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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 8
FROM THE
CONTENTS
1.
Amicus
SHORTCUT
2.
Amicus Band
SHORTCUT
3.
Bible
Society Action Group SHORTCUT
4.
Book
Stall SHORTCUT
5.
Boys’
Brigade SHORTCUT
6.
Boys’
& Girls’ Brigade Companies Band SHORTCUT
7. 80th Birmingham Girls
Brigade SHORTCUT
8.
Brookmeadow
Court SHORTCUT
9.
Choir
and Music SHORTCUT
10. Churches Together
in Hall Green SHORTCUT
11.
Day
Centre SHORTCUT
12.
Deanery
Synod SHORTCUT
13.
Friends
of St Peter’s SHORTCUT
14.
Guild
of St Raphael SHORTCUT
15.
Injoy SHORTCUT
16.
Junior
Church SHORTCUT
17.
Maintenance
Team Report SHORTCUT
18.
Missions
to Seafarers SHORTCUT
19.
Mothers’
Union SHORTCUT
20.
The Paradise
Centre SHORTCUT
21.
Scouts SHORTCUT
22. Silent Prayer Group SHORTCUT
23.
Tots
and Co SHORTCUT
24.
Traidcraft SHORTCUT
25. V - Involved at St Peter's SHORTCUT
26.
Wednesday
Ladies SHORTCUT
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 (it is often commented on how
supportive members are to each other).
AMICUS also gains a great deal from the
self-discipline of the Boys and Girls Brigades, although many of its current membership
of over 40 have joined us directly with no previous link with the BB/GB.
If you know anyone 15 to 25 who might want
to join asked them to contact me or come on a Monday at eight.
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 Hall
Green Council of Churches service in June.
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 (two teams).
2) We
entered the Cleveland Hike in June (four teams).
3) Our
Christmas trip was popular with 24 attending.
We went to a Boys’ Brigade Youth Centre, on the outskirts of Sheffield.
4) Almost
all of the group attended the Brigade Camp on the Isle of Wight and were
involved in its leadership.
This year we decided not to put on a
pantomime. So it was important to the group to help our adopted country of
Malawi. This we did with the other sections of BB/GB and Church members. We
channelled our efforts through a Scottish Charity called ‘Mary’s Meals’
collecting 80 rucksacks filled with every item needed for school. Special
thanks to Geraldine Kelly for organizing it.
STOP PRESS We hope to be putting on a Pantomime early 2010.
A big thank you to our Vicar and
church members, who have encouraged us throughout the year.
Brian Greaney
- AMICUS Leader.
The Amicus Worship Band plans and leads the worship at the monthly Praise 3
which is help every 3rd Sunday of each month.
The service starts around 6.00pm and people are welcome to stay and have a
drink and a chat afterwards. The worship band has also lead the music at the
10.00am Sunday service which and been well received.
Praise 3 is not just for the Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade but is open to
everyone, all are welcome. All you need to do is turn up to the Church hall at
6pm to take part.
Praise 3 is organised by members of the St Peters Amicus Group however
readings are normally done by members of the congregation. Help is always
appreciated and anyone wishing to read can volunteer at a service. If
anyone thinks they can add anything to the services come and have a talk to
us and we will be happy to listen.
Adam Jones
Amicus Worship Band Team
BIBLE SOCIETY – HALL GREEN ACTION GROUP
(part of Churches Together in Hall Green)
The Lenten soup
lunch was moved from St Peter’s to the Church of the Ascension, as our kitchen
refurbishment was still going on. As usual, it proved very popular. The autumn
coffee morning, held for the first time at the Friends’ Meeting House, was also
successful, enlivened by two displays of line dancing – some customers stayed
for both sessions.
The summer cream
tea took place at Trinity United Reformed Church, with Dot Berry as the
speaker. Her talk, ‘Travels in God’s World’, was extremely interesting, and
many of us were sorry there was no time to hear more. This event included the
launch of a book of poems written by members of local congregations. It was
published with the help of a loan from Churches Together, which has been
repaid; all further income from sales goes to the Bible Society. The Society
also benefited considerably from Michael Dodd’s publication of ‘Yes – a Story
to Share’, an account of his faith, which he generously distributed in return
for donations to the Society.
We were sorry to
say goodbye to our treasurer of many years, Stephen Jones. His job has been
taken over by Coral Howard.
Several churches,
including St Peter’s, now have only one representative on the Action Group. If
one or two more people would like to join - you don’t have to be of retirement
age - please let me know. It isn’t an onerous task (5 evening meetings and 3
fundraising events a year), it’s a very friendly group,
and the work is
vital – the world is still full of people who need affordable Bibles, or
translations of the Bible in their own languages.
Phyll Benedikz.
