Pages no 395 and 396
At Houston and within Houston and Killellan Church hall, the Kirk Session met on Tuesday 4th May 2010 at 1930hrs. Rev Donald Campbell, Moderator, constituted the meeting in prayer.
- The Sederunt book was passed and apologies taken. 32 Elders attended.
- Session minutes pages 391, 392, 393 (‘John Capper’ to read ‘Robert Capper’) and 394 were unanimously agreed..
- Matters arising. Any matters arising were covered by agenda items.
- Correspondence. a) Enquirers Conference b) Disability Champions – project to be run by 121. c) Back to Sunday conference – to Mission team d) Church Mission payments - to Church Treasurer.
- Ballot results. The results of the ballot held on 27th April were displayed on the screen. It was agreed that all ballot papers would be shredded and witnessed. The Session Clerk will report the ballot results to the Clerk to the Special Commission as required -ACTION – Session Clerk
- New Elders. The Moderator said all the prospective Elders will be invited to the Manse on 27th May at 1930hrs to meet with a number of Elders to discover more about the responsibilities of Eldership. An edict regarding new Elders will be read out in Church on Sunday 6th June and Sunday 13th June, with ordination on Sunday 27th June. Those prospective Elders who have said no on this occasion will have their names held on file for future consideration. After discussion, it was agreed that a review of attendance at Session meetings should be undertaken and any necessary follow-up action taken. ACTION – Moderator/S/Clerk
- Harvest thanksgiving. Kay Crawford intimated that she now wished to hand over this role to someone else. A very big thank you was accorded to Kay who has undertaken this role very successfully for the past 9 years. Good wishes were expressed for her daughter’s forthcoming wedding. Cath Close was also thanked for her excellent work at Harvest Thanksgiving. The Moderator agreed to approach the Kirk Creations group to see if anyone would be prepared to take on the Harvest Thanksgiving role. ACTION - Moderator
- Presbytery Elder. John Melrose is stepping down after 13 years as Presbytery Elder. The Moderator thanked John for being such a conscientious PE, for all the work he had done in Presbytery on our behalf and for keeping us well informed. It was unanimously agreed that Roy Anderson would take over from John. Proposed by Ian Spearing and seconded by Bob Finnie.
- Youth team report. Cath Close said that Starzone remains very popular. She thanked the many volunteers who have helped to ensure the smooth running of Starzone. Teen scene is a very challenging area and attempts at liaising with Gryffe High School have so far proved difficult. Discussion re Youth café/lunchtimes is ongoing. Young folk find entering church property to be a no go zone. There is even a poor attendance of our own BB. It was agreed to ask the Finance Committee to look at the YW’s salary in relation to the hours she works. Graham Allison, Church of Scotland liaison, has contacts in education and this may be a way of accessing the Head Teacher at GHS. Further meetings with Graham are planned. His ideas are very inspiring. Presbytery pressure is for us to go in with BOW and Howwood area YW but it does not run any events but only provides ideas. We have concerns about a fragmented service and conflict over time specific requirements. Gill was thanked for the good work she does in difficult circumstances and the Youth Team were thanked for their report and input.
- Child Protection Officer. As Cath is soon to leave us, we need to find someone to take over this very important role within the Church. Members were asked to give this matter their consideration. Tributes were paid to Cath for all the excellent work she has done as an Elder, as Youth team leader and last but not least as Child Protection Officer.
- Organisation reports. All reports had been circulated and these were agreed by the meeting. Roy Anderson informed the meeting that, as required by a recommendation of a recent Board meeting, he had brought the matter of Church building insurance to the notice of Presbytery, whose Business Committee were now looking into the matter.
- Fairtrade. Kay Crawford said that congregations were being encouraged to raise awareness of Fairtrade produce and to purchase locally sourced food and Fairtrade produce wherever possible. We have run Fairtrade stalls in November 2009 and February this year and both were very successful. We also participated in the Rice Challenge. Total sales of fairly traded goods in Houston and Killellan have amounted to £1225. Kay has written to all our Church organizations asking them to support Fairtrade by using Fairtrade products at their meetings and events. There will be a small Fairtrade display at the Carnival. Hopefully we will achieve Fairtrade status in the near future. The Moderator thanked the team of Kay Crawford, Isobel Grant, Eleanor Hood and Roy Anderson for the work they are doing on Fairtrade.
