Winter Report 2009

Winter Report 2009

I hope that you all had a very enjoyable summer.  The weather has not been exactly brilliant, at least it was not in South Yorkshire, but I think that September has been warm and dry in most parts of the country.   If you live in one of those areas where it has been wet and windy, I apologise! As I expect most of you will be aware, I shall be retiring as Chair of Broken Rites at the AGM in April 2010.  As we now only have two publications of the Rite Lines each year – one in June and the other in October – this will be my last “From the Chair”.   I shall however, write an article for the Annual Report which comes out in the spring.   It has been a great privilege to be Chair of Broken Rites.  I have met many interesting people and made some very good friends.   Committee members have been wonderfully supportive; we have initiated several new developments and I hope encouraged Broken Rites to look to the future while being very mindful of what has been achieved in the past.  One of the highlights for me was the 25th Anniversary Celebration.  I still cannot quite believe that we managed, with all your help, to arrange such a very successful day. 

When I first became Chair I had never chaired a meeting in my life.  Nor had any idea really how to use a computer.  I mention this because throughout the past three and a half years I have developed new skills, which, I think, are essential as we get older and when it is so easy to lose confidence!  An important part of the ethos of Broken Rites is that while we support members and potential members through bad times, we also need to celebrate our achievements such as Frieda being accepted for VSO and Nina’s plans for her project in Brazil.   Life does not end with divorce or separation, and even modest successes and challenges are cause for celebration.   So please be proud of your achievements and the good things that happen to you and let’s celebrate them! 

As regards computers, I should like to pay tribute to my neighbours, Paul and Jo, who have come to my rescue many times and helped me when I have got stuck.  There are many unknown and unsung heroes out there who support our organisation. 

Pension Survey

As you may be aware, our President Frank Field has been keen for some time now for us to undertake a Pension Survey.   A Questionnaire will be coming shortly to all members of Broken Rites irrespective of denomination and whether they are retired or not.  A letter accompanying the Questionnaire will give further information and set out the purpose of this initiative in more detail.   The Questionnaire is being distributed by post.  Please complete this if you can and return it to Frank in the addressed envelope provided.  I hope you feel that a Pension Survey is worthwhile. 

Diocese in Europe

Gillian Ratcliff the Bishop’s Visitor for the Diocese in Europe has written an article, including details about Broken Rites which will be published in November in the European Anglican which is the Diocesan Magazine.   As you will be aware, Viv  is now Regional Rep for Europe.  

Church Leaders’ Appeal 2009

The Bishops’ Appeal is now known as the Church Leaders’ Appeal as being more representative of our organisation.    Appeal letters were sent out in July and August this year and approximately £3050 plus 225.00Euros have been received so far at the time of writing (the beginning of October).   This is excellent news and hopefully some more donations will come in before the end of the financial year.

AGM 2010

As I mentioned in the last Rite Lines next year’s AGM will be held at St Mark’s Broomhill, in Sheffield on 24th April (Easter Sunday is 4th April).  We have  heard that Kathy Galloway has accepted our invitation to be our speaker at the AGM.  Kathy is a Church of Scotland Minister, a well known writer and until recently was the Leader of the Iona Community which is based in Glasgow and at the Abbey on the Island of Iona in Scotland.   We are very privileged that Kathy has found time in her busy schedule to join us on 24th April, and we hope that some of her books will be on display at the AGM and available for members to order or buy should you wish to do so.

 I have prepared some information about Sheffield including details of St Mark’s, maps, tourist information numbers, hotels/guest houses, travel suggestions etc. which I have emailed or given to your Regional Rep and asked them to pass this information onto you.  If you do not have a Regional Rep or this information does not reach you, please contact me on 0114 2682980 or email me at chair@brokenrites.org and I will see that you get a copy.   A summary of this information will be included with the Annual Report and final details for the AGM in the spring of next year. 

Sheffield is a beautiful city with many lovely parks and open spaces.  There is easy access by rail, road and good connections to local airports.  The Peak District is near by so think about a week-end break perhaps!  We are hoping that because Sheffield is in the centre of the country, members who do not usually come to an AGM will give it a try.  The faithful regulars who turn up every year are also very welcome! 

Although it is only October, Christmas will be upon us sooner than we think!  I hope that you all have a very happy Christmas and that the New Year will bring you many blessings.  Christmas can be a difficult time for our members, so if you are feeling lonely or distressed please do not hesitate to contact me, your Link or Regional Rep or any member of the Committee.

Link and Regional Rep vacancies

The Committee is very concerned as to how we can fill the large number of vacancies for Links and Regional Reps.  This is particularly important for Links in the North Central Area i.e. Bradford, Ripon & Leeds, Wakefield and York Dioceses.  In the Southern Region which covers Winchester, Portsmouth/IOW, Guildford and Chichester Dioceses we need a Regional Rep.  In the West Midlands Region we need a Regional Rep to take the place of Rosemary Aveyard who is now the Membership Secretary.   There are other vacancies as well, notably for Links in the East Anglia Region.

 Apart from supporting members locally, another important aspect of the role is to provide a contact for enquirers who approach Broken Rites either via the website or through other channels.   If Sue, our Secretary, is able to refer an enquirer to a friendly local member that initial response provides a much warmer welcome, and furthermore may inspire that person to join our membership at some point!   All expenses can be reimbursed. 

IRELAND

In July I 2008, I travelled from Dublin to Kilkenny where I had a meeting with Bishop Michael Burrows, the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory.   We had a very interesting discussion and hopefully further developments may emerge as a result.  Bishop Michael very generously sent a cheque for £300 for the work of Broken Rites for which we are extremely grateful.  While in Kilkenny I stayed the night with Anne, one of our members.  It was so lovely to see her again and to meet some of her family. 

Diocese in Europe

At the Committee meeting in October, it was agreed that we should submit a proposal to the membership at the AGM in April 2009 to change the Broken Rites Constitution to include the countries covered by the Diocese in Europe.  This is a very large area, but only involves 150 clergy and their families approximately.  Dilys, our Associate member on the Committee, has contacts with clergy in this Diocese and I have been in communication with the Bishop’s Visitor.  Viv, our present Membership Secretary, has indicated that she would be willing to take on the role of Regional Rep after April 2009 once her term of office as Membership Secretary has expired.  Because of the size of the area, it is proposed that any communication or support would probably only be by email, Skype (internet telephone connection) and the Broken Rites Forum. 

As the Diocese in Europe is part of the Church of England, sometimes clergy wives ultimately return to the U.K. if they experience a marital breakdown.   However, it would be good to offer advice and support at the point of crisis, and then it would also be easier to link any member into a local region if they happened to return to the U.K.