Church group reports

Bellringers

2022 has been an interesting year with the church being closed for most of the year reducing the amount we have been able to access the tower. Luckily, we developed a good working relationship with the contractors who have been very agreeable about ensuring access through the weekend and on Mondays for practice night. It has however prevented teaching and learning opportunities being held at other times. Membership is level but several members are not currently ringing regularly. The number of services we ring for is reduced mainly due to the dropping of Evensong during the restoration, and overall we have lower attendances, but the trend post pandemic is rising. Basically we have continued to provide the call to worship whenever it is feasible.

For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, we were able to ring and celebrate on both 3rd and 5th June.

Then on the 8th September our dear Queen Elizabeth died when the Tower Foreman and Ringing Master were out of the country. Thanks go to others who coordinated the ringing and assisted with the mad dash to put the muffles on. We responded by ringing half-muffled for an hour on 9th Sept and on the 19th Sept ringing a quarter-peal of Grandsire Triples before the state funeral.

Following David's retirement announcement, we were delighted that he and Lorraine were able to join us at our annual dinner in January 2023. Jane Mellor has been Foreman for the last three years – a period of challenge, initially with the lockdown and Covid restrictions, then the slow return to ringing, then keeping ringers' interests despite the church being closed. She feels it is a time to take a break (well-earned!). Steve Smith is the new Foreman.

Steve Smith

Bereavement Care Team

The Bereavement Care Team currently has 8 visitors offering support to bereaved relatives in Wokingham. There have been fewer funerals generally this year which has resulted in less demand on our services but the visitors have been kept active none the less and the feedback from clients has been appreciative.

The annual memorial service was suspended during the Covid restrictions and we had hoped to resume the service in 2022. Unfortunately, with the church closed this presented us with difficult decisions to make. We considered asking if a service could be held at St Paul’s church but decided this would not be a satisfactory alternative in this specific case. We also considered holding the service in The Cornerstone. This option would have prevented the use of candles being lit in memory of the deceased loved one. We thought about other using options – such as flowers but it was felt this is such a key element of the service that not having candles would change the content too much.

We considered moving the service to April 2023, soon after Easter, when we expected to be back in the church. This had merit in that Easter is a time of remembrance and rebirth. Unfortunately, the delay in completion of the building works meant this was not possible, so we have now postponed the service until November 2023. Thank you to all the members of the team.

Claire Jones

Christening Care

The important work of the Christening Care Group has very much continued to operate. Following the recruitment campaign in November 2021, we had a 'phoney war' with no christenings until just one at the end of February.

Then all subsequent services have been at St Paul's, which is strange and challenging but workable. We have worked with the parents of twenty children in 2022 and have been supporting the services as those children are baptised.

At a recent get-together of the group's members, it was decided to support the clergy’s initiative to offer parents a thanksgiving service as an alternative to a full christening. In the modern climate, it is felt that many parents are maybe put off the full baptism service by the weighty promises being made and the palaver of godparents, so a simpler alternative is to be offered although we hope the parents will upgrade to the full rite in due course.

Steve Smith

Christian Aid

Here’s how we got on last year:

• We raised £4.5k this year (cf. £2.6k last year), including a generous individual donation of £1k.

• We had 60 volunteers delivering 5,000 envelopes (20% more than last year) plus a coffee morning organized by Woosehill at St Paul’s Rooms (£600), a market stall at All Saints (£250) and a sponsored walk by Peter/Kathryn (around £800).

• Delivering together as a group each night seems to be a good way to work and has attracted more people and allowed us to expand our coverage.

• We worked out that we get a 3% response rate from all the envelopes we distribute. However, this hides the fact that we also get £800 cash donated via the Bradbury Centre (which was a lot more than we expected).

• We still need a CA rep from All Saints church. Being the chair of the group and doing the church rep activity is not ideal. We have four meetings a year (January – April), plus helping out during CA Week itself in May (obviously) and a post-mortem session in June.

• We’re planning something extra for this year – but you’ll have to wait to hear about that in the next few weeks! Thanks to everyone who helped in any way during CA Week in 2022.

We look forward to working together with you to save and change the lives of the world’s poorest people – after all, they are our neighbours and you know what Jesus said about our neighbours, don’t you? Peter

Barrett

Churchyard

Our Churchyard is currently as close to its planned condition as it has been in a long time, most notably the various grass areas are looking neat and ready for spring growth. Beyond that we have been able to cut back brambles in the eastern end to enable easier access to monuments and graves by those wishing to visit or maintain them. After an engine overhaul by one of our community payback team members our Eliet Maestro chipper/shredder has been working at almost every work party chopping up the waste materials generated so that they can join grass cuttings in our four garden waste bins which we have been (successfully) piloting as an alternative to builder’s skips. The fortnightly visits by a team of offenders who have to do community service is complemented by a growing group of “Friends of the Churchyard” who join our monthly (soon to be four weekly) Friends Work Days. In 2023 we plan to plant several trees to replace losses from our stock and in the autumn to re-lay the wildlife hedge alongside Norreys Avenue.

