Agenda for the Annual Meeting of the Chaplaincy and Association Cultuelle of Holy Trinity Church, Nice to Be Held in Church at 12.30Pm on 26 July 2020

Agenda for the annual meeting of the Chaplaincy and Association Cultuelle of Holy Trinity Church, Nice to be held in church at 12.30pm on 26 July 2020

1 Apologies for absence. 2 To approve the minutes of the annual chaplaincy church meeting held on 28 April 2019. 3 Matters arising. 4 To elect churchwardens. 5 To elect chaplaincy representatives of the laity to the archdeaconry synod. 6 To elect chaplaincy representatives of the laity to the chaplaincy church council. 6 To receive a report on the revised electoral roll. 7 To receive an annual report on the proceedings of the chaplaincy church council and the activities of the chaplaincy generally. 8 To receive the financial statements of the chaplaincy church council for the year ended 31 December 2019. 9 To appoint an independent examiner. 10 To receive a report on the fabric, goods and ornaments of the church. 11 To receive a report of the proceedings of the archdeaconry synod. 12 To receive the chaplain’s report. 13 To confirm adherence to the diocesan safeguarding policy. 14 To set the date of the next annual meeting.

ACCM AGENDA 200726 2

MINUTES OF THE HOLY TRINITY ANNUAL CHAPLAINCY MEETING, SUNDAY 28th APRIL 2019.

1. Father Peter called the meeting to order and led an opening prayer.

2. In his introductory remarks as Chairman, Father Peter informed every one of the need to collect copies (tabled) of the: 2019 Agenda, 2018 AGM Minutes, reports (Fr Peter’s, Churchwardens, Treasurer), Chaplaincy Council members list, and the Holy Trinity Church - Summary Accounts 2017-2018.

3. Apologies for absence were given for Teresa Banner, Roxanne Bethany, George Fortune, Richard Palmer, Mary Peres, Colin Peres. Twenty-six people were present for the meeting.

4. Minutes of the last General Meeting (22nd April 2018) were scrutinised and the Chair asked for any questions or objections concerning them. None was raised. Tony Feltham proposed acceptance of the minutes and Christine Harvey seconded this. They were unanimously accepted with no abstentions.

5. No matters arose from the minutes.

6. Jill Pirdas, Churchwarden, then reported on Electoral Roll changes since the last AGM. There are now 57 members on the roll compared with 68 in 2018. There are nine new members: Claire Allen, Tim Allen, Dami Coker, Maria Coker, Rita Donato, Shannon Simon, Claire Spencer, Robert Tonkiss and Robert Keen. However, many regular visitors have become ‘Friends’ rather than appearing as full members on the roll while others have transferred elsewhere. Listed Friends are: Weisa Cook, Fernand Dawe, Edgar Lefebvre, George & Pat Fortune, Irene Gordon, Alison Hall, George & Joy Kundhal, Karen Marginson, Jim & Mary McCall, Richard Palmer, Colin Perry, Ian & Alison Weir. Sadly, Jill also reported the death of Rosemary Warburton.

7. Fr Peter, now completing his fifth year at Holy Trinity, gave the Chaplain’s report. Many positives emerge concerning the life and support of the Holy Trinity community, connections with Vence and the wider church.

8. The Churchwardens’ reports on the proceedings of the Chaplaincy in general are covered in agenda items 6 and 9 respectively.

9. Michael Killbourn, Churchwarden, reported on the fabric, goods and ornaments of the church. Details of many items were provided including: renewal of Fr Peter’s contract for another 5 years, church insurance (lecterns, organ and stained glass windows), the 29 parking spaces, the return of the photocopier to Repro, other significant maintenance-service matters, future projects and outreach (locally and to India).

10. The Financial Statement of the Council for the year ending 2018 and the Auditors report were presented. The Auditor confirms the financial probity of Holy Trinity’s accounts. The discussion which followed highlighted the slightly improved finances this year compared with the recent past, as well as the on-going significant challenges of our financial condition. Renewal of Pierre-Roger Nataf’s (Expert-Comptable, Commissaire aux Comptes) contract was discussed. His re-appointment (proposer Gerard Jordan, seconder Geoff Treloar) was confirmed by a majority vote in favour with one abstention.

