R E P O R T
S F O R T H E Y E A R E N D E D
3 1 S T D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6
FROM
THE
CONTENTS
1
Amicus
SHORT CUT
2
Bible
Society Action Group
SHORT
CUT
3
Book
Stall
SHORT
CUT
4
Boys’
Brigade
SHORT
CUT
5
Boys’
& Girls’ Brigade Companies Band
SHORT
CUT
6
80th
Birmingham Girls Brigade
SHORT
CUT
7
Brookmeadow
Court
SHORT
CUT
8
Choir
and Junior Choir SHORT
CUT
9
Churches
Together in Hall Green
SHORT
CUT
10
Day
Centre
SHORT
CUT
11
Deanery
Synod
SHORT
CUT
12
Friends
of St Peter’s
SHORT
CUT
13
Girl
Guides
SHORT
CUT
14
Guild
of St Raphael
SHORT
CUT
15
Injoy
SHORT
CUT
16
Junior
Church
SHORT
CUT
17
Maintenance
Team Report
SHORT
CUT
18
Millenium
Volunteers
SHORT
CUT
19
Missions
to Seafarers
SHORT
CUT
20
Mothers’
Union
SHORT
CUT
21
Paradise
Centre Committee SHORT
CUT
22
Scouts
SHORT
CUT
23
Tots
and Co
SHORT
CUT
24
Traidcraft
SHORT
CUT
25
Visiting
Group
SHORT
CUT
26
Wednesday
Ladies
SHORT
CUT
27
Women’s
Fellowship
SHORT
CUT
We are a non-uniformed mixed section of The 80th
Birmingham Boys Brigade Company and linked to the 80th Birmingham
Girls Brigade.
We see each of these definitions as important. We
are non-uniformed and informal, with a balance between male and female which
gives the group great strength.
AMICUS also gains a great deal from the
self-discipline of the Boys and Girls Brigades, although many of it’s current
membership of over 30 have joined us directly with no previous link with the BB/GB.
We also see ourselves as very much a part of St
Peter’s youth with a strong Christian base. The AMICUS worship band leads the
evening service on the third Sunday of every month (want to support us come
along to Praise 3 it’s not only for young people) , there are also regular
slots where we look at our faith especially on our breaks away from home.
We were pleased to lead worship at the deanery
youth training.
Our Monday nights are very varied but are all aimed
at fun and promoting Christian self-confidence and team working.
Our outdoor pursuits
include
1)
The City of Birmingham Youth Night Operation
held at Sutton Park.
2)
We sent three (three person) teams to the
Cleveland weekend hike with all teams doing well.
3)
Our Christmas trip was popular with 23 attending We went to a field centre near Buxton
4)
Almost all of the group attended the Brigade
Camp in Dyffryn Ardudwy and were involved in its leadership.
5)
Firm Foundations has become a regular event
for us. This Christian event of four days in May has become a big part of our
year, a real spiritual uplift.
The big task this year has been raising money for
the Kayoyo Orphanage Project in Malawi.
This has involved coconut shies, auction, bringing a total so far of
£5.400 raised
A big thank you to our Vicar and church
members who have encouraged us throughout the year.
Brian Greaney AMICUS
Leader.
BIBLE SOCIETY – HALL GREEN
ACTION GROUP (part of Churches Together in Hall Green)
The
Group was very pleased to welcome Yvonne Whitmore as Chairman in January 2006.
A
coffee morning with a St Patrick’s tide theme was held at Trinity URC in March,
and proved very successful, thanks especially to the Irish dancers who provided
the entertainment. It was good to see so many from St Peter’s.
The
summer event with cream tea took place at the Baptist Church; the speaker was
Margaret Knill MBE, who spent many years training teachers of the blind in
Afghanistan and recently revisited that troubled country. Her account of life
there, with slides, did much to flesh out what we hear on the news – we learned
that Afghan Christians are not allowed even to own a Bible. Following
Margaret’s talk, beautiful examples of Afghan embroidery were on sale.
A
second coffee morning, at the Church of the Ascension, took as its theme
Harvest. Two young singers from St Mary’s Moseley entertained the coffee
drinkers and again the morning was enjoyable and a financial success.
During
the Society’s financial year, April 2006 – March 2007, over £1700 was sent in
through the Action Group, made up of donations from the churches, the Bible
Sunday collection, fundraising events and private donations.
Bookstall
The Bookstall
has changed hands recently, coming under 'new management'
from December 2006. Approximately, once a month around a dozen books (on a
sale or return basis via SPCK) will be available for purchase. The response
so far has been encouraging, particularly when books have been chosen around
a season, such as Advent and Lent. We do try to choose books for a wide
audience but would love to hear suggestions and recommendations. So - if
there is a book you've been looking for, please let us know, and if there's
one that you think others would enjoy, either tell us or write a short
review in the book provided on the table.
The stock of cards and prayer cards (which were a big seller for Barbara
Priest so she says!) will be renewed soon, so look out for those.
Thank you for your support and keep reading!
Helen Glithero and Kay Stephenson
The Boys'
Brigade 80th Birmingham Company -
Report to St.Peter's AGM 2006.
During
2006 we made more use of the Paradise Centre on a Thursday, the new facilities
are really wonderful, thank you to all involved. It has been good to welcome
two more Leaders, Mrs. Alison Rudd and Mr. Andy Brumwell. Thank you to Mr. Richard Greaney for a
lifetime of service as he moved away from Birmingham. Richard has remained a Company Officer and still takes an active
role in many events. Thank you to Martin, Jo and Mrs. Kath Hawker, who along
with the rest of the Company Staff, help lead our weekly worship services.
