Church Council meets on the months when there is no Church Meeting except for August. Each meeting opens with 10 minutes worship which is led by two of our members, and closes in prayer around 10pm .

The main subjects discussed over the last year were as follows:

Feb 2001

Reports from Youth Groups, vacancies, Safe from Harm, welcoming newcomers, induction of new stewards, approval of annual reports.

Apr 2001

Posters for worship board, report from Outreach Group, Simon’s sabbatical, Church Council Away Day, Sharing Life initiative, mission statement, approval of posters for worship board, banner workshops.

May 2001

Trinity’s Aim’s, Reading Deanery Synod, report from Staffing Committee and Contact Centre, report from URC meeting, finance update, Elizabeth Brazell training weekend, Data Protection Act.

Jul 2001

Ecumenical report, social groups, welcoming update, Trinity’s Aims, the Earley Crescent Project, Braille Bibles, Nick and Simons’ sabbatical plans, new signatories to bank mandate.

Oct 2001

Performance licence, report from Missions Committee, Safeguarding Children, Approval of Church Accounts, Earley Crescent Project, Christian Unity Week, Diocesan Event 2002, approval of Schedule A, cost of cooker, Queens ’ Golden Jubilee, stewards rotas and junior church communion.

Nov 2001

Report from Worship Committee, Trinity’s Aims, Earley Crescent Project, welcoming, denominational giving, domestic violence, Deanery Pastoral Plan, Saturday surgery, beating the bounds, vandalism, approval of Schedule B.

Jan 2002

Report from Pastoral Committee, Deanery Pastoral Plan, Youth Work Update, building update, electoral roll, hymnbooks, and Trinitys’ 15th anniversary.

In addition, there was a Church Council away day. This took place on Saturday 19th May 2001 at Burghfield Common Methodist Church . We concentrated on two major subjects. Firstly, the Sharing Life Initiative which presented us with an ideal opportunity to review Trinity’s Aims and our Mission Statement, a process that is still continuing. After a short break for lunch, Steve Edwards led us in a discussion on changes to our church building.

I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Church Council for their hard work. In addition, I would like to say a very big thank you to Kay Slack for her contribution to Trinity over the past six years, and for the guidance and support that she has provided to me personally.

Elaine Munday

Church Secretary / Churchwarden

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Trinity currently has 253 members on its roll. The URC annual return form now requires us to indicate the number of male and female members and it is interesting to note that some 66% of members are female. In addition there are 289 people, including children, listed as adherents (non members).

During the year to 1 February 2002 , we lost 12 members. Of those, John Bartlett and Audrey Neville sadly died, whilst the others moved for personal reasons.

In the same period we gained 16 new members. They are Joanne Allum, Steven Blagg, Janette Bushnell, Mark Fletcher, Sally Garforth, Chris Garforth, Rachel Garforth, Sandy Godfrey, Paul Holloway, Jenny Howard, Frances Jackson, Claire Knight, Sally Reid, Nick Silburn, Clare Tran, and Emily Travers.

The Church of England requires the Church Electoral Roll to be fully revised every 6 years, and this process has just been completed.

Sue Brickell

Membership Secretary

FINANCE

Aim: For Trinity Church to generate and develop its resources (the time, talents and committed giving of its members, and the facilities which it owns) to meet its responsibilities to the wider church and to support Trinity’s other activities in the most effective way.

At the present time there are 7 members of the finance committee:

Catherine Edwards Treasurer

Richard Munday Assistant Treasurer

Alison Travers Assistant treasurer

John Medcraft Gift Aid Secretary

David Dongray Envelope Secretary

Nigel Holloway Church representative

Tony Bonnett Church representative

In addition we welcome Nick Thompson to the committee meetings. During the year I replaced Richard Munday as Treasurer and I would like to thank Richard for all his hard work over the past 4 years. Richard replaced myself as Assistant Treasurer. My thanks to all the Finance Committee for their help and support during my first few months as Treasurer.

We meet on a quarterly basis and have considered topics such as legacies, payroll giving, gift aid and regularly review the financial situation of the Church. We have also considered the guidance received from the Methodist Church in the report “Managing Trustees & Methodist Money”, and have looked at ways in which the Church can manage its finances more efficiently. This report has also clarified certain rules concerning our accounts and a new examiner’s report has been included. Next year, for the first time, information will be included from all the groups who meet within Trinity who collect money, whether by charging a subscription or by donation.

The accounts for the year to 31 August 2001 show an overall deficit of £243. After adjusting for the sound system and anticipated insurance claims, there is an underlying surplus of £4,300. The main increase in our expenditure is in the amounts we pay to the Anglican, Methodist and URC Churches in support of our ministers and their ministry. All our denominations are facing increasing financial pressures, particularly in the areas of pensions and salaries. These pressures will inevitably end up increasing our assessments and we must not become complacent as to the costs facing Trinity. Also the increasing vandalism being experienced by Trinity has a financial cost and discussions are taking place to try to prevent this.

Trinity aims to give 10% of its income to Mission . This year we gave 9.8% (compared to 10.2% last year), because there was no contribution to the Methodist Overseas Division. This will be made during the current year.

The underlying surplus is a very encouraging situation. I would like to thank those who have increased their giving or looked at tax-efficient methods that increase the amount the Church receives, and all those who contribute financially to church funds.

Catherine Edwards

Treasurer

PROPERTY COMMITTEE

The property committee has responsibility for the church buildings, equipment and the manse. The committee comprises:

Stephen Edwards Property Administrator

John Louth Buildings Supervisor

David Rains Equipment Supervisor

Alan Langdon Manse Steward

Ruth Bainton Church Users’ Representative

Jane Thompson Cleaning Coordinator

Trevor Orton Reprographics supervisor

Simon Howard and Tony Bonnett are also on the committee in their Church Council roles.

Church Building

Again this year we have had a number of incidences of vandalism, resulting in broken panes of glass on the Library courtyard side. A dialogue has been initiated with the library, Police Crime Reduction Officer and Wokingham District Council to look at initiatives to reduce vandalism in the courtyard.

During the year a new directional sign to the church has been installed at the top of Chalfont Way . The church has also taken over the maintenance of two of the flowerbeds at the entrance to the church, in conjunction with the Centrepoint Youth Club.

Equipment

Two new folding tables were bought, and a new photocopier has been purchased. A new cooker has been provided in the kitchen.

Manse

Following last year’s extension to the manse, the patio has been extended with a low level retaining wall to the lawn. The Quinquennial inspection of the manse was carried out in June, and a few minor items of work suggested.

Stephen Edwards

Property Administrator

MISSIONS COMMITTEE

Aim: For Trinity Church to grow to understand and respond to the physical and spiritual needs of the whole church (within and without the local community) by witness and action.