- AOCB a) It was announced that Moira Dunlop is our Fire Marshal and Helen Dunn her deputy. b) a list of charities will be produced for consideration at the next Session meeting. c) The Moderator said that the Waddell’s, our Missionary partners are due home soon and he would inform members asap. d) Morning worship from 4th July to 15th August inclusive will be at 1000hrs.e) Bob Finnie proposed that the uplifting of the elements at the end of the main Communion diets should be during the singing of the final hymn and this was agreed.
Date of next meeting – Joint meeting – 10th June 2010.
The Moderator closed the meeting with the blessing at 2130 hrs.
--------------------------------- -------------------------------------
Donald Campbell, Moderator James McBeath, Session Clerk
Date.
Stated Annual General Meeting of Houston and Killellan Kirk
14 March 2010.
MINUTES
The Congregation of Houston and Killellan Kirk met in Church at the close of worship on Sunday 14 March 2010, with the Rev Donald Campbell, Minister, in the Chair. The Chairman thanked all those who had stayed to participate in the annual meeting.
Sedurunt and Apologies
102 members attended the Meeting as noted in the Sederunt book, with apologies noted therein.
Previous Minutes:
- The Minutes of the Stated Annual Meeting held on 15 March 2009 were circulated, approved and signed. Proposed by Mr Robert Finnie and seconded by Mrs Belle McNeil.
- There were no matters arising.
Session Clerks Report:
1. It has again been a busy year for our Kirk Session. 7 main meetings have been held with numerous team and other meetings. There are currently 53 Elders on the Kirk Session and it is hoped several new Elders will be ordained in the near future. Session business is handled by 5 teams ie Worship, Pastoral Care, Safeguarding and Youth Worker, World and local Mission and Session Effectiveness.
Safeguarding of our young people is a major concern for the Church and we are fortunate to have such a dedicated and efficient Safeguarding officer as Cath Close.
Teams report regularly to the Kirk Session.
Elders visit all organisatons which come under our jurisdiction and provide written feedback.
Kirk Session minutes can now be accessed on the Church website.
2 .At the October morning Communion service, our long serving beadle, Iain Cameron was presented with 2 prints of Skye by the Minister on behalf of the Kirk Session and the congregation, to thank him for 31 years of outstanding and dedicated service to the Kirk. He was so taken aback that he did not even have time to prepare a lengthy response!!
3. Later this year, 3 Elders will have completed 30 years service viz Marjorie Goudie, Dennis Holdbrook, and Michael Ure and presentations will be made in Church during the year. .
4. Church membership stands at 693 members and over 60% of our members attended on at least one of our 2 main Communion Diets.
Attendance at our main services of worship continues to be good and our worship is enhanced by our excellent choir under the very talented Peter Yardley-Jones.
5. Thanks are due to Alec Buchanan who has now stepped down as roll-keeper after many years of dedicated service and Irwin Jefferson has taken on this important role.
Session Clerk’s Report/-
613
Session Clerk’s Report Continued.
6. Donald and I had a meeting at the beginning of this year with the recently inducted Minister at neighbouring Linwood Parish Church and her Session Clerk. We hope that this meeting will be a forerunner to others which may prove fruitful to both our congregations. I am pleased to say that Barbara Ann Brown and Moira Dunlop have been providing advice to Linwood on their forthcoming Money Matters campaign.
7. The 5 year visit by Presbytery took place in November and this required much preparation work, mainly carried out by our Mission team.. The object of these visits is to strengthen the hands of the Minister, Kirk Session and Office bearers and to advise them should anything appear to be unsatisfactory in the state of the congregation or not to be in accordance with Church law and order.
We were disappointed in the way the visiting team carried out their duties and the resulting report was unhelpful.. We have made our views known to Presbytery.
8. Our Church continues to be well represented on Presbytery with 5 of our members. being involved in one way or another.
Thanks are due to John Melrose, our Presbytery Elder, who has continued to do sterling work for us over the past 12 years, as has Roy Anderson who recently stepped down as Treasurer of Presbytery, also after 12 years.
