The Annual Parochial Church Meeting:
Will be held in St Peter’s Church on Sunday the 5th May 2024 at 11.30am.
ST PETER’S CHURCH, BALSALL COMMON
65th ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING
in St Peter’s Church Hall on Sunday 5th May 2024 at 11:30am
AGENDA
1. Notice of convening meeting to be read
2. Apologies for absence
3. Minutes of the 64th Vestry Meeting held on Sunday 26th March 2023
4. Matters arising from the Meeting held on Sunday 26th March 2023
5. Election of Churchwardens
ST PETER’S CHURCH, BALSALL COMMON
65th ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
in St Peter’s Church Hall on Sunday 5th May 2024 at 11:30am
AGENDA
1. Notice of convening meeting to be read
2. Apologies for absence
3. Minutes of the 64th Parochial Church Meeting held on Sunday 26th March 2023
4. Matters arising from the Meeting held on Sunday 26th March 2023
5. PCC Annual Report
6. Treasurer’s Report and Accounts for 2023
7. Churchwardens’ Report
8. Secretary’s Report
9. Safeguarding Officer’s Report
10. Electoral Roll
11. Deanery Synod Report
12. List of Sides Persons
13. Election of four Parochial Church Council members
14. Election of one Deanery Synod member
15. Appointment of Independent Examiner
16. Attached Reports of Church Organisations
17. Any other business
PCC Annual Report
AGM May 2024
St Peter's Church Balsall Common, located at the heart of England, is led by a dynamic team committed to engaging with the expanding community, innovating worship, and nurturing growth, dedicated to outreach, inclusivity, and service.
The Balsall Common community, comprising approximately 6,300 residents, reflects a diverse mix of ages and backgrounds. With ongoing development, Balsall Common anticipates growth, offering ample opportunities for evangelism and community involvement. St Peter’s Church actively engages with local organizations and initiatives, cultivating a sense of belonging and service.
St Peter's embraces diverse worship styles, providing traditional and informal services alongside special events for all ages. Since COVID-19, we have introduced online access to our services, reaching a wider audience. Key services include weekly Sunday services with a mix of formats, lay-led services focused on accessibility, and community engagement sessions.
Readers, lay leaders and volunteers play crucial roles in service delivery and pastoral care. We actively collaborate with other local churches through joint services and community events, fostering cooperation and support.
In response to the Ukrainian crisis, St Peter’s hosted an English conversation club for refugees. St Peter’s continues to hold drop-in Warm Hub sessions. Our church supports various charities and initiatives both locally and globally.
Despite challenges, the church has maintained financial stability with an income from regular givers and innovative solutions like Contactless donation points. Detailed accounts for 2023 are available online.
The PCC extends sincere thanks to the Diocese of Birmingham for their support during the interregnum. We are currently seeking a new Incumbent, with interviews and meetings of prospective candidates held recently in April this year. Our ideal candidate would be a person committed to engaging with the community and supporting existing initiatives while encouraging new leadership and ideas.
In alignment with the Five Marks of Mission, St Peter's Church recognizes both its strengths and areas for improvement. Key priorities include strengthening school engagement, enhancing family involvement, and expanding outreach efforts to new developments within the village.
More reports from the leaders and details of church group activities for 2023 are available online, offering a deeper insight into the diverse range of initiatives and events undertaken by our congregation.
On 9th April 2023 we said goodbye to Father Peter Thomas as he retired from ministry. We thank him for his hard work, dedication and faithful ministry. We wish him and Sandra a long and happy retirement.
During the interregnum we have been blessed that our rota of locum ministers has allowed us to continue with our regular pattern of services, and we are grateful for their support of our worship.
In December 2023 our lay chair, Dr Mark Johnson sadly passed away. He made an enormous difference to our church life, he contributed freely of his time and skills in many areas, and we are still looking to fill all the positions that he so cheerfully took on. He is greatly missed.
Churchwardens Report
AGM May 2024
What a year it has been since our Vicar retired last Easter.
A very big acknowledgement must go to Christine for the fantastic job she has done in ensuring our church has a Minister each week. She has done an absolutely amazing job of ensuring the service cover has been arranged and I am sure that it has been very difficult at times. The Congregation has been happy, and I certainly have not heard any complaints.
Hopefully shortly we will have completed the interviews and will be able to appoint one of the candidates. I look forward to this happening to enable our church to move forward. We feel that this is a very important task to ensure that we find the right applicant is chosen.
Update – interview have now taken place and the successful candidate has been chosen. They have been informed of their successful application and this is now with the Bishop who will arrange for notification. I think all the congregation are very keen to know who will be leading our church in the future.
