Author: Jayne

St Francis of Assisi AGM 2024

22 October 2024, 7:30pm

Attendees

Mike Campbell (chair)Stephen Spooner
Llindsay ReynoldsAnne Shepherd
Jacinta CampbellBernie Shepherd
Father KevinBen Ryan
Sam CaldwellMaria Levesley
Jenny KingRichard McQuinn
Edmund KingLiz Dingle
Alex KrzyzRichard Bushell
Sian PriceDavid Bellamy
Clare ByrneEva Kaltenthaler (minutes)

Apologies: Michelle Nuttall, Deacon Stephen Parker

Father Kevin led the Opening Prayer.

Reports

  1. Chair’s Report

The chair’s report is presented in full in the Annual Report. A brief summary is presented here:

  • The church has a new notice board outside
  • Work has been done outside the church, including removal of tree branches and installation of a bike rack.
  • Work has been done on the velux windows and the roof. The velux windows are still not functioning and Sam Caldwell will chase this. Chairs in the Hall have been cleaned. A new defibrillator has been installed.
  • Six editions of the Chronicle have been produced so far.
  • David Bellamy is now helping with the Parish IT tasks.
  • Richard McQuinn has sorted out the new gas contract for the Parish.
  • Lots of money has been raised by the Dance Club and Panto, including for CAFOD.
  • Synod responses were coordinated by Stephen Parker.
  • Social events and events for the Jubilee are being planned for next year.
  • A debit card reader has been installed.

The chair thanked everyone who has contributed to the parish work in so many ways over the past year.

  • Finance Committee

The chair thanked Derick Hemmingfield who has done the finances for many years. Sam Caldwell presented this year’s financial report. He said that the finances for the parish were healthy. Two new computers have been purchased and the new Mass books with more to be purchased over the next year. There have been a number of repairs to the building over the past year.

Parishioners were encouraged to use standing orders for financial contributions. Those who have had a standing order for a number of years might consider increasing the amount. Gift aid contributions are a very useful source of income so anyone who hasn’t already completed the gift aid declaration form was encouraged to do so.

The financial record was approved by the Parish.

  • Liturgy and Spirituality Group

Deacon Stephen was unable to attend and present the report. This group still needs someone to help with planning Liturgy and Spirituality events. The possibility of a pilgrimage next year for the Jubilee was discussed.

  • Youth Ministry

Richard Bushell presented the Youth Ministry report. He mentioned that the youth in the parish are very active as altar servers and as part of the music group. They also contribute to the Youth Mass. Younger members of our Parish contribute to the annual panto and dance shows and pursue individual initiatives such as attending World Youth Day and Pilgrim Cross.

Children’s liturgy is thriving and thanks were made to Clare Byrne for running this. The Youth Group has about six members and new members (years 10-13) are always welcome.  

We have an annual First Communion programme and thanks were made to Debora Ruvinski for running this. The Confirmation programme runs every two years. Two older youth who are not members of the Parish have come forward to be received in the Catholic faith and they are receiving instruction. A relationship is being developed with the Diocesan Youth Team.

A query was raised as to whether or not members of our youth community could read at Mass. It was acknowledged that some training in reading in Public would be helpful.

  • Justice and Peace Group

Sian has submitted the group’s report highlighting activities that have taken place throughout the year.  At the Parish Day Thom Flint from CAFOD gave a presentation on the work they do in the Democratic Republic of Conga (DRC).

Maria described the LiveSimply Campaign which the group is involved in and said the launch event in April was well attended. The LiveSimply Campaign has three themes.

To live simply

Parishioners have been invited to make pledges for things they can do to help the environment. Each month a new theme is presented with the opportunity to present pledges.

To live sustainably

A parish purchasing policy has been developed. We now use eco friendly cleaning products and faire trade tea and coffee. We now have a wildlife garden and a had a recent recycling Sunday.

To live in solidarity with the poor

Eva presented some of the work for this theme including the continued support of the parish for CAFOD and S2 Foodbank. She discussed plans for next year including a showing of the film “The Letter” about climate change and plans to raise funds for toilet twinning in Lent next year.

The new parish Covenant with the Poor was presented. The Parish Council had previously agreed to 5% of the annual offertory contributions to be distributed among a number of chosen charities working to alleviate poverty. It was agreed that at least in the first year the emphasis will be on local charities. The chosen charities are:

  • ASSIST
  • S2 Foodbank
  • Sheffield SVP
  • Sheffield City of Sanctuary
  • St Wilfrid’s Centre
  • Buzz contact centre
  • Baby Basics
  • Roundabout
  • Care in Crosspool

Father Kevin led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – July 2024

9 July 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Maria Levesley, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, Stephen Spooner, Sam Caldwell, Mel de Maio (for part of the meeting).

Apologies: Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds

Matters Arising

  • Thom Flynn, who is the CAFOD photographer will be speaking at our Parish Day about CAFOD.
  • It was suggested that the LiveSimply Campaign should be a standing agenda item going forward and all matters pertaining to the campaign could be discussed together.
  • David B will report back on progress with training from St John’s Ambulance at the next meeting.
  • Work is beginning soon on the repainting of ground floor window frames and the Lychgate. Mike will check on progress. Richard McQuinn said he had some equipment that Leo (the painter) could use and would contact Leo about this. If equipment needs to be purchased, the parish would reimburse.

Parish Mass Books

New books are needed for this Advent. The new Lexionary and Gospels have been paid for already from Parish funds (£825). There was some discussion of the purchase of new Mass books. There are a total of six books needed (two per year cycle). We currently have 200 books for each but this was felt to be too many as numbers of Mass attendees have decreased and many people don’t use them. It was decided that we should determine how many are needed before these are purchased.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan to about this. The reader after Mass could ask for a show of hands to see how many people used the books during the readings.

