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STATUTORY REPORTS
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL – Sally Byng [Hon Secretary]
As a result of the 2015 APCM new lay members to the P.C.C. were: Sarah Rogaly and Sally Byng. Mandy
Jutsum and Howard Browning continued as Churchwardens. John Jutsum remained co-opted as Hon
Treasurer. Pam Page continued to hold the position of Electoral Roll Officer. The Parochial Church Council had eight meetings with an average attendance of 11 out of 14 elected members.
Ministry in the Parish was carried out by Revd Helen Bailey as Rector and Revd Sandy Emery as Associate
Priest. Linda Jarvis has continued as our Reader.
We had three members of Deanery Synod, which acts as an intermediary between the PCC and the
Diocesan Synod and consists of all clergy within the Stroud Deanery plus elected lay members. Our members in 2015 were Margaret Sheather (who is also lay Chair of the Deanery Synod), Linda Jarvis and
Sarah Rogaly.
P.C.C. meetings covered a wide variety of significant issues, which were well presented and debated. These included the following:
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Discussion, reporting and monitoring of the remediation and reordering proposals for the parish church
(see Fabric report below)
• Ongoing discussion about the parish share
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Work with children
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Graveyard maintenance and garden of remembrance
• Welcome at the parish church and of new residents in Minchinhampton
• Charity Commission registration
• Public liability insurance
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Health and safety policy
Two people were appointed to new roles this year: Jackie Natt was appointed as governor to the Primary
School to replace Jacqui Oliver who has moved away, joining Margaret Sheather, and the Rector as exofficio governor; and Alison Whitaker was licenced to administer the chalice:
William Page remains the Health and Safety Officer, Joan Goldsmith the Safeguarding Officer and Pat Swift the Recorder. Warm thanks are due to Geoff Lloyd and Mary Murray Wells who are standing down as PCC members having reached the end of their term of office.
At the meeting held on 15 th March 2016, John Jutsum presented the year end accounts, which were approved and signed by the Chair.
ELECTORAL ROLL - Pam Page [Electoral Roll Officer]
We have ended the year with 284 entries on the Electoral Roll of whom 82 live outside the ecclesiastical parish and 112 do not have e-mail addresses. This does not make it easy for members of the clergy and laity to maintain contact and it is hoped that as e-mail becomes more widely available members will notify the Electoral Roll Officer.
During the course of the year there have been 5 deaths and 8 members have moved away. We have 3 new members. The full membership is displayed on the Church notice boards in the porch lobby in Holy Trinity
Church and in the entrance to St. Barnabas Church. For security reasons we do not print addresses or telephone numbers. Please check that your name is on the list and let the Electoral Roll Officer know of any discrepancies.
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I would emphasise that if you wish to participate fully in the life of the church and have a vote in local and national decisions, you do need to be on the Electoral Roll.
FABRIC – Howard Browning [Churchwarden]
Routine maintenance was carried out in a similar way to last year. The clock and lightning conductors were serviced and checked, and the gutters cleared – though in the latter case, two further leaks had to be addressed subsequently, one in the entrance area, and one near the pigeonholes. In the churchyard, lawn mowing was extended to include twice-annual edging, including the area to the front of the church.
Lighting needed regular maintenance, helped by input from Ian Jarvis. Support was given to the Wildlife
Project, including plans for establishing a remembrance area, and fielding changes to the skip clearance process. Some larger growth in graves in the central area, was cleared. A local window cleaner agreed to clean the porch room/kitchen area in exchange for a magazine advert.
Routine repairs were needed, as always. Some repairs to the internal doors, and some work in Vestry
Cottage, were carried out. The entrance to the Parish Office was repaved following vehicle damage, including the fitting of a protective bollard, and the windows were repainted. Repairs were carried out to the lych gate notice board, and the new one built for overlooking the High Street. Neither has been trouble free, and in particular, they have been swollen by the incessant rain: further work is needed to stabilise them.
The development of the remediation and re-ordering project has taken significant effort from quite a number of people. The early lectures/discussions with Richard Giles and parishioners were extended in
June to include a wider audience, but there was, happily, a clear support expressed for the project, and quite a degree of agreement in how it should go forward. A project team was formed to work on the idea, and reports written regularly for the parish magazine and the web-site.
In mid-year, a group considered 20+ architects, went out and interviewed 6 companies, short-listed three for interview in Minchinhampton, and chose one: St Ann’s Gate in Salisbury, led by Antony Feltham-King - they are currently involved with the work at Cirencester, and Project Pilgrim at Gloucester Cathedral.
The main current work of the project team has been to seek financial support from institutions that give grants, over 50 in number – this work will continue throughout the year, keeping in contact with the
Market House group, who are on a similar mission. Also, measurement of the building continues (it has high humidity). Surveys on the building structure, on services including heating/electrical/drainage, and on acoustics have given a background to future architectural plans. A particularly valuable assessment by a very well-known organist (William McVicker), highlighted the best course for future organ development/maintenance, suggesting in particular that we should not consider moving it: he also has worked successfully with the acousticians to find ways of improving the audibility of the spoken word without compromising the sonority needed for music, something that will need to progressed in the reordering. Draft plans for re-ordering were the subject of a short talk and display in the church on March 5.
