Annual
Parochial Church Meeting
2011 |
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Quinquennial
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DIOCESE
OF COVENTRY – PARISH OF WALSGRAVE
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2011 – 10th April
At 11.15 am ST MARY’S CHURCH CENTRE
AGENDA
1. Apologies
2. Meeting of Parishioners for election of Churchwardens
3. Minutes of 2010 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 Electoral Roll
9. Election of 3 Representatives to serve on Deanery Synod
10. Election of 8 Representatives to serve on PCC
11. Reports from Parish Groups
12. Election of Electoral Roll Officer
13. Appointment of Independent Examiner
14. Any Other Business
|
| Parochial
Church Council. |
St Mary’s
Walsgrave
Hall Lane
Coventry
CV2 2AW
Diocese of Coventry
Annual Report 2010
The Parochial Church Council
(PCC) of St Mary’s presents its annual report and accounts in
respect of the year to 31st December 2010. The PCC is a charity exempted
from registration with the Charity Commissioners.
Background
St Mary’s PCC has the
responsibility with the incumbent, the Revd Malcolm Tyler, for promoting
the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and
ecumenical in the ecclesiastical parish of Walsgrave-on-Sowe in the
Diocese of Coventry. In addition they have maintenance responsibilities
for the Church Hall situated in Athol Road, Walsgrave.
Membership
Members of PCC are elected
by the APCM in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.
During the year the following
served as members of PCC.
Incumbent:
The Revd Malcolm Tyler Chair, ex officio
Other Ordained Staff:
The Revd Stella Bailey
Readers
Lorraine Baker ex officio
Sue Morton Deanery Synod member and Secretary
Tony Thistlewood ex officio, Vice Chair
Wardens
Barbara Hancox
John Aspden
Representatives on the Deanery Synod
Stephen Baker Lay Chair of Synod
Sue Morton
Sheila Wick
Elected Members
Gary Croshaw (from APCM 2010)
Betty Dakin (until APCM 2010)
Tsion Fearns (from APCM 2010)
Mervyn Hancox (co-opted) Treasurer
Katherine Higgins (from APCM 2010)
Keith Lashley (until APCM 2010)
Eve Stuart
Mark Wakefield (from APCM 2010)
Ann Walker (until APCM 2010)
Committees
The PCC operates through
a number of committees or groups which met between full meetings of
the PCC.
The following committees
operated during the year:
Standing Committee Mission
Group Worship Group PLASMA
Pastoral Group Buildings
Church Attendance
The electoral roll was revised
during February and March. Numbers reported to the APCM in March were
122, of whom 44 are not resident within the Parish boundaries.
The average Sunday adult
attendance counted between February and April was 74. The average attendance
of those under 18 counted over the same period was 17. Over the same
period the average adult attendance on Wednesday morning was 13.
Review of the year
The full PCC met 10 times
during the year (including an extra ordinary meeting in December) with
an average level of attendance of 77%.
PCC discussed preparations
for Mission2Grow throughout the year although the early part of the
year seemed to be dominated by the repairs to the Church following the
theft of lead from the roof in November 2009. The main repairs to the
roof were carried out in January 2010 though the redecorating of the
centre was not complete until the summer.
PCC discussed the possibility
of introducing a digital organ following a generous offer from a member
of the congregation to help finance such a purchase. Several members
of PCC visited St James, Styvechale to see a similar organ to that proposed
for St Mary’s. After further discussion and a four week trial
of a digital organ PCC applied for a faculty to install such an organ
but this was rejected by the Diocesan Advisory Committee. Further discussion
is taking place with the Diocesan Organ Advisor and it is hoped that
new proposals will be put forward in the coming PCC year.
In September PCC invited
Linda Wainscott, Director of Education for the Diocesan Board of Education
(DBE) to come and talk about Academy Schools. Linda led an informative
and lively meeting and was later invited to a similar meeting at Walsgrave
School in February 2011.
2010 was also the year in
which our 5 yearly inspection of the buildings was due. The Inspection
(known as the Quinquennial) was undertaken by the Church Architect,
Richard Wood) in June and PCC has had to discuss through a Buildings
Committee how that recommended work should be processed.
Work on the Church heating
has been particularly slow during the year. PCC have however now received
plans for a new heating system and are in the process of applying for
a faculty to allow the work to proceed. All being well this should be
in place for the autumn of 2011 when the heating system will be required
again after the summer.
During the year Malcolm and
Mervyn attended a deanery meeting to decide upon the levels of Parish
Share each Parish should be expected to pay in 2011. Our Parish Share
for 2011 is £38,038.
Special events during the
year included the Wedding Preparation Day in February (for those preparing
to be married at St Mary’s), and the Bereavement Service in November.