All
the members are encouraged to come along to Praise 3 led by the Amicus Group
once a month. Praise 3 plays an
important part in our activities. For
the first time we have recruited new members from Billesley. We have this opportunity as
part our link with the 60th Birmingham at Holy Cross Church. Thank
you to all the Officers, Leaders, NCOs, 74th Birmingham at
St.Michael’s and The Girls’ Brigade for a good year.
Anchor Boys (5 to 7 years) meet on a
Monday for fun, games and craft. Stories from a Children’s Bible with a prayer
have been enjoyed by all. The numbers
are lower than we would like, but all the Boys really enjoy their time.
Junior
Section (8
to 10 years) meet on a Thursday. With
worship, inspection, games, achievements and craft. The juniors took part in
Battalion and Divisional Competitions including winning the Battalion Craft
challenge for the second time. There
were two weekends away; June an overnight camp at Blackwell; October at the
Peck Wood Centre near Alvechurch. Other
events Cole Valley walk, visits to Blakesley Hall and Acocks Green
Environmental Centre
(Company Section 11 years +) Meet on a Thursday. With worship,
inspection, drill, PE, games and badge work. The spring weekend was in
Staffordshire. The Company Section has
taken part in many Battalion and Divisional Competitions. The
Seniors (14+) meeting at 9.30 p.m. is as successful with most staying until
10.30 p.m. Enjoying a range of activities. The Seniors are also members of
St.Peter’s Amicus group and NCO’s leading many Company activities. Most Boys aged 11 to 14 are part St.Peter’s
Injoy Group (thank you to Mr. Peter Weir for leading the Injoy Group).
Boys’ Brigade & Girls’ Brigade Annual Camp was held in North Wales during July, the usual great week was
had, most of the Camp reached the top of Snowdon. Charity work; Christmas Post for Save the
Children, events for; Acorn Children's Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Relief and the BB Motorcycle Mission appeal.
We
welcomed Rev Richard Wharton Chaplain 74th Birmingham Company as our
Inspecting Officer for the Annual Inspection Evening in May. A number of
Officers represented the Company at Mr. Ken Brown’s funeral. Mr. Brown was an honorary Officer of the 80th
being a former Captain of the 60th Birmingham when it was at
St.Christopher’s Springfield, we will miss Ken greatly, for his support and
wise advice, a true Christian Gentleman.
Ian Crockford
Company Captain
St.Peter’s
Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade Trumpet & Drum Band 2006
During
2006 St.Peter's Band took part in three Brigade Band Contests:
Birmingham Battalion , West Midlands District - and the Brigades
National Band Championships . 2007 will see a all-new performance
based on
the James Bond Movie theme tunes.
The St.Peter's Brigade Band is open to all members of both Companies
in their final year in Junior Section and above. This year we have been
pleased to welcome two Boys from the 74th Birmingham at St.Michael's. Band rehearsal time is for an hour in the
Church Hall on a Monday night 7.00 - 8.00 p.m. In September we
launched a Mini Band for our youngest members,
which has proved successful.
As well as Band contests we led the Knowle Royal British Legion
Remembrance Day Parade and a Parade in Weoley Castle.
Thanks should also go to all the Brigade Officers who have helped over
the year. Thank you to all of the bandleaders, parents who support
and members for their hard work and dedication over the year.
Amicus Worship Band
The Amicus
Worship Band plans and leads the worship at the monthly Praise 3
Service at 6.00 p.m. on the third Sunday. Praise 3 is held in the Church
Hall which gives the whole act of worship a rather special feel. Thank you to
all who come along to Praise 3. Everyone is very welcome. Praise 3 is not
just a youth Service but is for all. Other events were leading the Music at
St.Michael's for the cluster confirmation service in February and again at
St.Michael's planning and leading the Millennium Volunteers presentation
Service in March.
The Worship Band is open to all members of Amicus plus Boys' Brigade and Girls'
Brigade. St.Peter's Amicus Group is fortunate to have so many young people who
are willing to take part. Not all up front, but valuable help is given by those
who arrange the hall and work on the technical side.
The 80th has
had a very successful year, increasing its membership in all sections.
We
have taken part in many activities alongside the Boys Brigade
·
Annual Camp in Dyffryn Ardudwy
·
Drayton
Manor trip
·
Enrolment service
We held our annual
Award’s evening in July, which was well attended with family and friends of the
girls, who were keen to see the different activities they get up to on a
Tuesday night.
Some of the Brigaders
have been involved with the Kayoyo Orphanage project in Malawi.
We have had a very
successful day out at Cannon Hill Park with the Explorers and Juniors.
I invite anyone who would
be interested in helping, particularly in our older sections, to contact me
Mary
Greaney - 80th Birmingham Girls Brigade Company Captain.
Brookmeadow
Court, in Paradise Lane, is mixture of flats and maisonettes for the elderly,
under the management of the Anchor Housing Association. It continues to be a
place where friendships are made and mutual support is given. The excellent staff, led by Kim and Sue,
gives a high level of caring support to residents. It is not the policy of
Anchor, nowadays, to have staff resident on site for 24 hours a day, and this
has meant some adjustments for those who live there.
