Reports from St James’ Groups and Linked Organisations for 2011 APCM

Fledgelings Annual Report 2010

We have a strong committee of 6, 4 leaders for story and worship time and 4 people responsible for craft.
Refreshments are supplied by the MU and the Working Party often help to put out the mats and toys. We are
extremely grateful to everybody for helping us each week.
At the end of 2010 the register was updated with all those who had not attended for a year were deleted. This
left us with 70 families on the register, who have attended at some point during the previous year. As predicted
the opening of the new FBC had an adverse effect on our Fledgelings numbers with a very variable attendance,
some weeks it has been almost exclusively the families of the committee who were at the session. Despite
marketing, the web presence, being listed on the Wokingham Borough website and all the usual promotional
efforts we’ve traditionally used, our numbers remained very low. In the summer we decided to organise a big
community push (see below) which may have been responsible in part for the increase towards the end of 2010,
when a succession of new families with younger children and babies joined Fledgelings. Most of these have
gone on to attend regularly with our weekly attendance being about 15 to 25 families.
We held the following events during 2010: Easter Service and Egg Hunt, Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Sports Day,
Harvest Festival and Christmas Nativity and Party. The weather as usual for the Easter event was terrible so we
were yet again forced to hold the event indoors. Our number of attendees were lower than previous years. We
moved the Sports Day to September when the weather is normally better and were rewarded with a fine day and
a good turnout. For the Teddy Bears’ Picnic we decided to advertise widely, hire a children’s entertainer, book a
police car and fire engine and essentially use the event as a loss-leader to see if we could increase our weekly
attendance. It had a huge turnout, the entertainer ran out of balloon animals and had pre-prepared 80 animals. In
total we probably had over 120 people picnicking on the green and enjoying the sunshine. We decided for 2011
to charge more so that we can break even but continue the format, and not be so specific with the time the fire
engine is booked to arrive as they were an hour late! The Harvest Festival had an average turn out but the
children enjoyed the Harvest Hat Parade very much particularly with Rev. John also wearing his hat. The
Nativity and Party was a well supported event with lots of new families attending and the feedback was very
positive.
We are continuing to set aside 50% of our weekly takings for the Kimberley project, or any other worthy
children related charity and all the money raised at our raffles has been donated to the Mothers’ Union charity
Away From it All. We have not updated or replaced any toys this year apart from a new town mat, but have
continued to allocate funds to produce exciting and challenging crafts for the children, and make sure we have
plenty of literature available for the storytellers to inspire the children with stories from the Bible.
Initiatives for 2011: Our prime concern for 2011 is to maintain a strong committee presence of 6 as several of
the committee have children starting full time school at the end of the year and will be leaving Fledgelings. We
have already had 1 new volunteer starting after Easter. A priority is to find a replacement for the Fledgelings
Leader and church liaison contact (Karen Remmington) who will also leave at the end of 2011.
Committee: Kate Hembra, Sam Khan, Charlotte Owen, Karen Remmington, Sarah Verdin and Jayne Yeo.
Karen Remmington

SUNDAY CLUB REPORT FOR ST JAMES’ APCM 2011

A  highlight  for  the  year  was  the  commissioning  of  Sunday  Club  on  23rd  May  where  the  contribution  
and  continued  commitment  of  all  the  Sunday  Club  helpers  was  recognized  by  the  wider  
congregation.  It  has  become  an  increasingly  challenging  year  for  Sunday  Club  with  a  decrease  in  the  
numbers  of  children  attending.  Some  weeks  the  leaders  are  arriving,  having  thoroughly  prepared  
their  session,  to  find  there  are  no  children  in  their  group  at  all.  This  is  clearly  disheartening  but  the  
helpers  continue  to  support  Sunday  Club  with  their  time  and  energy.  We  are  therefore  looking  
forward  to  the  results  of  the  recent  family  questionnaire  asking  pertinent  questions  about  the  use  of  
Sunday  Club  by  families.  
 
