2024-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Danehill

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Trustees’ Annual Report All Saints Danehill with Chelwood Gate

2024

FROM THE VICAR AND CHURCHWARDENS

‘‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all God’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’ (Ephesians 3:17-19)

God’s love is too good to keep to ourselves! At All Saints Danehill with Chelwood Gate, our aim is to ‘know and share the love of Christ’. We love in response to the mercy the Lord Jesus has shown to us, especially revealed when he died so that we might be forgiven and enjoy eternal life.

Paddy would like to express his thanks to the Wardens, PCC and many others who have worked together towards our goals. Progress towards our mission is described briefly below.

Knowing the Love of Christ

The early Christians longed to grasp ‘how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.’ We continue to offer a wide range of services where we can learn from the Scriptures and respond with faithful prayer, joyful praise and loving service. These range from 8am Book of Common Prayer, to the 9.30am Communion and Morning Prayer, to the 11am informal service with children’s groups. We are grateful to God for well-attended Christmas, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance Sunday events, as well as our various school assemblies and services.

There were an average of 22 adults at the nine thirty service (21 last year), 35 adults and 12 children at the eleven o’clock (35 and 11 in 2022). At Chelwood Gate, an average of 4 people attended 8am (5 last year) and the church was used for a wide range of midweek activities. We hosted 7 christenings in church, 3 weddings and 6 funerals, providing opportunities to support people in our community at special times in their lives.

We offered a number of events to help nurture our faith and prayer life. These included an Alpha Course, Contemplative Prayer, Prayer and a Plate, online Thursday prayer and home groups meeting via Zoom and in person.

Home groups provide an excellent way to build each other up in faith as we dwell upon how the Scriptures relate to our lives today and how we can apply them to daily life.

Sharing the Love of Christ

We are thankful for the way in which the staff, wardens, PCC and others have given sacrificially of their time and skills in God’s service. It has been encouraging to see new people using their gifts, from playing music, to being sidespeople, to providing refreshments after services.

We are thankful for the hard work of our Youth (& Families) Worker, Josh Watson and Meg Coppin, our half-time Families (& Children’s) Worker, who then passed on the baton to Kate Dillingham. Kate joined us full-time in the role from September and has settled in really well.

The team have worked cheerfully with their different tasks, ably assisted by the volunteer helpers, to share God’s love with younger people and their families. Food For Thought has been appreciated, helping us to serve older members of the community and others. The pastoral care group overseen by Shelagh Gilliam has been renewed and refreshed. The ‘Love Your Neighbour’ initiative continues to be noted in the village as a visible way of showing God’s love in action, along with collections for the Food Bank and Homeless. Other excellent events have included Noah’s Ark parent and toddler group, Film Fridays, ladies’ craft nights, summer socials and the well-attended Ashdown Café, with its dedicated team of helpers. These have helped us to serve people in our villages and beyond.

The Parish Magazine and the church website have been important ways to serve the church and community by providing news and information. Church members have continued to interact with one another and those in the community through friendship as well as pastoral and practical support.

Sharing through Giving

We are thankful to God for those who have given sacrificially as a response to God’s kindness, and to enable the work of the church to continue and thrive. We praise God for those who have enabled the church to meet its priorities through legacies and through taking part in giving. Our thanks to Stefan in his commitment as Treasurer, and to those who have supported this work.

We have invested in our vision in a number of ways. These include provision for the work with families, youth and children which is vital

for the churches’ long-term future; repairing the bells at All Saints, and ongoing maintenance to keep the church buildings in good order. Steve Coppin and the fabric group have worked tirelessly to help this happen.

Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to the PCC, staff, and all the church teams who do so much to support and to enable the practical running of the churches’ activities. The Vicar would like to express his special thanks to Charles and Ash as Churchwardens for their support in a multitude of ways. The Churchwardens have combined strategic thinking with practical help and hard work at many events.

The Vicar is also thankful to his wife Gabriela for the support she has given in Food For Thought, Pathfinders, hospitality, pastoral care, and for her encouragement and help in many areas.

And so we thank God for all that He has done in us and through us over the last year! May we continue to know and share the love of Christ, trusting that God can do ‘immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.’

May His name be praised, Amen.

