News

Parish Communications and Support Officer

Job Description

Our purpose is to create a diverse community living and sharing God’s story in Kirkby. We think this means being the kind of church community that welcomes and accepts people as they are, and is fully open to the community we’re in, sharing the love of God with our neighbours through everything that we do. Post-pandemic, we have a golden opportunity to develop these values by transforming the way that we communicate with the community of Kirkby.

Each year, we engage with around 150 families through the life events (Christenings, Weddings and Funerals) that we host in our churches, and our buildings are used by a variety of community groups for their own events. We want to find new ways to engage and support these people, as well as increasing the number of life events and groups using the buildings.

We’re looking for someone who shares these ‘kingdom’ values, and understands that great communication underpins good mission and ministry. If you’re interested in joining us on this journey, this is what we think the first year will be about:

  • Taking over our current systems for recording the life events that happen in our churches, and using them to improve what we offer to the families that we work with. We’d love to be able to invite them to more events that could interest them, or even just let them know that we’re praying for them.
  • Reviewing our ‘inward marketing’ systems – that is, making sure we’re making the most of our web and social media presence, and developing a plan for better engagement with our community online and offline.
  • Overhaul our current systems for working with our tenants in our church buildings, streamlining the administration of the groups and individuals who hire the spaces, and ensuring prompt payment.
  • Taking over and developing the best possible internal communications, including our weekly newsletter, both email and paper.

We think this would suit someone who understands Anglican parishes, and has good communication, problem-solving and administration skills. Because of the officer’s role in communicating the Christian faith, we believe that there is a genuine occupational requirement for the person appointed to be a practising Christian.

Title, terms and accountability

Job Title: Parish Communications and Support Officer

Location: Home-based initially. Office space may be available.

Hours: 10 hours per week

Salary: £7,500

Start date: ASAP, depending on notice periods

Closing date: Tuesday 23rd January

Interview: Wednesday 31st January

You will be part of our staff team, which currently consists of a Team Rector and two Team Vicars, and meets most weeks for prayer, support and planning. Line management will be with the Team Rector, including induction and regular supervision. As the legal body, Kirkby Parochial Church Council will be the employer, and it is expected that the day to day responsibility for ensuring that the staff member is selected, employed and managed well is delegated by the PCC to a small ‘Staff Action Group’ (as recommended by John Truscott[1]). Progress will be reported quarterly to the PCC.

For a conversation about the role, please contact Rev. Jeremy Fagan via email here, or on 07967302127.

Applications via email should include a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in the job and why you have applied.

About Huyton Deanery

Huyton Deanery is the group of Church of England parishes that serve the centre and north of the borough of Knowsley, with some overlap with neighbouring boroughs including Liverpool. We are twelve Anglican churches, and one Anglican Methodist Local Ecumenical Project. 

Person Specification

 EssentialDesirable
Experience  
Proven experience in a relevant communications rolex 
Relevant qualification  x
Knowledge and Skills
Excellent communication skills, written and oralx 
A knowledge of/good eye for designx 
IT literate and able to use MS Office and learn other software packages.x 
Experience with relevant contact management software systems. x
Able to work proactively and to deadlinesx 
Flexible for some evening and weekend workingx 
Able to work within a team, and alone as requiredx 
Good interpersonal skillsx 
Able to use Facebook and other social media platformsx 
Experience of using a multi-user website x
Attitudes and Values
Fully supportive of the work and mission of Huyton Deanery, Liverpool Diocese and the Church of Englandx 
Practising Christianx 

[1] http://www.john-truscott.co.uk/Resources/training-notes-index/Appoint-a-Staff-Action-Group

Jumping from the Tower: St. Chad’s Charity Abseil

Poster advertising the charity abseil at St. Chad's

On 10th September, 2022, 25 brave volunteers descended 20 metres / 65 feet from the tower of St. Chad’s into the chancel to raise money for St. Chad’s and other charities. Congratulations to everyone who took part, and thank you for all your fundraising efforts. Here are some of the photos from the day, courtesy of Richard and Innes from Adventure Days, as well as some of our own.

