MINUTES OF FORUM MEETING THURSDAY 8TH FEBRUARY AT 7.30 P.M.
THE OLD STABLES, 19 THE CLOSE, LICHFIELD WS13 7LD
Present
Pat Maguire (Chair) - PM
David Mason (Minutes) - DM
Michele Gerard – MG
Lilas Rawling – LR
Kate Arden-White – KAW
Andrew Rushton – AR
Brian Maguire – BM
Roger Hartley – RHA
Rob Hilyer – RHI
Hugh Ashton – HA
Sharon Greensmith – SG
Liz Ridler – LR
David West-Mullen – DWM
Flavia McCurdy Grana - FG
Richard Henshaw - RHE
Opening prayer
The prayer was led by Brian Maguire
Talks about Late Night Listeners and Lichfield Christian Schools Work Trust by David West-Mullen and Flavia McCurdy Grana
DWM showed the promotional video that has recently been produced for Late Night Listeners and went on to talk about the history of the organisation since it was founded by the late Geoffrey Parkinson from Lichfield Cathedral. The number of volunteers fell after the pandemic but new ones have been recruited lately and the aim is now to have a a team on the streets of Lichfield twice a month. New volunteers are still required and anyone who is interested should contact him. He and FG went on to speak about The Lichfield Christian Schools Work Trust and their four areas of work – Engage Youth Mentoring, Puppets, Schools Weeks and Bridgebuilders. All these activities are valued and in high demand by local schools. Due to demand more volunteers are required as well as additional funding.
Apologies
Linda Atkins, Georgina Boyns, Abbie Walsh, David Clarke.
Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes were approved.
Matters arising from the minutes
There were no matters arising from the minutes
Treasurer's report
LR gave the following summary and confirmed that the full accounts for last year have been prepared and will be circulated before the Annual General Meeting.
Total Income £3324.60
Total Expenditure £3110.65
Current Assets £3997.06
Current Liabilities £1412.17
Net Current Assets £2584.89
Website
DM advised that Peter Walker had done a great deal of work updating the website. The main benefit is that the home page now gives easy access to the most commonly used features such as the calendar and the documents.
Lichfield District Council Food Partnership
DM reported that he had attended the recent meeting with the Council together with representatives from other churches, local Foodbanks and Places of Welcome. The Council confirmed that they were committed to work with local charities and organisations to provide cost of living support. They have already created a new website www.lichfield.gov.uk/costofliving to make it easy to find out more information.
Recent Events
Carols in the Market Square – This was well received and well attended. It was agreed that the start time of 4.00 p.m. was an improvement and AR confirmed he would be happy to lead another one this year.
Christmas Day Together – 30 guests attended the event on Christmas Day at Wade Street and a further 25 meals were delivered to others in their own homes. Unfortunately two volunteers have decided to stand down but two replacements have already been found. PM said she would liaise with Wade Street Church regarding the planning of the event.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - SG led an excellent and thought-provoking service at St. Michael’s which was well attended.
Forthcoming Events
Lent Groups (14th February – 28th March 2024) – There will be two groups this year who will be using ‘The Grace of God’ bible study by John Birch.
Good Friday Walk of Witness (29th March 2024) – RHI queried the planned route following the problems experienced with the security guards in The Three Spire Shopping Centre in recent years. After the meeting it was decided that stewards would be appointed who would wear Churches Together in Lichfield gilets who would ensure there were no problems. This means that we will continue to use the same route as last year.
Good Friday Service at Lichfield Cathedral (29th March 2024 at 7.30 p.m.) – The Cathedral has been booked and SG will lead the service.
Lichfield Bower (27th May 2024) – PM announced Churches Together in Lichfield will be taking part in the Bower Procession again this year and will need at least six volunteers to carry collection buckets.
Any other business
AR and KAW spoke about The Well – A well-being space at Wade Street Church. This is held every Wednesday from 10.00 -12.00 and is proving very popular. The Well is a community space where all are equal and valued and welcome. It is hosted by volunteers for the community and anyone is welcome to share a hobby or skill and all are welcome to join an activity (they are all free) or just come and relax and chat. There is also a quiet area for prayer. The Well is based around the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ to promote good mental and emotional health - to connect, give, be active, keep learning and take notice.
They invited members of other churches to attend and perhaps think about setting up one at their own churches.
The Annual General Meeting will be held in The Community Room, Holy Cross Church, Upper St. John Street, Lichfield WS14 9DX on Tuesday 18th June at 7.30 p.m.
The speaker will be Lindsey Hall, Partnership Manager, Church Action on Poverty.
Closing prayer
The meeting closed at 8.45 p.m. with all those present saying The Grace