OUR MISSION
We are a growing community of faith seeking to discover the face of Jesus Christ in our Church, in our Community and in our Commitment.
OUR VISION
1. To act as a beacon for Christ’s mission and maintain a safe and welcoming haven for all within the community of Topsham;
2. To recognise the centrality of worship in all our activities, ensuring that it is relevant to our mission and engages the whole congregation;
3. To offer strong and timely pastoral and prayerful support to our members and others who may be in need;
4. To work ecumenically with the other Christian churches in Topsham, thus celebrating our membership of the wider body of Christ;
5. To engage with the needs of the wider world, in Exeter and beyond, especially towards the relief of suffering caused by poverty, deprivation and political strife.
INTRODUCTION
by the Minister, the Revd Paul Collings
Dear Friends,
It is both a joy and a privilege to share with you this Annual Report for St Nicholas Methodist Church – a snapshot of a year shaped by faithful worship, generous service, and the rich blessing of shared community.
Over the past year, we have continued to bear witness to God’s love through the life we share together. Whether gathered in Sunday worship, engaged in community outreach, offering pastoral support, or simply enjoying time together in fellowship, we have seen the quiet, transformative work of the Holy Spirit in both the everyday and exceptional moments of church life.
I want to express my deep gratitude for the commitment and resilience of our Church and Vestry Stewards, the Pastoral and Property Team, and all those who serve faithfully on the Church Council, especially those who take on specific responsibilities. To everyone who contributes – often quietly and behind the scenes – thank you. Your service is the heartbeat of this church and a living expression of our calling as disciples of Christ.
This report is more than a record of events – it is a reflection of who we are: a people striving to remain faithful to the gospel in our local context, open to the leading of the Spirit, and growing together in faith, hope, and love. As part of the wider Exeter Coast and Country Methodist Circuit, we give thanks for the encouragement, support, and shared ministry of our sister churches.
This year’s report also marks a personal milestone: the completion of 18 years of formal ministry as Minister in Charge of St Nicholas. As I now step into a new chapter – continuing among you as part of the congregation alongside Angela – we also look forward with anticipation to the next stage of the church’s journey. We await with hope and expectation the ministry of the Revd Wayne Grewcock, who will join us in September to lead and walk with this community in the years ahead.
As we look to the future, may we do so with prayerfulness and confidence, trusting in God’s continuing presence and purpose. There is still much to discover, to nurture, and to offer in Christ’s name. May we remain open, attentive, and courageous in responding to His call
With gratitude and every blessing,
Paul
WORSHIP
The year 2024-25 saw, as last year, a steady increase in the numbers attending Sunday morning worship at St Nicholas and which now comprise an average of 34 folk or more. The genuine warmth of welcome at the services, noted previously, continues to be a major strength in sustaining such an attendance. While we continue to benefit from an enriching variety of worship led by ordained and local preachers, increased preaching constraints within the local Methodist Circuit have meant Church members taking more responsibility over the year in leading local arrangement services; it is a joy that there seems little reluctance amongst many members, when asked, in coming forward to participate.
Another valued contribution to worship at St Nicholas during the year was the fortnightly morning fellowship meetings led by the Minister on a variety of topics, supplemented by the Minister’s emailed daily devotions which reached over 400 subscribers.
YOUNG CHURCH
At present, St Nicholas has no Junior Church. The Church however, makes provision for any youngsters who may visit, with puzzles, books and soft toys available.
PASTORAL ACTIVITIES
Our third vision statement says that St Nicholas Church, ‘.. offers strong and timely pastoral and prayerful support to our members and others who may be in need.’
The pastoral care of St Nicholas is led by the Minister, the Revd Paul Collings during the year of this report and, subsequently, the Revd Wayne Grewcock together with three pastoral visitors,to ensure that the congregation as a whole is cared for and supported when needed. The Church is open every Saturday morning for coffee,where there is a quiet reflective area in the church. The prayer board is used by many people and remembered in spoken prayers every Sunday. Fresh flowers displays are often requested for personal occasions and these may be passed on to the sick or housebound. Cards are always sent for occasions that need to be noted or celebrated.. A monthly news letter keeps everyone up to date with events and information action. A daily meditation is posted online to all that request it.
During the year we sadly lost two valued members of our congregation through the deaths of Stephanie Dunleavy and David Keep – they are much missed.
CHURCH NEWSLETTER
The monthly Church newsletter was published in electronic format throughout the year and was widely distributed within the Church family. Each edition benefits from a reflection by the Minister as well as keeping Church members and friends informed of services and other events.
