CTKL AGM minutes 7.00 – 9pm Wednesday 21st September 2022 at London Rd., Methodist Church, King’s Lynn.
- The meeting started at 7pm with tea, coffee, networking, and chat. We are grateful to the Revd Robert Roberts and the members of the London Rd Methodist Church for hosting the meeting. Jan McQuade and Rachel Vyse provided the refreshments.
- At 7.15 pm Revd Karlene Kerr (moderator) welcomed everyone and opened the meeting in prayer.
- Apologies: Rt Revd Jane Steen, Canon Mark Dimond, Julie Chaplin (Hanseatic Union).
- Introductions: Jane Crone (CAFOD), Matt Farley (Scripture Union) and Hannah Ratcliffe (Children’s Society).
- Review of the year’s activities was with the agenda on the chairs at the meeting.
- Election of officers: Below is the 2021-22 membership of the executive committee and these were re-elected for the coming year.
Ministers:
Revd Karlene Kerr (moderator) – C of E Denominational Ecumenical Officer and Vicar at St Faith’s.
Revd Heather Berry. – C of E – Christian Aid co-ordinator.
Oladapo Adegoke – RCCG Church of the King’s Glory.
Revd Augustine Baah – Church of the Nazarene.
Lay members.
Lucy McKitterick – Night Shelter co-ordinator.
Andrew Frere-Smith – Development worker for Imaging Norfolk Together.
Joella Nash – Baptist Church.
Valerie Brown – Minster C of E
Rachel Vyse – London Rd Methodist Church.
William Vyse – (Treasurer)- C of E the Church in the Woottons.
Peter Coates – Secretary- RC Walsingham parish.
In addition, the new Rector of St Faith’s Church Revd Michaela (Kyla) Sorensen joined the executive.
- The finance report was given by Bill Vyse and is at the end of this document. Bill will be resigning from the role of treasurer next year.
- AOB: Bill gave an up-date of the project called ‘Lent Offerings’. This was a series of meetings in Lent, hosted by different churches, so that they could present their strengths to the Churches Together community. Meetings were held at the King’s Glory Church, All Saint’s Church Hillington Square and the Quaker Meeting House.
Rev Canon Dr Mark Dimond Team Rector Kings Lynn Minster writes:
The 650th anniversary of the birth of Margery Kempe is coming up in 2023. The Minster has decided to celebrate this by launching a number of initiatives and events. We hope to raise the profile of King’s Lynn’s famous daughter, for locals and visitors alike. She was at once a spiritual mystic and a European pilgrim. She was also a colourful character. As yet, there is no focal point for Kempe in the town, and we are trying to address this. A piece of sculpture has been commissioned to be placed in the nave of the Minster, which is now scheduled for February. There will also be talks, book launches, a community project, a Margery Kempe corner with a book display, and a special Evensong. Talks start in October 2022. Please find the poster that will be put on social media in the next few weeks.
7.45pm: Speakers to give 5-minute talks on local projects:
- Julie Chaplin, Hanseatic Union, julie@hanseaticunion.co.uk works with refugees from Ukraine locally. Julie did not attend the meeting but sent the following report:
Firstly, apologies for missing the AGM. We now have over 200 Ukrainians in our area, and many have been here for quite a few months. We still have new arrivals, but they are less frequent.
Those who arrived a few months ago are now learning to live in a new country, after the initial shock or being displaced. There are still a lot of tears and worrying but the families are starting to settle. The children are now in English schools, and the parents are attending a variety of English classes to improve their ability to communicate. Many have got jobs but aspire to work at the level they did in Ukraine. They are a highly educated group with many having master’s degrees and some with PhD’s. Most had excellent jobs or their own businesses and are looking to add to our community with the skills they have brought with them.
Many Ukrainian people are now moving into their own places so they can live independently – this has problems because of the shortage of properties, and the lack of ‘evidence’ that is needed to rent from a landlord.
However, people are finding places, and we help them to get donated furniture to set up. Every week brings new challenges for our team, but also every week we have lovely things happening, a family moves into a flat or a child starts at swimming club.
Our work is still supported by the whole community, the churches, and other local charities and the councils are all doing their bit. We endeavour to encapsulate this community support by showing them love on a daily basis.
Jane Crone: CAFOD ‘Fix the Food System’ campaign.jcrone@cafod.org.uk
Jane is the East Anglian co-ordinator for the Catholic Association For Overseas Development (CAFOD). CAFOD was formed 60 years ago after a group of Catholic women raised money for poor people in Dominica. The charity was subsequently adopted by the Catholic Bishops as the official overseas aid charity for the Catholic Church. CAFOD work internationally to support the poorest people, to work in disaster mitigation and to campaign for the interests of the poor.
Currently CAFOD are running a ‘Fix the Food System’ campaign. The global food system is broken. Although 3.7 billion tons of food per year is enough to feed everyone, and 4 billion tons of food per year is actually produced, 800 million people in the world go hungry because of unequal distribution. Pope Francis has called this a paradox of abundance. Examples of this include foodbanks in our own country and famine threatening countries in East Africa like Kenya and Somalia. The Ukraine war has highlighted how dependent African countries are on sunflower oil and grain from Russia and Ukraine.
