2017 Ministry Reports For the APCM to be held on 30th April 2018
Table of Contents
Worship and Teaching ...... 1-9 Report from the Vicar ...... 1 Sunday Worship and Teaching ...... 3 Music in Worship ...... 4 Attendance ...... 5 Staff Team ...... 6 Developing Leaders ...... 8 Café Worship Report ...... 9 Prayer Ministry Report ...... 9 Film Focus Report ...... 10 Bell ringing Report ...... 11 Flowers Report ...... 11 Youth and Children ...... 12-18 Report from the Youth and Children’s Ministry Lead ...... 12 Report on Youth ...... 12 Report on Children and Families ...... 15 Report on Links with Stoke Bishop Primary School ...... 16 Growing Disciples ...... 17-21 Report from the Growing Disciples Coordinator ...... 17 GAMMA Report ...... 20 Traidcraft Report ...... 20 Making Disciples ...... 21-24 Report from the Making Disciples Coordinator ...... 21 Mission Partner Report...... 22 Messenger Report ...... 24 Winter Warmer Report ...... 25 Pastoral Care ...... 26-28 Report from the Pastoral Care Coordinator ...... 26 Thursday Lunch Report ...... 27 Tuesday Coffee Report ...... 27 Resources ...... 28-33 Report from the Operations Manager...... 28 Fabric Report ...... 30 PCC Report ...... 31 Electoral Roll Report ...... 34 Stewardship Report ...... 34 Financial Report ...... 36 Safeguarding Report ...... 38 Mission Area Report ...... Appendix A Deanery Report ...... Appendix B Diocesan Report ...... Appendix C
Worship and Teaching Report from the Vicar Recently, I have been reflecting on St Mary Magdalene as a community of followers of Jesus Christ, centred in and nourished by the presence of God at our heart. As a church community we are open to all people becoming a part of us regardless of background, history, age or experience. We are not a club of like-minded people. The Lord has called and continues to call many different people to be part of his body. We express our purpose as church community as ‘following Jesus and making Him known’. We seek to do that through our corporate life together, and in our own daily lives scattered around Bristol and the world. To help us to do this the PCC and I did some work identifying four values we believe God wants to see expressed in our life together. Our four values state how we want to live as community and we hope people will be able to see them expressed in everything we do. The values are to be; God seeking, disciple making, sacrificially generous and community building. As we move forward together we want to increasingly express these values in and through our relationship with God, with one another and to those whom we serve. I hope you can see them throughout this report. In 2017 we committed to be, what the Church of England calls, a ‘resource church’ for the Avonside Mission. The PCC and I have, on your behalf, covenanted together with 4 other churches in this locality to bring about the social, cultural and spiritual transformation of our communities in partnership with Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is a section on this later in this report. The term ‘resource church’ is unhelpful in many ways but it does recognise that within the mission area we are the biggest church community with the largest financial resource. It also recognises that we have been given an extra paid minister in Simon Potter our new Associate Vicar. In signing the covenant, we have agreed to work together with the other churches, using all our resources in partnership with theirs, to affect kingdom transformation by the grace of God in all our communities. This includes Stoke Bishop. I wonder what you think a Christ-transformed Stoke Bishop community would be like? Simon Potter, our Associate Vicar, is a fully trained vicar who has come to share the leadership load at St Mary’s with me and also to lead the development of discipleship (including evangelism) across the mission area. One of the biggest challenges of our participation in the mission area is avoiding becoming over-stretched thereby neglecting our own growth. Our growth as a church is critical to the kingdom success of the mission area. I
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believe working together with the other churches should not be an additional burden but one which will be achieved as we become all that God wants us to be as a church. A further challenge is to avoid trying to create St Mary Magdalene in the other communities. We need to enable local growth and transformation by working with our partners at their invitation. Thinking more locally, 2017 has seen a welcome growth in those on the fringe of St Mary’s and in numbers of younger children and families. Much of the latter is through our direct additional investment in children and families work. We have seen God working in the lives of those we serve through funeral, baptism and schools ministry alongside continuing care for our older generations including our important ministry in the four local residential care homes. Going forward, we need to focus energy and investment on children and families whilst not neglecting our older community members or indeed those who live on their own of every generation. Our ‘community building’ must be all age, ‘sacrificially generous’ and draw everyone in to the big family of God. Like all families, true community is inevitably messy and doesn’t suit everyone all the time. To love and understand one another we will need to continue to build real cross generational relationships and be patient, bearing with one another in love. As I have reflected on 2017 and the contents of this report I have once again been amazed at the commitment of so many people to the life of St Mary Magdalene. I’m sure we are all very grateful for one another and hope that we express that thanks to one another. Some of us are coming to the end of their current roles, some continuing and some seeking a change. My prayer for 2018 is that we will see more people become involved in the life of this community, not to fill rotas, but rather to serve the Lord and come to know we each belong. I know that for reasons of age or life circumstances not everyone can be active all the time. For some it may be time to receive more than they give. Its good to remember that receiving ministry enables someone else to give sacrificially and generously and in turn that demonstrates our love for Christ and his body. And that forms Christ like community. We all need to receive from one another. I have been personally challenged that, aside from infant baptism, we haven’t baptised any new believers in 2017. I long to see new people coming to a living faith in Christ and pray that you do too. As we continue in Christ-centred community living through 2018 let us each commit to pray for new believers to be added to our number, and be bold to speak of the good news of Jesus Christ. Finally, I want to say sincerely, what a privilege and joy it is to serve this church community, the mission area and the community of Stoke Bishop and what a pleasure it is to work with colleagues on the staff team in that service. Yours in Christ, Mat
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Sunday Worship and Teaching A huge thank you to all who contribute to the worship life of St Mary’s. From the technicians and musicians, to the brass cleaners and flower arrangers, the intercessors, readers and bell ringers, welcomers and coffee servers, to preachers and leaders there are an enormous number of people involved in enabling St Mary’s to worship God each week. Relevant and applicable biblical preaching is highly valued at St Mary’s. Each of us who preach appreciate feedback from the congregation. In particular, it is good to hear what you find most helpful (or not helpful) in understanding and applying biblical Christian faith to daily life. We continue to develop our Sunday worship life in order that we may each worship in spirit and in truth and meet with the living God. St Mary’s is one church with three worshipping communities. Whilst there are some who move between the services on a Sunday it is true to say that most attend a service that works best for them. During the coming years we need to get better at creating deeper community at each of these services. We will continue to have the occasional joint service but it is noticeable that when we do this the overall attendance figures drop. The 9am service has a more traditional pattern and style. It has been wonderful to welcome new people into this worshipping community. Patterns of attendance are generally regular and overall numbers remain stable. Those of us who lead try to give space to engage with God through the liturgy, hymns, preaching & breaking of bread. The 10.30am service has seen the greatest change in attendance over 2017. As a worshipping community it is beginning to find its character but this is a slow process. There are more different people attending 10.30 including a number of pre-school and early years’ children as well as older children. However, due to work, family life and other factors a high proportion of the 10.30 worshipping community come less frequently than weekly. This is not uncommon across the national church and brings many challenges including community building, effective preaching and consistent communication. We are seeking to address this through better use of social media and email. The evening service has grown through 2017 and is a much more settled worshipping community including some children. It is a more informal ‘Cafe style’ with extended times for sung worship, deeper teaching, conversation and prayer. If you have any positive or constructive feedback or concerns, then we are always ready to receive that. Mat Ineson
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Music in Worship Music has an enormous effect on worship. We are very grateful to those who give their time and skills to St Mary’s musical worship and to Joanna Leighton who has led this area of ministry through 2017. The St Mary’s Singers (9am choir) have grown in number and continue to develop their repertoire for our 9am worship. They have also led sung worship at festival and special services this year including Harvest, Remembrance, Advent Carols and an extended choir at the Christmas Carol Service. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this, especially Joanna Leighton and Nicky Woodfield and our organists Adrian Sawyer, Chris Embrey and others. 10.30 musical worship is band led. During 2017 we have begun to develop different bands for specific Sundays in the month. This has enabled bands to begin to work with the same sound technician and vision person each month. We still have a way to go with these developments to enable a more consistent worship experience for the worshipping community. Thank you to all those who have given of their time in the 10.30 service to lead and support our sung worship especially those who lead 10.30 bands. It has been particularly special to see gifts of playing and worship leading being used for the first time. The evening service musical worship is ‘stripped back’, often just a guitar or two and a couple of voices leading. This fits well with the general feel of the worship and allows flexibility and informality. We are very grateful to those who give their time and skill in leading worship at this service. We are always looking for people to join the St Mary’s Singers or 10.30 and 6.30 bands as well as those who would be willing to be trained to do the essential tasks of operating the sound desk and screens. Please do speak to or email Mat or Simon Potter in the first instance if you would like to get involved in this area of St Mary’s life.
