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This year has brought many joys and blessings from God. Our congregation has been growing both in numbers and in commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The year opened with the celebration of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, on the last Day of Christmas Octave, 1 January, and a few days later with our first Epiphany Carol Service at which we blessed the incense, charcoal, and candles used in divine worship and the chalk used for home blessings. Both services were encouragingly well attended. Our preparation for the holy seasons of Lent and Easter started with the burning of palm crosses to make the ash used on Ash Wednesday. During Lent we reintroduced a regular service of Stations of the Cross, we were visited by Bishop Richard of Bedford, and we had the honour of hosting the Marie Curie's Day of Reflection in partnership with Houghton Regis Town Council. All Saints' out-of-date sound system was finally replaced thanks to parish fundraising and the contributions of Central Bedfordshire and Town councillors. The most important week of the Christian calendar, Holy Week, opened with the celebration of Palm Sunday. Over the course of the week we welcomed hundreds of people coming to celebrate the Passion, Death, and glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Fr Diego travelled to Walsingham for the Chrism Mass celebrated by Bishop Norman of Richborough, and Thomas Whitehead Academy attended Mass at All Saints' on Maundy Thursday. In April we celebrated High Mass for St George's Day for the fist time. Father Yenda from St Mary' Sundon deaconed the Mass and provided us with wonderful red vestments for the liturgy. At the end of Mass the people received a blessing with the relic of the Martyr. A group of pilgrims from All Saints' travelled to Walsingham for the National Pilgrimage in May and we held a special celebration of Corpus Christi, again with the invaluable help of Fr Yenda. The Mayor's Civic Service also took place in April at the Parish Church and it was really well attended and beautiful occasion, which this year also included a civic procession from All Saints' View to the church via the Memorial Path. Regular worship with Thomas Whitehead academy featured the celebration of Mass twice a term, weekly gatherings at All Saints', and the Blessing of a new Reflection Garden in July. Parish volunteers welcomed pupils from several schools who visited All Saints' to complement their local history and RE curricula. We have had also the great pleasure of working with Christian brothers and sisters from other denominations in the schools of our town. In October we welcomed Bishop Richard of Bedford to Houghton Regis for the second time this year! Bishop Richard administered the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation , commissioned our two Lay Leaders of Worship, and commissioned our Eucharistic Assistants - the youngest of whom is 14 years old! It was a particular pleasure to see so many individuals saying "Yes" to God and embracing vocations to the Christian life and to lay ministries. Remembrance Sunday was marked by the Solemn Requiem Mass at the Parish Church and the Act of Remembrance on The Green. The preacher at the Requiem was the Revd Tim Haines, the Baptist Minister for Bidwell West. The whole occasion was marvellously supported by the uniformed organisations of our Town. A new purple altar frontal and a purple lectern fall, made using upcycled fabric, were presented to All Saints' just in time for Advent. Advent and the first week of Christmas saw a record number of schools children, worshippers, and visitors through our doors for the various carols services, events, and celebrations we hosted. We welcomed the pupils from All Saints' Academy, and Revd Tim Davis, their Chaplain, for their Christmas services for the first time. We also introduced Joyful Voices a new, ecumenical carol service for the LGBTQ+ community of Bedfordshire and their friends. The Mayor's Carol Service, the Christmas Fayre, Carols by Candlelight, and Midnight Mass were very well attended indeed. 2024 has been a challenging year on many fronts: the loss of beloved members of our church family, vandalism in the churchyard, urgent repairs needed to the roof, and severe constraints on our parish finances (which continue to run a deficit of £30k year-on-year). But this year has also been a great year for growth and commitment to the faith, and for the renewal of our buildings, with new projects for the future beginning to take shape. For all these things, for all the graces, mercies, and blessings we have received from the Lord, let us always be thankful and sing his praises! For the tireless work of our our parish volunteers, let us be grateful and cherish their invaluable efforts!
