St Peter’s Bethnal Green, St Peter’s Close, London E2 7AE [email protected] 020 7033 0244 www.stpetersbethnalgreen.org St Peter with St Thomas Bethnal Green ANNUAL REPORT 2014 (January – December 2014) Part 1 Sections 1-6: The Vicar’s Report 1. Reference information Members of the PCC are elected as Trustees at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following served as members of the PCC: Vicar: The Rev’d Adam Atkinson, Chairman Assisting Priest: Canon Dr Angus Ritchie Wardens: Elizabeth Ker, Andy Walton Representative on the Deanery Synod: Andy Walton (Triennium to 2017) Elected Members: Rebecca Adlington (Safeguarding Officer), David Butler (Treasurer), Helen Crane, Hannah Fleetwood, Pam Haluwa, Tim Ker (Chair, Finance Working Group), Joy Middleton, Maria Wyard. Co-opted Secretary: Katie Purser St Peter’s Bethnal Green is a registered charity number 1154668. St Peter’s Bethnal Green uses the banking services of Reliance Bank Ltd at Faith House, 23-24 Lovat Lane, London, EC3R 8EB. Mazars (Times House, Throwley Way, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4JQ) were appointed to carry out the independent examination of accounts for 2014. Postal address of the church: St Peter’s Bethnal Green, St Peter’s Close, London E2 7AE. Administrative address: The Mission Hall office, 56 Warner Place, London E2 7DA. Page 1 2. Structure & Governance Responsibilities of the PCC The PCC of St Peter’s Bethnal Green, has the responsibility, together with the Vicar, the Rev’d Adam Atkinson, to promote in the parish the whole mission of the Church. This includes the pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical aspects. It is responsible for the maintenance of the buildings of St Peter’s Bethnal Green. As a Church of England Parish church, the PCC and Vicar follow requirements of Church of England Canon Law. Objectives and activities The objectives of St Peter’s Bethnal Green are to promote in the parish the whole mission of the Church with a focus to worship God, make friends and change the world. The PCC organises itself to carry out its aims and objectives by having regular meetings and various sub-committees. The PCC held seven formal meetings over the year. The Finance Working Group of the PCC was formed to carry out action, preparing Governance decisions for the PCC and taking forward management matters with the Vicar. Day-to-day management of the church is delegated to the Vicar, Rev’d Adam Atkinson and his staff team. An ‘Executive’ operated as Standing Committee made up of the Vicar, church Wardens and Assisting Priest. The 2014 electoral roll had 99 registered members at the APCM. Those on the Electoral roll are able to nominate candidates for the PCC. The PCC and Church Wardens are elected annually at the APCM. PCC members are introduced to the workings of the PCC at the beginning of the year by the Vicar who provides a briefing and verbal comments. Public Benefit The PCC members confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. St Peters’ Bethnal Green works alongside a number of organisations as partners in undertaking mercy, justice and evangelism. We support these practically, financially and/or in encouraging people to volunteer and we receive support from them in fulfilling our calling as a local church. These include: Tower Hamlets and Hackney Foodbanks, The Mission Practice, Tower Hamlets Citizens, Citizens UK, The Centre for Theology and Community, Mission Housing, Resurgo, Church Resource Ministries, Arch 76, St Paul’s Shadwell, St Andrew by the Wardrobe and other local churches, individual ministries and social enterprises. The church of St Peter’s Bethnal Green benefits the community by the activities described in the section below entitled ‘Change the World’, notably through outreach and supporting others through our volunteer programme, prayer and financial input. Page 2 3. ‘Worship God’ Church attendance Average Sunday attendance in 2014 at St Peter’s Bethnal Green (2013 figures in brackets): Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 (Jan-March) (April-June) (July–Sept) (Oct-Dec) 10am sung Eucharist communicants 41 (35) 39 (35) 38 (39) 43 (45) adults 45 (36) 44 (40) 46 (38) 53 (46) children 4 (1) 2 (3) 5 (3) 6 (5) 11am service of the Word adults 47 (46) 44 (50) 47 (47) 45 (50) children 9 (12) 12 (12) 12 (10) 10 (9) 10am monthly Family service communicants 65 (68) 69 (58) 60 (50) 58 (56) adults 67 (67) 75 (58) 63 (54) 74 (60) children 11 (20) 13 (12) 14 (7) 11 (9) 6pm monthly evening service adults 16 17 20 (17) 31 (11) Regular services Throughout 2014, St Peter’s Bethnal Green continued to hold a liturgical Sung