Home / Barham Barham, St Mary & St Peter / 2010 Annual Report Narrative

 

REPORT ON THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH DURING 2010

 

HEADLINES

Highlights

Project initiated to focus on needs of the elderly within the three Parishes. PCCstarts ground work to drawing up an Action Plan for future Mission and Ministry. Core Skills Course held for those working with children. New 3rd Sunday Community Worship service introduced in January. J-Team 3 day holiday club attracted 82 children in its 23rd year despite a change of date. £31,000 parochial share paid in full. Giving to General fund averaged a record £499 to give a surplus over the year of £1,220 Fundraising events raise a total of  £5080 Christian Aid Week raises a record £1,955 Total giving to charities by or through the Church totalled £6830 Architect’s Quinquennial Report received The three Parishes joined together to celebrate Rev Peter’s 60th Birthday. Our reader Liz Thompson married Ed to become Mrs Stone at the end of the year

 

The not so good news

We lost a dear friend and inspirational Priest with the death of Rev Henry Lunney Regular Sunday Youth Group meetings suspended for time being. Whole year without appointment of Choirmaster/Organist. Loss of Acolytes for regular 10am communion services

 

ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE

The Priest-in-Charge and the PCC are legally responsible for over-sight of the Church and this report is their account of the activities of the period from January to December 2010.

 

Aims and Objectives

The Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the Priest-in-Charge in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Claydon and Barham the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical (PCC(Powers) Measure 1956 Section 2). The PCC is a charity, which is currently exempted from registration with the Charity Commissioners

 

Membership of the Parochial Church Council

Members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with Church Representation Rules. The last Annual Meeting was held in March 2010. This meeting approved the 2009 Annual Report. The PCC members following the 2010 Annual Meeting  were:- Rev Peter Thorn (Parish Priest and PCC Chairperson), Rev Jenny Ablett  (Local Ordained Minister) Mr Robin Hooper Greenhill (Churchwarden & PCC Vice Chair), Mr Desmond Groom (Churchwarden), Mr Roger Colthorpe (PCC Treasurer) Mrs Pauline Dennis (Publicity Officer)  Mrs Christine Farley (Reader);, Mrs Ann Goldsmith, Mr John Holloway, Mrs Thelma Hopwood, Mrs Gwen Pilling, Mrs Ann Ramsey, Mrs Gill Robinson, Mrs Elizabeth Stone (Reader - previously Thompson)            Mrs Beverley Sutton (PCC Secretary), and Mr Peter Wright

 

Mr Greenhill, Mrs Stone and Mrs Sutton served as Deanery Synod Representatives. Roger Colthorpe is also on the Deanery Synod by reason of being Bosmere Deanery Organiser and is also a member of the Diocesan Synod. Rev’d Thorn and Rev’d Ablett are members of the Deanery House of Clergy.

 

At the Annual Meeting Mr Bernard Rushbrook stood down as Churchwarden and from being a  PCC member. He was thanked for his years of service in both roles.

 

CHURCH LEADERSHIP

 

Rev’d Peter Thorn, who completed his first full year as our Priest-in-Charge, leads a ministry team from the three parishes. This team meets together to arrange responsibilities for services across the three Churches and to co-ordinate ministry work in the three parishes.

 

Within our own Parish we continue to benefit from the presence of a strong non-stipendiary team of Rev Jenny Ablett, and our Readers Liz Thompson and Chris Farley.

 

Rev Henry Lunney continued to help us as and when required until mid year when he was too ill to continue. Henry sadly died later in the year and our Church was well represented amongst the 600+ who attended his  thanksgiving service at St Augustine’s.

 

Towards the end of the year we were pleased to welcome Rev’d Sam Ritchie to our Church Family after his “second retirement” and hope to enjoy the benefit of his years of experience in the ministry. Sam and Mary have worshipped with us as other commitments allowed for some years but it is good to now have them as regular members of our congregation.

 

In addition to the Ministry team, the commitment of our Churchwardens and other officers of the PCC, have ensured that our Church life continues to run smoothly.

