Author: francisparish

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 16 May 2017 – Annual General Meeting

Present:

  • Fr Kevin Thornton
  • Deacon Stephen Parker
  • Greg Ryan (Chair)
  • Dave Stanley
  • Anne Shepherd
  • David Hughes
  • Julie Hughes (Minutes)
  • Lyndsey Reynolds
  • Derek Hemmingfield
  • Belinda Barber
  • Anthony Rossiter
  • Diane Rossiter
  • Clare Byrne
  • Bernie Shepherd
  • Phil Rostant
  • Julie Hull
  • Sian Price
  • John Green
  • Anne Green
  • Ron Jarman
  • Norma Smith
  • Stephen Davies
  • Alex Krzyz
  • Sarah Baker

1. Opening prayer

Fr. Kevin led the opening prayer.

2. Annual Report

Greg Ryan opened the meeting and welcomed the parishioners in attendance. The purpose of the AGM was outlined which was to hear annual reports from the different groups, invite questions/feedback from parishioners after each presentation and to elect new members of the Parish Council. Greg also informed parish members that he was standing down as ‘chair’ as he and his family are leaving the parish.

Stephen Parker presented a report from the Liturgy and Spirituality group. He discussed activities which had been held over the past year. Future events are to include a Parish retreat and a day of recollection is to take place on 30.09.2017. Stephen emphasised the vibrant liturgical community of our Parish.

Sian Price presented a report from the Justice and Peace group. John Green is to retire as ‘minute taker’ for the group and was thanked for his valuable contribution. Fund raising events throughout the year have included the Pantomime, Dance Club, Water Project. The meeting was informed that the Food Bank requires donations of money as well as food. There has been support for refugees, asylum seekers and money has been raised for the SVP. Aims for next year are for the group to be aligned more closely with the Diocesan Justice and Peace group. Tim Baron is arranging for Standing Orders to be set up for the food bank. There is to be support for some Muslim charities.

David Hughes presented a report on Building and Maintenance. Two main projects have been undertaken over the year. These were Fire Safety and Emergency lighting. The Health and Safety toolbox which is a computer programme which assists with the process of assessing risk has now been significantly established for our parish.

Lyndsey Reynolds presented a report on Mission, Evangelisation and Faith formation. Over the past year there have been 2 main events:

  1. ‘Joy of the Gospel’ course
  2. Taize evening and Jazz evening

National and Deanery events had included: Catholic Peoples Weeks(CPW), Laudato Si, Diocesan Emmaus course. For the future it is hoped that a parish group can be established to contribute ideas on the Mission and Evangelism of the church.

Julie Hughes presented information from the Pastoral Care group and emphasised that the group have aimed to support some of the well-established activities which take place throughout the year in our parish.

Dave Stanley presented a report on Communication. The Parish notice boards have been re-organised this year. A facebook page for the parish has now been piloted.

Anne Shepherd presented a report on ‘Hallam Churches Together’. This includes 6 churches in our local community. Anne spoke of some of the pastoral work and groups which take place facilitated by the church communities.

Please see the full Parish Council Annual Report 2016-17.

3. Finance Report

Derek Hemmingfield presented a report on the finances of the Parish.

4. Views and suggestions from the Parish

John Green advised regarding maintenance work required to the church door.

It was suggested that a notice be displayed in the Narthex highlighting that we now have a defribulator positioned in the hall.

Sheffield Parishes Together

Greg spoke about the fact that the number of priests are reducing in our Diocese. Lyndsey Reynolds and Chris Dingle are representing St. Francis Parish in meetings and discussions with respect to ‘Planning the Way forward for Sheffield Parishes’. The next meeting will take place at the Hallam Pastoral Centre 7pm-9pm on 20.07.2017. See a report of the current situation and main themes of the meeting which was held earlier this year.

5. Election of new Parish Councillors

Three new Parish Councillors were elected. These were Anthony Rossiter, Clare Byrne and Nick Neale.

