Draft Minutes of PCC Meeting -- December 2005
Parish of St Andrew?s, Tarvin with St Peter?s, Duddon
Present
David Herbert, Jane Parker, Janet Joynson, Eric Plenderleath, Mary Burgess, Michael Burgess, Yvonne Albon, Lynn Orfanelli, Jenny Burkhill-Howarth, Michael Jessop, David Burkhill-Howarth, Alex Henderson, Harry Wilson.
Apologies
Michael Hawes, Margaret Marr, Bob Howard, Susie Connelly.
Prayers and welcome
David Herbert
Acceptance of Minutes
The minutes of the PCC meeting held on
Finance Focus Group estimate for broken vestry window should have read £2,056 not the figure of £855, which represented the estimate for a leaking pipe problem.
The bench in memory of Lynn Orfanelli?s uncle should in fact be in memory of her aunt.
St Peter?s Re-ordering
A meeting of the Project Management Group consisting of Rita Grimshaw, Michael Hawes, David Herbert and Michael Jessop had recently taken place. Michael Jessop reported that funding is being sought from a patron, but in the meantime grant applications have been applied for and Michael Hawes is dealing with these. Harry Wilson asked if it was possible for St Peter?s to establish a ?Friends of St Peter?s Group? similar to that at St Andrew?s.
A proposal for launching the fund-raising has been suggested and this will take the form of a Sunday Buffet Lunch. A date of
Report on West Window
The Faculty has now been signed and the window order placed. The cost presently stands at £25,500 but this is with the polycarbonate protection. There is some concern being voiced regarding the polycarbonate protection by English Heritage, SPAB and the Diocese but it was decided, as the window will take some time to make, to leave the decision for polycarbonate protection to a later date. The placing of the plaque for the window will also be discussed at a later date.
Diocesan Roadshow
David Herbert and Yvonne Albon had both attended this meeting on the 6th October. David reported that the meeting outlined the forthcoming changes in the Parish Share process.
In the past all parishes apportionment of Parish Share has been based on parish income averaged over a three year period.
The assessment of Parish contributions is now to be linked with the proportion of professional working people, whether church attenders or not, and the costs of ministry for each parish.
Tarvin Parish is in an average band meaning a parish Share of approx. £45k (Parishes are actually being asked for 105% of ministry costs because the Diocese is budgeting for a 95% payment rate).
Whereas in the past any extra monies raised were liable to increase the amount the parish would have to contribute to parish share, this is no longer the case. The new system no longer penalises those parishes which take giving seriously.
Parishes now have far more ownership of their finances, and will be in a position to make strategic decisions to facilitate mission. Examples given included collaborating with other parishes and/or with the Methodists on staffing and using/raising funds to employ a youth worker or administrator.
Focus Group Reports
Mission Group
There had been a joint meeting on 19th October with
The meeting had been a very interesting one with quite wide-ranging discussions considering the time available and that people on both sides were being somewhat cautious. A major item was the possibility of a joint magazine being produced in the future. A combined diary is now to be kept.
Pastoral Group
Pastoral Focus Group met on 13th October.
Present: Jennie Chesters, Mary Burgess, Susie Connolly, Hazel Hildreth, Jill Pegrum, Dorothy Weston and Jacqui Bradley representing the
Apologies: David Herbert, Sheila Hope, Margaret McDonald
Matters discussed:
1 Jubilee Group; coffee morning on 21st Oct at Phyllis Sheridan?s.
2 Independent Age; the charity which assists older people to maintain their independence ? Jennie Chesters distributed leaflets.
3 Tarvin Hall; the attempt to involve the carers living there in local activities was reported, but most are now moving to other accommodation.
4 Visiting and provision of lifts.
5 Ashworth Time Bank; attempting to interest people in their local activities including Mature Drivers? Course, Remember When, lunches etc.
6 Our main effort next year will be the Holiday at Home; 3 days activities for older people, planned for early August, to be run in conjunction with the Methodist Church, probably starting on a small scale in the St Andrew?s Room. It will be advertised after Easter. There will be two sessions: morning and afternoon, with plenty of time to talk over coffee, lunch and a cup of tea. The final afternoon is to end with a short service and possibly an invitation to the next Sunday?s service.
Worship Group (Report is attached)
Buildings Group (Report is attached)
Alex asked if some central record system could be made so that annual servicing and upkeep of the church was readily available for the Building Group and Z Team members to access. Eric felt at some time there had been a ?tick list? of annually recurring projects but over the years, this had disappeared. The Building Group will look into re-instating this.
The Secretary was asked to write to thank Janet Smart for her generosity in providing carpet and filing cabinets for the Choir Vestry.
The provision of a path to the
St Peter?s Group
Janet reported that discussion had focussed mainly on the re-ordering which had been reported earlier in the meeting.
Finance Group
Eric asked the meeting to approve an increase on the Parish Grapevine?s annual subscription making it 40p per copy per month. This was duly carried. A letter had also been received regarding the increase in cost of the Diocesan insert. After discussion it was decided that we would no longer have this insert in our monthly magazine and in future David Burkhill- Howarth will access this information via the Diocesan Website and print monthly extracts in the Grapevine.
The Finance Group has also agreed to donate £1,000 from the proceeds of the 2006 Summer Fair to the re-ordering of St Peter?s Fund. Eric stressed that a better Grand Draw would make this feasible.
Michael briefly commented off the record on the state of the church finances.
The Mission Group had queried charitable giving records. The Treasurer said these figures were recorded as long as the donations were given to him. He is to do a paper exercise on these, recording the figures in and out.
Official notice has been received from the CAB that as from
Clergy Report
Prior to, and after, the meeting, David was busy taking PCC member?s digital photographsfor the church website. He asked each member to write a short fifty word piece to accompany their photograph.
In November there had been a meeting of Cell Group Leaders, and on the whole most groups were doing well. There will be a series of Leader meetings featuring training and ways to promote growth and future working ideas.
There is to be a parish day at Foxhill on
A letter had been received from the Bishop regarding clergy time off; this recommends 6 weeks holiday including 6 Sundays off and a working week of 45- 48 hours. Eric suggested that David make note over a two week period of all the hours he actually works as an exercise, and report this to the next meeting. It was appreciated that not all hours carry the same stress coefficient.
Four parishes in the Deanery have appealed against their Parish Share. There is to be an appeal meeting in the Dioceses and St Andrew?s and St Peter?s are allowed to send two members to the appeal meeting. It was suggested that these be from the Vicar, Wardens and Treasurer as available.
Two teams have been entered for the annual Village Quiz in January.
Four children took their first communion in November,
The mid-Quinquennial report will be discussed at the next meeting.
Friends Re-Launch
Harry reported that the evening for the re-launch of the Friends had gone exceedingly well. He thanked Jane Parker and Michael Jessop for all their help and support. A number of suggestions have been received and one in particular, Parish Teas in the summer, was looking promising. The new brochure is at present being printed.
Electoral Roll
There were no applications.
A.O.B.
Yvonne Albon is to pass the Cathedral News to the editors of the Parish Grapevine for monthly inclusion.
Jane Parker voiced her concerns regarding the open electrics in the Choir Vestry and the storage of watering cans for church flowers on a shelf above these. It was suggested a notice be put on the shelf forbidding the use of this space for water container storage.
Harry Wilson praised the good work of the
The meeting closed with prayer.
The next meeting will be on