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4th Sale Central Guides, UKS(St Paul's FPP)

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Vicar 's address: AGM April 2008

1 HOME LIFE

The vicarage remains an interesting place in which to live. Last year I reported on the central heating which at the time was barely functioning. A new boiler has been installed and things are much better now. I’m forever apologising for living in such a grand building. Yet the truth is that we are impoverished by the enormous waste of fuel occasioned by leaking window frames, poorly insulated walls and vast size. Nearly a sixth of my stipend is being gobbled up in energy bills, and we use low-energy lighting throughout the house. It’s an expensive embarrassment that is not getting any easier. This year the quinquenial inspection on the vicarage was undertaken and the diocesan surveyor categorically assured me that the diocese will not be spending any more money on the building. From September this year the three children will become, in effect, non-resident. Catherine and I will be in the house by ourselves.

The garden remains a delight, though we spend far too little time keeping it in order.

2 WORSHIP

The figures for church worship in the church year to Advent Sunday 2007 are as follows: 3576 acts of communion (including home communions) 24 Baptisms (1 adult), 3 Weddings, 6 church funerals and 12 other crematorium services within the parish. With the exception of weddings, which continue to decline, these figures are about the same as last year. No particular trend either up or down is noticeable in the past few years.

Other events this last year included Springfield Road Primary School choir singing at the Harvest festival. In early December the School Carol service had an attendance of over 500- the church at its fullest. Remembrance Sunday at the war memorial in Sale continues, as in the past few years, to attract more and more people. I am delighted that we are able to take a small but significant part in this act of worship. The Christmas Eve services attracted even larger numbers of those who like to worship once a year – in excess of 350. The church was closed on the second Sunday of 2007 as we joined the Avenue Methodist Church for their annual Covenant Service. In September, Malcolm Lorimer, Minister at The Avenue Church presided and preached at a Parish Eucharist. I led the worship at his church. A monthly Holy Eucharist Service of Evening Prayer with Prayers of Healing has settled into a routine on the second Sunday in the month with a modest sized congregation. Churches Together in Sale under the leadership of the hard-working and respected co-ordinator Norma Tullock continued the series of Ecumenical Services throughout the year in various locations. A votive candle stand has been introduced for the use of those few who find lighting a candle a useful focus for their devotions, and a prayer board has been re-introduced with prayer cards for prayer requests. Julie Driscol finished her mammoth task of calligraphy in the newly dedicated Book of Remembrance. Again if anyone wants names written in that please complete a form.

The church building has been again in demand for its fine acoustic by local Suzuki Violin & Cellos, Trafford Youth Wind Band and Trafford Junior Choir, Owen Wynne singers.

3 MINISTRY

The next thing to say is exactly the same as the previous five years – to remind you that I put great store by the "Occasional Offices" and through them we probably come in contact with several thousand people every year that have nothing directly to do with St Paul's Church. Like most other active Anglican priests, I guess that most of my time is devoted to those who do not come to church. There is a genuine interest in the affairs of the church and love of the building. They may not come, but they still do not instinctively feel it is a total irrelevance and are comforted by its presence.

Let me remind you of some of the particular work I do in the community. Police Chaplin to ‘M’ division which entails regular visiting of the police stations in Altrincham and Sale. Chaplain of 318 ATC (Air Training Corps) situated in the parish on Eastway. Recently I have been asked to take on the extra responsibility of “Wing” Chaplain from Revd. Michael Hepworth – this is for the Easter Cheshire and South Manchester area. Governor and deputy Chair at Springfield P.S and regular visitor for assemblies. Regular Local Authority meetings for education – Education Funding Forum, Chair of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education), Young People Services Scrutiny Committee, Sub-Committee on ‘looked-after’ children. For the Diocese I am still Bowdon Deanery sub-Warden of Readers, Diocesan Education Committee, Chair of Further Education Chaplains Forum for Greater Manchester, and recently representative for the Church of England amidst the chocolate fountains at a Wedding Fair in Tatton Park!.

