2020-12-31-accounts

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The Online Link St. John's Hillingdon - AGM Report Special Edition

Use online giving here to catch up on your giving or to make a donation.

St. John's Church, Royal Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3QP www.stjohnshillingdon.org.uk

Church Administrator: Nikki Bell Email [e-mail] Text/Phone [phone]

Vicar: Alan Bradford Email [e-mail] Emergencies Text/Phone: [phone]

The PCC is a Registered Charity. Registered Charity Number: 1128058

Members of Parochial Church Council: Vicar Alan Bradford Churchwardens David Durston Rick Williams Elected Members Carol Williams Roy Munday Caroline Reed (Up to Oct 2020) Mark Robson Henry Slamaker (Up to Oct 2020) Kevin Clark Paul Clevett (From Oct 2020) Deanery Synod Representatives Keith Lunn Lucy Pike --------- Associated Officers Nikki Bell (Secretary) Carol Toombs (Treasurer) Di Newman (Stewardship Officer) Richard Bell (Safeguarding Officer) Independent Examiner Alan Rix

CLICK HERE for the minutes of the last AGM/APCM which took place on 18th October 2020.

CLICK HERE for the Agenda of the AGM/APCM -18th April 2021

Matthew 28: 16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Earth Day 2021

Earth Day has been running for 51 years and is celebrated on the 22nd April each year.

This year the theme is Restore Our Earth.

AS THE WORLD RETURNS TO NORMAL, WE CAN’T GO BACK TO BUSINESS-AS-USUAL.

From 20th April you can follow the events online and join in the discussion by visiting: www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/

Think about what you could do to make a difference: What could you start doing? What could you stop doing? What can you continue to do?

Dear Friends & Members of St. John’s

Unusually, it is only 6 months since I last wrote my annual report! Strange that, due to the delay in our Annual General Meeting last year as a result of coronavirus, our AGMs have ended up being only half a year apart!

As I write this, the whole world continues to go through hard, sad and trying times due to the pandemic. In the UK we are currently coming out of our third lockdown in stages, and nonessential shops have opened this week. The vaccination programme is going well, cases and

deaths have dropped, and there is optimism that we will be returning to a new normal in the next few months. We are still working out what this all means for us moving forward as a worshipping community, both in-person and online .

We have continued to meet online using 'Zoom' for Sunday morning services and this has enabled many of us to be together for worship and to interact with one another. We have now had a year's worth of such services; numbers attending have been consistent and encouraging. There have also been a good number who haven't been able to join us due to not having the internet, or for other reasons, and we have endeavoured to keep connected in a variety of ways. We have also had good numbers (compared to in-person) for our Wednesday morning Zoom prayer and study sessions. Unfortunately we have not been able to meet as 'Elevate Church' for over a year due to the virus. The 'Rooted in Love' book formed the basis of our Lent course and reflections, and we encouraged everyone to get the book. The course and reflections went very well. The Online Link has continued to be sent out every week, and this has been much appreciated.

As you probably are all aware, we are facing challenges with the deterioration of the building due to it's age and condition. We started to address these problems intentionally following the appointment of our new Architect, Alex Veal. Since our 'big' meeting in the summer of 2019 with the Archdeacon, Alex and the Diocesan Advisory Council, which assists and advises on church buildings, we have been 'at it' and we are making progress. We have a plan and I am keen that we play a 'high pressing' game so that we can gain momentum and fulfill our vision.

Thanks to a successful £24k grant bid, and to generous gifts (thank you members), the cupola was stabilised last winter and this will 'buy us' up to five years in order to see to a permanent repair. Three of the six main support posts have failed and there is numerous areas of decay. Unfortunately a further problem developed with falling stones and masonry which presented us with a significant safety problem at the front of the building. At the time of writing we have heard that we have been successful with another grant application, for £16k, to help with re-opening costs, and with the possibility of using some of this towards repairing the buttress flint work.

The Wardens, PCC and I have been working on a holistic strategy so that we can get the church building repaired, and also develop a constant improvement plan for the building and the grounds. I'm introducing to you here our "4 Pillar and Churchyard Gardens" strategy:

You can see from the diagram above that the four pillars are 'Vision & Need', 'External', 'Internal' and 'Grants & Finances'. The fifth area is the churchyard/garden areas. A lot of work is presently going into planning and getting together specifications for various works throughout. We continue to make forward movement in each section, although there are some stubborn areas that remain 'on hold' due to lack of finances, or grant opportunities, such as the leaky Grundon Room, which is now dry again thanks to the coordination and efforts of Churchwarden Rick. We have still managed to meet fairly frequently as a PCC, thanks to technology. On the PCC we have discussed the possibility of the building not only being a place of Christian worship, but also a centre of well-being which builds on the incredible heritage that we have and also incorporates the Arts. More will be shared about our building and plans at the forthcoming AGM.

Financially, 2020 was difficult due to losses of income due to the building having to be shut. This reduced our income from collections in church, hires and the occasional offices. Our income was £12-15k down on the previous year, although we had a positive balance for the year of some £10k, but this was only because we reduced the amount we usually pay to the Diocese known as Common Fund.

