Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy

Report to Archdeaconry Synod 2023

The Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca Spain

Our Chaplaincy

Our Chaplaincy stretches from Valencia to Alicante and consists of eight worship centres. We operate with three part-time stipendiary clergy and a dedicated team of clergy with PTO and two Readers. Each Worship Centre is supported by a local committee with one representative elected to the Chaplaincy Council.

2022 has continued to present our Chaplaincy with challenges. Both COVID and BREXIT continue to have a significant effect on attendance at worship. These challenges have also reduced our income from congregational giving.

After the retirement of Fr. Marcus, our full-time Chaplain and in consultation with the Diocese we restructured our ministry team to operate in it’s current form thereby reducing our outlay on clergy salaries and expenses. We have a committed group dedicated to fundraising within the Chaplaincy. They assist with facilitating fundraising in each Worship Centre.

Our Chaplaincy Council meets regularly and administers the efficient running of the Chaplaincy. Together with our Wardens and Treasurer we are committed to the building up of Christ’s Kingdom in this part of Spain.

Our Worship Centres

Albir Contact Fr. Paul

Alfas del Pi Contact Fr. Paul

Calpe Contact Fr. Rodney

Denia Contact Fr. Jim

El Campello Contact Fr. Paul

Gandia Contact Fr. Rodney

Javea Contact Fr. Jim

La Fustera Contact Fr. Rodney

Our Common life as a worshipping community

The Eucharist is at the centre of our common life together. Each Worship Centre offers a Eucharist on Sunday and in Alfas del Pi and Javea we also offer a weekday Eucharist on  Thursdays and Wednesdays.

We offer an annual Lent course via Zoom. This is normally lay led with a meditation by a member of the ministry team.

We enjoy any opportunity to meet together for fellowship on a social basis and there are many occasions for this to happen around the chaplaincy throughout the year.

Notable events within the last twelve months are:

The licensing by the Archdeacon of Fr. Paul, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Jim

Services around the chaplaincy for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Remembrance Sunday 2022

Carols by the anchor in Albir.

Our Vision for the future

Our objective is not to manage decline, but rather to encourage growth. Regardless of the impact of COVID and Brexit there are a significant number of English speaking folks living on the Costa Blanca who do not know the chaplaincy exists.

We know that people are starting to travel once again to Spain, even if their time here may be less than in the past. Some of these folks have worshiped with us in the past and would probably like to do so again. We need to let them know we are ready to welcome them back.

We aim to be an inclusive, open worshipping community offering a warm welcome to anyone who visits any of our worship centres. We rely heavily on our membership in this regard as they give of themselves and engage in vibrant lay leadership.

Our Chaplaincy Council engaged in a strategic review in 2022, we have developed a three-year plan to cover the following areas:

Mission

Growing our church

Outreach to others

Worship

Teaching

Ministry

Our Ordained ministry

Our Reader Ministry

Our Worship Leaders

Our Training and process

Our Elected Ministry

Stewardship

Our Financial plan

Our Fund raising

Our Safeguarding

Please pray for our Chaplaincy as we seek to grow together in Christ.

Again thank you for your supports,

Every blessing.

Fr. Paul David Dean