MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING HELD ON
SUNDAY 9th MAY 2021.
Due to Covid 19 this meeting was held via Zoom
Those present: Revd. Cheryl Coverley and 22 Parishioners.
The Annual Vestry Meeting.
1. Welcome and Apologies.
Cheryl Coverley welcomed all to the meeting.
Apologies were received from six parishioners.
2. Election of Two People to the Office of Church Warden.
Two candidates stood for election:
Dr. Kate Smith (proposed by Mrs. Heather Coppack and seconded by Mrs. Josephine Rawlings),
and Mr. Brian Ollman (proposed by Mr. Ian Gilmartin and seconded by Mr. Martin Smith).
As there were two candidates for two vacancies, both candidates were elected unanimously. Cheryl congratulated both candidates on their election.
The Annual Parochial Meeting
3. Minutes of the last Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 4th. October 2020.
The minutes were unanimously approved by the meeting. They had previously been approved by the PCC.
4. Electoral Roll.
Mrs. Jean Walters has revised the electoral roll which now has 117 members. Of these 76 reside in the parish and 41 reside outside. The roll was approved unanimously by the meeting.. Cheryl then thanked Jean for updating the roll.
5. Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the Year Ending 31st December 2020.
5.1. The Annual Report and Accounts.
Julie took us through the accounts for last year. Planned giving via Standing Order had been unaffected, but collecting envelopes had been more difficult as givers has been self-isolating, making handing in their envelopes difficult for them. With many self-isolating the plate collections were less. Also during 2020 due to Covid we were unable to raise funds by Social Events. However in 2020 we had managed to pay our full Parish Share.
At the end of 2020 our reserves were down to some £12K, which is less than three months income .
Due to our declines in income Julie had talked to the Diocese, who have allowed us to pay a reduced rate of Parish Share in the short term, until our income can be improved. We intend to pay our full Parish Share as soon as possible.
Some church centre user groups have started to return to our hall, but income from users was only currently one third of normal.
Julie then went on to thank all those who had helped her during 2020. She started with the Ma
c Donald family members, and then thanked Graham and the other money counters, Betty for help with the giving, and Peter who has now taken over from Betty. She thanked all of our givers, and also those who give indirectly, by giving cakes, flowers and donations for events such as Burn’s Night.
Lastly Cheryl thanked Julie for all her work as Treasurer.
5.2. The Church Wardens’ Report.
Kate gave thanks to God for his support during the awful year that was 2020, and thanked everyone at St. Michael’s who had supported her during 2020. Thanks to God, there have been no Covid cases in our Church. We have all followed the rules on Covid to the best of our ability.
Thanks to a very generous donation of £6K we have been able to paint the outside of our church.
Unfortunately due to Covid we have lost our Children’s Ministry and other styles of worship such as Taize. We have also lost our coffee sessions after services, and this must be particularly hard for our more elderly parishioners who enjoy these get togethers, and now need our care and support more than ever.
Kate then told the meeting of building issues, including heating in church where some of our heaters have failed, problems with the church centre flat roof, and rising damp in the church centre
Kate then thanked Julie for her work as Church Centre Manager, all those helping with welcoming and church cleaning, Martin for his help and all acting as Deputy Wardens. She than thanked Cheryl, Ailsa and all the other priests who have officiated, and everyone else who had assisted here task as Warden.
5.3. The Deanery Synod Report.
This was very short this year. Instead of our usual four meetings there were only two, one of which was on Zoom with only limited attendance. Betty reminded everyone that there were now vacancies for the Diocesan Synod and anyone interested in standing should talk to her or Ivor.
5.4. Safeguarding.
Ian’s report is on the website. Covid had lead to the suspension of all children’s activities . The report gives an update on training and our DBS checks, and includes the 2021 action plan. Page 1.
Lastly Ian thanked Cheryl and Kate and the members of the PCC for their support.
Finally the Annual Report and Accounts were unanimously accepted by the meeting.
