ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH
SYDENHAM
ANNUAL REPORT
APRIL 2019
1 St. Bartholomew’s Annual Report 2019
CONTENTS
1. Agenda 3 2. Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners & Annual Parochial Church Meeting of St. Bartholomew’s held at 11.15am on Sunday April 19, 2015 3 3. Electoral Roll 8 4. Report of the Chair of the PCC 9 5. Curate’s Report 11 6. PCC Secretary’s Report 14 7. Accounts – Financial Summary for the Year ended 31 December 2012 16 Financial Statements 17 Total Giving Summary 27 Additional Information 28 8. Church Fund 29 9. Church Wardens: Goods and Ornaments of the Church 29 10. SABRE 31 11. Prayer Forum 31 12. Wednesday Group 32 13. Music 32 14. Stewards 33 15. Servers 33 16. 8am Service 33 17. Pastoral Team 34 18. West Lewisham Deanery Synod 34 19. Safeguarding 35 20 Children’s Church 35 21. Creche 36 22. Brownies 36 23. Premises Bookings 37 24. Sydenham Life 38 25. Social & Fund Raising 40 26. Mother’s Union 41 27. Flowers 42 28. Coffee Rota 42
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1. AGENDA
Annual Parochial Church Meeting of St. Bartholomew’s, Sydenham SE26 on Sunday 28th April 2019 in the Church.
Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens for the Year. This meeting immediately precedes the APCM.
1. Apologies for Absence 2. MINUTES of the Annual Parochial Meeting held April 2018 3. Presentation of the new Electoral Roll and Report from the Electoral Roll Officer 4. REPORT from the Secretary of the Parochial Church Council 5. Presentation of the Audited Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2018 6. REPORT on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church 7. REPORT of the Chair of the PCC 8. Election of Representatives of the Laity to the Parochial Church Council 9. Election of Stewards 10. REPORTS from the Organisations and Associations of the Church 11. Any Other Business
NB Immediately after the closure of business for the APCM the new PCC is asked to meet briefly at the front of the church.
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2A. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS HELD ON APRIL 23RD 2017 FOR THE ELECTION OF 2 CHURCHWARDENS FOR THE YEAR 2018-19:
Father Michael thanked both Churchwardens – Paddy Moon and Violet Elliott-Mahoney for their support, advice and hard work during the year.
For health reasons, Violet Elliott-Mahoney was stepping down, temporarily, from the role of Churchwarden. The following had agreed to stand as Churchwardens for the coming year:
Paddy Moon Proposed by: Molly Wickert Seconded by: Jean Clark Nick Lloyd Proposed by: Gill Daly Seconded by: Lesley khatibi
Consequently, Paddy Moon and Nick Lloyd were duly elected (nem. con.) as Churchwardens for the year 2018-2019.
This concluded the business of the Annual Vestry Meeting.
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2B MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 29TH APRIL 2018
Present: Rev. Michael Kingston (Chair) and 33 parishioners. A list of those who were in attendance is available from the PCC Secretary. Gill Daly was thanked for producing the church Year Book; Jean Clark for helping to collate it.
1.Apologies for Absence: Kenlyn Fleary; Lis Adams; Claire Adams; June Forbes; Nick Lloyd; Jane McCartney; Robin Dawson; Stella Dawson; Samantha Miles; Violet Elliott-Mahoney
2. Minutes of the Annual Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meetings held on 23rd April 2017 and Matters Arising:
The Minutes were agreed as an accurate record and they were duly approved.
Proposed by: Liz Pritchard Seconded by: Molly Wickert
There were no Matters Arising.
3. Presentation of the Revised Electoral Roll
The revised Electoral Roll was presented. This had been compiled by Samantha Miles. Her report is included in the Church Year Book. There had been a net increase to the Roll of 9 electors so that the total figure stands at 180 with 35% being resident in the parish; 59% resident outside the parish ‘but habitually attending worship in the parish over at least a six- month period’ and 6% members of another church which ‘subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as well as of the Church of England and habitually attends worship in this Parish’.
The meeting approved the adoption of the revised Electoral Roll – Proposed by: Paddy Moon Seconded by: Molly Wickert. A Vote of Thanks was passed to Samantha Miles for her work in compiling the Roll.
It was noted that next year, 2018-2019, a new Electoral Roll will need to be compiled ‘from scratch’ rather than a revision, as this year, of the existing Roll.
4. Report from the Secretary of the Parochial Church Council:
Note: all reports referred to in the Minutes had been made available prior to the Annual Meeting in the Church Year Book (attached)
Thanks were offered to Nick Lloyd for the report. There were no questions.
5. Presentation of the Audited Accounts (attached) for the year ended 31st December 2017:
Peter Stubbs- Hon. Treasurer reported:
As last year, the Accounts had been inspected by Simon Taylor, the Treasurer of St. George’s, Perry Hill, and passed as representing an accurate record of our finances.
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Income and Expenditure were both down compared to the previous year, however, the predicted small surplus had been realised. On the Buildings Fund – in addition to the usual costs of Repairs and Renewals, there had been expenditure to replace a section of the Hall Floor that periodically ‘bulged. The SABRE fund had seen additional donations of £34,000. £138,000 of work had started mainly involving replacement of the Choir Vestry & Sacristy roofs and works to complete the refurbishment of the drainage system.
We had recently changed our Insurers from Ecclesiastical to Trinitas (owned by Aviva Ltd.) since there was a large saving in cost for virtually identical Cover.
Peter said that we now hoped to move on from a position where we simply covered our costs and ongoing commitments to funding the agreed mission and ministry targets of the church.
Father Michael asked for a breakdown of the sources of the monies spent on the recent roof works. Page 10 of the Accounts showed that we had raised just over £34,000 ourselves and had received just under £67,000 or 70%, so far, of the grant from the government’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund.
Peter thanked Molly Wickert for managing the Church Fund, the Churchwardens for counting the monies each Sunday and Lesley Khatibi and Jane Somers for their sterling work as Premises Manager and Sydenham Life Advertising Manager, respectively.
The Accounts for 2017 were formally adopted by the Annual Meeting. Proposed by: Peter Stubbs Seconded by: Lesley Khatibi. Carried unanimously.
Peter Stubbs was once again thanked for all the work he does as our Treasurer and for the clarity of his presentation of the Accounts.
Molly Wickert was thanked for her work with the Church Fund – our regular giving scheme (see page 27). A small increase on the previous year was very welcome but once again Molly pointed out the need for those who had not increased their monthly donation for some time to act soon so as to offset the fluctuation in income caused by the sums donated by those leaving the Fund not being matched by the income gained from those joining the Fund.
6. Churchwardens’ Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church (page 30)
This year the report formed a separate item from that of the Buildings Issues Group with which, in previous years, it had been combined.
There were no questions on the report.
The BIG report itself appears on pages 28 and 29 of the Year Book. The meeting’s attention was drawn to the new section of the Hall Floor which appeared to have solved the problem of its periodic ‘bulging’; the works carried out to the North and South Porches; repairs to the Organ and the planting of six new fruit trees in the churchyard under the auspices of the ‘Trees for Sacred Spaces’ scheme.