Mat Ineson on behalf of Joanna Leighton who is on Maternity Leave
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Attendance 2017 Our official attendance figures for 2017 were lower than 2016 with Christmas and Easter on a similar levels to previous years. However, our all age worshipping community has increased in size from 345 to 386. During 2017, 38 new people became regular worshippers and 31 people are no longer worshipping with us. Some of the latter are well loved members who have died during the year and a few have moved to other churches or moved away. The increase in worshipping community coupled with the decrease in weekly attendance illustrates a reduced frequency in attendance and an increase in new attenders. I believe this highlights both our increased investment in children and family work and a challenge to continue our focus on making disciples.
Worshipping Community (figures from parish returns) Age 2014 2015 2016 2017
0-17 67 65 65 75
18-69 185 160 168 193
70+ 75 75 112 118
Total 327 300 345 386
Joiners 31 25 48 38
Leavers 21 28 17 31
The 9, 10.30 and 6.30 average figures below do not include Christmas, Easter and Remembrance or the weekend away.
Service Average over 16 Average under 16 (Adult) 2017 2017
9.00 72 0
10.30 97 32
6.30 28 4
Total Sunday 197 36
Sunday different 183 36 attendees 5 | Annual Report for 2017
Service Average over 16 Average under 16 (Adult) 2017 2017
Messy Church 37 44
Film Focus 21 0
Remembrance
Christingle 49 33
Easter 281 58
Advent Carols 120 10
Christmas Carol 228 41
Christmas 664 199
Staff Team During 2017 we said farewell and thank you to Angie Coutts as Church Manager. Angie did a great job in improving the office systems and organisation and we are very grateful to her for the 2 years she worked for us. She continues to worship in the evening service. Carrie Patterson was appointed as Operations Manager in October which left a vacancy of Administrative Assistant. This was filled just before Christmas by Rachel Sandford. During the Autumn term we were very grateful to Rachel and Rosalind Oliver for stepping into a temporary role to cover the administrator role. The office is continuing to operate with 7 hours fewer of staff time than would be ideal and we remain very grateful to the staff and volunteers in the office who support the ministry of St Mary’s and often go beyond their commitments to ensure that the work required is done. We were delighted to hear that Joanna Leighton was pregnant. She started maternity leave in January 2018. Thanks to Nicky Woodfield for agreeing to cover the leadership of the 9am St Mary Singers for the initial few months of this leave.
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St Mary’s currently employs; Carrie Patterson 25 hours Operations Manager Rachel Sandford 18 hours Administrative Assistant Lucy Allen 16 hours Cleaning and minor maintenance Joanna Leighton 16 hours Musical Worship Lead Simon Russell Full time Youth and Children’s Ministry Lead Rachel Powlesland 18 hours Children and Families Minister Sam Rudman 30 hours SYWM Youthwork Trainee on placement with us
The licensed ministry team continued to work together with the paid staff in a combined staff team who meet together to pray each week. We are blessed to have 3 associate local ordained ministers ALMs (Hazel, Jennifer and Angela), 2 local lay ministers LLMs (Brian and Peter), and a training curate (James) who work alongside Mat. In 2018 we are very much looking forward to Simon Potter joining us as Associate Vicar (leading the team alongside Mat), and John White as full time training curate (from July). As well as ministering at St Mary’s the ministry team are often involved on Sundays supporting churches in the Mission Area and across the Deanery. Mat continues his role as Area Dean and is also the Mission Area lead minister. The staff team sees their role as enabling the whole church community in ministry in their everyday lives through teaching, prayer and support alongside their direct ministry to those who need it. Mat Ineson
Wills Hall In July 2017 we were invited to support the University Will Hall Chapel which is in our parish. One of our Trinity cohort, Paul Walker, worked with a postgraduate and the current Warden at Wills to plan chorally led worship on a Friday evening (Compline and Evensong) prior to the evening meal. The relationship continues to grow and we pray will continue as the University changes how it pastorally manages and supports the 2500 students who live on the Parry’s Lane Campus. Mat Ineson
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Developing Leaders for the Church within and outside St Mary’s One of the ways we give to the wider church is through the development of lead ministers for the wider Church of England. St Mary’s has a strong history of encouraging ordained, licensed and other leaders. This is a key part of our sacrificial generosity. Rev James Harris has been with us through his training curacy since 2015 and will probably move on during 2018, to take up a post as a priest / vicar. Training curacy is a little like apprenticeship. It follows two or more years of Theological College training and usually lasts for 3 to 4 years. As James moves on we will receive a new training curate, Rev John White who is currently training at Trinity College. He and his family already live in Stoke Bishop. John will come with his wife Pippa (also training for ordination but a year behind John) and their two children. Pippa may well continue her training based in another church. Alongside this we also continue to encourage new ministers and encourage them in training for licensed ministry and seek to train others in Christian leadership and discipleship in their everyday lives and ministries in the church. Whilst all are not ordained all are called to minister for God in their homes, workplaces and churches. Mat Ineson
Trinity College Cohort In addition to the above we are blessed to have a cohort of current students from Trinity College who give a tremendous amount to us as a church and take opportunities offered to work with us, gaining experience under Mat’s supervision. During 2017 we said goodbye to Tim Smith and his family and Andy Gliddon and his family. We welcomed Mark Nam, Luke Bristowe, David Thomas and Liz Barnett and their families to be a part of our community for the duration of their time at Trinity. Mat Ineson
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Café Worship Report Café Worship (the 6.30pm Sunday evening service) continues to go from strength to strength with 30-40 people regularly attending. It is multigenerational: attended by families with children, members of the youth group, young adults, working professionals and retirees. We gather together each week to worship God and enjoy fellowship. From September to Christmas we studied Romans and received some excellent teaching which helped in deepening our understanding of our Christian Faith. From Christmas to Easter we have been exploring spiritual disciplines by going through Richard Foster’s book: The Celebration of Discipline. This has helped us consider how to operate the spiritual disciplines on a foundation of good biblical principle. Looking forward, from April to July we will be studying Daniel together, considering the theme: What does it look like to be faithful in a faithless age? We are excited to create space at Café Worship to encounter Jesus, hear from his word and receive challenging preaching. Additionally, within a safe environment, we are open to the Holy Spirit and are vulnerable with each other. This allows us to pray for and support each another in our journeys of faith. It is a beautiful service at the end of a Sunday and I would encourage you, if you’ve not been, to try it out. You would be very welcome and we always have coffee and cake available to enjoy as well. Matt Smith
Prayer Ministry Report “Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2 God is our partner in prayer: Jesus enthroned in heaven is always waiting to hear from us and He always sends an answer even if it is an unexpected one! There are many ways in which we pray at St Mary’s. We have a prayer team of about 15, and recently our prayers have been answered for the addition of younger members. Two members are always available on a monthly rota to be present during and at the end of 9.00 and 10.30 a.m. services to pray with people before they leave. Healing ministry is available during or after communion services. The Ring of Prayer operates as a confidential service through Jennifer Hall to support people in a crisis situation. Urgent requests can be sent to a number of people quickly. There is an email address for people requesting urgent prayer ([email protected]). There is also a simple form to complete when someone is asking for prayer for themselves or another.
