Annual Church Meeting – Report for 2015
The Annual Church Meeting will take place on Sunday 20th March at 4pm in the All Saints church hall. All welcome. The meeting will be followed by a cheese and wine/soft drinks party.
At the beginning of the meeting a short Vestry meeting will take place for the election of the churchwardens.
Hard copies of the below reports as well as the agenda for the meeting and minutes of last year's meeting will be available in All Saints church from Sunday 6th March. Please take one copy for two people and read before the meeting or read the below text before the meeting. Thank you!
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Vicar’s Report
I think it is fair to say that 2015 was a good year for All Saints.
We saw a number of new people join our main 10am congregation during the year, so that by the end of the year our attendance was often close to 100 adults at this service. Quite a few of the new people have said how warm and friendly they find the church, which is an encouraging sign. We also saw further encouraging signs that our Thursday 10am service is increasing in attendance. Numbers are not everything, of course, but we also give thanks for a huge Crib service attendance at Christmas and the fact that Cameo, Singing for Life and Health, and the Film Club, have all been thriving during the year and attracted new members. My great thanks to all those who work so hard to make these groups successful.
Having said that, there is more we can do spiritually to strengthen our congregation. Attendance at some of the courses I have put on has been patchy, and I am hoping we will have a better response to the Pilgrim Course I am planning to put on this Lent 2016.
The Social events in the life of the church all went very well and I am very grateful to those who have worked so hard in this respect. The Garden Party, (now called the Summer Fete), Harvest Supper, Fireworks night and Christmas Fair all stick in the memory as happy and successful occasions which generated much needed funds for our church.It was the first full calendar year following the worship review in 2014. Though I miss some aspects of Celebrate, and note that we have lost some young families and possibly one or two traditional members of the congregation because of the merger, I am still confident we made the right decision. If we had remained separate, would the new members of our 10am congregation have joined the church if they had attended a 10.30am without the presence of any children or young families, and without the current family feel that we now have? Possibly not. In order to attract people to the church I believe we need to generate a gracious and dignified but also cheerful and inclusive atmosphere, and I feel we are doing that. The breadth of worship adds to this attraction, and I am grateful to all who have had to sacrifice their own personal tastes in order to make it work.
Towards the end of the year we started the Ministry Leadership Team, and it will take a while for this to become established. We have only met once so far, and it is likely it will take a while to really set the vision for future initiatives at the church, but it is better to proceed slowly rather than make haste and make mistakes.
I am grateful to all those who supported the Organ Fundraising initiatives during the year, meaning we are now approaching £20,000 in this fund. This is a tremendous effort by many generous people. We now have some important strategic decisions to make as it is clear that there are a huge range of improvements we could make to the organ, but at the same time we also want to be able to focus on other projects, including the need for a toilet to be placed in the church (there is space alongside the boiler in a new separate room), a covered sink and cupboards and water boiler put in at the back of church (not visible on Sundays) , work on improving our church car park and church hall windows, and possible work needed on the church tower. Please pray for the DCC as it decides which elements of the organ restoration and maintenance are essential and which could be delayed for a further time in the life of the church. It is clear that these things can be staggered.
We had a busy year of weddings and baptisms, though 2016 looks like it will be a very quiet year for weddings – a sign maybe of our increasingly secular society. We also had a good number of candidates who were confirmed in the year, which was lovely to see.
Some projects have not survived. We lost the Breakfast initiative when the leaders were unable to continue, and when we were unable to find replacement people to take it on. Nonetheless we are very grateful to Anne Cross, Paula Comins and Maggs Seppala for their hard work.
There are so many aspects of church life I could comment on, but the enclosed reports will give far more details than I can in this short report of what has happened this past year in church life. I want to record my thanks to the churchwardens, Christine Williams and Mike Binks, for all their hard work this year, and especially to Christine as she steps down from having served in this post for five years. She has worked incredibly hard in so many areas of church life it will leave a large hole in our operation which will be difficult to fill. I am also very grateful for her careful chairmanship of the Finance Committee which with Malcolm Waller’s help as our treasurer has transformed our finances from a very difficult position a few years ago. Much thanks as always to Barbara Tinson who spends so much time each week helping manage our stewardship and accounting.
Thanks to each and every one of you who serve All Saints in so many ways. I am so very grateful.
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.
The archive continues to grow with more folders being added over the last year. Working on the files is now more comfortable since the three main cabinets have been moved into the Church office – much warmer.
Still tend to get distracted though; such as the notes from a talk by Raymond Whitney in 1983, “1916-2016 memories & hopes”. I have an ecopy if anyone is interested.
Should you wish to enquire about an item that you have and think it may be a valuable addition to the Archive, please contact me.
