The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Community of Saint Aidan and Saint Maria
Aim and Purposes
Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s Trustees have the responsibility, with the parish priest, of promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
The Trustees are responsible also for sourcing venues appropriate for the worship of Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s.
Objectives and Activities
The Trustees are committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at the venue we use for the worship of our church, and make suggestions on how to involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship express our Orthodox Christian faith through ritual, prayer, scripture, preaching, music and sacraments.
When planning our activities, the Trustees have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit, particularly the specific guidance given for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith in God as part of our parish community through:
Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; developing knowledge of and relationship with Jesus.
Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish.
Mission and outreach work.
To establish the presence of Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s in the community and facilitate its work, the Trustees have sourced and secured the use of a suitable venue for our worship.
Achievements and Performance
Worship and Prayer
The Trustees were successful in securing a suitable church-share venue for our worship. This has enabled the parish to offer a range of services over the course of the year that our community find both beneficial and spiritually uplifting. For example, over the course of the year, we have been able to serve the Divine Liturgy regularly at the parish on the second Sunday of each month, and conduct funerals, blessings, and other prayer services when required.
Pastoral Care
Our parish priest has been able to carry out home visits to some of our parishioners who were ill or housebound, and unable to attend services. He also carried out visits to parishioners in hospital admitted for treatment. The parish has also been able to provide food and other items for local food-kitchens serving those in need in our local community. Our parish Subdeacon has also offered his services in providing support visits at the local general hospital.
Ecumenical Work
That we have a church-share with a local Church of England parish, has created the opportunity for our parish to engage in ecumenical work, and increase the local community’s
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The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Community of Saint Aidan and Saint Maria
awareness of our presence. This has enabled us to provide information on Orthodox Christianity to Christians from other denominations, through word of mouth, written material, and online sources.
Mission and Outreach
All are welcome at our services. We have welcomed more families and individuals into our parish community over the year, some of these coming from varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Many of those who have attended our worship services have commented on how welcoming and friendly our parish community is. We have our own sign outside the church advertising our services, and welcoming anyone who wants to attend. Also, we advertise our services on social media, emphasising that everyone is welcome. Emma, a member of our congregation, provides a meet-and-greet for everyone attending our services.
Attendance
Currently we have a regular attendance of around 10-15 people. We lost one member of our community through death, and over 100 people attended his funeral, many of them from other faith or no faith backgrounds.
Financial Review
In the last year, the main aim of the Trustees was to open a bank account for the parish of Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s. This account was not functional until May 2024. Over the course of the year June 2023-April 2024, Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s parish collected no monies and spent no monies. The cost of our church-share, which is £50 per service, was paid by a private benefactor directly to the parish of Saint Matthew’s Church of England parish, New Waltham, Grimsby, and was not given directly to Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s CIO.
Summary of Accounts to April 2024
Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s CIO In take: £0 Spent: £0
Administrative Information
Saint Aidan & Saint Maria’s parish is situated in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, and worships at Saint Matthew’s Church of England Parish, New Waltham, Grimsby DN36 4QN.
The correspondence address for the CIO is 128 Sandringham Road, Cleethorpes, N.E. Lincolnshire DN35 9DP
The Trustees who have served from 25/06/2023 until the date of this report are: Rev. William Campbell for two years chairman Emma Lambert for two years Phillip Garfoot for two years Carl Christopher for two years
Approved by the Trustees on 01/02/2025 and signed on their behalf by Rev. William Campbell, Chairman of Trustees on 01/02/25
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