PPC – Minutes of Meetings – St. Benet's Minster Catholic Church, Beccles

ST.BENET’S BECCLES;

MINUTES OF PPC MEETING; 1^st JUNE 2023

Welcome and Opening Prayer:

The meeting was opened by Pam with a prayer said by Karen

Those present:

Religious: Deacon Tony.

PPC Members: Pam Storey, Bernard Segrave-Daly, Sue Workman, Jo Harmer,

Karen Gallie.

Apologies for Absence: Father Mike, Terry O’Brien, Sam Barlow, Pamela Saint-Mart, Chris Scott.

Minutes of Previous Meeting (PPC 2^nd March 23)

Nothing was added by members at the meeting.

4. Constitutional matters

4.1 List of existing members and date of Ratification by AGM (KG)

A list of members of the Council were given out to the meeting. On behalf of Terry it was asked if anyone wants their email removed from the list then they should inform Terry.

4.2 Membership It was noted that there are two PPC member positions outstanding and that anyone interested in the position should speak to Fr Mike in the first instance.

PPC Report. (PS)

5,1 Social Activities: Pam discussed that a charity stall had been booked but due to her fall last week she had to cancel. She will re-book asap.

5.2 Proposals for Socials. Pam asked for ideas for a social evening.

5.2.1 Jo suggested a cheese and wine and it was agreed that we would hold a cheese and wine evening on the Saturday 1st July 2023. A vocalist as entertainment was discussed. Pam will ask around. It was discussed that we should offer a raffle in order to raise funds for the vocalist. It is unclear how much a vocalist would cost.

5.2.2 Karen suggested a craft afternoon for children in the hall during the summer holidays, in an attempt to promote St Benet’s to the Beccles Community. She will speak to the parents’ association members of St Benet’s School.

Treasurer’s Report. (BSD)

Bernard gave Pamela Saint-Mart’s apologies for absence; he then read Pamela’s finance report the key points of which are:

Five months to 31st May – shows a deficit of £4516 compared to last year’s profit of £2661.
Budget of £10,944 allowing for a spend of £20,000 on repairs.
Income – £11,900 (Budget £12,000)
Switch to gift aid will increase income and it is expected a further £4903 for this year.
Work has started on the Presbytery but requires a good deal more to bring it up to a modern living standard.
There are still delays with Barclays transfers of our monies to Lloyds Bank.
Pamela asked if Mike Ellwood and Bernard Segrave-Daly could become signatories for the St Benet’s Bank account in light of her medical problems.
It was asked if there are envelopes at the back of the church. Paul Quinn should be asked about this.

FFC and Stewardship Report (BSD)

Bernard advised that he was new to this role and therefore is working closely with Mike while he finds his feet.

8.1 Legal Issues The transfer of St Benet’s parish is not likely to be finalised for several months, therefore the bank issues will continue during this time.

The leak in the tower steps recently was discussed. Bernard will discuss with Mike.

8.2 Ecumenical work is continuing on the constitution of the new town Chaplains for Beccles. It is hoped that all Churches will be involved and this requires volunteers. It was discussed that a male and female member from our church would be required. There are strict rules of engagement.

6.3 Stewardship: Bernard advised that progress through training will not commence until we have a parish priest. It was discussed that a strong position should be taken to involve as many parishioners as possible in the life, roles and activities of our parish.

It was reminded that we should be putting God’s priorities before our own – by giving a portion of our gifts of talents, time and treasure to the Lord’s work.

School Report (SB)

Nothing to report. Sam Barlow unable to attend.

Any Other Business

Nothing added to the meeting

Date of next meeting : 1^st August 2023.

Closing remarks and Prayer:

It was agreed that the PPC meeting should be kept bimonthly whilst we are waiting for a resident parish priest. Closing Prayer given by Karen.

APPENDIX A

St Benet’s Parish Pastoral Council								As at 04/May/2023
Members of Council by Category WITH AGREED Contact Data
Catgory	Title	First Name	Last Name	Role (1)	Role (2)	Joined	Tele.	E-mail

Clergy	Fr	Michael	Brookes	President	Parish Priest	2022	01986 893 355	michael.brookes@rcdea.org.uk
Clergy	Rev	Tony	Felton	Vice Pres.	Deacon	1996	07985 228 397	atfelton@lineone.net

Member	Mr	Chris	Scott	Nil	Nil
Member	Ms	Jo	Hamer	Nil	Nil	2019	07833 162 329	jojomom72@gmail.com
Member	Mrs	Pamela	Storey	Actng Chair	Market Stall		01502 711 966	pamelastorey@gmail.com
Member	Ms	Sue	Workman	Nil	Nil			None; Paper to 1030 Mass
Member				Secret-ary
Member

Ex Officio	Mr	Bernard	Segrave-Daly	Steward-ship		2021
Ex Officio	Mr	Brian	Lewis	Chair of FFC
Ex Officio	Ms	Pamela	Saint-Mart	Treasurer
Ex Officio	Ms	Sam	Barlow	School Head			01502 712 012	samantha.barlow@cpswv.org
Ex Officio	Mr	Terry	O’Brien	Comm’s	Repository	2019	07504 962 368	tmob@sapo.pt

Observer	Dr	Karen	Gallie

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting In the Parish Hall

18:30; Thursday 02 March 2023

Those Present; Fr Mike; Deacon Tony; Pam Storey; (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Bernard Segrave-Daly; Brian Lewis; Chris Scott Jo Hamer Ann Kemp; Mike Ellwood; Sue Workman.

(Plus Karen Gallie observing.)

Apologies for absence: Pamela St Mart; Sam Barlow.
3. Minutes of Previous Meeting.

There was one Matter Arising.

3,1 Graveyard. The present administrator will continue as at present until the new Parish Priest has taken up his role. It was confirmed that there are NO spaces available in the Graveyard – other than for the deposit of ashes. Any existing vacant plots are reserved, and deposits have been paid.

Constitution of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

A revised draft was presented and discussed. Since the meeting, a further draft has been produced, (copy to be attached) and, after review at the PPC on 04 April, it will be put to the AGM on 03 May for ratification.

Proposed Relocation of the Repository

5.1 Referral to FFC Fr Mike pointed out that this issue should not be debated by the PPC, as it was not related to the Spiritual or Pastoral needs of the parish. It clearly fell within the remit of the Finance and Fabric Committee:-

It concerned financial matters – the possible capital outlay to facilitate the change, and the contribution made to parish funds from the sale of the goods:
There were issues regarding the use of our premises – especially significant in light of the discussions about the use of the hall by the school and responsibility for the maintenance of it.

5.2 Post Meeting Note As directed by Fr Mike a request is being sent to the Chair of the FFC asking that they investigate the proposal to relocate the Repository, and to review the options available. A copy of the request will be attached for information.

Finance and Fabric Report – Summary

Some stonework needs repair on the parapets around the church roof.
Heating controls have been re-set; they should not be changed by parishioners.
Conveyancing for the transfer of the premises is moving ahead, albeit slowly.
Clearing of the presbytery will commence shortly; Fr Martin will be removing his final belongings this weekend.
Negotiations regarding use of the hall, and responsibility for its Maintenance, are continuing.
The parish has some £50K on deposit, mostly still with the old accounts, as the Abbot of Downside is still the official account holder.
Updating of Gift Aid mandates to Standing Orders is progressing well. A publicity campaign to encourage more parishioners to make their donations by Gift Aid will commence soon.

Parish Life

7.1 Social Activities We are not able to use the school kitchen until we have someone trained and authorized to use the equipment. Meantime, it is proposed to re-commence activity with a “QUIZ & COLD BUFFET EVENING” in April. Fr Mike described a “Pizza Evening” held recently at Bungay, which could also be arranged with Pizzas bought in from a local supplier.

7.2 Market Stall This will re-start in May, and male helpers are urgently required to help with some heavy lifting.

Stewardship

There will be no further action until we have our new Parish Priest to provide leadership.

Ecumenical Matters – Summary

“Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” was led by St Benet’s on one day and supported by 3 or 4 parishioners each day of the week.
“Town Pastors” has ceased operating; “Street Chaplains”, reporting locally, will replace them.
Good Friday; “Walk of Witness” from each church to Exchange Square; 11:30 to 11:45 on 07 April.
We need more support for Ecumenical Matters, please.

Day of PPC meetings. (Amended 22 March)

There was a proposal to change the DAY of our meetings, but on checking diaries, there were problems with all the alternatives. We shall therefore revert to meeting on the FIRST THURSDAY of the relevant month. (But see below!)

Date of Next Meetings (Amended 22 March)

Due to a clash of diary dates for Fr Mike, our next meeting of the PPC will be held at 18:30 in the Parish Hall on FRIDAY 31st MARCH.

And the Parish AGM will be held AT 18:00 ON THURSDAY 04 MAY.

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 07 March 2023

St Benet’s Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) ;

Constitution; Ver 5; 06 March 2023

NB This copy is for the initial information of parishioners. As the original is written in MS Word, the paragraph numbering does not transfer accurately to the website. Please ask the PPC secretary if you want a copy with the original numbering.

Function
The Council is a consultative body which has no executive authority; its primary function is to advise and assist the Parish Clergy to develop the pastoral, spiritual, and social activities of the parish.
The Parish Priest will be the President of the PPC. Any other member of the clergy in the parish will be a vice-president and will deputise for the President in the event of his absence.
The Parish Priest will be the final arbiter in the event of any dispute or difference of opinion on any matters raised at the PPC. While he will listen to the views expressed by the PPC, and take them into account where-ever possible, his authority is final on all issues.
The PPC has authority to create sub-committees to address specific issues or examine and manage relevant initiatives. The Chair of any such committee will be responsible to the PPC for achieving the objectives set for that sub-committee. He/she will normally be an existing member of the PPC, but if this is not appropriate, such Chair will be appointed by the President and will become an ex-officio member of the PPC for the duration of that sub-committee’s activity.
The function of the Pastoral Council is different to that of the Fabric & Finance Committee (FFC) which is concerned with managing the physical and financial assets of the Parish. The Council’s role is the spiritual and social welfare of parishioners; facilitating various parish activities and communicating with them via the newsletter and website to develop a “Parish Community”, encouraging volunteers, and reaching out beyond the Parish to other churches and the town in general.
Aims
To contribute to effective, two-way communications between clergy and laity.
To encourage the establishment of interest or activity groups to contribute to the life of the parish.
To ensure the co-ordination and co-operation of the activities of the various parish groups.
To enhance the communication between individuals and interest/activity groups.
General Members
There will be six General Members on the council, chosen, as far as is possible, to reflect the make -up of the parish. Individuals are not chosen to be the representative of any particular demographic or interest group. As individuals, they come together to form the PPC as a representative body.
Each Council member will be appointed for a term of three years, and they may be considered for one further term. After one term out of office, they may again volunteer to serve.
A key role of every Member of the PPC is the identification of potential General Members. Such parishioners must be able and willing to contribute actively to the work of the PPC, and to take on a meaningful role for which their interests and abilities fit them. Once identified, they may be involved initially in the work of the PPC, perhaps assisting on a specific project or initiative, to confirm they have a genuine interest in serving for the benefit of the whole parish. When the President is satisfied that they have the necessary abilities and commitment, he will arrange for them to be presented to the parishioners at an AGM for ratification. If there is any dispute or disagreement about any aspect of the membership of the PPC, the decision of the President will be final.
Given the nature of the role, it is unlikely that anyone under the age of 18 will have the necessary experience and life-skills to be an effective Council Member.
In the event of a vacancy occurring “mid-term”, the President may appoint a parishioner to serve until the next AGM, when they may be presented for Ratification as a full member of the PPC.
Ex -Officio and/or Co-opted Members
In addition to the General Members, there will be Ex-officio Members (appointed by virtue of the role they carry out), who then have equal rights and responsibilities as General Members. They are the Parish Priest as President and any other clergy as Vice President(s); plus Chair of FFC; Communications Co-ordinator; School Head; Stewardship Co-ordinator; Treasurer. The Chair of any Group or sub-Committee established by the Council – e.g., Social Activities; will also become Ex-officio Members.
Other parishioners may be co-opted on to the Council to fulfil specific functions or activities, or where they have relevant skills or abilities, e.g., for specific project work.
PPC Office Bearers
The Chair and Vice-chair of the PPC will be appointed by the President, to serve in the role for such period as he determines, within their term(s) of office as set out in para. 3b. The Vice-chair will under-study the role of the Chair and will take on that role in the event of absence. If both are absent, the members present will elect a temporary Chair for that meeting.
The Secretary will be elected by the Council Members, to serve in the role as in para, 3b.
Routine Meetings
The holding of any meeting of the PPC must have prior approval from the President.
The Council shall meet every 3 months, with the option of meeting more frequently if the situation demands it. The schedule of meetings will be published annually, in advance.
A quorum to allow a meeting to proceed is 6 Members, at least 3 of whom must be General Members. It is not essential for the President or Vice -president to be present.
All meetings will be “Open”, and any parishioner is welcome to attend- but only as an observer,
Where any sensitive matter (e.g. of a personal nature) is being addressed, the Chair of the meeting will declare that part of the meeting “closed”, with only Council Members present.
Minutes of all meetings will be taken by the Secretary and agreed with the President and Chairman, before being circulated to the members and posted on the website and notice boards.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM will be open to all parishioners, with date and time, and agenda, notified 14 days in advance.
This meeting gives the Council the chance to report back to parishioners on the progress made against the Council’s Aims as in para 2, above. The Chair of each Activity Group will make a short presentation, with a written summary provided for circulation with the minutes.
An important part of the meeting is the Ratification of any new Members of Council – see para 3, above.
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
If any matter causes significant concern to parishioners, their concern should be made known to the Chairman of the Council, who will discuss it with the President and respond to the complainants.
If the response is not felt to be satisfactory, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)may be requested by letter to the President, signed by at least 25 parishioners.
If the request is accepted, the EGM will be called within 28 days. Meeting details, including the issue to be discussed, will be publicised in the Newsletter and Website, 14 days in advance of the meeting.
Amendment of this Constitution
This constitution can only be altered via a proposal submitted to the President and tabled at the AGM. If agreed by the AGM, it is then considered by the Council, and if accepted, the proposal will be passed to the President, whose decision is final.