The outside cleaners continue to do a fortnightly clean and we have brought 6 fruit trees with donations. SMBC supplied us with 6 fruit trees for our community orchard. This is another step forward towards our Gold Eco Church recognition and were planned in connection with the Queens Green Canopy Woodland Trust
The Statistics for Mission was completed and submitted and a big thank you to Moira for her guidance when I completed this massive task. Lots of pages to this document! A very big sense of relief for me when I received the submitted notice.
We will be doing what Christine calls “Sherlock Holmes mode” and complete the terrier and inventory. Again, another big undertaking and I hope we will complete this soon. Each item in church must be documented and photographed – from hymn books to chairs and silverware. As she has previously suggested if anyone has any hymn books can they please return them to allow us to complete the terrier.
Sarah Roth
Treasurer’s Report
AGM May 2024
I present the unaudited accounts of St Peters Parochial Church Council.
Voluntary regular giving to the church has remained relatively constant. The PCC is grateful for the continued financial support from our congregation, especially in the current climate of rising costs. Other income is small, we have a limited number of fundraising events, such as the Thursday Teas, and the Beetle Drive, which nevertheless make a difference to our funds. We have received several one-off grants to assist us in providing the Warm Hub and the Ukrainian Conversation Classes.
Costs are under tight control. Our utilities bills are on a fixed contract which renews in March 2024. We have negotiated a good deal, but even so costs will increase by at least 25%. Administration costs include the cost of the CCLI license which allows us to livestream services, but which costs around £600 per year.
Sequestration income consists of fees due to the Diocese for weddings and funerals. Sequestration costs includes the cost of locum ministers and the ongoing fixed costs of St Peters House. As at 31 December 2023 the Diocese owes the PCC around £1,500.
We have continued to fulfil the Diocese’s request for Common Fund, and I can pass on the grateful thanks of the Diocese for this. For 2024 we have committed to the requested amount, plus a small gift, for a total amount of £50,000.
This, with the increase in utilities and other costs leaves us in an uneasy financial state. We are still able to meet our financial commitments as they fall due, but we have very little in reserves for any unexpected bills. I would ask us all to review our regular giving, and if we are able to make any increase, no matter how small, this would be very helpful.
We are looking to repair or make safe the fleche on the church roof, and we have started a fund towards this. The estimated cost is in excess of £20,000, mostly due to the need for scaffolding. We have started a fund for this, which has been greatly helped by the £1,558 donated in memory of Mark Johnson earlier this year.
The Hall continues to attract customers, both regular and one-off. Many thanks are due to Christine Hornsby for her tireless work in administering the lettings and chasing up the rent. Utilities again are on a fixed term contract, which on renewal in 2024 will increase by at least 25%. The only major expenditure this year has been on tree surgery which has made the trees safer and allows the solar panels to function efficiently.
The accounts will be examined by Alison Lowe, and her report will be available when the Annual Return is submitted to the Charities Commission.
Chris Lee
Accounts for 2023:
Can be read as a PDF (Adobe Reader) File - CLICK HERE
Secretary’s Report
AGM May 2024
As I reflect on my first year as PCC secretary, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve alongside such dedicated committee members. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering commitment, collaborative spirit, and tireless efforts in ensuring the smooth functioning of our Parish.
Throughout this past year, our PCC has faced unique challenges, particularly in navigating the interregnum period. The attendance of our committee members has been commendable, with a high percentage of attendees at our nine meetings, including the meeting with Area Dean Nick Parker and Archdeacon Jenny Tomlinson to discuss steps towards appointing the next vicar. We also had a Section 11 meeting to approve the Parish Profile and appoint Parish Representatives.
Every PCC meeting has played a crucial role in addressing important matters, including discussions on the interregnum, financial planning and fundraising strategies, safeguarding protocols, church and hall maintenance, Eco Church matters, as well as various other day-to-day affairs vital to our parish's operation.
I want to sincerely thank Susan Clinton for her invaluable assistance in transitioning into the role of PCC secretary, providing guidance and support through her thorough handover of PCC documentation.
I am deeply grateful to the late Mark Johnson, whose mentorship, encouragement, inspiration and sense of humour, guided me, and I believe many of us, not just through the rules and procedures of CoE, but through our everyday life and faith journey. He is greatly missed.
A special acknowledgment is also due to all members of the Tech Team for their time and efforts in ensuring the smooth operation of our audiovisual systems and live streaming services, as well as maintaining the webpage and social media platforms.
Furthermore, I would like to offer a huge thank you to our Music Director, Kim Rawson, for his exceptional contributions in arranging music and leading our choir, enriching our worship experiences.
On a final note, I am pleased to report that our Church Electoral Roll currently stands at 117, reflecting the vibrant and engaged community within our parish.
The Treasurer presented the accounts for 2023 at our April meeting. The accounts for 2023 were provisionally approved pending being audited.
