Parish Profile WithywoodApprovedplus SDT ... - Diocese of Bristol

Profile: St Andrews, Hartcliffe and Withywood ChurchBristol South Deanery | Diocese of BristolEmail: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 1Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Mission statementOur primary commitment is to Jesus Christ.• We recognise God’s mission to our community as the top priority for our church.• We believe we are called to be ambassadors for Christ in Hartcliffe and Withywood.• We recognise the need to recommit ourselves constantly to the renewal of our prayer lifeand to find simple ways of encouraging all our church members to pray.• We see praying together and praying for and with others as one of the most important wayswe have as a church of receiving and sharing God’s love, with one another and with nonbelievers.• We also believe that actions speak at least as loudly as words in our needy community.• So we are committed to sharing God’s love in very practical ways, ways that make adifference, for the better, to people’s lives.ContactsST. ANDREWS HARTCLIFFEWITHYWOOD CHURCHSt. Andrew’s Parish OfficeThe Withywood CentrePeterson Square, HartcliffeQueens Road, WithywoodBristol, BS13 0EEBristol BS13 8QAChurch Office Tel: 0117 9784580 Church Office Tel: 0117 9878414http://www.withywoodcentre.co.uk/HomeEmail: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 2Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

ContentsWithywood and Hartcliffe AreaWithywoodLocation and HistoryCulture and style of worshipServices and StatisticsLeadership TeamDiscipleshipCommunity LinksMission and Future PlansOur GivingHartcliffeLocationCulture and style of worshipServices and StatisticsLeadership TeamCommunity LinksWelcome CentreMission and Future PlansWider Area: Deanery and DioceseBuildingsParish Contacts45-105778889911-1411121212131313-14141415Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 3Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Withywood and Hartcliffe AreaThe districts of Hartcliffe andWithywood are situated on the southernedge of Bristol overlooked by the hills ofDundry in the South Bristol Diocese..Housing development began in bothareas in the 1950s, with a range ofsocial housing and flats to suit theneeds of a growing community. Overtime the number of owner occupiershas increased and new for purchasehouses built, but the accommodation onoffer is still predominantly socialhousing. A recent new complex inSymes Avenue, Hartcliffe features acommunity building and a range ofshops including Morrison’ssupermarket.The Withywood centre provides spacefor Health and community groups, acafé and the Church within the samebuilding.The two estates of Hartcliffe andWithywood have a joint population ofabout 18,000 - latest statistics revealthat 97% are White British. Over 58% ofthose that responded in a local censusconsidered themselves to be Christian.Both areas have open green spacesand small community play areas.Withywood is the smaller community,with an older than averagedemographic and the area is acrosstwo political wards. Hartcliffe is largerhas above average numbers of 0 to 15year olds in comparison to other areasof Bristol.Both Hartcliffe and Withywood aredeemed areas of high deprivation. TheNational Indices of Deprivation 2007uses 7 aspects or 'domains' ofdeprivation to make Nationaljudgements about areas these includeemployment, education, healthdeprivation barriers to housing, andcrime.Hartcliffe falls within the top 10% ofdeprived areas in the UK; pockets ofWithywood also fall into this categorywith the remainder in the top 30%.The good news is that education resultsare improving and attainment is beingraised through secondary schools in thearea: the Bridge Learning Campus inHartcliffe and the Merchants Academyin Withywood.Both are ably supported by the localfeeder primary / nursery schools andChildren’s Centres in the area.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 4Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Withywood CentreLocationWithywood Centre is located at theheart of the community and close to thecountryside of Dundry Hill and localshops.The historic centre of Bristol with itsfloating harbour, museums andrestaurants is easily accessible by bus,or a 20 minute car drive.History of Withywood Church (Four Acres and present)As people moved onto the estate, in1954 a young couple started the firstchurch in their home. This quickly grewand Sunday school began but thehouse became too small so Four AcresSchool became its home. Later came‘the women’s meeting’ now calledWomen's Fellowship, which alsoflourished. Because of the growingnumbers there was a need for a newChurch Building, so a fund was startedand it slowly grew.A site was selected on land acquiredby the City Council previously in theownership of the Walkenshaw Family.The stone laying ceremony was held onMarch 1st 1958, the memorial wasperformed by Mr Fred Benwell. He andhis family had decided to back thebuilding of the new Church becausetheir father loved the view of Dundryand the area. On September 12th 1958the great day arrived and a number oflocal groups (including Life Boys, Imps,Boys Brigade, Brownies and GirlGuides) moved into the new Church.In October 1971 an Ecumenical Areaproject began – Methodist andAnglicans working together. Eventuallyon the 24th February 1975 a sharingagreement was made. September 1st1992 a community development workerwas put in post and Withywood ChurchCommunity Project was born.Work began on repairing the Churchand raising money for training for smallcommunity groups. Withywood had avision to reach out to its community,through café drop-ins and men’s club,Credit Union, play schemes and socialactivities for the elderly.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 5Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

