Annual Parish Meetings

Annual Parish Meeting 2024

           will be held on Sunday 12th. May at 11.30am in church after the Parish Eucharist.

Rector’s Letter 2024

This year the PCC took two themes as our Mission Action Plan, arising from a series of sessions on our ‘Way of Life’, using a diocesan resource for discernment and discipleship. The two Mission Action Plan themes are mission and welcome. They are my lens for this look back on 2023.

To begin with a little theological groundwork: our mission is actually God’s Mission - the Missio Dei. God’s love, God’s work and presence in the world. God makes us Christ’s Body, His hands and feet, working through the Holy Spirit in all that we are and do. That is our mission. To be coworkers with God, in what God is doing. And welcoming the whole world to that party.

So perhaps the real question at this APCM is, have we done that? It is with considerable joy and confidence that we say ‘yes’.

‘Joy’ and ‘confidence’ are two words that stuck with me as I looked back on 2023.

I’m just going to list some (and please forgive any clanging omissions) of things that spring to mind from 2023.

In terms of joyful welcome, we have had a lot of holy fun together last year. We’ve shared trips to the monastery at Mirfield, to Othona, the National Gallery St Francis Exhibition, and Toby and Petrus’ hosting of the Brother Sun, Sister Moon film in the Rectory one Sunday afternoon. 

    The summer wine tasting evening in the Rectory garden that amazingly didn’t draw any complaints on Barbican Talk (thanks be to God). Many of us enjoyed another Lent shared with our ecumenical siblings at Wesley’s, Jewin and St Jospeh’s, and the wonderful evening with TVs own Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB and the October Saturday morning course that arose from it. There was the joy, too, of visiting our own St Giles’ in the South of France on pilgrimage. 

Be it here in church at one of our almost daily midweek Eucharists or Morning and Evening Prayer, or over a glass of wine, or running for the Eurostar… all these continue the pattern of Jesus’ earthly ministry: of spending time together in prayer and worship, holy friendship and conversation, and fun - eating and drinking and sharing life. And doing so in such a way that the most recent newcomer is just as much at the heart of things as someone who has been at St Giles’ for years. 

What else jumps out from this year?

The music that nourishes our worship - a huge vote of thanks to our musicians. Anne’s leadership is as wonderful as ever. It’s been lovely to have organ scholar Inga for a second year, too. We’ve also benefited from a number of works by Brian Solomons, Anne’s husband, and our own alto Amanda Dean. I think we all know how blessed we are to belong to a community with such musicians, who love being here as much as we love being with them, and who give so wholeheartedly of their vocation, often above and beyond the call of duty.

    I felt this especially poignantly in a few months of 2023 when we seemed to be doing a lot of caring for the dying, the dead, and the bereaved. This is a very important part of our mission and welcome. As the Parish Church, one of our vocations is to stand between life and death, and hold others as they pass through that space. And amongst home visits and everything else, the offering of the best of sacred music and liturgy for the farewells we make here at memorials and funerals, was something I was very proud of in that time. One local worker, just retired and full of life and plans, sadly died very quickly of cancer. We gave his loved ones and colleagues such a gift in curating the space by which his life could be honoured, his soul prayed for, and their grief could be met and articulated with honesty, sadness and anger, and hope. Thank you Anne, Elizabeth, Inga, Amanda, Louis, Penny and Robin.

We also support music making as a performance space, of course. Young and emerging musicians, lots of amateur musicians, and professionals. All this helps to keep the roof on, but we are purposefully cheap and accessible to as many different types of creative people as possible (visual arts, art students, and others too). We have hosted Professor Anne Grebby’s works in the chancel, and Orfeo Tagiuri’s Stations of the Cross. Jake hosted a mixed medium celebration in honour of St Cecila throughout November, engaging hundreds of people as contributors and performers. A wonderfully accessible and churchy and engaging kaleidoscope.

Many thanks to Jake and ‘Tola for their nous and dedication in holding the fine balance required for the events and activities side of our church’s life. This too is part of our mission and welcome. It requires us to have confidence in who we are - balancing being available and busy, with enough money in the bank, but also a sanctuary in the City with the rhythm of worship and quiet holiness at our heart. Confidence and joy - mission and welcome, very much in evidence here.

We hosted the Gardeners of Kent, the congregations and couples for a strong run of summer weddings (some of whom are still plugged into life here in one way or another, which is absolutely welcome and mission at work, thanks be to God). We hosted another ordinand for a summer placement, the Alcuin Club (an academic and practical society for the study and promotion of Anglican Liturgy). We held a new Act of Remembrance aimed at workers on the Friday before Remembrance Sunday in ruined St Alphage, London Wall. 

    We’ve also seen a good number of workers engaging with our menu of midweek services, especially our flourishing Wednesday lunchtime Bible Study. We have founded a new worshipping congregation - effectively refounding St Luke’s Church - in our wonderful Parish School. It is small and embryonic; but we have confidence and joy that that is where we should be, and that we are about the Lord’s business in this new venture. It makes it even easier to suggest this because we’ve grant funded the whole thing. Little St Luke’s is absolutely an expression of our mission and welcome. 

