christ the servant king - diocese of oxford · christ the servant king …connecting people to god....

OURPARISH PROFILE

Christ The Servant King…Connecting people to God

Christ The Servant King

Our parish is home to a diverse population and we are always

looking for new ways to reach out to our parish through family friendly events, services run in the community for the elderly, services for special needs adults, such fun and deeply moving, and

playing Christian music and hosting talks in our local pubs, and we know God wants us to do more.

Welcome to our Parish Profile, we do hope you enjoy reading this and get as excited as we are about our fellowship in High Wycombe and your potential new ministry serving here with us.

Children’s craft

Our Parish Profile

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Main entrance and forecourt to Christ The Servant King Church

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Christ The Servant King - Parish Profile

Perhaps unusually our fellowship is the coming together of two congregations back in 2003 culminating in the building of a

wonderful new place of worship in 2013 which has great use from the community, diocese and local businesses. Whilst we are getting better at attracting a wider range of people from the parish we know that we are heavily biased to the 50-70 age range

and would want a new vicar to help us reach the largely missing 12-40 year olds. No pressure.

We seek to make our times of worship Spirit-led, encouraging an all people ministry, be it in music, leading or preaching. We believe God is blessing us in many ways, as you will see from the pages

below, and that a new vicar will be well supported in their role by the good congregational engagement and that with passion, empathy, and wisdom that person will help us be even better at

connecting people to God. As you read these words our prayer is God will lay on your heart whether you are the person he is calling to serve in this place and as the hymn says ‘I will hold your people in my heart’.

Our vision to be a growing, prevailing church is expressed through our purpose, mission and values. We have a fourfold purpose:

• To love God, worshipping Him as one God, Father Son and

Holy Spirit • To proclaim good news, sharing in words and actions the

gospel of Jesus Christ

• To develop mature believers, encouraging them to become more like Jesus

• To serve our community, extending God’s kingdom by

being a transforming and compassionate presence

Hall 3

Children’s Crèche and Play area 4

Congregation during Worship 5

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Our mission is to connect people to God. We seek to focus all our activities around connecting people to the... presence

passion

power

promises

purposes

peace ...of God

Seven core values underlie our ministry:

• All people matter to God

• The gospel has to be communicated in compelling and culturally appropriate ways

• Full commitment to Christ is normal for all believers • Excellence honours God and inspires people

• Believers serve using the gifts God has given them • The church is built on loving relationships

Prayer is central to the life of the church and the life of each believer.

Our vision to be a growing, prevailing church is expressed through our purpose, mission and values. Our mission is to connect people to God.

Prayer room 6

Front of Building 7

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The Vicar we seek... Someone who will stir us up...A facilitator… An enabler

A person who will enable us to grow our gifts and talents in ways that will be bigger than we could ever have imagined. STir us up!

Come and lead us on this exciting journey.

We need a facilitator to enable us to reach out to Holmers Farm. To seek out the lost and lonely, to seek out those in need. To enable us to help them in whatever way is needed. STir us up!

We need to bring in the younger generation. We QHHG�WR�ÀOO�WKH�JDS�LQ�RXU�FKXUFK�IURP�DJH��WR��We have many gifted people amongst us. We need a person who will facilitate, enabling us to bring them in. STir us up!

We need someone to lead us into a deeper prayer life, deeper discipleship, deeper worship through teaching and example. STir us up!

Our Children said:

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General A. To exercise the cure of souls shared with the bishop

in this post in collaboration with colleagues including the praying of the Daily Office, the administration of the sacraments and preaching.

B. To have regard to the calling and responsibilities of

the clergy (as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Code of Professional Conduct for the Clergy) and other relevant legislation including

• Bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and

making him known to those in your care

• Instructing the parishioners in the Christian faith

• Preparing candidates for confirmation

• Diligently visiting the parishioners of the parish, particularly those who are sick and infirm

• Providing spiritual counsel and advice

• Consulting with the parochial church council on matters of general concern and importance to the parish

• Bringing the needs of the world before God in intercession

• Calling your hearers to repentance and declaring in Christ’s name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins

• Blessing people in God’s name

• Preparing people for their death

• Discerning and fostering the gifts of all God’s people

• Being faithful in prayer, expectant and watchful for the signs of God’s presence, as he reveals his kingdom among us

C. To share in the wider work of the deanery and

diocese as appropriate, for the building up of the whole body of Christ.

Role Purpose and Key

Responsibilities

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Qualifications/Training Essential • Ordained priest within the Church of England

• Willingness to engage in further training that enhances the skills of community leadership

Desirable • Having completed a recognized course of study on Fresh

Expressions eg. Mission Shaped Ministry

Experience Essential • Engagement with and pastoral support for people of all ages

• Priestly ministry at incumbent level involving vision setting and multi team development

• Has the proven ability to lead and develop teams, identifying and encouraging gifts

• A skilled communicator with a sense of humour

Desirable • Leading all styles of worship in a mature and thoughtful way in

both traditional and less formal settings

• A broad experience of liturgy

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies Essential • Collaborative leadership, recognising the skills and gifting of

others

• A good preacher capable of delivering clear understandable teaching, connecting the Bible to everyday life in an imaginative and creative way.

