Profile for the Appointment of a

RECTORFor the grouped parishes of Denbigh, Henllan, Llanefydd &

Bylchau

The Parish of Denbigh

Set in the picturesque Vale of Clwyd, the historic rural town of Denbigh has a population

of around 9,000.

With its mediaeval Castle and a rich and varied history, Denbigh grew up as a market

town supplying the needs of the local farming population. Over the years the town has

flourished and a more mixed social strata has developed. Notable residents of Denbigh

have included Twm o’r Nant (Welsh Bard); H.M.Stanley (Journalist and Explorer) and

more recently Mark Webster (Darts Champion) and Bryn Williams (TV Chef).

Currently our community consists of many local Welsh families, together with a diverse

range of people who have moved into the area for work or retirement. There is a small

area of notably high deprivation. It is estimated that the Welsh language is regularly

used by up to a quarter of the town's residents.

Denbigh supports many local shops and businesses together with two larger

supermarkets and a selection of very good tea rooms and restaurants. Denbigh is

located conveniently within an hours journey from the Snowdonia National Park and is

within easy reach of Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Holyhead with their respective

national and international transport links.

Church Buildings

The Parish consists of two contrasting churches, the late medieval church of St. Marcella

which is Grade 1 listed, and the Victorian St. Mary’s, Grade 2* listed. Both have recently

had excellent quinquennial reports.

St. Marcella's

St. Marcella’s, the Parish Church, is of great historical interest being home to the

painted alabaster monument of Lord and Lady Salusbury and the final resting place of

Welsh Bard Twm o'r Nant.

Located on the edge of town and overlooking the Clwydian Range, St Marcella's is a

popular choice for both Weddings and Funerals. The large churchyard is well maintained

and is the setting of local environmental surveys, with bat boxes and a wildflower

conservation area.

The church will seat up to 130 people and there is a project in the planning stage to

install toilet facilities at this church.

St. Mary's

St. Mary’s is located conveniently in Lenten Pool at the top of town, within walking

distance of local businesses and housing estates. The church was re-ordered five years

ago providing a flexible space for church and community use. It has seating for 120 to

350.

St. Mary’s has a vestry with a telephone, photocopier and internet access. The Church

houses state of the art audio visual facilities, meeting rooms, toilets and a fully

equipped kitchen. The rooms at St Mary's are available to hire for community use.

The Rectory

The Rectory is a ten year old house, set in attractive grounds with gas central heating

and underfloor heating downstairs. It is situated in a quiet, sought after area within

easy walking distance of the town centre. Downstairs there is an extra room, currently

used as the Parish Office.

The Church as a People

The Church in Denbigh can be described as gently evangelical, welcoming a wide range

of traditions using Church-in-Wales liturgy alongside more informal worship. Robes are

worn for main services.

• There are Sunday services every week in both churches.

• St. Marcella’s 9:30am (mainly Eucharist with Morning worship on the first Sunday

of the month, a traditional service with hymns attracting 25 - 35 adults.)

• St. Mary’s 9:45am (Weeks 1 & 3, Cymun Bendigaid a Addoliad y Bore (services in

Welsh), attracting 18 adults.)

• St. Mary’s 11:00am (mainly Eucharist with Morning worship on the third Sunday of

the month, attracting 20 - 30 adults, with provision for children and a variety of

music.)

• There is a regular Friday 1984 Communion at 10:30am which attracts 18 - 22

people.

Other worship related activities include Messy Church; Mothers’ Union; Ladies Guild;

Teddy Bears’ Picnics (two a year for newly baptised children); Lunch & Prayer; WOW!

(Worship on Wednesday); Oasis (informal contemporary worship); Bible study groups –

Alpha, Lent studies, Small group; Bereavement services twice a year.

The congregations increasingly reflect a good mixture of the social spectrum and ages

across the town. Both churches have facilities for children.

The involvement of families and children has increased through Baptisms, Teddy Bears’

picnics, Messy Church and Junior Church reflecting a need to establish a Youth Church.

Each year one or two children attend C.P.A.S. Venture Christian Camp in Criccieth.

