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Annual Report for
the General Church Meeting
Reflections
from the Minister:
Revd.
Malcolm Hickox In
last year’s report I commented on the pace of life at Some individuals
have been highlighted in the reports that follow by virtue of the role
they have in co-ordinating a particular activity or piece of work, but
behind the names mentioned are a host of others working away, leading
our activities, caring for our premises, welcoming visitors, reaching
out to the community and offering pastoral support.
Without this large and dedicated team very little would happen!
However, one of the concerns highlighted throughout the report
is the need for new people to come forward to share in the leadership
of the church. We have a
number of vacancies within our Mission Team and whilst we do need to
recruit people this may be an opportunity for us to think about doing
some things in a different way. Our
relationships with the URC and Members of the
local community visiting the church for the first time are still taken
back by our beautiful building and facilities.
We are certainly privileged, but many of them also comment on
the warmth of the friendship and hospitality they encounter.
The building would not amount to much without people to create
a community and to demonstrate that we have a living faith. This
is at the heart of so much of our activity, from the Coffee Bar to the
Worship is at the heart of our church life and over the last twelve months we have tried to keep it fresh and relevant with our mixture of formats for both large and small congregations and in the way we celebrate the Christian festivals. We have been discovering how our digital projectors can enhance worship, particularly with children and young people present. The numbers attending our monthly Hot Chocolate youth services have grown and the increased confidence and ability of the young people to plan and lead the worship has been noticeable. Inevitably within a large congregation we have some conflicting expectations of the content and style of our Sunday worship and in our discussions over the year we have recognised that we need to create different patterns of worship on other occasions, particularly if we are to reach those who have no experience of the more traditional approach. This topic will be part the exploration I am undertaking during my sabbatical (more details in the May Newsletter), but it will inevitably need more people to lead and resource the different periods of worship. Whatever we do, though, we should never lose sight of the fact that worship is something we do for God, rather than for our own benefit, however much it may sustain and strengthen us. Having set a challenge in previous years to establish one new house group each year, it is good to see that we now have nine groups which include ninety of our members. With all the pressures of life today I believe we need experiences like this to make sense of our faith and to help it to grow. We cannot be sustained simply by one hour a week in worship. At the same time I hope that in the coming year we will develop other opportunities that will stimulate and feed our faith to complement the house group experiences and reach those outside our existing church circles. As our Family Worker, Janet Ings has made an excellent job of establishing contact with a very wide group of individuals and young families. Our MAD mornings and fun days have cemented some of the new relationships, but we need other people to offer their time if we are really to take advantage of the opportunities open to us. You will read
the same heart-felt plea from our youth group leaders as they are
challenged to respond to the demands of working with the many young
people with whom we are in contact.
Many of us are moved when we see the excitement and enthusiasm
of our children on a Sunday morning, but if we are to keep them with
us we must find more adults to nurture them.
Thankfully, we have more in the11+ age group than for a few
years, but again we need to be developing a new youth group to respond
to their particular needs. To
contrast that situation, we have been very successful in broadening
the ecumenical base of the Mervyn Liversidge has been Finance Steward for the last nine years and the fact that our finances are healthy has much to do with his careful management. Mervyn has indicated that he needs to stand down at the end of the financial year and therefore a replacement for him is urgently needed. He has also warned that we need to be increasing our income to meet our expenditure and I hope all our members will take note when they prayerfully consider what they contribute each week. This report provides the opportunity for me to pay tribute to and expressed my personal gratitude to David Booth and the team of Church Stewards for their support and encouragement over the last year and for all that they do on our behalf. We have welcomed Dene Turner to the team in the last few months and I am grateful that he, Linda and David are willing to continue in their roles as we thank Mervyn, Judy and Dorothy for their periods of service. A special word of appreciation to Jeremy Drage for his contribution as both Support Steward and Property Steward. Our prayers go with him as he departs for his challenging assignment with the UN in The Sudan. Finally,
a note of personal sadness for me as we say farewell to David &
Dianne Wilkes and Tim & Angela Macquiban.
