THE COMMUNITY OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 210254 ST. JOHN’S HOUSE, 113 COLESHILL ROAD, MARSTON GREEN, BIRMINGHAM B37 7HT Tel: 0121 7880391 [email protected] COMMUNITY OF https://csjdivine.wordpress.com ST JOHN THE DIVINE MAKING CONNECTIONS ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Thank you’s We wish to offer our thanks: To both our Bishops – David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham, our Bishop Visitor, and Bishop Anne Hollinghurst, Bishop of Aston. To our local Chaplains – Rev Canon Helen Hingley and Rev Bill Moore. To all the clergy who regularly preside at the Eucharist for us – the Revds Nick Ball, Paul Day, Kathy Evans, Patrick Gerrard, Penny Harrison, Val Hicks, Helen Hingley, Jo Johnson, Theresa Jones, Elaine King, Peter Law-Jones, Bill Moore, Eddie Owen, Sue Restall, John Richards, Joe Roberts, Diane Thompson and Genny Tunbridge. To Mandy and Michael O’Connor for their help and care of our computers; to Rob de Winter who keeps our website up to date and Kris Desij for her work on the archives. To those who have acted professionally on our behalf THE COMMUNITY OF –Anthony Collins, Solicitors; Carol Barfoot of Gibbons, Mannington and Phipps, Accountant; Mr. Tony ST JOHN THE DIVINE Leverington, our Honorary Treasurer and Community Trustee (RIP July 2019);Wythall Heating Engineers; James Banks of David Banks Electrical Contractors Ltd; The Mission Statement and Clive Clements who helps us with maintenance. INSIDE FRONT The Community of St John the Divine, an Anglican To our General Practitioners – Dr I. Khan and Dr M. Iszatt Religious Community, live under the threefold Vows of and the staff at Church Lane Surgery, Stechford. Religious Life, establishing a centre of worship and prayer under the patronage of St John the Divine, the Apostle of To the staff at Barrett’s Butchers, Marston Green. Love, and together with the Associates of the Community form a network of love, prayer and service. To our Printer, Paul Singh, and Pat Raymer and her daughter Christianne for their invaluable help in producing this copy of Making Connections. Within the ethos of healing, wholeness and reconciliation, we exercise a ministry of hospitality for people to come for To all those who support us financially and enable times of rest, retreat and renewal and to share in the life and our continuing ministry. We are very appreciative worship of the community. We seek to offer a ministry of for your generosity spiritual accompaniment and pastoral care, and to respond to the needs of the poor and marginalized. To you all, THANK YOU. The heart of our call is to be a praying community seeking God in our daily lives and serving Him in reaching out as channels of God’s love to others. Sisters Christine Hoverd, Margaret Angela King, Ivy Patten and Shirley Hart. 2 Making Connections | 2018 - 2019 Thank you’s We wish to offer our thanks: Bishop David’sTo both our Bishops – David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham, our Bishop Visitor, and Bishop Anne commendationHollinghurst, for Bishop of Aston. CSJD AnnualTo our local ChaplainsReport – Rev Canon Helen Hingley and Rev Bill Moore. Making Connections To all the clergy who regularly preside at the Eucharist 2018-2019for us – the Revds Nick Ball, Paul Day, Kathy Evans, Patrick Gerrard, Penny Harrison, Val Hicks, Helen Hingley, Jo Johnson, Theresa Jones, Elaine King, Peter Law-Jones, Bill Moore, Eddie Owen, Sue Restall, John Richards, I am delightedJoe as Roberts,Episcopal Diane Visitor Thompson to the Communityand Genny Tunbridge. of St John the Divine to commend this edition of Making Connections, the Annual Report of theTo Community Mandy and Michael for 2018-19. O’Connor for their help and care of our computers; to Rob de Winter who keeps our website up There are many formsto date of and ministry Kris Desij for herand work continue on the to archives. do so. They have also within the boundaries of the Church of walked with those in parish ministry who To those who have acted professionally on our behalf England Birmingham but the faithful are asking questions about their own THE COMMUNITY OF –Anthony Collins, Solicitors; Carol Barfoot of Gibbons, work of this small religiousMannington order and is Phipps, Accountant;role, uncertain Mr. of Tonywhat a new pattern of ST JOHN THE DIVINE an especially beautifulLeverington, and unique our Honorary Treasurermission and and ministry Community might ask of them. Trustee (RIP July 2019);Wythall Heating Engineers; plant. The Community began life in The care of this Community is reflected James Banks of David Banks Electrical Contractors Ltd; London but is now located here in the in a thriving life of prayer and hospitality. The Mission Statement West Midlands. andIt does Clive not Clements ‘belong’ whoto helps us with maintenance. Through