In the late 1990’s it was the vision forthe church to work with the communityin the centre of Withywood.Regeneration money came into thearea – a new era had begun forHartcliffe and Withywood. Consultationwith community groups and individualstook place and as a result a £5.3 millionbuilding was opened in 2006,Withywood Church had a new home.Gloucestershire Methodist Circuit,Bristol City Council, the Primary CareTrust and the Hartcliffe and WithywoodCommunity Partnership. The building iswarm and welcoming and hosts manydifferent organisations, who workalongside the Church to supportdifferent groups and individuals on theestates. The building originated withWithywood Church and its CommunityProject and expresses in bricks andmortar our vision for church andcommunity to work together to serveour needy neighbourhood. (OurCommunity project came to an end in2008 when funding ran dry).Our building, the Withywood Centre, isa great local asset. It is the product ofa partnership between the Diocese ofBristol, Bristol and SouthRecently several of the green playspaces in the area have beenimproved, by landscaping and theinclusion of play equipment. Otheramenities in the area include two publichouses and small ranks of local shops;Nearby in Hartcliffe there is a largershopping complex with a range ofshops which includes a largesupermarket. In Bishopsworth there is apolice station and local library.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 6Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Culture and style of worshipOver time Withywood Church hasevolved its own unique identity, withits own distinctive style of living andworshiping together that reflectsboth Anglican and Methodisttraditions.Our Sunday worship, greatly helped bya state of the art sound system anddata projector, is upbeat, lively,engaging and inter-active. We lovesinging together and have many, manyfavourite hymns and worship songs.Our services have a simple, flexiblestructure with lots of participation andwith an informal but reverent feel. Ourintention is that people should go homeon Sunday encouraged and affirmed,and strengthened to meet the strainsand stresses of their daily lives. In thelast year we have worked withLighthouse to host “Soul Space,” a bimonthlyalternative evening of worship.If you come into the Withywood Centrethrough the front doors and take thefirst turning on the left you will findyourself in Withywood Church. Ourweekday chapel is a small but flexiblespace, dedicated as a holy space withina busy secular building and able to beextended on Sundays and specialoccasions into the adjoining halls. Ourchapel is simply but beautifullyfurnished with a stained glass windowreaching from floor to ceiling in onecorner, two beautiful paintings by theSiberian artist, Sasha Shuritz, adorningthe walls and hand crafted furniture. Wedon’t have a pulpit or an altar but asimple round Communion table,symbolising our aim to be inclusive andfor everyone to be welcomed andaccepted on equal terms.Services• Sunday worship is 10.00am with Eucharists on alternate Sundays and amonthly Methodist-led service.• Services are ‘informal’, ‘participative’ and ‘reverent’.• There is a weekly Friday morning Communion service with prayer for healing.• Soul Space, a youth-friendly informal service, started by a mission-mindedyoung couple, takes place quarterly on a Sunday evening.StatisticsElectoral roll (up slightly in 2011) 49;NSA: 37Baptisms: 9Weddings: 1Funerals: 30 (2011-12)Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 7Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Leadership Teamministry. A small group of us meet toshare Holy Communion during theweek with a special focus on our ownand other people’s need for healing andwholeness. It’s a time for us to learnand pray together and to openourselves to the love of God so that wecan become a channel of His healinglove