We continue to encourage, and be encouraged by, our 'home grown' ordinand-in-training, Caroline Reed. Thank you for the time we have spent together, Caroline, and for your care and leadership. I have also enjoyed working with our fab Administrator Nikki, and with David and Rick our Churchwardens. Thank you for your teamwork and for your work for God at St. John's. David is retiring from being Churchwarden after 20 years of serving! That's an amazing innings, David, and praise God for your willingness and dedication to St. John's as Warden over all the years. I also want to thank personally, and on behalf of everyone, our treasurer Carol Toombs who is retiring after 13 years of dedication to the role! We are so grateful for your service, Carol. I also want to thank Anne, my wife, for her support and for all she does for the church and community. Thank you to EVERYONE for all your contributions and for what you do to serve in the body of Christ in and through your connection with St. John’s. (There are too many names to mention, so please count yourself thanked!)

It was sad to say goodbye in November to Carol Turner who went to be with God. Carol was a member of St. John's for so many years and served the church and community faithfully. We miss her, although we realise that she has moved to a better place. It was wonderful to see so many at the drive past for Carol outside St. John's, and at the prayers afterwards that took place in the Memorial Gardens.

As a community of church members and friends I want to encourage you to keep loving, growing and sharing with Jesus so that we can transform lives.

In God’s grace, Alan Vicar of St. John’s 14 April 2021

Nikki Bell Administrator

As some of you might know... I love learning new things, 2020 was certainly a time of learning lots of new things, I'm not just talking about the many different ways addition is taught in schools these days!

I was absolutely petrified at the thought of home schooling a 15 and 7 year old! However, I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed spending this precious time with them, we all have some very special memories.

I have been able to stay connected to everyone via the wonders of technology! being able to speak to people over the phone, worship and communicate via Zoom and email. I have also been able to convert our weekly link to an online platform which has been great to update everyone at the touch of a button. I have missed the social interaction of visitors who would often enter St. John's. I have especially missed the weekly groups- the knitting ladies chatting, the beautiful Jazz that filled St. John's, the sounds of poetry and of course the wonderful conversations had with everyone who walked through the door.

Our now beautiful churchyard has become a sanctuary for our community with special thanks to the churchyard team who have made this possible. The outdoor services have been so special and I hope this will continue.

This year has been very challenging and busy especially trying to learn new ways of working to meet deadlines, but somehow we all pulled together to get the jobs done. I would especially like to thank Alan for his patience, (whilst I learnt all of these new things!) support and always being there with his wonderful wife Anne, Rick for his commitment and hard-work on our building matters, David for his support and help and Carol Toombs for helping me via Zoom get through the annual return! Yes I still love my job. I am so lucky to work with friends who are such wonderful people.

The highlight of the year for me has been the kindness and generosity of our worshipping and wider community I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all, but there just isn't enough room here are just some examples:

The gardening team, I have had so many wonderful compliments about the work that has been completed in the churchyard by local residents who just like to sit on the bench reflect and listen to the birds.

The cleaning team for always being there, ready and willing.

Those of you that have sent in Blogs, My Stories, Poetry, Histories, Eco News, Prayers and articles for the weekly Online Link. Without your input the online link would not have been so engaging.

Those that have answered many requests for help.

All that have helped our external charities and people in need far away and closer to home.

Samaritans Purse who helped St John's with a substantial supply of much needed PPE to protect us all.

Everyone who packed a shoebox for Samaritans Purse-Operation Christmas Child whether this was online or one of the boxes we sent. An amazing 29 boxes were received from St John's!

Lastly our wedding couples, and others that wanted to celebrate all those special life moments at St. John's. I thank you for your patience and know when you do celebrate these special events we will be here to support you.

I am looking forward to the day that the huge beautiful church doors open wide to everyone and excited to what the future holds for us all..

Churchwardens Rick Williams & David Durston

It goes without saying that 2020 was a year without precedent. Although it began in the normal way, the closure of all churches and national lockdown in March altered everything. As a result, the planned changes to encourage increased attendances at St John’s had to be put on hold. Other initiatives, such as Elevate Church at St Andrews Park, were also mothballed – to be revived when circumstances permit. It is hoped this can take place during 2021.

Both churchwardens have been working with, and supporting, Alan in devising ways to give spiritual guidance to the congregation during this difficult period. The use of technology, to provide weekly Sunday worship and weekly prayer meetings, has proved to be a success. We must thank Alan for being the driving force behind this significant change in our worship at St John’s.

A number of other individuals have contributed to our online services – in particular thanks must go to Daniel for providing weekly IT assistance to Alan, with Anne, Alice and Beth all helping out

at various times. Andrew and Paul are due thanks for providing musical support to our revised worship services, as are the team who have preached or led throughout the year.

Most of the usual activities undertaken by your churchwardens have had to be suspended during 2020. Despite that, both Churchwardens have attended PCC meetings during the year, both in person and via zoom, after the introduction of the first lockdown in March. These meetings have enabled the continued administration of St Johns.

