At its last meeting, held on January 18th 2012, the PCC considered a number of written reports on activities in the parish; these reflected the wide variety of events on offer to all ages of the parish family & friends, from Messy Church to Lent Lunches, from the launch of two new Youth Groups to the forthcoming Valentine’s Dance.
The way was then cleared for a more detailed consideration of the following: the current financial situation, the future of Heatherwood Hospital & celebrations 2012.
Energetic discussion followed the tabling of a paper by Anne Yarwood, entitled ‘Ethics and Money’, which touched on issues raised by recent articles in ‘The Door’ and the activities of the Occupy LSX Campaign. The PCC considered the response of the Church in general to the banking crisis; it also considered the appointment by the Archbishop of Ken Costa, a former investment banker (who would be submitting a report on reconnecting the financial with the ethical which might launch informed debate), the social implications of Government policy, particularly on the poorer parts of society, and the impact of such policies on environmental issues. It was agreed that a letter of appreciation and support from the PCC should be sent to Archbishop Rowan Williams, referring to a specific article or initiative. It should also include a mention of our own collusion in the ‘good times’ when unethical behaviour went unchallenged. It was agreed that this letter be sent to the local press and, possibly, followed up by a Community Conversation on the matter.
The future of Heatherwood Hospital occasioned lively debate. It was felt that the PCC should promote community involvement in the issue, avoiding whenever possible prejudging the outcome until the full facts were known. It was agreed that All Saints’ Church should be offered to the community for informed debate and presentations on the future of the Hospital, in particular during the Week of Action in April, Heatherwood’s 90th Birthday. A banner would be placed on the wall next to the pavement at the front of All Saints, encouraging passers-by to find out more about the issue of the Hospital’s future.
The Diocesan position on plans for celebrating the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games were outlined for the PCC by Revd. Rosie, who also explained that she had applied to be a Games Pastor, which would involve a lot of “holy hanging around”. Ideas for celebrations would be discussed at the next PCC Meeting in March.
Matters of Finance (the current deficit at All Saints stands at £5,000) were reported on by the Treasurer and discussed in full as part of the ongoing debate on the Parish Share 2012.
The PCC went on to record its thanks to a number of parishioners who were stepping down from posts of responsibility: to Pat Davis (for many years organist at the Chapel), to Janet Larkins (coordinator of the Readers and Intercessors’ Rota at All Saints), to Michelle Gregory (coordinator of the All Saints’ Coffee Rota) and to Lesley Simm, who was stepping down as Home Visits Coordinator. A special vote of thanks was given to the leaders of the Operation Emmanuel performance in December 2011.
After dealing with all 21 items on the agenda, the meeting concluded with a presentation by Chris Gunton (and Viv Pyne who was unable to attend the meeting): ‘A Call to Action’. This focused on the need to spread the word about All Saints’ Church and its activities, through The Friends’ Scheme for example, to look at different sources of income such as local companies and grants, to run more regular events to raise funds for All Saints, to streamline communication, to raise expectations and goals. There was discussion on all aspects of the presentation, at the end of which PCC members voted unanimously to support the call to Act Now.
The meeting concluded at 22:35.

The next PCC Meeting will take place at KEH on Wednesday 21st March 2012.
If you would like a matter raised, please feel free to contact the PCC Secretary (Viv Perkins – details in the Parish Magazine) or any member of the PCC, who will be serving you coffee in February 2012 and again on April 1st 2012, after the 10:30 service, in All Saints’ Hall.

Viv Perkins PCC Secretary