Annual Parochial Church Meeting
2007
Reports
PCC
Fabric
Deanery
Churchwarden
Treasurer
Stewardship
Mission Group
Worship Group
Readers & Intercessors
Sacristans
Cleaning
Coffee Club
Sunday Drinks
Bells
Lazers
Beavers
Cubs
Scouts
Neighbourhood Watch
Hospital Drinks
Plasma
Butterflies
Music
Servers
Flowers
Church
Tote
Christian
Aid

Quinquennial
Report

BRF
Report
Creche
Fund Raising Group
Junior Church
 

DIOCESE OF COVENTRY – PARISH OF WALSGRAVE

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2007 – 25th MARCH

At 11.15 am ST MARY’S CHURCH CENTRE

AGENDA

1. Apologies

2. Meeting of Parishioners for election of Churchwardens

3. Minutes of 2006 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

4. Matters arising

5. Annual Report and Accounts

6. Report on the Goods, Fabric and Ornaments of St Mary’s

7. Coventry East Deanery Synod Report

8. Presentation of New Electoral Roll

9. Election of 8 Representatives to serve on PCC

10. Reports from Parish Groups

11. Election of Electoral Roll Officer

12. Appointment of Independent Examiner

13. Missionary Giving

14. Any Other Business

Parochial Church Council.
St. Mary’s, Walsgrave
Annual General Meeting
Sunday 2nd April 2006

Chair: Revd Malcolm Tyler

Present: 31 people were present:

S. Baker L. Dakin B. Dakin M. Davoll D. Duckham R. Ginda B. Hancox L. Hanna J. Hartopp

P. Hartopp J. Hudson D. Hudson D. Kirkwood W. Morley-Brown H. Morley-Brown J. Potter I. Randell D. Reynolds F. Richards A. Robinson E. Robinson E. Stuart M. Sweet S. Thistlewood T. Thistlewood M. Tyler F. Tyler M. Wakeman A. Walker B. Walker S. Wick.

Apologies: 29 people had given their apologies. (L. Baker, A. Curtis, S. Cole ,G. Croshaw, V. Ekin, B. Ellis, K. French, M. French, G. Giles, D. Greenhalgh, B. Greenhalgh, M. Hancox, B. Hanna, J. Home, S. King, C. Moreton, H. Moreton, S. Morton, C. Osselton, D. Osselton, J. Pearsall, S. Reynolds, A. Rushworth, L. Spooner, A. Vavan, O. Vigeon, S. Vigeon, G. Wakeman, G. Wood).

Meeting of Parishioners for Election of Churchwardens.
Two nominations were received.

Barbara Hancox Proposed by Tony Thistlewood,
Seconded by Sheila Thistlewood.

Stephen Baker Proposed by Alison Liggins
Seconded by Jean Hudson

The above were duly elected and Sheila Thistlewood was thanked for her friendliness and willingness to work hard over the past two years as Church Warden.

3. Minutes of 2005 Annual Parochial Church Meeting and Matters Arising.

The minutes were accepted and the following two matters were arising.

4. Matters Arising from Minutes

A shared lunch was promised last year but hasn’t taken place. This will hopefully take place soon when PCC have discussed it.

St Philips and St Chad’s are going to work together and this will be announced today at those churches.

5. Annual Report and Accounts.

i) The raised parish share was unitised as “monstrous”. It was explained that the Diocese could not this year fund its expenditures from reserves. A large amount of work is being reviewed for possible cutbacks.

ii) People who come at 8 am are grateful that their views about a sermon at that service were received favourable after their questionnaire responses.

iii) Had two bequeaths totalling £46,000 not been received then there would have been a large deficit.

iv) It is queried whether secretary and cleaner wages had gone down. The secretary’s wages have gone up but the figure about cleaning reflects the absence of a cleaner for part of the year.

v) The reduced amount received from the hire of the Centre is explained by the loss of Weight watchers and Whist groups.

vi) Planned giving has gone down because people who have died recently were large givers. A Stewardship Letter will be going out shortly.

vii) Centre upkeep costs have gone down in comparison with large spending in 2004. It was remarked that the Patronal Meal and Strawberry Tea have also been missed this year.

The passing of the Report and Accounts was proposed by Malcolm Tyler
Seconded by Janet Potter, and they were passed unanimously.

6. Report on Goods, Fabric and Ornaments.

The new sound system will have 4 loudspeakers, a new amplifier to cope with the number of microphones and a CD, costing £2000 approximately. A system to avoid excessive noise for deaf people will be considered. The need for a new amplifier was queried but this is now ordered.

Acceptance of the Report was proposed by Ann Walker and
Seconded by Will Morley-Brown. It was passed unanimously.