We continue to try to provide a new range of books every couple of
months and are pleased that we always manage to sell a few with 10% of the
price going to church fiunds.. Please let us know if you have any 'special
requests'. Unfortunately the range from our current supplier, St Andrews in
Shirley is more restricted than we would like. If you have come across an
alternative that would supply books on 'sale or return' we would be very
interested.
Kay Stephenson and Helen Glithero
The Boys' Brigade 80th Birmingham Company - Report 2008
In 2008 Boys’ Brigade nationally celebrated it’s
125th birthday, as part of the celebrations St.Peter’s Boys’ Brigade
raised funds for Acorns Children’s Hospice and the Junior Section planted bulbs
along the Church drive. We have enjoyed many BB/GB activities, with Annual Camp
a week on the Isle of Wight, Enrolment Service and a day trip to Drayton Manor.
Many members were involved in the Amicus Group Pantomime held in February. We
welcomed Rev Neil Riches, Battalion Vice President and Minister at Carrs Lane
Church as our Inspecting Officer for the Annual Display in May. Praise 3, led by the Amicus Group, is a key
part of our activities, just one of the many ways that the BB at St.Peter’s
fulfils our object “The Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom”.
Anchor
Boys (5 to 7 years) meet on a Monday for fun, games, craft and a short act
of worship, stories from a Children’s Bible.
All enjoy the games and craft items, which the members take home. Mid way through the evening, this session,
we have split the section into two smaller groups, which works well.
Junior
Section (7 to 10 years) meet on a Thursday.
With worship, inspection, games, achievements and craft. The Juniors
took part many competitions, including winning for 3 years out of 4 the
Battalion Bible based craft competition.
As part of the 125 year celebrations St.Peter’s Junior Section joined
with St.Michael’s Boys’ Brigade for a “Sleep over” at St.Michael’s Church
leading into the morning service.
Company
Section (10 years +) Meet on a Thursday. With worship and
lots of other activities. Being one of
largest Company/Senior Sections in the Battalion, with an average attendance of
26 young men, an increase from 2007.
Everyone has enjoyed the PE, badges and Company Drill. The Company Section has taken part in
Battalion Competitions, doing well at the Athletics. The Seniors (14+) meeting at 9.30 p.m. is amazing with10 +
seniors staying until 10.30 p.m. with numerous activities, including unihoc and
basketball. Most are also members of the Amicus group as well as NCO’s leading
section meetings. Boys aged 11 to 14 are encouraged to join the Injoy Group.
It is now rare for a Company to have Drill, PE,
fall in and uniform inspection as part of it’s activities. We at St.Peter’s are
a traditional BB Company and find that this works well. Thank you to all the
Officers, Leaders and NCO’s another good year.
Ian Crockford
Company Captain
Boys'
and Girls' Brigade Companies
Band
This year has seen myself become a temporary
band leader whilst John Borgogno and Paul Fidler had other obligations. The
initial promised commitment from both band leaders and band members has
declined and lead to a struggle to run the band this year meaning we have not
entered any competitions. To this date, we’ve had approximately 5 or 6 members
leave band, whilst only 2 new recruits. This has then left us with a total of 6
members (1 bell lyre, 5 snare drums) and 4 regular leaders. The main positive
of the year has to be the Knowle Remembrance Day Parade where we fielded a band
that performed fantastically. The main problem is that there seems to be a dip
in appeal of a marching band to this age group, probably due to peer pressure
and the fact that it isn’t ‘cool’. This, therefore, will have to be the main
focus of next year and future years, ensuring that we have enough band members
to take part in competitions. We are currently discussing ways of making the
band more appealing and how to improve it further. Jonathan Hutt and I are also
leaving in September due to University and therefore committed leaders are also
required to help run it. The main hope is that the band can thrive next year
and can remain running as it has a proud history and tradition with the 80th,
St. Peter’s and the Birmingham Battalion.
Michael Stephenson
The 80th
has had a very successful year.
We have taken part
in many activities alongside the Boys Brigade
·
Annual Camp in Freshwater Isle of Wight
·
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.
I invite anyone who would be interested in
helping, particularly in our Explorer section (5-7year), to contact me.
New members are
always welcome
Mary Greaney –
Company Captain.
Brookmeadow Court,
sheltered housing for older and vulnerable people in Paradise Lane, is under
the management of the Anchor Housing Association.
As is our custom,
we have held monthly services of Holy Communion in the lounge, usually on the
second Friday of the month. This has proved consistently popular with residents
of several Christian denominations and usually number about 12. While I was on sabbatical Kath Hawker has
assisted by taking the reserved sacrament to share with this little group. We are grateful to Bob Thomas who
accompanies our hymns on the piano. Our
Christmas Carol Service was once again well received and we were joined by musicians from the
Glithero and Birch families and they and members of the Sherwood family read
lessons.
