Church Relations Coordinator Newsletter Hello There! Merry Christmas, to all our churches and volunteers, this year has flown by! Been busy has certainly helped the year pass quickly, it’s been great to meet so many of you and help so many of our churches. If the news is to be believed then 2023 is set to be a difficult year, it’s perhaps then more important than ever that we support of churches, communities, and members. Many of our churches are doing fantastic things to put Spiritualism at the heart of our communities, but more on that later. s Training Videos In my last newsletter I said that more online training videos would be coming. I’m pleased to say the NEC have approved all the treasurer training videos which are now available on the SNU website. In the new year I’ll be putting together videos for secretaires and presidents. View Videos What's Going on Portsmouth Progressive church has been working hard to get the church back into shape following closure, working with the SNU a new committee has been formed and everyone has been pulling out the stops to get the church back up and running. However, recently the committee hit a snag when the electrics were condemned. With an expensive rewire on the horizon and limited funds the church was in danger of remaining closed. The church worked closely with the Church Relations Coordinator and a plan was put to the finance committee. The committee agreed a grant of £10,000 and the church is now well on the way to getting the works done. Back in Fashion Belper Spiritualist church is doing some serious fundraising with auctions, Christmas fayres and even a fashion show! Yes you read it right, a fashion show. The Committee have contacted a company who come into the church to put on the show free of charge, the church has sold tickets to raise funds and the company is offering discounts on the clothes so people can bag a bargain in time for Christmas. All is Sound All is sound at Oldbury – Unfortunately some of our churches have closed following the pandemic, the items from closed churches are in storage and can be taken / used by any churches that are in need. The Dorothy Hudson Spiritualist Centre at Oldbury recently contacted the Church Relations Coordinator as they needed some new equipment. As look would have it the SNU had exactly what they were looking for and delivery of a new sound system has really helped improve the church, in fact the church has won the prestigious West Midlands District Council Award of “District Church of the year” Lancaster church Lancaster church also took advantage of the items in storage and recently upgraded their chairs, hymn books and library, the pictures speak for themselves, their congregation is increasing all the time. Working with Districts For a number of years now our churches in the South of England have been without a District Council. On Saturday 29th October at a meeting in Totton Church a new committee was formed. The committee is taking on a big job but there’s great enthusiasm, ideas and a real desire to take things forward. As the Church relations Coordinator I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with the new committee and I know that with training and support they will make a real success of things. Guidance The new Rules for Churches has now been sent out and training sessions took place throughout October and November. A further two sessions are planned for 19th & 24th of January, If you have any queries or questions regarding the new rules please get in touch. A copy of the training presentation will be made available on the SNU website. Guidance Many of you have contacted me regarding vacant committee positions following your AGM, here are some of the most frequently asked questions, I hope you find it useful Q We don’t have a Treasurer; can the President take up the role? A No, the only two officer roles that can be combined are Secretary and Treasurer. Q What do we do if no one meets the qualifications, can they still take up a role on the committee? A If no qualified full member is willing to be appointed to a vacancy the committee must leave it unfilled and create an acting position for the same purpose. Q Are the qualifications for acting positions different? A Yes, if the position is for acting President or Vice President then the person needs to be a full member of the church, has been a full member for at least two years and have served on the committee for at least 12 months in the last five years. For acting Treasurer or Secretary, the person needs to be a full member of the church and have been a full member for at least 12 months. Page 14, Rule 10, Rules for Churches 2018 gives further information. Q We have a member who’s willing to take up a role, but they do not meet the criteria, what do we do? A If no one meets the qualifications for the position, nor meets the criteria for an acting position then the church can request dispensation from the Union to allow the person to take up the role. Please contact the Church Relations Coordinator if you would like to request dispensation. Q We don’t have 6 people; can we still form a committee? A No, the minimum amount of people needed for a committee is 6 – if you’re having problems forming a committee or finding it difficult to re-open following the pandemic, please contact the Church relations Coordinator who can offer you help and support. Printable Version After a printable version of Matthews Newsletter? Click below for a printer friendly PDF CRC Newsletter Manage Cookie Preferences