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ANNUAL REPORT
Report to the
Annual General Meeting
April 2007
PASTORAL LETTER
Yet another year has elapsed and
the Lord has blessed us with so many positive changes. Within an
interval of a year the inside of our church has been transformed,
out has gone the pipe organ and in has come the electric organ and
the added space which was much needed for our growing congregation
(we will let the vice-president know that change is part of our life
and fabric).
On a more serious note, there is a
sense of spiritual as well as physical growth in our congregation.
The spirit of love and warm welcome that permeates the life of our
church makes it possible for people to want to come to worship with
us and to want their babies christened in our church. These are
facts that are known to every member of the congregation. We are
looking forward to receiving Margaret, Malcom, Joe and Aline as
church members; at the same time we are looking forward to the
Christening of Megan Olivia Hinton on April 22.
I am delighted to see the Sunday
School teachers exploring the ways of taking the youth work forward.
Their visit to the Blackheath youth club and their holiday
activities for the youth here at our church are only examples of
their initiatives.
On a sad note we recall the passing
away of our friend Peter Crofts whose absence is still felt both
within the congregation and more heavily in the family. It is
important that we continue to encourage each other and especially
support Sheila, Rachel and their family. We also note with sadness
the deaths of Winnie Deeley and Daisy Saunders. Thank you for the
support you have given to their families.
Together we are looking forward to
another year of blessings and God’s Leadership in his work. We hope
to be able to revisit some of the ideas that have been floated
around and welcome new ideas about how we can move forward in God’s
work. On Friday August 31 we shall have our Welcoming Service for
David Alford and his family. David will join the circuit leadership
team and ministerial team in September this year. We are all looking
forward to the opportunities David’s appointment will bring to the
circuit and to Overend in particular.
What David’s appointment means for
my ministry at Overend is that I will take a back seat in order to
support both David as he grows into his ministry and the church. So
it is not farewell yet. I will continue to be involved in the
ministry at Overend; but as my role is due to change soon, I would
like to take this opportunity to express my sincere and heartfelt
thanks to you all for your love, friendship and support. It is a
real joy to be able to serve the Lord with you and among you.
God bless you
all
Your friend
and Minister
Paul Nzacahayo
STEWARDS' REPORT
Our church has continued to develop
and grow over the past twelve months and I know that I speak for all
of the Stewards in thanking each one of you for all of the work that
has been done, in so many ways, to make this happen.
Much of the work that goes into
supporting the life of our church and the fellowship that we share
can so easily seem to go unnoticed or unacknowledged. Some of the
work is quite visible and very gratefully received. On the other
hand, we could easily take for granted things that seemingly ‘just
appear’ from one week to the next, such as the church décor, with
beautiful floral arrangements, particularly for our various
festivals throughout the year; we have some incredibly talented
people amongst us. On the other hand, some work we would tend to
notice more if it wasn’t done, such as maintenance work, heating,
cleaning work done both internally and externally by the periodic
working parties that gather to dispose of clutter and weed and clear
the grounds. People give freely of their time to organise weekday
activities; we should remember not to take these things for granted.
The amount of love and support we
offer to each other on a one to one basis is something that is
difficult to quantify but would most certainly be recognised by its
absence. The visiting, telephone calls, listening and practical
help going on behind the scenes forms a network of support in which
we all have a part to play. This is a responsibility that we each
share in the example Jesus gives us.
Time moves on so quickly and we can
take this opportunity for reflection on some of the things that the
last twelve months have held for us:
We have seen so many age milestones
this year – with 21st, 40th, 50th,
70th birthdays and, not least, we took delight in sharing
in Marie Smith’s 90th birthday celebrations.
Prayer Meetings and Bible Studies
have been arranged and attended throughout the year. We are so
fortunate as a church for these opportunities for our spiritual
growth and development. We are extremely grateful for the
commitment of those who offer their time freely to arrange these on
our behalf. All are welcome to attend and I encourage you to
consider further this aspect of our church life if you have not
already done so.
