Rector’s Review 2012
2012 has been a busy year with a number of highlights:
The Passion Play on Good Friday was an incredible event of Christian witness. The emotional tension at the Hillside Cemetery was electrifying as the drama of Christ’s betrayal, trial, final journey to the cross and crucifixion was played out in front of nearly 400 people. The music by Stuart Clappison and played by a specially recruited band was something else, as were the actors under the direction of Malcolm Foster. We received brillant feed back from those who attended from Houghton and the wider region. This very special event took a huge amount of hard work, co-ordination both on the day and for weeks before hand. Thank you to Malcolm, Stuart, the musicians, actors, the set up team and Alex Scullion, the stewards, Carole Cunningham, the Friends of the Cemetery and everyone who helped in anyway to bring the passion Play to the people. We hope to produce the play every other year, so preparations for 2014 will begin shortly!
In June we celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in some style with a special service on Sunday morning followed by an excellent lunch in the Kepier Hall. On the Monday we invited the local community to join us for the lighting of the Jubilee Beacon on top of the tower and fireworks. St Michael’s was one of the official Jubilee beacons, which made up a network of beacons throughout the country with an official lighting time of 10.25pm! We had hope a few people to turn up, but the Kepier Hall was full and then we spilled outside to find another crowd waiting! It was a wonderful event with so many happy people celebrating this milestone in our nation’s life. I think we did the Queen proud!! Thank you to everyone involved especially Stan Morson, Anne Goodman and the team at the Kepier, Simon Hardy and Alastair Bradley the official Beacon and Fireworks lighters!
In October we welcome the new Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Justin Welby as our preacher on Houghton Feast Sunday. Little did we know that a couple of weeks later he would become Archbishop of Canterbury! It was a delight to welcome him to Houghton and also a sad loss when he left for Canterbury. We continue to hold him in our prayers as he faces the difficult challenges before him in his new role.
How we welcome people into our Church and our fellowship is so very important. November saw us awarded a Place of Interest Quality Assurance Award by Visit England- a Red Rose Award.
We are the first church in the North East to receive this award and we should be rightly proud in this achievement. It is testament to the hard work, friendly welcome and dedication of our stewards, welcomers, caterers and church guides. This is an area of ministry, which is growing and flourishing, and we hope will continue to do so in the coming years. We have seen a significant increase in visitors and those who help know how much people have appreciated finding the church open.
Thank you to Jean Henderson, Margaret Lee and our team who have been keeping the church open every day between March and November.
Caring for the Church building is a little like painting the Forth Rail Bridge; as soon as one job is completed the next one craves attention! This year we have seen the completion of the new heating system and the installation of 2 new boilers. My thanks to Alastair Bradley, Bill Harkness and Simon Hardy for all their hard work and commitment to the long-term task of caring for the fabric.
Our children’s work has continued to grow and flourish. This year saw the start of our 11.30am Mini Michael service for young families and baptism families, which I’m pleased is now beginning to take off. My thanks to Margaret Lee, who co-ordinates all our Children’s work; to everyone who helps with Messy Michael; our Young Church team especially leaders Clare Gray and Paula Dixon; Sue Elsey and Ros Pickersgill for their leadership of Sparkz; our crèche team and everyone who supports and encourage our children and young people.
In mentioning our work with children I would like to highlight the great work done by our Toddlers Group, Guiding and Scouting Groups. All their hard work and commitment has a huge impact on the lives of many children and young people in Houghton, thanks you.
This year has seen many different types of worship taking place in St Michael’s from quiet Tuesday evening Eucharists, to Taize style worship, to healing services, to Celtic Eucharists, to Civic Events, to Engage!, to Bereavement Services and to the great celebrations of Houghton Feast and Bernard Gilpin! We have hosted and welcomed many community groups and through our pastoral offices many individuals and families to worship with us. Worship is rich and diverse at St Michael’s, but this takes much time and effort to prepare and lead. My thanks to Margaret Lee, David Huntley; our Readers Anne Clappison; Ros Pickersgill and Sue Elsey; our Director of Music George Peebles and the Choir; Stuart Clappison and the music group; the Engage! Team; our readers and intercessors and to our retired priests Judith Howes and David Lambert. and to our Baptism Team members who support and care for our baptism families.
They have all contributed in so many different ways to enriching our worship and praise of God.
This year has continued to see our APAs active visiting in the parish, in hospitals and in local nursing
Homes. The APAs work is often unseen, but essential. They are a key part in the pastoral team at St Michael’s and my thanks to Thelma Steel, Jacqui Rodgerson, Elaine Harkness and Evelyn Garbutt for all their quiet and dedicated commitment.
