CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Trustees, Annual Report for the period From Perfod stsrt date 0110112020 To Perfod end date 3111212020 Charity namo: Albion United Rofomied chU￿h Charity Charity registration number: 1128066 Objectlves and Activities Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its goveming document Pw4 1.17 Albion United Refomed Church (Ihe Church,) is a local association for the publlc worship of God. Christian viitness, and ser4i¢e in accordance wth the prin(aples and usages of the United Refonned Chur (Ihe URC,). Admission to the full responSi￿.1rt1es and wivileges of membership confers membarship simuttaneously in the Church and in the URC. The Church supports the wider councils of th8 URC through giving and participation and may share in activity with other faith communities on an ecumenical basis. Summary of the main activitie8 in relation to th08e purposes for the public benefit, in partiwlar, the activitie8, projects or services identrf￿l in tho accounts. Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Chaiity Commission on public benefit Para 1.17 1.19 Religious Worship, Weddings & Funerals - Provide building and facilrties for communrty groups - Fund raising & Communty events - MusiGal events Parn 1.16 The charity trustees have had due regard when exercising their pcwers or duties to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefft. Addltlonal Inft)rniatlon foptlonal) You ma choose to include further statements where relevarrt about.. SORP rBfernnc* Pwa 1.38 Poli on rant makin Policy on social investment including program related investment Contribution made by volunteers Other Pwa 1.38 Additional document- Albion URC Book of Rew)rts 2020121 p￿1.38 Pagelof6 Albion URC-1128￿& TAR 2020 Achievements and Perfomiance Provided church buildings and Ministry for PU￿1C Religious Worship, Weddings, Funerals and Baptisms throughout the year. Indudes spwal communty services- these were online in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions Summary of the main aGhievements of the charity, identrfying the arfferen￿ the charity's work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiari8s and any wider benefits to society as a whole. P•a120 Made grants to other charitable organisations Provided buildings and facilities for uge by the community arKI OffJanisations {GirfguidirvJ- Dan(* Classes - choir) Offered the building to organisats'on8 arrange musical events thus enhancing the reputation of Albion Church as a centre of musical excellence for the general public at an affordable price.- DurSng 2020 Jonathan Scott perfonned online organ recitals on the Albion Lewis Organ- these were released to a worlo%yide audience on YouTube Addlllonal infomiatlon loptlonal) You ma choose to indude further statements where relevant al)out: Achievéments against objectives set Pw• 1.41 Fund raising activitses were limited to member donations as fac&tOThface activitie8 were suspended. There were some donations received from v￿er5 of the YouTube Organ Recitals. P8rfomance of fundraising activities against 04'ectives set p￿1.41 Investment perfonnan against obJ'ectiVOS P•rn 1.41 Other Page2of6 Albion URC-1128066- TAR 2020 Financial Review Review of the charity's financial position at the end of the nod Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves statin are held Amount of reserves held The annual accounts to 3111212020 fomi part of this reporL Para 1.22 The annual accounts show which funds are for general use and which are restricted Para 122 The main reserves are CCLA income unrts wthi¢h generate an incoma for the charity. Values shown in annual accounts NIA Reasons for holding zero reserves Details of furKJ materially in deficit Explanation of any Un￿rtaIntieS about the charrty continuing as a gotng concem Para 1.22 Para 1.24 NIA Para 1Z3 NIA Additional inforniation (optlonal) You ma choose to indude further statements where relevant about. The charities main source of income is voluntsry donations from the members and donations made by visitors at Sunday services. Craft Faifs, coffee momings and general fundraising The charity's principal sources of funds (indLKling any fundraising) Para 1.47 Investrnents are in line with guidan￿ from the URC Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted Pwa 1.40 A description of the prinapal risks facing the charity Pwe 1.46 Other Page3of6 Albion URC-1128(￿fv TAR 2020 Structure. Governance and Management Description of chaiity's trusts: TY￿ of goveming doujment Para 1.25 Constttuhon How is the charity constitLrted? le.g unincorpoi dtec association. CIO I Para 1.25 Trust Trustee selecb'on meth(Kls induding details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or t)ody errtided lo appoint one or more trustees Pwa 1.25 Trustees are serving Elders of the ChurGh. They are elected by Members of the Church Fellowship to sep4e for a period of 3 years Additional infi>rmation {optional} You ma