Jobs

Youth Worker

(Part time – max 20 hours per week but may be some flexibility to vary these slightly.  Please talk to us)

Possible opportunity to include a Masters degree via CYM.  Please contact us for details.

 

Buckingham is a small town in the far north of Buckinghamshire, within easy reach of Oxford, Northampton and Milton Keynes.

Well Street United Church is a lively church in Buckingham.  We seek to fulfil our mission statement by using our building in the centre of town, extending out to a new estate in the town for our Sunday worship, and through involvement in our community.

We are looking to appoint a Youth Worker who will have overall responsibility for all aspects of youth work for ages 11-18 years.  The role is vital in ensuring that young people have every opportunity to explore the Christian faith, to grow in it, and to serve in the church and the world.  It is our vision to reach out to young people in our town to help them know the life to the full that is promised through Jesus.

  • Are you a committed Christian, passionate about following Jesus and enthusiastic in encouraging others to do the same, with experience of working with young people?
  • Do you have a love for young people and a desire to see them ‘do life’ with Jesus?
  • Do you have strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work on your own initiative?
  • Can you engage with both the young people in our church, and the unchurched young people in our town?
  • Are you someone who enjoys motivating young people through sports and fun activities?

If you can say yes to these statements, we want to hear from you.

 

A letter of application stating why you are the person we are looking for is what we require.  In your letter please to show how you meet the Person Specification attributes.  A full CV should also accompany your letter.

Please ensure that the names and contact details of 3 referees are included in your application: one of these must be from your Church Leader and one from a current (or last if not currently employed) employer.

For an informal chat about the position please contact vacancies@wellstreetchurch.org.uk

Applications should be emailed to vacancies@wellstreetchurch.org.uk

Ideally the post would start in September 2023.

 

For more information regarding a Masters with CYW go to https://cym.ac.uk/connect-with-us/scholarships

 

Introduction

Well Street United Church is a lively church that has a mission statement of ‘Putting the King at the Heart of Buckingham.’  We are seeking to do this from our building in the centre of Buckingham, our Sunday venue on a new estate in the town, and through involvement in our community.
 
The Youth Worker will be accountable to the Minister and Elders of the church and will lead the work of engaging with young people in our church and beyond, supported by volunteers.
 
Purpose of the Role
The Youth Worker will have overall responsibility for all aspects of youth work for ages 11-18 years.  The role is vital in ensuring that young people have every opportunity to explore the Christian faith, to grow in it, and to serve in the church and the world.  It is our vision to reach out to young people in our town to help them know the life to the full that is promised through Jesus.
 
At present, we have around 25 young people connected to the church.
 
Key Responsibilities
  1. Developing appropriate means to help young people learn about and engage with the Christian faith through the different stages of their faith journey
  1. Providing pastoral care and support for young people
  1. Coordinating and leading work amongst young people on Sunday mornings
  1. Leading the Youth Life Group, currently meeting on a Sunday evening
  1. Engaging with unchurched young people in the town.  A possible means might be through Project Street Life (PSL), a youth club that meets every Friday in Lace Hill Community Centre, and in which several of our church members are involved.
 
Other Responsibilities
  1. Input into our Sunday worship in both regular and youth-led events
  1. Organising and attending trips to the annual ‘Dreaming the Impossible’ event, or similar
  2. Leading and facilitating an annual youth weekend away
  1. Supporting our outreach ministry to mainly unchurched children to encourage transition to youth ministry e.g Explorers Children’s Club; Christmas Unwrapped and Easter Cracked
  1. Providing input to the annual Buckingham Churches Holiday Club
  1. Developing links with the Grammar and Secondary schools in the town. This could involve leading assemblies, and supporting Christian Unions.
  1. Working with other churches when appropriate
  1. Other duties as required by the church
 
 
Person Specification
 
Essential Attributes
  • A committed Christian, passionate about following Jesus and enthusiastic in encouraging others to do the same
  • Experience of working with young people (a recognised youth work qualification an advantage, but not essential)
  • A willingness to innovate and encourage young people to engage in new initiatives
  • bility to represent the church and liaise with other youth agencies in the area
  • Approachable, friendly and ready to listen
  • A good grasp of social media skills
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, especially with young people
  • A competent organiser
  • To be in sympathy with the values and ethos of the church
  • A good team player, both as a team leader and a member of a team
  • Able to work on own initiative and collaboratively, with the ability to initiate new work and prepare for its sustainability
  • It is expected that the successful applicant will become, or will already be, a member of Well Street Church.
Continuing Professional Development
We will encourage you in further development of your gifts and skills.  We will pay for you to attend the annual National Youth Ministry Weekend or similar.
 
Other Information
Start Date: Subject to negotiation but ideally by September 2023
 
Working Hours: max 20 hours per week, including Sundays. 
May be some flexibility to vary the actual hours slightly.  Please talk to us.

Holiday Entitlement: Five weeks pro rata plus public holidays

Salary: £12000  per annum for a 20 hr week (plus employer pension contributions) reviewed annually
 
The post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure and satisfactory references.  The successful applicant will be required to follow the safeguarding training and procedures of the Methodist Church in Britain.
 
There is a genuine occupational requirement that the job holder be a practising Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Acts 2010.
 
July 2023
 
 

 

 

For a copy of the Job description and  Specification please click here