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Our traditional service of Carols by Candlelight took place on Sunday 22 December, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Thanks you the efforts of our volunteers, All Saints' looked beautiful and ready to welcome so many worshippers from across the town. Our next Carol Service will be at the End of the Christmas Season, on Sunday 5 January; the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. On Saturday 14 December we held Houghton Regis Christmas Fayre at All Saints' Parish Church. The fayre was organised to run alongside the Christmas events planned by the Town Council at Houghton Regis Library. Hundreds of visitors came through our doors and the fayre was accompanied by handbell ringers, carolling from our choir, and music by our organist. We are very grateful to all our parish volunteers, members of PCC, and churchwardens for running such an engaging and fun event in the run up to Christmas. On Sunday 10 November we marked Remembrance Sunday with a Solemn Requiem for the fallen service personnel who lost their lives in the two World Wars and while on duty since then. The service was followed by the Act of Remembrance at the Memorial Stone. Father Diego, the Priest-in-Charge of Houghton Regis, celebrated the Mass, the Rev Tim Haines, from Bidwell West, preached, and members of Houghton Regis Youth Council led the intercessions and read the Roll of Honour. It was great to welcome the Deputy Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, the Vice-Chair of Central Bedfordshire Council, and our Town Mayor to the service, along with members of Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, a large number of Scouts, members of the Girl Guides and local volunteers associations. We are extremely grateful for the hard work of all who made the service and the parade to the Green possible, and especially so for Houghton Regis Town Council. On Sunday 27 October we welcomed Bishop Richard, Bishop of Bedford, to All Saints’ for a special service of Baptism and Confirmation. It was great to welcome new brothers and sisters into the family of the Church and encourage those taking the next step in the Christian journey though Confirmation and the reception of Holy Communion for the first time. At the same service Bishop Richard commissioned Eucharistic Assistants to help with the distribution of Holy Communion during Mass, and (if needed) to take the Blessed Sacrament to the sick. The bishop also commissioned two Lay Leader of Worship to help with the liturgical life of our parish. Our congregation is becoming very diverse, and this was reflected by the age and background of the candidates for both the sacraments and the lay ministries. We give thanks to God the Father for his continuing blessings and graces to our parish community and for constantly bringing more people to new life in His Son. Photos Copyright: All Saints Houghton Regis PCC This week we celebrated the first School Mass of the Autumn Term with Thomas Whitehead Academy. The value for the first half of term was Courage and in the readings we looked at God's instruction to Joshua to "Be Courageous" (Joshua 1:1-9) and Jesus' great commission to his disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). As is it our custom, the pupils led the readings and composed the intercessions. Parents and members of the congregation we also invited to attend the Mass. Photos Copyright: Thomas Whitehead Academy, used with permission.
This week we had the great pleasure of welcoming pupils form the Chiltern School to All Saints' for a visit. During their time the pupils learned from our volunteers about the history of the Parish Church and were able to explore the building in their own time. Fr Diego welcomed the group and encouraged to ask questions about All Saints', the church community, and parish life. The teacher leading the group provided this feedback: "Sincere thanks for our visit this week. I was surprised at how long we were able to stay and how engaged our young people were. Thank you too to Fr Diego for his time and his openness. That was very much appreciated. Hopefully we can visit again at some point." Photos Copyright: Chiltern School, used with permission. On Saturday 1 June we celebrated our Corpus Christi Festival at All Saints'. The High Mass was followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Father Diego, celebrant and preacher, was assisted by Father Yenda Smejkal, from St Mary’s Sundon, as deacon, and David Steele, our sacristan, as subdeacon. Blessed and praised be Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament! A reflection on key aspects of parish life by the Priest-in-charge of Houghton Regis, Father Diego Galanzino. As we receive the audited parish accounts and various reports about parish activities, the Annual Meeting gives us the opportunity for looking back at 2023, and to give thanks to God for his blessings, graces, and generosity towards us. As we do this, the first thing I would like to say is a big “thank you” to our churchwardens, members of the PCC, and volunteers for all their work and contributions to the life of our community and the ministry from our churches. I am also very grateful to all our supporters and benefactors who enable the ministry of All Saints’ to continue through their generosity. 