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 2019
Due to the continuing dryness Parish Council has decided that we will again this summer need a watering roster for the garden. A roster form is on the foyer noticeboard if you are able to help.
Parish Council is continuing to explore solutions for the future which will obviate the need for a roster of this type. Some work has been done on the gardens this year. The perimeter gardens were mulched in spring. A plan to install more concrete sleepers to help prevent water run-off from the perimeter gardens fell through as the contractor was not able to source assistance. We hope this work can be completed in the first half of next year.
Pandora’s will be closed from 1pm on Saturday 14 December and will re-open on Friday10 January 2020.
This year’s Carol Service will be held at 7.30pm on Sunday 15 December. It will be followed by supper. Please bring a plate to share.
Christmas services will follow the pattern of previous years. On Christmas Eve there will be a 5pm Children's Service, Carol Singing at 11pm and an 11.30pm Sung Eucharist. On Christmas Day Holy Communion will be at 9am.
The 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 11.15am on Sunday 23 February. Reports for the AGM should be submitted to Rev’d Martin no later than Sunday 2 February 2020.
Parishioners wishing to, or thinking of, serving on the Parish Council for 2020, or serving as Synod representatives, should talk to Rev’d Martin well before the AGM.
Parishioners are reminded that voluntary parish roles (such as Pewsheet preparation, flowers, Parish Office) are renewed after each AGM. If any parishioners would like to take on a voluntary role in 2020 or are thinking about doing so, please talk to Rev’d Martin or any Parish Councillor.
Our annual Market Day and Pandora’s Winter Launch will be held from 9am to 1pm on Saturday 14 March 2020.
November 2019
We will start the Advent season with the “Thank You” Happy Hour at 5pm on Saturday 30 November and the Advent Dinner in the courtyard at 6.30 pm - followed on Sunday 1 December by the 8am service and the Family Service at 10am. The Happy Hour and Advent Dinner are always a wonderful celebration of our parish community. Please come and join us.
There will be a Working Bee on Saturday 16 November from 9-11am to ready the church and garden for the Advent season. If you are able to make available even a small amount of time, this would be appreciated and can make a difference in spreading the load.
As advised previously Parish Council has been working on a Privacy Policy building on the development last year of the new Parish Directory and Permissions form. The finalised policy will be on the foyer noticeboard and on the website from Sunday 17 November.
Canberra Opera will hire the church on 6 December from 5.30 to 9.30pm. Their performance will begin at 6.30 pm. All welcome.
The Rectory garage guttering and the guttering on the Studio have had to be replaced due to wear and tear over time. The deck surrounds on the Lamerton Centre and the external front wall of the Studio have suffered from sun and weather damage. They will be repainted in the next few weeks leading up to Advent.
October 2019
Rev. Martin reported to Parish Council on the Goulburn Synod.
This year’s “Spring Fling” was a great community event. Parish Council would like to thank the whole Parish for its support in making the “Spring Fling” such a success.
Parish Council has been working on a Privacy Policy building on the development last year of the new Parish Directory and Permissions form. It will enable the Parish to be compliant with our responsibilities under the Privacy Act 1988. The policy will be available shortly and placed on the website.
October is our International Mission Month. The international mission project for 2019 is the ABM Gender and Governance Project in Zambia. Envelopes for donations are available in the foyer. Please give generously.
On 16 October Bunnings will install a frog pond in the triangular garden in front of the Kindergarten off Moorehouse St. The Kindergarten has arranged the free installation with the support of Parish Council. The Bunnings program, in partnership with the Australian Museum, provides the ponds to schools as a teaching resource to track frogs and raise awareness of the importance of frogs to our environment. The pond will have a mesh covering for risk management purposes.
There will be a Working Bee on Saturday 12 October from 9-11am for a general clean-up to prepare the church and grounds in preparation for the Bishop’s visit on Sunday 20 October for the confirmation service.
