The Anglican Church in

Waterloo

Welcome

and thank you for your interest in the vacancy of Priest in

Charge of St Faith’s and St Mary’s as we prepare to join with

Christ Church and St John’s in a team ministry.

Joint service at Old Christ Church to commemorate

the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

Contents

3 .... About our area

5 .... Our schools

6 .... St Faith’s Profile

8 .... St Mary’s Profile

10 ... Christ Church Profile

12 ... St John’s Profile

14 ... What we can offer you

We are currently comprised of two United

Benefices – St Faith’s with St Mary’s and

Christ Church with St John’s.

We all belong to the ecumenical group,

Churches Together in Waterloo.

We are working to become a Team Ministry

and have an established Group Council

which meets regularly to promote closer

relationships and co-operation between the

parishes.

“The Five Lamps” War Memorial

Deanery Service and Barbecue

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The Marina

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About our area

Waterloo is situated about five miles north of Liverpool city centre although our parishes

also encompass parts of Seaforth and Crosby.

We have around two miles of sandy beach which includes Antony Gormley’s Another Place.

Waterloo has good transport connections to both Liverpool and the seaside resort of

Southport which lies further along the coast to the north.

The Liverpool Seafarers’ Centre, comprising the Mersey Mission to Seafarers (Church of

England) and Apostleship of the Sea (Roman Catholic) is situated in our parishes and the

present incumbent of Christ Church and St John’s is their Honorary Chaplain.

Geographical information

Transport links

Conservation Areas:

There are two Conservation Areas

within the parishes.

St Mary’s is situated in the Waterloo

Park Conservation Area.

Christ Church is also situated in a

designated conservation area known

as “The Christ Church Conservation

Area”.

Housing:

There is a mix of housing, including

some elegant late Georgian

properties facing onto the Marina,

semi detached properties, flats, social

housing and tower blocks.

Some housing is owner occupied,

some are privately rented

accommodation.

We have several care homes in our

parishes which provide residential and

day care services.

Antony Gormley’s Another Place

Liverpool Seafarer’s Centre

Waterloo in the 2011 census:

66% of residents are of working age, 17.5% are children and 17% are aged 65 or over, of which

2% are aged 85 or over

90% people are White British or Irish

23% of households contain only pensioners, of which 14% comprise a single pensioner living

alone

80% of households are owner occupiers

69% of working age residents are in employment

84% of residents are in “very good” or “good” health

72% of residents described their religion as Christian

28% have a degree level (or higher) qualification

There are two large areas in the south end of our parishes which have an Index of Multiple

Deprivation in the highest 10%, one in the highest 20%

Leisure facilities:

We have a Marina with a boating lake

The Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre is

situated by the waterfront and contains a

gymnasium, bar and restaurant and also

provides conference facilities and overnight

accommodation.

Waterloo has a wide range of local shops.

There are many pubs, bars, cafes and

restaurants.

We have a public library and a community

run cinema (The Plaza).

There are several high standard amateur

music groups in the area.

There is a large recreational area called

Rimrose Valley next to St. Mary’s church

which is popular for dog walking.

View from the Marina

South Road – local shopping centre

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Other schools in the area:

Waterloo Primary School is developing strong links with St Mary’s

and has attended both Experience Christmas and Easter events in

the church for the past two years.

There are several privately run pre-schools in the area.

St John’s C of E Primary School

St John’s C.E. Primary School is a Sefton Local

Authority Voluntary Aided School.

The school’s mission statement reads:

Our school is a community committed to

upholding Christian values, where all members

have equal worth.

It currently has 172 pupils on roll.

2016 SIAMS inspection rated the school as

outstanding.

Ofsted 2013 rated the school as Good.

http://www.stjohnsceprimarywaterloo.co.uk

Waterloo Primary School

St John’s C of E Primary School

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Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School is an independent school

which has historical links with St Faith’s. St Faith’s hosts their

annual carol service as well as other church services.