John Smith

Compline

During the Pandemic, we held a regular on-line Compline service every Thursday evening at 21:00. This regularly attracted up to 10 participants and we therefore decided to carry it on when the lock down restrictions were relaxed and see whether there was still a demand for it. I am pleased to report that we are still holding the service on-line (as I only takes c15 mins) and have a steady attendance of up to 10 participants. We would welcome more joining us and the details are on the website.

John Boylan

All Saints Flower Guild

It has been quite a difficult (and different) year, arranging only one pedestal in the Cornerstone Reception and we have had some beautiful arrangements which have been very favourably admired. Our finance is in good position despite not having hardly any income for the past year. We held two very successful workshops, an Autumn one with Sally Hardy and a Christmas one with myself, both thoroughly enjoyed and well attended and it is hoped that we can encourage new members with these days as our membership is dwindling for one reason or another. The Christmas Experience in the Cornerstone was quite a challenge when requested if we could make some palm trees! With the help of the Mens Shed in Wokingham we achieved this and if I say it myself, looked good. We were restricted to artificial material for the Cornerstone Reception and stairs due to the walls being recently painted.

but two fresh pedestals were done and two topiary trees and a window were arranged. It is difficult to plan for 2023 until we know when the Church will re-open but hopefully we can do something special when this does happen .

Sue Hedley

Intercessors at Parish Communion

One of the most important duties for Christians, both individually and as communities, is to pray for the needs of others. This forms part of all the liturgies of the Church, and nowhere more so than in the Eucharist. The main thrust of this service is thanksgiving to God, and this is followed naturally by asking for God’s blessing on all aspects of the life of our world. For many years the intercessions at the Parish Communion were led by one of the licensed ministers. In the mid-nineteen sixties, however, this role gradually became increasingly shared with members of the laity. It is now almost always in their hands. A team of a dozen regular intercessors, each usually contributing once in three months, has brought their varied gifts to enrich our prayer life. We are all frequently inspired by the different insights they bring to this ministry. It also provides a visible reminder that worship is the business of the whole people of God. We are most grateful for this proof of God’s gifts and goodness to us all .

Revd Colin James

Mothers’ Union

Our Mothers Union have had a wonderfully busy 2022! We held various events during the year, such as:

Chrispen Gumbs – His life journey

Gill Allen – Talk to our Wednesday Morning Mums on Prayer

Jean Vaughan - An insightful talk from our MU Vice President

Soulscape – Local school and youth charity

Jo Robinson – Talk on Bletchley Park

Pam Gilbey – Advent flower demonstration

We also had an enjoyable Annual Meal, in May, for our members at The Rose Inn.

Our biggest fund-raising event was in June, where we had an afternoon tea party to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of our patron, Queen Elizabeth II. We raised £200 towards SpaceForAll and funds for our Mothers’ Union AFIA charity.

In 2023, we have already made a donation to Soulscape to help with their project PAUSE this month at Emmbrook school. Last month had a wonderful “Scrubs Glorious Scrubs” talk from a group who got together at the beginning of the Pandemic to make extra scrub clothes for NHS staff.

We have a full monthly programme lined up for the rest of the year. The main fund-raising event being our Coronation party, on Wednesday 24th May between 2-4pm. We are hoping to raise again much needed funds for SpaceForAll and an MU charity.

We are honoured that our Reverend Hannah Higginson has joined our MU. Her official enrolment will be arranged shortly. We continue to promote the Mothers’ Union worldwide, locally with a monthly article in the parish magazine and updates in the weekly newsletter.

Sue Howard

Prayer and Healing Ministry Team

The Prayer and Healing Ministry Team is made up of three groups. The Healing Prayer Group consists of Rosemary Sturmer, Gill Allen, Jill Oliver, Joan Thomason and Maggie Davies. It meets once a month to pray for anyone who feels in need of prayer. It is totally confidential, and anyone can ask a member of the group to add their name to their list, or requests can be made by contacting a member of the clergy.

The team offering prayer ministry after the 9.30 service on Sunday mornings are Gill Allen, Rosemary Sturmer, Jo Robinson, Jill Oliver ,Revd Becky Medlicott .

During the closure of the church and after some slight reorganisation, prayer ministry took place after the service in the South Hall of the Cornerstone.

The team available for the Laying on of Hands at our Healing services consists of a member of the clergy, and members of the prayer ministry team. This aspect of our Healing Ministry was suspended due to the Covid pandemic but was restarted again in the Autumn on the 1st Sunday of the month at the 9.30 am service in the Cornerstone.

We are looking forward to re-establishing the prayer and healing ministry in church when it re-opens. However, this will be difficult to maintain without an increase in our numbers. Members of the team have received relevant training and we would welcome others interested in this ministry.

Pastoral Care Team

You may not realise that there is a Pastoral Care Team (PCT) at All Saints, but I can assure there is. It is a messy mixture of momentary meetings! It works quietly behind the scenes and only those who are recipients of the care know who they are. Confidentiality is always assured.

