SBC AGM Report 2012

AGM Reports2012

AGM Reports June 2012

AGM Reports1 Chairman and Lead Pastor – Paul Clark & Rich Webb.................................22 Celebrations – Bob Epton............................................................................43 Coaching – Mike Hockey.............................................................................54 Congregations – Tom MacDonald................................................................75 Compassion – Iain Drysdale........................................................................76 Care – Joyce Pepperdine...........................................................................117 Children and Young People – Jason Charlesworth.....................................118 Ministry – Don Stark..................................................................................129 Staff Team – Iain Drysdale........................................................................1310 Ark Family Centre – Iain Drysdale.............................................................1511 Finance – Ian Hindess................................................................................18

1 Chairman and Lead Pastor – Paul Clark & Rich Webb

1.1 OverviewSBC continues to believe that it is called to be involved in ‘extending the Kingdom through outward-focused lives’. As we review the last years against our mission statement it is probably fair to say that the school report would read, ‘could do better’. We have seen six baptisms since the last AGM, for which we rejoice and thank God. However, for a church of our size we might reasonably hope for more (and who wants to be reasonable anyway). We have seen miraculous healings and again praise God, but believe that God wants to do more among us and among the wider community. Last, we have seen many people in North Lincs and beyond blessed by the work and giving of SBC. Yet, there is still much despair and injustice in our world. As Rich reminded us recently, when preaching from Gal 6:7-10, doing the work of God can result in weariness and the temptation to give up. However, we must press on, continuing to sow in order that, at the proper time, we might reap a harvest.

Our new theme for 2012, ‘Raising the Flag’ was launched in January, jointly with New Life Church. As two churches together we believe that some of what is holding us back is a spiritual heaviness over our area and that we have been called to be active in pursuing spiritual freedom. So far this has resulted in a lot of prayer, teaching and also some exciting Joint Praise Celebrations. We are sure that God has more in store for us as we journey together with New Life and look forward with anticipation to the rest of 2012 and beyond.

This year we have changed some of our terminology in terms of leadership titles. Rather than organising our church structure around our five purposes we have moved to do so around what might be termed our strategic activities. What this means in practice is looking at the major ways that we are pursuing the Kingdom of God as a church. Helpfully the titles all begin with the same letter to help us remember them:

Page 2 of 21Registered Charity -

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Congregations – Outward-focused congregations Celebrations – Central Sunday gatherings and celebrations Care – Pastoral care Coaching – Assisting one another in the task of growing to become more

like Jesus Children and Young People – fairly self-explanatory Compassion – Caring for and blessing the wider community

It is our hope that this approach will bring greater clarity and focus to our work.

This last year has seen a number of changes to the Staff Team. At the end of the summer Tom and Austin joined the team bringing with them an ability to develop, among other things, our OFCs and youth work respectively. Tony left the team due to ill health and though we were sad to say good bye to him, celebrated his great work among us, the effect of which will no doubt continue to be felt for some time. It is good too that Tony continues to serve and play active role in the life of SBC as a member. Though she has yet to start officially, we are excited to have been able to invite Helen Armstrong to join the team and look forward to her starting work at SBC soon. Finally, though it has not resulted in any changes yet, it was exciting to recognise Iain’s call and gifting to pastoral ministry and support his desire to study part-time at Mattersey Hall Bible College starting in September.

A brief word here about money is also appropriate. For several years now the Leadership Team, supported by the church meeting has felt it right to set stretching budgets in the belief that God desires us to step out in faith. It has been truly exciting to see the way in which, though the prediction has been of reserves diminishing, they have actually increased. We believe that this shows us two things. First, God is good and He will provide, especially when we learn to live by faith. Second, that we need to consider how we might continue to takes steps of faith with our finances and not become complacent as a result of a comfortable bank balance.

In summary SBC is in a great position. We have a fantastic membership serving and giving in ways which we have not seen before, supported by a highly skilled Staff Team and led (in our somewhat biased opinion) by a gifted Leadership Team. We now need to build on that foundation and grow still further towards being the Kingdom people of God that He has called us to be.

1.2 Welfare Team – Paul ClarkThere are a large number of requirements placed upon us as an organisation in order that different groups in our church are properly protected. Examples include Safeguarding and Health and Safety. As a church, we want to make sure we are on top of things, not simply because the law requires it, but also because we know that people matter. The Welfare Team is charged with ensuring that SBC operates effectively in these areas.


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During the year, we reviewed all the current policies to ensure they are still applicable and up to date.

We are in the process of developing a simple audit tool to ensure that the various groups using these policies are doing so effectively. This will be a supportive process aimed at informing and promoting good practice as well as ensuring compliance.

We have also paid attention to ensuring training is up to date in areas such as safeguarding, first aid, fire and food hygiene.

Finally, Tony Gillon resigned from the team during the year. His skills and experience had proved invaluable. We are very grateful to Tony for all he did.

