St. Peter & St. John the Baptist, Wivelsfield
Registered Charity No. 1130751
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Agenda for the Annual Meeting
of Parishioners and the
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
to be held on
Tuesday 8th April, 2014 at 7.20 p.m. in the Church Hall
Opening Prayers followed by
ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS
1.Apologies for absence
2.Election of Churchwardens
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETINGSee Report on Page No
1.Minutes of the Annual Meeting held on 17th April, 20132 - 6
2.The Vicar’s Message6 - 7
3.Election of members to the Parochial Church Council
4.Presentation of the Electoral Roll7
5.Annual Report and Financial Statements of the ParochialPlease see green pages at end
Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2013
6.Appointment of Honorary Auditor
7.Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church Report7 - 9
8.Worship Reports including a) the Worship Committee,9 - 10
b) Cafe Church, c) Home Groups and d) Healing Ministry
9. Mission report including a) Sierra Leone Link, b) Posada,10 - 11
c) Christmas Lunch and d) the Lunch Bunch
10.Mission Action Plan11 - 14
11.Safeguarding Report14 - 15
12.Wivelsfield Church Hall Appeal and Appendix15 - 16
13.Mothers’ Union Report16
14.Friends of the Churchyard Report16 - 17
15.Everybody Welcome17
16.Deanery Synod17 - 18
17.Stewards’ and Readers’ Report18
18.Organist’s and Director of Music’s Report18 - 19
19.Youth Reports including a) Children’s Ministry, 19 - 20
b) Wicked Youth Club and c) the Social Club
20.Events Committee 20 - 21
21.Wivelsfield Monthly News21
22.Any Other Business
ITEM 1
St Peter and St John the Baptist, Wivelsfield
Registered Charity No. 1130751
Minutes of the Meeting of Parishioners
and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
held on Wednesday, 17th April, 2013 at 7.20 p.m. in the Church Hall
Chairman for both meetings, The Rev. C R Breeds
Opening Prayers followed by: ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS
31 Parishioners were present. The Vicar thanked the members for attending.
1.Apologies for absence were received from: Mr P Welch, Mr S Onions, Mr and Mrs P Carter, Mrs A Billson, Mrs J Callaghan, Mr and Mrs T Wale, Mrs M Johnson, Mrs A Wende and Dr N Collins
2.The Vicar thanked the Churchwardens and all members of the PCC who had worked under him, for their hard work throughout the year. Especially he expressed his sincere thanks to Sheila Blair who was standing down as a Churchwarden but who was willing to remain on the PCC.
Election of Churchwardens
Mrs P WoodProposed by Mrs D MatthewSeconded by Mrs J Holden
Mr S OnionsProposed by Mrs A MartinSeconded by Mrs S Crichton
As there were no other candidates Mrs Wood and Mr Onions were declared elected.
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
1.The Minutes of the Annual Meeting held on 24th April, 2012
The Minutes had been circulated and agreed by the PCC. It was necessary to agree that they were a true record at this meeting. Proposed by Mr G Martin and seconded by Mr A Meredith-Jones. Votes in favour 24 - against none - abstentions 7
The Minutes were signed by the Chairman
2.The Vicar’s Message
The Vicar’s message had been presented. He stated that it had been a positive but challenging year. He explained that Bishop Martin would be visiting every Parish in the Deanery. He would be coming to our church on Saturday, 8th June. There would be Morning Prayer at 8.30 a.m. to be followed by coffee. Everyone would be welcome to attend Morning Prayer. All who had a responsibility in the church life would be invited to be present for coffee and there would be the opportunity to talk to Bishop Martin. He would be leaving about 11.30 a.m.
3.Election of Members to the PCC
The Vicar reported, Geoff Perkins, Julie Holden, Mary Hayball and Sara Crichton had all completed three years on the PCC. Julie and Mary would be standing down. Julie had deputised as deputy churchwarden when required. We would like to thank them all for their hard work.
Members standing for election to the PCC are:
Mrs S BlairProposed by Mrs S Crichtonseconded by Mr G Perkins
Mr A Meredith-Jones Proposed by Mr S Onions seconded by Mrs J Holden
All present agreed that they be elected.
In order to facilitate continuity for key Church officers, the Church Representation Rules allow PCC to co-opt up to two members under rule 14 (b). Geoff Perkins has agreed to be co-opted in order to remain as Treasurer and Sara Crichton has agreed to be co-opted to remain as PCC Secretary. This will be done formally at the PCC meeting that follows this meeting.
We still have up to six vacancies to fill on the PCC. We badly need more volunteers so that we are able to share out more of the work that has to be done. We need someone to be in charge of communications, someone to take on the PR and publicity work, a Church Missioner and someone to deputise as PCC secretary when necessary.