7. Coventry East Deanery Synod Report.

Acceptance of this Report was proposed by Barbara Hancox and seconded by Sheila Wick and passed unanimously.

Point of information – Malcolm Tyler has been asked to stand in as Area Dean while Richard Hare is on sabbatical.

8. Electoral Roll Revision.

There are now 142 names on the Roll. 64 are non resident in the parish. 20 names have been deleted and 19 added.

9. Election of 1 representative to Coventry East Deanery Synod. (for 2 years only owing to Karen Hauler-Davies’ Resignation).

Sheila Wick was proposed by Margaret Sweet
Seconded by Stephen Baker and duly elected.

10. Election of 8 representatives to serve on PCC.

John Aspden Proposed by Margaret Davoll
Seconded by Freda Richards.

Mike Wakeman Proposed by Janet Potter
Seconded by Sheila Thistlewood.

Sally Vigeon Proposed by Mike Wakeman,
Seconded by Mervyn Hancox.

Karen French Proposed by Mervyn Hancox,
Seconded by Barbara Hancox.

Derek Hudson Proposed by Barbara Hancox,
Seconded by John Hartopp.

Will Morley-Brown Proposed by Derek Hudson
Seconded by Sheila Thistlewood.

These were duly elected.

Two vacancies remain.

11. Reports from Parish Groups.

It was explained that if all the work recommended by the Quinquennial Report was carried out it would take £50,000 over 6 years. We are not committed to spending all of it.

Lottery funds will not support renovation work in churches. English Heritage are restrictive if they help financially.

It was pointed out that the cost of items like heating will increase if left for several years.

Acceptance of the Reports were proposed by Stephen Baker and seconded by Eve Stuart. They were unanimously accepted.

12. Appointment of Electoral Roll Officer

Sheila Wick as appointed as the Electoral Roll Officer

13. Appointment of Independent Examiner

Harrison Beale and Owen were reconfirmed as auditors, after a recommendation proposed and seconded by Malcolm Tyler and Janet Potter.

14. Any Other Business.

It was queried whether the less frequent PCC’s were covering the business in time. Malcolm is not aware of any slippage but would like to hear if there are any views about this.

At The PCC Away Day that considered the questionnaire and responses it was decided to focus on Baptisms, Crèche and noise issues during services and Music in worship.
Links with other local churches were discussed. The plans developed by the Baptist Church involving the Church Hall may come before PCC, since the Hall is an asset for us.

Events taking place in the Church are not always publicised and it was hoped that the website would carry all events.

Barbara Hancox thanked Malcolm Tyler, Owen Vigeon, David Robinson, Pennie Hartopp and the three Readers for their contributions and members of the congregation were also thanked for all they do. She also personally thanked Sheila Thistlewood for her support as a fellow Churchwarden.

The meeting closed at 12.10 pm.

Index.
Fabric of the church
Report on the Goods, fabric and Ornament of St Mary’s 2006

In this report PCC have asked that costs for work mentioned be included so that a greater appreciation of the maintenance costs at St Mary’s may be had by members of the congregation

After several years of vandalism at St Mary’s and the Church Hall it is wonderful to report that the Church and Hall suffered very little at the hands of the vandals in 2006; two incidents only at the Church and one at the Hall. All the damage was repaired under insurance.

Routine maintenance including some minor work required by the Quniquennial Inspection has been carried out at the Church and Centre throughout the year. The organ has been tuned and maintained (£168), the fire extinguishers (£41), burglar alarm (£328), boilers and radiators, and tower clock serviced (£193). Ad hoc repairs have been carried out as necessary by various members of the congregation for which PCC are grateful.

A more major electrical inspection took place in the Spring (£1400) and remedial work was carried out in the early summer to bring the installation up to standard (£835). Other minor electrical work has been recommended but not carried out as yet. The boiler pump in the Church Centre also had to be replaced in the summer (£138). A new alarm was also fitted into the disabled toilet (£107).

The installation of a new fuse box threw up a slight problem with the wiring of the burglar alarm but this was also rectified at the same time.

The Tower clock broke down in October and this required some extensive work in December. PCC were grateful for a donation to cover the cost of this work. (£442). The callout fee had been an additional £141.

As mentioned in last year’s report the Faculty for the Sound System improvements had been received. This work was duly carried out in the early summer at a cost of £2237 and sound reproduction has been much better ever since.

PCC applied for a Faculty to re-plaster some areas of the church but this was refused as no architect’s specification had been provided. Sadly we lost the window of opportunity to do the work but we hope that it may be done in the August/September of this year. Sadly it can only be done between March and September to allow the plaster to dry naturally.

The churchyard was regularly tidied by a group of Social Services trainees (at a total cost of £363 for the year) and other maintenance work was carried out by Coventry City Council. The shed which had also suffered some vandalism during the year was emptied and put into good order again during the summer.

