Newsletter
June 2004
News
News and
Views The new committee members
Conwy 8-12 April Easy & Hard
News and
Views Events
Report At
the AGM, I was able to say a few words about the 6 large, 28 weekend, 12
bank holiday and 8 week long events held in 2002. This is a summary of my
report. The number of events was up 35% compared with 2001 (but that year
the countryside was affected by Foot & Mouth). This amounted to about
3000 bed nights in hostels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and a camping
barn. Excluding large events, the attendance averaged 14 people. Average
attendance at large events dropped by 25% compared with 2001, to 57. In the
year, 463 people attended events out of a total membership of about 600.
The events were roughly evenly spread throughout the The
chart indicates the number of people attending events. Of the 42 or so
leaders, one person led 4 events and 3 people led 3 events. It was my aim
that no one leads more than one event each year. To help meet this goal,
the committee organised an event leaders training weekend, but attendance
was lower than we hoped. We plan to have more training weekends in 2003 and
would encourage anyone who feels as if they have a calling to lead for the
club to come and brush up or develop their skills. At
some events the number of day visitors was significant, one having 26 and
another having 19. These large numbers can seriously upset group dynamics.
Anyone wishing to attend an event for the day should contact the event
leader beforehand. Two
events worthy of special note, as I know they were firsts for the club,
were the Orkney and the Music & Arts events; both very successful.
Finally may I thank everyone who has helped in the leading of events and
walks throughout 2002. I think it
was a good year for the club! Duncan
Parsons Events
Report At
the AGM, I was able to say a few words about the 6 large, 28 weekend, 12
bank holiday and 8 week long events held in 2002. This is a summary of my
report. The number of events was up 35% compared with 2001 (but that year
the countryside was affected by Foot & Mouth). This amounted to about
3000 bed nights in hostels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and a camping
barn. Excluding large events, the attendance averaged 14 people. Average
attendance at large events dropped by 25% compared with 2001, to 57. In the
year, 463 people attended events out of a total membership of about 600.
The events were roughly evenly spread throughout the The
chart indicates the number of people attending events. Of the 42 or so
leaders, one person led 4 events and 3 people led 3 events. It was my aim
that no one leads more than one event each year. To help meet this goal,
the committee organised an event leaders training weekend, but attendance
was lower than we hoped. We plan to have more training weekends in 2003 and
would encourage anyone who feels as if they have a calling to lead for the
club to come and brush up or develop their skills. At
some events the number of day visitors was significant, one having 26 and
another having 19. These large numbers can seriously upset group dynamics.
Anyone wishing to attend an event for the day should contact the event
leader beforehand. Two
events worthy of special note, as I know they were firsts for the club,
were the Orkney and the Music & Arts events; both very successful.
Finally may I thank everyone who has helped in the leading of events and
walks throughout 2002. I think it
was a good year for the club! Duncan
Parsons Each year the club gives a tenth of the
subscription income to support Christian work, this year it has been split
three ways and we have asked the involved individuals to tell us a little
bit about their work and organisations.
If you have suggestions for recipients of next year’s tithe
please tell Geoff Payne or Julie Excell so they can be considered at a
future committee meeting. I have now
spent almost 3 years in The Barnabas Fund is a registered
charity established in 1993 to serve the suffering church, make their needs
know to Christians around the world, and to encourage others to pray. It
provides practical help to strengthen and encourage the local Church in
many different ways and aid is channelled to projects run by national
Christians in more than 40 countries. Part of the Club’s tithe will
be going to a project in Iraq where the Fund has supported the Christian
community for many years – about £15 will provide a family with a
food parcel for a month (money goes a lot further in many of these
countries). Unfortunately there has
been some casualties as a result of the war, but to date thankfully the
Fund has had no reports of a backlash against the Christian minority, who
could be assumed to be siding with the ‘Christian’ west, please
pray for continued protection. The Barnabas
Fund can be contacted at - The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wilts,
SN9 5DB, telephone 01672 564938, website www.barnabasfund.org . Viva Network is a global movement of
Christians concerned for ‘children at risk’. Thousands of
organisations, projects and individuals are connected to Viva Network at
the local, regional and international levels, through more than 65
networking initiatives in over 45 countries. Each is self-governing but
linked to Viva Network through association and affiliation. There are four centres around the world
based in Improve
the quality of care for children, increase action on behalf of children,
influence decision-makers in promoting justice for children, and support the
development of networks Do please support Viva Network by: Praying for
the work and staff of the organisation, and ‘children at risk’
around the world Giving -
consider Viva Network when reviewing your charitable giving Being informed - look us up on www.viva.org or ask me for more information
on cstewart@viva.org Events
Report At
the AGM, I was able to say a few words about the 6 large, 28 weekend, 12
bank holiday and 8 week long events held in 2002. This is a summary of my
report. The number of events was up 35% compared with 2001 (but that year
the countryside was affected by Foot & Mouth). This amounted to about
3000 bed nights in hostels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and a camping
barn. Excluding large events, the attendance averaged 14 people. Average
attendance at large events dropped by 25% compared with 2001, to 57. In the
year, 463 people attended events out of a total membership of about 600.
