The
2008 St Faith's Annual Parochial Church Meeting
A
briefer than usual posting from this year's meeting: the official
minutes, and a selection of items from the Church and Community reports
THE PARISH OF SAINT FAITH, GREAT CROSBY
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Minutes of the meeting held in Saint
Faith’s Church on 23 April 2008 following the 7.30pm St George's Day
Eucharist.
VESTRY
MEETING
1. Election of Two Churchwardens: Nominations had been received
for Mr Leo Appleton and Ms Kari Dodson. In the absence of any
other nominations, Leo Appleton and Kari Dodson were duly elected.
ANNUAL
PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
The meeting opened with a welcome to the 42 parishioners present.
1. Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Maureen Madden,
Susie Greenwood, David Jones, Pat McKay, Mary Crooke, Lillie Wilmot.
2. Notification of Any Other Business: None.
3. Minutes of the previous APCM: The minutes of the previous APCM
held on 23rd April 2007 were proposed by Margaret Davies,
seconded by Chris Price and approved as a correct record by the
meeting, with an amendment to the voting on the Financial Report as
notified by Rick Walker.
4. Reports
Electoral Roll – Joan Tudhope reported that currently there were 116
members on the Electoral Roll. Thirteen new people had joined the
roll from last year, and sadly one member had died. Jill Deeprose
proposed, Audrey Dawson seconded that that this report be received,
agreed unanimously.
PCC - was taken as read, and proposed by Joan Tudhope, seconded
by Margaret Davies that this report be accepted. It was agreed
unanimously.
Financial Statements of the PCC – Kari Dodson delivered this report in
the absence of the Treasurer. Mike Broom as for clarification
regarding the outsourcing of the payroll for the Parish
Administrator. Fr Neil explained that it was the administration
of the payroll, i.e. calculating the tax and NI contributions for the
salary of the Parish Administrator that had been outsourced to a
specialist company, and that the salary is currently met by the
Diocese. It was proposed by Chris Price and seconded by Rick
Walker that this report be accepted, agreed unanimously. Fr. Neil
on behalf of those present expressed his thanks to the Treasurer for
his work throughout the year and for putting together the accounts.
Church Fabric – Leo Appleton spoke to this report, and once again
outlined the work that had been done throughout the past 12 months and
that which it was hoped would be carried out in the coming
months. Rick Walker added the refurbishment of the kitchen in the
hall to the proposed works. Leo thanked all members of the Premises
Committee and particularly thanked Mike Broom and David Jones for their
contributions. Ken Bramwell proposed, Angie Price seconded that
this report be received. It was agreed unanimously.
Deanery Synod – Joan Tudhope said that there had been 3 meetings of
Bootle Deanery Synod throughout the year, and that some important
debates had taken place. Fr. Neil said it was important that S.
Faith’s were represented to take part in these discussions and
debates. Ken Bramwell proposed, seconded by Margaret Davies that
this report be received. It was agreed unanimously.
Church Organisations and Groups – Those present were given time to read
the reports from the various groups, as no points were raised, it was
proposed by Audrey Dawson, seconded by Irene Taylor that these reports
be accepted. This was carried by a majority of 41 in favour with
one abstention.
5. Election of Two Deputy Churchwardens: Two nominations had been
received for Judith Moizer and Rosie Walker. In the absence of
any other nominations, they were duly elected. Fr. Neil thanked
Judith Moizer and Rosie Walker for their commitment and work over the
past year.
6. Election of three members to Bootle Deanery Synod: Joan Tudhope and
Ken Bramwell had been nominated to serve on Deanery Synod. There
were duly elected, with the third place being held open. Fr. Neil
thanked Margaret Davies, Ken Bramwell and Joan Tudhope for serving on
Deanery Synod for the past three years.
7. Election of Members for the PCC: There were six vacancies on
PCC, four to serve for three years and two for two years. Six
nominations had been received, namely Maureen Madden, Martin Caesar,
Sarah Evison, Michael Taylor, Gareth Griffiths and Michael Broom.
There being no other nominations they were duly elected. It was
agreed that the six people elected would decide amongst themselves
whether their term of office would be for two or three
years. Fr. Neil thanked those who had served on PCC for the
last three years and had now come to the end of their term of office :
Val Brook, John Knight, Sue Walsh and Ruth Winder.
8. Election of Sidespersons: Fr. Neil thanked all who had served
in the past year for their service. He said being a sidesperson
was an important role and that the sidespeople represented the Bishop
within the church. The current list of Susie Greenwood, Jackie
Dale, Rick Walker, Anne Holland, Christine Spence, Lillie Wilmott,
Denis Griffiths, Emily Skinner, Ruth Winder, Irene Taylor, Irene
Salisbury and Eric Salisbury, was approved.
