ICS AGM
On Friday 27 June the ICS AGM was held at St Clement’s Church in London and we were delighted to welcome guests in person and on Zoom. Bishop Ric Thorpe, Chair of ICS Council, opened the meeting in prayer and reflected on Acts 16:6–10, and how this passage highlights God’s active guidance. When Paul and his companions were directed by the Holy Spirit to change course, ultimately leading them to Macedonia. Bishop Ric drew a clear connection between Scripture and the current journey ICS is on, encouraging us to remain attentive to God’s voice and to follow His will, to be open to where He might lead next.
In this spirit of listening and discernment, ICS continues to reaffirm God’s intention for us to do mission. ICS have sought God’s guidance in Church Planting initiatives and recently appointed a Church Planting Enabler. ICS prepares to seek God’s leading once again as we enter the process of appointing a new Mission Director in the coming year.
Richard Bromley, the Mission Director, told the meeting that 2024 had been a particularly active year for ICS, with successful recruitments of chaplains in Grenoble, Aquitaine, Cannes, Arnhem & Nijmegen, and Brussels.
ICS is currently in the midst of substantial transition, with several important updates and developments. He announced that Bishop Ric Thorpe will be leaving ICS as Chair in September as he will become the Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia. In this past year, Bishop Ric has showed enthusiasm and commitment for ICS and was instrumental in developing ICS Church Planting Enabler role. His leadership and wisdom will be deeply missed.
The Revd Jim Perryman, ICS’s Short-Term Mission Manager, will retire this November and the recruitment for his successor is underway. The Mission Director also shared the welcome news that Susie Wilkinson, spouse of John Wilkinson (Assistant Chaplain in Brussels), will join ICS Council—bringing with her fresh insight. With so many changes happening, Richard asked to ‘please bear with us we may get some things wrong in the short term, but ICS are committed to working diligently and faithfully through the transitions’.
Three people were welcomed as ICS life members: The Revd Alan Golton of St Marc’s Grenoble, together with his wife Valerie, and The Revd Hilary Baldwin, formerly of St John and St Philip The Hague and St James Voorschoten.
Richard then welcomed and introduced, The Revd Canon Charlotte Sullivan, Chaplain of Holy Trinity Maisons Laffitte who gave an inspiring talk about the ministry that has passed at Holy Trinity and the exciting new initiatives that are currently taking place (as the slides below indicate).
The meeting finished with the ICS prayer and the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’, very apt as St Clement’s Church and its parish were located in a part of London that was active in the abolitionist movement during the 18th and 19th centuries with several prominent abolitionists living or working in the area. A light lunch was shared with time to chat and meet with new people. Thank you to all who joined us! The Annual Report can be found here.