Both were well attended. Harvest gifts were donated to the Coventry
City Mission whilst toys from the Toy Service in December were donated
to the Salvation Army. During Lent two groups met on Wednesday (one
in the morning and one in the evening) to discuss a Lent course by ReSource.
The Wednesday morning group has continued to meet fortnightly through
the year and this has been much appreciated. The group has looked at
part of Acts and also a course on taking courage in mission.
Stella Bailey was priested
by John, Bishop of Warwick on 3rd July at Coventry Cathedral. Several
members of the congregation were present at the service and the following
day we held a picnic lunch at Coombe Abbey which was enjoyed by those
able to come.
Mission2Grow, a 10 day Franciscan
mission organised in the main by PLASMA and Tony Thistlewood, was a
highlight of the year. Bishop Christopher came to commission the three
member team at an opening service on 16th September and groups were
held throughout the week attended by the missioners and members of the
congregation. A Healing Service was also held during the week which
was well attended. At a final meeting on the way forward various ideas
were put forward for improving life at St Mary’s. These included
better communication of events, a praise service of some kind on Sunday
afternoons and the introduction of healing services. PCC has agreed
to the introduction of Messy Church from Good Friday, an interactive
session involving all members of the family and craft activities together
with a short act of worship and food afterwards. Healing Services will
also be held four times a year, the first being held in January and
the second due in Holy Week. Work still needs to be done on improving
the communication of events however.
Coventry City Salvation Army
Band again held a concert in September which raised a significant amount
for both the Church and the Salvation Army. PCC’s thanks again
go to Gary Croshaw and his team for organising this.
Money collected through the
Annual Christmas Card was donated to the Open Hands, an organisation
helping those with problems with alcohol.
During the year the following
number of occasional offices were conducted at St Mary’s
Weddings 15
Funerals in Church 17
Funerals at the Crematorium or graveside 17
Burials of cremated remains 3
Baptisms 41
The clergy have continued
to take Holy Communion to members of the Parish at home during the year.
Classes have visited the
Church from Walsgrave Primary School. Services have been held at Harvest,
Easter and the end of summer term for Walsgrave School. Lorraine Baker,
Alison Liggins, Gill Tompsett and Malcolm Tyler have continued to represent
the Church as Foundation Governors at Walsgrave School though Gill has
decided to stand down as Governor when her term of office expires in
September 2011.. Malcolm and Stella regularly lead collective worship
in school assemblies at Walsgrave School and Stella has led a group
at lunchtimes called Faith Alive. Considerable effort has been undertaken
by Stella to improve the contact with Walsgrave School over the year
and it was pleasing to note that in addition to the ‘outstanding’
categorisation in its main OFSTED inspection the school also achieved
‘outstanding’ in the SIAS inspection (which looks at the
religious ethos of a church school). The school has also been become
a Cross of Nails school in recognition of the work undertaken in understanding
reconciliation and its involvement with St Mary’s.
Since July Stella has also
been involved significantly in Pastoral care at Coventry Myton Hospice.
For and on behalf of PCC
Malcolm Tyler
Index
|
| 2010
Minutes |
St Mary’s Walsgrave
Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Sunday 21 March 2010 Chair: Reverend Malcolm Tyler
Present: 35 people attended the meeting:
John Aspden Stella Bailey Stephen Baker
Betty Dakin Valerie Ekin Tsion Fearns
Barbara Gardner Colin Gardner Gill Giles
Bernice Greenhalgh David Greenhalgh Derek Hudson
Jean Hudson Sheila King Dave Kirkwood
Ettie Lashley Keith Lashley Chris Moreton
Sue Morton Louise Nicholls Janet Potter
Freda Richards Alan Robinson Edna Robinson
Margaret Sweet Eve Stuart Sheila Thistlewood
Tony Thistlewood Gill Tompsett Malcolm Tyler
Mark Wakefield Sheila Wick Glynis Wood
Clive Wooff May Wooff
1. Apologies
Apologies were received from:
Reg Amos Lorraine Baker Gary Croshaw
Les Dakin Margaret Davoll Barbara Hancox
Mervyn Hancox Katherine Higgins Nickie Harwood
Bill Moreton Carole Osselton David Reynolds
Sylvia Reynolds Sally Vigeon Ann Walker
Barry Walker
2. Meeting of Parishioners for Election of Churchwardens
Two nominations were received for churchwardens, namely John Aspden and
Barbara Hancox. John and Barbara were duly elected.
3. Minutes of 2009 Annual Parochial Church Meeting
At item 5 [ii] Annual Report and Accounts, the following sentence was
deleted “The term “refurbishment” cannot legally be
used in these Accounts.” [Para 5 below relates.]
