Category: Parish council minutes

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.

Special meeting to discuss the possible re-opening of the church and the Diocesan requirements.

1. Welcome prayer

2. Apologies: Phil, Mike, Richard.

Present: Nick Neale (Chair), Anthony Rossiter (Secretary), Fr Kevin, Belinda Barber, Anne Shepherd, Clare Byrne, Chris Dingle, Stephen Parker.

3. Discussion Points

Mass times: Suggested that for now, only feasible to do one mass a week, on Sundays at 11am.

We have to have everything ready before the diocese will visit and discuss possible starting dates. Also  there is a roughly 10 page checklist to go through and lots of fine detail. This needs completing very carefully before the visit. We are not trying to rush and likely to be Sept. before we are ready to apply.

We must have sufficient registered volunteers for cleaning and stewarding. They must supply full contact details and sign in and out during their duty. It was agreed that the rotas for both should be held in the same place and managed by the same person to simplify tasks. The rotas should all include a ‘reserve’ for each week.

Suggested using Vurch google drive spreadsheets for organising and disseminating rota.

Clare and Lindsay volunteered to look at the cleaning responsibilities, writing job spec, getting volunteers and so forth. A similar job specification is required for the stewards but likely to be far simpler, e.g. arrive 30min before service and ensure safe movement to allocated seating and safe exit of the congregation.

No one under 16 can be a steward or cleaner.

Over 70s and those with health issues need to attend with caution.

Richard will look at organising who or how many can attend and where they will sit. It was taken as implicit that he would also help with deciding who can attend on each week and where they would sit, given numbers will be limited.

We need to collect contact information for the whole parish so we can contact them with details of arrangements and how to book attendance. Ideally parish database needs to be in a more up to date format to facilitate this by email/text if possible, so Anne said she would follow this up and go into office; Belinda volunteered to help too. This will be needed for coordinating attendance.

Some discussion over whether toilets can be opened and how access is managed. Probably stewards would oversee and restrict use to a single toilet in the narthex so appropriate cleaning can be managed.

4. The meeting closed with a prayer.

Minutes St Francis Parish Council meeting Sept 11th 2019 at 19:00-20:30

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.

Present: Nick Neale, Clare Bryne, Belinda, Anthony, Father Kevin, Richard, Anne, Lindsay.

Apologies. Stephen Parker, Phil Rostant, Mike Campbell

1. Welcome prayer

2. Matters arising from minutes

a. Parish directory (Clare) now done and distributed a few at parish day. Will make some minor updates and then distribute on a Sunday soon.

b. CAFÉ course and The Big Picture. Lindsay reported they will trial “The Big Picture” as a small group course, evaluate and then after Easter do as a Cafe course in the church hall for the whole parish. We have a copy from the diocese for leaders, but attendees may need to buy the book for themselves.

C. Confirmation courses: Richard and Lindsay are running and now are about a quarter of way through, with 26 children on the course. Seem a nice group. Bishop coming 12 o’clock on Saturday December 14th. Discussed whether some sort of party may take place afterwards; Richard and Lindsay will liaise with parents to discuss.

D. Caritas, nothing yet to report but will be in newsletter soon.

3. Trees and wall updates.

Wall. The neighbour is going to look at it but still in progress as they are waiting for an official report/survey.

Trees: Mr Anderson from Treecare did a survey and report. We need to considering issues such as H&S and impact on neighbours. The big tree at the front needs to come down which will be complicated and expensive. He also proposed we remove the sycamores by the football ground and we should do some thinning and remove the silver birch. Friendly discussions with neighbours ongoing about other major pruning. Currently collecting estimates before booking major work. Nick is leading on this.

4. Reports from parish areas. None

5. Item on parish giving. Chris Dingle ask the council to consider a decision taken in parish council 1/3/2011 about giving extra money to needy parishes and disaster appeals in addition to any special collections.

• The council agreed a simple sustainable approach for needy parishes was to double the special collection from parish funds, but this decision did not prejudice giving more should that be appropriate in the future.

• Also the council agreed that the parish should augment what is raised for special disaster appeals and specifically those for CAFOD. General feeling was that we as a parish should be generous and match such special second collections where we can from general funds.

• There is a need to communicate with the parish concerning our commitment to the poor and extra giving.

AOB

• Richard asked about youth club and whether the parish would subsidise the monthly meal they have. General consensus to support this and give £200 pa for now.

• The God who speaks books are a revised translation from King James Version and likely to be adopted in the missal soon. We have a number of these books on Matthew’s gospel. The idea is parishioners buy one and carry it around and read a bit every day. The council was unclear how to take this Diocesan initiative forward as we have only 20 copies, although the principle of encouraging parishioners in regular bible reading was supported. We could facilitate by managing any orders from parishioners, for example on the first Sunday in Advent.

