Churchwardens’ Report

This last year has been relatively quiet in terms of matters to do with the fabric of the Church with no major projects, save for the church sound system being renewed and upgraded, being undertaken. We were very grateful for the anonymous gift that enabled the sound system review to be carried out. There were a number of other things under consideration but, at the time of writing, these are on hold pending a decision from the Borough Council as to whether the major redevelopment of the school is to take place. A decision on the finance of this is due on the 24th March. If this goes ahead then there will be significant changes both for the Church and the School not just in terms of disruption while the building work is in progress but in terms of relationship between us and for the increased opportunities to serve the local community that is ‘on our doorstep’ and we will need to consider carefully how we support those in the front line and how we engage as a worshipping community with this challenge. Richard Harwood and Andrew Taylor

Treasurer’s report

God will make you rich enough to be generous at all times. 2 Cor. 9:11 It is good to be able to start this report with sense of real thanksgiving for the generosity of God’s people over the past year. That isn’t actually anything new, but it is really good that we have been able not only to meet all our costs but also to give away a substantial sum of money. Paul continues his letter to the Corinthian church, “For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God’s people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God.” So let’s give God the praise and thanksgiving due for the (financial) blessings we as a church have received and, in turn, been able to give to others. Here are a few key indicators of our finances in 2010:

Total income was 6% higher than in 2009; While expenses and outgoings were up 3%, they were met entirely from money received; A new sound system was installed, paid for entirely by personal donations; General Fund income exceeded expenses, including giving to Mission; Grants of £27,010 were made to mission partners and charities, up 19% on 2009.

Let’s take a quick look at the General Fund, out of which we pay such things as the Parish Share, heating and lighting bills, stationery, Linda and Karen’s wages, staff expenses, and all the other stuff that keeps the place going. We opened the year with a zero balance and received income of £85,022, of which £58,295 was from donations (up 7%) and a further £16,732 from Gift Aid tax reclaims (up 29%). The rest came from investment dividends, rentals, fees and the like. As usual, the largest single item of expenditure was the Parish Share at £41,724. This is paid to the Diocese of Oxford and used to meet the salary and housing costs of ordained stipendiary ministers on a “pooled” basis. Personnel costs came in at £10,889 and all the other general costs at £13,577. Giving to our mission partners, which now comes out of the General Fund, was maintained at its budgeted level of £17,000. The total outgoings were £83,190, leaving us with a closing balance of £2,746 after taking in the 2009 Mission Fund closing balance of £886 (ask me if you want more particulars of this). Other giving, to specific causes and people (like Ali Wilkinson) has continued through such events as Liz Bailey’s birthday barn dance, Chorate concerts and the regular church lunches. In all, we gave away £27,010 including the £17,000 for Mission, and a detailed list of what went to whom is included on page 15 of the Annual Accounts. As noted above, renewal of the church sound system was undertaken at a cost of £5,282, met entirely by donations. There were also a significant gift to the Philippi Trust and other gifts covered the remaining cost of the sacramental furniture project, completed in 2009. Wonderful! Suzanne’s ministry continues to be financed through the letting income of 1 and 2 Church House, plus donations and some dividend interest. We met some major repair costs, notably £1,054 on the heating

system, out of the Repair Fund, which now stands at £10,222. All costs relating to our children’s and young people’s ministry (£973 in 2010) continue to be met from the proceeds of Arthur Clark’s generous legacy. The capital value of our investments has picked up somewhat over the course of the year, with a year-end valuation of £271,556 (up £19,371) … but just under half of this comprises permanent endowments, which we cannot touch. We do, of course, benefit from the ongoing dividend distributions, which were better than expected in 2010. We changed banks during the year from NatWest to CAF Bank and also placed some £10,000 on deposit with United Trust Bank, where it gains a little interest. This is a very abbreviated version of the Annual Accounts, copies of which are available in the foyer. Please feel free to ask me about any aspect of our finances, not least if you want any help with giving money to the Church in a regular and (if possible) tax-efficient way. The need for generous, indeed sacrificial, giving is a challenge to us all with a further 8% increase in Parish Share, a higher budget for Mission giving and a 12% reduction in the amount we will be able to claim back through Gift Aid after 6 April this year. But if we all continue to be faithful and generous in our financial stewardship, then we will have much to thank God for at the end of this year too. Let’s make it happen! Hugh Fisher Hon Treasurer

Website

Our website was relaunched in April 2010 and has been maintained by Linda and Vince throughout the year. The weekly church news and many of the sermons are added to the site, so do check out the site at http://stjohnandstephen.co.uk on a regular basis. The site also includes details about our church services, our mission work and contact information. We're always on the lookout for new stories or photos, so please send these to the office or to Hamish at hamishandsue@virginmedia.com so we can add these to the site. In 2011 we'll continue to add material to the site and also look at how we can use Facebook as an online meeting place for the church. Hamish Bruce

Study Group (Theology Group) Earlier in the year, the group studied chapters by Jurgens Moltmann and James Torrance. These might properly be considered as theological. They gave rise to the question “Do we really need theology?” In response, Vincent has asked us to study chapters from Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon. These chapters offer a broad theological framework for contemporary Christian questions. It remains to be seen how group members rate them on a scale ranging, perhaps from ‘irrelevant’, via ‘useful’ and ‘helpful’ to ‘indispensible’. Hamish Preston

CommuniCare CommuniCare has had a very successful year in lots of ways. We have managed to open a charity shop on the junction – finally! This could not have been achieved without the help and support of lots of people, many of whom worship at St John and St Stephen. We are on the final stages of the refurbishment which will leave us with a new storage/sorting area and a decent toilet and kitchen area. We will then be able to widen our volunteer base to include students and job seekers. From the point of view of CommuniCare as an advice centre, we continue to offer general and spe-cific advice as well as a pro-bono legal clinic on a monthly basis. This has been a highly successful venture and continues to be well used. We are seeing more cases than ever before and the diversity of these is ever growing. Our fund raising events have had a mixed response and we have now decided to concentrate on 2 or 3 main events each year rather than one each month. If we had a volunteer who would be interested in fundraising specifically, that would really be of benefit in planning and making the most of these events. We as staff would like to thank you all for your continued support in many ways – financially and prayerfully especially, and hope that should you need us or know of anyone who may need us, you will feel happy to refer them to CommuniCare. 1 John 5:14-15: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.’ Sarah Mayhew