Parish Social Events

Mel discussed some options for social events to consider.

  • Film night (Mike is interested in helping with this). Ideas for films include Into the Great Silence, Of Gods and Men and The :Letter.
  • Nature walk in August (Sian is interested in helping with this).
  • Shared vegetarian meal in January (Stephen Spooner is interested in helping with this).
  • Summer BBQ
  • Fish and Chips or Pizza night
  • Harvest Supper
  • Ceilidh or barn dance
  • Burns night

Other ideas included

  • Revamping the notice boards in the Narthex to make them more welcoming and inclusive.
  • Creche area for small children. The screen at the back of the Church would be partially opened up and a small area set aside for children. This would be trialled in the autumn.

LiveSimply Campaign

The Covenant with the Poor was presented and approved by the Parish Council with the annual financial commitment to be 5% of the offertory collection. It was agreed that this would be presented at the AGM in October and charities chosen by the Parish at the meeting.

Action: Eva to update the Covenant with the Poor and share final version with the Parish.

There will be a Recycling Sunday every three months to recycle named items, such as old pens or ink cartridges. These will be advertised well in advance. These will be taken to the appropriate recycling point by a member of the Parish.

The Wildlife Garden has been planted and seeds are now sprouting.

Liturgy and Spirituality

2025 is the Year of the Jubilee. Stephen Parker said we need to start considering how we will approach this and what events should be planned. He will work with Lyndsay and the musicians on this and present some suggestions at the next meeting.

Youth Ministry

There was nothing to report currently.

Other matters

There have been some concerns about the noise level in church before Mass. It was suggested that after the musicians finish practice, one of the readers will make an announcement welcoming everyone, stating what Sunday it is and asking for silence before the start of Mass. There will be a note in the Franciscan about this.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan about silence before Mass.

There was discussion about the need for a card reader. There are various options available and these will be discussed at the next meeting.

Action: David to present card reader options at the next meeting.

Father Kevin had some concerns as the new velux windows are leaking. This was thought to be because they had not been closed properly. The roofing company will be called back to sort this out. The windows in the church will need to have a new system to open them remotely. This will cost £895.

There have been concerns raised in the Crosspool Forum about caress car parking and St Francis has been named as being partly responsible.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan asking that people take care when parking.

Top priority agenda item for the next meeting will be reformation of the Parish Finance Committee.

Mike read the closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 10 September 2024 at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – May 2024

22 May 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (Chair), Father Kevin, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, David Bellamy, Stephen Spooner, Eva Kaltenthaler, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price and Richard McQuinn (minutes).

Apologies: Mel de Maio (who had offered to come to discuss social events but had given her apologies due to illness).  The Council noted Sam Coldwell may also have intended to join the meeting, but this was not certain.

The meeting opened with a short period of contemplation.

1. Matters Arising

  • CAFOD Visit: Angela Powell still wanted to visit Saint Francis to thank parishioners for the financial support CAFOD had received in recent years. This was now more likely to be in October, at the Parish Day when she may be accompanied by a colleague from London. Action: MC to confirm if the above would be proceeding.
  • Social Committee: Social Events: The advert had been placed in the bulletin and had so far received a single response from Mel de Maio. Action: MC to confirm Mel’s availability for the next PPC meeting.

2. Ongoing Synod Process and Diocesan Consultation on Parishes

A sub committee of David Bellamy, Richard Bushell and Sam Coldwell had prepared for a Parish Meeting on the above matters on 16th May.

David Bellamy reported on the format of the meeting which had been to follow the synodal process and also have a Lectio Divinaaspect by concentrating on the gospel reading about the Road to Emmaus, also reporting back on the diocesan Synod meeting held in January and articles that had appeared subsequently in the Hallam Bridge. 

There were 3 facilitators, Fr Kevin and 8 attendees. Unfortunately, the meeting had been called at short notice due to a diocesan reporting deadline and fallen close to the Easter period. At the meeting there was also some disappointment expressed that there was insufficient profile given at a diocesan level to the future role of lay ministries and the ministry of women, given the continuing shortage of vocations.

David went on to say that the meeting had clearly recognised the above should not detract from the fact that St Francis Parish had a good cohort of volunteers and there was considerable joy within the parish.  It was believed some areas could be improved such as the recognition of individual spiritual inventories/skills and how they could be better used within the parish.

The Council noted that the meeting had been called a time when the parish had also been asked to respond to the “4 Questions” posed by the Council of Priests on the future of parishes and been presented by the diocese with some statistical analysis from the 2022 period on  mass attendance, baptisms and income/expenditure ratios, priests age etc .

Stephen Parker commented that he was aware that the publication of those statistics had been a great shock to many parishes, who saw their low attendance and poor finances as an existential threat.  He added this was a very complex area that would require skilful leadership to navigate the issues presented. As concluded in the last meeting, Saint Francis should not be considered as an outlier against trends being seen across the diocese.

Sam Coldwell was preparing 2 notes to input to Bishop Ralph on what had been expressed at the parish meeting. It was recognised the Council should take very opportunity to communicate its concerns to the Diocese and this was such an opportunity.  As such Sam’s report should be considered by the Council to ensure those matters raised by parishioners were given sufficient profile by the 5th  June deadline. 

