THE CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, PETTS WOOD
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2023
ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL AND THE PARISH
SECTION 1
The Benefice
The Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi, Petts Wood is located in the London Borough of Bromley and is within the Church of England Deanery of Orpington, in the Diocese of Rochester. Fr Stephen Niechcial has been parish priest since 19[th] April, 2018.
The Parochial Church Council ("PCC") – Function
The PCC is a corporate body acting through the provisions of The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 (as amended). Its responsibilities include co-operation with the minister in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It has responsibility for discussion of all appropriate matters and for representation to Deanery Synod. Its powers and duties also include responsibility for the financial affairs of the Parish including the care, maintenance, preservation and insurance of the fabric of the church and its goods and ornaments and the fabric of the hall. The PCC is a registered charity (No 1127654) and the members of the PCC are its trustees. Address for Correspondence
St. Francis Vicarage, 60 Willett Way, Petts Wood, Kent BR5 1QE Tel: 01689 829971 Website: www.stfrancispw.org.uk
PCC & Deanery Synod Membership
The Parish Priest is the PCC Chairman and other members of the PCC are either ex-officio, i.e. members by virtue of being a churchwarden or a member of Deanery Synod, or elected. At the Annual Parochial Church Meeting ("APCM") on 22[nd] April 2018 Rule 16(3) of Church Representation Rules 1969 (as amended) was adopted whereby all elected members are elected every year at the APCM. The adoption of Rule 16(3) expires following the APCM in 2023 and will need to be reconsidered at the APCM 2024. Parish representatives to Deanery Synod are elected to serve a continuing 3-year term with the next election in 2026. During 2021 the PCC members were:
PCC Chairman
Fr Stephen Niechcial.
PCC Ex-Officio Members
Mr Anthony Burlace (Vice Chairman and Deanery Synod member) Mr David Ince (Churchwarden).
Mrs Susan Burlace (Deanery Synod Representative)
PCC Elected Members
Mr Bami Cole (Finance Officer), Mrs Claire Davis, Mr. Alex Graham, Mrs Irene Jones ( Safeguarding Officer ), Mrs Rose Parrington, Mrs Neeley Thomas, Mrs Pam Thomas ( Secretary ), Mr. Tim Wakerley
PCC Appointed "Parish Children, Young Persons and other Vulnerable Persons Representative"
Mrs Irene Jones.
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PCC Meetings
The PCC met 6 times: on 24th January, 22nd March ,16[th] May, 1[st] August, 26th September and 21st. November . Additionally, there was a short meeting after the APCM for the election of officers. For reasons of Convenience, the meetings were a mixture of ‘live’ and hybrid. Minutes of PCC meetings are e-mailed to members of the congregation who have agreed to receive them and are displayed in Church.
PCC Committees
The appointment of a Standing Committee is a statutory requirement and the PCC may appoint other committees and subcommittees for the various branches of its work and these may include non-PCC members. In the previous year the PCC had 4 committees as follows which are convened as required:
Standing Committee It has power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings thereof, subject to any directions given by the PCC. Hall Committee Manages the church Hall Social Committee Attends to the Parish’s social activities Fund raising and Building Steering committee Raises funds for and manages new capital and specific project works
Of these only the Standing Committee and Fund Raising now remain formally in existence. The functions of the remaining three committees are exercised by ad hoc volunteers as the need arises.
Safeguarding Protection Policy
The Parish adheres to the Diocesan Policy, Procedures and Practice for work with Children, Young People and other Vulnerable Persons in Parishes, which includes DBS checking for all those working with vulnerable people in the Parish, and also has due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. The PCC recognises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all of us.
Charity Governance Code
The PCC has reviewed the Code and will continue to consider its guidance. In 2023, 4 members of the PCC had served more than 9 years. While the PCC encourages new members to come forward, there were insufficient nominees to fill all vacancies and the 4 long serving members all brought expertise which was needed. The PCC was pleased to welcome 2 new members. The PCC encourages diversity by inviting nominations for election from all members of the congregation and by requiring all PCC members to stand for election each year.