Many thanks to all
who have supported this ministry over the past year.
Martin Stephenson.
Strictly
speaking this report only covers eleven months of the year, as Kath and I took
a month off in February to go travelling.
During this time, to judge by various comments I received on my return,
the music was in very capable hands, and my thanks are due to those who stepped
in to accompany the services, and also to Kay Stephenson, who looked after the
choir rehearsals.
Valuable
help has also been provided by the team of accompanists throughout the year,
including Helen Brookes, Joss Brookes,
James Williams, and Phil Glithero.
We
have continued to hear some excellent solo playing from young
instrumentalists. A record number of
instrumental players took part in the Christmas Carol Service. Apart from the Amicus Band, however, the
church still lacks many opportunities for younger people to take an active role
in the singing.
The
pattern of evening services has continued to change, with rather more services
being held in the side chapel. This
avoids the stress of having eight or ten people trying to make themselves heard
over the organ accompaniment, but it does raise questions of how we best lead
and support singing by these smaller groups.
The
choir have continued to acquire and learn new anthems, and the commitment of
the members remains very high. However,
as mentioned in previous reports, the absence of new singers – particularly
tenor and bass – means that the future of our SATB singing looks doubtful, and
we may soon have to consider other styles and approaches for choral singing.
Andrew Hawker.
Churches Together in Hall Green
At the beginning of
2008, CTHG renewed the Covenant between its eight member churches. Having at
that time added a statement of intent to foster good relationships with those
of other faiths, at the summer meeting CTHG members discussed some of the ways
in which this could be put into practice. Ideas included the sharing of
religious experience and belief, working in harmony to help asylum/sanctuary
seekers and supporting the Drop the Debt Campaign. Within our immediate
locality, social action was suggested to promote such things as good
neighbourliness, parent groups, and a number of other social and cultural
activities.
A number of
‘outside’ speakers have been welcomed to several of the year’s meetings. In
September, Beryl Mappett from Birmingham Churches Together (BCT) came to hear
about CTHG’s structure, activities and visions, and to hear what CTHG would
like from BCT. For many years, CTHG has been regarded by BCT as a flourishing
and active ecumenical grouping, and the evening’s discussions reinforced
Beryl’s impression of this. In turn, CTHG felt that it would be useful to learn
and get ideas from other local Churches Together groups, something which it was
hoped that BCT might be able to facilitate.
At the AGM in
January 2009, CTHG members heard about ways in which different ethnic groups
were being brought closer together at local Hall Green Primary Schools,
particularly through fostering a greater understanding between the parents of
the children by exploring cultural experiences and finding various ways in
which people could work and share together. Meetings had taken place at the
Friends Meeting House and the Infant School. Links had been made to a schools
network, and ward funding had been secured.
Also at the AGM,
Revd Charles Ilunga had spoken about the Democratic Republic of Congo, giving a
harrowing outline of the long-suffering history of the country, and describing
the current grave situation arising from the after-effects of civil war and
political interference. Internal structures had been damaged, and poor education
and transport were making progress very difficult. Horrific tortures had been
inflicted on some of the people. The Church there was vital in giving moral
direction and facilitating aid.
CTHG is supporting
the work of Cheryl, our new Hall Green Youth worker, and has made a donation
from its funds, ring-fenced for youth work, to help provide some of the initial
resources required for the project.
The congregation of
Sparkhill United Church (SUC) has been worshipping at Hall Green Methodist
Church since June 2007, and the two churches have signed a statement of intent
of becoming one church within the next seven years. The United Church has
strong Moravian links and draws its membership from well beyond the Hall
Green/Sparkhill area. With SUC’s desire to become more involved in the
ecumenical life of Hall Green, it has now been invited to become an Associate
Member of CTHG.
Various united
services have again been held during the year. One disappointment was that the
June Open Air Service had to be moved indoors due to bad weather, but it was
nevertheless a well-attended and stimulating service. Other regular activities
have included pulpit and mini congregation exchanges, the Lent Study Course,
the Good Friday Procession of Witness, and Christmas Carols outside Somerfield.
The Christmas Carols were so successful that Somerfield has already asked for
this to be repeated next Christmas!
The invaluable work
of the credit union continues apace in South Birmingham, and once again there
is a request for more volunteers to help with its activities.
The work of and
events organised by the Hall Green Bible Society Action Group should be covered
in a separate report.
Peter Bates, the
local Methodist Minister, is the new chairman of CTHG. At the time of writing
this report, a new lay Vice Chairman and a new Secretary are still being
sought.
David
Andrews
March
2009
While work
continued on the hall kitchen following our Christmas break, the Paradise
Centre had to remain our weekly venue. To give the New Year a cheerful start we
arranged an early outing to Tidbury Green Golf Club for lunch, anticipating
that it would not be too long before we were able to move back to the lounge.
