The latest from Regis Consultants
Short reads & updates
“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter”
Izaak Walton
Charity Briefing – New Charities Bill
I’d quite forgotten that a new Charities Act is underway until I was reminded by a question that arrived recently. The bill is still in the committee stage and will be a while before it becomes an act. It’s a considered attempt by the government to make life simpler for charities by removing some of the bureaucratic hurdles that can
My Year Ahead
For the first time ever, I go into a new year with no major responsibilities, outside of Anita my wife and Millie, a small dog who thinks she’s a big dog. I’ve stood down my trustee responsibilities and, though I’m still useful to my old business, I’m very happy to stand well back in the shadows and admire what a
What Does the Year Ahead Hold for Church
What a year it’s been! Rather than spend time in analysis let’s look to see what 2022 might hold. More of the same you might think, given our excitement at seeing new variants emerge. So what might we expect? What might churches expect this year? A big reset is underway. Right now, not in a few months' time. We’re a lot
What Colour(s) are You
It’s a while since I wrote something. Sometimes with so much going on, it’s hard to know just what to say. A dear friend has in his training armoury a decent understanding of colour personality profiling; red, blue, green, yellow. Your ‘colour’, can help you understand who you are and how you relate to others. It’s especially useful in building
Bubble and Squeak
Bubble and Squeak’s been in the news lately, for all the wrong reasons. I decided it was time I made some if only to see what the fuss was all about. My usual approach to cooking is just the one pan if at all possible, (being of a lazy disposition). This was quite different; I seemed to need most of
Stonewall Jackson
One of my heroes of faith is Stonewall Jackson, a Civil War general. In 1861, during the first battle of Bull Run, the Unionists were gaining ground overcoming poorly organised Confederate forces. Jackson, relatively unknown at the time, gathered his brigade of Virginians and took a stand on the crest of a small hill. The cry went up to the
Running a Ruler over Your Charity
My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my friends might start to worry about me. So this time I’m writing about charities year end accounts. For most charities
Trustees in trouble
Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an independent charity. At that stage, they should have gotten advice, which would have pointed them to a CIO, which gives the protection
Thoughts on life and times in 2021
If we’re involved in running a charity or a church or anything at all we have to see everything as a start up; we have to take it all apart and put it back together again. Yesterday I joined a live service from a big church in Surrey that I’ve worked with. I don’t know the viewing figures but they
A New Year Reflection:
There’s a time to give and a time to receive: • a time to breathe in and a time to breathe out • a time to wake up and a time to go to sleep • a time to speed up and a time to stop • a time to speak and a time to listen • a time to be
Simplicity Through Subtraction
My job in these fast-changing times is to come up with solutions to the many and varied problems our clients face. Most weeks, someone desperate for help writes in with a long and detailed description of the crisis currently being faced. In my insecurity my first response is usually to panic; ‘how on earth can I help with such complex
The opportunities ahead
I like to keep an eye on what Mary Portas is sharing these days; a beacon of optimism amidst the encircling media gloom. Goodbye, she says to boring chains of shops and hotels. Hello, spaces and places of creativity that feed the soul rather than sell us more stuff. This is important – the rekindling of creativity. Over the past few months,
How to Confront
Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30 am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop and my brain I
Listening to my Life – Learning to say No
Many years ago, I was part of a church leadership team in Essex. In the office, we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she would deal with any request from one of us to take on a task that was way more
Listening to my Life: My Anti-Mentor, the Horrible Manager
In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn’t want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake, and in my case, that was all too often, he’d lecture you at length, making it clear how useless you were
Trustees in trouble
Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an independent charity. At that stage, they should have gotten advice, which would have pointed them to a CIO, which gives the protection
Thoughts on life and times in 2021
If we’re involved in running a charity or a church or anything at all we have to see everything as a start up; we have to take it all apart and put it back together again. Yesterday I joined a live service from a big church in Surrey that I’ve worked with. I don’t know the viewing figures but they
A New Year Reflection:
There’s a time to give and a time to receive: • a time to breathe in and a time to breathe out • a time to wake up and a time to go to sleep • a time to speed up and a time to stop • a time to speak and a time to listen • a time to be
What Does the Year Ahead Hold for Church
What a year it’s been! Rather than spend time in analysis let’s look to see what 2022 might hold. More of the same you might think, given our excitement at seeing new variants emerge. So what might we expect? What might churches expect this year? A big reset is underway. Right now, not in a few months' time. We’re a lot
Autumn
My last blog was all about how trees talk to each other, cooperating, sharing nutrients, even warning of danger. Mother trees in particular play a significant part in the life of the forest, reaching out and caring for its younger neighbours. Just now I came across this short reflection by John Birch which I share with you. ‘Where we live,
Praise What Comes
A poem by Jeanne Lohmann, a Quaker poet. I think she wrote this just a few years before her death at 95. Some beautiful lines; I hope they will resonate with you as they do with me. (What is my task in the world?). Surprising as unplanned kisses, all you haven’t deserved of days and solitude, your body’s immoderate good
In Your Own Time, Millie
“In your own time Millie.” This is now a stock phrase when we go on our daily walks. I was holding a gate open for her. She carefully sniffed the gateposts, then retreated, deciding she needed to poo. Getting the right spot takes a while, and then I have to bag it up. Eventually, we made it through the gate.
How to Confront
Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30 am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop and my brain I
Listening to my Life – Learning to say No
Many years ago, I was part of a church leadership team in Essex. In the office, we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she would deal with any request from one of us to take on a task that was way more