TOLWORTH TEAM MINISTRY
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH
MEETING
will be held at
on Monday 19th
April 2010 at 7:30pm
MEETING OF PARISHIONERS
AGENDA
7:30 Worship
7:35 Minutes of the 2009
Meeting
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH
MEETING 7:55pm
AGENDA
Minutes of 2009 Meeting*
Annual Report of the PCC*
Notification of matters for Any Other Business
Deanery Synod Report
Parish Organisations’ Reports
(Only
joint church group reports included)
Financial Reports, Accounts and Budgets
Appointment of Auditor(s)
Presentation of Electoral Roll
Any Other Business
Closing Prayer
Rev Simon Hones
Team Rector
TOLWORTH TEAM
MINISTRY
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL
CHURCH MEETING
MONDAY 27TH
APRIL 2009
Rev Simon Hones
was in the Chair. There were 43
Parishioners present, 29 from St Matthew’s and 14 from
Apologies for absence: Apologies for absence were received from Pat Norrish,
Stuart Russell, Carol Laker, Sarath Weerasinghe
The meeting opened with a welcome by Rev Simon Hones followed by Rev Clive Laker leading in worship.
Simon thanked Andy Keane for collating and producing the majority of the documents for the meeting.
The minutes of the 2008 Parishioners’ Meeting were agreed and signed by Rev Simon Hones after correcting the misspelling of Lorraine Mole’s name.
ELECTION OF CHURCH WARDENS.
Simon thanked the four wardens Tracey, Lesley, Malcolm and Laxmi for their hard work, principally for God but also for the Churches. He was grateful for their support and assistance to the clergy, and said it had been a privilege to serve with them. He particularly thanked Malcolm for his service, as he was stepping down.
St Matthew’s Church:
Jeffrey Akerman proposed by Paul Atkins
Seconded by Laxmi Atkins
Laxmi Atkins Proposed by Sarath Weerasinghe
Seconded by Andy Keane
Lesley Bell Proposed by Eileen Turner
Seconded by Shirley Hayward
Tracey O’Shea Proposed by Anne Rumbelow
Seconded by Joan Collins
The elections of the above were approved and their co-option to the PCC agreed.
Simon welcomed the elected wardens and said he looked forward to working with them.
Simon also paid tribute to his colleagues in ministry, Clive and Victor, and the Lay Readers Tony, John and Lesley for sharing in the Ministry of Leadership, particularly at worship in the Parish.
The meeting closed at 7.40pm
TOLWORTH TEAM
MINISTRY
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
MONDAY 27th APRIL 2009
Rev Simon Hones took the
chair. There were 43 parishioners
present, 29 from St Matthew’s and 14 from
Apologies for absence: Apologies were received from Pat Norrish, Lorraine Mole, Ian Mole, Rachel Whitelaw, Jack Dowson, Jackie Farris, Dave Farris, Stuart Russell, Carol Laker, and Sarath Weerasinghe
1. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD
ON 21ST APRIL 2008
Subject to two corrections, (i.e.
Synond changed to Synod and Loraine changed to
2. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURH COUNCIL
There were two corrections. (i.e. overseas changed to oversees and moneys changed to monies.) Subject to these two corrections the report for the calendar year, 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2008 as approved by the PCC was received.
3. REPORT OF THE FABRIC, GOODS
AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCHES
The reports for St Matthew’s and
4. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
No items for discussion were submitted.
5. DEANERY SYNOD REPORT
There was no Deanery Synod report submitted.
6. PARISH ORGANISATIONS’ REPORTS
The reports of the Parish Organisations were received.
7. FINANCIAL REPORTS, ACCOUNTS
AND BUDGETS
Rachel was unable to attend the meeting. Lesley read a statement sent by her. The statement is set out below in its entirety.
I
am sorry not to be here tonight but I am away at a work function. Thank you to
Lesley for agreeing to read a report from me instead. If there are any
questions, please pass onto Lesley and I would be happy to write or to
telephone you with a response.
For
a summary view of the financial results of 2008, please look at page 12 of the
accounts pack.
