The Parish Council initiated a planning process in 2022 where we set some planning principles. We arranged a day in October 2022 to draw people together and dream about the future for St Philip’s.
We are keen to make sure that everyone who would like to has a chance to dream with us, add your input and ideas and join the thinking.
Please read this planning briefing to learn more.
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December 2013
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Anglicare for its support to Revd Robin's work at the Northbourne Community Centre for a three year period from 2013 to 2015.
Following extensive consideration and consultation, Parish Council has made a decision on some re-allocation of the use of Parish facilities. By 1 February the Parish Office will move to what has become known as Pat's room. The existing Parish Office will become a general activity room for which bookings can be made. Pat will have a permanent booking for part of the week for music lessons and for church music preparation. Both rooms will be refurbished and re-arranged during January.
This fulfils one of the priorities in the 2013 Covenant between Rebecca and the Parish, which stated "Implement a building proposal for improved accommodation for Parish ministry activities and outreach and review the overall use of Parish facilities." The need for the reallocation of space reflects the changes in the Parish over the last few years and the increased supervision load on Rebecca as well as the general unsatisfactory nature of the current vestry arrangement. Rebecca will address these matters in her report to the 2014 AGM.
Parish Council thanks all involved in the lengthy facilities review for their cooperation and understanding.
The newly leased replacement Parish car for Rebecca, a Honda Civic Hatch, has arrived.
The photocopier in the Parish Office is no longer serviceable and a contract will be entered into for the lease of a new photocopier with service support.
A 2014 Parish Calendar has been prepared and will be available shortly.
The 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held after the 10am service on Sunday 23 February. Reports and Papers for the AGM should be submitted to Rebecca no later than 2 February.
November 2013
The Parish Council congratulates all involved in the Twilight Fair. It was again a very successful community event and fundraiser, with $13,800 banked.
The Lamerton Centre is starting to show its potential—hosting Pandora's, morning tea on Wednesdays and Sundays and afternoon tea at the Twilight Fair. Between now and the end of the year there will be some further fit out and access work and the fitting out of Rev'd Robin's St Philip's Care storage shed.
Thank you to those sub group leaders for filling out the Use of Church Facilities survey. The Parish Council will have further consultations and make decisions on the optimal use of space so that new arrangements can operate by 1 February 2014. A draft policy is near completion covering responsibilities for those using church facilities.
The Dinka congregation was most appreciative of the $500 contributed by the 10am service in response to the attacks in Twic Province in South Sudan and feel very supported. The Dinka congregation collected $700.
The Dinka congregation has been successful in obtaining a grant from ACT multicultural youth services to support the Dinka dance program. Dinka children will dance at next year's Multicultural Festival representing St Philip's.
October 2013
The Lamerton Centre project continues to progress. There is still a bit of fit-out work to be completed. The railings on the deck are still to be installed. We remain confident that we will have an interim certificate of occupancy to use the Lamerton Centre for the Twilight Fair.
The Cross Cultural Family Support Ministry continues to develop well. A progress report has been submitted to the Pelican Foundation, which is our funding partner for the program.
Pip's Playgroup on Tuesdays is regularly attracting 10-16 families each week. From next term, Andrea will begin a toddlers/family worship on Tuesdays following on from the play group. English lessons have started for ten Dinka women on a trial basis, using the services of a qualified ESL teacher on a volunteer basis.
With the warmer weather, attendance at the Monday lunch at the Northbourne Community Centre is back to 70-80 people.
Renewal of the lease on the parish car is due in December. Parish Council has decided on a three-year lease for a Honda Civic through ANGLICAR.
Please note the garden and cleaning working bee for Saturday 26 October 9 am to 12noon to prepare the church and grounds for the Twilight Fair.
September 2013
The Lamerton Centre project has entered its final stage. Construction of the deck has begun and fit out and grounds activity is proceeding.
The plan is for the Centre to be fully operational by the time of the Twilight Fair on 9 November.