6. Election of Two New Members to the Parochial Church Council (to serve 2021 – 2024).
There were two candidates for the three vacancies on the PCC, so these candidates were duly elected unanimously. They were as follows: Mrs. Rose Willson (proposed by Dr. Kate Smith, seconded by Mrs. Carolyn Hart),
and Mrs. Tina Parry (proposed by Dr. Kate Smith seconded by Mrs. Carolyn Hart).
Cheryl congratulated the new members on their election.
7. Election of a Treasurer to serve 2021 -2024.
Julie MacDonald was unanimously elected to serve again
8. Election of an Independent Examiner.
The meeting unanimously approved the appointment of Mrs. Sarah Kershaw as our Independent Examiner. The Secretary will write Sarah a letter of thanks for examining this year’s accounts.
9. Additions to the Sidespersons’ Rota and other Rotas.
Cheryl asked anyone who felt that they could help out on any of the rotas to let her know.
10. The Vicar’s Report.
My formal report is contained within the Annual Report published on the website and in church, so what I say now is a ‘Looking back/Looking forward’ review of the past year
So Looking Back: You may be familiar with the advert for a particular type of lager which has the strap line “Probably the best lager in the world”. Well, I would say that the past year has probably been the most difficult year of my ministry. When we began the first lockdown, we were told we couldn’t contact anyone using paper because that could be a route of transmission. Not being able to go into church was a bereavement. Caring for people’s spiritual, physical, mental and social needs was challenging without the usual options we took for granted. The responsibility for keeping you safe has been a heavy burden.
This time last year I hadn’t heard of Zoom, so I have learnt a whole new technical skill. Ailsa and I decided very early on that she would manage the WhatsApp group ‘Plugged In’ which kept people in contact with spiritual and social input; and I would manage the day to day input on the website and the weekly online services plus the additional ones for special festivals. Thank you to Julie MacDonald who showed me the ropes and got me up and running in that endeavour. Throughout the first lockdown and for much of the remainder of the year, there was something new on the website everyday. I know if we are the users of a website, content appears as if by magic, but putting the weekly service online – even if the sermon has been written by someone else, takes about 2 hours to collate, research a picture, remove the previous service and update the front page.
When we opened again for private prayer, Ailsa and I did all the preparation of the building, monitoring and cleaning to minimise the possibilities for infection. Taking on these additional duties has felt that we were, like the Hebrews in slavery in Egypt, being asked to do more and more with less and less resources.
The lockdown of 2021 whilst we were able to continue with Communion – Praise the Lord! was more demanding in a different way with the emphasis on home schooling, which meant I was required to be a full time parent, full time teacher, full time Vicar and full time housekeeper. It was an impossible equation and has been exhausting. So, what have been the positives from Covid? We have managed to stay Covid secure and there has been no transmission of the virus through any church activity. No-one from our church family has died of Covid. We have been able to have Communion continuously since September. We were able to do our Christingle in a new way, and we have enjoyed Carols in the Carpark. We have managed new technology and might be able to move forward with live streaming a service in the future. There has been a commitment to fellowship from many members of the congregation. Through the Zoom tea breaks people have got to know other people for the first time or have got to know them much better. We have an email contact list to keep people connected and to cut down on the use of paper. We have a WhatsApp group ‘Connections’ as an informal way of getting in touch and anyone who would like to join can be added to the group. You may be able to think of some other positives.
Another big change in 2020 was Ailsa taking up her commission with the Army as a full time Chaplain. This is an exciting challenge for her. She retains her links with us as her ‘home’ church through having Permission from the Bishop to officiate, which means she can take services when she is available. We await her licensing to formalise her role as Assistant Priest here.
Now to Looking Forward: We continue to face a financial challenge as we won’t be able to hold fundraising events as we have previously, and so need to find additional ways to boost our income and meet our commitments. The penny challenge continues, but there may be other ways we can increase our giving or extend our fundraising.
I don’t know if you have spent much time visualising what will happen after all Covid restrictions have been lifted? That may still be a way off. However, in all the upheaval of not being able to worship together, to then having limited worship under formal restrictions, church life has changed. I do not think that we will be able to go back and pick up exactly where we left off in March last year. Some people have died, some people have different health conditions, some people are not able to do what they did before, some people don’t want to do what they did before.
