Celebrating the Life and Ministries of St Ternan s Scottish Episcopal Church

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1 2017 Annual Report Celebrating the Life and Ministries of St Ternan s Scottish Episcopal Church New Beginning - Vestry Reflections With the benefit of hindsight, it would be easy to believe that our late rector, Lisa, had some sort of premonition regarding the transformational events of In preparation for our AGM for last year, she recommended that the Vestry should not pro-actively seek new membership for 2016/ 2017, but aim for stability, in anticipation of significant changes planned for the year. At the time, this referred to the ending of the curacy of Rev. David Greenwood; his appointment as priest-in-charge of Christ Church, Kincardine O Neil; and the consequential ending of the formal linkage between the two churches, which had begun during Although Lisa would continue to act as the supervising rector of Christ Church, she would essentially become full-time with St. Ternan s, for the first time. She planned to devote all this additional time to working with young people; and to continue to reduce her external Provincial and Diocesan commitments for this work. Lisa was as conscious, as we all must be, of the demographics of the congregation, and the urgent need to attract younger membership, both into the church itself and into leadership roles. She clearly articulated that church/churches have to change, albeit, if possible, at a pace that enables everyone to continue to be included. From around March, of course, Lisa s health began to deteriorate, and she died on June 17th. It is barely possible to fully do justice to her legacy. St. Ternan s is alive in all its aspects, and prepared to move forward with confidence. In practical terms, she left two main elements towards the future: An embryonic structural model for lay leadership, that has been developed by the Vestry into a comprehensive system for keeping the church active in all its aspects, in the absence of a rector. This process is summarised in a spider diagram attached at the end of the report. Roles were identified and clear guidance given, which has seen us through the transition from being a church with a rector to one temporarily without. Thus far, this has ensured a smooth transition and a continuing feeling of the church functioning effectively, thanks to everyone stepping up to the 2017 Annual Report I 1

2 challenge. This has been a real team effort, ministerially supported by Rex Chapman, who has ensured that we have all we need, physically and spiritually, for our worship. Her assets were bequeathed to the church, to establish a part-time youth ministry, through the Green Shoots Trust. This ministry is aimed at growing the work with the young people of Banchory, especially through St. Ternan s, but is funded separately from the church. Henna Cundill took up this ministry role in August This, however, is a transitional phase, and we must now prepare ourselves for the move towards the identification of a new rector. This process has begun, and the aim has been to do this while including as many of the congregation as are interested in their voice being heard. The highlight of this has been the two congregational meetings, facilitated by Rev. Nick Bowry, using Appreciative Inquiry to examine both the aspects of St. Ternan s that we hope to retain and develop, and some views on what the church might look like in 5-10 years. The output from these thoughtful meetings has been ranked and consolidated, and will be used in the Parish Profile and Rector Profile, for the search process. The time this takes will be challenging, and needs us all to focus on what is best for St. Ternan s as a church and community. It will require us all to listen to and respect each other s opinions, and be as flexible as we can, in order to give us the best opportunity to attract a suitable rector. The issue of same-sex-marriage in church has consumed much time, thought, deliberation, and prayer in the Scottish Episcopal Church during the last few years. This culminated at the General Synod, when the SEC Canon Laws were changed to enable this to happen. It is also important to record in these reflections the facilitated discussions held at St. Ternan s on this subject. These discussions were open and frank, aimed at a sharing of thoughts, and not intended for any sort of decision-making. Maybe, at some time in the future, the issue will require St. Ternan s to decide whether to welcome such occasions, or maybe not, certainly not yet! It is right that we thank the Vestry members and everyone in the congregation for all the work that has gone into making St. Ternan s the spiritually uplifting place it is, and to continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for the future. Lizzie Finlayson and Ken Elliott Worship and Music Services for All Whatever your preferred form of worship, be that the Prayer Book services of Matins, Communion and Evensong, the 1970 eucharistic liturgy, the 1982 liturgy or the informality of our child friendly All Age service you will find that we offer a form of service within which you can be comfortable in your worship of God, throughout the week. Service Liturgy When? Where? Communion Contemporary all-age 11am 3rd Sunday Hall am 1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th Sunday (with Choir) Church 9am every Tuesday (Said) Vestry am every Sunday (Said) Church Book of Common Prayer 10:15am every Thursday (Said) Choir Stalls 12:00 3rd Sunday (follows Matins) Choir Stalls Matins Book of Common Prayer 11am 3rd Sunday (Choral) Church Evensong Book of Common Prayer 6:30pm 1st Sunday (Choral) Church 2 I 2017 Annual Report

