Holy Trinity Clapham: Connecting People with God

Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting and AnnualParochialChurch Meeting 2014 held on Wednesday 30 April 2014 at 7.30pm in the Church

Present:See attached list in the Schedule to these minutes

Chair: Canon David Isherwood

Minutes: Angus Kirk

Opening Prayers were led by Caroline Clarke.

Annual Vestry Meeting

1.Minutes of the 2014 Annual Vestry Meeting

Angus Kirk read out the minutes of the 2014 Annual Vestry Meeting. The minutes were agreed to be an accurate record of the 2014 Annual Vestry Meeting.

2.Election of the Churchwardens

Just two nominations had been received: from Bruce MacInnes and Karen Simmonds. There being no other candidates for the posts, Bruce MacInnes and Karen Simmonds were duly elected as Churchwardens.

3.Close

There being no other business, the 2014 Annual Vestry Meeting closed.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM)

1.Apologies for Absence

Apologies had been received from: James Furlong, Vivienne Pickering, Rosemary Kennedy, Gloria Powell and Suzi Smith.

2.Minutes of the 2014 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

It was noted that the minutes had been reviewed for accuracy by the PCC. It was proposed (Martin Read) and seconded (Rachel Cooper) that the minutes be approved. The resolution was passed unanimously.

3.Report of the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council

The report had been made publicly available in the 2014 Annual Report. No questions were raised and the report was unanimously adopted by the meeting.

David thanked the PCC for their diligence, faithfulness and service throughout the year.

4.Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church

The report had been made publicly available in the 2014 Annual Report. No questions were raised and the report was unanimously adopted by the meeting.

David thanked Martin Read for his excellent work and his diligence in “gettingstuff done”.

5.Report on the Proceedings of the Deanery Synod

The report had been made publicly available in the 2014 Annual Report. The report was unanimously adopted by the meeting.

David reiterated the importance of the Deanery Synod not least as a mechanism for Holy Trinity to elevate issues to the attention of the General Synod of the Church of England (as was the case in the context of the 2007 anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade).

6.Report on the Electoral Roll

Anne Isherwood (Electoral Roll Officer) informed the meeting that the 2014 Electoral Roll, which stood at 337 (2013: 304 – since then 18 deletions and 51 additions).The report was unanimously adopted by the meeting.

7.Rector’s Report

Part 1 – Rector’s Report

The report had been made publicly available in the 2014 Annual Report.David read Philippians 2 1-8 to set the context of the coming year. There were no questions.

Part 2 – Interviews

A number of members of the congregation were then interviewed by Jago Wynne: Ryan Powell, Emily, Samer Shenouda and Joy Hackett. Each spoke about Holy Trinity past, present and future and its place in their lives and in helping to support them and to build their faith.

8.Presentation of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2013

The independently examined financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2013 had been made available to the congregation in advance of the meeting.

Neil Shadbolt, the Hon. Treasurer, made a short presentation outlining the current status of Holy Trinity’s finances.

In summary, and as a consequence of the generosity of the congregation in responding to the vision outlined for Holy Trinity at the 2014 APCM and subsequently (an additional £100k for planned giving compared to 2012), the church finds itself in a healthy and sustainable financial position with a robust cash balance.

In seeking to realise this vision expenditure has increased significantly – not least an additional £50k for new members of staff.

For those wishing to delve into the full detail of the accounts, Neil would be delighted to send them a full copy of the accounts and to respond to any questions that they may wish to pose.

Neil thanked Sophie Holborn and Sarah Thomas for their sterling work in helping to pull together the accounts not just for 2013 but for so many previous financial years.

Given that Holy Trinity’s income for the financial year 2014 was anticipated to exceed £500k, it was highly likely that Holy Trinity would be required by law to commission a full audit of its financial statements rather than simply an independent examination.

Accordingly, it was to be proposed that Haysmacintyre, a leading firm of charity accountants, should be appointed as auditors for the financial year 2014 (see elections below).

David thanked Neil for his excellent work as Hon Treasurer throughout the year.

9.Elections

All of the candidates for election to the PCC gave a brief statement as to why they wished to seek office.

9.1Election of up to 5 members to the Deanery Synod 2014-2017

There were 6 candidates for the post. Nicola Williams, Rosy Skinner, Martha Bryant, Jon Fletcher and Luke Whiteman were duly elected as members of the Deanery Synod.

Many thanks to all candidates for standing.

9.2Election of seven members of the ParochialChurch Council

There were eleven candidates for seven vacancies for the PCC. Gilly Bailey-Smith, Sarah Botchway, Katrina Clarkson, Rachel Cooper, Steve Jones, Angus Kirk and Neil Shadbolt were duly elected as members of the PCC.

Many thanks to all candidates for standing.

10.Appointment of Stewards

The following Stewards (8am and 10am)/Welcome Leaders (6pm) were formally proposed and adopted on a block vote:

Stewards

Comfort Agyeman
Jonathan Alfred
Judith Betts
Pauline Blenman Paul Blyth
Alan Chalmers
Clare Chalmers
Christopher Clarke
Charles Claxton
Geordie Gordon
Andrew de Groot
Dominic Dickinson
Zoe Dickinson
Richard Eastman
Donald Hankey
Tony Hawker
Angus Kirk
Loveday Koko
Lucy Lewthwaite
Pauline Meehan / Robert Martin
Mario Riet-Muller
Patricia Pearson
Vivienne Pickering
David Pike
Meg Post
Gloria Powell
Sue Riley
Paul Smith
Suzi Smith
Delia Stewart
Janice Webster
Alison Williams
Adrian Williams
Gill White
Claire Whittle
Justin Worsley
Susannah Wynne

Many thanks to Clare Chalmers for taking on the organisation of the Stewards rota.

