About us > Parish profile
The Parish SettingThe Church
The Tradition
Worship and Ministry
Areas of particular ministry
Other activities
Links with the wider church
Clergy Housing
Finance
Visions and Priorities for the Future
Patron : The Lord Bishop of London
The Parish Setting
The parish of St Mary the Virgin & All Saints, Potters Bar lies on the southern boundary of the St Albans Diocese and covers the central and eastern half of the town. The parish population, according to the 2001 census, is 12,183. The 2001 census also confirmed that 25% of the population is aged 60 and over (considerably higher than the average for the borough of Hertsmere). 63% of the population are in employment and unemployment is low (2%) - though this may have changed since 2001. 16% are retired, higher than the Hertsmere average of 12%. 89% of households in the parish are owner-occupied. Only 5% of residents adhere to other faiths.
Lying close to the M25, M1 and A1(M), Potters Bar has excellent road and rail links which make it an attractive residential locality for many professional people, tradespeople and office workers, many of whom commute to London and elsewhere. Many people retire here and there are several residential homes and sheltered housing developments for the elderly with resident wardens. However, there are also a large number of young families in the town with two county primary schools and one private preparatory school in the parish (as well as the Roman Catholic primary school). In addition, the Park Education Support Centre (Key Stage 4 Learning Centre) is located in the old Ladbrooke School buildings on the High Street. All types of housing are represented, from large detached houses to two sizeable estates built as council property which are now largely owner-occupied houses and flats, with some rented through housing associations. There is little industry in the parish but there are two shopping centres and several large office developments. The community hospital is situated within the parish, as are police and fire stations. There are two large supermarkets, a bus garage, library and health centres, sports facilities and an abundance of restaurants! The railway station is close at hand - with a half hour journey (or less) to Moorgate or Kings Cross. The town is served by the Wyllyotts Centre for local theatre and cultural activities.
The Church
The parish of Potters Bar was created in 1835 out of the parish of South Mymms and until 1915 was served by St John's Church, which stood on the present site of the War Memorial in the High Street. St Mary's Church was consecrated that year, though the west end was not completed until 1967. A large building in the Gothic style, it seats 250 comfortably and is generally in excellent order. There is a parish office and meeting rooms at the west end of the church, and a parish hall and Scout Hut on the same site.
A large programme of external repairs and refurbishment has been taking place in recent years, involving both the church and the hall. Further work is planned for the church hall to upgrade the interior of the building, and a major fundraising campaign was launched in 2005 to mark the 90th anniversary of the church. The interior of the church has benefited greatly from the acquisition of new chairs (purchased from Our Lady and St Vincent Catholic Church in Mutton Lane) and the refurbishment of the woodblock floor. The "chairs and floor" project was funded through donations from church members. The toilet facilities in the church have also been upgraded, to ensure they comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
CCTV cameras were fitted during 2008 following the theft of lead from the leaded-light windows in the vestry area. Also during the last year, the "upper room" in the gallery has been decorated and fitted with new furnishings and is a pleasant venue for children's work and small meetings.
The Tradition
Since its consecration in 1915, St Mary's has belonged to the catholic wing of the Church of England. The tradition of catholic teaching, ceremonial (vestments, incense and reservation of the Sacrament) and music continues to this day, though we would now describe ourselves as "modern orthodox catholic anglican". In 1994, following a congregation ballot, the PCC passed both Resolutions A & B of the "Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993". There is still support for this stance, even though the composition of the congregation has changed dramatically since 1994. It is worth noting that we are the only parish in the Archdeaconry of Hertford to have these resolutions in place.
Worship and Ministry
Pattern of Sunday Worship:
8.00 am Holy Eucharist (Order One - traditional language)
10.00 am Parish Eucharist (Order One - contemporary language)
The average number of communicants on a Sunday are 14 at 8.00 am and 66 at 10.00 am. The number at Parish Communion increases on the third Sunday of the month when we hold a "Family Communion" attended by the young people of our uniformed groups and their parents. This service attracts a congregation of approximately 85 adults and 25-30 children, with around 76 communicants. We endeavour to keep the duration of this service to one hour or less, include modern hymns/songs and a more informal Ministry of the Word, but retain catholic ceremonial. A recent innovation was the St Mary's Orchestral Group (SMOG) which accompanied the hymns. This was a success and will be repeated.
Evensong ceased a few years ago, due to dwindling attendances. Occasional evening services are held on special occasions (e.g. Lent, Advent, Christmas).
The usual Sunday attendance is 80 adults and 5 children.
Weekday services: Eucharists 2 days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) with Sung Eucharist on major festivals.
