Charity Number 1127944 Parochial Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year to 31 December 2021 Charity no 1127944 Independent examlner's report to the trustees (The PCC) on the accounts of The Parochial Church Coun¢il of the Eccleslastical Parlsh of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn For the year ended 31st December 2021 Set out on page5 3 to 10 Responsibilties and basis of report I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the charity") for the year ended 31st December 2021. A5 the charity's trustees, you ar¢ responslble for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charitie5 Act 20111"the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carrled out under sectlon 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrySng out my examlnation, I have followed all the applicable Dlrections given by the Charity Commlssion under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent examlner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no materlal matter5 have come to my attentlon In connectlon with the examlnatlon whlch 8lve5 me cause to belleve that in, any material respect.. the accountlng records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charitles Act,. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records,. or the accounts dSd not comply wlth the applicable requlrements concerning the form and content of accounts Set Out in the Charities IAccounts and Report51 Regulations 2008 other than any requlrement that the accounts glve a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter consSdered as part of an independent examination, I have no concern5 and have come acr055 no other matters in connettlon with the examination to which attentlon should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Slgned: Date: 11 Afa Shahrukh Talati FCA 17 St Geor8es Road, Southsea P04 9PL Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Parochial Church Councll of The Church ofthe Good Shepherd, Crookhorn 31 December 2021 Professional Advisors Incumbent The Revd. Janelle Smith The Vicarage 87 Perseus Place Crookhorn Waterlooville P07 8AW Bank The Co-operative Bank PO Box 250 Skelmersdale WN8 6wT AGGountanl Sally Grant Llmlle Chartered Accounlanls 3 Ladybridge Road Walerlooville P07 5RP Independent Examlner Shahrukh Talati FCA 17 Sl Georges Road Soulhsea P04 gPL Dlocese A member of the Church ol England in the Diocese of PortsmoLJth in the Parish of Crookhorn Parochial Church Councll of The Church ofthg Good Shepherd, Crookhorn statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 December 2021 Charity No. 1127944 Restricted income funds Unrestricted funds Endowment Total thls funds year Total laBt year Incomlng resources Donations Activitie5 for generating funds Inv8stment income Church activities 107,542 6,250 113,792 113,290 1,200 139 1,906 822 2,640 822 3,140 500 Total Incoming resources 111,004 6,750 117,754 116,535 Resources Expended Church activities External Giving Support costs 83,831 11,746 13,541 500 84,331 11,746 13,541 81,916 14,560 13,960 Totsl Resources Expend8d 109,118 109,618 110,436 Net Movement In Funds 1,886 6,250 8,136 6,099 Tolal Funds Brought Forward 113,789 113,789 107,690 Total Funds carrled for4vard 11 S,675 6,250 121,925 113,789 Parochlal Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd. Crookhorn Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2021 Notes 2021 2020 Fixed assets Equipment Current assets Debtors and prepayments Bank balances and cash in hand 14,605 110,316 16,035 98,833 124,921 114,868 Current liabilities Creditors falling due within one year Other liabilities 2,996 1,079 2.996 1,079 Nèt current a8sets 121,925 113,789 Net assets 121,925 113,789 Reserves Unrestricted Fund8 Restricted funds 10 115,675 8,250 113,789 Reserves carried foNard 121,925 113,789 Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 2022 and signed on ils behalf by.. Rev. Janette Smith (Vicar) Tlmothy Fitz-George Ichurehwardenl PAROCHIALCHURCH COUNCILOF THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. CROOKHORN NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31st December 2021 NOTE I- STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basls of preparatlon - The PCC is a puL71ic benefit entity within the meaning of FR5102. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with Church Accounting Regulation5 2Q06 governing the individual accounts of PCCS, and with the Regulations"true and fair view" provisions, together with the Statement of Recornmended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charitie5 SORP IFRS1021 effective from 1st January 2019. Recognltlon of Income- Income Is included in the Statement of Flnanclal Acilvltles ISOFAI when.. the PCC become5 entitled to the income. the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliabllltv. It Is probable that the PCC will recelve the Income. Ollsettlng. There has been no offsettlng of assets and Ilabilitles or Income and expenditure unless required or permitted by SORP IFRS 1021. Tax re¢lalms on donations and 8ifts- Gilt Ald recelvable is included in income when there is 3 valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid recovered on a donation 15 consldered to be part of that glft and Is treated a5 an additlon to the same fund as the inltlal donation unSess othenKise specified by the donor or the terms of the appeal. Donated servlce5 and facllltles- Glfts in klnd are included at valuation and recognlzed as Income if feasible. No amount5 are Included In the flnanclal statement5 for servlces donated by volunteers. Llablllty recognlt5on- Llabllltles are recognlzed where It Is more Ilkely than not that there Is a legal or conslrucllve Ilablllty and the amount can be measured with reasonable certalntv. Support costs. Support costs Include central offlce functlons. Credltors. Credltors are measured at Settlement amount less any trade dls¢ounts. Debtors- Deblors are Measured on Inltlal recognltlon at settlement amount or amount advanced by the PCC. Subsequently they are measured at cash value or other conslderatlon expected to be recelved. Consecrated and beneflce property- In 50 far as consecrated and benefice property ol any klnd is excluded from the statutory deflnition of "charity" by sectlon 10121 lal and Icl of the Charitie5 Act 2011, such assets are nc*t capitallzed in the financlal statement5. Moveable church furn15hrnES- These are capitalized at C05t and depreciated over their useful econornic life eKcept where insufficient cost information is avallable. All irems are Included in the church's Inventory, whlch can be inspected at any reasonable time. Tan¥iblÈfixed assÈts- These are capltallzed If they can be used for more than one year and cost more than £2,0￿. Depreciation Is provlded on all tanglble fixed assets on a straight line basts Over four years. Restricted funds- These are Sncome funds that must be spent on restricted purposes and the details of the fund5 held and rèstrictions placed thereon are shown in the notes to the accounts. Unrestrlcted fund5- These represent the remaining income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the 8eneral Purposes of the PCC, includlng amounts designated by the PCC for special purposes. Parochial Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 Income and expenditure account analysls Unrestri¢ted Restrlcted Endowment Funds Funds Funds Totsl 2021 Total 2020 2 Income Donatlons Planned Giving: Gift Aid donations Income tax recoverable Other planned giving Hub donations Appeals, special collectlons 66,676 16,669 24,197 5,000 1.250 71,676 17,919 24,197 74,844 19.056 18,864 526 107.5A12 113,792 113.290 ActlvStles for generating funds Centre hirlng 1,200 1.200 Income from Investments Intsresl received 822 822 822 822 139 139 Incomè from church activlti08 Church evonlsl conferences Children's work 0-11 Youth work 