Families & Children’s Work

Noah’s Ark – the baby & toddler group meets on Monday mornings in All Saints Church. We have grown even more in the last year

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with an average of about 24 families and 36 children each Monday (not everyone comes weekly) and last term we had an all-time high of 46 children one Monday – very busy! We have snack time, a craft, story and singing (including Christian songs). Our main focus is on building relationships with the parents/carers and to show them God’s love. My thanks to my wonderful team: Jennie M, Sue H, Fiona L, Meg C, Jenny V, Susie O and Bex W - it wouldn’t happen without the team!

Invite Services - We ask families to some of our invite services and were pleased with the attendance of Noah’s Ark families at the harvest which saw huge food donations going to the food bank. Our Nativity which featured Twinkle the donkey (aka a miniature Shetland pony), our thanks to Rachel R. At Christingle we saw good numbers from Noah’s Ark and from school. Easter also saw good attendance and the children enjoyed an Easter egg hunt afterwards. Adventure zone service saw good numbers from the club- we had 9 of the 15 families come which was amazing!

Film Friday – we have had 1 after-school film aimed at children & families (Paddington 2) with 74 people in attendance. Thank you to Sue H who have kindly store ice creams and to Meg C helping with clear up!

Sunday Club, Crèche & All Age Service bn Sunday Club & creche are continuing to thrive Sunday Club, Créche & Alll Age Service ei - GC at the 11am service. This is important not only in Club teaching the children but allowing parents to sit in the service. We have a group of younger ones in creche which is great and a core group in Sunday club! The amazing team here are Olivia W, Chloe B, Heather K, and Fiona L thank you to them for not only being there but all the preparation it takes.

All Age Service - The All-Age service runs on the first Sunday of the month, with action All Age Service 5 songs, children/young people reading and leading prayers. I lead and co-ordinate this service and this helps with the link through for Noah’s Ark parents and it has been great to see more of our on the fringe families coming more to this service as well as the other ones.

School Assemblies School Assemblies – Along with Paddy & Josh, I take assemblies at Danehill Primary School followed by playground duty. I am in every other week which is great to have this link, to provide bible teaching, get them singing Christian songs (with actions of course) and I get to know the children better. I also go into school to do crafts at lunchtime which has really helped the relationship with the school strengthen as well as strengthen the relationship with the children at school. I have also visited Cumnor Pre-Prep for harvest assembly.

WonderZone Holiday Club WonderZone Holiday Club – this ran at the beginning of the summer holiday in 2023 with 29 children. A brilliant 2 days of activities, inflatable obstacle course, ice cream van, music (the Forcefield song and actions was the favourite)

and fun as we looked at the greatest rescue ever – Jesus!.We finished with a gathering of the parents to show them all we had done. Last year’s dedicated team were Steve C, Kate D, Meg C, Kerrie P, Sue H, Fiona L, Josh W, Lydia H, Cam B and Anna M.

Light Party Light Party - We ran this on Halloween as an ee alternative to trick or treating but also for the ? PARTY - people who don’t like Halloween and wanted to celebrate light and happy things instead of scary! We had a great time as we dressed up as superhero/ favourite characters. We had games, crafts and hot chocolate! We had 20 families and 32 children, this was for the whole of primary and for younger siblings too. We gave out little books about Jesus being the light of the world as the families left. Thank you to the team and everyone who helped. Thank you to Meg C, Steve C, Sue H, Heather K, Ash K, Anna and Josie M.

Adventure Zone Adventure Zone - This was our Easter holiday club that we ran for the 1st time this Easter (2024). It was an amazing 2 morning where we found out about the

mystery man who defeated death, Jesus! We have games, crafts, songs (the Super Saviour song and actions were a favourite), and lots of fun. We had 15 children from school years reception to year 2 come along. We invited the families to our Sunday service to show the parents what we got up to, we had a brilliant number come along. A big thanks to our adventure zone team, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, thank you to Meg C, Steve C, Josh W, Chloe B, Olivia W, Fiona L-, Sue H and Tamsyn L.

The Ark Café- the play café meets on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Fridays of the month during term time. We run from 9-11 am and we have The Ark Café ax toys and crafts for the children and tea, coffee and cake for the adults. It is a great time to chat to the parents/carers who come and get to know them better as well! We have been running since February and seen on average about 5 families and 8 children coming along. We run at Chelwood Gate church, and people who come frequently say how lovely the church and space is! Thank you to the team that helps run. Thanks to Heather K, Sara L, Jane C and Viki S.

As I started the role in September 2023, the previous post holder Meg has contributed to the report, especially for WonderZone.

