St Mark’s Anglican Church, Buderim
Reports to the AGM
February 2016
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Contents
Church Wardens’ Report - 4
Rector’s Report - 6
Youth Children & Families Report - 15
Treasurer’s Report and Consolidated Financial Reports
including the Proposed Budget (28-29) for 2016 - 17
Ladies Guild Report - 30
Reconciliation Group Report - 32
Cursillo Report - 35
Friend’s Of St Mark’s Financial Report - 36
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Churchwardens’ Report AGM – 28th February 2016
“Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God” (Rick Warren)
Another year has passed and so the family of St Mark’s is now one year away from the
commencement of our centennial year. However, that is for the future so we thank you for the
opportunity to reflect on 2015.
PEOPLE: “…..kind, generous, committed, dedicated, faithful, hard-working…” these are some of
the words St Mark’s people and beyond have used to describe Fr Jeremy and his ministry. Easter
2016 will be the 3rd anniversary of the arrival of the Greaves family at St Mark’s and over that time
we have seen positive growth in all aspects of the parish.
We thank Fr Jeremy for the amount of energy and love he puts into St Mark’s and to Josie & family
for their active support. After Christmas, it was good to see the family enjoying a holiday together
and we will do all we can to ensure Fr Jeremy has further opportunities to “recharge his batteries”
this year. A highlight of 2015 was a bus trip to St John’s Cathedral Brisbane to witness Fr Jeremy’s
commissioning as Archdeacon for the Sunshine Coast, adding further leadership responsibilities
with Fr Jeremy making arrangement to ensure the parish is not financially impacted by his new
leadership role within the diocese.
2015 has been a year of consolidation for our full time Children & Family Coordinator, Jeremy
Couch. We thank Jeremy for his dedication and bold, enthusiastic approach to his role. Jeremy’s
long daily commute and changing family commitments (the Couch family welcomed “No. 7” child,
Nehemiah) have taken some personal adjusting for which we thank him, his wife Fiona and their
delightful kids
Parish Secretary Julie Griscti is the “silent cog that keeps the place operating seamlessly” so one
parishioner put it….thanks Julie for your diligence, smiling face and the thankless task of keeping
track of our “Jeremys”! The “silent cog” description can also be applied to our Sacristan Anne
Meares. Thank you Anne for ensuring so many important aspects of the life of the church are done
on time and with the minimum of fuss.
St Mark’s is truly blessed with many volunteers who give much of their time & energy to the family
of St Mark’s. Just like the vacuum cleaning at home…you would notice if it was not done…the
same goes for the jobs our band of volunteers do…usually quietly and without a fuss….THANK
YOU!
PROPERTY: There were no major changes in colour but the painting of the inside of our church
building did freshen it up and the installation of the new big fan has ensured fresh air is always
available with less reliance on air conditioning. Roof leaks have reduced significantly but we must
always be vigilant with gutter cleaning.
In 2015, work on the rectory was much reduced from the previous year, however, new blinds were
installed and thanks to volunteers, renovation of the downstairs guest room was completed. In
2016 it is planned to renovate the main bathroom and conduct major work on the pool and
surrounds. The estimated total cost of $70,000 will be covered by an increase in our current
$33,000 loan on the rectory. This work is a necessity to ensure the Greaves family continue to
enjoy a lovely family home and to preserve our investment for the future.
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The parish hall floor will be re-surfaced and has been allowed for in our 2016 budget. With the
removal of some camphor laurel trees, Wunya Park is “thickening up” with the new native
plantings and the erection of the carved poles have strengthened the link of the park with
indigenous families.
PURSE: On behalf of the family of St Mark’s, we thank parish treasurer Bob Day for guiding the
parish though 2015 in reasonable financial shape. His report for 2015 and budget for 2016 are
comprehensive and available for all parishioners to view and make comment.
In 2015, we were able to meet all our financial commitments but ended the year with a small
deficit. As said every year, we ask all parishioners (especially those who have joined us recently)
to consider one of the methods to give regularly to St Mark’s. Direct bank (via internet banking or
Anfin) or dated weekly envelopes make such a difference by ensuring St Mark’s has a regular
income to meet our regular costs. This being said and on behalf of the family of St Mark’s, we
thank most sincerely our regular givers. We receive no funding from elsewhere and must rely on
your generosity to continue to work for the Glory of God in this place.
Another way to give financially to St Mark’s is by making a bequest in your will. These gifts arrive
irregularly and notwithstanding that someone dear to the parish has died, they are received with
gratitude as there is so much more that St Mark’s can do if we had the funding. If you want to
discuss how a bequest is made, please see one of us.
PLANS: It is our belief the 2015 parish council has worked well and every meeting was held in
good spirits with healthy and respectful discussions. For this we thank the council and Fr Jeremy
for his “cheerful” chairmanship and guidance. There will be some fresh and some familiar faces on
the 2016 parish council but we expect the new council will continue to work on the plans to
enhance and progress the temporal and spiritual direction of the parish family.
Finally, in 2015 we have experienced all the “moments” but thankfully many more “Happy
moments” than the others. For this we thank God.
Yours in Christ.
Don White, Anna McKinlay & Andrew Butterworth
Churchwardens of St Mark’s.
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Rector’s Report to St Mark’s AGM
The Ven. Jeremy Greaves
“It is customary to blame secularism for the eclipse of religion in modern society. But it would be
more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but
because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive and insipid.
When faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain, when religion speaks only in the name
of authority rather than with the voice of compassion – its message becomes meaningless.”
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18
There are many theories about how clergy should approach starting in a new parish.
Some people suggest making lots of changes very quickly – like removing a band-aid quickly – there
might be some shock and some pain but it’s over very quickly and those who survive will be happy to
live with the changes once made.