The area of land adjacent to the Church Hall which had been maintained by the Probation Service in previous years had to be maintained in house this year. PCC are grateful to Frances Tyler who regularly mowed the grass during the summer. A petrol strimmer and safety equipment (£223) was purchased at the beginning of the season to keep the sloping bank tidy and PCC were also grateful to a small group who turned out one Saturday morning to help with some maintenance work at the Hall.

Barbara Hancox and Stephen Baker

Index.

Coventry East Deanery

Synod Report

It has been an interesting year in the Deanery. Synod has met together on a number of occasions, at various churches throughout the Deanery – although the meeting last November, at the Faith Centre of the new University Hospital, was curtailed through a mix-up with dates. We hope to rearrange that for later this year, and there is a suggestion that we might invite the other two Coventry Deaneries to join us.

By far the biggest news this year has been the loss of our Area Dean, Richard Hare, who stepped down to take up a new post in Bedworth. His time as Area Dean has been one of enormous change, as the “Options For Change” initiative was implemented to reduce the number of clergy in the Deanery; he also was instrumental in instituting a new way of calculating Parish Shares that allows clergy and treasurers to negotiate (to some extent) the amount they pay. Richard will be missed by all those who attend Synod. You may however be aware that Malcolm Tyler has agreed to take his place as our new Area Dean, and the Deanery will continue to move forward into the future.

Stephen Baker

Index.
Churchwarden

Churchwardens’ Report

 The running of the church requires the commitment, cooperation and effort of many people who carry out all the tasks from welcoming, flower arranging, coffee and cleaning to sacristan duties and counting and banking the collection each week. People are also always willing to help out and lend a hand at short notice if necessary and we would like to offer our thanks to you all.

The leadership team this year has been bolstered by our Curate, Pennie Hartopp and we are grateful for all that she has brought to St Mary’s as well as all the work put in by Malcolm and Frances, David Robinson and Owen Vigeon as Associate Clergy and our Readers Tony Thistlewood, Sue Morton and Lorraine Baker.

Barbara Hancox and Stephen Baker

Index.
Treasurer

Treasurer’s Report

I would like to open by saying thank you to everybody who was able to respond positively to the letter received by the members of the congregation last year regarding the possibility of increasing regular giving. Unfortunately despite this, the overall financial situation meant that we had to draw from our reserves yet again to meet our running costs. Just like your own household bills, the cost of running St Mary’s inevitably keep rising and whilst our largest single bill which is the Parish Share is only increasing by 3.4% to £35,853 this year it still means that we have this to find as well as the day to day things like heating and lighting.

Making ends meet by using our reserves each year is obviously not sustainable in the long term and we need to increase our income through giving as well as looking at where savings could be made. PCC has agreed that we run a stewardship campaign this year and Finance Committee have been tasked with its preparation.

My final thanks go to Jean Hudson and Malcolm Tyler as members of the Finance Committee for their continuing support and assistance.

Mervyn Hancox

Index.
Quinquennial Report

Quinquennial Group Report

 There is a requirement for churches to have their buildings inspected every 5 years by a representative of the Diocese to ensure that the correct level of maintenance is being carried out. Our last inspection was in April 2005 and it gave us a list of some 30 items which the architect who carried it out estimated would cost in the region of £56,000.

PCC set up a working group to manage the work and its members are currently Barbara Hancox, John Hartopp, Mike Wakeman, Malcolm Tyler and Mervyn Hancox who is the chair.

The work itself is split into 5 categories by the time period during which it should be completed ie: immediate, 6 to12 months, 2 to3 years, 3 to 5 years and 5 years. The following progress has been made during the year;

Immediate - a total of 7 items ranging from cleaning out all the low level gutters to supplying a dry powder fire extinguisher in the boiler room at a cost estimated by the architect at £370. All but one of these items have now been completed at a cost of £105.

6 to 12 months - the largest category with 14 items including major plaster repairs, redecoration and re-carpeting the church at a total estimated cost of £28,900. The electrics in the church and centre have been tested and the necessary remedial work carried out, brass door handles in the centre have been changed to silver coloured ones to comply with DDA requirements and an alarm has been fitted to the disabled toilet at a total cost of £2,207. PCC had agreed to the plaster repairs in church going ahead in the Spring before our first wedding booking but there was a problem with the Diocese regarding the specification for the work, so unfortunately it had to be postponed and will hopefully now be done in 2007. Quotations have been obtained for the installation of emergency lighting in the church and centre as well as lead flashing repairs to the roof, which are to be taken for a decision to PCC in January, after which the necessary faculty will be obtained so that orders can be placed.

