REPORTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 29TH FEBRUARY · PDF fileREPORTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 29TH...

Barrenjoey Anglican Churches AGM 29th February 2016

REPORTS ANNUAL GENERAL

MEETING

29TH FEBRUARY 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number

Senior Minister’s Report Stuart Holman 3

Wardens Report Ian Taylor, Rod Post, George Condell

6

Treasurer’s Report Ian Taylor 7

Education Building Fund Stuart Holman 10

Parish Council Stuart Holman 11

Home Group Matt Davies 13

One-to-One Discipling Matt Davies 13

The Rising College Stuart Holman 14

The Rising Junior & Seniors Sam Robb 15

Grom Church Sam Robb 16

Scripture Ministry Rob Lange 17

Avalon House Ministry Shelagh Bokenham 17

Concert “All Over The Place” Shelagh Bokenham 18

Refugee Ministry Geoff Fuller 18

Thanksgiving Dinner Cate Holman 19

Safe Ministry Matt Davies 20

Synod Stuart Holman 20

Prayer Ministry Kathy Cave 21

Appendix Detailed financial statements

Ian Taylor 22 - 30

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SENIOR MINISTER’S REPORT First, and most importantly, I praise and thank our Lord Jesus Christ for allowing me the privilege of serving him at Barrenjoey Anglican Churches. Whatever that has been good, effective and fruitful has come from him, for which he deserves all honour and glory. Almost 12 years ago, I came to this Parish, looking and feeling much younger, a little nervous, hoping that I could fill some very big shoes-- the previous Rector had been here 18 years and was somewhat of a legend. As a first time Rector, I wondered if I would cut the mustard. Inwardly, I also had a very real sense of mission. I knew that God had graciously brought me here to do a job-- although I only partially knew what it was. That was then. I now look around with a profound sense of gratitude to God for all that he done-- sometimes through me, sometimes despite me.

In 2016, I see a church that is united, Christ-focussed, bible-based and clear about it's mission of seeing lives transformed by Jesus. We love God's word. We love prayer. And we love the lost and the poor. Of course we still have a very long way to go, but we do know where we're going and we have the means of getting there. We have systems and structures that serve our mission, excellent lay leaders, and a deep connections with our community. And with all this, our parish has maintained its most endearing characteristic: love.

Throughout my time here I have constantly been encouraged by the love you all have for one another, particularly in those times which are the hardest and the messiest. When families have been in crisis or lives in turmoil, the members of this church have gathered around those in need and shown practical Christian love in remarkable ways. This is always the most credible testimony to the reality of Jesus at the heart of this Christian community. Keep it up!

The past year in the life of our church has been much more turbulent than I or anyone else could have expected. Through it all, our Lord has been sovereignly guiding our steps and achieving his purposes... But it's funny how things don't always turn out the way you think they will.

We began 2015 by welcoming our first ever full-time Youth and Young Adults Pastor, Tim Johnson. Through great generosity, we finally had suitable accommodation and suitable provision within our budget to make this bold appointment. In the preceding years we had seen significant growth in our youth ministries and our 6pm NiteChurch congregation and so looked ahead with confidence. But we did not expect the emergence of direct opposition to our Youth ministry and even persecution targeting Tim, some of our leaders, and a few of our young people. Following the intervention of the police, and with the assistance of Barrenjoey High, the situation was reigned in. God continues to be at work in the lives of all those effected, and even the perpetrators: the story is not yet finished. (Please pray). Throughout this process our Safe Ministry practices and policy have stood us in good stead.

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This situation, along with not a few other personal and family issues, took such a toll on Tim that in May of 2015 he informed me that he wanted to leave paid ministry. Over the next 2 months we tried to work through these issues but it soon became apparent that it would be best for Tim and his family for him to leave us. We farewelled Tim and his lovely family at the end of September. He is now settled back in his home at Blacktown, working as a Carpenter/construction supervisor at a Christian school and beginning to engage in informal ministry as opportunities arise.

By the end of 2015 we had also farewelled another staff member in Matt Davies. At least this departure was 'planned' rather than a surprise. Matt had been our Assistant Minister / Discipleship Pastor for 5 years, since graduating from Moore College. Now an ordained Presbyter, it was time for Matt to fly out from the nest and begin leading his own ministry, which turned out to be Warrawee Anglican Church. This is a church plant from Turramurra parish, centred on Warrawee Public School. As a young family with connections in the area, this seems an ideal opportunity for Matt and Amy to grow a ministry into maturity. I am very grateful to God for the time that Matt spent with us. Over the years, it was a great delight to see him grow in confidence and skill in the difficult tasks of church leadership, preaching, discipleship and pastoral care. As we worked together, I learned a lot about cultural engagement, seeing the gems of people at the margins, listening carefully, cinematography and bubble diagrams. Thanks, Matt!

