The October Synod was this year held for probably the last time at Sunbury Court; it is closed for refurbishment for 2013, and will likely be too expensive when it reopens. We’d best make the most of it then!
I arrived just in time for lunch, which was good, and a cup of tea, which was better, and then off to the meeting we went. Fortunately, Paul hadn’t been delayed overly by his puncture so we started pretty much on time. We started with the usual hymn, prayer and reading, which was Psalm 98, and read by me! We also remembered Mary Harris and her family, as John Harris’ funeral would be the next day.
I arrived just in time for lunch, which was good, and a cup of tea, which was better, and then off to the meeting we went. Fortunately, Paul hadn’t been delayed overly by his puncture so we started pretty much on time. We started with the usual hymn, prayer and reading, which was Psalm 98, and read by me! We also remembered Mary Harris and her family, as John Harris’ funeral would be the next day.
After the several apologies, the declaration of attendance was given as 8 clergy and 18 lay members. The minutes were read and accepted and there were only a couple of matters arising – relating to the Clergy Benevolent Fund, and the Charity Registration, for which all bar one churches were now registered, leaving only the Southern Diocese itself. I’ll do it as soon as I get the papers…
We then discussed the 150th Anniversary Celebrations, which unfortunately seemed to be flogging a dead horse. There was little enthusiasm from the North and not much more in the South, although the main reason for this could well be the aging congregations – we are all 20 years older than the last celebration and a lot of us can no longer do what we once did. Although a motion to arrange something was passed, with only 7 votes for and more abstentions there seemed little point. Paul eventually proposed we have a think during the remainder of the Conference, as this event should be celebrated!
We then moved onto the Bishop’s Report, which, due to a busy year was quite lengthy, but I was still able to take full notes. In the first paragraph… Nah, scrap that... Two highlights that stood out were Paul attending the 350th Anniversary Celebration of the Book of Common Prayer at St Paul’s Cathedral and sitting a few feet away from Prince Charles, and also the news that Revd Gerald Kirsch would be opening a new church in Shoreham-on-Sea, the last new church being St Andrews in 1943.
Moving onto the Southern Diocese Day of Prayer, and this will be held on Saturday 16 February 2013 at the Emmanuel, Birmingham, Harlesden and Exeter.
There followed the reports from around the churches, which again was an interesting insight into what everyone else gets up to. It appears everything is toddling along with all churches having something of interest to report.
The Treasurer’s report was received, noting we would have a balance of about £2,000 lower than this time last year, which wasn’t all that surprising. The Stipend Fund and Home Mission Fund reports were not received, as Ron Reynolds was recovering from a double heart valve operation, which had gone well. The prayer chain link was working well.
We were then treated to a report by Lewis, from St Andrews, on his trip to Bishop Gerhard Meyer’s English Camp in Germany. It sounded like he had a very good time, even if he did lose his shoes on a canoe trip.
The next meeting is to be held at Exmouth on Saturday 16 March 2013, starting at 2pm, with lunch at 1pm. The meeting was closed at 3:04pm, and that was then end of my 4th Synod, but not the end of my trip!
For the first time, I was staying on for the full Conference, lasting a further 3 days. After drinking more tea and kicking our heels for a few hours, we got underway with a special meal celebrating Paul’s 60th birthday. Again.
We then discussed the 150th Anniversary Celebrations, which unfortunately seemed to be flogging a dead horse. There was little enthusiasm from the North and not much more in the South, although the main reason for this could well be the aging congregations – we are all 20 years older than the last celebration and a lot of us can no longer do what we once did. Although a motion to arrange something was passed, with only 7 votes for and more abstentions there seemed little point. Paul eventually proposed we have a think during the remainder of the Conference, as this event should be celebrated!
We then moved onto the Bishop’s Report, which, due to a busy year was quite lengthy, but I was still able to take full notes. In the first paragraph… Nah, scrap that... Two highlights that stood out were Paul attending the 350th Anniversary Celebration of the Book of Common Prayer at St Paul’s Cathedral and sitting a few feet away from Prince Charles, and also the news that Revd Gerald Kirsch would be opening a new church in Shoreham-on-Sea, the last new church being St Andrews in 1943.
Moving onto the Southern Diocese Day of Prayer, and this will be held on Saturday 16 February 2013 at the Emmanuel, Birmingham, Harlesden and Exeter.
There followed the reports from around the churches, which again was an interesting insight into what everyone else gets up to. It appears everything is toddling along with all churches having something of interest to report.
The Treasurer’s report was received, noting we would have a balance of about £2,000 lower than this time last year, which wasn’t all that surprising. The Stipend Fund and Home Mission Fund reports were not received, as Ron Reynolds was recovering from a double heart valve operation, which had gone well. The prayer chain link was working well.
We were then treated to a report by Lewis, from St Andrews, on his trip to Bishop Gerhard Meyer’s English Camp in Germany. It sounded like he had a very good time, even if he did lose his shoes on a canoe trip.
The next meeting is to be held at Exmouth on Saturday 16 March 2013, starting at 2pm, with lunch at 1pm. The meeting was closed at 3:04pm, and that was then end of my 4th Synod, but not the end of my trip!
For the first time, I was staying on for the full Conference, lasting a further 3 days. After drinking more tea and kicking our heels for a few hours, we got underway with a special meal celebrating Paul’s 60th birthday. Again.
There followed more tea and fellowship in the lounge. Most of us then went off for an early night, and after that sundae I was glad I had moved out of my original room, which had no heating, and into the main house. I now had a sauna, but Eric was happy.
Over the next three days, we were treated to various talks, including two on the Epistle of James by Gerald Kirsch, and two on Mission, Community & Devotion from Russell Fenn. For once, I got up in time for the morning devotionals, and I was glad I had otherwise I would have missed the sight of Robert Wilson stripping off his cassock and finishing his sermon in a rather fetching bright blue tracksuit.
We were also lucky to enjoy another concert by Malted Light, which this time included their Metallica melody. Another highlight was our trip to the Brooklands Museum, where I got to drive an F1 car and also took a trip on Concorde. Dashing through the sudden downpour for the bus didn’t dampen our spirits and I also took what I thought
Our final evening was due to be Gerhard giving us a talk and slide show about his English Camp in Germany. There was however a slight technical hitch, in that one laptop connected to the internet but not the projector, another connected to the internet and the projector but wouldn’t download the slides, and another connected to the projector but refused to admit to the possibility of a Wi-Fi connection. I ended up standing at the front holding up my laptop so everyone could see the slides. Alas, I have no idea what Gerhard had been saying as I had been trying to sort out the laptops…
On the final day, amongst other things, we discussed plans for next year’s Conference. Paul spoke about his idea of making the conference open to everyone, including children, and arranging activities for them, running alongside the usual adult activities. This idea was met with a lot of enthusiasm and on further discussion, Paul came up with the excellent idea of making the 150th Anniversary Celebration part of the conference. This motion was passed with flying colours.
Following Holy Communion and lunch, it was time to go home. I was a bit sad to go as it had been a very enjoyable week, as had been the fellowship. I’m looking forward to next year!
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