Action: PC to receive and comments on drafts asap

3. Justice and Peace

  • Live Simply Launch Event: Marie Levesley reported the event had been well attended by a high number of parishioners who had visited and enjoyed the three stalls, watched a short video presentation and signed up for various participating roles and taking matters forward. Various work streams were now underway to introduce new initiatives or promote those that were already in place.
  • Purchasing Policy: Maria said that as part of the above launch event draft Purchasing Policy had been prepared. It was recognised that the implementation of this was very much a “work in progress” and would involve some additional marginal cost in certain areas and required further work on transitioning from existing systems to sourcing supplies to the new ethical policy. Following discussion, the Council agreed the policy should be adopted, however, particular care would be needed to ensure this did not make things more difficult for the church cleaner, those undertaking administration and other tasks such as providing tea and coffee etc, from interfering with their ability to continue the same.

Action: Maria to liaise with church cleaner.

4. Liturgy and Spitituality

  • Baptism & Confirmations: Stephen Parker reported that 5 baptisms had been scheduled for the coming months, 2 being of school aged children. Additionally, Jack Evans had indicated he wanted to be received into the church, probably at Easter 2025.  He was aware a number of other Catholics attended church services and as such would extend an invitation to the same.  A “Journey in Faith” program would be required and it was possible some of St Williams program could be followed in the Autumn.
  • New Lectionary: Stephen Spooner reported a new set of lectionaries were required for the first week of Advent 2004. These cost upwards of £300 each giving a total cost of approximately £1,500. Following discussion, the Council decided these items were required and would have to be purchased. It was hoped the 200 Club or perhaps a social event could support their purchase, but it was not known how much funds the 200 Club had following their purchase of the parish defibrillator. In due course, a decision would have to be taken about the weekly Mass Books; that would also be a considerable expense if 3 sets of 100 books had to be acquired.

5. Youth Ministry

  • Financial Support: Richard Bushell reported that no individual had yet expressed an interest in going on the diocesan Lourdes pilgrimage or attending the World Youth Day.
  • Study Bibles: Richard said was thinking about proposing that a number of study bibles be purchased for use by the youth group or otherwise, but he had not reached any firm conclusion yet.
  • Altar Servers: Richard said he had also bought a box of Celebration chocolates to present to the altar servers on Pentecost, in thanks and recognition for their dedication and hard work at church services.

The PPC thanked Richard for acknowledging the altar servers.

6. Maintenance

Mike Campbell and Father Kevin reported that:

  • Church Windows and Roof Leak: The roof repair had been undertaken recently. The weather had been dry since that time, but it was noted heavy rain was expected in the next couple of days which would no doubt test the repair. The replacement windows had been delivered but were not correct, so replacements were due any day and it was hoped they could be quickly installed once weather permitted.
  • Ground Floor Windows: Leo Whittaker had agreed to stain the downstairs window frames for payment. Once that was complete some attention could be given to upper window frames that may require professional attention as it would involve work at height and so would require ladders or scaffold and insurance. There was some discussion as to whether the Parish should employ a part-time administrator to relieve Fr Kevin of having to manage the maintenance work.
  • New Defibrillator (Zoll AED3): This had been purchased and installed together with a new first aid kit. David Bellamy confirmed he was testing the defib on a weekly basis using the Wi-Fi that he had extended to the kitchen area. The Wi-Fi could also be used to support a card reader for cash donations as used at other parishes. Action: DB said he would explore with the St John’s Ambulance whether they could undertake first aid training and if so at what cost.
  • Lychgate: It was agreed St Wilfrid’s should be approached to see if they could carry out some minor work to the Lychgate. Action: MC to contact St Wifrids’s.

7. Parish Administration

  • Computers: David Bellamy reported John Green had now handed the parish laptop and computer to him and he was busy familiarising himself with the various files. He had acquired a new laptop and put some of the files on it. The old laptop would be repurposed. The Parish office computer was somewhat aged and may last another year before requiring replacement. Derek Hemmingfield had also indicated he wished to stop preparing the parish accounts after many years. David said he was happy to take over that role.
  • Inventory: David also proposed that an inventory of parish assets be prepared and would use the software Snip IT to help with the same. He and Johnathan Yewdall would undertake this as time permitted.

The PPC thanked David for undertaking this new role.

8. Any other Business

  • John and Anne Green’s Farewell: A small farewell drinks reception was to be held on 26 May for John and Anne to thank them for their active participation in many areas of parish life over a long period as they are shortly due to relocate to the Bristol area. It was agreed some wine would be purchased for the occasion and Mike would present a card.

CLOSURE

Father Kevin read a short closing prayer.

Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 9/07/2024 at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – March 2024

12 March 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (Chair), Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, David Bellamy, Sam Coldwell and Richard McQuinn (minutes).

Apologies: Deacon Stephen Parker, Stephen Spooner, Eva Kaltenthaler, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price

The meeting opened with a short prayer.

  • 1. Matters Arising
  • Gas Supply: Richard McQuin reported that IFM had processed the application to move into the collective Diocesan scheme for gas supply, St Francis already being in that scheme for electricity. This would lead to cheaper energy costs than could be found elsewhere.  Some alternative suppliers were requiring a circa 150% increase, however, the parish would see increased gas costs of about 25% with IFM, having been protected by the low rates under the old British Gas contract for the last 3 years.  Father Kevin confirmed he had received correspondence from British Gas that the Parish had been put on to the default standard variable rate, so he questioned if the transfer had been fully processed.  Action – RM confirmed he would take this up with IFM.
  • Parish Volunteer List: Mike Campbell confirmed he now held an electronic list (register) of all Parish Volunteers as requested by the Diocese on a password protected file on his laptop. Action – see below.
  • IT Support:  Mike Campbell confirmed the notice requesting support with the parish desktop and laptop computers and the tasks currently undertaken by John Green had not yet gone into the Franciscan. Action – MC would do this as a matter of urgency.  Note – DB agreed to do this.
  • Photo of Confirmation Group for Chronicle: Richard Bushell confirmed this had been sent to the Chronicle.
  • 2. Ongoing Synod Process and Diocesan Consultation on Parishes

The Council discussed the above 2 consultation processes that were currently underway, each currently requesting input from individual Parishes.  It was noted that the groups for Synodal discussions were often started with short Lectio Divina sessions.  The Diocesan consultation on Parishes required answers from the Parish by 5 June. 

