Summary of the P.C.C. Meeting held on 2nd March 2021

Present: Revd Angela Birkin; Sonya Bushell; John Cowling; Ann Dudzinski (chair); Jane Ferguson; Rebecca Crowson; Alan Daines; Ella Dudzinski; Norah Gibson; Karen Gough; Malcolm Heath; Tom Herbert; Felicity King; Jan Kramer; Janet Lewis; Alan Parker; Deryck Piper; Katie Robinson; Luke Verrall.

Matters Arising:

West End of Church: See Fabric Report.

Parish Safeguarding Policy: No further progress was reported. Jan Kramer would report on diocesan training.

GDPR: No further progress was reported. 

Organist: No further progress was reported, but there were pending applications.     

Assistant Curate’s Comments: St Michael’s has been closed since the last lockdown. Recorded services have continued, including Ash Wednesday. Bishop Paul has signed off on AB’s curacy; the title of Assistant Curate will retained until the licensing as Team Vicar, in parallel with the formation of the new Team.

Headingley Team arrangements: Saint Augustine’s may adopt the name ‘Hyde Park’; consequently, the proposed title ‘The Headingley and Hyde Park Team Ministry’, has been rejected. Pastoral Committee has proposed instead that the Parish of St Margaret and All Hallows should be given the new title of ‘Parish of All Hallows Leeds’, and that the new Team Ministry, comprising St Michael’s, St Chad’s and All Hallows, should be named ‘Headingley and All Hallows’. Some reservations were expressed about the combination of a named parish and a generic umbrella covering two parishes. The time-frame for new Team’s inauguration is not yet fixed.

Opening the church building: AB circulated a possible schedule for the reopening of St Michaels’, commencing with private prayer on 14th March. The first (said) communion would be on 28th March, followed by APCM; it was hoped that this could be attended in person or virtually. Parish Eucharist would resume on Easter Day (4th April), with communion in one kind.

Progress would be monitored step-by-step. The government’s new ‘Road Map’, with provisional dates for the relaxation and removal of lockdown constraints. Congregational singing would not be allowed, inside or outside church, until 12th April; in practice, this would probably continue until the end of the summer.

Recorded services will still be needed for those not confident about attending services in person, perhaps until late May.

Preparation for APCM 2021: APCM would, if feasible, be a mixed-mode event, enabling attendance in person or virtually.

In view of the recency of the last ‘annual’ report, the current report should be abbreviated. Reports could be taken in advance, collected in church, or sent by post or e-mail; the possibility of posting the report on the church website would be investigated. The names of those who wanted to have paper copies of the report should be passed to AP. The Electoral Roll was in hand. 

Nominations would need to be submitted electronically: forms can be downloaded from the diocesan website and e-mailed to AP.

Four members of PCC (MH, AP, AD, TH) who had reached the end of their current term are eligible for re-election. SB’s co-option has ended: the best arrangement would be decided at the first PCC. There is a Deanery Synod vacancy: the person elected by a member of PCC ex officio.  

Treasurer’s report: An oral report on bank balances was given.

Churchwardens Fabric Report:

West End re-ordering: There has been no further progress on the kitchen, but the accessible toilet is progressing. Glass doors have been fitted, but lack the ‘manifestations’ that are legally required for safety purposes. 

Electrical systems in the belfry have been upgraded, enabling the completion of the first stage of repair and upgrade to the tower clock. A quotation for remedial work to the chiming mechanism will be considered by Finance Committee. Finance Committee has accepted quotations remedial work to gutters, drains and downpipes, and for remedial work to the organ.

David Simpson is now managing and co-ordinating the various works in progress; he has also pressure washed the paths and cleaned out drains, low-level gutters and the flat roof of the vestry. He has also pumped out water from the organ blower chamber, and is monitoring the situation.

A litter pick and tidy up session was planned for Saturday 6th March.

Shire Oak C of E School Report: AB has been appointed as Foundation Governor. The school was preparing for return to teaching in the week commencing 8th March.

Committee and Group Reports: Finance Committee had considered tenders for works, transfers of funds, the feasibility of receiving donations by credit card, and the decision to partially furlough Ben Ellis. 

Deanery: Proposals for the reorganisation of deaneries were discussed: there was at this stage no consensus between amalgamation into a single large deanery, or five smaller, equally sized deaneries.