Diocese of St Albans - Aldenham Deanery
St Peter’s, Bushey Heath
Parish
and
New Incumbent
Profiles
Diocese of St Albans - Aldenham Deanery
St Peter’s, Bushey Heath
Parish Profile
1. The Parish
The parish of St Peter’s, Bushey Heath was formed out of the larger parish of St James, Bushey in 1889. It is a residential suburban parish of about 8,000 people, situated some 3 miles south of Watford and 16 miles north of London. It lies well within the commuter belt for central London and people are involved in a wide variety of mainly professional occupations. Good relationships have been forged with the large Jewish community and there is a flourishing Orthodox Synagogue directly opposite the Parish Church and a Jewish private school nearby.
There are three state primary schools and a private mixed preparatory school within the parish. There are no state secondary schools within the Parish but a large number of excellent state and private secondary schools are conveniently situated nearby in Bushey and Watford.
The Parish includes a BUPA Hospital, where the parish priest is called in by invitation, three nursing homes - Windmill House, Birchville Court and Kestrel Grove – and Heath House residential home for the elderly. The parish priest visits Windmill House most weeks and Heath House once a month for celebration of the Holy Communion. In addition, the parish has sheltered accommodation for mentally handicapped young people. There are also Church Army flats, including a chapel, for retired workers.
Housing within the parish is made up of a high proportion of middle to high class residential properties, some council and housing association properties and a large estate of Ministry of Defence properties accommodating officers of all three services and their families. Adjacent to St Peter’s is a small, but thriving shopping centre and there are a number of pubs, restaurants and medical facilities nearby.
Bushey Heath is represented at local government level by three Borough councillors and at Parliamentary level by James Clappison, the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hertsmere.
2. The Parish Church and Buildings
The Church
St Peter’s - a Grade II listed building - is situated in a prominent position at the junction of two main roads when approaching Bushey Heath from Bushey village and Watford. The Church, vicarage and parish hall are within the Lake Conservation Area. There has been a church on the site since 1837, when it was built as a chapel-of-ease within the parish of St James, Bushey and at a time when the patrons of the living were the Rector and Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford.
In 1889, an Order in Council created the new parish of St Peter’s, Bushey Heath and by 1891 a new chancel had been built. The church was substantially re-built in 1911 with the construction of the present nave and tower and finally in 1921 St George’s Chapel was added, in memory of the fallen in the Great War. The church and plant are generally in a good state of repair, with substantial sums having been spent in recent years on complete redecoration, completion of all health and safety work, new carpeting, restoration of the sanctuary, the Lady Chapel and the Memorial Chapel, cleaning and restoration of the stained glass windows, re-wiring and a new lighting system, heating improvements, new railings around the church, re-pointing of the tower and, more recently, repairs to the external stone work and restoration of the font. A new, state-of-the-art, three manual electronic organ was installed in 2005 thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor.
The Vicarage
In 1907, a new vicarage was built on parish land adjacent to the church but this was sold and demolished in 1970. The proceeds of the sale financed the purchase of a detached house, well-built by a local builder in the 1950's for his own use, some 100 yards from the church on the opposite side of the High Road. Built in the Georgian style, the principal accommodation comprises a lounge, dining room, kitchen, hall and cloakroom on the ground floor, four bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor and two further bedrooms, a box room and a balcony on the second floor. It has enclosed gardens front and rear of easily manageable size and backs onto a public garden and lake.
The Parish Hall
The church has a good Parish Hall, built by public subscription in 1910. It is maintained in good order and has been substantially renovated in recent years. It is the centre of activity for parish social functions and is the ‘home’ of St Peter’s Players, an amateur theatrical group which stages very impressive productions in the hall and church. The hall is also well-used by local community organisations and is heavily booked throughout the year. Currently, it is self-supporting, sometimes making a small contribution to general parish funds.
3. Tradition, Worship and Ministry
Tradition
The tradition of St Peter’s for many years has been that of an all-embracing church, welcoming parishioners of all Anglican persuasions. It has been catholic in faith and orthodox in doctrine and worship with the Parish Communion in its various forms at the centre of our worship. In more recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of parishioners from outside the Parish seeking a “traditional” church. Following the Act of Synod in 1993, the PCC elected in 1994 to pass Resolutions A, B and C which were re-visited and confirmed in 1998, 2003 and most recently at a meeting of the Council on 11th June 2007.
Worship
Normal Sunday services are an 8 am Communion using the Book of Common Prayer and a 9.30 am sung Parish Communion using Common Worship on three Sundays and the Book of Common Prayer on the second and fifth Sundays. On the second Sunday of each month there is an 11.15 am Family Service in the modern idiom. On the first Sunday a poorly attended Evensong is held at 6 pm. Latterly, on the other Sundays, a Eucharist was held at 6.30 pm but this was also sparsely attended.
During the week, the Vicar and lay members are involved in a busy round of services in various parts of the parish. Morning Prayer is said in church on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and Evensong on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, often with lay-leadership. Midweek Communion is celebrated on Monday at 11 am at Windmill House, on Tuesday at 10am in the Church Army Chapel, on Wednesday at 9.30am in church and monthly at Heath House. Additional services are held on major Festivals. We observe a full liturgical Holy Week and Easter, including a vigil at the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday and a Dawn Vigil at 5am on Easter Day.
There is a Sacristan who is training an enthusiastic Assistant Sacristan. Altar serving is covered by a mixed serving team sharing the monthly rota. There is also a mixed group for administering the chalice and a well-trained Reading and Intercession team.
