Your insight into St. Peter’s Church...About the Parish The parish of St. Peter’s, Stanley is historically a group of mining communities, which have amalgamated into one village,

Your insight into St. Peter’s Church

Discover more about our parish and the vicar we’re looking for

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Contents

Summary 03

The vicar we would like 04

About the Parish 06

The Church 07

Where to find us 14

Summary

With the inception of St Peter’s church in 1824 came a desire to serve the community.  To this day, and after many changes including the loss of the original church building, the community of St Peter’s still has a strong desire to serve the community through the living of Christ’s teaching and the good news of the Gospels. 

St Peter’s congregation hold a desire not just to serve Stanley but to grow in strength and purpose within the community.  We may be in the 21st century but Christ is still if not more relevant today that ever, and it is our desire to bring an open and welcoming vision for the future of Stanley through cooperation, generosity, inclusion and openness. 

As we begin a new phase in our church it is our desire to embrace tradition but be open to the needs of today but most of all to keep Jesus Christ at the heart of all we do.

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Our strengths and how we would like a new vicar to encourage and grow themSt. Peter’s is a Church that puts the local community at the centre of its thoughts. We belive it is vital that everyone connected to us feels part of something truly special… our church is a place they can always be themselves, allowing their faith to flourish and help others within this unique parish.

This ‘everyone counts’ mentality allows for an inclusive feel at every level, from those faces we see regularly to the people who dip in & out of our lives when they need support most.

Our new vicar must support this ’everyone counts’ approach – helping those content within their routines to continue enjoying St. Peter’s as they always have – whilst allowing their distinctive personality & skills to invigorate our daily worship. They should show us new ways to understand Christ and how he remains the anchor that a modern community can relate to, without ever losing sight of the paths we’ve already taken to arrive where we are today.

Life here is one of relaxed worship, where a welcoming and open congregation awaits.

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Where we want to go, how we want to growWe’re a parish with an eye to the future.

Like most Churches we understand the common trend of dwindling Sunday numbers and aging congregations. This is not something we believe can

be solved by one or two individuals. It should be the church community, encouraging others to ‘come and see for yourself’ what can be done.

Key to this is the wide range of community activities that we would love to expand.

With an approach that feels relevant to them, whilst at the same time broadening our horizons for growth. As a congregation we want to share our faith with the community, leading, teaching and inspiring people to follow Christ in Stanley.

Key areas we have identified already include our pastoral care, our small groups and seeing spiritual growth within ourselves.

We have links into local schools & groups and run activities for young families and we see this an area to build on, potentially

developed as a United Benefice. It is important for us to be led in the right direction, whilst never losing the feeling of being engaged in the

complete process, walking side by side never single file.

Our new vicar should be:A spiritual leader, who can engage us to develop our faith. Although we are comfortable with our style, we are open to changes that enhance our numbers.

A good listener, who cares for people and has a desire to be the focal point of the community.

Understanding of the younger members of our community and have the ability to help us develop our youth and young family ministry.

Someone who can help us build our United Benefice, allowing the Churches to develop together whilst keeping their own individual identities.

An engaging personality with a good sense of humour would fit in very well!

Ultimately, we are looking for someone who dovetails with us… seamlessly entering our lives and sharing our desire to be part of a community. Taking on board our willingness to develop the United Benefice and our passion for Christ.

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About the ParishThe parish of St. Peter’s, Stanley is historically a group of mining communities, which have amalgamated into one village, but still retain their local identities, e.g. Bottomboat, Ferry Lane, Lee Moor.

The mining industry was the backbone of the village and families lived, worked, were educated, married and died in the area.

The churches were a central part of the community. Two Methodist Chapels, together with the Anglican parish church of St. Peter’s, were the spiritual homes of the community. One Methodist chapel on Ferry Lane closed in the 1980’s, leaving a single Methodist chapel on Mount Road. A Zion church community, established in 1876, exists on Aberford Road.

Over the years the village has expanded. Due to its location close to the M1/M62 intersection and within easy access to Leeds and Wakefield, Stanley has developed into a dormitory village for commuters. House building has therefore increased in the area up to the fringes of nearby Outwood and Lofthouse.

There are a number of business premises in the village including shops, hairdressers, children’s day care,

vehicle repair, pubs, cafes, timber fencing, funeral director and building product manufacturers.

There are three schools in Stanley; St. Peters Primary School, on Lake Lock Road; Stanley Grove Primary School on Aberford Road, and Kingsland School catering for children with special needs on Aberford Road.

