CHRIST CHURCH CHE LTENHAM - Diocese of GloucesterGod’s call, whether it is to join Christ Church...

CHRIST CHURCHCHELTENHAMPARISH PROFILE

CHRISTCHURCH-CHELTENHAM.ORG

2 PARISH PROFILE


CONTENTS

4 WELCOME & INTRODUCTION5 Our Parish

6 WORSHIP – FACING GOD6 Style of Worship7 Clergy and Readers Team7 Music for Worship

8 MINISTRY –FACING EACH OTHER8 Home Groups8 Pastoral Team8 Prayer Ministry8 Home Communion8 Parish Picnic9 Parish Weekend Away9 Youth and Children’s Work

10 MISSION –FACING OUR COMMUNITY

10 The Parish Centre11 The Friendship Club11 Evangelism11 Prayer Visiting11 Christ Church Playgroup11 Schools12 Churches Together,

Clusters12 Mission Partners12 Arts and Culture12 Coffee Concerts12 Fête12 Outreach Magazine

and Communications

14 ADMINISTRATION14 The Parish Office14 Parochial Church Council

15 OUR PEOPLE

16 FINANCE

17 CHURCH BUILDING

18 OUR PRESENT

20 OUR FUTURE

21 PERSON SPECIFICATION

22 APPENDICESa. The Vicarageb. Our Townc. Church Building- History- Present- Future

d. Financee. Congregational Data

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4 PARISH PROFILE

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION


Thank you so much for your interest in Christ Church.

Our prayer is that this profile will help you to hearGod’s call, whether it is to join Christ ChurchCheltenham and lead us in shared growth, or to goto an equally rewarding ministry elsewhere in God’sKingdom. We want it to allow you to interpret ourdreams, discern our gifts, and understand ourweaknesses. To that end, this profile is the productof a broad conversation both within the congregationand outside it, with our friends and neighbours.We sought to build a shared understanding of whatwe have become, and what we seek to be.

This document is the result. It first describes the lifewe currently share and goes on to offer a frankassessment of our present, and a hopeful descriptionof our possible future.

We are a single-parish benefice blessed with agifted and diverse congregation – we have inheriteda Grade 2* listed iconic and well-loved building.Currently, we have an electoral roll of 196, downfrom 268 three years ago. Yet we are convincedChrist Church has a powerful future, as God usesus to transform lives and build his Kingdom.We are excited to meet those men and womenwho believe they might play this central role inthat future, unlocking our gifts by means of theirs.

The heart of this document is the Person Specification.This is a description of the gifts we believe our churchneeds to return to growth. It builds on the two keysections Our Present and Our Future which set outwhat our next incumbent will face, and what we hope,under God, we will become under their leadership.

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OUR PARISH

Christ Church is a demographically variedurban parish just outside the historic centreof Cheltenham, containing a mix ofimpressive period properties, nursinghomes, schools, a large new housingdevelopment and social housing. The parishserves the areas of Lansdown and Alstone.Although there are within the parishboundaries some expensive properties,there are also areas of significantdeprivation, some of which are hidden innumerous flats behind the facades of largeGeorgian terraces. In the immediate vicinityof the church is Airthrie Prep School, anumber of boarding houses belonging toCheltenham Ladies’ College, two nursinghomes, Christ Church Primary School andGloucester Road Primary School.

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WORSHIP – FACING GOD


STYLE OF WORSHIP

At the very core of our life together is our desire toexpress, enjoy, and develop our shared experience ofGod’s presence through worship in ways that respectthe breadth of our individual experiences. We valuepreaching, and we value music. We cherish words, andwe cherish silence. We love times of celebration andtimes of stillness. In our corporate worship we have akeen awareness that we are standing on holy ground.

Christ Church began life at the height of Victorianevangelicalism, but the congregation has remainedopen to other influences. Our worship and teachingare the product of many generations of cautious butfaithful exploration.

These days our evangelicalism is open and reflectiverather than tribal, self-critical rather than triumphalist.We strive to broaden our congregation’s spiritualexperiences by carefully balancing old and new andby bringing in elements of different traditions. Ourworship is liturgical, but our liturgy is open to the needsof the moment and very often specially composed orcurated from authorised material. Worship is not amatter of following a script. The emphasis in the mainSunday morning service is on creativity within (largelyunspoken) limits. We are led by a robed SATB choirand a lively, acoustic worship group, as well as asplendid organ. We quite often make use of allthese musical forces in a single act of worship.

