My second venture into the world of Synod was a little further away this time – a trip to Kent, the garden of England. It was too far for a day trip so John, Doreen and I decided to travel to Canterbury and stop over. Naturally we stopped off on the way and had some tea. You have never seen such a big mug. We eventually got there and checked into the hotel, which had free tea and coffee facilities so we immediately liked it. There was just enough time to wander into Canterbury, where we caught a glimpse of the Cathedral and drank some tea.
The following morning we set off for Synod, stopping off at picturesque Chilham on the way. It had beautiful Tudor buildings, a castle and church. We tore ourselves away and arrived in Willesborough in good time. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected to find the church but we still got there in time for a cup of tea followed by a big lunch, which was just what we needed after our huge breakfast. After a well-timed trip to the one lavatory, we trooped into the church for the meeting to begin.
The meeting opened at 1:10pm with devotions lead by Gerald Kirsch and there were 8 clergy and 23 lay members in attendance. After the minutes, matters arising included the Clergy Benevolent Fund, which some churches hadn’t been paying into and so would be asked to do so. The Anniversary celebrations were looking to be expensive (in the region of £12,000), but we could have an affordable key ring made to our design. The Jerusalem Declaration was pretty much sidelined and would be reviewed in more detail at Convocation. There were 4 or 5 people in training to become lay readers, but the search would continue.
There then followed the Bishop’s report, stating the Year Book was ready and the next draft would follow soon. The conference following last Synod had provided a real feast of spiritual food. He had been sad to hear that Rev Geoff Collins had received his home call but had been unable to attend his funeral in Skye due to insufficient notice. Barry Jones had also received his home call. The Day of Prayer had been a good day, with 37 people attending at St Jude’s. Paul thanked me for my poster. He also reported the Denomination had been accepted as full members of Churches Together in England. Again, John proposed a vote of thanks for all of Paul’s work in the Diocese and local churches.
We then came to the treasurer’s report, but first Ron asked for more giving to the Home Mission Fund. Colin then managed to get a word in and after giving a very healthy account, he proposed increasing the amount in the quota for the fund to £70. Following much discussion, Colin again managed to get a word in and said he proposed holding a ‘Jubilee’ year, as described in Leviticus. Other than the payment to the Home Mission Fund, there would be no quota for 2011. Remarkably, there were two people against this motion but 17 for so it was carried.
Following the Stipend Fund report (all going well), we came to the election of officers where everyone who held office last year were re-elected. A full list of officers is now available on the Diocesan website! (www.fcofesd.org.uk)
For the first time we had a brief report from each of the churches. This was a well received section of the meeting, where even the less well off churches found positive things to report. It gave an indication that the Diocese was in a very buoyant mood, despite any difficulties being faced. The Diocese had much to be thankful for.
Any other business was upon us, which included signing yet more Charity Commission forms as the Diocese also had to register as a charity. It seems a never ending process. I also gave a brief report on the website progress and I am pleased to say the website is now live. Yay! Paul also showed off his new FCE flag, which looked very smart.
The next Synod would be held at Sunbury Court on Monday 17 October 2011, followed by the Southern Diocese conference, Monday to Thursday. We then closed the meeting at 3:10pm.
Following another well timed trip to the solo lavatory, it was time for the Memorial Service being held for Rev Geoff Collins, which was well attended and we were pleased that Geoff’s son was able to attend. This was a moving service and it was incredible to hear about all that Geoff had done in his lifetime.
After another cup of tea and some supper it was time to return home. Sadly, we delayed by an accident on the M1. Other than finally collapsing on the sofa at around 11pm, it had been a very good day and I enjoyed the entire trip.
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