DEANERY SYNOD - Margaret Sheather [Deanery and Diocesan Synod Representative]
The Deanery Synod has met three times, as usual, during the last year, with a mix of regular business and visiting speakers and discussion. The following speakers provided briefings on work at local and diocesan level that prompted questions and discussion.
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Canon David Smith and Julie Ridgeway, the Diocesan Finance Officer, presented initial information about proposed arrangements for Parish Share in the five years 2016-21.
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• Revd Simon Howell, Pioneer Minister in the Stroud team, talked about how he hopes to engage effectively with the very spiritual and culturally diverse people of Stroud. Building on the work of Josh
Maynard, a range of creative activities/art/ music /faith workshops are being offered, and wellreceived.
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Duncan Munro, Secretary of the Diocesan Development Fund spoke about the intended functions of the fund and how parishes will be able to get access to grants.
The Deanery has welcomed two new priests:
Revd Peter Quinnell, House for Duty Team Vicar at St Matthews, Cainscross
Revd Michael Clark, Associate Priest at St Michael’s Bussage
The Synod has had briefings on a major pastoral reorganisation proposal for the West of the Deanery, arising from one expected and two existing vacancies.
Deanery Synod has reports at each meeting on the payment of Parish Share. It continues to be crucial that all parishes aim to meet their allocated share in order to sustain collective ministry across the deanery and the wider mission and ministry of the whole diocese. It strongly influences the level of ordained ministry it is possible to provide across our communities.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT – John Jutsum [Hon Treasurer]
Report available separately
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ST BARNABAS CHURCH, BOX – Colin French
The St Barnabas Committee usually meets three times a year. It oversees the finances and takes care of the day to day running of the church. The committee has six member plus the Rector and one church warden. It currently has no official convenor. We desperately need an injection of new, energetic younger blood!
As usual it has been a quiet year at St Barnabas' Church. Our numbers remain approximately the same this year. Attendance on Sunday is usually between 15 and 20. We were particularly saddened by the death of
Alison Wilkinson. She was a devoted member of the congregation and when she read the lesson it was a joy to hear. Another long standing and active member of the congregation was Evelyn Swan who, towards the end of the year, moved with her daughter to Northumberland. Happily her new house is well clear of the floods.
We are a very friendly congregation and are always delighted to welcome new faces, young or older, to our
Eucharistic service with hymns at 9 o'clock every Sunday. The "Friends of St Barnabas" which was launched last year has received further donations to its funds and these were further boosted by the very successful and enjoyable concert held in the Church during May. These funds will enable the committee to assist with the maintenance of the fabric of St Barnabas. We have been able to remove the two conifers at the east end of the church. This has opened up the area at that end of the site which we are hoping to make into an attractive amenity. Another costly project that the committee is considering is the state of the spire. The lower structure needs repainting and the gilding of the spire needs attention.
Christmas and Easter are as ever highlights within the year when the congregations are swelled by villagers, visiting friends and relations. It was agreed that the crib service at Box should be discontinued and replaced by a Carol Service on Christmas Eve. This was very well attended and was a great success.
Our particular thanks are due to Sarah Moseley and her team of flower arrangers. Flowers appear and decorate the church throughout the year. We are also indebted to the quiet and dedicated group of
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volunteer brass polishers and sacristans who ensure that everything is in order for the services. We are grateful to the pianists who make such a valuable contribution to our Sunday worship. Our thanks also go to Beris and Jacquie Hanks who ensure that the church is opened and locked each day.
As a congregation, we are very appreciative of all the clergy who lead our worship throughout the year.
We are always delighted when their timetable for Sunday morning allows them time to stop and talk with the congregation at the end of the service.
WORSHIP, PRAYER AND SPIRITUALITY - Margaret Sheather [Chair]
The Committee has met regularly through the year, continuing its regular review and planning of all the services across the year: the weekly routine, major festivals and special services. Building on the previous year’s work with the Rector we have continued to review and develop the newer aspects of our worship as well:
• the All Age service on the first Sunday of the month, and the role of Junior Church within that service
• the new order of service that integrates baptism more fully into the Eucharist
• changed pattern of Sunday evening services
• new arrangements for intercessions and including prayer resources for the week in the pew sheet
• developing Junior Church’s own worship
• making provision for alternative seating in the baptistery for people who can’t sit in the pews
Come and pray sessions have continued successfully through the year.
The Committee also discusses our welcome to people attending worship and to the community in general.
The Rector reported very successful visits, with lay people, to the new residents in Old Common Mews and
The Paddocks before Christmas, which had resulted in some of them joining Christmas services.
I’m grateful to all the committee members for their lively and thoughtful contributions to our discussions, and their commitment to ensuring our worship is varied and welcoming to all.
STEWARDSHIP – Tim Mowat [Chair]
The following were the members of the Stewardship Committee: Peter Lapping (Chairman),The Reverend
Helen Bailey (Rector), John Jutsum (PCC Treasurer), Mandy Jutsum (Church Warden), Geoff Lloyd (PCC),
Tim Mowat (Secretary), Pat Swift (Recorder) and Johnny Wilkinson (Box).