The Missions Committee has 9 members and meets approx 6 times a year. The committee tries to support various charities/causes, bringing to the notice of the church some of the many pressing needs at home and overseas.

Every month there is a Traidcraft stall, which enables church members to support fair trade with poorer countries around the world. The church continues to support the work of the Kagando Rural Development Centre in Uganda and closer to home the Reading Drop In Centre for the homeless. We support the annual Christian Aid House to House appeal.

In February retiring collections raised £319.00 for the Indian Earthquake appeal and at Easter we supported the Farmers affected by the Foot & Mouth crisis. The July appeal again supported the work of NCH Action for Children. At Harvest, as a change from previous years, we held a Harvest Supper in place of the evening service. This was a great success where we held an auction after the supper to dispose of much of the produce donated. All funds raised from this and the Autumn Fayre, held 2 weeks later, were passed over to St Francis Hospital Zambia. A considerable amount of produce was still donated to the Reading Drop in Centre. During Advent we again collected money for the United Nations Jar of Grace appeal, to support children affected by war. The Christingle service again supported the work of the Children’s Society and at Christmas we donated the Christmas service collections to the continuing work of Dr & Mrs Patterson in Argentina .

A big “thank you” to everyone who has supported us. If anyone would like to join us or has any ideas, please contact me or a member of the committee.

Oliver Dyson

Missions Committee Convener

TRAIDCRAFT

It has been a very good year for Traidcraft, at Trinity as well as nationally. Our monthly stall, plus sales at the Autumn Fayre and a few individual orders, totalled about £1,700, 20% up on last year. This is largely thanks to the several new ‘value added’ lines that have recently been introduced, e.g. sweets, pasta and cookies. Relative to these, people now buy very little of the old staples of dried fruit, nuts, rice etc., some of which we will not be re-ordering when stocks run out.

Pam Thompson’s craft stall sold about £1,000 of goods at Trinity over the year. And Pam’s stalls at many other events during the year sold another £6,250 worth of fairly traded goods!

The meaning and importance of fair trade is gradually reaching the wider public, and the new Trade Justice campaign we are supporting at Trinity hopes to make fair trade the norm, one day. It, as with its predecessor Jubilee 2000, will be a long haul so please give the campaign, like the Traidcraft stalls, whatever support you can this year.

Finally, on behalf of the communities producing for Traidcraft, a big ‘thank you’ to all our customers.

Margaret and Richard Cocks

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

Aim: For worship at Trinity Church to enable people of all Christian traditions to respond to the presence of God, giving him praise and glory.

‘The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ John 4 23-24 NRSV.

Worship at Trinity is a fundamental part of what we as a church are able to offer to both our members and those who might be drawn to us from time to time. Worship provides not only an expression of faith but is one way in which we can grow in terms of spirituality and faith and meet with others who will encourage us in our Christian journey. We must remember that whilst worship with others is important we MUST seek to set aside time for prayer every day of our lives.

The committee is made up of a number of members each having a different perspective on our worship, in terms of the content of the various services, musical variety, provision of readings and other material. Our ministers who feed and nourish us through the various forms of worship that Trinity provides are also on the committee. Our Worship Secretary, Christine Adamson has stepped down and we thank her for all her work in this important role. Meetings are held about 4 times per year.

The committee has discussed the various services that Trinity provides with particular focus on Christmas and Easter when we experience an opportunity to welcome those who are infrequent attendees at church. We have been greatly encouraged by the growth in numbers especially at the children’s services before Christmas. This year we provided refreshments after the Christingle service and were joined by many whom only come into contact with Christ as a result of attending such services with young people. We are also pleased to see real interest from the uniformed organisations at the parade services and this is seen as a way of showing God’s love to young people (and their families) some of who only attend at these services.

The continued use of the third Sunday in the evening for ‘something different’ is an important strand to worship as is the leading of services by members of the congregation as well as the use of stewards to lead Saturday morning worship twice a month.

The summer saw the introduction of a set of activities for all children under 7 at the 10:00 service and this was very successful as it allowed those with younger children to have more time to ‘do their business with God’ without the distraction of their small people!

We also welcomed a number of visitors during the year to lead us in worship – and benefited from each in terms of their different worship style and in many cases challenging addresses!

Discussions about a new ‘resource book’ have continued. It is recognised that Trinity still uses hymns and other material that does not exist in a single book. We will endeavour to provide a ‘resource book’ covering hymns and songs, as well as worship material during the coming year.

A big thank you to all those who serve on the Worship Committee – we look forward to another year in which worship will remain an important part of life for Trinity Church . No doubt we will explore new and exciting ways in which we can enrich worship in the context of healing and outreach as well as encouraging personal time with God on a daily basis.

John R. Brimicombe

Senior Steward / Churchwarden

LEADERSHIP TEAM

‘Now we ask you, brothers to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.’

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NIV

The leadership team comprises the two ministers, church secretary, senior steward and treasurer. This small team meets on a regular basis to discuss key issues that affect Trinity and the team also offers support and guidance to each other and their families. There have been two significant changes to the team during 2001 with Elaine Munday succeeding Kay Slack as Church Secretary and Catherine Edwards succeeding Richard Munday as Treasurer. Our thanks go to both Kay and Richard for their contribution to the team and their continued commitment to Trinity Church .

A standard meeting, which is always held at one of the team’s homes, will start with some prayer asking for guidance as we discuss and resolve issues affecting us all. An informal chat allowing each member to share their concerns and issues that affects them and the life of Trinity Church follows. We then seek to help each other in sorting out these and where necessary determine what actions should be followed.

The year has been busy for the Church in a number of key areas including Pastoral Care; continued changes in the membership with an emphasis on how we might better welcome newcomers; changes meaning we re-establish links with Three Mile Cross; and the increased demands on our resources especially time! The growth of Prayer Ministry and its affect on the church has also been a topic discussed and we are encouraged by the way in which people have responded to this. We have also seen Pastoral Care through the banner making – the banners have certainly brightened up the Church; social activities and other events. Trinity’s aims have been updated and it is certain that these coupled with the thoughts concerning our building have provoked much worthwhile discussion. Alpha has continued to provide valuable teaching to those already saved and shown others the way to a personal relationship with Jesus.

It has been a great year for me personally – we now have our full compliment of stewards. This has allowed us to extend our support to the Church by taking on the Saturday morning worship and ‘Ministers’ surgery twice every month. This will extend the knowledge of our stewards as well as giving our ministers an opportunity to spend more time with their families. I thank all the stewards for their continued support and look forward to hearing new ways in which we might serve better.

