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We are looking for a new Team Vicar

for Bloxwich Parish,

in Walsall, Lichfield Diocese

for two churches -

St Thomas’, Mossley

and Holy Ascension, Lower Farm -

and to share in the life and mission

of the whole team

urban outreach

in a supportive context

with some very exciting opportunities right now

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THE CONTENTS

Page 3 To introduce ourselves

Page 6 The post, the challenge and the person needed

Page 8 All about Holy Ascension

Page 12 All about St Thomas’

Page 15 The two churches’ Mission Action Plans

Page 21 The two churches’ Accounts for 2016

Page 25 Some local info

Page 26 A deanery profile

Page 28 A message from the Bishop of Wolverhampton

Page 29 Final thoughts

We hope you will also look at a

film we have made to accompany this profile – look on YouTube for Welcome to Bloxwich

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TO INTRODUCE

OURSELVES

Our town

Bloxwich is a small town in the West Midlands, which is part of the borough pf

Walsall and is on the edge of the Black Country. It fact it is at the end of the whole West Midlands conurbation – just beyond starts Staffordshire farming land.

It is close to the M6, easily reached from either Junction 10 or 11.

Bloxwich has a population of just under 20,000, and is largely a very settled

community, with many people born here and happy to stay put. This gives a strong family base and a lot of goodwill to the churches, which have often hosted

families’ weddings. christenings and funerals if nothing else. But there is also the beginning of new people

coming in, so that it will probably be a more racially

mixed place in coming years, and will have more

people moving in to take advantage of the good rail

link into Birmingham.

Our parish scores quite

high by measures of deprivation – in the most

deprived 8% nationally. Income and educational

attainment are fairly low. But in fact there is a big

social range, and it is not a harsh place at all, it is a

very green town with grass everywhere. It is a good

place to live.

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Our parish

We are a team ministry of four churches, and this seems to work

well for us. We are not one of those teams where disparate

parishes have been forced together, because in fact Bloxwich has always

been one parish – what has happened is that the old parish

church (All Saints’) produced three church plants, and then in 1990

they were given status as team churches – St James’, St Thomas’

and Holy Ascension.

All Saints’ is a traditional church building on the High Street, and

tends to host most of the occasional offices. St James’ is a Victorian

mission church also in the middle of town, and currently we are using it

for a number of groups but not for our own worship (two independent

churches rent it on Sunday morning and afternoon.) It is a matter of

prayer to find the right use for it.

But the two churches that are most

relevant for now are Holy Ascension, which is on the Lower Farm estate, and St Thomas’, which is on the Mossley estate. As these post-war housing estates

sprang up, the churches were built to serve them. They have their own very

distinct character and opportunities and vision, as you can read later, but they are similar in that they are multi-purpose buildings with a mission to serve and reach

their own parts of the parish.

Each church has a District Church Council, and its own wardens, secretary and

treasurer, and also sends reps to the parish-wide PCC.

As well as the four churches, we also have two Church of England primary schools – Little Bloxwich School in the Holy

Ascension district, and the All Saints’ National Academy on the High Street. (There are also six other primary schools, two special schools, and one secondary

school in the parish, and we have some input into most of them.)

For more information about us, see bloxwichparish.org.uk or

the individual churches on Facebook.

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Our ministry team

We have a close working team, meeting every Wednesday over lunch, which feels

supportive and constructive. This includes two ordained stipendiary posts – we are seeking a Team Vicar for St Thomas’ and Holy Ascension, to work

alongside Roger Williams the Team Rector who takes responsibility for the other two. Our third ordained member is Trish Nesbitt, who is an Ordained Local

Minister, from the St Thomas’ congregation but also contributing around

the team. We have three Readers and a fourth in training (though sadly one is

hardly operating for reasons of health.) Another post is the Family Worker, paid

for 20 hours per week – currently Julie Gunn is on maternity leave and Trish is covering the post as well as continuing to offer ordained ministry. Then we have

a Youth Worker, Jan van Rensburg, who is a member who is doing a placement-

based degree in Youth Work and is therefore available to us for quite a few hours per week. The final member of the team, Nicky Padmore, is a church member

who represents the children’s work.

Beyond this team there are of course a lot of people who offer leadership and

service in many ways, and so we are able to have a core group at the heart of each church, but also feel some mutual support across the whole parish. Right

now we are in the middle of a rather thorough two year review programme called Thrive, run by CPAS through our diocese, which is helping us to appraise

ourselves as a team parish and form new goals. A very encouraging development arising from that is that we are about to run the course “Growing Leaders” for a

year, and the signs are that over twenty people from the three congregations will undertake this – a really welcome sign of people wanting to be given scope to

offer more, and also a great chance to build relationships between members of different churches.

The administrative support from church members is strong. For example, all the

clergy get involved in the ministry of occasional offices, mostly in All Saints’, but all the admin for them is handled by lay members, so that there is no need to deal

with the funeral directors or chase up the organist.

Another very positive aspect is the presence of the Charis Bible College close by,

from where we have students on placement and others who get involved. Ecumenical relationships are effective too - Churches Together’s most exciting

project currently is sending three Open the Book teams into primary schools weekly, including as it happens the Jubilee Academy next to St Thomas’ and the

Lower Farm School by Holy Ascension.