My thanks to those who take regular Communion Services in Burn Prom and Myre Hall: Jean Henderson, Audrey Lumley and Emma Hyden. The services are much enjoyed and valued.
A parish as large and busy as Houghton requires a lot of running on a daily basis, including our administration; finances and daily activities. My thanks to Carole Cunningham our wonderful and resourceful Administrator; our vergers Bill Harkness and Paul Armour for all their hard work (often unseen); Evelyn Curry and the Flower Team; the Vestry Hour team and everyone on our cleaning and coffee rotas.
The Mothers’ Union plays a very important part in our parish life both within the congregation and, especially, for those at home. It is an example of good friendship combined with a Christian commitment to family life, prayer and working for the well being of others. My thanks to Branch Leader Sue Elsey, Treasurer Mary Main and Secretary Marie Henderson and to all the committee for the excellent way in, which our branch is run.
The Kepier Hall plays a key part in the life of the Church and the community and it is only right that I should thank the Kepier team: Stan Morson; the management committee and the Trustees for all their hard work and dedication. The Kepier Hall is looking great, is busy and buzzing and adds a vital resource to our community. I’m sure that Bernard Gilpin would be delighted to see “his school” so well and creatively used.
The Kepier hosts many groups each week, but none more important than The Drop In and CARE. These two Church groups support many people, with many different cares, concerns and problems. Thank you to everyone who leads these groups: Anne Goodman, Betty Brown, Joan Moore, Dick and Marion Toy, Emily Forester, Thelma Steel and Roger Elsey.
The Next 900 Team (John Lambton, Roger Elsey, Sue Wardle, Malcolm Foster and David Turnbull) and all involved with funding raising have proved that with imagination, hard work and flair, fundraising can bring in the cash and bring a great deal of fun and enjoyment.
The Next 900 have been joined this year by The Old Boiler Nightclub, run by Stan Morson and Dave Fulton as part of our fund raising efforts. My thanks to everyone involved with those groups and all who help with our fund raising events.
Thank you and well done to everyone who contributed in so many ways to raising the funds for the new boilers and heating system. I hope you will agree that everyone can feel the success of all their efforts. It was a very big challenge, but one we have achieved and will benefit from for a long time to come.
Ecumenical involvement between the four churches in Houghton is active. Thank you to Kathleen Close, Sheila Pelton and David Hann our Churches Together representatives and everyone who supports our ecumenical events.
We are lucky as a parish to have a good quality and vibrant magazine, The Signpost. This year saw the Signpost being printed in-house and although not without teething problems, this has proved to be a wise move. Thank you to Malcolm Foster and Roger Elsey for being excellent editors. This is often thankless task that they do with good humour and dedication. Thanks to Carole Cunningham and all the team for organizing the distribution and to all who deliver the monthly copies. The Signpost is a very important form of outreach and communication within the congregation and the local community.
We have continued to support 12 Charities of the Month and my thanks to Betty Brown for co-coordinating this. It is important to be a giving church, even in these difficult financial days. Hospitality and generosity should be the hallmarks of our Christian life and the Charities of the month and occasional collections to support world situations, must remain at the heart of our church.
The PCC have been busy and at the centre of life at St Michaels and I would like to thanks all the members of the PCC for their thoughtful commitment and prayerful decision making over the last 12 months. Thank you in particular to our new PCC Secretary, Sue Wardle, for her commitment and hard work, Catherine Ellery, our Treasurer, also fully deserves our thanks for performing her complex duties with equal ability and dedication. Catherine ended her time as Treasurer at the end of 2012 so our special thanks for her years of dedication and for getting the accounts fully computerized thus helping in a successful handover.
Financially, the Parish continues to struggle with rising costs, especially utility bills. St Michael’s is an expensive building to run and maintain and this is not going to get any easier in the future. I appreciate fully that we are all feeling financially stretched at the moment, but ask you to approach your support of St Michael with generous and open hearts to the praise and thanksgiving of God.
Our Churchwardens Alastair Bradley, Simon Hardy and Thelma Steel, carry out their roles with professionalism, dedication and warmth. Thank you for your care, support and friendship. I am very fortunate to have two excellent colleagues in Margaret Lee and Peter Stannard. Thank you for your support, friendship, hard work and the odd laugh or two! We wish Peter every blessing in his retirement and thank him warmly for his ministry at St Michael’s.
I look forward to 2013 with great anticipation and hope for the life of St Michael and All Angels, that worshipping and working together we may achieve great things for the glory of God and this community.
The Reverend Canon Sue Pinnington MBE
Rector of Houghton-le-Spring