These activities very much focus on relationships as part of our churches outreach, showing God’s love, serving our community and sharing the gospel. Please pray for this vital work, for all the families we come into contact with, and that God would prepare their hearts and guide us all.

Kate Dillingham Families (& Children’s) Worker children@allsaintsdanehill.org.uk

Youth & Families Work

2023 has been a year of new ventures in the youth ministry, with the main highlight being the introduction of Forest Youth in partnership with West Watch Trust. Each Monday we meet with a group of 5 young people at our forest site where we light fires, play games and cook s'mores whilst being inspired by God's beautiful creation. No phones are allowed, and it's been great to get outside, away from the busyness of life. More and more studies are coming out that show the positive impact these types of sessions can have for young people, from teaching new skills and getting hands on with nature to reducing anxiety and building a safe community. As part of this I have become a qualified forest school leader, and having run this as a successful pilot programme, we're now hoping to grow and reach more young people in this way! At some point in the future we're also looking to launch a forest church on the same site, encouraging people to come together and worship God whilst enjoying the incredible world he has made.

We also went back to May Camp and Newday, taking 15 to May Camp and 4 to Newday. They were great times away as a group, where we learnt about God and had fun along the way. We've had to rethink our retreats strategy in 2024 due to the arrival of Josh and Kirsti's second child, but as a result of this we have run the first ever All Saints Youth Weekend away! We took 15 young people from across our youth groups to Carroty Wood, a Christian outdoor activities centre in Kent where we spent the weekend climbing, abseiling and swimming, all whilst exploring how we can be fearless in Christ. This weekend went really well, and was a great chance for us to go away together and build the community within the group. We're hoping we can build on the success of this weekend away, and are looking at dates for the 2025 weekend away!

On top of this, we've also had our usual regular groups that run week in, week out. TNT and H-Kafe are our informal spaces for young people to meet, have fun and unwind, with TNT running on Thursday night is Danehill, and H-Kafe running after school in Horsted Keynes. We see a total of 25 young people each week across these groups, and over the course of the year we've had contact with at least 60. We've also had a growing group of older young people that have been stepping up as young leaders and helping out at these groups. As a part of these groups we've been on night hikes, taken trips out to go climbing and run parties, always having a tonne of fun!

As a part of H-Kafe, we've also been supporting the growing Horsted Keynes Youth Council, which is a group of young people keen to support their local community. So far they've organised youth events, taken a trip up to parliament, and been tackling issues such as graffiti, littering and vaping. It's been amazing to see how much these young people care about their village, and a privilege to support Schools them in making positive change.

Pathfinders is our regular Sunday group that runs alongside the 11am service, and we have 10 young people that are keen to learn more about what the bible has to say to them today. Each week we've been looking at the same verses as the 11am in a way that's applicable to the group, growing together in our understanding of scripture. Recently, we've been taking a look at an overview of the entire bible story, seeing how it all fits into God's plan to rebuild his kingdom.Schools

We have been continuing to engage with Danehill Primary School, where we run assemblies and help with playground duty. It's been great to be able to support them in this way, and it has enabled us to build relationships with the students and teachers. I particularly like inviting the school up to the church for their special assemblies like Christmas and Easter, where we get to see their parents and

strengthen ties between the church and the wider village community.

I'm also involved in Oathall Secondary School where I help run a lunchtime Christian Union on Wednesdays for 20-25 young people. It's been inspiring to see these young people willing to spend their lunchtime learning more about Jesus, and learn what God has to say for their lives today. We've been going through the fruits of the Spirit in our latest series, seeing how we can grow each of these fruits in our lives.

And as always, these groups can only run thanks to the support of an amazing team of volunteers. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the young people of our villages and churches! If you want to get involved in the youth ministry, please get in touch with Josh at youth@allsaintsdanehill.org.uk.

Schools

Paddy, Josh, Meg and more recently Kate have been pleased to take school assemblies and to assist with breaktime supervision. Kate also helps with a crafts lunchtime club on Thursdays and Paddy serves as a school governor. The school continues its termly services at the church and values the link with us.

Danehill School’s aim is to ‘nurture, engage and inspire our Schools community through our innovative, enlivened curriculum. Our strong Christian values enable all to flourish. We are all learning together, learning for life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). The school seeks to immerse its Christian values of curiosity, imagination, discipline, collaboration and persistence into all aspects of learning. The church also enjoys good links with Cumnor House School and has had opportunities to lead services for its pupils.