Currently there is an extensive house building development taking place across various areas of North and East Wakefield, Stanley being one of them. The City

Fields development is a consortium of a number of house builders and is designed to provide a significant number of houses of various grades, as well as education, health

and retail facilities.

Population mix in Stanley (Info based on 2011 Census):

Ethnic mix: 93% white British; 3% Asian; 0.75% Black; 3.25% other.

Religious mix: 70% Christian; 27% No religion; 3% other religions.

Age mix: The main age rage is between 21 to 70 with a generally equal balance in each ten year bloc, being approximately 80% of the population.

Occupational mix: 67% employed in full or part time employment, 33% unemployed.

Housing mix: 31% owned outright, 45% owned with mortgage, 9.5% rented from local authority, 14% rented from other type of landlord, 0.5% rent free.

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The Church – Its People

We are a very sociable, welcoming church, with a relaxed and informal atmosphere, inclusive to all. We value our close sense of community.

Many of our congregation are retired and some give time to pastoral work.

Our active membership is weighted towards those who are retired or approaching retirement, with a decline in the number of children and young people involved in church-related activities.

Over the years, we have enjoyed strong Bible-based teaching and preaching from our clergy and lay readers.

Since becoming part of the United Benefice last year, we have been working to find ways of blending together our three churches whose style and churchmanship are significantly different. The result, we hope, will be a mixture of charismatic and sacramental traditions and is one of the features of St Peter’s church which we aim to safeguard.

We enjoy a mixture of traditional and modern worship styles led by a worship team, supported by up-to-date sound and projection systems. The priest usually wears an alb and stole which, like the liturgy, reflects the church’s seasons.

Families are welcomed for weddings, funerals and baptisms and are invited to share in all aspects of church life.

A diverse calendar of social activities, such as the annual pantomime, promotes both community and church family interaction and enjoyment to come together.

As a self-supporting church, we have paid the Parish Share in full for more than ten years.

The Church Administrator is the cornerstone of our support network at St. Peter’s, working for both church and community.

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The Church – Its People

Assistant priest

David is our assistant priest (SSM), and with the readers and churchwardens, helps to ensure that we have cover during the interregrium. David is married to Shelley. He was originally from Normanton so a true Yorkshire lad, and Shelley is from Zimbabwe. David has been with us (with breaks) for almost 10 years.

Lay Readers

David (another one) is one of our Readers. He is married to Lesley and they have one son Simon, who is married to Rachel. David is a Yorkshire man through and through and by profession is a chocolatier, something every church should have! Chocolate is his main passion but he can also be found supporting the local football team, Leeds United.

Vicky has been a Reader since 2003 and at St Peter’s since 2005. She does all the usual things including funerals, preaching and at present, home communions. She also fosters firm links with local schools by visiting to do special assemblies, and holding a joint service in church for year 6 leavers. With her husband David, she is part of the finance team. In any spare time she has, Vicky enjoys a range of craft activities.

Churchwardens

David (yes another one) is one of our churchwardens and is also involved in children’s church, film club and pantomime. Married to Caroline with one daughter and one grandson, he has lived in Stanley for 34 years. Originally from the Barnsley area, David is a retired nurse.

Jason is one of our Churchwardens, and also looks after our websites and AV setup. Married to Ellie, with three children, originally from the Peak District in Derbyshire. Jason has lived in Yorkshire for over twenty years now, and works in Leeds. An avid sports fan, he’s a keen cyclist and a season ticket holder for a football team over the other side of the Pennines!

Church Administrator

Ellie has been our church administrator for the past 7 years and does her best to keep things running smoothly. She is also one of our organists and plays the piano for the Stanley community singers that meet at church. Ellie also enjoys singing and is always a keen participant in our annual church pantomime. Other interests include cake baking, running and jigsaw puzzles!

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The Church – Its Services

Holy Week

Maundy Thursday

Good Friday Meditation

Good Friday Children’s Service

Christingle

Carol Service

St. Nicholas Gift Service

Harvest

Holy Space

Home Communions

Sunday Eucharist

Wednesday morning Eucharist

Remembrance Day Service

St George’s Day Service

All Age Interactive Worship

Parade Services

Mothers’ Day

Fathers’ Day

Pet Services

Taize Service

Memorial Services

Joint Services

United Benefice

Services with our local Church

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The Church – Its Prayer

News Sheet

Prayer Tree

House Groups

Days of Prayer for specific things

Prayer Chain

After Service

Prayer Group

Prayer Ministry

Intercessions Rota

Lent Groups

Weekly Intercessory

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The Church – Community ConnectionsSt Peter’s has a wide range of activities and groups appealing to all parts and ages within our community. They are a vital component of our aim to be a community focussed church, serving our community in many different ways. In addition to our regular services these create a weekly throughput of around 450 in a typical week.