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7. Vicar’s Report as Chair of PCC:
This occupied pages 7-10 of the Year Book. Father Michael pointed out the fact that there had been no weddings and fewer funerals during the past year. This seemed to be a continuing trend. He also alluded to his forthcoming retirement. In response to a question from Pauline Ryall as to whether Father Stephen would be moving from St. Bart’s at approximately the same time, it was hoped that Father Stephen would be at St. Bart’s through Christmas and on to next Easter but this depended on a decision by the Bishop.
Father Stephen’s own report, as Curate, occupies pages 10 -12 of the Year Book.
Joan Forbes, on behalf of members of the congregation, presented very best wishes to Father Michael for the future and stated that he would be sorely missed.
8. Election of Representatives of the Laity to the Parochial Church Council:
This year there were four vacancies on the PCC. In addition, Kenneth Green was standing down as a member of the Deanery Synod so creating a casual vacancy.
The following were duly proposed and nominated to the vacancies on the PCC:
Hilary-Anne Buckhurst Proposed by: Gian Brown Seconded by: Pauline Lloyd
Kenneth Green Proposed by: Paddy Moon Seconded by: Peter Stubbs
Jane Somers Proposed by: Molly Wickert Seconded by: Hazel Carcas
To the casual Vacancy on the Deanery Synod:
Lesley Khatibi Proposed by: Paddy Moon Seconded by: Charlotte Kingston
In the absence of any further nominations, all were declared elected to serve. This left one vacancy to fill on the PCC. Violet Elliott-Mahoney, who was unable to attend this meeting, had expressed a wish to be nominated for PCC membership and will require a Proposer and Seconder in due course.
9. Election of Stewards:
Liz Pritchard stated that we were very short of stewards, a situation sometimes the result of ‘clashes’ between rotas, but the current cohort was excellent and very conscientious. Consequently, more people volunteering to be stewards would be very welcome.
Gian Brown offered her services and Gill Daly was willing to do so but because she often had duties as a Server, in practical terms, it was difficult for her to be a Steward unless the ‘clash’ was resolved.
John Ryall thanked the Servers particularly those younger members of the group who had succeeded in bringing down the average age to 43 and three-quarter years! Ruth Clarke’s report on the Servers can be found on page 32.
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10. Report of the Organisations and Associations of the Church:
Individual reports in the Year Book reveal the wide range of activities and interests involved at St. Bart's. Some particular points and observations were:
Music: Thanks were again offered to Dennis Baugh, Kenneth Green, the Choir and St. Bart’s Singers for their continued contribution. Mention was also made of the successful Organ Recital in aid of the repair fund.
SABRE: Gill Daly briefly emphasised the current, rather depressing position, with respect to the imminent closure of a number of HLF funds. It seemed that we had to meet more criteria for less funding. Thanks were offered to Gill for many hours of work in acting as the ‘lead person’ in our application to HLF and for taking over as Chair of SABRE.
Prayer Forum: a small but effective force; it was emphasised that our corporate prayer should not be confined to the meeting on the first Tuesday of each month.
Safeguarding: Bernard Rice confirmed that progress was being made in the continuing quest to see that DBS checks were completed and that this was now much easier owing to the online application system.
MAP: the group had now completed the second three-year Plan- 2018-2021 and we were seeking to link its targets on ministry and mission with our fund-raising.
Pastoral Teams: Jean Clark observed that the regular tea parties were aimed at everyone and not just regular churchgoers.
Sydenham Life: was now showing a small profit. Thanks were offered to Gill Daly, Jane Somers and Sara Atteby for their contributions to the wonderful 150th Anniversary Exhibition of the magazine. Geoffrey Cave issued a plea for more distributors to come forward.
Social & Fund Raising: Thanks were offered to the Committee for a wide ranging programme of events and, in particular, to the team who provide catering for regular church events such as the Breakfasts and Jumble Sales. The team will lose a significant member when Charlotte Kingston goes. Dennis Baugh thanked Charlotte, especially, for the professional-style design of the Organ Recital programmes.
Premises: Lesley Khatibi was again congratulated on her management of the hiring out of the premises and for the selfless way in which she carried out some of the time- consuming tasks associated with the role –e.g. unlocking and locking up as well as showing interested parties what the premises could offer them.
Brownies: Jayne Newman was thanked for her continuing leadership.
Flowers: Jean Clark thanked those who had contributed to the colourful and varied flower displays throughout the year.
Children’s Church: Lesley Page had proved an inspirational co-ordinator always encouraging those who volunteered for a teaching role. Simon Long had recently urged the formation of a Children and Young
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People’s Committee, together with a Families Forum, to better explore and serve the needs of church families.
Youth Group: fewer meetings and fluctuating attendance. Simon Long and others were investigating the best way to minister to our young people.
Creche: Kenlyn Fleary was again thanked for ensuring that this operated every Sunday.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): a small working party was looking at the church’s obligations under this new legislation which takes effect from 25th May 2018.
11. Any Other Business:
There being no further business, the meeting closed with the Grace at 12.50pm.
Members of the newly constituted PCC were invited to remain behind for a few minutes to arrange the date for the May PCC meeting.
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3. ELECTORAL ROLL
The revised Electoral Roll (ER) for 2019 holds 143 names.
Every six years a new "from scratch" ER is prepared, as was the case this year. As such the revised ER dropped by a total of 37 people (from 180 in 2018). Whilst this is a drop it is a very positive result given many of those 171 names had accumulated over a six year period and individuals may have moved away, begun attendance at another church or deceased.
Last time an ER was compiled from scratch for St. Barts was in 2013 and it resulted in 138 people.
For reference, of the 143 names on the 2019 ER;
* 49% reside in the parish,
* 46% are officially residents outside the parish but habitually attended worship in the parish due the prior six months to enrolment and,
* 5% are members of another Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as well as the Church of England, and habitually attend worship in the parish during the period of six months prior to enrolment.
A copy of the full 2019 ER was available for consultation.
Lastly, Samantha Miles, the Electoral Roll Officer for the last three years, is relocating to Beckenham so a replacement is needed.
Samantha Miles, Church Electoral Roll Officer
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4. REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF THE PCC This report is normally prepared by the Vicar, as Chair of the PCC, but of course this year we are in a vacancy (the term interregnum is now frowned upon, I understand!) so I shall do my best to summarise the main events and issues of 2018. You will, I trust, understand if I address some topics with a degree of brevity, since I was not involved in them in the same depth as Father Michael.
Worship
2018 2017 2016 2015 Sunday communicants 4,606 4,879 5,118 5,062 Average per Sunday 88 94 99 97 Total weekday communicants 742 746 786 774 Baptisms 8 12 18 14 Weddings 0 0 4 1 Funerals 8 7 14 21 Confirmations 1 5 5 5 Admissions to communion 9 2 10 11 Total attendance at all services 9,090 10,664 10,282 10,608
(including all non-communicant attendees at the Eucharist, weddings, funerals, school services, evening services and carol services but not including daily services or concerts)
The trends demonstrated by the figures above are a continuance of those reported by Father Michael last year, in that there is a further drop in the number of Sunday communicants, in line with churches throughout the nation. However, the overall fall in attendance at services and in the number of communicants is partly explained by the fact that, for the last quarter of the year, St. Bartholomew’s was officially ‘in a Vacancy’ following Father Michael’s leaving us on September 30th. Attendance characteristically falls away, to a certain extent, when a Vicar leaves or resigns his post.
