The Parish of Rushen Parochial Church Council
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The Parish of Rushen Parochial Church Council Minutes of Rushen PCC meeting held in St. Catherine’s Church Hall Wednesday 21st January 2014 at 7.45pm Present The Rev’d Joe Heaton (Chair), David Bowman, Richard Clague, Joyce Corlett, Arthur Cregeen, Charles Crossley, Harry Dawson, Marjorie Gale, Alan Kershaw, Allan Knox, Sally Lewis , Janet Morley, Roy Oliver, Mark Payne, Mike Porter, Jude Sille, Brian Trustrum and Brenda Watterson. 1. Welcome and Prayers The Rev’d Joe Heaton welcomed everyone to the meeting and then opened it with a prayer followed by a Bible Reading (Psalm 97). 2. Appointment of PCC Secretary The vicar informed the meeting that Joan Fleetney had resigned as secretary following the appointment of her husband to the Parish of the West Coast as she felt there would be a conflict of interest had she remained in post. As a consequence the vicar proposed that David Bowman be instated as PCC Secretary. This proposal was seconded by Charles Crossley. There was unanimous approval. It was agreed that a letter of thanks be sent to Joan for the work she has done for the PCC over the past three years. The vicar then stated that the death of Peter Vanderpump had meant that there was a vacancy for the post of treasurer to the PCC. He referred to a letter written by Joan Fleetney to Peter Vanderpump, at the time of her resignation, thanking him for the help he had given to her whilst she was secretary. The vicar asked if there was anyone wishing to take on the role as treasurer. Because of a limited response he asked Alan Kershaw if he was interested to which he replied he was. As a consequence Mr Kershaw stated that he would need to replace Mr Vanderpump as a signatory on all PCC bank accounts. In order to effect this he requested PCC approval that the signatory change documentation stipulated by the Isle of Man Bank Limited be duly signed by the PCC chairman and secretary to effect the addition of Mr Kershaw as a signatory under the existing dual signature mandate and that the PCC also authorise the removal of those signatories no longer members of the PCC. Richard Clague proposed that Alan Kershaw be appointed as treasurer to the PCC and that he undertake the necessary steps required to fulfil this position and that the bank signatories be amended as described in the preceding sentence. This was seconded by Brenda Watterson. The proposal was put to the members present and there was unanimous approval. It was then suggested that the PCC should send flowers to Julia Vanderpump with a letter or card of thanks for all that her husband had contributed to the work of the parish and the PCC. The vicar then referred to the deaths of Ed Corkill, a PCC member, and the Rev’d Paul Mothersdale, team leader of the Southern Mission Partnership. Everyone present was saddened at the loss of these two church members. The vicar was asked if their names had been removed from the prayer list on the pew sheet and he confirmed that they had. The death of two members and resignation of another meant that there were now three vacancies with regard to PCC membership. In view of the impending APCM in April the vicar suggested that in the interim period three serving members, whose term of office would either end, or be reduced by one year at the APCM, should have their service tenure increased by one year. He proposed that Mark Payne, Mike Porter and Marjorie Gale should continue for a further year. This would mean that from April Mark and Mike would serve for one further year, and Marjorie for two more years. It was also proposed that Alan Kershaw’s tenure should continue for a further year because of the work involved in taking over as treasurer. The vicar’s proposal was seconded by Charles Crossley. There was unanimous approval. (See Appendix A). pccminutesjan2014 Page 1 of 6 3. Apologies for Absence Two apologies had been received from Gerry Callister and Sylvia Wightman 4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting, and matters arising from them Richard Clague referred to Item 5: ‘Stewardship campaign’. In the second paragraph it referred to the Diocese of Chester’. This should have read ‘Diocese of Blackburn’. Brian Trustrum referred to item 10: ‘Correspondence’. He informed the meeting that the tables for St Catherine’s Church Hall had been purchased. 5. A few words from the Vicar The vicar expressed his dismay at the length of the last meeting which ended at 10.45pm. He suggested that decisions should be taken much more quickly and that interruptions should be minimal. He then informed the meeting that because of the death of the Rev’d Paul Mothersdale the Bishop had asked him to become Acting Team Leader of the Southern Mission Partnership. This role now means that he now has to attend PCC meetings at Malew and Santon as well as performing other administrative tasks. As a consequence he stated that he would not have as much time for our own parish as he would like. He then went on to say that we, as the PCC, should be exploring a ‘Vision for the Parish’. In other words – where would we like to be in perhaps five years time? One way in which this could be pursued is to occasionally form small groups at PCC meetings to discuss the issue. Finally he mentioned that a ‘PCC Away Day’ could be a beneficial way forward. 6. Reports Finance: In the absence on no financial report the vicar stated that a cash offer for the late Phyllis White’s house had been made of £200,000 and that he and the wardens had accepted. This would mean that £50,000 would be added to the legacies held at St Catherine’s Church. He then referred to Sunday collections and the experimental period whereby offerings were collected in a receptacle placed close to the entrance of each church at the beginning of services, rather than a plate being passed around during the offertory hymn. He distributed a paper on which were displayed two graphs, the first referring to ‘Sunday Collections’ and the second to ‘Average Giving’ ,both over the period of one year. Standing order collections were not included neither were the offerings made at St Peter’s Church. He explained that in the case of St Mary’s, St Catherine’s and Kirk Christ average giving was approximately £600 per week, and that this had not changed significantly throughout the year. The vicar then went on to say that the money collected is only sufficient to pay the Parish Share. There was some discussion both for and against the present procedure. Finally the vicar proposed that we should maintain the status quo which meant that the plate would no longer be passed round. This was seconded by Roy Oliver. A vote was taken and 15 members were in favour and 3 against. The proposal was carried. Music: Mike Porter reported that progress is being made with music in worship. The vicar added that the Christmas services had been well attended and enjoyed by all who had taken part. David Bowman congratulated all concerned with the carol service which he thought was excellent. The vicar thanked all who had participated both in taking part in the services and decorating the churches for the Christmas period. Brian Trustrum mentioned that last year was the 100th anniversary of St Catherine’s organ and that we should have had a service to commemorate the event. As there was a copy of the original service it was suggested that Brian Trustrum and Joyce Corlett discuss the possibility of such a service taking place during this year on perhaps a Sunday afternoon. Children: As there had been only a few children’s activities taking place since our last meeting there was nothing to report. Page 2 of 6 Diocesan Synod: Unfortunately there were no representatives at the last meeting of the synod, and because the minutes have not been circulated, there is nothing to report. Warden’s: Allan Knox reported that there were one or two leaks above the choir area at St Mary’s Church and that these would be dealt with in due course. Arthur Cregeen reported that attendance at Kirk Christ has increased which is very gratifying. Harry Dawson reported that the outside timber at St Peter’s Church needs to be painted. Also that a new garden gate was required and that the bell needed attention. Gerry Callister, in a written statement, reported that he had arranged for the drains in front of St Catherine’s Church Hall to be inspected. He had felt that the impending work to provide disabled access to the church and hall, and to provide a disabled toilet in the hall, would require this work to be undertaken before the project could begin. The survey found that there was a serious blockage from the gentlemen’s toilet to the inspection chamber. In consultation with the diocesan surveyor it has been agreed to replace the sewage pipes as soon as possible. Other minor repairs have been carried out which included the installation of shelving in the hall’s boiler room for storage purposes. 7. Resourcing God’s Work in the Parish Richard Clague referred to a document, which had been circulated prior to the meeting, entitled ‘Christian Giving’. This outlined a number of points connected with giving which we, as Christians, should be considering, especially as God has given us so many good things.