CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR 2015 May 29, 2016 CONTENTS

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS 1. Minister's Report (Ian Manson) Page 2 2. Kirk Session (Alice Tulloch) Page 2, 3 3. Finance Report (Ewart Mackenzie) Page 4, 5, 6 4. Free Will Offering (Jurg Strittmatter) Page 7 5. Fundraising (Lidian Shark) Page 8 6. Congregational Committee (Nan Braunschweiger) Page 8, 9 7. Eco Congregation (Cornis Van der Lugt) Page 9 8. Mission and Outreach Partnerships (Peter Tulloch) Page 9, 10 9. Ecumenical Links (Arthur Askew) Page 11 10. Church Website (Eric Gerelle) Page 11 11. Church Flowers (Janet Askew) Page 12 12. Sunday Service Bible Reading (Nicola Hollyman) Page 12, 13 13. Adult Choir (Lucie Goater) Page 13, 14 14. Children s Choir (Rebecca McDonald) Page 14 15. Lunches (Alice Tulloch) Page 14 16. Youth Group (Lidian Shark) Page 14, 15 17. Sunday School (Freda Craeye) Page 15, 16 18. Creche (Carol Hogg) Page 16 19. Women s Group (Joyce McNulty, Christine Bunn) Page 16 20. Women's Bible Study (Alice Tulloch) Page 16 21. Lenten Study (Janet Askew) Page 17 22. Church Fair (Lesley Reddy) Page 17 23. Church Bookstall (Mary Couper and Ritchie Panetti) Page 17, 18 24. Ushers Rota (Arthur Griffith) Page 18 Page 1

1. MINISTER'S REPORT It feels rather strange for me to be writing this years report from my new surroundings in Scotland. I m happy to report that the natives have been very friendly so far and we are settling into the new lifestyle. I realise that my departure from Geneva will have set up a time of change for the congregation, but while uncertainty can be a difficult situation I hope that you are also looking forward to the new possibilities which lie ahead. Certainly 2016 will have its challenges for you but I have no doubt that you will be able to pull together and move on positively. These reports are about what happened in 2015 and from my perspective that year was as busy as ever in the life of the congregation. Early in the year we had our Science and Faith programme which stimulated a lot of interest. Then in the summer we were able to make another visit to our partners in Malawi which was a very positive and encouraging experience. However, the main work of the church is always what goes on week by week and day by day. In that I was privileged to offer whatever leadership and encouragement I could. We have known many joys and a few sad losses over the year but through it all we have found that our faith continues to make a difference. I pray that this will continue to be the case through all that may come to pass in 2016. With best wishes, Ian Manson 2. KIRK SESSION Along with the congregation as a whole the Session took the opportunity to thank Ian and Roberta Manson for all they had contributed to our congregation over the last 15 years. The attendance at Ian Manson s last service on February 14 and at the social event the day before showed how much their ministry has been appreciated. After 15 years of ministry in Geneva by Ian Manson it has not been an easy task for the Session to turn its attention to coping with a period without a permanent minister as well as preparing the ground for the appointment of a new minister. We have been meeting more frequently than usual over the last few months to deal with the many issues concerned with our present vacancy, leading up to the appointment of a Nominating Committee. The sudden death of David Asbury, a very faithful member of our Session, as well as all the other roles he played as organist, choir member, lunch outing organiser etc affected us all deeply. We give thanks for his life and witness. The Science and Faith series of four talks and discussions were made possible by a grant awarded to our congregation from the Templeton Foundation in Scotland. The evenings were Page 2