However, this was not to be and despite the heroic efforts of all the helpers
to keep the Centre running smoothly, the decision was made to close from 28th
May until such time as the kitchen and lounge were completely refurbished. We
recommenced on 2nd July with a summer outing, again to Tidbury
Green, and ‘normal service’ was resumed in a much improved lounge and kitchen
the following week.
Membership
increased during the year to 17, which necessitated Ring and Ride operating two
buses for us, so making the journey more comfortable for the passengers.
The lunches
continued to be much appreciated and we were very grateful for the extra help
of Margaret Folland and Lind Hill on the cooking teams. Vacancies still exist!
Our social
programme continued with spring and autumn visits from ‘Dave’s Fashions’,
talks, quizzes and bingo. The most important thing, however, is the opportunity
for members to meet and chat, and thanks go the willing teams for cooks and
hostesses, plus back-up help from Joyce and Roger, who make this possible.
It was extremely
satisfying to end the year with our traditional full Christmas lunch, the
preparation of which by Josie Crane and her team was made much easier with all
the amenities of the new a spacious kitchen.
The clergy
continued to support us and bring monthly Communion, and we welcomed Joycelyn
in the summer. However we were sad to say goodbye to Jo in September and wished
her well in her new parish of Kingshurst.
Jill Bramwell
Shirley
Deanery Synod met three times in May, October and February.
Each meeting began
with a welcome from the vicar of the host church in which they outlined their
hopes for the future of ministry, mission and growth within their parishes. At
the February meeting held at St Michael’s Hall Green, the profile of the parish
was given by Barrie Hall, as the parish is at the moment without a minister.
New members were
welcomed to the May meeting by the Area Dean, David Warbrick, who outlined the
purpose of Synod in handling legislaltion.
Very little had been passed down from Diocesan Synod, so there was not
much opportunity for decision making within the Deanery.
It was therefore
hoped that this would give Deanery Synod the chance to share good practice,
explore issues, and have the opportunity to get to know each other so that any
challenging legislation would be discussed in an atmosphere of mutual
understanding and trust.
The meeting in May
the discussion topic was Home, House & Cell Groups, and members discussed
ways of learning, studying and supporting each other beyond Sunday. Members
shared their experiences of such groups within their own parishes.
The October meeting
focused on engagement with, and presence among people of different faiths; and
some members of Synod talked about their encounters with other faiths in their
day to day life.
During the February
meeting, “draft specifications of the post” of the two parishes in interregnum
– St Michael’s Hall Green and St Patrick’s Salter Street – were distributed to
members.
Also at this
meeting, a discussion was held on International Links, and a member of
the Bishop’s Youth
Council gave a slide presentation on Malawi.
Thirteen young people aged 16-21, one from each Deanery in the Diocese,
are travelling to Malawi for a sixteen day visit in July 2009.
Future meetings are
likely to include discussions, feed back from PCC’s and voting of the subject
of women bishops.
Colin Dunbar
The Friends are a group of people, both churchgoers
and not, who raise funds for the upkeep of the church through a variety of
activities. Membership is £5 per year and new members are always welcome.
Through our fundraising we have been able to
replace 6 louvre windows, which were a security hazard, at a cost of
£1748. We also funded the replacement
of a high level door into the church tower which had been vandalised by
intruders. This cost an additional
£410.
Our biggest fundraiser is the 50/50 club, which
brought in £860 in 2008 (a similar amount being given away in prize
money). 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 or maybe you
would like to buy an extra number.
The March quiz, which was a new event in 2008, was
a great success. The hall was filled with teams who really enjoyed exercising
their brain cells and £564 was added to funds.
The late summer barbecue in September was scheduled
to be in the vicarage garden but torrential rain meant it had to be relocated
in the Church Hall. A great time was
had by all and the wonderful support from everyone meant it was a great
success, raising £369.
The pantomime trip in January, although enjoyed by
those who went, is becoming less popular and so we are ‘resting’ this event for
2009. We did, however, make £104 on the raffle.
The Friends also ran the Grand Christmas Draw, which
was drawn at the Christmas Fair, making a significant contribution to this
major Church fund raising event. Many
people kindly provided prizes and contributions for the hampers and we are very
grateful for their generosity.
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)
Committee Jayne Tortise (secretary)
Jean Downs (treasurer)
Betty Christmas, Chris Eddins, Linda Hill, Roger
Hill, Dai Scard, Noel Scard, Diane Shirley, Angela Stanford.
It is nearing the time
for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (to give it it’s official title) and no
doubt, the leaders of various organisations have been check their records and
racking their brains to remember anything of note which is worthy of report and
then sitting down to put pen to paper as I am doing at this minute.