You can write to your MP https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign/Fix-the-food-system or show the CAFOD video at your church if you want to help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j15uflxa4g
- Hannah Ratcliffe, The Children’s Society Relationship Manager serving the East of England Hannah.Ratcliffe@childrenssociety.org.uk
You can log on to the website at https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/
Our work began over 140 years ago, with a Sunday School teacher, Edward Rudolph, who was moved to action when he found two of his pupils begging in the streets after their father died, leaving the family in a vulnerable position. It was the example of Jesus that inspired Edward to act, and with a first donation of 13 penny stamps and a few key figures in the community, the very first Children’s Society home was set up, in Dulwich, London.
Many more homes were established over the years, providing a family style set up for children to be cared for, learn a trade and look to the future. In more recent years, we have focused our work on services based in communities and systemic change through campaigning to have the widest impact.
The challenges young people face today are both different and similar, new risks include the digital world we live in, the pressures around this, new forms of exploitation and grooming and yet some problems remain still, such as the wider societal issue of child poverty – the disadvantages not having the basics of food, clothing and shelter.
We recognise that many young people face multiple disadvantages, which will affect resilience, may present increased risk, and may reduce the resources available to a young person.
Today we’re a national charity, running local services with a focus of mental health/wellbeing, young carers, exploitation, care leavers, refugee children and also campaigning for wider change to the law. Through our services we reach over 10,000 children and young people, supporting them through serious life challenges and empowering their hope for the future.
We’re not alone, we have a movement of supporters, standing with us who believe that every child has hope within them and deserves a good childhood.
Tomorrow is an important day as we release the 2022 edition of our Good Childhood Report. This will be the 11th edition of the report which is the longest standing report on children’s wellbeing in the UK and is used to inform policy making and those who work professionally with children, young people and families. Our 2030 goal is to reverse the damaging decline to wellbeing, which is evidenced in the report over recent years.
Measuring children’s well-being is essential to understanding how children feel about their lives as a whole and about specific aspects of their lives such as school, appearance and future. It can help us to identify issues and subgroups in need of further support, and actions that might be taken to improve these children’s lives.
The resources will include: Full report (circa 80 pages); summary report (circa 30 pages); youth summary report (circa 20 pages); two-page infographic (with top line findings) and guide for adults on how to speak with young people about their well-being (circa 28 pages).
At The Childrens Society (TCS) we have a policy team who work to ensure that the needs and challenges of young people are on the desks of decision makers and TCS is committed to challenge, speak truth to power, and ensure that the voices of young people are not ignored. We will fight to ensure that our next Government listens to what we have to say, we will speak with clarity, purpose, with urgency but also with hope.
In the East of England, we run a service called Inside Out that matches young people aged 14 to 18 with a coach. Those young people have had multiple care placements and instability in their lives. Our coaches can work for up to 18 months, quite unique in length, to build a trusted stable relationship when they have often had lots of adults in and out of their life
I’d like to share Robert’s story with you now:
Robert was 16 when he joined Inside Out and developed a good relationship with the Inside Out coach after joining the programme. Early on, he still had many missing episodes but kept in contact with her and allowed her to bring him food where he was staying. About 6 months into the programme he started showing more stability – the number of missing episodes dropped considerably, he was eating more healthily, and engaged in education. Robert credits the support from his coach with having helped him achieve this change: “Having someone to chat to on my level, showing you what to do, how to do stuff – it makes you stronger in the long run as well because you know you’ve got that, you’ve got that support.” Eight months later, he’s completed his GCSEs and some other vocational qualifications – and is considering several options to start an apprenticeship. He feels that the coach has helped him turn his life around and look to the future: “if you have that bond with someone, you will try your hardest”
Another service I wanted to share about is our Prevention service which is linked to the policing regions. We have a Prevention Officer, who provides training to professionals who are likely to be part of the systems young people come into contact with if they are being exploited, such as the police/local authority staff and British transport police/those who work at train stations where young people may be being exploited through County Lines and so our work reaches into Norfolk at that systemic level.
Our work has these different aspects, both the on the ground support and then the wider systems level change, to have a broader impact.
Jesus spent his life and ministry breaking down barriers, caring for those struggling and speaking out. I hope I have given you an insight into how The Children’s Society is continuing this vital work. Thank you so much for all of your support.
Well-being ‘is about “how we are doing” as individuals, communities and as a nation and how sustainable this is for the future.’ (What Works Centre for Wellbeing, 2022)
- Olivia O’Neill – Celebrate King’s Lynn oliviakingslynn@gmail.com
Unfortunately, Olivia did not attend the meeting, so the audience discussed the recent Celebrate event and concluded that it was an excellent day, especially for children and their families. Well done Olivia and her team.
- Scripture Union www.su.org.uk/revealingjesus (Mission Enabler East Anglia).
Matt told the audience that evangelisation used to be easy 30 years ago but now preaching in public does not work. Going to church is no longer a cultural norm. Christians worship and pray in church but non-Christians are not interested. Take the example of an 8-year-old boy these days. We will call him Dave. If his parents are non-Christian, his exposure to the gospels will be zero. He will have never heard it. The question is: ‘What is the church today doing for Dave?’ Today 95% of under 18 years old children in the UK are like Dave.