2 Celebrations – Bob Epton2.1 Musicians and Media teamThe musicians and Media team have all benefitted from Tom’s arrival and the expertise and ideas that he has brought with him. As a team we have used Raising the Flag as an opportunity to re-focus on the way that we bring worship to SBC on a Sunday morning. The increase in prayer both within the group and by members of the congregation who pray during our practice time has had a noticeable effect. The team has worked hard at raising the level of worship through the introduction of in-ear monitoring and, more recently, rearranging the musicians on the stage. We are also pleased to welcome Jess and Debbie as Worship Leaders. A big thank you to everyone involved for the huge contribution you make to the worship at SBC.

2.2 Welcome TeamThanks also go to all who serve on the Welcome Team. Perhaps regular members of the congregation take for granted the warm welcome that we all receive at SBC. However, for newcomers walking for the first time into the church building, those first few minutes are so important. Particular thanks go to David and Betty Hoare, as they retire from the team, for all the time they have put into making sure that people feel at home in the church. The running of the Welcome Team has now been taken over by Alicia Epton.

It is worth remembering the impact that the GLS had on the Welcome Team who took The Welcome to a new level with things like the car park greeting in the rain, which made such an obvious impression on visitors.

The GLS was also the push we needed to transform the refreshment experience. Particular thanks go to Helen Armstrong for all the work she put in sourcing coffee machines etc. I never thought after-church refreshments could be so pleasurable! Big thanks too to the Refreshments Team. Organising church life is much easier with willing helpers!


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As ever can I remind everyone to keep an eye open for newcomers or just people you haven’t spoken to before. A friendly word goes a long way.

Prayer requests:1. It is vital that everybody commits to praying regularly for all that is

involved in making our celebrations happen.

2. We are still praying for more people to work with all the above teams but especially the Media Team. Ask God if you should be involved and speak to Tom.


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3 Coaching – Mike Hockey3.1 Conferences

Our Autumn Conference in 2011 was done differently and proved a great success. I am sorry that I missed what I hear was an exciting and energising event. Thank you for those who participated and contributed to a new prioritised OFC list. Thank you too for those who are launching new OFC’s this year, may God prosper your faith and commitment.

The opportunity to host our first Global Leadership Summit was a serious challenge to the servant heart of our church. However a massive response from a huge proportion of the church working professionally and enthusiastically under the skilled guidance of Helen Armstrong resulted in a flawless delivery that impressed the Willow Creek assessors. Thank you for everyone involved. I want to echo Paul Clark’s thoughts and thanks at the time “The whole event was made possible by wise and careful planning involving Helen, Rich, Iain, Bob, Tom and Steve. The amount of preparation time was considerable and, at times, the stress levels high. This was all in pursuit of excellence for the Kingdom of God and the great results were clear for all to see”. . We were greatly blessed by the support of the Mattersey students worship band.

We will be hosting the GLS again this year (9 & 10 Nov) and hope to serve leaders from the wider community with the same level of enthusiasm and excellence. Again we will need a team of volunteers to enable us to make it a success, so please consider whether you can serve.

The fifth annual SBC Spring Conference was held at the new venue of The Hayes at Swanwick. Around sixty members and friends of SBC had a great weekend with foundational teaching being brought by our Lead Pastor Rich Webb on Spiritual Warfare. The teaching has been produced in the form of an SBC handbook on Spiritual Warfare; hard copies are available from the office. Audio recordings of the sessions are available from the Download Centre of the SBC Website.

As well as receiving challenging teaching, those present were encouraged to meditate on Psalm 84, and be creative in their responses to God. Many people who would not be comfortable with addressing the whole group publicly were able to communicate precious faith insights by prepared or spontaneous poems, pictures and written thoughts. I hope you took the opportunity to be encouraged by their output on display in the hall.

3.2 Stepping Forward

At the Spring Conference we launched a new Stepping Forward Program that is designed to clarify and aid the development of us all but particularly to define


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the basic teaching we need to make available to new Christians and new church members.

The program consists of a series of courses and resources called First Steps, Next Steps, Stepping In, Steps to Stability, Steps Partners, Steps Questions and Stepping Up. Copies of the outline document are available from the church office.

I particularly want to highlight the First Steps Material which is being prepared. Delivered by a First Steps Partner this course will take new Christians through the basics of Christianity in six sessions.

Rich is currently teaching on the course material at the Sunday Celebrations; if you miss it can I encourage you to listen via the Download centre. If you are interested in viewing the material, please contact Helen Armstrong.

Whilst the obvious person to take a new Christian would be the one who has helped the new Christ-follower on their faith journey, this will not always be practicable. We therefore need to build up a bank of people who are able to be used in this way at short notice.

Helping someone grow in their faith as a very young Christian is one of the most exciting and rewarding things you can do in the Kingdom, and so I encourage you to volunteer to be a First Steps Partner by speaking to either Jane or myself.

Steps to Stability (Leader Jane Hockey) and Next Steps (Rich’s baptismal course) are available to help people take those next steps and continue to move on in their Christian journey. Following the Spring Conference in 2011, 10 more people have been trained to provide STS on a one to one basis. We are grateful to those who have volunteered.

3.3 Celebrate Recovery - Final report from Eddie Riordan.Most of the ladies from Celebrate Recovery now attend G & T (Girls & Tuesday) twice a month. The guys now meet at the home of Tony Ross also twice a month.