In 2015 donations were ahead of forecasts by about £9,000, which was marvellous. There was a one off cash flow benefit because 65 stewardship givers have converted to the Parish Giving Scheme already during the latter half of the year. The refund of Gift Aid on their giving is already being received monthly rather than having to wait until a claim is made by our Recorder following the end of the Tax Year. In total we received a one-off cash flow benefit from giving of about £4,000 between August and December. There will be a similar one off benefit in this next year for January to June.
The Stewardship campaign of the autumn of 2015 resulted in the following predictions for our 2016 returns (figures for 2014/2015 in brackets).
Number of regular contributors - 190 (179)
Total pledged - £94,250 (£84,038) excluding Gift Aid refunds.
Both have increased, and the increase in value both overall and per contributor is greater than inflation.
We are warned that the parish share for Minchinhampton with Box is likely to be increased significantly next year in line with the new Diocesan formula.
Legacy Leaflets. A new leaflet was printed in November 2015, of which 1,600 were delivered by hand around the town by the Magazine Distributors. We would particularly like to thank the Distributors for
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going an extra mile by delivering to all the addresses on their rounds.
Use of the parish database has helped the work of the Stewardship Committee in communicating effectively both with the Diocese and with parishioners.
Peter Lapping has now retired from chairmanship of the committee. Tim Mowat has become chairman for
2016.
On behalf of the Stewardship Committee, Peter and Tim would like to thank all who have supported the church over the past year, not only with their money but also their time and talents. The committee members are grateful to you all.
PASTORAL CARE – Linda Jarvis [Coordinator]
The Pastoral Care Team has now been running for over a year and has 17 people who exercise this ministry, visiting Church members as well as people from the Minchinhampton community on a regular basis. We also offer home communion to the housebound and five of us regularly share in this ministry.
The Pastoral Care Team meet regularly in the Porch Room where we have had talks from Jo Smith on dementia, Judy Lucas helped us with our listening skills and Aileen Bendall also came to meet us from the
Gloucester Rural Community Council. In July we had a very enjoyable social at the rectory. At our next meeting in February, there will be a talk by Wendy Fillingham from the Macular society.
Helen, Sandy and Linda would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Pastoral Care Team for working so hard during the year. Please phone Linda Jarvis on 01453 884545, if you know of anyone who would benefit from a visit from the Pastoral Care Team.
HOSPITALITY, SOCIAL & EVENTS Nich Rutherford [Chair]
This report covers the calendar year 2015 matching the Church’s accounting period.
In the period under review the Committee continued to provide hospitality for a variety of occasions.
However there were no Music @ Minch Concerts or Lecture series in the year and this resulted in a deterioration in our ability to generate donations in excess of costs and cover the expenses for refreshments at events & services hosted by our church. Costs for hosted events were £356.30 and donations in excess of costs at other occasions totalled £238.39. The total number of events covered/provided for in the year was 20 of which 12 were ‘No Donation’ occasions. (13 of 28 in 2014 & 11 of 27 in 2013). Again it has been possible to maintain input costs at reasonable levels by bulk purchases and taking advantage of discounted offers which are not regularly available.
The combined Benefice Barbecue was again a successful social event but estimates of numbers and some duplicated purchases resulted in a small deficit which was covered by the Joint Benefice Account previously established. The Harvest celebration at Box Village Hall was also a Benefice occasion.
The Committee continue to be grateful to the many people who have assisted in helping members at events and ‘rescuing‘ us when not fully covered. The many people who contribute generously and sometimes anonymously, remains acknowledged and appreciated as they greatly assist in keeping expenditure at acceptable levels.
Events at the Church for external organisations, at which your committee provides refreshments, continue to contribute significantly towards overall expense reduction and we maintain our hope that more can be
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encouraged after the Reordering project is complete or increased in the interim period by ‘spot’ events or concerts.
HOME AND INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE – Cheryl Ritter (Chair)
This committee has continued its work with the aim of spreading the word of the Gospel and to share Gods love in the wider community.
Prayer Vigils .
During the last year this event was reviewed and renamed “Come and Pray” with the aim that it would be seen as a more “user friendly” name. This change will be reviewed after a year. Publicity and explanations of the event have been increased using both church news and magazine, emphasising the quiet contemplative nature of the morning. Attendance at the morning is variable but increasing.
We continue to enjoy the participation of the school with their contribution of written prayers and continue to encourage the congregation to participate in the same way and also to come and experience the morning. We hold 4 events each year and our themes cover a wide variety of issues with themes discussed and chosen by the committee but prayers on any subject are accepted and offered up.
New Homes and Welcome Packs .
Helen designed a “Welcome Pack” to introduce the church to newcomers. We had the first packs to hand out during the Country Fayre. Helen with the help of Angie Ayling and Jackie Natt then visited each of the new homes in the town introducing themselves, the church and giving them a welcome pack. They were well received.
Country Fayre.
