At St Giles, for the next month, we’ll be thinking together about generous giving. It might surprise you to know that parish churches receive no funding from the central church. So in order for us to keep our building open (and pay for a vicar!), we rely on donations from our community. We are very lucky to have the Friends of St Giles who support the care of our wonderful building, but it is down to us to find money for the day-to-day costs of keeping the doors open and the people warm. We are a church for everyone in Codicote – whether you come once a year, or every week. Those who give regularly to St Giles make it possible for us to keep doing what we do – conducting weddings, baptisms, and funerals, opening every Tuesday morning for our baby and toddler group, holding café church in the PMH on the first Sunday of the month, Giles Café every Friday, celebrating important milestones in the year with our village school…the list could go on! At this time of year when we think about all of the blessings in the world around us and the generosity of God, might you consider committing to supporting St Giles financially? The best way to do that is through the Parish Giving Scheme. You can find out more by clicking HERE , or by emailing Christie (vicar@stgiles-church.org.uk). If some were able to give even £5 a month, it would make an enormous difference to our ability to plan for the future and keep being a church for the whole village. Of course, generous giving isn’t just about money. We remain grateful for all of the different ways that people generously give to our church and our village, by volunteering their time and their skills for the sake of others. To donate via The Parish Giving Scheme go HERE
We are so lucky to have regular teams of people who work hard to keep our church looking good inside and out. Our cleaning, flower and mowing teams all take turns and do their bit quietly behind the scenes. Recently Jane, our Church Warden, organised a Working Party Day to spruce up the church inside and out. You can see some pictures here We are also grateful to individuals like Ash, who use their skills to restore, renovate and decorate areas of the church that need attention. Ash has recently restored the notice boards and front doors for us. You can see some pictures here
As many of you know, Ian is stepping down from various of his roles at St Giles after many years of diligent work. He will assist with the handover of these, but we are looking for people to take them on. In particular, we are currently looking for a new treasurer, and would be grateful for expressions of interest from those who might want to serve our church in this way. The treasurer needs to have a good working knowledge of book keeping, be able to use an online accounting system, have good computer and organisational skills and a knowledge of accounting in order to produce the end of year accounts. It’s a key role on the PCC and a very rewarding one. The Treasurer is appointed by the PCC and can be a fully elected member, co-opted to the role or just part of the finance team. Elements of the role could be delegated to others, and support will be provided. If you are interested, please talk to Christie or the church wardens Sue and Bruce. churchwarden@stgiles-church.org.uk
You will have heard in recent weeks of major failings within the Church of England, with regard to safeguarding practice and the care of victims after disclosures of abuse. It has been a time of deep shame and sorrow, and although painful to face, we hope will be a catalyst for greater transparency and accountability in the future. Our prayers are particularly with those who have suffered abuse at the hands of those who were trusted. As clergy in this Welwyn Team of churches we want to pay tribute to the diligent and energetic work of our Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSOs), PCCs and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team who support us in our commitment to ensure that these churches are places of safety and accountability. We realise that much of their work is unseen and thought at this time it might be useful to outline to you, our congregation and wider community, some of the procedures we have in place to help protect those in our care. · We have five Parish Safeguarding Officers who act as a point for people to report concerns, and with the clergy share the responsibility of the oversight that safeguarding training and DBS checks are up to date. · We have three Safer Recruiters (one clergy, two lay) who meet with and administer DBS checks for every PCC member and for those who volunteer to work with children or vulnerable adults. · Safeguarding training is compulsory for clergy, Readers, churchwardens, PCC members and those who work/volunteer with activities with children and vulnerable adults. This is offered online, and also run annually ‘in house’ · Every PCC has a Safeguarding policy that is displayed in our churches and on our websites, along with contact details of the Incumbents, PSO and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. · Safeguarding is a standing item at every meeting of the PCC, Team Council and Ministry Team. · We follow the national church guidelines with regard to safe practice e.g ratios of adult to children, parental permission for activities and use of social media and photographs etc . · Volunteers are provided with a Code of Conduct of expected behaviour whilst working with children and vulnerable adults, as well as clear details of how to report concerns about a child or the behaviour of another volunteer or member of the clergy. Policies and procedures have their place, but most importantly, we believe, is the building of a culture in all our churches where every person feels an equal responsibility to ensure the safekeeping of others and can share concerns with the knowledge they will be handled proportionately, appropriately and with sensitivity and compassion. That is something we can all work towards. Finally, we want to say thank you to all who take an active role on behalf of the church in caring for children, young people, the frail and housebound and those vulnerable in other ways. This is good and valuable work. We are grateful for every ounce of your care and commitment. Working together we endeavour to be places where all people are treated with dignity and care through which they might grow in the knowledge that they are precious in the sight of God.