Rick continues with his responsibilities for the maintenance and upkeep of the church fabric and our three residential properties. Regular reports have been presented to the PCC which, once again, confirm the poor condition of the fabric of St Johns. Our retained architect is in the process of preparing a forward repair strategy for the next few years.

Stabilising work to the timber cupola on top of the tower was completed in early December, following a substantial grant from Heritage England towards the cost of this repair. Repairs to the defective flint work to the face of the tower are now required for health and safety reasons. These are being costed.

Due to the work required to the cupola the outstanding repairs to the Grundon Room roof are still to be progressed, but funding will be an issue. Work to the cedar tree in the churchyard was completed in March, but further attention is required following more branches falling during high winds.

Your churchwardens are confident that the inherent strength within the St John’s family will enable it to weather the current situation and to move forward once normality is restored.

Carol Williams Commissioned Minister

With the change of services from in person to via Zoom (thank you internet) it has been a year totally unlike any other since I was first commissioned. I have faced the initially daunting task of having to preach on line – and therefore being able to see myself while I spoke. This was a fairly unsettling experience to start with, but along with the rest of the preaching team who have taken part during the last twelve months, it has become easier with practice!

In addition to the preaching slot at the Sunday morning service, I also led a couple of the Wednesday morning prayer meetings – which is something I would not normally do if we were not in the current situation. This has been a whole new experience for me and shows that you can always find something new to learn! Along with the rest of the St John’s family, I am of course hoping that we will be able to physically be together again in the not too distant future!

Richard Bell Children’s Safeguarding Officer

The PCC have once again approved my role as an ‘appropriately experienced’ Parish Safeguarding Officer at St John’s.

The PCC recently agreed to adopt and implement the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ and as such approved the St John’s Safeguarding Policy Statement for 2021 which is available on our website.

I have conducted and reported upon the annual safeguarding audit to the diocese and PCC with no immediate actions.

Safeguarding is a fixed agenda item and I regularly provide written updates at each PCC meeting. I am always available to attend in person if requested.

The PCC have received a specific awareness session on its safeguarding responsibilities.

I can confirm all persons that have direct contact with children have the appropriate checks and safeguarding training in place and we continue to ensure these are all updated.

Once we are able to open the church I will continue to monitor and review all church activities to assess and address any identified safeguarding issues immediately and always make myself available to provide advice to Alan, The Churchwardens and the PCC when required.

I’d like to thank Lucy our Children’s Champion for her continued support, I will be working closely with Lucy as we look to improve everyone’s understanding of what safeguarding means.

Please contact me via [e-mail] if you wish to talk or have any concerns about the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

Deanery Synod Keith Lunn

Many churches across Hillingdon managed to upgrade their online presence during 2020, by livestreaming or recording services and keeping in contact by video and phone, for example in study groups, and many report increases in the numbers reached. Some opened their premises when allowed even if only for individual prayer. The Deanery Synod, with representatives from Church of England parishes across Hillingdon, gathered before the lockdown and set in motion aspects of an ambitious new Deanery Plan, which includes the closure and merging of some churches but also new church initiatives, for example in the Cowley Peachey area, and a new workplace chaplaincy for Stockley Park. The plan has made a very promising start with the arrival of a new minister at St Anselm’s in Hayes, where a previously dwindling congregation has already doubled since coming out of lockdown and a major refurbishment has started. Other new signs of life are new clergy in Uxbridge, Ickenham and Eastcote. A new Diocesan Strategy will encourage parishes to develop new initiatives in the fields of environmental action, slavery and refugees, mental health and financial well-being, youth violence and homelessness, while improving their culture and practice on racial justice, safer churches and youth engagement. The Diocesan strategy encourages a ‘culture shift towards everyday faith’ and a focus on greater lay involvement, discipleship.and wider and deeper growth.

Your representatives Keith Lunn or Lucy Pike will be happy to answer queries.

Electoral Roll Nikki Bell

At the time of producing this booklet the Electoral Roll stands at 152.

The PCC- Nikki Bell -PCC Secretary

The PCC are vital to the running of our church. If you are interested in becoming a PCC member please contact Nikki. It's never too late to join.

The PCC met a total of 7 times in 2020. Of those 7 meetings 2 were in person the others were held via Zoom.

Groups & Church Activities

Bellringers Captains Report Michael J Palmer.

REPORT for 2020 by CAPTAIN of the BELLRINGERS GUILD

Since lockdown started, we have kept in touch with weekly “Zoom” sessions at our normal practice times. After a general discussion about how we were doing and current events, we started to use a simulator software programme called ringingroom.com. This had been developed for remote ringing over the internet. We found that using this successfully required new skills, persistence and patience. As a band we have made considerable progress doing this from when we began using this tool nearly a year ago.

