Meeting of the United Reformed Church Wessex Synod

Meeting of

The United Reformed Church

Wessex Synod

The Church on the Heath The Key Elvetham Heath Fleet GU51 1HA

Saturday 13th October 2018

INDEX

PAGE SUBJECT 3 Agenda 4 Listing of Ordinands and Ministerial Changes 5 Obituary of Albert Molineaux 6 Obituary of Stella Sivyour 7 Minutes of November meeting of Synod 13 Synod Executive Report 13 Resolution 4 15 Ministries & Learning Committee Report 16 URC (Wessex) Trust Limited Report 19 Resolutions 1, 2 and 3 19 Ministry & Mission Fund Report

Breakfast Club 9.30 - 10.30 Breakfast Club is a new and informal opportunity, hosted by the Synod Youth Executive, for people to gather together and find out all about Synod, how it works and briefly explore some of the planned topics.

This new initiative is open to all, will be engaging and include tasty Danish pastries and other treats.

Especially useful for anyone new to Synod meetings.

AGENDA

10:00 Arrivals and Coffee 10:30 Synod constituted by the Moderator Moderator Opening Worship Church on the Heath 10:45  Welcome to Ecumenical Visitors and new members of Synod Moderator  Pastoral news  Fire and safety announcements Local Church  Apologies Clerk  Minutes of Synod held on 17th March 2018  Matters arising  Order of business 11:00 Synod Executive Report Clerk including matters referred to Synods 11:10 Ministries and Learning Committee Report Phyllis Williams 11:30 Good News Story - Collinwood Road Holiday Club 11:40 Green Journey – a presentation Mark Rudhall 11:55 Announcements and introduction to Workshops Clerk 12.00 Workshops 1pm LUNCH During lunch Penny Thatcher will be holding an employment surgery and Graham Barber a buildings and property surgery

We will also be showing a film celebrating 30 years of Church Related Community Work. 2pm Wessex Trust Report Romilly Micklem 2:15 Introduction to the updated Synod Strategy (Moderator) Nigel Appleton Resolution to adopt Synod Strategy 2:30 What does the Strategy mean for my church? Groups Discussion in area groupings And ideas for how Synod can give practical help 3:10 Feedback and questions Moderator 3:20 Abingdon – Community Award Moderator 3:30 Child Friendly Church Awards Moderator 3:40 Synod Youth Executive (including Paddington’s progress) Synod Youth Executive 3:55 Thank yous 4pm Worship Moderator Tea and departures

Next meeting of Synod: Saturday 16th March 2019 – London Street URC, Basingstoke

LISTING OF ORDINANDS AND MINISTERIAL CHANGES Ordinands training for Ministry COLLEGE/COURSE Helen Everard Northern College (4th year) Cara Heafey Northern College (2nd year)

Inductions 21st April Duncan Goldie from Eastern Synod inducted at Sherborne and Shaftesbury (with oversight of Mere URC and Wincanton Methodist Church). 30th June Joshua Thomas Ordained and inducted to Petersfield and Liss, with Bordon. 21st July Helen Garton inducted to St Columba’s and Cumnor in Oxford. 31st July Jonathan Clark (CofE) inducted to Christ Church Chineham, Basingstoke. 8th September Mike Thomason (formerly an Army Chaplain) inducted to High Cross Church, Camberley. 21st September Mark Robinson from Yorkshire Synod inducted at the South West Hants Group, Southampton. 22nd September Tessa Henry-Robinson Ordained and inducted to the Southampton East Group.

Ministerial Changes 31st May Nick Adlem left Longham and Three Legged Cross and remains in the Synod. 30th June Jill Thornton ended her role as Interim Minister as Portsmouth Road Guildford and remains in the Synod working as Lead Chaplain at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

Deaths 13th December Albert Molineaux 4th January Stella Sivyour

Churches Uniting 3rd September Farnham URC and Farnham Methodist Church have united to become The Spire Church, Farnham.

Changes before next Synod 2nd December Sarah McClelland (CofE) licensing at St Francis, Valley Park, Chandlers Ford 28th February Pat Oliver (CRCW) retiring from Southampton: Avenue St Andrew’s and Freemantle and remaining in the Synod.

OBITUARIES The following obituaries will be part of “Celebrated Lives” which is a collection of life stories to appear with the 2019 edition of the URC Year Book

Albert Edward Molineaux 26 February 1921 - 13 December 2017 (aged 96)

Twickenham 1949-54; Coggeshall 1954-60; Haverhill 1960-66; Broad Street, Reading 1966-83; Totteridge 1983-90; Whetstone 1984-90.

Albert Molineaux felt the call to ministry during a tour of duty in the Middle East with the Royal Air Force. He served Congregational churches and then the United Reformed Church as an active minister for more than 40 years.

He was one of seven siblings and had grown up in east London, although the family were moved to Dagenham during the Second World War.