Along with “Messy Church”, we had a stall in the market place where we showcased activities available during the week e.g. Wednesday cuppa and our musical and charity work, speaking to many people. On review, we feel that the centre of the fayre has shifted away from the market place to the field and a new strategy will be looked at for 2017.
Charitable Giving
We again invited the congregation to nominate charities for consideration and then invited the PCC to select the six charities for the year – 2 international, 2 national and 2 local. The selected charities for this year are:- Crisis, Winston’s Wish, Water Aid, Barnabas fund, Marah Trust and James Hopkins
Trust.
Thank you to the committee – Tim Mowat, Bill Evans, Linda Jarvis, Lauren Turley, the Rector and
Cheryl Ritter [Chair] for all their hard work. Thanks also to those who help us :- Ruth Mowat, Colin
Brooks, Stephen Jarvis, Sandy Emery and Paul Boon. We welcomed Sybil Cox to the committee recently.
OTHER ACTIVITIES, GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS
Safeguarding Report – Joan Goldsmith (Nominated Person for Safeguarding)
It is nearly two years since I was appointed ‘Nominated Person’ for our churches in Minchinhampton and
Box and it has been a privilege to carry out this role. I would like to thank all with whom I have had contact regarding safeguarding matters for their help and support, in our two churches, and the Safeguarding
Team at Church House.
One of my main duties is the administration of the Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks. These are carried out on all who work with children, young people and adults with vulnerabilities together with our Church
Trustees (members of the PCC) and our Clergy Team. These checks are processed by the Churches Child
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Protection Advisory Service, an independent Christian Charity. To date I have completed over 40 checks on those involved in activities such as Children’s Church, Junior Choir, Bell Ringing, transporting adults to and from church and or visit them in their own homes.
In addition I have responsibility for updating our Safeguarding policies and procedures, which are adopted by the PCC and reviewing the annual Diocesan safeguarding checklist. In the coming year I hope to introduce safeguarding workshops that will be open to all.
I have attended training sessions and meetings organised by the Safeguarding Team at the Cathedral and a
‘Thank You’ evening hosted by Bishop Rachel. This event not only enabled me to meet others who hold the Nominated Person role from across the Diocese, but also to hear Bishop Rachel explain her total commitment to this area of work.
‘ Scripture teaches that all people are special because they are made in the image of God. This is, therefore, true for children, young people and adults with vulnerabilities, who should be respected and protected.
Within the Kingdom of God, children, young people and vulnerable adults matter in their own right and are to be taken seriously’.
The above statement is taken from the website of Gloucester Diocese, and clearly states how we in the church should act in relation to Safeguarding matters.
BELLRINGING – Angie Ayling [Captain]
Over the past year life in the tower has continued to flourish, with ringing improving noticeably as the weeks and months passed. It is most pleasing that we now raise and lower predominantly in peal and ring a variety of methods on a Sunday morning. Individuals have made considerable progress over the year and
I feel that they are all challenging themselves as well as enjoying ringing for the majority of time!
There have been several notable events over the year: the highly successful tower outing organised by Paul enabled 20+ ringers (including some friends from other towers) to ring in what were, for most, totally new towers; we enjoyed an annual meal together at Egypt Mill; Angie learned a lot on the Hereford weekend course in April, getting to grips with Stedman Triples while 4 of us attended the autumn training day (Tony acting as a helper, Paul and Angie focusing on Stedman Doubles and Naoko on progression from 6 bells to
8); at the branch striking competition, we excelled ourselves and came 3 rd (in a joint team with some
Woodchester ringers); Naoko was nominated branch ‘Ringer of the Year’ and, at the same meeting, Tony was appointed to the role of assistant ringing master and we were asked to nominate ourselves for branch
‘tower of the year’; Naoko rang her first quarter peal at the rededication service of the Sanctus Bell, Angie has clocked up a few personal firsts in quarter peals on 6 and 8 bells and Tony is now in high demand throughout the branch and beyond, ringing peals and quarter peals frequently. Our next target is to ring a quarter peal at Minchinhampton without the support of outside ringers!
We are thrilled to have 2 learners – Andy and Eva – who are making great progress – and there are other new (returning) ringers living locally, or about to move here, so our numbers are looking good. Anyone interested in finding out more about what we get up to should come along on a Friday evening at 7.30pm!
FLOWER GUILD - Pam Page [Chair]
The Flower Guild has had another very busy year. We have decorated the church right through the year, working on a 2-week rota, with pedestals in the Lady Chapel and by the chancel steps and an arrangement on the font. In
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addition we have decorated the whole church for the three main festivals of Christmas, Easter and Harvest Festival.
We have also decorated the church for eight weddings/blessings.
In May we had another inspiring demonstration in the Market House by Jayne Morriss. The weather was appalling and the numbers were therefore reduced but all who attended agreed that they had had a most enjoyable and informative afternoon. In July we had a coffee morning with plant and cake stalls and served tea/coffee. The Porch
Room was not an ideal venue and we hope to find an alternative for 2016.
The rest of the summer was spent organising the Flower Festival which again coincided with the Country Fayre. This year the theme was “the Centenary of the Women’s Institute”. To celebrate this we involved local W.I.’s who had their own areas within the church to illustrate various causes for which the W.I. had campaigned over the years. This proved to be a most successful and memorable event for both the groups involved and visitors and we were able to donate £400 to the church for the Country Fayre.
