St Michael's Church Annual Report 2019-2020

St Michael's Church Bray with Braywood       

Annual Report for 2019

 

Introduction

There are eleven elected members of the PCC. In addition, there are unelected members who are on the council because of their roles in the church and parish. These are the incumbent, the churchwardens and members of the deanery synod. The PCC meets regularly and has met seven times during this Church year to discuss the regular business of the church. The Standing Committee meets regularly between the full meetings and has met on six occasions to plan agendas for the full meetings and to discuss matters of urgency that cannot wait until the full meeting.

 

Membership

The members of the current Council are as follows.

 

Rev. A Swift                Chairman

S. Adams                     Church Warden

H. Pearson                   Church Warden and Children’s Society Representative

P. Murray                     Deputy Church Warden and Deanery Synod Representative

J. Tucker                      Deputy Chairman, Deputy Church Warden, Authorised Preacher and Deanery                                Synod Representative

L Burch                       Secretary, Safeguarding Verifier and Pew sheets

P Woodruff                  Treasurer

J Banks                        Fees Treasurer

L Jones                        Sacristan, Lay Funeral Minister

A Ashby                      Verger

N Teeder                      Safeguarding Officer and Young Person’s Advocate, Deanery Synod                                               Representative

K Amery                     Face book page contact and Church watch organiser

Andy Giles                  Men’s Fellowship

Linda Shepherd

 

Deanery Synod

The vicar, when in post, is automatically a member of the Deanery Synod. The deanery synod members of the PCC are up for re-election this year, all are willing to stand and notice has been given to others who might wish to stand for election.

 

A Year at St. Michael’s

From the Registers

 

2018

2019

Baptisms

21

19

Thanksgiving for the gift of a child

0

0

Confirmations

0

8 (candidates)

Weddings

Celebrations of Marriage

8

 

0

9

 

0

Blessings of Marriage

0

0

Funerals of parishioners in church

17

16

Funerals of parishioners in crematorium

14

11

Memorial services in church

5

2

Burial and interment in Touchen End churchyard

3

0

Burial and interment in Braywood churchyard

Burial at Braywick Cemetry

Burial Bray Parish Cemetery

Burial at Oakley Green

0

 

1

 

4

 

1

0

 

3

 

0

 

7

Interment of cremated remains in St Michael’s churchyard

10

6

 

Average Sunday attendance was 88 (2018) 124 (2019)  

Major festivals: Easter 151 (132 last yr) (communicants) and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 294 (212 last yr) (communicants).

The combined attendances at the school and civic services during Advent was 1447 (1178 last yr)

 

The Church year

 

Last year John Seymour’s report began “Parish life in 2018 carried on much as usual…”  Well, I cannot say that this time, no one could have foreseen what 2020 would bring.

 

For clarity, this report covers April 2019 to April 2020. The national “lockdown” began on 23rd March 2020. So this report only includes about a month of “lockdown.”

 

During the 19/20 church year I can report that attendance on Sunday and major feasts recovered from the drop during the vacancy and increased.

 

  • Summer 2019 took our ministry out on the water for the first time! We brought the Bishop of Oxford to Bray by boat as part of his pilgrimage though the Archdeaconry.

 

  • The Cream Teas on the Vicarage Lawn were successful fund-raising events as well as Jazz on the Lawn which proved amazingly popular with our own people and visitors from further afield than the Parish. It was discovered that people walking through the Churchyard could be easily invited into the Cream Teas with a bit of encouragement!

 

  • A group from the Parish went to St Pauls for the consecration of Bishop Olivia as Bishop of Reading.

 

  • Supported by Lynda Jones our Mission Plan developed following Bishop Steven’s 3 C’s to become a church more Compassionate, Contemplative and Courageous.

 

  • Two Mindfulness days with Tim Stead took place, both oversubscribed.
  • Two Canon John White Lent course sessions took place just before lockdown and Canon White promised to continue the course when we are able.
  • Quiet Garden events continued to promote contemplative prayer.

 

  • As proposed in our Mission Plan a new service at Holyport Scout Hut on Sunday afternoons was started but had to close after a few sessions because of the lockdown. It showed some promise, we will be seeking new ways to explore alternatives.

 

  • Music in Bray continued to provide beautiful music in our beautiful church

 

  • Thanks go to our volunteers who catered for our ‘Thank You’ coffee mornings which took place through the year with different groups from the church community being invited.

 

  • Friends of St Michael’s continued to support the church with a new Advent/Lent altar cloth and other financial help.

 

  • Following the sad news of Derek Fowles death, our love goes to Wenda and the family. The Magazine that Derek edited for many years has become an online Newsletter edited by Lynda Jones and each issue is sent out to over 200 people.

 

  • Following the death of Bill Allan, again condolences to the family, the website had to be rebuilt and our thanks to Richard Severn for taking on that task and seeking to develop the website further.

 

  • We began to seek new ways to promote our mission via the Internet as lockdown began.

 

  • The commitment of members of the congregation in giving and support has been exemplary and with hard times likely in the near future a big ‘thank you’ goes to all who are supporting the mission and ministry of this parish.

 

  • One final note, Bray provided both the Lay Chair and the Area Dean, for Maidenhead and Windsor Deanery.

 
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