Welcome Leaders

Sarah Botchway
Sarah O’Neill
Kate MacLaren
Val Henry
Emily Cooke / Phil Middleton
Bolaji Edu
Anna Foxley
Jaoquin Ingueros

11.Appointment of the Auditor

It was proposed from the chair that Haysmacintyre should be appointed as auditor of Holy Trinity for the financial year 2014. resolution was passed unanimously.

12.Appointment of Holy Trinity Representatives to the Churches Together in Clapham Forum (CTiC)

Rosy Skinner, Henry Holmes and Clare Chalmers were the only candidates for the three posts and were duly elected as Holy Trinity Representatives to CTiC.

13.Any Other Business

The following issues/questions were raised:

Qu:Huge thanks for Nick Hawkins for all of the work that he does within the church and for all of the unpaid overtime that he and so many members of staff put in. Should such overtime not be paid?

Ans:This will be considered by the PCC in the coming year.

Iss:Much has been done in the past year to raise awareness of, and to seek to cater better for, members of the congregation with disabilities. It would be great to organise an event at which those suffering from disabilities might share a sense as to what it is really like to experience and to live with a disability.

Iss:The PCC and leadership should be mindful of, and work hard to address, and be sensitive to, issues that many people do not want to talk about.

Iss:Highlighted the Common Fayre and the excellent opportunity that this presents for community outreach for Holy Trinity and to open the doors to the church to the community.

Qu:Mindful of the myriad of events to be organised on Clapham Common during the summer and of the excellent and high profile location of Holy Trinity, the church should ensure that it has clear signage explaining what it offers and that it is very much open for business.

Ans:The options for new signage are currently being explored: this includes traditional notice boards and electronic boards.

Qu:During the last APCM and in the immediately preceding year a clear vision has been laid out for Holy Trinity. Will there be a rigorous mission audit for the church to demonstrate the extent to which such mission is being achieved?

Ans:All parishes are required to put together detailed mission action plans - this is part of the work of the PCC. Much thought is currently being given to the identifying the needs/priorities of Clapham for mission not least in the context of the new post of Community Missioner (which ties very much into the resources now available to Holy Trinity now that St. Anne’s Hall is available again for use).

Qu:What is our prayer strategy?

Ans:Much prayer throughout the church and its congregation both within and without formal worship and within and without the congregation. This should be explored by the PCC/Penny Mitchell.

Iss:In connection with the appointment of a Youth & Children’s minister:

The needs of the 10+ group should be carefully considered; and

What was the process for appointment – there was not clear communication of this new appointment and associated process.

Ans:The post was advertised on the website and externally. There were 10 or 12 applications and 7 were shortlisted – all shortlisted candidates were interviewed. The best 2 came in to teach Doves and Ravens, were filmed, compared and underwent a second interview. Josh Moxon was finally appointed and will commence work in August.

Iss:The environment group was, when established 5 or so years ago, to be a big part of Holy Trinity’s mission. This should take a leading role in the life of the church. A new team is required to take this forward.

Iss:Thanks to all involved in helping the transition of Holy Trinity over the past couple of years – the church is definitely moving forward and not back.

Iss:It is important to ensure that the worship music within the church caters for all styles/tastes.

David thanked everyone for attending and for their excellent comments and questions. He thanked Gill White for her ministry as Parish Secretary and introduced Yvonne and Ross to the meeting confirming that Yvonne now has licence to officiate within the Diocese.

14.Close

Jago Wynne closed the meeting in prayer.

Schedule

List of Annual Vestry Meeting and APCM attendees

Zoe Dickinson
(Canon) David Isherwood
Anne Isherwood
(Rev) Jago Wynne
Susannah Wynne
(Rev) Yvonne Tulloch
Ross Tulloch
Marion Prideaux
Katrina Clarkson
Gilly Bailey-Smith
Eustace Wiltshire
Martha Bryant
Rachel Cooper
Ben Bryant
Laura Stephens
Dan Wong
Elaine Arthur
Emily Cooke
Ros Williams
Nicola Williams
Naomi Crocker
Rob Skelton
Henry Holmes
Steve Jones
Julian Whiting
(Rev) Miles Blackley
Rich Cook
Ryan Powell
Steve Gavin
Gillian Campbell
Hyke Lemecke
Debbie Anthony
Emily Fletcher
Jon Fletcher
Sam Kirk
Angus Kirk
Anna Melton
Luke Whiteman
Neil Shadbolt
Annie Thompson
Jamie Maxwell
Vicky Simms
Aaron McAleese
Colin Hardy / Ella McDermott
Val Henry
Yioula Taliadorou
(Rev) Walter King
Clare Chalmers
Pamela King
Julia Harvey
Peter Harvey
Rory Codd
Michelle Lodge (Codd)
Joy Hackett
Margaret Gale
Christopher Clarke
(Rev) Caroline Clarke
Martin Read
Susanna MacInnes
Anna Post
Bruce MacInnes
Karen Simmonds
Sophie Holborn
Sarah Thomas
Gill White
Nick White
Paul Mitchell
Leslie Bastien
Josie MacKenzie
Elaine Harris
Sarah Shenouda
Samer Shenouda
Joaquin Ingueros
Bolaji Edu
Charlene Kelly
Warren Meats
Melanie Ryan
Sheila Guare
Dominic Dickinson
Penny Mitchell
Amanda Humphrey
Kate Duroux
Irfana Pollendine
Mary Beth Glenn
Anna Arnold
Ross Arnold

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