In September Bishop Martyn attended the service to re-dedicate our Sanctus Bell which has been calling parishioners to church for 500 years. The flower arrangements included genuine church bells at both the font and at the chancel steps and we were praised by him for the outstanding arrangements.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Flower Guild who have so willingly given up their time and used their creativity to keep the church looking so splendid throughout the year.
MUSIC – Julian Elloway [Director of Music]
A year of choir welcomes and farewells: Jacqui Oliver and Hilary Sparkhall both retired from the choir and have been much missed. We welcomed Leonora Rozee, Liz Cook, Linda Elloway on her return, David
Goldsmith, John Hutchen and Ray Cook. In part as tribute to Jim Portbury, we introduced at the Sunday 10 a.m. Eucharist the Gloria from Noel Rawsthorne’s Festive Eucharist , copies of the music for which Jim had once bought for the church in memory of his own father. It is proving a somewhat disjointed setting for congregational use – at the time of writing, the jury is out on its future use. We said goodbye to Danielle
Davis as choral scholar and Jasmine Davis as head chorister, the latter now replaced by Jasmine Hooke.
Increasing the number of choral scholars and junior choristers is a target for the coming year. We also look forward to making Eliza Vicary and Hebe Pollard-Smith full members after initial probation and training.
It was a particular privilege to be asked to join Holy Trinity Amberley’s choir for the 50th anniversary of the priesting of the Revd Canon Brian Andrews. There were a number of benefice services with joint choir, including the first confirmations of Bishop Rachel’s ministry – an historic first confirmation in the Church of
England by a female Diocesan Bishop. A number of singers from Minchinhampton and Amberley choirs also took the opportunity to sing in RSCM events in Gloucester Cathedral.
After a time when our repertoire remained largely static, we have been able to start developing it with pieces from major 20th-century composers and some written this century. We have also had a sufficiently large choir at each evensong this year to sing an anthem: normally short, but on feast days sometimes quite extended as at Epiphany and also the eve of the Annunciation which this year will have been on a
Sunday. All this takes rehearsal time and commitment, and I am very grateful to everyone for their contributions. Thanks are due to Linda Elloway for helping me with the junior choir and to Alison Wood for coordinating the music group.
We have not yet arranged a further series of Music at Minch concerts. Despite appeals in church weekly news, parish magazine and Tom Long’s Post, and direct approaches to people we felt might be interested, nobody has yet offered to join the team to help especially with marketing, publicity and artistic planning.
But it is important for the church to show it can be a venue for professional as well as amateur events, and
I hope that next year we will be able to report that we have had a series of concerts.
At the time of writing we are awaiting sight of the first draft of plans for refurbishing the church building.
Whatever is proposed will obviously have huge implications for music in worship here. In advance of this
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there have been reports on the organ itself by Nicholson and Co. (who currently maintain the instrument) and by William McVicker considering the options for the organ including its own need for refurbishment, its position within the building for accompanying different sorts of worship and also considerations over the acoustic.
SERVERS – Margaret Sheather [Senior Server]
The servers’ role is quietly to support the dignity and the drama of our worship, whether at a routine
Sunday Eucharist or one of the major festival services of the church’s year.
The serving team is now an experienced one and I am very grateful for their commitment and the flexibility that enables us to fulfil this role reliably. However, we continue to be a small team, and have been glad to welcome Mike Jones to join the team recently.
It would be very good to add at least two or three more members to the team so that we can share the tasks across a larger group. We all started from scratch at one time so no special expertise is needed! If you are interested in joining the team and would like to know more about what’s involved, or can suggest someone who might be interested then please do speak to any of the current team members.
MESSY CHURCH - Alison Wood
Messy Church continues to thrive and we seem to have a group of regular attenders. We are about to have our annual Good Friday Messy Church at time of writing. During the past year we have meet every 2 months as before and we have explored the themes of David – Shepherd Boy to King; Sporty Messy
Church; the Story of Ruth; Christingle and Candlemas.
We have a good strong team of planners and helpers but we are always happy to welcome more people to help run activities, assist with catering and clearing up. My thanks go out to all who are involved in whatever way.
Our sessions are on Wednesday afternoons at 3.30 straight after Wednesday Cuppa and it is not unusual for people to come and see what we are doing after they have had their tea. This flow from one type of activity to another is very positive and helps to build bridges between different groups who attend church.
JUNIOR CHURCH - Alison Wood
Junior Church has not really developed in any way since last year. We have not recruited any more youngsters over the year. Those who attend are enthusiastic and we enjoy lively and thought provoking sessions. Julian Elloway continues to support Junior Church by coming to lead a hymn or song each week.
We continue to follow the Roots Magazine’s session ideas which are directly connected to the lectionary for the day.
I would like to thank the small but dedicated team of people who run the sessions. This team is not big enough and at present we are relying on the parents of our youngsters to be the second adult present.
From the end of February, I have stood down from organising the rota and being available to ensure the smooth running of Junior Church due to increased family commitments. Should anyone wish to take this on, it would be much appreciated.
