Parish of St Mary’s, Princes Risborough With St Peter’s, Ilmer
ANNUAL REPORTS To Be Presented At
THE ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING TO BE HELD AT ST MARY’S CHURCH ON TUESDAY 24TH APRIL 2018 AT 7.30PM
ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
CONTENTS Page Annual Vestry Meeting Agenda 2018 and Minutes of the 2017 Meeting ...... 4‐5 Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Agenda 2018 ...... 6 Minutes of APCM held on 25 April 2017 in St Mary’s Church ...... 7‐11 Introduction by the Rector ...... 12 Review of the Proceedings of the PCC 2017/18 ...... 13‐15 Churchwardens’ Fabric & Property Review ...... 15‐16
REPORTS OF CHURCH ACTIVITIES, STRATEGIC GROUPS OF THE PCC
PRAYER AND WORSHIP Parish Communion Leadership Team ...... 17 8am Holy Communion ...... 18 TGIS (Thank God it’s Sunday!) ...... 18 Evening Services ...... 19 Icknield Court Monthly Service ...... 20 St Peter’s Ilmer ...... 20 St Peter’s Ilmer, Monthly Family Service ...... 21 Sermon Series at St Mary’s ...... 21 Sidespersons ...... 21 TGIS Welcome Team ...... 22 Choir and Organ ...... 22 Worship Band ...... 22 AV Team ...... 23 Flowers ...... 23 Puppet Club ...... 24 Service and Chalice Administrators ...... 24 Prayer List ...... 24 Prayer Ministry ...... 25 Prayer Bulletin ...... 25
CHILDREN AND YOUTH Children’s & Youth Groups (Sunday Services) ...... 26 Local Schools Work...... 26 Later & Pulse ...... 26 Lighthouse Princes Risborough ...... 27‐28 Children’s Activity Mornings and Family Celebrations ...... 28‐29 Nursery Service ...... 30 Baptisms ...... 30 Safeguarding ...... 31
MINISTRY Events Team ...... 32
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Holiday at Home ...... 33 Pastoral Visitors Team ...... 33 The Open Door ...... 34 Bereavement Drop‐in ...... 34 Pop‐in @ Princes Centre ...... 34 Marriage Preparation Course ...... 34 Men’s Breakfasts ...... 35 Women’s Breakfasts ...... 35 Life Groups ...... 36
DISCIPLESHIP Discipleship Courses –Alpha, Jesus the Game Changer 1 & 2 ...... 37 Christian Stewardship: Thank you to God Sunday ...... 37
THE WIDER CHURCH Aylesbury Deanery Synod ...... 38‐39 The Risborough Team of Anglican Churches ...... 40 Churches Together in Risborough ...... 41 Civic Services at St Mary’s ...... 41
OUTREACH Mission & Charitable Giving ...... 42 The Children’s Society ...... 43 Links with Uganda ...... 43‐45 One Can ...... 45 Christians Against Poverty ...... 46 Saunderton Lodge Christmas Parcels ...... 46 Aylesbury Street Angels ...... 47 Princes Risborough Town Festival Lunchtime Concerts ...... 47 Floodlighting Sponsorship ...... 48 Historic Churches Bike Ride 2017 ...... 48
COMMUNICATIONS Viewpoint ...... 49 Church Communications ...... 49 Newssheet and E‐News ...... 50
CHURCH PREMISES Health & Safety ...... 51 Church Hall ...... 51 Churchyard ...... 52 Church Cleaners ...... 53 The Chapter House ...... 53 Parish Office ...... 53
CHURCHWARDEN’S CLOSING REMARKS……………………………………… 54
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
Parish of St Mary’s, Princes Risborough with St Peter’s, Ilmer
Annual Vestry Meeting
To be held on Tuesday 24th April 2018 at 7.30 p.m.
In St Mary’s Church
Agenda
1. Apologies for absence,
2. Minutes of the Meeting of 25th April 2017
3. Election of Churchwardens.
4. Election of Deputy Churchwardens for St Peter’s Ilmer
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
Parish of St Mary’s, Princes Risborough, with St Peter’s Ilmer, Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting
held on Tuesday 25th April 2017 in St Mary’s Church
Present: Revd David G Williams (Rector) in the chair, Mrs Louise Fell (Church Warden), Mr Jim Cadwallader (Church Warden), Revd Dan Beesley (Curate), Revd Michael Hunt (Associate Minister) Mr John Hardy (Secretary) and 41 parishioners.
The Rector opened the meeting with prayer.
Item 1: Apologies for Absence.
Apologies had been received from 20 people from the door lists.
Item 2: Minutes of the Meeting of 26th April 2016.
The Minutes, as presented in the Annual Reports, were approved by a show of hands and signed by the Rector.
Item 3: The Elections of Churchwardens.
The Rector expressed his appreciation for the support of the Churchwardens in the past year. They fulfil their responsibilities in a totally supportive and prayerful way, largely hidden from view but providing a significant degree of cohesion both in the forming of strategy, the management of unexpected events and difficulties. Whilst Louise is standing down due to family commitments she will be maintaining some of her current responsibilities through her PCC membership.
The meeting responded to the Rector’s remarks with round of applause
One nomination had been received;
Mr James Richard Cadwallader, nominated by Mrs Louise Fell and seconded by Mr Peter Wynn.
There being no other nominations from the floor, Mr Cadwallader was duly elected by a show of hands, followed by a further round of applause. The Rector asked the meeting to keep Jim in our prayers throughout the year.
Item 4: Election of Deputy Churchwardens for St Peter's, Ilmer. The Rector explained that this meeting also elects two Deputy Churchwardens for St Peter's, Ilmer. There were two nominations: Mr George Harper and Mr Alan Austin, who were duly elected Nem Con by a show of hands.
The meeting closed at 7.45 pm.
Signed: Date: (Chairman)
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
ST MARY’S, PRINCES RISBOROUGH, with ST PETER’S, ILMER Annual Parochial Church Meeting
To be held in St Mary’s Church, at 7.45 pm on Tuesday 24th April 2018
Agenda
1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the APCM of 25th April 2017
3. The meeting receives the Report on changes to the Electoral Roll
4. Rector’s introduction, review and look forward
5. The meeting receives the Report on the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council 6. The meeting receives the Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council 7. The meeting receives the Churchwardens Fabric Report 8. The meeting receives the Report on the Proceedings of Aylesbury Deanery Synod 9. Election of lay representatives to the PCC
10. Appointment of Assistant Churchwardens
11. Appointment of Sidesmen
12. Appointment on Independent Examiner for 2018/19
13. The meeting receives the Reports of Church Activity in 2017/18
14. Any Other Business
15. Date of Next Annual Meeting: Tuesday 23rd April 2019
16. Closing Prayer
“Have we been contemplative, compassionate and courageous in our discussions and decisions tonight?”
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
Parish of St Mary’s, Princes Risborough, with St Peter’s Ilmer, Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
held on Tuesday 25th April 2017 in St Mary’s Church
Present: Revd David G Williams (Rector) in the chair, Mr Jim Cadwallader (Church Warden), Revd Dan Beesley (Curate), Revd Michael Hunt (Associate Minister) Mr John Hardy (Secretary) and 58 parishioners.
Item 1: Apologies for Absence.
Apologies had been received from 16 people; 14 from the door lists plus 2 from the floor.
Item 2: Minutes of the APCM of 26th April 2016.
The Minutes, as presented in the Annual Reports, were approved and signed by the Rector.
Item 3: Report on the Electoral Roll Changes.
Mrs Kathryn Trout, as Electoral Roll Officer, reported as follows; i. Members Resident in the Parish 188 (183 in 2016) ii. Members not resident in the Parish 46 ( 44 in 2016) iii. Total on the Electoral Roll 234 (227 in 2016) This represents an increase of 3%, compared to the 1% decrease in 2016.
During the year we lost 10 members but gained17. Kathryn further reported that since 1996 the Electoral Roll was at its lowest level in 2009 and at its highest number in 2000.
Note: The appointment of Mrs Trout, Parish Administrator, as Electoral Roll Officer was approved by the PCC at the meeting dated 2nd February 2017. Mrs Jenny King continues in her role as Safeguarding Officer.
Item 4: Rector’s Introduction, Review & Charge.
4.1 Rector’s Introduction:
This being the Feast Day of St Mark the Evangelist David opened his Charge by inviting us all to join him with the prayer for the day which asked “…that we, being firmly grounded in the truth of the gospel, may be faithful to its teaching both in word and deed”.
David expressed both his and Jo’s deepest thanks and appreciation for the support that they had received during his three months sabbatical. He acknowledged the co‐operation of all the Associate clergy who had ensured that our normal Sunday services were maintained as well as undertaking the life event services as they were required. David was happy to report that Ryan had increased the impact of his outreach in the local community to a town‐wide ministry during the year and that Jenny and Kathryn continue to provide continuity as the first point of contact in their work in the Parish Office. David thanked all who voluntarily supported the running of our wide variety of Sunday services as well as those that are developing Fresh Expressions such as Deeper and Quiet with God.
David introduced the principle theme that “our relationships matter” and that for all of us there are three key areas that are critical; abiding with God (through His word and
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praying), being active in our discipleship (our Life Group community’s), and consequently engaging within the world (our mission). In all three the key is relationships – some are evident and other are hidden, but all matter. Discipleship must be the root of our ministry. The Western church behaves as if being a Christian is completed with us just believing in Jesus gift of individual salvation. But we are called to “Whole Life Discipleship” and engaging in these three elements of our faith should lead to two outcomes; that we become Rooted and Fruitful.
For all of us our Discipleship depends upon our individual as well as our corporate prayer life; “Prayer Changes Things”. Jo reflected on her journey to personal prayer – putting it at the top of our daily agenda ‐ using an attic room for intentional prayer. Creating prayer space and time in our lives and in our homes is a start. Making sure that as well as worshiping we develop intentional daily prayer. The key is our time, practise and discipline which leads us opening up to Gods pain and desires for us. Some people will benefit from praying in small groups or prayer triplets. Aids such as monthly prayer bulletin sheets can help groups to focus. Joining the mid‐week prayer group in church provides the benefits of communal prayer.
The Bible; David shared some experiences of those who engaged deeply with the Bible;
J B Phillips – who created an original English New Testament 40 years ago and compared his experience as sensing a tingling – rather like working on electrical wiring without turning the mains off. Saint Augustine suggested that if the Bible could be expressed in a single sentence it would simply be like the pounding of waves through the generations saying, “The Father loves you.” Spurgeon, expressing his confidence in the Bible: “Open the door and let the lion out; he will take care of himself”. The great command at the end of Jesus earthly ministry was that we should “Go and Make Disciples”, this means getting our Christian lives to work.
This is the challenge for all of us and David reflected on the lives of some great Christian saints and their deep lifelong obedience to their faith. He gave us “Five Marks of Mission”;
To preach the Good News of the Kingdom, To teach, baptize and nurture new believers, To respond to human need by loving service, To seek to transform unjust structures of society, and To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. In short, he concluded,
“Making disciples matters. We can do this! We must do this!”
4.2: Review:
Dan commented that in respect to “Whole Life Discipleship” – we are all different and uniquely made, but we all have a part to fulfil. The clergy are leading from the front, sometimes into the dark places of Princes Risborough.
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
Ryan reflected on his experiences; 18 months since he arrived in the Parish and it has, for him, been a life‐changing experience coordinating our Sunday groups, visiting the schools regularly and developing a town‐wide ministry.
For Longwick School he visits weekly and has found great joy, in telling, teaching and making friends.
For Princes Risborough Primary School; they have had a troubled time but have now reviewed and set new R.I. standards.
For Princes Risborough Secondary School he has engaged with both the Governors and the Head teacher and is now regularly getting involved in Pastoral care. There is more that can be done but it involves a steady commitment.
Item 5: Report on the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council.
The meeting received the report, see page 15 of the 2017 Annual Report, which had been widely circulated before the meeting. There being no questions or comments the Rector thanked all who had served for their leadership during the year.
Item 6: Financial Report.
The Treasurer briefly outlined the healthy financial position that we are again blessed to be in, see the separate Independent Examiner and PCC approved Trustees Annual Report for 2016 full details. She acknowledged that the management of the finances is a team activity involving the management of Gift Aid, the counting and banking of weekly collections as well as administering the staff payroll. The Treasurer informed the meeting that the 2016 accounts show a small £7k surplus compared to the budget projection deficit of £42k. This is in part due to £15k extra income and a £30k reduced expenditure, a significant amount of the latter which is £20k in deferred churchyard work. Jane pointed out that the rolling average monthly giving figure, which had in previous years shown year on year increases was flatter in 2016, plateauing at about £11.2k/month. This raises the question of our understanding as to why? Whilst a high percentage of income does come from a small group of members the giving pattern is complex. Separate giving for the Youth Work Project may have had an impact. We need to be aware of this situation in the coming year. 2017 budget for St Mary’s; the summary in the Financial report details the areas of increased costs; Parish Share, Administration costs, Worship costs, Children’s Ministry and significant Churchyard work. The outcome is a projected deficit budget of £50,446. This figure mainly reflects the transfer of the Children’s & Youth Worker into the main balance sheet from its initial project accounting status. Following explanation of specific questions the approval of the Accounts was proposed by Peter Cline, seconded by Di Kerwood and approved nem‐con. The Rector expressed our thanks to the Treasurer for her continued commitment to keeping us focussed and under such capable fiscal control and this was endorsed by applause from the meeting.
