imprint12.
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imprint12.
Christ Church >imprint< Our occasional news-&-views-paper No. 12 www.ccstalbans.org.uk October 2012 An all age community … on a shared journey of faith … making the edge the centre Registered Charity 1132925 each case if donations would be required to cover costs. Also it was acknowledged that partnerships with other non-Christ Church groups would require some flexibility in the charge or no-charge guidelines. In this issue: page Report of PCC meeting 17th Sept ............ 1 Letter from Dorothy and Michael............ 2 Time to get your hands dirty? – Maggie Young ..................................................... 3 Faith and Society ................................... 3 A second category in the charging or not charging question is that of funding for taking part in a church event. This includes whole church activities, e.g. church weekend, where it is felt that members should not be excluded for inability to pay the full cost; or individual or small group initiated activities, where the issue is less clear cut and may require case-by-case decision, with reference to the church aims and Mission Action Plan. And finally … ......................................... 4 Items for >imprint< no. 13 should reach me (by email at [email protected], or my personal email address, or the “XYZ” pigeon hole at church, or my home address) by Mon. 29th October 2012, please. Peter Young (Ed.) Report of PCC meeting 17th Sept [This summary is based on the draft PCC minutes. As such its accuracy and the editor’s interpretation can’t be guaranteed – Ed.] A third category on requests for funding for courses, travel costs and subsistence (including supervision of groups attending such events) needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to whether attendance is required by, or of value to, the church, and the extent of supervision/leadership undertaken by applicants. PCC would expect tighter organisational control on those in such a leadership role and would fully fund only those the church has specifically asked to attend. The Vicar and Church Wardens would make the final decision on such cases. Finances The half-yearly financial report was reviewed and, there being no surprises, PCC agreed to fulfil the remaining expected donations to Project 2:67 (£1,000) and STEP (£800). PCC also reviewed a paper drafted by Stephen Pam on charging (or not) for church activities, catering etc. With minor revisions PCC agreed that the proposals on the above three categories should become church policy. It was agreed that beverages at church activities and after services should remain free at least until an analysis can be made of a full year’s operation of the catering budget. Other examples in this general category include beverages for visitors, food provided at centrally organised church activities, e.g. Alpha; food and beverages at Mico events (including Fifty Plus, Big Lunch, Little Acorns, etc,); and the Fun Day – it should be made clear in However there was much discussion on a fourth category on “hardship” funding, e.g. urgent appeals for funds in extreme personal / family need, within the church or in the community, as well as responses to disasters elsewhere. This also covered the question of possible specialised equipping of the church premises for emergency relief (however PCC felt this 1 would be impractical to maintain); and/or the ability to contact those with expert knowledge/qualifications (PCC would like to have a directory of external support agencies generally available); and a oneoff emergency gift fund. The administration of the Vicar’s Discretionary Fund is also relevant in this context. This section will be rewritten and referred to the Core Team for further consideration. redesign project. Meanwhile PCC gave approval for the Design Group to obtain cost advice from 3 Design and Build contractors for the options in their proposals, in order to provide information to the PCC and for the whole church at the consultation stage Concluding activities building work project on Phase 1 Most of the required concluding activities are in hand and should be completed soon. Sean Ryan had asked whether his research on a possible electronic external notice board should be continued. PCC agreed that his research into this should be put on hold for the present time. Mission Action Plan (MAP) and Quiet Morning outcomes As a result of the outcomes, the Core Team affirmed the importance of the prayer life of the church and proposed that the formation of Prayer Triplets under the various Micos should be encouraged. The Vicar will review the guidelines he has produced for the process and will consult with the Church Wardens with a view to introducing this to the church in the New Year. Letter from Dorothy and Michael Artwork and Witness in the Christ Church building The Vicar sought views on installation of art work in the church, e.g. the new foyer, giving a clear Christian witness to those coming in. PCC expressed various opinions, including whether the foyer was the most appropriate location, security, the need to change works and how frequently, and cost. These opinions will be considered and any proposals will be brought to PCC in the New Year. Building and Grounds Action Group (BAGAG) Terms of Reference and Design Group BAGAG’s latest terms of reference were reviewed. However, PCC approval has been postponed until November, pending a review of BAGAG interaction with the Design Team regarding its proposals for the Phase 2 2 Time to get your hands dirty? a long haul flight! – Maggie Young Let’s get physical, practical and passionate in our care for God’s creation. Speak to Maggie or Susie or sign the list of the C4 notice board. After a few months with opportunities to get out and appreciate different aspects of