The next meeting of the Parish Council is to be confirmed in the near future.

6. Any other Business

There was no other business.

7. Closing Prayer

Deacon Stephen Parker led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 17 January 2017

Present:

  • Fr Kevin Thornton
  • Greg Ryan (chair)
  • Stephen Spooner
  • Eva Kaltenthaler
  • Anne Shepherd
  • Dave Stanley
  • Julie Hughes (minutes)
  • Claire Byrne
  • Louise Garnett

Apologies:

  • David Hughes
  • Lyndsay Reynolds
  • Stephen Parker

1. Opening Prayer

Fr. Kevin Thornton led the opening prayer.

2. Approval of last minutes and matters arising

The minutes from the November meeting were approved.

Matters arising

Council members felt that a security check for the church would be useful. This can be arranged, and conducted by South Yorkshire Police. David Hughes to contact South Yorkshire Police to arrange this

3. Any other Business

  • The curtains in the hall have now been fireproofed (December 2016).
  • The Dance Group have requested the use of the church sound system. Stephen Spooner expressed concern that this equipment is not working correctly. Greg Ryan to review the sound system and check the equipment. This system could then be used by the Dance Group.
  • The ladies toilets. Eva Kattenthaler and Anne Shepherd to ensure that baby changing equipment, soap dispensers and hand drying facilities are
    fit for purpose.
  • A request has been made by the children of St. Maries School, they are raising funds to purchase a cross for the School Prayer Garden. The Parish Council agree
    to donate some money towards this purchase.
  • The De-fibrillator is now available for use and situated in the hall. There is free training available for one person in the use of this equipment. The training is given by St. John’s ambulance staff. Any member of the parish who is interested in completing the training should speak to Father Kevin.
  • Missio: The St. Peter & Paul Apostle organisation provide training for Priests in different parts of the world. A decision was made that Father Kevin will send a donation from the parish to sponsor the training of a Priest in Malawi.
  • Night stop is a National Project to support young homeless people. A request has been made to the Parish to support the project. The Justice and Peace group will take this forward.
  • Facebook. Dave Stanley is willing to take the lead in creating a facebook page for the Parish. This would be a public page. The editorial would be controlled. A pilot group would be set up initially to monitor and assess this.
  • Storage under the stairs. The space under the stairs needs to be de-cluttered. Claire Byrne and Louise Garnett request that some plastic boxes and moveable trollies could be purchased to store equipment for the Children’s Liturgy. There was a discussion about whether the upper room could be used for the Children’s Liturgy in the future.

4. Report from the Sections

Justice and Peace: This Lent there will be emphasis placed on supporting refugees. A speaker from the City of Sanctuary will give a talk following one of the Sunday Masses at 11am. Soup and bread will be served after this event.  Minutes from the Justice and Peace group will be available on the Parish website.

Pastoral: There was a discussion regarding the welcoming of new parishioners to our Parish.

The music group: Sadly Greg Ryan will be leaving the Parish from June 2017. A meeting is to be held to invite interested parties to contribute to the music group in the future.

Next Parish council meeting to be held on 21.3.2017.

5. Closing Prayer

Fr. Kevin led the closing prayer.

Justice and Peace Minutes – Minutes of meeting 18.01.2018

Present:

  • Tim
  • Susanne
  • Stephen
  • Eva
  • Siân (Chair)

Apologies:

  • Sarah B
  • Margaret
  • Sarah L

Previous minutes

Minutes from the last meeting were accepted as accurate.

Matters arising

S2 Foodbank – Sarah B not present but information that for 2018 we need to get the Christmas treats/food in earlier as the food bank gives double plus Christmas goodies before Christmas and then close for 2 weeks.

Diocesan J+P – Eva is continuing to receive and send information. At present we are busy with our own projects. She met Fr Sean Smith when he came to say Mass here.

Church Action on Poverty – Sarah B not present.

