ST ANDREW’S PSALTER LANE CHURCH
Minutes of the Ecumenical Church Council meeting, Tuesday 18th February 2025
You can read the papers relating to this meeting here.
Present: Anna Calvert (AC) in the Chair, Jenny Bywaters (JB), Jenny Carpenter (JC), Caroline Cripps (CC), John Cripps (JCC), Joseph Dey (JD), Anna Harvey (AHa), Anne Hollows (AHo), Julie Jordan-Brown (JJB), Clare Loughridge (CL), Janet Loughridge (JL), Mary Mitchell (MM), Peter Mitchell (PM), Alastair Morris (AM).
- The meeting opened with prayer led by Revd Naomi Cooke
- Welcome AC welcomed everyone to the meeting
Apologies had been received from Bill Atherton, Revd Naomi Cooke, Rachel Morris, Judith Roberts, Jan Owen.
- Items for Any Other Business:
- Soup and Puddings
- Church Action on Poverty Sunday
- Minutes of the ECC meeting held on 25th November 2024 with the following amendments were accepted as a true record and signed:
Item 6 a Refreshments – voted had been All in favour
b Surplus baby equipment – vote 13/14 in favour
Item 14 a, last line – “Kit Harrington” should read “Kit Swanson”
Item 16 a Safeguarding Policy, line 1 – “Judith” should read “Judith Roberts”
Item 16 a Safeguarding Policy, line 3 – “Anna C offered to do risk assessments for activities in future” should read “Anna C offered to do risk assessments for Junior Church activities in future”
- Matters arising not already on the agenda.
Diocesan contact: AC had received a very nice email from the Toby Hole (Director of Mission and Ministry); CC said there was occasional contact with the Area Dean and the Deanery Synod.
- Health and Safety Officer: JCC reported that the Job Description was not ready yet; it was pointed out that there is a Job Description in the Health & Safety Policy, which could be used in an appeal for volunteers for this job.
JB said there had been a letter from the Circuit Property Consents Committee to Church Councils about safety checks – on the Agenda, Item 14.
AC asked ECC members to think about how this matter could be resolved at the Annual Church Meeting if no-one volunteered.
AM suggested this could be added to the responsibilities of one of our paid employees, or we could employ specialists.
- Saltmine Theatre Company visit, 6th December
It was agreed that this had been very successful in terms of numbers attending and fun.
AC said lessons had been learnt about notifying schools earlier in order to find a date that would be suitable for a school performance. If doing again, should choose a less busy time of year, such as October half-term or after SATS. Schools suggested were Clifford All Saints, Hunters Bar, Porter Croft.
- Inclusive Church update
Mental Health notice board – thanks to Theo Strong for producing this; to stay in place for a couple of months,
Breakout space in creche – quote to convert £320 put to vote – All in Favour. This would not include lowering the volume of the sound piped from services.
Welcome Workshop – everyone with a welcoming role to be invited, probably in May. The Bishop’s Advisor for Disability, and the Chaplain for the Deaf to speak.
AHo had attended a regional Safeguarding Conference, which had discussed patterns of welcoming, and recommended that when new faces people come a welcomer should
- ask where they would like to sit
- show them to an appropriate seat
- explain the service
- collect after the service, take for coffee and introduce to people.
Badge Sunday: agreed this should be held regularly. PM suggested we should get thicker pens so that the labels are legible, or someone could write all the badges; to rota an extra welcomer on Badge Sundays. To be held on the 1st Sunday in the month, beginning in March, and to be reviewed at the ECC on the 22nd of July.
AC reported that there were new damp patches in the junior church room. JCC said it had been re-decorated but not tanked.
- Review of activities/audit of skills and time
AHo set the demographic pattern was much changed since this was last done some years ago, and some people are no longer able to do what they did then.
JCC suggested this could be part of the Church Community Weekend.
AC asked what members want the review to include; suggested:
- activities outside SAPLC;
- other commitments affecting availability;
- skills such as languages, gardening, DIY, technology;
- how much time they could offer.
- District use of the church
The District had appealed for venues to hold face to face training sessions for new preachers and worship leaders. They are looking for:
- Somewhere easy to reach by public transport for people who may be coming on the train
- The tech and the knowhow that they can use in the training sessions
- An excellent and welcoming Sunday morning service that delegates can go to
JCC pointed out that we do not have good public transport links, and that it can be difficult to find the Technical Support we need; JC thought Highfield Trinity would be better served by buses. The ECC voted - All in favour; AC to contact the district .
- Annual Church Meeting
JJB and AM have both served for three years; JJB to stand down. Members were asked if they had any ideas of who would stand to be warden or steward - to put an appeal in in the Newsletter for a Warden or Steward plus a Health and Safety Officer.
JL asked if there would be a soup and pudding lunch after the meeting – no; see item in AOB. Format: AC did a photo show and presentation last year; it was agreed that we would have refreshments after the meeting instead of before.
- Staffing: update
Lay worker for hospitality, pastoral care and children- grants had been offered by the Circuit, District, Burgesses, and Diocese. All involved process were thanked by AC.
Interviews to be held on the 5th May; the advertisement would go out on the 4th March, and an information pack and advert were being worked on. An advertising budget of up to £1000 was agreed. AC had a list of where we advertised for the organist; AHo suggested Pesky Methodist.