3 In summary, each month we offer worship to God on 8 occasions in the form of the 1982 liturgy, 6 occasions using the Book of Common Prayer, 4 or 5 in the form of the 1970 Communion and 1 contemporary service - we hope that from our offering, you will find a liturgy which brings you closer to God. CHURCH The Reverend Canon Rex Chapman, although formally retired, provides liturgical oversight and consecrates when he is able. In addition, there are five leaders licenced to lead services and distribute the Extended Eucharist (Ken, Peter, Fay, Henna and Andy) and three leaders of non-eucharistic services - Matins and Evensong (Simon, Colin and Derek). Throughout this last year s changing circumstances, this team - guided initially by Lisa and now assisted by Rex, have ensured the continuing pattern of worship. As in all churches, there are many who contribute to worship each week in the form of Sacristans, flower arrangers, welcomers, readers, musicians, intercessors, chalice bearers, coffee makers, and polishers of brass! - Thank you all - And special thanks to Michael Price, who prepares each week s order of service, the pew drops and ensures that the readings and collects are printed for those who need them; no small amount of time and work! HOME Home communion is available to anyone unable to get along to church for any reason. If you, or someone you know, would like communion brought to you please speak to any of the ministry team, and it will be arranged. Andy Bond and Derek Whatling All-Age Services Our monthly all-age service is delightfully informal worship service where the liturgy and music is very child friendly. We meet in the hall on the third Sunday of every month alongside the more traditional matins service in the church. As from this January, we are experimenting with a change of time from 11am to 9.30am thus freeing up families to spend more of their day together. This is an experiment which will be reviewed in June. Over the last few months we have seen increased attendances, and interestingly this service is also very popular with many adults without any youngsters in tow. It is, after all, for all ages! Andy Bond Choir Report St. Ternan s is fortunate, and unusual, in having a four part choir affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music. There are twelve very committed regular members who strive to maintain a high standard under the guidance of the choir master, Simon Glenarthur. The choir sings at all the Sunday services in the church, with music in a wide range of styles. Twice a year, the choir join with Christ Church, Kincardine O Neil, to provide full festal services for Advent and Trinity Sunday. It also joins the St. Andrew s 2017 Annual Report I 3