2 to 3 years – also to be taken to PCC in January are quotations for repointing to the tower, repairs to the high level guttering and a precautionary timber infestation treatment to the tower roof timbers.

3 to 5 years – the Hall Lane gates and the Ansty Road handrail have now been painted by a member of the congregation at no cost to St Mary’s. A letter has been sent to the City Council reminding them of their undertaking to repoint the boundary wall, which is their responsibility.

5 years – no action has been taken on the 2 items in this category, which are to replace the church centre guttering and the church central heating system.

I would like to record my thanks to everybody who has helped with this project.

Mervyn Hancox

Index.
Stewardship

Stewardship Report

Firstly my thanks to Alison for her help with counting and chauffeuring services each week.

The figures for the Year 1 January to 31 December 2006 are as follows:

Non-Gift Aided Donations £2,716.44

Gift Aided Donations £20,893.05

Tax Refunds £5,892.91(includes fourth quarter – Oct to Dec 2006, received 22 February 2007)

Jean Hudson

Index.
Mission Group

Members
Margaret Davoll - Karen French - Sue Morton - Carole Osselton - Freda Richards

Charitable giving totalled £2074 for 2006.

Members of Mission Group met twice 2006. We received 25 requests for help from a wide variety of organisations and individuals and reported this to PCC on 21 November 2006. PCC approved our recommendations for 2006 giving as follows:

1) Vio - Home of Hope, Romania [Global Care’s Sponsor a Child project] £224

2) USPG – Archdeacon Stephen Taylor in Brazil £400

3) Coventry Myton Hospice Appeal £400

4) Headway [Coventry and Warwickshire branch] – helping people recover from serious head injuries £280

5) Luweero Medical Centre, Uganda – now k/a Gilead Health – continued support c/o Nobby Clarke, St James’ Church, Fletchamstead £200

6) Yeldall Christian Centres – supporting their work with ex-offenders, in particular the homeless, alcohol and drug addiction. £400

7) Coventry Diocese Youth Project £170

TOTAL £2074

We update Mission Board in the foyer throughout the year so that members of the congregation, and visitors to the church, can see and read the latest information. This includes newsletters, thank-you’s and photos/cards. Please continue to pray for the work of Global Care, for Vio and the Home of Hope children and staff in Romania; for Stephen in Rio de Janeiro; for Nobby and the children in Luweero; for the Coventry Myton Hospice fund-raising team; for Yeldall Christian Centres; for Headway [Coventry and Warwickshire]; and for the Coventry Diocesan Youth Project.

Over recent years, charitable giving has averaged around £2000 pa based on 5% income, calculated from the budgets of the 2 previous years. St Mary’s presently has financial problems with a serious shortfall of funds – our expenses exceed our income. At its meeting on 21 November 2006, PCC agreed continued charitable giving for 2006 after much debate. PCC members were mindful of the needs of the groups detailed above; they were also mindful of our mission work as a reflection of our church’s faith in the wider community.

PCC asked that this matter be brought to the attention of members of the church at the APCM.

Sue Morton, for Mission Group

Index.
Worship Group

St. Mary’s Church Worship group has met each quarter during the last year to choose hymns for the Sunday Eucharist and other seasonal occasions. The group members are, Reg Amos, Margaret Davoll, Sheila Wick and Pennie Hartopp.

Hymns are usually chosen following recommendations from a booklet supplied by the Royal School of College Music. Hymns identified for selection week by week reflect themes from our Lectionary readings, so that links formed between what we hear from the Bible and in our sermon are also reflected in our corporate praise and worship.

The only exception to this principle is when we have ‘All age’ services, on these occasions hymns are chosen specifically by those leading worship to reflect the particular themes of the service.

In meeting as a worship group we aim to choose a wide variety of hymns, so that we can offer a mix of both traditional and more contemporary music for worship. From time to time we have chosen just one hymn to be sung during communion, as our hope is that this will enable us to reflect more deeply on the words we have sung. Sometimes we have even observed a period of silence during this part of our service as a way of creating space for personal silent prayer.

As members of the Church worship group our aim above all is to find meaningful ways of enabling us all to worship God, and we are grateful for the privilege of serving in this way. If anyone wants to offer suggestions for hymns, or wants to talk to anyone from the group in a general way about worship, please do.

Finally, on behalf of the worship group thank you all for the encouragement and joy we share in week by week as a worshipping community.

Pennie Hartopp

Index.
Readers and Intercessors Rota

My thanks to all readers and intercessors for their help and co-operation during the year.

Whilst we have lost one or two people during the year, we still have a large number of people on the list. However, we would like to have more people of all ages taking part in our Sunday Worship. So if you would like to join the team, either as a reader, intercessor or both, I will be delighted to add your name to the list. If you are unsure or would like more information then please speak to Malcolm, Pennie or me. We will be happy to help.