Church Attendance
At 31 December 2022, there were 79 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. Attendances during the year remained lower than pre the Covid 19 pandemic. However, all services remained open to a live congregation as well as being live streamed. Attendances remain similar to the previous year at around 30 for 10.30 Sunday Mass. During the year the PCC and our fellow parishioners were delighted to welcome new members into our Church family, while at the same time greatly missing those who left us.
SECTION 2
Review of the year
As always the Church has relied upon, and has been blessed by the grace of God and the generosity, hard work and goodwill of its people. We have continued to publicise the Church through our website, www.stfrancispw.org.uk , our Facebook page and our Newsletters, all of which give details of all our services, news, information and activities. We also update our entry on ‘A Church Near You’.
The church has been open for personal prayer and meditation daily throughout the year and we have streamed our weekday and Sunday services so that people can take part in their homes. Fr. Stephen and our members have ensured that others have been kept in touch with and supported. In these and other ways we hope we have been a source of strength and comfort to all.
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The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community. Our usual programme of social and community events continues, and we managed to host a number of concerts and events, including our usual Summer Fair, Garden Party, Quiz Night, concerts and regular Film Nights. Our Christmas Eve, Christingle Midnight Mass, and usual Christmas Day services were held. The Christingle was the busiest service of the year with the church being full. Our Hall has continued to serve the whole community of Petts Wood as venue for a daily pre-school group and for various social and recreational activities.
Our Holy Week services were held in full in church.
Our monthly Family Services have continued.
We continued to be active in Petts Wood Churches Together, including St Francis once again leading an Ecumenical Lent Group, and participating in the Good Friday Walk of Witness. The Bereavement Help Point sited at the Methodist Church has continued to grow and Flourish.
Our St Francis Support Network continues to ensure that friendship and help in times of need is available to all our congregation.
In 2023 the Parish, as part of its outreach and mission to serve those in need, supported several charities, including The Children’s Society, St Christopher’s Hospice, St Francis Hospital Katete, Welcare and Orpington Food Bank.
Father Stephen’s Report
2023 has been a flourishing year for St Francis with two notable new initiatives coming out of the discernment work we did together as a church in 2022.
The first of these initiatives to launch was our Repair Café which has now been running for 12 months, bringing together people from church and the community in the repair of household items- many of great sentimental value, as well as raising funds for our church. A dedicated team of church and non-church volunteers show great enthusiasm and commitment to this project.
The second initiative is Bubble Church- half hour, once a month service for toddlers aged up to 7. This has run three times now with not less than 12 children and their parents at each. Again we have a very committed group to run thisexclusively church members at present, but we hope in time this will broaden out to include parents and children.
We have also launched a funding group with the aim of raising funds for a new heating system and hall repairs.
We have installed tables and chairs in our refreshment area at the back of church.
I celebrate Mass daily. Evensong on Sunday evenings has also continued. Mercifully we have lost no members by death throughout the year, and have gained several new members who have moved into this area. We have had the joy of several Infant Baptisms.
Our ECO group has continued to flourish and achieved a Silver Award for our church as well as organising the installation of solar panels on our hall roof.
Our previous drop-in centre for Ukrainian refugees evolved into a conversation class staffed by volunteers from different churches in Petts Wood.
Bromley Boy Singers and other musicians organised by Dave and Sarah Ince gave lovely concerts in church.
Our Mothers’ Union has also evolved into something less formal, with members meeting in each other’s homes.
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Unlike many churches, we don’t have a paid administrator here, and we remain very indebted to Sue and Tony who compile and print our weekly notice sheets, and to Steve for all the amount of work he does regularly in compiling high quality service booklets and recording music for Feasts and Family Services, and to Dave for the time-consuming business of managing church hall bookings.