At item 14[iii] Any Other Business, the address of the curate’s
house was amended to 33 Brookshaw Way. Following these amendments, the
minutes of the 2009 Annual Parochial Church Meeting were accepted as a
true record.
4. Matters Arising
Chris Moreton asked if progress had been made regarding a chaplaincy role
at ASDA [minute 4[ii] relates]. Malcolm stated no progress had been made.
5. Annual Report and Accounts
There were no comments about the annual report.
Regarding the accounts, Malcolm reported a surplus, including a bequest
of about £4,300. In real terms, the accounts are close to ”breaking
even”.
David Greenhalgh asked for clarification about the following matters detailed
in the accounts:
o Page 14 Refurbishment Fund is listed despite item 5[ii] of the minutes
of the 2009 APCM stating “The term “refurbishment” cannot
legally be used in these Accounts.” Malcolm explained the reference
in the minutes is inaccurate and should have been deleted during proof
checking; he apologised for this mistake and the 2009 minutes will be
amended accordingly.
o At page 13, explanation of the £1,000 difference in Net Book Value;
£1,337 in 2008 and £377 in 2009. Malcolm confirmed standard
accounting practice is writing off nominal value of goods to reflect annual
depreciation.
o At page 14, why have “Miscellaneous” funds increased from
£170 in 2008 to £2,436 in 2009? Malcolm confirmed a gas rebate
of about £2,200. He also explained that “miscellaneous”
refers to income and “sundry expenses” refers to expenses.
o At page 15, explanation of the £3,637 difference between current
assets of £5,574 in 2008 and £9,211 in 2009. Malcolm replied
that this represented the increase in net assets throughout the year which
would be depreciated in future years.
Jean Hudson proposed, Keith Lashley seconded, and all present accepted
unanimously the Annual Report and Accounts.
6. Report on the Goods, Fabric and Ornaments of St Mary’s
Malcolm explained the legal requirement for this report, having regard
to the fact that the incumbent owns the church building and the churchwardens
own the property of St Mary’s. Sheila Wick proposed, Val Ekin seconded,
and all present accepted unanimously the Report on the Goods, Fabric and
Ornaments of St Mary’s.
7. Coventry East Deanery Synod Report
Stephen Baker proposed, Sheila King seconded, and all present accepted
unanimously the Coventry East Deanery Synod Report.
8. Presentation of the Electoral Roll
Sheila Wick presented a revised Electoral Roll of 122, including 44 non
residents. She advised that 6 non residents had been removed from the
roll and 5 new names added.
9. Election of 8 Representatives to serve on the Parochial Church Council
Malcolm reported the following 6 nominations for membership of PCC:
? Gary Croshaw
? Tsion Fearns
? Katherine Higgins
? Louise Nicholls
? Eve Stuart
? Mark Wakefield
All were duly elected.
10. Reports from Parish Groups
i] Franciscan Mission 16 to 26 September 2010
Chris Moreton requested more information about the Franciscan Mission
mentioned in the PLASMA report at page 24, in particular its purpose.
Tony Thistlewood explained PLASMA hoped it would encourage ministry in
the parish. He detailed preparation for the mission, including the setting-up
of publicity, finance, prayer and other groups. Sister Chris from the
Franciscan Order will be preaching at St Mary’s on Palm Sunday.
A quiet day at St John’s, Wolvey will take place on 19 June 201
and will focus on preparation for the mission. Malcolm hoped the mission
would encourage those people, who have relatively nominal contact with
St Mary’s, to attend on a more regular basis. Also to encourage
people to become more involved in the day to day running of the church
and centre. For example, he hopes to invites back those couples who married
at St Mary’s. Edna Robinson suggested more contact with the uniformed
organisations. Malcolm hopes this might grow from the mission going into
local schools. Liaison will continue with Sister Chris over the coming
months.
ii] Mission Group
Jean Hudson thanked Sue Morton for her work with Mission Group over many
years.
Sheila King proposed, Jean Hudson seconded, and all present accepted unanimously
the Reports from Parish Groups.
11. Election of Electoral Roll Officer
Sheila Wick was re-elected Electoral Roll Officer.
12. Appointment of Independent Examiner
Malcolm Tyler proposed, Val Ekin seconded, and all present accepted unanimously
to re-appoint Harrison Beale and Owen Limited, Chartered Accountants,
as Independent Examiner of the Accounts of St Mary’s.
13. Any Other Business
a] Thanks
Sue Morton thanked Malcolm for his leadership of and ministry to St Mary’s;
also Owen, Stella, Lorraine and Tony. She especially thanked John and
Barbara for their hard work as churchwardens over recent years; and acknowledged
that the office of churchwarden is particularly demanding. Chris Moreton
hopes members of St Mary’s realise that churchwardens need a break
from such a demanding job. Malcolm confirmed that as technically churchwardens
can now only hold office for 5 consecutive years, Barbara is effectively
in her last year as churchwarden. Malcolm thanked everyone who has helped
and supported him over the year, including churchwardens and Readers.