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An hour of Corporate Prayer takes place on Saturday mornings at 8.30 a.m., which focuses on Sunday services and prayer needs for the church family. We pray regularly for prayer requests written on leaves from the prayer tree. Another hour of Corporate Prayer is held every Tuesday at 8.30 a.m. for youth and children’s ministry. Everyone is welcome to attend these corporate meetings. The 24/7 Prayer Week on the theme ‘Growing to Maturity in Christ” was held for the eighth year during October 1st to 8th 2017 and was inspired by Peter Greig’s recent book “Dirty Glory” with his Biblical blueprint for Christian Community: Presence of God; Prayer; Mission; Justice; and Joy The week was well supported with 102 participants on the rota and many others praying in different groups in church, at home and also overseas. Although younger people below 30 years of age were minimally represented. Nevertheless the prayer week undoubtedly raises the profile of prayer in the church and encourages wider participation. The prophetic word given to us for this year, 2017-18, is that we will experience spiritual growth as we continue to follow the path of discipleship and serve others, for example, by engaging in social action particularly with the Avonside Mission Area (ASMA) and joyfully sharing the Good News of Christ wherever He opens up an opportunity. We will continue to seek God’s prophetic word at St Mary’s as we enlarge our vision and expectations of the One who says, “Nothing is Impossible for Me.” (Luke 18:27) Angela Cattell
Film Focus Report Film Focus continues to maintain a steady following. The last season showed an average attendance of 27. Film has proved to be an ideal medium for discussing and praying about secular issues in a Christian context. In the last season we explored topics as diverse as individual responsibility (‘Sully’), the benefits system (‘I, Daniel Blake’), racial prejudice and exploitation of women (‘Hidden Figures’) and African achievement (‘Queen of Katwe’). Although we would like more to come, those who do come are very appreciative. At a recent survey for the Faith Expo weekend, several identified the discussion as being the part they found most rewarding (‘thought-provoking, stimulating afternoon’; ‘good to have discussion afterwards’; ‘our discussions are a wonderful experience’). So why not come along and you will discover that Film Focus is more than just a film club. Keith Sheather
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Bell ringing Report Over the years we have made different appeals for ringers or people willing to learn – in church, the Messenger, the Bristol (Evening) Post and even Radio Bristol – but it is a long time since we have had any response. Over the last few years we have lost bell ringers through death, ill health and leaving the area, and now, with only three ringers, regular Sunday service ringing is not possible. It saddens me very much that we have such a lovely ring of bells hanging idle, and I am hopeful that their silence may be broken from time to time by bands of visiting bell ringers. The very English sound of church bells ringing changes is something to be treasured and must not be allowed to die. Sunday service ringing is an act of worship in itself, and a witness that carries further than any human evangelist’s voice!
I am very sad to end my 32 years as Captain of St. Mary’s Ringers in this way.
Carol Speedyman
Flower Arranging Report Eight of us have the joy of arranging flowers for church festivals. If requested I arrange a pedestal for a funeral or a wedding. However, we are all getting older and we desperately need more helpers, and would love to welcome new willing hands to our group.
We praise the Lord with flowers!
Pamela Halford
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Youth and Children Report from the Youth and Children’s Ministry Lead Personal Reflection
Last academic year as a new face coming into St. Mary’s and particularly the youth and children’s work I felt strongly that I needed to bring a sense of consistency and stability. With no full time youth worker in post for nine months it felt a little rudderless. I wonder if we are still feeling the effects of that rocky period. This is in no way meant to diminish the hard work of those that stepped up and continue to. If last year was centred around stability, this year has been about building strong foundations for the future. For instance we rebranded the youth activities, re-introduced a youth weekend away, Messy Church continues to go from strength to strength and some of the children have engaged very well in Godly Play, which encourages an holistic approach to faith and worship.
There have been challenges and barriers of the course over the last year. However, I was reminded recently about the parable of the lost sheep of how God goes after the one, how he works on a personal level and rejoices when one soul turns to him. In the individual lives of our younger generations there is much to give thanks for. I continue to be surprised (maybe I shouldn’t be) by the depth of questions asked, the insight in comments made and the commitment in service given. A big thank you is needed to those who make all our youth and children’s activities happen. Praise God!
YOUTH
FUEL – Youth Activities
All the St. Mary’s youth activities come under the banner of FUEL. Our groups are a place for young people to recharge, socialise in community, hear from God and go out prepared to change the world around them.
ReFUEL (previously Café 4T) Those who are 14-18 (school years 10-13) meet 5:00-6:30pm on a Friday. We share snacks, chat and play games together. Young people now have very busy lives with many pressures so having somewhere to relax and unwind is important. This group benefits from having older young people who have been
12 | Annual Report for 2017 part of the church and youth set up for many years. Many of them are leaders in the youth group, whether they realise it or not.
We have recently responded to research that found churches and youth groups were failing young people in talking about real life issues from a Christian perspective. Once a month – at the moment – there is a discussion slot during ReFUEL to tackle and discuss openly these issues. So far there has been very positive feedback. Weekly attendance in this group c.10-15.
FUEL Youth Club (previously [e]Merge) FUEL Youth Club is for the younger youth (11-15 year olds, school years 7-10). This group has great outreach potential and we make most new contacts through this group, c.5 since September. There is a short evangelistic talk during most evenings. The balance to be found in this group is encouraging some young people to follow Jesus and building up the faith of those that already do. After a recent poll of the group it became apparent that most of the young people wanted more organised games which we now include. There is a pattern, not just at St. Mary’s but certainly across the region, that numbers in midweek children and youth groups have fallen slightly. Many churches locally have moved to groups once a month. We have taken the decision not to do this because, for a start, our numbers are not nearly as low as others and once you go to once a month it is very hard for people to move out of that habit to weekly. Weekly attendance c. 10-15.
FUEL on a Sunday In the past there were two groups on a Sunday morning for those in the 11-18 bracket split buy age – older and younger. With a vision to engage young people, particularly older ones, in a multi generation service Young people have been encouraged to join the evening service whilst leaving a youth session during the 10:30 service. One of the driving factors in this was that the church attendance drop off rate for young people going to university is rumoured to be about 70% by student organisations. The theory is that if young people are used to sitting in, participating in a service, they are more likely to make that transition when they leave the family home.
Outside Events
There have been various opportunities to venture outside the church with young people.
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The Mix is a city youth event in Bristol hosted at Woodlands Church and led by a cross churches team. The Mix has a mixture of worship, testimonies, teaching and ministry. It is a great opportunity for young people to see how God is working across the city and their peer group. There is a committed number of St. Mary’s youth that attend Leading up to Christmas 30 young people went ice skating together at the Winter Wonderland, Cribs Causeway. 4 young people joined us who had been invited by their friends and had had no previous connection to St. Mary’s. It was a great time with no injuries. At the end of October, we had a youth residential weekend. There had not been one for many years and was viewed, maybe, with a little suspicion. 11 young people with leaders went away to Legge House near Swindon. There was a mixture of teaching time, team challenges, organised games, campfire and free time. We are exploring running another in the autumn even though there is a whole church weekend away during the year. It would be good to keep the momentum. Last August a group of 14 young people and leaders made the trek to Soul Survivor, with ages ranging from 14-18. It was a thoroughly enjoyable week and all the young people met with God in different ways. The themes covered everything from anxiety and knowing God in a real way, to talking to friends about God. The preachers were all fantastic and the young people engaged well. Soul Survivor definitely made an impact in their spiritual journey. The worship really allowed the young people to connect with God on an intimate level as well as have a bit of a party, which they loved. When we were not in the meetings, we had free time where the young people could attend seminars and then every evening we shared a meal together. Soul Survivor has changed its venue from Shepton Mallet to Peterborough. This has added a financial and logistical burden to attending. Last year we travelled by coach and split the cost with another church. This still proved very expensive. This year we plan to borrow a minibus, depending on numbers.
Messy Church
Last year a number of factors lead us to transition Mini Church into Messy Church. Chief among these were that the fantastic leaders of Mini Church were stepping down at the same time and Mini Church focused on primary aged children. Messy Church is designed to be intentionally ‘All Age’, a multi
14 | Annual Report for 2017 generation worshipping community. There are crafts, games, a celebration in church and a family meal in the main hall. Numbers coming through have been fantastic with an average c.60 and a high at Christmas of 102. We said we would trial it for a year and I believe without doubt that this is worth continuing. Messy Church is good at engaging those on the edge of church and those transitioning from midweek groups to worship services. It currently runs every half term.
