Annual report 2007
Dear Friends,
Our Annual Report is our yearly review of the life and ministry of the Church in our parish.
It is good to report that this year we held our first Confirmation Mass for several years.
When we welcome new communicants into the worshipping life of our parish, it reminds us of our Christian calling to be a welcoming community. Through Christ, God welcomes us into his own life: we are called to extend to others the welcome we have all received from God.
A few years ago, on a visit to Yorkshire, I went to Mass in the local parish church. During his sermon the priest said:
If you had a spray can of paint and if you were allowed to spray a message over the outside walls of this church building, what message would you spray on?
And he went on to say:
The message I would write is: 'This man sits down with sinners and eats with them'. In other words, everyone is welcome here.
As Catholic Christians we know that the Church is called to be a welcoming, inclusive community.
And so as we review and give thanks for our life together here as the Body of Christ, let us recommit ourselves to the service of the Lord who commissions us to proclaim and live-out his welcoming, inclusive love for all people.
Yours in Christ
Father Mark
The Parish of St Gabriel’s strives to bear witness to Catholic faith and practice.
As a parish of the Church in Wales, we seek to be a faithful and worshipping community of Christian people promoting our belief in Christ by word and deed.
Pastoral and spiritual care is extended to all, particularly those in special need. A welcome is extended to anyone who wishes to worship with the Christian community here or who wishes to enjoy the fellowship and friendship we offer through our organisations and social events.
We are here to serve the local community of which we are a part. Such service is part of our witness to the love of Christ and is fundamental to our life as members of His Church.
Our purpose then is to celebrate our faith in Christ and our following of Him by daily prayer and worship, by serving and caring for others and by promoting Christian concerns for Peace, Justice and Unity both in our society and in the wider world.
Eucharistic Ministers
The following people have the Bishop’s licence to exercise this Ministry:
David Tolley, Des Giles, Peter Hamilton, Paul Reynolds, Tony Greenslade, Ingrid Trueman, and Trevor Arthurs
Tony, Des and Ingrid are also licensed as pastoral assistants and take the Blessed Sacrament to the Sick and Housebound both in the parish and in Hill House Hospital.
We are grateful to all our Eucharistic assistants for the ministry they fulfil.
Church Attendance
|
|
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Electoral Roll |
115 |
109 |
107 |
|
Baptisms |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
Confirmation |
- |
- |
4 |
|
Weddings |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Funerals |
9 |
15 |
12 |
|
Easter |
118 |
122 |
113 |
|
Christmas |
93 |
97 |
105 |
|
Average communicants for Sundays |
72 |
71 |
71 |
In addition 2 parishioners regularly receive the Blessed Sacrament at home each month.
On average 30 patients receive the Sacrament at Hill House Hospital every Sunday after the 9.30 a.m. Parish Mass, and about 12 people receive the Sacrament each month at Earlsmoor.
The accounts for this year show an overall deficit on the Consolidation Account of £513 that is transferred to the General Reserve Account which now totals £18,412.
During the year we made the following donations to Religious and Charitable bodies:
£
Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation 650
Fund for street children in Cusco, Peru 830
Bishops Emergency Fund 72
Hospice for the Homeless 18
Incorporated Building Society 25
Swansea Centre for Deaf People 25
St. Luke’s Hospital for the Clergy 25
Christian Aid 150
Samaritans 25
Additional Curates Society 50
Lesotho 450
Swansea & Brecon Widows, Orphans & Pensions 25
Cancer Information Support 1200
P.I.O.S.A. Madagascar 40
Swansea & Brecon Social Responsibility 307
Total £3,932
NOTE:
Two donations not included in the above will be paid in January 2008:
Swansea and Brecon Social Responsibility (Christingle) £124
Emanuel Ministry Trust £648
During the year the receipts from various social and other fund-raising activities have been added to the Repair Fund, which now stands at £12,822 and is included in Creditors.
The value of our investment has improved during the year, and our original investment of £40,000 is now valued at £49,099.
J.S. Abbett – Treasurer
Report of the Secretary of the Parochial Church Council – 2007
The P.C.C. held four meetings during the year in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of the Church in Wales. There were no extraordinary meetings.
The main item on the agenda continued to be the Church Hall Project and relevant information leading up to the sale of the Hall at Public Auction on 6 June 2007. The P.C.C. unanimously voted to support the application for a Faculty for the relocation of the font, in preparation for the proposed building work.