We
had a deficit for the year ended 31 December 2008 of £4,714. If our investment
income and the loss on the revaluation of the Lloyds TSB shares are removed (as
these are capital investment items rather than our day to day items), we had a
deficit for the year of £2,835. This is
the amount shown at the bottom of the actual 2008 column on page 12. This is
another great result as it includes expenditure on new equipment and repairs
during the year of £16,445 plus repair contracts of £1,500. 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. Over
the last 5 years our promised giving has increased by over £15,000. Given that
church family numbers have broadly stayed the same, it shows that we have much
to be thankful for. But we still have a further distance to go.
We
received over £12,000 of donations and bequests in 2008, which is wonderful to
receive, but they are by their nature irregular and cannot be assumed. We need
to continue to develop 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 £24,907 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 is the gap that needs to be filled
by increasing our promised giving.
In addition,
there are estimated maintenance costs of £24,907 over and above our maintenance
contracts which will be the subject for a 75th anniversary fund and
for donations given during 2009. This is a large sum but as a church, there has
historically been a heart to give to capital projects to renovate the
church. With gift aid on donations and
our hall letting income, we need approximately £23,000 in additional gifts to
break even in 2009 on the current budget. Where we are short, we will draw from
our savings. As the renovations are for a long term benefit, there should be a
reduction in repairs in future years.
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.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Brenda Steventon who after
having been involved in the stewardship record keeping for 8 years and the
finance book keeping for 4 years decided to step down during 2008. Mary Gretton
has taken over and thanks to her for keeping the books so well for the
remaining part of the year.
Rachel Whitelaw
April 2009
Clive drew attention to page 10 of the financial statements i.e. to Ken Hayward’s bequest. He thought it should be £3500 and not £3000 as shown.
He thanked St Matthew’s and
He also thanked Rachel Whitelaw and said he was very grateful for all she did for the church and parish. He said that he was sure that the financial challenges could be met by having faith in God and generous hearts. The focus should be on the living God and He would provide for us as we seek Him and follow Him.
Simon drew attention to the fact
that from Rachel’s report, promised giving by
The Financial Statements for
St Matthew’s
Juliana read the St Matthew’s Treasurer’s report, which had been circulated with the papers.
The Financial Statements for St Matthew’s were received.
Juliana read the Parish financial report from page 11 of the circulated papers
The Financial Statements for the Parish were received.
Clive stated that since the transfer of 127 Hamilton Avenue to the Diocese, plans had been drawn up to renovate the property and if these plans were to go through to fruition as formulated they would go to tender in the autumn and some time next year building work would commence.
Simon thanked Juliana as Parish Treasurer and as St Matthew’s Treasurer and Rachel as St George’s Treasurer for the enormous amount of work they had done in preparation for the meeting and for their day to day care of the funds of the Parish.
8. APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS.
The Parish Auditor, George Mitchell ACA is prepared to continue in that capacity and his re appointment was agreed unanimously.
Simon thanked George Mitchell for his work.
9. PRESENTATION OF THE
ELECTORAL ROLL
Judith Jones presented the
Electoral Roll. It now stood at 212 with
128 members at St Matthew’s and 84 at
10. ELECTION OF SIX
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LAITY TO THE PCC
St Matthew’s had 3 vacancies to fill. The nominations were:
Michael Kennett Nominated by Malcolm Brown
Seconded by Laxmi Atkins
Ben Keeble Nominated by Paul Atkins
Seconded by Mala Weerasinghe
Paul Morrison Nominated By Laxmi Atkins
Seconded by Mala Weerasinghe
On behalf of the clergy, Simon thanked the members of the PCC who served last year and welcomed the new members. He stated that the PCC had the responsibility of sharing with the incumbent the authority and the governance of the Church. It also had influence over future direction and decisions.
11. ELECTION OF
REPRESENTATIVES TO THE DEANERY SYNOD
Shirley Hayward and Anne Geater were a third of the way through their terms of office
There were two vacancies to be
filled. One nomination from
Christopher Gretton Nominated by Shirley Hayward
Seconded by Gladys Wood
12. VICARS’ REVIEW FOR THE YEAR
Clive spoke about his report, which was circulated with the APCM papers.