It is not always
easy to think of interesting things to say when the organisation, like ours,
follows very much the same pattern month by month, and it has all been
explained in previous years’ reports.
We, the Guild, have continued to meet, usually on the first Tuesday of
each month (except for one which was cancelled due to snow) when we hold our
service and check our prayer lists, adding or deleting as necessary according
to the reports we receive on the progress of those for whom we pray.
One new practice we
have begun (thanks to a thoughtful idea of Reverend Michael Dodd) is to have
cards printed in the name of the Guild to be sent to sufferers, usually by the
people who have cared enough to place their names on the list. We believe that this practice is a way of
bringing home to them the reality that their situation and suffering is indeed
prayed for every day and we hope that this knowledge sustains and helps them to
keep going and reinforces their own faith.
Our lists are
divided into seven sections and it may be that people have wondered why this is
– well, this practice was begun (over 22 years ago by my predecessor) so that a
different section of the list could be prayed for each day of the week, but I
think that most of our members, like me, pray for everybody every day and, with
our prayers, go our devout hopes and faith that only good, in some shape or
form, can result.
Pat Rickard
Injoy is a non-uniform organisation, linked to St.Peter’s
Amicus Group for those in school years 7, 8 and 9, that meets every fortnight
in the Paradise Centre. Current membership stands at 10 (the numbers have risen
throughout the year). Worship is an important focus in each of our sessions
with members often taking an active role in leading the services. Notable
activities have included; an Olympic evening contested by the ‘Jets’ and
‘Rockets’ and the redesigning of the Injoy logo. The latter was so successful
that one of the young people’s designs
has been employed as the Injoy logo going forward.
Injoy would not run as efficiently without a strong
leadership team. Therefore thanks must go to Yvonne Bird for her wonderfully
unique games and an exceptional thank you to Peter Weir, our former leader, for
setting the foundations of what is a very successful group.
Alan Bearcroft
Annual report 2008-2009
The beginning of
the year was marked by Sylvia Summerfield leaving to live and work in Somerset.
Sylvia has coordinated Junior Church with her customary energy and commitment,
and we now move on. Patrick Holloway agreed to stand in as coordinator for the
coming year. There have been welcome additions to those involved with the
children. Joycelyn Lewis is Curate, and has a special interest in Junior Church
activities. Cheryl Fox is the Youth Worker for Churches Together in Hall Green,
and will assist all of us. Sonia Miller has joined Kay and Alison’s team. We
all hope that some of the very able young people at St Peters will feel able to
take on the role of Junior Church leaders in due course.
Looking through the
Planning and Evaluation sheets, it is clear that leaders have given the
sessions a lot of thought, and have put together very varied, meaningful and
interesting programs. Session content has been guided by significant events in
the Church and national year, and by suggestions in the X-Stream and Splash
magazines; however, leaders have shown imagination in interpreting these.
Regarding magazines, it is proposed to change to Roots in the next school year
because of its large variety of ideas. Activities have included readings and
discussions, drama, handicraft, games and bread baking. Sessions usually end
with a game to balance the more concentrated activities.
The children are
bright and enthusiastic. However, leaders have become aware that the three
older girls are now at the age where they need to spread their wings and take a
more active role. With this in mind, they and other children have been taking
part in the main service on occasions, leading prayers and undertaking the
readings. Of the younger children, James and Elizabeth are gaining in
confidence quickly, and Kimberley, who joined recently, is very assured. The
children are all bright and fun loving, and a pleasure to have around. The
numbers of children attending JC vary from around ten down to less than five at
times. There is a floating population of children who join in when their
mothers attend church.
At time of writing,
the Easter Project will soon be underway. Some of the time in the two days of
the project will be spent preparing for the children’s service on Good Friday
morning, in which the children will be directly involved. A former JC member,
Zoe, has agreed to help out on the project. We will also be assisted by Kim and
Jane and one or two other possible helpers. Looking ahead to the summer, we may
look forward to some outdoor activities, weather permitting. There will be a JC
barbeque on July 19th in any event.
Patrick Holloway
Once again the
Maintenance Team has been busy throughout the year, particularly on a Wednesday
morning, when we tend to concentrate on routine tasks and carry out the monitoring
of the possible problem areas identified in the last Quinquennial inspection.
The particular areas of attention identified a few years ago have all been
attended to apart from the access for the disabled at the front of the church.
We are pursuing possible options here, but have been delayed because the
building company whose delivery lorries so badly damaged the front steps have
so far failed to either repair them as promised of make a financial
contribution for the repair. We are anxious to progress this, firstly because
it is an eyesore, and secondly because we need to provide permanent access
rather than the portable ramps. With our next Quinquennial due in 2010, and the
need for a faculty from the diocese, often a drawn out process, we need to
progress this.
