St. ANDREW’S CHURCH, Dronfield Woodhouse
Pentland Road, Dronfield, S18 8ZQ.
www.staccd.org.uk
“KNOWING AND GROWING IN CHRIST
- SERVING AND SHARING CHRIST”.
We are a Local Ecumenical Partnership sponsored by the Church of England, the
Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church .
The church is a part of the Parish of Dronfield with Holmesfield, a team ministry, in the
Diocese of Derby.
A member church of Churches Together in Dronfield and District (C.T.D.D.)
and a signatory of the covenant of Churches Together.
THE NEXT TEAM VICAR.
The vacancy is for a Team Vicar within the Parish of Dronfield with Holmesfield Team Ministry
with special responsibility for St. Andrew’s Community Church.
We look for somebody who is Open Evangelical and able to help the fellowship grow through: Clear practical but not conservative Bible teaching.
 Encouraging people in their journey of faith through prayer, study and the refreshment
equipping and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
 Openness to change.
 Enthusiasm for outreach to the local community and support for mission.
 Helping people to grow in confidence and to accept positions of leadership in the church.
 Pastoral care both personally and in supporting of our unpaid lay Pastoral Worker to give
a warm welcome to our informal relaxed way of doing things, and with a care for the
elderly and the young.
 Collaboration with the D.C.C, the Church Leadership Team, the Parish Clergy Team,
Churches Together in Dronfield and District and the Methodist Sheffield Brunswick
Circuit.
 Support and develop our ministry amongst children and young people.
They would be comfortable in leading an ecumenical fellowship where members’
denominational attachment is largely irrelevant and whose unity in Christ is paramount.
A new Rector took up post in October 2011 to lead the Parish of 5 churches with a Team of 3
full time clergy and a model of collaborative ministry is being developed. This means the team
vicar will need to be a good team player, broad-minded and comfortable leading a variety of
styles of worship across the parish. It is expected that the team vicar will also continue
occasional pulpit exchanges with the Methodist Circuit.
CHURCH LIFE.
We are a single worshiping community: an open evangelical church which seeks to be
refreshed, equipped and renewed, by the Holy Spirit, in order to reach out in the love of Christ to
our local community. We have been experimenting with different styles of Sunday worship and
this continues to develop. Currently our services include a mixture of styles, mainly modern
music group led worship, influenced by New Wine and Soul Survivor, with some organ led
traditional hymns, some Anglican and Methodist liturgy, and with prayer ministry offered every
Sunday.
Average attendance on a Sunday morning is: 60 adults and 12 children/young people
Total Membership: 117. (Anglican 51, Methodist 22, U.R.C. 3, Common 28, Other 13.)
Contribution to Parish Electoral Role: 97.
Worship is normally led by a worship leader and either the Minister, an Anglican Lay Reader, or
a Methodist Local Preacher.
Sunday prayer meeting at church, before the morning service.
Mid-week there is “Closer to God”, which is a lay-led Praise, Prayer, Healing and Worship
service, once a fortnight.
Bible Study and Fellowship Groups take place each weekday, including 2 Post Alpha
Groups.
Prayer Groups: Prayer Room open to all on Tuesday Mornings;
Social Activities: Weekly Coffee Morning, Monthly Men's Meeting, and a new fortnightly Lunch
Club (“Rendezvous”) for the older members of the community and church.
Children’s Work: A full range of activities is provided:Youth and Kids church on Sunday Mornings; SCAMPS (toddlers and pre-school); Ignition Kids
(KS1/2, Sunday afternoons); Discovery Zone (5 – 11 yr. old, after school); CY (older teenagers);
Ignition (KS3/4, Sunday evening, with about 40 teenagers). We also run a Children’s Holiday
Club during the summer holidays. St Andrew's has previously had the support from a locally
funded Parish Children's Worker, but the post is currently vacant and its future uncertain, so St
Andrew's is buying in professional support for its own work.
Baptisms at, or following, Morning Worship are supported by Baptism preparation sessions.
Weddings and Funerals occasionally happen at St Andrew's – the team vicar would also take
some funerals and weddings at St John's Parish Church.
Pastoral Care: We have a lay Pastoral Worker and a Caring and Sharing Group (Lay visiting,
Bereavement visiting, Home Communions).
Mission: To our local community especially at Easter and Christmas, also Outreach Events
such as a large outdoor community festival at Whitsun 2011 (‘Whitfest’) and in joint events with
the adjoining school. St Andrew's gives strong support to organising and undertaking the Annual
Christian Aid local area collection.
We support with fundraising and prayer our 3 denominational Mission Societies and
missionaries in Nepal (visited by parties from our church in 2011 and 2012) and Bolivia where
the missioner is a former member of the church. We have an annual church charity which this
year supports both the Dronfield Cardio Club and the local Terminus Project.
Other churches in the Dronfield with Holmesfield Parish Team Ministry: St. John the Baptist, Dronfield Parish Church, www.dwhparish.org.uk/St.Johns
 St.Mary’s Ecumenical Church (Anglican/Methodist LEP),Unstone
www.dwhparish.org.uk/St.Mary’s
 St. Philip’s Church, Holmesdale, www.stphilipschurch.co.uk
 St. Swithin’s, Holmesfield Parish Church, www.holmesfieldchurch.org.uk
There are 9 other churches within Dronfield and 15 in our Churches Together ecumenical
organisation– which includes the neighbouring villages of Unstone, Coal Aston and Holmesfield
CHURCH STRENGTHS.