In July, tower bell ringing restrictions were lifted and after a safety survey had been carried out at each tower we rang at, to ensure it was possible to ring with a gap of about two metres between ringers. We also wore face masks, used hand gel sanitiser and rang for about 15 minutes only. With permission from the incumbents, when possible, we rang at St Andrew’s Uxbridge, Hayes, Harlington and Iver on Sundays for morning service and Wednesdays for practices. In general only 4 ringers could ring at each tower so this meant we could ring simultaneously at more than one tower at a time. We found ringing 4 bells successfully was not easy so we refreshed our “Back to basics” training on bell handling and generally improved striking.

We were not able to ring at Hillingdon during this time because of work to the cupola, tower and church, still ongoing.

Unfortunately, we had to stop tower ringing again in September but we continued our “Zoom” sessions on practice nights and I hope these will be ongoing until restrictions are lifted. At times our ringing here is very good.

Our social events this year have been restricted to two afternoon visits to The Hut in Colham Green.

Thanks to all who have supported this year, especially a big thank you to Bob who has made just about all the arrangements for our events, both ringing and social.

The Eco Group Report. Christine Bartlett, Chris Rodrigues, Brenda Thomas and Lynn Clark.

During 2020, climate change was high on the agenda for governments and will continue to be so. Plastic pollution, deforestation and global warming are subjects that affect us all and our actions and buying choices in turn have an effect on those things, it's like great big vicious circle. The Eco Group continue to do all we can to bring this to everyone's attention and it is our hope and prayer that we will all do our bit to make a difference.

In the autumn, we took part in various online zoom meetings and conferences concerning the target set by the General Synod of the Church of England for every church, office and Church of England school to be zero carbon by 2030. This will be a huge challenge for everyone but it is not impossible. The Eco Group plan to help and support the PCC in achieving this for St John's.

An important development which took place in 2020 was the formation of The Eco Action Group. Chris Rodrigues is our representative on this group and she explains here what it's all about. 2020 saw the introduction of the Eco Action Group, an initiative put forward by members of the Willesden Diocese to encourage churches to sign up for the Eco Church Award scheme. The Eco Group were invited to take part in the planning. I represented St Johns Eco Group in meetings held on zoom and took part in an inset training day for clergy.

The inset day was led by Andrew Ramsey with Ruth Valerio and Dave Bookless. I led a breakout room to talk about our journey at St Johns as an Eco group and how we gained an Eco church award. The initiative is ongoing, providing support for local churches. We can help at St Johns by giving encouragement and support, sharing our experiences as an Eco Church.

The highlight of 2020 for us was our Eco service held in the churchyard. Brenda Thomas recalls this event: Three words that stood out were LISTEN, LEARN AND LOVE. Over the past months we’ve all been much more able to have time to appreciate God’s creation, above us and all around us, and to listen to the sounds of nature in our gardens and on our walks. we have learnt about the effects that lockdown has had on the environment and how nature has flourished with less harmful emissions. We can learn together about the changes we need to make to our own lives,

There have been overwhelming acts of love and caring in our communities. We have the love of

each other and of family and friends to support us as we change our habits, find new ways of living and most importantly we have the love of God.

Please continue to read the eco section in the Online Link each week and let Nikki have feedback on your eco tips and thoughts. If anyone would like to join our small but dedicated team, please contact us via Nikki in the Church Office.

The Churchyard Christine Bartlett

During 2020, the churchyard came into its own as a haven for all of us. Without the sanctuary of the church building, closed because of coronavirus and building issues, the churchyard has been a place for people to visit and find a holy space for prayer, reflection and relaxation.

During the lockdown periods, the churchyard team has not been able to work together but we have been working individually at different times as part of our daily exercise allowance. In spite of this we have been able to sow grass seed to a large swathe of the northside, bulbs have been planted near the cross on the south side, and several areas are now dedicated to wild flowers. Additionally, some the monuments previously fenced off with “danger signs” displayed have now been made safe.

During the summer, we realised that people were spending time around the garden of remembrance and so we added prayer boards, which we change regularly to reflect the seasons, festivals, and global prayer needs.

Another project that has been flourishing during 2020 is historic research on the people buried in the churchyard and in vaults under the church floor. Mark and Helen Hamlin are putting together a spreadsheet with all of the information that we are finding out about them from online resources. It is hoped that as soon as we are able there will be a programme of walks and talks based on our findings.

In 2021, an arborist is coming to inspect the trees. In preparation for this the trees were counted and we were amazed to find there are 95! Also in 2021, the limes trees will be pollarded and we are very grateful to Hillingdon Borough Council who have granted us funds to pay for this work to be done.

Finally, a note about our poor cedar tree which sheds branches at an alarming rate. In the near future, another branch which hangs over the road is going to be removed as well as the very large and heavy cones which are weighing down the remaining branches. It will be interesting to see what the arborist has to say about it!

The churchyard team: Armel, Brenda, Brian, Christine, Helen, Iain, Kay, Ken, Mark, Patrick, Peter, Robert, Sue.

YOUTH Anne Bradford

During this last year of coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns, the Youth Breakfast has been unable to take place as usual. We have met together a few times on zoom, but we have missed our usual gatherings and look forward to when we can all meet back together.

