TOLWORTH TEAM MINISTRY
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH
MEETING
will be held at St Matthew’s
Church
on Monday 27th
April 2009 at 7:30pm
MEETING OF PARISHIONERS
AGENDA
7:30 Worship
7:35 Minutes of the 2008
Meeting
7:40 Election of Church
Wardens and Deputy Wardens
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH
MEETING 7:55pm
AGENDA
Minutes of 2008 Meeting*
Annual Report of the PCC*
Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the churches
Notification of matters for Any Other Business
Deanery Synod Report
Parish Organisations’ Reports*
Financial Reports, Accounts and Budgets
Appointment of Auditor(s)
Presentation of Electoral Roll
Election of 6 Representatives of the Laity to the PCC
Election of 2 Representatives to the Deanery Synod
Vicars Review of the Year
Any Other Business
Closing Prayer
*These are in writing and will be taken
as read. Questions may be asked, but
members are encouraged to put their questions to the relevant report signatory
before the meeting to save time.
Rev Simon Hones
Vicar
ST
MATTHEW’S SURBITON with
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
MONDAY 21st APRIL 2008
MEETING OF
PARISHONERS
Rev Simon Hones in the Chair. There were 48 Parishioners present
Apologies
for absence: Apologies for absence were received from,
Dorinda Hooper, Sue Michalczyk, Jean Broadbank, Gaynor Cook, Loraine Mole
The
meeting was opened by Simon Hones with prayer.
The
minutes of the 2007 Parishioners’ Meeting were agreed and signed by Rev Hones.
ELECTION OF CHURCH WARDENS AND DEPUTY CHURCH
WARDENS
Wardens
St Matthew’s
Malcolm Brown Proposed by Pat Norrish
Seconded by Norma
Yates
St George’s
Tracey O’Shea Proposed by Betty Owen
Seconded by Eileen
Turner
The election of Malcolm
Brown and Tracey O’Shea was approved and their co-option to the PCC agreed.
Deputy Wardens
St Matthew’s
Laxmi Atkins Proposed by Pat
Norrish
Seconded by Pam
Southern
St George’s
Lesley Bell Proposed by Bill
Thornton
Seconded by Simon
Simoyi
The
election of Laxmi Atkins and Lesley Bell was approved and their co-option to
the PCC agreed.
Simon
gave his and both Church’s thanks to the Wardens for 2007 (Pat Norrish and
Tracey O’Shea) and Deputy Wardens (Laxmi Atkins and Norman Hooper) for all
their hard work during the past year.
The Churches simply could not function without them and he and Clive
both felt privileged to work with them.
Thanks was also give to Sue Michalczyk for taking and producing the
minutes of last years meetings.
The
meeting closed at 7.40pm
ST MATTHEW’S SURBITON with
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
MONDAY 21st APRIL 2008
Rev Simon Hones in the Chair. There were 48 Parishioners present
Apologies
for absence: Apologies for absence were received from,
Dorinda Hooper, Sue Michalczyk, Jean Broadbank, Gaynor Cook, Loraine Mole
1.
MINUTES
OF THE MEETING HELD ON 23rd APRIL 2007
Noted
Apirl
should read April (item 1)
Venerable
Beade should read Venerable Bede (item 6)
Otherwise
the minutes of the meeting held on 21st April 2007 were agreed and
signed by Rev Hones.
2.
ANNUAL
REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
A question of clarification about the proposed team
ministry was tabled. Simon clarified at
some length the current status of the team process, why we are pursuing this
and where we are at this time. He also
explained about voting arrangements for the appointment of the Team Rector and
Vicar. He said the name would be
Tolworth Team Ministry.
3.
REPORT ON
THE FABRIC, GOODS AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCHES
These were provided for both St Matthews and St Georges
in the information pack. No questions
were raised.
4.
DEANERY
SYNOND REPORT
Received with no queries raised
5.
PARISH
ORGANISATIONS’ REPORTS
These were provided in the information pack.
It was mentioned that the Mission Team struggled to
operate through lack of membership during the year but there is hope for a
stronger and more effective team during the coming year.
Ian Davies gave a verbal report which highlighted the
importance of young peoples groups.
6.
FINANCIAL
REPORTS, ACCOUNTS AND BUDGETS
The reports of both
Rachel Whitelaw for St Georges said it had been a
very good year especially in view of the £16K spent on the kitchen. Regular giving was up. However more repairs are needed in 2008 so we
still need to work hard on giving. She
thanked Brenda Steventon for her help in keeping the accounts. She also thanked David Itcovitz for his help
in keeping the Parish Account and for the fun she had had burning the midnight
oil getting the final accounts together.
David Itcovitz clarified a few points on the St
Matthews accounts pointing out that there was a surplus of £8319 after dividend
receipts. This was a good result
particularly as £11 -£12K had been spent on maintenance. He said that we are funding daily running
costs but still rely on investment to cover additional costs.
The Parish Account had made a small profit for the
year as a result of interest and dividends.
The Combined accounts (total for both churches) showed a surplus of
£8970 which is a very good result, although a loss before interest and
dividends. David concluded by thanking
Andy Keane for the work he has done on tax reclaim, the Fundraising Team and
Joan Higgs-Smith for handling the banking side.
Simon gave his thanks to both Rachel Whitelaw and
David Itcovitz for all their hard work both throughout the year and in
compiling and presenting the accounts.
Particular thanks to David who is standing down this year.
All reports were then received by the meeting.
7.
APPOINTMENT
OF AUDITORS
The Parish Auditor, George Mitchell ACA is prepared
to continue in this capacity and his re-appointment was agreed unanimously.
Nominated by Tracey O’Shea
Seconded by Ian Davies
8.
PRESENTATION
OF THE ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Roll now stood at 181 with 108 members at
St Matthew’s and 73 at
9.
ELECTION
OF 6 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LAITY TO THE PCC
Each Church had vacancies to fill. The nominations were:
Ian Mole (till 2011)
Proposer: Lesley Bell
Seconder: Esther Spokes
Bill Thornton (till 2011)
Proposer: Rachel Whitelaw
Seconder: Lesley Bell
Carol Laker (till 2010)
Proposer: Tracey O'Shea
Seconder: Lesley Bell
Rachel Whitelaw (till 2011)
Proposer: Carol Laker
Seconder: Lesley Bell
St Matthew’s
Juliana Maleko
John Manbre
The nominees were elected
unopposed.
10.
ELECTION
OF 2 REPRESENTATIVES TO THE DEANERY SYNOD
Shirley Hayward was elected
Nominated by Sue Witcombe
Seconded by Philip Steventon.