11. The renewal of adherence to diocesan Safeguarding Policy was highlighted by a proposal for acceptance made by Tony Feltham, seconded by Cynthia Adams. There was a majority in favour of accepting with one abstention. 3

12. Confirmation of the role of curate, Roxana Teleman was raised. Her 3 year clergy-trainee post at Holy Trinity will commence in July 2019. Richard Challoner proposed her acceptance, seconded by Carol Labrosse. She was unanimously accepted with no abstentions.

13. Outstanding election matters were discussed. Cynthia Adams was elected to the council (proposed Jill Pirdas, seconded Richard Challoner). Jill Pirdas was unanimously voted in to continue her tremendous work as a current Churchwarden (proposer Keith Paterson, seconder Gloria Weston). Michael Killbourn has submitted his resignation and needs to be replaced. Richard Challoner was proposed by Jill Pirdas (seconded by Michael Killbourn) to replace him, which was confirmed unanimously with no abstentions. The greatly appreciated work which Michael has undertaken in recent years on behalf of the church was acknowledged by all. He was presented by Jill with a gift from the community, and also one for his wife, Marie-Laure.

14. The proposed date for next year’s Annual Meeting is 26th April 2020.

15. In concluding Father Peter thanked everyone for their involvement and ended with a closing prayer.

Following AGM, elected officers:

President: The Reverend Peter Jackson

Treasurer: M. Gerard Jordan

Secretary: M. Robert Tonkiss

Church wardens: Mme Jill Pirdas; M. Richard Challoner 4

ELECTORAL ROLL HOLY TRINITY CHURCH NICE 2020

There are 54 members on the Electoral Roll of Holy Trinity Church in 2020 compared to 56 in 2019. Three members have decided to be on the Friends of Holy Trinity List as they can rarely be present at the AGM. Two members have left Nice. We are happy to welcome three new members. Mrs Lora Bernabei Reynolds, Mrs Sara Brummer and Mrs Mary de Vachon. The list of members is posted on the church notice board.

Jill Pirdas Electoral Roll Officer 5

Wardens' Report On Church Activities 2019-2020

The two table top sales in May and October of 2019 made a total of €5,963. There were three fund rasing lunches for the church (figures to come from Gerard) and two lunches in aid of children with HIV in India. There was a bring and share lunch in the Presbytery garden last June. At this point no outdoor lunches are envisaged, but that could change depending on circumstances.

A tombola was held in aid of Andy and thanks to Roxanna, Andy was able to get his passport renewed in Paris.

Gifts of food were taken to Fourneau Économique, who have been handing out food at the door, rather than serving meals.

Thanks are due as always, to Jean Marie our organist and Tony Feltham our cantor. Many thanks as well to all those who help in so many ways on a voluntary basis, including of course, the coffee service on Sundays. These have been suspended for the time being, but one hopes, will resume in due course.

Many thanks to Michael, whose ongoing work for Holy Trinity is invaluable and very much appreciated as always.

We are grateful as well, to Karyn the florist for so kindly lending us flowers for the Sunday services.

Fabric of the Church.

The Insurance on the church's stained glass windows has been upgraded and paid in total, thus ensuring full coverage in case of any damage. It was considered wise to do this given the value and importance of the windows.

In the summer of 2019, as all will be aware, a new television was installed in the Hall with the kind help of Kelly Acton, who also provided a security camera to watch over the television.

Jill and her brother John removed a great quantity of bags, clothes and other detritus which had been dumped outside the Sacristy on the Buffa side of the church, so many thanks to them. Fortunately there have been few reoccurrences of this and measures are being taken to try to keep that whole area clean and tidy.

In November 2019 the new windows were installed in the apartment above the Hall, thanks to Michael who oversaw the whole project. Our tenants are very pleased and of course, despite the financial outlay [see Treasurer's Report], it represents a good investment for the future.

In December an architect, Mr Armisto, came to examine the Hall with Jill and said that the builiding was sound and well constructed.

Again, as all will be aware, just before Christmas we received a donation of more than eighty chairs for the Hall from Michael Tschann, owner of the Hotel Splendid, for which we are all very grateful. 6

A letter of thanks was sent to Michael Tschann, as well as a gift of wine, arranged by Jill.