We simply ran out of steam and failed to encourage any new leaders to step forward at Celebrate Recovery. I believe we would all agree that it was one of the best experiences of our lives. There were so many positive life changing testimonies from our 4 years together that it would have been worth it for just one of these. (eg Zoe’s http://justzoejustlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/losing-hope-finding-what-i-never-looked.html)

I (Mike) would like to sincerely thank all those who helped run a program that never stopped even for snow. It was a substantial commitment from all the leaders that in the end was not sustainable.


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http://justzoejustlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/losing-hope-finding-what-i-never-looked.html

http://justzoejustlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/losing-hope-finding-what-i-never-looked.html


3.4 CAP MoneyThe last CAP Money course was run in June 2011. Also, Bob ran a student version for some of Tim Parker's A Level Business Study students at John Leggott College last autumn which was well received.

3.5 Alpha / JourneysAlpha continues to meet on Fridays at a private home. We are excited to report that the 4 brave persistent attendees last year continued as a group through Journeys and then the 7 week purpose driven life course resulting in three going on to baptism in March this year. Thank you for your prayer support of this endeavour.

4 Congregations – Tom MacDonaldIt has been a very interesting year in the world of OFCs. We have seen growth in some of the groups that started early on, we have seen congregations begin more recently and flourish, we have also seen some people have a go at something new and outward focused and it not succeed. However, it strikes me that this is exactly what we wanted to happen; people having a vision and a heart for something and just giving it a go.

Although we have seen pockets of growth and some very exciting doors of opportunity open up, I believe this passing 12 months has been more of a year of preparation for our OFCs. We have been digging ditches waiting for God to send the rain, laying foundations and asking God to build something. Excitingly I believe in the next few years we will see God really honour our commitment and passion to see the lives of those in North Lincolnshire touched by the gospel and the Kingdom of God. I believe strongly that we have positioned ourselves well for the next season in the OFC journey.

However as I have already stated we are seeing some exciting things already, and so often it is happening in ways that we don't always appreciate or even realise. It was only a last week that I realised our Friends and Heroes group consisted of 12 children, 10 of which are not connected to the church. This doesn't immediately sound like revival, but just pause for a second to see the fact that for 10 young children and their families they are receiving something of the Good News of God on a regular basis and are not even seeing themselves as going to church. We have also seen our first adult in an OFC with no connection to church show a desire to do a Journeys course so she can begin to piece together what she is seeing and experiencing of a living God. It is not immediate ‘revival’ but it is Kingdom expansion!

We are seeing some success in some groups, we are believing that we are now in a position to receive more favour and grace from God in our OFCs and we are as passionate and committed as we have ever been to see North Lincolnshire transformed by a missional church that goes in to the community in the name of Jesus and in the power of His spirit.


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It is also important to note that during this summer we are going to be doing a lot of research in to our current and potential groups and seeing what we can learn about how they are growing, getting a more accurate picture of what we are currently achieving, and hopefully inform our steps as we continue to move forward.

Please keep praying for our OFCs, believing that God will send His rain and build His church in a new and exciting way.

5 Compassion – Iain Drysdale5.1 The Memory CaféThe Memory café takes place on the first Friday of the month in the hall and attendance at the café continues to be high showing that there remains a need for the services that it provides. It is doing a great job in enabling the Alzheimer’s Society to make contact with and attempt to answer a number of questions of not only people with dementia but also of their friends and relatives. The relaxed setting that the café provides enables support to be given to those that need it. It is pleasing to see the great work that the café continues to do and the efforts of the SBC volunteers who have helped run the café are greatly appreciated by the agencies involved. It continues to be a project that is a pleasure for SBC to be part of. It has been the hope for a number of years that SBC could be more personally involved with the café and this has certainly been built upon in the last 12 months as our volunteers are increasingly drawn in to communication and fellowship with those attending.

5.2 Street PastorsStreet Pastors has now been running in Scunthorpe for just over three years. Its aim continues to be simple – to show the love of God to the people in this town in simple and practical ways on the streets on a Saturday night. The Management Committee, of which I am a part, continue to be blown away by the way Street Pastors is accepted but the way it is valued by so many different groups and people. The last 12 months has seen significant changes to the night time economy in Scunthorpe and it is no over exaggeration to say that some of these changes have been made with the work of Street Pastors being a key factor in the decision making process. Street Pastors continues to be an essential part of Saturday nights in Scunthorpe and the positive reaction that the Street Pastors get is just amazing to see. Amazing conversations are happening every week and the difference that Street Pastors continue to make on the streets week after week is just fabulous to see.

This year has seen a number of volunteers from different churches come forward and train to be Street Pastors which has been great to see. I have also been delighted to see that SBC’s involvement continues to grow. However, it has been sad to lose some of our long-standing volunteers as they respond to God’s call to serve in other areas. We wish them well and while it is sad to lose them, the key thing is they continue to serve the Lord in numerous and exciting


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ways. A high quality promotional DVD has been produced over the last year and this, it is hoped, will further aid recruitment in local churches. In mid June, we will be bringing together as many local church leaders as possible with the aim of involving even more churches in our work. Sadly, there are also sometimes still not enough people to make up a prayer team to pray for the Street Pastors while they are on the streets. While the time of day may not be for everyone, I have had some of my most memorable times with God being part of the prayer team. I cannot encourage people enough to give it a try. On numerous occasions we have seen answers to prayer in a matter of minutes before our eyes and this has been fantastic to be part of. If you would like any further information about becoming a Street Pastor or being part of the prayer team, please do get in touch with me.