Projects for 2017/18 – South Asian Floods – no special project was undertaken.

CAFOD

Connect 2 – Eva emailed about this but received no information back from CAFOD so not pursuing further.

Family Fast Day for Zimbabwe 23rd February. Government may double funds. Stephen to get information to talk before/after mass weekend before and put info in the bulletin about this.

Refugee Campaign from CAFOD, “Share the journey” – we will try to have bidding prayers in Lent. Stephen will speak/email Fr Kevin. Eva will put note in Franciscan. Email petition to Prime Minister to follow Easter and other activities later in the year.

Suggestion from Parish Day re providing “Tippy Taps” for hand washing in Africa. The group felt that it would be better to see if we could help with getting clean water to communities due to significant water shortages in Africa currently. We will look to see if through CAFOD or another charity we could fund a Borehole – possibly focus the fund raising at Christmas. If not we will fund latrine. EK to respond to parishioner who raised the suggestion.

AOB

Panto raised a fantastic £2100 with tickets and raffles of whiskey and other items.

Encourage support for the St Francis Dance Concerts in February. They are fund raising for CAFOD, Rohingya refugees and East Africa. Dates 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th February.

Date of next meeting Wed 11th April 2018 (unless objections) at 8pm.

Justice and Peace Minutes – Minutes of meeting 24.04.2017

Present:

  • Siân (Chair)
  • Eva
  • Steve
  • Susanne
  • Tim
  • Sarah L

Apologies:

  • Margaret
  • Sarah B

Previous minutes

These were approved.

Minutes arising

The Lent refugee speaker event went well, with about thirty people attending. £120.05 was raised for Assist. Rodrigo spoke well and people seemed to get value from it. Soup quantities could be adjusted next time! The board about refugees and handouts were well received.

Tim reported anecdotally that the S2 food bank is struggling for funds to buy items to supplement items which are donated. Whenever he is there, they run out of key staples. People setting up standing orders for regular giving would make a big difference. This might be something we could raise with the Parish Council, looking for a push for the next year.

Re sci-fi night, it was suggested that might have had its day, not least due to the loss of Greg.

Sian hasn’t had the chance to speak to Stephen about a potential Muslim speaker but will pursue this.

Eva is going to be the contact for the Diocesan J & P Commission although she is not going to attend. In relation to the variety night, what we can offer is limited to that. Eva has told Fr Shaun we are happy to help with gathering contributions for anything like donations to Syria as happened before.

Susanne S is fundraising for Fr Francis’ lunch project but we don’t have much more information about how it is going. Susanne will check with her about this. An option such as a cake sale could be considered. After debate, we struggled to find a date in June when a reasonable number of us will be present, 18th June being best but Stephen and Eva won’t be able to do any Sundays in June. Susanne will speak to Susanne S about this.

The May Day trek hasn’t gone into the Franciscan due to Sian being away, but she will organise it for this Sunday’s newsletter.

The East Africa appeal raised £3500, which was then doubled by the Parish.

AOB

Parish Council: The meeting is on 16 May and we need to do a report for it. Stephen and Eva won’t be able to attend. Sian will attend in their place, with Tim as backup. There was a discussion about what we needed to include, and we drafted a few ideas which Eva will take and pull together into a report.

Thanks were recorded to John for all his hard work for J & P over the years.

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 6 September at 8pm

Justice and Peace Minutes – Minutes of meeting 09.01.2017

Present:

  • Siân (Chair)
  • Eva
  • Steve
  • Suzanna
  • Margaret
  • Sarah L
  • Sarah B

Apologies:

  • John
  • Tim

Previous minutes

These were approved, subject to two small amendments which will be done via Sarah.

Minutes arising

Regarding the taxi drivers’ event with the food bank in the summer, Sarah will ask for feedback at a network meeting she is attending shortly. Everyone agreed the previous year’s had been very much appreciated.

Food bank collections were generous in the run up to Christmas, focused on the items requested and of good quality. Overall donations are holding up, with it normally being worth a trip every week rather than holding it over to following week.