Holiday Club 2017 Holiday Club continues to be a high point in the year for many primary aged children in the area. This past year we carried on the theme of Guardians of Ancora. We were looking at the life Jesus in the Bible and his impact in the world. The church was transformed into a Hall of Memories where we had the usual games, singing, stories challenges, discussions and crafts. There was a daily high of 45 children and 64 over the week. Thank you to all the leaders who gave up so much of their time and energy to make it happen. Having the family celebration with prize giving and BBQ on the Friday evening meant that more working parents were able to attend. If fact more families attend the celebration than when it had been on a Sunday morning.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIIES
Bright Sparks meets on Monday afternoons and is aimed at babies and pre- school children and their carers. It continues to be well attended and attracts a number of young families from the local community and beyond. The group provides a relaxed, safe and happy atmosphere where parents and carers can meet whilst their children play; there is an age-appropriate craft, a story and singing each week. We also hold a short service together in the church at Harvest, Christmas and Easter. We are also very grateful to members of the Church family that help by serving refreshments.
Toddler Worship (0-5years) held monthly in the church. This provides an opportunity for children attending with their parents and carers to sing, dance and play instruments and also to hear a Bible story, whilst providing fellowship for those attending with them. It is an enjoyable morning and has a core of regular attenders.
Kids Club (Yr 2-6) meets weekly every Thursday evening. The aim is to promote knowledge of Jesus and the Bible; the evening consists of a social time,
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teaching time and games. Unfortunately, we have experienced quite a dip in numbers since September and we are taking steps to try to reverse this. A number of our young people continue to support the team, providing positive role models for the children that attend.
Stoke Bishop Primary
We continue to enjoy strong links with the school and were delighted that the school was awarded a Church School Partnership Award in recognition of this in October. In addition to the weekly visits into school for Collective Worship on Tuesdays by Anni Davey or Angela Cattell and on Thursdays by Mat Ineson, James Harris or Simon Russell and Sam Rudman, we have hosted two Prayer Spaces in school, for Y2-5 and for Reception and Y1, and also welcomed Y2- Y6 into church for the Easter trail, Easter Explored. Sam Rudman and Rachel Powlesland hold a ‘drop-in’ session (P.A.D) every Tuesday lunchtime in the school library and every first Friday of the month Rachel leads a Parent Prayer Support Group in the school staff room.
In October we were also able to join with the school for their amazing iSingPOP concert. Again, St Mary’s was able to welcome and support the school in their Christmas and Easter Services and also co-lead the Leaver’s Service and Harvest Service in school.
There are currently a number of church members who serve as governors; some are parent governors, some Foundation Governors and some give their time as community governors. The PCC approved Foundation Governors are Rachel Powlesland, Anna Creedon, Beverley Richardson and Mat Ineson who is also Vice Chair.
It has been encouraging this year to see a crossover of families attending Bright Sparks, Messy Church, bringing children for baptism and coming to various services.
A big thank you to all those that have given time, energy, resources, and endless support to all aspects of the youth and children’s ministry here at St Mary’s this year.
The Youth and Children’s Team
Simon, Rachel, Sam
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Growing Disciples Report from the Growing Disciples Coordinator During 2017 St Mary’s has identified specific values of making disciples, seeking God, being sacrificially generous and building community. Within this we have continued to offer, teach and speak about discipleship opportunities and encouraged people to take responsibility for their personal growth, particularly through small groups and serving God through St Mary’s. One visual approach to this is the Discipleship noticeboard created early in the year in the main hall– it gives information about each of the Small Groups as well as space for notices about local teaching and/or training events and ‘vacancy’ opportunities within church. It also highlights the ‘+1x1’ challenge extended to everyone this year: what one thing could each of us do differently once a day or week or month to follow Jesus more closely? This is personal and individual: it could be a new commitment to spend 5 minutes in prayer each day, or to offer a couple of hours of time to serve at church or beyond, or to join a small group… As a church we undertook a significant on-line survey (‘Renovo’) to assess in general terms where we are spiritually along a scale from ‘Exploring Christ’, ‘Growing in Christ’, ‘Close to Christ’ and ‘Christ-centred’ in order to plan strategically. Few people identified as ‘Christ-centred’ and we have therefore focused on promoting the core beliefs and attitudes considered critical to spiritual growth, and organised church activities and personal spiritual practices that advance spiritual growth (see tables).
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We have also tried to provide a pathway for people to engage further: after Alpha there is a period of time for ‘consolidation’ in a Small Group with the same leaders, before then undertaking a Freedom in Christ course. This course has also been followed during the year by other church members. The survey additionally showed that in general we rarely invite others to church and have very few conversations about faith outside of church. To encourage and equip one another to do this better we have continued to speak about ‘frontline ministry’ – one example of this is ‘This Time Tomorrow’ when we listen to testimony during a Sunday service about what and where someone will be on Monday morning, where God is in that and how we can pray for that person. The year closed with plans underway for a significant event (Faith Expo) in January 2018 to encourage participation in discipleship opportunities and showcase opportunities for doing so, and an improved strategy for welcoming newcomers at our Sunday services. There is also a need to identify new leaders for Freedom in Christ and continuing discussions about how best to support and equip small group leaders. The challenge for Growing Disciples continues to be the need to encourage a greater willingness for each of us to participate in taking the next steps of faith in following Jesus and making Him known.
Jo Morris
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GAMMA GAMMA continues to meet every fortnight at the back of church with short breaks at Christmas, Easter and during August. We are a friendly and welcoming group of approximately 16 members at the present time, of mostly retirement age. Our meetings begin with refreshments and socialising before bible study for approx. 55 minutes which are usually led by Jenny or Peter Robottom with other church ministers leading from time to time. We enjoy discussion in a relaxed atmosphere. Jenny Robottom
Traidcraft We have continued to keep Fair Trade alive at St. Mary’s during this year. We have resourced our Fair Trade church with coffee, tea, sugar and cleaning materials. Throughout this year seasonal products have been sold including the Real Easter Egg and Real Advent Calendars, which always contain a booklet with the Gospel story. Christmas sales were very good and we thank all the people of the church who have supported us over the past 15 years. In December we closed the shop and handed over the keys to Peter Robottom, who has kindly agreed to keep it going. We trust you will support him as you supported us.
Pauline and Albert Pearson
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Making Disciples Report from the Making Disciples Coordinator It has been a privilege during 2017 to continue to lead our efforts, as a church, to witness to Christ in our community, to walk with those who are seeking Him, and to proclaim His word – all in response to the call to make disciples. As each of us looks out for and seizes opportunities to do that, we trust that more and varied ‘pathways to faith’ will open up for, and be set out upon by those seeking to explore, encounter and follow Jesus more closely. Witness The Great Get Together in June was a particular highlight of our outreach to the Stoke Bishop community during the year, with around 300 people enjoying a sunny evening of food, entertainment and fellowship in the church building as part of a nationwide programme of events honouring the memory of Jo Cox MP. The event enabled us to demonstrate hospitality and welcome to our community, to establish new connections and relationships with individuals and families, and to provide a Christian perspective on the reason we had gathered. Further opportunities to meet with and talk to our community took place in the run-up to Christmas as we promoted a Season of Invitation, a time during which we were encouraged to invite friends and neighbours along to worship services and social events. Notable among our invitational events was the Winter Warmer where a ‘Making Disciples’ stand offered information about Alpha and the Christian faith, together with a variety of different types of Christmas worship and celebration. As ever, carol singing outside the shops on Stoke Hill was well received by passers-by and a specially designed Christmas card was distributed widely throughout the parish, many including hand-written messages to friends and neighbours. Walking We continue to develop the support and encouragement we offer to the many families who bring their children for baptism at St Mary’s. We now aim to put on an invitational event three times a year so that there is always something within a short time of a baptism service, to which we can personally invite families back. In this vein, a toddlers’ tea party celebrating the light of Christ took place at the end of October and it was great to see new families integrating with those who are more established within the life of the church. Similarly, we repeated the February Christingle service as an opportunity to build on the positive
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experiences of church which many families enjoyed during the Christmas period.
