Annual Report 2019

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Alban 2019

Companions on the Way Serving God and his People

St John’s, Notting Hill A N N U A L R EP O R T 2019

Drawing on biblical and early church material, and on earlier St John’s statements and documents, we wish to identify ourselves as being on a journey and part of God’s pilgrim people. Specifically, we identify pilgrimage with three elements: • Companionship with God • Companionship with each other • Companionship with those we meet along the way This moving and changing imagery of journeying and pilgrimage is important to us. God’s people and the building of the church are not static. This is the framework in which we place our Annual Report 2019.

Services at St John’s

The Church is open daily from 8.30am until 5.15pm

Monday-Friday 8.45am Morning Prayer 5.00pm Evening Prayer

Sunday 8.00am Holy Communion 10.30am Sung Eucharist (Once a month, an All Age format is used) 12.30pm Tagalog Mass 5.30pm Evening Prayer 6.30pm Choral Evensong – once a month.

Wednesday 12.30pm Holy Communion

Healing Service A healing service, with anointing with oil and the laying on of hands, is held monthly, generally at Evening Prayer, and twice a year as part of the Parish Eucharist.

Farsi Eucharist A Farsi Eucharist is held once a month, on Sundays at 4.00pm, as part of our growing ministry to Farsi speakers.

Vicar’s Foreword

The Rev’d Canon Dr. William Taylor: 2019 has been a year of change, adaption, and growth – both here at St John’s and in much of the county and world. In this challenging environment, we rose to meet challenges and report on another year full of activity and forward movement. Archbishop Welby often says “money is theology in numbers.” So the first thing on which we report is the wonderful news that we turned round a deficit of £36,000 at the end of 2018 to a surplus of almost £8,000 at the end of 2019. This did not happen by magic. Regular worshippers responded generously and sacrificially to our appeals to give to the Common Fund. And our two members of staff did fantastic work in achieving more than 6k above budget in lettings and reducing our outgoings by doing all repairs and renewals (with the exception of gas or electric work) in house. The Church building is open 7 days a week from early in the morning to the evening with a variety of worship (our principle purpose) and group activities from a wide cross section of society. In addition, The Kitchen in The Space continues to serve the public with food from Monday to Thursday. We continued with the full payment of our Parish Standard Costs (Common Fund) of £83,800; The Stewardship Advisory Group under the Chairmanship of Richard Burnett – Hall continued to keep the need to contribute fully before people’s eyes. This booklet of reports comes from the wide cross-section of people who make up the active ministry of the church in this Parish. For my own contribution, I describe the different teams of people with whom I work, the particular areas of work where I have more “hands-on” responsibility, and the new areas of work and ministry, which we have begun in the course of 2019.

Staff Team

Karen Fong was licensed as Lay Minster of the Parish at the beginning of the year and joined the Staff Team. She created a new worship opportunity on Tuesday evenings with the God & Tuesday informal evening service (see the section in this report on G & T) which ran until the end of November. For personal reasons, she is on leave of absence for 2020. Canon Larry Galon continued his duties as Filipino Chaplain and Assistant Priest and moved in November into much more suitable accommodation in the nearby former Vicarage of St Clements; Tobi Iyanda continued as Parish & Facilities Manager, in which role he is already doing great work in administering an increasingly busy and complex church diary. Under Tom Primrose’s leadership as Director Music, we continued to work with four choral scholars, a children’s music co-ordinator, and an organ scholar, who continue to transform the music of the liturgy. Mykhaylo Ibelgauptas’ work has been invaluable through the year in keeping the church open daily and doing inspirational physical work to the building and grounds and keeping them in top order. This he does with cheerful faithfulness, rooted as he is in the Russian Orthodox tradition. In June we welcomed a Deacon from the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq on a three-month placement as part of his priestly formation. Deacon Milam Kakone made a big impact on our lives, and it was the first time a Catholic deacon from Iraq did part of his spiritual and pastoral formation

in a Parish of the Church of England. We are proud to have hosted this ground-breaking ecumenical initiative. In the course of the year, Fr Bello Mahilum moved on from the Parish after his appointment as a hospital chaplain. We thank him for his time here.

Our staff meetings continued to play a vital role in our life together. In 2019, we had two staff pilgrimages – to Rome and to Canterbury. Both were inspirational, spiritual and fun. Each member of the team, in addition to the corporate and collegial responsibilities of liturgical and pastoral ministry, carries a ministerial portfolio, and generally reports on that area to the staff meeting. We make decisions collectively about music, liturgy, teaching and courses. This is, for me, most valuable. It is also different from many Parishes where those aspects of parochial work are often handled by the Vicar alone. Making up the staff team in 2019 were –The Assistant Priests, the Director of Music, Parish Manager and the Maintenance Manager. The collegial support we experience in this meeting is very important. We share responsibility for the areas I have outlined, make decisions, and stick by them. We also get the bigger picture for our work all the time and ensure that no one is working in isolation. The isolated state is not a good role model for the parochial ministry. We also share things in the confidence of the meeting that do not appear in our notes. Pastoral confidences are dealt with in this context. An important part of our support for each other is to eat and relax together, which we do often. Working with this very varied group of people is for me energising, and I thank them for all they contribute to the life of the Parish.

We owe a very significant debt of gratitude to Tobi Iyanda Parish Manager and Misha Ibelgauptas Steward & Maintenance Manager, for the dedicated and hard work they do which has enabled the Parish to grow in the way it has done in 2019. The three of us work closely together and begin every week after Morning Prayer on Monday with a weekly operational meeting looking at the needs of the Church and those who use it for the week ahead .For the level of activities we now have, two full time members of staff is the bare minimum. The positive effect of their hard work is in plain sight in the counts for all to see.

Ecumenical Work

I have continued to carry out two ecumenical functions in 2019 – one for the Kensington Episcopal Area, and one for the Church of England.

Ecumenical Adviser to the Kensington Episcopal Area

My work as Ecumenical Adviser for the Kensington Episcopal Area involves facilitating contacts and work between Christians of different traditions on behalf of the Bishop of Kensington. Other churches find themselves increasingly working with the Church of England on common social and other issues. In September, I represented the Bishop of Kensington at the enthronement of Archbishop Nikitas, the new Greek

Orthodox Archbishop, and in November at the canonisation Vespers for St John Henry Newman in Westminster Cathedral.

Anglican and Eastern Churches Association

As Chairman of the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association (AECA), my work involves a national responsibility for the Church of England in furthering contacts with the Orthodox Churches. The AECA is the oldest ecumenical association of the Church of England, founded in 1864, and I am proud in this role to be following in the footsteps of my esteemed predecessor as the last Vicar of the “stand-alone” Parish of St John Notting Hill, Austen Oakley. Anyone with eyes to see inside the Church of St John will see physical evidence of its long and fruitful cooperation with Orthodoxy.

In October 2019, I was one of the Church of England’s representatives in the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Theological Commission, meeting in Cairo.

Work in the Community

Windsor Leadership Trust

Having worked with the Windsor Leadership Trust (www.windsorleadershiptrust.org) since 2000 as a facilitator for their cross disciplinary courses on leadership, I took on a new role as Chair of the annual meeting. It is a real privilege to work with this wide cross section of people as we gather annually for a few days in the awesome setting of the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Christians in the Middle East & Persecuted Christians

Throughout 2019, I also continued my work as a Director of JMECA, looking after the interests of the four Anglican Dioceses of the Church of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and continued as a Patron of Iraqi Christians in Need (http://icin.org.uk/) The Parish as a whole developed its particular charism caring for Christians who are persecuted for their faith. In November, I took part (with other parishioners) in the Red Wednesday event, which draws attention to persecuted Christians, in a public meeting in Trafalgar Square, followed by a march to Westminster Cathedral.