Community Café – the café opens 4 days a week. It is run by various members of Alternative Care, a local care organisation. It made a healthy surplus in 2017, which enabled some new equipment to be bought. The café organises special Harvest and Christmas lunches.

Online Presence – the St. Peter’s website averages about 200 users per month and is very useful for accessing

information. On Facebook, there are 482 followers, accessing posts about church life.

Children’s Ark – this is a lovely group with a fabulous atmosphere, regularly attended by

more than 20 babies and children.

Uniformed Organisations (with approx. 100 members between them) – Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows and Brownies are all well established and long running. They provide a vital link to the young people of our community.

Knit & Natter – this group is going from strength to strength, with 20+ people – both ladies and gentlemen – attending every week.

Stanley Community Singers – this thriving group is open to all people of 18+. Its Summer and Christmas concerts are extremely popular and raise money for different charities.

Film Club – the Film Club has been going for about ten years now and takes place on the second Friday of each month, showing a range of films for all ages from modern to classic. Everyone welcome!

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The Church – Community ConnectionsSenior Citizens’ Lunch Club – this group is growing steadily in size. It is interesting, friendly, with excellent speakers and good food and the odd game or two!

Social Events – we organise a wide range of events each year, enjoyed by the church community (including our benefice churches), friends and family and the wider community.

Pantomime – the panto has become a regular annual feature performed by an enthusiastic team from St Peter’s and a number of other local churches. It is

enjoyed by around 650 people from all parts of the community each year and raises approximately £2,500 each year for

church funds.

Life Event Services – The church supports our community through good times and bad. In 2017 there were 3 weddings, 27 funerals (13 at the crematorium, 14 in church), 16 baptisms (13 children and 3 adults). This support includes pastoral care and education. We also hold confirmation

classes for those wishing to affirm their faith. Home communion is available on request to those

who are house-bound and provides a much needed connection to church for those who aren’t able to get to services.

The Challenge and the Opportunity

Many of the above activities have been developed or are supported by a community worker. Ellie, who performs this role alongside her administrator duties, is part funded by the church; part by grants. As these grants come to an end it is essential that new sources of funding are found. We continue to pray that our applications for grant funding are successful but also that through continuing to connect with our community in these and new ways, we can bring more people to Christ and grow our congregation.

The opportunities to do this are considerable given the size of the parish, current connections we have with

our community and the opportunities provided by local employers, shops, the community centre and library, other community groups, health centre and schools (there are over 400 pupils in the local C of E school and nursery alone). The latter is somewhere in particular we feel a new vicar could help us

to explore further.

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The Church – its buildingsThe Church

In 1824 land was identified for the erection of a church building using funds from the Waterloo war chest. A large imposing building reflected the wealth of the local collieries. In 1912 the building was ravaged by fire leaving very little of the original structure intact. It was rebuilt in 1914 with various additions to the original design. The rebuild proved ineffective and the building suffered continuing failures with the structure.

The heating system was totally inadequate for the building, leaving it a cold, damp place to worship. Attempts were made to organise alternative places of worship. Over a winter period Sunday morning services were carried out in St. Peter’s school dining hall. This was not considered suitable for a long term base and after much debate the difficult decision to declare the building redundant was made. At the same time the local nursery building became vacant and so in 2001, the church took up a tenancy with the local authority on the building.

Currently the church is negotiating with the local authority for an Asset Transfer of the building as well as the adjacent building known as Cross Keys and the field. Since moving into St. Peter’s Church Centre opportunities have arisen which have enabled various groups to meet and grow within the confines of our church. Though the decision to move from the old building was difficult, and its eventual demolition in 2014 after years of trying to sell the property, was a difficult time for the community of Stanley, we have realised the benefits our current building provides over the old one.

We are hoping to expand and alter the church centre and provide a larger and more suitable worship/ entertainment space. With the Asset Transfer, giving a long term tenure, we would be in a position to apply for grants to help fund these aspirations.

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We’re easy to find & easy to love

Address: St Peter’s Church Centre, Lake Lock Road, Stanley, Wakefield WF3 4HW

Phone: 01924 835746

Website: www.stpeters-stanley.org.uk

www.facebook.com/stpeters.stanley

stpeters

stpetersstanley/#

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