JOB ADVERT: Part-time parish secretary in the Benefice of Long Crendon with Chearsley and Nether Winchendon

Are you looking for a flexible, part-time role, serving the villages of Long Crendon, Chearsley and Nether Winchendon?

Do you love greeting new people and co-ordinating others?

Would you like to do all this within our team of 3 welcoming churches?

If so, then we’re advertising for a new part time parish secretary to provide personal administrative support to the Vicar, as well as co-ordinating volunteers, services and activities across our 3 churches.

Please review the job description below, and if you’d like to apply, send your CV and covering letter to our Vicar, Rev Richard Phillips at reverend.richard.phillips@gmail.com by 31st March 2023. You’re very welcome to contact Rev Richard in advance, to explore the role informally before making the decision to apply.

 

ROLE DESCRIPTION: – Part-time parish secretary in the Benefice of Long Crendon with Chearsley and Nether Winchendon

Employer:  The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Mary The Virgin, Long Crendon.

Reports to: The Vicar.

Based at: Home, with the need to travel to the villages of Long Crendon, Chearsley, and Nether Winchendon.

Term: Fixed Term of 2 years, with a desire to make permanent subject to funding and outcomes.

Hours: 11 hours per week. The pattern of working days and hours can be designed to fit the mutual needs of the candidate and the parish, but it is envisaged that the Parish Secretary will regularly work at least 3 weekdays during the morning and/or afternoon.

Pay: £12 per hour.

 

Summary

The parish of Long Crendon is part of a team of 3 churches, incorporating the smaller villages of Chearsley and Nether Winchendon. This key role is to provide personal administrative support to the Vicar, as well as co-ordinating volunteers, services and activities across our 3 churches.

 

Key responsibilities

Diary Management

  • Support the Vicar and Curate in the scheduling of meetings and pastoral visits.
  • Create and manage a Benefice diary for church services & events, and the booking of the church buildings.

Communication

  • Receive and deal with enquiries to the Vicarage from the church and the wider community, via phone, email, web, or letter.
  • Liaise with the volunteer administrator who creates and prints the weekly pew sheet.
  • Create and send the weekly ‘what’s on’ email to the church distribution list.
  • Update the Benefice website with news of forthcoming services and events.
  • Create and send individual invitations to services and events.
  • Create and maintain a church directory of contacts, in compliance with GDPR.

Occasional Offices

  • Liaise with couples and families planning weddings, baptisms, and funerals.
  • Book preparation and follow-up visits with the officiating minister.
  • Administer the associated paperwork before and after the service.
  • Create and manage an online Life Events Diary for the Benefice
  • Send follow-up invitations and resources as prompted by the Life Events Diary
  • Manage the Quarterly fees return on behalf of the Benefice
  • Ensure any fees received by cheque are banked by the volunteer Treasurers.

Planning for services

  • Support the Vicar in managing the ministerial rota for services, including cover for annual leave.
  • Support the Vicar and Curate in inviting volunteers to take part in services.
  • Liaise with the Volunteer Administrator should bespoke orders of service need to be printed.
  • Order church supplies for services and missional events (eg. wafers, candles, wreaths, books).
  • Update the weekly Zoom Prayer Meeting orders of service.
  • Set up the weekly livestream on YouTube.
  • Download music and create CDs for services without a live organist.

Annual Procedures

  • Support the Vicar and Wardens in managing the Annual Meetings.
  • Support the Vicar and Wardens in arranging the annual safety inspections and health and safety assessments.
  • Support the Vicar and Parish Safeguarding Officers in the annual Safeguarding Audit process.
  • Support the Wardens in the Annual Statistics for Mission return.

 

Outline terms and conditions

Pay

The starting rate will be £12 per hour, reviewed annually. The PCC commit to pay above the National Living Wage.

Hours

The post is offered on the basis of 11 hours per week. The pattern of working days and hours can be designed to fit the mutual needs of the candidate and the parish, but it is envisaged that the Parish Secretary will regularly work at least 3 weekdays during the morning and/or afternoon.

Some flexibility is required to reflect workloads at different times of the year and by mutual agreement the number of hours worked a week may be lower at some times (for example during school holidays) and higher at others (for example during major church festivals).

It is hoped that the post-holder will be able to attend the main Sunday morning service at St Mary’s Long Crendon at least once a month to facilitate communication with church members.

Term

Term: Fixed Term of 2 years, with a desire to make permanent subject to funding and outcomes. There will be a probationary period of 6 months.

Holidays

5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, including bank holidays (pro-rata).

Location

The role is home-based. A Personal Computer (and basic mobile phone if required) will be provided, and office supplies reimbursed. There will be the need to travel to the villages of Long Crendon, Chearsley, and Nether Winchendon for weekly meetings with the vicar and for visits to the church buildings. Fuel will be reimbursed at the prevailing HMRC mileage rate (currently 45p per mile).

 

Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults

The church has adopted a policy to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. The post holder will be required to follow this policy at all times, and employment is subject to satisfactory DBS clearance and references.

Confidentiality

Due to the nature of this work the post holder will often be party to highly confidential and very personal matters – they must therefore be committed and able to maintain the very highest standards of confidentiality at all times.

 

Person Specification

Clear commitment to church-based work – as the Parish Secretary will work closely with church members, and represent the church to the wider community on a day-to-day basis, it is essential that they are able to work in full sympathy with our Christian ethos.

Excellent organisational and administrative skills – able to manage themselves and support others effectively.

Excellent pastoral skills – able to welcome people contacting the church for the first time, and deal sensitively with those who are calling at particularly difficult times of life.

IT literate, including in the use of the Microsoft Word and Excel, online calendars, and cloud storage (eg. Google Drive); updating websites; downloading music files and burning audio CDs.

Comfortable working on their own and with others.

Able to work with volunteers, who need to be encouraged and guided rather than instructed.

A high degree of tact and diplomacy.