well attended and provided plenty of material for discussion and it is hoped that the recordings of the events can be used as an educational tool. The Session approved and encouraged the trip to Ekwendeni, Malawi in October when a group from our congregation, led by Ian Manson, visited to see the wonderful work being done by the youth centre. The return visit of two Malawians to our congregation is scheduled for the end of May. The earthquake in Nepal in the spring of 2015 shocked us especially as our links with Nepal, through Graeme and Mena Clugston are so close. When we knew that the Clugstons were safe and that their hospital had been authorised by the Nepal government to provide aid to some outlying areas there was a flurry of activity, both within the church community and in wider Geneva to raise funds for this relief work. The reports from the Clugstons showed us just what good use the funds were put to. We link into the structures of the Church of Scotland through our membership of the Presbytery of Europe and the Session was kept informed and asked for its opinion on proposed changes, due to be brought to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 2016 for approval. The name of the presbytery will be changed to the Presbytery of International Charges, or in everyday use the International Presbytery. This change of name better reflects the current situation where charges in Sri Lanka, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago have been added to the existing charges in Europe. The Church of Scotland would like to treat our congregations more like congregations in Scotland as far as that is possible given the differences in legal systems and circumstances. What this will mean for our congregation is paying more to the central Church of Scotland for its ongoing work from which we already draw benefit, like the training and support for ministers and the cost of the General Assembly, or which we will be able to draw on like the use of stewardship consultants to help raise income. As part of her training to be licensed as a lay preacher Alice Goodman from the Lausanne congregation, worked with Ian Manson in the conduct of worship from September 2015 till February 2016. We appreciated her thoughtful contributions to worship and wish her well as she continues her studies. A confirmation class with five of our young people was started by Ian Manson during the autumn of 2015 and continued after he left, under the leadership of one of our elders, Isabel Phiri. It is hoped to hold a confirmation service before the summer. The Session continues to organise occasional newcomers lunches to inform newcomers about our church and to give the opportunity to meet others. Our Interim Moderator, Rev Ian McDonald, from our Lausanne congregation, is working with us to guide us through the vacancy period. He is responsible for finding locum ministers during the vacancy for the congregation, as well as helping us through all the procedures for finding a new minister. We are grateful to him, as well as to our resident preachers, Rev Jim Sharp, Rev Theo Gill and Mark Jeffrey who conduct worship when needed. From Easter until June we are happy to have Rev Dr Alan Falconer as locum minister along with his wife Marjorie. Page 3

3. FINANCE REPORT Alice Tulloch, Session Clerk 2015 FINANCIAL REPORT (prepared on the basis of pre-audited accounts) Overview 2015 has been a far from typical year for the Church of Scotland. We have witnessed a range of events including the Science and Faith events, carried out in partnership with St. Andrew s University, the horrific earthquake disasters in Nepal, to which the Church responded generously and swiftly at various levels, the loss of key Congregation members to various factors, some quite tragic, and the need to prepare for a change of Minister after one of the longest serving in the history of the Church. I say, including since these are not a comprehensive catalogue of what the Church but indicators of the continuous and energetic life of our Congregation, faced with both positive achievements and challenges to which we must always be prepared to respond. On the one hand, it is encouraging that the Church should come through last year, reporting on so many achievements and challenges, all of which it has responded (almost entirely) within the scope of the CHF 210,000 expenditure it budgeted. Actual expenditure was CHF 217,433 but with actual income finally turning out to be CHF 222,341 versus a budgeted level of CHF 204,600, this provided a technical surplus of CHF 4,908 which was not expected. On the other hand, it needs to be recalled that this positive picture is only the result of a transfer from savings into the Church s current account of CHF 20,000 to maintain cash flow in March 2015, and that the situation at the end of 2015 had called for the re-building of savings, not their usage if at all possible. The income was good but still reliant on the generosity of the Congregation as well as the Salvesen Trust and the Church Fair. Since we cannot depend on the latter two into the unforeseeable future, it would be preferable to plan for such elements to boost a surplus which could then re-build the Church s savings rather than rely on them as core income components. Meanwhile, the Church s Mission performance, especially in response to the Nepal earthquake crisis, has been particularly impressive income of CHF 23,054 shows a more than 50% increase over 2014 figures which were perfectly good in themselves. From all of the above, I would like to summarize by saying that overall, the Church seems quite capable of achieving whatever goals and objectives this Congregation should set for itself. Nonetheless, we have to remain aware that we need to keep contributing what we do in terms of resources and encouraging one another and our friends to be coming to Church and/or events (e.g. Science and Faith) in order to ensure that the Church has the resources, both material and human, to keep doing the work we plan for in our budgets. Ultimately, we depend on the grace of God to do these, but if we go into 2016 recognizing that we cannot afford to shrink much more, yet we can get ourselves back to where we need to be quite realistically, then maybe we can make this year deliver all we need to put us where we should be. Budget and Performance Regarding our financial discipline in the Church, overall it isn t too bad. One key measure is whether the Church could survive within its budgeted expenditure ceilings and it succeeded in Page 4