Safeguarding

It is important for us to be aware of our Safeguarding Policies, our Behaviour Code and where we can find Safeguarding resources so that we can be confident in tackling any safeguarding concerns. The key documents can be found at the website below.

www.allsaintsdanehill.org.uk/about-us/safeguarding

A reminder to those who volunteer within the Church and hold DBS certificates that these need to be renewed every five years.

It is a requirement from the Diocese that anyone volunteering within the Church, especially with our Young People, holds a valid DBS certificate. I will be monitoring to ensure that the necessary

We have continued to welcome a number of new volunteers to the existing numbers since last year with a record number of people in the past year of signing up to be volunteers with the Church and to assist with Josh and the youth work. We give thanks to God for those who continue to help in the Church.

Finance Report

2023 Review – Financially, 2023 has been a good year for our church. Regular donations this year have once again increased over last year, the number of donors contributing regularly via the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) increasing by over 25%, we increased the Parish Share we pay to the Diocese by 4% to £60k, as well as pledging to increase it by 4% every year for the next 2 years. We raised every penny of

the £18,500 cost of repairing the church bells, through the generosity of our bell ringers, gift aid and a negotiated VAT reclaim, and we are now half way towards raising the £50k plus we need to effect some repairs to the roof.

We appealed through the Parish Magazine for help in paying for the printing and associated costs of producing the mag, and were astonished by the response - with over 150 people in our parish sending us their contribution – not by any means all of them churchgoers.

We of course need all of this support and more to help finance the vast range of activities the church organises, not least of which is our family, children and youth work which is building the platform from which the all-important growth for the future of our church will come.

Thanks to a very large legacy left to us by Hazel Bailey, our total income for the year was £407k. Our outgoings were £206k. Although this is clearly a positive situation our future ability to pay our way cannot assume, or rely on, the receipt of any future legacies (although any and all would be really welcome) so it is only by the increasing generosity of our church family in their regular giving, and the addition of new families and children into our community, that we can assure the future for our church.

2023 has also been a year of catch-up. Following an earlier blip we have now fully recovered all the delayed Gift Aid for 2021 and 2022 , and have both claimed and received our HMRC payment for 2023. Our SOFA accounts for 2021 and 2022 have now been audited, signed off and submitted to The Charities Commission, and 2023 accounts are now also ready for submission.

2023 has been a good year for our church, and as we work towards growing our congregation, and the resultant increase in donations, we are truly thankful for the financial help we currently receive from our generous parishioners, and hope that we can increasingly rely on this help long into the future.

Stefan Mercado Treasurer

Electoral Roll

In 2023 we had 167 people on the electoral roll. This year we have 184 people on the 2024 updated roll. 18 people have joined the church electoral roll this year, and 1 person has been removed (deceased). But it's lovely to see the church really growing. Thanks are due to Paddy, Meg, and the churchwardens, for their invaluable help.

Fabric Report

It’s been another extremely busy year for the Fabric Committee (Steve, Charles, Will and Robert). The work has included:

•Minor repairs AND the monthly actioning of 24 different maintenance items for our four properties

(41 Oak Tree, Vicarage, All Saints Danehill and Chelwood Gate). •Major repairs to bells 3 and 4 at All Saints Danehill – a huge thank you to the Bell Ringers and those who made private donations to cover the vast majority of the cost.

•The installation of new security lights at All Saints Danehill.

•Weekly monitoring and intervention to minimise the oil heating costs at All Saints Danehill whilst maintaining a warm and welcoming environment. This has also included the raising of £660 via Easy Fundraising to help offset heating costs.

•Offsetting our CO2 heating emissions at All Saints Danehill with Climate Stewards whilst we wait to move to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil which will reduce our CO2 heating emissions by up to 90%.

•Repairs to the North Roof at All Saints Danehill.

•Replacement of the boiler room door at All Saints Danehill.

Current large works in progress include:

•The repointing at All Saints Danehill of the tower and other parts of the building. This work is now scheduled for August 2024– watch out for scaffolding etc.

•Replacement of the north roof at All Saints Danehill. The Friends have offered to fund 50% of the cost and we are currently awaiting the results of 22 applications to grant providers for the other half of the cost. If successful, planning permission and faculty will be pursued July-Dec 2024 with work commencing asap in 2025.