9. My recent involvement in Presbytery and attendance at various Church meetings have made me realise that, in the next few years, we will have considerably fewer ordained Ministers in the Church than we have at the moment. .I suspect that the remaining Ministers will be asked to do even more than at present. Many congregations in Scotland just cannot afford to fund a Minister themselves and while Churches like ours currently provide some financial assistance for these churches this may not be sustainable in the longer term. The union of many congregations will become inevitable.
In our Presbytery alone only 29 congregations are able to fully fund a Minister, while the remaining 25 congregations are being supported by 121 and other congregations..
10. In the short time, Donald has been here, he has already been asked to be Interim Moderator at Uplawmoor and is currently Interim Moderator at Bishopton. We have expressed our concerns to Presbytery.
11. Donald continues to be involved in all aspects of Church and community life but we must remember that Donald has a considerable workload in a busy Parish. We have to ensure that Donald and Liz have sufficient scheduled free time and we will do every thing we can to help.
12. Donald is very ably supported by Liz and we thank her not only for the work she does as Church Officer but for all the other activities in which she is involved.
13. I would like to thank all members of the Kirk Session, the Congregation Board and the congregation for their advice and support during the past year. We are very fortunate in having so many dedicated and skilled members who work tirelessly for our Church and beyond and we thank them all. Finally , a special thanks to Helen Dunn, my deputy, for her support and legal advice.
Donald, thank you for leading us in our worship and for attending to all our other spiritual needs.
We ask for God’s blessing as you continue your ministry in Houston
Treasurer’s Report/-
614
Treasurer’s Report:
1. The Treasurer said copies of the audited accounts had been available for the last two weeks and was delighted at the interest and that he had to print more copies.
2. He felt there was little point in going over such a large document in detail. The information was there for everyone to see. Because our income was over £100,000 we were legally bound to meet the format laid down by Charity Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
3. The Treasurer thanked the independent Examiner Graeme Finnie not only examining the Accounts but with his help in drafting them into OSCAR formula.
4. John reported on Page 5 (Balance Sheet) and pointed out that the loan for the alterations to the Manse had been paid off. With interest rates being so low we receiving very little return on our deposits it made sense to pay the loan off.
5. One main item of Expenditure had been the new audio System (£14,378). This had been charged to the Legacy Fund and the Legacy Fund now stood at £17,555.
6. Carnival income this year was well down (£5,310) but given the appalling day, it was felt that this was an excellent result.
7. John pointed out that our cash balances amounted to £130,276 and after taking into accruals for debtors and creditors our net worth was £136,095 which was an increase of £12,557 over last year.
8. John thanked the Finance Committee for all their assistance during the year and in particular Jack McKechnie our Finance Convener and Anne Thorburn who so willingly sorted out any computing or spreadsheet problems.
Congregational Board Report:
The Board met on 8 occasions during 2009.
1. The Finance Committee have continued to do an excellent job, particularly during a very difficult year. The team is lead by Jack McKechnie, Conveyor and John King, Treasurer. All members of the Finance team work well under their leadership as can be seen from the Accounts and Budget reports.
2. The Fabric Committee have had to work hard over the past year on a number of projects. Problems with plumbing in the Manse, maintenance and repairs in the halls, including notice board repairs, hand driers replaced in the toilets and many other tasks that are not always noticed but would cause great inconvenience and damage if not repaired. The main problem in the Church has been the repair work required in the belfry which has turned out to be a much bigger problem than was at first thought, and repairs are ongoing to deal with the dry rot which has been found in the area. Jock and Jenny will soon have new heavy duty glass covers and we are very grateful to Jim Strawbridge and his Company, Insutech Scotland Ltd for carrying out this work free of charge.
There are lots of repairs and maintenance carried out by John Wilson, and his team that keep costs to a minimum, and on behalf of the Congregation I would like to thank them for their hard work and continuing commitment to the fabric of our buildings.
Congregational Board Report/-
615
Congregational Board Report continued.
3. The Grounds Committee, under the leadership of Adam McCartney, have as normal kept the grounds in excellent condition and this is often remarked on by visitors to the Church. Without wanting to sound ageist, there are times in the year when the help of one or two younger members would be appreciated. Names to Adam please.
