37th Annual Report 2022

Introduction to Annual Report for 2022

Lead Pastor's Welcome

In every year, over every land, Jesus Christ is King. 'His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.' Daniel 4:34.

But in 2022, which saw the death of Britain's longest serving monarch, the premiership of our shortest serving Prime Minister, not to mention, globally, Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, it has been an enormous comfort to know that 'that there is still one king reigning over all. So we will not fear, for this truth remains, that our God is the Ancient of Days.'

At Highfields Church have certainly known the faithfulness of king Jesus again throughout 2022, which will also be remembered as the year when the upheaval of the COVID19 Pandemic increasingly moved to the rear-view mirror, praise God. In early January, the Welsh Government advised one final set of 'firebreak' regulations (social distancing was reintroduced at Highfields for two weeks).
This meant we decided to run our Equip seminars on zoom, rather than cramming into the church building (see relevant page in the full report for more information). In March all remaining COVID restrictions ended, meaning we were finally free to gather mask-free (I personally celebrated this fact by promptly getting COVID the week before so sadly missed the momentous first Sunday of pre-2020 normality). What a joy it was to see each other's faces in our corporate worship for the first time in two years.

The revolving door which is Highfields Church continues to turn, and 2022 was no exception. Most significantly, on the staff side, we said goodbye to Jess Sanderson after she lovingly served our young people for seven years. Simon Foulkes also completed three years as Church Manager (much of which was spent superbly helping us navigate through the pandemic). We thank God for the joy of serving with Martha Leyshon-Jones (p/t Office Assistant and Student Worker, now studying for a PGCE), Ben Gardner (Ministry Trainee, now a PhD student in Cambridge) as well Ministry Apprentices, Shannon Ludlow and Ruth Wordley (serving as staff workers with UCCF). It has been a thrill to welcome new members of the staff team, Hayley Marchant (MT), Esther Jackson, Toby Reid & Maisie Weller (MAs), and Rowena Criddle (Office Assistant) with the anticipation of Sarah Norton (Church Manager) and Jonny Thomas (Youth) joining in 2023, God willing.

The Gobbett family was very grateful for the privilege of a three-month sabbatical after eight years at Highfields. Half the time was spent in the UK, mainly reading and doing DIY, before seven stimulating and refreshing weeks in the US, visiting friends and churches in Washington DC and Jackson, Tennessee. It was wonderful to have Jon Reeves serve as acting Lead Pastor during our time away.

Of course, Highfields is much more than just our staff team. Under the Lord Jesus, our elders continue to shoulder much of the spiritual oversight of the church, and in 2022 it was a wonderful to see David Bhakia Raj, Nigel Graham, Jonathan Popham and Anthony Williams joining the eldership. A particular thank you goes to Darran Waters and Mark Wiltshire (health-related sabbatical) who stepped back from eldership after many years serving with us.

Fundamentally the church is the people of God. Our vision of Spreading a Passion for Jesus by worshipping our God, sharing our lives, equipping His people and engaging His world falls into all of our in-trays, not just a select few. Which brings us neatly onto the annual report now available. The Highfields Church Annual Report doesn't attempt to tell every story from 2022, but it is a collection of snapshots: God's faithfulness seen in the lives of ordinary Christians serving an extraordinary God. I hope you're as encouraged reading it as we have been in putting it together.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this summary of what took place in 2022 and find yourself full of gratitude to God too. 

With much love in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

Dave Gobbett 

Please browse the following documents to catch up on what has been happening during the year. (Because the reports contain some personal information you will need to be logged in to see them)

Reports, Minutes and Agenda for AGM

Annual Report for 2022

Detailed Report on Church Ministries during 2022 for 2023 Annual General Meeting

Finance Report 2022

Detailed Report on Church Finance for 2022

Minutes of 2022 Annual General Meeting

Draft Minutes for 2022 Annual General Meeting

Agenda for 2023 Annual General Meeting

Detailed Agenda for AGM -24th May 2023

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