NOTES FROM COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 28TH

Welcome to Phil and Di Stone
We were delighted to welcome Phil and Di Stone to the meeting;
confirmed that Phil  would be taking up his post on February 15th; and
prayed for them and their family as they prepare to make the move to Scargill and to say farewell to their parishioners,  colleagues and friends

Licensing of Phil Stone as Director of Scargill
Arrangements would be made with the Diocese of Bradford for the licensing of Phil.; and expressed the hope that it would be  possible for the  Bishop of Bradford (who has been very supportive of the new Scargill project from the outset) to take part

It was agreed that the date of the licensing service should be put on the website as soon as this has been agreed

Radio 4 live broadcast from the Chapel
We were delighted to hear that BBC  Radio 4 would be making a live broadcast  of Sunday morning service from the Scargill Chapel on February 21st 2010  

Meeting on September 20th
We were encouraged by the meeting of Scargill supporters which had been held at Scargill on September 20th;   reaffirmed the importance of these regular meetings; and confirmed that the next such meeting would be held at Scargill on February 7th

Thank-you to all you volunteers
·  All members of Council expressed great appreciation of the work being done by volunteers including the group of 30 working on the estate this week

Didsbury youth group weekend    
Susie Mapledoram reported on a visit of some of a youth group from a church in Didsbury Manchester for the weekend of  16-18th October. This had been a very positive experience for the young people and they had given useful feedback. Susie emphasized how valuable a place like Scargill is for young people caught up in a frenetic lifestyle by giving them an opportunity to take time out and reflect spiritually

Ministry at Scargill already under way    
We praised God that, even at this early stage  of the Scargill resurrection,  ministry was already happening in a variety of ways. Council were agreed that, whatever the final details of the rebuilding and renewal programme,  it should  be phased in such a way  as to  enable  the Christ-centred ministry of Scargill to develop as much as possible; the purpose of the buildings is to enable and serve that ministry  at Scargill

The development project
We spent a large part of the morning considering a  presentation of development proposals from  the Project Director Simon Browning and Adam Clark (a partner in the appointed  architects Halliday Clark) and also a report on a meeting with the planning officer who had visited Scargill and discussed possibilities with the architects, Simon and some members of Council.  In the light of comments from Council, further consideration is being given to these proposals; and Halliday Clark will be reporting back to the next Council meeting on 16th November.   

Business plan
Stephen Weatherley gave an update on the business plan including  the recommendation for stress-testing on areas where the budget assumptions may be particularly sensitive to variables

Local fund-raising group  
Bruce Duncan reported on the first meeting of the local fund-raising committee which had been held on October 27th

·New Council Member
   Philip Ratcliffe (a human resources specialist) was appointed as a new member of Council; we recognised that his skills would be of particular value as community began to be recruited

Child protection
·   We gave careful consideration to child protection issues and thanked Susie for the work she is doing on this

Project Director’s report
·   We  received  a detailed report from Simon covering a wide number of details of the day-to-day  management of the house and estate including the important work being done by volunteers

Thank you to the team
·    We expressed great appreciation to Simon and his team for the tremendous work they are doing.

And finally….:
 
Bishop Chris quoted from Simon Browning’s Project Director report:

“God is with us: I feel that everyone who comes to Scargill is being touched by God in one way or another –sometimes maybe they just don’t realise what is happening. Community is already happening, albeit in a small way, and needs far beyond our human agendas are being met; thanks be to God”

The meeting concluded with thanks to God for all that he has already done and trust for the future.

Please continue to pray for Council in its deliberations; that we may be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in the  preparations for our next meeting on November 16th and the  vital decisions (including the nature and phasing of the building  and refurbishment programme) that need to be made.

The adventure of faith continues……