Every year in April we produce an Annual Report which gives an overall view of the various activities of St John's over the past 12 months.
There' will be opportunity at our AGM - Tuesday 29th April 2008 at 7.30pm - to discus any questions raised relating to the report.
Although this report has been distributed to church members we thought we should also make it available on our website. We have changed the format slightly to make it more web friendly but the order of the content is the same on both the website and the printed copy.
Postal address
St John's Vicarage
Royal Lane
Hillingdon
UB8 3QR
Vicar:
Honorary Curate:
Curate:
Members of Parochial Church Council:
Number of names on Electoral roll:
Independent Examiner:
The PCC of St John the Baptist, Hillingdon is a charity exempted from registration with the Charity Commission.
Rob Harrison - Vicar
slowing down
After passing the 10 year mark in early 2007 it seemed more important than ever that I try to live and work at a steadier pace. This became particularly clear in the summer when the pressure of life and work began to interfere with my sleep and I was forced to take some time off.
Next came three months of sabbatical - a combination of rest and research. It was lovely to have more time to spend with my family, particularly in the evenings and at weekends, and to be more available as three of our children started new schools.
My research - into the lives and practices of 1st Century Jewish rabbis - was fascinating. It surprised me and challenged me. (More of that at the AGM.) It has also reminded me of how easily we assume that Jesus was like us, when we should instead be making ourselves more like him.
keeping up
It is not easy to slow down in a church as busy as St John's. As more people take part in leading our services, and in reaching out into the local community, supporting them adequately and appropriately is an increasing challenge.
We have restructured the regular planning process for Sunday mornings, to involve more people, give them more freedom and support them more consistently.
Over these 11 years at St John's, my role has changed significantly: from doing the public ministry, to sharing the public ministry, to helping others do the public ministry. And in the past year this has moved on yet another stage. I am now supporting those who are helping others do the public ministry. This is what growth feels like!
moving forwards
Life never stops changing, and church is part of life. I am increasingly involved in helping other church leaders to discover fresh ways of being God's church. This is about passing on the things we have learned and discovered at St John's. It is wonderful to note that St John's, Hillingdon, is helping other churches to serve God in our rapidly changing world - even as far away as South Africa!
But we have only scratched the surface. Last year we began to explore patterns of Christian ministry that will take the message of God's love to those Hillingdon people who will never come into our church. Already, it is true to say that Sunday morning worship is just one part of the life and work of St John's. We will, of course, continue to offer what we already offer on Sundays, but we must also do very different things in very different places.
meanwhile . . .
There is the usual round of weddings, funerals, school visits, assemblies, deanery meetings, Churches Together meetings, Willesden area meetings, Scripture Union meetings, paperwork, emails, phone calls etc etc etc.
What did I write about slowing down?
Elizabeth Moore-Bick - Curate
George Pinnell - Curate
It has been another challenging year with Rob being away on sabbatical for three months ( was he really away!) well we all managed to survive and for me that was the great thing that came out of it that the people of St Johns are strong enough in their faith to get on with things .
The growth in members of our church community taking on leadership rolls has enhanced our worship and it's wonderful to witness God enabling people to use their talents for the growth of his kingdom.
Quiet days have been very rewarding and many have enjoyed the time to just sit listen and pray. I have also shared these days with other parishes.
Weddings and funerals have continued much as last year and it's always a privilege to share in their times of joy as well as sharing moments of grief at the loss of a love one this being for me a real privilege of my ministry.
During the summer months I covered worship at other local churches while their vicar went away for a well earned rest this is always an exciting experience meeting fellow Christians and experiencing different styles of worship.
February this year we had a weekend retreat to Cautley House in Kent, all who came found it very rewarding.
Thank you for all your support, friendship and prayers over the past year.
David Jenkins - Retired Minister
Jean and I value the warmth and fellowship at St John's. I have been happy to continue to help in various small ways during the year with:
I have conducted funerals from the parish from time to time as required and from other areas and parishes as needed.
I enjoy the often hilarious practice nights with the St John's Singers as well as our modest and sometimes surprising contribution on Sunday mornings!
With best wishes and prayers. David.
Kath Harrison - Commissioned Minister
My decision to take 3 months off while Rob was on sabbatical gave me a new perspective- especially on how much I receive personally through involvement at St John's (Sunday morning' team and seeing the 11.30/12/12.30 slots continue to evolve. Feels like we're more confident now to be a small, tight-knit but open group. Sharing bread and wine together, as friends and family in such a relaxed, real and intimate way, is a highlight of my week :-)
Other opportunities to lead (eg. 'late opening', emergency sick cover) have enabled me to feel more confident 'up front'
Life circumstances, and the closure of the Toddlers Group, mean I'm no longer really in touch with young families, except 'late Sunday morning'). We all need to keep them in mind. Louise Moran is an unsung hero here.
I try to keep in touch with the Tuesday Jazz lot- Love how 'open church' and the musicians mutually benefit (thanks George, thanks again Rosemary!)
Music Group is a joy to be part of; hoping to get some of our young people up there making music in the coming months too.
Keen to see us each consolidating a small number of deep prayer- filled friendships, whilst continuing to be one big happy family (- corresponding to an awareness that we can 'spread ourselves too thinly' if we're not careful)!
Overall though, a great sense of being part of a hardworking, committed and supportive team- Thanks! and, Hallelujah! thanks, everyone!)