Merchant Taylors’

The Parish Church of St Faith, Great Crosby

St Faith’s was consecrated in 1900 from the benefaction of our founder, Douglas Horsfall. It stands in the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition, and we look for a priest who will, with the grace of God, sustain this vision as we continue our journey in and with the local community and our fellow churches. We seek to maintain our tradition of weekday Eucharists and daily offices and to build on these both spiritually and pastorally. Our church has nurtured over 30 vocations to the priesthood, and we have both a priest and a reader currently in training, together with a very active ministry team, including two retired priests, two readers and an emeritus

reader. With their help and that of other members of our congregation we are able to maintain a committed programme of visiting the housebound and the sick. There are 87 on the electoral roll, 45 of whom live in the parish, and attendance at the 11.00 am Sunday Sung Eucharist currently averages 60. There are some 5,000 people living in the parish: the area is largely residential with many small shops and businesses.

We produce a regular church magazine, Newslink, and a busy and comprehensive website www.stfaithsgreatcrosby.org.uk, which contains extensive records of our history and traditions, as well as regularly-updated details of current activities. We also maintain an independent Facebook presence, the Friends of St Faith’s.

Our large Grade II listed church building is well maintained and supports several community and civic initiatives. These include a well-established programme of free summer Saturday lunchtime recitals by a wide range of musicians, the Crosby Symphony Orchestra’s concerts, and our highly regarded free Christmas Tree Festival, showcasing local and national charities and welcoming the parish, schools and the wider local community. Local schools also visit us for services and gatherings, and we have strong links with a local independent school, Merchant Taylors’. We seek to strengthen and build on these connections, making use of our prominent and centrally situated landmark building.

We have a fine organ and four-part choir under our energetic new musical director, maintaining the rich musical traditions of our distinctive style of worship. Our vicarage and garden are within the grounds and are in excellent condition.

Our well-maintained parish hall is adjacent to the church and is in constant use for church and community activities, including our uniformed organisations, table sales, parish lunches, community groups, children’s parties and receptions.

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As we emerge from a challenging and difficult few

years we look forward under God to a minister who

will:

Lead us prayerfully

Support us spiritually

Guide us sensitively

Develop the Waterloo team

THIS CHURCH OF SAINT

FAITH IS DEDICATED TO THE

GLORY OF GOD AS A

THANKOFFERING FOR THE

REVIVAL OF CATHOLIC

FAITH AND DOCTRINE IN

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

DURING THE SIXTY YEARS

REIGN OF HER MOST

GRACIOUS MAJESTY QUEEN

VICTORIA

Inscription on the chancel

wall of St Faith’s

We are proud of our well-run and enthusiastic uniformed organisations, who provide a youth programme for the parish, and take leading roles in our Sunday church parades. We have always been very aware of those outside the church and parish who need our prayerful and practical help. We actively support Christian Aid through collections and events, likewise the Children’s Society, as well as two overseas charities, Medic Malawi and the Waterloo Partnership, Sierra Leone, which latter we were

instrumental in setting up. Our Service Families Support Group, unique in the North West, meets monthly for worship, fellowship and to welcome visiting speakers, and has strong links with the local British Legion. We are also involved with community programmes through such organisations as Traidcraft, the Fairtrade movement and Justice and Peace groups. We have a strong PCC and Standing Committee with appropriate supporting committees and groups. We aim to involve as many people as possible in our mission and activities and to make use of the talents of all. We seek to sustain our traditional welcoming, open and friendly atmosphere, as we encourage individuals to engage in the whole life of the church, spiritual, missional and social. Financially we are able to meet our responsibilities but are overdue a stewardship campaign. After meeting the expense of two major and very costly lead thefts in 2014, we hope now to reorder the church interior by building a kitchen and crèche, better to reflect our needs and to open our doors to more people and activities. An equal priority is to maintain and increase our commitment to supporting mission and outreach locally and further afield.

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We are a multigenerational church family. We

enjoy each other’s company, support one another,

and we like to laugh together.

We are a local church. Half of our Electoral Roll of

67 live in the parish or just outside it.

We have a strong Ministry Team of one retired

priest, two licensed Readers, and a Reader in

training.

We are a well-run church, with a strong PCC and

active Standing Committee, but we prefer informal

ways of tackling problems, face to face.

We like to be generous when we can, supporting

local charities, Bootle Foodbank and Fairtrade.

We have been through a lot in the last few years.