5.3 Compassion UKAs a church, we continue to sponsor over 60 children across the 2 projects that we are partnered with in India. It has been great to be able to send some donations of money to both of the projects from various events that have happened and particular thanks should go to Barbara and Steve Bolton for the collections that have been done through Performing Arts, both from the children’s performances and the Over 50’s group. It has been exciting to see more children being sponsored by people who have been grabbed by the “Compassion bug” who have made a commitment to sponsor a second or even a third child.

It has not been possible to organise a church trip to visit the two projects due to not enough people wanting to go to make it viable. The hope is that a few of us will be able to make a sponsored child visit which will give a chance to visit the projects again. Please remember that any Compassion sponsor can make such a visit to India if you feel able to and I’d encourage you to take any opportunity you can to do so – you’ll not regret it!

5.4 FoodbankThe impact that Foodbank has had on SBC and more importantly, the wider community, has again been one of the main highlights of the last year. During the year, support from Asda, Sainsburys and Tesco has continued to great effect meaning that the people of North Lincolnshire have not only been able to donate and hear about Foodbank but that a huge number of people in crisis have been able to be fed. A growing number of schools, colleges and local organisations continue to donate amazing quantities of food, as well as a number of local churches. During the Harvest season of 2011, well over two tonnes of food was donated by local schools and churches and it has been a pleasure to have been invited to many of them to do short presentations about the work of Foodbank.

During the last year up to 31 March 2012, Foodbank has fed 1454 local adults and children. The distribution centre is run by a professional team of volunteers, mainly from SBC, who work hard to ensure the client is welcomed, cared for and then signposted towards other agencies, as well as them leaving with three


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days worth of emergency food. Distribution happens two times per week from the church building and once from the Well on Frodingham Road. Foodbank vouchers are now held by 32 different organisations around the local area, all of whom work closely with the Foodbank team to ensure that as far as possible, the food is going to those most in need.

The aim for the next year is to keep growing this valuable ministry and to engage more of the local community in making a difference to people in need in North Lincolnshire. I feel really blessed to have a great team of volunteers making this exciting ministry happen each week and in a recent audit by the Trussell Trust, Scunthorpe Foodbank was praised for its high level of organisation and the obvious impact it is having on the community. It is great that we continue to get opportunities to collect at the local supermarkets. The one thing I would ask is for people to please see if they could spare some time to help out on these collection days. They provide a great opportunity for us to boost food stocks but sadly it is proving increasingly hard to maximise these days due to a lack of volunteers. Please do get involved so we can continue to meet a growing need in our local community. Sadly, the economic situation is showing us that there is such a need for Foodbank in North Lincolnshire and the number of clients being referred is increasing all the time. As a church, we need to continue to focus on meeting this need through this work.

The observant amongst you will have noticed that we now have a clothing recycling bank in the car park. This costs us nothing to have but is something that can raise some significant funds for Scunthorpe Foodbank. Please, please, please place in there any old clothing, towels, bed linen, paired shoes or textiles that you would like to recycle. Can I ask you to also talk about it to family, friends, work colleagues and neighbours? For every tonne recycled, we can obtain around £200 to help run the Foodbank! It really is that simple!

5.5 Performing ArtsBarbara and Steve Bolton have continued a great work in leading this ministry. Following 14 years of dedicated service, the decision has been made to bring the work with the children to an end. We are particularly grateful to Barbara and others who have blessed many young people in this time. They will hosting a farewell concert on 6 July 2012.

The work of the ‘Over 50s Performing Arts Group’, which meets on a Friday morning, continues to go from strength to strength drawing in many from the wider community.

5.6 CAP CentreFor quite a while now, SBC has looked to become a CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Centre. This would present a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of many people within the town and local area. CAP have introduced a slightly different option for churches to consider as they explore setting up a CAP centre and as part of this year’s budget, there is money set aside. However, for us to do this, we need to find someone who is willing to


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offer a significant chunk of their time each week to be a volunteer CAP Centre Manager. Once we fill this role, we’ll be able to look at the other roles that we’ll need to fill also. If you would like more details about the Centre Manager role, please do get in touch with me.

5.7 Children’s Clothing BankOne of the items that came out of the Autumn Conference was a desire to set up a Clothing Bank. An idea that was already being worked on was to have a Children’s Clothing Bank to work alongside Foodbank and to specifically be part of the Foodbank Distribution Centre within the church building. A great deal of thought and effort has gone in to this from a few people and it has been possible to start giving out some of the children’s clothing that has already been donated, albeit on a very low scale. For this ministry to be able to fulfil all the potential that we believe it can, a few more volunteers are needed. If you would like to be involved or would like further information, again please do speak to me.

