Deacons Report - Nov 07

We have once again reached the time of year to reflect and report on the issues dealt with by the deacons since the Annual General Meeting in June.

It was good to welcome Daphne, Jennifer Courtney and Carlos into our fold, thus lightning the load and injecting new ideas. With Marjie and John Corcoran stepping down, it was necessary to find assistance on the finance issues, such as budget reports. A willing servant was found in John McKirgan who has been meeting on numerous occasions with Margie and Terry.

We have continued to look at the provision of a disabled/friendly toilet/wet room.

Arrangements for a family fun day (originally planned for September) have been set aside with a view to taking place in May 2008.

Having pieced together the details of the Ethiopian visit, it was revealed that contributions exceeded the costs by £35.29 (incorporated in this was a donation of £1,000 for the Aids work).

After many months, the crèche room hopefully provides a more practical and comfortable place for the children and minders. We have also ensured that the baby room is more secure by installing security locks.

For several months we have reviewed the fire safety issue in the church, along with suitable lighting etc.

We are still pursuing the notion of providing a ‘Who’s Who of church members’ bulletin board to assist newcomers.

Our thanks go out to all those who provided assistance for Tea on the Green in September, which attracted many non-Christians. We are also indebted to May for providing us with such a colourful front garden display, and are thankful we have found volunteer replacements in Lesley Barnes, Chris Hosier and Shan Shan.

Our thanks also go out to Jennifer Courtney, Jill Peistrup and Martin Fox for the work put into establishing the English classes which we understand are very well received by those outside the church.

It was a huge relief to see the fire escape (next door) being taken away, so removing the danger of accidents and possible further damage to our property.

An intensive investigation was carried out on the church drainage system (after an overflow problem) which, thankfully, showed the problem to be within the Notting Hill boundaries. We are also endeavouring to keep in close touch with regard to the development next door. Along with this, there continues to be a number of maintenance/building items put on hold.

We have begun, over the past few months, to look into various Health & Safety issues, especially as we grow each month in our numbers for Pot Luck Lunches.

Please continue to pray for us as we strive to be faithful custodians in all things and we bring them to the Lord for guidance and wisdom so we can serve Him and assist in the growth of His word.