2023 – Looking back Last year saw the conclusion of our biggest restoration project to date. This started in 2016 with a grant application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The first phase of the project concluded in 2019 with the expenditure of £250,000 on the outer fabric of All Saints’, but because of monetary constraints we had to postpone some of the works. It was only last year that we were able to tackle the remaining works (a complete overhaul of the drainage system for rain and surface water) with an expenditure of approximately £35,000 raised with the financial support of Beds and Hearts Historic Churches Trust, the National Churches Trust, and the Benefact Trust. A small grant from the Diocese (£500) allowed us to purchase new pavement signs for All Saints’ and to set up a children’s area with soft toys, a colourful tent, a picnic table, and Bible story books. This has proved a welcome addition to the space. A similar grant, yet to be spent, will enable us to improve our hospitality equipment at St Thomas’. We finally reordered the sanctuary, introducing steps to the high altar and the Preston Triptych in memory of Father Colin Gay. These works were carried out entirely through the contribution of members of the congregation. 2023 has also been the year when we started to pick up signs of consistent growth since the pandemic. Our congregation is growing and growing more diverse under many respects (age, nationality, ethnic and social backgrounds). This was noticed also by Bishop Richard during his last visit to us. The details of events, services, and attendance can be found in the report of the PCC. But, I hope you can see that here we have a few points already for which to be thankful to God who is good and faithful. 2024 – How are we doing now? This meeting gives us the opportunity to make the point of our situation in 2024 and to highlight both the challenges we are facing and the projects we need to work on next. Diversity: As I have said many times before, we are the Church of England, we are here for everyone in the parish of Houghton Regis regardless of their social background, walk of life, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, etc… Indeed, our distinct Anglo-Catholic tradition should inspire us in our work of welcome: no resident of our parish is outside our spiritual care. So, I am delighted to see that, as our congregation grows numerically, we are welcoming a number of people who are not necessarily cradle Anglicans or “churched” but feel comfortable in worshipping with us and becoming part of our church family. As great as this is, I would like to sound the faintest of alarm bells so that we are not going to hinder what God is doing here… Let me take an analogy from daily life. People from wildly different backgrounds and walks of life use the same supermarket, but if you gathered all these in one place, they would not necessarily identify themselves as a community: the “Morrisons community”, for example. No; it is more likely that they would identify themselves as completely independent people who happen to use the same services because of geographical convenience or good marketing. We cannot risk All Saints’ to mirror this. So, although we are overall very good at making people welcome here, we must work also to include, connect with, befriend, encourage, and genuinely care for everyone with the aim of building up the one body that is the Church; both a community and a place where diversity is valued and respected as an integral part of our shared life in Christ. At the end of the day, it is the Lord himself who said, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7). Events for welcomers, stewards, and sidesmen will be offered later in the year to help focus our attention on this. Discipleship: We run a weekly bible study, the Gospel Reading Group, which examines the set gospel text for the coming Sunday. However, we ought to increase our discipleship and learning schedule to appeal to those who work and those outside our church community. For this we must identify suitable times and volunteers who would both help with the running of the events and by just being there as a critical number. Volunteering: As I expressed in my opening remarks, the work of the parish could not be done without the invaluable help of our volunteers. So, I would like to offer a couple of remarks about this subject. First, we should be encouraging as many people as possible to volunteer. There are a variety of things people can do, from being involved in the liturgy or the PCC, to simply keeping the church open for visitors or help with the cleaning. Secondly, I must ask current volunteers to be affirming, generous, and gracious towards one-another and towards newcomers, fostering collaboration and giving confidence to new people in coming forward. Financial Situation: Financially speaking, the Parish of Houghton Regis, is not in a good place. You may have noticed that the projects listed earlier rarely mention actual expenditure from our part. This is because we can only afford the essentials. The current accounts for All Saints’ and for St Thomas’ are not worth mentioning here (details are presented in the audited accounts) because they work hand to mouth. Indeed, this year Kirsty has had to borrow money from the restoration fund to make ends meet and honour our monthly financial commitments. Our reserves are very small. All Saints’ has between £8,000 and £10,000 to its name in the Restoration Account (that is pending VAT returns); we have just under £12,000 in investments (CCLA) from