This Version 5 of the Constitution was agreed by the PPC at their meeting on Tues 04 April 2023,

It was approved by the Parish Administrator, Fr Michael Brookes on 05April 2023.

It was presented to the Parish for Ratification at the AGM on Wednesday 03 May 2023

Signed …………………………………….…. Storey, Chair PPC(Date) …………..…..

Signed ………………………..……. M. Brookes, President (Date) ……………….

Relocation of the Repository

1. Referral to FFC

At the meeting of the PPC on Thursday 02 March 2023, Fr Mike indicated that this issue should not have been debated by the PPC, as it was not related to the Spiritual or Pastoral needs of the parish. It clearly fell within the remit of the Finance and Fabric Committee, as it:

concerned financial matters – the possible capital outlay to facilitate the change, and the contribution made to parish funds from the sale of the goods:
and there were issues regarding the use of our premises – especially significant in light of the discussions about the use of the hall by the school and responsibility for the maintenance of it.

2. The Need for Relocation. The present operation requires all the goods for sale to be stored in the cupboards in the passageway between the church and the hall. We open the repository after 10:30 Mass every Sunday – and additionally, before Christmas, after some 18:00 Masses. Every opening requires about 30 minutes work before Mass, and 30 minutes afterwards, to take the goods through to the hall, lay them out, and then restow them on completion. Apart from the frustration of doing totally non-productive and repetitive work, this causes difficulty in getting volunteers to help provide this service to our parishioners. The continual handling also results in un-necessary wear and tear to the goods and their packaging.

The Proposal. As part of the on-going debate, Mike Ellwood researched the availability of wheeled counter/display units. We have identified the “UNIBOX UB04” as being most suitable for our needs. (See below, the UB04). It is 1.00 mtr wide by 0.60 mtr deep and is 0.90 mtr high. It has lockable stowage in the bottom 1/3 and is fully glazed with lockable, toughened glass in the upper 2/3rds – with an additional glass shelf. . The size of this unit would be suitable for our current range of goods on display over 2 tables, with duplicate goods held in the lower storage section.

4. Future Operation. This unit would provide us with an attractive and self-contained “sales operation”, requiring no repeated preparation. Once the display has been organised, in need not be disturbed. If an “ad hoc” request occurs, any of our stock items could be accessed immediately,

5. Options for Location. Given the compact size and mobility of the unit, there now appear to be FOUR feasible options for the location of the Repository Unit. The first three of these would all operate anywhere in the Hall, but with alternate storage locations. After the recent PPC Meeting, Deacon Tony remarked that the cupboard in the hall could be a suitable storage location for the repository goods. This stimulated consideration of the options for storage. These are, in order, :

1^st The “third cupboard” (next to the school doors);
2^ndIn the corner of the hall, next to our “kitchenette” (under the old wall unit);
3^rd In the “church/hall corridor”, in front of the sink (beside the urn trolley).

The fourth-choice option would be in the church porch, on the “bookcase side”.

None of these options entails construction work nor precludes a future change.

Financial Implications. Any of these proposals would ensure that the present team would be able to maintain the current level of service for parishioners and of fundraising for the parish. As a generous parishioner has offered to fund the Repository Unit, there will be no capital required. Our liability for VAT on this purchase should be confirmed.

My thanks to Mike and Tony for their help; a problem shared is a good idea!

Terry O’Brien; Repository Manager; 06 March 2023

Unibox UB04

Schedule of Meetings of PPC – 2023/24

There is general support for the structured scheduling of these meetings.

There was a proposal to change the DAY of our meetings, but there were problems with all the alternatives. We shall therefore revert to meeting on the FIRST THURSDAY of the relevant month.

The PPC is currently planned to be held every 2 months, on the First Thursday of the month – at least until we get our new Parish Priest.

The calendar for 2023/24 is below. Actual dates may, of course, be altered as circumstances require.

Month	Parish Pastoral Council (1^st Thursday)
January 2024
February 2024	Thursday 01 February 2024
March 2023	Friday 31 March 2023
April 2023
May 2023	Thursday 04 May 2023 (AGM)
June 2023	Thursday 01 June 2023
July 2023
August 2023	Thursday 03 August 2023
September 2023
October 2023	Thursday 05 October 2023
November 2023
December 2023	Thursday 07 December 2023

Terry O’Brien.

Secretary PPC 07 March 2023

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting In the Parish Hall

18:30; Thursday 02 February 2023

Those Present; Pam Storey; (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Jo Hamer Ann Kemp; Mike Ellwood; Sue Workman; Pamela St-Mart (FFC)
Apologies for absence: Fr Mike; Deacon Tony; Bernard Segrave-Daly; Brian Lewis; Chris Scott; Neville Kyrke-Smith; Sam Barlow.
Minutes of Previous Meeting. There were two Matters Arising.

3,1 Graveyard. A question relating to the Graveyard had not been minuted. It was explained that as it was not clear what help the current administrator wanted, TMOB had undertaken to speak to her about the issue. As both parties were very busy pre-Christmas, they agreed that they would meet in the New Year, and raise the issue as a new item at the next PPC meeting. This was notified to Fr Mike.

Post Meeting Note. By chance, I met the present administrator on 10 February. She informed me that she now felt that this issue should wait until the new Parish Priest had taken up his role.TMOB

3.2 The Hardship Fund. It was minuted that £100 from this fund would be donated to each of the charities supported by the Parish. It was requested that the actual charities concerned be published. This was subsequently done in the Newsletter of 05 February, as follows:-

Donations to Charities from the “Hardship Fund”

These Charities, supported by parishioners, will each receive a contribution of £100 from the Hardship Fund:- Aid to the Church in Need; CAFOD; Christian Aid; Congo School for Peace; Mary’s Meals; Missio; and our three local Charities – Waveney Centre; May Centre (and one to be decided).

Communication and Consultation

The PPC Chair reported that she had arranged for the following notice to be posted in the Newsletter:-

“As the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is our main channel for two-way communication between our clergy and parishioners, our current acting chair, Pam Storey, may be contacted by email pamelastorey7@gmail.com or ring 01502 711 966 on any matter that concerns a parishioner.”

It was pointed out that there used to be a list of all PPC members at the back of the church. It was suggested that the use of this listing be incorporated in the review of the Constitution of the PPC.

Proposed Relocation of Repository to Porch#

(Q1) It was stated that this issue seemed to be taken as a foregone conclusion, with no prior consultation. (Ans.) This assertion had been addressed in an earlier reply. The issue had been raised at two prior PPC Meetings and included in the relevant Newsletters. It was clearly minuted as a “proposal to investigate “,

(Q)2 It was queried if the Repository was making a profit. (Ans) It was confirmed that the average contribution to parish funds had been between £600 and £1,000 per year. Covid had obviously affected this income. Prices charged compare favourably with those in the Cathedral repository.

(Q)3 It was suggested that if the work-load was too much for the present manager, the frequency of opening could be reduced to monthly. (Ans.) Some examples were given of the way our parishioners had actually used and appreciated the weekly service provided by the repository over the past c. 5 years. There were very few occasions when there were no customers, on any particular Sunday.

(Q)4 Why did we not just get someone fitter to do the job, or help out? (Ans) There are few people willing to take it on, (as shown by the long gap before the present manager arrived!) We have now got a “very willing helper”, but he does not want to do the ordering and bookkeeping. The present manager is very happy to continue to provide the current level of service – but it is the recurrent, unnecessary work (whoever does it!) involved in laying out and putting away all the goods, that is being challenged. Coping with ad hoc requests to purchase items was also very difficult, – and damage to goods is unavoidable – due to the cramped storage space and lack of a worktop in the corridor.

(Q5) Several comments were made that the proposed units looked more suitable for a kitchen than our church porch. (A) This is obviously a matter of personal opinion; the proposer begs to differ!

(Q6) Further comments were made about the overall appearance of the Porch and back of the church; the tables in the porch were not thought to be appropriate. (A) Obviously the new units would remove the need for the tables; all the “clutter” was being reviewed by the Parish Secretary and Fr Mike.

(Q7) It was suggested that it would be less cramped if the units were all to one side of the Porch. (A) It was agreed that this could be acceptable. A single unit of 1.8 mtr could be sufficient, with careful layout of stock.

(Q8) Another alternative could be the use of wheeled units which could be kept in St Anthony’s Chapel and wheeled to the back of the church for sales to take place. (A) This would work, but there might be resistance to actual “selling” taking place within the nave of the church. The appearance – from all sides – would also be important. ME volunteered to research this option.

Frequency of PPC Meetings

Amended post meeting

Any Other Business. Nothing to be recorded.

Date of Next Meeting – 18:30 in the Parish Hall on Thursday 02 March 2023.

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 07 February 2023

St Benet’s Beccles

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Meeting

18:30; Thursday 01 December 2022; In the Parish Hall

Minutes of Meeting

Welcome and Opening Prayer, (including a pause to remember Mary Chatfield RIP, who had been buried earlier that day).

2. Present: Fr Mike; Deacon Tony; Pam Storey; (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Ann Kemp; Bernard Segrave-Daly; Brian Lewis; Chris Scott; Mike Ellwood; Sue Workman.

3 Apologies for absence: Jo Hamer; Neville Kyrke-Smith; Sam Barlow.

4. Minutes of Previous Meeting. These were accepted as accurate, with no matters arising not covered by the agenda.

5. Finance & Fabric Committee Report

5a. Control and Maintenance of the Hall.

The FFC have commenced discussions with the Diocese and School (Multi Academy Trust) to agree future responsibilities for the control and maintenance of the hall.

Currently, hall control rests with the parish, but the school is the prime user and is responsible for maintenance and running costs, (e.g. lighting, heating, cleaning). The parish has access only outside of school needs. Going forward, the school/MAT seeks proportionate contribution from the parish for maintenance and upkeep costs, with major roof repair and internal redecoration known to be needed.

The view of the Finance Committee is that the parish cannot afford the upkeep of church, presbytery (with improvements known to be needed), and grounds – PLUS an indeterminate contribution to hall costs.

The diocese retains legal ownership of the Hall, whoever controls it. The FFC recommendation is that control of the hall is now ceded to the school/MAT with the proviso that the parish has use on Sundays and specific occasions for church meetings and events. The hall would be available for the school to hire out if not required for school purposes. Additional parish usage would mean hiring the hall from the school if it is available and at cost. The school/MAT would fully finance the maintenance and upkeep of the hall.

This is the broad concept with the finer points to be discussed and agreed.