11 plus Outreach - adults PCC fees income 500 500 1,077 109 459 995 3,140 1.077 109 459 995 1.213 594 99 1,906 500 3 Expenditure on GhurGh actlvltles Diocesan parish share IQLtotal Incumbent's expenses & vlcarage costs Youth leader salary Youth leader support costs Church ulilily costs other church runnlng expenses Church maintenance- minor Church m8lntenance - major Upkeep of seTvices PCC fees Gosl8 ub Education & training adult Education & training 0-11 Education & training 11 plus Community work 0-11 Community work 11 plus Community work- adult Church events & conference5 46,340 783 14.866 531 2,592 3,139 2,001 8,038 4,036 528 46,340 783 14,866 531 2,592 3,139 2,001 6,038 4,036 528 49,040 1,291 14,477 603 2,538 3,493 2,187 3,028 266 558 354 30 2,639 283 686 443 81,916 252 320 33 1,202 471 521 178 83,831 252 320 33 1,202 471 1.021 178 84,331 500 500 Parochial Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 4 External Glvlng Missionary and charitable giving Overseas Mission Societies Rellef and development agencies Diocesan Mission Fund Home mission & other church societles Secular charitie5 4,460 3,810 100 2,976 400 4,460 3,810 100 2,976 400 11,746 6.010 5,SOO 2,800 250 S Support costs Salaries Copier leasing & running costs Telephone & other admin costs Postage, printing & stallonery Website Subscriptions Bank charges Professional fees 7,873 2,629 933 638 45 426 48 949 7,873 2,629 933 638 45 426 48 949 7,767 2,314 1,000 664 939 760 51 485 13,960 Parochlal Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhom Notes to the Aecounts forthe year ended 31 December 2021 6 Staff eosts 2021 202D Salaries Pension costs 22,440 299 22.739 20,455 231 2Ct.686 Number of staff employed.. During the year the PGC @rnployed 2 pèople, the Adminislralor and the Youth and Farnily Tè8m L8ad&r Paymbnts to PCC mgmbgrs and relatsd partlo$ In order lo avold posslblo conflicts of interest. related PCC members do not lake part in discussions or voles In molters connected with themselves A small immaterial portion of the expenses paid to the Incumbent may havo rslated lo their servlcè as Chairman ol Ihe PCC. 7 Equlpmgnt Equlpm?nt Total C08t Al 1 January 2021 Addllions Disposals At 31 December 2021 47.027 47,027 47,027 47.027 Deprgc5atlon Al 1 January 2021 Charge for thè year On dlsposals At 31 December 2021 47,027 47,027 47,027 47.027 Ngt book valu• At 31 December 2021 At 31 December 2020 Parochial Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 8 Debtors TOTAL 2021 TOTAL 2020 Income tax re¢over8ble Other debtors 5 Year Equity Loan to Mission Housing Ltd 3,488 356 10,761 14,605 5,456 579 10,000 16,035 Debtor recoveraljle after more than one year The 5 year Equity Loafj to Mission Housing Ltd of £10,761 is secured against the residentlal propety purchased for Elnur Jabiyev of Turkic Belt Ministries, a Christian charity which supports persecuted Christians in the Turkic Bell counlrles. The loan Is made through Mission Housing Ltd which is a company registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. The loan has been renegotiated during the year and Is now $91 at a fixed amount of £10,761 at OQ/o interest and is repayable in February 2025 9 Credltors falllng due within one year Accruals and deferred income Other Gredilors 506 2,490 230 849 2,996 10 Fund Dotalls ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND Unr8Btrlctsd Rostrfct8d Endowrnent TOTAL TOTAL Fund# Fundg Fund$ 2021 2020 Flxed assets Current assets Current liabllilles Long term liabilities 118,871 -2,996 6,250 124,921 114.868 -2,996 -1,079 Fund balance 115675 121 925 113789 The Restrlcled Fund is for Community Purposes The PCC has designated the following from unrestrlcted funds.. Provision for future planned fabric renewals Provision for repalrs and replacement equipment 60,000 12,000 72,000 There remains a surplus of £43.675 In unrestrfcted resetves (which would cover approximatety five months overheads). Parochlal Church Council of The Church of the Good Shepherd, C Charlty No. statement of financial activities for the year ended 31st December 2020 1127944 R&stricted incoma funds Unrestrfcted funds Endowment funds Total 2020 Incoming resources Donations Activities for generating funds Investment income Church activilles 113,290 1,200 139 1.906 113,290 1.200 139 1,906 Total Incoming resources 116,535 116,535 Resources Expended Church activities Dongtions made Support costs 81,916 14,560 13,960 81,916 14.560 13.960 Total Resourc85 Expended 110,436 110,436 Net Movement In Funds 6,099 6,099 Total Funds Brought Forward 107,690 107,6gO Total Funds carrSed forward 113,789 113,789 10 ## **PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, CROOKHORN** ## **ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021** ## **Administrative information** The Church of The Good Shepherd is situated on Crookhorn Lane, Waterlooville. It is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth within the Church of England. The address for correspondence is: The Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn Lane, WATERLOOVILLE, PO7 5QB. The email address is: office@cogs.org.uk The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2020) and a registered charity. The Charity Registration number is: 1127944. The registered name of the charity is: The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of The Good Shepherd, Crookhorn During the year the following served as members of the PCC: ## **Clergy** The Revd. Janette Smith (SC) Chair **Churchwardens** Mr Tim FitzGeorge (SC) Mrs Sally White (SC) ## **Representatives to the Deanery Synod** Mr. David Warren Ms Christine Pylee ## **Elected members** Mrs Julia Barton (SC) Treasurer Dr Michael Homer-Ward Mr Barrie Jones Mrs Sara Lane Mrs Andrea Mercier Miss Aimee Murphy (SC) Secretary Mrs Lesley Quinton Mrs Sally Russell Mrs Julie Thompson Mr Jonathan Tweed Note: (SC) denotes Standing Committee member. 1 ## **Structure, governance and management** The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC operates through a number of committees, which meet between the full meetings of the PCC (usually eight in a year). The structure of committees was organised during the year as follows: |**Committee**|**Area of Responsibility**| |---|---| |Standing
Committee|Finance & Budgeting, Progress PCC business, Agenda setting
Note: This is the only committee required in law. It has power to transact
the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions
given by the Council.| |Prayer|Prayer, Prayer ministry & Pastoral| |Resources and
Health & Safety|Fabric, Buildings, Parish Office, Sunday Set-up Team, PA & Sound Team.| |Welcome &
communication|Social, CoGS Hub, Events, Coffee Team, Welcome/Follow-up, Website| |Discipleship|To support the discipleship of all church members, encouraging each to