Malcolm Waller, Church Archivist 01227 791540
Adventurers and Explore
Adventurers and Xplore are the two clubs that make up our Sunday School or Sunday Club. This was the first full calendar year following the worship review. Numbers have varied from just two or three children to over twenty children, and it was encouraging to see a number of new families join in the few months leading up to Christmas. 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. Once every so often, I go into the Sunday Club and lead a united time of worship and activity. I am much indebted to my clergy colleagues for making this possible. It is a useful thing for me to do in helping me build friendships with the children and parents. Simon Tillotson
Bell-ringersWe have had another busy year; in addition to our weekly practice on a Wednesday evening & ringing for Sunday service, including one morning when we were visited by a four legged friend who seemed intent on getting in amongst the ropes, we also rang for St. George’s Day and at 11am on Saturday 9th May we rang to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of V.E Day. We even got our photo in the Whitstable Times with the accompanying article noting Derek’s achievement of ringing for over 70 years & that he would have rung to celebrate V.E. Day itself. We rang half-muffled bells for Remembrance Day and we rang for all Christmas services. Our annual outing with St.Alphege ringers took us to the Isle of Sheppey via St. Michael’s, Sittingbourne. Our bi-monthly joint practice with St.Alphege ringers is now monthly & we enjoy having the opportunity to ring on 8 bells when it is our turn to visit them. We
hosted Canterbury District practices in May & November. We donned our wonderful All Saints Bell ringers tee shirts on a glorious sunny day in June to man the ice cream stall at the Church Garden Party. We also helped at the Christmas Bazaar & are pleased to take our turn serving coffee. 2015 was rounded off with a very enjoyable meal at the Monument and six ringers welcomed 2016 by ringing in the New Year. I should like to thank the ringers for their continued loyalty & support and for the friendship, fun & laughter we share together as a band.
If you would like to keep up-to-date with Belfry news then take a look at our Facebook page; Bell-ringing at All Saints, Whitstable.Maureen Cooke Tower Captain 01227 274817
Churchwardens Report
We agree with Simon that 2015 was a good year for All Saints Church. There is a generally happy atmosphere and great friendships are being forged. Without being ‘organised’, support networks spring up behind the scenes to help when people have a need. Many of the church family help around the town with charity shops, food bank, and all manner of other charities.
Whilst not specifically a church group, the Singing for Fun and Health group started by Pat Holland last March has gone from strength to strength. Once a month the hall resounds with singing and laughter as the words are highlighted on the screen and accompanied by Wendy on the piano.
Week by week crotchet hooks and knitting needles are being employed by the prayer shawl group – prayerfully creating scarves, shawls etc for anyone in need of a ‘hug’. This is another amazing ministry to the sick, lonely, bereaved etc
We have more young families attending our 10am service on a Sunday – with many of the parents on the rota week by week to help with Sunday School. The Brownies regularly attend the Family Service, and it was lovely to see all the uniformed organisations at the Remembrance Sunday service in November, with their Standards presented at the altar.
We also have had a noticeable increase in members of ‘early retirement’ age – several of whom have volunteered to be sidespersons or on the coffee rota etc. We have frequently been told by new members and visitors alike that they feel a very warm welcome at All Saints – which is of course what we hope for, but it is always nice to hearthat we are achieving it.
We are grateful to our small but loyal choir who, week by week, lead our hymn singing. It would be so good if a few more people could join them to swell their number – and volume.
At the other end of the scale our excellent music group could do with some additional instrumentalists too.
The most urgent major work identified in the quinquennial inspection has been completed this year – repointing various areas of the church structure. Various people have volunteered either alone or as part of working parties to help with jobs around the church and churchyard, and even to improve drainage in the Shirley Hall garden. Unfortunately, as in our own homes, there is always more to be done!
Yes 2015 was a good year for All Saints Church – and 2016 has started along the same lines.
Christine Williams and Michael Binks, Churchwardens
Cameo
We have a membership of 42 – 8 of whom joined us in 2015. 38 came to the Christmas Lunch and our average weekly attendance is 20-14. There are no compulsory activities, you can do as such or as little as you please. We sit and have a chat, drink tea or coffee and have a slice of home made cake – thanks to Lindsay for the glorious home made cakes she produces every week. There are games of Scramble and Rummicup with more activities in the pipeline. Sue and Brian Barnes kindly hosted a summer tea party
in their beautiful garden which was appreciated by all and we hope to add outings to our schedule in the spring, summer and autumn of 2016.
This only happens due to the help provided at each session – setting up, serving tea, providing lifts and clearing up at the end. Particular thanks to Barbara Allen, Pat Holland, Rev.Christopher Smith, Lindsay Clifford, Mike and Maureen Scammell for all they do. Feel like a little company on a Monday afternoon? You would be very welcome – just drop in any Monday between 2.30-3.30 pm (except Bank Holidays). No obligation to come every week – just when you feel like it.
Linda Young 01227 278681/ jondieon@aol.com
Churches Together in WhitstableAll Saints, together with 12 other Whitstable churches, is a partner in Churches Together in Whitstable (CTiW). This is a cross denominational body working together to minister to the people of Whitstable, spreading the gospel and putting Christian action into practice.
2015 saw the fellowship between our churches and our church members continuing to flourish and develop. Christians Against Poverty was launched in Whitstable with Joyce Mitchell as the Manager supported in prayer by a team of people from all our churches. Since the launch the number of people seeking help has been steadily growing. Helping people out of debt can be a long process and clients are at various stages in their attempt to achieve this. I am delighted to report that by Christmas one client had reached her goal and become debt free. Joyce and our trained client befrienders have attended court hearings for bankruptcy with clients and supported others facing eviction. All clients are supported by the prayer group. Two men were finally able to find work. One, in his twenties, having not had a proper job since leaving school was thrilled that a job ‘came out of the blue’ He said he didn’t know where it came from.