As we move forward, let us continue to work together, mindful of our shared mission and commitment to serving our parish community and a wider church!
Alla Pavuka
Safeguarding Officer’s Report
AGM May 2024
At St Peter’s Church, Balsall Common we recognise that the few who are determined to harm children or adults, deliberately seek out groups or organisations where they can meet children or other vulnerable people. The Church is particularly vulnerable to these people. Creating and maintaining a safeguarding culture will discourage them from becoming involved for the wrong reasons and make it difficult for them to harm or abuse children or adults if they do.
In respect of all reported Safeguarding concerns, St Peter’s Church, Balsall Common has complied with our duty to have “due regard” to the House of Bishops’ guidance in relation to safeguarding.
To assist with the creation of a safeguarding culture, Alison Bennett was appointed in January 2024 to be the designated Parish Safeguarding Officer and DBS administrator, to fill the vacancy which arose due to the death of Mark Johnson in December 2023. Moira Johnson continues in the role as the Safeguarding Lead for Domestic Violence. A review of current DBS holders and Safeguarding Training has been undertaken by Alison Bennett working with Christine Hornsby (Churchwarden) and discussed with Sarah Rose (Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Officer) and Peter Cozens (Safeguarding Training Support Officer) at the Diocese of Birmingham. The process is now underway to update these registers. Over the next few weeks, there will be a rolling programme to update the DBS certificates of relevant members of the congregation and to ensure that those persons have completed up to date training.
Alison Bennett
CHURCH GROUPS’ REPORTS FOR THE A.G.M OF
ST PETER’S CHURCH, BALSALL COMMON
Afternoon Tea and Cakes
AGM May 2024
This has always been a great opportunity for folk to drop in to the church and enjoy a cup of tea and slice of home baked cake in a relaxed setting and has provided a great way for our church to serve our local community. With the introduction of the Warm Welcome Hub we have combined the two events on the 2nd Thursday of each month.
My thanks to the wonderful team of volunteers who bake cakes, serve the teas and coffees and make our visitors welcome.
Moira Johnson
Balsall Common Bereavement Care Service
AGM May 2024
The Bereavement Group offers comfort, support with the aim of helping individuals in our church and wider community who have experienced bereavement.
Our Remembering Service at All Souls tide was held mid-afternoon; with, as has become customary, time for reflection and the lighting of candles for those we knew but are no longer with us. This continues to be a well-supported service and we don’t think this is solely because of the tea & cakes served after the service!
We hope to run our third Bereavement Journey course later in the year.
We are a very small group providing this support and would welcome new volunteers. If you would like to find out more, please speak to me.
Margaret L Eyre
Bereavement Care Project Co-ordinator
Report from Churches Together in Balsall and Berkswell (CTBB)
AGM May 2024
Churches Together (CTBB) includes representatives from the following local churches:
Blessed Robert Grissold Church; Methodist Church; St John Baptist Church, Berkswell; St Mary’s Church, Temple Balsall; St Peter’s Church; St Swithin’s Church, Barston.
Here are some of the events which we have supported during the past year:
- June 2023 a visit was organised to The Chapel of Unity in Coventry Cathedral where we learnt of the current aspiration to encourage and promote ecumenism among Christian churches throughout the world.
- A large grant for funding the Warm Hubs has been received from Heart of England Community Foundation. These Warm Hubs will be held at The Methodist Church and St Peter’s Church during Autumn and Winter of 2023/2024. They are proving very popular in both churches.
- Claire Laland stood down as Secretary after doing the job for fourteen years. For the present, she will continue to serve on the committee and organise Coffee Together.
- Emma Bratton from St Jon Baptist Church, Berkswell has taken the position of Secretary and will work with Eileen Lamb who remains the Minutes Secretary.
- Christian Aid – In May 2023, through both actual envelopes and e-envelopes, the Methodist Church and St Peter’s Church raised a joint total of £1563.25
- Quiet Mornings – Doug Timmis (Methodist Church) continues to organise these very successful mornings of meditation, held in the beautiful church and grounds of St Mary’s Church, Temple Balsall. They are mostly led by local clergy.
- Coffee Together – This is held at The Jubilee on the first Saturday of each month from 10:30 to 12 noon. Each of the churches takes turns to host the event. The Christmas Coffee Together was, this year, hosted by Blessed Robert Grissold Church at The Jubilee. They also led the carol singing. It was a joyful occasion. £232.32 was raised for the charity ‘Crisis at Christmas’.
- £200 was given from our CTBB funds to the charity ‘Embrace the Middle East’
- Open the Book – this is led by Eileen Lamb and involves members of local churches. Bible stories are told to the pupils and acted out, with their help.
- Lent Reflections – these were organised very successfully once again by Revd. Canon Mark Bratton who again provided excellent speakers, who gave much food for thought in their reflections. The theme this year was ‘Great Women Spiritual Thinkers’. Each church in turn hosted the refreshments of coffee, tea and Danish pastries.