Our Sunday pattern of worship begins quietly with8am Communion (15-20 attendees) followed by ourmain 10.30am service (150) of Parish Communion(twice a month), All Age Worship (once a month)

or Morning Worship (once a month). Afterwards weenjoy refreshments together in the Parish Centre.Following the monthly All Age Worship, at 12 noonthere is a Shortened Communion (6-10).

Our monthly evening service may be Choral Eucharist/Evensong at 6.30pm (15-20) or a special serviceincluding those which allow for exploration ofalternative forms of worship.

Monday – Friday we have Morning Prayer 8.45am (7)in the Side Chapel and Communion at 10.30am onWednesday mornings (10-15).

At Christmas our atmospheric Carols by Candlelightservice attracts a congregation of 400. On ChristmasEve afternoon we hold our family-friendly Christingleservices. These are held at both 3.30pm and 5.30pmin order to cater for the large numbers attending(1,000 combined).

Our midweek activity focuses on Scripture. Long-established homegroups meet weekly for bible studyand fellowship. During Lent and Advent, a largerproportion of us study scripture together, in depth, withoff-the-shelf resources or perhaps using homegrownmaterials developed by our clergy and Readers.

In recent years, our emphasis has been on inclusion andwe reflect regularly on how our worship can convey thiswelcome from the point of view of the newcomer oroccasional attendee. Our former vicar also challengedus to re-examine our beliefs about human sexuality,without seeking to lead us to any definite position.

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We have four experienced licenced Readersand one retired priest who all make asignificant contribution towards the planningand leadership of the services and who, intheir different ways, maintain and enrich ahigh quality of preaching. The Christ Churchfamily has appreciated and benefitted fromconsistently good preaching and teachingboth during the services and weekday eveningcourses with the team playing an importantteaching role in ways such as leading Lentgroups, creating in-house course materials and

contributing to away days throughout the year.

We have often been a training ground forcurates and it is hoped that this practice willcontinue in the future. It’s a source of joywhen members of our congregation comeforward for ordination or Reader training andwe support them through this. Clergy andReaders take part in regular ministry teammeetings to evaluate and plan programmesof services in collaboration with the Directorof Music and Worship Group Leader.

Within our services music is led by the choir,organ and worship group. Music is chosencollaboratively with the Clergy Readers teamto serve the chosen service themes andoccasions. Hymns A&MNS and Songs ofFellowship are our main resources althoughwe are drawing increasingly on the richesavailable from other material.

Since 1845 Christ Church has been blessedwith a robed SATB choir, a tradition unbrokento this day. Leading worship regularly onSundays, the choir has an extensive musiclibrary supporting the musical settings in theliturgy. On special occasions the choir deliversto a high standard, when, for example, leadingworship in Cathedrals (Coventry Cathedral,Oct 2019) and is well represented at Evensong.However, on typical Sunday mornings, whilethere are quality singers who take justifiable

pride in the choir, numbers are near minimumviable. The contribution of the choir is valuedby the congregation so we would welcomeengagement to help grow numbers again sothat we can offer a wider range of music inour worship.

The choir is run by our Director of Music whoreceives remuneration.

Led from the piano, 8-13 voices and a range ofinstruments, the Worship Group contributesmost Sundays, with members from 7–70 yearsold. Music is selected to support the liturgy andservice themes, choosing from contemporarysongs, chants, re-imagined hymns andappropriate music from beyond the faithcommunity. The annual Christingle servicesare a high-spot where the group performs liveseasonal music from secular to sacred.

CLERGY AND READERS TEAM

MUSIC FOR WORSHIP

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MINISTRY –FACING EACH OTHER


Within the church our sense of love and responsibilityfor each other is expressed in a variety of ways.

Home Groups

There are six long established home groups whichmeet for Bible study and discussions; importantly theyalso provide fellowship and support for their members.Combined membership of 30-40.

Pastoral Team

The team has recently grown in numbers and now hasfourteen volunteers who do their best to help membersof the Christ Church family who are in need of supportfor a variety of reasons. They meet as a team everytwo months for the purpose of allotting any newresponsibilities and for further training as the need arises.

