ANNUAL DISTRICT CHURCH MEETING –
REPORTS FOR 2017
VICAR’S REPORT
2017 was an encouraging year for All
Saints.
One of the most encouraging aspects of
2017 was the arrival of new people at our main 10am service. As a result, we
were able to report an Average Weekly Attendance of 135 as opposed to 130 in
2016. The fact that we are showing signs of numeric growth is significant in
our increasingly secular society.
Another healthy sign was that we had
the best response to our Trio campaign that we have had since I arrived here –
a sign of people engaging in a more significant way with the life of All
Saints.
We leave 2017 with firm plans to
employ a Children and Families’ worker for 18 hours a week and to go away
together on a parish weekend. Both these things should become realities by the
end of Lent 2018.
We also had a larger number of
weddings than we have had for some years, though our baptism number was down in
2017.
I have decided though not to write a
long report here but to let the reports enclosed speak for themselves. I shall,
therefore, reserve my further comments for the ADCM itself which I would like
to warmly invite you to. It will take place on Sunday 18th March at 11.30am in
the Church Hall. I will at that point thank the churchwardens and DCC and all
of you who have made 2017 a special year for our Church. Just in case you are not able to make it to
this meeting, please allow me to say a thank you to you now. It is a privilege
having you as part of our church family and thank you for all that you do.
With every good wish in Christ.
Simon Tillotson
ARCHIVE REPORT
The Archive is where we retain our Historical Records together with many other items and documents. This enables us to have a picture of church life, events and contacts with our local community in the past.
In 2017 the number of folders has
only gone up by 2 to 385 but there has been a lot of work done to reorganize
all DCC minutes in consecutive folders for instance. Scanning, particularly of old photographs,
has continued. Searching for information
should be easier and in time, the images may even become available on the website.
It is, though, a time-consuming process.
Should you wish to enquire about an
item that you have and think it may be a valuable addition to the Archive, then
please contact me.
Malcolm Waller, Church Archivist (01227 791540)
ADVENTURERS
Adventurers is the name of our Sunday
School or Sunday Club. Numbers have
varied from just two or three children to over 15 children some weeks with
signs of a growing nucleus of families and children during the year which
promises well for 2018. I am very
grateful to our team of helpful volunteers who make this important provision
possible. Please note that we try and run a united group during school holidays
rather than provide no club at all. Simon Tillotson
BAPTISMS
There were 32 baptisms at All Saints
in 2017, of which 2 were adults. This number is down on previous years. Baptisms take place in the afternoon of the
first Sunday in the month, however, with the agreement of the Vicar, they may
occur during the 10.00am service on Sunday.
A small team of volunteers, Peri Hawkins, Helen Parry and Debbie Tyler,
visit and befriend the families before the baptism, attend the service and, if
possible, the welcome service. I want to thank these people for all their hard
work. During the baptism, the child
receives a baptism certificate, certificates for the godparents, a book of
prayers from the Mothers’ Union and a lighted candle. Siblings previously baptised are encouraged
to bring their candles to the service to be re-lit. The families are invited to attend the family
service after the baptism where they receive a welcome, and the child is
presented with a book of Bible stories.
This is such a worthwhile ministry and I feel privileged to be a part of
it.
Jane
Askew, Baptism Co-ordinator
BELL- RINGERS
All Saints’ ringers continue to be a
friendly, cheerful and loyal band. We
have had a busy year as always and we are lucky that our membership has stayed
constant, unlike many other towers. We
have 12 ringers at present but were pleased to teach a Kent university student
during the year and hope that he will continue to ring after graduating from
university. In addition to ringing for
Sunday services and practising on Wednesday evenings, we rang for Remembrance
Sunday and all Christmas services. We
did not ring specifically for St George’s Day this year as it was a Sunday, but
we plan to do so in 2018. We have rung
for 18 weddings and one funeral during the year and we have continued to hold
monthly practices with St. Alphege when we alternate between our two
towers. Our year was nicely rounded off
by a very enjoyable Christmas meal at the Monument. I should like to thank the ringers for their
continued loyalty and support and for the friendship, fun & laughter we
share together as a band.
We practice on a Wednesday evening
when anyone interested in learning to ring is welcome to “have a go”. If you would like to keep up-to-date with
Belfry news, then look at our Facebook page: Bell-ringing at All Saints,
Whitstable. Maureen Cooke
Tower Captain, 01227 274817
CAMEO
CAMEO is in its 7th year and we have
a membership of 40+ with average weekly attendance of 20-25. We chat, drink tea/coffee/fruit juice and
have a slice of homemade cake – thanks to Lindsay for the glorious homemade
cakes she produces every week. There are games of Scrabble, Rummicub and other
board games, but there are no compulsory activities - you can do as much or as
little as you please.
In 2017, we fielded 2 tables for the
All Saints’ Quiz Night (we didn’t win but we didn’t come bottom either) and a
film show of Mama Mia was well attended.
The year was finished off with a Christmas Lunch Buffet with live music
and entertainment which everyone contributed to.
This only happens every week due to
the help provided - setting up, serving drinks, providing lifts, and clearing
up at the end. Particular thanks to
Barbara Allen, Joan Malt, Pat Holland, Lindsay Clifford, Christine Keil, Jo
Piper, Monica Worth, Joan Garbutt, Lionel Osborn and Brian Kendall.
Feel like a little company on a
Monday afternoon? You would be very welcome to join us - just drop in on any
Monday between 2.00-3.30pm (except bank holidays). No obligation to come every week – just when
you feel like it.
Linda Young 01227 278681 / jondieon@aol.com
What another wonderfully musical year
we have had at All Saints. The adult choir is sounding brilliant and we have
again seen steady numbers of soprano and altos at both practice and on Sundays;
new members have been coming along too.
We rehearse on Thursday evenings at 7.15pm in the Church if you’d like
to join us - it really is a lovely group to be a part of within the life of the
Church. This year, the decision was made to have evensong on a quarterly basis
and this has proved successful. The
choir also worked extremely hard to produce a brilliant Advent Carol Service
and it was lovely to see so many of the congregation in attendance.
Sunday 5th March heralded the much
awaited relaunch of the organ and how wonderful it was to have it back in
action. We are so lucky to have such a
brilliant organist in Michael who brings out the best in the instrument.
The music group continues to blossom
with a regular woodwind section and the addition of the recorder, bass and drum
kit at larger services. Later on in the
year, the wonderful summer weather allowed us to play outside for both the Pet
Blessing Service and the Picnic Eucharist too.
The junior choir has now been
re-established for just over a year and our faithful four are brilliant. Dorcas
joined us during the year and has been an excellent addition. They have sung at many services throughout the
year and have great fun singing together.
Junior Choir meets on Thursdays from 5.20pm - 6.00pm if you’d like to
come along.
I would like to thank Michael, the
adult choir, junior choir and music group for their hard work and dedication in
facilitating the worship at All Saints with their wonderful music.