Item 7: Churchwarden’s Fabric Report.
The Assistant Churchwarden’s report is contained in the 2016 Annual Report at page 16. It highlights the range of routine church and churchyard maintenance work that is dealt with as
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required but also the ongoing work adapting the Vestry for its wider use by the staff during the week. The report was accepted without additional discussion and our thanks were expressed to Peter Knight with applause for his undertaking of this task.
Item 8: Aylesbury Deanery Synod report.
This detailed report, found at page 36 of the Annual Report was accepted without any discussion.
Item 10: Election of 4 Lay Representatives to the Aylesbury Deanery Synod.
Deanery Synod representatives are elected for a three‐year period of representation. There being four nominations for the four vacancies the following were duly elected nem con;
Mrs Debby Cadwallader (new election), Mr David Lillycrop (currently Lay Chair) and Mr Bryan Matthew and Mr John Hardy (both re‐elections). Our thanks must go to Mrs Gladys Page who has served for the past three years.
Item 11: Election of lay representatives to the PCC.
There being over 200 names on the Electoral Roll we can elect 5 new members each year for a three‐year term. Five nominations had been received and none were made from the floor of the meeting. The following were duly elected nem con; Mrs Louise Fell, Mr Garth Wilkinson, Mr David Stephenson, Mrs Gladys Page and Mrs Jane Dyson.
Following resignations for personal reasons during the past year we have 4 Casual vacancies for a period of one year. There being no nominations these vacancies remain open.
Item 12: Appointment of Assistant Churchwardens.
The Assistant Churchwardens undertake a wide range of roles in support of the Churchwarden and we thank them for their continued contributions.
Peter Knight and Pete Wynn were re‐appointed nem con.
Item 13: Appointment of Sides‐people.
Joy Woodward has relinquished the management of the Sides‐people rota and passed the task to Jenny in the Parish Office. David expressed our thanks to Joy for her contribution and he also thanked the Sides‐people for being the “front door of the church” at our services and the ‘Welcomers’ who perform a similar role at the TGIS service.
Item 13: Appointment of Independent Financial Examiner for 2016/17
The Treasurer advised the meeting that Mr W. R. Groves was willing to continue as the Independent Examiner of the Annual Accounts and she recommended him accordingly. Peter Cline Proposed that we appoint Mr Groves and this was seconded by Dennis Williams. The Appointment was carried nem con.
Item 14: Reports on Church Activities in year 2016/17
The Rector thanked all of the contributors to the Annual Report
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
for their comprehensive demonstration of the wide range of activities; Ministries to the young and old, traditional and contemporary, physical activities, social as well as devotional and recreational small group activities. The Report demonstrates a broad spectrum of our activities but we are aware of many who quietly undertake necessary tasks that do not surface here. We thank all who add to the strength of our collective ministry in this place.
Item 15: Any Other Business.
Jean Smith had asked at last year’s APCM that consideration be given to having a joint service when there is a 5th Sunday in the month. David reported that no agreement had been reached on implementing this suggestion. Jim Cadwallader welcomed David and Jo back from their three‐month sabbatical leave, thanked David for his ministry, especially his outreach to the community and the quality of the preaching through sermon series. He also expressed the congregation’s congratulations to him upon his appointment by the Bishop of Buckingham as the Aylesbury Area Dean. Jim further expressed the thanks of the congregation to Jo for her Ministry of the High Street. He reminded the meeting that behind every good man can be found a good woman.
Item 16: Date of Next Annual Meeting: Tuesday 24th April 2018.
Item 17: Closing Prayers were led by the Rector.
Signed: Date:
(Chairman)
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
INTRODUCTION BY THE RECTOR
In one of Max Lucado’s books, he has the following delightful illustration: “A little boy is on the beach. He packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket and a sandcastle is created. A man is in his office. He shoves papers into stacks and delegates assignments. Numbers are juggled, contracts are signed, and a profit is made. Two builders – two castles. For both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that’s where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end whilst the man ignores it. Watch the boy as dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker finally crashes upon his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father’s hand and goes home. The grown‐up, however, is not so wise. As the waves of Years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument he protected. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt‐water soaked and shivering he scowls at the incoming tide. ‘It’s my castle’, he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs… and I don’t know much about sandcastles, but children do. Watch them and learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child’s heart. When the sun sets and the tides take – applaud. Salute the process of life, then take your Father’s hand and go home.” Within this report, you will be able to get a flavour of the life and ministries that flow out of St Mary’s, Princes Risborough and St Peter’s, Ilmer, and there is much to give thanks to God for as we look back over the past year and this, in turn, enables us to look forward in hope. As with the story above, whilst we are blessed with many in our Church family who are using their God‐given gifts to do God’s Kingdom work in Risborough and further afield, may we always be mindful that at the end of the day it is our Heavenly Father who is growing his Church. As Paul writes: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord assigned to each task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow…we are God’s fellow‐workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (2 Corinthians 3: 5‐9). To God be the glory!
Rev. David G. Williams, Team Rector
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
REPORTS TO BE RECEIVED BY THE APCM
REVIEW OF PCC 2017‐18
Below is a flavour of our PCC main discussions. The management of other aspects has not been neglected and is covered in other specific sections of this Annual Report. 8th June; PCC ‐ The first working PCC after the APCM. We always open with prayers and at this PCC Debby included this little gem from St Anselm; “Come on now little man, get away from your worldly occupations for a while, escape from your tumultuous thoughts. Lay aside your burdensome cares and put off your laborious exertions. Give yourself over to God for a little while, and rest for a while in Him. Enter into the cell of your mind, shut out everything except God and whatever helps you to seek Him once the door is shut. Speak now, my heart, and say to God, "I seek your face; your face, Lord, I seek."…….. Our main topic for discussion was “How do we respond to David’s call to Missional Living” which included the Bishop’s call for us all explore the 3 C’s – to be Contemplative, Compassionate & Courageous; The Common Threads and Key Messages were; Equipping people to worship, to focus on God, contemplative rather than looking for what makes them feel good, is a pre‐requisite for fruitfulness. (Prayer & Worship Sub‐Group) We must encourage greater unity within the church community. (Prayer & Worship SG) The Discipleship courses are a key means of deepening our church community's understanding of the Bible and providing Teaching and Nurturing. We need to grow the numbers taking part. (Discipleship SG) Life Groups are also clearly critical enablers for strengthening roots and building fruitfulness through better and deeper relationships. Within Life Groups 3 key elements should be encouraged: Worship, Word, and Witness. The latter dictates an outward looking approach. We need to encourage this. (Discipleship SG) There are lots of examples of good practice already ‐ good news stories. We need to capture them, affirm them and publicise them both within the church community and more widely. (Comms SG) We must communicate with people through whichever media are comfortable for them. (Comms SG) We must prepare to reach out to the new housing developments. We should form a team to welcome new households; Dan has offered to lead visiting. (Ministry SG)
6 July: PCC ‐ Longwick School: – Mr David Liddle’s first visit of the year to share with the PCC their achievements and forthcoming challenges. . The PCC gave their approval for the School to apply join The Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust.
The mid‐year Financial Review had showed that we would need to improve our planned giving by £40k if we were to continue to maintain our current programmes. This, in simple terms, is equal to an overall increase of 40% or all of us giving £5.50 more per week.
28th September: PCC ‐This is the PCC which votes to select our nominated Charities for 2018. Nominations are called for from the congregation between July and September each year.
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Further to our mid‐year Financial Review in July the PCC received a paper from Jim Cadwallader entitled “Sustaining Our Ministries”. This was a comprehensive analysis of the position described at July’s meeting and it showed that; a) our current expenditures were justified and not extravagant, b) we have committed ourselves to developing our work with young people so this is not an area for cut‐ back, c) we do need to communicate with the congregations of all services regarding our need for prayer and increased commitment. Following extensive discussion the PCC concurred with Jim’s summary of our position as shown below. Trying to pull this together, what seemed to be emerging as a way of expressing our ministries was a picture of four circles: 1. Circle One – Looking Out to the Most in Need: our support for charities, with balanced coverage worldwide, national and very local. 2. Circle Two – Looking Out to the Young: our work with schools and youth groups. A Christian presence in a secular world. 3. Circle Three – Looking Out to the Lonely and Elderly: our activities for this group locally, including support for the Princes Centre. Christ alongside the lonely. 4. Circle Four – A Worshipping Community: celebrating the range of worship we have, from sung Eucharist to contemporary music and prayer, something for everyone, but all worshipping God
14th November PCC: ‐ Apart from our normal PCC business a summary of results of the Communications Survey were presented and discussed. The three key topics were;
1) How well informed do you feel? Service announcements were generally well informed whereas key activities; our Charities support, Children’s & Youth work and Life Groups were identified as being less adequately reported and this should be corrected if we are to present the full spectrum of our mission; at church, in our engagement locally and also beyond. 2) “Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory”‐ Finding Information? The Weekly News sheet, Service information leaflets and Viewpoint magazine were all voted satisfactory, whilst Facebook, verbal notices (the lack of) and the Rolling slide show were rated as unsatisfactory. 3) How would you like to hear about St Mary’s? The preferred methods of communication currently in use; Website, e‐mail, Facebook, e‐newsletter, Viewpoint magazine and the printed Weekly news sheet were variously approved with only the Rolling slideshow pre/post TGIS being less popular. We should be making sure that each communication method is accurate, timely and attractive to the target audiences. 113 completed questionnaires were returned; 57% female and 43% male, with the highest proportion by service coming from the 8 o’clock Communion group. The main issue appeared to be a request for more verbal communication and 25th January PCC ‐ This was an additional meeting to allow time for the PCC to address the topic of “Children & Communion”. A paper outlining the background of this subject had been circulated for the PCC to consider. The practice is allowed under Canon B15A and before we can formalize our position we need to have consulted, prepared a Policy and gained the Bishop’s approval. Our deliberations will be continued at our March meeting.
27th February PCC ‐ At this PCC we approve the Budget for 2018.
This has been a busy year with the new Bishop of Oxford, Stephen Croft, visiting all of the Deaneries and encouraging us all to rethink our individual discipleship values. David, our Rector, returned from
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018 his well‐earned three month sabbatical refreshed, full of vision for Missional Living and he has been appointed by Bishop Alan to undertake the role as Area Dean which takes him to all corners of the Deanery. The PCC has not been idle but has addressed a number of key issues; our mission, our communication effectivity, our finances for our mission and the subject of Children and Communion.
John Hardy, PCC Secretary
CHURCHWARDEN’S FABRIC AND PROPERTY Churchwarden’s Fabric and Property Report, 2017‐18
General: Other than normal routine maintenance, this has generally been a quiet year for work on the church and in the churchyard. Current items of work are all reported on below: Changes to the Vestry: The recent upgrade to the facilities was largely completed in April 16. This year, the altar frontal chest was moved out into the south aisle to allow more space in the vestry, and replaced by an additional full height storage cabinet. Still to be done is the extension of the IT facilities. These are still available in the vestry, only less conveniently located. Further improvement to the storage provision also remains outstanding. Church Heating: Generally the system continues to work well, providing a warm and welcoming environment to both church and Chapter House. There have been some ongoing problems with the control of the under‐floor heating circuits in the church. This was resolved last autumn by the replacement of the complete set of controls for each of the individual circuits. Leak at West end of North Aisle roof: After heavy rain, significant water weeps down the north wall, flooding the coffee area. Fortunately this does not happen very often. Andy Stone has reviewed this, and identified the likely cause, and a possible solution – thank you Andy. This is being explored further and will hopefully be resolved in 2018. Internal Painting of the Church: Touching up of the paintwork to the walls has been ongoing, but this now needs more extensive treatment. This is not intended to be a complete repaint of the whole interior, but only of those areas which are most in need of updating. This had been planned for 2017, but is in abeyance until the leak at the west end of the north aisle is resolved. Removal of moss etc from church roof: The north side of the church roof was cleaned in July 2017, and now looks like new! Thanks to Mike Hoey for organising this work. Rising Damp in Church Hall: This was discovered in October 2016 in the south wall of the main hall. The necessary remedial work by specialist contractor Stonehouse Property Care Ltd was done over the Easter holiday period, April 2017. This avoided any impact on the Play Group. Special thanks to Pete Wynn, who did the necessary furniture removal beforehand, and subsequent reinstatement afterwards, and then the local repainting of the affected walls, once it had all dried out. Church Clock: This continues to work well. Once again, many thanks to Mike Hoey, who regularly maintains and winds the clock. Work to the Tower: In the 2014 Quinquennial Inspection, improvements were recommended to the internal access to the parapet level of the Tower, as the current provision is substandard. Although this access is not often used, it is intended that this should be improved. Preliminary consideration is being given to this, but further design work is required before a proposal can be put to the PCC. This remains ongoing, and no progress has been made last year.