Caroline Reed - Commissioned Minister
Writing this report is always a bitter sweet experience. I always read through what I waffled on about last year and this year it made me feel sad to hear me sounding so positive and full of energy. This year I am using the last of my energies on a Saturday night just to meet Christine's extended deadline.
I look back on last year with great thanks to Elizabeth for continuing to allow me to drift along in her wake and making the violet avenue experience such a positive one. It is also with great trepidation that I contemplate her leaving and where that leaves me in what I can continue to offer to St John's in my own capacity. Since last November I have undertaken another day's work at the bank so I now work four full days and combined with family and home life I feel not unlike a headless chicken most weeks! Whenever I feel most like giving up any notion of trying to play an active and helpful part in our churches ministry and outreach something always compels me to go on.
I feel we will have many challenges to face as a church in the year ahead and especially when we start work on our planned alterations, I would very much like to play a part in honouring our commitment that the changes are to be shared and enjoyed by the whole of our community.
Sorry to have been such a whinge bag this year! I did have highlights from the past year too, among them such excitements as leading 9.30 songs of praise ( more to come I hope), seeing Rob take a much needed break( not really a highlight I know) but seeing him returned slightly refreshed was!
Writing and performing a couple of drama pieces for 10 o clock and most of all just enjoying the privilege of being part of st Johns. My dream scenario for 2008/09 would be Bishop Pete agreeing to pay me to work full time for st Johns and depriving the banking world of my cashiering expertise!
Liz Sands - Commissioned Minister
This has been a quiet year with no major changes.
Barbara Hosier has joined the Welcoming Team and with Brian and Ian does a fantastic job, thank you all.
Thank you also to all the sidespeople, you do a vital job. If anyone is interested in joining the team please come and have a chat.
I have continued to learn who's who and to get to know new people and groups and to incorporate them into the ‘map'. This is still work in progress due to other commitments. I'm hoping to have some more time to spend on it soon.
I am currently looking at all the things I am involved in and with God's help deciding where my priorities should be.
Tony Sheffield - Commissioned Minister
Commissioned as a lay minister at St Cuthbert's North Wembley April 2007
Parish work consists of
Brenda Thomas - Commissioned Minister
Fairly quiet year pastorally but
Organised an outing for some members of St John's and the Violet Avenue Friday group and helped to organise the All Souls Service and Festival 07
Highlights
Jane Upchurch - Commissioned Minister
Carol Williams - Commissioned Minister
The Rolling Service format is now well 'bedded inâ€. Planning meetings continued to stimulate and challenge us and form an important part of my Ministry/worship leading
I have continued to lead the 9.30am 'Songs of Praise†throughout the year, but have also lead an increasing number of the 10.00 am 'Understanding Faith†slot – this brings its own challenges, but is proving very rewarding.
In March, we had an Away Day for the Ministry teams, which was very insightful and interesting.
As always my thanks to Rob, George, Elizabeth and the rest of the congregation for their support.
Mary Hughes - Verger
2007 saw a very busy year for weddings. One bride arrived in the car which was used in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The couples bring their own personal touch to the ceremonies – dancing down the aisle to Abba's I do I do I do, or having a baptism included in the ceremony.
We have two excellent organists David and Stephen Gamble who can play anything that is require of them.
We also had a number of funerals and burial of ashes. We said goodbye to some of our church family. I have met quite a few vergers again in 2007 in England and Scotland in small country churches and cathedrals and they are all very interesting to talk to.
A big thank you to Iain King and Peter for their help. Also thank you to George and Christine for their help through what has been a difficult year personally.
Christine Bartlett - Administrator
I continue to love my job, I've been in the post 5 years now, and just beginning to get the hang of it– only joking!
I meet with other administrators 3 times a year when we exchange ideas, and highs and lows of the job.
Thank you to Pauline Andrews who helps me in the office on Mondays and also to Sue King and Helen Hamlin who help out with typing and collating on special jobs (this report for example).
I am trying to be eco friendly and recycle everything that I possibly can.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements to our admin systems at St John's.
Kay Sweetman - Sacristan and Archivist
Sacristan Duties
I am responsible for the smooth-running of setting up and manning of the services. We have a pool of 11 servers, 6 who serve at 8am, and 6 at 10.30am The most important members of the team are the two (indispensable) laundresses who ensure we don't run out of clean linen
If anyone would like to join us, especially at 10.30am, please let me know
Archivist Duties
I search the registers to check for baptisms etc. and also help people researching their family history. I receive queries via the internet (through the church website), telephone or letter.I have contacts with Hillingdon Family History Society; some of their members recently finished transcribing some of our registers.
I liaise with the London Metropolitan Archive regarding the future safe keeping of the registers; the LMA will also produce microfiche copies so researchers can easily access the registers in the future
Church Fabric & Furniture - Bob Lang
Last year marked our Quinquennial inspection - a check made on behalf of the Diocese to ensure the property is OK, and identify problems and work required over the next five years. This was duly done, and revealed no surprises. Barring unforeseen catastrophes, the work required should be accommodated in our current budgets for Church Maintenance.
The other event is of course the re-ordering saga. Although we appear no further forward, we have started the consultation process with the Diocese and have met with various secular organisations such as English Heritage and the Victorian Society, who have input to the Diocese when applications such as ours are made. Although their values were different to ours, (hence the word 'secular'), we have nevertheless made progress, and by the time these words are read we should have specific plans to put to the Diocese, with reason for being optimistic that they will be approved.