• Has a traditional, evangelical background and is open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

• The ability to identify and respond to opportunities for mission, focusing on community and outreach

• Committed to growing the church younger and attracting the missing generations

• Leadership skills that will motivate and inspire all congregations to fully participate in the life and mission of our church

• Pastorally minded with an ability to encourage others to participate in the provision of pastoral care by fully understanding the needs of the congregations

Desirable • Ability to organise resources effectively to meet a large number

of demands

• Ability to encourage and increase the number of people who are actively involved in all areas of church life

Person Specification

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General Attributes Essential • Friendly and approachable with an ability to engage with all

ages

• A passion for growing God’s kingdom

• Has a life rooted in prayer and worship and a commitment to developing this across the church

• A passion for learning and personal development

Desirable • A focus on community and outreach

Other responsibilities • Participate in the Bishop’s Ministerial Development Review

scheme and engage in Continuing Ministerial Development

• Carry out any other duties and responsibilities as required in line with the parish needs

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• Ensuring a proper balance between life and work, with days off, holidays, retreats and opportunities for learning

• Providing an expenses budget for church activities and self-development

• Teams involving clergy and lay members of the congregation

• The Part Time Administrator who also provides secretarial support

• Experienced financial lay members

• Members committed to the maintenance of our church buildings

• Prayer and commitment to supporting you in all that God has called you to achieve at CSK

• Encouragement to regularly engage with your Spiritual Director

Your future home…. The Vicarage is shortly to undergo a significant programme of refurbishment by the Diocese.

It is a substantial building. On the upper floor there are four double and one single bedroom, with a family bathroom. On the ground floor there is an entrance hall, two reception rooms, a kitchen diner and a utility room. In addition there is a large

separate study and toilet. The property is situated on Marlow Road with very good access

to local schools and the M40 Motorway, whilst the church is approximately 15 minutes away on foot and a less than 5 minutes drive.

The support we will offer you

The Vicarage 8

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In 2001, the church of St Birinus was in interregnum and, at that time, the

then Bishop of Buckingham asked the two congregations to consider merging. This was a significant step to

take; St John's started in an 'Iron Church' in 1882 as the first church plant in the town by the parish church of All Saints. The foundation stone for the

current St John's building was laid in 1901 and the church opened in February 1903. The St Birinus

congregation dated back to 1947, originally housed in a tin hut, following a church plant from West Wycombe

Parish. In 1970 the church of St Birinus built a permanent home on the current site in Booker and, over the years altered and extended the

building to accommodate the growing congregation.

As our churchmanship was deemed to be similar with complementary styles of worship, and after many joint

meetings, the two congregations agreed to merge. Easter 2003 saw Bishop Mike Hill presiding over our

‘marriage’ when we officially became St Birinus and St John’s

church. Initially, there were services at

both sites as we searched for suitable land to build a new church, but this proved an impossible task. The new

church located to the St Birinus site, but it soon became obvious that we couldn’t continue in that building without bursting at the seams! After

much prayer and deliberation, and with the guidance of an architect, it was decided to demolish the building

and build a brand new church on the same site.

Our farewell service was very moving; there was an opportunity to say goodbye by writing messages of love on the walls, to give thanks and to

pray for the future. We ‘moved’ across the road into Cressex Community School for our Sunday worship. The

Board of Governors were very accommodating and we formed a particularly close relationship with the

school caretaker who made us feel so welcome each Sunday as we entered the building.

At Easter 2013 we moved into our new home amidst praise and rejoicing and with a new name, Christ the Servant

King. This was chosen to reflect our desire to serve our community and to share our lovely new home with them.

November 2014 saw our dedication service, presided over by Bishop Alan Wilson and with a joyful sermon

delivered by Bishop Mike Hill.

Our Church

Christ the Servant King is an amalgamation of two

churches, St Birinus and St John’s, part of the High

Wycombe Anglican Team of seven churches

formed in 1973.

We never take for granted God’s faithfulness in providing us with our wonderful and versatile building and we continue with our commitment to use it to His praise and glory.

CSK logo 8

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Our Traditional Service meets at 9am every Sunday for Communion, with an

average attendance of 35 - 40. The service supports the spiritual needs of those whose preferred style of worship is rooted in the Anglican liturgical

tradition. Our service is taken from Common Worship Order 1 in contemporary language, robes are

worn, there is a sermon, and we sing hymns, mostly from "Hymns Old and New". We use a setting for some of the

liturgy: “A People’s Eucharist” from Worth Abbey. We usually read from the NIV Bible, though we may use other translations too. Within the

service, there is space during Communion for individual prayer ministry. The service lasts for about an

hour, and refreshments are served afterwards. Our service is ably supported by our three keyboardists or

by CD music when no musician is available. Further support comes from several regular servers, a team of

readers, welcomers and coffee-makers. A small team of ladies arrange the flowers in church. Special arrangements are created for Easter,

Christmas and weddings and 150 posies are made for Mothering Sunday.