Prayer Ministry

A committed team of people are available during ourmain services to pray privately with those who need it.

Home Communion

One of our Readers organises a monthly rota so thatthe team regularly administer communion to membersof the church family who are housebound, in a carehome or hospital. This ministry is much appreciatedby the nursing homes within our parish.

Parish Picnic

One of the ways in which we try to unite the differentgroups of the Christ Church family and invite newcomersis our annual picnic where we have an afternoon

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playing games, eating and relaxing together at theCotswold family home of church members.

Parish Weekend Away

A further opportunity to gather as a whole churchfamily occurs approximately every two years whenwe go away to spend a weekend together. Here weget to know others better in a pleasant setting butalso have space and time to pray together orprivately, and to focus on a particular topic introducedby a guest speaker. There is ample opportunity forpeople to relax, eat good food and generally enjoythe venue and surrounding area.

Youth and Children’s Work

Sunday groups for our young people are well-established and are co-ordinated by our Team Leaderfor Youth and Children’s Work (a remunerated post).For those at pre-school and KS1 (ages four to seven)we run Scramblers, for those at KS2 (ages seven to 11)we have Explorers, and for those in secondary school,

up to 15 years old, we have Pathfinders. There iscurrently no provision for those above 15. The veryyoung are catered for by our warm and friendlycrèche. Overall weekly numbers range from nine totwenty from an overall ‘pool’ of forty regular attenders.

We currently use the ecumenical material Roots as ourresource, which follows the lectionary readings eachweek, so – we hope – allowing for some good Sundaylunch discussions across the family about what bothadults and children have learned that morning. Lastyear we used a home-grown Christian basicscurriculum looking at the main story of the Bible,from Genesis through to Revelation. We will probablyreturn to this periodically. Children are engaged andappear both to enjoy and to learn in their groups.The challenges facing us include finding enough leadersfor the groups we have; maintaining engagement withfamilies and their children as the children grow older;and finding the right provision for those right at thetop of our age groups. It is also noticeable that thenumbers at the youngest age group, Scramblers,are much lower than they used to be.

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MISSION –FACING OUR COMMUNITY


The Parish Centre

The Parish Centre, attached to the main church building, enables us toembrace and serve our local community. Halls and rooms are full of lifeand activity 7 days a week from early morning to late at night cateringfor both church and community activities, e.g. fitness, parties, choirs,drama, adult education. It is used daily during term-time by ChristChurch Playgroup. For many years we have been home to Rainbows,Brownies and Guides groups who participate in our main worshipservices on special occasions. Dedicated church members also hostour own lively weekly Mothers and Toddlers group and Friendship Clublunches, teas and talks which for many years now have attracted newfaces to our church. We also enjoy welcoming schools and organisationsto our church and Parish Centre for their concerts and celebrations.

The foyer area, The Hub, enjoys a reputation in the town for hostingvibrant art exhibitions and talks. The Music Room provides a basefor our choir and their regular Friday rehearsals. The kitchen anda range of toilets provide for the needs of all user groups.

On Sunday mornings all the rooms in the Parish Centre are occupiedwith young people’s activities followed by post-service refreshmentsand socialising.

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Friendship Club

Run by members of Christ Church this is a regularactivity much-appreciated by those in the olderage-range both from the church and beyond. Twice-monthly on Wednesdays, beginning with morningcoffee and a short Communion service, it providesa welcome opportunity to spend most of the daysocialising with friends old and new through anexercise class, Lunch Club and Afternoon Teameetings in the Harwood Hall. After lunch a speakeris arranged to entertain and inform before tea andcake are enjoyed together. During the summer weeksmembers can enjoy outings and a holiday together.

Evangelism

Alongside the healthy and happy relationships weenjoy with our community, interactions are alsofocused specifically on gospel-spreading initiativessuch as the Alpha course, Resolve and personalmentoring (1-2-1). With no shortage of ideas andenergy, there is a commitment and desire to developthis area further.

Family Time meets twice a term in Gloucester RoadPrimary School with the aim of building meaningfulrelationships with families both in and out of thechurch. It is run by two members of our church witha team of 12 volunteers. Attendance is around 20-25children and 12-15 adults. Sessions include games,themed activities/crafts for about an hour, Bible storyand teaching, and finish with a meal together.