In January Fr Mark and members of the P.C.C. had attended a presentation given by the Diocesan Board of Finance on a proposed new Parish Share System. Following this, all members of the P.C.C. were given a booklet containing the relevant information, as the decision to which category the parish is placed was to be made by the P.C.C.. At a further meeting on 19 February the P.C.C. agreed unanimously that St Gabriel’s should be placed in Category C. We have since been notified by the Stewardship Division of the Diocese that implementation of the new allocation method is postponed, and will not impact the amount of Parish Share we will be required to contribute until 1 January 2009.
We were delighted to welcome Bishop Anthony to our Patronal Festival and Confirmation Mass in September.
Hilary Roberts – P.C.C. Secretary.
Church Wardens’ Report 2007
We had little regular maintenance on the church and grounds in 2007 but just a few activities are worth a mention. During the spring we had problems with pigeons nesting in the porch. Plastic mesh netting fixed around the gates has helped, but metal mesh fixed on the inside of the raftered construction of the porch, to keep the birds off the level nesting surfaces, will probably be a better solution.
Peter Lloyd.
On Sunday 4 February we were able to support our local charity Cancer Information Services (CISS) again this year by holding a concert in our church. The entertainment was provided by youngsters from the 'Class Act Theatre School', Mr. Leslie Thomas (violinist), Mr. David Cox (pianist) and Mr. Stephen Dunn (St Gabriel’s organist). The evening was enjoyed by all and this was reflected by the proceeds that enabled us to present a cheque for £1,200.00 to Mrs. Mary Lythgoe, Director of CISS.
On Tuesday 20 February we had our Annual Pancake and Auction Night. Again, this was a fun night, and after our pancakes and liquid refreshment, we were able to bid for the selection of goods that went 'under the hammer', money being extracted from us by our own auctioneer Mr. Dick Phillips. As in the past expenditure was minimised by people providing the pancakes, goods for the auction and raffle prizes. Everyone enjoyed the evening.
Saturday 2 June started with inclement weather. Fortunately this cleared in time for our Summer Fete so that we were able to enjoy an al fresco lunch and all the usual fine stalls and bargains.
As you may be aware, we have had to sell the Church Hall due to the deterioration of the property involving a high cost of maintenance, and on Friday 8th June, we had a 'Farewell to the Church Hall Supper Dance'. The entertainment was provided by the Mellow Tones, who gave us an almost non-stop medley of dance music, with people taking to the floor and working off the calories put on by the excellent meal provided by our Luncheon Club catering team. Although this was the end to our church hall activities, everyone there had a most enjoyable time.
The Quiz, Cheese and Wine Night held on Wednesday 17 October and, as usual, was hosted by our Quiz Master, Peter Lloyd. As in the past, this event was fun for all - and challenging for some of us!
As it was impracticable to hold our Christmas Fair within the Church, it was held at the Scout and Guide Headquarters in Bryn Road. This was on Saturday 17 November. We had hoped that our supporters in previous years would follow us to our new venue, but this did not seem to be the case as attendance was down on past years. This was unfortunate because all the stallholders put so much time and effort into preparing and running the stalls. Maybe people did not take proper note of the change of venue. We are holding the Fair at the same place next year and hope people will be more aware of the venue so that we can get back to our usual numbers. It should be noted that in addition to fewer people attending, a cost was incurred for the hire of the hall; a cost not previously borne.
On Saturday 24 November we had a coach trip to the city of Bath. We left church at 8.30 a.m. and the timing must have been just right as there were no long 'hold-ups' at the road works near Cardiff. En-route we did encounter rain, but fortunately it did ease off to enable us to get around the fine city of Bath. Although we did not manage to fill the coach, those who went seemed to have had a good time - some obviously boosting the economy of the City, judging by the number of shopping bags in their possession.
On Sunday 25 November, we held a concert organised by Ingrid Trueman. This was a most delightful evening with a variety of entertainments. The concert was opened with the young choir from Ysgol Gymraeg Bryn-y-Mor. During the evening we had a variety of instrumental and vocal entertainment from the Derek Morgan Trio, entertaining us with percussion, harmonica and accordion, also the vocalist Haley Paultyn, the St Joseph’s Cathedral singers and Peter Evans on guitar.
