This parish was anciently included in that of Norton, and contained a chapel-of-ease to the mother-church; but the trade and importance of the town increasing, and the chapel falling into decay, an Act of Parliament was obtained in the year 1711 to make Stockton, with East Hartburn and Preston, a separate parish. Two years later, another Act was passed to amend and explain the former. The parish of Stockton as thus constituted was bounded on the east and north by the parishes of Billingham and Norton; on the west by Elton, Long Newton, and Egglescliffe; and on the south and south-east by the river Tees.
Parts of the Stockton parish became part of the parishes of Norton St. Michael (1918); Stockton Holy Trinity (1837); Stockton St. James (1864); Stockton St. John (1871); Stockton St. Paul (1875); Stockton St. Peter (1875)

Our Church is currently devoid of the guidance of a vicar, and the PCC stresses that the major role for our new vicar is to renew and redefine urban worship, witness and mission in Stockton for the 21st century. Concerns over the use of space and buildings flow from that, rather than the other way around. During the Interregnum, some renewal processes have been initiated and some beginnings will have been made with municipal and other partners/stakeholders – a new incumbent will be firmly supported in picking up these relationships and themes through prayer and through action.

The PCC and congregation have identified some personal qualities and life experiences which they feel describe the person who will be called to undertake this work. They are listed below.

Personal qualities

Spiritual depth
Courage
Stamina
Commitment
Inclusiveness
Innovation
Insightful
Imaginative
A healer
Able to relate positively to a range of stakeholder and age groups
A communicator

if you feel you are able to fulfil these qualities, please fell free to download our profile.


The Job Advertisement

The following advertisement appeared in the Church Times in 2006. In spite of which, we are still looking for a Vicar....

Diocese of Durham

Vicar of St Thomas, Stockton-on-Tees aka Stockton Parish Church

We seek a person of vision, courage and creativity who brings the clarity of a prophet, the care of a priest and the collaboration of a partnership worker.

The Parish Church (1712) occupies a prominent position in the High Street, close to the civic centre of the town. The small residential part of the parish is in a very disadvantaged area.

The church buildings need to be refreshed and reordered to support its mission. The next priest will be asked to discern and shape that mission, and to build the partnerships which will support it, in the deanery and the town. It is a challenging task but with great potential.

See http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/spc

Further details from The Ven Ian Jagger, 2 Etherley Lane, Bishop Auckland. DL14 7QR. (01388 451635) archdeacon.of.auckland@durham.anglican.org

At Pentecost 2007, the following announcement was made on behalf of the Churchwardens and the PCC. It is repeated here so that all those who are members of the wider family of Stockton Parish Church have the opportunity to pray for the best possible outcome. The bones of the announcement were as follows -

• There is a proposal being discussed in the Diocese for the future of Stockton Parish Church which involves Revd Alan Farish who is currently Vicar of All Saints Preston on Tees and also looks after St Mary’s, Long Newton. Part of this is that Alan feels called to a Mission for Christ in Stockton.

• It is still an exploration, especially of the details, but an inspiring and exciting vision is emerging.

• The final decision will need agreement from the parishes (Stockton Parish Church, All Saints and Long Newton), from the Area Dean, the Lay Chair, the Archdeacon, Bishop and Archbishop; at present all parties feel positive and want to move forward.

The flavour of the announcement is that the PCC fully endorses this proposal and hopes to see it come about as soon as it can be made possible.

The diversity of the people we serve, the scale of the challenges, and the joy of finding people who want to respond to all this, mean that we as a community can look forward to an energetic and exciting future.