Our
monthly communion service is greatly appreciated. As usual Bob Thomas joins us
to play for the hymns, and we are very grateful to him for that. In addition, it has been good to welcome
Adrienne Dodd, who comes regularly to support Jessie Carter whom she visits.
We
held our usual Christmas Carol Service too, and were ably and enthusiastically
supported by young musicians and readers of lessons.
Many
thanks to all who have supported this ministry over the past year.
Martin
Stephenson.
For
light relief during one choir practice, we sang through a spoof hymn,
downloaded from the Internet. It
described a choir whose singers:
“… At service
on Sunday are rarely the same
As those who
on Thursday to choir practice came”.
This
sums up one of the practical problems facing any choir, particularly when its
members have a great many commitments
to work, family and other activities in the church. In fact, we have had good attendance at practices throughout the
year, and I am most grateful to all the choir members for the commitment they
have shown.
Besides
the regular singing of anthems and parts of the liturgy each Sunday, we have
had one or two high spots. One was
definitely The Wedding in July. For
this we had more than 30 people in the choir, all making a splendid sound. Even better, three singers were persuaded to
sign on as permanent members and we were delighted to welcome Josie, Angie and
Peter on board.
We
also had en excellent instrumental group for the Christmas Carol Service, where
it was good to welcome back players who are normally away at university, and to
include our youngest new player for a while – Henry Birch on trombone. We had to move into the Hall for Advent
Carols, but this actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the
acoustics are in some ways much better for more contemplative music.
The
raising of money for organ repairs is making steady progress, and was much
boosted by the proceeds from the brass band concert in December.
I
am once again much indebted to Helen Brookes, who has produced music of high
quality with the younger singers, and acted as accompanist on many
occasions. I have also been very
dependent on the help of Joss Brookes, and Phil, Mark and Emma Glithero,
particularly during the months when Kath and I were moving house, a process
which seemed to go on for ever.
During
the year we said farewell to John and Jo Marsden, who were mainstays of the
choir for some years, and to Richard Priest, who sang occasional solos and was
always very supportive of the music at St Peter’s.
As
ever, I will conclude by mentioning that we will always be glad to see new
members of the choir, especially among the tenors and basses.
Andrew Hawker.
Churches
Together in Hall Green 2006-7
During
the last 12 months two guest speakers have been welcomed to Churches Together
meetings.
In
spring 2006, Audrey Miller from Jubilee 2000 updated the group about recent
efforts to increase awareness of third world debt. She spoke about the ‘Make
Poverty History’ campaign and the ‘Moral Justice’ Movement. People should think how they could
creatively take the Jubilee 2000 campaign further forward. Local Jubilee Debt
Campaign groups would welcome more members and had various resources available.
Even if progress at times seemed slow, future generations should see the
fruition of the debt cancellation campaign. Current thoughts included a focus
on dictator debt and the possibility of challenging some debt through the legal
system.
At
the Churches Together AGM in January 2007, David King, Churches Liaison
Co-ordinator for Christian Aid reflected on the legacy of the abolition of the
Slave Trade Act, linking his presentation to what Christian Aid is doing in the
world today. He spoke of the many people who fought against the slave trade,
and how it took Wilberforce 18 years to get his bill passed, although slavery
itself was not abolished until a further 30 years later. Even though freedom
was ultimately given, ex-slaves were left very disadvantaged, and forms of
racism and inequality continue even today as a result of the slave trade. As
the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade act, 2007
in particular should be a year to increase the awareness of, and stand up
against injustice. Our current Lent Course is using the Churches Together in
England material prepared to help Christians reflect on the slave trade and its
abolition.
Churches
Together has continued to encourage churches to support the work of
‘Restore’. Individuals have been involved
in collecting toiletries, and dried and tinned foods for distribution to
destitute asylum seekers, and it has been suggested that people consider taking
on the role of befrienders.
An
open air service at the Newey Goodman Sports Ground on Pentecost Sunday was
enthusiastically supported, and will be repeated in June of this year. Around
150 people enjoyed the lively open air worship, music and fellowship.
The
Churches Together Covenant renewal has been delayed a year, and will now take
place in 2008, making the next few months an opportunity to review how the
churches have benefited from and lived up to the words of the Covenant, and to
look forward to further growth over the next five years.
It
has been hoped to develop a Churches Together web site for Hall Green, but a
volunteer is still required to set up the site and keep it up-to-date.
Regular
activities have again included United Services, pulpit and mini congregation
exchanges, the Good Friday Procession of Witness, and Christmas Carols outside
Somerfield. The work of the credit union continues in South Birmingham, and it
is hoped that a grant will be made available to explain and promote the union.
Activities
of the Hall Green Bible Society Action Group should be covered in a separate
report.
David
Andrews
DAY CENTRE REPORT - JANUARY TO DECEMBER
2006
Between 10.00am and 2.30pm each Wednesday, sounds
of chatter and laughter can be heard from the lounge and kitchen - St Peter's
Day Centre is in residence.
Membership remains steady at 15 but due to the
"retirement" of some helpers over the year, a few stalwarts are
giving extra time to maintain the five-weekly rota of cooking teams and
hostesses. New helpers are needed to join us for what is a satisfying and
enjoyable way of spending a few hours once every five weeks.
In May we received a visit from the Social Services
Development Officer looking at local organisations. She was very favourably
impressed with what we endeavour to offer our members each week.
In addition to the pleasurable occupations of
eating, drinking (and not only tea and coffee!), and sharing news with friends,
quizzes, talks and bingo remain popular. We had two further visits from
"Dave's Fashions" bringing good selections of summer and autumn
clothing which enabled the ladies to re-stock their wardrobes!
