Helen will be stepping down as Church Warden at the next Annual General Meeting of Parishioners. This is an opportunity to serve your church and community, particularly as we head into a period of change. The position does require completing a DBS check and Safeguarding Training. See below for more information, or contact Helen or Becky.
Job description
- Churchwardens are elected by the laity and are senior representatives of the Parish. They are officers of the Bishop
- Churchwardens are responsible for maintaining order & decency in the Church & Churchyard and to ensure that the fabric of the Church is in good order, interior and exterior
- In co-operation with the incumbent, Churchwardens are generally responsible for the day to day functioning of the Parish, Management, Maintenance & Mission
- Churchwardens are elected for one year term of office but may serve up to six consecutive terms of office
- Churchwardens have regular meetings with the incumbent to discuss parish business and to discuss DCC agenda along with (U)PCC agenda
- Churchwardens annually prepare a brief report for the APCM Report
- Churchwardens provide feedback with constructive advice to the incumbent
- Churchwardens are part of a team rota for all service within St Mary’s Church
- Before a service Churchwardens are resposnsible for ensuring the the altar and communion table are prepared in advance of the service
- During a service Churchwardens are responsible for ensuring the collection plate is taken round, presented for blessing and at the end of the service, counting the contributions and logging them into an accounts book
- During an incumbents vacancy or sabbatical Churchwardens are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of regular services within the guidelines provided by the Church of England
- Churchwardens are responsible for making sure that correct fire procedures are in place and will take the lead within a service if a fire occurs
- Churchwardens should have an up-to-date inventory of all moveable goods within the Church
- Churchwardens are responsible for making sure that all security processes are enforced at the end of a service, ie locking of doors
Person specification
- Candidates should be over the age of 21 years
- Candidates should be on the Church Electoral Roll of the Parish
- The candidate should be an communicant member of the Church of England and should have received communion at least three times in the past 12 months
- The candidate must be eligible to be a member on a Charity Trust (no criminal conviction)
- All candidates must be nominated and seconded and be willing to stand for election
- The candidate elected will become an ex-offico member of the DCC & (U)PCC, United Parochial Church Council which is a Charitable Trust
- Candidates should have sound judgement and be able to put situations in perspective, and being diplomat if necessary. The candidate should be able to show compassion as needed and to be trustworthy and able to keep information confidential
- Punctuality is important when aiding services
Safeguarding requirements for this role:
- To complete a ‘Fit & Proper’ Persons Declaration as a member of the (U)PCC
- To complete Basic Safeguarding Training Module
- To complete Foundation Safeguarding Training Module
- To complete Leadership Safeguarding Training Module
- To complete Domestic Abuse Awareness Training Module
- To obtain a DBS Certificate