Rainhill St Ann - Anglican Diocese of Liverpool · Rainhill St Ann Parish Profile 2014 3 As a...

Rainhill St Ann

Parish Profile 2014 1

Parish Profile 2014

Rainhill

St Ann

Rainhill St Ann


Our vision for the future:

To keep Christ at the centre of all we do.

To become a church which is truly for all ages, and which can hold our children as they

grow.

To continue to build a church where every member feels valued and involved, and

everyone feels they have a voice which will be heard.

To continue to be a friendly, welcoming church family.

To become a more mission-minded congregation, and to increase our outreach activities.

To see increased lay involvement in the leadership of the church and its services.

WHERE ARE WE HEADING?

We are looking for a Vicar…

…who values and is comfortable leading both traditional, liturgical services

and more modern, informal services (including Fresh Expressions)

…who is a team player, enthusiastic about lay involvement in all areas of

church and community life, and who will nurture and develop the gifts of the

laity in order to make this a reality

…who can teach the Bible and preach in an accessible and engaging manner

…who is a strong, diplomatic and spiritual leader who will work with the PCC

to further God’s work within the parish

…who has the skills and experience to maintain and further develop our work

with children and young families

…who takes seriously the discipleship of the congregation and the need to

find new ways of reaching out to the local community with the Gospel

…who will empathise, encourage and support people at different stages of

their journey of faith

…who will strengthen our ecumenical links

…who will maintain and strengthen our relationships with staff, parents and

children at the Church School

Rainhill St Ann


As a church we feel that our strengths are:

We have a good variety of services, mostly with a sacramental focus.

We have attracted a significant number of new young families to the church through our

All-Age Worship Services and Stanley Bear Club (our church service for 0-5s).

We have a good relationship with our Church School.

We are financially stable with a committed planned giving scheme.

We have a faithful and committed PCC, supported by the congregation.

We recognise that the local community feels a sense of ‘ownership’ of the church and our

buildings are regularly used by schools and other groups.

We have well-maintained buildings.

However, we recognise that we need help in other areas:

We need help to recognise and develop the gifts of the laity, and encourage people

towards licensed lay ministries.

We need to develop our outreach and evangelism to the local community.

We would like to strengthen our ecumenical links which have dwindled over recent years.

We need to develop both the prayer life of the church and the biblical literacy of the

congregation.

We need to develop activities/services which appeal to older children and teenagers.

We need to expand our lay pastoral visiting scheme.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

All Age Worship Service Stained glass window Scarecrow Festival

Rainhill St Ann


Rainhill lies on the outskirts of Liverpool

diocese, 12 miles from the city and 4 miles

from St Helens. It is part of the deanery of

St Helens.

There are excellent transport links (road, rail

and bus).

St Ann’s Church lies in the heart of the

original village.

The postal address is:

St Ann’s Church, Warrington Road, Rainhill,

L35 0NS.

WHERE ARE WE?

Rainhill St Ann


The population of Rainhilll is approximately 16,000 and continues to grow due to new housing

developments. The area is socially mixed with areas of significant wealth, pockets of

deprivation and everything in between. The population spans all age ranges and is

predominantly white British.

There are 7 schools in the parish (1 nursery, 4 primary, 1 secondary, and 1 private school for

ages 0-16). Medical care is readily available with 3 medical centres, 2 pharmacies, a dentist

and Whiston Hospital. There are also several residential homes for the elderly. There are 4

other churches within the parish (Roman Catholic, Methodist, Independent Evangelical, Free

Church) and a Village Hall.

Despite the rapid growth of the population of Rainhill, the centre of the parish maintains a

‘village feel’. There is a good selection of shops, including a small supermarket, fruit shop,

flower shop, butcher and card/gift shop. There is a café, a few restaurants and a selection of

pubs. The library is near to the church.