I’ve always thought there are a number of problems with this approach. Firstly it assumes a
knowledge of a place, its people and what’s needed before there has been any chance to get to
know them. Secondly it assumes that the priest brings with them a whole lot of wisdom that was
somehow missing before they arrived. It has always seemed to me to be a little arrogant.
Of course every priest brings with them their own way of doing things and it can often seem that
everything is changing when in fact little has changed apart from the priest.
There is, I think, some wisdom in taking things slowly.
“A year to get to know people. A year to work out what needs to be done. A year to work out how to
do it. And then another 5-10 years to get it done.” Said one of my training Rectors.
Next year, 2017, St Mark’s will celebrate its centenary. We will mark one hundred years of faithful
witness and ministry in this place and it is a great reminder to me that there were wise and faithful
people here when I arrived and there will be wise and faithful people here long after I go (whether
that be in 5, 10 or 20 years). However, after nearly three years, I think I have a fair understanding of
the Parish, its people and how, together, we might shape the Mission and Ministry of the Parish as
we look forward in faith.
We have much to be thankful for in our life together…
With over 200 people gathering for worship at different services each week – 7.00am, 8.30am,
10.15am, Evensong, weekday services – we are among the largest Parishes in the Diocese. We
continue to offer a variety of worship styles and to develop more opportunities for people to
gather in prayer and worship and this underpins our life together at St Mark’s
Across the Parish there are well over 150 people involved in some way in ministry. This includes
LA’s, organists, musicians, mowers, the flower guild, hospital visitors, leaders of services at
nursing homes and retirement villages, those who lead bible studies, those who help from time
to time in the office, Mainly Music volunteers, Messy Church, Sunday school and youth ministry
volunteers, those on parish council, Wardens, the Treasurer, members of the reconciliation
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group, those involved in hospitality (morning tea, funerals, social gatherings), and others who do
things large and small to share in Christ’s ministry at St Mark’s. This of course does not include
all those others whose ministry of prayer supports and sustains the life of the Parish. We are an
active and vibrant place where there is always something happening and always something to
join in.
Important amongst those who offer ministry amongst us are our organists and musicians who
share their gifts with us week by week and add to our worship. My thanks to David, Noela, Mel
and Ailsa at 10.15am and at Evensong and to Corey, Emily, Coline, Sarah, Andrew and Robert
who have all assisted with music at 8.30am. It was with sadness that we farewelled Corey
recently as he moves to Brisbane to begin engineering studies at University. It has been
wonderful to get to know Corey over the last couple of years and to see him develop as both a
musician and a fine young man. As Corey leaves, we welcome Emily, a year 10 student from
Matthew Flinders Anglican College who has taken on the role of pianist for our 8.30am service.
We also thank Gail Teiwson for her work over many years directing the choir for the 10.15am
service. Gail has worked tirelessly at St Mark’s for most of the 20 years she has lived on the
Sunshine Coast, faithfully leading the choir and doing endless work behind the scenes to write
out music, choose anthems and keep everything in order. Gail recently tendered her resignation
and I hope there will be an appropriate occasion very soon at which we can properly thank Gail
and acknowledge the enormous contribution she has made to the life of the parish.
There is a great willingness amongst the people of St Mark’s to be open to thinking and
learning. There are at least four regular bible study or
discussion groups that run throughout the year (one of
them has been going for over 30 years!!) and almost 100
people have elected to be involved in a Lent group this
year or have taken a copy of the material to study in
their own time.
This openness to learning is also reflected in the success
of the Sunday Afternoon Conversations we began in
2015 with anywhere between 30 and 70 people coming for each of the events we held. A
highlight was the series led by Ken Miles exploring questions of science and religion.
I remain committed to offering opportunities for Adult Christian Education in addition to regular
bible study and discussion groups. In 2015 we hosted visits from Alan Cadwallader, Ray
Barraclough, and Kevin Treston which were all well attended and provoked plenty of good
questions and further conversation. In a completely different way, the singing workshop with
Tony Backhouse brought together 60 people over a weekend to sing together in a way that
wonderful to watch as well as to listen to.
St Mark’s continues to have a high profile in the wider
community through our willingness to be involved in many of
the Community events in Buderim. In 2015 I re-worked the
annual “ecumenical” service on Australia Day to broaden its
focus and to offer hospitality to those outside the Christian
tradition. A few feathers were ruffled but the overwhelming
feeling was that this was a timely and important refocussing.
As important as the service itself, where what we shared was
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on display more than our differences, was the conversation afterwards over morning tea. A
wonderful irony was the fact that, of all those participating in the service from the various
religious traditions, the only one of us who was born in Australia was the representative from
the Islamic community – the rest of us were from the UK, Canada, the USA, South Africa and
New Zealand.
St Mark’s played an important and visible part in the
centenary of ANZAC commemorations, with a
wonderful display in the church and by being part of
the dawn service and we continued our association
with the Buderim Community Carols.
In response to encouragement from the Diocese for
parishes to think about reconciliation, a small group
has worked hard over the last year to organise a number of events acknowledging and
including local Aboriginal and Islander people. This is a continuation of the work that has been
done over a number of years to remind people of the indigenous history of Buderim and the
ongoing work of reconciliation. As well, Heather Johnson and helpers, through SAILs has
continued to develop Wunya Park as a place of beauty and a great example of Buderim’s
indigenous vegetation (rapidly reclaiming its place without having to compete with camphor
laurels.
Easter was a high-point for many last year.
Prompted by the visit of Bishop Clyde Wood the
chapel was transformed into a garden that
became for many a place of quiet contemplation
throughout holy week. And it was not just St
Mark’s people who came and sat in the “garden”
– it was fascinating to me, as I watched from my
office, just how many people I had never seen
before wandered in over the course of the week to see the beautiful space that had been
created.