CHF CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR 2015 most months with the exceptions of January, March, September and December. With the exception of March, these three tend to reflect nothing more problematic than the tri-monthly billings from the Swiss AVS which have to be paid at once. While this does happen also in March, the annual payment of rental costs for the Auditoire tend to drive up that month uniquely. December also proved more costly in 2015 owing to end of year givings recorded then and also additional employment expenses associated with the change of Minister. 60'000 50'000 Total Income and Expenditure, Budgeted and Actual, 2015 40'000 30'000 20'000 10'000 Budget income Budget expenditure Actual income Actual expenditure - Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Nonetheless, the Church s monthly income managed to stay capable of supporting its work all year, even if it was a little less stable. Actual income was lower than that budgeted in every month except February, April, June, November and December. This does not consider Mission or special givings but weekly fluctuations in Congregation-size were enough to account for most of the differences, at least until November and December when Christmas generosity, combined with the recordings of the Christmas Fair and the Salvesen Grant support, put the Church income well above its budgeted levels for the end of the year. As a result, and as noted before in this report, the overall outcome was an apparent surplus of CHF 4,908. This was nice but it would have been more meaningful if the Church had not already been forced to stave off a cash flow problem around March by transferring CHF 20,000 from its savings account to its current account. In a year when we had been hoping to re-build on a similar decline in 2014, this was not entirely what had been hoped for. Facing the Issues So what are the issues? What should be this Church s main concerns (from a financial perspective) and what are the strengths it can still use to achieve its goals? The graph below, answers both of these questions at once. On one side, the Church risks continuing its smaller life at this level for some time its income is largely in line with its life as a Congregation, even if that is declining in the long term. Yet the good news is that the Church is perfectly capable of continuing to bring in just about what it needs to achieve that. Let s not pretend otherwise: the Church needs funds to accomplish things. Compared with a few years ago even, it isn t spending so much, partly because it isn t earning so much and Page 5

CHF CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR 2015 partly because it isn t doing so much. This is not to say that it can t do so much, not at all. What it does say, though, is that our Church requires an injection of energy, a move to act as the main, Anglophone Protestant broadcast in the Old Town of Geneva for the Faith, Hope, Love and Mercy which many in Geneva no doubt need to hear again. We ve shown that this can be done, whether through events like the Science and Faith meetings, the monthly lunches or even just the welcome of the weekly Services offered with a confident awareness. 60'000 50'000 Church of Scotland 2015 Income vs Expenditure (budget only, excluding Accounts Payable) 40'000 30'000 20'000 10'000 Income Expenditure - Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec The excellent performances of the Free Will Offering and the Church Mission work have demonstrated extraordinarily during 2015 how work which has been undertaken with enthusiasm can deliver at least all of the results required. Why don t we turn like that to all the work of our Church in 2016 and re-energize it in faith? Conclusion As in 2014, the Church remains able to support itself for the time being but a continued reliance on a handful of critical donors and events plus the Salvesen Grant is not going to provide a viable long-term strategy. The good news, however, is that it does not have to. This is a wonderful Church for which to work as Treasurer, full of energy, ideas and enthusiasm. It is not always easy to put together and sustain a decent strategy but what is clear from the Congregation is that the means is here to take it forward a lot further, provided the strategic thinking is there. I would like to repeat my thanks to all in the Congregation who have helped me to serve as Treasurer over 2015, and especially Jürg Strittmatter, FWO Treasurer, whose generosity with both his time and knowledge have been invaluable in aiding me to undertake my work in looking after the Church books. I would also like to thank all the other members of the Finance Sub-Committee and the other members of the Congregation who have likewise aided me with their wisdom and experience. If anyone would like to ask further questions or discuss ideas concerning the Church finances, please feel free to get in touch on mackenzieje@hotmail.com. I can t always promise to respond the same day, but I ll do my best to get back to any points or issues as soon as I certainly can. With best regards, Ewart MacKenzie, Treasurer Page 6

