## **Christ Church - The Quinton** ## Annual Meeting of Parishioners and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting to be held in Church Sunday 23[rd] April 10.30am 2023 ## **AGENDA** ## **1. Annual Meeting of Parishioners (Vestry Meeting)** **1. Annual Meeting of Parishioners (Vestry Meeting) Purpose** a Apologies for absence receive b Appointment of Chair and Secretary vote c Minutes of 2022 AMP agree d Election of Church Wardens vote _Close of meeting_ ## **2. Annual Parochial Church Meeting** a Chair and Secretary note b Apologies for absence note ## **Looking Back over 2022** ## **3 Meeting & Membership** a Minutes of the APCM 3 April 2022 agree b Receiving of the Electoral Roll report receive ## **4 Governance & Leadership** a PCC Report 2022 receive b Deanery Synod Report 2022 receive c Safeguarding report agree ## **5 Resources** a Fabric report (building, furniture & movable items) note b Old Burial Ground note c Financial report receive d Appointment of independent examiner for 2022 vote ## **6 Mission & Ministry** receive all _Reports as included in the meeting pack_ _Questions on Looking Back section_ ## **Looking Forward 2023-24** **7 Elections** vote a Elections to PCC vote b Elections to Deanery Synod vote b Vision and Priorities for the next year receive _Questions on Looking Forward section_ ## **8 Any other business** 1 **Documents** ## **1. AMP 2022 Minutes** ## **Parish of Christ Church the Quinton Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners (Vestry Meeting) held on Zoom and in Church Sunday 3[rd] April 2022 at 10.30am** ## **Presen** t: Chair Rev Rachel Heathfield & 71 parishioners (50 present in the building and 21online). **1. Apologies** Apologies were received from: - C Iles, B Iles, C Maddock ## **2. Appointment of Chair & Secretary for the meeting** It was suggested that Rachel Heathfield would chair the Vestry Meeting and Jo Jennings was proposed by Rachel Heathfield to take minutes, and these proposals were accepted unanimously ## **3. Minutes of the vestry meeting May 2021.** Accepted unanimously. ## **4. Election of Church Wardens** Two nominations had been received: - Neil Allen was proposed by Annie Bonnick and seconded by Boliver Forrest Lisa Moody was proposed by Boliver Forrest and seconded by Manny Grewal There were no other nominations. The Chair proposed these candidates were accepted en bloc and agreed unanimously. The two candidates were thanked and declared duly elected. The meeting was then declared closed 2 ## **Parish of Christ Church, The Quinton Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on Sunday 3[rd] April 2022 at 10.30am in church and online** ## **1. Worship, prayers and bible reading** The opening prayer was led by Rachel and a hymn was sung. A thanksgiving liturgy was used, and the bible reading was taken from Colossians 2: 6-15. Rachel reflected on why we meet together every week, what are the motivations to come. We are here because of what Jesus has done for us. We have nowhere else to go when the big questions of life hit us. The cross is the place where the answers to life’s questions are found, we need to be reminded of this. This reading speaks into what and where we are heading as a Church. We are to meet and learn together so that we grow strong in our faith and to constantly be rooted in Jesus and keeping our focus on Him. Life will throw us challenges and difficulties but focussing on Jesus gives us the strength to carry on. We are in a spiritual battle, one in which the enemy would love to divert our attention from Jesus, but through Jesus ‘death and resurrection our relationship with God is secure and we can resist anything the enemy throws at us. This message of the love and security of God needs to be shared and not kept to ourselves. We remember who Jesus is and we’re thankful because we are complete in Him. Through baptism we are united, once dead in our sins, now risen and united with Christ in his death and resurrection. Because of God we are raised to life with Jesus. ## **2a. Appointment of Chair and Secretary** Rachel Heathfield was appointed as chair of the APCM and Jo Jennings as secretary. This was accepted unanimously. ## **2b. Apologies for absence:** All apologies were noted in the minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting. ## **Looking Back over 2021** Last year we were still in the midst of Covid, not an awful lot has changed although we do now have increased freedom. Rachel reminded us that at the end of 2021, levels of resilience had plummeted. 2021 for church leaders particularly was a much harder year than 2020. Despite these difficulties we as a church have survived. ## **3 Meeting and Membership** ## **3a. Minutes of the APCM 27[th] May 2021** The following errors were noted: - Incorrect attendance numbers in building and online, 27 and 27 does not add up to 51. Corrected figures 27 in building, 24 online. Page 5 of the 2021 minutes, the £10,000 loan was from restricted funds not unrestricted funds. With these amendments it was agreed that they were correct. Proposed by Rachel Heathfield that the minutes should be accepted as a correct record of the meeting. This was accepted unanimously ## **3b. Electoral Roll Report:** There are currently 136 names on the electoral roll (there were 129 on the roll previously). The full report was made available in the document previously sent out. Acceptance of the report was proposed by Rachel Heathfield and accepted unanimously. 