One of the biggest and most wonderful surprises for me was the number of people who
committed to “staying the course” from Palm Sunday (when we gathered in the park with
people from St Mary’s and the Uniting Church), through each day in Holy Week to Easter Day.
Our worship was also enriched by the increased number of times we gathered for Evensong
during the year. One of the treasures of our tradition, Evensong brings people to St Mark’s from
around the Sunshine Coast, from as far away as Caloundra, Maleny and Noosa. It was terrific
also to involve local choirs on a couple of occasions to both bring us some different music and to
give them a taste of Anglicanism.
Our life together is not all hard work and once again
in 2015 it has been good to get together a number
of times for purely social or fun things. We’ve
enjoyed a number of great Social events together –
pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, Christmas in July, the
Parish lunch and a number of other events. Thanks
as always to the dedicated team who work together
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to make sure these things happen with a minimum of fuss and a maximum amount of
enjoyment.
While Matthew Flinders Anglican College has been unable to appoint a replacement chaplain, I
have continued to “fill gaps” at the College, being involved where I can with Chapel services,
formal occasions, pastoral care for staff and students and other things from time to time. Last
year this work was recognised by the College with a financial contribution to the Parish. This
year, while the College remains without a Chaplain, I will continue to do what I can to build
stronger ties with the Parish and to assist where and when I am able.
It is a little over twelve months since Jeremy Couch
joined us as our Children, Youth and Families Ministry
Coordinator. This Ministry has not been without its
challenges but there are plenty of positive signs that
various things are working to bring children and young
people more closely into the St Mark’s community. You
will see from Jeremy’s report some of the ongoing
challenges as well as some of the great things that have
happened over the last twelve months.
One of the reasons I can keep on top of so much of what happens in and around St Mark’s is
because we have a smoothly running office. Under the care of Julie Griscti phones get
answered, hall bookings are managed, the website is updated, rosters are compiled, pew-sheets
are printed and over the course of the week dozens of other small things are done to make sure
everything runs smoothly. Julie’s friendly and caring manner mean that many peoples’ first
contact with the church, through her, is a positive and welcoming one.
Keeping our new website up to date is one of Julie’s many jobs and we have been tremendously
encouraged by the positive feedback we have received since the new site has “gone live.” All
websites are constantly changing and evolving and we rely on you to let us know if things are out
of date or if there are additional things you would like to see online.
The other team that keeps things running smoothly comprises the Wardens and Parish Council.
Together with Bob Day our treasurer they have worked hard over the last twelve months to
both support me and give direction when needed, and I thank them for their unflagging
encouragement and hard work. I thank those members of Council who are not seeking reelection this year and look forward to working with a new Council over the course of 2016. I
particularly thank Don White who is stepping down as Warden, but who has agreed to project
manage the work that is to be done this year on the Rectory.
Because of the fore-thought and generosity of those who have gone before us we are fortunate
to have wonderful facilities here at St Mark’s – a beautiful church building, a good-sized hall,
recently renovated kitchen, lovely grounds and adequate offices. The fact that all these facilities
always look well loved and cared for is due to the hard work of many different people.
A dedicated team keep the lawns mowed and the constant falling leaves at bay, a number of
others maintain different garden beds and a small team works week by week to keep the
weeds at bay in Wunya Park. Without all these people we would soon be over-grown and the
place would look uncared for.
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In the past twelve months we have undertaken some major projects to ensure the upkeep of
our buildings. The painting of the interior of St Mark’s was a big undertaking that was managed
with little disruption to the life of the Parish. Thanks to the vigilance of Anna Mackinlay the job
was done just about as we requested, and I am thankful to Anna for the negotiating she found
time to do to make sure we got exactly what we paid for. As part of the work on the interior of
St Mark’s we also removed the six small ceiling fans and replaced them with a single “Big Ass”
fan. This fan moves silently and is able to circulate air much more efficiently than the smaller
fans and has meant that we have rarely had to use the costly and noisy air-conditioning units
since its installation.
I am deeply thankful for the ongoing work of Anne Meares as Sacristan/Verger. Anne spends
countless hours each week working quietly “behind the scenes” to ensure things are ready for
services, that the linen is clean and pressed, that the colours are changed and that the altar
supplies are ordered. If you ever drive past St Mark’s late in the evening and see lights, it is
probably Anne polishing the brass or tidying the sanctuary or doing one of any number of other
jobs that no one notices until they are not done.
Of course the great danger of thanking people is that someone somewhere gets missed and one
of the wonderful things about a community as vibrant as St Mark’s is that there are so many
people involved in the life of the Parish that this danger is magnified. So, thank you all for
continuing to make visible God’s kingdom in this place – together, from the youngest to the
oldest, we are God’s people in this place and that is something for which we can be truly
thankful.
St Mark’s seems to be bucking the trend with which so many Parishes
across the diocese and in the church generally are struggling: we are not
in decline. While I’m not sure that we’re growing at any great rate we are
holding our own and we continue to welcome new people into the
Parish. However we will never grow if people don’t invite others to “come
and see.” The Archbishop is encouraging Parishes to use the “Leading
Your Church into Growth” material that was introduced to the clergy and
many lay people last year.
At its heart this material encourages a very simple strategy for church growth, nine words that we’re
really not very good at using, “Would you like to come to church with me?”
When was the last time you invited someone to come to church? (if ever…)
Once they’re here we are getting better at “capturing” peoples’ details and getting them on the Roll
and mailing list, and everyone who fills out one of our “Welcome” cards gets a note from me
welcoming them to the Parish. However we need to establish better ways of welcoming and
including people and making them feel part of the parish community. We also need to find better
ways of letting them know about our financial situation and financial needs.
In the coming year I hope we might re-introduce some sort of function for new people, to welcome
them and tell them about the St Mark’s community. And while we run a variety of occasional and
regular small groups, we do not currently have any groups offered for those who wish to learn the
basics of the faith.