There was a wide-ranging discussion about the proposals, and the following points emerged:-

There is a need to explain all aspects of this issue to all parishioners.
We must all remember that the Diocese is the actual owner of the Hall, irrespective of the history of its funding and earlier maintenance.
The parish and the school/MAT need to reach an amicable agreement, acceptable to the Diocese.
We all need to be aware of the relative costs and benefits which each party stands to gain or lose.
The church toilets are a part of the church premises and are maintained by the parish. They (and the kitchenette) are also an essential addition to the hall if it were to be hired out to any other body or used for functions.
We need to identify what Parish usage of the hall is essential and what usage is merely desirable.
We must consider the usefulness of the hall to the school, as that is key to assessing the real value of the hall to the MAT.
We should also re-consider the other alternatives that exist for a parish meeting room.
It was agreed the FFC should seek to quantify the above issues and formulate proposals to put to the Diocese.

6. Organisation – PPC Constitution

A draft revision of the existing constitution had been circulated before the meeting.

It was pointed out that as the Parish Priest has the right of veto on all such matters, including membership, our new P.P. will have a free hand and could simply re-appoint the existing team – or he could decide to start again from scratch. Fr Mike stressed that in his temporary role, he would be very reluctant to use any veto, unless something completely out of order was proposed.

The degree of formality desirable in the “election” of members was raised. In many parishes the Chair or other office holder would approach any likely participant; if willing to serve they would then be voted for by the current members and proposed to the Parish Priest for approval. Against this was the view that we should be seeking to widen the membership and actively encouraging more parishioners to play their part in the management of the parish.

In terms of the size of the committee, the draft retained the existing elected membership, of 7; it was suggested that 8 or 10 would give a wider mix of skills and experience, better able to cope with the occasional absence of members.

Related to this is the desirability of having “ex-officio”, non-voting members on the PPC, who are appointed, perhaps for a short time, to make use of their specialist skills or experience.

Any further suggestions for change to the draft constitution should be sent to the Secretary by the end of January 2023. A further draft will then be prepared, published to parishioners, and discussed at the next meeting of the PPC.

7. Parish Life

7.a Social Activities. (Carried forward from October Meeting)

With all the changes going on, there is an even greater need to re-vitalise the social life of the parish. It was agreed that a “Social Sub-Committee” be formed to stimulate social activities.

7.b Pastoral Care for those in Need

A new information file on help available for those in difficulty with “Cost of Living and Heating” has been set up here on the website.

7.c. Repository Relocated to the Porch

To avoid the need to transfer the repository goods to and from the kitchenette and hall every Sunday, it has been agreed that we investigate the provision of two rows of “kitchen-style” cupboards (with see-through tops) to provide a permanent “counter-top” display in the porch. This would be manned for sales before and after 10:30 Mass

7.d. The Hardship Fund

.1. It was confirmed that the St Mary’s Hardship Fund has £1,600 on deposit, and Fr Martin had reported that the last request for help had been made some six years ago. As inflation was eroding the value of this sum, it was agreed that £100 be donated to each of the six main charities we support as a parish, and the same be added to the funds for each of our three local charities.

2. The balance of £700 would be retained to meet ad hoc requests for help in the coming year.

3. At present, the donations for Tea & Coffee after 10:30 Mass go to the Hardship Fund. As this is no longer needed, it was agreed that each Sunday’s “Refreshment Team” can decide which charity should receive that day’s donations. It was further suggested that each team could extend the range of “goodies” they provide, perhaps selling cakes or home-made jam etc.

7.e. Local Charities to Support

It was agreed that we will continue to support Waveney Centre and May Centre. A third charity would also be supported; suggestions from Parishioners for this “3^rd Spot” would be welcome.

Health and Safety; Data Protection and GDPR. Nothing new to report.

9. Stewardship

a. Management of Financial Affairs.

It has been decided that our financial affairs need a more co-ordinated approach – and increased support for our hard-working Treasurer. We have therefore formed a specific Finance Sub-Committee, with Bernard Segrave-Daly as Chair, reporting to the FFC.

b. Accounting Standards.

Our move to being a Diocesan Parish is having a significant effect on our financial procedures, as we become subject to more professional accounting standards. We will be required to report actual activity against budget on a quarterly basis, and also expect a periodic audit of our own parish accounting procedures and processes. As we are now part of the Diocesan “Charity” we also have to meet Charity Commission standards.

c. Budgets.

These have been prepared for all expenditure and income streams and while there is bound to be some element of uncertainty about the detail, almost every item of expenditure shows a serious increase – while there is little or no equivalent increase in income. In total, we could be facing a shortfall of some £20,000 next year – and that is before taking the refurbishment of the presbytery into account – a further £20,000 could easily be spent the

d. Gift Aid.

The parish has a new Gift Aid administrator, with Paul Quinn taking over from Tony Kett. We thank Tony for helping the parish develop income from the scheme and we welcome Paul in taking on the continuing task of recording and maximising the tax refunds which form an essential part of parish income. Paul can be contacted via the parish office for advice, and any queries

e .Town Pastors.

Sadly, the original role envisaged for Beccles Town Pastors (as part of Beccles Churches Together) has proved not to be viable. A new structure, to be called the Beccles Chaplaincy Team, has been instituted and B S-D has taken on a role within it.

10. School Report

Fr Chris is proving to be a very welcome addition to the school team.
The First Holy Communion class has now started with 5 youngsters joining so far and working in school on Tuesdays and in St Benet’s on Saturday forenoons.
The “Mini Vinnies” ( a group of youngsters following the ideals of St Vincent de Paul) are getting out and about, and visiting the elderly in care homes.
The school took part in the Hungate Church Christmas Tree Festival.

11. Any Other Business. Nothing to be recorded.

Date of Next Meeting – 18:30 in the Parish Hall on Thursday 02 March 2023.

Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 07 December 2022

24 October

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

18:30; Thursday 20 October 2022; In the Presbytery

Minutes of Meeting

1. Welcome and Opening Prayer.

2. Those Present:

Fr Mike; Deacon Tony; Pam Storey; (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Ann Kemp; Brian Lewis; Chris Scott; Jo Hamer; Mike Ellwood; Sue Workman.

3.Apologies for Absence:

Bernard Segrave-Daly; Neville Kyrke-Smith; Sam Barlow.

Minutes of Previous Meetings.

These were accepted as accurate, with no matters arising not covered by the agenda.

A vote of thanks was proposed and carried, to recognise all the work and leadership given to the PPC by Linda Last, who has had to resign from her roles due to ill-health.

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Organisration

5.1 Organisation. Fr Mike Brookes gave a summary of some of the changes we are likely to experience on moving to the Diocese, and he clarified the current situation as we await the ordination of our Bishop-elect in December.

Fr Mike also gave us the benefit of his experience in Bungay, where St Edmund’s had faced many of the same problems. He particularly recommended reviewing the constitution of the PPC, in the light of us becoming part of the Diocese,; he offered to share the revised constitution produced for the St Edmund’s PPC.

5.2 Social Activities. With all the changes going on, there is an even greater need to re-vitalise the social life of the parish. It was agreed that a “Social Sub-Committee” be formed to stimulate social activities.

6. Pastoral Care for Those in Need

It was clear that we are likely to have a number of parishioners who will be struggling with financial pressures over the winter months. The ease of use of the OFGEM web site was reported, and reference made to the local “HUB” in Blyburgate, as well as the Queen Victoria Jubilee Fund.

It was agreed that we should produce a summary of the sources of help and advice that are available, rather than becoming actively involved in raising and distributing funds.

It was agreed that we would not have a parish Christmas Raffle this year but would support the Waveney Foodbank Christmas Appeal instead.

Secretary’s note

The note below is repeated from an earlier meeting as it may act as a template.

Ideally, it was felt that we should seek to have a single “point of contact” for the parish, who can give accurate advice to those in need.
We would encourage those with difficulties to seek help and advice as early as possible.
We would identify sources of help available to any parishioner e.g. State, Regional and District Council support funds; the Town Council Jubilee Fund; Citizens Advice Bureau; “Help for Households.gov.uk.”. Parishioners’ own Fuel Suppliers may help. Banks and Credit Card companies may help with consolidation of debts. We also have our own “St Mary’s Hardship fund”, and the Parish Priest can make referral to the Diocesan “St Edmund’s Fund” for assistance for specific needs.
Is there a volunteer with some knowledge in this field who could co-ordinate the production of this information?

Health and Safety.

7.1 Fire The annual Fire Exercise and Evacuation is planned for a Sunday in October.

7.2 Electrical Testing. Mains wiring tests are well underway, but there is a continuing need to ensure certificates are produced and filed correctly.

7.3 Housekeeping. Attention to on-going “housekeeping” tasks must be maintained, e.g. steps kept clear of leaves.

7.4 Listing. It was confirmed that “Historic England” staff have inspected our church regarding “listing” and had submitted their report to the Secretary of State; a decision was awaited. While listing does give access to specific funds, it also imposes standards and bureaucracy on us.

Data Protection and GDPR.

Personal data is now stored satisfactorily. An audit of the accuracy of the data held is being planned for 2023 – the 5-year anniversary of the census. The letter circulated by Fr Martin produced some very useful corrections, particularly of “Leavers” from the parish.

Stewardship

No major initiative would take place until our new Parish Priest had taken up his duties.

Fr Martin’s letter has created some new Standing Orders and Gift Aid commitments. but the overall amounts raised is reduced from last year – a sign of the difficult circumstances being experienced by all. The level of administration was creating a high workload for our Gift Aid Co-ordinator, whose employment entails significant travel away from home.

Finance and Fabric Committee.

10,1 Transfer of Properties. Diocesan finance officials are proposing a meeting to discuss the consequences of the transfer of the properties from Downside to the Diocese. This will include the establishment of clear contracts regarding access and use, (and responsibility for maintenance costs) of shared property – e.g. the Parish Hall shared with the school.

10.2 Maintenance. There is an urgent need for action to ensure the water-tight integrity of the buildings – especially at the Hall/Church interface. A “Plan of Works” will require to be drawn up, to obtain Diocesan authority for the expenditure involved.

10.3 Presbytery. Preparatory work for the refurbishment of the presbytery to meet the needs of an incoming Parish Priest, will be progressed. Initially, this will include the identification of the changes required; the likely costs that will be incurred; and sources of funding that could be approached. Such proposals will need to meet the Diocesan standards required, and be within levels of expenditure allowed, by Finance authorities The support of parishioners will be essential, as they will have to raise some part of the costs – and/or agree to the use of our existing parish funds.

It is recognised that the limited funds available may not allow all that is “desirable”, but the essential standards and facilities for the Priest and Parish must be provided. Modern building regulations must be met and improvements which can be effectively self-funding – e.g. loft insulation and double glazing – must be provided.

School and Parish Working Together.

11.1 School Mass. The celebration of School Mass in the Hall was welcomed and will be supported.

11.2 Parishioner Involvement. Attention was drawn to the opportunity to help the school with pupil reading and craft skills.

11.3 Fund Raising. The use of the Clothing Collection Container by parishioners will be encouraged.

11.4 School Chaplaincy. It was noted (with gratitude) that Fr Chris Smith from Sacred Heart, Southwold had volunteered to take on this role for both schools.

Any Other Business.

12.1 Father Mike’s Presence in Beccles. As there was currently little demand, Fr Mike proposed to visit St Benet’s from 09:30 to 13:00 on Fridays; this could be extended into the afternoon if required.

12.2 Noise in Church. The committee felt that it was understandable that people returning to church after lockdown really wanted to talk to their friends. If someone was talking excessively loudly, they could be approached by anyone upset by it, in a quiet and dignified manner. This was not felt to be a matter for public rebuke!

12.3 Standards of Altar Servers. Those present felt that our Altar Servers (mostly aged between 7 and 12, remember!!)were a credit to the parish for their commitment, appearance, and behaviour on the altar – especially when coping with changes of celebrant!

12.4 Fr Martin’s Books. A large number of books were left for parishioners to use. Karen is willing to sort these – but needs a tall bookcase to display them in the porch. Can anyone help?

12.5 Notice Boards and Tables. Karen will also be organising the display of church, charity and social notices at the back of St Benet’s.