Word Alpha remains the principle route through which we explicitly teach and proclaim the truths of the Christian faith as revealed in God’s word. The move from a September to a January start for the course is now well established, providing many more opportunities for invitation and promotion during November/December - and, indeed, the Christmas services generated significant interest which has turned into attendance. As I write, the current cohort is nearing the end of their Alpha pilgrimage and will now be encouraged to consider how they will respond to all they have learned and experienced during the 10 weeks of the course and continue to grow through their discipleship journey. I began by saying it is a privilege to lead this area of work – and it is. I am increasingly aware, however, that the role of a leader in the work of evangelism and mission is really most effective when it is used to encourage and equip the whole people of God to embrace their own individual call to share faith in Christ and the love of God with those they encounter. In short, this is not an area of ministry we can ‘outsource’ to experts – but a duty and, we pray, a joy for all Christian people in the particular circumstances in which God has placed them.
James Harris
Mission Partner Report In his recent newsletter, Malcolm Pritchard reflects on a conference at the start of the year. The participants have gathered in Kampala from neighbouring countries ravaged by war and poverty. They are “familiar with sorrow and acquainted with grief”, recounting stories which “plumbed the depths of abysmal atrocity, inhumanity and utter defacement of God’s image”. It is a timely reminder, if one were needed, of the stark world in which many of our partners operate, the scale of the need, and the priority we should rightly give to their support, both in prayer and financially. I remain convinced that our role in supporting our partners, near and far, and our commitment to their cause, is worship of the highest quality and a true reflection of the local church’s calling to mission. As usual my musings on the last year are a mix of highs and lows. At the back end of last year we agreed to adopt Malcolm as a new partner, and Malcolm came to visit us in the New Year before heading off to Uganda. Malcolm’s
22 | Annual Report for 2017 arrival strengthens the bonds we have with this part of the world. Malcolm’s sending agency is CMS, a long established partner of St Mary’s, and we have committed £200 per month to Malcolm’s support. Malcolm’s newsletters are a joy to read and I commend them to you: each a full and often frank meditation of how God is working in northern Uganda. Closer to home, and after much effort, we have finally managed to enter into a partnership covenant with Crisis Centre Ministries, and in doing so approved a move away from ad-hoc to more committed financial support. We have also enjoyed visits from Sthuti and Joseph, amongst others, and have been encouraged by their testimony, astonished by their humility. Members of the church have continued to give generously, sometimes spectacularly so, which has enabled resources to be placed where the need is greatest. But it is fair to say I am frustrated too. Change always takes longer than I would like. And there is still a sense that our support for mission partners is generally regarded as the work of the interested few, or a luxury to be undertaken only when all other needs have been met. And as I write I know the coffers are empty. Our aspirations outstrip our resources. For example we would love to embrace Tearfund’s connected church programme. This requires a commitment of £500 per year, funds we do not have. Sthuti’s tuition fees for her final semester at medical school are overdue and we are not yet in a position to support her travel costs to return to Bangalore. And so on. In the summer we can look forward to a visit from Lucy Monk; in September a visit from Ricardo Villenueva (formally of Trinity). We are also looking to arrange a talk from Open Doors in conjunction with the wider ASMA community. I close by returning to another phrase in Malcolm’s letter: “the message of hope and the vision of a new way of being human shone all the brighter from places of yawning darkness. Eyes that have cried see wonderful things.” I am reminded that it is often in and through the darkest hour that God’s love shines through, and His work is most easily witnessed. If those of our brothers and sisters who face atrocities routinely can find hope in the coming Saviour, then so shall I. Mike Stewart
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The Messenger Report We aim to make God known, to be a vehicle of good news and THE good news, and to serve our church and community through a balance of articles to interest all. Our quarterly Messenger, an A4 colour glossy magazine is distributed to more than 3,000 homes throughout the parish. We are a large team working on the Messenger, composed of many valued foot soldiers (distributors), several packers under the leadership of Pete Serjeant, a few proof readers, two advertising managers, writers, an editorial team of eight, an especially important production editor, Gillian Baxter, and myself, the editor. I chair the committed and dedicated editorial team with their different gifts and interests, whose task is to review the past Messenger and brainstorm for the next. We meet a week or two after the publication of the current Messenger to activate the production of the next, 10 weeks later.
Advertising defrays some of our costs, but the Messenger is subsidized by the Church as a cost-effective means of outreach. We have a large readership who value the Messenger as a community building tool, and who also appreciate the more spiritual articles. The Messenger communicates the church to the parish and advertises events and seasonal services. Regular contributions concern people and events of community interest, the vicar’s letter, helping hand, a list of contact numbers, environmental concerns, matters of global interest (including our missionaries), a youth page and articles under the heading of Christian Perspective.
We would welcome more distributors to replace those who are no longer able to do this task. If you have suggestions for articles, please let us know. As James Harris leaves us, we would welcome a couple of younger writers onto our editorial team. Please volunteer or persuade a friend.
Thanks be to God for each edition of the Messenger successfully published and distributed, and thanks be to all on his side.
Hazel Trapnell
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Winter Warmer I almost felt cheated when I saw a commercial advertising campaign for a “Winter Warmer” – that’s ours – was my thought! However, it is just a phrase – and we don’t own the copyright but hopefully it is what we provide – a warm welcome and inviting environment each November in the pathway to Christmas.
This year we had our lovely two donkeys again giving rides in the Church yard and were very grateful to our Church architect, Quentin Alder for offering to cover the cost of bringing the donkeys to Stoke Bishop – meaning that in the spirit of the whole event we do not need to charge for the rides and it is an attraction available to everyone.
Our number of visitors seems to increase each year which is a great reward. We had also a record number of guest stalls this year and once again the fantastic refreshments produced by Lynne and Caroline and their team were very popular. Although a welcome source of income to support Missions and development, the fundraising is secondary to the opportunities to welcome newcomers to our buildings.
We continue to offer our visitors information about our weekly ministries and to offer creative prayer stations in the James Chapel. We were actively able to advertise the Alpha course and to engage in many useful conversations.
Although we have a successful formula for this event, we are always keen to improve and to innovate so if you have any ideas or would be keen to be involved, please contact me on [email protected] or speak to me after Church. We do need more help from Church members so please put the date 17th November in your diary and offer your time. The Winter Warmer provides an opportunity for us to open our doors and attracts the community but it can only thrive with volunteer help.
Yvonne Penn
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Pastoral Care Report from the Pastoral Care Coordinator We recognise that many people in the congregation are involved in providing pastoral care for friends and families, but some people need a little more help. Small groups, including the Gamma group for, mainly, older people, are particularly significant in caring for their members. In addition, the pastoral care group has 12 members, who have had some training to provide additional support where it is needed. The clergy and lay Ministers are also available when needed. Do let us know if there are people who need more support. It is too easy for people to fall through the net. Communion is taken regularly into each of our residential and nursing homes and to people who are housebound. One home, Stoke Leigh, also has a monthly session ‘singing for the soul’. Many of their residents are confused but enjoy singing some of the old hymns. We are grateful to everyone who has helped to support other people and to members of the team who have organised flowers for Mothering Sunday and distributed harvest flowers and produce, and have organised tea before the annual service for those who have been bereaved during the year. We have offered support to those who have been bereaved (24 funerals during the year) and a monthly group for those who have been bereaved has been a welcome opportunity to share what it’s like, what has been helpful and what definitely hasn’t, to make new friends and to laugh and cry together. The handbook which explains what pastoral care is, gives advice about good practice, includes the church’s policy on vulnerable adults and incorporates lots of useful contact numbers in the church and elsewhere is available for anyone who would like a copy. The Thursday lunch continues to be popular, during term time, particularly now that there is a hot course (main course or pudding) each week. It is open to everyone – Do come and try it. The Sandwich lunches during August were well supported and raised £150 for the Scout Hut. We continue to think about other activities for older folk, but need more ideas and help with transport. Volunteers would be welcome. Wendy Hughes continues to run parenting courses for churches in different parts of Bristol. If you think that someone needs pastoral Care do speak to me or fill in the form at the back of church Jennifer Hall
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Thursday Lunch Report Since introducing a variety of hot Main Course and Desserts Menus on a rotating basis last year we have experienced a turnaround in numbers attending on Thursdays.