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Just as we’ve welcomed people to the Parish, we’ve also said our fair share of farewells. In addition
to Gail Teiwson and Corey Lehmann, we have farewelled a number of long-term members of our
church family who have either moved to be closer to family or who have died.
It was a great shock during the year when Fr Doug Lloyd suffered a stroke and for some time we
missed his presence with us as well as his violin – it has been tremendous and a great answer to the
prayers of many, to see Doug back on his feet and with his violin in hand!!
The coming year:
In order to regularise Sundays to make for easier planning for people I have planned a
monthly cycle of Sundays. Hopefully people will begin to know, “If it’s the 3rd Sunday it must
be Messy Church” etc. This will enable us to build on what has been established over the last
few years. This programme is still being fine-tuned and finalised but my hope is that it will
develop along lines similar to those set out below.
1st Sunday: Sunday Afternoon Conversations – Feb: Robyn Cadwallader, March: Val
Webb, April: Dave Andrews & Nora Amath
2nd Sunday: MFAC Evening Service
3rd Sunday: Messy Church
4th Sunday: Evensong
It is my intention to have Fr Chris Whittall (or other clergy) take some or all of the Sunday
morning services once a month on the second Sunday. This will allow me some time to
develop (with the help of Deborah Bird our theological student on placement) a Sunday
evening service in the Chapel at Matthew Flinders Anglican College. In the first instance this
service will be a quiet, meditative service similar in style to Taize worship. I hope it will
complement the services at St Mark’s and will connect with some of the College community
who might not otherwise join us for worship “at the top of the hill.”
One of the provisions in the 2016 budget is an amount of $10,000.00 to pay for clergy
support – I will do my best to make sure this is used properly throughout the course of the
year.
Both Fr Chris Whittall and Fr John Cornish have both indicated their willingness to help out in
various ways in the Parish. I am also fortunate in having Fr Ken Beer and Fr Monty Morris
along with the Revd Pam Hill also happy to help from time to time and Fr Bill Doak and Fr
Tom Smith who offer wisdom, prayer and endless words of encouragement.
This year we will also begin the roll out of the Safety
Management Plan for the Parish. As part of the new national
Work Health and Safety Guidelines we are required to become
much more pro-active in our efforts to ensure the Church
environment is safe for all. In coming months Don White and
Sue Milwright will take a lead in educating us in what needs to
be done and putting in place some new protocols for dealing
with incidents, accidents and near misses.
The work of Repairs and Maintenance to Parish properties is constant and on-going. As noted in the
Wardens’ report, this year major work will be done to repair the pool and surrounds at the Rectory
as well as upgrading the main bathroom, which was not done during the renovations three years
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ago. The 2016 Budget also makes provision for the resurfacing of the floor in the Hall as well as
regular repairs and maintenance.
The Wardens also remind us of how challenging it is to meet our budget each year. Again in 2016
we are presenting a deficit budget to the AGM in full knowledge that to do this year after year is not
sustainable. I join the Wardens in encouraging members of the Parish to review their regular giving
and to seriously consider including the parish in their Will. Two or three significant bequests,
invested properly, would make a significant difference to how our ongoing financial needs might be
met.
Constant fundraising is both exhausting and a distraction to the work we are really called to do as
church and while great events like the “Monster Market” are a tremendous help to the budget, they
come at great cost to the time and energy of the whole Parish community.
Our Centenary Celebrations will be a major focus of activity in 2017 and this year will see plenty of
work done to prepare. As we give thanks for the last 100 years of ministry and mission, we look
forward in hope to the future. Very soon a more
formal committee will be constituted to
coordinate activities throughout the centenary
year. I hope that there will be many activities
and events over the course of the year that will
appeal to a broad cross-section of both the
parish and the wider community.
Some of the things in the early stages of
planning for the Centenary Celebrations
include:
 Centenary Weekend: A major focus of our celebrations will be a visit by the Very Rev Martyn
Percy (Dean of Christ Church Oxford) and will include a Gala Dinner, Centenary Lecture and
Festal Eucharist with the Archbishop. This weekend marks the anniversary of the Dedication of
St Mark’s on 28 July 1917.
 Memorial Garden Project: Draft
plans have been obtained for a
redevelopment of the Memorial
Garden as a major project to
mark the Centenary. The existing
garden needs significant work if it
is to remain a place of peace and
beauty where people can come
and remember loved ones whose
ashes are interred there. You will
be able to see a copy of the
DRAFT plan on display at the
AGM. The cost of this project will
be around $25,000.00 and we
will soon be calling for donations to cover this. Those with loved ones already interred in the
garden can be reassured that no soil from the garden will be removed from the site during the
work and that every care will be taken to ensure the ground is undisturbed where at all possible.
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
A number of other projects are also being considered and I am open to further suggestions:
Community Garden, New vestments, sanctuary wall hangings, an art exhibition/competition, a
major concert…
The book of Proverbs tells us that “Where there is no vision the people perish.”
All of the church health and church growth people tell us that two of the leading indicators for
churches that are growing are a drum kit and a clearly articulated and agreed plan and purpose.
Our centenary year provides a wonderful focus for the formulation of a plan that will take us into the
next 3-5 years – so that we begin our new century with clarity of vision and purpose.
Every Parish in the Diocese is being encourage to work on a Mission Action Plan and I intend to make
the adoption of a plan for the Parish one part of our centenary celebrations.
I have met with Geoff De Lacy from Polaris Consulting to develop a process for putting together a
Strategic Plan for St Mark’s. Geoff has extensive experience within the church and in business and
has offered his time and expertise to assist us in developing a plan that will give us clear direction
over the next few years.
Geoff is a specialist in human resources. He is involved
extensively in strategy and business planning. He also focuses
on facilitating strategy development and succession planning
at senior levels, reviewing organisations, and developing
management development models and programs. Geoff
conducts senior management assessments for key executives in
organisations. Geoff is a well-regarded executive coach,
facilitator and management trainer.