I have not volunteered for any of these and I feel very proud to be involved in these very different groups, and know that I bring little expertise and even less time to each one of them. However I have learnt that the church’s presence is an encouragement to others who do the work. It is a wonderful pastoral opportunity and I’m forever hearing the same sort of personal stories about the joys and sorrows of life, as I would from a more generally mainstream pastoral ministry. This is surely what we are all called to do in our own homes and places of leisure and work – indeed in whatever situation we are in. Yet I also know that the ordained ministry gives an unparalled permission to enter quickly and deeply into people’s lives.

Kathy Kirby was Made Deacon at the beginning of July of 2007. She will be Ordered Priest on the 14th of June and her first celebration of the Eucharist will be at 10 am on Sunday June 15th. That will be a well-attended service to celebrate her new ministry in the church of God and the due regard we have at St Paul for her ministry among us. I have been simply amazed this year that she has maintained so many new departures in her life with apparent ease. Apart from her career in the library service at Manchester Business School, she has embarked upon a one year MA course at Leeds University, studying at Mirfield College one day a week. She has also been growing in her personal religious discipline as a new Companion of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield. All this as well as engaging in the worship and ministry at St Paul’s. Her pastoral concern is very evident. And as she has relaxed into the rhythm of Sundays at St Paul’s we have grown to feel her sense of stillness and prayerfulness in public worship.

This time last year the great secret was what Deborah was up to! She went through the process of discerning and being discerned as a candidate for ordination. For those of us who have been through the process it is one of the most painful and confusing periods of life so it was with great joy that she was recommended and started training with the Southern North West Training Partnership for ministry. She is, as you will all know, at present on her first placement - here with us!

It was with sadness that Gerry Ibbotson died last year. His ministry as Reader in the diocese must have been one of the longest on record and he saw St Paul’s through a variety of vicars in the last half century.

James Bergin, with his years of wisdom and experience, exercises a quiet ministry of reflection and observation in the background. Anne Ibbotson and Margaret Walker continue to work informally at the Primary School.

Karen Salisbury and Yvonne Kerridge continue to explore their roles as Pastoral Workers. They have the license to exercise a tremendous ministry amongst us. Diane Thomas joins them after the service of licensing in Chester Cathedral. Her role has been designed to include lay Chaplaincy at Styal as well as at St Paul’s

Slowly but surely we are seeing the re-emergence of a Sunday School. In the capable hands of the adults who run it, and give freely of their time and care, it meets twice a month. We need to take more seriously their involvement in the worship of the church. I am somewhat disappointed with the commitment of parents of children in the uniformed organizations although the ATC have paraded a couple of times during the year. Perhaps we should once again evaluate our response and commitment to the variety of children’s ministry at St Paul’s.

I am still delighted that this parish can boast of such an accomplished and active Lay Ministry. There are rotas for reading the lesson, leading the intercessions and administering the chalice and I am grateful to all who have felt able to offer themselves for these ministries. If anyone wants to be added to these lists please do see me.

And thanks are due to the work of many others in performing chores working in the background and foreground. The list is not exhaustive but some to thank are: the Wardens and sidesmen and women, the office and administrative staff and administrative help, the treasurer and auditors and all who keep the finances in order, the PCC secretary, members of the PCC, hall-bookings clerk, the cleaners, odd-job Tuesday men, flower ladies whose work goes on all year round and is most apparent at Easter and Christmas, those who make the refreshments, and cheerfully clear up afterwards, the webmaster, sacristan & archivist, Director of Music, organists and choir. To run a parish of such complexity demands a high commitment from many. Thank you all.

I'm immensely encouraged by all the sense of God's call to various and varied ministries apparent in the parish - it is very heartening indeed. As your incumbent I'm supposed to encourage vocations and would urge any others of you who feel called by God to any form of ministry (especially the priestly ministry) not to ignore it! Otherwise I would encourage you all to spread the word of involvement to others who might have yet to feel the wonder of worship of God within this place. That is where this church should start to see its fundamental mission of evangelism. Bring someone new into the church this year.