the old Christ Church funds which can only be spent for the reordering of the church (that is, to enhance the liturgical space. For example, relocating the font); and St Thomas’ has about £14,000 in investments (CCLA) kept for its own fabric, which is also ageing. The main financial pressures for our parish are twofold. First, we have our contribution towards Common Fund (or Parish Share) to the Diocese of St Albans. This Fund enables essential support for parishes (for example, Safeguarding support and training) and ministry in the wider Church, paying and housing stipendiary clergy, training of priests and lay ministers, and (crucially for us) supporting less well-off parishes. There are two conflicting arguments on how much our parish should be paying. On one hand, the current demand is too much of an ask for an area marked by high levels of deprivation. On the other hand, a parish of this size should be contributing in the region of £60,00 to £80,000 per year. The diocesan demand to us is currently in the region of £50,000 per year, but perhaps we could bear in mind a target of £65,000. However that may be, in 2023 we paid £19,400 and this year £4,500 to date. Consequently, each year we gain fresh arrears and, although these are not enforceable like debts because the Parish Share is a contribution not a tax, we are technically in the red with the Diocese of well over £100,000. The second financial pressure is represented by utility bills and insurance. In 2023 we paid £16,023.49 between gas and electricity (about £12,000 of which were on All Saints’), and about £6,000 in insurance. In the year to date, we have paid £5,882.54 (about £4,000 of which were on All Saints’). As you can see, the combined amount of these bills for 2023 is more than our Common Fund contribution. Let me reassure you that we are very careful stewards of the donations we receive from people. We are making savings in every possible area, people entitled to the refund of expenses are not submitting claims, we are only buying flowers for three or four times a year, and a number of volunteers are consistently purchasing consumables (for the liturgy, coffee mornings, and the office) willingly out of their own pockets. I have encountered serious misgivings about our finances. Many people believe that we have lots of money. This was not helped by the development of Linmere, which was advertised as “Brought to you by the Diocese of St Albans” and other two companies. Yes, there was a sizeable amount glebe land in the parish, once used to provide a living for the Vicar, but this was transferred to the Diocese by law decades ago. The glebe now generates an income for the Diocese as a whole and not for the parish. Similarly, the Diocese made over £600,000 in the sale of the Vicarage and only a small part of these funds has been used to update and refurbish the Clergy House (and only after cashing in seven years of rent anyway). None of this money benefits the Parish of Houghton Regis. Although what is happening here is also happening in countless other parishes across England, I feel and completely understand the frustration of parishioners with this situation. A parish which only fifteen years ago had two priests, two houses for them, two retired clergy, and 20,000 people, is now left with higher bills, one priest, one house, no assets, and a forecasted population of 35,000 which we must reach out and minister to (creatively, as they say). With what resources? Linmere: This leads me to talk about the new expansions of our town. For years the Diocese and the PCC have been in a deadlock about the way forward in bringing a Christian presence to Linmere. Fundamentally, the disagreement is about resourcing. Why is the Diocese prepared to resource something from scratch, but not to equip the existing parish for the work of ministry – even though it is making substantial gains from glebe land and sale of the vicarage (see above)? But there have been other questions too, especially concerning the future relationship between the Parish of Houghton Regis and a New Worshipping Community. Would this project be wholly independent from All Saints’? Would it endorse a markedly different tradition? Last year the PCC met with Bishop Richard and two other Diocesan officers for a meeting on this subject which turned out to be very frustrating for all parties involved. Indeed, PCC members quickly understood that all the options on the table had been precluded to them apart from the one favoured by the Diocese. However, out of this frustration and a frank exchange of opinions came something new… maybe. I have recently met with the Director of Mission for the Diocese and the Deputy to work on a revised plan which would see the Parish of Houghton Regis and a New Worshipping Community working “in understanding” with one another and valuing each other’s charisms. I understand that parishioners want to see a fail-safe or an independent mediation mechanism to be introduced in this agreement, should relationship between the two community or with the Diocese deteriorate. The Diocese would purchase a property on Linmere and employ a pioneer minister (probably a lay minister) to start the New Worshipping Community. This plan has similarities with what happened on