During the year we had our Cake and Home Produce stall at the back of church on four occasions after Sunday Mass. In addition, we were able to raise money through having a raffle and selling refreshments on the coach during the parish holiday to Brighton.
Our fund-raising events income over the year for church funds is as follows:
|
Function |
£ |
|
Auction and Pancake Night |
432 |
|
Summer Fete |
535 |
|
Farewell to Church Hall Supper Dance |
281 |
|
Quiz, Cheese and Wine Night |
192 |
|
Coach trip to Bath |
130 |
|
Concert (for church funds) |
450 |
|
124 |
|
|
196
|
|
|
Sub total |
2,340
|
|
Christmas Fair |
1,045 |
|
|
£3,385 |
We would like to thank my fellow committee members and church members for their support and contributions to various events have enabled the raising of money to maintain our fine church.
Keith Rogers – Chairman
Health and Safety Report
I am pleased to be able to report that during the year there have been no accidents or reportable incidents. A potential problem caused by raised block work near the North door was rectified early on, by placing a carpet over the offending area.
Selling the church hall has alleviated Health and Safety problems associated with deteriorating buildings and any reference to the hall is now omitted from our Health and Safety document.
During the year regular checks have been made on the lighting system and various items of our electrical and other equipment including our fire extinguishers. The extinguishers have also been checked and certified by an independent specialist in accordance with our Health and Safety Document.
Our pathways and steps have been regularly inspected and cleaned. At the East end of the church, the steps leading from Brynmill Crescent are used regularly by members of the public as access to the vicarage or to Bryn Road, so they must also be kept clean, white lined and kept free of abutting vegetation. New outside low-energy light sensor lights that stay on during darkness have been installed nearby. These also provide safer lighting for walking from the vicarage to the church as the old sensor light did not always activate. A set of railings has been fixed, together with a gate, to prevent anyone accidentally, or with intent, gaining access to the boiler room steps.
In the quinquennial report, it was pointed out that certain areas of the wood block flooring in the nave need attention. This is something the P.C.C. may discuss within the next year. I trust our good safety record will continue through 2008.
Keith Rogers – Health and Safety Officer
This is the last of the Church Hall reports and sees the closing of the chapter in which the Hall on Osborne Terrace was used by the Parish.
In June 2007 the Hall was sold at auction for £155,000 by the Representative Body on behalf of the Parish. After costs to the selling agents and the RB solicitor and some extra interest revenue because of a delayed completion, the Parish has just over £152,000 available from the sale to help finance the 'new hall project'.
In its final year we continued letting the hall until April, and were able to pass £1,064 over to the Treasurer before closing the account.
I should like to thank the faithful few who could be counted on for cleaning the hall or maintaining the hall and its facilities over its period of use.
Peter Lloyd
Church Hall Project
For the first time in several of these reports I feel I am able to write something positive rather than apologise for a total lack of progress. Nevertheless, what I can report is still a mixture of fact and hope.
In 2007 we have burned our bridges and sold the 'old hall'. Although we have recouped about £152,000 from the proceeds, we still do not have a firm programme for the conversion of the back of the Church. In 2007 we have however, chosen our preferred option and informed our architect, Mr. Stefan Horowskyj. We have asked him to confirm the costs for our final consideration and approval. Our target is to keep the expenditure within, or very close, to the sum raised by the sale of the hall. The plan is to have a new external building, housing toilets and the kitchen, allowing the westernmost bay of the church to be cleared to become the 'hall'. The font will be relocated in the south aisle.
In 2007 we have liaised with the Archdeacon and the DAC in Brecon concerning our plans and have this far had no negative responses. In an attempt to create a more user -friendly area at the back of the church during this in-between period, we have set in motion a request for a stand-alone faculty to move the font ahead of the major works. We are hoping to have this granted in January 2008.
As the year closes the architect’s drawings and costings for the conversion have been received and will go to the Project Committee in January. If we are able to agree on these or just subtle changes to these then we will be able to proceed to formally requesting the faculty for the major works.
We have always known that a project such as this would not be materialised very quickly, and we have been disappointed with progress to date. Hopefully as we enter 2008 we can see a real way forward and dare one say 'the end of the tunnel'.
I should like to thank all the committee members for their input to the 2007 meetings and their help in arriving at the consensus which we confirmed to the Architect. I would also like to thank them for their patience as they and I have had to endure periods of slow progress on the project.
I look forward to being able to share the final plan and time-scale with the congregation at large and hope that this can be in the near future.
