Report from Synod October 2010

Report from Synod, October 2010

Having been a delegate for St Jude’s Church for the last 10 years, I decided it was about time I showed my face at a Synod.  Yes, in ten years I had seen many Convocations but not one Synod.  This needed to be remedied.  So, early one Monday morning, armed with a list of directions and a map I’d printed from Google, I set off for Sunbury Court and my first Synod.  It also happened to be the first time I’d driven on the M25 and in London.  I hoped my map didn’t fly out the window.

   Less than an hour and a half later, through luck, a good sense of direction, Divine Guidance or possibly all three, I arrived at Sunbury Court with plenty of time to spare.  In fact time for two cups of Earl Grey tea before lunch was ready.  I thought this a very good beginning.

After a tasty lunch, which included some interesting sausages and a chat with Paul’s German visitor, we all trooped off into the meeting room.  I hadn’t been to Sunbury for a number of years but the meeting room was just as I remembered it.  Red.

The meeting got underway fairly promptly at 1:05pm, visitors welcomed (including Bishop Primus) and apologies for absence received.  There was one matter arising from the minutes, which was the Clergy Benevolent Fund was still under review.

Bishop Paul then gave his report for the previous year, a copy of which was handed out but I appear to have lost.  Thankfully I took copious notes and can give a full description, over the next three pages.  Kidding.  There was a lot happening over the year - the Southern Diocese conference at St Jude’s, Ballam, The Rock was performed several times around the country and Gerald Kirsch was welcomed into the FCE.  There was also sad news in that Mrs Bishop had been called home, and Revd Geoff Collins, who had retired to the Isle of Skye, was suffering from cancer.  In spite of this, he was still active in his work for the Lord and was writing two sermons when Paul had called.

Paul’s trip to India for three weeks had been an experience he would never forget, greetings had been brought from the FCE at every opportunity.  Work had continued at St John’s, Tottington throughout the summer, the Diocese had been able to maintain its witness and the Office had been generously supported by the diocese, for which Paul thanked John for his work.  John then thanked Paul for all his work.

It was decided that the Day of Prayer 2011 would be held on 19 February, at Walsall, Exmouth and Harlesden.  Alas, at this point I was not paying as strict attention as I should have been, and when Paul said ‘Natalie can do that, can’t you?’ I thought I was being asked to go to Robert Wilson’s church.  I was a tad relieved to find out I had been volunteered to prepare the programme for the day, even though I had no idea what this entailed.

Thoughts then turned to the 150^th anniversary of the 1863 FCE Constitution and how to celebrate this momentous occasion.  This would need some serious thought and St Jude’s volunteered to have a think and coordinate with the north.

We considered the Jerusalem Declaration, which had filled quite some time at Convocation, and decided they didn’t know what to do with it.  After a series of speakers, mostly against, Synod decided they also didn’t know what to do with it and asked for a speaker to be at the next Synod to explain what had been intended in order to get a balanced view.

Turning to the future of the Denomination, there was much discussion on filling the gap left when a ministry came to an end.  We needed to find hidden treasures and people to encourage and train to bloom into a useful tool for the church.  The difficulty of finding sufficient time to study and complete the required papers to become a lay reader was also discussed.

Reports were received from the Treasurer, Diocesan Stipend Fund, Home Mission Fund and the Prayer Chain Link.  Everything was running smoothly, except the Home Mission Fund needed more money, as always.

The end of the meeting was then in sight, having reached any other business.  John had suggested having a Bishop’s fund for emergency use, however money would be available from the denominational Treasurer is required.  We then discussed the need for a website, as the Diocese didn’t have one.  I was paying attention this time and on cue volunteered to create the website.

The next meeting was set for Saturday 12 March 2011 at Christ Church, Willesborough and then that was the end of the meeting.  A round trip of 3 hours was too long for just a 2 hour meeting, so I hung around for a bit longer to drink more tea and chat to people I hadn’t seen for months.  All in all, I thought it was a good start to Synod expeditions.