Outings were arranged in April and November to
Tidbury Green Golf Club which is now a firm favourite with the Day Centre.
Grateful thanks go to Brenda Nightingale who feels it is now time to step down
as Outings Organiser. Over the years she and John, her husband, carried out
valiant research to find venues suitable for us, and most importantly checking
that the food came up to our expectations!
The Vicar and Curate continue to provide much
support and bring Holy Communion on a monthly basis.
2006 ended with an excellent Christmas Lunch being
served to members and guests. Many thanks go to Josie Crane, ably supported by
husband John, for gathering together such a wonderful team of cooks and servers,
and also to Betty Christmas our resident story teller, Andrew Hawker for
providing the music for the Carols and Roger Hill our jovial Father Christmas
for their part in making it a very happy occasion.
Many thanks to the teams of cooks and hostesses,
without whom there would be no Day Centre, and to Joyce Green and Roger Hill
for ensuring a smooth start to each Wednesday, with tables out and kettles
boiling!
Jill Bramwell
Shirley
Deanery Synod – May 2006-February 2007
The Synod met in May and October of last year, and
February of this year.
At
the first meeting, members were asked for suggestions for suitable topics for
discussion, and two subjects most suggested were “Ministry with People at
Work”, and Ministry with the Elderly.
The
October meeting included a visit from a representative of Christian Aid, who
asked members of Synod to encourage their congregations to purchase “virtual
gifts”; that is, to donate money to help purchase livestock for farming in poor
countries.
The
subject of Church, Worship and Work was opened by three speakers relating their
own experiences of being a Christian in the workplace before general discussion
by Synod.
The
February meeting this year was told that financial support for a Youth Worker
in Hall Green had been attracted, and it was hoped that a candidate would be
appointed by June 2007.
The
second topic chosen for discussion by members of Synod – Ministry with Older
People – was opened by Revd James Woodward from Temple Balsall, and a Synod
member from St Philips, Dorridge, spoke of her work in the pastoral team of her
church. We were challenged regarding the extent to which we included or
excluded older people in our worship and activities, and how their particular
needs fitted in with our church mission and ministry
At
each meeting, the host Church gave a brief outline of their varied activities
and their aims and aspirations for the future.
Colin Dunbar
March
2007
Friends of St Peter’s Report for 2006/7
The Friends have had a successful year of
fundraising this past year from a variety of activities. We have 115 members at
present and are always keen to welcome new members, particularly as numbers
have dropped over the year.
The coach trip to Chester in May was enjoyed by all
who went. The weather was good and
there was plenty to see and do. We
stopped off at Bridgemere Gardens on the way for members to extend their plant
collections. Unfortunately this trip was not well supported, following the
trend of the past few years, and so we are rethinking the May event in the
coming year.
The Late Summer Barbecue at the vicarage in
September was a great success and was attended by people of all ages, making it
a true family occasion. Both the company and the food and drink were good and
we are very grateful to Martin and Kay for making us so welcome.
The 50/50 Club is a major source of income and
membership remains steady. Thanks must go
to Dai Scard and Jean Downs for running the 50/50 club so efficiently and
successfully. New members are very welcome to join the club at any time of
year.
The Friends also ran the Grand Christmas Draw,
which was drawn at the Christmas Fair, helping to ensure a good total for this
Church fund raising event. Many people
provided prizes and contributions for the hampers and we are very grateful for
their generosity.
Our latest outing was a very successful trip to the
pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at The Grand Theatre in
Wolverhampton in January. It was a real
family outing with plenty of fun and laughter for young and old alike.
During the past year, the Friends are pleased to
have been able to contribute £10,000 to the cost of improvements to the church
heating system, making us all a little warmer on Sundays.
I would like to thank all the officers and members
of the committee who have helped to make this a successful year. Many thanks go to all those who have
supported our fund raising events over the past year. We look forward to a
successful year ahead with your continued support.
Jackie Price
Chairperson
The main event on the
calendar for the past year was a trip to Switzerland. A small group from St
Peters headed off to Interlaken with a bigger party from all over the
Birmingham County. The total number of Guides, Guiders, etc reached over 300.
The trip was very entertaining which started with the coaches being escorted to
the French/German border by French Police (don’t ask).
Finally arriving at our
destination we had a wonderful time visiting Our Chalet (a Guiding World
Centre) and Kandersteg (International Scout Centre), trying to get as high up a
mountain as we could for not a lot of money. Unfortunately, the Jungfrau was a
bit expensive but we did get high enough to have snow falling in July.
To anyone thinking of
visiting Switzerland in the summer make sure that you are there for National
Swiss Day as this was very enjoyable with street parades, entertainment and
fireworks.
This was a fantastic
trip and I’m sure it will have a lasting impact on the guides.
The rest of the year has
been taken up with the company attaining their Science badges. For this badge
they had to perform some experiments, research local scientists and also to
watch a “Chemical Magic” show.
To end the year, our
numbers are remaining steady and Katherine has finished her Masters at
university and so back with us every Friday. She is now in the process of
obtaining her Leadership qualification.
Month
by month, usually on the first Tuesday, the members of the Guild of
St. Raphael meet in the Lady Chapel at 7,00 p.m. to sing hymns, pray
together, hear a bible reading and a short address by whoever is leading the
session, usually the Vicar or Curate. We all check our prayer
lists,
adding or deleting names as required and hearing by word of mouth the latest
reports on the progress of the people for whom we are praying.