Our threshold Sunday Mass figure of 25 minimum to justify the cost of an organist has just about been met consistently. So we have continued to draw on a small pool of good itinerant organists for Sunday Masses with the exception of Family Services. Steve and I felt that retaining recorded music for these would maintain some variety in our musical diet. Peter Sanders very generously continues to play for our regular evening services without charge. Thanks go to our faithful choir who were able to sing again for most of the year, and again to Steve for all the work that goes into preparing music and rehearsing the choir. Our Carol Service took place this year with good attendance..
We all owe a debt of thanks to our PCC for carrying out the essential work to manage our church. I remain concerned though about the workload for some. For the past three years I have written, ‘We have had only one Churchwarden for over four years now, and despite some of the work being covered by Tony (which Dave and I are very grateful for), Dave has been combining this with the huge task of managing the church hall. We need and should have two Wardens and I really feel someone should be stepping forward as a second Warden’. Sadly the situation remains the same, and no one else has come forward.
The work and activities of the Parish depend on the hard work and generosity of so many of our congregation. I must give most sincere thanks to all who have helped us to pay for the ongoing costs of the Church (especially so in the light of high inflation in 2023) and have supported us through giving their time and talents to church activities. We thank them all, including Choir members, Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Sides Persons, Flower Arrangers, Cleaners, Gardeners, those who have helped with buildings maintenance, finance and administration, and all others who do so much to provide our services to such a high standard and keep the Church and grounds in good condition.
There is a separate financial report from which you will see that at year end 2023 we were in a fairly good financial position thanks to hall income remaining high and stable.. The PCC have continued to discuss ideas for how we might use Alice’s legacy wisely on improvement projects which would be an effective use of her gift and a fitting memorial to her. We have received an estimate to replace our heating system. We also have to factor in though that our organ has been estimated to need repairs in excess of £35K. We have some restricted funds remaining from our West End Project. Our thanks go to Bami and Terri for their highly skilled and professional management of our financial resources.
As always, if you already donate by Standing Order I would urge you if you can possibly afford it, to update the amount annually by at least the rate of inflation which is currently reckoned to be running at around 6-7 %. If you currently give cash or envelope donations I would ask you to consider replacing them with a Standing Order, and better still join the Parish Giving Scheme which will update your giving automatically once a year. This would ensure regular income for us when you are not able to attend church, and knowing how much income we can count on weekly or monthly helps our financial planning enormously. I would like to encourage all members to think about the benefit of leaving a small legacy to our church
Thanks to Ruth’s work as Website manager, and the items from all who contribute, our website continues to be very comprehensive, attractive and gives a very good message about who we are and what we have to offer. With all your contributions, Judith is keeping our Facebook page and quarterly Newsletter lively. We need regular contributions for all of this, so please keep them coming.
Judith and I continue to feel very supported and valued by everyone in our church and we would like to thank you for all your love and prayers over the past year, and especially in these recent weeks of Judith’s illness and recovery. I personally feel very honoured to be the Vicar of a church which pulls so well together to show so much love and caring to each other and the community. My ministry here will probably end in the late summer of 2025 with my retirement, God willing.
Fr. Stephen,
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Church Warden’s Report Introduction
Fr Stephen started his ministry at St Francis six years’ ago (19[th] April 2018) and I know that all of us appreciate his guidance and the pastoral / Christian outreach work which he and Judith undertake not only at St Francis but also within the wider community of Petts Wood, including Petts Wood Churches Together (PWCT). Their focus on, and support for, wider global issues like caring for God’s environment and trying to achieve lower carbon emissions is also well-received. Our latest Silver ECO Award and the success of our monthly Repair Café are a testimony to their commitment. It is planned that Fr Stephen and Judith will be leaving St Francis in just over a year’s time (after July 2025) and I pray that we may all use this time wisely. Let’s continue to be guided by Fr Stephen and to prepare for the inevitable interregnum which will occur! My thanks also go to Fr Bob who not only takes (and preaches at) services but also concelebrates with us from Bromley College. Considering his multiple operations and medical procedures this year, I very much appreciate his commitment to St Francis. Due to Fr Bob’s connection with Bromley College, we welcomed two new visiting priests to St Francis, Neil Fairlamb and Angela King (acting chaplain at Bromley College) who helped us out when Fr Bob was recovering. They were appreciative of our warm welcome and I hope that they will be able to help us in the future.