If you would like to talk about anything with Roger, feel free

to ring 01922 4764598 or mail williams.roger@gmail.com

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The post

The post will be Team Vicar within the Bloxwich Team Ministry, with special

responsibility for the two churches of St Thomas’ and Holy Ascension.

The parish and its ministry are best described as “broadly evangelical” – each

church gives that a different flavour!

The normal ministry roles of course will be expected, of worship, pastoral work,

and leadership. The team vicar will chair or delegate chairing of both DCC’s, and be a governor of Little Bloxwich School.

The licensed colleagues in these churches are Revd Trish Nesbitt who comes from St Thomas’, and Brenda Wickes who is a Reader at Holy Ascension, and they will

be joined in a year’s time by Helen Thorpe-Wood of St Thomas’, when she finishes Reader training. The team vicar will be asked to supervise the ministry of these

three, though they also form part of the whole parish team so we all support each

other there.

The person who comes will live in the St Thomas’ Vicarage, next to that church.

(The Holy Ascension Vicarage is currently on loan to a neighbouring parish for their curate.) This is a pleasant four-bedroomed house, with a study. There is

money saved to redecorate. The garden is manageable, in fact Community Payback cut the grass if you like!

Full working expenses are covered, and normal expectations for days off and holidays and retreats or conferences will be met.

The challenge

It is really important to understand that both churches are at truly special

moments.

Holy Ascension is well on the way to funding its complete rebuild, and we believe

that very soon we will finally demolish the temporary partially wooden structure erected when the estate was built, and have a worthy brick-built and larger

building. But we don’t need someone to lead the building project, because church members and a professional fund raiser are handling that. What we need is

someone to seize the great opportunity for outreach as we then relaunch the church.

Similarly St Thomas’ will probably achieve its major building upgrade into a smarter community hub during the next few months. This is designed to make it

feel like a really effective community centre as well as a church. But more importantly, the partnership with the Big Local (the lottery fund that is bringing

£1m into the Mossley estate) should really give extra opportunity to embed the church even more in the life of the Mossley estate.

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So we need someone with a heart for urban mission, who can network into local

groups and schools, and, along with the congregations, have a purposeful

outreach ministry.

At the same time we need to maintain and

deepen the life of the churches. We also have a fairly large traditional ministry

around funerals, weddings and christenings, where again we want to look for people

coming to Christ and into our churches.

There are various special emphases that

you could take up, according to your own skills and vision. For example we might be

able to develop contact with Walsall Academy, which is the secondary school

standing in the Lower Farm district. Or you might be able to make inroads into

the Turnberry estate, which is the large private estate which has grown up between the Mossley and Lower Farm. You might emphasise discovery groups, or

youth work – a lot would depend on your own conviction about what was needed. The church members and the team would stand alongside you.

There is plenty of challenge in Bloxwich, but there are totally realistic reasons to believe that we can see our churches grow and move forward.

The person we need

We are looking for a person to come who has a real communicable faith, rooted in prayer. We are hoping for someone with an evangelistic outlook, and who can

think outside the box and be a creative member of the team. You would need to

be not daunted by the task. You would need to show your human side and maybe be a bit of fun!

We don’t mind whether you already have lots of experience or whether you are still fairly early in ministry. You don’t have to have every skill, because we like to

encourage all church members to bring forward their own gifts. You could be from any background if you come with the right attitude. It is an area where

people will take you as they find you, and if you care about them, they will support you.

Pastoral offices statistics

In 2016 as a whole parish we conducted …

69 baptisms 31 weddings 114 funerals,

(mostly held at All Saints’.)

We would hope a new team vicar

would take on about 40% of them.

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HOLY ASCENSION Sanstone Road WS3 3SJ

A message from Holy Ascension …

IS GOD CALLING YOU TO BLOXWICH? WANTED! An energetic Team Vicar who is far from ordinary to work with us in an extraordinary parish. Have you seen or heard of Holy Ascension Church, the church on the estate, part of the Bloxwich Team? We are looking for a prayerful person who would be the face on the estate. You need to see this unique place to believe the enormous potential that exists here for teaching innovative worship and reaching out to grow the kingdom. Are you an evangelist and creative team player who is not daunted by the demands for diversity of skills? Can you work as part of a team within Bloxwich, a multi cultural rapidly changing environment? If your answer is yes then this is the place for you. Holy Ascension is very welcoming and raring to go. You will hit the ground running, lots to do, many challenges with some very willing and gifted people who would need your support and leadership. Our church children would like you to be able to be "silly" as well as a normal person. Our pastoral care team needs support to make best use of each member’s many gifts and talents. Our Mission statement is really important and our worship, outreach and our learning is centred on trying to make sure that the love of Jesus really can transform as many lives as possible. We are a vibrant church with skilled leaders and preachers welcoming in nature and nurture. All ages are very welcome. Plans are well underway to replace our existing building to enable us to be a more noticeable presence in the local area. There are two wardens and two assistant wardens to work with you.

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The church building is set back from

the road surrounded by trees and

green lawns, with ample parking. At present there are two portacabins

for meetings and storage.

Holy Ascension’s worship …

Sunday services are at 10am, with a monthly cycle of two communion

services, family worship ( including the Praise Bee) and morning

worship. There is a Sunday School with its own leaders. Congregations on average are 35 adults and children can be

1 or 10 depending on attendance.