OUTREACH
(a) Ecumenical Links
The annual meeting of the Topsham Ecumenical Group, of which St Nicholas is a part, is an important occasion for planning local ecumenical activity with friends from St Margaret’s and Holy Cross Churches. A regular pattern of events and services has evolved over recent years, involving the three churches in a Remembrance Sunday service at St Margaret’s, ecumenical carol singing on Chapel Platt shortly before Christmas, joint meetings to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January, a series of Lent lunches shared between the churches, and a Good Friday walk of witness starting at Holy Cross and winding its way through the town to St Margaret’s. It is also customary for our friends at St Margaret’s to join us at St Nicholas for a service around the time of Trinity Sunday.
(b) Community
During 2024-25, the St Nicholas premises continued to be used for meetings and performances by a number of local groups, bringing much appreciated income in support of the work and maintenance of the the Church. There was a wide variety of such users, including various singing groups, a string quartet, a rock school, a patchwork group, a Spanish language class, Topsham History Group, and the local Allotments & Gardens Society, Two lunchtime concerts organised as part of the Topsham Music Festival in April attracted full houses. The Church was also glad to receive through the South West Peninsula Methodist District a warm welcome grant of £500 in support of its weekly Saturday coffee mornings for which only donations are invited and which extend a hand of friendship to local residents and visitors to the town.
(c) Charitable Giving
ACTION FOR CHILDREN
Again this year everyone has been so supportive of our charity and we have sent the sum of £126.68 to them. It is pleasing to report that the number of people holding home collection boxes has since doubled – which is very encouraging. Generally we do not deal with cash so much these days, so charities are suffering but the St Nicholas family somehow manage to find the odd coin with which to “feed their boxes’.
CHRISTMAS TREE FESTVAL
In December 2024 we held a very successful Christmas Tree Festival which brings Topsham organisations and individuals into our beautiful Church. The charity chosen was Devon Air Ambulance and we sent them the sum of £1.454.51. A proportion of this sum was raised at an evening concert when the performances were very professional and people generously showed their appreciation in the donation buckets at the event’s conclusion.
JUNIOR MISSION FOR ALL (JMA)
For the moment, the Church’s support for JMA, dependent in the past in the existence of a Junior Church, is in abeyance.
ALL WE CAN
It is a tradition of the six ecumenical Lent lunches shared by St Nicholas with St Margaret’s and Holy Cross that the hosting church chooses a charity for donations. Arising from the two lunches hosted in March 2025 by St Nicholas, £276 was raised for All We Can, the Methodist Church’s international development and emergency relief organisation.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
St Nicholas continued its support for Operation Christmas Child organised through Samaritan’s Purse UK by collecting donations in late 2024 towards the filling of shoeboxes on our behalf. The collection raised £275.
EXETER FOODBANK
The Church continued its support during the year of the Exeter Foodbank through regular donations by the congregation of groceries. The Foodbank also benefited from the generous giving of goods by members of the congregation at the Harvest Festival in September.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
We certainly are a very socially minded congregation and it is good to not only pray together but to play together, which makes for one happy family. This past year we have enjoyed our Saturday coffee mornings, a monthly craft and chat morning, a harvest lunch and, in the spring, our annual tea party, quiz and concert; it was so good to see new faces taking part in the concert. The big event this year was the Christmas Tree festival which we again hosted, and there has been a lot of favourable feedback from Topsham residents who really enjoyed the trees which were set off beautifully in our lovely Church. The monthly craft and chat sessions yielded some excellent crafts which were sold at the festival. The associated concert was a great success with some really professional performers and it has been as great joy to send over £1,400 to Devon Air Ambulance.
Again in May 2025 we held our annual tea party, quiz and concert and everyone enjoyed the food, fellowship and the concert. As usual the mini panto was under rehearsed which seems to add to its ‘charm’ and people were heard tosay that they look forward to the next tea party.
FINANCES
Expenditure for the year ending 31 August 2025 exceeded income by the small sum of £57.
The average weekly offertory for year 2024-25 was £276.
Our funds, the majority of which are held on deposit at Methodist Headquarters in Manchester, stand at £24,228.
St Nicholas is a Grade 2 Listed Building, and with that, repairs to, and maintenance of, such a beautiful Church are inevitable – and ongoing. We are custodians of this Church, and have to take responsibility for its upkeep, particularly as the building is adjacent to a retail business.
This means that the Church is ever-mindful of future costs that impact on our Reserves.
Friends at St Nicholas are extremely generous and faithful in their giving. Their regular contributions, along with lettings, gifts, coffee mornings and other income streams, including Gift Aid, enable us to fulfil our commitments to both the Circuit, and our outreach to the wider community.
