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Leeds (South) Methodist Circuit

VISION INTO REALITY

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Administration – The proportion of my time spent on administration has fallen by more than a quarter to about 7 hours per week.

Community work – The proportion of my time spent on community work of all kinds (outside Faith Together and the Live at Home Scheme) has more than halved. This is despite the fact that I am the Chair of the Cross Flatts Forum and the Chair of Voluntary Action Leeds. However, I have resigned from a number of other community activities. Together, the remaining activities take up just over 2 hours of my time each week.

Ecumenical work – The proportion of my time spent on ecumenical work has more than doubled, but this included some work done for the District, (a meeting of ecumenical officers and the review of an LEP). Nevertheless, local opportunities to work ecumenically are increasing at the moment. Overall, it took up more than half a day each week.

Faith Together – The Proportion of my time spent on the Faith Together project was supposed to fall after the development phase was completed. The original plans envisaged someone working half-time on fundraising and project planning and this never materialised due to underfunding of the project from the beginning. I have had to share this role with the service delivery manager and, as a result, the proportion of my time spent on Faith Together work has risen by about one fifth to approximately one-and-a-half days per week.

Methodist Meetings of all kinds are absorbing a slightly larger proportion of my time. This includes my involvement in the Live at Home Scheme and amounts to about half a day per week.

Pastoral Work – the proportion of my time spent on pastoral work has remained constant at 10% (about half a day each week).

Circuit Property Work is absorbing a steadily growing proportion of my time, but started from a very low base. However, there has been quite a big increase since the survey ended on 31 March. Until then it was averaging just over one hour per week.

Social Responsibility Work is a new category. It is work for the District begun in the last year. It takes less than 2 hours per week at present.

Study Training took up virtually none of my time but this is because we have moved the bulk of my share of this work to the Spring and Summer, and because I no longer do the Circuit Youth Work.

Worship – The proportion of my time taken up by Worship has remained almost the same for the last 5 years, despite the fact that I produce new material almost every week for the Circuit Website. Leading and preparing for worship takes up about 7 hours each week.

Hours – My total hours during this period were 578 plus three bank holidays (24 hours). I did not take any paid leave. This means that, on average, I worked the equivalent of 46 hours each week. The recommended working week for a minister is 42.5 hours. Although my average working week doesn't sound unreasonable by comparison, in this Circuit I have always found it very hard to fit in my annual leave entitlement and have only once succeeded in doing this in almost 9 years. I am currently owed 20 days from earlier years.