ANNUAL PAROCHIAL MEETING 2007 -
RECTOR’S REPORT
The
highlight of our Annual Meeting in on 21st April was Roger’s report.
He reviewed the past year and looked ahead to the year to come, reminding us
how much there is to be thankful for, but, as ever, not allowing us (or
himself) to be complacent. He challenged us and inspired us with ideas for the
future, and made us open our eyes to areas of parish life where we could aspire
to do more.
On the
plus side, we are a large Church, with about 200-250 regular
worshippers, and new people often come in, at first to see what it is like, but
in many cases to find that our worship and fellowship is what they were
seeking. We rejoice in our lively, reflective worship, that draws together
Catholic and Evangelical and Liberal, and
our intelligent, varied preaching.
People are finding that they belong, and coming to believe. We cater
well for primary school children in our Sunday Clubs, but there is a lack
of provision for older ones: we hope to start something for 11-14s soon, to
fill the gap until they reach the Youth Fellowship age-group. We also hope to
relaunch toddlers’ services; over the years they have come and gone several
times, as generations reach school age and leave.
2006 was
an eventful year for raising our profile in the community, with the
launch of the Appeal, the Eco-congregation Award, preparations for Caldy
Centenary, and the parish website’s first year, in addition to our regular
events. In September 2007 we intend to take part in Back to Church Sunday – something
to look forward to and pray about.
But being
a large Church has its difficulties: not everyone can know everyone
else, people may be unaware of pastoral
needs, newcomers may arrive unnoticed, others may worship less often or leave
unnoticed, and there are not enough hours in a minister’s week to fit
everything in. Our Pastoral Link Visiting scheme goes some way towards
addressing these problems, and Roger and Malcolm both pay many visits to people
in hospital and at home, but we want to improve our communication, welcoming and pastoral care.
In September we are sending representatives to a diocesan conference for larger
Churches: we hope they come back with plenty of useful solutions.
Money is
another concern. Although the response to the Appeal has been very generous, weekly
giving has not kept up with inflation. We are assessed as a parish that should
be able to give more than the cost of its own clergy, so that parishes in
deprived and rural areas can have a priest – this should not be difficult, but
in fact we would be in deficit again if
it were not for unexpected legacies. Another challenge to take up.
Roger
thanked many people warmly – too many to mention here. At the end of the
meeting our Churchwarden voiced the appreciation that we all feel for our
fantastic Rector, and we responded enthusiastically with prolonged applause.
Priscilla Bench-Capon