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PARISH PROFILE

PARISH:    Christ Church, Glebe Road, Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, SY3 OPZ.
DIOCESE:   Lichfield.          AREA: Salop.       DEANERY:  Shrewsbury.

THE PARISH HOUSING
Bayston Hill is a dormitory village with a population of around 5500 situated 3 miles south of Shrewsbury , the County Town, from which it is separated by the A5 bypass and an eroding greenbelt. The majority of housing was built in the early 1970’s. No further major expansion of the village is anticipated. The population is primarily white, middle class owner-occupiers, although there is also some local authority and privately-owned rented housing. The Holland Close complex provides sheltered housing and The Old Vicarage is now a nursing home.  There is also a care home next to the church for people with learning disabilities called York House. The vision for York house was initiated by Christ Church over 20 years ago and is run by Prospects, a Christian Charity.

THE CHURCH
Christ Church Life
Our vision is “Growing the Kingdom of God in Bayston Hill and Beyond.”  We believe becoming a Cell Church will help us live out our 6 Core Values.  At present we have 17 Adult Cell Groups, 6 Youth Cell Groups and 6 Children's Cell Groups. The development of the Church into a family church with something for all age groups is well underway. Our children (crèche – 14 years) participate in their own cells during Sunday 10.30am services. A Pre-school Nursery facility is available daily. Primetime,  caters for the over 55.

Christ Church Building
At the creation of the Parish in 1844, the original Church was built at what was then the centre of the village. The growth of the community and the development of housing to the west of the A49 necessitated a move to a new building. This was opened in 1983 and extended in 1992. The facilities now comprise a 350-seater worship area, which can be extended into the Foyer to seat a further 100. There is also a large church hall with several small teaching/meeting rooms.

SCHOOLS
There are two primary schools in the village.
Longmeadow is a Church of England School and has around 300 children; the Vicar and 2 members of the Church are Foundational Governors.
Oaklands School is adjacent to the church and has around 100 children. The nearest secondary school is 2 miles distance and Colleges of Further Education are located in Shrewsbury .

INDUSTRY
There is little Industry/employment in the village with the exception of a Tarmac Quarry on the village perimeter.
Social facilities comprise a dozen shops, a branch library, three take-aways and four public houses. There are limited recreational facilities; amateur dramatics and badminton in the village Memorial Hall, 2 soccer pitches, an all-weather floodlit bowling green and the nearby Lythwood Country Park . 
The village is linked by a frequent bus service to Shrewsbury , from where there are rail links to all parts of the country.

STAFF
Vicar: Ralph Goldenberg.
Ralph is a Messianic Jew who worked as an Optometrist in Bournemouth . He was ordained Deacon 1990 and priested 1991 in Kinson, Bournemouth . He then served as Curate-in-charge in Edgware, then Team Vicar of Christ Church, Harrow until moving to Bayston Hill.  He is married to Helen and they have three sons plus 2 grandsons.   He is Chairman of the Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association which provides shelter facilities for the homeless men in the town. He also organises the Shropshire New Wine Network and is CMJ  Lichfield Diocesan Rep. He is the 12th incumbent to have held the post.

Youth Pastor: Paul and Katie Cross. Newly-appointed Youth Pastors, have been involved in youth ministry many years and most recently in Bishops Stortford. They have a real heart for individual and corp orate growth in this age group and the church is very excited about their arrival. They have 2 boys, aged 7 and 4 and baby girl.

Lay Ministry: The vicar is supported by a Lay Leadership Team which includes Church Wardens, John Wain and Lisa Wilson, a Church Administrator, Joyce Malins.  Hazel Holland is licensed as Lay Pastoral Assistant in the Parish and oversees Pastoral Care for the elderly.