God’s creation, the C4 project is now stepping up a gear! God’s Word on God’s World? We have made links with some of the A Rocha UK Associated Projects. Does the Bible have anything to say about ‘green issues’? On Sunday 18th November we are delighted that the founder of A Rocha International is coming to Christ Church to share his understanding of Creation Care as part of mission. Peter and Miranda Harris started the work of A Rocha in Portugal in 1983 and now share responsibility for shaping the organisation's vision and ethos globally. He will be preaching at our services – 9am and 10.40 - and they will stay to join us for a bring-and-share lunch and talk informally about the work of A Rocha across 19 countries. We will also be joined by our own mission link – Sarah Young. Please put this important date in your diaries now. More information nearer the time. The Steyning Downland Scheme, in Sussex, was initiated by The Wiston Estate in partnership with A Rocha UK. There, 160 acres of chalk downland has been designated to be developed for the benefit of wildlife and the local community. It is an area comprising of open grassland, a watercourse and ponds and mixed woodland. Christ Church folk have been invited to join their Ranger Group, which meets on the first Saturday of each month to do important practical work. Our plan is for a CC working party to join them early next year, perhaps more than once. Faith and Society But we’d first like to take a ‘pioneer’ group there on Saturday 3rd November to be shown round the project, work with the Rangers and to learn about the various small schemes for which they are seeking funding. Victory for evangelist in freedom of speech case [from an article by Christian Concern] A Christian evangelist was this week cleared of criminal charges by Dartford Magistrates Court after being arrested for distributing leaflets outside a Tesco supermarket. Could you be part of this first team, joining Maggie and Peter Young? Steyning is just a 2-hour drive away, taking no more than the check-in time for Mr Bachoo was temporarily imprisoned and charged with public order offences in January after handing out leaflets disapproving of Tesco’s decision to fund the 2012 Gay Pride parade outside its Metro store in Gravesend. He was due to stand trial on 24th September for allegedly using “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour” under section 5 of the Public Order Act but magistrates dismissed the case after the prosecuting Steyning Downland working party 3 zone) and other speakers will include newspaper columnists Andrew Pierce (chair) Matthew Parris, and Tim Montgomerie, with Phillip Blond, Director of ResPublica. barrister failed to give evidence. Responding to the decision the National Director of Christian Voice, Stephen Green, said: “Christians just keep winning these Section 5 freedom of speech cases. It is not against the law to preach against sodomy, to tell the public the facts about homosexual lifestyles, nor to display graphic images of the effects of abortion. These things might upset people, but they are not threatening, they are not abusive, they are not insulting and they are not against the law.” And finally … The Cat and the Mat How would Christians deal with 'The cat sat on the mat' if it appeared in the Bible? The Liberal theologians would point out that such a passage did not of course mean that the cat literally sat on the mat. Also 'cat' and 'mat' had different meanings in those days from today, and anyway, the text should be interpreted according to the customs and practices of the period. Here is a link to Christian Concern’s “Religious Freedom” booklet (right): http://www.christi anconcern.com/sit es/default/files/Re ligious%20Freedom-proof.pdf This would lead to an immediate backlash from the Evangelicals. They would make an essential condition of faith that a real, physical, living cat did physically place its whole body on a floor covering and which is on the floor, but not of the floor. Bp Michael Nazir-Ali at the Conservative Party conference Meanwhile, the Catholics would have developed the Festival of the Sedentation of the Blessed Cat. This would teach that the cat was white and majestically reclined on a mat of gold thread before its assumption to the Great Cat Basket of heaven. This is commemorated by the singing of the Magnificat, lighting three candles, and ringing a bell five times. Bishop Michael NazirAli (former Bishop of Rochester, now President of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue (OXTRAD), will be speaking at two events during the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham this month. Eventually, in the Church of England. the House of Bishops would issue a statement on the Doctrine of the Feline Sedentation. It would explain that, traditionally, the text describes a domestic feline quadruped superjacent to an unattached covering on a fundamental surface. For determining its salvific and eschatological significations, we follow the heuristic analytical principles adopted in dealing with the Canine Fenestration Question (How much is that doggie in the window?) And so on for 210 pages! The General Synod would then commend this report as helpful resource material for clergy to explain to the man in the pew the difficult doctrine of 'the cat sat on the mat'. He will speak on the topic 'Is there a moral future for Britain?' on Tuesday 9th October. This event is organised by the Cornerstone group of MPs and will take place between 1.45 and 3.15pm at the Birmingham Christian Centre. Bishop Michael will also be speaking at an event, ‘Marriage: changing the terms of debate’ from 10.30 to 11.45am on 10th October hosted by think tank ResPublica. This one will take place in the ResPublica Marquee, Centenary Square entrance, ICC Conference Centre, Birmingham (secure 4