David is retiring as Chaplain General of the UK Land Army and
moving with Dianne to Every
blessing, General Overview from the We
are indebted to Mervyn Liversidge for acting as Senior Church Steward
for several years. He
continues as Finance Steward, from where he has supervised our healthy
financial position, but he has indicated that by the autumn we need to
find a successor. Mervyn
has also contributed greatly to the improved heating in the building,
to the negotiations with Wiltshire County Council concerning the use
of 24 St Edmund’s SMc members are voluntarily involved in many community initiatives and services, because we try to be an outward-looking Church and regard outreach as important. It was gratifying, then, that so many contributed to the Christmas music outside Waitrose in December – our Christian witness is a counterbalance in a materialistic society. To be a bit materialistic ourselves, thank goodness we recently received a positive quinquennial inspection report. The
Circuit Leadership Team is considering the future strategic direction
of the circuit. The SMc
Leadership Team is fully appraised of the situation and is keen to
ensure that we are appropriately involved in the discussions and
decisions. SMc’s
satisfactory progress and development can only be achieved by
teamwork. Like the
instruments of an orchestra, the various members of our team aim to
harmonise our activities to reach a common goal.
Everyone can play his or her vital part, whether gently tapping
the triangle or displaying the full power of the organ.
However, there are still some players missing and it is very
difficult to aspire to grander orchestration if some sections are not
fully represented – can you bridge that gap? David Booth
I am now sixteen months into the job and am very much enjoying the
wonderful privilege of working with young families and those who also
assist in the caring of children and young people.
Those of you who are able to attend Sunday morning worship will
have noticed how the children’s relationships have been blossoming
and of course we have celebrated the birth of two new babies.
The older ones have become very much a group who sit in the
back row (some things never change – I am sure many of us can
remember being there!). This
bonding has been helped by Saturday mornings at Junior Belletones,
which has also been a time when parents have got to know each other
better and enjoy their time together.
The During
the week there are plenty of youth groups for me to go along to and
spend time with the youngsters and show support for the leaders.
On occasions I have been asked to help out
where there are leadership problems with sickness and holidays.
I know that most of the groups are struggling with leaders
because of family commitments and changes of circumstances in their
employment. The church is
indebted to these leaders, especially as some of them have been
serving in this way for a very long time.
I would encourage anyone who feels able to help, or who may
know someone who would be interested, to speak to Linda (Youth
Steward) as I know that it is of real concern to those doing the work
and we all see the benefits to the young people. During
this last year I have been working more and more with NCH leaders and
really appreciate the work that they are doing amongst the children
and young people in the Salisbury area and especially on our premises.
The numbers at the Junior Youth Club, which started a year ago,
are still not very high, but those attending have very much benefited
from the things that they have done and the way they are treated by
the leaders. The
challenges of working with children today can be difficult and at
times stressful but the leaders and volunteer have earned the respect
of the youngsters and are to be congratulated for their perseverance. We
now have two parents and toddlers groups, with a ‘Stay and
Play’ session starting last September on a Tuesday in addition to
our established Friday group. This
is the area where I feel my role really comes into its own.
I spend time with families, talking with mums, dads,
grandparents, child-minders, nannies, au pairs and, of course, the
children. It is a real
privilege and joy to be able to spend time with them and to know that
they have built up their trust in me.
We have had so many new babies this year and it is amazing
watching them all reach different stages in their abilities and
personalities. There is
very little input of a religious nature, but those who attend are
aware that the hospitality and the value and personal interest we show
each person is offered in Christian love. We
have now held three MAD (Music, Art & Drama) mornings which have
been well attended and well received by a good number of people from
outside our church groups and they received a ‘take-away’
Christian message from each. Three
Fun Days also took place in the last year and were very much enjoyed
by those who came and took part in the activities, quizzes, lunches
and fellowship. A
skittles evening, held in a local pub, was also enjoyed by those who
came, but unfortunately the numbers were disappointing as it did not
attract the people on the fringes that we had hoped it would. I
would like to thank all those who have supported me in this last year
by the work they have undertaken, by their encouragement and prayers.
