This Annual Report highlights some of the memorable events which have taken place in the last year. Some of these everyone will know about and probably remember; other events are memorable to only a few people but are nonetheless important. I hope the report gives a flavour of the work, witness and worship of the church. As usual I am indebted to the many people who have contributed to this and have shared their thoughts.                                                                                                       

Grace Marriott

Church Secretary

The Stewardship campaign produced some very interesting results. The outcomes can be seen in the Bible Studies arranged in the Autumn and during Lent and in offers of help in specific areas, ranging from cleaning silver (Margaret Garden), taking on advising us on Health and Safety matters (Wai Yeung) to joining the finance committee as Minutes Secretary (Kit Yeung)

In June we hosted the Cluster Worship and Barbecue and joined with the URC congregations from Purley, St Paul’s, Sanderstead, South Croydon, South Norwood and Wallington to worship in the open air and then enjoy an excellent barbecue.  Our hospitality was much appreciated by our friends from other churches.

July produced one memorable event probably few people knew about. On the first Saturday in July, about 40 people met at the church for afternoon tea. They had all been part of the Surrey Young Congregationalists in the 1950s and 60s in which our church (then George St Congregational Church) had been involved. Most of the people there were still involved in church life – there were at least five church secretaries and many elders. The church had clearly had a huge influence on their lives. It would be good to think that the young people in our church today are having similar experiences.

 In August, carrying on a tradition re-established in recent years, we enjoyed Picnic and Praise in the Park  - a picnic lunch and open air worship.

August also saw a memorable occasion as Mike and Frances Godbolt celebrated their Golden      Wedding. They met in the George Street Congregational Youth Club in 1956 and married 3 years later. Morning worship on 16^th August during which they made a further commitment to each other, was very special and it was a joy for them to be able to share it with so many church friends as well as with members of their family and some friends who usually worship elsewhere. Following the service they cut a celebration cake made by Kim.  As they said, “We felt the love of so many church folk surrounding us on that day, and are very blessed to be part of this fellowship”.

 

September’s Harvest Festival was exceptionally joyful as we shared the day with Trevor and Christina and their

families as they expressed their commitment to each other in their marriage vows. They had waited a long time

for this day and we rejoiced with them. This was a ‘first’ for the church as no-one has got married before as part

of Sunday worship.  Following the service they too cut a celebration cake.

For the Harvest celebration itself, people were generous in their gifts of food much of which could be used for the floating shelter in the spring and the remainder distributed through charities.

The barbecue this year was after morning worship on the first Sunday in September.  It was well up to the usual

standard and much enjoyed by everyone who attended.  The new barbecue equipment bought with donations

from the after church coffee has been put to good use.

 October saw a group of Elders taking part in a course to prepare them to preside at communion services.  This was a thought provoking and valuable experience for all who shared in it.

November means Remembrance Sunday, with prayers for peace and an end to the conflicts around the world as well as our remembrance of those who gave their lives in war.

December’s Christmas services started with a gift service where the congregation generously provided a wide variety of gifts. They were asked to make sure that these were suitable for the children who would be attending the annual party for the Women’s’ Refuge. This also took place in December and, as usual, a good time was had by all. The church has been helping with this party since 2000. We are grateful to Katie James for her willingness to organise this with the people from the refuge.

A striking silhouette created by Pam Osborne and her family and placed in the Vestibule attracted many positive comments

Nativity

                                            The stable constructed by Mike Godbolt and Don Wood with an impressive backdrop painted by the girls                                                                 girls of The Lodge School created an excellent setting for the Nativity. Written by Hannah Parker and told from                                                               from the point of views of the animals: a donkey, a camel and a sheep, it brought a new twist to the Christmas                                                     Christmas Story and involved some memorable performances, and some good memories for those who took part. As                                               took part. As Lauren said: “My favourite memory of Junior Church was Christmas with the bowling trip. There was a                                                 There was a great feel throughout the ages. We had great fun rehearsing the nativity and it all paid off in the service                                                    the service when we performed it.” Kaylee’s favourite memories were the Christmas play and when they went                                                               went bowling and because it was fun even though this time she didn’t win.

The candles are being lit, the stable is ready and the performers are waiting … … …

                            January saw the ordination of a new Elder – Mercy Awuah and the return to the Elders Meeting of

February - The floating shelter this year took place on Sunday evenings starting in February and continuing throughout March. This made the setting up easier but fewer people than previously came down in the evenings to meet our guests. As usual our hospitality was much appreciated and the cooking by the girls from the Lodge School was undoubtedly the high spot of the evening.  We had the pleasant experience of diminishing numbers as the guests were gradually re-housed over the winter.

March - The Lent Bible Study gave us the chance to meet together to consider some of the great of our faith.  As the course was not completed, this will be continued after Easter. We continued to support the Bible Society through the March Morning Market which this year raised almost £500. 

April: Maundy Thursday Service and the Good Friday Walk of Witness led up to the joyful celebrations of Easter Sunday.  The young people of Junior Church presented a play which linked Christmas and Easter and then symbolised the joy of Easter in their ribbon dance around the church. Trisha described Easter Sunday thus: “We did a play and I read a prayer and we sang songs then afterwards at the end of the prayer we got some ribbons and we had to go around the church. I enjoyed it because of the ribbons and my part of the play and also the songs.  Treynelle added: “On Easter Sunday we read prayers. It was good because we acted.”

