Our People
Leadership and others Teams!
Our Non-Stipendiary Curate, Revd Lesley Ludlow is in her third year of Post Ordination Training, having originally joined St Nicholas as a Reader. She gives strong leadership to our pastoral work, prayer life, healing ministry and home groups. As well as officiating at the regular church services, she conducts many funerals, baptisms and weddings.
Our two Lay Readers, Mary and Dianne, help to lead services and undertake a range of other duties within the parish.
We are fortunate in having a progressive and forward thinking Ministry Leadership Team and PCC. The Ministry Leadership Team comprises the Curate, the two Lay Readers, plus four other lay members of the congregation. The PCC has 17 members, including the Curate and our two dedicated and hard working Churchwardens, Alan and Michael. There are other sub-committees which oversee finance, youth and children's work, the production of Grapevine and supporting charities at home and overseas.
We have a paid, part-time Parish Administrator, Anne, who undertakes a range of invaluable administrative duties including producing the weekly pew and reading sheets. She is also the compiling editor of Grapevine.
Youth and Children
We welcome children in the church, from families, groups and the local schools. Hosanna! is particularly suitable for younger people and they are encouraged to join in the various activities. We provide bags of quiet toys at the back of church for young children during all services. All youngsters can participate in our children's church attendance scheme and receive prizes for regular attendance.
St Nicholas has recently appointed Emma as its paid, part-time children's worker. Emma is building on foundations laid by her predecessors, in encouraging and developing children and young people in their faith. With the support of the Children and Young People's Team, the Child Protection Team and volunteers from the church, the youngsters receive biblical teaching through a range of fun activities including crafts, games, songs, stories and drama.
- Explorers after school clubs are held at two local primary schools on Mondays, for children in school years 3 - 6. 10-15 children regularly attend. This is what the they say about it… "It's fun" " We learn about God" " We play games" " We hear stories from the Bible that teach us a lesson"!
- Saturday Club (for children aged 4 - 11) meets in the Main Hall on Saturday morning, once a month. The Club is open to everyone, and attracts an average of 25 children, many from families who do not regularly attend the Church.
- For three mornings during the Easter Holidays, St Nicholas runs a popular Holiday Club, attracting around 50 primary age children each day.
Youngsters of secondary school age have their own activities.
- JAM (Jesus and Me) is a small group that meets twice a month on Sunday evenings, in their words to "eat cake, think, talk and play games". They recently explored the subject of money and how unfairly it is divided in the world. On another occasion the group made up some sketches, which they then performed in the Hosanna! Service.
- Silver Cross Youth Club meets on Friday evenings. The 40 members go on outings, take part in sporting activities such as curling, karting, golf and midnight ice-skating (!) and support national campaigns including the World Vision 24 hour famine, and the Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal. This is how one of their members described it: "I like youth club because it has loads of fun activities to participate in and I get to meet up with all my best friends"
Time and talents
- In addition to supporting the life and work of the church, many members of the congregation are also involved in, and give their time and talents to, a range of local community projects, charitable activities and other Christian organisations.
- As a church, we focus each month on a particular home or overseas charity. The work of that charity is presented to the congregation and personal donations are then collected in a charity bottle at the Church.