We have, with the approval of the Vicar and the PCC, invested in a new cooker in the kitchen which has proved to be more efficient and user friendly. Mary Batten has now retired from the team and we thank her for her cheerful help over the past few years
New volunteers are always welcome to join us. We would also like to see more people attending the lunches. Jan Serjeant and the Lunch Team
Tuesday Coffee and Chat Tuesday Coffee and Chat, which runs from 10.30am to 12noon each Tuesday, was set up to provide a mid-week time of shared fellowship when people could also enjoy a cup of coffee and cake. It has a warm, sincere atmosphere where all are welcome and which we aim to continue. Memories, current issues and personal concerns are some of the topics discussed in a light-hearted friendly manner. Pop in and join us at the back of the church as a regular or whenever you are able, and you will be assured of a warm welcome. Pat Marval
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Resources Report from the Operations Manager Often ‘behind the scenes’, the Church Office is a busy and very varied place to be, at the heart of enabling our church and supporting St Mary’s mission and ministry; ‘following Jesus and making him known’. As we support St Mary’s day to day operations; manage bookings and diaries; respond to enquiries; care for the building and seek to ensure a warm welcome to all, there is always something to be done; but it is a privilege to be part of a great team and I am thankful for all those who contribute in so many ways.
Office staffing In July, we sadly said goodbye to Angie Coutts as Church Manager. It was a pleasure to work with her and I am grateful for all that she passed on to me during the year that we worked together and for the efficient systems which she put in place during her time as Manager. Following this, I am particularly thankful to Rachel Sandford as well as to Rosalind Oliver for their flexibility and enthusiasm in stepping in to take on some of the essential administrative tasks over the Autumn, at a transitional time. In October, I was appointed Operations Manager and then in December we appointed Rachel Sandford as Administrative Assistant, to work 3 days a week starting from January 2018. However, there remains a 7 hour ‘shortfall’ in paid office staff time since these changes and looking forward this is something which will need to be addressed. Lucy Allen continues as cleaner and does a tremendous job in keeping our Church building clean and welcoming. Each week day morning, we aim to have a volunteer to work with us in the Office and I am especially grateful to all those who willingly give their time each week. In particular, Helen Brady, Stephanie Wren, Gillian Baxter, Judy Pullen, Jenny Robottom and Gina Tsoncheva who have continued to come in regularly. In 2017, Liz Tomlinson and Pat Marvel stepped down and we are grateful for all their help over the years. More recently, I am thankful to Julia Patterson and Jenny Baker for joining us.
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Looking forward to the coming year, it would be wonderful to have more people join our team. Do let me know if you would be interested. I would also like to thank all those who give of their time as Church hosts and while rotas are able to be filled, we would always welcome more. Hosting gives an opportunity to welcome visitors, for whom this might be a first point of contact with the Church, to have time for quiet reflection and/or to help keep our Church tidy. Particular thanks also to Peter Robottom for all that he does in overseeing the fabric and preparing the Church for different activities and services and to Richard Elderton for the skills and time which he gives to making repairs within our Church building.
Communications During 2017, there have been some positive developments in the area of communications, notably: Our new Welcome Pack arrived in October 2017 and is now available at a new ‘Welcome table’ in Church for newcomers. Particular thanks to Stephanie Wren for her work on it. Our St Mary’s Church noticeboards have been improved and ‘decluttered’ to look more visually appealing and make information more readily available. Although some areas still need to be developed and updated, our Website is progressing and we are thankful to Alison Branston for giving her time to update it. Looking forward, we hope to develop our use of social media. We are on Facebook and Twitter but more could be done to increase our profile and improve these.
Systems In April 2017, we adopted a new database and rota system with Church Suite and time has been spent learning the new system which will ultimately enable greater efficiency and new opportunities to improve our day to day running. Many of you will also be aware of the GDPR, which comes in to force on 25th May 2018 and we will be continuing to work towards ensuring compliance with the new rules in relation to data protection.
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Finally, in 2017 we have been thankful for increased numbers of bookings for the Church rooms and Church, with 44 private bookings in 2016 increasing to 53 in 2017, but aware of the increased workload which this creates. Looking forward into the next year the trend for more private booking enquiries is only rising, as are numbers of Weddings for the coming year. At the same time the overall number of sessions booked by our regular hirers slightly decreased in 2017, but remained high. It is also good to part of a wider Church and be able to share best practice and learn from others, across the Mission Area and the Deanery. Carrie Patterson
Fabric Report As in 2016, relatively little work was required to the fabric of the church and church rooms during 2017 but consultations and investigations continued into ways that we might modernise and enhance the church rooms complex, including addressing the difficult accessibility for those with disabilities or children in buggies from either the road or the church. To address external access issues including health and safety concerns to the church rooms to the maximum extent possible prior to the enhancement scheme, work was undertaken by Jerry Dart Limited at a cost of £9,448 to replace cracked slabs and provide a dropped kerb into of the steps and foot of the ramp to the Hulbert Room access, relay and widen that ramp in blockwork and provide blockwork beneath the previously installed cycle stands. The blockwork was also relaid with a raised kerb and non-slip inspection cover at the foot of the Hulbert Room steps to allay safety concerns. Many appreciative comments have been received and this work has been designed to be compatible with the intended enhancement scheme. Apart from routine maintenance and rectification of defects within the buildings when they arose, and electric upgrading work by the PRW Group Ltd following inspections, the most significant work undertaken was the replacement of the wooden crosses on the roof of the Lychgate by Richard Elderton who has very skilfully carved and installed replacement oak crosses matching the originals and also made good adjoining areas of tiling. Again this work has attracted much favourable comment and was featured in the ‘Messenger’. A new quinquennial survey of the church has been commissioned from Quentin Alder, the church’s inspecting architect. As all works from the previous inspection were undertaken it is not anticipated that significant issues will be noted, though the report is awaited.