The Mentoring in Schools project (in conjunction with the Canterbury Christian Schools Trust) now has trained mentors working with students at The Whitstable Community College and in some Canterbury Schools. Sixteen more mentors have been trained during this last year.
During the year the Street Pastors have walked miles round Whitstable streets and continue to do so with the support of their Prayer Team back at the base of St. John’s Methodist Church. The pastors come and go (because of house moves or job relocation or retirement) but new pastors continue to come forward for training. The positive effect of this ministry continues to be reflected in the crime statistics in our town.
September saw the arrival of more than 30 young unaccompanied asylum seeking minors (boys aged 13 to 17 years) at Ladesfield. Members of our cross denominational churches, together with people from the secular community, came together to volunteer to help befriend these traumatised, vulnerable children in a team co-ordinated by Fabian Wuyts, our team curate. It was heart-warming to see the huge response from Whitstable people in the face of hostility from some quarters, and wonderful to see the eagerness of the young people to learn the language and cooking skills of our British culture. The young people have left to other accommodation while they await the outcome of their appeal for asylum. Ladesfield has now closed and is soon to be demolished for the extension of Joy Lane School.
The Food Bank distribution café has been temporarily suspended in Whitstable due to operational problems BUT continues to provide food for people in crisis situations so donations of food are still needed. A large number of parcels were delivered to CAP clients at Christmas. Thank you for your
generosity. A weekly soup kitchen has been successfully launched in the Umbrella café on by the Food Bank. The produce is gifted by two local traders. Riverside has generously provided space in their new building (to be opened in May/June) for the Food Bank warehouse and volunteers have been helping to decorate and set up a facility suitable for storage purposes.
We are not meant to face the struggles of life on our own but together in the Lord’s strength. We are better together and this is evident in the work of Churches Together in Whitstable. Together, our
churches are recognised as the strongest most cohesive Churches Together body in Kent – so reports Rev. Chris Ruddle, Eccumenical officer for Churches Together in Kent. I thank God for my friends on the Executive, for all our ministers, pastors and priests and for all our church members for the joy of our fellowship.
If you want to know more about CTiW, about our churches, the work we do together and forthcoming events, watch out for our website which will go live sometime in the next few months.
Julia Seath Chair of CTiW
Choir Report
Nothing much to report this year. Progress is steady. Membership-wise we welcome Meurig Watts (Tenor or Bass) and his wife Christine (alto), who are excellent sight-singers, who will sing at Choral Evensons, together with any other important occasions. Unfortunately we have (for the time being we hope) lost Betty , due to a mild stroke, but hope and pray that she will be able to return in time.
We now have Choral Evensong at 1600 during GMT, reverting to 1830 during BST, also abandoning the Sunday afternoon rehearsal.
My thanks to the choir for voluntarily singing occasionally at funerals. However we still need more voices because, due to age, the voice drops in pitch, many, if not all, of our sopranos now unable to sing anything above Treble “F”, therefore making them altos.I am looking for people of the “just left university and are setting down” type – people who will be loyal to the choir and not leave after a few months because they are moving away – men in particular – the younger end of the adult age-range.
Michael N Cooke, FRCO, ARCM Director of Music.
Contact With Schools
I continue to take assemblies at the Endowed School and Swalecliffe Primary School which are both fruitful forms of contact with our community, both teachers and pupils. Also, in the last year, I have rejoined the governors at the Community College Whistable (formerly the Sir William Nottidge school), having served before 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 as 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 a the Community College, Whitstable. Simon Tillotson
Churchyard All Saints Churchyard continues to be a haven for birds and wildlife and an Oasis of God’s peace and calm amongst the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
Many people visit the churchyard, which is the largest open churchyard in the Canterbury Diocese, or pass through it along the Public Footpath in order to get to school, home or Tesco !In 2015 there were 7 burials and 9 recorded Interment of Ashes in the grounds of the Church.
Michael Binks, Churchwarden, has continued to help me regularly each week and his efforts are much appreciated. Other members of the congregation have helped either individually or as a member of a
Working Party. Your time and efforts do make a difference. THANK YOU.
Phillip Williams - Groundsman (07787 127643) pdwilliams57@gmail.com
Communion in the CommunityAs part of our pastoral care a team of people from our churches regularly visit people at home, bringing them Holy Communion. Ministry to people in local care homes is now in the hands of a married couple who worship at Seasalter.
The Team Clergy will be reviewing pastoral and sacramental care across the town.
David Sims
Church Printing
Massive thanks need to go to:-
All those who have helped fold and collate the weekly notices, reading sheets and service booklets – among them Liz Russell, Wendy Bailey and Jenny Harrison.
Dave Parry who does most of the printing. He also maintains the duplicator which has done well over 1 milliion copies and so needs his TLC from time to time.
Lance Jacob who kindly finalises the notices in my absence.
If you want someone added to the list of people prayed for, you must get their permission beforehand and also please let me know when their names can be removed from the weekly list.
Roz Button 274711
DCC
The past year has been a lively one from the point of view of the DCC Secretary. Each of the meetings this past year was well attended and there was good discussion at each. Credit belongs to the Council members who took decisions on important matters ranging from kitchen and toilet facilities in the church and repair of the organ, to church finances and how to expand the church’s reach to families and young people. All of which made it a productive year.