Prior to establishing his own company, Geoff worked
extensively in both corporate and consulting human resources
roles within both Australia and Asia. Geoff has been Division
Manager, Human Resources with Coca-Cola South Pacific;
General Manager, Human Resources, St. George Bank; Director
of the Human Resource Consultancy Division `of Ernst & Young;
General Manager Personnel for a major division of Burns Philp;
Director Human Resource Management with the Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet and of Social Security. He has
been involved extensively in most of the specialist areas of human resource management.
Geoff was an inaugural Board Member of the Australian Human Resources Institute, and for several years held the roles of
Government Relations Chair and International Relations Chair. He was also a member of the Government Task Force on
Leadership and Management Skills (the Karpin Committee) and sat on the Task Force's Diversity and Higher Education sub
committees.
Geoff holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Griffith
University. He has majored in communication and the media, public administration, human resource management and
industrial relations, including labour law.
Geoff has authored two publications for the AICD namely "Have to Implement a Board Performance Management System"
and "How to Design and Implement a Board Induction Program". He has been commissioned to write four more in the
series.
I hope that working with Geoff we will be able to address all the concerns of those who will say,
“We’ve done this before… and nothing happened!”
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Finally, contrary to Rabbi Heschel’s observations about religion, I do not think there is much that is
“irrelevant, dull, oppressive or insipid” in our life together at St Mark’s. There are always things we
could do better but I am convinced that there is much that we are doing right.
I remain committed to sharing Christ’s ministry with you at St Mark’s and am excited about the year
ahead.
The blessing I use each Sunday at the 8.30am service is one that constantly reminds me of our calling
as God’s people in this place – it is my challenge to myself and I leave it with you as we walk together
into the future God calls us to.
God who has called you is faithful.
Go into the world with joy,
forgive generously, love extravagantly,
live abundantly;
and the blessing of God,
 the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Grace and peace be with you all,
The Venerable Jeremy Greaves
Rector, St Mark’s Buderim
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Youth, Children’s and Families – Annual Report 2016
Introduction
15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’
grief].
in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but
associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. 17 Never repay
anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. 18 If
possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”. Romans 12:14-18 amp
16 Live
I believe that “loving community” is one of the values at the heart of the Christian
faith. It was as paramount in the early church as it is for the church today. Our
loving community is not just a source of encouragement, strength, solace and love
for those that belong to the faith but for those who are seeking out authenticity,
acceptance and the love of Christ.
It warms my heart to have witnessed such community developing among the many
people the Youth, Children’s and Family Ministry engages from both within our faith
community and the wider community of the Sunshine Coast.
I am so proud of the many volunteers that serve so faithfully and lovingly within the
Youth, Children’s and Families Ministry here at St Marks Anglican Church, Buderim.
Without “You” the ministry would lack the love, grace, and enthusiasm required to
build the loving community it has become over the last 12 months. Thank you from
the bottom of my heart.
Review of 2015
In the last 12 Months we have continued to build on our established programs and
seen many new initiatives that have reached our wider community and enriched our
faith community.
Sunday School – Has seen a lot of new volunteers that have enriched the lives of
our preschool and primary aged young people we have averaged 13 attendees
each Sunday in 2015. During the year we engaged with a new curriculum called
“Seasons of the Spirit” which has helped simplify our Sunday school lessons. In 2016
we look forward to assisting the spiritual growth of our young people.
Friday Night Frenzy – Has been a new initiative this year. Friday Night Frenzy is a
youth group for primary aged youth; the youth group has run every Friday during
school term and has engaged with 53 children from 32 different families. Our
Average weekly attendance was 18 young people. As we plan for this years Friday
night frenzy program week look forward to further growth and enrichment of the
young people that attend this program.
Buderim Mountain State School – Our continued involvement at Buderim
Mountain State School is appreciated by the school community, we have several RI
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Teachers in place, which contribute greatly to the spiritual awareness of the
students. We have several volunteers that assist with the breakfast club on
Wednesdays mornings. Pamela Davey coordinates the mentoring program and I
have taken up along with three others from our parish the opportunity to be a
mentor in the school.
Mainly Music – The Mainly Music community continued to grow in 2015. We saw a
great influx of new mums and children. The families that attend over the year
became a close community supporting each other through times of great stress and
celebration. We had contact with 81 families, and averaged 17 Adults and 23
children each week of the mainly music program. We are excited to see how God
will develop this ministry in 2016.
Messy Church – Messy Church has been a great challenge in 2015, moving from
every two months to every six weeks the challenge was eased with the inclusion of
new leaders and volunteers. We have seen a new influx of families which has been
exciting. It was very evident at our last messy church in November 2015 that a
beautiful community had developed over the year and the Christmas Messy Church
was a great time of celebration. We averaged 76 attendees to Messy Church,
Which places St Marks Messy Church in the top 5% of Messy Churches in the
Diocese.
In Summary we have grown significantly over the last 12 months in both the Quality
and Quantity of our engagement with families’ youth and children here at St Marks
Buderim. In recent discussions with Jonathan Kemp the diocesan director for Youth,
Children’s and Families Ministry we are in the top 10 performing parishes for Youth,
Children’s & Families in the Diocese of Brisbane. Well done and thank you to all our
volunteers, supporters’, prayer warriors, parish council, wardens and last but not
least Fr Jeremy Greaves for your encouragement, direction and guidance, it has truly
been a team effort!
Jeremy Couch
Youth, Children & Families
St Marks Anglican Church Buderim
16
Treasurers Report
Year Ended 31 December 2015
Year Ended 31 December 2015
The financial results for 2015 were far better than budget but we still ended the year with a deficit of
$6,849.00. It should be noted that this deficit includes $7,200.00 transferred to the Motor Vehicle
Replacement Reserve.
