Diocese of St Asaph
Borderlands Mission Area
Information Pack
December 2016
A Profile of the Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of St Asaph is a diverse and hopeful community of faith. With roots in the Celtic church
and a wealth of character and tradition, we seek to continue to uncover our shared vocation as God’s
people in the Church in Wales in the north east of the Province. We are a diocese in good heart and
seek to persist in responding joyfully to God’s challenge. The Diocese follows the English/Welsh
border in the east, whilst the western edge is delineated by the Conwy Valley. The northern
boundary runs along the North Wales coast as far as Llandudno, but only takes in part of that town.
The southern boundary runs from the lower end of Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala)
across to Dolfor, just south of Newtown in Powys. Ecclesiastically it is
bordered by the dioceses of Chester, Lichfield and Hereford on the
northern and eastern sides. To the south we border Swansea and Brecon
diocese and to the west, Bangor.
The diocese is predominantly rural, with many parishes having
populations of less than 1000. However, there are important and
continually developing industrial and commercial areas around Deeside
(one of the largest industrial parks in Europe) and Wrexham and
significant smaller developments along the two main arterial roads (A55
and A483).
The coastal strip is home to traditional holiday resorts and tourism is an
important industry in many parts of the diocese. The largest employers
are the local authorities through education and the health services with two large general district
hospitals at Bodelwyddan and Wrexham. Wrexham hosts a refugee and asylum seekers support
centre (supported by the diocese), while migrant worker groups in the region (largely white EU) are
involved in both industry and agriculture. A significant number of care workers come from the fareast. Together with many of the rural areas in the UK, the agriculture sector within the diocese has
endured many shocks and changes, including the foot and mouth crisis, the changing structures of
agricultural support from the EU, increasing fuel costs and the unfolding impact of global warming.
Welshpool and St Asaph have two of the largest livestock markets in Europe.
The Diocese of St Asaph is at an exciting time in its life as we work towards a more collaborative
style of ministry with parishes and emerging Mission Areas being challenged to discover together how
we ‘Unlock our Potential’. We have a vision of a church working closely together and 'going for
growth' - a church where ministry teams of ordained and lay people work together to enable the
whole church to grow to its full potential.
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Borderlands Mission Area
Hawarden Mission Area was formally commissioned in July 2016 by Bishop Gregory and was formed
from the Area Deanery of Hawarden and the parishes of Llanyfynydd and Connahs Quay, who
joined us from the Deanery of Mold. It covers an area of North East Wales bordering the
English/Welsh border with a population over around 70,000 people and is the biggest Mission Area
in the Diocese.
Within it are the churches of:
St Matthew’s Buckley
The Church of the Good Shepherd, Buckley
All Saints Bistre
St Cecilia’s Bistre
Emmanuel Bistre
St Bartholomew Sealand
The Church of the Holy Spirit Ewloe
St Deiniol’s Hawarden
St Francis Sandycroft
St Mary’s Church Broughton
St Cynfarch’s Hope
Emmanuel Church Penyffordd
St Andrew’s Garden City
St Etholwold’s Shotton
St David’s Connahs Quay
St Mark’s Connah’s Quay
St Michael’s Llanfynydd
All Saints Cymau
St John’s Penymynydd
These churches are currently served by the following ordained clergy:
Buckley
Revd Neil Kelly
Bistre
Revd Martin Batchelor (Mission Area Leader)
………………………………………………………………………………and Revd Sally Baird
Hope & Penyffordd
Revd Adam Pawley
Connahs Quay
Revd Robbie Dennis
Shotton & Garden City
Revd Stephen Green
Hawarden
Revd David Lewis
Broughton and Sealand
Revd Danny Evans
Ewloe and Penymynydd
Revd Bryn Parry Jones
Sandycroft
Vacant
Llanfynydd and Cymau
Vacant
As a Mission Area, we will share the same mission strategy and where possible share resources and
we have developed the following mission statement:
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The Vision of this Mission Area is to ask God for courage to pray
and ask for His guidance for Mission through our work in this
Area.