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This brings me to my thanks generally to those who have assisted either practically or in exploring possibilities for enhancing the halls. On the practical side, I would particularly like to thank Richard Elderton who has undertaken many works of a nature that would previously have been contracted for, including making good after electrical work. Chris Thomas crafted a solution for the lid to the floor-box on the dais. Also in relation to care of the churchyard, David Swithinbank and Shan Stock. As for preparatory work for enhancing the church rooms, Chris Thomas has been meticulous in his scrutiny of drawings produced by Quentin Alder who has been advising the PCC working group seeking to progress the enhancement scheme. It would be hoped that we will have firm costings and refined drawing ready for seeking planning permission at the APCM. As a preliminary work, a faculty has been sought to insert an additional floor in the outer vestry which will create additional office space to cover the period of enhancement works and relieve current over-crowding. While, I would have liked to have ended simply on this note of thanks, I am afraid that I must continue to add a note of disappointment. For the last three years at APCMs, I have sought to encourage everyone to leave the church and church rooms in a neat and tidy state. Too few seem to recognise their responsibility in keeping our premises in a manner that brings honour to the God whom we serve. Please do replace books neatly in book boxes, take away church news and rubbish, think about the layout needed for the next use, stack chairs in the church rooms clear of radiators and curtains etc. Such tasks should not be left just to a few. I hope nevertheless there will be a good turnout for a summer decorating and cleaning working party. Peter Robottom PCC Report
In 2017, the Parochial church council (PCC) consisted of 12 elected members (including the treasurer), 2 wardens, 2 diocesan synod representatives, 5 deanery representatives, 5 members of the clergy (including the vicar, the chairman) and 2 lay ministers, making a total of 27 members as 1 person had 2 roles on the committee. The secretary was in attendance, but not elected on the PCC and the youth and children’s leaders and music leader were also invited to attend. There were 6 meetings, 5 held at the back of the church, every alternate month starting in January (except July) and one extraordinary meeting on June 17th during the PCC away day at Redland Parish Hall. At the PCC meetings, a total of 13 letters of correspondence to the PCC were dealt with. Reports were received and discussed from the leadership team, on the accounts, the fabric of the church, mission, youth activities safeguarding and health and safety. In addition, the following issues were among some of those discussed -
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* The development of the Avonside Mission area – 5 churches working together to bring about the social and cultural and spiritual transformation of our communities – St Mary’s Stoke Bishop, St Mary’s Shirehampton, St Edyth’s Sea Mills, St Peter’s Lawrence Weston and St Andrew’s Avonmouth. The covenant was approved for signing on October 2nd. * The results of the Renovo survey carried out by the vicar and Jo Morris. These were also revealed to the parishioners on an evening for discussion. Although the survey had some failings, it produced useful information to work with. * The PCC agreed to explore and fund ideas for development of the Hall. * It was agreed that the PCC should be sub divided into smaller committees with responsibilities for different areas – buildings, hall refurbishment, safeguarding, personnel, finance and stewardship, mission and ASMA * The purpose of the PCC and whether it was fulfilling this. * The transfer of patronage of St Mary’s from the Bishop to Simeon’s and Hyndman's Trustees. * Whether to finance a defibrillator in the church. * To offer financial assistance to Stoke Bishop Primary School to enter the iSing pop concert to be held at St Mary’s. * That St Mary’s would host and offer free refreshments (with donations for alcohol) for the Jo Cox community event. * A number of additional safeguarding policies were adopted. * The PCC agreed to adopt ‘the church app’ database. * The appointment of an operations manager (formerly church manager). List of PCC members 2017 Churchwardens Tony Hughes Stephanie Wren PCC members Jenny Baker Steve Fairbairn John Gwyther Caroline Jowett-Ive (until 25th April) Andy Judd (from 25th April) Caroline Owen, Treasurer Pauline Pearson Nick Powlesland Beverly Richardson
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Allister Simpson Mike Stewart Lucy Swithinbank Chris Thomas In attendance Wendy Hughes, Secretary Members of Diocesan Synod Yvonne Penn Peter Robottom Members of Deanery Synod Angie Coutts (until 25th April) Jon Coutts (from 25th April) Tony Hughes Jo Morris Julie Summers (from 25th April) Simon Leighton (from 25th April) Stephanie Wren (until 25th April) Clergy Rev Canon Mat Ineson Rev James Harris Rev Angela Cattell Rev Jennifer Hall Rev Hazel Trapnell Lay Ministers Brian Richardson Peter Robottom Wendy Hughes
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Electoral Roll Report Last year at this time there were 312 members on the Roll.
During the year there have been 4 members who have passed on and 12 who have moved away giving a total of 16 Leavers
We have had 18 new applications to join the Roll Total as of 16th April 2018 is 314 Jenny Baker
Stewardship Report During the year, the church has produced a new welcome pack which now includes fresh leaflets on the following * Stewardship; * Legacy giving; * Ways to Give. The Diocese made a series of presentations seeking to encourage parishes to “Take Responsibility, Be Generous, and Have Faith”. Specifically, it became clear that the Diocese was seeking to increase the level of giving from each parish and St Mary’s was invited to make a substantial increase its giving for 2018, from 51.12% to 55% of its unrestricted income i.e. £145,000 to £155,110. Bearing in mind that it was running a deficit budget for this year and that the anticipated deficit for next near was even greater, the PCC decided that it couldn’t increase the level of its Parish Share at present, but would review this decision early next year. During the year, the PCC finalised the Vision Values and Strategy. The encouragement to Be Generous and Have Faith fitted well with two of our own values, which are “God-Seeking” and “Sacrificially Generous”. As part of its implementation of the new Strategy, the PCC restructured its sub-groups and the former Finance Committee has been re-formed as a Stewardship and Finance Committee. Meanwhile, the Diocese announced that it had adopted the national Parish Giving Scheme which, amongst other things, aimed to reduce the work involved in collecting Gift Aid. St Mary’s signed up to the new scheme in November. At the same time, we saw the launch of the Avonside Mission Area which seeks to focus, share and multiply mission resources and practice across the local area. Since we are a well-resourced church, over the next few years, we will be asking the question - in what ways will our resources overflow beyond the parish boundaries?
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Against this background our annual review of Stewardship took place in November and began with a letter sent out by email and by post which invited recipients to ask God what he was saying to them about their finances and their giving and how they may be able to respond? * For those who were not members of the Planned Giving Scheme yet, to consider sharing the responsibility for expenditure and investment of the church by becoming members of the Scheme – giving by Direct Debit, Standing Order or through the weekly envelopes, so that the church can increase the number of regular attenders who are members of the Scheme; * For those who were already giving regularly to consider moving to the Parish Giving Scheme in order to help ease the administration of recovering Gift Aid; * To review the level of their giving during the year and make a further, one-off, gift to enable the church to overcome the deficit in the year’s finances, which was otherwise forecast to be £33,000; * To increase the amount of their Planned Giving for 2018. The letter was therefore an opportunity to have a soft launch of the new Parish Giving Scheme recently set up by the Diocese enabling donors to give by Direct Debit. Despite a slow start, the outcome was eventually very encouraging. There were a number of new people who had decided to give regularly and several regular givers who had moved over to the Parish Giving Scheme. In addition, the church received one-off gifts (including Gift Aid) of £25,000 and pledged increases in giving for 2018 totalling £15,000. Tony Hughes Stewardship Coordinator and Churchwarden
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Financial Report
St Mary Magdalene Stoke Bishop Financial report 2016 2017 2017 2018 Actual Actual Budget Budget £ £ £ £ INCOME Monthly standing orders 205,355 205,296 212,400 197,970 Envelopes 14,315 14,061 15,000 13,680 Cash collections 11,283 11,520 10,800 8,650 Sundry donations 13,285 12,496 10,698 9,498 Church rooms 12,322 11,892 10,200 9,000 Rent received 5,800 10,200 10,200 10,200 Other income 6,100 5,495 2,640 6,300
268,460 270,960 271,938 255,298
EXPENDITURE Parish share 138,600 144,996 145,000 144,996 Insurance 3,913 3,303 4,008 3,084 Repairs and maintenance 12,238 6,122 12,000 12,000 Electricity and gas 9,230 10,772 9,180 12,630 Salaries Church office 26,383 24,666 28,976 24,480 Cleaner 5,408 5,961 5,576 5,904 Organist 4,145 3,710 3,600 3,300 Music director 11,000 11,358 11,360 8,712 Youth ministry 16,045 37,500 37,500 39,436 Telephone, stationery and postage 11,854 6,839 7,560 5,460 Youth ministry expenses 10,666 12,235 12,000 12,000 Other expenses 18,295 21,555 28,596 17,460
267,777 289,017 305,356 289,462
Deficit for the year 683 (18,057) (33,418) (34,164)
Gift day income 21,848 24,820
Surplus for the year after gift day 22,531 6,763 (33,418) (34,164)
The full accounts as required by The Charity Commission are contained in a separate report this year. The above is a summary of the income and expenditure of the church for the year.
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The figures presented include the actual results for 2016 and 2017 and the budget for 2017 and 2018. This allows for comparison with what we planned and what we have achieved. Income The total income for the year was about what was budgeted. The committed giving has fallen in the year, the giving by standing orders has fallen slightly and is £7000 lower than budgeted. This is as a result of losing a few members of the congregation who have supported us very generously in the past. Expenditure The expenditure for the year is higher than last year but lower than budgeted. The youth ministry costs were very low in 2016 with Emma and John leaving early in the year and Simon not starting until September 2016 and Rachel starting in November 2016. In 2017 we employed Simon and Rachel for the full year. We have been fortunate that there have been no major repairs needed in the year.