4. Outreach and Communication, one of the major tasks for Bob Finnie and his committee over the past year was to research and produce the new style Record, which despite a number of early teething problems seems to be well accepted. Work is continuing to improve the content with each edition. Thanks are due to John Melrose, Editor, Kate Jackson, Collator and Sandra Griffiths, Distributor for all the work they have also put in to make the magazine a success. Ian Spearing continues to do sterling work on the Church web site, which as well as being informative is also enjoyable to browse. Thank you also to Ian Scott for his PR work.
5. Social Committee, Hazel McLean and her team had a very successful year, organising a number of events, amongst these the Easter Breakfast, Harvest Lunch, a Beetle Drive, a very enjoyable Ten Pin bowling night at Xscape, and a Ceilidh. The Committee also helped with a number of other events in the Church. The Committee had to cancel a planned Family Games Night through lack of response but they haven’t given up on this and it may be tried again at a later date. I am sure the Committee will continue to provide events for us to enjoy. Thanks also to Heather Jefferson and Bill McCartney, our co-opted YOUNG members.
6. The Church cleaning teams continue to do a wonderful job in keeping our Church spic and span, a big thank you to all the teams under the leadership of Liz.
7. Thanks are also due to:
- Margaret Moncrief for organising the car rota, Margaret would be glad to hear from any other members who would be able to help provide this service.
- Kate and Graeme Jackson for once again organising the Kirk Postie
- Helen Dunn and Robert Thorburn for their work in organising last year’s Carnival.
8. I would also like to thank all Board Members not already mentioned and particular thanks to all those who have helped me in my first few months as Clerk to the Congregational Board.
Elections to the Board:
Charles Green has decided to stand down from the Board and we would like to thank Charles for his support in the time he has served on the Board.
The following members of the Board were re-elected to the Board for a further period of three years until 2013:
| Proposed by | Seconded by |
David Fulton | Jack McKechnie | Ian Cameron |
Gordon Galloway | John Wilson | Jean Allan |
Elaine Rowan | Irwin Jefferson | David McLay |
Ian Scott | Robert Thorburn | David Fulton |
Minister’s Report/-
616
Minister’s Report:
It is my privilege to summarise just some of the highlights and the everyday important and essential on goings during the past year of our congregation of Houston & Killellen Kirk.
1. The last year as with every year has had it highs and lows in respect of the death old faithful members, and we remember those of our Church family who have passed into God’s heavenly care. There have been the baptisms of new arrivals, the delights of weddings and just in the last 2 weeks, 5 young people making their full commitment to Christ’s church.
2. What never ceases to amaze me as your Minister is the ongoing participation, dedication and enthusiasm of so many people in our Church family across the entire spectrum of work that requires to be undertaken in the life of the Church.
3. All of this comes from excellent commitment and our Church is so well served by our Session Clerk, James McBeath, his assistant Helen Dunn, our Clerk to the Board, Ian Jefferson, Treasurer John King and Finance Convenor Jack McKechnie and committee, Property Convenor John Wilson and his willing team of helpers, indeed all our team leaders and members in Session and Board teams.
4. When you add to that all those involved in the Kirk Carnival, both in the pre day organising and the hive of activity in setting up and clearing up. Although I’m not sure I should carry the can for the poor weather we have had to endure on the last 3 Kirk Carnival days. There is a massive involvement in decorating the Church for Harvest and Christmas and it involves so many using their gifts and talents and how nice they do so, the flowers every Sunday and to those who deliver to the elderly, thos in care homes, the sick and bereaved.
5. Just also to think of the delight our Sunday Club bring to our Worship, especially their Nativity Play, all of course enthusiastically done in tandem between the youngsters and our Sunday School teachers. The Services of rededication of our Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade companies and the support and work our Guild does throughout the year. It was also a pleasure to welcome the members past and present of the Guide movement to celebrate their 100th birthday last month.
6. The ongoing dry rot eradication has caused some disruption to worship, it is frustrating for the congregation but most especially our organist Peter Yardley Jones and our choir not to have had the organ to accompany our praise. The work to repair the structural beam end will begin on Tuesday after Easter. At present he scheduled work will take some 11 days, so on the weekend of Sunday 11 April we may well need to worship in the Church hall.