take responsibility for their own growth.| |Outreach|Alpha Courses, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Community Outreach.| |Finance|Church finance| |External Giving|Mission giving| ## **Objectives and activities** Crookhorn PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the current incumbent to promote within the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church - pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at COGS. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: - ♦ Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus - ♦ Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish. - ♦ Missionary and outreach work. To facilitate this work, it is essential that we maintain the fabric of the Church Centre complex of The Church of The Good Shepherd. The PCC has compiled with its duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Disciple Measure 2016 to have due regard to the House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. 2 ## **Achievements and performance** ## _**Review of the year (by Revd Janette Smith)**_ Despite another year disrupted by Covid we have still managed to achieve a lot. 2021 was the year we began to make more inroads into our community. We are beginning to get to know the people living around us better and this has opened up greater opportunities for one-to-one ministry. There has been a real growth of courage and boldness to step out of our comfort zone. As we moved into another lockdown after Christmas, we tightened up live services in the church again. Members of the congregation were encouraged not to come into the building unless they were unable to watch the online service. We settled into a routine of streaming services with no congregation. We’ve had courses and prayer on Zoom, and much of our ministry has been hybrid. For most activities we have offered something in person (inside and out) for small numbers and something online for those unable to join us. We opened up to a bigger congregation (30) from Easter Sunday asking people to book. Gradually over the year the numbers coming into the building grew, although we are still not at the levels before Covid. Online church continued to work in tandem with in person church. Prayers on Zoom continued at 9am & 9pm and we began praying the psalms for 10 minutes at 6pm each evening. We ran a couple of Alpha courses on Zoom with people joining from all over the country. Alpha worked amazingly well online. Our Lent course was also held on Zoom and was really well attended with random breakout groups each week. It was a good experience for most to engage with people they would not normally speak to. We had a very fruitful 24 hours of blessing in March where we prayed blessings over every member of the church, every activity and group we run and over every road & business in Crookhorn. Each hour began with worship. A few of us prayed for the whole 24 hours and there was not one hour with fewer than seven people present. It was after this that we began having more divine encounters with people in our community and seeing God at work more often. The 24 hours was followed in May by 12 hours of prayer to pray for the growth of God’s Kingdom, in those we know and those we don’t yet know. In October we ran _The Prayer Course_ in person and on Zoom. It was good to have the chance to pray together in a hybrid fashion. I believe that the amount of time spent with each other online has been good for our fellowship. We have prayed more, listened more and spent more time together other than just Sundays. Covid has done much to consolidate a rhythm of prayer at CoGS. This year we managed to celebrate Easter partly in person, but the majority of the congregation was still the online. We made a big cross to display outside the church and an Easter Egg tree was decorated in front of the church too. On Good Friday we were thrilled to be able to welcome local artist Craig Williams to display some of his work around the church. His huge canvasses took us on a journey to the cross. It was such a moving exhibition and was enjoyed by church and community alike. The cross was also the focal point for a display of hundreds of knitted and crocheted poppies for Remembrance Day. The poppies were made by members of the congregation and community. From September we began to open up activities again, noticeably _Building Back Better_ : nothing is as it was before. We started Messy Church in September (delayed from March 2020) and have been delighted to see so many families joining us. We began our Bus Stop ministry serving hot chocolate and cakes to students at the Bus Stop in September. Due to decreased numbers on the buses we had noticed increased numbers waiting. The Bus Stop ministry has gone from strength to strength. Each week there are some really good conversations with people of all ages but particularly students and school children. Christmas was much more normal this year. We were able to hold some services inside but still held our bigger events outside. Our Carols on the green in St John’s Avenue was well received but very cold! The Baby Jesus Rocks initiative led to more people from the community joining us for our Christmas Eve nativity service. Our community lunch was very low in numbers this year but we opened up our doors on Christmas day to offer Christmas lunch for those on their own. Sixteen of us sat down to a delicious lunch cooked by Marian and Jim. 3 After a year of struggling to make iKnow Church software work for us we replaced it with ChurchSuite at a similar cost. Churchsuite has worked much better for us especially in the easy way it links to our website. Linking activities to one another has borne fruit in 2021. Messy Church has been populated with toddler families, kidzone families and our youth are part of the serving team. Children from the Bus Stop have also joined our midweek children’s groups. We are aiming, as we _build back better,_ always to have something to offer people in order that they may come to know Jesus for themselves. One activity which did not return was the Hub. The decision was made not to return to serving lunches because we felt God was calling us to something else. Out of the Bus Stop Ministry a vision gradually appeared for a Bus Stop Café. In our praying and planning we have felt strongly led by John 21:1-17: To put out our nets on the other side of the boat, to do something different, and to serve breakfast 5 days a week. More about this next year! The PCC spent some time in July brainstorming what our values as a church are. We came up with four core values: - **Love** : united in love, we commit ourselves to accept each other and those with whom God brings us into contact as He made us, leaving any judgement to Him. - **Generosity** : in response to God’s unselfish generosity towards us, we commit ourselves to continually look for opportunities to give to others sacrificially and abundantly according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. - **Worship** : we commit ourselves to honour God in every part of our lives, putting him at the centre of everything that we do. - **Integrity** : we commit ourselves to studying and putting into practice God’s word so that it shines through in every part of what we think, say or do, having the courage to be obedient to God’s leading in our lives, honouring Him by submitting with humility to the authorities that He has put in place. Everything we aim to do in CoGS should have these values. We want God to be in control of all we do. He calls us to step out of our comfort zone and into exhilarating life with him, trusting that the wind of the Spirit will lead us where he wants us to go. And the more we trust, the more like Jesus we will become. And as we learn to live as Jesus, we will show what God is like. Like Jesus, we will be incarnational where we are. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this year's Annual Report, which gives an overview of so much of our life here at CoGS. There is much to give thanks to God for. I thank God for your love, encouragement, support and guidance to Paul and me this year. It is still an immense privilege to be the Vicar here. I feel very blessed to have been called here. As you read through this report, do please use these words as a prompt for your own prayers. Let's pray, giving thanks to God for his goodness to us, but also praying that we as a church might continue to mature and grow in the way we prioritise and relate to God in our daily lives, both as individuals and as a community. ## Yours in Jesus Janette Revd Janette Smith - Vicar – Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn ## **Parochial Church Council** The full PCC normally meets every other month. It is supported by sub-committees that are responsible for individual areas of church life, which then bring matters to the PCC for decision. The current sub-committees are: Outreach, Discipleship, Welcome & Communications, Prayer, Resources, Finance and Giving. There is also a standing committee which meets when necessary to consider urgent matters. The full list of PCC members can be found in the annual report and on the notice board at the back of the main hall. 2021 started, in the same way that 2020 ended, with a lockdown which meant that the PCC had to meet online, although by the end of the year we were at last able to meet in person again. The main activities of the PCC over the year has been to work through the transition from a largely on-line church to one that meets in person again. Due to the changes in the COVID-19 rules we have had to continually adapt our activities. It's clear though that COVID-19 4 has introduced us to doing things online which have made a permanent change to the way we do some things such as daily prayer and short meetings. Our thanks must go especially to our vicar, Janette, who has managed to keep the church operating in very difficult circumstances which are very different from anything she can have experienced before. She sometimes comments that she's forgotten how to lead a 'normal' church, which I think we can all appreciate and sympathise with. It's difficult to imagine that anyone else could have brought as through the last two years so well. As we go into the, hopefully more normal, future, we looks forwards with working together with Janette as we try to be God's hands and voice in our Parish and beyond. ## _Tim FitzGeorge – Church Warden_ ## **Fabric Report** The major requirement for the fabric report is to report on the progress of the work recommended in the last Quinquennial inspection, which took place in 2020. It's pleasing to report that all the major and most of the minor points have been dealt with, which the significant exception of the replacement of the flat roof. The roof replacement seems to get ever more complicated, with permission having to be obtained from the council and the diocese. Building regulations mean that we can't just do a straight like-for-like replacement of the roof. It does look as if we now have the full set of requirements and will be able to get the work done during 2022. In other matters, we've carried out the usual minor maintenance and painting of the building. We have also now have a permanent camera installation for streaming services, which has much improved matters over the previous temporary set up. We also tried out a sun shield on the rear patio, which showed promise but needs to be properly installed. Going into the future, we will have the normal never-ending list of minor maintenance and painting to be carried out, but we can once again be grateful for having a modern building which is in good condition (apart from the flat roof). ## **Havant Deanery Synod** From January we had 4 meetings via Zoom, discussing the Deanery Plan. This is quite a difficult subject as the Deanery Synod knew changes had to be made due to Financial shortcomings, the “Lockdown” which reduced income for the Parishes plus £2million loan the Diocese had taken out. The Deanery Strategy Group had weekly meetings during January & the first Draft Proposals were brought to the meeting on 25/01/21. We were asked to continue to be prayerful about moving forward, to this end a regular Prayer Meeting via Zoom was started on Monday afternoons. Implementation Sub-groups were set up: 1. Growth – Depth, Impact, Number: Leader Rev.Andrew Sheard Area Dean. 2. Leadership – Identify, Equip & give opportunities for Emerging Leaders: Leader Rev Sarah Baker 3. Working Together – Sharing Resources: Leader Deb Henning-Vears Deanery Lay Chair. 4. Working Together - Parish Structures: Leader Rev Ian Snares, Area Dean After our meeting the Proposals were discussed by the PCCs & CoGS had a meeting with Jenny Rowley (Archdeacon of Portsdown who went through the Proposals & answered questions on 03/02/21 via Zoom. Presentation to Diocesan Team on 25/02/21. Positive on the 5 Clusters (CoGS would be together with Portsdown, Purbrook, Waterlooville & Hart Plain known as the South West Cluster. 5 07/06/21 – vote was taken on Proposal 1. - “That as Parishes across Havant Deanery, we commit ourselves to exploring closer together working in cluster-style formations based around the following opening groupings” (Agreed 53, No 4, Abstain 8) It was noted on 02/09/21, that after all the discussion, it was felt things were happening too fast & as Bishop Christopher had retired in the Spring 2021, this Autumn was a time to slow down the process, pray & use the time to encourage talking within the Clusters. 22/12/21 was the first time the Deanery Band led worship, Leader(DHV). Also had a presentation from Angela Herring (AH) IDWAL Deanery Representative of her recent trip to Ghana for their 40[th] Anniversary, & how the IDWAL link works within the Deanery. Living in Love & Faith(LLF) Havant Deanery was encouraged to run the course in the Spring. _Christine Pylee Havant Deanery Synod Member_ ## **Electoral Roll and Church Attendance** All are welcome to attend our regular services. Church members who fulfil the application criteria (baptised, aged 16 or over, and regular attendee) are encouraged to have their names entered on the Electoral Roll. This allows attendance at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and confers the right to vote in any elections at that meeting. Members of the Roll are also encouraged to consider standing for election to the PCC themselves. There are 114 church members on the Electoral Roll of The Good Shepherd, Crookhorn, a drop of 5 from last year. 81 (71%) are not resident within the parish, 33 reside in the parish. 8 people were added were added to the roll. The average attendance at Sunday services, counted during October 2021 was 56 adults and 14 children (including Messy Church) with an average of 56 views on YouTube. There is likely to have been more than one person watching for many of those views, and we cannot tell what the breakdown of children and adults was. It is difficult to say what the turnaround in worshippers has been. Some are still choosing to watch from home, some are still at home not able to watch, some have moved to different churches and we’ve been pleased to welcome several new members. ## **Safeguarding** Barrie Jones was appointed Parish Safeguarding Officer at the November 2021 PCC. He has completed the PSO induction training and is working with the vicar to progress the Parish Safeguarding Action Plan. Clare Hargreaves is in charge of Safer Recruiting, and Posy Sloane has dealt with DBS checks and ensuring that everyone who needs it has appropriate safeguarding training. It is vital that we are ever-vigilant in looking after our children and vulnerable adults at CoGS. Barrie and the team are available if you have any concerns, and they have the backing of trained specialists at the Diocesan Office. ## **Worship** ## _**Main Sunday service**_ Our services in 2021 were limited by Covid to some extent all year. Not being able to sing without masks kept many folk out of the church. As the weather improved in the Spring we opened the doors at the back of the building and Tim rigged up a speaker and a screen outside so that those who wished could sing without masks outside. This was a great opportunity to sing over our neighbourhood. Our sermon series based on the book _The Good and Beautiful Life_ by James Bryan Smith was well received and people also enjoyed the challenges of the soul training. We followed this series with _The Good and Beautiful Community_ later in the year. In between we had a series on the Resurrection Life from 1 Corinthians 15, _Confidence in the Living God_ (looking at David & Goliath), and then in the summer we looked at Parables. Our Advent series looked at the ‘gospel’ of Isaiah. 