Electoral Roll: 130 (85 resident in the parish, 45 non-resident)
Occasional Offices: In 2008 there were 4 baptisms and 45 funerals (of these, 17 were conducted in church). The number of baptisms has declined sharply in recent years, though there has been an encouraging number of enquiries in 2009. No weddings were held at St Mary's during 2008; in recent years there have only been 1 or 2 per year. There were no candidates for Confirmation during 2008, as a Confirmation service was held in late 2007. On average, we present about 4 candidates per year.
Ministry Team: Father Peter Bevan (Vicar since June 1995) and Richard Osborn (Reader since September 1992). Until July 2004, we had a first-post stipendiary curate but the decision was taken not to seek a replacement.
Lay involvement: There are regular rotas for reading, interceding, serving at the altar and administering Holy Communion. Groups and committees deal with stewarding the church mid-week (the Church is open 12 noon - 2pm most weekdays), finance, childrens' work, maintenance of buildings and social events. There is an active programme of social events throughout the year, with the Quiz Night and Barn Dance being especially popular.
A Pastoral Care Group has been established in the past two years and its members are making a valuable contribution in assisting Father Peter with general pastoral work, e.g. maintaining contact with church members who are ill, frail or housebound
PCC: Membership of 16, including the Father Peter, the 2 Churchwardens and 3 Deanery Synod representatives. PCC meets every 2 months.
Adult education: The Lent course (either organised on a parish basis or as part of Churches Together in Potters Bar) is well supported. The Bible Study Group has not met for some while. There is a possibility that future adult education opportunities may be considered across the Potters Bar "cluster" of Anglican churches.
Communication: The parish magazine ceased publication just over a year ago, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to get material. A weekly news sheet is distributed at Sunday services and published on the parish website - www.stmaryspb.org.uk. This site is kept up-to-date with the parish diary and other relevant information. It receives between 40 to 50 hits per week. We also have an entry on the "Church Near You" website - www.achurchnearyou.com/potters-bar-st-mary-the-virgin-all-saints, with links back to our own website. This receives between 5 to 10 hits per week. A diary of events is now produced twice a year and distributed widely across the parish.
Areas of particular ministry
Schools: Oakmere and Ladbrooke schools visit the church periodically as part of their curriculum. These visits are very popular with the children and the teachers.
Several schools in our own and neighbouring parishes use our large church for their Christmas carol services (e.g. Dame Alice Owens, Chancellors, Ladbrooke, Stormont and St John's). St John's Schools in the Ridgeway also use the church for end-of-term services, even though they are situated just outside the parish boundary, in London Diocese.
Children: The work of the Sunday School has been reviewed, due to reduced numbers of children attending church on a regular basis and a limited pool of teachers. A new pattern has been agreed, with Sunday School taking place on the first and third Sundays of each month. On the third Sunday, there will be a good number of youngsters attending due to the Parade Service.
The girls uniformed organisations linked to St Mary's are thriving; however, the boys groups have suffered from a lack of leaders and youngsters. Fr Peter and the Churchwardens are in discussion with the District Commissioner and Scout Committee about the long-term future of the group.
Young people: The parish supports the ecumenical youth organisation Act 4 which works with local schools and church youth groups. For some years, Act 4 had their office in one of our gallery rooms before moving to more spacious accommodation at the United Reformed Church.
Hospital: Potters Bar Hospital is located in our parish, but all the local clergy are on-call.
Old People's Homes: There are 4 residential homes for the elderly in the parish and we plan to build closer links with these in the next two years, as well as with some of the developments of sheltered accommodation for the elderly.
Homes for those with physical and learning disabilities: There are 4 of these residential homes in the parish and residents from two (Morven House and Kingsley Court) attend worship regularly. This is another area where closer links could be developed.
Churchyard: St Mary's detached churchyard in Mutton Lane was closed for burials in the late 1970's, but ashes continue to be interred there. The administration of the churchyard takes up a considerable amount of Father Peter's time, but is an important service for the residents of our town.
Other activities
Special annual services: St Mary's is the venue for the Royal British Legion Remembrance Day service (Fr Peter is Chaplain to the Royal British Legion branch), All Souls' Day Requiem (when we invite the relatives of those whose funerals have been conducted by Fr Peter during that year), Advent Procession, Christingle, Crib and Carol services, full Holy Week liturgies, St George's Day Parade Service and Potters Bar Town-Twinning Service (which takes place every three years). The civic role of St Mary's has been particularly emphasized when Father Peter has been Chaplain to the Mayor of Hertsmere on two occasions.
Overseas Mission and Charities: The parish supports the work of USPG, Christian Aid and the Children's Society. There is also a close link with a parish in the Gambia (Christ Church, Serrekunda), thanks to a member of our congregation, Mrs Janet Daniels. Fundraising for the church and their schools has taken place, and we have welcomed clergy from Serrekunda to our Parish Communion.