13. Date of Next Meeting (and plan for 2023).

We meet on the first Thursday of every third month: –

18:30 on Thursday 01 December 2022

18:30 on Thursday 02 March 2023

18:30 on Thursday 01 June 2023

18:30 on Thursday 07 September 2023

18:30 on Thursday 07 December 2023

The Parish Annual Meeting is provisionally scheduled for Thursday 03 May 2023

Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien.

Secretary. 22 October 2022

12 September

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Meeting;

18:30; Thursday 08 September 2022; In the Parish Hall

Minutes of Meeting

Welcome and Opening Prayer.
Those Present: Fr Martin; Deacon Tony; Linda Last (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Ann Kemp; Brian Lewis; Bernard Segrave-Daly; Jo Hamer; Mike Ellwood; Pamela St Mart; Pam Storey; Sam Barlow; Sue Workman.
Apologies for absence: Chris Scott.
Minutes of Previous Meeting. These were accepted as accurate, with no matters arising.
Parish Administration

Re-organisation. The position of our new priest, Fr Mike Brookes, was clarified. (See the attached note published in the Newsletter of Sunday 11 September.)

Presbytery. Work on refurbishing the presbytery to meet the requirements of an incoming Parish Priest, will be progressed. The Finance and Fabric Committee (FFC) will manage this project, producing plans to meet required standards, with budgets for costs which the parish can afford. As work progresses, FFC will monitor actual progress against the plans and the budget.

It is recognised that the limited funds available may not allow all that is “desirable”, but the “essential standards” must be provided. Modern building regulations must be met and items which can be self-funding – e.g. insulation and double glazing – must be provided.

Parishioner Concerns. The main issues concerned the loss of Masses in the parish – Sunday evening; Saturdays, with Exposition and Confessions; Weekdays; Holydays, Easter & Christmas. The actual costs of bringing in a “locum” for a very small weekday congregation were discussed.

There are also concerns on the practicalities of opening and securing the church on weekdays, and insurance issues with the presbytery being left empty for several months; could a “caretaker” role be established for the interim period?

The limited level of support that could be given by ANY priest on just one day per week was worrying.

The continued uncertainty that existed was also upsetting for many.

Social Activities. With all the changes going on, there is an even greater need to re-vitalise the social life of the parish.

ACTION PLANNED. Meetings with the PPC and FFC have already been called by Fr Mike, for Monday 26 September – the first day after the end of Fr Martin’s tenure! It is intended that firm plans to address the concerns will be produced – and a further set of meetings of FFC and PPC have been scheduled for Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October to review progress against our objectives.

Pastoral Care for those in Need

It was recognised that we are likely to have a number of parishioners who will be struggling with financial pressures over the winter months. After discussion it was agreed that we could do more to help, in the following ways

Encourage those with difficulties to seek help and advice as early as possible.
Identify sources of help available to any parishioner e.g. State, Regional and District support funds; the Town Council Jubilee Fund; Citizens Advice Bureau. Individuals’ own Fuel Suppliers can help. Banks and Credit Card companies may help with consolidation of debts. We also have our own “St Mary’s Hardship fund”, and the Parish Priest can make referral to the Diocesan “St Edmund’s Fund” for assistance.
Ideally, it was felt that we should seek to have a single “point of contact” for the parish, who can give accurate advice to those in need.
Is there a volunteer with some knowledge in this field?

Health and Safety.

Inspection has shown a significant improvement in the cleaning and the removal of dust at high levels. The porch door was now registered and signed as an Emergency Exit, with the proviso that both halves of the doors must be opened in an emergency. The annual Fire Exercise and Evacuation is planned for a Sunday in October. It was confirmed that “Historic England” staff have inspected our church regarding “listing” and had submitted their report to the Secretary of State; a decision was still awaited.

Data Protection and GDPR.

A meeting is planned to discuss the implications of the new organisation. An audit of the accuracy of the data held is also being planned.

Stewardship

Fr M is writing to every home in the parish, complimenting us all on the successful “Alive in Faith” campaign. He asks parishioners to consider making their on-going donations through a “Standing Order” to our new parish accounts; they are also asked to complete a “Gift Aid” declaration if they are a tax payer.

It was stressed that the current financial situation and fuel crisis makes it even more important for FFC to produce meaningful budgets and monitor actual expenditure.

Finance and Fabric Committee.

It was reported that there was no progress on the repairs to the Hall. This was a cause for concern, as water ingress through the corridor/kitchenette roof was sure to be causing damage

School and Parish Working Together.

Reference was made to the very positive verbal feedback after recent inspections. The formal results of the assessment are awaited with cautious optimism!

The liaison between school and parish is working well – especially regarding School Masses and preparation for First Holy Communion. Experience at Bungay means that this good rapport likely to be continued when Fr Mike starts work here in Beccles.

It is planned that parishioners (especially parents) will be able to attend School Masses and can also establish contacts with the pupils, under the guidance of school staff, of course.

In terms of families in need, teachers keep a careful eye out for any signs of financial problems. The school has access to state funds and is managing to provide discrete help when needed.

Any Other Business.

Second Collections It was clarified that the rota for Second Collections was determined by the Diocese and that CAFOD benefitted with two collections per year.

Pressure to contribute No one should ever feel under pressure to contribute to any collection – especially not beyond their means. In fact, with more and more people paying through Standing Order, lots of people do not make contributions into the baskets.

Date of Next Meetings

– Monday 26 September 2022 at 16:00 in the Hall, (With Fr Mike, to discuss parishioners’ issues.)

– Thursday 20 October 2022 at 18:30 in the Hall, (Extra meeting to review progress);

– Thursday 01 December 2022 at 18:30 in the Hall, (Routine Meeting).

Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien.

Secretary. 12 September 2022

Addendum to Minutes; Extract from Parish Newsletter of Sunday 11 September

Parish Administration Beginning 26^th September, Fr Michael Brookes will come over to St Benet’s from Bungay for one day each week – to celebrate Mass with us and to address ongoing issues around the transfer of our parish from Downside Abbey (now ‘St Gregory’s’) to full diocesan control.

Initially, Fr Mike will meet with the Parish Pastoral Council and then the Finance & Fabric Committee, to better understand the concerns of importance to our parishioners.

The post of Administrator, now assumed by Fr Michael for Beccles and Bungay alike, acknowledges that the process of transfer is still under way for both parishes (e.g. aspects of School Administration and buildings maintenance). Bishop Alan hopes to install a priest in St Benet’s parish within the coming months and we join him with our own prayers for the future.

The Bishop’s original briefing about the future of our parish can be seen here on our website.

24 June

St Benet’s Beccles;

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting

18:30; Thursday 09 June 2022; In the Parish Hall

Welcome and Opening Prayer.

Those Present:
Fr Martin; Deacon Tony; Linda Last (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Brian Lewis; Bernard Segrave-Daly; Jo Hamer; Pam Storey; Sue Workman.

Apologies for absence:
Mike Ellwood; Sam Barlow; Chris Scott; Steph & Tim Madden

Minutes of Previous (Joint PPC/FFC) Meeting.
These were accepted as an accurate record.

Matters Missalettes.
TMOB tabled a proposed copy of the readings for each Sunday, which could also have the communal prayers on the reverse side. (Copy of a revised sample attached.) It was agreed that this should be trialled for the coming quarter.

Health and Safety.
In the absence of ME, LL reported that the Fire Inspection had been completed in May 2022. The porch door was now registered and signed as an Emergency Exit. It was noted that if the church were to become a listed building, the integrity of the structure would take precedence over any H&SAWA requirements. Regarding “Listing”, it was confirmed that “Historic England” staff had inspected our church and had submitted their report to the Secretary of State; a decision was awaited.

Data Protection and GDPR.
Nothing further to report .

Stewardship
BS-D reported that the delay in completing the transfer to the Diocese had prevented any further action or preparation for this initiative. He stressed that the support and commitment of the Parish Priest, and all parishioners, would be essential is the Stewardship Initiative were to be successful. Work was progressing on encouraging “Alive in Faith” donations to be transferred to the parish and, where appropriate, that these would be registered for “Gift Aid”. Bernard emphasised that we all needed to achieve the correct balance between what we use to meet our personal physical commitments, and what we devote to our spiritual well-being. Until we learn who our new Parish Priest will be, and when he will arrive, there is little else we can do.

Finance and Fabric Committee.
BL reported that there was no progress on the repairs to the Hall. This was a cause for concern, as water ingress through the corridor/kitchenette roof was sure to be causing damage. Brian reported that the “Historic England” inspectors had been very favourably impressed with our church. He added that “listing” should open access to various funds for repair and maintenance.

School and Parish Working Together.
Reference was made to SB’s report to the Parish Annual Meeting. The recent inspection had given an excellent report for the Religious Education activities of the school and for the links between school and parish. It was noted that an Internet link had been established between the parish and school websites.

Parish Life
LL reported that it was unclear what work was needed or desired to bring the presbytery up to modern standards for the new Parish Priest. It was clearly desirable to improve the parish office facilities and separate them from the priest’s domestic areas. She added that it could be an ideal opportunity to create a suitable meeting facility for the parish.

There was some debate on getting the balance correct between what was essential versus what was desirable – and on whether, in the present economic climate, the parishioners would be willing, or able, to raise the funds necessary for anything not absolutely essential. However, it was accepted that the parish had a good record for generating funds for charitable causes – and there should be no reason why the same energy and resourcefulness should not be directed to meeting our own parish needs.

Any Other Business.
The need for a further “Authorised Person” for the civil registration of marriages was noted.
It was agreed that now we were recovering from Covid, there was a real need to re-establish our spiritual and social activities across the parish.

Date of Next Meeting
was agreed to be Thursday 01 September 2022 at 18:30 in the Parish Hall.

Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien.

Secretary. 18 June 2022

Sample of the Proposed Readings and Prayers

The Readings for Sunday 26 June 2022;

13^th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Year C

The First Reading – From 1 Kings Ch 19: Vs 16, 19-21

The Lord said the Elijah: ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’

Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you,’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’

Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate.

He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.

The Second Reading – from Galatians Ch 5: Vs 1, 13-18

When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence.

Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.

Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit, you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit. The Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions.

If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.

The Gospel – from Luke Ch 9: Vs 51-62

As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him.

These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.

As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me,’ replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’

Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

PAGE 2 The Prayers

The Confiteor

I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned; In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do;

Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.

Therefore, I ask blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The Gloria

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good well.

We praise you; we bless you; we adore you; we glorify you; we give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. AMEN

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father, before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate , he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. AMEN

The Sanctus

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

The Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

The Invitation to Communion

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

27 May

St Benet’s Minster. Beccles;

Minutes of the Parish Annual Meeting (PAM)

19:00; Wednesday 18 May 2022; In the Parish Hall.

1. Welcome and Opening Prayer

2. Those Present

Fr Martin; Deacon Tony; Terry O’Brien (Sec PPC); Hilda Jackson (Sec FFC); Pamela Saint-Mart; Neville Kyrke-Smith; Jo Hamer; Pam Storey; Helen Hemming; Bernard Segrave-Daly; and 12 other parishioners.

Apologies for absence

Linda Last (Chair PPC); Brian Lewis (Chair FFC); Mike & Mary Ellwood; Sam Barlow; Tim & Steph Madden.

Introduction by Fr Martin

Fr M opened the meeting with a prayer to the Holy Spirit. He then welcomed the good news that the CBCEW were happy that it is now possible to return to the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Feast Days, with effect from Pentecost Sunday, 05 June.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes were accepted and there were no matters arising not covered by the agenda.

Treasurer’s Report

( Pamela Saint-Mart)

The 2021 Finance Report is for the full year January to December. The Offertory collections are improving but still low compared to pre pandemic. The 2021 accounts show a surplus – partly due to some generous bequests from deceased parishioners.

The bank balance is healthy for the moment; however, there are renovations to be carried out at the church and Presbytery. The £58,000 funds available may not be enough for what needs to be done. This amount includes a recent gift of £5,000 from Downside, as well as a further £5,000 loan which has no interest payable, and which may be retained by the parish as long as it is needed. Those responsible for the renovations must schedule the outgoings so that we do not run out of funds.

The opening of the new bank account with Lloyds Bank has been approved. We are now waiting for the bank account details and it may take two to four weeks for the bank card and accounts details to arrive. The account name will be “Saint Benet’s Parish” and we will be notifying those donating by Standing Order of the new name and numbers as soon as possible.

It was clarified that the Presbytery renovations would be required to meet modern building standards, as well as those set by the Diocese and influenced by the wishes of our new Parish Priest. Church stonework repairs were also becoming urgent, as was the refurbishment of the Hall.