Notting Hill Group Ministry

Did not meet in 2019.

Standing Committee & Churchwardens

I often say that the model of shared ministry between lay and ordained in a Parish is modelled by Vicar & Churchwardens. It is most important that these three can speak regularly and often in an atmosphere of complete trust and confidentiality. This we are fortunate to have. We share news, views, hopes, and aspirations in a completely open way. We do not always agree, but we know that the mutual support that we owe each other is always there. In 2019, it has been a continuing delight to work with Cllr Gerard Hargreaves and to welcome Julius Cruz as Churchwardens. I am grateful to Neal Craig, who resigned as Churchwarden at the Annual Meeting when his family moved to Wiltshire. I am grateful to the Churchwardens for the solid support and wise counsel they always offer me.

At St John’s we have a slightly larger Standing Committee than is required. This is another manifestation of how we like to work in the Parish - by inclusion, consensus, and sharing the load. In 2019, all Standing Committee meetings have been open to any PCC member to attend, and this has resulted in new ideas and new energy. At those meetings, the papers and agenda for each PCC meeting are agreed, so that each meeting is properly prepared and briefed – with a PCC ready, when necessary, to take the informed decisions it needs to make.

The Parish Church in the Community We continue to develop and grow in our role as the Parish Church. The openness of the building throughout the day, daily public prayer, an increased number of baptisms and confirmations, the use of the building by other Christian groups, a bigger number of concerts, plays, and other activities are the things we report on, year by year. There are also new things. Fundraising events with significant community impact were also important – the community Quiz Night, the MayFest, the new Mid-Summer Fair, the catering at Carnival by the Filipino Chaplaincy, and the December Christmas Market Thanks are offered to all who made these fund-raising and community events successful. New friendships have been made and new generosities discovered. It is important for me that The Church of England appoints Vicars of Parishes not chaplains to congregations.

Shared Ministry Everything I have written about represents a ministry which is active, and shared. St John’s is indeed fortunate to be blessed with its historic resources (buildings, grounds, and location) and its contemporary dynamism. This dynamism can only come from people. Our teaching and our emphasis on baptism as commission to ministry became more tangible and visible with the relocation of the Font.

Thanks So, enjoy reading these reports, and the commitment each report represents. I thank each and every person who works with us in this ministry and gives of their time and energies in a selfless, giving way. I see this all the time and thank God for it. Laus Deo.

William

Companionship with God Servers

Tobi Iyanda: The Serving Team continues to underpin the liturgy of St John’s by its dedicated service. We are especially grateful to the members of the Filipino Chaplaincy and the Persian Anglican Community of London who have supported the team faithfully. This link between different linguistic worshipping communities on Sundays is a special one and much valued.

The Servers make a vital contribution to the liturgy at St John’s; not only are they essential to the smooth running of the Parish Eucharist on Sunday mornings but they do the unseen things which make that service possible. Sunday by Sunday they come early to help prepare for the service and stay afterwards to clear up. We are most grateful to all who serve in this way and we would welcome anyone who would like to join the team and experience the liturgy in a different way. This is a lovely thing for children to do, so any parents with children who might like to serve should speak to a member of the clergy team about this. We are also in need of adults prepared to train as thurifers, Acolytes and Crucifers so if you would like to do this then, again do let the clergy know.

Eucharistic Ministers

Nemr Elias: In 2019 all our Eucharistic Ministers were re-licenced by the Bishop for another 3-year period. Eucharistic Ministers, as always, play an essential part in our Church liturgy, demonstrating that we are all involved in the celebration of the Eucharist, and not something carried out by the clergy alone, it makes us feel like a big family helping each other by sharing the body and the blood of Jesus Christ our saviour. For that reason, we need four minsters on each Sunday, we work on a monthly rota, so quite a high number are needed, especially with the extra services at Christmas, Holy Week and Easter. We are always in need for new EM’s to help us and make it comfortable for others. We hope to have another helper in 2020, so please let me know if you have anyone who is interested.

As always, Thanks to Revd William for his usual and unlimited support. I would like to thank everyone for giving a high degree of commitment and support.

Pastoral Care Team

Larry Galon: The team was re-invigorated in our Vision planning day and in the Mission Action Plan. The team shares lists of planned baptisms, weddings, and newcomers, as well as day to day pastoral care, of which we do not (as policy) make notes. Bereavement care is also shared with trained bereavement visitors. The Team also considered new patterns of pastoral care and the extent to which it was the responsibility of the whole worshipping community not merely the clergy. In 2019 the Wednesday 12.30pm Eucharist had an extended period of Intercessions once a month followed by a community lunch.

Junior Church

Amy Buckley: St John's Junior Church holds term-time sessions for the children in the congregation. Each term’s Junior Church schedule is posted on the church noticeboard, and the weekly newsletter highlights the Junior Church schedule for the current and following Sundays. There are no Junior Church sessions during All Age services or during school holidays.

Junior Church uses Roots teaching materials. Roots materials are written by experienced ordained and lay practitioners from all denominations and traditions and are flexible and easily adapted to suit a wide range of patterns and styles of worship and learning.

We continue to run our sessions with a dedicated pool of volunteer teachers. The volunteers are grouped into "leaders" and "helpers" to assist with preparation and continuity for the teachers and children. Typical lessons include a reading or story from the Bible, a short discussion and a project or game. The Junior Church leaders occasionally bring the results of the morning’s session up at the end of the service, to display to the congregation.

We are also continuing to hold art sessions led by Jenny Taggart and Jane Eve who work with the children to make seasonal displays. These are publicised ahead of time, and both children and adults enjoy seeing the children's colourful efforts on the dedicated Junior Church noticeboard in the Church.

The Junior Church team welcomes volunteers to assist in the preparation and delivery of lessons. No experience is required, and it does not need to involve a large time commitment. Donations of arts and craft materials are also most welcome at any time. Please contact Amy Buckley for more details.

Children’s Music

Hannah Reeves: Following the departure of Simone Ibbett-Brown in January 2019, the coordination of Junior Church music was taken over by Clover Willis (soprano choral scholar), assisted by Hannah Reeves. Clover and Hannah continued to engage the whole congregation musically in All Age services, something which Simone and Hannah started experimenting with in 2018. This new approach to Junior Church music was further developed at a meeting in July 2019 (involving Amy Buckley, Becky Quinoy, Jenny Taggart, Hannah Reeves and William Taylor), where the following ideas were discussed:

1. To find out from the children and young people at St John’s about the types of songs that they would like to be included at All Age services;

2. to put together a small collection of songs that can be sung at Junior Church sessions in the Undercroft as well as at All Age services, so that the children can become familiar with the songs over time. Amy, Becky, Jenny and Hannah came up with an initial seven songs which include “This Little Light of Mine”, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands “and the lesser known “I Give Thanks”;

3. to dispense with the music rehearsal a week before each All Age service, as the children present at this rehearsal were often not at the All Age the following week, and also because part of each All Age service is now spent teaching the song to everyone anyway.

