sunday 23 may 2021 meeting of parishioners and annual
TRANSCRIPT
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Open to God, Open to One Another,
Open to the Community
Our mission:
We are followers of Christ
who believe and seek to demonstrate
that God is with and for all people
Sunday 23 May 2021
Meeting of Parishioners
and
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
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The Parish covers an area of Earley and Lower Earley which lies between Reading
and Wokingham. The area is primarily owner-occupied residential properties.
Correspondence for the PCC should be addressed to:
PCC Secretary
The Parish Office
St Nicolas Church
Sutcliffe Avenue
Earley
RG6 7JN
Church’s Bankers
Cash and Short-Term Funds:
HSBC
26 Broad Street
Reading
RG1 2BU
Deposit & Investment Accounts:
CBF Church of England Deposit Fund: 627483001D
Charity Status
The PCC completed individual charity registration in 2010 and is now registered
under Charity Commission number 1138037 as “The Parochial Church Council
of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Earley St. Nicolas”.
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Introduction
May 2021
As is customary in the APCM welcome, we look for the positive. After a difficult
14 months, there is much to be thankful for. St Nicolas has been tested a good
deal over the past two years and it is tremendously heartening to sense the
resilience that comes from so many deeply committed people of faith living out
that faith. Throughout this period we have benefited from the understated
authority and leadership of Libby not only in our worship activities but in our
governance more generally, and in our pastoral care in particular. We wish her
well in her official retirement but hope we will still enjoy her leadership of
services and her preaching for the foreseeable future. We express our gratitude
also for our Pioneer Minister Emma and our LLM, Daphne. In the confusing early
weeks of Covid Emma wrestled with the complexities of finding technical
solutions that could be accessible to everyone, and Daphne has been a pillar of
strength in all services and with pastoral care.
It was with a great sense of relief and excitement that we welcomed April as our
new vicar in the summer of 2020. Even with all of the limitations of lockdown the
sense of anticipation of building on our mission has been palpable.
We cannot ignore the shadow cast by the death of April’s daughter Mel in March.
We continue to hold April and all those who knew and loved Mel in prayer as
they take the uncertain journey through intense pain and grief.
We conclude this introduction by also expressing our thanks for the years of
exceptional Christian fellowship and youth leadership from Andy and Miriam
Barlow and their daughters. We wish them the very best in their next adventure.
There is perhaps no better illustration of the strange time that we find ourselves
in May 2021 that the introduction to the APCM booklet is being written by the
wardens rather than clergy. We remain upbeat about the future and enthused by
the prospect of further re-openings and seeing many more of you in person
throughout the rest of this year.
John Louth, Wendy Neale & Julia Jones
Church Wardens
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AGENDA APCM Sunday 23 May 2021
Meeting of Parishioners
• Election of Churchwardens
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Apologies
1) Minutes of APCM 2020 (see Appendix A for full minutes)
2) Matters Arising
3) Report from Electoral Roll Officer
4) PCC Secretary’s Report on the Activities of the PCC
5) Churchwardens’ Report
6) Chairman’s Report
7) Treasurer’s Report – Please see separate booklet attached Annual Report
and Financial Statement
8) Stewardship Report
9) Report from Deanery Synod
10) Reports from St Nicolas Centre Groups
i) St Nicolas Centre
11) Reports from Church Groups
i) Buildings & Grounds
a) Garden and Green Spaces subgroup
ii) Safeguarding Report
iii) Children’s Work
a) Noah’s Ark, PPP & God Squad
b) Focus
iv) JPEG
v) Pastoral Care
a) Memory café
vi) Sunday@6 – now Sunday prayer meeting
vii) Homegroups – Christine Seal
12) Elections and Appointments
i. Church Warden – 2 Vacancies
ii. Laity representative to Deanery Synod – 0 Vacancies
iii. Laity representative to PCC – 3 vacancies
iv. Appointment of Independent Examiner
13)Any Other Business
14)Closing Prayers
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1) Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners and APCM held on
Sunday 13 September 2020
Please see Appendix A at the back of this booklet.
2) Matters Arising
3) Report of the Electoral Roll Officer
In accordance with Church Representation Rules, the St Nicolas Electoral Roll
has been:
Total on the May 2021 Electoral Roll: 151
Total number on the 2020 Roll 153
Number of new names added for 2021 2
Number of names removed in 2021 4
4) Report of PCC Secretary 2020/2021
Member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) are either ex-officio or elected
at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with the Church
Representation Rules, and are required, by the Parochial Church Council
(Powers) Measure 1956, to co-operate with the Minister in promoting in the
parish the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and
ecumenical.
During the year, the following served on the PCC:
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Parochial Church Council Members 2020-21
Position Name Status Start Term Ends & Notes
Incumbent Revd April Beckerleg Ex-officio
Other Clergy Licensed to
Parish
Revd Libby Newman Ex-officio Retired April 2021
Licensed Lay Ministers’ Rep. Emma Major Ex-officio
Churchwarden 1 John Louth Ex officio 2020 2021
Co-churchwarden 2 Wendy Neale Ex officio 2020 2021
Co-churchwarden 2
See below
Julia Jones
Synod Member, Deanery 1 Jenny Bryce Ex officio 2020 30/06/2023
Synod Member, Deanery 2 John Davies Ex officio 2020 30/06/2023
Synod Member, Deanery 3 Elaine Spratling Ex officio 2020 30/06/2023
Elected Member 1 Eleanor Gunbie APCM
Elected
2020 2023
Elected Member 2 Peter Kemm APCM
Elected
2020 2023
Elected Member 3 Denise Rees APCM
Elected
2020 2023
Elected Member 4 Peter Jeal APCM
Elected
2019 2022
Elected Member 5 Julie Hull APCM
Elected
2020 2022 Previous PCC
member had resigned
during term of office
Elected Member 6 Dave Pooler APCM
Elected
2019 2022
Elected Member 7 Liz Fielding APCM
Elected
2018 2021
Elected Member 8 Roger Hepburn APCM
Elected
2018 2021
Resigned Dec 2020
Elected Member 9 Julia Jones APCM
Elected
2020 2021 Previous PCC
member had resigned
during term of office,
Julia is appointed co-
warden, joint with Wendy
Neale
Co-opted Member 1 Johanna Oldach PCC
Appointed
2020 2021
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Clergy associated with the parish are invited to attend PCC meetings; to provide
additional input.