As  usual  we  have  followed  a  comprehensive  syllabus  covering  the  Old  and  New  Testaments;  stories  
the  children  are  familiar  with  and  also  stories  that  will  be  new  to  them  using  the  Scripture  Union  
literature.  See  below  the  full  curriculum.  
Summer  Term  2010:   Light  to  live  by  -­‐  Psalm  119:9-­‐16:105  
Living  in  the  Desert  -­‐  Exodus  16:1-­‐17:7   Light  for  the  World  -­‐  John  9:1-­‐12,  35-­‐38,  8:12  
Ten  Rules  from  God  -­‐  Exodus  19:16-­‐30:17   You  are  Light  -­‐  Matthew  5:14-­‐16  
Moses  meets  God  -­‐  Exodus  33:7-­‐23,  34:1,29-­‐35  

Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 1

Autumn  Term  2010:   Spring  Term  2011:  
Acts  13:13-­‐52  -­‐  Barnabas  &  Paul   Meeting  Jesus:  
Acts  16:1-­‐15  -­‐  Lydia  joins  the  church   Luke  5:  17-­‐26  -­‐    A  Man  who  could  not  Walk    
Acts  16:23-­‐40  -­‐  Paul  in  prison   Luke  7:  36-­‐50  -­‐  A  woman  with  a  gift  Stories  
Acts  18:1-­‐23  -­‐  Paul  makes  friends   Jesus  told:    
Acts  23:12-­‐34  -­‐  Paul  in  danger   Luke  10:25-­‐37  -­‐  The  Kind  Traveller    
Acts  26:1-­‐32  -­‐  Paul  talks  about  Jesus   Luke  14:15-­‐24  -­‐  The  Great  Feast    
Acts  27:1,13-­‐44;28:11-­‐15,28-­‐31  -­‐  Paul  is  safe   Luke  15:1-­‐7  -­‐  A  Lost  Sheep    
Christmas  crafts   Luke  15:11-­‐24  -­‐  A  Loving  Father  
We  are  currently  investigating  the  use  of  other  Sunday  Club  literature  used  by  other  churches  as  part  
of  our  research  into  what  potential  improvements  can  be  made  to  the  format.  Other  immediate  
changes  we  have  made  include  the  merging  of  Gems  and  Pebbles  from  January  2011  -­‐  as  these  are  
the  groups  where  numbers  have  fallen,  and  we  no  longer  run  Sunday  Club  at  half  term.  
 
Sunday  Club  Committee:  Julie  Clements,  Hazel  Scott,  Claire  Prevost-­‐Snell,  Karen  Remmington  
Karen  Remmington    

St James’ Youth Group (Contrast)

Our trip to Iona in April 2010 was a great success. A party of 20 travelled from Wokingham to The Abbey. We
lived in community and fellowship for three days and came back different people. We truly did encounter God in
this thin place.

In the summer time some of our group attended Yellow Braces the Oxford Diocese youth event, plenty of
outdoor fun and worship.

In September we began preparing our panto. We raised over £500 over two performances of Hook's Revenge.
Our young people sang, danced and acted their way through the two acts, thanks to the directing of Julie
Morley and choreography of our very own Barbara Brice. Jan Van den berg spent hours with help from his
family making and painting the magnificent scenery. He really was a star. Elisabeth Tracey was catering
manager supreme and the food sold in the interval raised £150!! With the proceeds raised in donations at the
performances we have been able to buy new equipment for youth group and send a large donation for Great
Ormond Street.

Over the past few months our youth have led two services and this is now a regular feature with our young
people taking the sermon, reading, intercessing and even drumming at the 11am service. In January some of
our group contributed during the Rodgers and Hammerstein evening. A special mention for the rock band who
were managed and assisted by the brilliant David Booth.

We now have 30 Members at Youth Group. We have welcomed some new members from St Mary and St John.
Our Easter vigil in 2011 will take place as usual this year. Where would we be without our amazing leaders and
helpers: Julie Morley, Cathy and Steve Clayton, Katherine and Kevin Li, Elisabeth Tracey and Nigel
Kennington.

God bless and a great big thank you to the PCC for funding resource materials from Urban Saints. We have
also welcomed guest speakers this year including a member of the Orthodox Jewish Community in Reading,
Simon Guilleband a missionary and a climate change action group.
God Bless, Cathy Clayton

Mothers’ Union & Women’s Fellowship Report for the Church APCM 2011
Our theme for 2010 was “Relationships on Rules” encouraging us to focus on two principle commandments ~
to love God and to love our neighbour. In order to carry these out we should then concentrate on establishing
good relationships with all.