Stephen Bartley, DCC Secretary
Deanery Reculver Deanery consists of the churches in Whitstable Team, Herne Bay, Reculver, Herne, Greenhill and Hoath.
2015 was a year of change for the Deanery – At the first meeting it was decided to ‘Re-imagine Deanery’(which had become ‘somewhat dull’!).
Themed Deanery meetings were introduced which are open to anyone in the deanery.The themes of the meetings in 2015 were –
· Welcome and Belonging – entitled Veni, Vidi, Velcro(They came, they saw, they Stuck!) – this discussed the importance of a warm welcome to newcomers, but that what happens next is equally important
· Children – Ministry to them or with them? – this discussed ways of relating to children on an equal level, how we can learn much from them by listening to their stories as fellow pilgrims on the journey
· Community Engagement – discussed areas of mission in the local community such as Street pastors, Foodbank and Refugees
Any deanery business is dealt with as expeditiously as possible by Synod members at the end of the main meeting(typically in under 10 minutes).
All Saints is entitled to 3 elected members of the Deanery Synod who are ex-officio members of both PCC and DCC. Currently only 2 of these places are filled. It would be good to fill the 3rd place for the coming year. Next year (2017) the whole Deanery Synod will be newly elected for a term of 3 years.
Elected members of Deanery Synod are also entitled to vote for the House of Laity of the Diocesan and General Synods of the Church of England (which happened in 2015).
Christine Williams
Electoral Roll
Currently the number on the Roll stands at 185, Changes from the last ADCM in April 2015. (numbered 184) are Addditions:
Ten:: Tony Lines, Rowena Church, Aubrey Holland, John Halladay, Vivienne Lateu, John and Jane Naylor, Virginia Appleton, Susan Stokes and Amy Parry
Losses:
Nine:: of which 3 are deceased Parishioners (Pat Fountain, Audrey Brown and Barbara Powell)
Four have moved out of the district (Eve Tumber, Becky Laraman, Richard and Elizabeth Hubbard)
And two have left
All regular worshippers are invited to be on the Roll and are asked to complete the appropriate form, available on the table in the Church or from the Electoral Roll Officer, Brian Percival on 01227-262435
Flower Report It was amazing that throughout 2015 All Saints held many weddings plus a special blessing in the church for children and grandchildren of members of our congregation. It was a privilege for us who have known these young people for many years to play a part in their special event, and the flower ladies plus Malcolm worked very hard to ensure our church blossomed with flowers especially for them. I hope they and all those married in All Saints during 2015 enjoyed our flowers.
We continue to bring our work, time and flowers to the many festivals of our church. You may have noticed that this Christmas we put flowers into stars and grateful thanks to Mike and Marti who lifted the stars on high. Once again thank you Malcolm, Kayte, & Mags (the weekly team) and Linda and Berit who always help when needed. We continue to bring our work, time and flowers to the many festivals of our church. You may have noticed that this Christmas we put flowers into stars and grateful thanks to Mike and Martin who lifted the stars on high. Once agan thank you Malcolm, Kayte, & Mags (the weekly team) and Linda & Berit who always help when needed.
If anyone feels they would like to join our great team please give me a ring for a chat.
Margaret Arnold
Film Club The Film Club continues to meet every Thursday apart from a few weeks off each year in the summer. Numbers vary from about 10 to 25 and membership is only £10 for the year. It provides a useful social event for many as there is an interval half way through when people can catch up with each other over a tea or coffee. Please let me know if you would like to see the latest programme or simply turn up at the hall on a Thursday at 11am. I am very grateful to David Woodnutt who assists me though it would be good to have a third person who was able to help when neither David or I are available. You would need to be taught how to set up our Film Club system so some confidence with leads and sockets would be helpful!
Simon Tillotson
Fabric The Fabric Committee is responsible for looking after the Church, Church Hall, Nursery school and the cemetery , plus all of the surrounding area, such as car parks, entrances and walls. Generally everything and anything that impacts of the appearance and functioning of the Church comes under our remit.
This means that the work of the committee is highly varied and never ceasing.
I would personally like to thank my fellow Churchwarden Christine and previous occupant of my chair Linda for all of the help and advice that they have given me in my first year. Without them it would have been impossible.
This last year has seen extensive work on the church walls and much of it has been re-pointed. This is a specialist job and takes time. The church grounds had, over the years, become overgrown in some areas and steady work has opened up and reclaimed areas. Trees in the Nursery school gardens have been lopped and drainage improved there as well.
This year we will be focusing on two main projects.
Firstly some of the windows in the Church Hall need renovating - this will be carried out soon. Secondly we will start the process of planning and building a lavatory in the Church , in the west porch. If all goes to plan it will be totally in keeping with the surroundings and will be a definite asset to the church.
We also intend to create an area at the back of the church to provide refreshments for smaller groups using the church. Discussions are proceeding to decide the actual size of the unit, but it is proposed to install , at the very least, the basic facilities of the unit ( water, electricity and drainage) at the same time as the lavatory is being constructed.
Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Fabric committee for making this not only possible, but also a pleasure.
