Category: Parish council minutes

12 September 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds, Maria Levesley, Sian Price, David Bellamy

Apologies: Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn,

The meeting opened with two minutes of contemplative silence.

Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2023 were approved with the following comments:

• The new notice board is now up. Thanks to Jenny King for organising this.
• An agreement has been made with Arborist Care to deal with the trees adjoining 100 Dransfield Rd . The cost of taking down the trees will come to less than £1,000.
• First issue of the Chronicle has been published and has been well received. There is a lot of content for the Chronicle which will be published bi-monthly.
• Maria will look into the feasibility of cleaning the Hall chairs and report back.
• Cycle rack can be funded by the 200 club. There will be place for 6 bikes. David Bellamy has looked at possible options for about £300. The cycle rack will be ordered and David Huges approached about getting it fitted.

Spirituality

A report on the Big Picture has been published in the Chronicle and the feedback comments will be synthesised and shared.  The group is looking at next steps regarding future courses/events.

Justice and Peace

The group gave an update on the CAFOD Live Simply campaign. The action plan is being developed and will include actions around the three categories:

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

An update will be presented at the next Parish Council meeting. The aim is to launch the campaign during Advent.

Youth Ministry

Confirmation preparation will start this week. Seven people have come forward for confirmation. This will be a 8-10 week programme. A date for confirmation has yet to be set.

The youth group will start again soon and has about 6 members.

Other activities

Alan and Clare Wenham would like to hold a used book sale with proceeds to go to CAFOD. This will run between mid November and mid December.  This was agreed.

A Parish walk will be held on 24 September at 2pm starting in Rivelin Valley. Mike Campbell is organising this.

There was some discussion on how we can welcome new parishioners to the Parish as well as ensure we have their details for the Parish register. It was agreed that cards will be available with the hymnals to be distributed by the Welcomers to new parishioners. Mike Campbell will produce the cards.

The Parish Day will be held on 1 October. Mike will put a note in the Franciscan about this. Parishioners will be encouraged to bring cake and a donation for the Foodbank.

Father Kevin has received an e-mail from someone visiting the church saying that pushing a wheelchair from the car park was very difficult. There was discussion about how to make access to the church easier for wheelchair users. A range of options were discussed.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer. Date of next meeting  Tuesday 14^th November 2023 at 7:30pm.

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.

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.

27 April 2023, 7:30pm

Attendees

Mike Campbell (chair)	Stephen Spooner
Llindsay Reynolds	Deacon Stephen Parker
Jacinta Campbell	Bobbo Levesley
Derek Hemmingfield	Jayne Middlemas
Father Kevin	Paul Middlemas
Jenny King	Richard McQuinn
Edmund King	Belinda Barber
Angela Powell (for CAFOD)	Richard Bushell
Clare Byrne	Eva 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.

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, and Richard McQuinn, Anne Shepherd, Lindsay Reynolds

Apologies: Deacon Stephen Parker, Maria Levesley, Sian Price,

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2023 were approved with the following comments:

• David Hughes is replacing light bulbs as they go.
• The Baptism Team consists of Geraldine Houlton, Vicky Igoe, Richard McQuinn and Louise Garnett.

Parish website

Many of the items on the website are out of date. For example, the Dance Club no longer meets at St Francis and Little Fishes no longer takes place. Father Kevin has a list of items that need removing. He will send this to Mike who will discuss suggested revisions to the website with Alan.

Finances

The music group has now purchased the required items and they are in use. There was also a request for new vestments for altar servers for £308 from Jonathan Yewdall. This was approved by the Parish Council.

A financial report will be presented at the AGM. Some members of the Finance Committee would like to stand down. Replacement members are being sought.

Spirituality

A number of Spirituality activities have been planned:

• A Lenten day retreat run by Deacon Stephen Parker will be held on 22 April 2023.
• The Big Picture course starts on 21 March. Thirty one people have signed up to attend including some from other parishes. The 200 Club will pay for the books. The Parish Council thanked the 200 Club for paying for materials and the organisers of this course for all the hard work they have put into making this possible: Lindsay Reynolds, Clare Byrnes, Geraldine Houlton and Diane Rossiter.
• A Taize evening will be held on 29 March.

Sacramental preparation

The confirmation programme will start in September. There are currently six candidates and this may go up to eight. Richard Bussell is leading this.

Pastoral Care and Community

Ann Shepherd mentioned that there have been no events scheduled over the past few months. She is in contact with the other churches. There is currently some interest in the Antioch Church and the ecumenical publication Arise. There focus is on praying for every street in Sheffield.

