Chaplain’s report to the St Marc’s English Speaking Church Annual Meeting 2005

Marian & I have had the privilege of serving here for four and a half years, and would like to thank the Church Council for inviting us to extend our contract and stay on for a further three years from next November. We are grateful too to all of you who have encouraged us and expressed support of that decision. It is great being here in such an interesting Church, sharing with so many wonderful people from such diverse backgrounds, and to see God working in people’s lives to such good effect. Thank you.

We have lots for which to be thankful this past year. For example:

Numbers have been rising slowly at our Sunday services

We have the joy of sharing the Christian message & life with lots of children, which is a significant investment for the kingdom of God

Our youth group has grown in numbers, spiritual depth and outreach to friends

More people have joined in home groups, with a new one started recently

An enjoyable, diverse programme of social activities has offered something to most people

Our monthly Church meal continues to be a highlight, with imaginative menus

Our finances have been positive, so that we’ve been able to give more away

Music has been more diverse at services

Our quarterly men’s meetings have been appreciated and enable us to connect with new people

Our Church web site has been revamped by Larry & others and is useful tool with much potential

It’s also been a year with challenges with which to grapple.

We looked at adding a second weekly worship service, but, lacking a consensus on timing and logistics, have instead adjusted our regular services. I fear I did not handle as well as I should have the way in which we surveyed opinion, so I do apologise for that and for the tensions it created. However it is an issue we shall need to revisit if (please God) our numbers continue to rise, if only because of our building’s capacity.

The "Mission Shaped Church" report of the Church of England has raised issues about how we connect with those who have no Church background. This our new Council will need to further consider, and I hope to share material from this with everyone in due course.

The offer of welcoming an American missionary couple from International Teams has been joyfully accepted, and we hope Howard & Dona Diehl, when they eventually arrive, may help us with the above two issues, which may well be related.

The offer of hosting an International Student Worker, in partnership with Friends International from Britain, gives us the possibility of contacting many more English speaking students on the university campus, and supporting the Christian Union, which struggles there. This will require some new funding.

Monthly e-mails of the topics for our Church Prayer Meeting have enabled more people to join in supporting our Church in prayer, but we need to find more imaginative ways to deepen this.

Looking ahead we need to build on the positives and rise to the challenges, and whatever fresh ones God brings our way. In particular:

-We need to provide better resources, training and support to those who teach our children.

-We should find further, better ways to build each other up in the faith and equip one another for outreach to those who have not found Christian faith.

Of course our Church depends on the input and committed support of everyone, and we are grateful to those who give that. In particular we thank our past year’s Churchwardens, David Bailey & Lara Confort, our Synod representatives for the past three years, Alison Coulavin & Val Golton, our Treasurer, Richard Sheppard, our Secretary, Mark Lewis, and all who’ve served on the Church Council. We are indebted to Claire Naylor and those who help her with our Youth Group, to all our Sunday School Teachers, led by Marian Coffin and, since September, Lara Confort, and to Mary Ellen Simoni, who has undertaken the exhausting task of organising the Sunday crèche, & to those who have staffed it. We benefit from many people’s musical contributions under Claire Naylor’s direction, from the sterling work of our Catering Committee led by Val Golton, and the ideas of the Events Committee, chaired by John Stinton. We are grateful to those who lead our different home groups, greatly appreciated by those who attend them, and to those who oversee our mission & social support. Lots of you help with the often unnoticed tasks of preparing the building for our weekly worship and contribute to that worship as decorators with flowers, co-ordinated by Jane Sheppard, welcomers, readers, leaders of prayer, communion helpers, refreshment providers, and so on. Thank you to you all. There is always room for more to join in with these tasks, and we are always open to new ideas about how we should do things and of other provision we should offer. Last, but by no means least, I’d like to express my appreciation of all that Alan Golton brings to us, especially in his teaching ministry, and of his unfailing support of my ministry, and to my Marian, who does so much to enable and help me.

So thank you to all of you who support our Church and encourage and challenge me. It is a privilege to be here, and I look forward with hope and expectancy to seeing God working amongst us over the year ahead as we work together with him.
Stephen Coffin, Easter 2005.