PARISH PROFILE

ALL SAINTS – FOOTS CRAY

THE LIVING CHURCH ON THE MEADOWS

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CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

WHO WE ARE AND OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE 3

OUR FUTURE 4

WHAT WE SEEK IN OUR NEW VICAR 5

OUR BUILDING 6

WHAT WE OFFER 8

FAMILIES CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE 9

OUR LOCATION & COMMUNITY 10

FINANCES 11

STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITES & THREATS 12

FOOTS CRAY PARISH SHOWING THE INDUSTRIAL AREA 13

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WHO WE ARE AND OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE

WHO WE ARE

We are a very mixed parish which is small in comparison with some other parishes,

consisting of approximately 1200 homes. The housing is very diverse ranging from a

fixed travellers site to million-pound houses. Within the parish boundary is a great

deal of industry which includes both large and small businesses, which sadly we have

very little contact with.

Our electoral roll which was presented at this year’s APCM was 47. Many do not live in

the parish, but choose to come to All Saints as they enjoy the feel of our church, the

worship and the fellowship. We would describe our form of churchmanship as “middle

of the road”, with some saying liberal catholic. Our Sunday service is at 10.00, with

the Eucharist being celebrated every Sunday, vestments are worn. We are a small

congregation but are proud to say that all generations from birth to the late 90’s are

represented. We have a small Sunday school, a robed choir and choir master. Sunday

service is followed with a time of fellowship over coffee.

We also celebrate special occasions with specific services, in Advent we have a Toy

service, a Carol Service, Christingle and a Crib service on Christmas Eve with a

Midnight Mass. Lent and Easter are always observed and celebrated in some way. Our

church has a rich history in observing Remembrance Sunday with the road being

closed, which allows us to walk in silence to Foots Cray War Memorial after morning

worship and hold a short service including the 2 minutes silence. The local cubs and

scouts always attend this service, and we are always joined by other members of the

local community at this event.

We have been very active members of the Deanery Synod and over the years have led

three major events on behalf of the Deanery, which include, “A walk around the

meadows”, taking in the three churches, which ended in a BBQ. A camping weekend

when ‘thanks’ to a local farm we were able to camp over the weekend which finished

with a Deanery Sunday morning service followed by lunch, which was very well

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attended. The last event was a Harvest weekend celebration, which included

children’s messy church in the afternoon, a barn dance and Sunday afternoon service.

OUR FUTURE

The last three years have for the congregation been interesting with many changes

following the retirement of our last full-time vicar in 2014. The future will bring yet

more changes and challenges, which we will manage in a positive way. The first of these

will be the dissolution of the United Benefice between All Saints Foots Cray with St

James North Cray and the new relationship with St John’s Sidcup. Alongside this will

be the appointment of the new incumbent for both All Saints Foots Cray and St John’s

Sidcup, which we eagerly look forward to. The Vicarage is in Church Avenue, just up

the hill from us. The Rectory which housed our Vicar is now rented by the Diocese.

We look forward to seeing growth within All Saints and our continued presence and

involvement in Deanery events and leading on them as we have in the past. We have

been described as “a little church with a big heart”. We hope that the new Incumbent

will enable us to grow as a church, reaching a wider section of the parish and seeing

pastoral care as being important, which sadly over recent years has not been such a

key issue. We hope very much that this will be addressed. We also hope to grow in our

prayer life and discipleship, and to grow in confidence in our faith and sharing that

faith with others.

Due to the position of the church, it is not seen as part of Foots Cray area, and we

would welcome a change to this view so that the local community do see us being part

of their lives

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WHAT WE SEEK IN OUR NEW VICAR

We are looking for the following in our new Vicar:

• A good communicator with all, in both the written and oral word

• An enthusiastic, compassionate and approachable person who will have the

ability to lead us

• To be able to encourage and develop people’s faith

• Be dedicated to both parishes

• A people person with strong leadership skills

• Have transparency

• A bridge builder with a sense of humour

• A good listener

• Raising the profile of All Saints within the parish

AS A CONGREGATION OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR NEW INCUMBENT

• Our support

• Openness & honesty

• Our friendship

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OUR BUILDING

All Saints is a small church but steeped in history. There is thought to have been a

church on this site since Saxon times; it was most likely erected when St Paulinus, the

3rd Bishop of Rochester visited the area in the 7th century.