Finance and Fabric Committee (FFC) Report

(Fr M pp Brian Lewis)

The FFC are very well aware of the state of our premises and the urgent need to sort the issues out before serious damage occurred to the fabric of the buildings

Given the delay with completion of the transfer of ownership of all our premises, and lack of formal agreement on the use of the Hall, the MAT are unable to secure the funding for the urgent remedial work that is needed. Once the legal positions are clarified, the MAT and Diocese will reach an agreement on the use of the Hall by the school and the parish, and the responsibilities for paying for the remedial work and for on-going maintenance, will be clarified.

Urgent roof repairs to the Church have been carried out by a very experienced, professional contractor and BL is identifying contractors to carry out the required remedial stonework repairs.

It was confirmed that the FFC were seeking Grant Assistance from various bodies but were “proceeding with caution” until the issue of “Listing” was resolved.

On the question of financial help from the Diocese, Fr M explained that if this were made available, it would be in the form of a repayable loan. In terms of the 2017 “Alive in Faith” campaign, at that time we were a Benedictine parish, and our contributions had been restricted to raising funds for priestly maintenance (excluding contributions to, and subsequent access for, project funding.)

Synodal Pathway Submission and Action Plans

(Neville Kyrke-Smith)

Neville reported that the meeting on the Diocesan Submission at the Cathedral had been positive, and our views had been well received. Further discussions had been held during a break-out Deanery group, looking at what we could all learn and what action we should be taking to move our parish forward.

There was a clear need to continue to make our “Welcome” at the back of the church real and meaningful, but appropriately discrete at the same time. We must remember the need to prepare to celebrate the Mass fully, as it is the “Source and Summit” of our worship.

A shared concern, in all parishes, was the low response from the younger generations; there is a real need to get them involved. The engagement at the Liturgy was questioned and the need for deeper understanding, through faith formation (catechism), was emphasised. It is good that we in St Benet’s are working with the school towards reinstating the “Children’s Liturgy” and also the “Family Mass”. We recognise that more must be done with parents, grandparents, and children.

Neville said that it is not all bad news! Our wide-ranging charitable works show us to be outward looking – living and demonstrating our faith by our actions. Our greeters, our readers, our altar servers, our music, and our homilies all do us proud.

However, there was a widespread “nervousness” when talking about our Faith and our practice of it; frequent references to “child abuse” and “impossible beliefs” put many of us on the defensive. This could be attributed to our own lack of education and knowledge, as our own “R. E.” had probably stopped at secondary school level.

Fr M said he was keen to get “Catechesis” underway and it is hoped a confirmation course will start this winter, to complement the “Children’s Liturgy” and the school’s involvement.

For adults, it is planned to take up an offer from a parishioner to host a meeting, at the end of June, to discuss what we feel we want to learn. For instance, “What Actually Happens at Mass” was one suggested topic. It was pointed out that there is a wide range of learning aids available on the Internet

NKS added that a recognition by Pope Francis of the ‘ministry of Catechists’ has been created within the wider Church, which will give important recognition to this vocation.

NKS thanked everyone present for their engagement and expressed his gratitude to all parishioners for their contributions. There is a lot to build on and a fuller action plan will be developed in consultation with our parishioners and, of course, with our new parish priest.

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Report.

(Jo Hamer pp Linda Last)

Linda reviewed the experiences we had all shared throughout the Pandemic – including being unable to say a last farewell to our deceased parishioners – and she noted that we appear to have weathered the storm. The contribution of many parishioners was worthy of comment, as we learned how to cope with the unexpected restrictions by working together.

A particular need that remains, is for an acceptable form of small meeting room – which could even serve as a mini-chapel for weekday Mass during winter, to save on heating costs. We really need all our parishioners to give us some feedback and tell us what THEY want – and to commit to working to help achieve it.

Now we are settling into the Diocesan ways of working and we were re-assured recently when our Bishop took the time to meet with your representatives and allay many of our fears. The big question remaining is, of course, whether Bishop Alan will be able to manage his priestly resources and find us the Parish Priest we need and – we think – deserve. We live in hope!

Neville and Bernard, in their presentations, will give us some guidance on the way ahead. Amongst all the challenges, we must put our Spiritual Life at the forefront of all we do.

Finally, can I ask you to show your appreciation for Fr Martin who has led us through the most difficult period imaginable, in out parish life. He has done a fine job and will be a great loss to us all.

And definitely finally – can I say that I am looking for a successor to take on the chair of the PPC. Don’t all rush at once . . .

School Report

(Fr M pp Sam Barlow)

Fr M said he was delighted to report that a very good relationship was developing between the school and parish. In particular, the preparation of the youngsters for their First Holy Communion, due to be received this weekend, was very rewarding.

There was also real commitment to develop the attendance at – and participation in – the Family Masses – once the fears of covid had receded. Meanwhile, the School Masses were well supported by pupils and by some parents, too.

It is also pleasing to note the number of improvements that have been made to the premises and the physical surroundings of the school

Charitable Fundraising

Local Charities (By Pam Storey) This year’s fundraising, via the Weekly Market, will be in aid of Clinks Care Farm; May Centre; and Waveney Centre. Your financial hep was much appreciated – but actual offers to help these organisations is also very important. We need to work as a team. Can you help?

Mary’s Meals (By Helen Hemmings) The 2019 donation was £1,695; 2020 Lockdown affected! was £1,135 and 2021 was £2,365 – including one personal donation of £500. With YOUR help, Mary’s Meals are now feeding 2,279,941 school children every day The 2022 campaign already has £123 in the kitty, and it will start on the first Sunday of Advent.

Congo School for Peace. (By email from Mary Ellwood) Your generous donations continue to be well spent on essential school materials. In addition, the Sisters have been able to purchase land for the provision of additional toilet facilities. All the children seem fit and healthy.

12. Stewardship

(By Bernard Segrave-Daly)

We are all still frustrated that the legal delays in the transfer mean we cannot get started with our parish training until 2023. In the meantime, we can start thinking what sort of parish we want to have and what we want from it – as well as what we can give to it, of course!

In terms of Gift Aid, we encourage existing givers to collect and use their box of envelopes. Note that the additional undated envelopes can be used for certain of the Diocesan and Parish second collections and thus attract the same 25% bonus.

Fr M pointed out that as well as being the collection of essential funds for our church, the offertory is a key part of the Mass; we are making a gift to God, in return for all He does for us. It would therefore be appropriate for those whose Gift Aid Donation is collected by Standing Order, to place their weekly envelope in the basket as a symbol of their gift to God

Any Other Business

Missalettes It was asked if we intended to return to the use of the paper missalettes. There are advantages in that everyone can follow the Prayers and Readings – with the disadvantage that the priest is tied to the prayers chosen by th publisher, which might exclude a choice more suited to the person or cause for whom our Mass was being celebrated.

In many ways, the ideal is for everyone to have their own Missal (£9 upwards from the repository!) – but some find them confusing to use. Another option – for those with smart-phones – is to use the QR code at the doors of the church to get the readings from the “Universalis” website – free of charge

A “straw poll” of those present showed an even split. Please let us know “What do you think?” – and we will review the result after the summer.

14. Date of Next Meeting

It is proposed that the next Annual Meeting will be at 19:00 on Wednesday 03 May 2023

15 Closing Remarks and Prayer led by Fr Martin

Terry O’Brien. Secretary PPC. 20 May 2022

01 April

Notes of the Meeting of St Benet’s FFC and PPC with Bishop Alan Hopes;

at The White House, Poringland; on Thursday 31 March 2022

Present

Bishop Alan Hopes; Deacon Tony Felton, Linda Last, Terry O’Brien, Hilda Jackson, Pamela St-Mart, Gabriel Doll, Jo Hamer, Ann Kemp, Sue Workman, Chris Scott, Pam Storey, Hilary Wells.

Introduction

Bishop Alan welcomed those attending. He explained that contacts and discussions with Downside had been on-going for over a year. However, he understood that there were concerns in the parish about a number of issues:-

– the appointment of a new Parish Priest – or the possibility of a merger of St Benet’s parish with St Edmund’s, Bungay, with a shared priest;
– the possible sale of the presbytery and/or the adjacent plot of land;
– the planned renovation of the presbytery;
– the ownership of the Parish Hall.

Bishop Alan pointed out that arrangements for Bungay had been dealt with first, as Father Charles had been due to retire. Father Martin had been a real asset to the parish and to the Deanery and he had volunteered to remain in post at St Benet’s until summer 2022. This gave some time to look at the issue of his replacement. He added he would return to this issue later.

Possible Sale of Any Property

Bishop Alan said he understood that the Abbot of Downside had pointed out that there was no intention to sell any property. The Presbytery and the land had been leased to the Diocese, on a 999-year lease, for a “pepper-corn” rent.

It was correct that the generosity of the parishioners had built and kept alive the parish for over 100 years. However, all the property was legally in the ownership of the Downside Trust.

Regarding St Edmund’s, he added that Downside had “preserved” some £30,000, which had come from St Edmund’s and was recently returned to them. There was no equivalent sum for St Benet’s.

[NOTE This amount was believed to have been a donation from St Edmund’s parish as part of the “Alive in Faith” project. There was no equivalent donation from St Benet’s – but Downside had made a gift of £5,000, and an interest-free loan of a further £5,000, to St Benet’s.]

Renovation of the Presbytery

An examination of the Presbytery had shown it to be in a poor state of repair and possibly needing work to be carried out to comply with present day standards and regulations; it is also in need of complete re-decoration. It is the responsibility of the parish to provide suitable accommodation for their Priest and such work must be funded by the parish. Unfortunately, to facilitate this work, the tenant living in the presbytery had had to be given notice to leave.

. The Bishop recommended we speak to Deacon James Hirst, and agree what works were needed and what we could afford. The fact that our parish had surplus funds on deposit gave us some breathing space on this.

The Parish Hall

Bishop Alan said that there was no doubt that the Hall belonged to the parish and free use of it by the school in term time, in return for their maintaining it, had been an informal arrangement of benefit to both parties.

However, it was now apparent that a formal agreement was needed, between the MAT and the Parish, setting out each party’s rights and responsibilities.

A New Parish Priest?

If asked, “Is St Benet’s going to have a new Parish Priest?” the Bishop said his reply could only be, “I hope you are!”

He totally understood that this was a very serious issue for the parish, and he stressed that in his 10 years as our bishop, he had never had to close or amalgamate any parish. Bishop Alan then gave an outline of the priests about to retire which was just balanced by the new ordinations due over the next 4 to 5 years. He added that two recent ill-health issues were putting a severe pressure on numbers of priests available.

He stressed that Beccles was a sizeable town, with a lively parish, and it certainly deserved to have its own priest. It was recognised that the parishes were the life-blood of the missionary work of the Church, and that they must be supported in their work.

Bishop Alan said that the placement of priests would normally be planned for September each year when the new priests would become available. He added that the placements were a decision for the Bishop’s Council – not for him alone – and while he was due to retire, any decision reached would not be subject to review by his successor.

Conclusion

The bishop said he hoped this information – while not as complete as any of us might have wished – went some way to allay the fears of the parishioners. He added that this issue showed that there was a real need for parishes to work and pray for vocations – for the priesthood, and for the Diaconate, and for all the other work that is needed in every parish.

Bishop Alan was thanked for all the information he had provided. It was agreed that it was unfortunate that the absence of such information had led to the growth and spreading of rumours.

Bishop Alan then wished all of us in Beccles well, and gave us his blessing.

Terry O’Brien

Secretary PPC 31 March 2022

St Benet’s Minster. Beccles;

Minutes of the Meeting of Parish Pastoral Council (PPC);

(Combined with the Finance and Fabric Committee )

18:30; Thursday 03 March 2022; In the Parish Hall.

Welcome and Opening Prayer

2.Those Present

Fr Martin; Deacon Tony; Linda Last (Chair PPC); Brian Lewis (Chair FFC); Terry O’Brien (Sec PPC); Hilda Jackson (Sec FFC); Bernard Segrave-Daly; Gabriel Doll; Mike Ellwood; Jo Hamer; Pam Storey; Pam St-Mart: Tim & Steph Madden; Chris Scott.

Apologies for absence

Brigid Rawlinson has indicated her decision to resign from the PPC.
Sue Workman; Sam Barlow.