7. On a personal note Liz and I have recently enjoyed an intense but wonderful pilgrimage to the Holy Land. To see those Biblical places at first hand will add a special dimension to my understanding of Christ’s ministry.
8. To James McBeath, my friend and Session Clerk, I thank you for your good guidance and the words of thanks to Liz and I. May I also thank you, for the support of the congregation and many people in our community.
9. We should be excited at the prospect of new personnel on our Kirk Session in the near future.
Proposed Kirk Extension Report:-
This time last year we told you of the early stages in researching the possibility of altering our Kirk building with much needed extra accommodation and upgrading of necessary facilities that would enhance our Church. I excitedly comment to you the presentation that will be given by the acting convenor Iain Cameron after my report. I pray that you will find what is proposed an exciting prospect for the near future and worthy of your prayers and support.
617
Proposed Kirk Extension Report Continued.
Before commencing on the Proposed Kirk Extension Project Report, Ian Cameron took the opportunity to thank the Congregation for the gift of the prints he had received for his long service as Church Beadle, this gift was much appreciated not only by Ian but his family also.
Over the past 18 months or so a small sub-committee of Elders and Congregational Board members had been reviewing and looking at proposals to improve the hall accommodation and facilities at the rear of the Church.
The improvement proposals looked at by the small sub-committee included.
- Improved male/female/disabled toilet facilities
- Improved hall accommodation (behind the scenes, Session and Board meetings)
- Improved kitchen facilities (health and safety: after service teas)
- Improved storage facilities (chairs, tables, sound equipment etc.)
- Improved vestry facilities (modernisation)
The proposals which have been displayed on drawings and the computer generated images over the last three Sundays represent the progress which has been made to date by the sub-committee. These drawings and the computer general images were displayed to the Session and Board on Tuesday 16 February and it is with their approval that they have been displayed for the wider Congregation to see and comment upon at this early stage. To allow for such comment the drawings and computer generated images will be shown until Sunday 18 March.
Ian stressed that these current proposals are not necessarily the ‘final’ scheme proposals as they have yet to be shown to or commented on by Renfrewshire Council Planning Department, however the proposals do represent a fairly realistic view of what the sub-committee feels is desired and needed at the rear of the Church, to serve its requirements both today, the near future and the longer term.
The current proposals assume that no exhumation or re-interment of the existing graves will be required although some initial archaeological investigations will be required to confirm this.
The proposed two storey hall extension is not a replacement for the extensively used hall facilities which already exist.
The cost of constructing the current two storey hall extension proposal has been estimated at circa £500,000.00 of which the Congregation would be expected to raise around 60% or £300,000.00 themselves by way of direct fund raising and through a financially sustainable Church of Scotland short term loan. The 40% remainder of the costs would be raised from external funding sources (National Lottery, Baird Trust etc.).
The proposal to construct the rear hall extension is regarded as a ‘five year’ project by the sub-committee. This does not mean that the Church waits 5 years to allow funds to be raised and then work to commence, in fact it is expected that the work would be progressed to completion, with the hall occupied and in use within a five year periods from now.
The associated woodland car park development proposals across the road have been resurrected as a result of the rear hall extension proposals.
To date all cost incurred have been met from the £5,000.00 feasibility grant given by the Church of Scotland General Trustees. At this time there is even some left over to cover any further cost which might be incurred by the sub-committee in the coming months.
In the coming months the sub-committee intend to further progress the project by meeting with Renfrewshire Council Planning Department, developing the design proposals, arranging for the archaeological investigations and carrying out any further site and woodland surveys deems necessary.
Proposed Kirk Extension Project Report/-
618
Proposed Kirk Extension Project Report continued:
It is expected that a further update on progress will be made some time in the Autumn.
Ian thanked all the members of the sub-committee and others who have helped to get the project this far in such a short time. Particular thanks were given to Mr Alistair McGregor, who has made a hug contribution to the work so far.
Questions were then invited from the Congregation which Ian answered as fully as he could.
