THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF ST MARK, REMUERA PARISH PROFILE JULY 2017
OUR PARISH IN BRIEF St Mark’s is a welcoming, caring community that has a strong traditional Anglican base - there is a desire to see this retained. Our thinking congregation values a challenging approach to preaching, soundly based in Scripture, with reference to our daily lives. Flying the cross of St George and a call to worship by ringing of the bells is traditional at St Mark’s. Our goal is to continue to build a vibrant, diverse Parish that is growing, with an engaged congregation of parishioners who … •
Feel that they ‘belong’ to St Mark’s;
•
Participate in the life of the Church;
•
And take the good inside out into the wider community.
We need a new Vicar who will work with us to build on the good of our existing Parish to make it truly great in living up to our mission: To know Christ, and make Christ known Continuing to cater to the needs of the existing congregation, including support of the Christian education programmes, is an important priority for Ministry. However, the Parish is uniquely situated in a community that is rapidly changing, and as much as we need to hold true to our traditions, so too do we recognise the need for new ideas to engage with that changing community. There are a number of strong groups within the Parish, such as the Prayer Group, the Choir, the Sanctuary Guild and the Parish Life and Pastoral Care committee. However, there are several areas in which the Parish needs strengthening and we would like to see a growth in activities involving young people, families and home groups and an on-going relationship between those group members and the Parish.
See additional detail in the Appendix
OUR NEW VICAR We are praying that with God’s help, we will find our new Vicar, who will be looking to settle into a new home as part of St Mark’s for the next 5 years or more, working with us to lead our Parish into the future. We think the right person for us will be: • Warm & approachable • Confident & resilient • Energetic & enthusiastic • An intelligent communicator • A good listener • Innovative and outgoing
A spiritual leader looking for a new challenge with the opportunity to support and grow a faith community that knows Christ and makes Christ known to our world. A preacher and a teacher with Gospel-centred, sound theology, who will nurture the growth of Christian education programmes. An innovative problem solver, able to navigate the challenge of the existing congregation’s need for traditional forms of worship, while introducing new forms of worship to expand our Parish and secure its future. A team builder, who discerns the potential in our people, and supports and encourages us all to work together to build up our Parish. A music lover who is sympathetic to the importance of music in the way we worship at St Mark’s. A visionary carer who is sincerely committed to building a new life as part of our community, with a full time focus on the needs of our Parish and our community as part of the wider Diocese.
WORKING & LIVING AT ST MARK’S St Mark’s is blessed with a beautiful historic church, supported by a modern Parish centre with a hall, kitchen, offices and meeting rooms.
We have a large two-storey house with five bedrooms and a study in addition to the normal living spaces on the Church property, with its own private yard – the Vicarage.
The Parish office is light, airy and totally accessible as it is at ground level on Remuera Road.
Our strong preference is for the Vicar to live in the Vicarage, though it should be noted that we recognise this is a private residence and would not require the Vicar to be on duty 24/7.
This large space is an ideal working environment for the members of the Parish team, both clergy and administration, while remaining easily reachable by parishioners and visitors of all ages and fitness levels. Your work will be supported by a team of mostly unpaid staff (see Appendix) and volunteers. In addition to our regular services (see Appendix), there is a wide range of pastoral care and Christian education duties to be carried out, with some demand for weddings, funerals and baptisms from those outside of our Parish roll. Our new Vicar will lead the Parish, working closely with staff and Vestry to support and build the faith community that we envision.
The Parish is responsible for maintenance of the Vicarage. The kitchen was renewed in 1996 and much of the Vicarage was redecorated in 2008. New carpet was laid in 2017. There are two lockable garages as well as a carport and garden shed. There is an extensive garden, much of which is in grass lawn; French windows open to a deck off the dining room. There are a number of excellent schools nearby The Vicarage is in zone for both Auckland Grammar School and Epsom Girls Grammar School, with excellent public transport links to the rest of the city.
YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS THE NEW VICAR This year, we celebrate 170 years of worship at St Mark’s – an Anglican Parish that has truly survived the good and the bad times of New Zealand’s history. Recent years have seen a decline in Anglican parishes across the country, and we are no exception. Some of this decline is natural attrition and failure to bring in the next generation. Some – such as the reduction in wedding numbers – is caused by changes in the types of activity we have allowed to take place in our historic Church. We recognise the need to reach out to our wider Anglican community – and that we do so in ‘competition’ with a number of other Anglican churches located within our wider catchment area. In an area that is rapidly changing, with old, single-family dwellings being replaced by multi-storey apartment blocks, we have long been aware of our difficulties in connecting our mainly Pakeha Parish with the increasingly diverse community in which we live. Indeed, the newest members of our congregation, mostly families, are increasingly diverse in their ethnicity. St Mark’s Parish needs to find a way to foster and grow that new diversity. Our worship, our music and our Parish life must be open and aware if we are to build on this foundation, and meet the challenges facing us in 2017 and beyond.