An example of these ideas being put into practise was at the Harvest Celebration on October 16th, where Hannah, Becky and Becky’s children Seb and Alicia taught everyone the catchy, upbeat worship song “I Give Thanks” (including actions!) which was well received by the congregation.

As of September 2019, Hannah Reeves has taken over coordination of Junior Church music: however, she is currently on maternity leave from that role, and Tom Primrose has led the music at the monthly All Age Services.

Music

Tom Primrose: In Advent 2019 we launched a leaflet campaign for funding the scholarship scheme which will be further ‘plugged’ in coming weeks. I hope this will help to both secure our excellent provision for music and make sure our scheme remains competitive and attractive compared with similar churches in the area. We will be looking for two new choral scholars after Easter, when both Joe Derry and Francis Melville (our longest serving choral scholar!) go on placements in Mauritius as part of their medical training.

The organ has remained in good shape over the past year, with few problems beyond those with tuning, to be expected from the varying heating conditions in the church. The only consideration going forward is that it is vitally important that the door behind the organ remains closed and isn’t used as a general thoroughfare under any circumstances, and that foodstuffs are not stored behind the

instrument as this may encourage vermin which can be extremely damaging.

Contributions by musicians in residence and by Imperial College Chamber Choir have hugely enriched our worship over the past year. I have recently had enquiries from an early music group about becoming musicians in residence, so this might be an exciting and interesting addition to our team.

In January 2020 we welcomed two new choral scholars, Emma Louise Jones and Aliya Ismailova. We also welcomed Gilbert Jackson as organ scholar.

We said goodbye to Clover Willis and Rosie Parker at Christmas, and to our organ scholar Joe Marshall. All have gone on to busy professional careers, and in Joe’s case to study at Bristol University. We wish them the best of luck. No doubt they will be back from time to time as deputies.

Welcomers

Caroline Sterling: There is a regular team of helpers who are Welcomers at services and who also prepare the service sheets etc. and tidy up after the service. I am delighted and most grateful that we have several members of the Filipino and Farsi speaking Communities joining our teams. This is a wonderful way for the congregations to unite.

It is a pleasurable duty to welcome those arriving at the service and make sure that everyone is aware of the facilities we offer for children etc. It is also a good way of getting to know worshippers, regular or newcomers! If you would like to join us please ask any Welcomer, even if you feel you can only welcome on an irregular basis! Thank you to all Welcomers for being so flexible and adaptable.

There is also a variety of leaflets available which we are able to offer to visitors to help answer their questions, for example regarding the history of the church, the organ and our mission to the wider world and facilities we offer to children. There is also a leaflet for children to help them enjoy and explore St. John’s.

Stewardship Advisory Group

Richard Burnett-Hall: For the first time in our Group’s, admittedly fairly brief, existence, we ended 2019 with a surplus of Stewardship income over the Common Fund requirement for the year. The aggregate income from regular donations, including gift aid envelopes, individual ones specifically intended for Stewardship, and from three special Stewardship fund raising events, was £89,107.20. The Common Fund obligation for the year was £82,800, so there was an eventual surplus of just over £6,300. The three special events and the amounts each raised were the Quiz night (£835,00), the Summer Fair (£3,431.63), and the Christmas Fair (£2,124.31) – these total £6,380.94. The basic monthly income from regular donations and blue envelopes followed the usual pattern of being below budget for the first 10 months of the year, with the single exception of May, and then, following several appeals to the congregation at a series of Sunday services, two months of catching up. In fact, we had an excellent November and an outstanding December, during which there were a number of especially generous donations. Because of these, we didn’t in fact need to rely on the proceeds of the special events, but: (i) we would be most unwise to rely on a relatively small number of donors continuing to be quite so generous at the last minute in future years; (ii) the 2019 surplus still only compensates for one half of the combined losses in the previous two years, and we should continue to try to restore our very limited reserves;

(iii) in 2020 our Common Fund obligation is £2,400 more than in 2019, namely £85,200, and (iv) though the special events entail much hard work by splendid volunteers, they are also mostly good fun, and good for bringing our congregants together.

Accordingly, we have no hesitation in recommending that we continue to run the three special events mentioned again in 2020 and also in future years and using all the (net) proceeds towards meeting our obligations to the diocesan Common Fund. Further, even last year the cumulative deficit at the end of October was £11,700, and in previous years it has been of the order of £17,000. A couple of end-of-year figures that bad would rapidly exhaust the church’s reserves, and we would be forced into drastic, extremely damaging and painful, remedial measures. We need to consider very carefully how we ensure in future years that we do not recklessly let the accumulated monthly deficit reach a level by the autumn that turns out to be impossible to put right in the year’s final few months.

The table that follows shows the essential statistics from the last three years.

Year Common Fund Annual Income Surplus/Deficit Target rise 2017 £78,400 --- £75,490.66 -£2,909.34 2018 £82,600 5.36% £72,614.36 -£9,985.64 2019 £83,800 0.24% £89,107.20 £5,307.20

Flowers

Elizabeth Marden: I would be very grateful if some parishioners would sign up to buy and arrange the flowers for a few fortnights (they generally last that long if carefully chosen!) They do not need to pay for these themselves, as they can claim a refund from the office. I can give anyone advice if necessary, but I am sure users of St John’s (worshippers or not) would welcome a new style of arrangement!

God and Tuesdays

Ludo Claude: God and Tuesdays was set up to provide an alternative service for existing worshippers and to attract new ones. This series of informal evening service, led by Karen Fong, included talks on the Sermon on the Mount with music and prayers. The evening concluded with gin and tonic. This informal service ran every Tuesday at 7.30 pm from July to November 2019 (with a short break in August). A group of 8 to 12 people attended regularly, mostly from St John’s and St Peter’s, who greatly appreciated Karen’s initiative.

Intercessors

William Taylor: We have a dedicated team of intercessors, who lead intercessions with care and skill. The booklet of guidelines continues to be a sound basis for this ministry and is particularly valued by new members. We would welcome further volunteers, and training is always given. Caroline Sterling assists with the administration of the intercessors list and encouraging new membership of the team. There is also the possibility to read set intercessions for those who wish to take part in this important part of the service but do not feel able to write them themselves. New resource materials have been obtained – both books and internet links. We also continue to experiment with “dialogue” forms of intercessions between president and intercession leader, as well as intercessions which use music.

Readers

Elizabeth Marden: I have a rota of about a dozen regular readers but would always be glad to add some new ones to the list, especially some younger worshippers. Anyone keen to join the rota would be welcome to a short training session, so need not be nervous to volunteer!

Deanery Synod

The Deanery Synod met several times in the course of 2019 dealing with such topics as mission and outreach in the Community and Common Fund. Constitutionally, probably the most important things the Deanery Synod does is to elect Governors to Church Schools in the Deanery and to elect members of the General Synod. Our Deanery Synod reps are William Salomon, Olakunle Babarinde, Myrna Ocomen Mary Ardant, and Christie Laughlin. Deanery Synod members are ex officio members of the PCC of their Parishes and serve a 3-year term. 2020 will see elections to the Deanery Synod at the Annual Meeting in April.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults & Confirmation (RCIA)

William Taylor: In 2019 we prepared fifteen adults for confirmation, 13 of whom were confirmed at St John’s by The Bishop of Kensington at the Easter Vigil, and two were confirmed at St Mary Abbot’s, also by Bishop Graham. Eleven of the fifteen candidates came from the House of Islam as Iranian Shia Muslims. I believe it is not a large theological step for “Twelver” Shia Muslims to move to the Christian Way – the social and political cost to individuals from that background is another story.

