hatfield hyde parish profile€¦ · web viewour vision is to be an outward looking church,...

Parish ProfileHatfield Hyde Parish Welwyn Garden City

Hertfordshire

2020

PARISH PROFILE COMPLIED BY THE PCC OF HATFIELD HYDE

Table of ContentsSUMMARY.................................................................................................................................................... 2

WE WANT TO BE........................................................................................................................................... 3

KEY ATTRIBUTES IN OUR NEW PRIEST IN-CHARGE.......................................................................................................3WHAT HATFIELD HYDE OFFERS................................................................................................................................3CHALLENGES.........................................................................................................................................................3OPPORTUNITIES.....................................................................................................................................................3

WE ARE........................................................................................................................................................ 4

WE SERVE..................................................................................................................................................... 5

WE LIVE AMONG.......................................................................................................................................... 5

EDUCATION..........................................................................................................................................................5LEISURE AND RECREATION.......................................................................................................................................6HEALTH...............................................................................................................................................................6SURROUNDING WELWYN GARDEN CITY.....................................................................................................................6

WE LIVE ALONGSIDE..................................................................................................................................... 6

WE WORK WITH........................................................................................................................................... 7

OUR MINISTRY TEAM................................................................................................................................... 8

OUR SAFEGUARDING.................................................................................................................................... 8

OUR BUILDINGS............................................................................................................................................ 9

ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH...............................................................................................................................9THE VICARAGE AT ST MARY’S..................................................................................................................................9CHURCH HOUSE AT ST MARY’S..............................................................................................................................10ALL SAINTS SITE AT HALL GROVE............................................................................................................................10

OUR FINANCES........................................................................................................................................... 10

Hatfield Hyde Parish Profile 2020 Page 1 of 11

Hatfield Hyde Parish Profile 2020SummaryAt Hatfield Hyde we have nearly completed the building of a new Church Centre within the Hall Grove area of our Parish, formally All Saints Church. Along with the new Centre, there are both a Parish-owned house and a 2-bedroomed flat. This opens up exciting new outreach opportunities, as well as additional funding, with one property providing accommodation for a curate or church worker, and rental income from the other generating additional funds to support the outreach activities.

The new Church Centre development is in close proximity to a row of shops, pub, hospice day centre, GP surgery and local community centre. The local population has a mix of residents, from young families to older people. Using the new Church Centre as a platform, this opens up exciting new prospects to work with all age groups in the local community, for example support groups for the elderly and drop-in’s for young families. Below is an artist’s impression of our new Church Centre.

We are seeking a Priest in Charge with vision, drive and enthusiasm, who can both continue to build on the existing congregation of our St Mary Magdalene Church and establish our new Church Centre as an integral part of the community of Hall Grove.


We Want to Be Our vision is to be an outward looking Church, actively engaging with the Parish community, whilst supporting Church Family members.

Hatfield Hyde is a large Parish with a population of 22 000, located within the Hertfordshire town of Welwyn Garden City. The Church has a reasonably stable congregation, but people do regularly move in and out of the Parish. We are in the process of building a new Church Centre in another part of the Parish and this is a great opportunity for us to review and uplift our outreach activities and become better integrated with the local community.

Key Attributes in Our New Priest In-Charge Enthusiasm and energy to share the love and peace of Jesus with the local community Drive to build the Church Family by capitalising on Baptism contacts and reaching out to the

primary schools in our Parish Willingness to grow in Faith with the congregation with new approaches, there is appetite to

change but care is required not to alienate the more traditional Comfortable with modern forms of communication e.g. social media, to enable outreach

What Hatfield Hyde Offers Church is friendly and welcoming to newcomers Other licensed ministers, Martin (Priest) and Caroline (Reader) A stable kernel of families with children who are regular attenders to build on A group of dedicated middle aged and retired volunteers that keep the Church running Established Bible study groups Modern and well-equipped vicarage with garden and private parking Parish is financially stable

Challenges Over the last few years we have lost some parishioners who moved out of the area or passed

away and we have lost some of our vitality Want to build the Church Family with outreach Large parish with many Baptisms and Funerals that can be demanding

Opportunities New Church Centre at the All Saints redevelopment, to support outreach The Parish will own additional property as part of the All Saints redevelopment, generating

rental income to support outreach Good potential for a Curate in training

We AreWorship within the church is traditional moderate catholic, using Common Worship liturgy (CW Holy Communion - Order 1). Eucharistic vestments are worn at most services.


We have several Church services and weekly events that are tailored to different groups of the local community. Our main Sunday service at 10am includes the children at the beginning and end, but they attend the Sunday School during the middle part of the service. One Sunday each month, we have an All Age Worship with an informal format, and additionally a Sunday Half Hour service specifically aimed at young families and to encourage Baptism families to continue to attend. We have a stable kernel of families who attend Sunday services regularly (connected by a WhatsApp group), and they regularly meet outside of church services. We want to continue our outreach to families, young people and children, building on what we have in place already. We also have a quieter 8am Sunday service, as well as 2 weekday morning services.