5.8 Prison visitingAgain, this was an outcome of the Autumn Conference. A contact has been made at the Wolds Prison and we have the opportunity to explore the chance of visiting prisoners at the prison who don’t get any visitors. A couple of people have expressed an interest in this but the prison have said that we’d need more before they would look at putting anything in place for us to do this. Please note that the Wolds Prison is near Brough and you’d need to be able to make your own way to the prison and cover the costs of this yourself if you’d like to do it. Again, please get in touch with me if you’d like to know more.

5.9 Overseas Mission – Alison RobinsonSBC has committed to support any church member that wishes to take part in overseas mission. 2011 was the first full year that I have taken on the role of mission coordinator and have been available to provide that support.

In 2011, Scunthorpe Baptist Church members took part in 139 hours of overseas mission in eight different countries. This is a decrease on 2010 where members took part in 159 hours of overseas mission in 11 countries.

Projects or organisations that we have involvement with include Way of Hope (Eastern Europe), Compassion UK (see 5.3), BMS World Mission, Soapbox, Javea International Baptist Church and the Beacocks.

6 Care – Joyce Pepperdine6.1 Chaplaincy ServicesWe still care for six homes: Edmund House, Bridgewater Park, The Valleys, Hilltop, Randolph and Gilby House at Winterton. We regard it as very valuable work, with two pastoral visitors to each home every week (with the exception of Gilby House, where we are reviewing our involvement), and then Brenda and


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Joyce between them visit every home each week. At the moment we have 4 of our visitors who need to retire on health grounds so we have an urgent need to replace them.

We also host congregations in the residential units then the EMI units once each month except for Gilby house who are covered by the Anglicans in Winterton.

6.2 Pastoral CarePastoral care continues to be undertaken by a large number of people in addition to my work, helpfully reflecting the biblical imperative to love one another. In the future we will need to review what is happening in order that we ensure that people are not falling through the gaps and failing to receive the level of care appropriate to their needs.

7 Children and Young People – Jason Charlesworth7.1 Kids’ Church – Kate DrysdaleThis is the first full year of the new Kids’ Church. We currently have around 14 children who attend most weeks with another 7 occasional attendees with a typical week being 12-18 children.

We’re now nearing the end of Kids Carrying the Kingdom volume 3 and we’re still very happy with the material. There’s one more volume which we’ll use before starting back with volume 1 and it’s taking about 2 ¼ years to get through the full set of materials. One thing we’ve recently introduced is journals for the kids. Every week we start the session with “journal time” and the kids are encouraged to write/draw something that has reminded them of God; something they’ve prayed for; or something that God has said to them (or, in reality, anything related to God). This hasn’t been entirely successful but we’re persisting with it and starting to give the kids the chance to share testimonies from their journals.

We have enough volunteers for the rota to run on a 2 weeks on 4 weeks off basis (each lesson is split over two weeks so we try and keep the same team for each lesson). This is a 1 week in 3 commitment and it would be good to reduce this to 1 in 4 if more volunteers could step forward. If you would like to volunteer or even just find out a bit more initially, please speak to Jason or I – we’d love to hear from you!

We have 4-6 4 and 5 year olds in the group and it’s been a real challenge to meet their needs whilst still stretching the older children. We’ve decided to create a separate Little Kids’ Church group who will still be part of the main Kids’ Church but who’ll have separate teaching/activity sessions. We’ve been trialling this recently and hope to have it fully in place from September.


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7.2 Youth – Austin HighI am glad to inform the church that the Youth work since I arrived has gone very well. I arrived at this church with a vague idea of how I wanted to run things, but it wasn’t until the Lord really laid on my heart the way things were to happen that we started to see fruits of our labour. Since September we have really been labouring at presenting the Gospel and sharing with Youth what life with Christ is really like and up until about a month ago we really weren’t seeing too much progress. Finally when we prayed a prayer to see the fruits of our labouring/teaching/building relationships, two youth that week came to the Lord. My belief is that since that moment God has been preparing the kindling for all the other Youth to have an encounter with Him. They are all on a journey where He is drawing them closer to His heart.

We have been working through Youth Alpha which goes over the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith and are really seeing the Youth interact with the lessons and materials. We also have what we call the question box set up where if they ever have questions about God, life, pain or anything, they can write it down and stick it in the box and when that box gets full we sit down and answer those questions. I am also excited to see that some of our Youth are going to New Wine to spend a week hanging out and hearing more about God.

8 Ministry – Don Stark[This will be the last time that ‘Ministry’ report appears in the AGM since ‘serving’ is now an integral part of the six Cs.]

The high point of 2011/12 for me as Ministries leader was the large number of people who volunteered to help make the Global Leadership Summit the success which it was. That showed me we really have got to grips with the very foundation of Jesus’ teaching that we should serve one another.

SBC still has most of its main ministries in fine health despite a number of changes to personnel and processes in the year. We are still looking outside of our own fellowship and seek to serve our community (near and far) particularly with Foodbank, Compassion UK, Chaplaincy services, Youth work and a host of Outward Focused Congregations. This is all for God’s greater good.

