From the Churchwardens.

What happened in 2007.

It’s fair to say that 2007 saw some of the biggest changes to our worship patterns for many years.  It was the latest stage in a process that really started in 2006.  We changed the time of our main Sunday service from 11:00 to 10:00 and then, in the summer, moved that service into the church hall on the first Sunday of every month.  Our aim was to attract new worshippers who weren’t that comfortable with coming into church for a whole variety of reasons.  We found out that parents with young children are reluctant to bring them into church, as they worry about them being noisy and upsetting the rest of the congregation.

It was a success and over the year the more informal style attracted many people new to worship.  It created a demand for more of the same, and when we reviewed things this summer it was obvious that the church hall service had to run more than once a month.  After a period of consultation with our congregations the church council decided that, with a few exceptions such as some Christmas and Easter services, the 10am service should be in the church hall every Sunday. 

We’re now almost six months in and we still see new worshippers walking through the door on most Sundays.  There’s a real sense of community and belonging and of family involvement, with children’s activities taking place within the service.  It’s a very safe environment where we come together to worship and give thanks to God.  If you think you might believe in God, or just want to know what it’s all about, then please come along.  Whatever your age or circumstances we’ll help you explore your beliefs, grow in the Christian faith and be part of a warm and welcoming worshipping community.   All you have to do is turn up at the church hall sometime between 9.30 and 10.00.  Before the service we’ll feed you (drinks and croissants etc on the first Sunday and toast at other times), we’ll make sure that you’re looked after, meet others and make new friends.  If you know someone who comes already then come along with them.

Our church is its people and there are many things to do.  During the year we’ve held a variety of events attended by many hundreds of people.  We started the year with an Epiphany disco for all ages, something we’re doing again on 5^th January 2008.  There have been other discos and dances to cater for all tastes.  We hired the swimming pool for a party.  Our Friday night church concerts are very popular, with a variety of singers and musicians.  We also had a pancake party, a games evening for families and of course there are our Christmas and summer fairs.  If you want to learn more about the Christian faith we have the Meeting Point group.  You don’t have to belong to church to come to any of these events, we’ll still make you very welcome.

In January we launched our Buildings Development Appeal in church and at the James Bond dinner dance. A good response in terms of both cash and pledges resulted, although at lot more will be needed. To those not ‘in the know’ things may appear to have gone quiet since the first few months. However with the Family Praise service now in the church hall every week it was obviously necessary to rethink what was needed at both the church and the church hall. Would we still need the large extra meeting space proposed for the church, would we need more space at the church hall, and so on. The Fabric Team invited suggestions and have now carried out reviews of the plans.  Based on this review revised plans will be drawn up and costed. When all this is done the appeal will be re-launched.

We are very grateful for both the cash, which means we can pay for the professional design work necessary, and for the pledges that we have received to date. Many of the pledges are linked to particular stages so cannot be called upon yet but rest assured that our treasurer has not forgotten and will be in touch at the appropriate time.

As you can see, we have a vibrant worshipping community in Cuddington and Sandiway, with lots of activities for all age groups. Our Parish Building Appeal aims to build a church for tomorrow’s challenges and today’s needs - for the whole community, so please remember that we are here for you and that you will be given a very warm welcome.

Finally, the wardens wish each and every one of you a very happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas.

God Bless

LH and SD