The AGM is an important event in the life of the church. Church members meet as a body, remind ourselves of the church’s vision and values, and ensure we are on the same page for the coming year. We receive reports from the year just past, which we compile into a Yearbook, we check our financial performance and we elect the Chaplaincy Council and key church officers for the coming year.
Key messages coming out of this year. Firstly we have benefitted hugely from the support of volunteers. It has been a year in which a number of new people have come forward as volunteers and this has helped to ease the burden on those who were already giving their time and talents to the church. As Fr Louis said in his report, as the number of volunteers increases “we need a different approach to how we welcome and support our volunteers (and this will be) one of the tasks of the new Chaplaincy Council”. It is a sign of changes across the church that we have elected 3 key church officers – Electoral Roll officer (John Gardner), a new Council Secretary (Martin Collins) and a new Chaplaincy Treasurer (Tristram Congreve).
Would you like to volunteer to help St George’s? There are a wide range of things that volunteers can do. Visit our volunteer webpage here.
Secondly this has been a year in which we have turned round our financial fortunes, largely thanks to generous donations from members past and present, visitors and supporters. Following the shock financial loss in 2023 of some €2,500, we were pleased to report a small surplus in 2024 of some €1,613 on an annual turnover of some €50,000. This has given us the confidence to set out a significantly more ambitious budget for 2025 of €70,000, an increase year on year of 38%.
Would you like to make a donation to St George’s or join our regular giving scheme, ‘Count Me In’? Visit our website here to see how this can be done.
And Yes, this year we are going to make sure we are all on the same page, or else we might reshape the page somewhat! In the year ahead we will roll out a consultation within our congregations to help the Council and clergy team identify the needs, aspirations and gifts of everyone who participates, so we can shape our priorities going forward. To quote Fr Louis again, “Whether you live here permanently, an occasional visitor or stay periodically we want everyone to feel that St George’s is their spiritual home and a place to belong”.
But more important is what lies at the centre of our faith, our Lord Jesus Christ, and how we can share our faith with one another. This year we set up a ‘Faith Matters’ discussion group. This group, which meets monthly, has highlighted what Fr Louis described in his report as “a need for there to be space to respond to people’s spiritual thirst and curiosity, places to grow in understanding of Christian faith and how to pray”.
Much that we do as a church helps us to address that ‘spiritual thirst and curiosity’. You can find details here of the next ‘Faith Matters’ discussion group. If you would like to attend, you would be very welcome.