But a church fellowship is always changing, if not for better then for worse, and I believe that we are still going in the right direction. We have a burgeoning monthly men’s breakfast (which I understand is soon to be the burgeoning men’s monthly breakfast), which this month was supplemented by a curry night the evening before. This has been very well supported, and offers our men-folk a fantastic fellowship. Go Tom.

One gentle but very definite change within the last year has been a growth in the support for our overseas contacts. We had 3 folks go out on mission trips last year with more in the planning for this coming year. Why I am encouraged here is that it’s not just the same people doing it again but a new wave of


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supporters; The Beacock Flyer to Hungary and Romania has had a different co-driver for the last five trips and there are new ones for the next couple of trips too. We as a church are supporting “Way of Hope” in Hungary and our bonds with them look to be getting much tighter this year. We have recognised that they are on God’s front line and have fallen in behind them as supporters.

Yes, there’s always more we can do, and we should never rest on our laurels, but as a snap-shot in time, I think the picture looks pretty good. My appeal for this year is to watch out for those who are carrying too much load and are the willing horse being flogged to take on another task. Let’s remember to do all this in God’s strength and for His glory.

9 Staff Team – Iain DrysdaleMy role continues to be not only leading the staff team but to release Richard to be able to lead the church while the staff team look at the day to day running of the church in its many and varied aspects. I am still obviously involved in the projects detailed above as part of my remit to look after Compassion but I also relish my role leading a team that is passionate about our church evolving, growing and extending the Kingdom in our local area. On a personal note, the way my role continues to evolve and bring me new challenges excites me and I’m looking forward to all the things God will have in store for me over the coming year as I begin to work part time and start attending Mattersey Hall Bible College in September.

9.1 Steve Bolton, Centre Manager

9.1.1 Our BuildingsSteve continues to be fully responsible for our church building in the form of day to day repairs, maintenance and cleaning. He also helps the Ark Family Centre in the form of maintenance and repairs should that be required. His role continues to be varied and busy and he offers a great level of support to the many internal things that go on within the church building throughout the week. One of the other things he is picking up if his time permits is some of minor repairs and maintenance to the property at 2 Dartmouth Road. As will be seen below, Steve is becoming increasingly busy with external room bookings. This is fabulous from the point of view of the church building being used by more and more people but proves challenging from the point of view of the building being maintained and ready for use by church groups. This is something we will continue to work through and focus on but the reality is that it is a tension and a challenge that we are going to have to work with. The SBC Work Day that happened recently was a huge help and again, I’d like to say a big thank you to all who gave so willingly of their time.

9.1.2 External Room BookingsAs has been mentioned above, it is great to see the ever increasing number of external groups who are using the church building throughout the week. Steve has been successful in nurturing relationships with a wide variety of groups and


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organisations and the service he offers them while they are in the building is second to none. Recent months have seen a number of new clients using our building, most of them either being via recommendation or from those who have been in the building at another event. This guarantees us so many repeat bookings. In the year ending March 31 2012, income from external room bookings totalled just under £25,000 which is on a par with the figures from the year before. While this is a great result, the current economic situation is challenging for a number of our room booking clients and we have already begun to notice a drop in the number of bookings. However, it is not something that is presenting us with a great deal of concern at the moment but it will be interesting to see how it develops.

9.2 Tony Gillon, Implementation ManagerIt was very sad to see Tony step down from his role on the staff team at the end of March 2012 due to ill health. His professionalism, knowledge, wisdom and technical abilities will be sorely missed and we wish he and Julie well for the future. Tony continues to be heavily involved in Foodbank and he is a huge blessing to that ministry.

During the year, Tony continued to build upon the great work he had done in the previous year. His attention to detail and his ability to manage a sizeable workload was something that blessed the church in so many ways. So much of Tony’s work, while done behind the scenes, ensured the smooth running of SBC in its many varied aspects and I will personally miss the fun and wisdom that he brought to the office as part of the Staff Team. I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank Tony for all he did during his time as part of the team.

9.3 Tom MacDonald, Assistant PastorTom began full time in his role as Assistant Pastor in September 2011 and he straight away began to make an impact on SBC life as we knew he would. Elsewhere within this report, you will be able to read about the great work he is doing with Congregations and the way that having a designated member of the Staff Team focused on these has meant they have been able to flourish over the last six months or so. Tom has also made a huge impact on a number of other areas within the church, particularly on the technical and media side of things, and he is a huge asset to the Staff Team and the wider church. We also continue to benefit from the powerful teaching he brings us from the front.

9.4 Austin High, Youth WorkerAustin joined us officially at the start of September 2011 and will be with us until December of this year. Again, you will have the opportunity elsewhere to read about the great work he is doing with our Youth and his input in to Kids Church, Foodbank and to our worship on a Sunday morning is greatly appreciated. Austin is great fun to be around and his passion for the Kingdom is infectious. He is valuable member of the Staff Team and SBC are undoubtedly benefitting hugely from him being with us.


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9.5 Helen ArmstrongWe are all looking forward to Helen becoming part of the Staff Team full time. Helen does an immense amount of work for SBC and the Ark, as well as having been Rich’s PA over the last year or so and all in her own time as a volunteer. Helen already brings a huge amount of knowledge and experience to all she gets involved in and I know the Staff Team will be able to go to that next level with her as a part.