Prayer Visiting

Each summer we visit hundreds of homes in our parishin teams of two, in order to remind our neighbours ofGod’s presence and to offer prayer support for whatever

they feel comfortable sharing with us. Occasionally wepray on the spot as circumstance leads, but usuallywe are gathering requests for prayer which are thenread out and held before God in a special eveningact of worship to which residents have been invited.

Christ Church Playgroup

Operating throughout the Parish Centre, the playgroupwas formed in 1979 by members of Christ Church andis regarded by the church as part of its outreach to thecommunity. Ofsted-inspected, qualified staff providecare each term-time weekday through full or half daysessions for children from 2yrs-5yrs. Many then joinChrist Church Primary School. On special occasions thechildren come into church for their own acts of worship.

Schools

Our connections with local schools take many forms.Regular school assemblies have been led by our clergyat our two neighbouring primary schools and AirthriePrep School. Church members and the Incumbent sitas Foundation Governors on Christ Church PrimarySchool (CCPS) Board of Governors. The Headteacher ofthis school describes the relationship with the churchas the strongest he’s experienced in a career in churchschools and he would very much like to continue thistradition. We also run two teams of volunteers to leadOpen the Book assemblies at CCPS and GloucesterRoad Primary School. Both schools have collaboratedwith us in the last 3 years through iSingPop workshops,culminating in concerts where we have welcomed parishand schools together into our space. We have warm linkswith Cheltenham Ladies’ College who, in addition tospecial services, eg Confirmation, worship with us onSunday evenings 2 or 3 times a term. Again, this is anarrangement valued by the school and we hope willbe continued with our new incumbent.

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Churches Together, Clusters

In addition to our contribution to Cheltenham Deanery,Christ Church has maintained links with local churchesoutside the Church of England in a local Cluster. Themost regular contact is between the clergy, but thesepartnerships have had some wider benefits. Our adultbaptisms by full-immersion are carried out at SalemBaptist church. Members of Gas Green help with ourFamily Time outreach service. Christ Church and C3church co-founded the Christians Against PovertyDebt Centre which is hosted at C3 and supported bya coalition of Cheltenham churches.

Mission Partners

We have long-established links with and contributefinancially to CMS, The Matilda Project and MissionWithout Borders. Previously 10% now 5% of ourannual income, in addition to proceeds from theFête, is given to our mission partners and charitiesselected by the World Mission Committee.

Arts and Culture

In addition to hosting regular concerts and artexhibitions, Christ Church has been one of theleading lights in hosting, promoting and supportingthe Christian Arts Festival in Cheltenham. Since itsinauguration in 2016, the Festival offers a programmethat attracts, entertains and challenge all ages,those of any faith or of none. The charity’s vision isto celebrate God through the diversity of creativeartistic talent given by Him. As the festival wasfounded by two Christ Church members, there isa shared intention to grow the Church througharts and inter-faith engagement.

The choral tradition here is one we are proud of and,together with the Organ and Steinway Boston grandpiano, has contributed to our reputation in the townas a welcoming space for musical events of all sorts.The church interior has an acoustic much admired bymusicians and choral societies and we use this asa wonderful opportunity to entice people into oursacred space who otherwise might never do so.

Coffee Concerts

We delight in offering our neighbouring communitythis regular series of high-quality live music concerts,including piano and instrumental recitals, jazz quintets,vocal, Brass by Candlelight, choral, organ, orchestraland chamber programmes. These are short eventsfollowed by home-made refreshments, usually onSaturday mornings or Sunday afternoons to allowaccessibility to all. It has been a joy to see audiencemembers then becoming part of our congregation.

Fête

Each summer we hold our fête in the church buildingand forecourt. The congregation and wider communityenjoy time together whilst raising thousands of poundswhich is then distributed by the World MissionCommittee to our church mission partners andcharitable causes.

Outreach Magazine and Communications

Outreach is published 10 times a year, compiled byour Editor, containing articles, news and details ofchurch events and is available throughout the parish.It is one of our main lines of communication, togetherwith the weekly Pew Leaflet and website.