3 ## **4. Governance and Leadership** ## **4a. PCC Report 2021:** The PCC report was made available in the pack sent out previously. PCC met throughout the year. ## **4b. Deanery Synod Report 2021:** The Deanery Synod report was made available in the pack previously sent out. Rachel Heathfield proposed that these reports were accepted. This was unanimously accepted. ## **4c. Safeguarding Report** - Joyce Gilkes is willing to continue as our Parish Safeguarding co-ordinator - Phil Arnold continues in his role of checking DBS’s and official identity checker under role of communications officer - We were informed of one incident but this did not need a referral Rachel Heathfield proposed that the report was accepted. This was unanimously accepted. ## **5. Resources** ## **5a. Fabric Report** : The fabric report was made available in the pack sent out. Peter Sherwen along with the church wardens are the people responsible for keeping oversight of the fabric of the Church building and maintenance. This year is our Quinquennial inspection where an architect will come and look closely at our building and advise on works required. Thanks were recorded to Peter Sherwen for all his hard work. ## **5b. Old Burial Ground Report** The Old Burial Ground report was made available in the pack sent out. Sue Sherwen continues to work in the upkeep of the old burial ground. Outdoor church has made significant use of the old burial ground. It is hoped that more people will join outdoor church in the spring and summer months. Thanks were recorded to Sue Sherwen for her continued work with the old burial ground. ## **5c. Financial Report including Coffee Shop:** Doreen talked us through the headline figures. We have a number of restricted funds which are our blessings, these are healthy funds. These restricted funds are designated funds that are allocated for a specific purpose. General funds or unrestricted funds include regular giving and donations, grants received, gift money received, legacies and church activities. These general funds cover a wide variety of expenditure including maintenance of the building, the common fund etc. Doreen summarised our financial position. This does not look very good. Available use of £6,096 is insufficient and therefore we must try to increase income and reduce expenditure. The PCC will monitor our progress throughout the year. Contrary to popular belief we do not receive extra income from anywhere, therefore we must think carefully about how we increase income and reduce expenditure. A question was asked about the payments to the common fund in 2021. The payment for 2020 was considerably less, why was the 2021 payment considerably more. 4 Doreen responded that we agreed to pay our allocated funds to the common fund however this was the year that the Pre School closed and we were responsible for considerable costs. The diocese therefore reduced our contribution as we could not cover both. Rachel explained that the common fund was used for her stipend and additional benefits from the diocese that we can tap into to help us when necessary. **Coffee shop** – it looks like we received much more money into the coffee shop despite the shop closing due to covid. A number of grants were received in 2021 to cover the cost of closing the coffee shop through Covid lockdowns. This year is significantly less as we have not been given any additional grants. A question was asked about gift aid, were people being asked about gift aiding their giving? Doreen responded that we are claiming gift aid from people eligible as this boosted our income. We will be receiving a very substantial legacy shortly; this has been put on one side to help the long term vision of the church. It is not being used to cover the day to day costs of running the church. Despite this substantial legacy we cannot become complacent about our day to day finances. Acceptance of the Finance report was proposed by Rachel Heathfield and accepted unanimously ## **5d. Appointment of independent examiner for next year** The legacy that we have been given takes us over a threshold and we cannot use Chris Foy as our independent examiner for the next year. A new independent examiner has been put in place for the coming year. This will be Ian Woodward of Ian Woodward Accounting. The financial report and accounts were accepted unanimously A hymn was sung, and Rachel led us in a thanksgiving prayer. ## **6. Mission and Ministry** ## **6a. Ladies Guild** Ladies guild have begun to meet again post Covid. This is a good group which serves a lot of the women in the church. It now meets in church with a varied programme and is thriving. Thanks recorded to Stella for keeping the group going even in the difficulties of a pandemic. ## **6b. Pastoral Care** The pastoral care team have done a fantastic job in caring for those in our parish. Rachel expressed her thanks to the team for their support in providing pastoral care. There are a number of opportunities to serve within this team. If anyone feels led to join the team, please get in touch with Rachel. ## **6c. Youth, Children and families** As a church we have done the best we can over a very difficult year. Opportunities to meet outdoors during the pandemic were taken and contact maintained with families and children as best as we could. Youth work has been a bit sketchy since the relaxation of rules. We are researching and thinking about what we can provide for young people. Café Church has been paused for now until we can identify what the young people in our parish would like from the church. 40CC and Outdoor Church are initiatives that are doing well. Our uniformed organisations have all relocated to other venues since the closure of the parish hall. A new initiative started in the form of a new parent and toddler group. Toddle Inn serves families in the community as a place to meet other parents and enjoy time together. There are a good number of families who attend. Rock solid, our group for children in Years 6-9 now meets as an after school club in church. 