In July, we took part in ‘Pray
Without Ceasing’. You may recall that, in February 2005 the
Methodist Church launched its campaign to maintain continuous prayer
throughout the Connexion for 14 months, commencing in June 2005. We
took responsibility for the period from midnight to 6.00am on Friday
14 July as our part in this. I can say with confidence that all who
took part in this overnight prayer vigil found it a positive
experience and an opportunity for meaningful reflection. I know
that so many of you also found the Advent Labyrinth a moving and
thought provoking experience.
A number of our fellowship have not
experienced good health and over the last 12 months and in some
cases have needed hospital treatment. They have spoken of their
appreciation of the prayerful and practical support, love and
friendship you have given to them during these difficult times.
The death of our dear friend Peter
Crofts brought a profound sadness for all of us. He contributed
considerably to the life of our church and fellowship, through his
preaching, his singing and simply his presence amongst us. I have
heard more than one person comment on how he never had a bad word to
say about anyone – what a tremendous commendation; an example to us
all of a characteristic to which we should each aspire. We shall
miss Peter immensely.
Our tradition for superb food has
been continued through our Harvest Supper, Summer and Christmas
Fayres etc. I feel that we a special note of thanks here to Judith
Tyler and Janet Jones for bearing the brunt of the enormous
responsibility for the work and planning put into these events – for
as long as I can remember!
On Maundy Thursday last year, we
had the tremendous production of ‘From Pharaoh to Freedom’. This
year, ‘Jerusalem Joy’ was presented by our members during our Palm
Sunday evening worship. Our thanks go to all involved in these
events, for the commitment of participants for their time to
attending rehearsals and to Belinda McBain for preparing the music
and for her direction of both the practices and performances. We’re
always hoping for new voices - please consider joining us for the
next one!
As part of our aim to develop our
knowledge and appreciation of other faiths, a number of our members,
including the Sunday School, visited the Mosque in Dudley and also
the Sikh Temple. Those involved in the visits found them helpful
and informative. We were also privileged to have Eileen McDonald
visit us last summer to share her experience of missionary work in
South Africa.
Unfortunately, there is not enough
room here for me to mention by name so many individuals who
contribute so actively to the life of our church. However, a
special note of thanks must go to our Sunday School leaders.
Although their task could sometimes appear thankless and the
behaviour of some of their charges somewhat challenging, their
commitment to the nurture and development of our younger members is
commendable and clearly unreserved.
A strong focus of our church has
always been that, following in Christ’s footsteps, we are a place
where all will find a welcome. We have a strong sense of worship,
fellowship, friendship and also fun (hopefully, in fine-tuned
balance!). What a truly wonderful legacy for each of us to carry
forward for the future.
Shirley
Hollingsworth
Church
Steward
WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP
The Leadership Team is led by Rev Paul and consists of the church
stewards plus Pat Withers, Muriel Woodhouse, Margaret Bradley and
Deb Westwood. Others are co-opted from time to time, depending upon
the business in hand. Its main function is to plan the worship and
fellowship life of the church.
Worship:
As well as the major festivals, we also try to ensure that
designated Sundays, covering World Mission, Education, Youth,
Homelessness, Racial Justice, World AIDS Day, Asylum etc are also
observed.
We are fortunate to have a group of people to take part in leading
worship. This year the worship group led a service on Ascension
Sunday (Stations of the Resurrection) and Passion Sunday (A dramatic
presentation of the last days of Jesus’ life).
InterMission continue to lead worship regularly. In addition to the
monthly family services they also led the open-air service in
August.
Our worship leaders, Muriel, Emma and Helene took responsibility for
two services in August and Asylum Sunday in October. Helene was
admitted as a local preacher on-trial following her trial service in
September.
The Sunday School Anniversary services in May were based upon a year
in the life of the church. The leaders took responsibility for
preparing and conducting the services and for training the children
to their usual high standard.
In August we were invited to renew our friendship with St Peter’s
church, where we were entertained to tea followed by the evening
worship.
September saw the return of Trevor and Marilyn Pratt to renew old
friendships and to conduct our Harvest Festival services.