•Measurement of our carbon-footprint as a church and further actions to achieve net-zero in good time for the 2030 CofE target. •Preparation for the Quinquennial Inspection in August 2024.

A huge thank you to Steve, Charles, Will and Robert, for all your ongoing time and effort which indirectly enables us to know and share the love of Christ. Special thanks must also go to those people who regularly work alongside the Fabric Committee – Russell Skinner the electrician, Bob Brown the plumber, Paul Edwards the handyman, Mick & Philippa Payne the gardeners, Hancocks the heating engineers, Benji Martin the net-zero consultant and Mark Anderson the architect.

Chelwood Gate Church

We are grateful to everyone who helps to care for Chelwood Gate Church building. This includes those who provide beautiful flower displays, Hannah and Jamie and those who have cleaned the building and Jane Leuchars and Frances Parrish for their help and input on various practical matters. It has been encouraging to see the building used for a wider range of activities such as the Ark Café for families and children, youth events, Food For Thought, Contemplative Prayer, PCC meetings, events run by outside groups, Sunday services and special days such as Maundy Thursday and Ascension Day.

Flower Rota

As the head of the Church’s flower team my job is to prepare a rota for the year covering all the weeks when flowers are required. My team are divided into pairs and each one will cover between 4 and 6 weeks. Each week they will arrange two pedestals; one at the altar and the other by the pulpit. At Festivals and weddings, I will call upon several of them to help with all the extra arrangements required! We are a very happy team and work together very well and I think and hope they enjoy it as much as I do. We are always on the lookout for more volunteers!! Diana Freeland

Parish Magazine

We have continued to produce eleven issues of the magazine per year usually with 22 pages of editorial. We have regularly received interesting content on local history, wildlife, computing and recently on astronomy thanks to the efforts of my co-editor, Wren Martin, who produces such consistently high quality work. I am very grateful for the work that these regular contributors put in, also to Rob May for co-ordinating the adverts and inserts, to the team at Danewood Press and to our proof reader, Michael Virtue. Chris Drewery

Music

We have been grateful at the 9.30am service for the commitment and skill of David Usher, Simon Casciano, Katren Bishop and Carol Watson on the organ. Also for Jenny Virtue who organises the hymn choices with input from Barbara and Katren. We give thanks for the 11am singers and musicians, especially our regulars, Simon Casciano, Josh Watson and Tamsyn Llewellyn, amongst others. See also the ‘Worship’ report below.

Worship

Over the last year we have started to grow our worship team for the 11am service. There is a team of 17 of us that rehearse regularly on the 3rd Sunday of each month, and are on the rota to play at our regular services. It's amazing to see this team growing and encouraging people to use their gift to worship God! lf this is something you'd like to be a part of, why not come along to one of our rehearsal times, or get in touch with Josh.

Home Groups

Home groups continue to meet regularly and the number of participants has remained steady

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throughout the year. Two meetings have been held on zoom and the third has met in a home, fuelled by light refreshments and good company. Each session is a blend of chatting and catching up followed by a Bible study or reflection on a theme in the Christian faith. Recently groups have explored the book of Acts, Ezekiel and Luke and have been struck by their relevance to daily life. Groups are always ready to welcome new members: it also an option to start another group. Ash Kauffman 17

Leading Services

It has been good to have a number of people leading and preaching at services, as part of our vision to have plenty of leaders. As well as the Vicar, those involved in 2023 have included Rev. Peter Francis, Andrew Hicks, Cedric Parrish, Fergus Llewellyn, Kevin Cherry, Meg and Steve Coppin, Josh and Kirsti Watson, Ash and Heather Kauffman and others.

In addition to those listed in these reports, Support Ministries we are thankful for the many people who take part in 'behind the scenes' roles to enable church services function smoothly.

