PCC - Digest of May meeting, from the Clarion
Digest of May PCC Meeting
The first meeting of the new Parochial Church Council (PCC) took place on 14th May and the committee for the next year will comprise the following members:
Father Kevin Morris, Mother Katherine Hedderly, Andrew Bickley, Amanda Bradley, Elaine Broke, Nicola Chater, Peter Haigh (Hon Treas.), Matt Hickley, Alyson Mitchell (Sec.), Anne Mower, Michael Robinson, Alan Trigle (Churchwarden), Helen Wareham (Churchwarden), Kevin Wilson.
All PCC meetings begin with a Mass in which Bible study, or some other study and discussion about the Christian faith, takes place. At this meeting the PCC members shared what brought them to St Michael’s and their experiences of being members of the congregation.
All members of the PCC take on responsibilities for various Ministry Groups and these are regularly reassigned after each APCM. These groups were discussed and Nicola Chater agreed to also act as liaison person for the newly formed Mothers’ Union.
The PCC is required annually to readopt the Child Protection Policy and appoint a Children’s Advocate, a role which Sue Jordan has carried out for many years. She is now retiring, with grateful thanks from all who have benefited from the care and organisation that she has shown over her time in this role. Jane Thomson has agreed to take on the mantle and was formally appointed at the meeting. Police checks are required for all those working closely with children, including Sunday crèche,
Children’s Church and Junior Choir volunteers.
The Health and Safety Policy also has to be readopted and an H&S Officer appointed. Jane Trigle was reappointed as H&S Officer, to be replaced when a successor is found, in view of her new role as Social and Entertainment Co-ordinator.
Anyone on the PCC who receives a financial benefit from the church must disclose this fact and this now applies only to Father Kevin in his role as a Trustee of the St Michael and All Angels Church Bedford Park Church Trust.
The APCM was discussed and it was agreed that the Annual Reports booklet should be given out in advance of the APCM so that the congregation could have the opportunity to read it before the meeting. This should ideally be three weeks prior to the APCM and perhaps published on the website.
In order to improve communication between the PCC and the congregation, a regular note of key issues and ongoing vision should be posted on a PCC Bulletin Board in the church and on the web-site. The PCC should be mindful of topics of specific interest to particular groups and the need to communicate these through the individual responsible for those groups.
Father Kevin proposed that the discussion of the Christmas collections should be included on the July meeting agenda to allow liaison with the Charities Group prior to the discussion.
It is our policy that the ministry costs of the church should be met through Planned Giving as part of our Christian discipleship. It costs the Diocese about £30,000 a year to provide a parish with a curate, which is very good value. The PCC believes that a curate has become essential now to life at St Michael’s and in our development and growth. If we are to have a new curate after Mother Katherine leaves next year, we would need to fund the position ourselves.
Less than 50% of the Electoral Roll currently contributes to Planned Giving, which raised £96,000 in 2007. This will need to increase to £125,000 which is a big ask and we will need even more if we want to explore environmental improvements, employing a youth worker, etc. The PCC asked the Planned Giving Group (PGG) to look at ideas and produce a plan for 08-09 for the July meeting and Kevin Wilson volunteered to join the PGG.
A report about the organ provided by Jonathan Dods was discussed. Two organ experts have recently looked at the instrument and both have both said that it is in poor condition with most pipes not speaking into the church. The PCC agreed to explore the report further and have asked Jonathan to consult with organ builders and the Standing Committee to obtain to consult with the church Architect about it, including looking the consequences of re-siteing the organ to a better position in its
current space. This information was considered vital before an informed decision about the project could be made.
The PCC Agenda for Action considered various themes that would provide an agenda for action this year. This encompasses all future and proposed projects, including youth projects, the charity profile, the organ, etc. Other suggestions included a greater focus on finding new volunteers and getting more people engaged in taking up responsible positions of leadership in our various ministries; a future discussion on how to involve young people more, from teenagers upwards.
A list of the proposed dates for future PCC meetings was circulated and this will be displayed in the porch once all dates have been confirmed.
In Any Other Business, it was agreed unanimously that the collections from the Bach Cantata concerts should be treated as restricted funds and paid 100% to the Upper Room, with the exception of the concert during the Bedford Park Festival, which will continue to form part of the income of the festival.
Eileen is retiring as the coordinator of the Summer Drinks Parties and a new volunteer is needed.
Alan asked that the PCC formally receive the SMAA Trust accounts.
The discussion book for the 2008-09 period will be “Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon” by Tom Wright. Chapter I of Philippians will be the subject of discussion at the July meeting.
A digest will appear in the Clarion after each PCC meeting