The Christmas services were slightly different this year as
Christmas Day fell on Monday. The Young People’s Carol Service was
held the week before Christmas and the Festival of Lessons and
Carols took place on the morning of Christmas Eve. There was no
midnight communion service.
One of the highlights of the year was the visit in March of our
Vice-President, Dudley Coates. He conducted a seminar on the
Saturday afternoon and conducted worship to a full church on Sunday
morning. The church was also full on the Sunday evening when we
were joined by the rest of the circuit.
Worship continues to be central to the life of the church and we are
fortunate that so many of our members are involved in its planning
and presentation.
Prayer meetings:
Prayer meetings took place at monthly intervals, on mornings,
lunchtime and evenings. Lunchtime is the least popular time and
will probably be abandoned this year. Meetings are generally led by
Paul, Margaret, Pat and Barry.
In July we took part in the Pray Without Ceasing project, in which
every district in Methodism agreed to maintain continuous prayer
throughout the year. Our circuit’s turn came on Friday 14 July,
from midnight on Thursday until 6.00 am on Friday. Each hour was
planned around a different theme, with different people taking
responsibility for leadership. People were free to come and go at
any time they chose. Those who stayed all through the night
testified it to be a rewarding spiritual experience. So much so
that there are plans to repeat the exercise this year at a time that
more people will find convenient.
During Advent the prayer meeting was centred on a labyrinth, which
symbolises the pilgrim’s journey inwards into the heart of God and
the outwards into the world.
In February we responded to Methodism’s call to pray with and for
other faiths. We had hoped to be joined by some of the Dudley
Inter-faith group, but this proved not to be possible. There was a
Buddhist present with us, and we used prayers from all the major
world faith traditions.
Bible Study:
We held just one Bible Study session this year, in October /
November. These were all led by ministers, Mike Mason, Ant Petit,
John Howard, Stuart Davis and Paul. The theme was the signs in
John’s gospel and all the sessions were well attended. It was not
possible to organise a Lent bible study this year, due to rehearsals
for Jerusalem Joy.
Barry Blunt
Leadership Team Secretary
PASTORAL COMMITTEE
The Pastoral Committee meets annually to review church membership.
In April last year our membership stood at 97. At the meeting in
June 2006 we reported one death and three were removed from
membership thus leaving us with 93 members. Since June 2006, three
members have died – Winnie Deeley, Daisy Saunders and Peter Crofts.
Our membership currently stands at 90, with four people going
through membership training.
Our members are divided into 12 classes and the leaders of those
classes, together with the church stewards and our minister form the
Pastoral Committee.
Barry Blunt
Pastoral Committee Secretary
WEBSITE
The website
for Overend Methodist Mission went online in late 2000. The Church
meeting should note:
·
Since we added a
‘counter’ to the church website in November 2001 to track usage of
the site, the homepage of the website has [as at 28th
March 07] been visited 6121 times [+1540 v last year] and the
church’s Newsletter Online 6499 times [+ 1437 v last
year]. It is not possible to identify how many of these are church
members viewing the website for information [e.g. to look at the
Newsletter] or are new ‘visitors’ to the site looking for
information about us;
·
Each week 17 people
receive the church’s Newsletter in advance by email, which is the
same as last year even though we’ve had some +/- changes of
recipients;
·
The cost of the
website to the church for 2006 [the payment/renewal date is 18th
November each year] was £58.48; this is for the annual ‘hosting’ by
the internet service provider. (Note: we pay an additional cost for
the domain name [www.overend-methodist.org]
but it does not feature in this year’s financial account because we
bought two years’ worth in 2005; renewal of the domain is on 19th
November and will cost circa £7.00 p.a.)
·
The main change to
report to our website since last year has been:
·
a major overhaul to
the entries of the Sunday School and Intermission - thanks are
expressed to Paul & Deborah Westwood and Nicki Bainbridge
·
the inclusion of
‘Sermons on Line’.
·
Our website adheres
the ‘general guidance’ suggested by the Methodist Church of Great
Britain with regard to content.