He met his wife, Peggy, at the first church he served, at Twickenham. They had two children, Michael and Anne. When Albert was at Broad Street church, Reading, the excellent location of the building, in the main shopping area, meant that there were many opportunities for outreach and the church halls were busy with sales, coffee mornings, lunches and talks. However, as time passed, fewer people were living in the town centre and church membership rapidly declined. In time, Albert had to make the difficult decision to recommend closure. The church building was sold to the booksellers, Waterstones, who sympathetically converted it, retaining the church gallery and creating a display reflecting its past use.

Albert and Peggy’s son, Michael, moved to live and work in Florida in his 20s. Then, in 1999, Albert and Peggy experienced sadness, with the death of their daughter, Anne. She had been diagnosed with cancer a year before and died suddenly, while on holiday in the US. Granddaughters Laura and Emily were 11 and 16 at the time and Albert and Peggy actively participated in supporting them as they grew up.

When Albert retired, in 1990, following ministry in north London, he and Peggy returned to Reading and worshipped at Park United Reformed Church, where Albert came to be regarded as a source of much wisdom.

He was a caring, thoughtful pastor who is much missed by the church and by his family.

Compiled from information supplied by Rob Weston and Albert’s family

Stella Elizabeth Sivyour 27 January 1934 - 4 January 2018 (aged 83)

Bradford on Avon 1964-70; Ottery-St-Mary 1970-75; Glossop & District group 1975-84; Tintwistle 1975-84; The Verwood, Three Legged Cross & West Moors group 1984-99.

Stella Sivyour trained for ministry at St Paul’s House, Liverpool , which had been founded by the redoubtable Muriel Paulden to train women home missionaries for pioneering work with Congregational churches. It attracted women with a stubborn determination, which suited Stella well. During her ministry, Stella became known for her quiet persistence in influencing decisions and getting things done.

She had been born and grew up at Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. Her home was on the main road out of Southampton docks and during the Second World War she remembered receiving sweets from passing convoys of American soldiers. She attended the Congregational Sunday school and youth club and worked as a shop assistant, selling woman’s clothing, until going to St Paul’s House. She began her ministry at Bradford on Avon; the church minutes noted that they could not afford a married minister so considered Stella! Although the Congregational Union had made it possible for women to train, there was still some resistance to female ministers and they were often restricted to less prestigious posts.

She went on to minister in Devon and Derbyshire and then, finally, to three churches in West Dorset.

Stella could be firm when necessary, but was always kindly, and was expert in the art of sowing an idea, then waiting until someone else picked it up for general consideration. Her leadership was focussed on seeking to discern the will of God for her churches and responding. She had a way of interpreting the Bible so that it offered God’s love and the way of Christ to people, whatever their particular concerns or need. Many would go away after a conversation with Stella with their spirits lifted and problems, if not resolved, less of a burden.

She was close to her brother, Ray, and sister in law, Gill, and their children, Paul and Clive. Paul was her first candidate for baptism, which made her and the family very proud.

Retiring to Mere, Wiltshire, Stella led services, became a trustee of the local community group on her estate and a volunteer warden at Stourhead gardens, where she celebrated her ministerial golden jubilee. She also served, for a time, as one of the Synod Moderator’s pastoral visitors. She loved gardening, food and cats, always had her head in a book, and was famed for her numerous handbags and shoes.

Compiled from memories supplied by John Hayton and members of Stella’s family

MINUTES of the meeting of WESSEX SYNOD on Saturday 17th March 2018 at Avenue St. Andrew’s URC, Southampton.

The Moderator, the Revd. Clare Downing, welcomed members to the meeting and constituted the Synod. Information about health and safety was given. The Revd. Sarah Hall led worship, assisted by Pat Oliver and members of the congregation, based on the themes of deserts and living water.

Attendance 39 URC Ministers and CRCWs 40 Church representatives 0 Ministers of other denominations 3 Retired Ministers 1 Ordinand 4 Young People 7 Others holding Synod appointments 16 Visitors 108 Total

18S01 Ecumenical visitors and new members of Synod: The Moderator brought apologies from several ecumenical visitors but was pleased to welcome the Revd. Lordwell Siame from Zambia, who is the first person on the new research exchange programme. He brought greetings from the United Church of Zambia Lusaka Presbytery and explained a little about his research into the community use of church assets. The Moderator then welcomed those attending Synod for the first time.

18S02 Ministry and pastoral news: a. The Moderator welcomed the Revds. Wilbert Sayimani (Richmond Hill St. Andrew’s, Bournemouth), Andy Hall (Broadstone & Blandford Forum) and Graham Hoslett (Wonersh, alongside Westborough and Normandy) who had been inducted since the last Synod meeting. She also mentioned the Revd. Richard Bittleston, who had been inducted at Aston Tirrold but had sent his apologies. The Moderator led Synod in prayer. b. Welcomes were also extended to Laura Everard and Maddy Loudon, from the Synod Youth Executive. c. The Moderator explained that the Revd. Chris Vivian is now known as Chris Copley, following her marriage to Dr. Derek Copley. She congratulated them. d. The Moderator congratulated those ministers reaching the 50th anniversary of their ordination and welcomed the Revd. Alan Green who was ordained 60 years ago. She presented him with a certificate and led in prayer. e. The Moderator noted extra changes which will occur before the next Synod: the Revd. Anthea Wickens will be inducted at Bracknell on 22nd April and the Revd. Jill Thornton will end her interim role at Portsmouth Road Guildford on 30th June (not 31st August) as she is taking up a role as lead chaplain at a local hospice. f. The Moderator mentioned the obituaries of two ministers who had died, with a further two to follow. Synod remained silent in their memory, then the Moderator led in prayer.

