St Andrew's

Psalter Lane

Church

Annual Church Meeting 2025

ST ANDREW’S PSALTER LANE CHURCH

 

Minutes of the Annual Church Meeting held on Sunday 11th May 2025

 

1.      Prayers: John Harding led the meeting in prayer; Anna Calvert welcomed all attending.  

 

2.       Apologies for absence had been received from Naomi Cooke, Jan and Alan Birch, Ann Blair, Jane Chapman, Jean Coulson, Alison Gregg, Christine Hisom, Julie Jordan Brown, Mary and Peter Mitchell, Rachel and Alastair Morris, Sophie Peel-Yates, Chris Sissons, Mark Strong, Theo Strong

 

3.       Approval of Minutes: the Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting held on 21st April 2024 were agreed to be an accurate record of the meeting and were signed by the Chair.

 

4.       Matters arising from the Minutes: none.

         

5.       Reports: reports had been sent in advance by email to members and friends of SAPLC, were available on the SAPLC website, and printed copies were offered to those who requested them. Reports were tabled except those that needed comment or clarification. Click on the name of the report to read it.

  1. General Report on the Life of the Church. John Harding asked for a copy to be sent to him.
  2. Church Membership report including Electoral Roll: report tabled. Judith Roberts informed the meeting that 11 new names had been added, but quite a few people had not returned the form; Judith would be grateful for offers of help with GDPR
  3. Worship Planning Committee: report tabled. There were 2 new Thursday evening services, one Holy Communion and one Sacred Space. Clare Loughridge asked for information about these services to be sent to the Newsletter and website/publicity editors so that people could be informed in good time that they were taking place.
  4. Property and Finance Committee:  

Property: report tabled. An appeal was made for a volunteer to take on the role of Property Steward, or possibly just some aspect/s of the role, which could be split between practical work, i.e. working on the property, and with contractors etc and administrative work such as grant applications. An appeal was also made for more people to help at Working Parties on the first Saturday of the month.

          Finance: Treasurer’s report tabled.

           Caroline Cripps asked about the cost of the solar panels:

The Treasurer explained that there had been a donation plus a grant, and that £14,000 had been left which was to be spent on insulation.

Chris Venables asked what income had come from the solar panels – the Treasurer would ask the church administrator and feed back.

Annual accounts: It was proposed and seconded that the accounts be received by the meeting, and proposed and seconded that Hawsons be retained as Reporting Accountant. Both Carried Nem Con.

Anna Calvert thanked the Treasurer for all his work.

  1. Pastoral Work (including Church Links): report tabled. Anna Calvert thanked Judith Roberts.
  2. Music: report tabled. Anna Calvert welcomed Liz Bentley to the role of Director of Music. Liz asked to be given information about hymns as early as possible, and suggested that she could be consulted about suitable hymns.

Anne Hollows congratulated Liz on taking on this role.

John Harding asked when we tell visiting preachers about our procedures and when we need this information – Janet Loughridge sends them this information usually about 3 - 4 weeks before they are due to lead worship.

  1. Interfaith Centre: report tabled.  
  2. Family & Children: report tabled. Anna Calvert informed the meeting that the post of Lay Worker had been offered to one of the applicants, and we were waiting for references and a DBS check. Hopefully the person would start in August. All volunteers for Children’s Work were thanked. Pete Sandford commended SAPLC for the Layworker’s contribution to Highfield Trinity, and for making a difference beyond SAPLC.

Naomi said the Junior Church team needed help.

  1. Safeguarding: report tabled. Anna Calvert thanked Anne Hollows and Janet Loughridge.
  1. Peace and Justice: report tabled.
  2. Eco-Congregation: report tabled. Anna Calvert stressed the success of the Repair Cafés.
  1. Ecclesall Deanery Synod: report tabled.
  1. Circuit Meeting: report tabled
  2. Clifford School: report tabled.
  3. Brownies, other BP organisations and St Andrew’s Hall: report tabled

 

Emma Handy and Pete Sandford had not been able to find the reports on the website.

John Harding asked whether non-public reports should be on the website; Caroline Cripps said they are made public to the meeting and before-hand. Anna Calvert suggested this should be discussed for next year.

Judith Roberts asked that reports be emailed out in future.

 

6.       Elections.

  1. Church Stewards and Churchwardens:

Alastair Morris. Mary Mitchell and Jan Owen were declared re-elected; there had not been a volunteer for the 4th post. Jan Owen encouraged people to volunteer for this vacant post, which she said was easy and fulfilling.

Anna Calvert thanked Julie Jordan Brown for her years of service.

(Each Steward and Warden serves for 4 years from the date of first election)

John Harding asked whether the ECC could appoint a new warden or steward without an ACM vote. Janet Loughridge said that in the past the congregation at a morning service had been convened as an Extraordinary ACM, as the Stewards/Wardens must be elected at an ACM.

 

 

 

  1. Ecumenical Church Council

Clergy, Churchwardens, Stewards, a Circuit representative (Jenny Bywaters), the SAPLC Deanery Synod reps (Anna Calvert and Julie Jordan Brown), the Circuit Superintendent are ex-officio members; Methodist members can serve 6 years (but do not have to); all members are elected annually.

 

Nominations had been received for: Bill Atherton, Jenny Carpenter, Caroline Cripps, John Cripps, Joseph Dey, Emma Handy, John Harding, Anna Harvey, Anne Hollows, Clare Loughridge, Janet Loughridge, Peter Mitchell, Rachel Morris, Judith Roberts, Pete Sandford.

All nominees were declared elected.

 

7.       Joint Church Council: The Joint Church Council is responsible for the Sharing Agreement on the church property.

The council consists of:

Methodist: the Minister (or a Circuit Superintendent if the minister is Anglican), 2 Stewards and 3 members - currently Judith Roberts, Janet Evans, Anne Hollows; Anglican: the Incumbent (or Area Dean if the minister is Methodist), 2 Churchwardens and 3 members - currently Joe Dey, Rodney Godber, Clare Loughridge.

 

Lydia Hutchings was proposed as replacement for Janet Evans - All in Favour.

 

8.        Renewal of licence for Quakers’ use of Shirley House for Worship. The

Chair explained that it had been agreed at the Annual Church Meeting in 2013 that the Quaker licence should be renewed every year. Carried Nem Con. 

 

9.        Any Other Business:

Barbara Booler asked why there had been no amplified sound at the funeral held in church on Friday 9th May. Clare Loughridge said no-one had been asked; she would contact the Office administrator to find out what had happened, and point out that sound amplification is required.

Pete Sandford thought we might be in breach of the Disabilities Act if there was no sound.

 

10.      Concluding prayers: the meeting closed with the Grace.

 

 

 

Powered by Church Edit