We used the RCIA material again this year in the Anglican version prepared by Jeffery John, This is our Faith. It is a privilege to accompany adults on their journey of faith in this way.

First Communion

William Taylor: The Clergy and Pastoral team, together with Junior Church leaders and children’s parents are responsible for preparing children for First Communion around the age of seven. This year Bishop Graham admitted a group of children to First Communion at the Easter Vigil.

Baptism Visits

Hannah Reeves: 2019 saw a total of twenty-five baptisms at St John’s, five more than in the previous year. The baptisms were spread over ten separate occasions, the busiest of which (as usual) was the evening Easter Vigil on 20th April (Easter Saturday) where eight adults and two older children were baptised, some by full immersion. The remaining fifteen baptisms were for infants and young children and took place between early February and mid-October.

Witnessing baptisms at St John’s is always a very powerful experience. The beautiful ornate baptismal font occupies a prominent place at the centre of the West End of the church and is one of the first things you see when you enter. Before the baptisms commence during a service, the entire congregation turns to face the font which is wonderfully symbolic of the fact that the person being baptised is being supported by the whole St John’s community.

Companionship with each other St John’s 2019 Financial Report

St John’s 2019 Financial Report The annual accounts for 2019 show a surplus of (approx.) £7,589. This is a remarkable turnaround from last years deficit of £ 37,000 and represents the hard work and attention to detail of many people.

Common Fund Meeting the common fund of £83,800 through stewardship remains a key principle for St John’s. (pay our living costs through stewardship donation). 2019 was our best year yet. We raised £89,107 against a budget of £83,800. This is a significant increase from last years income of £72,614. Common Fund Donations £89,107 £90,000 £83,800 £80,000

£70,000

£60,000

£50,000

£40,000

£30,000

£20,000

£10,000 £5,307

£0 2019 Actual 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

2019 Actual 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

The Space income The income this year is £48,948. This is a huge turnaround from 2018 where the Space made only £16,396. The increase in income can be attributed to the PCC’s continued support and the work put in by the Parish Tem.

Premises Income £48,948 £50,000 £45,000 £40,000 £40,000 £35,000 £30,000 £25,000 £20,000 £15,000 £8,948 £10,000 £5,000 £0 2019 Actual 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

2019 Actual 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

Expenditures for 2019 St John’s made a profit of £7,589 in 2019 in comparison to the £36,000 deficit made in 2018. The quick turnaround can be attributed mainly to the increase in Common Fund donations,the increase in space income and cutting down on unneccasry costs.

There is a strong foundation of services and income streams available to St John and we must continue to maximise them to enable the church to achieve all its primary objectives. Income compared to Costs £300,000 £276,900 £269,311

£250,000

£200,000

£150,000

£100,000

£50,000 £7,589 £0 2019 Income 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

2019 Income 2019 Budget Actual vs Budget

The Governing Body - PCC

Rosemary Warcup, PCC Secretary: The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was held on Sunday7th April 2019. Gerard Hargreaves was re-elected as Churchwarden. Neal Craig completed his term and Julius Cruz was elected in his place. Thanks were offered to Neal for his time as Churchwarden, to Gerard for continuing and to Julius for taking on this responsibility. Theo Cudjoe completed his term as treasurer and Tony Maxwell was appointed in his place – thanks were offered to both. New PCC members were elected to replace those standing down at the end of their term of office. The PCC held its first meeting directly after the Annual General Meeting. The newly elected council attended a Planning Day in June at the Sisters of Sion led by The Rev’d Jonathan Rust. The PCC focused on its vision for the Parish in the year ahead with a concentration on our work with children. All the outcomes are detailed in the Mission Action Plan for 2019/20 published on the website. Over the year the PCC attended to its legal responsibilities, meeting on eight occasions. The meetings covered the whole range of Parish and Diocesan business. Minutes are displayed in the Church and on the website. The associated administrative tasks of the volunteer PCC Secretary was once again thankfully supported by many volunteers from the Church’s membership. Without this support, these tasks would be overwhelming for one person. A definition we use at St John’s for the PCC is vision setting, policy making and load bearing.

The Undercroft

Tobi Iyanda: The Undercroft is leased Monday to Friday to Monkey Puzzle Nursery exclusively. From Friday evening to Sunday evening the Church has use of the Undercroft and it is used by many groups – Ukrainian Bible study, Junior Church, Filipino Zumba, AA, Funky Moves Dance Group, Children’s parties and Parish lunches. The income from hiring’s is included in the general letting’s income.

Garden and Grounds

Elizabeth Marden: There has recently been a widespread infestation of chickweed, which is going to be dealt with professionally by means of a targeted treatment. The photinia hedge surrounding the nursery school playground, which had been growing too tall and straggly, has been trimmed and thickened with underplanting. An old and diseased Portuguese laurel which had caused significant root damage near the south transept door has been removed professionally. A young Chinese red birch has been planted in the south west garden. The yearly Advent renting by Pines and Needles of half the east garden to sell Christmas Trees is of considerable benefit to the church: it provides more security in the evening, as it means that the garden is attended for longer hours during this period; it provides the church with a considerable

rent, and when these useful tenants leave, they rotavate this area in a way which provides much- needed aeration to the compacted ground! As usual, useful routine work is carried out by teams from Community Payback organised by Lidia, and more expert and professional jobs by our multi-talented Misha.

Triennial Archdeacon’s Visitation

Every Parish must have an inspection of its records and accounts every three years. 2019 saw the triennial Archdeacon’s Visitation led by Archdeacon Stephan Welch, the Archdeacon of Middlesex. All records and registers were inspected, as well as all maintenance records – PAT electric testing, fire alarm system, fire extinguishers, lifting equipment etc etc. The Parish was given a full and clean bill of health, and its officers and staff congratulated by the Archdeacon for keeping the Parish in administrative good order. At the same time, 10 boxes of archival material and old registers were deposited with the London Metropolitan Archives, which maintain a full and comprehensive list of all records from the Parish. At the end of 2019, Archdeacon Stephan retired, and we wish him a long and happy retirement.

Safeguarding

Danielle Anaba: Safeguarding means protecting, looking after and maintaining the well-being of children. At St John’s, we are committed to creating an environment in which children are safe. We are dedicated to creating a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment where children grow in confidence.

In order to provide this environment, we must ensure that the people involved in working with children at St John’s, have undertaken a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. This checking process is undertaken by the Parish Office. If you are interested in working with children at St John’s (as a paid employee or volunteer) it will be necessary for you undertake a DBS check. A DBS check would require you to complete a form and provide supporting information (evidence of name, address and DOB). If you have any queries regarding DBS or Safeguarding, please do contact the Parish Office.

Safeguarding also extends to include adults and we believe that knowledge of what Safeguarding is would be of benefit to us all.

Visits to the Housebound and Residential Homes

Fr Larry Galon: I continued to provide and lead worship in Kensington Nursing Home in Ladbroke Road, in a short monthly service consisting mostly of singing familiar hymns with readings and prayers. Ian Forsyth plays the piano. All the clergy of St John’s also have led these services. Holy Communion is taken to individuals at home when they request it. This work is authorised by the Bishop of Kensington, and is an essential part of the Church’s ministry. Those who need it should not hesitate to ask. Simply telephone the Parish Office, or speak to any of the clergy or Pastoral Visitors team, who will arrange to bring Communion at home. Communion at home is an extension of the Church’s regular worship, because the bread and wine have been consecrated at the Eucharist on

Sunday morning, and then kept in the hanging pyx in the Lady Chapel so they are available when needed. Electoral Roll

Tobi Iyanda:. At the end of 2019, St John’s Notting Hill had 206 members on the roll, while the Filipino Chaplaincy had 168 members. We have also updated all our databases in the office, providing us with a new and effective database for much of our work, in line with the GDPR regulations which came into force.