We have been greatly blessed again to have Jim and Sally Longley with us this year. We are all so grateful for their ministry at St Davids Palm Beach, their warm and engaging preaching, their pastoral leadership and their spiritual nurture. Thank you both so much. 2015 saw the addition of two other very important staff members: Sam Robb and Emilie Henry. Sam is our 2 days / week Children's worker. I am so glad that she is part of our team and have admired the way that she has nurtured a vibrant team of leaders for our Sunday morning children's ministry (GromChurch) and the way that she has engaged the children at Avalon Primary during school scripture. In time, I am sure that our Children's Ministry will become a very effective means of outreach into our community, as well as the place where our children are first established in a lifetime of following Jesus. Sam has also had a significant ministry as a volunteer leader at The Rising-- although I suspect a little bit of 'self-interest' as she has been nurturing the future leaders of our Children's ministry! Emilie Henry was our volunteer Ministry Intern in 2015. She was wonderfully helpful across a range of ministries at our church, although with Tim's departure we asked her to give more of her time to Youth ministry than we initially intended. As well as serving us all above and beyond what would have normally been expected, Emilie gained experience in pastoral ministry, church administration, discipleship in a one-to-one partnership, and event management. Thank you so much, Em!

Kylie Martin continued in her role as Office Administrator (part-time) throughout 2015. Her regular working days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It has been such a pleasure to see her growing in this demanding role and we all enjoy her cheerful welcoming presence in the office and on the phone, as she keeps us all organised. Whilst I shall conclude my ministry at the Parish of Barrenjoey on April 3rd, this is not the place for 'farewells'. However, there a some very special people I would like to thank. I would like to thank all of you who have served alongside me through thick and thin. As it

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says in Eph 4:11-16, all members of the body of Christ are ministers of God grace, in all its diversity. I am concerned not to leave out anyone (so if I forget to name you, I am no less grateful!), but I particularly want to publicly recognise and thank our Parish Councillors, Wardens, Home Group Leaders, Service Leaders and Musicians, Youth and Children's ministry leaders, Morning Tea / Supper servers, Church Cleaners, Scripture Teachers, Pastoral Carers, Prayer Partners, Flower arrangers, Rosters, Welcomers, Weekly Bible Readers and Prayers and every one who has given of their time, talents and treasure in the service of Jesus.

Reflecting on my time at Barrenjoey one of my greatest joys has been serving in ministry as a family; with Cate, James, Tom and Ben. Over the last 12 years, little boys have become young men. And during that time they have rolled up their sleeves to help run children’s ministry, youth groups, prayer meetings, music teams and church services. And they have done this, not because I have asked them to, but because of their love for Jesus. In this last year it has humbled me to see James grow as an effective preacher of God’s word at NiteChurch and to see Tom lead the band there and contribute his gifts to Parish Council. I have also delighted to see Ben begin leading children and youth in small groups.

I direct this remark to other parents of children in our Parish: for mine, there is no greater joy in this life than serving the Lord with your kids eagerly contributing, and then spurring you on to go further, better and smarter. When they play the teenager card with the curled up lip (“Why do I have to go to Youth Group / Church…..?”) then that’s when you play the parent card. You drive them all over the countryside for sport, for dance,music and drama, for school, for social activities…. So you also drive them to Jesus, and his people, at Youth Group and Church. Every week. They will thank you when they are older and for eternity.

Finally, I want to thank my wonderful wife Cate for her partnership in the gospel, in our family, and in life. Without her, I simply could not have been your pastor. She is the most amazing person. She will not want me to embarrass her further so I simply say, publicly, ‘thank you and I love you’.

By Stuart Holman

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WARDEN’S REPORT The Wardens are pleased to have served our Lord Jesus and our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ over the past year. It is always helpful to set out how our Diocese describes our role as Wardens, which help you as members of the church to understand our role and helps keep us as wardens focused on our part:

“Wardens are officeholders who are generally responsible for administering the financial and property affairs of our churches and parishes.

Each church usually has three Wardens. If your Parish is administered as a whole, there is usually Wardens for the Parish who also double as the Wardens of each church in the Parish”.

At last year’s AGM the Parishioners elected George Condell and Rod Post as Wardens; and Ian Taylor was appointed and accepted being the Rector’s Warden.

2015 has been an especially busy and challenging year for the wardens on a number of fronts. Particularly in trying to keep our expenditure down due to offerings being below budget.

A number of repairs were carried out around our properties. We are most thankful for the many volunteers and resources provided to complete these tasks. Looking forward we still have many things to do across all three properties and seek to do this in an orderly and thoughtful way. The biggest thing of note this past year was the completion of the St Davids Kitchen Upgrade.

Our Risk Management Plan which was introduced in 2010 has continued to be developed and improved. This is a never-ending task and we need to keep on chipping away at it.

