A ST MARK’S INITIATIVE FOR MARKS GATE

COMMUNITY OPERATING PLAN SEPT 2015 to DEC 2017

Published August 2014 by Ten Spires

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CONTENTS Introduction Section 1 - What Objectives Integrating Mission and Community Activity Section 2 – Why The Need Transforming Presence Transformation The Church & Housing Section 3 - How Our Approach Measures of Success What it will look like Key Roles Why Many Strands Activities

Section 4 – Finance Activity Mix – Income Generating Activities Activity Mix – Non-Income Generating Activities Financial Summary Concluding Summary: Why it will Work Financial Annex Profit & Loss Summary Income Expenditure Appendices Area Analysis Site Plans and Architects Drawings Job Descriptions

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INTRODUCTION We,  St  Marks,  are  confident  of  a  better  future  for  Marks  Gate.    We   have   a   long-­‐standing   history   and   presence   in   our   community  and  have  plans  to  continue  that  presence  into  the  future,  through  new   buildings   and   new   activities   that   will   meet   the   present   and  future  needs  of  those  living  here.    This  plan  demonstrates  a  viable,  sustainable  and  appropriate  range  of   delivery   provision   to   improve   life   and   choices   in   this   small   but  growing  community.    The  plan  assumes  that:    

• The  church  site  has  been  redeveloped  to  provide  over  1000m2  of  community  space  

• An  endowment  fund  to  fuel  a  transitional  revenue  stream    • The  church  has  invested  in  a  new  Vicar  (as  well  as  their  land)  

into  the  vision    So  that  an  integrated  management  and  delivery  plan  can  operate.  The  activities  and  enterprises  described  are  all  successful  in  similar  settings  in  various  different  locations.    This   plan   describes   a   mesh   of   appropriate   activity,   centrally  directed  and  co-­‐ordinated  with  clear  common  objectives.      

 

           

Modern  Facilities  

Energetic  People  

Vibrant  Church  Impacting  the  Community  

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SECTION 1 - WHAT Objectives ü To be in lively contact with Marks Gate residents ü To secure volunteer engagement and contribution from a wide

cross-section of the community ü To deliver sensible, positive activities and opportunities that

meet identified needs ü To operate profitably ü To draw the minimum needed (and an annually decreasing

amount) from the Endowment Fund ü To plan activities gathered under 6 core themes and from the 5

strands of Every Child Matters, and supplemented by a spiritual theme

This plan describes how we will transform Marks Gate; by implementing our strong, sustained and purposeful programme of intervention, we are creating new buildings, will attract new investment, re-energise and galvanise fading provisions, all supported and led by a significant team of motivated people. At the very heart of Marks Gate, we will have lively enthusiastic people providing a wide range of activities suitable for all people and all backgrounds. Our redevelopment project will enhance the quality and quantity of the work with buildings that will attract people and help bring in the new staff and volunteers, but the drive and vision will come from the community. New buildings on the church site, supported by the community centre, will be a base at the heart of the estate from which a strong programme of activities can be delivered and partnerships developed.

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Integrating Mission & Community Activity Our Vision is: ü To become a better-connected, more influential centre of

spiritual life and community service – a Transforming Presence.

ü To create a sustainable future for the worshipping / serving church community.

ü To create a unified, vibrant hub of activity that is at the heart of

our community.

As a community of people who are committed to following Jesus Christ, and believe that a right relationship with God is possible only through Him. Our mission is:

ü To glorify God with the worship of our lives. ü To bring about the prospect of new family connections that the

relationship with God brings. In a world of broken relationships and fractured communities, we desire to demonstrate the truth of the gospel by our care for one another.

ü To seek by God's grace to become a loving community where

both long-term members and those who are passing through the locality for a shorter time are encouraged and strengthened whether Christian or seeker or resident.

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SECTION 2 – WHY The Need A significant feature of the Marks Gate area is its isolation. It is part of the Chadwell Heath ward and located in the northern tip of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. With a major road (A12) dividing this estate from the southern part and nothing but agricultural land to the north, Marks Gate is almost its own independent community. Key statistics for Marks Gate are highlighted below:

• Population of roughly 6,000 people • Marks Gate has two LSOA’s1 of which both are within top

10% most deprived in the country • Income and crime deprivation levels in top 10% in the

country • Marks Gate is ranked in the top 20% of most deprived areas

in the country for employment, health, living and housing domains

• It is a considerably poorer area than both the rest of the Borough and country

• Perception and fear of crime by local residents • Isolation a prominent feature of the area

                                                                                                               1 LSOA – Lower Super Output Area (roughly 1,500 people)

There is a dependency culture within Marks Gate and this is something our project proposes to address. The estate is changing rapidly, more so in the last 3 years than the last 30, so now is the time to act and be a positive part of this change. Marks Gate represents many of the barriers and issues of its ward. Further statistics and data on the Marks Gate area and Chadwell Health ward are given in the Appendices.