Victoria Hall MA BA(Hons), Choir and
Music Group Leader
CHURCHWARDENS REPORT
The past year has been very
challenging for All Saints, however, it has also been a very successful time
with many memorable spiritual and social events.
Easter week began with a Passion Play
acted by members of our congregation. We
then followed the story into Maundy Thursday and the three hours devotion on
Good Friday. Our Easter celebrations
began with the 5.30am Sunrise Service on the beach and then the Easter services
began in the church. It was a very
spiritual time and all services were well attended.
The Vicarage garden was used many
times during last year. Our Garden Party
was once again a great success, mainly due to the hard work of the Social
Committee. A Garden Eucharist was also
held with music from the band and singing from the congregation. This was then followed by a picnic in the
sunshine - a great service of fellowship, which hopefully will be
repeated. The Pet Service was also once
again held in the garden sunshine, as was the Nursery School Sports Day. And of course, the repeat of Firework Night
on November 5th, which is always a success.
We are very fortunate to be able to
hold many events in the large vicarage garden; this does not only benefit
members of our congregation, but also the local community who always support us
in all our garden events.
We are at the moment hoping to use
the garden more and Simon has written a Mission Action Plan which includes the
garden as a venue.
The Fabric Committee were also kept
busy during the year and we thank them all for their hard work, especially when
the lights went out in the Church!
The disabled toilet is now on its way
to completion and many thanks to Linda Livingstone who helped us secure a grant
from Virador.
At the beginning of 2017 our
Treasurer predicted a deficit in our accounts.
The Finance Committee therefore recommended to the DCC that the church
hold a TRIO campaign some time during the year.
This was held in November; the TRIO was successful and a substantial
increase has been predicted in our giving.
During the autumn we had the
opportunity to listen to sermons given by various members of our clergy and
congregation who preached on their favourite Bible passage, giving the
congregation an opportunity to discuss it after the service. This was very successful and thank you to all
who took part in this new initiative.
Once again the Social Committee came
up trumps with the Christmas Fair. It
was (as usual) very successful, so a big thank you to those working in the
kitchen and serving lunch, to all the stall holders, the knitters, sewers, the
cake makers and collectors of items for sale.
Not forgetting the planning and organisation of the Social Committee
under the chairmanship of John Johnson.
Our Christmas services began with the
Christingle, which raised £145 for the charity ‘Save the Children’ and was
followed by “Carols under the Yew tree”.
However, due to the adverse weather conditions, Whitstable Brass led us
in our singing inside the Church, but it was still a great atmosphere. The giving at this service, along with that
from ‘Singing for Fun and Health’, amounted to £447.00 and was donated to
Catching Lives.
We also received donations for
Demelza House, Pilgrims Hospice and other various charities from our Christmas
card and funeral collections.
As usual, the Christmas period at All
Saints was a great success with approximately 1140 people attending our
services. We had two very busy Crib
services, a Midnight Eucharist and our final Christmas services in the
morning. The giving at the services over
the Christmas period was shared, with one half going to the Church and the
other being donated to the Rohingya Appeal, which amounted to £560.
There was more activity on 29th
December with a special party organised and held for Simon as we all celebrated
his 50th birthday.
We are now well into 2018 and have
received news from Phillip Williams that he will retire from his groundsman and
maintenance duties. Grateful thanks to
Phillip for his 35 years of service and for having escaped from the graveyard
(not many people can say that!). He has
now been appointed Sexton so we have not lost him completely. We have interviewed a number of applicants
for his replacement and have now made an appointment. However, we are still
advertising for a Children and Families’ Minister so we do need to continue to
pray that we will find someone. We also
need to pray for success in appointing a new Team Rector. The Churchwardens and Treasurer met the
previous applicants and introduced them to All Saints. Unfortunately neither was appointed and the
process will begin once again in March.
Our Church is growing and there are
many ideas planned for this coming year, however, we do need help, and if you
feel you are able to be part of our Church Council, then please have a chat
with Simon or one of the Churchwardens - we will be pleased to see you. Also, if you feel you are able to go onto the
rota as a sidesperson or driving the elderly to and from church, please let one
of us know. We would like to say a
special thank you to Simon for his work and encouragement to us, and to all who
attended our services and events throughout the year.
Margaret Arnold and Mike Binks -
Churchwardens
CHURCHYARD
This is my last Churchyard Report as
Church Groundsman, as I retire at the end of 35 years working in this beautiful
location.
Our churchyard, the largest open in
the Canterbury Diocese, is an oasis of calm among the hustle and bustle of
modern life, revealing the wonders of God’s creation and is a haven for
wildlife including foxes, rabbits, hedgehogs, squirrels and many varieties of
birds. Although this sounds idyllic,
there are of course many occasions when it has been too cold, too wet, too
windy or too hot to work comfortably – but the job still needs to be done.
Recently a contractor has been
working on relaying footpaths and installing a new one to aid accessibility to
the new grave area. A good number of
folk tend graves and visit the Garden of Remembrance, the Church or Nursery
School, or just pass through along the public footpath.
In 2017 there were 9 burials and 23
recorded interment of ashes in the Churchyard.
(Out of interest, since the turn of the century, there have been 220
burials and 250 interments of ashes).
It has been a privilege and a joy to
be there for people at their time of need, to see God’s wonderful creation
transformed through the changing seasons, and to tend our beautiful Churchyard
as the trees have grown and the number of graves has increased over the years.
My thanks to Mike Binks for his help
since August 2014 and a number of individuals and working parties over the
years. Now I pass on the role to my
newly appointed successor, and wish him well in keeping the Churchyard with its
newly laid paths in fine fettle.
Phillip Williams, Groundsman
(07787 127643), pdwilliams57@gmail.com
COMMUNION IN THE COMMUNITY
As part of our pastoral care, a team
of people regularly visit people at home, bringing them Holy Communion if they
are temporarily or long-term unable to get to Church. (See also under Pastoral Care Scheme for wider
visiting). David
Sims
CONTACT WITH SCHOOLS
I continue to take assemblies at the
Endowed School and Swalecliffe Primary School, both of are fruitful forms of
contact with our community, teachers and pupils. I continue as a Governor at the Community
College, Whitstable (formerly the Sir William Nottidge School), having served
previously a few years ago. I find my
experience of being involved at all three schools extremely important to my
ministry as a vicar; it is not to be seen in any way as something separate from
my work, but a living embodiment of the need for clergy to be out in the
community in this way. Please pray for
me as I go to these schools and for my important role as a Governor at
Whitstable’s only Secondary School.
Please also pray that I will be given more opportunities to take assemblies
at the Community College, Whitstable.
Simon Tillotson
RECULVER DEANERY
Reculver Deanery consists of the
Anglican Churches in the Whitstable Team, together with those in Herne Bay,
Herne, Greenhill, Hoath and Reculver.