St Nicholas committed to an annual contribution of £10,772 to the Circuit, which will increase in 2025–26 to £11,847.
As well as supporting causes linked to Methodism, namely Action for Children and the World Mission Fund, the successful Christmas Tree Festival raised over £1,400 for Hospiscare and over £275 was sent to the Shoebox Appeal.
We look to balance our necessary day-to day finances, with funds to cover our outreach, our fellowship, and our Christian presence in Topsham and beyond.
Thanks are due to everyone for their continual, and very generous, support of the finances at St Nicholas.
Full details of all Income and expenditure, along with plans associated with Church reserves, can be found in St Nicholas Treasurer’s reports. Please contact the Treasurer, Helen Brooks, if you have any questions regarding finance.
PROPERTY REPORT
St Nicholas is a Grade 2 listed Building, and with that, repairs to, and maintenance of, such a beautiful church are inevitable – and ongoing. We are custodians of this Church, and have to take responsibility for its upkeep, particularly as the building is adjacent to a retail business.
The principal property work carried out during the year was the internal redecoration of the north transept (including addressing areas of damp) following the necessary external work in the transept area completed the previous year. Given the height of the church, this involved the erection of a major piece of scaffolding which allowed our local contractor to undertake his work safely.
Another initiative was the formation of a property team within the Church based on the skills of one or two experienced members. Where it was safe to do so, and not requiring external input, the team inter alia successfully took on the internal redecoration of the south porch and some reorganisation of the kitchen fitments.
Other major developments during the year included the fitting of a new carpet in the church hall, the generous donation of a fridge in the kitchen and, following failures in the central heating system in the earlier part of the church year, a resolution of the problem after seemingly numerous visits by the engineers responsible for the system.
Externally, the rear garden is subject to an annual early-year clean-up undertaken by a professional gardening team.
GOVERNANCE
The immediate management of the Church falls to its minister and its trustees, who normally meet twice a year as the Church Council. An opportunity for wider input by the congregation to the Church’s affairs is provided by the Annual Church Meeting usually held in May, to which all members and friends are invited.
The trustees are responsible directly to the Methodist Church for the good governance and upkeep of the Church, in effect through the Exeter, Coast and Country Circuit to which St Nicholas belongs. The Circuit has responsibility for some 18 churches, and it is the Circuit that Ministers are invited to serve, each responsible for one or more churches.
Formally, as at May 2024, membership of the Church Council at St Nicholas comprised:
Superintendent Minister – Revd Julian Albrow
Minister – Revd Paul Collings*
Other Circuit Ministers in Pastoral Charge
Circuit Steward – Heather Gould
Church Stewards – David Batty*, Jeanette Brooks*, Neil Gaylor*, Kathy Niklaus*
Secretary to the Church Council – Jenny Davis*
Treasurer – Helen Brooks*
Pastoral Secretary – Jeanette Brooks*
Up to 15 members as representatives of areas of Church life:
Pastoral – Jeanette Brooks*
Property – Church Stewards
Ecumenical matters – David Batty, Kathy Niklaus
Appointed by the General Church Meeting – Steph Dunleavy, Jean Mansell, Rosemary Stephenson
As at May 2024, appointments at St Nicholas were as follows:
All those marked * above, plus:
Pastoral Visitors – Jeanette Brooks, Angela Collings and Zsuzsi Gaylor
Communion Steward – Jenny Davis
Ecumenical Representatives – David Batty, Kathy Niklaus
Action for Children – Jenny Davis
Organist Rota Co-ordinator – Steph Dunleavy
Independent Examiner – Margaret Fogarty
Hall Bookings – Paul Hicks
Flower Team – Jeanette Brooks, Jenny Davis, Anne Manning, Jean Mansell
Newsletter – David Batty
Bible Reading Co-ordinator – Steph Dunleavy
Coffee Morning Co-ordinator – Jenny Davis
Representatives to the Circuit Meeting – David Batty, Helen Brooks, Neil Gaylor
This annual report was compiled thanks to contributions from the Revd Paul Collings, David Batty, Helen Brooks, Jeanette Brooks and Jenny Davis.
Further information about Church activities can be obtained from the Minister (01392-206229) or from any of the Church Stewards, ℅ St Nicholas Methodist Church, Fore Street, Topsham EX3 OHQ.
St Nicholas Methodist Church has its own web pages attached to the Circuit website. These include a monthly diary of services and other events. The main Circuit page for Topsham can be accessed at: http://exeterccmethodist.org.uk/topsham/.
The Minister also maintains a church blog at: http://st-nicholas-methodist.blogspot.com/