These include our Verger and Sacristan, Jennie Marten, who is a constant support for weddings, baptisms, funerals, in preparing Communion and in many other ways; the readers and pray-ers; Cedric Parrish for assisting with the news sheet; Jenny and Michael for hosting the men’s breakfast and Gabriela the ladies’ breakfast; for those who prepare rotas; Jane Leuchars and Frances Parrish who have assisted with practical matters at Chelwood Gate; the Lay Ministers of Communion and the sound and laptop operators. We are thankful to Paul Marten for his flag raising and clock-winding; those who lock and unlock church; the sidespeople and welcomers and those who have served hot drinks. To Meg Coppin for her work with Planned Giving and in arranging household supplies for church. To the fabric group and to Steve Coppin for fundraising, heating and in working tirelessly along with Meg in many practical ways for the church. To Heather Kauffman for support on publicity and social media. To the brass polishers. To Diana and the flower team. To Hannah and Jamie our cleaners. We record our thanks to all those who have helped with pastoral care and supporting the bereaved; also to those offering lifts, co-ordinated by Roy May. We are grateful to the Friends; the parish magazine distributors, Ian Barras-Hill and Margaret Weller: and to many others. 18

As a church the pastoral care we offer to our Pastoral Care congregations and community has continued to grow and develop. A team visits people in hospitals, care homes and their own homes. The Vicar takes communion to people who are ill or housebound. Prayer is a very important part of caring for people, those in need of prayer are mentioned on the weekly news sheet and in the Prayers of intercession during services.

We are reaching people through social and outreach events the Ashdown café , Food for Thought, Craft evenings , Home groups and Youth & Family activities. We are offering lifts to hospitals, the doctor’s surgery and other occasions where it is necessary to have a driver. Pastoral care and all that we can do is advertised in the Parish magazine.

As Pastoral care coordinator I have completed the Diocesan Authority Lay Ministry course for Pastoral care. Shelagh Gilliam

Contemplative Prayer

The group tries to contribute to the prayer life of the Parish by putting aside a quiet hour when we listen to God speaking to us through words from Scripture, seeking to increase our openness to God. After taking the Word into our minds and hearts during times of silence, we then use it in intercession for others. We meet every third Wednesday of the month at 10am in Chelwood Gate church: people come from our own Parish, and also from further afield and we value the fellowship that we enjoy. Not all of us can make the meetings, but we share the thoughts each month and use the time for private prayer, wherever we are. In 2022 we held a Quiet day for Advent here in the Parish, and members of the group also attend an annual retreat at Wychcroft, the Southwark Diocesan Centre in Godstone. Anyone is welcome to come and join us, on an occasional or regular basis. Catherine Older 19

Ashdown Cafe is now in its ninth year and is getting more successful as each year goes by.

On the second Friday of the month up to 50 people come to the Memorial Hall to enjoy coffee, tea home-made cakes & each other’s company. During the past year it has been good to see an increase in the middle-aged members of the community.

Children from Badgers class at Danehill school come in November and May to perform songs to a large captive audience, In November we were very pleased to welcome Bishop Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester.

The Café does not run to make money - we only hope to cover our costs - but due to people’s generosity we have been able to make contributions to St Peter & St James Hospice, the Primary School, Air Ambulance, the Memorial Hall and the Social Club.

The Café could not run without a wonderful group of ladies who serve coffee, tea and cakes and work tirelessly in the kitchen washing up. We are grateful to the lovely gentlemen who help put tables & chairs away and to Josh Watson who puts out the tables and chairs on the Thursday evening before the Café.

Shelagh Gilliam

Coffee Plus Our group has had another positive year of Bible study, prayer and close supportive fellowship. We have used a wide variety of study materials over the course of the last year and have found the website www.faithandworship.com to be an extremely valuable resource. We used a number of resources for Advent and Lent studies, examined the ministry of Elijah and then completed an in-depth examination of Luke’s gospel. We have now embarked upon a study of the book of Acts using a guide by N.T. Wright.

Coffee Plus

Our members continue to be drawn from a wide variety of church backgrounds and neighbouring parishes and we value the richness that this diversity brings to our discussions. As well as meeting for study and prayer we also have regular get-togethers for coffee and chat. We all value the close bonds of fellowship that we have built up over the years.

As a group, Coffee Plus has continued to make regular donations to charity. Over the years we have donated approximately £8,600 to a variety of good causes. Our members donate approximately £1 a week, and from March 2023 to March 2024 we were able to give an inspiring £700 to the following charities:

(for the women’s refuge)

Hope House Haiti (a Christian orphanage and school in Haiti run by faith alone and with no regular income other than through donations)

International Aid Charity (donation focused upon those with disabilities) Mercy Ships (modern hospital ships bringing world-class volunteer medical professionals directly to the places they’re needed most, to provide life-changing surgery)

We look forward to another year of study, prayer and fellowship, repeatedly turning back to God our loving Father by following the example of His beloved Son Jesus Christ, and enabled to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit. 21 Elizabeth Forty

It’s a real blessing to be able to show God’s love in a practical way and this year we have focussed on (a) collecting food, household and personal items for the East Grinstead Foodbank, (b) clothing for homeless persons through Turning Tides in Worthing and (c) a litter pick of the A275 as part of the Great British Spring Clean.

