| MINUTES OF THE
VESTRY MEETING OF PARISHIONERS
HELD IN ST MARY’S CHURCH ON SUNDAY 28
APRIL 20021. Prayers: the meeting began at 11.45a.m. immediately
following the 10.00 a.m. mass.
2. There were 41 parishioners present.
3.
Apologies for absence: There were no apologies for absence
4. Election of Churchwardens:
Walter Butcher and Angela Robinson, the only nominees, were duly elected as wardens
for year 2002-03.
A vote of thanks was conveyed to Angela Robinson and Walter
Butcher for their commitment and hard work as church wardens in previous years. The
Vestry meeting closed at 11.50 a.m | MINUTES
OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
HELD IN ST. MARY’S CHURCH
ON SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2002. 1. Prayers
2. The meeting began at 11.51
a.m.
3. Apologies for absence: There were no apologies for absence.
To receive
the minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on Sunday 1st April 2001
Minutes of the APCM held on 1 April 2001, proposed and seconded, were accepted
as a correct record.
4. Matters Arising from the minutes of the last APCM
There
were no matters arising.
5. Vicar’s report: questions to the Parish Priest.
Fr. Miller having given report at mass as well as tabled report, invited questions
and comments. There were no questions posed to Fr. Miller.
6. The report of
the Secretary to the Parochial Church Council A verbal report was given by secretary
in her first year. There were no comments or questions.
7. Presentation of
the Balance sheets and accounts as at 31 December 2001
a. Mr. Malcolm Tegg,
the independent examiner had indicated that the PCC accounting records have been
carried out in line with accounting regulations, which is legal and open. Fr.
Miller added that whilst report indicate significant income that this is due to
income from property. That there is deficit of £94,identified as collection
of church income. Fr. Miller added that this could partly be due to Covenant Officer
vacancy, and inability of collecting back tax. David McCready, Pastoral Assistant
will take undertake function. Fr. Miller said that he had received a call from
Royal Bank of Scotland recently when it was indicated that an additional 233 shares
exists. This will be followed up.
b. Fr. Miller explained that cheque SRB
funding for £55,000 is yet to be received to pay into bank account.
c.
Linda Capstick proposed that presentation of Balance sheets and accounts for year
ending 31st December 2001, be accepted, which was unanimously accepted by APCM.
d.
It was noted by APCM member that accounts showed that St Mary’s is very dependent
on money bequeathed to us by the generosity of the past, and highlighting the
fact that members are giving less than 1% of the parish’s annual income as
charitable giving. Fr.Miller pointed out that the PCC has had a policy not to
give its own finds to other charities, but that we do sponsor appeals.
e. The
APCM conveyed a special vote of thanks to Malcolm Tegg for his personal stewardship
in giving us his time and expertise as a gift. It was proposed and accepted that
Mr. Tegg’s offer to continue in this role for the next year be accepted.
A Vote of Thanks was also expressed to Iris Smith in her role as treasurer and
for her excellent book-keeping, which has been praised by Mr. Tegg.
8.
Appointment of Auditors:
Malcolm Tegg was appointed as auditor for the coming
year.
8. Report on the fabric goods and ornaments of the Parish Church
Mr.
Walter Butcher had tabled his report. He added that work on the new lighting system
is still outstanding, that final specification and pricing is awaited. He added
that work on the main porch roofs is planned and in hand.
9. Kemble Hall
A
report was tabled . The plans of the final design of Kemble Hall were presented
and displayed at APCM. Fr. Miller added that Kemble Hall will look very much as
it does now i.e. architectural integrity will be retained. That a gateway has
been requested across the main entrance on to Kemble Road. 14th December 2002,
has been given as completion date. Fr. Miller reminded APCM that Meeting has been
arranged for 8th May for parishioners to discuss new hall management and Business
Plan.
10. Deanery Synod Report. No report was presented.
11. Youth and
Childrens Work
Reports were tabled.
a. Sunday School: Albert Ryder added
that attendance is patchy and that children need to attend/ brought to Sunday
school.
b. Similarly, that in terms of Boys Brigade, numbers are down to half
of their strength at the beginning of the year, and there were not many from St.