The Deanery Synod is elected for a
term of 3 years. The current synod was
elected in 2017.
All Saints has 3 deanery synod
members: Margaret Arnold, Malcolm Waller
and myself. Synod members are also
ex-officio members of both the PCC and DCC.
Deanery Meetings in 2017:
·
January – Open Meeting
Renewal for the Diocese of Canterbury
- Discussion of the document ‘Rooted in Prayer, courageously led, diverse in
age’, with group discussions feeding back to the Diocesan Synod
·
June – Synod members only –met
fora meal together to start the new 3-year term of the Deanery Synod. It was a lovely chance to get to know people
from other Churches in the Deanery, and as a thank you to all the lay members,
the 3-course supper was served by the clergy!
·
October –Open Meeting
Aiming for Growth – led by Jo Kelly Moore,
Archdeacon of Canterbury
·
November– a Diocesan Day of Prayer
Deanery Satellite Event hosted by St
John’s Swalecliffe with worship and various prayer stations.
Usually there are several Deanery
Open Meetings held throughout the year.
These themed meetings are open to anyone in the Deanery, and you are all
encouraged to attend any of them that appeal to you - do keep an eye open in
the church notices for details throughout the year.
Any business to be dealt with by the
Deanery Synod is dealt with at a very short meeting of the Synod (typically
only a few minutes, to approve finances etc) at the end of a Deanery Open
Meeting. Christine
Williams, Lay Chair of Reculver Deanery
DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL
The DCC is a decision-making body
which strives to facilitate and maintain the flourishing life of the
Church. All Saints’ DCC Members possess a
wealth of experience and knowledge gained in a wide variety of backgrounds, and
attend meetings which take place every couple of months.
The meeting is led by Simon, our
Vicar, with strong support from the Churchwardens and, of course, Malcolm our
Treasurer, whose checks and balances help transform decisions into practical
actions.
With over 20 loyal Members, the
Council has been instrumental in helping to shape and develop the Church
facilities and activities that take place within them. 2017 was no exception; it has been an
eventful year, with full agendas and all meetings being very well
attended. A diverse range of subjects
has been discussed - some at great length -from the building of a disabled
toilet to the employment of a Children and Families' Worker.
We particularly thank Howard Barker,
John Johnson and Dave Parry for their reliability and commitment as they near
the end of their term of office in early 2018.
Clare Levere, Secretary to the DCC
ELECTORAL ROLL AT MARCH 2018
Roll numbers have changed very little
over the year starting at 193 in March 2017 and ending at 191 this year.
We have lost 2 people during the year
who have passed away since the last ADCM namely Wendy Palmer and Catherine
Drury; three others have either moved away or live outside the parish and have
ceased attending regularly so are removed from the roll, namely
Mark Finch, Eda Leathwaite, Marjorie
Simmons, Leanora Smale and Sacha Euden.
There have been 5 additions to the
Roll, namely Richard and Pamela Atherton, Christeen Norfolk, Susan Hughes and
Derek Hill.
FABRIC COMMITTEE
Yet another good year for the
Committee with six meetings. I would
like to thank all the Committee members for attending and contributing so fully
to all the discussions. Much has been done and there are some interesting
possibilities for the future.
In the spring a new Hall Manager,
Bruce Douglas, was appointed. He is widely appreciated with his friendly and
approachable manner, and the Hall continues to be a vibrant part of the Church
and its outreach.
During the year, steady progress was
made on the planning of the Thorpe Room disabled toilet and final planning
approval was received in the autumn. At
the time of writing this report, the building is well under way and I hope that
it will have been successfully completed before this meeting.
Over the summer months we had major
electrical problems in the Church. They were so regular that many of the
weddings and funerals were attended by an extra person to reset the fuses in
case they blew. Checks showed that the
main board was worn out and many connections needed replacing, so it was
decided to replace the whole board and some rewiring was also done. This coincided with the bi-annual electrical
survey, and so was carried out at no charge, within the quoted price. Hopefully
all will be well for the next 50 years.
In addition to the above, many
smaller matters continually required attention, such as replacing the outdoor
sensor lights around the Church, installing outdoor electrical sockets in the
Vicarage Garden and replacing all of the lights in the Hall with low wattage
units. Also, many minor repairs and upgrades were continually being carried
out. I feel that Derek Comins in
particular deserves a special mention for the many times he willingly gave of
his time and expertise to solve some small and some not so small problems.
Looking to the future, we are just
starting to study a really radical proposal that could benefit the Church for
many years. It is in the very early stages - more will be disclosed during the
year....
Phillip Williams has been looking
after the Churchyard, plus undertaking many other varied maintenance jobs, for
35 years. That the Churchyard looks in such good condition and receives so many
complimentary comments is entirely due to his efforts over many years. Sadly,
he has reached the age of retirement and has decided to step down from that
role. He will still retain the role of outdoor Sexton, helping with funerals
and finding the more obscure grave sites, but he will be great missed. His
successor, Jason Tongue, has been appointed and we are sure that he will be a
great success.
Finally I want to repeat my thanks to
everyone on the Committee and to all those who helped on working parties. I always enjoy our meetings and find them
both informative and uplifting.
Michael Binks, Fabric Committee and
Church Warden
FILM CLUB
FLOWER REPORT
As usual, the flower ladies plus Malc
worked hard bringing colour into All Saints’ Church with the joy of
flowers. Each season is different and we
try to reflect the seasons in our arrangements.
However, sometimes we are thrown a challenge with wedding requests when
we are asked to find flowers and greenery that are not in season and,
therefore, difficult to source but we all do our best and from my point of
view, succeeded every time. Well done to
you all! Thank you to Kayte, Viv, Marion
and Malc who work each week with the flowers and also to Linda Annable and
Berit Garsed who help when needed. If
you think you would like to join us we would love to meet you, so please give
me a ring for a chat. Margaret
Arnold 01227 793588
HEALING MINISTRY
If people cannot for any reason attend the Sunday morning services, a service is held in the South Aisle every Thursday morning at 10am, at which there is an opportunity to receive prayer for healing and wholeness in body, mind and spirit, within the context of Holy Communion. All welcome.
About three times a year, the Healing
Ministry is also offered at the 10am main service. After every service, prayer and/or a confidential
conversation is available in the West Porch.
Should anyone who generally attends
the 8am service feel in need at any time of special prayer, do please get in
touch with Simon, the Vicar, who will be pleased to offer you this ministry or
pass you on to others in the Healing Ministry Team.
David Sims
HOLYBALLOO
We stopped Celebrate in 2014 because
we felt it was leading to a divided Church.
Generally speaking the change has been appreciated, though we have lost
some families who find formal Church difficult. Therefore, the MLT together
with the DCC took the decision to start a midweek event after school for
families with young children which involved informal worship and could also
hopefully provide a new link between our parish and our Sunday morning
services. Holyballoo therefore started
in November 2016.