Churchwardens’ Fabric Report

Gerard Hargreaves and Julius Cruz: 2019 was a year of continued maintenance and work on the items highlighted in the 2015 Quinquennial Inspection Report.

There are no major restoration projects in 2019 to report on.

The masonry cracking in various parts of the church continues to be monitored by a structural engineer on a regular basis and this will continue and inform any recommended remedial works in the future. (See St John’s Architect’s Annual Report 2019 for more information.) Pines and Needles, who use the church grounds for sales of Christmas trees had another record year. This will produce an income in excess of £5,000 for St John’s. We look forward to the arrangement continuing in 2020.

St John’s Restoring the Future Campaign continues with its plans to raise to a further £500,000 to complete the three major projects that we have already received the necessary permissions to carry out: restoring the magnificent original polychromatic Victorian roof interior (painted over in thick brown paint in the 1950’s), the installation of an inspiring piece of twenty first century art - The Tree of Life, and highlighting all with a new energy efficient lighting system. These three projects will complete the programme of work, enhancing St John’s as a beautiful and vibrant place of worship and community hub.

The PCC has formed a working group to explore the feasibility of installing solar panels on the sections of the church roof. This group will report in due course for the PCC to decide how to progress this idea.

In 2020 St John’s will have a Quinquennial Inspection. Every five years, a church building must be inspected by an architect or chartered building surveyor approved by the Diocesan Advisory Committee. We will receive a detailed report on the state of the church building and a recommended five-year repairs programme to ensure the building is kept in good repair.

We are very grateful to Misha for all his hard work in ensuring that our church building is in good working order. Also, being able to do most of this work “in-house” has saved us thousands of pounds as can be seen from the 2019 Accounts. We are fortunate to have such a multi skilled “can do” Maintenance Manager.

It takes an incredible amount of effort in keeping St John’s up and running. Most of the work is done behind the scenes by Fr William, Tobi and Misha. The Churchwardens are very grateful for all their hard work, patience and flexibility

Architect’s Report

Simon Ablett: The various cracks within the church continue to be regularly monitored. The more pressing area is the west wall, which has opening up of the stone joints and cracking externally adjacent to the west end retaining wall, which may be settling/adjusting to differing ground conditions. There is also the likelihood that cast iron fixings embedded in the masonry are corroding, expanding and causing cracking and opening up of joints. A programme of further investigation and repair work, probably involving cutting out cramps and rebuilding some sections of walling, will be needed in 2020.

Churches Together in Notting Hill

Mary Ardant: In tandem with the Kensington Council of Churches, we celebrated the annual Unity Service and participated in a 4-session Lent course conducted in different churches throughout the Borough. We joined in the annual Good Friday Walk of Witness with many of the local Christian churches and we hosted two of the nine ecumenical prayer lunches held this year. As you all know, we welcomed Deacon Milan Sabah from the persecuted church in Iraq and hosted an interesting and well-attended meeting where he spoke of his experience in Iraq and his visit to London.

CTiNH is happy to announce that it now has a Chairperson, Sister Brenda Dorian, from the Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter, who has been contacting all our member parishes to encourage active ecumenical participation, including the sharing together of our special interests and events. We look forward to a year of enriching outreach and receptivity.

Training and Nurture Programme

William Taylor: In 2019 St John’s joined an ecumenical study course for Lent in conjunction with Kensington Council of Churches. The group used the CTBI course The Mystery of God - most of the organisation fell to me as the Kensington Ecumenical Adviser. This Lent Course was an exploration of the more mystical experiences of God, which remain a central part of our faith. Working together in this way makes sense in many ways – the numbers of people who come to the evening sessions are much greater and we receive important insights from each other. This year the groups met in St Johns, The Carmelite Church, The Coptic Orthodox Church, The Armenian Church and St James Norland Gardens.

Pilgrimages & Retreats

We were fortunate in 2019 to be able to have 2 pilgrimages, both ecumenical. The first was a very well attended pilgrimage to the shrine of St Alban in St Alban’s Abbey. The second was a walking pilgrimage from Notting Hill to the shrine of St Edward in Westminster Abbey on St Edwards day. Pilgrimage remains an important activity for us.

Filipino Chaplaincy

The Rev'd Canon Larry Galon: The Filipino Chaplaincy has been and will always be true to its Mission and Ministry towards the Filipino diaspora in the Diocese of London by providing liturgical provisions in the celebration of Filipino Eucharist. Providing a place of worship and a sense of community for all communities in the area, we maintain connections and contacts with different Filipino groups, to secure proper work and access to health for the well-being of the Filipino community as a whole. The Philippine Embassy, through OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Associations) has been helpful in finding ways and solutions to support irregular migrants to have access and remittances to insurances for their future benefits. The also assisted in registration of trafficked people in the UK, hoping they will again function and work above the radar of the Government by putting up their applications for visas in the near future.

The Chaplaincy managed to secure and maintain its status at Diocesan level by engaging with the Diocesan project called the MDS (Modern Day Slavery) led by the Bishop of London. The Filipino Chaplaincy continues to extend help and support to all victims of circumstances both overseas (Philippines and in the UK) and also celebrates success as several members of the Chaplaincy are now in good living situations after being provided housing with the help of social workers. The NWC (New Worshipping Community) continues to meet once a month at St Thomas in Kensal Town. We have a shortage of ministers to help the Filipino chaplain. Hopefully in year 2020, we will be able to find support by God’s grace.

The Obispo Maximo (Archbishop) of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (the church from which I come), visited and met members and officers of the Diocese, Parish and community in November. Also, at that time the Diocese provided new housing for the Filipino chaplain and his family. There are areas where the giving of Fil Chap members were not able to hit the budget in 2019 but we tend to maximize the Filipino fundraisers to match the target budget.

No matter how hard it is for the community to keep in good standing, we always understand that all success and failures are still under the guidance of the Almighty creator. May we have a blessed and prosperous year ahead in 2020.

Persian Anglican Community of London

Aptin Samadi: On March 30th, we celebrated the Eucharist in Farsi and shared the joy and tradition of the Persian New Year, “Norouz” in St John’s. Following this, nine Persians were prepared for baptism, learning in their own native language about the meaning and importance of baptism, and later on Holy Saturday, were baptised by Fr. William and the Bishop of Kensington. The first worship service of the Persian Anglican Community of London took place on Sunday afternoon, July 7th at St John’s Notting Hill, with the vision of gathering all those who want to worship in Farsi from across London Diocese. Currently, we have a good number of Persians attending from St John’s and others from different parishes in the Diocese, making an average of 30 people present in our regular monthly Eucharistic services, which are followed by Persian food and fellowship. This has led to a growing sense of being a community for those whose native language is Farsi and have come to know Christian faith in Anglican parishes in London. We are deeply grateful to Fr. William for his constant support and encouragement for this important ministry and to everyone at St John’s for their contribution to the life of the church and the Persian community.