to others.Community linksThe most exciting development in ourrecent life together has been theformation of a Ministry Team. (From leftto right) Sue, Jane, Lin, Tracey… andPaul (back row!) are taking anincreasing part in the leading of ourworship, in the care of ourcongregation, and in the strengtheningand developing of our outreach to thecommunity.We set up “Gravy” a mid-week club foryoung people two years ago (currentlywaiting for a new home/bus to housethis project).DiscipleshipBefore we moved into the WithywoodCentre, almost six years ago, we wereinspired by the story of Abraham andthe hospitality he offered to thestrangers who visited him under theoaks of Mamre.We aim to be equally welcoming andhospitable. As a church we have aunique role to play in the WithywoodCentre and in the community and weare very happy to hold our chapel openthroughout the week as a place ofbeauty and peace in a busy building, aplace where people can come to bequiet, light a candle and receive prayerand the comfort of a listening ear if theyso wish.As part of the hospitality we offer weare currently developing our healingThe Family Circle works with youngfamilies once a month on a Sunday atthe same time as our main service.We also established “Mamas andPapas” a parent and toddler group andthrough these groups together withWasps, our holiday play scheme andour Sunday Youth Group we are able toengage with a number of children andyoung people.Older people and people with specialneeds have always been ourespecial care.We host and manage EPIC Short MatBowling Club with in the centre; it isproving to be a valuable asset to ourcommunity.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 8Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Our Women’s Fellowship meetsmonthly and provides friendship andmutual care for its members as doesthe Hartwood Club whose members arepicked up and delivered home again inour church minibus (an invaluable assetin a neighbourhood where many, manypeople lack their own transport.)During the week we are regularly joinedby some of the elderly people whoattend the Day Centre run by Age UK inour building. We pray and sing withthem and share our needs andconcerns together.needy families who had been identifiedby two of our local schools. We now runa weekly “Food store” in the WithywoodCentre aided by volunteers from thecommunity and surrounding Churches.We provide emergency assistance tolocal people in dire straits. The aim isnot just to provide food but to givesupport and to signpost people toappropriate organisations that will helpthem out of poverty.Withywood Church has a covenantrelationship with the Roman Catholic,Methodist and Anglican churches inHartcliffe and Withywood and is veryhappy to be working on this project withthem and with Lighthouse, a localChristian group.Our prayer ministry to people cominginto the Centre is developing all thetime as is the hospitality we offerthrough our weekday chapel. We arealso working with others on the Centresteering group to provide events andactivities that will draw local people intothe Centre to enjoy all the facilities ithas to offer. All in all we are a busy,thriving church, fully engaged with ourcommunity and aiming to bless ourneighbours with the gospel of Christthrough all that we do.Our GivingMany people in our congregation havevery straitened means but that doesn’tprevent us from giving very generouslyto support the work of the Church.Mission and Future PlansChristmas 2011 we ran two “Foodstore” sessions, operating as a localdistribution point for The Matthew TreeProject. We provided food for someWe have always prided ourselves onpaying our full contribution to theDiocese and Circuit.We hold a number of social eventsthroughout the year to support theEmail: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 9Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

