St George s Church, Lupset, Wakefield

Transcription

1 St George s Church, Lupset, Wakefield Annual Report 2012 Background St George s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the priest-in-charge in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic and ecumenical. Membership: Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year 2012 the following people served as members of the PCC: Priest in charge Rev Martine Crabtree Lay Reader ex officio Phillip Maries Freda Jackson Martin Bailes Churchwardens Michael Tattersall Susan Ward Representatives on the Deanery Synod: Jane Read (from AGM 2011) Michael Read (from AGM 2011) Elected Members: Elected AGM 2012 to serve for 3 years: Juliet Taylor Mel Broadbent Alan Shaw Elected AGM 2012 to serve for 1 year Dave Bowes Elected AGM 2011 to serve for 3 years: Julia Percival Carolyn Broadbent Ken Winter-Briggs Elected AGM 2011 to serve for 2 years: Christine Lynch Elected AGM 2010 to serve for 3 years: Tracey Yates Committees The PCC operates through a number of committees which meet between the full PCC meetings. Standing committee This is the only committee required by law. It has the power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings subject to any directions given by the council. It comprises the Priest in Charge, the churchwardens, the PCC secretary and the PCC treasurer. The Standing Committee met four times in Finance Committee This is incorporated with the Standing Committee and attends to any matters regarding the income and expenditure, budgeting and stewardship of money as directed by the PCC The Legacy Committee 1

2 Set up in 2005 to attend to any monies in the legacy account and includes members of the PCC and other interested parties. It can make recommendations to the PCC but has no powers. The legacy committee did not meet in Electoral Roll The current roll was compiled in In January 2012 there were 67 persons on the roll. During the year 12 names were added and 9 names were removed. In December 2012 there were 70 people on the roll. A new roll will be compiled in Cynthia Abercrombie Church attendance: The usual Sunday attendance, counted during October was 60 of which 10 were under 16. The numbers increased at festivals and for baptisms when the attendance usually reached about 90. Report of the Priest in Charge 2012 Worship:We have weekly communion and monthly All age services. The Thursday communion service and Monday prayer group also provide great value to those who attend. I would like to thank the ministry team, musicians and church wardens for all their support. We have had some special events throughout the year and plan to start some new Sunday night services to address some of the hopes that came out of the Vision Day held in November. Mission: We are able to attract people to attend special services and events. The Outreach team continue their dedicated work on Saturday mornings. The most successful form of evangelism is known as Friendship evangelism, we need to befriend new members and aim to treat each other with love and hospitality. Please encourage people to attend the Alpha course. Schools: The introduction of a weekly assembly in church has strengthened the links with Snapethorpe school dramatically. We help with R.E. lessons. We also run an after school club where we teach bible stories through play. I am delighted with the progress of this work and hope that we can maintain it. I would like to thank Tracey, Joyce and David for their help and enthusiasm. A special big thank you to Freda as she has been the driving force and put many hours into building this valuable relationship. Children and Youth: The junior church/youth leaders are doing a wonderful job. The Monday night youth group is an excellent opportunity for spiritual growth. The special social events have attracted more young people and children from the community. The talented music, drama and dance groups have brought many blessings to the church. The formation of Undiminished brings a lot of hope for the future. Pastoral Care: This is supported by the Churchwardens and Pastoral Care team and the Prayer Ministry team. We consider those who have missed worship due to ill health etc /The Communion Visitors/The monthly service at Bembridge. The Priest and Readers also take many funerals and visit to people with many different needs. House groups and the weekly prayer group and weekly prayer ministry is always available. Teaching: We continue to meet in house groups and have benefit from Advent and Lent courses. We are planning to start Alpha courses and Sunday evening services to help give more teaching next year. We also have the opportunity to learn more about discipleship through the annual parish weekend. P.C.C: The P.C.C. has worked extremely hard. I thank them for all their work throughout the year. A special big thank you to Freda for all her work as PCC secretary, to Mike for his work as 2