23 Companionship with those we meet along the way

Solar Panels Group (formerly Green for God)

This Group was set up with the PCC’s approval in late 2018, and had its first meeting in February 2019. Its members were initially (and still are) Aaron Jessop, Kunle Babarinde, Oliver St John and me. Rosemary Warcup has also agreed to join in the past few days.

It has liaised as necessary with the Church’s architect, Simon Ablett, to ensure that he approves of all structural work that we may wish to carry out and which we will need permission for, i.e. planning consent from the RBKC, and a faculty from the DAC. We obtained an estimate from Ecolution (an installer of PV panels selected by the RBKC for putting them on houses in the Borough) of the costs of and likely returns from installing photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels on three areas of the roof: the south facing roofs of the nave and south aisle, and the west facing roof of the south transept. This estimate indicated that these arrays would be financially worthwhile. The installation cost would be some £50,000 and would have an internal rate of return of 9.9%, and a payback time of under 10 years. All these figures will need to be firmed up, but they are sufficiently encouraging for us to continue work on the project.

In November 2019 we met on site the London Diocese’s Head of Environment and Sustainability, Brian Cuthbertson. He gave us much practical advice on how to present the necessary applications to the RBKC and the DAC, as well as giving us the names of other installers worth approaching for estimates. We are now in the process of drafting a submission based on this advice and aim to finalise it within the next few months.

To take the project further we intend to co-ordinate our work with proposals to put in hand the two major projects that will require the St John’s Restoration Fund to be resuscitated, namely the restoration of the internal decoration of the roof, and the church’s lighting. In addition, the existing boiler is very old and will need to be replaced in the near future. It has been suggested that, to facilitate this co-ordination, the remit of our Group should be extended to cover all aspects of how we generate, use and save energy at St John’s. If the PCC agrees to this, the name of Group might appropriately be changed to the “Energy Group”.

Communication

Tobi Iyanda: In 2019 we have tried to streamline our communication. This has involved removing some of the headings on the website which made it hard for some to navigate. We have continued to send out the weekly newsletter, we are looking for some feedback to see how we can better utilise this. We use a text service to important information about All Age services to parents - rehearsal times, art days, etc. We are always trying to expand our means of communication, so please let us know if you have any ideas on what you would like to see.

Mission and Outward Giving

Frances Pepys: Although the Parish does not make charitable donations from general income it supports many charities with space and time. The following are the funds received or raised for 2019:

Iraqi Christians in Need £700

Mozambique £110

Bishop’s Discretionary Fund £160

Mathieson Music Trust £3,420

British Legion £53

Upper Room £60

Al Sharooq School for the Visually Impaired £75

Our Mission Partners are Mathieson Music School, our link Parish in Mozambique and CMS partners currently working in South East Asia. As well as these we support Iraqi Christians in Need, Traidcraft and Palcraft with the monthly stalls in Church and many other charities.

Palestinian Fair-Trade Goods

Caroline Sterling: As part of our mission outreach at St John’s, we sell fair-traded Palestinian goods (imported through Hadeel (www.hadeel.org/), a member of the British Association for Fair Trade, and Zaytoun (www.zaytoun.org/) a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation), and, this year for the first time, a Bedouin Women's Co-operative based in Aizaria (Bethany) just outside East Jerusalem on the first Sunday of every month after the 10.30 a.m. Eucharist, and after other services when it seems appropriate, especially before Christmas. The goods are also on sale at both the May Fair and the Christmas Market: excellent opportunities to bring the plight of the Palestinians to a wider circle of people. (We also sell the goods after the King’s College, University of London, Advent Carol Services.)

During 2019 we sold over £2,000 worth of goods a similar quantity to last year. The money received from these sales supports Palestinian families in the West Bank, the Gaza strip and a refugee camp in Lebanon. Sadly, there are people who were born in Palestinian refugee camps over 40 years ago and who continue to live, work and bring up their families in the camps. Recently we have been hearing about the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria. The money received from sale of the craft work is vital for each family’s well-being. The need is great. Embroidery is done by women either in refugee camps or poor, isolated villages, then brought to their own cooperative or other social enterprise for finishing and marketing. Most of the wood carving and jewellery comes from Bethlehem. Oasis, an organisation based in Beit Sahour (near Bethlehem), helps adults with special needs to make cards from recycled paper and candles; other cards are sold in aid of the deaf school in Atfaluna (Gaza), where they also produce pottery. The Lutheran Church has established a centre in Bethlehem to create artefacts out of glass found on the streets, a wonderfully creative use of broken glass. Silver jewellery, made using casts of individual olive leaves so each silver leaf is unique, is also made at this centre. The L’Arche Community located in Bethlehem works with those suffering from intellectual difficulties. They produce felt crafts from natural sheep wool (purchased from local shepherds in the Bethlehem area), small purses, felt cribs, figures and sheep – very popular and camels, all of which we sell. We also have magnets which reproduce some of these figures. A selection from each workshop is on sale on the stall. Olive oil, olive oil soap, and dates (produced in Palestine and supplied through Zaytoun) are also sold.

This year has yet again been a very difficult one for all the Palestinian communities and the need for our support is very great. The situation in Gaza regarding materials is the same as previous years: it is difficult to get raw material for the craft work as it is prevented by the Israelis from entering Gaza. It is also difficult to obtain goods from Gaza and the Israelis constantly hold up goods which are ready for export. The consequent loss of sales results in loss of support to those in need.

Many of the organisations that produce the goods are themselves supporting those less fortunate: the visually impaired, the deaf, and many forms of handicap – physical and mental.

I am most grateful to everyone who has shown support to the Palestinians by purchasing the goods, allowing the Palestinian organizations in turn to support families and communities in need. There are leaflets available for anyone who is interested in obtaining further information about the various workshops.

Thank you to friends at St John’s who have assisted me over the year with setting up, sale and putting away of the produce.

For further details see the St. John’s website, under “Fair Trade”.

Traidcraft

Jon Burden: Members of St John’s continued to support fair trade by purchasing a little over £1,400 (£1415.30 to be exact) of goods from the monthly Traidcraft Stand. This year, we were able to give £400 to support a refugee family. The money helped to buy a couch for the flat they moved into as well as baby clothes for their soon to be two-year old son.

Joe, Oliver and Jon thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at the stand on the first Sunday of the month.

Children’s art

Jenny Taggart & Jane Eve: We have had a lively year at Junior Church Art. Our aim is to involve children in art projects with a religious theme, bringing stories and concepts to life. William's suggestions are always helpful and stimulating. We try to introduce children to art techniques which may be unfamiliar to them, like creating models from recyclable materials as well as offering help with traditional drawing and watercolour techniques using professional paints and paper. The children are very enthusiastic, and we have a small number of regulars who always produce good work and even bring their school friends. Of course, we would like to have higher attendance and are pleased that new children appear and that the younger ones are growing into new activities... Jane and I greatly enjoy organising the artwork into the best displays we can for our designated board in the church.

Musicians in Residence

Orpheus Leander Papafilippou: Orpheus Leander Papafilippou: 2019 has been a very good year for us at St John’s Notting Hill, we presented several well attended concerts throughout the year. In February we performed chamber music with the Orfeas String Quartet, Mozart and Shostakovich and ended the concert with a performance of Astor Piazzolla’s stunning Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with international solo pianist Alberto Portugheis.