Justice and Peace

Stephen Spooner reported that the group have started work on the CAFOD Live Simply campaign. The group has several new members. There is currently no CAFOD representative for St Francis.

Youth Ministry

The youth group has regular meetings every month. They are planning another Youth Mass sometime over the next few months.

Other activities

The soup lunch on Ash Wednesday did not take place due to road works outside the church. It was agreed that a cake afternoon will be held after Easter. There will be a Parish Walk after Easter.

The hut in the garden has blown over in the recent bad weather. There are a lot of gardening supplies which now need to be given away. A new hut is not needed.

It was noted that some people have said they are unable to hear the notices read after Mass. It was suggested that the readers could read the notices highlighted by Father Kevin. Mike will e-mail Alan Wenham to let the readers know about this. This will begin after Easter.

We may need more Eucharistic Ministers. Mike will e-mail Kevin Exell to see if he might find enough Eucharistic Ministers from those who served in this role pre-covid.

A replacement for running the 200 Club is needed. Hopefully someone can be found soon. Ann Shepherd indicated she had someone in mind.

Note after meeting: Mike emailed Kevin Exell with suggestions for Eucharistic Ministers and thanked him for his work with the 200 club.

AGM

The next AGM will be held on 27^th April at 7:30pm. All group leads to send a brief summary of activities over the past year to Eva for inclusion in the Annual Report. Mike will contact Derek Hemmingfield about presenting a financial report at the meeting. All Parish Council members were asked to bring cake. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

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

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

Apologies: Anne Shepherd, Lindsay Reynolds

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Matters Arising

Minutes of the meeting held on 8 Nov 2022 were approved.

Parish Council starting time.

It was agreed to start the meetings at 7.30pm in future.

Church maintenance

David Hughes has replaced all light bulbs with LED bulbs.  

Parish Walk

The next Parish walk will be held around Easter time.

Spirituality

A number of Spirituality activities have been planned:

• A Lenten day retreat run by Deacon Stephen Parker will be held on 4 March 2023. This will be on Centering Prayer
• There will be another Parish retreat held in autumn on St Paul. Deacon Stephen Parker will lead this.
• The Big Picture course will be held in the Spring.
• A Taize evening will be held in Lent. The Parish Council thanked the musicians who ran the very welcome Taize event held in Advent. It was suggested that the Taize evenings could be more widely advertised in the future.

Sacramental preparation

We now have a Baptism preparation team to prepare families for baptism.

A note will go into the Franciscan to find out how many people are ready for confirmation. A date for confirmation will be agreed with Bishop Ralph. Stephen Parker and Richard Bushell are leading this and hope to get at least one female volunteer to help. Once it is clear how many people are interested, the course will be designed. Still to be discussed is the level of parental involvement. Depending on numbers, we may join up with St Williams for confirmation.

Pastoral Care and Community

Ann Shepherd attended the Carol Service on 11 December at Tapton Hill Congregational Church.

Justice and Peace

Plans for starting with the CAFOD Live Simply campaign were discussed. The group are meeting with the St Vincent’s group tomorrow. The Justice and Peace Group agreed to keep the Parish Council informed of their progress.

Two CAFOD World gift water supplies will be purchased from the funds raised during the Advent fund raiser. The Panto raised £2400 for CAFOD. The Parish Council thanked all those involved in the panto, which was excellent.

Stephen Spooner announced that he will be resigning as the Parish CAFOD representative after serving in this role for many years. He will put a note in the Franciscan to see if anyone is interested in taking on this role. If no one comes forward, he will inform the Parish Council at the next meeting.

Youth Ministry

The youth group has regular meetings and were involved in the Advent Taize service. They are still planning to hold a Parish evening event in the next couple of months.

Stephen P and Richard will discuss Confirmation. Other Parishes have started Confirmations again. We may have joint Confirmation classes with St Williams.

Other activities

It was agreed that the standard procedure will be for welcomers to leave the door to the church open during Mass. The door to the outside should remained closed, at least during the colder months.

Action: Mike to e-mail Alan to inform the welcomers of this decision.

As the system for opening the screens at the back of the church is quite fragile and not many people seem to be using the Hall during Mass it was agreed that the screens will remain closed after this Sunday.

Action: Mike to put a note in Franciscan about this.

The Nativity children’s service was very well attended this year and very well organised by Nathaniel Dingle. Mike will send a letter of thanks on behalf of the Parish Council.

The Parish website is very out of date. All Parish Council members to look at the webpages to identify what needs changing.

Action: Mike to compile a list of changes needed.

There has been a request for a soup lunch to be held on Ash Wednesday.

Action: Mike to find someone to organise the soup lunch.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 14 March 2023 at 7:30pm.