Cafe "A Contemporary, modern space where real life is really lived; big society in action. " David Cameron St. John & St. Stephen’s Cafe, or Cafe Rose as it is sometimes referred to, is your 'One-stop shop' to access information, assistance and company. We provide a Community Cafe - a welcoming place to meet and feel part of the community, join in the conversation of the day or ignite a new one! You can also watch a challenging film at the Friday film club or dine with us at the International dining club. We are open Monday to Friday from 9.00am during term time. � Free Wi-Fi means you can bring your laptop to surf while enjoying a great coffee

� A resource for the community – many community events have been initiated from the cafe

Fully accessible with baby changing

Thanks to Jose, Kim, and Linda for running the kitchen this past year. If anyone would like to volunteer to help in the cafe area, to serve drinks and snacks, and to offer help and assistance to visitors please see a member of staff.

Contact Centre From April 2010 up to March 2011, 18 sessions took place with 129 contacts taking place over that time –which is less than last year as we had reached 127 contacts by Jan 2010. We had 12 new contacts in this time and 10 contacts making new arrangements or about to start new arrangements. The highest number of contacts in a session was 7 and the lowest was 4 contacts. At the time of writing, there are 11 contacts on the books and we have a waiting list of 6 contacts, which is the most we have had for at least six months. There were also 43 contacts did not take place - the majority (35) where neither party attended at the centre. For the first time in St John’s and St Stephen’s Contact Centre’s history we did not have a session here or helped out at other centres over the Christmas period. Despite the slight dip in the number of contacts we have taken in comparison to last year, it is likely that due to the current financial situation that Contact Centres will be called upon to fill the gap of council services. As a result, the need for new volunteers will become even more important - however this does not mean we will need super-trained people. If you need further information about the Centre and volunteering–please contact Ian Maynard via sjsortsroad@ntlworld.com. Ian Maynard, Co-Ordinator

East Reading Causeway Prospects Group

You may have seen some of us at a Sunday service but I thought that I would tell you a little about what we do at our regular evening meetings. These are usually held on the first and third Tuesday of the month in the Café. Although members of the group are people with learning disabilities they also have gifts and abilities and participate in everything that we do. A team of leaders help with things that the members cannot do for themselves. This includes the provision of transport and all leaders who have cars provide lifts for one or more members. We would really like to have a few more drivers as we can be short of this skill if a leader is ill or on holiday. The evening usually starts with a drink and time for a chat. We sing well known hymns and choruses and also some songs which were specially written for Causeway groups. These are easy to understand without being childish. We have a Sharing and Prayer time. We start by giving thanks for good things which have happened since we last met. One of the leaders says a ‘sorry prayer’ and then members and leaders ask for prayer for themselves or for friends, family or difficult situations and we pray for one another. Next, a short teaching time is facilitated by one of the team but includes participation by the members. The teaching is Bible based and Causeway Prospects provides training and teaching materials. Suzanne leads a Communion Service three times each year. This year we also enjoyed a social meeting in a leader’s garden and went to the Toby Carvery for a meal. We joined other local groups for a Barn Dance and for two Worship Celebrations, one at Greyfriars at Easter and one at Wycliffe at Christmas. We would like to say thank you for the use of the Café and for the Mission Committee’s contribution to the national Causeway Prospects organisation. Judith Lawrence

English Class The English Class goes on growing; the Beginners’ Group often numbers over thirty, (still mainly Nepali), and there are over 45 names on the register. Ann Morrison continues to lead this group, ably supported by Charlotte Lambourne, Mussarat Khan and more recently Pam Judge, a retired English teacher. Ruth Thatcher has also helped occasionally during the past year and we very much hope she will be able to join us again soon. The sessions are very lively and the learning is usually accompanied by gales of laughter! Liz Bailey has the much smaller advanced group, which is slightly more sedate but just as friendly. We are very pleased to think that so many women value the Class – the teachers really love it! - and we are grateful for the offer of funding from the church for some books and equipment. However, we are faced with the increasingly difficult problem of accommodating all these students and coping with an extremely wide range of abilities when we only have two teachers willing and available to lead groups each week. Liz Bailey

Friday Night at the Warehouse (Chinese Group)

ઞӊᲐՐ (9Friday Evening Meeting”) provides a relaxed

environment in which Chinese friends can enjoy food and friendship, and learn about the Christian faith. A typical Friday evening begins with the opportunity to play basketball or table tennis and share a Chinese-style meal. Then we will sing some hymns, both Chinese and English, and either play a game or listen to a talk about some aspect of British culture. The main talk of the evening is translated into Chinese: recently we have followed a modified Alpha course, as well as looking at how stories from the Old Testament relate to Christian beliefs. Afterwards there is usually opportunity for discussion.

Numbers fluctuate but we usually get around 30 coming. People come with varying degrees of understanding: some have had no previous exposure to Christianity, some have Christian friends or relatives, and a few arrive having already become Christians. This year, several of the regulars are students who have become Christians since being in Britain; they attend the Chinese Church at Wycliffe and have begun to take an active part in the Friday meetings. As in previous years, a number of English teachers, coming for three-month or six-month courses at the University, have also joined us.