In May Alberto Portugheis and I gave a recital as part of the MayFest, my first performance of the beautiful Cesare Franck Violin Sonata and later that month we played with the Orfeas String Quartet for Ascension Day Mass, it was a beautiful and moving Mass.

In November we held the Chopin Piano Concertos Competition at St John’s which was very well attended and saw great performances by three upcoming solo pianists.

I look forward to performing more at St John’s Notting Hill in 2020 and want to give back to the local community and build our audience base of local parishioners and people from further afield as St John’s Notting Hill is very special and it is wonderful to curate and perform events in our musical home: concerts, workshops and playing for Mass. 27

Summer Fair

Aaron Jessop: Summer Fair ’19 was a great success, in that we both; raised more than expected, and welcomed a wide variety of new and existing families to the church. This was my first year as event organiser and I am especially grateful to Caroline, Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Frances for their one to one guidance, with plenty of encouragement to try out something new. The net amount raised was: £3,457 (2019). 35% above budget and a 31% increase from (2018). Changes in part due to better weather, higher returns per person, a wider range of income sources, and by virtue that all costs were kindly donated by the sponsor, Clarendon Cross Canines Limited. Advertising and Attendance became integrated online. This was the first year that we trialled a paperless ticketing system to record how tickets were purchased. Our aim was to track the effectiveness of the advertising budget. 299 people scanned the QR codes printed on leaflets and banners, resulting in 197 advance ticket sales. A further 78 tickets were ordered after clicking on targeted advertisement, which we had listed for two weeks on social media, and for one month on free community led forums. Admission tickets were sold in tiers, such that early bird and family super saver tickets were available far in advance, with a linear increase from £1 to £5 on the day. The 2019 budget for printed media was 88% above that spent online. However, online produced a third of the advance sales. This insight presents a number of opportunities for 2020; to reach a larger audience online, with targeted advertisement via GIS data (Geographical Information Systems) making it more effective, to increase our scope of sales, and reduce the environmental aspect from unsolicited printed media. Visitors praised the outdoor jubilant vibe, especially having live entertainment included in the revised admissions price. A swing jazz band was placed adjacent to Ladbroke Grove, helping to draw in passers-by. The Filipino BBQ helped to create an outdoor anchor store to drive customer traffic around to the South Eastern entertainment zone. To maximise the use of this tactic in 2020, we are revising the stall locations to improve footfall and sales. We welcomed new stallholders; such as a barbers, a bike repair station, a balloons and donuts stall, a magical illusionist, information & outreach, and the North Kensington Fire Brigade, to complement existing stallholders, such as the Dog Show, Puppet Show, Tombola, Raffle, Plants and Flowers, Pimms, Cakes, and Face Painting.

The bouncy slide, trampoline, and inflatable paddling pool were thoroughly loved by the children and gave a welcome inclusive activity to all of the families outdoors in the glorious sunshine. In conclusion, I deeply thank all those involved for their unique and sincere efforts in approaching this Fair with a revised theme and format. You all have my heartfelt gratitude and utmost respect. Our next Summer Fair takes place on Saturday 27th June 2020.

MayFest

The Mayfest 2019 opened with an Art Exhibition in the Sacred Space Gallery of the Cypriot artist Alexandros Kapraras; a concert of Music of the Spheres; two events for Thy Kingdom Come- Choral Evensong and Ascension Day; a silent film with live organ (The Underground); Bach to Baby event for toddlers and carers; The Filipino street procession (Flores de Mayo) and for the first time, a Japanese Ikebana flower festival (Japan on the Hill) opened by the wife of the Ambassador of Japan.

Christmas Market

Funke Adebusuyi: In 2019 the St John’s Notting Hill Christmas Market took place on Saturday 7th December from 11am to 5pm. 2019 was my 7th year at the helm and the fourth successive year we staged this fundraising and community relations event without sponsorship, meaning that all costs and expenses had to be covered by the money we raised from the activity. Despite a drop in footfall (more on that later) I am pleased to say that we made a profit of just under £1200 from the event and the associated raffle this year.

As in previous years the Market consisted of our family-friendly mixture of stalls selling good-quality, good value wares; a raffle; seasonal snacks; and activities for the young at heart including: - Santa's Grotto - a Puppet Show - a Christmas Card making stall.

The model for the Christmas Market is to bring external businesses into the church to run stalls for their individual financial benefit. The businesses pay a fee for their stalls and donate a percentage of their takings and orders from the day to the church. Given the continuing absence of sponsorship for the event, this year for the first time the stall price was increased in order to ensure we covered the cost of hiring tables from our external supplier. Alongside the external stall holders, a handful of dedicated members of St John’s congregation run stalls and activities and donate all the profits from these to the Church.

When run effectively the raffle can make a significant contribution to the profit generated by the Christmas Market. This year Danielle Anaba stepped up to take on the task of leading the raffle activity and with the able assistance of raffle stalwarts Caroline Sterling and Ludo Claude the raffle was regenerated. I am pleased to say that the planning, energy and time Danielle put into the task resulted in the raffle making just over £800 for the church this year. Well done Danielle and co!

We had a music programme again this year, with performances every hour from 11am, finishing when the raffle draw took place at 4.45pm. The music contributed to the atmosphere in a very positive way and was an important part of the experience on the day. The performances were once again provided by a mixture of familiar faces and musicians external to the church: new singers Ayesha Staley and Emily Slade started the proceedings at 11am with their versions of a number of familiar songs. They were followed by another welcome new addition to our roster, a choir of very competent young singers from Notting Hill Prep School, led by their teacher Dominic Harlan. The Singing for All Open Age Choir featuring our very own Olive occupied their usual 1pm slot; with the young boys from Hawkesdown House Preparatory School treating us to a performance of a number of seasonal classics at 2pm. The wonderfully talented Geetanjali Biswas’s 3pm performance reminded us that although we may all be born equal in the eyes of the Lord, we are not all equally blessed with musical talent! To round things off our final performance of the day was provided by one of the pillars of our community, Ryder, on the piano. A heartfelt thank you to you all for sharing your music with us.

I am always looking for musical acts for the programme so if anyone has links with a local school, choir or singer/s and think they would be interested in performing at the next Christmas Market please contact me via the church office.

Santa was very popular this year. Takings indicate that he welcomed nearly 50 visitors to the Notting Hill branch of his Grotto. Well done Santa! I’m sure you were very happy to get back to the North Pole and put your feet up afterwards!

A few intrepid souls also scaled the heights of the church tower to gain a different perspective on the view of west London.

In 2019 attendance at the Market was down to 323 from 390 in 2018. This is a disappointment given that attendance had risen for the last two years. There was some evidence that some people entered the event without paying but even adding an estimated 20-30 still presents a picture of reduced footfall.

In 2019 we also had 5 fewer stalls than usual due to last-minute dropouts and no-shows on the day. Despite all this our overall take was up, due in part to the increase in raffle takings but also as a consequence of good results from some of the stalls.

This year I was able to conduct a little market research around lunchtime on the day. Based on feedback received it would seem that posters, flyers through the letterbox and accompanying people 30 who were performing were the main reasons people attended the event so I shall be looking at how to circulate more flyers further afield for next year. One of my targets will be to endeavour to distribute publicity material more effectively to local schools. I would also hope to carry out further market research at the 2020 event.

In addition to welcoming back familiar faces I was pleased to welcome a number of new stalls this year who replaced some of our regulars who were unable to attend due to other commitments. There is some turnover every year and this provides new blood for the event but once again in 2019 the Market experienced a significant influx of new stall holders who I hope will return for the 2020 event, alongside the event’s long-standing supporters.