We do still have a good regular attendance, however, and this puts us ahead of many churches in the local area. I believe we also have a healthy number of activities going on in the church.
In line with national trends also, the number of weddings and funerals has reduced in recent years as more people select secular ceremonies or weddings in attractive countryside venues.
Highlights of 2018
Retirement of Father Michael
It goes without saying that the biggest change we have had in the last year is the retirement of our vicar of 24 years standing, Michael Kingston, and the departure of the whole family to pastures new in Oxfordshire. We miss the whole family greatly; certainly Father Michael and his caring and competent way of managing things, but also Charlotte, who was involved in so many church activities, and the rest of the family too. His departure has put greater responsibilities on Father Stephen, as Curate, and on Nick
9 St. Bartholomew’s Annual Report 2019 and Paddy, as churchwardens. They are all carrying on extremely capably and coping with the pressure, but I hope that the rest of the St Bartholomew’s family will take a moment to think about the extra duties they have taken on and if they see an opportunity to lend a hand, please do so. I think they deserve a big vote of thanks for shouldering the extra burden without complaint.
The Vacancy
This brings us to “The Vacancy” and you may be wondering what is happening on this front. Rest assured, the wheels are moving, but there are specific procedures that must be followed within the Church of England and work has been going on in the background to progress these, so that we can start the process of identifying a new vicar for St Bart’s as soon as possible.
A number of people were involved in preparing the excellent Parish Profile, which has recently been completed and will be made available to all applicants for the position (and to the congregation). As you will recall, we also asked everyone for their views on what they were looking for in a vicar, and these have been compiled and will be taken into consideration in the recruitment process.
We have now submitted an advertisement to The Church Times and to its electronic job board. We expect applications to be coming in over the next few weeks, after which the shortlisting and interviewing process will start. It is generally thought that September is the favourite time for the clergy to take on a new position, especially those with school age children, and this is currently our anticipated date for having a new vicar on board, as long as we are able to fill the position from the first round of advertising.
The Curate
We have been blessed in having such a capable Curate in Father Stephen and blessed also because we have managed to hang on to him a little bit longer than we might have done, which helps us enormously over our period without a resident Vicar. We acknowledge that sometime soon, he will be off to run his own parish, which he surely deserves, but we hope he will not mind us hoping he is allowed to stay with us a bit longer!
Comings and Goings
We have been delighted to welcome some new families to St Bart’s this year. We have also lost some from the area, including Holly & Simon Long and their family, who were very much involved in church life. We were also very sad to say goodbye to Joy Shaw in November. Joy had been a long-term member of the church and a star of the St Bart’s Choir for many years, until ill health prevented her from taking part. Joy’s passing was commemorated with a celebration of her life in music.
The Building
The work of SABRE has continued during this year, led by Nick Lloyd and Gill Daly, whose contribution must be particularly noted here for the amazing work she has done in putting together successful funding bids and project managing the very onerous task of completing very detailed application forms, liaising with architects and even running up and down the tower several times a week. Having managed to get a
10 St. Bartholomew’s Annual Report 2019 lot of work done on the drainage system and choir vestry roof, etc., we are now in a position where we will soon be starting work on the restoration of the Vulliamy clock and the tower, which will make a big difference to the external appearance of the church and to preserving its structure.
The clock mechanism will be removed and put on display over the summer and a series of activities around the theme of “Taking Back Time” are to be held, bringing many people to the church and involving St Bart’s schoolchildren. There are some exciting events taking place and I do urge you to look out for them and take part!
Thanks
On behalf of the St Bart’s PCC, I should like to thank everyone who take part in ensuring that St Bart’s is the lively and active community it is; Father Stephen and the Churchwardens and Treasurer, of course, our Musical Director, but also all those volunteers who are involved in committees and groups, work with the children, act as servers, acolytes and stewards, make coffee, do flowers, help with church events, etc. etc. Without you, St Bart’s wouldn’t run, so keep up the good work.
Lesley Khatibi, Chair of PCC
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5. THE CURATE’S REPORT
By right and custom, a curacy is three years long, so it is an unexpected pleasure to be within sight of completing my fourth year here at St Bartholomew. When Fr Michael made it clear that he was planning to retire, the Bishop of Southwark was very keen that I stay on until Easter 2019. Now six months on, whilst it has been exhausting, it has been a true learning experience, and I am very grateful for it.
An hour after hitting 'send' on my final essay to the diocese last July, almost delirious with relief, I was on the train to Oxford, to represent the Prayer Book Society, and to partake of three days of lectures at the Theology Faculty, sitting at the feet of such giants as Bishop NT Wright (Biblical Roots of Trinitarian Theology), John Behr (The Son of Man in the Gospel of John) Bishop Kallistos Ware (Models of Salvation in Christ), and Archbishop Rowan Williams. Indeed, the most unusual event of my diary last year was representing the Prayer Book Society at The Prince of Wales's 70th Birthday Garden Reception at Buckingham Palace. However, a chance conversation at this event led to an invitation to contribute to the 2019 Great War Centenary at Wells Cathedral where I was invited to speak on my research on Church of England and the Great War. (This was also Rosie's first time accompanying me on one of these little adventures and a little glimpse of the surreal existence of the 'vicar's wife.')
In early September I helped organise a day festival for the Prayer Book Society at St Bartholomew the Great in the City, where we heard an address on The Prayer Book and the State. In late September, I headed to the Royal Agricultural University, where I helped organise the Prayer Book Society Annual Conference - once again fully booked - where we had learned talks on The Language of the Book of
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Common Prayer; The theological battle behind Anglican Good in the mid-twentieth century; The Prayer Book and Music; and The Use of the Book of Common Prayer in the English Novel.
Of course, Fr Michael left a week later at Michaelmas, and from then on my education truly began, and any extra-curricular luxuries swiftly falling away! I now realise the shift in the church year that occurs at this time - the gentle summer changes into an incessant rhythm of feasts and festivals, which simply does not let up. Harvest; Dedication; All Saints; All Souls; Remembrance; Christ the King; Advent; Christmas; Epiphany; Candlemas; Lent; Holy Week; Easter; all with barely a week or so between them.
I beg particular forgiveness for the first few months. I found the change in pace from essentially being always told what to do, to try to make sure as much as was possible happened when it needed to do so, quite an astonishing shift in gear. I am overwhelmingly grateful to the Churchwardens who have put up my endless emails at all times of the day and night, and who have freely given of their time, each week to sit down with me, and go over the previous week, and look ahead to the next. They have also kindly permitted me to step back from many of the committees I stood on whilst in my curacy, so I could concentrate on preparing services and looking ahead to future parishes. Particular thanks must go to Gill Rice who kindly took on the editing of the news-sheet, and who has taken my late night emails with final additions and amendments with grace. Fr Michael provided me with a large archive of material for service sheets, and has always answered my questions via email - we've met up in person twice, and he looks forward to being eventually invited to my licensing at a new parish. My colleagues who I trained with, especially those in the years above me, have been a fantastic resource, regularly providing me with a listening ear, and giving me an impression of how things work in their various parishes.