The events were roughly evenly spread throughout the The
chart indicates the number of people attending events. Of the 42 or so
leaders, one person led 4 events and 3 people led 3 events. It was my aim
that no one leads more than one event each year. To help meet this goal,
the committee organised an event leaders training weekend, but attendance
was lower than we hoped. We plan to have more training weekends in 2003 and
would encourage anyone who feels as if they have a calling to lead for the
club to come and brush up or develop their skills. At
some events the number of day visitors was significant, one having 26 and
another having 19. These large numbers can seriously upset group dynamics.
Anyone wishing to attend an event for the day should contact the event
leader beforehand. Two
events worthy of special note, as I know they were firsts for the club,
were the Orkney and the Music & Arts events; both very successful.
Finally may I thank everyone who has helped in the leading of events and
walks throughout 2002. I think it
was a good year for the club! Duncan
Parsons Events
Report At
the AGM, I was able to say a few words about the 6 large, 28 weekend, 12
bank holiday and 8 week long events held in 2002. This is a summary of my
report. The number of events was up 35% compared with 2001 (but that year
the countryside was affected by Foot & Mouth). This amounted to about
3000 bed nights in hostels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and a camping barn.
Excluding large events, the attendance averaged 14 people. Average
attendance at large events dropped by 25% compared with 2001, to 57. In the
year, 463 people attended events out of a total membership of about 600.
The events were roughly evenly spread throughout the The
chart indicates the number of people attending events. Of the 42 or so
leaders, one person led 4 events and 3 people led 3 events. It was my aim
that no one leads more than one event each year. To help meet this goal,
the committee organised an event leaders training weekend, but attendance
was lower than we hoped. We plan to have more training weekends in 2003 and
would encourage anyone who feels as if they have a calling to lead for the club
to come and brush up or develop their skills. At
some events the number of day visitors was significant, one having 26 and
another having 19. These large numbers can seriously upset group dynamics.
Anyone wishing to attend an event for the day should contact the event
leader beforehand. Two
events worthy of special note, as I know they were firsts for the club,
were the Orkney and the Music & Arts events; both very successful.
Finally may I thank everyone who has helped in the leading of events and
walks throughout 2002. I think it
was a good year for the club! Duncan
Parsons The new committee members
The Tithe
WEC International
The small team of which I am a member is based just south of
I will shortly be moving on from Faches Thumesnil to spend the final year
of my MAP programme in
Catherine HabgoodThe Barnabas Fund
Roger Philpott
One in five of the
world’s population is a child at risk – at risk from poverty,
neglect, exploitation, street life, HIV/AIDS and war. That makes a total of
1.2 billion children. Charlotte Stewart
Conwy 8-12 April Easy & Hard
Alison
Edwards - Chairman
Wow! One week I'm a humble, long standing
member of CRC, appreciating all the good things about the club, and the next
week I'm the chairperson! I'm in the job and delighted to serve and support the
club, and individuals within it, in this way. I'm a Southerner! I was born
and brought up in Surrey, taught in Essex for many years, and now live in
My love for the Lord and my love of mountain
walking were both born in me at about the same time. I came to faith as a
teenager in a Girl's Crusader class, and it was at a Crusader camp that I
climbed my first mountain -
Brother, Sister, let me serve you,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to,
Let you be my servant too.