In last year’s report I raised a
number of issues/suggestions that I thought we should consider. I
repeat here those which I feel still worthy of consideration:
·
There remains no
formal structure in place for overseeing the content of the website.
I would welcome such guidance;
·
The only regular
information & update I get is the weekly Newsletter from
Janet/Barry. Though I do get items from Paul & Deb as & when,
regular updates from other contributors would make our website more
interesting to visit & revisit;
Ideas for improving the website
could include:
·
Someone
to write a better introduction that welcomes people and makes them
want to come and visit Overend Mission, either as an existing
Christian or, just as importantly, as someone who wants to just
'come and see' what Christianity is all about;
·
To use
the website as a wider source of information - for fact-sheets,
discussions, reports, policy documents [e.g. Safeguarding];
·
Encourage more church
members/adherents to the church to sign up to our weekly on-line
Newsletter to keep them in touch with what is happening;
·
Provide better
contact details for the church - of the minister [for weddings &
funerals and for spiritual advice], how to book a hall, how to join
a particular organisation, etc;
·
Most importantly, we
need to add a better spiritual dimension to the website; currently
all we provide is a link to the “Daily Prayer & Meditation”
provided by the Methodist Church of Great Britain’s own website.
·
Provide
the opportunity for, say, prayer requests, possibly by e-mail or by
an online form.
Bill McBain
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Membership 2004/2005
Creche 5 (4 regular)
5 – 7s 5 (2
regular)
8 – 11s 8 (5 regular)
Over 11s 10 (6 regular)
Total 28 (17 regular)
Membership 2005/2006
Creche 4 (2 regular)
5 – 7s 4 (3 regular)
8 – 11s 5 (4 regular)
over 11s 6 (5 regular)
Total 19 (14 regular)
The numbers have reduced
dramatically this year – the average weekly attendance in Jan 05 was
20, in Jan 06 18 and Jan 07 11.
We still have contact with a
approximately 10 other young people who attend monthly circuit
events, special events at church and have participated in one off
events e.g. the mosque but do not join with us on a Sunday.
Finances:
In January 2007 we have £1108.92 in
the account. The accounts are audited annually
by the church. The income from last years Sunday
School Anniversary was £777.83 an increase of over £100 on the
previous year. The Sunday School Teachers would like to thank
everyone for their generosity and support.
CRB Checks:
All the Sunday School teachers now
have CRB checks. Shelia doesn’t require the checks
as she is a helper coming in with her grandchildren.
Highlights of the past year
·
Good Friday
– the Sunday school joined for
a day of reflection and celebration with the rainbows and brownies
about 30 attended the event. As this has proved popular we are
running it again this year.
·
Pharaoh To Freedom
– the young people
joined with older members of the church in this moving musical,
taking part in the singing, narrating and dance.
·
Anniversary May
– This year we looked at
a year in the life of the church, highlighting the main events of
our church life.
·
MAYC
– July 2006 – The circuit organised
a trip to Blackpool – 4 helpers and 7 young people went from this
church. It was a good weekend which we feedback on at a circuit
youth service at Lye in November. The young people are eagerly
awaiting the next event.
·
Prayer Without
Ceasing – as part of the
country wide event we organised an event specifically for the young
people linking craft with prayer – during this we made prayer cards,
a prayer garden, prayer tree, prayer biscuits and crosses.
·
Twycross Zoo
– in August we hired
Lye’s minibus and took 17 young people to the zoo. They had the
choice of about 3 activities and picked this for themselves.
·
Youth Event for
Christ @ Coventry Central Methodist Church
– a few of us went to see what age
range this would suit. There was a mixture of rock music, dance,
prayer and talks. Next year we hope to take a larger group.
·
Alice in
Wonderland – a group of
children and adults went to see the professional production at
Birmingham Rep. The scenery and costumes were excellent but it may
have been a little long for the younger members.
·
Follow That Star –
The Christmas production
showed the talent we have in Sunday school both in singers, soloists
and readers of all ages.