 A committed, strong D.C.C. working alongside a dedicated, enthusiastic and forward
looking lay Church Leadership Team.
 Strong and innovative Children and Youth Work led by a committed group of church
members and supported by ‘Derbyshire Valley C.I.D.S’. A party of over 40 people went
to Soul Survivor in July 2011 the great majority (25) of the young people being linked to
St Andrew's.
 We have run almost yearly Alpha Courses, and we are currently running a Youth Alpha
for about 30 teenagers, in partnership with the Oaks Community Church.
 Our Church Worship Music Group.
 Our links with St. Andrew’s Primary School and other Schools in the area.
 Sharing our building with local community groups
CHURCH DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
 Our Church Leadership Team is newly formed (2011) and is still developing the way it
works with the Church Council and the wider church Membership, in order to become
fully effective.
 We are also developing our Sunday worship format to find the best means of addressing
and meeting (i) wishes for differing worship styles,(ii) growing Christians to higher levels
of maturity in their faith, and (iii) making an impact on the local community to bring new
non-churched people to faith successfully.
 We need (i) more leaders for our Children’s and Youth Work, (ii) to improve our care of,
and consideration for, the elderly in our membership, and (iii) more detailed knowledge of
the real needs of our local community.
THE WAY AHEAD.
In agreement with the Diocese, and in conjunction with the P.C.C, a Parish Mission Plan is
being developed. The newly appointed Rector will lead its development and St Andrew's will
both contribute to the parish wide approach and tailor elements to reflect the community it
serves to reflect the importance of bringing more people to a Christian faith.
The D.C.C. and Church Leadership Team are working to increase the numbers of young
families and young people in our membership.
The D.C.C. and Church Leadership Team are planning to improve our local Community
Outreach and Mission to people of all ages.
The Church Leadership Team is continuing to encourage more people to be involved in
leadership in the church through leading prayers, worship, Kids Church, and operating our
sound and vision equipment.
CHURCH BUILDING.
A modern multipurpose building built in 1972/3 and extended in 1978/9 (resulting in a rather
unusually shaped, but flexible worship area). The building is physically linked to St. Andrew’s
Primary School (Meth/CE VA). Main Hall (seating 2OO+)can be divided into two separate Halls
seating 100 each), Lounge/Prayer Room (seating 40), Activity Room (wet play etc, could seat
30), 2 Kitchens, Sanctuary Area, Vestry and Church Office, 5 Toilets (1 Disabled), Entrance
Hallway. Last Quinquennial: Aug. 2009; no outstanding work necessary.
The building is heavily used by Community Groups (including a Pre-School 5 weekdays during
term time), and Church Groups. Income is raised for the care and maintenance of the church
building via letting our facilities to a variety of “User Groups”. Very close by are: local shops,
Optician, Pharmacy, Vets, Dentist, public house, take-aways, a Medical Centre and a funeral
parlour.
VICARAGE.
Address: 11 Rothay Close, Dronfield Woodhouse, Dronfield, S18 8PR.
A modern, detached, family house (1978): Entrance Hall, Modern Kitchen, Study, 2 large
Reception Rooms for family and small meeting purposes, Bathroom, 4 Bedrooms, Toilets, up
and down stairs. Double glazing throughout. Gas central heating. Excellent state of repair.
Small garden to front and rear. Garage.
Within 5 minutes walk of the church and in easy reach of local shops and schools and the
central facilities of Dronfield (2 Supermarkets, Sports Centre, Library, Civic Hall).
CHURCH FINANCE.
(A copy of the audited Accounts for 2011 is available on request.)
Some indicative (rounded) figures for 2011 :Given Income: £46,000. Room Letting Income: £19,800.
Denominational and Parish Quotas: £44,400. Church Running Costs: £13,300.
Missionary Giving: £5,050 (tithe)
Major expenditure in the past few years on repairs and improvements to the building means that
our Reserve Funds are under pressure and are being augmented.
THE COMMUNITY.
The church serves the area known as the Gosforth Valley, at the centre of Dronfield
Woodhouse in the town of Dronfield, North East Derbyshire 6 miles south of Sheffield.
This is a reasonably affluent suburban area, where the majority of the houses are in private
ownership with a fairly settled population.
Main sources of employment: Sheffield and Chesterfield (each within about 6 miles) and some
local employment in Dronfield.
Dronfield Woodhouse is within easy reach of the Derbyshire Peak District National Park and
major attractions include Chatsworth House and Gardens and Hardwick Hall
Schools:
St. Andrew’s CE/Methodist Aided Primary School (NOR 185).
William Levick Primary School.
Gorseybrigg Primary School.
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School (a Specialist Technology College).
Hospitals:
The Royal Hospital, Chesterfield.
The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield
The Northern General Hospital, Sheffield
The Sheffield Children's Hospital
The Jessop Hospital for Women, in Sheffield.
Public Transport: Regular Bus services to Sheffield and Chesterfield.
Regular Train services from Dronfield Station to Sheffield and the North;
and to Chesterfield and South.
CONTACT PEOPLE.
Rector:
Hon. Sec. of DCC :
Vice Chair of DCC:
Rev Peter Bold: 01246 411531 pebold@talk21.com
Mrs. Jean Hides: jean@hides.force9.co.uk
Mrs. Jenny Whittaker: jennywhittsta@aol.com
For further information about the parish and the wider Diocese contact:
Archdeacon of Chesterfield: Ven. Christine Wilson archchesterfield@derby.anglican.org