We were able to hold Church Meeting in May as under the new rules we were quorate, and that there was not a great deal to discuss was hopefully indicative of an operation that is running smoothly. It is always nice to finish early, notwithstanding the wonderful company.
Much of what was discussed had to with encouraging new visitors to the Church, and one venture which will hopefully raise our profile amongst the local community is the new “Friends of Isleworth Congregational” project, more about which below. By contrast we learned of some new visitors who really needed to be discouraged, and sundry innovative schemes for humanely deterring the pigeons who would seem to have descended upon us en masse, and whose presence outside during events held in the Quiet Room can be quite vociferous, were considered.
Church finances were a concern too, although it was acknowledged that they had recently taken a hit due to a hefty bill for insurance. One possible means of bolstering resources would be by renting out the hall to outside groups, but although we are receiving regular enquiries we haven’t yet suggested ourselves to any suitable takers.
As always our thoughts and prayers are with those amongst our number who are unable to attend meetings or services due to incapacity, and we were given updates on their progress. It was a reminder that we are a community as well as a congregation, and that God is always with them even when, through no fault of their own, they cannot be with us.