Whilst it would be comforting to think about going back to how we have always done things, we now have an opportunity to review and re-evaluate what church life and worship will be like. Later in the year, probably in the autumn, we will have a major consultation involving all church members on what our priorities are for St Michael’s going forward. As a result of that consultation, we may retain some aspects of what we have done before, stop doing other things, and do something new. This will be an open consultation where everyone’s voice can be heard. What comes out of it will require compromise and will also need people to be involved in helping with whatever we decide as we follow God’s guidance.
Can I encourage you now to be praying for God’s vision of how he would have us be church in Newton going forward from 2021.
11. Vote of Thanks.
First of all to our Warden, Kate who has done so much as a single Warden and has taken on the role with such enthusiasm and
Page 2.
commitment. I know she would like to thank Martin for all the support he has given her in this role and I too thank him for the difference he has made.
To our newly elected Warden, Brian Ollman, for taking on this role and bringing his practical expertise to our Church Family.
To Ailsa, in her self supporting ministry role, for what she has done professionally and personally to support me and the parish.
Welcome on board to Revd Elaine Ollman as a regular member of our worship team – Elaine will be presiding at Communion on a monthly basis and will support me and the church in any way she can.
To Revd Lindsay Owens for her ongoing commitment to St Michael’s.
A very special thanks to our Readers, Martin and Anthony for their support with sermons for the website. Also a thank you to Richard Appleton who has supported us from a distance with his regular sermons.
PCC members with whom it has been a privilege to work this year and from whom I expect great things this coming year.
Ivor’s faithful service as secretary
Julie, our treasurer, diligently keeping us on track
Peter Hinton our new giving officer, for taking up the reigns.
Betty – now standing down from Diocesan Synod, for all your contributions to our parish, the diocese and the Church of England more widely.
Then to those whose work may be unseen, but whose loss we would feel if they didn’t faithfully carry out their tasks:
Those on the coffee team at the start of the year
New Cleaning teams
Ann & Gardening team
Jean & Lesley Flower team
Graham, continuing to count the money given in church
Angela heading up First Wednesday and overseeing so many of our social events in the early part of 2020
Julie for managing the bookings of the Centre and the staff for the Centre. Thanks to Matt Coverley for his keyholding duties completed and to Matt Smith now taking over that role
Andy for tech advice and input
To those who have worked in any way with our children and young people:
Open the Book team, continuing to meet on Zoom
All who helped and were ready to help with initiatives in schools eg Experience Easter
Sunday Club, The Ark helpers and leaders of Venture
Kathy, Dot and the staff of Little Angels
To all who enabled our services where possible in 2020:
Martin and Anthony – faithfulness in preparation and delivery, & their encouragement
Sacristan – Liz, ensuring we have all we need
Those who in the first part of the year administered the chalice, read or led intercessions as they demonstrated something of what it means for us all to be involved in worship
Ian and Joan leading the Taize services and for the WhatsApp Taize services that Joan produced supported by Jeff.
All who prepared the church & welcomed people and then cleaned the chairs after each service
Julie & Sally, and Andy – for their musical contributions to our services where possible
Ian – in his technical support on sound and vision
Angela for her creativity with altar frontals and additional displays marking special times of the year.
Sarah & Sadie Acts 435 advocates
Ian Casson – who brings a thorough, careful and caring approach to Safeguarding
Jean Walters – electoral roll
All those who submitted reports
A personal thank you to all who have specifically supported me with the demands of family life – you make a great difference and I have felt the impact of Covid restrictions on that support.
I apologise now if I have missed anyone out – it is hard to look back on the whole of 2020 because of the activity / lack of activity due to the pandemic. To all of you, who by attending, praying, giving and supporting form the substance of our life together, even if it may be unseen – thank you and keep on going!
12. Any other Business,
The Secretary congratulated Cheryl on the approval, by the PCC and the Diocese, for her second sabbatical with us. This is due in the Autumn of next year. This sabbatical marks 14 years of Cheryl’s service in our parish
The meeting closed with Prayers.
The new PCC will meet on Monday 21st June in church or via Zoom at 7.30 pm.
The Archdeacon’s Visitation date is to be advised..