Messy Church (or Sporty Church) meets regularly, often at festivals or

holiday times. It has its own organisers, but would love more clergy

input for worship time.

Holy Ascension donates 10% of its loose

plate giving to a wide range of charities.

Other events …

Community coffee morning run by the church weekly, with about 30 local people coming

Tai chi weekly

Slimming world twice weekly

Worship leaders and preachers meeting monthly

Occasional baptisms during Sunday morning services, occasional funerals, and although at present the church is not licensed for weddings we have held one by

special licence

DCC and PCC Meetings held here

Many fundraising events, and Summer and Christmas Fairs, all arranged by the fundraising team – this has

been particularly important to raise funds for rebuilding, but it is in the church’s DNA anyway.

Regular meals and outings for community folk

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Holy Ascension produces a weekly

information sheet, "Church Chat,"

compiled by a member, a monthly page in the parish magazine,

written by a warden, and a monthly article in Grapevine, a local free

magazine.

It is working towards being a

“dementia friendly church,” and has a community transport driver within

the congregation who transports people to church or the doctor’s etc.

Schools …

The Holy Ascension district contains two primary schools … (1) Little Bloxwich Church of England School – the church is affiliated with

this school – the parish takes weekly assemblies and festival services, and the Leavers service and Education Sunday service are held in church

(2) Lower Farm School, which is very close to the church - weekly Open the Book sessions are held here - this school will accommodate Holy

Ascension’s worship during the rebuild.

There is also a secondary school in the district, Walsall Academy, but there is little

link here – it would be great to see more contact if a way could be found.

What else is in Holy Ascension’s own district? …

It's an area of mixed housing, both rented and private homes. The church serves

the Lower Farm and Little Bloxwich areas, and also some of the newer Turnberry Housing Estate. Within the district lie the Bloxwich Golf Club, the Harmony

Hospice, sheltered housing for adults, Bamford House housing for over 50's, a mental health unit, a GP surgery, a chemist, two general stores, a vets, and

various other shops.

Churchwardens Stuart Annis and Leslie Harris

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Rebuilding Holy Ascension …

We have plans for a new church, which should suit us very well, help us draw activities into our building, and give us much more impact among those who live

around us. We have drawings, planning permission, and a builder lined up.

The building will incorporate the existing footprint but extend to various ancillary rooms. So it should lend itself to much more use, for church activities, for local

groups, for private hire for family occasions, and hopefully for partnerships with public services such as the NHS who need somewhere for groups to meet on

Lower Farm and at present are stuck for suitable spaces.

The initial cost will be about £165,000. Currently we have £85,000 in hand from fund-raising and grants, and are making applications right now to landfill charities

for the remainder. The diocese will probably lend us £20,000 for contingencies.

Of course a building

in itself is not the whole solution to

Christian mission, and we know that.

But we feel that a brand new centre will

make a real impact, and if the church is

well-led and focused at that stage, there

can be a very special opportunity to grow

Holy Ascension in its witness into its

district.

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ST THOMAS’ Cresswell Crescent WS3 2UW

A message from St Thomas’ …

We love this place O God!

St Thomas’ Church is a fine example of a 1950’s / 1960’s multi- purpose church building. As the estate grew the people of Mossley

decided they needed a place of worship of their own. So they got together and

many people on the estate paid ‘a shilling a brick towards

the building of the church.’ This is a place where the phrase

‘common ground and holy ground’ is really lived out. The

same hall space where worship happens becomes a space

where community life and energy is lived out during

the week.

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you!

We of St Thomas’ would describe ourselves as a ‘family congregation’,

one that looks out for and cares for each other deeply. Newcomers comment that it was the warmth that had encouraged them to return. We

embrace the radical hospitality of Christ and hold on firmly to an attitude of gratitude. Though we may not be an affluent church the families here know

how to stick together, and most importantly they usually make it fun. And most important we know that we serve a God who has been, who is, and who

always will be faithful and in whom we put our trust. As we are gathered, Jesus is here.

The most exciting thing right now for the Mossley Estate is a £1million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, for building up the community. St

Thomas’ is a partner and has already benefited from grants, and the latest is £36,000 towards the upgrading of our building. This project is past the

approval stages and we now wait for our applications for funding to be accepted. There is enormous potential here. St Thomas’ is now the only

gathering place on the estate (the two pubs have closed recently). We have

the resources to enable people to gather. People are more separated from each other than in the past, travelling off the estate to socialise and to work.

Therefore new ways of networking must be found as we try to bring people together.

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St Thomas’ is an effective and attractive multi-purpose church building, which will

be even better when upgraded. Recently all the windows have been replaced and so have the chairs. As well as the main hall with a stage at one end and the

sanctuary at the other, there is a useful smaller room, a vestry, and some storage space and kitchen and toilets. Outside at the front is enough space for say a fair

and at the back a good area of grass.

St Thomas’ worship …

Sunday services are at 11am and 6pm, alternating Holy Communion and other services.

Friday at 7pm is Compline (or once a month bible study).

Saturday at 3pm monthly is the Jump for Joy children’s service.

St Thomas’ is broadly evangelical in worship

style, and the balance between old and new is important to us – for example our Compline

service though using the old text also includes modern music and meditations.