Mary’s. It was acknowledged that this may be due to Kemble Hall being refurbished.
A question was put as to whether there should be name change, but Albert Ryder
pointed out that the BB is a national organization. Our BB accepts girls as members
and there are currently two women officers. It was proposed that when Kemble Hall
is completed recruitment drive be undertaken from worshipping congregation.
c.
Jacqui Miller had tabled report on choir. She added that choir are very committed
and turns up for choir practice. Choir was thanked and supported by APCM. A question
was posed as to whether the choir should be extended to adults.
12. Election
of three representatives to the Deanery Synod for 3 years:
Angela Robinson
was duly elected. Velda Hagen-Brown is willing to stand. Denise Amalemba to be
co-opted if she wishes to stand.
13. Elections of the Parochial Church Council
for 2002-03.
Fr. Miller reiterated the new procedure. He advised that he had
to date received 11 nominations. The PCC he explained, to consist of 14 elected
member ,plus wardens and Deanery Synod (ex-officio).Nomination were duly received
from the following: Margaret Wood, Marjorie Wauchope, Sheila Ball, Beryl James,
Jone Forrester, Valerie McKenzie, Barbara Nicolaou, Brian Smith, Ann Horsfall,
Richard Smith, Dorothy Tilbury, Len Green, Flora Bryant. All were elected.Fr.
Miller welcomed PCC members elected for the forthcoming year.
14. Election
of Sideman/Sidewomen
It was agreed by APCM that the sidespersons list be continued
with for coming year.. Mary Allen to be added. This was accepted. It was pointed
out that sidepersons should know rules, which includes child protection policy.
15.
Any other Business: There was no other business. Closing Prayers. The APCM
ended with closing prayers.
| | Vicar’s
Annual Report 2001 - 2002 | “The Twelve called
a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them.” Acts 6.2
The first
recorded meeting of the Early Church to conduct business is described in today’s
reading from the Acts of the Apostles. As a result of the growth of the church
an issue had risen which was causing dissension, so the Twelve called a full meeting
of the disciples and addressed them. At the beginning it had been possible for
the Twelve to do two basic tasks. The work of prayer and service of the Word on
one hand; and on the other, the practical care of the widows and those others
who were dependent upon the charity of the community. But now it was too much.
Guided
by the Holy spirit the Twelve delegated the practical work to seven Deacons. The
word Deacon means servant, and the seven were to be servants of the church. But
these were not servants as a grand household might have servants to do the dirty
work; they were imitators of Jesus who had girded a towel about Himself and told
His followers to take the work and place of servants. The Deacons were set aside
for their work by prayer and by the laying on of hands. Thus the Church was provided
by the Holy Spirit with order and structure, and the word we use to this day to
express the setting aside of a minister for his role in the Body of Christ expresses
this: we are Ordained - placed in order.
It is natural for human society to
order itself. But the natural order is an order of power, a pecking order. Natural
order tends towards conflict, as the battle rages for the top place. The Hellenists,
the Greek speaking Christians, had complained that the Hebrews were getting the
best of the distribution. There was conflict over their order. The Apostles were
guided to give to the Church a new order, the Ordination of Grace, by which each
is given a place which is to the benefit of others and which contributes to the
harmony of the whole. In the last few months since September we have had driven
home to us with renewed force the truth that fallen human nature descends into
conflict and violence. Today the scripture reminds us of the order of Grace by
which the Church is called to structure herself, an ordination in which all those
who are washed in the water of baptism and thereby incorporated into the Body
of Christ are called to serve and collaborate with all.As the battles
and warfare of the world have raged, our life as a parish in the last year may
be seen as an instruction to us of this order of Grace, this collaboration and
mutual support. Think about our various parish activities; almost all of them
depend on the ordering of parts of our community in the structure of Grace. The
eleventh year of the Kemble Club has been difficult as we have continued without
the use of the Kemble Hall. The Club depends on its ordered teams of volunteers
and the direction they are given by Margaret Wood and Beryl James. The Sunday
School likewise depends upon the four teams of teachers to ensure that the lessons
are delivered to the sixty odd children we have on the roll. Music is itself a
sign of the need for collaboration of many to make one joyful noise to the Lord,
and the choir exhibit this to us. Likewise, while it is not our style to have
the perfect choreography of the serving team one finds in some parishes, the servers
work together to give dignity to our worship. The Boys Brigade, like the Kemble
Club, has been severely hampered in its work by the lack of the Kemble Hall, but
nevertheless has through the work of its officers and the loyalty of a small core
of boys and girls, maintained a large programme of activities.
