The Incorporated Leeds Church Extension Society

Secretary’s Report for the year ending 31st December 2007

At the Annual General Meeting on 26 June 2007 the Revd. Dr. Roy Yates was appointed as Honorary Secretary in succession to Mr. David Breton, having served as Secretary Designate from December 2006. The address of the Society’s Registered Office was moved from 4, Moor Park Mount, LS6 4BU to the new Secretary’s home at 99, Green Lane, LS16 7EE.

We are most grateful to the retiring Secretary, Mr. David Breton, for his conscientious and unstinting work for the Society. Many of the churches in the Leeds Archdeaconry have cause to be thankful for the sympathetic and pastoral way in which their applications for grants were handled and other useful advice given. David has been associated with the Society since 1965, serving as Treasurer from 1965 to 1982, and as Secretary from 1993 to 2007. Our Patron, the Right Revd. John Packer, publicly expressed our thanks to him at the Annual Service. A painting of St. Augustine’s Church, Wrangthorn, commissioned from the artist Laurence Pusey, was also presented to David at the Annual General Meeting. He and Kathleen were married there in 1955. It was also the first church to be endowed by the Society in 1866, and built in 1871. At the same meeting David was also appointed as an Honorary Vice President of the Society. He is to continue as a valued member of the Committee, and continue to manage our investment portfolio. Along with the Chairman and Treasurer, he is a member of the Investment Committee. We are grateful for the benefit of his expertise in this field.

Grateful thanks are expressed for donations from the parishes which this year amounted to £4,428, and for the prayerful support and interest of individuals. Grants and charges on income paid in the year from the various trusts within the Society totalled £43,500. There were some imaginative schemes, which included the building and refurbishment of church halls, provision of facilities for the disabled, extension of heating systems, and the up-grading of a sound system. It is judged that all these schemes will further  the presentation of the Christian Gospel in the church and in the community. Grants were also made to the Oastler Centre (the successor to the Leeds Industrial Mission) and to the diocese for Clergy stipends.

The Annual Service and Patron’s Sermon was held at St. Paul’s Church, Ireland Wood on Sunday 6 May 2007. We are grateful to the church and clergy for their hospitality, and to Bishop John for his inspiring sermon. This year’s Patron’s Sermon will be held at Emmanuel Church on Sunday 4 May 2008 at 5.15 pm, again as part of the ‘Treasures Revealed in Leeds 2008’ programme. All are warmly invited.

Roy Yates, Hon. Secretary

Home