- Walk of Witness – Revd. Canon Mark Bratton led the prayers, reading and meditation at St Peters Church then the walk commenced, stopping at various points for prayers readings and reflections.
- The walk ended at The Methodist Church with a Simple Lunch which had been prepared by Berkswell Church and was very welcome. Instead of carrying the very heavy wooden cross which had been used for many years, St Mary’s Church had made a lighter cross which meant that more people were able to carry it.
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – this was held in January at St Peter’s Church. The theme was ‘You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbour as yourself’ and the service was written by an ecumenical team in Burkino Faso in Africa.
- In March, the World Day of Prayer was held at St Mary’s Church, Temple Balsall. The theme was ‘I beg you, bear with one another in love’ and was prepared by women in Palestine.
- The Dawn Eucharist was held in the woods at Temple Balsall and was led by Revd. Jane Braund and Revd. Debbie Collins.
- We said ‘Farewell’ to Jane Braund who is leaving the Methodist Church in the village to take up a ministry in Kent.
- We welcomed Revd. Debbie Collins as the new vicar at St Mary’s Temple Balsall
Eileen Lamb (Minutes Secretary)
Eco Church Update
AGM May 2024
Caring for Creation
One of the five Marks of Mission is “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth” and the Church of England has made a commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2030 and has an Environment Programme to support this aim. Church of England Environment Programme | The Church of England “We believe that responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our responsibility to safeguard God's creation and achieve a just world. Climate change hits hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world. Meantime, the widespread destruction of the natural world is a crisis for creation.”
One of the ways in which we care for creation and help the environment at St Peter’s is through our commitment to Eco Church (Eco Church - An A Rocha UK Project) which has lots of ideas and suggestions for things we can do as a church and as individuals to help the environment. There are ideas for things we can do as individuals and families at Lifestyle - Eco Church (arocha.org.uk) and information specifically for children and young people at Kids - Eco Church (arocha.org.uk) and Youth - Eco Church (arocha.org.uk)
In 2023/24 we have: -
- Continued to share “Eco Tips” in our newsletter, helping us to learn from each other and from organisations suggesting actions we can all take to help the environment. Thank to everyone for their suggestions and contributions – they are very valuable.
- Had a St Peter’s stall at Balsall Common Festival on 17 June with activities for children and focussing on environmental issues. We chose two main areas of focus - plastic pollution in the ocean and bees and other pollinators - as these are both areas where we can each do something (cut down on use of and recycle plastic, plant bee friendly flowers or make a bug hotel) and where we are fortunate to have great expertise and resources we can draw on. We offered children: - the opportunity to fish in the ocean, using the wishing well from the Church Hall, and see whether they got a fish or some plastic.
- Delivered a weekly Warm Welcome Hub (including monthly tea and cakes). As well as a great place to meet people, the Hub offers an opportunity for people to come to a warm space and save their own heating bills, as well as get information on energy saving and support available to them in the area.
- Undertook regular prayer for our sisters and brothers in Malawi, where the impact of climate change and environmental issues is significant and serious, including Cyclone Freddy in February 2023. The focus of Christian Aid week was on supporting farmers with new ways of farming and crops such as pigeon peas which can resist drought and provide a nutritious flour instead of expensive imported wheat. Malawi is suffering from flooding and drought, and many people in Malawi and southern Africa as a whole face hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity.
- With generous donations and a grant from Veolia we have been able to plant a new mini-orchard by the Church Hall, with heritage fruit trees. We are hoping for plenty of fruit in years to come!
- Continuing to pray for our sisters and brothers in Malawi, and for all of God’s Creation
- Sharing good ideas, tips and suggestions for our newsletter – sending them to
Margaret Eyre (mgoodmaneyre@aol.com) or
Rachel Westwood (rachel230westwood@btinternet.com) - Nicodemus
- Samaritan woman
- A crowd needing food
- The blind man
- Lazarus
- Pilate
- Thomas
- 1.30pm – 2.45pm - Free Play – we have equipment/toys to support both inside & outdoor play.
- 2.45pm – 3pm - Singalong.
The chance to see a virtual bee hive and learn more about bees from our local beekeeper
Materials and guidance to make a bee hotel.
Craft activities- make a bee or flower, plus some word search and colouring in sheets.
We will be at the Festival again this year – on Saturday 22 June – please do come and visit us.