He especially thanked Stella who had a “baptism of fire/water”
while covering his extended holiday last November.
b] Roof Appeal
Sue Morton asked Malcolm to confirm the outcome of the Roof Appeal. Malcolm
confirmed:
? just under £6,500 received to date
? donations still being received
? Gift aid from tax likely to be £1,500 to £2,000
? TOTAL £8,000
? To add proceeds from the sponsored parachute jump
? To add VAT refund
? shortfall of £9,000 therefore found
Alan Robinson asked for the results of the roof appeal to be publicised
in the Coventry Telegraph and to the local community. Malcolm confirmed
this is in hand.
The meeting closed with the Grace at 12 noon.
Index.
|
| Fabric
of the church |
Report on the Goods, Fabric and Ornaments of St Mary’s
2010
2010 saw the repair of damage done to the Church buildings following
the theft of lead from the roof of the Church Centre In November 2009.
Work on the replacement of lead (with stainless steel) started in January
after the snow had abated. An emergency faculty had been granted for
this work to be carried out as quickly as possible. Work on the centre
itself was carried out in two phases. Before Easter some plasterboard
had to be removed from the ceiling by the toilet block and flooring
removed from the lofts to allow the building to dry out. Decoration
was then completed in the summer. The carpets remain to be cleaned but
this is due to take place before Easter of this year. Of the work carried
out on the roof the insurance company met £5,000 of the total
cost (in excess of £12,000) but the entire cost of the decorative
work on the centre, around £5,000.
Routine maintenance has been carried out at the Church and Centre throughout
the year. The organ has been tuned and maintained (£185), the
fire extinguishers (£134) and burglar alarm (£327) serviced.
Ad hoc repairs have been carried out as necessary by various members
of the congregation for which PCC is grateful. Considerable work has
been carried out on the Church clock during the year. Following the
death of the Clock repairer’s son (who did most of the work),
the repairs were delayed but were completed in October at a cost of
£1,506. The clock is now working though some small problems still
remain with the striking mechanism and the automatic winding mechanism.
These should be resolved over the next few months.
During the year the Quinquennial Inspection of the Church buildings
was carried out by the Church Architect, Richard Wood. A considerable
schedule of work is proposed by Richard which PCC is discussing and
putting in hand. This ranges from minor work which may be done in house
(such as the clearing of moss from the paths) to major building work
(such as the re-plastering of some areas of the church) which will require
considerable discussion and planning. Prior to the inspection Luke Liggins
tested all the portable appliances in the Church buildings, a necessary
requisite for the inspection.
The churchyard was regularly tidied by a group of Social Services trainees
(at a total cost of £397 for the year) and other maintenance work
was carried out by Coventry City Council.
The area of land adjacent to the Church Hall was maintained by Malcolm
Tyler this year and PCC is grateful for his hard work during the Spring,
Summer and Autumn. Following the departure of a member of the congregation
who cleaned the Hall free of charge PCC took the decision to employ
a cleaner for the Hall in the summer.
Barbara Hancox and John Aspden
Index.
|
| Coventry
East Deanery |
Coventry East Deanery
Synod Report 2010
The Synod met only once in
2010, the December meeting being postponed because of bad weather until
January 2011.
In September we met at St Mary’s
to discuss the Healing Ministry of the Church. Our speaker was the Revd
Stanley Baxter, a friend of Stephen Baker who works at Holy Rood House,
Thirsk a centre for healing. Stanley spoke about his work there and
of how it was important to be non judgemental and to allow people space.
In January 2011, the postponed
December meeting took place at St Philip’s Potters Green. Members
of Synod broke into small groups to discuss some of the things that
were going well in their respective parishes and of some of the difficulties
they were facing. As a long standing member of Deanery Synods this was
one of the better meetings I have attended. There was a sense of togetherness
that I have rarely seen and a belief that God was with us despite some
of the difficulties we face as parishes.
A new Synod is elected this
year and Stephen Baker has indicated that he will not seek re-election.
We shall therefore need to elect a new Lay Chair of Synod at our meeting
in June which will also be a discussion of the issue of Women Bishops.
Malcolm Tyler
Index.
|
| Churchwarden |
|
Churchwarden’s
Report
It is nice
to be able to report that we have had a quieter year without major problems.
The cleaning of the
church and centre is an issue, as we now carry it out ourselves and to
make up a rota that means that people only have to do it every three months,
we need another five volunteers. If you are able to help, could you please
see Alison Liggins, Malcolm or one of the churchwardens.