A Mission Area Prayer was produced and the areas of spirituality, evangelism and schools identified
as three areas we could develop as a new and emerging Mission Area. We have a vision of a church
working closely together and ‘going for growth’ – a church where ministry teams of ordained and
lay people work together to enable the whole church to grow to its full potential
Each of the posts advertised is part of ‘Unlocking our Potential’ and the persons appointed will be
expected to be good team players and to be willing to offer their gifts across the whole church in
our new Mission Area.
We are at the beginning of this journey and we are looking for dedicated priests who want to join
us at this exciting, and challenging, moment in the life of the Church. With the appointment of four
new team members this is a unique opportunity for us to move forward with our ‘vision’.
This part of North East Wales is growing rapidly with many opportunities and challenges in the
communities we serve. There is significant expansion in housing as we are within easy
commuting distance of the great cities of Liverpool, Manchester and Chester.
Industry too is growing with industrial parks nearby and, one of the great recent commercial
successes of Wales, Airbus which is a very major employer. There is also a growing retail park in
Broughton with a cinema, restaurants and more retail units due to open soon. Broughton Park
draws people from Chester, north-east Wales and right along the North Wales coast.
The Mission Area is also home to the main campus of Coleg Cambria, the largest Sixth Form and
Further Education College in north east Wales where we are part of an established and wellregarded ecumenical chaplaincy team.
The church is also challenged to meet and care for the needs of people within parts of our
communities who are struggling. There are some who find it difficult to find work and the Pioneer
Priest, in particular, will be working in communities that need encouragement and hope for the
future. The church needs to come alongside the various agencies who are already working with
these communities and to show God’s love for all people.
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Borderlands Mission Area
for year ending 31st December 2015
Membership Data for 2014 and 2015
2014
2015
2016
1,124
1,144
1,144
Pentecost
648
681
Christmas
1,122
1,187
Trinity III
697
660
Sundays
700
672
Weekdays only
111
118
Communicants
Easter
Average Attendance - over 18
Average Attendance - under 18
Electoral Roll
133
109
1,063
1,120
334
338
21
14
Baptisms
Confirmations
Weddings
Funerals
Funerals Elsewhere
60
66
214
200
92
103
Finance Data For 2014 and 2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
226
227
376
393
Loose Collections
51
59
Clerics' Expenses
21
21
Donations
74
49
Other Ministry Expenses
6
4
For Mission
10
11
Maintenance of Services
26
25
Tax Refunds
45
49
General Parish Expenses
40
48
Legacy Gifts
26
1
Maintenance of Churches
94
80
Grants
136
42
Maintenance of Property
73
69
Money Raising
104
118
133
13
Fees
86
76
Grants to Parish
8
5
Investments
21
21
Grants Outside Parish
10
26
341
64
Capital Payments
1
4
Cost of Money Raising
5
7
792
695
INCOME
Planned Giving
Other Income Resources
TOTAL INCOME
£(000)
1,119
£(000)
EXPENDITURE
Parish Share
Exceptional Property
Expenditure
718
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
5
£(000)
£(000)
Full time Pioneer Ministry in Borderlands Mission Area
The Pioneer Priest will be based in the community of Sandycroft and will nurture the life of the church in
that community.
We seek someone who can be part of a team and who can come alongside people as they struggle in their
daily lives. We hope that it will also be possible to develop a model for rejuvenating similar churches
elsewhere in the Mission Area.
St. Francis’ Church Sandycroft
Dedicated in 1913, the church of
St. Francis is in its centenary year,
though it was not consecrated
until 1935.
The building is constructed of
brick and stone and was
extensively refurbished in the
early 2000s, when the church
hall was physically joined to the
church. The building was the first in the province to have photo-voltaic energy cells fitted.
Our congregation
The congregation is small but very faithful. There is worship every Sunday as well as a midweek service
The spirit of the congregation is high and there is a great willingness to take part in all activities and
events. The church’s activities are very well supported by the local community.
The church hall is regularly used both by church groups and also by the local Brownie unit, Social Services,
a newly formed Drug and Alcohol Anonymous group.