Looking Ahead
We recognise that as a church, community and individuals we can and are committed to do more to care for God’s creation. Some things we can think about doing are: -
Looking at how we can reduce how much plastic we use Tips to reduce your plastic waste | WWF
Calculating our carbon footprint - L4-Auditing-your-lifestyle.pdf (arocha.org.uk)
Trying organic gardening and looking at how every garden - however small - can help wildlife and encourage biodiversity - Why every garden matters | Garden Organic
Helping our vital pollinators by planting flowers that attract bees or making a bee hotel -Save bees and pollinators | The Wildlife Trusts - and looking out for Asian Hornets which are becoming more common in the UK and are a threat to native bees and other pollinators Asian Hornet Vespa Velutina | British Beekeepers Association (bbka.org.uk)
Rachel Westwood
Report from the ‘Exploring Faith Tuesday Evening Group’
AGM May 2024
This group has been meeting, under the leadership of Eileen Lamb, each Tuesday evening between 7.30pm and 9pm. Below you will find a summary of our explorations of faith during the past year. We are taking a break now until September when we will discuss the way forward for our group.
April – July 2023
We looked at The Good Book Guide ‘Introducing Jesus’. This showed us how the following people were introduced to Jesus and how we could apply the principles of their meetings with Jesus to our own lives.
This study took us into September and part of October
October – December 2023
We looked at the book ‘Walking Backwards to Christmas’ written by Rt Revd. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York and considered what we could learn about our own nature through the characters of Mary, Herod and Casper (Wise man)
We also held an Advent meditation followed by Christmas readings.
January – March 2024
We used the York Course ‘You Can Be Serious’ which looked in depth at St Johns telling of the time leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Eileen Lamb
Exploring Faith – Wednesday Group
AGM May 2024
This Exploring Faith Group was led by Leslie at his home. Our meetings took place on Wednesdays that were convenient to members of the group. We wanted to better understand the Bible so looked at Ephesians and The Beatitudes. After catching up on news over coffee and biscuits we started with a prayer to open our minds and hearts to God. We systematically worked our way through these parts of the Bible, reading verses and any supporting material. Our aim was to better understand the verses by discussing our individual understanding in a supportive environment where everyone’s interpretations were positively considered and advanced. We found it helpful to address the implications about our behaviour from these verses. Each session closed with a conclusion about what we had read and a prayer.
Leslie de Chernatony
Exploring Faith Friday Group
AGM May 2024
The Exploring Faith Friday Group meets on alternate Fridays between 7.30 and 9pm to discuss various aspects of our faith in a “safe space”. We all feel able to ask questions, express doubts and support each other in our faith journeys. The topics are always chosen by the group members and this year we have opted to look at various books of the Bible.
We started the year with Matthew’s Gospel and structured our sessions around Matthew’s five blocks of teaching – theSermon on the Mount; Mission – the sending out of the 72; Parables of the kingdom, the church and judgement and the “last days”.
We then moved on to Romans as most of us were struggling with the readings each Sunday from Romans. We had some good discussions which I hope helped us to understand this rather dense letter a little better and see how it applies to us today.
Since February we have been concentrating on Mark’s Gospel.
In all our sessions we look at the context of when a particular passage was written, what was happening at that time and then try and see what God is saying to us today. None of us are experts but we all learn from each other and it always amazes me just how much comes out of these discussions. It is also a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better and helps us to feel a greater sense of community.
Exploring Faith is not a closed group. We meet every 2 weeks, but nobody can manage every session. If you would like to join us please do have a chat with me.
Moira Johnson
01676 532389 or 07779 455524
Exploring Faith – Afternoon Group
AGM May 2024
Around Christmas 2023 a few of us from Leslie’s Group decided to meet while Leslie had his long holiday in Australia. We discussed this with Leslie who encouraged us to keep meeting.
After discussion we found that we would all prefer to meet in the afternoon bearing in mind the dark evenings and bad weather. So we met before Christmas and started to study some of the chapters from Stick with Love by Bishop Arun Arora. We looked at the lives of Revd Canon Jemima Prasadam, Dr John Sentamu, Asia Bibi, Revd Dr Florence Li Tim-Oi, Eglantyne Jebb, and St Lucy of Syracuse. The lives of them all bring to life the Way of Love to which Jesus calls us. Some were familiar names, some friends and some familiar only through newspapers or history books. Each chapter had questions for us to discuss. It was a good exercise which we all enjoyed.
We next decided to continue to meet in the afternoon bearing in mind that there are three evening meeting groups.
We have decided on a change of direction and are now studying different forms of prayer.
We usually meet fortnightly on a Monday afternoon but are flexible because of Bank Holidays etc. We very much enjoyed Stick With Love which explored different ways of evangelism and might return to it sometime in the future. You would be very welcome if you wish to join us. Please contact me by email, phone or speak to me at church.
Claire Laland - Clmap18@gmail.com
Report from ‘Open The Book’
AGM May 2024
‘Open the Book’ is a group formed from our local churches (Churches Together), under the auspices of The Bible Society. We visit Balsall Common Primary School (Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2) and Springfield House twice a term to tell a story from the Bible which we act out, ensuring that the pupils have parts to play so they are fully engaged in the story.
