Rector of the Parish of Huntington, Earswick and New Earswick, York

Introduction

Our Mission Statement is ‘Knowing Jesus and making Him known in our parish and beyond’. Our vision and aim is to see Jesus lifted up, with lives being transformed by His saving power. Are you the person we are praying for to lead us on the next stage of our mission journey?

All Saints and St. Andrew’s is an Anglican church with a strong Charismatic and Evangelical emphasis. Prayer and the study and application of the Word are core to our mission; we are Bible and Cross centred in our orthodox teaching, welcoming the gifts of the Spirit, and encouraging ‘every member ministering’.  

Situated 1.5 miles to the north of York’s beautiful and historic city centre, our parish covers 5.3 square miles of residential properties, with a current population of over 13,000. They are well served with good access to transport and amenities including schools, local shops, retail parks, a sports stadium, manufacturing, green space and farmland.

We offer:

• Two well appointed church buildings, All Saints, a traditional church building and St Andrew’s, a more recent and flexible worship space.

• An Associate Minister, Deacon and Youth and Children’s Leader, three retired clergy with Permission To Officiate, two Authorised Lay Ministers, an intern and a well-supported PCC.

• An Office Team, led by our Parish Administrator

• Three regular but distinctive congregations

• A wide range of Children’s and Youth groups, welcoming around 100 children and young people into our building each week – Tots group; Monday Night Youth and Tuesday Kidz Klub and Messy Church monthly.

• We host and support a day nursery, Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade, Brownies and Guides.    

• We offer regular contact with two of the three primary schools located in the parish. This includes weekly assemblies and an ‘Oasis’ support session. We are known to both the secondary schools and occasional contact through our young people activities.

• A network of weekly Small Groups, providing the front line of pastoral care. Currently there are 90 people signed up, providing a forum for our church members to dig deeper.

• Our Pastoral Visiting Team, visits those unable to get to church, supporting their practical needs, or via our Phone Prayer Chain.

• We aim to provide support to the older members of our community through activities such as ‘Cake and Company’; great fun with a quiz, cakes and welcome companionship with a short Christian ‘Thought for the Day’,

• A weekly prayer meeting; a monthly parish prayer meeting, monthly prayer for healing and Mission Prayer.

• Regular Alpha courses, parish weekends away together.

• A four bedroomed detached Rectory; ideally situated in the old part of Huntington village and a short walk to All Saints Church and around ¾ of a mile to St Andrew’s.

 Things we want to work on:

• The majority of our church family is of a ‘more mature’ age, active but ageing; we continually pray that more young people and families will join us and we work hard at encouraging this through various groups    

• We hope to improve our contacts with the two secondary schools and with Yearsley Grove Primary School by building trust.

• We are actively looking for ways to involve our children and young people more within our worship.

• We aim to improve the biodiversity of the land we manage, enabling the wildlife to prosper. We are working towards becoming a net carbon zero church.

We are seeking someone who:

• Is a visionary, personable leader whose DNA is prayer, an orthodox understanding and application of the Word of God

• Has a passion for ‘visible’ outreach, flexibility in approach, good communication and inter-personal skills underpinned with a pastoral heart.

• Can build sensitively on what the Lord has been doing over the years and find out where He is at work.

• Will help us develop existing and new links with our community, schools and the many ‘fringe’ people with whom we have contact on a regular basis, and to find more ways of drawing in young families, whilst not forgetting those of a mature age.   

• Will continue to develop our care for the environment.

• Will maintain and develop good working relationships with other local Christians, encouraging our visibility in the community ie. One Voice York; Unite Youth York; ‘Youth Fests’.

• Help us develop our finances over the next few years to secure our long-term mission.

 The Diocese of York

The Diocese of York, led and guided by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, takes in much of North and East Yorkshire. As the largest diocese in England, geographically, the area is very diverse, featuring a multitude of needs and opportunities. This includes the bustling urban centres of York, Hull and Middlesbrough, the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors National Park, and the incomparable Yorkshire Coast; as well as areas of deprivation in some of our urban and smaller rural and coastal communities.

Our mission and ministry relies on thousands of people - lay and ordained, volunteer and paid. Our diocesan teams provide a wide range of support services to our mission and ministry, including lifelong learning for ministry, the care of church buildings, and safeguarding. Together, we are striving to be a people who are ‘Living Christ’s Story’. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves. We are bringing renewed focus and fresh energy to achieving our aims:

• Becoming more like Christ

• Reaching those we currently don't

• Growing in discipleship, influence and numbers

• Transforming our finances and structures

Our approach is aligned with a commitment to the best of our parochial inheritance and to the poorest communities, and to the financial realities we face.

Under current immigration rules, it is not generally possible for us to appoint clergy who are not already eligible to work in the UK.

Appointment is subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this post please contact Archdeacon Sam Rushton on 01904 758241 or email her at adyk@yorkdiocese.org. 

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 25^th August 2024

Interviews: Monday 16^th September, 2024