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VICAR'S REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" 1 Peter 4.10

        I write following another eventful year with some reflections upon the highlights and challenges that have been faced.
        As usual I want to begin with some statistical information to provide a background for the year. During the year twenty nine people have been welcomed in baptism (twenty four in 2006) and one person Elizabeth Healey was confirmed (none in 2006). There have been nine marriages (nine in 2006) and twenty funerals in some way connected with the parish (thirty eight in 2006). The average Sunday attendance including children and young people is seventy one (seventy in 2006).
        A key theme for the last year has been that of change and this has been particularly evident as people have come and gone or changed roles within the life of the church. Whilst change in some form is often a very good thing we should never underestimate the cost of letting people go and forming new working relationships which has been a hallmark of 2007.
        The year began with us saying farewell to the Prasadam family as Smitha, our assistant curate, moved on to take up a new position as vicar of St Paul's Church Hamstead. Her institution service was a happy occasion and a hire coach enabled many of us to travel from Blackheath to support her on this special night.
        In June we welcomed the Reverend Ann Simmons as our new assistant curate along with husband Andy and sons Jonathan and Nick. The ordination service and the celebration lunch made for another special day in our parish story. It has been a delight to work with Ann over the last six months and we look forward to the promise of her ordination as priest in June and her growing ministry amongst us.
        Another milestone for the parish was reached in June when we learnt that Mary Evans had been selected to train for Reader ministry by the Church of England. It is wonderful that Mary's gifts and talents have been recognised in this way even though it has meant Mary stepping back from many church commitments.
         Yet another milestone was reached in August when Carole Christensen our Reader was selected to train for ordination by the Church of England. The intention is that Carole will be ordained to serve as an assistant curate here in this parish once her two years training at the Queen's Foundation are complete. Again it is wonderful that Carole's gifts and talents have been recognised in this way even though it has meant Carole stepping back from almost all of her church commitments. This stepping back has I know been keenly felt by Carole, but no less by the vicar and many other people in the parish who have been blessed by her ministry as a Reader. We look forward to her return in 2009!
        In August the pattern of change continued to gather pace as we said farewell to Marcus, Karen, Naomi and Daniel as Marcus Jones our Children's Outreach Worker for the last five years moved to take up a new appointment in Falmouth, Cornwall. We are so grateful to Marcus for all that he gave to the children of our community throughout that period, principally through his work in our local primary schools.
        In September we welcomed Jodi Jones (no relation to Marcus!) as our new Children's Outreach Worker and again it has been a great joy to have Jodi join the team and to work with her over the last few months.
        At the end of September another era ended this time at St Giles Rowley Regis with the retirement of the Reverend John Nightingale. John has been a great friend to this parish and a valued colleague in our cluster of churches and we marked the happy occasion with an invitation for John to preside and preach at our Sunday service and to join us afterwards for lunch.
        In many ways 2007 has been a vintage year for the parish and I see it as a sign of health and vitality when gifts and vocations are discovered and affirmed by the wider church especially in the way they have been for Mary and Carole this year. I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for their ministries and I sincerely believe that there will be more people to follow in their footsteps in the future.
        That said however, it is also important to acknowledge the effect this turnover of people has had upon the life of the church. Whilst I am thankful that these changes appear to have gone through so smoothly this is only as a result of God's grace and the efforts of many people behind the scenes. There have been people involved perhaps with interviews, or preparing celebratory lunches, or even repairing our assistant curate's house. There has been a long list of things to be done and paid for and somehow it has all been done, but many of us have been wearied with the effort and I want to acknowledge that here. To that end I would simply like to record my thanks to everyone who has contributed and helped us to manage this period of significant change.
       Other highlights of the year included:-