If you would like to find out how Scripture Union could support your church to reach out to ‘the 95’ then contact Matt on: mattf@scriptureunion.org.uk
- Lucy McKitterick, Co-ordinator, King’s Lynn Winter Night Shelter. nightshelter.steering@gmail.com
The Night Shelter will re-open on 6th October for 9 months. In subsequent years we hope that the shelter will be able to stay open all year round. Please pray for that. Before the pandemic we were able to host 22 people each night in dormitory style accommodation. Now we can only use 8 room and we are planning to add another 4 rooms. The life expectancy for rough sleepers is in the 40s for men and less for women. One person died in the churchyard of St John’s Church last year after there was no space for him at the shelter. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. We are those tax collectors and sinners.
You can help by volunteering. There is a volunteer training session on Tuesday 11th October at 7pm at St John’s Church. No special skills are required.
- Revd Kevan Crane: Pathways manager for the Purfleet Trust. kevancrane@purfleettrust.org.uk
The Purfleet Trust is a local charity for homeless people. The charity was established in the 1990s and runs 7 training houses and day care facilities for homeless people. Purfleet Pathways is a new project which was started last September and is based in a warehouse on the North Lynn Industrial Estate. Half of the building is used for the ‘House to Home’ project. When a homeless person is given their first tenancy the flat will be an unfurnished empty shell. This can be scary for the person who may be living alone or may be Ukrainian. Purfleet Pathways are here to make this a happy experience, providing furniture and assistance to move in. The furniture is donated and is second hand. However, we do not take white goods, beds, mattresses, duvets or pillows.
The other half of the building is a training centre offering a 10-week training pathway back to work. This includes free courses in literacy, numeracy, customer service, administration skills used to earn a living. There are also work training placements to introduce people back into the working environment.
One client called Lee became homeless after a relationship breakdown. He was housed in a Council pod and came to Purfleet Pathways as a volunteer working in the warehouse and on the van. Eventually he was given his first tenancy and moved in with a House to Home package.
Purfleet Pathways will be joining in with the Christmas Tree Festival at the Minster on 6th, 7th and 8th December 2022.
If you or people from your church would like to volunteer for Purfleet Pathways, you can ring 01553 871375 or mobile 07534816377.
- Don Mentch: Tools With A Mission (TWAM) kingslynn101@yahoo.co.uk
Don said that the charity TWAM refurbishes about 1 million donated unwanted tools annually and ships them to skill centres in Africa. That is ‘16 containers filled with a total of around 225 tonnes of tools every year. These tools range from sewing machines and knitting machines to carpentry tools and mechanics tools.’
You can find out which types of tools are needed and your nearest collection contact from the website https://www.twam.uk/
- Helen Gilbert: Foodbank. helen@kingslynn.foodbank.org.uk Mobile: 07582558143
We are living in worrying times. The Foodbank has given out 35% more food and 120% more energy vouchers this summer compared to last summer. Although the government has introduced a £2500 price cap on annual fuel bills, this is still twice the price of last year. Between October 2021 and March 2022, the Foodbank fed 2500 people, and this is 1000 more people when compared to the same period a year ago. Stores of food are currently 17 tons which equates to approximately half of what will be needed for the winter. Local people have been very generous, and volunteers are needed for the harvest festival food collection at Tescos on the Hardwick Industrial Estate on 1st, 2nd and 3rd of December 2022. The current premises which are used for the Foodbank are to small and not fully accessible, so Helen is looking for new premises. A huge thank you to all who support the Foodbank.
- Andrew Frere-Smith: andrew.frere-smith@dioceseofnorwich.org
Mobile: 07949964932.
King’s Lynn Food Hub: 15,000 people in Norfolk could not afford to eat every day last month. 2% of people living in poverty and 4% of households on Universal Credit are food insecure. At one local school, 45% of the students are on free school meals. Norfolk Community Foundation, partnering with Freebridge, are setting up a Food Hub at the former North Lynn Children’s Centre at 4 Walpole Rd., King’s Lynn PE30 2DZ and they have asked Andrew to project manage the Hub. The hub will provide good quality, low-cost food and will help to connect people to a range of wraparound services aimed at boosting their self-confidence, improving their mental health and lifting people out of poverty once and for all.
Andrew needs volunteers to support this project.
Peter Coates 24/09/2022.
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN KING’S LYNN YEAR END 30/6/2022.
General Account:
Income.
Trees of Hope 0
Christian Aid £416.25
Subs 0
Interest £0.24
£416.49 £416.49
Expenditure:
Website £25
Trees of Hope 0
Donations £300
Christian Aid £415.90
Admin £30
£770.90 £770.90
Income/expenditure -£354.41.
Balance brought forward £1,872.81
Income £416.49
Expenditure £770.90
Year end:
Current account £914.63
Deposit account £1,019.67
Uncleared cheques -£415.90
£1,518.40
Due to Trees of Hope £838.69
Funds in hand £679.71
WV 21ix22.