I am grateful for the Wardens allowing me to use custom-made booklets for all-age services, feasts and other festivals. Especially after Christmas, I am more convinced that these are very useful for those who attend our services less regularly. They also help for those of us - such as myself - with poor vision, and I have greatly appreciated using the large-print orders of service. (A vote of thanks to the good people of the parish of St Luke's Woodside, who have allowed us to use their printing facilities at cost price.) Around this time I also dabbled with modern technology and started recording my Sunday sermons, and the off-the-cuff homilies delivered during the week.
The new year saw me a little exhausted from Christmas, and so it was a delight to welcome a host of visiting preachers: 20th Jan (Fr Sam Dennis, St Luke's, Woodside); 27th Jan (Fr Matt Drummond, St Stephen's, Purfleet, Chelmsford); 3rd Feb, Candlemas (Fr Gareth Davies, All Saints Dulwich); 10th February, Education Sunday (The Rev’d Cecile Schnyder, St Clement’s Dulwich); 3rd Feb (The Rev’d Mae Christie, All Saints, Tooting); and 24th March (Canon Joabe Cavalcanti, St Barnabas, Mitcham). The Rev'd Dr Michael Brooks (Area Dean) has been fantastic assistance and always able to provide guidance - he too has helped out with our preaching rota. Whilst the 8 am Book of Common Prayer service is probably my favourite service of the week, Fr Paul Tiernan (St Philip, Sydenham) has been kind enough to offer regular cover, and I know this is greatly appreciated by that particular community of worshippers. We hoped to have Bishop Karowei as our preacher for Palm Sunday, but he was unable to be with us due to a stay in
12 St. Bartholomew’s Annual Report 2019 hospital. At the time of writing, we hope to have Bishop Tim Thornton (Bishop at Lambeth, Chief of Staff to Archbishop Justin Welby) with us to preach and confirm two candidates. Looking ahead, we hope to have Bishop Christopher with us to preach on the Ascension (30th May.)
Fr Michael was very keen that the custom of St Bartholomew presenting candidates for Confirmation each year should be continued, and in late February we formed a little group. We have previously run courses over several months; this time we have used a material from a six-week course still waiting to be published next year— Time for Christ by Fr Thomas Plant (Priest Vicar at Lichfield Cathedral & Chaplain of Lichfield Cathedral School) - and our experience here will contribute to the final revision of the text. As regards the Bible Study group, our continuing experience of studying the Gospel of St Mark has been one of the joys of my curacy, and I think that in the last year we have established quite a good pattern, tacking many of the most interesting sections of the gospel. We are now approaching the Passion, and I hope that the group will continue a study of another gospel under the next Vicar. I am incredibly grateful for all those who have given up their time to attend and to contribute.
It has been a pleasure to work with Dennis in the forming of our worship over the last six months. We have been able to occasionally introduce hymns with which the congregation might not have been familiar. These have come from such varied sources as The English Hymnal (1933), the latest revision of Ancient & Modern (2013), and Psalms for the Common Era (2018). Beyond the parish, I was re-elected as a member of Diocesan Synod, and also the Archdeacon’s Mission and Pastoral Committee - a group which offers advice to the diocese on the suspension of presentations to a benefice, pastoral reorganisation, local ecumenical projects, and Bishop’s Mission Orders.
On a personal note, it was a bittersweet experience to read through the draft of the parish profile. It was an excellent document, and I am sure it will attract some very able candidates. Everything in the profile felt very familiar, but at the same time, I understood that the diocese has a strong policy of not permitting curates to apply for the parishes in which they trained. Reading the profile, I am not quite yet the candidate that you need, but I look forward to seeing the faith continue to be preached and taught here in the years to come.
I remain grateful for your patience with me, and for all that I have learned in my time with you, especially in this unexpected bonus year in which I have able to dabble in being less than a vicar, but a little more than just the curate.
Fr Stephen Edmunds, Curate
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6. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
The PCC meets 9 times during the year. There are no meetings in August and December or in April when the Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting takes place. The first meeting is held in May after the Annual Meeting.
The PCC discusses and makes decisions on a wide variety of topics and issues during the year, mainly prompted by the reports from its various sub-committees. However, certain business items come up for discussion every year.
These are: the approval of a draft Budget for the next year and the formal adoption of the Accounts for the previous year; the reaffirmation and approval of our Safeguarding Policy for the following year; confirmation of our ‘Parish Pledge’ (the amount we contribute to the Diocesan Budget through the Parish Support Fund) and making available to PCC members the Church’s Log Book and Inventory which are kept up to date by the Churchwardens.
At its first meeting in May, after the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM), the PCC welcomes new members and those who are returning to serve a second 3- year term of office. This year Jane Somers, Kenneth Green, Hilary Buckhurst were welcomed as new members and were joined later in the year by Martin Haines, and Dennis Baugh, filling casual vacancies, and Pauline Lloyd replacing Iona Gerald who had declined to stand for a 2nd term.
Below are some of the major (and minor) items discussed at PCC meetings during the past year. Bold type indicates business to do with the Vacancy caused by Father Michael’s retirement.
Credit Card reader purchased to enable donations to be made other than by cheque or cash. Project to restore Clock and upper levels of Tower approved with proposed MAY start date Spring 2019. Report on Newcomers Evening received. Review of Church security reported.
Documents for PCC approval re: GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) circulated. Resolution to contribute £61,500 as our Parish Fund Pledge passed. Father JUNE Michael shares first thoughts on his planned retirement. Brief look at the process for appointing his successor.
Treasurer ‘flags up’ potential shortfall in Budget if Trinitas, our new Insurers, insist on re-installation of Lightning Conductor and income from lettings has fallen. Video of JULY recently discovered original Tower staircase discovered by Gill Daly & Bernard Rice shown to PCC. PCC authorises expenditure on ‘Taking Back Time’ project. ‘Outstanding’ grade awarded in recent SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican & Methodist Schools) Inspection at St. Bart’s School reported. 1st look at potential ‘Partnership Giving’ scheme.
Hamish Parker (Parker Trust) donates further £20K to ‘Taking Back Time’ project
rd SEPT (appeal launched 23 September). Trinitas drops requirement for re-instatement of Lightning Conductor.
Vote of Thanks (first of many subsequent tributes) passed to Father Michael for his
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work in Chairing the PCC.
Lesley Khatibi (Deputy Chair) takes over as Chair of PCC. Meeting with the Archdeacon, Alastair Cutting and Area Dean, Michael Brooks, to introduce the OCT ‘Vacancy Process’. Parish Profile sub-committee set up. PCC notes repairs needed to the church perimeter wall which Lewisham Council will carry out. Allison George appointed as Foundation Governor at St. Bart’s School.
Security at the Vicarage discussed. Parish Profile team look at Content; Strengths;
NOV Challenges. ‘Eligibility for Baptism’ rules adopted. Draft Budget for 2019 approved. Report to PCC on meeting with Vince Buchanan of Lewisham Council re: repairs to perimeter wall.
PCC agrees that Congregation’s views on qualities, skills and experience needed in a new Vicar will be sought via a ‘Suggestion Box’ at back of church. JAN New cost figures for ‘Taking Back Time’ project discussed- further PCC Resolution passed. Future arrangements for Children’s Church and Creche discussed. PCC authorises extension of lease at 1 Ashleigh Court. PCC authorises Nigel Rushton to undertake 8 more Maintenance Days in 2019. Revised GDPR documents circulated- Data Privacy Notice; Data Retention Policy; Data Processing Statement.
