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You may, or indeed may not, wish to know that since 1990 when I started to keep records we
have had a total of 38 Elders and cumulatively they have given a staggering 279 years of service.

Each year we elect new elders; this year we, unusually, have five new members who are joining
the team - all of them first time appointees. I ask you to work with them, give them your support,
and allow them to ‘find their feet’. Talk to them kindly, and please understand that they have a
steep learning curve. To put it simply, ‘Cut them a bit of slack’. The newly elected Elders will be
ordained on Easter Sunday. The plan is that each Elder will have a particular role, or to use a
posh word, ‘Portfolio’. This is work in progress at the moment.

There are many things coming up during the next few months which will need to be dealt with.
Elders will be reporting back and asking Church Meeting for guidance and decisions. Much of
what has to be done is complying with regulations; things like GDPR, Health and Safety,
Safeguarding, etc. Many of these things have always been part of our Church life, but now they
are legal requirements and are regulated by law.

Here are some statistics for you:
Membership now stands at 55 which is now trending upwards.
Sunday Morning attendance is an average of 48 which compares with 51 in 2018.
We have a regular presence of folk receiving our Sunday Worship on line.
Our online presence on Facebook is growing.

Hiring rooms last year was a little disappointing. Slowly the effects of the Covid shut down are
diminishing. Recently Slimming World has returned; firstly with just one session per week. This
has now grown to two sessions and a third has just started.

I take this opportunity to remind you that you need to check the Church Calendar and make your
booking before committing to a date.

I have absolutely no doubt that this coming year will be equally challenging as the last few years;
having survived everything that Covid-19 threw at us we should be ready to deal with anything
that comes our way.

Keep the Faith, Work together and march onward into the new future.

I can’t finish without giving you another thought for the day AND as it is the AGM I’m going to
make it two thoughts.

‘We are all a little broken, but last time I checked broken crayons still colour the same’.

To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times what people need is not a bril-
liant mind that speaks but a special heart that listen

Jim Farrer, Administrator

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