My thanks to all who have played their part in looking after the bricks, mortar & gardens of our lovely church building. I strongly believe that a tidy, ordered building and churchyard makes it that much easier for those using the church to attend to the spiritual needs that St John's was designed to meet over the centuries.
And finally: a note from Kath Harrison about the Meeting Room/ Choir Vestry which was re-vamped during the year (thanks to freecycle.org and our much-missed Sandy) - this has been a great help in taking pressure off the family here at the Vicarage, by allowing pyjama-ed teenagers and stressed parents to relax more of an evening!
Churchwarden - Dave Durston
The refurbishment plans are ongoing, but once completed will offer facilities that will be compatible for various church activities and community events.
A special thank you to the army of churchyard gardeners and church members who open the church for workmen and the electrician when the needs arise.
From a personal point of view, I would like to say a special thank you to all the readers who jump into action for the 9.30 & 10am sections of the Sunday worship.
PCC & Standing Committee - Christine Bartlett
The PCC have meet regularly each month during the year. They are the people elected by members of St John's on the Electoral Roll.
Please pray for our PCC, find out what they talk about when they meet. Please feel free to pass on your comments on anything that is on your mind to a PCC member. In case you don't know who they are there are photos of the current PCC on the notice board at the back of church..
Deanery Synod - Tony Sheffield
The Synod meets three times a year –winter summer and autumn
The standing committee meets about six times annually.
At the Synod meeting there is a main speaker and generally two speakers from local churches/organisations giving five minute talks
After the success of the standing committee's parish visits during 2006 some parishes requested further visits to show the progress made over the past year.
All church members are welcome to the synod meetings but cannot vote
For more information contact Tony Sheffield
Junior Church - Sue Taheny
It has been a very interesting 12 months for Junior Church.
Now we are all used to being in the Hall with the children, we decided to fine tune what we can offer. At the moment we have two groups of children. The 5 – 11 year olds are called Genesis and the over 11s are called Revelation. We try to offer a good 40 minutes of drama, games, activities and readings to the groups with a wonderfully dedicated bunch of leaders and helpers.
We are always interested in any feed back and definitely want to talk to anyone who is potentially interested in becoming a leader or a helper.
Thanks to all parents for your continued support too. Sometimes it is a real privilege to listen to your children's insights and thoughts in relation to their own faith journey.
J.O.H.N. - Liz Sands
The past year has included
In 2008 we're looking forward to
A big thank you to everyone involved in J.O.H.N. over the past year.
It would be great to have more people involved, both youth and leaders, please come and talk to me if you're interested.
Children's Advocate - Mildred Atubo
As you may be aware, all places that work with children in the United Kingdom are required by law to have policies regarding the protection and safety of children. Churches are not exempted from this requirement. I have recently been asked to be the Children's Advocate at St Johns. I am writing to inform our audience that this service is available for our children, youth and the community at large.
The role entails among other things
Please do not hesitate to speak with me on any issues relating to the welfare of our children. At St Johns we treat all children and young people with dignity and respect, while also respecting their personal privacy.
I wish you all God's blessings.
Young Families Ministry - Louise Moran
Over the last year, St John's has seen a small rise in the number of families with young children who are part of our fellowship in one way or another. This has been partly due to babies being born, partly due to new parents filtering in, and partly as a result of the 'Oh God' course last year, which led on to a housegroup where several mums found support and answers to their questions.
We have aimed to support these families in several ways. The main one noticed by our Sunday morning congregation is probably the new Under 5s Sunday School group. We now meet in the meeting room between 10am and 10.45am and have a story, a craft and usually an activity as well as an interactive prayer time. If you are interested in learning more about this group, do speak to Louise Moran!
This has led to a more positive attitude towards the very small people in our church. Whereas before they were the noisy group in the corner of church, they are now being kept engaged and hopefully feel like a part of our church, while learning a little at their own level.
In addition, we have a yahoo group where people with young families can chat, ask questions, find out what is going on at St Johns etc, to allow those who cannot always make a Sunday morning to keep in contact. We also try to arrange one church-based and one social activity each month that the young families are invited to. This is very tricky - the idea of a mums' or dads' housegroup appeals in theory but is impossible in practise due to childcare arrangements etc - but by sending out invitations every few weeks, at least people are aware that they are included and have the option of support if and when they need it.
We currently have just under 20 families with children below school age, who have regular contact with us, as well as visitors etc. My aim for the next year is to set up a 'Dads' night out' every few months for the men, and get the mums together more often, as we are the people who should be bringing God to a new generation, but in reality, are often too frazzled to find Him ourselves. Your prayers for the young families, and your interest in our under 5s and how they can be more part of our worship, are hugely appreciated as we continue
Godzone - Jackie Parsonage
GodZone meets regularly on Sunday morning at the new time of 10.00. Due to the changes in Junior Church, Godzone is benefiting from more people on the rota, sharing out the role.
I have also enjoyed and been personally grateful to have a co leader again on a Sunday Morning. We continue to use and adapt Scripture Union's Grid material.
We continue when possible to do a trip down to the hospital to do pushing and shoving. Though it is likely that this will not be continuing. I hope that we can arrange an outing at some point this year.
Your continued prayer would be valued especially for the young people at this age, when they often experience a lot of changes and pressures outside of church.
Early Morning - Jackie Hebron
The Early Morning Team looks after the Sunday morning worship from 8.00-9.30 am.