We continue to support some students at Brunel University and local colleges through Fusion, and through developing our connections with the Brunel Christian Union.

We also continue to offer encouragement and support to young refugee and asylum seekers as they seek safety and a place of belonging.

ONLINE PRESENCE Anne Bradford

‘Online Presence’ covers our website, our social media platforms, and our profile on the Church of England national resource hub, along with information on our online services.

St John’s has a website and is on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We can also

be found on ‘A Church Near You’. With not being able to use our church building because of the covid19 restrictions and building work, we have been meeting online via zoom for our services on Sunday mornings and for mid-week prayer on Wednesday mornings.

The statistics marked with * below are from information collected on 13/04/2021.

WEBSITE

Our church website is: www.stjohnshillingdon.org.uk.

In the last 30 days, we have had 1,544 views from 634 users and 606 new users. The most views were on the home page with 1,080, that’s 70%. Next was ‘Church News’ with 114 views, that’s 7.4%.

Over the last year, we have had 10,010 views. Again the most views were on the home page with 5,409, that’s 54%. ‘Church News’ had 763* views, that’s 7.6%. ‘Sunday Services’ had 522 views, that’s 5.2%.

Our website also has a ‘button’ for us to donate online to our church. There is also a link to this via our page on ‘A Church Near You’.

FACEBOOK

Our church Facebook Group is a positive way in linking our church family and supporting each other. This is a private group so that we can share with each other with a degree of confidentiality, but all from St John’s are welcome to join.

The group page is ‘St John’s, Hillingdon (Group)’ and the link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/116263285313

The group has 177* members.

The church also has a public community group page that we use to connect with beyond our immediate church family, and the link is: https://www.facebook.com/StJohnsHillingdon The page has 341 likes and 365 followers.

TWITTER

The church Twitter is another means of a presence within the area and an engagement with others in the local community. We currently have 189* followers. Our Twitter is: @SJohnHillingdon

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is a popular online app and helps to engage with a wider social network. We have 132* followers.

Our Instagram is: stjohnshillingdon1.

A CHURCH NEAR YOU

St John’s is also on ‘A Church Near You’. This website is a Church of England digital communication national resource hub.

‘A Church Near You’ lists every church in the Church of England, with contact information, service times and events. It publishes special campaigns such as at Christmas and Easter. It is a good way for people to find local churches and services in their area.

We have had 79 views this week, 513 views this month, and 5,278* views this year.

ZOOM

When the coronavirus pandemic caused the first lockdown, we started using Zoom for our 10:30am service on Sunday mornings and for mid-week prayer at 10am on Wednesday mornings. Zoom has allowed us to still be interactive in our services and to have opportunities to socialise in the after service breakout rooms.

Other services and events have been held via zoom, such as our VE Day Afternoon Tea, memorial services, our Christingle and Christmas services. We also had our Ash Wednesday service, the Lent Course, and the Maundy Thursday ‘Last Supper Experience’ via zoom.

Zoom has enabled us to continue to meet together each week whilst our building has been closed for critical safety repairs. It has also meant that others who would be unable to physically join us, are able to still worship, pray and meet with us.

Zoom can be accessed via the internet from a computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. It can also be accessed via a landline telephone.

We have now had 53 services on zoom, and have an average attendance of 74.31. We have had 8 services in the memorial Garden, with an average attendance of 24.2. During Lent, we used the book ‘Rooted In Love’ by our Diocese Bishops. Again this was on zoom, on Wednesday mornings and we had an average attendance of 26.5.

We are enriched by these times of still being able to be together as a family especially on our Sunday mornings. Worshipping together and then chatting together in breakout rooms has strengthened our church family. We are very grateful to those who help some of older members in joining in each week.

Join our services on zoom online via this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89481452808 or by phone (landline or mobile) on 020 3481 5237 or 020 3051 2874

HOLY WEEK & EASTER Anne Bradford

With the coronavirus pandemic causing a national lockdown in March 2020, we were unable to have ‘The Last Supper Experience’ or ‘The Watch’ on Maundy Thursday, or on Good Friday the Churches Together in Long Lane joint service and Walk of Witness or the afternoon ‘Journey to the Cross’.

Holy Week and Easter 2020 were a quieter time of more personal reflection.

In Holy Week 2021 as restrictions were starting to slightly ease from another national lockdown, we marked these special days by meeting together on zoom and in the church grounds. On Maundy Thursday, we shared ‘The Last Supper Experience’ together via zoom, followed by a personal quiet time for ‘The Watch’ in our own homes and gardens. On Good Friday, some walked and prayed the route of the Walk of Witness, and in the afternoon some of us gathered around the cross in the Memorial Garden for a time of reflection at ‘Journey to the Cross’. On Easter morning, we gathered on zoom, and in the afternoon in the Memorial Garden.

EASTER FLOWER PROJECT Anne Bradford

In January, some of us started to crochet, knit, sew, and make flowers. Our homes became like a garden as so many flowers were made!