Worship Together is a service of contemporary worship with an average attendance of 100, meeting

at 10.45am. The format varies from week to week based on the Service of the Word, with Holy Communion once a month. Our WOW (walking on water)

slot provides an opportunity for us to share what God has been doing in our lives that week. Our children are with

us during the first block of worship, vigorously waving flags and dancing! As they leave us for their own teaching

in Kidzone and Crèche we pray for each other, asking the Holy Spirit to bless our learning and increase our

awareness of the presence of God.

There is a dedicated team of people who pray before this service and are available to pray at the end with

anyone who needs to feel the touch of God.

The prayer time before the service often reveals words and pictures and these are shared with the congregation

during the service. People are encouraged to come forward for prayer if any of these resonate or if there are other issues where emotional

or physical healing is sought. We are fortunate that all our services

are supported by some great teams who welcome, provide refreshments, give pastoral care, love and teach our

Our Services

Each Sunday there are two main services focusing

on The Word and Worship.

The Congregation 10

Book of Prayer requests

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children, serve and intercede, pray,

play music, man the sound desk and project the words!

Our work with children of primary

school age, Kidzone, comes under the leadership of the Growing Younger team. Over the last eighteen months, this area has flourished as the team

has listened closely to God and responded to His leading.

Currently the children are enjoying topics from the Alpha course, using teaching materials that have been

developed by our own leaders. All sessions provide a mix of teaching and craft and often a video is shown and

discussed. There is a shared vision to support the development of the children’s faith and to involve them in prayer. These children know that God

listens and answers. We firmly believe that they are, and will become, an even greater blessing to CSK as God

works through them. We recently asked them what they

believe our new Vicar should be like and, in no particular order, they told us: Kind; A good leader; Less boring for us; Funny; A good personality; Will

know about God; Know the songs we

already know; Courageous. Many of these qualities are already in the

Person specification! Our Crèche for the 0-5 year olds runs every Sunday during term time. We have a team of three adults each

session, as well as some parents who may prefer to stay with their children. Usually we all begin in the main service

for the initial worship time then move into the crèche. We have a lovely, organised room

providing for the social and spiritual needs of the children with developmentally appropriate

resources. Once they have been signed in and

placed their names on our wall chart, the children are free to initiate their play. At 11.30 we all gather around the

table for a snack and drink. During this time one of the adults will tell a Bible story.

At the moment we are working our way through the Bible, celebrating important festivals at the appropriate

times. We then pray together before introducing our craft activity.

After completing their craft they then

have free play once more. At some point during the session, we will sing a variety of songs and rhymes.

When Communion is being celebrated in the main service, we escort the children into the church for a blessing

and back to the crèche afterwards. At the end of the service, the children are collected by their parents.

Wednesday Communion service at 9.30am is a quiet, said service

attended by 10 - 20 people. The service is taken from Common Worship Order 1 in modern language, and there is usually a short sermon. The

The Crèche 11

Kitchen cups for the Crèche and Kidzone.

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Children’s craft 12

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people from this service enjoy fellowship at the Community Café,

and there is an on-site home group, which several members of this congregation, and others, attend.

Momentum meets informally, twice a month, with the primary aim of worshipping God by declaration,

prayer and worship. Worship is contemporary, sometimes live and at other times with CDs.

All are welcome though we have a core group of approximately 15 people

who attend regularly. In addition to this we see 40-80 at our special events, people looking for something new in their faith, often from other churches.

We are Spirit led so the sessions are ‘loosely’ planned and generally evolve over the course of the evening.

Some of our experiences have included healing nights, prophecy

nights and organised training from outside groups. Quiet reflection plays a very important role in our programme.

We believe that when we worship Jesus from our heart, the presence of God falls in that place, heaven’s gates

are opened and miracles happen…… Matthew 10:7-8……“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of heaven is

near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons”. God’s love changes everything. We want to see people filled with the

Holy Spirit, experiencing His Presence and to know their identity in Christ.

We are currently having prophetic training from SOAR Ministries - 6 sessions over 6 months. The aim is for us to grow

in confidence in receiving and passing on words of knowledge and prophetic words for each other and the Church.

Church in the Pub (CiTP) does what it says on the tin. Challenged by the Mission Shaped Communities initiative

at St Andrew’s Chorleywood, we moved the ‘Connections Café’ fortnightly meeting into a local pub

some seven years ago. In a typical CiTP meeting, someone leads a talk on a particular topic, with plenty of

opportunities to ask questions and discuss matters in small groups. Meetings are planned in chunks of 3-4 months and may follow a set course

(we have been particularly inspired by material from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity), discuss

current issues (such as ISIS or immigration) or look at what key messages can be drawn from a

particular feature film. We have a social event once a term.

At our summer BBQ, we distribute free burgers to the pub’s clientele. The last two Christmases, the X-Alt band has played and it was great to see the bar

absolutely packed last time around. An exciting recent development is that we have made contact with a

fledgling similar group, run by Christchurch Flackwell Heath and have also heard of another group in

Marlow Bottom. We intend to meet up to “compare notes” and encourage one another.

