Section Disclosure Is8£ CC32. Indapèndènl examination of eharlty aCCOUnL8' dlrÉcth)ns and guidanc& for examiners). Glve here brief detalls of any h•mB that th• examiner wishes to dlsclos•. St Paul's Church TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORTS & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL For the year ending 31st December 2024 INCUMBENT Rev Chris Spfftle The Vicarage Churth Rd Skdm8r8dale CURATE Rev Lw Ferguson 6 Wilcove Skelmersdale BANK Barclays Bank INDEPENDE EXAMINER A¢wunting Clini¢ VpOOl Business School John Moortrs University Registered Charity No'.1128068 Diocese of Liverpool 12
Administrative InfOallOn CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO ANO WALES Independent examlner's report on the accounts Th8 Parish Church of St Pauls Skelmersdale, Church Road, Skelrnersdale, WN8 8ND. Official correspondence to Pansh Administrator, Parish Office at Ihe atx)ve addss. Section A Independent Examiner's Report Reporttothe trnate The Parish Cmrch of St Paul's 8k&lmersda PCC M8rnbers are.. On a¢¢ount$ forthe year éthd4d 31 De(xmb&r 2024 eharfty no 1128068 Incumbent Curate The Revd. Chris Spilde Ichairpersonl The Revd. Lizzy Ferguson Sotouton pages 9and10 Church Warden Mr John Taylor I reportkn the Iru51ees on rny exaffl1nal1 of the accoun15 of the atK)¥8 thariiy I'thè Trgi"> for ihÈ Y&arÉnd 3111212024. Deanery Symd Reps. Mrs J Cliff luntil 20261 Mrs J Jolley (until 20261 Mrs S Price lunlil 20261 R•gponslbllltI•9 and of report As the charty's tmstees. are resFA)nsible lor lth preparation of t tOUnt& in acttYdan¢t with lh8 r8quirements Of th8 Charit*S A¢1 2011 I'th& Ad l. ElÉetÈd Membèrs r K Skellon lunts"120251 Mrs D Bennett lunb"120261 Mr J Davies (until 20261 Mrs E Kenyon (until 20261 Mrs L Lornas lunlil 20261 Mrs 8 Curry (until 20271 Mrs L Oakley lunlil 20271 I report in respect of my examinabon of th8 TnJ5t"s accounls raFried out er SÉthiDn 145 of the2011 Act and In carrying Oui my èxaminatlon. I have fdlowed all the appliCae DireGtKK%s given by the Charity covnm15OTr UeT section 14515llblof the Act. IndepBndent I havè complÈtèd my èxaminabon. I confim thai no mstèri4 mattèrs have •X3mlnArfs StaternAnt Gotne lo my attention in conneclioD with the examination which gives me Cause to beliWè that In. any man31 respect.. thè accounting rétords wsts kopl in a¢cordancè 1th Secti 130 ol the Charit5 Act., or th& accounis did not actsyd the a(muntlng records., or th¥ acwnt$ did not comply with tho applitsblo rèquiromsnt$ conceffling the lom and conlenl of acGounis sel out In the Charit8 IAccounts and Reports) R8guLgthDns 2008 othèr than any requiY6mént Ihal the acccMJnls give a'lrue and fairf viewwhich is not a matter considered as part ol an Independent examination. I havè no cortèrns and havè com& across no mattérs In (xmnèrtlon wh the eXaMall lo which allenlK>n Shou be drawn In this report In oFd8r lo enable a proper understandiw ol th8 aCCDunts to bè lèached. ' PkBs• dèhto Woyth in ths brnckètslffthoydDJ)Dt&pWy. Treasurer Mrs J Price Secretary Mrs L Lornas Child Proteelion Officèr rs A Tawor Vulnerable Adults Manager Mrs A Taor Bank Ind8pendenl ExarniDer Architect Barclays Liverpool BUS1r$S School Accounting Clinic. Mr R Wolley Signed.. 21105125 Day to day management control of the church is exerased by tt)e In(Lmbent ar Warden, contactable via the Church offi on 01695 716439 orthe Vicarage on 01695 722087. Nam•'. Tha ACcntIrng Chnic R•l•vant prof•$$lorwl quallfica16onl81 or body Ilf gnyl.. Address.. No Trustee reIved a payment fr)r being a Trustee. However, during the year ended 31st December 2024 some Trustees reiVed expenses and payments for servi$ rended in a capaaty outside their role as Tnjstee. Liverp Business sthl. Liverwd John Moores Univer5rty. L3 5LJG