The Parochial
Church Council joins to aid in the sometimes tedious and often thankless task
of the management of the parish. A PCC may all too easily be prey to the order
of nature, the pecking order of power and power-struggle, and this so often corrupts
the heart of a parish. I am delighted that this is not the case here; and the
result is that the PCC members are humbled and God is glorified. Great is the
reward promised to the humble and meek. If that is true of the PCC it is true
in spades of Walter Butcher and Angela Robinson in whom we have ideal church wardens.
We thank them all for their work for us all. A church community must be
ordered as the Body of Christ from within. Our duty is also missionary. We are
sent to call the world to share in the order of grace and to turn away from the
order of nature. We have been greatly involved in this work in the last year.
The model of Partnership for mutual benefit has become fashionable in local and
national government, but it is only a secular realisation of the order of grace.
The Kemble Hall project in which we are working with Family Housing Association
and have the support of the Northumberland Park SRB partnership, is being seen
as a model for local regeneration by many local agencies. not content with making
the front page of the local paper, it is to be one of the projects highlighted
as an example of best practice in the SRB area’s own publicity. It is a sign
of the order of grace shaping a local community.
Also in the year we have
shared with many other churches in the wonderful success of the Haringey Peace
Alliance. The Alliance has brought together the leaders of the secular state and
churches, and has brought real change to the secular by infusing it with the ideals
and methods of the scared. You may remember that in the Peace week there were
demonstrations and prayers for peace; violent crime figures released later showed
that during that week, and for three weeks afterwards, there was a 1/3 decline
in violent crime in the Borough.
On a more personal level many of us are able
to bring the expectations and the methods of the order of grace to our schools
by utilising the close links we have with both church and community schools as
parents and governors.
The structures and orders of nature have an end in view,
and that end is power. Those who struggle and strive within them seek - some times
it is true with the best of intentions - to have power to be able to achieve their
ends. Thus for them even when the ends are honourable they are tainted by the
use of false means. We are ordained to the service of Christ. Those widows were
served that they might worship; all the activity and work of the deacons was there
to facilitate the offering of prayer and the service of the Word. All our mission
is directed towards calling more souls to the joy of knowing the Lord and worshipping
Him. We are ordered so that we may worship. So we care for our place of
worship as a sign to ourselves and to others of the importance of the offering.
It is extravagant to keep and maintain this building, and details of what we have
done this year will be given later. But it is a sign to us and the world that
our priorities are not the world’s priorities. Where the world sees money
down the pan we see God glorified and the order of His kingdom proclaimed to our
community. The wonderful success of the open day testified to the powerful call
a well maintained public frontage is to those who pass by. Also this year we have
acted to make as sure as possible that everyone can get in: so we have a ramp
at the door; and we have made as sure as possible that everyone can hear what
is going on; hence the new sound system. Soon the lavatory will be upgraded so
that everyone can use it and babies can be changed in it.
Our duty as the
Body of Christ in this place is clear. It is the same duty those Christians of
the first generation had. We are to live in Holy Order in our life together as
the Body of Christ, and we are to bring Holy Order to our community. I believe
that we know our duty, and I believe that we are being equipped by the Holy Spirit
to undertake it. We know ourselves to be weak and insufficient to the task, but
that is all right, for the work is the Lord’s and is in His hand. Let us
pray for one another and rejoice together, for God giveth the increase.
TOP
of page
|
|