Parkside in the 70s which then led to the construction of St Thomas’. However, the clear difference is that the new project would necessarily be non-sacramental in its focus, leading to question who would be responsible for the pastoral offices (Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals) on the new estate? And what emphasis (or lack thereof) would there be on the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments? And as part of this, the Diocese would help the PCC in securing a grant from the Church Commissioners for a suitable three-year mission project identified by the parish. This is great news, but “help in securing a grant” from a third party is not the same as “the parish would receive a grant” as we know all too well from our restoration projects. There are also open questions about the sustainability of such a Community, its worshipping space, and what sense of belonging it would be able to instil. There are very few local examples where this type of initiative continue to be successful in the long run. To this, I would also add a slightly pedantic observation about the economic impact on Common Fund. Given that the New Worshipping Community would minister in an area of the town which is going to be broadly richer than the rest, they would be able to potentially receive more money in donations pro capita, while we would continue to minister to areas marked by high levels of deprivation. Furthermore, the New Worshipping Community will not be burdened with Common Fund for a number of years or with the care of any building, while we will continue to have to balance the books with Parish Share, bills, and restoration projects. I do not think this is either fair or wise. Fabric of All Saints’ Sound System - A new sound system has been installed just last month. As people pointed out over the years, our previous set-up was not adequate. However, it did take a lot of money to get here, and consequently a lot of time spent in fundraising and securing grants. The new system has been paid through the restoration account (i.e. parish fundraising), but we would have not been able to afford it without the substantial contributions of a few Central Bedfordshire Councillors who donated through their discretionary funds (and one of them out of their own pockets too!), the Benefact Trust, and a member of the congregation who wishes to remain anonymous. Moving forwards, this year the PCC will need to consider the following projects. Toilets: We are aiming to completely refurbish the toilet at All Saints’ making it accessible to wheelchair users and those using walking aids (though the disabled facilities at St Thomas’ also would benefit from a complete refit). Celia and Kirsty are already working on possible grants. Although we cannot do substantial alteration to the fabric easily, because of the nature of our treasured medieval building, we must do our best to make sure we provide good facilities that are accessible and useful to everyone visiting the church. All Saints’ may be legally exempt from certain accessibility requirements, but that does not mean that we should overlook our duties of welcome, hospitality, and care. Solar Panels and Heat Pump: The staggeringly high utility bills (see below) demand that we explore the possibility of installing solar panels on the church roof and a heat pump to replace the current gas boiler. Of course, doing so would also reduce quite heavily our carbon footprint. There are local examples, such as the Priory Church of St Peter, Dunstable, where solar panels have recently been installed on a Grade I listed building. Furthermore, our architect has worked on projects that included the introduction of heat pumps in ancient buildings. These two projects cannot be seen in competition with one another, and the PCC will have to endeavour to work on both of this. Relocation of the Font: We have been talking for a few years about the possibility of relocating the font to the crossing (between the Wardens’ pew-fronts), and we have received both guidance and positive comments about the project from the DAC. The move would enhance greatly the celebration of baptisms and better display the font for visitors, while also highlighting the artistic value of the Norman font. The money for this project would come from the Christ Church funds (see below), not from parish fundraising. On Tuesday 23 April we gathered at All Saints’ to celebrate Saint George, the patron saint of England with High Mass. Father Diego, celebrant and preacher, was assisted by Father Yenda Smejkal, from St Mary’s Sundon, as deacon, and David Steele, our sacristan, as subdeacon. The Mass was offered for the benefit of Houghton Regis Town Councillors, the councillors for Dunstable North, and for all those in position of public trust called to lead and represent our local community. It was a great pleasure to welcome our Town Mayor, Cllr Jimmy Carroll, to the Mass along with other councillors. After Mass people were invited to receive a blessing with the relic of St George. This was the first time in very many years that we celebrated a High Mass at the Parish Church, and we are very grateful to Fr Yeanda for the guidance in the liturgy. |
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