering the house via the impressive wooden front door, the
vicar’s study is on the right and the downstairs toilet is on the
left. Double doors separate this ‘business’ part of the house
from the family home. Downstairs within the family home are
the large kitchen and three reception rooms, including a lounge
with fireplace. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, a bathroom
with toilet and a shower room with toilet.
Outside there is ample parking within the front garden, and a
good-sized mature garden at the back with a detached garage
and workshop.
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A team player, not a big boss - someone who can pull
people together and equip and empower them
Pastoral and approachable with good sense of humour
A good leader who can delegate well - good listening skills,
lead by example behind the scenes and upfront
A good pastor - servant hearted, pastorally sensitive, able to
celebrate diversity, an encourager
A relational person (people person) able to engage with the
youth and older folk
Teacher (Bible-based, inspirational, engaging, relevant, thinks
out of the box)
A strategic innovator - passion for building the church;
empowers us; takes risks
A younger person / millennial?! (with life experience)
Spiritually-led and able to relate to all both inside and
outside the church
Team builder (facilitating, delegating, encouraging, people
person)
Integrity (caring, wisdom, warm, willing, honest)
Someone respectful of and who gives value to the
different styles of worship
Enabler and encourager
Good at listening
Someone who is willing to be visible in the
community - outside the normal church activities.
Someone with a vision for the needs of the
community
Friendliness is essential
Experienced
Nurturing - within and without. Compassionate.
A visible presence - involved in wider life of church
Someone who brings a partner - not a loner, but
someone supported well within that relationship
•••••••••••••••
•••••••••••
••••••••••
••••••••••
•••••••
•••
•••
•••
••
••
••
••
•
••••••••••••••
•••••
••••••••••••••
••
••••••
At our consultation we asked each of 7 tables to come up with their top 3 descriptions of the vicar we need, and then each of the 50 individuals had
two green dots (positive) and one red dot (red flags) to prioritise the outcomes. The results above show where there is consensus or differing opinion.
(this reflects concern over potential
implications of the phrase ‘Bible-based’)
(reflects a belief that age is irrelevant)
(reflects a belief that
marital status is
irrelevant)
APPENDIX 3: THE PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR (SOME CHILDREN’S VIEWS)
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‘I lik
e v
icar
s bein
g kin
d, b
ein
g a
Chri
stia
n’
‘Kin
d, b
rave
, nic
e, c
o-o
pera
tive
, fri
endly
’
‘I w
ould
lik
e t
o s
ee y
oung
child
ren g
et
the
opport
unity
to e
xpre
ss t
hem
selv
es
more
in
churc
h’
‘I w
ant
my
vica
r to
be a
fem
ale a
nd t
o b
e r
eal
ly
kin
d a
nd h
elp
ful’
Text drafted by the Parish Profile subcommittee: Brian Champion, Rachel Barton, James
Wenham, Ed Reed, Jenny Perry and Phil King
All photos by Phil King unless otherwise specified
All people with recognisable faces gave consent for their photos to be used in publicity
materials for the church
Branding for Gloucester Diocese ‘Life’ Vision from
https://www.gloucester.anglican.org/parish-resources/communications/branding/
42