Registered Charity No. 1148272
Reflections of the year ended December 31, 2016
presented to the Annual Parish Church Meeting of April 2, 2017
PCC SECRETARY'S REPORT
The PCC met seven times during the past year – six full meetings and one extra-ordinary meeting. These meetings covered the usual business /governance required of every parish, such as finances, plant maintenance etc.; and these certain other matters took a high priority in the Council’s consideration, the following issues being very much to the forefront of our discussions.
- Arrival of a new curate: St Matthew’s welcomed Erin Clark, our first stipendiary curate for some years and the beginning of the year saw the PCC not only planning her welcome but also overseeing the refurbishment of the Watch House in readiness of her arrival. The work that carried out was long overdue and will only enhance the value of the property when it is put back on the market for rent at some later date.
- Buildings: The PCC are diligent in ensuring that the buildings at St Matthew’s are kept in good order and can further the mission of the parish. The Parish Room has, for some years, housed the U-Turn project and at the end of 2016 we were informed that the charity was winding up and would be vacating the building. As a consequence the Council has considered the best use for the Parish Room with furthering mission being a priority, but not losing sight of the practical issue of needing rent from that building to assist the parish’s cash-flow.
Further smaller works have also been carried out on St Matthew’s Church itself in keeping with the requirements of the Quinquennial Report.
- Stewardship: The parish ran a Stewardship campaign in 2016 which helped us all to reflect on our giving not only in monetary terms but also with time and talents.
- Safeguarding: The safety of the children, young people and vulnerable adults at St Matthew’s is always a high priority and the PCC reviews the Parish Safeguarding document annually. Further to this, as the parish has engaged with working with children more and more we have been rigorous in ensuring that appropriate safeguarding training is undertaken.
- Mission: The PCC engaged with a facilitated ‘Away Day’ to look at the mission of the church and also engaged with a consultation with parishioners so as to have a greater understanding where the church may be able to reach out to the local community – gaps in social provision etc. As a result a new Mission Action Plan – ‘Believing in Every Day’ - was put together which tried to be more than just an aspirational document, but practical and with times for application. The document covered headings such as ‘Seeking God’, ‘Making a difference’, ‘Being a Place of Prayer’, ‘Growing in Confidence and Faith’ etc. and a number of initiatives have already started as a result such as the children’s ‘Sunday Club’ during the Sunday service; ‘Include Me Out’ course for people exploring issues of faith and inclusion; and Compline and Exposition being offered on Sunday evenings. (A copy of the mission document is available at the back of church).
- Working with Children and Young People: The PCC have set a budget to continue the churches engagement with the young people of the parish and work such as ‘Thank God, it’s Friday!’ has continued to flourish. This need for such a group was evidenced by the very positive support the young people received for their drama production in December of ‘Scrooge’ which was held at the Oxford House theatre. This production had the effect of encouraging more young people to attend the Friday group on a regular basis.
This really does scratch the surface of the work that has been overseen /carried out by members of the PCC. We have also had discussions on affordable housing (a result of a Deanery Synod meeting); working with other churches and agencies in the area, and the vision to make more of the church accessible. It has been a very busy and productive year, and hopefully has laid the foundation for growing the mission of the church for the year ahead.
As usual I would just like to close by offering my thanks to all members of the PCC and those who have contributed to our meetings for the hard work and the commitment they have shown over the past year, and I pray that we can continue to build up our church community and our wider community for the glory of God.
- The Revd Sr Judith Blackburn, SSM
ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER'S REPORT
The Electoral Roll was revised in the lead up to APCM. This took place from February 15 to March 15, 2017.
A copy of the roll was available for inspection on the table at the back of church for two weeks in advance of the scheduled Annual Parish Meeting.
Twelve names were removed. Six names were added.
The total enrolment now stands 63.
- Adey Grummet
TREASURER’S REPORT
Alfred Kamara-Laye, the Treasurer, will be on hand to answer any questions in relation to the annual accounts at the APCM.
DEANERY SYNOD MEMBERS' REPORT
The Deanery Synod has met five times since the last APCM and these have covered a wide range of issues that effect the life of the church in Tower Hamlets both directly and indirectly.
The first meeting was held in February at the Royal Foundation of St Katherine and was an open meeting focusing on the housing crisis in London. There were three speakers who each addressed a particular element of the crisis; these were ‘Brief Theology of Housing and a Practical Response for Churches’ - Alastair Murray of Housing Justice; ‘A View from a Developer and Social Landlord’ - Neal Hunt of Poplar HARCA; ‘A View from the Council’ – Cllr Rachel Blake – Tower Hamlets Cabinet Member. There was a wide ranging discussion with those present invited to consider the question of building something better by Sarah Hutt of the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC). The meeting concluded agreeing on a number of action points to take forward.
