DIVINE INFANT OF PRAGUE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL
MEETING HELD 5th JULY 2016
MATTERS ARISING: A floral tribute was given to Diana Patterson at the last finance committee meeting. The Church H&S escape plan is now mounted in the porch. Areas of the Website are out of date with many anomalies. The Parish Website is to be discussed in detail at the next meeting.
PARISH FINANCES: The financial balance sheet was presented to the council with detailed itemised answers.
HALL MANAGEMENT: Individual Hall bookings have dropped off recently. There does not seem to be a reason for this. We have also lost the Thursday night Zumba class. Investigations into having a white line painted at the end of the drive and a disabled parking space in front of the Church with double yellow lines infront of the car park drive. Installation of WiFi in the Hall is being investigated and new water taps have been fitted in the Ladies and Gents toilets. The Blood Donor service has requested further electric plugs in the Hall.
NEW PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL: Father Clement is to put a prayer and request in the Bulletin so Parishioners can prepare names to put forward for the new Council to be formed in the new year. The method of selecting councillors by the area representative method had not worked and so Sileby had decided to have an election of parish volunteers.
PASTORAL ISSUES: In response to Father Clement asking if there was anything we could do to bring the Parish together. Several ideas were presented for this Year of Divine Mercy. Perhaps an event having Prayers and Confessions at our Church and processing to Mount Saint Bernhard Abbey for Stations of the Cross and the Holy Communion in the Abbey. Or cakes could be made by parishioners for sale at a Barbecue for charity, or perhaps an indoor quiz night.
CHRISTMAS FAYRE: Father Clement wishes to have a Christmas Fayre and wants to make an appeal for people to form a committee to organise it. As time to organise a fayre is now quite short we should have a gift day again this year.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNGS: The Finance Committee is to find a trusted person to give prices for jobs and also form a plan of remedial work and other commitments with prioritising. The lights above the Altar in the Church need replacing and the Hall needs new Fluorescent tubes. A toilet to be constructed in the Altar servers room with modification to the sacristy. Finishing off the sound system in the Church is on hold at the moment as more speakers are required.
RISK ASSESSMENT REPORT: The new play School safety door ordered 3 weeks ago to be fitted during the school holidays. Some of the doors in the Church and Hall are not fireproof. Also the Hall serving hatch is not fireproof. A meeting is to held with Father Clement to discuss the serving hatch and other possible Church and Hall safety matters. The Diocese has reported that we do not need a fire alarm system for the Church. The Diocese is sending professional surveyors to the Parish to survey and assess our buildings. the cost being a charge on our Diocesan contribution.
USE OF CAR PARK: There have been complaints about local residents using the car park their cars are blocking the car park or occupying a number of spaces. Father Clement stated people should only park with his personal permission. We need a large " No Parking Without Permission " notice and a letter to put on the windscreens of wrongly parked cars, so Sileby have decided to have a chain to prevent un authorised access to their car park. So the council after some discussion decided that at the next meeting we should discuss having a car park gate.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: Sufficient money has been raised from donations to purchase another matching silver chalice. A silversmith is to collect our chalice to reproduce it. To cover Father will borrow a chalice from another parish. Maria Mortimer Smith is to make arrangements to carry out one of the ideas for the celebration the Divine Year of Mercy. Churches Together is to hold a collection at Tesco for Christian Aid.
Date and time of next meeting: Tuesday 20th September @ 7pm in the Meeting Room'