We have an OLM and a Reader in training and other people who are able to help lead services,

intercede and read. We feel blessed to have two young enthusiastic new wardens and an

abundance of willing and helpful people around who know the church inside out!

Other events …

St Thomas’ is a meeting place for Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, Guides, Brownies,

Rainbows, and Kick Boxing classes. We also run a holiday Kidz Club during most school holidays.

Here I am Lord, is it I Lord? Could it be you? Is God calling you to Bloxwich?

When asked the kind of person the congregation would like to see as our

new vicar some of the comments were someone who is ‘prayerful and faithful to the Lord’, ‘caring and compassionate’, ‘sense of humour’, ‘family and

community orientated’, someone who will hold the community in their heart, intercede for the people and love them for who they are.

We can’t wait to show you around this place so that you can see for yourself the

enormous potential for growth here. In return we can offer you a very warm welcome, friends and support, many helping hands, a strong team fellowship,

space to create your own ministry and vision for the church, and of course our heartfelt gratitude!!

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It is also used for elections and is hired for various functions, such as children’s

parties and community meetings, on a regular basis.

The Big Local Scheme hires the hall to run courses such as weight management, getting back to work, and first aid.

Schools …

The St Thomas’ district contains two primary schools …

(1) Jubilee Academy - the church links strongly with this

school, in fact there is a gate in the fence that separates the two sites. There are Open the Book assemblies and they have

recently invited Trish to become a governor.

(2) Abbey School – this school comes to the church for festivals etc, but probably would be glad of any input we can

offer.

The district …

The Mossley was originally built to house families from the demolition of back to back housing in Walsall, and cohered into a strong community. It is not an

affluent area and most of the properties remain social housing. The estate has a row of shops (with St Thomas’ at the end of this row), two schools and a doctor’s

surgery.

Churchwardens Donna Titley and

Adrian Richardson

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MISSION ACTION

PLANNING

St Thomas

Mission Action Plan, discussed on Holy Saturday, 15th April 2017

Introduction

This document contains our priorities and plans for the next two years: 2017 – 2019. As is our custom, Holy Saturday 2017 was spent reviewing our ministry

during the past 12 months. Looking back over the past 5 years we acknowledge the challenges we have faced such as a decline in finances, an aging congregation

and limited resources in a tough urban context. We also acknowledge our blessings: our building is key to the estate; we have two uniformed groups located

at the building; two local schools that we enjoy a deep relationship with; community network partners willing to support our building and church projects; a

supportive team of churches and ministers in the Bloxwich Parish; and a faithful and praying congregation.

As ever, we remain committed to the diocesan Five-Fold Strategy of:

Discovering the Heart of God

Growing Disciples Reaching New Generations

Transforming Communities Practicing Generosity

Before looking at our current priorities, it is helpful to highlight accomplishments

and challenges within the past year.

Our last MAP priorities were: • Refurbishment of Building – This remains an ongoing work. Recently, the

Big Local has awarded St. Thomas £36,050 towards this project. At the moment, Mr. Keith Mayou, our bid-writer is applying to further funding from

Biffa and Sita. It seems likely that we will secure all the funding needed for upgrading the building – disabled ramps and toilets, refurbished and

expanded kitchen, refurbished porch and the creation of an office space.

• Mid-day Space for Mental and Emotional Health – We successfully ran the Mental Health group for some two years. This group created a

community garden with a greenhouse; it ran a healthy eating course; and it

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provided a space for people to relax and make friends. Since numbers have

dwindled, we have postponed it until the autumn. It needs to be rebranded

and called by another name. • Employment of a Community Worker – This was decided by the DCC

after a discussion with the bid-writer. If we want to make more contact with the community then it would be necessary to apply for funding for a

community worker. However, in the past year the Big Local has employed 4 community champions. They have been very helpful and are a blessing both

to the community and to St. Thomas. We see them as fulfilling our plans for a community worker. Our task is to continue networking with them and

providing a space in which they can carry out their important work. • Resolving Tensions – During the past two years we have worked hard to

resolve tensions within the congregation. At the moment, we feel that there is a peace within St. Thomas and that our prayers, pastoral care and

counselling sessions have been effective. • Community Ministry – We have been faithful to our insistence upon

community ministry and networking. After having meetings with user

groups such as Scouts and Guides, we feel that we have a renewed partnership and look forward to deepening those relationships. Also, St.

Thomas is very well regarded in the community and the Big Local is keen to work along with the Church. Our task is to continue being open to joint

ventures and to be welcoming to our community groups and partners. This is key for St. Thomas Church.

Priorities Going Forward:

Cultivate Prayerfulness and Openness – Our task is to continue undergirding our plans with prayer and openness to where God might be

leading us. We can do the following to help in this regard: o Return to our monthly thematic Bible Studies. This was done in

the context of our Friday evening prayer. o Plan Away Days and Retreats.

o Have intentional prayers before services

o Revise our list of prayers during the year (we pray these every service)

Community Ministry and Partnership – As discussed above, we must simply maintain our current relationships and seek further ways to enter

partnerships. Refurbish the Building – As discussed above, we must continue to prayer

for and support the upgrading of our building. Work is being done behind the scenes to attract funding for the project. God has blessed us thus far

with the Big Local sponsorship of £36,050. Increasing the General Fund –This is key going into this year. We must

reignite our efforts at fundraising. This has been the way St. Thomas has survived throughout the years. The following should be done immediately:

o Plan Fundraising Events – We must put events in the diary to begin bringing in those additional funds. Besides our Summer and Christmas

Fayres, we must begin planning Jumble Sales, Table Top Sales, and

Big Breakfasts. We can partner with Scouts and Guides in these events, and also help them with their own fundraising events.