Our routine tasks
include: floor polishing, cleaning drains and gutters, replacing light bulbs,
minor repairs, glazing when necessary, grass cutting, hedge trimming, weeding,
pruning, planting, leaf collection etc.
During the year, we
have also attended to, or secured outside professional help to attend to, the
following:
SECURITY/SAFETY
Annual checks have been made to make sure that we meet regulations with regard
to fire risk and portable electrical appliances
Following the
forced entry by intruders to the tower, by smashing the bolted access door to
the roof, it was decided to make the church secure by attending to vulnerable
areas. Solihull Window Centre replaced the access door with a secure unit and
replaced the louvre windows at ground level.
LIGHTING We are
pursuing the best options to replace our out-of-date system with a more
efficient and eco-friendly solution. Replacement bulbs are difficult to obtain
and the system itself is proving unreliable. Recently we had to rig up
temporary lighting, as one 0f the fuse units needed specialist attention. It is
now repaired and replaced thanks to Richard Northwood, and of course Eric.
LEAKS We had to
deal with a major emergency when water began pouring into the organ loft and
through the lights at the back of church. We discovered that the major down
pipe was blocked by pigeon droppings. This was freed, and drains in the bell
tower cleared – not the most pleasant task. We have now installed two large
plastic birds of prey in the tower to deter the pigeons that roost there.
We also attended to
a major leak in the stage area of the hall. We discovered that the covering
over one of the ventilation ducts had become dislodged, either by high winds or
more likely by vandals. This was refitted and made secure.
WINDOWS An
important but difficult and not the most pleasant task was applying decathane
clearglaze to the exterior of our main windows. This provides protection for 10
years and two coats are needed. The Lady Chapel has had two coats, the east
window and side windows one. A spring task is to complete the application and
any help will be welcome.
GROUNDS
The grounds at
present reflect the hard work of the gardening team, in particular Noel Scard
and Dennis and Betty Christmas. The spring flowers are beautiful. Thank you to
those who donated and those who planted them. We look forward to the show the
geraniums should provide in the summer.
Thanks to Phyll
Benedikz we have a fine replacement motor mower, relegating our old
temperamental workhorse to back-up duties.
DRIVE The cold
winter and wet summer caused the old tarmac to deteriorate to dangerous levels
in many areas, and it was necessary to get this resurfaced professionally.
The leaf problem
was eased this year with the removal of several large ‘weed’ trees by our
neighbour, who also replaced the suspect fence at the top of the drive as part
of his extension work. Two neighbours have also replaced fencing outside the
Lady Chapel. Overhanging branches have also been removed in several areas.
NOTICEBOARD
Special fittings
had to be designed and made to enable us to erect the new notice board. An
interesting challenge was the design and building of a new “box” for our
Christmas tree.
Work has also been carried
out at our curate’s house:-
Looking ahead, we
shall probably need a working weekend in the near future for a range of tasks
including:
Finally, our thanks
to two groups of people:
David Scard
April 2009
I had not expected
a particularly strong response this year because of the financial difficulties
most of us have been living with. I have just finished counting up the most
recent contribution and could hardly believe that it came to a magnificent
£44.75. I will send a cheque on Tuesday for this amount.
Just over a week
ago I sent off another cheque for £9:00 and another week before that I sent off
cheque for £116.30. I have received a receipt for this cheque. I usually wait
until all receipts have been received before writing a report, but for
administrative reasons I am writing this report now.
I am pleased to
report that I will shortly be sending the Mission to Seafarers a grand total of
£170.05
I hope to be able
to thank contributors personally for this most generous gift in the near
future.
Patrick Holloway
Members continue to
meet on the 2nd Monday of every month at 2.00 pm in the lounge.
We may be small in
number, but continue to play our part in the wider organisation and also in
involvement with the mission of the local church here at St Peter’s.
During 2008, we
have widened our knowledge by learning from some very interesting speakers and
grown in our fellowship with one another.
The branch has supported the wider work of the Mothers’ Union by giving
generously to the Overseas Fund, and to the projects operating within the
Birmingham diocese.
We are a very
friendly bunch of ladies, who work to encourage marriage and family life in all
its aspects and invite anyone who would like to come along to one of our
meetings to join us.
Adrienne Dodd
Branch Secretary.
During 2008 we have
made substantial progress towards the completion of our refurbishment work of
the halls under the Paradise Centre Project.
The splendid new
kitchen was completed and is proving to be a great asset, enabling free and
easy movement and excellent working conditions for volunteers, particularly for
our Day Centre. It also enables a wider
scope of activities for groups of young people and is popular with those who
hire the premises for parties and other functions.