St Matthew’s
Anne Geater will stand
but cannot be proposed at this meeting.
This leaves one vacancy
at each church
11.
VICARS’
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
Clive Laker –
Clive summarised his report which was circulated with the APCM papers.
Simon Hones – St Matthew’s
Simon mentioned the growth in the come together 11am Service and how St
Matthews were trying to integrate newcomers into St Matthews and help them grow
in their faith. Any ideas would always
be appreciated.
12.
ANY OTHER
BUSINESS
It was asked whether the
APCM notes could be produced in electronic form as well as paper for those who
would prefer to receive them this way.
We will try to do this next year.
Possible Logo for new
team. To be discussed with the two
churches and Children’s Groups
The meeting closed with
prayer at 8.45pm
.
THE TOLWORTH TEAM MINISTRY
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
PAROCHIAL
CHURCH COUNCIL
For the year ended 31st
December 2008
Team Rector
Rev Simon Hones
St Matthew’s Vicarage
20,
Surbiton
Team
Vicar
Rev Clive Laker
127,
Surbiton
Bank: For St
Matthew’s and
Barclays Bank
Surbiton Branch
BACKGROUND
The PCC of the Tolworth Team
Ministry has the responsibility of co-operating with the Team Rector, Rev Simon
Hones and the Team Vicar Rev Clive Laker in promoting in the ecclesiastical
parish the whole mission of the Church, evangelistic, pastoral social and
ecumenical. It also has maintenance
responsibilities for St Matthew’s church, St Matthew’s Avenue, Surbiton, and
The PCC is a charity
excepted from registration with the Charity Commission.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of
the PCC are expressed in the parish Vision Statement.
We, the
We will strive, in our weakness, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
i) to make sure that all who live in this parish are aware of the message of the Gospel, and where there is response, to welcome and nurture;
ii) to make our forms of worship relevant and accessible to all people in our parish, keeping the best of the traditional and the new;
iii)
to grow
continually to become more like Jesus;
iv) as a church and as individuals to play an involved Christian role in our local community in its needs and aspirations; and
v)to support the world-wide mission of the Church.
-all for the glory of Almighty God.
To that end, in the Autumn
St Matthew’s church held a very successful parenting course and
The Parish had a visitation
from Bishop Richard of
House groups have
flourished, with five meeting weekly in the parish and one monthly.
The PCC has worked in close
co-operation with our partners in Churches Together in Surbiton in the ministry
of Christ’s body in this area, notably in the sponsorship of Kingston Churches’
Action on Homelessness, and the Oxygen Youth Ministries. We also helped the
Urban Saints and other churches in the area with the organising and running of
Re:Act, a family fun day for the local community held at Fishponds in August
2008.
MEMBERSHIP
Members of the PCC are
either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in
accordance with the Church representation Rules.
There are two Churchwardens
at each church, plus seven elected representatives of the laity, plus however
many representatives the Deanery Synod requires.
During the year the
following served as members of the PCC.
Team Rector: Rev Simon Hones - Chairman
Team Vicar: Rev Clive Laker
Honorary Curate: Rev Victor Cuthbert
Wardens; Mr Malcolm Brown
Mrs Laxmi Atkins
MrsTracey O’Shea
Mrs Lesley Bell
Representatives on the
Deanery Synod:
until APCM 2011: Mrs
Shirley Hayward
Mrs Ann Geater
(Plus two vacancies)
Elected representatives of
the laity:
until
APCM 2008: Mr David Itcovitz Treasurer
Mr David Evans
until APCM 2009: Mrs
Karen Alderson (resigned Jan ’09)
Mr Stephen Perry
until APCM 2010: Mrs Esther Spokes
Mr
Alan Durham
Mrs Carol Laker
until
APCM 2011: Miss Juliana Maleko -
Parish and St Matthew’s Treasurer
Mr John Manbre
Mrs Mala Weerasinghe
- PCC Secretary
Mrs Rachel Whitelaw - St
George’s Treasurer
Mr Bill Thornton
Mr Ian Mole
Plus one
TEAMS
The PCC operates through a number of Teams and committees, which meet between full meetings of the PCC.
Leadership Team:
Seeks God’s vision and guidance for the parish and supports the Team Vicar and the Team Rector in their responsibilities for their churches.
Standing Committee:
This is the only committee required by law. It has power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council.
St Matthew’s District Church Council:
Attends to matters that relate principally to St Matthew’s church.
Attends to matters that relate principally to
Parish Finance Team:
Overseas the general financial dimensions of church work in the parish, particularly relating to moneys held by the parish as opposed to either individual church.
Attends to matters relating to the outreach ministry of the parish, such as evangelism and evangelism training.
Pastoral Team:
Attends to matters relating to the care and nurture
of parishioners and church members, such as
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
There were 181 members on the electoral Roll: 108 at St Matthew’s and 73 at
In addition, each church maintains a list of attending adults.
REVIEW OF
THE YEAR
The full PCC met on six occasions during the calendar year 2008. The Teams and committees met regularly throughout the year, mostly on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
The PCC received regular reports from its appointed Trustees of the Corner House Trust. These Trustees have been responsible for guiding and maintaining the Corner House through a successful year with their colleagues, and the PCC is grateful for their work. The leadership team continues to work with the Trust and the Diocese to produce a detailed Lease for the Trust of the Parish Hall, which is expected to become operational during 2009.
The PCC has led the parish in links with, and support for, our church school during the year. More members from the two churches are needed to serve as governors to increase the relationship between the Parish and the School. During the year the governors successfully appointed Mrs Pam Dryden as Head Teacher.
The most significant development for the year was
the formation of the Tolworth Team Ministry. This was the formalisation of the
parity of working arrangement between St Matthew’s and
FINANCIAL REVIEW
St Matthew’s &
For the year ended 31 December 2008, the Combined St
Matthew’s,
St Matthew’s Church
For the year ended 31 December 2008, the St Matthew’s Church
accounts show a deficit of £6,228. This is caused by the loss on investments
totalling £27,636. If the losses on the investments in shares of £27,636 and
investment income of £13,956 are excluded, there is a net surplus of £7,452
which is a good result.
Parish
The Parish accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008 show
a deficit of £ 307,321. Of this amount £ 300,000 relates to the transfer of
Other
It is our policy to invest our surplus funds with the CBF
Church of England Deposit Fund.
Approved by the Parochial Church Council of the Tolworth
Team on April 2009 and signed on their
behalf by Revd Simon Hones (PCC Chairman)
ST MATTHEW’S CHURCH FABRIC
MAINTENANCE REPORT
Gate to Boiler House. Fence has
been erected round the boiler house
entrance and locked gate installed.