5 ## **6d. Coffee Shop Report** The Coffee Shop closed in March 2020 and remains closed apart from foodbank. The coffee shop has become difficult for ministry and outreach and therefore has remained closed. Rachel has had a number of conversations with other organisations to see how we can work ecumenically together to do more and better work in the community. ## **6e** . **Mission links:** We continue to support our mission partners; Bev Richardson in Paraguay, Arocha, Esperanza Children’s home and toy library, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Malawi. Quinton Youth for Christ are going through a time of transition and so we have stopped our giving until they have a clear vision of where the organisation is going. We have also supported Standing Tall and Lets Feed Brum. Thanks were recorded to the Mission Links Committee. We have been asked to pray for Bev Richardson who was married the day before the meeting. Acceptance of the report was proposed by Rachel Heathfield and accepted unanimously. The thanksgiving liturgy was said again by all. ## **6f. Interim Minister's Report:** As a church we have done really well through these difficult times; we have more than survived, thriving in many areas. We had to take small steps as we unlocked and connected with people, taking into account anxiety and worries about returning. As interim minister, Rachel was tasked with three tasks: Christ Church Pre School - Within 4 days of Rachel’s licensing the pre-school closed due to a number of circumstances. It was felt that this was God’s plan as it would not have survived the pandemic. The Coffee Shop – the pandemic caused the Coffee Shop to close but there was a desire to see it thrive once again. Last year an enormous amount of work was done in this area to get it back to helping and supporting the people of Brandhall. This work continues with conversations with other organisations to form an ecumenical partnership to serve the community. Finance and building – We were unaware that the parish hall would close and a pandemic was on its way. The hall continues to deteriorate with no clear decision on its future. This year we will focus on how we use our buildings to build God’s kingdom here in Quinton. The big thing we have been doing is the TCAP document; what we do as a church, what we dream to do and how we get there. Our sermon series on vision helped us to come up with an action plan and this has helped form our thinking for the TCAP document. This has been the focus of Rachel’s work this year. ## **Questions on looking back section:** No questions were asked. ## **Looking Forward 2022-2023** ## **7. Elections:** ## **7a. Elections to PCC (4x3yr terms):** The following nominations had been received: - Mike Shenton **Nominated:** Sarah Coton **Seconded:** Sharron Brice 6 Joyce Gilkes **Nominated:** Lisa Moody **Seconded:** Phil Arnold Bev Heritage **Nominated:** Sue Hamilton **Seconded:** Claire Cronin Thanks were recorded for those stepping down: Pearl Coton, Sarah Coton, Elaine Lewis, Joyce Gilkes A fourth vacancy will be filled during the year. As there were no further nominations, no vote was necessary and those standing for PCC were declared duly elected ## **7b. Vision and Priorities for the next year** Our priorities for last year was a growth of church in numbers, in discipleship and in faith. In setting the vision and priorities for this year we have produced a TCAP document which has identified four areas; growth in discipleship, being a light for our community, intergenerational church, church for everyone. Growth in discipleship – we are going to be finding more time to do life together. Church services continue to help us grow and learn together but we also want to find ways of doing other aspects of life together. Small groups, home groups, project groups and short courses will be put in place to facilitate doing life together. There should be something for everyone. Being a light to our community – this is a theme that continually came up in our vision process. How can we as a church show God’s love and commitment to us as a community? We already do this through many activities such as 4 o clock church, the light trail, memorial tree, foodbank collection, occasional offices. The Church is a light to the community, we need to ensure that we continue to be that light and a beacon to our parish. The Coffee Shop will be under this banner as we take a partnership approach ensuring that it becomes functional to the outreach to our community by becoming a hub for people to come in and for us to go out. We intend to develop an outdoor space for people to come and rest, to find a welcome space to find peace and learn about God’s love for the community. Intergenerational church – we need to have a shift in our thinking about how we become an intergenerational church. Instead of providing for sections of people we will work together to include all people as an intergeneration community church, creating an atmosphere and culture where all belong together. We need to create a culture where everyone is welcome, especially those who are not like us. Everyone has a place no matter who or where they are. We need to find ways to do this, there is a lot of education to do around that. These four areas are our priorities for this year. **Questions on looking forward section:** No questions were asked The thanksgiving liturgy was said by all. ## **Thank yous** : Rachel thanked the following people for supporting her and the church during the year: Lisa Moody Neil Allen John Trevor Boliver Forrest Doreen Morris Pete and Sue Sherwen Jo Jennings Phil Arnold Emma Legg 7 Finn Heathfield Jackie Floyd Stewards, prayer ministry, coffee makers Heather Williams, Chris Iles, Mark Heritage Matthew Strong Lisa thanked Rachel on the church’s behalf, for all her