Not Recruiting 2022
St Matthew’s
Westminster
Parish Assistant Programme 2020-21
St Matthew’s Westminster is seeking to employ two Parish Assistants from September 2018. The posts are open to men or women of the Church of England, and are particularly suited to those who are exploring a vocation to priesthood or other ministry in the Church, although this is not a prerequisite.
Who we are
The church is located at the heart of the city, at the centre of the ‘Westminster Village’. It is a beautiful building, the work of great Victorian architects including George Gilbert Scott, Martin Travers and Ninian Comper. The beauty of holiness attracts a varied congregation – regulars, local residents, the homeless and the visitors who are such a feature of our bit of London. St Matthew’s stands within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England and fully supports the ordination of women to the priesthood. We are an open, friendly community and constantly developing our understanding of mission in a threefold ministry of prayer, hospitality and dialogue.
We occupy a large site with good facilities, including a conference centre, a flourishing church primary school, and residential accommodation in St Matthew’s House. Worship is the heart of our life together and we are open every day. There are daily services of Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer, and on Sundays we offer a Sung Mass at 11am.
We are also in partnership with St Mary le Strand, an exceptionally beautiful baroque church, on its own traffic island in the middle of the Strand, opposite King’s College London. We help there with a Sung Mass at 6pm on Wednesdays, and a monthly musical service (usually Mass or Evensong) on Sunday evening. To our delight St Mary’s is attracting a growing congregation of its own.
We have strong international links and a steady stream of visitors from across the Anglican Communion, with particular connections with the church in North America and Ghana. We regularly welcome priests and bishops from overseas who visit for sabbatical study leave.
Music is an essential, and developing, part of our worship and life together. We use both a professional choir and an enthusiastic band of volunteers who turn up for our weekday ‘Come and Sing Evensong’. We share these resources with St Mary le Strand, and our Director of Music is an energetic supporter of concerts and recitals in both churches.
What we offer our Parish Assistants
We ask our Parish Assistants to
What we are looking for
We have been blessed with over forty Parish Assistants in the last twenty years, most of whom have gone on to ordination. Each one has made a distinctive and valued contribution to the church and remained an ongoing friend of St Matthew’s. We are looking for people with enthusiasm, energy and imagination, who will enjoy the unique opportunities of this fascinating church, particularly at a time of debate and challenge in the life of the wider Church.
Interested applicants are encouraged to look at our website – www.stmw.org – and that of our School – www.stmwschool.org.uk. In addition you are welcome to call Fr Philip Chester for an informal chat on the number below.
St Matthew’s Westminster
20 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2BU
Telephone 020 7222 3704
Email [email protected] · Website www.stmw.org
St Matthew’s
Westminster
Parish Assistant Programme 2020-21
St Matthew’s Westminster is seeking to employ two Parish Assistants from September 2018. The posts are open to men or women of the Church of England, and are particularly suited to those who are exploring a vocation to priesthood or other ministry in the Church, although this is not a prerequisite.
Who we are
The church is located at the heart of the city, at the centre of the ‘Westminster Village’. It is a beautiful building, the work of great Victorian architects including George Gilbert Scott, Martin Travers and Ninian Comper. The beauty of holiness attracts a varied congregation – regulars, local residents, the homeless and the visitors who are such a feature of our bit of London. St Matthew’s stands within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England and fully supports the ordination of women to the priesthood. We are an open, friendly community and constantly developing our understanding of mission in a threefold ministry of prayer, hospitality and dialogue.
We occupy a large site with good facilities, including a conference centre, a flourishing church primary school, and residential accommodation in St Matthew’s House. Worship is the heart of our life together and we are open every day. There are daily services of Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer, and on Sundays we offer a Sung Mass at 11am.
We are also in partnership with St Mary le Strand, an exceptionally beautiful baroque church, on its own traffic island in the middle of the Strand, opposite King’s College London. We help there with a Sung Mass at 6pm on Wednesdays, and a monthly musical service (usually Mass or Evensong) on Sunday evening. To our delight St Mary’s is attracting a growing congregation of its own.
We have strong international links and a steady stream of visitors from across the Anglican Communion, with particular connections with the church in North America and Ghana. We regularly welcome priests and bishops from overseas who visit for sabbatical study leave.
Music is an essential, and developing, part of our worship and life together. We use both a professional choir and an enthusiastic band of volunteers who turn up for our weekday ‘Come and Sing Evensong’. We share these resources with St Mary le Strand, and our Director of Music is an energetic supporter of concerts and recitals in both churches.
What we offer our Parish Assistants
- A chance to be immersed in the life and prayer of a busy Anglo-Catholic church, following the round of the Church seasons and actively engaged in liturgical, pastoral, administrative, and creative work. It’s a very hands-on post.
- A grant of £6,000 for the year with expenses met in full.
- Free accommodation in an attractive two bed-roomed furnished apartment next to the school, with its own roof terrace.
- Heating and lighting bills met in full.
- An opportunity to go on retreat.
- A holiday allowance of four weeks (in addition to time spent on retreat), along with public holidays.
We ask our Parish Assistants to
- Attend and help to lead the daily offices of Morning Prayer (8.30am) and Evening Prayer (5.30pm) Monday to Friday.
- Set up, serve and assist at the daily Mass and occasional services (baptism, marriage, funerals and memorial services).
- Prepare for and serve at the Sunday services. Parish Assistants participate fully in serving, public reading and intercession, and administering Holy Communion. Training will be given where needed. There are also opportunities for preaching occasionally, with full guidance and support.
- Set up, serve and assist at the Sung Mass at St Mary le Strand and at its Sunday evening service. This is an exciting Mass to serve at as there is (naturally) a slightly ad hoc character to the worship offered there: students, workers and visitors tend to come and go.
- Join in the ministry of welcome and care of our buildings with the clergy and lay staff, and assist with locking and unlocking as required.
- Learn about parish administration and assist the Administrator and PCC Secretary.
- Assist with the production and distribution of literature, posters, fliers and news sheets and contribute to the production of the website.
- Help to maintain and develop the church’s social media – this is an area in which we are confident that many PAs could teach us…
- Engage with St Matthew’s Primary School – leading assemblies, speaking at the weekly School Mass, leading an after school club on faith, and helping to prepare children for First Communion and Confirmation.
- Visit parishioners in their homes.
- Participate in the weekly staff meeting.
- Develop a distinctive area of ministry, perhaps in association with a local hospital, theatre, charity or other project.
- Participate in the network of events and support for Pastoral Assistants in London, and the monthly gathering of PAs in Westminster.
- Parish Assistants also take part in individual sessions of reflective theology with one of the priests, which aims to provide critical reflection on the experience gained.
What we are looking for
We have been blessed with over forty Parish Assistants in the last twenty years, most of whom have gone on to ordination. Each one has made a distinctive and valued contribution to the church and remained an ongoing friend of St Matthew’s. We are looking for people with enthusiasm, energy and imagination, who will enjoy the unique opportunities of this fascinating church, particularly at a time of debate and challenge in the life of the wider Church.
Interested applicants are encouraged to look at our website – www.stmw.org – and that of our School – www.stmwschool.org.uk. In addition you are welcome to call Fr Philip Chester for an informal chat on the number below.
St Matthew’s Westminster
20 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2BU
Telephone 020 7222 3704
Email [email protected] · Website www.stmw.org