During the year we enjoyed hearing a good variety of speakers. Rev’d John gave us further information and
experiences of his visit to Ethiopia. We all enjoyed Daphne Payne’s visit with her dog Goldie and hearing
about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. We were pleased to support the Yeldall Manor Rehabilitation Centre with
our Epiphany Gifts, providing a variety of foods for their residents.

We observed the Women’s World Day of Prayer in March and the Wave of Prayer in June.

In August we enjoyed our Mary Sumner Birthday Lunch raising funds for our Overseas Fund. Our other social
Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 2
event was our enjoyable Christmas Tea with members, visitors and friends after the Christmas Carol Service.

Throughout the year we have supported the Fledglings by preparing refreshments at their weekly sessions. We
provided the usual buffet lunch for parents and carers at the Fledglings Christmas Party ~ a very happy
occasion.

We held 3 evening meetings for those members who work or have school age children. We will continue with
these during 2011.

We still maintain a membership of 35. However we do miss our dear friend and late treasurer Chris Brett. We
give thanks for her huge contribution and commitment to our branch over the past 10 years.

We gratefully acknowledge the very generous donation of £600 to our overseas fund from the mission
committee at St James.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to any men and women who would like to join us.
Sarah Owen, Branch Leader

Churches Together in Crowthorne (CTC)

St James has been regularly represented at meetings throughout the year. Once again volunteers from
St James assisted with the Summer Holiday playscheme in Crowthorne funded by Thames Valley
Police, which was very popular.
The Hopezone project continues to grow now 100 young people with 12 regulars using the drop in
facility at the Baptist Church. These sessions run from 3.30 - 7.30pm on a Wednesday evening.
Numbers attending are increasing and the project is outgrowing the space available. The organisers
are keen to extend the sessions and would welcome more volunteers. Plans are advancing to establish
a purpose built building on the Morgan Recreation Ground. The organisers gratefully acknowledge
the very generous donation from the Mission Committee at St James of £600 which will enable the
project to move forward.
Suzy Kitcher, Sarah & Richard Owen.

St James’ Belfry
We were all very pleased to get back into the belfry in March. It is a great pleasure to ring our lovely
bells again and enjoy the new sound and video relay from the church which will help us know when to
start the ringing for weddings and to see what is going on in the church.
We have welcomed another new member to the Tower, Debbie Blamire, who lives in Crowthorne and
who has been ringing regularly for Sunday service. We have enjoyed the company of a few ringers
who have been visiting the area and it has been especially nice to have Eversley Tower practise with
us on a few occasions when they have been short of ringers as they had extended a warm welcome to
us during the church renovations.
There was an infestation of ladybirds in the Tower which lasted several months. They were something
of a nuisance flying around as we were ringing but they disappeared eventually.
There were only a few weddings during the year but various groups of ringers came to ring as part of a
Ringing Outing, including groups from Putney and another of ex-Berkshire ringers and the Bradfield
Ringing Course used our tower again in August.
The Open Tower for the Patronal Festival was once again a very successful event. We really should
have kept count of the number of visitors. There were certainly an awful lot. We enjoyed showing
them the bells and the view from the Tower and explaining a little about the bells and bell-ringing.
In October Debbie Blamire and Chris Markham attended a course on Ringing Up and Ringing Down
in Peal run by the Branch and held at Finchampstead.
We have continued meeting for our regular Wednesday night practice and ringing for Sunday services
and, after a few months of very low numbers our numbers have picked up again and we are able to
give more help to the beginners and have a chance to practise more complicated ringing methods. This
is due in part to regular attendance on practice nights by Derek Palmer, the Sandhurst Tower Captain
and we appreciate his company and assistance. Our Tower Captain, Hugh Dempster, and Mary Ede
have, in turn, been able to help out Sandhurst Tower on Monday nights with the training of a number
Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 3
of learners there. We have also been joined from time to time on practice nights by ringers from
Rotherwick, Eversley, Sandhurst, Swallowfield, Sonning and Binfield. In the last few weeks Liz
Harris has been travelling across from Binfield to practise with us as there are currently too few
ringers at their tower to sustain a practice.
We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Meal at the Queen’s Oak and we are now looking forward to a year
full of weddings and the opportunity to keep ringing.
Patricia Amos

Ladies’ Breakfast
We meet once every half term. Ladies of all ages. We laugh, chat, munch and pray together. All of us
value and look forward to our times of fellowship together. Relaxed, pampered and refreshed we are
ready to re-engage with our busy hectic lives. Do join us even if only occasionally. We meet one
Saturday per half term between 8-45 and 10-15 am in the church centre.
Contact Cathy Clayton for more information.