The memorable events are important but in many ways even more important is the on-going life, witness and outreach starting with our worship.

As Chris writes: “Worship has continued week by week both on Sundays and, for a few, on Wednesdays” Both have centred around the lectionary readings which are set in a three year cycle and used across all the major denominations of Christianity. For 2009 that meant following the gospel of Mark and for 2010 the gospel of Luke. Easter has seen the usual deviation to the wonders of John’s gospel. Within this regular pattern of worship there have been services based on the Bible and Prayer as part of the vison4life programme and two or three highlights.  Our special Christmas and Easter services celebrated the talents of our younger friends and both in their own way opened up familiar stories in new ways.  Each week we are able to see the talents of our members in offering readings, leading in music and prayer and for all these we are able to give praise and thanks to God”.  Robert, ably supported by his deputies, has continued to support our worship at the organ. His interesting notes in Network keep us in touch with what is happening musically in the URC. The Ghanaian choir, often combining now with Cast-a-net have continued to enhance what we do.  Their contribution to the Synod Meeting in October 2009 was much appreciated. Many of the memorable events have been the result of work in  Junior church but it important that we never forget the work, week by week, of the volunteers who work with our children and young people.  Their efforts can often be seen on display in the Small Hall where they remind the people who use the premises of the reason for our being here. The Elders have continued to meet to exercise their oversight of the work of the church. Matters discussed this year have included the Care and Support Groups, Christian Aid, Stewardship, Prayer, Bible Study, Synod Issues, Floating Shelter, as well as more routine matters relating to the finance and the upkeep of the church. They have also enjoyed two social evenings which help them to get to know each other better in the relaxed setting of people’s homes.

In terms of our outreach, the Lunch Club has continued to provide an excellent two course meal every Thursday in term time. Ann Baker, Sue Bedford and the team of helpers from East Croydon (Dot, Val, Chris, Doris, Martine) and from other churches (Lesley, Avi, Maureen, Norma) serve thirty or more meals every week. and/or supply desserts (Ann, Lesley, Martine, Katie, Grace). Alan looks

after the money and is very good at making sure the Lunch Club gets its annual grant from the council. The

customers are very appreciative and comments such as ‘that was lovely” and “a great meal – thank you” can

be heard every week.  This is a really significant part of mour work and Ann and Sue are grateful to the church

for the continued financial support, as always though, additional help would be very welcome. Church members

are generous in many ways. Total Traidcraft purchases from East Croydon URC in 2009-10 were £679.40 and Rob

would like to thank all his customers for their support which has made a real contribution to the livelihoods of

producers around the world. Each year the church makes a substantial donation to a particular charity. In previous years we have supported a Leprosy Charity in India and the Commitment for Life Appeal for Gaza. This year the donation will go to the Haiti Earthquake Relief fund.  Members also contribute to through their support for Frances’s card stall and also occasional cake sales to support our godson Dennis in Ecuador.

                                            The Friday Café continues to flourish with a friendly and lively atmosphere where people can relax and enjoy                                                                       spending time together. The customers mainly come from the Croydon Retirement Association who meet every every                                               other Friday.  We also have people from the China Prayer Group, as well as regular customers from within our                                                   our fellowship and the Synod staff. They will all confirm the excellent quality of the soup and sandwiches. sandwiches.                                 The  ‘team’ is Chris, Mave, Karin, Martine and Christina with Kaylee and Luke. They always commit the café in                                                       in prayer and are always willing to offer prayer support to anyone who seeks it. The profits for the year have a                                                        amounted to £1200 and have been distributed to various charities : Toybox, Compassion, Tanzanian orphanage fund, S                                            fund SLED (Sierra Leone), Premier Radio, Christian Aid Haitian appeal, and a contribution to the cost of new tables for for                                             for the church.

Providing somewhere attractive and well maintained at a reasonable cost, or in some cases at a nominal cost is an important part of our community outreach, though perhaps we don’t always recognise this. With some organisations we have very close ties. The pre-school which is to be congratulated on achieving a good outcome from its unannounced Ofsted inspection, has with the support of the church extended its work to provide a parenting course and some drop-in sessions to support parents. Around 45 organisations use our premises regularly. Some such as badminton, Croydon Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philatelic Society, the Postcard Club and Poets Anonymous to name but a few, could be best described as recreational. Others such as Drivewise, Alcoholics Anonymous, Al Anon and PLUG, are providing a valuable community and social service for the people who attend. Thanks are due as always to Vida who works so hard to keep the church and the premises looking attractive both for our worship and for all the people who use it during the week. The property committee has made sure that necessary repairs and maintenance take place. Much of this is unseen, but this year the painting of the internal doors is a very visible reminder of their work.  The re-organisation of the storage facilities to enable the Synod offices to be upgraded was a considerable task and thanks are due particularly to Frances, Mike and Don for their work.  The possible development of the premises has been on hold recently as a consequence of the recession. Marion would like to thank all those who have contributed to the flowers each Sunday. She is particularly pleased that more people have come forward to fill the empty Sundays. We now have only 6 Sundays paid for by the Flower Fund.