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING HELD ON
SUNDAY 9th MAY 2021.
Due to Covid 19 this meeting was held via Zoom
Those present: Revd. Cheryl Coverley and 22 Parishioners.
The Annual Vestry Meeting.
1. Welcome and Apologies.
Cheryl Coverley welcomed all to the meeting.
Apologies were received from six parishioners.
2. Election of Two People to the Office of Church Warden.
Two candidates stood for election:
Dr. Kate Smith (proposed by Mrs. Heather Coppack and seconded by Mrs. Josephine Rawlings),
and Mr. Brian Ollman (proposed by Mr. Ian Gilmartin and seconded by Mr. Martin Smith).
As there were two candidates for two vacancies, both candidates were elected unanimously. Cheryl congratulated both candidates on their election.
The Annual Parochial Meeting
3. Minutes of the last Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 4th. October 2020.
The minutes were unanimously approved by the meeting. They had previously been approved by the PCC.
4. Electoral Roll.
Mrs. Jean Walters has revised the electoral roll which now has 117 members. Of these 76 reside in the parish and 41 reside outside. The roll was approved unanimously by the meeting.. Cheryl then thanked Jean for updating the roll.
5. Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the Year Ending 31st December 2020.
5.1. The Annual Report and Accounts.
Julie took us through the accounts for last year. Planned giving via Standing Order had been unaffected, but collecting envelopes had been more difficult as givers has been self-isolating, making handing in their envelopes difficult for them. With many self-isolating the plate collections were less. Also during 2020 due to Covid we were unable to raise funds by Social Events. However in 2020 we had managed to pay our full Parish Share.
At the end of 2020 our reserves were down to some £12K, which is less than three months income .
Due to our declines in income Julie had talked to the Diocese, who have allowed us to pay a reduced rate of Parish Share in the short term, until our income can be improved. We intend to pay our full Parish Share as soon as possible.
Some church centre user groups have started to return to our hall, but income from users was only currently one third of normal.
Julie then went on to thank all those who had helped her during 2020. She started with the Ma
c Donald family members, and then thanked Graham and the other money counters, Betty for help with the giving, and Peter who has now taken over from Betty. She thanked all of our givers, and also those who give indirectly, by giving cakes, flowers and donations for events such as Burn’s Night.
Lastly Cheryl thanked Julie for all her work as Treasurer.
5.2. The Church Wardens’ Report.
Kate gave thanks to God for his support during the awful year that was 2020, and thanked everyone at St. Michael’s who had supported her during 2020. Thanks to God, there have been no Covid cases in our Church. We have all followed the rules on Covid to the best of our ability.
Thanks to a very generous donation of £6K we have been able to paint the outside of our church.
Unfortunately due to Covid we have lost our Children’s Ministry and other styles of worship such as Taize. We have also lost our coffee sessions after services, and this must be particularly hard for our more elderly parishioners who enjoy these get togethers, and now need our care and support more than ever.
Kate then told the meeting of building issues, including heating in church where some of our heaters have failed, problems with the church centre flat roof, and rising damp in the church centre
Kate then thanked Julie for her work as Church Centre Manager, all those helping with welcoming and church cleaning, Martin for his help and all acting as Deputy Wardens. She than thanked Cheryl, Ailsa and all the other priests who have officiated, and everyone else who had assisted here task as Warden.
5.3. The Deanery Synod Report.
This was very short this year. Instead of our usual four meetings there were only two, one of which was on Zoom with only limited attendance. Betty reminded everyone that there were now vacancies for the Diocesan Synod and anyone interested in standing should talk to her or Ivor.
5.4. Safeguarding.
Ian’s report is on the website. Covid had lead to the suspension of all children’s activities . The report gives an update on training and our DBS checks, and includes the 2021 action plan. Page 1.
Lastly Ian thanked Cheryl and Kate and the members of the PCC for their support.
Finally the Annual Report and Accounts were unanimously accepted by the meeting.