As always our Parish Finances require close attention. We always thank the Lord for our financial position and your generous giving to His work. Whilst our 2015 result was less than budgeted and has put strain on our resources, the preparation of the 2016 budget highlighted a significant need to grow revenues to allow the Parish Ministry Plan goals to be fulfilled. The Parish Council carried out a rigorous review of the budget that we are working to this year. We pray that you will prayerfully consider your own contributions to the Parish this year, be they financial or in other ways of service.

We are thankful for all the work our ministry team, paid staff and Volunteers do in helping the Parish run as smooth as possible

Your continued support and prayer is always appreciated.

Rod Post George Condell Ian Taylor

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TREASURER’S REPORT The financial statements have been properly drawn up in accordance with the Parish Administration Ordinance 2008, so as to give a true and fair view of the receipts and payments during the year and the assets and liabilities at year-end. Our auditor has had the opportunity to complete his work, however his report is yet to be received and so all data presented in these reports is subject to his final audit report.

OVERVIEW OF 2015 The Parish’s finances did not achieve budget expectations in 2015. Key highlights of the year include:

• 8.3% drop in Total Receipts compared to 2014

• 4.1% increase in Total Payments compared to 2014 after $63,000 in savings compared to the budget expenditure;

• $47,784 Donations including specific property maintenance, Scripture Fund, and The Rising College, a 13% drop compared to 2014;

• $12,446 Thanksgiving Day gifts;

• $14,101 spent on building repairs and maintenance, below the target $25,000 p.a.; and

• Synod Guidelines for remuneration of ministers in the Sydney Diocese increased 4.6% in 2013, 5.82% in 2014, 0.75% in 2015, and 4.0% in 2016 based upon Average Weekly Earnings.

RESULTS 2015Net of Internal Transfers

Compared to Budget

Compared to 2014 (Excluding

Gift of The Crescent)

Total Operating Receipts 519,327 357,261 (91,131) (8.3%)

Total Operating Payments 577,775 415,709 (63,839) 4.1%

PROFIT / (LOSS) (58,448) (58,448) (27,291) (31,157)

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Contributing factors to these results were:

Receipts:

• Lower than expected turnover in The Rising College including KYCK & Alive.

• Thanksgiving Day gifts passed directly to beneficiaries and therefore do not appear as Receipts

Payments:

• 8.2% Increase in Ministry Staffing and Diocesan Charges compared to 2014

• 6.4% Increase in Office/Administration Costs compared to 2014

• Thanksgiving Day gifts passed directly to beneficiaries and therefore do not appear as Payments

Net Profit (Loss):

• Forecast growth Offerings and Donations did not eventuate and although staffing costs were below budget, at $300,942 excluding housing costs, they represent 84% of Total Operating Receipts. (The budgeted staffing equated to 91% of receipts)

• The loss of ($58,448) was funded from cash reserves, which ended the year at $14,094.

OUTLOOK The 2016 Budget currently approved by Parish Council was framed in view of the revised long term financial plan (LTFP). An objective was to maintain cash reserves in the region of 1 – 2 months turnover and it was assumed that the Parish would end the year with approximately $30,000 in cash reserves.

A number of the assumptions in the LTFP are no longer current. This is due to:

• lower than forecast cash reserves of $14,094; and

• staffing changes arising post 31 December 2015, including the resignation of the Rector and the appointment of a Licensed Minister at a higher remuneration that budgeted.

A PROFIT of $6,687 is forecast for 2016. • This is based upon a 3.5% increase in general offerings (compared to a drop of

3.1% in 2015); and

• $50,000 in tax deductible donations being realised to fund the Scripture Program and The Rising (school).

The Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) / Draft Budget 2016 is provided in the Annexes to this report.

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Breakup of the draft budget for 2016 is shown in the following figures:

1 – Revenue

!

2 - Expenditure

!

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ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The Annexures to these reports contains the draft prescribed financial statement presented to the auditor.

THANKS I wish to recognise the many hours of work volunteered by Debbie Barnier over the last few years. Her assistance in maintaining the church accounts, and her patience with me has been essential in providing you this report and in meeting the Parish’s financial obligations.

For and on behalf of the Treasurer

Ian Taylor

Warden - Finance

EDUCATION BUILDING FUND The St Marks and St Davids Education Building Fund (EBF) was established by a Deed of Trust on 28/3/2007, and amended 23/1/2009, and 15/4/2015. The current Deed of Trust was prepared by Prolegis Lawyers.

The EBF is a public Trust which has as its object “to solicit and receive Gifts and Deductible Contributions from the public for use exclusively in the construction, acquisition and maintenance of a building or buildings used as a school in accordance with any rulings or determinations issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for such school building funds”. The EBF is “to hold, invest and apply Gifts and Deductible Contributions for such School Building Purposes as are determined by the Trustee”.