The Harmonium at the back of the church, in the south west corner, has been removed and recycled with Michael's invaluable help, saving the €480 that we were quoted for its removal. The south west corner of the church has been reorganised to better effect.

We have begun to put in place wire mesh along the railings on Rue de la Buffa, the purpose of which is to prevent people from throwing bottles, cans and other detritus onto the church grounds. This will be completed once the current crisis is over.

In February the trees in the Presbytery garden were pruned and the contractors did an excellent job.

Anthony, the gardener, has begun removing the boxwood bushes from the cemetery garden and already the effect is to make the garden look more spacious an attractive. When the job has been completed and the full effect assessed, a decision will have to be made about either leaving those areas without bushes or planting a different and more discreet type of bush.

The light at the back of the church, in the north west corner, has been repaired; the lights in the Presbytery basement have been replaced; the boiler in the kitchen and one of the taps have been replaced. More recently, further work has been done in the Presbytery, both in the basement and on the second floor, with a view to making wall sockets, lighting and other electrical elements safe. A timer has been installed to control the church boiler system, making its use easier. The light outside the Library has now been repaired.

Michael has overseen the replacement of a section of drain pipe outside the Hall, which will hopefully put an end to the problems of dampness and inundation which have been ongoing for some time.

Holy Trinity has increased its property holdings with the purchase of two apartments completed in February and March. In both cases the apartments are well situated, close to tramways and shopping facilities. [Figures in Treasurer's Report]

The first apartment is in Boulevard Delfino and comes with a sitting tenant, so we already have an income in that case. [Figure in Treasurer's Report]

The second apartment is in Avenue Shakespeare. This apartment has been restructured and refurbished to turn it into a light and spacious deux pieces according to plans drawn up by Patrick Sicard, who oversaw the work. Michael has been working closely with Patrick Sicard on this, so thanks are due to both of them. The apartment has now been let to a retired couple. [Rental figure in Treasurer's Report]

Unfortunately there have been a few unpleasant incidents in the church over the last year, including the theft of the candle snuffer and the mat from the pulpit. This is part of the challenge in trying to find a balance between keeping the church open, which we all want and protecting it from misuse.

Future Projects.

Because of the Covid-19 crisis certain projects have inevitably been put on hold. These include: the 7 refurbishment of the Sacristy and the Choir balcony and the installation of new lighting in the Church. With regard to the church lighting, the trials which we had hoped to carry out over the Spring months were postponed for obvious reasons and with the days getting longer, it will probably not be possible to proceed with them until the autumn.

One final point concerning the Hall is that the British Association of Nice, which is sadly dissolving, has most generously donated €20,000 for use in the maintenance of the Hall. This means that we should be able to go ahead with some of the work previously envisaged, including: the deep cleaning and redecoration of the kitchen; the cleaning and polishing of the Hall floor, (for which we already have two devis); and the possible replacement of the Hall ceiling, including panels above the tables which would incorporate lights, an excellent suggestion by Geoff Treloar. 8

Treasurer Report 2019-20: Gerard Jordan.

2 0 1 9

2019 Outcome Our 2019 accounts report in-year income of €181545 and in-year expenditure of €173357 resulting an in-year surplus of €8188. However, when depreciation and other historic debts are taken into account our underlying outturn amounts to a deficit of €37047, which is broadly similar to last year’s outturn. Although this notional deficit does not pose an immediate risk to our finances it is important that it is addressed as it reflects the future likely costs of maintaining our fabric. It is hoped that the stewardship initiatives and property investments outlined below will in time reduce this notional deficit.

Stewardship Initiatives P l e d g i n g : A new pledging initiative at the end of 2019 succeeded in identifying over €18k of pledges for the coming year. Although this is an increase over previous levels of pledging some of this will be instead of previous plate collections SSaa v i n g s f u n d : A new fund is being planned in honour of the forthcoming bicentenary of the founding of the church to encourage gifts and legacies and aimed at funding specific projects and ongoing investments.

Property Investments Two long term cash investments matured during 2019, the proceeds of which have been invested in two further apartments to add to our existing rental properties. It is hoped that these new apartments will in future provide us with up to €9k of additional income per year.