Sometimes we are delighted and heartened by good news; sometimes we
are
saddened when we have to delete names due to death. Whichever way
it is,
we are confident that the daily prayers we offer are well worthwhile and we
give thanks for recoveries and pray even harder when the news is not so
good. We are often thanked for the prayers and told how much they
are
valued which spurs us on to even greater efforts,
Towards the end of the Service, anyone wishing to do so may receive the
Laying on of Hands, a sacrament we all value and need since there are none,
even apparently healthy folks, who would not be the better for receiving
this benediction.
Our membership stays steady year by year but we are always pleased to
welcome anyone new - this could be you.
Pat
Rickard
This
has been a crucial year for Injoy and, thankfully, a successful one. One key
aim of the group is to act as preparation for Amicus. Members of Injoy are in
the first three years of secondary school. The very first members of Injoy, who
had developed into a superb group, moved on in the summer to Amicus, and
recruitment began for a totally new group. This was successfully done. The new
group, when all are present, is 10 people, and there are usually at least 7/8
young people in attendance. There is presently only one girl, which is
something we would like to rectify. Given the way the group runs presently, we
do not see numbers exceeding 12, although obviously we will not turn people
away! We also need to develop numbers in each of the school years which the
group caters for. The group at present are all in the first year of secondary
school.
The
new group has made excellent progress. Unlike the previous group, only 2 (who
are brothers) of the members of Injoy attend Sunday worship at St Peter’s; the
majority do not attend it regularly at any church. This has meant that we have
done some work focussing on the ‘basics’ of Christian beliefs. Like the
previous group, the questions raised and the discussions held are a very
positive feature of our fortnightly sessions. The sessions include many games
of various types, and there is a focus on group and team skills. The young
people seem to enjoy the sessions very much.
I
would again like to take this opportunity to publicly recognise and appreciate
the skill and dedication of Ian Crockford and the wonderful service he gives
the Church and its young people.
Pete Weir.
We
have had a busy year with a lot of changes in team leaders and ways of teaching
Gods Word.
Kay
Stephenson stepped down from Junior Church and John Marsden took over the role
of overseeing the Junior Church Leaders. Then John and Jo Marsden left St.
Peters to pursue their own spiritual growth at St. Johns Church. So I, Sylvia
Summerfield, stepped in to cover with the help of Jo Johnson. We aim to have
Junior Church running smoothly and spiritually so all the children and young
adults reach their full potential within the church. Kay Stephenson rejoined
our teams encouraging Alison Sherwood to join us too.
Our
older junior church youths have moved
up to Senior Church Group and Jo Weir sets them work to follow, which they are
enjoying and they are spending more time within the services each week which is
good to see.
They
attended Reunited last year with John& Jo Marsden, Martina Pitt and I. They gained a lot from mixing with other
Christian youths from around Birmingham. These events were funded by people from
the congregation and church which allowed them to have pizza and socialise with
their peers before going into St. Mary’s for the reunited sessions which
included Christian music and talks. This will hopefully be followed up in the
near future.
Worshiping
God is our aim, our objectives are to teach this in a happy and fun way the
children and young adults to learn.
We
are now two thriving teams and the third team requires more leaders, so we are
asking people in the congregation to join us to support that team.
Three
of us are completing the Bishops Certificate we are enjoying the course and
learning about Child Protection, Health and Safety Issues within our Church
buildings and also about new resources and activities we can use to deliver the
bible to our audience.
We
now have new storage cupboards to store the new teaching resources and this has
improved the organisation of materials to allow the children to become more
self-sufficient during activities with improved visibility and access to the
many items within.
|
Team A |
Team B |
Team C |
|
February
& May 2007 |
March
& June 2007 |
January
& April 2007 |
|
Patrick
Holloway Sylvia
Summerfield Sue
Pate Julie
Cox |
Shirley
Boyce Martina
Pitt Helena
Greaney |
Kay
Stephenson Alison
Sherwood |
Each
team has access to the Splash books which we order to give us themes to follow
throughout the year. These are ordered every 3 months.
We
have also introduced our children to share what they do in their session each week
at the end of each month. They come into church during the third hymn and share
their work, speaking about and showing what they have made; this is then
mounted on a display board at the back of church for all to see and is updated
each month. We have had positive feedback from the congregation about what the
children are doing and thanking the leaders for their hard work.
Team
A have delivered a session on why Jesus died on the cross for us all. We also
covered a reading on Nicodemus and used a new resource, a puppet theatre, which
the children took pleasure in.
Using
short plays is something all age groups enjoy, and added to the children’s
learning and understanding about Nicodemus
Team
B delivered a session about Timothy and understanding why we pray and how
children share their prayers. They also made a Nativity screen out of shoe
boxes which the children took home.
Team
C have covered about Elijah (1 Kings 17-19). They made bread which was to be
used at the Wednesday communion. They also related between the powerful people
of today to the power of God as shown in the Bible.
Our
Junior Church Teams meet regularly in the Ladies Chapel to discuss what we have
accomplished and what aims for the future are are.
Sylvia Summerfield.
It
has been another busy year for the maintenance team. We meet regularly on a
Wednesday morning to carry out routine maintenance, some of it ongoing such as
bulb replacement, gutter and drain clearing and responding to emergencies,
other more seasonal such as leaf clearing, cutting the grass and looking after
the gardens and hedges. Other major items on our agenda have been organising
the new heating system, monitoring the sound system, checking for leaks and
investigating the best answer to our lighting.