Presentation by Fr Martin

Fr M explained that this joint meeting had been convened following the cancellation of the FFC on 19 January, and in view of the need to update all concerned with the changes the Parish was going through. With the pandemic clearly coming to an end, he wanted us all to consider “The Way Ahead” as we sought to “Build Back Better”.

Change of Parish Priest. Fr M reminded us that St Benet’s was moving from Downside to the Diocese, and that legal and financial details were still to be resolved. However, he did confirm that he would be replaced as Parish Priest over the summer/autumn.
The Presbytery. Fr M stated that GD has been given notice to terminate his rental of a room in the Presbytery by the end of July, to facilitate some major repairs and renovations that the Diocesan architects felt were necessary.
The Parish Hall. At present, given the uncertainty over ownership, and lack of formal authority to use the Hall, the MAT are unable to secure the funding for the urgent remedial work that is needed. Once the legal positions are clarified, the MAT and Diocese will reach an agreement on the use of the Hall by the school and the parish, and the responsibilities for paying for the remedial work and for on-going maintenance.
The Church Building – “ Listing?”. Various authorities had viewed the church, and all were impressed by it and surprised that it was not already “listed”. A final decision from them is awaited. Meantime BL is identifying suitably qualified contractors to carry out the essential stonework repairs. There could be financial benefits in not committing to this action until after a decision had been reached about listing.
“The Way Ahead”. Fr M stressed that wecould not afford to wait until all uncertainties were resolved, before taking action to re-launch our Spiritual and Social life.
The discussions as part of the Synodal Pathway gave us some guidance on where we should focus our efforts. Our Parish AGM was scheduled for Wednesday 18 May (with a meeting before that, of FFC on 20 April) and he wanted us all to be prepared to deliver our plans to our parishioners at that meeting.

Response and Discussion.

LL thanked Fr M for his presentation but said she wanted to review some of the history of the parish. It was pointed out that, – over the years – the parishioners had contributed significant amounts to the growth and development of the parish premises
- Linda stressed that the uncertainty was creating a lot of unrest and was leading to the spread of rumours. The idea that the presbytery, and/or the adjoining land, could be sold off or used for non-parochial purposes, was especially concerning.
- It was pointed out that the legal owner of the land and property is the Downside Mission Trust and that the parishioners have no legal say in the disposal of the assets. Donations that had been made years ago, were given without any contractual obligation in return.
- It was believed that Downside would retain ownership of the presbytery (including the grounds), but the parish/diocese would be granted a 999-year lease.
- Linda added that the parish is in real need of a “stand-alone” Parish Hall, that could be used by parishioners all day and for 52 weeks of the year, for parish activities.
- Linda said that, as Chair of the PPC, she felt it incumbent on her to make the concerns of parishioners clear to Fr M – and to the higher authorities, the Abbot of Downside, and our Bishop of East Anglia. She felt that we should ask for a senior representative of Downside and/or the Diocese, to come to Beccles, meet with parishioners, explain what the Diocesan plans were, and hear our concerns – with the provision of a Meeting Room for the parish being the most urgent need.
- In addition, we should seek an assurance that if there were to be any disposal of the assets of the parish, as transferred from Downside, then the parish should benefit from them, with the provision of a Parish Hall being the most urgent need.
- Fr M commented that the only definite decision made to date was that GD should vacate the presbytery by the end of July, to allow essential works to be carried out, to make it more suitable for the incoming Parish Priest. He added that the new PP would be a Diocesan appointment who would work closely with the Diocese and the Deanery – rather than with Downside.
Linda asked that her proposal to write to the Abbot and Bishop be supported by a vote of those present, acting as representatives of the parishioners. Her proposal was seconded and agreed by a majority of those present.

(POST MEETING NOTE. A letter on the proposed lines was sent to Downside and RCDEA. The reply from the Abbot, which was received 09/03 said, “It was my expectation that we would have completed the transfer at the end of December. As far as I am aware everything from our end is completed but lawyers have their own speed! You will need to contact the bishop to understand his plans for the future. However, I wouldn’t listen to all these rumours. There are certainly no plans to sell off the presbytery garden!”

Previous Meeting; Minutes and Matters arising. (Not covered in the agenda.)

The minutes of the previous PPC were accurate and that there were no matters arising.

FFC Meeting

The formal minutes of the FFC will be produced separately by Hilda Jackson. The following are the key points from the discussions.

7.1 Finance

The pattern seen throughout the pandemic is continuing, with a decrease in basket collections being mitigated to some extent by an increase in Standing Orders
The gift of £5,000 and the loan of £5,000 from Downside are very welcome.
Generous legacies from deceased parishioners are helping us remain solvent
Our Treasurer is investigating the transfer of our bank accounts to Lloyd’s Bank.

7.2 Maintenance.

Work is progressing on the “To Do” list.
“EICR” testing (legally required every 5years) is being carried out by DR.
“PAT” (portable appliance testing) has been completed by DR. We await the certificates.
HW has agreed to continue maintaining the Churchyard records.
Agreement was given that the preferred contractor be appointed to carry out the stonework repairs, costing c. £5,000.
Agreed also that the above could be deferred until a decision is received re “Listing”, as this may have financial implications.

Health and Safety (Update by ME)

We need to have the organizational changes completed so that we can define proper accountabilities for HASAWA.
The RA for weddings has been completed; this makes it clear that the couple are responsible for the safety of their wedding guests.
Note that being “A Listed Building” can over-ride H&SAWA requirements – e.g., it can prevent any inappropriate changes to the structure or fittings.
(Post Meeting. The “Porch Door” is now an approved fire exit and is “signed” as such.)

Stewardship (Update by BS-D)

Until the “Change to Diocese” is completed, no major initiative is possible
The “Alive in Faith” contracts are expiring automatically, and we should encourage the transfer of those donations to the parish funds.
A few parishioners with Standing-Order arrangements in favour of the parish have never signed up as Gift Aid donors. Provided that they are eligible, and bearing in mind that we can claim for the past 4 years’ donations, it was agreed that BS-D should ask our Gift Aid Coordinator (TK) to discreetly encourage them to sign up.

10. Data Protection and GDPR (Update by ME

As the main database is now held securely in the Presbytery Office, we are complying with the regulations.
Although Email addresses are not strictly classed as personal data, it is good practice to keep them private. The use of the BCC address block is recommended.

11. School and Parish Working Together (Update by SB)

Refer to the report circulated earlier.
All were impressed by the work that is being done to improve the school premises and to establish a positive relationship between School and Parish.
It is hoped to have a Family Mass on Mother’s day – with posies supplied by MK.

12. Synodal Pathway (Update by NK-S)

Our parish report has now been submitted to the Diocese. Eighteen of us participated actively with Neville in the composition of the report. Individual responses, addressed to Neville or to Fr Martin, are also referred to and incorporated within the report which will be posted on the parish website shortly.
Other responses made directly to the Diocese via the website link (bypassing the parish process) are also being considered at diocesan level.
These (600+ responses from individuals and all the parish reports) will contribute to a diocesan response to be presented in the Cathedral on Saturday 14^th
Fr M also noted that Neville has agreed to produce an “Action Plan” based on the findings of the Pathway process, to try to ensure we make the changes we identified as being necessary, if we are to make living in our parish a meaningful Christian experience.

13 Parish Life (Report by LL)

- The arrangements for Christmas ticketing went well and the flowers and decorations were much appreciated.
- The Hardship Fund has benefitted from the attention it has received!
- The music in the church is welcomed but there is a desire to have more of the “Old Favourites” to encourage participation.
- Work is progressing with all our fund-raising activities – but more helpers are always Mary’s Meals had a particularly good result.
- Our social events and activities are all hampered by the lack of a decent meeting facility.
- The Market Stall will continue over the summer – if help becomes available for preparation and manning. We will support the same three local charities as last year.
- The Craft group will be producing various “Visual Aids” to assist our worship.
- New members for the PPC are needed; and a new “Chair” must be elected, as LL intends to resign this position at the AGM on 18 May.

14. Any Other Business

Fr M announced he intends to organise a short (4 sessions) course, with a film and discussion, to encourage “Our Spiritual life”. This will be after the AGM on 18 May.

15. Dates of Meetings for 2022

FFC – Wed 20 April; Wed 20 July; Wed 19 October
Parish AGM – Wed. 18 May;
PPC – Thur 02 June; Thur 01 Sept; Thur 01 December

16. Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien. Secretary PPC. 09 March 2022

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish & PPC AGM

Minutes of Meeting; 18:30, Wednesday 15 September 2021

1. Those Present

Fr Martin Gowman (Parish Priest); Deacon Tony Felton; Linda Last (Chair PPC); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y PPC); Brian Lewis (Chair FFC); Hilda Jackson (Sec’y FFC); Pamela St-Mart (Parish Treasurer) Bernard Segrave-Daly (Stewardship Co-ord); Mike Ellwood (H&S Co-ord and GDPR Co-ord)) Sam Barlow (Head of School); plus members of the FFC and PPC, and 15 other parishioners.
2. Welcome and Opening Prayer
3. Apologies for absence
Deacon Mike Wells; Tim and Steph Madden; Brigid Rawlinson; Mary Ellwood; Chris Boyes; Paddy & Sally Hardiman.
4. Minutes of Previous Meeting

(Circulated with Agenda.)
1. The minutes of the previous AGM, held on Thursday 16 May 2019 were accepted.
2. Re the suggestion that the names of the sick be read out in the Bidding Prayers, rather than those “whose anniversaries occur this week”, it was proposed that each week we try including a variety of persons or causes for whom prayers are requested.
5. PPC Report (Linda Last)
1. Linda reported that the PPC had met regularly during “Lockdown” usually by “ZOOM”. Minutes of these meetings had been posted on the noticeboards and website.
2. She welcomed new member Jo Hamer, as well as Mike Ellwood and Bernard Segrave-Daly, both recently appointed to the PPC for their relevant specialist skills, and who would be reporting on H&S and Stewardship later.
3. Linda acknowledged the efforts of our clergy, supported by the Ushers, Cleaners and Flower Guild, in making it possible for us to maintain our services during “Lockdown”. The role played by our Primary School was also much appreciated, and she looked forward to increasing co-operation in the months ahead.
4. Clare Valori had also recorded her gratitude to the “support team” at OLPS Gillingham, and especially to Fr M for the provision of Masses – including the 11:00 Mass on “First Fridays”.
5. The priorities of the PPC for the future were to encourage an increase in attendance at Sunday Masses, with a greater involvement of young people through enhanced school liaison. There would be a need to support Fr M as we develop as a Diocesan Parish, and the role of Stewardship would be essential in this growth. The re-establishment of Parish Social and Fund-raising life was also essential, and meetings to address this were planned for the coming weeks.
6. There was an important role to be played in Diocesan Laity Committees, and in informal contacts with our friends in Bungay, with whom we shared a lot of history and a similarity of issues.
7. Linda referred to her PPC Report (copy attached) which showed how our charitable fundraising was still managing to operate in the current demanding circumstances
8. Fr M thanked Linda for her report and for all the work she was doing for the Parish.
6. Becoming a Diocesan Parish (Fr Martin)

1. Fr M pointed out that although we were now effectively a Diocesan Parish, he was still a Benedictine Monk and was part of the Downside Community.
2. In many ways, we would always be a Benedictine Parish – simply because of our dedication to St Benedict, which would NOT be changing.
3. However, the Diocese was already taking a greater role in our activities, e.g., Finance; Buildings Maintenance; H&S; Data Protection.
4. The official change-over would occur when the Parish Bank Accounts changed, probably on 01 January 2022, but there were complicated financial, property and legal matters to be addressed. Those with Standing Orders in favour of the Parish or Downside will be formally notified of the change in bank details in due course.
5. This could be a good time for more parishioners to consider using the Standing Order facility. It led to a reliable, predictable, and more consistent level of income; it gave simpler and more secure accounting, with no cash to be counted and banked every week. If parishioners were taxpayers, it also allowed for us to claim “Gift Aid”, with the Government adding 25% to the individual’s contribution – at no cost to the parishioner!