The Moderator explained how consensus decision making works.

18S03 Apologies were received from

7 URC Ministers 21 Church representatives 1 Ministers of other denominations 0 Ordinands 16 Retired Ministers 7 Others 52 Total

18S04 Minutes of the last meeting: The Minutes of the meeting held on 18th November 2017 were taken as read, approved by consensus and signed as a correct record.

18S05 Order of business: The Synod Clerk said that there were no expected changes to the agenda. However, in addition to the Property and Employment Surgeries at lunch there would also be a rotating slide presentation about the new General Data Protection Regulation.

18S06 Synod Executive Report: The Synod Clerk presented the report, drawing attention to the Area Gatherings in September, which would report back from General Assembly. She also mentioned that an advert for the new Synod Safeguarding Officer has now been placed, with interviews planned for 23rd April. With the addition of the Revd Paul O’Connor, nominations for General Assembly representatives are now complete. The Clerk explained that when voting for Moderator of General Assembly occurs, Wessex Synod will put forward the person who obtains the most votes of the two people nominated as Minister Moderator, while the one person nominated as Lay Moderator will be put forward if they obtain more than 50% of the votes. Ruth White encouraged people to take postcards and invite young people to the Big Speak Out youth consultation programme for 11-18 year olds, which will run alongside General Assembly. Graeme Panting enquired how to advertise who the General Assembly representatives are and how to contact them. He was advised that this is best done at the Area Gatherings after General Assembly. Alternatively churches are welcome to speak to them before Assembly or invite them afterwards. Preparation sessions are held beforehand, when all the representatives can meet each other. The report was accepted by consensus.

The Clerk brought Resolution 1:

RESOLUTION 1 Wessex Synod approves the list of Appointments in the Nominations paper.

The Clerk advised some amendments to the list of appointments: Synod Panel for Ministerial Discipline – SW delete Mr. Nick Lowe, SE add Ms. Jane Dowdell. Co-opted Members of Synod (2018) – add the Revd. Wendy White

Philip Ray asked if two further youth reps to Synod needed to be added but the Moderator explained that those present at this Synod were substituting for the official reps.

The resolution was agreed by consensus.

The Clerk brought an amended Resolution 2:

RESOLUTION 2 Wessex Synod approves the list of representatives to General Assembly, and allows Synod Officers to substitute representatives if necessary.

The resolution was agreed by consensus.

18S07 Synod Strategy: The Revd. Nigel Appleton took the chair so the Moderator could speak. She informed Synod that the Strategy was approved five years ago, so it is now time to update it. She then reported on the discussions held at Area Gatherings regarding how we have done with the Strategy and what people think we should be doing. The analysis shows certain conundrums but work will be done on a revised Synod Strategy ready for the Autumn Synod. People were invited to contact the Moderator or Clerk if they wish to have an input into this process. Synod agreed by consensus to commend this continuing consideration and to support ongoing work on the Synod Strategy.

18S08 Mission and Outreach: a. Mission Development Group. The Revd. Tim Searle presented the report and answered questions from the floor. Regarding possible local initiatives in church planting, he felt that the Mission Development Group (MDG) could be a point of contact for any local initiatives but that it would depend on capacity. Regarding the church regeneration scheme, no timescale has yet been agreed. The core team looking at these matters is from MDG but there are vacancies if anyone is interested in joining the Group. Plans for working with housing developers in particular places like Twyford depend on local involvement: planners no longer have to take spiritual needs into consideration so churches have to work very hard to be heard in any local situation. b. Church and Society Group. In David Wrighton’s absence the Revd. Mike Shrubsole updated the meeting about Eco Synod. Wessex is now registered but progress will depend on local church involvement. Currently 19% of Wessex churches have registered. Christine McMillan informed Synod, from the Church and Society report, that it is Commitment for Life congregational link people, not advocates, who are being gathered together. Names should be given to her or to the Synod Office. c. World Church Group. Ian Simpson presented the report, highlighting the various aspects of the Group’s work. In particular he appealed for a new CWM link person to join the Group.

The entire report was accepted by consensus.

18S09 Le Weekend. Peter Pay explained that this is a French link in which anyone can now participate, even without speaking the language. It takes place on the weekend after Easter and the two different cultures look at a theme in their two different ways. There is a Synod Reserve Fund if cost is a barrier. Anyone interested should speak to Peter Pay or look on the Synod website.

18S10 Zambia link. The Revd. Nigel Appleton reported that the Zambia link was relaunched 12 months ago. He spoke about the benefits of this programme but also its challenges and he reiterated its various facets as in the World Church Group report.