Mike Binks 01227 274370 mikeandchrisbinks@outlook.com
German Exchange
In 1986 a group of German Christians from the Black Forest and Berlin came to Whitstable as part of a church exchange with the Team Ministry. Since then the partnership has flourished with exchanges taking place in Berlin and the Black Forest. On this 30th anniversary Whitstable is host and 35 Germans are coming to Whitstable from 4-8 May to celebrate Ascension Day with the Team.
We are looking for hosts to provide bed and breakfast accommodation for our Christian brothers and sisters and from experience can promise that it is great fun! This is a great opportunity to make new friends – many of whom speak English – and there will also be opportunities to join in some of the activities we have planned. If you are interested or want more information please contact Dennis and Roz Button (274711) dennis.button@virgin.net
Hall Report
The Hall has had an even
busier year, the income banked in 2015 was approaching £20,000.00 (this of
course is not profit as the hall also has high outgoings)
The Hall is pretty much
fully booked throughout weekdays,
Privately hired for dance,
assorted exercise and sports, slimming groups, crafts, Teaching, Training,
Community Groups and a choir to name a few.
We also have Regular
Church Groups meeting
Cameo on a Monday
afternoon
Film Club on a Thursday
Singing for Fun and Health
Meet once a month on a Wednesday
Prayer Shawl Group, and
the Mothers Union also use the hall on a regular basis.
We have two Uniformed
Groups Brownies and Guides and we hire out throughout the year to the Scouts
for their fundraising Jumble Sales.
The weekends are pretty
much fully booked too; we have become “The Place To Quiz”
The hall was used for 25
charitable fundraising Quiz nights, on average these quiz night generate around
600.00 per quiz, so that’s around 15 thousand pounds raised for various charitable causes!
We also hired out the hall
at the weekend for 34 children’s and adults parties,
That’s an awful lot of cake!! Debra
Rowden
Healing Ministry
If you are unable or unwilling for any reason to attend the Sunday morning
services a service is held in the South Aisle every Thursday morning at 10 am,
at which there is an opportunity to receive prayer for healing and the
wholeness of 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 10 am main
service.
Should anyone, who generally attends the 8 am service, feel in need at any time
of special prayer please do 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
Ministry
Leadership Team
As the Ministry Leadership Team has only met once since it was set up towards
the end of 2015, I will not write a report on it for this year but hope to give
a fuller report on its thinking and deliberations, as well as its proposals to
the Church Council, in next year’s report. Please note that you can always read
the Church Council minutes which contains information about the Ministry
Leadership Team (MLT)’s thinking and how it relates to the Church Council. Simon Tillotson
Organ Fundraising Committee
The Organ Fundraising Committee started work at the beginning of 2015 and,
through the gifts of church members and friends and through its fundraising
activities, it was able to raise a total of £12,234.02p by the end of 2015.
This is a magnificent total and I am so grateful to all of you who have given
generously to this project. We raised £1613.54 through the Hymnathon, £2419.06
through my sponsored walk round the Kent coast, £621.76 through the October
concert, £233 through the Afternoon Tea Fundraising Event that was run at the
home of Mrs Elizabeth Baker and the separate donations and miscellaneous
contributions came to over £6000.
As chairman of the Committee, I would like to thank my committee members for
their hard work over the year. We have now decided we will apply to the waste
company Viridor for a community grant, and if we manage to secure that we will
be able to carry out the work on the organ sometime in 2016 or 2017. If we do
not manage to get this grant, we will continue to fundraise. Our current assets
stand at about £20,000 including grants from the Church Council and the Sunman
Fund, and we are aiming to raise £38,000 as the new advice from the Diocese is
to accept a new quote from F H Browne who are based in2 Kent rather than the
Whitwell Green quote we had previously been looking at. There is also the
option of a third quote by Tarquin Wiggins, based in London, and I suspect that
the Church Council will vote in favour of that quote if we do not get the
Viridor grant, as it is cheaper than the F H Browne quote. The Viridor grant
would be in the order of £19,000, so your prayers are sought for the
application process which is currently underway. Thank you again to all who
have supported the project thus far. Simon Tillotson
PCC
The PCC is the team Parochial Church Council which comprises representatives from the five District Church Councils, one of which is All Saints.The Council met four times during the year. Its discussions included the following.
The New Ground project. This is a project where young adults are helping with youth work in a number of churches including independent churches in the town. The PCC does help finance some of this work though several of the other churches in the town, including Tankerton Evangelical Church (now known as Riverside Church) and Harbour Street Christian Fellowship, also contribute generously.St Johns Swalecliffe. We learned how St John’s both recruited and appointed a part time Family and Children’s Ministry, Naomi Smith (formerly Naomi Ash who many will know as she helped with our Pantomime). Naomi is doing good work in this part of the parish.St Peter’s Whitstable. This, as you will know, is my other church. We learned about how St Peter’s is applying to be used on a temporary basis as a Post Office during the week, whilst still being open for worship on Sundays and Tuesday mornings. The aim is to make more people in the community aware of the existence of St Peter’s as it is situated on a side street. The application process is still not complete, but may be by the time of the ADCM (if it has succeeded).Ladesfield. We learned about how Rev Fabian Wuyts, our Team Curate, and various members of the Team were involved in work at Ladesfield care home which had been turned into a reception centre for young asylum seekers. Much good Christian work went on here during the year, though Ladesfield is now in the process of being demolished as Joy Lane Primary school is acquiring the site.This as well as Safeguarding, Finance and other matters made up a full year and I am grateful to all who gave their time to this project.