4. FREE WILL OFFERING (FWO) SCHEME The income through the Free Will Offering scheme was CHF 107 285 in 2015 compared to CHF 108 059 in 2014. Over half of the Church s income for 2015 was made up by the 60 Free Will Offering donors out of the whole congregation. The budgeted figure for FWO giving of CHF 108 000 was attained due to increased giving by existing donors. In the name of the church I would like to thank all contributors to the scheme for their ongoing financial support during 2015. Your information on intended donations also helped the treasurer with the budgeting for the year. For 2016 the FWO income will be decreased to CHF 89 000 a loss of income of nearly CHF 20 000. This situation came about because the loss of generous donors and several other donors are no longer able to maintain their contribution in the coming year. This is the lowest figure of income registered during my time of FWO treasurer. Considering that 60 donors of our congregation were able to generate 62 % of last year s income, shows that we as a congregation could be doing far better by generating sufficient income for the continuous existence of our church. The saying EVERY LITTLE COUNTS is as valid in our time of age as it was in the past. Thus I would like to invite you to consider becoming a member of the Freewill Offering Scheme, not only because of the on-going need to provide for the material aspects of our work, but because our giving to the church should always be thoughtful and deliberate. Remember that a pledge is not a contract but a statement of intent and of course we realize that people s circumstances may change during the year. It is also important to remember that for all who pay tax in the Canton of Geneva to be aware that financial donations to charitable institutions are tax deductible, including sums paid to the Church of Scotland. If you should have any questions with regard to the FWO scheme and have decided to contribute in this way please do not hesitate to contact me e-mail: jurgstrittmatter@yahoo.co.uk or telephone: 022 796 29 56. I look forward to hearing from you. Jürg Strittmatter FWO Treasurer Page 7

5. FUNDRAISING Here is a list of the fundraising opportunities that were carried out during 2015. Sold Easter flowers Encouraged members to hold tea parties Encouraged members to bring a friend to church Christmas stall after Christmas Carol Concert Held an afternoon tea and quiz in October Burns Night Explored possibility of selling books at the Ecumenical Center Lidian Shark Page 8 6. CONGREGATIONAL COMMITTEE 2015 was a busy and exciting time for the Committee, which met five times and covered a wide range of topics related to the temporal affairs of the church. Finance, fabric, mission and fundraising were regular agenda items as well as other matters arising and included: Acoustics in the Auditoire Arrangements for the Church Fair and the mini-fair in December Fundraising initiatives Reports from mission project partners Eco-congregation membership A study on facilities for disabled persons Change of manse and imminent change of minister. The Annual Congregational Meeting (ACM) took place on the afternoon of Sunday 31 May and was well attended by some 40 participants. The formal business of the meeting was conducted in the Auditoire and covered: approval of the 2014 audited accounts & 2015 budget appointment of auditors for the 2015 accounts reception of the 2014 Annual Report election of members to the congregational committee. Members are elected to serve a three-year term of office. As of this ACM elected members of the congregations committee are: Grace Ansah, Han Broere, Ewart McKenzie, Douglas Murray-Jones, to serve until 2016 Nan Braunschweiger, Christine Bunn, Ian Colliar, Ellen Walker, to serve until 2017 Lesley Reddy, Lidian Shark, to serve until 2018. The meeting also learned of the outcome of the survey that had been carried out by the Kirk Session in church during the month of May regarding areas of interest in different aspects of church life. This formed the basis of discussion groups which took place in the Salle after a

light lunch. All in all, 2015 was a very lively year for the Congregational Committee and, I trust, an interesting, fulfilling and enjoyable one for all its members. Nan Braunschweiger 7. ECO-CONGREGATION In 2015 a brochure on the Eco-Congregation objectives and environment-related ideas for action with special reference to the Geneva area was created and distributed among church attendees during three Sunday morning services. The ideas were based on suggestions from the "Environmental Check-Up" available at the website of www.ecocongregationscotland.org. They among others addressed youth work, personal lifestyle and international concerns such as climate change. Highlighting the Eco-Congregation objectives, in September Reverend Ian Manson also pointed sermon participants to the new global Sustainable Development Goals agreed to by governments at the UN General Assembly gathering in New York that month. In 2016 the congregation needs to consider initiating some of the suggested activities, for example as part of youth group and prayer group activities. Cornis Van der Lugt Page 9 8. MISSION AND OUTREACH During 2015, the congregation has continued to give strong encouragement to our two mission partnerships in Malawi and Nepal; contributed to four Geneva charities helping vulnerable people, through end of year givings; and supported migrants arriving in Hungary through the Carol Service and Christmas offerings. Ekwendeni In October, Ian Manson led a congregational visit to Ekwendeni, consisting of Han, Jane and Rebecca Broere, Ailsa Craig, Lily Rietbergen, and Luke Vorhies from Holy Trinity. Lily summed up their experience expressively in our Christmas newsletter: "You are welcome" is the phrase I heard the most during my visit to Malawi and which sums up the experience very well I had the time of my life chatting, laughing, singing and dancing. My host family (Ethel, Anah and little Wezzie) were wonderful. Our visits to the villages were enlightening and I learnt many new skills helping the youth I have never felt more alive. By the time of our Annual Meeting, Shupo Kumwenda, the supervisor of the Youth Resource