6. Finishing prayer

Minutes St Francis Parish Council meeting Sept 11th 2019 at 19:00-20:30

1. Welcome prayer

2. Apologies: Phil, Lindsay, Stephen.

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

3. Matters arising from July meeting and related matters.

a. Parish directory update: Clare is doing this, still ongoing.

b. Diocesan directory of social action: Nick with Anne are leading on this. The main idea is that the Church is trying to bring related activities under a common umbrella as a form of encouragement and record keeping. However information and purpose still partially unclear.

It was noted under this theme that we could do more to support SVP in the parish, but the counter argument is that we may be better actively supporting “Care in Crosspool” rather than duplicating.

c. CAFÉ course: We have a free course. Clare and Nick watched and think it is appropriate for Lent and propose to run 4 sessions based on Hope at that point. Clare looking at possible dates.

On a similar theme, both Father Kevin and Clare proposed we consider using “The Big Picture” for a longer course linked to the Bible (12 sessions).  Bishop is actively encouraging this course as linked to 2020, “year of the word”. Lindsay and Clare aim to get a copy,  check out and plan. Notional plan for post Easter and Autumn 2020.

Diocesan meeting to discuss confirmation courses in Sept. Stephen and Richard will be going.

4. Reports and items from different areas (if required):

• Mission, Evangelisation and Faith Formation Justice and Peace (Belinda and Mike will take over as council contacts).

• Creation evening of prayer talk and silence on Friday Oct 18. Eva and Stephen organising.
• There is a similar event at St Columba a week later, as part of “city of sanctuary”. Council agreed to donate £25 as requested.

5. Maintenance and infrastructure:

• Trees issue with neighbour. Nick saw him on 11th. The Parish trees are causing excessive shade and probably too large. Tom Garrad from Diocese has suggested a tree surgeon and is following up. First we need to do a full survey of all our trees and advise on required action. It will cost £400 just for review, but the Diocese is likely to insist we do this regardless as part of new policies.

• Update on dangerous wall. Tom Garrad came and looked at it. The wall actually belongs to neighbour, although it is our side that is a problem. The neighbour is going to take this forward but likely will do in bits. The council agreed in principle to contribute to costs.

• Discussion on trolley for amplifier/speakers. Anthony to speak to Liz and Chris Dingle to understand their usage by the  pantomime team before we propose the most cost effective way forward as there is a concern that the equipment may be somewhat dated and thus not cost effective to repair.

• Use of cupboard space in the hall. Grazyna has agreed to sort it when she gets back from Poland.

6. AOB

Parish day on Oct 6. Proposed a bring something to share for lunch after mass. Clare to put in newsletter.

7. Finishing prayer

Next meeting Wed Nov 13^th at 7pm

Minutes of St Francis of Assisi Parish Council Meeting 10 July 2019 7pm

Present:- Fr Kevin Thornton – Parish Priest

Nick Neale, Belinda Barber, Clare Byrne, Anne Shepherd

1) The meeting opened with a prayer

2) Apologies:- Lindsay Reynolds, Mike Campbell,Phil Rostant,  Anthony Rossiter

3) Matters arising from AGM:- Belinda and Mike to help with Justice & Peace

4) Autumn CAFÉ course – this will commence In the Autumn on Tuesday evenings after Mass for 6 weeks. Topic “Gifts of the Spirit”.

Lindsay and Clare will be have a planning meeting next week

5) Emergency Plan – In the event of an emergency concerning Fr Kevin It would be necessary to telephone Bishop Ralph and Fr John Cooke.

It Is also necessary to find out exactly who has keys to the premises. Clare will put an appeal In the newsletter to find out.

Clare will also review Parish Directory.

6) Diocesan Directory of Social Action – Each Parish will be asked to produce current lists of people who are responsible for each section. Nick Neale will contact Mike Murphy to proceed with this.

7) Wall and Trees – Diocesan Property Manager – Tom Garrud has visited the Parish and has had a meeting with Fr Kevin to discuss:-

A) the leaking roof In the narthex – experts to be asked to return to help with yet further plans to determine cause of continuous leaks

B) One of the houses at the side of our car park Is having problems with the high trees on our land overlooking his house and blocking light. An Arborist will be contacted to survey what needs to be done. The condition of the boundary wall outside the church also needs looking at. Tom Garrud has looked at the wall and has suggested that we ask an engineer to look at the condition and see what repairs are needed.

8) Any other business:- Fr Kevin needs to be contacted to find out how many children will be receiving Confirmation from Bishop Ralph

 Numbers needed. Notices are currently being advertised In the Franciscan.

The meeting closed with a prayer at 8.20pm