The Revd. Lordwell Siame then spoke about the importance to him of the link between his church (Bethel, Lusaka) and Chandler’s Ford URC. It is an encouragement to both congregations. He then

9 challenged Synod to engage in mission at the local church level, unless we are afraid to tell people that Jesus loves them or scared of our faith.

18S11 Children’s and Youth Work Committee. The Revd. John Downing presented the report, which he was grateful had been prepared by the secretary Alison Marshall. The committee will be reviewing its strategic vision at its meeting in May and people are invited to comment on this beforehand by contacting CYDOs, Alison Marshall or John Downing. The Synod Youth Camp this year is for 11 to 17 year olds only and churches are asked to encourage any young people of that age to connect with it, ensuring that no one is prevented by lack of finance. The Child Friendly Synod idea is being worked on by trying to apply the Child Friendly Church Award principles to Synod as a whole. Different groups are being asked to reflect on their child friendliness. A Child Friendly Church Award plaque was presented to Woking URC. About 24 churches in the Synod now have this award, but that still leaves four fifths who do not. The report was accepted by consensus.

18S12 Sharing Good News. The Moderator asked Synod members to speak to someone they did not know about something good going on in their church. This was followed by a short feedback session.

18S13 Administration and Notices. The Clerk encouraged people to visit the Prayer Station, as well as the Employment and Property Surgeries during lunch, to watch the General Data Protection Regulation rolling display, and to vote in the Synod Christmas card competition.

18S14 Ballot for Moderators of General Assembly. The Revd. Nigel Appleton took the chair and informed Synod that nominations had been received for two people as Minister Moderator: the Revd. Ruth Whitehead and the Revd. Clare Downing. There was one nomination for the Lay Moderator: Peter Pay. When the Clerk had explained the voting system Nigel Appleton led in prayer before people cast their votes.

Synod then broke for lunch.

After lunch, the Revd. Nigel Appleton informed Synod that the two people to be nominated by Wessex Synod to General Assembly for the posts of Minister and Lay Moderator are the Revd. Clare Downing and Peter Pay.

18S15 Sharing Good News. There were contributions from the floor: a. Christmas trees. Peter Kershaw from Bridport spoke about using Christmas trees, including prayer trees, as an evangelistic tool. b. Life Exhibition. The Revd. Paul Bedford commended the Life Exhibition, provided by the Counties Evangelical Organisation as a tool for telling schoolchildren about Jesus. c. Defibrillator. The Revd. Ruth Dillon encouraged churches to look into providing a defibrillator on their premises in order to support the community when one is needed quickly. She also spoke about the Art Therapy Group’s display in The Vine Centre, Fleet during the national Thy Kingdom Come week. d. Synod Christmas card. The Moderator announced that the winning picture was God’s Present by Amy Crocker from the United Church Winchester.

18S16 Synod Youth Executive. Laura Everard and Maddy Loudon presented the report with minor typographical amendments. In addition it was reported that Kathryn Buckland has now filled the role of Equality and Diversity rep on the Assembly Youth Executive. The presenters asked about Paddington’s progress round the churches and his impact there. They encouraged churches to use him to consider how to welcome people, not necessarily only to special events. Synod broke into small groups to discuss how good we are at welcoming people. The report was accepted by consensus and the Moderator prayed for the Synod Youth Executive.

18S17 Ministries and Learning Committee. The report was presented by the Revd. Ruth Dillon, using balls of wool to connect people at Synod who have taken part in courses, worship or preaching. She encouraged churches to contact Ruth Heine if they have new lay preachers who they want to have authorised for lay presidency at the sacraments. The Revd. Mary Thomas answered an enquiry about safeguarding and the checking of non-URC- trained lay preachers by stating that it is a local church responsibility, possibly by training or DBS checks. She went on to explain that the Vocations Day being planned for the end of September is different from the forthcoming Ministry Enquirers’ Day in Manchester. The report was accepted by consensus.

18S18 Stepwise. Following the viewing of a film about Stepwise, the new discipleship development programme, the Revd. Mary Thomas (DSO-S) suggested three ways for people to help with this: 1. Publicise the programme. The film and leaflet are on the URC website and she suggested showing the film in church or at a church meeting. 2. Support the DSOs and CYDOs as they facilitate the programme within the Synod. It will be totally locally delivered so she asked for help in getting people enthused and signed up, rather than simply waiting for volunteers. The Methodist Church will also encourage participation so it is suitable for united churches. 3. Pray and reflect on who could offer to be a mentor or facilitator, then indicate which of the streams is of interest. Training will be available in June. There were several questions which Mary Thomas answered, including the content, possible taster sessions and the time commitment, as well as the course’s suitability for use as a Bible Study. She stressed that Stepwise replaces TLS, while TLS Lite will be continuing as the way that Wessex trains lay preachers and local worship leaders. She agreed that this new pathway needs to be revisited by advertising every 12 months until it is embedded. Further questions should be directed towards her.