The
new system is installed and working. The church warms up much quicker than
before but the increased efficiency of the air flow is causing some problems
with draughts and noise in the Lady Chapel. A curtain at the rear of the church
may reduce both draughts and heat loss, as could the installation of a baffle
in the ducting and perhaps lagging the ducting. Monitoring is in progress and
further possible solutions will be pursued.
The
system is now working well, to the satisfaction of worshippers in all areas of
the church. Those who use the loop are very pleased. Readers and others who use
the microphones now understand the best position to ensure maximum projection.
New readers and others will be instructed on the same.
The
lighting system is nearing the end of its natural life. Bulbs are increasingly
difficult to obtain and not of the same quality. We have been advised that they
will become obsolete sooner rather than later. We are seeking expert advice on
a new system to combine maximum effectiveness, optimum efficiency and
ecological sensitivity.
We
were able to take advantage of an opportunity to have the pot-holed stretch of the
drive at the Highfield Road entrance resurfaced at a reasonable cost. However
other areas along the drive and in the car park are not wearing well, with
pot-holes developing. More work will be needed in the near future.
Our
thanks once again to Betty and Dennis Christmas and to Noel Scard, who have
worked hard to ensure the gardens look so attractive and well cared for. New
plants have been planted, including climbing roses along the fence and a
Mothers’ Union rose in memory of Maureen Northwood in the main garden.
The
overhanging trees along our neighbour’s boundary on the Paradise Lane side of
the car park were a major concern and we were delighted to get the go-ahead for
these to be cut back professionally. The fence along this section, especially
towards the rear of our property is very dilapidated and an eyesore. However it
makes sense to see what developments are taking place here before we spend
money on a replacement. It is in fact a shared fence with our neighbours.
Now
the warmer weather is approaching we can plan how to meet the suggested actions
as a result of the inspection by the diocese’s appointed architect. These
include:
This
has to be checked and tested every five years to gain an up-to-date
certificate. This was put out to tender and we now have our certificate.
The
team investigated the best solution to our storage problem, especially with the
new Paradise Centre in full use and all space required for activities. Our
answer, now installed thanks to the Scouts, was the secure container. Shelves
have been built into the unit and it will be given a coat of paint to help it
blend into the surroundings.
There
is a little more storage space in the boiler room and the store room with the
new heating system.
A
number of tasks had to be undertaken at 4 Etwall Road once the PCC decided to
rent the top floor with shared use of bathroom and kitchen:
Once
again I must express my sincere appreciation to all the unsung heroes who
regularly give up their time to ensure the church always looks so attractive
and well cared for. In particular I would mention Roger Hill and Eric
Northwood, who spend hours at church every week carrying out regular
maintenance and attending to emergencies. I don’t know where we would be
without them, and they tackle even the most unpleasant and difficult tasks with
a fine sense of humour
David
Scard
The Boys’ Brigade is the only national uniformed
young people’s organisation to be awarded and MV contract for 2006 – 2007 by the
Government DfES Department.
MV rewards new voluntary work in the community and
also service that young people may already be doing between the ages of 16 and
24 years. MV gives a certificate for 50 hours, 100 hours and an award for 200
hours service.
At St.Peter’s, we have 6 young adults on the MV
Scheme and there are two MV Advisors.
During 2006 the following gained MV awards:-
50 hours – Donna Goodman
100 hours - Kim Jefferies, Natalie Rose &
Alexandra Palmer
200 hours – Gemma Sharman
All are continuing to volunteer, working in a
variety of different types of service such as within The Boys’ Brigade and
Girls’ Brigade, Oxfam, Church family project and the like.
In March 2006, St.Peter’s MV project organised a
West Midlands area MV presentation this was held during an evening service at
St.Michael’s Hall Green HQ of the 74th Birmingham. We welcomed MV’s
and their families from across the region.
2007 is the last year for Millennium Volunteers in
its current form as the new government charity ‘V’ (which stands for Volunteer)
will take over from 1st April 2007. MV will not be run by national
groups, such as The Boys’ Brigade project but centrally. The Boys’ Brigade at St.Peter’s has applied
to become a local MV provider but as yet we have had no reply.
Jon
Martin
Boys’
Brigade Lieutenant and MV Advisor
The
collections are made by Patrick Holliday. So far the amount collected over the
last year is £140.35p.
Looking back over 2006 there were many happy
meetings with speakers on a variety of subjects.
Mrs M Fardon, telling us about "the Gracewell
Homes" sheltered accommodation, which was especially interesting. The
Reverend Harold Aykroyd spoke of the different steps in his life from being a
pilot in the War to becoming a teacher and progressing to a headship and on
retirement training for the Ministry.
Mrs Linda Taylor spoke about her work as a school
nurse.
Mrs Valerie Hamley told us about the work of Elizabeth
Fry.
The Reverend Jo Johnson arranged a Lenten
Meditation - so peaceful and meaningful.
Mrs Diane Thompson talked about our Link Diocese.
And we joined Yardley Wood MU to listen to Mrs Claire
Laland, our Diocesan President, speak about her visit to Natal.
During the year we supported :-
The Wave of Prayer,
Women's World Day of Prayer at Hall Green Baptist
Church,
Mothers' Union Deanery Service in Yardley Wood,
The Family Fun Day at Polesworth,
A Garden part hosted by Maureen and Eric Northwood,
The Advent Carol Service at the Cathedral, at which
a presentation was made to the retiring president, Mrs Claire Laland.