While this report summarises the fabric of the church (see below), I must start by giving thanks to all of those who have continued to worship and support each other in the parish. We continue to operate the church in a professional and caring way in terms of our finances, accounting, operations, Hall management, garden/building maintenance, and the “day to day” running of services. All of this doesn’t happen by chance – it is the result of the dedication, commitment and hard work of many individuals, including the PCC members. I know that Fr Stephen has already commented on the fact that I have been the only church warden for many years; however, without the support you show to each other, and to myself in particular, my role would be untenable. To all of you, who have made this possible, please accept my gratitude.
2023 has been a year of many joyful moments: From our wonderful Summer and Winter Fairs to the many fun Film Nights and the very popular Vicarage Garden Party generously hosted by Fr Stephen and Judith. Our strong music tradition at St Francis has continued under the expert guidance of Steve and, as always, the Easter Triduum and Nine Lessons & Carols highlighted the importance of combining music and liturgy to produce an enhanced spiritual experience. Our Patronal Festival and the blessing of our new stained glass window was also a very special moment in our worship this year. We also welcomed the return of PWOS Musical Theatre Group and Bromley Boy Singers to St Francis in December for some very entertaining and uplifting music performances. This is all part of our fellowship at St Francis. Once again, thank you to all of you who have made this possible and let’s strive to share Jesus’ love with others in Petts Wood.
Work Undertaken
It is clear to everyone who visits St Francis that the building, grounds, vicarage and the Community Hall are all maintained to a very high standard. A substantial amount of work has been undertaken both by external contractors, by parishioners acting in a voluntary capacity, and by Fr Stephen. There are too many people to mention by name but I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank all of you who have helped in such a dedicated, loving and caring way - I believe that our work here is a lasting legacy to the worshipping community in Petts Wood and one which we can all be proud of. A wonderful addition to our beautiful church was the installation of a new stained glass window to commemorate our patron saint. As I serve at the chancel altar, the beauty of this window never fails to catch my eye, especially when the sun is shining so that the dark and lighter blues become so vivid! I know that you will all join me in thanking the donor for their most generous gift.
Please find below a summary of other works which were due in 2023:
-
a) As our insurance has now paid out for the water damage to the organ, we have decided to complete the organ work in stages with the first phase being the repair of the water damage. Unfortunately, our main contractor has found it difficult to commit to specific dates when this work will be completed. Despite this planned repair, the organ still needs a major overhaul. I thank the members of the congregation for making generous pledges towards this; however, even if we continue with the project in phases, the second phase (after water damage repair) will cost many tens of thousands of pounds, hence the plan to use social functions to raise some of this money.
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b) After many months of being without a functioning bell, I’m pleased that the bell cable has now been replaced with a different type of steel cable together with the netting which protects the bell chamber from birds!
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- c) The replacing of the mortar fillet at abutment over lead flashing to east side of north aisle is still outstanding as is the replacement of some of the Fire Escape steps at the back of the Hall.
In addition to the work below, we installed solar panels on the East and West facing roofs of the Hall as well as their associated battery and inverter. Other maintenance/service work in the Church and Church Hall has been regularly undertaken by qualified contractors e.g. Electrical PIRs (Periodic Inspection Reports); Fire Extinguisher Checks; Gas Safety Checks; Heating System Services; Hall Emergency Lighting; PAT testing. Please note that the technical checks for Asbestos and the Lightning Conductors were also undertaken (March 2023) with the next ones scheduled for March 2025. Please note that contractors were brought in to cut back the trees in front of the Hall to mitigate the risk of damage to our neighbour’s property. A special, and well-deserved, “thank you” is needed for Tony’s organisation of most of this. Without our special group of volunteers, the cost of doing much of the work at St Francis would be prohibitively expensive.