hard work for the church and the community. She works tremendously hard and we are grateful for her leadership. The thanksgiving liturgy was used again ## **8. Any Other Business:** Thanks were expressed from Alison Keepax about the warm welcome that she and other new members of the congregation had received. First PCC meeting Tuesday 21[st] June 7.30pm, this meeting will elect a treasurer and a secretary. The meeting closed with a song, a prayer and a blessing. ## **3b Electoral Roll Report** The final number on the ER for 2023 is 136 people. This is the same as 2022. We have lost 9 people from our 2022 list but we have gained 9 new members. The full list of names is on display at the back of church. _Phil Arnold : Electoral Roll Officer_ ## **4a PCC Report for 2022** The PCC has met in June, September, November, January and March. The PCC formed sub groups for deeper discussion with smaller numbers with a group for finance, buildings, ministry and mission. We have also focussed on writing our TCAP (Transforming Church Action Plan) and forming our church vision. The PCC has scrutinised the finances of the church and ensured the maintenance of the building. Discussions have been held around the governance of Foodbank, Oversight ministry in the deanery, the new Brandhall project and mission giving. _Carole Maddock PCC Secretary_ ## **4b Deanery Synod Report** The Synod has met throughout the year in July, November and February. The main focus for the Deanery at this time continues to be the diocesan restructuring agenda of Oversight Areas. This means how local churches relate to one another, potentially share resources and work together more meaningfully as partners in an area. Other areas of discussion have been about DAC, Climate and environmental issues, how the new Bishop will be chosen and responses to Living in Love and Faith and “From Lament to Action” _Lisa Moody Deanery Synod Member_ ## **4c Safeguarding Report** Joyce Gilkes was once again appointed as Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator for 2022-23. Phil Arnold was given the responsibility of overseeing DBS / Identity checking. During the year we have not had to refer any situations or concerns to the Diocesan SG team. 8 ## **5a Annual Fabric Report for 2022(APCM April 2023)** ## **Church** ## **Gutters and Drains** The low level gutters around church and the valleys on the porch area have all been cleaned. All outside drains have been cleaned out. The sewer has had to be pumped out or rodded twice. There are tree roots in the sewer and when inappropriate materials are flushed they can get caught and block the sewer. ## **Repairs and decorating.** Generally speaking, the Church is in reasonable repair but it does need internal redecoration especially at the west end and in the gallery. The west end wall in the balcony is quite damp and there has been some water ingress in times of heavy rain. ## **Electrical.** The electric installation was inspected. One plug socket was found faulty and has been taped up prior to replacing. Most of the distribution boxes do not now meet the most recent standard and should be replaced within the Quinquennium. The lightning conductors were inspected and improved to the latest standard. These should be inspected every 2 ½ years ## **Quinquennial Inspection.** Our Church Architect has carried out the Quinquennial inspection. The main finds are that the west end spirelet is in need of repair. The metal work in the bell tower needs painting. There is other pointing and repair work needed especially around the lowest level. Plaster work and redecoration is needed. ## **General.** The usual PAT testing, fire safety survey and fire extinguisher inspections have been carried out. The boiler is serviced annually too. We had several named storms in February 2022. Fortunately, little damage was done but some **plaster/mortar has come loose** and fallen from around two of the stained glass windows and a slate has come loose on the south eastern roof. ## **Churchyard, drive and car parks.** The churchyard is a closed churchyard and so is the responsibility of Birmingham City Council who cut the grass on a regular basis. They are also responsible for trees and the wall. They have made repairs to the wall in the past and some further repairs were completed in 2021. However, there are places where it is now in need of further repairs. Some areas have been repaired by volunteers. **A crab apple tree was planted to commemorate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.** ## **Gravestones and monuments.** **Stress tests** on the gravestones and monuments were carried out on 1[st] March 2022. A cross on top of a monument near the church entrance was loose and fell when only a moderate pressure was applied. Those in the Old Burial Ground are also checked. Two more have been found to be loose. With all the rain that we had in February 2022, the ground had become very soft, then with all the wind, they had been loosened. There are now **14 grave stones** and monuments that are in an **unsafe condition** . They are taped off with tape around posts and there is a warning notice on the gate. ## **Work Parties.** Helping Hands has started to meet again to look after the church and grounds on the first Saturday in the month. 10 am to 1 pm. Work in the OBG has continued. Thanks go to all who have helped in anyway during these difficult times. 9 ## **2023 update.