choose to include further statemerts ￿tsre relevant about: Policies and procedures Albion Church is govemed by the United adopted for the induction Refonned Churth. Induction & training of and training of trustees trustees is set out in the URC Handbook sertion A & L The URC'S stnictures and procedures are detailed in the Manual published by the URC or by aC￿Ing the URC website www urc.or uk Sections A to D apply throughout the United Reformed Church and contain the foundation documents of the Churth. They have tEen agreed by the URC General Assembly, or in the case of section D, by Art of Parliament and they can only be changed by the vthich agreed them. The Basis of Unlon is in section A of The Manual under the headiros.. The church and the United Refomied Church The United RefO￿ned Church and the purpose of the church The faith of the United Refom)ed Church Ministry in the United Refonned Church The Structure of the United Reformed Church is in section B in The Manual P¥a 1.51 The charity's organisational structure and any wider ne￿Ork with which the charity works Pata 1.51 Relationship with any related parties Para 1.51 Othèr Page4of6 Albion URC-1128066- TAR 2020 Reference and Administrative details Charity name Allx'on United Reformed Church Charty Other name the charity uses Aibron Church Registered charity numL*r 1128￿6 Charity's principal address Albion Church Stamford Street Eas( Ashton-under-Lyne Lancashire OL6 6QQ Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Nam• of pgrson lor bodyl èntitled to appoint Ifan Offie* frfaryl whok year Gillian Lesley LEVIIS David Richard HEY Church Treasurer Church Secretary Roman BOJCZUK Ann HEWSON To 3010512021 Margaret FROST Patricia Wendy JONES Robert James DRURY John Arthur Scott From 1110112020 From 3010512021 Albion AGM 2020 Albion AGM 2021 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pa8e5of6 Albion URC-112806& TAR 2020 Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others Description of the assets NIA held in this ¢apacty Name and objeds of the charty on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the Custodian charity's olieds NIA Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such &8sets from the dwrity's own assets NIA Addltlonal Infomiatlon (option•l) Names and addresses ol advlsws IOptl•)nal Infomiath)n) Typo ol Nam• Addres• advl•or Wornhlp Unrted Ref0￿ed Church Church Hou80, 86 Tavistock Place, London H 9RT Archltects Uoyd Evans Prilchard 5. The Parsonage. Manchester, M3 2HS Namo of Ch[￿ u•cutfv• or nam09 of genlor staff mambors {Opllonal Informatlon) Other o tional information Declarations The trustoes doclare that they have approved the trustaos. report above. Slgned on behalf of the charlty's trustees Signature(s) Full namo($} Posltlon (eg Secretary. Chair, etc) David Richard Hoy Gillian Lesley Lewis Treasurer Date 2911012021 Pa8e6of6 Albion URC-1128066- TAR 2020 44n 4na 3 fo oolsoo 8 g88888 ,Il$YI IEI sf I t; E: 8t z¥ I Illlii 3LI98 8888888888 8 8 88 054coowOOQOOO Z>-EoJU ,Iiiil! ¢JOOO•(*O aoo 000 888888-8-8882 1111 1151111 111 IilFIli Iii'il¥l£ll! -8 SS888o8 Ililll 0888%8 11£ j elg 0 $40 11 ao44 r*c)• 880 •4•TY • Z •ts ,? 11115 1. ## ALBION U.R.C. # BOOK OF REPORTS 2020/21 ## **www.albionurc.org.uk** **Albion Church, Stamford Street East, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6QQ** ## **Albion URC Book of Reports 2020/21** The Elders have put together this book of reports ahead of our AGM on 30[th] May 2021. It is an overview of an incredibly challenging time. Since the last Full Church Meeting on 11[th] January 2020 lots has happened…..the administration of our churches divided but our fellowship has grown stronger. ## **Church Secretary’s Report** I would like to begin my annual report for 2020 by looking back on a difficult year and thanking everyone who has worked so hard during the global pandemic. None of us expected or has experienced before the events which started in March last year and are still affecting us today. Yet even though the building had been closed for long periods of the year due to restrictions, Albion Church has still been very much alive. We have been able to worship online using zoom and kept in touch via newsletters, emails and phone calls. We have placed signs and notices outside the building, which has been maintained, along with the grounds by our hard-working members and friends. We have been open for funerals and in general managed to maintain a Christian presence in the town centre. I won’t mention any names as there are too many to name individually, but your efforts are greatly appreciated. Since our last meeting in 2019, we are grateful to Gillian Lewis who has stepped into the role of Treasurer and we thank John Baron for all his hard work during his time in the role. Sadly, we lost our friend Anne Scott who passed away in March this year. We are grateful for her contributions to Albion over the years and John and their family remain in our thoughts and