September 2019
The Diocesan Synod is taking place in Goulburn from 6 to 8 September. The Parish is represented by Martin, Robin Moore, Brian McKinlay and Ashton Robinson. In its mid-year review of the budget, Parish Council noted that giving was slightly up and expenditure slightly below the budgeted level for this point of the year. This is pleasing and it means that the planned deficit in the 2019 operating budget of $24,868 is likely on current projections to be a few thousand dollars less by the end of the year. Nevertheless it is clear that the budget for operating the Parish remains under some strain and dwindling Parish operating funds accumulated over recent years will need to be drawn on again to cover the deficit. This situation underlines the importance of a successful Spring Fling as well as regular giving which is the single biggest element of our income to meet the stipend and operating costs. Parish Council will continue to manage the budget carefully and look for expenditure savings wherever possible. The Council is continuing to develop ideas for reducing energy costs. This year’s “Spring Fling” is only a week away - from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 14 September. The “Spring Fling” is our major annual fundraising and community outreach event. If you haven’t got a job yet or have any questions, please speak to Leighton, Susan or Revd Martin. There will be a special lamington morning tea after the 10am service on 22 September to celebrate five years of the wonderful and much-used facility we have in the Lamerton Centre. Please bring along something to share. There will also be a viewing of the film “The Lamerton Centre Story”.August 2019
August is our National Mission Month. The national mission project for 2019 is the ABM project “Assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth”. It is a very worthwhile project and continues St. Philips’ ongoing support for reconciliation. Envelopes for donations are in the foyer. Donations can be placed in the giving bag or in the basket at the back of the church.This year’s “Spring Fling” will be held from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 14 September. The “Spring Fling” is our major annual fundraising and outreach event. Information on the various stalls is now available for parishioners to indicate how they would like to contribute. If you have any questions, please speak to Leighton, Susan or Revd Martin.
Two Working Bees will be held over the coming months: one on Saturday 31 August to tidy the grounds for the “Spring Fling” and the other on Saturday 12 October (both from 9am – 11am) to prepare the church and grounds prior to the visit of the Bishop for the Confirmation Service. Whatever time you can make available will be very much appreciated and will help spread the load.
Some key dates coming up to bear in mind:
o The Spring Fling Saturday 14 September
o Special morning tea after 10am service on 22 September to celebrate five years of the Lamerton Centre (please bring some food to share)
o Confirmation Service at 10am on Sunday 20 October with Bishop Mark, followed by special Morning Tea. Please bring some food to share.
July 2019
A Confirmation Service will be held at 10am on Sunday 20 October. Bishop Mark will preside. The service will be followed by a special morning tea.
As part of the development of sustainable stewardship for the Parish, Parish Council is taking advantage of an ACT Government offer to businesses and community groups to provide an assessment of their energy efficiency. The Council continues to invite you to provide your ideas and thoughts on caring for our buildings and grounds and the management of water and energy and is grateful for the contributions received so far.
On maintenance, the final piece of landscaping in the front yard of the Rectory has been completed. The small fridge in the Lamerton Centre has been replaced. Thank you to Leighton for sourcing and organising the new fridge as well as for replacing a faulty sink tap. Parish Council is also grateful for Pandora’s contribution towards the cost of the new fridge.
The month of August will be our national mission month in support of an ABM project “Assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth”.
This year’s “Spring Fling” will be held from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 14 September. The “Spring Fling” is our major annual fundraising and outreach event. Please start thinking about how you can contribute. If you have any questions, please speak to Leighton, Susan or Martin.
June 2019
As mentioned in the Key Points from its May meeting, Parish Council is continuing to progress the idea of a Sustainable Stewardship Plan as part of a Three Year Parish Plan. The Council invites you to provide your ideas and thoughts on caring for our buildings and grounds and on the management of water and energy.
June is our local mission month and the local mission project for 2019 and 2020 is Companion House in Belconnen which assists refugees and survivors of torture and trauma. Please support this worthy cause.
The Parish still collects stamps for ABM. Please place them in the stamp letterbox in the foyer.
On maintenance: the broken concrete in the entrance path to the church has been replaced; new steps have been installed at the pulpit door to address the risks presented by the old narrow steps; and a final piece of landscaping in the front yard of the Rectory is underway.
The fridge in the Lamerton Centre has failed again and will be replaced as soon as possible.
The end of autumn Working Bee will be held on Saturday 22 June from 9-11am. Please come and help if you can.
