Tradition: evangelical |
Monthly services:8 plus occasional funerals, weddings and school services. |
Schools, colleges: |
Archdeaconry:Stoke-upon-Trent |
Training Incumbent
The Revd Shaun Morris
Trained: Oak Hill. Deaconed: 2006
I have been in this parish for 15 years. I also serve as Area Dean of Stoke-on-Trent, and as a member of General Synod. My wife is also ordained; she is a prison chaplain. I bring a classical evangelical ministry centred around discipleship, evangelism and pastoral care. Our desire is for our church family to draw alongside one another in their joys and sorrows, and encourage one another to grow in their love and likeness of the Lord Jesus. Away from ministry, we enjoy the outdoors with family and friends.
I am committed to the historic understanding that marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, and that this is the proper place for sexual intimacy. I see ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ undermining this great doctrine and do not envisage offering them.
The context
Hanford is a great place with wonderful people. We are a smaller church – we count about 75 people as belonging to us and typically have just under 50 people at our two Sunday services. We have a gifted Associate Minister, and expository preaching and teaching is a priority for us. Our PCC is excellent, full of godly and gracious people. They fully subscribe to our mission of ‘Glorifying God by making disciples’. We have a fledgling Sunday School of a handful of children and, in God’s goodness, this is growing. Our suburban parish is about 2,000 people and has patches of both deprivation and affluence. Our main areas of community engagement are serving two retirements homes, a social club for retired men, a monthly bereavement café, and extensive interaction with our church school. We have tentative plans to launch a new worshipping community built on school contacts over the coming years. My role as Area Dean has the potential to offer you a wider experience. Our Deanery is large, and represents the breadth of the Church of England. These are troubling times, and I am committed to building excellent relationships with all colleagues whilst serving within the boundaries of my own theological convictions. This curacy will offer opportunity for someone to work out their own principles and practice with patience, graciousness and humility.
Mission statistics (2024)
| Electoral Roll | Usual Sunday Attendance Adults | Usual Sunday Attendance Children | Thanksgivings | Baptisms | Marriages | Funerals (church) | Funerals (crem) |