-        receipt of Bishop's permission for children to receive Holy Communion before Confirmation,
-        growing involvement of children's church in worship,
-        appointment of Mrs Sue Round as Hall Manager,
-        receipt of financial grants from 'Awards for All' and Dudley MBC to replace the Church Hall floor,
-        establishment of an appeal fund for the churchyard and its appearance following the efforts of several working parties,
-        success of START in providing an introductory course to the Christian faith,
-        a second "Last Night of the Proms" concert,
-        an Easter performance of Stainer's "The Crucifixion",
-        supporting regeneration efforts via the Shell Corner Partnership (the vicar is currently chair of this group),
-        supporting inter faith relationships through links with the Halesowen Asian Elderly Association (the vicar is a trustee of this association),
-        continuing involvement with our cluster churches,
-        continuing involvement with Blackheath Churches together (the vicar is currently chair of this group),
-        and our involvement with local primary schools through our Children's Outreach Worker (Abbacus project),

        Once again my thanks go out to everyone who has contributed in any of these areas.
        One challenge that we carry over into 2008 concerns our financial position. As you will be aware from our treasurers report there was a deficit in 2007 and whilst this was attributable to several things a principal cause was the unexpected need to repair and maintain certain church properties. Whilst it is hoped that these situations will not repeat themselves in 2008 there is a need to significantly raise our level of financial giving to avoid future deficits. We are obviously not a wealthy church and so we must simply do our best and trust that God will provide in this area just as God has done elsewhere with our other needs.
        Last year there was a focus upon church re-ordering and rightly so because we are only half way through the task of refurbishing the church building. Whilst we have continued to pray about and discuss our options with the help of the Archdeacon of Birmingham it must be acknowledged that other priorities have arisen and demanded our attention. In my view the refurbishment of the church remains essential and especially the provision of another meeting room. However, there is always a limit to what can be undertaken at any given time and refurbishment however worthy must not be allowed to take the place of mission and ministry. When it comes to refurbishment we must find a way to do both and that is one of the challenges that we continue to face going forward.
        It is now nearly five years since my arrival in Blackheath and next year will come the expiry of our five year plan. I am keen that a new vision and plan for the parish is devised and steps to achieve this will be put in place as this year progresses.

Revd. Mike Sermon, Vicar

REVIEW OF PCC ACTIVITIES 2007
        Six bi-monthly and two extra meeting of the Parochial Church Council were held during the year at which an average of 11 members attended. During the year the PCC continued to administer and oversee the business of the Church, supporting its ministry to the Parish and taking care of the Church buildings and Churchyard. In addition to receiving reports and authorising activities of PCC committees and working groups, the following items of business were dealt with:
.        election of officers and re-appointment of PCC committees
.        appointment of Parish administrator as new Hall Manager
.        approval of funding applications to Awards for All and Dudley MBC for Hall floor
.        approval of new Hall floor
.        approval to change Hall Cleaner/Caretaker hours
.        contribution of funding of Abbacus Children's Outreach worker
.        appointment of Abbacus Children's Outreach worker
.        approval for rates for new organ tuner
.        approval received from Bishop for children to receive Holy Communion before Confirmation

.        ongoing discussions concerning re-ordering of the back of church that included a visit and presentation by the Archdeacon of Birmingham
.        support for Carole Christensen who successfully attended selection conference in August and who is now training for Ordination
.        support for Mary Evans who successfully attended a selection conference in June and who is now training for Reader Ministry.
.        continued support for Blackheath Churches Together including joint services and the HOPE 08 initiative for mission
.        continued support for START a Christian outreach course in a local pub
.        establishment of a church web site @www.stpaulsblackheath.co.uk
.        continued support for local regeneration of the parish through Shell Corner Partnership, of which the Vicar is currently Chair
.         Approval of the temporary suspension of evening services between Christmas and Easter
.        approval for replacement of a section of the churchyard fence
.        approval for the repair and maintenance of Garland Crescent ahead of the arrival of new assistant Curate Revd. Ann Simmons
.        the establishment of a churchyard maintenance fund
.        support for festivals, concerts and schools services in church
.        allocation of funds to charitable causes