 

Vocations

Stowmarket and Bosmere deaneries have put together  an “Exploring Vocations” course for the new year to encourage Church members to consider the way God may be calling them into ministry in the Church eg assisting with pastoral care, children’s work, teaching, etc. At the time of writing the report a number of people had shown an interest and two have signed up for the course.

 

Committees and Delegated Responsibilities

Due to the pressure of meetings, the Standing Committee made up of the Priest-in-Charge, Churchwardens, Secretary and Treasurer no longer meets on a regular monthly basis but is still established to deal with any urgent business; or, if requested, to formulate proposals for the full PCC meeting. It may be delegated authority by the PCC to act on its behalf on specific issues.

 

At the beginning of the year the organisation of each major event during the year was delegated to an individual person, who was then responsible for gathering the help needed to organise and run that event. The PCC monitored the progress and outcome of these events through the regular “Events - review and planning” item on each PCC meeting agenda.

Sidespersons

The important role of Sidesperson is carried out on a rota basis with the members of the team being elected at the annual meeting. As the first person any visitor usually meets, a Sidesperson has a vital role in ensuring that visitors and newcomers feel welcome in our Church.  At weddings and funerals Janet Rushbrook has continued in the role of verger.

Electoral Roll

With the last complete renewal of the Roll being in April 2007, the Church Electoral Roll only had to be updated in 2010. As a result of this the number on the roll grew to 135 names as at 1st March 2010.

 

SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH

 

Services and Church Attendance

The life of the Church has continued to centre on its Sunday worship, which is quite well attended with about 60 attending the main 10am service each week. The general pattern of worship this year has mainly remained unchanged, with a said communion service on Sunday’s at 8am and the main service taking place at 10am with the choir. The “First Sunday Communion” which runs in parallel with the Children’s Workshop, apart from  using the easier-to-follow booklet, is no longer substantially different from our other 10am communion services.  On the second Sunday we hold a Parish Communion Service in parallel with the Icthus Group for older youngsters meeting in the hall. Starting last January the third Sunday service is now “Community Worship” in place of the old Family Service. This service has been run by a variety of groups and individuals throughout its first year and has been generally well received. It will be challenging to maintain the freshness and all-age appeal but the PCC has made a significant decision to invite and finance John Hardwick to run our Community Worship in March 2011.. On the fourth Sunday of the month we return to the Parish communion.

 

There has been much discussion over the pros and cons of the practice introduced in the interregnum of closing all but one Church on the 5th Sunday and worshipping together as a group. In the end problems agreeing service times and clashes with major festivals/events led the PCC to decide that there were insufficient benefits to continue the practice. It recommended that instead more emphasis be put on worshipping together at midweek services such as Ash Wednesday, Ascension etc.

 

The fellowship that occurs in the hall over coffee following every 10am service is a very important part of Church life for many of our regular worshippers and visitors. This can play a major role in helping newcomers integrate into the Church family.  

 

The Carol Service, Service of Light and Midnight Mass again attracted big crowds undaunted by the thick snow on the ground this year.

 

The Church was again packed for Remembrance Sunday this year when we again welcomed our local Scout and Guide groups, the Air Training Corps and a group about 20 uniformed soldiers   from Wattisham to join in our Act of Remembrance.

 

We continued the now traditional practice of holding a service for St Peter’s tide in the retired church in Claydon and this was well attended by both those who used to worship there as well as newer parishioners.

 

The monthly midweek Sunshine Service in the village hall on a Thursday morning, continues to be well supported. This service is open to all, but draws its main support from the Young Families group.  Apart from major festivals, the only other midweek services are held at Old Rectory Nursing Home, Alasdair Place, and St Peters Court once per month.

 

During Lent we again attempted house groups – this year with a course designed by Rev Peter entitled “Living into today’s world”. However attendance overall was again disappointing.

 

The Bible Buddies group, formed in Lent 2006 and consisting mainly of young mothers, has continued to meet on a monthly basis throughout the year and formed the basis of one of the Lent Groups.