Mike Campbell tabled a short analysis he had prepared on the Hallam Statistical Data on individual parish Mass Attendance, Baptisms and Expenditure/Income Ratio provided by the Diocese. He went on to explain that probably insufficient context had been provided with the raw data. He would work on the analysis further and submit his analysis to the Diocese.

Later in the meeting Father Kevin raised concerns about the low level of Baptisms, First Communions and Confirmations at Saint Francis.The Parish Council reassured Father Kevin that the statistical analysis showed Saint Francis was broadly typical of parishes within the Hallam Diocese who were experiencing or likely experiencing similar trends.  Saint Francis could not be considered an outliner, or his efforts be considered the cause of the fall in numbers.

Action – A subcommittee of David Bellamy, Richard Bushell and Sam Coldwell would be tasked with preparing a meeting on 8th May at 7.30 for parishioners to discuss these matters in an appropriate forum.

  • 3. Justice and Peace

Maria Levesley reported the group were now ready to launch the CAFOD Live Simply action plan after Mass on 28 April, using 3 stalls to cover the main theme of Live Simply, Live Sustainably, Live in Solidarity with the Poor.

Action – OK to proceed on 28 April

Maria also wanted to speak to the church cleaner about cleaning products used at the Church.

  • 4. Liturgy and Spirituality

In her absence, Mike Campbell reported that Lindsay was not yet ready to lead a Bible study course on St Mark’s Gospel.  Claire Byrne was keen to see some aspect of Catholic Social Teaching presented.  Sam Coldwell mentioned New Zealand’s Caritas Aotearoa had many resources on CST.

  • 5. Youth Ministry

Richard Bushell reported the youth group continued to meet monthly and that the First Holy Communion preparation was up and running.

  • 6. Maintenance

Mike Campbell and Father Kevin reported that:

  • Church Door: Efforts were ongoing to repair one of the churches main (large and heavy) doors that had recently stuck. It was going to be a two-man job and John Clarke was not able to undertake it on his own.  If required, one of the Fire doors could be used for access/egress. Action – MC and Father Kevin to continue to pursue.
  • Church Windows and Roof Leak:  A number of high windows in the Upper Room and Side Chapel were to be replaced with electronic windows and certain other maintenance work aimed at resolving the roof leak into the narthex were to be undertaken at a cost of £4,800 by Messrs A J Murphy staring on 26th April.
  • Ground floor Windows and Lychgate Repainting:  Mike Campbell would approach Leo Whittaker to see if he was capable and prepared to undertake this work and what cost may be involved. Action – MC to Progress.
  • Roving Mic at Mass: It had been noticed that the roving mic was intermittently cutting out.   Sam Coldwell said he would check this with Father Kevin in the coming days.  Father Kevin new the original equipment suppliers if spares or a replacement had to be sourced. Action – SC and Father Kevin to progress.
  • 7. Defibrillator

The Parish Council noted the 200 club had offered to purchase a new defibrillator.  David Bellamy ran through the various options in respect of this equipment.  Following discussion, it was agreed David should liaise with the 200 club and source a semi-automatic version and other associated equipment at a cost likely to be in the region of £1,400.  David agreed he was perhaps currently well placed to undertake a monthly inspection of the equipment and associated material.

Action – DB to proceed. Note added DB purchased the defib.

  • 8. Social Committee: Social Events.

Following discussion, it was agreed Mike Campbell should put a notice in the Franciscan asking whether anybody would be happy to form a social committee to organise additional social events. Action – MC to proceed.

  • 9. Bidding Prayers

Following discussion, it was agreed the parish should continue with the format of having a brief period of individual silent contemplation following each of the individual intentions rather than a collective response such as “Lord Graciously Here Us”.

  • 10. CAFOD Visit

CAFOD (Angela Powell) had wanted to visit Saint Francis to thank parishioners for the financial support they had received in recent years. Following discussion, it was agreed that the launch of the Live Simply Campaign might be an appropriate time for such a visit. Action – MC to liaise with CAFOD and J&P group.

CLOSURE

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 21 May 2024 at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – January 2024

23 January 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, John Green (for part of the meeting).

Apologies: Stephen Spooner, Sam Coldwell

The meeting opened with two minutes of contemplative silence.

Support needed

John Green explained that he will be leaving the parish shortly. He backs up the parish computer and keeps a record of all invoices and has done this for many years. A replacement will need to be found to undertake these duties. Mike thanked John Green on behalf of the Parish Council for all his services for the parish over a period of many years. 

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan to find a replacement.