The quiet combination of Morning Prayer (8.00-8.30) followed by Traditional Communion (8.30-9.00) continues to provide a tranquil worship experience for a loyal group of early risers. Although many elect to stay for both services, its design gives the flexibility to attend either, with the informal incorporation of a transition phase between the two which conveniently accommodates arrivals and/or departures.
Responsibility for leading the Morning Prayer worship experience is now shared between a small number of congregation members and the clergy. With such a diverse combination of personalities, this team provides worshippers with the luxury of a welcomed variety of delivery styles.
The 9 O'clock Breakfast gives the early congregants a chance to relax, and to meet up with early arrivals
for the later services, over croissants and coffee/tea. In addition to light refreshments this fellowship opportunity provides the chance to engage in further dialogue on the theme for the day.
Mid Morning - Christine Bartlett
Mid Morning on Sundays at St John's continues to provide worship, teaching, discussion opportunities, prayer, fellowship, friendship and so much more. There are a number of different people involved in leading the worship which provides us all with a wonderful variety of wisdom, stories and personal insights.
Coffee time at 11am gives us a chance to socialise. The welcome team and sidespeople look after us very well and keep a look out for people that are new to St John's and help them feel at home.
Late Morning - Jane Upchurch
Evening Prayer - George Pinnell
Evening prayer is held every Sunday at 5-00 and on the first Sunday of the month we have a communion service. It is faithfully supported by a few regular worshippers Rob Elizabeth and myself take turns at leading this service. We sing and worship in a wonderful atmosphere that only a small family group can create If Sundays is hectic for you come along at 5-00 relax and unwind start the week feeling spiritually refreshed .Don't just read this come along as soon as you can it may be just the right spiritual experience you have been waiting for
Prayer Ministry - George Pinnell
The Prayer ministry is available during the Eucharist at 10-30 in the old baptistery where you can share your concerns with those on duty and then offer them up to God. I need to reassure all those who do talk and pray with us that everything is in confidence and only shared with God.
New members have come forward making the team more flexible in term of how often we are on duty.
My thanks to all those who share their time and love with those in need it provides and gives strength in times when life becomes difficult.
Morning Prayer - Elizabeth Moore-Bick
A small group of us meet Monday-Thursday and Saturday mornings, in church from 9am onwards for about an hour
Each morning we read a Psalm, a section of the Old Testament and a section of the New. We discuss, debate and generally digest them.
We're badly named – since we do relatively little praying (though we do meet in the morning). However we usually conclude with a time of quiet reflection and sharing the Lord's Prayer together. We're shortly going to rebrand ourselves –Discover: Story, Conversation and Quiet
We're pleased to welcome new-comers – we'll explain the plot if you come in half way through!
Family Service - Sue Taheny
This is a very small group who try to offer something for everybody on the first Sunday of every month
We know we don't always get it right, but always enjoy the challenges that each month brings.
The team is made up of Rob or Elizabeth, Sue Taheny Diane Newman and Lis Hallam.
We have made a big effort this year to try and nclude the whole family during our worship times, and always welcome comments, whether negative or positive.
If anybody is interested in joining, please speak to Rob or Elizabeth.
Late Night Opening– Sing Praise! - Elizabeth Moore-Bick
A small group of us continued to meet, enjoying the chance to explore Bible stories in their entirety, such as Jonah and Ruth
Towards the end of the year it came to feel as though it had run its course
We've started something new - ‘Sing Praise'. A chance to learn more and deepen our faith through song.
When and where: last Wednesday of the month, 8pm in church. Come and listen, sing-along or play (extra musicians always welcome
Open Church - Rosemary Blackbee
In keeping our church open it allows people from the community to come in and pray, sit quietly or be helped with any problems they may have, normally over tea and biscuits.
It offers in the groups, friendship and support, belonging and activities to take part in. Generally trying to help each other when problems arise.
We also have teaching and learning in our services and in other ways that reflects and is very relevant to today's life in its many aspects. In the future the Tea/Coffee Bar we are hoping to have will give greater opportunities to be able to welcome in the community.
Jazz Tuesdays & Fridays - Christine Bartlett
2 jazz sessions run every week. All are welcome either to sing, play or just listen.
The 2 jazz groups have also supported St John's by playing at the Festival and at Christmas.
Bereavement Support & Friendship Group - Jean Jenkins
We have been delighted to welcome new members to our group. In a relaxed atmosphere we can discuss any concerns.
We enjoy our time together with a cup of tea and biscuit. Our afternoon ends with a short time of reflection, with music, a poem and prayers. Ending with lighting a candle for our loved ones.
We also arrange occasional outings, meals together, recently visiting a garden centre.
These events have proved very popular.
We meet on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 2.30 pm in the church.
Meditation - Kath Harrison
Thursday lunchtime meditations have continued throughout the year-thanks to those 'regulars' who took turns to lead during the sabbatical
A core of 4 or 5 of us are now settled into an established but still evolving pattern, involving movement and stillness, silence and music..
The church building is still a great asset (laying down in front of the altar is a great way to pray) and a great constraint (too little flexible space)
My 3-month break has strengthened my desire to share times of whole-self prayer with others, especially those whose busy lives allow little opportunity to slow down and be still and quiet, and those who don't see themselves as 'praying people'…
Currently looking for openings for this, taking soundings (eg via web forum); constrained by time factors but open to suggestions
Art Group - Barbara Hosier
What happened in 2007?
We have undertaken several visits as a group to The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, The Wallace Collection and The V & A Museum
The best bits of 2007?
What next?