4 VISION FOR THE FUTURE.

The church stands on about one acre of church land. There is no particular designation of this by the local planning authority for any particular purpose, either housing, shops or offices. The land is “owned” by three parties. 1. The Diocese - the footprint or curtilage of the church building. 2. The parish - for the land up to half the vicarage lawn. 3. The Parsonage Board on behalf of the Church Commissioners - the land upon which the vicarage is built and its garden. With the exception of the church building itself, I see all the land as available for re-allocation in one way or another. The hall and parsonage could be offered for commercial use or to a housing association for affordable/social housing (a modern version of the church’s medieval commitment to housing, as alms houses). Within that redevelopment a modern, small and sustainable eco-friendly parsonage house and small garden would be built, probably on the present hall site. The activities and needs of meeting rooms and facilities for church and community use would be relocated to some project within the church building. In return for building a new parsonage house and reordering the church interior, the housing association or commercial developer will want to construct several properties on the remainder of the site. These then would be sold commercially as affordable housing etc. and should result in no required input of capital by the parish or the Diocese.

The negotiations between the various bodies for permissions for getting such a scheme going are considerable and the services of a good architect and project manager will be essential. Up to this point however there are several organisations that are very positive about such a scheme. The list is not exhaustive but includes, the Sale Forum (ex Chamber of Commerce), the local Borough Councillors, the Archdeacon and other senior Diocesan officials especially the Diocesan Surveyor, Registrar and most importantly an informal advisory group of the Diocesan Advisory Council for churches (DAC). In our midst we have the considerable expertise of Paul Webster who, before retiring, was a Planning Casework Officer for several large commercial projects. He has expressed an interest in being involved as a project here unfolds. I have met informally with a prominent local chartered surveyor and valuer who works for Manchester and Chester Diocese on valuation issues. I have taken every opportunity presented to talk with as many people outside the church of the possibility of such a scheme and slowly I believe that the message is also being discussed within the church community. I’m fully aware that all may not have heard of the ideas. I’m sorry that this may be the case, but I know also that there is as yet no absolute commitment from the PCC as the parish representatives. They too have a duty to talk and inform and debate widely. I have been told that from inception to realisation such a scheme can take years, that the initial period of getting a vision properly understood and organised is the most time consuming, painful and lengthy business. If it is anything like the time spent discussing the easy access ramp it could be a decade away!

I acknowledge that the vision as it is so far is mainly mine. I would be arrogant in the extreme to assume that it is what the church community would be happy promoting. I have been driven by a real sense of urgency about the buildings. With the exception of the church itself (which needs constant vigilance) the others are unsustainable in their present condition and for the long-term will not meet the future aspirations of “mission-shaped church” within the community. The whole plot, church and all, needs to be given back to its rightful owners – the people of Sale.

I believe passionately that by a radical reordering of the land and buildings, St Paul’s will have the prospect of a sustainable and important future within the community. People may not flock to church Sunday by Sunday, but likewise they will not like to see a series of buildings become shabbier and more neglected to the point where they become an embarrassment to the church and an affront to civic pride.

5 CONCLUSION

This year marks the five-yearly meeting of the bishops of the Anglican Communion at Lambeth. No doubt the press will have an enjoyable summer lampooning Anglicanism and no doubt much criticism will be deserved. Family squabbles and peccadilloes are always fascinating to those who claim to be virtuous and perfect outsiders. Some of the ripples of unease and disease will no doubt come towards the parish making the role of the church more difficult to sustain in a culture which is generally indifferent and often hostile. But the strength of Anglicanism is not in Chester or Lambeth. Fundamentally its strength lies in the parochial context. As the national church the Church of England is charged with the care of souls in generality, to be a voice for those of all religions and none within society. The future for St Paul, Sale has to be in the faithful witness of the love and purposes of God for and in the local area. We are to be faithful in prayer for all who live and work in Sale. As I come to the 5th anniversary of my induction in a few weeks time I’m acutely aware of the many things that I have failed to do at all or of which I have made a mess. However I’m also aware that it has been a most fruitful time as well. There is a real sense of purpose about the place and a ready and willing spirit. I am very conscious of the tremendous amount that has been achieved in those years and what the parish might realise in the future. I remain deeply grateful to God for the opportunity of serving Him and his people in this place.

Thomas Shepherd April 2008

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