Fr Yenda's report for the APCCM 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, it is again my very great joy and privilege to address the members of our PCC and of our Parish in my annual report. This is now the 5th Annual Report I have presented to the parish since coming here, my having been here for around 4 and a half years.

As in previous years I will start by saying how very much I enjoy being the parish priest here at Sundon, and how very well everyone jollies along and gets on with things, and in so many ways my life is made so much easier by all that people do. There can be very few clergy across the country who are as happy in their parishes as I am; when people ask me what my parish is like I am always able to remark ‘the folk are lovely, and give me no bother!!’ for that I am incredibly grateful!

The only thorn in the flesh, so to speak, is the suspension of the living. Last year the PCC campaigned tirelessly and most diligently both to the bishop of S Albans, and the Pastoral Committee and other people too, making it quite clear that, not only did we not want the Living re-suspended, but that we as a PCC would not accept a further suspension. However, we might as well have talked to the wall, saved our breath and the cost of the stamps needed, as the Living was again suspended for a further 5 years.

In ordinary circumstances this would have meant that I should be knocking 46 before I could attain the freehold of this parish. However, given that Common Tenure is being introduced at any moment, Freeholds will be abolished from the date of introduction of Common Tenure, and those who don’t have the Freehold will never get it!

On the one hand, Common Tenure does mean that clergy working rights are at very very long last being taken seriously, and under Common Tenure, those clergy such as myself who have open-ended licences, will be in a safer position than we are under the current Priest in Charge arrangement.

It does have to be said that the church is always winging about a lack of vocations – perhaps if it hadn’t eroded the Parson’s Freehold as it has, it might have been enjoying a few more enthusiastic candidates!

We do of course have a new Bishop of St Albans – the previous bishop treated us very well here, and was unlike any other diocesan bishop I have known – however, we don’t know what the new one will be like, and we just have to hope that he will continue to treat his clergy as well as the last one did. From what I have heard he seems ok, and is by no means as bad as several we could have had, but we wait with baited breath!

However, one winge amidst the positive experience of this parish is not a bad ratio!!

This year we have had the toilet built which has been a tremendous joy and a tremendous relief!! People have worked so very hard for so many years to achieve this, and it is wonderful to have it – the little kitchenette has made all manner of practical duties in church easier too – from making tea and coffee, to watering the flowers, even to filling the asperges bucket on a Sunday morning – the difference is incredible.

There is always a great enthusiasm amongst our people to do things and to help others and keep an eye on others – this mode of caring is what a parish community should be doing, and if we reflect our worshiping life in this way, then I can ask nothing more you.

We do have some incredible people here – just as the bishop of S Albans wrote to me when he offered me the job here. Our church officers work tirelessly and devotedly in so many ways and they have given of their many talents cheerfully and competently. Both church wardens are a God-send. George has done all the work with the building that needed doing, enabling me to do those things I am Ordained for, rather than me being a somewhat poor administrator! The hours George has put in have been enormous, and we owe him a very great debt of thanks. Lenore works quietly and tirelessly behind the scenes, spending hours doing those jobs that she is so very good at.
Chris Bunnage maintains the accounts brilliantly, and is always ‘on the money’ as they say, with all that is demanded of the Treasurer. I can’t thank her enough for doing so well a job that not only could I not do myself, but which I could not even begin to understand!

Jayne Tasker works devotedly in her roll as Secretary to the PCC and deals efficiently and enthusiastically with correspondence. All the officers here will, after 4 ½ years, be well aware that I am neither the most organised priest, nor the most administratively gifted – so their efforts are very much appreciated by me in all that they do for the parish.

As always a tremendous thanks goes to Joan Clarke the Organist – she is a wonder, and her devotion to all that happens here in church enhances our worship so very much. The role of a church organist is actually a very demanding one – and Joan fulfils this role cheerfully and more than competently!

Those privileged to serve at the altar have also worked devotedly this year as always; the liturgy here is not an easy style to learn or to do, and our servers work very hard at it and do it very well. I am delighted that this year we have recruited a new altar server, John Webber, who has been very diligent and is a very good addition to the team.

I must apologise that I had one Sunday of skivalitus this year – even though I had sworn blind that I never would! Fr Rolph very kindly stepped in that Sunday, and seemed to enjoy himself despite the cold! There might be other Sundays when I take another skive, but given the current suspension of the Living, I shall not be advertising them until the very last minute!

So really as always this is a note of thanks to everyone – I couldn’t be more pleased with the parish, so well done!

Now, how do I see the future? What do I think this will hold in store?

Well firstly, we are going to need to think about how we raise money for the Quota. We amassed £12,000 last year which is a phenomenal sum, this year of course it will be considerably less given the amount spent on building work.

I have never liked the idea of the parish priest spending his time asking for money and groaning on and on about it – and I don’t intend to start this year either! But this is something we do need to think about. The more we pay off the Quota, the better odour we will be with the hierarchy, and that is no bad thing.

The other thing to think about over this coming year is our attendances – church attendances tend to be very good, and I am delighted with the numbers we get, and actually when I tell people how many people come to church they always are quite impressed! However, I am aware that there are some people who don’t always get along every week. If everyone came every week, our numbers would be through the roof (well, not literally!).

We do live in exciting times though – people have said to me that during times of economic recession people often turn their attentions back to church – if this is the case, then we are a good and welcoming community for people to come into – and make no mistake people will far sooner go to a friendly church than one which isn’t!

Very often our young couples and baptism families have settled and enjoy being part of our worshipping community and that also is most encouraging, and again the fact that these people feel warmly welcomed is all to the credit of the people here.

The other thing we have to think about is that all the parishes in Luton have been linked INFORMALLY with other parishes in a kind of ‘partnership’ thing – no parish has been able to not be involved, so we are linked with Holy Cross Marsh Farm, Holy Trinity Biscott and S Saviour’s.

It is said that by 2016 clergy numbers in the deanery will have to decrease – hence instead of having 4 churches with 4 full time clergy, there will be 4 churches with 3 full time clergy. As I see it, when one of the four of us retires, someone will have to take on the parish from which the retired-man came. There is no way I will participate in that kind of nonsense where three clergy take it in turns to do each other’s churches on a rota!! So by the law of averages I will be likely to get an extra parish to look after sometime in the future – it could go to Marsh Farm, but at the moment no one knows, and given that we don’t pay the Quota in full, it might be financially good for us to have something else. I will of course keep the PCC posted on this, but at the moment, there is about 2 years to go before anyone will have to retire.

So, to round up, well done yet again, things continue well, and I am pleased and impressed as always. Keep up the good work, and I hope that next year I shall continue to be just as pleased with everyone and everything here as I am thus far!

So, well done! Many thanks…and I look forward to doing next year’s report too!

Fr Yenda.