6 ## _**Messy Church**_ Having delayed the launch of Messy Church due to Covid it was great to final get it started in September. WE have a volunteer team of about 20 people, including some of our teenagers. It has been great to see everyone mucking in together for what needs doing. Our young people lead the action songs and help on the craft tables and the sound desk. We asked the parents of the children using our groups when the ideal time for running Messy Church would be and they said “Sunday afternoons”. So that’s when it is and it’s obviously a good time because we get a mixture of families from the church and families from the community. It has been exciting to have 2 dedication services within Messy Church and to welcome the friends and families of those being dedicated. It’s always good to eat together and Paul Smith has done a sterling job in the kitchen with a team of helpers. It takes a certain skill to be able to cater for 140 when you’re only expecting 70! After two ‘normal’ Messy Churches we did two ‘specials’: a light party instead of Halloween and Follow the Star at Christmas which were both hugely popular. We’re now back to ‘normal’ and it’s quite a relief to have a fewer people although we’re still averaging 60-70 people. It’s always fun to come up with crafts related to the themes each month. We walked on ‘water’ one week using a mixture of cornflour and water which is runny when you handle it but solid when you walk on it. Our teens couldn’t leave it alone! We’ve made Palm Sundaes, and play dough which looked like donkey poo! Messy Church is never boring. ## _**Mid-week Communion**_ Our Mid-week communion service began again after Easter 2021 and is attended by a faithful few. It is a said service and is in a more traditional style than our other services. It has been timed to allow those attending Vintage Wine to share communion first. ## _**Home Communion Team**_ The Home Communion Team has been much depleted over this year with only two of us regularly visiting those unable to get to church. It is a very valuable ministry to those who use it and we would welcome others to join our small team. ## _**Small Groups**_ The 'small groups' have diminished in number and in attendance. The Discipleship Team have prayed about how this ministry could be 're-ignited'. One obvious reason was the ongoing need for us to protect ourselves from the virus, but there are probably many other reasons as well. There have been two 'all-togethers' with many attending the Prayer course. This was then followed by Prayer course 2 - Unanswered Prayer earlier this year. The 'drop in' group on Tuesday has continued to meet and has been an opportunity for us to meet when one group has not been able to meet. The Thursday 'drop in' has also really helped. A new group was started on Zoom with people joining from three different groups that had ceased to meet. All the groups benefit from excellent sermon notes (in the form of a series of challenging questions), and as these are sent to all members, we can all do the study individually if unable to attend a group. Our group 'hosts', who have continued to meet, have done a fantastic job to encourage and lead each week. Thank you to you all. PS The Discipleship Team continues to look to how we can grow our groups, so please forward any ideas you may have to develop this important, and vital, aspect of church life at CoGS. ## **CAT (Crookhorn All Together)** The Crookhorn Fun Run saw its 5th annual event (and the 2nd unofficial run due to lockdown). It was a great surprise to see so many turn out even though it was not promoted fully. The local Co-op again supplied refreshments after the run, which the younger generation loved as they enjoyed their ice creams and lollies sat in the sunshine. Marbs Tanning also supported the event and turned out in numbers and we all had great fun as Owen 7 led the warm up. As we ran the event 'unofficially', donations were received and we again received grateful support for us to pass onto the community. There are official forms available to anyone within the Crookhorn community, who would welcome support financially. If you know of anyone who needs some extra help please ask anyone in the group. We have many ideas to extend CAT, and have more than the fun run each year. We would welcome any other suggestions for events that we can set up to try and bring the community together socially. ## **Lent Course** Following on from the _Disciple Course_ last autumn we ran a Lent course in order to identify strongholds in the church and in the community and to work on breaking them. This was a home-grown course based around a similar format to the _Disciple Course_ run on Zoom. Over the course of 5 weeks we discussed: Preparing for Spiritual battle; discovering and prioritising the most significant strongholds; finding connects within God’s word; seeking God in repentance and prayer; acting on demolishing strongholds and putting safeguards in place. In the Church we said that we are struggling with: - Complacency/Being too comfortable; - Lack of enthusiasm/Passion; - apathy was also rated high which really sits with both. In the community we said the strongholds are: - Busyness on a Sunday. Since Sunday became a normal trading day it is no longer a day set aside; - People feeling that the Church is irrelevant. They don’t know that they need Jesus and don’t realise that Jesus is the answer to their problems It was very exciting to see a spirit of boldness appearing among us as people courageously stepped outside of their comfort zones and started praying with strangers in need. ## **Portsdown Cluster** Janette and Andy have continued to meet weekly either on zoom or in person to pray together and share what’s happening across the cluster. We have been looking at ways in which to work together more collaboratively across the cluster. ## **Prayer** Prayer continues to take place corporately on so many occasions throughout the week. There are so many opportunities to join others in prayer now at CoGS. Every weekday at 9am and 9pm, every day at 6pm, Sunday evening, Monday morning, Wednesday morning, before our Sunday service and of course within our small groups. We encourage you all to try and join us. Not for all of them, but perhaps for one at least, each month. We have also had prayer courses to help us and times of extended prayer at different time through the year. It has become embedded with our time together to use the acronym PRAY. This was some of the teaching we received from Pete Greig, and it has helped us all pause and rejoice before we offer up our petitions to God, and then yield to His will as we end our time in prayer. More and more we are hearing testimonies of how God answers prayer, and we encourage you to share more with us as to what God has done for you. It's a fantastic way to build our faith further. ## **External Giving** The PCC allocated the External Giving Team a budget of £11,250; this was 10% of the 2020 voluntary income. The main beneficiaries of the funds (over £100) were: ## **International:-** CrossLinks to support mission work in France by Jane & Sena Ounate-Lare £3460 Barnabas Fund £1790 Turkic Belt Ministries £500 8 The Bible Society £500 TearFund £500 Support for needy Christians in Mongolia £500 Support for Brick Kiln School project in Pakistan £500 Support for Prison ministry in Pakistan £500 IDWAL £100 Youth Goat Project £20 ## **National:-** New Wine £400 Care for the Family £400 UCB £400 Coalition for Marriage C4M £400 Ian Goater £400 ## **Local:-** Faith ‘n’ Football, Portsmouth £400 Friends Without Borders, refugee support, Portsmouth £400 Off The Record, Youth counselling Service, Havant £400 Vicar’s Discretionary Fun £176 ## **Ministry in Schools** Our visits to Morelands primary and Riverside have been completely curtailed this year but that doesn’t mean that we have had no input into the