Sktlmersdale, SIPaul (Charty Rty.11280681 Re[pts and PaymèntslLcount For th• p8riod from 01 January2024 to 31 Docembor 2024 Structurè Mana èmant and Govèrnanc•. St. Paul's Skelmersdale PCC operates under the Parochk81 Church Counol Powers Measure 1956. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission The method ol appointrnent of Ihe PCC members is set out in the Church. Representation Rules. All Church members are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand lor election to the PCC. 91NS .51 AO ts21 119,31193 16141d The PCC operates two subcommittees bthen needed.. 1.IA67 17 Irrtrrth 1T8J7 48501 The Standing Committee.. Incumbent, Treasurer, Secretsry, Church Wardens and three elected mernbers. TI¥WFts 147 107M48 The Finance Committee,. Incumbent, Treasurer, Secretary, and Church Warden5 plus any member of th& PCC who would like lo attend. 11x67 1A9&74 1,£117 IQ7J7U7 11W7 Flnanclal Risk. The PCC continually revièws the fin8naal position. Alh9 our financas ar8 a use for ConM, particulady in light Of iising prices, there is no immediat6 financial risk. 7m 21 391 I27.Co) H•alth and Safè The PCC is conducting an ongoing review of our Health arKI Safety procedures. Al formal risk assessments are listed within the PCC'S Risk Register. 11511fj91 7AO.n 11,5*A4 IM712th 211WI 11DW41 WI1 231,71UI Every yearthe Fire Aami is checked to make sure that it is in g(KJd working order and the fire extinguishers are also cheeked on an annual basis. A five yeady Electrical Inspection is undertaken. A survey ol Ihe trees in the churchyard t(KJk place in 2018. Chll(l and Vuln•rabl• Adult Protection. At Sl Paul's the safety and well-being olall people, especially children and vulnerable adults. is taken seriously. We continue to follow correct procedure and policy so that all people are recruited lo teams and roles using the official 'Safer Recruitment. procedures. We are grateful to Mrs Ann Taylor who is our Safeguarding OffIr for her work and for all the people in Sl Paul's who volunteer on our various teams, groups and PCC. They all have a lim cornrnilment to a safe culture and all Oiscbsure and Barring Service checks are up lo dale. There were rrf) formal safeguarding incidents in 2024, Mr$ Taylor pOrtS that "The Di0¢0so hav8 introdu¢ed a new system for P8ri$h SÈl8guarding Officers to help thern rn88t Ihe ne¢e55ary requirernents ¢A118d Th8 Dashboard. It is basèd on 3 lèvèls and currÈnUy w8 havé completed most of Lèvèl 1 and have moved to Level 2. The Vicar is able to view the Dashboard and could show il to the PCC. The PCC members all have an up-to-date DBS and have completed Safeguarding Training. All volunteers have also completed Safeguarding Training and where neSs8ry have a DBS. Safeguarding is discussed at each PCC meeting to which I send a letter with any new information or conmS.. 10
SkthKrJitsh. SIPaul(ChaRv.l12l0j Ob'8ctlves and Actlvltles. The PCC IPowersl Measure 1956 states thallhe PCC is lo cooperate with the Minister in promoting in the Parish the whole miss ol the Church, this includes the Pastoral, Evangelistic, Social, and Ecumènical ministry. $1•1otwitof*ATrdLWMtt Iby cod•l at 31 Decenthr24 Tol¥ Al Sl. Paul's we have a Mission Stalemenl which confinns our mission lo proclaim the Gosptsl of our Lord Jesus Christ according lo the doctrines and practices ol the Church of England, both through the proclamats'on of the word and lo encrage rnembers of the congregation lo put their laith into acts'on. as we serve Christ in the Parish. Fix•dt. 32J 99& ID1FAQ IJ)174Q Tol 4,313.95 4313.95 172&B9 Mls¥lon Staternent Jesus Says, 'Go and make Disciples., we try lo do this through.. the leaching of the Bible as God's Word lo us in all matters ol faith and moral btshawour, allowing GcM¥'s Holy Spirit lo work in us in order lo make us more like Jesus, • worshipping together." listening lo God,. tslking lo Him," responding lo Him and encouraging one antslher. using the