    Thanks to Fr Edwin, who has been a real gift to us this year, for all he has done there and in many other parts of parish life. Jake continues to captain the Good Ship Book Fair - doubling the number of volunteers (what a wonderful holy community within our church and local family that has become), increasing profits, and grant funding the new lovely, safer, locally hand made book box shelving. 

I see joy and confidence, mission and welcome in so much that we are and do. Not a lack of seriousness, nor of humility, but holy joy and confidence. It seems to me that these are signs of God’s presence with us, and they are also a huge testament to you all: Churchwardens, treasury team, other officers of the parish, the wider PCC, and to all who do ‘this’ and ‘that’, probably not realising how wonderful they are. It is also a result of the fact that all over this parish as well as in this church people are praying for life of St Giles’. That makes all the difference in the world. Thank you, most of all, perhaps, for your dedication in prayer and worship. That is our calling first and last. 

I’d better draw the year to a close, and with it, these remarks. In December we welcomed thousands of people through the doors with a barrage of Carol Services. The Parish Carol Service was a particular highlight, with more people attending than any other year in our records, without going back to those held in the London Metropolitan Archives. Blue Christmas is small and beautiful - exactly as it should be - but has grown threefold from last year. And Midnight Mass was wonderful too. It is a huge team effort, and a lot of dedicated and prayerful, confident and joyful, mission and welcome year-round that leads to that kind of seasonal blossoming of engagement. Thank you all for your part in that.

Just like our church building, our life, springs from the font - from the death and Resurrection of Jesus - and springing from the font, is centred around the altar. From here, God’s life wells up in us and overflows through us into our parish and wider world. Throughout 2023, we have lived out the overflowing of the Eucharist, day by day, week by week, decade by century, with confidence and joy, in mission and welcome. 

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing it with you all.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Fr Jack

Election results from the APCM 2023      

Election of Churchwardens

The meeting elected the following two churchwardens for 2023/2024.

Tim Middleton proposed by David Freeman and seconded by Cath Urquhart.

Gail Beer proposed by Cath Urquhart and seconded by Louise Hunter.

The Chair thanked all the Churchwardens and Church officers for their hard work during the year. He highlighted Lorraine Mullen’s contribution and service as churchwarden.

The following PCC Lay representatives who are on the Electoral Roll, are not disqualified and are actual communicant members of the Church of England or of any Church in communion with it, confirmed or ready and desirous of being confirmed, were elected: -

Deanery Synod until APCM 2026:

David Freeman proposed by Gwen Rogers and seconded by Diana Morgan Gray.

Danial Gerring proposed by Cath Urquhart and seconded by Gail Beer.

Continuing Lay PCC members

Tony Murphy, Louise Hunter, Anne Marsden Thomas, Dave Archer, Catherine Urquhart and Kathryn Elsby.

Lorraine Mullins was co-opted until the APCM 2024.

Elected until APCM 2026: Anne Marsden Thomas, Dave Archer, Catherine Urquhart and Kathryn Elsby.

Elected until APCM 2025: Mark Hunter, Dawn Runnicles, Vivian Elliot, Tony Murphy

Elected until APCM 2024: David Price, Penelope Sharpe, Mona Henshall, Louise Hunter 

Ex officio: Churchwardens, Churchwardens-elect and the Alderman for Cripplegate Ward.

Independent Examiner

Revd. Alan Clements MA, ACIB, FCIE was appointed for the 2023 Accounts.

Parochial Church Council Meeting after the APCM

The following appointments were made -

Lay Vice Chair                                      Lorraine Mullins

Treasurer                                              Dave Archer

Assistant Treasurers                             David Freeman and Louise Hunter     Secretary                                              Tony Murphy

Children’s Champion                             Rachel Free

Parish Safeguarding Officer                  Mark Hunter     

Champion for Vulnerable People          Diana Morgan Gray

Safety Officer                                        Tim Middleton

Data Protection Compliance Officer      Lorraine Mullins

Electoral Roll Officer                              Penelope Sharpe

Stewardship Recorder                           Catherine Urquhart

Lead Recruiter (DBS checks)                Simon Freeman

The following Committees were appointed.

Standing Committee Rector, Churchwardens, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurers,       Secretary and Assistant Secretary. 

Worship & Liturgy Rector, Assistant Priest, David Freeman, Amanda Gibbon, Diana Morgan Gray, Mona Henshall and Anne Marsden Thomas. 

Stewardship Stewardship Recorder, Amanda Dean, Christopher Gadsden and Malcolm Waters. 

Parish Rate Tim Middleton, Lorraine Mullins, Catherine Urquhart and the Parish Administrator.

The following were appointed as Sidespersons –
Jeremy Barnard ✠                   

Vivian Elliot

Kathryn Elsby

Rachel Free °

David Freeman ✠

Christopher Gadsden

Daniel Gerring

Amanda Gibbon

Diana Morgan Gray

Mona Henshall

Diane Hume

Louise Hunter

Mark Hunter

Cyril Leroy ✠

John Marshall

David Price

Dawn Runnicles

Anne Marsden Thomas *

Catherine Urquhart

Malcolm Waters

Judy Guy-Briscoe

Zoe Hodi ✠

David Preston

Margaret Preston

✠ also Crucifer