Jack McKechnie pointed out that it would only take each member of the Congregation to donate an extra £2.00 per week to raise £300,000.00+ over the timescale and if you Gift Aid this amount we would raise in excess of £400,000.00.
The Minister thanked Ian and his sub-committee once again and commented that all of the work carried out to date had by done free of charge.
The Congregation gave their approval for the plans to be taken forward.
AOCB:
As there had been no AOCB items submitted the Stated Annual General Meeting closed with the Benediction.
Rev Donald Campbell Mrs Ina Jefferson
Chairman Clerk to the Congregational Board
Page no
391 -050110
At the meeting of the Kirk Session of Houston and Killellan
Kirk on 5th January 2010, the Kirk Session noted the comments made
in the report of the Presbytery 5 year Visiting team, following their visits to
Houston and Killellan Kirk on 2nd and 3rd November 2009.
-----------------------------------------
Rev Donald Campbell, Moderator.
--------------------------------------
James McBeath, Session Clerk
14th February 2010.
Page no
392 -280210
At Houston and within Houston and Killellan Kirk, the Kirk
Session met at 1040hrs on Sunday 28th February 2010 and was
constituted in prayer by Rev Donald Campbell.
The Sederunt book was passed and apologies taken.
It was agreed to ratify the admission of the following new
communicants:
Ros Eatock
Jennifer Bartwicki and William Connell
Elders were selected to welcome the new communicants and to
give them certificates and bibles on behalf of the Kirk Session
Rev Donald Campbell___________________ James McBeath_________________
Moderator
Session Clerk
Page
no 393 – 070310
At Houston and within Houston and Killellan Kirk, the Kirk Session
met at 1030 hrs and was constituted in prayer by the Rev Donald Campbell,
Moderator.
The Sederunt book was passed and apologies taken.
I t was agreed that the retiring collection at all 3
Communion services would go to Adams House, the Church of Scotland Care home in
Elderslie.
During the morning service, the following new communicants
were admitted
Nicola Capper and John Capper of 7, Leeburn Gardens,
Houston.
They received bibles and certificates on behalf of the Kirk
Session.
At the close of the evening service, the Minister thanked
all Elders who had take part in the Communion services.
The Session Clerk thanked the duty team, all who had helped
in setting up the Church, all who had served and the ladies who had attended to
washing up duties. He gave special thanks to George Colquhoun and Helen Dunn.
The Moderator closed the meeting with the blessing.
Moderator--------------------------
Session Clerk---------------------
Page 608
HOUSTON AND KILLELLAN KIRK
Joint Session and Congregational Board Meeting on 16 February 2010
MINUTES
The Session and Congregational Board of Houston and Killellan Kirk met at 7.30pm on Tuesday 16 February 2010 in the Church Hall with the Rev. Donald Campbell, Minister in the Chair. The Rev Donald Campbell constituted the meeting with a prayer and a reading.
Sederunt/Apologies:
44 members attended the Meeting as detailed in the Sederunt book. Apologies were received from 10 members.
Finance:
Mr John King presented the 2009 Accounts which had previously been circulated and presented to the Congregational Board at a previous Meeting on Tuesday 2nd February 2010.
- During the year, our Offerings plus tax reclaimed on Gift Aid totalled £149,455, an increase of £330, with total income showing an increase of £3,866 to £164,549.
- There was an increase of £2,376 in our allocation to 121 George Street but other expenses have been contained which means our total expenses were up £1,527 to £140,273 creating a surplus in the General Account of £24,276
- We have transferred £10,000 from the General Account to the Fabric account leaving a balance in the General Account of £46,651
- After this transfer the Fabric Fund stands at £71,365. The Kirk Carnival brought in £5,310 which is a substantial sum considering that the day was the wettest in recent memory
- During the year the balance of the loan for the Manse extension was repaid One major item of expenditure was the new hearing system in the Kirk. This was charged to the Legacy Account which along with the installation of new electrical switches reduced the balance of this account by £14,378 to £17,555
- From the statement of funds our total assets are £136,095 an increase of £12,557 over last year.