TRAIDCRAFT - Clare Cooper
This has been a record year for Traidcraft in Minchinhampton!
It all started with the Fair Necessities Appeal during Fair trade fortnight 2015. As I mentioned in last year's report this Traidcraft Appeal was to improve the lives of smallholders in very poor parts of the world, and the Government agreed to match donations pound for pound. In Minchinhampton our major fundraising
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was through the Smartie challenge. People were given a smartie tube. After eating the contents they were asked to put money into the tube and return it to us. Well over £1000 was raised! After adding the donations so generously given, I was able to send £1,864 to the appeal. I was sent a special thank you by
Traidcraft which ended 'Fancy raising so much money with a tube of Smarties!'
We are now getting ready for this year's Fairtrade Fortnight. This year Traidcraft are hoping to build on last year’s work and are calling their appeal 'Let it Grow.' We have three Big Brews planned – morning coffee and a Tea Party and Sunday breakfast.
The second record breaking event was the Traidcraft Christmas sale at 16 Ricardo Road. Unusually it rained on the day of the sale, but of course Minchinhampton was not deterred. On the Day well over 100 people came, and at one time it was impossible to get from one end of the house to the other. As always everyone spent and gave most generously, and over £2000 was raised in sales and donations.
Sales at our monthly stalls after church have increased and we have sold nearly £5000 worth of goods.
Unfortunately, Traidcraft sales over the country have been going down in the past few years, but I was able to write to the Chief Executive and say 'Not in Minchinhampton'! It is marvellous to know that
Minchinhampton is helping so many people to improve their lives.
The amazing Traidcraft Team have taken on even more jobs this year, and it has made a big difference – my thanks to all of them. And also to all who have come to our sales, bought and given so generously, shown such interest in all we do, and had fun.
MASASI – Linda Jarvis for the Masasi Group
There have been some great highlights this year involving our longstanding overseas link to Masasi in
Tanzania. In April the new Bishop of Masasi, and our good friend James Almasi and his wife Veronica, visited Minchinhampton as part of their trip to the UK. They attended worship at Box and Minchinhampton and were guests at a lunch afterwards in the porch room. They also met the Mothers Union, and visited the children and teachers at Minchinhampton School. Before their departure, we presented Bishop James with enough clerical collars for his priests in Masasi and a cheque for £1460 to use in his diocese.
During the year there were two very successful fund raising events. The first one held was in August when we had an Art Exhibition with Cream teas in aid of the Rondo chapel appeal. The Masasi group would like to acknowledge their gratitude to Stephanie Cooper and her art group for kindly donating all the proceeds of the sales of their art to the appeal fund. The second fundraising event was the Big Band Evening in
October where fifty people enjoyed a variety of music played by Jazz Friday with an excellent supper.
Rondo Chapel Appeal
This year there has been a significant advancement in the undertaking of the works to repair the chapel built by Trevor Huddleston at the Rondo school and seminary. With funds from the Jerusalem Trust, and the Friends of Masasi & Newala, alongside our own contribution, the fabric of the building has been repaired, the interior has been redecorated and some of the pews re-varnished.
There still remains repairs to the stained glass windows, but it has been difficult to find someone able to undertake the work needed. We have looked at sending someone from the UK, and trying to find a local artist with the necessary skills, all without success. We are now exploring the possibility of using someone from Nairobi, who does have the necessary experience and qualifications, and as we prepare this report the Kitengela Hot Glass Works are undertaking a preliminary survey of the work to be carried out.
We still have a small reserve of funds, which we hope will cover the cost of the final repairs.
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The Cornwall Bursary
This year we helped one of our former students, Douglas Patrick with a small grant to add to his own funds so as he could purchase a computer to aid his university studies. We have asked the Bishop when he visited to find another suitable candidate for us to sponsor, but we have not yet being given a student to support.
The Masasi Fund
We have had funds earmarked in our accounts to help with the cost of workers in the Rondo Dispensary.
This has not been called upon as there was the unfortunate premature death of the Diocesan Medical
Officer, with no successor yet appointed. The Bishop has asked if these funds could now be used to pay for the training of two new members of staff to work in the medical facilities across the Diocese. This change of use for these funds has been approved by the PCC, and we are awaiting the acceptance by the local
Medical Board of the two candidates that the Diocese has put forward. This part of the appointment process is necessary, but also appears to be protracted to our Western eyes. We hope that there will be substantive progress with this proposal in the near future.
There are other initiatives happening in Masasi, particularly with the children in the school for the disabled and blind. We have supported the school before with the treatment of children with operations to restore their sight, hearing aids for the deaf children and new bedding and mosquito nets. As soon as we have more details we shall report them in the Parish Magazine.
MOTHERS’ UNION – Julia Gerard [Branch Leader]
Mothers’ Union in Minch has had a very good 2015.
On average we have around 20 people at our meetings.
We are still mainly women but have a couple of male attendees.
We have had some very good meetings in 2015, including Art Therapy, and The Door Project.