May 2019
A 2019 Governance Notice has been placed on the noticeboard setting out the points of contact/liaison responsibilities of Parish Councillors for particular aspects of Parish life. These designations are intended to facilitate contact if you have a matter which you wish to raise with Parish Council.
As discussed at the AGM, Parish Council are looking to develop a Sustainable Stewardship Package with the four spokes of buildings and grounds, water and energy management. Any ideas or suggestions parishioners have towards our approach to this package would be gratefully received by email to comeandsee@stphilipsoconnor.org.au or through discussion with any of our parish council members.
There will be an end of autumn Working Bee held on Saturday 22 June from 9-11am.
April 2019
Parish Council is very grateful for the parishioners who have taken on, or who will to continue to serve in, valuable parish roles until the next AGM in 2020.
Parish Council is also very grateful for the many parishioners who volunteered to be part of the summer watering program for the gardens. Parish Council will be discussing what solutions there might be for next and subsequent summers given the drying of the climate.
We will focus on the Mission projects agreed at the AGM at the following points during the year - our local mission “Companion House”, Canberra in June; our national mission “ABM project: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Engagement” in August and our international mission “ABM project: Gender and Governance in Zambia” in October. Cliff Lloyd is the missions coordinator on Parish Council.
This year’s Spring Fling will be held on Saturday 14 September. This event is our major fundraising and community outreach event of the year. Please put the date in your diaries.
On maintenance, all broken windows on the lower level of both sides of the church have now been replaced; the leaking sink in the disabled toilet has been fixed and the liquidambar in the Rectory garden has been pruned.
The time has come to check your entry for the upcoming 2019 Parish Directory. Sheets with details are available until the end of April and may be found at the rear of the church. Please check your entry and amend if necessary and, if you know of someone who is no longer coming to St Philip’s, please advise the Rector or a Parish Councilor.
March 2019
The new Council elected Ian Cousins as Chair, Shane Woodburn as Treasurer and Rebecca Palethorpe as Secretary. Points of contact responsibilities have been allocated amongst the new Council members and a revised note will be placed on the Noticeboard.
There is an annual survey of the membership of parish subgroups: the Liturgy Committee, Pandora's Management Committee, Food & Events @ St Philips and the Children & Youth Ministry Support Group. Parishioners wishing to serve, or to continue to serve, on any of these committees between now and the 2020 AGM should make their interest known to Rev’d Martin, a Warden or any other Parish Councillor.
The Parish Council also conducts an annual survey of the valuable roles performed for the Parish by various individuals, such as Youth Group Coordinators, Parish Office, Pewsheet, Website, Parish Calendar, Banking, Rosters Coordinator, Linen & Flowers Coordinator. Parishioners wishing to serve in any of these roles, or to continue to serve, in any of these roles between now and the 2020 AGM should make their interest known to Rev’d Martin, a Warden or any other Parish Councillor.
Key priorities for Rev’d Martin and the Council this year, in addition to the normal running of the Parish, pastoral care and stewardship, will be: the Youth and Family ministry, the Aged Care ministry at Kankinya and Morsehead Village in Lyneham. On maintenance, rectifying persistent leaks in the Kindergarten roof remains a priority.
Key dates to keep in mind are: Market Day 23 March; Pre-Easter Working Bee 30 March; Easter Celebration Breakfast from 8- 9.30am on 21 April. St. Philip’s Day will be celebrated on 5 May. A date for the “Spring Fling” will be decided at the April Parish Council meeting.
February 2019
Key Points from February Parish Council MeetingAt its meeting on 6 February, the Parish Council considered the agenda and papers for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held at 11.15am sharp on Sunday 24 February.
In addition to Parish Council elections, there are two vacancies for Synod alternates for 2019.
After the normal business and elections, the AGM will have two general business items: Carola Parke Bequest and Missions Program Review for 2019 and 2020
Parishioners are reminded that voluntary parish roles are renewed after each AGM. If any parishioners would like to take on a voluntary role in 2019 or are thinking about doing so, please talk to Rev’d Martin or any Parish Councillor.
The St Philips Autumn Market will be held on Saturday 23 March from 9am to 1pm.
There will be a pre-Easter Working Bee for the church and garden on Saturday 30 March from 9-11am.