If you'd like to join us, just drop a note in my pocket in the accordion file with your name and number and I will let you know when the next class starts
Craft Club - Jacky Wraight
Craft Club continues to meet on a Wednesday for various crafts including embroidery knitting and crochet. Items are produced for various charities, St Johns Christmas Fair, gifts or for our homes.
We now have about a dozen members who attend regularly and average between eight to ten each week.
It is a lovely friendly group with plenty of conversation, laughter and a nice cup of tea.
Join us and see for yourselves.
Words & Music - Peter Barber
Words and Music has continued happily through the past year.
We have a regular group of enthusiasts who try to be in church every Wednesday at 12 midday, our usual turnout is about ten people but we have had as many as twenty five.
The small St John's advertising card that went to every parish household attracted a group of local poets who are pleased to find a venue where they can perform their work in public, and we are delighted to listen to them.
We play a diversity of recorded music that is used between spoken items, something old and something new, sometimes classical, sometimes nostalgic. It's always a nice surprise, when a forgotten memory is played.
As well as poetry, we have used play readings and prose, in fact anything people want to use to entertain is considered, if people want to just sit and listen, they are welcome to do so. Everyone is now quite good with the microphone we hand round, they don't have to be actors to make themselves heard.
Unfortunately we lost a dear friend, Sandy Clare, in the summer. Sandy once said to me 'Words and Music, has been a life saver since I retired, it is something I look forward to each week.†Sandy contributed a great deal of music, especially with here singing, she insisted on singing without a microphone and managed to fill St John's with her song. She and I often performed favourite hymns and songs with me accompanying on the organ. Sometimes Sandy bought her own backing track to sing along with. We planned to do a series on old children's hymns, (Jesus loves me, this I know) but sadly, it was not to be. We do miss you Sandy.
We all enjoy working on the research of the words and the music and Doug Kelly takes great pride in the items he presents, he recently did programmes on the OLD TIME MUSIC HALL and THE FIRST WORLD WAR in spite of a major back operation which took him from us for many weeks, he is now back and doing very well.
If you are free on Wednesdays at 12 noon, do give us a try
Green Group - Barbara Hosier
Our achievements in 2007:
Regular updates and reports from Green group meetings to PCC, with discussion on related issues eg. investigating the use of a wind turbine on the church /solar power
'Green spot†introduced with notices/information/tips and containers for used batteries/printer cartridges
Green issues included in series of sermons during October 07
Ongoing contact with Duncan Jones, Environment Officer LBH
Green theme and display throughout Festival 2007
Flower Guild - Evelyn Tinsley
The Flower Guild did the usual things again throughout the year, such as flowers at the two altars each week, apart from Advent and Lent, plus decorating the church for Easter, Harvest and Christmas, posies for Mothering Sunday, wedding flowers and extra arrangements when requested. The annual Beetle Drive also took place, enjoyed by all who attended.
The main event, of course, was the 4-day Flower Festival, which took place at the beginning of the 9-day festival in June. This was a lot of hard work for the members and visiting flower arrangers.
It has to be said the Flower Guild was bitterly disappointed at the amount taken over the 4 days – total £113.50 to be shared equally by St John's and the Flower Guild's chosen charity, London's Air Ambulance – a very poor result.
All members felt that there would have to be changes for future Flower Festivals as the overall appearance of the church during this event was lost with all the other activities going on. It was forgotten that the church, during a Flower Festival, should be a haven of peace.
The membership, a small and dedicated band, will continue to do its best – would welcome more members.
Bellringers - Mike Palmer
Alas, another bad year for us. We continue to pray for the White family whose daughter Shona is receiving treatment for a brain tumour. Those who receive updates from Simon will be aware of how things are.
During early summer, Stephen and Christine Russ moved to the Southampton area as Stephen's job relocated. In recognition of their contribution to the Guild, a quarter peal was rung and Stephen was presented with an engraved pewter beer mug.
Throughout the year, we have continued to be dependent on visitors from nearby towers to practice and to ring on Sundays. So, thanks again to those who come regularly, especially Alan, Eric and Audrey from the Uxbridge band for their regular support throughout the year.
Regarding social events, the Annual Supper was held at the Prince Albert in March but no outing was arranged. My thanks to Christine for making the arrangements.
We rang for Sunday morning service on most Sundays this year and also for the 8am service on Easter Day but for the first time in living memory, did not have sufficient ringers to ring for Christmas or the New Year. I fear there will be an increasing number of Sundays this year when there are not enough of us to ring.
Four peals were rung during the year being Spliced Surprise Royal by a mainly Middlesex band organised by the current Association master, Stephen Mitchell, Grandsire Caters organised by Frank Blagrove, past Middlesex Association master, Stedman Caters rung as a fund raiser for the new ring of bells being installed during 2008 at St Magnus the Martyr, Lower Thames Street, on the north side of London Bridge and Yorkshire Surprise Royal organised by Barrie Dove of Leeds.
4 quarter peals were rung, being 1 of Doubles, 1 of Minor and 2 of Caters.
Those of note were :
Violet Avenue - Elizabeth Moore-Bick
Monthly coffee mornings continued with quizzes and friendship.
Fortnightly Sunday morning discussion group started in back in April – much enjoyed by all who attend as we grow closer to God and one another
Lease on the shop came to an end in January – Sunday morning group still meets, now at the garden centre.
God can be found there too – so premises not as important as we sometimes think!
Shop property at Violet Avenue will probably be used by Age Concern – a possibility that we may still be able to be involved in what is going on in that part of the parish.