It was budgeted to redraw $30,000 on our mortgage however a redraw of only $18,846.00 was
required.
A sum of $20,000.00 received From Matthew Flinders Anglican College for Chaplaincy Services
supplied by Fr Jeremy helped reduce what may have been a much larger deficit.
We start 2016 in a reasonable position, however, as you will see the 2016 Budget will present some
big challenges.
Operating Income
Income 2015 Actual v 2015 Budget
$350,000
$281,987$289,600
$300,000
$249,000
$224,366
$250,000
$200,000
Actual 2015
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
Budget 2015
$57,621
$40,600
$Other
Offertories
Total
Total Income was below the budget by $7,613. The total of the offertory came in $25,000 under
budget, it must be said that the Budget was set at a very optimistic figure. However Other Income
was $17,051 over budget. This result was due mainly to:



Donations from Ladies Guild
Miscellaneous Donations
Hall Rent
$4,200
$10,000
$3,000
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Operating Expenditure
Expenses 2015 Actual v 2015 Budget
$350,000
$309,750
$284,192
$300,000
$250,000
$183,250
$180,656
$200,000
Actual
$150,000
Budget
$44,500
$100,000
$29,076
$50,000
$51,350
$38,430
$36,030
$30,650
$Administration
Outreach
Property
Staff
Total
Total operating expenses came in $25,558 under budget, being:
Administration
Outreach
-$1,574
-$8,470
Property
-$12,920
Staff
-$2,594
Small savings/ variations across all areas
Seminars and workshops showed a profit – a saving of
$4,465.
Minor variations in other areas.
Car Park made acceptable at no cost – Saving $4,000
New signage not done - Saving $3,000
Memorial Garden Maintenance – Saving $2,000
Various other small variances.
No major variances
Extraordinary Income
We received $20,000.00 from Matthew flinders Anglican College for Chaplaincy services provided by
Father Jeremy.
Capital Expenditure
Major Capital expenditure projects were:

Installation of the Big Fan
$7,200.
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The Year Ahead - Year Ended 31 December 2016
The 2016 Operating Budget is set to show a deficit of about $6,000. This will be funded by our 2015
surplus.
Major non-recurring Maintenance of the Rectory is required:
You will note that we have budgeted for major maintenance work to be carried out on our Rectory.
The bathroom will be replaced at an estimated cost of $15,000 and the swimming pool, pool deck,
paving and pool fence will undergo major works estimated to cost $55,000.
This major expense will be funded by increasing our mortgage by $70,000. The level of repayments
of our mortgage will remain the same and we should repay it within ten years.
The following gives an overview of the Operating Budget compared to the 2015 results.
Operating Income 2016
Income 2015 Actual v 2016 Budget
$350,000
$314,530
$281,987
$300,000
$233,000
$250,000
$224,366
$200,000
Actual 2015
$150,000
$100,000
Budget 2016
$81,530
$57,621
$50,000
$Other
Offertories
Total
The total income for 2016 is expected to be about $32,543 more than 2015
Other Income
+$23,000
Offertory
+$9,000
Seminars and Workshops $9,000
Monster Market $16,000
Modest Increase only
19
Operating Expenditure 2016
Operating expenditure is expected to increase by about $18,000 over the 2015 actual.
Expenses 2015 Actual v 2016 Budget
$350,000
$302,093
$284,192
$300,000
$250,000
$181,500
$200,000
$180,656
Actual
Budget
$150,000
$50,200
$100,000
$29,076
$50,000
$30,900
$36,030
$39,493
$38,430
$Administration
Outreach
Administration
Outreach
+$14,000
Property
No major increase
Staff
No major
variances
Property
Staff
Total
No significant change.
Seminars and Workshops $8,000
Missions $2,000
Major maintenance items for St Marks
 Hall Floor $3,000
 Upgrade of Security System $3,000
Major maintenance items for Rectory
 See Extraordinary Expenses
$10,000 budgeted for Locums and Priest Support
-$10,000 Archdeacon Expenses recovered from
Diocese
Capital Expenditure and Extraordinary Income
No items in this category have been budgeted for.
I would like to thank all those who have helped in the finance area throughout the year. In particular
a big thank you to our counters, your efforts are most appreciated.