Moving Forward
Recently, Fr Stephen came across my baptismal records dated September 1959! I am blessed to have been at St Francis for over 60 years, man and boy. It has been an honour and privilege to be associated with so many good and wise people within our community who have guided me over the years - St Francis will always remain my spiritual home. While Sarah and I have no firm plans to leave Petts Wood, please note that when Jasmine graduates in 2025, it will be increasingly likely that we will start reviewing the best place in the UK for us to retire to. It is likely that we will follow Fr Stephen and Judith within a few years of their move which should give enough time for a new priest to be appointed as well as two Church Wardens, a Hall Manager, and a new server. In the meantime, Sarah and I will carry on helping and supporting St Francis as much as possible.
Dave Ince
Church Warden
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THE CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, PETTS WOOD
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2023
ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL AND THE PARISH
Annual Accounts 2023
Parochial Church Council of St Francis, Petts Wood
Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31December 2023
| Unrestricted | Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| INCOMING RESOURCES | £ | £ | ||||
| Voluntary Income | 63,925 |
6,712 | 70,637 | 70,211 | ||
| Activities for generating funds | 12,495 | 190 | 12,685 | 7,300 | ||
| Income from investments | 1,614 | 1 | 1,614 | 510 | ||
| Church activities | 26,370 |
26,370 | 24,799 | |||
| TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES | 104,404 | 6,902 | 1 | 111,306 | 102,820 | |
| RESOURCES EXPENDED | ||||||
| Cost of generation of voluntary | 0 | |||||
| income | ||||||
| Church activities and ministry | 102,152 | 540 | 1 | 102,692 | 85,280 | |
| TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED | (102,152) | (540) | 1 | (102,692) | (85,280) | |
| NET RESOURCES | 2,252 |
6,362 | 0 | 8,614 | 17,540 | |
| NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS | ||||||
| Balances B/fwd 1 January 2023 | 114,133 | 15,233 | 3,000 | 132,366 | 114,826 | |
| Balances c/fwd 31 December 2023 | 116,385 | 21,595 | 3,000 |
140,980 | 132,366 |
| Balance Sheet at 31 December 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | |
| FIXED ASSETS | ||
| Tangible | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| TOTAL FIXED ASSETS | 8,000 |
8,000 |
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||
| Debtors and Prepayments | 1,694 |
3,097 |
| Short term deposits | 117,504 |
95,172 |
| Cash at Bank and in hand | 13,782 |
26,097 |
| TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS | 132,980 |
124,366 |
| TOTAL ASSETS |
140,980 |
132,366 |
| PARISH FUNDS | ||
| Unrestricted |
116,385 |
114,133 |
| Restricted |
21,595 | 15,233 |
| Endowment |
3,000 | 3,000 |
| 140,980 | 132,366 | |
| TOTAL PARISH FUNDS | ||
| LIABILITIES | ||
| Creditors | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL PARISH FUNDS AND LIABILITIES | 140,980 | 132,366 |
| These Accounts were approved by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) on …………………….2024 | ||
| and signed on its behalf by Fr Stephen Niechial, PCC Chairman) | ||
| Balance Sheet at 31 December 2023 |
Financial Statements
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011, and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs.
Assets
Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s.10(2)(a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011. Movable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the church's inventory. Items costing less than £1000 are written off when purchased and other items will be depreciated on a straight line basis over four years. The Church Hall is within the church grounds, but the building is owned by the PCC. It is included at historic cost of £8000. Equipment used within the church premises will be depreciated on a straight-line basis over four years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.
Fund accounting
Endowment funds are funds, the capital of which must be retained either permanently or at the PCC's discretion; the income derived from the endowment is to be used either as restricted or unrestricted income funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established in the first place.