Please pray for receptive hearts in all those who attend the meetings, and for those who return to China, pray that they would have opportunities to meet with Christians and be led closer to God Don and Bridget Barwick

Hospital Chaplaincy Visiting Currently Monika Ripley and I are regular weekly ward visitors from St John’s, and Francis How helps once a month on a Sunday to take patients who need pushing in a wheelchair to the service in the hospital Sanctuary. Each chaplaincy visitor is allocated to a ward which we visit once a week. We are there to talk with, listen to and support all the patients in that ward whatever their faith or belief. Occasionally some patients wish to talk about spiritual matters, but mostly they just want to chat. Some want to off load their worries while others want to have their minds taken off their present situation and talk about anything else. They know why we are there, that we are from the chaplaincy and so even if spiritual matters are not brought into the conversation, we can come alongside them and bring God’s love to the situation and let them see that we care. Sometimes there are tears, other times there is joy and laughter and there are often surprises. (In our training we are told never to assume anything!) There are times when I have needed to lend a sympathetic ear to anxious relatives visiting at the bed side. Apart from the odd occasion, most people are really grateful. There are training courses for those who feel drawn to this type of voluntary work, and as there are always vacancies when people move on, retire or have a change in circumstances, there is always an ongoing need to recruit new members for the team. In the course of their training, new visitors can “shadow” some of the more experienced visitors, providing a chance to see what they might expect in being a visitor. The chaplaincy staff are very supportive. They meet with the volunteer visitors bimonthly when there are organized talks given by invited speakers on various topics or discussions on relevant challenging issues, or a chance to keep us updated on hospital policies etc. In between we have bimonthly supervision groups when we can discuss in smaller groups which include one of the chaplains, any concerns that may have arisen in the course of our visiting and learn from each other’s shared experiences. Sadly in April we saw the departure of Chaplaincy Team Leader Michael Sserunkuma when he moved to take up a post in a London hospital. He is very much missed and we are still waiting for a replacement. Also the Chaplaincy secretary has retired and there are plans to appoint somebody with less hours. A sign of the NHS cuts coming? Lorna Taylor

Pastoral Care There is much visiting, prayer and caring going on throughout the church, often through home groups. To all of you who have taken the trouble to notice someone's absence and tell the staff or who have called in on fellow member of our church community, thank you. There is some amazingly faithful work going on. To those who feel they have been forgotten, apologies. Since September Ali is teaching on Mondays for the diocese so the nature of staff meetings has had to change and we still need to work at how to communicate and match need and offers of help. Please ask if you need support and offer if you have time and energy. Ali Marshall

Philippi Trust Counselling & Training We have marked our 10th Anniversary as this branch was opened in 2001 within the premises of Wycliffe Church. We can thank and praise God for seeing us through as our financial viability as a centre was in doubt on several occasions. We are very grateful for everyone playing their part to enable us to provide this much-needed and valuable service. Counselling Our work in counselling continues, and the numbers asking for counselling continue to grow. We hope to increase both the number of hours available for counselling and the number of counsellors giving their time to us. One client reported: ‘My visits were a life-line to me in times of stress, sleepless nights and external challenges. If I hadn’t had someone to talk to regularly I don’t know where I would be now, and Philippi provided that for me ’ We serve everyone regardless of background or beliefs. Some clients are seen for a short while, others over a longer period of time, depending on the need. We make our counselling freely available, asking for donations. Over the past year around half of our clients were in financial difficulties. Training We ran two ‘Introduction to Counselling’ courses in 2010. The courses are proving popular; here are some of the comments from participants: ‘I found the course was very inspiring, enlightening, useful and interesting.’ ‘I enjoyed the course and learned a lot.’ We are running an Intermediate Course from June 2011. Support We would welcome your support particularly in the following areas: Prayer – we have a prayer update Conference – In May 2011 we are hosting the AGM and Conference and will need help to run this event Monika Ripley

Tyrrell and Weirside Courts Tyrrell Court and Weirside Court are sheltered housing complexes in the parish - on London Road, and in Orts Road respectively. We hold a Communion Service for the residents at Tyrrell Court on the first Friday of each month and at Weirside Court the Wednesday in the same week. Don Mason and Leslie Russell take the service on alternate months. When not taking the service they do a short talk within the service. Ruth Mason and June Russell share the intercessions and the bible reading. Typically there will be 4 or 5 residents at services at Tyrrell Court and about 6 at Weirside Court. An important part of these occasions at both places is the cup of tea with biscuit afterwards. The residents enjoy a good sing and a good laugh and they encourage us as much as we do them. To accompany the singing we play CDs with recordings of hymn and song tunes. Leslie Russell

Crèche It’s just great to be able to have so many youngsters in the crèche at the moment – sometimes as many as eight – but more usually four, and to have so many brilliant willing volunteers to help run it each week. Vive la crèche! Rosemary Croft

EcoCongregation

2010 was a somewhat quieter year on the EcoCongregation front after all the build up to the Copenhagen climate summit the year before. We decided to focus on a more celebratory approach, tying this in with the UN year of Biodiversity. This was the theme of the Environment Sunday service in June, complete with stuffed specimens of creatures that live in oak trees (from Reading museum) and followed by a chance to appreciate the real thing: a church cycle ride and picnic beside the canal. The same theme was picked up in Creation Season when we were encouraged to share info on our favourite green spaces in Reading. We were able to share some of what we’ve been doing with representatives from Oxford’s link diocese in Sweden who visited in October. Congregation members have attended events informing us or campaigning about climate change and related issues, including a talk in Wargrave by Sir John Houghton (co-chair of IPCC), Christian Aid’s 20 10 2010 event and the recent Christian Ecology Link conference (both in London). On a practical level we’ve stopped recycling foil and plastic bags since it is now relatively easy for people to do this by other means. Joanna Laynesmith

Music Group Another year of music at St John and St Stephens – and we continue to be grateful for the range of people who help make our worship happen each Sunday. The faithful choir members still lead the singing in the morning and evening services and we had a good turn-out for our Christmas Carol service and enjoyed tackling some challenging anthems in 4 parts. We have started to focus more on developing some different groups to lead morning worship – so on the first Sunday of each month we have a ‘Worship Together Band’ – piano, guitars, mandolin , bass and drums and we try to incorporate some of the songs the children have been singing in their Children’s Praise sessions. On the second Sunday we have a ‘Classical Praise’ group – including violin, viola, cello, flute and piano and we try to include some songs or hymns that these instruments can play effectively. We are pleased to be able to include more church members in our worship in this way – and are always looking for more contributors – no great expertise is required! We try and include a wide variety of styles of music in worship – traditional hymns, more modern worship songs, children’s songs, Taize chants, Iona and Northumbrian songs and songs from around the world. A special thank you to Jenny Sullivan and Adam Phelps for their commitment to the evening services – and especially to Adam who is increasingly involved in leading worship in church. Hamish and Sue Bruce

