All Saints’ Church. Colwyn Bay ANNUAL REPORT 14 May 2026
Every year is different, as one would expect, but church life is (and should be) marked by certain continuities: the continuity of weekly worship every Lord’s Day, the additional teaching afforded by occasional Bible Studies, and the fellowship that church members have with each other as a supportive and vital element in belonging to Christ. There is much else that churches, if equipped and with the resources to do so, may and often should engage in, but what I have mentioned here are the staple of church life and the fundamental activities of any serious Christian church.
The most noteworthy ‘extra’ of our year was the celebration of our fourth birthday as a church on 1 November, when we met for a meal with invited guests, and were privileged to have the Very Revd Peter Crooks and Nancy his wife speak to us in an interview format about their life and ministry in Lebanon, Iran, Yemen and the Holy Land. Our aim was to offer to our guests some insight into what it means to serve God and to trust Him in circumstances which, while often rewarding, were also at times positively dangerous and always demanding. We hope that some seeds of curiosity (at the least!) were sown and myths about the soft end effete nature of Christian discipleship challenged.
It was not, and never has been, my intention that this event should become an annual fixture; but we should be open to devising, by God’s leading, events of a variety of forms which aim to share the Gospel of Christ with those who do not yet know Him: events which perhaps should best be described as (to use the technical term) ‘apologetic’- which does not mean apologising for Christianity, but seeking to explain it and advocate it in a way which is unthreatening but inviting and demanding.
Our Bible studies over the past year have covered the whole of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, spread over thirteen evenings during the late summer and autumn of 2025, and the Lent of 2026.
In last year’s Report I wrote: ‘our congregation must grow and include rather younger people than we regularly see of late if we are to face the future with the confidence that the Lord has a continuing place for our church in his provision for people in North Wales to hear and respond to the Gospel and to be nurtured by His Word and Sacraments.’ These words remain as true as ever. How people are reached for the Lord has varied throughout the Church’s history and, indeed, across the range of human cultures at any one time, especially our own. I believe that encouraging attendance at authentic Christian worship is still a way by which the curious and enquiring can be led into a life-changing commitment to Christ and experience of His grace. However, our worship as a church is focused upon the Sacrament of Holy Communion. For this I offer no apology, for this was the norm of Christian worship for the first fourteen hundred years of the Church’s history between the end of the 1[st] Century and the 16[th] Century Reformation! But it does confront us with a problem: how can we at one and the same time welcome visitors of whatever background and style of life but nevertheless insist that only those who believe, have been baptised and are living according to Christian moral norms may receive the sacrament. Difficult it may be to square this circle, but we have to try! Of course, anyone is always welcome to seek a blessing through the laying on of a hand at the altar when the sacrament is being administered, and this must be made clear.
Involvement with ACE (our diocese - The Anglican Convocation in Europe) continues to make demands on our time. Susan is now a member of the Standing Committee, therefore an ex officio
Trustee of ACE, and indeed the lead Trustee for Safeguarding matters. I remain closely involved with the Doctrine Commission, which has been quite busy of late with a range of issues. There are also matters which particularly concern the Welsh clergy and the churches they serve. We are blessed in having the episcopal oversight of bishops Andy Lines and Stuart Bell, committed as they are to Biblical and creedal truth and exercising their office with humility and grace.
Thank you all for your support and especially those of you with specific responsibilities, without which we would be unable to function as a church. For all such help I am deeply grateful. God give us grace truly to honour Him by our faithfulness in love, worship, and obedience to His Word and will.
Peter R. Jones Priest-in-charge
Anglican Fellowshlp of All Saints Church, Colwyn Bay Accounts for year ending 31st December 2025 INCOME Open plate Direct giving Glft Ald £1.915.00 £6,020.00 £0.00 Total £7,935.00 EXPENDITURE Hire of Scout HQ A.C.E. Quota Maintenance of Services £1.3(hJ.00 £1,039.00 £201.66 31..8 Membershlp (Dlrect Debltl Website costs Sundries {excludln8 GAFCON donatlon) £266.08 £234.(K) £422.76 Insurance £243.84 Donation to GAFCON International ICQ 000041 £853.) Total £4.56034 OPENING BALANCE 01/0112025 INCOME 2025 £8.288.28 £7,935.00 £4,560.34 £11,662.94 EXPENDITURE 2025 FINAL BAiANCE 3111212025 Bank statement balance at 3V1212025 £11,662.94 Sundrles detalls... Findachurch feefor 2026 Handy-office - Carol senilceflyers and bonner Northern Potteries - hire of crockery and glo55e5 Crown Supplles - papklns for the celebratlon event Trovelling expen5esfor Rev. P Crookes (CQ 00005) Vorious stotionary & cartridge ink (Refvnded to PeterJone5) Totol £22.00 £131.00 £115.80 £14.49 £45.00 £94.47 £422. 76 Malntenance oJServlces detalls... Communion Wine (Refunded to Rev. Peterjonesj Communion Waftr5 (Refunded to Rev. PeterJone5J Vorlou5 servlce items £55.00 £45.19 £101,47 Total £201.66 Ann Roberts Slgn / Date Treasurer trknngexamined the Bk$ar1 VJJthers wodLKed of the knglican Fellowship of All Salnts, Cothn Bay. knotsnts, arvj wtth erEnce to the 8ankstsrernents. the a¢¢ounis è5 Shown g true and hlr 7Aew of thÈthur¢h's fln¥ncLal affalrs forthe arending 315t December 2025. Peter Turner i.,1 Auditor Remsed IIIOY26 DER