‘The first thing that strikes you when you walk into the building is the warmth of the welcome, the friendliness of the smiles…’

We’re looking forward to extending a warm welcome, and a friendly smile, to our new Priest in Charge, someone with energy, ideas, dedication and commitment to lead us in worship and in our outreach into the community.

St Cuthbert’s and St Aidan’s are vibrant church families, deeply rooted in the local community - welcoming, supportive, friendly, inclusive is our “wordle”!

One of our key aims is to encourage families and younger people, perhaps with little or different backgrounds of church attendance, to interact more with us in the future through the use of imaginative and attractive services. Getting out into the community more, and particularly into our local schools, is a clear and strong aim for us.

St Cuthbert’s church building was reordered relatively recently to include a community centre and doctor’s surgery as well as a beautiful yet flexible worship space. St Aidan’s church family worship in the community centre in Anchorage Park. At both churches we enjoy a mixture of traditional and more modern styles of worship.

We are looking for a priest in charge who is a servant leader, committed to working collaboratively, helping us engage more effectively with our local communities, especially in our outreach to children, young people and families.

Our new priest will

• have a heart for mission
• have good communication skills with all ages
• be inspirational in their preaching and teaching

The Diocese of Portsmouth stretches across south-east Hampshire and includes the whole of the Isle of Wight. It has139 parishes, many diverse rural and urban communities and a wide range of churchmanship.

Bishop Jonathan Frost was installed in March 2022, and has shared his vision for the diocese – a place where all are invited into a life-enhancing encounter with Jesus Christ.

As part of the Diocesan vision and strategy the Deanery has a ‘plan’ which has evolved over a number of years and responds to changes of context and circumstance. At its heart is a vision of local Parishes developing strong relationships and sharing resources, gifts and skills in the service of God and the community.

Within that plan St Cuthbert’s is part of the ‘Northern Cluster’ and we wish to explore with how we might develop a collaborative ministry and relationships with the churches in the cluster and the northern part of the city that they all seek to serve and minister to.

For further information on the role, please contact Archdeacon Jenny Rowley on jenny.rowley@portsmouth.anglican.org

The interviews will be held on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th November 2023.