Church Action on Poverty held their pilgrimage which seemed to go well. Sarah feels most of the information now goes out through Facebook and Twitter which only reaches a certain section of those who support CAP. There is a homelessness service at St Marie’s 4pm on Sunday 26th February. Sarah B will ensure it goes in the newsletter.

The potential sci-fi night remains dormant for now due to other commitments.

Regarding a potential Muslim speaker, Sian will speak again to Stephen about this.

Speaker from City of Sanctuary: this was lined up for St Francis’ Day but that didn’t work out. Sarah mentioned the gentleman who had offered to come and speak is a member of the Diocescan Justice and Peace Commission. It was suggested we could do it in Lent and follow it with a bread and soup lunch to raise money. Options might be 12 or 19 March or 2 April. Sarah L will ask Fr Kevin if any of those aren’t suitable and will also make enquiries of Rodrigo and try to get answers if at all possible by the time Evan attends the Parish Council on 17 February.

Eva mentioned a collection was done previously for items going out to refugees in Greece. Fr Shaun was there from Sacred Heart but it was largely a Muslim group sorting the donations. Eva thought it would be good to get involved as a parish if something like that happened again so she has made contact with Fr Shaun and has passed on her details.

Stephen suggested something similar could be done about refugees during Lent, using that as a theme for Lent. Stephen felt Joanna would be happy to help with that. It could just be one display rather than it changing during Lent. That could include Suzanne’s handout. Stephen will be responsible for the board. Suzanne’s handout it was suggested could be given out at the beginning of Lent to start people thinking in anticipation of the meeting – 5 March is the first Sunday in Lent. As Susanne isn’t here, Margaret took the handouts.

The Year of Mercy noticeboard got positive feedback, a good team effort. Sarah B suggested changing the wording of the notice in the newsletter each week.

Suzanne mentioned that Susanne S is fundraising for Fr Francis’ lunch project but has quite a way to go to meet the target, having raised about £500 towards £1800. The Dance Club may be interested in assisting with this and it might be worth us suggesting that, in addition to the usual focus on CAFOD. Other alternatives to suggest might be ASSIST and the Bethlehem Fund. Sian will feed back to Grazyna about this.

Pantomime raised £1800 for CAFOD, a good sum. £500 of that came from the whisky raffle. All being well, the panto will happen again, the last weekend before Advent.

AOB

Greg, chair of Parish Council, asked Eva if she could contact the diocescan group to make sure she knew what the diocescan activities as no one from the parish tends to go, possibly through a lack of advance warning. Eva has had her name added to the email list and will make sure the J & P group know of events and also that they go in the bulletin.

Eva is going to report back to the Parish Council next week about our plans so far for the year.

A cake sale might be a good idea for later in the year. Various destinations for money raised were suggested including the Furniture Store and Mary’s Meals/Fr Francis’ lunch project. That could be early in the summer, but we would want to avoid clashing with the book sale. Eva will check dates with Alan & Clare who it is believed may now be organising that.

Stephen also mentioned in December he will be talking to the Ascent Group about Ethiopia. He felt they would then be interested in a particular school he and a friend visited in Addis catering for the most destitute children.

It was felt it would be a good idea for the minutes to go on the website. Sarah L will check with Jayne that it’s okay to do this.

Date of next meeting: Monday 24 April at 8pm

[Eva will ensure a reminder goes in the newsletter in advance to encourage new members, mentioning that minutes will be made available on the website]

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 20 September 2016

Present:

  • Greg Ryan (chair)
  • Stephen Spooner
  • Eva Kaltenthaler
  • Lyndsey Reynolds
  • Anne Shepherd
  • Julie Hughes (minutes)
  • David Hughes
  • Ed Whittaker
  • Liz Shiel (Foundation Governor of St. Marie’s school)

1. Opening Prayer

Greg led the opening prayer, Eva delivered the reading.