6. Election of Two New Members to the Parochial Church Council (to serve 2021 – 2024).
There were two candidates for the three vacancies on the PCC, so these candidates were duly elected unanimously. They were as follows: Mrs. Rose Willson (proposed by Dr. Kate Smith, seconded by Mrs. Carolyn Hart),
and Mrs. Tina Parry (proposed by Dr. Kate Smith seconded by Mrs. Carolyn Hart).
Cheryl congratulated the new members on their election.
7. Election of a Treasurer to serve 2021 -2024.
Julie MacDonald was unanimously elected to serve again
8. Election of an Independent Examiner.
The meeting unanimously approved the appointment of Mrs. Sarah Kershaw as our Independent Examiner. The Secretary will write Sarah a letter of thanks for examining this year’s accounts.
9. Additions to the Sidespersons’ Rota and other Rotas.
Cheryl asked anyone who felt that they could help out on any of the rotas to let her know.
10. The Vicar’s Report.
My formal report is contained within the Annual Report published on the website and in church, so what I say now is a ‘Looking back/Looking forward’ review of the past year
So Looking Back: You may be familiar with the advert for a particular type of lager which has the strap line “Probably the best lager in the world”. Well, I would say that the past year has probably been the most difficult year of my ministry. When we began the first lockdown, we were told we couldn’t contact anyone using paper because that could be a route of transmission. Not being able to go into church was a bereavement. Caring for people’s spiritual, physical, mental and social needs was challenging without the usual options we took for granted. The responsibility for keeping you safe has been a heavy burden.
This time last year I hadn’t heard of Zoom, so I have learnt a whole new technical skill. Ailsa and I decided very early on that she would manage the WhatsApp group ‘Plugged In’ which kept people in contact with spiritual and social input; and I would manage the day to day input on the website and the weekly online services plus the additional ones for special festivals. Thank you to Julie MacDonald who showed me the ropes and got me up and running in that endeavour. Throughout the first lockdown and for much of the remainder of the year, there was something new on the website everyday. I know if we are the users of a website, content appears as if by magic, but putting the weekly service online – even if the sermon has been written by someone else, takes about 2 hours to collate, research a picture, remove the previous service and update the front page.
When we opened again for private prayer, Ailsa and I did all the preparation of the building, monitoring and cleaning to minimise the possibilities for infection. Taking on these additional duties has felt that we were, like the Hebrews in slavery in Egypt, being asked to do more and more with less and less resources.
The lockdown of 2021 whilst we were able to continue with Communion – Praise the Lord! was more demanding in a different way with the emphasis on home schooling, which meant I was required to be a full time parent, full time teacher, full time Vicar and full time housekeeper. It was an impossible equation and has been exhausting. So, what have been the positives from Covid? We have managed to stay Covid secure and there has been no transmission of the virus through any church activity. No-one from our church family has died of Covid. We have been able to have Communion continuously since September. We were able to do our Christingle in a new way, and we have enjoyed Carols in the Carpark. We have managed new technology and might be able to move forward with live streaming a service in the future. There has been a commitment to fellowship from many members of the congregation. Through the Zoom tea breaks people have got to know other people for the first time or have got to know them much better. We have an email contact list to keep people connected and to cut down on the use of paper. We have a WhatsApp group ‘Connections’ as an informal way of getting in touch and anyone who would like to join can be added to the group. You may be able to think of some other positives.
Another big change in 2020 was Ailsa taking up her commission with the Army as a full time Chaplain. This is an exciting challenge for her. She retains her links with us as her ‘home’ church through having Permission from the Bishop to officiate, which means she can take services when she is available. We await her licensing to formalise her role as Assistant Priest here.
Now to Looking Forward: We continue to face a financial challenge as we won’t be able to hold fundraising events as we have previously, and so need to find additional ways to boost our income and meet our commitments. The penny challenge continues, but there may be other ways we can increase our giving or extend our fundraising.
I don’t know if you have spent much time visualising what will happen after all Covid restrictions have been lifted? That may still be a way off. However, in all the upheaval of not being able to worship together, to then having limited worship under formal restrictions, church life has changed. I do not think that we will be able to go back and pick up exactly where we left off in March last year. Some people have died, some people have different health conditions, some people are not able to do what they did before, some people don’t want to do what they did before.