Funds have be drawn down from the $70,000 interest free loan for the Centre, which means that monthly repayments will begin in October. Pandora's has agreed to pay half the monthly repayment.
The parish through our regular income and giving will need to meet the residual amount of $400 per month. This will be a stewardship challenge but one that will underpin the work and outreach of the parish for years to come. Parishioners are encouraged to review at this time their current level of giving.
Parishioners who are in a position to do so could also consider a special annual one-off contribution towards the repayments. Such contributions should be placed in an envelope and clearly marked as "Lamerton Centre repayment".
In line with the priorities set out in the 2013 Covenant, Parish Council is working on a comprehensive review of the use of church facilities and the drawing up of a comprehensive policy framework. As part of this review, the Council is conducting a survey of current use of church facilities and of any changes that parish and non-parish groups anticipate over the next few years.
August 2013
The Lamerton Centre is a reality at last but not yet in a state to be occupied. To meet the requirements for a certificate of occupancy, the following need to be completed: the veranda deck, steps and handrails; a disabled ramp and handrails; some concreting of the access paths; completion of the path across the back of the church to the street; and the installation of disabled parking. In addition of course, there is an amount of fit out work before the meeting room and Pandora's can be used as intended. All this work will require sustained effort by the Building Committee, members of the Parish Council and on occasions by other parishioners who are able to help at special working bees. Our estimate at this stage is that it could take until early or mid October before we are in a position to meet the certificate of occupancy requirements and complete the fit out.
Pandora's has once again this year generously contributed $500 to each of the three mission projects adopted at the AGM in February. In addition Pandora's has again contributed $500 to the ABM project which supports the Women's and Children's Refuge in the Solomon Islands.
St. Philip's Kindergarten has been given Parish Council agreement to undertake some redevelopment work in the playground at the Kindergarten's expense. Subject to their funding, it will be a two to three year project. The Kindergarten continues to be an important and very collaborative partner of the parish.
July 2013
If all goes to plan next week, the Lamerton Centre will finally become a reality. The building is due to be installed on 16, 17 and 18 July. The car park will be closed over those three days.
We will then move into the next phase of the development. The Parish will be responsible for putting in place the decking for the veranda, for landscaping and arranging for the construction of a disabled ramp. Fit-out work will proceed over this time.
Once the key elements of this work have been completed, the certificate of occupancy can be issued. We expect to obtain occupancy sometime between the middle of August and the middle of September.
As soon as the new building is occupied, the final part of the redevelopment will proceed as quickly as possible. This entails the refurbishment of the current Pandora's space as dedicated storage for the Revd Robin Moore to support her work at the Northbourne Community Centre.
In line with the priorities set out in the 2013 Covenant, Parish Council has started work on a comprehensive review of the use of church facilities and the drawing up of a comprehensive policy framework. This will cover all existing facilities and the new Lamerton Centre. The review is expected to take some months to complete.
In accordance with the Diocesan Governance Ordinance, Parish Council has appointed Robin Shannon to the casual vacancy that has occurred on the Council until new elections at the next AGM.
June 2013
In its sesquicentenary year, the Diocese is making available anniversary copies of the New Testament. The Council has decided to purchase 200, which will replace the current pew bibles plus extras to give away.
An updated Parish Calendar to mid-2014 will be published in the next edition of The Grapevine due out in July.
The Council welcomed the early success of the newly formed St. Philip's Music Group under the leadership of Katie Cole.
Funding has been received from Anglicare to support Robin's work at the Northbourne Community Centre for the next 12 months.
There has been a delay in the building schedule for the Lamerton Centre. We have now received approval for our Amended Development Application. So work will resume this week (hopefully). Please continue to be careful around the building site.
The Parish Council has accepted a very generous offer from a parishioner of an interest-free loan of $70,000 for the Lamerton Centre Project and a loan document has been signed with the Diocesan Property Trust. This will save approximately $27,000 of interest which would have been payable if the loan had been secured commercially. The loan has been made on the basis of strict anonymity.