I especially thank Malcolm and the Family Worker Management
Group for helping me to grapple with possibilities, disappointments
and the way ahead. Although
most of my ministry takes place in our church premises the majority of
it is amongst those who have no involvement in church life, or the
‘unchurched’ as some might refer to them, so it is very much
mission. I am conscious
that sometimes there are risks in what I do.
It means being sensitive about what I say, how I say things,
and whether it should be said at all.
I often ask myself how you introduce something of the gospel
message without seeming threatening or imposing and risk losing
people? In
the story of two people walking to Emmaus Jesus comes alongside them.
I have learnt in my ministry the importance of coming alongside
people and valuing them for what and who they are, sharing their
journeys with them, and knowing that God is with us as we travel along
together. We can never
fully understand the mystery of our faith, and whilst it may not
always be obvious to us in our everyday ministries, God through the
presence of his Holy Spirit can and does do things; he sows seeds of
love, he brings freedom from guilt with forgiveness and healing.
His amazing grace is for all. Janet
Ings
W
O R S H I P Reflections
from the Lead Worship Steward Following the installation of projectors and screens in the
Sanctuary, 2007 has been to some extent a year of consolidation.
I don’t think it can be denied that the visual impact has
been very significant and in many ways has contributed greatly to the
effectiveness of worship, particularly for the younger generation.
The Leadership Team is keen to develop the use of this
audio-visual technology, but like any machine, it is only as efficient
as the person operating it, and therein lies our next big problem –
namely, that at the moment there are very few members capable of
running the system. Dene
Turner, our newly-appointed Support Steward, is in the process of
producing a manual, to go along with the training, for the operation
of the equipment but we desperately need volunteers to learn how to
use it and who are prepared to spend the time doing so.
For those of you still unconvinced about the suitability of the
new technology, let me re-iterate that the purpose is not to replace
traditional liturgy but to complement and enhance it.
As
last year, Malcolm conducted a Service of Remembrance on All Saints’
Day, and over the Christmas season the usual Nativity Service (our
thanks to the staff and children of the Junior Church), Carol Service,
Christingle and Family Christmas Day services took place.
Attendance at Morning Worship has remained strong and we have
had the good fortune to witness some unusual preaching, ranging from
Revd Roy Newell wearing a Samoan ‘skirt’ and bringing us a taste
of the South Pacific, to David Wilkes brushing his teeth.
We have received visits from our District Chair, Revd Dr Andrew
Wood; Assistant Secretary of Conference, Revd Kenneth Howcroft; former
President of Conference, Revd Tom Stuckey; Kingswood School Head, Gary
Best; Revd Pat Clegg and former Vice President of Conference, Jan Such
Pickard. During the Octave
of Prayer for Christian Unity, our minister exchanged pulpits with
Revd Paul Taylor of St Francis’ Church.
On Saturday 3rd November we hosted a special service
to mark the 200th Anniversary of the passing of the
anti-slave trade bill. It
was a very moving occasion with John Bell from the Iona Community as
the preacher. We also
celebrated the tercentenary of Charles Wesley’s birth by hosting a
Songs of Praise for Churches Together, keenly advised by Revd Dr Tim
Macquiban and led by our minister. Ecumenically,
we have strengthened our links with
We
have continued to hold regular Music Consultations, which are open to
all, and have resulted in more contributions in our services from the
Singing Fellowship, acoustic and electric guitars, violins, piano,
Belletones and Junior Belletones, and choral groups.
We thank Christine Hickox for co-ordinating these arrangements.
They have all been underpinned by our very capable organists
and pianists who week by week respond to the demands of the rota.