The initial idea was for us to have a project to work on during lockdown, especially to help those isolating at home. It was to feel connected and be a part of something, to create a sense of belonging through being creative, and then for the flowers to be something we could put up for the local community, to reach out, encourage and help them feel connected too.

More than 952 flowers were made. Some were sent to care homes, a hospital ward, and to some isolating at home. The rest had messages attached and were hung up on the hedgerows along the front of the church and all along the footpath. After hanging up literally hundreds and hundreds of these lovely flowers, there are less now than 20 left!

The incredibly positive response within the local community and on social media has been amazing and overwhelming. So many people came to look at the beautiful display, and they then took a flower, shared a flower and encouraged others with them.

Many thanks to all who helped with this project – those who spent time crocheting, knitting, sewing, making the labels, attaching the messages, and hanging the flowers up. Team work really does make the dream work.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, HILLINGDON BRANCH

Alan is Chaplain for the Royal British Legion Hillingdon. We continue to support their work and pray for them.

On Remembrance Sunday, we had our annual service together with the Royal British Legion and with North Hillingdon Boys’ Brigade, but using zoom.

CHARITIES & FUND RAISING

At Harvest, we had an online collection for HILLINGDON FOOD BANK, WATER AID and CHRISTIAN AID.

Many thanks to all who contributed to the annual SHOE BOX APPEAL for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.

Stewardship Diane Newman

What a strange year we’ve all had. It has been difficult for us all to do “what we would normally do” but as always, our St. John’s family have found ways to continue showing their support with the generosity of their regular giving.

Thank you to those of you who have used our new “on-line giving” facility. This has made it easier for people to donate what they can, when they can. Also, thank you to those of you who have continued to use your weekly/monthly envelopes, another way of giving that has been difficult as we’ve been unable to hold our “in person” services.

Given the additional repair costs St. John’s has faced recently, every little really does help and we are truly grateful for every amount received.

Gift Aid makes up a significant amount of our income. If you are a UK tax payer and would be happy for us to reclaim the tax on your giving, please let me know and I will have a Gift Aid form sent out to you.

If you have any questions about stewardship or giving, please email me at [e-mail] and I will do my best to help.

Looking forward to a time when we can all meet up again in our lovely church..

Financial Reports- Carol Toombs Church Treasurer

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the past years church finances. This has been a strange and difficult year with the COVID situation and the church being closed for most of 2020 and still closed. Fortunately, we have been able to keep contact with St John’s Church through the use of Zoom which enabled Alan, our vicar, to provide services for the congregation throughout the lock-down period and still ongoing.

Financially it has been a tough year for the church but also a year of new initiatives like the online donation page and support from congregation for the Cupola, tree pollarding and other large expenditures. We have also received several grants which have helped towards these expenses. We received a legacy of £1.000 and were given a reduction in our Common Fund Payment of £25,000 which has enabled us to finish 2020 in a good financial position showing Income over Expenditure of £10,902.00.

I would like to add that this will be my last year as treasurer, I started in 2007 and think it is now time to step down. I will, of course be available to offer any assistance if and when required. Many thanks to Alan, Rick and Nikki for all their hard work during the year and also thanks to Alan Rix who audits our books every year.

2020 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE

INCOME Stewardship plus tax rec Church Collections Contactless Wedding Fees Special Efforts/Donations Church Room Hire St Davids Close Cobden Close Pield Heath Church Roof Jazz/WM Legacies Bank Interest Phone Maste Total	ACTUAL EXPENDITURE 51579 Parish Staff 692 Staff Exp 3143 Vicarage Exp Water 1100 General Expenses 4549 LDF Quota 654 Vicarage Maint 7390 Church Events 0 St Davids 12359 Pield Heath 28348 Church Roof 980 Cobden Cl 1000 HeadLeaseExt 5 Contingency Fund 8500 120299 Total	ACTUA 6500 2515 291 21892 49217 0 0 193 441 28348 0 0 0 109397

ACTUAL EXPENDITURE ACTUAL

Income over Expenditure £10,902

CHEQUES

STANDING ORDER

Payable to: Set up a Standing Order with your bank or Hillingdon Parochial Church Council building society using these details: St. John's Church Barclays Bank, 142 High St, Royal Lane Uxbridge, UB8 1JX Uxbridge Sort Code: 208916 UB8 3QP Account No: 20465615

Click here for pdf file of the AGM report

Copyright © 2021 St. John's Church, All rights reserved.