Last year was not without great sadness, with the
death of our Branch Chairman, Maureen Northwood, who died in September. She had
been ill for a long time but never complained and worked so hard for us and the
Cathedral. Her wonderful embroidery can be seen in our Church and in the
Cathedral. She has left behind a legacy that will always be remembered with
great fondness. She was always lovingly supported by her husband Eric, who
continues top support us.
We must also remember Ken Brown, who died in
September, another very loyal supporter of the Mothers' Union.
Finally we enjoy our meetings and activities and
hope that the future will bring visitors who may become members.
The
Paradise Centre Project continues to bear fruit and it is good to be able to report
the substantial progress of the last year.
In
June 2006, at the St Peter’s Festival, the refurbished Annexe was officially
opened by Mrs Betty Driver. It is now
the attractive meeting place for the Amicus and Injoy youth groups, the 80th
Birmingham Brigades band, the Scouts, Cubs and Guides. We hope soon that it
will be used by an even wider number of groups from our local community. A
meeting of existing users was held on January 20th 2007 and a plan
for the improvement of a few details of the facilities was drawn up. This group meets again in the autumn. The
challenge of storage was met by the purchase of a second hand 20ft container.
In addition I can report that Scout leader, Mark Williams, has recently built
solid wooden shelving in the interior store for tents etc. This store is used
by the guides, scouts and cubs.
Now
that this stage is complete, our attention is given to the remaining halls
belonging to St Peter’s Church. In
collaboration with the PCC, who have a responsibility for the provision of
facilities for disabled people, plans for the installation of a disabled toilet
and the general refurbishment of the toilets and foyer are now drawn up and
submitted for building regulations approval.
We have continued our association with R Hill and Son who carried out
the work on the annexe to a high standard. The PCC has set a budget of £35,000
+ VAT for this work and will take responsibility for the financing of this,
supplementing the £13,250 grant which we were awarded in May 2006 by the Onyx
Trust (now Veolia). Work is set to
begin on April 16 2007.
At
the same time we plan to begin work on the extension of the kitchen. Plans for
the extension of the kitchen and store room have now been submitted for
planning approval and building regulations. This extension will double the size
of the kitchen and storeroom.
In
addition we are getting advice from Richard Northwood on the improvement of the
lighting, and are in the process of receiving three quotations for the renewal
of the heating system. Other work will attend to the condition of the floor and
the décor of the whole building.
At
the end of 2006 the PCC held £46,338 in the Paradise Centre fund and the
Company accounts show assets of £5,333 at the year end September 30 2006. *
To
complete the work we shall have to seek additional funding in the coming year
and the Paradise Centre Committee will be presenting the target for completion
and proposals for funding later in 2007.
The
Paradise Centre remains a place where a variety of important activities for
young and old take place week by week, from toddlers to Day Centre, from
Carers’ Group to Scouts, from Amicus to Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade. It is this that makes all our efforts so
worthwhile, and it is these and other activities that will develop for local
people over coming years. Our links with the local community are very important
to us and we are particularly grateful to Sylvia Fry for her tireless work in a
variety of areas. Sylvia represents us on the Hall Green District Strategic
Partnership, she also is part of the Hall Green Mela planning group, and is the
organiser of our Hall Green Carers’ Group. In addition to this she has links
with many other community groups and is on the look out, continually, for ways
of supporting one another. We are
grateful, too, that she gained grant aid for complementary therapy – in this
way giving support to dedicated volunteers.
Martin
Stephenson
*
Note that the largest proportion of funds is held for the Paradise Centre by
the PCC to enable the claiming of Gift Aid, and managed by the Paradise Centre
Committee. The Paradise Centre company is dormant, holding a small amount of
funds. It is kept in case of future
need for independence of management and funding for community work. It is also
in receipt of support from two continuing donors and assistance through the
Carers’ Group.
The
Scout Group started the year without a meeting place as the annex was mid refurbishment.
The Cub Pack meeting at Trinity United Reformed Church and the Scout Troop at
the Sea Scout HQ in Robin Hood Lane. We would like to extend our thanks to both
for making us so welcome. We were delighted to return to the newly refurbished
annex in April.
We spent a great deal of 2006 concentrating on the
‘out’ in Scouting.
In
May some of our leaders and several older Scouts helped the church with the
‘tea tent’ at the Tolkien Weekend. We enjoyed the event and the company, and
made new friends. We were delighted to be asked to help run a couple of stalls
at the festival weekend, Again a good time was had by everyone that came along
to help.
During
June we took 26 Cubs and Scouts away to Blackwell Court Scouting Centre (Nr
Bromsgrove) for the weekend. Despite mixed weather we enjoyed numerous
activities including Go Karts, Zip wire, Archery and Climbing. Several cubs had
their first experience of canoeing which proved a very popular although
slightly damp event!
In
July Chilcote School took some of their pupils to Blackwell Court for a
residential break. Having worked previously with the school, several Leaders
provided and ran a programme of activities for the two evenings. This was well
received by both pupils and teachers.
The
Cub Pack had an active year. As well as events in their own programme they took
part in several District events. The District Christingle Carol service was a
particular favourite.
The
Scout Troop maintained their busy programme with several camps throughout the
year. We were very proud when five of our Scouts gained their Chief Scout
Award. This is the highest award in the Scout section.