Church Pub 14

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Rainbow Worship: On the 3rd Monday in every month, there is a very special celebration service at Christ the

Servant King. It is lively, enthusiastic, uninhibited and fun! This is Rainbow Worship, a service primarily aimed at

adults with special needs. People with learning difficulties are a part of society whose spiritual and

social needs are often disregarded. We became aware of this need over 10 years ago when it was brought to

our attention that there are a number of group homes and supported living complexes within our parish.

Although carers and providers have a duty to take into account the spiritual needs of their residents, somehow this

is frequently overlooked. Rainbow Worship aims to respond to this need and to fill this gap.

We celebrate our 10th anniversary this year and during that time have built

relationships with most of the local providers. People with special needs have increasingly become important contributors to our church. Many now

also attend the 10.45 service on Sunday mornings and are valued members of that congregation.

When we first set up Rainbow Worship it is probably fair to say that we did not

anticipate the important lessons that the church would learn from it. Most people had little experience in dealing

with adults with special needs, and there was a tendency to be fearful. Ten years on, members of the Rainbow Worship congregation are much more

integrated and respected. As a church we have been both humbled and challenged by witnessing people who

have poor communication skills truly worshipping God from their hearts. Our speakers have also learned not to ask

rhetorical questions as they are likely to be answered! The prayer life at Rainbow Worship has

probably grown more than any other group in the church. We now often have to split the prayer session into two

because so many people either have prayer requests or wish to pray themselves. I’m not sure that many

churches face this problem! We are sure that our new vicar will

want to both support and encourage the growth of this area of ministry, and to see it, not only as an outreach opportunity but, as an integral part of

our church life.

Children’s colouring in

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Rainbow Worship logo

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The staff team comprises Associate Clergy, Marie Jackson, Viv Inch, Ruth Wooster, Peter Viney (retired), plus

Licensed Lay Ministers, Janice Allerston and Allison Smale. Our aim is to work collaboratively, supporting each other in our specific ministries. We meet

every Monday, usually in the morning, to pray for the life of the church and for one another. We reflect on the

services, seeking to learn how we can better respond to the Holy Spirit. Pastoral issues are reviewed, as are

any matters requiring the attention of the PCC which are then passed on.

Pastoral Leadership: The pastoral leadership team supports

the pastoral work of the Vicar. It aims to look after the pastoral needs of the church body, as well as ensuring that new people are welcomed into the

fellowship and develop a sense of belonging.

Since its inception in 2013, a team of pastoral visitors has been trained to offer a listening ear to those who may

be struggling. We also encourage all members of the congregation to be aware of anyone missing and to make contact with them, feeding back any

further needs that they might have. We have also trained a separate bereavement team to walk alongside

those who are mourning. This is an evolving ministry and we are

encouraging our congregations in the concept of every member ministry where it is acceptable for someone

other than the Vicar to provide pastoral care!

Our Staff team

The staff team comprises Associate Clergy, Marie

Jackson, Viv Inch, Ruth Wooster, Peter Viney

(retired), plus Licensed Lay Ministers, Janice

Allerston and Allison Smale. Our aim is to work

collaboratively, supporting each other in our

specific ministries. We meet every Monday, usually

in the morning, to pray for the life of the church

and for one another. We reflect on the services,

seeking to learn how we can better respond to the

Holy Spirit. Pastoral issues are reviewed, as are any

matters requiring the attention of the PCC which

are then passed on.

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Underlying many of these events is a

small but dedicated group of sound and OHP operators who provide the technical backbone to the audio and

visual experience, so important in our modern multi-media society. In fact we consider the wider worship team so vital that at mid-week practices the

sound engineer is always present along with the service leader/preacher.

With the music teams changing in composition from week to week the

musicians get used to playing with different people and we actively encourage new members who are walking in the Spirit, have a heart for

worship, can play skilfully and are regular members of the fellowship at

CSK. God has truly blessed us with our musicians and we are excited about how He will lead us to the next level

with fresh input and new ideas.

OPS team: The Older People’s Spirituality team was set up some 10 years ago with the

aim of addressing the spiritual needs of older folk in our local community. At a rough estimate, 25% of the parish

population is over 60 years of age. We have a special heart for those who cannot attend church on Sunday, for whatever reason.

Currently, there are three separate strands to the work we do:

Praise in the Community: This is where OPS started, taking

services at care homes, sheltered accommodation and day centres around the Parish. We organise five services every month, and for most of

our ‘congregation in the community’, our service will be the only spiritual encouragement they receive, so we

have a proper act of worship with hymns, prayers, bible reading and a topical message.

We keep in mind that our hymns and prayers may be the last spiritual

support someone receives before they meet their Maker. Extra venues are visited at significant seasons - we have

Our Groups

Music in Worship: The fellowship is blessed with a

number of instrumentalists and singers with 15 or

more people regularly involved in leading worship

through music. We have a Musical Director whose

primary aim is to have Spirit-led worship, where our

playing/singing comes from a heart that loves the

Lord and wants to give Him the best. This involves

members of the team encouraging each other to

practice and develop as they serve God in this

ministry.