Diocesan Contributions The church council undertook a detailed review of our financial contributions to the Diocese of Europe in response to a request from the diocese for a significant increase in chaplaincy contributions. The church council agreed that we would not for the foreseeable future be able to provide the increase requested, but that we would aim to honour our historic levels of contribution (i.e. 5% of income) 9

202020202020

Because the annual meeting of our Association is being held half way into this financial year, I would also like briefly to note some important matters relating to the current financial year • There will be major consequences for our finances this year resulting from the COVID epidemic and the consequent loss of income from fundraising and from church and hall rentals. Current estimates indicate a potential loss of income of over €20k. • We are delighted to hear that the British Association of Nice has decided to make available a substantial donation to assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the church hall. • Our accountant Yvette Le Roy has announced her retirement after many years of devoted service to Holy Trinity. We are currently searching for a replacement and will be organising a farewell event in the Autumn to show our appreciation. 10

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH – INCOME 2018 2019 GIVING BY PARISHIONERS 20 466 open collections 17 842 8 697 pledged giving 8 254 4 419 Fund raising 5 096 ------33 582 ------31 192 4 000 AMERICAN MINISTRY SUBVENTION 5 000 10 000 VENCE SUBVENTION 10 000

OTHER 3 288 Investments income 12 283 23 350 Rents “Gilbratar” 27 237 11 435 Beaulieu 11 875 11 026 12b rue de France 11 103 35 285 parkings fees 39 611 8 366 hall lettings 9 898 6 983 gifts 8 847 120 xmas cards --- 5 253 kermesse 5 729 3 000 Vence reimb.for Organist 2 000 2 448 exceptional items 1 936 1 600 last year items 1 484 1 000 Engl.Am. library 1 000 3 150 Concerts 2 350 ------116 304 ------135 353 ------163 886 TOTAL INCOME 181 545

EXPENDITURE 159 750 per schedule 174 332 2 395 giving 2 500 1 465 renovations 3 122 58 096 Amortissements 60 472 10 000 Prov. For church repairs 10 000 ------231 706 ------250 426 ------67 820 RESULT (before special gains) - 68 881

2 057 Gifts for renovation fund 1 908 28 925 part renov subvention 28 925 ------30 982 ------30 833 ------36 838 NET RESULT - 38 048

RESERVE FUND DECEMBER 31 2018

Balance 1st January 2016 1 081 470 Transfert income account - 38 048 1 043 422 11

Represented by : Investments 185 033 Debtors & creditors 35 977 Cash Renovation Fund 114 212 Organ fund investment 6 087 Cash 150 045 Appartement Beaulieu 149 421 “ “ “Gilbratar” 3 P. 106 714 “ “ “ 2 P. 76 225 Trav.rénov.3 P. Gilbratar 26 104 Computer ----- Car ----- Cautions received - 870 Renovation church 541 392 “ presbytery 25 416 Subv. For church renovation - 348 537 Aménagement jardin (parkings) 1 380 Matériel de surveillance 4 823 Prov. For church repairs - 30 000 ------1 043 422 ======12

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH – EXPENDITURES 2018 2019 CLERGY 28 488 stipend 28 488 2 547 Expenses 2 474 8 674 Social charges 8 934 12 614 English pension 12 471 100 Stipend locum Priest 125 ------52 423 ------52 492 OTHER SALARIES 4 949 organist 4 940 1 451 social charges 1 582 ------6 400 ------6 522 BUILDING 10 921 general maintenance 11 566 5 725 garden 4 220 1 104 Barrières 2 520 3 728 heating 8 779 4 846 El, gas, water 3 620 17 139 flats & annexe charges 16 279 1 833 flats repairs 3 873 9 685 taxes foncières 9 210 ------54 981 ------60 067 FINANCE 1 145 contrib.s/revenus locatifs 1 255 2 755 income taxes 13 611 507 bank charges 1 055 ------4 407 ------15 921 OTHER 3 071 Travels 4 052 274 Hospitality 593 1 696 car charges (ass + repairs) 801 5 181 insurance 6 752 1 405 téléphone 1 621 167 post charges 211 529 office supplies 1 818 4 692 liturgy supplies 4 464 202 Publicity --- 190 presents 462 7 372 honoraires 6 850 5 939 leasing --- 6 900 diocese contribution 7 830 1 255 archdeaconry quota 1 320 --- orgue maintenance 250 410 computer maintenance 373 556 last year charges 233 --- exceptional charges --- 1 700 Prov.p/pertes de change 1 700 ------41 539 ------39 330 ------159 750 174 332 13