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o Set up a Friends of St. Thomas Group. The Big Local

representative has offered to help us form such a group. He suggests

that we bring our user groups together to form a Friends of St. Thomas Group dedicated towards events, projects, or building needs

of either the Church or groups that use the Church. In this way, the Church has another help in seeking funding and supporting its aims.

Holy Ascension

Mission Action Plan 2016–2017 – and review in 2017

Overview: The following document results from prayer and discussion about our ministry at

Holy Ascension. We took two Sundays at the end of January 2016 to have an open discussion and planning towards formulating a realistic MAP that can address

ministry at our church. We decided to divide the MAP into four interrelated areas: Context of Ministry; Analysis of Ministry; Vision for Ministry; and Concrete Plans

for our Ministry.

Context: Who Are We? Generally, we have been a church in transition on multiple levels. We have had

recent changes in clergy support and have had to rely much more on lay ministry.

We are strategically placed within the Bloxwich Team ministry to cover the Lower Farm, Little Bloxwich, and Turnberry Estates. This presents us with various levels

of depravation mixed with areas of affluence. It also presents us with many opportunities – two primary schools, one academy, a doctor’s surgery, two

nurseries, two sites for special needs, a 50+ block of flats and a day care centre for those with learning difficulties. However, we still feel hidden away and on the

edge of these various estates. A key goal for us is the erection of a new, more prominent and community oriented building. In summary, we identify strongly

with the following: Welcoming and Inclusive Church – We are warm and non-judgmental, a

network of relationships and deep friendships. We bring a different flavour of worship within the Bloxwich Team.

Church in Transition – While the transitions have been tough, the loss of our vicar, then the loss of our curate, we now have a wider support from the

clergy team. But during these transitions various laypersons have taken

more active roles in leading services and preaching. In Need of a New Building – A lot of energy has gone into fundraising

and planning and we know that key to our ministry in the locale is having a community building where our church and community can engage with each

other. We look forward to commencing construction.

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Analysis: Where Are We In Ministry?

We feel that we are a loving and caring Church that has been trying to make outreach a priority. Our worship is varied and we provide something for

everyone. Our membership is committed to our church and our community, but we feel the need for more co-ordinated leadership. Having our own vicar would

be ideal but we look forward to greater support from the wider Parish. The following items highlight the ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ of our ministry:

The Good:

Caring and Loving Worship – Our services are inviting and we try to cater to all ages and tastes. We have a consistent Messy Church that we delight

in. Wonderful Sunday School – Our Sunday School is organised by a

committed group of teachers. Fundraising – We have become good at fundraising, particularly towards

the new building. We are fortunate to have amazing family and community

support for all our fundraising efforts – coffee morning; entertainment and games nights; and fayres, etc. Also, at present our building is rented to

groups such as Tai Chi and Slimming World. Strong Lay Support – During the transition many persons have taken on

added responsibilities. We have become stronger with the reduction in clergy support.

The Not So Good:

Lack of Advertising – We have not taken all measures to advertise our events. This must be looked at more carefully, particularly as the

communities around us are changing. Pastoral Care – There has been a lessening of pastoral care. This is

understandable with the changes in clergy cover. Relationship to the Wider Parish – There is the feeling of being ‘the poor

relations’ in the Parish. A closer bond, or the sense of being a priority of the

wider parish, is needed. Overwhelmed Wardens – Our lay people, particularly our wardens have

been carrying the burden of the Church. We must look at some kind of support for them.

Mid-Week Worship/Occasional Offices– Holy Ascension does not have a mid-week service, or other kinds of occasional offices, mostly due to its

building.

Vision: Where Are We Going? Within five years, we envision the following for Holy Ascension:

New Building New Families Joining the Church

Deeper Connections with Community Partners – e.g. Schools, Care homes, 50+ Groups, Doctor’s Surgery, Local Shops

Deeper Faith and Spirituality among the Membership – Consistent

Bible Study, Prayer and Teaching

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Greater Outreach – particularly through our Sunday School and Messy

Church

Strong Full time Clergy Support Mentoring for Young People

Concrete Plans: What Will We Do?

In the next twelve months we will put the following in place so that we can begin addressing our 5-year goals.

Advertise Consistently – Leslie Harris to contact Grapevine; Katie, Jenny, Kay, Josh and Emma to produce posters for events; and Emma Annis to

create Facebook group. Select Assistant Wardens – This is to be discussed and implemented

through the DCC. Plan Construction of New Building – This is ongoing through the

building’s committee. Organise Pastoral Care – Carlton, Sue, Pat and Trudi are to create a

pastoral care team. Others are invited to join.

Organise a Worship/preaching Support Group – Carlton to bring together a support group to help those who plan and lead service and

preach. Re-assess Organisation of Christmas and Summer Fayres – The DCC

to discuss approaching particular people to spearhead these major events. Reinstate 1st Sunday of the Month Family Service – This is to be

discussed at the DCC as well as the Worship/Preaching Support Group Build Relationships with the Three Schools – Carlton to contact heads

at Little Bloxwich, Lower Farm and the Walsall Academy. Develop Outreach into the Homes – Information to be sought on the

various homes and special needs programmes within the church’s remit.