Simon Tillotson
Pastoral Care Scheme
A relatively small group of pastoral assistants and people authorised to take out Communion to people’s homes is currently in existence. We meet every two or three months 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 I have pointed out before, the presence of Cameo, Singing for Life 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, I am confident that we are just as caring a church as we ever have been. I am particularly grateful to Christine Daldorph for her work creating the large cards which we so often give out to people.
Simon Tillotson
Prayer Shawl Group
Our group of knitters and crocheters meet twice a month on Wednesdays at the Monument Pub from 11am-1pm. We make a variety of shawls, scarves, hats, premature baby garments and Nativity characters. We give these items to both church members and people in the community who are facing challenging times in their life and need an extra Hug of Love. Each garment is made with prayer. Makers and recipients are also remembered during the Healing Communion service on a Thursday morning as each item is blessed before being packaged and given out.
In the book of Acts we read of Dorcas, also known as Tabitha, whose ministry it was to make garments for the needy.
The modern Prayer Shawl Ministry started in America and is spreading. There are 3 groups in the Canterbury Diocese at least. We find that many people are really encouraged in their situations through the gift of a shawl or scarf. A piece of yarn, through loving prayer and a simple skill, can become treasured and useful gift that reminds the recipient of God’s wonderful love for and presence with them whatever they are facing. Pat Holland
Sacred Space
This has continued once a month throughout 2015 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 small of incense. There is then 45 minutes of time for quietness and prayer before spoken prayers are said at 8.45pm. We then conclude at 9pm. Numbers are not particularly high so we would like to see more folk attend. Please do bring a torch. At the time of writing the full set of dates for 2016 has not been decided but they should be advertised on the website and at the back of church sometime soon.
Simon Tillotson
Safeguarding
The safeguarding team at All Saints are pleased to report good progress in meeting the Church of England's standards for safeguarding. The safer recruitment process is in place which involves a written application from all people wanting to undertake jobs working closely with children and/or vulnerable adults plus references, a DBS check and safeguarding training for all volunteers and paid employees. This year we had 10 attend the training at Seasalter C.C.. Thankfully we have not had any concerns raised but our policies and procedures are in place if we ever need them.
Since the last DCC annual meeting Linda, Peri and Julia have attended the annual Diocesan Safeguarding Seminar in Canterbury; we split up into different groups led by several speakers, expert in their fields i.e. human trafficking, e-abuse, understanding of dementia etc. We had a number of exercises to do in which we identified 12 different categories of abuse, how to comply with health and safety, best practice etc. It was a very informative morning.
All those working closely with children or vulnerable adults require a DBS certificate issued by Canterbury Diocese and the certificate is reviewed and renewed every 5 years. This year at All Saints, 14 certificates have been issued to volunteers working as Sunday School Helpers, Church Driver and Singing Group Befrienders.
Should you wish to speak to a Safeguarding Co-ordinator, we draw your attention to the safeguarding notices posted in the church porch and on the hall noticeboard.
Safeguarding Co-ordinators – Julia Seath & Peri Hawkins,
Parish Disclosure Officer – Linda Young
Sidespersons
The ministry of Sidesperson in the church is to help to ensure the smooth running of services, and particularly to give a friendly welcome to all, and especially to newcomers.
In order to do this they prepare and give out service sheets etc prior to the service, show people to seats as necessary, take the collection during the service, tidy up after the service, or they are in charge of the sound system.
It is a commitment to a particular service each month (although swaps can be made), or to be on a list of reserves. It is an important ministry in the church – and is a good way to get to know more people.
Please speak to either of the churchwardens if you would like to volunteer or just to know more about the role.
Sidespersons are re-appointed each year at our annual meeting, and those of all the churches in Whitstable are formally agreed at the Annual Parochial church meeting (APCM) of the Whitstable Team.
Several people have stopped being sidespersons in the last year – Anne Cross, Sacha Euden, Joan Harris, Ron Harrison, Charles Judd, Robert Morris, Pauline Percival, Liz Russell and Maggs Seppala. Most of these had given many years of service, for which we are extremely grateful. It is lovely to welcome several new names to the team.
This is the list of sidespersons(covering all regular morning services) as at January 2016 –
Margaret Arnold Howard Barker Brian Barnes Sue Barnes
Christine Binks Dennis Button Roz Button David Carpenter
Derek Collins Derek Comins Paula Comins Margaret Finch
Tony Finch Jenny Harrison Judith Jewiss Olive Judd
Vivienne Lateu Clare Levere Chris Lovelock Mary Parry
Anne Rees Wendy Reynolds Carol Sims Jo Springthorpe
Bill Stebbeds Valerie Stebbeds Peter Still Gordon Williams
Karen Williams
Christine Williams and Mike Binks - Churchwardens
3rd WHITSTABLE (ALL SAINTS) SCOUT GROUP
Attendance at the Group is just over 60 young people each week. The Leader situation still remains poor with a couple of leaders “multitasking” so more help is still required. It is only the dedication of our Leaders that make possible the many activities the Group takes part in.