The Rector also gave us a very informative talk. Sally Byng talked about the Barnwood Trust and Sarah
Hunt talked about Midwifery in Africa. We ran the Pancakes evening in February. We also had a trip to
Colwell near Malvern where Mary Sumner, the founder was married.
We donated a generous amount of toiletries to the local women’s refuge and to Stroud hospital for which they were very grateful. We also made a payment of £250 to the work of MU overseas.
To round off our year we had a Christmas soiree and there were 25 of us enjoying a very good evening.
This year we have 20 paid up members and 2 indoor members.
Subs are £20 for full members and £13.50 for indoor members.
We then charge a nominal amount for each meeting attended.
We are also looking into making a new banner as MU will celebrate 140 years in June. However at the moment this is proving to be tricky.
12

PARISH MAGAZINE – Kathy Hurst (Editor)
We have successfully produced the magazine for the last twelve months.
Thank you to all the people who have sent in contributions – please keep them coming!
Thanks also to Mike Gwilliam, Alan Vaughan and Adrian Herbert for their photographs and to Chris &
Elaine (Stroudprint) for being so helpful and patient!
Advertising in the Parish Magazine Gill Price (Advertising Coordinator)
For a number of years we have been fortunate enough to have 11 pages of advertising at the back of the
Magazine which raised a substantial contribution towards the costs of production. However, this year for a variety of reasons we have lost a number of advertisers who have been with us for some time. The total number of pages has reduced to 10 but we are in the process of building this up again by offering more space to existing advertisers and recruiting new customers. We no longer have a waiting list of potential advertisers. Charges for advertising space have remained unchanged from the previous few years. In view of the drop in demand this seems wise.
COME AND PLAY – Christine Gibson
I took over this role from Sue Hogg in March 2015 sharing a rota with Kathy Hurst, Jan Boland and Hilary
Sparkhall with Sandy Emery in attendance.
There was a group of about 8 - 10 children attending – most of the children were with a childminder, who at the end of the session would play her guitar and sing songs. Having music in a session like this is a great asset. Sadly in September most of the 8 children commenced pre-school and the childminder changed her day which meant that we had no children attending. We carried on setting up each Tuesday morning with maybe one child turning up and on the odd occasion grandparents who were looking after their grandchildren for a few days. After liaising with Helen we decided that we should close the doors to Come and Play and reopen in 2016.
We no longer have any volunteers to help as Jan, Kathy and Hilary have all stepped down. I did advertise for volunteers in the church news sheet for several weeks without any response. To date there is still no
Come and Play session.
CLEANING GUILD REPORT – Mandy Jutsum
Another year goes by and again we must thank the many people who contribute to keeping the church clean and cobweb free and the church silver and brassware sparkling. We especially thank Liz and Richard
Hughes for their weekly vacuuming of the church; Anne Brookes for keeping the Porch room in shape;
Cheryl Ritter for our immaculate loos and kitchen and Roy Wilson who does an invaluable job ensuring that the dishwasher is well maintained: salt and rinse aid levels checked and regular resin regeneration of the water softener. The fact that each of these people is aware of and responds to the variations in use of the church and the porch room is very much appreciated.
There are seventeen people who polish the brass and silver and dust the church. The rota remains fairly static with everyone taking their turn as it arises. However special thanks are due this year to Ann Gaylor and Felicity Metcalf who are retiring as brass and silver cleaners after many years of polishing. Thank you,
Ann and Felicity. It is hoped that replacements will have been found/come forward by the time of the
APCM.
The “Big Clean” has been moved from the autumn to the Spring this year with the intention of making sure the church is in good shape for Easter. On Monday 29 th February a small group of people will be
13

undertaking higher level cleaning and floor washing and on Tuesday 1 st March from 2pm when any dusting needed will be done and everyone is invited to the annual Cleaning Guild tea and get together with cakes!
There are a wide variety of users of the church and the Porch room which makes the cleaning and maintenance an important task but amongst these groups are some regular church groups who contribute to ensuring standards of cleanliness. In this respect we thank Sylvie Thomas and her team for their vigilance in their care and cleaning of the kitchen when providing us with delicious first Sunday breakfasts and the ever popular Wednesday cuppa and similarly to Hilary Bellhouse and her team of Sunday morning coffee makers.