Worship band 18

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found Easter and Harvest to be popular times to celebrate together,

and especially Christmas, when we take Carol Services around the parish, each friend receiving a small gift and a Christmas card from the church.

Figures from December 2014 show that the OPS team ran 15 sessions of carol

singing in our local community. We went to care homes, day centres, sheltered accommodation, plus our

own CSK cafês and Tiny Tots. We met with 322 people ranging in age from new-born to over 100. The connections

we have established in this way have been mutually beneficial, and one of the care homes appointed Janice Allerston (LLM) as chaplain 2½ years

ago. This care home has also provided training to OPS volunteers in both wheelchair handling and

befriending.

Friday Fellowship: This event has been running for several years, once a month at CSK. People come for a 2-course lunch followed by

a simple Service of the Word in Church. We have a team of cooks, plus a team of chauffeurs for those

who need a lift. Attendance is usually around 30+, except for the now-renowned Friday Fellowship Christmas

lunch that attracts 50+ folk and is followed by a traditional carol service which is a great hit with all our guests!

Holiday at Home: This more recent venture started in 2013, and we now run two a year, in March and September.

We organise a week of afternoon activities, such as crafts, table games, quizzes, the “God spot”, old-time sing-

a-long, then tea and home-made cake before going home.

The week ends with the Friday Fellowship meeting for that month. Again, we can offer lifts to and from this event. The last couple of times, we

have run this in collaboration with the local Catholic church, Our Lady of Grace in Squirrel Lane, involving

helpers and guests from both churches.

Small groups: We currently have 12 small groups meeting with a combined membership

of towards 100 people and we are currently working on expanding and developing these further.

These groups vary from traditional Bible study groups to activity groups such as

craft and chat and they provide a caring, confidential and co-learning environment for people to connect to

God. Some groups run special events throughout the year and often manage to combine a shared lunch with raising awareness - and funds - for

organizations like Open Door. Thought provoking events during Holy Week and a 24-7 prayer week are just some

of the challenges that groups take on, further enhancing the spiritual life of our church.

Craft and Chat is a monthly opportunity for fellowship whilst sharing and learning new skills. Further, but less

frequent fellowship, is enjoyed at Men’s Curry Night, Ladies’ Cheese & Wine and Ladies’ Prayer Breakfasts.

Hall 19

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Each week our Connect newssheet keeps us abreast of services and events in the church, as well as

advertising events from other churches and outside organisations that may be of interest.

We publish the Bulletin 10 times per year and this is packed full of interesting articles written by our

members, book reviews, feedback from conferences……..and a letter from the vicar! During the interregnum

our Wardens use this slot to keep us abreast of latest developments. You might like to have a look at a Bulletin

at www.csk.org.uk/resources

Communication

Our current website is past its use-by date and we

now have a small team of people working on the

development of a more visually exciting and

dynamic site. In the meantime we advertise many

of our upcoming community events via our CSK

High Wycombe Facebook page and our Twitter

feed @CommsCSK.

Café area 21

Prayer Room 20

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In October, our Superheroes party saw children and their parents dressing up

as superheroes rather than for Halloween as we transformed the Church into a mini fairground and over

200 people joined us for an evening of fun. Our Christmas events have reached similar numbers - and most of

those who attend are setting foot in our Church for the first time, or reconnecting, some having been hurt

by Church previously. We are trying to show the generosity of God's love in everything we do, and

our challenge is that God has shown us this year that there are so many people in need who we need to

reach. Events alone are not enough and with God's leading we are building regular activities this year

where people can meet and strike up conversations - we have just launched Dads Aloud, a new breakfast club for Dads with activities for pre- school

children. We have a small team leading this

work and we try to pray and move with purpose as we feel God leads us, rather than starting lots of new ideas

and initiatives. It's an approach that God has been blessing and we are building on for 2016.

On a Tuesday morning you will find several of us at Tiny Tots, a toddler group for 0-4 year olds, accompanied

by parents or child minders. We have a rota of lovely church ladies who come to make tea and coffee and prepare

the snacks for us. It has been great to see friendships

made and relationships developing between church and non-church people. We have been able to offer emotional and prayer support in a

non-threatening environment. Our aim is to show the Father’s heart of love for everyone we come in contact with.

Our hall is set out with several carpets to define certain areas of play- soft

play with a slide, baby area, home

Community Outreach

Families: Our family outreach team is looking at

ways that we can connect with families in our

community. We see the whole community as our

Church, not just those people who attend our

services. We ran a number of events throughout

2015 and have been overwhelmed, not only by the

number of people who have come, but also by the

conversations we have been able to have with

people of all ages. At Easter last year, we held an

Easter Egg Hunt, and shared God's love by giving

away hundreds of Easter Eggs.

Messy Play 23

Flower bed outside Entrance

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area, small world, train table etc. There are table-top activities, drawing,

playdough puzzles etc. Also a range of sit on toys During the session the children are free

to choose where and what they play with. At 10 o’clock the children sit at a table for their snack and drink. During

this time a Bible story is told, then we pray and sing a range of songs and rhymes. After we have cleared away,

a craft activity is introduced and supervised.