** The following work, highlighted in the QI report is planned for 2023. **Work on the west end** . Pointing of the spirelet and any other areas on the west end that require it. Pointing of the coping stones on the north and south sides above the west end wall. Defrassing as necessary. Repair and repaint metal work supporting the bell. Check the condition of the access hatch to the roof on the south facing roof near the spirelet. **Other outside work on the Church** . Defrass walls to the north, south and east elevations as necessary. Low level pointing needed in places especially around the buttresses and removal of inappropriate cement pointing. Some pointing needed in places around the north extension. (office) Stonework and pointing needed around some windows. **Internal work.** After 1) has been completed there will be a need to repair the plaster work that has been damaged by the damp and where it has fallen from the ceiling. Some plaster has fallen away from two of the windows in the main body of the Church and there is loose plaster near one of the beams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **Stress tests** on the gravestones and monuments were carried out on 4th March 2023. No further problems were found. **Helping Hands.** Work to clear sticks and litter from the churchyard, cutting back the bushes, ivy and brambles around the wall and notice board on Hagley Road and tidying the carparks plus work in the O.B.G. is just some of the work carried out on the 1[st] Saturdays in February and March 2023. Peter Sherwen 12/03/2023. ## **5b Old Burial Ground Report** The regular work of maintenance of the O.B.G. has continued throughout 2022 and into 2023. This is principally done during the monthly “Helping Hands” sessions by church members both young and “not so young”. Additional weekday mornings are also arranged. “Outdoor Church” has continued to meet on the west side mown by the council, while still exploring the rest of the site for some activities. The O.B.G. was open on several Sundays in March and April 2022 for people to view the wild daffodils. Year 4 pupils from Q.C.P.S. used the area for science work. More snowdrops and celandine were planted and Honesty and Red Campion started to flower on the bank by the school wall. Everything seemed to be going well. However, on April 28 th the grass on the west side by the memorial wall had been mown as usual by council employees **. Unfortunately, the eastern consecrated side which is the conservation area had also been cut, apart from the area marked off for spring bulbs.** This was despite an arrangement with the council not to do so from June 2015 and clearly displayed information notices stating that this area was mown once a year in late summer by the Wildlife Trust. Francesca Haines (Bereavement Officer) was informed and responded quickly. A brief apology was received from Mike Keavy the Grounds Maintenance Manager. 10 May 7 th “The Big Rake-Off” was held, when fourteen people (+ 1 dog) did a wonderful job raking off all of the mown grass. June 14 th the **Annual Species Survey** by Alison Wilkes from the Wildlife Trust found that: The growth of the grasses had not been adversely affected by the early mowing. However, **the variety of flowering plants was considerably reduced. There was no sign of our two “Common Spotted Orchids”.** Perennials should grow back, but annuals such as Yellow Rattle would not have flowered and produced seed for the following year. Work was continued by a small number of church members over July, August and September. I am very grateful to Carole Maddock for organising an amazing team of colleagues who came and did a huge variety of jobs just in one afternoon on September 21 st . **The grass in the meadow area became extremely long** , **but unfortunately for various reasons, we were unable to get it cut professionally this year** . Small areas were cut and raked by hand, including the spring bulb area. More Yellow Rattle seed was planted to inhibit the growth of grasses and make space for the annual flowers that will hopefully return. A significant number of the graves were tidied over the following months. **It is not possible to cut the whole meadow area as required, by our small number of volunteers. Getting a contractor in to mow the meadow area professionally is likely to cost £500 or £600.** During the autumn and winter stress tests have been made on memorials and marked with hazard tape if found to be unsafe. On November 11 th teachers and pupils from Q.C.P.S. came down to the Commonwealth War Graves in the O.B.G. as part of their Armistice Day activities. This highlights how important it is to keep the O.B.G. accessible as a significant place for community history as well as nature conservation. ## **2023** Work continued in and around graves during January and February. By late February on the bank at the bottom, the snowdrops were flowering, followed by primroses. The Reception class from Q.C.P.S. enjoyed a “Signs of Spring” walk around the churchyard and O.B.G. At the beginning of March, the wild daffodils were in bud and the O.B.G. has been opened for visits on Sundays after the 10.30 service. As always, I would like to thank all of the volunteers who have worked in the O.B.G. over the past year and make the Nature Conservation Area such a special place. If anyone would like to join in, please contact me. I also appreciate the interest and encouragement expressed by church members and visitors – it’s what keeps us going! Susan J. Sherwen 11.03.2023 ## **5c Financial Report including the Coffee Shop** _See separate document_ 11 ## **6 Ministries Reports** ## **6a Ladies Guild** Previously known as Ladies Evening Guild we voted in 2021 to change to meeting in the afternoon, usually on the first Thursday of each month 2.30pm – 4.30pm at the back of Church. All ladies of any age are welcome, and you do not need to attend church to join. We try to have a varied programme, outside speakers, activities organised by the committee, meals out and Lent and Advent services. At some meetings we have a sales table, card sales and a raffle to help us make donations