He stated that he would not be reading his report as it was circulated but would take points or questions. He said he enjoyed writing the report and there was much to be grateful for and much to look forward to.
Simon’s report was not circulated with the papers and is therefore presented here in its entirety.
RECTOR’S REVIEW OF THE YEAR APCM
2009
It’s a rare thing these days to be able to make a report that is entirely good news. But that’s what this is.
As I went back over the year since our last APCM and drew up a series of headings, I realised that we have a lot for which to be grateful to God.
My comments will relate mostly to
St Matthew’s, as Clive has given a good account of
The greatest event of the year was of course the implementation of the Bishop’s Pastoral Measure that created the Tolworth Team Ministry. A year and a half of work by our Leadership Team and the Assistant Diocesan Secretary, assisted by the PCC and Archdeacon led to the creation of the Team on the first of November 2008. This was celebrated formally by our service on 16th November. Of course, we didn’t see any significant change overnight, because we were already acting as a Team, and the legal process was simply catching up with the Holy Spirit’s work.
Let there be no mistake; we did not make this Team. There had been several human attempts over 35 years to reorganise this parish, but the process only came to fulfilment when the Spirit moved. The Bible has two words for time: cronos, which is the scientific term for seconds and years, and kairos, which means God’s time, the appointed time, or better still: the right time. We experienced the power in love of the Holy Spirit when He smoothed relations between the two church leaderships the previous summer, giving us the peace and unity of which Scripture speaks. What happened last autumn was the Lord bringing that work to fruition.
But in another sense, it was not the fulfilment, but a beginning. God has given us a new beginning –a new birth- and now we must live the life that He has given us. These are still early days. I have not quite got used to styling myself “Rector”, and we have yet to see most of what this new life will entail. It is appropriate that we should work to root the idea in our hearts and attitudes with activities such as our regular shared Team Services, because it will take some while for each of us to think of our church unit as a Team, not a particular congregation. This is even more complicated for members at St Matthew’s (NB at St Matthew’s, not of St Matthew’s, because we are members of Tolworth Team) because here people belong first to one of three congregations. Cultural changes take longer than most changes because they are so deeply set within us, but we are one Team with four congregations in two buildings.
More significantly, our main task is now to seek God’s plan for His Tolworth Team. What is the vision He has for us? How does He want us to go about working towards that vision? Two things are certain: 1) that will only happen at the kairos –His right time; and 2) the work that we must do must be done in the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own determination -just as happened with the change He has already wrought.
Because His time is often different from ours, we should be prepared for Him to say that He won’t reveal His vision yet –only He knows when we will be ready and when it fits with His plan. We may have to be ready for instant action; -but we may also have to be patient. There may be different agendas that God wants fulfilled at His two churches before He moves His Team forward.
As yet we don’t know, but we are in His hands.
I want to pay tribute to the Ministry Teams of the PCC –especially the Pastoral and Mission Teams- that have responsibility for developing the effective ministry in this parish. Thank you to all of you who serve God in this way; I hope that you find His work fulfilling. For those of you who don’t know, these teams are made up of PCC members and others, and they develop ideas, bring them to the PCC for decision and, if approved, then take them back and implement them. The generic title indicates that they are where the bulk of the ministry of our Parish is actually done. The PCC has the authority, but the Ministry Teams actually “get their hands dirty”. There’s more about them in the Annual Report of the PCC in your papers, and if you are attracted by the opportunity to serve God in that way, talk to one of the PCC members about joining one. At the first meeting of the PCC in May, we usually refresh those teams and make some changes to their membership.
In the summer last year, a group
from our parish had a spiritually invigorating week at the New Wine Festival in
In September of last year,
members from both churches went away for a weekend at
Thank you to the group who organised that for us.
We have had another good year as
part of Churches Together in Surbiton.