In the church garden much work in keeping it tidy and space has been
cleared for the replanting of the garden close to the South Porch
Electrical work Another stage of
electrical work has been completed. New
fuse box installed in main body of church still to replace fuse box at altar
end of church. Wiring has been
electrically tested.
In October the vestry was redecorated.
Heating. A large space heater is
currently being used in conjunction with the wall gas heaters to heat
church. It is hoped that this will
negate the need for major expense in replacing the heating system.
After a visit to a Health and Safety event organised for local churches,
a Fault Reporting Diary, to record any repair work required in the church, has
been established. This is located at the back of the church near the notice
board.
Andy Keane/ Laxmi Atkins/Malcolm Brown
See St George’s Warden’s
Report under the
ST MATTHEW’s WITH ST GEORGES
PASTORAL TEAM
This year the Pastoral Team has continued to support and follow up on
the work of previous years.
The bereavement Support Group which meets on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesdays of the month at 2pm at
Silver Threads – a social group for over 60’s was started in the past
year and is very successful with an enthusiastic membership.
Visiting those who have had a Thanksgiving or Baptism services and those
who have been recently bereaved continues.
We now go to Milverton Nursing Home every six weeks for a Communion
service. This is much appreciated by the
residents and is well supported by members of the congregation. Several residents now go to Friendship Teas
at St Matthew’s as a result of our contact with them. We are also doing a regular service at
Rosclare and occasional services at Southborough Nursing Home.
This year we have run Marriage and Parenting courses both of which were
well attended and enjoyed by those taking part.
We address Pastoral issues as they arise and welcome any suggestions or
concerns that you may have that may be relevant to the Pastoral Team.
Brenda Tyrrell
ST MATTHEWS REPORTS
St Matthew’s C of E Primary School
Spring Term 2009
We
have recently agreed our new ethos statement from which the 5 G’s cascade. ‘
Our
5 G’s are at the heart of all that we do. We say and sign them before every act
of collective worship and we make connections with them whenever we discuss
God’s work. The staff and pupils feel great ownership over them and are able to
explain them, as illustrated by the recent outstanding Section 48 report where
the pupils were very eloquent in their explanations of the 5 G’s to the
inspector.
It
has been a very busy and productive
year. There have been a few staff changes over the year and some ‘returners’ to
work from having been on maternity leave. We
are delighted to welcome all new staff to St Matthew’s and hope that they will
enjoy their new posts. All staff and
Governors have worked extremely hard to ease the transition of the new
Headteacher and she is very grateful for their care and dedication.
In the Summer term, the
pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 all completed their Standard Assessment Tests. The
pupils in the other year groups completed their optional tests. In May our Year
6 pupils enjoyed a residential school trip to the
In June and July, various
transition sessions took place in order to ease the transfer of individuals
from our Primary school to their relevant Secondary schools. They all made the
change smoothly and many have returned to visit us and let us know how they are
progressing.
Accreditation:
We have been through various
hoops over the last year, including achieving the Sports mark as a
reflection of all the sports activities that we undertake for the pupils.
We have been through a
successful Ofsted in November which was part of pilot Ofsted framework
that will come into play from September 2009.
We enjoyed an outstanding Section
48 report in January 2009 and we continue to be very grateful for all the
help and support that our clergy give us.
We also attained the Healthy
Schools Mark.
A big thank you to all the
staff and stakeholders of the school who have all helped with these successes.
Premises:
We continue to develop our
premises and this includes updating equipment.
Major remediation works were
undertaken in the school grounds after it was discovered that various rubble,
broken glass etc had been working their way to the surface of the grassed
areas. Three diseased trees have been removed from the front of the school site
after it was discovered that they were causing the front wall to be unsafe.
This area will be completed shortly.
We have improved the
technology in the school hall, including an electric screen and vastly improved
sound system so that the pupils can see hymns and hear easily.
We have created an inside
‘reflection’ area so that pupils have a quiet retreat to go to whenever they
are feeling that they need to be away from their classmates. This has proved
very popular with the pupils and they are using the facility very sensibly.
We are currently
refurbishing the Key Stage library and also making plans for the extra 45
pupils that we have agreed to accept in September. This will involve having a
double ‘demountable’ classroom placed in our grounds whilst building works are
undertaken.
There have also been
improvements made to our school kitchen. We have bought a new fridge and
freezer and we have plans to improve the flooring over the forthcoming holiday.
We have re-roofed the site
manager’s house which was not weather proof and improved the security of his
garden.
Pam Dryden, Headteacher
Report St Matthew’s
Pre-School
We have had another good
year. The group has just started re-doing our quality assurance scheme, as this
is a rolling programme we have to re-look at each unit again having had a
little break from it. We have just completed our first unit and have passed it;
we have to makes changes to each unit as the government brought out new
guidelines which cover from 0-5 year old children. The government seem to be
bombarding us with new information all the time so we have to be alert all the
time and make sure we get things right. At the time of writing this we are on
red alert for our OFSTED inspection, hopefully by the time you read this it
will have happened. We get no notice they just turn up one morning so it will
be better when we have had it, we can just enjoy our work with the
children.
Numbers have remained high
so we have continued with five morning sessions and three afternoon
sessions. The children enjoyed their
trip to the Polka Children’s theatre and the farm in the summer. We “performed”
the Nativity in the church at the end of the autumn term. It was nice to see
our friends from the church join us, we were lucky to have Nigel Palmer play
the piano for us this year which made a big difference to our singing. We often
have Wes come in on a Monday morning for a short while and the children bring
him books to read to them. We always enjoy having visitors into the group and
Simon came on morning with his snake when we were talking about animals, we
have also had road safety come in and give a talk to the children. We have also
had friends and parents coming in to play instruments such as a trumpet, a
violin and a guitar, which the children enjoyed. We also cover other celebrations from around
the world.
We had a cake and second
hand toy sale in March when we raised £316 to send to The Meningitis Trust for
Stan’s Tribute Fund. Our thoughts remain
with Stan’s family.
We had a very good Ruby day
in July when the children collected 40 red items before the day and these were
displayed on the wall. Then we had friends and families from the past including
Anne Beales who started the group joined us for red refreshments red activities
and lots catching up with the people we never seem to get to see. We were able
to browse through lots of photos going back as far as 40 years when the group
started and had fun working out who was who and what are they doing now etc. We
had a cake with pre-school symbol on it and despite the press taking photos
were not put in the paper. The cake was cut near the end of the session and
children and adults were able to have a slice.
We went up the school to see
the reception class perform their dress rehearsal for the nativity. It was nice
to see the children who had moved up to big school.