Total roll figures 2008 – 2013 are not accurate
OUR PRESENT Our Parish roll of 323 people is drawn from a much wider catchment than the immediately surrounding suburbs. It is estimated that approximately half live outside of the Parish boundaries, attracted in part by the tradition of choral music at St Mark’s, as well as some inter-generational attachment to St Mark’s as ‘our family church’. The geographical spread of our parishioners across Auckland presents a particular challenge for pastoral care. We are fortunate to have a Parish that is in a comparatively sound financial position. The 2016 audited Financial Statements are available to applicants selected for interview. The pre-committed “envelope” giving by around 130 of our parishioners is stable at approximately $123,000 per annum. This is supplemented by hall hire ~$64,000, general offerings & fees ~$43,000 and interest income ~$72,000 per year. Our annual fair raises approximately $5,000 while the two houses that we own in addition to the Vicarage bring in rental income. There is project underway to lease the land where one of these houses is located to a new medical centre, which could significantly increase our return on that property. We spend approximately $300,000 running the Parish, including maintenance of our buildings, and a further $53,000 outside the Parish for overseas missions, Diocesan quota, Parish ministry support and social services. Vestry recently met for a strategic planning session, where we identified three major priorities for the next year: 1. Finding the right Vicar to lead our community into the future; 2. Securing our financial future, in the main by ensuring that the abovementioned project to lease land at 1 St Mark's Rd is progressed; 3. Growing the Parish, in terms of both greater number of people and greater levels of participation in the life of the Parish. An immediate priority for Vestry as a group is to keep the Parish working well, by taking on a leadership role during the InterRegnum period.
CELEBRATING SPECIAL DAYS TOGETHER The congregation of St Mark’s likes to mark all the great festivals (and some smaller ones) with special services. In December, Advent Sunday and Nine Lessons and Carols are a long-standing tradition, while more recent, and successful, innovations are the Children’s Crib Service on Christmas Eve, and Carols on the Lawn on a weekday evening before Christmas. The children also present a Christmas pageant on one of the Sundays in December.
Palm Sunday sees our Choir lead the congregation on a short procession along Remuera Rd and back into the Church, waving palm fronds (weather permitting). On Ash Wednesday, we have in the past, joined with the congregation of St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church to gather for the Imposition of Ashes. The service alternated between the two churches. Maundy Thursday sees a quiet evening service with the Stripping of the Altar, while Good Friday has ”stations of the cross” service in the morning and usually a “walk of witness” to St Aidan’s with other churches along the ridge. Thanksgiving Sunday is often an opportunity for a shared luncheon after church, and once a year an invited preacher visits to deliver the Laurie Sheffield Memorial Sermon, named for a much-loved former priest. Marking the Patronal Festival has, in the past, proved a little difficult, as St Mark’s Day fell on Anzac Day; its recent move to 26 April has helped future planning. We also participate in activities with other churches along the Remuera Ridge, including the World Day of Prayer.
OUR MUSICAL TRADITIONS St Mark’s has always had a very strong musical tradition; today’s choir vestry contains choir photographs going back to the late 19th century. St Mark’s is one of the very few Parish churches in Auckland which still has a Picture shows St Mark’s choir at Christmas 1891, choir and which still maintains some of the traditional styles of worship, with Reverend Isaac Richards including a monthly Choral Evensong. There is a strong core of long-serving choristers who enjoy the challenges of complex, interesting music and some choristers travel considerable distances across Auckland to be part of the St Mark’s congregation. Each Musical Director has continued to enrich the choir’s repertoire with music ranging from the 16th to the 21st century. The psalms, with some settings from the New Zealand Prayer Book, have been a special joy. The Musical Director and choir also try to schedule at least one visit to another church, and a concert or recital annually in addition to regular Sunday duties. The choir also takes a full part in services for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Day, Advent and the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols. In recent surveys, a number of parishioners have indicated that it is the musical tradition which brings them to St Mark’s. In particular, the monthly Evensong Service is very highly appreciated. At the same time, there is an awareness of the need to consider differing tastes in musical worship. It is not easy to discover a balance between the old, traditional styles of worship which still appeal to many and the more modern styles which may cater to a greater diversity of parishioners.