4 Cathedral, Aberdeen, Choir for the Diocesan Choral Festival Evensong and occasional other Services where the Cathedral choir is augmented. Members willingly sing at weddings and funerals if required. Most members feel they are not so young and it would be really encouraging to welcome new members in all parts and in particular trebles. Commitment is essential, but tuition and help would be provided. Practices are normally held on Sunday mornings at 9.45, and, for the major seasonal Services, on late Saturday afternoons Giving strong support for the music of the church are the organists Kyle McCallum, Mary Walkden and Simon Glenarthur, with Don French and Louise Counsell on other instruments. Sacristan s Report Gilly Whatling and Simon Glenarthur The Sacristan, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, is a person in charge of a sacristy and its contents. A Sacristy is a room in a church where vestments and sacred vessels are kept and where the celebrant can prepare for a service. At St Ternan s Joan Woodburn and I share the duties, which entail preparing the altar ready for Sunday services. Usually we will go in to church late on Saturday afternoon and prepare the chalices - for the wine - and the ciborium - for wafers; change the board showing which week of the church calendar we are in - the notice board on the right pillar, beside the pulpit, which at the moment of writing shows Christmas. For those of you who know your prayer book well you will see that the church year begins with Advent and progresses through to the end of Trinity. Each season has its own colour theme, with purple, white, red and green used on different occasions. This means that the altar frontal and various other pieces of church furniture have to be changed. But the usual weekly duties simply involve preparing wafers and wine for a service. During our interregnum we will check who is taking a service and then either prepare pre-consecrated bread and wine if our licensed team are celebrating, or ensuring that the carafe of wine is filled and counting out sufficient number of wafers for the celebrant to consecrate. We would be delighted to train another willing person to help us occasionally, so please speak to either Joan or myself if you are interested. Brenda Champion Life Transition Celebration At the beginning of the services on the last Sunday of each month prayer is offered for the anniversaries of those who have died and those with birthdays, baptisms or wedding anniversaries during that month. If there are any new names that members of the congregation would like to be added to the Life Transition Lists, please get in touch with Judith Edmond, tel or at j.edmond193@btinternet.com Judith Edmond Flower Team Report St Ternan s has a small but dedicated team of flower arrangers. Doing the flowers is a form of ministry which gives pleasure to the doers and also we hope to the wider congregation. We would love to have some more names on the Rota which is in the porch and there is no need to feel you cannot do flowers as we have all learned from someone. The team are very happy to support anyone who would like to have a go and we plan to do a fun/demonstration session in the springtime. We have flowers in the church every Sunday except during Lent and Advent. There is a total freedom to choose and arrange flowers as you wish. This is usually on the Altar windowsill or a pedestal at the 4 I 2017 Annual Report

5 front of the church (no need for both). For most of the year we depend on the generosity of the flower arrangers to provide their own flowers which they usually do for a two week slot. The flowers do not need to be arranged formally and many flowers look best simply placed naturally in a vase. We have a selection of vases available for use in the flower cupboard. We appreciate and thank everyone for the donations they make to the flower fund mainly at Christmas when donations are given in memory of loved ones. This fund allows us to make the church beautiful at such a special time in the church calendar, with enough money left over to cover other special occasions such as Easter. We also like to take flowers to anyone who is unwell, in need of a reminder that we care, or for special occasions. We would particularly like to thank Beryl who makes the flowers last by seeing to the watering during the week. If you are interested or wish to know more about helping with the flowers please contact Tina Hammond or Gilly Whatling. Tina Hammond Youth Ministry Children s Ministry The numbers of young people in our church has expanded this year despite two older children leaving to go to university. We have welcomed 3 new families who have brought 5 additional children with them and two parents have joined the ranks of those who lead Sunday school; more are always welcome. Sunday school runs during the 11am service in school term times. We are well resourced with materials for teaching, 2 excellent sets of teaching books linked to the church lectionary, and for activities such as craft, reading stories and music making. In addition we have 41 Godly Play story kits suitable for pre- nursery to Upper Primary and also some Play and Pray resources for babies and toddlers. Godly Play, a creative and imaginative approach to Christian nurture, has been presented approximately monthly, depending on leader availability, to coincide with the academy children going to Tease coffee shop with Sue Roberts and team. The Tease trips allow the older children to explore their faith in more depth in an adult setting. Our youngster of all ages, plus some members of the congregation, ably directed by Sandra Gibbons, presented their Nativity Play, a striking Nativity, on Christmas Eve Another Christmas activity was the construction of a Gingerbread village in the church hall with houses being provided by children of all ages from St Ternan s and beyond. Our Academy age children, joined as from August by two P7s, have enjoyed a variety of activities in their monthly Youth Group gatherings. These 2017 Annual Report I 5

