Minister’s Report 2016

`As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Welcome to the annual report for 2017. This report is about all that God has been building through us and in us, his living stones, over the past year.

For the past three years we have been working hard to get to the point where we could finally have the roof fixed. Our application to Biffa Award was successful, much to our relief. This grant came to £48,267, which was the majority of the money needed. We also raised £22,039 locally, and along with smaller grants, we exceeded our target of £72,000. Part of the local fundraising was through people coming to our `Sign a Tile’ event, which proved very popular. It was good to welcome Clive Lewis MP, who spared the time to sign a tile and write in the book of messages which was opened for the occasion. Those new tiles have been made into crosses on the roof. The work started on 16 May and lasted until 18 July, 46 working days and just over 9 weeks of dust and noise, but eventually it was all complete. My thanks go to all in the roof team and the roof prayer team for their dedication and commitment to this task.

In the autumn we welcomed representatives from each of our respective denominations to a service of thanksgiving for the new roof and celebration of thirty years since the church building was opened. Bishop Graham spoke about us being living stones of the gospel here in Bowthorpe.

He especially thanked Peter Groom for his ministry as an Anglican Reader at Bowthorpe, as Peter retired from over thirty years of ministry.

Just as Peter was retiring from Anglican Reader ministry, Louise Tailford was officially recognised by the United Reformed Church as a URC Lay Preacher. With approval from the Church Meeting, Louise also continued in her candidacy for URC ministry.

I was delighted when the Bowthorpe Church Puppet Team recommenced its ministry in the autumn. They

brought the house down with a sketch and song at the Carols by Candlelight! It’s not often you get spontaneous applause in such a service!

In June we celebrated with Mike and Margaret Gibbs on the occasion of their Silver Wedding anniversary, with a service in the Church and a party in Chapel Break Village Hall. That month we also enjoyed a Church day out at High Lodge in Thetford Forest.

In July we welcomed four people into church membership: Godwin and Patience Unazi, Jill Ellis and Dennis Oram, and Pauline Masen and Linda Stevens became church members in October. We also welcomed Hankyu Kim and his family from South Korea, who became members in January 2017. Hankyu is a Methodist Minister who is doing a Masters at the UEA. We are very pleased to be able to welcome all of them as members of Bowthorpe Church. We also welcomed

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Vera and Victoria Unazi who were dedicated, and Rafal Trofimov, Christopher Domek, Troy Stibbs, and Michael McCrindle, who were baptised. More living stones!

However, we sadly said goodbye to two living stones, Stanley Smith and Harry Bennett, two men of real and deep faith who are missed, and we continue to remember Sylvia and Heather in our prayers. We also bid farewell to the Leyham Court home group and to Sunday evening services. With numbers very low, the evening service has been struggling for years. It is my firm belief that death comes before resurrection, and early in 2017 we began a new monthly evening praise service.

The Scouting groups came for a specially designed St. George’s Day Parade service and Christmas service, and St. Michael’s Junior School and Clover Hill Infant School also visited for their own Easter and Christmas services. I continued to take regular assemblies in the three local schools, plus the occasional lesson. I participated in St. Michael’s first ever `Trinity Day’ with enjoyable and thought-provoking lessons across the whole school. Jane Cole and Dave Blake continue to serve with me as school governors at the All Angels Federation. My continuing thanks to them.

Among others activities in 2016 were the enjoyable Lent Course `Finding a Voice’, which was based on the film `The King’s Speech’, the Light Party, and `This Earth We Tread’ which was a celebration in drama and music of the 1000th anniversary of the death of St. Walstan (see Ruin Trust report).

Within all these activities, we remember that `Bowthorpe Church aims to worship God and to become a community for Christ by proclaiming the Gospel and serving the neighbourhood.’ Thank you to all of you who have contributed to the life of the Church over the past year, whether you have contributed much or little. Every little helps! Thank you to all those who have contributed to the report, and to Sheila Hinton for compiling it. I commend it to you, and give God praise and glory for all he is doing among us and in us here in Bowthorpe.

Every blessing for the year ahead,

Mark

Church Wardens’ Report.

There is not much left to add to what Mark, Jane and Sheila have said. So let us take a different tack for a while. It seems as if church life is always made up of two parts one is visible and often gets the accolades (praise or brickbats), the other is beneath the surface and often unseen. We need to acknowledge that both are important to the life of the church so while we are talking about all the good things that happen in the life of our church let us not forget the unseen acts of kindness and concern. Let us give thanks that there are those who live out their faith through a quiet concern for others, through caring and hospitality. Those who quietly go about doing what God has called them to with no concern other than being obedient to God and doing his will. That concern may be manifest in many ways; some tangible like hospitality, providing practical help, some may seem less tangible such as prayer. But we must not underestimate the power of prayer to affect our lives, our situation or our ability to cope. Prayer is the one weapon in our arsenal that works every time. Perhaps not in the way we want but in the way God intends it to. There either have been or there will be I am sure times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by life, by family, by circumstances. This is when we need to pray for ourselves but also to allow others in so that they too can pray for us.2

Many of the activities in the life of the church are our opportunity to get involved even if we are not able to organise or run the events, we are capable of supporting the event by being there or praying for the event if we are not. It is good to see the small group work in the life of the church as this is, as I heard from a preacher recently, a great way to have a two way conversation with God firstly, through reading his word and hearing his instructions for our lives and secondly, for us to talk back to God through prayer and thus close up the loop.

Therefore, while we acknowledge the visible life of this church may we not forget or overlook the unseen work that goes on in support of the visible work. And for those of us who have been having a fallow time recently then get ready for I am sure it is only temporary and God will soon have us back in harness if we continue to listen and talk to him. So my hope for the year ahead is that we will all continue to contribute to the life of the church in all the myriad of ways we do and as a church requires, regardless of whether those contributions are visible or unseen as they are all for God’s glory not our own; they are our individual acts of obedience to his will and calling.