The EBF is a not-for-profit entity. It is a separate entity to the Parish and has its own Australian Business Number 30 704 047 893. The Trustee of the EBF is ex-officio the Wardens of the Parish of Barrenjoey. Prior to the last amendment to the Deed of Trust, the Trustees appointed Stuart Holman (the Rector) as a fellow Trustee.

The fund therefore exists to maximise financial support for the ministries of this church by providing and maintaining buildings used for educational purposes. The way that the fund maximises financial support is by gaining Deductible Giving Recipient status from the Australian Taxation Office. This means that donors to the fund can claim a tax-deduction on gifts greater than $2. This is the same kind of arrangement used by World Vision, The Salvation Army and The Red Cross to maximise their financial support.

I (Stuart) do not find this minimisation of personal tax through charitable giving to be in any way inconsistent with Christian ethics, morality or biblical teaching. Instead, it is a means through which our government wants to encourage generous charitable giving with the aim of enriching the life and culture of our country. In this way, our government supports private art galleries, libraries, schools of all faiths, the arts and many non-government welfare programs.

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During 2007-2013 the EBF distributed funds for the renovation and maintenance of St Marks Church and The Keen Hall. After the constitution of our Youth and Children’s ministries as a school (The Rising College) in 2014, the fund facilitated a generous donation for the purchase of a Youth and Young Adults Pastor’s residence.

The Trustees of the Education Building Fund have worked particularly hard to ensure that its operations are legal and transparent. The finances are independently audited. It is registered, accredited and regulated by the Australian Charities and Non-Profits Commission. It has sought and abided by the best legal advice available to it, especially in relation to the establishment of The Rising College.

I commend the EBF to you as a tax-deductible means of supporting the provision and maintenance of buildings for the educational purposes of our church, particularly our youth and children’s ministries. At the end of each financial year, you will receive a tax receipt from the fund, which can be included in your personal tax return to the Australian Taxation Office.

How to make your donation

The easiest way to make your donation is by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). You simply go to your online banking facility and set up the transfer. The payee for your transfers should be:

Account Name: St Marks and St Davids Education Building Fund BSB: 032-095 Account number: 18-3941.

Please tag your transactions with your name, or the name of the business entity making the donations.

Alternatively, you may send your cheque to 'The Trustees, c/- Barrenjoey Anglican Churches, 4 Kevin Ave, Avalon Beach NSW, 2107.

When you make your donation, please notify the trustees of the fund of your name and your postal address so that they can issue your tax receipt at the end of the tax year.

Stuart Holman, on behalf of the Trustees

PARISH COUNCIL The Parish Council is the governing body of our organisation in the areas of finance and property. The Parish Council also reviews Policies, approves Budgets, and consults with the Senior Minister on matters of ministry.

Our Parish Council for 2015 met monthly and was constituted as follows:

Parish Wardens: Ian Taylor (Finance) Rod Post (Property) George Condell (Compliance)



Elected Councillors: Kathy Cave Soha Fassaie Shirley Martin Martyn Bullock Peter Corrie Tom Holman

Appointed Councillors: Andrew Kemp Rob Lange Beyond the statutory role of a Parish Council noted in the first paragraph, such men and women are really ‘elders’ for our church and so should fulfil the biblical criteria for deacons/elders noted in the New Testament in places such as 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-10 and 2 Cor 6:4-10. These passages talk about the character required of such leaders; such as being above reproach, temperate, prudent, not addicted to alcohol, not greedy, manage their own household well, just, devout, not a new convert, persevering through trials and worthy of respect.

During 2015 our Parish Council took new steps forward in planning and coordinating ministry, with each member taking responsibility for a particular portfolio or area of ministry. We determined to use the following portfolios:

(a) Discipleship (Soha Fassaie) (b) Transformation through God’s Word (Shirley Martin) (c) Transformation through Prayer (Kathy Cave) (d) Love: mission and compassion (Rob Lange) (e) 8am Church (Martyn Bullock) (f) 10am Church and Children’s Ministry (Rod Post and Ian Taylor) (g) 6pm NiteChurch (Soha Fassaie) (h) St Davids Church (Peter Corrie) (i) Vision: Ministry Plan development and measurement (Thomas Holman) (j) Staff liaison and support (Andrew Kemp)

This ‘eldership’ model required each Parish Councillor to take initiative and invest time in their areas of ministry outside of meeting times. This was in addition to the usual preparation, reading of reports, prayer and consideration required prior to each meeting. I am grateful to God for each of these servant leaders, and on behalf of our parish would like to thank them for their faithful service.

Stuart Holman invited Matt Davies to chair our meetings for the year on his behalf. Matt did a commendable job and so allowed Stuart greater freedom to participate in discussions.

By Stuart Holman



HOME GROUPS Home Groups are essential to our church in building relationships and multiplying our ministry. It is where we see the greatest transformation occurring as disciples of Christ. The groups meet together in many different locations to read the word, pray, care for one another, do mission, train and share life.