18S19 Wessex Trust. Chris Evans presented the report, beginning by welcoming the Revd. Anthea Wickens as a new Trust member and indicating that this was his last Synod due to his moving out of the Synod. A new convenor is being sought. Dr. Evans mentioned that the Trust uses money on our behalf in a variety of ways and spoke in particular about the help currently being offered to St. Mary’s URC, Banbury. Manses are a time- consuming part of the Trust’s work. Special thanks were offered to the Revd. Nigel Appleton for looking after the disposal of Temple Cowley URC, Oxford, and to those who had responded regarding church hiring arrangements. For those churches which do not let out their premises they were asked to send in a nil return. There are still not enough people in the Trust team so a Finance and Operations Officer will be employed in order to free up the Trust Officer’s time for property matters. Dr. Evans thanked churches for their forbearance in the meantime in waiting for answers to their queries. Following an enquiry about overdue quinquennials and planning for them, Dr. Evans explained that there is a list of ones required for listed buildings, which will be paid for by the Trust. Other

11 churches are not required to have a quinquennial, nor will it be paid for by the Trust, so each church was encouraged to keep an eye on its own properties annually by using the list on the website. Thereafter any concerns should be raised with the Property Officer. The Revd. Nigel Appleton spoke of his regret that Chris Evans is moving away, as we have been blessed by how much he has done. Synod indicated its agreement by sustained applause.

18S20 Ministry and Mission Fund. Peter Pay indicated that few Synods met their offer last year but that Wessex did succeed. The national church has only broken even because less ministers were on the pay roll than expected. He mentioned that more churches are struggling to meet their commitments especially when they are increasingly reliant on outside income and he wondered how viable this is in the long term. He felt that Wessex will meet its offer in 2018 if no churches default and especially if there are more LEP ministers. 48 churches have offered to meet the 1% challenge which helps to balance those which are at least 10% below their requested figure. A review of the M&M formula is underway and Mr. Pay invited any ideas for tweaking.

The Wessex Trust report, including the M&M report, was accepted by consensus.

18S21 Thanks. The Moderator thanked all those who serve in different ways in the Synod, including Chris Evans who has been part of her support group as well as convenor of the Trust, and all those who had reached the end of their terms of service. She thanked the Avenue St. Andrew’s congregation for their hospitality including stewarding, furniture moving, refreshments and worship leadership; the technical support team including John Downing; the Clerk Sue Brown; and the office staff especially Deborah Walker. She thanked those who had voted for her to be nominated as Moderator of General Assembly but also asked for our prayers.

18S22 Closing Worship. The Moderator led worship on the theme of Gladness and Generosity from the Holy Habits book.

Synod closed at 16.15.

The next meeting is on Saturday 13th October 2018 at Church on the Heath, Elvetham Heath.

SYNOD EXECUTIVE REPORT

1. Committees The Standing Committees continue to report regularly to the Synod. The three sub-groups which make up the Mission and Outreach Committee have resolved the issues around effective ways of working together. We have started to explore the use of video conferencing for some committee meetings.

2. Area Gatherings The September Area Gatherings looked at “What happened at General Assembly”. The dates for the February Area Gatherings are:

Area February 2019 North East 19th February South West 20th February North West 26th February South East 28th February

3. Synod Strategy This work has been completed and appears elsewhere on the Agenda.

4. Future Synod Meetings We have been exploring this in various ways during the past year. The resulting agreement is that March Synods will be fairly traditional but aiming to be accessible to young people aged 11+. The autumn Synod will be suitable for children aged over 7, with workshops and greater variety of presentation and discussion. We are trying a different seating arrangement at this October Synod.

5. Child friendly Synod Synod Executive and other committees have been addressing the questions raised by this process and submitting their conclusions to the Child Friendly Synod steering group. A report has been drafted and will be reviewed with a CYDO from another Synod

6. Safeguarding Officer Executive has been working towards employing a Synod Safeguarding Officer (a half time appointment). The original appointee had to withdraw, and the post has been re-advertised.

7. Review of Trust/Finance and Property Committee Merger Following the transfer of the functions of the Finance & Property Committee to the Wessex Trust in 2016, Synod asked the Synod Executive to review these arrangements and report back to Synod in autumn 2018. All Church Secretaries, Church Treasurers and Ministers, as well as Trustees and members of Executive were invited to comment on the effectiveness of the new arrangement. All those who responded felt that the new arrangements were effective and avoided unnecessary duplication. The role of Synod Executive, acting independently of the Trust, to give necessary approvals had also worked well and clarified responsibilities.

8. Matters referred to Synods We have 4 matters from General Assembly, and 1 from Mission Council referred to this meeting. These are amendments to the Structure of the URC that need to be made to provide greater clarity or reflect decisions made at General Assembly (Please read supporting papers). Unless Synod passes a resolution that an item “be not proceeded with”, and the General Secretary is notified by the date specified, Synod will be deemed to agree by default. The changes are: Change no.1 To make the number of Synod representatives equal – to be, for the present, sixteen for each Synod. Change no. 2 To introduce some flexibility to the 50-50 ministerial/lay divide – requiring at least a third of each Synod’s representation to be ministerial (this term includes CRCWs) and at least a third to be elders or lay. Change no. 3 To include the Synod Moderators in the Synod figures above, if their Synods so wish, rather than giving them a place in Assembly in their own right. Change no. 4 To excuse the Convenor of Pastoral Reference and Welfare from membership of Assembly.