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Transforming Presence  This is the Bishop Stephen’s vision and strategy for the Diocese of Chelmsford for the next 10 to 15 years.  

   Four Key Themes to this Strategy: 1. Inhabiting the World Distinctly 2. Evangelising Effectively

3. Serving with Accountability 4. Re-Imagining Ministry  Our vision for St Mark’s Church fits in with this

   

 

       

Our Passion ü Our Passion is Jesus – Proclaiming and Living

out God’s Love for all people Our Aspiration ü To be a Transforming Presence in every

Community, ü Open and welcoming to all, and serving all Our Resources ü Faithful people, Prayer and worship, Visionary

leadership, Liberating gifts  

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Transformation The redevelopment will provide new, more and better facilities. There will be a whole suite of provision, supported by a contributory team of staff offering hospitality, worship, enterprise, education and service. Recognising the needs of our community, we are suggesting an integrated range of provision. These services will be centrally supervised and co-ordinated, spreading the cost of management overheads, and are hopeful these can be further integrated into the wider provisions, actual and proposed. This will be a vibrant open welcoming facility in the heart of the estate providing quality needed services to all local residents, building on the established work and relationships enjoyed by St Marks Church.

The Centre will be home to:

• Worship • Training Rooms • Childcare Facilities • Housing • Performance / Meeting Space • Training Kitchen • Cafe • Reception • Health & Fitness

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The Church & Housing  Archbishop of Canterbury on the Church and Housing Associations Rev. Justin Welby spoke in September 2013 of how churches can work with housing associations to effect change The "endless decline" of impoverished parts of the country could be halted and reversed by the building of a "great coalition" between the Church of England and housing associations The Church of England must help to meet the housing needs of the poorest in society because the Government has “withdrawn” from some areas as a result of its austerity drive Housing Associations in partnership with the church had the ability to change England. “The building blocks are already there, and in many places happening and have been for many years. The motive power for regeneration must not be desperation or fear but love, which is the source of activity of the church.” “Over the centuries, and especially in the last 100 years,” Archbishop Welby said, “the churches have been central in many movements, including yours, and continue to be. It is not to make money … Nor is it for power … It is based on a view if human beings, regardless of faith, as being of infinite dignity and value whatever their economic or social potential.”

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Whole  Community  

Contacts  

Participants  

Volunteers  

Support  Team  

Faciliators  /  Enablers  

SECTION 3 - HOW Our Approach An important aspect of what we will do is the creation of a base from within, recognising that the only people who can really impact and change the culture of Marks Gate are the Marks Gate residents themselves. We know that only very few people come into the area, and we know that those from outside, even from elsewhere in the Borough of Barking & Dagenham, do not fully understand life in this estate. Therefore it is not about bringing outsiders in to try and change the area and then leave, but about getting local people to be the solution not the problem. Triangle of Involvement Encouraging people to access and use the services and activities is the first approach. This is about connecting with the community, ensuring not only that everyone has access to our facilities, but that they chose to access our facilities. This is the community level of the triangle. Once engaged in what we are doing, we want people to become contributors. We will have a wide range of options for people to contribute to; we want people to be involved beyond participation. Everyone can contribute, because people will offer the skills, abilities, time that they have. As the activities and volunteers grow, so does the need for new leadership and this is the next level of involvement – to, wherever possible take a lead on programmes and activities.

The new St Mark’s centre will increase our reach but also enable people to be active participators, not just on the side-lines but being agents of change in their own lives and in the lives of others. Together we will see Marks Gate change from within.

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Measures of Success There are three elements to our work: Church, Community, and Enterprise. Each have their own outcomes as we seek to bring positive transformation into the Marks Gate community. 1. Church – Mission focused Outcome Achieved by Measured by 1 A growing church congregation

Developing a strong lively and gospel centred worshipping community

Congregation numbers

2 Local people’s lives transformed with the gospel message

Creating a welcoming and accessible church building and vibrant and passionate people

Testimonies of church members

3 A serving church community Providing a diverse range of community activities for people to participate and lead in

Records of people involved in church activities

2. Community – Transformation Outcome Achieved by Measured by 1 Increased engagement with wider

community

New community facilities and the appointment of key staff posts

Maintaining records of contacts

2 Increase in usage of St Marks New community facilities and programme of activities and the appointment of a key staff posts