In about 1330 when Sir Simon de Vaughan was Lord of the Manor he commissioned a

new church, which was built to the same proportions and on the same site as the Saxon

church, it is his tomb that gives the church Grade 2* listed building. The building

remained unaltered until the late 1800’s.

In 1861 the galleries and box pews were removed and the nave was extended westward

beyond the bell tower. This left the bell tower suspended on four oak posts over the

centre of the aisle. This arrangement only exists in three other churches in Kent.

Also the bells are the second lightest ring in the country. In 1872 the chancel was

extended and the reredos was added.

Major roof repairs were undertaken in the late 1990’s to the nave, chancel, chapel and

vestry, with the church being rewired in 2017. We have just received our latest

Quinquennial report, which was positive, with only minor items to be addressed.

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The Lady Chapel, which homes the effigy to Sir Simon de Vaughan and his wife was

remodeled in 2015 to create a multipurpose area that is used for worship, meetings,

Sunday School and coffee after the Sunday service. It is separated from the nave by

large arched windows and oak paneling; a ramp has been installed for easy access.

NEW ARCH FOR LADY CHAPEL

The Lady Chapel leads to the vestry, with robe and storage cupboards and a sink,

which in turn leads to the Sacristy and a toilet with baby changing facilities.

The Norman font dates from the late 12th century, the west door case and porch date

from the 1500’s and the west door from Oliver Cromwell’s time. In 1886 the Harenc

family of Footscray Place presented the pulpit to the church. It is accessed through a

depressed Tudor arch with a Jacobean gate dating from 1638. The current church

organ was presented by Sir John Pender, the founder of Cable and Wireless. The

majority of the stained glass is Victorian, however two windows on the south side of

the nave date from the 14th century.

The churchyard, which was extended twice in the 19th century, houses some impressive

memorials, notably that of Sir John Pender. It is now closed for burials but ashes can

still be interred in the garden of remembrance.

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WHAT WE OFFER

As well as being a long-established church offering the traditional services of Sunday

worship, weddings, baptisms and funerals and pastoral care, at the very heart of this

church is the community spirit that it generates.

An equally warm welcome is always given to those looking to join the church or just a

passing visitor. Being part of the community of All Saints is like being a member of a

large loving caring family. We have faced many challenges over the years – which have

always been dealt with collaboratively by the ‘congregation’ - all opinions valued and

listened to. The church has a dedicated Parish Council who look to maintain the church

to the best standard possible; though funds are limited, fund raising is a large part of

the ‘community’ activities. Sunday School is provided for the younger members of the

congregation and they are encouraged to be an integral part of the community. Our

choir master manages to ‘work miracles’ with the volunteers who attend weekly choir

practice producing ‘music to ones ears’ on many occasions, the Christmas Carol Service

being an annual highlight.

The church provides a focal point for various community activities, and we maintain

warm relations with many of the secular organisations with varying levels of

interaction. The transformation of the Lady Chapel facilitated a communal area for

Sunday coffee, fund raising lunches and an area for others to rent and use for events.

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Families Children & Young People

All Saints is an extremely family friendly church and we welcome families from many

different areas and backgrounds from around the Parish and beyond. Many returning

families visit each year around the festivals and enjoy many varied services to include

children of all ages.

All Saints hold a weekly Sunday School in term time which is shared between 4 regular

helpers who themselves have had children growing up attending the services for many

years. There are a variety of activities to be enjoyed by Children from the age of 2

to secondary school age, typically we welcome 2-3 children per week. Meeting at 10am

the children start in the main service and are invited to join the Sunday school in the

lady chapel which can be viewed from the pews in the church. Starting with a brief

act of worship, the children learn and get involved in various activities which are

tailored to their age group. Whilst the Sunday school at present is small, we are

confident that retuning families will be encouraged by the friendly and inclusive nature

of the church.