2. Approval of last minutes and matters arising

The minutes from the July meeting were approved.

Matters arising

  • Health and Safety Toolkit handed over by Stephen Spooner to David Hughes.
  • Remaining photographs of Parish Council members to be sent to Dave Stanley for inclusion on notice board.

3. Guest Speaker Frank McDermott (Our Lady of the Assumption, Stainforth)

Frank McDermott provided the meeting with an excellent talk regarding his role as parish co-ordinator responsible for liturgical, spiritual and pastoral care of the people of the parish along with other members of the Parish Community.

The Doncaster parish has 40 Parishioners who are active in the Ministeries of the Parish. Frank emphasised in his presentation that ‘each of us is unique and gifted and that not one of us is more important than any other’.

4. Church Security

David Hughes updated council members on the latest advice regarding Church Security provided by the Hallam Diocese.

5. School Admissions

Liz Shiel, a member of St, Marie’s school governing body clarified the current situation regarding over-subscription for places at the school. It was suggested that the situation could be addressed by:

  1. Drafting a response to the question of Parish and School Boundaries
  2. Clarification of Policy and Procedure
  3. Member of School Governing Body to be invited to update Parish Council on future developments

6. Parish Day

  • The Parish Day is scheduled for 02.10.2016.
  • The Justice and Peace Group to present a talk regarding the Refugee crisis.

7. Year of Mercy

There is to be a service to mark the Year of Mercy.

8. Any other Business

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 15.11.2016 at 8pm.

9. Closing Prayer

Greg Ryan led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 15 November 2016

Present:

  • Fr Kevin Thornton
  • Deacon Stephen Parker
  • Greg Ryan (chair)
  • Eva Kaltenthaler
  • Stephen Spooner
  • Anne Shepherd
  • Lyndsey Reynolds
  • David Hughes
  • Julie Hughes (minutes)

Apologies:

  • David Stanley

1. Opening Prayer

Fr Kevin Thornton led the opening prayer.

2. Approval of last minutes and matters arising

The minutes from the September meeting were approved.

Matters arising

  • Photographs of all Parish Council members have now been sent to Dave Stanley for display on the notice board.

3. Feedback from Guest Speaker, Frank McDermott’s visit (20.09.2016)

Parish Council members recognised that the situation in Stainforth was significantly different from that of Sheffield Parishes. Father Kevin highlighted the fact that Sheffield ‘still has priests in parishes’. Stainforth is an isolated community and the parish had become a self sustaining community by necessity. However it was recognised by all council members that the people of Stainforth were experiencing “spiritual growth” as a result of their contributions to increased parish activities and ministries. In Sheffield, parishes would merge if there was no Priest available for each parish.

The future is at present unknown but it was acknowledged that laity already had roles. eg. Active Prayer group, the ability to make representations to their Parish
priest.

4. Church Security

Security lighting has now been installed outside Fr Kevin’s front door. It was suggested that South Yorkshire Police would complete a Safety Assessment of the Church Premises if this was requested.

5. School Admissions

Questionnaires have been submitted to the Diocesan School Department. A reply remains outstanding at present.

6. The Franciscan

A request will be made for the Franciscan to be uploaded onto the Parish Website each Friday if this is possible.

7. Reports from Sections

Liturgy and Spirituality: Day of Spirituality 19.11.2016. Taize evening 29.11.2016 at 7.30pm

Justice and Peace: Information was presented relating to the corporal acts of Mercy on the display board. A request will be made for specialist Christmas
items to be contributed to the Food Bank. The Pantomime will be held in November 2016 and funds raised will go to CAFOD. Eva Kaltenthaler to contact Fr. Shaun, Sacred Heart Parish to discuss working more closely in facilitating the provision of items for refugees in Greece.

Maintenance: The Safety tool kit is ongoing. Fire Risk Assessment completed. Emergency Church lighting repaired and upgraded. Security lighting installed.
Paving stones outside main entrance to the church have been cleaned and cemented. In the interest of Health and Safety a de-fibrillator is to be ordered for the church premises.