Amen.

Mike Acaster and Dave Blake

Administrator’s Report

In all honesty, there is not much different that I can say about my role as Administrator than was written in last year’s report. The hours are still mainly spent preparing for worship (service and notice sheets, power- points, etc.), working on publicity, ordering materials and consumables, updating the website, completing official documents, reviewing policies, dealing with the hire of the building, setting the heating and such like. As every year, we are very grateful for all the time people put in on a voluntary basis to keep the church, inside and out, well maintained both by attending maintenance mornings and by coming along on other occasions to do jobs as and when needed.

Jane Cole

Secretary’s Report.

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It has been a busy and joyful year again. Many members have given their time and talents to help the smooth running of our church. Mark and Jane have already thanked many people and I say a big thank you to those volunteers who contribute by: welcoming the congregation, serve coffees and tea, making beautiful flower arrangements, give us the readings and prayers of intercession, provide us with excellent music, collect and count the offertory money, apply for gift aid, look after the children’s welfare and carry out numerous practical tasks- too many to mention.

The format of Sunday services has stayed much the same, and you will read about all the various social activities which took place when you read the individual reports, which include some from outside organisations who use the church building regularly.

As is the pattern for Bowthorpe Church LEP, quarterly meetings of the church membership carry out the governance of the church. These have been renamed Full Church Meetings. The membership delegates decision making between such meetings to the Bowthorpe Church Council. In 2016 the Church Council comprised: the Minister, Church Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary and Assistant, Sunday Club Co-ordinator and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator. For the list of individual officers for 2016 please turn to appendix 1 and to appendix 2 at the end of the booklet and for the Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult Policy Statement.

During the year the church membership met four times: in February, April for the AGM, July and October. The Church Council met five times: in January, March, May, September and November.

I need not say too much about the year’s statistics as Mark has already mentioned welcoming our new Church Members, the baptisms and losing a couple who will be sadly missed. At the end of 2016 the membership stood at 57. There were no weddings held in Bowthorpe Church. Twelve funerals were taken at local crematoria or cemeteries and there were three internments of ashes in the Remembrance Garden.

Special festivals and the “Something Special” services, which are held on the first Sunday each month, continue to be advertised in the community and many have been well attended. The Christingle and Carol Services are particularly popular. Links continue to be developed with the three local schools, St Michael’s Junior in particular using the church for their special festivals. Reaching out to the community in Bowthorpe is still a priority for us and to ask God how we can fulfil our Mission Statement: “Bowthorpe church aims to worship God and to establish a community for Christ by proclaiming the Gospel and serving the neighbourhood.”

Sheila Hinton.

Church Music

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The music group, mainly led alternately by Dave on piano and me on guitar, with input on guitar by Mark when other service demands allow, and Janet, Linda, Carol and Margaret singing on a weekly rota system, continues to play an active part in the services each Sunday. We were also pleased to welcome Sam and his guitar in to the group towards the end of the year. Our pianists Dave, Cathy and Christine also have a valued and integral role in our Sunday morning Services. Many thanks are due to Simon for his work in running the

sound box and power point throughout the year. Now that he has moved on to pastures new, his input in this area will be much missed. However, it has been really good to see a rota of our young people picking up the reins – thanks Reuben, Josiah, Elysha, Keziah and Azaria!Jane Cole

Bowthorpe Community Choir Report 2016

In November we celebrated our second anniversary. Some of the highlights of the year have been singing in October at the 30 th anniversary celebration and blessing of the new roof, in which we sang a song of thanks to Biffa Award for their generous grant. In November we sang in the interval at the Ruin Trust’s musical evening, at Society Alive’s Christmas warm café and at the Ormiston Victory Academy’s Christmas Fayre. We joined with members of the Church to sing carols at the Bowthorpe Care Village, outside Roys and in the Norkie. We also sang at the Carols by Candlelight. The regular group of about 12-15 have enjoyed the past year.

Thanks to all for their continuing participation, and to Dave Blake for his unending skill!

Rev Mark Elvin

Finance Review for Year Ending 31 st December 2016

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Total receipts on general (unrestricted) funds amount to £47,111 and are detailed in the financial statements. We are grateful to all those who give regularly to our Church and support its ministry and mission. Our actual weekly / monthly monetary giving has decreased by £624 from 2015, but many of our expenses have increased.

The gift aid, recovered from tax payers, amounted to £7,081.41. This covers the period of twelve months - 1/7/2015 to 30/6/2016 and we have been able to claim gift aid from most of our ‘cash’ giving. The amount of gift aid is lower (£1493.40) as it does not include as many donations to the Roof Fund. Our thanks to Noel for all his efforts as our Gift Aid Secretary.

Grants have been received - for Administrator’s fund: £1000 from the URC; and for The Roof fund: £500 John Jarrold, £2000 Bishop’s fund, £5000 Geoffrey Watling Trust, £43,267 Biffa award. We are grateful for all the support we have received and to our Sponsoring bodies, in particular the URC for their support of our Church and its mission.

This year our Gift day raised £1543.75 (last year £1765) for our Church employees’ wages (Cleaner and Administrator). Tots have given £100 towards the Roof fund.

The collecting box for coffee and tea after Church services has collected £278.75. For first 9 months £227.52 was collected and this went towards covering the cost of tea and coffee, the last 3 months went to the Church’s discretionary fund - £51.23.

Our four charity collections on the fifth Sundays of 2016 raised £1,885 for our Roof fund. Over Christmas we raised £939.73 for our three selected charities.