In the financial year ending 2023, the East Grinstead Foodbank fed 2,612 people (1667 Adults and 945 Children) – and you won’t be surprised to hear that this is another “high” on demand. Thank you to everyone who contributes to the Food Bank, you really do make a difference in the lives of people.

Turning Tides has seen an alarming rise in people needing support. The figures differ between services, but increases of 29%, 59% and 66% have been seen in the last year. That’s why our support is invaluable – directly impacting the lives of people experiencing homelessness. It was a great pleasure to absolutely fill the car on two occasions with Summer and then Winter clothing – thank you all.

And then at litter pick (of the A275 from Danehill to Wych Cross) we collected 18 bags of litter (yes 18!) which included 11 hub caps, 1 iPad and a mobile phone, and a great time was had by all stopping for refreshments () along the way. It’s great for people to see us out doing things like this for our community (especially with our “All Saints Danehill Volunteer” hi-vizs) and we received many positive comments and honking of car horns!

Our next action is the Summer Clothing collection for Turning Tides and I’ll be in touch about what is needed. Thanks again. Steve Coppin

Danehill Bellringers

The much needed work on the bells was carried out by White’s of Appleton during August 2023. This involved completely dismantling two of the bells and taking the parts back to their workshop for refurbishment and repair. They are now ringing beautifully and are popular with visiting ringers who always comment on how easy they are to ring compared with other local towers.

We now need to focus on getting some new ringers if the bells are to continue ringing and calling people to worship for the next 25 years. We have 8 regular ringers with an average age of 70+ so could do with some younger people. As we say, the bells are nothing without the people to ring them!

Our handbells were, as usual, popular at Christmas when we visited local nursing homes to ring carols and also rang at Chelwood Gate tree lighting and for the carol service.

Susan Hollyman

Prayer and a Plate

We meet once a month at the Llewellyns’ home to pray and enjoy food together. We meet on Monday evenings at 6pm and share a light supper, followed by a time of prayer together around the kitchen table. All ages are welcome. It has been a great encouragement to pray and to also thank God for answers to prayers.

Food for thought

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

We come with hearts full of gratitude for yet another year. First, we are thankful to God for His many gifts; for health and strength to enjoy and share them. Second, we are thankful for His promise of blessing. And unlike us, He keeps His promises all the time.

This year Food For Thought enjoyed the company of anything from fourteen to twenty-seven friends, who give more than they receive. The team has enjoyed laughs and problem-solving, the electricity, packing up, the kitchen having to get a hygiene rating, etc. Still, there are smiles at all times, and heartfelt service. Paddy inspires and entertains us all with wholesome Christian ‘thoughts’.

The word companionship comes from two Latin words, com panis (with bread!), and don’t we all need it! We are always looking for more people to join the team, be it sharing their tiptop soup, setting up, joining at the tables or offering genuine companionship. We are thankful to the solid team, Christine Colbourne, Sara Lawrence, Sue Hicks, Dee Ladd, Jenny Virtue, Elizabeth Forty, Pippa Mercado, Jim Stott, Gabriela MacBain, Paddy MacBain and anyone else involved who has served in the spirit of Richard Gillard’s beautiful hymn:

Brother, sister, let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you; pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey, and companions on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

Parochial Church Council

The PCC is responsible for co-operating with the Vicar in promoting to the parish at large the whole mission and vision of the church. It is responsible for maintaining both church buildings, in Danehill and Chelwood Gate. The PCC has shown regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit, seeking to represent the churches in sharing Christ's love in word and action. Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected by the APCM in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

Our deep and hearty thanks go to all who have served on the PCC. The PCC members have been as follows:

Vicar: Revd. Paddy MacBain Warden and Chair: Ashley Kauffman Warden and Vice Chair: Charles Critchley Secretary to September 2023: Kirsti Watson Treasurer: Stefan Mercado Ian Barras-Hill Cameron Beardsmore Steve Coppin Christine Colbourne Jenna Davies Mae Lewis Will Loveridge

Other roles: Fred Harrison, Safeguarding Officer Alice Marsh, Electoral Roll *Indicates Deanery Synod member