We have also given some attention to the physical welfare of
the congregation by holding a fire drill in September, as a result of
which procedures are in place for the rapid evacuation of the
building. Yet
again we have been indebted to the teams of Worship Stewards,
Communion Stewards, door stewards, PA operators, flower arrangers,
furniture shifters and many others who have worked tirelessly to
ensure the smooth running of our Services.
It seems they receive little thanks when things go well but are
in the firing line when, occasionally, they don’t.
I trust this report will redress the balance and give credit
where it is due. Apparently,
there has been comment concerning the carrying-in of the lighted
candle. We use it as a
symbol of preparation for worship and intend that it should be brought
into the Sanctuary shortly before the minister enters, although the
timing is sometimes difficult. Nevertheless,
can we perceive it as the light of the Lord, and reflect upon it? Throughout
the year Revd Malcolm Hickox has been at the helm and has ably guided
us clear of the rocks, even if the seas have been a little stormy at
times. He is shortly to be
relieved of his duties – temporarily, I hasten to add – as he
embarks on a well-deserved three-month sabbatical.
We wish him well and trust he will find personal fulfilment and
satisfaction during his time away, and look forward to his return,
refreshed and re-charged. Change
or die, some people say. Others
fear we might throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Our popular Wesley celebrations illustrated the strong love of
tradition within Methodism, but it should also be remembered that John
Wesley himself was leading a revolutionary movement, albeit within a
framework of tradition. Perhaps
the urge for innovation should be tempered with consideration of the
long-standing needs of others, but we should also recognise that
clinging to traditional ways of doing things might mitigate against
progressing with the times; there’s nothing wrong with compromise in
the interests of give-and-take. The
Anglican/Methodist ‘Fresh Expressions’ project is currently
encouraging new forms of worship which might better serve the needs of
the present generation, and the Worship Planning and Consultation
groups have in mind other styles and times of worship which might be
developed through SMc. Tricky
times lie ahead of us, with our Minister taking a three-month
sabbatical break and the Sanctuary out of action for some of this
period. However, I am
confident that, as a Church family, we will pull together in mutual
support at this time and emerge stronger in fellowship, better and
more worthy in the worship of God.
May I commend to you the traditional prayer on which Hymn
Number 776 is based: ‘Make me a channel of your peace.’ David
Booth C
H U R C H L
I F E General Overview from the Church Life Steward Church Life at SMc continues to be busy and active, with plenty of
opportunity to join and participate in a variety of groups, offering
both fellowship and friendship. All
the groups are well supported and enjoyed.
Two new house groups have been formed during this year, one of
which was started specifically for the Lent Course and will now
continue to meet. Janet
Ings’ work as Family Worker continues to grow.
As will have been seen from her report above, Janet works hard
to encourage the involvement of families within the church and with
other groups such as Toddlers and NCH.
We are indebted to the Management Group who continue to meet
regularly with Janet to give support and direction. Rosemary
Dover organises the Pastoral Life of SMc very efficiently with
continued help and support from Alan.
She liaises regularly with Revd. Malcolm Hickox and all the
pastoral visitors, but there is an urgent on going need for more
pastoral visitors. The
Church Life Forum met in October 2007 and numbers attending the
meeting were quite low for various reasons.
However, there was some useful discussion on the various SMc
groups. Encouragement for
using the church diary displayed on the corridor notice board needs to
continue. Another meeting
of the forum will have been held on 23rd April a few days
before the Annual General Meeting.
Fuller reports from all the groups within SMc follow. It is
encouraging that we have so many and such a variety. Judy
Davis
Pastoral Committee As a church family at SMc, under Malcolm’s leadership, we all aim to
care for and support each other, but we do have at present 37 people,
called Pastoral Visitors, who have varying numbers of people in their
special care. They are
helped by members of the As
the All Saints Day Remembrance service was helpful to many people last
year, this day was celebrated again this year, and was an opportunity
for people to give thanks for loved-ones who had died.
Appreciation was expressed again by those who participated.