Music: There is a strong musical tradition, with an RSCM-affiliated choir. There are monthly lunchtime organ or instrumental recitals in the church, preceded by light lunches. These have been established for over 25 years and are well supported by people across the town.
The church is a sought-after venue for other concerts, e.g. Potters Bar Choral Society, Barnet Choral Society, the Hertfordshire Philharmonia and the Hertfordshire Chorus have used the church in recent years. Local schools (e.g. Dame Alice Owens, Cranborne and St John's School) also use the church regularly for musical events.
Links with the wider church
There is considerable co-operation and goodwill with all the denominations in the town, through "Churches Together in Potters Bar" (CTPB) and its Ministers' Fellowship. Both Father Peter and Richard are involved in this co-operation, which includes officiating at services (especially at holiday times or during periods of vacancy), pulpit exchanges, songs of praise and Taize services, joint Lent courses, joint social action etc. Lay representatives from St Mary's serve on the CTPB group (our Organist, Dave Miller, is their webmaster) and the committee of the Fellowship of Service scheme (FISH). There is active involvement in town-wide fund-raising for the Children's Society and Christian Aid.
Both Father Peter and Richard Osborn serve on the Deanery Synod Standing and Pastoral Committee - Richard as Deanery Secretary. Richard is also one of the Joint Secretaries of the Diocesan Readers' Association, responsible for the Reader selection process. Three Reader Selection Conferences are held at St Mary's each year.
Our Choral Director, Mr Geoff Follett, serves as lay chaplain to the Potters Bar Fire and Rescue Station, the Hertfordshire Constabulary and the Chiltern Police Air Support Unit (which consists of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Thames Valley police).
Clergy Housing
The four-bedroomed vicarage, built in 1991, situated a short distance from the church, has a substantial garden, and an excellent independent study and garage.
The curate's house is a semi-detached three-bedroomed 1960's property in Otways Close, also very close to the church. Since Fr Robert Desics left the parish in 2004, this property has been let through a local estate agent.
Finance
Figures from the 2008 accounts show:
Income: £86,865 including Planned Giving of £37,730 and Tax reclaim of £12,132
Expenditure: £86,859 including Parish Share of £45,458 (rising to £46,839 in 2009)
Each year we hold a Commitment Sunday when all church members are invited to review the level of their giving. 93 people on the Electoral Roll are committed to planned giving.
We benefit from rental income from 11 Otways Close - £8,938 in 2008. The hire of church and hall facilities (together with a recent development of letting some dedicated parking spaces on the church forecourt to local businesses) brought in £9,304 in 2008.
Clergy expenses are met in full.
Capital assets: Church and its furnishings, and the church hall
11 Otways Close (approximate value - £275,000)
Reserves: £106,728 (at the bank and in the Central Board of Finance deposit fund)
£109,819 (Central Board of Finance investment)
£58,126 of the reserves are restricted for the use of church and hall restoration work.
Visions and Priorities for the Future
These are shared by the Incumbent and the PCC. Our Mission Statement is:
to bring people to Christ through our work and witness at St Mary's, using our faith, care, skills and time.
In the last ten years, the congregation at St Mary's has changed considerably, with the death of many of our faithful members. However, congregation numbers remain encouragingly steady and the age range of our members is now much broader. This gives plenty of hope for the future. We now see our priorities over the next few years to be:
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building on our traditions of prayer and the sacraments, worship and liturgy, preaching and teaching - and introducing new people to this rich heritage
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extending work with schools, children and families, with a continuing focus on the monthly Family Communion service and developing our ministry to the members of the uniformed groups. In addition, efforts will be made to strengthen our links with Ladbrooke and Oakmere Schools
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continuing the strong emphasis on the pastoral care of church members and parishioners. In particular, the Pastoral Care Group will explore closer links with residential homes for the elderly and those with physical and learning disabilities, as well as with sheltered housing developments
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building on our reputation for being welcoming, friendly and hospitable. This will include a lively programme of social events to attract new people into the life of St Mary's
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developing the spiritual lives and gifts of individuals
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securing a sound long-term financial base. The annual Commitment Sunday will endeavour to draw new church members and those on the "fringe" into regular, planned giving
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moving forward with the next phase of the church hall restoration programme - upgrading the toilet facilities and removing the stage area, to create a more flexible and accessible space
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continuing to raise funds for the church hall restoration programme
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making a wholehearted commitment to the discussions with other churches in the Potters Bar cluster and contributing to any shared plans and activities
Prepared for the meeting of the Deanery Pastoral Committee, 4th June 2009