these, it blesses many people Birmingham but we are blessed by it The Community of St John the Divine, an Anglican To our General Practitioners – Drwho I. Khandon’t actually and Dr visitM. Iszatt or see it for more than any other region. Religious Community, live under the threefold Vows of and the staff at Church Lanethemselves. Surgery, WeStechford. are grateful then, to share Religious Life, establishing a centre of worship and prayer The Community’s life of prayer, welcome this city region with the Community and under the patronage of St John the Divine, the Apostle of and spiritual accompanimentTo the staff is muchat Barrett’s Butchers,we pray for Marston its ongoing Green. ministry. Love, and together with the Associates of the Community used and profoundly appreciated by lay form a network of love, prayer and service. To our Printer, Paul Singh, andThe Pat Rt RaymerRev David and Urquhart her people and clergydaughter from Christianneacross the diocese. for their invaluable help in producing This steady offer of rest, retreatthis copyand of Making Connections. Within the ethos of healing, wholeness and reconciliation, renewal can become especially precious we exercise a ministry of hospitality for people to come for The Community’s life of when we go throughTo timesall those of transition. who support us financially and enable times of rest, retreat and renewal and to share in the life and For example, the Communityour continuing has beenministry. We areprayer, very appreciativewelcome and spiritual worship of the community. We seek to offer a ministry of for your generosity spiritual accompaniment and pastoral care, and to respond very much aware of Church of England accompaniment is much used to the needs of the poor and marginalized. Birmingham’s People and Places initiative, To you all, THANKand YOU. profoundly appreciated which seeks to re-envisage the way we The heart of our call is to be a praying community seeking deploy clergy and laity in churches and by lay people and clergy from God in our daily lives and serving Him in reaching out as mission. Throughout this period of across the diocese. Sisters Christine Hoverd, Margaret Angela King, channels of God’s love to others. change the Sisters have prayed for us, Ivy Patten and Shirley Hart. Making Connections | 2018 - 2019 3 Introduction WELCOME to this year’s Making Connections, our Annual Report for 2018-2019. After the bumper report of last year that covered several years of the Community’s onward journey, of our move from Alum Rock and the establishing of our new house here in Marston Green, this year’s Annual Report by comparison seems brief, but nevertheless comes to bring you all up to date with news from the Community, from our family of Associates, and all those whose lives touch ours in so many ways. We have received so much positive So we want to say a very special THANK feedback about the production of the YOU to each of them for sharing their last Annual Report that we want to take skills and expertise and for producing this opportunity to thank Paul Singh work of such a high quality. who printed the report, Julie Davies who worked on the layout of the photographs Now we are ready to carry on with the and Pat Raymer who worked with next episode of the Community’s story! us on the editing and her daughter, When we discussed writing the Annual Christianne, who designed the front and Report, we decided to include news from back covers. Paul and Julie were also May to May each year in a smaller size, responsible for printing the beautiful so this report covers the period from May Christmas card we were able to send out 2018 to May 2019. last year. 4 Making Connections | 2018 - 2019 Associates’ Day 2018 Our report last year finished by sharing with you all something of the joy of our Associates’ Day in May 2018, when 31 of our Associates and the Sisters spent the morning with Canon Dr Paula Gooder sharing discussions about the shaping of the future church here in Birmingham and hearing about her new book Phoebe, which is a compelling and beautiful book to read. It proved to be a warm sunny day, so it meant everyone could take their lunch into the garden and use the time catching up with ‘news’. Our Associates come from many parts of the U.K. so apart from letters that are shared, the main Associates’ Day is the one time in the year they enjoy being together. It was also the day when Elizabeth and Glenn Pritchett celebrated their Wedding Anniversary. At the Eucharist they received a blessing and the day ended with a party tea and a special iced cake for the occasion. The whole day could not have been better and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The month of May moved very quickly into June with a real surfeit of special occasions, the most important of which was the celebration of Sr.