Prayer Ministry Group Busyness and exhaustion have taken a heavy toll on this group. We faded away somewhat a couple of years ago and are beginning to try a resurrection since the cluster meetings last year. There are many people who still faithfully pray when asked and a trickle of requests still arrive in the prayer book on the table or via email. We are still in need of some energy and leadership to help us work out where and when to offer prayer with public services. Do you feel passionately about this? Then contact Ali or Vince or Suzanne. Ali Marshall

Quiet Days As I have spent much of the last week preparing for the Lenten quiet day coming up I am aware that they are a lot of work but do seem to be appreciated. When we stop and give God some time something seems to happen. If the idea of silence alarms you somewhat come along and try, we usually begin and end with a short liturgy and aim to give you some ideas of things to work with. Helen Boddington and I are aiming to inspire one another for at least a day in Advent and one in Lent, we would welcome anyone else who would like to plan with us. Ali Marshall

Sacred Space This continues with thanks to all those who have organised services this year. Richard and Vicky have helped us explore the Taize style quiet services; Rosie challenged us to join the Christian Aid tax campaign. We have tried to base the services around topics that are relevant to our common life and have thought about peace, hopes and dreams, trees in scripture, new beginnings, discernment and even spent one evening in the cemetery to try and imagine what we hope to be remembered for and whether we are living in accord with that! The aim continues to be to encounter with God through activities and reflection, all enjoyed with some home made cakes. After nearly 10 years I am running out of ideas and would love it if the services arose from a sense of community so would love to hear from anyone interested in helping plan or execute these services....or is it time to stop them and think again? Ali Marshall

Sunday Lunches I find it very exciting to watch most of us sit and share a meal together after most of our worship together services. There is a small faithful band of people who gather at 9 am to peel and slice and chop and a much appreciated number who help wash and clear up. Thank you everyone. We are increasingly using the shared lunches as an opportunity to discover the delights of vegetarian meals and try to cope with the special diets so do let Ali know if you have particular needs. There is usually a surfeit of splendid puddings...yum, and well done everyone. Ali Marshall

Welcome Team

Some 22 people volunteered to be welcomers at the morning service over the year just ending. Many people are staying on the rota and three new volunteers will be joining. "Link" people for their respective Sundays are Ian Maynard, Maureen Stevens, Anna Duffus, Norma Stevenson and Steve Lewis. Their roles are first, to ensure that all duties are covered and secondly, to be the person with whom others in the Church can liaise over changes in procedure or requests for additional tasks to be carried out. The presence of Link Welcomers means there is one person with whom churchwardens or clergy can liaise in the knowledge that relevant information will then be passed on to other Welcomers. The duties of Welcomers have been documented in previous Annual Reviews but this may be an opportune moment to re-iterate the importance of "Welgo" - that important part of welcoming which occurs after the service when people who are not stopping for coffee, can easily slip away perhaps without being noticed. This is the most difficult duty to carry out because after the service, Welcomers as much as anybody, want to chat with friends or others in the church about whom they may be concerned. However although three or four people on duty at one service may at times seem like too many, there will hopefully be one person among them willing to undertake this duty after the service, whilst others are collecting leaflets or picking up hassocks: sometimes it can be combined with handing out the diocesan newspaper "The Door." We aim to continue to give all as friendly a welcome as we can because we recognise the importance of people feeling at home when they come to St. Johns - and wanting to return the following week. Charles Kenderdine

Worship Together

Worship Together services are normally on the first Sunday of the month, but we only have nine in a year, missing a service at Christmas, Easter, and in the summer holidays. Services may be led by individuals or groups, and the nine services were led by six different collections of people. It has been good to have a few new people leading, and we are always keen to have others involved. Themes have been varied as usual, following the church calendar with Harvest, Advent, Temptation for Lent, and St. Martin. We have continued with a wider vision with services on Biodiversity and Fairtrade, marking international celebrations for these topics. Other services were based around the World Cup, Holidays, and Communications. Services are planned at a meeting two or three times a year, deciding themes and suggesting content. The services do not have any fixed structure, and we leave it to those leading to arrange what is in them. We try to make the services accessible and interesting to all ages, with different elements for different age groups. Activities have worked well this year, and drama and videos always seem to be well received. Most Worship Together services are now followed by a lunch in church, which are special occasions and a good chance for everyone to get to know people better. Thanks to Ali Marshall for organising the team for this. Jeremy Thake

St John’s CE (Aided) Primary School

At St John’s CE (Aided) Primary School, we aim to provide a happy, secure environment which reflects the principles of the Christian faith, thus helping to develop children’s spiritual growth and moral understanding. By so doing we aim to:

Develop children’s self esteem and self worth Develop each child’s academic potential Develop in each child curiosity and an enthusiasm to learn