PCC notes draft Parish Profile nearing completion. Vote of Thanks to Nigel Rushton for fitting of steel ‘nets’ (security grilles) to vulnerable church windows. David Roberts elected as FEB Foundation Governor to fill casual vacancy caused by Carl Erdly’s resignation.
Approval and Adoption of Accounts for 2018 (to be presented to the Annual Meeting). Section 11 Meeting to choose PCC’s two lay representatives to take part in selection MARCH process for new Vicar; to decide whether or not to advertise the Vacancy; to request a ‘Statement from the Bishop re: the needs of the Diocese and the wider needs of the church in relation to the benefice (Vacancy)’. Formal adoption & approval of Parish Profile.
Approval of Safeguarding Audit Action Plan and authorisation of St. Bartholomew’s Safeguarding Policy for 2019.
Nick Lloyd PCC Secretary
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8. CHURCH FUND
Sadly the total regular giving was down on the previous year, mainly due to people moving away or cancelling their donation. The financial loss from these was £313.50 a month but we only gained two new members at a total financial gain of £60. Only one person has increased their donation by a small amount.
This highlights the real need for church members to regularly reconsider their giving. Some monthly donations have not increased since the year 2000 which is when I took over the Church Fund. It’s possible that some have not increased since before that date. I think unless you have retired recently most of us have had increases in earnings or pensions over the last nineteen years, so come on everyone. Be generous and increase your giving to, at the very least, the price of a monthly hairdo, phone bill or theatre/4 cinema tickets. Those couples with two incomes could each make a contribution from their income – hopefully up to the five percent of disposable income recommended by the diocese.
There is also still a significant number of our congregation who have not joined the Church Fund; whose donations are not made either via their bank or in a Gift Aid envelope. This means that if they pay tax we cannot get that tax back via the Gift Aid scheme. I must emphasize that anyone can set up regular payments to the church regardless of whether they pay tax.
Come on St. Bart’s – surely we can do better!
Molly Wickert (Church Fund and Gift Aid treasurer)
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9. CHURCH REPORT ON THE GOODS, FABRIC AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
INCORPORATING REPORT OF THE BUILDINGS ISSUES GROUP
Once again, we have had a busy, interesting and eventful year involving a number of changes at St. Bart’s which we are still working through.
It was no secret that Fr. Michael intended to retire in 2018, after being with us for 24 years. The date of his last service, on 30th September, marked 44 years since he became a deacon and 43 year since he was priested. It was difficult for all of us to think of St. Bart’s without Michael, Charlotte and family at the Vicarage but we determined we would give them a night and celebratory supper to remember. We achieved that aim with distinction, thanks to the support and hard work of all involved. The church was packed; many past members attended, as well as representatives from local organisations and, of course, Deanery colleagues. It was a memorable, happy but sad occasion as we marked the end of an era.
During the Vacancy, we have been fortunate to have the services of our Curate, Fr. Stephen Edmonds, who has eased our work load considerably and, with us, has been on a steep learning curve. Thank you for your commitment, hard work and all you have given to St. Bart's Fr. Stephen. We will miss you when you move on to pastures new.
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Thanks are due to Gill Daly, Molly Wickert, Roland Bates and Nick Lloyd for the excellent work they have done in producing the Parish Profile. Now that the PCC has approved the document we will be able to advertise for a new Vicar. We hope to have a new incumbent by September - and a rewired, refurbished and redecorated Vicarage for the new resident(s).
Before and after Fr. Michael's departure Parish Life carried on as usual, as you will see from the reports. January, 2018 saw us celebrate 150 years of our Parish Magazine Sydenham Life. In November, our choir was joined by members of other choirs for a performance of the Rutter Requiem. The performance was followed by supper and the magnificent total of £1,523 was raised for ‘Help for Heroes’.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the staff team and members of the congregation for your encouragement, support and prayers which are greatly valued.
The Building Issues Group (BIG) continues to meet approximately every two months and always has a list of things that need doing, some urgently and others less so, but as soon as possible.
The members of the committee are, Nick Lloyd, who has chaired the meeting since Michael's departure, Nigel Rushton, Bernard Rice, Marion Nisbet, Winston Virgo, Gill Daly, Paddy Moon, and Peter Stubbs. The amount of knowledge and experience available to us from members of BIG never ceases to amaze us.
Some of the work undertaken in the past year includes:
• Overhaul and repair to the Sound System. • Measures taken to ensure compliance with London Fire Brigade (LFB) Fire Safety Audit, servicing and/or replacement of fire extinguishers. • Kitchen professionally "deep cleaned." • Hall Floor cleaned and sanded to match original section of the floor. • Church carpet cleaned. • Coloured filters installed on floodlights and faulty perimeter lighting replaced. • South Porch flagstones lifted and floor levelled to permit easier access for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
As on previous occasions, we are especially grateful to Nigel and Bernard, not only for their knowledge but also their willingness to "come to the rescue " or "sort it" when called upon and both make a great contribution to the maintenance of the church building. Additionally Nigel also completes 8 regular "Maintenance days" throughout the calendar year.
Nick Lloyd and Paddy Moon
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10. SABRE
First of all, I would like to thank Nick Lloyd for setting up this committee and running it so successfully for the past few years. We would not have reached the point we are now at without his decision to push us into tackling the urgent restoration issues head on when he did. His report last year talked about the increasing difficulties we were facing in our applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund, historically the required first point of call for anyone looking for match funding. Following the APCM, it became increasingly clear that our difficulties in that regard were increasing further, and not only could we not comply with increasingly stringent conditions, but the cost of any attempt was beginning to outweigh the value of any funding we might have been able to achieve from them.
So we abandoned our HLF application altogether and said goodbye to our consultant. I do not consider our time with her was wasted however. She helped us, both in our thoughts on how to maximise the use of this precious building for our parish, and also to grow in our confidence that we were able to go it alone.
Stripping out the costs of complying with HLF conditions and focusing on applications elsewhere became our official policy last summer and by Christmas we had raised sufficient funds to be able to plan the restoration of the upper reaches of the tower, the clock and the bell. Working together with our architects we have also identified a number of other high-level repairs requiring attention. Confirmed contractor quotes for the tower work are being sought at the time of writing. We should know soon whether we can tackle some of this extra work within the scope of this project. It would be splendid if that were possible. If not, we will have a properly specified ‘hit list’ of extra work for the future.
To celebrate the restoration we are holding a series of events between 29 June and 7 July to include a Gala concert by The Queen’s Six singers who are based at Windsor Castle, a second concert by the amazing South London Jazz Orchestra, two specialist talks and an afternoon designed to introduce art in a fun, and accessible way. In addition, during September we plan to bring together young children from Lammas Green Nursery and residents at Castlebar Care Home for a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – an experiment which all parties hope will lead to more joint ventures.
Finally, later this year we intend to produce a report, which we hope will be useful to our new vicar. This will summarise what we have achieved and outline our hopes and thoughts for the future of the building with its potential for addressing the needs of our local community.