prayers. We currently have a membership of 32 at Albion. We have myself as Secretary, Gillian as Treasurer and five serving Elders Roman Bojczuk, Bob Drury, Margaret Frost and Pat Jones, who are due to serve for this coming year with another Elder voted in and confirmed at the church AGM. Thanks go to Ann Hewson will take a well-earned sabbatical after her contributions as a serving Elder. As we enter an uncertain future, I believe we can continue to build on the good links with the other churches in the Oldham and Tameside Missional Partnership, working alongside our fellow churches supporting each other in Christian fellowship and mission. As we have seen during this difficult time, we have discovered talents amongst our membership and congregation, and I would encourage anyone who is willing and able to contribute more to the work of Albion in spiritual, pastoral and practical terms to do so. On a personal note, I’d like to thank everyone for their love and support during my illness, which gave me great comfort and illustrated what a strong church family we are at Albion. We move forward into 2021 with hope and excitement that we can once again open our doors and welcome people to worship in our wonderful church as we play an active part in our community. **Jeremiah 29:11** For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. David Hey, Albion Secretary. April 2021 ## **Treasurer’s Report** My thanks go to John Baron for the many years he looked after Albion Church finances, what an excellent job he did- What a year for me to take over the management of the church finances… First, I want to thank everyone for your commitment to continuing to support Albion Church in your financial Giving. Our income is significantly lower than previous years: having no opportunity to hold community fund raising events, a reduced number of services and reduced income from our groups using the building. As a Church we continued to support our usual charities plus “We Shall Overcome”. Based in Ashton, We Shall Overcome supply food parcels and support packs to those in hardship, particularly the homeless / rough sleepers, helping them to find work and a place to call home. The pandemic has increased the need for their service. I know many have donated generously to the food collections at Charlestown used for similar work in our area. We took a lease on a new copier which has produced the printed materials sent out, maintaining our communication and spreading the Gospel to our friends. We upgraded the church website and increased our presence on social media. We withdrew £16,000 from of the Manse Grant Scheme to offset our major expenditures of church insurance of £11,471 and the security system £3,499. We are able to claim for loss of income from the insurance. Gift Aid and reclaiming VAT on works done from the Listed Places of Worship Scheme helped the bank balance too! We spent on repairs and improvements to the church organ an essential expense to maintain this fabulous instrument. We received a donation of £500 from an American donor who had listened to Jonathan Scott’s performance We look forward to opening the doors to our church building, welcoming everyone to worship. We enjoy the fairs and coffee mornings sharing fellowship with friends in the area. We will take part in the Heritage Open Day on Saturday 11[th] September and ask your support for this event. The theme is Edible England. We missed Gift Day in 2020 so I ask for your generosity once again ……. 2 Corinthians Chapter 8 is thoughtful reading about Christian Giving, not just the Gift of money but of ourselves; verse 12 says: If you are eager to give, God will accept your gift on the basis of what you have to give, not on what you haven’t. Gillian Lewis, Albion Church Treasurer May 2021 ## **A Year in Lockdown** I have been asked to write something to be used in this Book of Reports.I assume that reports of the events of the past year will have been covered by other reports. So my thoughts will be regarding what we have learned in the past year that can take us forward with new life and hope, the hope we have as Easter people. We know that many of our members have been personally affected by events of last year. There has been grief, illness, loneliness, anxiety, employment concerns and other effects on members’ lives. We must continue to be aware of each other’s needs and offer support wherever we can, remembering the command of Jesus- ‘ _A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, also you should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one for another_ This is how we are recognised whether the doors of the church building are open or not _._ And I believe that Jesus intended that our love should be shared beyond our church fellowship to reach out to others in need as Jesus did throughout his ministry. One thing the pandemic has taught us is that we have a global inter-dependency. A virus which attacks people at the