The next meeting was held in May at ChristChurch, Isle of Dogs and the main item of business was the Common Fund. We were addressed by Teresa Moses from the Diocese who explained how the Common Fund worked and how it enabled the better-off parishes to support those in greater need. Archdeacon Liz Adekunle then spoke as to how giving to the Common Fund was an act of love and how it connects us with Christ in his mission. The meeting then heard interviews from various people about how the Common Fund has been instrumental in the mission of their church and how some were trying to ensure that they could respond with generosity. The meeting also were given advice on better and more profitable ways of giving such as Gift Aid.
The next meeting was the Archdeacon’s Visitation to swear in the Church wardens and this took place at AllHallowsChurch in Bow.
In July there was a social gathering for members of Synod at the Royal Foundation of St Katherine (RFSK), with just a little business tagged on. This was a time for all the parishes to share what was happening in their parishes – both positive things and things of concern.
The October meeting was held at St Matthew’s and was an open forum under the heading, ‘Are Our Schools in Crisis’. Fr Kevin introduced the evening and the meeting was addressed by Debbie Jones, the head of Tower Hamlets Children’s Services who spoke about what Tower Hamlets Schools are facing; Esther Holland, Head of Central Foundation School for Girls who addressed being Christian in a multi-faith school; and Clare Sealy, Head of St Matthias School speaking on values based education.
As well as the main substance of these meetings the Synod continued to exercise its responsibilities for appointing School Governors and to keep abreast of all that happens in the area where the churches might need to respond. As usual there has been a wide range of the business dealt with at Deanery Synod, and the coming year will have many important issues for the church in Tower Hamlets to consider as we await the appointment of the new Bishop of London, and as decisions in central government continue to effect the every-day lives of the people of this area. I would like to continue to encourage members of St Matthew’s to put themselves forward to share in this important and interesting work.
- The Revd Sr Judith Blackburn SSM
FABRIC REPORT
We are pleased to report that all of our buildings are in predominately good shape.
The Church
Following last year's Quinquennial works, very little input has been required on the main church building. The church building is mostly kept open during the day but has, at times, been locked following minor security breaches.
Some minor repairs on electrics were performed and these are now in order.
There was a need to replace some of the bulbs for church lighting and this was carried out accordingly.
As usual, the roof gutters were regularly cleared of leaves and excess water.
The back chapel is now used for Sunday School/Crèche purposes and has undertaken minor decorations and a request was put in for a faculty to remove the altar and fixed seating so that this room can more effectively be used in this way.
Some insurance policies have been updated in line with PCC recommendations.
The Watch House
The previous tenant of the Watch House was given notice that their lease would not be renewed as of the end of their contact. They, therefore, vacated the premises in March.
A condition report was received and stated that work was to be carried out on various structural works to the Watch House. Once a faculty and listed building consent was received, this was completed whilst the premises was vacant and funded in part by the St Philip's Hall Fund and in part by St Matthew's PCC.
Internal decorations were also carried out in order to prepare the Watch House for the arrival of St Matthew's new curate.
The Watch House is now in good condition and the new tenant is happy with the state of the building both internally and externally
The Parish Hall
There is a long-term lease with Oscar Media. An income is being received from the building being let.
As the group is coming towards the end of its lease, discussions have taken place with regards to it carrying out the building works it is contractually obliged to do. A survey to determine the nature of these works has been completed and discussions are ongoing as to when and how these will be undertaken. The group has until the end of its lease to ensure that these works are done
The Parish Room
The long-term tenant, The 'U-Turn Project' recently left the premises following the end of their contract and their inability to renew based on financial restraints.
They agreed to honour their lease commitment until March 2017.
The PCC was looking into finding a suitable new tenant for the Parish Room as of the end of the year. Though some furniture was removed, the room was in good condition.
The Rectory
The Rectory and the Rectory Flat are not the direct responsibility of the PCC but the Diocese. They are kept in good order by the residents, Fr Kevin Scully and The Revd Fiona Green respectively.
-Ingrid Doris and Matthew Shelley (Churchwardens)
and, as a special treat this year, CURATE’S' REPORT
One of the questions I’ve loved being asked since my ordination is ‘What do you do all day?’ Most of my first six months has been spent letting the parish of St Matthew’s “sink in”: meeting people, hearing about their work, their faith, their struggles and their joys. I’ve been trying to balance the need to listen and wait with my innate desire to plan and do.
To be a deacon in the Church of England is to spend a year in transition. Because I am not free to do the same sacramental ministry as a priest, I can spend my time seeking out those who are overlooked by the church and by society. It is a year for me to listen to them, and to God: to be reminded that the basis of my identity is in seeking out and serving those who are overlooked. In them, I and all Christians must see the face of Christ.
- The Revd Erin Clark
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