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ST MARY’S APCM REPORT 2018
Churchyard: Several elements of work have been required or are under development: Churchyard Wall at lower end of Church Lane: This section is long overdue for repair, but seven burial plots with cremated remains had been interred too close to the wall, and needed re‐siting. The necessary diocesan faculty was received in April 2017, and the required re‐siting of the remains was completed in July 2017. The builder was unable to commence work last autumn, and is now scheduled to start this work in April/May 2018. Main Churchyard Fencing: Quotes are still awaited from contractors for renewal of a short section of fencing on the northern boundary with Monks Staithe, near the shed. These sections of fence will be in softwood, as oak (as existing) is ~3‐4 times more expensive, which cannot be justified. This has not been progressed in 2017, and is now planned for 2018. Churchyard Trees: The 3‐yearly inspection report was completed in May 2016, and recommended various maintenance works over the next few years. Various aspects of this work have been completed this year, mainly in March 2017, with further re‐inspection work in July 2017. In September 2017, the large copper beech in the NE corner of the new churchyard was trimmed back as it had been significantly overshadowing the adjacent property. The owner of Monks Staithe has expressed concern about the lime tree on his boundary. However nothing further has come of this in the last year. New Parish Noticeboard: The old noticeboard in the churchyard facing the market square was taken down in the autumn before it fell down. The communications group proposal for a new noticeboard situated near the South Porch has been approved by the PCC. Details now need to be finalised and a diocesan faculty applied for. Churchyard maintenance: Regular mowing, leaf sweeping and maintenance continue to be done by Rod Wall, Mike Hoey and a team of volunteers – many thanks to them all for keeping the churchyard in such good condition. Rod has indicated that he intends to step down from overseeing this as soon as someone else can be recruited. Especial thanks to Rod for his faithful work and oversight for the last 15 years – this has been a superb contribution, and always done with the minimum of fuss. Records: The PCC will receive the updated church records at its meeting in March 2018: The terrier, which is a book listing land belonging to the church, An inventory of all items belonging to the church, and A log book of the alterations, additions and repairs to the church.
Peter Knight, Assistant Churchwarden
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REPORTS OF CHURCH ACTIVITIES PRAYER AND WORSHIP
PARISH COMMUNION LEADERSHIP TEAM
The PCLT has continued to meet to discuss matters of significance at the 9:30 Sunday Parish Communion service on a regular basis. We met in May, August and November in 2017 and in February in 2018.
Michael Hunt started by reviewing our terms of reference relative to the Prayer & Worship Group (see below). He felt that we at St Mary’s should be one worshipping community but accepting that we, as a community, worship in different ways. We accept that the two main services are very different but we should be alert so that we do not do separately what we could better do together.
Attendance levels at the Parish Communion remain relatively steady.
The standard of preaching at St Mary’s continues at a very high level. The quality of our music is also very high and we are all very grateful to Stuart King and Jacquie Biddlecombe for all their work with the Organ, the Choir and the hymn choices.
It was decided not to issue new service booklets for Ordinary Time but thanks were given to David Wallace for all his work on this.
This group continues to discuss and recommends content for special seasonal services at Christmas and Easter.
There has been some discussion on Children receiving communion. This has been referred to the PCC and further discussions, possibly including confirmation, are expected.
A Prayer Workshop was held in February 2018. This meeting was well attended and was for all who lead prayers in public including the Intercessors. A further meeting is likely.
An introductory meeting of the Prayer & Worship Group was held in September and a further meeting is expected shortly.
Peter Cline
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8am HOLY COMMUNION
2017 started differently for me as I was away in Australia for 3 months. However, since my return I have caught up with several of our communicants who had been unwell previously. I am happy to report that although not yet being able to return to our 08:00 Service, they are on the mend. We again enjoyed a pre‐Christmas mince pie and coffee morning although our numbers were down.
We have been joined on several occasions by a young man who has an interest in bell‐ringing and our regular bell‐ ringers have happily taken him under their wings. However, we continue to be a small group and apart from the above mentioned young man, we would love to see new faces. We continue to pray for our communicants who are not able to attend and we wish them health and happiness for the coming year.
Hopefully we can ALL meet up again in the summer to join in love and faith.
Gill Seels
TGIS (Thank God It’s Sunday)
There has been much to celebrate again this year:
We continue to grow in faith and God is speaking to us during the service and in our lives outside of TGIS. There is a lovely mix of ages and stages in the people attending. We have been blessed with high quality resource especially in the music and AV group. We have had members attend training on Welcoming, Praying in public and, via the Music Academy, sung worship including the audio‐visual team. The quality of talks from our speakers has been excellent and much appreciated by all. The range and diversity of style of service presentation is welcomed. Our children are having fun whilst learning about God in their groups. Where there have been challenges these have been addressed with improved solutions. There is much going on outside TGIS that feeds into it. The Life Groups continue and both Men’s and Women’s Breakfast groups have been welcomed. Our church family continues to bless others.
Things to pray about:
That God speaks to those with gifts in welcoming, making tea/coffee, praying, leading, technical abilities, being with children, drama, public speaking, leading a service to speak to any of those doing these things so that our teams can grow. All teaching and support will be given.
In His name Sarah Drewett
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EVENING SERVICES
Sunday evenings are a good time to come along to Church and find an ‘oasis’ of worship that can refresh and reignite people for the coming week. Realising this, we provide the following services on a monthly basis:
1st Sundays Evensong at St. Peter’s, Ilmer at 6.00pm (or 3.00pm in the winter months): a traditional sung service.
2nd Sundays A United service with our local Methodist & Baptist Churches at 6.00pm (this rotates venues between St. Mary’s, the Methodist & Baptist Churches in Princes Risborough): often a sung communion with prayers for healing.
3rd Sundays A Choral Evensong in St. Mary’s at 6.00pm: a traditional sung service.
4th Sundays ‘Deeper’ at St. Mary’s at 6.00pm: a more contemporary, informal time for going deeper with God.
In a busy world, we pray that these services will enable people to connect with God, find stillness and peace, and be empowered to go out into the week living faithful and fruitful lives for God!
Revd David G. Williams
UNITED SERVICES with METHODISTS & BAPTISTS
The United Services continue to be a blessing to all of the three churches involved in them. We each take turns in hosting the service, which brings a rich variety in them especially as each of them tends to have a different emphasis such as communion or prayers for healing. Each of the services brings us closer together as churches and congregations, which for the witness in Risborough is only a good thing. Sadly we had our last service with Rev. Richard Allwood from the Baptist church last year as he has now retired.
Revd Dan Beesley
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DEEPER
Deeper is an evolving service which continues to grow and adapt to its congregation. Here we offer contemporary live music, great food, engaging videos and time for people to speak with one another. Deeper is at 6‐7:30pm at St. Mary's Church on the 4th Sunday of every month and since its creation we have had many speakers appear at each service. To name a few we have had: Glenn Prince, Pete Barnett, Mark Knight and Pete Wheeler, who have all spoken in a powerful and engaging way. We have also had two adult baptisms within the service which was very special. Every month Deeper has a different theme which is intended to challenge and discuss the topics that the unchurched are actually talking about! This service is made for anybody and is completely modern and exciting! See you at Deeper!
Huw Williams & Revd Dan Beesley ICKNIELD COURT MONTHLY SERVICE
A service is held once a month at Icknield Court, the care home on Berryfield Road, usually on the second Sunday of the month. The service follows a set pattern of hymns, prayers and bible readings and lasts about 30 to 40 minutes. The 10 to 15 residents who attend are a glorious gathering who join in with gusto. The singing is always enthusiastic and heartfelt and there’s always a bit of banter during any talking bits. Over the year we incorporated the major festivals (Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Harvest and Christmas) as well as Valentine’s Day and our very own ‘Songs of Praise’ (an exhausting selection of hymns was chosen by the residents). This year we had two goes at Christmas with a Christingle service (no real candles, but lots of sweets) and a more traditional carol service at which nearly 40 residents, family and friends gathered to hear once again the story of God’s love come down to be with us.
A big thank you to Jean Smith, and to Peter and Brenda Willett (and occasional pianists Anne Knight and Jo Williams) for their support and encouragement over the year. Also we are very appreciative of the support of the staff, particular the activity co‐ordinators Sheila Gabbott (who retired part way through the year), Lucy Skidmore and Ewa Banszcyk – without them the service would not take place. If you would like to help out with the service please let me know.
Revd Michael Hunt ST PETER’S, ILMER 2017 and early 2018 has been a period of significant change and some sadness at St Peters. Alan Austin stepped down as Deputy Churchwarden at the age of 89 after countless years’ service. Our thanks go to him for his dedicated support and strict financial management leaving the accounts on a good footing. Sadly, Alan’s resignation was followed by the untimely passing of George Harper in January 2018. George had been involved with St Peters since his childhood and followed his father as Churchwarden. He will be sorely missed by all.
The Revd Dan Beesley’s all‐age family service is proving successful with a small but enthusiastic congregation. Evensong and Holy Communion continue thanks to the ever faithful, with Christmas and Easter being the mainstays. Along with some generous donations, we keep on the right side financially and this year have replaced the church organ as it had reached a state of being beyond repair.
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There have also been several weddings which are always a delight in the lovely surroundings of St Peters. The village Carol Service was well attended and a good sum was donated to charity.
Thank you to all who help in anyway supporting St Peter’s throughout the year.
Graham Gate, Churchwarden Monthly Family Services at St. Peter’s, Ilmer
The monthly family service at St. Peter's has been a real blessing to all of those who have attended it over the past year. We are a small but intimate bunch, but the fellowship has really grown over the past year. There is a big emphasis on the involvement of children in a lot of aspects of the service and because of this, we have seen the confidence of the children grow. We have also had the opportunity during the service to be more interactive and to take our learning deeper into our learning and faith. Revd Dan Beesley SERMON SERIES AT ST MARY’S Early last year, we believe we received a ‘word’ from God, a word that makes reference to Psalm 1 and the need to be “like a tree planted by streams of water”. As an outworking of this, we have held two sermon series on what it means to be ‘rooted’ and ‘fruitful’. In the summer, we focused on the challenge of what it means to be a Missional Church and to be ‘fruitful’ in a series entitled, ‘Moving from ‘Come’ to ‘Go’. Then in the autumn, we focused on what it means to be ‘rooted’ in a series entitled, ‘A Journey in Prayer with the Apostle Paul’. In addition to these, in the winter we held a series on our Core Values, which are based on that wonderful word GRACE that is packed with Christian truths:
‘Growing in God’ (through discipleship, the Bible, prayer & worship)
‘Relationships Matter’ (doing life together through Life Groups)
‘All Ages’ (we are here for everyone whatever their age and background)
‘Changing Lives’ (we are committed to being a blessing to others)
‘Excite’ (through being open to the Holy Spirit, we believe faith is exciting!)
‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all’ (2 Corinthians 13: 14).
Revd David Williams SIDESPERSONS
Thanks to all who undertake sidespersons duties at the 8am and 9.30am morning services and also for weddings, funeral s and baptisms. Your help is much appreciated throughout the year.
Jenny King
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TGIS WELCOME TEAM
A big thank you to all who have welcomed those coming to the TGIS service over the past year. We are there at the door so that all – whether regulars or new visitors – get a welcome and if new, they are told about refreshments, toilets and the arrangements for their children during the TGIS service.
The Welcomer is also responsible for ensuring that the children return at the appropriate time at the end of the TGIS sermon. The team currently stands at 6 volunteers having lost 2 over the past year. New volunteers are always welcome.
The welcome and hospitality course being run by the Aylesbury Deanery is giving us some new ideas on changes to our welcome activities. The first visible of these is that those welcoming will wear a bright green lanyard and label so that everyone knows who to approach with questions. These lanyards will be worn by both the welcome and overseer. If anyone feels they are able to help please contact me: Andrew Stone ‐[email protected] CHOIR AND ORGAN
The choir manages to soldier on although there have been services during the year where the absence of one or two members has meant no viable choir has been able to lead the singing. A big thank you to Jacquie for helping me run and conduct the choir. We work well together. Despite being only seven singers, we have each of the four SATB parts and so we are able to sing an anthem on some Sundays although we no longer are able to tackle anything very ambitious. It was a pleasure to welcome back Gill Neal after her long illness. Previous pleas for new members have gone unanswered so we are not expecting any increase in singers in 2018. Extra singers were drafted in for the Nine Lessons and Carols service. If only….
