AGM MAY 2024

GANC chairman report 2024
We continue to suffer the aftereffects of covid, most noticably in the attendence at Sunday services. That said, we would do well to count our blessings: we have a reliable pastor in Maris, who is unfazed by minor problems that would cause a lesser mortal to panic; we have an organist who has not missed a service in the 10 years he has been with us; our house custodian looks after us in his quiet, unobtrusive fashion; our secretary and treasurer keep on top of things and our regular congregation, small though it is, is very loyal and always willing to play their part, whether by bringing fresh flowers for the altar, reading lessons, sneaking out before the end of the service to make sure the coffee and cake are ready, or simply by keeping everyone ‘in the loop’.
And let’s us not forget, we have a magnificent building, with Linc, a separate charity, set up several years ago specificly to support the church and the Nordic community.
Attendance at our major services (it is tempting to call them ‘events’) has generally been good. However, we no longer have the Lucia in the cathedral, sadly. The logistics are more than what we can cope with and the fee for the hire of the cathedral has put it out of our reach. Our own ‘homely’ Lucia makes up more for it.
We were caught on the hop on the 17 May by the vast number of Norwegians who appeared as if by magic. We wonder if it had anything to do with Eurovision and whether we will see them again….
We hosted our German friends on Reformation Sunday. It was really their turn, but their new incumbent was incapacitated and we were pleased to be able to help out.
In the first week in March we were pleased to welcome members of the Swedish Church in London for a pastoral visit and evening meal. Much appreciated by those who attended. And less than a week later a group of Swedish clergy, led by old friend Thomas Grunnesjo, descended upon us and stayed for several days. It was unfortunate that their visit clashed with Mothering Sunday, but they appreciated the opportunity of using our church.
Our finances are not as robust as we would like and we do have to dip into our reserves from time to time. However, what we do have is an abundance of faith.
We also have a steady stream of visiting choirs, especially from Norway. They all enjoy the acoustics at ‘GA’, especially those, who have tried singing at the Anglican Cathedral (!)
We always close for a few weeks in the summer, but our monthly routine is:
First and third Sunday Holy Communion, second and fifth Sunday no service, and forth Sunday Morning Prayer.
All services start at 11.30 unless otherwise stated. This program is liable to change ( for example, if Easter Sunday is in fifth Sunday in the month), so we do strongly advice checking the website or phoning the church before setting out.
Best wishes
Stan.