Matters Arising

  • The bike rack has been installed and is already being used. The cost was £294.12 and has been paid for by the 200 Club.
  • Coming out of the car park can be difficult as there is limited visibility at times due to badly parked cars. After Mike’s note in the Franciscan, parking has improved and there is no longer a problem.
  • A Parish WhatsApp group has now been set up and phone numbers of those on the old vurch WhatsApp group added. Mike will send an invitation for others to join via the Franciscan.
  • Richard McQuin reported that he has applied to the IFM on behalf of the parish to be our new gas provider. We will initially be put on a temporary rate until the new contract starts in October. It is not yet known what the rate will be as the quote has not yet been received. When Richard hears from the IFM, he will share this with the Parish Council. It is expected that the quote will be considerably higher than what we are paying now. All other quotes received are also higher than the current rate which was set a long while ago.

Liturgy and Spirituality

Lindsay reported that she is planning a Bible study course on St Mark’s Gospel. She expects this will start after February half term.

Deacon Stephen Parker is planning a one day event on the Holy Spirit and Healing to take place during the summer.

Maria reported that the music group is planning to invite more soloists to take part in the music during Mass.

Youth Ministry

There are plans for a celebration event this Friday for the confirmation/youth group, including a meal and bowling. The expected cost will be between £250-£350. The Parish Council agreed to contribute £250 towards this. Richard B agreed to take a photo of the group for the Chronicle and will ensure he has consent to do so.

Justice and Peace

The group presented the CAFOD Live Simply action plan, which is a near final version. Actions around the three categories were discussed:

  • Live Simply
  • Live Sustainably
  • Live in Solidarity with the poor

This was approved by the Parish Council. Maria will submit the action plan shortly. The Justice and Peace Group will meet soon to develop a strategy to share this with the parish.

Any other business

Bob Levesley needs a register of all Parish Volunteers as requested by the Diocese. It was unclear as to what the definition of a volunteer is in this context.

Action: Mike to contact groups who lead volunteers to start a list.

Father Kevin mentioned some correspondence he has received. Pope Francis has designated 2024 as a year of prayer in preparation for the Jubilee year in 2025. A series of resources are available to support this.

David mentioned that he and Deacon Stephen had attended the recent Diocesan meeting on the Synod. At the meeting it was suggested that each parish consider how they might take the findings of the Synod forward in their own parish.  This will be discussed in more detail at the next Parish Council meeting.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 12 March 2024 at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – November 2023

21 November 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, Tim Baron, Sam Caldwell (PFC)

Apologies: Maria Levesley

The meeting opened with two minutes of contemplative silence.

Welcomes

Sam Caldwell was welcomed as the new member of the Parish Finance Committee. He reported he had been in touch with Derek Hemmingfield and the accounts were in order. Tim Baron was welcomed as an addition to Maria to report on the J&P proposals.

Matters Arising

  • The trees have been cut back and it was felt that the work was done well.
  • Maria has cleaned all the chairs in the Hall. The Parish Council thanked Maria for doing this. It was felt that there are now in a good state and new covers are not required.
  • The bike rack has been ordered by David Bellamy. Help will be needed when this is ready to fix. Sam offered to help with this.
  • The Parish walk went well. It was agreed that the walks should continue perhaps twice a year.
  • One person attending an event at the church reported difficulties with getting a wheelchair up the ramp. Most people pushing wheelchairs to the church have no problem with the ramp. The person reporting difficulties was told that help would be on offer if they came into the church to ask.

Other matters

1. Coming out of the car park can be difficult as there is limited visibility at times due to cars parked right on the corner of the entrance.

Action: Mike to put a note into the Franciscan to ask parishioners not to park in a manner that blocks the view to the right for people exiting.

2. The current Parish whatsapp group was developed during the time when we had vurch and is often used for social exchanges rather than parish business or information. It was felt that a new whatsapp group would be useful. All parishioners would be invited to join and it would be used to share Parish related information only.

Action: Mike to set up a new Parish whatsapp group with invitation to join in the Franciscan.

Justice and Peace

The group presented the CAFOD Live Simply campaign application. Actions around the three categories were discussed:

  • Live Simply
  • Live Sustainably
  • Live in Solidarity with the poor

It was agreed that a near final draft would be shared with the Parish Council before the next meeting so that it could be approved. It was agreed that this was an excellent step for the Parish to take and follows some actions from neighbouring parishes. There were some queries about costs from some of the actions. The launch is expected to take place in late January/early February.

Action: Justice and Peace Group members to provide an estimation of costs for purchase of cleaning products and refreshments after Mass as well as costs associated with the proposed Covenant with the Poor. Near final draft to be submitted to Parish Council before the next meeting.

Spirituality

A Lectio group has formed as a result of the Big Picture. Lindsay is also planning a Bible study group. She will start with an in depth look at St Mark’s gospel.

Action: Lindsay to put a note in the Franciscan about the Bible study group.

Youth Ministry

Seven young people were confirmed after instruction consisting of nine two hours sessions. The Parish Council agreed to pay for a celebratory meal. Richard mentioned that there should be some consideration of equipment provision in the future as there is no wifi in the church and no projector or screen upstairs in the Upper Room. The Parish council thanked Richard Bushell for leading the confirmation class.

A Lenten retreat for young people is being planned. It is expected that there will be another cohort for confirmation in two years. Richard will write an article and send a photo for inclusion in the Chronicle.

Action: Richard to submit article and photo for the Chronicle.

Maintenance

The roof is leaking after heavy rain and wind. The Diocesan Property Manager will come on Friday to inspect and recommend what action is needed.

Any other business

Bob Levesley needs a register of all Parish Volunteers. It was felt that only Eucharistic ministers who visit people in their homes need DBS checks. The list of Eucharistic Ministers is maintained by Kevin Exell.

Action: Mike to refer Bob to Kevin for names and contact details of all Eucharistic Ministers.