In 2017 we saw a gradual growth in
numbers meaning we can have over 20 children and 15 adults present at some Holyballoo
afternoons. It has been craft-centred
rather than worship-centred, but this seems to be working well. Craft is, after all, a form of worship. For the parents who attend it is also a time
to unwind away from the demands of work and home.
Holyballoo takes place on Thursdays
during term time at 3.15pm to 4.15pm in the Church Hall, so come along if you
are interested.
A big thank you to all who help with
Holyballoo. Your help is greatly
appreciated. Simon Tillotson
MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Ministry Leadership team
continued to meet regularly in 2017in order to assess our worship, outreach and
general life as a Church. It has helped make the decision to appoint a
part-time Children and Families’ Worker which is currently being advertised (as
of February 2018). The MLT has also been
reviewing worship and has spearheaded the decision to run a Parish weekend away
which will take place in March 2018.
Margaret Arnold, Denise Blaskett,
Karen Goodwin, Chris Lovelock, Helen Parry,
Julia Seath, Anne Rees, Rev Simon
Tillotson, Paula Trewin MBE
MOTHERS' UNION
The Mothers’ Union is a global
Christian membership charity providing a support network for families since
1876. Here in Whitstable, we are a
fellowship branch with members form all the Anglican Churches.
Normally we meet in the morning on
the first Tuesday in the month in the Seasalter Christian Centre and the third
Thursday afternoon in the Thorpe Room at All Saints’. We usually have a speaker at our meetings and
everybody is welcome to attend. Details
of forthcoming meetings are usually shown on the Church notices and also in the
monthly “Unity Update”.
We are always pleased to welcome
visitors and new members, and Margaret Lakin-Hall, our current leader
(Telephone 262471), will always be pleased to hear and answer, or give any more
information.
Rosemary
and Margaret
PCC REPORT
The PCC is the body that represents
the five Team Churches of Whitstable. It met four times during the year. Most of the work it does is just standard
administration of team matters, but of note this year were the following:
a) The Raise the Roof campaign to
raise money for a new roof for St Alphege, Whitstable;
b) St John's Swalecliffe now has a
paid Children and Family Worker, Naomi Smith, who has completed her second full
year and is on maternity leave; her work has clearly borne a lot of fruit;
c) St Peter's Whitstable had a post
office inside its main building as a service to the community and to help with
its general outreach; this has now moved out of its premises having found a
permanent location within a Co-Op shop on Cromwell Road;
d) Continued outreach into the St
Andrew's part of town by St Alphege, Whitstable which has pastoral
responsibility for that area;
e) Various projects taking place at
St Alphege, Seasalter, including plans for refurbishing the old Church.
By far the biggest subject though was
the departure of Canon Steve Coneys, our Team Rector who had served our Parish
as Team Rector for fourteen years and St Alphege Seasalter with great passion,
leadership and ability since his arrival. We wished him and Vicky all the best
as they moved away in September and then we started work preparing for our new
Team Rector, who will also be based at Seasalter. We hope that interviews for this post will
take place in March 2018.
Simon continues to meet every Monday
with the other colleagues from the team and to work together with them on a
number of projects in the town. Please
pray for the work of our Team PCC. Thank
you. Simon
Tillotson
A relatively small group of pastoral
assistants and people authorised to take out Communion to people’s homes is
currently in existence. We meet from time to time to discuss how our visiting
is going and also email each other with important pastoral news. It would be
good to see some more people come forward to be a pastoral assistant, so if you
think this might be what you are called to do, please let me know. Most pastoral assistants only visit one or
two people regularly, and this is still perfectly satisfactory and greatly
appreciated.
As has been pointed out before, the
presence of Cameo, Singing for Fun and Health, the Film Club and our well
attended Thursday 10am service, as well as the outstanding pastoral work of the
Prayer Shawl Team, mean that we have pastoral structures in place now which
create much social support for members of All Saints and for those who may not
be churchgoers but who nonetheless attend these groups. Therefore, despite the
fact that our team of pastoral assistants is smaller than in previous years, we
are confident that we are just as caring a Church as we have ever been. Particular thanks to Christine Daldorph for
her work creating the large cards which we so often give out to people.
Those currently taking part in the
Pastoral Care Scheme and Home Communion visiting are Margaret Arnold, Roz
Button, ChristineDaldorph, Berit Garsed,
Pat Hudgell, Vivienne Lateu, Janet
Livermore, David Sims, Heather Scott,
Rev Simon Tillotson.
PRAYER SHAWL GROUP
Our Prayer Shawl Ministry was formed
on 22nd January 2014 by Linda Young and Pat Holland, who had been inspired by
attending an annual Prayer Shawl Group meeting at Nonnington - so we are now four years old! We currently have 15 active members who meet
twice a month to knit and crochet shawls, blankets and scarves for folk who are
poorly, bereaved or who are in need of "a hug of love". We also celebrate happy events such as
marriage or the birth of a new baby with a gift.
"Shawls … made for centuries, universal
and embracing, symbolic of an inclusive unconditionally loving God. They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give
solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify.
Those who have received these shawls have been uplifted and affirmed, as
if given wings to fly above their troubles ….".
Janet Severie Bristow, Founder of
Prayer Shawl Ministry, 1998 - Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
To date we have given just over 200
shawls, lap blankets, cushions and scarves, including 30 small blankets to All
Saints ‘Nursery, 20 small scarves to All Saints’ Sunday Club, a number of hats
and scarves to the Haven Project for the homeless and premature baby hats and
bonding squares for William Harvey and St. Thomas' Hospitals.
Our meetings start with lighting a
candle, prayers for guidance and for those on our prayer list and a short
reading relevant to the Prayer Shawl Ministry.
This is followed by a news update; then it's time for work, coffee and a
chat. Each item is brought to our communion service for a blessing before it is
packaged and given to the recipient.
If you would like to join us or find
out more about our group, please ring Sue Smith on 01227 471325, or email
trevarno2@btinternet.com.
Sue Smith
This year has been a year of
incredible highs and deep troughs.
Last year was the third year of my
training as a reader and was the toughest year yet. I struggled with academia but was relieved to
eventually scrape through. I am, at the
time of writing this, in my fourth and final year and should be finished by
Easter. It’s been a long road and I
could not have done this without all of your support. It means a lot and you have been so patient
with me as I have trialled my sermons on you and got your feedback. Thank you
one and all.
Whilst training, I have continued to
work full time in my day job as a Children’s Social Worker and this too has had
its challenges this last year . The time I devote to my training is evenings
and some weekends. There is also a
residential weekend once a year, a Saturday school once per term and an evening
class once per week; we also have four tutorials per year. Then there is the expectation to provide two
academic essays per term. So if you
think I am looking tired, there's probably a deadline or two looming!!