to different groups and charities. In 2022 we held our two services, heard about a City in Music (Birmingham), An Amble through Worcestershire, Brush Strokes work with refugees and a visit from a poet who read us some of her poems. We had a Flower arranging demonstration, a beetle drive, visited Lightwoods House and heard about its history, had Afternoon Tea in a box and meals at The Stag and Halesowen Golf Club to celebrate our 66th anniversary. We joined with the church to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee and raised £247 for church funds with the Tombola. We also gave a donation of £300 to church expenses and donations to Lightwoods House and Brush Strokes. Do come along and join us. We pay an annual subscription of £7 in September and monthly subs of £1 except when a meal out or special occasion. _Stella Woolvin, March 2022_ ## **6b Pastoral Care** Our team has continued to offer support and listening and practical love to those in need. Despite constraints within the team, care has been provided. We are very grateful to the whole team who visit, shop, pray with, take home communion to and phone up for a chat. ## **6c Youth, Children and Families** Since last year the work with young people has continued to develop from where we were at initially after the covid restrictions. The work is still hampered by the limited space we have available both on a Sunday morning and during the week. However, we have done well to put on and offer what we have. During the year we developed a plan to offer young people something for every Sunday during the month which is as follows: 1[st] Sunday: Four o Clock Church 2[nd] Sunday: JAM (Jesus and Me) 3[rd] Sunday: Outdoor Church - 4[th] Sunday: JAM (Jesus and Me) - 5[th] Sunday: 10:30am is Worship for Everyone ## ( _Phil Arnold, April 2023_ ) ##  **Four o Clock Church** This is a service for young families, that runs on the 1st Sunday of every month, at 4.00 clock for about 1 hour. It is a lively, vibrant, and creative time to come together, for the purpose of introducing young families to JESUS. The format usually consists of: 12 - A time of creative crafts for all ages. - Refreshments and snacks for the children and tea and coffee for adults. - A time for sharing stories from the Bible. ## Highlights of 2022 We created an Easter Tomb, constructed from wooden pallets. With lighting at night-time. There were figures of angels and Mary. There were also pictures on logs telling the story leading up to Easter. A stone was constructed that was rolled away on Easter Morning. Three crosses were made to remind us of Good Friday in addition to this there were lots of Easter activities also that took place inside the church and on the church grounds. There has been a Light Party, where we had sparklers outside on the Church ground, fun food and games. We created a great Nativity Scene (with lights) outside the church. This session was well attended. The main event was creating this Nativity scene, at the front of the church. The stable and figures were created by a member of the local community, which we decorated with lights. Other crafts and activity also took place inside the church. We have a core group of people who attend on a regularly basis and are not from Christ Church Quinton. ( _Leaders: Rachel Heathfield, Mark & Bev Heritage)._ ##  **Toddle Inn** Has continued to meet every Monday morning during term time and is still a place for young families to come and have a safe place to play and for the parents to meet other parents and share experiences. There is a good team of people who help make this happen, but it is hard work. Towards the end of the year nearly all the Toddle Inn toys were destroyed in the hall fire but thanks to the generosity of the community they have been able to replace many of the toys and continue to provide this much need ministry to young families. ( _Leaders: Ellie Gull, Claire Cronin)._ - **Outdoor Church** has continued to grow in 2022. Every month we have had a different theme ranging from talking about bread and Jesus being the bread of life, one month we used things we found in nature to purify water and turn muddy water into clear water and in February we talked about lent and had pancakes together outside. Outdoor church brings another way we can learn about and worship God through nature. God created this earth, so it is only right that we use it to know him more and Outdoor Church does that. Every month we have between 10 and 25 people come out with us (Depending on the weather) and every time people have responded with how much they have enjoyed being outside experiencing Gods creation together. _(Leaders: Phil Arnold, Mark & Bev Heritage, Jo Mcquade, Sue Sherwen, Theresa Lewis)._ - JAM (Jesus and Me) Jesus and Me meets on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays of the month during the 10:30am service. Each time they meet in the creche/entrance of the church building, and they have some teaching through crafts and activities which are always linked to the readings and talk that are being shared in the main 10:30 service. They are then given the opportunity to share what they have done at the end of the service. It was first started in September and has continued since. The activities have ranged from painting a large tree for Harvest to smaller crafts. It is well attended by the children and young people and has brought young people into church on a Sunday morning who since covid had chosen to stay at home. ( _Leaders: Sharron Brice, Claire Cronin, Sue Arthur, Theresa Lewis)._ 13 ##  **Rock Solid** We restarted Rock Solid in November 2021 so was still very fresh in last years report but this year it has grown exponentially and adapted to the needs of the young people throughout the year. We started the