£43,574 was spent to provide the Christian ministry of Bowthorpe Church, including giving to charities and maintaining the church building, a £704 decrease to last year. £1,006 was spent on repair work, doing work from our ‘quinquennial report’.

This year we have contributed £20,064 to URC ‘fair share’ (contributing for our minister) and £5,636 to The Diocese for Parish share (contributing to rent for Church house). We have given £1,000 for our Roof fund and £2,000 for Administrator fund, as set out in 2015 budget. We have spent little on maintenance throughout the year, and this year have not been able to put aside money in ‘Repairs & Renewals’. Total expenditure is £46,574.

The net result for 2016 was a surplus of £1,046.15. The balance carried forward at 31st December 2016 from the Bank of Scotland statements and petty cash totalled £36,082.10. The General fund holds £8,422.49 at 31/12/2016.

Christine McGrath (Treasurer)

For the financial statements for the year ending 2016 please turn to the appendices of the booklet.

Reflective account on Eastern Synod Meeting 8th October 2016, Stowmarket

Travelling to Synod, excited to meet

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Fellow travellers and guides along this street.Welcome to Synod, parked just in time

Slips to exchange, voting papers now mineWhat are the orange and blue cards for?

Synod is constituted (with coffee it would seem)A young women minister; Walking with God is her dream.

Minister’s Movements can be ponderous and slow,Perhaps they should all sit along the front row.But what are the orange and blue cards for?

Moderators address; some questions he raises;“What are ministers for?What are Churches for?”

What are Synod meetings for?What are the orange and blue cards for?

Bible Study; fishes and fire, more walking,I wish there had been more time for talking.

Jubilee ministers; ordained before the URC was born, I sit in awe.Bread and wine we share, a sacrament worth travelling for.

But what are the orange and blue cards for?

Lunch, a time to meet and chatTo look at books and all of that

Perhaps the most important aspect of all,To share soup and bread and commune in the hall.

But what are the orange and blue cards for?

On to Resolutions and ReportsShould we have sought God’s thoughts?

What a shame to vote “Not no” when I wanted to cheer,Young people’s representation is nothing to fear.

What are the orange and blue cards for?

Gender balance is not too bad,I’m one of the youngest, it makes me feel sad.

Where are our people of colour?Our diversity needs to be fuller.

Closing worship, dare we be like Spice girls?Too many thoughts to hold, my head whirlsIn the car with my friend, I am finally told;

Consensus cards for warm and cold,That’s what the orange and blue cards are for.

Louise Tailford

United Reformed Church Report for 2017 AGM

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The seven Churches of the Norwich Area United Reformed Church (NAURC) group now have 2.5 Ministers (Revd Bruno Boldrini, Revd John Potter and Revd Ian Fosten (Team Leader, half time). Two members of Bowthorpe Church help out with the preaching rotas of the NAURC which is greatly appreciated and keeps a link between our Churches. Several members of the NAURC group completed a “Training for Learning and Serving, Local Introductory Training Experience” (TLS LITE) course, which has led in my case to recognition as a Synod Accredited Lay Preacher. I have attended the Eastern Synod Meeting in Oct 2016 and Bowthorpe Church has also hosted the Norfolk and Waveney Area Partnership meeting. Further information about NAURC can be found on the website http://www.norwichareaurc.co.uk/.

Report for church ACM 2017 Methodist Circuit

Mike Gibbs continues to preach in the Circuit as invited, and both he and Sally Simpson attend Circuit quarterly meetings whenever possible. Linda Morgan or her representative attends our own church council meetings on behalf of the circuit.

It was a joy to join in the Circuit ‘Praying the Day ‘events by attending the hour hosted by the Chinese Church in Bowthorpe Road on 11 th January. This church continues to flourish and grow. Funding for its continued expansion is dependent on the impending sale of St. Peter’s Park Lane church.

In October our circuit superintendent, Rev. Kathryn Hutton, joined the Bishop of Norwich and regional leaders of the United Reformed, Baptist, and Roman Catholic and Quaker denominations in a thanksgiving service to bless our new roof and celebrate 30 years since the current church was built in 1986. Rev. Kathryn was also booked in to preach at our first “Something Special” service of 2017.

Regular brief reports from ourselves are included in the quarterly magazine, “The Methodist”, copies of which are in the foyer rack.

The Circuit Mission Fund allocates start-up and short term grants to enable churches to fund projects both for mission and for growth. Bowthorpe church is eligible to apply. This could be our opportunity!

Sally Simpson, circuit rep. with Mike Gibbs

Quakers.

I attend Quaker meetings on the first Sunday each month and stay for their business meeting, which is similar to Bowthorpe’s Full Church Meetings. Information is passed on to our church office. Again I donated money towards the society marking the friendship between our two churches.

Either the Norwich or Wymondham Quakers lead evening worship here in Bowthorpe three of four times a year on the fifth Sunday.

Christopher Brooke.

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Norwich South Deanery Synod

Only two meetings were held in 2016. At the February meeting we said ‘goodbye’ to the then Rural Dean, Rev. Alan Strange, who is moving to Amsterdam as Chaplin Of Christ Church, Amsterdam and with responsibilities for the Netherlands Deanery. We welcome Rev. Ian Dyble as the new Rural Dean and Minister of St. Thomas Church, Earlham Road. The meeting then looked at how, ‘as a Deanery’ we might help each other. I.e. by sharing our needs, gifts, parish events, resources, attending other churches occasionally – above all praying for each other.

The November meeting followed much the same pattern as the February meeting. In small groups we were given three things to discuss:-

1. How the Deanery could act together.2. Ways we could offer support to the whole Deanery.3. Ways others in the Deanery could support my (our) Church.

Little time was given for ‘feedback’, so we felt little had come from the meeting.