Jean Hudson

Index.
Sacristans

Sacristans are the stage managers who work behind the scenes to ensure that all the equipment needed for public worship is in place for every service.

There is a team of three: Betty Dakin, Sheila Thistlewood and Sally Vigeon.

This year we were very sorry that Barbara Ellis had to resign from the team due to her work commitments. We are very grateful to her for all the hard work and conscientious service she gave us during her time as sacristan.

Due to Owen often being in demand professionally elsewhere, it tends to fall on Betty and Sheila to ensure that all runs smoothly on Sundays. Sheila and I prepare everything for Sunday on Wednesday mornings after the midweek Eucharist.

I am very grateful to Sheila and Betty for all their help and dedication which ensures that everything is in order.

Sally Vigeon

Index.
Church Cleaning

Thank you to all the cleaning team for helping to keep our lovely old church looking so clean and tidy. Unfortunately the fabric is starting to deteriorate and needs a significant amount of renovation work. Until that is carried out the work of the cleaning team becomes even more important, which means we need a full complement of volunteers. At present there is one vacancy. If you feel you could help in this worthwhile and important work, please have a word with me.

Alan Robinson

Index.
St Mary’s Coffee Club

In May 2006, Edna and I, with great regret, gave up running the Coffee Club. Fortunately, Gwen and Audrey, to whom we are extremely grateful, took over the reins. However I agreed to carry on doing the bookwork which is why I have prepared and signed this report.

Set out below are details of the amounts donated to various charities during 2006. Letters of thanks are available if anyone wishes to see them.

Name of Charity & Amount
Acorns Childrens Hospice-------------------------------------------------£50.00*
The Night Shelter----------------------------------------------------------£40.00
Entrust Care (Brookview Care Home)-------------------------------------£50.00
Warwickshire and Northants Air Ambulance ------------------------------£50.00
Multiple Sclerosis Society-------------------------------------------------£50.00
Coventry Myton Hospice -------------------------------------------------£300.00**
Total £540.00

A total o0f £225.70 was donated to St Mary’s to help fund the refurbishment of the church interior.

In addition the sum of £29.50 was carried forward to 2007.

This was a wonderful achievement and my grateful thanks and those of St Mary’s and the charities go to Gwen, Audrey and all the members of the coffee club.

Alan Robinson

* £12.00 of this amount was donated by members of the Lent Course.

** This was a special coffee morning run in conjunction with the Friends of Cloister Croft.

Edna and Alan Robinson.

Index.
Sunday Drinks Rota

Thank you to all those who prepare and serve drinks after the ten o’clock service. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by all. Incidentally several people have remarked that if you want the best cup of coffee in Walsgrave, St Mary’s is the place to come!

Alan Robinson

Index.
Bells

This has been a quiet year in more ways than one for bellringers at St Mary’s. With only 4 ringers to call upon on most Sundays we have often not been able to ring before the Sunday Services. When we have had sufficient ringers we have rung though. We have maintained our practice night on Monday evenings and are regularly joined by ringers from Wolvey and St Michaels’s. This has helped to make practices more worthwhile. Some of us continue to ring at Stoke St Michael’s on Wednesday evening and at the Cathedral on Sunday afternoon as well as elsewhere.

One high point of the year was a peal of 12,000 changes in May at St Mary’s. This was a record breaking ring and took slightly over 5 hours to complete. Our hands and backs knew we had had a long ring!

If you would like to try your hand at ringing (not necessarily for 5 hours at a time), please have a word with me and I can make sure you have a go. We are hoping to attract some new ringers through the Scouts but older members are also welcome.

Andrew Tyler

Index.
Lazers

John and I lead Lazers on a Sunday morning. We start in Church leaving to go to Lazers once the Alter Party has arrived. The numbers of children vary, some weeks we have just one or two another week we can have five or six. At Lazers we look at different stories in the Bible and how we relate to them. We look at how we can Learn and grow like Jesus and how to respect each other. The children have work sheets which have word searches and quizzes for them to do at Church and Bible readings for the children to read each day at home. Christmas time we join with Junior Church to put on the Nativity play. The Lazers are always very keen to help out on these occasions either by singing, playing musical instruments or narrating. They also help the younger children to get ready which can be a task on its own. The children have some very good ideas and are willing to share them with everyone.

At the moment we are using the material called Y-Zone which is aimed at children aged nine upwards.

Alison Liggins

Index.
Beavers

Beavers meet on a Tuesday night. We meet 6.30pm till 8pm at St Mary’s Church Hall. We are a mixed group of boys and girls aged between 6 and 8 years. At Beavers our motto is fun and friends.