One of the most exciting initiatives has been the decision taken to help in the realisation of a dream to extend community facilities in Lower Earley . Trinity Church has decided that we should help with the Crescent project. We have committed to contribute £3000 per year for three years to help fund a ‘community’ worker. Trinity will have a full voting member as part of the Crescent committee and will raise the money through a series of special events.

Trinity is heading for a significant time of change – partly as a result of certain changes that we are aware of in our parent denominations. We pray for guidance when seeking new talent to help in the many jobs that Trinity has to offer as well as helping us find the right solutions to seemingly impossible situations, which we will surely face, in the next few months. We also recognise that as Nick is away on his 3-month sabbatical starting in March 2002, there will be an increased need to support Simon and the team will meet on a more frequent basis during this time.

I would like to thank those on the leadership team for their dedication and service to Christ through their work in Trinity and the wider community. Thanks are due to their families for helping the team during the year. I would encourage all of the church to pray for their leadership team and ask that they will be guided for the good of Jesus and all his people in Trinity church, Lower Earley and the wider world.

John R. Brimicombe

Senior Steward / Churchwarden

HEALING FORUM

Aim: To help all those who come to Trinity to become aware that the Healing Ministry is an important part of worship each week, and that we all have a need for prayers for healing and wholeness, as well as specific prayers with for ourselves or particular people known to us.

The group of people involved in this ministry has grown, as had the commitment and enthusiasm to take things forward. We have met approximately once a quarter over the last year and our discussion has been focused around:

· How healing prayer should be carried out

· Where in the service, e.g. after or during

· How many people should be involved at any one time

· Frequency

· Whether follow up prayer should be pursued

· When and whether children should be included

· How to pursue healing prayer as an integrated and important part of Trinity’s worship and ministry

We have tried several ways of conducting healing prayer, e.g. at the back of the church, the front with a screened window, at the communion rail, and with people in their seats. We have all come to the conclusion that what we REALLY need is a ‘quiet corner’ in Trinity, something like a Lady Chapel, but clearly we can’t let the absence of such a space stop us from offering prayers for healing and wholeness.

What seems to have worked best so far is having chairs placed in front on the left by the vestry exit. A screened window gives some sense of privacy from outside passers by. We have deliberately worked in pairs, and whenever possible with a male and female payer partnership. The time when people have used this prayer time most has been after rail communion, when there is a lot of movement in the congregation and people feel perhaps, less inhibited or conspicuous about coming to receive prayer.

However, some feedback would be really helpful along with any other suggestions.

What we have also tried to do is to have a prayer partner available after every 10am service. This has been used by some, but perhaps could do with more publicity so that everyone is aware that a prayer time is available each week. Again, one of the difficulties is finding a quiet space! We have used the same corner each time in the hope that people will become familiar with, and respect the need for a time and space for prayer.

Joan Guile

EDUCATION AND NURTURE GROUP

AIM: For everyone in Trinity Church to be nurtured in Christian life and faith according to their needs.

Team: Nick Thompson, Nina Mead, Jill Duncan, Margaret Evans, Joyce Louth, John Louth and

Bridget Howard.

Groups:

Alpha

Alpha was very strong in 2001, thanks to the leadership of Margaret Evans and Stephanie Stow. It was good to have guests from other churches. (see separate Alpha report).

Youth Alpha

Also well attended, and was held in conjunction with St Peters Church .

Study Groups

There have been various groups this year, Tuesday and Thursday study groups, also a Wednesday group run by Bridget Howard.

Lent course

Led by Nick and Simon, using Christian Aid Material entitled “Love or Money”. This was well attended by between 20 to 30 people. The 2002 course is by York Study and entitles “In The Wilderness”.

Spring Harvest

Organised by Bridget, and was a great success, so much so, that twice as many folk are going this year.

Weekend Retreats

Led by the Reverend Richard Barribal and held at St Katherine’s Parmoor, nr Henley on Thames . 8 people attended including me, and we thank Karen Bartlett for organising it.

Summer Fellowship

Community -Building relationships within God’s family. This course was held on a Thursday at Trinity and was attended by between 12 to 15 people.

Confirmation Course

On July 8th, 11 candidates from Trinity and 1 from St Barnabas Church were confirmed at Trinity Church with the Bishop of Reading, Rt.Rev. Dominic Walker, Revd. Michael Jackson of Park U.R.C and Revd. Nick Thompson.

Healing Forum

Rev Jim Booth came in March to give some teaching on healing.

Also the WORD OF LIFE TRUST used our church for training in Prayer ministry and Christian counselling, which was attended by four of our members.

Quiet Days

Only one last year, which was held at Trinity Church .

What Next

Lent Course and Spring Harvest

Next education and nurture meeting 27 May 2002

John Louth

STAFFING COMMITTEE

Aim: To oversee ministerial appointments, training appointments and other staffing issues relating to Trinity Church .

During the past year, the members of the Trinity Staffing Committee have been:

Trinity ministers:

Rev Simon Howard & Rev Nick Thompson

Trinity Church Secretary:

Kay Slack (to April 2001) then Elaine Munday (Chair)

Trinity Senior Steward:

John Brimicombe

Trinity Church Members:

Jill Ramsden & Virginia Thorne

Ecumenical Officers:

Prof Roger Mead (representing URC Ecumenical Officer & CTB Ecumenical Officer)

Rev Vivien Brooks (Anglican Ecumenical Officer)

Methodist Circuit Steward:

Ray Chalk

As I have not yet attended a committee meeting, I am unable to bring you a lot of news. There are however, a few developments.

Firstly, I am please to report that the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Dominic Walker agreed to extend Simons’ licence for a further 5 years from May 2001.

In January 2002, Margaret Evans replaced Jo Shaw as Secretary to the ministers.

Finally, Nick sabbatical is from March 4^th 2002 until Monday 17^th June 2002 . This is an integral part of Nicks’ continuing ministerial development and will allow him time for thought, prayer, reflection and growth. It also means of course that there will be added responsibilities for Simon, and I would ask that all members of Trinity Church to support Simon in whatever way they feel able. Please also remember Pam, Laura and Matthew in your prayers.

Elaine Munday

Chair, Staffing Committee

TRINITY CHURCH MAGAZINE

The magazine continues to go from strength to strength, and there is a never a shortage of material to include. A few subtle changes have been included, but the basic format remains the same. If anyone has any requests for new items, we will do our best to include them, subject to the usual page limit of 32 pages, to keep costs down. Special issues, such as December/January can have 44 pages, and this year the front cover had a Christmas tree instead of the usual image of Trinity.

The service lists, which are in the front of the magazine, are also used for display on the outside notice board, and also various notice boards around the church.

Thanks to Emma Thorne for producing the summer issues.

Virginia Thorne Magazine Editor

JUNIOR CHURCH

Aim: For Trinity to bring young people to Christ by communication the Christian message to the local community.