Representatives, Lorraine Howard & Bob McGrath

Prayer Ministry Team

The number of volunteers on the Prayer Team has depleted over the past year so we would welcome anyone wishing to join. By having more people available those already in existence wouldn’t have to be on so often.

Also, it would be very helpful if anyone is unavailable on any given day to contact another person on the rota and ask if they could help out. With this in mind, please will all the existing team supply landline and mobile telephone numbers, together with an email address, if possible, to Margaret or Mike Gibbs who will then compile a list of all names and information and circulate to all the team. Please be aware that this information is sensitive and therefore comes under Data Protection so should not be disclosed to any other person without the team member’s agreement.

One worrying aspect which has come to light is that some person or persons feel that information divulged to the Prayer Team is not always kept confidential. It cannot be stressed enough that anything which is said to any member of the Prayer Team should not be discussed with any other member or indeed anyone else unless the person asking for prayer wishes this to happen. In view of this, if anyone feels that they wish more than the two members of the Prayer Team to be involved in praying for them, or for anyone they have brought up, they should make this plain at the time. The only exception to this rule is if something is said to the Prayer Team which involved harm to themselves or others, in which case, this would have to be reported to our Minister Mark Elvin.

People will not come up for prayer if they feel that the information given is bandied round the whole church and it has become very apparent in the last year that not many people are coming forward for prayer either for themselves, others or situations. The Team as a whole would like to see this change, so can we stress once more, everything said is confidential and every one of us make sure that we adhere to this ruling.

Margaret Gibbs

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PASTORAL TEAM REPORT

The team has continued to meet about every six weeks, but the personal pastoral care naturally given by many church members goes on behind the scenes 24/7.

In April the Bowthorpe Care Village opened. It has been inspiring to witness the birth of two lay-led teams who between them take a short service in the Village once a fortnight. The venue alternates between the Specialist Dementia Care Unit in Mayflower Court and the Residence with Care Unit in The Meadows. One team is co-ordinated by Bob McGrath and the other by Nigel Calow. Strong relationships with residents have been built up, and the services are well-attended. There was also a lively Carol Service held in the dining area at Christmas. Mark has been working on a schedule of themes for 2017.

The annual Bereavement Service in November was much appreciated as always.

A policy clarifying use of the church discretionary fund is now in place, to guide church members should they be approached for financial help by those outside the congregation.

Efforts are being made to ensure that any ‘Welcome slips’ filled in by new attenders are brought to Mark’s attention.

The list of church members and attenders has been worked through bit by bit over the year, in order to spot anyone who needs to be contacted or held in prayer. At each meeting prayer is offered for situations and individuals in particular need.

The role of pastoral co-ordinator has been briefly considered, and I am delighted to have handed this over to Louise Tailford who will write a little about herself below.

It has been a privilege to end 2016 by working on our Church Prayer Links which were formally renewed at a service in January 2017. The developing pastoral care, both within the church and in the community, will continue to be undergirded by the prayer chain, by prayers for healing at the Wednesday Communion services and after Sunday morning services; also by the Daily Prayer Booklet and weekday morning and evening prayer, when all members of the congregation plus every road in Bowthorpe plus the regular activities and facilities within the community are covered systematically throughout each month.

 Sally Simpson

The Pastoral Team is indebted to Sally for about 30 years’ service in her role as Pastoral Co-ordinator. In Jan 2017 I was appointed to this role and I am looking forward to serving the Church in this capacity, beginning by understanding what Pastoral Care means to different people within the Church. Sally continues to serve in our team and maintains a strong link with the community of Bowthorpe.

Louise Tailford

Clover Hill House Group.

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This house group is held in Noel and Cathy Debbage's home and we meet every 2nd Tuesday at 7.30pm, finishing around 9pm. The house group is built round a 4W's structure (Welcome, Worship, Word and Witness sections), ending in a time of prayer. We use this structure to encourage all who attend to feel free to lead or participate in these different sections. It is encouraging to see different people have confidence to lead the different parts of the house group.

We have had two successful Fellowship and Food house groups; in the summer and just before Christmas, to which partners were invited. In 2016 both house groups were well represented in the Church Lent Course. Presently we have just started a Lent Course in the run-up to Easter 2017.

Numbers and personnel in the house group have been variable over the year (between 5-12 and averaging about 7). We have been blessed with the participation of our African and South Korean friends this year.

The aim in what we try to do is to deepen understanding of our faith, to grow in fellowship and consider practical ways we can apply our faith in our lives and the lives of others. New members are always welcome and if you are thinking of attending a house group please feel free to just come along and join us.

John Comerford.

‘People and Places for Prayer’/Mission BoardDuring 2016 we continued to support mission in the UK and worldwide by praying for the charities and individuals highlighted on the board above the world map in the Prayer Corner and mentioned on the weekly notice sheet. Various updates are added to the board as they arrive by e-mail, including a more detailed monthly report received from the

Barnabas Fund which supports the persecuted church worldwide. In addition to the world map, the board also displays a map of Bowthorpe with a weekly prayer focus for our villages.

Jane Cole

Saint Michael and All Angels Ruin Trust.

“I like what you’ve done with the place. No, really. It’s beautiful. So beautiful. I bet it was something to behold when it was new. I’m sorry I never saw it. Thank you. Thank you. … … Built by the hand of my neighbours with flints dug from that precious earth that roots us together – this is a work of love. How could I not be humbled and heart-warmed with gratitude? I like it. I like it very much.”

These words were spoken by Saint Walstan in a dramatic theatre presentation marking the one thousandth year of his death in 1016, Entitled “This Earth We Tread” an original, imaginative and entertaining production of Walstan’s life, works and legacy was presented by Slow Theatre Company in and around the Ruin over three days in September. Ingeniously directed by Danny O’Hara, talented players of many ages and

abilities acted, sang, Cast of ‘This Earth We Tread.’