Housegroups
a) Housegroups run by Francis Moore.
These housegroups are ecumenical and attract members from churches across the CTC area, including
all three Finchampstead Churches. Our activities are reported in the Finchampstead Magazine each
month. We focus mainly on bible studies and issues affecting Christian life in the world today, using
DVDs of lectures by famous international speakers to stimulate our full and frank discussions. This
year we have studied the ‘book of Proverbs’, and ‘Battles Christian Face’ with Revd. Vaughan
Roberts, and ‘Matthew’s gospel with Prof. Don Carson. Once a year we have a summer outing, and
this year we were blessed with a lovely sunny day for a very enjoyable visit to Waverly Abbey House.
You are welcome to attend any of our advertised meetings; just give us a ring on 0118 973 2592 for
details. Audrey and Francis Moore
b) Housegroups run by Neil Bidston
The  Rectory  farm  small  groups  are  open  to  anyone  in  the  church  as  a  means  to  go  deeper  with  their  faith  and  
connect  with  others  in  the  community.  The  aim  of  our  group  times  is  to  create  a  place  where  anyone  with  any  
question  is  welcomed  and,  also,  to  get  stuck  into  the  Bible  and  allow  people  to  deepen  their  understanding  of  
Jesus  in his own words.  Last  year  we  looked  at  Acts,  Paul's  letter  to  the  Philippians  and  then  a  Christian  
foundations  series.  Emma  supplied  us  with  great  cake.  Duncan  and  Kev  ate  most  of  it  and  we  saw  some  great  
friendships  begin  and  deepen!  I  think  everyone  would  testify  to  the  difference  the  group  times  made  to  their  
faith  and  their  life.  Some  of  the  highlights  of  the  year  were  evening  lectures  we  ran  at  the  farm  for  the  
group  plus  interested  others  to  come  to.  Around  30  people  came  along  to  hear  about  topics  such  as  'I  want  to  
believe,  but  my  scientific  brain  won't  let  me!',  'Can  we  trust  the  Bible?'  and  'The  problem  of  suffering'.
            Neil  Bidston    (0118 9731105)  