Our Church and the Community

We regularly involve ourselves in the community, with a stall in the monthly market and

at special occasions including Christmas and the Local Plum Feast and the Denbigh

Midsummer Festival. We are a Fair Trade Parish in a Fair Trade Deanery and Diocese.

There are approximately twelve weddings a year with preparation before the event and

invitation to a Celebration of Marriage every February.

Baptisms average 30 - 40 a year with preparation followed up by invitations to two Teddy

Bears’ Picnics a year and Messy Church once a month.

We offer support to those bereaved conducting 40 - 50 funerals a year with visits before

the funeral and followed by invitations to remember loved ones at two bereavement

services a year.

Historical talks have been conducted in both churches which act as an educational

resource for local schools. While there is not a Church school in Denbigh, we do have

good relationships with all the schools in the town including Brondyffryn School which is

a regional centre for Autism.

There are a number of Primary Schools in Denbigh, one of which is Welsh medium, and a

choice of two State High Schools both with Sixth Forms. There is also the option of

secondary education through the medium of Welsh five miles away in St. Asaph.

We take part in ‘Open Doors’ every year in both churches. This is a country wide

initiative to open buildings of Historical interest to the public.

We are actively involved in Christian Aid in the town and the local Food Bank. We have

often hosted the local Civic Service and conduct the Act of Remembrance at the Town

Cenotaph.

We work with Cytûn (Churches Together) and actively support three Mission partners –

Wycliffe Bible Translators, I.F.E.S. in Bangkok and C.M.S. in Lima.

Home Communion is taken to the local care homes for the elderly as well as to

individuals from our Parish. We conduct both Marriage and House Blessings.

Through the Mothers’ Union, we support young people involved in a new initiative in the

town known as YR HWB, (a Youth Enterprise Centre) which aims to help them become

independent and self-sufficient. We also support those affected by mental health

problems who live in various hostels in our town.

We hold regular Coffee Mornings and brunches. There is a small input into Pub Ministry

including a men’s night.

The Parishes of

Henllan, Llannefydd and Bylchau

The new Rector of Denbigh will be responsible for ensuring the provision of ministry in

the Henllan Group, seeing that all necessary administration tasks are carried out. It is

hoped that the new Rector of Denbigh will have a vision for the development and growth

of the churches and see that sensitive outreach is ongoing. In this s/he will work

collaboratively with the House for Duty Priest, Rev. Robert Pearce and lay leaders of the

parishes. It is envisaged that support for these parishes will also come from lay leaders

in Denbigh and in turn be reciprocated from Henllan as the Group work together in the

wider emerging Mission Area of Denbigh. Reverend Pearce will undertake Sunday duty

across the Henllan Group and is available for other pastoral duties for up to two further

days of each week.

The Henllan Group contains three rural communities:

• Henllan, a large and lively village near Denbigh

• Llannefydd, a smaller, more scattered parish four miles from Henllan

• Bylchau, a little over five miles from Denbigh, a quiet village on the outskirts of

the Denbigh Moors.

The Henllan Group are three strong church communities and although not large in

number, have the support of our villages and chapel friends in shared events, even in

working parties to maintain the churchyards say twice a year.

The Group are very supportive of each others’ events and are aware of our links with the

Deanery. The Deanery Welsh service was held in Bylchau in July. Representatives of the

Group attend Deanery Conference and respond to mission links and money raising

schemes for a wide range of charities, particularly Christian Aid and Fair Trade.

There are chapels in all three villages, the Henllan Group share worship with these

congregations from time to time – for instance Llannefydd meet twice a year at

Christmas time and in Christian Aid Week to hold a bilingual ecumenical service either in

church or chapel.

This is a traditional area and the old ways need respecting while we update our ideas as

the world moves on. Each of the three churches has a distinct personality and a

particular character of worship and we feel that we form a harmonious group.

The Parish of Henllan

St. Sadwrn’s Church is a good-sized stone building dating from the late medieval period

(Grade 2*) with an interesting separate bell tower. The churchyard is in good order

although a retaining wall between two sections has given way and the situation is

currently being dealt with by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales.

