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Sunday 13th March 2011 This has been a very positive year for St Nicolas. We are in good heart. We are growing and have a great deal to thank God for at this APCM. This APCM marks my first full year. I am no longer introduced as ‘the new vicar’. This is a good thing because trustworthy and positive long-term relationships have been formed. It is the people at St Nicolas that have made this an enjoyable and fruitful year. The principle and practice is that we work together as a team. Recently we looked at the various rotas covering the life of the Church and there were over 100 people involved. This demonstrates that there are many active participants in the mission of this Church. I am particularly heartened by the number of established and emerging leaders we have in all areas of our Church life. I need to say a big and public thank you to Wendy Neale for her diligent and effective work in the administration of the Parish. Also, to the Wardens, Lindsey and Andy, whose counsel and confidential support for me has been God given and whose service to the Church has been generous and exemplary. Thanks to Pauline Ive for chairing the Parochial Church Council and Standing Committees. And to Revds. Maureen, David and Colin who have served us all with holiness and open hearts. Emma and Libby quickly approach public ministry, we are blessed to have them called from our midst. It is important to be specific in a report like this. As I planned what I wanted to say I covered many pages in positive attributes and activities. This Report is a summary; you will have your own highlights. Building on our strengths A deep welcome The measure of this strength is that the Electoral Roll has grown, the overall attendance at worship has increased and more people have joined our Home Groups. The journey from first attending a service to joining the Open Door Retreat or joining a Home Group is really significant. The move from attending the Church on a Sunday to joining one of the teams or taking on an active role within the church is also a significant one. We have seen a lot of these positive moves this year. The successful launch of Just Looking – a small group introduction to the Christian faith - is another part of our deep welcome to people new to church, new to faith or coming back to both. We are in the process of planning a weekly toddler service called “Noah’s Ark at St Nics”. This will lead us to reflect and assess the other services we offer to ensure they are meeting the needs of the existing congregation and people in the wider community who may be thinking of coming along. All individuals are valued This strength is demonstrated in the range of ages and outlooks we have at St Nicolas. Some examples include the Confirmation service where eight of our young people publically affirmed their faith in Christ. Also it is shown in the Wednesday Holy Communion service where most of the congregation are elderly and because of that life experience and fellowship I can direct people there if they have recently been bereaved. It is shown in our Home Groups where the same topic, like the ending of a Gospel, is approached in different ways and individuals are given the opportunity to explore things. As a person coming back to faith at St Nicolas put it; ‘it is all right to be questioning’. For me, the baptism of Arshan was a beacon of God’s love and value for every individual as expressed by the people at St Nicolas. Within this diversity there is the unity that comes from sincerely seeking God in all we do. And we should seek greater diversity until every person in the Parish can see that we are for them. Shared leadership In every area of Church life we have skilled and committed leaders. These leaders are engaged in the good governance of St Nicolas and give life to our work in the community of Church and Parish. I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by such people. Teams are currently working on mission plans that outline their purpose, direction and key activities. These plans will be published and available to the Church and Parish in 2011. The strength in our shared leadership is seen… …in the discerning and crafting of outstanding material for our House Groups, the devising and launching of Going Deeper, the sincere participation of people in worship – reading, praying, playing music and serving. It is seen in the beautiful and sacred environment of a Church that is open 7 days a week and is clean, has beautiful flowers and displays, a well used prayer corner and well tended grounds. It is in the joy and participation of the Christmas Fair. It is in the visit to the elderly and housebound and expressed in the Prayer Ministry available after every service. It is in the wonderful words of our young people as they share the brilliant things they have done and learnt in their groups. It is in the redecorated lobby. It is in the supportive and effective participation in Parochial Church Council and Standing Committee, in legal and balanced finances. We don’t just do stuff, we live it and seek God in it all. Young People and school links We value and respect the young people who are part of St Nicolas. We value very highly the trust and privilege of being able to work in all the schools in the Parish and that they visit our Church on a regular basis. REinspired is a God-given opportunity to serve the young