Lay participation at worship is welcomed and encouraged, we have a team of intercessors, servers, lay assistants and sides people. As is to be expected from such a large Parish the high number of occasional offices can be very demanding on the licensed ministers.

We have an organist, and although we do not have a regular choir, we form one from our and neighbouring church congregations for the ‘Nine Lessons & Carols’ Service at Christmas. Music historically has been strong at St Mary’s and the liturgy in the 10am Sunday service is usually sung. However, we are interested in exploring different types of music in the Church.

In the calendar year 2019 the numbers were: Baptisms (35), Weddings (1), Blessings (1), Funerals in Church (16), Funerals at Crematorium (16). Additionally, 5 members of the congregation were confirmed during the year and 5 children took their First Communion, having been admitted to communion before confirmation. Special services are held at the usual festivals as well as for Christingle, Harvest, Mothering and Remembrance Sundays. A small Worship and Spirituality Committee, help plan the worship programme and considered any proposals for improvement.

We ServeFollowing the Garden City model, the town has many green spaces and a mix of housing. The housing stock spans council, housing association and privately owned, with considerable new building planned in and around the Parish. There is also a broad mixture of social classes and employment (as per Garden City ideals), but there are pockets of severe social deprivation throughout the Parish.

Three small but thriving local shopping centres within the Parish are situated in the Woodhall, Hollybush and Hall Grove areas and facilities for community activities are provided in a community


centre, local schools and church halls. Welwyn Garden City is served by London-Cambridge train line and is 25 minutes from Kings Cross/St Pancras stations.

The site of a deconsecrated church within the Parish, All Saints at Hall Grove, is currently undergoing redevelopment under the direction of the PCC. The development offers potential new opportunities (see Our Buildings).

We Live AmongWelwyn Garden City is a friendly and welcoming town planned by Quakers, which boasts many facilities and amenities. The town centre, located in an adjoining parish, has many shops including a large John Lewis, restaurants and coffee shops, with few vacant units.

In 2020, Welwyn Garden City celebrates 100 years since its founding and many celebrations are planned for the centenary. During this time, it has developed and expanded with the overall population now around 50,000. In the last 20 years much of the industry that used to sustain the town has left, and now the main employers are Roche, Tesco, and John Lewis. Slightly further field local employers are the University of Hertfordshire and Ocado. Many people commute to work in London because of its easy travel distance.

EducationMost children in Welwyn Garden City receive their primary and secondary education within the town. In the Parish, there are 5 primary schools, although none are Church schools, some of which we had good contact with in the past that we would like to re-establish. Although not in the Parish, in the town there are three secondary schools and Oaklands College of further education which provides full, part-time and evening classes in a wide range of subjects. The main campus of the University of Hertfordshire is based at nearby Hatfield. There is a well-regarded Church of England secondary school in St Albans, Townsend School, whose catchment area includes the Parish. There are a good range of private and state pre-schools and day nurseries in the Parish.

Leisure and recreationWelwyn Garden City is well served with leisure facilities. We are fortunate in having a large (24-acre), well-equipped playing field adjoining the St Mary Magdalene Church. Gosling Sports Park and Stadium is a large sports complex at Stanborough, offering a gym, trampoline park, dry ski-slope, day spa, beauty salon, tennis courts and squash courts. Stanborough Park has a sailing lake, nature reserve and plenty of space to picnic and play, with a new splash park under development. There are three golf courses on the outskirts of the town. The town has many sports clubs including several football,


rugby and tennis clubs. The University of Hertfordshire also offers a wide range of sports courses and opportunities from its Sports Village.

There is a large arts and conference centre in the town centre containing the Campus West theatre used for showing films, professional and amateur dramatics, concerts, and lectures organised by various societies, art galleries and roller-skating rink. The Barn Theatre stages amateur productions and club meetings. The huge range of clubs and societies in the town uses many school and church halls within the town.

The town centre has many pleasant restaurants, as well as pubs and hotels, serving good food within a wide price range. There is also a monthly farmers’ market.

HealthThe town has a hospital the QE2, which was recently rebuilt and offers out-patients and urgent care services. For overnight care and A&E there is the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, about 10 miles to the north of Welwyn Garden City.

Surrounding Welwyn Garden CityWelwyn Garden City is surrounded by beautiful countryside and lovely villages, that are very easily accessible from the town. Historic St Albans, a market and Cathedral town is less than 10 miles away, as is the picturesque county town of Hertford. London Kings Cross is a 25-minute train journey away.

We Live AlongsideWe are committed to bringing the gospel to the whole community, expanding knowledge of the scriptures. To this end, we look for someone comfortable in collaborative ministry, who can lead us in learning and learn with us.

Our links with the local Methodist Church is important to us and we have a strong and friendly relationship, with pulpit swaps (approved by the Bishop) twice a year.

Caroline (our Reader) leads one of their children’s groups and together we aim to develop more opportunities for this important element of joint ministerial work.

We also have strong links to the Focolare, an international ecumenical ecclesial movement that works for unity (www.focolare.org/gb). Inspired by Jesus’ prayer to the Father, “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21), its goal is to promote fraternity and to achieve a more united world in which people respect and value diversity. Members of the Movement include Christians of different Churches and ecclesial communities, members of the major world religions and people of no particular religious belief . In Welwyn Garden City there are 4 Focolare community houses and a conference centre. There are 3 members of the Focolare who worship here at St Mary Magdalene’s.

