Children & Young People News

2012-10-30T16:14:52+00:00

The committee has agreed a programme of activities both short and medium term.

Focus

Achieved by…

What will happen in 2012/13

Children and Young People (CYP)

 

Definitions:

Children: primary age

Young people: secondary age

 

 

Y1. Welcome CYP to Christ Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Y2. Recognise their value.

 

 

Y3. Involving CYP in life of church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Y4. Disciple and care for CYP

 

 

 

Y5. Support and pray for local schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Y6. Explore outreach to CYP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Y7. Maintain active Child Protection policy

 

 

Other:  Incorporating Y1-Y7 above
Y1&Y3  Parents, children and youth to be included in welcoming team rota to look out for and nurture contact with CYP who come to services.  By end Oct 2012

Dependents:availability of earlier start for families

Liaise with:David & Ann Sharpe

 

Y1  Quick win:  hot chocolate, squash and suitable biscuits to be served by CYP on low table in leisure centre.  With immediate effect.

 

Y1  Quick win:  Ensure that consistently at beginning of services, as part of welcome, an announcement is made of child provision & exit door(!) in South Transept (but not to be called that) and toilets & baby changing in the leisure centre.  With immediate effect

Liaise with:Service leaders & church wardens giving notices

 

Y2 Raise profile of CYP with regular highlight of some aspect of CYP in services/on website/in newssheet etc.  With immediate effect.

 

 Y3&Y1 Parents, children and youth to be integrated into welcoming team rota, read lessons, bring up collection etc. Ongoing.

 

Y3 CYP or representatives to take an active part in the planning and delivery of All Age services.  By end Sept 2012.

Dependents:Representation on All Age planning groups

 

Y3  Consideration of admission to communion before confirmation for CYP.  Paper to be submitted to PCC for intial consideration to start Diocesan process.  Nov 2012

Liaise with:families with children, Incumbent

 

Y3  Review of all CYP offering (including review against Swindon Youth Charter) via survey to children, parents and young people.  Specific actions points to be raised from responses.  Survey by end Nov 2012.

Dependents: willingness to engage in survey

Liaise with:children, parents and young people

 

Y4  Consider feasibility of monthly youth service, in collaboration with nascent initiative at Immanuel.  Ongoing.

Dependents:OTP involvement

Liaise with:OTP partners

 

Y5 Continue putting boxes of chocolate in school staff rooms at Easter and Christmas on behalf of OTP churches.  Ongoing.

 

Y5 Continue to support assembly visits to schools undertaken by OTP church representatives and others, and strengthen contacts with other schools across Swindon.  Ongoing.

Dependents:Availability of clergy and other visiting teams

Liaise with: SYFC, Janet Roe, in school, Abi Corry

 

Y6 Launch Messy church for Primary age children as OTP project.  April 2013 latest start.

Dependents:OTP and CC practical support

Liaise with:Mission and Evangelism/FIS/Community groups & OTP Focus and Council

 

Y6 Continue to run, in conjunction with OTP:

  • summer holiday club            July 2012.
  • Christmas club                    Nov/Dec 2012
  • Good Friday workshop         March 2012

Dependents:OTP

 

Y7. Full review of Child Protection Policy, paperwork and awareness by end November 2012

Liaise with:Nominated Persons

 

 

Other:  Work towards Diocesan “Child Friendly Church Award” 2012 (ultimate goal of Gold level longer term).  Submit award to recognise achievements to date by end March 2012

 

Other:  Submit budget for CYP activities.  End Oct2012
Children & Young People News2012-10-30T16:14:52+00:00

Church Family News

2012-10-10T21:17:23+01:00

The church family group met to discuss their priorities for the coming year.

Hospitality

  •  To provide a welcome lunch for newcomers on 21/10/12, then from 2013 twice per year.
  • Setting up a new “hospitality team” to assist with refreshments and food at social events.

 Homegroups

  • To raise awareness of homegroups by providing information to new and existing members – special focus at services on 23/09/12.
  • To arrange a social event for homegroup members and people interested in finding out about groups in January 2013.
  • To support groups by providing a list of all current resources available in Christ Church.
  • To provide support/ training for group leaders from staff team.

 Welcomers

  • To provide training and coaching for sides people/ welcomers.
Church Family News2012-10-10T21:17:23+01:00

Site Development News

2012-11-29T16:12:50+00:00

St Mary’s Hall – 5th September 2012 Meeting Minutes

 

Present :  Reg Hardwick, Stephen Grosvenor, Mike Palmer, , John Plaister, Mark Antell, Daniel Pitt.

Apologies: Kevin Penfold

 

SG said a short prayer.

 Item 3. Minutes of last meeting – reviewed and accepted. All outstanding items have been included in the agenda.

 Item 4 –Budget Summary for 2012

We have currently spent c£4,917 Year to date. We have outstanding bills for the Asbestos surveys for the churches & halls and Dave Hobbs bill for heating installation at 31. Our estimated current spend is £10,137 as at end Sept 2012.