The Helen Taylor Trust for the Churchyard

Members of the Committee:
Mr D Monk (Treasurer and PCC representative)
Mrs A Pask (Secretary)
Mr E Sampson (PCC representative)
Mrs A Brett, Mrs C Collins, Mrs W Rockett,
Mrs L Seed, Mr P Stephenson, and Mrs L Tanner.
Mr R Owen (Chairman and PCC representative).
The graveyard is ecumenical (open to all churches) and its members reflect the views of different
churches in Finchampstead. The committee organises the maintenance of the churchyard.
As part of the continuous maintenance of the graves the stone mason conserved some of the oldest
recorded graves. Some trees on land adjoining to the South were trimmed. Sadly a 600 year old oak
tree was rotting badly and needed a large prune, after obtaining permission. We also erected a notice-
board to give information to visitors.
During the conservation two paths North and West of the Church door were paved with old York
Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 4
stone. Some other paths had small stones laid. The cost of this, the attention to a gate and the work on
the tree, was considerable. Income, at present, is down due to the financial situation, which made us
concentrate on our fund-raising activity.
Our two fund raising events will take place as usual; the Spring Tea Party is on Wednesday 11th May.
Please make a note of the date and come and enjoy an excellent tea, starting at 2.30pm. The Autumn
Tea Party is usually in late October. Both are held in the Memorial Hall Sports Club. Our thanks to
the Sports Club Committee for the use of their facilities.
Richard Owen.
MUSIC AT ST JAMES’
The  last  year  has  been  an  interesting  one  in  the  musical  life  of  our  Church.    Membership  of  the  Choir  has  
remained   fairly   constant   and,   once   again,   new   music   has   been   introduced.     Some   has   proved   fairly  
challenging   for   a   village   choir   but   I’m   pleased   to   report   that   our   choir   continues   to   meet   such   challenges  
with   their   usual   professionalism,   even   with   some   of   the   new   hymns   and   worship   songs   that   have   been  
introduced   recently.     Our   dedicated   and   enthusiastic   Junior   Choir,   although   smaller   than   it   has   been,   is  
producing   an   amazingly   high   quality   of   tone,   given   that   they   only   meet   for   rehearsal   once   a   week.     Our  
Senior   Choir   continues   to   flourish   and   we   are   now   blessed   with   an   extremely   well   balanced   group   of  
singers.    Generally  speaking  the  whole  choir  is  in  good  shape,  although  some  of  our  robes  are  beginning  to  
look   as   though   they’ve   seen   better   days   if   you   look   at   them   close   up.     It   has   been   a   busy   year   for   the   choir,  
beginning   with   non-­‐arrival   of   our   “Twin   Choir”   from   Vermont   USA   whose   scheduled   April   visit   had   to   be  
cancelled  due  to  the  activities  of  our  friendly  neighbourhood  volcano.    Pleased  to  say  that  they  eventually  
arrived  in  October  for  a  fabulous  musical  weekend  with  us,  including  a  concert  and  supper  party,  the  Choral  
Parish  Eucharist  on  the  Sunday  morning  and  our  visit  to  Dorchester  Abbey  to  sing  Choral  Evensong.    The  visit  
of  the  Vermont  choir  meant  that  a  Cathedral  visit  was  not  possible  during  2010  but  “irons  are  now  in  the  
fire”  for  such  visits  in  the  future.    Watch  this  space.    Next  up  was  the  predictably  busy  Advent  and  Christmas  
season  which  included  two  choral  services  at  Wellington  College,  a  Carol  Concert  at  Warbrook  House  and  
Carol   Singing   “round   and   about”   at   Warren   Lodge,   the   Greyhound   and   the   Tally-­‐Ho.     At   the   Tally-­‐Ho     the  
choir  received  a  really  warm  welcome  from  staff  and  customers  alike  and  the  wonderful  sum  of  £130  was  
raised  for  the  Air  Ambulance.    As  I  write  we  are  in  the  middle  of  preparation  of  the  music  for  Passiontide  
and   Easter   and   it   is   a   good   time   for   me   to   thank   all   the   members   of   Choir   for   their   hard   work   and  
commitment,   especially   to   Rachel   Witting   –   our   Head   Chorister,   also   to   Magdalene   Sehringer   and   our  
awesome  army  of  junior  choir  parents  without  whose  assistance  the  running  of  such  a  vibrant  organisation  
would  be  very  difficult.    Thanks  also  to  Revd  John  Edwards  who,  together  with  the  majority  of  the  St  James’  
congregation,   have   been   so   supportive   of   the   Choir   in   so   many   ways.       As   I’ve   said   before,   I   continue   to  
regard  it  as  a  great  joy  and  privilege  to  be  leading  such  a  enthusiastic  group  of  professionals,  for  whom  high  
standards  and  “getting  it  right”  are  so  important.    Thank  you  all.      
 