Since the beginning of April last year (around the time of the last AGM), our 158 year old Conacher organ has been called into service for at least 64 Eucharist, CTR, civic and other services, 10 Evensongs, 6 weddings and 8 funerals which makes approximately 350 hymns, 30 psalms and canticles and almost 300 organ voluntaries, before, during and after the services and that does not include the hours of practice done every week. And that is only one year. If 2017 was a typical year that means that since the organ was moved to St Mary’s in 1968, it has been used to play about 62,000 pieces of music…and all without any more TLC than the regular tuning. Just imagine if your car, washing machine or vacuum cleaner could give such good service over such a long period of time. Is this the way to treat the most expensive piece of fabric in the building?
Stuart King WORSHIP BAND
This last 12‐months has been a period of transition, with Alex stepping back from his responsibilities as TGIS worship band team leader. A big thank you to Alex must be given, for the diligence and servant‐heartedness he has shown to the worship ministry at TGIS over the last few years. He has left a very healthy legacy, epitomised, not least by his creation of the Worship Team Values document.
In the last year, there has been a real sense of growth within the worship bands. With many people growing in their musical ability, adapting to the fluid song repertoire, and particularly a deepening in their heart for worship. Whilst this has been modelled by the musicians, it has also been clear to see in the congregation as well.
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It is true that some key musicians have migrated from the worship bands either into other ministries in TGIS, or to new churches entirely. It is great to be able to send these people into their next chapter, but I should acknowledge the holes left have not yet been refilled.
February this year saw St Mary’s host a Musicademy training day. Over 100 people attended the day from churches around the country; some as close as the Baptist & Elim churches in PR, others as far away as Yorkshire. The day was bookended with plenary sessions of sung worship, a gospel choir performance and some Q&A. In between, there were 15 different break‐out sessions, covering a variety of topics from instrument specific (keyboards, guitar, bass guitar) to vocal and choir masterclasses, worship leading workshops and PA‐Tech seminars. The feedback from the guests and the Musicademy team was fantastic. Special mention must go to Andy, Melissa, Alex, Steve, Mike & Joyce for their help to make the day so successful.
Tim Horton AV TEAM “An audience of One…...”
It has been a good year for the AV Team. With increased numbers seeking to serve, we each now have time to show up at events to “be” rather than “do”.
That’s not to say there haven’t been the normal technical challenges, with some of our contemporary services pushing the boundaries of what the kit can deliver, but so far so good.
The highlight of the year has come in the last few months, with a really informative and engaging training day for 100 musicians and technicians, courtesy of Musicademy, on 3rd February 2018, at St Mary’s.
Watch this space as the combined teams chew over and implement areas of improvement for us both, all to improve our skills and ability to deliver and to serve.
Our objective remains to help you hear without us being heard and see without us being seen, all to facilitate the life of our church family in worship, prayer, and teaching.
Steve Upton
FLOWERS
The Flower Bunch have had a relatively quiet time this year with just one big wedding and a few sponsored arrangements. I would like to express my thanks to all those who take any part in the floral decorations in St Mary's, you are real superstars. Everyone has their own style which is really good to see and the arrangements change in style and format with every week.
Bringing the outside inside is always a joy and our little flock of robins are keen to join us. One seems to have made a permanent home on the prayer tree!
If you wish to sponsor the flowers for a special event let us know and we will do what we can to accommodate you. Thank you all for your appreciative comments about the arrangements.
Jacquie Biddlecombe
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PUPPET CLUB The puppet club has said goodbye this year to Heather and Tom but been able to welcome 3 new members, keeping the group numbers around 8‐10.
This year we have been able to do presentations at the holiday at home, Easter Sunday, lighthouse, harvest, a sun morning puppet praise at St. Nickolas Ickford, a presentation at the switching on of the Christmas lights and Sunday morning service on New Year's Eve.
We are loving the opportunity of being able to talk about Jesus in a different way and we continue to meet every Friday eve.
Hazel and Vicky
SERVERS & CHALICE ADMINISTRATORS
Serving our priests at the Altar during communion is a privilege. The team endeavours to maintain a high standard. We are always looking for others who have the calling to service. Please speak with me if you would like to join the team. There are 17 people authorised to administer the chalice which is the gift of our rector. Tony Kerwood (Sacristan) PRAYER LIST
The Prayer List is reviewed every week in an attempt to keep it current, accurate and yet not to get so long as to be unwieldy. The list continues to form an essential aid to our weekly intercessors who lead our public prayers each week. The list is also used during our regular weekly prayer meetings in the Chancel at 9:00 am on Wednesdays.
We include those in immediate need of our prayers, those who are recovering from serious illness or operations and those who are in need of longer‐term prayer support who might remain on the list for several months.
We also include prayer topics within St Mary’s Church family, such as particular services or the needs of the Clergy.
The Prayer List is included in full within the weekly notice sheet and is also circulated by email around the Prayer Chain, a number of Church family members who pray for everybody on the list to maintain a constant level of prayer support for those in need.
Peter Cline
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PRAYER MINISTRY We are a friendly group of people, passionate about prayer. We are to be found every Sunday in the chancel following TGIS, waiting to welcome you and pray with you.
It can be for anything; every day worries, friends, family, faith, sickness, strength and thanks giving. God wants to hear it all and you can rest assured anything said is in complete confidence.
This year we hope to build on what has gone before, with a focus on new areas such as sharing testimony, words of knowledge, book club and a revitalized prayer ministry training programme.
If you would like to experience the joy of praying in community for others, we would love to hear from you.
Carole Bromhall PRAYER BULLETIN
We issue monthly Prayer Bulletins on a number of seasonal themes. Kathryn is very skilled at making these look attractive and many thanks are due to her for this.
We endeavour to have these ready for handing out on the first Sunday of every month.
The content is, hopefully, relevant to the seasons or to areas of concern or interest and the theory is that a number of different people would each take responsibility for covering a particular month’s topic. However, not many people have come forward as yet so we are keen to enrol some extra volunteers to reduce the pressure on the few that we have.
So, if you feel you would like to produce some thoughts and/or prayers relevant to subjects such as New Year, Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas, Remembrance, Lighthouse, Children etc, or would like to suggest some new topics then please do contact either myself or Kathryn at the Parish Office.
Peter Cline
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CHILDREN AND YOUTH
CHILDRENS AND YOUTH GROUPS (SUNDAY SERVICES)
The 3 groups that we run on a Sunday are Gems, Stepping Stones and Boulders. St. Mary’s also offers Tot Spot a place for parents and young children to play while also not missing any of the service. Gems has a good number of children coming to the group who enjoy a range of different activities. Stepping Stones are a good fun, lively group who like Gems enjoy a range of activities and I have just started to include a time of Worship where we all get to enjoy some action songs, songs from lighthouse and my own that I know of. Boulders is a great group where I am challenging them to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and of how to apply it in their lives.
I am looking after Easter to start a new group for our young people, so watch this space. We are seeing loads of children coming along to our groups on a consistent bases. It is also great to have seen a lot of children be confirmed at Easter. In all groups we have a great volunteer team and we are always looking for volunteers to come on the team especially if you like volunteering with Young People because Boulders really needs some more team members. LOCAL SCHOOLS WORK
The Schools work is going really well. St. Mary’s now goes into 3 schools, Longwick Primary School, Princes Risborough Primary School and Princes Risborough Secondary School.
In each of these schools I support them in a different way for example at Longwick, myself and a team run Splash Club and then in the afternoon I go and support the year 2 class.
In Princes Risborough Primary School, I still go in and assist with RE lessons with Year 4. In both Longwick and Princes Risborough Primary School, the team here at St. Mary’s are still leading and giving a message at assemblies.
In Princes Risborough Secondary School, I help out in the ‘House’ which is where the schools’ pastoral care team are located. I see 4 students who I have one‐to‐one sessions with. LATER Later is the monthly CTR group that runs in the Methodist Church in Princes Risborough. This is an amazing social group attended by a good number of young people. The group is averaging around 20‐24 young people a month and will probably still grow in the future. There is a whole range of themes and activities for each month and it is great to see clergy from all the churches in Princes Risborough come and give a short message. PULSE Pulse is an evening group that I run once a month and it is for 14‐18 year olds. At this group we play
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Ryan Romano, Children’s and Youth Worker
LIGHTHOUSE PRINCES RISBOROUGH
The aim of Lighthouse is to provide an opportunity for children, young people and adults to learn more about God’s amazing love for us and understand the difference Jesus can make to our lives. Year on year, we aim to grow, to reach out to more children, young people and adults and to invite them to join with us in a lifelong journey with Jesus.
Children This year we had 511 children registered and 64 toddlers attending our drop in session, bringing our total to 575 children which was 2% more than 2016. This means that we have grown in numbers for 4 consecutive years now. Last year we saw an increase in our 4‐5’s age group as a knock on effect of investing in Little Lighthouse, our toddler group. In 2017 this has continued to progress our growth with an increase seen in the 6‐7’s age group as well this year. We were able to ensure every child was offered a place who registered before Lighthouse. We continued to accommodate children with varying special needs and medical needs. We revamped the 10s+ age group this year expanding the group to include any 12 year olds and renaming it ‘Ignite’. They followed a Youth Alpha programme that went down well and we will build on this in 2018 and continue to develop this age group.
Prayer This year we introduced a prayer team led by Jo Williams of St Mary’s. We integrated prayer into our daily Discovery Sessions (formally known as teaching session) and they had a prayer tent/chill out zone onsite for the children to explore.
The Team We had 173 helpers registered which was about the same as 2016 and all key roles were adequately staffed. Our helpers continue to be hard working and enthusiastic and each year we see more and more of our children graduating from the 10‐11’s age group to become helpers. We introduced a small training programme for our year 7 children who were given the opportunity to be a lamplighter with a buddy on Thursday and Friday. This seemed to be well received by the 5 children who took part.
Theme The Superhero theme was very well received with the different areas of Lighthouse covering different parts of the theme. We took the same approach to breaking down our theme for different areas to cover: ‐ The Mainstage team were the superheroes attending an academy that taught them how to use their powers. Each power has an upside and a downside, a correct way of using it and a wrong way that can cause harm to themselves and those around them. The heroes learnt each day how to set an example to others through love and friendship.
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‐ The teaching in the Discovery Sessions focused on examples in the Bible where the 'heroes' (the men and women of the Bible) used their power in a Godly way to improve both themselves and the people around them.
Fiesta There were sessions planned every evening for the teenage helpers and up to 90 attended each night. Local churches kindly provided a meal for the helpers that run Fiesta as they are also running daytime activities. Each night a talk was provided and the teenagers gained insights into the leaders Christian journeys and life as a Christian now. The teenagers continue to show increasing eagerness to explore what it is to be a Christian and to get to know God.
Overall 2017 was a year of changes with the new Ignite age group and the introduction of the Prayer team. Each year we look for ways to be more approachable to the community and still keep the message of God alive in the Princes Risborough community. Lighthouse is a week that really does make a difference in so many people’s lives, helpers and children alike. With the introduction of a prayer team we felt an increase in God’s presence and the messages and stories from the children about words from God filled the helpers with renewed energy each day. We continue to be closely supported by all the churches in Princes Risborough who not only make financial donations but are also involved in prayer, the thought for the day and several clergy and church members volunteer for the entire week.
As of January 2018 Lighthouse Princes Risborough joined Lighthouse Central (LHC), an umbrella organisation that supports 6 other lighthouse across the Home Counties and further afield within the UK. LHC plans to expand Lighthouse much wider across the country and provides many essential services that allows Lighthouse to run. This includes the admin system for sign up of both children and volunteers and will also support Lighthouse Risborough with its governance and policies.