Father Kevin presented a number of letters for consideration. Among these were some pertaining to Diocesan banking and fuel. These were passed to Tim Baron for the Justice and Peace Group to deal with.

(Note after meeting: Richard McQuinn has agreed to deal with this)

Richard Bushell agreed to find someone to write a review of the panto for the Chronicle.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting ** January 2024 at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – July 2023

18 July 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Father Kevin, Deacon Stephen Parker Sian Price, and Richard McQuinn.

Apologies: Eva Kaltenthaler, Stephen Spooner, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds and Maria Levesey

Parishioners Attending: David Bellamy, Jenny King and Miriam Mawimba

Opening Prayer: Two minute meditation

1.      MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2023 were approved.

Matters Arising

•        Parish Website: Mike had already done some work on updating the website.  Father Kevin still has a list of items that need removing. He will send these to Mike.

•        Financial Support: The parish had given Benedict Yewdall £100 to participate as a support worker in the Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes and £300 to Isabel Ruvinski to attend the World Youth Day in Portugal later in the year.  They would be asked to make a brief report on their attendance in due course.

•        Garden Benches: These had now been removed due to their poor state of repair and as younger members of the public were using them inappropriately.

•        Hall Chairs: These still needed some cleaning. The best method had yet to be explored.  One suggestion is that Tesco’s Rug Doctor might also be used to clean upholstery.

•        Finances:  A new member of the Parish Finance Committee is being sought.  A potential candidate had possibly been identified, who would be contacted by Mike.

2.      SPIRITUALITY

•        Lenten Retreat: Stephen reported that he believed this had been a success.

•        Big Picture: This course had now been run. Lindsay Reynolds had circulated a report on behalf of herself and the other three organisers Geraldine Houlton, Diane Rossiter and Clare Byrne.  The course ran from March 21st to July 11th with 13 evening session and had an average of 25 attendees.  The verbal feedback during the course was very positive and this was borne out by the high attendance rate and the enthusiasm of the participants. Final written feedback had yet to be analysed but would be reported on in due course.

3.      JUSTICE AND PEACE

Sian Price explained the ‘Live Simply’ campaign was gathering momentum with parishioners being canvased for ideas and suggestions.  Many ideas had been received and were being reviewed such as:

•        A virtual equipment list which parishioners would be prepared to allow other parishioners to borrow and use in order to avoid additional purchase of such items that were infrequently used.

•        Green projects for younger parishioners – bee hotels, bug hotels, bird baths, rewilding patch, in the appropriate locations of the parish grounds and garden

•        Holding the Childrens Liturgy and parish meeting such as committee meetings in the parish garden.

•        Acquiring a bicycle rack of up to 4-8 bike capacity.

•        Use of Fair-Trade tea and coffee.

4.      YOUTH MINISTRY

No report was made on this occasion. The Council noted the donations reported earlier in the meeting.

5.      NEW NOTICE BOARD

It had been agreed a new wooden notice board would be sited in the parish grounds close to and on the right-hand side of the main path entrance on Sandyagte Road, sized 4 feet by 3 feet.

Jenny King had already circulated the proposed wording for the new notice board. St Wilfred’s could supply the main notice board, but it was currently understood the parish would have to provide posts and site the board.

It was noted that St Francis was one of only a few churches that was regularly left open during the day and not just at service times. It was agreed a balance had to be struck between drawing attention to the church and possibility of prayer and the ongoing security of the premises. 

Following some further discussion, it was agreed the wording of the Notice Board should be be: 

WELCOME
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
A Place of Peace and Prayer
Sunday Mass 11 a.m.
www.stfrancisrc-sheffield.org.uk

Jenny king undertook to get a fee estimate from Saint Wilfred’s.

6.      FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF LOCAL CHARITIES AND GOOD CAUSES

It was suggested that it might be appropriate for the parish to set aside a small percentage or fixed sum of its annual income to be donated to local charities or good causes each year.

Following discussion, the Parish Council agreed to this suggestion in principle.  It was also agreed that the Justice and Peace Group should be the appropriate body to determine which group received the payment, paying attention to suggestions from parishioners.  Additionally, efforts should be made to ensure charities and groups who did not normally receive high level of funds should especially be considered.

7.      GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

The Council noted a neighbour had reported 2 trees situated at the rear of the car park were overhanging his garden and blocking his light and enjoyment of his house and garden.

The Council also noted a further neighbour had requested the ivy and excess bush growth be removed or cut back from or close to the retaining wall, so that the wall to his garden on the St Francis side could be gradually repaired over time.  Father Kevin reported that had already been achieved by the gardeners during their latest visit.  The neighbour had also asked if the parish could contribute financially in some way to the upkeep of the wall.

The Council considered the above 2 matters as both reasonable requests from neighbours and required a reasonable response, rather than one based on strict legal necessity.

Mike Campbell and David Bellamy undertook to explore the cost of removing, crown thinning or pollarding the trees at the back of the car park with a local tree surgeon.  This should probably be best undertaken in the autumn and would involve some expense; it being noted £3,000 had been spent on similar activities three years ago.

Mike Campbell undertook to explore with Ed Whitaker whether it was appropriate to make any financial contribution to the retaining wall renewal given the retaining was the neighbours property and responsibility.   

8.      ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Prayers For Peace: It was suggested that a more formal Prayer for Peace could be introduced at the end of Mass.  Father Kevin pointed out that this was perhaps best left in the biddings prayers, as was already done on a regular basis.