 

Lifts to Church

A “Yellow Card Scheme” is in place whereby anyone without their own transport can have a card by their phone with a list of names and numbers of people who are willing to be phoned on Sunday morning for a lift

 

 

Church Music

We have still been unable to attract a new Choirmaster/Organist during the year and have relied on our assistant organist, Claire Lunney, who plays for our Community Worship and a small number of other local organists who agree to play for us Sunday by Sunday basis. Whilst we are grateful to these musicians it is a far from ideal arrangement and it is a great credit to the Choir that they have mainly kept together to lead our music throughout the year. We are grateful to Chris Farley and Liz Stone who have taken on board the responsibility of sourcing an organist for every Sunday which, at times, is no easy task.

 

The PCC has part-financed a course for Caroline Rust to convert her existing keyboard skills into playing a Church Organ and we hope that, given time, she will feel able to play for us from time to time.

 

In the past our Choir has not only been the leader of our musical worship but also an important contributor to our work with children and young people. It would be good to have a Choirmaster and Organist to revive this work.

 

If anyone gets to hear of a suitable person who may be interested in working with our choir please speak to Chris, Liz or Rev Peter.

 

Lay involvement in Worship

It is very sad that the diminishing but loyal band of acolytes (servers) that has served us well during our worship over the years has fallen to three adults and that few 10am services enjoy the services of robed acolytes. However, we appreciate the assistance at the altar provided by Robert Clarke and Rowan Spall in the absence of acolytes.

 

There is a healthy involvement of other lay members in the services. Intercessions at 10am are usually prepared and delivered by lay members of the congregation and laity also normally read at all services. Licensed lay chalice assistants help at the communion and this year Pauline Dennis and John Holloway have been licensed by the Bishop to join this small team.

 

The introduction of the Community Worship service has increased lay involvement in leading worship in our Church.

 

 

Provision for Young People

The PCC strongly believes that the future of the Church depends on encouraging and educating young people in the Christian faith.

 

This includes

MU led Young Families group Monthly mid week Sunshine Service. Monthly Sunday morning children’s workshops Good Friday workshop and service Easter overnight vigil and breakfast Monthly Sunday morning Icthus Group 3 day J-Team holiday club Visits by schools to Church Involvement in school assemblies Weekly sheets available in Church Primary School leaver’s service

 

It is a little sad to report that a number of our young people have moved on and as a result the Sunday evening youth group is not currently meeting on a regular basis. Also there are currently too few acolytes available to serve at 10am services. Our Choir is also short of new recruits.

 

Our 23rd annual three-day J-Team holiday club was this year based on John Hardwick’s “Starship Discovery” material and attracted 82 primary school aged children from Claydon, Barham and surrounding villages. Easter and Christmas cards were again personally addressed to every child who has attended J-Team, during the past three years  or and current attendees of Icthus or the Children’s workshops.

 

Discussions have taken place on the way forward for youth work. Setting up a group for youngsters around the 9 to 11 year-old range is a possibility id the leadership is available

 

Flowers

Under the co-ordination of Janet Rushbrook the Church was beautifully decorated throughout those seasons where flowers are allowed.  However at the end of the year Janet decided the time had come to relinquish this role and she was presented with a token of our appreciation for her 17 years of service.

 

We also took the opportunity to record our thanks to all the ladies who give their time, and often the flowers, to ensure that our Church is beautifully decorated every week and particularly at festivals. Their loyalty is appreciated and we thank Pauline Dennis for taking on the organisation to ensure that the Church will continue display some of the beauty of God’s creation  into the future.

 

Associated Church Groups

The two Mothers Union Branches (one meets in the afternoon and the other in the evening) and their Young Families group, are a source of strength in the life of the Church. MU and Young Families members continue to be a reliable resource for most major events.

 

The Church Family

Between March 2010 and February 2011 we have welcomed 13 new members into the family of the Church through baptism. However unfortunately no candidates came forward for confirmation during that period.

 

During the year we sadly lost Daisy Bumpstead and Bill Williams from our Church family.