Pat Moss
The Corner House
2008 was another successful year at the cornerHOUSE. It started with
sell-out performances of Centre Stage's panto What a Scream and ended
with work under way on our long-awaited project to provide disabled friendly
facilities. This combination of popular events and an attention to the fabric
of the building marks the two priorities of the Trust.
All activity at the cornerHOUSE is possible solely thanks to the efforts
of the volunteers who manage and operate the premises and the understanding of
hirers, visiting performers and companies who value the atmosphere and ethos of
the centre.
We continue to be grateful to St Matthews and
A number of groups meet regularly at the cornerHOUSE to provide
workshops and opportunities for a range of youngsters and people with
particular needs. Lesley's Drama has been with us from the start, and Flight
Dance and Royad's Golden Key from almost as long. More recent arrivals are
Kingston Music and Arts Service Junior Drama Company. New in the autumn of 2008
was a significant partnership with
Our staged programme included a stunning
performance by Tim Vine, a long standing friend and patron of the place ( as
well as a famous comedian and TV presence.) We have had cabarets, a quiz night,
masterful performances of Scaramouche Jones and The Canterbury Tales
from Tacit, the ever popular Upstage with their take on It was a Dark and
Stormy Night, Royad's very welcome The cornerSHOP of Horrors, and a
whole range of one-off performances by local companies, schools and other
performers. We are rightly proud of our One Act Play festival, which once again
generated remarkable new writing, as well as revealing new acting and directing
talent. There is no space here to cover all the staged events, visual arts
activities and music. Suffice it to say it is a rare day that the cornerHOUSE
is not being used in fulfilment of some part of our remit !.
1ST TOLWORTH (ST
MATTHEW’S) SCOUT GROUP
The St Matthew’s Scout Group has had another busy and successful
year. Numbers have remained constant
with all sections running at full capacity.
We would like to reopen our second Beaver Colony and Cub Pack but this
would require a number of new Leaders and Leaders are hard to find.
As always our emphasis has been on plenty of outdoor activities, camps
and sleepovers. Within the Scout
Balanced Programme we ensure all our members make personal achievements with
badges and awards whilst experiencing plenty of excitement and adventure.
March 2009 has marked our 100th Anniversary, making us one of
the oldest Scout Groups in the world and also one of the few with a continuous
existence.
This is a record of which we are justly proud and various celebrations
are planned to mark the event.
So here we go – into our second century and thriving!
June 2008 saw the group
discussing and planning for the Re:Act/Hope 2008/CTS Fun Day on The Fishponds,
traditionally hosted by the
The need for a Youth/Teen
Worker was analysed - healthy, growing churches have strong youth
workers. We, as a church, need to establish an end result so that
Spectrum/Pathfinders are re-inforced and strengthened and not diluted by the
Worker. Also, exactly what do the Parish Youth want from Spectrum and
Pathfinders?
The Family and Marriage
Courses were successfully run through the autumn and winter months. It
was felt that they could be run again in 2009.
Cheryl Kuit
BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP
Our group is now in its 3rd year in which time we have bonded extremely
well, encouraging and supporting each other.
In the past year we welcomed two new members as well as seeing two
others leave to ease back into their work, with the occasional visit when
possible.
It has been exciting with demonstrations of cooking the perfect Onion
Bahjis and Waffles, which of course we had to taste afterwards! Also taking
advantage of the good weather, we visited Hampton Court Tea Garden in July and
in August the Millennium Tapestry in the beautiful walled garden in Sunbury.
In November the first 'Tolworth Team' memorial service took place in
We continue to meet at St.George's Church Centre on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesday afternoons of each month and all bereaved and lonely people are very
welcome to join us, (even the exceptionally snowy conditions in early February
did not deter us from meeting).
Esther Spokes.
FELLERS
Feller’s is the men’s group
formed in October 2007 with members from
We meet on the 2nd and 4th
Monday evenings at 8.00 pm in the lounge at St George’s and have followed the
John Eldridge course “Wild at Heart”, had a series of one of “hot topic”
evenings covering such the diverse matters as favourite bible passages,
morality and the markets, favourite poems and the Gideons. Latterly we had been looking at two Jeff
Lukas series on “God’s guidance” and life journeys. We have 8 to 10 regulars at out Monday
evenings and are always pleased to welcome anyone who wants to dip their toe
into the study evening water.
Our social activities have
included 10 pin bowling, rock wall climbing, lager and curry meals, a cycle
ride, a musical evening, paint balling and midsummer evening walk. It is been
great to welcome men and their sons to these events who have not (yet?) tried out Monday evenings.
Our outreach activity last
year was to help provide the hot food at the React Christian fun day organised
by Urban Saints had a Fishponds. This
was a hectic but rewarding occasion for all who took part.
All prospective Fellers
reading this are encouraged to contact one of us to find out more. We can promise you a warm welcome.
Bill 83992663 Ian 8337 5318
Jonathan 83993891
ST MATTHEWS CHOIR REPORT
This year I have struggled
to unite the Choir towards a common musical goal. Ambitious concerts were unsupported by Choir
members and audience. Our Christmas Carol Service was redeemed by the singing
of the Junior Choir and my thanks go to soloists and parents who provided
refreshments. Hopefully a renewed spirit will bring forth a more enthusiastic
sound as we count the precious weeks up until the August break.
Congratulations to James
Butler who has shown recently that he can match up to the Royal School of
Church Music requirements. James will be receiving his first ribbon this April
and it is essential to the future of the Choir that all follow his example and
sing with the spirit and the understanding.
I would like to thank
Sureeni for her diligent assistance with the Junior Choir. Also, thank you to Wes and Jess for running
rehearsals in my absence.
Alan Durham
BETA HOUSEGROUP
We meet on Wednesday evenings to study the Bible with the help of various courses. As well as having lively discussions, we try to end our sessions with a time of prayer. It is very important to share our concerns and joys with the group and to feel how important praying together can be.
I think I can speak for all in the group when I say that one of the most valuable parts of belonging to a housegroup is the fellowship we share. This means that as well as being a group who studies the Bible we also find time for one or two social events during the year.
Being a member of a housegroup is a great strength for one's spiritual life.
Judith Mackie
DELTA HOUSEGROUP
Delta continues to meet on a Wednesday evening between 8.00 and 10.00pm,
usually at
The group disbands for Lent when we join the Ecumenical Lent Groups but
we will be restarting as a group again in April.
The housegroup is a great source of support, a place where we can pray
for each other and share our problems and our joys. We enjoy the fellowship of the group and
would welcome anyone who would like to join us.