PARISHIONERS DOING THINGS TOGETHER Communications has been recognised for some time as an area which needs work – and some improvements have been made. We currently communicate to all parishioners through a quarterly magazine (The Messenger) physically mailed out. We have a website and Facebook page, both of which could benefit from more attention. The weekly pewsheets are a source of news and information for those attending services. The Parish has two main social functions during the year – the Annual Lunch, usually in the winter, and a Trivial Pursuit Quiz Night in September/October. Up to 100 parishioners attend these functions. There is also a pancake-themed barbecue on Shrove Tuesday, held on the lawn behind the church and Christmas fare to be enjoyed in December, usually in conjunction with Carols on the Lawn. St Mark’s has a talented gardener in the Parish who has undertaken the layout and maintenance of the garden adjacent to the north transept and a team of nine takes turns to mow the lawns using the Parish’s ride-on mower. A Working Bee is held in November/ December, at which major work is done in the grounds – trimming of hedges and branches and removal of the odd tree or shrub, etc., and indoor cleaning of the church and hall ready for the Advent season.
We have a wide range of groups which meets regularly (see Appendix) to share friendship and fellowship, and / or to contribute to the running of the Parish in some way. Our Sunday School is held regularly in school term times during the 9.30am service, and has a roll of 8 – 10 children attending on a fairly regular basis.
OUR REMUERA / NEWMARKET COMMUNITY St Mark’s sits at the juncture of Newmarket and Remuera, two suburbs with disparate demographic characteristics. While Remuera is an “old money” suburb populated by significantly older and more affluent people, Newmarket is a rapidly growing business and retail centre, and increasingly a high density housing area populated by a much younger and more culturally diverse mix of people. Newmarket is a transport hub for the wider Auckland region – both trains and buses. Our community is also home to some of Auckland most sought-after schools, both private and public, with the Vicarage (where we would prefer our new Vicar to live) being in zone for both Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar Schools. Auckland University has recently expanded its campus onto what was previously the Lion Breweries site in Newmarket. The Newmarket community has a significantly lower incidence of Christians than the Remuera community. There are a number of other Anglican churches within a 5km radius of St Marks, as well as several Church schools which attract the families in our community. Of the estimated 1,000 Anglican households in our catchment, over half are arguably better located to be served by St Aidan's, which offers a notably different style of worship from St Mark’s. There are another approximately 2,000 Christian households in our catchment (not Anglican). Anglicans, and Christians in general, are relatively more likely to be found in the 50-plus age group Statistics NZ – area unit boundary data from 2013 Census – more detail in Appendix
All people in NZ In St Mark's catchment Men Women Children (0-14 years) Young adults (15 - 29 years) Adults (30 - 49 years) Middle aged (50 - 64 years) Older people (65 years +)
% of group Christian 44% 43% 41% 45% 42% 32% 38% 51% 61%
% of group Anglican 11% 15% 15% 15% 14% 9% 10% 21% 30%
% of Christians who are Anglican 25% 35% 36% 34% 34% 29% 27% 40% 50%
ENGAGING WITH OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY The Parish has a tradition of having the church open daily from 9.00am to either 2.00 or 3.30pm. Many locals passing by will stop into the church for some quiet reflection. In summer, we have deckchairs supplied by the Newmarket Business Association, which we place around our beautiful grounds for local residents and workers to enjoy. As part of our efforts to interact with and participate in our local community we have held a number of events throughout the year, including an annual Parish fair, music and markets, light opera, organ and choir recitals and Christmas Carols on the Lawn. We notify shops, offices and motels in the area of our special services at Christmas and Easter and when we hold our fair. We host an annual service for Dilworth School, which has historical ties with our Parish, and provide occasional support for their other services from time to time. Our Vicar has led the Anzac Day commemoration at the Newmarket memorial for the past few years. There are a number of rest homes and hospitals in the area, which are visited and offered a sacramental ministry. This is a responsibility shared between the clergy and the Sacramental minister. There are very many medical rooms in our immediate vicinity and quite often patients or their escorts will come into the church for a few minutes quiet time.
OUR PARISH HALL AT THE CENTRE OF THE COMMUNITY The St Mark’s Parish Centre has become a real hub for community activities and provides a ready source of rental income to the parish. A highly visible building, on one of main routes into the city, the hall provides an open and welcoming face to the wider community. The facility is well used by many community groups including Communicare, Mainly Music, and the Opera Factory who lease a part of the upstairs area. We hope to continue to encourage the use of the hall by community groups, and those linked to the Parish through weddings and baptisms held during the year. We also are delighted to see general use of the beautiful grounds during the week along with the occasional social event (such as Carols on the Lawn) as St Mark’s gift to the wider community. One pleasing development has been that the Parish Hall has become a regular worship place for the Auckland Christian Mandarin Glory Church (ACMG). St Mark’s and ACMG usually share worship together at least once a year, generally at Pentecost. A new memorandum of understanding recently signed allows ACMG to have their services in the church at 11.30am each Sunday.