- £123,100 is held with The Church of Scotland Deposit Scheme where the current interest rate is 1.89%
Treasurer’s Report continued/-
Page 609
Treasurer’s Report continued
Financially we have had a good year and I would like to thank the Finance Committee for their input and support with a special mention to Anne & Jack who give so freely of their time and financial acumen and to Douglas who has spent so much time negotiating with Scottish Gas to ensure we get the best possible energy rates.
Mr King clarified a number of points in the form of question from the Members, thereafter the Accounts were approved, proposed by George Colquhoun and Seconded by Allan Gilfillan.
Mr King once again thanked Mr Graeme Finnie, who attended the Meeting in his capacity as Independent Examiner, for all the help he had given Mr King and the Finance Committee. Mr Finnie stated that he would be happy to continue as Independent Examiner, this offer was gratefully accepted.
Mr John McKechnie summarised the Budget proposals for 2010/2011 which had been circulated prior to the Meeting. A number of items were highlighted i.e. a salary increase for the Organist, the Church Officer and the Church Secretary.
The Chairman thanked Mr King, Mr McKechnie and the other Members of the Finance Committee for all the hard work carried out throughout the year and in particular for the extra work involved in the preparation of the Annual Accounts.
Fabric Committee Update:
1. Mr John Wilson highlighted a number of issues that had arisen since the last Meeting:
2. Repair to the Belfry – it has been found that one of the rafters in completed rotted and more extensive work than previously proposed will have to be carried out at an extra cost. It would be of advantage to have Cox repair the roof when the rafter is replaced as this would come within the warranty terms. Action – Fabric Committee
3. Jock and Jenny Plinth – it is hoped that glass covers will be installed in about 4 week’s time. Ian Spearing has volunteered to paint the frames beforehand.
4. Fire exit lights are being replaced in the halls and extras will be installed at the stairs end of the big hall. The fire alarm has had a new battery installed to replace a defective one.
5. A notice board has been installed for the Sunday Club in the big hall.
6. Taps have had replacement parts fitted in the ladies and gents toilets.
7. Service plan for the heating boilers has been increased to cover 365 days, with parts included, as the previous plan did not cover weekends. The extra premium costs sare less than we paid out for parts last year.
8. The console for the sound system was replaced under warranty.
9. Estimates are currently being obtained for redecoration of the Manse lounge. To date we have received two similar quotes, the smaller of which is likely to be accepted.
Fabric Report continued/-
Page 610
Fabric Report continued:
10. Estimates are required for a replacement front door in the Manse. Action – Fabric Committee
11. Lead flashing was replaced in the roof of the small hall. A leak in the Manse garage roof was also repaired.
Mr Wilson wished to thank all of the Fabric Committee, in particular at this time, to Mr Ian Spearing and Mr Jack McNeil. Mr Wilson highlighted that the cost of repairs was only kept to a minimum through the hard work of the Committee members.
The Rev Campbell thanked Mr Wilson and his team, on behalf of the Session, the Congregational Board and the Congregation for their continuing excellent efforts often at unsociable times.
AOCB
New Communicants – the first of the new Communicants will be admitted on 28 February and the remainder on Sunday 7 March 2010.
Church Extension Project Presentation:
Mr Iain Cameron and Mr Alastair McGregor gave a very detailed, informative, presentation of the current position with the above project. Mr Cameron updated the Members on ‘where we currently are’ and ‘where we hope to go from here’ with regard to planning permission etc.
The Session and Board Members were given a ‘Google visualisation display’ of the proposed plans; paper copies of the plans were also displayed on the notice board in the hall for all members to view and comment on.
Questions were invited and a wide ranging discussion followed. One of the major concerns was how this project would be funded.
At the end of the discussion the Rev Campbell commended these proposals to the Members and asked that we be willing to take the leap of faith that Mr Cameron had spoken about.
It was agreed that the proposals should be taken forward to the Congregation. The display will be shown in the Church on three Sundays, one of which will be the week of the stated Annual General Meeting. The Congregation will then be asked to make comment on the plans.
The Rev Campbell highlighted to the Meeting that the majority of the work already carried out on the Project, had been done on a voluntary basis at no cost to the Church and Mr Cameron and Mr McGregor are due our very grateful thanks.
The Meeting closed at approximately 10pm with the Benediction.