diffenI gifts God ha5 given us lo love and serve Him, each other and the local community. making Jesus known lo olhtsrs by what we say and what we do. encouraging and 5UPPOrting children and younger member5 of the Church family at St. Paul's and Trinity Anglicanlmethodist School and making every effort lo ensure that we are a'child Friendly. Church. seeking io work with other Christian5 and by building links with thè world-wide church. developing our small group life. improving our pa51or81 carè. 6421.10¢y1 16DLW Tol 1fj0,ODO.fy) 160,OUO.OD 1Eo.riJo.riJ A9&5D 25WS.15 11.146 87n7 S45n2 39fj0111 707 3JX43 1.171 11324.191 56,711M 11.14&81 116U4.47 71.35&YI 8lQ s10.) 141 Tol SIrj 610.LbJ 811.rij 11.QW.141 216,781AO 1D.$3&86 21&318.42 234.74LBI R•preMnt•dby 11.IXI)241 7A4I79 18.787 IBn7.% 16.4x46 53 6J4B4 QX4B¢ 8.7 1Q 2fj45 10.1¥) 161598 ts789T 3.14 1.10118 52358 543 J. PAstrthJ.Qlt>a 248.l¥J 248 233 311 11.QW.141 216,711.&) 1IS3&81 21Q318.41 2M741.BI
Reserv•s Poll It is PCC policy lo maintain a balance on unrestricted funds lif possible). which equates to appioxirnately thr88 fflonths unrestrictod payments, to cover 8m8rg8ncy situations that may arise from time to time. There has been much to celebrate and give thanks lor in 2024. The Financial StatÈmènts tan ft>und on pages g and 10. In our Irshippir0 lrfe we have seen grovrth arJ attendar moving towards pre- Covid levels. The Trustees have carried out a lAeW of the Parish's intemal financial controls during the year. We can confirm Ihat all fUrS designated as reStrted or endowed are correcdy orded as such and are complete. Addr85sing our financial ch8118nges has b89n an ongoing priority lor th8 Parish. We continue to encourage use of the Parish Giving Scheme and contactless gNing using a card reader. In 2023 printed materials were prOdUd, encouraging giving and explaining ils importance, We took the decisMJn lo introduce a monthly Infom1 Holy communic C the first Sunday ol the month to offer a mre refiectNe and creative Drship time. Th¢5 has been appreciated by those who atteThJ. E88ler end Chrf$lm88 88Nk•$ wero wdl-8tteThJod. the Chrl$bngl• 8wI¢• wa$ particularly full. A planned Iravelling Natsvty service around lh6 parish had to relocate to church in the light ol bad weather bul is an inrthatKJn we h)pe to introduce in 2025. Al Easter we once again offered a Way ofthe Cr05s seNce in Hoty Week. and an all. age Maundy Thursday servrA with evening rr1. These newer inrovalions h8ve both b88n w611 r$ceiv. Hok11ng 811-398 sèrvw in Tnnty sch1 on a règular basis ha$ led lo irKreased altendances and a numberof newcomers Inif¥J us at these services. Signed . . C B Spittle . Signed . piCe The Bright Lights worshipping communty has from slrength lo stsngth and is now held monthly. 11 is not unusual lor atteThJances to approach 100 children and 8dulls. Nam6... Chns Sprtuè.............. Position.. Trustee Name...JunePrice..................... Position." T3$Ur The annual menx)rial Serv also drew a large nunts of pgjple to give thanks for the lives of loved ones. In June and July we ran the SWE CwTre ffi TIWdaY moming and evenings Èxploring Spiritual Gifts IGod's Uniq gift5 to y1., Hèart's Désirè (what motsv818$ and exotes you", what you love to dol," Abilrties lyour tslents, knowledge and skillsl., Personality lyour character, Fersonal qualth'es aThJ strenglhsl", Experience lyour lrfe experiences and what you've gained from them). A good nurnber of churth rnembers attended and valued the ses5ion5. This led on lo thè Cultivate Course sharad j(xntty l*lween U)è Frt for MissK)n parishès but hosted by ourselves and St John's, Bursc(MJgh. This explored the planb.ng and growth of new worship ¢munitieS through the en¢(ragement ol fresh anting, the development ol lay leaders, and the grovAh of miss31 disopleship. A number of church members attended this course.