We would like to
thank those who already give their time to be on rotas and carry out functions
that are essential to the running of the church. These include those who
arrange the flowers; make coffee; help with the cleaning; the welcome
group; the sacristans; Gillian Tompsett for helping every week with the
production of the newsletter and service sheets and those who carry out
routine maintenance jobs. Colin Gardner our organist and Margaret Davoll
who kindly steps in when needed and Barry Walker for the jobs he does
around the church.
We are very fortunate
at St Mary’s to have four clergy and three readers to lead us in
our worship and our thanks also go to them.
Barbara Hancox
and John Aspden
Index. |
| Treasurer |
Treasurer’s
Report
2010 has not been
an easy year for us financially and you will have seen that the accounts
show a substantial deficit. It does need to be recognised however that
this will be largely offset but not completely removed when we receive
monies due from the insurance company for the final stage of the church
centre repairs and from the diocese for expenses from our Franciscan
mission M2G.
A major concern is
that our basic planned income from the congregation via standing orders
and the envelope scheme is down some 8% when compared with 2009. It
would be helpful if we could all look at our level of giving to see
if it can be improved, perhaps think if you could convert from envelopes
to a standing order or even assist by ensuring that all your envelopes
are returned even if you miss a Sunday or have been on holiday.
On a positive note
the response from the congregation and the wider community was magnificent
when we launched the Roof Appeal – a big thank you to all who
contributed so generously. I would also like to thank Jean Hudson and
Alison Liggins for their continued work with stewardship, gift aid management
and the weekly banking.
Mervyn Hancox
Index.
|
| Quinquennial
Report |
Quinquennial
The church and church centre are subject every five years to an inspection
by an architect approved by the diocese. The inspection, which we have
to fund, is to ensure that the buildings are being maintained to an
appropriate standard and a report summarising its findings is produced.
The report splits the works into time related categories depending
on their urgency, so that there are those which require immediate attention
and those that can be carried out within the following five years. A
total of over fifty items are included with an estimated cost of £49,950.
It should be noted that all this is in addition to works which we currently
have in hand such as replacing the church central heating which will
cost in the region of £25,000.
A group has been set up to progress the required work and report to
PCC, its members are Malcolm Tyler, Barbara Hancox, Mark Wakefield and
myself.
Mervyn Hancox
Index.
|
| Stewardship |
Stewardship
Report
As always, my grateful thanks
to Alison for her help with both the counting and chauffeuring services
during the year.
The figures for the year from
1 January to 31 December 2010 are as follows:
Non Gift Aided Donations £
2,679.00
Gift Aided Donations £23,378.00
Gift aided donations
at Weddings and Baptisms £ 1,153.00
Tax Reclaimed £ 6,335.00
The above donations include both weekly envelope scheme contributions
and monthly standing orders. If you would like to join our envelope scheme
(whether or not you are a tax payer,) please speal to Malcolm, Mervyn
Hancox or me.
Jean Hudson
Index. |
| Mission
Group |
| Mission Group
Members: Margaret Davoll, Karen French, Carole Osselton, Stella Bailey.
Firstly I would like to give thanks to Sue Morton for her leadership
of the group. Sue stepped down from her involvement with the group in
May 2010.
The Mission groups primary focus is to analyse the request for financial
support that the church receives from various charities and to make recommendation
to the PCC as to where funds would be spent.
St Mary's annual charitable giving averages around £2000 based
on 5% of our income, calculated from the budgets of the 2 previous years.
Since Sue stepped down the group did not meet until recently and therefore
was unable to report to PCC on the requests for financial assistance.
In November PCC approved a recommendation that the giving pattern of
2009 would be repeated.
Charitable giving in 2010 was as follows:
1) Vio - Home of Hope, Romania (Global care Sponsor a Child Project) £224.00
2) USPG Anglicans in World Mission - Revd Nicholas Wheeler in Brazil £425.00
3) Coventry Myton Hospice £650.00
4) Gilead Health Development, Luweero, Uganda - continued support £425.00
of Nobby Clarke's ministry
5) Yeldall Christian Centres - alcohol and drug addiction support £425.00
6) Church Army's UK projects £425.00
7) Gurkha Welfare Trust £425.00
Total £2999.00
In May 2010 the group lead a worship for all service, this was an opportunity
for the group to feed back to the congregation on the work of these various
charities. For many of the group this involved stepping out of their comfort
zone but positive feed back was received. Letters from these organisations
continue to be displayed in the church centre for people to read.
The PCC has asked the group to report in May on the requests for financial
assistance. This will give the group and the PCC a better idea of available
funds so that decisions can be made on charitable giving when the full
accounts have been received and not an estimate. The group will meet in
April to discuss this in detail.