Centre, and Blessings Nyirongo, one of the young people whom the centre helps, will be visiting Geneva. Shupo and Blessings will be here from 27 May until 8 June; they will worship with us on Sundays 29 May and 5 June, and on Saturday 4 June there will be a special Malawian evening. Financially, we sent CHF 10,578 to Ekwendeni since the last Annual Report. This will cover the running costs of the Centre until the summer of this year. We are currently supporting Shupo as supervisor, and an assistant. Lalgadh The congregation (and others, through the church) responded wonderfully to Graeme Clugston s appeal for emergency funds following the disastrous Nepal earthquake in May 2015. Overall, we raised CHF 22,500 for earthquake relief and reconstruction, in addition to providing CHF 12,475 for general support to Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital. As well as blue envelope pledges, this support included special efforts by the Sunday School and concerts by Vivien Liu and other musicians. Two concerts by Vivien and friends in early 2016 and a retiring offering in April have raised over CHF 6,000 more. The Lalgadh hospital team (Nepal Leprosy Trust) continues to perform remarkable work in providing relief for earthquake victims in many districts of eastern Nepal, during a period when the area was also affected by political disturbances, strikes and power outages. Graeme has provided graphic reports on the aftermath (and aftershocks) of the earthquake, and these are available on the Church website. Currently our efforts to help are focused on the construction of a children s unit in the hospital. Until now there has been no specific children s ward at Lalgadh, and children with leprosy and other diseases have been cared for in general wards. Local and other giving The Carol Service and Christmas Day services raised nearly CHF 2,800 for the migrant assistance project of the Budapest Church of Scotland. Our traditional end-of year givings donated CHF 1,000 each to the Espace Solidaire Pâquis, the Centre Social Protestant, and Au Coeur des Grottes. An additional CHF 1,000 each was given through a private fund to Au Coeur des Grottes and Urgence-Viol. Our grateful thanks to all of you who support our Mission Partnerships in so many different ways, with warmth and enthusiasm! Peter Tulloch for the Mission Committee (Ailsa, Alex, Christine, Douglas, Eric, Ewart, Han, Hazel, Jane and Alan) Page 10

9. ECUMENICAL LINKS Through the very composition of its congregation, the Church is ecumenical; its members being drawn from many different denominations. In addition, a number of members in our community work for the World Council of Churches. We also have formal links to two ecumenical bodies in the Canton. We are represented on the Rassemblement des Eglises et Communautés Chrétiennes de Genève (RECG). This was founded in 1954 and has as its vocation to bring together the churches in the Geneva area to witness to their faith and give visible expression to the ecumenical reality that they live dayby-day. We are also active members of Témoinger ensemble à Genève/Witnessing together in Geneva. This brings together the historical churches, which include the Eglise protestante de Genève, Holy Trinity and ourselves, and a wide range of communities based on immigrant ethnic groups such as Independent Baptists from Brazil, Eritrean Orthodox and free evangelicals. Their main activity is to organize a gathering each year on the occasion of Jeûne Genevois. Members of the Church are also active in the Geneva Cursillo Community which organizes retreats twice a year and has the unusual distinction for Cursillo of being very ecumenical. Arthur Askew 10. WEB-SITE The church website contains information that is very helpful for visitors to Geneva looking for a place of worship. We are now looking for ideas that would make it more useful to the congregation. Since we have lost our intrepid web-expert minister who was an enthusiastic contributor to the site, we would very much appreciate your suggestions. We have a Facebook link where you are encouraged to make your remarks and to post information on events of interest to our community. During the past year the church website was visited about 4 600 times (slightly down from last year), mostly via search engines. The daily average was 13 page views, primarily from first time visitors but about 10% corresponded to people who returned to the site repeatedly. The primary page was visited the most frequently. 38 % of the visitors were from Switzerland, 26% from the UK (up significantly from last year), 15% from the USA, and10% from France. The rest of the views came from all around the world. Eric Gerelle Page 11