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danced and made music. The performances not only poignantly illustrated the commitment of St. Walstan to his calling, but also referred to many similar issues that still exist today, such as land ownership and commercialism, protection of the environment, the displacement of peoples, and refugees.

Bishop Graham who attended one of the five performances, posted the following tribute: “If you want to be entertained, delighted, challenged and made to think, then this is the performance to come to. And you will laugh as well.”

For the Ruin Trust there is no doubt that the whole St. Walstan project, which unfolded over nine months during 2016, is the most unforgettable enterprise we have yet undertaken. Thank you to church members and neighbours who accepted the unusual comings and goings and use of the premises and gardens with good grace.

A second highlight was the Charity Concert led by one of our Trustees, Chris Davis, held inside the modern church in November. Local folk artists provided a fabulous variety of live music featuring vocal harmonies, East European rhythms, classical and flamenco guitar, all given freely to invite donations for the Ruin Trust. The church was packed out, and £280 raised.

We are pleased to welcome Councillor Sally Button as a new trustee, and hope there will be other new recruits in the future.

In the year ahead we aim to raise the next round of funding to secure the long-term accessibility of the Ruin as a sacred space, a community resource and an educational asset. As the praises of God are sung within its walls not only at Easter sunrise, but throughout the year, may hearts and minds be turned towards the Rock of Ages?

Sally Simpson

Christian Aid

In 2016, for Christian Aid week, our Church raised £1350 - which goes to aid the poorest people in our world.

In Christian Aid week, our street collection in Bowthorpe raised £545, where eight collectors covered fourteen roads.

Our collection at Roys of Bowthorpe, with ten collectors covering two days, Friday and Saturday - raised £329. Our thanks to Roys for enabling this to happen; and for all our volunteers in giving their time and energy to collect.

We held our annual Christian Aid quiz, with a tasty Ploughman’s supper – thanks to Bob McGrath for producing this. We had this year a team of 6 join us from Jessop Road URC/Methodist Church, and a table of young people; plus a youngsters’ team who had their separate quiz - thanks to Melanie and Mandy for seeing to this. The event raised £415, and thanks to all of you who supported this fun evening. A further £61 was raised in donations and miscellaneous activities.

Christian Aid has a vision to put an end to poverty! It believes that this can become a reality. May we take our part in enabling this vision?

Christine McGrath

Eastern Baptist’s Association.

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Quote by Nigel Wright, Principal Emeritus, Spurgeon's College, London – “Proper leadership . . . aims at the facilitating of a congregation in fulfilment of its mission.”

Ignite is the name given to the ongoing Ministries Review - the name Ignite comes from 2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.

The Baptist are looking at Cultural attitudes and church leadership, Leadership in smaller churches and larger churches.

Some churches have completed a 2-year programme offered by a brand new leadership training organisation called Lead Academy which included 'learning community'.

Beacons of Hope is being developed to have impact in local communities by: Inspiring a longing for God, inspiring a longing for mission and inspiring a longing for relationship

Lois Wiltshire.

St. Michael’s Workshop Report

We have had our busiest year in the workshops. We began the year by launching our new website, which enables our customers to view all our products and buy them online. This has significantly increased our sales. We now receive orders from all over the world. It is so lovely when we receive feedback from customers about our products and how much they are enjoying using them.

In May, Sally attended the International Godly Play conference in Latvia. It was a great opportunity for her to network with users of Godly Play, which continues to be on the increase, and to see how other countries are producing their products.

We continue to update the workshops. Our Manager, Bob, has been working hard on the new website and on procedures to help us cope with our increasing orders. Tom, the Senior Woodworker, has been gradually changing the main workshops to make it safer and more efficient.

The workshop continues to be a place full of laughter and fun, despite our heavier workload. The trainees continue to develop their skills and are enthusiastically involved in all aspects of our work. Our daily lunchtime game of Uno continues to be enjoyed by all, as well as local walks, litter picking and even a little gardening. We are always grateful to all our volunteers, some of whom are from other countries, who enable us to complete some of our more time- consuming jobs. If you have a few hours to spare and would like to volunteer do come and visit.

Just prior to Christmas we welcomed theology student Helen, who was on placement with us for a week to increase her understanding of Godly Play and of working in a Christian environment.

At Christmas we had a real treat and all went out for our Christmas dinner. About 40 of us including trainees, staff, volunteers and trustees went to the Castle Carvery for a three course meal. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all and still remains a topic of conversation among the trainees. We then returned to the church for our carol service where we were joined by parents and carers. A lovely end to a great year.

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We pray that the workshop will continue to embrace the changes needed to cope with our increased orders and that we will not be affected by cuts in government funding to vulnerable adults.

Mandy Elvin.

Bowthorpe Knit and Natter.

During 2016, although busy, saw a slight slowdown in our membership with just a few new ladies joining our group. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Harry and Linda who moved home back to Wolverhampton. They were regular attendees and liked by all. They have stayed in touch and may be able to visit us during this coming summer.

Production of knitted items for charities continued with great enthusiasm by everyone and they all deserve a huge thank you for their efforts. Our grateful thanks once again to Jane and Sally at the Bowthorpe Church Centre for their kind assistance and continued support.

Approximately 300 smoothie bottle tops were produced and donated to Age UK to assist their fund raising campaign. We would also like to thank all those members who continue to produce squares and other items from the comfort of their own homes. Charitable Donations of both knitted items and money have been allocated and given to a host of good causes throughout the year including the new Church Roof fund.

2016 was a great success and now that winter is gone, hopefully, we can look forward to the summer and being able to get outside more.

“Norfolk Knitters and Stitchers”, of whom we are members, continues to grow from strength to strength, and is now expanding to Suffolk and even Essex. With well over 3000 members it is quite incredible how many thousands of knitted items are being produced for charity, and are being sent to the needy in many different countries. Well done everyone!