Crèche and Junior Church meet during the second half of the 10am service. Typical numbers in the classes are: Crèche 6, Nursery 9, Infants 15, Juniors 8, Seniors 6, youth 13. That’s nearly 60 altogether!

The 38 teachers and helpers, as ever, must be applauded for their great efforts. They are finding the new (“Salt”) teaching material generally very helpful. A couple more teachers are needed – for the nursery and youth classes.

We have had three meetings of teachers and helpers during the last year at which we have discussed various issues and any problems with the classes. Average attendance is about twelve. We are still trying to get our Child Protection paperwork up-to-date!

Many thanks to Wendy Keeley who stepped down this year after many years as Registrar.

The January parties have just been held. Thanks to Peter Whiteman for the usual excellent disco.

Margaret Cocks

Sunday School Superintendent

HOLIDAY BIBLE CLUB

This ran on the Tuesday to Friday afternoons of the last week of the summer holidays. It was called Story Keepers and showed how the early church kept the stories of Jesus alive. There were 12 adults and 9 young people running the afternoons; it was fun working as a team and the young people played an essential part in it all. The event was advertised within the church and library, and with numerous ‘phone calls! It was fully booked, with 42 children taking part.

The children had many different activities. There was a video cartoon each day, of exciting adventures in 1^st century Rome . games, music, special snacks, and crafts. They ranged from clay modelling, mosaic tiles and mask making to bread making with secret messages in the rolls!

Parents were charged £10 for the first child and £8 subsequent children, for the week. The income was £399, and expenditure £270.

It was a huge amount of work and many people were very generous with their time. There were three main planning meetings but extra meetings from craft preparation. Kay again wrote and helped direct the drama, which was very popular with the children.

Margaret Cocks

PILOTS

Since our last annual report, Pilots have continued to meet once a week on Mondays between 6.00pm and 7.30pm during term time. At the moment we have 19 Pilots aged between 5 and 14. Unfortunately Jo Allum was unable to continue as a helper after the summer, and Elaine Munday left us at Christmas to concentrate her time on the post of Church Secretary. The leadership at present is myself, Ian Davidson and Emma Brannelly. This will change in February when Emma leaves us to embark on her travels around the world. We will miss her and wish her all the best. However, Joyce Louth is at present joining us on a Monday evening to see what Pilots is all about. I am actively seeking a successor as I feel I have been leading Pilots for some years now and hope to finish within the next 12 months.

The programme has continued with the mixture of drama, games, cooking, craft and other activities with a Christian theme. We enjoyed holding our Pilot service in the autumn term – the children worked very hard learning new songs and preparing prayers.

The highlight of the year was the National Pilot Rally which was held at Cadbury World where over 2000 pilots from all over the country came together for a day of fun ending in worship. For some of us it was a chance to meet old friends, and for others, it gave them an insight into the Pilot organisation. I would like to thank Elaine for organising the transport and booking the tickets. We also appreciated the support we had at our cake sale which raised £50 towards the cost of the coach. Our last meeting of the summer was the usual barbeque and games evening. Our young leaders (AO’s) are Philip, Anna Sarah, and Laura and Gemma join us when employment and school work permits. All their help is gratefully appreciated. I would like to thank Lynda Brannelly for her help with our board in the hall, which is always a challenge to us.

We are always pleased to see new members at Pilots, and if anyone would like to come and help us, please come along on a Monday and see what we do.

Wendy Keeley

Pilot Captain

THE BOYS’ BRIGADE – THE 1^st EARLEY COMPANY

We have had another happy and successful year. Sgt. Simon Branford, Cpl Christopher Smith and Cpl John Davies were awarded the President’s Badge and are now working for the Queen’s Badge.

Our Junior section entered for the 2001 International Games and also won the Reading Churches 6 a-side football competition.

Every parade opens with prayer and a bible reading, followed by inspection. The Anchor Boys and Junior section are inspected for clean nails and the standard is very high.

Our BB camp was held at the Isle of Wight with 50 members and an enjoyable time was had by all. This year we will camp at Swanage, and also this year, we propose to hold a weekend camp for the Junior section.

Our age range is as follows:

Anchor Boys 5 – 8

Junior Section Boys 8 – 11

Company Section 11 – 14

Senior Section 15 – 19

We have excellent training arrangements for anyone who would like to join us. Why not give us a try.

Leslie Bainton

Captain Boys’ Brigade

PARENT & TODDLER GROUP

Parent and Toddler Group runs on Mondays and Thursdays at 9.45am . It is able to offer a variety of activities and refreshments with opportunities to form new friendships. The atmosphere is relaxed and accepting with an understanding of the intrinsic value in play activities for children.

There are spaces available for this term and Perry and Emma – two smashing young mums – are looking forward to welcoming new parents to join in the groups. Meetings are in term time and finish in time for parents to pick up nursery-aged children from their schools.

Hazel Bailey, the cradle role secretary is due to take over as Chair from 25^th February and will be an asset to the groups through the gifts she brings of gentleness and kindness.

Joyce Louth

Acting Chair parent and Toddler

SPEAKERS CORNER

Speakers Corner was formed when Cornerstone (Trinity) and SPEAK (St. Peter’s) joined together. We meet every other Sunday evening (during term time) at St. Peter’s Church hall. We have just changed the meeting time from 6.00 – 8.30pm to 6.30 – 8.30pm .

Although most of our 20ish young people (13 – 18 year olds) come from either Trinity or St. Peter’s, we also have families from St Luke’s and Our Lady of Peace.

The format of the evening is usually an hour or so social activities, and an hour or so exploring various issues sometimes with guest speakers including Sam Mulligan from Just Around The Corner. Other activities have included attending rock mass, a quiz evening and the Christmas party.

As well as Sunday evening activities, many of the young people have also taken part in Challenge 2001 (where the young people put together all aspects of a service in an afternoon), an all night event entitled ‘The Acts Files’, ‘Disgraceful Behaviour’, an all day event looking at Grace, Youth Alpha course (including the Holy Spirit ‘sleepover’) and a mid week Bible Study.

Bethan Jones

Speakers Corner Leader

RETIRED CLUB

The Retired Club continues with good attendance. Anyone who is not working is welcome to join us. Many of our groups are Church Members, many are not and come from all around the local area. We have had a few people who come from the church at Three Mile Cross and a small number of our group join us from the Liberty of Earley.

Our spring and autumn afternoon teas were very well attended, and the garden party in July was again a very pleasant afternoon where everyone enjoyed the sunshine and good conversation. Numbers in this occasion exceeded expectations – 77 folk were served a lovely tea and enough cups were eventually found for all!

Christmas lunch was attended by 40 members and we all enjoyed an excellent meal at the Bell and Bottle in Shinfield.

