07 Apr 2025 Vicar’s Report to APCM
Posted at 16:49h
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2025 Vicar’s Report to APCM – 31st March 2025
As I stand before you this evening, I am excited and expectant, with a touch of feeling a little cautious or daunted. Some might say ‘realistic’ – yet, as we say in our values, together we:
* value prayer in our life together and as individuals, helping each other to grow in faith and in the reference to that value from Philippians 4: verse 6: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’
and
* ‘walk by faith, not by sight’ – as Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians 5:7 and are prepared for change, willing to take considered risks in faith in our worship, evangelism and life together.
There are many exciting opportunities. When I was away last year on my Extended Ministerial Development leave, I thought, ‘what sort of Church do I want to be part of?’
I want to be part of a Church that does things well; that has great Church services of different styles. The format of a service is much less important than having hearts to worship Jesus, whether we like traditional styles or more contemporary styles. One is not better than another; they are different ways of worshipping and honouring Jesus. We are all different. That is okay. We may prefer different toppings on our Pizza, or prefer dark or milk or white chocolate, we may support different football or rugby teams or have little interest in football or rugby, but we are all made in the image of God, who, through an Easter faith in Jesus, are children of God, sons and daughters in whom God delights. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. God desires our hearts of worship, whatever our preferred style of worship or time of day to worship.
I want to be part of a Church that is united in worship of Jesus, where we care for and love one another, and where we are a Church more focused on sharing the hope we have in Jesus with those who don’t yet know that saving hope, than are occupied with looking inwards and grumbling about this or that in our services.
I want to be part of a Church that is more about looking outwards and sharing faith than having ‘my needs’ met. I, like all of us, can read my Bible, pray and worship in my own style at home or with others who are like minded. Though, I do need the stimulus of others, life groups and the Church to keep me on fire for Jesus.
I am excited by the new Vision that we are following this year; Loving Jesus, Loving one another and Loving the community, locally and worldwide.
I am delighted by how the vision has been received across the Parish and by your support and encouragement.
As I have said repeatedly, any Church vision will comprise looking up to Jesus, looking in to one another and looking outwards to the world around us. It is not hugely different from our previous vision of taking our next steps towards deeper faith in Christ, welcome and belonging and shining God’s light, but, for me, there is a freshness about it and also the ministry priorities we are considering. These will be sharpened on the PCC Away day in May.
I am encouraged too by your engagement with the Vision and Values at the meeting last November and by the number of you who have tried to memorise the Verse for the year. Without looking inside Parish Matters, does anyone want to give it a go now?
I have been very encouraged this year when we advertised for a new 3 day a week Community Engagement Officer (which is completely externally financed from grants) and had 4 applications and we advertised for a new 2 day a week Operations Manager and had 3 good applications. In the past, we have been lucky to have had one applicant for either role.
I am encouraged that we have 6 people who have joined me on a 10 month long Leading Evangelism Learning Hub, and we will be hearing more about that on Sunday.
I am encouraged by the Way, when we have a number of young people, mainly year 7s meeting together on a Monday night to have fun, eat whatever is provided and engage in challenging conversations and questions about life, the world, God and faith.
I would love, in the next year, for a clearer stepping stone to be provided for the growing number of young people from Youth Fellowship to have an opportunity to explore the Christian Faith.
A very initial conversation has begun as to whether Churches in Walton-on-Thames might come together for an Easter Mission in 2026, with perhaps some of the events being based on Love Molesey ideas and some clear evangelistic opportunities alongside.
Is God on the move in our midst and in our town?
I sense He might be.
What might He be saying to us? What has He in store for us?
As I have said in the Thank You’s, you are amazing. The life of the Church is all about us knowing who we are in Christ, knowing the gifts God has given us and using the people we are and the gifts our Heavenly Father has given us, for His glory and the extension of His kingdom. Above all else, and even before serving Him, God call us to Holiness and Faithfulness before Him.
In June this year, we will be running The Servant course. It is two sessions; the first is on Wednesday 11th June in the evening and the second session on Saturday 14th June. We want to encourage as many people as possible to attend the servant course, even if you have done it before. It will be a great time of fellowship, growing together and helping one another both discern and confirm our gifts and strengths. We can come both to learn and to help others.
In 40 hours or so, some of us will gather to remember with Thanksgiving Geoff Rhodes and to celebrate his life. He faced his death with a sure and certain hope. His faith transformed for better, his final months and weeks on earth. It made a world of difference to him. I hope, when I face death, I will do so with such confidence and surety as Geoff. He was looking forward, as he put it, to the big surprise God had in store for him.
And it reminds me of the words of the great American Evangelist, Billy Graham. Billy Graham died on 21 February 2018 at the age of ninety-nine. As a messenger of God, he had planned his own funeral very carefully to be a call for people to put their faith in Jesus. He had said beforehand, ‘Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.’
What hope and joy the Easter story brings us in Jesus.
I said I am excited and expectant, with a touch of feeling a little cautious or daunted. Some might say ‘realistic’.
I am delighted that the traditional services on Sunday mornings are working well. Please say if you consider otherwise. Without your comments and feedback, what do I know? And please come directly to me. Please do not seek to get messages to me via Dave, Caroline or Cathy or anyone else. That does not work and is unfair on them. The complaints come to me, but you are welcome to praise them as much as you like!
The community here at St. John’s are really valuing the regular traditional weekly service.
The 4 here is going really well and is a great encouragement.
The 10.30am contemporary service at St. Mary’s is the greatest challenge at the moment, in every way. We need help with stewards, readers, AV operators. Yesterday, we had no stewards for that service, no readers before 10.15am and the AV desk is operated, almost always, by one of the clergy or an ordinand.
Across Church life, we are often just about managing to run events and services but they are happening. And we want to keep reaching out. We want to keep growing. Our faith is only tested when we step out. The implications of that statement are really quite scary, humanly.
With Dave leaving, that will leave a huge gap to fill or provide lots of opportunities for us all to step into!
We have a new pioneer curate joining us in the summer.
We will be advertising for a Worship Leader to help us, particularly in our Contemporary services.
We have funds in the Associate Minister specific fund and we will be looking further into the options there for employing someone for that role.