We are a newly formed ministry unit, a grouping of six churches in the beautiful countryside between York and Easingwold, known as the Vale of York. The Parish of Alne has churches in Alne, Aldwark and Tollerton supported by one PCC, while the churches in Skelton, Shipton and Newton are a benefice with separate PCCs. Together we minister to twelve villages and hamlets of varying sizes which are close to the River Ouse, the East Coast main line and the A19. The city of York is not far away, the market town of Easingwold offers good local amenities and easy road and public transport links.

Agriculture, heritage and tourism are important in our villages, and we have mixed populations of settled long-term residents and more recent arrivals, many of whom are young families, who are largely commuters, wanting traditional village life and community.

Each of our churches has a committed congregation who know and love our communities and we want to reach out with Jesus’ love to grow the churches and deepen our spirituality. We are all different, and we hope to preserve that distinctiveness while recognising that we have more opportunities together.

• A warm friendly welcome with fellowship, joy and laughter
• Beautiful, well-maintained church buildings
• A broad range of worship styles and music, including a Celtic Café Church and live streaming of Sunday services.
• Support from our PCCs and volunteers and an enthusiastic congregation in all our churches and willingness to come together to share our resources.
• Local ministry support: one PTO and one SSM priest, a lay reader, an ALM and Dedicated administrative assistance.
• A Community Café, “Hot Spot” (a warm place in church with lunch) concerts quiz nights, and events to encourage outreach to the community.
• A changing demographic, with more families moving into the area and a willingness to find ways to engage with them.
• Four Primary Schools that welcome the input from members of the church who share collective worship in school and help us deliver the RE curriculum.
• A clergy house in Skelton with accommodation for family life if required
• Relatively stable finances

We want to:

• Work with people of all ages, but especially the numerous new families
• Create and enact a vision for growth through new initiatives and maximising the use of the church buildings
• Be visible and accessible within our villages
• Encourage prayer and the study of God’s word
• Appreciating the different worshipping styles and needs of the individual congregations yet being united as one strong family.

• Committed to helping us to grow in faith and expand our reach in each of our communities through inspiring teaching and preaching
• Creative in shaping and driving engaging projects that will attract people of all ages, but especially younger people and families, so that they become more involved and encouraged to contribute their own ideas.
• Nurturing towards our church communities, respecting our traditions and encouraging a wide range of worship styles
• A caring leader with a pastoral heart, who will encourage and inspire their ministry team in living out our faith in our daily lives
• Able to communicate well through a variety of means including social media
• Someone who is flexible, approachable and perceptive; who takes an interest in attending community groups and events.