Reserves There are items that are not included in the above figures:
The mission giving for the year was £27,374 (2016, £23,684). We received gifts of £5,185 which have been allocated to the Development Fund. This is money we have set aside for the redevelopment of the church rooms. The current balance of this fund is £42,730. We have set aside £6,000 to the building fund. This fund now has a balance of £36,672 and will be called upon should there be any significant repairs after the next quinquennial review. £9,448 has been spent in January 2018 to relay the path to the church rooms. Budget Once again, we have set ourselves a challenging budget for 2018. However, we have not yet increased our parish share. We have given the Diocese an undertaking that we will review the level of parish share after the first few months. Parish share is not an overhead but our commitment to growing the Church in Bristol. Given the fall in our committed giving in the year to 31 December 2017 it was agreed that we would wait and see how the
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congregation responded to the call to review giving before an increase could be committed. Caroline Owen
Safeguarding Report Safeguarding has been very much in the news over the last year with many high profile cases of abuse coming to light and hitting the headlines. This is very concerning and we have to acknowledge that the church has not been exempt from cases of child abuse. We cannot be complacent and think ‘it couldn’t happen here’, because it could, it can and it has, and our response must be to develop our policies and procedures in such a way as to make our churches places where children and vulnerable adults are safe from harm. Bristol Diocesan Safeguarding Team has been proactive in the last year and we have seen many developments in Diocesan Safeguarding policies which I have been keeping abreast of as your Parish Safeguarding Officer. The most significant developments over the year have been the increased emphasis on safer recruitment and training. At St Mary’s our safeguarding policies are reviewed annually and are approved by the PCC, as they have overall responsibility for safeguarding in the parish. This year, in addition to the annual review of our main safeguarding policies, we have reviewed our policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders and in accordance with diocesan guidelines, have introduced new policies on responding to domestic abuse and on safer recruitment. In order to comply with current guidelines on safer recruitment, ministry leads have been asked to produce role descriptions for all volunteers so that the parameters of each role are clearly defined. It is interesting to note that when we completed our annual ’self-audit’ in January it was found that the only area where we are not fully compliant relates to the requirement for role descriptions. As I have said, training has been a key feature of the year. The diocese now provides a total of five different training modules ranging from basic safeguarding awareness to safeguarding policy, strategy and practice. There are also seven specialist training modules covering issues such as safer recruitment, domestic and sexual abuse and grooming, spiritual abuse and risk assessments. Several of us have therefore spent many hours attending training sessions and I have been making sure that all of our staff and volunteers get the right level of training for their role. I am again very grateful to Steve Fairbairn who has kindly conducted a review of safeguarding in our children’s groups. One Sunday, and on three weekday evenings, he made unannounced visits to the various children’s groups to
38 | Annual Report for 2017 check that the required principles of safeguarding the children and young people are being adhered to. He found that in each group visited there was an attendance list in active use for both children and adults either supervising or assisting with the group. Those overseeing the crèche also had a list of the mothers who may be present with their children. Overall he found that levels of adult supervision are good, and at every age group all supervisors were aware of the need to stay within regulations. During the year I have met with Simon Russell and Rachel Powlesland a number of times to discuss safeguarding issues and new developments and I am very grateful to them for their dedication and hard work to ensure the safety of all the children and young people in their care. Similarly, I am grateful to the Pastoral Care team who serve the needs of our elderly and vulnerable with tireless devotion. My thanks go also to my deputies, Lucy Swithinbank and Barbie Whitby-Smith for their support during the year, and we continue to pray for Barbie. Some highlights from the year: In May I hosted a meeting at my house with a few of the Safeguarding Officers from within the Avonside Mission Area when we discussed some of the new requirements and compared notes on our policies and procedures. We all found this very useful and it was good to make contact with our counterparts in other parishes so that we may be a support to one another. In June Jennifer Hall, Barbie Whitby-Smith and I attended a Supporting Safeguarding service at St Mary Redcliffe church where clergy and safeguarding officers were thanked and commissioned by Bishop Mike Hill, and where he recognised the centrality of safeguarding in our churches and in the community. In his address, Justin Humphreys, Independent Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Steering Group and Executive Director of the Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service, challenged the church to 'be the voice for the voiceless’. In February this year here at St Mary’s we held our first ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ when both morning services were dedicated to raising awareness about safeguarding. Mat preached on the biblical foundations of safeguarding at both services. The service included a safeguarding prayer and hymn and the congregation joined in with a commitment to safeguarding. All in all, it has been another busy year, but we have much to be thankful for and to celebrate. I would like to close by reiterating that safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone; not just the PCC and me. We have a thriving weekly children’s ministry and our holiday club is attended by over 70 children each year. It is all of our responsibility to:
39 | Annual Report for 2017
* Be aware. Our safeguarding policies are displayed on the safeguarding notice board. * Respect boundaries where children’s groups are taking place - DON’T WANDER into or through areas where children’s activities are taking place! * Express any concerns you may have about the safety of children or vulnerable adults to me in complete confidence. Together we can make St Mary’s a safe and welcoming place for all. Stephanie Wren
40 | Annual Report for 2017
Mission Area Report
In October the Avonside Mission Area was officially formed when a covenant document was signed as part of an act of worship at St Mary’s Stoke Bishop. The covenant and vision for the mission area was the culmination of a year of prayer together with our partners in the mission area. Those partners are St Peter’s Lawrence Weston, St Andrews Avonmouth, St Edyth’s Sea-mills and St Mary’s Shirehampton. Our vision is; ‘the Avonside Mission Area exists to bring about the social, cultural and spiritual transformation of all our communities in partnership with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.’ During 2018 we look forward to our new Associate Vicar and minister for the mission area beginning work and the formation of an oversight group. For the purposes of planning and execution the work has been divided into 6 streams; discipleship, youth children and families, social justice, events, prayer and communication and oversight and leadership. Our representatives on the oversight team are Mat, Simon Potter and Wendy Hughes. Some informal working together has already begun and we expect increased working together in the coming years as our plans come together. Please pray that all of our churches grow in size and influence as we support, learn from one another and grow in mission. The mission area forms a large part of the strategic planning for growth in Stoke Bishop and across Avonside. Please do pray for its development, watch this space and get involved as opportunities arise! Mat Ineson
Appendix A for 2017
Deanery Report Bristol West Deanery Synod met three times in 2017 in different Church venues within our area.
Presentations and discussions have been held on significant and relevant issues in order to aid growth within the deanery. Topics have included engaging younger generations and resourcing ministry and mission. The synod has also been encouraged to share ideas and examples of best practice. Presentations were also given by Sailors’ Society and Tearfund.
At the Autumn meeting time was made to share ideas and to discuss the appointment of a new Bishop of Bristol and time was spent in prayer for the process and future of the diocese.
Our link with Uganda is active and strongly led by Alison Rowe from Almondsbury.
The Deanery leadership team has had a change of officers in May and several new clergy appointments have been made including Rev John Monaghan at Sea Mills and Rev David Moss in North Severnside. The Severnside parishes are in the midst of a reorganisation with a partnership involving Rev Philip Rowe taking responsibility for South Severnside.
Reports are made to synod about our participation and that of the other Churches involved in the Avonside Mission Area .
We look forward to the next year to furthering the aim of sharing resources and creating a culture of working together in partnership.
Yvonne Penn
Diocesan Report In September we said a huge thank you and fond farewell to Rt Rev Mike Hill as Bishop of Bristol. Mike had been serving the diocese for 14 years and has retired. He is greatly missed. During 2018 we will also say farewell to our Archdeacon Christine Froude who will retire in September. We hope to welcome a new Bishop appointed but not yet announced, and two new Archdeacons. Please do pray for them and the remaining Bishop’s staff, especially Bishop Lee, as they lead through this time of transition. Aside from these personnel changes the major Diocesan developments were the formation of 3 mission areas and the invitation to plant 2 new churches. One of these will be in the centre of Bristol in a revamped St Nicholas church and the other in a redeveloped building in the middle of Swindon. The two church plants will be led by teams trained by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London. The mission areas are the one St Mary’s is involved in, the Avonside Mission Area, one in the housing area of Yate and one in North Wiltshire centred at Malmesbury Abbey. Funding for these 5 projects has come mainly from the Church of England’s Strategic Development Fund with some coming from Diocese capital reserves. The aim of these projects is to invest in growth following the 3 priorities for the diocese; engaging younger generations, growing leaders and making disciples. Last year St Mary Magdalene Stoke Bishop gave £145,000 to the Diocese of Bristol to support ministry across the diocese. This ministry includes the cost of every stipended (paid) parish priest, their housing and costs and the diocese central support services (e.g. Safeguarding, Finance, Archdeacons etc). If you want to know more about the Diocese please speak to the Diocese Synod representatives, Peter Robottom, Yvonne Penn or Mat Ineson. Mat Ineson
Appendix C for 2017