We try to balance our nights by having games nights, make nights and visits. Some of our visits this past year included a visit to the council house; the Lord Mayor showed us around and told us all about the council house. We had a lovely night when we went to visit the Elderly residents home. That evening we met there and gave out gifts in boxes which the Beavers had made up. Penny very kindly came and gave a small talk which both children and residents enjoyed. Special thanks to Penny and Margaret for all their help on the night. Margaret very kindly comes and plays the music for the children to sing to.

We are trying to arrange visits to Chase Avenue Police station, the Air Museum the fire station and some other places which we think the children will like. At Christmas we arranged for the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and their families to go to Bedworth Civic hall to see Sleeping Beauty. Lucky for us our group scout leader took up the part of helping out very well (custard pie included).

We Parade to St. Mary’s approx once a month for family service, March we attend the Mothers Day service and November we attend Remembrance Day service. We are very grateful to Reverend Tyler as he allows the children to read Prayers at the services and also explains about the church when we ask for help with Badge work. At the end of our meeting we finish with a Prayer which the beavers take turns reading out. We are very fortunate at Beavers that we have great parental support. And despite what my other two leaders say I do not go to bed and dream up the ideas for make nights and some of the games I concoct.

Alison Liggins

Index.
Cubs

Cubs meet on a Monday night from 6.30pm till 8.30pm. Our group is made up of both boys and girls aged from eight up to ten and a half.

Our Cub Leaders are made up of Dave and Gaynor Preston, Suzanna Williams, our two young leaders Paul and Gemma and I.
We now have fifteen Cubs which will go up and down as some Cubs move up to Scouts and some Beavers move up into Cubs. We try to offer a wide variety of fun and badge work. Cubs have several badges to work on and so our program offers different activities to achieve our goal. Last year our group attended Chess day, St. George’s Day Parade, Sports day, The Water weekend and many other events. The water weekend is one of the events the Cubs enjoy most. They go around different work stations and do a range of activities which are laid on for them. These can be making bird boxes, kites etc or trying a new activity or game. They also do water based activities like canoeing, rafting, rowing boats and much more.
The cubs always come back very tired but they all enjoy it. Sports day is another fun day. Sports day is usually held at 31st HQ Wolston. There is a wide selection of races for the Cubs to compete in.

Alison Liggins

Index.
Scout Troop Report

34th Coventry Scout Troop Report

I am pleased to be able to report that the Scout Troop had a very successful time in 2006. How success is measured is open to discussion. However from my point of view one of the main indicators of success is that we have 12 Scouts who attend Troop meetings on a regular basis and who take part in a lot of activities outside our normal Friday Troop meeting. I am sure that if they did not enjoy the programme of activities then they would go off and do something else.

We are only able to provide regular Troop meetings and activities on a Saturday and Sunday through the dedication of Leaders. I am blessed with the invaluable support provided by Dave and Gaynor Preston and Colin Hutton and without them there would be no Scout Troop. I have relocated to London but continue to run Troop meetings and activities; my relocation has placed more of a burden on Dave, Gaynor & Colin but in true Scouting spirit they have demonstrated that they are more than up to the challenge.

Through our Troop meetings and activities we try to impart Scouting and life skills to the young people under our charge. How well we do that it sometimes difficult to measure. Friendly competition with other Scout Troops in the Caludon District is one way of assessing things.

The way in which our Scouts have taken on board the information and instruction given to them, and the quality of that instruction is demonstrated by the fact that in 2006 our Scouts:

· Won the District Orienteering competition

· Won the Scout Major Incident Journey competition

· Won the District Water Weekend Raft Race (they had to construct their raft on site at camp and then paddle it around a lake at Market Bosworth)

They have taken an active part in a number of other activities over the course of the year:

· Climbing wall at Centre AT7

· District football and uni-hock

· Night hike at Bradgate Park near Leicester

· Sport Relief Mile charity activity

· Pioneering at Rough Close using 15 feet long spars to build a bridge

· District Water Weekend Camp with canoeing, raft racing, rowing and windsurfing activities

· Organising and participating in a very successful 34th Group Family Activity Day at Coombe Abbey

· Further work on the men of Walsgrave whose names are recorded on the War Memorial and making the information available for the Remembrance Day Service

It continues to be my pleasure to be Scout Leader at the 34th. Without the dedication of Dave, Gaynor and Colin it would be too much of a mountain to climb. Great credit must also go to our Scouts; they are a joy to have; well behaved, focussed and a credit to the Scout Movement.

2007 is the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Scout Movement by Lord Baden Powell, a cause for celebration by millions of former and current Scouts around the world.

Bill Hanna
Scout Leader
Tel: 07768 427 363
Email: bill.hanna@jcdecaux.co.uk

Index.
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood Watch

A couple of years ago our estate was experiencing problems with anti social behaviour from large groups of youths. St Mary’s being one of the places being targeted.