The matter referred from Mission Council is to correct a drafting error that refers to Synod youth representatives “aged 26 or under”. This should read “aged 25 or under”.

Anyone wishing to bring a Resolution that one of these items be “not proceeded with” must notify the Synod office at least three days prior to the Synod meeting.

9. Executive’s next major task will be to look at the implications of the Moderator becoming Moderator of General Assembly in 2020.

Sue Brown September 2018

RESOLUTION 4 Wessex Synod resolves to adopt the updated Synod Strategy

MINISTRIES & LEARNING COMMITTEE REPORT Stepwise This entirely new ‘blended learning’ suite of programmes is ready to accept its first participants. The courses are designed to be a ‘blend’ of personal individual distance learning through the Stepwise Hub online and groupwork locally.

Registration for Faith Filled Life - the first stream in the Stepwise programme - has begun.

Registration will be managed centrally with details then being sent to our synod Stepwise coordinators, Mary Thomas and Ray Stanyon, who will suggest a local group for you to join and discuss how to identify a mentor. Groups will, in the first instance, be centered where we have most interest. We are going be recruiting facilitators and if you would be interested in offering for this role you can register your interest with Mary or Ray; or through the same page. There will be role descriptions for Facilitators and Mentors and training will be arranged.

The registration page on the website is now live although some other parts of the website are not yet complete. There will be leaflets available at synod detailing the programme. Perhaps a group of people near you would like to register together and become a Stepwise group?

Local Ministry & Mission Review (LMMR) & Ministerial Accompanied Self Assessment (MASA) Is it time for your church to revisit and review its local ministry and mission again? You can find the materials at http://wessexsynodurc.org.uk/lmmr/ and if you would like an outside facilitator please speak to your DSO if you need help to find someone. A new version is currently being piloted – if you would like to know more about it speak to Mary Thomas. Ministers are encouraged to regularly undertake MASA again ask your DSO to put you in touch with an accompanier.

Overview of Pastorates & Ministers Since March Synod we are pleased to be able to report that 7 pastorates have moved to ‘settled’ status. The current overall position of pastorates and ministerial deployment in the synod is as follows:

 Candidates and Ordinands We currently have 2 ordinands and 2 people have come forward to candidate for the ministry.

 Deployment of Stipendiary Ministers o The number of stipendiary ministers available to the synod continues to decline. We are led to expect to reduce the number of settled ministers by 4 to 32(FTE)1 within the next 3 years. o As a synod we are challenged how best to use our allocation of stipendiary ministry bearing in mind our aim to live as disciples and encourage discipleship. o M&L is having ongoing discussions about how to deal with deployment on an open, transparent and equitable basis whilst taking into account the individual characters of churches including geographical and theological distance between them.

Phyllis Williams, Convenor, Ministries & Learning Committee

1 FTE - Full Time Equivalents

URC (WESSEX) TRUST LIMITED REPORT This report updates Synod since the last report and includes a summary of the decisions made at meetings of the Wessex Trust held on 10 May and 28 June 2018. 1. Trustees At the meeting on 10 May Revd Anthea Wickens was formally elected as a trustee and Revd Dr Romilly Micklem as Convener from 1 June. As this was Dr Chris Evans’ final meeting as Convener, he was thanked for his phenomenal contribution, especially during his term as Convener and a presentation was made to him. Chris Evans formally resigned as a trustee on 1 June and now lives in Yorkshire. 2. Grants, loans and permissions The Trust has made the following grants, loans and other commitments, and given permissions in the following matters. Unless otherwise stated, grants are made from the Church Mission Fund, and loans are made from the Trust’s General Fund and are repayable over five years with interest at 3% per year.  Abingdon: Trinity Church: A grant of £24,000 annually reducing over 3 years was agreed towards ‘Trinity Learning’, a successful and expanding ecumenical programme of outreach to 22 primary and 3 secondary schools.  Andover: Permission was given and a grant of £10,000 was agreed towards significant refurbishment and upgrading costs in respect of the church hall and kitchen. The permission and grant are conditional on a Listed Buildings Advisory Committee approval.  Bishop’s Waltham: United Free Church: A grant of £2,000 was agreed towards the cost of the removal of an unusable access ramp and the installation of a new step lift for people with impaired mobility at the front of the church.  Farnham: Provisional permission was given and a grant of 50% of the detailed design costs up to a maximum grant of £25,000 was agreed from the Special Reserve Fund towards a substantial phased development project called the ‘Pilgrim Project’. A conditional grant up to a maximum of £425,000 was also agreed from the Special Reserve Fund towards the first and second phases of the three-phase project.  Fordingbridge: Officers had agreed an emergency loan of £680 towards the unexpected cost of having to infill a collapsed grave. It was agreed to convert the agreed loan to a grant of £680 from the General Fund.  Godalming: United Church: A grant of £3,113 was agreed towards the cost of an audio-visual project in the sanctuary.  Guildford: Portsmouth Road: Permission was given and a grant of £42,500 was agreed towards the cost of a major refurbishment of the vestibule for outreach work. The permission and grant are conditional on Synod and Listed Buildings Advisory Committee approvals. A grant of £21,000 annually reducing over 3 years was also agreed towards the cost of employing a Community Outreach Worker.  Henley-on-Thames: Christ Church: Permission was given for the installation of solar panels on the church and community centre roofs, and for the replacement of the main oak doors of the church with glazed ones and of the inner porch with a glass panel. The permission and grant are conditional on a Listed Buildings Advisory Committee approval. A grant of £6,000 and a loan of up to £6,500 were agreed towards the cost of the solar panels and a grant of £4,500 was agreed towards the cost of the doors and glass panel. The permissions and grants are conditional on Synod and Listed Buildings Advisory Committee approvals.