Our Home Group Leaders are a great gift from God and I’d like to thank the leaders for their godly character, their time spent in preparation and their hearts in praying and caring for their people. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with leaders throughout the year and encourage them.

The leaders have spent time in training seminars where we looked at our vision as a church, prepared for upcoming sermon series and had lunch together to launch the year. In 2015 we spent time in a church-wide bible study series called Following Christ as we worked through the book of Philippians applying what we learnt on discipleship. We also spent time training in welcoming in our Home Groups using a video resource and bible studies and talked through giving and finances on a number of occasions.

A new group started this year meeting fortnightly around a meal in which a number of people have joined a Home Group for the first time. We also saw two of our 2IC’s step up and become leaders of their Home Groups.

By Matt Davies

ONE-TO-ONE DISCIPLING The Great Commission(Matthew 28:18-20) gives us a compelling vision of the disciples of Christ making more disciples multiplying throughout the world. One way we see this happen in our church is through committed, intentional one-to-one discipleship that happens throughout the week. Our aim is to see people follow Christ and show others how to follow Christ.

In 2015 we made this part of our vision explicit with a co-ordinated bible study and sermon series called ‘Following Christ’. As part of our sermon series we heard people tell stories of how they had grown by meeting together. Using video, interviews and presentations across our services we heard how people from all-ages are meeting together creatively and intentionally to disciple each other.

Home Group Leaders are discipling those in their groups and parents are discipling their children. We have discipleship pairs meeting before work over a coffee or during their lunch break. We have begun the exciting process of making this the culture of our church, over the next few years we’d love see this multiply and be the passionate distinctive of what we do around here.

By Matt Davies



THE RISING COLLEGE Since late 2014, our Youth and Children’s ministers have been constituted as a school, named The Rising College. Our Sunday morning Grom Church groups (Creche, Infants, and Primary), The Rising Sundays (years 5-8), and The Rising (Friday nights, years 6-12) all come under the umbrella of the school. While the children would not be particularly aware of this development, and perhaps only a few parents, it is an important structural innovation which has some very real benefits to our church.

The school structure provides a framework of accountability where a Management Committee oversees the curriculum material being taught. Further, we are able to ensure that, as our children grow and mature into young adults, they are receiving ‘a balanced diet’ of spiritual nurture and biblical education, which builds upon foundations established in younger years. In this way we aim to build an integrated series of children’s and youth ministries and programs.

Our Youth and Young Adults Pastor, Zac Miles, and our Children’s Worker, Sam Robb, are designated as teachers in the school. The Keen Hall is designated as the school’s building and the new townhouse residence purchased at 6/8-10 The Crescent, Avalon, is designated as a school teacher’s residence. In this way, these properties qualify as funding recipients of the St Marks and St Davids Education Building Fund.

The school’s activities are overseen by a Management Committee, which reports to the Parish Council. The purpose of this body is to supervise the work of the school, to frame policies, review curricula, and to liaise with parents of the students of the school. In 2015 the Management Committee consisted of the Senior Minister (Stuart Holman), the parish’s Safe Ministry Officer (Matt Davies), and an appointed Parish Councillor (Rod Post). Two further parent representatives, Marinda Carelsen and Matthew Bradhurst, were appointed to assist them. Matthew Bradhurst has subsequently resigned his position, as has Matt Davies, so we are currently looking for two new members.

Further information is available on our church website.

By Stuart Holman



THE RISING JUNIORS & SENIOR The Stats

2013: average 50 attendance 2014: average 50 attendance 2015: average 25 attendance Leadership team: 8 leaders (majority of the year) and 5 future leaders

Camps: 2

Each Friday night, we have invested in teaching youth from the Bible, forming relationships and encouraging young Christians to be apart of Christian community. We are thankful that in 2015, under God, we have seen young people transformed by Jesus.

The Rising experienced some changes in 2015. The same teaching series was used across all age groups, instead of individual group leaders deciding upon a teaching series for their group. In Terms 3 and 4 both junior and senior groups met at one location in the Keen Hall. In term 4 the Youth Minister Tim Johnson left Barrenjoey Anglican Churches, Stuart Holman (with the help of the leadership team) took over leading and coordinating Friday nights. Tom and Brie Pattison returned in term 4 to assist in training leaders.

A faithful group of young men and women were part of The Rising leadership team in 2015 - Jarrod Post, James Holman, Tom Holman, Aaron Jacobson, Emilie Henry, Jess Post, Dani Hayes, Sam Robb, Kirra Tindall, Jamie Post, Jack Wetherall, Nathan Ramsay and Nick Bradhurst. This team worked hard at discipling and caring for the youth of The Rising. Many leaders were meeting with individuals outside of Friday nights to read the bible and share life with the youth.