9. Appointment of Independent Examiner: It was reported that
Independent Examiner, Ray Bissex, had done an excellent and thorough
job. His re-appointment was proposed by Rick Walker, seconded by
Margaret Houghton and approved unanimously.
10. Election of people to serve on committees:
* Catering Team: Ruth Winder (Team Leader), Fr Neil Kelley
(Incumbent – ex officio), Lillie Wilmot, Irene Taylor, Christine
Spence, Mary Crooke, Eunice Little, Judith Moizer, Fiona Whalley, Angie
Price, Rosie Walker, Audrey Dawson, Linda Nye.
* Finance: David Jones (Treasurer) (Chair), Fr Neil Kelley
(Incumbent – ex officio), Leo Appleton and Kari Dodson (Churchwardens –
ex officio), Chris Price, Rick Walker, Margaret Houghton, Gareth
Griffiths.
* Premises Committee: Leo Appleton (Churchwarden) (Chair), Fr
Neil Kelley (Incumbent – ex officio), David Jones (Treasurer – ex
officio), Ruth Winder, Christine Spence, Michael Holland, Michael
Broom, Ken Bramwell.
* Mission Group: Fred Nye (Reader) (Group Leader), Fr Neil Kelley
(Incumbent – ex officio), Fr Mark Waters, David Jones, Linda Nye,
Jackie Parry, Angie Price, Joan Tudhope, Rosie Walker, Diana Waters,
Kathleen Zimak, Audrey Dawson.
11. Ministry Team: Fr. Mark spoke of some of the work that had
been undertaken by the Ministry Team and how to work with both parishes
to the best effect. A Strategic Plan was being drawn up.
The team were looking at key areas in church life : Worship, Liturgy,
Service, Fellowship and Proclamation. The PCCs at the Away-Day
will attempt to create a mission statement looking at what the
priorities are for the next 12 months.
12. Chairman’s Remarks: Fr. Neil began his report by remembering
those from S. Faith’s family who had died since the last APCM : George
Smith, Brian Sharpe, Marie Bramwell, Kath Broadbent and Jenny Kemp.
He went on to say that like other churches we face are facing
challenging and exciting times, and that as a result of discussion in
the Ministry Team both parishes would be encouraged to engage in the
formation of a five-year plan, which will be discussed more at the
joint PCCs away-day.
He said he was grateful for the hard work and commitment of so many
during the past year, wardens, deputy wardens, the Ministry Team, those
who serve on PCC and Deanery Synod, to his PA and PCC Secretary.
Stephen Hargreaves, had continued to work very hard as Acting Director
of Music, and it was heartening to have firm candidates, possibly
three for the post. He also thanked the priests who have provided
cover. Liz Mooney, he said, had achieved a great deal during her
time as Parish Administrator, and thanks to her efforts he had managed
to devote more time to hospital visiting and taking Communion at home
to a large number of people on a regular basis.
He spoke too of the activities that engage with younger people, the
Holiday Club and Pantomime. Discussion in the forthcoming year
would be around Admitting Children to Communion before Confirmation and
possibly the formation of an After School Church.
The other end of the age scale had not been neglected either, in that
the Over 65’s Holiday Club had once again been a success with the 2008
week planning underway.
Grateful thanks were given to the catering team, the finance committee
and all choir, servers, cleaners, decorators and flower team.
He finished by saying that there was much to thank God for as we
reflect on the year that is past, and much to look forward to in the
year to come.
13. Any Other Business: Coffee after church on Sunday
mornings. It was thought that there was an advantage in serving
coffee at the back of church, especially with more space being
available. One point raised was that of the use of polystyrene
cups, which could be replaced with cardboard ones. The lack of
plumbed kitchen facilities was also mentioned.
14. Close of Meeting: The meeting closed at 9.45 with
prayer.
Church and Community Reports
Edited highlights of some of the
reports presented to the 2008 Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Churches Together in Waterloo
The committee has continued its regular meetings with all the member
churches being represented by at least one of their congregation.
The focus of the year’s activities has been shared worship: the Advent
Carol service was held at Christ Church and was well attended. During
the week of Christian Unity members of all churches from Crosby
travelled to the Metropolitan Cathedral to hear the Archbishop of
Canterbury give a memorable address at the ecumenical evening service.
At Easter the churches took part again in the Procession of Witness to
the Civic Hall on Good Friday despite the inclement early Easter
weather and a service was held in front of the library. There will be a
joint Christian Aid service at Christ Church on May 18th and the
churches will again be responsible for the house-to-house collections
during the preceding week. Members are also involved in the planning
and implementation of In Another Place, the evangelistic outreach
programme of the Crosby Churches, as well as the local Justice and
Peace group. The committee is hoping to contribute to the Sefton
Fairtrade campaign more actively by ensuring that all churches achieve
Fairtrade status over the forthcoming months.