AC - hope to get an August start, so that the person would be well settled in by September when the real work starts. AHo - must include safeguarding in any test or questions at the interview.
- Church Family Weekend
AC reported that the weekend is in hand. NC is working on the programme; there would be children's activities and teaching on Saturday morning, a social event on the Friday evening, workshops preparing for the service on Sunday would be held on Saturday afternoon; there would not be a lunch after the service. The children are planning a sleepover at some stage.
- Letter from Circuit Property consents, manses and maintenance group re mandatory safety checks
JCC reported that we are compliant with all checks except PAT, which we do not do annually; we consider our buildings to be at low risk, so we do it four-yearly; the wiring is inspected more frequently; tenants do their own safety checks.
AM - once per annum would be best.
AHa said the kettle in the office was not working very well; JCC to tell Chris Heald.
Everyone asked to report any problems.
- Reports for discussion
- Policies and Communications Officer’s report.
AC thanked CL for all her work on the policies.
Policies needing formal approval:
-
- Money Handling policy – comments:
AM – should use roles rather than names of people. [But there is no actual role in the one instance where names have been used]
Approved Nem con with this change.
-
- Grievance procedure and policy
JCC - switches between second and third person within sections, should be consistent.
MM - 7. Investigations, para 3: suggest that the word ‘meeting’ is added after the word ‘grievance’, or replace ‘grievance’ with ‘meeting’;
MM - 9. Appeals Procedure
The procedure to be followed at the appeal hearing, 1. ‘You will present their appeal’
should read ‘You will present your appeal’.
Approved Nem con with these changes.
-
- IT, social media, and Email policy
Use of Computer Equipment, line 4 – ‘IT support company (who?)’ needs clarification.
MM -E-mail Policy, Authorised Use, point 8, line 3 – ‘potential’ should read ‘potentially’;
Approved Nem con with these changes
-
- Living wage policy
Approved Nem con
- Treasurer’s report, receipts and payments, unaudited financial statements
The treasurer pointed out that we were ahead of budget.
Approval of annual accounts: CC asked why there was an apparent discrepancy in our assets, i.e. actually £167,000 Net Current Assets but £867,000 Total Assets further down the page; JD explained that this second figure included land and buildings. The ECC was asked to approve the Accounts: All in favour.
AC expressed the ECC’s thanks to the Treasurer for all his work
- Property and Finance report
JCC highlighted the following:
- Solar panels – installed and electricity is being generated. We had been informed by the insurance company that for cover for the building to continue they require the battery to be housed in a fireproof room with a monitored alarm system. The insurance company had agreed that a readymade fireproof cabinet in its present location in the storeroom would be acceptable. The residue of the donation would cover the additional cost.
- Spire - The one-year inspection had been carried out; some cracking of the joints forming the crown and distortion of the lead below the louvred section and copper rolled joints on the south side lower skirt were noted. The copper contractor had repaired the copper pinnacle are to come back and fix the woodwork there will be no extra charge and we had withheld 5% until this has been signed off.
- Narthex toilets: - Marilyn Godber was investigating suitable sanitary wear and tiles. “We will need to.” To be deleted from this section.
- Heating system – “Linnea is reiitting it and we Demsey’s are due to repair it.” Should read “Linnea is relighting it and Dempsey’s are due to repair it.”
AC thanked JCC for all his work.
- Eco group report – the ECC was asked to approve the Eco Group Manifesto, and to send any comments to CL: the Manifesto was warmly approved.
- Peace and Justice
AHo made the following points:
Hugh Thomas was in touch with an organisation trying to encourage churches to get people to open their homes to refugees for four to six weeks. She asked whether any SAPLC people could offer a spare room or accompany people in bureaucratic tasks. She was still working on how to help the women in Burngreave.
The ECC was asked to adopt the JPIT key themes listed in the report:
AC suggested we should get together to discuss this; JL suggested the soup and puddings lunch on the 23rd March, and AHo said we could put the six points on the card and ask people to discuss them. They could perhaps be printed on the reverse of the New Creation window postcard - we would have to get new cards.
This could be discussed at the Church Community Weekend in June.
16. Reports to be noted
a. Interfaith report
b. Children’s work
c. Safeguarding
MM asked who had written the Children's work and Safeguarding reports: AM, AHo.
CC reminded members of the Interfaith film on Wednesday 19th February, and that there would be a speaker from Nablus on Thursday 20th (but that event was by invitation only for security reasons)
- Any Other Business
- Soup and puddings: Ruth Groves had handed over to MM and JO; there would be a lunch on the 23rd March in Room 1 in Shirley House; this had been agreed with the Quakers and they had been invited to join us. Soup and puddings to be associated with All Age Worship in future so there would not be one after the Annual Church Meeting on 27th April.
- JC: 2nd March is Church Action on Poverty Sunday; she would like to have a retiring collection - All in favour; JL to bring the envelopes and put a notice in the Newsletter.
- Dates of next meetings
ECC meetings:
2025- Monday 19th May, Tuesday 22nd July, Wednesday 17th September, Monday 24th
November; 2026- Wednesday 11th February
Annual Church Meeting 27th April 2025
- Closing Prayers. The meeting ended with the Grace.