We believe in the strength of good home/school partnerships and are aware of the need to be sensitive to our community with its rich cultural diversity. Our school is a fully inclusive school with an ‘open door’ policy and is committed to equal opportunities, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The School currently has 311 children in 11 classes including 2 part time Nursery classes. As Headteacher, I have been in the post since September 2007 and I am assisted by a strong teaching and support staff including non-teaching assistants, office staff, lunchtime controllers and a caretaker. In St. John’s the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The behaviour of pupils is exemplary and this is due to the staff providing the pupils with clear, consistent behaviour guidelines. All teachers have high expectations and this is evident in all that we do. Pupils are always polite and friendly, and this is because they are proud of their school and their achievements. They work well together, respect each other and their teachers and they truly are members of a caring, racially harmonious community. The achievements at St John’s CE (Aided) Primary School continue as the school has had another action packed year with many positive outcomes to report. In the last year, we have achieved our Inclusion Quality Mark, our life-long Healthy School Award and also recently our Quality Mark award for the third time. We have a committed Governing Body which meet regularly as a full body and also as small committees to look after various aspects of the school’s life. The Governing Body currently consists of 20 people: 3 Parent Governors, 2 Local Authority Governors, 3 staff governors (including the Headteacher) and 11 Foundation Governors (of whom 3 would be eligible for appointment as a Parent Governor), and an Associate Governor. The current chairman is a member of the church. As a school, we regularly use the Church for assemblies, Clergy assemblies, hymn practices, services and musical workshops and productions. We are very grateful for having this wonderful area available to us. We have an active PTFA, who host events, to help raise more money for the school. These events are always very successful and include the Christmas Market and Summer Fair. Other events held include the mini markets, non-uniform days and discos. Each year, the school has a very busy and active schedule and offers many events for the children to participate in and to experience. Also in the last year, we have had many varied and interesting events Some of these are overleaf:

• Harvest Festival

• Christmas production by KS1 children

• Christmas Service with Foundation Stage children performing the nativity

• School Grounds Day when sunflowers and other summer bedding plants are grown

• Football Tournaments and matches for both boys and girls

• Helping hand photographic project

• Visit to Victorian Classroom for Year 5

• Visit to The Globe for Years 5 and 6

• Visit to Pitts River Museum in Oxford for Middle School

• Wax workshop for Middle School

• Focus Week on ‘Who do you think we are?’

• Sports Days

• Public Speaking Workshop

• Sports events at Palmer Park

• Swimming Gala heats

• Trip to Windsor Castle (FS2 & KS1) The school nurse visits to give talks on healthy living and growing older.

As a school we operate an open door policy so that parents can discuss as and when any concerns that they may have about their child. In addition we hold more formal parents evenings and an open evening in July for parents to discuss their child. Thank you for the support offered to the school by members of St John’s & St Stephen’s Church. A Brackstone Headteacher February 2011

Children’s Praise Once a month, often the third Sunday, between ten and twenty children below Pathfinder age, some of their parents and the leaders of their groups, get together in the School Hall to sing four or five songs of praise, some of them with actions (Christian aerobics), before going off to their group sessions. We talk about what praising God means and sometimes children suggest things we can praise Him for. Our selection of songs, many of which are also used in Worship Together, continues to expand, as does the number of players, with Spencer Tubb having joined Chris, Hamish and Mark. We try to harness the children’s liveliness and engender an atmosphere of love and joy in being His children. Chris Jupp

Exclaimers Over the last year we have continued to take a theme for each term, and to combine an event or story from the Bible with a contemporary issue each session. We looked at ‘What Creation tells us about God’ in the summer, and continued looking at the Old Testament and Moses in the autumn. Currently Exclaimers are looking at events from the life of Jesus in the run up to Easter. There is the usual mixture of stories, craft, games and discussion each week. We had a great Christmas party, with Chris Smith’s magic amusing the group, and the usual pizza and games went down well too. As Exclaimers move to Pathfinders each Easter, and new Climbers join us, we are used to settling in a new group of children. However this year has seen more six and seven year olds joining our nearly elevens, and we have had to adjust to working with a wide age gap. Attendance can vary too, from three to nine, so again, we’ve had to be adaptable. Mark Laynesmith has provided a Godly Play session for Exclaimers with Climbers each term, and this always produces a deep response from the children. Exclaimers continue to enjoy Children’s Praise each month; thanks to Chris Jupp and his team. We would like to find a way to develop worship with the children, and perhaps find a more efficient way of using adult time – as although two adults with three children can be productive and fun, it may not be the best way to use us. Thank you to our regular helpers – Maureen B, Liz, Elaine, Rosemary, Jo K and Nick. Ann Morrison and Jo Laynesmith

Monday Monsters

Monday monsters is thriving! Numbers this last year have doubled if not trebled. We have had a fun visit to a farm near Newbury, laughed incredulously at Mister Chris at the Christmas party, enjoyed some great meals together and gain support and encouragement from just meeting other people with young children. Huge vote of thanks to Nyasher who has taken on the organising week by week, thanks to her we even have a facebook page dedicated to the Monsters. If you find yourself caring for preschool

children on a Monday afternoon in term-time come and join us. We begin in the refectory at 1.15 and once the school lunches are cleared out of the hall we move there for some louder more energetic play. All welcome. Ali Marshall

Scramblers & Climbers Part of the church’s Youth Ministry is the combined “Scramblers & Climbers” children’s group (ages 3-8), which meets during term-time and generally watches videos or DVDs in the holidays. There is rota of 2-3 people who lead the group’s “study” (me, Judy Fisher and Rosemary Croft) and some occasional helpers. We do not meet when it is a “Worship Together” Sunday and we sometimes have a Godly Play session. The group, which now mainly comprises children younger than 6, explores bible stories from both the Old and the New Testament, with colouring, pictures, role-play, puzzles and games, with occasional videos and songs. The children usually have some interesting insights. Over the last year, we have explored the weather (rain, wind, sun and rainbow), Christ’s baptism, the wedding at Cana in Galilee, angels, Naaman and his distressing skin disease, Zaccheus (including the job description for a tax collector in times of Roman occupation), the paralysed man who came in through the roof and (of course) the Christmas story. Hilary May

The Saturday Thing and The Well The Saturday Thing has continued to meet monthly throughout the year, with a break from July to September. Typically around 25-30 folk attend from 1 year olds to 70 year olds! The format has remained pretty unchanged for much of the year - craft activities, then a teaching session, generally using a DVD on the life of Jesus; games and then tea, birthday cake (when appropriate) and presents! The Well ran throughout the main part of 2010 (summer period excluded) with a smaller group of around 10 or so children and a couple of parents, meeting twice a month From the beginning of 2011 we have moved to a new pattern. With one large family who were the mainstays of the Well (6 children) moving away from Newtown, we have ceased to run the Well. TST continues to meet, but has moved to a later time, starting at 5.30pm and running until 7pm with a stronger focus on worship, teaching and being family together, focused around the centre piece of our meal together. So we have half an hour of games, then a formal lighting of candles, an extended grace and our main course. We have some teaching between courses, second course, a family game, a song and conclude with a blessing. This seems to be working well. We continue to thank St Johns for the use of the Refectory - it is just the right space for what we need. We thank all of you who pray for us, and encourage us. Many thanks to Maureen Brooker, Kamala Zutshi, and Diane Foster for all their help. We rejoice in seeing children and adults growing in their understanding of who Jesus is, how to pray, and learning bit by bit to trust Him. To God be the glory! Chris and Jeannie Cobbold