The Rising had two camps in 2015 - KYCK conference in April and Alive Camp in October. These camps experienced lower numbers than the previous two years. These camps saw youth grow in their experience of the word and their love for one another. We are thankful to God for the transformation we saw in individuals and the time we had to speak to them about the gospel. Year 6 scripture provided a channel for some boys to become regulars at the Rising in 2015 and join us on Alive Camp.

We are very thankful for Vanessa, Rod, Lex, Ash and Loraine who lovingly cook dinner on Friday nights.

By Sam Robb



GROM CHURCH MINISTRY Each Sunday morning, we have invested in teaching kids from the Bible and calling them to be disciples of Jesus in age and developmentally appropriate ways. We are thankful that under God we have seen kids being transformed by Jesus through Grom Church and family discipleship.

The Grom Church team has faithfully served on Sunday mornings and in preparation throughout the week, giving much of their time and efforts to teaching the smallest members of our congregation. We have seen kids pray faithfully for lost friends each week and then invite them to church, learn about the bible and how to read it themselves, get excited when they learn something new about God, and grow in their ability to give answers about why they trust in Jesus. Through the year numerous topics and books of the Bible have been covered. Our Grom Church leaders have worked hard to ensure that what they are teaching from the Bible is appropriate to age groups and learning styles. It is a joy to see them constantly praying for the kids of our church and seeking to make Sunday mornings exciting and enjoyable. Grom Church leaders commit to be at church at 9.15 on a Sunday morning to pray, to be trained and to set up for the morning. We have a great team of leaders who are well equipped as teachers of young people. Many of these leaders are serving at The Rising and/ or at our Nite Church congregation as well. Jess, StuartStu, Dani, Kirra, Nick, Jamie, Emilie and Matt – we know you’re serving for Jesus not for us, but we appreciate your labor for the Gospel.

Our school holiday helping leaders ought to also be thanked profusely. They have loved, cared and taught our kids this year as well. They have made it possible for our Grom Church programs to continue through the holidays. Our regular leaders are able to rest over the holiday periods. It is comprised of faithful volunteers who miss being with their own congregation to serve - Vanessa, Emily, Cate and Tamsin.

By Sam Robb



SCRIPTURE MINISTRY 2015 was another great year for Scripture at Avalon Primary School. Student numbers for scripture are still good but we still need to pray for the long term availability of scripture in school. A large government review took place during 2015 and we are still waiting for the recommendations. Due to this review all our teachers have been put through an extensive training program to achieve accreditation levels. Ethics is available for all year groups. We are so blessed to have such a team of able teachers and helpers plus a team of creative and artistic people who again this year lead our Easter and Christmas services. A special thanks to Sheila Garrett and her team of Puppeteers and Phil Watson who used the seasonal accounts to bring God message Sam and Emilie have been a great addition to the scripture team for 2015. Special thanks to all our teachers who so faithfully engage in this important and life-changing mission of bringing the gospel to our local primary school. . I would also like to thank Stuart Holman for his involvement in Scripture during his time with us and especially for leading our lively year 6 class. Our thanks also to Carolyn Mills who has lead a team of prayers who have under-pined our work every week with prayer and intersession. We really noticed the difference in and out of the class rooms. Please continue to support Scripture in your prayers that God will bring many children & parents to know him. I will finish with these verses from our Scripture conference > showing that it is God's work Therefore since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart....... But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us - 2 Corinthians 4:1&7

By Rob Lange

AVALON HOUSE MINISTRY It has been a bit of an eventful year at Avalon House both happy and sad as some of the residents that we had got to know very well passed away. But as in life we have new Friends now living there. There were some important and happy events, including George Helliwell, who is well known to us celebrated his 100th Birthday and had a wonderful party and Lynda who has organised the day by day social programme for the residents for the last few years became a grandmother and went to live in New Zealand to be near her Daughter and the New “Bub”. The new social organiser, Marie is very good and together we are trying to continue the programmes we have done in the past 2-3 years. Already we have addressed the most important part of the program and have confirmed 6 communion services and coral services plus Anzac and Remembrance day. As always none of this can be achieved without the support of Maureen, and Rhonda who also helps whenever she can, Thank you.

By Shelagh Bokenham



CONCERT “ALL OVER THE PLACE” Saturday Evening [7th October] our church rang out with music of a different kind. Introduced by, “Burlington Bertie from Bow” with our favourite guests, Greg Van Der Struik and his equally talented wife Kristie. The fact that the U3A Joyful singers contingent was smaller than usual it didn’t stop them being in good voice. The highlights of the evening was our mystery guest Helen Hoskins who shared with us some of her experiences of her 33 years work in Africa. She taught us a an African dance - Ably helped by Me——- Well! at least I tried! The evening way a success we raised some money for Pastor Ezekiel, and had some fun but this couldn’t have happened without our supper ladies headed up by Rhonda, Thank you ladies, Chairs and sound lights exactly right. Thank you stuart. Last by no means least, thank you Maureen my accompanist who at times, I know I drive completely Nuts!