In a nutshell, this group is self-sufficient and is helped by the All Saints congregation, the clergy, and the Parish Office staff who are very good at letting the coordinator know if there is a concern. This is then passed on to the PCT. It is not just the PCT who support the pastoral care at All Saints, it is everybody, which is fantastic.

Occasionally there is someone that we are unaware of who needs help which can involve a bit of detective work. Recently we have had a request to visit a lady in Glebelands. This came from her son in the USA. We were only too glad to help .

Jo Robinson

Safeguarding Team Report

After a period of Covid restrictions when many of the church’s activities were limited, during 2022 we saw a return to more normal life, including our Safeguarding. The number of volunteers in All Saints groups remains at approximately 80.

We continue to endeavour to follow the guidance set out in ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ and our rates of DBS checks increased as in-person children and young people’s groups restarted with the arrival of new volunteers. Our Safeguarding Group (the Appointing Body) of David, Hannah, Anna and Tom established more regular meetings. Anna has developed a more comprehensive Safeguarding database which gives us more confidence in keeping track of volunteers and their status.

The diocese now requires Enhanced DBS checks every three, rather than five, years and volunteers have been very cooperative in this whenever requested. Compliance with Safeguarding Training has been less complete and continues to pose a challenge. We realise training can feel onerous if a volunteer believes they do not have direct safeguarding responsibilities, but we are working on this. For example, working together with the bellringers’ leaders, we have found that the Central Council of Church Bellringers require all bellringers to complete Basic Safeguarding Training.

Looking ahead, we have joined the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard programme which provides a systematic framework. David’s retirement and Spaceforall will bring changes that need to be addressed from a safeguarding perspective but there is a positive atmosphere in the church and the Safeguarding Group looks forward to increasing our safeguarding awareness and culture in 2023.

A significant step in this direction was taken at our first Safeguarding Sunday, held on 22 November 2022, where the sermon and intercessions developed the theme of the awareness and responsibilities of us all.

Tom Lochhead

Study Courses 2022/3

Lent 2022

We followed the 5-part USPG course Living Stones, Living Hope. This looked at Christian faith and spirituality in different areas and cultures of the world, including Korean, Dalit and African women’s theologies.

Advent 2022

We held an Advent Course, entitled Journeying with the Magi, a three part program in which we discussed the path of our own spiritual journeys, using the story of the Magi as a foundation in searching and growing our faith. There were a healthy number of participants, and the course was well received.

Lent 2023

We also followed the six week ‘Come and see’ Lent program focussing on the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. It was put together by the Oxford Diocese and introduced by Bishop Steven. This consisted of a series of daily reflections , a weekly video by Bishop Steven, and a regular group meeting in person to discuss the ideas and thoughts raised. We ran two sessions, on a Monday evening and on Thursday morning after Morning Prayer. Once again, the meetings were well attended.

Canon David Hodgson & John Boylan

Vestry Guild

The Vestry Guild had 4 members, down from 6 in previous years. However a new member has joined the guild in 2023, taking the membership to 5. It has continued to maintain the supply of clean linen for the altar and the Eucharist. When the church closed the vestments and linen were moved to the Cornerstone which has served as place of worship during the renovations. The altar frontals were moved off site and while they were not needed they have had some repairs to prolong their use. Some of the fabric is very fragile and easily damaged. Plans are now in place for reopening the clergy vestry. Once the church is open recruiting new members will be important.

Judith Scott

Willing Spirit Exercise

Two Fitness Classes have continued to run through 2022 and this in fact is our 7th year and I am proud to say I still have one of the founder members from 2015 attending regularly.

I have a total of 14 ladies on my register, with 3 joining in 2022, 2 on long term illness and an average of 9 members per week attending, with the average age of participants in the mid-70s. The two sessions are 40 minutes each and are charged at £5 per class. The first session is Fitness Pilates which focuses on balance, flexibility, and core strength while the second class is focused more on muscle strength, movement and dexterity with adaptations offered to suit all abilities and limitations.

Members have seen improvements in their physical health, however I also believe mental health and a sense of community are important so sessions are fun and laughter can often be heard from these sessions. In December 2022 we had our fifth Christmas Lunch at The Ship with 13 of us enjoying a delicious meal.

What amazes me with this group is everyone cares for everyone else, if someone is missing, they have either let me or one of the others know, or the group ask me to follow up to find out if they are OK. It is truly a community of which I am very proud.

Jo Asplin

Home Communion Team

The team consists of both clergy and lay members. Towards the end of 2022 we only provided services for the community at Acorn Drive. We have kept in touch with four Care Homes since the first lockdown and we now provide communion services again for all four homes and Acorn Drive once a month. We also take services to individuals in their own homes if they are not able to come to church. This can be for a short time or for much longer and is usually once a month. We also continue to provide DVDs of our 9:30 Sunday services for people at Down Lodge. Barbara Smith