Present:
- John Green (first half of meeting)
- Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes)
- Stephen Parker
- Lindsay Reynolds
- Greg Ryan
- Anne Shepherd
- Stephen Spooner (chair)
- Dave Stanley
- Suzanne Staub
1. Opening prayer: Stephen Spooner led the opening prayer.
2. Apologies: Belinda Barber; Father Kevin Thornton.
3. Approval of last minutes and matters arising.
Annual General Meeting minutes – A mistake was noted in the minutes under item 3. “…the Parish Council would discuss this at their meeting in May.” This should read at their meeting in July. The minutes were approved.
Actions from the AGM minutes:
- Donations by standing order: The council discussed whether or not the parish should be encouraged to give by standing order. It was agreed that this would be discussed with Edmund King and that possibly forms would be handed out after Mass in September with instructions in the bulletin for a couple of weeks.
- Traffic speed: Stephen Spooner will write to the Council about the speed of cars on Sandygate Road.
Matters arising: Maintenance update: John Green reported on the progress made over the past few years. Handrails have been installed on the altar, dryers in the toilets and a dishwasher. The toilets have been painted and other repairs carried out. Painting in the kitchen and Assisi Hall would start shortly. The problems with the roof will need to be sorted out first. The pointing at the main entrance needs fixing. There has been a request for blinds in the ceiling windows in the hall. This was not considered a high priority for the council.
4. Discussion and formation of groups
After some discussion, it was agreed that there would be some changes to the remit of some of the 6 Parish Council sections. Members were assigned to each of the sections.
- Maintenance: Anne Shepherd and Stephen Spooner
- Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation: Lindsay Reynolds, Greg Ryan and Suzanne Staub
- Liturgy, Spirituality and Sacramental Preparation: Stephen Parker and Stephen Spooner
- Communication: Dave Stanley
- Justice, Peace and Ecology: Eva Kaltenthaler
- Pastoral Care and Community (including social activities): Belinda Barber (this will need to be discussed)
Youth and Nurture would now be incorporated in Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation. The sections could consider working on specific projects and developing engagement with the Parish Youth may be one of the projects.
It was suggest that Proclaim (an Evangelisation initiative) will be a main focus over the next year nationally.
It was suggested that there should be stronger links between the maintenance section and the Parish Finance committee.
5. Election of Chair:
Stephen Spooner was re-elected chair for another year. A deputy will be elected at the next meeting.
6. Reports from each section
Maintenance (covered in item 3 above)
Justice and Peace – there will be a big push on climate change over the next year. The Diocesan event for Parish contacts will be held on 3 October at the Pastoral centre. The recent cake sale raised over £120 for St Wilfrid’s Residential Centre.
The new Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation Group will meet with Rose Krzyz, who attended the national Proclaim event. Stephen Parker will also attend and Father Kevin will be invited to join the meeting.
Communication – Dave will look over the information sent by Jayne and think about options for the future. He will report back to the Council at the next meeting.
Liturgy and Spirituality – The section will meet shortly to plan a programme of events for the coming year.
Pastoral Care and Community – No update was available
7. Date of next meeting: 15 September 2015, 8pm, Upper room
8. Any other business:
There was a request for e-mail addresses of Parish Council members to be sent to all members. Eva Kaltenthaler agreed to do this.
It was suggested that the Parish Council could set priorities for the coming year. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
The Health and Safety Toolbox was discussed. It was suggested that John Green is currently doing this. Stephen Spooner will check to see if he is happy to continue with this.