This year CTS will be holding another Re:Act day on Sunday 2nd August, and we will be part of it. Our rep. on the organising Committee is Richard Waddington, and he will be looking for people to participate over the next month or so. We are not doing the catering this year.
We also need some younger adults from our churches to represent us at the CTS meetings.
Last year, instead of our annual
Alpha Course, we offered two courses designed to enrich people’s family lives.
The Marriage Course was held at
Sunday services are primarily about worshipping God. As a result we do grow in our faith and become better Christians, but that is a spin-off. It’s difficult to engage with each other in a prolonged and meaningful way during a service, and for just one hour a week. The best way to grow spiritually is to belong to a small group with people like one’sself to pray and talk together about Jesus and what it’s like being Christian day-to-day. We have several groups like that in the parish, which we call Housegroups. The vast majority of people find membership of a housegroup is enjoyable and very rewarding. There are details in the APCM papers, Unity Magazine and weekly Notices Sheets. If you don’t belong to one yet, make contact with a group and go along.
God has continued to bless St Matthew’s over the last year with a significant growth in numbers. Most new members are young families, who are attracted by the 11 o’clock Come Together service, which is tailored for them. Though it would now be termed a Fresh Expression of Church, Come Together began in 1995 when nobody had yet coined the term. We had identified young families as making up the largest sector of our parish population, and sought to serve them. Rarely a week goes past without a new family giving it a try, and most stay. One challenge that comes of this is getting to know all the new people; another is giving them a real sense of belonging. The St Matthew’s District Church Council is constantly working at that, and we hope to provide a family fun day in June this year for all the 11 o’clock congregation to get to know each other and have fun together.
We need to identify those among our newer members that God is calling and equipping for leadership in the church –not as Bishops, but decision-makers and servants within the congregation. Partly to that end, and also to encourage and equip our existing leadership and find others who are not so new, we plan to run the CPAS Growing Leaders course in 2009, which will be offered right across the Tolworth Team.
The winter just past saw St Matthew’s more comfortable than in the past. It will never be a warm building, but we have been able to shelve plans to completely re-order the building at enormous cost in order to heat it effectively. For a very small outlay on replacement heaters and a new space heater to boost the temperature before the 8am service, we have reached an adequate level of comfort. I’m very grateful to Andy Keane, who worked with me to get every wall heater operational.
Lastly, St Matthew’s has
stretched out a very long arm across the seas to
The church service was awesome! We were welcomed by dancing choirs waving flowers from the trees (it was Palm Sunday), and were treated like royalty. I cut the ribbon, unveiled a plaque with their equivalent of the Archbishop, then handed him the keys to the new church. Then the congregation started coming in. Then they continued coming in. By the time they had finished coming in, there were 4,500 people in the church, with another 500 or so outside, leaning in the windows! A 3½ hour service then followed, with lots of singing, dancing and speeches. Smarties had made two lovely banners which we displayed on the wall, and they gave us a painting for St Matthew’s, along with bolts of their commemorative cloth.
We hope to maintain our link with Chimwang’ombe for years to come, and you are encouraged to visit them if you relish a REAL welcome.
13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business
On behalf of the parishioners Lesley thanked Simon and Clive for their hard work and leadership. She said it was a privilege to work with them.
The meeting closed with everyone joining in the Lords Prayer.
.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
PAROCHIAL CHURCH
COUNCIL
For the year ended 31st
December 2009
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
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.
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, we have 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
participated in the unity service held in May at the Tolworth Recreation
Centre. 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 2009. Members
from both Churches attended the New Wine Festival in
House groups have
flourished, with a new group starting this year. There are six
meeting weekly in the parish
and one monthly.
As a Team Ministry we have
continued to grow and build relationships.
Members of the PCC are
either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in
accordance with the Church representation rules.