With a congregation of around 30, Henllan has the most frequent and regular pattern of

services (usually two services on the first three Sundays of the month with one on the

last) Alongside the House for Duty Priest there is also a lay reader and two worship

leaders in Henllan.

There is a newly-refurbished Church Institute in Henllan which contains a small office

facility. The Institute is a good venue for functions, celebrations and regular community

activities. In Henllan, there is a Women’s Institute, a St. Sadwrn's Women's group, Good

Companions and a Mothers' Union. There are many activities available for children in

Henllan, including: Brownies and Guides, a Craft group and “Gang Ni” has provided an

opportunity for children to join in with group activities, they come together before

major festivals to do craft work in preparation. There are plenty of volunteers willing to

work with children, and we have two child protection officers in the benefice too.

The Parish of Llannefydd

The Church of St. Nefydd and St. Mary’s in Llannefydd is the oldest of the three churches

in the Group. It is a double-naved stone church dating from the 1500's and Grade 1

listed. The church building is in a good state of repair and the churchyard is in good

order. In Llannefydd the Community Council have the responsibility for upkeep of the

churchyard.

Llannefydd has two services celebrating the Eucharist each month, plus a Morning Prayer

on a fifth Sunday. There is a good congregation or around 20 parishioners in attendance,

commensurate with the size of the village. There are two worship leaders in

Llannefydd, the wardens in all three churches have good contact and meet regularly

during the year.

In Llannefydd there is a village hall run and maintained by the community and as a

church we can use it for special events or fundraising purposes. We have held several

concerts over the last few years as part of the Henllan Group. In Llannefydd there is an

annual Horse and Pony Show and a Flower Show.

The Parish of Bylchau

Bylchau’s Church of St. Thomas is a tall narrow stone church dating from the 1850's. The

church is in a good state of repair.

Bylchau has two services celebrating the Eucharist each month, plus a Morning Prayer on

a fifth Sunday. Bylchau's attendance is formed of a small group of dedicated

worshippers (5 to 8 parishioners) and they have good support from the village around

them for fundraising events. There are plans for this building to become a 'shrine'

church in the longer term with limited usage.

Bylchau holds regular fundraising and social events, cheese and wine evenings, harvest

suppers, whist and bingo. In Bylchau, the Memorial Hall in Groes is used for functions.

All the Churches within the Group hold similar events and daytime social occasions to

encourage community life as well as fundraise.

The Context forMinistry in Denbigh

We are friendly and welcoming here in the Parish of Denbigh. We have a strong,

supportive team of English and Welsh speaking people, including a lay reader, wardens,

lay worship leaders and pastoral assistants. The P.C.C. is keen to develop and support

new initiatives.

There is a feeling that the balance is right between honouring traditions, formality and

informality. The Church speaks to the town with indirect street ministry, and we have a

small following on both Facebook and Twitter.

We are looking to strengthen ministry amongst younger families and develop effective

Youth Ministry. We are seeking to call and nurture new believers.

Characteristics andQualities or our Incumbent

We would require our new incumbent to continue the ongoing work in the Parish and to

build on what has already been achieved. At the same time we, as a congregation would

like someone to whom we can look to strengthen our faith and prayer life and help us to

enhance our knowledge and understanding of the Bible, perhaps by developing our

existing networks of small groups.

We would need to be able to communicate easily with our incumbent and feel that s/he

can lead us effectively not only in our faith but also in the business of running the

Parish. We are looking for someone who may have new ideas for drawing new members

into our churches while appreciating the needs of those who already worship in God’s

Kingdom.

We would look to our new incumbent to maintain and strengthen the links we have in

the town with churches from other traditions through the work of Cytûn; and also with

the schools of the town which regularly call upon our members to take assemblies, lead

fact finding visits, run ‘mock’ services and hold their special services in our buildings.

It is important that our new incumbent is sympathetic to the needs of those in the

churches who speak Welsh and enjoy services in the medium of Welsh.

We look forward to supporting our new incumbent as s/he settles into the life of the

Parish and throughout her/his ministry in our town.