Science Club meets once a month on a Saturday, and is targeted at 7 to 12 year olds. Parents are welcome to stay and join in, or enjoy a coffee and roll in

our café. Younger children are able to take part in some of the experiments with the help of their parents. Older

children and adults may want to volunteer as leaders.

At science club, our goals are to get children enthused and excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects), and to

give them a hand-up for when they attend secondary school. We do this by demonstrating things about the

physical world, with fun and exciting

experiments, within a safe and controlled environment.

In recent terms we have added Coding and Robotics to our programme.

There is no overt religious content to our sessions, Science Club is about providing a service to the community,

and is driven by a passion to see children happy and successful at school, as well as passing on our

enthusiasm for God’s amazing creation. We witness by being ourselves, something we call Ambient Faith, and there have been some

good conversations with parents in our Café´.

Two focal points in the week are our Community Cafés where we welcome

Easter Egg Hunt! 26

Creche area 25

Cafe sign 24

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both church and non church people to drop in for freshly brewed coffee

and cake. On Wednesday morning we are joined by the congregation from the 9.30 Eucharist service and this has provided some welcome fellowship at

the end of their service. As well as coffee and cake we are there to provide a listening ear and an offer of

prayer to those who are troubled. Thursday morning’s café has been

running for many years and has a different feel as it provides a meeting point for many people in our wider

community, including a significant number from Hillcrest, the local day centre for learning disabled adults. One group of retired ladies spend the

morning at the café and then go on somewhere for lunch together! A significant part of this ministry is

keeping an eye out for regulars who are missing and this usually triggers a home visit to see if any further support

is needed.

Community Use of Building: Our new building has provided an excellent resource for the local

community. There is a very high demand from many groups to

regularly hire the hall and other rooms. These groups include Cubs, Guides,

Brownies and Rainbows. Other organisations are actively involved in promoting health and fitness such as Zumba, Pilates, Running Sisters and

Slimming World. There are regular Tea Dances and in addition two of our local businesses, John Lewis and

Instron, organise activities for their retired employees. The Church is also used by the Diocese for conferences

and by other Christian organisations. During any week it’s an exciting place to spend time in!

The hiring of our building currently brings in a significant amount of additional income. We now need to

address the challenge of how to engage as a Church with the two to three hundred people who pass

through our doors each month. ‘Connecting people to God’ is our vision, but we have yet to make this a

reality in this area of Church life. It provides a great opportunity to share the love of God.

ASDA Chaplaincy:

For two hours on a Thursday morning a chaplain from CSK is in the foyer at our local ASDA. Shoppers are made aware

over the PA system of the availability of the chaplain for a chat and prayer if they would like. This is often a rewarding time when significant

conversations are had and people are prayed for at important points in their lives. We have a fantastic opportunity

for “The Church” to be seen in the community and to meet with those who would never set foot in the

building.

Sound Boards in Hall

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Worship area 27

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Whilst some of the church’s work is directed locally to charities such as Wycombe Youth for Christ, Lighthouse

Cressex and Wycombe Rent Deposit Scheme, we also look further afield and our wide range of mission partners

demonstrates this. Each year we select a number of such organisations to support financially, regularly publicising their work through articles in the

Bulletin and displays in church. Our Mission Statement and

commitment to worldwide mission states: ‘We desire to play our part in building God’s Kingdom worldwide, in

fulfilment of Jesus’ great commission; we will actively seek to understand what God is doing around the world, to develop a global vision throughout

the church and respond to the needs of others with our resources and by prayer. To this end, In 2014/15 we supported, amongst others, the Children’s Society,

Water Aid, Rape Crisis High Wycombe,

Wycliffe Bible Translators (two families, one In Papua New Guinea and one in Switzerland) Wycombe Youth for Christ,

Samaritans Purse annual Shoe Box Appeal, Fairtrade, Open Door and the Wycombe Rent Deposit Scheme.

Each year we ask our congregations for 3 suggestions for smaller payments of £250 for a charity that is personal to

them and with whom they are linked. We are a collection point for several

social justice projects….One Can Trust (food and household items) London Run (men’s toiletries and clothing) and

Dorcas Project (new and good quality second-hand children’s clothes). In addition to this, several of us are involved with Wycombe Homeless Connection, collecting items and volunteering at the night shelter which operates 7 days a week during

January, February and March. We also have three Wycombe Street Angels who aim to help provide a safe and

enjoyable place for people out in High Wycombe town centre on Friday nights.

It is encouraging to receive these words from an organiser of the London Run: ‘From Christ the Servant King you

supply clothes and toiletries on a regular basis that we distribute each week and I can assure you that these

are much appreciated by all who

Mission & Social Justice

Mission Team: CSK has a long tradition of

supporting mission groups and other charities. We

have a Mission Team that arranges collections, and

holds stalls and other events aimed at promoting

some of the organisations we support.

Christmas card 29

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receive them. And the fact that you donate regularly means we can

always have a stock of items available for each week. As a result of your efforts we have

been able to supply each person on our Christmas “Goodie Bag” run, not just with a bag of food and drink but

with a bag of toiletries that will last them for a long time. Our thanks also to you for remembering the London

Run in your Harvest Festival offerings.’

