A. CONTEXT
The United Reformed Church in Cheltenham
Cheltenham is a Regency town which thrived as a result of the discovery of spa water in the 18th Century. It is an affluent town with a number of large industries, government departments and companies which have attracted people from all parts of the country. The Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) is based in Cheltenham as is the Countryside Agency. Several companies either have their headquarters or major offices in the wider area; the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society, the Chelsea Building Society, M & G Insurance, Zurich Insurance and Kraft Foods. There are two major firms in the aviation industry: Messier-Dowty and Smiths Aerospace. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is based here and Cheltenham is also home to the University of Gloucestershire which has a number of campuses spread across the town.The town hosts many cultural festivals for music, science, jazz, folk, literature and even cheese. Any Irishman will tell you that Cheltenham is, of course, famous for its horseracing, particularly in March for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The racecourse is also the venue for the Christian Greenbelt Festival in August. These festivals and the beauty of the town and its surrounding area attract many visitors and tourists
The population of Cheltenham is around 110,000 and there is a higher than average number of older citizens. The people are predominantly white with few people of African and Asian origins. There are also more people in Cheltenham educated to a higher level than the national average.
Whilst this Cotswold spa town is an area of good employment and affluence there are a number of deprived areas where the teenage pregnancy rate exceeds the national average and drugs, alcohol and their associated crimes are prevalent.
The United Reformed Church in Cheltenham (URCiC) came into being 14 years ago. St Andrew’s had appointed a Minister in 1988 but in 1991 Prestbury and Warden Hill United Reformed Churches became vacant. The Minister of St Andrew’s suggested to the Church Secretaries that the three Churches should consider a team ministry. This proposal was agreed and approved by all three Church Meetings and a team ministry of two Ministers serving the three Churches was created.
The three worship centres are:
• Prestbury, which is in a village setting on the northern side of Cheltenham
with a membership of 43 from the locality around the Church.
• St Andrew's, which is in the centre of Cheltenham, has a widespread
membership of 185 across the surrounding area with some travelling 2/3 miles
to the Church.
• Warden Hill, which is on the southern side of the town in a residential
area and has 24 members.
The URCiC could be described as having a broad spiritual theology. The styles of worship and theology across the pastorate are very diverse with some preferring a more “traditional” style of worship and others preferring to explore spirituality through modern family friendly worship. Generally the pastorate is accepting of a variety of forms of spirituality. Many of our members prefer traditional patterns of worship but this doesn’t always engage the under 30’s who would like to break the mould a little and experiment with different styles of worship and explore spirituality.
The three centres all have their own character, traditions and customs which in themselves offer a range of styles of worship. Many members of the URCiC value the support and fellowship of the whole Church and welcome the chance to worship and socialize together. Even though this diversity is recognized and valued unity will present its own challenges.
The Church Council is the umbrella committee of the United Reformed Church in Cheltenham (URCiC) and has its own Secretary and Treasurer and includes the three Church Secretaries, a representative from each Church, a member from the World Church and Mission Committee (a united committee) and, of course, the two Ministers.
The Ministers have shared their Ministerial duties across the three Churches, covering worship, pastoral care and the various social activities. We have united services and united Elders' and Church Meetings including an AGM during the year.
We offer the following activities across the URCiC:
URCiC Forum – a weekly social meeting with a speaker (similar to Probus
and the Women’s Institute but for both sexes!)
Bible Study
Tuesday Prayer Meeting
After-school Clubs for Children
Learning for Leisure Courses on different topics
Creative Cards
World Church and Mission including Traidcraft
The URCiC bank account looks after the Ministerial expenses, overseas mission donations (Commitment For Life etc) and also the salary for the paid leader of the after-school clubs ‘Bright Sparks’ and ‘Volcanoes’.
There is a monthly magazine, “In Touch”, which is distributed to all members of the congregations
The URCiC has a close link with a similar pastorate in Oggersheim in Germany. An exchange visit takes place annually with the host alternating between Oggersheim and Cheltenham. This link started when one of the Pastors from Oggersheim came on a Ministerial exchange to the area.
