CHILDREN'S WORKER REPORT for 2008
ABBACUS ACCOUNTS
SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR TO 31ST DECEMBER 2008
INCOME
Funds received from charitable trusts £900.00
Methodist Circuit for salary & expenses £8,249.94
St. Paul's PCC donations £4,000.00
St. Giles PCC £1,500.00
St.Giles donation from fundraising £507.44
Summer Holiday Club - Junior Superheroes £41.00
Hurst Green School Games Club £228.00
TOTAL INCOME £15,426.38
EXPENDITURE
Project administration (including equipment) £212.51
Activities £187.64
Development and Training £213.00
Telephone £300.00
Mileage expenses £214.64
Books, Teaching materials, Music etc £172.69
TOTAL ADDITIONAL EXPENSES £1,300.48
£0.00
SALARY RELATED EXPENSES £0.00
Salary and payroll costs £14,660.88
Salary and payroll costs £2,850.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £18,811.36
DEFICIT YEAR TO DATE -£3,384.98
ADD: BANK BALANCE AT 1ST JANUARY £7,999.01
BANK BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER £4,614.03
CASH IN HAND nil
CASH FLOAT HELD FOR EXPENSES £50.00
£4,664.03
Our Children's Outreach Worker Jodi Jones has continued to build relationships with local primary schools and to support services and activities for children in the five churches - St. Paul's, St. Giles', Central, Hurst Green and Long Lane - in the following ways.
School's Work - Jodi held 16 assemblies at Highfields, Hurst Green, Rowley Hall and Olive Hill and took 4 RE lessons at Rowley Hall, Blackheath Primary and Olive Hill schools. A Chess Club has been run every Tuesday lunch time at Hurst Green and a Board Games Club was also run there for a term for Years 1 and 2. Peter Swannie and Jodi have been helping as Reading Buddies at Hurst Green on Tuesday afternoon listening to children read. Jodi has assisted with 6 church visits from Rowley Hall, Hurst Green, Blackheath and Highfields.
Church Work - Jodi led devotions for Boys Brigade at Hurst Green and Girls Brigade at Central, led Shell Group 3 times at Hurst Green, led Brownies at St. Paul's twice and took 8 children's services between the 5 churches.
Events - as part of Hope08, a very successful Big Ministries Big Party was held at Central Methodist on 28th June 2008. Two Junior Heroes holiday weeks were held from July 28th - August 1st at St. Giles and from August 4th - 8th at Hurst Green. Both events went really well.
Training - Jodi attended the Children's Ministry conference in Eastbourne, was involved in 2 holiday clubs, led an 8-13 year olds group at the Children Worldwide Conference in Dalesdown and served on the 8-11s team at Spring Harvest, Skegness;
completed First Aid training and the Working Safely with Young People course; attended the Growing with God 2 conference and completed the Future Builders course in December.
Other activities - Jodi went into schools with Saltmine Theatre Company when they did Hope08 performances and delivered Harvest goods with children and the learning mentor from Rowley Hall. The website is now up and running at: www.abbacus.org.uk.
It has now been confirmed that Jodi has successfully passed the final assessments of her Future Builders course work and will be awarded her certificate later in the year. We congratulate her on this achievement and thank her for all the work done for Abbacus during the year. The Management Committee was pleased to be able to extend Jodi's appointment for a further 12 months to 30th September 2009. With pledges from the churches and individuals and subject to additional funding support, the Management Committee is hopeful that it will be possible to continue employing a Children's Outreach Worker beyond that date. A summary statement of accounts for the year is attached. Peter Swannie
In reviewing the activities undertaken by Abbacus in 2007, it is evident what a debt of gratitude we owe to Marcus Jones our Children's Outreach Worker who left at the end of August to take up a similar position with Churches Together in Falmouth. Marcus spent 6 years working for us and he had the greatest influence on the shape and scope of the work done by Abbacus in the 5 sponsoring churches and 8 local primary schools. In the year from September 2006 to August 2007 he led more than 50 school assemblies, was involved in at least 10 RE lessons, and 10 school visits to churches. Marcus organised weekly lunch clubs at Hurst Green and Highfields schools, an after school club at Holt Farm and acted as Playground Chaplain again at Highfields. He attended Governors' meetings at Olive Hill and Springfield schools. In the churches he took part in up to 20 church services for children and families, led brigade meetings for Anchor Boys at Hurst Green Methodist, led Ace Kids 9-14 year olds fortnightly in a Youth Alpha course at home and then at Long Lane Methodist and gave support to other church youth groups. In June Marcus arranged a Fun Day with breakfast, games, clown and bouncy castle at Hurst Green to accompany the Abbacus AGM. In August he organised two one week summer holiday clubs one at St. Paul's and one at Central Methodist based on Scripture Union 'Wastewatchers' resources. While he was here he set up and maintained the Abbacus website (abbacus.me.uk) as well as publishing quarterly newsletters.
The Management Committee was pleased to be able to appoint Joanne (Jodi) Jones to continue the work from 1st October 2007. Jodi has since made contact and established good relations with the schools, prepared and led school assemblies, continued to support the lunch club (now a chess club) at Hurst Green School and is exploring the possibility of establishing a dance workshop. Jodi organised a successful Xmas Kids Club at Hurst Green Methodist at the beginning of December and has published a newsletter. We have been pleased to support her further training in Children's Ministry for 1.5 days a week through the first year of the Futurebuilders course at Selly Oak Christian College and have extended her appointment correspondingly until 31st December 2008.
Funding for the project remains a concern particularly since grants given by the Church Urban Fund over a period of 5 years have now come to an end. Thanks to pledges of support from both St. Giles' and St. Paul's PCCs, individual members of St. Paul's and continued funding from the Blackheath Methodist Circuit, Abbacus will be fully funded to the end of December 2008. It will however be necessary to secure other sources of income for the project to continue beyond that date as we all wish. Please continue to pray for the current work of Abbacus, for Jodi and for the future funding of the project. Peter Swannie