Christians Against Poverty: The CAP Money Course is a revolutionary money management

course that teaches people budgeting skills and a simple, cash-based system that really works. A dedicated team

runs this course at least twice a year and has developed an ongoing support network for those people who are in need of greater long term help.

Practical help like decorating can be provided, as well as ongoing support visits and financial budgeting.

A leader writes ‘we are continuing to develop the course in our own way to

include elements of dealing with the feelings associated with being in debt. We are overtly Christian in our

approach and have had some great

turn arounds in the 2 years that we have been going.’

Lighthouse: CSK Church is the backbone of Lighthouse Cressex (part of a wider Lighthouse family) providing over 40%

of the volunteers who run it. This children’s holiday week takes

place in the local secondary school and attracts over three hundred children from the surrounding area. It is an opportunity for children from four

to ten + years to enjoy learning about Jesus's love through craft, stories, worship, sport and games.

Children under four can also join in the fun at Little Lighthouse, where parents

and carers can bring younger children to enjoy playing and hearing about Jesus. It is also a great opportunity to come alongside the families and

children who attend, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to offer prayer and practical support.

This is a highlight in our church’s calendar and provides a truly

memorable and blessed week for everyone involved.

Parachute games at Lighthouse

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In recent years there have been

stewardship campaigns to raise the level of general giving as well as for the new building. A substantial amount of our giving is by standing order and

given under gift aid. Since moving back into our building,

we now make the building available to church groups, members as well as to outside groups and this is now

generating an income of approximately £18,000 per year. Our total general fund income for the

year to 31 December 2015 was £158,652 (2014 £161,016).

Our parish share last year was £71,759 which represented approximately 45.2 % of the total income. We have always

paid parish share on time and have been in a position of being able to pay our way as well as tithing our General

Fund, giving to a number of missions both abroad and at home, with many

of those home missions being very local to High Wycombe. In particular,

in recent years we have provided local support to Lighthouse Cressex and Wycombe Youth for Christ.

We currently have a payroll cost of approximately £21,000 per year and pay two employees, an administrator

and a cleaner, but in the past we have also had a paid youth worker.

For the financial year to 31 December 2015 there was a surplus on the General Fund of £25,118 (2014 £23,163)

and the General Fund reserves stood at £78,429. We have also set aside a reserve of £5,000 for future maintenance costs of our new

building. The reserves are currently at the highest level they have ever been since the two churches came together

in 2003. We have included a full set of

accounts with this profile, but please see Appendix 1 for a snapshot of the last two years.

The altar 32

Forecourt flower beds

33

Car park 31

Finance

Over the last four years up to the end of 2015 our

giving, excluding gift aid tax recoveries, has

increased from £95,000 to £115,000. In addition,

during this period a total of £115,000 was given,

excluding gift aid tax recoveries, to finance the

rebuilding of our church building.

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A call to be out there – involved in community life.

A call to proclaim good news and to be good news in the town. A call for right relationships with one

another. Enabled by prayer for each other and underpinned by love, mutual respect, affection and practical support where possible. A

unity which leads to God’s grace and blessing being outpoured on the town. A unity that leads people to say, ‘See

how they love one another.’ A call to be a Team who pray for one

another routinely as an expression of belonging to one another in Christ, as a means to grow in love and care for

each other and as real spiritual support for each other. A deep well created in the spiritual realm into which God’s ‘living water’ wells up,

flows and overflows.

High Wycombe Team Ministry - The Role of Team Vicars in the wider town

A call to be generous and share what we have - a responsibility, a blessing and a witness. ‘To whom much is

given, much is required.’ A call to be working as hubs and networks – Initiating and being

networked with various town focused missional activities, such as teaching and proclaiming the Gospel.

A call to be ‘yeast’ of the Kingdom: (E.g. Council for Christian Muslim

Relations, Jewish Christian and Muslim group, Rotary and other service organisations, Wycombe District

Council and civic events). Making a difference by being there, being Christ in all service activities for the town’s welfare – leading to informed prayer,

pastoral opportunities, friendships and countless opportunities to share Christ.

A call to provide sanctuaries and places of spiritual encounter - holy places – wells of salvation – sustaining

sacred centres. A call to provide opportunities to explore the Faith and to respond to

God’s call. An integrated response (E.g. Chaplaincies leading to connections, referrals and

partnerships....) Revd Hugh Ellis Team Rector

As leaders in the High Wycombe Team Ministry we

are called to be Prayer centred, Mission focused and

Relationship oriented. It is a calling to be listening

together for God’s purposes in this town as a whole,

and to intercede for its welfare. Discerning how each

parish mission fits into the whole. Understanding what

is our particular responsibility before God within the

town and how it relates and is connected to the

other aspects of God’s mission in the town.

Children’s craft 35

Parish Location in High Wycombe

34

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Chaplaincy in the Deanery: We have a Workplace Chaplaincy in operation in High Wycombe which covers the market and a number of

shops and cafés in the town centre and further afield, as well as enabling and coordinating prayer links

between churches and local businesses. An ecumenical team of chaplains is lead by the Team Vicar of St James’, Downley.

