2009 Annual Report St James Church

Vicar’s Report
I would like to begin this report by thanking everyone who contributes in any way to the life of St James Church.

It is essential to remember that all the activities and initiatives mentioned below have occurred on the solid foundation of worship, prayer, and service that makes up the daily, weekly life of St. James Church. Many, many people contribute quietly and significantly in all kinds of ways to the church. So often the work they do can be taken for granted but if we would stop a moment we would appreciate them, encourage them and support them in all that they do.

Holding Cross Prayer Days
There have been two Holding Cross Prayer days so far; October 12th 2008, February 28th 2009.At the heart of the Holding Cross Prayer day is 24 people each taking their turn to hold a Holding Cross in silent prayer in the church for half an hour. They have been held to bring prayer right into the heart of the life of the church within the parish. The church has been open during the day for people to come and pray and people are also able to use a variety of different Prayer-Places to help them in their prayers. People have demonstrated a great creativity in preparing these Prayer-Places. Each day has begun with communion at 8.30am and concluded with Compline at 9.00pm. The Holding Cross days were a heartfelt, prayerful response to the needs of the church and parish as people faced several bereavements and sadness through the year. They have also become a way to bring the needs of the community, the world and our own lives to God in prayer.

Authorised Pastoral Assistant
Kathy Nevin, with the full support of St James PCC, has begun the Diocesan Authorised Pastoral Assistants course. This course lasts for three years and will help train Kathy for pastoral work within the parish. Kathy has really enjoyed the course. It has built on the gifts that she already has and has also provided new challenges. The course is very practical and Kathy and I will be identifying the best way for her to begin exercise her ministry as an APA in the parish. She is supported by a Link group made up of four members of the church. The mutual support of the other people on the course and the quality of the tutors has also been another high point of the course. I am delighted that Kathy has begun this course as I have been encouraging her to do so for a few years.

Mission Agencies and Charitable Giving
This year the church supported the work of Durham-Lesotho Link, Theological students at Cranmer Hall and the Corrymeela Community through direct giving to these agencies.

Over a £1000 was raised for the Children’s Society through collecting boxes and the Christingle Service.

The food donated at the Harvest Thanksgiving service was taken to the Cyrenians in Newcastle and was again gratefully received.

A coffee day was held in June to raise money for Willowburn Hospice. Rev’d Gary Birchall was also one of the guest clergy at the Willowburn Hospice Carol service.

The Archbishop’s Appeal for Zimbabwe was supported by the church during Lent.

An international supper was organised to mark Christian Aid week and to raise money for the charity in Christian Aid Week.

Reader
Jill Holmes has continued her work as Reader at St. James. She preaches and helps in the leading of worship on a regular basis. She has assisted with leading the Lent Groups and Night Prayer. The Right Rev’d Mark Bryant, the Bishop of Jarrow has agreed to sponsor her as a candidate for ordination. The intention is for her to attend a National Bishop’s Advisory Panel in the autumn or early New Year. She represents the Deanery Readers on the Diocesan Readers Council. She continues to work as a teacher at Hassockfield Detention Centre.

The Big Story
Angela Robinson and Maggie Birchall head up The Big Story on Sunday mornings working with the children in the church. A Diocesan Mission Grant was successfully applied for to purchase Godly Play materials to use for The Big Story.

Confirmation Preparation
Rev’d Gary Birchall and Denise Mackie from St Thomas, Collierley ran an Emmaus Group as Confirmation preparation for six people. Amy Carr, Lauren Eves, Dianne O’Neill, Benjamin O’Neill and Ken Amos went forward to be Confirmed at St Margaret’s, Tanfield by The Right Rev’d Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow in November.

Lent 2009
The Lent groups were held on Tuesdays at 2.00pm and 7.30pm. They involved discussion of the coming Sunday’s Gospel readings.

Area Dean
Rev’d Gary Birchall continued in his work as Area Dean for Lanchester Deanery. This work involves caring for Deanery Clergy and churches and members, arranging Chapter meetings for Clergy, arranging and chairing Deanery Synod meetings, working with the Bishops and Archdeacon of Durham, planning for the Deanery, arranging special Deanery services and overseeing the interregnum at Annfield Plain and Collierley. There was also two clergy ill over the Autumn of 2008 and arranging cover and overseeing these two parishes took considerable time. The encouraging aspect of this was the willingness of clergy, readers and people to help out. A great deal of time has also been spent on working towards a Lanchester Deanery Plan in line with all the other Deaneries in the Diocese.

MU Chaplain
Rev’d Gary Birchall has continued to be Durham Diocesan Mothers’ Union Chaplain. The role of the MU chaplain is primarily to offer support to the Diocesan MU leaders and help in the organisation of the Festival Service and the Indoor Prayer Members Service at the Cathedral. I have also been involved in some strategic planning to develop Mothers’ Union branches in parishes were this is not one currently. I also attend the Mothers’ Union council meetings and celebrate the Eucharist with them. I led the Mothers’ Union retreat at Shepherd’s Dean in May 2008.

Rev’d Heather Murray
Rev’d Heather Murray was ordained as Priest to continue to serve at St James Church, Burnopfield, at Durham Cathedral on Saturday June 29th 2008. She was ordained by The Right Rev’d N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham. A coach trip was arranged from the parish to support and welcome Heather in her new ministry. She celebrated her first communion on the Sunday evening of June 29th. Rev’d Linda Potter was her guest preacher. She has now taken her first two weddings, established a Deanery Julian Prayer Group. Her ministry has involved pastoral visiting, preaching, leading worship, working with young people and taking funerals and baptisms. I have been delighted how Heather has continued to bring her gifts to the life of St James and how people have responded so positively to her ministry. She has continued to work as a nurse on the children’s ward at Durham University Hospital.