diocesan link with Uganda and variouscharities.We recognised from the start that theservice charge we would have to payfor the space we occupy in theWithywood Centre (currently £12k p.a.)would stretch us way beyond ourmeans. So we have been grateful to theMethodist Circuit who agreed tounderwrite our service charge for thefirst five years.We will be looking for on-going supportfrom them and from the Diocese.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 10Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

St Andrew’s Church, Hartclifferegarded as generally healthy to live inand does not suffer any pollution.Hartcliffe is a predominately white areaand is generally regarded as a pleasantarea to live.LocationWe do acknowledgethere are problems.Unemploymentrates are highespecially amongthe young. Thereare a largepercentage of singleparent families.We recognise there is a drug problemin common with other similar estates.The Christian community whichincludes St. Andrew’s wereinstrumental in working together to setup ‘Hartcliffe Tackles Drugs’ - anorganisation which not only tries to helpaddicts but provides a vital service totheir parents struggling to cope with the‘addiction’ of a member of their family.Like Withywood the Estate is situatedon the southern slopes of the City witheasy access to the countryside.Housing is mostly well maintained andpleasing to the eye. The estate hasrecently benefited from a regenerationof the shopping area which includes aMorrison’s shopping facility.The population is a mix of older peoplewho moved here in the 1950’s andbrought up families, many who live hereare second and third generation of theoriginal population. The area isAlthough it appears Hartcliffe is ratherisolated from the rest of Bristol, It is wellserved with schools catering fromnursery age to 6th Form.It has an excellent Health Centre andTreatment Room which incorporates allthe doctors’ surgeries which werepreviously spread around the estateand has a number of nurses,counsellors and ancillary staff.A new hospital has recently been builtwithin a short travelling distance also asports centre and an Olympic sizeEmail: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 11Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

swimming pool and a large SkillsCentre, all within the same campus.Culture and style of worshipSt. Andrew’s has Holy Communion withsung responses on Sunday whichalternates with an All Age WorshipService every other week, a PrayerGroup once a week and a weeklyService of the Word.We also have a very successfulLighthouse Group which meets once amonth in the home of one of ourmembers. At this meeting we have amixture of readings, hymns andprayers. The group is a mix ofcongregation members and non-regularchurchgoers.Through the AAWservices we aretrying to reconnectwith theyoungerpopulation andbuild up our linkswith the localScout Group andthe schools. Wealso have a verygood organist.ServicesA largely Eucharistic tradition with an All-Age service once a month. In the vacancy thePCC have agreed to twice monthly All-Age if cover is unavailable. A weekly, lay-ledservice of the Word serves as ‘church’ for a small number. A monthly house meetingof praise and prayer called the Lighthouse has run for 18 years.StatisticsElectoral Roll: 46 NSA: 27Baptisms: 3Weddings: 2Funerals: 2 (2011).Leadership Teamand to adapt our Services to theirneeds, ideally you are a person who willWe have a very strong LeadershipTeam consisting of an enthusiasticLLM, two Wardens, a Lay Chair,Secretary and Assistant Treasurer whowork in harmony with each other.We are a small, mature congregation.We recognise our need for the future toencourage families and young peopleEmail: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 12Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

continue to nurture and encourage thegrowth of our congregation; who willwork with our Leadership Team andengage with the community andencourage us in our vision for thefuture.We have a number of good volunteerswho clean the Church, do the flowers,act as sidesmen, etc. We have no paidstaff.We have built up good ecumenical linkswith our local Methodist Church andwould want a Priest-in-Charge whowould support this, and also theordination of women, as St. Andrew’shas done, however we are not an LEP.Community LinksThe Brownies/Rainbows meet regularlyin our premises.We have a Ladies Craft Group, a BristolHistory Group, the Tuesday Club (aLinks with all these groups are beingdeveloped and improved to increaseinter-action with the Church.We support Withywood/Hartcliffe FoodBank.Welcome CentreThe ‘Welcome Centre’ is run by St.Andrew’s, the Methodist Church,Withywood, St. Pius and communityvolunteers and is based in theMethodist Church Hall. It is a non-profitmaking enterprise with all proceedsgoing to local charities. Good qualitysecond hand clothes, bric-a-brac,advice, credit union and a cup of teaare some of the things available.It is a good example of the Christiancommunity working together with thelocal area to show the Gospel in action.Mission and Future PlansWe recognised some time ago that ourchurch was too large and our hall andcoffee bar sadly dilapidated and wecould no longer afford the upkeep of thebuildings. We had two choices close orre-build. We have been workingtowards a possible architecturalcompetition to draw up plans for a newchurch.Ladies Group), and a self-help groupfor people recovering from addiction.We have a vision for our future andhave the support of a past member ofThere is also the 81st (St. Andrew’s)Scout Group who meet in recently builtpremises not far from the church andan Angling Club which encouragesyoung persons from disadvantagedbackgrounds to join them.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 13Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