This is in addition to any sermons I
preach, prayers I write, bells I ring, or meetings that I attend in my
commitment to the MLT and DCC. But my
training does not end there; I have another few months to go and alongside that
I am undertaking funeral training. I am
hanging onto the fact that come Easter, I will be fully fledged.
This past year my ministry has grown
and I am very privileged to undertake my new role as celebrant's
assistant. In doing so, I feel a strong
connection to God, and to be involved in such an important role as part of the
Eucharist is a real honour and joy.
I know that God has always had plans
for me but I could not do this role without the support of the congregation and
Simon our Vicar, to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks. If you would like to know more about my role,
please come and talk to me.
Denise Blaskett
The group has been meeting regularly,
usually on the third Monday of the month from 8 to 9 pm at home. We first listen to, then each one reads to
themselves, the Gospel reading for the following Sunday. After a time of meditating/pondering on the
passage, anyone, as, when and if they wish to, repeat a word or phrase from the
reading that might have touched them in some way. There is no obligation to do so, nor
commentary or discussion on what has been said.
It is an ancient way of "praying the Scriptures", not a Bible
study. It is led by the Holy Spirit for
each participant. It is not structured
and participants come as and when they wish or are able to. We are between 4, sometimes 8 or 9 on any
given evening. There is room for more.
Do think about coming and exploring
this unique way of praying "The Word of God". You are most welcome. The dates are published in the weekly
notices.
Martin and Berit Garsed, 19
Gloucester Rd, Tankerton, 01227 266212
SACRED SPACE
This has continued once a month
throughout 2017 and will do so, I believe, for years to come as it is such a
powerful spiritual experience for those who attend. We meet in near darkness at
8pm with just candlelight in the Church and the sound of Taize music and the
smell of incense. There is then 45
minutes of time for quietness and prayer before spoken prayers are said at
8.45pm. We conclude at 9pm. Recently, numbers have increased
significantly which is welcome, with quite a number of younger adults attending. Please do bring a torch. Please look out for
it on the notices or website, as dates are advertised.
Simon Tillotson
SACRISTANS’ REPORT
The Sacristy Team have continued
their work throughout the year. Week by
week they have been carrying out their duties preparing everything needed for
the celebration of the Eucharist.
Routine tasks include the scalding of chalices, the care of altar linen,
servers’ amices and priests’ vestments.
The Sacristans are also responsible for keeping the communion vessels in
good order and for changing the altar frontals to reflect the passing seasons
of the year.
Sacristans – Doreen Austin, Margaret
Finch, Barbara Tinson.
SAFEGUARDING REPORT 2017
The DCC accepted the Diocese
guidelines and policy statement and reconfirmed the safeguarding team: Julia
Seath, Adult Safeguarding Lead, Peri Hawkins, Child Safeguarding Lead and Linda
Young, Parish Disclosure Officer.
The Safeguarding Team are unable to
report compliance with the standards of the Safeguarding Policy due to
outstanding Health and Safety Issues (Risk Assessments and Action Plans of the
Church, Church Hall and grounds).*
This year has seen changes to the
safeguarding training with different levels being available and also with
training being available online.
15 people have completed level C0
online, 0 attended C1- online sessions (as it was not available) and 1 person
attended C2, the trainer led session.
The Diocese is offering online DBS
applications to all parishes. In 2017,
we submitted 13 applications, 4 for new certificates and 9 for renewal
certificates; 8 of these applications
were made online with application, ID checking, police data base checking and
certificate issue taking less than 1 week end to end in most cases.
PLEASE NOTE we can offer assistance
at your home or on the computer in the Church Office for completion of DBS
applications or Safeguarding Training.
Peri Hawkins, on behalf of the
Safeguarding Team
*We are hoping to report that these
have been completed by the time of the ADCM 2018. Rev Simon Tillotson
SATURDAY WELCOMERS
Welcoming visitors to our Church at
Church services and at other times when the Church is open is a very important
part of our mission. We are blessed to have people who, on a rota, volunteer
their time on a Saturday morning to meet and greet visitors from 10.00am to
12.00 noon.
Many thanks this past year to Wendy
Bailey, Malcolm Waller, Anthea Bryant, Judith Jewiss, Karen Goodwin, Doreen
Austin, Pat Hudgell, John and Jane Naylor, Christine and Phillip Williams, and
new additions to the team of Allan and Avril Barrows and Gilean Davison. Thanks also are due to Michael and Maureen
Scammell who stood down this year.
We would be very pleased to have
others join this small team. Can you
spare 2 hours on a Saturday morning, ~7 times a year, to welcome visitors, chat
and make a cup of tea/coffee and help with baptismal and wedding enquiries and
initial bookings? The paper work isn’t
complicated, it is not physically challenging and help is provided until you
feel confident. If you feel you would
like to join this group or would like to know more about the who, how, what,
where details of the job, please contact me.
Linda Young 01227 278681 /
jondieon@aol.com
SERVERS
The team of Servers here at All
Saints’ Church continues to faithfully assist the clergy and our Reader, Denise
Blaskett, at Sunday and midweek services.
A number of our Servers were involved
in serving at Cursillo services, including those held in Canterbury
Cathedral. As usual, we were involved in
the traditional procession from St Peter’s Church to Reeves Beach for the
Blessing of the Waters Service. The
Landing of the Catch for the Oyster Festival was somewhat different this year
as we processed to Tankerton rather than the town centre.
I am grateful to Christine Daldorph,
my Deputy, and also fellow servers for “holding the fort” during December and
the Christmas period when my wife and I were on a 6 week holiday in Australia
seeing our son. My thanks to Dennis
Button for serving when no one else is available at our 8am Sunday service, and
to other servers who are willing to fill in at short notice. I am pleased to welcome Pam Atherton, who has
joined us recently, and is already a loyal member of our team.
Have you considered becoming a
server?
We are always very pleased to welcome
new members to the team of Servers– no previous experience required – just a
desire to serve Our Lord at His Altar.
So if you are interested, or just
inquisitive about this role in All Saints Church, then please speak to myself
or Simon.
Phillip Williams, Head Server.(07787
127643)
pdwilliams57@gmail.com
3rd WHITSTABLE (ALL SAINTS’) SCOUT
GROUP
Founded in 1945, the Scout Group at All Saints is open to young people between the ages of 6 and 18. We have both male and female members in all sections. Attendance at the Group is just under70 young people each week.
All sections have worked on Challenge
and Activity badges during the past year.
The Scouts and Explorers attended the Kent International Jamboree in
August with over 3000 other members of the Scout and Guide movements. One of our Explorers has been selected to
attend the World Scout Jamboree in 2019, to be held in the USA. Members from all sections of the Group have
taken part in District activities as well as all the normal Scout training
work, aiming for the Chief Scouts Award for the relevant section. Explorer Scouts continue to work towards the
Duke of Edinburgh awards.