OUR FUTURE
HOPES & ASPIRATIONS St Mark’s has always had a strong Anglican tradition and there are many aspects of this that the Parish would like to retain.
A café church initiative was tried in 2012, but petered out with the departure of key personnel. It is hoped that something of this nature may be reinvigorated.
However, whilst we value our tradition, we are aware that in moving forward we must be open to considering change to meet community needs.
A low wattage radio transmitter was installed on a trial basis, as a means of providing outreach to the local community. The station broadcast on 106.7fm frequency over an approximately 1.5km radius, and continuously played hymns and other religious music. This has been abandoned in the last two years.
There is broad agreement within the Parish that in order to grow and develop and make ourselves more representative of our community, some changes or additions to our worship programme are necessary. Parish members, while expressing a desire for the continuation of traditional Anglican services, are also open to variations in the forms of worship; this is an aspect of our worship that the Vestry feels would be good to explore with a new vicar. We recognise that this will not be an easy task – indeed, some have noted that it is a task requiring the wisdom of Solomon. However, with God’s help we are committed to moving forward.
The children of St Mark’s – our future
OUR PAST
BUILDING ON WHAT’S GONE BEFORE The first St Mark’s church was opened on this site on 30 May 1847. By 1860 this small church was found to be inadequate and it was moved to a site in Bassett Road where it was used as a school. The present church was dedicated on 2 September 1860. A strong and unified Parish celebrated its Sesquicentennial in June 1997. This provided a fine opportunity to bring together past and present parishioners in large numbers; to celebrate at worship, to meet at a number of social events and to reflect on the history of the Parish at a display of “St Mark’s through 150 years”. The Reverend Ross Bay, formerly Vicar of Ellerslie, was appointed in 2001, and served for six years as Vicar of St Mark’s, as well as latterly holding the post of Archdeacon. Ross left in November 2007 to take up his appointment as Dean of Auckland, and subsequently Bishop of Auckland. The Reverend Mark Sullivan was appointed in 2008 and led the Parish with good humour for five years. He and his family were an integral part of Parish life and during his time the Parish began to have a more diverse congregation reflective of the changes in the wider community of Auckland. The Reverend Anne Mills was appointed in 2014, bringing her family to live in the Vicarage, and has served for just two years as Vicar until her recent appointment as Dean of the Auckland Anglican Cathedral. A copy of the latest Parish Reports is appended; available on request are A Parish History written by parishioner Mrs Hilary Reid which covers the years 1847 to 1981; a publication produced at the time of the sesquicentennial celebrations, Useful in Your Service and a colourful publication on the church’s stained glass windows.
OUR BUILDINGS OLD AND NEW The Parish property consists of the church, the hall, the vicarage and a small house at 85 Remuera Road currently rented (behind the church) which was formerly occupied by the curate. The site has road frontages on both St Mark’s and Remuera Roads, but does not include the actual corner on which a childcare centre is situated. The rented house at 1, St Mark’s Road, also owned by the parish, is to be removed to make way for a health facility to be built on the land leased from St Mark’s parish. The current church dates from 1860, and has been extended and altered on several occasions. The church has a capacity of about 250 people. There is a fine organ which dates from 1920, although there have been a number of alterations and additions to it since that time. The grassed areas to the north-east and south-west of the church are burial grounds containing 275 graves, although the headstones were removed some years ago. Those which were in good condition were relocated to an area behind the church, where they are set in concrete and have recently been renovated by a volunteer. Alongside these headstones is a Memorial Wall, where plaques bearing the names of more recently deceased Parishioners are displayed. The Parish Hall was extensively rebuilt and opened by Bishop John Paterson in October 2007. This project was significant in unifying the Parish and one which would not have been possible without the support of parishioners, the ASB Trust and the Remuera Lions Club, all of whom made major financial contributions. Most of the Parish buildings are older wooden structures which have relatively high on-going maintenance needs and some substantial costs are incurred at regular intervals. For this reason the Parish maintains a Painting Fund and a Church Maintenance Fund in order to spread these costs evenly over time. Several of the Parish members are part of the Maintenance Group which undertakes to keep the maintenance of all buildings up to date and ensure the Parish continues to meet regulatory requirements.