3 Treasurer and Churchwarden and to Susan for all her support as Churchwarden. They have been an excellent team! Ministry Team: What a joy it is to work with so many different Readers and Pastoral Ministers. We also have the All age worship team, Youth leaders and House group leaders. I believe that the church is truly blessed by the variety of styles that we can bring. More workers get more work done! We have enjoyed helping David benefit from training with us this year. We look forward to Joan and Phil bringing an extra dimension when they are ordained. Parish Vision Day The Vision day was open to anyone interested in the life and work of the parish. It was well attended with a strong P.C.C. presence. It was a great opportunity to consider and pray for the work of the whole parish. We gave thanks for the many blessings and good work that already happens at St George s and we considered the parish vision for the future. The main themes that came out of the day were trying to provide more opportunities to attract people to the life of the church and a deeper relationship with God. We dreamed about becoming a 24/7 church with different styles, times, events etc. There was a strong sense of love to all people and letting church be a place of refuge. It was a very productive day. We have already planned extra social events, services and prayer days. We are also working with social media to promote and keep contact on a daily basis. Conclusion Praise God for what has gone before us and look forward to the new blessings that God will bring! Churchwarden s report 2012 In January we welcomed Martine to St George's and we have enjoyed working with her throughout the We welcomed not only Martine but also the whole Crabtree family who have settled into their places in the church family and who make a significant contribution to the life of the church. The year was again one mostly of basic maintenance to the church fabric and of continuing the work identified by the Quinquennial survey carried out in May 2011 and we are indebted to the hard-working group of men who met on Saturday mornings and carried out so much of this work. The largest maintenance job was the repair of the roof following the theft of lead in October. The cost of this work was 5000 which was covered by the church's insurance company. On the Sunday when we celebrated our Harvest thanksgiving we were joined by Archdeacon Peter Townley who carried out the Archdeacon's visitation when he examines the church's records etc. He found all to be 'in very good order'. Since our Harvest celebration we have continued to contribute gifts of food to the community food bank and we thank Freda for her hard work in this area. We also continue to be successful supporters of Tear Fund and Traidcraft and to operate as a Fair Trade church and we thank Janice for her enthusiasm and hard work in this area. In conclusion we would like to thank all those who have supported us in our capacity as Churchwardens throughout the year and to extend our special thanks to Ken Cook for his work as Deputy Churchwarden. Mike Tattersall. Susan Ward. Churchwardens. 3

4 PCC Secretary s review of The full PCC met nine times in the year with an average attendance of 82%. Four vacancies were filled at the APCM to make up the full complement of nine elected members. The PCC welcomed Rev d Martine to her first meeting in February and under her leadership have had a very full and busy year. They have ensured that their duties were fulfilled and that the priest and churchwardens are supported well. PCC meetings have been a place where lively debates have taken place and where the full range of the life of the church is discussed and strategic decisions are made. The meeting is chaired by Rev d Martine and in her absence by Mike Tattersall as the Lay Chair. The PCC is responsible with the churchwardens for ensuring that all issues of health and safety and safeguarding are well managed and that we are up to date with legislation and the requirements of the bishop and Anglican church. The Safeguarding policies for both Children and Vulnerable Adults were under review at the end of During the year the PCC have taken the following action on behalf of the whole church. Gave permission for the Community Centre to install solar panels on the roof and agreed an extension of the lease on that building to St George s Lupset Limited until 2048 Reviewed the Bishop s guidelines on intinction and agreed to follow them. Supported the More than Gold initiative to ensure there was a Christian voice in the Olympics and associated local events. Heard about the work of baptism preparation from Janice Tattersall Endorsed Phil Maries as an ordinand in training Agreed to support Christians Against Poverty both financially and by individuals training as money coaches and befrienders. Replaced the water heater to the kitchen sink Sent money to our link parish to provide guttering and water butts for the church so that fresh water can be available for children in the village Set up a church Facebook page Donated 600 to Wakefield Cathedral to support their refurbishment. Held a Vision Day to consider where God might be leading us and how we might best serve God and the community in which we are placed. This led to the church being described as A Place of Hope and Safety in our community and this will lead to further discussion in the next year. Supported the Community Centre with the setting up of an Emergency Food bank for people in need in the community. Supported the development of more opportunities for collective worship at Snapethorpe Primary school and also after school club based on Godly Play activities. Authorised Carolyn s hospitality team to develop many social events which have been well attended We have given to a range of charities when they have requested our support Supported Belinda Maries in the provision of a Christmas Day lunch for members of the community. Through Jean and David Smethurst have further developed the church lending library with many new books. It continues to be very well used. 4