Over the years the three Cheltenham Churches have come closer together, sharing and supporting each other in our mission to the town and we look forward to forming closer ties in the future.
A United Pastorate service at St Andrew’s for Commitment for Life
St Andrew’s
St Andrew’s is an old Presbyterian church and as such has attracted many of the ‘ex-pats’ in Cheltenham’s Scottish community. As befits a town centre church, most members of the congregation do not live nearby, but come from all across the town and beyond. Within the congregation there are subsets of friendships particularly around the weekly Thursday coffee morning and the weekly Saturday Stall and coffee bar.The majority of the members in this congregation fall into the 65 plus age group. It is this group who carry the majority of the workload despite their involvement in other outside activities. A significant number of the congregation fall into the professional category. These people bring a wealth of expertise to the Church but they too have many other commitments and interests.
The Church has a beautifully restored Willis organ and has a very accomplished organist to support the musical dimension of the Church. Generally the artistic taste of the congregation could be aligned more to Classic FM than Radio1, 2 or 3!
There is a group of teenagers, mainly from Church families, who worship at St Andrew’s; they are “hanging in” there but this is a critical area for development for the new Ministerial Team.
The vast majority of the congregation prefer to receive scriptural authority which they link to their own contemporary secular knowledge. Within the congregation there are four retired Ministers two of whom have a high profile nationally.
The Church is linked to a number of others in a Cluster Group, comprising Christchurch (C of E), Gas Green (Baptist), St Mark’s (Methodist) and Salem (Baptist), and relationships are good. Churches Together in Cheltenham is the ecumenical dimension of a large number of local Churches, including St Andrew’s, and again relationships are good.
St Andrew’s is located in one of the main thoroughfares of Montpellier, an area of Cheltenham developed around the Spas to the south of the town centre during the Regency and Victorian periods. Montpellier, a largely prosperous area of the town, is a mixture of offices, shops, hotels, restaurants, pubs, gardens and open spaces. The residential areas contain some of the more up-market properties; mainly Regency and Victorian in style and mostly split into apartments or flats, but some modern designs are evident.
The population around the Church is largely stable, predominantly white, and is a mix of students, young people, professionals and retired people, with a number of nursing homes in the area.
The nearby Town Hall serves as a centre for the Cheltenham’s famous international arts and science festivals and St Andrew’s is used for some of the fringe events. The Church premises are used extensively by different organisations within the community, for example, the Scottish Society, choirs, and yoga.
The Church and spire were built in 1885 with the addition of a hall and ancillary rooms ten years later. In 2002 the Church underwent a major refurbishment programme with the creation of the Montpellier Church Centre. This consisted of the modernisation of the Church interior, the building of a glass entrance, and the construction of new rooms and the modernisation of others. This major redevelopment project was carried out to create opportunities for outreach and mission.
Medieval Carol Service 2005
St Andrew’s URC
Prestbury
The congregation in this Church reflects its village setting. There are members of the congregation with a deep personal faith whose families have worshipped in this Church for generations. There are also a number of young families who are just starting their journey of faith. In the last five years the congregation and membership has increased considerably which has made this small village Church the fastest growing URC Church in the Gloucester District. The congregation has worked alongside the previous Ministers to adjust and adapt worship to meet the needs of a spiritually growing congregation. Courses have been run to support those seeking to understand Christianity and the traditions and structures of the URC.Often referred to as “chapel”, a great emphasis has always been placed on working with children. Previous generations ran large Boys and Girls Brigade troops and weekly clubs. In the last ten years the focus has been on the Toddler Group and Holiday ‘Playdays’. The Toddler group has a reputation for a welcoming, friendly atmosphere and is run by members of the congregation with a roll of about 30 toddlers plus their carers. The holiday ‘Playdays’ afternoons are planned by members of the congregation and supported by parents and friends. On average 40 children enjoy games, bible stories and activities.
