Annual Report to Parishioners – November 2025
ST CHRISTOPHER’S PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL
Annual Report to Parishioners – November 2025
Welcome to the second Annual Report from our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) which will give you an overview of parish activities over the past year and of our plans going forward into 2026.
PPC activities
The PPC works alongside Father Antony in his role addressing all aspects of parish life including liturgy, formation, social activities, and outreach and helps organise the routine aspects of parish administration and parish life. A summary of each PPC meeting is made available on the parish website, with paper copies available in the church porches or from the parish office.
Here are some of the key achievements in our Parish this year:
· Youth activities: Our brilliant youth community have come together at a Youth Mass every month, leading the readings and some new music; which has been a great success. These Masses are increasingly well attended which is great to see, all are welcome. The year culminated with a joyful confirmation mass with a record number of 38 candidates. We had a couple of youth social nights too which were well attended and great fun, but we need more volunteers to organise more similar events. Other activities included a summer photo exhibition with wonderful photos of what we got up to over the summer months.
· Ministries: We celebrated 10 (6)* Baptisms, and 1 (2) Wedding. There were 12 (7) funerals. Additionally, 21 (9) children received First Holy Communion and 38 (33) members of our Parish received the sacrament of Confirmation. Other liturgical activities included a Lenten talk and an Advent Carol Service.
* Figures in brackets are the corresponding numbers for 2024 (or in the case of confirmation, for 2023)
· Safeguarding: 34 parishioners have completed safeguarding training, either online or as part of a face to face session led by our parish safeguarding representatives.
· Jubilee Year Activities: around 40 parishioners joined ~2000 representatives from across the diocese for the diocesan pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory in June; we also held a parish pilgrimage to Westminster Cathedral in November with over 25 parishioners taking part.
· Archdiocesan “Called to Bear Fruit” consultation: several parish groups were formed to respond to this consultation and feedback from group members suggested they found participation very worthwhile. The PPC has reviewed a summary of the feedback submitted to the diocese. Copies of the report are available at both church entrances and at: https://rcaos.org.uk/media/oyzhvzb5/ctbf-consultation-report-oct-25_compressed.pdf
· Ecumenical activities: In January, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Father Antony and ~6 parishioners attended the main service at Christ Church, Sutton. We also hosted a service at St Christopher’s which was well attended. World Day of Prayer in March was marked with a service at the Salvation Army Centre, Sutton. As usual this was well supported from our parish. In November we hosted a meeting of the clergy from Saint Dunstan's, Saint Alban's and Saint Oswald's, Cheam Baptists, Saint Paul's, Howell Hill and Saint John's, Belmont. The discussion was constructive and encouraging, and the group will continue to meet to explore opportunities for collaboration.
· Social activities: a PPC brainstorming session open to all parishioners produced many ideas for social activities, some of which have already been taken forward; others will be planned in coming months. Our parish Afternoon Tea in May, was a great success, with over 60 people participating over the three sittings to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea prepared by one of our talented parishioners. In October our International Food Evening attracted over 50 parishioners who enjoyed dishes from South America, Goa, the Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Mauritius and beyond. Meanwhile, regular meetings of the Craft Group and Saturday Social Circle have taken place.
· Parish Handbook: – a new handbook has been developed and will be placed on our website with paper copies available from the office too. It provides an overview of Parish activities at St Christopher’s and will be useful both for new and existing parishioners; we hope you be both surprised and encouraged by the range of activities available.
THANK YOU to all our many volunteers who generously give their time and effort to support the many activities and ministries within the parish. Our “Sign up Sunday” appeal for volunteers in September produced 15 new volunteers to whom we are grateful. For a first go this was a great success with offers of help across many areas. New volunteers and ideas are always very welcome at any time. We plan to continue expanding the range of spiritual and social activities within the parish and we welcome everyone who would like to help us achieve this either by helping to organise, or by joining in, our activities.
Parish Finances
We will provide a separate annual financial statement to parishioners following completion of the 2025 year accounts in Spring 2026. We encourage the use of standing orders and, for those who can, Gift Aid provides a useful 25% addition to our income. We are grateful to parishioners who responded to our financial appeal in June. In response to suggestions, we are now including information about special collections in the newsletter and hope soon to also include details of our monthly income. We have resumed circulation of collection baskets at all weekend masses. We have ordered card readers to enable us to accept donations and payments by credit or debit card which should be installed early in 2026.
Average attendance at weekend masses: Figures are collated over a 4-week period in late September/early October. For 2025 the average mass attendance was 382; the corresponding figure for 2024 was 354. The average attendance at the Syro-Malabar mass was 110.
Plans for the coming year:
Parish Pastoral Council: We’ll encourage as many parishioners as possible to contribute to parish life and activities. We are grateful to our council members for their commitment and service.
Liturgy and Formation: We are planning to:
· expand participation in the Christian Unity Week Service and to continue to explore opportunities for collaboration with local Christian Churches
· hold an Advent Carol Service, a talk in Lent, and other formation activities
Social Events - Our plans for 2026 include a Shepherds Pie Evening in late January or early February, our ever-popular Quiz Night, a re-run of our very successful International Food Evening, and a Winter Fair. We are also still interested to hold an exhibition of parishioners’ art and craft work, and would be pleased to hear from anyone who would have work they could exhibit. We would also welcome your ideas for other events that you would like to see take place in the parish.
Building and Facilities: we will continue exploring the need for any maintenance or refurbishment of parish buildings, facilities and equipment. A PPC working group has developed a prioritised list of work needed in the church and hall which are being costed. Immediate priorities include repairs to the kneelers in the church, and more comfortable seating for those with impaired mobility. We are also exploring how to repair some damage to the stained glass in the original part of the church.
Share your thoughts and suggestions
We would welcome your feedback on the activities described in this report, and your ideas on how we could further develop our parish community – either via the parish office (cheam@rcaos.org.uk) or by speaking to any member of the PPC. We’d also welcome further volunteers to contribute to organising or supporting our many activities and ministries. We really look forward to hearing from you.