There are a large number of voluntary organisations and interest groups in and around Rainhill,

catering for all ages and interests. These include, amongst others: a Rotary Club; Civic

Society; toddler groups; sports clubs; pensioners’ lunch club; Scouts; Guides; dance groups;

and amateur dramatics society.

Rainhill has a unique place in history, being the site of the famous Rainhill Trials carried out in

1829 to decide which locomotives should work the world’s first inter-city railway.

LIFE IN RAINHILL

A new housing estate Shops in Rainhill Warrington Road high street

Whiston hospital Rainhill Gala

Rainhill St Ann


St Ann’s Church is a Grade II listed building which was

consecrated in 1839. It is a large church, seating 400 people.

The building is in good order. The most recent quinquennial

inspection found only minor issues, all of which have now been

rectified. The graveyard is closed. We recently experimented

by removing a section of pews to create more space for our

Fresh Expressions services. This more flexible space has

proved very useful and the

possibility of further

re-ordering is being considered.

St Ann’s Millennium Centre is a separately registered

charity which stands alone. It was renovated in 2000 with

grant funding, and is a community facility for use by both

the church and the wider community.

St Ann’s is a traditional church which is committed to the Diocesan Growth Agenda. We are

excited that we are becoming more ‘mixed economy’ and continue to strive to find ways to

help people of all ages and backgrounds encounter God in worship. We are an ageing

congregation but are very encouraged by the number of young

families who have been attracted to the church due to new

initiatives.

We have two morning services each Sunday: 8.30am BCP

(average attendance 26); and 10.30am Common Worship (100).

Vestments are worn at Eucharistic Services and the Sacrament is

reserved, there is usually a Gospel procession and members of

the sanctuary guild assist at services. Music is played on the

organ, and we have a robed

choir which sings at 10.30am.

On the first Sunday of each month, the 10.30am service is

All-Age Worship (116 + 30 children). This is a more informal

liturgical service, without a Gospel procession, sanctuary guild

etc. At this service we usually welcome to the church children

who are due to be baptised shortly. In conjunction with the

clergy, a team of lay people are involved in planning and

leading All-Age Worship services.

THE CHURCH

THE BUILDING

View of Church from graveyard

THE WORSHIP

10.30am service

All-Age Worship

St Ann’s Millennium Centre

Rainhill St Ann


Baptisms usually take place during a separate service at

12.00noon on the second and fourth Sundays.

Evening services are at 6.30pm on the first and third Sundays

of the month. The first Sunday is Evening Prayer/Evensong

(14) and the third Sunday is ‘Soul Café’ (18) – an informal,

café style service engaging with topical issues in the context

of worship.

Stanley Bear Club (80 adults and children), our church service

for 0-5s and their carers, meets on Monday mornings. Stanley

Bear Club is lay-led at present.

There is a midweek Communion service each Thursday at

9.30am (28), alternating between BCP and Common Worship.

Until recently we held a Messy Church style afterschool club in

St Ann’s School. We are investigating re-starting this.

There is one Bible study homegroup which meets fortnightly.

Currently Morning and Evening Prayer are said every week day,

and Morning Prayer is also said on Saturdays.

We recognise that our patterns of worship may need to be

revisited with the arrival of a new incumbent.

Lay people are involved in Bible readings, leading

intercessions and administering Communion. Baptism

preparation is currently led by members of the PCC in

conjunction with the Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches.

Other special services throughout the year include:

Christingle; Carol Service (ecumenical); Christmas Eve Family

Service; Midnight Eucharist; Ash Wednesday Service; Mothering

Sunday; Lenten Lunches (ecumenical); Passover Meal; Good

Friday Service (ecumenical); Easter Saturday Vigil; Harvest

Thanksgiving Service; Memorial Service; Remembrance Service

(in conjunction with Royal British Legion). For the last few

years, the 10.30am services on Christmas Day and Easter

Sunday have been All-Age Worship. There are also occasional

pastoral services, such as blessings on wedding

anniversaries.