Cubs and Scouts

Cubs and Scouts enjoyed both their Easter and Summer Camp at a site in Chalfont St Peter. Over the Easter weekend they joined other Scouts for a fun packed weekend and learnt lots of new skills, met up with old friends and made some new ones. During the summer we spent a whole week there camping and providing the squirrels with a whole range of delightful treats that they ‘acquired’. We visited Brooklands Motor Museum and had a fantastic day out—we can recommend it to everyone—and RAF Hendon. Cubs learnt how to build, light and cook on an open fire. Scouts practiced their saw and axe skills.

We all enjoyed camp but some of us were more tired than others when we got back. This Easter we’re off to a different campsite near Ringwood and whilst Scouts will be busy doing badges, Cubs are off to Monkey World for the day. In the summer we are going to a campsite near Stourbridge and plan to visit Cadbury’s World and The Black Country Living Museum.

Louise Day

Elements The Elements group is for older teenagers and we meet at the Marshalls' house on Sunday evenings. During the year we said goodbye to Helena Ripley and Ian Barwick who both went up to University, and

hello to Josh Morris, Ben Harwood and Jonny Bruce. We now have 2 Morrises - David and Josh; 2 Harwoods - Emma and Ben; and 2 Bruces - David and Jonny; as well as Gemma White and Harriet Langshaw. Geoff White, who has helped lead the group for just about ever, left in the autumn which was very sad - he has been a great leader and a hard act to follow. Somehow, Vicki Jones and I managed to get Jon Roberts to join us in leading the group! Two highlights in the year: one was definitely punting in Oxford - most of us actually went in the Cherwell for a refreshing swim, only to find out later that we

had broken some law or other! Then other of course was the visit to Taizé in France at Easter. It was so good that some of us are going again this Easter, braving icy conditions and strange foreign ways. Can't wait! Richard Croft

Pathfinders This report is also a plea for your prayers and practical support for our young people. Last year we reported a need for new leaders, and a whole year later the need is still there unfilled. Chris and Carol Meunier have covered the majority of Sunday sessions over the year with Rachel Parsonson helping a couple of times before Christmas, Helen Whitall becoming more available and involved again since the New Year. With significant other pressures for all our leaders, it has been a difficult year and the casualty has been our programme of social activities and our contributions to Sacred Space, both of which have been very curtailed. This probably helps to explain why attendance on Sunday mornings has been much more sporadic, but it’s also worth noting that life for our Pathfinder children and their families this year has often been complex and sometimes hard. We have a core of faithful Sunday attenders who are a delight to work with, including two who have come up to us through The Saturday Thing, and when others come it’s all the more fun. The roll currently stands at 11 but average on Sunday is 4 or 5. Our base in the café area during the morning service is good and flexible and we have been making more of coming through to join in communion at the end. For the few who were able to go, the Greenbelt festival last summer was a good experience, especially joining up with the youth from Vince’s old church in Tenby, South Wales. This led to a very successful expedition to Tenby at the February half-term led by Vince and Suzanne, and our young people are now looking forward to inviting the Welsh group down to Reading later this year. This event was followed by a fun Pancake Party on Shrove Tuesday shared with Elements. Critical mass of young people and involvement of a wider group of adults in such activities are certainly success factors for building the en-ergy we draw on in our ‘serious’ Sunday sessions. We have had ideas of starting up a periodic youth film night and are very open to other suggestions. As leaders we have been heartened to find that our contributions are valued by our Pathfinders, whether we are grandparent age, young or somewhere in between. If you think you can offer any time or skills, please talk to Chris, Carol or Helen. Chris Meunier

Home Groups

These continue to be a significant contribution to our journey of faith and our thanks as ever to the people who prepare, lead and host the seven groups meeting regularly. There has been a new group begun this year, based at the vicarage and in true St John’s style they share supper together and see what arises out of their conversations. Listening to most of the groups food plays a vital part in fellowship but the rest of us dress it up a bit and pretend to sound more theological! Suzanne is trying to begin a daytime group, do speak to her if you are interested. Ali Marshall

20s/30s Home Group

Since the end of the summer 2010, a new Home Group has been meeting on Wednesday evenings. With the primary remit being to provide an opportunity for mid-week fellowship, we have begun our meetings with a shared meal and then spent time studying the Bible, watching Nooma DVDs, discussing social issues and praying together at a variety of host homes. We come with many different outlooks on life! More recently, we have met in two smaller groups for three weeks each month to allow for better conversation and joined together on the fourth week for something special such as Christmas Dinner, a trip to the Chaplaincy lecture, or an evening of contemporary worship and prayer. We are still finding our feet as a group and trying to determine our future direction, but would be very happy to welcome anyone at a similar stage in life wanting to build friendships and explore together our understanding of the Christian faith. Current members are: Jon Roberts, Rachel Parsonson, Helen and Fish Whitall, Elly Setterfield, Rob and Vicki Jones, Martyn and Celine Rittman, Chris and Rebecca Foster, Libby and Lee Hawkness-Smith.

Bruces Homegroup We continue to meet on a Wednesday evening at Liz Baileys house and can number anything from 4 to 11 – we average around 6 – 7 . This past year we have studied ‘This Risen Existence’ by Paula Gooder, spent a term using the Nooma DVD’s and at present we are using John Pritchard’s book ‘Living Jesus’. We always manage a lively discussion, using the portable loop system that Don brings along so those who are hard of hearing can join in too, and spend time at the end of every session sharing needs for prayer and having a time of quiet. Liz provides very good coffee and biscuits each week and about once a term we share some food together. We all appreciate the support and fellowship the group provides.