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 Jeffrey Akerman
Mrs Laxmi Atkins
Mrs Tracey O’Shea
Mrs Lesley Bell
Representatives on the
Deanery Synod:
Until APCM 2011 Mrs Shirley Hayward
Mrs Ann Geater
Until APCM 2012 Mr Christopher Gretton
(Plus one vacancy)
Elected representatives of
the laity:
Until APCM 2010 Mrs Esther Spokes
Mr Alan Durham
Mrs Carol Laker
Until APCM 2011 Mr
Bill Thornton
Mr Ian Mole
Mrs Rachel Whitelaw – St George’s
Treasurer
Miss
Juliana Maleko – St Matthew’s & Parish Treasurer (resigned Dec’09)
Mrs
Marina Abbot- St Matthew’s & Parish Treasurer (appointed Dec’09)
Mr John
Manbre (resigned March 2010)
Mrs
Until APCM 2012 Mr Ben Keeble
Mr Paul Morrison
Mr Michael Kennett
(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 Rector and the Team Vicar 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 solely to St Matthew’s church.
Attends to matters
that relate solely 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.
Monitoring income
and expenditure, budgeting and co-ordinating planned giving is done by the
above committee.
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
junior church, House groups and visiting.
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
There were 212 members
on the electoral Roll: 128 at St Matthew’s and 84 at
In addition, each
Church maintains a list of attending adults.
REVIEW OF THE
YEAR
The full PCC met on
five occasions during the calendar year 2009. 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 finalise a detailed Lease
of the Parish Hall to the Trust.
The PCC has led the
parish in links with, and support for, our church school during the year. Three
new governors were appointed successfully from St Matthew’s Church. This has
helped to strengthen the relationship between the Parish and the School.
In its first year as
a Team Ministry we have grown in strength and the two churches now have a sense
of unity and equality. The shared Team services have been successful. We look
to the future with optimism as we seek to do God’s will in this Parish.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
St Matthew’s &
The combined results for the
year ending 31 December 2009 are a surplus of £17,744, before gains or losses
on investments. With the good news on investments, the addition of an overall
gain of £15,698, gives a total surplus for the year of £33,442.
There
was an increase in planned giving of £9,986 and collections and donations
increased from 2008 by £17,834, including a legacy receipt of £12,000.
Thank
you to everyone who has contributed. For a clear understanding of the financial
position of the Parish and the two churches, the individual accounts of each
entity should be reviewed individually. An overview for each account is given
below.
St Matthew’s Church
St
Matthews Church had a net surplus for the year ended 31 December 2009 of
£17,730. Excluding income from dividends and interest of £7012 this leaves a
surplus of £10,717, due to church activities, which is a very good result.
Including
the gains from the investments of £14,615 an overall surplus for the year of
£32,345 is achieved.
For
further detailed analysis, please read the St Matthews Treasurers report.
Parish
The
parish had a surplus of £228 for the year ended 31 December 2009. This was
before the gain on the Land Fund of £1911, giving an overall surplus of £2140.
Other
It
is our policy to invest our surplus funds with the CBF Church of England
Deposit Fund.
Approved
by the
REPORTS FOR JOINT GROUPS ACROSS ST MATTHEW’S &
ST MATTHEW’s WITH ST GEORGES
PASTORAL TEAM
Continuing its work of
recent years, the Pastoral Team continues to
seek to give support to those whose situation may be considered
vulnerable. The Bereavement Support Group
meets twice monthly at St George’s, the annual Bereavement Service
was held in November 2009, this time at
St Matthew’s Church, and the over 60’s
‘Silver Threads’ continues to be a successful venture.
Visits to families wishing
to consider Thanksgivings or Baptisms
continue, as do follow-up visits in
regard to funerals.
There is a 6 weekly visit to
Milverton Nursing Home to provide a
service of Holy Communion, and also a monthly one for the same purpose to Rosclare Residential Home. Although these homes differ in their function
both appreciate the effort made by the members
of St Matthew’s church to meet
their needs. Other residential homes
are occasionally desirous of a visit but time, circumstance and availability
render this impractical.
Residents of Miverton are
encouraged to come along to ‘Friendship
Teas’ at St Matthew’s and this proves an enlivening social occasion for them,
enabling social skills to be honed.
Other aspects of the
Pastoral Team’s ministry are of a
confidential nature and are not, therefore, detailed here.
