Parish ministry

I don't normally post about day-to-day parish ministry but am very aware in this my first week back from my sabbatical of what is involved. Additionally I've had a meeting with a potential ordinand today and have therefore been talking about my understanding of ministry.

So, just for the record and as a one-off post, today, as a fairly typical day in the life of a parish priest, has involved: leading our midweek Holy Communion service; a meeting to plan interviews for the vacancy in our Playgroup; a meeting to discuss ministry with a potential ordinand; passing the time of day with centre users; two hospital visits; and one home visit. I also have a meeting scheduled for later this evening to plan a renewal of vows service for a couple on their wedding anniversary.

In the course of these activities I've met with 20 parishioners (some members of the congregation, others not), prayed about one person's carpal tunnel condition and another's MS, collected and tested a CD for playing during a funeral on Friday, passed on a message about our Contact Centre, advised a family on how to access NHS Chaplains, and listened to people unpacking issues related to landlords and caring. Unusually I've done almost no administration today other than to send an email thanking those who provided cover during my sabbatical. Most of the above was local but I've visited two different hospitals, so have driven 12 miles in the course of the day.

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The Alarm - Absolute Reality.

Contact Centre celebrates 20th Anniversary

The Contact Centre run at St John's Seven Kings by the St John's branch of the Mothers' Union celebrates its 20th anniversary this Saturday.

A Child Contact Centre is a friendly and neutral place where the children of divorced and separated parents can meet, by arrangement, and spend time with their non-resident parent. In general, a Child Contact Centre is used by separated families who want their children to have contact with both parents and maybe other members of the family such a grandparents.

The St John's Contact Centre is part of the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) which promotes safe child contact through a national framework of Child Contact Centres and is the supporting membership body for around 350 child contact centres and services located throughout England (including the Channel Isles), Wales and Northern Ireland. More information about the St John's Contact Centre can be obtained through the NACCC website - http://www.naccc.org.uk/find-a-contact-centre - or National Infoline (Monday to Friday 9 - 1pm) - tel: 0845 4500 280.

Brynna Kroll has written that "There is no doubt that contact centres are an increasingly essential resource in the area of family support. Without them, the rights of many children to sustain a relationship with a departed parent in a safe place would be either undermined or lost completely."

In 1990 Jean Richards was approached by Diana Bandy, of the Mothers' Union in the Chelmsford Diocese, with the idea of starting a Child Contact Centre at St John's Seven Kings. A first meeting was held in May 1991 to take this proposal forward and in August 1991 the Contact Centre became operational with Jean as the first co-ordinator. She was succeeded by Madge Pettit, who ably followed by Janet Hull.

 

In addition to being the co-ordinator of the centre, Jean was very active in visiting other interested ecumenical groups and Mothers' Union branches to pass on information about setting up Contact Centres. Janet Hull served as both the co-ordinator and team leader of the Centre until 2009. Janet was instrumental in successfully applying for accreditation of the Centre with the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC).

Margaret Skinner is the present co-ordinator of the Centre and Margaret Streeter is her deputy. Jean Richards, Helen Jacob and Michael Streeter help them. Sheila Ramasamy does the clerical work for the Centre.

Initially all referrals to the Centre were from the Court Welfare Service, but after a few years referrals were taken directly from solicitors, CAFCASS and clients. Until 2007, all monitoring and evaluation of the centre was done by the Court Welfare Service. In January 2007, the Centre was accredited by NACCC. In November 2010, the centre was re-accredited by NACCC following a successful evaluation and monitoring process. The centre has until last year been successful in applications for grants from CAFCASS.

Today the centre has 18 volunteers working on a rota basis serving an average of 17 families and 22 children. Contact visits are on Saturdays between 10.00am and 12.00 noon. Families are allotted a maximum of two hours fortnightly. The centre charges a small fee of £2.00 per family per visit.

The Contact Centre 20th Anniversary was attended by present and former volunteers and included: a speech by Diane Bandy (Chelmsford Mothers' Union); cake-cutting by Diane Bandy and Jean Richards; refreshments; awards for long service; and presentations to all volunteers.

The Mothers' Union Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. In 83 countries, it's members share one heartfelt vision - to bring about a world where God's love is shown through loving, respectful and flourishing relationships. This is a goal which is actively pursue through prayer, programmes, policy work and community relationships. By supporting marriage and family life, especially through times of adversity, the Mothers' Union tackle the most urgent needs challenging relationships and communities.

Members of the Mothers' Union are not all mothers, or even all women. The membership includes single, married, parents, grandparents, or young adults just beginning to express their social conscience. For all 4 million members what Mothers' Union provides is a network through which they can serve Christ in their own community - through prayer, financial support and actively working at the grassroots level in programmes that meet local needs.

The Playgroup, Pram Club and Contact Centre at St John's Seven Kings all owe their origins to the Mothers' Union branch which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009. The Pram Club and Contact Centre continue to run through the commitment of Mothers' Union branch members. The Mothers' Union branch also has a programme of branch meeting and other activities which raise funds for Mothers’ Union projects in the UK and overseas.

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Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?