Lizzie Tinsley (Chairperson 2017) Matt Kemp (Chairperson 2018)
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY MORNINGS AND FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
Shrove Tuesday
The pancake tossing improves each year and it was good to see some of our “Over21’s” practising and being very concerned in case one of the children flipping the pancakes was quicker or higher than them! The races became a bit raucous as more bits of pancake were spilled on the ground and people dashed in and out of legs trying to retrieve them but it was all in the name of fun. A special pancake quiz was held and, did you know that the largest ever pancake weighed‐in at more than 3 tonnes, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to flip that one! Everyone seemed to enjoy the games, the food including all the wonderful pancakes carefully made by members of our church family. Gill Wilkinson
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Good Friday 2017 Once again a tremendous celebration of our Lord’s death and resurrection was held in the church hall with over 30 children attending, many of whom are not church goers. The whole story of Easter was told, from Palm Sunday through to the excitement of Jesus rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. The children listened attentively and, hopefully, were able to tell the story once they got home. We started the day with a simple craft where the children decorated crosses. They each made two; and one side they decorated with flowers and gems, and on the other they wrote their name and the name of someone they would like to say a prayer for. One of the crosses was put into their bag to take home and the other set aside for hanging on the Easter tree in the church. Other crafts included making wooden Easter chicks with eggs underneath them. On the chick it said “Happy Easter” and on the egg it said “Jesus is Alive.” A great way of taking the message home to parents. We made an Easter garden with the three crosses, an empty tomb, flowers and newly planted cress seeds and, of course, made some delicious chocolate cakes. We played games and again chocolate may have been involved! All the children were so good and seemed to really enjoy themselves as well as learning that Easter eggs, chicks etc. are great at Easter but actually there is more to the story than that. To end our day we came over to the church to hang our crosses on the Easter tree, sing a song and say a prayer before parents came to take them home. A wonderful day with so much meaning. Gill Wilkinson
Advent Activity Morning 2017
The 2017 Advent celebration for the children was held at the same time as the church craft fair. It was hoped that the parents would, perhaps, shop till they dropped while the children were enjoying themselves elsewhere. Not quite sure if that happened but certainly the children appeared to enjoy themselves. The morning started with a treasure hunt around the craft stalls with a prize at the bran tub (chocolate coins) before walking over to the church hall to really make some noise. Once in the hall we made a Reindeer hot chocolate craft, and decorations to hang on both their Christmas trees at home and on our own church Christmas tree. There were no Advent calendars this year (which all the people who made the bags last year were grateful for, I am sure!) but we made Advent crackers, one for each Sunday in Advent and one for Christmas day. Inside the crackers we told the Christmas story and also explained the meaning of the candles of Advent. We also placed the appropriate colour candle in the crackers alongside a chocolate and a small gift. The children loved them and, I have heard, really enjoyed opening them in the weeks leading up to Christmas, although not many made it to Christmas Day! During the morning we, of course, played our famous chocolate game and also a great game with spaghetti. The story centred on the meaning of the Advent candles and a little bit about the Christmas story. At the end we returned to the church to hang our decorations on the Christmas tree, sing a song and say a prayer before parents collected the children and took them home. It was a really happy time and many of the children returned on Christmas Eve for the Nativity service, which was great. So many thanks to all the helpers without whom neither of the above two activities could possibly take place. All of the activities need an immense amount of planning and preparation, as well as a lot of help on the day and clearing up afterwards. Thank you so much to all of you. Gill Wilkinson
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NURSERY SERVICE
It is always a pleasure to meet with parents and children for the Nursery Service. However, this year it has been less well attended than in the past. Three of the children started school in September, and since then the numbers have fluctuated, from no‐one coming one week to seven or eight children the next, and often only two or three. When they come, the children and their parents really enjoy the time they spend together.
We have also had problems with a lack of helpers, both those setting up in the hall and story‐tellers, due to various unforeseen circumstances, and at times have struggled with only two or three of us. We are very grateful to those who are so willing to set up in the hall and provide the refreshments: Jackie Odell, Susan Hopkins, Susan Shepherd and Mike and Maureen James.
We are now in the process of reviewing the position of the Nursery Service, to decide how we should continue in the future. Heather Hardy
BAPTISMS
We have been kept fairly busy over the past year with 17 baptisms taking place in our 9.30 Parish Communion Service and the TGIS service at St Marys and at family services at St Peters Ilmer. We have conducted a christening and a wedding within the same service, and had the great privilege of participating in a christening with a family from Saunderton Lodge
Looking forward Dan and the team are looking at providing a St Mary‘s Church Baptism Pack which we can give to families that are requesting a christening for their child, on our initial visit with them. It will include information about the baptism service and why the church baptises children as well as guides on selecting Godparents etc.
It will also give us opportunities to advertise future church events and activities that are relevant to families.
We have also started to invite our baptism families back to church events including the Crib Service at Christmas and are hoping that as a church we might take on the task to pray and support these families in the future.
Stella Upton
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SAFEGUARDING
As a Church, the safeguarding of our children and vulnerable adults is an important responsibility. As Safeguarding Officer and Verifier for St Mary’s, I ensure that all volunteers working with children and vulnerable adults have completed their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks correctly. This includes verifying their identity and forwarding applications to the outside agency for processing. This year we have processed 4 DBS checks. There was a period of about three months when we could not process any checks. This was because the Diocese informed us that they were changing to a different agency (APCS) and this took a while to implement.
The role of Recruiter (responsible for overseeing the checking of new volunteers) is performed by Paul Seward. Ryan Romano, our Children’s and Youth Worker, oversees all safeguarding training within the Church and is responsible for ensuring every Church member has the appropriate training for their role. He has recently completed a full day’s safeguarding training, the CCPAS ‘Focus on the Unthinkable’ course.. Ryan ran a face to face training session last April and will run another one soon. He will also be advising on the new training recommendations from the Diocese.
The responsibility to safeguard people within the Church community lies with everybody. We have recently had a directive from the Diocese of Oxford detailing the levels of training that all Church Officers and volunteers are now required or recommended to have. These include on‐line training modules and specialist face to face courses run by the Diocese. This is a considerable step up from our current requirements and we will soon be communicating these.
We are very lucky to have so many volunteers at St Mary’s and we hope that they will take up the opportunities to improve their safeguarding awareness through the training offered.
Any safeguarding issues or incidents should be reported to the Safeguarding Officer in the first instance. Jenny King STATEMENT FROM THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ON SAFEGUARDING
We are committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our community. The Church of England will: Promote a safer environment and culture Safely recruit and support all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults within the Church Respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation Care pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons Care pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons Respond to those that may pose a present risk to others
These policy commitments are based on our five foundations: Gospel Human rights and the law Core principles Good safeguarding practice Learning from the past
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MINISTRY
EVENTS TEAM
The Events Team met four times in 2017/18 and during that time the number of members fell from seven to five with Louise Fell and Peter Winn leaving to concentrate on other Church activities. The remaining members are; Heather Hardy (Chairperson), Gill Wilkinson, Kathryn Trout, Debby Cadwallader and Bill Hamilton. Towards the end of 2017, Debby was, sadly, unable to participate due to serious illness and it is not anticipated that she will return to active duty for some time. We all wish her a full recovery in due course. It would now seem appropriate to consider expanding the size of the team by recruiting a couple of new members. 2017/18 was a busy year for events at St Mary’s with the following activities being run: Rectory Garden party Holiday At Home in August and February Advent Craft Fair Bring and Share Lunch for Harvest & New Year Thanks are due to Heather for coordinating and running a superb Advent Craft Fair and especially to Gill for her supreme efforts running two children’s activities, at Easter and All Hallows Eve, and two Holidays at Home, in August and February. Kathryn also was kept very busy managing the use of the Church and hall and for booking in events as required – and not forgetting her activities as secretary and host of the Events Committee Meetings. Catering support was also provided during the year for: RAF Halton Band Concert PRMS Concerts Alpha Courses Discipleship Courses In addition to continuing (and increasing) catering support, further events for 2018/19 are proposed as follows: 10th Anniversary of the Chapter House (bring & share lunch on May 20th ) Rectory Garden Party in June Harvest Lunch on 7th October Further Bring and Share Lunches Advent Craft Fair on 1st December Holiday at Home (August and February) Easter Children’s Activity The Events budget for 2017 was used during the year to purchase a new fridge and approval has been received to spend up to £150 for the purchase of additional crockery for the downstairs kitchen. Bill Hamilton
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HOLIDAY AT HOME After a lot of anticipation our first holiday at home day dawned. It was wet, windy and cold but at least it looked like summer inside the church. We had a seaside theme with a sandpit, flags, buckets and spades and sea ornaments on show. Over 40 people came on each of the two days and each day started with a “Thought for the Day” given by David. Then the tables for craft and games were open with some real delights. There was chocolate decorating courtesy of Anton Hazelle, an art group courtesy of Chiltern Art Group, mug and coaster painting, lavender bag making, flower arranging as well as Rummikub, Scrabble and of course a jigsaw (we won’t tell anyone that this was taken over by our Rector!). We then stopped for a two course lunch, Tuesday was chicken pie and then a firm seaside favourite on Wednesday with fish and chips and ice cream cones. Following this there was relaxation and entertainment. On Tuesday we had Mark and Mary Drewett with Mark playing piano, Saxophone and Guitar and Mary playing Flute and on Wednesday we had a band organised by John Keyte and they played some popular songs many of which we could join in with. After a cream tea everyone went home clutching their packed supper and feeling totally exhausted. No charge was made for the two days but the guests made donations and these covered all the costs. These days could never have happened without the help of so many people, it would take a whole meeting to name them all, but so many thanks to all who helped from chairs organisers, cake and sandwich makers, hot food makers, kitchen helpers, craft and welcoming people, entertainers, through to audio visual and so many others, please forgive if I have omitted any role. The older people who came were so grateful and on meeting many of them after the event, they said they couldn’t wait for our next holiday which was held in February 2018 on a winter skiing theme. Gill Wilkinson PASTORAL VISITORS TEAM We meet three to four times a year in the Chapter House to update each other on our individual visits and have occasional training.
We are here to offer support to anyone who is lonely, bereaved, unwell or isolated, in fact anyone who needs a befriender. We usually visit our allocated person for up to an hour at two to three week intervals according to need.
The team is led by Joyce Wooster and supported by Jenny Deverill. We have currently seven in our team. This year we welcomed John Hardy and Garth Wilkinson to the team. We are aware that many of our congregation are ‘unofficial pastoral visitors’ and we are grateful for the support that they give.
Last year, we had a training session using a DVD and discussing various outcomes. We will also be holding another training session May/June time to refresh ourselves. Anyone who is interested or visits others is welcome to attend. A notice will go out in due course. See Joyce for more details. We also have a DVD on aspects of pastoral visiting.
We welcome anyone who would like to become part of the team. It is now necessary to be DBS checked but that is quite a simple procedure – see Jenny in the office. Also, please let us know of anyone who needs us. Thank you.
Jenny Deverill & Joyce Wooster
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OPEN DOOR Over the past year Open Door has gone from strength to strength. We now have up to 30 participants at our monthly teas. The teas are usually themed and have included; a picnic tea, back to school and a bonfire tea. We also had an excellent spring lunch.
We are entirely self‐supporting and a real example of an Outreach programme supporting the lonely and elderly in our community
We meet on the first Sunday of the month, which this year included New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday.We have a loyal band of helpers, who not only provide a great array of food, but also provide transport, and, importantly, chat with the participants. We are always well supported by our clergy.
Brenda Williams and Hilary Derbyshire BEREAVEMENT DROP‐IN The Bereavement Drop In Group is a friendly, informal group which has been meeting for over three years, on the second Monday of every month, at 3pm in the Chapter House. Numbers vary and we always welcome newcomers.
Those of any faith or none come and share together and support each other. There are no rules or timescales to bereavement. Some members are newly bereaved, some are still finding it hard after many years. Everyone's experience is unique, but there is a common understanding in the group which enables those who come to share frankly and feel that they are not alone. (For more details contact Rose Williams 01844 274225) Rose Williams POP IN @ PRINCES CENTRE St Mary's continue to support the Princes centre by organising a small group of Volunteers from the community to put on a coffee morning once a week. This is very much appreciated by both the learning disabled adults and staff alike. If anyone has a couple of hours a month to spare and would like to join us please contact Joy through the parish office. Joy John MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE We enjoyed our third year of being involved in St Mary’s Wedding Preparation Course, since its introduction to St Mary’s. All couples from the Parish who were getting married this year, and couples from elsewhere getting married in the Parish, are invited to attend as many of the 5 sessions as they could at our home. The Marriage Preparation Course (Alpha International) DVDs were used as the basis.
Couples were grateful for the opportunity to spend some time thinking about their marriage rather than just spending time on their wedding and thought hard about their relationship and how they could work at it (and would often want more time for the exercises in the course)
We hope that we have given these couples a memorable, enjoyable and useful experience.
Emma and Alistair Lumb
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MEN’S BREAKFASTS
These are held every two months on the second Saturday of the month and average 32 men each breakfast. The breakfasts are held in the Church Hall, where Pete Wynn is the head chef. In the summer last year they met in the barn on the Dyson’s farm, and this was so popular, it is to be repeated in 2018. In October, some of the men also enjoyed a sociable curry night.
• Fellowship for Men • Familiar setting • Good food and an interesting speaker • Starting to see non‐church people • £5 charge covers the b/fast but not speakers’ costs • Would like to do different events • Budget requested Speakers have included: Andy Kind (Christian comedian); Si Parry (Media youth worker); Matt Walsh (Mayor); Christopher Tyrer (Retired judge); David Lidington MP; Dan Beesley (Curate) and Revd David Williams.
Phil Ince WOMEN’S BREAKFASTS
In November last year, (not to be outdone by the men!), we launched our first Ladies Breakfast at St. Mary's. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast organised by Carole Bromhall, with Jean Smith providing a pan of top rate porridge.