By Shelagh Bokenham

REFUGEE MINISTRY I have been asked to prepare a brief Report on our ‘Refugee Ministry’ to date, where I have been involved on or leading the committees arranging the “refugee picnics’ and other related events.

Our refugee Ministry began as an initiative of our Senior Minister Stuart Holman and a colleague of his at Villawood/Guildford Anglican Church, Rev. Tim Booker. These churches have a large church membership of refugees (mainly resettled and some with Visas pending) and hold special services for them.

The concept was that we would partner with them in supporting their refugee ministry initially by holding a lunch/picnic on the Northern beaches for a day (in July 15 at Avalon and Palm Beach), so that they could enjoy Christian love and fellowship in a different area from where they live and attend church. Many of these people have low incomes, do not have cars, and had never been to the Northern Beaches, so this was a very different, pleasant and fun day out for them.

We also partnered with Lakemba Anglican church who had a large contingent of refugees attending their church and arranged a picnic for them in Avalon/Palm Beach, in March 15.

In October 15 we again assisted (by providing people from our church), the Lakemba Church on their annual Carnival (Fete) day where the hold a ‘second’s sale and offer free BBQ lunch to church members and other people from the local community. The purpose was o invite all local people to that event so that they can see Christianity in action, and learn about Jesus and hopefully join the church (May of these people are from ‘Muslim’ backgrounds/countries and still follow cultural aspects of Islam (Food, dress etc) but have become Christians or are seeking the truth and life that Christ offers).



Some St Marks congregation members also attended a few services at these churches since the picnics, to help keep up the communication and ministry.

Strategy The strategy for our Refugee Ministry is still developing (really only in its infancy) and needs some additional focus, resources and actions in 2016/17 if the ministry is to be successful in the medium/long run.

The picnics were good start and were used to see firstly if they worked well (which they did) and then for our church to look at extending this ministry (working with these two and/or other churches), time, resources and finances permitting.

In this ministry we have largely operated in a ‘supporting’ role for our ‘sister’ Anglican churches in the West/south west area of Sydney, since we don’t have any significant numbers of refugees in the Northern beaches.

This aspect (supporting other churches may change slightly if the initiative/program to resettle 100 Syrian refugees in the Northern Beaches , is successful, as St Marks have signed up to this program.

Summary & The Future The picnics were successful based on feedback from these 2 churches (Lakemba and Guildford) from both the Ministers and the refugees themselves.

We can continue these (say once per annum) and extend our support, but will need more commitment from our congregation and possibly additional finances if we are to continue and be successful. (with the picnic days we aimed to breakeven on the day). We may have to balance events and activities of our church which are aimed at the local community (Which should always be the prime focus of any church) against this ‘refugee’ ministry which is largely supporting other ‘sister’ church

By Geoff Fuller

THANKSGIVING DINNER MINISTRY It was a wonderful night! On Saturday November 7 nearly 100 people from across all of our services gathered together to share a meal, to thank God and enjoy community together. Our Thanksgiving gifts for the year were to be sent to missions so were all encouraged to come dressed to reflect our support for the work done in the slums of Kenya and the work of CMS missionaries Peter and Sarah Sholl in Mexico. Consequently, there was an assortment of sombreros, bright beads, fancy pants and coloured ponchos. It was wonderful to enjoy relaxed time together around a meal of Nachos and lamb curry.



Tom and Soha hosted a fun game of Family Feud and some members shared the wonderful things that God had been doing in their lives throughout the year. Many people contributed to the evening gathering chairs and tables, setting up the hall, cooking and serving food and drinks, washing up, cleaning up and most importantly turning up. Thank you to every one and especially thank you to our Lord Jesus who has given us so much to be thankful for.

By Cate Holman

SAFE MINISTRY This was a big year in the cultural change of our entire church and the way we carry out our ministry. As of March 31, 2015 all our volunteers needed to have a Working With Children Check by law. This process involved filling out forms, processing these at the RMS and verifying numbers on-line. Our paid staff had gone through this process last year. We completed verifications for our volunteers which included Rising and Grom Church Leaders and our SRE teachers and helpers.

We ran the largest number of Safe Ministry Training Courses that we ever had, to make sure that everyone was compliant. These included Full, Refresher and Junior Leader courses which are a time commitment of 2-4 hours each. One of the key updates to this year’s training was the inclusion of ministry to ‘vulnerable people’ as well as children and youth.

To uphold our high standards this year we developed a Safe Ministry Policy that is available on our website, gave a whole-church report at our AGM and updated records at our office, electronically and on paper. My deep thanks go to the many leaders who gave of their time to make sure they are compliant but more than this to be ministering in safe and appropriate ways into the future. Safe Ministry will continue to be a significant cultural issue for our churches.