Circuit Events
The monthly
events have continued with mixed success at some events there have
been as few as 25 and others 45.
We have
maintained a regular attendance at these events with between 15 and
20 young people attending from our Church. It has helped us to
maintain links with those we no longer see on a Sunday morning.
Again when circuit activities have not been organised we have done
our own e.g. April Easter activities, July prayer Without Ceasing,
August Twycross Zoo and November Fireworks and Food.
·
May - Pizza and Card
bingo
·
June - BBQ and games
·
September –Band With
no Name St Martin’s Birmingham
·
Nov - skittles
·
Dec - Christmas Party
with Christingle
·
Jan – Film Night
·
Feb – Disco
·
March - Quiz
Aims last year:
·
To continue to
develop the young people who currently attend and to maintain their
interest in Sunday School as well as developing a time of fun and
fellowship through the additional activities – the links have
remained but the regular contact declined. There is a definite need
to look at extra activities on a regular basis outside Sunday
School.
·
To develop links with
the young people in our community by continuing. – We have
continued to offer monthly circuit activities mainly social at
Overend, Providence and Lye .
·
To encourage the
Young People who attend our other youth activities to attend joint
activities – each youth group has been contacted through the
circuit work and there was a good response but attendance from
members of the groups has remained low.
·
Young people take
Holy Communion – this started but has lapsed as the year has gone
on we are looking this again.
Teachers:
We are still able to offer four
classes due to the number of teachers and helpers:
Paul and Sheila
-Creche
Judith -
5 – 8s
Debbie and
Richard - 8 – 12s
Emma
- over
12s
Thanks
As well as the financial support we
have received a lot of support in the giving of time. Belinda makes
the musical work we do at Christmas and Anniversaries possible and
spends much time preparing for this. Others offer assistance when
teachers are away or are more than happy to step in and help at the
drop of a hat. We realise how much the church values the work with
young people and are lucky to be part of a worshiping family who
welcomes people of all ages.
Thanks also to Rev Paul for
continuing to meet with the teachers 6 monthly to update on
activities, discuss concerns and help us to plan ahead for future
activities focusing our thoughts on the future.
Aims Next Year:
·
Continue to offer
teaching on Sunday and other fun and fellowship throughout the year
- ongoing
·
Information Leaflet –
date TBC
·
Take morning
communion – Mothering Sunday and ongoing
·
Easter Hols
Activities – week leading up to Good Friday
·
Use the new
technology to help teach and develop the young people – May and
ongoing
·
Weekly Youth Club –
June and ongoing
Deb
JMA
Last year there were 8 collectors.
They raised £299.35, which is an excellent sum and was due to the
dedication of the few.
Of the 8
collectors though only 2 are young people – during the one step
forward campaign a number of young people showed an interest in JMA.
However, after reading the information no-one new came forward to
collect.
Deb
Westwood
GUIDES
January: We made earring holders and salt dough models. These were
part of the craft badge that we did as a unit.
February: We continued with our crafts and made a CD holder from
foam. Towards the end of the month we had a Thinking Day night and
made pancakes. We participated in the division disco and the
district Thinking Day service.
March: We completed the craft badge by learning how to quill. We
also made Mother’s Day presents and Easter cards.
April: We had an end of term party. After the Easter holidays we
started the new term by making fridge magnets out of hema beads.
May: We spent two weeks on “newspaper island.” The Guides were
given 12 challenges / tasks, all of which had to be completed using
only newspaper and sellotape. Everyone seemed to have fun with
this. We also spent the weekend in Malvern staying in a youth
hostel.
June: After half-term we made fridge cake. We also made coasters
for Father’s Day and spent an evening at the local park.
July: We held a camp skills night which involved camp fire stunts,
gadgets, bedding rolls etc. The following week we had planned to
hold a BBQ but it rained! So we cooked hotdogs inside. To
celebrate end of term we went swimming and to McDonalds. We also
went to the Safari Park with the Brownies and Rainbows.
September: We held a “healthy-cooking” night and made fruit
kebabs. This term we decided to let each patrol have their own
night. The last two weeks were Spring and Summer patrol nights.