9.6 Staff Team MeetingsOn the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, the staff team meet to look at current projects and areas to be focused upon. Rich also joins us for these meetings. As well as looking at practical business, the meetings give a great opportunity for sharing and ministering to each other, as well as a time to dream the dreams of how we can drive SBC forward in the future.

10 Ark Family Centre – Iain Drysdale10.1IntroductionThe Ark Family Centre has now been on the site at Rowland Road for over four years. This year has been about building on the structures that have been put in place over the last couple of years that ensures the Ark continues to not only be a self sustaining business but one that can effectively reach out to the needs of the local community. After a particularly challenging year in 2010/2011, I am delighted to report that the Ark has had a very strong year and that it is able to go in to the new financial year in a very strong position. All of the short term loans made by SBC to the Ark were fully repaid during the year. While the future, in terms of the current economic situation remains unclear, the Ark is currently well positioned to continue to succeed in the very competitive local market that it is part of.

10.22011 – 2012 Performance

10.2.1 IncomeIncome came in at 95% of the target set at the beginning of the year, a figure that was a steady result. While this was slightly off the target set, as will be seen below, expenditure ended up at the same figure. It was felt that it was not possible to implement a fee increase during the year, so as to ensure the setting remained competitively priced in the local market. It is likely that a fee increase will be made at some point in the new financial year. The income from “daycare” (2-4 year olds) far exceeded expectations and the number of “funded” children (where the government pays for 15 hours of nursery care for children over the age of 3) increased steadily throughout the year. The baby section continues to produce steady numbers and still successfully “feeds” the other sections as children get older. Limitations on space and ratios numbers means that the Out of School Club is not able to make as much income as the Ark would like but it is still a key part of how the income from the setting is generated.


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10.2.2 ExpenditureExpenditure came in at 95% of target. While in most areas, costs were controlled very effectively, a few unexpected maintenance issues meant that the budget set aside for maintenance was exceeded. It should be noted that the Ark continued to pay to SBC in excess of the amount required to settle the mortgage on the building during 2011 – 2012 and the monthly amount being paid to the church for this year will cover the required monthly repayment figure meaning there is no cost to SBC. Rising costs in a number of areas have meant that the expenditure budget has had to be amended accordingly but negotiation and searching the market for the best deal means that in a number of areas, keenly priced contracts have been procured to ensure expenditure is kept under control. As far as can be predicted, I am confident that there should be no income versus expenditure challenges for the year ahead.

10.3Team DevelopmentsThe Ark now employs 16 people including the cook and 2 domestic staff. There are also a few people on the books who act as “Bank Staff” providing absence or holiday cover when required. While no pay rise was able to be awarded in April 2011 due to challenging financial times, I am happy to report that a mid year bonus was able to be paid to all the team in October which was the equivalent of the pay rise we would have liked to award. A 2% pay rise has been awarded in April 2012 to all the team. While this is not as much as we perhaps would have liked to award, I think it is one that is prudent and is a fair reflection of the challenging times that could be ahead.

Debbie as Manager and Andrea as Deputy continue to manage the Ark to a high standard and both acknowledge that their roles continue to evolve and challenge them. Debbie especially sees that her role has significantly changed in that the challenges of managing a team of the size we have now are far greater than the smaller team that existed a few years ago. I continue to give guidance to Debbie to help her achieve this and her skill set in this area is continuing to develop. Along with the help provided by Helen Armstrong as the Payroll and HR Officer, Debbie now feels more confident and better equipped to deal with the personnel challenges that do arise from managing a team of this size.

The Ark has 2 recognised Supervisors but the EYP (Early Years Professional) within the setting, Karen, essentially fulfils the role of a Supervisor within the babies section. As well as fulfilling some criteria recommended by OFSTED, there remain 3 advantages to having Supervisors. They provide a clear reporting structure for the team members in each section, it empowers the Supervisor to develop their section and the team under them with support from the management team and finally, it gives a career path that team members can be developed towards achieving. We continue to involve the Supervisors in weekly meetings with myself and Debbie and Andrea. This gives us a regular opportunity to guide them towards things to look at, to challenge them with things to achieve and areas to improve and to equip them deal with situations they are unsure of.


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Some of the team members are currently working towards various childcare qualifications. One of the Supervisors continues to attend college one day per week working towards their EYPS (Early Years Professional Status) qualification. The EYP team member in a setting is responsible for coaching, guiding and implementing better practice and it has been exciting to see the input that Karen has brought to the standards and operations of the Ark as a whole. With someone else in the setting working towards this qualification, the benefits will undoubtedly be even greater. All of our childcare staff hold the Level 3 in childcare (which is now the minimum qualification recognised to be able to work in childcare).

Lisa Southwick, the Office Administrator, continues to offer great support to Debbie and Andrea. Lisa is an extremely hard worker and has implemented a number of areas, particularly in relation to accounting, that means that the Ark runs very smoothly allowing at all times the focus to be 100% on the children. In recognition of her efforts, it was pleasing to be able to increase Lisa’s weekly hours from 12 to 16 during the year.