Worship style
The tradition in the past has been high Anglo-Catholic but is now more ‘middle of the road’. We have
many fine vestments.
Services at St. Francis
First Sunday at 11:00am: Holy Eucharist
Second Sunday at 11:00am: Morning Worship
Third Sunday at 11:00am: Holy Eucharist
Fourth Sunday at 11:00am: Morning Worship
Weekday Services
Wednesdays at 10am – Eucharist with hymns, followed by a ‘cuppa’ and a chat
Treasure Seekers, a group for 7 to 11 year olds (school years 3 to 6) meets on Friday evenings for fun,
friendship and food, with a range of activities based on the Christian message.
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Baptisms
Baptisms take place in the main Sunday service at 11.00am or afterwards by arrangement. Baptisms
are booked through the office in Hawarden.
Weddings
There have been no weddings at St. Francis in the last couple of years.
Funerals
There has been an average of five funerals per year over the past four years.
Finances
Church finances are fragile but the church is well supported by the wider Mission Area that respects the
outreach work carried out by the St Francis congregation.
St. Francis and the wider community
In addition to the close links we have with the other churches in the former Rectorial Benefice of
Hawarden, we have a good relationship with the White Chapel at Mancot, where services such as
Midnight Mass and Remembrance Sunday services are shared.
We have very strong links with Sandycroft Primary School and children from the school come into church
as part of their learning experiences.
We also have links with Phoenix House Nursing Home, with clergy and lay visits.
Mission and Outreach
We are excited by the prospect of building links with neighbouring churches and to working
together more closely with the clergy and laity across our new Mission Area. We are seeking to
obtain grants towards a car park, which would ease the parking situation around the church. Talks
are also underway to establish a ‘Soup Kitchen’ to support and help the homeless and needy –
we hope to obtain a Start Up grant, through links with the Diocesan Engagement Officer. We feel
that our church has become a focal point in the life of our community as a direct result of the
outreach work that is happening.
Looking to the future
We are excited by the new opportunities that will come with the arrival of a Pioneer Priest and as our
Mission Area develops. We would like our new priest to be an encourager and companion on our journey,
especially as we reach out to the sometimes difficult areas within the community.
Our Pioneer Priest will be expected to work with colleagues, both lay and ordained, in developing
inviting and inclusive liturgies and to encourage the youth and families of our community.
We hope that our new priest will be fully supportive of the members of our church and community and
join with us in the many and various activities in the church and Mission Area.
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Job Description
Pioneer Ministry: Borderlands Mission Area
St Francis, Sandycroft
St Francis church was built in 1913 to serve the community of Sandycroft. It now serves the
communities of Sandycroft, Mancot and Pentre. The population is around 5000, and within these
communities there is a good primary school, a nursing home, Methodist and Presbyterian churches,
with whom the church have good links. The congregation is particularly keen to see the links with the
school develop further.
The usual Sunday attendance is on average 10, and there are usually 3-4 baptisms and an average of five
funerals a year.
What
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Based in the community of Sandycroft, you will nurture the life of the church in that community.
Working with churches across the Mission Area you will encourage churches to develop ways to
engage people in the communities and develop a church that is representative of the
communities that we serve
Help to develop a model for rejuvenating similar churches elsewhere in the Mission Area and the
wider church.
How
Leading the congregation at St Francis Sandycroft in worship and pastoral care and encourage their lay
leadership.
Using the Diocesan Hope and the Future material help congregations:
 See what community links they already have.
 Build upon and extend those community links.
 Enable the church to engage with all sections of the community.
 Develop new forms of mission, ministry and worship to enable the church to grow.
 Work with the church family to ensure the sustainability of these new developments.
 Increasingly work with Mission Area colleagues to see how ideas and challenges from elsewhere
add to this experience, in order to shape the emerging model of ministry.
Additional information
We want to give the successful candidate the freedom to develop new ideas, without being bogged
down in the minutiae of running a parish.
The accountability for this project will be held by Revd Martin Batchelor, Mission Area Leader.