 

Bosmere Deanery

Our Parish is part of Bosmere Deanery – a grouping of 24 local parishes.

 

We are always well represented at Deanery Synod meetings through our 3 elected lay members and our 2 clergy members.  Our Treasurer, Roger Colthorpe, is also a member in his role as Deanery Organiser. During the year the synod discussions have included the following; The Five Marks of Mission: Growing Healthy Churches; the role and purpose of the Deanery; the Street Pastor scheme; and the Deanery Plan (Discipleship, Vocation, Mission and Resources). The draft plan for the Deanery is to be submitted to the Bishop by 15th April 2011 and be finalised by 30th June. PCCs were invited to respond to a questionnaire as part of this work. Since the year end the Deanery Synod has discussed the criteria by which stipendiary clergy should be deployed in the future and what should be the mission focus for our Deanery

 

Chris Farley is the Deanery Reader Organiser.

 

Parochial Share

We maintained our record of always paying our allocated Parochial Share in full which this year was £31,000. The Parochial Share is the amount paid by parishes to finance both local paid ministry and the work of the Diocese as a whole.

 

Bosmere Deanery overall achieved it’s best result on record with 98.8% paid and with 20 of the 24 parishes paying 100% of their agreed share. If Bosmere wants any chance of retaining its 6 stipendiary priests every Church will need to get to achieve and maintain 100% payment.

 

Our treasurer is also the Deanery Organiser so has the task of agreeing the allocation of the Deanery’s Parochial Share and encouraging the 24 churches, including our own, to pay the full allocation.

 

Our Parochial Share for 2011 will be £32,000 of the Deanery’s total of £265,822.

 

COMMUNICATION & PUBLICITY

Thanks to the efforts of Jill Blyth, the weekly news sheet keeps the congregation informed of service times, events and a list of those who need our prayers.

 

The Church has a well-established entry in the community magazine. However, towards the end of the year the delivery of this magazine became less reliable, even after the “Community News” became “In Touch with Claydon Barham, Henley and Whitton Rural” under new ownership. Fortunately the delivery problem seems to have now been cured with the two Parish Councils taking over responsibility for organising the delivery in our villages through volunteers.

 

Roger Colthorpecompiles the Church’s contribution for “In Touch” each month and is always keen to receive ideas and information for this. Additional copies are always available in Church so that members of the congregation who are non-residents have access to a copy. The notes written for the Newsletter are also included on the Church’s website.

 

The Church’s internet website is hosted within a national website containing at least a skeleton entry for every Church in the country. Our entry continues to attract a significant amount of interest with about 2000 “hits” per year. The information published on the website includes all the latest news and information on services and events, as well as a range of photographs and articles on the history of the building. The Church’s website is  www.achurchnearyou.com/claydonandbarham

 

Cards, with thought-provoking artwork produced by Paul Dennis, containing appropriate greetings and details of services were delivered to each of the c1600 houses in the parish at Christmas and Easter.

 

Our major fund raising events were also promoted by house-to-house leaflet delivery. The delivery process is well established and our thanks are due to the individuals who have taken ongoing responsibility for the delivery of leaflets in each of the 49 delivery rounds, to Pauline Dennis who organises the production, and to Mick Ablett who gets the bundles together and delivers them to the deliverers.

 

In addition to the general distribution, individually addressed cards are sent twice a year at Easter and Christmas to the children who have attended J-Team or Children’s workshops over the past 3 years. Contact is maintained with about 150 youngsters in this way. The 30 children on the Monthly Sunday Workshop list receive an invite card in the week before the workshop every month.

 

Poster production and distribution and press abd radio publicity for Church events is organised by our Publicity Officer, Pauline Dennis.

 

However every member of the Church needs to accept responsibility for publicity and communication if we are to reach the wider community.