5 It has been a full year. The PCC always work prayerfully and with a concern that they consider the needs of the whole congregation as we build up our life together and share the love of Jesus Christ with the community of Lupset. Freda Jackson Treasurer s report 2012 The Church finished the year with a surplus of 1,257, with no funds being used from the legacy account. This was approximately in line with 2011 which had a surplus of 1,440. The main changes in the year were, a reduction in the amount recoverable from tax on covenants of 1,556 which was compensated for by reduction in the Common Fund of 1,772. Looking to the coming year, the prediction is for surplus of 5,500.This mainly coming from a further reduction in the Common Fund of 3,725, an increase in the room rents of 3000, less increased expenditure on light & heat. My thanks go to Cynthia for helping with the collection on a Sunday morning. Mike Tattersall Parish Giving Officer`s report. St George`s continue to be a very generous church as demonstrated by the recent appeal for Janet. However we need to raise more money if we are to expand our ministries in the coming years. Mick has already asked the PCC to carefully consider their giving in 2013 and is due to address the congregation on this. Mick Read Music Group report of The Music Group is a team of people (of many varied ages) in our church with the gift of music, who have a heart for worshipping God through it. The group meets weekly to prepare for the coming Sunday and these meetings are also a time of fellowship and fun. It also meets prior to the Sunday morning service both to rehearse and to prepare ourselves and the congregation for worship. Our aim is to enable the congregation to engage with God through musical worship. We are pleased to have been joined this year by Stuart Crabtree on drums and Joseph Crabtree on guitar. The music for services is chosen with careful consideration of the theme and readings for each particular occasion. We aim to provide a balance of different styles. New songs are introduced occasionally and feedback on these is always welcome. The music in 2012 has been planned by Rev Martine Crabtree, Tracey Yates and I. Through the commitment and dedication of the team we have been able to lead the congregation in musical worship for all the regular Sunday morning services during 2012 as well as for special services such as Lent, Easter and Christmas. St George s hosted the Celebration Halifax band which came and led a time of worship for the congregation which provided the opportunity for those of us in the music group to worship 5

6 without being responsible for it! The group planned and led a Taizé style evening in Holy Week. At Pentecost we celebrated by having Pentecost Praise. On this occasion the group set up more like a rock band and worship was led from the sanctuary step. We would like to thank Sam Maries who helped us create a good sound with her skills at the sound desk. The group also planned and led the Carol Service. On several occasions we have shared worship with our friends and neighbours at St James and we have welcomed this opportunity to get to know each other better and to appreciate the different styles of worship of both churches. As in previous years we have continued to invite Ken Umpleby, on the organ, and Barbara Bailes, on keyboard, to join us on an ad hoc basis. We thank them for, and welcome their contributions and the variety they bring to our worship. We are also pleased that Rev Rachel Bailes joins us occasionally either playing her flute or singing and also that Jacob Crabtree joins us occasionally as a singer. Julia Percival on behalf of the Music Group Deanery Synod Mick and Jane Read have continued in their role as Deanery Synod representatives through 2012 and attended two meetings. In July they attended the meeting at St Mary the Virgin at Horbury Junction where John McLeod gave a presentation on Church Academies. In January at All Saints Normanton representatives gave a short talk on how they were addressing he Five Marks of Mission in their own churches. Jane Read spoke on behalf of St George`s and her contribution was well received by the synod. Unfortunately due to holiday commitments we were unable to attend the September meeting. Mick and Jane Read St George s Lupset Limited The church has two members on the board of trustees at the community centre and Rev d Martine works closely with the managers on a range of appropriate community issues. The partnership between the church and centre has developed well this year to the benefit of all. The range of activities offered from the centre meets the needs of many people in our community and there is always a determination to continue to support the people of the parish in every way possible. The work with young people has developed well and there are groups meeting twice a week as well as after school. It is hoped that as these groups develop they will make a significant difference to the young people who attend them. The community nurseries had a good year and were judged to be outstanding by Ofsted. This year the community centre has undertaken more health related work and the church has been pleased to support the Day of Wellbeing as well as the other opportunities and activities that have taken place. The Community Centre has been able to access funding to upgrade a room in the crypt to a high standard and improve the facilities available for everyone to use. Although the community centre lost some funding this year it has maintained its link with the charity Fare share which collects and redistributes surplus food. This is the basis of the food bank which was developing quickly towards the end of the year in response to need within the local community. 6