Gill Daly, Chair of SABRE
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11. PRAYER FORUM
The group has continued to meet monthly on the first Tuesday of the month throughout the year, except during August. The meetings are held in church during the summer months and at a Churchwarden’s home during the winter. They provide an opportunity to worship and to pray for the needs of Saint
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Bartholomew’s, its parish and the wider world. Sessions, which are informal, start with a brief discussion on a topic or prayer that is relevant to the day. Prayer which follows is either written in advance, extempore or silent. Sometimes prayer requests from the prayer board in church form the basis of petitions. All are welcome to attend, and further details are available from the Churchwardens.
Stuart Forbes
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12. THE WEDNESDAY GROUP
Before he retired last autumn Michael Kingston wrote in the News Sheet that he was delighted to announce the start of a daytime study course to be known as The Wednesday Group which would continue during the vacancy. This grew out of the Lent study course he had run earlier in the year. This informal discussion Group meets in church and has held two five week sessions, the first in September last year and a recent Lent course during March this year.
Stuart Forbes.
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13. MUSIC
The six choir members continue to lead the bulk of the services. They loyally attend weekly choir practices and do a stirring job of keeping our small choir going. The retirement of Charlotte Kingston has reduced the soprano line to one singer. An anthem has been sung every Sunday. The music has ranged from plainsong to four part harmony anthems. As well as the Sunday 10.00 Eucharist, the choir have led the singing for the Carol Service, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Holy Saturday, Ascension Day and three Choral Evensongs. These services have been accompanied on the organ.
The nine members of St Bartholomew's Singers have led the seven all age services throughout the year. They have been positioned at the front of the church and these services have been accompanied on the piano. They lead hymns that are of a lighter type and sing folk-like or gospel songs during the communion in two part harmony. These singers have successfully merged with the choir on such occasions as Palm Sunday, Easter Day and the Carol Service. They have occasionally sung at other Sunday Eucharists with the choir to make up for the absence of the soprano line within the choir.
A joint organ recital was successfully given by Dennis Baugh and the Rev Michael Kingston to raise money for the organ fund. It raised approximately £800.
Dennis Baugh - Music Director
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14. STEWARDS
We are grateful to our stewards for their continued commitment to welcoming all who come to St. Bart’s. It is not always recognised that the quiet, unobtrusive service they give is an important and invaluable part of church life that can make all the difference between a visitor coming back because they felt welcomed or going elsewhere. The stewards have to be sensitive to the needs of each individual who comes through the door, whether or not the person is a member of Bart’s. They also notice if a regular member of the congregation is missing, if anyone is upset and needs to talk or whether someone just wants to be alone as happened recently; they know “when to speak and when be silent” and relay any concerns as appropriate. We are pleased that in the past year three men have joined the team One member of the team has stepped down and a new member will have joined us by the time you read this report. If you would like to be a steward please let us know.
Liz Pritchard and Paddy Moon
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15. SERVERS
A big thank you to all the serving team who have shown such enthusiasm and commitment during this last year.
We welcomed 5 new members to the team , Faith, Ntuuse, Martin, Jaryd and Jaeden with Naomi who served for the last time in September at Father Michael’s retirement service, leaving the team. It was lovely to see a previous team member, Phoebe Dax, as MC at that service.
I was very sad to hear of the death of Valerie Olufeko in the Autumn. Valerie had been a valued and much loved team member until ill health had forced her to step down.
Ruth Clarke
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16. 8 O’CLOCK SERVICE
Anyone who saw those present on a cold, wet and dark early January morning this year when there were four people present may perhaps have wondered why this service survives or, they may have again of the “two or three gathered together . . . “ and given thanks.
Numbers fluctuate but by the beginning of Lent had returned to the more usual eleven or twelve. The fact that people know there will be an early service at a fixed time means that, whatever their circumstances, there will be the opportunity to come together in quietness to praise God, to pray for the local community, their extended families and friends past and present and for the concerns of the wider world.
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Fr Stephen and our good friend and neighbour Fr Paul from St. Philip’s have ensured, not without difficulty, that this service continues and their prepared sermons are always thought provoking.
For this and so many other blessings we are grateful.
Alma Hunt
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17. PASTORAL TEAM
The Pastoral Team met on a quarterly basis to discuss general pastoral issues and to consider pastoral matters in relation to people who are in need of help. The members of the Team during the last year were Fr Michael (until the end of September 2018), Fr Stephen, Jean Clark, Paddy Moon, Liz Pritchard and Yvonne Springer. Please let a member of the Team know if you are aware of people who are sick or would appreciate a visit or some help. All personal information is treated in the strictest confidence. Cards have been sent to members of the congregation who are in hospital, sick, bereaved and to members of the congregation who are celebrating a special birthday or anniversary. We know from feedback that this is appreciated by the recipients.
Tea Parties provide an opportunity for informal conversation in a relaxed atmosphere as well as the opportunity to enjoy light refreshments. Thank you to Charlotte Kingston who provided a lovely selection of cakes; her presence will be missed as well as her cakes. We will be resuming the Tea Parties after a short break over the winter and the dates will be publicised on the weekly News Sheet, in Sydenham Life and on the notice board. If you haven’t been before please come along and try it. We would like to encourage people who are not members of the congregation to come to the tea parties. If you know someone who would like a cuppa and a chat please invite them to come along.
Jean Clark, Southwark Pastoral Auxiliary
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18. WEST LEWISHAM DEANERY SYNOD
There were 4 meetings during the year. The main topics discussed were:-
Ecology and its future on the world was the main event of one meeting
Bishop Karowei attended one meeting and talked about a shared mission across the Deanery which was the main focus throughout the year.
At this meeting Rev. Canon Jay Colwill talked about what our churches can contribute to the Deanery Mission. He gave the meeting 3 main headings to look at ‘Walking’, ‘Welcoming’ and ‘Growing’. He encouraged us all to share resources and information and to trust each other without feeling threatened. This was followed by a discussion with ideas on how to achieve a clearer model of a Deanery MAP.
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Another meeting was attended by the Deanery representative mission support officer who talked about how we can make our parishes greener.
Marion Nisbet
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19. SAFEGUARDING
The Safeguarding committee currently has 8 members consisting of the 2 Safeguarding officers Lisa Fannon and Bernard Rice, Fr. Stephen, Paddy Moon, Nick Lloyd, Hilary-Anne Buckhurst , Lesley Page and Kenlyn Fleary. Over the last 12 months the committee has again been reviewing the Disclosure & Barring Service forms, currently held with respect to volunteers and church officers to ensure that they are still valid, in addition to monitoring the applications for new volunteers. This review identified that some of the certificates had expired, and over the last year the Safeguarding Officers have been able to ensure that most volunteers have current valid DBS checks. To further this cause, and obtain 100% compliance the committee is continuing to work on this aspect over the coming months, and that the various church leaders continue to ensure that volunteers do not participate unless a validated DBS form has been obtained. It is hoped that we will be able to arrange another training day run by the Diocese later in the year
Bernard Rice
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20. CHILDREN’S CHURCH
It’s been a good year once again in the Sunday School. We have two classes 3 to 6 years and 7 to 11 years.
We did experience a few problems, as some long standing teachers were unable to continue teaching the children owing to work commitments, and/or personal reasons. However, after
Father Stephen announced in church that the Sunday School may not be able to continue without help many parents offered there support.