The Scrabble Club continues to meet fortnightly on a Friday morning in the church hall. We have gained new members, but there is always a friendly game for anyone wishing to join the group.

Kath Bedborough

CHURCH CHOIR

We meet every Friday from 8.15pm to 9.15pm . We practice the hymns for the 10am and 6pm services. We also practice various songs and anthems, which are enjoyed by all and this year we plan on singing an anthem at least once a month at the 10am service.

Some of our members attend a service at Earley Residents home on a Tuesday morning every other month. The choir led the carol singing at the recent Trinity Concert Band.

Christmas week our members attended carol singing at the new wing of the Royal Berks Hospital .

Our special thanks to Graham Iles as he continues to offer his year round support.

If you would like to join us, why not come along to a practice session or have a word with a member of the choir. You will be most welcome.

Leslie Bainton

Choirmaster

TRINITY BAND

At Trinity, where we are blessed with musical talent, there are so many prepared to give their talents and time to music in worship in Trinity (and elsewhere). Long may it continue.

I receive many positive comments (and, indeed, occasional constructive criticism which is always welcome) from the congregation and ministers and I gauge that the band is appreciated and remains a positive asset of the Church.

Our numbers do fluctuate with new members joining while others move on, although we are of course always delighted to welcome our associates if they have the chance to play.

I class our musicians in two categories (a) full band members and (b) associates. This latter category comprises those who contribute occasionally, perhaps in times of need when we are looking a little thin on the ground, or when university holidays permit.

I hope you’ll forgive my maintaining pigeonholes for the purpose of this report but by this classification we now have twenty-three full band members and six associates.

Many of our members play second and third instruments, but here is the distribution of full band members against the instruments with which they are most usually associated :

6 flutes

4 clarinets

1 cornet

1 euphonium

4 violins

1 saxophones

2 bassoons

1 guitar

1 bass guitar

1 percussion

1 keyboard

The Ecumenical nature of Trinity is echoed in the wide range of backgrounds, disciplines, ages, etc. within the band and we are particularly blessed with the number of younger people who contribute such vitality.

During 2001 the band played for twenty-five morning and evening services at Trinity. We were delighted to be asked to contribute to the wedding of Gordon & Joan on 26^th June and we played for two memorial services and a carol service at the Duchess Of Kent House. This makes twenty-nine band appearances in 2001, which is, I think, a record.

May I say another big thank you to all members, associates, supporters and friends (and especially parents who ferry musicians and instruments to and from Trinity and other venues) past and present who have contributed.

Peter Whiteman

Band Leader

LIBRARY

All of the Junior Library books have now been added to the library database, so we now have one library. This means that the money must buy book for the whole library and not just the adult section, but as the children had not had any new books for some time, I felt this was the best way forward.

This year 21 adult and 6 children’s books have been bought and 7 adult and 2 children’s books have been donated to the library. 2 books were withdrawn and 105 adult books were borrowed during the year.

Jill Duncan

Librarian

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Our social events have been well supported and enjoyed by Trinity Church members and friends, thanks to the various organisers.

The year started with a safari supper where around 40 people each ate a three-course meal at three different addresses, the final location being a mass gathering at the home of Elaine and Richard Munday.

The programme has included a Quiz night, social, treasure hunt, an Earleybus outing to Devizes, a very popular skittles evening and two visits to the London Eye.

We have also enjoyed monthly walks and an annual walking holiday despite footpath closures due to Foot and Mouth Disease.

This year’s programme is on the church hall notice board and events are regularly advertised in the church magazine.

Pam Medcraft

Social Activities Co-ordinator

PASTORAL REPORT

Over the course of this year everyone who offers pastoral care through Trinity Church has been brought together into one Pastoral Team.

The Church meeting of June 2001 endorsed this new way of working. The Pastoral Team meets about 4 times per year to discuss concerns and to share ideas on better practice.

The team embraces people working in many different ways. Jill Ramsden and Pam Medcraft look after a number of people through their pastoral groups. Nina Mead’s group does not meet together but she visits each person within it regularly. John and Sally Brimicombe hope to establish another group very shortly.

Eileen Witney, Kate Robinson, Margaret Stephens, Jean Crawley and Carol Wynn continue to offer pastoral links to those who have requested them. In addition, Margaret Stephens and Lynn Hill have offered their time in the event of a short-term need for personal support.

Kath Bedborough visits a wide number of people through the Retired Club. Michael Newport is spending the next few months co-coordinating a small group looking at the better welcome and integration of new people into the life of the Church.

The ministers continue to visit as wide a group of people as is possible and also lead the Pastoral Committee which continues to oversee the wider pastoral policy of the Church.

In this large Church with its high turnover of people moving in and out it is a constant challenge to remain alert to the needs of each person. However, we are very grateful to those who support and befriend others so well both within our official structure and through their own informal links.

We continue to learn and to be more open to the compassionate heart of God who calls us to this ministry of care.

Nick Thompson

READING AND SILCHESTER METHODIST CIRCUIT

The Circuit meeting usually meets four times a year and Trinity is represented by our Methodist minister, the Rev Nick Thompson, the senior steward, the church treasurer and three other elected representatives. The meeting is responsible for decision-making in respect of the policy and management of the circuit and forms a link in the chain of communication between the individual churches and the Methodist conference.

Peter Bell continues to serve the circuit splendidly as a Circuit Steward.

At the June meeting we said our goodbyes to the Rev Derek Shaw who came to the circuit in 1992 as minister of Oxford Road and Whitley Hall. During this time both churches closed and moved on and the congregations really appreciated Derek’s support and encouragement. Derek and his wife Molly were wished every happiness in their move to the London Forest Circuit where he was appointed Superintendent.

We also said our farewells to Deacon Vic Downs who has been working in Caversham for the last five years. We thanked Vic for his work in the circuit and wished him and his wife Anne every joy in their move to Cannock Chase.

At the beginning of the connextional year in September, we extended a very warm welcome to the Rev Dr. Mike Hill and his wife Gwen, who have come from the Doncaster Circuit. Dr. Hill is serving minister at Christ Church , Woodley.

Also, we welcomed Deacon Glenda Sidding who came to the circuit from the Leicester West Circuit with her husband Ken and she is serving in the South and Central team.

From September the circuit was reorganised into new geographical teams with new ministerial responsibilities. There have been no dramatic changes for us – Rev Nick Thompson now has responsibility for Three Mile Cross with Trinity and not Henley. The four geographical teams are North, East, South & Central and South & West.

At the March meeting the following circuit stewards were appointed to serve for another year from September 2001.

Ray Chalk (who was at our last AGM), Phyllis Harris, Derek Guy and our own Peter Bell.

Three ministers are due for sabbaticals during the current connextional year. Rev Nick Thompson will take his in 2002.