RENOVATIONS 2018 2019

519 Presbytary 3 122 946 Hall ------1 465 ------3 122

AMORTISSEMENTS

2 376 Travaux s/3 P. Gilbratar 4 752 7 623 Presbytary (10% travaux) 7 623 44 939 Church (5% travaux) 44 939 204 Garden (10% trav.parkings) 204 2 954 Materiel surveillance (10%) 2 954 ------58 096 ------60 472 14

ROGER P. NATAF COMMISSAIRE AUX COMPTES INSCRIT AUPRES DE LA COUR D’APPEL D’AIX EN PROVENCE 31 avenue Jean MEDECIN 06000 NICE

ASSOCIATION HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Eglise Anglicane de Nice 11 Rue de la Buffa 06000 NICE

STATUTORY AUDITOR REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended on December 31 2019

In compliance with the assignment entrusted to me by your general meeting, I hereby report to you, for this year on:

– the audit of the attached financial statements – the justification of our assessments; – the specific verification and information required by law.

These financial statements have been approved by your board (conseil d’administration) and my role is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on my audit.

I. Opinion on the financial statements

I conduced my audit in accordance with professional standards applicable in France; those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures, using sampling techniques or other methods of selection, to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made, as well as the overall presentation of the financial statements. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained, is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion.

In my opinion, the financial statements give a true and fair view of the assets and liabilities and of the financial situation of your Association and the results of its operations for this year in accordance with French accounting principles. 15

Notwithstanding this opinion I express about financial statements 2019 I have to draw your attention on the following point : I can’t certify “ENGIE” account for gas consuming : the follow up of this provider’s invoicing includes erratic movements as well as the absence of response to our requests, for explanation and accounts confirmation.

II. Justification of my assessments

In accordance with the requirements of the “French Commercial Code” we bring to your attention the following matters:

- Principles and methods of accountancy - Procedures to apply for accounting organization - Sanitary crisis consequences and exceptional events occurred in 2020 related to COVID 19 pandemia - French taxes payed on benefits however the church is for this year again, in deficit

These assessments were made as part of my audit of the financial statements taken as a whole, and therefore contributed to the opinion I formed in the first part of this report.

III. Specific verifications and information

Also given the exceptional circumstances related to the Covid-19 crisis I have not been able to proceed to verifications and I can’t express any observation about the fairness and reconciliation of the 2019 statements with the information included in the documents handed over to the members.

Nice, June 18, 2020 16 ARCHDEACONRY OF FRANCE AND MONACO Minutes of the Annual Synod held 16-18 May 2019 at the Domaine Lyon St Joseph, Lyon

PRESENT The Archdeacon, 25 members of the clergy and 57 chaplaincy representatives SPEAKERS Brother Matthew (Taizé Community); Matthew Lodge (British Embassy Paris); Andrew Caspari (Diocesan Secretary); Damian Thwaites (Diocesan Director of Communications); Majean Griffiths and Katherine Harris (Diocesan Safeguarding Team); Amaris Cole and Liz Morgan (Church House Digital Communications) GUESTS AND OBSERVERS Pasteur Pierre Blanzat, EPUdF; The Very Reverend Lucinda Laird, Dean of the American Cathedral in Paris APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Bishop Robert was unable to be present and sent a video message in which he outlined some of the themes of the synod: - dealing with conflict, staying open to those who are different, and “Disagreeing well”. - the need for good communication - how to grow in faith and love in the context of upheaval, economic fragility and turbulence. NOTE: many if not all of the talks and presentations are made available on the website.