Appointed PCC Officers may be invited to attend PCC meetings; to provide
information and/or administrative support.
6 Parish Officers 2020-21
Position Name Status Notes
Chair Revd April Beckerleg Ex officio
Vice Chair Peter Jeal PCC Elected Vice chair is appointed
Treasurer Liz Fielding PCC Elected Treasurer is appointed
Secretary Helen Brown PCC
Appointed
Safeguarding Officer Carol Miller PCC
Appointed
Electoral Roll Officer Vicki Procko PCC
Appointed
8 PCC Standing Committee Members 2020-21
Position Name Status Notes
Incumbent / Chair Revd April
Beckerleg
Ex officio
Other Clergy Licensed
to Parish
Revd Libby
Newman
Ex officio Retired 2021
Churchwarden 1 John Louth Ex officio
Co-Churchwarden 2 Wendy Neale Ex officio
Co-Churchwarden 2 Julia Jones PCC
Elected/office
appointed
PCC Member 1 Peter Jeal PCC Elected SC’s PCC Member 1 is usually (but
not necessarily) the Vice Chair
PCC Member 3 Liz Fielding PCC Elected
PCC Member 4 John Davies PCC Elected
Other persons are invited to attend Standing Committee meetings; to provide
information and/or administrative support.
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The PCC will have met a total of 10 times during the year 2020-2021. (3 times
in the period up to the delayed 2020 AGM on 13 September and after that 7
times up to this AGM in May 2021.)
The PCC met over Zoom. Voting was done by email or by a show of hands
during the meetings. Some business was done by email. All was done in
accordance with the Church Representation Rules of 2020. During the Vacancy,
meetings were chaired by the Vice-chairman of the time, Wendy Neale; when
April joined us as Vicar, April took the chair.
Understandably, major topics were to do with the coronavirus pandemic and to
the risks and regulations surrounding it. There were other topics also.
• Finance
• Setting up a Finance sub-committee
• extension of Libby’s licence as Associate Minister at Earley St Nicolas
• furloughing of staff
• staff contracts including the non-renewal of Children and Families Worker
contract and non-renewal of Administration Assistant contract
• the purchase of technology equipment for high quality internet transmission
of services
• the legal business of temporarily ceasing public worship ie not allowing the
public to be physically present within the church for services
• the re-opening of the church for services of public worship
• the re-opening of the church for private prayer
• approval of risk assessments for the re-opening of the church and of the
centre
• the hiring out of the hall to a new Montessori pre-school
• extension of the lease to The Earley Charity
• discussions on the direction the Lord is leading us as a church
This last year, the Standing Committee have conducted business by
correspondence ie email. They also met once, over Zoom, before the
postponed APCM.
Helen Brown
April 2021
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5) Church Wardens Report
The most welcome event in the life of St Nicolas in 2020 was the arrival in July of
our new incumbent, April Beckerleg. Due to the restrictions imposed by a series
of lockdowns the majority of our members have not had the pleasure of meeting
her face to face, and following her devastating recent loss we need to give her
space to grieve. We do however hold out hope that in the coming months we
will settle back into something more closely resembling normal parish life.
Another new relationship to celebrate is our partnership with a new Earley
Montessori pre-school run by the Gosden family which restarted in September
2020. We are very grateful that the Gosden’s pushed on with their plans to open
up despite the pandemic and we hope that their risk is rewarded as more and
more parents seek places for their children.
Covid’s impact on our lives has been transformational but we have to hope that
its impact on the way we live will continue to diminish. Our finances were able to
weather the shock of Covid thanks to the Government’s furlough scheme but
even that support was not enough to let us retain all of our staff and we had to
take the very difficult decision not to renew the contracts of two of our workers
– Jane Olney and Eleanor Gunbie. We would like to record here our thanks to
Jane and Eleanor for their hard work and for their continued support for St
Nicolas.
One positive to come out of Covid was our rapid transition to the use of video
conferencing software not only to live-stream services but also to conduct
meetings in a way that is far more convenient for many people. Streaming
services has opened our eyes to the many people who were previously unable to
participate in our worship and it is something we are committed to continuing
after the present crisis has abated. To do that however we need a number of
people to step forward for (straightforward) training in running the technology
for a service – if you are a regular attendee please do consider helping in this
way.
The increased isolation brought on by successive lockdowns shone a light on the
need for churches to improve their provision of pastoral support. St Nicolas has
participated in the Earley Help Hub and our pastoral care team led by Jenny
Bryce and Libby have done superlative work in keeping everyone feeling
connected.
In our last APCM report we spoke of the need to spread the workload more
evenly. In one area in particular we have been successful: with a trial of deploying
three wardens rather than the traditional two. While only two of us are “official”
wardens with statutory duties and authority, we spread the work equally
between us. With the ever-growing body of tasks that need attending to it is a
model we intend to continue with. After 4 years as warden, leading us through
very interesting times – the St Nicolas Centre build, a vacancy, and a pandemic –
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John Louth is stepping down as warden. On behalf of the whole of St Nicolas,
we’d like to say a massive thank you for all he has done. We are very grateful
that his involvement is not ending and he is standing for PCC this year.