Conclusion: We commit this MAP to prayer and look forward to the next 12 months. Next year

January (2017) we will review what has been done and see the ways in which we

are getting closer to our 5 year goals.

Mission Action Plan Review, Sunday 19th February 2017

Acknowledging that our Mission Action Plan has been designed for 2 years, we

spent time reviewing it during a main service in February. The following is a summary of the feedback from the review.

Accomplished Goals:

In reality, we have put most of what we’ve planned into motion:

Advertising has been consistent with leaflet drops, posters, magazines, etc. However, we must update the information on the website.

Selected assistant Wardens to offload the many duties of the current

wardens.

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We have organised a pastoral care system. Although much more work must

go into it.

We have organised a Worship Group that meets monthly and includes leaders, preachers, readers, clergy and Sunday School teachers.

We have reorganised how the Christmas Fayre is done with particular people spearheading it.

We have paid careful attention to the 1st Sunday in the month services. Our Relationship with our schools continue, although, no real contact has

been made with Walsall Academy. We continue planning and fundraising for the construction of the new

building.

Continuing Challenges:

Clergy support is the chief challenge. There is a strong feeling that Holy Ascension does not get adequate clergy cover and that realistically they

should be getting a half time clergy person. This is something that must be

tackled at parish level. Lay involvement in services needs talking through. There must be a

conversation with the DCC not only about clergy cover but also the use of lay persons in leading and preaching. There is some feeling that

clergy/licensed ministry is more fulfilling to them. This must be addressed sensitively but justly, since lay ministry within Holy Ascension is a gift.

Pastoral visitations must be coordinated properly. This is very much ad hoc and can be more strategically designed.

Prayer and Bible Study outside of the Sunday services can and should be implemented. There is a need and yearning for this.

Ultimately, Holy Ascension does not want to feel like it is constantly in transition.

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FINANCE

Holy Ascension

These accounts have been prepared by a small but dedicated team of parishioners whose efforts have ensured that we continue to pay our Parish Share in full and

that the working balance remains at a level which provides the continued security in the day to day running of this church. Richard Harris, Treasurer.

SUMMARY OF BLOXWICH HOLY ASCENSION GENERAL FUND YEARLY ACCOUNTS 2016 (2015 COMPARISON)

2016 2015 2016 2015 TOTAL RECEIPTS £21917.22 £20218.25 COLLECTIONS £8639.70 £ 9026.73 INCOME TAX RECOVERED £2716.37 £ 2390.18 SUNDRY DONATIONS / GRANTS (CBF TRUST £331.05, MESSY CHURCH £123.34, £ 699.63 £ 556.48 EASY FUNDRAISING £79.24, FUNERAL £16, LICHFIELD DIOCESAN – COOKER £150) SERVICE REFRESHMENTS £ 75.89 £ 107.59 FUND RAISING FOR CHARITIES £ 659.45 £ 223.71 CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT – CHILDRENS SOCIETY £207 HARVEST PRODUCE– TOWARDS WALSALL CHILD DEVELOPMENT £81.45, MACMILLAN £300, CHRISTIAN AID £51, BISHOPS LENT APPEAL £20 HALL LETTINGS £6424.00 £ 2096.00 FUND RAISING - SUMMER FAIR £2284.68 £ 2422.66 MAGAZINE SALES £ 190.50 £ 185.30 FUNERAL FEES £ 227.00 £------------ INSURANCE CLAIM RE WATER LEAK £------------ £ 3209.60 TOTAL PAYMENTS - £21105.75 - £20305.34 GRANTS / DONATIONS £ 978.00 £ 422.11 (CHILDREN’S SOCIETY £207, HEARTCARE £200, WALSALL CHILD DEVELOPMENT £200, MACMILLAN £300, CHRISTIAN AID £51,LENT APPEAL £20) DIOCESAN QUOTA £10150.00 £10000.00 UPKEEP OF CHURCH £ 2720.09 £ 2085.19 (HEATING/LIGHTING £1877.59, INSURANCE £557.48 WATER RATES £105.92, SUNDRIES £179.10) UPKEEP OF CHURCHYARD £ 620.90 £ 165.00 SUPPORT COSTS £ 484.19 £ 279.11 (SUNDAY SCHOOL £91.86, FINANCE SUPPORT – K BENTON £204, DEANERY SYNOD SUBS £60, SUNDRIES £128.33) UPKEEP OF SERVICES £ 412.40 £ 166.53 CHURCH ADMIN £ 1584.82 £ 1305.55 (COMPUTER £618.98) MAGAZINE MONEY PAID £ 178.36 £ 169.05 PETTY CASH ADVANCE £ 200.00 £ 200.00 MAJOR WORKS £ 1776.99 £ 5512.80 (PLANNING APPLICATION £867, COOKER £369.99, TREE SURVEY £540) TRANSFER TO BUILDING FUND £ 2000.00 £------------ £ 811.47 (£ -87.09)

