Parish of Preston Plucknett

St. James church Yeovil goes back over 600 years, St. Peters was built in the 1930s at the heart of a new council housing estate. As Yeovil has grown, we've become the Church of England parish for around 16,000 people in the NW of the town.

Work among younger families has been strong for many years, and there are lots of community contacts with pre and primary school children and their families. St. James has recently seen several key families move out of the area, after several years of growth, so we are seeking to rebuild in this area.  St. Peters is a smaller but growing and energetic church. The new St Peters Community Centre, built in 2019 to serve the deprived Westfield estate, a community of 5000 people in the E of our parish, is a great base for community work.

There are many opportunities for both children and youth work, with groups and ministry at both churches, and work in 3 primary schools and 2 secondary schools (over 3,000 students in total). We are also seeking to grow our provision and outreach to the community. We are about to begin outreach onto a new housing estate led by a newly appointed associate minister, which will also involve developing youth and families ministry.

The church is led by the Vicar (David Keen), with a staff team at both churches. The parish employs both a part time Families worker and part time youth worker. At each church, the church wardens oversee the day to day running of the churches, whilst the Parochial Church Council holds legal responsibility for the finances, employees and legal aspects of the churches life.

The 2 churches each have their own identity, and there are 9 cell groups across the parish where people meet in smaller groups for prayer, study and mutual support. There is also a monthly Messy Church, and a range of social and outreach groups and activities.

The vision of St. James is to be 'A Wholehearted Church' where we Encounter God, Grow as Disciples, Live the Gospel and Gather Community. St. Peters vision is 'Love God, Love Westfield' with a focus on the ministries of hospitality, availability and welcome.

We want to see our young people encountering God, growing as disciples, living the gospel and gathering community - both within their groups, and as agents and catalysts for community in their schools and homes. The vision of the church includes all ages.

Yeovil is a town of 50,000 people in south Somerset, 15 miles from the S coast. It is the main hub for the area, which is mainly rural (and sometimes flooded!) Westlands helicopters is the main local industry, there is also a sizeable hospital.

Preston Plucknett parish is in the NW quadrant of the town, which is mostly residential, consisting of several distinct neighbourhoods. There are 2 secondary schools and 1 primary school in the parish, and we work in 2 other primary schools just outside our parish, one in a new housing estate.

There are some pockets of high deprivation, as well as some of the priciest housing in the town. Ethnic diversity is low, but Yeovil has a significant E European population, and a growing number from India and Africa, mostly working in the health and care sector. Several Kenyan and Nigerian families have joined our churches in the last 2 years. The town has a strong sense of the town being a single community, especially if the football club are doing well.

Childrens Ministry: we run

• Junior Church - Sunday morning groups at both churches, 9am at St Peters and 10.30am at St James, 2-10 children each week at each church.
• Toddlers groups - we support parent-led toddler groups at St Peters and on the Abbey Manor estate, and run a parent and baby group at St James.
• Messy Church once a month at St Peters, which draws 40-50 people on average. There is an occasional Messy family session during school holidays.
• Assemblies at all 3 primary schools, occasional church visits, RE lessons, Q&A sessions, and we hope to start a Christian lunch club in at least one of these.
• Mums small group bible study (with small children present!)

We currently run 5 youth groups:

• LIFT Sunday evening group, focused on discipleship, 6-8 regulars
• Tea and Toast all girls group, using creative arts to explore issues of identity, some gentle Christian content.
• The Hangout, Drop Into: open access groups, run over 3 separate sessions, aimed at young people on the Westfield estate. This is an area with higher levels of deprivation, and anti social behaviour. The work is funded by the town council, but staffed entirely by the church youth team.

In partnership with other local churches, we also run Christian Unions in the two secondary schools in the parish, and do some detached and mentoring work.

All these groups are run by our paid staff, with the help of volunteer teams. The youth drop-in is run in partnership with another local church and their youth work team.

Youth workers across the town are part of 'Unite', a regular gathering of Yeovil youth. There is a church-based chaplaincy at the FE college which serves the whole of the town.