Sue Bruce

Contemplative Prayer The group continues to meet on Monday evenings at our house from 8.30pm until 9.45pm. We start with coffee and a chat and then a short meditation and liturgy lead us into silent prayer for 30 minutes or so. This is not a group so much as a resource and anyone is welcome to join us. Mark and Monika Ripley

Croft Home Group Our group meets on Thursday evenings. We are a pretty long-established group now and I'm struck by how well we know each other and how much support there has been and continues to be for each other as we pass through various difficulties and joys. More like family, really. Regular members include Nick and Hilary Benson, Jo and Mark Laynesmith, Margaret Elcock, Charles Kenderdine, Diana Metcalfe, Ann Morrison, Sue Batchelor, Adam Phelps, Rosemary and I. We have reflected on a variety of materials including the Psalms, Nooma DVDs and done some Lectio Divina as well as prayed and laughed together and eaten some remarkably good food from time to time!

Richard Croft

Lawrence Home Group

Home groups are not just about academic study; we also act as a support group and are interested in one another’s activities. At the moment one couple in our group are overseas for a month but we are still able to keep in touch and learn what they have been doing, via email and post-cards. We have continued to meet weekly on Thursday evenings, usually at my house. Our average attendance is about 9. We start with a meal at 7.30 pm and members of the group often contribute delicious dishes. By 8.30, we aim to move into the front room with our coffee for the more formal part of the evening. Several members of the group take a turn at leading the evening. The actual format varies but we try to include a time for sharing and prayer and a time for bible study and discussion. During Lent 2010 we used Bishop Stephen’s book, ‘The Things He Carried’. Since then we have looked at: The journey to Emmaus, The life of Gideon, 1 Peter, Ecclesiastes and more recently, some of the Nooma DVDs. We will soon be starting a Lent Course. I believe that we all benefit from the mutual support and encouragement that we can give one another. Judith Lawrence

Marshall Home Group We continue to enjoy lively discussion but are also branching out into more creative activities, like the “cutting and sticking” evening recently! That we meet seems more important to us than what we do; we have watched some films and tv programmes, shared some great food, gone to a Pampered chef party (well the women did whilst the men had a curry!), and for the major part of last year we followed the Living the Questions course. This is a badly filmed set of DVDs but involve some renowned theologians and ministers helping us think again about how our experiences in life relate to our faith. Ali Marshall

Oasis (Women’s Fellowship Group)

Originally started as a daytime “homegroup” by mums with young children, Oasis continues to provide a place of physical, emotional and spiritual nourishment although not all of us are mums and some of the kids have even left home! Since September we have moved our meeting to a Wednesday afternoon (term times only) to fit around work and other engagements. We meet in the Parish Centre at around 1:30 for a shared lunch, when we have enjoyed a variety of different soups and bread, and then transfer to the sofas for the ‘spiritual bit’ aiming to finish before the school locks us out! Over the past year we have thought about ‘Sustaining the Sacred Centre’. Since last Easter, we have shared prayers from the Bible, researched the lives of some of the Saints, listened to sermons on Philippians and followed a candle-light meditation over the weeks around Christmas. This term we are reading through Anne LaMott’s book “Grace Eventually”. We also enjoy social activities together: this year we have continued to care for the forecourt garden, spending at least one session a term clearing and weeding it, we also helped Ellie the ‘Artist in Residence’ set up her exhibition at the university, and most recently we were joined by other ladies from church to be wined and dined at a Ladies’ Evening hosted by the Wycliffe Boys’ Brigade. Our group is small and fairly informal – members come for either part or all of the time depending on other commitments. New members are always welcome: numbers have swelled from 4 to 6 since we changed to an afternoon meeting. Bridget Barwick

Thakes Homegroup

Our home group has been missed out of the reports for the last couple of years, but we are here! We generally meet at Andrew and Lorna Taylor’s, and if everyone comes (which mostly people do if they are around) there are nine of us. We meet at 8.30 pm on a Thursday – a little late because some people commute and find it difficult to get there earlier. We have half-an-hour over coffee, and then a more formal session for an hour. We have studied a variety of things. We used the Oxford Diocese Living Faith Materials, and CMS material on the 5 Marks of Mission. We are currently looking at the Sermon on the Mount. There have been some interesting evenings with visiting leaders: Vince came for a couple of evenings, and Mark Laynesmith led us on mediaeval Bible-study and Christianity’s relation with other faiths. We aim to be a supportive group, and we have people coming from many different places in their faith. We are fairly open in what we discuss, with people able to express doubts and discuss difficulties as well as faith and experience. Jeremy Thake

The Dining Club In 2010 following discussions started at the cluster groups it was suggested that a new form of house group was needed for those who didn’t want to spend their spare evening reading or discussing faith. A place where fun conversation, good food and a glass of wine (or two) were a good enough reason to meet. The evenings have successful blended different generations together for a couple of hours as they pursued happiness with Jamie Oliver and his thirty minute recipes. So, if you are at a loose end one Wednesday evening why not join as at 8pm for three courses of spontaneous cuisine and conversation. See newsletter for upcoming dates.