Brenda Tyrrell
BRUNCH BUNCH
Brunch Bunch meets on term
time Mondays from 9.45 – 11.00 in St Matthew’s Chapel. Sadly, we don’t have brunch, but we do have
tea and coffee, and once a year we go out to lunch together. We currently have eight members, most of whom
worship at St Matthews but we welcome members of other local churches, who
bring a different experience and a welcome new perspective to our discussions.
During 2008 our bible study
was focussed in two directions; first we looked in depth at the book of Joshua,
and later in the year we started a course on Acts, which we will be continuing
this summer. Our knowledge of the
establishment of
We have recently suspended
our meetings for the Lenten Ecumenical groups, but will restart on Monday 20
April. We would be pleased to welcome
new members.
Judith Jones
SCRAMBLERS REPORT
Scramblers age range 3-5
years old meet in the chapel during the Come Together Service. We changed room
last year and now share with climbers although there is a dividing screen
between us to prevent distraction. This
year the Scramblers has increased in numbers to between 10 and 11 children each
week. We use material from Searchlight
along with ideas of our own. It has
helped having a copy of these themes and readings for the come Together
|Service. Scramblers is run on a rota basis, though I am present most weeks and
I would like to thank Harriet and Mala for their continued support and also to
Rachel Holbrook who has recently joined our group as a helper. We extend a very warm welcome to every child
and parents are welcome to stay in the session if they wish.
Julie Marie
Climber’s
Report
Both myself and Karen
Alderson run Climber’s youth group which caters for children between 5 and 7
years old (Key stage 1). We had a few children move up to Explorers after the
Summer break and since September we have had a regular number of around 6
children. Some of the regulars we have
are too young for our group, but seem to be happy and coping. Since putting the screen across the room to
visually divide the two different age groups, this has helped with less
distractions. Parents need to be given
clarification of the age of different groups.
It can sometimes be a challenge only having the two leaders, since both
having families ourselves and me going on regular visits away, sometimes means
we are neither able to lead. This also
means that I personally very rarely get to listen to a sermon. We have managed to either combine our group
with Scramblers (3-5 years), asked Judith Mackie back or asked a leader from
Explorers. I feel that we need to find another person to help lead this
group. Since December we have altered
our registration format with the full names of the children being shown on the
form and planning on the reverse. This
seems to be working well.
Heather Palmer
EXPLORER REPORT
Hello, and welcome to an insight into the Explorer group. Explorers are made up of the 7 to 11 year
olds in St Matthew’s Church who meet in the Sitzler room during the Come
Together Service for approximately 20 minutes every week. The group is led by Pauline Keane with Lesley
Kennett, Ruth Holbrook with Susan Ambali and Jo Boaler.
We have about ten fairly regular members and spend our time doing
activities linked to the theme of the service.
These may include playing games, making things, drama and discussion as
well as discovering the relevance of the Bible to us today.
Our Explorers are a lovely, lively bunch of children who are
enthusiastic in their learning about God and in meeting with each other. They have led a couple of the services over
the year, and the opportunity to lead is a high point in the Explorer
year. Our latest service in March gave
some of the older children the chance to lead Come Together again and some of
the younger children an introduction to leading. Over time, we have noticed an increase in
their confidence and feelings of being valued as full members of St Matthew’s
by doing these services.
This past year, we arranged a post-Christmas trip to the CornerHouse for
the annual pantomime at the end of January.
Not only was the pantomime fun, but it was great spotting the church
members in the cast, and of course one of the stars of the show was our very
own Explorer, Jacob Palmer! Well done
Jacob, you entertained us so well and we all had a great afternoon.
If you ever feel like popping in to see us, please do – you will be made
welcome and you may even find you enjoy it enough to stay!
Pauline, Jo, Ruth and Lesley
St Matthew’s Pathfinders
Pathfinders at St Matthews continues to be a group
trying to meet the needs of young people in St Matthews congregation. We have
some 15 people aged 11 and up on our register. However it is rare that we have
the same group of people attending two weeks running. This seems to be a fact
of 21st century living, the demands on our young people ( and their
volunteer leaders ) make it hard for them to routinely be at the same church
service week in and week out. Thus at Pathfinders we have had to develop a
responsive approach to sessions, we have to shape what we do to who is there
and what their interests are.
This is a lively and intelligent bunch of young
people, grounded in their faith and alive to the world around them. They are
keen to share their views, experiences and questions, and to offer support to
each other, to the congregations and to worthwhile causes. They enjoy raising
funds for third world activities, leading St Matthews services, singing, having
socials, and playing Consequences.
They will be the future of our churches and we should cherish them.
SMARTIES Embroidery Group
Smarties
group have had a good year. We finished
our
For
Pentecost we made a 'quickie' temporary banner – in two weeks! - with the words
'Come Holy Spirit' and 'Come' in many languages.
Over the
months, we have been embroidering pieces for a floral banner and we decided to
take some of the pieces to make a gift for the church in
Although
we did not have our annual Open Days in 2008, we had a lovely summer outing to
see the Sunbury Embroidery and had a talk about the Embroidery, lunch and a
walk in the gardens. In 2009 our Open
Days will be in July and we hope to welcome you and your friends.
Gill Davies
THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY Surbiton Committee
Pam Southern
The
The latest news from the Hospital was received in
September 2008.
The photo below shows Wassim
Jeries a student in the
“I love studying and working at a
The hospital ask that we
pray for Wassim as he studies and works at the Hospital, that he may truly
reflect God’s light in the midst of this busy department and at school.
The Chaplaincy Service at
As always, any donation will
be gratefully received and passed on to them and as you can see it really is
appreciated and well used.
Thank you.
Jeff and Jennie Akerman
St. Matthew’s FUNdraisers Report
We
have a very hard working and successful team. Throughout the year we endeavour
to bring you new fun fundraising ideas and tasty food to tempt your palette,
which we hope that we have achieved. Our aim is not only to raise money for St,
Matthew’s but also to have fun and reach out to the wider community.
I
would like to thank everyone for their support and ask you all to let me know
of any new ideas or suggestions on how we can have fun and raise yet more
funds.
Laxmi Atkins
SOUP LUNCH REPORT
We had another successful
year with 15 meetings and an average of 24 people attending each lunch,
including every Friday in Lent.
Our cooks provided a variety
of soups, a number of which were new to the ‘Lunchers’ ; such as Red Pepper & Sweet Potato,
Courgette & Brie and Butternut
Squash. There was a selection of over 20
soups in all with four different varieties each Friday.
In October, thanks to
There were 46 people present
for our CTS Unity Soup Lunch in January when £112. was passed to KCAH all of
which made a total this year of £1346. (plus Gift Aid on £640.).