They organised a pyjama party and a junk fashion show.
October: We completed “Go for it! Space” over two weeks. It was
Autumn patrol’s turn to have their own night. They organised a quiz
and games. We also had a pumpkin night party and went to the Big
Gig at Wembley Arena.
November: To celebrate bonfire night we had our own little firework
display on the car park. Winter patrol organised a talent show
complete with karaoke machine. We also made Advent calendars. On
Remembrance Sunday we joined in the local parade and church service.
December: We made Christmas cookie tree decorations and held a
Christmas party. Along with the Brownies and Rainbows we went to
Hatton Country World to visit Santa. We also took part in the
district carol service, which included a toy collection for a local
women’s refuge.
BROWNIES
We have had a good year. We went on the joint pack holidays with 1st
Lutley Brownies to Blackmore, near Malvern. These were a great
success and the Brownies all made new friends. This will be done
again this year.
We also went on joint trips to Chester Zoo, Walsall Illuminations
and a pantomime. We went on a district outing to Bewdley Safari
Park and had a night out at the division disco. These were enjoyed
by all.
We took many badges as a pack – crime prevention, first aid and many
more.
Many crafts were also made.
Annette Bache
RAINBOWS
Attendance: We currently have 15 girls aged 5-7
attending on Wednesday evenings, 6-7pm, during school terms.
Leaders: Our volunteer leaders are:
Sandra Callard (Guider) Emma Alston
(Assistant Guider) Rona Taylor (Unit Secretary).
Jodie Russon joined us as a Young
Leader in April 06
Laura Alston also helps at meetings
as Rainbow Helper.
Finance: Parents currently pay subs of £1
per session and we ask for subs to be paid at the beginning of each
term wherever possible. About 50% of the subs income is used to pay
our capitation to guiding headquarters. We also need to buy craft &
other materials for our programme. This year, as well as making our
usual donation to church funds for use of the premises, we also made
a donation towards the cost of the new heaters in the schoolroom.
Activities:
At each Rainbows meeting we have a
range of activities. For example, this year we have:
-
grown runner beans (and brought
some to harvest)
-
had a French themed meeting
(Ooh, La, La!)
-
made and eaten mud pies (okay,
it was chocolate pudding)
-
tried ballet dancing (but
Sandra just watched)
-
had a Burns Supper (we did the
Gay Gordons and ate shortbread)
Each of the girls in our unit
recently earned a ‘Roundabout’ badge for completing activities under
the themes of ‘Look, Learn, Laugh and Love’
Last summer we joined a district
trip to Bewdley Safari Park and at Christmas we went to see Santa at
Hatton Country Park.
Some of our Rainbows attended the
district carol service at St. Peters in December and the ‘Thinking
Day’ service and activities held here at Overend in February.
Spiritual Input: In July we had a prayer theme for
one of our meetings, to coincide with the church’s ‘Pray without
Ceasing’ events.
We also had a harvest themed
evening in September, to coincide with the Church’s harvest
festival, where we talked about all God’s gifts to us and made some
freshly squeezed orange juice. (They didn’t like the ‘floaty bits’!)
We always consider the ‘real’ story
of Christmas and Easter, and invite the Rainbows to any activities
being organised by the Sunday School to mark these important
Christian festivals
God always gets a mention at
Rainbows and we close each meeting with a prayer.
Rev. Paul has visited us on a
number of occasions this year, and both the girls and the leaders
have appreciated this. (Even if he did get some of them so excited
it took us a while to calm them down after he’d gone!)
Emma Alston
WORLD MISSIONS
236.05
Total
963.45
Marie Smith
World Church Secretary
NETWORK
Easter offerings in
2006 amounted to £131.30. This was a brilliant effort. Thank you
all. This year’s Easter offering Dedication Service will be held at
Overend on 15 May at 7.30 pm. Pat Withers will be the speaker on
the theme “Crossing Divides.” Thanks to all who have agreed to help
and please give us your full support.