These are the stories which we have told this year:
Summer Term 2023:The Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Talents
Autumn Term 2023: The Creation Story
The Christmas Story & The Story of the Wise Men (told with the help
of an extra group of volunteers from St Peters Church).
Spring Term 2024: Noah’s Ark
The Unforgiving Servant
We are always looking for more volunteers. We have been asked to visit both Lady Katherine Leveson School, and George Fentham School, Hampton in Arden. Unfortunately, we don’t have a large enough team to be able to fulfil these requests which seems to be an outreach opportunity wasted. If you enjoy reading stories, acting or just occasional making of props or costumes, please contact Eileen Lamb on 01676 534948 for more information.
Eileen Lamb
Hall Booking Report
AGM May 2024
I’m delighted to report that bookings for the hall are going strong, all the regular weekly users except for one are still using the hall, children’s parties at the week-ends are going well, quarterly use by The Comedy Club, NHS Blood and Transplant, NAFAS and yearly use by The Horticultural Society. Even the school holidays are filling up – all this is helping to sustain hall finances.
It’s not just the hall that’s busy I now have a diary for the church and baptistery, this is filling up nearly as quickly as the hall diary, with the Warm Hub, PCC meetings, choir practice, band practice and of course the regular church services, so please if you wish to use either of these, contact me first to make sure the space is available.
Christine Hornsby
07974 140353
Harper Fields
AGM May 2024
We have continued to take regular services at Harper Fields Care Home on each of the 4 units. This has been a real privilege and we have been able to get to know many of the residents who so appreciate this weekly service. We have had great support from the manager and activities staff who have told me what a difference this has made to the spiritual life of their residents. We also visit residents who are unable to leave their rooms, should they request it, and we share communion with them from the Reserved Sacrament. Numbers attending our services have increased and we are now seeing between 25-30 each week. Some of the care staff also attend and have told me how much they value this opportunity, as often their work schedules don’t allow them to attend their own churches.
I have also been privileged to have been asked to take the funerals of a number of the residents who have died.
My thanks go to Sarah Roth who is now coming with me and leading the singing with her guitar.
Moira Johnson
St Peter’s Mothers’ Union, Balsall Common
Branch Report for Church
AGM May 2024
Although we no longer have branch meetings on a regular basis, we continue to be active in fund raising and charitable activities. The Mothers’ Union is based on prayer and members have been able to support each other in prayer as well as praying for the wider church.
This has been a sad year for us as we said goodbye to Lorna Collings. Lorna was a loyal member of St. Peter’s MU and was always supportive of the projects we engage in. Through the generosity of a donation from Lorna’s children, we are able to provide wool for some of our knitters.
The knitting project has much support from the members of the congregation as well as from people at the local Methodist Church and those outside the church. We continue to send knitted gifts to Malawi as well as supporting local hospitals with items for babies in the special care units and providing knitted teddies for prisoners’ children.
Members were also active in collecting items and packing for the container to Malawi; toiletries for the Women’s Refuge and Christmas Gifts for Prisoner’s children.
Claire regularly corresponds with Agnes, a Mothers’ Union member in Malawi and her letters are always inspiring and prayerful.
Chris Price continues to sell Mothers’ Union cards. The cards are popular with our congregation, and this is an important fund-raising activity. We thank you for your support.
Claire Laland organised a dinner at the Bengal Brassie which was well attended by members of the congregation and friends and raised funds to support MU projects. This was the only fund-raising event we were able to hold. However, we did support a district fundraising event, a summer cream tea, which was led by Knowle MU. Our branch provided items for the bring and buy and craft sale, and Audrey Davies devised a quiz about ‘Mothers’ which was well received.
Please speak to one of the Committee if you wish to find out more about Mothers’ Union. Membership is open to all, male, female, married, single etc. It has around 4 million members worldwide and is involved in a vast number of projects in just over 80 countries. The newly installed Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt. Revd Dr. Michael Volland, has recently added to our numbers by joining the MU in Birmingham.
St Peter’s Mothers Union Committee
Alison Bennett, Claire Laland and Chris Price
Music Report
AGM May 2024
My first comment has to be how much we are all missing Mark; not just for all that he did for St Peter’s and us all but for his humour, care and thoughtfulness – for SO many years – I, for one, still can’t believe it.
The last year has gone well, musically – we’ve enjoyed morning services with different clergy and evening services have continued, thanks to Moira, Chris and Alison. The choir are hoping (i) for a better turnout of congregation for Evensong (6pm on most 1st Sundays of the month) and (ii) for more singers – anyone and everyone are welcome.