I decided to start a NHW Group to bring people together to support each other. We now have a thriving group. With support from the Police we now have a quieter estate. Residents were encouraged to phone the local police officer PC John Print when experiencing difficulties. This they did and lots of problems were sorted, mainly mini motor bikes which were seized and destroyed. Whilst there are still pockets of trouble, generally people now feel safer in their homes and on the streets.

Ann Rushworth
NHW Co-ordinator

Index.
Hospital Drinks Rota

A number of members of St Mary’s serve drinks on 2 wards at the University Hospital on a Saturday evening. This usually takes about an hour and is much appreciated by patients and staff.

With the opening of the new hospital, this has meant adjusting to new ideas and the layout of the Wards, which has caused some problems. However I am hopeful that all has been resolved and we will continue this service for the future.

Sheila Wick

Index.
PLASMA (Prayer Life at St Mary’s)

The Plasma Group is Malcolm Tyler, Tony Thistlewood, Margaret Davoll, Carol Osselton, Margaret Sweet and Sheila Wick. Penny Hartopp has been a welcome addition in the past twelve months.

Penny and Tony arranged a Quiet Day in June 2006. After an initial problem with the venue, we were made very welcome at Barnacle Chapel. We were blessed with superb weather at this nearby but rural location. The theme for the day was “I am the True Vine.”

Praying is an important part of our Church’s life. The Prayer Book (always located on the Lady Chapel altar is used everyday).

The team of seven Prayer Couples pray from the Prayer Cards after every Sunday morning Service. Fifty members of our congregation are part of the St Mary’s Family of Prayer. Each person in the scheme, includes at least twice a week in their personal prayers a specific item that is given to them. So, in the past year, 23 children have been prayed for; 20 wedding couples have been prayed for, before and after their wedding; 36 bereaved families have been prayed for and 17 others for special occasions. This prayer scheme is co-ordinated by Margaret Sweet.

If you are not part of this scheme or if you would like to be part of a Prayer Couple, you will be very welcome. Please talk to any member of the group listed at the top of this report.

We hope the most visible sign of our Prayer Ministry, the Tree on the tower wall in the foyer, will continue to be well used.

In the near future, we plan to hold an evening event for intercessors and Readers, and another Quiet Day.

Tony Thistlewood

Index.
Christian Aid

Our main fundraising event in 2006 was the house to house collection in May. This annual event was given additional momentum by a thought provoking look at one of Christian Aid’s projects during Sunday Worship a couple of weeks previously. Thanks to a number of new volunteers we managed to collect from more local streets than we have for many years and raised a total of £655.17, our best result for a decade.

Christian Aid is a tremendously worthwhile cause, each year we are called to put our faith into action, alongside our friends of different Christian denominations to carry out a street collection within our area, an important witness in its own right. Most importantly, however, is that Christian Aid works with local partner organisations in the worlds poorest countries, rather than governments, therefore we can be sure that the money we collect goes directly to those who most need it. Its logo – ‘We believe in life before death’ captures much of its ethos.

Christian Aid week 2007 is from 13th to 19th May, please give generously in terms of prayer, time and money.

Lawrence and Dean

Index.
Church Tote

Thank you to all who have supported the Church Tote over the years.

To date £1298.25 has been raised for the Church Refurbishment fund. When the ‘Charity’ share of the Tote reaches £100 this is donated to a local need.

A Tote number is only £1 a month. I am always looking for new members to join this worthwhile endeavour!!

Sheila Wick

Index.
BRF Report

I have been St Mary’s representative for The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) for just over a year now.

BRF produce books three times a year on two levels, firstly New Daylight which gives a good starting point by providing daily readings from the Bible and secondly Guidelines which is more advanced with in-depth study and commentary of themes alongside its daily readings. We currently have 10 people who receive copies of either New Daylight or Godlines.If anyone has any questions or would like to see examples, please have a word with me.

Lorraine Baker

Index.
Creche

A group of leaders and helpers run a crèche every Sunday for preschool children. The children participate in a variety of activities including playing with toys, colouring, story time and joining in with the Junior Church group. The crèche is open from the beginning of the service and the children rejoin the congregation at either The Peace or Communion.

Claire Stanley

Index.
St Mary's Butterflies Carer, Baby and Toddler Group

Butterflies have had another successful year. The waiting list we introduced a few years ago is still running. It is a little shorter that it was, although unfortunately some people never manage to come because by the time we have a place they don’t require it any more.

The afternoon starts with lots of play. We have a good supply of educational toys, books, paper, pencils. Each week we have a craft table this can be anything from decorating biscuits to painting. The most popular with the carers is sticking using glue sticks, a much less messy activity. Malcolm sings songs with them at the end of the afternoon after a short break for drinks and biscuits.

