This page is about how we organise ourselves
Contents
Minister
Minister
Church Meeting
Church Officers
Elders' Meeting
Pastoral Care Scheme
Teams
Revd. Dr. Kirsty Thorpe
Kirsty Thorpe has a BA (Oxford), BD (Wales), MTh (London), and PhD (Manchester). She began her working life as a journalist and then became involved in social work. She felt called to the ministry and in 2000 was ordained and inducted to the URC/Methodist Church in Malpas. In 2003 she moved to the pastorate of Deane with St Andrew and St George in Bolton. She was inducted to the pastorate of Morley Green and Wilmslow in September 2008. At the URC General Assembly held in July 2008, Kirsty was elected co-moderator of the URC General Assembly for the period 2010 to 2012.
Kirsty is married to Revd. Martin Smith who is also a URC minister.
Church Meeting
Major decisions are the responsibility of our Church Meeting. Any one who worships regularly with us is invited to attend and speak. Only members may vote, however. We have currently 271 members. In 2008, as an experiment, our Church Meeting will be held quarterly, after the Sunday morning service.
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Church Officers
We have five Church Officers –
Church Secretary: Chris Tarbard who was first appointed in 2009
Church Treasurer: David Nye who was first appointed in 1991
Assistant Church Secretary (Admin): Elizabeth McGuire who was first appointed in 2007
Assistant Church Secretary (Resources): Wendy Williams who was first appointed in 2007
Assistant Church Treasurer: David Jackson who was first appointed in 2007
The first four of these officers are Elders. All are appointed to the position annually. There is no formal maximum period of service as a church officer.
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Elders' Meeting
As part of our Covenant with Wilmslow Methodist Church the Elders meet with the Water Lane Church Council as a "Covenant Council" twice a year, for an hour. This is followed by a short Elders' meeting. Otherwise, the Elders meet on the first Wednesday of the month for 10 months of the year.
Each Elder is allocated a District of church members and adherents in the manner laid down by the United Reformed Church.
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Pastoral Care Scheme
Our church operates a Pastoral Care Scheme. Seven neighbourhoods have been identified, each of which matches a number of Elders' Districts. A neighbourhood is the responsibility of two or more Pastoral Care Visitors. These Visitors work as a team with the Elders for the relevant Districts, to meet the needs of the church members and adherents.
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Teams
Some of the Elders lead Teams, which are normally made up of Elders, members, or adherents. Some of the teams are joint with members of Water Lane Methodist Church and other churches in the town.
The Worship Team oversees all aspects of worship in the church. In particular the Team:
- Finds stimulating leadership of worship when the Minister is absent during her term as Co-Moderator
- Emphasises the need to make parts of worship more relevant and interesting to children and young people
- Considers possible alternative forms of worship
- Considers possible ways of engaging with those in the community who are unable or unwilling to attend church services.
The Christian Education Team develops and offers an education programme for the church.
The Fellowship Team ensures that the church provides a lively, welcoming and caring Christian fellowship for members and adherents of all ages and conditions.
The Outreach Team (joint with Water Lane and other churches in the town) seeks to ensure that the town churches take appropriate action in relation to the community outside Wilmslow, eg. through Christian Aid, Fair Trade and Make Poverty History.
The Finance Team oversees the financial status and control of our church funds.
The Administration Team ensures that the administrative and support activities required for the smooth running of our church are available.
The Property Team ensures that the church, halls and manse buildings are maintained.
A small Resources Team reviews the membership of Teams and suggests to the Team Leaders possible new members.