The Junior Church is a smaller faithful band of ten or so children ranging from 2-9 years old. There is a strong team of Junior Church helpers who provide teaching and creative activities. Most of the children are keen to take part in worship.
Prestbury URC is situated on the main road of what is now a suburb of Cheltenham. The village is attractive and sought after as a prime residential location with two excellent village Church schools (Infants and Juniors). The population is predominantly white with a mixture of professionals, families and retired people, with a number of nursing homes and sheltered type accommodation.
The building is a traditional red brick chapel which was opened in 1866. Initially set up as a centre for non-conformist worship by Cheltenham’s Congregational Church, we still attract many of other denominations who live in the village and who wish to worship locally.
In recent years a number of changes have been made to the exterior of the Church to make it more attractive and welcoming. The worship area is carpeted with moveable chairs which allow great flexibility in its use and style of worship. The Church is awaiting a survey report which will result in major works in the kitchen and other parts of the building.
The Church is an active member of Churches Together in North Cheltenham and has good links and relationships with the village Anglican Church. At present six Anglican Churches, the United Reformed Church, a Methodist Church and a Roman Catholic Church come together for three ecumenical evening services each year. In recent months the village Anglican Churches and the United Reformed Church have been discussing other ways of working together. This has recently resulted in a formal request from the Anglican Church to explore how the two Churches can work more closely in other areas.
Harvest Samba
Prestbury URC
Warden Hill
Warden Hill URC is a modern Church situated in a large housing development on the southern edge of Cheltenham. The Church is built next to a children’s play area and by a small parade of local shops. Warden Hill is also home to the United Church office, which is open on a Tuesday and Friday morning. The original housing was built in the late 1950’s and further housing developments have been added in the 1960’s and 90’s. The area attracts families and first time buyers as well as retired people. It is almost 100% white.The regular congregation is made up of 50-60 year olds, but on family service and cooking Sundays there is a good number of 20/30 year olds with children. Because of the young families and the large area of housing around the Church, there is great potential for growth. The mid-week after school clubs (‘Bright Sparks’ and ‘Volcanoes’) also provide potential for adult membership growth, because not all the parents attend Church – at the moment.
The Church music group called the WHO (Warden Hill Orchestra) plays for family services and other special services. The group is made up of adults and children and includes wind, string and keyboard instruments. The WHO unites with St. Christopher’s music group occasionally at joint services.
Five or six years ago Warden Hill joined with St Christopher’s (the local Anglican Church) to bring about ‘Springclean’, assisted by students from Queens Theological College in Birmingham. The two Churches reached out into the local area and new housing developments to spread God’s word.
Warden Hill URC has recently (January 2006) signed a ‘Declaration of Intent’ with St Christopher’s (see Appendix A.). It is intended for the two Churches to work towards forming a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP). The Churches have worked closely together for many years; the most recent ventures being to take ‘Open the Book’ into the local Primary school twice a week and litter picks around the area. The Eldership, Church Meeting and St Christopher’s Parochial Church Council support working together more closely or even as one. Amongst the regular united activities are four or five Sunday services, including Easter, Harvest, Carol and Advent services. Holiday activities called ‘Playdays’ have also taken place jointly with St Christopher’s.
It is expected that when the Churches come together there will be unity from the beginning. Warden Hill has in the past been linked with other local United Reformed Churches – Brockworth and Prestbury - so is used to being ‘united’ and working with others.
The two Churches at Warden Hill were both built about 45 years ago and are situated almost opposite each other. Warden Hill is a modern hexagonal Church building with two large halls, kitchen and new disabled toilet facilities attached to the Church building; amenities that are widely used by the community for activities including Brownies, dancing groups, karate and slimming classes. A brief description of St Christopher’s is provided at Appendix A.
[ Context ] | [ Pastorate Arrangements ] | [ Priorities for the Pastorate ] | [ Ministry and Mission ]
[ Local Church Life ] | [ Statistics ] | [ Appendices ]