The Church School, and other schools within the parish, use

the church at various times of year for special services and

other activities.

Occasional offices

Last year, we had 13 weddings, 57 baptisms and 68 funerals.

Stanley Bear Club

Wedding

Christingle

Christmas Eve Family Service

Remembrance Sunday

Rainhill St Ann


Other groups/organisations/services at the church include:

Socials committee: organising events such as quiz nights, concerts, fashion shows, bingo.

The Rocket magazine (600+ distribution)

Mothers’ Union (very active and supportive with 90+ members)

Flower Guild (St Ann’s is the home of CEFAA)

Bell ringers

Weekly ecumenical coffee morning (Thursday)

Saturday coffee morning

Mums and Tots

Friends of the choir

Annual men’s dinner

Parish lunches (1 or 2 per year)

Volunteer church cleaning group

The Church is involved with the wider community in a number of other ways:

Monthly Communion Services at local residential homes (led by clergy with the Mothers’

Union)

Monthly Home Communions

St Ann’s is a collection point for the St Helens

Foodbank.

The PCC tries to give 10% of its income to

home and overseas mission but unfortunately

finances mean this hasn’t always happened in

recent years. Recipients of donations

include Tearfund, The Children’s Society,

Shelter and Bp Peter Bartlett in Paraguay

Church members sit on the Village Hall

Committee and Rainhill Gala Committee

The church is regularly hired out for festivals,

displays and concerts

St Ann’s Church of England Primary School

St Ann’s is a Voluntary Aided Church School with 430+ pupils. In 2014 it

was assessed by OFSTED as ‘outstanding’. The church has a good

relationship with the school. The clergy have taken RE lessons, held end

of term services, and worked with the school on their Arts Week

Celebration Service, amongst other activities. Clergy and laity sit on the

school Ethos group. The governing body comprises 13 members, 8 of

whom are Foundation (i.e. Church) Governors. The school are keen for

both clerical and lay involvement to continue and develop further.

THE CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY

Men’s dinner

WANTED: A New Vicar

The children of St Ann’s School have

thought about what they would like in

their new Vicar. They said they would

like someone who is:

● Always a friend ● Kind ● Wise ● Cheerful ● Good with children and adults ● Holy ● Funny

And… Knows a lot about Jesus!

The Church School

Rainhill St Ann


The staff team at St Ann’s currently includes an Assistant Minister (contracted until July 2015),

an Assistant Curate (until July 2014) and a Reader (until July 2014). There is minimal

administrative support. A lay team lead Stanley Bear Club and assist with planning and leading

All-Age Worship.

St Ann’s is part of St Helens Deanery, which has a reputation as a progressive and

forward-thinking deanery. Chapter meetings are well-attended and the chapter takes a yearly

retreat together. A Deanery Mission Plan has been produced, with all parishes producing their

own Mission Plans. (See Appendix 1for the Church’s most recent Mission Plan). Clergy from

within the Deanery and beyond are willing to provide holiday cover.

St Ann’s in considered ‘Healthy and Viable’. We recently embarked on a process of

encouraging the congregation to increase their monthly giving. This proved successful and

needs to be continued. Financial statements are attached (Appendix 2).

The large vicarage, which is situated next to the church, was built in the 1960s. The ground

floor comprises: entrance porch; study (accessible without entering the rest of the property);

hallway with cloakroom; living room; dining room; modern kitchen; utility area (with shower

room); and attached single garage. On the first floor there are 5 bedrooms and a bathroom

with separate toilet. There is a very large garden to the rear, and a small garden at the front.

The property is in a good state of repair, requiring only decoration. It has a full alarm system

and CCTV.

The church also owns a property currently inhabited by the Curate.