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011011201H11121201¥ 01M1120204IM2rth20 2101 . WorkirvJ experms of... 2120- Cwntsl tax 21XI- Par80n8ge hou88 eXF¢n￿l 2140. W8ter rates. ¥ic8r 2150- telephone 2170- Edu¢atlon 2180- 8ANK CHARGES 2201 _ ParfBh trainthg ond ft4Bflon 2301 - Church wMing- In8uran 2310. GFyJrch ¢Jffica- Id6phon8 2320. I￿7 I pla￿ tunlThJ 2330. Churth M￿￿￿[￿nCe 2331- Cl•8ninB 2340- Upkw olMNk•8 2350. Upk•ep of thurthyard 2360-AdMITrhtrat￿n 2401 . Churth Nnnlng- 2410- Church runnlng- 2420. Churth f￿nIng. 2440- Churth runnlng - ho8lng... 2442- Churth Inln4Yer Alarm 2445- CHILDRENS WORK 2446- John Lr￿kOAC•dlmY 2501 . Mag•21ne •xp8nso1 2530. Flall runnknq. d•¢trdy 2635. H￿1 Raiol 2640- Hall wnnlno- go• 2645. P•rnknn 2550- Hall runnlng- Insur 2W. H•ll runnkng. m41ntw￿nC¥ Z5eo. Holl Nnnlng. wai 269)- H•ll Nnnlw- hootlng and... 2591- Hall Runnthg- Cl•anlr 25W2- M•ll co￿.... 2593- Hall Runnlng- Salary 2701 . Church mw r•Mir8-... 2701 . Church maJN ropiir8-... 2702. ROOF REPAIR FUND 2710 - Church major rep8lr8-... 2720. Glwrth Inl8rfw ext8rbr... 2840. Oth•r PCC yopgty upkoBP 1 . E¥wnw en Sl DavlO8... 2842. Expensei on Cobden Close 2843- Exp8nse• on P￿Id Hwlh 2920. bulklng Church 2920- bwkth'ng Churth 5.th9.98 2.495.12 3S1.CQ 291.￿) 415.1)J 8.838.91 879.49 8,207.¢ 640.82 893.rN) 11,3KI.78 7.ffi0.82 2,003.48 2,Cfj4. 471.13 1.425.72 2,918.84 170.74 1,C68.89 1,440.TrJ 75. 1,067.38 2,732.91 1￿,27 379.tsj e50.00 28,348.C 165.86 314.04 978.57 193.03 441.08 3QJ1 . IrKome from Bdl Rlngw• 3Crf)l . Ineorrts frorn Bell Ringern 3CQ2. Inr*m• IrDrn Floww Qu￿￿ 3(M)2- Income from Flower (3uild 1.047.56 1.27ZC6 Exp•rn1knry

St John Hillingdon Balan￿ sh••i Ichurch of Sc￿land) s at: 31 Dec•mb•r 2020 A413111212020 Flx•daw•i* 772,8DD T12.PlYJ 772.W n2.WY) 126,158 19S.238 134.780 151.424 ¢•th at In hand 332.395 286.184

3lJ95 2M.184 1,10419J 1.06B,114 UnMtrthd.G•w•lfund 281.553 2fy3,527 CJn•tsd. Cr15￿ Ch•nc Fwd CJvn4￿d. SpDrts and Club OHn•t•d- Sl ￿hnIC￿mM￿lAD￿yrt tn•ted. 623fpM003D L￿van•t1￿. e23CI)4004D •¥bJnaivd.cr2S0&4 P4th R¢￿ NoJr¢M Rd 28.027 25,528 8Jo )25 12,0881 12,0591 DMw)ntthJ- Chwnc•l Fund D8AwJn•ted- Chllrtty t￿5￿￿91•d. Cobdon Cb•• R•rMI N)nday Gro￿& 11271 It2n 5.123 25.199 10.954 5,282 493 71,785 040.881 12011 R￿tIthd. ¢¢bdon Ckno ￿mIl Rqslrictf•J. F&￿r Fund R¢SIr￿-￿an Chllwty RStriL￿.￿N5￿ln Room 25080 R•striclqd.m￿SbN R￿rn 25CQE 851.919 1,341 22.524 1,341 22.524 PariBh Ro E￿j(￿￿rr•rt- Chanrd Fund Endo%wMrt. MunorialTn Fund• olth•¢hw¢h 1,104195 1.05B.Y 09 Marth 2021 Page 1

St John Hilllng41on Statsm•n¢ of Assets and LiabililieB Iby etyd•} AÉ at: 31 Dx•rnber 2020 Clam •nd rK¢nlnal cod• Flx•d ug•tx.Twlbl•aM4ts Co￿N. Crtthn CJs8 DAVID. StOabits¢bx 1203249.C()I 429,31Q. 17,561. 218,5￿.1xl 209,W).¢b) 218.￿.rn 2c,X￿.￿) 209,30QCQ 209.￿100 (203.249 001 429,31D.g) I7.￿1.00) 427.8rN).00 T+X•l FIX•du￿•. TarylW•411•1• PIELD.. Pxibj Hpllth Ro•d 348.D)O.CpJ ?45,c￿0. 345,fX)J.00 Cwr4ntw•i•. CMh•t •ndln 8501 '. CuiteNtAD>2unt 8501 6502. eknat• Church 8504.. StJohni ChlJr•nifvKwJnt 04 8505. OAT¢1￿ DOE￿$￿A￿A)￿nt 8505 1159.844 711 150.236.681 243,2a9.49 33.408.10 22.192.22 17.211.36 126•3 75) 17,211.26 I.￿3.37 26.027.02 20,39340 110,406 281 95.458.87 73,27J 91 4a.035.89 6aC6.. Ct4>Jen Rontsi 6 (127,922.511 133.130.S1 17,298.59 1,34120 23.847.7• 13,94e.38 Tcal IX4,33e.351 ICO.512.59 .047.Dg 1,341.20 149,5M.53 ID4.557 8P 65D7.' EFWQRTH INVESTMENT P+V4K4QEklENT 80,c￿.￿j 16.091 98 95,091,96 Ét,091.9B 8508". CAMBRIOGÉ 8 CIXWTIES 139.935.441 a0,￿ 40,rA4.58 28,6e8. 40,W.SS 9S.091.98 1￿,1￿6.54 I31,Tr￿ 32 $009.. Boron Hiri'ryJon ChaK 15.070. 44.SB3fX) {876.eQTr 38,636,40 38,6W.40 Tolal {5,07D.001 44.583 1876.601 38,636.40 38.69).40 Tolal 2.41868 112.553 181 3.913.63 6.220.85 Imrbt aBvl. •t In h 6515. Bell RingerAtt￿nI 6516. FkMw Guthj AcMaith 2021 Paoe 1