Kathleen Zimak
The Serving Team
The serving team remains strong and we have welcomed Jordanna, Sue
Walsh and Sarah Evison to the team. With a large team it
allows flexibility and ensures that we always have
enough servers for every service. I would like to thank the serving
team for all their hard work and dedication during the last twelve
months.
Geoff Moss
The Junior Church
Thank you once again to the loyal band of teachers and helpers who week
by week look after our (very) few children, providing Christian
instruction, fun and play. It is sad not to be able to report any real
rise in numbers: we occasionally welcome new children but lose as many
who progress to become servers.
The parties and activity days continue to flourish, and it is good to
share these with St Mary’s helpers and children. Teachers from both
churches have visited Fr Bruce’s Godly Play facilities; we envy them
their dedicated room and equipment, without which we cannot hope to
emulate them.
We would always welcome a new teacher – and some new children of
course, otherwise we will just have to wait for the babies in the
congregation to grow up!
Angie Price
The Men’s Group
This last year has been testing for us all with the sad loss of yet
another founding member, George Smith. George was a good friend to all,
and his dry humour and constant presence will be missed by us all. For
such a quiet man, George always had something to say, and would comment
wisely on any serious matter that came up: his memory of how things
used to be done will never be equalled!
We have been pleased to welcome a number of new faces this year, and of
course membership is never closed. We have also been able to assist
with many aspects of the church from repairing the bell to funding the
Christmas dinner, and from providing most of the ‘senior’ serving team
and male pantomime cast to offering advice to all and sundry about all
and sundry.
Apart from our regular meetings we had the retreat to Yorkshire in
January. This year there was a new element to the weekend when Fr
Charles said mass in the Village church at Marske. They have been
without a vicar for a year, and the rural Dean has umpteen other
parishes to look after. Our attendance doubled the congregation and
probably moved the churchmanship a couple of notches up the candle. It
was a privilege to help out and we were made very welcome.
Rick Walker
The Catering Team
The catering team was kept busy in 2007, getting off to an impressive
start with some of the team joining together to help with the catering
for Judith & Gary’s wedding in February. What was achieved was
remarkable given the limited facilities available. We had a lot of
feedback from guests commenting on the excellence of the whole day, the
welcome they received, the beauty of the church, the music, and the
mass, and the amazing food etc. A lot of people went away with a
refreshed view of church folk.
It was our turn to host the Archdeacon’s visitation last year and once
again the team excelled in providing excellence at supper, and it was
commented on that our reputation went before us. In July we gave Martin
a memorable send off with good food and company after his ordination.
As well as these extra activities we had our usual Easter party, Corpus
Christi, BBQ, Patronal Festival, Quiz night fund raiser, and
finished off the year with the Senior Citizen’s Christmas Lunch which
was hard work, but immensely pleasurable, and as usual a very good time
was had by all.
Some of the ladies of the team have also done an awesome amount of
baking to provide items for the table sales, Easter biscuits, and
countless mince-pies. Thank you all for your hard work and support in
2007; as always you have given a sterling performance. Also thank you
to those people not on the team for their help and
contributions.
Ruth Winder
The Walsingham Circle
Since July the Circle has met less frequently, although its members
have attended masses and other Marian devotions. In December we
were delighted to welcome several new members. This year’s meetings
started on 2nd February and, following the Saturday mass, we retired to
Joan Tudhope’s home. There we were treated to an elegant lunch and, led
by Father Neil, discussed the full year’s programme.
On 6th April after Compline & Benediction we had an hour’s open
discussion on the day’s Gospel and sermon for that day [Emmaus – Mac
Forsyth]. This was ‘chez’ Margaret Davies avec vin et fromage!
Any member of our United Benefice is most welcome to attend our
meetings; why not give us a try?
The Holiday Clubs
Judith Moizer ran the August 2007 fifth S. Faith’s Holiday Club. Once
again we received a grant from Sefton Council towards the running of
the club and from St. Christopher’s Home Trust, which enabled the
children to have a great week. Unfortunately, due to a shortage
of helpers, the number of groups in the club had to be reduced to three
from four, and so it was very much over-subscribed and we were unable
to accommodate all those children who wished to attend. However over 40
children attended each day and enjoyed a range of activities and
outings. It is, though, anticipated that in 2008 there will be a full
complement of leaders, and so we can once again function at full
capacity. Thanks must go to all those who helped in any way to
make the week such a success.
The second Over 65s’ Holiday Club was held this year in S. Mary’s
Church Hall. The format followed that of the Children’s Holiday Club in
that there were activities each day with a half day out to the World of
Glass in St. Helens and a full day out to Llandudno, including a
delicious fish and chip lunch. Once again the week was a
tremendous success, with twice as many people attending as the first
one. Planning for 2008 is already
underway.
Joan Tudhope
Click below to read other APCM
reports...
APCMs introduced and explained
2005
2006
2007
2009
Go to the home page