Council Report April – November 2005

13 November 2005 – Mark Robinson

On the 28th May, the council had an away day at the Nowicki’s in Netersel.  In the morning Francis explained the role of the church council within Anglicanism.  In the afternoon we discussed new ways in which council might operate and Francis shared his vision for Trinity Church.

We started the year with no elected secretary or treasurer.  Andrew Armstrong stepped in to fill the secretary role.  The wardens (Wim Koole and Peter Nowicki) temporarily assumed the role of treasurer.  We are grateful to Ian Carter for continuing for several months to work as bookkeeper until we could find a replacement.  That position has now been filled by Lori Crevecoeur.

Every council meeting has had a crowded agenda so far this year, so much so that we decided to add an extra meeting, in August.  Here are some of the topics discussed.

We have considered expanding the choice of Sunday services at TCE.  However, in our present location this is not possible.

Council have also looked at, together with the congregation, the Don Bosco church in Eindhoven as a possible new venue.  At the time of writing, no final decision has been made (this is a separate item for this meeting).

Council oversaw the mediation process between a number of (mostly now former) members of TCE and our chaplain, Francis Noordanus.  This was presided over by an external facilitator, Thea Price.  Her report has been handed out to TCE members.  There will be a time for questions and answers later in this meeting.

A Pastoral Care Team has been recently set up to reach out to those who have, e.g. drifted away from TCE or need support as they are going through a difficult time.  This is not to be confused with the Practical Care Team, which is a new initiative from Dory to provide, e.g. meals to people with temporary needs.  Council wholeheartedly encouraged Dory’s proposal.

A new way of forming written communication, proposed by Nico Koolsbergen has been approved by council.  This affects Outlook, TCE’s magazine which has now become quarterly, the church’s web page and will eventually include a review of the current notice sheet and Sunday service information.

A new team has been created called, MELT, which stands for Mission and Evangelism Leadership Team.  This so far consists of council members (mainly driven by Honson Lee) but it is looking to expand.  Its purpose is to lead and encourage evangelism within TCE.

Earlier in the year TCE appeared to be in serious financial difficulty.  During the AGM the issue was raised by several people that the charities should be paid at the end of each year that the money was raised and not delay one year.  Council agreed and implemented this.  Since then, by God’s grace, giving has increased and the finances are much more healthy.

One member of council, Peter Woodward, resigned in October during his fifth year of service.

Other items discussed include:

· Filling other roles left by vacating council members.
· Reforming the “Distant Mission Commission” (contact with Charities).
· Ruling out any official involvement of Free Masons in TCE services.

In summary, council met monthly and worked long and hard.  Meeting attendance has been strong.

Visit our new website at http://www.trinitychurcheindhoven.org/