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ADMINISTRATION


The Parish Office

The Parish Office is staffed bythree part-time paid employees whosupport the life and ministry of ourchurch and its community. Our HallsComplex Manager manages themain Church building as well as thebookings and running of our busyParish Centre. Our Vicar’s Secretary/Electoral Roll Officer has theexperience of being secretary for theprevious two vicars of Christ Church.We also have a Parish Administrator,herself a vicar in another parish, whooversees the smooth production ofworship materials, rotas etc.

Parochial Church Council

The PCC meets every two monthsand is supported by a number ofcommittees. These meet betweenthree and six times a year and areresponsible for reporting back tothe PCC. Currently these compriseFinance, Standing and Personnel,Environment, Evangelism, Fabric andOrgan, Halls Management, Pastoral,World Mission, Worship, Youth andChildren’s Work.

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OUR PEOPLE

Chair of PCC

Church Wardens

Clergy Readers Team

Director of Music YCW LeaderTreasurer

Admin Team

Worship GroupLeader

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FINANCE


Finances at Christ Church have been prudentlymanaged over a number of years and the accountingfunction has strong lay leadership.

Following the budgeting process the Annual Budgetis presented to the congregation on Budget Sundayin January where the financial objectives of the yearare laid out. Calls for giving have been fairly lighttouch as being a matter between the giver and God.Historically Budget Sunday has not been an effectivetrigger for raising members’ giving.

A number of the community participate in theDiocesan direct debit Parish Giving scheme and haveelected for an automatic cost of living inflator. Thosenot part of the Diocesan scheme can still donate byStanding Order or use the Gift Aid envelopes in pewsand at the back of church. The plate is not passedaround during the liturgy.

In recent years bequests have featured sporadicallyin our income and although not used to support theday to day activities of the church they have helpedto bolster reserves used for major projects/repairs.

Christ Church has a few financial principles it hassought to maintain over the years:

• It contributes the cost of a Vicar and a half toParish Share as its contribution to wider missionin the Diocese

• It currently ‘tithes’ 5% of its income to supportwider mission in the UK and the world – historicallythis was 10% but this has dropped to current levelsdue to constraints

• All staff employed are paid at least the rate set bythe Living Wage Foundation – currently £9 per hour

• We have a reserves policy which sets a band of£25-75K of unrestricted funds to cover the churchfor extraordinary events.

Overall giving has seen consistent falls especially in the last five years. This can be seen in the graph below.

These drops mean that total annualgiving has decreased approximatelyfrom £170K in 2015 to £130K in 2019.

It is noteworthy that income trendscorrelate broadly with the drops in

attendance and electoral roll overthe same period.

Against this background the churchcommunity has continued to havea strong sense of God’s providence

although we are aware that weneed to consider strategies toaddress imbalances betweengiving and expenditure.

£14,192

£13,668

£12,772

£11,671£11,000*

*2019 is a forecast

AVERAGE MONTHLY GIVING

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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CHURCH BUILDING

Built in 3 years and consecrated in 1840, Christ Churchhas been a landmark place of worship in Cheltenhamfor nearly 180 years, during which time it has adaptedto changes in worship and the needs of the community.The most recent example was the refurbishmentand development of what is now the Parish Centrealongside the church. This has become a vibrantcommunity resource as described above.

Maintenance of this Grade 2* listed building is a majortask for the church Fabric Team with many of thesmaller tasks done by our members using their DIYand professional skills with the support of the PCC.

All major work is overseen by our church architect,with DAC approval and done by professionalcontractors. During this year improvement to thedrainage at the east end of the church has beencompleted and new boilers are in the process of beinginstalled. We are now in a position where we canengage with the question of how we might adaptand update the interior of the church to accommodatea variety of forms of worship, performance andarts events – a space flexible and equipped forcontemporary needs.

Further details are given in the Appendix.

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OUR PRESENTThe Holy Spirit’s work among us is seen in flurriesof growth, energy and zeal. The congregation isethnically diverse. A drop-in service aimed atfamilies with young children is proving popularwith people from the local community school,who we had previously struggled to reachbecause of our identification with our ownprimary school. The choir has shrunk but themusic group is growing, as is our team oflicenced Readers. The Parish Centre is a hugelypopular resource and brings many peoplethrough our doors, and from time to time, intoworship as well. The quality of pastoral care,the warmth and affection that binds us togetheracross barriers of age, class and ethnicity, areall palpable and continue to develop. Each yearbrings new initiatives in discipling, and morerecently, in evangelism.