Sports & Social Club - Jim & Sue Tongue
Our group has 18 members on the register although with only one badminton court and one table tennis table, we are grateful they don't all come every week!
We operate in the Church Hall every Tuesday from 8 to 10pm, with seasonal breaks during August, at Easter and Christmas.
The present company consists of some church members, Hillingdon hospital workers, and various local residents.
We come in all ages, gender, and religion, and with a wide degree of mobility!
With tea or coffee at half-time, we enjoy a bit of chat and often engage in different Quiz games.
Also, this year we hope to make some contribution to the Festival again with –a Table Tennis tournament, all entrants will be welcome.
Monday Group - Linda White
We meet on the first Monday in the month at 2.30pm.
We have continued this year in our usual way with speakers, Quizzes, Beetle Drive and the Garden Party.
The real value of our group is the friendship, care and support we give to each other.
We always welcome new people and they usually feel at home right away.
We would love to have the opportunity to share our friendship with anyone who would care to come - you don't have to be a full time member just come as a visitor and try us out - you might like it!!
Music Group
The Music group shares the musical workload with George the organist in the mid-morning sections of our Sunday worship each week. In the late morning sections all music is led by the music group.
They practice on two Thursday evenings and one Saturday morning each month. They are very keen to recruit new members to play, sing, bang something, shake something... Singers especially welcome.
St John's Singers - Carol Williams
With no person brave enough to come forward and volunteer to play for us, we have continued to sing unaccompanied during our motet slots.
Unfortunately our lovely Julia Sheffield was unavailable to play for us at the Carol Service this year as it clashed with St Martin's Service, so we bravely decided to perform unaccompanied at that event too!
Singing unaccompanied is in fact very good vocal discipline (or so I tell everyone!).
The singers worked hard during the year, not only learning new pieces for Easter and Christmas, but also for our Sunday morning slot. Without a pianist we rely in my one fingered (often inaccurate) accompaniment at rehearsals, so my thanks to them all for bearing with me!
As always we will be delighted to see new members – we rehearse once a fortnight, for one hour, so it is not too arduous. Why not pop along one Friday and give it a try? The list of rehearsal dates is at the back of Church in case anyone is interested!
To prove it's not all work and no play, we all enjoyed our annual meal out at Uxbridge Golf Course early in the year.
Finally a big thank you to the Singers for turning out regularly in good weather and in bad!
Social Committee - Peter Hughes
Another quiet year within the Social Group owing to other activities within the church which has forced the group to cancel a number of events. If you are arranging an event can you let me know the dates in advance please, so we don't clash.
Our Quiz evenings with fish and chip supper are well supported. The Quiz evening which will be held on the last Saturday of the Festival 2008 will have a twist to it!!
We organised the Christmas Fair which was a success. The entertainment was of a high standard once again, Joyce Butler School of Dance and Tony's Friday Jazz Group. Even though it was Santa's busy time of the year, he made time to come and see us all.
Monday Housegroup - Tony Sheffield & Linda White
A house group is a great way to get to know fellow Christians and to share experiences in a comfortable, non-threatening, friendly and confidential environment
Thursday Housegroup - Brenda Thomas
Continues to meet fortnightly to learn from the Bible and each other and grow in our faith and friendship with breaks to join Advent and Lent studies
Highlight - Decided to do a study on Peter in an informal way using our own sources of information as well as reading through Peter's letters.
Found this really enjoyable and learnt a lot about Peter's character, his ministry and how his relationship with Jesus changed him, so used the same format to get to know Timothy and Hosea
Looking forward to our next 'target†Elijah and are more than happy for others to join us.
Tuesday Afternoon Housegroup - George Pinnell
The Tuesday house group meets at Margaret Newton's home twice a month from 2-00 till 3-30.
Margaret always greets us with a cheery smile cup of tea and biscuits the afternoon is great for those who cannot or do not want to go out at night so if interested see me or Margaret in the past year we have looked at the Old Testament stories of Daniel.
It is also a time when we can share our concerns with each other and support each other in prayer thank you Margaret for opening up your home for us
Wednesday Housegroup - George Pinnell
We meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month starting at 8-00pm.
Once again we seem to find great difficulty in all getting together on the nights we should
I suppose one of the problems that most of our group are involved in many other activities, home or church that so often get in the way but the times we do get together its been very rewarding.
Apart from bible study it has been an opportunity to pray together and share a truly family time being able to share our problems together.
My thanks to Sue who despite her busy family life and major decorating project has opens her house for us and makes each and every one of so welcome
Godspace - Jane Upchurch
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Cleaning - Christine Bartlett
Thanks to all you loyal and hardworking folk that make up the cleaning team, you are all stars!
Actually cleaning the church is a very pleasant experience, perhaps its because its different to cleaning your own home.
We've tried to become eco-friendly during the year by only using natural products instead of those nasty chemicals, sometimes though we have no choice when faced with chewing gum and strange unidentifiable stains on the carpet!
Many hands make light work as they say so please join us if you feel the urge for a bit of polishing!
We usually clean on the third Wednesday of each month in the mornings from 9.00am, and if there are any changes to this, there is normally a note on the link.
Office Hour - Mary Hughes
Another year has passed when weddings and baptisms are booked on a Tuesday evening. Angela, Linda and Rosemary book the baptisms and I book the weddings and we have a happy team of welcomers.