Eucharist service at 10am and an informal Service of the Word at 11am, the two congregations combined on the 1st Sunday of the month by one 10am cross-tradition Family Service with Communion, followed by a community lunch. On Sundays in August one 10am cross-tradition service was held. A monthly 6pm service, usually with Eucharist, also continued and was launched as a new weekly service at the end of the year. Morning Prayer was held in the Chancel at 8.30am Tuesday to Friday. The 7.30pm Thursday evening Communion Service continued, celebrating a number of festivals and key festivals in the church calendar were celebrated. Page 3 Guest preachers at St Peter’s Bethnal Green included Rt Hon & Rt Rev The Lord Bishop of London, Rt Rev Adrian Newman The Bishop of Stepney, Brother Yun, Sr Josephine Canny, Fr Sean Connolly, The clergy and a number of lay members of St Peter’s Bethnal Green have led and preached at services. We follow the Church of England lectionary and the rubric of Common Worship. Occasional services There were 4 baptisms and 2 weddings officiated at St Peter’s Bethnal Green in 2014. The Vicar undertook 4 additional funerals at cemeteries for members of the parish and friends as well as presiding and preaching engagements. Other services included: • Holy Week including 7.30am Morning Prayer & 7.30pm Evening Prayer, a Maundy Thursday meal (34) ‘watch & pray’ until midnight (22), a series of Good Friday reflections (25) and liturgy (33); • A Deanery Synod event on 22 May (57); • An evening on the persecuted church with Brother Yun (15, 195) • A celebration of social transformation and the launch of the Lonodn Misisonal Housing Bond with the Bishops of London and Stepney; • A Harvest Festival Evening Prayer on 19 October; • An act of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday; • Two ‘Access’ youth events; • The ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service on 14 December with the Bishop of Stepney (215); • ‘Jesus on the Green’, a service of carols on Jesus Green on 21 December. Worship Music St Peter’s continued our relationship with Worship Central, James McSporran who had contributed massively to our music left to return to Ps&Gs church in Edinburgh where he is dong student work. In his place we welcomed James Pascoe, a talented musician from Guernsey. Bob and Adam have held discussions with Worship Central and with other East End churches in order to coordinate training and accommodation. Tom Daggett, our organist for the last 3 years and leader of the classical and choral music left to take up a full time choirmaster post in combination with a role on the music staff of St Paul’s Cathedral. God has graciously given us Isabel Bradby, who moved to St Peter's Estate in the Summer and who is an organist keen to play more. In addition Stephen Atkinson, also a talented musician, has led some of our 10am worship. A development which is given pleasure to many has been a small choir under leadership of Graham Pritchard. They have contributed increasingly to the 10am worship. Children’s church The children continue to be in the centre of the worship space for the beginning of the 11am service and engaged with all-age, interactive talks in the All-In Family Services. Our children's worship has developed and towards the end of the year they were regularly action songs being joined in with by all the congregation at 11am! Page 4 Under the leadership of Vienna Francis-Mullins, 'Godly Play' was started for the children coming to the 10am service. Vienna, Angus and Adam have all lead these sessions in Room 2. It can be used when the number and ages of children demand a need for it. Room 1 where the main children's work takes place during the 11am service was significantly upgraded in order to accommodate Spear as their main mid week space. This has meant that storage was improved and the use of the room is now exclusively either Spear mid week or children on Sunday. A growing feature of the children’s work at St Peter’s is the number of new babies. A group and facilities to accommodate these children as they develop is anticipated. They have each brought much joy and encouragement to the church. The leadership of the children's work was taken on by the team of volunteers, with special thanks to Kathy Richards and Becca Adlington. Team meetings were held to plan the curriculum and other elements of strategy. It remains our ambition to employ a children’s worker a this is this the potential to be a major area of growth for the church. Prayer Prayer is foundational to all the work we do. Any visible action and growth is built on the unseen life of prayer.