Restricted funds comprise (a) income from endowments which is to be expended only on the restricted purposes intended by the donor and (b) revenue donations or grants for a specific PCC activity intended by the donor. Where these funds have unspent balances, interest on their pooled investment is apportioned to the individual funds on an average balance basis.
Unrestricted funds are income funds which are to be spent on the PCC's general purposes.
2. INCOMING RESOURCES |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | TOTAL | TOTAL | |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| 2023 | 2023 | ||||
| INCOMING RESOURCES | £ | £ | |||
| Voluntary Income | |||||
| Planned Giving: | |||||
| Gift aid donations | 25,616 | 25,616 | 37,602 | ||
| Tax recoverable | 11,726 | 11,726 | 12,780 | ||
| Other | 17,246 | 17,246 | 1,740 | ||
| Collections | 3,465 | 3,465 | 5,074 | ||
| Donations, appeals | 6,471 | 5,490 | 11,961 | 11,471 | |
| Tax recoverable | 1,412 | 1,412 | 679 | ||
| Legacies | 0 | 0 | 19 | ||
| Activities for generating funds | |||||
| Fairs, raffles, social events | |||||
| Sponsorship | 3,471 | 0000 | 3,471 | 6,145 | |
| Income from investments | 1,614 | 510 | |||
| Bank and Deposit account | |||||
| interest | 1,614 | ||||
| Income from Church activities | |||||
| Fees | 8,425 | 8,425 | 1,920 | ||
| Church Hall lettings | 26,370 | 26,370 | 24,879 | ||
| TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES | 104,404 | 6,902 | 111,306 | 102,819 |
| 3. RESOURCES EXPENDED | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment |
TOTAL | TOTAL | |
| Funds | Funds | Funds |
Funds | Funds | |
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| Church Activities | £ | £ | |||
| Missionary and charitable | |||||
| giving | |||||
| Welcare | 550 | ||||
| Ukrainian Fund |
1,132 | 1,132 | |||
| St Christophers Hospice | |||||
| Childrens Society | 300 | ||||
| Romney House Cats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 110 | |
| Age UK | 380 | 0 | 380 | 0 | |
| St Francis Hospital, Katete | 0 | 180 | 180 | 450 | |
| Orpington Deanery Synod | |||||
| Shelter | 360 | 360 | 300 | ||
| Petts Wood Churches Together | |||||
| Sub Total |
1,512 | 540 | 2,052 | 1,710 | |
| Ministry | |||||
| Diocesan Parish Offer | 46,882 | 46,882 | 44,162 | ||
| Other Ministry costs | 3,052 | 3,052 | 2,888 | ||
| Church running and | 37,823 | 37,823 | 23,454 | ||
| maintenance | |||||
| Training | |||||
| Parish Website | 745 | 745 | 660 | ||
| Church Grounds upkeep | 1,896 | 1,896 | 1,320 | ||
| Church Hall running costs | 8,143 | 8,143 | 7,906 | ||
| Printing and stationery | 2,099 | 2,099 | 3,180 | ||
| TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED | 102,152 | 540 | 102,692 | 85,280 | |
| Surplus/(deficit) | 2,252 | 6,362 | 8,614 | 17,540 |
NOTE:
The following Charitable Payments intended for 2023, were made after 31 December 2023 and therefore not included in the figures.
-
Welcare £605
-
Children’s Society £520
4. Payments to PCC members. No expenses were paid to any PCC member.
5. Donations from the PCC
Under the Charity Governance Code for Smaller Charities, and in line with the practice advised by the Diocese, the Parish is advised to disclose the aggregate of the total amount of donations received without conditions from the PCC during the Financial Year. For 2023, the aggregate donations received without conditions from members of the PCC (whilst in office) amounted to £27,861 (2022 £28,364).