John and Trish Burrows.

Sunday Club

We continue to have two groups on a Sunday morning, one for those at secondary school and one for the younger children. The numbers in the younger group have increased and we now have children ranging from preschool age to year 5. Although this is a large age range the children get on well together and are a delight to work with. We have a bible story, discussion, prayer and craft activities. The older group is small , usually 3 and continue to enjoy working together with Jane Both groups use scripture union material relevant to their age group for two of the Sunday mornings and Mandy leads Godly Play for each group for one Sunday morning. Margaret, Cathy, Sue and Mary continue to help and support the groups. Janet provides crèche toys and is always willing to run a crèche should the need arise. Thank you to all of the team.

Janet Acaster.

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Puppet Team Report 2016

By the middle of 2016, after discussion with Mark, our minister and following a break of four years following the death of my husband David, who was then the co-leader of the Puppet Team, I felt ready to try and re-establish our team.

Requests went out for interested participants, both to previous team members and to new faces who might be interested in re-establishing our team. After consulting with all interested participants and determining which night to meet to rehearse at the church, we held our first meeting on Friday, 19th August 2016.

Our new team consisted, initially of myself, Louise Tailford, Sheila Hinton, David Davies, with possible assistance from Michael Batchelor and Margaret Abbott, all of whom were previous team members. And we were further invigorated with new members, Josiah and Keziah Blake and Rachel and Reuben Elvin.

After our weekly meetings and much hard work put in by all our members, both new and old in learning and reacquainting ourselves with the puppeteering skills necessary for good performance, we were ready for our first public performance in October. We gave a sketch and a song as part of the Celebratory Service on October 15th and were very well received.

Following this performance, there were some changes made within the team. Rachel felt she'd like to try her hand at directing and some script writing, rather than actual puppeteering. Michael ceased being a member due to other commitments, but fortunately Margaret was able to take his place in the forthcoming Carol Service. We also recruited a very junior member in the form of John Tailford to boost our dwindling numbers. This enabled us to give a very creditable dramatised sketch and song as part of the Carol Service on Sunday 18th December.

Again we have had some further changes within the team and it is with regret we have said goodbye to Keziah, but we welcomed Beren Guler in her place. Consequently, we now have a team of four adults and five younger members and I should like to take this opportunity of thanking them all for their hard work, patience and perseverance that has contributed to the success of the re-emergence of Bowthorpe's Puppet Team.

If you might be interested in the possibility of joining the team please feel free to come and talk with me.

Jane Colman,

Puppet Team Leader

Light Party.

The Light Party made its annual appearance on 31 October 2016 and again we were pleased to welcome several local children. They all participated happily in the games, racing around to find the hidden glow sticks, which were worn for the rest of the session, and played “The Governor’s aboard” and “Lighthouse Keeper”. We had some relative quiet whilst the children made paper boats, decorated place

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mats and constructed mighty models of lighthouses for the competition. A Friends and Heroes DVD was shown, they sang songs about light and Mark gave a short talk “Jesus the light of the world”. The messy activities, donut rings and flour cake, were very popular and of course teatime even more so; there definitely was not much left over!! The evening was rounded off with prayers and a song and the children went off home with goody bags containing edibles, an invitation to the Something Special Service and the Christmas events in Church. Many, many thanks to all the adults who helped in any way to make this a really worthwhile and enjoyable community event. It couldn’t be run without you!

The Lighthouse Group

Isaiah 40v31: “But those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength etc., 1.”

For us it is a time of Watching and Praying and Waiting on The Lord; a time of uncertainty. We think The Lord is wanting to do a New Thing and not Just in our group. We are waiting for further direction and also wondering if anybody feels moved to join us in Proclaiming God's Blessing over our Communities using The House of Prayer "Books of Blessing”?We meet on Wednesdays from 11.30am.

Joy Stewart.

The Acorn Fellowship.

The Acorn Fellowship continued meeting throughout 2016 on the second and fourth Mondays of the month with members being fully involved in the programme. There were speakers, members meetings and special meetings for Easter and Christmas. Ruth acknowledges the support given to her during the year, with its health problems, and is grateful for the way in which members helped in keeping the group active.

We are a small group but enjoy our fortnightly meetings and fellowship with each other. Members express their concern when troubling situations arise and offer each other support in whatever way they can.

New members are always welcome to our group, to share and enjoy mutual support.

Ruth Curtiss

BOWTHORPE WI ANNUAL REPORT

Bowthorpe WI continues to go from strength to strength and we welcomed our 50th member back in July 2016. During the year we celebrated together many happy times, starting with our members' meal at the Red Lion in Eaton.

We were taken down memory lane on several occasions; Scrapbooking - sharing memories by making a scrap book page, Jarolds Print Museum Tour where we saw how they use to print things in the old days. There were lots of hips shaking and toes pointing at our “Bollywood Sparkles” themed night and plenty of laughter at our “Laughter Yoga” night. We invited many guests to our special meetings and as always, our members excelled themselves providing beautiful, tasty buffets.

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Our interest groups remain well attended and, although sadly the Book Club ceased after an 11 year run, we saw the revival of a new 10 Pin Bowling Team. The Walking Group, Craft Group, & Garden Group still continue to run, and members are still showing a keen interest in attending Glass workshops that we've held several times.