All sections worked on Challenge and Activity badges during the past year. Several Cubs attended the District Cub camp in September. The Scouts and Explorer Scouts camped at the Thriftwood, Brentwood Essex and also a Pioneering weekend was held at Hamlet Wood, Maidstone. Members from all sections of the Group have taken part in swimming and sports competitions.
A Beach barbecue and treasure hunts have also featured whilst all sections have continued with normal Scout training work aiming for the relevant Chief Scouts Award . Explorer Scouts continue to work for the Duke of Edinburgh awards. It is only the dedication of the few leaders who see this through that make it possible for Scouting to continue with the Group 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 please contact the relative number given below. We currently have a waiting list for Beaver Scouts so if you have a son or daughter who wishes to join please get in touch as new entrants are taken on a first come first served basis.
One of our Explorer Scouts was selected to join the Kent County contingent at the 2015 World Jamboree in Japan.
SECTION AGE TIME LEADER
Beavers 6-8 years Tuesday 1700-1815 Ms Jackman 687253
Cubs 8-10.5 years Tuesday 1830-2000 Mr Woolgar 264238
Scouts 10.5-14 years Friday 1900-20.30 Mr Maley 687253
Explorer Scouts 14-18 years Friday 2000-21.30 Mr Maley 687253
Thank you to those who support our Jumble Sales providing a never ending supply of goods and used stamps for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
GROUP SCOUT LEADER - Peter Woolgar 264 4238
Social Committee
In 2015 the Social Committee organised and ran 4 Fund Raising events – A Valentine Dance , The Summer Fete, Harvest Supper and Christmas Fair – all of which were successful . We also helped out at the Firework Night and assisted with refreshments at 4 other Social events. Sales of Ballpoint Pens and Christmas Cards continued well and raised funds for the Church, as well as getting All Saint’s name out to a larger group of people beside the local community, who support many of our events. My Thanks to all the members of the Social Committee for your work, help and support and also to all who attended and helped fill the coffers during the past 3 Years – now over to someone else to take over the Social Committee reins in 2016. Phillip Williams.
Singing for Fun and Health
Singing for Fun and Health started in March 2015 with financial support from Whitstable Carnival, Canterbury Council, and The Sing for your Life Charity, private donors and Tesco. We were able to purchase a Silver Song Music box which we use each month for our 90 minute session of singing. Tesco has provided us with nearly £100 of refreshments from their Community Fund which we serve halfway through. All Saints DCC support us with free use of the hall and publicity costs. We aim to improve health and wellbeing through singing and social interaction and the group is free and open to all.
We have about 50 people most months including a group brought by the AGEUK volunteers in their bus. We sing a variety of popular songs through the decades and songs from some of the musicals.
We have an excellent team of volunteer helpers from All Saints Church and St Alphege Seasalter who are all DBS checked and do a sterling job each month.
In December the nursery school joined us for our Christmas Celebrations and sang to us and taught us one of their songs.
I think it’s fair to say that there are lots of happy faces as we say goodbye each month and new friendships .
Pat Holland
SacristyThe sacristans, Barbara, Jenny, Margaret and Doreen, have worked steadily throughout the year, preparing for services, laundering altar linen, changing altar frontals, and generally trying to ensure that everything is well presented for the celebration of the Eucharist. One of our concerns is the care of the communion vessels, and this year we have had to ask the D.C.C to sanction repairs to the silver cruet jugs, which were showing signs of wear. This work has been carried out and the jugs are back in service . We all find our sacristy work interesting and satisfying ---- even when we have to stay behind after the Christmas midnight mass to scald the chalices and prepare them for the next service !
Doreen Austin ( joint head sacristan )
ServersThe Servers, here at All Saints Church continue to assist the Clergy at Sunday and mid-week services. We also assist, when required, at St.Peter’s Church, at the Oyster Festival and at Cursillo services.
I reported in last year’s Annual Report that Allen Shilling had operations on both his knees and found it difficult to stand for long, so was unable to serve. The situation has not improved very greatly and thus he has been unable to continue serving at the moment. David Sims is also not able to serve at present.
We pray that at some point in the not too distant future Allen and David will be able to resume Serving with us.
Unfortunately our number is not growing and although we are just in double figures number-wise, we often struggle to provide a full serving team. We would welcome some new blood to assist in our privileged position of serving Our Lord at His Altar. So if you are interested or are just inquisitive about role in All Saints church then please speak to Simon, our Vicar or myself. Finally on behalf of everyone I should like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Hubbard for his patience and dedication in making the Pascal Candle every Year for over 35 years. A real labour of love. We wish him and Lizzie well in their move to Oxfordshire.
Phillip Williams
Saturday Welcomers
Welcoming visitors to our church at church services and other times when the church is open is a very important part of our mission. We are blessed that we currently have 14 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 to Wendy Bailey, Anthea Bryant, Judith Jewiss, Mike & Maureen Scammell, Karen
Goodwin, Pat Hudgell, Sue & Brian Barnes, Doreen Austin, Anita Lewis, Malcolm Waller, and Christine & Phillip Williams who give their time to this job. 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, help is provided until you feel confident and it is not physically challenging. 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
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.