 

Church Hall Hire

Zoe and Des Groom have continued to look after the hiring of the Church Hall. Under their care, a wide range of groups and individuals use the hall for educational, religious and social activities. Regular users include a needlework class, a computer club, a meditation group, a ladies group and the Parish Council as well as various Diocesan activities. The ample parking facilities and independent entrance enable it to be used without interfering with the availability of the Church for weddings and funerals and this is also quite well lit for evening bookings. Hall hire continues to be an important source of income and the fact that it is frequently used does help with security. We are very fortunate to have someone living close to the Church who is willing and able to take on this considerable responsibility.

 

 

 

 

CHURCH FABRIC AND GROUNDS

 

Quinquennial  Inspection

 

During October the church had its 5-yearly survey by the Diocesan inspecting architect. As usual with these surveys there is little recognition of work done, just a list of new things to do. The survey did not fortunately reveal any major repairs. However a number of minor repairs were indicated which collectively will be a significant cost.

 

The priority A list of 14 items (which we are advised to start within 12 months) included:-

Repair to lead tower back gully and leak fixing of gutters. Floor brick and tile bedding. Repointing patches of flintwork  on south sanctuary, north aisle , northeast buttress. Renew floorboards beneath bell frame. Repairs to the Southwell monument in sanctury. Close off the trap door to cellar in the priest’s vestry. And of course the items that have been on the quinquennial report for the last 30 years, ie conserve the terracotta window in the vestry and replace the corrugated iron roof on the north aisle. Inspecting architects seem to have a thing about corrugated iron and want it replaced with lead, even if it’s not leaking.

 

The priority B list ( advised to start in 2 – 5 years ) contained 15 items ranging from redecorating to tightening the stays on the flag pole.  A long term priority C item is to replace the wooden bell frame with a steel structure. 

 

Reordering the interior

The plans for reordering the back of the Church have not yet been progressed since the experimental reordering was carried out in 2007. We continue to benefit from the added flexibility this has given us particularly for J-Team and those public services and funerals that attract very large numbers.

 

Our aim is to apply for a faculty to relay the bricks in this raised area and lower the level slightly to enable a carpet to be laid.

 

Lighting

We have still not decided how best to light the interior of the Church following the complete rewiring project of 2006. A number of experiments have been conducted but as yet no decision.

 

Maintenance

The interior of the Church, whilst still much in need of redecoration, is kept in a clean condition by a dedicated team of volunteers who clean each week on a rota basis. We are grateful to those who are doing this vital work but would welcome hearing from others willing to join their ranks as two long serving volunteers, Kath Newman and Ann Ramsey, are unable to continue with this work. This is an area where we cannot have too many volunteers to share the load. The weekly cleaning is supplemented by an annual spring clean.

 

The Churchyards and Cemeteries

The Churchyard and hedges at Barham have been maintained throughout the year in excellent order thanks to the many hours of work put in by Graham Brand and Reg and Jack Hammond.

 

This year we also had the trees in the Churchyard professionally surveyed and as a result some fairly significant surgery was carried out by Keith Prentice to reduce safety risks and preserve the trees.

 

Eric and Linda Munson maintain Claydon Churchyard in exceptional order. They also have the Church open whilst they are working and at other times, which allows visitors to enter the Church without needing to get the key.

 

We are grateful that the Community Payback, Unpaid Work Scheme that continues to supply supervised labour to cut Claydon Cemetery as necessary. Part of the agreement is that the scheme also monitors the need for work and does not have to wait for a request to carry out the work.

 

Insurance and Security

The Church is insured with the Ecclesiastical Insurance Society. The value insured is 75% of the estimated cost of rebuilding the Church and replacing contents in the event of a total loss. This caps the size of a claim at this figure (currently £2.9m) but would not impact any claim for loss or damage below that figure. Our public liability cover is £5 million and employer liability cover is £10 million.

 

To reduce our premiums the PCC accepts liability for the first £1,000 of any claim. This year made our first claim for some years following damage caused by an attempted break-in early in the year when two windows were damaged. However due to the excess we will only received £106 of the £1106 repair costs

 

Removable items in the Church are marked with “Smartwater” which allows them to be identified as belonging to our Church should they be stolen.

 

Our Churchwardens are both registered with the Police Direct scheme and are alerted at times when there is criminal activity in the area.