Community and Pastoral: Tables and chairs to be put out by tea and coffee facilitators after 11am Mass if possible. This will provide a more welcome
atmosphere and hopefully provide parishioners with the opportunity to socialise in comfort.

Evangelism: Welcome cards may be provided on specific occasions eg. Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals. at Christmas and Easter. This will help inform visitors about our Church Community and Parish Activities. (This initiative was discussed when Frank McDermott visited our Parish.)

8. Any other Business

‘Matched Giving’ to be funded by the parish with regard to:

  • The Sick and Retired Clergy collection.
  • Needy parishes collection
  • Emergency Response collections

A request from Hallam Council of Churches was put forward to do a “Pulpit swap”. Unfortunately Father Kevin and Stephen Parker are not available to facilitate this.

A suggestion for an “open day” at St Francis church is to be considered. Parish members felt that this would be a positive step towards Evangelisation.

Newspapers are to continue being provided for sale in the Narthex. It has been noted that the sale of newspapers has been falling.

A request for new curtains in the church hall is to be reviewed in twelve months time.

The next Parish council meeting will take place on 17.01.2017

9. Closing Prayer

Stephen Parker led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 15 September 2015

Present:

  • Belinda Barber
  • Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes)
  • Lindsay Reynolds
  • Anne Shepherd
  • Stephen Spooner (chair)
  • Dave Stanley
  • Father Kevin

Apologies:

  • Stephen Parker
  • Greg Ryan
  • Suzanne Staub

1. Opening prayer: Father Kevin led the opening prayer.

2. Approval of last minutes and matters arising.

The minutes from the 21 July meeting were approved.

Matters arising:

Stephen Spooner has written to the council expressing our concerns over the speed of cars on Sandygate Road and enquiring as to whether or not speed restrictions could be put in place. It is currently dangerous to drive out of the church car park.

Eva Kaltenthaler has sent e-mail addresses for all parish council members to all members.

The Health and Safety Toolbox will now be maintained by Anne Shepherd and Stephen Spooner. Stephen will contact Tom Garrad, our Diocesan contact for Health and Safety, to request passwords and an update on how we are to maintain the toolbox. They will then meet with Father Kevin to discuss this. The Parish Council wished to thank John Green, Alex Krys and Jim Conway who have previously worked on this.

Stephen Spooner will contact Anne-Marie Appleton to see what support she needs to start the new Tea Group.

3. Reports from each Section

Each of the six sections presented an update. Changes to the parish webpages reflecting the sections’ revised remits were discussed as well as resulting changes to the constitution.

Justice and Peace (Eva Kaltenthaler): The group is exploring ways the parish can provide support for the current refugee crisis. An A5 sheet of suggestions will be put in the bulletin in the coming weeks. The revised webpage for the group was discussed and the new version was agreed and will be put on the website in the next few weeks.

Maintenance (Anne Shepherd and Stephen Spooner): The roof has now been repaired and the floor refinished. The walls in the Assisi Hall will be painted soon. The pointing on the porch still needs to be repaired as well as an outside wall although there was some discussion as to whether or not this is really necessary. The webpage for this group will remain unchanged.

Communication (Dave Stanley): Dave will rewrite the communications webpage and send the revised version back to the committee.

Pastoral Care and Community (Belinda Barber): The remit for this group will be revised to include Hallam Churches Together, social events for the parish and the newly formed Tea Group. Anne Shepherd will help Belinda with Hallam Churches Together work. Belinda is going to their meeting on 24 September to
discuss the forthcoming programme. The webpage will be updated to reflect the changes.

Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation (Lindsay Reynolds, Greg Ryan and Suzanne Staub):
Lindsay presented feedback from the meeting to discuss Proclaim ’15 with Rose and Father Kevin. Several options for the parish were presented and the group will meet again to decide which to take forward. Rose will continue to act as the link between Proclaim ’15 and the parish. The remit for this group is developing and will take some time.