people in our area. I am in the local primaries on a regular basis, taking assemblies, assisting in the classroom or simply doing the ministry of ‘hanging around’. The input of Nico and Siobhan and now Richard and Becky as Youth Wardens enriches what we do. The people who work in the teams serving the young are exceptional in their calling and commitment. God Squad and Focus are finishing off their mission plans and Julia Jones has worked hard on collating an overall plan for our work with young people. This plan sets out the world and culture in which our young people live, where faith fits in to this and therefore why we work with young people, what we seek to achieve and why. A young man told me recently, ‘I like the groups at St Nicolas because I can be me and people really listen to me’. That says it all. Bishop Stephen visited both Loddon and Hawkedon Primaries in the Spring. Challenges we addressed and progress made in the year Finance This year we have turned a potentially large deficit into a small surplus. We increased our committed giving and a generous response to a one-off appeal covered the final shortfall to the penny. We met as a Finance Team to review all of the tasks in this function and delegate them more widely. We have some new volunteers who are joining the Finance Team and we are also establishing a separate Stewardship Team that will work towards increasing committed giving to meet our ongoing costs and plans for growth. Ollie Dillon has worked extremely hard in his last year as Treasurer. I would like to thank him for his many years of service. Ollie has integrity and it has been very reassuring for me have had accurate accounts under his leadership. This APCM we elect Richard Cox as our new Treasurer. Prayer/Going Deeper Under the leadership of Revd Maureen Devine we have trained and introduced a Prayer Ministry Team who are available to pray with people after every 9.30 and 10am service. We devised and introduced the year of Going Deeper into the goodness of God - a programme of events and experiences throughout the year. A trip to the National Gallery to view sacred art was a great success. A small number of people have begun to meet with Spiritual Companions to talk one-to-one about life and faith and three separate Open Door Retreat Groups are up and running and enriching participants. Margaret and Steve Brown and the Going Deeper team have been critical to the success in this area. Pastoral Care This team, led by Karen Koefman, have just completed their mission plan. The team includes people with a range of pastoral gifts. It is organised, compassionate and quietly ministers to many, many people in the Church and the wider community. With over 170 people now in our congregation this is essential to have this co-ordinated and focussed team approach. Music Peter, Caroline and David have worked hard this year to ensure a high quality and broader range of music in our worship. The generosity of time and talent from all of the singers and musicians who offer their gifts is greatly appreciated. There is a process in place for broadening our repertoire and introducing more contemporary songs. We are doing this at a pace and in a manner that is sensitive to the range of preferences in St Nicolas. The Music Team are committed to supporting our worship with music that reflects the breadth of taste in the congregation, enables people to worship God with sincerity and depth and allows a range of people to express their musical gifts. Other churches We are enthusiastic members of Churches Together in Earley and East Reading. Two occasions of shared worship with Lower Early Baptist Church have been greatly appreciated. Ministry to men We have the Curry Club, we meet monthly and we are happy! Our Buildings We installed a data projector and screen that is enhancing worship and improving the usability of our Church during the week. We replaced the soffits and fascias on the Church and refurbished the lobby in time for Christmas – the entrance is much brighter and contemporary – thanks to Carol and her volunteers. Over the Easter holiday, the Hall Kitchen will be replaced and an extra ladies toilet put into the Church Hall. We will make a final decision on whether we connect the Church and Hall with an extension in this coming year. Where are we heading? The good things outlined in this report are not an end in themselves and do not come to a conclusion at this APCM. They are all done for the glory of God and so that we and those around us are drawn closer and deeper into all that is life giving about the mission of St Nicolas. For example, the work with leaders and their teams is laying solid foundations for church growth. The year of Going Deeper will continue to benefit us as individuals and a church because we will continue with the things that have most enriched us. I would like to explore with you the possibility of next year being a year of going wider in which we work towards increasing our positive impact in the local community as we reach more people with the Good News of Christ. We will form a developmental mission plan for the whole Church and this will ensure that we are using our gifts and resources to the maximum effect. The good year we have had is in large part due to the hard work and
commitment of the congregation at St Nicolas and I thank God for you all and the
way that God is working through you. Rev Neil Warwick |