Roger Hill has
maintained his tireless and attentive work as Clerk of Works, so that a proper
range of estimates has been obtained for work to be done and then carefully
followed up. During the year the
lighting has been renewed throughout, the new heating system installed and the
lounge redecorated. Plans for the
sanding and polishing of the floor were well advanced by the close of the year.
As we move into
2009 the final stages of the refurbishment phase of the project are in
sight. We intend to have a formal rededication
later in the year and will invite our Bishop to lead us in that, as we join
with all those whose generosity and care have brought this project to fruition.
With this set of halls now fit for purpose in the 21st Century we are set to
discover how we may more effectively serve the local community by their use.
Our thanks are also
due to those who have worked so supportively together to achieve much this
year, and to our valued users for their tolerance during a time of
disruption.
Martin Stephenson.
254th St Peter’s
Scout Group Group Scout Leaders
Report
I am pleased to report that The Scout Group has had another successful
year.
Our numbers in all sections has steadily increased, with our Beaver
Colony now at its maximum capacity.
Our AGM in May was again well attended, and Hagley Falconry centre were
invited again as it had been enjoyed by all the previous year. We were pleased
to welcome members of the District Scout Team and Martin and Kay.
Group summer camp was held at Rhydd Covert Scout Camp site. As this is
on the doorstep of West Midlands Safari Park, we spent the Saturday in the
Safari Park.
We had arranged minibus tours around the Park, and got very close to
some of the animals. The white lions were a real treat. The guides who took us
round were very informative and made the visit special. The rest of the camp was filled with the
usual activities, and much to our delight we managed to take all the tents down
dry!
For our regular Christmas camp, were returned to Blackwell Court in
Bromsgrove. We welcomed the Beaver Scouts out for the day and they enjoyed a
range of activities including toasting marshmallows (an all time favourite)
archery and climbing. The highlight of the day was a wide game, played in the
dark, with wool and glow sticks!
I still haven’t quite worked out the object of the game, except that it
required a lot of running around in a field.
It is very rewarding to see young people of all ages working together
and having great fun, without a computer game in sight!
The Beaver Colony took part in a District Superhero afternoon. They had
a turn at all of the activity bases, and the afternoon ended with a water
pistol fight! This was indeed spectacular with Beavers racing to refill their
containers and trying to avoid getting soaked.
The Cubs section has run an active programme, and has welcomed several
Beaver Scouts into the Pack. They enjoyed a talk from the British Transport
police. They have been busy working towards activity badges, with many being
presented during
the year.
The Scout Troop has been as active as ever, camping regularly. They
enjoyed two sessions of Sub Aqua in the autumn, and successfully invested a new
Scout under water during one of the sessions. Thanks to our instructors who were
happy for us to do this (although a little bemused!)
We have also been very pleased to welcome new Leaders and a good number
of parent helpers. Parent helpers have volunteered to help in all ways, from
helping regularly or occasionally, with the section meetings, and helping on
the committee.
All help is very much appreciated, and ensures we are able to continue
to offer such a range of activities for members of the Group. If you feel you
would like to join us, please get in touch.
The group would not run without the dedication of the Leaders and
support of parents and other friends of the Group and I thank them for their
support.
Jackie Lees
Group Scout Leader 254th St Peters Scout
Group
We meet twice a
month, normally on the second Friday lunchtime and fourth Monday evening,
always in somebody’s front room. Our pattern tends to be to listen to a
relevant talk or some appropriate music, and then pray silently for about 25
minutes. Our aim is to deepen our experience of meditative prayer, and also to
give focus and momentum to our ‘prayer life’ outside the session (though we
sometimes wonder whether this actually happens!). The atmosphere is quiet,
relaxed and informal, and absolutely no preparation is necessary. We should be
delighted if more people came, especially on Monday evenings.
Nigel Harris
Tots and Co is a group for babies and toddlers aged 0-4, and their parents/carers.
Tots and co meet on Tuesday mornings, during school term time, between
9.45-11.15.
The group is run by myself, Amy Henshaw, and Jo, who has joined me this
year, (Jo’s children have been attending the group for over four years). We
currently charge £1.50 for the first child and an extra 20p for any additional
child a parent/carer has. For example, a parent attending with 3 children would
pay £1.90, two children would be £1.70. For this fee the children are offered a
drink of orange squash and biscuits, and the adults are also offered a hot
drink and biscuits.
We have a wide range of toys at Tots and co. We have a lot of bright,
stimulating toys for young babies, for toddlers there are toys aimed at
developing a childs imagination. We also have a small slide and a variety of
bikes, to encourage physical activity. In addition, we have plenty of books and
jigsaws. At the end of the session we sit on the rug and have some songs, we
also have some circle songs, such as ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’ and the ‘Okey
Cokey’.