Considerable b.me was given in 2024 to Fil for Mission. Orrnskirk Deanery was in the second cohort within Liverpwl DI0Se to diwm whether to engage with this process of 5 Programme Actions,. 1 } Planting & Revitalising through Cultivate and Leading your Church into Growth, 21 Working lo our strengths in18rger teams and portfolios 31 High-quality support and clear lines of accounla-bilily 41 Having the right buildings lo support future mission 51 Larger parishes with high-quality suprx)rt services and simpler administration. We have continued lo be blessed in the area of Vocations 8nd Ministry. This has been a significant movement of thè Spirit 81 Sl Paul's in recent years. Rev Lizzy Fergu50n has ¢ontinued her cura¢y at St Paul's, and we have been blessed by her ministry and a number of innovaknons she has intrThluced to church life. During the year she led on the creation of a pastoral visiting team as we recognise this as a key area for development. Lizzy's curacy will come lo an end in 2025. We have been blessed by Lizzy, Jon and Aoife being a part of the Sl Paul's family and we shared Iheirjoy al the a1Val of Simeon al the end of 2023. As part of this discemm8nt process clergy, churchwardens, treasurers 8ThJ safeguarding officers mel together and valued the collegiality that has been fosltrred. Some Parish Snapshot evenings also allowed us lo reflect on our church lif8 aTrJ consider vision and plans for the future. Paul Davies has Continued his ordination training and placement at Sl Paul's. He will be ordained in 2025. A number of church members attended th8 licensing of Rev Sandra Jones as Hub Leader in Wigan South HLJb. A third SPA weekend was held al Quinta in shropshi. We were hugely blessed by our speaker Mark Greenwood. A booking has been made for 2025 and we are looking fOard lo Greg Downes joining us as our speaker. The men also enjoyed another excellent weekend 8w8y al Knock Christian Centre and were pleased lo welcome Rev Canon David 8anbury as our speaker. We greatly valuè our partnership with Trinity OUT churth school, and that partnership has continued lo grow and bear fruit. In 2024 Helen Winslanley our Deputy Head teacher was appointed to the Head's role, and Matthew Fairhurst to the Deputy Headship. An increasing amount ol St Paul's members are involved in ministry lo the school and that Helen is a rnember of the Sl Paul's congregatn brings significant blessing and opportunities for ministry in an¢J with the schcK)l. We identified greater involvement in our community as an obje¢lwe for 2024, and achieved this (among other waysl through the ongoing work of the Renew wellbeing café now running on two days a week and the chaplaincy in the Concourse shopping centre under the leadehIp of Paul D8VleS. We were pleased to run Experience Easter and welcome four local schools (Trinity, Crow Orchard, Kingsbury and Sl Edmundsl lo explore the true meaning of Easter. The chaplaincy team is growng and involves rnembers from other local churches. This in turn led to an approach from West Lancs College for Chaplain¢y there and in the aulumn Paul Davies look on that role. Right from the stsrt this ministry has been appreciated by staff and students alike. How this continues and develops is one of our considerations fof 2025. The PCC would like to thank everyone who has worked through this year to make our Church a lively, loving and welcoming worshipping community. isnow 119. Church Bulldln Mr. Ken Skellon continues lo work as "Building Managerf. He has organised minor work that needed lo be (3rried out on the church building. There is an ongoing programme to improve the chLJrch fabric. Important checks such as the electn'cs, boiler and fire appliances are all up lo dale. St Paul's has also becorn8 a hub for FUSS, offering free second-hand school uniform for local schools. Communion is taken into local Nursing Homes, and the monthly service al Stocks Hall in particular has drawn logtrlher not only residents bul Iheii families lor much appreciated times of worship. A Quinquennial Inspe¢tion of the Church took pla¢e in 2023, which although broadly positive, raised some concerns about the roof and perimeter walls. Remedial work was undertaken on the roof during the year. In November we installed a new kitchen in the Vestry kindly donated by Howdens. We hope that this will allow further use of the building by both church and commLJnity groups.