Depending on how the project develops, we hope there will be an opportunity, in the later stages, to
support other churches elsewhere in the Mission Area in working with this model. The post-holder will
also need to be open to the possibilities of working ecumenically.
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Priest in Charge with pastoral responsibility for the
communities of Llanfynydd, Cymau and Ffrith
Part Time – 2 days a week plus Sunday
St Michael's Church Llanfynydd with All Saints Church Cymau
The Parish of Llanfynydd serves the 3 villages of Llanfynydd,
Cymau and Ffrith, with a total population of about 1800. There
are churches at Cymau and Llanfynydd, however they alternate
a 9.30am service each week, with a regular congregation of
about 15 adults. In 2015 there were 2 funerals and 1 baptism.
Within the congregation there are 2 Pastoral Assistants in
training and 1 Worship Leader. All services are Holy Communion
apart from the second Sunday with is led by the Worship
Leader.
St Michael's Church Llanfynydd
All Saints Church Cymau
At present services are as follows:
1st Sunday – 9-30am Holy Communion at St Michael’s Church,
Llanfynydd.
2nd Sunday – 9-30am Morning Worship at All Saints Church,
Cymau.
3rd Sunday – 9-30 am Holy Communion at St Michael’s Church,
Llanfynydd.
4th Sunday -9-30 am Holy Communion at All Saints Church,
Cymau.
5th Sunday – 9-30 am – Please check the notice board.
Crèche facilities are available at St Michael’s Church.
We are two Churches with one congregation who are both welcoming and friendly to anyone who
wishes to join us in our morning services. We work hard to organise a programme of social events that
are important to the local community as well as being a source of fund-raising for the church. The small
village school at Llanfynydd closed earlier this year and this was a real blow to the community.
We hope that our new Priest will work alongside colleagues in the neighbouring parishes, especially
supporting the Mission Area Leader, as the journey towards a more collaborative style of ministry
develops alongside the encouragement of the laity to be involved in ministry and mission to ‘Unlock our
Potential’.
SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST WITH ALL
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Job Description
0.5 Priest in Charge, rooted in the communities of Llanfynydd, Cymau
and Ffrith and associate colleague to the Mission Area Leader
There are two dimensions to this post:




The post of priest in charge of Llanfynydd involves the pastoral care of the congregation, which
alternates each week between St Michael’s Church, Llanfynydd and All Saints Church, Cymau.
Llanfynydd, Cymau and Ffrith are small villages on Hope Mountain, and the current usual
attendance in these churches is 15.
The associate colleague to the Mission Area Leader (MAL) involves assisting the MAL and the
ministry team in the ministry of the parish of Bistre where he is based.
It is proposed that the post is divided as Sunday and one day in Llanfynydd, and one day in Bistre.
A working agreement will be developed with the successful applicant to ensure an appropriate
division of work and to set you up for success.
What


Nurture the life of the church in Llanfynydd.
Support the work of the mission area leader in Bistre
How


Leading the congregation at Llanfynydd in worship, providing pastoral care and encouraging their
lay leadership.
Assisting with ministry in Bistre
Additional information
The accountability for this project will be held by Revd Martin Batchelor, Mission Area Leader.
Depending on the gifts and skills of the successful applicant there may be space to use and develop
them within the mission area.
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The Church in Wales Review
The Bishops commissioned a team of advisers in 2011 to conduct a root-and-branch review of the
Church in Wales. The three members of the team were:

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Lord Richard Harries, the former Bishop of Oxford, who chaired the group;
Professor Charles Handy, former professor at the London Business School;
Professor Patricia Peattie, former Chair of the Episcopal Church in Scotland’s Standing
Committee.
Your say
The Review Group travelled to every Diocese in Wales and met more than 1,000 people in public
meetings to find out what changes they wanted to see. They also invited people to write to them with
ideas for shaping the Church of the future.
At the open meetings people were asked what aspect of both their Diocese and the Church they felt
most positive about and what changes they would like to see to make its ministry more effective. They
were also asked how they would address challenges such as the predicted fall in clergy numbers and
financial resources.