7. Health and Safety (Mike Ellwood)
1. Mike said that H&S was a long-standing responsibility, as it was a clear duty of every organisation to care for its members, employees, users, and clients. It also had financial implications, as our insurers would require proof that we – as an organisation – were operating correctly before they would cover us for any claims for loss or injury.
2. He stressed that H&S did not exist to prohibit any planned activities; rather the aim was to ensure that we carried out ALL activities safely. Every one of us has a personal responsibility to act as required to ensure the safety of ourselves and all others involved.
3. Fortunately, we are a low-risk activity, with the main hazards being “slips, trips and falls” due to steps, uneven surfaces and items left on floors; and the inherent risk of fire and/or burns from lighted candles.
4. Our main preventative action was to conduct a “Risk Assessment” for every activity – not as form-filling exercise, but to be able to show that we had considered whether any risks existed and that we had taken appropriate action to address them.
5. The Diocese recently audited our H&S standards and while a lot of actions have been taken, we were generally lax in the documentation of our procedures and in recording that routine checks had been carried out.
6. In terms of future action, a meeting was planned for Saturday 18 September, for all those involved in organising any activity, to ensure they understand their responsibilities. For instance, our ushers could have the role of “Fire Marshalls” with responsibility for managing the safe evacuation of the church in the event of an emergency.
7. Mike also stressed that it was a responsibility of each parishioner to think of the consequences of their actions on others, and to report any omissions or shortfalls in the standards of our operations and events.
8. GDPR – General Data Protection Regulations (ME)
1. Mike explained that his first priority had been to address H&S issues and he had only had time to take a brief look at our GDPR procedures.
2. In the early stages, he had received complaints from some parishioners who felt they were not receiving adequate communications from the parish. On examination, it turned out that the individuals concerned had never supplied their personal details to the parish – by means of the 2018 Census – and/or had never given the parish formal permission to contact them – as required by law.
3. In summary, his view was that anyone handling data should treat the data as if it were their own information, and ask themselves, “How would I feel if my data was treated like this?” This would be the standard to be applied for all GDPR matters.
9. Finance and Fabric Committee Report.(BL)
1. Brian reported on the two-year period since the last AGM, which showed that the reduction in weekly basket collections of £4,000 was being counter-balanced to an extent by an increase in Standing Order and Bank Transfer of donations; the use of Gift Aid on these donations was a further positive factor.
2. The financial situation was also aided by a recent donation of £5,000 from Downside.
3. The change to being a Diocesan Parish would require a new set of Parish Bank Accounts. Payments and levies currently paid to Downside would in future be made to the Diocese; the actual amounts were not yet known.
4. The new Diocesan Vicar of Finance was taking an increasing interest in the financial affairs of all parishes, seeking to ensure that properly planned and budgeted accounts were produced for all activities.
5. The Vicar was also determined that parishes preserved their churches and other buildings – again with proper planning and financial provisions for both short-term and long-term maintenance.
6. On current issues, the repairs to the Hall roof were the most urgent, as water was damaging the fabric of the Church. Responsibility for the cost of this work was accepted by the school/MAT. The discussions on this, had high-lighted the need for a legal agreement to rationalise the position between the School/MAT and the Parish/Diocese regarding the respective rights and responsibilities regarding the Parish Hall.
7. Regarding the Church itself, the parish had paid for gullies and drains to be professionally cleared and roof tiling to be A specialist was employed to repair or replace one badly damaged section of gully; all this had cost c. £3,000
8. Some damaged stonework urgently needs attention. This was thought to be largely cosmetic but closer professional examination has shown that previous repairs were poorly made, affecting the viability of the joints between adjacent stones and, in the longer term, the structural integrity of the building. Initial estimates put the cost of this essential remedial work at some £20,000.
9. Further major expenditure will be required in the near future, to complete all the outstanding maintenance work identified in the previous 5-yearly survey. Our present savings account shows a surplus of c. £56,000 which has been put aside over the years for such work, but clearly, significant fund-raising will be required. Some help can be expected from Diocesan funds and perhaps from other charitable/historic sources.
10. The question of applying for “Listed Building” status was in abeyance pending the completion of the transfer to the Diocese, as it would then become the formal owner of the properties.
11. Fr Martin expressed his thanks to Brian and the FFC for their work; he also paid tribute to Gabriel Doll, both for his work in the grounds and for his prompt action in dealing with a recent potentially serious failure.
10 School and Parish Working Together. (SB)
1. Sam referred to her School Report – copy attached – and gave us all an insight into how the school was working to return to normality.
2. The closer co-operation between school and parish was most impressive and was commended by those present. She saw the increased involvement with the “Family Masses“ as a real step forward and was sure to benefit both school and parish.
3. Further opportunities for collaboration would be welcome.

11. PPC Constitution (Fr M)

Fr M explained that when the PPC was set up, it was proposed that members be elected for a period of 3 years, with the option of continuing for a further 3 years. Experience had shown that this produced a fairly rapid turnover of members, with a consequent loss of knowledge and expertise.
He therefore proposed that the constitution be altered to allow a parishioner to be elected or appointed to the PPC for a period of 5 years, with the option of serving for a second 5 years
This was proposed by BL; seconded by JH, and carried unanimously, both by all parishioners present, and separately by all the current serving members of the PPC.

12. PPC Membership (LL)

Linda explained that restrictions of the pandemic had meant that it had been impossible to hold an AGM in 2020. Accordingly, two appointments to the PPC had not been able to be formally ratified.
The recent changes to becoming a Diocesan parish had reinforced a perceived need for additional expertise in terms of Health & Safety and in Data Protection. The recent retirement of ME from relevant professional employment in these fields meant he was available – and willing – to devote some of his time and expertise to the service of the parish. Since his retirement, he has already contributed significantly in both of these roles.
In the evolving field of Stewardship, BS-D’s background in accountancy and senior management fitted him to be our Co-ordinator of our parish endeavours to harness the “Time, Talents and Treasure” of more parishioners.
Linda therefore proposed that both ME and BS-D be confirmed as members of the PPC; seconded by BJOB. This proposal was accepted unanimously.

13. Stewardship (BS-D)

A copy of the paper by BS-D on Stewardship is attached.
Bernard welcomed the initiatives to relaunch the social and fund-raising activities of the parish. He stressed that BL’s explanation of the financial state of the parish added a definite need for concerted action.
He added that as well as TREASURE, it was equally important to harness the TIME and TALENTS of parishioners.

14. Any Other Business.

It was pointed out that our insurers were likely to reject any claim if it transpired that we failed to adhere to good H&S practices and/or maintenance of our premises; this could have serious financial consequences for the parish.
While the appointment of ME and BS-D to the PPC was very welcome, the continued reluctance of parishioners willing to volunteer to serve the parish should be a cause for concern.
It was suggested that we might be able to obtain grants for maintenance/repair from other funds e.g. for Historic Churches. It was agreed that all such sources would be approached, but many were restricted to helping “Listed Buildings” only. Additionally, the Diocese had indicated that “we would not be left on our own” – though this help might take the form of a repayable loan!
It was confirmed that cheques for funds already raised for our local charities would be delivered to them by Fr Martin and PS. Given the limited scope for this fundraising, it was agreed that our local fundraising would be continued for these same three charities – May Centre; Clinks Care Farm; and Waveney Centre.
Arrangements were in hand for the transfer of the role of “Appointed Person for the Registration of Marriages” from Deacon Tony to Tim Madden.
Attention was drawn to the existence of the Beccles Jubilee Fund which can provide funds for the purchase of items such as domestic equipment or mobility aids. Application should be made to the Town Clerk’s Office in the first instance.

15. Date of Next Meeting

1. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 19:00 in the Parish Hall.
2. (Please note the changed time.)

16. Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 20 September 2021

Parish & PPC AGM – 15 September 2021;- Chair’s Report

The PPC has continued to meet via Zoom calls, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. We were, though, unable to hold an AGM, or elections to the PPC in 2020.

PPC Membership

We did welcome Jo Harmer to the committee but sadly lost two members due to commitments of work and family.

Both Mike Ellwood and Bernard Segrave-Daly have been working with the committee and I hope they will accept their (official) appointments to the committee later in the meeting.

Michael Ellwood as Health and Safety co-ordinator, and GDPR coordinator.

Bernard Segrave-Daly to lead the Stewardship campaign.

We will hear from Mike and Bernard later in the meeting.

Parish Life in Lockdown

The Pandemic has affected the Mass attendance and our parish life over the past two years. But our community has been active in keeping our church open. First for private prayer, then opening up to celebrate the Mass.

Our church stewards and the church cleaning team have made this possible by offering their time to ensure that

we can be open
we abide by the guidelines.

Our wider parish community has been quietly working through this pandemic reaching out to people who have been isolating or isolated. Delivering newsletter, groceries, phone chats, weekly emails, hospital runs. We thank them on behalf of their recipients, for their kindness.

We also thank the people who have brought a little brightness to the church, flowers both inside and outside, maintaining the grounds, festive hangings and commemorative displays.

Bubble groups of children came into the church from school to contribute and engage with the commemorative displays by adding names and poems.

Our catechists continued with their commitments and going forward we have had a number of enquiries for First Holy Communion.

The Diocese’s Council of Laity meetings were stopped due to the pandemic but will be restarting towards the end of this year (November) a representative from the PPC will be invited attend.

OLPS Gillingham

I am including in my report this note from Clare Valori on Gillingham Church

‘OLPS continues to have Mass at 8am on Sundays as well as at 11am on occasional Fridays.

With the easing of Covid restrictions, the furniture in the church has returned to normal with a single central aisle.

Attendees have returned in rather reduced numbers from March 2019. Several parishioners have taken to supporting the collections by BACS or by Standing Order.

We are all grateful to Fr Martin for his continued generous work as our Parish Priest.

We appreciate Peter Williams work as Sacristan – following Larry Peck’s retirement.

We are grateful to Susan Basey Fisher for her contribution to cleaning and care of OLPS

Thanks to Charlotte Valori for her work on the OLPS website and developing a digital map of the graveyard. Charlotte would be pleased to add obituaries or family stories for those buried in OLPS to make this record relevant and interesting for the future.

We hope that the parish management changes will go on smoothly and will not affect OLPS adversely.’

PPC Priorities for the Future

PPC going forward will be giving focus to:

Increasing attendance at Mass, family Masses, bring the youth into the church.
Enhancing and expanding the relationship with the School
Through stewardship encouraging parishioners to volunteer their talents and time to expand the range of roles in the parish
Restarting the social life of the parish
Understanding our role and responsibilities within the Diocese

We are entering a new phase in the life of the Parish, moving from being part of Downside to becoming a full member of the Diocese of East Anglia.

Friendship and Care, Building a thriving, inclusive parish community, and Living out The Lord’s message is our way forward.

Charity Groups Continued Their Work During The Pandemic

The Congo School for Peace

A summary of the charity’s activities since the last AGM

The school in Southern Congo is maintained through our fund-raising and sponsorship of children. Many teachers are not paid, so the money we send is spread very thinly. There are now over 1000 children at the school and four of the sponsored children are now at university. The sisters who run the school are very grateful for our help. They also have a vital medical centre which we have helped to complete.
To raise money over the last two years we have had sales of bric-a-brac, crafts and other items; auctions; an Italian supper and more recently a garden party.
We produce regular newsletters and have regular support meetings. We are looking for new members if anyone would like to join us to find out more about the project or to help us with fund-raising.
Our next event will be the AGM on Thursday 14^th of October at 7pm at Beccles Library.

Charity Stalls

We hold these in Beccles Market in aid of local charities, but they were put on hold during the pandemic. They will be starting again next year. The charities supported will again be Clink Farm, Waveney Centre and the May Centre. Pam Storey along with Fr Martin will be visiting these charities to present the cheques from 2019 fund-raising.

Mary’s Meal continued with the jam jar collections thanks to Helen Hemmings. Mary’s Meals now reach over 2 million children who are in desperate need for food.

MISSIO – The Red Boxes These continue to be well supported, though I (Linda L) find it hard to get any coins. (With this cashless spending, none are dropping down the chair from hubby’s pockets.)

Second Collections The parish continue to support a number of charities and organisation, such as CAFOD, Family Fast Days, Seamen’s Missions, Priest Training etc. Unfortunately, with the use of cashless payments, people do not have access to ready change in their pockets.

Linda Last

Chair of PPC; 15 September 2021

Parish & PPC AGM; 15 September 2021

St Benet’s Primary School Report.

As a school we are looking to get back on track post lockdown, including returning to normal school days and coming together as a school community.