 

FUND RAISING

Our traditional fundraising events of the Summer Fete, organised by Roger Colthorpe and the Christmas Bazaar organised by Beverley Sutton and Gill Robinson, enjoyed another excellent year. However this year only one of these events raised money for our own funds. The PCC decided that, with the unprecedented level of natural disasters in the world in 2010, we should use our Bazaar to raise money for the Red Cross Emergency Relief Fund and over £1400 was raised.

 

We had a beautiful summer’s evening for our open-air concert in the Gardens of Barham Hall. For the second year running we had the Ipswich and Norwich Co-op Brass Band entertain us but for the first time we engaged our own Choir member, Sarah Thompson to lead the singing for the “Last Night of the Proms” finale, which was a great success. We are once again very grateful to Mr and Mrs Burrows for allowing us to use this idyllic setting for this event and are pleased to report that they have readily agreed to a third concert on 2nd July 2011, when we have decided to rebook both the band and Sarah.

 

We invited the other Churches in the Deanery to take up the spare capacity at the concert to raise money for their own funds but sadly few took advantage of the opportunity. However, early indications are that the response will be greater in 2011 as word is spreading as to just how good this event is.

 

Gwen Pilling again organised our support of the Suffolk Historic Churches Sponsored Cycle Ride in September and those taking part achieved our best financial result for several years.

SUPPORTING OTHERS

We consider it a vital part of our responsibility as Christians to help others in our community, in our locality, in our country and across the world.

 

During the year a pastoral care group was formed to co-ordinate and develop pastoral care in the parish.

 

We are grateful to Maureen Double, assisted by Mick Ablett, for her final year as our Christian Aid organiser. With the help of numerous collectors both from within and without the parish Church, an exceptional record total of £1,955 was collected during Christian Aid Week.

 

Mick Ablett organised our participation in the Orwell Walk and raised £451. After paying the appropriate proportion to the Rotary Club, the remainder was again donated to the Children’s Hospice.

 

The “Elderly Project” which has been initiated by the cross-parish Ministry Team is another example of our pastoral care for others.

 

At Christmas, for the sixth year running, there was a huge response to the local FIND charity’s appeal for Christmas presents for deprived families living locally.

 

As reported above, the Red Cross benefited from our Christmas Bazaar fund raising this year

 

The Sunday evening Soup Kitchen service, which we run in conjunction with a team from Henley and another from Crowfield, has been in heavily in demand throughout the past year. The tea, coffee, soup, sandwiches etc which we take are much appreciated. Thelma Hopwood has continued to act as our co-ordinator for this work. This is very satisfying and worthwhile work for all involved. Gifts from various sources in thanksgiving for Harvest, together with a cash donations, grants and the generosity of those in the teams, mean that there is no charge to general Church funds.

 

As noted earlier a significant number of Church members, including the clergy, are actively involved as governors in local schools and pre-school and the Clergy also lead School assemblies. Others are leaders in the local Scout and Guide organisations.

 

Many Churchgoers are actively involved in most voluntary organisations in the parish and a number beyond.

 

Our continued financial health this year enabled the PCC to donate £700 from our normal income to support mission and relief work in the UK and abroad.

 

SOCIAL EVENTS

Each year we try to have one or two events where the Church family can just get together to enjoy each other’s company.

 

During this year we enjoyed an Epiphany shared lunch, family barbecue, Harvest roast lunch and a joint party with Henley and Gt Blakenham to celebrate Rev Peter’s 60th birthday.

 

A team from the Church again entered the annual village quiz in October. Whilst we failed to win the John West Trophy this year, the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

 

FINANCES

The financial statements at the end of this report give a summary of the transactions during the year and the state of the funds at the year-end. Mr Harry Moore, who has again kindly given his professional services free of charge, has independently examined these statements. His certificate appears on the inside cover of this report.

 

Hopefully these statements and the notes that follow them are self-explanatory, but our treasurer is always very willing to answer questions or provide additional information either at the annual meeting or at any other time throughout the year.