Christmas time provided us with another opportunity to express
our care and concern for those who are not able to worship with us
regularly, but who are not forgotten, and are a valued part of the
family. Sixty bowls of
azaleas were distributed and personal invitations to our specials
services were sent to
younger people who might be in Three
times during the year personal letters are sent to those unable to be
with us in person, to keep them informed of events and items of
interest. These are
written by Eve Hastings in October, David Ensor in January and Jenny
Franklin in May and are a lovely way of letting them know that we
remember and miss them. Copies
of these letters are put on the notice board in the corridor.
Roger Watkins and his team continue to tape the Sunday morning
service and the tape is available to anyone who would like to have it.
A Welcome Pack is regularly updated to be given to newcomers.
At the Covenant Service in January we were delighted to
formally welcome seven new members who have moved into The Pastoral Visitors team is always changing and as Judy Davis has indicated above, we would be delighted to welcome others to join us in this area of caring at SMc. Rosemary Dover, Pastoral Secretary Baptismal Roll/First Steps In
the year since April 2007 we have had six Baptisms with six new
babies, including two pairs of twins.
All four families have very good family connections with
the church. We continue to
be grateful to Eric Jennings who records the children’s names on the
First Steps Chart, which can be seen in the North Corridor.
Once again we issued a special invitation to parents of
children who had been baptised in the last few years to join us for
the Mothering Sunday service as a way of strengthening the links with
those who are not regular worshippers. Alison
Babey, Baptismal Roll Secretary Church Membership Statistics Each
November I have to complete a statistical return giving details of our
church members and other activities.
The following information was recorded for the year ending Members
Transferred In
12 Deaths
11 Members
Reinstated
1
Members Transferred Out
2
Ceased to be
Members
3
Total Gains
13
Total Losses
16 Membership as at Membership
as at Baptisms during year Nov 06 - Oct 07
5 Weddings
3 Funerals
12
Malcolm
Hickox The Minibus With
the help of a local minibus company, the church provides transport
every Sunday throughout the year for a small group of people who would
not otherwise be able to come to morning worship on a regular basis.
This is a longstanding and valuable service for elderly people in
particular, either because they don't have their own transport or
because of the infrequency of weekend bus services. Most
of the users are well into their seventies or eighties, and two are in
their nineties. This means that, over the years, we gain some
and we lose some. Recently, we have lost two of our
most regular passengers who, through frailty, no longer feel able to
come. If,
therefore, there are readers of this report who would be glad of a
lift to church, there is room on the minibus and, provided that you
don't live too far away, you could probably be included in the
driver's route. At present he picks up at The Beehive, Mary
Castles Midweek Prayers The
group continues to meet regularly each Wednesday morning at Shirley
Read
The
number of folk using our coffee bar remains fairly constant.
Wednesday is always the busiest morning, but Saturday now comes
a close second since the Junior Belletones started; parents waiting to
collect their offspring often have a cup of coffee and sit and chat
which is good to see. One
couple from SMc who have helped serving coffee on a regular basis for
many years has had to ‘retire’ due to poor health.
We thank them most sincerely for their loyalty as well as all
our other helpers. Phyl Coult, Vera James & Wendy Edginton. Church Lunches Church
Lunches continue to be popular with the number of meals served varying
from 26 to over 50 on Valentine’s Day and over 75 on the Christmas
lunch, when the meal was preceded by carols, poems and music in the
sanctuary. As we have said
before, more cooks would be welcome i.e. people who would be willing
to plan the menu and do the shopping occasionally.
This may seem daunting but we are always available to help or
advise. Many thanks to all
our willing helpers and enthusiastic customers.
Phil Coult, Carolyn Clarke & Wendy Edginton Watercolour Art Group This
group has been meeting for just over a year and we feel we are going
from strength to strength. We
meet on a Monday afternoon in the Hall during term time from 1.30
until Davida
Bull and Rita Molland The Belletones
Ruth
Booth, Belletones Leader House Groups
The
Sarum house group will be losing two of their leaders soon, due to
re-location, so the dynamics of that group will change.