Peter Lloyd – Chairman
Diocesan Conference 2007
The 2007 Diocesan Conference was held on Saturday 13th October at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon.
The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon gave his presidential address, and various reports were presented to conference.
Stephen Dunn
Deanery Conferences 2007
The Deanery Conference met on three occasions in 2007. Firstly, on 22 January, members attended a joint meeting with Penderi Deanery at St Illtyd’s, Fforestfach about new proposals concerning the Parish Share. Secondly on 6 February at Llwynderw Parish Hall, Canon Peter Williams and Rev. Joanna Penberthy spoke about woman bishops and the Church in Wales – a subject that was for debate at the Governing Body later in the year.
The Annual General Meeting of the Deanery Conference was held on 8 May at All Souls', Tycoch. The guest speaker was the Revd Ian Davis, priest-in-charge at Waunarlwydd, who spoke about lay ministry. The triennial elections were held and Mrs Hazel James was elected to the Executive Committee.
On 15 November the Deanery said farewell to Bishop Anthony, as he approaches retirement, at a Eucharist celebrated at All Saint’s Oystermouth.
Hazel James
St Gabriel’s Guild of Prayer
Our monthly prayer group continues to meet on the first Monday in the month. We have the Rosary and the Healing Service on alternate months. Everyone is welcome at these services where we offer our prayers for the sick and for all people in need or adversity throughout the world.
Hilary Roberts
Magazine Editor’s Report.
I am pleased to report that production of the Magazine continued to schedule and without any problems throughout 2007. Twelve monthly issues were produced with a total of 192 A4 pages, which compares well to 178 pages in 2006 and 180 pages in 2005. The number of pages in each issue ranged from 14 (4 issues) to 18 (4 issues) and averaged 16.
The appearance of the Magazine has been enhanced by an upgrade of the editor’s equipment and by greater availability of colour printing at Eastmoor.
As in previous years I am most grateful to the clergy and the other regular contributors and to all who have supplied me with material from time to time, including the unprovenanced contributions that appear in my box at the back of the church. The fact that material comes from a fairly wide range of members of the congregation is encouraging.
I am also very happy to acknowledge the dedicated work of Mrs Mary Colebrook at Eastmoor who runs off the required number of copies from my originals each month, and never fails to produce them on time. I would also, of course, like to thank those who distribute the Magazine, and finally all who buy and, I hope, read it.
Paul Reynolds
St Gabriel’s Mothers’ Union
As usual, our session began with our annual New Year Lunch at the Olchfa House with husbands and friends. This is an event which we all enjoy when the Christmas festivities are a distant memory.
Our year has followed our usual pattern of speakers, social functions, Deanery and Diocesan events. Throughout Lent, we attended the Lenten addresses during Mass, we also observed the Clyne Deanery Quiet Time at St Peter’s, Newton, conducted by our Area Dean, Fr George Bennett.
On Lady Day, several members joined with Sketty and Killay branches to travel to Brecon for the special Lady Day service at St Mary’s Church. During the service the commissioning of new officers took place and I was very proud to be commissioned as an Honorary Diocesan Vice-President. Another of our members, the Revd Kay Warrington, was also commissioned as Vice President for the Archdeaconry of Gower.
On Ascension Day members attended the archidiaconal festival at St Catherine’s Church, Gorseinon where the preacher was Bishop Richard Inwood, Central Chaplain of the Mothers’ Union. Our banner was carried by Mrs Barbara Grove.
Clyne Deanery Mothers’ Union Festival was held at All Saint’s Church, Oystermouth on June 5 when the preacher was Canon Keith Evans, Vicar of All Saints, and we were delighted that our branch was accompanied by our own vicar Fr Mark.
Our Annual Summer Outing this year on 17 July was to Bishopston where we were shown around the very ancient church of St Teilo by the Vicar, Fr Andrew Pearce. Afterwards we all had lunch and a very happy time at the Valley Hotel in the village.
The Wave of Prayer, when we pray for our own link branches in Kenya and Australia was observed on 25 August, and members have also attended and taken part in the Clyne Deanery Eucharists in St Mary’s in February and August
Our speakers during the year have been varied and interesting including Mrs Margaret Evason who spoke on Lay Chaplaincy work in Singleton Hospital, and Chancellor Arthur Howell who gave us an excellent talk on his latest book 'Generous Love'. Speakers in the autumn session included Sister Vrenny, who talked about the school for children in Ramallah which developed into the Christmas Appeal which raised over £700, the Revd. Kay on Godly Play, and Mrs. Glenys Payne on Prayer and Social Policy. Our year ended with coffee and mince pies and Mrs Audrey Mackintosh gave a demonstration on making a Christmas tabletop decoration, which we all enjoyed immensely.