Weekly number of hours spent on activity in the building

3 Increase in the number of hours of volunteering

Appointment of key staff posts and new activities for people to engage in

Weekly number of volunteering hours

3. Ensuring long-term suitability Outcome Achieved by Measured by 1 Long-term sustainability Creating a diverse mix of income generating activities Monthly income and expenditure reports

2 A broad mix of income generating

activities Creating multipurpose community space to house different activities

Number of different activities in new centre

3 Early Years provision bringing in regular income

Creation of Early Years provision Monthly income and expenditure reports

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What it will Look Like In order to bring new people in and provide a model to move the church forward we need a new approach. Transformation is the key, and this will start with the redevelopment of the current complex. This redevelopment will bring about a new complex which will see new homes and a bigger community space, allowing more activity. We want new people with new and fresh energy. The new centre will bring the community together, under one roof, whether for entertainment, relief, friendship or support. People will be able to enter the doors and find their needs met. It will be multipurpose and designed with the specific needs of the Marks Gate community in mind. It will be a safe place people can come and get support and talk through problems, getting the help needed. We are looking for long-term solutions to problems in dealing with the mentality and attitudes that have been ingrained into the area over the years. The St Mark’s project will see 16 activities drawn together under the 6 themes as illustrated in the Hope Diagram. None are sufficient to be viable as a standalone activity, but the range and richness of the offer makes the best of past and puts it into the new setting, growing it into the new buildings, enabling and liberating volunteering energy. Many micro-initiatives provide a more viable model but also open the doors for a greater degree of community engagement.

Each activity is important in generating the income needed to make the plan viable. The financial annex shows a more detailed breakdown of income and costs for each activity stream.

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Key Roles The Vicar and Centre Manager hold the key in making these plans work. The Vicar will play the crucial role in providing direction and the forward vision for St Mark’s providing the link between the church and the community. Holding the different areas and team members together will be the Centre Manager. These people will be strong, energetic and passionate people who understand the area and what is needed to make a difference. Volunteers will be an integral and crucial element to the effective running of the new St Mark’s centre and will allow for community engagement at a variety of different levels. These volunteers will be recruited and managed by the Volunteer Enabler who will work closely with the Community Outreach Manager to bring people in. The roles in the diagram on the next page show the key positions for each area of activity. These are not all paid positions, with some being occupied by volunteers and supported by a further paid or volunteer team. The roles link to the income and expenditure spreadsheets in the Financial Annex.

Ref Department Role 1 Admin Caretaker / Handyman 2 Admin Receptionist 3 Admin Maintenance Manager 4 Ministry Worship Leader 5 Ministry Youth Worker 6 Early Years Pre-School Manager 7 Early Years After-School Manager 8 Volunteering Volunteer Enabler 9 Healthy Eating Catering Manager 10 Healthy Eating Enterprise Manager 11 Healthy Eating Sports Manager 12 Ministry / Outreach Youth Worker 13 Ministry / Outreach Interns 14 Ministry / Outreach Worship Leader

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Why Many Strands Marks  Gate  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  ward  means  it  operates  as  a  micro  community  within  the  greater  ward  and  borough.  It  is  this  aspect  that  has  driven  our  combination  of  micro-­‐initiatives  to  bring  viability.    We   have   16   activities,   which   are   drawn   together   under   the   6  themes  as  illustrated  in  the  pipe  diagram.    None  are  sufficient  to  be  viable   as   a   standalone   activity,   but   the   range   and   richness   of   the  offer   makes   the   best   of   the   existing   and   to   be   created   physical  buildings,  enables  and   liberates  volunteering  energy.  Many  micro-­‐initiatives  provide  a  more  viable  model  but  also  open  the  doors  for  a  greater  degree  of  community  engagement.  

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Activities Our activities will be exciting and purposeful, and have evolved from the ‘Every Child Matters Framework’. Everything we do will come under one of six themes. People who come into St Marks will be able to access an interesting, enriching, challenging and positive range of activities. Recognising the many different needs and interests of our community we will invest our time in a range of activities and enterprises, creating a holistic approach to our outreach. There will be something for everyone to both get involved in participating and contributing. wBe Safe, wBe Healthy, wEnjoy and Achieve, wPositive Contribution, wEconomic Wellbeing, wSpiritual. In total there will be at least 16 types of activities, with 11 streams of income generated, all of which will contribute to the central costs. With such a variety of activities there is no primary income source from activities, each being an important contributor to the whole. However, we hope to develop our atmosphere of interconnectedness between all activities. This approach maximises the audience to reach both at participant and contributor level, offers a greater degree of community engagement, maximises value of activity and is bound together by the community.