Gathered around circular tables, the ladies appreciated chatting, making new friendships and catching up with old ones. After breakfast, we had an interactive talk on 'Family and Faith' led by Jo which raised good discussion points and biblical insights into how we can better live together as 'family' with Christ at the centre. The event proved popular with enthusiasm shown for holding another. Hence, on February 24th, by time of print, we will have enjoyed a second breakfast with Paula, our Curate's wife sharing her faith and life story in Columbia, South America.
In April, we shall hold our third breakfast with Jean Smith talking to us about her life and work with the Mother's Union.
All ladies in our community of Princes Risborough are most welcome to join us at our Breakfasts. It is for ladies of all ages and we have been delighted to see a wide range coming already. A sign‐up sheet will be available in Church a couple of weeks before each Breakfast for signing up. Dates throughout the year will shortly be posted.
For further details, please do contact me on 07557550955 or email [email protected]
Carole Bromhall & Jo Williams
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One of our Core Grace Values as a Church is “Relationships Matter”, which is why we have small groups called ‘Life Groups’. The groups vary enormously in style and content to suit different people’s needs (some are more friendship & fellowship based and some are more Bible study or discussion focused), and there is the opportunity to make new friends, to deepen friendships, and to explore with others what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in today’s world.
Over the past year, as we have been focussing more on what it means to be a Missional Church, we have been encouraging each group to go deeper with the three basic elements of Worship, Word & Witness.
If you are new to our Church, or if you have been with us for a while but not yet ‘dipped your toe’ into what’s to be gained from being a member of a Life Group and the joys of ‘Doing Life Together’, then do ask me or someone else about them or try one out! Life can be tough at times and we all need friends, so why go it alone with your faith when others can walk with you? Revd David G. Williams, Rector
Our current Life Groups include:
Bible study / Home Groups – there are several of these groups. The Refresh group is especially for women and another group is for 20 and 30 somethings, but most groups are open to all. They meet in different houses and at different times during the week for fellowship and Bible Study. Costa Group – which meets early on Friday evenings in Costa on the High Street to make a break between the working week and the weekend. Sessions include coffee, discussion of a Bible passage and chat Pints of View – a men’s group meeting over lunch at the pub. The Choir Group – a supportive and friendly choir environment for the enthusiastic and tuneful singer, with new members being very welcome. Contemplation and Faith Group – meeting in church The Open Door – where people meet once a month for afternoon tea and chat in the Chapter House. All are welcome to come. Thursday Coffee – a group which meets over coffee in the Chapter House on Thursday mornings. A Life Group for members of the 8am Communion Service. A Life Group, associated with the Wednesday Communion Service, which meets for coffee and chat after the service
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DISCIPLESHIP
DISCIPLESHIP COURSES ‐ FRONTLINE & ALPHA
Discipleship Courses – Alpha, Jesus the Game Changer 1 & 2
Alpha last year had a good number attend with as always great food and great discussions. Jesus the Game Changer was run over both the summer and autumn courses, this course was really well received and enjoyed by all of those who attended the course. The videos were very thought‐provoking and the discussions after were very enjoyable and open. The food again was amazing. The discipleship courses and Alpha continue to be a great asset to St. Mary's.
CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP: THANK YOU TO GOD SUNDAY 'Thank You To God Sunday' is our annual opportunity to review what God has given us and how we respond to His generosity. The context in 2017 was a big financial shortfall and worry about whether we will be able to afford to extend our children's and youth work project beyond 2018. So, the PCC decided to put in a big effort in this year, led by the Rector, who preached on the subject. We delivered a personally addressed message to 260 members of our congregations, and publicised the campaign through all our communications channels, paper, e‐mail, social media and via announcements from the front of church.
We received replies covering 85 people. Thank you to everyone who replied. There were 138 offers of practical help, things such as helping to serve coffee, most of which were people offering to continue what they were doing, and there were 22 offers of new help. Thank you to volunteers, continuing and new.
However, in the critical area of finance the results have been very disappointing, especially as what was needed to continue funding all our ministries was very clearly set out. Four new people made pledges; 18 people pledged to increase their regular giving and five to decrease (owing to changes in circumstances). The nett annual increase is about £4,000 including the recoverable gift aid. Even with the £4,000 in one off donations also received, this is a long way short of the £25,000 we estimate to be needed to carry on all our current ministries.
Please pray about the way forward. Jim Cadwallader
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THE WIDER CHURCH
AYLESBURY DEANERY SYNOD The Deanery Synod meets three times in the year but this year it was marked by the tri‐annual Election of Deanery Representatives and more significantly by a changing of the guard with the departure of Canon Andrew Blyth, Area Dean and Vicar of Holy Trinity, to a new appointment in Cheltenham. Upon returning from his sabbatical David, our Rector, was invited by Bishop Alan (Buckingham) to take up the role of Area Dean. March 2017at St Mary’s Aylesbury As Canon Andrew Blyth took his leave of Synod his departing reflections included a reminder that an Area Dean is charged to; Lead and facilitate the development of the Deanery; Foster the wellbeing of its people and clergy, and; Foster the implementation of the strategic direction (mission) of the deanery as expressed by the deanery mission plan.
June 2017: David as the new Area Dean informed the June Deanery meeting that he hoped that his time would be characterised by the development of three themes across the Deanery; having a missional heart, being a gift alongside people and, laughter – now there’s a surprise. He further expressed the hope that across our churches there would be four areas of importance; Being missional matters, Relationships matter, Developing a positive interplay between rural and urban churches, and Ensuring that the role of the laity is developed to ensure that gifts are recognised and utilised. An interesting position has been created in the role of a Deanery Curate, the Revd Peter Wheeler. He described to Synod his job profile as working between several churches where support staff are sorely needed. His weekly schedule looked exhausting, but his back story sounded inspirational. He has developed from working professionally in the music production industry and being in membership at Holy Trinity for 12 years to ordination and working as an Associate Pastor. He has managed to combine providing support between several churches as well as managing a training ministry, writing for the IRBA, and developing resources on the Theology of Food and the Theology of Welcome and Hospitality. He is now working at St Peters Quarrendon, an Aylesbury modern church, which has been refurbished, and which is in a challenging locality. (Note he has already visited TGIS and the Sunday evening group Deeper).
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November 2017: A presentation on “For Richer for Poorer” was not, as you might have expected, an examination of marriage vows, but a report on poverty and livelihoods in the Diocese of Oxford introduced by Alison Webster, The Diocesan Social Responsibility Adviser. The reason for the Report was that when Bishop Steven took office he had three personal priorities: whole life discipleship; young people; poverty and marginalisation. The latter is why the Report was commissioned. Some people may remember the Faith in the City Report which led to statistical research into urban poverty areas, but the world has changed so much since then. Synod were asked what poverty looked like in the Thames Valley: eg food poverty, fuel poverty, homelessness and the differences in urban and rural areas. Poverty is not just about income – it can be hidden. The Report shows a web of poverty published by the Church Urban Fund: poverty of resources (poor education, poor health) poverty of identity (poor mental health, lack of well‐being) and poverty of relationships (fear of crime, isolation, family breakdown). All the aspects are important especially in a Diocese like ours which can appear not highly deprived. Parish areas in our Diocese vary hugely; there are 49,000 people in one Milton Keynes parish but there are 10% of our parishes which have less than 170 inhabitants and 50% which have less than 1000 inhabitants. In Dioceses like ours figures can become meaningless. Alison then spoke about the different maps in the report, there are 20. One classification identified 15 different types of household. The Diocese of Oxford’s poverty indicators are all below average except for housing and services. The reasons are the housing crisis due to overcrowding and lack of affordable housing and the distance to schools and supermarkets. The Diocese are undertaking additional work on this and intend to produce a guide for parishes wanting to address these issues. This is just a snapshot of our Synod. Other topics were parishes in difficulty with their Parish Share payments, initiatives being employed in establishing new parishes on the south side of Aylesbury and the work being undertaken by the Deanery Rural Officer the Revd Jenny Edmans. The good news is that following Philip Derbyshire’s stint as stand‐in Treasurer, thank you Philip, Mrs Tania Dovey has accepted an invitation and been appointed as our new Deanery Treasurer.
John Hardy, Deanery Synod Lay Member
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THE RISBOROUGH TEAM OF ANGLICAN CHURCHES
Within Aylesbury Deanery, we at St Mary’s Princes Risborough and St Peter’s Ilmer, are part of the Risborough Team. The Team comprises of 8 Anglican Churches: St Mary’s, Princes Risborough with St Peter’s, Ilmer; St Dunstan’s, Monks Risborough with St Peter’s Owlswick; St John’s, Lacey Green; Holy Trinity, Bledlow with St Mary & St Nicholas, Saunderton and St Michael & All Angels, Horsenden. The Team was created in 1998, and whilst each Church is part of a parish with its own PCC Leadership team, when matters of shared interest or concern arise, these are considered at the monthly clergy lunchtime meetings and there is the option of holding Team Forum meetings (which are comprised of the clergy & two representatives from each parish), which we have done from time to time as need dictates. One of the benefits of the Team is that we cover each other’s services when holidays or sickness arise, and in this respect I would like to give particular thanks to our Assistant Retired Clergy at St Mary’s who give much needed support with covering services and leading worship across the Team Churches, especially when vacancies occur. With this in mind, can I ask that you include in your prayers the parish of Bledlow, Saunderton and Horsenden who are the only parish presently in vacancy within the Team. They have two very good Churchwardens and an excellent PCC Leadership team, but with this May it will have been a year since they said goodbye to their last Vicar and so I am all too aware of their need for support and prayer. We will be re‐advertising for this post in May and hopefully interviewing God’s choice for this post in June, so please pray for all of us who are involved in this appointment process that we may discern God’s leading for the way ahead. Revd. David Williams, Team Rector
St Dunstan’s, Monks Risborough St John’s Church, Lacey Green
St Peter’s, Owlswick St Peter’s, Ilmer
St Mary’s and St Nicholas, Saunderton
St Michael & All Angels, Horsendon
Holy Trinity Bledlow
St Mary’s, Princes Risborough
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CHURCHES TOGETHER IN RISBOROUGH This year has been an exciting year for CTR as members of our churches have worked together in greater unity and really enjoyed fellowship and outreach together. The PR Town Festival in July gave us the opportunity to have a stall adjacent to the Baptist Church stand, and we gave out sweets to children and leaflets about our activities and Lighthouse. At the Princes Risborough Switching on of the Lights, CTR again had a stall on the High Street, featuring life‐size nativity figures loaned by Elim Church. Volunteers from each of our churches manned the stall and handed out Christmas Cards listing the main Christmas services at all our churches. St Mary’s Puppet Club gave two performances which were very well received. Other joint services have included an Advent Service at St Teresa’s, and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at Speen Church. We will again be joining together on Good Friday for a Walk of Witness from our own churches, and meeting at Elim church for an outdoor Act of Worship. I would encourage members of St Mary’s to engage with CTR by either volunteering to act as a representative on our team, which meets quarterly, or by attending and supporting our joint events, which express our joy of being Christians together, united in purpose. Kathryn Trout, Secretary of CTR CIVIC SERVICES AT ST MARY’S In line with our Vision and Core Grace Values, we offer a rich variety of worship for all ages and people, and as the Parish Church of Risborough, each year we are delighted to welcome and serve our local community by hosting the Civic Services that mean a great deal to our town. In this past year, this has comprised:
The St George’s Day Parade Service with the District Scout Association in April. The annual Remembrance Sunday service with the British Legion in November. The annual Carol Service for the District Girl Guiding Association in December.
We are pleased to have good relationships with Bucks County Council and Wycombe District Council and occasionally hold services for them, and each year there are a number of services and events at which our Town Mayor and other Councillors are in attendance. We see it as an important part of our ministry to work closely with our Town Council and other brothers and sisters in Christ within the town on local issues and community events, as we seek to be a blessing to our local community.
To enable this aspect of our life and ministry I would like to thank our Church Office staff, Clergy, Sacristan, Sidespeople and Welcomers, the AV team, and our musicians, without whom this would not be possible. As God blesses us, may we continue to be a blessing to others!
Revd David Williams
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OUTREACH
MISSION & CHARITABLE GIVING
At St Mary’s we give more than 20% of total Church income to a wide variety of charities: local, national and international. Every year the PCC chooses a charity to receive financial support for three years; six other charities are given a one‐year grant. Details of the charities we support are on the charities noticeboard in the church. We also support our chosen charities through: o prayer o links via life groups o direct giving, e.g. our Christmas appeal for Saunderton Lodge o inviting preachers from the charities to visit o groups going out from St Mary’s to see the charities at work We now have strong links with two areas in Uganda: 1. Kampala ‐ Through Gideon’s Trust (our major charity for 2017) we support a home for AIDS orphans. Several families at St Mary’s sponsor children. Peter Dixon has visited this year. 2. Northern Uganda, Arua (Madi and West Nile Diocese) Through CMS, we have sponsored Kate Quarrell, midwifery teacher, who worked at Kuluva Mission Hospital and came to speak at St Mary’s on March 18th. Last year I did a sponsored climb of Mt Triglav in Slovenia to fund a new steriliser for the hospital. We raised over £6,000 and this enabled the purchase of several vital items of equipment. The letter of “thanks” and photos of the equipment are on the charities board in Church. Actions for the future ∙ Please read the charities noticeboard; the displays do change and there are copies of relevant newsletters you can take away. ∙ Talk to the “champion” for a charity to find out more about their work. ∙ Consider holding an event to fundraise. ∙ If you are already supporting a charity then consider submitting its name for a grant from St Mary’s. Application forms are available in June.