The Laverstock house group will also lose two members when they
move away shortly. A new
house group has been formed during the year, the Footprints group.
They have decided to meet every two weeks using a room at the
church and will be exploring the Bible together at their sessions.
They would welcome anyone else who would like to join them. The
names of those who should be contacted for information about the
different house groups are listed in the monthly Newsletter.
If you would like to know more, talk to them or, for a more
general overview of what the house group experience can offer, contact
me on 01722 335917 Valerie Liversidge, House Group Co-ordinator Singles Lunches Our
little group has continued to meet for lunch every six or eight
weeks during the past year. We are all people who would
normally eat on their own on Sunday, so we enjoy the company (and
the roast dinner, which is a treat for many who live alone!).
It is also an opportunity to chat with members we might not previously
have known very well; and, for newcomers, it is a small,
unthreatening group in which we believe it is easy to feel at home. The
group is a fluid one, so that people are free to come for a
one-off lunch or on a more regular basis.
We normally eat in Mary
Castles Singing Fellowship
Katrina
Dixon, Singing Fellowship Leader Social Scene Once again the Social Scene of Salisbury Methodist Church has enjoyed a
varied programme of events. These
have been very well attended and it is good to see so many new faces
– including people who have come from outside the Church.
At the AGM in June it was agreed to donate £300 from the
Social Scene accounts to the Church for use of premises.
There was still £250 in the accounts for purchase of new or
replacement kitchen equipment. Although
several people attended the AGM it would be good to have some new
ideas. Please remember
that this is not a select group
– the Social Scene of Salisbury Methodist Church is open to all!!!
Sandra
Gunstone Poetry
Group
The
group continues to meet at Vera James Stitching Group
Vera James Tuesday Summer Walks The
Church Summer Walks proved very successful once again last year and an
average of fifteen people spent nine Tuesday evenings walking around
our very lovely area of Carolyn
Clarke IBRA
Bible Reading Notes Each
year I purchase daily Bible reading notes from IBRA.
The books have a
commentary based on a daily reading and are called 'Light for Our Path'
and 'Word for Today'.
The new format with one day per page and a cleaner look to the print has
made the books easier to read
and there is a longer commentary on
each reading. An order is sent in November and the books cost between £7 and £8.
Light
for our Path has
the relevant verses printed along side the commentary,
but Word for Today requires
a Bible as the verses are not printed.
Light for our Path
can also be ordered in large print.
Several members have
one of these books each year and anyone would
be welcome to join the list. I
put a notice in the Newsletter
and the notices during September and October each year. Sue Curnow Church Book Trolley The number and variety of books available for borrowing has gone on
growing throughout the year – perhaps you have noticed, and made use
of it? Do make a point of
stopping to look soon, because even more exciting developments are
just beginning: -
(We
hope that these resources will be greatly in demand, and because of
this – and their considerable size! - we are asking that you do not
take them away with you, but use them on church premises.) The
article in the March church newsletter should have reassured you that
the Book Trolley includes easy reading alongside serious study; we are
also always glad to have titles suggested or donated for us to
consider for inclusion. Do
come and enjoy this opportunity to find joy and new inspiration in
reading the words of others. Eve
Hastings and Jenny Franklin
YOUTH
ACTIVITIES General Overview from the Youth Steward As
ever, I am beginning my report with a huge “THANK
YOU” to the marvellous team of leaders and helpers whose
enthusiasm and dedication week after week enables our youth work to
continue to run within As
a church we all promise to nurture our young people and to help them
grow in the Christian faith. Youth
Work is a big commitment but I am going to appeal to you all, as I do
every year, that if you feel called to work with young people or know
of anybody who would like to help in any way with our youth groups,
then please contact me, or Malcolm or Janet, and we will be pleased to
discuss this. The
groups have been very busy during the year and each have submitted a
report of their own, to keep you all up to date. I’ll
leave you with this thought... ‘Never be
afraid to do something new. Remember,
amateurs built the professionals
built the Titanic.’ God Bless, Linda Hayman The |