Yet it is clear that we need to make significantchanges to the way we use our time andresources. Our church life is not sustainablein its current form. There are exciting newinitiatives and opportunities, but these competefor resources with long-established practiceswhich have not been reviewed. We also needto address some long-standing issues whichwe have not been able to discuss, let aloneto resolve.

For many years our congregation consisted ofthree main groups:

• A large group of established older members• Families with older children• A constantly changing group of families with

younger children, attracted by the link withour popular primary school.

This model has run into difficulties in recentyears:

• The cohort of senior members is becomingsmaller as illness and death take their toll

• We are not retaining the families of olderchildren as effectively as we used to

• Fewer families are attending because ofthe link to the school.

The impact is seen in lower weekly attendanceoverall, far fewer children, particularly at thelower end of the age range, and reducedcongregational giving, offset by increasesin income from legacies.

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We have struggled to respond to theseunwelcome changes because we have notaddressed some deep-seated cultural issues:

• The burden of prayer for the church, in theway it is currently organised, is not equallyshared. Termly prayer meetings are sparselyattended and there is a frail culture of informalshared prayer, though Morning Prayer is alifeline for those who attend.

• Our very openness and curiosity hassometimes led to a diffuse and uncertainidentity. A lack of a strong identity or senseof distinctive calling makes it difficult to makechoices about what we do and don’t do.We are constantly at risk of doing too muchfor too little purpose.

• Christ Church is an easy place to join, butit is also an easy place to drift away from.Too many of us appear to have only a slight

emotional connection, manifest in veryskewed giving, attendance and volunteeringprofiles. The church is reliant for its too manyactivities on too few people.

These issues have conspired to make usslow to recognise the passing of the old model,and to make it difficult to discern, and resource,the emergence of a new one. They havealso made it difficult for us to reach a stableconsensus about how we use the buildingwhich we have inherited. The fabric as a wholeis well-maintained and the Parish Centre isa successful building. There is no crisis. But noris there a clear way forward. There is agreementthat something must change, but no clarity aboutwhat or why or when. In particular, we have beenunable to articulate exactly how development ofthe worship space will serve and enhance ourministry and meet the needs of those we seekto reach with the Gospel.

USUAL SUNDAY ATTENDANCE

2012 2014 2015 2016 2017

230

2018

192 190

217

170 170

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OUR FUTUREOur Parish Profile has sought to tell a fairand open story of both the strengths of ourcommunity and also its challenges. There isa tangible sense of eagerness and excitementabout what God has in store for us. Themetaphor of a becalmed ship conveys a senseof expectancy. The vacancy has shown thatas a lay community we have a huge rangeof talents which we want to re-energise anddeploy to work with the person God hasalready chosen to join with us as Vicar.

What do we think will be the important tasksahead? As a congregation we must first gaina clear sense of our purpose. We have takenthe decision that we must wait for our newVicar before developing a strategy for thefuture. This is because we need someone toassist us in gaining a clear consensus on howto deal with the big issues facing us:

• A growth strategy – our congregationparticularly over recent years has agedand diminished – what should our strategybe for growth?

• How do we develop our church building forthe needs of our congregation and the widercommunity? This building is both a threat toour future survival and an amazing resourcefor growth.

• A growth strategy cannot ignore the financialneeds of our church community. We havea large church and halls complex and theincome we receive is currently not atsufficiently high levels. Increased givingand possibly income from other sourcesneeds to feature in any plans.

• Who is the Holy Spirit guiding us to focus ourenergies on welcoming? Many comment onthe strong sense of welcome and love whichChrist Church extends to all. This has beena feature for a very long time. Christ Churchhas shown that it can welcome and sustaina wonderfully diverse congregation.

• There is a view that to meet the challengesahead Christ Church needs to rediscoverits sense of community outside of formalworship to bring the community togetherand give it a greater sense of cohesiveness.

• Christ Church is a community of talentedindividuals. To be able to meet the challengesof vision creation, a strategy for growth andthe work that flows from this we must findways of fully engaging and empoweringall our people. Christ Church has a clearunderstanding that our work with the Vicarmust be collaborative and have a cultureof empowerment to achieve the ambitionswe believe God has for us.

• We need to rediscover the centrality ofprayer and increase our openess to discernthe will of God through His Holy Spirit.