7 The café at St George s has developed well during the year and is a good place to meet friends over a cup of coffee. The courses at the centre have continued to thrive in spite of cuts in funding and St George s Lupset limited is well respected across Wakefield and the resources there are often used as an example of good practice for others. The church and centre work closely together and the support from Lesley Wagstaff is greatly appreciated as is that from the many other staff with whom we work very closely to ensure that our partnership continues to grow securely. Freda Jackson Christians against Poverty Debt is a significant factor in the life of many people living within our parish. It is on the heart of many people at St George s to do something to help. We support a charity called Christians Against Poverty. St George`s Church are supporting Christians Against Poverty in a variety of ways. We are supporting our local CAP centre (along with other churches in the area) run from St Helen`s Sandal financially in the sum of 1000 per year. This will contribute towards their running costs. Members of St Georges are helping at the CAP centre and are working as befrienders to the CAP clients. Members of St George`s have attended Prayer Events run by CAP in local churches. We are also running CAP money courses. These courses are not necessarily aimed at people who are in financial difficulty but the aim is to teach good money management to everyone. Five members of St Georges have been trained as CAP money Coaches. We have run one course so far and will be running more this year. Mick Read TOT s Report 2012 It is sad to have to report that this year has seen TOTs Church gradually fade out. Our new scheme of joint planning with parents worked for a short time, but most of the children attending were somewhat older than TOTs & were not being replaced by any new tots & parents. It is hoped that in the near future a new group will emerge to bridge the gap between the tots play area & Young Church for these members of our Church Family. Staffing was at a low level too & unfortunately we have had to manage without Ellie as she pursues her Ministry studies, but she has always been available for ideas & advice. Our thanks & many best wishes go to her. We continue to provide a valuable contact with baptism families & families who cannot attend Church on a regular basis, by keeping them informed of Church celebrations e.g. Christmas & Harvest & social events & activities. Susan Ward, Julia Percival & Janice Tattersall St George s Youth Church Report for 2012 We have had another thoroughly enjoyable year leading the wonderful and inspirational youth of S George s. On a Sunday morning we can have up to about 14 fairly regular young people and visitors are always welcome to join us. We have made piggy banks and are still currently 7

8 collecting money for Mara; we have followed the liturgy using Roots for Children material and we have prepared and practised for presentations to the whole church. This year the Christmas production Yorkshire Nativity was very well received; some people even said it was the best one yet! And I can honestly say it was all the work of the youngsters themselves, from the ideas to the script and the stress for us leaders goes part and parcel with it!! The Youth group has welcomed Joey, Jacob and Ben this year. We debate a wide range of subjects, read and study, do quizzes, and have fun, food and drink. The knowledge in the group is broad. We are trying to learn to prayer using different methods. We really welcome everyone s continued support and prayer and please if anyone would like to come and talk to the young people or share any interesting topics please come and talk to myself, Catherine or Christine. Juliet, Catherine and Christine Monday Evening Prison Fellowship. Phil, Julia and I (Alan when he is not working) go into Wakefield prison once a month on a Monday evening to spend the evening studying a set passage from the Bible with the men who attend. We encourage the men to participate in reading and discussing the topic for the evening. We also sing and pray with them and for their needs. It works very well and we hope that they get something from the evening I know we always do. There are about 8 to 10 men that come down each time and we do get others occasionally. They always thank us for going and giving our time. If the church wants to continue taking the word into prison and be a part of the church there, we need to pray and think about more people being part of this fellowship. Two of the team are also Prison Visitors. Ann Fair Trade Report 2012 The main event once again this year was another successful joint coffee morning which the Community Centre hosted with Church in October. Congratulations to them for maintaining their Fair Trade status another year! It was unfortunate that the only available date for this clashed with St James s Christmas Fayre, something which we will try to avoid should another be organised at a similar time. Apologies all round to those who missed out in any way. The Traid Craft Christmas Catalogue was launched successfully. Thank you to everyone who supported this & who continued to support throughout the year by purchasing foodstuffs & chocolate! I have to report that sales of the former are down on previous years, but I can only hope that people are buying goods from their supermarkets bearing the Fair Trade Logo. Even just one item in the trolley with the logo is great! Thank you once again to Colin & Sandra Ride for supporting me & taking my Traid Craft orders for the 7 th year now & to also to David Greenwood-Haigh for supplying me with Divine Chocolate. This supply will be ceasing in the new year as David enters the Ministry. We wish him many blessings. Alex continues successfully in his role as Fair Trade Committee Chairperson at Ossett Academy, flying the Fair Trade logo over students & staff there. Thanks to them all for the 8