There   have   been   one   or   two   other   interesting   musical   developments   in   our   Church   life,   not   least   at   the  
Family  Service  which  continues  to  go  from  strength  to  strength.    I  normally  lead  the  music  for  this  on  our  
Clavinova   but   not   without   the   assistance   of   the   “Finchampstead   Symphony   Orchestra”   (FSO)   whose  
instruments   are   normally   found   in   the   large   plastic   tub   at   the   back   of   the   church.     I   would   estimate   the  
average  age  of  the  FSO  to  be  between  three  and  seven  years  old  and  what  a  wonderful  sound  they  make!    
Praising  God  is  the  name  of  the  game,  usually  with  (thank  goodness)  scant  regard  for  the  number  of  beats  in  
the   bar,   tempo   and   dynamics!       The   outcome   of   the   recent   family   service   questionnaire   should   be  
interesting   as   the   music   at   the   Family   Service   is   well   worth   developing.       Finally,   those   who   were   at   the  
Family  Communion  on  the  first  Sunday  in  February  (the  one  led  by  the  Youth  Group)  could  not  help  but  to  
have   noticed   the   arrival   of   a   set   of   drums.     Yes,   and   they   weren’t   just   there   to   decorate   the   church,   they  
were   expertly   and   sensitively   played   by   Lukas   Sehringer.     There   are   occasions   when   a   more   charismatic  
approach   is   appropriate   and   this   was   certainly   one   of   them.     Lukas   is   an   excellent   young   drummer   with  
much   experience   for   his   years   and   his   skills   enhanced   this   service   more   than   we   could   have   ever   have  
hoped,  and  guess  what  –  the  congregation  on  that  morning  represented  a  very  wide  age  range  and  I’ve  yet  
to  hear  one  negative  comment!      One  of  our  greatest  strengths  at  St  James’  is  our  “broad  church”tradition  
and  the  unusual  breadth  of  worship  and  music  in  use  here  –  I  hope  and  pray  that  this  will  continue  and  that  
we  don’t  fall  into  the  trap  of  being  polarised  at  either  one  end  or  the  other  of  the  “liturgical  candlestick”,  or  
worse  still,  stuck  firmly  in  the  middle!  
Andrew  Bosley,    Director  of  Music    
Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 5
 The Church School (Finchampstead Church of England (Aided) Primary School)
As the village church school, we are very aware that our role in the lives of our children extends
beyond what would normally be expected of a school. Our role in developing the children’s
understanding and appreciation of Christian values is one that we spend an enormous amount of time
on, and we thought it would be useful to highlight in this report just some of the recent activities that
we’ve done with the children with this goal in mind.
A few weeks ago, Class 3 (Years 3 and 4) were learning about the Sermon on the Mount. They
climbed “the mount” from the school to the church to hear the sermon. It was a beautiful Spring day,
and the children sat on the grass in the church garden while their teacher, Mrs Miccoli read to them
from the Bible. Afterwards the children prayed to God to thank Him for all he has given us.
Class 4 (Years 5 and 6) went on a pilgrimage to the church. On the way up the hill the children walked
in silence, thinking about their own private prayers and admiring the beauty around them. Once at the
church they shared their prayers with one another.
Each year, children from the school deliver parcels from the Harvest to elderly members of our
community. The children are encouraged to think about people’s needs and to develop a desire to care
for and help those who may be less fortunate than themselves. The school runs a scheme called the
“Heart of the Community” that rewards children’s acts of kindness in the wider community with
recognition and a special badge.
The threads of tolerance, understanding, and forgiveness run through the daily life of the school, and
the children are encouraged to pray regularly – both together and individually. This year we have
started a prayer group for the children, which is very well-attended. In the week immediately
following the earthquake in Japan a particularly large number of children came to the prayer group –
completely spontaneously – to pray for those affected by the disaster. This group complements the
prayer group set up by the parents that meets regularly at the school.
Finally, it’s worth sharing with you a new vision statement that the school community has been
working on. It is still in a draft form, but we feel that it helps to illustrate what our hopes are for the
children:
Our Vision is for our children to
• feel cared for unconditionally and valued as unique creation made in the image of God
• become enthusiastic self-motivated learners with a thirst for life-long learning
• have learnt from, and aspired to excellence in, a wide range of academic, sporting, musical,
artistic and social activities
• have a strong set of Christian values, including respect and care for the planet, self and others,
honesty and sincerity, kindness and friendship, love and forgiveness, justice and personal
responsibility
so that our pupils can create their place, and have an influence, in tomorrow’s world.
Hopefully this gives a flavour of how the school helps encourage Christian values in all the children at
the school. Naturally, it is just a flavour – there are far too many initiatives and activities to describe in
such a small space. The governors of the school are immensely proud of the efforts of all the staff at
the school. They truly do a fantastic job. Brian Remmington School Governor