11. CHURCH FLOWERS I would like to say a very big thank you to all those who have contributed flowers during the year and especially to Antonia and Veronika, Chris, Ronny and Irene, who helped me decorate the Auditoire for Easter. Thank you also to all those who bought the flowers and arrangements at the end of the Service. We were able to contribute CHF 510.- towards church funds. As I say each year flowers add so much to the atmosphere of our worship each Sunday, so I appeal again to members of the congregation to add their names to the flower rota which stands beneath the notice board in the Salle and let me know if you wish a dedication to be made in the Order of Service to remember the passing of a loved one, or on the occasion of a celebration, or for the sheer joy of seeing fresh flowers brightening the Auditoire on a Sunday morning to glorify God... Offers of flowers, donations and arrangers are always welcome there are a lot of Sundays in the year! Janet Askew, Flower Co-ordinator Page 12 12. SUNDAY SERVICE BIBLE READING Contained in the explanation of our liturgy on our Church website we can read the following:- Presbyterian worship gives particular importance to the public reading of the bible, and this is the main focus of our Service. Usually, the choice of hymns and the emphasis of the prayers will have been inspired by the message of the bible passage that is going to be read. We have these passages read by volunteer members of the congregation to

make it clear that the book belongs to everyone not just the clergy. In September 2011 I took on the task of coordinating the distribution of the Minister s chosen passages to those members of our congregation who enjoyed contributing to our worship by the public reading of the bible. We started with a list of anyone who had read before during the services. Over four years later, we have honed our list of willing volunteers to one which now contains approximately thirty active participants who read to a greater or lesser extent according to other commitments. Month by month once the Minister has chosen the passages and our readers have let me know their availability, I produce a schedule. I have found it preferable to work in these shorter time frames rather than producing a longer term schedule, so as to avoid the need for swapping and losing track of who is supposed to read what. This way everyone receives enough time to prepare, gives of their best and, I hope, finds the experience a rewarding one. We like to have two people read each Sunday and, if we are not to overload our faithful stalwarts, we need to increase our numbers. Many people find public speaking nerve wracking but, if you feel moved to give it a try, I think that you will find it an enriching experience. I promise to help with a few tips picked up along the way. I would like to thank, most sincerely, all our readers for their constancy and willingness to bring alive the word of God for us all each Sunday and I look forward to hearing from those who would like to join us. Don t forget the book belongs to everyone. Nicola Hollyman nicolahollyman@hotmail.com 13. ADULT CHOIR The choir made a good start to 2016 and are already working towards a concert of secular and sacred music on May 1st. If you want to hear us singing the theme from the Pink Panther amongst other things, be sure not to miss it! This year, our summer concert will be in aid of the refugee crisis. A huge April highlight for the choir will be the opportunity to join the choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge under the direction of Dr Geoffrey Webber during our Sunday service on 17 April. I hope that the choir will gain a lot from this experience. They will also have the opportunity to hear the choir perform on the evening of Friday 15 April. Attendance has varied so far, but even when numbers are down, the choir makes a fabulous sound. We have had to be resourceful to work around the fact that there is not always an organist available for our rehearsals and we have turned this experience into a positive one, as the choir's acapella singing has gone from strength to strength. We have become good at Page 13

