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The Parish Profile of the Church of St Andrew, Paull

(Click here to download as a Word document)

Welcome to this profile of the church of St Andrew, Paull, one of the two churches in our benefice.    
We have put together this booklet to illustrate what we have already and how you could give us guidance, encouragement and oversight as we worship God.

The benefice consists at the moment of two parishes - St Augustine, in Hedon , a small town, and St Andrew, Paull, a rural community.  The parishes are adjacent and lie south east of York and east of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Overview of the area
Paull is surrounded by agricultural land in the plain of Holderness.  Although farming remains important to the area the number of people involved is now very small and the majority of the working population are employed outside the benefice.  There are bus and train services to the rest of the country from Hull.

Overview of the school
Within the village of Paull is a primary school.  Paull’s primary school is affiliated to the York diocese.

The Village of Paull
A compact small rural village on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, with number of scattered outlying farms. The church sits about half a mile outside the village on the east side, just a short walk away.  The village has 3 public houses but no shops, the shops are five minutes away by car and located in Hedon and Thorngumbald.  We have an active parish council, a primary school and village hall.
There is a redundant lighthouse, now converted to a  private home, and a working shipyard.

Population
The bulk of the housing is owner occupied.

The village consists of a mix of families, couples and retired people, some of whom commute to Hull or the surrounding area for employment., Paull has a daily bus service. 

Other types of worship and ecumenical work
There are no other places of worship in Paull.
Paull joins with Hedon for fellowship and worship with the Churches Together group which includes the Methodist, Catholic and Pentecostal churches of Hedon.

*evening services from April to October 6.30 pm, October to April 3 pm

An average of 14 people attend services each week at St Andrew
In 2008 there have been 7 baptisms, 1 wedding, 7 funerals and we also had 2 candidates for confirmation.

The Church of St Andrew  
A grade one listed building about 600 years old which sits slightly inland along the banks of the river Humber looking over the estuary. At one side lies a salt marsh which attracts lots of wildlife, the other farm land.
We are undergoing restoration work which started in March 2009 and is due to be finished in August 2009. The community have worked hard to ensure that the £198,000 needed has been fundraised.
We have a vision for our church to be alive. Along with the restoration work we are introducing a toilet, kitchenette, sound and loop system.
We hope to introduce new ventures when the above facilities are available, this is where we need your help, and we seek to share with the new incumbent our mission to make the church more relevant within our rural community. We would welcome someone in the centralist tradition with strong pastoral gifts so we may grow.
We have an active prayer, fellowship, journeys and bible study group. The average attendance is between 6 and 10 people.

The Churchwardens
We have 2 very active churchwardens at Paull.  One is a retired teacher who helps with school visits.

A  PCC of 8 members
We have an active committee meeting on a regular basis concerning the running of St Andrew.  Within the PCC we are fortunate to have a competent and efficient treasurer and excellent secretary.  We also have a fundraising committee comprising of church and community volunteers who support St Andrew as demonstrated by the funds raised for the renovation work.

Parish Finance

Fellowship
We serve coffee and biscuits after some services and encourage fellowship among the congregation.

Organist
We do not have a regular organist but are enjoying learning hymns old & new played on a CD

Baptisms
Families approaching the church for the baptism of children are asked to attend a session which explains baptism, answers questions, shares the Christian faith and explains the promises which we make.   The church endeavours to keep in contact with these families.

News bulletin
To encourage awareness and form links with the community we do a door to door drop giving news on the church community and fundraising information.  This is in the form of a newsletter which is sent out regularly.  We also have a benefice bulletin which is produced monthly and is given to people on request (some via email).

Our congregation
Are mainly elderly and retired, this is where we need your help to inspire and welcome new members to our church family.  The congregation balance favours the female sector, but husbands are always on hand to help.
Congregation members are willing to help in services, various members also give readings and if asked would lead in prayer and would willingly assist the new incumbent.
The committee try to keep in touch with what is going on in the village and village life trying to ensure cards are sent and visits are made when appropriate.                   

What can the parish of Paull Offer?

• A rural community  which is tight knit and supportive of the church and its surrounding
  
• A friendly, tolerant and united congregation where people have the confidence and will join in with ministry 
  
• Active Churchwardens and lay helpers 
  
• A church which is financially competent, with a building in good repair
    
• A parish with plans for the future
  
• The challenge of traditional and new styles of worship
  
• A variety of service types and structures
  

What do we need from you?

• Infectious Faith
  A genuine desire to pass on faith and help transform lives with an excitement about the relevance of the bible today, to help make teaching accessible to the wider community and the ability to communicate.  Have a warm personality, good sense of humour, a sense of fun, adventure, and also being sensitive to the needs of the congregation, visit newcomers and the sick in their homes
  
• Active participation in mission and outreach
  Many of the community members still need to see the public leadership of ordained ministry, we would like you to be out and clearly visible around our village and be prepared to join in the life of our parish.  It is particularly desirable that you are willing to develop existing links with the school, support existing initiatives and develop new ideas. We hope you can reach out to families and young people and include them in the life of the church
  
• Enjoyment of diverse ways of worshiping
  We need you to be happy with traditional services and traditional music as well as less formal services and more modern music.  To encourage the involvement of lay people, provide leadership and oversight when needed.  Let people experience belonging to a community and enjoy worship through song and music
  
• Geared up for rural ministry.
  Because of the area covered between the parishes we request that you are a car driver and a computer user.  Email is used as a realistic way of communication.
  

Our Vision

• To be a vibrant and growing body
  
• To be a congregation of all ages and a growing body of believers
  
• To be a church which is known for its friendship, enabling everyone to encounter God’s love and purpose
  
• To be a church where you can enjoy worship and community activities
  
• To engage people of all ages with or without a church background