The Parochial Church Council operates in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the Parish Hall and Cottage.
Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.
During the year the following served as members of the PCC:
Incumbent:
Churchwardens:
Representatives on the Deanery Synod (ex officio):
Representative on the Diocesan Synod (elected by the Deanery Synod: ex-officio PCC and Deanery Synod Member):
Elected Members:
The PCC is supported by two committees, which may meet between full meetings of the PCC:
This is the only committee required by law. It has power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. The Standing Committee comprises the following: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Churchwardens, Treasurer, and Secretary.
This is responsible for letting, maintenance and improvement of the hall, and reports to the PCC.
There are 141 parishioners on the electoral roll, a net decrease of one since last year. Sunday attendance has averaged 14 at the Said Eucharist at 8am and 90 at the Sung Eucharist at 10.15 a.m.
The full PCC met eight times during the year with an average level of attendance in excess of 80%.
On 1 November 2000, the living became vacant on the retirement of Fr Moore, after seventeen years’ faithful service as parish priest. A farewell celebration was held after the Sung Mass on Sunday, 1 October, in recognition of the contribution made to the life of the parish by Fr and Mrs Moore, and a generous cheque was presented to them on behalf of the congregation and other friends.
The major decision taken by the PCC during the year was, on the advice of the Church Architect, to rebuild the north end of the North Porch, which had become structurally unsound, with settlement cracks having appeared, owing to inadequate foundations. This major undertaking will cost something approaching £20,000 to complete. To December 2000 we had raised just over half the money and have now instructed the Architect to initiate work as soon as possible. Further repairs have been made to the churchyard wall at the expense of the Town Council. Damage that was sustained to the Comper window in the South Aisle has now been successfully repaired. A new green carpet, the very generous gift of the Mothers’ Union, has been laid in the Sacred Heart Chapel.
The parish was asked by the Diocese to produce a Mission Statement. It was agreed that much thought would need to go into this, but that a temporary Mission Statement be adopted as follows:
We seek to be the body of Christ, called to worship God, to love our neighbour and to share in God’s mission to the world.Questionnaires with boxes to tick and space for comment were distributed to the congregation, asking for its views on the life and worship of the church. Permission was received from the Bishop Suffragan, owing to the vacancy in the parish from 1.11.2000, to defer the introduction of Common Worship until 1.1.2002. Members of the congregation attended the National Pilgrimage to Walsingham and the annual Parish Pilgrimage was held in July.
A number of successful social events were held during the year, including a quiz evening, a St George’s Day supper, an organ recital, an All Saints’ Day supper, a barbecue, a North Porch lunch, a Flower Fund coffee morning, and the Churchwardens’ sherry party.
Much effort has been put into raising funds for the North Porch Restoration. We held a successful Summer Fete, which raised £1965.30, and an Autumn Bazaar, which raised £2517.70. The Church was opened on the late Summer Bank Holiday, when £145 was taken in donations, and for the Heritage days, on 16/17 September. We were able to meet our financial commitments to the Diocese of Ely for the Parish Share (£20,626), but were unable this year to contribute further towards the Deanery shortfall.
We continued to support specific charities, with 5% of planned giving and Sunday collections (£1294) being committed to this end. This sum was increased on the PCC’s recommendation to £1360 and disbursed equally to: CARA, C of E Pensions Board, Church Army, Ely Committee for Family Welfare, St. Luke’s Hospital for the Clergy, USPG, and the Church Housing Trust. A further £100 was given to the Leprosy Mission. The congregation also generously supported various emergency and other appeals during the year.
The Sunday School has been underpinned throughout the year by the sterling work of Mrs Maureen Haigh and Mrs Pat Wills. The numbers are now beginning to increase, and the children have begun to take a more active part in worship. The Christingle Service in early 2001 was a great success, when the children sang the Christingle Song to a rousing modern tune, to the appreciation of all.
We are very fortunate to have in Mr Kershaw and Mrs Wills an enthusiastic editorial and production team for the new parish magazine, The Spire. This has proved to be compulsory reading for members of the congregation and sets standards of presentation to which others can only hope to aspire! Our thanks are due to all those involved, including the contributors of articles and competitions.
We held the traditional ceremony of Dicing for Bibles in June. We hosted the Civic Service in June, and a Town Carol Service in December. Our congregation plays a prominent part in the ecumenical activities of The Churches together in St Ives.
Seven members of the PCC, including the two Churchwardens, attended a Deanery evensong and meeting with the new Diocesan Bishop in Ramsey in November.
A generous legacy of £1000 was received in memory of Mrs Pat Rexworthy.
Since the beginning of October, the parish has been without an incumbent. During this time, the two Churchwardens, Mr Cooksey and Mr Wills, have shown inspiring leadership and have organized parish matters in an outstanding way. We are extremely fortunate to have had the support during this time of our two honorary assistant priests, Frs Dennis Clark and Ivan Weston. Both Fr Clark and Fr Weston have been able to contribute so much to parish life and to ensure that the spiritual needs of the congregation are catered for in the most sympathetic and caring way. We thank them most warmly. The PCC has been busy with the preparation of the Parish Profile and the procedures for filling the vacancy. Our thanks are particularly due to Mr Ian Flack, Vice Chairman of the PCC, for the sensitive and thoughtful way in which he has guided the PCC during the vacancy and in the production of the Parish profile. Last, but not least, a special mention should be made of Mr Roy Webster, our Treasurer, who has quietly and most efficiently managed the church’s finances during the past years.
We are especially grateful to all those who help in so many ways in the life of our church. Some have already been mentioned, but there are so many more, some more visible than others: those who read the lessons, serve at the altar, do duty as sidesmen, arrange the flowers, make the coffee, bake cakes and biscuits, help with social events, produce the weekly pewsheet, clean the church, oversee the hall, take care of the vestments and linen. These are the bedrock of a church community, and we are fortunate in St Ives in having such a willing band of helpers with so many talents to share.
David Yeandle
Hon Secretary, St Ives PCC.
28/03/01