remaining brilliantly in tune when unaccompanied and huge credit goes to the choir for this achievement. Most importantly, I wanted to finish this report with a tribute to our dear friend and organist David Asbury who sadly passed away at the end of 2015. His legacy can still be heard, very much alive in the quality of our singing, which was a journey that he played a very important role in. We all miss him very much and continue to send our love to his family. Lucie Goater 14. CHILDREN S CHOIR The Children's Choir is still continuing with a small but enthusiastic group of singers. This year the children sang two songs in both the Carol Service and the Sunday School Toy Service; they are now rehearsing music to be sung as part of worship in the church in May and June. My thanks go again to Nicola Hollyman for making a recording with me for the children, helping me teach the children the music and then directing them during the Toy Service, to Lucie Goodman for directing the children in the Carol Service, and to Peter Tulloch for replacing me at the piano during the Toy Service. The support given by parents - helping the children practise the songs at home, and staying after church services to allow them to rehearse - has been as ever invaluable. I would encourage all parents to consider having their children join the children's choir as music is a wonderful way of participating in worship! Rebecca MacDonald 15. SUNDAY LUNCHES On the last Sunday of the month a 2 course meal is provided at a cost of 12CHF for any of the congregation who want to stay. It provides a good opportunity to eat together and get to know one another better. The numbers attending vary with an average of 30 per month. We have to thank Roberta Manson for starting up the lunches and doing so much of the work herself, but now there are several people who help with cooking, serving and clearing up; thanks to all who help. If anyone would like to be part of a team preparing lunch from time to time we would love to hear from you, please speak to Alice Tulloch. Alice Tulloch Page 14 16. YOUTH GROUP The Youth Group has grown in numbers this year. Presently there are 28 members on our rolls with between 4 and 15 attendees each week. In July of 2015 Elikem Asafo and a few of his fellow Boy Scouts redecorated the Youth

Room with the help of Peter Tulloch and the funds to support this project were raised by serving an African lunch to some of the members of the congregation. The youth continue to grow as Christians through the study of Scripture Union materials and the discussion of how to practice Christian principals in their everyday lives. At the beginning of the year a Bible history wall chart was created and mounted on the new cork board. Topics covered this year included lessons from Mark, Samuel s birth and early life, Saul, the early miracles of Jesus, Joshua, Luke and Psalm 139. Lidian Shark and Christine Colliar 17. SUNDAY SCHOOL Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matt 19:14 Jesus reminds us in Matthew 19 that our task as Christian adults is to clear the way for the children so they can come to Jesus. Children have an innate sense of the presence of God. The Godly Play approach, used in Sunday School, helps them to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience through wonder and play. Our role as parents and Christian adults are to prepare an environment in which they are encouraged in their spiritual awakening. This year our objective was to enhance the children s sense of feeling part of the congregation by involving them to prepare and participate in the service. On two occasions the children helped arranging the flowers, welcoming the congregation and handing out the hymnals, singing with the adult choir, helping with the collection of the offering and even helping to prepare the table for communion. Another new initiative this year was the introduction of a Memory Card with a Bible verse linked to the week s Bible story. Children collected a new card each week, which could be displayed on their colourful lanyards. Using this card they all joined in to look for where the story can be found in the Bible and the older ones looked up and read the text from the Bible. Thank you to Jenny Rietberger for all the work on preparing these cards every week. We continued our support for the Lalghad leprosy hospital with two bake sales and collected 660 CHF. Thank you to all the parents for helping the children to prepare all the delicious cakes. We also continued our support for the Terre des hommes organization. This organization makes sure that children in hospitals far from their homes (very often from third world countries) are not forgotten during the Christmas season. The children brought gifts, which were then given to Terre des hommes for distribution. We have welcomed three new members to our Sunday School Team this year: David Hogg, who also participates as storyteller, Gilbert Owusu-Manu and Sandra Mayland. A special word of thanks to two of our youth, Lilly Rietberger and Béatrix Craeye, who did the Sunday School lesson on 14 February. The children enjoyed their intervention very much. The average class size has picked up this year and is now between 10 to 15 children. We have 40 children registered on our Sunday School list. Page 15