Thank you for giving me the privilege of being the Treasurer of St Marks
Robert (Bob) Day
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St Marks Anglican Church
Buderim
Actual 2015
Budget 2015
Budget 2016
INCOME
Advertising income "The Mark"
Donations-Friends of St Marks
Donations Ladies Guild
Donations - Miscellaneous
Donations Youth Ministry
Hall rent
Interest rec'd S1 "Easy Access
Interest rec'd S2.3 Car A/c & Projects
Memorial Gardens Income
Miscellaneous income
Missions ABM - Incl Lenten Offerings
Missions Bush Ministry Fund/Christmas Bowl
Missions Val Smith Orr
Mainly Music & Messy Church Income
Offertories ANFIN Direct
Offertories Direct banked
Offertories envelopes
Offertories loose cash
Seminars and Workshops
Use of Church
Parish social activities
Total INCOME
0
0
5200
14654
1,000
1,000
5,000
15,000
200
100
2,000
1,100
200
2050
18342
235
59
200
85
1006
50
1352
2095
39174
49370
80395
55427
3,000
44,000
60,000
90,000
55,000
6594
5699
$
281,987
1,000
3,000
15,000
20,000
200
80
500
100
1,100
50
1,500
3,000
40,000
52,000
83,000
58,000
9,000
7,000
20,000
6,000
6,000
$
289,600
$
314,530
EXPENSES
Administration
Administration
7,508
7,000
8,000
Advertising
Audit fees
Church service/supplies
Equipment rental
Internet expenses
Light & Power St Marks
Parish Activities
Security St Marks
Stewardship expenses
Sundries
Tel/Fax ST MARKS
648
1,050
2,754
1,552
2,740
2,591
3,136
474
465
5,198
960
1,200
1,200
4,500
2,000
800
3,000
4,000
600
350
5,000
1,000
2,000
1,200
3,000
1,600
1,000
3,000
4,000
600
500
5,000
1,000
Total Administration
$
29,076
$
30,650
$
30,900
Outreach
Diocesan contributions
Discretionary funds
Missions paid ABM
Missions Bush Ministry Fund
Missions Special Appeals
Missions Val Smith Orr
Seminars and Workshops
Youth Ministry
Ministers Fraternal
School Chaplaincy - BMSS
Mainly Music, Messy Church & Sunday School
Sponsorship Overseas Children
Total Outreach
15,500
139
7,421
5,000
292
1,352
(1,465)
3,118
15,500
1,000
6,500
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
2,000
5,000
500
1,000
3,243
430
$
36,030
16,000
1,000
6,500
5,000
2,000
2,700
7,000
3,000
500
2,000
4,000
500
$
44,500
$
50,200
Property
Cleaning St Marks
Insurance excess
Insurance Church Properties
Insurance Motor Vehicles
Memorial Gardens Expenses
Minor assets expensed
Organ Maintenance
Rates Rectory
Water Rectory
Rates St Marks
Water St Marks
R&M St Marks
R&M Rectory
Total Property
$
4,897
6,000
5,500
3,496
635
521
880
227
1,608
987
1,315
17,628
6,236
4,000
600
600
2,500
1,000
500
1,500
1,050
1,600
25,000
7,000
4,433
460
500
2,000
1,000
300
1,800
1,000
2,500
13,000
7,000
38,430
$
51,350
$
39,493
Staff
Clergy Education
1,308
21
1,000
1,500
Actual 2015
Budget 2015
3,341
5,307
620
167,704
292
2,200
4,000
1,000
170,000
479
325
1,280
600
450
4,000
Budget 2016
3,000
5,500
1,000
167,500
10,000
(10,000)
600
400
2,000
Light & Power Rectory
M/V Costs Rector
M/V costs Staff
Salaries
Salaries Locums/ Priest Support
Archdeacon Expenses Recovered
Tel Staff Mobile
Tel Rector Home
WorkCover
Total Staff
$
180,656
$
183,250
$
181,500
Total EXPENSES
$
284,192
$
309,750
$
302,093
Cash Profit/Loss
$
(2,205) $
(20,150) $
12,437
Loan Repayment
Rectory Renovations
Motor Vehicle Replacement Reserve
Fan
$
Surplus/(Deficit)
Chaplaincy MFAC Received
Surplus/( Deficit)
Transfer from Reserves
Mortgage Increase
Redraw
Surplus
Cash Surplus/(Deficit)
14,444
16,640
3,000
7,200
3,000
7,000
24,644
$
$
$
$
(26,849) $
20,000 $
(6,849) $
26,640
15,000
70,000
3,000
$
(46,790) $
(46,790) $
88,000
(75,563)
(75,563)
70,000
18,846
$
11,997
22
30,000
20,600
$
3,810
6,000
$
437
23
24
25
26
27
28
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St Mark’s Ladies Guild Annual Report for 2015
We began our year in November 2014 with our Christmas Fair where we were able to raise $1349
for the Parish. Our Christmas Luncheon at the Goodlife Centre was a very happy occasion and we
were delighted to have Jenny Cant, a past President with us. The World Day of Prayer in March was
held at Grace Church and our members and those of the Mother’s Union took part in the service.
Our Mothers Day Stall in May raised $983. In October we once again had a Gourmet Morning Tea
and Marjorie Van Roy from Manawee Nursery gave a very interesting and informative talk on garden
maintenance. While we had morning tea Fr Doug Lloyd serenaded us which was so much
appreciated by everyone. We were delighted to raise $1411. We concluded our fund raising for the
year with a Cake Stall in October, raising $1123. We were very grateful to the many people in the
Parish who generously supported us. Altogether this year we have been able to transfer $3,700 to
the Parish.
Last November we made donation to the Bush Ministry Fund, Chappy Dave and Anglicare. We are,
of course, a small group these days, and an ageing one, but we enjoy our meetings and the loving
fellowship this engenders. The Guild exists to promote God’s work in the Parish and we are grateful
for the support of Father Jeremy and we give thanks for his wonderful ministry to St Mark’s.
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St Mark’s Anglican Church, Buderim
Annual Report 2015
Indigenous Reconciliation
This year St Marks hosted and welcomed three events for Indigenous Reconciliation:
in January, February and July. In August, prompted by the consultations for the
Diocesan Reconciliation Action Plan, a small group was formed to consider how St
Mark’s might contribute to Reconciliation.
A Celebration of Country – Australians coming together for reconciliation – on
Wednesday 21st January. The event was supported by Suncare, Sunshine Coast
Private Hospital, Buderim SAILS, and Reconciliation Queensland. Brent Miller gave
the Welcome to country and demonstrated a traditional method of making fire; Fr
Jeremy Greaves was the MC.
The group participated in a hand print exercise, creating black and white handprints
on poles. This was followed by sharing of stories, including and a barbecue and bush
tucker lunch. Trees were planted by Peter Jackson, co chair of Reconciliation
Queensland and Aunty Betty McMahon, Patron of the Sunshine Coast Reconciliation
Group. The hand print poles were installed in Wunya Park a couple of weeks later.
Serving our country – Friday 13th February –
A history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people in defence of Australia, by Professor
John Maynard with special guest Michael
Williams as mc. Susan Morgan (Chilly) gave the
Welcome to Country.