There is also a Hospital Chaplain based at Wycombe Hospital who provides a

chaplaincy ministry as part of the local trust and also a Chaplain at Wycombe

Abbey School. The Deanery and

Deanery Clergy also support work within the ecumenical Chaplaincy at the Buckinghamshire New University

which has a half-time chaplain. Wycombe Deanery also benefits from a Youth for Christ Centre whose ministry in many of the Deanery’s

middle and senior schools is valued.

Chapter & Synod: The Deanery Chapter is well attended and meets 5 times a year. It is currently

renewing its vision for its role in providing leadership to the Deanery. Deanery Synod is also well

attended and meets 4 times a year. It is experimenting with cafe style seating and devotes at least 50% of its meeting time to sharing best practice in

Discipleship and Mission. The Deanery also hosts two Confirmation services a year.

Those who apply for this post will find a supportive community of clergy within

the Deanery. It is essential that the person appointed to this post brings enthusiasm for playing a full and active

part in the life of the Deanery. We look forward to welcoming you! Revd. Dave Bull (Area Dean) Graeme Slocombe (Deanery Lay Chairman)

Wycombe Deanery

Wycombe Deanery comprises 29 parishes (35

churches and worship centres) with Team

Ministries, Group Ministries, an LEP and individual

parishes. There are 20 stipendiary clergy, with 3

training posts, 7 Self-Supporting Ministers, and a

number of retired clergy. Many of the larger

churches employ additional staff such as

Administrators, Youth and Children's Workers and

Pastoral Assistants/Workers. Within the Deanery

there are churches of most styles and traditions,

but over the years good relationships have been

built up across the usual boundaries of tradition

and church sizes and styles.

The Font 36

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Over a third of Buckinghamshire is covered by the government

designated Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which stretches across the southern part of

the county. We have our own AONB close to the church, where Booker Common, edged with Chiltern woodland, is a favourite spot for

walkers. Here too is Booker Memorial Hall where many social events throughout the year provide a further

focus for village life in this part of the parish.

Entertainment and Leisure: Booker Recreation Ground (Fernie

Fields) is a large, quiet recreation ground used mainly for dog walking, walkers and sports. In this area will also

be found High Wycombe Judo Centre. The Cressex Island Development has a

multi-screen cinema and a flagship Next with clothing, home and garden and coffee shop. Near neighbours are

John Lewis on their newly redeveloped site offering a full range of retail departments and café, and an ASDA

superstore. Within a five minute walk of the church

is the area known as the Turnpike where there is a bank, pharmacy, Tesco Express, filling station a couple of fast food outlets and a very good

Indian restaurant. Just around the corner, on the Cressex

Business Park, Rush UK has built its first trampoline park; but perhaps the most eagerly awaited development is the

new state of the art leisure centre, situated slightly further afield at the Handy Cross Hub. Facilities include a 50 metre pool, climbing wall, dance

studios, 150 station gym, bowls, 12 court sports hall, steam room and sauna. Here too is a recently opened

Waitrose.

Overview of our parish and the town of High Wycombe

The parish of Christ the Servant King sits within two

wards Abbey, and Booker and Cressex in the town

of High Wycombe. A boundary map will be found

at Appendix 2. These two wards are home to

15,399 people (2011 Census), whilst, overall, High

Wycombe has a population of 120,256, making it

the second largest town in the county of

Buckinghamshire. Abbey and Booker and Cressex

share similar demographics but there is a significant

amount of economic deprivation on a large

housing estate that is close to the church, and it is

towards these more impoverished areas that we

strive to direct our family outreach activities.

Booker Recreation ground

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In High Wycombe itself, the Eden

leisure complex offers shopping and a range of shops and restaurants plus a 12-screen cinema and bowling alley.

Wycombe Swan theatre stages many fine performances, both locally and nationally produced, and seats just over 1000 people.

Education: Buckinghamshire is known to have excellent schools that are credited with the strongest schools

performance in the country. Within High Wycombe there are three grammar schools (two for boys and

one for girls). Nearby is the Cressex Community School, redeveloped in 2009 at a cost of £31 million, a

coeducational school for 11 to 18 year olds. Chepping View Primary Academy is within a short walk of the

church and there are many other highly rated schools across the town, providing both primary and secondary education.

Of note is that, just over one mile away from the church is High Wycombe

Church of England Combined School (4-11), whilst St Michael’s Catholic School takes children from the ages of

3 up to 19 and is often the first choice of Anglicans who prefer a church school setting for their secondary age children.

Transport Links: High Wycombe benefits from its

central strategic location and easy access to motorways and airports. It is in close proximity to London and

Oxford, with Heathrow airport only 40 minutes drive away. There are direct links to London Marylebone station

with a travel time of 28 minutes from High Wycombe station. A new purpose-built coachway at Handy

Cross Hub will provide fast coach services to both Heathrow and London (and national connections too).

View of Eden shopping centre from Marks and Spencers cafe

38

Handy Cross Leisure Centre

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Appendix 1 2014 and 2015

Financial Summary

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Appendix 2 Boundary map

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