The Choir
The enthusiastic and dedicated but small choir sings at the 9.30 am Sunday Eucharist and at mid-week evening services. It is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music and has, in the past, taken part in regional events. However, like many church organisations, it is an ageing choir and currently has no male voices; there is no junior choir. The organist and choirmaster was newly appointed in late 2004 and was recently made the Assistant General Manager of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Music Group
An enthusiastic and accomplished band, accompanied by mixed voices supports the monthly 11.15 am Family Service and other occasional special services during the year. We see this service as the best opportunity to extend our outreach to those families who are often on the fringes of church life and need encouragement to join the main-stream.
Healing Prayer Team
The Healing Prayer Ministry has for some years been an integral part of our prayer life. At the Parish Eucharist on the first Sunday of each month, a small Healing team, working in pairs, offers the Laying on of Hands at the Lady Chapel altar. The Healing team also visits, on request, the housebound, the sick and the distressed, either in hospital or at home.
Mission
In the past, the parish has run a number of Alpha courses, which on the whole, have been well-attended.
Church Attendance
As far as numbers are concerned, currently there are 138 names on the Electoral Roll, which was completely renewed in March 2007. The average Sunday attendance at Communion services in 2006 was 110, comprising about 25 at the 8 am Communion, and 85 at the 9.30 am Eucharist. The monthly Family service and Evensong have averaged about 50 and 15 per month respectively. Easter communicants have exceeded 300 over the past few years and at Christmas there are usually some 120 at Midnight Mass, 20 at the 8 am Communion and about 90 at the 9.30 am service. The Carol Service at 6.30pm on Christmas Eve attracts a huge congregation of over 400. During last year, there were 13 Baptisms, 3 Weddings and 6 Funerals in Church.
4. Other Christian Churches in the Community
There is a small but active, long established Methodist Church in Bushey Heath and a Roman Catholic Dominican convent and conference centre. St Peter’s is a member of the community ecumenical group, Bushey & Oxhey Churches Together (BOCT) which, although not as active as in former years, organises a number of ecumenical events during the year. These comprise a series of ecumenical services, held in the member churches, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a Good Friday Walk of Witness, and ecumenical Lent Study Groups. St Peter’s currently provides the treasurer for BOCT.
5. Staff
The Vicar is the sole stipendiary minister in the parish. There has not been a paid resident stipendiary assistant priest in the parish since 1977 and there are no paid youth workers at St Peter’s. Some part-time assistance is provided by Canon Geoffrey Neal which is funded by the Parish mainly through special fund-raising. We also have the help of friendly and retired clergy on a fairly regular basis and to provide holiday cover for the Vicar. A retired Church Army Sister, Sr Diana Burton has permission to officiate to help in a non-Eucharistic capacity.
6. Parish Organisations
The Church is fortunate to be able to call upon an active laity who take pride in the level of support they give to the vicar. They are responsible for running many successful parish organisations.
Sunday School
With the number of children in the congregation falling, the Sunday School has reduced to a single group of 3 or 4 children. They meet in the Memorial Chapel, leaving the main service at the first Hymn and re-joining before the Consecration. The children sponsor a child in Bethlehem, Nivan Ghawali, through the ‘Biblelands’ organisation and they exchange letters and pictures, keeping Nivan and her family in their prayers during the year.
Youth Club
The St Peter’s Youth club for the 11+ age group has around 15 members. It meets on Sunday evenings during term time and offers a range of activities including table-tennis, games nights, outings for swimming and ten-pin bowling etc. Each evening ends with a short time of prayer and teaching.
House Groups
There are three House Groups which meet monthly on different days or evenings and all groups are led by lay people who meet regularly with the Vicar for teaching. All the groups use as their Bible study over a season the same section of either the Old or New Testament with the aim of finishing roughly at the same time. The sessions take the form of prayer, study and discussion
Mothers’ Union
The branch of about 20 people meets monthly for coffee after the Wednesday 9.30am Communion service and also for afternoon and evening meetings, for Advent meditation and for Christmas celebration. Summertime events and outings are also part of the programme. The branch supports a number of charitable causes and provides welcomers at St Albans Abbey.
Bell Tower
St Peter’s has a fine peal of eight bells, presented in 1921 by Sir David and Lady Rutherford in memory of their son, Lt. David Rutherford, who was killed in Ireland in 1920. The bells are rung for the 9.30am Sunday service and for weddings by arrangement.
Five regular home tower ringers enjoy Wednesday practice nights when they often receive instruction from more experienced ringers from local towers.
Flower Guild
The Guild is responsible for all flower arrangements in church, week by week and at festivals. The cost of flowers is met either from donations or from wedding fees, but it is always a struggle to make ends meet. The guild occasionally organise Flower Festivals, the proceeds being donated to a particular charity.
Mother & Toddlers Club
An open group which meets every Wednesday in the Parish Hall between 10 and 11.30am for social chat and coffee.
Over 60's Club
An outreach group of some 40 older members of the community (some of whom are members of the congregation) which affords the opportunity to socialise and enjoy a variety of activities and events. There is usually a summer outing each year and a Christmas dinner, which has been provided by the local BUPA hospital for the past few years.
Holiday Club
A club for primary school children, run jointly by St Peter's and St Andrew's Methodist Church, meets on three mornings for a week during the summer holidays. A Biblically based programme of teaching, crafts, play and other activities is organised on a different theme each year. It uses facilities at Bushey Heath Primary School and, in 2005, attracted 40+ children. The club has been operating for 13 years, and, although not held in 2006 and 2007, it is hoped that this outreach activity will continue in 2008.