The group has also started to look at other areas of mission such as
care for the environment and social justice. Each time the group meets
they will take a different mission indicator and discuss in detail how
St Mary’s is already doing this, what they are not doing and if
as a church it would be financially and practically possible to do more
then we currently are.
So far the group has looked at the issue of care for our environment
and discussed the use of low energy light bulbs, recycled paper and fair
trade goods and have started to hold the church accountable in various
areas of this subject getting the relevant people to be held accountable
for the purchase decisions that are made.
This is a new and exciting step for the group and many interesting discussions
will, I'm sure, take place so if anybody else wishes to join this group
which meets around every 2 months you are very welcome.
Stella Bailey
Index. |
| Worship
Group and Music |
| Worship
Group
The Worship Group
meets regularly once every 2 months to select the hymns for our 10am Sunday
Service. We are guided in our choice of hymns by using the Royal School
of Church Music hymn selection booklet, and Sheila Wick keeps us on our
toes by making sure that once a hymn has been used, then it is not used
again for a set period of time, so that we don’t fall into the trap
of using a very narrow band of hymns
During the year in
question, the sad loss of our very able previous organist, Mr Reg Amos
occurred and we reord with grateful thanks his many years of service.
I am also indebted
to Margaret Davoll for her knowledgeable advice of the choice of hymn
tunes, but having said that we quite often get accused of not using the
“right” tune or words, which only goes to show how difficult
it is to please everyone all the time.
Colin Gardner
Index. |
| Readers
and Intercessors Rota |
| My thanks to all
readers and intercessors for their generous help.
I am very pleased to report that
during the year, we welcomed Mark Wakefield, Lucy Whitehouse and Elizabeth
Chester to our team of readers.
We are always pleased to welcome
new readers, so if you would like to be added to our rota but feel a bit
unsure and would like more information, please do speak to Malcolm, Barbara
Hancox or me.
Jean Hudson
Index. |
| Sacristans |
| Sally Vigeon and Sheila Thistlewood have stepped down
from acting as Sacristan during the last year, leaving only myself to
prepare the silver for Communion Services. Tasks involve preparing the
altar and laundering the used linen afterwards. Whilst it is not a difficult
duty it would be good to have others who could help. Please do have a
word with me or Malcolm or the churchwardens if you feel you might be
able to help.
Betty Dakin
Index. |
| Church
Cleaning |
| After some little
hiatus with the new rota, volunteers are reasonably well established now.
Nominally, thirteen pairs of cleaners clean the Church and Centre on a
Saturday morning. This means a duty comes up once every three months.
As ever occasionally people do forget and one or two people really should
be relieved of the duty. If you are able to volunteer to help out on this,
please do speak to Malcolm.
My thanks to Alison Liggins
who produced the rota for 2011 and to Gill Giles and Alan Robinson who
continue to polish the brass.
Malcolm Tyler
Index. |
| St
Mary’s Coffee Club |
| Set out below are details of the amounts donated to the
Church and charities during 2010.
Letters of thanks are available for anyone who wishes to see them.
| Name
of Charity & Amount |
Royal National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen----------------------------------------------------£100.00
Churc of England Children's Society--------------------------------------------------------------------£50.00
Warwickshire & Northants Air Ambulance-------------------------------------------------------------£50.00
Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre-----------------------------------------------------------------------£50.00
Myton Hospice----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------£50.00
Zoe's Place---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------£50.00
|
| Total |
£350.00 |
St.Mary's Church (Rerurbishment Fund)
Carried forward to 2009
|
£250.00
£64.61 |
| Total |
£664.61 |
This was a wonderful achievement, particularly considering the small
number of members, and my thanks, together with those of St Mary’s
and the Charities, go to Gwen, Audrey and all the members of the coffee
club for their generosity
Alan Robinson.
Index.
|
| Sunday
Drinks Rota |
| Thank you to
all who help serve coffee on a Sunday morning after church and to those
who step in at short notice. Please do check the rota in advance and let
the Churchwardens know if you are unable to make a duty.
One or two people would like
to come off the rota so it would be good to know of any who would not
mind helping in this not very onerous task every 6 weeks or so.
Alistair Addie
Index. |
| Pastoral
Group |
| Last summer, a Pastoral Group at St Mary's was re-formed.
The membership is Barbara Gardner, Betty Dakin, Barbara Hancox, Alison
Liggins, Sue Morton, Hazel Turner, and Sheila Wick. We aim to support
members of the congregation in times of illness or other difficulties;
by keeping in contact by 'phone or visiting at home. We hope to liaise
with the clergy if any member of the congregation would welcome home communion.
People will particularly be held in prayer. If you need our support or
know someone who needs our support, please contact one of the group’s
members.