 Item 5 – Christ Church

We have put our recommendations for Phase1 Works to the PCC and they have been accepted. These are:

  1. New lighting scheme
  2. Restore the West door internal porch to reduce the draughts
  3. Update the audio/visual facilities in the church.

 We need to make a DAC application for the access works to the hall within the next couple of weeks – PCC must agree to the monument moving for the application so must include an agenda item at the next meeting.

 SG to follow up the progress of the plans with Bernard. He is also investigating some historic monument moving specialists to give us professional advice on moving them.

SG is also contacting the Water, Gas and Electricity suppliers about the hall demolition.

Item 6 Church Centre update

We have received the first payment of £30,166 from the council. At the steering group meeting yesterday, there was discussion about the current timeline and it was felt it might be a bit optimistic. We have already begun to notify the users that the hall will be closing at the end of the year so we will probably continue to plan to close it to users in January 2013.

We will need to co-ordinate the clearing of the hall in early Jan – decisions will need to be reached on Traidcraft’s stock and activities, coffee in church etc.

We are proposing to site 2 temporary disabled toilets to the side of the SW door. These will only be in use for services.

Mike & Stephen have visited Upper Seagry hall and seen a modular build first hand. It is very well equipped and has given us some ideas on facilities which we will need to consider – audio/visual, screens, heat pumps.

Item 6 Property Checks – as part of our responsibility as a landlord, we need to periodically assess our properties for potential damage or hazards. Now that Upham Road has been sold, this leaves only 31 and 32 Cricklade Street.

Action: SG to discuss with Ailsa and the tenants appropriate times for the inspections. Also we should devise a checklist of items to check which would give more structure to the process as well as act as a record of each check. SG to investigate. We will need to do some more inspections – Mark and Daniel will join up to assess 32. Mike & Reg 31.


Item 7 31 Cricklade Street – Dave Hobbs was awarded the contract and has nearly finished the work.

The old shed is in danger of falling down – SG to get a quote for a new one.

 

 Item 8. 58 Upham Road – has been sold.

 Any other business

 We have commissioned an asbestos surveys for St Mary’s, the church and the hall prior to commencing works.

 Billiard Table in Hall.  We have so far failed to find a home for the billiard table so will advertise it for sale.

 We will have to have the fire extinguishers checked

Query on PAT testing – how often does it really need to be done?

 

Next meeting date 14th November 2012 – 7.30 St Mary’s Hall

 

Deferred Jobs list

 

Job

Quote

Date

Rated A/B/C/D

SW door repair and draft exclusion

Defer to D&R

20/01/2010

C

Pressure washing the vestry steps

 

 

C

Flooding under the clergy vestry

 

25/03/2010

C

Cycle Racks

Defer to new hall

27/07/2010

C

Wall mounted Notice board at West door

£95+VAT

31/03/2011

C/D

Free standing Noticeboard at West door

£375+VAT S&I

31/03/2011

C/D

Sign for Church Centre (maybe directional signage rather than the name)

Defer

31/03/2011

D

New fireproof ceiling in the undercroft

 

20/02/2012

B/C

New central heating boiler & rads  31 CS

Est. 6k Oct 2011 DH

17/10/2011

C

 

A- Assessed as high risk

B- Legal requirement

C- Best Practice.

D – Nice to do.

Site Development News2012-11-29T16:12:50+00:00

Update on Renewal Programme

2012-11-29T16:13:08+00:00

COMMUNITY CENTRE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Full Grant funding has been made available for 3 years to appoint someone into this key role to help us manage both the Community Centre & the community use of St Mary’s and build links out into our community.

CHURCH CENTRE

Project Planning Progress

Planning Permission & Grant Funding from the Borough is in place for the new Community Centre (which, as now, will be run by Christ Church). We are now considering build methods, engaging suppliers to provide outline costs with a view to securing detailed specifications and costs by October, with a Contractor being appointed by the end of this year.

Antony Feltham-King will remain our Architect, also acting as an advisor and consultant throughout this important phase. Antony will help us develop the specifications, introduce potential companies and make our applications for the required consents from the Diocesan Advisory Committee.

Funding

We have received the first part of the £230,000 Section 106 Grant from the Borough, which coupled with the £245,000 remaining from the sale of the Devizes Road Hall, the existing £26,000 in the Development & Renewal Accounts and a £5,000 Grant received from the Weston Foundation, leaves a not inconsiderable available ‘pot’ totalling £506,000.

We have also recently completed the sale of Upham Road making another £208,000 available, and continue to pursue other Grant sources to secure additional monies between now and April 2013.

The estimated current project cost is in the region of £670,000. Obviously, we will make every effort to minimise these costs, seeking to leave monies available to maintain momentum for the next stages of the Programme. In the worst case i.e. with no additional grant funding, we would still have enough to complete the Centre and some smaller projects within the Church building itself.

The Community centre should be completed by July 2013.