It's good to meet people who come along to office hour whether it be to book a wedding or baptism or just sit quietly with God and their thoughts.
Herald - Bob Masdin
St John's Herald produced 10 issues between March 2007 - February 2008 and readership has fallen to approximately 150 copies per month The Advertising is organised by Sue King.Regular contributors include Doug Kelly, Christine & Brian Bartlett, Ray Weller, George Pinnell, Elizabeth Moore-Bick, Elaine Palmer and Rob's Vicars Letter. Thank you to all those that have contributed over the year, including all those not specifically mentioned - without them there is no Herald.
If you happen to be at a St John's event please send me a few lines and/or a photo. I'm sure there are others in the congregation that would appreciate hearing about it - especially those unable to attend themselves. Please don't assume that someone more capable will do it, I am sure we are missing out on a number of different view points.
Garden of Remembrance - Alison Birt & Christine Turner
We hope that the garden provides a place you can visit, sit and remember your departed loved ones. We try to keep it tidy at all times and stocked with seasonal plants.
At the sad time following the loss of your loved ones, we understand the need to place tokens of remembrance but we ask that you observe the following agreed rules.
'We regret that it is not possible to mark the place of burial in the garden with ornaments, stones, plants, wreaths, etc. This rule has been made in order that we may preserve the tidiness of this place of rest and our respect for all who are buried there. A few fresh flowers – no wrappers – on the grass border surrounding the beds are acceptable and compostable. We trust that this will enable low maintenance.â€
Thank you for your co-operation.
Churches Together In Long Lane - Christine Bartlett
The aim of Churches Together is to work together to proclaim the Gospel, work together on activities which are recognised as better done together than separately, to pray regularly for one another, to work at deepening our understanding of one another, seek ways to support each other and to seek together the mind of Christ, that our churches may grow closer together find new ways to work and worship together.
Member churches are St John's, All Saints, North Hillingdon Methodist Church, Salvation Army, St Bernadettes, and Hilly Park Baptist Church.
The main event of the year is always the Walk of Witness on Good Friday, starting at St John's and finishing the Western Avenue end of Long Lane, where we adjourn to Hilly Park Baptist Church for lunch.
The executive Committee of the CTLL meets 3 times a year and there is an Annual General Meeting which anyone from the member churches can attend. The 2008 meeting is on May 7th
Church Hall - Mary Hughes
Another good year of bookings thanks to Ian and Jane's hard work. The bookings include regular and one-off lets. We have a good working relationship with our outside groups who use the hall. A film company is interested in using the hall for filming location work in 2008. The location manager has been to look and taken pictures, now we are waiting on the producer to say yes or no. Thanks to our PCSO's for looking after us and Christine and Jane for their help when we are on holiday.
Festival 2007 - Christine Bartlett
The Festival lasted for whole nine days in June! Our aims were faith sharing, church family fun, open church, local entertainment and fund raising There was an amazingly full and varied programme of events enjoyed by many and we raised over £5000.
As usually happens with a new venture, there were a few things which with the glorious benefit of hindsight we would have done differently. We think we have ironed these out for this year and so it is with great confidence that we now head towards Festival 2008 which we hope will be even better than 2007!
It would be very nice too if we don't get quite so much rain this year. I seem to recall that it rained every day with the grand finale on the last day of gale force winds!
Here's to Festival 2008!
Traidcraft - Gay Durston
Traidcraft at St John's is going from strength to strength because:-the church is using more Fairtrade goods, more people ordering more and Sunday morning sales are up! We are offering a more varied stock of items, but will order any requests if possible. Items are from gifts to household requisites,cards and food items (such as cakes, pasta and dried fruit). Best sellers have been Christmas cards, Fairbreak wafers and cakes. Many heartfelt thanks are given to the team who regularly and occasionally help to keep the stall operating.
Fairtrade fortnight: including the coffee morning( which raised £32.25 sold nearly £200 worth of goods. A donation of £68 has been sent to Traidcraft (Thanks to all). In the future we are investigating if anyone is interested in buying Fairtrade wine. Any volunteers for going on a rota for Saturday Stall setter uppers or helping to man the stall on Sundays would welcome. Anyone interested please see Gay Durston.
Once again many thanks to the congregation,
Children's Society - Ray Weller
We have sent the following amounts to the Society for the year 2007:
| Box collections |
2,079.36
|
| Christingle services |
538.37
|
| Donation |
74.50
|
| Christingle candles |
22.74
|
| London Walk |
2,265.53
|
| Church donation |
1,908.80
|
| TOTAL |
£6,889.30
|
Our sincere thanks go to all who helped achieve these excellent figures: boxholders, walkers, sponsors, and indeed all at St John's because the church donation comes from the monies you all have paid in during the year. Thanks also to our happy band of helpers who made light work of producing 350 Christingles for the services on Christmas Eve.
We feel confident we can maintain our giving during 2008.
We are delighted to report that the Government has at last responded to pressure from your Society to seriously consider providing a network of safe houses throughout the country for child runaways and those who would otherwise be sleeping rough on the streets. Many of you will remember supporting the petition to the Government last year.
Christian Aid - Christine Bartlett
Christian Aid has made a practical difference to millions of lives around the world. Working with people of every faith and none, they are fighting for a world free of poverty and injustice.
They provide disaster relief, help build long-term development, speak up for the oppressed and campaign for change among the powerful.
At St John's this charity is close to our hearts. The annual Christian Aid week in May which involved members of St John's doing door to door collections and other fund raising events raised £1624.35 and we also sent a cheque to Christian Aid for £1908.80 at the end of the year.