Rev Dr John Sumitra was ordained at the 2001 Methodist Conference. His testimony service was held at Wesley last year.

Four local preachers have finished their training and the circuit meeting confirmed the recommendations of the Local Preachers’ Meeting that they are fully accredited local preachers. The recognition service was held here on 15 July last. They are Chris Evans, Lesley Martin , Judith Norris and Brenda Watson.

Tony Bonnet

Representative to the Circuit Meeting

URC READING AND OXFORD DISTRICT COUNCIL

URC WESSEX PROVINCIAL SYNOD

The Reading and Oxford District (Banbury to Marlow to Bracknell to Hungerford to Banbury) includes about 45 local churches and is one of five districts within the Wessex Province (Banbury to Poole to Southampton to Portsmouth to Guildford to Banbury), which includes about 170 local churches.

District Council includes all serving ministers (about 25, including ministers from denominations other than URC), retired and non-serving ministers, one lay representative from each local church and several co-opted members. I am the lay representative for Trinity on both District Council and Synod, Simon and Nick are members as serving ministers and Nina is a member specifically in her role as Convener of the District Pastoral Committee, as well as being a minister.

District Council meets five times a year and Synod twice. During 2001, I have been to all seven meetings.

Much of the business of both meetings comes in the form of reports from various committees. We have also discussed at District Council (i) Racial Awareness in our churches, (ii) the system of Ministry & Mission payments by local churches in the District to the Central Church , (iii) principles and procedures for District visits to local churches, and (iv) the way that the business of District Council is organised.

At Synod we had a major discussion on Racial Awareness, considered the Wessex Navigator, argued about central ownership of manses, and had a major discussion on Peace Making, inevitably dominated by the events of September 11^th.

District Council is particularly concerned with ministerial appointments and local church developments. During 2001:

The local church at Pangbourne with Theale has closed.

Ministers have departed - Gill Jackson from the District, Kate Pryde from Twyford, Michael Jackson through retirement from Park, Richard Wiggins through retirement from Banbury St Mary’s LEP.

Arrived - Fleur Houston at Blackbird Leys LEP, Barbara Flood-Page at Thatcham and at Dunston Park LEP, and Monica Mills at Banbury St Francis LEP.

Moved - Dick Wolff to Temple Cowley or extended their responsibilities Susan Durber adding Cumnor to St Columba’s.

We are also searching for ministers for Marlow, in addition, of course to Twyford, Park and Banbury St Mary’s.

Also there is much consideration of how to allocate ministerial scooping to our various churches when the number of full-time URC stipendiary ministers in the District is limited to about 16 or 17.

New LEPs have been constituted at Three Mile Cross United Church (with the Methodists) and Twyford (with the Church of England).

And major building projects discussed for Thame (LEP), Thatcham, Summertown Oxford (LEP), Marlow.

Roger Mead

URC Province &District Representative

READING DEANERY SYNOD REPORT

A highlight of the year for the Synod was a visit to Trinity in the summer. The main topic of the meeting was the Parish Share and how the Anglican Church should best use its financial resources. The members all agreed that Parish Share should not just be based on numbers in a church, and that small, struggling churches should be given every help. It was also felt that with an emphasis on poor and disadvantaged members of society, the average regular churchgoer should not be forgotten, as many had hidden problems.

One refreshing aspect of Synod meetings is that you can see just how many young ministers there are whom the Church needs to attract. Steve Edwards has now succeeded me as Deanery Representative. However, based on our membership size, Trinity is allowed five representatives. Anyone interested in becoming a Synod Representative should see the Church Secretary, Elaine Munday.

Virginia Thorne

Deanery Representative

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN BERKSHIRE

It has been an interesting 12 months, during which CTB has regrouped and moved forward after the loss of its previous CEO – Chief Ecumenical Officer. Our own Roger Mead has taken up the reins and has been working very hard to hold everything together. This has included trying to persuade several local Churches Together groups that CTB has something to offer them.

Meetings aim to share experiences of churches working together at various levels and to receive a report from the Ecumenical Officer about what ecumenically is happening around the county. About 20 representatives attend, from local Churches Together groups and from LEPs like Trinity.

There have been two meetings. The first, in March, discussed a statement of the functions and structure of CTB, prompted by the recent review and drafted by Roger. Michael Jackson spoke about the work of the CTB’s Emergency Planning team. Until his recent retirement Michael organised this group and the training of volunteers, more of whom are needed. Please see me if you would like more information.

At the October meeting churches shared their experiences of Alpha. Interesting comments were that relying on posters, newspaper advertising and even leaflets through doors doesn’t work, and that the course had revealed that the gaps between evangelical and liberal Christians are often greater than those between the denominations. There was a fascinating talk by Doreen Woods of Churches Together in Reading about the disposal of stolen goods. They have given away 200 bikes. Everyone leaving Yeldall Manor gets one.

Apart from this report, and a separate annual report to Church Council, Trinity doesn’t hear much about what goes on. I will try to bring relevant news etc. to the attention of members or groups who would be interested.

Richard Cocks

CTB Representative

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN EARLEY and EAST READING

Churches Together is a national organisation set up to enable the separate denominations to work together. Churches Together in Berkshire is divided into areas, and our area is called CTEER

Trinity is well served on this committee. This year Rev. Nick Thompson is the Chairman, Jill Ramsden and myself are the Trinity representatives. Jill up to the Autumn was the Secretary. Rev Simon Howard regularly attends as the School Works Organiser and gives reports about the School Project.

CTEER is comprised of the following Churches:

Trinity Church

Anderson Baptist Church

Earley St Nicholas (C of E)

Earley St Peter (C of E)

Greek Orthodox Church

Lower Earlev Baptist Church

Our Lady of Peace and The Blessed Dominic Barberi

Park United Reformed Church

Salvation Army

St John and St Stephen, Reading

St. Luke with St Bartholomew, Reading

St William of York , Reading

The meetings are attended by their clergy and/or representatives from their congregations.

In the past year, CTEER met 4 times in various venues as different churches played host. We had speakers from Reading Lifeline - the crisis pregnancy centre run by Christians in London Street , Reading . Celebrating Freedom, a festival for women held in May 2001, and Roger Mead spoke to us about Churches Together in Berkshire .

CTEER was involved in a special Songs of Praise Service led by Pam Rhodes in May 2001.

We share, hear each others news and have had discussions this year about:

	Churches together in Berkshire .
	Jubilee 2000 and the Drop the Debt campaign.
	Publicity, about the Christmas and Easter Services.
	Good Friday Prayer and Procession.
	Sharing information about Lent Groups.
	Churches together in Reading
	Praying together in a Common Life.
	Week of Christian Unity.
	The Jerusalem Trust and the preparations for the National Conference on 6^th Form school assemblies
	The Schools Project.