Finally, we would like to sincerely thank the congregation for their continued support. Freda Craeye on behalf of the Sunday School Team 18. CRECHE This year we have had an increase in young families attending church. The crèche is greatly appreciated by the parents in allowing them to maintain church attendance and also meet other parents at this busy stage in their lives. The children enjoy their time in the crèche and are welcome whether regulars or visitors. Carol Hogg 19. WOMEN'S GROUP REPORT Our 2015 AGM was held at lunch time rather than as formerly in the evening. This of course meant, unfortunately, that some working members were unable to attend, but there was a good representation of the others, 12 participants in all. Christine Bunn, our President, spoke of the need have some funds to be able to send cards or flowers to members as necessary as well as to support needy causes. In the past this was done by providing the monthly lunch ourselves and charging for it, but now we meet monthly in the Ecumencial Centre cafeteria which is easier from the point of view of catering but does not generate any funds. The lunches are held on the first Monday of each month with attendance varying between 2 or 3 during the summer months to about 10. The occasions provide an opportunity for fellowship and also to plan any other events. These events have included a Christmas tea party in the Salle, a visit to the Botanic Gardens with the theme Plants and Spirituality, and a visit to the Red Cross museum s special exhibition on Ghandi and Non.violence. In addition, we had several work afternoons, recycling Christmas cards where we made around 200 cards, all of which were sold for church funds at our Fair and the subsequent minisale. During the year it was decided to revive the collection of 5-centime pieces for the Fellowship of the Least Coin and contributions are coming in steadily thanks to publicity in the church newsletter. Joyce McNulty Christine Bunn 20. WOMEN's BIBLE STUDY We continue to meet every Tuesday morning, usually in the home of Christine Bunn and occasionally in the Salle. Over the last year we had a fascinating overview of the Old Testament, looking at its history and development through selected texts. When we reached Isaiah we decided to pause to examine this important book in more much detail and this is where we are at present. We have been struck by how relevant the turbulent depictions in the first part of Isaiah seem to the current situation in the Middle East, and nearer home. Page 16

We are a small but enthusiastic group and would welcome any women who would like to join us on a Tuesday morning. 21. Lenten Study Alice Tulloch In the absence of our Minister this year we invited the congregation to join the Lenten lunches and studies at Holy Trinity. Several of our members did attend and others continued with their ecumenical home study groups and followed the York Course on The Psalms, Prayers for today s Church. Janet Askew 22. CHURCH FAIR The usual surroundings of the Salle Communale, Grand Saconnex hosted our annual Fair, with a return of many favourites including the Christmas treats! Fuller advertising in the local area of the Salle appeared to be of great benefit with many locals and newcomers coming along, perhaps out of curiosity, but all spending their money! A lot of work was put into the Fair, and I would like to make special thanks to Nan who stepped into the breach and provided such a fantastic lunch menu, ably aided by Susan and Gregory. The participants of the Ceilidh were also able to benefit, with the leftover food being served during the evening dancing. There are too many people involved in the organising of the Fair to thank you all in person, but believe me when I say that without your dedication the day would not be such a success, not only financially, but also in strengthening friendships and spreading the word of the Church. Thank you all. On a personal note, I would like to extend out an invitation for another member of the Congregation to take over as co-ordinator for the Fair. It is very rewarding, with a wonderful backup of helpers only too willing to do everything asked of them. In the meantime, I look forward to all your participation and support on the build up to the 2016 Fair. Lesley Reddy 23. CHURCH BOOKSTALL The church bookstall continues to be a source of income for the church funds. We are currently providing between 100 and 150 CHF to the central funds. Some months it even reaches the dizzy heights of 220 CHF! However, the main purpose is to provide a place of Page 17

welcome to old friends, newcomers and visitors alike. It is a place where you can always rely on a friendly face and a smile while you are enjoying your coffee. Our staff of Antonia Bruce, Claire de Reynier Lily Geissburger and Joan Reilly are sent a rota every four months and they faithfully turn up when they are on duty. Thank you to them all. Nevertheless, we are always looking for other volunteers. It is not an arduous task. Our books, which are now in alphabetical order, are selling at bargain prices of between two and five CHF each and surely it is always good to hold a real book in your hands. We also have a small stock of Bibles and religious books. At our stall you will find cards for any occasion at reasonable prices and a selection of Scottish souvenirs. This year we hope to expand our range of memorabilia from the Auditoire, which currently consists of brochures, to include mugs, pens and tea-towels. However, this will largely depend on the availability of funds. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our stalwart regular staff and our customers; without you we could not survive. Mary Couper & Ritchie Pannett 24. USHERS ROTA The Ushers are normally the first people newcomers and visitors meet when entering the church. I have received many comments about the warmth of the welcome. As well as greeting those attending Church each week, ushers carry out a number of other tasks related to the smooth-running of the service. We typically have around 30 ushers. With two serving each Sunday, each usher is on duty around once per quarter. The roster is published twice per year in April and October for the following six months. If anyone has an interest in joining the Usher rota, please contact Arthur Griffith. Thank you to all involved for serving the church in this way, and for the continuing warm welcome to regulars and visitors attending the Church of Scotland in Geneva. Arthur Griffith There may be further contributions relating to our Church life made available for the ACM when they are ready. Page 18