Session 1: Opening and Welcome The Archdeacon welcomed everyone to the synod, in a new location and a shorter format. He introduced the speakers and guests and spoke of some recent changes in the Archdeaconry. A summary of his address, covering a wide range of issues pertaining to chaplaincy life will be made widely available. Bible Studies: Led by Brother Matthew of the Taizé community Brother Matthew led two sessions, based on Matthew 11.25-30 and Philippians 3.4b-16 Session 2: Communications Damian Thwaites explained his role and the main axes of his work to enable better communications within the Diocese and outside the Diocese. Our Diocese must be: Visible (including tools such as A Church Near you); Projected (via the website); Attractive (telling the story of the Diocese); Engaged (speaking of needs) and; Focused (what and how). He asked for news and photographs (having obtained suitable permissions) to be sent to him and encouraged the use of the Diocesan logo. Session 3: Forum Chrétien Francophone Ben Harding, Chaplain in Lyon, gave a presentation on the Forum, held in Lyon from 28-31 October 2018 and well attended by representatives of 22 denominations who came together for prayer, Bible Study and sharing in small groups. A public worship evening was attended by 700 people. Session 4: Brexit Matthew Lodge said that regional outreach meetings by representatives of the British embassy would continue for the foreseeable future, in order to provide information and reassurance. While politics remained uncertain, a lot of information was now available, and the Embassy was continuing to work with the French government on reciprocal agreements. Updated information is posted by the Embassy and by the French government (see the page on the anglicanfrance.fr website). Session 5: Safeguarding Majean Griffiths and Katherine Harris reminded the synod that safeguarding in the diocese was about working to make the Church of England and our chaplaincies the most trusted places. 17 It was important to review the past and learn from it in order to prepare the future. We all need to work together. While there are some known difficulties with clearances in Europe, the team is there to assist. Workshops a. Social Media and Communications: a presentation on A Church Near You was live-streamed around the Diocese. Training courses are available and also Labs Learning and a Resource Hub; ACNY could be used as a website for those chaplaincies who do not have one. b. Safeguarding: the team answered questions on training, Data Subject Access Requests in Safeguarding cases, and required policies when other groups share a chaplaincy building. There are now eight Safeguarding trainers in France. c. Welcoming the Stranger: this workshop invited participants to reflect on “Who is the Stranger”. The hostile environment of Calais, surrounded by barbed wire and concrete walls, means there is a great need for trauma management, both for exiles (rather than migrants or refugees) and for volunteers. The parable of the Good Samaritan is inescapable in the current global context. Participants were reminded that receiving gives the other dignity. d. GDPR one year on: although most chaplaincies have made a good start, some may need more help and advice. Participants were reminded of the basic principles of looking after personal data, in whatever form.

Meetings by Houses Meeting of the House of Laity • There were initially three unfilled vacancies for lay representatives from the Archdeaconry of France and Monaco at the Diocesan synod. Diane Murray had stood for election within the official timescale and was therefore elected to serve. Five other candidates presented themselves for election during the Archdeaconry synod, and members of the House of Laity were asked to vote for people to fill the two remaining places. • Andrew Caspari supervised the election and Donna Adams and John Errey were duly elected. • Kate Giry-Deloison had decided to stand down as Chair of the House of Laity after 20 years loyal service. Members were therefore asked to vote for one of the two candidates who had presented themselves; proposals and statements had been circulated at the beginning of the synod. Diane Murray was elected as Chair.

Meeting of the House of Clergy • Attention was drawn again to the need for flexibility in the training of readers, taking into account a person’s background, experience, education and employment. • Daniel Langdon-Griffiths and Tony Lomas were elected to fill vacancies to represent the French House of Clergy at the Diocesan Synod. • It is hoped that a retreat/day of reflection could be organised, probably a day before the start of the next archdeaconry synod. • Concern was expressed about correspondence sent to the Diocese not being acknowledged or responded to in as effective a way as might be expected. This can sometimes cause distress. • The House was unanimous in proposing a motion to the Archdeaconry synod on the need to offer lay people a variety of paths towards Christian discipleship, most notably a scheme for Lay Pastoral Workers, which has become a feature of lay ministry in many dioceses throughout the UK and beyond (cf. Section 7: Business Meeting). Session 6: Diocesan Secretary (Chief Operating Officer) The Diocesan Secretary presented the three main areas of his work: Mission, Care and Stewardship. Citing a prayer of the Church, he hopes that the church can become a “sheepfold of grace”, where we exist and where we nourish one another both spiritually and literally. 18 He spoke of the finances of the Diocese, and the need to work together to ensure the Diocese can tell God’s story through the work of the Chaplaincies. The Diocese is all of us. While some chaplaincies are finding the increases difficult, he continues to talk to those having difficulties, and to try and find solutions, and identify real cases of hardship. Discussions are continuing (via the working party) to see how best to administer and allocate the Common Fund request. Some correspondence received by the Diocesan Secretary or his colleagues is at times unpleasant. We need to be able to talk to each other and work through the differences together. However, the overall outlook for the diocese is positive. Amongst other things, it is growing and getting younger, finances are stabilising and there were 33 new clergy in 2018. He closed by praying that we all continue to grow as a Sheepfold of Grace.

