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* Church At Large*
:-)
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| Draft Minutes of the Church Council Meeting
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| On: Wednesday 8th September 20:00
| At: St Marc's Church Centre
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| Present:
| Stephen Coffin (Chaplain), Lara Confort (Churchwarden), David Bailey (Churchwarden), Richard Sheppard (Treasurer), Alison Coulavin (Synod Rep.), Valerie Golton (Synod Rep), Alan Golton, Claire Naylor, Elizabeth Cherhal, Craig Alciati, Troy Simoni, Segun Odunlade, Mark Lewis (Secretary).
| | Absent:
| none
| | Excused:
| none
|
Please note that the Agenda was accompanied by the Second Service Proposal Document 002 for item number : 60 (a report from Stephen, Troy & Claire) This should be consulted in order to follow the Council discussion.
-----------REMINDER OF AGENDA------------------------------
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| | 56.
| Prayer & apologies (please notify Chaplain)
| | 57.
| Approval of minutes of last meeting and any matters arising
| | 58.
| Treasurer's report
| | 59.
| Committee reports
- 59a - evangelism committee report
- 59b - events committee report
| | 60.
| Second Service Proposal
(follow on from items 4a, 21,33,48)
| | 61.
| Review of past & future events
- 61a - Program Christmas Event Dates.
- 61b - Program Council Meeting Dates.
| | 62.
| Church project(s)
- 62a - dates for decorating Cecile's house?
- 62b - Prices and Logos for T-Shirts and Postcards (follow on from 54b)
| | 63.
| New Church Website and Website Issues
- 63a - General Presentation
- 63b - Comments and Suggestions
| | 64.
| Any Other Matters (or AOB)
- 64a - Church Video Projector - Practical questions
- 64b - no other matters
| | 65.
| Closing Prayer
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-----------BEGINNING OF THE MINUTES------------------------
Minutes:
| | 56.
| Prayer & apologies (please notify Chaplain)
The meeting opened in prayer.
| | 57.
| Approval of minutes of last meeting and any matters arising
The minutes from the last meeting were accepted unanimously by the Church Council.
There were no matters arising.
| | 58.
| Treasurer's report
Thank-you letters from Champfleuri and Compassion(UK) were received concerning our financial contributions. As far as our contribution for "Emmanuel College"/John Lenton is concerned we are still waiting for their bank details.
2 proposals for donations were heard:
- CITA,(Centre d'Initiation Technique et Artisanale). This is a school in Burkina Faso that offers training in woodwork, metalwork, mechanics and construction. An appeal to help the school was made in church at the begining of the Summer.
- Barnabas Fund - exists to assist persecuted Christian minorities by prayer and practical support. Barnabas Fund is appealing for assistance for the victims of the brutal terrorist attack on a school in Christian-majority North Ossetia.
The Council agreed to donate €1000 to each of these causes. Vote: 11 for, 0 against, 1 abstention.
These two causes will be announced in Church. The congregation should feel free to make special donations through the Treasurer to specific causes.
It was reminded that the church's tithing (i.e. 10% of church 2003 income) has already been distributed.
The Treasurer also reminded the Council that printing bills were adding up and to be careful of further expenses.
| | 59.
| Committee reports
- 59a - evangelism committee report
- Several dates have been announced, amongst which:
- 23rd September - Welcome Biscuits & Coffee - A church sponsored event to welcome all Anglophone newcomers to Grenoble & to our church premises.
- 28th October 2004 - Ian Watson will be speaking at a Men's supper.
- To avoid the chaos involved in the organisation of the men's suppers the committee will now be asking for advanced payment by partakers.
- An Information Pack with a send-back form will be made available for such events as The Carol Service, The Harvest Meal and Christmas. We are not only interested in knowing who is coming to our Church but also in communicating about our Church.
- 59b - events or social committee report
-The social committee has proposed several venues:
- 26th September 2004 - A guided tour of Vienne by French Tour Guide Christelle.
- 16th October 2004 - Coffee House Event - coffee, chat & social 19:30-21:30
- 7th November 2004 - Book sale at the Church.
- 12th February 2005 - Family Games Evening
- 13th March 2005 - Auction of Promises (bring a sandwich for lunch)
- ?? April 2005 A Home Entertainment evening
- Sometime in the summer 2005 - Church BBQ
The Council took note of the suggested venues.
| | 60.
| Second Service Proposal
Discussion around the Second Service Proposal Document 002 - The Way Forward
(follow on from items 4a, 21,33,48)
The feedback from the questionnaires distributed to the whole congregation can be summarized as follows:
- The suggestion received some support but no consensus.(46 questionnaires returned,2/3 supporting the proposal,1/3 opting for an early start not possible due to other users of the Church centre).
- The (next) most proposed time was Sunday evening, but owing logistical problems, for example families with small children, this seems a No-Go.
Taking this into account the Second Service Work Group (2SWG) put the second service idea aside and have proposed a document that attempts to integrate the main ideas of the Second Service Proposal into our existing format, since these found significant support from the congregation.
It was remarked that we should possibly not extrapolate answers from the survey to nourish a new proposal. The question of a trial period was also brought up. Also the Second Service Proposal Document 002 was seen to be coming back on the discussion the Council had on item 33 : the second service proposal should not alter existing format.