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REPRESENTED BY:- GENERAL FUND ( LLOYDS) £6946.95 £5927.01 PETTY CASH £ 32.17 £ 40.64 LDBF CHD DEPOSIT £ 724.19 £ 724.19 £7703.31 £6691.84

SUMMARY OF HOLY ASCENSION DESIGNATED BUILDING FUND, END OF YEAR ACCOUNTS RECEIPTS / PAYMENTS

JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2016 (2015 COMPARISON)

2016 2015 TOTAL RECEIPTS £33079.27 £9803.72 PAYMENTS £ 3888.19 £2007.84 ________ ________ TOTAL £29191.08 £7795.88 FUND REPRESENTED BY:- LLOYDS’ CHEQUE ACCOUNT £16190.90 DESIGNATED BUILDING FUND No 1 – CBF DEPOSIT ACCOUNT No 1 £ 9270.47 DESIGNATED BUILDING FUND No 2 – CBF DEPOSIT ACCOUNT No 2 £53775.47 ________ £79236.94 PLEASE NOTE: IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE WE HAVE A PLEDGE OF £2500 FROM THE BERNARD SUNLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.

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St Thomas’

Our finances are tight, but we have always paid our parish share, and with the transfer of some funds that were owing to us we will have a better balance. We are actively fund-raising for the improvements to our building for community use, and we will keep trusting God for the future. Margaret Heeley, Treasurer

SUMMARY OF BLOXWICH ST THOMAS GENERL FUND

YEARLY ACCOUNTS 2016 (2015 COMPARISON)

2016 2015 2016 2015

TOTAL RECEIPTS

£23,906.83 £21,488.13

COLLECTIONS £11,292.00 £11,420.00 WEDDINGS/FUNERALS/BAPTISM £24.00 £112.00 COLLECTIONS

INCOME TAX REFUNDED £2,611.00 £2,213.00 SUNDEY DONATIONS £954.00 £1,208.00 GIVING THROUGH CHURCH BOXER £21.00 £45.00 OTHER FUYNDS GENERATED £1,025.00 £878.00 FUNDRAISING SEASONAL FAIRS /EASTER/SUMMER/CHRISTMAS £1,844.00 £804.00 HALL LETTINGS OBJECTIVES £1,860.00 £1,648.00 HALL LERTTING FUNDRAISING £490.00 £585.00 FUNRAL FEES £1,362.00 £1,953.00 MAGAZINE SALES £88.83 £79.13 CBT TRUST £331.00 £461.00 SURPLUSE SALES FIXED ASSETS

£70.00

BANK CHARGES £4.00 LEGACIE £2,000.00

TOTAL PAMENTS

-£24,185.83

-£24,465.41

COST OF FETES + OTHER EVENTS £724.00 £88.00 PARISH TRAININFG + MISSION £47.00 £335.00 GIVING TO MISSIONARY SOCIETIES BISHOPS ORDINATION CANDIDATES FUND

£43.00

UPKEEP SERVICES £524.00 £831.00 DIOCESAN QUOTA £14,289.00 £14,076.00 ORGANIST FEES £415.00 £500.00 WORKKING EXPENSES INCUMBENT

TRAVEL £436.80 £471.00 TELEPHONE £139.20 £53.00 UPKEEP CHURCH £4,614.00 £5,503.00 HEATING/LIGHTING/INSURANCE/WATER RATES/CLEANING

CHURCH INTERNET £717.00 £682.00 UPKEEP CHURCH YARD £168.00 £670.00 CHURCH ADMIN £742.00 £445.00 CHURCH ADMIN FINANCIAL SUPPORT K BESTON £204.00 £204.00 PHOTOCOPYING/PRINTING/ADVERTISING £127.00 £393.00 LICENCES + SUBSCRIPTIONS £534.00 £80.00 CHURCH MAINTENANCE (SUNDRISE0 £38.00 £27.00 CHURCH INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DECORATING £366.00

BANK CHARGES £4.00 MAGAZINES £88.83 £53.41

TOTAL

-£279.00 -£2,977.28

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REPRESENTED BY

£5,194.02 £7,016.79

GENERAL FUND (HSBC)

£13,475.00 £49.16

PETTY CASH

£5,328.77 £7,065.95

REPRESENTED BY DESIGNATED DECORATION VICARAGE

£490.00

DESIGNATED MISSION

£841.23

RESTRICTED BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE

£239.39

RESTRICTED CUF HEALTH ( MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING)

£1,108.45

RESTRICTED COM CEVELOPMENT

£23.51

RESTRICTED FLOWER FUND

£26.16

RESTRICTED JUMP FOR JOY

£456.06

RESTRICTED TREE / DECORATIONS

£85.34

RESTRICTED WINDOW/DOORS FROM BEERNARD SUNLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

£2,500.00

RESTRICTED PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

£3,099.38

RESTRICTED LDBF. CHD DEPOSIT DECORATION

£1,563.62

£10,443.11

25

SOME LOCAL INFO

There are some things that you might like to know about local facilities, especially

if you bring a family (or even a dog.)

There are two railway stations, Bloxwich and Bloxwich North, and the line runs

down to Birmingham New Street in half an hour. Equally bus routes are plentiful, to Walsall, Wolverhampton, Cannock and Lichfield. We go quickly onto the M6 at

junctions 10 or 11, and are very well–placed on the motorway network to reach

all areas of the country.