CLERGY SUPPORT

FINANCES

THE VICARAGE

Top left: kitchen; Bottom left: Vicarage; Above: Rear garden

Rainhill St Ann


St Helen’s Deanery: Some comments from Mark Cockayne, Area Dean

The Deanery of St Helens has long had a reputation for being a progressive and forward

thinking deanery. The Clergy Chapter is well attended, providing a supportive and encouraging

place to pray, learn and grow together. Each year we have a retreat at Sandymount where we

set the chapter agenda together for the coming year.

All Parishes and Teams are committed to the Deanery Mission Plan, and since 2007 each parish

has produced an annual mission plan outlining goals for growth and development in the coming

year. In March 2012 Deanery Synod agreed that the Deanery would welcome and embrace the

emerging pattern of mixed economy “Lake and River” church that is developing in the

Deanery. Each Team has agreed to produce a mixed economy Team Plan that will outline the

pattern of ministry and the resources required, including buildings and paid staff.

The Deanery Mission Plan is our local response to the Bishop’s Growth agenda.

St Ann Rainhill

St Ann’s is classed as “Healthy and Viable” in the Deanery Mission Plan. In recent years it has

embraced the Deanery decision to develop the mixed economy style of church, with a number

of emerging fresh expressions of church developing alongside the more traditional church

based services and ministries. The Deanery would like to support St Ann’s search for a mission

minded Priest who is able to grow the church in this direction.

At the moment St Ann’s is the only parish in the Deanery not in a formal Team or informal

group with other parishes. The Deanery Mission Plan requires St Ann’s to develop links with

other churches in the Deanery, with a view to becoming part of a formal team or informal

group or Mission Partnership. Initial conversations between the clergy of St Ann’s and the

Sutton Team have taken place and this will need further exploration when the new Incumbent

of St Ann’s is in post. However there are no plans for pastoral reorganisation while St Ann’s

remains Healthy and Viable, and we believe that this is an exciting time for the parish which is

well positioned for growth.

THE DEANERY PERSPECTIVE

Remembrance Sunday parade Stanley Bear Club

Rainhill St Ann


APPENDICES

Rainhill St Ann


St Ann Rainhill

Deanery Mission Plan 2014

Thinking about our priorities for the coming year and the longer term future of the parish are

at the forefront of PCC thinking and deliberations. As we are now in interregnum it would be

unfair of the PCC to formulate fixed plans for the future without the thoughts and input of the

future incumbent.

Our priority for 2014 is to continue the process of creating a more coherent structure, and

enable the PCC and more of the worshipping congregation to engage with our priorities, and to

seriously think about the future of the parish and change which may be necessary to continue

the work of God.

Despite the serious challenges we face, we are not downhearted. We look forward to a future

with a new incumbent in place and continuing the work of the PCC under new and fresh

leadership.

The parish will continue under the pastoral care of Rev Christopher Perrins, Rev Michael

Leyden (until July 2014), and Anna Leyden our lay reader (until July 2014). Services will

continue as 2013 until a new appointment is made. During 2014 we intend:-

To continue with the Stanley Bear Club, a fresh expression, this has just celebrated its

second birthday, and draws in forty plus young adults and their 0-5s children, or in some

cases grandparents or other carers. A lay team carries on this work under the

leadership of Anna Leyden.

To continue with our All Age Worship on the first Sunday of the month, this again has a

regular core of young adults and children attending with up to 40 children.

To continue with Cafe style church in our Millennium Centre which allows for a more

relaxed but more thorough look at contemporary issues, using topical issues and news

stories, and trying to see how our Christian faith can shed light on these.

Continue to develop our relationship with our Church School and mutually deepen our

understanding of what that might really mean, when many of our parents and a

proportion of staff are in reality not wholly sympathetic to our aims.

To deepen our corporate and individual prayer life in order that we may remain

completely faithful to God’s will and truth.

The major emphasis for 2014 will be preparing to welcome a new incumbent to the post of

Vicar at St. Ann’s and we would ask for support and prayers from all in the Deanery of St.

Helens.

APPENDIX 1

Rainhill St Ann


APPENDIX 2

Rainhill St Ann


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