6 have included a pancake party in February, a walk up Tom s Cairn in April, a BBQ at Glen O Dee hospital with Lisa in June, a look at Ghosts in the Bible in October gathering (coinciding with Halloween weekend) and a Christmas party on 17th December. Since her appointment in August, Henna Cundill our Children and Families Ministry Co-ordinator, has taken over the running of the Youth Group. There are currently 4/5 young people considering Confirmation in the New Year. We have had a Family Service when we all meet to worship in church together using a child friendly format on 5th Sundays falling on 29th January, 30th April and 29th October and additionally on 1st January and Easter Sunday. A church picnic in August was attended by families from the Sunday school as well as other members of the congregation. Sandra Gibbons, Sue Roberts, Henna Cundill and Maddie Thurlow St Ternan s Green Shoots Green Shoots was established in August 2017, as a legacy of Lisa Eunson, and Henna Cundill began work in mid-august. The first task was a listening project, which entailed a Community Audit and time spent with key figures from the congregation and our local area. This established some initial goals: -To continue, and extend, the School Chaplaincy work that Lisa was able to do, with a particular focus on the rural schools (having found that they are not always well served by other local churches.) -To raise the profile of St Ternan s, within the local community, as a place where families can bring their children to be nurtured in faith. -To support faith development for our existing children and young people, by promoting intergenerational relationships, supporting and praying for our families and by contributing to the excellent Sunday School and All Age Worship offered at St Ternan s. Henna Cundill Reaching Out: School Chaplaincy In recent weeks 5 School assemblies have been taken, across the following schools: Crathes Primary, Finzean Primary and Banchory Academy. I (Henna) have also begun teaching a weekly RE class for Primary 5 s at Banchory Primary, and will be teaching some RE classes for all students at Finzean Primary in January. I have been into Celtic Cross Nursery twice to do some storytelling from the Bible with the 3-5 year olds. Working with Sue Roberts, I have met several times with the Headteacher of Banchory Academy, and we are preparing to launch the Quiet Room project at the academy in the January term to help students who are dealing with stress and mental health issues. Henna Cundill 6 I 2017 Annual Report

7 Reaching Out: Local Profile- Gingerbread Village and Website/Facebook Being in the local Schools and nursery for their Christmas assemblies gave me opportunity to promote our Christmas Services and Gingerbread Village event to the local community. The relationship we have with these schools also meant that they were willing to send out our publicity for the Gingerbread Village to their mailing lists and on their Facebook pages. Thus, of the 15 gingerbread constructions entered for the village, three entries came from families who are not members of the Church. Visitor numbers to the village were low, although it brought in a few new faces and some people with links to St Ternan s who have drifted out of regular Church attendance. It also brought much joy to the congregation, and there is already a good buzz about how we will organize the publicity and timing of the event next year so as to maximize its reach. I am currently working with Michael and Cassie to assist with the re-launch of the St Ternan s website and to resolve some technical issues with the Church Facebook Page. I temporarily set up a Facebook page called The Green Shoots Trust at Ternan s so that we can get out some online publicity for the intervening period. Members of the congregation who are Facebook users are politely urged to Follow the temporary page (@greenshootsfamily) and to like and share any posts from the page so that we reach the widest possible audience. Henna Cundill Supporting our existing Children, Young People and Families Whilst the bulk of my working week is spent out in the local community, some time is also set aside to support and develop the existing Sunday School and All Age Worship provision at St Ternan s. This has been done through visiting some families, and I have also been able to build relationships by opening up the rectory every Friday morning for our Coffee, chat and play group. This group now has a steady attendance of mums with babies and toddlers, who are mostly from our congregation but also includes two families who are not linked to a Church. Getting to know the Church families and asking what would make Church a better experience for you and your children? has identified the need to try altering the time for the All Age Service, and to supplement the colouring station with some toys for younger children in the nave. Another area of focus is to foster inter-generational relationships within the Church, surrounding our children and young people with role models for a life of faith. Thus, I have been encouraging the wider congregation to connect with Youth Group by signing up to prepare and serve the food for their meetings, and I am grateful to those who have been willing to do so. The overall picture for children and youth work within St Ternan s is one of steady growth. If you compare attendance of under 16 s at weekly services for September - October 2016 with the same period in 2017, we have grown from an average of 3 children per week to 4 (this is not including my own two children, which takes it up to 6). All Age Worship has seen significant growth, from an average of 3 under 16 s per service in autumn 2016 to an average of 9 in the same period of It is vital that we continue to invest in these young people with our prayer, love, time and energy, so that we may have the joy of seeing them carry their faith into adulthood. Henna Cundill 2017 Annual Report I 7