schools. All of our children’s activities get advertised at Morelands through Parentmail and many children have joined us for online activities over the year. Janette and Clare have made several videos to send to the school. At Easter Janette told the entire story of Easter from the kitchen whilst making a Rocky Road cake (each ingredient had something to do with the story). At Christmas Morelands unfortunately had to cancel their assembly at CoGS at the last minute, so Clare and Janette made a Christmas video to share with the school instead. After not seeing the school for nearly two years it was great to welcome the upper years of Riverside for their Christingle service this year. They were delighted by the stable scene and all the straw on the stage. We were able to present each child in the school with a copy of J. John’s book, _The Christmas Story._ ## **Children & Youth Activities** ## _**High Tide**_ High Tide is a once monthly ecumenical joint youth service for churches in and surrounding Portsmouth. We have a number of different churches from different denominations join together in the various churches for worship, teaching, prayer ministry, food and fun once each month. We were so blessed to be able to start High Tide in person back last June where we had an in person session on the beach at Southsea. This was amazing to be back meeting in person rather than on Zoom. We then had a huge celebration at Portchester castle on July which was a real high point and celebration of coming together after such a long time for the youth with limited contact and zoom sessions. We celebrated with inflatables and rodeo bulls, BBQ and ice cream. It was really special. High tide has grown and we now have more than 7 churches involved in High tide central and there are also plans to start high tide north in Jan 2022 and a youth residential in April 22 which was a really amazing time filled with teaching, fellowship, worship, fun and games including bushcraft, swimming, tie-dye t-shirts and paintball. The weekend was a real boost and a good reset for some of the youth which was much needed. ## _**Junior church and Crèche**_ This group has was an absolute delight over lock down. It was such a blessing to be part of this group every sunday, We meet on Zoom every Sunday 9:10-10ish. We would have a catch up from the week, do an action song (which one of our youth would join us to lead) we then had a bible story that the older children took it I turns to read, followed 9 by prayers which we have three of the children do. The older ones prepared prayers themselves whilst the younger ones would read prayers. It was absolutely amazing. Play dough prayers were very popular as well and we often ran out of time as they were not ready to end the session. We would finish the session by playing a game or two and then all say goodbye. We consistently had at least 12 children join us on a Sunday morning which was a real blessing and we would never usually have that consistency in church on a Sunday. Since running the online and zoom holiday club in feb and at Easter we also gained two new members of junior church. We started this group back last June in person meeting in the garden whenever the weather allowed and since last September we have met back as normal in the building. We have worship and teaching that usually involves games and craft. The group has grown and we have had several new families join in the last year which is a real blessing. ## _**Refuel**_ It was such a blessing to be able to start this back up early summer 21. The youth are older and more able to understand social distancing etc so we could start back in person sooner than junior church. This Sunday morning group is a really precious group that are growing in faith and maturity. We meet during the Sunday service for drinks, biscuits and bible study and fun. We are currently doing the freedom in Christ youth course which is going really well and it is a blessing to be on this journey with them. ## _**Lent challenge and sponsorship**_ Last Lent the youth did the lent challenge where they all gave up something they were dependent on like gaming or watching YouTube videos and instead took up healthy habits like walking the dog and reading their bibles more. Some of the youth managed to keep this challenge going for the whole of lent and as a group they raised an amazing sum of £2,224! This has been used to: Free two families from debt in the brick-kilns of Pakistan, Build a well in Bangladesh, Buy 10 goats for poor Christian farmers in Pakistan Buy 10 piglets for poor and persecuted Christians in south-east Asia Buy 10 chickens as part of a church chicken project in south-east Asia Buy 10 frying pans for a home-based business selling snacks in Pakistan Provide a month’s education for 69 children at a very basic school in Pakistan. ## _**The Zone (11+)**_ This is an 11 + group on a Friday evening 6:30-8:30pm the youth come together and we share a hot meal together eaten round the table with the leaders, this gives us opportunities to for conversation and interaction. Our aim is to build relationships and enable our group members to feel loved and valued as we eat together, worship and do a short study session and play games together there is also often a craft activity. We have a really lovely group of young people and it is a privilege and honour to work with them. ## _**Bus stop Ministry**_ After several months of prayer and preparation we started this last June . WE started just on a Thursday afternoon and have grown to run this on a Tuesday and Thursday we have a table outside of the church with benches for those passing by and those waiting for a bus to have hot choc or coffee and cake. This is an amazing time where we get to connect particularly with the students from the college and see how their day is going. We are able to just bless people and connect with those in our parish. The aim is to bless and love people. This has exceeded all my expectations and we have made some amazing relationships with people through this and invite them along to the other things going on at Cogs. It has a real buzz about it and we are serving on average about 60 people a session. ## _**Youth discipleship and mentoring**_ There are several members of the youth that are being mentored and serving as they grow. We have Josh and Sharn who serve on a Wed evening at Kidzone where they help to run the group, leading craft and games and generally 10 providing lots of the fun. They are amazing young people and have grown massively in their faith and confidence. it has been a pleasure to watch them grow in this way. Also Matthew who serves on a Wednesday morning where he runs the sound desk for the toddler group and has also learned to do the sound desk on a Sunday morning. This has been really good for him and again he is growing in confidence and ability. We encourage our youth and young people to serve where ever they can and several of them serve on dance team which they regularly do the action songs for us at junior church and holiday clubs etc. Almost of all of our youth and young people also served and helped run holiday club. ## _**Kidzone (4-11 yrs)**_ We started this back up last July so that they had a few weeks before the summer holidays. We meet on a Wed 4.306pm. We have games, table tennis, craft and bible stories, action songs drinks and snacks. This is a great space for children to come and unwind after a hard day at school. We aim to introduce them to Jesus in the teaching we do and show them the love of Jesus in the way we respond to them. We have a good mix of church and non-church children but prominently non church children. We have really good relationships with the parents and families, chatting to them as they drop off and pick up their children. This has been a great link as most of the children come from