The number of children attending Sunday School is growing each week. We have on average of between eighteen and twenty children now coming each week sometimes more, and more would be most welcome.
The loyalty cards are still being used and the children receive a gift for good attendance.
The gift is presented by Father Stephen after the notices have been read by Nick the Church Warden. Dennis has kindly agreed that the children will sing a song to the congregation every other week if possible. “The children really love singing to the congregation”. They will have a practice run with Dennis on the day.
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Last year I asked the older children in the Sunday School group if they would like to be helpers and perhaps in time teachers. They were very excited about this and kindly agreed to be helpers when they could if their school work allowed.
I would like to thank all teachers and helpers that have brought us through another year, we now have a great team once again. I would also like to thank them for their support, suggestions, and idea’s that they have bought to the group. We all agreed if possible that we will meet two or three times a year with Father Stephen or the new priest when appointed.
I would also like to thank Father Stephen, the church wardens and everyone for their continued support.
Lesley Page
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21. CRÉCHE
The crèche rota was organised by Kenlyn up until February 2019. Crèche was held every Sunday in the church vestry. It was for those who are too young to go to Sunday school; children 0 - 3 or 4 years old.
The crèche is continuing to run with the parents staying with their children; myself and the creche helpers put out the mat with the good variety of toys and put the toys away before the Lord's prayer.
I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Celia, Rebecca, Tracey and Janet who had helped me with the Crèche.
Ms Kenlyn Fleary
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22. 4 TH SYDENHAM BROWNIE UNIT ANNUAL REPORT
16 BROWNIES, 2 UNIT HELPERS
We have been very busy over the last year growing in Brownie numbers, having day trips out and using the new guiding programme of new interest badges, skill builders and unit meeting activities.
In June we visited the Guide Headquarters for a morning of activities about mammals making a simple paper and split pin puppet, using animal print paper to make a rain shaker and a mammal in a jar amongst them. In the afternoon we visited the Natural History Museum learning more about mammals.
In September we started on the new Brownie programme deciding to do the Express Myself theme. So far we have learnt, as a unit, to join together to tell a story with each Brownie contributing a sentence at a time, making sock puppets with names and personalities, taking everyday objects and giving them special gifts for everyone in the unit to decide if they can go in the imagination museum.
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In their sixes they have been learning the British Sign Language (BSL), the phonetic alphabet, different ways of communicating and using investigative skills to find out information being just a few examples.
In December we visited the Guide Headquarters for a morning of Christmas activities. We made cards with button decorations, marshmallow, chocolate button, rolo and coloured icing snowmen on sticks, a green pompom Christmas character and a Christmas material wreath.
In January we went, early on a Saturday morning, to a special viewing of the Mary Poppins Returns film at the Odeon, Beckenham and in April we will be visiting the Guiding campsite in Cudham, Kent to have adventures in the woods, taking part in explorations and trails using codes and compasses.
We continue to take part in the together at ten church services held in St Bartholomew’s church.
Jayne Newman, Brownie Leader
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23. PREMISES BOOKINGS
2018 has been a reasonable stable year for lettings, though we still have some unfilled capacity which we would like to hire out Our regular hirers through the year have remained the same; these are the pre- school group (Lammas Green Nursery at St Bart’s) who occupy the hall on Monday to Friday during school hours; the Brownies, Eos Dance, Destress with Tai Chi and the children’s French class, which has recently extended to offer both French and Spanish lessons.
We have availability on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and have had some interest from people wanting to run regular classes, but these have not been confirmed. I believe the new specialised yoga facility in the new development in upper Sydenham may be putting some teachers off starting classes elsewhere.
In addition to regular hires, the hall is a popular venue for children’s parties, resident association AGMs and other events
The church is also regularly hired out for various reasons. It is routinely used as a polling station and we anticipate this will continue for the foreseeable future. We have two children’s music groups who hold concerts in the church monthly (Bach to Baby) or 2-monthly (Baby Broadway) and these organizations have now been with us for several years.
As a beautiful setting with a great acoustic for music, we remain a popular venue for local musicians, ensembles and orchestras to perform. Masumi Yamamoto has initiated a very enjoyable Sydenham Concerts series at the church and those attending have enjoyed hearing internationally acclaimed musicians performing a variety of repertoire. Asako Ogawa and South London Symphonic Winds are others who hire the church regularly as a performance venue.
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Several local piano and violin teachers find us an excellent venue to hold their end of term pupils’ concerts and we have also been booked this year for wedding blessings, school reunions, memorial services and other events. St Bart’s School hold services at the church about once a term and Sydenham School and St Dunstan’s College have both used us for carol services.
We have also held a number of our own events during the year. These have included the usual jumble sale and Christmas Fair, tea afternoons, breakfasts and Lent lunches. We of course also had a very big event in September to mark Father Michael’s retirement and catered for a large guest list. In November, we joined forces with London Sings! and singers from Dulwich Players and elsewhere for a very successful event in aid of Help for Heroes, featuring WWII readings and a performance of Rutter’s Requiem, and raising over £1,500 for the charity.
We hope this year to continue with all our regular hirers, be a venue of choice for musicians and ensembles and fill the current vacant hire periods, in order to further contribute to the budget.
Lesley Khatibi
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24. SYDENHAM LIFE MAGAZINE
Overview
Sydenham Life, the free Parish Magazine of St Bartholomew’s Church, Westwood Hill, Sydenham, London. It has existed, in one form or another, since 1st January 1868. It is an important outreach magazine published in colour ten times a year (no January or August issues). It is delivered by hand to 3,500 households by an army of volunteers. It is also available online. The magazine covers Parish affairs and appeals to all age groups: the general public, non-church attenders and church attenders. Its features are topical, interesting and informative. Feedback on advertisers, events and topics is most welcome. The deadline for articles to the Editor is 1st of the month eg.1st April for the May magazine.
Many of our advertisers have been renewing their business with us for years because we have a proven ability to reach local people.
The advertising covers the cost of printing the magazine.
Editorial Team - Editor: Geoffrey Cave, Advertising Manager: Jane Somers, Distribution Manager: Ope Otudeko, Distribution Manager’s Assistant: Yvonne Springer, Artwork & Design: Hal Bannister, Book Articles: Roland Bates.
Associates –Church Representative: Fr Stephen Edmonds, Chair/PCC member: Jane Somers, Website: Gill Daly, Adverts for Church Events: Lesley Khatibi, St Bartholomew’s Church Treasurer: Peter Stubbs, Proof Reader & Article writer: Molly Wickert, Floodlighting: Claire Adams, Printers: Phillips Duplicators Ltd. Bromley.
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Packers and Distributers: numerous volunteers from the congregation and general public.
Many thanks to Canon Michael Kingston for his 24years of wonderful writing for Sydenham Life. We wish him well in his retirement. His whole family are greatly missed. Advertising Manager Jane Somers was elected the Chair of Sydenham Life. The Sydenham Life Cover page article has now been produced by Curate Stephen Edmonds, Father Michael (Oxfordshire) and Church Warden Nick Lloyd. ‘From the Editor’ section continues with Geoffrey Cave.