In July, we thoroughly enjoyed our ‘Puddings and Polyphony’ for which my thanks go to everyone who helped out in various ways, like preparing puddings, ‘bar staff’, singing, seating-sorting … the proceeds have already bought a second-hand keyboard, mainly for use at Switch services.
Our Nine Lessons and Carols service, as always, was very successful as was our Music for Holy Week service – huge THANKS to the choir!
We continue to support Hampton church choir (as their choir is also struggling with numbers) with Evensong services and weddings and funerals - and they support us, usually at Evensong. Thanks to Guy Hawes and John Shuttleworth for their support at Evensong – much appreciated all these years!
Thanks to our church wardens, Chris and Sarah – they’ve had a difficult year for a variety of reasons – and have worked above and beyond to keep things going. Well done to you both.
Extra special thanks go to Angela and Mike Beddoes, Anton Rawson and Steve Blaber for their continued support for all of St Peter’s choral events, including attendance to choir practices each Thursday (7.30pm start to anyone else who’d like a good sing!!) … they all travel a fair distance to help us out – thank you all.
My usual thanks to Eileen Lamb and Graham Robinson who cover me when I’m elsewhere and this year, big THANKS go to Alla and Rachel who, as part of the team ‘responsible’ for the production of powerpoints, week in, week out, are doing a magnificent job. Thank you both!!!
Advance notice = we are hoping to present a concert sometime between July and September (in fact THREE in total) … look out for notices/posters – more details to follow soon!
Lastly, I can’t end this report without praising you, the congregation … both for your support for our services and events but also for your kind words on various occasions throughout the year. Thank you.
KA Rawson
Premises Report
AGM May 2024
Church
Following a lengthy dialogue with Diocese representatives, we were successful in placing the contract for a new Car Park boundary fence with a local supplier.
This project also required a degree of Tree surgery.
The saga of the Fleche (mistakenly called the Bell Tower!) continues.
More detailed investigation -including the use of a Drone- was carried out. In view of the currently available similarity in costs between Repair and Removal, the Diocese is being consulted and the availability of possible Funding assistance continues.
Hall
As our ‘Flat-roofed’ Hall was constructed in the 1960’s, we were somewhat nervous that we might be the victims of RAAC Concrete construction.
Inspection by a Structural Engineer satisfied us that we are not!
Recent torrential rain, however, necessitated the repair of a section of ceiling in the Lobby area.
New convector heaters have been installed in the Downton Room, Coffee area and Toilets.
With the realistic prospect of significant funding from HS2 Community Relations sources, we are currently investigating how such funds might best be used.
General
Our 4-year Utilities contract with SSE expired in March 2024 and we have re-contracted with them for a further 2-year period.
Bryan Marlow
Readers Report
AGM 2024
All 3 of us feel very privileged to be able to serve you as Readers licensed to this Parish, especially during this period of Interregnum. At times it has been challenging and at other times uplifting as together, as a church, we have supported each other. It was with deep sadness that we heard of the death of Mark Johnson in December. Alison and Chris, along with you all, have endeavoured to support Moira, being guided by her wishes.
During the last 12 months we have strived to bring the Good News across the range of services offered and to serve all ages of our congregation
We have supported our range of informal services, Informal Church at 11 a.m., Switch and Café Church. It is a joy to work with the talented and enthusiastic teams who plan and lead these services and to help members of St Peter’s to grow their gifts and share God’s love. We continue to lead Evensong and lead the Ministry of the Word at 9.30 a.m. Sung Eucharist at the invitation of visiting clergy. We have also assisted visiting clergy with Baptism services and visited the families prior to the baptism day to discuss the ceremony, and to talk about the meaning of the baptismal promises. It was also a delight to be involved in a variety of celebration services including our Advent Carol Service and Carols & Nine Lessons.
As part of serving our community Moira leads services for residents of Harper Fields Care Home, with Alison or Chris covering for her during holidays etc. Services are led by St Peter’s three Fridays out of four each month with the Methodist Church leading the other Friday. The Activity Coordinator at Harper Fields is extremely supportive of this ministry and the residents greatly value this opportunity to worship and receive Communion if they wish.
Funeral ministry continues to be a major part of Moira and Alison’s ministry and both feel it is an honour to journey alongside the bereaved at this time.
During this time of Interregnum we have tried to ensure that contact has been maintained with those who cannot attend church by visiting the housebound and sick and taking Home Communion from the Reserved Sacrament to those who wish to receive it.
As part of our continual development we have attend courses arranged by the Diocese and Bishop Study days. Chris has also been attending a Way of Servant Leadership Course to further discern God’s calling in her ministry.
Alison was appointed as a tutor on the Diocesan Reader Training Course in September 2023. The training sessions are held both online and in-person which involves a lot of preparation but which Alison has found most rewarding.