6. Debtors. Tax recoverable £1,412 (2022 £2,748)
7. Fixed Assets. Church Hall Building £8,000 (2022 £8,000)
8. Current liabilities. Nil. (2022 Nil)
9. Funds
The unrestricted funds comprise the General Fund , Hall Fund and designated Church Repair Fund. Some General Fund income from collections and fund raising and donations is restricted for particular purposes. Donations of £750 (Plus £250 GA) was received towards the setting up of the Bubble Church initiative, to encourage young families to engage with the church. Donations of £340 was received towards the Organ Fund making a total of £2,996, A donation of £1,500 was also received on behalf of the repair café towards the general fund. The main restricted Fund is the Project Fund, for identified major projects to improve church and hall facilities. The endowment funds are the Lamp Maintenance Fund which is an endowment of £3,000 given to pay for the sanctuary lamps.
| FUNDS MOVEMENTS | Church | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Repair |
Hall |
Project | Lamp |
Total | |
| Fund | Fund |
Fund |
Fund | Fund |
Fund | |
| £ | £ |
£ |
£ | £ |
£ | |
| Balance at 1 January 2023 | 51,139 | 14,517 |
48,477 |
15,233 | 3,000 |
132,366 |
| Incoming resources | 77,462 | 800 |
26,369 |
6,675 | 0 |
111,306 |
| Resources expended | 94,009 | 0 |
8,143 |
540 | 0 |
102,692 |
| Transfer between Funds | 0 | 0 |
0 | 0 |
0 | |
| Balance at 31 December | 34,592 | 15,317 |
66,703 |
21,368 | 3,000 |
140,980 |
| 2022 | ||||||
| Increase/(decrease) | (16,547) | 800 |
18,226 |
6,135 | 0 |
8,614 |
| ANALYSIS OF ASSETS | ||||||
| BY FUND | ||||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | TOTAL | TOTAL | ||
| Funds | Funds |
Funds |
Funds | Funds | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| FUnds | £ | £ | ||||
| Tangible fixed assets | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | |||
| Current assets | 116,385 | 21,595 |
3,000 |
140,980 | 124,366 | |
| Liabilities | 0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | |
| Total Assets | 124,385 | 21,595 |
3,000 |
140,980 | 132,366 | |
| Increase/decrease for year | 2,252 |
6,362 |
0 |
8,614 | 17,540 |
Ind8pondent Examiner's Report to the membersltrustoos of St Francls Chtsr¢h, Petts Wood. Paio¢h•al Church Councll. I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st Decernber 2023 which are set out on the followlng p8g88. Respectlve wpOnbIull0$ olthe Trustee8 and Indep¢ndont Examiner As trustees of the charity. the members of the PCC are responsibLe foT the pr8par8tion ol the accounts. They consider that on audit is not required lorthi$year under section 144121 of the Ch8rities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needgd. tt 13 my responsibility to: examlne th• accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act: follow the procedures 18id down ITr the General Directions wen by the Ch8rlty Commissioners section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act,. and State whethei particular matter8 have eome to my attention. B••ls of Ind•pond•nt Ex8mlnef¥ Statem•nt My examination w88 carried out In accord8nce with the General Direction8 wven by the Charity Commission. An examin8tlon includes 8 revlew of the accounting records kept by the charity and 8 comparl$on ot the accounts presented with those records. It also includes conslO8ratlon of any unusual items or disclo8ure3 in the accounts, and SeeA8 explanations from the management committee concernin8 any such matters. The procedures undertaken do nol provide 811 the evidence that would be requlred in an audit. and consequently no opinion 18 glven as io whether the 8ccount8 present 8 "true and fair view" and the r8POrt Is limited to those m8tter8 88t out in the statement below. Indep•ndent Examlnefs Stst•mont In connection with my oxamin8tion. no matters have come to my attention which give me rea8on8bie cause to boll"w48 that in any material respect the requir8m8nts to keep accounting recordg in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act. or
to prepare aceountswhich accord with these accounting records have r1 been mei; 2. to which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in Order to enable a proper understanding of the 8ccounty to be reached Date