Some things have been positive (spiritual growth,

new people coming). Some things have been

difficult (uncertainty, loss of church building). But

we know we have grown in confidence, and

generally we are positive and up-beat.

Financially we are able to meet our liabilities

although no reserves are currently held. We are up

to date with our Parish Share payments.

As a PCC, we own an Annexe building which

fronts onto the Brooklands estate.

Our facilities are well-used by both church and

community groups, e.g. our formation group

“We Believe”, our Tuesday Club and the local

Residents’ Association.

We had to close our lovely Victorian church

building in September 2015 because of dry rot.

We miss it, but have adapted well to

worshipping in the hall.

Baptism during the Sunday service

Our children’s work was recognised by the Diocese in

2015, and includes:

A special approach Baptism ministry (reviewed

September 2015)

A weekly crèche, Sunday School, and church-run

toddler group.

A very successful church-run annual Holiday Club.

A close relationship with the Guiding

organisations that meet in the hall.

Experience Christmas and Easter.

Supporting St. John’s with their Messy Church.

Our Church

Holiday Club

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Central worship style which is flexible/creative

Main Sunday service is the Parish Communion with

occasional family and parade services. Average

Sunday Attendance, excluding special services, is 40.

Café-style communion service, ‘The Parish Brunch’

replaces the Parish Eucharist four times a year. Wednesday morning

Eucharist

Wednesday morning Meeting Room

Eucharist with discussion/Bible Study.

Average attendance of 17. For some who

attend, this is their main or only act of

worship.

Celtic-style alternative worship service

‘The Brook’ held monthly on a Sunday

evening.

Well attended one-off services – All Souls’

service, Christingle and a Pets’ Service.

Pet Service

Maundy Thursday

We want to find a Priest who can help us:

discern our future as we complete the redundancy

process for the church building in 2016 (we need

sensitive support through this).

improve our mission to the local community, eg. care

homes, Waterloo Primary School.

to continue to grow our church.

uphold our commitment to be an Inclusive Church.

disciple our large network of occasional attenders (we

are in regular email contact with 20 people who are

part of the church but attend once a month or less).

continue to develop our ministry to children and

especially teenagers, perhaps by exploring Fresh

Expressions of Church.

Visit us online at http://www.stmaryswaterloopark.co.uk

or via our Facebook group St Mary's, Waterloo Park 9

Our Church The Vicar is assisted in worship and pastoral care by a Reader and an Honorary Curate, both with

Permission to Officiate and both offering weekly ministry.

We are an eclectic congregation and have 54 on our Electoral Roll, 20 of these being resident in the parish.

Our dominant age group is 50-80 years and we typically have around 38 attending on Sundays, although

there are about 50 people who attend regularly.

Our style of worship is “modern, moderate Anglo-catholic”.

Worship is liturgically-orientated and Eucharistic dress or choir dress is used as appropriate.

The sacrament is reserved for the communion of the sick.

Services are accompanied by organ with a small choir.

Parish Eucharist is held on Sunday mornings with a said celebration on Wednesday evening.

We are exploring introducing a child friendly service for baptism families.

Although we currently do not have a Sunday School we do have 5 children who attend frequently.

We have a Brownie pack and hold Parade Services.

Children are admitted to communion before confirmation.

Approximately 1 wedding, 10 baptisms and 18 funerals are held each year.

Annual services and events such as a Service of

Lessons and Carols, the All Souls service

and our Summer Fair are well supported.

We have a small memorial garden for the

interment of ashes and quiet remembrance.

The Parish Share is paid in full and we have

secure financial reserves.

Several charities are supported on a regular

basis.

We have seen some new people attend our

worship in the last few years.

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Our History

We moved into our present building, our former church hall, in the early 1980s as our

previous, very large building became too costly to maintain.

Many of the original church fittings were brought to our new building.

A new parish centre was added in 1993 which is well used by community groups as well as the

church. The local branch of Age UK holds a weekly Lunch Club in the parish centre.

The former parish church still stands and is known as Old Christ Church. It is vested in the

Churches Conservation Trust and is cared for by a team of volunteers with whom we have a good

working relationship.