Mothers’ Union
It was a sad and difficult year for The Mothers’ Union as their Branch Leader, Barbara Beckwith, and member Audrey Gosling both died through cancer. The members of the branch gave great support to them both and to each other. This was a testimony to their faith in action. The Mothers’ Union can be commended for its pastoral care and support of its members. The Mothers’ Union is now led by a group of members on the committee.

Men’s Society
This group continues to provide an opportunity for the men in the church and their friends to hear a speaker, have a drink, eat pies and peas and enjoy a quiz together. The group will be celebrated it’s 20th anniversary this year. Men from several churches in the area come to the meetings. The quizes are hotly contested and the vicar has even been on a couple of winning teams. It is an excellent opportunity for fellowship across denominations and church groups. It has been at the heart of mission to men in the parish for many years. We had Bishop Mark as our guest speaker twice in the autumn and winter of 2008.

Parish Magazine
The Parish Magazine has maintained its high quality under the editorship of John and Joyce Thompson. Alwyn Lucas arranges the distribution of the magazine with all those who distribute the magazine. This year the Magazine has continued to feature articles on the history of the church and parish. These articles have been particularly good insights into the life and development of the parish over the years. It is fascinating to see how some of the issues, hopes and challenges are exactly the same now as they always have been.

Choir and Musical Development
The Choir continue to play an important role in the worship of the Church, singing on Sundays, at weddings and rehearsing on Thursday evenings. The choir show a remarkable ability to sing a great variety of music. Their support and enthusiasm for the One and All service is a great support and encouragement to the children who attend that service. The choir have also supported Deanery events such as the Deanery Ascension Day service and Deanery Evensong.

Two members of the choir sang at the inaugural Durham Jazz Evensong at St Oswald’s Church in Durham. This was an especially commissioned piece and was sung by student and church choirs from Durham and further afield. Consequently the choir have sung the Psalm setting in our worship at St James

Banners, wallhangings, masks, flowers and cleaning
Visitors to St. James Church often comment on how attractive the inside of the church building is. This is because it is well cleaned by several teams of people and the flowers are expertly prepared. It has to be said that there is a need to introduce some more people to the cleaning rota to spread the work around. Daffodils, carefully presented, were given to all women at church on Mothering Sunday. A new banner was introduced into church for Lent. The banner shows many of the symbols that remind us of the Holy Week story. A treat to look forward to is the other side of the banner which is on an Advent theme. You will see in December.

Burnopfield School
Rev’d Gary Birchall and Rev’d Heather Murray have continued their involvement with Burnopfield Primary School. They have spent time with most classes through class assemblies, lessons and visits to the church. Recently we have helped with sessions on Baptism, Lent, Palm Sunday and Holy Week. The school choir sang at the Church Carol Service and thanks go to Miss Claire Pringle for organising things from the school end.

Deanery Chapter and Synod
Deanery Synod is well attended by St. James Deanery representatives.
Irene Fearon is Deanery Treasurer. See the report of the Deanery Synod for more information.

Ecumenical
The service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was held at Burnopfield Methodist Church in January 2009. It was good to receive a gift of communion wine made in Bethlehem. This was given to St. James by Rev’d Enid Gordon, Methodist minister at Burnopfield Chapel. Members of both churches also gathered for worship and prayers at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. On Good Friday, for the seventh time, we processed from St. James Church to the Chapel and sang When I Survey the Wondrous Cross in the Gospel Fellowship car park with members of the Gospel Fellowship. Jean Carr, from the Methodist Church, has supported the monthly residential home communion services.

Lighting of Village Christmas Tree
The Burnopfield Partnership arranged for there to be a Christmas tree in the village for Advent and Christmas. I was invited to prepare a service of blessing for the lighting of the Christmas tree. This was very well attended and many people also came to the church and community hall for refreshments afterwards. This year the school choir joined St. James choir to lead the singing of carols.

Administration of the elements of Holy Communion, Home Communions and Residential Homes
Harry Charlton, David Hodgson, June Morrison, Daryl Smith, Roy Beckwith, Audrey Clark, Beryl Davies, Jennifer Francis, Jill Holmes, Alex Nelson, Kathy Nevin and Alan Simpson are Administrators of the elements of Holy Communion in the Parish. All of these people had their Bishop’s Mandate renewed and they were presented with their mandate in the Parish Communion on Sunday December 21st 2008. Members of this team have also taken communion to housebound members of the church. This is an important extension of their ministry.

Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop in the Church Hall on Friday mornings continues to be a time to meet socially and to enjoy cakes, pies, scones and more. There are special mornings set aside to raise money for Christian Aid, Traidcraft and Willowburn Hospice.

Parish Share
It is important to record that St. James Church paid its Parish Share in full. This money is our contribution to enabling ministry in the Diocese of Durham. We have been thanked and commended by the Diocese for this achievement

Church Fair
These were Autumn fund raising events. The Church Fair was well supported and almost a £1500 was raised in one morning.

Thanks to...
I would like to thank Roy Beckwith and Alan Simpson for all they do as Churchwardens of St. James Church and also Irene Fearon and Joan Bell as PCC Treasurer and Secretary respectively. I have also been well supported by Vida Elcoat who does most of the church photocopying.

Not every ongoing activity of the Church can be mentioned in this report but it does not mean that it is not appreciated or important. Thank you to all those who haven’t been specifically mentioned. Well done. Finally I would like to thank Maggie, Simon and Rosie for all their support.