Christenings are a common occurrence at All Saints and we are pleased to welcome

children who attend the service who always leave with a good impression of what

happens at Sunday School. A member of the Sunday School team visit the home of the

family who are having their children christened to promote the group and liaise in a

personal way between the vicar and the family for final arrangements for the big

day. This we find puts new parents at ease and ensures we can have a good relaxed

relationship with families who are new to the church.

On religious festivals, the Sunday school participate in the main services in many ways

by reading prayers, bible passages, making decorations, singing and one year we had a

small orchestra who played to the congregation for a farewell to our vicar who

retired.

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OUR LOCATION AND COMMUNITY

Our ancient church nestles on the edge of the beautiful Foots Cray Meadows, the

largest open space in the London borough of Bexley, and a local nature reserve teeming

with wildlife. The River Cray runs through the 89 hectare park, which is Grade II

listed by English Heritage, and is also home to the remains of Foots Cray Place, which

burned down in 1949.

The village of Foots Cray itself is a mixture of residential, commercial, community and

industrial buildings. It has a small high street and some handsome Georgian houses,

but is far smaller than the commuter town of Sidcup which can be found at the top of

the hill above. The parish of All Saints is a small one, but the beauty of the church, its

surroundings, and its friendly welcome ensures that many of the congregation come

from further afield. In terms of population, All Saints' falls within the Cray Meadows

Ward which has a total population of approx 11,000 people, and is shared with four

other churches including St. James, Foots Cray Baptist Church and St. Andrew's,

Albany Park.

The MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup is currently James Brokenshire, with whom All

Saints have a good relationship. There are two schools in the parish; one is St. Peter

Chanel, a Catholic primary school, and the other is a free school, Hope Community

Primary, whom we regularly encourage into All Saints, particularly for special occasions

such as Remembrance Sunday and Harvest Festival. There is also a large residential

home nearby, Baugh House, which we support every year with carol singing and

children's nativity performances. Other successful activities that aim to reach out to

the wider community have recently included an Open Church weekend, a quiz night,

Shakespearean recitals and even barn dances.

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FINANCES

The finances at All Saints are small, with no Treasurer at the present time, they are

monitored by our Churchwardens. This information is based on our year-end figures

for 2016.

We have restricted funds of £51,000 due to the sale of our Church Hall. Some of

these restricted funds have been used for the reordering and maintenance of the

Lady Chapel. As an integral part of the church we have been able to use these funds to

resurface the car park, and for a refurbishment of the electrics in the church,

following an inspection by our insurers. These funds cannot be used for general day to

day running of the church.

As a small congregation we are proud that 12% of our income is from fund raising

events; nearly 65% of our income comes from donations and 18% from operating

activities. Our income in 2016 resulted in a small deficit, which led to us only managing

to pay a proportion of our Parish Share. We are cautious with expenditure but not to

the detriment of the church building.

Our full accounts for 2016 are available on request.

We are lucky to have such a beautiful church. Many couples over the last years have

married here despite the weather!

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Strengths

Small, friendly and welcoming, with a long history in the area and loyalty from

congregation. A mix of ages from young to almost centenarians. We have been told, that

although small we “punch above our weight” and will continue to do so.

Weaknesses

Majority of congregation do not live in the parish, but come because they like our style

of worship, and feel comfortable. Have been through many changes over the last 3

years.

Opportunities

We feel that there is an opportunity with the challenges facing us for growth and to

become more of a focus for the local residents. Stability is what we need to move

forward and we look to do so with the newly appointed incumbent.

Threats

Our concerns are that we are a very small parish, not in the middle of a large

residential area. On one side we are bounded by Foots Cray Meadows, and then our two

very distinct housing areas at each end of Rectory Lane.

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FOOTS CRAY PART OF THE PARISH SHOWING THE INDUSTRIAL AREA

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