Our church building is also used for worship by Bethania Welsh Presbyterian Church and we join

together for special occasions. Our ecumenical collaboration is used as a model at their Synod

meetings.

The buildings are relatively low maintenance and in a good state of repair. The organ has recently

been replaced as has the seating. It is heated very efficiently.

We now have a building which is flexible and lends itself to a variety of worship activities.

Our Parish

Housing is mixed and includes privately

owned housing, council estates and tower

blocks.

It includes two areas with an Index of

Multiple Deprivation in the highest 10%.

The size of our parish is relatively small at

4,500.

Confirmation

2015 We seek someone who: is rooted in prayer

will carry out pastoral work

knows how to balance dignity with humour when conducting

services

believes in the sacramentality of worship

will uphold our moderate Anglo-Catholic ethos with its

musical, liturgical and Eucharistic traditions

will work as part of the Ministry Team

will help us draw children into the church.

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We are an Evangelical Congregation which is at

present largely composed of older people, but we

are outward looking, and have a desire to attract

families to worship with us.

We are also open to try new ways of being

church.

Since 2009 we have met for worship in the hall of

St. John’s C.E. Primary School, and in the adjacent

Parish Centre, built at that time.

Sunday morning Worship:

We celebrate Holy Communion three Sundays a

month preceded by 15 minutes of informal

worship songs, accompanied by piano and guitar.

Once a month our two Readers lead us in a

Service of the Word, which tends to be less

formal.

Messy Church is currently held once every half-

term, with committed support from

members of St. Mary’s Church. It is well

attended, mainly by families from our school.

We see this as the chief focus of our outreach.

Two House-groups

meet regularly, offering Bible Study, prayer,

fellowship, pastoral support, and some social

activities.

Informal prayer We meet in small groups for

prayer every month, and have a monthly “prayer

walk” on Sunday afternoons in summer. Each

week a group meets to pray for the school.

Financial Situation We have a small, but

generous congregation. In recent years we have

sold two buildings, and have received a very

generous legacy, so have good reserves. We are

now looking to employ a children’s and families’

worker, initially for two years.

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Who we are

is reflected in our Mission Statement, developed

in 1996 when we were faced with leaving our

original church building, built in 1865, and by

then outdated.

It still encapsulates our aims:

St. John’s Church, Waterloo is a body of

people called by God to love worship and

serve Him; to share His love with the world

and with one another, and to enable others to

become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We therefore aim:

o To ensure that our public worship is God-

centered, and relevant to the needs not

only of the church community, but also of

those presently outside it.

o To seek to discover God’s will for ourselves

and for others through corporate and

individual prayer and to act according to

that will.

o To provide teaching which is based upon

the bible, and which is relevant to modern

living.

o To endeavour to address the physical,

spiritual and social needs of those in the

wider community, insofar as resources

allow.

o To communicate the good news of Jesus

Christ and to make disciples.

o To seek and to identify spiritual gifts and

talents within the church and to use these

appropriately.

o To encourage and support one another in

Christian discipleship and to foster a sense

of community within the church.

o To promote closer relationships and, where

appropriate, joint action with other

Trinitarian Christian bodies.

o To stimulate and inform interest in, and

support for, the wider church at home and

abroad.

o To encourage a Christian response to local

and global issues.

What would we like?

We are looking for someone who will

lead us forward, prayerfully, into a

Waterloo team ministry, while

encouraging the Evangelical witness and

ethos of the church.

In particular, we would like to develop

our work with children and young

people, and maintain and deepen links

with the school, whose building we now

share, having built a Parish Centre

alongside the school hall in 2009.

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What we can offer you:

A warm welcome

Friendship and support

Our prayers

Enthusiasm and willingness to try new ideas

A strong Ministry team comprising Priests and Readers of both genders

Strong and supportive lay teams

An established Group Council, consisting of representatives from all four

churches, which allows us to work more closely together whilst still

retaining our unique characteristics

The challenge of helping in the creation of a new Team Ministry

A variety of worship styles which give the opportunity to be creative

An expectation that you will take your weekly day off, your holiday

entitlement and also take opportunities for further reading, training and

personal development

A large, modern vicarage with pleasant gardens adjacent to St. Faith’s

church on Milton Road, Waterloo.

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