Changes in the Sydenham Life Team: Our wonderful Designer Sara Atteby left for Canada. Gill Daly (previous Editor) kindly took over. Hal Bannister then took up the Designer post, is sharpening the adverts and producing a new Media Pack. The sizes of the adverts have been tweaked and two new sizes have been introduced. We also welcome the Distribution Manager’s Assistant Yvonne Springer who is excellent at recruiting volunteer Distributers.
Editorial
Sydenham Life is the parish magazine for St Bart’s. It is a totally volunteer enterprise with a mission to educate and inform. A number of the volunteers don’t attend St Bart’s yet they contribute their time by writing articles and delivering the magazine. When Sara left as our Design Manager, immediately Gill Daly stepped into the breach and designed the magazine. Gill does many things in the church and so I asked for volunteers. Hal Bannister, who lives in the parish, contacted me to say he was interested. He has been a welcome addition to the team. Sydenham Life could not exist without its volunteers, church members and local community. Editor Geoffrey Cave.
Advertising and Costs
Advertising is to inform and invite the local population to events and classes available in St Bartholomew’s Church premises and to promote local business.
Payment for Adverts are required in advance to the “PCC of St Bartholomew Sydenham” preferably using the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) online bank.
Advert costs vary depending on size 1/3 page=£90, 1/4page=£80, 1/6page=£50 1/12page=£30 and SmallAd text only/100characters=Free for 3 issues (when space allows) then £10 per issue. All adverts can still be designed free of charge. A notice in each Sydenham Life Publication gives a Trading Standards Recommendation.
Income generated from advertising in the magazine pays for its publication.
Jan 2018-Jan 2019 Income=£3840 Costs=£3740 Balance = £100 (despite all advertisers having a refund caused by a November 2018 magazine printing error).
Expenses: Sydenham Life Magazine costs to individuals – none claimed at present.
Many thanks for the invaluable feedback from Advertisers, Clients and the general public enabling continual improvement to the Sydenham Life advertising service.
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Distribution
Sydenham Life Magazine packing and distribution is still done in the same method employed since August 2016 when we switched printers. In order to reduce cost we rely on and organise volunteers from the congregation to pack the magazines into bundles, label them for each distributor and lay them out in a coherent order so they can be collected from the Church and dispatched within the Parish.
This exercise typically takes place on the last Saturday of every month with the exception of the 2 months where the magazine is not published.
It is fair to say that one of the challenges has been getting volunteers to come forward to help with distribution. In particular, the past 12 months have been testing, due to various reasons we lost quite a few volunteers. At its worst I had to distribute over 6 rounds each month which in addition to other responsibilities became very time consuming. In recognition of this, the role of Assistant Distribution Manager was created and taken up by Yvonne Springer. Yvonne and other members of the Sydenham Life team have been very helpful in securing new recruits and I am in the process of integrating them into Sydenham life distribution.
In the future I would like to review the materials we use in bundling the rounds and consider other cost/time effective, environmentally friendly methods/alternatives.
I would like to thank each and everyone involved in this joint effort. Ope Otudeko Distribution Manager
Future - Sydenham Life continues to inform the public during the Vacancy (Interregnum) while we look forward to the appointment of a new Vicar.
Editor – Geoffrey Cave Jane Somers – Advertising Manager Ope Otudeko – Distribution Manager ______
25. SOCIAL & FUND RAISING
Over the last twelve months, anticipating a very busy Autumn, we decided to hold just one jumble sale in the spring, rather than the two we have managed in recent years. This raised an excellent sum for general funds, in excess of £1,000, which shows just how important an event it is.
We again organised an extremely pleasant picnic in Crystal Palace in September. This is not attended by a large number of people, but those who come do seem to enjoy it. If people have ideas as to an alternative summer event, or if you can think of ways to attract more people to this one (particularly those with children) we would love to hear from you.
At the end of September we had to play our part in the sad farewell to Michael and Charlotte, organising the catering to feed, if not the five thousand, then a number that seemed fairly close to it! Many thanks to all those who contributed.
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On 10 November we commemorated the centenary of the Armistice with an event that brought together three elements: a display on the men whose names are included on our memorial; a performance of Rutter’s Requiem involving members from the congregation, London Sings and the Dulwich Players; and another mass catering event.
Our Christmas Fair, which once more utilised the singing skills of St. Bart’s School Choir was extremely successful and, raised a splendid £1,900.
We continued to provide the popular and regular breakfasts between the 8am to 10am services and would always welcome help from anyone in the congregation. We were only able to provide one Lent lunch though due to other commitments and a fall in the number of people who attended the first.
These events do sometimes throw into sharp focus a problem that dogs many voluntary organisations. We need more helpers. We have shown that, when we have enough people helping, we are capable of not only putting on a good show but of having fun while doing it. Moreover, when we are not overstretched, our visitors enjoy themselves even more because they can see that we are enjoying welcoming them.
Finally, we will be hosting a series of events together with SABRE to celebrate this year’s restoration work and would welcome any and all help please!!
Gill Daly
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26. HOLY TRINITY & ST BARTS MOTHERS’ UNION
The Mothers’ Union branch is a joint one between the two churches. St. Bart’s is the older of the two, but in July we celebrated 70 years at Holy Trinity with a party, and an enrolment of a new member Catherine Bartlett. Our Deanery Leader came to join us.
In June, Despina Francois told us about her visit to China. She visited some Christian churches which are very repressed. Michael and Charlotte who have been members of the Mothers’ Union retired to Bichester in Oxfordshire. We had a party to say farewell in September. We shall miss them very much.
In October Ann Wright, who is a past diocesan, President gave a talk titled “Mary Summer’s footsteps’. She was the founder of Mothers’ Union in 1876.
In November we held a Saturday Cake Stall to raise money for one project. We support the Lewisham Womens’ Refuge project by giving Christmas presents and Easter Eggs for the children and Mothers.
We are run by a committee of four from Holy Trinity & St. Bart’s. It would be great to have more help from our members to organise events, but we do acknowledge that the younger members are still working. We long to have an official leader with new ideas to bring to the Branch as our current leader has filled the post for over 30 years off and on!
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Our members are worldwide and number over 4 million in 83 countries. We meet monthly on the 3rd Wednesday at 2pm at Holy Trinity.
Pauline Ryall
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27. FLOWERS
I am writing this report towards the end of Lent looking forward to the re-appearance of flowers on Easter Sunday. Thank you to the people who have contributed towards the cost of this year’s flowers. Please speak to me if you would like to make a donation for flowers to be placed in Church at other times of the year to mark a special event or an anniversary. It was strange not to have any weddings in 2018 and I am looking forward to the church being decorated for the two weddings booked for this summer
Thank you to the small, but dedicated, group of people who arrange flowers during the year. I would love to hear from you if you would like to try your hand at flower arranging. No previous experience is necessary and it is always good to welcome
Jean Clark
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28. COFFEE ROTA
The coffee rota has a good team which works quite well together, however we still need more volunteers which would be a great help and would mean your turn will come around less often. We would like men from the congregation to join the team as there are only ladies at the moment.
We welcome new members Jane S.Josie R.
We are grateful to Jayne N. as the reserve helper.
Thank you all for your support in the last year.
Janet Williams and Yvonne Springer
42 St. Bartholomew’s Annual Report 2019