Review of the Year
Church Attendance
Following Church Rules, a new Church Electoral Roll has been produced this year. There are 213 names on the Roll, compared with 258 on the old Roll last year. Average Sunday attendance was 123, down from 130 last year. A survey of church attendance in the summer suggests that this average is made up of a slightly larger number of people attending less frequently. This does not include the monthly l1am service which averaged 10 or the Thursday morning service which averaged 14 (up from 11 last year).
PCC Review
The PCC met six times during the year to 31st December 2006 with an average attendance of just over 12.
It was a pleasure to welcome Sue Pearce as our curate in the middle of the year, now chair of the PCC’s Outreach and Mission
committee and head of Visiting Group. Dianne Butterfield was welcomed as churchwarden at the APCM following the retirement of
Penny Wilkes and two new deputy churchwardens, Wendy Whitaker and Jean Hannam, were welcomed later in the year. In January we
held a ‘Twelfth Night party’ for all the volunteers who work for St Robert’s. This was very successful and all were
amazed by the number and variety of people. On a sadder note, there was great shock and sadness at the sudden death, at the end of May,
of our organist, Denis Redhead, who had served St Robert’s in many ways for many years Junior Church continues to be a major feature of the life of the church. It's numbers had expanded to 130 by the beginning of the year (so far that it now borrows space at Pannal School each Sunday). For teenagers ‘Youth cells’ have developed from confirmation groups. Work continued throughout the year on a new ‘Welcome to Church’ plan.
Finance once again featured highly in PCC business. The need to increase planned giving was most frequently reiterated as income did not increase in pace with increased demands. Efforts are being made to persuade more regular attendees, even if not on the Electoral Roll, to join planned giving. A new envelope scheme was introduced for Junior Church, with encouraging results.
The PCC was pleased to hear that the Lay Rector had accepted his historic responsibility for repairs to the chancel and was most grateful. Work on the repointing of the Chancel and the tower was therefore able to be put in hand. Insulation of the church roof was paid for from reserves.
Other major events organised during the year included the joint Anglican-Methodist confirmation service, a joint performance of ‘Holy
Moses’ the Methodist Church, a Jazz Communion Service, ‘Praise God & Dance’ organised by St Robert‘s musicians and
dancers and performed at St John’s, Bilton. In September we participated in Back to Church Sunday as part of our St Robert’s Day activities.
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