We publicise our work with posters on the notice boards and items in the church magazines. If anyone would like to know more about our work, please contact either Jill Ramsden or myself. I will be stepping down this year after 3 years.

Sue Brickell

CTEER SCHOOLS WORK PROJECT

Trinity Rep. on Reference group Sarah Scotchmer

Trinity Rep. on Support group Sally Reid

Working as ‘Schools work Co-ordinator for Churches Together in Earley and East Reading ’ takes up a quarter of my time. Ministers, church workers and members from all 12 of CTEER’s churches are involved in our 12 local primary school and in Maiden Erlegh, our secondary school. The core of their work is taking assemblies, going into R.E. classes, and hosting visits to churches.

Some of the highlights of the work this year have been:

In Primary Schools

‘Kids Alive’ – An ‘After school worship session’ taken to all 7 Junior schools in Earley. This was the third year the sessions have been run and the first time we visited all the Earley schools. The hour long programme was based on the story of ‘Shadrac, Meshac, Abednigo and the fiery furnace’ and explored issues of peer pressure. About 100 pupils attend in total. The Kids Alive team was made up of members of the Salvation Army, St Peters , Kings and Trinity Churches .

The work by a team from four churches in East Reading with Alfred Sutton school has grown. They are now offering 4 different RE lessons based in local churches. In the next year we hope to offer similar opportunities to other primary schools in the area.

At Maiden Erlegh

For the third year running we resourced a half day 6^th form conference in the summer. This year Richard Davies a Christian youth work lecturer stimulated their thinking on law and the legal system

One of the growth areas in the school is the ‘Ethics and Philosophy’ AS and A2 course run by the R.E. department. This year David Skinner of Anderson Baptist church was able to engage Revd Dr. David Cook of Oxford University and BBC 4’s Moral Maze, to speak to the A level students for a morning. Pupils also came from St Crispins, Edgbarrow and Bulmershe schools. David Cook kept his audience enthralled as he spoke about Medical ethics and Sexual ethics.

David Skinner and Andy Johnson ( Kings church ) have been doing some innovative work in their 6^th form assemblies for the last few years. Last year David was part of a group that received £15,000 from the Jerusalem Trust to convene a 24-hour national symposium to share good practise and resources in post 16 work. It is hoped that this will lead to a national conference to share their findings with a larger audience. The symposium will be in July in the Reading area.

Looking ahead two or three years, one of the issues facing the schools work project is the future funding of the post. It is unlikely that the Diocese of Oxford will be able to continue to provide a quarter of a ministers time.

Please do continue to pray for our local schools and all of their staff. Why not go one better? Next time you see a local teacher smile at them and on behalf of the children and parents of our community say ‘thank you’!

Simon Howard

C.T.E.E.R. Schools Work Co-ordinator

LOWER EARLEY FAMILY CONTACT CENTRE

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Mark 9 35 – 37 NIV.

FAMILIES:

This year we have seen approximately 25 families with 38 children attend The Lower Earley Family Contact Centre. The ratio is split in two between 0-5 and 6 plus. We have also seen 4 children over the age of 11 this year. This is a total of 72 family visits.

After a very concerning start in January where for the first time we had a zero attendance. Well actually the Mother came but the children and Father didn’t arrive leaving the centre empty! We have however seen a steady stream of families with the average number being between 3 and 4 families.

There has been a slight increase in the number of children, as the family sizes have increased.

Most of the families we saw that used our centre were able to establish unsupervised contact, that is contact without a contact centre. Unfortunately despite having more families on our books this Christmas than previously, only one turn up and that was for outside contact. My thanks to all the volunteers, who gave up the Saturday before Christmas, only to discover that no one needed to use our centre.

Generally, we can say that on average a family will attend up to ten sessions before having unsupervised contact. However it is sad that some of the families we have seen in recent times have found themselves in very difficult circumstances and we pray that God will be found in what can often be seen as a Godless environment.

Please take heart that the majority of families we see are able to use our centre to bridge the break up and move on. Our hope should also be that this would not be repeated in the children lives.

We have had a good training session at the beginning of 2001 from NACCC for new volunteers and I would be grateful if anyone feels further training is required, to highlight the needs to me.

A successful meeting was also held in October for all contact centres in the Berkshire area to look at working together in partnership with solicitors, the courts and court welfare and any other agencies involved in child contact. The communication with solicitors and the courts has greatly improved this year, resulting in the ‘us and them’ no longer being an issue and working together. We also hope that a Supervised centre can be set up away from the supported centres for cases that need more attention than we can offer.

We look forward to the new way ahead this year and I thank everyone who gives their time and support to the children and families at The Lower Earley Family Contact Centre.

Keep praying for our work.

Sally Brimicombe

Central Co-ordinator

ALPHA

Trinity has completed 2 Alpha Courses during the past year - in the summer and autumn terms. Each term the course ran for 11 sessions on a Tuesday evening at Trinity and with a Saturday Away-Day at Burghfield Common Methodist Church . A new course has also started this January.

The Summer Group involved about 9 people in total. Their Away-Day was arranged jointly with two daytime groups: from Greyfriars Church in Reading and King’s Church in Lower Earley . The main speaker for the day was Chris Ledger, a counsellor and lay reader. Members from this Alpha group are continuing to meet as a fellowship group, currently studying ‘A Life Worth Living’.

The autumn course coincided with both the National Alpha Initiative and a late night television series “Alpha – Will it change their lives?” The Away-Day was arranged with St Nicolas Church in Earley, with Margaret Brown as the main speaker and Stephanie Stow presenting the first talk. There were about 12 regular guests each week, most of whom are now following a short Emmaus course on prayer. Some are also running another Alpha course here at Trinity.

The current Alpha course is a joint venture with St Nicolas Church. Their vicar, Dan, and our own ministers, Nick and Simon, will be joining the course for a session each. Once again the group are looking forward to an exciting Away-Day in March with Margaret Brown as speaker.

Our Alpha courses usually draw guests from a wide range of backgrounds and religious experiences. Many people comment that they find the evenings very enjoyable and thought provoking with close friendships often being made. Some even say that their lives have been changed as they have found a closer, more meaningful relationship with God.

Margaret Evans

YOUTH ALPHA

The Youth Alpha course ran again this year, starting in September. This is a joint venture with St Peter’s. We had around 15 young people who took part and, if their feedback is to be believed, found it fun and stimulating. We used Trinity church as our venue this year and it was lovely to be able to use the church itself as well as the hall. The majority of both leaders and young people have been from Trinity this year. As well as the “old” team of Graham Pettipher, Mike Bushnell, Bethan Jones, and Cath Bethell from Trinity, and Anna Macfarlane from St Peter’s, we have be joined by Janette Bushnell and Anna Hedley, who has recently moved into the area. In addition, we have two of our former members, Paul Holloway and Laura Brannelly taking gap years this year. Both have joined the leadership team and they have been invaluable in helping lead the sessions.