During the Interregnum we have met with the Church Wardens to plan and ensure continuity of the ministry and pastoral work at St Peter’s.
Thank you to the entire congregation for their support and encouragement. Please continue to pray for St Peter’s as we journey together into the coming year.
God Bless
Moira Johnson, Alison Bennett and Chris Price
Intercessors
AGM May 2024
At the moment we have 9 intercessors which means that each person is on the rota between 5 or 6 times a year.Leading the congregation in prayer is a great privilege and we are all grateful to serve the church and God in this way. I would like to thank all the intercessors for the time and thought they put into compiling the prayers. If you feel you are being called to this Ministry do please let me know and we will have a chat and discuss the way forward. No one is asked to lead prayers until they feel ready to do so.
We were all shocked and saddened at the death of Mark, one of our intercessors. He is much missed. We send our sympathy to Moira and family.
God Bless
Claire
Canon Claire Laland
Teeny Tinies and Toddlers
AGM May 2024
Current volunteer team:
Margaret Eyre, Sue Clinton, Angie Gordon, Linda Marlow, Kaye Thomas, Chris Price; plus Stella Lamb who regularly leads the singalong.We are also welcoming 2 new recruits to our volunteers rota: Ann Sleath & Alison Bennet.A few mums & grandmothers also help out on occasions.
We really miss Jenni who was our chief washer-upper and really do thank her for all the hard work and support she gave over many years.
Calendar 2024:
Group opens every Friday 1.30pm – 3pm in St. Peter’s church hall, except during the school holidays; INSET days & occasional closures when the hall is needed for funerals or we don’t have sufficient volunteers.
Session Structure:
Admission Charge:
£3 per family – includes tea/coffee/squash & homemade cake.
We have successfully simplified the number of toys/activities (especially by not having craft or ‘messy’ activities).Though we have re-introduced activities such as play-dough & stickers for the toddlers.We continue to have a weekly cleaning cycle for the toys (the new dishwasher is well used for cleaning the small toys) and mats.
Our numbers of attendees are variable, and we currently have a goodly number of grandparents with their grandchildren as well as mums & babies and toddlers.
As it stands the current format is working well and we have received positive feedback from the parents/carers that they like the more ‘chilled’ atmosphere we offer and of course the refreshments and home-made cakes are well received.
Margaret L Eyre
Ukrainian Conversations
AGM 2024
There were a number of Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and were living in and around Balsall Common and since November 2022 we have hosted a Conversation Class at St Peter’s on alternate Saturday mornings from 10:00am to 12 noon. This grew out of requests from some of the Ukrainians who found that the formal language classes provided at the College focused on grammar and gave them little opportunity to actually practice speaking and using English. They felt they needed to have more opportunities just to talk in a safe, non-threatening space.
Our sessions start with coffee and biscuits and an opportunity for our guests to chat both with each other and the volunteers. From 10:30 the session becomes more formal with a topic for conversation. These have included Christmas celebrations, talking about themselves, and more recently helping our guests to write a CV and apply for a job.
We have been overwhelmed by the support of members of our congregation who have come along and helped, talking on a one to one basis with our guests and this has been very much appreciated by the Ukrainian community.However just before Easter we saw a significant drop in the numbers attending as many of the refugees had moved into independent accommodation out of Balsall Common and were finding it more difficult to travel to the sessions on public transport. It was therefore decided to meet at St Augustine’s Church in Solihull.
I think all of us who volunteered gained as much from these sessions as did the Ukrainians – we all made new friends and were able to understand much more about the situation in Ukraine.
What a practical way for our church to reach out and our thanks to all who supported this venture. We are also very grateful to the funding which we received from the Family Care Trust to cover costs.
Moira Johnson
Warm Welcome Hub
AGM May 2024
Last year, with the rising costs of energy and the forecast of a severe winter many churches and community centres throughout the country opened their doors to provide a “warm hub” for those who might be struggling to heat their homes.
In October 2022 Churches Together agreed to work together to provide a warm place of welcome to those in our community who might value this and we at St Peter’s volunteered to open our church each Thursday afternoon.
This venture has proved very successful with a regular core of between 14-20 people coming mainly to chat, knit or crochet. The people who come have told us that the man reason they come is because of loneliness – most of them live alone and many have been widowed quite recently. While the initial plan was only to open during the winter months the people who attended our sessions asked if we would continue over the summer and we were very happy to do so.
I feel this is a tremendous outreach for our church into the local community. Most of the folk coming on a Thursday afternoon are not church goers but they value what we do and have told us that the fact that the sessions are held in church makes them feel it is a safe space.
We have been supported by Solihull Council and have had a grant from the Heart of England Community Foundation which has covered the costs of refreshments and heating.
My thanks to all the volunteers and also to Rachel Westwood for writing the applications for funding.
Moira Johnson