Report from Convocation 2011

Once again we knew lunch would be a struggle.  So we came up with a cunning plan and I found a potential picnic location that was on the way to Convocation.  As often happens with best laid plans, we actually ended up having a very rushed lunch in a layby on the A38.  I sprinted to the four door ‘restaurant’ in the pouring rain and ate lunch whilst watching cars whiz past.

            After a rushed glass of wine and a cheese and onion cob, we got to Swanwick with minutes to spare, time enough to sign in, say hello to old friends and take our seats. 

Convocation got underway at 2pm and the new members were welcomed.  After the usual hymn, reading and prayer came the roll call and this year there were 33 lay members, 16 ministers and 5 visitors in attendance.  We then elected the General Secretary, who is once again Paul, with thanks from Primus.  In a fair imitation of cars on the A38, we whizzed through the rules of order, letters of apology, memorials (which sadly this year included Barry Jones of Emmanuel) and letters of greeting.  We just had time to receive all the reports before breaking for afternoon tea.

It was finally time for the annual game of “Where’s my room?”, made interesting this year as it was still pouring down with rain.  Fortunately, being familiar with the layout of The Hayes, we could head straight for the closest door, find our rooms and then move the cars to the closest door.  Fortunately, someone had some brains and remembered to get the door code before we left and locked ourselves out in the rain.  This tactic meant we didn’t get too wet, which made Eric the Lion very happy.  Simon the Bear was also made happy when we bumped into friends for him to smile and wave at.

We resumed business at 4:45pm and raced through the reports.  There was some discussion regarding the period the Bishop’s appointments should be given for, and then the news that Charity Commission registrations should now be done online.  Joy.  This meant adding each of the trustees’ details by hand.  There were a few groans at this, but also some people looking a little smug.  Then there was a round of applause in thanks for the people travelling to Exeter.  Once again, Dad was able to give his report on day one and gave the good news that the quota is staying the same as last year.

Leaving the election of officers for the next day, it was time for tea, which for me was a rather nice steak and ale pie.  We were impressed with the food this year.  After tea came Evening Prayer and the Convocation Charge, given by Bishop Primus John McLean.  His sermon was riveting and contained hard hitting home truths – the Denomination was at risk of dying out if we didn’t grow.  We were charged not to let this happen.

After the service there was only one thing left to do; go to the bar.  Once again we had a good evening of fellowship and catching up with people we see once a year.  Dad beat me 2-1 at pool.

After an interesting breakfast discussion which included Abbots Ale and Bishop’s Finger, we got back to business with the election of officers.  John McLean was voted back as Primus with a very gratifying 46 votes for and only 3 against.  Next was the General Treasurer and I declared in a loud voice “I’ll propose my Dad”.  He was elected unanimously.  The remaining elections ran smoothly, with the same people as last year being re-elected.  Norma and Marlene did say this would be their last year as Convocation Organisers.

The election of committees followed, and once again these were mostly the same as last year, with only a couple of changes.  We moved onto the motions.  The second year approval for some articles and cannons was passed with no problem, as was tidying up amendments for the admission of deacons.  After the break, the motion to remove the byelaw about the retirement age for ministers resulted in a lot more discussion, as this was a hastily written law for a sensitive subject.  It was however eventually removed.  Ministers may now carry on into their doddery.

After a lunch of jacket potato and chilli (I got a plate of cold meat with little fuss), we got back to serious business and watched a short video of Paul and Mark pretending to be super heroes at the St Andrew’s children’s club.  Bishop Primus wondered how we were meant to follow that, as he now felt very old.  To which, Bishop John pointed out it was too late, as the Byelaw had been removed.

Moving back to the Charity Commission, Convocation agreed to apply for charity status. This meant the whole of Convocation filling out another form, and that someone would have to enter these details online.  Joy, again.  She’s going to be busy.

The date of the next Convocation would be 21-23 May 2012, held again at The Hayes Conference Centre.  Another session came to a close.

As Convocation isn’t all about business, that evening we had a night off, and did something a little different.  We held a talent showcase.  We’re a surprisingly talented bunch of people, but the effort that stands out was Rev Robert Wilson standing on a chair, holding a coat hanger and reciting a poem about being a statue in London.  It was an enjoyable evening, ending in the inevitable singing competition and traipse off to the bar.  Alas, this visit was Scotch free (and not even Scott free).

The final day of business dawned.  We started off by hearing a report from Bishop Gerhard Meyer, and it was good to hear the success stories of the REC in Germany.  He also mentioned someone from Croatia wanted to join the REC, as well as someone from a Lutheran church.  This was followed by Norma and Marlene giving out their inimitable gifts of appreciation.

We were then given the cost of Convocation, which this year was a little over £12,000 and included a donation of £201 (one of the collections) to the ‘Church restoration group’.  After a lengthy and comprehensive vote of thanks, the minutes were approved and Convocation closed.  We weren’t quite done though, as we had to have the annual group photo, during which Paul tried to take a panoramic shot of the whole group.  I ran from one side of the group to the other, to try and be in the photo twice.  It’s a shame the photo didn’t work, but at least it wasn’t raining.

After another tasty lunch, the time for goodbyes had come around again, and surprisingly fast.  It was another good year for business, fairly sensible debate and enjoyable fellowship.