Among our statutory duties is an obligation to carry out an annual terrier and
visual inspection of the buildings, and to provide to PCC a fabric report. These
were done in accordance with relevant laws and presented to PCC on April 28th.
No major works or repairs were carried out in 2020 or the early part of 2021.
The clergy and wardens rely on the help of volunteers and even though activities
have been restricted by the pandemic we still have a great many people to thank:
Jane and Philip Olney for producing rotas and beautiful flower arrangements.
Robert Bryce for making sure we have services covered during April’s absence,
and also Robert and Jenny’s efforts to ensure that those who cannot stream
services get a CD of Sunday services to listen to.
Peter Kemm for being ever ready to strap on his tool belt and sort out our
constant stream of maintenance issues.
Claire Connell for her expert assistance in producing annual accounts that are
timely and easy to follow.
Maggie Carter for waging a tireless battle against over-grown parts of our
gardens. For the maintenance of our green space we also thank Liz Kerry, Philip
Olney, and our partners at The Conservation Volunteers.
JPEG for securing our Eco-Church Bronze Award and always pushing us to try
and do more.
The many people who have maintained fortnightly phone call rotas to make sure
that people who aren’t in home groups are contacted regularly.
Richard Bainbridge for stepping in and leading so many services.
And finally, Vicki Procko, who is not supposed to be a volunteer but who goes
well beyond the requirements of her job description and always with a cheerful
Christian faith that is an example to us all.
John Louth, Julia Jones, Wendy Neale
Wardens
6) Chairman’s Report – Verbal
7) Treasurer’s Report
Please see separate booklet attached Annual Report and Financial Statement
8) Stewardship Report
See Treasurers’ report.
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9) Reading Deanery Synod Annual Review
Deanery Report 2020.
2020 was a year of disruption caused by the ongoing pandemic and exacerbated
by the lack of some key Deanery officers, not least being a Deanery Secretary.
New members of the Deanery Synod would ordinarily have been identified at
their APCM in April 2020 and then they would have taken up post for the 2020 -
23 triennium starting 1st July. As diocesan guidance did not require churches to
hold an APCM until October 2020, the new triennium for Deanery Synod did not
really start with the newly elected team until early 2021. As a consequence,
meetings in 2020 after 1st July took place with a mixture of lay representatives
from both the old and new triennium. Notwithstanding the administrative delays
affecting Synod membership, business of the Deanery Synod continued
throughout 2020.
In 2020 Deanery Synod met for the first time in February and the key point was
discussion about changes to the Deanery administrative structures enabling a
new full-time minister to be appointed at Reading Minster. The final scheduled
meeting of the 2017 – 20 triennium took place on 10th June. The focus of the
meeting was to consider the opening up of churches in the Deanery for private
prayer. The meeting on 26th November focussed on the 2021 Parish Share.
Synod voted in favour of accepting the Parish Share Committee’s proposals.
These included a proposal to pay a rebate to those churches which, like St
Nicolas, had paid their 2020 share in full; this would be paid out of Deanery
reserves. The Reading Deanery share for 2021 has been set at £1.42M. Given
the impact of the pandemic on many church finances, it is unlikely that Reading
Deanery will be able to meet this requirement, so there is unlikely to be any
rebate going forward. Our Parish Share for 2021 has reduced by 8.1% on last
year.
Jenny Bryce, Elaine Spratling, John Davies
April 2021
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10) Reports from St Nicolas Centre Groups
i) St Nicolas Centre Report
The COVID- 19 Pandemic has had a large impact on the St Nicolas Centre. The
centre was closed for much of 2020 and has been impacted by the latest
lockdown which commenced in January 2021. The only hirer that has been able
to operate since last September is the Montessori Preschool, which is working
well and gaining new entrants.
With restrictions now starting to ease we have welcomed back Perform, which
holds drama classes for children, and we have a new children’s ballet school on a
Monday afternoon. I am currently in the midst of contacting all our regular hirers
to ascertain if they will be returning to the Centre, the list is as follows:
Monday - Elements Ballet – new hirer already operating
- Seated Exercise classes – Wokingham BC to advise
- HIIT classes- TBA
Tuesday - Ann Field Yoga- returning May 2021
- Berkshire epilepsy – looking to return soon
Wednesday - Perform – already operating
- Model Club- returning in September 2021
- Earley & District Flower Club –returning in July 2021
Thursday - AUM Yoga- returning in May 2021
- 5 Rhythms Dance- TBA
Friday - Scouts - looking to return soon
Saturday - Berkshire Tai Chi- returning in September 2021
I am also hoping that the many St Nicolas groups such as Board Games Café,
Over 50’s and Memory Café will make a return in the Autumn, if not before.
Obviously, all groups that do return have to follow strict hygiene standards and
this would, therefore, make hiring the hall out for adhoc children’s parties and
family gatherings very difficult, so we have made the decision to take these
bookings at present. We also no longer have Jane Olney in the Parish Office,
who previously dealt brilliantly with all the hall bookings. With this in mind I am
now looking to maintain or even build upon our regular hirers and to work with
them to keep the St Nicolas Centre a safe place for all.
The Earley Charity have renewed their lease and we are pleased to say they will
be with us for the rest of 2021. I hope that in the not too distant future, we will
be able to reopen the welcome area for teas and coffees, restrictions allowing,
and that we can return to a lively and busy centre for the community of Earley.
Vicki Procko, May 2021
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11) Reports from Church Groups
i) Buildings and Grounds
The Buildings Group (BG) consists of Peter Kemm with help from Robert Bryce.