Stephen
Bennett - Resources Officer
I was born and bred in
I heard
of the CRC through a friend and joined in 1998; my first event was at Eyam and
my most memorable experience was getting stuck in a bog on Kinder Scout. I also walk with the
Jeremy
Sharp - Treasurer
I was brought up as a Roman
Catholic but switched to an Anglican church after I made a commitment at
university, and I am now actively involved in my local C of E
church. My parents are keen walkers and I have been hill walking
since I was a child. My first event with CRC was in 1994, and I sometimes
lead walks at the bigger events, but this is my first taste of the committee.
AGM
Reports
Chairman’s
Comments
Julie reported that it was a year of change,
reflected in the falling popularity of some events and the busyness of life.
She thanked Valerie Breeze and June Rose who worked alongside Valerie for
producing a varied programme that reflected these changing patterns.
There also seems to be a slight downward
trend in the number of renewals, enquirers and members over the year, in that
by the end of 2003 we had 625 members compared to 650 by the end of 2002.
However the number of those who found the club by word of mouth or the website
has increased from 35% to 56%. Our webweaver, Diane Kingston would like to
retire from this work and so a new worker is needed who has skills in this area
and could maintain the site. Julie thanked Diane for all her work over the
years.
One of the club’s ways of witnessing
to the hostels is to place a Christian book on the bookshelves hoping that the
hostel worker’s or visitors may pick it up and read a simple but clear
message. The club placed 68 books of various titles over the year. Julie
thanked Roger Philpott for his help in this matter and asked if anyone knew of
suitable books to inform the committee.
Ann Arnold was appreciated for her
production of a interesting and varied newsletter. Julie apologised that the printing
company had not always done justice to her work. Julie reported that another
company was now going to be used.
Julie also thanked the event and walk
leaders and the membership for all their support over the years and hoped that
they would continue to support the new committee.
Julie
Excell
Programme Co-ordinator’s report
Statistics from the 2003 event report forms
were presented at the AGM, and the following observations were made:
Total bed nights - 3489
People attending events - 410
212 members attended one event
and 4 members attended 10 events
There has been a decline in
numbers at large events, especially the barn dance and bonfire events
Week long events have been
popular
MH graded events were best
attended
Events in the Lake District and
the South West had the highest attendances excluding large events
Island events have proved very
popular
An explanation of the process involved in
producing the programme was given.
Looking ahead the following points were
made:
All walk details will be given in
both kilometres and metres as well as miles and feet; a ready reckoner is
available from the co-ordinator (on receipt of a SAE)
2005 will see our 1000th event
2006 will be our 25 year
Requests were made for experienced leaders
to provide back up on events led by new leaders. Thanks were given to Margaret Machin, June
Rose, Geoff Payne and all event leaders.
Following the report one point was made -
leaders should not be afraid to say NO to both day walkers and late bookers in
order to keep numbers manageable.
Val
Breeze
Any other business
It was raised under any other business that
there seems to be some confusion regarding YHA membership and the Club. If a
booking is made with the Club i.e. before the six week deadline, then there is no need to be a YHA member as you are covered by the
group membership. However, should you wish to visit a hostel outside of this
i.e. en-route or if you are booking after the six week deadline - you do need
to be a member of the YHA. In order to remove the confusion,
the committee recommends that unless folk honestly only attend once a year, or are trying out the Club everyone is a YHA
member.
CRC Finances
For the first time in many years CRC made a
serious financial loss in the year 2003. The deficit was largely due to several
events (in particular the Barn Dance) that were less well attended than
anticipated. We also had a large increase in printing expenses, as we are no
longer able to use the university printer in
In summary, total income was £35,271 and
total expenditure was £36,998, leaving a deficit of £1,727, and a balance at
the end of the year of £5423. We have taken several steps to avoid similar
deficits in 2004. In particular the subscriptions have been increased by about
£1 per head, no Barn Dance is scheduled, and we are considering reducing the
number of mailings from five to four per year. This latter measure would save
some printing and mailing costs, and would also make the mailing dates
quarterly, which in many ways is more logical than every 10 weeks. You will
probably hear more about this in due course.
If you would like a full copy of the
accounts please send me a stamped-addressed envelope.