Tabletop Sales: It was suggested that the Parish could occasionally organise Tabletop Sales at which parishioners could pay to take a table and sell unwanted items, keeping the proceeds themselves or donate items to a parish table for which proceed would go to the parish.  It was decided this suggestion need some further thought as it would require some organisation.

Parish Newsletter:  It was suggested that a Parish Newsletter could be published in addition to the weekly Franciscan.  This new newsletter would be to include more details of parish activities.  Jenny King and David Bellamy undertook to explore this in more detail.

Parish WhatsApp:  Mike Campbell agreed to investigate the status of the parish WhatsApp group formed during the covid pandemic and whether new parishioners were being invited to join the same.  

Father Kevin read the closing prayer.

At the end of the meeting, the Parish Council and attendees inspected the wall, the trees that needed pruning as well as the potential sites for the new Notice Board and the bike racks

Date of next meeting 12 September 2023 (Thursday) at 7:30pm.

Parish Council Minutes – May 2023

St Francis of Assisi Parish Council Minutes

12 May 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair and minutes), Maria Levesley, Sian Price, Father Kevin, and Richard McQuinn.

Apologies: Deacon Stephen Parker,  Eva Kaltenthaler  Stephen Spooner, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2023 were approved. The reading of the notices by the Readers has improved the audibility of them, and no reader has demurred.

Parish website

Mike has sent some updates to Paul Middlemas.  Father Kevin has a list of items that need removing. He will send this to Mike

Finances

The annual financial report was presented at the AGM. The Parish is in good financial health. Some members of the Finance Committee would like to stand down. Replacement members are being sought.

Spirituality

  • A Lenten day retreat run by Deacon Stephen Parker was held on 22 April 2023.
  • The Big Picture course started on 21 March and is running successfully.
  • A Taize evening was held on 29 March.

Justice and Peace

Maria Levesley explained the ‘Live Simply’ campaign and requested permission for a notice board in the Narthex to advertise it, with a few minutes after the notices at Mass on Sunday to point it out.

There is currently no CAFOD representative for St Francis so Angela Powell will send Mike a monthly update and he will highlight any important items for the Franciscan.

Youth Ministry

The Council considered requests from Jonathan Yewdall to fund students from St Francis to World Youth Day and on the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. It was unclear what the costs were from the template letter from Sue McDonald and Mike said he would clarify. (Note after the meeting : Sue replied and the cost per student is £1200 for WYD and we have 1 student going. The Diocese has already paid for 12 students). Mike to ask Jonathan about numbers of students and amounts requested. (done)

Any Other Business

Notice board

Mike reported that Jenny King would facilitate a Church notice board on the church border with Sandygate Rd. St Wilfred’s can make one. The Council thought this was a good idea but suggested that it was designed so that it was flexible in what it displayed. Fr Kevin suggested an invitation to come in and pray, since the Church is open for prayer during the day but is rarely used. Mike to encourage Jenny.

Garden

Fr Kevin reported that there had been a few young people who appeared to think the church car park garden was a public space and had sat on the garden benches. The Council looked at the benches, which most of the Parish would be unaware of, and thought they should be removed, either to a dump, or somewhere on Sharrow Vale to recycle. The gardeners have a van and may be willing to do this for a fee.

Also the exterior paint work of the Church needs redoing, but unclear whether this was the Diocese’s responsibility.

Hall Chairs

Lindsay mentioned (by email) the poor state of the Hall chairs. Maria said she would be happy to help clean them, as was Sian. Perhaps a small working group could be set up to do this?

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting: 11 July 2023 (Thursday) at 7:30pm.

St Francis of Assisi AGM 2023

27 April 2023, 7:30pm

Attendees

Mike Campbell (chair)        Stephen Spooner
Llindsay ReynoldsDeacon Stephen Parker
Jacinta CampbellBobbo Levesley
Derek HemmingfieldJayne Middlemas
Father KevinPaul Middlemas
Jenny KingRichard McQuinn
Edmund KingBelinda Barber
Angela Powell (for CAFOD)Richard Bushell
Clare ByrneEva Kaltenthaler (minutes)

Father Kevin led the Opening Prayer.

1. Financial Report

Derek Hemmingfield presented the financial report. Edmund King asked if we are receiving any income from renting out the Hall and if the Hall will be used again. Groups who have used in the past are no longer meeting so don’t require the use of the Hall anymore. The Dance Club are meeting elsewhere now.

Edmund asked if any maintenance work needed doing.  The carpet at the altar needs cleaning and probably replacing. Flooring throughout the church and house will at some stage need replacing. The upper room is a bit dated.

Stephen Parker said that although there is currently a surplus in the accounts it is expected that heating and lighting costs will increase as well as the payment needed for the Diocesan assessment so caution is needed before we start spending. Father Kevin said that there are some issues in the church and house that need sorting out and asked that there be a maintenance person on the Parish Council to look at getting these done.

Action: Parish Council to identify a member to organise sorting out maintenance issues.

It was agreed that there are some dangers with keeping a big surplus so we may need to spend some of the surplus to avoid it being taken away. Mike thanked Derek for presenting the financial report.

2. CAFOD

Angela Powell from CAFOD thanked the parish for their support to CAFOD, especially Stephen Spooner. Angela described some of the resources available for parishes and activities of CAFOD. Angela asked if a speaker from CAFOD could come and speak after Mass to help find a new CAFOD representative for the Parish. This was not considered to be useful at this stage as there have already been many months of effort to find a new representative. It was hoped that eventually a new representative will come forward. In the mean time Angela will send all CAFOD information directly to Mike.

It was noted that the Dance Club has raised £1800 for CAFOD as well as £2000 for the air ambulance and the Children’s Hospital.