other side of the world reaches us at a tremendous speed. We are not safe until the whole of humanity is safe! We can never live in peace, until the whole world is living with justice and peace. This seems to be a far cry. But it is a vision of the kingdom of God and we are called to work with God for this kingdom in whatever way we can. The URC Commitment for Life offers one way of joining in this mission. C for L works with Christian Aid in specific programmes working in the area of peace and justice. Originally when C for L was introduced, we were asked to consider giving 1% of our annual take home pay (or pension) to support its work. Whilst the church building has been closed contributions to this cause have been neglected. I suggest we give particular attention to this cause in the future. Another global issue which has been emphasised is the issue of climate change. Churches are asked to consider how they can become Eco Churches. We are reminded in Psalm 8- _‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honour; you have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet’._ This reminds us of the dignity and value of **all** human beings which we should always respect. But sadly the idea of human beings having ‘dominion’ has led to the neglect, selfish use and squandering of the resources of creation, resulting in so many of the problems we now face. When God entrusted creation to human beings, he was giving us the responsibility to care for it. These are issues we have been considering in the Lent Bible Studies. This is a quote from Pope Francis quoted in the study booklet- _‘Our sister Mother Earth cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which our God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as the lords and masters entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life._ These are probably enough issues to mention for the time being. As we plan to to re-open the church building, let us do so with fresh energy and vision to continue in the work of Christ’s mission which is for the world not a select few. The Church must beware of narrowing its vision. ‘ _God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that_ _**the world** might be saved through him’ John 3:17._ Rev. Barbara Plenderleith April 2021 **Albion Independent Church** Staying Alive ….During 2020 . After our three sister churches in our fellowship "Three Churches in One Place" separated. In 2020 Albion Church started to paddle it's own canoe. We were just gathering full steam ahead when we were torpedoed by National Covid Lock down. We had our last free flowing, free singing, church service on Sunday 15th March 2020 .- I put this report together on Tuesday 9th March, 2021, National Covid Lock down was announced on Friday 20th March 2020 the day our world as we knew it changed. No more church services everyone to stay at home. For how long? 12 months on and still asking. Hebrews 10:25. NKJV. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another And so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Was that Day now approaching ? Much fear and panic (remember toilet rolls) gripped the country. It almost felt like Every man for himself. Was ? Isaiah 26 verse. 20 and 21 unfolding. NKJV. Verse. 20. Come my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself, as it were for a little moment. Until the indignation is past. I cannot bring myself to quote verse. 21 there is still time yet. If curious check the verse for yourself it could still come to pass. I pray not. Isaiah tells us to initially hide until the indignation is passed yet Hebrews tells us we should meet together. After the initial danger fear and panic passed it was time to poke our noses out and test the water. We did do this. On 19th June 2020 the Albion church elders met and did a full risk assessment for opening Albion Church for worship. Following all government guidelines. We used the Ace up our sleeves which was the vast size of Albion Church building. This would allow our small church numbers to socially distance as much as one wanted. Albion Church opened for private prayer and meditation on Thursday 25th June and Sunday 28th June respectively plus I think the next four Thursdays. Restrictions eased so the elders decided to open for church services on Sunday 5th July. 2020. We could now do as per Hebrews10:25. And meet as a church. We put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and let him lead us. Even so government guidelines continued to be followed. Proverbs 3 verse. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Verse 6 In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. And the Lord certainly directed our paths. We took on board the URC Daily Devotional Services for each Sunday for which recordings were available;- we used the printed version as a guide for our service But. We were Albion. We were open. We were together. And we were alive and staying alive. Singing was not allowed. So we did not sing. But Jesus heard us singing in our hearts. Next came the requirement to wear masks. So we wore masks. To be Albion To be open ## To be together To be alive and staying alive with our Lord Jesus Christ it was wonderful after all those days of isolated lock down. Church life moved forwards and we found a need for after church Service fellowship albeit restrictive. We did as a fellowship whatever we had to do to make it happen within restrictive guidelines. The single members of our congregation were more in need of this fellowship to help with continued mental health wellbeing. I confess that I needed it as a single living alone. A week between services alone is a long time. ## Moving on. As we edged closer to a possible light at the end of the tunnel on Sunday 30th August 2020 we did our last URC daily Sunday service ## Because On Sunday 6th September,2020 our lovely friend Rev. Eddie Inglis came to Albion to preach. All guidelines still in place - No singing only in our hearts and wearing masks we were again in control of our own worship. Everything the government advised us to do, we did it. - It was great. Rev Eddie preached - Roman preached - Rev. Paul Stringer with Colin the Crow preached as did our Denise and Lesley. We were euphoric until beset by another lock down. Closed again. But we prayed and prayed and prayed. Something changed I cannot remember what but sufficient for the elders to meet again. Everything was Re assessed and glory be on Sunday 6th December 2020 we opened again with John Scott leading worship and communion. And And in the meanwhile we got our Christmas tree as per usual. We had Christmas in Albion but no tree festival - But Christmas YES Our very special Rev. Barbara P. Preached the next Sunday followed again by our friend Denise P. And our crowning glory against all the odds stacked against us. Wait for it. On Sunday 20th December at 14:00 in the afternoon Rev. Barbara P. Led us in an outdoor Christmas Carol Service. We had a gazebo courtesy of Derek and other arrangements making it a success. Our friends from Charlestown and Hurst Nook and children joined us. All regulations complied with. Boy did we sing. Sing loud enough for the heavens to hear us because we were outside.How good did that feel to sing beautiful carols with an open heart to the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a good day to be a Christian. We were alive and staying alive. Christmas day the Methodist used Albion Church building because of its size for a joint service. Christmas day in Albion Church and the music was something to behold. No singing but the recorded music what a joy. What a seasonal way to round off the year. We had made church happen. Then something changed. Not the Government but something changed. Another advisory document from the URC came out and it stopped. Albion Church closed and remains closed. Roman B March 2021 ## **Oldham & Tameside Missional Partnership** As requested, something of an introduction, what has been going on and looking to the future. I am Graham, your first point of contact for Pastoral concerns. I am not specifically ‘your’ minister but one of the team of the Oldham and Tameside Partnership. Perhaps the simplest way of providing the details is:-Albion, Hurst Nook, Hope and Trinity - I am for the moment, the named point of contact. For Charlestown, Union Street and Shaw/Heyside, Ruth Wollaston serves the same purpose. That addresses the two stipendiary ministers but not all the fellowships. Sheila Coop continues with Macedonia and is interim moderator the Beulah fellowship. And David Ireland continues at Union Street. One other church to mention is the LEP (Baptist/URC) in Hyde but it has not had any involvement with the Missional Partnership. We work as a team across the Partnership and two other excellent and active ministers deserve more than a mention. Barbara Plenderleith and John Piper – both retired but willing and able to help – up to a point though I’m sure I should find a different way of expressing that. Since our inception which was deemed to have happened back in March 2020, the steering group have been hard at it seeking new and diverse ways in which to support and enable the Partnership to find its feet. There have been (and still are) Zoom coffee mornings, bible studies or conversations including a Lent course, Holy Week reflections, and mid-week Zoom services, . A ‘joined’ up pastoral letter for church newsletters is prepared and there are spasmodic newsletters as well. Several planned activities have not yet happened, such as the inaugural commissioning service but we are getting on with things. Work has been done to prepare a conversation that we hope will engage the congregations as we seek to establish what each fellowship thinks it wants to do and become. From that and other approaches, we will learn where the stipendiary ministers (and others) may best support new, different, perhaps even