Parish Council is seeking nominations/expressions of interest to fill a vacancy on Parish Council, please talk to any Parish Councillor for further information.
May 2013
The 2013 Covenant between the Parish and Rebecca has now been signed by Bishop Stuart and a copy is on the notice board. The key priorities for the year are in line with discussion at the AGM in February and the theme of nurture. They are:
The Lamerton Centre project is now in full swing. The tree has been removed and the QE2 re-located thanks to a mighty effort by the SES on two training days organized by Ben. Next week a surveyor will peg out the site followed by site preparation. It is anticipated that the car park will be closed completely for site preparation work for up to three days later this week. The fencing is important in managing risks around the construction site. Please take care at all times in the area and report any safety issues to any member of Parish Council.
April 2013
The contract for the Lamerton Centre has now been signed. The current expectation is that the new building will be installed during the week of 27 May with a handover date of 4 June. Of course delays can occur.
Prior to the week of 27 May, there is a lot of pre-work to be done — some by the Parish and some by contractors. Post installation there will again be work by the Parish on the veranda deck and fit-out and by contractors for plumbing, electrical work, fitout and concreting.
There will be a number of working bees this month and again in June and July. The support of the Parish for this work is essential if it is to be carried out in the required timeframes.
The completed building then needs to be certified so occupancy will not be possible until the first half of July.
Over this period, there will be some disruption around the work area with zones fenced off and at times the car park will be closed. Prior notice will be given through the pewsheet and there will be close consultation with Pandora's, the Kindergarten and CAMRA.
When contractors are present, there will be on site supervision for project and risk management purposes by members of the Parish.
Using funds provided from last year's ACT Community Safety Grant, new security lighting has now been installed around the church.
March 2013
A draft 2013 covenant between Rebecca and the Parish was discussed and there will now be consultation with the Dinka congregation leadership before finalising the covenant and submitting it to the Bishop. The draft covenant is in line with the Parish vision for 2013, adopted by the AGM.
The new Council elected Ian Cousins as Chair, Shane Woodburn as Treasurer and Philippa Wicks as Secretary. Tim Gulliver was appointed Building and Maintenance Officer and Louise McKay was appointed Missions and Multicultural Officer. Diocesan guidelines for the implementation of the ACT Work Safety Act require parishes to appoint a Parish Safety Officer. The Council appointed Leighton Mann to fulfil this role.
Points of contact responsibilities have been allocated amongst the members of the new Parish Council and a revised note has been placed on the Noticeboard.
Helen Palethorpe has generously accepted again this year the role of Coordinator for the Twilight Fair supported by the Fair Committee. She will also coordinate the St. Philip's Autumn Fest to be held on 27 April and would welcome offers to be part of a small committee to assist in planning the event.
In a new development for our children's ministry, St Philip's Children's & Youth Music Group will begin in term 2 and meet on Sundays at 11.30am. It will be lead by Katie Cole, please see Rebecca for more information.
February 2013
At its meeting on 6 Feb, Parish Council considered the agenda and papers for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held after the 10am service on Sunday 24 February. After the normal business and elections, the AGM will have three important general business items:
It is hoped that as many parishioners as possible can remain for the important meeting.
The Cross-Cultural Family Program commenced in January under Andrea's leadership and with assistance from Rubin. The main activity days of the program are Tuesdays and Sundays utilising the church, the courtyard and, on Sundays, the Church Hall. As part of the safety requirements for this ministry, a temporary fence has been erected to secure the courtyard at the car park end. Once the new building is in place, a permanent fence will be installed.
A prayer table in keeping with the other church furniture has been ordered for the Prayer Corner and a brass cross will be mounted on the adjacent wall.
Parish Ordination gift; we will be giving Andrea an Alb for her ordination. If you would like to contribute to this gift a donation basket will be in the foyer for the next two Sundays.