APPENDIX
DETAILS OF HOW OUR PARISH OPERATES ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS & OTHER SUPPORTING INFORMATION
PARISH MINISTRY TEAM In the last few years, the role of Vicar has been assisted by both non-stipendiary and stipendiary clergy, with a number of liturgical assistants and one Lay Pastoral Minister. There is usually at least one, sometimes more, St John’s students assigned to the Parish during their training. The Parish office is open 9.00am to 3.30pm weekdays. The Director of Music is responsible for playing for Sunday services, directing the choir and being available for weddings and funerals. There is a desire to explore having a paid Priest Assistant to work with the Vicar, when the Parish’s financial situation allows. St Mark’s has traditionally been a Parish that has provided training of curates within the Diocese. Currently the Bishop has not appointed a curate to St Mark’s. The Parish strongly supports this important Diocesan training program for curates.
Interim: The Reverend Noel Derbyshire
Priest in Charge
The Reverend David Steele
Priest Assistant
Established: The Reverend Bob Driver
Priest (non stipendiary)
The Reverend Jim Withers
Priest (non stipendiary)
Mr Trevor Brooker
Licensed Lay Pastoral Minister (non stipendiary)
Mrs Diana Swarbrick
Parish Administrator (full time)
Mr Brian Millar
Director of Music (part time)
Liam Philips
Verger (part time)
WORSHIP TIMES AND TYPES The 8.00 am services tend to attract the older age group since the absence of organ and singing leads to a more contemplative and traditional service, while there is a greater range of ages at the 9.30 services. The services follow the New Zealand Prayer Book liturgies and the main service includes three hymns and a psalm. The services are normally taken by the Vicar and until recently a curate or priest assistant, although in the absence of both, non-stipendiary clergy have occasionally been assisting. There is a roster of liturgical assistants, one of whom attends at each of the 8.00am and 9.30am services. There is also a roster of members of the congregation who read the Epistle and Old Testament lesson. We have occasionally experimented with variations in forms of worship, particularly when there is a baptism during the service. For the All Age Worship on the 3rd Sunday, a special booklet has been produced from Parish resources.
Service
Time
Type of Service
Average number in congregation 25-35 70 -80
1st Sunday Breakfast in the hall between the services Morning tea in hall after 9.30 service
8.00 am 9.30 am
Holy Communion BCP Choral Eucharist & Healing Service with Sunday School in hall during term time
3rd Sunday of month Morning tea in hall after 9.30 service
8.00 am 9.30 am 5.00 pm
25-35 70-80 35 incl. choir
Other Sundays Morning tea in hall after 9.30 service
8.00 am 9.30 am
Said Eucharist NZPB All Age Worship, Choral Evensong BCP Baptisms usually 3rd Sunday Said Eucharist NZPB Choral Eucharist with Sunday School in hall during term time
Wednesday (morning tea afterwards)
10.00am
Holy Communion BCP
10-20
25-35 70-80
PARISH GROUPS AND COMMITTEES The Vestry currently consists of 12 members – the Vicar, 2 Churchwardens, 2 Synod representatives and 8 members elected at the Annual General Meeting held each March. Membership of the Vestry has been very stable and provides the Parish with a wide range of skills and expertise. Vestry meetings take place on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (except December & March There are currently two parishioners with signing authority for bank purposes and to aid in the financial management of the Parish. The current Vestry has committed to taking a strong leadership role in the Parish during the Inter-Regnum, to ensure that St Mark’s continues to deliver what its existing parishioners need and expect.
The Choir - St Mark’s has one of the few remaining Anglican Church choirs in the Auckland Diocese. Sanctuary Guild –looks after flowers, church cleaning and church linen. Prayer Group –meets once or twice a month to uphold before God parishioners and others who are sick or in need of God’s healing care. Friendship Group – meets monthly for fellowship, with interesting speakers. Young Adults Group – meets weekly for Bible study, discussion and prayer. A group of young adults, mostly university students or people in employment, some of whom are unable to attend Sunday services because of work or study commitments. Mainly Music meets every Monday during term time and is an important outreach to the younger members of the community. There are a number of other important groups within the Parish, including Eucharistic Assistants, Readers, Morning Tea and Breakfast providers, the Sunday School team, the Maintenance Team, the Social Committee, the Heritage Group and the Lawn Mowers and Gardeners.
CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS Website
Quarterly Messenger Plus… Occasional emails via MailChimp And for those attending services, the Pew Sheet notices & the Sermon
A DEMOGRAPHICALLY AND RELIGIOUSLY DIVERSE CATCHMENT 20,000 people Half aged under 35 years, including 3,300 children
6,700 households 8,500 Christians 3,000 Anglicans Est. 1,000 Anglican h’holds
Statistics NZ – area unit boundary data from 2013 Census for the 6 area units shown above