Christian Aid were devastated and saddened to hear about the death of Sandy Clare in the autumn. Sandy had been a loyal and hardworking champion for Christian Aid over many years. She gave a lot of time, commitment and hard work to the charity and it will be hard to replace her.
We have also supported Christian Aid by taking part in their campaigns by emailing and sending postcards pressing the goverment for policy change.
Website - Jane Morris
At the time of writing Paul and I are extremely busy working on yet another total rebuild of the Church Website. We're changing from a static structure to a database driven site and adding some new features.
Why?
The last version of the site had outgrown its structure and was becoming a nightmare to maintain. Also Paul and I have learned an awful lot more since we took over as the web team and wanted the Church to benefit from some of that increased knowledge.
We felt that the site as it was had become rather stagnant. Much of the content is static and does not seem to reflect the dynamism of St John's. As a church community we have so many great things to offer by way of groups, activities and the like - we seem missing the opportunity to share this on the web. The Internet is a great tool for promotion and evangelism... and one of the great things about it is it has the potential to reach so many people (as proved by our recent visit from Ian and co. from South Africa).
People are starting to get into the mindset of writing things for the site but we were struggling to fit new information round the existing site structure so we've been working to address that and there should be much more scope for new contributions.
How and where do we see the Website?
We would like the website to become something more than a place just to dump information, it has real potential to become an online community not only for the people at St John's, but for anyone interested in who we are and the things we're doing. We have a worship structure that reflects the hustle and bustle of daily life and allows people to worship the way that suits them best - we should be extending that opportunity to the Internet.
What's changed in the new version?
For a while the "St John's Online" Forum was quite active - people found a way to get together without having to make plans, check diaries, etc. It was a place to continue discussions from Sunday services, to chat about life the universe and everything, and generally catch up with each other. However, we dropped the ball a little and things have been quite lately. I suspect that part of the problem was that the forum was not really part of the website and felt a little like an afterthought so in the new build of the site we have changed the way we do things - the forum is now an integral part of the site and looks like it belongs.
We've changed the Photo Gallery to fit better with the site structure, the new gallery is much more user friendly - and it looks prettier too!
There is now the opportunity for other people to maintain various sections of the site if they so wish - no great technical knowledge is needed (though we can give anyone who needs it a crash course if necessary), also you won't need special software since it's all controlled within the site.
Along with the RSS feeds there are now email notifications - if you wish to be kept up to date with specific sections you can set the site to email you when there is new content.
We've added an events calendar to work along side the Notices - Upcoming events can be added as and when necessary.
There's a "Personal Messaging" facility built into the site - both people will need to have signed up for an account in order to use this.
We will now be able to upload content but not have it appear until a specific time and date - this will make some of the updates easier to manage.
We've not really changed the overall look of the site although it is now a little wider and we've tweaked a few bits to make them look prettier.
There is still a little work to do with some of the Accessibility features but hopefully that should all be sorted soon.
Web Awards 2007
In September last year we came in the top 6 nominations (best church website category) for the Premier Christian Radio Web and Blog Awards, the biggest reason for this is down to the wide range of content on the site, we need to keep our content fresh and Interesting - in order to do this we need your help.
If there's something you would get enthusiastic about to your friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc. then we need to hear about it for the site.
If you have photographs of a recent church event then send them to us and we'll put them in the Gallery.
Finally…
If you have any contributions or suggestions please let us know!
jane@stjohnshillingdon.org.uk
Stewardship - Gervase Craven
Thank you everyone for your contributions. Our regular giving is what has kept St John's in a position to pay our way and complete our commitment to the Diocesan Common Fund.
To all new members of the congregation a reminder to give if possible, in 2008, through standing order with your bank.
Thank you for your support in 2007.
Treasurer's Report - Ann Bennett
Hi to everyone at St John's and yes it's that time again.
I'm sure you have all been wondering what has happened to that lady who was always chasing up the money! So for those who are still wondering, I would like to fill in the gaps and let you all know what has been going on in my life and with St Johns Accounts.
As most of you are aware I unexpectedly lost my mum Easter 2006 then in July of this year my Dad was suddenly taken ill and lost his fight for life early September, it was a very difficult eight weeks for me and I found my self questioning life and also my faith, I found it very hard to cope. George I'm glad to say supported me in my faith and Sharon came to my rescue with the day to day running of church life and ensured all the bills were paid and you all had heating and lighting. I would like to take this time to express my greatest thanks to them both and to everyone for the lovely letters and cards of sympathy I received
Anyway that explains where I've been so what's happening now? I did say last year this would be my very last, so I have worked with Carole over the last few months finalising this years accounts which I'm happy to say are completed and on their way to the auditor. Financially we've had a good year and we have a nice healthy balance of £25,188 to carry forward into 2008. This includes a legacy that was received.
In 2008 Sharon Ide and Carole Toombes will be working together, along with support from Brian Bartlett, Gervase Craven and David Durston. I believe they will be known as the 'Finance Teamâ€
So it's Good Bye from me as Treasurer and thanks to everyone for all the support I have received over so many years and although I will no longer be your treasurer I will always be your friend.
Accounts
The final page of this report contains details of the Draft Income and Expenditure Accounts 2007. For various reasons (not least the webmaster having a formatting nightmare!) I will not publish them here but if you would like the information please refer to your printed copy of the Annual Report or contact a member of the finance team.Â