established mission and events. The conversations and the getting to know one another, as individuals and as fellowships, may reveal interests and passions that will only be possible by working together. The ministers and mission mentor hope to be offer insights, pointers, maybe training, certainly encouragement, across the Partnership as we build back better, explore renew beginnings and seek what it means to establish the new normal. All fellowships have an equal voice in the steering group, ably and well chaired by Sheila Coop. Do pray for your representative, the group, the fellowships and Synod as we seek to serve in this slowly developing Missional Partnership. Rev. Graham Tarn May 2021 ## **Baptisms & Weddings** Baptisms - Six baptisms were booked for 2020, but all had to be postponed or cancelled. None are yet rebooked, although I have had several enquiries to do so, but as we are still uncertain when we can resume normal services, I have not yet made any bookings. We will need to wait until we have accredited preachers in place, before we can make any definite arrangements with Baptism families. Weddings - There were thirteen weddings booked for 2020, of which only two actually took place. One in February, before the pandemic began & the other in July with a maximum of ten guests including the bride & groom. This couple are to have a blessing in Church at a later date. A further nine have been rebooked & will take place between June and December 2021. Four weddings have been booked or rescheduled for 2022 & several new enquiries have been made. Deposits & full payments have been carried forward to the rearranged dates. Margaret F April 2021 ## **Church** Our building continues to stand tall and magnificent, a landmark in Ashton. Colin has kept the interior clean and looking splendid. We have been unable to hold our usual community events; the craft fairs, the plant sale, the Christmas events – all cancelled. Services in Church looked rather different with social distancing, masks, hand sanitiser, one way systems and additional signage becoming the norm. At Harvest we supported the URC Commitment for Life and We Shall Overcome – supplying food to the homeless. We had a virtual Christmas Tree Festival on our newly updated website. The Advent Service was the first joint zoom service between our three fellowships. The Christingle Service, also on Zoom included a recording of children singing in Albion. From January 2021 there have been regular Sunday Services on Zoom led and shared by the congregations from three “Ashton Churches”. For those unable to zoom there have been printed service sheets from the Sunday Services produced by URC devotions. On Monday afternoon there has been a coffee and chat opportunity again on Zoom We look forward to reopening the church building from 17[th] May with our first service on Sunday 23[rd] May 2021 – still with masks and Covid restrictions in place. We await 22[nd] June when restrictions are lifted further and we can have coffee after the service and hopefully SING!! – A list of events for 2021 is in this book of reports. ## **The Organ and concerts** In March 2020 renovation work was carried out to improve the performance of the two draw-stop machines for the Swell and Solo divisions of the Lewis Organ at a cost of £5095. Wood of Huddersfield are the pipe organ builders that look after the organ Restrictions on the number of services we have been able to hold and on what we can do when we have services, have been a frustration this year. However some of the highlights of the year have been provided by Jonathan Scott’s on-line concerts presented via YouTube with filming by his brother, Tom. Since first lockdown, Jonathan has presented us with over twenty on-line concerts via the medium of YouTube, five of which have been from Albion. This has given the Albion organ a strong presence on the world stage and through Tom’s video expertise has shown architectural features of the building at their best. It has been fascinating to see the complimentary comments coming in from all corners of the globe as often over 700 people watch the YouTube premiere of these concerts, some of them subsequently going on to receive over 60,000 views worldwide! As we continue with relaxation of recent restrictions, The Manchester Organists’ Association are holding their AGM at Albion on 22[nd] May – the weekend Albion reopens for services. Following that meeting, at 4.00pm there will be an organ recital by members of the Association for the attending members together with anyone who wishes to attend – we look forward to a good Albion presence at this event. ## Derek S, Organist April 2021 ## **Gardening** As you will probably remember, we were let down last year by the council’s decision not to continue to maintain Church grounds. This was a general decision affecting many local Churches, and not specific to Albion, but our understanding is that the council are only legally