Geoffrey
Payne
Tithes
Listening Post
Who do you
turn to when your world falls apart, you cannot cope with the stresses of life
or you have major problems? Perhaps there is a Christian friend or relative to
whom you can go to, to talk and pray and work out a solution. Many folk these
days have nobody who they can trust and will go to their doctor when life
becomes too difficult.
If they
live in Gloucestershire, their doctor may refer them to Listening Post, a
Christian Counselling Service which operates from four centres in the county.
Some find out about us in other ways, through a friend, one of our leaflets or
the yellow pages, and will phone us directly. However they hear of us, a
trained counsellor will assess their problems and make a recommendation
concerning the type of counselling which would be most appropriate for them and
the level of experience required by the counsellor. They will be asked to make
a donation towards our costs, but many are already having financial problems
and can contribute very little. So we rely on churches and local Christians to
help us balance the books. I have now been involved with the charity for over 5
years talking to clients when they first phone us and doing the accounts, and
am very aware of how lives can be changed by this whole person ministry. In
recent months we have added anger management groups and training courses
helping people to handle aggressive behaviour to the ongoing counselling
ministry. The gift from the CRC tithe is much appreciated.
Jane Wood
Mercy Ships
The Mercy Ships Organisation is a few years
older than CRC and is partnered by YWAM (Youth with a
The African Mercy is still being converted
in
I am planning to take a sabbatical from work
at the end of the year and among other things to work on one or both of the
ships, enabling me to be more informed of the work and thus more able to
support their work from the
Julie Excell
SAO
Originally formed in 1973, SAO Cambodia is a
small Christian Mission serving the people of
Our mission is to proclaim Christ’s
transforming love and Lordship by helping to alleviate poverty , to improve
quality of life and to facilitate a healthy church with strong leadership.
We are involved in various projects
including improving literacy, equipping qualified dental nurses with skills to
provide oral health care and teaching English at the Dental faculty, thus
giving access to more professional resources, and helping find employment.
We also help rural villages by stimulating
micro-enterprise schemes to produce and market quality products, and provide
health promotion, training and resources.
We provide training, educating and advice to staff in various child-care
facilities, including orphanages, street projects and day care centres. We also
work with the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia helping churches address the
AIDS crisis, as well as developing the capacity of poor village churches to
design and implement holistic, small-scale development initiatives. SAO Cambodia, and Elaine, would like to
express their gratitude to CRC for including their organisation in this
year’s tithe.
If you would like to know more about SAO
Elaine
Richmond
Sponsored
walk for SAO
Elaine
will be doing a sponsored walk in July in order to raise funds for the street
children of
Prayer Focus
Confidence
‘Blessed is the man or woman whose
confidence is in Him….’ : Jer 17.7
It struck me recently how we can be put off
doing something through not feeling confident. While this can be a good
safeguard, we can be ham-strung from going forward. It’s something I often struggle with unless forced
by circumstances! Sometimes our confidence is challenged by something we have
not done for a while or have never done, including leading walks or events.
Lord, please take us on when we feel we have
lost confidence in an area. Help us to have your perspective on our situation
and your wisdom to see the issue for
what it is. Your grace is sufficient and never fails us. Thank you that you have said that if we put our
hope in you we will not be ashamed. Help us to hear your voice on what you want
us to do, then help us to walk forward, and be confident - because it is you
who will make a way and direct our paths. Thank you for the way you have helped
us in the past and helped us see the bigger picture that You are in control.
So do not throw away your confidence, for in
keeping there is much reward.
Lord, we pray for those we know who are
experiencing loss of confidence, through bereavement, loss, change, redundancy
in all its forms, health problems, anxiety or other mental health difficulties,
or just getting older. Help them to surmount the perceived risks, knowing that
in the going You will draw near.
Thank you for those ‘Elijahs’
who have lifted us in our situation, and helped show us the way forward to keep
trusting, and how to see things differently. Help us to be that to someone
else, willing to encourage, and to help that person be confident for what you
are asking them to do.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Quotable
Quote
Evangelism never seemed to be an 'issue' in
the New Testament. That is to say, one does not find the apostles urging,
exhorting, scolding, planning and organising for evangelistic programmes...
evangelism happened! Issuing effortlessly from the community of believers as
light from the sun, it was automatic, spontaneous, continuous, contagious.
R
Halverson
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