3. Reports from Parish Council Subgroups

Justice and Peace – Stephen Spooner

Stephen described the CAFOD Live Simply campaign which is just getting started in the Parish. The group is looking at ways to get the Parish on board with this initiative. Maria Levesley will lead on this. Stephen also mentioned how well the Foodbank donations are going. There are six dedicated drivers who take the donations to S2 Foodbank and the shopping trolley in the Narthex has helped to encourage parishioners to increase their donations.

Liturgy and Spirituality – Deacon Stephen Parker

Stephen said that we have an active Baptismal preparation group with more people coming forward for Baptism. A new confirmation group will start soon.

Stephen thanked all those musicians, readers, altar servers and others providing support to the liturgy. 

Other activities have included the wonderful Taizé evenings.  Sister Helen gave a series of very well received Advent Talks.

Lindsay Reynolds gave an update on the Big Picture course which is currently running. Thirty people have signed up to take part. The group has been very enthusiastic.  Both St William’s and St Vincent’s were sent invitations to take part. The course will run until July.

Pastoral Care – Mike Campbell

Anne Shepherd has led this group for many years and would now like to stand down. She has actively liaised with other churches in the area. Father Kevin said connections with the local churches are good. Mike thanked Anne for her dedicated service to Pastoral Care.

Action: Parish Council to identify a replacement for Pastoral Care.

Youth Ministry – Richard Bushell

Richard said that the Youth Group currently has 8 members.  This group is for those in year 10 and over. Young people are very involved in many aspects of our Parish, Including as altar servers and musicians. The aim is to have a Youth Mass twice each year. There are 11 children signed up for First Communion and eight for confirmation. 

Clare Byrne gave an update on Children’s Liturgy. There are currently between 4-12 children regularly attending with four adults assisting. Clare is hoping to recruit more helpers and stand down herself.

Father Kevin mentioned a request for donations for young people to go to Lourdes and attend the Youth Day. This will be discussed at the next Parish Council meeting.

Action: Parish Council to discuss donations to Lourdes and Youth Day attendees.

4. Chair’s Report

Mike mentioned that the screens between the church and Hall are now closed due to the reduced COVID risk but may need to be opened up again in the future.

Mike thanked all those who do so much to support the Parish including those who serve tea and coffee after Mass, readers, flower arrangers and those involved with safeguarding.  Mike thanked the Parish Council members and mentioned that the Parish Council had recently agreed to funding new music stands and robes for the altar servers.

5. Views and Suggestions from the Parish

No concerns were raised. Bobbo gave a brief update on safeguarding in the Diocese. 

Jenny King asked if the notice board on the road could be made a bit more welcoming and visible. Stephen Spooner suggested that St Wilfrid’s had a workshop and could make a new sign for us.

Action: Parish Council to discuss getting a new sign made.

Father Kevin read a few notices which will be dealt with at the next Parish Council meeting.

No new members came forward so the Parish Council will need to look at recruiting new members.

Action: Parish Council to recruit new members.

The Closing Prayer was read by Father Kevin.

Justice & Peace Meeting – Minutes 15.11.2021

S2 food bank

Fr Kevin has said we can have a collection box at church for the Christmas collection. Stephen would be willing to do a delivery to St Swithen’s. We could encourage donations as well. We need to know what they want and have a last delivery date. Looking at FaceBook it seemed that probably gave us the necessary information, both in terms of what they are collecting and also the reverse advent calendar which they are doing. We need to get everything there at the latest by 20 December.

Sarah L is to get it in the bulletin this week. Tell people to put food donations in the narthex and also mention cash donations.

Panto/Talent Show

We don’t think this is happening this year – need to ask Liz. £1840 raised last year. This links to the next item on the agenda.  

Cafod current campaigns

The big push was of course COP26. There is a minor campaign on cancelling the debt and they are talking not just about the poorest nations but now the “middle-ranked” nations, eg Ghana, but don’t actually say what they want us to do about that.

The main emphasis in recent updates has been around encourage the purchasing of World Gifts by parishes. In Lent Tim put up a JustGiving page and we made a large sum, £3248. Looking at the main options for this year, we could choose between health and saving the rainforest. The latter might be a good push given COP26. There was a sense that a change of focus might be a better draw but Tim and Sian were keen that attention was kept on the impact of Covid in the developing nations. Stephen wondered if we try for a health clinic – £4000. Sarah L felt that if we tried for that we would have an impact on any panto or talent show if one happened. The idea of a sliding scale of different items depending on how much we raise seemed sensible, with a goal of the health clinic, but Stephen was optimistic that with a big push it was achievable and he is happy to try to “sell” that to the parish.

It was agreed we need to know the plans for any panto or talent show before we could settle on what goal we should set. That means checking in with them and Tim volunteered to do that. If they are not, we could aim high. And it was agreed it isn’t necessary to have a cut-off date of Christmas, just a start date of Advent.

Tasks

  • Tim to check with Liz about panto/talent show
  • Stephen to draft something for the Franciscan and to ask Fr Kevin who could speak after mass, him or Stephen Parker depending on what
  • Tim is going to set up the JustGiving page

Walk with Amal

Some members of the parish joined this.

Refugee family

Our application is ready to go off for approval once we have the formal letter of support from Sheffield City Council. Once our group is approved work will begin with South Yorkshire Housing to find a house to match a family.

AOB

The dance club are rehearsing away from church and are looking for a suitable venue. They’ll probably raise money for a refugee or asylum project such as Assist.

Next meeting 17 Feb 8pm, location depending on pandemic and weather.