obliged to maintain grounds which have graves within them. So that appears to leave Albion to its’ own devices However, we managed to acquire sufficient equipment, and assemble a willing team of volunteers to carry out the necessary lawn mowing and general gardening tasks. Many thanks to those who have helped out in providing us with the ‘tools of trade’. We have had a short break over the winter from our Friday morning routine but looking forward to resuming shortly. We are hoping that we will have another good contingent of volunteers willing to provide their services. Derek and the gardening team April 2021 ## **The Circle** During 2019 and early 2020 we had lots of interesting speakers, we had visits to Gorton Monastery and a meal at The Broadoak. Our group have been unable to meet since the first lockdown, but we have kept in contact with each other by text, email, phone and zoom chats, most importantly upholding each other in prayer. Hopefully, we will soon be able to be together again to enjoy Christian fellowship and friendship, and not forgetting tea and cake! (Plan to reopen on the 8[th] July) We will dearly miss our friend Anne at our meetings. Anne was one of the founder members of The Circle, always welcoming to everyone, she especially enjoyed the afternoon teas. Barbara D. April 2021 ## **Music Group** During 2019 and early 2020 the music group met weekly – an informal meeting where we enjoy playing worship songs. Obviously, due to Covid we have been unable to meet, however we are all ready to commence, hopefully in the near future. Our lack of enthusiasm has not diminished, and we have some ideas to expand our repertoire. We hope to take part in some of the services once we reopen. I can report that we have a very keen new recruit who is awaiting the all clear to join us. Bob D April 2021 ## **Guiding** Wednesday night is a busy night for Albion, during 2019 and early 2020 the church was buzzing with enthusiasm from the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. The Brownies were fortunate to visit The Den at Seven Springs, Disley in February 2020, and the Guides had a weekend in London in March 2020. Like others, face-to-face meetings were suspended from March 2020. That didn’t stop the enthusiasm…. We kept in touch with the girls originally by e-mail, text and Facebook; then we discovered Zoom!!! Some (not all) enjoyed the adapted activities and have been on Zoom each week. It is surprising what can be achieved on Zoom. The girls have worked really hard and we were proud to award Leah with the Rainbow Gold Award, and Maisie & Evie the Brownie Gold Award. Kaycee has almost completed the Guide Gold Award. We hope to be back in church with face-to-face meeting after the May half term holidays. Some units in Ashton unfortunately closed during the pandemic: some of the girls from those units have joined Albion - we have only met the new girls on Zoom! We are excited to meet them face-to-face. The Girlguiding Albion Leaders April 2021 ALBION UNITED REFORMED CHURCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Sunday 30[th] May 2021 ## Apologies Approval of Minutes of AGM 2019 (no meeting in 2020 due to covid) Reports from Groups Treasurer’s Report Confirmation of Elders for 2021 |**Appointments**|**2021**| |---|---| |Secretary|| |Treasurer|| |Pulpit Supply Secretary|| |Synod Representative Albion|| |Missional Partnership Rep|| |Safeguarding|| |Lettings / Building Hire|| |Building Committee|| |Offertory Stewards|| |Free Will Offering Stewards|| |Gift Aid Secretary|| |Carpenter’s Arms
Representative|| |Baptism Organiser|| |Baptism Cards and Candles|| |Wedding Coordinator|| |Bible Society|| |Christian Aid Representative|| |Junior Church Coordinators|| |Collator and Distributor of
Albion Messenger|| |Church Flowers|| |Church Flower Money|| |Christmas Card Distribution|| |Liaison for Pastoral Visits|| |Refreshments Committee|| |Commitment for Life link|| |Fair Committee|| |Events Group|| |Media / Publicity/Website|| |Meet and Greeter of new
people|| |Disability Advisor|| |Grants Group|| ## **Agenda Items** **DIARY DATES FOR EVENTS / SPECIAL SERVICES 2021** ## MAY Saturday 22nd May Plant Sale (please note, no craft fair) Organists Association followed by a recital at 4pm ## JUNE Sunday 13[th] June Gift Day JULY ## SEPTEMBER Saturday 11[th] – Heritage Open Day Sunday 12[th] – Royal British Legion ## OCTOBER Sunday 3[rd] – Albion Half Yearly Meeting Sunday 17[th] – Harvest ## NOVEMBER Sunday 21st November 2pm – Tameside Hospital Baby Memorial Service Saturday 27[th] November Christmas and Craft Fair ## DECEMBER Sunday 5[th] December. - A Festival of Christmas Music – Willow Wood Friday 10[th] to Sunday 12[th] December – Christmas Tree Festival Friday 17[th] December Unitarians Annual Memorial Service Sunday 19[th] December – Albion Christmas Carol Service 6.30pm Thursday 24[th] December 3pm Christingle Service Thursday 24[th] December 11.30pm Carols by Candlelight ## **A.O.B**