 A grant of £23,000 annually reducing over 3 years was also agreed towards the cost of employing a Community Worker.  Isle of Wight: Shanklin: Officers had agreed an emergency loan of £15,000 towards the unexpected increased costs of repairing the stonework to the clock tower. It was agreed to convert the agreed loan to a grant of £15,000 from the General Fund.  Oxford: Collinwood Road: A grant of £1,260 was agreed towards the cost of a hearing loop system in the main hall.  Oxford: Wheatley: Permission was given to demolish the current poorly built and laid out former office and vestry extension at the back of the church and to rebuild it to form a new more welcoming and accessible extension. ‘The Cogwheel project’ will also renovate the existing church hall floor, roof and windows, and heating of the church. A grant of £98,000 and a loan of up to £31,000 were agreed towards the building works and a grant of £18,000 was agreed towards the detailed planning and design. Both grants were made from the Special Reserve Fund. The permission and grants are conditional on Synod and Listed Buildings Advisory Committee approvals.  Reading: St. Andrew’s: Officers had agreed an emergency loan of £6,000 towards the unexpected cost of emergency drainage work in the car park and the additional cost of having to remove a yew tree and its stump from the car park to prevent any further ingress of its tree roots into the drainage system. It was agreed to convert the agreed loan to a grant of £6,000 from the General Fund.  Twyford (Berks): Permission was given and a grant of £2,500 was agreed for a like for like complete replacement of the original wooden hall floor.  Southampton: Avenue St. Andrew’s: A grant of up to £20,000 was agreed towards the costs of a detailed survey, including costings for repair, of the church tower which would be unsafe if not currently supported by scaffolding. 3. Other property matters  Banbury: St. Mary’s: The displaced congregation has been supported with advice and a grant of up to £100,000 over 3 years towards the costs of securing new premises in the town centre. The lease of those premises was completed on 12 September and a four-week renovation is currently underway.  Bournemouth: Southbourne: Immanuel: The Connect 2 building project is well underway and is currently on schedule to be completed on 20 November.  Bournemouth: Winton and Bournemouth International Church: The building project has been completed and both churches are now using the premises.  Hiring of church premises: Many thanks to the roughly 70% of churches who have completed the necessary documentation. A number of other churches are nearly there, but there are still more than a dozen churches that have not produced anything, despite several reminders. This just adds to the Trust Office’s workload. We would like to complete the process by December. Help, if required, is available from the Trust Secretary, Carmen Jones and the Trust Deputy Convener, Ray Dunnett. Simple annual returns requesting information on hiring will be requested towards the end of the year, but churches will be sent reminders about this together with details of what information is wanted.  Listed Buildings Advisory Committee: Some extra administrative help has been given, but a new Convener and Secretary are needed. The Synod Clerk would welcome any nominations.