CHURCH
Phase 1

We are planning to complete three smaller projects in 2013-2014 :-

  • Replacement of the lighting, to significantly reduce maintenance & running costs and give more flexible, efficient & effective lighting. (£30,000)
  • To improve the heating, we must first plan restoration of the West Porch to reduce drafts. (£25,000)
  • Upgrade & improve Audio/Visual system (£25,000)

Phase 2

  • Building a toilet at this time does not represent good value for money, so this will be integrated into the later work in the Church on the heating and flooring.
  • In order to minimise costs, we are investigating ways to retain the central pews by making them free standing to maximise flexibility to re-configure the interior space. This and the removal of the few remaining aisle pews would save up to £45,000 (the cost of the proposed replacement stackable pews).
  • Subject to raising the required funding, we will then level and re-surface the floor and replace the heating system with an Under floor & radiator based system. Our latest estimate for this work is £400,000.

It is unlikely that any of this work could be started before 2014/15 due to wedding commitments, and lack of funds.

If anyone wishes to contribute to, or discuss any aspect of the above in more detail or get involved with the programme, then our project managers, Mike Palmer or Stephen Grosvenor will be happy to talk to you.

  • Stephen : 01793 341034 – s.grosvenor@gmail.com
  • Mike : 01793 436220 – michaelailsa@o2.co.uk

 

Update on Renewal Programme2012-11-29T16:13:08+00:00

Alistair’s Kenyan Adventure

2012-10-10T19:42:20+01:00
The 2 weeks I have spent in Nakuru, Kenyahave completely changed the way I view life. Kenya is a very Christian country with 90% of the population Christian. It amazed me how people in so much poverty living in slums and on landfill sites had so much faith and were so filled with joy. There were churches every few hundred metres and the church was an integral part of the school we were teaching in. Melon school has around 450 children aged between 5-16 years old, many of which live in the local slums. Nakuru itself has a population of around 200,000 people so can be compared to Swindon quite readily. However, despite the centre of the city being well developed with supermarkets and houses, it was sad to see that just a mile away was poverty, the money is clearly about – just not with the people who need it. Even things like the roads, which we take for granted back home, left a lot to be desired here as the number of potholes was incomprehensible and on the journey from Nairobi to Nakuru we saw 3 major accidents.
A picture of some of the children I taughtOn the first day we conducted a sports day which the children thoroughly enjoyed, also playing lots of group games. These children were incredibly inspiring in how much responsibility they had in the school and how they appreciated everything they had. On one day there was severe flooding causing the classroom I was in to be a foot deep in water, yet all the children took the responsibility of clearing it up and the school was back to normal by the next day. I had great fun teaching the children who were all eager to learn new things. However, this does not cover up the reason why we were there. All the normal teachers were local volunteers many of who were too tired to teach in the afternoon meaning many children were left to revise under their own steam. Even though the children were fed 2 meals a day at the school, the portions were small and due to the shortage of water, everything was “washed” in the same water which after the first few classes was more a case of moving the dirt around the dishes.

It wasn’t all work and no play, on both Sundays I went to the local church service which was full of praise and passion, you could really feel God’s presence with you. We also visited Menengai Crater, second largest in the world, the view were breath taking. On the last Saturday we went on a Safari in Lake Nakuru National park which again was amazing seeing zebras, giraffes, lions, rhinos and more. We also visited the equator and the Thomson Falls both of which were equally thrilling.
Visiting the slums is just as it appears on the television, rubbish everywhere, chickens dogs, goats and cows just walking around and little children outside playing. You’d have thought being white rich people they may have reason to envy us but far from it, everyone was so happy to greet us and wave at us. But this was not the worst place, for on the last day we visited the landfill for Nakuru where 75% of the children live, it was shocking. The smell, pigs rolling in puddles of dirt and children playing in the rubbish; nothing like I ever seen before, this was extreme poverty just a few miles from the town. What really struck me was that this was not some kind of dream, this was reality for them, living like this every day, they have no choice about it. It was alright for me because I could go home but for them this is home. This has made me realise that despite all the aid we give, there is not much being done to improve the lives of these people; it is through projects like the one I was on where a real difference can be made educating and feeding the people to help them get out of this poverty cycle. This is why I would like to go back again next year and continue what we have begun.

Alistair Senior

Alistair’s Kenyan Adventure2012-10-10T19:42:20+01:00

One Life – Christian Enquirers Course

2012-10-10T20:09:55+01:00
Are you someone who –
  • thinks life is too important to be shallow about?
  • has questions, doubts, queries about what life means?
  • doesn’t think you know all the answers yet?
  • wants to find out about how to grow in faith?
  • wants to investigate Christianity informally with a group of other people?
THEN this course is what you are looking for. 7 Wednesday evenings – 7.30 at St Mary’s Church Commonweal Road ( just off the Mall).

You can sign up here.

One Life – Christian Enquirers Course2012-10-10T20:09:55+01:00

A video update on our latest renewal plans

2012-10-10T20:19:46+01:00

We are making good progress towards our development and renewal aims and want as many people as possible to understand what we are proposing and why we are doing it. You can see a video here which gives the latest position.

If you have any questions you can contact us via the parish office – 01793 522832 or parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk or via this Renewal blog.

A video update on our latest renewal plans2012-10-10T20:19:46+01:00
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