Morelands so there is a great connection with the children for when we go in to do school assemblies and the children love to join on with the action songs that we teach them at Kidzone during the school assembly. ## _**Holiday club**_ Our usual holiday club could not happen in 2021 due to Covid but we managed to do a Feb and a Easter online holiday club very successfully which even resulted in a new family joining the zoom junior church, which was a blessing. The February one was based around psalm139 and we delivered packs to nearly 50 children, the packs included craft, a recipe, a colouring competition and a copy of psalm 139. At Easter we used the J John Easter book and broke it up into 3 sessions where I told the story, we had action songs and games they could join in with and watch on YouTube each day. There were also puppets and a half hour zoom session of game that they could join each day if they wanted to. This again was really special time and lovely to be able to run. ## _**Toddlers/ toddlers in the park**_ Following on from the zoom sessions that started in Jan 21 we started Toddlers in the park in the spring once the weather was good enough. This was an amazing time where we were able to meet outside in the park for a bible story, craft and rhyme time, the parents then stayed around and had lunch together in the park. It was such a special group as they were able to come together and support each other outside safely after such a long time of separation. The group grew and included just passers- by that were taking their toddlers to the park. It was such a blessing. We started toddlers back in the building in September 21 and the group has grown and most weeks we have new families join us. Lock down was a great time to start fresh with toddlers and change the format and add in more bible Christian content which has been really well received by the mums and childminders. ## _**Tots and Tunes**_ Since starting back after COVID restrictions lifted in the summer Tots and Tunes has thrived. Parents, Grandparents and carers have welcomed being able to bring children along to a group where their youngsters can not only sing and jump around but also start to socialise with each other. Having been starved of real connections for the last year the opportunity for Mums and carers to meet face to face has been really appreciated. It has been fantastic to have a good mix of Church and non-Church mums and carers come along with new friendships being made each week. It is hard to clear the building after the group as people want to continue talking! There is a lot of joy and laughter in the group but my highlight this year has been to see an autistic child, who never smiled or responded to the music, start smiling and interact with her Mum. This has brought great joy to Mum and the whole of the group. 11 For a long time, my hope has been that Tots and Tunes would be a bridge into other activities at the Church and this has been happening with many mums and their families attending the Light party, Christmas and messy Church events. Thank you to Eileen, Heather and Letitia who have loved the mums through serving tea and coffee and to Lesley who acts as a mother hen/wise old owl to all the group – what a blessing! Thank you to all who pray for us, we feel God’s hand of blessing upon us! ## Easter egg hunt We were able to run an outside Good Friday community Easter egg hunt. We set up gazebos in the car park and people came and got sheets from us that correlated with 20 hidden wooden eggs that they had to find and write the clues on the sheet to make up the bible verse. When they had found and written all of them on their sheets they returned to the car park where we had chocolate eggs for them and Bible society books for the children. This was really well attended and lots of fun. ## Alternative Halloween light party We ran an alternative to Halloween light party where we focused on “Jesus is the light of the world”. It was really fun time full of craft and activities, including marshmallow toasting. We had glow in the dark face paints and UV lights and lots of glow in the dark decorations. We played games with glow sticks and then had a talk with puppets and some great action songs, followed by a meal together. This event was very well attended and we were really full. It was lovely to have so many of our Kidzone families and toddler families at this event. ## _**Follow the star Christmas event**_ This event took place in December and was planned for 2020 which we were unable to do because of Covid but were able to do it this year. We had people from the church dressed up as nativity characters and out in the community around a set up trail of stars that people followed with their maps. They interacted with the nativity characters and asked them questions as written on their sheets. There were also 2 large light-up stars that the youth carried around the trail for people to follow. When people got back the church garden they meet the inn keepers and shepherds around their fire who then let them into the church hall where there was a stable. They were asked the question by Janette our vicar “Who is missing?” they then realised that Jesus was missing which provoked the thought about what is Christmas all about? They were able to collect their J John Christmas book from the Manger and get their Christmas dinner in a bap. They then came out to the car park where we had tables and benches set up for eating, Christmas music, hot choc and mince pies. This was a lovely event to put on and it was well attended. ## _**Baby Jesus Rocks**_ We wanted to do something different for the children at Christmas this year so a group of spent several evenings painting rocks! Not just ordinary rocks but Baby Jesus Rocks. We painted a picture of baby Jesus in swaddling cloths on around 600 rocks. The rocks were then hidden, over the course of two weeks, on little beds of straw around Crookhorn for the children to find. They were then encouraged to bring their rock along to our Baby Jesus Rocks the Nativity service on Christmas Eve. ## **Outreach** A whole host of what we do at COGS is outreach; our toddler groups, the Bus Stop Café, Messy Church, The Zone etc but on top of our regular Outreaching events we have had some extra-ordinary days where we have reached out to the community. 12 In the summer around 50 older folk went ‘On Safari’ with us through our Holiday at Home special day. A lot of fun was had with the Church being transformed into a Safari park with a life size Giraffe and elephant. To make the most of the stunning set we took the children ‘On Safari’ the following day, which also ran well and was gratefully received. In September for the first time, we held a ‘Green Fun Day’ adding our voice to the other Green voices ahead of COP 26. Because we as Christians are called to look after the amazing world God has created, we felt it was a great opportunity to join with other local organisations and be part of a national effort to encourage going greener. We fixed bikes on the carpark, had a veggie BBQ, created games and amongst other things, found out more about bee keeping, the Wildlife Trust and where we can buy sustainable products. Though not as well attended as we would have liked, it was a thoroughly worthwhile event. In October Janette led a beautiful thanksgiving service for those who had lost loved ones over Covid. This was a welcome chance to grieve and pause together to thank God for them. In December we took our carol service outside onto the green at St John’s Avenue, this was well attended and had a really lovely community feel to it. We also put on ‘Follow the Star’ at Christmas which involved children hunting for live nativity figures around the local area and ending up in front of a lamp lit Nativity scene in Church which was very moving and well attended. May his Kingdom come may His will be done. ## **Puppets** Following Covid restrictions Puppets has slowly returned to performing. We performed a 20 minutes set list at a Church's Christmas Nativity, in Portsmouth, to some very eager children and their families. Emma has returned to performing following the babies so we were very happy to be able to return to performing at Holiday Club. Thanks to Kevin and Janette's team up the Messy Professor has become a loved feature of Messy church. Once again Funky Fish puppets team is at a cross roads of reinventing to bring new life or face ending the group, please can you pray for God's clear wisdom. ## **The Forge** **Our vision: to promote a men's ministry that enables us to meet to share, encourage each other, and to have fun and fellowship.