However it was argued that this whole new proposal was not per se a second service proposal as there would be no second service. The new proposal is more a way of adapting our existing Family Service and Morning Worship to integrate the objectives of the second service that had been acknowledged by the survey. Also Council was reminded that at any time it could re-discuss the whole issue as that was what the Council is for. (See Second Service Proposal Document 002).
The Council discussed and voted on points A to E of the Second Service Proposal Document 002.
C - The Family Service message should address the 11+ age group as the two "Collège" groups would take part in the service. Younger children should have a separate activity in order to:
-have an "all together" Sunday school class open for Mums and Dads.
-keep up with the Sunday School curriculum.
-Keep the children focused.
VOTE ON POINT C: 12 for, 0 against, 1 abstention. Point C of the proposal was accepted by the Council.
A,B & E - These items are proposed not as a revolution but as an evolution of the existing Morning Worship Service. The orientation of such a service can be found in
Second Service Proposal Document 001.
Some Council members commented that although the new orientation was being made to attract the un-churched, some of the un-churched may be seeking a more traditional approach to Christianity. It was suggested that they be invited to the Holy Communion Services if indeed Holy Communion was not a barrier in itself or that Morning Worship on the 5th Sunday be used to outreach to this particular people-group.
The goal is to offer a whole range of services to reach-out and minister to everyone. It's about love and unity not division so that we can be a witness to the world in this too.
We are working on a gradual change that can always be discussed again by the Council.
VOTE ON POINT A,B & E: 9 for, 0 against, 4 abstentions. Points A,B & E were accepted by the Council.
- Stephen underlines that he is open and willing to talk to anyone who may have ill feeling about this matter.
- Further questions include: Was the questionnaire truly representative of the congregation? Could an evaluation of the "service evolution" be made by looking at the targets met, at a future Council meeting?
| | 61.
| Review of past & future events
- 61a - Program Christmas Event Dates.
The Chaplain informed the Council of his full availability over the Christmas period. Owing to the success of Midnight Mass and the importance of Christmas the Council decided on the following:
- Friday 24 December 2004 23:15 - Midnight Mass
- Saturday 25th December 2004 10:45 - Family Service
- Sunday 26th December 2004 10:45 - Holy Communion
- 61b - Program Council Meeting Dates
-Wednesday 27th October 2004 - Ian Watts(ICS exec): will challenge the Council with issues to be thought of surrounding the possible change of Chaplain. Stephen Coffin's contract with us runs out on the 31st of October 2005. The Council must decide to renew or review the contract sometime before Easter 2005.
-Wednesday 10 November 2004 20:00 - Council Meeting
-Wednesday 08 December 2004 20:00 - Council Meeting
-Wednesday 12 January 2005 20:00 - Council Meeting
| | 62.
| Church project(s)
- 62a - dates for decorating Cecile's house?
-Cécile's house will be decorated by professional painters. At some point a team may be needed to landscape the Garden.
- 62b - Prices and Logos for T-Shirts and Postcards (follow on from 54b)
-Some research has been done. The Council suggests that people could place orders from prototypes. Photos of the Church wall hangings and scenery from around Grenoble seem to be likely designs for the cards.
| | 63.
| New Church Website and Website Issues
- 63a - General Presentation
-There was no time talk fully about this item. It shall be discussed again at a later date.
- 63b - Comments and Suggestions
-Although as stated above the subject was put off until a later date, Council Members are encouraged and welcome to feedback to Website Admins and comments and suggestions they may have about the website.
-However a few comments did filter...
- There should be more links to British Christian websites as after all we are an Anglican Church. (i.e. Scripture Union...)
- The OurBeliefs Page was thought to be a little wishy-washy and should include a real statement of faith (Creed).
- Questioning of the AllCanEdit philosophy. Once set up the main church pages should maybe be write protected. After all will we need to alter them? Sensitive things need to be locked for edit.
| | 64.
| Any Other Matters (or AOB)
- 64a - Church Video Projector - Practical questions
-The Chaplain is willing to carry the Video Projector too and from his apartment until a suitable and safe arrangement can be found on Church premises.
-The Council approve of the Youth Group making and selling Christmas tree decorations at the Carol Service in order to fund an exterior cause.
-Finances: The Council voted favourably on the proposal to allot a budget of 1500€ toward the Youth Group to allow for the funding of 2 Youth Weekends Away. (Particular accent was made on being able to cover the cost of invited non-Christian friends.) Vote: 13 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions.
-The Council thought buying some small chairs and tables for the 3-5yrs Sunday School group a good idea. However an estimate of price is necessary to make a definite decision.
-The Sunday School has proposed to issue a newsletter at the begining of every month in order to present the different groups and make the syllabus transparent for parents.
-Some parts of the main Church room need a thorough clean. An announcement in church will be made in order to constitute a team of volunteers.
- 64e - Square peg in round hole
-The Council approved a suggestion made to promote a "Welcome Suppers Rota". The Idea will be announced and presented in Church.
| | 65.
| Closing Prayer
The meeting closed in prayer
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Next Church Council Meeting:
| | Wednesday 10th November 2004 20:00 at St Marc's Church.
| | Agenda Topics to be sent to secretary before Wednesday 27th October 2004.
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