Annual Church Meeting

We had our annual church meeting here last night - a quite simple affair of just five items. We were only 9 of the 29 present (two at university, one in Jamaica, one ill, some looking after kids, some rather elderly, etc). We began with prayer and Psalm 103 then received two reports -one general (from the secretary) one financial (from the treasurer). One feels as though we're standing still at times and so it is good to be reminded that is not so.

Members have left and joined, meetings and attempts at outreach have continued, we have had visitors and adherents from various parts of the world. There have been deaths, though not of members, and illnesses; academic endeavours and successes; engagements, a wedding and a silver wedding; special birthdays and anniversaries. We have been able to employ an assistant since last summer. Various practical works on the building have been done. A big change in the year is the beginning of a close relationship with a Presbyterian Korean Church that is using our building on Sunday afternoons. I am now in my 23rd year at Childs Hill. I have preached this year from Exodus, Judges, Ezekiel, 1 John, 1 Peter 1 and the Apostles Creed, etc. Others have also preached for us in my absences. On Wednesdays we have mainly looked at the 1689 Confession.

We continue to give 17.5 % of our general fund to missionary work and similar endeavours and so we also briefly surveyed these works and other broader interests including the camps, conferences, missions, etc, that various members have been involved in.

Financially we do struggle a little but we endeavour to be generous. Even though we are only a small church we gave between £10 and £1500 to around 40 other individuals and societies over the course of last year. Even a small church like ours can have an impact on the lives of many.

We also reaffirmed our three excellent deacons by secret election, which we do annually and took opportunity to thank the various people who teach and accompany and record and cook and clean and do crafts and garden and labour and do all sorts of other mostly practical things to maintain the work that we do.

The local church - that's where it's at today in terms of Christian work. How good is the God we adore.