Sadly, Doreen Robinson died
in May; we miss her; she had been a member of St Matthew’s for a great number
of years and a regular at our soup lunches.
Our thanks go to Joan for
organizing everything so well, to the 12 soup makers who provide the ‘tastier
than-ever’ soups, the servers, the washers-up and the ‘furniture
removers’. We make a great team !!
The first Friday of each
month is a very happy occasion and we always welcome new comers. Come and join us at 12.30p.m. in the Sitzler
Room.
A.Souper.
Friendship Teas
We had a good year in 2008
and the residents of Milverton Nursing Home continue to come and enjoy the teas
and experience a change of
environment. It is so good to see them
them enjoy the cakes and sandwiches.
They are accompanied by carers who remark “we have never seen them eat
so well”. It is now a year since they
started coming and I hope that this will continue.
We still try to vary the
entertainment with a mix of games, videos and talks. In 2008 we showed videos on the re-building
of
In September there was a
talk on Bereavement and how individuals cope with the loss of a loved one. This was followed by a general discussion and
I was pleased when two people remarked that the talk had been helpful and I was
able to pass on information was given
about the churches Bereavement Group. In
November Sharon Fleming from Age Concern came and talked about the services Age
Concern can provide and the help they can give on a variety of subjects. Several people were very interested in the
lunch club in Chessington.
In December we had our
Christmas Party and were entertained by Monica who sang some popular songs of
times past. A good time was had by all.
All our teas are free to
everyone who comes. We do have a
donation box if anyone would like to make a contribution and this money is them
given to a variety of charities. In 2008
we collected £395 and we were able to give donations to “Raise the Roof”. This was a fund raising event to help raise
money for the roof of a church being built in
We average about 21 people
each afternoon. If you know of anyone
who would benefit from these afternoons of friendship and good company, please
let them know. We meet on the second
Wednesday of the month except January and July.
Pat Norrish
St
MatThew’s Treasurer’s Report for year ending 31st December 2008.
For
the year ended 31 December 2008, the St Matthew’s Church accounts show a
deficit of £6,228. This is caused by the loss on investments totaling £27,636.
If the losses on the investments in shares of £27,636 and investment income of
£13,956 are excluded, there is a net surplus of £7,452 which is a good result.
The highlights
of the financial result for 2008 are as follows:
Income:
The overall income have slightly increased by £576, but there is a
different spread of Incoming resources.
Our promised giving have
increased by 4% to £33,873 compared to 2007. Donations have also increased by
7% to £5185 compared to 2007. Thanks to all those who made this happen.
Income from church activities( weddings, church hires) have decreased by
12% to £7181 compared to 2007.
Rental income less maintenance from No: 172 Ellerton road, have
increased by 24% to
£9,308, this is mainly due to low maintenance costs compared to 2007.
Expenses:
Total resources expended have gone down by 14% mainly due to the high
maintenance costs in 2007 for the roof repairs and purchase of a new
photocopier.
However During the year the church carried out some maintenance work, built a fence by the rear door of the office, and some
electrical work in the church, all of which totalled the costs for repairs and
maintenance to £4626.
There is also funding supporting
Simon Simoyi which totalled £2730 for 2008.
2009 Budget
We are expecting to do repairs in the No: 172 Ellerton road property, as
the tenants have left, and It has been difficult since then to get new tenants.
The feedback we got is that the property needs repairs, these have recently
been estimated to £1980,Just for the basic carpets, sink and worktop
replacements. These estimates have been reflected in the 2009 Budget figures
2009 we are expecting a
deficit of £10,836 this is our income less our normal day to day running costs
such as the Diocesan quota, heat and light etc. this number excludes donations.
with God’s grace and hard work from everyone involved, we should not see a
further deterioration in our finances by a large margin, but we will need to
continue our drive towards consolidation of our promised giving and
encouragement of donations for special causes.
Juliana Maleko
April 2009
ST GEORGES REPORTS
ST GEORGE’S MINISTER’S REPORT
Mark Melluish, a church
minister I admire very much, said this.
‘It is that time of year when many of us in
churches are having our annual general meetings. Each year I begin with a very
familiar sentence to my church family which says that this last year has been
one of change and we look forward to the next year, which will again be a year
of change.
The church, as established by Jesus, was
done so on the promise of change. Christianity means changed hearts; it means
changed families, changed marriages, changed communities, changed cities and
changed countries. Christianity brings change in its wake. Ultimately, Jesus
came that the whole of humanity could be changed. We know that living things
change and growing things change and I sometimes ask myself whether I am
comfortable, or enjoying the comfort, of not changing. It is very easy to stay
as we are. It is very easy to keep the status quo and sit back and yet God
calls us to continue to rise up and step out to embrace the move of God as He
moves amongst us’.
I can only say a heartfelt yes to this. For
me, here are some highlights of the past year.
During the autumn we were
able to offer ‘The Marriage Course’, which was well received and well evaluated
by those who took part. We are amending the course delivery in line with the
feedback we received and hope to offer a further course later this year.
In the summer term we are
also planning to offer across the parish the newly updated course in parenting,
‘Family Time’. Our hope is that this will also provide opportunities for low
key evangelism.
It’s been great to see our
new 3-5 years group running and for the growth that has occurred with that
group. I’d like to thank Tracey and the current team of helpers who resource
the group. We still desperately need others, something I brought to the
church’s attention a year ago. If you have a heart to invest in the lives of
children aged 3-5, please do speak with Tracey or myself. The involvement is
not massive, in terms of time and it provides the opportunity to sow into the
lives of children for the future.
It’s also been exciting to
see our older children and young people continue to grow in faith and for many
of them the New Wine summer conference was again a significant event. I’d like
to thank Rachel and the team for their work, their commitment and their vision
to see Discovery House being exactly this: a place where our children and young
people discover more about faith and learn to live as effective disciples’ of
Jesus Christ.
I’ve found it so encouraging
to see Fellers established and as a member, discussions have been helpful and
friendships and trust are growing and my thanks go to Ian, Jonathan, Norman and
Bill for their commitment and leadership of the group.
Also, it’s been so good to
see ‘Silver Threads’ established and I’d like to particularly thank Ada for
overseeing this group and Esther for her help. Our hope is that this group will
continue to grow and provide a point of contact for elderly folk who are not
currently part of our worshipping congregations.
I’m also very grateful to
Dave and Jackie Farris, for the pastoral care they have given to members of
‘Tweekers’ and to Pat and David Ward, for their commitment to ‘Stuffers’.