Liturgy, Spirituality and Sacramental Preparation (Stephen Parker and Stephen Spooner): The group is developing a programme of spirituality events for the coming year. They will meet with the Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation Group to determine the remits of both group. Webpages for both groups will be developed to reflect the new remits of the groups and will be added to the website later.

The Constitution will be revised to reflect the new names for the sections.

4. Parish Day

The Parish day will be held on 4 October with one Mass at 10am. After Mass there will be tea and cake in the Assisi Hall. Stephen Spooner urged all Parish Council members to attend in order to chat with parishioners. All members were also urged to bring cakes. Stephen Spooner and Eva Kaltenthaler will provide tea, coffee, milk, sugar and squash.

5. Election of Deputy Chair

Greg Ryan was elected as deputy chair.

6. Date of next meeting

17 November 2015, 8pm, Upper room.

Stephen Spooner and Eva Kaltenthaler send their apologies for this meeting which will be chaired by Greg Ryan.

7. Closing Prayer: Father Kevin led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 19 July 2016

Present:

  • David Hughes
  • Julie Hughes
  • Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes)
  • Stephen Parker
  • Lyndsey Reynolds
  • Greg Ryan
  • Anne Shepherd
  • Stephen Spooner (chair)
  • Dave Stanley

Apologies:

  • Father Kevin Thornton

1. Opening prayer:

Stephen Parker led the opening prayer.

2. Approval of last minutes and matters arising

The minutes of the AGM were approved.

Matters arising:

Stephen Spooner welcomed new Parish Council members, Julie and David Hughes.

3. Doncaster Parish Administrator

Frank McDermot, a lay person who administers a parish in Doncaster has been contacted by Stephen Spooner. Stephen has suggested inviting him to the September Parish Council meeting to tell us more about how he runs the Parish. The Parish Council agreed that Frank should be invited to the September meeting.

4. Election of new chair

Greg Ryan was elected the new Parish Council chair and Lyndsay Reynolds as the deputy chair.

5. Parish Council membership

It was suggested that we may need more new members. It was agreed that all Parish Council members would consider inviting friends who are members of the Parish to join the Parish Council. Greg suggested that it may be helpful to give potential members some information on the types of activities the Council is planning over the next year.

It was suggested that in the future e-mail could be used to keep parishioners informed of Parish Council activities and to seek their opinions on specific issues.

6. Assignment of members to sections

Julie has agreed to do the minutes from the September meeting.

Justice and Peace: Eva

Building and maintenance: David

Action: Stephen Spooner to send details of the Health and Safety Toolkit to David.

Evangelisation and Faith Formation: Greg and Lindsay

Pastoral Care and Community: Anne, Dave and Julie

The Pastoral care and social aspects of this group will remain unchanged but the Ecumenical component will now be part of the Evangelisation and Faith Formation section. Anne will continue her work with Hallam churches.

Liturgy and Spirituality: Stephen Parker and Stephen Spooner

Communication: Dave and David

The Council agreed that moveable display boards could be purchased and that these would be very useful. It was agreed that there would be a rethink of the noticeboards.

The Parish Council organogram needs updating to include all current members.

Action: All Parish Council members to send Dave a photo of themselves.

The Council considered whether it would be useful to have a financial report more often. This may be considered in the future.

7. Brief reports from each section

Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation: The recent Joy of the Gospel course was considered a success. It was very encouraging to see such high numbers of parishioners and people from outside the parish. Proclaim 15 continues and Lindsay and Greg represent the Parish. A recent Taize evening was held with nearby churches attending as well as a Jazz event in the church.

Communication: An update of notice boards is planned. Dave is exploring the possibility of using social media and may start a parish Facebook group as a way of sharing information with parishioners and others. He will look at ways to update the Parish webpages as some information is out of date.