9 support they give him. He too will be hit hard by David s retirement from Divine although I think he has some development plans up his sleeve! Watch this space! As usual all tea & coffee served from the Church kitchen & in the Community Centre Cafe is Fair Trade just in case you didn t know! Thank you all for your continuing support. Janice Tattersall Prayer Team I would like to begin this report by thanking members of the Prayer Team for their continued support of the ministry of prayer and healing within St George s and the wider community. Each Sunday morning we have meet for a time of prayer prior to each service, we pray for those who are about to lead and for those in the congregation. The team has continued to ensure that two prayer stations are available during each Sunday morning service. This ministry is important to the wellbeing of the church and again this year a significant rise in numbers of people coming forward for prayer has been noted. The Prayer Chain has also been well used and continues to provide speedy prayer support for those who need it has also seen the Prayer Team continue to meet each Monday evening at 7.00pm. Attendance has fluctuated somewhat throughout the year however cancellations have been rare. The meetings are open to anyone from the church and have on one occasion this year been joined by some young people playing in the church car park. It has been a busy year with lots of events which the team have prayed for and about. Our aim being to make prayer the foundation for all we undertake. The Prayer Team agreed to take responsibility for providing a Prayer Tent at the Olympic event in Thornes Park on 21 st July. On the day the tent was put up inside which the team created a quiet reflective space along with prayer cards pencils etc. The tent was staffed all day by members of the team and congregation. People passing by were asked if the wanted to write a prayer, say a prayer or be prayed with. The whole day was a success many people wrote their prayers on the cards and tied them up in the tent. All the prayers cards and drawings were taken back to church and displayed in the Tryptych. Special thanks to Phil for bringing his camping stove and providing hot drinks! During prayers together on a Monday the team felt that we needed to focus on praying for the mission of the church and as a result organised a day of prayer on September 17 th.. Music, reading material and a quiet space were all made available. The day was well supported with some people staying throughout and others calling in as when convenient for them, some also fasted for the day. The day of prayer was brought to a close with a short Communion service and a faith supper. Following on from the Prayer Day it was agreed to hold a Vision Day on November 3 rd. The Prayer team took part in the day and have continued to prayer for the vision of St George s as a place of welcome and sanctuary for the community which was identified as important during the day. Moving forward through 2013 we will be praying for and encouraging people to become members to the team. Currently it can be difficult to cover all the responsibilities of the team and it s always good to have fresh ideas and input. I will be arranging an away day for the team. The last time we did this the team felt it was beneficial. 9

10 In the coming months the team we will continue to prayerfully support Martine and all those in ministry and leadership roles. Carolyn Broadbent Outreach Report The Outreach team continued to go out during 2012 with an average of six people going out each month. We have now visited 2827 homes and should finish the parish this year. We sent out 496 Christmas cards. The Outreach team has not been added to this year but we welcome anyone who feels they are called to join the team. Belinda Maries St George s Centre Saturday evening club St. George s Saturday Evening Club meet between 7.00pm and 8.30pm. The group is led by a very dedicated group of volunteers many of whom have been supporting the group for many years. The group provides regular fellowship and a social opportunity for vulnerable adults from across the parish and wider community. Six regular members attend the each week enjoying a range of activities and games including bingo, music and dominoes. In the better weather visits to the pub and park are also planned. Amongst all our activities fellowship is at the centre, a friendly face, a chat, a warm drink and a listening ear. Thank you to all who support this work; it is an important part of our life as a church family. God Bless Mark 10