It is only the dedication of our
Leaders that make the many activities the Group takes part in possible. More Leaders are still required to organise
and direct these activities - particularly in the Beaver & Cub sections -
such that Scouting can continue here at All Saints. If you would like to help, please get in
touch. If you have a young member in
your family who would like to join either now or in the future, please also get
in touch - we currently have a waiting list for all sections, with the Beavers
being over 1 year!
Section Age Day and Time
Beavers 6-8 years
Tuesday 1700-1815
Cubs 8-10 ½ years Tuesday 1830-2000
Scouts 10½-14 years Friday 1900-2030
Explorer Scouts 14-18 years Thursday 1915-2045
Thank you to those who support out
Jumble Sales by providing a never ending supply of goods, and used stamps for
Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Peter Maley,
Group Scout Leader,
01227 687253,
gsl@3rdwhitstable.org.uk
SIDESPERSONS
Every Sunday on a Rota system a band
of loyal sidespersons welcome worshippers at the door of the church with a
smile, a friendly word, and assistance if required. Prior to this they would have put together
the news sheet, service booklet, hymn sheet and any other paperwork relevant to
the service. At the close they clear the paperwork, tidy the church and count
monies.
There are currently 26 people on the
rota who cover the 8am and 10am Sunday services. We are extremely grateful to
them for their work every week and are thankful for two new volunteers this
year. We would welcome any further
offers of help especially during the Christmas period.
Wendy Reynolds, Head Sidesperson.
SINGING FOR FUN AND HEALTH
We are just about to start our fourth
year of Singing for Fun and Health. We
have a very committed group of helpers from the Church who work hard each month
to make the sessions friendly and fun for all those who come along and join us. We have an average of 50 people per session
but about 80 at Christmas. In addition
to hearty singing, we enjoy a time of refreshment and a good chat.
This last year we welcomed the All
Saints’ Nursery to join us in November for a Teddy Bears’ Picnic which went
down very well with all. There were some
very old bears who joined us! We had
another excellent Christmas song and Carol afternoon, with an 8-piece band
gathered mainly from the Church. Plenty of variety!
This group is aimed at bringing
health and wellbeing through singing into our community and building friendships
to combat loneliness and isolation. In
this last year we have also been able to make donations to other charities e.g.
Children in Need and Catching Lives and the new disabled facilities currently
being built at the Hall.
A few of us have been invited to
represent the group at a special RSCM meeting in March at Canterbury about
music and mission.
We value your prayers for the
continuance of this group, particularly in the light of the closure of AGEUK in
Whitstable.
Pat
and Aubrey Holland
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
2017 was another busy year for the
Social Committee. Our main events of the
year included:
- A very successful fish and chip quiz evening, enjoyed by all.
- The Summer Fete proved to be the usual popular event and well supported, an enjoyable afternoon!
- The Harvest Supper/Barn Dance was also
well supported, with raffle proceeds donated to ‘Porch Light’.
- We also assisted at the Agape meal.
- The successful Firework Display
(although not a Social Committee affair) continues to be a popular outreach
event and was enjoyed by all.
The All Saints’ Christmas cards and
pens continue to sell well to raise further funds.
I would like to say a very big thank you to all the Social Committee members for their very loyal commitment and hard work - a real team effort. Also a BIG thank you to all those who helped in whatever capacity and, of course, to all of those who have supported us at the various events. I would like to wish the next Social Committee every success for 2018! John Johnson
WEDDINGS
We began the year with 17 wedding bookings at All Saints’, Whitstable, a significantly higher number of bookings than the start of the previous year. Further bookings came in during the year and the grand total for the year was 20 wedding bookings plus an informal blessing. The summer months remain the most popular months for couples, from May through to September with October becoming an increasingly popular choice too.
All couples are invited to two
wedding preparation events; one is held at All Saints and the other at
Seasalter Christian Centre. The
preparation day at All Saints takes place in February and is run by Simon
Tillotson. The afternoon covers all
practical aspects of the wedding – hymns, prayers, music choices, fees
etc. It also gives the couples the
opportunity to meet with the other couples getting married at All Saints in the
same year. The session with Simon in the
Church lasts for between two to three hours and afterwards the couples come
over to All Saints’ Hall for refreshments prepared by Jane and myself. This also gives us the chance to meet the
couples and to answer any questions.
Simon has a follow-up meeting with each couple about six weeks before
their wedding day to finalise details of hymns, prayers and wedding
requirements.
Karen Goodwin, Wedding Co-ordinator
WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS AND FUNERALS
Another very busy year of weddings,
baptisms and funerals took place this year. I am much indebted to Karen Goodwin
(our wedding co-ordinator) and Jane Askew (our Baptism co-ordinator who also
helps with wedding rehearsals), for all their hard work over the year. Thank you also to Peri Hawkins, Helen Parry
and Debbie Tyler, our Baptism visitors, and to Angela Sandey who assists with
our wedding registers. Finally, a big
thank you to our Saturday welcome team who do so much to help with the
bookings.
Please continue to pray for these
important forms of contact with our community, albeit sometimes in very sad
circumstances as well as very joyful ones. Please also pray for me as I
minister to the many people who come to our doors seeking our help at times of
celebration or times of darkness and loss.
Simon Tillotson
FINANCE SECTION
Treasurer’s Report on 2017
Firstly, my usual thanks to the whole
finance team and everybody that gets involved in finance,for your help and
support during 2017. The weekly receipts and payments have again been
efficiently dealt with by Barbara Tinson assisted by Mike & Maureen
Scammell. Thanks to all the counters including Barbara Scott and her Monday
morning team.
2017 has been a busy year - and looks
to continue that way going into 2018. The usual day to day accounting, paying
for services, materials and repairs has kept us all busy with over £350K going
through the books. Accounts are currently with Levicks for Audit.
Some good fundraising events this
year with the fireworks display doing particularly well and raising £2,125. A
total of 20 weddings also helped with funds.
We also held a TRIO in November which
was generally well received. A separate more detailed report follows this
report.
I must report that the Church had an
overall deficit in 2017 of £14,694. However, this is largely due to a
deliberate spend on some of our reserves. The spend on our church car park to
name one. We cannot keep reserves indefinitely without using them for our
fabric and this has affected our balance sheet for this year, but it has been
quite deliberate and indeed is what reserves should be spent on. Therefore, the
overall loss is not due to daily running losses but due to a more deliberate
expenditure of some of our reserves.
This overall deficit can be explained
as follows: -
Unrestricted funds– this is now
solely the general fund.
This year I must report a deficit of
£7,957 (2016deficit£1,697)
At the beginning of 2017, the total
unrestricted general and designated funds stood at £139,313. This fell to
£131,356 by the end of 2017. A fall of £7,597.
Income, at £159,693, was over £11K
higher than 2016 with voluntary income (£86K) and fund-raising activities
(£10K) both doing better. A particularly good year for weddings which together
with hall hires (63K) made up the total.
Our unrestricted income for 2016 was £148,360.