By Matt Davies

SYNOD MINISTRY The Anglican Diocese of Sydney is governed by a Synod, consisting of representatives from each of its parishes and diocesan organisations. Our parish is represented by Stuart, our Senior Minister, Elaine Ebsary and Rod Post, representatives appointed by our 2014 and 2015 AGMs. Our Archbishop Glenn Davies presides over the Synod. His Presidential Address can be accessed at http://sydneyanglicans.net/media/audio/presidential-address-2015

The 2nd ordinary session of the 50th Synod was held on Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October 2015 with afternoon and evening sittings on each of these 5 days.

A record of the business conducted by Synod can be accessed at http://www.sds.asn.au/Site/104631.asp?a=a&ph=sy.

By Stuart Holman


http://sydneyanglicans.net/media/audio/presidential-address-2015


PRAYER MINISTRY Our ministry plan recognises the critical role of prayer in transforming us in Jesus. In 2015 we included a sermon series on prayer, training in meditation as a form of prayer and a range of opportunities for folks to engage in corporate prayer.

The sermon series included The Framework of prayer (Matt Davies - 2 Thess. 1:3-12), Motivation for prayer (Stuart Holman - 1 Thess 3:6-13), Challenging prayer (Matt Davies - Colossians 1:9-14), Praying to the Sovereign God (Stuart Holman - Ephesians 1:15-23) and Partnership in prayer (Matt Davies - Romans 15:14-33).

In January Sally Longley taught 5 different forms of mediation at St David’s. The sessions seemed to grow in popularity with more people attending each week. Sally made a DVD of the training which are available at the back of St Marks. As a result interest shown, monthly sessions were held on Monday evening and Friday morning to encourage these forms of prayer.

Another prayer opportunity was started on Friday mornings at south Avalon by Emily Rawlings. A group meet regularly to pray before work.

Below is a summary of other corporate prayer events in 2015.

March. People prayed for for Sholl's and Spanish speaking world as they visited each Home Group.

May 25. Combined Anglican Churches Prayer and Praise Night. At Loquat Valley PS with people from MV, AV, Newport, PB. Organised by ministers.

July. Ramadan and Night of Power, praying for Muslim world. Organised by Kathy Cave.

Aug 17. Prayer for Barrenjoey HS and ministry. Organised by Sam Robb's MC.

Nov 8. Thanksgiving Prayer Night. Organised by Em Henry.

By Kathy Cave

MISSION SUPPORT TEAM This year was a blessing in four main areas: We had opportunities to interact with all our missionaries as they visited Sydney, the annual Thanksgiving offering was allocated to mission outside parish, new link missionaries were added and we engaged in a new ministry to refugees.

Missionaries visiting BAC Our first visitors were the Sholl family who were in Australia for a few months on Home Assignment. They spent a week in March with us at BAC. We shared a meal with them on



22 March and in the days following they visited home groups. We were inspired as we heard about the way God is working through them in the Spanish speaking world. On 23 May they were commissioned for another term of service with CMS, focused on teaching and distributing the Moore college correspondence courses (known as PTC).

At the start of August, Brenda Allsop came to Sydney bringing stories of the school and church,the Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) in Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya.

In November, we had a few opportunities over lunch, an evening supper and morning tea to hear first hand from Helen Hoskins. It was a blessing to listen as Helen told us how God had equipped her for various ministries over her 30 years in Tanzania. Helen retired from CMS in early 2016 and she has returned to Bunda in Tanzania. Helen is now a Mission Associate of BAC which means we not paying towards her living expenses via CMS. We may sponsor projects such as the successful vintage fashion show in August which raised funds for sewing machines in Bunda. This school is one of the initiatives that Helen is involved in. These projects are outside the church budget.

Thanksgiving offering Parish Council decided to assign all funds raised from the Thanksgiving Offering to mission beyond the Parish. As a result BAC was able to support GOA to the tune of $8,000. There are lots of needs in Mathare and the GOA church is barely able to meet its own needs financially. They have a big wishlist for their ministries and development. They propose to use the funds we sent to enlarge the preschool. The project will be structured in a way that the building would be dual purpose - for use as a church on weekends.

The balance was allocated to CMS which is the Anglican Church mission organization. They support a range of mission endeavors around the world. Our Link Missionary with CMS going forward are the Sholl family.

New Link Missionaries When the mission budget was set in early 2015, a portion was unallocated, in anticipation of new opportunities. In August, Rob and Sharon Ereaux requested our support. Rob recently started working for Global Recording Network (GRN). We did some due diligence on GRN and as a result added then to our list of approved Mission Boards. It is a joy to add Rob and Sharon as BAC Link Missionaries.



APPENDIX Payments:

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