8 FELLOWSHIP, LEARNING AND CARE Parish Fellowship Our Parish Fellowship meets in the church hall between September and May usually on the third Monday in the month at 8pm. The attendance varies but the talks are always interesting and we are fortunate to have had some speakers from our own congregation again this year. For instance Sheila Hargreaves presentation of her choice of John s poems, Andy Bond s film show to enlighten us about the Eunson family history and Henna Cundill s talk on the Old Testament and her work deciphering various archaeological writings. Other speakers included Peterhead Prison Chaplain, Alison Harvey, our Diocesan Archivist, Stuart Donald and Susan Zappert who gave us a very pleasant musical evening on her harp. We have enjoyed two outings; first to the coastal area of Gourdon and Johnshaven to visit Benholm Kirk and Watermill ending with a meal at the Quayside Restaurant in Gourdon and second to Kincardine Castle for a splendid guided tour and lunch by courtesy of the Bradfords. The Parish Fellowship team comprising Michael, Prue, Margaret and myself would encourage you and your friends to make a note of the dates of future meetings in your diaries and join us for the talks and conversations over a hot drink and light refreshment. Rosalind Eames 200 Club This year the membership has remained similar to last year. 135 tickets were sold and 800 was paid into St Ternan s Church Fund in August. Winners receive 20, 10 and two prizes of 7.50 in each monthly draw and double that amount in December. Please consider buying a ticket at a cost of 12 per year in support of our Church Fund. Contact Rosalind Eames House Groups The evening Fellowship and Bible Study Group has been running for several years now. Neil Booth and Paul Woodburn are joint chairmen. Meetings are held in participants homes on the second Thursday of each month. The Group collectively chooses a topic for further study, obtaining study guides as necessary. Each meeting begins with a light snack to promote our fellowship and friendship, followed by the study topic. Present membership is ten. However, anyone interested in joining us is invited to contact Neil ( ) or Paul ( ). The Tuesday afternoon House Group has been active for a very many years, and makes a significant contribution to the faith of the participants. A group of eight to ten people meet in each other s houses for a lively discussion on a variety of books of common interest, related to the Christian faith, belief and practice. In the last few months the group has studied: A Little History of Religion, by Richard Holloway. God with Us, by Rowan Williams. The Apostles Creed, by Alister McGrath. The study and discussion is stimulating and fun, and new members are always welcome. Prue Wilson and Paul Woodburn 8 I 2017 Annual Report

9 Bible Study For many years now, there have been a number of Bible Study groups that meet each Wednesday morning from 10am - 12 noon, in various homes throughout Banchory. Ladies from all the churches are welcome and several members of St Ternan s have attended in the past and continue to do so. There is a creche available for those with young children. If you would like to know more, please speak to Andy Bond at any time, or andy.bond@crathes.com. Andy Bond Prayer Group The prayer group continues to meet every other Wednesday evening, from 7.30pm pm, generally at the home of Tina Hammond. The evenings are a mix of intercessory prayer, prayer for revival, and contemplative prayer. They can be very quiet times or quite lively - we are lead by the Spirit. We are happy to take prayer requests. Andy Bond Pilgrim Courses Earlier in the year, we continued with the series of Pilgrim study sessions, produced by the Church of England. It is a course for the Christian journey, based on the teaching of the catechism. Over the various courses we looked at Turning to Christ, The Lord s Prayer, The Commandments, and The Beatitudes. Each course lasted six weeks with each session lasting about an hour, and consisting of prayer, reading and discussions. Attendance was good, with about eight to ten regulars. Andy Bond Care Team Report St Ternan s is a caring community and we like to think that any one of us would help a fellow member if asked to do so. Our caring is also formalised in regular visits to those who are no longer able to join us in church worship. Easter, Harvest and Christmas are times when we do these visits, usually with a small gift or flowers. We do, however, try to respond at any time when anyone is unwell or unable to come to church. To enable us to respond a notice appears in the pew drop each week letting people know who to get in touch with should they or someone they know feel they would like a home visit, hospital visit, home communion or prayer. A member of the care team is contacted and follows up the request. For this care model to work efficiently we need everyone to help and be aware of their neighbour. Caring can also be offering a lift or assistance when someone needs it or just a friendly phone call. Tina Hammond, Gilly Whatling and Judith Edmond Hospitality Report During the past year our hospitality has taken many forms mostly with the aim of celebrating an event. On Saturday 1st July we sadly said farewell to Lisa with a funeral tea for approximately 150 people. The offer from the West Church of the use of their premises was gratefully accepted and the West Church also manned the kitchen and cleared up for us in a wonderful spirit of Christian support which was much appreciated Annual Report I 9