Unfortunately, expenditure also
increased by over £17Kto £167,749. Major contributors to this increase were
£3.4K spent on preparation work for the disabled toilet project, over £4k spent
on Church electrical repairs and £0.8K on Shirley Hall boiler repairs.
Depreciation of the Shirley hall designated fund also accounted for £0.5K.
Day to day running cost came to over
£146K. This includes quota costs of £79K, Church running expenses of £20K, Hall
running expenses £15K and Churchyard upkeep of £8K.
Restricted funds – these include the
Shirley Hall and the trust funds migrated to the church in 2009.For 2017I can
report a deficit of £6,737 (2016 deficit was £15,430).
At the beginning of 2017, the total
restricted funds stood at £252,234 (includes value of the Shirley Hall). This
fell to £245,497 by the end of 2017. A fall of £6,737.
Restricted fund income totalled
£13,673. Major parts of this amount are due to VAT refund on the organ
restoration costs (£6K) and car parks & paths fund raising (£2.3K). We also
have £21.4K with CCLA in “The Church of England Investment Fund – Income shares”
and these have increased in value during 2017 by £3.1Kand also paid a dividend
of £1.2K. There was also £1K paid into the Sunman fund.
Total expenditure was £20,311 with
our main expenses being the £15K spent on the main car park resurfacing and
preparing for work on the Shirley Hall car park and Churchyard paths. A final £3K payment from the organ
restoration fund was paid at the beginning of the year. Depreciation of the
Shirley Hall accounted for another £1.6K.
(Note: a £4K grant from KCC has been
received to off-set the start up costs for the disabled toilet/car park &
paths project. This will be shown in 2018 report.)
Total Funds at 31 December 2017
amounted to £377K, of which £199Krepresentsthe current value of the Shirley
Hall. At the same date the unrestricted funds stood at £94K and the various
restricted funds totalled £46K.Waynforth and Vicar & Churchwarden
investments account for the remaining £37K.
Year-end liabilities are £3.6K.
The Trust Funds – the only trust fund
remaining at 31 December 2017 is the Sunman Music & Media Endowment trust
which has been loaned to All Saints Church since December 2010. This is now
held to maintain the Church audio systems.
All Saints Whitstable – Reserves
Policy –
It is the policy of this Church to
keep two months running costs (25K), a further one month payroll costs (2K) and
two months hall income (3K) in reserve to cover unforeseen emergencies. It is
also deemed necessary, because the Church is a listed building requiring
regular repairs, to hold a building fund reserve (10K) to cover urgent
essential work. The remaining reserves will be used to fund maintenance and
development projects Church and hall.
This policy will be reviewed prior to
the ADCM held in March 2019.
Malcolm Waller
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Trio Report
For the first time since March 2013,
All Saints held a TRIO (The Responsibility is Ours) Sunday on the 5th November
at both the 8am Holy Communion and 10am Sung Holy Communion services. There was
a presentation by Charlotte McCaulay, from Diocesan house, about stewardship
and the further life of All Saints Church.
The central point of the presentation
was that, on average, our day to day running costs are £2,688 per week while
our income is £2,534. The difference between the two of £154 does not sound
much but over a year totals £8,000. The purpose of the Trio was therefore to
close this gap as much as possible.
It was also a chance to let the
congregation know about the envelope scheme and that it was possible to set up
banker orders to regularise their giving – and to say thank you for what has
already been given.
In all, 200 sets of documents were
prepared with 128 handed out on the 5th November and the following two weeks.
Of those 128 we have received 49 responses.
Of those replies, 16 were for no
change and 16 envelope users increased their giving by a total of £34.28 per
week (mixture of gift aided and non-gift aided). Twelve givers using bankers’
orders increased their giving by a total of £32.09 per week (mixture of gift aided
and non-gift aided). There were also 3 new bankers’ orders and 2 new envelope
givers to the total of 28.86 per week.
Overall this is an increase of £95.23
per week (almost £5K p/a).
Half of the envelope increases were
completed by December 2017 with more in January – the remainder are expected
later in 2018. All the bankers order increases have been established and all 5
new members have been set up.
It should be noted that some members
have increased their giving without using the response forms and some will be
reviewing their giving in April 2018.
Gift Aid will be claimed in the
normal way but as with all similar campaigns, it will take time to settle down
and then a more accurate analysis of the real changes can be done.
Malcolm Waller
Treasurer
CLICK ON TEXTS BELOW TO MAKE LARGER
32nd ANNUAL CHURCH
MEETING, ALL SAINTS CHURCH, WHITSTABLE
MINUTES OF THE
MEETING HELD ON SUNDAY, 2ND APRIL 2017
Present:
Revd Simon Tillotson (Chair),
Malcolm Waller (Treasurer), Clare Levere (Secretary) and 42 members of the
congregation.
1. PRAYERS
The meeting opened with a
prayer.
2. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS
It was AGREED that there was no need to appoint tellers for the meeting.
3. ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS
Margaret
Arnold (proposed by Malcolm Waller, seconded by Burt Connell) and Mike Binks
(proposed by Malcolm Waller, seconded by Brian Percival) had been nominated as
Churchwardens for the forthcoming year.
By a show of hands these appointments were ratified unanimously.
4.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
There was one apology for
absence from Mr Peter Woolgar.
5.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL
CHURCH MEETING HELD ON MARCH 22ND 2016.
The Minutes were AGREED as
a true record of the meeting and signed accordingly.
6.
NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION TO
THE DCC
The following were elected
to the DCC for a period of three years until 2020:
Marjorie Bodill (proposed
by Peri Hawkins and seconded by Linda Young)
Berit Garsed (proposed by
Carol Sims and seconded by Anne Rees)
Margaret Finch (proposed by
Linda Young and seconded by Derek Comins)
Janet Livermore (proposed
by Malcolm Waller and seconded by Jo Piper)
Heather Scott (proposed by
Martin Garsed and seconded by Carol Sims)
Terry Stefani (proposed by
Penny Stefani and seconded by Margaret Arnold)
Phillip Williams (proposed
by Linda Young and seconded by Julia Seath)
Simon added that DCC members
would be able to co-opt Victoria Hall and Stephen Reith onto the DCC once they
have been on the electoral roll for 6 months, as they had also expressed an
interest in being on the DCC.
7. NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION TO THE PCC
The following were elected
to the PCC for a one year term (until 2018):
Derek Collins (proposed by
Mike Binks and seconded by Malcolm Waller)
Carol Sims (proposed by
Anne Rees and seconded by Berit Garsed)
These members will also
serve on the DCC. (Rev Simon Tillotson
and the Churchwardens are ex-officio on the PCC).
8.
NOMINATION FOR ELECTION TO THE DEANERY SYNOD
The following were elected
to the Deanery Synod for a three year term (until 2020):
Margaret Arnold (proposed
by Mike Binks and seconded by John Johnson)
Malcolm Waller (proposed by
Linda Young and seconded by Marjorie Bodill)
Christine Williams
(proposed by Mike Binks and seconded by Carol Sims)
Deanery Synod members are
ex-officio on the PCC and DCC also.