Kaye Lillycrop
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THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY (connected to the Church of England since 1881) On behalf of The Children’s Society I would like to thank St. Mary’s for all their support, particularly the P.C.C. for granting us their largest Charity Award. This will help enormously for the next 3 years. ‐ Also all our fabulous Box Holders who regularly give their boxes in, in February. This year because of the new £1 coins we decided to open them just before Christmas – Well done all of you. Please let me know if you would like a box. Other fund raising events were the Street Collection and Coffee Morning. These will be repeated this year apart from the Street Collection as unfortunately our Street Collection organiser is unable to carry on with this – Is there any kind person out there willing to take this on? Please let me know. We don’t raise a fortune from it, but it does keep The Children’s Society in the public eye. We must try and do better with Christingle. Perhaps more advertising would encourage more children and even get Mum’s and Dad’s involved. In the meantime please remember the Children who don’t have a happy family life and no one to turn to for help – they need your prayers too. God Bless to all who help me. Diana Parker
LINKS WITH UGANDA One of our church members, Peter Dixon went to Uganda in February 2017 with David, Jo and their daughter Hanna. He was shocked at what he saw both in Bombo where the GAAF (Gideon’s Anti‐Aids Foundation) childrens home is and at Arua in the north‐west of the country. In both places St Mary’s has supported projects to bring medical supplies and much‐needed water closer to those who need it. He decided he could do something more to help.
In December 2017 two Ugandans joined us here to experience winter in England staying with Hanna and her family in Sidmouth before coming to Princes Risborough for Christmas with David and Jo. They returned to Uganda on 7th January and took Peter with them.
Whilst staying with Gideon on the outskirts of Kampala Peter was able to organise the manufacture of two table‐tennis tables, he knew there was a shortage of ‘play’ material at the home so took with him 8 bats and 20 balls. He had no idea whether or not the children would take to the idea but asked God to make them enthusiastic, he needn’t have worried but we’re jumping ahead. This work was done before going to the home at Bombo as everyone else was busy preparing for an almighty party to be held in the grounds of one of Gideon’s neighbours. The reason for the party?
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Fred who was one of the two to visit England had gained a BA in Business Studies at Makerere University in Kampala and was graduating that week and Peter was honoured to be invited to the ceremony and subsequent party. Makerere is Uganda's equivalent to Oxford so it was no mean feat to have studied there. What made Gideon so proud? Fred was the first boy Gideon had ‘adopted’ into the children’s home when just a small boy, he was an orphan but Gideon saw a spark of promise in his eyes and took him in, paid for his education and was the proudest ‘Dad’ on the campus that day. Did I mention that Fred also studied politics and stood as an MP in 2017? He wasn’t successful but would have been Uganda’s youngest MP had he been so. Gideon and Fred had a right to that party.
On reaching Bombo Peter remembered why he had been called to go there and with the help of Fred, Joseph (one of the older boys) and Mia (a friend of Fred’s) they sandpapered 16 years of grease, sweat and dirt off the walls of the home before covering the walls and ceilings with copious amounts of vinyl silk emulsion. Whoever thought that decorating ceilings with Artex and dark maroon paint was a good idea should have been made to come back and paint them white! The boys worked hard and by concentrating on just one room they were soon able to see the results of their endeavours, this was sufficient to keep spirits high whilst the remainder of the rooms and dormitories were completed – well almost. The two smallest rooms (dormitories not bathrooms!) were undercoated but time and funds ran out so the final touches were left for Hanna to complete.
Peter knew the reason why the walls were so dirty, there were no lights in the home last year so every child ran around with a hand on the wall, remember, Uganda is on the equator so days and nights never change and with the state of the decoration the inside of the home was dark a great deal of the time, Peter’s ambition was to install lighting.
Based on his experience with camping equipment he’d bought a folding, light‐weight solar panel and controller which would charge 12v car batteries. He then sourced LED strip lights used by ‘boy‐racers’ to enhance their cars and a pile of 12v dashboard rocker switches. All he had to do now was put them all together in some sort of order so remembering basic physics and with help and support from the prayers being offered he started to cut and join wires, hammer clips into the walls and after two weeks lights were working for the first time in the 14 rooms of the two buildings.
The children stood in awe when they first saw what had been achieved and were soon excitedly learning the rudiments of table‐ tennis. The sound of their laughter is something that Peter will never forget. The three boys have been given new skills and experienced for themselves the satisfaction of doing something they never thought possible. How many 20‐year‐olds do you know who didn’t know how to use a paint brush? We jokingly suggested
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setting up a decorating business, GAAF Painters Ltd and even worked out what we could charge per room. If Peter’s visit has achieved giving these children not only light, but the knowledge that they can do things for themselves, it can only be regarded as a success.
St Mary’s support for these children is invaluable, education is their only way out of a lifetime of struggling to survive, if anyone wants to know more about sponsoring a child through their time at school please speak to David, Jo or Peter and if any sponsors would like to visit ‘their’ child Peter will happily give you all the information you need, he promises you that you will not be disappointed if you make the effort.
PS. At the time of writing Hanna with husband Mark and two friends from Devon are flying home from Uganda. Like Peter, Hanna had been all too aware of how little play material there was at GAAF so since her return last year she has worked tirelessly to raise in excess of £5000 to provide steel playground equipment for the children. They flew out two days after Peter’s return so were able to finish the painting in the two dormitories, erect security fencing and install the play equipment all in record‐breaking time. Peter Dixon
One Can Trust is a Registered Charity based in High Wycombe.
Since 2011, One Can Trust has operated a foodbank based in High Wycombe, serving the town and South Buckinghamshire. Growing quickly to address a growing crisis of food poverty, One Can collects over £200,000 worth of food every year from all over the community. They sort it, store it and create food parcels that have fed well over 30,000 adults and children.
Sadly, the need for food banks is very much still with us, and St Mary’s continues to pay its part. The black bin parked by the coffee counter in Church is always there for contributions. Other than food, toiletries are very welcome. The particular needs of the Bank are attached to the bin. We are aware of and appreciate those who use the bin routinely. Some save from their weekly shopping the free offers, two for the price of one etc.
The contents of the bin are taken to High Wycombe for distribution. A team of volunteers bags it for distribution to needy recipients, who would have been referred to One Can by one of the recognised agencies.
Since St Mary’s have been involved with the One Can we have made over 50 deliveries to the Centre. Unfortunately, of late, contributions do seem to have dropped off. I hope, with your help, this will reverse as there is so much need for our support. David Parker
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CHRISTIANS AGAINST POVERTY
This year has proved to be a difficult one for many people in Princes Risborough and the number of cases referred to CAP from local people has increased. However, it is wonderful to see how happy they all are as they see a way out of their difficult debt problems and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. During the CAP visits another light is always talked about as, if they agree, we pray with them and talk openly about the love of our Lord Jesus. We always pray that showing this other light may lead them to seek more and certainly, this year, this has proven that we do not always talk to closed doors and for this we praise God. As a befriender I get to see the joy when people see that life is not hopeless in terms of increasing debt, but I also the experience the wonder of seeing our Lord working in and with people. If anyone is interested in becoming a befriender please talk to me, I promise it is not an onerous job and it does give such joy and peace. Gill Wilkinson
SAUNDERTON LODGE CHRISTMAS PARCELS
I was more prepared this year for the changing scene at the very busy Saunderton Lodge. People were moving out and coming in right up until a couple of days before Christmas but, due to the generosity of our church family, we were able to help all of them have a slightly brighter Christmas than they might otherwise have had. The number of bags of presents given by you was so great that for two weeks I couldn’t actually get into my dining room (note to self … find somewhere in the church to store them for a short time next year!) Absolutely wonderful bags filled with the most enticing gifts which I know many people enjoyed. In addition to the bags of gifts this year, I also asked for monetary donations and the church didn’t fail me. We collected enough money to ensure that late comers to Saunderton Lodge, as well as a few families who had moved out but were not yet coping, had a bag of gifts at Christmas. Having looked after Saunderton Lodge there was still a little money left so I hope you will be pleased to know that 3 families who had been involved with CAP (Christians Against Poverty) were also able to have a gift alongside 5 homeless men who received toiletries. In the past few weeks I have been made aware of some families living in Princes Risborough who had very, very little at Christmas this year, so in 2018 I am hoping to include any referred families, who live locally and are in real need, on our gift list and I hope you all agree that this would be a good thing to do. Only you, our congregation at St Mary’s giving so generously, makes all this possible and, on behalf of the people who receive these gifts thank you so much. Gill Wilkinson
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AYLESBURY STREET ANGELS I am a Street Angel and I work for Aylesbury Town Chaplaincy, which is a charity with a passion to serve the heart of Aylesbury town. The Chaplaincy is an initiative set up by the local Christian community to serve the needs of the town, they recruit volunteers from the local churches to serve on the Chaplaincy and Street Angel teams; and work in partnership with other organisations, such as Pub Watch, the Town Council and the Police, within the town. During the day we have volunteer Chaplains in the town providing a friendly face for shoppers and help and prayer if requested. On a Friday and /or Saturday night we have a Street Angel team based in Aylesbury Town Centre from 10.30pm to 3.30am, we offer help to those who are intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, offer friendship to the homeless and provide help to those who need to get home. Please pray that God will continue to use us and give us opportunities to show his love in Aylesbury town. Stella Upton
PRINCES RISBOROUGH TOWN FESTIVAL LUNCHTIME CONCERTS What a great pleasure it was to welcome musicians from five local primary schools and the Princes Centre ‘Jinglers Choir’ to St Mary’s during the Town Festival at the beginning of July. Their lunchtime concerts have become an increasingly well‐established feature of the week’s programme and for very good reason.
It is a delight to listen to such wonderfully varied programmes each day, with polished performances from choirs and orchestras, ensemble groups and individuals and with a sprinkling of poetry readings and choral speaking too. Altogether there were 350 young people and Jinglers sharing their energy, enthusiasm and often considerable talent, all at different stages of their individual musical journeys and mostly(!) very much enjoying this opportunity to perform.
These concerts are only possible because of the invaluable commitment of the Festival Week Committee and the staff in schools (and those who work with the Jinglers) who give so much of themselves to plan, rehearse and lead the concerts.
St Mary’s provides the venue, of course, and also a superb team who very positively and flexibly help with equipment, technology, rehearsal time and refreshments. What an excellent opportunity this is to play our part in the life of our local community, to welcome those who attend the concerts each day and, through the retiring collections, to support the wonderful work of the Princes Centre.
Valerie Stattersfield
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FLOODLIGHTING SPONSORSHIP During the past year the revenue received from sponsorship has again dipped on the previous year. This has been due mainly to the passing of long term sponsors. More regular sponsors are urgently required not just for this year, but the years ahead. This is to uphold the PCC resolution made in 1995 that the floodlighting should be self‐funding The total revenue received was £435 which is now insufficient to provide the necessary power and maintenance of the floodlighting units. So why not remember a birthday, wedding anniversary, or the passing of a loved one. Sponsorship is fantastic value at £5 per night, unchanged in all the years. Cheques made payable to St. Mary’s PCC Sponsorship forms are always available in church or from the office or if you cannot find one just write to me direct. Details in Viewpoint Tony Kerwood
HISTORIC CHURCHES BIKE RIDE 2017 We raised £931 on Saturday 9th September. So, with the GiftAid claimed, half has gone to the Bucks Historic Churches Trust, and the remaining £575 (£540 in 2016) goes towards St Mary’s costs in 2018. Throughout the county, it was a glorious morning, but then hard showers later. Inconveniently, the Tour of Britain cut through the Deanery, jamming the roads and villages! Our 2 cyclists and 2 walkers visited 48 churches between them, travelling over 80 miles. A wonderful team welcomed 38 visitors to St Mary’s that day. By comparison, in 2007, we saw 94 visitors, but that was sunny all day! We continue to help the county effort by providing coordination for the whole Aylesbury Deanery of some 57 participating churches of all denominations, this year grossing £4,328, down on recent years. Congratulations to the fund‐raising cyclists and walkers, our gratitude to the stalwart church ‘Welcomers’ and lots of thanks to the generous sponsors. We hope to have much better weather this year on Saturday 8th September 2018! Michael Hoey
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COMMUNICATIONS
VIEWPOINT
At a time when there is a growing emphasis on electronic communication, it is encouraging that Viewpoint is still highly valued by its readers. The latest Communications survey by St Mary’s church showed that, after the weekly newssheet, Viewpoint is the second most popular means of keeping up to date with all that’s going on at St Mary’s. Our subscriber base continues to hold up well and people reported a high degree of satisfaction with the magazine.
