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.