Rev. Jayne VanDenBerg-Owens

A picture of Rev. Jayne VanDenBerg-Owens

Jayne, who passed away on 16th August 2022 after a long illness, was curate in Kirkby from 2011-2014, based in St. Martin’s & St. Mark’s, and working across all four churches. She was involved in many things here, but she was particularly involved in the work of the Church in the Centre / TANGO, and in her bereavement support work.
Jayne was utterly committed to her ministry, and her deep faith was evident in everything that she did. Being from Kirkby, she could find a connection with most of the families that she worked with while she was here.
After leaving Kirkby, she was the vicar of St. George’s Church, Huyton, where she developed a strong community ministry.

Jayne is very much missed by all her friends in Kirkby, and we continue to keep her family in our prayers.

Virtual Pancake Party

Report from Caroline Collins

This year due to the current situation we held a Virtual Pancake Party.

This was no normal party; this party was sponsored by Churches Together Liverpool. We were lucky enough to be granted £500 to help hold this party.

We worked in partnership with Kirkby Collaborative who put us in touch with schools who were willing to be involved, and others in the community and of course the children who attend our churches.

The money gave us the opportunity to work closely with Kirkby Church of England School, Ravenscroft Primary School and St Peters and Paul Roman Catholic School, plus the Tower Hill group that has been supporting families during the lockdown and the children in our parish.

Each family received a goody bag with the ingredients to make pancakes and an invitation to a Zoom Party. In total 175 bags were put together and delivered.

The schools and the Tower Hill group were delighted to receive the bags and the children were very happy. There were also very happy faces on doorsteps when they were delivered across the parish.

Then came the big day and the Zoom Party and although there were a few technical gremlins the party was a success with videos, games, songs and laughter and an explanation about pancakes and Lent, with over 60 screens during the zoom. We have had some very positive feedback from all concerned 

I would like to thank the participating schools, Tower Hill group and St Andrews, St Chads and St Martins for their support and the PCC who allowed us to apply for the grant. But most of all I would like to thank Churches Together Liverpool for their generous grant which enabled us to get excited at a time when it’s been rather dull.

Advent and Christmas in Kirkby, 2020

We are planning a mixture of online and in person services and events over Advent and Christmas this year. Depending on government guidance, this is the current plan. Everything is of course subject to confirmation, given the year that we’ve had!

Some of our favourite services are online this year, so you can join in safely from home. Turn the volume up, and join in with the singing!

Advent Sunday (29th November)
Online Service of Light, watch any time from 10am onwards on Youtube.

Advent Reflections
Each Monday evening, we will go live on Facebook to lead a reflection and light a candle from our Advent ring.

2nd and 3rd Sundays in Advent (6th and 13th December)
9.30am Eucharist at St. Martin’s
11am Eucharists at St. Andrew’s and St. Chad’s
(St. Martin’s will be live on Youtube, St. Andrew’s are hoping to be live on Facebook. It is very difficult to go live in St. Chad’s – the stone walls make it hard to get online!)

Saturday 19th December
Nativity Trail in St. Chad’s Churchyard, provisionally 1-3pm:
An activity for all ages around the churchyard, meeting the characters from the Christmas story, and receiving a Christingle in a Bag for Christmas Eve (inside if the weather is awful)

4th Sunday in Advent (20th December)
9.30am Eucharist at St. Martin’s
11am Eucharists at St. Andrew’s and St. Chad’s
Nativity Trail in St. Chad’s Churchyard, provisionally 1-3pm (as Saturday)
6pm Online Carol Service

Christmas Eve
4pm Online Christingle (Youtube)
11.30pm Parish Midnight Communion at St. Chad’s

Christmas Day
10am Parish Christmas Communions at St. Andrew’s and St. Martin’s