The highlight for all of the young people on the alpha course this year seems to have been the sleepover (although I’m not sure the leaders feel the same way!). We invited anyone who had been on previous youth alpha courses to join us and had around 40 young people for the session. We got help from a number of extra people, James, Jez and Chris Evans, this year who led the talks and Mike Whiteman and his band “Flame” led the musical part of the evening – loudly! Other stars were John and Joyce Louth, who in spite of a very busy day, cooked a wonderful meal for everyone.

If you want to see what we have been up to, look out on the youth notice board for the display that the young people are planning.

Cath Bethell

YOUTH BIBLE STUDIES

Last year we ran two groups but this year we were reduced to just one group. This is the “Alive” group led by Jane Williams (St Peter’s) and Jo Allum (Trinity). It has been great group. They have looked at a huge range of topics and grown really well together.

Based on the success of this group, the youth leaders have decided that the small group principle is one we should follow for more of our youth work. It gives the young people chance to get to know one another better, and to build friendships that will allow them to support and encourage one another outside the group.

Cath Bethell

SHOUT

Aim: To encourage concern for the wider community, explore faith and feelings. Experience friendship, enjoy learning and doing new things and to have fun.

SHOUT is a youth club for the 9 – 13 age group run by leaders from both Earley St. Peters and Trinity. The club has a Christian ethos but warmly welcomes children of any or no religious background. SHOUT meets on the First Tuesday of every month from 7.00 – 8.30pm at St. Peter’s and regularly attracts around 25 young people.

Activities include eating doughnuts, games, art, watching video clips, discussion, music and singing, craft, drama, cooking (and more eating!), gardening, charity fund raising and guest speakers.

More information can be found on the SHOUT website www.gocities.com/shout_youthclub

Graham Pettipher

Shout Youth Leader

THURSDAY FELLOWSHIP GROUP

The group meets every Thursday between 8.00 and 9.30pm in the Sanctuary during term time. It is a time for fellowship and to grow in spiritual understanding. It is nurturing and prayerful. The group shares leadership following bible study based in books in the bible as well as specific areas such as spiritual gifts. It is open to new members and tends to be friendly and fun, along with those more devotional times when we tackle issues that are in our daily lives and how the bible helps us. The group is open to being able to question and explore. It is okay to come at any time during a study. If you are there at the beginning of a study it help you to know what is going on – but even then we sometimes wonder if we do! We offer refreshments at the beginning of each meeting and share a curry at the end of a study or other times. The study is usually on 7-week period. We are currently studying Ephesians which began on 10^th January 2002 .

Joyce Louth

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY GROUP

The Wednesday group grew out of the 2001 Lent course. It focused on bible study and met at 15 Caraway Road . We began with a 6 week Bible Society course, which gave an overview of the bible. We then went on to study the two books we were least familiar with, Malachi and Titus. Before Christmas we studied the letters of John. Although we began with a dozen people by Christmas we had dwindled down to four! After having a break the group is now doing the 2002 Lent course, which we hope will draw in new members for a re-start after Easter.

Bridget & Simon Howard

TUESDAY HOUSE GROUP

The group has grown in size, and now ranges from 6 to 12 people. We meet to study the bible and join together for a couple of hours of fellowship. We start with coffee and conversation, and end with prayer. The middle part is usually a bible - based study, with some interesting digressions!

At the beginning of the year we followed a course on Ephesians. After Easter we looked at the events between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension. From Pentecost until Advent we read through and studied Acts, and tried to find maps to trace Paul’s journeys. Before Christmas Nick Thompson spoke to us about the prophetic passages on which Handel’s Messiah is based.

We now meet at 56 Durand Road , the home of Steve & Catherine Edwards. We will shortly become a weekly Lent Group following the Trinity Lent Course, and will resume as a house group after Easter. The group meets at 8 pm , on the first and third Tuesday of each month (with a break during the summer). Our meetings are publicised in the diary, and on the service sheet should you wish to join us.

Stephen Edwards

OUTREACH

Aim: To communicate the gospel of Jesus Chris and, in partnership with other agencies, to meet the needs of those people we, both as individuals and as a Church, come into contact with. Trinity needs to set an example in Lower Earley and be both welcoming and caring.

In 2001 so many activities that took place in Trinity came under the umbrella of outreach, from coffee mornings, social events, Holiday Bible Club and the Autumn Fair to name but a few.

We also held an election forum, to give our community a chance to meet and question the parlimentary candidates for the Wokingham seat and it was a great success.

2001 saw the arrival of the Trinity Concert Band practicing in our church each week, culminating in a wonderful concert just before Christmas.

Our thanks to Graham Pettipher for chairing the Outreach Committee, and everybody whose help made the above aim a reality.

John Louth

TRINITY WEBSITE

www.trinityearley.co.uk

I reported last year that we had over 3600 visits to the site, from members, former members and others all over the world. During the last year that has risen to over 4600. This shows that the website is being used, but is not attracting a lot of traffic by internet standards. I still receive feedback from people, mostly complimentary ! The feedback is very varied. Some ask us to pray for them - or a loved one. Some send me info for the site. Some ask me to add links to their site - in exchange for a link from theirs. Others are former members who like to keep in touch, or people who just want to say 'Hi'. . I have been encouraged to receive from the website a couple of enquiries for people interested in coming to an Alpha course at Trinity.

The website contains over 30 pages of information about our Church. It acts as an online brochure covering all the activities of the Church, as well as being an information source for our own members. It has a front page with the Church pencil drawing on it and welcoming messages as well as general information about how to contact the ministers. From the front page one can navigate to the other pages covering:

An overview of Trinity, its location, aims, history, ministers and members

· Activities of the Church

· Alpha

· Information to encourage potential new members

· Caring

· Groups

· Humour

· Links to other Christian sites (e.g. our Denominational sites)

· Magazines (all the magazines for the past year)

· Music

· Latest news

· Pictures

· Prayers

· Reports (the report you are now reading will be on the site )

· Trinity 2000

· Structure

· Worship

· Youth organisations

All this information is available to anyone in the world who wants to see it.

The main changes this year have been to add new pictures - especially of all our splendid new banners, and to add the ideas for improvements to the premises.

I update the website regularly (approx monthly) to keep it alive and up-to-date, and to add the latest magazine. I am constantly looking for more things to improve our website, so if you have any ideas, articles, links or photographs which would be suitable. Send them to me and I will gladly add them.

Alex Robinson