Vicar of St Mary's Church, Gravesend

Introduction

Rooted in Prayer, Growing in Christ, Sowing the Seeds of His Love

St Mary's is a welcoming, diverse and inclusive church set just half a mile from the A2 (with its links to London and the Kent Coast), and about a mile from Gravesend town centre and railway station.  We are excited to be building new congregations, making a real difference in our local community, and engaging with the wider world.  We are seeking to appoint a new Vicar who will lead us prayerfully and strategically as we build on our work and ministry in this part of Rochester Diocese.

The Church was built in 1938 and is a light and spacious building with flexible seating in the nave.  The attached hall was added in 1972 and benefits from a full-size kitchen, store room and youth room/Sunday School space.  The main hall seats 120 and has a stage.  It is well used by local community groups.

Sunday Worship is welcoming and relatively informal, and supported by a music group and singers.  It is regularly attended by around 40 adults and 10 children.  Messy Church is very popular and runs once a month on a Saturday.  We have recently seen movement from this Saturday congregation to Sundays.

Community Outreach is hugely important to us.  As well as Messy Church, we have a thriving Toddler Group with over 70 toddlers & minders attending each week, and we hold a 4-day Holiday Club for school children in the summer.  Our 'Curry Club' meets every other month, and 'Pub Group' meets monthly to share fellowship.  Our recent 'Thursday Drop-in' in the church is already building momentum.

Our links with the local Schools are exceptional and we hope to build on these relationships with our new Vicar.  The Church School (St George's) which is next door uses the church daily for a short service and assemblies, and the local primary & junior schools hold services in church 2-3 times a year.

The Vicarage is just a few minutes walk from the church.  It is a 5-bed house in good condition.

The ideal candidate will be someone who:

• relates to and understands the needs of young families;
• can work collaboratively to discern a vision to increase and develop our church membership and Christian faith;
• has a passion for working with primary & secondary schools;
• can lead and motivate our lay team and support our varied volunteer ministries;
• will work with us as we strive to be a truly inclusive church.

You will be supported in your ministry by an experienced and supportive Lay Team of 3 Readers, an LLM, a Pastoral Assistant and a Worship Leader, as well as loyal and enthusiastic PCC members with a range of talents and interests.

For more information about St Mary's and the surrounding area, please see the accompanying Parish Profile and our website - https://www.stmarysgravesend.org.uk/

For an informal conversation with the Archdeacon of Rochester, The Ven Sandra McCalla, about this vacancy, please contact her EA (Fiona Porter) in the first instance by emailing: fiona.porter@rochester.anglican.org

Interviews will be held on Monday, 15th September