The Vicar asked if there were any volunteers for the PCC. Mrs J Billam volunteered. She was proposed by Mrs A Martin, seconded by Mrs S Blair and it was agreed unanimously that she should join the PCC.
4.Presentation of the Electoral Roll
Mr D White, Electoral Roll Officer, advised that the head count of the Roll stands at 118. The number is considerably less than last year because many people had not completed the necessary forms to re-apply. Mr White was confident that the number would rise in the following months.
5.Annual Report and Financial Statements for the PCC for the year ended 31st December, 2013
These papers had been presented with the Agenda. Previously it had been proposed by Mrs S Crichton, seconded by Mr A Meredith-Jones and agreed unanimously by PCC members, that these statements be accepted.
The Vicar thanked Geoff Perkins on behalf of everyone on the PCC for all his hard work during the last year. He had done an excellent job once again, providing the PCC with regular statements of account.
Mr G Perkins reported that these were encouraging statements, showing a small surplus in the unrestricted funds. These funds are what are used to keep the church running week by week. There had been an increase in the number of people who had arranged planned giving. It was stressed that regular giving is vital. The financial stability demonstrated in the two previous years, had continued in this last year.
Mr G Perkins was asked to explain the Sierra Leone Fund. He stated that there were two funds; one was for donated funds that are spent on what we decide. Mainly these funds are used to sponsor children in education. Currently we sponsor ten children. This is a long-term commitment. None of the children are yet in tertiary education but we aim to have funds available for their future education. We must retain a cushion of money for this purpose. It is also possible that we will donate a further sum towards the building of the church hall. The second fund we have is a small fund to assist travel to Sierra Leone when financial help is considered necessary. We regard it as important to sustain the visits to Aberdeen.
There had been no legacies to the Church in 2012.
It should be noted that Standing Orders are being phased out. We must all use Direct Debits for donations to the Church.
Mr A Martin thanked Mr G Perkins for all his work during the year.
Parish Giving Scheme
It was stated that new forms would be sent out with Mr G Martin’s usual letter. Later in the year Mr A and Mr R Meredith-Jones will be doing presentations to explain the new Parish Giving Scheme.
6.Appointment of Independent Examiner
The Vicar thanked Mr Roger Brocklehurst for once again carrying out the role of Independent Examiner. Mr Brocklehurst has agreed to continue to do this work for the Church for a further year. It was proposed by Mr H Billson, seconded by Mr G Martin and agreed unanimously that Mr Brocklehurst should continue with this work.
7.Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church Report
Mr R Wood had presented his report and this had been circulated with the agenda. The Vicar thanked Robert for overseeing the fabric and ornaments of the church for the past year. He also thanked the others who had assisted with the work. There were no questions.
8.Mission Action Plan
The church Mission Action Plan had been presented. The Vicar stated that we were indebted to Mrs Julie Holden for producing the Mission Action Plan. It had been recently updated and agreed by the PCC. There were no questions.
9.Friends of the Churchyard Report
A report had been presented. The Friends of the Churchyard Service would be on
26th May 2013 at 4.00 p.m. The Vicar thanked Mr David Garcka for running the Friends. Last year was most successful, particularly reaching the target of £10,000 for repairing the churchyard walls. He also thanked Mr Philip Diamond and his team for their hard work keeping the churchyard looking so tidy throughout the year.
It was stated that for the time being it would still be appropriate for Standing Orders to be used for the Friends of the Churchyard.
10.Stewards’ and Readers’ Report
A report had been presented. The Vicar thanked Mrs Jenny Billam for her work
compiling the lists each month. He also thanked all those who had acted as stewards and read lessons during the last year. He added that new volunteers were always welcome. It was suggested that it would be a good idea if three stewards were used for the main Sunday services. This would be tried.
11.The Music Team Report
A report had been presented. The Vicar thanked Jenny and David Billam for all their hard work throughout the year. Particularly he thanked them for the music over the Easter church celebrations.
12.Deanery Synod Report
There was no written report. The Vicar reminded those present that visitors are always welcome at meetings.
13.Youth Reports
Children’s Ministry - The Children’s Ministry has developed over the last year. There is a children’s service on the first Sunday of each month. Regularly JAM, (Jesus and Me), sessions held in the school holidays in the Village Hall have been an exciting development. Mrs A Martin said that we owed Mrs Sarah Cox a great debt of gratitude. She has taken on this Ministry and is doing a great job.
Wicked Youth Group
A report had been presented. The Vicar thanked Steve and Sue Onions and also Annie and Chris Close for all their hard work. He also thanked Cameron, James and Thomas for regularly providing visual images on the big screen for Cafe Church. This had greatly added to those services and it was much appreciated.
14.Mothers’ Union Report
A report had been presented. There were no questions for Mrs Dorothy Matthew. The Vicar thanked her for organising the monthly programme and he thanked all the others who had been involved with the various meetings. There was to be a meeting the following day at the home of Mrs Penny Sullens.