I would like to say a personal thank you to Tobi Iyanda, Mark Anfilogoff, Misha, Jane Eve, Gerard Hargreaves, Grace Zikpi, Evelyn Davis, Frances Pepys, Sean Feeney, Caroline Sterling, Rosemary Warcup and Noel Ing; plus my friends Abi, Sue, Yvonne, Jill and Kevin for their help and support in making the event happen. Thanks also to Pines and Needles for providing two raffle prizes. Thanks for the other raffle prizes go to Portobello Pizza, Fez Mangal, Cloud Twelve, Koia and Traveller Snapper. A special thank you goes to my neighbours Charlie and Jane Hamilton who sourced and wrapped 30 Christmas presents to support Santa. Thank you also to other members of the congregation who staffed stalls, provided activities, helped in various ways and attended on the day.

The date for the 2020 Christmas Market has been set for Saturday 5th December. I hope you will prioritise the event, spread the word and come along with friends and family to help or attend.

Community Payback

Lidija Armanda: The Community Payback Unpaid Work scheme continued throughout 2019, with a short break for the summer. The contribution of the unpaid offenders to the good order and cleanliness of the church and grounds is immense. The Vicar continued in his role as supervisor of individuals on community payback, on days when there were no supervised programmes. In addition to providing worthwhile work for the participants, the programme makes significant savings for the church’s maintenance and cleaning bills, which shows clearly in the accounts for 2019. Often, participants in the programme present useable skills, such as decorating and plumbing. More importantly, offenders often find it to be a turning point for the better in their lives, through the culture of respect and worthwhile work for which this project has been nationally noted. We note with interest the current proposal that prison sentences of less than 6 months should not take place and should be replaced by the unpaid work of Community Payback.

Health & Safety

At St John’s our aim is to provide and maintain a safe environment which allows people to be involved in God’s work and celebrate their beliefs without being harmed.

Parish Manager

Tobi Iyanda: 2019 was a very productive year for St John’s. It was my fourth full year as the Parish Manager, and I watched the Church grow from strength to strength. The Church has become a buzzing hub within the community, whether it’s tourists coming in to pray quietly in the chancel, view the Organ, the reredos and history of Notting Hill or the continuous patter of children’s feet throughout the day with our varying children’s groups, it is never a dull day at St John’s. We launched a monthly Lunch club for parishioners and the wider community which has helped increase our profile within the community.

Premises Lettings

Tobi Iyanda: Since starting my role as the Parish Manager, our income from lettings has steadily grown. Last year we had a dip in income (£16,000) and we were below budget by over half. The challenge in 2019 was to make sure we had consistent bookings, so we decided to revamp the booking process on the website adding a form which makes it easier to get in contact and to hire The Space. We also added the space to a variety of websites which have helped with bookings. This extra attention has paid off as the income has increased to £48,948 - £8,948 above the budget for the year.

The Café in The Space

Radmila Fuccilo: The cafe in The Space has continued to do the good work of quality homemade food and had attracted new and diverse people from the community as well as the constant flow of tourists in the second year under the new name. This also enabled those to admire the beauty of the church whilst enjoying our homemade food. Our vision to grow and engage in various food projects which would enable members of the community to (re)discover the social side and the goodness of homemade food has been under a lot of strain these past 12 months as the uncertainty of Brexit has put a shadow over people’s income and spending. But we are not giving up and are determined to continue as long as we can. We are still very proud and blessed to have the opportunity to bring people together In 2019 we started working with Ambitious College who caters for students with learning disabilities. We’ve accommodated several students and we will continue to do so.

Hospitality

Peter Hodges: We aim to provide hospitality after the Sunday Eucharist with tea and coffee from the Traidcraft store, giving newcomers, visitors and regular worshippers an opportunity to get to know each other. Teas and coffees are often supplemented with biscuits, cake, and or sandwiches, and sometimes wine on birthdays. On fine summer days we can go outside into the garden. Special thanks are due to the Iranians & Filipinas who have helped so enthusiastically. At holiday times, however our human resources can be stretched quite thinly, so any fresh volunteers would be much appreciated.

Iraqi Deacon breaks new ground: from the publication “Bible Lands”

An Iraqi Deacon from the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq has broken new ecumenical ground by undertaking a 3-month placement in an Anglican Parish, St John Notting Hill over the summer. Deacon Milan Kakone was a professional football referee before training for ordination in the Chaldean Catholic Seminary in Erbil, northern Iraq (Kurdish Regional Government). His placement was timely, with the publication of the Bishop of Truro’s independent review for the Foreign Secretary Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO support for persecuted Christians (http://www.stjohnsnottinghill.com/religious- persecution). One of the major themes of the report is awareness raising of the situation of Christians who are persecuted for their faith. The Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, together with other Christian Churches and Yezidis, suffered greatly under the occupation of Mosul and the Nineveh Plain by Da’esh or so called Islamic State, from 2014 – 2017. While many Christians and Yezidis have already fled the country, many are now rebuilding their lives and communities in and around Mosul. The situation is still unstable.

This placement contributed positively to the process by raising awareness of the situation in Iraq, by learning and receiving different skills and gifts and challenging any preconceptions about church life in Iraq and England. Deacon Milan said “This placement has been a great opportunity for me to share my story, as well as learning a new context here in the Church of England. I hope it will be the first of many such placements.” The Vicar of the host Parish Dr William Taylor said “Hosting Deacon Milan here has been a gift, and we are delighted to have played a part in breaking new ground and in repaying some of the British debt to Iraq, having invaded that country several times in the 20th and 21st centuries.” The placement also had a focus on youth work, one of the gifts of Deacon Milan, which were used in the National Youth Pilgrimage to Walsingham and in a summer play scheme for children at St Luke’s, Chelsea. The host Parish is grateful for the grant from JMECA which contributed towards Deacon Milan’s accommodation and maintenance costs. A testimony to the success of this placement was an open presentation at St John Notting Hill, “The unknown child in the Caravan” in September attended by 120 people. Deacon Milan catered for the event himself producing delicious Iraqi food as celebration of this new partnership. A large group from this country is expected to attend his ordination to the priesthood in 2020.

Staff

Vicar: The Revd Canon Dr William Taylor, 020 7727 3439 email: [email protected]

Filipino Chaplain: The Revd Canon Larry Galon, 074 1408 2228 email: [email protected]

Licenced Lay Minister: Karen Fong email: [email protected]

Parish & Facilities Manager: Tobi Iyanda, 020 7727 4262 email: [email protected]

Steward & Maintenance Manager: Misha Ibelgauptas, 07929439704

Director of Music: Tom Primrose email: [email protected]

Children’s Music Coordinator: Hannah Reeves Email via: [email protected]

Parish Office St John’s Church, Lansdowne Crescent, W11 2NN 020 7727 4262 e-mail: [email protected]

Officers Churchwardens Gerard Hargreaves, email: [email protected] Julius Cruz, email: [email protected] PCC Secretary Rosemary Warcup email: [email protected] PCC Treasurer Tony Maxwell, email: [email protected]

Website www.stjohnsnottinghill.com

34 Presentation on the Armenian Genocide and

memory

Mid-summer visit of the Firefighters

35 Visit of the Obispo Maximo of the Philippine Independent Church

Youth pilgrimage to Walsingham