year with 5-6 young people aged from Year 6 to year 9, each week we provided snacks, played some games which were themed and followed by a time of questions and chatting about that theme. However, towards the end of the year in October time we had Jack from Quinton Youth for Christ join the team of volunteers and one week some young people from Perryfields school saw the lights on and asked if they could use the toilet. They then asked what was going on and if they could stay inside for a bit as it was cold and raining, to which we said yes, they then saw that food and snacks were available and from then on, they popped in every week before having to leave early to catch their bus. Towards the end of the year a few would then choose to get a later bus and stayed till the end of the session. At the last few sessions in December, we had between 10 and 15 young people coming in to church every Tuesday. The session has adapted to this influx and is now more of a drop in with led games and a space for young people to talk. _(Leaders: Phil Arnold, Jack Jones, Annie Bonnick & Diane Gallivan)_ ## **6d Brandhall Community HUB (Formerly “The Coffee Shop”)** At this meeting in 2022 the tiny idea about working in partnership with other churches to make mission in the Brandhall area more effective and efficient was just beginning. God has worked through a small but dedicated team to make this happen and the HUB is now fruitfully working to further the kingdom through practical outreach in Brandhall. Extensive building modifications and renovations have been completed – a much needed downstairs toilet, new space for fridges and freezers for the Pantry project, installation of washing machine and dryer for the Uniform bank, reconfiguration of stud-walls in the stairway and a new kitchen. We are grateful for a voluntary team “The MADD Men” from Christ Church Ware visited twice to work very hard for free as well as Waites offering their service free as a community project. The Uniform Bank, Baby Bank and Pantry project are now installed and in action. The HUB was officially opened on the 1[st] April 2023 by the Mayor of Sandwell and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands. Please pray that God will guide the management group on how to secure funding for this project and enable efficient governance for the long-term good of the ministry carried out there. _Rachel Heathfield April 2023_ ## **6e Mission Links Report for 2022** Our Mission Links. These are the individuals and organisations that the PCC has supported financially each year in the past and we are asked to support as a Church. Our Mission Links Committee feels that this is a good spread of individuals and organisations at home and overseas. The Church Mission Society is the main Anglican mission society. We have had links with CMS mission partners for many years. Bev Richardson is our current link. She was working with the Anglican Church as a CMS Mission Partner in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. During 2022 she met Johnny Cannon de Pinos and married in September. He is from Cuenca in Ecuador. Bev continues as a CMS Mission Partner in her new role working with the church in Cuenca. We support A Rocha Kenya and Colin and Roni Jackson who are in charge there. One of the “Marks of Mission” is care for the environment and A Rocha is a Christian organisation that works to protect the environment and educate on environmental issues in Britain and in several other countries. 14 Birmingham Diocese has for many years had a special relationship with the Anglican Church in Malawi. All the churches in the Diocese are asked to support the Malawi link. The Esperanza Foster Home in Paraguay was set up by two of our former link missionaries and although small, has national importance as an example of good practice, indeed the President of Paraguay has visited. It is part of the Anglican Church in Paraguay. As well as Esperanza, we also support (through fund raising around Christmas) FEISA which is the Anglican Teacher Training College who run the Toy Library. Christian Solidarity Worldwide advocates for Christians and others suffering persecution in various parts of the world. If one part of the body suffers then the whole of the body suffers. We feel that we should do our part in supporting the persecuted church. In 2021 we became a “Partner Church” with CSW. We also support “Standing Tall” “which aims to help homeless people into accommodation and “Let’s feed Brum” which helps to feed homeless people. Mission Links Committee have made presentations in Church about our mission links including A Rocha Kenya, CMS and our Paraguayan projects. In November we had a presentation from Keith Davies representing C. S. W. There was an Easter edition of the Mission Links newsletter. Funds were raised for mission through the sale of jams etc. at the Jubilee and at Christmas. Unfortunately, PCC were unable to be as generous in our Mission giving in 2022 as usual due to a shortfall in the general account. (We aim to give away 10% of general income) We were very sad to lose Mike Shenton who did so much to keep the needs of the persecuted church in our minds and in our prayers. Mike was our link person with CSW. We do need another person on our committee to be our link with CSW. Could you do this? The committee usually meets three times a year. Our aim is to keep the needs of mission worldwide before the congregation. Please keep praying for our Mission Links and the Church worldwide. _Peter Sherwen. 