This year is the 20th
birthday of Network and the District is holding an Evening of Praise
and Worship, starting with tea at 6.00 pm at New Road Church, Great
Bridge on Wednesday 11 July.
On Monday October 1st
the District Day will take place at Lye United Church. Can anyone
help out at this event? We shall need quite a few volunteers to
cover the whole day.
There is some
disturbing news concerning Network. As ever, it revolves around
costs.
Apparently the Team
Focus view is that Network should become separated from the
Methodist Church and become a separate charity.
Wolverhampton &
Shrewsbury District Women’s Network Committee are appalled to hear
these new proposals We have always considered ourselves to be part
of the Methodist Church and wish to remain so. We do not oppose
changes but we believe that this change should retain our position
in the Methodist Church. This was proposed by Sheila Jackson,
President and seconded by Margaret Brownlow and carried unanimously.
Mary Coley
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY
OF PRAYER
The area preparation
day was held in December at Hagley Parish Church. It was well
attended and very helpful towards planning our WWDP on 2 March. The
theme this year was “United under God’s tent” and was prepared by
the Christian women of Paraguay.
The afternoon service
was held at the Salvation Army and was well attended. The evening
service at Holy Trinity Church, Old Hill, was not so. Madeline who
read on behalf of Overend got very wet. Thank you Madeline.
On Tuesday 6 March the
committee members paid a visit to Apsley House. A good few
residents joined with us, including Annie Pearson and Iris Farmer.
It was decided at the
committee on 21 March that in 2008 there will be just the afternoon
service. The theme for this will be “God’s wisdom provides new
understanding” and will be prepared by the Christian women of
Guyana.
Mary Coley
THE GUILD
The Guild continues to meet on the first
Wednesday of the month. During the year there has been a variety of
speakers and activities. Some speakers have shared their personal
experiences and memories; Beth Robinson of her childhood, Margaret
Adams of her nursing training and the Diaries of Samuel Woodhouse.
Other speakers have told of issues close to their hearts: Malcolm
Poole of the work of The Moose and Margaret Stevens and her friend
Jill of their charity work with seriously ill patients in their
teens and twenties. We have learnt of the work of Henley’s
Industries and gazed at the stars and planets with Martin Filsak.
Paul and Helen and the children have shared some aspects of life in
Rwanda, through stories, pictures and music. And we have held
members’ evenings both at Barrs Road and at church. Wednesday of
Holy Week was a time of quiet reflection through words, pictures and
music.
We continue to look for speakers or
ideas for our monthly meeting and would be grateful for any ideas,
activities or names of speakers for future evenings.
LUNCHEON CLUB
Over the last year the Lunch Club has remained stable – in numbers,
in support, in success and financially.
The number of people attending has remained within the capability of
the helpers that we have available.
Shirley Williams volunteered her services at short notice when Celia
Turner had to retire due to ill-health. Shirley has been a great
support along with Olive Walker and Winnie Thomas from WRVS who has
joined our team. Special thanks to Celia for her help over the
years and we send her all our very best wishes. The Lunch Club can
only work with dedicated volunteers.
The good, pleasant atmosphere we all enjoy on Thursdays and the keen
participation and enthusiasm when going on trips and outings shows
how successful the club is.
Financially the club remains sound, and this position enables all
the members to enjoy the benefits.
My hopes are that this success will continue at Overend Mission
Lunch Club in the coming year.
Tony Wildboar
DARBY & JOAN CLUB
We have lost a few of our members since this time last year, some
through old age, others through illness. It would be nice if we
could get a few new members, especially men.
Over the last year we have had two coach outings and two cooked
meals, which we all enjoy. We also go to the pantomime at
Wolverhampton.
Three weeks ago, one of our members, Ester, celebrated her 90th
birthday. The club will be 56 years old this year. Our 55th
anniversary was celebrated with the support and attendance of the
Mayoress of Sandwell.
We hold our meetings every Wednesday at 2.30 pm. It usually lasts
one hour and we close with tea and cakes. Most weeks we have a
singer or speaker to entertain us. Due to rising costs we increased
our weekly subscription to 60p at the beginning of this year.