10 Christ Church also helped with generous donations of food and help on the day and along with all the input from our own congregation the sadness of the day gave way to a feeling that we had done everything in a spirit which would have made Lisa happy. We were able to reciprocate the help received from Christ Church by helping with the celebration tea following David Greenwood s installation as priest-in-charge on 27th August. At Harvest Thanksgiving we had a great soup lunch which was not intended as a fundraiser but 150 was raised in donations for the Green Shoots Trust. Thanks also to everyone who helps every Sunday with the after church hospitality. Tina Hammond Community and Outreach Nadaikkavu This year 3050 has been sent to Reverend Christopher for the school in the village of Nadaikkavu, in the State of Tamil Nadu, South India. This includes generous donations from our congregation, profit from our various stalls and a large donation from the West Church coffee mornings and Christmas postal service. For those who have no background to the venture, Nadaikkavu was a primary school started in 2008 by Reverend Christopher and his wife Seline. Reverend Christopher had visited Banchory in December 2001 to assist with services here at St Ternan s and again in 2008 to renew our support for his school. The pupils are mostly Dalits (Untouchables) and all faiths are admitted. More detail can be found in an article to appear in the Northern Light and on our church hall noticeboards. The main areas requiring funding are for staff salaries, uniforms and books, loan repayments for the school bus and urgently for the ongoing building work of a second storey of classrooms which has been halted until more funding is available. Reverend Christopher always thanks our congregation in his s for our generous support. If there is anyone who would like to give regularly rather than in our present sporadic fashion, or to organise a fundraising event please speak to me or to Andy Bond as this would be beneficial to Reverend Christopher. Rosalind Eames Safeguarding The purpose of safeguarding is to assist with the safety of the congregation, but particularly for those who are most vulnerable. The church needs to comply with legal requirements to check (through the PVG disclosure scheme) that employees and volunteers are not barred from working with vulnerable people. The Vestry is officially responsible for making sure St Ternan s complies with the checking of volunteers through the PVG scheme. At St Ternan s, 7 members of the congregation who are involved in pastoral care, or the visiting group, now have PVG certificates with respect to Vulnerable Adults. 11 members of the congregation have received their PVG certificates for work at St Ternan s with children, and 4 more are pending. All volunteers at St Ternan s are issued with The Scottish Episcopal Church s good practice summaries at the time of applying to the PVG scheme. It is important that any volunteers who are newly working with children or vulnerable adults for St Ternan s should undergo PVG checks - even if they already have PVG certificates through work or volunteering with another organisation. Please be sure to mention this if recruiting any new volunteers (preferably before beginning volunteering). Forms are available from Helen Edmond. Helen Edmond 10 I 2017 Annual Report