Ex-Officio on Deanery Synod
Simon explained that as a
Reader, Denise Blaskett could be an ex-officio member of the DCC so it was
AGREED that she should now be ex-officio on an ongoing basis on the DCC as well
as the Deanery Synod.
9.
REPORTS
Presentation of annual
accounts, Treasurer’s report, Audited Accounts, Trust Fund Accounts and other
financial affairs.
Malcolm referred to the
report contained in the meeting booklet and thanked everyone for raising and
spending funds. In respect of the reported
deficit of £17,127, he confirmed that the general fund was only showing a small
deficit and that the majority had been spent on refurbishing the organ with money
raised specifically for that purpose.
There were no questions. It was
proposed by Des Collins, seconded by Linda Livingstone, and AGREED that the
financial reports be received.
Simon thanked Malcolm and
Barbara Tinson for all the work that they had done during the year.
Annual reports of the DCC
and PCC
Simon explained that this
year these reports were quite brief and could be found in the booklet. There no questions on either report and they
were received.
Fabric committee
Simon expressed his thanks
to Mike Binks for his chairmanship of the Committee. A question was asked about whether the
proposal to have a toilet in the West Porch of the Church had been abandoned for
good; Mike explained that it had now been agreed that a new toilet, which would
be suitable for disabled use, would be built off the Thorpe Room. An area in the Church near the West Porch had
been considered for a refreshment area, but this had been ruled out following
the decision not to place the toilet and associated plumbing nearby.
Electoral Roll Officer
Brian Percival said that in
addition to the report contained in the booklet, there were 6 new members,
bringing the total number of names on the Electoral Roll to 193. The report was received.
Deanery Synod
Christine Williams explained
that Deanery Synod meetings had changed in the recent past; they now took place
3 or 4 times a year and were well attended.
She encouraged Church members to attend these meetings as they are open
to everyone.
Safeguarding Report
Peri Hawkins introduced
herself as the Children’s Safeguarding Lead with Linda Young (Disclosure
Officer) and Julia Seath (Adult Safeguarding Lead). She explained that All Saints’ safeguarding
policies had been audited against the Church of England Policies, with action
plans developed as a result and priorities identified. Role descriptions, application forms and
references were now standard requirements and safeguarding training had been undertaken,
with volunteers encouraged to attend training at Seasalter Christian
Centre. Linda Young had organised fire
training, reviewed security during Sunday school, equal opportunities and the
lone worker policy. Training aside, Peri
emphasised the importance of looking out for vulnerable people and warned that
we should not become complacent. She
concluded by saying that a lot of had been achieved and thanked everyone for
participating.
In her role as Parish
Disclosure Officer, Linda Young explained how and why DBS checks were carried
out and the procedures involved in obtaining certificates. In the last 5 years she said that 70
certificates had been issued to members of the church community covering a
variety of jobs, such as Sunday School helpers, pastoral assistants and those
providing home communion - to name but a few.
She confirmed that the
Child Protection Advisory Service stated that offenders were less likely to
join church communities that had a robust DBS and disclosure policy. Simon supported this statement and said that
regardless of the time an individual had been known to the Church, it was the
policy of the Diocese and had to be upheld.
Christian Aid Report
Gordon Williams said that
last year house to house collections for Christian Aid raised £2,535, with All
Saints being the only Church still doing these collections in the
district. He thanked the loyal group of
volunteers who had undertaken the collections and hoped that younger members of
the congregation would now offer their help, as All Saints had raised more
money than all the other Churches put together.
Gordon was in possession of the accounts for the money raised during the
year and invited those present to view them after the meeting. In summary, the total raised by Whitstable
Churches was £5,679.58. In addition,
£802.30 had been raised through Church collections and quizzes. Simon thanked Gordon and the report was
received.
Other Reports
Other reports contained in
the booklet were taken as read.
10.
Vicar’s remarks
Simon thanked everyone for
all they do for the life of the Church.
In particular, he thanked the Churchwardens and the Treasurer for the
many hours they spend on Church activities.
He said that All Saints was a busy Church and that this year’s booklet
contained a lot of reports because there had been new groups evolving. He acknowledged that there was always a lot
going on but that there were challenges to be faced in the future. In particular, he referred to the increasing
age of the congregation, which he said was a national issue. However, he had been very pleased to see so
many young families integrating into the life of the Church at the Sunday
morning service.
He highlighted the Worship
Review which had begun in April 2014 and said that although All Saints had lost
a few families since Celebrate had
ended, he felt that subsequently there had been a greater sense of the Church
being a family together. There were no
questions.
Churchwardens Report
Margaret Arnold said that
it had been a good year, with the congregation growing and a good spiritual
atmosphere. She recapped on the many
and varied services that had taken place.
Margaret explained that the Church Auditor, Brian Witts, had recently
retired and that another person had now taken over the role. She expressed thanks on behalf of the Church
for all the work Brian had done during the years he had been in post. Thanks were also expressed to Debbie Rowden
for all she had done in her capacity as Manager of the Church Hall and welcomed
Bruce Douglas to the position. On the
subject of music, Margaret congratulated Victoria on her role as Choir Mistress
and said that now the organ had been refurbished, the music would be great!
Margaret brought to
people’s attention the deaths of Gladys Norrington and Linda Hill, both of whom
she said would be greatly missed.
She thanked Mike Binks for
his support and help, and members of the Finance Committee for their assistance
and expertise. Finally, she thanked
Simon and Cathy, appreciating the hard work that Simon puts into supporting the
various groups and for bringing spirituality into the Church.
All Saints’ Parish Weekend - March 2018
Anne Rees explained that
the MLT had explored the opportunity for the whole church to go away together
and that Judd’s Folly Hotel near Faversham had been chosen as it presented an
ideal location for a Parish Weekend. She
said that so far 12 people had expressed an interest in attending and confirmed
that, whilst the stay would involve some spiritual input, participation would be
entirely voluntary and suitable for those whose partners did not attend Church.
Anne distributed the forms
and asked people to complete them if they wished so that she could ascertain
the level of interest. She detailed the
costs involved and said that, subject to a DCC resolution, there was a
possibility of the Church subsidising those who really could not afford it.
Date of the Next Meeting
It was AGREED that the
exact date of next year’s meeting would be decided at a later date but that the
meeting should take place straight after the morning service as it had been
this year.
The meeting closed with
Simon thanking attendees and then saying together of The Grace.
Following this meeting,
members of the DCC met to elect the Treasurer and Secretary for the forthcoming
year.
It was proposed by John Johnson, seconded by
Carol Sims and AGREED that Malcolm Waller be elected Treasurer.
It was proposed by Berit
Garsed, seconded by Mike Binks and AGREED that Clare Levere be elected
Secretary.