Tots and Co has been doing well since September, we generally have
between 10-15 children attending every week. The group is socially beneficial
to both children and their parents/carers.
In the near future we plan to introduce more craft activities, as these
activities are always popular with the children!
Amy Henshaw
The Traidcraft
stall continues to provide a weekly range of fairly traded tea, coffee,
biscuits and chocolate etc to a very loyal clientele. Current favourites
include chocolate chip cookies, vine fruit muesli and Tanzanian tea. The sale
of these products ensures that the producers receive a fair wage which enables
them to gain access to education and health care for their families - in other
words, things that we take for granted. The small profit that the church
receives from the sale of these goods is used in various ways, for example to
provide the coffee served on Wednesday and Sunday mornings (the latter helping
to raise funds for other causes in turn), raffle prizes for the summer and
Christmas fairs , brass band concert etc, Geobars in the 'Back to Church
Sunday' packs and items to be included in a 'welcome' parcel for new residents
at 4, Etwall Road.
There have, however
been two major losses this year. In October, Gill Nunney, who made Traidcraft
at St. Peter's the success that it is, decided to try her entrepreneurial
skills on a more celestial plane. Characteristically, she did not leave us
without a final fundraising effort for a cause that became very dear to her.
Donations after her funeral totalled £1098 which was sent to 'Traidcraft
Exchange', an organisation which further supports new producers.
We also lost
someone who, although not known to most if you, was a key person in the whole enterprise
and a very good friend to both Gill and Les. In 1984, Alec Shortley, along with
his wife, Kath set up 'Juteronomy' - one of the first 'Fair Trade' shops in
England. Fortunately for us, they were based in Kenilworth which meant that
goods were easily obtained locally on a 'sale or return' basis. Alec died of
kidney cancer in early April and leaves a very large gap in the local fair
trade movement.
Consequently, while
the church stall will continue as before (also supplying Hall Green Methodist Church),
there may be a slight reduction in the range if the sale or return arrangement
cannot be found elsewhere (Carrs Lane is one possibility) and if it becomes
necessary to purchase only items that will definitely sell. The annual 'do' in
October is extremely unlikely to happen, although catalogues will still be
available coming up to Christmas.
Thanks are due, as
ever, to those who support the stall - regularly or occasionally. Particular
thanks go to Gary Wiliams who is a most steadfast 'clear-er up-er' each Sunday
morning.
Kay
Stephenson
V
– Involved is the new name for Millennium Volunteers.
The
Boys’ Brigade at St .Peter’s applied to become a local V provider via
Changemakers in Birmingham and was successful.
At present we have 7 young men on the MV scheme, all working with Boys’
Brigade as their service. V – Involved
has now been offered to all The Boys’ Brigade Companies in Birmingham.
Michael
Stephenson and Jonathan Hutt have been awarded their 100 hour V Impact Award
for voluntary work within St.Peter’s Boys’ Brigade and BB/GB Band.
V
– Involved is open to all young people aged 16 to 24 years and offers awards at
3 hours, 50 and 100 hours voluntary service.
Report for September
2008 - March 2009
Our 2008/09 season
started with a service in the Lady Chapel given by Jo Johnston. On 17 September we welcomed Dr Joanna
Whitehouse who talked to us about cystic fibrosis. In October we had a Beetle Drive and later Roy Brittain
entertained us with a talk about “Those Radio Times - The Post-War Years.
In November we had
a very interesting session with he Dulcimer Man, better known as Fred
Woodley. As Christmas was fast
approaching our next meeting found us making Christmas cards. Come December we started thinking seriously
about our Christmas and we were invited to the carol service at Etwall Road
Church and on 17 December we went to Hall Green Methodist Church for their
Carol service.
In the New Year
Martin talked to us about his trip to Egypt and unfortunately our 4 February
meeting had to be cancelled because of the weather. On 25 February refreshments were provided for the Ash Wednesday
service.
In March we had a
very interesting talk by Mr Jarman about the National Trust and then on 18
March Mr Dudley Warner talked to us about Cinemas in Birmingham and Solihull.
(This was a change in programme as his talk had been cancelled in February)
We will be making
Palm Crosses on 1 April and on 22 April there will be a talk a demonstration
from Caldicott Nurseries
Our AGM will be on
6 May this year and then Betty will be talking about her holidays. On 20 May there will be joined by Grace
Dalby for poetry and prose reading.
In June we will be
going out to lunch for our annual lunch and then on 17 June we will be
finishing off preparations for the Summer fete and if we have time we will have
a quiz.
On 1 July Mr Miles
joins us with his slides and a talk about Graham Baron Ash and Packwood
House. The final event of the year will
be a garden and supper evening, location to be confirmed.
All our meetings
start at 7.30 pm in the Lounge. You are
assured of a warm welcome.
Edwina Preston, Chairman