11 Fairtrade In support of the fair trade movement, there is a stall selling Tradecraft products during coffees in the Church Hall once a month. This is usually on the first Sunday of the month. Members of St Ternan s youth often operate the stall, so please support them in their efforts to help smallholder farmers and producers in developing countries receive a higher percentage of the final profit from their goods. Helen Edmond St Ternan s Gingerbread Village The Gingerbread Village project had several intentions: To bring together different generations within the Church around a shared activity. To increase the public profile of the Church in the local community over the Christmas period. To create a platform for advertising our Christmas Services, particularly the Crib Service, and for advertising the changes to our All Age Service time and Sunday School programme for the coming year. We received fifteen Gingerbread constructions, including bridges, Churches and two dog kennels! Three of the entries came from families not connected previously to the Church. Visitor numbers were a bit lower than we had hoped, although it brought in a few key people, and ideas have already been circulated as to how we might better schedule and publicise the event if we run it again next year. Thanks to all those who helped prepare the village for visitors, and who helped to serve tea and coffee to those who came to see it. Henna Cundill Eco-congregations St Ternan s is registered with Eco-congregation Scotland. Membership is free and it is not necessary to have carried any environmental work to register as an Eco-congregation. Eco-congregations Scotland provides support and mentoring, if required, and free resources and a newsletter. Registration is seen as a statement of intent - that your church is concerned about the environment and wants to do something about it in the future. This may be done by undertaking further work to receive an Eco-congregations award. This may be something the congregation wishes to consider in the future. Helen Edmond 2017 Annual Report I 11

12 Fabric and Finance Fabric This activity involves the monitoring and coordination of the maintenance of the Church and Church Hall fabric, the Rectory and the gardens. The individuals involved are Derek Whatling, Neil Booth and Paul Woodburn. Over their years of service, Derek and Neil have accumulated considerable knowledge and experience about all aspects of sustaining and adapting an elderly church building to our modern needs. Paul provides an extra pair of hands and the essential link with the Vestry for oversight and authorization, when needed. We need a younger volunteer for occasional high ladder jobs! We thank our gardeners for continuing to make our church surroundings so attractive. Paul Woodburn Highlights of the Past Year Highlights of the past year include: Major improvement to the Church Hall sound system Various plumbing, heating and lighting issues resolved in the Church and Rectory A new post was constructed and installed to the side gate The Quinquennial Survey of Church property has been completed and the Report will determine necessary action. Paul Woodburn Gift Aid Report Year I would like to record and thank you all for your continued generous support of the Gift Aid Scheme which gives the Church valuable income from HMRC on all your donations. Excluding donations to non-church related activities income from HMRC was slightly down from the previous financial year. Donations can be made by using the blue envelopes available in the pews, completed appropriately, joining the yellow envelope scheme, setting up a standing order and in the collecting plate which we can now claim repayment on amounts up to 8000 per year. If you wish to avail yourself of any of these options please see me and I will help you set up whatever is required. We make our repayment claims from HMRC every six months which gives the Church a regular and valuable source of income. Once again many thanks for your generous support, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Chris Fry 12 I 2017 Annual Report

13 Treasurer s Annual Report for 2016/ 2017 I began last year s report with an expression of thankfulness and pride at the generosity that was keeping our financial deficit well below the amount forecast for the year; and this year I can report the same feeling. Obviously, during June we experienced two events that significantly reduced our outgoings: firstly, Lisa s death on June 17th, and then David Greenwood completed his curacy at the end of the month, and became full time with Christ Church, Kincardine O Neil. This last event also marked the end of nearly 40 years of formal linkage between the two churches. Consequently, therefore, we have incurred a deficit for 2016/2017 of 5,027, compared with 13,598 for 2015/ As regards availability of liquid funds, we ended the year with 18,072 of funds in the bank. Our capital funds were valued at 78,848 at 31st July 2017, an increase of 19% over the year (but the value of investments can go down as well as up!) Finally, and wonderfully, we have continued to support Nadaikkavu School, sending 2,902 during the year plus 148 sent directly. The rector s stipend and other costs typically comprise around 60% of our total expenditure, so we have made no attempt this year to develop a full budget for 2017/2018, given the uncertainty regarding the appointment of Lisa s successor. I m certain, however, that we can be confident of being able to support a new full-time incumbent, though in the future we shall have to fill the gap caused by the break with Christ Church. The quinquennial fabric survey has recently been completed, and it seems likely that some expenditure will be required as a consequence. Additionally, it also seems reasonable to assume that our new rector may have some ideas regarding the rectory, but it would be somewhat foolish to assume what these might be. 2016/ / 2016 INCOME Congregational 42,787 44,700 Special Collections 1, Investments 2,362 2,339 Gift Aid Tax Relief 10,382 10,344 Property (hall use) 3,215 3,685 Sub-total 59,916 61,530 Sundry - fabric/charity 9,696 10,708 Ministry Grants 13,379 18,109 Capital - - TOTAL 82,991 90, Annual Report I 13