 Manses: Four manses have been prepared for occupation by ministers at: 24 Moggs Mead, Petersfield, 7 Hawkswell Gardens, Oxford, 65 The Avenue, Camberley and 10 Marvin Way, Bitterne. One manse has been let at 12 Raglan Close, Chandler’s Ford.  Registration of church buildings for same-sex marriage: The General Register Office has concluded the registration of Freemantle, Southampton and are processing a registration request from Christ Church, Marlow. 4. Property disposals  Oxford: Temple Cowley: The church was sold on 9th August for £802,000 to ‘The Littlegate Trust’.  35 Ratcliffe Avenue, Ryde: The former manse was sold on 20th April for £365,000. 5. Finance  Annual Report and Accounts to 31 December 2017: The unqualified Annual Report and Accounts were formally approved and accepted by our auditors, Haysmacintyre and the trustees respectively on 10 May. One significant change at the insistence of the auditors was that all manses purchased since 1 January 1996 have now been included as fixed assets of the Wessex Trust. This has had the effect of increasing the total assets held by approximately £14 million to £41.7 million. In the past manses were only accounted for on receipt of all necessary sale resolutions.  Church Mission and Special Reserve Funds: After the grant offers made since the last meeting of Synod detailed above and following the expiry of some other grant offers as applicable, and after some prior-year adjustments arising from the audit, the Church Mission Fund stands at a deficit of £-48,725 and the Special Reserve Fund is at £111,400. In Resolution 1, as in the last few years, the trustees propose a transfer this year of £200,000 from the General Fund to the Church Mission Fund to remove the deficit and lead to a balance of £151,275.  Contributions to the URC Ministers’ Pension Fund and the Retired Ministers’ Housing Society: As the Retired Ministers’ Housing Society is more financially stable than it was and the URC Ministers’ Pension Fund is in deficit, the trustees now recommend in Resolution 2 that a previous decision of Synod is changed and the grant of 10% of the net proceeds from the sale of redundant churches where there is no continuing congregation, which at present goes to the Housing Society, is instead given to the Pension Fund for the next three years with a review towards the end of this period. Synod is asked to approve this change.  Inter-Synod Resource Sharing: In response to the annual national Synod treasurers’ consultation, the trustees propose again in Resolution 3 as in recent years that £100,000 be granted to Inter-Synod Resource Sharing for 2019. 6. Other matters  GDPR: Compliance guidance for Synods and Trusts from Church House was very late in coming and there is still further work to do on this important and developing area.  Southampton University Chaplaincy: Discussions are ongoing with the Southern Counties Baptist Association and the Southampton District of the Methodist Church over a historic pension liability relating to the Southampton University Chaplaincy.  Trust Office: The appointment of a part-time Finance and Operations Manager will hopefully be made soon to help meet the increasing workload of the Trust Office.

Romilly Micklem, Convener

RESOLUTION 1 Wessex Synod approves the transfer of £200,000 from the General Fund to the Church Mission Fund of the Wessex Trust.

RESOLUTION 2 Wessex Synod approves the proposal by the Wessex Trust to grant 10% of the net proceeds from the sale of redundant churches where there is no continuing congregation to the United Reformed Church Ministers’ Pension Fund, for a period of three years from 1 November 2018. Synod asks the trustees to review this arrangement during 2021 and report to the Autumn Synod in that year, noting that this new arrangement replaces the current one agreed by Synod on 10 November 2007 which benefits the Retired Ministers’ Housing Society.

RESOLUTION 3 Wessex Synod approves a grant of £100,000 from the General Fund of the Wessex Trust to support the URC’s Inter-Synod Resource Sharing for 2019.

MINISTRY & MISSION FUND REPORT 2018 Church contributions continue to be broadly in line with expectations. I have met with some churches who are experiencing difficulties. I anticipate that the Synod will be able to meet its promise to Church House.

2019 Due to an unexpected and rather long hospital visit, I sent out our request letters rather later than hoped. I am grateful to the large number of churches who replied early. Inevitably there are a number of churches who have struggled to do so. To-date I have offers totalling £1,603,347. I am still awaiting offers from 41 churches. I am confident that once these are received, we will be able to maintain our current contribution of £2m. I am very grateful to the 37 churches who have currently offered to meet the 1% challenge.

M&M Secretary role Following my election as Moderator of General Assembly 2020-2, I am already finding a significant level of commitments in 2018, 19. I am happy to continue to do the M&M role but would welcome some assistance, especially during the June to October period when there is a lot of administration involved. Ideally, I need someone who is numerate, competent with email and with Excel spreadsheets.

Peter Pay M&M Secretary

Doodle Page

Workshops

1. Mental Health First Aid (In The Sanctuary) Led by Peter Markum A taster session to introduce people to Mental Health First Aid Training. Peter is based in Winchester and was a Youth Worker before identifying a need for training in emotional wellbeing. He has been delivering mental health and emotional wellbeing training for many years. He is an experienced, highly effective and skillful communicator. Dates for the longer courses that he will run in the Synod will be available.

2. Eco-Church and All Things Environmental (In the Calthorpe Room) Led by Mike Shrubsole and Mark Rudhall from Green Journey Find out how we can take steps to become a “greener” church. Help to create a piece of artwork celebrating the Creator God under the guidance of Gill Bailey and Nicky Gilbert. We will be using recycled materials (especially plastic). For all ages and all abilities.

3. An Encounter with Jesus (in the Youth Room) Led by Brenda Stephenson Entering a Bible story with our imaginations, in the Ignatian tradition.

4. The Employment Relationship – what every church needs to know (in the Winchester Room) Led by Penny Thatcher, Synod Employment Adviser An opportunity for those involved with employment in churches to think about how the relationship between church and employee can work best, with tips on good practice and how to avoid pitfalls.

5. Stepwise (In the Gallery) Led by Mary Thomas and Ray Stanyon We hear the question: Where does the future of our local church lie and how is the wider church investing in us? One answer is ‘Stepwise’. Come along and try out some material that will form part of one of the streams of Stepwise. Find out where the first learning hubs will be in the Synod and register your interest in these or having one in your area. Take away ideas as to how your church could benefit and pray for all those who will sign up as participants, facilitators, mentors and administrators.