Chaplain’s report to the 2009 Annual General Meeting of the “Association de l’Eglise Anglicane de Grenoble”

At last year’s meeting we received accounts showing a deficit, so it’s been a great answer to prayer and a testimony to your commitment that this year we are back in credit. This continues to be an area of challenge however, as members move away and are unlikely to be replaced in the current economic climate.

We had a good group of students with us last year, so it’s been encouraging at the start of 2009 to have some students from China, India & South Korea join us. The number on our address list has therefore risen recently, but erratic attendance means our Sunday number has not changed much, with typically 55 adults & 10 children. We thank our Crèche & Sunday School teachers & helpers for all they give to the children, and Marie & April for organising this.

Many people comment on the warmth of welcome they feel at our Church. We must ensure that goes on into deeper relationships, which nourish everyone’s life. Our committed Church Council has addressed various matters, including how we can better provide care of our members. This has led us to establish recently a contact scheme, which we hope will enable us to be better aware of one another’s needs, and a pastoral care team who will try to assist wherever needs are identified.

Our current course, “Building Relationships with God’s Love”, has been well received, and we hope it will strengthen our mutual care as well as deepening our appreciation of God’s love, and challenging us to give love to all we meet. It fits with our Church vision, expressed in our logo, of building on God’s love for us relationships of love towards God, one another and our neighbours.

We are grateful to Alan, Dante & Howard for their contributions to our Preaching Programme, and to all those who lead and host our home groups. These opportunities to learn and grow together are so important, and I urge those of you who have not joined a home group to do so.

We joined the Alpha initiative for the whole of France last autumn. Those who followed the course were appreciative, but the two-weekly format and failures in my organisation of things meant our numbers fell off and it had less impact than we’d hoped. We’ll have a meeting on 31st March to see what lessons we can learn and plan for the future, hopefully benefiting from Fanny attending the Lyon preparation weekend. The challenge of getting the good news of Jesus to the thousands of English speakers who come to Grenoble continues….

Missionary concern remains a priority for us, so it was good to be able to increase our outside giving this year. The Lewis family feels they’ve been more effective in Burkina Faso this year. They return this summer, and we must support them in the transition back to France. We rejoice that Stephanie Vincent-Sweet is spending 3 months in Rwanda currently, and look forward to hearing from her when she’s back. Meanwhile let’s support her in prayer. We continue to focus also on the work of ICS, Tearfund, Barnabas Fund, Compassion, ACAT and l’Echoppe. We’ll try to give each a special space in our Sunday programme over coming months.

Our partnership with other Churches in Grenoble, particularly in our Centre, takes a share of my energies on our behalf. As more French speakers join us I hope we will be able to extend this ecumenical work. We were blessed by visits from Bishop Pierre & his wife from Paris, and by Moroccan missionaries John & Penny Gooch for our Weekend Away. We continue to thank God for Howard & Dona’s contributions and their supporters who make that possible.

The events committee, under John’s leadership, continues to organise a variety of social events, some with a money raising aspect, and our Catering Committee, led by Val, has worked overtime this year, with Alpha in addition to our much appreciated monthly meals and other special occasions.

We thank the many people who contribute to our Sunday services, which are the centre of Church life, including musicians, those who read, pray, welcome, set-up, serve refreshments, arrange flowers and undertake the practical tasks. We’ve tried a couple of services seated around tables, with discussion, which has been well received as a change.

Many thanks to our Churchwardens, Joseph & Elizabeth, their Deputies, David & Marie, and our Church Council members for their leadership this year. Some of them are leaving Grenoble this year, and we’ll miss them; others are unable to continue due to pressure of work. So we thank those who have offered to serve for this next year, praying that we can together discern and implement God’s will for his Church. We build on what those who have gone before us have left as a legacy, and trust that by God’s grace we may be faithful stewards of all he’s entrusted to us.

For Marian and myself it is a privilege to be part of such a positive, diverse and encouraging Church. We thank you for your unfailing support, and for all you share with us. As we look back on this past year, and indeed over our eight years here, we feel blessed to be here and to share your lives. All God has done gives us confidence for what lies ahead, despite the challenging times we live in. May Jesus be at the centre of our lives, individually and as a Church. Thank you.

Stephen.