That is to say we believe that we need to recognise that there is a spiritual invisible dimension to life; and that we must be cognisant of the planet’s needs and our responsibilities to be good stewards of scarce resources.

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Activity Mix - Income Generating Activities The following is a summary of projected income generated through the different activities in the St Marks centre. Further detail is provided in the Financial Annex. Be Safe

Early Years Provision – A new ‘super pre-school’ (on the way to becoming a nursery) will offer affordable childcare to parents in the area. Experienced and trained staff will run the service, providing a high quality level of childcare. This provision will also create jobs for local people. 32 places for children aged 2+.

Income per year: £96,000 Target volume: 75% occupancy level

Be Healthy

Café - A community café will attract people of all ages. It will run seven days a week. There will be a mix of staff and volunteers running the café. It will be a meeting point for people, giving a welcoming and friendly environment. The café will serve healthy food and snacks freshly prepared each day.

Income per year: £96k Typical unit sale: £4 Target volume: 100 people per day

Sports & Fitness – Every week as part of the community exercise programme we will offer a range of options, everything from Tai Chi to dance, healthy walks to sport. Many classes are tailored for different health needs.  

Income per year: £12,000 Typical unit sale: £3 per day Target volume: 10 users per day

£96k

£96k

£12k

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Enjoy & Achieve Creative Arts – The centre will have space for a range of creative arts activities such as dance and drama which will be brought in externally. Different classes and programmes will target different age groups and the activities will be needs based.

Income per year: £12,000 Typical unit sale: £3 per day Target volume: 10 users per day Positive Contribution

Volunteering - central to our proposition is the ability to hold costs down because of the contribution made by volunteers. No income is shown in the budget as this is all in kind, but costs and expenses to support well over 100,000 of volunteer time hours each year, with at least 120 people each month contributing.

Energy Efficiency - We are committed to green fuel usage and will look to extra ways to generate and export energy above our own requirements. No figures shown in budgets.

Economic Wellbeing Micro-enterprise – We will generate revenue through short-term lets of space, hot-desks and rooms. It will be kitted out with desks, printers, and internet access which can be used for hot-desking. Separate space will be created for private meeting use and manufacturing / sales.

Income per year: £38,400 Typical unit sale: £10 per day Target volume: 16 users per day

Catering Training – We will offer training within the catering sector. There will be three terms of 8-10 weeks per year. The key asset is our ability to attract, support and retain hard-to-reach clients.

Income per year: £18,000 Typical unit sale: £200 per day Target volume: 8 users per day

£12k

£In  Kind

Energy  Efficiency

£38k

£18K

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Spiritual

Facilities Letting - The team has oversight and control of a range of rooms and facilities, which can be made available for private hire, not when in use by community-development programme

Income per year: £6,000 Typical unit sale: £500 per month Target volume:

£6K

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Activity Mix - Non-Income Generating Activities Be Healthy

Pastoral Support - Helping people through mental and emotional issues, as well as bereavements and other lifestyle issues. Counselling 20 people per month.

Enjoy & Achieve

Youth Programme - Young people can join a rolling programme of beneficial activity. Young people will have their own space within the centre giving them ownership of the building and a place that they can express themselves. Senior Programme - Seniors can join varied programme of activity led by volunteers and centre staff. Seniors will be able to come to the centre weekly and participate in activities designed to keep them active and reduce isolation

Outreach – We will run a variety of outreach events to engage with people in the Marks Gate community so that they know what is happening in the centre and how they can get involved.

Spiritual

Worship – An important aspect to life at St Mark’s Church to care and cater for the spiritual wellbeing of our congregation.

Youth

Worship

Out-­‐reach

Senior

Pastoral  Support

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FINANCIAL SUMMARY The breakdown and income and expenditure for the next three years are provided in the Financial Annex. The following summary table shows the financial viability as a self-sustaining enterprise once it is fully operational.

Year%1%(2015) Year%2%(2016) Year%3%(2016) TotalIncome 224,800£'''''''' 334,400£'''''''' 334,400£''''''' 893,600£''''''Expenditure 169,100£'''''''' 283,200£'''''''' 283,300£''''''' 735,600£''''''

Profit%/%Loss 55,700£%%%%%%%%%%% 51,200£%%%%%%%%%% 51,100£%%%%%%%%% 158,000£%%%%%%

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WHY THIS WILL WORK Our plans work because:

• We are taking a multi-faceted approach

• We are offering a diverse range of activity

• We are using local people with local knowledge

• We have a clear vision for the future

• We are committed to the Marks Gate community

• We want to see transformation

• The numbers show it works

Success  will  follow  change