Report from Convocation 2010

Although we had the same shorter format for Convocation this year, for some reason it seemed to last a lot longer than previous years.  We crammed a lot into three days.

After last year, we didn’t hold out much hope of finding somewhere to stop for lunch.  So we took a picnic and thought we’d find a nice spot in the country to stop.  Alas, this also was a difficult task.  We ended up in a layby by the roadside.  Still at least the weather was really nice and hot, we enjoyed our wine and Eric enjoyed his spot of sunbathing.

We arrived at The Hayes and proceeded to the stifling large conference room.  Bishop John McLean welcomed people attending for the first time, including our two new ministers from The States, and also Bishop Meyer who had yet to arrive.  We then re-elected Bishop Paul as General Secretary, got through the various letters and even received the reports before the first break.

After moving into our rooms and enjoying a nice cup of tea and piece of flapjack in the sun, business restarted.  We got through all the reports so quickly that we even had the report from the General Treasurer - the first time Dad had spoken on day one!  The good news was that the recession hadn’t affected our finances as much as feared and so the quota was kept at £600.

We then moved onto the election of officers, the first due to be the new Bishop Primus as Bishop Ken was retiring.  Although this election was postponed due to Ken’s absence, Bishop McLean proposed that Bishop Ken be given the title of Bishop Primus Emeritus, in recognition and thanks for his hard work over many years.  This was agreed unanimously.  Most of the remaining officers were elected back to office, with the exception of Rev John Leal being elected as the new Webmaster.  The session closed and I went to chat to our new Webmaster about redesigning our current website, resulting in Rev John deciding I was his new assistant.  Still, I was able to chat to both new American ministers and it was good to get to know the new faces.

After tea we went to Evening Prayer where the Convocation Charge was given by Bishop Ken.  This centred on the Epistle of James and building the church.  As usual, this was followed by a trip to the bar where I spent part of the evening talking about websites with Rev John Leal, and part of it discussing the hierarchy of the Church of England with Bishop John the Younger.  A most convivial evening!

The next day, business started with the election of the new Bishop Primus.  The ballot was between the two Bishop Johns and Bishop John McLean was duly elected.  He indicated he would only serve for a year.  We then elected all of the committee members, mostly the same as last year with one or two new additions.  We moved onto the motions, and after giving the second year approval to some amendments to the Articles and Cannons we moved onto deciding whether we should seek to join Churches Together in England.  A lot of people spoke, some passionately, on this point and all were in favour.  Joining this group would help our Sunday School children get into faith schools and also some teachers getting promotion.  The motion was carried unanimously.

After a tea break, we started wading through amendments to the Articles and Cannons.  This took a lot of discussion and a lunch break, but we finally passed the whole motion.  Another motion later, we broke for the evening meal.  This was a special occasion and after a quick trip to the bar for dinner wine and beer, we were surprised to discover wine had been provided on the table!  The meal was in celebration of Bishop Ken’s long service and retirement as Primus and it almost developed into a party.

As far as Bishop Ken was aware, we were then due to go back to the conference room for the evening’s business session.  Much to everyone’s delight, we were actually treated to a fantastic rendition of the musical ‘Rock’, which gives the story of Simon Peter, the fisherman who followed Jesus to become a fisher of men and was a rock for the early church.  I think everyone in the audience found this to be an emotional performance and was an event not to be missed.

Once again, following this event I found myself in the bar where I was able to catch up with old friends seen annually.  After showing Bishop Gerhard Meyer how to use Facebook, being one of the last in the bar I was about to leave to go to bed.  Unfortunately, my route took me past someone pouring out a few glasses of something from a familiar looking bottle.  Maybe I should have known better, but I couldn’t stop myself.

Still in a jubilant mood following the presentation of the Rock, I paused as I passed the table and asked if that was Laphroaig he was pouring.  It was indeed, and I was cordially invited to join in.  I somehow found myself drinking Scotch with half a dozen Cannons from the Church of England.  I did my best to improve the relationship between the two denominations and I don’t think I did too bad a job.  After finishing the Laphroaig and sampling two more malts, I finally got to my bed at ten to four in the morning.  Maybe that’s why Convocation seemed to last longer.

Alas, I missed the morning service.  After breakfast, which included strong painkillers, we got back to business and the last of the motions.  We eventually passed an alternative funeral service order.  That left us with the last few bits and bobs and business was finished!

Following the annual photo call, it was time for Holy Communion and the Convocation Sermon, given by Rev John Graver.  A combination of the previous sermons and the presentation of the Rock meant John was concerned that his sermon had pretty much already been given.  He need not have worried.  It continued the theme that had been running through Convocation and his main subject was the story of Simon Peter.  This was one of the most memorable sermons I have heard, not least because it started with two jokes.  Also, John said that had Jesus asked him to “Follow me” he wouldn’t have hesitated as he hates fishing.  It was inspirational and also heart warming to hear about the work being done in Exmouth.  Bishop McLean later took the opportunity to let Bishop Ken know he was now Bishop Primus Emeritus.

Following lunch, it was time for leave taking and the journey home.  This year, Convocation was something special with building our church the concurrent theme, apparently by coincidence.  Certainly not by human design.  I left feeling revitalised and inspired to carry on the good work.