Three Churches in Finchampstead Praying Together

During the year, the feedback from clergy and individual churches was that it was good to work together but that
the format of this particular activity was due for review. As Rev Richard and Rev Carol were leaving the two
Anglican churches and the Baptist minister is to leave in May 2011, it has been decided to leave this in
abeyance until new clergy are in post.
In the meantime it was great that about 25 people from St Mary & St John’s and St James’ came together to
pray on the eve of the recent interviews for Rector/Rector Designate. Carolyn Fox

Tuesday Working Party

The Working Party does Do-it-Yourself jobs that are needed in the Church, Church Centre and
grounds. We have had another good year with many varied jobs. Thanks go to the people who come
and share their skills with the group (in some cases it is rarely more than just chat!) If you are
available on a Tuesday morning and want something to do, please come along.
Richard Owen.
Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 6
St. James' Church Football Club ,
We've had great success in 2010. There is a squad of approx 40 dads (still waiting for any mums that may wish
to play too :-) ) however, due to everyone’s busy schedules there is a strong turn out of approx 16 every
Wednesday evening.
In 2010, we managed to make a profit of £200 (after all football costs had been deducted), which the dad's
decided to 'gift' to 'Contrast,' the St. James' Church Youth Group. Also, during the year the dads met up every
quarter for a social catch up, which included two curries (once at Xenuks and the other time at Chillies) and a
family event in the summer at the Bidston's house, which consisted of a BBQ, bouncy castle for the kids
and sports games for all the families - it was a great success! Kevin Li - kevinli4877@hotmail.com

Altar Servers

At St James we have a group of some 15 Altar Servers – boys and girls. Led by three adults, they assist at all
main Holy Communion Services. Their purpose is to ensure the smooth running of the services which includes
setting up the church and clearing up afterwards. Whilst the main intent is to help the congregation participate
in the service by example, it is also a way of personally developing their spirituality and their Christian faith.

Full training is given to the roles that the individuals have which includes an understanding of the Churches
Year, the meaning of Liturgy and the various artefacts used in services. Usually the minimum age is nine. There
is no requirement for the individual to have been confirmed although this ministry is a good starting point for
that commitment.

Normally two junior servers, together with two adults, are required for a Holy Communion service. This will be
an adult to assist the priest, and adult to carry the processional cross and two juniors as acolytes. The acolytes,
with the crucifer, lead the procession in and out of services; form a “guard of honour” for the reading of the
gospel and leading the procession of the gifts. On average a junior server is require for a service every 5/6
weeks. It is therefore a commitment that is not onerous but very valuable to the church.
Paul Arscott, Senior Server

Breastfeeding Network annual report to St James' Church ( This is a separate organisation but
PCC supports it by providing the facilities of the Church Centre each week free of charge)

The Breastfeeding Network would like to thank the PCC and all those at St James' who have continued
to so kindly support the Breastfeeding Drop-in Group by allowing us to use a room each week.
Here is how we make use of the centre each week;

• 184 visits in total

• 25% of babies brought in were under 2 weeks old and 50% under 6 weeks old.
• 65% of those who came to the group were referred by their Midwife or Health Visitor.
• 80% of those visiting were from our area (RG40 postcode)
• about 50% of mothers visit for specific breastfeeding help and information
• the other 50% of mothers come along for social support

Many women feel a sense of isolation and lack of support in the early postnatal days. This may be due to a
combination of a reduction in NHS postnatal care, social expectations of self- reliance and that many do not
have the benefit of an extended family locally. Our Centre at St James’ Finchampstead continues to be an
important source of help to local mothers.

Aims of the Breastfeeding Network

The Breastfeeding Centre aims to help local women breastfeed for as long as they wish by providing sustained
support, education, and specialist help should they face difficulties. Women visit us for practical help and
information around feeding their babies and also for social/emotional support.

Some of the women that have come along to the group for a while now would like to train as
Breastfeeding Network Helpers. We are planning to do some fundraising to help towards the costs. We
shall be splitting the proceeds between the Breastfeeding Network and St James' Church funds. Please
rd
do come and support us! Thursday 23 June between 1 pm – 4 pm. Cream tea (scones, cream and
strawberry jam!). A play area for pre-school children, toy and baby/toddler clothes sale and of course
the chance for all the community to come together for a chat!

Heartfelt thanks once again. Kate Meads

Reports from Church Groups and Linked Organisations APCM 2011 7