CMT Workers and the CMT Leader
Across the Fenland towns, the Changing Market Towns project has appointed workers with a brief to reach out to their communities in new ways. In each town, the aim is to see a significant number of Fresh Expressions of church appearing as new parts of the community are reached.
There are now Changing Market Towns Workers in the following towns:
- Wisbech
- March
- Chatteris
- Littleport
- Ramsey
- Huntingdon
- St Neots
In each town, the exact nature of the role has been shaped to respond to the needs and opportunities identified locally.
The special focus of the workers includes:
- Secondary schools work, in partnership with Thrive
- Children and families work, embedded in DEMAT schools
- Work with children and families across the local community
- Music and the creative arts
- Community work, focused on the food bank
Operations Managers
In each town where investment has begun, Operations Managers are in place. Their role is to ensure that the increased activity has the support needed to allow effective work to grow.
They are working to encourage efficient working, to share good practice with other towns and to enable volunteers to develop their gifts and grow in confidence. In some cases they support more than one town.
In May 2023, and in line with the project reset as approved by Bishop’s Council, Rebecca McRoberts and David Wells were appointed as central Operations Managers to work in the Changing Market Towns project team. Rebecca works full-time, and David works part-time (2.5 days a week).
Growing New Churches
Changing Market Towns is working towards a wide range of new opportunities to encounter God’s love across all the towns involved.
In most cases, these will take the form of Fresh Expressions of church, linked to the existing parish churches.
Thrive
- In 2019, the Diocese formally agreed to incubate Thrive Youth Work, a project developed out of the work of the Diocese and local churches in Huntingdon. More information on Thrive and where to learn more can be found here.
Finding out more about each town
- Chatteris - http://www.chatteris.org/
- Downham Market - www.tabledownhammarket.org/
- Huntingdon - https://www.huntingdonparish.org/
- LittlePort - http://www.littleportparishchurch.org.uk/
- March - https://marchteamministry.co.uk/
- Ramsey - https://www.ramseysandupwood.org/stthomasabecket
- St Neots stneots.org/
Centralised Changing Market Towns (CMT) functions
The centralised Changing Market Towns functions include the Bishop’s Officer for Changing Market Towns and the Central operations Managers, supported by the Strategic Programme Manager and other functions supporting the Diocesan Programme Management Office. Further details are included below.
Bishop’s Officer for Market Towns and CMT Project Lead
- The Revd Jon Randall, Rector of Huntingdon, is to be also Bishop’s Change Officer for Market Towns. Jon will lead the next phase of the Changing Market Towns project and can be contacted by email on jon.randall@elydiocese.org.
- Jon will be seconded to the Changing Market Project on a half-time basis from his main role, which remains as Incumbent of the Benefice of Huntingdon. This will be for three years until the conclusion of the current SDF-funded project in the summer of 2024. To ensure ministerial provision in Huntingdon during this period, an Associate Vicar has been appointed to cover the proportion of Jon’s time when he is so seconded.
Strategic Programme Manager
- Adam Evans joined the Diocese in early 2018 as Strategic Programme Manager. Fully funded by the Strategic Development Unit at Church House, the role is part of a cohort of similar roles in dioceses across the country.
- The primary focus of this role is to bring additional programme and project management support to the Diocesan Office, to support the centrally funded Changing Market Towns project and other activities related to the Diocesan Strategy.
- The Programme Management Office also provides secretarial services to the Changing Market Towns Board and Delivery Group and the Ely 2025 Strategy Implementation Group, through the analysis of performance data to enable improved deployment of resources.