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Sian Price, Maria Levesley, Richard Bushell, Deacon Stephen Parker, Anne Shepherd, Lindsay Reynolds and Paul Middlemas.

Apologies: Richard McQuinn

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Parish Council E-mail address

Paul explained that the Parish Council has an e-mail address that is currently being managed by Anthony Rossiter, who is no longer on the Parish Council. A discussion was held as to whether or not it was necessary to keep this e-mail address as it was not used much at all. It was agreed that the Parish e-mail address would be used instead and all relevant e-mails received would be directed to the Parish Council. Paul will make the necessary change to the website to reflect this.

Matters Arising

Minutes of the meeting held on 13 Sept 2022 were approved.

Church hall hire:

The checklist is under development. At present only the History Society is renting the Hall and as this is run by a Parish member a checklist is not required.

Church maintenance

David Hughes is replacing some lamps with LED ones. However, the purchased lamps do not work with the current fittings. The fittings may need to be replaced.

The flooring in the church is worn and stained in places. Replacement of the carpet will be considered in the future.

Lifts to Mass

Clare Morgan has kindly agreed to coordinate lifts to Mass. One person came for two weeks and Clare transported them. Currently there is no one offering or needing lifts to Mass. Information on lifts to Mass will go on the website. Paul will organise this.

Parish Walk

The Parish Walk took place on 6 November and was attended by 23 people. It was agreed that walks for the Parish would be held about three times each year. The next one will take place after Christmas and then around Easter organised by Mike and Nikki Kearsley

Spirituality

A number of Spirituality activities have been planned:

• A Lenten day retreat run by Deacon Stephen Parker will be held on 4 March 2023.
• A Taize evening in Advent to be led by Maria Levesley, date to be announced shortly.
• The Big Picture course will be held in the new year. This is a 12-week course and may be split into two parts.

There was some discussion about holding an evening session on the Synod. The evening would be focussed on listening to each other and how we would continue with the Synodial process. In the first instance the Parish Council might meet to do this.

Pastoral Care and Community

Events are starting to happen again across the Christian community in the area. There will be a Carol singing and coffee event on 28 November at Stephen Hill Methodist Church.

On 11 December Tapton Hill Congregational Church will have a Carol Service at 2:45pm with the Loxley Silver Band.

St Luke’s has a new vicar. Anne Shepherd will keep us up to date on planned events in the area and how St Francis Church might contribute to these.

Justice and Peace

Maria talked about the Eco church movement. The Justice and Peace Group had recently agreed to sign up to this scheme. However, as a Catholic church we will need to follow Live Simply instead. This will be taken up by the Justice and Peace Group at their next meeting in January.

Stephen S spoke about raising funds for a CAFOD World Gift this Advent. He suggested a water supply costing £750. He will make a poster of a Christmas tree and sell stickers after Mass for this. A JustGiving page will be set up for this. Information will go into the Franciscan soon.

Youth Ministry

The youth group now has seven members and they meet once a month. They will be running a Youth Mass for Christ the King on the 21^st November. The group will be working on a Board Games event for the Parish in the New Year.

Stephen P and Richard will discuss Confirmation. Other Parishes have started Confirmations again. We may have joint Confirmation classes with St Williams.

Other activities

The Screen will remain open at the back of the church for the time being as it is still being used by Parishioners who feel vulnerable. It was agreed that there should be a standard procedure each Sunday as follows:  the door to the Narthex should stay open and the screen remains open. The main door to the church and windows will remain closed. Welcomers should be informed about the standard procedure.

Action: Mike to e-mail Alan to ask him to inform the welcomers of this decision.

At the beginning of Advent the Offertory procession and collection will resume.

There has been a price increase for the gardeners who look after the grounds around the church. The cost will now be £24.50/hour. This was agreed to be acceptable.

There may be another cake and Foodbank drive after Mass between Epiphany and Lent.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 10 January 2023 at 7pm.

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Richard McQuinn, Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Sian Price, Maria Levesley, Richard Bushell, Deacon Stephen Parker

Apologies: Anne Shepherd, Lindsay Reynolds

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Sian was welcomed to the Parish Council

Church hall hire:

It isn’t clear whether anyone has asked about booking the Hall. Mike C agreed to ask Anne Marie Appleton about enquiries and whether the checklist is being developed.

Action after meeting. Mike contacted Anne-Marie and she is developing a checklist based on the Diocesan one for people outside the Parish who wish to rent the hall. It is her understanding that groups within the Parish as part of Parish Activities do not need to complete it.

Church maintenance

David Hughes has kindly agreed to continue with church maintenance. Mike C agreed to send him a note of thanks.