CiR Women’s Centre

At the Women’s Centre our vision is to realise the full potential of women in need by providing a safe place where they can receive support, education, skills development, a listening ear and a hot meal. We want to continue helping women who face severe difficulties resulting from mental health problems, learning disability, homelessness, broken and violent relationships, low income and isolation. The Centre is run as a ‘Partnership’ to provide opportunities for women. Women who attend grow in confidence by involvement in organised activities and through our joint approach between them and our volunteers. Our main focus is a welcoming friendship. Our activities include art workshops, crafts, slimming club, music appreciation, beauty days, regular jumble sales, drama workshops, horticultural therapy and basic computer skills. Advocacy, counselling and financial advice are available. There is no pressure to engage in any of the activities but we aim to offer help and the means of personal development to enable women to ‘move on’ into a more interesting, profitable and useful life style. In some cases this results in more formal study and paid employment. In recent years we have been reaching out to older women and women of other races and faiths to break down barriers caused by ignorance and fear. We have about 40 regular clients; another 40 drop in from time to time. An example of this latter group is one lady who has been greatly helped in the past who comes in about 5 times a year, just to ‘get a fix’ (her words) and check we are still available if she should need us again. Another (Polish) lady with moderate learning and physical disabilities has been the sole carer for her elderly father. He is now more frail, has frequent hospital visits, sometimes as an inpatient. The lady is very worried about him and is also dreading his death. She comes to us once a week, enjoys the activities but is also very grateful for the opportunities she has to share her fears and often cries with us. She feels so ‘at home’ at the Centre that she asks her physiotherapist (helps with her physical limitations) to treat her at the Centre. A Turkish lady who is going through a very difficult divorce comes in once a week. She finds it very hard to get up in the morning and I phone her to make sure she is up on the day she comes in. She is younger than a lot of us and does some of the heavier lifting. Coming to the Centre gives her a sense of purpose and makes her feel useful. Here is a summary of some of the activities that we have undertaken.

1. A major drama project with Pilgrim Hearts Trust that ran for 7 months. 39 women took part and became more and more confident in themselves as they told their stories, got in touch with the history of their town and the stories of famous Reading women; this culminated in the production of a DVD with the women telling their stories in costume. Writing storytelling, music, dancing, and artefacts from Reading museum, visit to the Costume store all part of this enterprise, as well as acting.

2. A creative writing project that led to a pantomime of Snow White This was a huge undertaking involving 40 women and attended by over 80 people.

3. We successfully bid for funding from the local authority to appoint an outreach worker. Her brief is to help especially older women, in danger of social exclusion, particularly at times of crisis.

4. We have obtained funding from ‘Sport Relief’ to pay for dance/exercise classes aimed at older and disabled women to keep them fit and mobile.

5. A local organisation dedicated to ‘Art in the Community’ raised funds to give us free sessions for 2010. Craft gives satisfaction and a sense of achievement and is particularly helpful with women with disabilities and mental health issues.

6. The Earley Charity gave us funds for a Wii board, projector and all accessories.

7. Helping in our award winning garden. Our Garden has won a bronze, two golds and a silver award in Reading in Bloom, which has given them a huge sense of achievement. 8. Outings to local places of interest and exhibitions

This project was born in prayer and we pray about all we do. We would not have succeeded without a prayer base which is central to the work of the project. The project is supported by the Churches in Reading and the Trustees are drawn from representatives of the Churches across Reading. Our whole ethos is based on prayer, listening and care. Our volunteers are mainly drawn from the local Christian community although some come through the work of the Centre. In my work as Chaplain to the Centre I see that the pastoral needs of the clients and volunteers are taken care of by spending time listening and in prayer with individuals and with the staff team and clients at least on a monthly

basis. I help to organise an annual away day where we seek God’s guidance as we spend time reflecting on the work and looking ahead at the plans He has for the future of the Centre. We also hold an annual Service which is open for all to join in in giving thanks for all that has been given to the Centre by local schools, churches and charities and for the time and commitment given by the volunteers. I organise regular Quiet times throughout the year, mainly during the festivals to give opportunities for worship and contemplation. Harvest and Christmas are amongst the highlights of the year when we celebrate, together with our supporters, God’s great goodness to us. Suzanne Knight

Fair Trade Fighting poverty through trade – doing our little bit – making sure those who produce our food and goods get a just price and a living wage. This is one of the ways that our worship of a Loving Creator God who cares for the poor and the down trodden, is lived out in practise. It’s where the rubber hits the road! And this last 12 months we have ordered £6425 worth of stock! Please keep on buying the tea, the coffee, the chocolate and so much more, supporting our stall! Thank you. Rosemary Croft

Fair Trade and Drop the Debt The Reading Churches Campaigning Network now replaces the Reading Jubilee Debt Campaign which has operated since 1999 . Our church continues to support this organisation and has responded to calls from CAFOD, Christian Aid and the World Development Movement as well as the Jubilee Debt Campaign. Topics for appeals this year have included Tax Justice and objections to the World Bank charging interest and im-posing conditions on money forwarded to developing nations to deal with climate change. Grateful thanks to all those who have supported these appeals.

Hamish Preston

Harvest and Christmas Projects

Mission Partners Where is God at work in the world? And how can we use our giving, £17,000, this last year, to best support some of God’s work? It has been a privilege to work with Rachel Thake, Margaret Elcock, Nick Burn, Juliet Sserenkumar, Suzanne Knight and Jon Roberts this last year to support some of the mission projects that our church is involved in. We spend some in this country, in our parish helping support projects like Communicare, Causeway Prospects and the Women’s Centre, some with two schools projects, and some overseas to INF with the Galpins and Ali Wilkinson from our church working in Nepal, to CMS and to TEARFund and the LAMB project in Bangladesh. We would love to tell you more – ask one of us! Rosemary Croft

Newtown and St John’s Schools Work Project

This work is carried out under the guidelines of the REinspired project whose goal is... “For local churches to become fully engaged in supporting local schools in the religious education and spiritual development of their pupils.” Their Aim is... “Enabling schools and their pupils to develop spiritually and engage creatively with faith.” Our team have been going in to Newtown school, taking fun and exciting sessions across the whole school age groups, teaching them in creative ways about what Christians believe. We feel hugely privileged to be given this opportunity to share with the children and staff in a hands-on way to serve the school by fulfill-ing their religious educational goals, by acting as role models to show how the schools can help pupils develop spiritually, and for the pupil to be provoked in their spiritual development and have the relevance of the Christian story shared. We try to make each session as much fun as we can and we attract their attention by showing them videos, acting out funny dramas and telling them stories etc. Then we engage their minds with quizzes and discussions which provoke from time to time some challenging encounters. Suzanne Knight