Parish of Great Aycliffe – Diocese of Durham
Parish Profile
Great Aycliffe is a substantial and interesting parish covering the area of
the “new” town of Newton Aycliffe, the original ancient village of
Aycliffe itself and some of the other villages and countryside in the
surrounding area. It is a team ministry parish with a current
complement of a Team Rector and a Team Vicar. It is in the
archdeaconry of Durham and the deanery of Sedgefield.
Newton Aycliffe is a growing town with a number of strong businesses
located in industrial estates including the train manufacturing business
of Hitachi which is now under construction and will bring hundreds of
new jobs to the area. Newton Aycliffe is also to have the first University
Technical College in the North East, attracting skilled young people and
developing expertise in advanced manufacturing and engineering. The
town has a pleasant environment and a newly refurbished town centre.
The mix of the population is typical for a town in the North East with
some areas of quite expensive housing and some estates where incomes
are low and benefit dependency is a fact of life.
“There is a real heart in
this parish to see the
church grow and to reach
out to our community in
all kinds of ways”
Rev Chris Pearson,
Team Rector
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This area, with its population of around 35,000 is served by 4 Church of
England churches (within one united parish) and several churches of
other denominations. There is a functioning Churches Together and
potential for joint working between churches as relationships of trust
and understanding are built up.
The largest and most visible of the churches is St Clare’s which occupies
a prime site in the town centre and is equipped with a number of halls
and smaller rooms which are used extensively by church and
community groups for a range of activities. This makes for a busy
atmosphere with plenty of opportunities for mission.
One of the Anglican churches in the parish, St Francis, is attached to a
Church of England Aided junior school which offers opportunity for
significant involvement in the life of the school. The traditional
congregation is now very small and there is a clear need for fresh
creative thinking in order to promote new ways of connecting the life of
the church with the community it serves and especially the families of
the children who attend the school.
“We love worshipping at
St Francis and are looking
forward to some new
things happening here”
Members of the St Francis
congregation
2
St Andrew’s in Aycliffe village is Saxon in origin and steeped in history.
Much in demand for occasional offices the church and the activities
surrounding it bring a rural feel to complement what is otherwise
substantially an urban parish. A dedicated group of volunteers help to
care for the building and to keep it open to the public once a week in
summer months.
St Andrew’s
Aycliffe Village
St Elizabeth of Hungary,
Woodham
St Elizabeth’s is a more modern building in the Woodham area of
Newton Aycliffe. The simple building and adjacent hall provide a
unique atmosphere and some sacred space which can be used very
flexibly. The Woodham area calls for a different approach to mission
and outreach to a more economically secure part of the town
community.
3
In addition to services there are various events regularly taking place in
the churches of the parish including coffee mornings, social events,
Mothers Union, film nights and outreach groups including a community
youth choir and a foodbank.
There is one PCC with overall responsibility for the running of parish
affairs with 3 DCC groups for the individual churches in which St
Francis’ is currently represented within the St Clare’s group. Some
central administration takes place at the parish office which is staffed by
a part-time administrator one day a week.
“I am grateful for the
opportunities I have to
serve the people of this
parish through the work I
do”
Pam Lovelass, Authorised
Pastoral Assistant
The current Team Rector, Rev’d Christopher Pearson, has been in post
since May 2014. There is a Reader and an Authorised Pastoral Assistant,
both authorised for funeral ministry, with other members of the
congregations currently undergoing training for various roles. Work is
currently going on to re-launch the Shared Ministry Development Team
and encourage everyone involved in lay ministry to play a full part in
parish life and worship.
4
In recent years there has been investment into youth and children’s
work in the parish. There is a well attended Messy Church on a bimonthly basis with a committed group of lay leaders and helpers. There
is a children’s film club, especially over the summer holiday period.
There is a small children’s work on a Sunday morning at St Clare’s, a
modest “Parish Youth” group of teenagers and a newly-formed parent
and toddlers group at St Elizabeth’s.
“Messy Church has been
a great success with
young families. We feel
very encouraged”
Helen McCormick, Youth
and children’s leader
Finances have been tight at times but the parish is now in a position to
honour its parish share commitments and sustain a healthy level of
parish activity. There are some dedicated reserves which are held
against the long-term liabilities of the upkeep of the historic fabric at St
Andrew’s.
There are three clergy houses in the parish. The Rectory is beside St
Clare’s church in the middle of Newton Aycliffe. There is a vicarage near
to St Francis School which it is anticipated will be used by the Team
Vicar and a further house in the Woodham area which could be used by
any future curate or further member of the ministry team.
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The parish priorities for the next five years are currently being discerned
and formulated but are likely to include:
 Growing the church in terms of numbers and depth of discipleship
 Creating a new worship community based around the St Francis
school and church
 Investing further in children and young people
 Developing strong and sustainable lay leadership
 Cultivating an ethos of team working in all that is done
 Connecting with the community and sharing in the struggles
against poverty and unfairness
 Keeping the church finances and building obligations on a sound
basis through generous and committed giving.
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The current weekly service pattern is as follows:
St Andrew’s
St Clare’s
St Francis’
St
Elizabeth’s
Sunday
11:00am
10:00am
9:30am
Holy
Holy
Holy
Communion
Communion
Communion
Wednesday
10:00am
7:00pm
Holy
Holy
Communion Communion
Thursday
9:30am
“Cafe” style
communion
Monthly
Communion in Messy
sheltered
Church
accommodation (6 in a year)
Indicative service statistics are set out below. Wedding and baptism
numbers are based on current bookings.
St Andrew’s
St Clare’s
St
Elizabeth’s
St Francis’
Average
Sunday
Attendance
24
79
20
2014
Weddings
2013
Funerals
2014
Baptisms
11
9
0
14
62
1
24
32
19
Currently Midweek Only
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An invitation from the Team Rector
This parish really needs a great Team Vicar. Being involved in the life of
four diverse congregations is a wonderful privilege but it will need two
clergy working well together if we are to do it effectively. There is a lot
of untapped potential and the future could be really bright. As well as
the unique mission opportunity at St Francis there are plenty of others
amongst the schools, youth groups and community events as well as the
broad network of relationships with which the church is blessed.
As well as mission I would highlight vision and team working. There is
both a need and willingness across the parish to focus on a vision for
what a healthy and growing parish could be. It would be great if the
Team vicar could play a key role in discerning and articulating that
vision. As a small clergy team I hope we could encourage and energise
one another and learn how to play effectively to one another’s strengths.
I am convinced that one plus one can equal more than two!
Team working is about a lot more than just clergy co-operation and
there is wisdom, experience and gifting amongst the congregations that
needs to be supported and affirmed. “Equipping the saints for the work
of ministry” is an important job here.
Neither is the slower, gentler side of positive pastoral care to be
undervalued. There are plenty of people in Great Aycliffe for a people
person to work with!
I am praying for the right working partner to come along. If you feel
stirred by the prospect of ministry in Great Aycliffe and are attracted by
the potential of being an essential part of what is happening here I hope
you will think seriously about whether that partner might be you.
I look forward to meeting you
Rev Chris Pearson
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