In conclusion I would like to thank Fr Mark for his continued support of the Branch, to Fr Brian for his work as Social Secretary and printing duties, and to Mrs Joan Davies for her excellent work as Secretary and Treasurer. Finally, my thanks to all the members for their love and friendship and loyal support at all times.
Monica Jones
Lesotho Friends
I am pleased to report that 2007 has been another successful year of fund raising for Lesotho. In April the Luncheon Club very kindly hosted a three-course lunch, which was enjoyed by all who supported it and we raised £203 on the day. With this money and other donations, I have been able to send a cheque for £450 for the Lesotho Appeal.
The Treasurer of the Lesotho Diocesan Association thanked us for all our efforts and I would like to add my thanks to everyone at St Gabriel’s for your continued support.
Connie Harvey
Luncheon Club
The past year has been one of great change for the Luncheon Club. Selling the Church Hall meant that we either had to find a way of adapting the back of the Church for our use or postpone the lunches for some considerable time. We chose the former route and were able to use the north-west corner of the Church as our new ‘kitchen’ and open Chez Gabriel for business. Thanks to the unwavering support of our diners, this has proved to be a great success. We have all continued to enjoy our fellowship in the cosier atmosphere and were able to raise £1,500 which was donated to Gift Day.
The staff would like to thank everyone for their support and forbearance and look forward to welcoming you all in 2008.
Katheryn Lloyd
Once again this year the Church was beautifully decorated for the Christmas Festival. The Christmas Happening held on 22 December proved to be very successful when everyone joined in to make the posy cups for the candlesticks. Our thanks are due to Keith Rogers for having constructed the candlesticks after the vaguest of descriptions (some of our members having seen them at a Flower Festival in a Hereford church) with such wonderful results. Keith helps us in many ways, securing a shelf for the floral display at the foot of the statue of Our Lady is just one example.
Throughout the year the group of nominated arrangers 'beaver' away quietly on the weekend ready for the Sunday services, but when it comes to main festivals help is always needed. However, we usually manage to enlist the aid of willing volunteers (or perhaps conscripts) and manage to keep our Church beautifully decorated. But let us not forget that without the financial contributions made by our parishioners this would not be possible, and we wish to thank you all very sincerely.
Audrey Mackintosh
Music at St Gabriel’s
Each Sunday our loyal ladies of the choir have maintained the singing of the responsorial psalm which many people have said they appreciate.
Early in 2007 the idea was put forward to form a Chorale which would sing at major feasts and special occasions. This came into being at Easter when the St Gabriel’s Chorale performed for the first time during the Sung Mass. Further contributions of motets and anthems have been made at the Patronal and Confirmation Mass, during Advent and on Christmas Day. Generous comments have been received from members of the congregation, and we are delighted that we have been able, in a small way, to enhance the already splendid liturgy at St Gabriel’s. We look forward to contributing again in 2008.
On a personal note I would like to thank the choir and the chorale for their commitment.
Stephen Dunn
Organist and Choir Master
This year the Annual Swansea Parishes’ Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was held from 21 to 25 May. It was good to see some new faces join us on our visit and experience the peace and joy of this very special place.
On Wednesday 15 August, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solemn Mass was celebrated at St Gabriel’s followed by a Bring and Share Lunch at the home of Fr Brian and Monica. This was a most enjoyable occasion and well attended.
On the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday 8 December, Solemn Mass was concelebrated at St Gabriel’s. A Bring and Share Lunch at the Vicarage followed this by the kind invitation of Fr Mark.
Hilary Roberts
Classes from both schools regularly visit St Gabriel’s. Several parishioners are involved in the life of the schools, some serving as governors at both schools. Fr Mark regularly takes assembly at Brynmill Primary School.
Fr Mark visits each month and the Blessed Sacrament is administered then and on Christmas morning. Several parishioners serve on the Friends of Earlsmoor Committee.
As a Parish we seek to give prayerful and financial support to CISS. A number of our parishioners help to run the charity shop.