There are various sports facilities in Bloxwich, in the brand new leisure centre, the

King George’s playing fields, the sports club and the golf club. Our library is one of the few locally that will stay open, with its attached small theatre.

It is easy to reach beautiful countryside in Shropshire or Staffordshire. Nearest really open countryside is Cannock Chase, an AONB only twenty minutes’ drive

away.

Our cathedral is at Lichfield, only twenty minutes away, and that is probably the

prettiest place for browsing around.

There is a good choice of primary schools, including of course our own two C of E

schools, and from there children seem to move on to quite a few different secondary schools, including Walsall Academy actually in Bloxwich (Ofsted:

outstanding), and the Queen Mary Grammar Schools in Walsall.

26

WALSALL DEANERY

PROFILE OF THE WALSALL DEANERY

OF ANGLICAN CHURCHES

IN THE DIOCESE OF LICHFIELD

The Walsall Deanery is interesting because of its many expressions of worship and

spirituality. Urban Priority Areas (about 10%)

Parishes which seem to have much and parishes which seem to have little Evangelical

Modern Catholic Parishes of the Society of St Wilfred and St Hilda

They all add to the active and vibrant life of this community and, numerically,

form the largest single Deanery in the Diocese of Lichfield. Parishes are divided into six clusters with the idea of each group working closer together and sharing

each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Synod meets up to five times a year to discuss local, national and, sometimes,

international issues. We make a point of meeting for prayer twice each year at a Deanery Celebration and Social in July and an evening of Spiritual Reflection in

Advent. Both events are always well attended. There are excellent Church of England Primary and Secondary Schools in the Deanery.

Clergy Chapter meets every month and is generally well supported. Meetings vary from having invited speakers to informal sharing of each other’s ministry –

and to share prayer together for both the joys and sorrows of ministry.

As required by Canon Law each church receives a three yearly Visitation from the

Rural Dean and Lay Chair. This provides an opportunity to meet each Parochial

and/or District Church Council to discuss their vision under the Diocesan initiatives.

There is one full time and one part time Anglican Hospital Chaplain at the Manor Hospital in Walsall who work within an All Faiths Hospital Team, and a Palliative

Care Chaplain for the St Giles Hospice has recently been appointed. They all take an active part in the life of the Deanery. An active and faithful deaf community

and their families meet to worship at one of the Deanery churches and the Black Country Industrial Urban Ministry works in the Wolverhampton Episcopal area.

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Within the Deanery there are two thriving Asian Christian communities who

worship at St Matthew’s and St Peter’s.

As a Deanery we believe that we listen to each other despite the fact that we serve in very diverse places with diverse traditions.

Rural Dean: Revd Preb Carl Ramsay, Pelsall Vicarage, 39 Hall Lane Pelsall, Walsall WS3 4JN 01922 685666 spreeboy@talk21.com

Assistant Rural Dean: Revd Preb Mark McIntyre, St Gabriel’s Vicarage, 85 Walstead Road, Walsall WS5 4LZ 01922 622583 . stgabriels.frmark@gmail.com

Lay Chair: Mr Nigel Beck, 100 Lazy Hill Road Aldridge WS9 8RR 01922 452830 nigel.beck@live.co.uk

Secretary: Mrs Valerie Benford, 18 Shire Oak Close Walsall Wood WS9 9PG 01543 322671 valeriebenford2@gmail.com

Treasurer: Mr Steve Harrison, 40 Norfolk Crescent, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 8RF 01922 866613 annandsteveharrison@gmail.com

28

FROM THE BISHOP

This is the sort of post which makes my eyes light up and causes me to think ‘If only I was 20 years younger…….’

A genuinely exciting opportunity to lead two churches, with masses going for

them, into an exciting new era of mission and service within their local communities. In both cases, new and enhanced buildings are likely to be part of

the near future, but without the Team Vicar having to get bogged down in building projects. Your focus will be on evangelism, outward facing mission and working

alongside many very committed lay people to further encourage and grow the use of their gifts.

I have visited both churches recently on Sunday mornings and was struck in each case by the warmth, the togetherness, the faith commitment and the desire to

grow the church.

This is a role for someone who feels at home in an urban environment and who is not fazed by walking alongside people battling with huge challenges in their lives.

You will have an evangelistic and a pastoral heart and will have a creative approach to mission. You will be at home working in a team and will be happy to

work both alongside and under the authority of the Team Rector, who you will find to be an inspirational and supportive colleague.

Please read the profile, watch the You Tube video and then you will know whether

this may be where God is calling you …….

+Clive Wulfrun

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FINAL THOUGHTS

We asked the group who compiled this profile for any final thoughts. Here’s the three that came in (take them as you find them!) …

Think of yourself as a hillwalker of long experience. Take your map and a

compass and you can find any location to within a few feet. But once you had a terrible sense of direction.

"How can that be?”' we ask.

"Well "you replied, "I often forget which way is forwards."

Our point is it doesn't matter so much whether you come from the east, west, north or south. What matters is that your journey leads you to

Bloxwich – where we will be ready to welcome you!

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I've called you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers you too will prosper. Jeremiah 29.7

May the Lord guide you, wherever you go next; may his Spirit fill you whatever you do next; may his love embrace you whatever you choose. In

Jesus’ name. Amen.