10.4Frodingham & Little Goslings Children’s CentreThe Ark is one of the childcare settings that make up the Surestart Children’s Centre for the local area. Over the last year, NLC have continued to focus on gathering all the organisations that make up the children’s centre to regular meetings which Debbie and I attend. This is called the Children’s Centre Advisory Board. The aim of the meetings is to look at how the Children’s Centre as a whole is meeting the needs of the local community and discuss how new things could be implemented. This continues to be a useful forum for not only the Ark but also for SBC. For the Ark, it provides an opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of how they can continue to meet the needs of their families. For SBC, it provides us with a closer working relationship with the people who are working day to day in the community around us and gives us the chance to promote some of our Compassion Based Ministries and OFC’s. Going forward, I have been asked by Helen Keneally, the manager of the children’s centre, to chair these meetings which I have been happy to agree to do.

10.5Challenges for 2012 / 2013

10.5.1 Income vs ExpenditureWhile numbers remain strong, the bank balance is good and the projections for the coming year look healthy, it has to be noted that economic times ahead continue to look challenging. It will be necessary to keep an eye on the figures as the year progresses but at this point, it is hoped that there will not be significant challenges in this area.

10.5.2 OFSTEDIt is reasonably certain that this year will see another visit from OFSTED. Much of the focus since the last visit has been attempting to ensure that the result can be raised and Debbie continues to work very closely with Kathy Kilner, the


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partnership teacher, to look at how the Ark operates and how things could be done better. A number of significant changes have been made as the Ark has become more established and there is confidence that the next OFSTED inspection will produce a strong result.

10.6Engagement of the Ark in the life of SBCWhile it remains a good thing to have the Ark providing quality, cost effective childcare to the local area, it continues to be a challenge to fully integrate the work of the Ark in to the life of the church. I should make it clear from the off that I think this challenge comes from both directions – the Ark in to the life of SBC but also the life of SBC in to the Ark.

Over the years, numerous attempts have been made in a number of ways to involve the Ark in the life of the church. While it is good to celebrate and remember the times when the Ark team have been part of events at SBC, these have been few and far between. While all the team know that the Ark is owned by SBC, my feeling would be that they wouldn’t readily identify themselves as individuals being part of the church. This is something we will continue to focus on but it is important to acknowledge that this remains a big challenge and one that there appears no easy solution for.

Looking from the other side, it seems to be hard to involve SBC in the life of the Ark. Over the last year, the number of people within SBC who have enquired after the Ark or who have expressed an interest in visiting the building are very few and far between (the number is only just above zero!) While this should rightly bother us, it is also a sign of the challenge that this does continue to bring us as a church.

10.7ConclusionThe Ark Family Centre continues to do great things in the local community. It is exciting to be around the Ark and to see the dedication with which the team approach their work. While the challenges of running a childcare business in difficult economic times remain, the Ark remains in a good place to meet the needs of the local community and to provide effective and high quality childcare to families in North Lincolnshire.

11 Finance – Ian HindessBudge

t£

Actual£

Prior£

Budget£

Actual£

Prior£

Expenditure

Income

Staff costs 112,000

108,899 93,442 Rental income 38,000 42,795 40,307

Premises 36,000 43,506 36,010 Gift Aid 30,000 30,367 37,072Congregatio 2,000 417 610 Bank de/(in)crease 25,000 (7,446) 392


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nsCoaching 1,500 (2,390) 4 General Fund

giving119,06

7129,180 108,68

3Celebrations 1,200 898 2,790 Building Fund

giving20,000 18,199 19,635

Children 2,000 1,775 1,442 Specific gifts 5,000 6,500Compassion 17,000 19,144 28,827 Donations for

others3,634 10,172

Foodbank 4,000 (3,894) (242) Other receipts 5,410 7,865Miscellaneous

4,000 6,878 17,452

Building Fund

52,367 51,906 50,291

232,067

227,139 230,626

232,067

227,139 230,626

The following comments might help to explain some of the figures: Total receipts/payments of £227,139 were just 2.2% below budget and 1.5%

less than last year but General Fund giving was 8.5% above budget and 18.8% above last year.

Basic premises costs were well within budget but special projects were £14,063 compared to £2,800. These included the sound desk, alterations to the office, extra PC, replacement projector, video cameras, more folding chairs and CCTV system following the spate of break-ins. The cost of many of these projects was covered by specific donations or insurance payouts.

Coaching shows net receipts because the main payment for the Spring Conference was made after the year end although receipts were virtually all in before 31 March 2012.

Compassion payments include certain receipts given for specified purposes. Foodbank, although part of Compassion, has been shown separately because

the high level of donations has turned this from a net payment to a receipt. The excess will be carried forward to 2012/13.

Rental income includes £18,000 from The Ark, offsetting loan repayments, with the balance being from external sources.

Gift Aid receipts are lower than last year, which benefited from higher one-off donations, but still cover a 12-month period.

Overall, receipts exceeded payments by almost £7,500 and the church is in a strong financial position at the start of the new financial year.

If you wish to ask any questions or enquire about any details please do feel free to speak to me in advance of the meeting.


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Documents

SBC AGM Report 2012