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PERSON SPECIFICATIONWe believe these challenges call for someonewith the following gifts and experience:

Leadership

“God has not given us a spirit of timidity,but of power, of love and of clear-thinking”(2 Tim 1 v7). You can catalyse our vision andcollective responsibility for, visible congregationalgrowth. Your experience will help navigatinggroups towards consensus on the big decisionsbeing faced. You look for giftings within thecongregation and release them to serve andflourish within a constructive and supportivepartnership. You are someone who can exciteand empower us to act more courageouslyfor God.

Priority of Prayer

You can inspire us to a deeper commitmentto corporate prayer and to its place as thepowerhouse of our church life together.

Church Community Builder

You are ready to support and promote initiativeswhich strengthen caring multi-generationalrelationships and sense of cohesion within ourcongregations and to find a fresh energeticdirection for our youth and children’s work.

Outward Looking

You can demonstrate a track record ofidentifying and developing effective missionstrategies and new models of engagementwhich intrigue and attract those who are yetto encounter God.

Inclusive

You can give us a sharper focus and practicaltraining on how to embrace and engagenewcomers; to model what “All are welcomein this place” really looks like.

Creative/Responsive

Whilst cherishing that which is good in ourworship traditions you draw with creative eyeson sources such as the expressive arts to frameworship that is fit for a vibrant faith-filled lifein the 21st century. Ready to rethink if ideasaren’t working.

Major Re-Ordering Project

With the possibility that Christ Church mayembark on a major church development, youwill be confident and energetic in leading andinspiring a community through the challengesand excitements that this might offer. Whilstothers will do the project management, you willbe adept at delegating, empowering and gainingconsensus within this community.

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APPENDICES

The Vicarage, Malvern Road, is a large 1960s houseproviding ample space for family life and forentertaining: entrance hall, ground floor toilet, newlyfitted kitchen, utility room, dining room lounge, fourbedrooms with master en suite; it also has a largestudy off the entrance hall, a garage and parkingspace for three cars. It is currently undergoing fullredecoration in addition to the new kitchen and ensuite to master bedroom. There are generousgardens to the front and particularly to the rear of thehouse, both of which provide wonderful views of the

church tower. The garden at the back of The Vicarageprovides ample room for family life, entertaining andpeace, tranquillity and privacy when you need it.The Vicarage is about fifty metres down the roadfrom Christ Church, and Christ Church Primary Schoolis a further hundred metres away.

Well within a mile radius of The Vicarage you willfind a number of small shops, a large Waitrose,Cheltenham Ladies’ College Sports Centre andCheltenham Spa railway station.

15 minute walkfrom Christ Church

a. THE VICARAGE

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Cheltenham is a Regency spa town on the edge of theCotswolds in Gloucestershire. It has a population of117,000. Since the discovery of mineral springs in 1716it has been a holiday destination and has a number ofinternationally renowned and historic schools. Thetown is home to two campuses of the University ofGloucestershire.

We are known as a Festival Town, hosting festivalsof national and international repute, including theLiterature Festival, Science Festival, Jazz Festival,Music Festival, Cricket Festival and more recently theChristian Arts Festival. There is a vibrant night-timeeconomy of clubs, bars and restaurants, theatreand concert venues. Cheltenham is also famous forhorse racing and the Gold Cup is the main event ofthe Cheltenham Festival held every March at the

Cheltenham Racecourse. Cheltenham Town FC,‘Robins’, play in League Two.

Much of Cheltenham is relatively wealthy, with lowerunemployment, although there are areas of deprivationand specific need. The major employers in the areaare GCHQ and UCAS as well as insurance, banking,aerospace, education, power generation, sport andleisure. Cheltenham is expected to grow significantlyin the next few years, with a Cyber Park in the westof the town creating new skilled jobs and an urbanextension of about 5,000 new homes being plannedto the north west of the town.

