Welcome and introduction: Alastair remembered a young Hungarian lady, who worshipped at Bradford Cathedral and had been tragically murdered. He read from Luke 7 reflecting on the exuberant love of the woman in the story and comparing it to those who had recently been confirmed.
Matters Arising: An advertisement has been placed for a new organist on the RSCM website and we are now waiting for responses. Thanks were expressed to Jonny and to John for organising the new card machine.
Vicar’s Report: Alastair expressed how encouraging it was that there had been 7 Connect services at the Parish Centre, 2 Connect Together at Church, 2 evening worship events. In addition, there had been a well-attended Remembrance Service held outdoors and a new youth group had started, thanks to Becky and Sam with 15 young people attending.
He reported on new speakers in the spire, involvement in the new Well-being hub, a new centre manager, Zoe Cullum. The highlight of the autumn was the confirmation of 12 candidates by Bishop Toby.
Alastair outlined plans for Advent and Christmas services and asked permission for services on Boxing Day to be suspended. The PCC agreed but asked for the Church building to remain open.
Financial Statement: John presented the accounts and shared the
wonderful news that £80,000 had been received in legacies and a further £25,000 in one-off gifts by Church members.
Children and Family Work: Despite a very good start to their job, Nerys and Sarah had both handed in their resignations. They have both been offered other employment which suits them both and their families. Alastair recorded a formal thank you to them both and asked the PCC to pray and think about how to move forward whilst keeping the momentum that had been created. It was recognised that some work would be needed on the job description.
Fabric Redecorating & Glass Door: – John reported a new fibre connection for the Church to support the 4G signal. New AV equipment had been purchased to assist with live-streaming on YouTube including a MEVO camera.
Reordering: After a lot of work from the Architect we are close to awarding a contract for the first phase of reordering which includes:
External works to the path to stop damp ingress
New internal Glass Door at West end
Repair to the fabric of the building above the nave windows
Removal of the arched wainscoting and replastering
Decoration of the Church.
Music: There have been two Thursday Worship evenings led by Amy Haguma from a local Bradford Church with excellent feedback. Concern was raised at the cost, but Alastair asked members to try and attend the event before making a judgement. Edward Scott is happy to play the organ for the short term.
Parish Centre: Zoe settling in well to the new role. Martin has given
notice of his resignation as treasurer.
Alastair