14

Sunday & Special Service Attendance Figures 2015 (Grey shading markers = 1st Sunday All
Age; Bold indicates special services. 1st figure 2014 figures; 2nd figure 2015 figures
Sunday Minch
8am
Minch
10am
Minch
Total
Minch under 16
BOX
04/01 Epiphany
11/01 Baptism of
Christ
18/01 Epiphany 2
25/01 Epiphany 3
01/02 Candlemas
08/02 2 Before Lent
15/02 1 Before Lent
18/02 Ash Wed
22/02 Lent 1
01/03 Lent 2
08/03 Lent 3
24 21
24 32
97
113
115
112
121
137
144
136 1
4
6
4
24 16 115 129 139 145 2 3
18 21
23
18
23
12
20
15
18 22 108 109 126
145
23 28 97 108 120
136
19 22 116 109 135
131
25
20
118 118
Eve 32 40
143
138
2 0
1 6 15
13
5 4 15
13
4 5 25
17
7 9
24 23 103 104 127
127
51 29 164 126 215
155
5 2 14
11
4 6 18
14
44 32 103 113 147
145
0 5 20
18
29 26 159 148 188 174 20 9 29 16 15/03 Mothering
Sunday
22/03 Lent 5
Passiontide
29/03 Palm Sunday
27 23 111 108
35 23 129 112 164
135
7.30 20 26
138
131
3
3
1
4
30/03 MON HOLY
WEEK
31/03 TUES HOLY
WEEK
7.30 22 27
22
16
29
21
01/04 WED HOLY
WEEK
02/04 MAUNDY
THURS
03/04 GOOD FRIDAY
04/04 EASTER EVE
05/04 Easter Day
12/04 Easter 2
19/04 Easter 3
26/04 Easter 4
7.30 32
7.30 67
33
72
9am 35
29
12pm 62
73
9.30 46
55
38 29 285
245
323
274
21 29 108
109
28
22
25
131
127
123 120
129
138
159
149
148
12
0
0
8
29
2
3
5
?
12
30
32
18
14
21
16
?
15

03/05 Easter 5
10/05 Easter 6
14/05 ASCENSION
DAY
17/05 Easter 7
24/05 Pentecost
31/05 Trinity Sunday
BENEFICE EVE
PRAISE
04/06 CORPUS
CHRISTI
07/06 Trinity 1
14/06 Trinity 2
21/06 Trinity 3
28/06 Trinity 4
05/07 Trinity 5
12/07 Trinity 6
19/07 Trinity 7
26/07 Trinity 8
Sunday
02/08 Trinity 9
09/08 Trinity 10
16/08 Trinity 11
25 145
33 33 103 108 136
141
33 25 109 98 142
123
7.30 35 39
24 27 130
104
26 31 123
121
28 24 93
5.30 70
99
61
154
131
149
152
121
123
7.30 26
25
27 36 111
122
30 26 93
111
30 34 130
89
28
23
96
96
27
32
112
243
104
105
29
19
25
40
27
15
Minch
8am
18
32
28
27
27
23
109
106
91
98
Minch
10am
138
158
123
137
160
123
124
119
139
275
133
124
134
146
118
113
Minch
Total
102 107 120
139
128 110 156
137
124 109 151
132
23/08 Trinity 12 All
Age
32
18
30/08 Holy Cross Day 25
26
110 119 142
137
106 128 131
154
06/09 Trinity 14
13/09 Trinity 15
20/09 Trinity 16
Harvest / Stewardship
Sunday
27/09 Trinity
23 27 109
156
132
183
32 26 96 90 128
116
31 27 120 112 151
139
24 134 158
24
4 0 18
19
4 2 9 11
0 3 18
14
8 2 17
15
4 5 10 15
2 4 13
15
0 9 21 12
0 6 13
19
0 3 16
14
1 48 13
12
0 2 16
15
8 4 15
19
0 1 16
12
Minch(HC) -
16
BOX
0
7
4
5
3
9
5
9
4
3
16
12
23
18
17
14
14
15
17
18
0 11 18 13
4 1
6 1
17
13
15
14
4 14
16

17+Martyn
04/10 All Age
Dedication
11/10 Trinity 19
18/10 Trinity 20
(Harvest in 2014)
25/10 Last Sunday after Trinity
01/11 Kingdom 1 / All
Saints / All Age
01/11 MEMORIAL
8/11 Remembrance
Sun.
15/11 Kingdom 3
Confirmations +Rachel
30 126
27 112
22 22 138
149
25 27 116
112
33 32 140
135
5.30 95
88
24 23 162
187
23 18 124
231
156
139
160
171
141
139
173
167
5
4
4
0
5
4
2
9
18
15
21
11
17
15
15
20
186
210
147
249
7
3
12
24
16
15
?
13
22/11 Christ the King 25 21 106
116
29/11 Advent 1
ADVENT CAROL
SERVICE
20 19
(2013,104)
114
125
134
87
06/12 Advent 2
13/12 Advent 3
20/12 Advent 4
20/12 NINE
LESSONS
27 25 86
110
23 20 115
111
24 23 122
109
(2013,
150)
5.30pm 255
254
24/12 CHRISTMAS
EVE CRIB
24/12 MIDNIGHT
MASS
(2013
240_
(2013,
125)
3.30pm 280
207
11.30pm
130 132
131
137
134
144
113
135
138
131
146
132
4
4
5
1
17
100
84
0
25/12 CHRISTMAS
DAY
21 17 (2013, 160)
206 196
227
103
25
16
27/12 Christmas 1 16 15 74 72 90 87
MESSY CHURCH FIGURES
February 11th Adults 18 Children 24 Total 42
April 3rd Good Friday Adults 19 Children 17 Total 36
July 1st
August 26
Adults 22 Children 20 Total 42
Adults 20 Children 21 Total 41
October 14th Adults 22 Children 28 Total 50
December 16th Christingle Adults 27 Children 32 Total 59
0 0
7
4
2
0
1 17
16
17
21
16
42
19
19
14
5pm 24
74carols
41
19
18
8
23
7
17