Cheltenham has excellent transport links with theM5 nearby and direct trains to London, Birmingham,Bristol and beyond.

b. OUR TOWN

24 PARISH PROFILE


History

The church was built between 1837 and 1840 usinglocal Cotswold limestone from Dodwell Hill Quarrynear Withington, all set on a plinth of sandstonefrom the Forest of Dean. This stone has sufferedfrom the effect of 150 years of acid rain erosionleading to many of the decorative crockets havingbeen removed for safety as were all the original stone‘pineapple’ finials on the pinnacles by the 1950s.The ending of urban coal burning and coal gasproduction should have reduced the air pollution andfurther stonework erosion may have been arrested.The roof and floors are supported on large woodenbeams that are generally in good condition havingbeen treated for woodworm in some infected areas.The tower was extensively refurbished and the roofrepaired and re leaded in 1977 but regular andquinquennial inspections are now done to theparapets to check for any stone movement.

From 1875 and through to 1893 the interior wasextensively reordered starting with removal of thenorth transept gallery to relocate the organ followedby removal of the box pews to install the choir daisand later in 1887 to install the current pews. The oldcentral pulpit was removed and from 1888 thedecorated Apse and Reredos were added with themarble pulpit and communion rail, all were completedby1893. The stained glass memorial windows in theaisles were installed starting at the turn of the century.

More recent changes were done in 1958 when thepews in front of the organ case were removed toallow the building of the small chapel and for this, theorgan console was moved to the south side of thechoir. By 1981 the semi-circular steps and communion

rail and table had been installed at the front of the daiswith the glass cross hanging above.

Present

The church is largely unchanged except for thetemporary removal of the pews from the southtransept to relocate the choir vestries while workwas done in the late 1990s to build a new hall anddevelop the Parish Centre by refurbishing the oldschool rooms. This work was done in preferenceto repairs and reordering of the church in order togive priority to facilities for outreach activity in thecommunity, especially for children. We are nowreturning to the consideration of reordering thechurch to embrace new forms of worship and toexpand the variety of activities that can be held inthe church. After completion of the Parish Centre,urgent external repairs to the eroded stone work,faded paintwork, leaking windows and blockedgutters has been done and internal redecoration ofthe vestries and the well-used Parish Centre roomshas also been done.

Future

Over recent years, many ideas and suggestionsfor reordering have come forward and faded inpopularity, usually after the true costs and benefitshave been established. The latest thoughts are moremodest but still based upon creating a space whichprovides the necessary flexibility to accommodatedifferent expressions of worship and performancefor both the Christ Church family and the widertown community over the coming years.

c. CHURCH BUILDING

PARISH PROFILE 25


d. FINANCE

Year ended31 December 2018 2019 Budget

INCOME

Collections, Donations and Gift Aid £133,803 £150,000Hall Rental Income £36,706 £36,000Fête Proceeds £5,089 £4,000Other Income £8,106 £8,000

Total Income £183,704 £198,000

EXPENDITURE

Parish Share £97,667 £103,527Giving to World Mission £18,201 £11,500Salaries £37,350 £37,500Utility Bills £16,164 £16,000Fabric & Maintenance £5,436 £8,000Other Expenditure £22,305 £20,000Parish Weekend deficit £3,744Depreciation £1,367 £1,380

Total Expenditure £202,234 £197,907

Surplus/Deficit -£18,530 £93

Development Fund Brought Forward £89,390

Legacies £92,000Donations £6,250Repairs and fees -£60,934

Development Fund Carried Forward £126,706

26 PARISH PROFILE


e. CONGREGATIONAL DATA

ELECTORAL ROLL

395

1996

328

2002

320

2007

238

2013

272

2014

268

2015

268

2016

270

2017

273

2018

196

2019

BAPTISMS

9

2014

12(1 adult)

2015 2016 2017 2018

USUAL SUNDAY ATTENDANCE

19(1 adult)

11(1 adult)

14(2 adults)

2012 2014 2015 2016 2017

230

2018

192 190

217

170 170

PARISH PROFILE 27


WEDDINGS

4

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

1

5

6

3

EASTER ATTENDANCE

425

2009

390

2011

344

2012

360

2014

370

2015

411

2016

315

2017

341

2018

CHRIST CHURCHMALVERN ROADCHELTENHAMGLOS GL50 2JH

01242 578163admin.christchurch@googlemai l .comchristchurch-cheltenham.org

© 2019 191611Designed by Art Works, Cheltenham. 01242 572559

Photography by S.O.S. Film, Photography, Soundand Joe Thompson

CHRIST CHURCH CHE LTENHAM - Diocese of GloucesterGod’s call, whether it is to join Christ Church...

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