The statistics this year were as follows for your information
Baptisms :
Age less than 1 yr 13 baptisms;
1 - 4 years 25 baptisms;
5-12 years 3 baptisms;
Youth and adult baptisms 3
Confirmations: 5 adults,
Age less than 1 yr 13 baptisms;
1 - 4 years 25 baptisms;
5-12 years 3 baptisms;
Youth and adult baptisms 3
Confirmations: 5 adults,
Marriages 20 and 1 service of dedication / thanksgiving
Funerals : Church funerals 17
Crematorium / cemetery funerals 13
Burial in churchyard with no service in church 1
Burial of cremated remains in churchyard 9
Simon Tillotson
STEWARDSHIP SCHEME ~ PLANNED GIVING BY ENVELOPE, BANKERS
ORDER OR ANNUAL CHEQUE. JAN. ~ DEC. 2015
Thank you for your continued financial support over the past year. Stewardship income during 2015 was £55,852 compared with £56,146 in 2014. This slight decrease may be due to people also giving to fund raising and other appeals that are ongoing in church. During the year 8 people left/moved or sadly died and 4 people joined. A few were unable to use their envelopes due to illness or other changes in circumstances. Please could you let me know if you do not want your new box in June and likewise if you wish to join the scheme. Over the year several people have changed from envelope giving to monthly Bankers Order – if this could be helpful to you please let me know, of our 132 Stewardship members 56 give by Bankers Order and 75 by envelope and/or annual cheque.
Gift Aid and Tax reclaims.Gift Aid enables us to claim tax already paid by donors which at present stands at 25p/£. This is a vital source of income for our church so please could I encourage anyone who is a tax payer to complete a simple declaration form available at the back of the church. Likewise if you are an existing member and your circumstances change – especially if you become a non tax payer please let me know. In 2015 we received 13 tax reclaim payments totalling £14,014 compared with £13,666 in 2014. During the year 111 of the 132 stewardship members were able to Gift Aid their giving.
GASDS --- Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.This scheme enables us to reclaim tax on small donations without the need for a declaration. This includes our weekly plate collections, certain offertory envelopes & certain donations. GASDS stands at 25p/£ and during 2015 we received the maximum allowed for the tax year - £1,250. It is possible that during 2016 we may be able to claim on other monies.
Thank you once again to those that give so generously to the work of the church both financially and commitment to the many jobs that go on behind the scenes. Barbara Scott and her faithful rota of helpers are one such group working unseen for the Stewardship Department. Without their hard work and dedication life would be difficult to say the least – a big thank you to you all.
Barbara Tinson -- Stewardship/ Gift Aid secretary. (263288)
Treasurer’s Report on 2015
Firstly, my usual thanks to the whole finance team for their help and support during 2015. Again Barbara Tinson has worked tirelessly in the office keeping everything neat, tidy and under control.
It has been a good steady year with income and expenditure remaining stable. There were some extra costs relating to major repairs to the Church and hall. The organ fund was launched in early spring with various fundraising activities being held during the year. Just over £12K has been raised to date. A good year for occasional offices with a total of 19 weddings.
I have to report that the Church had an overall surplus in 2015 of £11,189. This follows a 2014 surplus of £33,013.
The overall surplus of £11,189 within the Church can be explained as follows:-
Unrestricted funds– this is now solely the general fund
Sadly this year I must report a deficit of £1,712 (2014 surplus of £31,685)
It should be noted that the major part of the 2014 surplus was due to various legacies received by the Church.Voluntary income remained steady at £85K, the same as 2014 and fees for occasional offices were slightly up on 2014. The delay in gift aid payment has been reduced from 3 to 2 months which has effectively given us an extra payment (£1K).
The various social and fundraising events did particularly well (£10.5K) as did, yet again, our income from hall hire (£19.5K). Our total incoming receipts for 2014 amounted to £150,983
Set against this we had our normal quota costs of £71K and major repairs to the Church and hall accounted for an additional £12K of expenditure. General running costs were similar to last year.
Our total unrestricted fund expenses amounted to £152,557
Restricted funds – these include the Shirley Hall and the trust funds migrated to the church in 2009.
Surplus of £12,901 (2014 Surplus of £1,327).
The major restricted fund expense remains the depreciation on the Shirley Hall at £1,648.
The 2015 restricted fund income of £17K was made up from investment income, contributions to the Sunman music & media fund and income from donations and fund raising events (£12K) in aid of the organ fund.
The TOTAL FUNDS at 31 December 2015 amounted to £408K, of which £204Krepresentsthe current value of the Shirley Hall. At the same date the general fund stood at £100K and the Vicar & Churchwardens restricted fund totalled £71K.Waynforth and Vicar & Churchwarden investments account for the remaining £30K. Year-end liabilities are 3K.
The Trust Funds – the only trust fund remaining at 31 December 2015 is the Sunman Music & Media Endowment trustwhich has been loaned to All Saints Church since December 2010. This is now held to maintain the Church audio system.
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 work identified by the recent quinquennial report and the development of toilet and refreshment facilities in Church.
This policy will be reviewed prior to the ADCM held in March 2017.
Malcolm WallerTuesday, 01 March 2016