Once again we want to record our thanks to the team that ensures Viewpoint reaches the readers every month. On the production side, we are indebted to Ros Martin‐Hall who looks after the advertising. South Bucks Printers continue to print a high quality magazine and give an excellent service. On the distribution side, we are grateful to Gillian Stevens, Chris and Nancy Gee and the army of folk who drop the magazines through people’s doors each month. In particular, we would like to thank Karen Starkey, Maddie Simpkin, Nina Sherman and Wyn Hudson who have ‘retired’ from their delivery rounds this year. Wyn deserves particular mention, having delivered Viewpoint to houses in Manor Park Avenue for well over 40 years!
The editorial team works hard each month to produce a magazine that is interesting, accurate and up to date. We appreciate the contributions of our regular feature writers and would love to have occasional articles from anyone with an interesting story to tell or opinions to share. Above all, if you are organising a church event, do remember to let the Viewpoint team know all about it so that we can include information in the magazine. The copy deadline is the second Sunday of the previous month, and details should be sent to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Jim Cadwallader, Hilary Derbyshire and Bill Hamilton CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS
Sarah Sturt has brought her social media expertise to our small group this year, so the Comms Sub‐Group is now: Mike Drewett, Sarah Sturt, Kathryn Trout, Jenny King and Jim Cadwallader, with Hilary Derbyshire attending when Website issues are on the agenda. Mike organised a survey of the congregation on the effectiveness of church communications, the results of which once again reinforced the value of paper media (Viewpoint and Weekly Newsletter). The website scored well, but Facebook very poorly. There was also a strong demand for verbal notices at all services.
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This year Mike again designed a Christmas Card from St Mary's listing all the Christmas services and arranged distribution to every household in the parish. We think this is a very effective form of outreach. Jim designed and had produced banners to advertise the Christmas Fair, which were displayed on the churchyard fence and at the top of the High Street. Judging by the numbers attending the event, they must have been effective. We are also looking at other promotional material such as sail‐flags and pop up banners.
We have devoted quite a bit of effort to revamping our Facebook presence, key to which is fresh, up to date content. Several people now have access to post such content and we have seen an upsurge in interest. Revd Dan Beesley's video contributions, especially his series throughout Advent, have attracted good responses. Interestingly, the single most viewed item on our Facebook page was that about Michael Hoey's sponsored bike ride.
We are aware that the e‐newsletter is in need of a revamp and Mike has been working on a new design which we hope to try out in the near future.
Arrangements for a new church noticeboard to replace the old decaying one by the fence were stalled by Jim's diversion as a result of Debby's illness, but we hope soon to have agreement from the Diocese for a new noticeboard beside the path approaching the porch.
The Communications Team
WEEKLY NEWSSHEET & ENEWS
The weekly news sheet containing information about services and events at St Mary’s continues to be successful. In our recent communications survey, the news sheet was still the most popular of all means of communication. The e‐news is a popular alternative and has 169 subscribers. It enables people to access news about St Mary’s wherever they happen to be, from their phones, ipads and computers.
The percentage of subscribers opening their e‐news is between 40 and 50% each week and we would like to increase this. The Communications Group is currently looking at ways to improve the format and content of the e‐news, and we hope to try out a new design shortly.
We would also like to increase the circulation of the e‐news, so if you would like to be added to our list, just contact the Office with your email details.
If you have items to be included in the newssheet or e‐news, please send them in to the Office by Wednesday afternoon to be included that week. We are also happy to do a special event e‐news if you have a particular event you wish to publicise.
Jenny King
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CHURCH PREMISES
HEALTH & SAFETY Once again the past year has been fairly quiet in Health & Safety terms, which is a good thing. It doesn’t mean though that nothing is done! It does mean that H&S is being managed in a way that keeps it visibly low key but deals with the items that assist us in having a safe environment.
So, during the past year we have reviewed and updated the main H&S policy documents and these have been approved by the PCC. Ongoing maintenance works to our H&S equipment has been done including servicing of fire extinguishers, fire detection and intruder alarms together with servicing of the gas central heating boilers and the Chapter House lift.
It is great that we do more and more in St Mary’s in terms of activities and we make sure that the H&S documentation is reviewed and current for what we do actually do. We are currently looking at the Disability Audit and the impact that it has on us and the implications from it. Recommendations will be made to PCC in due course.
I would like to thank you all for keeping H&S in mind, it’s all to keep us safe!
Pete Wynn CHURCH HALL During 2016 our major project was to repaint the outside of the Hall which Danny Mullen completed during the school summer holidays. We aim to tackle the outside and inside of the hall every four years which is about as long as we can push it without it all beginning to look very scruffy. Later in the year, whilst Pete Wynn was in the process of installing cupboards in the small meeting room, it was found that damp was present along the base of the inner wall that separates the extension (kitchen/store and toilets). Specialist advice was obtained and following this three tenders to carry out the work this coming Easter. Thank you to Peter Knight for arranging all of this. The cupboards have since been erected on the far wall of the meeting room which will provided for essential storage for the church’s youth services. Thanks to the diligence of Joy Woodward our Treasurer we managed to return a healthy profit over the year which will ensure that we can make a significant contribution to the damp repairs and redecorate the inside of the hall this summer. Joy also manages the bookings and so it will be a great loss to the Hall Management Committee when she stands down at the end of the year. Joy has served in these two roles for longer than I have been Chairman (at least since 2003) and I would thank her on behalf of the whole Church for her tireless contribution. I should also not forget husband Richard who not only has washed the floor most Sunday evenings
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(the only clear time in the week that this can be done) but has also stood in on many occasions to deal with maintenance and other emergencies. He will take his well‐ earned retirement as well. The new PCC will need to either find new volunteers to help run the Committee or consider alternative methods of managing the hall’s operation. I have also indicated that I intend to stand down as Hall Committee Chairman in April 2018 so it will be all change. Thanks though to Gill (Secretary) and Pete Wynn (maintenance) who have not (yet!) jumped ship. Bill Nicholson
CHURCHYARD Having produced an annual report since 2003, the time has come for me to ask for someone else to step forward and take over the responsibility for churchyard maintenance. I fully intend to continue as a member of the churchyard volunteers and to keep mowing and helping with the general chores but I feel that a younger head with new ideas and more energy is what Saint Mary’s really needs.
At the time of writing, March 2018, our five ageing machines are about to be fired up again. A possible replacement has been approved and a decision on whether to proceed will depend on how well the mowers function (the machines – not the men!) when work begins in earnest next month.
In terms of manpower, we are short of two volunteers for mowing which will put something of a strain on the rest of us when the season gets into full swing. As far as “other jobs” are concerned, the turn out for the Remembrance Day leaf sweep which was for many years a family occasion involving both adults and children, was very disappointing: only about four or five hardy souls which meant a lot of extra hard work in the following weeks.
I must again acknowledge the efforts of MIchael Hoey and John Hardy without whom the hedges and trees around the churchyard and burial ground would be in a sorry state and of Neville Vickers who has always kept our machines running.
As every year, may I remind everyone that there is a constant supply of free compost in the churchyard and that, when we have time, we saw up fallen branches and the resulting piles of logs by the tool shed are available to anyone who can make use of them.
I am pleased to note that fewer drivers have been tempted to park on the grass just inside the main churchyard gates and hope that this area will therefore continue to recover.
I conclude this report by thanking all of the helpers who work to maintain the churchyard and by assuring whoever takes over this very rewarding responsibility of my continued support and participation.
Helpers 2017‐18: Jim Cadwallader, Eugene Clark, Peter Clark, Geoffrey John, Andrew Jordan, Peter Cline, John Hardy, Matt Sharrock, Stuart and Lesley Slade‐Carter, Andy Stone, David Torrance, Rod and Angela Wall.
Rod Wall
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CHURCH CLEANERS “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” With that in the back our minds the teams, one per week per month, sally forth on Thursday mornings to; reset the chairs, brush, vacuum, wash (no soap) the stone floors and dust and clean windows accordingly. Within the month whatever one group have overlooked another will have caught and sorted it. We have lost Joyce to full time employment but we were delighted that she now has permission to stay in the UK – thank you Joyce your cheerfulness and the sounds of Radio Ghana – memorable.
A big thank you goes to all of the team for their contributions in the past year. So much done with so little said.
We would give a big welcome to any willing and able‐bodied members who can spare a couple of hours once a month to join a team and help keep the House of God clean and fit for purpose.
John Hardy THE CHAPTER HOUSE The Chapter House is as popular as ever as a venue for outside organisations as well as in house events. We have taken many bookings already this year and we have several regular clients, most of whom are charitable organisations. The hire of the Chapter House is an important source of income for St Mary’s, yet it remains good value for money for our clients, charged at £45 for half a day. In the last year since April 2017 we have taken £1,964 in fees. The management of the hiring of the Chapter House is now done entirely by the Church Office and we are currently reviewing our terms and conditions to allow more flexibility.
We are very grateful to all those who work hard to make the Chapter House an appealing venue particularly those who clean and provide never ending supplies for events.
We are also very grateful for those people who help with the facilitating of the Chapter House hire to outside organisations. However we could really do with more volunteers to help, particularly with the opening up and locking up of the Chapter House when the Church or Office is not open. If you live nearby and feel this is something you could help with, do let the Office know, we would be very pleased to hear from you.
Jenny King PARISH OFFICE The Parish Office has had another busy year. From April onwards, we have supported Revd David Williams in his Deanery role, by providing Admin and PA support. Even he would admit that managing David’s diary remains the most challenging aspect of our work! As the workload has increased, Kathryn and Jenny have taken on more hours, and the office is now open until 3pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and all day on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Jenny and I would again like to thank Jim Cadwallader and Ryan Romano for their technical support and wizardry throughout the year – they have solved all our computing problems with grace and good humour. Kathryn Trout, Parish Secretary
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CHURCHWARDEN’S CLOSING REMARKS
I urge you to read through this report again, and to marvel at the range and depth of the ministries carried out through St Mary's. William Temple said “The church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non‐members.” That shines through this report, whether it is our ministry to those most in need (see Kaye's report on page ..), or our ministry to the elderly and lonely (see Open Door, Holiday at Home, Bereavement Support etc.), or our ministry to the young people of the community (see the section on Children and Youth), we really are Sharing the Love of Christ with others. We are foremost a worshipping community, offering a wide range of worship styles and times. What binds us together is our desire to worship God and share the love of Christ.
We are truly blessed to have David as our Rector. His vision of what is needed to be a missional church, focused on others not ourselves, gives us the leadership the church needs. Supported by Jo, his ministry to the local community draws people to Christ in the most practical way. At last year's Annual Meeting, David urged us to be 'rooted and fruitful', explaining that we must be and make disciples. Through Alpha and the 'Jesus the Game‐changer' courses we have had opportunity to grow as disciples and to those courses this year we added Advent and Lent courses, based on the Bishop of Oxford's theme of becoming more Christ‐like. In these and in many other areas, we are also very fortunate to have such excellent support from Dan, our curate, Michael, our Associate Minister, and the seven Assistant Clergy/Lay Minister. I am sure they would say that they rely on the support of all the lay people, too numerous to name, who help in so many ways. We are truly blessed!
Our Archdeacon has focused on 'clergy well‐being' as part of his annual 'Articles of Enquiry' (a self‐ examination of the state of the church). This recognises that there is a mismatch between what congregations expect of their priest and his/her capacity to meet those expectations. As churchwarden I have tried to help the Rector to deal with this mismatch. And recently, I've been the beneficiary of the wonderful support that the Rector gives to those who need it, how he has suddenly been called to visit hospital or home. Inevitably, giving so much of himself takes its toll. We must all help David to keep a balance between the demands on him and his capacity to meet them.
In 2015 we confirmed that our mission to young people was our priority for the next five years, reflecting the fact that children in school nowadays often do not hear the good news of Jesus. We embarked on an ambitious project to bring good news to the young people in our community, the central plank of which was to employ a Children's and Youth Worker. We have been blessed to have Ryan with us; he has engaged with the local schools and the youth club in a way that has shown that we can reach out to the wider community with the good news. But, just as there is a mismatch between our demands on the Rector and the time he can give, there is a mismatch between our ambition for a permanent children's worker and the funding we have raised.
So, I leave you with two prayers: May we uphold our Rector in prayer and may the demands on him be balanced with his ability to meet them. May we uphold the children and young people of our community in prayer and may our resources match our ambitions for children's and youth work.
Jim Cadwallader
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