In addition, we have strong links with the Welwyn Garden City Inter-Faith Group, whose membership includes Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh and Bai’ai representatives.


http://www.focolare.org/gb

We Work WithVolunteers from the Church have been visiting two care homes, Oakview Lodge and Anson Court, once a month to sing hymns with the residents.

We have a close relationship with the Padre of the British Legion. During 2018 we hosted services for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1 and the 100th birthday of the RAF. Typically, we participate in the Remembrance Day service at the war memorial and invite the participants back to the church for refreshments. The laid-up standards are in the Church.

Once a month our councillors from the Welwyn and Hatfield local council hold their surgery at the church, which they appreciate.

Our Upper Room above the Church, hosts a range of different groups, including the Brownies and Rainbows during the early evening each week. An AA group and an Art Group meet once a week. In addition, once a month we have an experienced Tai Chi group meeting early morning.

On a Wednesday we have a group from Welwyn & Hatfield Day Services, Hornbeams, come to visit the Church and join the Eucharist. The group consists of people with learning and physical disabilities, and they have become very much a part of the Church. Once a month we have a lunch after this service. It is an outreach to the community as members of local Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches attend, plus anyone else who wants to come.

In the future we would like to have greater involvement with local primary schools. With the building of a Church Centre on the All Saints site we would hope to make creative use of it (see Our Buildings).

Our Ministry TeamThere are currently two established members of the ministerial team:

Rev Martin King is Assistant Priest (PTO), presiding at one Sunday Eucharist per month and occasional Wednesday services. Martin has an active role including contributing to our Pastoral Care Team.


Beyond the Parish his ministry includes beings Retired Clergy Officer for the archdeaconry he also participates in other services and duties.

Caroline Duke is our fulltime licensed Reader. She performs regular full deacon duties, preaching once or twice a month and preparing and leading our All Age services. Caroline has training in funeral ministry and prepares and leads funeral services, and administers communion by extension, taking communion to parishioners in their homes. She is involved in the Pastoral Care Team, and the organisation of the 2 or 3 Bible study groups we run each year, each a 6 to 8-week programme, and the ecumenical Lent study group.

Our SafeguardingThe PCC takes the safety of children and vulnerable adults within the church community very seriously. We are compliant with the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding policies; meet Diocesan requirements and we have a portfolio of local policy guidance to complement National policy.

Our Parish Safeguarding Officer has a background in NHS safeguarding and has the role of Lead Recruiter. Training and updating is constantly reviewed and a safeguarding report presented at each PCC meeting. Our online Safeguarding Dashboard helps us monitor compliance.

A Safeguarding group meets at least twice a year to review policy and procedure, and the parish has a good working relationship with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.

Our BuildingsThe parish buildings consist of the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, a well-appointed and attractive Vicarage (built in 1999) and Church House (currently let out), all on the same site in Hollybush Lane. In addition, a redevelopment is under construction at the All Saints site in Hall Grove.


St Mary Magdalene ChurchSt Mary Magdalene is in very good order with attractive worship space and well-equipped facilities, a major reordering project was completed in 2010. In 2018, we upgraded to a state-of-the-art sound system that includes 2 head microphones and 2 standalone microphones that allows us to adapt worship to suit the occasion. Our services also appear on a large screen via a projector as a power point presentation.

The large Upper Room at St Marys is used for parish functions and community groups.

The churchyard at St Mary’s is full and we have plans to register it as a closed graveyard. There is a Garden of Remembrance for the burial of ashes, this too is now full. There are plans to extend it, to continue to provide a space for the burial of ashes.

The Vicarage at St Mary’sThe Vicarage is a modern and well-equipped detached house: 4 bedrooms, a large study, separate sitting and dining rooms, garage and an enclosed garden.

Church House at St Mary’sThis is rented out to tenants, with the income coming to St Marys Church PCC

All Saints Site at Hall GroveThe All Saints site is currently under redevelopment, with planned completion during 2020. This very exciting project will give the parish a new Church Centre at Hall Grove and provides a great opportunity to the new Priest In-Charge. It is envisioned that they will work with the support of the Hatfield Hyde Parish Profile 2020 Page 9 of 11

PCC on how we take this opportunity forward. At completion, the Parish will own a new house and the two-bedroom flat above the Church Centre, providing a home for a potential Curate and source of income. These additional funds can be used to underpin our outreach activities in the community.

Our FinancesThe parish is in a stable position financially, with the Stewardship scheme providing regular income through standing order giving and an envelope scheme. This has allowed us to pay our Parish Share (£44,026 in 2018), in full for many years. The Parish pays all its bills promptly and makes a considerable contribution towards mission and other charitable causes. Gift Aid is encouraged and contributes significantly to our annual income.

In past 2 years we have balanced our expenditure with our income. This means that we have not increased our reservoir of funds. In 2018, our total income was £78,400 and our expenditure was £79,444. We have also received legacy funds in the amount of £17,500.

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