We would appreciate some extra support.
The BG is responsible for the maintenance of the building fabric of St Nicolas
Centre and Church (including fixtures, fittings and furnishings), car park, and
fences around the Church grounds.
This report covers the maintenance issues that have been identified through the
routine inspection by BG. Our thanks to all those who have raised fix-it items for
the building fabric; it’s always better for BG to fix a problem early. If you become
aware of any maintenance issues please alert Vicki in the Parish Office.
None of the works during the year required a faculty (ie permission from the
diocese).
Saint Nicolas Centre
The lack of use during 2020/2021 of the St Nicolas Centre has been reflected in a
low number of issues needing fixing.
Last year’s fixes have been:
• light switch in the painting cupboard in the hall changed to a waterproof
switch.
• Addition of thermostats on the radiators in the office and the front meeting
room.
• Child proof locks added back to the kitchen cupboards.
• Ceiling lights in toilets – replacement bulbs being investigated.
• Fixing loose door handles.
Church Building
• The main doors continue to show their age, swelling in the winter and sticking,
and showing signs of wood rot in areas. BG has added bracing plates to the
worst areas, and sanded the doors so they move freely. It is noted that both
the doors and the window frame to the church porch area need stripping and
repainting.
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• A ceiling panel came down above the organ; BG has now replaced this with a
wooden panel. BG carried out a paint to ceiling colour matching exercise, and
have identified a paint mix that comes close to the ceiling colour. The
replacement wooden ceiling panels have been painted with this colour, as have
the historic brown water stains. This has considerably improved the
appearance of the church ceiling.
• Fixing the outside lights to the church porch which have fused, all caused by
water entering into the bulb holder.
• Peter Kemm and Doug Walrond installed a wifi box in the church to vastly
improve the wifi signal in the church building.
Car Park and Fencing
• No new issues to report on in 2020/2021.
Fire Precautions
• Ours thanks to Vicki Procko who has been acting as the Fire Marshal during
the lock down period, and who has been testing the fire alarm system on a
regular basis.
Peter Kemm
April 2021
a) Garden and Green Spaces subgroup
Our last APCM was only in September 2020 and has a detailed and
comprehensive report. Well worth reading again. Since then, due to the
pandemic and the winter season not much has happened in the garden to be fair.
Our faithful gardeners have, when allowed, tended the raised beds, cut the grass,
mended the BBQ, cleared some rubbish etc plus other practical jobs around the
spaces. Grateful thanks to Maggie Carter, Liz Kerry, Philip Olney, Peter Kemm
and TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) – apologies if I have missed anyone in
this shout out, but our grateful thanks extend to you too.
As highlighted in the March 2021 PCC report, we had been given permission to
remove the Yew tree from the nursery garden. The work was completed in the
Easter holidays before the nursery resumed. Grateful thanks to Vicki for
organising this for us.
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Local folk continue to pop into and appreciate the garden which is lovely, and we
have been lucky enough to use it for Forest Church and pumpkin trail in
October, our act of Remembrance in November and the Nativity Trail at
Christmas. The ever-changing pandemic distancing rules meant our plans for
open air services at Christmas were thwarted, but it has opened our eyes as to
how we might use the space in the future.
Plans are being considered for post lockdown and will be shared as soon as we
are allowed.
St Nicolas Church is blessed to have so much outdoor space, and we recognise
that this is unusual for our area. The fact that it is open to the public and not
tucked away or only accessible by passing through the Church itself is significant
and speaks to who we are as a church community. The gardens and green spaces
are and extension of our sacred space and a blessing that we seek to share. Our
green eco credentials and aspirations are ‘nailed to the door’ of our Church and
website. The ethos of which flows out into the garden spaces too.
Funding St Nicolas received from The Earley Charity was to make the grounds
interesting and useful for the local community as well as Church members. This
has been achieved through 2019 and 2020.
I aim to host a meeting soon for the GGS team and anyone who has expressed
and interest or indeed found an interest in gardening because of lockdown. We
will be meeting initially to dream and plan.
Gardeners know that preparation and good ground is key, so with that in mind I
invite all who read this to take a prayer walk around the garden or weather
permitting rest on one of the benches (socially distanced of course).
Enjoy the space, pray prayers of gratitude, joy, peace and love. Let us soak the
garden with prayer, love and appreciation. Have you ever felt or sensed a special
atmosphere in sacred space? Particularly noticeable in ancient Churches for
example? Somewhere you know is saturated in prayer and faith? The space feels
different. Peaceful, calming, healing. This would be a beautiful and meaningful way
to prepare our ground.
If this does not resonate with you, no worries. Nothing wrong with sitting
quietly, face to the spring sunshine, closing your eyes and breathing deeply.
Julia Jones
April 2021
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ii) Safeguarding Report
Safeguarding Report for APCM 2021
We continue to use APCS, which is our DBS Umbrella Body for the Diocese of
Oxford. Their website provides comprehensive advice and guidance on all things
to do with safeguarding.
The PCC are mostly all up to date on their DBS checks. There is one member
still in progress and another member has stepped down. The PCC has complied
with their duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding
children and vulnerable adults (section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline
Measure 2016). We are in the process of ensuring the leaders and volunteers for
the youth work and pastoral care are up to date.
Safeguarding Training is available through the Diocesan website. The training
website keeps a secure record of your training which can be accessed when you
log in. Most PCC have attended the relevant level training for their role.
The Safeguarding policy is up to date and we are in the process of creating a
safeguarding action plan.