If you would like information about the club, please ring Betty
Johnson on 01384 635062.
Annie Pearson
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The most
significant new initiative this year has been starting to build
bridges with people of other faiths. The help of Steve Sparrow, who
is employed by the Dudley Borough Interfaith Network, has been
invaluable to us in this. Steve arranged a couple of visits from
young Muslim men, who attended our morning worship. One of these
visits was to our Young People’s Carol Service and the occasion was
professionally filmed and features in a video made by Dudley Council
on the subject of Social Cohesion. In May a group of us visited
Dudley Mosque, and in September we were welcomed by the Sikh Temple
in Dudley. On both occasions the refreshments were bountiful! In
response to a call from the Methodist Youth Conference to pray with
people of other faiths in February, we were hoping to make our
monthly prayer meeting an interfaith gathering. A Buddhist attended
and offered a prayer, but Muslims were still recovering from the
meeting at Dudley Council House on the previous evening, when their
planning application for a new Mosque was turned down. A letter was
sent to Kurshid Ahmed expressing our sorrow at the ungracious
treatment he received from some Christians. We understand that a
Dudley pastor was intending to lead his congregation in an act of
repentance for their behaviour, although they still remain opposed
to the Mosque. Much work still needs to be done to increase our
understanding of, and respect for, each other’s faiths.
Special Sundays
that were observed included Racial Justice Sunday, when Rev Mike
Mason led worship, and Homelessness Sunday, when Intermission
conducted the service. In the summer we were privileged to receive
a visit from Eileen Macdonald when she was back in the UK on holiday
from her work with people affected by AIDS in South Africa. She
continues to keep us updated with regular newsletters.
At Harvest time
we joined in celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the
Methodist Relief and Development Fund. John Parry MBE, whose
company Parry Associates Ltd has worked with MRDF, was invited to
come and cut the birthday cake and a total of £559.18 was sent.
Other donations
were made to The Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture
(£108), The National Aids Trust (£50), Eileen Macdonald (£224), The
Paul Ackrill Fund ( ) and The Komera Project, Rwanda ( £502).
We have
continued to use Fair Trade coffee and tea, to sell white poppies
for Remembrance Day and red ribbons for World Aids Day, to
participate in Amnesty’s Christmas card campaign, to provide gifts
for Uplands Children’s Home, and to sell the ‘Yours’ magazine. We
greatly miss Peter Crofts’ leadership of the monthly services at
Valley Court Residential Home, but these are continuing to take
place. A group of carol singers also visited three other homes at
Christmas and visits are planned to sing Easter songs.
Margaret Bradley
NCH
NCH today is involved in many
aspects of child and family care. It works on over 500 projects
around the UK, helping over 160,000 children, young people and their
families.
Overend Methodist Mission continues
to support this charity begun by Rev Thomas Bowman Stephenson in
1869. The work is recognised here at Overend on three occasions
throughout the year.
NCH Sunday is July 8 which is an
opportunity to remember, give thanks and pray for the continuing
work of NCH and recognise the support given for this charity by
Methodists all over the UK. This is usually recognised by an
envelope collection.
September is the annual collection of NCH
collecting boxes. We currently have 15 people who contribute in
this way. If anyone else would like a box to collect at your
workplace or home, please see Christine Homer. More than 90p in
every pound goes directly towards work with children and families.
The charity is again recognised at
Christmas. Collections from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
services are donated to NCH along with any carol singing donations.
Money collected in the year 2006 is
as follows:
|
|
2006 |
2005 |
|
NCH
Sunday envelopes |
|
100.65 |
|
Collecting boxes |
211.13 |
225.15 |
|
Christmas Day collection |
260.00 |
358.27 |
Total
|
471.13 |
684.07 |
The figures
show a reduction in our contribution this year. NCH Sunday was not
recognised this year, as a retiring collection was taken to support
the work of Eileen McDonald instead. Also, there was no Christmas
Eve service held at Overend this year.
Christine Homer
NCH
Secretary
|