 

As a result of our sharing a stipendiary minister, the general expenses of the Clergy (e.g. travel, telephone etc) are apportioned to each parish. This means that this parish paid these expenses and recharged 33.62% to Henley and 8.88% to Gt Blakenham. This formula was adjusted to reflect the sharing of the Parochial Share in 2010. This is our first full year with Rev Peter as Priest-in-Charge of the 3 parishes

 

At the beginning of 2010 the PCC agreed a budget that required our ordinary giving (including lose cash, envelopes, annual donations and monthly direct giving through the bank) to average £497 per week. We actually exceeded this target by £2 per week. This, together with the exceptionally high income from statutory fees and higher than budgeted income from Gift Aid, meant that we were able to achieve a £1219 surplus (3.0%) on our General Fund over the year

 

Our target weekly giving for 2011 is £505 per week and we again ask that everyone reviews his or her giving to enable us to meet this target. This does not mean that it is necessary for anyone to feel pressured to increase their giving who doesn’t feel able. There may be people who, in the current climate, need to reduce their giving as their available income reduces. Therefore we hope that others will be able to increase their giving to fill the gap.

 

The Fabric Fund, the Church Interior Fund, and the Churchyard Capital Fund are all restricted funds as described in the notes following the financial statements. Whilst all the restricted funds are in a fairly healthy position, the money in these funds can only be used for the purposes set out in the notes and are not available for General Fund expenditure. During the year, with no major work being carried out, the balances in the Fabric Fund and Interior Funds increased – the latter benefiting from a generous donation of £3,000 towards the cost of redecoration..

 

The Special Reserve fund holds a number of amounts awaiting the purchase of suitable memorial gifts. These memorial gift amounts have previously been increased by a nominal 4% increase each year to maintain their value whilst suitable uses are sought for the money. With low interest rates and deflation in 2010 no adjustment was made during this year.

 

Location of Funds

The bulk of the Church’s funds are held in the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund where it is safe, accessible and earning a competitive rate of interest (although currently this rate is still very low). Our current account remains with Barclays Bank plc.

 

PLANNING AND RISK MANAGEMENT

It is recommended that all PCCs carry out a detailed review of the Church’s activities and produce a comprehensive, strategic plan setting out the major opportunities available to the Church, and the risks to which it is exposed. The PCC should then regularly monitor progress against the strategic objectives set out in the plan and carry out a comprehensive review of that plan on an annual basis. As part of this process the PCC should implement a risk management strategy, which covers:

 

Financial Risks – this is the most common risk to be managed through budget, internal audit and proper financial procedures Reputational Risk – unwelcome publicity which hinders the mission of the Church Statutory and Legal Requirements – to cover health and safety, employment law, child protection and associated difficulties, which could lead to compensation claims. Operational Risk – threats to the Church’s ability to deliver its objectives

 

The PCC maintains a register of risks together with the associated controls to mitigate those risks. The register was last formally reviewed by the  PCC in November 2009 so a formal review is now overdue.

 

However it has to be said that we do not currently have a plan of strategic objectives against which to measure the risks and instead are using a very high level generic view of our Churches objectives.

 

During this year the PCC has spent considerable time looking at our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and used this work together with the questionnaires completed in 2009 to start to agree a set of priorities as the basis for a detailed Mission Action Plan. The Annual Meeting will be an opportunity to share this work and to receive input to the next stage.

 

At this point we see our priorities for the next 3 to 5 years as

Building links with Primary School Building our own faith eg Bible study Bringing the three Churches closer Building on Children’s faith through J-Team, Workshops, Icthus, CYM etc Building/developing existing gifts/skills Exploring other forms of worship within Church Maintaining/increasing presence/visibility in the local community Maintain financial viability

These will be validated and used as the basis for drawing up a mission action plan in the New Year.

 

A specific risk register is also maintained relating to use of the hall by hirers and this is reviewed annually.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signed on behalf of the PCC

 

 

 

 

 

Rev’d Peter Thorn

Priest in Charge and PCC Chairman

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Hooper Greenhill

PCCLay Chairman