Carol Miller
April 2021
iii) Children’s Work
a) Noah’s Ark, PPP (People, Prayer and Potatoes) & God Squad
With the closure of church and the centre regarding the pandemic, activities that
would have been continued / repeated were obviously cancelled along with
similar outside events eg Green Fair etc.
This, and being furloughed for which I am thankful, meant maintaining links with
families that are not frequent visitors to the church proved extremely difficult.
A wooden disc trail was set up and added to re community events eg. VE day to
try to promote use of the garden; my thanks go to Helen Bantock, a local mum
who has generously given of her time to Noah’s Ark and I wish her well in her
new ventures in Wales.
As with most things, technology came to play a big part in keeping contact with
our young people with continued meetings via Zoom.
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With the easing of restrictions there is now an ideal opportunity to re- visit how
we move forward in encouraging families; and despite no longer being employed I
will hopefully be able to continue to support this endeavour in our church
community.
August 2020
No decisions have yet been made for re-starting any of the above activities.
April 2021
Eleanor Gunbie
April 2021
b) Focus
Focus continues to meet on Zoom every two weeks on a Sunday evening 6-7pm
and we have encouraged them to think and voice what they would like regarding
content and activities post lockdown. This is their space, and we hope to
encourage them to take some ownership of it.
Currently we are using resources from Urban Saint Energize, as they have
created material specifically for online sessions which is really helpful. A mix of
games, exploration of themes and prayer. Andy and Miriam have stepped down,
as you know, so for now April and I take the lead supported by Eleanor.
Although current times have been tricky for many financially, we have been
blessed with some funding specifically for our young people’s work which is
amazing. We are so grateful. We intend to use some of this money to pay for an
additional zoom licence. Thus far we have used free/40 minute zoom which
means every session has had to stop halfway through, we have leave and come
back in. Doable, but not ideal. The ability to have a continuous hour or even
longer if needs be, will be fantastic.
Looking further ahead we believe that there is a place for a mixed offering of
virtual and real time gatherings so we will be ahead of the curve with this in
place.
Our Young people have contributed to services since that last report, with the
readings, prayers, and additional content for sermon slots which I am hugely
thankful to them for. It is lovely to see and hear them on the screen. I know you
enjoy hearing from them too.
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I do need to flag that we require additional help/volunteers to join the team
either as a leader or a support person. We appreciate and value your prayerful
support going forward and will be asking/extending the invitation to our wider
congregation when it is appropriate to do so. I believe we have a huge
opportunity and responsibility to reimagine our post lockdown offering to our
children and young people as we reflect on what this time in isolation has meant
to us all, how this has impacted our faith and what we have discovered we need
or hunger for.
Coming back to better needs mindful planning and with the right support, I am
excited to see what this could look like.
Julia Jones, Co-ordinator
April 2021
iv) JPEG - Group for Justice, Peace and the Environment
The role of the Justice, Peace and Environment Group (JPEG) is to help everyone
at St Nicolas fulfil our core value of ‘seeking justice for all’. We are very pleased
that so many of us within the church are actively involved in seeking justice for all
in individual ways, which we encourage and celebrate.
The areas which we at St Nicolas have particularly committed to are:
• Working for the sake of our environment in response to our shared
responsibility for the havoc to the earth’s ecosystems being wrought by
climate change and pollution,
• Being aware of and involved in local poverty and homelessness, which, as
we all know, has massively increased through this year of pandemic.
• Encouraging our links with Christian Aid, Food Bank, and with Kairos, and
supporting Fairtrade
• Responding as appropriate to the on-going refugee situation and to racism
• Praying for and, where appropriate, campaigning for peace in place of
military action.
As a group we meet about 4-6 times a year to discuss ways of moving forward in
these areas.
In July it was a real joy to welcome three new members to the group – April,
Emma and Julia. They have brought renewed life and vision with them.
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We have tried to communicate more with the rest of the congregation. So over
the summer we did a series of short reflections still available on the St Nics
YouTube channel on Palestine, Communicare, Foodbank, Campaigning, Christian
Aid and Ecochurch. We have also started having prayer points in the Sunday
sheet each month. In Advent we provided a prayer display in church focussing
on climate, poverty, homelessness and war.
Our main focus through the year has been the environment.
• In July we organised a ‘watch party’, encouraging individuals to watch the
informative and moving film Thank You for the Rain followed by a zoom
discussion of how to take things forward.
• We completed our Ecochurch audit and the church received a Bronze
award. This gives us a good baseline to continue to work towards silver
and even gold.
• We have as a church linked with the Make COP26 Count project which
brings churches across the country together to pray, act and campaign for
stronger action leading up to COP26, the vital UN meetings in Glasgow,
November 2021.
• We have organised several Sunday services related to the environment.
These included a creation series in the Autumn and, at the beginning of
Lent, a Climate Sunday service focussing on the food we eat.
Other Foci:
Being aware of and involved in local poverty and homelessness.
• Our main involvement here has been with the Food Bank. When the
church is open items are regularly collected and taken to the bank in
Woodley. When the church is not open we have arranged for occasional
car park collections.
• The church has not given financially to Communicare this year. It is a
charity that gives advice to poorer people in difficult social and financial
situations in Reading, and as such it is still in our minds for further financial
support.
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Encouraging our links with Christian Aid and with Sabeel-Kairos, UK
and with The Fairtrade Foundation.
Christian Aid
• We are proud to support this reputable charity enabling development in
some of the world’s poorest countries and providing relief in emergencies.
• Because of lockdown we were unable to do very much for CA Week last
year, but are planning a bit more for this year.
• In December we took a collection at the Carol Service for Christian Aid’s
Christmas appeal.
• We have tried to make people aware of the CA campaigns which we can
support as a way of making our voice heard to the government.