15.Mission Team Report
The report presented covered information that included the Sierra Leone link, Posada and the Christmas Lunch. The Vicar thanked all those who had been involved with the various mission initiatives. Special mention should be made of the link we have with St.Matthew’s church in Aberdeen, Sierra Leone.
When thinking about the Church’s mission, Mr G Martin stated that we need to remember that there are many new homes in the area between the Princess Royal Hospital and Fox Hill Village. He also stated that in the area named St Francis Park there will be 470-500 new homes which will be in our parish. We need to be aware of this new development and consider ways of communicating with the homeowners.
16.Worship Report
This report had been presented and included information from the Worship Committee, about Cafe Church, the Home Group and the Healing Team.
Following a question from Mrs P Barton, the Vicar stated that we are not compelled to carry out same sex marriages in our Church and we would not be doing so.
17.Events Committee Report
A report had been presented. The Vicar thanked Mrs Marion Whear and all those on the Events Committee for their hard work organising the various church events.
They had all been successful and mainly well attended. The Church Fete is the
main fund raising event each year. Many volunteers are needed for this event each year. Please let Mr Robert Wood know if you are able to help.
18.Fund Raising Report
A report had been presented. Many people had put a lot of effort into fund raising in 2012. The funds raised from these events had been most encouraging. The Vicar thanked all those who had organised the various events.
19.Child Protection (Safeguarding)
A report from the Safeguarding Co-ordinator, Mrs Jo Callaghan had been presented. It was stated that the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy is very comprehensive. The link to this Policy is on our website and all were encouraged to look at it. The Vicar thanked Mrs Callaghan for efficiently carrying out the important work as co-ordinator.
20.Wivelsfield Monthly News
The Vicar thanked Mr Colin Holden for his work as editor for some years. The work of editor has now been taken over by Fenella Holmes and we are most grateful to her for taking on this job. Mr R Meredith-Jones has taken on the work of co-ordinating the advertising side of the Monthly News. The PCC consider that producing the Wivelsfield Monthly News is important so that the Church and others are able to communicate regularly with people in the parish and in the village.
21.Wivelsfield Church Hall
The Vicar stated that the current position regarding The Church Hall had been presented in the report. It stated clearly the preferred option for the way ahead as agreed by the PCC. That was that we should renovate the building, to include a first floor flat. This flat would be let, which would provide regular income for the church. The next stage is to plan an appeal to see if it would be possible to raise the funds we need to put the Church Hall in order. We plan to launch this appeal in the summer. There is an urgent need to move forward with this plan. The PCC would welcome your views on this exciting project.
22.Any Other Business
No further issues were brought up. The Vicar asked those present to pray for the work of the PCC, to pray for the Bishop’s visit and to pray for more volunteers to come forward. He again thanked everyone for attending. He asked us to remember that as a Parish, we have a lot to thank God for.
The Vicar ended the meeting with a prayer.
ITEM 2
The Vicar’s Message
APCM Vicar’s Report
Dear Friends,
Each year I start this report by saying that it has been an exciting, busy and fruitful year for Wivelsfield Church, and this year is no exception. Indeed, if anything, the excitement, business and fruitfulness seem to increase year on year!
I do not have space to refer to everything that has gone on in our church life this year in detail, and so I will confine my comments mainly to developments in the mission of the church, which is our raison d’etre.
I was asked to address the recent Annual Parish Meeting in the Village Hall and I felt that I wanted to emphasise the links between our local church and the community. I began by pointing out that the Parish Council are a group of volunteers who are committed to serving their community. I then pointed out the fact that the Parochial Church Council and the congregation are very similar in that respect. We, as a church family, exist to serve our community and thereby demonstrate our love of God and our love of neighbour. I listed some of the ways in which we do this:
Weekly support for the Parent & Toddler Group and the Playgroup
Weekly support for the Primary School through after-school clubs, parent coffee groups and providing a crèche for school concerts and parents’ evenings.
Weekly Lunch Bunch providing a light lunch for parents and supervised lunch and play for pre-school aged children.
Monthly light lunches (weekly during Lent) for all in the Church Room.
Active support for monthly Frugal Friday meals.
Active support for the annual community Christmas Lunch.
Monthly breakfast and informal church at Café Church in the Village Hall.
Regular JAM Children’s holiday clubs.
Regular fortnightly open and inclusive Wicked Youth Club.
Also, we care for, and maintain, a listed historic building and churchyard for the benefit of the whole community. These are open to all every day of the year.
We also offer baptisms, weddings, funerals and burials for all who reside in the parish or who are members of the church.
We also offer regular pastoral care and home or hospital visits to those who wish. Transport is provided for those in need so that they can come to church services, and I am aware of a number of individuals in church life who do housework, shopping and outings for those in need, and probably much more.