In 2007 the Church has continued to welcome neighbouring schools and outside organizations staging concerts plus hosting our own festivals and concerts, which have attracted many visitors. In January the PCC bade farewell the Revd. Smitha Prasadam and her family, in June we welcomed Revd Ann Simmons, our new assistant curate, and her family. Sue Round - PCC Secretary

CURATE'S REPORT for the year 2006

"Many O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us, no-one can re-count to you. Were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
        I can do nothing but echo the words of the psalmist in reviewing the past year which has seen the completion of my curacy and the dawning of a new ministry as vicar of St Paul's (Hamstead!)
        From the more "routine" aspects of my work to the one-offs, I have been privileged to work with you in schools, community and the church with enterprise and openness to the Spirit's promptings.
        Locally, the occasional offices have continued to provide a rich encounter with families who would otherwise not be in church and I thank God that on the whole, visitors are genuinely touched by the welcome they receive at St Paul's. The challenge is always how to make the Word of God meaningful and how to communicate the message of hope inherent in the Gospel. Taking communion to those who are so deeply rooted in Christ, but can no longer come to church has been an immeasurable source of joy and learning especially accompanied by Iris, Carole and Mike.
        As Chair of the Mission Support Group, I worked among a group dedicated and deeply committed to meeting need in accordance with gospel imperatives. Christian Aid, Children's Society, Edwards Trust, Birmingham City Mission, The Diocese of Malawi, Mission to Seafarers are all beneficiaries of the various fund-raising activities.    Some, such as the Shrove Tuesday party with its unprecedented start time of 5pm (repeated later) proved very successful in bringing young children and families together. The planning, enthusiasm and energy of the few for the many should not go unmentioned! Please refer to the MSG section for a detailed look at our "Psalms" and "Pathways" courses.
        The Diocesan initiative" Love Life; Live Lent" was a good evangelistic tool and I personally distributed around 800 copies of the little booklet to local school children. I continued to lead occasional assemblies and was pleased to be asked to do some class teaching for RE on baptism, church buildings and sacraments. Marcus is our chief mission worker for the children and together with his and others' help we can take pride in the workshops provided for Hurst Green children who spent a whole day at church in June. Another "first" was for Halesbury School who not only attended midweek communion but performed a piece of drama at Christmas. Young poets from Olive Hill School also contributed to the Crib Service.
        Liturgically, we did so much that I will simply list them and allow your memories to recall their flavour: A Christian Passover on Maundy Thursday, Stations round the Church for Holy Week, Resurrection Dance at Easter, Dedication of the Nave Altar, Pentecost Party, Interfaith Harvest Festival, Racial Justice Sunday, One World Week, Bereavement Service, Mary and Joseph a-wandering during Advent and the Nativity Festival which deserved particular mention.
        "The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory" as 35 displays from schools, organisations, individuals and funeral directors sponsoring Christmas trees, unfolded the mystery of the incarnation in December. Such was the effort that we made the headlines in more than one newspaper.   It was truly a community effort and one of which we can be proud.
        Richard Wilde's sabbatical fostered great ecumenical relationships and I loved taking greater part in assisting with services and Bible studies there. Within the Diocese, I have continued to serve on the Cathedral Chapter, and the Liturgical Advisory Committee, helped with my third trip to Taize and led the MU Quiet Day in Selly Park.   Further afield, I was invited to preach in Guildford and organised a clergy conference in Nottingham.
        Finally I would like to record our heart-felt thanks as a family. For Peter, Esther and myself, our time in Blackheath has been one of transformation. An encounter that has touched us so deeply that, leaving, we are not the same people who arrived here.
        Without your support and indefatigable energy, good humour and love, none of the last year (or indeed 31/2 !) would have been possible. Thank you Mike and thank you all for training me!
         May God bless you richly as you continue in the service of the kingdom.

Revd Smitha Prasadam