Findings
The Review was published in summer 2012 with 50 recommendations. At its heart was transformed
ministry. To help arrange the recommendations in a way that is manageable and understandable for
the Church, an Implementation Group has focussed initially on what it sees as the core vision of the
Report and the recommendations that are designed primarily to achieve that vision:


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The formation of Ministry or Mission Areas across the Church in Wales.
The provision of ministry via Ministry Teams, incorporating lay and ordained ministers working
to a collaborative model
An integrated programme of training for ministry for laity and ordained minsters intended to
develop leadership skills and collaborative working practices.
“The Review Team found the Church in Wales to be very warm and welcoming and there are many good
things happening. But in order to serve the people of Wales effectively, particularly its young people,
we believe some radical re-thinking is necessary.”
Lord Harries Chair of the Review Group
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“This is our review as a Church – we asked for it and we contributed to it. The report is our framework,
not our blueprint. Its vision is transformed ministry and that is what we need to focus on. It’s an
exciting time for us and one which offers great opportunities for the Church to thrive.”
Helen Biggin, Chair of the 2020 Vision Implementation Group
You can read the Church in Wales Review in its entirety online at www.churchinwales.org.uk/review
Engaging with 2020 Vision
Why do things need to change? 2020 Vision’s proposals are pretty radical so this is the first question
anyone will ask when they hear about this new initiative for our churches.
The simple answer is this: it’s not sustainable for the Church in Wales to continue operating in the way it
is at the moment. Congregations are declining, clergy are retiring and the numbers of people training
for ordination will not fill the gap. Something needs to change.
We are still using the parish model in the same way we did in 1920 when the Church was disestablished.
Without change the Church in Wales will continue to decline as it heads towards its centenary in 2020.
The Church in Wales Review was published in 2012 and made the case for change clear. It talked about
the need for change being “urgent” – particularly in the way our churches are set up.
The Review proposes a move away from the parish model of ministry towards a new model of church.
Ministry Areas – or Mission Areas as we are calling them in St Asaph – will see churches partnering
together with a shared leadership team to make them more sustainable for the future and prepare
them for growth. The Review also calls for more training for ministers – ordained and lay – to help make
this model of ministry a reality.
So we have to change if we want to see our churches flourish. We have to be willing to do things
differently if we want the Church in Wales to have a viable future – particularly with reference to
families and the younger generation.
The Review points out that the number of young people engaged with Church life is “miniscule” and
adds: “This situation cannot be addressed as the church is organised now.” It’s time to move forward.
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Esgobaeth Llanelwy: the Diocese of St Asaph
Golwg 2020 Vision
Why?
The Bench of Bishops and the Governing Body asked for the Church in Wales Review to find out if our
leadership, structures and resources are ready to take God’s mission forward in Wales, as we approach
our 100th birthday. 2020 Vision looks at the challenges and recommendations which the Review gave
us.
What?
2020 Vision says that “We are stronger together” and suggests we form Mission Areas – partnerships
between congregations, clergy and lay ministers – to unlock our potential as the people of God
answering His call in today’s Wales.
When?
Now. We don’t have to wait for someone else to give us permission to start building relationships and
partnerships in worship, witness and mission. God’s call is for now.
Who?
Everyone. All the baptised are commissioned as disciples and witnesses of Jesus. 2020 Vision wants to
see us renew and invigorate our churches. You can take the initiative, and our vicars, area deans and
archdeacons are there to enable you to move forward.
Where?
Every church is in a local area of community and mission with other churches. It might be your deanery
but some deaneries are too big or no longer reflect the population of our communities so we might look
at new boundaries. We are God’s family and we want to partner with each other so we are
strengthened to travel together in fellowship.
How?
You are the Church, and you will have the ideas. What can you share to help God’s mission where you
live and worship? What can you stop doing to help free you up to serve in new ways? How can you
partner with brothers and sisters in other churches to tackle things which may seem too great to tackle
as a single congregation?
2020 Vision offers us three points of focus for our mission:
Serving community, inspiring
13 people, transforming Church