2007
is the Centenary of Scouting. There are many District and County events being
run in celebration of this. The Scout Troop is marking the occasion by walking
the full length of Hadrian’s Wall in August. Training walks and fund raising
are well underway.
We
are also restarting the Beaver Colony later this year with some taster evenings
being planned for the summer term. Beavers welcome boys and girls aged 6 to 8
years old.
We
are grateful to the Church and the members for their support and hope to build
on our links with the Church in the coming year.
Jackie Lees
Group
Scout Leader
St Peter’s Tot & Co is a toddler group for
babies and toddlers, and their parents or carers. It is for an hour and a half
on a Tuesday morning during term time. The price is £1.20 for one child and
then 20p for each extra child. We pay £7.50 to the church per session for use
of the hall.
We took over in September 2005. We had been regular
attendees of the group and have three small boys between us. Debbie is no
longer able to attend due to her son being at pre-school, but still does some
of the behind the scenes jobs. Amy has enlisted the help of some of the
regulars with tea making and everyone helps to put the toys away.
The children have the opportunity to play with a
wide range of toys and also to have a good run around or to ride around on
bikes in the large hall. The parents can have a bit of a rest and a chat- when
their children will let them! We have had a major toy sort out over the last
year or so, as everything was starting to get a bit tatty. We had a donation of
baby toys just before Christmas 2005, and then we spent approximately £100.00
of our funds on new toys for the toddler age group before the start of term in
September 2006. We have a regular supply of books from Hall Green Library.
We have a regular group that attend, and have also
had some recent newcomers, as some of the older children have gone on to
pre-school and school. We currently have up to ten children at a time. The
children get on with one another and the parents and carers really support each
other. We have tea and biscuits. The favourite activities are play dough and
things to make and stick with lots of glue and glitter- a lot of fun and a fair
bit of mess! At the end everybody joins in with clearing the toys away and then
the children sit on the mat and have a drink and then we all sing songs. The
“Okey Cokey” is definitely the favourite and involves lots of running around.
Debbie Marriott and Amy Henshaw
Traidcraft
Another
year and jolly old Traidcraft still rolls on after what must be
getting on for 20 years! The concept of fairly traded shopping has evolved
from the 'buy it but drink it through gritted teeth' approach (remember
Campaign coffee?) to being a regular feature in many shopping baskets. New
products appearing on the Traidcraft table in Church recently include
decaffeinated tea and Bombay mix and we continue to sell the old favourites
in coffee, muesli, pasta, drinking chocolate, Geobars etc. We are, as ever,
very grateful for all the loyal support the stall receives, both from our
regular customers and occasional visitors. Thanks also, to Gary Williams who
is always ready to help to pack away, and to other 'ad-hoc' assistants,
namely Lillian Weaver and Betty Padjasek (apologies to anyone we may have
missed!).
Gill Nunney and the Nunney Clan
ST PETER'S VISITING TEAM, 2006
The team, though small in number continues to visit
several elderly or housebound people within the parish. The visits are very
worthwhile both from the point of view of those visiting and those visited and
are much appreciated. Over the years the visiting team has been in existence,
friendships have been formed and many needs met. We have ceased to have regular
meetings but should any difficulties arise Martin or Jo are always ready and
willing to offer advice and support.
St Peter's Wednesday Ladies are a very mixed and
extremely friendly group of about 20 members meeting twice a month in the
lounge to take part in numerous activities. Sadly this year we lost two of our
very long standing and very active members when Maureen Northwood and Margaret
Archer - our treasurer for many years - died. They are both greatly missed but
we all feel privileged to have been their friends and have many happy memories
of sharing many happy and sad times with them.
Our programme has been very varied with unusual and
interesting talks and visits and we thank Carol Walker and Rita Adams for this.
We've been to Australia with Ann Buxton researching her convict ancestors, Ray
Brittain nostalgically took us back over the early years of the radio, we've
learnt the history of the Bull Ring, and all about how to improve a small
garden with a blaze of colour in the Spring, to name but a few. Beetle drives,
quizzes, a summer supper at the Tidbury Green Golf Club, carol service and
mince pies with Etwall Road Ladies all took place again this year.
Our AGM is on April 18th - anyone and everyone
welcome. Next year's chairman will be Lilian Weaver, who has helped me out this
year when I have been unable to attend our meetings. I know she will do a good
job and that the "gang" will support her. We have had two new members
join us this year. Ladies please remember our door is ever open. If anyone
feels they would like to join us, I can assure you of a very warm welcome and
plenty of laughs.
Brenda Nightingale
This is my last Report as we closed the above
Association at Christmas 2006. This was partly due to lack of numbers but
mainly due to the fact that the Treasurer was leaving at Christmas last and
there was no-one to take her place.
Our Association was started in 1953 by the late Mrs
Connie Booth at the request of the late Revd. Adlam who arrived at the church
(called St Cadoc- a wooden hut) before the present church was built.
Although we were few (9 in all) we still had
outside talkers like Mr Poynton (who came every year) showing old photo's of
local cinemas like the Robin Hood and the Rialto on the Hall Green Parade and
also old views of Birmingham... Also a lovely lady who went to India among the
Lepers. There were the home-made events like a Goodwill Afternoon, Bring and
Buy, Favourite Poems, also a Music Time - always ending with tea and a biscuit.
Being a small number, we got to know each other
very well and I personally miss them all.
We always had a Christmas meal and I hope to
continue this in the future.
Beryl Fallon