Barbara Hancox and Sue Morton
for St Mary’s Pastoral Group
Index. |
| Beavers |
34th Beavers
Our Beavers meet on a Tuesday
evening between 6.30 pm till 8pm. We currently have 19 beavers; we had
six go up to Cubs just before the February half term.
Last September we held a joint camp with the 55th. The beavers learnt
how to make bread and cook it on the open fire using skewers. They had
a scavenger hunt, made fresh wraps, played games and lots of other things.
At the end of the night they had a camp fire.
We visited the Lord Mayor of
Coventry, to which the children asked lots of questions. The Lord Mayors
driver showed the Beavers around the Council House and explained lots
of things that they could see.
We have just finished off some
badge work and are currently starting on Creative challenge.
The Beavers have made lots
of things from Christmas cards and gifts to trifles and chocolate rice
snap cakes, luckily that night we only had 10 turn up otherwise we would
have been clearing up till midnight.
We had a visit from Father
Christmas and also the Owl man the Beavers loved both of these events.
We have arranged a visit to
Binley Road fire station for the end of March and so hope to learn lots
there.
We have arranged another camp
this year for the end of September and are currently planning the activities.
Hopefully the weather will be kind so we can get out and do lots of outdoor
things.
Alison Liggins (Beaver
Leader)
Index. |
| Cubs |
Index. |
| Scout
Troop Report |
24th Scout Troup
The Scout Troop continues to be very active with around 12 scouts attending
each week. We run a varied programme to give the Scouts new experiences
and gain more experience in other activities. During the past 12 months
we have been camping, hiking, and took part in our annual water activities
weekend. We have taught basic Scout skills in activities such as map work,
knotting, First Aid and camp fire skills. We have also run evenings involving
problem solving, marble run building, pancake cooking and had an outside
speaker from the Guide Dogs for the Blind.
All of these activities go together to form a balanced programme which
enables the Scouts to achieve their Badges and Awards.
The Troop has continued to take part in District Scout Competitions.
In April we entered a team to take part in SMIJ. In this competition the
Scouts walk about 6 miles and have to deal with small incidents along
the route. This year the incidents were First Aid, Egg Cooking and tent
pitching. Then in September we took part in the swimming Gala and achieved
first place overall. We also came first in the relay. The Scouts always
show great team spirit in everything they take part in.
In September Gareth Morgan joined me to help run the Scout Troop. He
has a great Scouting background and is a great addition to the 34th Scout
Group.
In April we will be camping again. We are spending the Weekend at Rough
Close, the Scout County camp site, where the Scouts will be doing conservation
work with the service crew and also doing fun activities including a camp
fire on the Saturday evening.
Gaynor Preston (Scout leader)
Index. |
| Salvation
Army Band |
Salvation Army
Band Concert
On Saturday 18th September
2010, we were pleased to welcome the members of the Salvation Army City
of Coventry Band, for what has become an annual concert.
The band under the direction
of Bandmaster Jonathon Fearn played a programme of varied items and there
was an opportunity for audience participation, as part of Salvationist
Claire Whitmore’s “Thought” section of the programme.
I am pleased to report that
the concert raised a total of £342 which as in previous years, was
equally shared between the St Mary’s Refurbishment Fund and the
Salvation Army, for their work within the city.
It is hoped that a date for
a 2011 concert can be arranged and I would encourage as many as possible
of St Mary’s congregation to attend and share an evening of good
music and fellowship.
Gary Croshaw
Index. |
| Hospital
Drinks Rota |
| A number of
members from St Mary’s serve drinks on Ward 30 at The University
Hospital on Saturday evenings. Unfortunately our numbers are still low.
If you feel you would like to join us please have a word with me.
The time spent is usually about
an hour and is very much appreciated by the patients and staff.
Sheila Wick
Index. |
| PLASMA
(Prayer Life at St Mary’s) |
| The PLASMA worked
hard preparing for M2G in September 2010. Sally and Owen Vigeon were co-opted
onto the team because of their previous experience of Franciscan missions.
Since M2G a new Prayer group
has met on a fortnightly basis as Edna and Alan Robinson’s. This
is open to anyone who would like to spend a hour every other Friday morning
experiencing contemplative prayer. Owen Vigeon is leading it.
A Quiet Day has been arranged
once again at Wolvey on 17th September.
Over the whole year (March
2010 to March 2011), 9 wedding couples have been prayed for; 32 bereaved
families; 43 baptisms and 17 other occasions (illness etc) have featured
in the prayers of our Family of Prayer members.
Tony Thistlewood
Index. |
| Christian
Aid |
|
Index. |
| Church
Tote |
| Thank
you to all who have supported the Tote over the years.