Whilst it would be comforting to think about going back to how we have always done things, we now have an opportunity to review and re-evaluate what church life and worship will be like. Later in the year, probably in the autumn, we will have a major consultation involving all church members on what our priorities are for St Michael’s going forward. As a result of that consultation, we may retain some aspects of what we have done before, stop doing other things, and do something new. This will be an open consultation where everyone’s voice can be heard. What comes out of it will require compromise and will also need people to be involved in helping with whatever we decide as we follow God’s guidance.
Can I encourage you now to be praying for God’s vision of how he would have us be church in Newton going forward from 2021.
11. Vote of Thanks.
First of all to our Warden, Kate who has done so much as a single Warden and has taken on the role with such enthusiasm and
Page 2.
commitment. I know she would like to thank Martin for all the support he has given her in this role and I too thank him for the difference he has made.
To our newly elected Warden, Brian Ollman, for taking on this role and bringing his practical expertise to our Church Family.
To Ailsa, in her self supporting ministry role, for what she has done professionally and personally to support me and the parish.
Welcome on board to Revd Elaine Ollman as a regular member of our worship team – Elaine will be presiding at Communion on a monthly basis and will support me and the church in any way she can.
To Revd Lindsay Owens for her ongoing commitment to St Michael’s.
A very special thanks to our Readers, Martin and Anthony for their support with sermons for the website. Also a thank you to Richard Appleton who has supported us from a distance with his regular sermons.
PCC members with whom it has been a privilege to work this year and from whom I expect great things this coming year.
Ivor’s faithful service as secretary
Julie, our treasurer, diligently keeping us on track
Peter Hinton our new giving officer, for taking up the reigns.
Betty – now standing down from Diocesan Synod, for all your contributions to our parish, the diocese and the Church of England more widely.
Then to those whose work may be unseen, but whose loss we would feel if they didn’t faithfully carry out their tasks:
Those on the coffee team at the start of the year
New Cleaning teams
Ann & Gardening team
Jean & Lesley Flower team
Graham, continuing to count the money given in church
Angela heading up First Wednesday and overseeing so many of our social events in the early part of 2020
Julie for managing the bookings of the Centre and the staff for the Centre. Thanks to Matt Coverley for his keyholding duties completed and to Matt Smith now taking over that role
Andy for tech advice and input
To those who have worked in any way with our children and young people:
Open the Book team, continuing to meet on Zoom
All who helped and were ready to help with initiatives in schools eg Experience Easter
Sunday Club, The Ark helpers and leaders of Venture
Kathy, Dot and the staff of Little Angels
To all who enabled our services where possible in 2020:
Martin and Anthony – faithfulness in preparation and delivery, & their encouragement
Sacristan – Liz, ensuring we have all we need
Those who in the first part of the year administered the chalice, read or led intercessions as they demonstrated something of what it means for us all to be involved in worship
Ian and Joan leading the Taize services and for the WhatsApp Taize services that Joan produced supported by Jeff.
All who prepared the church & welcomed people and then cleaned the chairs after each service
Julie & Sally, and Andy – for their musical contributions to our services where possible
Ian – in his technical support on sound and vision
Angela for her creativity with altar frontals and additional displays marking special times of the year.
Sarah & Sadie Acts 435 advocates
Ian Casson – who brings a thorough, careful and caring approach to Safeguarding
Jean Walters – electoral roll
All those who submitted reports
A personal thank you to all who have specifically supported me with the demands of family life – you make a great difference and I have felt the impact of Covid restrictions on that support.
I apologise now if I have missed anyone out – it is hard to look back on the whole of 2020 because of the activity / lack of activity due to the pandemic. To all of you, who by attending, praying, giving and supporting form the substance of our life together, even if it may be unseen – thank you and keep on going!
12. Any other Business,
The Secretary congratulated Cheryl on the approval, by the PCC and the Diocese, for her second sabbatical with us. This is due in the Autumn of next year. This sabbatical marks 14 years of Cheryl’s service in our parish
The meeting closed with Prayers.
The new PCC will meet on Monday 21st June in church or via Zoom at 7.30 pm.
The Archdeacon’s Visitation date is to be advised..