The flooring in the church needs attention. There was some caution about going forward with expensive refurbishments at this time as we are not sure what the heating costs for St Francis will be. Some parishes will have trouble meeting their energy costs. We may be called upon to support other parishes.

Parish Directory

The Parish Directory has been updated on the website. A hard paper copy still needs to be developed.

Action: Mike Campbell to develop paper copy of the Parish Directory.

Lifts to Mass

Diane is no longer to coordinate lifts to Mass. The Parish Council was not clear if this service was still required but the consensus was that the service should be offered to see if there is any demand.

Action: Mike C to find a replacement co-ordinator and to ask Kevin E if anyone on the communion list may want a lift to Mass.

Safe area during Mass

This seems to be working well and is well used. It was agreed to continue.

St Francis Feast Day

St Francis Feast Day is the 4^th of October but is celebrated on the nearest Sunday, 2 October. It was agreed to have a get together after Mass in the Church Hall.

Action: Mike C to put a note in the bulleting urging people to bring cake and something for the S2 Foodbank.

AGM

The next financial accounts will be presented in April 2023 and it was agreed to hold the AGM about this time. Depending on time of day, cake and tea and coffee could be provided or wine and cheese.

Spirituality

A number of potential activities were discussed including;

• A day retreat on St Paul run by Deacon Stephen Parker
• Taize evenings every quarter to be led by Maria Levesley
• The Big Picture course to be organised by Lindsay, Stephen P, Geraldine and Diane and run after half term.
• A Parish walk

Youth

There is currently no team for Confirmation. A first step is to find out how many people are interested in Confirmation. Richard Bushell agreed to be part of a team to lead this. There may need to be two groups depending on numbers and age of young people.

The youth group currently has three members and they meet once a month. Minimum age is year 10 or 14 years. They are thinking about a relaunch to encourage new members. They are also thinking about restarting a Youth Mass. The group has a number of social event ideas to include the Parish such as:

• Board games night
• Quiz night
• Disco for youth and children
• Film night

The Youth Group needs a small budget and will be given £30/month to cover expenses. There was discussion about the Youth Group being involved with Justice and Peace issues.

Action: Richard Bushell and Stephen Spooner to discuss coordinating a youth-Justice and Pease fund raiser or social activity.

Other activities

A number of other activities were discussed and it was suggested that we could look at these more closely in the New Year, such as a shared supper or Ceilidh.

The Synodial report was discussed. It was agreed there would be an evening held in October to discuss some aspects of the report around building community.

Action: Deacon Stephen to organise Synod evening.

AOB

Engaging the Parish

Ways of engaging the Parish and listening to what their concerns are were discussed. The following were agreed:

• Photos on board in the Narthex of Parish council members and their roles.
• Invite to the Parish in the bulletin before Parish council meeting with the agenda.
• A note in the bulletin when the parish council minutes are available.
• Interaction with the Parish and Parish Council members at social activities such as 2 October and after the AGM to be held in April 2023.

Green activities in our Parish and Live Simply.

Several options for incorporating Green activities in the parish were discussed. It was agreed that the Justice and Peace Group would be involved with taking this forward. The Echo church initiative would be explored for ideas.

Action: Maria to attend next Justice and Peace Meeting to discuss.

The Closing Prayer remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was read by Father Kevin.

Date of next meeting 8^th November 2022 at 7pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Richard McQuinn, Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Anne Shepherd, Lindsay Reynolds, Anne Marie Appleton (for church hall hire discussion).

Apologies: Stephen Parker, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley

Opening prayer was said by Father Kevin

Introductions were made as the Parish Council has been newly formed.

Church hall hire:

Anne Marie spoke about how much we charge for hire of the Assisi Hall. Historically there has been no standard rate. Those with some connection to the church have paid less and others more. Those using the Hall have included:

Lodge Moor Choir (£10/hr)

Dance Club (£10/hr)

Military History (£10)

Embroiders Guild (£20)

Museum Society (£20). 

It was agreed that there should be a price increase taking into account the cost of energy. It was also agreed that we need to know who is using the Hall. There is a checklist that will need to be filled out in order to hire the Hall and a Diocesan hire form. The new rates agreed were £15/hour for those related to the Parish and for those out of Parish £20. These rates are in agreement with those of similar church halls in the area. The hire fee will go up annually. It was noted that all groups should finish using the Hall by 9:30pm.

Anne Marie will look at the documentation required by the Diocese and work on modifying them for our processes. This is a work in progress and final procedures to be agreed with Father Kevin.

Action: Anne Marie to develop a suitable hire form and checklist based on the Diocesan templates for church hall hire.

Roles in the Parish Council

The following roles were agreed.