Our Outings have included: Cambridge, The Circus, tower climbing at the RC Cathedral and the Mulbarton Wine Tasting Tour. The 'Annual Garden party' at our president’s house was a well-attended in spite of the rain; we viewed award winning peonies and tucked into a strawberry tea.Another great and interesting year for Bowthorpe WI, where we continue to share laughter together and learn new and exciting things.Pam BuggSecretary

Twin Oaks Nursing Home

Monthly communion is held at the Nursing Home and there is a regular attendance of residents and sometimes relatives, with Mark making individual visits if requested. As well as communion, Mark uses the seasons and topical events (eg Remembrance Day) in his short talks with visual aids, to engage with the residents who share their memories and experiences. The meeting continues to be well supported and appreciated.During the sabbatical it was considered important to maintain the pattern of the meetings and these will be covered by the Rev. Liz Cannon in the summer.Linda Groom

Bowthorpe Heritage Group.

The Heritage Group is a charity that cares for the community garden in Bowthorpe. All our committee meetings are held in Bowthorpe Church rooms on a monthly basis. We are very grateful to the church for the use of the room in such a convenient location for the garden.

Carol Macdonald.

THE CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL EXPRESS MANY THANKS Bowthorpe Church has again been the venue for Days of Renewal organised by a local team from Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Facilities at the centre serve our needs well. The church building is light and has a lovely atmosphere, the wall mounted screens facilitate our worship and the spaces either side of the congregation are perfect for prayer ministry

In November 2016 the theme of our day was "Giving your testimony", when we listened to testimonies from different members of our community, thought about how important testimony is in evangelisation, and actually practised composing and giving our own. Many said how much they enjoyed the day and found the exercise helpful, feeling better equipped for opportunities when we “give reasons for the hope we have.”

It is very kind of our brothers and sisters from Bowthorpe to advertise our day locally and equally lovely that several come each time from the near locality.

Our second day was on 25th March 2017, when Eddie Drozdziak spoke on the theme of "Praise". His teaching reminded us of this most basic response to God’s goodness and how it should be the foundation of our Christian lives. Both his morning and afternoon talks were excellent.

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Another aspect of the church we enjoy is the foyer and next to it the refreshment area. After people are welcomed in the morning and registered there is a hot drink and a biscuit waiting for them in the cafe. Here they meet up with or make friends after their journeys, sometime from the other side of East Anglia. This year there has been an extra welcome for us all, because ladies from Bowthorpe Church have kindly served us teas and coffees as we arrived. In would like to express a big thank you to them for making us feel at home.

Special thanks are again due to Chris, who opens up for us and is there all day ready to meet any need that arises.

Philip Walters.

Chapel Break House Group

The meeting remained based in our home from Easter to the summer of 2016 after which, due to the uncertainty of our family circumstances, the group relocated to Church House during the autumn. The focus still remains on bible study, prayer, sharing and fellowship.We would like to thank everyone for the past 9 years who have supported the group and for the fellowship we have shared together. The group now meets on a Tuesday evening at church house 7.30pm, please see notice sheet for dates.All are welcome.Peter and Linda Groom

Report for Clover Hill VA Infants School and St Michael’s VA Junior School.

As always, it has been a busy year in the life of the schools, with the staff working tirelessly to bring the best education for the children of Bowthorpe. We must never underestimate the positive effect these schools have within our community both with the children who attend, as well as the families and wider community who are touched by the many activities and

initiatives which reach beyond the walls of the schools.As the expansion of Bowthorpe continues, so it does also for the schools. Over the last year there has been much building work at St. Michael’s. The hall and reception area expansions are now complete, and a new block of four classrooms is taking shape.

Political issues have also been a major issue for the schools this year. There has been ongoing dialogue about the academisation of the schools which was believed to be a stipulation over the next few years but is no longer, the many uncertainties raised by the result of June’s referendum, and the funding cuts which the schools are currently facing. These are all big challenges for the leaders of the schools and we should pray for wisdom for them in these decisions.

Mark continues to be a regular visitor to the school to take assemblies and the children come to the church for a service at least twice a year. We are glad for the continuing close links between church and schools.

Once more, I urge you to pray for these schools and all the staff and governors, and thank God for their role within the community.

Dave Blake

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Traidcraft.

Salay is in the Philippines. Here is a quote taken from” Traidcraft Bulletin” April 2017. “Salay Handmade Paper Industries Inc (SHAPII) was set up as a social enterprise in 1987, at a time when 90% of the population in Salay were living below the poverty line. SHAPII currently employs around 180 local people, at least 65% of whom are women. SHAPII offers stable employment, a fair wage, and opportunities to work from home, and internships for young people. SHAPII specialise in crafting handmade cards, notebooks, and even constructing beautiful nativity sets. The workshop is a shining example of how creativity and experimentation can transform local waste materials sustainably into what is now the most famous product to come from Salay.”

Traidcraft has been trading with SHAPII since 2000. The above is one example of the kind of benefits that fair trade organisations can bring to a community. Last year a number of you supported fair trade by ordering from Traidcraft, amounting to several hundred pounds worth in total. Thank you for your continued support of this worthy cause. If you wish to order during the year, I would be happy to place the order for you to save you postage. Cathy Debbage.

Tots on Thursdays.

Thursday mornings are very busy (and noisy) with an average of 25 families and 30 toddlers and babies. It's a great joy to see the children run in ahead of the adults, anxious to get playing with the toys. Our funds are good so we have been able to replace equipment when necessary. We also donated £100 towards the roof repairs. We purchased a parachute which Christine uses during their singing time. They love this and the musical instruments. Mark comes to our special services and we extend our grateful thanks to him. He does it brilliantly, not easy when most are very active 2 year olds. My grateful thanks also to Bob and Christine who set up the room each week and to Teresa, Jenny and Dolly for their commitment every week. Our helpers increased with Cate helping in the kitchen and interpreting for a Chinese grandmother who didn't speak English. Thanks also to our 'ex mums' Zoe who comes every other week and Joanna, who does an excellent job with the face book page and organising park outings in the holidays, and helps when she can. I think I can say we are a friendly, happy group where parents make friends which continues after they have left us. Our prayer is that more will get involved in our other church activities and come to know Christ as their Saviour.