Sabeel-Kairos, UK
• In November we supported Kairos Reading as it hosted a Palestinian cook-
a-long.
• In December we organised an informative meeting with Cassie Woodward
who had worked in the West Bank as an international observer with EAPPI.
• We continue to advertise the events that Kairos Reading put on, including a
very well-attended Zoom event on Climate and Cultivation – a Palestinian
Perspective during Fairtrade Fortnight.
FairTrade
• We are a Fairtrade church and we are always on the lookout for more
Fairtrade and ecologically friendly products for the daily running of the
church
• This year Fairtrade Fortnight coincided with our Climate Sunday service in
which we highlighted the importance of thinking about both the fairtrade
implications and about the carbon footprint of food.
Until recently JPEG has also been responsible for recommending to the PCC
where our outward giving as a church might go. The outward giving of the
church is still under review by the PCC. JPEG has recommended a continued
commitment to Re-Inspired, to Communicare and to Christian Aid.
As we end a year of pandemic we are all increasingly aware of the devastation of
the environment, of increasing economic inequality, of insecurity and war, both
local and global. As St Nicolas we are committed to seeking justice for all, and it
is something we are all involved in.
Margaret Brown on behalf of Wendy Neale, Lindsey Sharpe, Steve Brown, Marjory
Codling, April Beckerleg, Emma Major, Julia Jones and Liz Kerry.
April 2021
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v) Pastoral Care
As we went into lockdown in March 2020 the Pastoral Care Team realised that
the telephone and email would be the way forward to encourage mutual support
and that there would be a need for volunteers who would be prepared to do
shopping and collect prescriptions.
During the year:
• Homegroup leaders kept in touch with their members.
• People living alone and in vulnerable age groups were contacted regularly
• Volunteers did valuable service in collecting prescriptions and shopping.
Fortunately many people had friends and family who were able to help.
• Telephone contact was made across the congregation.
• Recordings of the Sunday services on CD and orders of service were
delivered weekly to congregation members who are not on- line.
• CDs of services have been taken weekly to Austen House for the residents.
• Resources for morning prayer and weekly Bible readings were given to
some who are not on- line.
• We assisted Earley Hub in the distribution of publicity leaflets and
cooperated with Earley Hub.
• Pastoral issues were mentioned in the Parish weekly email when
appropriate.
• St Nicolas Keeping in Touch Scheme was introduced in November as we
faced the second lockdown. Members of Pastoral Care Team have been in
touch with members of St Nicolas family who are not in Homegroups by
phone, text or email.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped maintain fellowship in the
church and alleviate feelings of isolation by telephone, letter, email, shopping,
collection of prescriptions etc. We are very grateful.
An especially big ‘Thank you’ to Libby who has done so much in a quiet, caring
and unobtrusive way, and made so many phone calls.
Jenny Bryce (Pastoral Care Coordinator)
April 2021
a) Memory Cafe.
Sadly Memory Cafe had to suspend its activities in March 2020, due to the
coronavirus. The feasibility of reopening in the autumn of 2021 is being
considered.
Jenny Bryce, Helen Brown, April 2021
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vi) Sunday@6 now Prayer meeting
Prayer is at the centre of all our worship. Our evening worship on Zoom started
in Lockdown with the emphasis on holding the church and society in prayer as
we worked our way through the pandemic. Sister Carol of the Community of the
Holy Name recently wrote in an article, “that the great work of Intercession is a
way of fulfilling the second commandment, to love one another. It is a hidden way
as we bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ’.
Our gathering on Zoom has continued to become a place of stillness as we share
the concerns on our hearts and then within a short act of evening worship bring
them to Our Lord. The concerns of Church and society as we come out of the
pandemic still need our prayers. There is a core of those who join faithfully week
by week and others who come on occasions.
We are all called to pray, so please consider joining the group.
Daphne Cook
May 2021
vii) Homegroups
April 2020 – April 2021
We currently have 6 homegroups.
One group, despite not using any social media to meet up, have continued to
keep in touch with telephone calls and emails. This group will continue with the
new material in April 2021.
Five groups have met regularly using homegroup material online, prayer, worship
and support within the homegroup. Also homegroups have formed very
necessary social zoom with this becoming even more of a focus and necessary
during the lockdown periods.
Material:
April 2020 - Pilgrim Course - Church and Kingdom
September 2020 - Faith and Mental Health
January 2021 - Lament for Lent and Christian Faith Encounters with other Faiths
Homegroups cover 3 study sessions throughout the year, usually 6 weeks per
session and we will be looking to cover sessions:
One bible study
One reflective
One mission
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In March, all homegroup leaders were invited to an informal Zoom session to get
together and see how groups were doing. I hope to run this 2/3 times a year as
well as a more formal meeting once a year for all leaders with a training aspect
included.
Future: When social restrictions are completely lifted, a “Togetherness in
isolation” party for all homegroups and members.
Christine Seal
March 2021
12) Election and Appointments
i) Church Warden – 2 Vacancies
ii) Laity representative to Deanery Synod – 0 Vacancies
iii) Laity representative to PCC – 3 vacancies
iv) Appointment of Independent Examiner
Richard Sedgewick has kindly volunteered to examine our 2020 accounts.
Richard is an accountant and not a member of PCC so is classed as an
independent.
13) Any Other Business
14) Closing Prayers
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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF PARISHONERS
AND OF THE APCM
held over Zoom (video and telephone)
Sunday 13th September 2020 at 11.30am
There were 40 people in attendance.
The meeting began with Rev April Beckerleg thanking people for attending.
Apologies: Roger Hepburn
Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners
Election of churchwardens
On behalf of St Nicolas, April expressed thanks to our church wardens John
Louth and Robert Bryce for their work for us during the last year. She especially
thanked Robert, who is not standing for re-election, for his hard work and
devotion to St Nicolas Church over the years he has been in office. She
extended her personal thanks to him for his support to her.
