- Joint Annual Report
For 2008
The Team is currently made up of The Revd Jeremy Dussek (Vicar, full time stipendiary), The Revd Rosemary Donovan (Associate Vicar, half time and Youth Worker, half time), The Revd Peter Hansell (Curate, half time), The Revd Frank Berry (33 Sundays, SSM), Cathie Carey, Eric Dwyer and Jonathan Hodgson (Readers). We meet weekly to pray and discuss pastoral issues, in addition the Ministry Team is responsible for the planning and leading of worship in the Benefice.
In the last year we have continued to build on the new forms of worship introduced in 2007-08. These include the increase in worship with the elderly at the Monday Lunch Club and in rest homes. The fortnightly Collective Worship and Wednesday Worship at St Mary’s, both with Moseley Church of England School, was classified as Outstanding in the Statuary Anglican Inspection in November 2008. We are also building the connections with them in moving the Moseley After School Service there in March 2009. We continue to produce imaginative and thought provoking services for both the major liturgical festivals but also marking special occasions such as Harvest and St Valentine’s Day. These often take considerable time to plan and this needs to be taken into account when we may be sometimes seen to be simply ‘being’ in Church rather than ‘doing’.
In light of the forthcoming reduction to one and a half Stipendiary Clergy, one SSM (33 Sundays) and two readers, our Consultant Mrs Brigid Pailthorpe recommended that we revise our Patterns of Worship to be sustainable and yet fruitful. The evening Summer Series in 2008 was an example of where the two churches in the Benefice enjoyed high quality and imaginative worship which used the gifts of clergy and readers to their best. Early indications of recommendations from the Vision Team will, hopefully, help us produce a range of services which are targeted at a particular audience and where the content and time will be consistent without unnecessary repetitions in the structure. Sharing our resources and meeting the needs of most people will remain a priority to offer worship which is acceptable to God and accessible to all.