Janet Craske

Flower Team/Garden Team.

We have been busy throughout the year as usual arranging flowers in Church each week and doing the window displays and flowers for all the special festivals in the life of the church. We

thank all those who support us by giving their time or donations. If anyone wishes to learn more about flower arranging please speak to someone on the team.

There is not a garden team as such but it would be lovely if there could be! There were quite a few people involved in the planning and planting of the garden near the ruin but gradually, due to health problems and other commitments, it is now down to Carl and me and Carol Hales when she is available. The garden is for

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everyone to enjoy and it would be wonderful if a few people came forward to help out with the weeding and general maintenance so it continues to thrive we do still need some volunteers on a regular basis to tend the flower beds and borders and cut the grass. Being “green fingered” is not necessary as there is plenty of advice on hand. Gardening is wonderful free exercise, and there is no known substitute for fresh air. No need for that expensive gym membership!

Mary Fielding

Amendment to Bowthorpe Church Annual Report for year end 2016

St. George Episcopal Congregation - Report 2016-17St. George Episcopal Congregation is a united congregation of different Syrian Orthodox traditional denominations from the southern part of India, running under the leadership of Fr. Jomon Punnoose. The aim of this congregation is to advance the Christian religion; provide its members with regular worship, in accordance with the faith and rites of the Syrian Orthodox churches. 

Worship Services are held on second Sunday of each month and on special occasions.  During the current report period we conducted 12 normal services and we had an attendance of 40-50 members for each service. The Holy Week was celebrated with a special service on Palm Sunday and on Maundy Thursday.

Most importantly, our Sunday school held every month before the worship is the real mould of future God-fearing generation. Also we organised a vacation bible school during the summer, it was a vibrant opportunity for our children.

In May 2016 we celebrated our parish day in the memory of St.George, our heavenly intercessor. We celebrated it with a procession and a feast after the Holy Mass.

On 9th October, 2016 the congregation honoured children with mementos who received outstanding achievements in GCSE’s and A- Levels.

On 14th January 2017, Christmas and New Year celebration had taken place that include various activities conducted by the children. During the program Rev Mark delivered a message which was very inspirational.

During this report year the congregation had been recognised as a registered charity by Charity Commission which is an outstanding achievement

We would also like to take this opportunity to convey our sincere gratitude to Rev. Mark, Christopher, Jane, Sally, managing committee and all church members who provided us this facility to worship our Lord. 

Nelson Daniel (Trustee)

For St.George Episcopal Congregation, Norwich.

2016 List of Individual Officers/ APPENDIX 120

Representatives/Coordinators/Stewards/Assistants/Child ProtectionIndividual OfficersChurch Warden Mike Acaster Church Warden Dave BlakeTreasurer Christine McGrathChurch Secretary Sheila HintonAssistant Secretary Lois WiltshireLay Chair of Church Meeting Mike Acaster

Church Council for 2016 (and note of their responsibilities)Mark Elvin Minister, Team Leader Mike Acaster Lay Chair, Lay Leader, Church Warden Dave Blake Lay Leader, Church Warden, Youth CoordinatorChristine McGrath TreasurerSheila Hinton SecretaryLois Wiltshire Assistant SecretarySally Simpson Coordinator for Pastoral CareJanet Acaster Sunday Club CoordinatorLay Readers/Circuit PreachersPeter Groom Lay Reader (Retired as Lay Reader mid-year)Mike Gibbs Methodist Circuit Preacher

Other Elected PositionsRepresentatives to:Deanery Synod Bob McGrath and Lorraine HowardMethodist Circuit Meeting Sally Simpson and Mike GibbsEastern Baptist Association Lois Wiltshire URC District Council Louise TailfordQuaker Representative Christopher Brooke

Notice of other Coordinators/Stewards/AssistantsCovenant Officer Noel DebbageProperty Stewards Church WardensCommunion Stewards Christopher Brooke

(Edith Raaby in C.B.’s absence)Tots Coordinator Janet CraskeChristian Aid Coordinator Christine McGrathCreated (Tear Fund) Coordinator Cathy Debbage

Positions with SalariesChurch Centre Manager/Administrator Jane ColeCleaner Peter GroomChild ProtectionResponsible Person Mike AcasterIndependent Person Margaret Gibbs

APPENDIX 2

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The Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult Policy Statement

for Bowthorpe Church As members of this church, we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection and safekeeping of all,

especially children, young people and vulnerable adults

It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of

children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.

We recognise that our work with children, young people and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of

the whole church.

We undertake to exercise proper care in the selection and appointment of those working with

children, young people and vulnerable adults, whether paid or volunteer.

The church is committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with children, young

people and vulnerable adults, and to providing supervision. It is our aim to encourage these workers

to undertake any relevant and necessary training.

The church is committed to the guidelines and procedures published by the Diocese of Norwich

dated 2008 and revised June 2012 (Safe Haven, the Protection of Children, Young People and

Vulnerable Adults), a reference copy of which is kept in the Church Office.

Our intention is to ensure that each worker with children, young people and vulnerable adults knows

the recommendations of the Church’s policy and undertakes to observe them. Each worker is

expected to be familiar with the church’s agreed procedures. Copies of these will be distributed to

those who require them for their work either in a paid or voluntary capacity.

As part of our commitment to children, young people and vulnerable adults the church has

appointed Margaret Gibbs to be their advocate. This role will be regularly explained to children.

Mike Acaster is the Named Person responsible for ensuring all church workers have the necessary

DBS clearance.

As agreed by the Church Meeting on 20th April 2016 and ratified by the Church meeting on 27th April 2017

Signed………………………………………………….

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