Liturgy and Spirituality: A day on prayer will be held later in the year with three speakers covering prayer using art, music and liturgy. Also planned is a one day Parish retreat in Spring 2017, led by Stephen Parker. A pilgrimage to St Maries is to be arranged by Stephen Parker, probably in September.

Justice and Peace: The group is considering presenting information for the corporal acts of Mercy on the display boards, a different one each week. The group is also exploring working with City of Sanctuary to support refugees in Sheffield.

8. Any other business

Several children from St Francis have not been allocated places at St Marie’s school. This has been very upsetting for families and will be considered as an agenda item at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be held on 20 September at 8pm.

9. Closing Prayer:

Stephen Parker led the closing prayer.

Parish Council Minutes – Tuesday 17 May 2016 – Annual General Meeting

Present:

  • Fr Kevin Thornton
  • Julie Hughes
  • Anne-Marie Appleton
  • Roberta Kelly
  • Belinda Barber
  • James Kelly
  • Clare Byrne
  • Jenny King
  • Jacinta Campbell
  • Alex Krzyz
  • Mike Campbell
  • Richard McQuinn
  • Jim Conway
  • Greg Ryan
  • Ann Green
  • Anne Shepherd
  • John Green
  • Stephen Spooner (chair)
  • Derek Hemmingfield
  • Dave Stanley
  • David Hughes
  • Suzanne Staub
  • Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes)
  • Silvia Valenzuela

1. Opening prayer:

Fr. Kevin led the opening prayer.

2. Annual Report

The parishioners were welcomed to the AGM by Stephen Spooner who opened the meeting and explained that the purpose of the AGM was to hear annual reports from the different groups. To elect new members of the parish council and to hear views from any parishioner who wished to give them. Eva Kaltenthaler and Sarah Baker presented a report from the Justice and Peace group with information on the S2 Foodbank, St Wilfrid’s centre, CAFOD and planned refugee work. Belinda Barber presented the report from the Pastoral Care and Community group focussing on Hallam Churches together. Stephen Spooner presented a report from the Spirituality and Liturgy group. He mentioned activities over the past year include Taize evenings and a day on Music and spirituality. Future events include a day on Art in Spirituality and a parish retreat to be held later this year. Stephen Spooner also presented a report from the Building and Maintenance group and reported on the main repairs that have been undertaken over the past year including substantial work on the roof and work on the Health and Safety Toolbox which is ongoing. Dave Stanley gave a report on the Communications group and mentioned recent updates to the Parish website as well as ways possible future changes to improve engagement with the Parish including the use of social media. Greg Ryan presented a report on the Evangelisation and Faith Formation Group. Work in this group is focussed on various faith formation and outreach activities.

Please see the full report of Parish Council Annual Report May 2015-16

3. Finance Report

Derek Hemmingfield presented a report on the finances of the Parish.

4. Views and suggestions from the Parish

Stephen invited questions from the audience. Clare Byrne asked whether people gave by Gift Aid and whether there should be a drive to increase standing order amounts. Stephen agreed that the Parish Council would discuss this at their meeting in July. Jenny King suggested that Edmund could come to Parish Council to talk about Gift Aid.

5. Election of new Parish Councillors

Two new Parish Councillors were elected Julie Hughes and David Hughes, who will do a job share. Stephen thanked Belinda Barber and Susanne Staub, who are both finishing, for their hard work on the Parish Council.

6. Any other Business

John Green stressed the need for more Parishoners to volunteer for Parish Council as more members are urgently needed. The Parish Council will look at ways to encourage new members to come forward at their next meeting in July.

Several people expressed the opinion that we are very lucky to have an active Parish Council which may need to be even more active in the future if we don’t have a priest. We are very lucky to have the Parish priest we have.

Clare Byrne mentioned that a new Children’s liturgy book is needed. She will organise this with Father Kevin.

7. Closing Prayer:

Father Kevin led the closing prayer.

8. Refreshments were served