John is standing for re-election.
Churchwarden Nominee Name(s)
Wendy Neale Nominated by John Louth
Seconded by Robert Bryce
John Louth Nominated by Robert Bryce
Seconded by Andy Barlow
There being no other nominations and no objections, Wendy and John were
elected.
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Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Apologies: Roger Hepburn
A booklet containing the minutes of the APCM 2019, along with other reports,
had been circulated by email or paper copy prior to the meeting.
1. Minutes of the APCM 2019
Minutes of the APCM 2019 were approved; proposed by Peter Jeal and seconded
by Jenny Bryce.
2. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
3. Report of the Electoral Roll Officer
In accordance with Church Representation Rules, the St Nicolas Electoral Roll
has been revised for 2020.
Total on the Electoral Roll at September 2020 =153
Total number on the 2019 Roll =160
Number of new names added for 2020 = 4
Number of names deducted = 11
page 8 of APCM 2020 booklet
4. Report from PCC Secretary
Page 8 of APCM 2020 booklet
5. Churchwardens' Report
Page 13 of APCM 2020 booklet
Q: the Churchwardens are required to provide a “Fabric Report”. It is not
explicitly covered in either the Wardens’ report or the Buildings and Grounds
group report. Can the Wardens confirm that all statutory checks such as articles
and plate inventory check were completed?
A: Robert Bryce confirmed that an inventory check had recently been completed
and that amendments had been made where necessary.
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6. Chairman’s Report – written and verbal (included in these
minutes)
Clergy report from Libby – page 3
April - verbal report:
What disorientating times we are in. Reading the report feels perhaps like
journeying to another world, - I am sure it must all seem so long ago.
It is a St Nics, of course, which I never knew. I wasn’t expecting to chair this
meeting, and in some ways it seems odd to be reviewing a year which ended 9
months ago, and long before I had any idea I would be sitting here today. But I
am here, and am really delighted by that. It is of course usual for the Vicar to give
an assessment of the past year, and to perhaps set a tone for the future. Now
assessing how things have been in 2019 here at St Nics is not something I can do
from first-hand knowledge. However, I am surrounded by people who have been
able to do that very ably, and so I commend the reports to you.
One of the things that is incredibly clear is the tremendous work that has gone
into the Church last year, and I know that we all owe an enormous debt of
gratitude to Libby, John, Robert, Emma and Daphne for the extraordinary task
they have been faced with. They have all worked above and beyond their role,
with enthusiasm, dedication and commitment, and I am truly grateful to come
into a place which has been so well led and is working so well.
I am sure you would want me to give your heartfelt thanks to them, and if only
we could be here in person to give them the standing ovation they deserve.
The dedication of the whole St Nics family to the on-going mission of the church
is one which shines out of every conversation I have had.
Everyone I have spoken to is rightly proud of being a part of St Nics, and the
wonderful things which have been going on, both outward and obvious, but also
quiet and unseen.
It is good to remember that all our work is kingdom work, everything we do is
to further God’s mission where we are. This includes conversations about boilers
and fire alarms, phone calls to check in with people, ploughing through
documents about procedures and risk assessments, tending the garden or
organising the rota – this is all work to further the kingdom, and everything each
one of us does is a valuable part of that work.
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But even more than what we do, it is who we ARE which really counts, and it has
been clear to me from the very beginning of my journey with you that it is the
members of the St Nics family which makes this such a special place, a welcoming
family, a diverse family, an outward looking family which has been used to
centring around the community we are in. This has been a tough year, it would
have been a challenge anyway, a vacancy always brings its challenges. It would
have been a tough year anyway as the St Nics Centre was open and active with
the challenges which every new venture brings. It would have been a tough year
anyway with COVID, the unprecedented closure of the church and the centre,
the anxiety and distress of living in a pandemic - but to have all three? And
through it all you have supported each other, cared for the vulnerable,
encouraged one another, found innovative ways to worship and, as the saying
goes, our buildings may have closed but the church is very much alive.
Well, we are in a new phase now. Our buildings are open again, we are open for
worship both physically and online, we are finding new and innovative ways to be
church. It is a particular joy to me to be physically present with people at the 8
o’clock as well as having our church building open for private prayer. Once
more we can provide a place of quiet, a place where people can encounter God,
and I have met several people who have come in just for that purpose.
The year to come will certainly have its challenges, and perhaps as the pandemic
continues, there will be more sorrow and grief, a continued lament for what we
have lost. And alongside the loss, we also have hope, the hope of a God who
walks with us, guides us, and gives us a vision of the fellowship we are to share
and the church we are to be.
So, with that firm foundation, built upon the prayer, the worship, the fellowship
which has been such a feature of St Nics, it is now time to turn our face to the
future. And what a future we have in store. A future which brings its own
challenges, but a future of great promise, of excitement, a future where the vision
that has been set is being realised -even if things will look very different to how
we imagined it would be.
In the shifting sands of disorientation, the one thing to hang onto is our
foundation, our core values, the essentials of who we are and what we stand for.
So perhaps we might see how this disorientation brings new opportunities, a
chance to discover other ways in which the church can be active and thriving,
other ways we can reach out to our community – because, as we know, at the
Church of St Nicolas Earley the people are compassionate, resourceful, prayerful
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and committed, outward facing and sensitive to each other, our local community
and further afield. We might even call this Re-orientation, not a change of
direction, but building on what we know, our sure foundation, where we will
grow towards all we are called to be for the furthering of the kingdom.