14 2016/ / 2016 EXPENDITURE Clergy Cost 56,068 71,344 Property 8,559 8,559 Church 2,239 1,828 Admin 6,517 3,972 Charitable 5,384 7,974 Quota 7,161 7,676 Exceptional - 2,592 TOTAL 88, ,945 Surplus/(deficit) (5,027) (13,598) 2016/ /2016 SUMMARY OF ASSETS BANK ACCOUNTS Current Account 92 1,899 Gift Aid Account 17,980 21,200 TOTAL 18,072 23,099 CAPITAL 78,848 66,243 On behalf of the Vestry and the Finance Committee, I have to say a heart-felt THANK YOU for your continuing generous support. With so many of our fellow churches struggling for numbers and funds, it is wonderful that we continue to be so healthy, and that we can continue to maintain and upgrade our sacred spaces. Ken Elliott Coffee and Tea Fund Report The money which people kindly donate for coffee and tea after the Sunday morning service not only covers the cost of the refreshments and ALL cleaning materials for the Church and hall, but also leaves us with a useful surplus. Over the last two years we have donated: for general Church funds for organ fund for Christian Aid for Aberdeen Cyrenians for Nadaikkavu School for flower tub for Church grounds. Also donations to Friends of Glen O Dee and Green Shoots Trust. Thanks to Gill Whatling for her careful shopping of supplies for the Church and to all who donate. Margaret Davidson 14 I 2017 Annual Report

15 st ternan s management during the inter-regnum Sacramental Oversight (Rex) Worship Leaders (Ken Elliott, Andy Bond Peter Young, Fay Booth, Henna Cundill) (Matins and Evensong: Colin, Derek, Simon) Rotas (Andy Bond) Sacristans (Brenda, Joan) Choir (Simon, Gilly, Don) Sunday School Tease (Sue Roberts) Green Shoots (Henna) Youth Group PVG Global Links Christian Aid (Gail Harrison) Fairtrade Naddalkavoo (Rosalind Eames) Eco Congregations Foodbank Laudato Worship (Existing Worship Team, Rex) Pastoral Care (Tina, Team) Youth and Young Families (Maddie, Henna) VESTRY CORE TEAM (Ken Elliott, Lizzie Finlayson, Maddie Thurlow, Irene Wells) Outreach (Helen) Congregation Communications (Maddie, Alison, Cass backup) Communications (Irene, Eileen) Real Estate (Paul, Derek, Neil) General Publicity (Cass) Resources (Ken) Other Areas - Function independently but may need contact from time to time Diocese Banchory Churches Rectory Phone Fabric Rectory Gardens Website (Content - Michael Price, Technical - Jeff Rogers) Facebook/Social Media Noticeboards (Cass) Pew Drops and Readings (Michael Price) Parish Profile Treasury Gift Aid (Chris Fry) Hall Hire (open) Parish Fellowship (Rosalind Eames) House Groups Dinners and Special Events Lay Rep (Jane Selwyn Bailey, Cassandra Smith alternate) Flowers Cathedral Development Project (Simon, Derek) 2017 Annual Report I 15

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