Identifying the learning needs of the children is a priority and putting in place support for both academic and pastoral areas. We have a family support worker who works with our most vulnerable families and a therapy dog that comes in every two weeks.

We are starting work with the Beccles Forest school to offer school sessions for Reception and KS1 each week.

We are ensuring we are prepared for imminent Ofsted inspection, through the development of our curriculum provision, sound teaching and learning model, and ongoing professional development of staff to support this and Section 48 RE inspection which we will work closely to monitor with our RE governor Mary Ellwood.

We have updated all classrooms with decorating and carpeting and the school playground has been resurfaced.

Our Mini Vinnie group has started meeting again with a large cohort this year, keen to fund-raise and do charitable work. We are looking to work with St Edmund’s and CAFOD on the Live Simply award.

We are excited to embark on the lingua-marque accreditation for Spanish teaching in our school and the development of a diverse and inter-cultural understanding for our children. We hope to culminate this in summer with an inter-cultural festival.

I am starting to work across the MAT as Primary Teaching and Learning Lead to support other schools in their development; this will initially be one day a week.

Sam Barlow.

Executive Head

Stewardship

Presentation to St Benet’s Parish AGM 15 Sept 2021.

As we come out of lockdown, we are invited by Fr Martin to take a good look at our parish, the way we do things, the things we could do better, and how we invite all parishioners to contribute their time, talents and skills to build up our worship, our activities and management.

Stewardship is not the same as stewarding, it is not about money, but that needs consideration too, It is about Recognising ourselves as Christians in general and Catholics in Particular.

We are no longer a “Downside Parish”, we are on our own as a Diocesan Parish

Under the Church’s definition of Stewardship, we are invited to strive to have a life of Gratitude for the Gifts God has given us.

It is also about tending to our gifts in an accountable and responsible manner.

More importantly it is about “Sharing those gifts with others and returning a meaningful proportion of them back to the Lord”.

A few years ago, we carried out a Census of all our parishioners inviting them to tell about their many talents, skills, life-involvements and experience; it was not a success, as only a very small percentage responded to that specific request in the survey.

We are not trying to make anyone feel guilty about this! We hope that soon we will be returning to “normal”, so that we can develop a more social aspect to our parish life. We hope to work with Fr Martin to unburden him of some of the excess workload he has to carry.

Many new Burdens on our Parish

In the past year we have been inundated with considerable new work by the enforcement of laws covering Health and Safety, Property maintenance, electrical and asbestos surveys, risk assessments, Insurance cover for our properties and public liability.

Now we have huge onerous new requirements under the Data Protection Act and the GDPR as well as child protection practice, all need to be reviewed and up dated regularly.

When it comes to finance, we have some very large elements of expenditure on the fabric of the Church and the Parish Hall as well as the grounds.

Under the heading of Finance, we are now budgeting to cover all known liabilities as well as facing up to the unforeseen possibilities that might hit us.

Four years ago, we agreed to raise £44,000 Under Alive in Faith) to get the Diocese funding of its issues in order. That will come to an End in 2022. It might be the opportunity to transfer some of that giving to safeguard the Parish against future liabilities. Keeping the parish financial records could be considerably eased for our treasurer if the weekly collection could be made by Monthly Standing Order direct from our bank accounts. We will arrange for as many parishioners to sign Gift Aid and Standing Orders costing Donors no more, but claiming the Tax you have paid to come to the Parish (last year the Parish reclaimed £3,500) if more parishioners joined, we can claim even more from the Government!

In his letter to our Parishioners Fr Martin will be telling us that ”As we emerge gradually from lock-down there is plenty to stimulate our prayers, thoughts and initiatives, when it comes to supporting one another and rebuilding our community life. May this time be an opportunity, a new beginning, and fresh hopes for the future .

The primary Purpose of Stewardship is to honour God and work together to build up our Church and its Community

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this and any comments on my notes of 16^th August.

Bernard Segrave-Daly.

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting; 18:30; Thursday 22 July 2021

Welcome and Opening Prayer.
Those Present: Linda Last (Chair); Terry O’Brien (Sec’y); Fr Martin; Deacon Tony; Jo Hamer; Brian Lewis; Tim and Steph Madden; Chris Scott; Pam Storey. Mike Ellwood (H&S Co-Ord). attended part-time
Apologies for absence: Sam Barlow; Brigid Rawlinson; Bernard Segrave-Daly; Mike Wells; Sue Workman.
Minutes of Previous Meeting. (Circulated with Agenda.)
1. The minutes of the meeting on Thursday 15 April were accepted.
Matters Arising
1. There were no matters arising not covered in the agenda.
Health and Safety (ME)
1. Having just taken on the role of H&S Co-ordinator, Mike reported he had conducted a full survey of the parish procedures and administration. While there was an understanding that some of the tests had been carried out, there was no legal record of them. Some procedures were missing, and few risk assessments had been documented in the required fashion. A full “Fire Risk Assessment” had now been completed by ME.
2. The most important failing was the lack of documentation of any checks being carried out on Contractors’ competence and that appropriate insurance cover was held. This failure could put the parish at financial risk in the event of an accident to people or property.
3. A survey of electrical wiring and systems, and the testing of portable appliances was in progress. Other matters to be addressed were the need for a) a documented asbestos survey b) re-routing of a gas pipe running across the boiler house steps and c) erection of a central handrail to the St Mary’s Road steps.
4. A further need was for the provision of personnel trained to deal with any likely emergencies – e.g., fire, flood, or accident; this could be a role for the parish team of stewards
5. Mike pointed out that the Church was not a “high-risk” property, but it was still important that all routine activities should be assessed for the risks involved, and for safe practices to be established for their conduct.
6. It is proposed to hold a “H & S Awareness Day” for all Group Leaders
Data Protection Act and GDPR (ME)
1. The fact that individual’s religious adherence and commitments were involved in some of the data, made our GDPR a “Sensitive Issue” As ME is both the H & S and GDPR Co-ordinator, it is proposed to hold any review of our DP procedures in abeyance until the H&S issues were resolved.
2. However, it was already clear that all personal data should be centralised in the Parish Office and kept in secure storage.
3. Individuals’ phone numbers held by activity leaders, would not be affected.
Finance and Fabric Committee Report.(BL)
1. A reduction in weekly basket collections was being counter-balanced by an increase in Standing Order donations.
2. Confusion was caused by the reporting of OLPS basket collections separately; these would probably be combined in future.
3. The change to being a Diocesan Parish would require a new set of Parish Bank Accounts. Payments and levies currently paid to Downside would in future be made to the Diocese; the actual amounts were not yet known
4. The tree work was delayed as a larger than expected brace was required.
5. The repairs to the Hall roof were the most urgent, as water was entering the fabric of the Church. Responsibility for the cost of this work was accepted by the school/MAT.
6. On the Church, gullies and drains were being cleared and roof tiling repaired. A specialist was being employed to repair or replace one badly damaged section of gully.
7. Stonework damage is largely cosmetic rather than structural.
8. For the future, major expenditure will be required to complete all the outstanding maintenance work required.
9. A legal agreement is required to rationalise the position regarding the rights to, and responsibilities for, the Parish Hall and its use by the School/MAT.
10. The question of applying for “Listed Building” status was in abeyance pending the completion of the transfer to the Diocese, as they would then become the owner of the property.
School and Parish Working Together.
1. The School Report circulated before the meeting was welcomed.
2. The closer co-operation between school and parish was most impressive and was to be commended.
3. Further opportunities for collaboration would be welcome.
4. Anyone interested in obtaining a DBS check, to enable them to assist in the school, should contact Bernadette Starak in the first instance.
5. The possibility of using the School Wi-Fi (in the Hall, in the evenings, by the Parish Computer Group) would be investigated.
Parish Life.
1. The primary need, post pandemic, is to get our “Spiritual Life” back on track after the limitations of lockdown. This would require us to re-engage with all parishioners
2. The “Stewardship” initiative, to be headed by Bernard Segrave-Daly, will play a major part in the way ahead, as we work together on a common aim.
3. A number of new social activities have been proposed – with volunteers to co-ordinate them. It was agreed that they should start after the AGM
4. It is intended that the new Tuesday Social Group should meet in St Anthony’s Chapel to avoid intruding on Fr Martin’s home.
5. We must encourage more parishioners to come forward with their own ideas of what they want – and, ideally, offer to help put them into practice.
Stewardship

The report from B.S. was welcomed.
It was agreed that this Programme should be launched in Autumn, ideally at the AGM.

Parish AGM
1. The Parish AGM will be on Wednesday 15 September at 18:30
2. It will be a primarily social event, with Wine, Tea, Coffee & Light Refreshments.
3. We could use the event to decide which Charities we would support in future It is proposed that this choice should be for a longer period, to build a relationship with the charities concerned and give them a more stable income.
4. There will be some “business” to be conducted – Approval of the Accounts; Approval of the Change in Term of Service on PPC; Launch of Stewardship.
5. Other suggestions for the “SOCIAL“ aspects would be welcome.
6. Post the meeting, it was agreed that the presentation of funds already raised for our local adopted charities – May Centre; Clinks Farm; Waveney Centre – should be arranged as soon as possible.
Any Other Business.
1. Removal of Covid Legislation. It was agreed that given the anxiety of a number of parishioners the “safe capacity” of the Church should remain at 80, with flexibility where families or bubbles were seated together.
2. In addition, we would take a careful approach to the relaxation of our other procedures.
Date of Next Meeting
1. The next meeting will be on Thursday 21 October at 18:30 in the Parish Hall.
Closing Remarks and Prayer

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 26 July 2021

ADDENDUM

Items Omitted from Any Other Business

Wedding Ceremonies The conduct of Wedding Ceremonies now requires the preparation of a Risk Assessment for the actual church ceremony. This is in hand – in liaison with ME.
Funds Available for the Needy in Beccles Attention was drawn to the existence of the Beccles Jubilee Fund which can provide funds for the purchase of items such as domestic equipment or mobility aids. Contact the Town Clerk’s Office in the first instance.

ST.BENET’S BECCLES;

MINUTES OF PPC MEETING; 1st JUNE 2023

Welcome and Opening Prayer:

Those present:

Minutes of Previous Meeting (PPC 2nd March 23)

4. Constitutional matters

PPC Report. (PS)

Treasurer’s Report. (BSD)

FFC and Stewardship Report (BSD)

School Report (SB)

Any Other Business

Date of next meeting : 1st August 2023.

Closing remarks and Prayer:

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting In the Parish Hall

18:30; Thursday 02 March 2023

3. Minutes of Previous Meeting.

Constitution of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Proposed Relocation of the Repository

Finance and Fabric Report – Summary

Parish Life

Stewardship

Ecumenical Matters – Summary

Day of PPC meetings. (Amended 22 March)

Date of Next Meetings (Amended 22 March)

Terry O’Brien. Secretary. 07 March 2023

St Benet’s Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) ;

Constitution; Ver 5; 06 March 2023

Function

Aims

General Members

Ex -Officio and/or Co-opted Members

PPC Office Bearers

Routine Meetings

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

Amendment of this Constitution

Signed …………………………………….…. Storey, Chair PPC(Date) …………..…..

Signed ………………………..……. M. Brookes, President (Date) ……………….

Relocation of the Repository

Terry O’Brien; Repository Manager; 06 March 2023

Schedule of Meetings of PPC – 2023/24

Month

Parish Pastoral Council

(1st Thursday)

January 2024

February 2024

Thursday 01 February 2024

March 2023

Friday 31 March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

Thursday 04 May 2023 (AGM)

June 2023

Thursday 01 June 2023

July 2023

August 2023

Thursday 03 August 2023

September 2023

October 2023

Thursday 05 October 2023

November 2023

December 2023

Thursday 07 December 2023

Terry O’Brien.

Secretary PPC 07 March 2023

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Minutes of Meeting In the Parish Hall

18:30; Thursday 02 February 2023

St Benet’s Beccles

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Meeting

18:30; Thursday 01 December 2022; In the Parish Hall

Minutes of Meeting

24 October

St Benet’s Beccles; Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

18:30; Thursday 20 October 2022; In the Presbytery

Minutes of Meeting

1. Welcome and Opening Prayer.

2. Those Present:

3.Apologies for Absence:

MINUTES OF PPC MEETING; 1^st JUNE 2023

Minutes of Previous Meeting (PPC 2^nd March 23)

Date of next meeting : 1^st August 2023.

(1^st Thursday)

13^th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Year C