The Residential Area
Christ Church Arcadia is situated in the historic suburb of Arcadia which lies to the east of the city centre of Pretoria. It is in close proximity to the Union Buildings, Bryntirion and is also close to four well-known historic schools in the city as well as the University of Pretoria.
The surrounding suburbs are a mixture of residential homes and multi-storey blocks of flats.
The population of the parish is mixed however it is still predominantly white. There is a mix of ages in the parish and there are a number of retirement homes in the immediate vicinity of the church.
The area experiences the usual social problems like single parent families, divorce, loneliness, drugs and prostitution.

The Church Buildings
The parish celebrated its centenary in 2004 and some parts of the church building date back over one hundred years. In spite of this the church is in a good state of repair. There is also a large hall behind the church which is used for various social activities and it is also used to generate an income for the church finances. In addition there is also a choir vestry. The parish offices were recently upgraded to be more functional and the rector’s study is a large and airy room which is suitably equipped with office furniture and the like.

The Rectory
The rectory is situated behind the church and has access to the church grounds and its own entrance from Church Street. It is a large double storied house with two reception rooms, study, kitchen and guest toilet; whilst upstairs it has 3 bedrooms and a full bathroom. There is a large enclosed garden as well as a double garage. The entrance from Church Street is by access control.

Liturgy
a) Eucharists
There are two celebrations of the Eucharists on a Sunday:
7:30 – said SAPB
9:15 – Choral Eucharist (APB 1989)
During the week the following eucharists are celebrated:
Tuesday 17:30 – said APB
Thursday 09:00 - said SAPB
The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in church and vestments are worn by the clergy for all celebrations of the Eucharist.
The average Sunday communicants at both eucharists is about 150. At present there are approximately 220 families on the Parish Roll. There are 8 licensed Lay Ministers at present with two additional members in training. Members of the congregation assist at both services by acting as sides people, reading lessons, taking up the Offertory.
Tea and coffee is served in the Church Hall after the 9:15 Eucharist and is a valuable way for the congregation to meet each other.

b) Other services
Morning prayer is said by the clergy in church on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30. All members of the congregation are welcome to attend the services.
Choral Evensong is sung on the first Sunday of the month during the year. The time varies between 17:00 (winter) and 18:00 (summer).
There are numerous other services which take place during the course of the year: Advent Carol Service, The Nine Lessons and Carols, all the Holy Week Liturgies, Ascension Day and All Souls Day. In addition there are sometimes concerts which are put on by the choir.

c) Other Offices
Baptisms take place after preparation done by the Rector and form part of the 9:15 Eucharist.
Confirmation takes place after a two year preparation course and the service is normally conducted in the Church at the 9:15 Eucharist.
The Church building is popular for weddings and there is a cost for non-parish members.
Funerals are conducted as well.

d) Music
The parish has the dedicated services of Mr George King the Director of Music, and a choir. The choir is affiliated to the Royal Schools of Church Music. The 9:15 Eucharist is sung with the choir leading in the liturgy and with congregational singing from the English Hymnal. The church has a pipe organ and there is also an Assistant Director of Music Mr Lance Philip who plays a leading role in the choir.
The choir plays a leading role in all the major liturgical celebrations during the course of the church’s calendar.

Church Organisations
a) The Christ Church Women’s Guild has monthly meetings which take place after the 9:00 Eucharist on a Thursday. They are involved in charity work and also play a big role when there is a funeral at the church. They also assist in providing eats at other church functions.
b) The Servers Guild provides servers for the 9:15 Eucharist and is ably led by a senior server.
c) The Sacristans Guild sees to all the sacristan work within the church and there is a dedicated team of women who are part of this vital ministry in the church.
d) Bible Studies usually take place on a Tuesday evening and a Thursday morning but have been put in abeyance due to there being no rector.
e) The Junior Church meets during the 9:15 Eucharist on a Sunday morning. There is a dedicated group of teachers who teach the children in various age groups and they follow the Diocesan Sunday School lesson plans. In addition there is also a crèche provided for babies and again parents are requested to assist with the supervision of the children. There is however the services of a child-minder who is always present on a Sunday. The Junior Church has a growing membership and it receives priority from the Parish Council. The Junior Church operates during the government school term and is not operational during the school holidays.
f) Pastoral Team which is ably led by the Pastoral Assistant, Mr Francis Ward. The Lay Ministers form the bulk of the team who do hospital visits when required as well as conducting home communions to those frail and infirm members of the congregation. The parish has also been divided up into smaller groups who are prayed for by a prayer pastor. This person is responsible for contacting these people on a regular basis to check up on their well-being.

Charities
a) Tumelong Mission is supported by the parish members who on a weekly basis purchase food which is sent out to the Winterveld area of the diocese. Numerous families are weekly supported by this initiative.
b) Charlene’s Place of Safety (Ga-Rankuwa) was brought to the notice of the parish council at an Archdeaconry meeting and for the past year the parish has been supporting this organisation on a monthly basis with an amount of R500-00.
c) Itumeleng Shelter (Sunnyside) is also supported by the parish with fresh fruit on a weekly basis as well as support by some young adults in the parish who offer their services as mentors to the residents of this shelter.

Parish Executive and Parish Council
The Parish Executive meets on the first Tuesday of the month after the 17:30 Eucharist and the Parish Council meets on the third Sunday of the month at 11:15. The Council at present consists of 15 members with the addition of the Treasurer. The Churchwardens regularly attend the Archdeaconry meetings and one Churchwarden is also a member of Diocesan Standing Committee as the lay representative for the Archdeaconry.

Parish office
The Parish office is headed by a parish secretary and the office is opened Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 – 12:30. In addition there is a Parish Administrator who is a voluntary worker and who comes in once or twice a week to administer the various book keeping functions of the parish.
There is a fulltime Verger who is resident on the church property and a gardener who works in the gardens twice a week.

Finance
The parish is fully up to date with its diocesan assessment. The parish usually holds an annual Morning Market which is a source of much needed income but also an important social function in the life of the parish.

The new rector
Christ Church expects its Parish Priest to have the following qualities and abilities among his gifts:
• Ideally he must be an experienced priest, who is willing and able to work with the existing staff members. He must be a person who will enable people to take their part in the life of the parish and allow them to develop their potential to the full.
• A priest who will be in tune with the tradition of the parish and who will develop it to its full potential.
• The spiritual growth and welfare of the parish must be of the utmost importance and he must be a leader of mature spiritual character. He must be a wise and caring pastor to the people in the parish and must be involved in all aspects of the life of the parish.
• The parish requires the priest to be a good teacher and preacher of the Gospel and he must be a wise counsellor and provide guidance with compassion and understanding.
• The Junior Church will need further nurturing and the new incumbent must have this aspect of parish life as a major focus.
• The priest will have to also have as his focus the mission and evangelism programme of the diocese.
• It would be preferable for the incumbent to live in the rectory but this matter can be negotiated should the priest wish to live in his own residence.