We are finding new ways to grow spiritually, whether that is discovering new
devotional practices, or reacquainting ourselves with familiar ones, tapping into
the Personal Discipleship plan, spending time in the church garden, or the
fellowship of homegroups or teasing out the issues of faith and discipleship in
Going Deeper.
We are finding new ways to worship, online and in person, with different
patterns enhancing and complementing the familiar rhythms of prayer and
worship.
We are finding new ways to be outward facing, our centre is open, blessing our
local community, as Christian communities have always done.
We are blessed with extraordinarily gifted people within our church, and the past
year in vacancy has seen many people step forward into roles and taking up new
challenges, and we can build on that for the future as people recognise God’s call
– and there are always new ways for that to happen.
I am incredibly excited by the team we have on our new PCC a wonderful
balance of new people alongside the stability of those remaining, and it is good to
see one or two folk who have served in the past being called to return to
support the work of St Nics. I am particularly thrilled that alongside John we will
have two wonderfully gifted people familiar to St Nics working together as a
jobshare Churchwarden. It is a new experiment, and I know you will all give
them your full support as they begin to discover what this might mean.
And as we move forward we discover the eternal truth that while many things
seem new, in many ways new things are simply a rediscovery of what was always
true, the fundamentals of who we are do not change, even when things feel
different. In fact in some ways this reorientation allows us to see the familiar
afresh, new and vibrant for the times we find ourselves in. We know that God’s
love is constant throughout, and our Christian vocation to God and each other is
as strong as it ever was, since, as T S Eliot reminds us:
With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
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Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Ephesians chapter 4
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
7. Treasurer’s Report
See separate booklet attached entitled “Annual Report and Financial Statements
for St Nicolas Church, Earley PCC, for the year ended 31 Dec 2019”.
We are in the unusual position this year in that the Treasurer’s Report has
already been independently examined.
Question:
Q: the reserves have been dipped into during the last year and at the close of
2019 were depleted. What is being done to build them up again?
A: Claire Connell answered that the PCC has been reviewing expenditure, but it
is very hard to make plans due to Covid-19 restrictions. We aim to build up our
reserves, but are unable at the moment to set targets for this.
April added that Bishop Steven reports that many churches have had to use their
reserves in this time of crisis. Claire stressed that although we have used some
of our reserves, we at not at crisis point regarding finance.
April thanked all those who have kept up their level of giving. Liz highlighted that
there had been 2 large donations recently.
April thanked Liz and Claire hugely for seeing us through this time of change and
helping deal with new challenges eg the complexities of furloughing.
The Finance Report was approved; proposed by John Louth, seconded by Doug
Walrond. No objections.
8. Stewardship report
Page 16 of APCM 2020 booklet
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9. Report from Deanery Synod
Page 16 of the APCM 2020 booklet
10. Reports from St Nicolas Centre Groups
i) St Nicolas Centre – page 19 of the APCM 2020 booklet
A further update (on the update in the report) is that the nursery The Earley
Montessori Preschool has opened this month in the centre.
ii) Fundraising Team - page 19 of the APCM 2020 booklet
11. Reports from Church Groups
i) Buildings & Grounds Group page 19
April thanked Roger and Peter Kemm for their work here.
a) Garden page 21
April thanked Liz Kerry for her work in the garden. The garden is an area for further
interest.
ii) Safeguarding Report page 24
April thanked Carol Miller for taking on this essential task, which is also a legal
requirement.
iii) Children’s Work
a) Noah's Ark, People Prayers and Potatoes (PPP) and God Squad page 17
April thanked Eleanor for all her hard work.
The work of serving Children and Families will continue to be a challenge to us in these
times.
b) Focus, Focus + and Focus Up page 26
April thanked Andy and the team for keeping going in Lockdown; the group is thriving.
iv) JPEG page 27
April thanked the JPEG team for their work in 2019 and for their continuing work.
v) Pastoral Care page 29
Thank you Jenny and the team.
a) Memory Café
This has discontinued for the foreseeable future, due to Covid-19
vi) Sunday @6 page 31
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Thank you Andy and team.
Sunday@6 has discontinued at present. Instead, we have Prayers@6 on a weekly
basis via Zoom.
vii) Homegroups page 31
Many thanks to Christine and to the homegroup leaders. Homegroups are a good
network for providing support and resources and have been a lifeline for many during
Lockdown.
12. Elections and Appointments
i) Laity representatives to Deanery Synod
Jenny Bryce was proposed by Liz Fielding and seconded by Helen Brown
John Davies was proposed by Doug Walrond and seconded by Maggie Carter
Elaine Spratling was proposed by Robert Bryce and seconded by Jenny Bryce
No objections; all elected
ii) Laity Representatives to PCC (new term and any casual vacancies)
Nominee Julia Jones vacancy until 2021
Nominated by Robert Bryce
Seconded by Helen Brown
Nominee Julie Hull vacancy until 2022
Nominated by Robert Bryce
Seconded by Helen Brown
3 full vacancies until 2023
Nominee Eleanor Gunbie
Nominated by Robert Bryce
Seconded by Helen Brown
Nominee Peter Kemm
Nominated by Robert Bryce
Seconded by Helen Brown
Nominee Denise Rees
Nominated by Daphne Cook
Seconded by Elaine Spratling
No objections; all elected
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ii) Appointment of Independent Examiner
Richard Sedgewick was appointed,
proposed by John Davies, seconded by Emma Major. No objections.
13. Any Other Business
Jenny Bryce raised a vote of thanks to Libby for taking the helm when Rev Neil left
in June 2019.
April added her personal thanks to both Libby and to the team: "St Nicolas does
not feel like a church having been in a vacancy.”
14. Closing Prayers – Rev April Beckerleg