the congregation who has thenecessary connections to support thefundraising for a new Church. Our ideais a sacred space/church surroundedby gardens and landscaping whichcreates a sense of peace and welcome.Although the development is notintended to be a major part of thePriest-in- Charge’s role, matters havetemporarily been put on hold in orderthat our new Priest can work with ustowards this end.Wider Area: Deanery andDioceseThe South Bristol Deanery Chapter isspiritually supportive, seeking ways to helpeach other grow in discipleship, leadershipand prayer for each other. The Chapter is apartnership in which clergy commit tomutual affirmation, assistance andaccountability.Involvement in the Deanery and Chapter isexpected and is vital to mission in theDeanery of South Bristol.The Diocese of Bristol is experiencing atime of change and growth.Our purpose of “creating communities ofwholeness with Christ at the centre”remains constant. We maintain ourcommitment to encouraging growth incommitment, partnership, influence andnumbers in and through those communities– growth of the Church and of the Kingdomof God.As a diocese, we seek to create a culture inthe Diocese where growth is consideredthe natural condition of every believer, theChurch and the Kingdom; where allministers seek first to serve and empowerothers, releasing the energy of the wholeBody of Christ; where interdependencebased on trust and mature engagement isexpressed; where decisions are entrustedto those best placed to make them; wheregenerosity, grace and mutual challenge areencouraged and thrive.We are committed to holistic growth acrossthe Diocese, leadership development,appropriate decision-making at Deanerylevel and a new approach to Parish Sharebased on generosity, grace andinterdependence.The Diocese of Bristol is committed toplaying a full part in the Church of England,as part of one, holy, catholic and apostolicChurch.BuildingsThe VicarageA 4 bedroomed, detached vicarage withstudy, garage and garden is available inclose proximity to both estates:St. Oswald’s Vicarage, Cheddar Grove,Bedminster Down, Bristol, BS13 7EN.Further details will be provided as soon asthey are available.Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 14Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920

Parish contactsSchools and Children's Centre InfoName of school Contacts name Email address Tel. No:Merchants Academy Primary Alison Hinder gay.elms.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9030311Four Acres Mr Robert Lane (Head) fouracresp@bristol-city.gov 0117 9030474Merchants AcademyMrs Ann Burrell(Principal) info@merchantsacademy.org 0117 3015000Mr Paul Widnall (Vice P)Fair Furlong Emma Drew (Head) fair.furlong.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 3772181St. Pius X Mr Tony Halloran stpiusp@bristol.gov.uk 0117 3772165St. Peters BishopsworthMiss Livvy Sinclair-Gieben st.peters.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 3772186Bridge Learning Campus enquiries@bridgelearningcampus.com 0117 3534472Caroline Jenkinscjenkins@bridgelearningcampus.comHeadley Park Brian Walton (Head) headley.park.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9031511Cheddar Grove Paul Jeffery (Head) cheddar.grove.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9030418Bedminster Down Secondary Gary Schlick (Head) office@bedministerdown.com 0117 3532800Bridge Farm Geoff Mason (Head) bridge.farm.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9030420Hareclive Mike Colcombe (Head) hareclive.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9030425Wansdyke Adam Smith (Head) wansdyke.p@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9030218CHILDREN'S CENTRE'SBishopsworth Children's Cnt Lisa Meehan (Manager) bishopsworthcc@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9781028Four Acres Children's CntApril PyeHartcliffe CC Marie Thomas (Manager) hartcliffe.early.years@bristol.gov.uk 0117 9038633Email: wasps@hotmail.com Email: smithshirley@live.co.uk 15Tracey Phillips 1 WithywoodShirley Smith 1 Hartcliffe0117 963 5304 or 07971775225 0117 964 7920