STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

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Annually at this time of year each church has to have it’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting. It’s a chance to look back over the previous calendar year - 2006 - to tell what we’ve been up to, how we’ve spent the money, how we’ve looked after the building, what state the Electoral Roll is in... and generally look at our life together over the year just gone

This year the accounts have been audited rather than just examined, so we’ve had to make a fuller and more detailed report than in previous years, and I’m very grateful in particular to our Treasurer Clive and PCC Secretary Celia for all the hard work they’ve put in to getting the reports together.

It’s good to be able to have an opportunity to pause and take stock and see where we’ve come from and where we’re heading, and this is an annual excuse for a State of the Nation Address, which I’m delighted to do.

WHY ARE WE HERE?

It’s an appropriate opportunity to go right back to basics and ask “Why are we here?” What is Church all about? Why do we exist? What’s our job? The answer is simple, but not easy! The Church exists for two purposes: to worship God and to serve our neighbours - everything we do ought to fit into one of those categories. The APCM is an opportunity to assess those two activities during 2006: how has our worshipping life developed? and how are we serving our neighbours in prayer, love, outreach, service, availability, welcome and evangelisation? to name but a few areas.

St John’s is a rich diverse and thriving Christian community. We are growing in numbers (our average attendance figures are up; communicant figures at Christmas and Easter were both up), in experience and in depth of discipleship; we are growing in our love for God and our neighbour, and personally I find it an extreme pleasure and privilege to be your parish priest. I’m very proud of St John’s; your commitment and acceptance, your vulnerability and honesty, and your love make it an easy place for us as a family to be.

A HOSPITAL FOR THE DYING??

We seem to be a congregation who attract the wounded and dispossessed - those who have had unfortunate experiences of other churches seem to find at St John’s a safe space, an authentic welcome and no pressure to be anything else than the people they are. Having had experience of many different churches in 14 years of full time ministry, this is a great gift and makes St John’s a very special church.

And yet we’re not a convalescent home for old soldiers! People don’t come here to collectively lick their wounds, sit around moaning about the state of the Church in general and doing nothing...

We have some very active groups, and a lively PCC agenda each session. We talk about many issues facing the Church as a whole, and those facing St John’s in particular.

Worship tries to include as many people as possible: the choir, the serving team, different preachers, readers and intercessors, the FROGs, sides people as well as the whole congregation. Our aim is to stand together and get caught up in the worship of Almighty God, using all our senses, and our brains allowing God to polish our tarnished and jaded lives and allowing God to make us into the people God has fashioned us to be.

VOCATION

We talk about vocation in its widest sense - about when we are most ourselves - and how vocation can be realised in our role in life and in Church when we listen to how God has made us and what skills gifts and experience God has granted us. And so at St John’s when we need a new Hall Bookings Secretary, or Sacristan, or PCC member, or helper for the Tuesday Group, we ask in terms of vocation - not for a press ganged volunteer, but for somebody who will find themselves in that role.

That way we create a brilliant team of people who enjoy and thrive on the roles they have and who serve the Church with an infectious joy.

SO WHAT DID WE DO?

2006 was another encouraging, packed and exciting year. We talked about women bishops; about whether children should be admitted to communion before confirmation; we presented a commentated Eucharist; we produced a Green Eco-Statement for St John’s; we agreed to install a new heating system; we rejected the idea of a mobile phone mast being installed in the church tower. St John’s church hosted many concerts and fund raising activities including: the Chancel Singers; the Thames Chamber Choir; and Opera South East; Quiz Night in May; A Cream Tea and Summer Fayre in July. The Arts & Craft Exhibition, opened by BBC Radio 2’s Alex Lester in November was a great success.

This is of course on top of the usual socialising activities and the day by day worship, house groups, funerals, weddings and baptisms that make up our regular diet of being Church.

PEOPLE’S STORIES

BUT even at its best the APCM can really only deal in facts and figures and second hand reports. At the heart of our life together in this Christian community is the way in which we are connecting with God and being shaped into the people God asks of us; individually and as a community. And the best way to illustrate that is to ask people to tell their stories about what God has been doing in their lives; how important St John’s has been; how encountering God and growing as a disciple has been influenced by St John’s church. So people were given a blank piece of paper and asked for their stories. These are just some of the snippets in Appendix ii. They are anonymous, but all illustrate far better than the facts, figures or reports how our life together has been developing....

As I read these stories I want you to reflect that you have played your part in helping these experiences come to birth, and I want you to be encouraged and enthused for the coming year.

• St John’s turned my life round! St John’s has shown me the light and is changing and helping me.

• The worship at St John’s has brought God back into my life after a period of doubt... There is a very friendly caring atmosphere not always found in other churches.

• I enjoyed [mass] enormously and the warmth of the welcome from everyone was quite overwhelming; in fact I left the Church in a bit of a daze that Sunday. I quickly realised that this was the “missing something” in my life...

• St John’s is a very special place with a welcome and warmth which does not come from the central heating! A feeling of well being, a presence of love and prayers from years gone by, not felt in every church.

• We came to St John’s... [and] had such a warm welcome from everyone we met. We were struck by the generosity of spirit and generosity of the practical (eg the Christmas shoeboxes). We can honestly say that we feel uplifted... after mass at St John’s and we know that God has guided us in your direction.

• St John’s filled a void in my life

• When frightened, unhappy, celebrating, ecstatic St John’s is the place to be.

• I have encountered God through the people, through their prayerful support and caring. The building is a haven in which to reflect on God’s grace and gifts. There is an inclusiveness and acceptance of our individual shortcomings.

• The first thing that struck me was the unmissable friendliness of the people of St John’s. There was a great sense of belonging and inclusion in the air...

• I love my church and all connected with it.

• What’s special about this church? - the tremendous warmth and friendliness of the congregation and general aspect of real camaraderie.

• At St John’s... I found an atmosphere in which individuals are valued for their humanity rather than compliance with a set of (often inappropriate) rules, and are encouraged to grow in their relationship with God without denying their own personality, proclivities or situation.

AND THE FUTURE?

So what of the future?

The foundation stone in St John’s is engraved with words which we can take to heart as we look back over a year gone and look forward to another full year ahead: the reason the stone was laid, the building constructed, all that we do connected with St Johns and all that we are as a community here, is “to the greater glory of God”.

In one sense I hope the future will see us carrying on as we are doing -

• To continue to work with God for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God in the place God has set us.

• To continue to move towards becoming financially self reliant, raising our Quota through planned giving and use of buildings resources.

• To increase our numbers through mission and evangelisation.

• To deepen our love of God and neighbours, to increase our faith and exercise our minds.

• To move forward with the Development of Hall complex.

I think we’re doing all right here at St John’s! Thank you for all that you have done - and are continuing to do - for God in this place and attached to this community: I think we are headed in the right direction and I’m thrilled to be a part of St John’s - I hope you do to!

Fr Andrew Perry
Rector, St John the Evangelist, Pevensey Rd, St Leonards on Sea