To date £2813.85
has been raised for the Church Refurbishment Fund. When the ‘Charity’
share of the Tote reached £100 this is donated to a local need.
The latest donation was given to The MS Therapy Centre in Coventry.
A Tote number is £1
a month and I am always looking for new members to join this worthwhile
endeavour!!!
Sheila Wick
Index. |
| BRF
Report |
| I continue to be the St Mary’s representative for
the Bible Reading Fellowship and to organise the distribution of Daily
Reading Books to several members of the congregation. Sadly over the last
year, a couple of people have left the scheme, meaning that currently
only 9 people now receive the daily reading series New Daylight. BRF offers
several types of Bible study books including New Daylight, so if anyone
is interested, please see me for further information and back copies of
titles.
Lorraine Baker
Index. |
| Creche |
|
Index. |
| St
Mary's Butterflies Carer, Baby and Toddler Group |
| Butterflies meet
on a Tuesday afternoon from 1.30 pm till 3 pm for mother and toddlers.
Sadly at the end of July Sheila
Thistlewood stepped down, we wish her well but do miss her. Thank you
for all your hard work over the years.
We have toys for the youngest
children to play with in the octagon. We have a craft table where the
children do painting, decorating biscuits and cakes, plant seeds and many
other things.
We held a lovely Christmas Party this year where Father Christmas came
and sang with the children and give them Christmas presents.
At the moment we are full and
have a waiting list.
It is thanks to Eve, Gill G,
Rose, John, John A and Malcolm who turn up every week to help out with
the Craft table, making the teas, washing up and helping with the setting
up and putting away the equipment. Also special thanks to Jean who often
steps in at the last minute when someone is unable to attend. Without
this help we would not be able to continue. Unfortunately Rose is suffering
with a painful hip and is unable to help out at the moment. If you know
of anyone who would be willing to come along on a Tuesday afternoon please
speak with Alison, Eve, Gill or Malcolm.
Alison Liggins
Index. |
| Junior
Church |
| Junior
Church
I would like to take this opportunity
to thank all the many volunteers who lead Junior church and the time they
spend in making the children's discovery of faith enjoyable, interactive
and fun.
The Junior church rota is administered
by Alison Liggins who has lead the Lazars group for a significant time
single handed.
Over the past year the church
has seen a significant increase in the number of families with young children
attending church. This wonderful problem lead to various discussions about
how junior church was organised and the material used for the sessions.
The decision was made to change
junior church from 2 age groups to 3 with the children roughly being split
up into the following age groups:
4-6 are now Splash
7-9 are now eXtream
10+ are now the Grid
Splitting into 3 age groups
required additional leaders and without much trouble those suitable stepped
forward.
Each group is now using material
supplied regularly by Scripture Union which has additional online help
and material. Although this will require regular funding the quality of
material available will hopeful prove to be superior. Additional craft
material has been brought to provide a basic supply.
Although these changes have
only recently been implicated and teething problems are still being worked
out additional feedback has been positive and the children have also been
given the opportunity to share what they have learnt with the congregation
when it has been appropriate.
The new system will be further analysed throughout the year and adapted
where necessary.
Stella Bailey
Index. |
| Flowers |
| What
can I say about flowers that hasn’t been said already? A wedding,
a birthday, a life, they’re always there to celebrate whatever the
occasion.
We all appreciate
their versatile shapes and forms as well as their delicious perfumes.
Now, most flowers are available all year round, but at the beginning of
the year in January and February there’s nothing more exciting than
the first delicate heads of the masses of tiny showdrops spread around
our churchyard, quickly followed by the crocus, then the magnificant magnolias
just in time for Easter that welcome us every spring.
We then gradually drift into summer when more varieties come into being
and on into autumn when the colours are even more vibrant.
It takes an abundance
of flowers to fill the pedestals each week so the donations we receive
to help cover the cost is always very much appreciated.
It would also be
most helpful if we could recruit one or two more ladies or Gents to join
the team. It only takes some flair and a bit of imagination to arrange
a pedestal and we would be extremely grateful for the input.
Valerie Ekin
Index. |
| Servers |
| I’m sorry to report that at the present time the
serving team is at an all time low.
Unfortunately some of the younger members have become most unreliable
which is very disappointing.
I Myself have been serving at St Mary’s for over 30 years, probably
the longest in the churches 900 year history, who knows!, but during that
time I’ve seen many of the previous youngsters grow into fine young
adults, some now married with children of their own.
I am desperate to increase the team, adults and youngsters alike. We
need servers badly.
Some people might feel that they would be ‘on show’ but that
isn’t the case, and the more people I have on the team, the more
infrequent one has to serve.
Please think about it. Come and talk to me, try it out. You may find
it just as rewarding as I do.
Valerie Ekin
Index. |
|