In June 2008, Ian Mole was
commissioned as a SPA and it was great to celebrate with Ian and
I’d also like to thank
Esther for her commitment to the Bereavement support group which has been such
a blessing to those who attend and also for the work she tirelessly puts into
our church within the realm of pastoral care. Her encouragement to me
personally has been a great gift, something for which I have been so grateful,
and on your behalf I would like to thank her.
Likewise, I’d like to again
thank Lesley, both for her teaching input which I believe gets increasingly
creative and authoritative, and also for her work as Warden.
I’d like to thank all church
council members for the time and energy they have invested in the leadership of
During the last year, we
have been able to celebrate the formation of the Tolworth team. Personally, I
love the word ‘Team’. I believe it’s true. In team, ‘Together Everyone Achieves
More’. The new team structure overnight corrected the existing legal anomalies
within our parish and we now have a structure which is flexible and innovative.
The structure allows the Rector of the parish to be placed at either of our two
churches and continues to encourage relationship and increasing cooperation
between our churches, as we seek to experience more of the presence of God’s
Kingdom amongst us. What thrilled me was the sense of God going before us,
preparing the way, and it was amazing to see how smoothly the process moved to
completion. Our service of celebration was a highlight of the year for me and
we are now seeking to clarify a new team logo, as well as a new team vision, as
we enter a new future.
All of the models of the NT
reflect churches which are communities of vibrant faith characterised by growth
and fruitfulness and certainly not by stagnation or decline.
Growth always involves
change, which may be uncomfortable and challenging. All of my children have
experienced growing pains and it strikes me this is often the case in church
life. But growth is always about life and new life. Jesus said ‘I have come
that you might have life, and have it abundantly’.
In Tolworth, we are placed
in a community replete with families and children, close to several schools and
with a building that offers many natural opportunities for creative mission.
Our mission opportunities are profound, set as we are within an established
residential community and may we always seek to be a church community of all
ages. Building relationship with our community has to be a key priority for the
future, as we seek to share with them the message of the gospel.
During the past year, we
carried out a worship consultation which proved very useful. From this, it was
clear our desire is to remain as one congregation, at present, and we have
therefore now begun a period of experimental worship. Our morning services seek
to meet increasingly diverse needs, ranging from the more reflective and
traditional approach alongside those who would love to see more spontaneity and
freedom of expression in worship. Neither is necessarily wrong, and both
approaches reflect the fact that we are different and relate to God
differently, in terms of our preferred worship style and those areas that help
nurture our faith. The Biblical assumption is that our worship would involve
every part of us and to that aim I am wholly committed. I believe our future is
one which will combine both expressive forms of worship alongside the more
contemplative.
My aim is that we will
combine the best in liturgy but also allow increasingly for freedom and spontaneity.
Whether we can achieve that within a single Sunday service pattern remains
unclear but the Lord, I believe, will continue to lead us on this, as He has
done so far.
As an Anglican minister, I
believe we are here for everyone, and in the area of public worship that must
involve an openness to engage in worship beyond that with which we are
comfortable. Otherwise, we cease to grow.
I’ve again been thrilled
this year with the development of our prayer stations and would like to thank
all those who have stepped out in faith and blessed us so richly with their
creativity.
During the past year we have
again had to devote significant resources to the repair and renovation of our
fabric, which Tracey and Lesley have described in their report. Highlights have
included a complete renovation of our hall and toilets and the fitting of new
Sanctuary windows.
Our new communion furniture
arrived with our Archdeacon Stephen dedicating the table to God’s glory. The
table was followed by two larger kneelers and two new chairs, all of which I
believe have added greatly to the Sanctuary as a whole as well as facilitating
Communion together. Thank you to all of you who have contributed to these
works, either practically or
financially. As a church we
are so grateful.
Our church council is now
forming plans for the redecoration of the Sanctuary, as part of our 75th
Anniversary celebrations. These plans will include carpeting both ends, and
also the installation of visual projection equipment, to allow the use of a
variety of visual media which will help enhance our worship together.
I would want to continue to
say, as minister, that I believe the Biblical mandate is this. If it’s for God,
then we give Him of our very best.
.
Could I particularly thank
Tracey and Lesley who have been such an encouragement. In my view, they have
been superb wardens; simply a joy to work with over the past 12 months, a
source of inspiration and friendship to me personally, whilst maintaining a God
given objectivity in their decision making.
As minister, I am also so
grateful to all of you for your ministry and the commitment and effort with
which you exercise it, in whatever area of our churches life this may be.
Paul writes in Ephesians
3:20
‘Now to
Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.’
I pray that in the coming
year, we will be increasingly aware of God’s presence with us and in us. May
His glory will be seen amongst us in increasing measure, as we yield to His
leading.
I believe we must seek God’s
leading for a vision which is beyond our ability and beyond our resources. A
vision which will stretch our faith, excite us and allow us first hand to see
the
Here’s to the next stage of
the journey!
Every blessing.
Clive
It is a delight to report
that there have been significant improvements to the fabric of both the Church
Centre and the Sanctuary this year. In the Church Centre, the hall has been
completely redecorated and refurbished, with new chairs, children’s tables and
chairs, and storage racks. New blinds have been installed, and a new window
fitted in the lounge. The toilets have been refurbished and redecorated, and
improvements to the sound-proofing of the hall are in hand. Externally,
necessary tree surgery has been carried out. In the Sanctuary, new windows have
been fitted, but the highlight of the year has been the installation of the new
table, extended kneelers, prayer desk and chairs. We would like to record our
gratitude to Peter Blofield, who designed and made all these items, and to
those whose generosity has provided them. Next year, further works planned
include the redecoration of the Sanctuary, and all this reflects our desire to
provide an environment for worship that enables each one of us to come and meet
with God.
Another major undertaking
this year has been the consultation regarding our worship pattern, with the
resultant trial which has recently commenced. Our aim in all this has been to
provide opportunities for both traditional and more contemporary, informal
worship whilst valuing unity and allowing for the growth of our church family,
both in terms of our individual walks with God, and of our congregation as a
whole. Integral to this new trial are the introduction of joint services and
pulpit exchanges, and these, together with the Parish weekend at Ashburnham,
the joint party visiting the New Wine Conference at Shepton Mallet in the
summer, and our involvement in the
Re-act event at Fishponds
last summer have done much to cement the fellowship of the Team Ministry as a
whole.