Chair: Mike Campbell

Liturgy and Spirituality and Mission and Evangelisation will now be combined to form “Spirituality”: Lindsay Reynolds and Stephen Parker

Pastoral Care and the Community: Anne Shepherd

Justice and Peace: Stephen Spooner

Youth Ministry: Richard Bushell

Maintenance: David Hughes has been filling this role although not a member of the Parish Council. There was a query as to whether or not he is willing to continue this role and whether members of the Parish Council need to contribute to this. Father Kevin to make a list of maintenance issues.

Action: Mike Campbell to ask David Hughes about continuing with maintenance

(Action after meeting. Mike spoke to David Hughes and he is willing to carry on)

Action: Father Kevin to give the Parish Council a list of maintenance issues.

Communications: There was some discussion as to whether or not this was still required.

Secretary: Eva Kaltenthaler

Parish Directory

The Parish Directory is very out of date The Parish Council went through each item and Mike Campbell made notes of changes and ensured there was a name against each item. An updated Parish Directory will be put on the Parish website.

Action: Mike Campbell to put updated Parish Directory on the Parish website.

AOB

Eva asked if in future the Parish Council minutes could be put on the website and the agenda and meeting date/times could be put in the Franciscan. She also asked if the Parish Council could look at ways to interact more closely with the Parish. This was agreed.

Stephen Spooner asked if there were any plans to look at the Parish responses to the recent Synodal process. He asked if there would be a group set up to look at the parish responses and address concerns that were within the remit of the Parish Council. Due to time constraints this discussion was deferred to the next meeting.

Date of next meeting 13 September 2022, 7pm and following one 8^th November (Second Tuesday of the month, every other month).

The Closing Prayer was read by Father Kevin.

1. Welcome prayer

2. Apologies: Phil, Jackie, Stephen.

Present: Nick Neal (Chair), Anthony Rossiter (Secretary), Fr Kevin, Belinda Barber, Mike Campbell, Ann Shepherd, Clare Byrne.

3. Big picture: A small group has been doing a trial; it is going well. It has been challenging for members but worthwhile and developmental. This small group is planning for a roll out to the parish after Easter on Monday evenings; currently publicised in newsletter with April 27 start (this might be delayed due to coronovirus issues). The current group is mostly female and so they would like more males. The  course involves doing some Bible readings and reflections each day and meeting once a week to share and discuss.

It is cheaper to buy the required book via the Parish who moreover can get on sale or return. It was agreed that initially the Parish would subsidise/purchase so people are not put off from participating. We could ask for contributions later.

We also intend to advertise in partner parishes (St Williams, St Vincent’s and Sacred Heart). On a related note, Greg Ryan also offered to come and give a talk to Parish at some point, for example, how to get started with the Bible?

4. Lindsay Graduated in the summer. She and other graduates are meeting regularly and planning on how they can support each other use this to contribute to parish life.

5. The troublesome trees have come down and cost £3000. However, this has opened up the front nicely. Moreover, we had a thank you from neighbour for clearing the back of lots of trees as this has improved their light.

6. We have heard nothing about the dangerous wall. It is owned by neighbour so it is their responsibility. However, lots of overgrown ivy has been removed.

7. The cupboard in the hall is getting too full or messy and so needs tidying. Clare thinks it is on Geraldine’s list, while she is helping Father Kevin with the office so no action was decided for now.

8. There was a request from care in Crosspool for some cash support, £1500. They offer support, visits, respite and so forth within the Crosspool region. The feeling was we should be supporting local charities, but perhaps the amount was large. Consensus was to propose £1000. We will ask the finance committee to sort out.

9. The dance club performers want a Sunday matinee so they do not have to do 2 performances on a Saturday. Apart from the need to avoid lent, there were no substantive objections but a mild concern that it would be harder to open screens if needed for Sunday morning mass.

10. The AGM is Tues May 11 at 7.30pm. Council members were reminded of the need to provide reports for their responsibility areas (to Nick in plenty of time for printing).  Clare and Anthony are reaching the end of their terms and need replacing. We need refreshments organising (tea, cake, wine) although no decision was taken for now on who would take the lead.

AOB.

We need parish council member to look at new safeguarding rules, H&S, paperwork etc. Lots of new forms needed for groups hiring parish hall. Nick is taking a look but it may not impact on most current users.

Some materials about dedication of UK to the dowry of Mary will be distributed at mass.

There will be a temporary suspension of the sign of peace and changes to holy communion distribution due to the coronavirus. Also Holy water stoops to be emptied. Anything that is shared should not be used for the time being, e.g hymn and mass books, towels, etc. More comprehensive guidance will be placed on the website.