..9.. 62￿J1(￿lID CCLA Acc4uM 17. 325.97 849.57 344.76 $13.31 850 63 Tthil 1.196.50 1.047.85 &S13.28 8,05761 .17S.74 Tolal abllti•B.Cw￿￿o14.' Amounts tsllnii du• In eMTry Total 1436.LKI) 284,553 39 28.869.28 793.771.38 1,105,195.OB 1.05B.gB4 35 284.553.39 Oq•yn•tsd. 2508B tknOWat1.E23Q)4003 284,553.39 .911 85063 325.97 12.OJ9.801 10.181 286.527 01 850.63 326.97 12.059.eQl •tsJ.CT250&4 328.97 12.059.601 Ch•tty 006wJn•ted. Cobdtrn vJned. WJNDAYG Do5V4n. SUohnChW 1147.Ml 0.52 1121.89) 28.027.02 {147.IX)I 0$2 {1278 28,02702 5,123.26 78.6¥J9.01 151.919.13 1201451 1147.001 112T.691 25.526.37 5.262.a4 T7.785.40 640.401.18 120t.451 5.123 28 76,SJg.04 1.919 13 1201.45 RIrK￿. ChAnfl R•gtrMXth). CoM¢n RolTI(i•d. MROCA12508E .35 1.311.rrfJ 22,524 33 26,199.24 10,954.45 1.341.00 22.524.33 2S.199 10.954.45 1,341.WJ ¥d,$24.33 Ro6tthd. ROOF Reslri#ed. Nor Ch•nr•l 493 45 0.85 0.85 EThlownenl. 0.20 Tr￿1 Z84,$33.39 28.FA9 26 793,771 3 1.1￿.1>S.06 1,058,W.35 09M8rth 2021 Z

Independent Examiner'5 Report to the members of Si John: Hillingdon Parochigl C.'hurch CounciL I rep)n to ihe trU￿eeS my examination of the ac¢ounts of the tfc ofst John. Hillingdon for the year emled 31" DeLmber 2020. RNpectii'e r￿POnSibl1111eS ol the IY'C.. Ind Independeni Eximiner % the11 L you are rL5POILsiblL for the WLparaiicin ot thL accol￿ts ￿ accordance with the requiranent.s of the Chaniies ALI 2011 ("the Aa,). As memlKrs of the PCC you consider that an audil is nol reqlli￿d foi this yeat under section 1441) of the Chan'tses Act 2011 ithe 2011 Acl) arml thai an iNlepeThlenl examination ￿ Nyded. I reFXPrt in respect of my eiamination of the aCC(￿nIS caTh￿d out under section 14$ of the ?01 l Act a￿1 in ffarying oui my examination I hab'e tollow'a all the applicable DI[￿li0￿$ Biven by the Charity L onimiision under seclion 145(5xbi of the Acl. Independenl exAminer's slilement I have compleied my examination and I confirm that IM> malerial nutters have come lo my allention in conneciion with the eLqminalion givin8 me cause to klieve thal in any rnanal resp￿t. . accountin8 rffotds were not kq)t in respect of the PCC as tequired by s￿l￿nI30 of the Acl; or 2. accounts do Th)i xcord with those r￿ds. or 3. ac¢iwnts th) Th)t comply 'ith the applicable requirements C(ffi¢erning f(Jmi and cfflteni of ￿c0unLl sei oui in the Chariiie% (Accounts arKI Rew)rtsi Regulations ?IM)8 othei than any requiiemeni ihai the accounL$ give a 'lnie and fair view w'hich is nol a matler considera &$ tmrt of an independenl examination. I have no Concen￿ and have come across no other matters in conneciion with the examination to ￿'hICh ailenlion should IK draw'n in this rep(Kt In order to enable a prO￿r Und￿$tanthll8 of the accounls to be te2cl￿d. Alan M Rix B.Sc. MIET 31 Norfi)Ik RoJ Uxbridge Mmldx IJB8 IBL I￿ March 2021