We would both like to take
this opportunity to acknowledge the privilege of working with Clive and the
Council, and of representing and serving the people of
Tracey O’Shea
Lesley Bell
Silver
Threads
Our inaugural meeting was held on Tuesday 8th April 2008. It was a very
informal happy occasion, attended by 19 of us. As I was asked to be leader of
this group I welcomed and thanked all for attending. Esther Spokes took over
and encouraged all to put forward any ideas to help with future meetings. I
asked Betty Owen to handle the subscriptions which we agreed would be 50p
enabling us to cover the cost of refreshments, tea, coffee and hot water!! and
delicious home made cakes (at no cost). I chose Audrey Daniels, 'our press
reporter' and she has done an excellent job, the proof is in the excellent
articles produced for our Church magazine 'Unity' this talented lady does have
a way with words.
We have had many talks on various topics, 'Breatheasy' - related to
chest problems. Reminiscences of the Second World War, Benefits for Pensioners,
Trolley Buses, Experiences in the Revenue (without State secrets revealed)
Development and Changes in Tolworth & Surbiton through the 19th & 20th
centuries, Remembering 90 years since the Armistice of 1914/18 War, Talk and
Slide show of the Children's Hospice 'Shooting Star' and a Photograph Display,
we also have lots of happy chatter amongst ourselves.
Our 2 highlight occasions were our 2008 Christmas Party and the Soup
Lunch in March this year.
Membership has proved to be excellent we have 18 regulars, on occasions
25 attend.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in our group for
their help, humour and encouragement which has made it such a success. Special
thanks to Clive Laker for his interest and encouragement and allowing us to use
the hall, he also attends whenever possible. Sincere thanks to Esther, Betty,
Eileen, Audrey, and to John Elworthy.
To all out there' - we meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10.30am
in St. George's Hall. Do drop by - (time changes are made for special
occasions). God Bless.
Stuffers
This has been an interesting and varied year for the Stuffers group. The
highlight was a visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery. We were received by Gillian
Wolfe, C.B.E., the head of education at Dulwich. After being shown round the
Gallery and a delicious lunch we were introduced to watercolours and encouraged
to make flower pictures. We were amazed at our own skill !!
During the year we tackled several different subjects including life in
Pat Ward.
5th Surbiton
Brownie Pack Report
We have had a busy year as
usual. We have seen old Brownies leave and new ones join with many new
enrolments. Starting from where we left
off with the last report, the first badge we did as a pack was the Road Safety
badge, this was carried out over many weeks, with the girls completing
specially designed work packs and going round to
I would also like to say a
thank you to my four Unit Helpers, Brenda Steventon (Stevie Owl), Lorraine
Smith (Snowy Owl), Claire Smith (Fluffy Owl) and
Suzanne Lock
Brown Owl
ST GEORGE’S TREASURER’S REPORT - year ended 31 December
2008
We had a
deficit for the year ended 31 December 2008 of £4,714. If our investment income
and the loss on revaluation of the Lloyds TSB shares are removed, we had a
deficit for the year of £2,835. This is another great result as it includes
expenditure on new equipment and repairs during the year of £18,326. Thank you
to everyone who gave, fund raised or prayed this money in.
The
highlights of the financial result for 2008 are as follows:
Overall total income was £3,631 higher than in 2007.
Promised
giving and donations
Promised
giving has increased by £3,370 and donations including bequests by £834. The
table below shows the growth in giving over the last 5 years and given that
church family numbers have broadly stayed the same, it shows that we have much
to be thankful for.
|
Year |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Budget
2009 |
|
Promised
giving |
14,729 |
16,634 |
20,977 |
26,545 |
29,915 |
30,265 based
on standing orders in place |
|
Donations |
12,411 |
12,411 |
9,406 |
11,514 |
12,348 |
|
|
Total
promised giving & donations |
27,140 |
29,045 |
30,383 |
38,059 |
42,263 |
|
The above
table shows great progress in growing our giving but we still have a further
distance to go. It is wonderful to receive donations but they are by their
nature irregular and cannot be assumed. We need a regular giving pattern
through bank standing orders so that our day to day expenditure is covered. Our last Fairer Shares
Survey showed that if all
Hall
letting
Hall letting income in 2008 was very similar to 2007 but is expected to
decline by about £4,000 in 2009 due to the loss of a major let.
Expenditure
Expenditure excluding
repairs was similar to 2007 although there was a different spread of
expenses. The cleaning of the hall has
continued to be carried out on a voluntary basis reducing caretaker and
cleaning costs by the salary previously paid of £3,120. As a Parish, the Church Councils of St
George’s and St Matthew’s have continued to support Simon Simoyi by covering
the rent for a room and a small living allowance. The total rent and living allowance paid by
During the year
expenditure of £16,445 was spent refurbishing the hall, toilets and replacing
the Communion Table, chair and kneelers. In 2009 work is required to renovate
the Sanctuary including replacing the windows and redecorating. The budget shows an amount of £26,407 to
cover this and other important repairs. A 75th Anniversary Fund will
be established to raise funds for this important renovation.
For 2009, we are facing an operating deficit of
£9,773. This is our income from
promised giving less our normal day to day running costs such as the Diocesan
quota, heat and light etc. This number excludes donations and the impact of the
estimated maintenance costs which will be partly paid for out of hall letting
income with the balance from donations and any shortfall from our savings. As mentioned earlier, please continue to pray that we will have the courage as a
church family to move further towards the target of giving 4% of our income
during 2009.
Rachel Whitelaw
April 2009
Discovery House
report
Discovery
House is the youth group for the teenagers at
Thank
you to everyone who has visited Discovery House during the year and shared
Jesus with us. In particular, a special thank you to
Rachel Whitelaw
Prayer Stations
Once again, during the past
year our prayer stations have been stunningly beautiful and creative. They
continue to bring a powerful dimension to our prayer life as a church from
which many of us have benefited.
As Minister, I’m so grateful
to all those who have created our prayer stations and for the blessing you have
brought to us as a church during the last twelve months. Thank you.
If anyone would like to join
the team, please have a word with Carol.
Clive Laker
Fuel Fellowship
It’s been another year of
blessing and fellowship, which has included worshipping together, courses on
DVD, times of sharing and encouragement and also two joint meetings with
Tweekers.
We meet on Tuesdays at
8.00pm. If anyone would like to join us, you would be really welcome.
Clive Laker
Tweekers
House Group
(
The Tweekers house group meets for spiritual development and fellowship
every week. During the past year we've been using the book of Proverbs and
Selwyn Hughes' 7 Laws of Spiritual Success as our study guides, both offering
us great personal opportunities for growth. We've also linked with the other
St.George's group, Fuel, to engage in joint study.
We've hosted two parish wide evening in St.George's church hall; visits
from Landirani Trust and Kingston Street Pastors.
Socially this past year we've been lead on an historical tour of
We thank God for this chance to learn.
Dave Farris