Professor Maynard travelled from Newcastle
where he is Professor of Indigenous Studies and
Director of the Wollotuka Institute of Aboriginal
Studies at the
University of Newcastle. The talk, held in the
church, attracted a large audience from around
the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, including
representatives of the Sunshine Coast and
Hand print poles created at the
Regional District of the RSL and from the
Celebration of Country at St Mark’s 21
January 2015
University of the Sunshine Coast. Many people
stayed for a light lunch, then proceeded to the
opening of the Australian First People and Islander War Memorial at the Green
House, in Lindsay Road. Serving Our Country was organised by Buderim SAILS and
supported by Beulah Community Ltd, The Community of Aiden and Hilda and
Caledonia Colour.
32
Memorial service for Cecil (Boyo) Fewquandie and dedication of memorial
carved poles, on Sunday 26th July, in the afternoon.
At the service, conducted by Farther Jeremy
Greaves, thanks were given for the life of
Boyo Fewquandie. His grandson, Lyndon
Davis and other family members, spoke
about Boyo, his life growing up in Buderim
and later.
The memorial was unveiled by Lyndon
Davis, and friends and family planted native
species nearby. The plaque reads: “ In
honour of Cecil (Boyo) Arrimy Fewquandie
1937-2015 who grew up nearby. The work
of his grandson and local traditional owner,
Lyndon Davis and carvers Colin Issacs and
Scott Griffiths”.
The reverse of the plaque relates to Wunya
Park, it reads: St Marks and Anglican Sails
collaborated to reserve this remnant of
original Buderim forest here. Weed species
were systematically removed and more
Relatives of Cec Fewquandie in front of the
natives planted. This project was completed
carved poles dedicated in his memory.
in 2015. Supported by The Queensland
State Government, the Sunshine Coast
Council, Beulah Community limited and Caledonia Colour.
The carvings were designed by Colin Issacs, transcribed from drawings by Lyndon
Davis, who based them on traditional Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) shield designs.
The poles were recycled courtesy of the Buderim Foundation. During Buderim’s
sesquicentenary, in 2012, they stood on the adjacent corner of Main Street and
Centreview Court, and recorded (by paint level) the donations by the local community
to the Buderim Foundation.
Diocesan Reconciliation Action Plan.
At Synod, all ACSQ parishes, schools and other entities were encouraged to engage
with Reconciliation. The diocesan RAP working group (co-chaired by Reverend
Bruce Boase and Reverend Dr Jonathon Ingpin) sought information about
Reconciliation activities and experience across the diocese, and to assist with this,
Father Jeremy Greaves featured in a video about Reconciliation in Action, prepared
for Synod 2015.
Support for Reconciliation within the parish led to the formation of St Mark’s
Reconciliation Group. The group, mindful of St Marks experience with Reconciliation,
and the resources available, recognised the opportunity to benefit from a toolkit
prepared by World Vision.
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St Mark’s Reconciliation Group
The initial purpose of the group, was to look at World Vision’s Walking Alongside
Toolkit, and to consider:
1. Would it be beneficial for St Marks to take part in the pilot /trial of World Vision’s Walk
Alongside toolkit?
2. Are there other reconciliation actions that St Marks might consider - e.g. events, or
working with the local community etc. and the diocesan RAP working group?
The group comprised Peter Bryant, Angela Costelloe, Paul McKinlay John Mitchell,
Margaret Norris, and Meredith Walker, and Fr Jeremy Greaves.
The group met five times and reported to the October meeting of the Parish Council.
At its August meeting, the Diocesan RAP group decided to hold keynote events in
each region and, the Rev. Dr. Jonathon Ingpin, invited Fr Jeremy, to host an event
for the Northern region at St Marks, in February 2016: ‘the idea is to bring key people
together (indigenous and Non-Indigenous), to share where we are at in the journey of
Reconciliation and look at next steps’.
The St Marks Reconciliation group offered to help with organising a RAP event for
the Northern Region of the diocese at St Marks; and in its report to the Parish
Council suggested a variety of reconciliation activities over 2016 and beyond.
Setting a date for the proposed Diocesan RAP event in 2016 proved illusive; and the
final work of the St Marks Reconciliation Group was to start organising a Celebration
of Country on 28th January 2016, building on the success of the event at the
beginning of the year.
Thank you to all the people at St Marks who supported the Reconciliation events and
have helped make them happen, especially Fr Jeremy and Julie Gristi.
Meredith Walker
.
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ST MARK’S ANGLICAN CHURCH - BUDERIM
CURSILLO REPORT TO ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
to be held on 28 February 2016
Cursillo is a worldwide movement within many of the Christian churches. It is a method that helps us
consciously live in God’s grace, to bring into our daily life the feeling of community we can share as
Christians, to nourish and equip us so that we may embrace and enjoy the fullness of Christian life.
Following a Cursillo 3 Day Weekend, many Cursillistas regularly meet together for a Group Reunion to support
each other and share our experiences and actions of our Christian living.
A small Cursillo Group Reunion continues to meet at St Mark’s on the 2 nd and 4th Friday of each month at St
Mark’s. We follow the guidelines provided by Anglican Cursillo with the addition of a Reflection. Cursillistas
are welcome to join us.
Vonda Kleinschmidt and Barbara Brumby attended the Celebration Ultreya for the 30 th Birthday of Anglican
Cursillo in Brisbane Diocese at Churchie on 26 September 2015. It was great to catch up with so many fellow
Cursillistas, including some who shared our weekend or were on team with us.
Recently a Parish Gathering (Ultreya) was held at St Mark’s with twelve Cursillistas in attendance. Laura
Commins and Vonda Kleinschmidt spoke about their Cursillo weekend experience.
Men’s and Women’s Cursillo weekends are to be held on the Sunshine Coast at Glendalough near Peregian midAugust 2016. It is hoped that there will be some candidates attending from St Mark’s .
Barbara Brumby
Parish Contact
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