This year we have to thank lots of people for keeping butterflies running during Sheila and David’s illness; we thank the Lord that their health has improved. Our usual helpers, Malcolm, Alison, Val and Pat were there and also Jean Hudson stood in often at short notice along with Eve Stuart. John Todd who used to come with his granddaughter continues to come along and helps to tidy away at the end of a hectic afternoon. Sheila continues to be joint leader, without whose help butterflies would not be the same.

We had our usual Christmas party with food and drink and with a visit from Father Christmas. After Easter we will be holding a sponsored Butterfly afternoon with the monies going to St Mary’s refurbishment fund.

Ann Rushworth

Index.
Junior Church

Junior Church continues to meet once a week, on a Sunday, during the Family Service at 10.00. Junior Church takes place in the octagon and last approximately 40 minutes; with the children rejoining the congregation in time to share the 'peace'.

There is no Junior Church during ‘All Age Services’.

Junior Church is lead by Karen and Melvyn French, Stephen Baker and Claire Stanley.

The number of children attending Junior Church has been very variable this year. Some weeks as few as 3 children have joined us, other weeks as many as 10 have attended.

Most sessions have continued to be supported by material found in Splash! (5 – 8 yr olds) and Xstream (8 – 11 yr olds). Theses are magazines published by Scripture Union which focus on the Bible.

We have also created a ‘Family Tree’ for St Mary’s which is on display in the octagon. The children were all happy to have their pictures included.

Activities in Junior Church are designed to give confidence to the children to explore their own faith through discussion, games, prayer and other activities.

We aim to make Junior Church interesting, challenging and fun. Every week the children will take something away with them. It may be something that they have made, or simply a prayer or a thought for the week. This year children have taken various crafts home, including bookmarks, spirals and prayer prompts all made during Junior Church.

Occasionally Junior Church will join with the older children (Lazers Group). In the last year this has been to rehearse and perform the Christmas ‘Nativity’ which focussed on the different ways Christians celebrate Christmas around the world.

Another enjoyable time was the summer picnic when children of all ages, including those who attended the crèche (0 – pre-school), joined together for food, fun and games.

Karen French

Index.
Music report

During the year the congregation have sung the hymns quite well in spite of the fact that there is no choir to lead. Unfortunately there is still a reluctance to have a go at the lesser well known ones. On occasions I have declined to play the tune set in favour of a better known one.

Once again the organ has given us very good service and this is in no small way due to the twice yearly servicing by our organ tuner Mr John Barnes.

My thanks again to Margaret and also to Geoff for standing in for me during my absence.

You may have noticed a rather small diminutive young man playing the organ at the conclusion of our Sunday services. He is of course Nicholas. He came to me last July and asked if he could play the organ. His progress has been incredibly rapid and has surprised myself and many more. He took the entrance music examination at Princethorpe College in January, surprised the Head of Music by playing the organ, including the Bach Toccata, and has been offered a scholarship. I am sure you will all join me in congratulations and best wishes to him for the future. Well done Nicholas!

Reg Amos

Index.
Flowers

Coming to the end of the long winter season gives way to the thoughts of spring, and although flowers are readily available throughout the year, Easter is the time when more and more varieties become available as the warmer months draw near.

We all enjoy working with all these beautiful materials provided by nature.

Arranging flowers in church is always a special experience, whether they be for a wedding, a baptism or indeed any of the church festivals – or even for a ‘normal’ Sunday.

We are a team of willing amateurs working in small groups and are greatly encouraged by the results of our efforts.

Flowers speak a universal language, understood by every tongue and of every age. They bring colour and life to our church and are enjoyed by us all.

Valerie Ekin

Index.
Servers

I’m pleased to say that the servers team is slowly growing, as last year we welcomed Samuel Liggins onto the team and this year were able to do the same when we were joined by Albert Abraham.

We are fortunate that although the team remains relatively small, we are all dedicated and remain steadfast to the cause, so I would like to take this opportunity to say thankyou to everyone on the team for their continued support.

Valerie Ekin

Index.
Fund Raising Group

I would like to give my personal thanks to Barbara Hancox for her unfailing support and generous help with the arrangements for the Christmas Fayre. My grateful thanks also to Malcolm for his expertise.

I am sure all who attended would agree that the Fayre went well and together with the kind donation of £250 from a member of the congregation, the final figure raised was a little over £2,000.

Our thanks and appreciation to all the stall holders, helpers and all who generously gave items for the various stalls.

Our next meeting will be held on 8 March when we will be discussing social fundraising events for this year and we will of course, let you know well in advance when these events have been finalised.

Jean Hudson

Index.