Session 7: Business Meeting • The minutes of the 2018 Synod were read and approved unanimously as a true record. • The Treasurer presented his report on finances in 2018; the better-than-expected result was largely due to a refund from St Jacut following the disruption to our synod caused by their building works. Training costs have increased but this is a positive development. He reminded members that the Common Fund percentage is used to calculate the Archdeaconry quota. • The budget for 2019 was presented and is not much higher than that for 2018. • Because of the healthy situation, there will be no request for CME funding in 2019. However, members were reminded to send updates on the numbers of clergy and readers in each chaplaincy. • The accounts were approved unanimously. • The 2020 Archdeaconry Synod will be held at the Abbaye in St Jacut de la Mer from Wednesday 29 April – Saturday 2 May.

The House of Clergy had discussed a Motion for Diocesan Synod, and this was put to all the members present: "This Synod proposes the creation of a modular pathway of training for lay people in our diocese, supporting the Strategy "Walking Together in Faith", in order to equip God's people for a range of authorised ministries recognised across the diocese, or for personal Christian development." Proposed: Giles Williams, Seconded: Ben Harding

G Williams, B Harding, Daniel Langdon-Griffiths and D Flach explained the desire to use the skills of lay people and to enable accreditation not just in France but across the diocese. After discussion, the motion was approved unanimously.

Finally, the outgoing Chair of the House of Laity was presented with a gift in recognition of her work, and as a token of affection and appreciation.

A final collection was taken in favour of the organisation “Operation Hope”, which is the fund used by the Taizé Community for helping those in need around the world cf. www.taizé.fr

The synod closed at 14:15 on 18 May 2019.

Rosemary Ulyett, Secretary, 22 May 2019 19 FR PETER The way I write the report this year is coloured by the way the year ended (from one AGM in April 2019 until the delayed AGM in 2020). Who could possibly have foreseen that the churches would be empty during Holy Week and Easter. Who could have foreseen that the communities’ contact with the sacraments would largely be spiritually by Facebook broadcast services. Yet, although there were stresses and anxieties, there were also gains. Through study groups online (via Zoom), Whatsapp groups, online standing committee and council meetings, a phone tree and online coffee hours and aperos, we have kept together and some have got to know each other better. We have experienced solidarity. We have also bridged borders of distance and time: study groups and coffee hours have embraced our international character by having people join from the UK, US and Canada. We have gradually learnt the etiquette of teleconferencing – we have become better at listening to each other. I have also had diocesan online interaction. I participated with 160 other clergy in the renewal of ordination vows online on Maundy Thursday. I have also engaged in Diocesan Finance Committee meetings online – the main business being the administration of hardship grants to chaplaincies that were struggling during lockdown. All of this has tended to eclipse the previous ten months. Last October, we went to the Episcopal Church Convention at the Ecumenical Centre at Bossey outside Geneva. Since the next Convention is to be in Nice, I symbolically received the Canterbury Cross at the end of Convention. However, not wishing to entrust it to EasyJet, we relied on Helena and Samuel Mbong-Mbele to bring it to Nice in January. Some of you would have been present at the service where we physically received it, or seen photographs of the occasion. It has been visible in the sanctuary at all the broadcast services. Previously, there were many social events at St Hugh’s and Holy Trinity: vide grenier, lunches in the garden at St Hugh’s and in the presbytery Garden, cream teas, and Christmas markets. We also continued to welcome a great variety of visitors, which has stopped for the time being, though they continue to follow us online. It’s been a really strange time. Lat year both parishes did well to balance – or nearly balance – their books. The prospects for this year are less certain and I will be writing to all our members to remind them of the need for their continued support.