** The group of blokes has started to meet again in person - hooray! A committed few met on Zoom each Saturday morning throughout the lockdown, which was great. It helped us cope with the situation that we all had to face head on through the height of the pandemic. As the Bus Stop Cafe has flourished so we have been able to enjoy a hearty breakfast in the cafe, and no longer have to meet in the local Weatherspoon’s. Our vision is to extend our meeting to include the other nearby churches and to meet at each church during the year. The Gathering is happening again this year from the 24th June to the 26th. This is opportunity to meet with thousands of other men from all over the country and to hear great testimonies and to listen to amazing teaching. So, men go onto their website and book! 13 ## **Men’s Walking** Despite the increasing average age of the walkers this year we covered a lot of miles and had two great holidays, one in Dartmoor in November and to the Lakes in March. Both times were great times of walking, talking and fellowship. The Dartmoor trip involved 24 men from various parts of the country, with the largest contingency from Chichester. it’s always good to renew old friendships and make new ones particularly after lockdown. For me, the highlight was the Remembrance service on Sunday, seeing and feeling God’s presence. The Lakes were awesome and the weather was exceptionally good this year. We are always struck by how awesome the scenery is and what a privilege to be outside enjoying His creation. ## **Vintage Wine** We have sadly said ‘goodbye' to several of our faithful members over the last 2 Years. They are sadly missed and it has been difficult keeping in touch with those in care homes, but as spring creeps into summer, we hope to be able to visit them outside in gardens or even take them out for coffee. Our meetings are the 1[st] Wednesday of every month, after mid-week communion, and we welcome anyone who wants to join us. We enjoy visiting speakers from time to time, and recently had an amazing talk From Tim representing ‘Blood Bikes’, a little known charity who work alongside our NHS bringing vital blood, organs or equipment in emergency situations to hospitals around the UK. We love lively debates and are always on the lookout for interesting speakers to inspire and inform us. So come and join us – you don’t have to be ‘Vintage’ just happy to while away an hour or two over tea and cake and to be part of our lovely group. Mike & Lesley are happy to collect you or take you home, if you are unable to get to us under your own steam. ## **Craft Club** CoGS craft club continued to run monthly throughout 2021. During the first 2 quarters of 2021, whilst the country continued to be subject to Covid-19 restrictions, craft sessions were held online via Zoom. This created much needed social contact for Craft Club members who had formed good relationships in preceding years. In July 2021, Craft Club met in accordance with social distancing measures in the main church, but many were anxious about resuming face to face contact at this time. In September 2021, regular monthly meetings were resumed in the café area, and attendance has gradually built back to pre Covid-19 levels. Craft Club members have a Facebook page and use a WhatsApp group for sharing craft ideas and giving notices about sessions. There is regular attendance from cogs members and others from outside the church. The ambition for 2022 is to further grow the club, and advertise through the Bus Stop cafe and post Cards, but this will require additional committed helpers to replace those who have recently stopped assisting. ## **Financial Review** ## _**Independent Examiner’s Statement (2021)**_ COGS accounts for year ending December 2021 were subject to independent examination, where an outcome was reached that no material matters were evident in relation to our accounting records The independent examiner pronounced that No matters have come to his attention which gives him cause to believe the accounts are materially misstated or don't comply with the regulations. Grateful thanks are due to Sally Walker, our brilliant bookkeeper, for her diligence and expertise in maintaining and reporting CoGS accounts. ## _**Financial Summary (2021)**_ The total receipts of both unrestricted and restricted funds during 2021 were **£117,754** , with details included in the financial statements of this annual report. During 2020, **£109,618** was spent on providing the Christian ministry of The Church of The Good Shepherd. This figure includes our contribution to the Parish Share which largely provides the stipends and housing for clergy. The net result this year was therefore a small surplus of **£8,136** . 14 The church is in its third of five years of a £10,000 Loan to Mission Housing Limited. In 2021, this loan was changed from an Equity Loan to a fixed rate loan, which is now valued at **£10,761** . The loan is secured against a house which is being purchased for Elnur Jabiyev of Turkic Belt Ministries, who visited us and spoke at a Sunday service during both 2019 and 2021. This loan is repayable in November 2024 although there are indications that the house may be sold before this date. Our External Giving in 2021 totalled **£11,746 and** continues to reflect 10% or more of our donated income. Organisations including Crosslinks (for Sena and Jane Ounate-Lare), Tearfund, Barnabas Fund, The Bible Society, UCB, Care for the Family and Turkic Belt Ministries continue to receive financial support. ## _**Reserves**_ The balance of unrestricted funds above our designated reserves of **£72,000** and carried forward on 31st December 2021 stands at **£43,675** . At present £36,153 is invested in an interest-bearing account with Kingdom Bank. The amount equates to 6-months overheads. The anticipated spend on roof repairs did not occur in 2021, and reserve funding has been rolled over to 2022 for this purpose. ## _**Restricted Funds**_ A generous donation from a church member was received in 2021 to support the delivery of plans to serve the community of the Parish of Crookhorn. A Crookhorn Community budget line has been established for 2022, and it is anticipated the majority of this will be allocated to the set up and running of the Bus Stop Café, Messy Church and other groups and projects. ## _**In Conclusion**_ 2021 saw continued enforcement of a range of Covid-19 virus pandemic restrictions, which began in March 2020. The church was unable to hold face to face services and activities as normal until halfway through the year, and much contact continued through digital platforms. The impact of the pandemic on church finances which had resulted in a reduction in some planned spending, but also a reduction in opportunities for income generation from established activities in 2020, continued partway into 2021. We give thanks for God’s amazing grace and mercy in the yielding of a small financial surplus at 2021 year end and are grateful for the ongoing generous and faithful giving of COGS church members throughout the year. 15