29/03/2023._ ## **6f Alpha** “I discovered a relationship with God through Jesus”, “I feel more loved”, “It strengthened my faith”, “I made new friends”, “I found a new purpose for life”, “I was filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time in my life”, “I feel more at peace”. These are just a few comments/reflections from the 14 people who began the eleven-week Alpha Course last September and all completed the whole course ending in November. I think it is fair to say that as leaders of the course, Lynn, Mark, Bev and Bob felt blessed not only to be facilitating the course, but by the trust, love, joy and fellowship that we all experienced. To share people’s journey of faith is a true privilege. Each session began with fellowship, sharing a meal kindly cooked by members of our own congregation, something that everyone appreciated. It is amazing what God can do when we work together as part of the family of God! _Lynn Todd March 2023_ ## **6g Foodbank Report** The Quinton and Oldbury Foodbank has been part of Christ Church ministry for over 10 years now. This year has been a busy year, we saw Carol Dealey our long-standing volunteer retire back in May. She was put forward for the community inspiration awards and she won her category Good Neighbour Award. A few of us were able to go and celebrate with her. We also had a celebration with volunteers to celebrate coming up to our tenth year. We had around 40 volunteers for an afternoon tea. The local Councillor came along with area manager from Trussell. 15 The demand for the provision of emergency and crisis food increased hugely through lockdown and the need to streamline our organisation for efficiency reasons was considered in Summer 2022. This led to the closure of the Friday session at the (then) Coffee Shop and the centralisation of all food storage and delivery of both sessions at St Boniface Church. This coincided with a change in project leadership which has again, since then changed. The PCC and project management is currently in discussion with Trussell Trust regarding the best way to future-proof the Foodbank with effective governance. We remain hugely grateful to all volunteers who have worked so hard through this challenging year and to the continued generosity of those who give food week after week. _Barbara Burke (Project Lead) & Rachel Heathfield (Chair of Trustees) April 2023_ ## **6h Interim Minister’s Report** My way of looking back over the year just gone is to go back through my diary and see what featured in meetings and engagements. This year there have been a number of priorities and exciting events, such as the Jubilee Festival and the opening of the Brandhall Community HUB, as well as sad ones such as the Queen’s death a few months after we celebrated her jubilee. In addition, I re-read last year’s report to see what was going on then, and sadly, there are many things that haven’t made any progress at all, in fact feel a little bit regressive. But we mustn’t lose heart! God’s timing is always good. Church life – post lockdown, we are regaining weddings and baptisms, although we are still not at precovid numbers for these services. Funerals in church have also dramatically slowed down. We have had sermon series on the resurrection, prayer and had a summer in “kingdom parables”. We have had short courses “The Bible Course”, “Simply Good News” and “How to hear God”. We are delighted that Revd Annette Hanny has joined our ministry team, but happy-sad that Jo Jennings left us after ordination to have her curacy at St John Harborne. In May a group of leaders and potential leaders gathered to watch a live stream of a national leadership conference at HTB in London. This launched an exciting stream of work for this year with leadership development and training investment being high on my list of priorities. We have been following the “Servant Leadership” course provided by the diocese and have seen individuals step into new and bold areas of leadership in church. The Transforming Church Action Plan (TCAP) is now complete, and we will be sharing it more widely over the coming months. This sets our path of travel for the next few years, with mission and outreach for the glory of God and the furtherance of his kingdom being the core of all our objectives. The issue of our buildings has not changed favourably in the year. We had hoped to change the use of the Caretakers house in our favour in partnership with the school. This has not happened and will not now happen. The hall has not found a new purpose and then suffered an arson attack in September which has left it even less useful than it was before. It is of highest priority for me to move forward on these over the next 12 months. We are about to embark on some important work on the church building, particularly on the tower, which will need imaginative fundraising, but we must progress on this to preserve the building. I look forward to having your support for this. _Rev Rachel Heathfield April 2023_ 16 -I'I~I E PAIIOL kllAL CF IUR14 LOUNICI L or THE ECCLE51ASI-ICAL PAPilSkl OF CHRIST CHURCH THE QUINTON Ariiii.ial Report & Fiiiaiic.ial AccnLinls For The Yecir Eiid 31st December 202?. .i)(-)I'h['V: (%c)i'ii)....,, L OLiiiciI 01-I-IIL Ecile8llL 81iLIL I I, Icin Wooilwar(l BA H0115 FCCA lan Woodwarcl AccoLiiilancy Ltcl 57 Higli Street, ftowley Regis, Wesl Micllands, 865 OÉH 12 April 2023 Notes funds IIico1￿c, 1¢ ncl eii(Ivknvn)ef)Is Ii-oin,. 12til 116,111£l 12bl 2,036 12cl 153,S16 68,934 607 338,863 154.07-1 711 Activities loi. G£'iiei'alii)g 2,955 CIILirch Activities Totcil incoine Expenditure oii.. Cliui-cli Activitips Cosls of Gene.I'atiii Tolal ex eiidlture Nel iiicome I lexpenditLirel r¢soLirces beloi"e ti'ansfer 12dl 4,470 125,875 705 70,246 7,473 162,261 153,516 349,637 13al 125,746 13bl 2,747 128.493 56É1 51.192 3,434 54,626 J77,502 6,181 183,683 155,309 12,433 167,742 iinds 564 12,6181 152.952 lJf,620 165,954 15,4821 Transfers.. Gr05$ tr3iislei-5 beiweei) funds 1,300 1.350 1.467 Gr05f tlanli Fxpei)ditui'e Llanli Fxpei)ditui'e Ll