Those who serve on the team
continue to regard it as a privilege to
be involved in showing God’s love and
compassion to those amongst whom they
serve.
Victor Cuthbert
( Co-ordinator)
THE CHILDRENS SOCIETY
Since we are no longer a Committee as such, we do not meet so often, and
now there are only 7 of us, as sadly one of our Group, Peggy Ling, a long time
and dedicated supporter from St Paul’s Hook, has passed on – much missed by
family and friends. However, we are still supportive of the Society’s
work and intend to have a street collection in
Pam Southern
The Corner House
The
cornerHOUSE Community Arts Centre
The
cornerHOUSE continues to be run by the Douglas Centre Trust, a charity jointly
set up by the parish and the community some 15 years ago. The centre is run in
the parish's hall, which is let to the Trust at a peppercorn rent. The Centre
is run very successfully by a band of volunteers and provides an unparalleled
resource for all the community.
The Centre provides space for local
groups, including after school drama clubs, a theatre group for people with
learning difficulties, a teenage dance company, as well as providing teaching
space for
The centre has been used for a variety
of private hires including film shows, award ceremonies, community meetings,
and recitals. The Centre has a lively bar which provides refreshments for
public events. All-in-all the cornerHOUSE provides an arts-influenced but
emphatically accessible resource for all the community. Kingston Council's
recently retired Arts Officer is on record as saying he wished there was a
centre like the cornerHOUSE in every ward of the Borough.
The Trust is grateful to the Parish
for its support and looks forward to a continued harmonious relationship in the
years to come.
1ST TOLWORTH (ST
MATTHEW’S) SCOUT GROUP
In March 2009 1st Tolworth celebrated its 100th
Anniversary – making us one of the oldest Scout Groups in the world. We are also one of the few Groups that have
met continuously for that time having not closed down during World War Two as
many Groups did.
We celebrated with a formal Dinner Dance in
March, a Family Camp in May and a Thanksgiving Service and
Our membership numbers are still at round about two one hundred mark so
we are still thriving and offering good Scouting to all our young people.
We are entering our second century with lots of plans and enthusiasm and
hopefully will continue for many years to come.
As part of our celebrations we produced a souvenir booklet outlining our
history and we still have a few copies left.
If anyone would like to receive a copy then please contact Heather Mason
on 020 8786 8408.
Following Mission Team discussions a survey across
both churches revealed that top of the wish list was a youth worker. The search is underway for a suitable person
to inspire and work with the local young within and around the church.
A centrally run course was not undertaken this year
as the current needs of StM and StG are different. As such small leadership courses have been
held at
There was an informal picnic and games day, held in
the grounds of St Matthew’s School, in an effort to reach out to the many new
families who have been attending church.
The sun did shine on that Saturday!
The Re:Act Funday on Fishponds was well attended
again and has been booked for 2010. The
CTS have organized the Parish March of Witness which will this year be
dramatized.
Cheryl Kuit
Secretary
FELLERS
Fellers is a fellowship
group for men where we mix social activities with Christian-based discussion.
We meet every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month and are in
our third year.
Over the last year we have
met up for a number of socials including paint-balling, a midsummer walk/pub
visit and (in the colder months) a restaurant meal. Perhaps the highlight was
in May when we went canal barging on a glorius early summer’s day.
Our discussions have been
varied and inevitably lively, ranging from topics brought by individuals to
more formal Bible study. Currently we are following the format of watching a
Christian DVD as a basis for discussion.
Fellers is there to provide
a forum for men to meet, to challenge and support each other and to grow in
their faith. It is also there to provide a place for those men more peripheral
in the church to meet and explore the Christian faith for themselves, although
we have been less successful in this aim. Numbers may have been lower than we
would have hoped, but on the positive side we have a core group of men keen to
meet and able to provide a solid platform for growth, God willing.
In the coming months we have
a Men’s Breakfast planned and possibly a men’s weekend away. Our vision is to
link into other Church men’s groups and/or other men’s ministries, desiring to
be part of God’s greater picture.
Further details can be
obtained from Ian Mole (