2021-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Saint George with Saint Mary Magdalene Worcester

Annual Report & Financial Statement for year ended 31[st] December 2021

This image represents that we at St George’s strive to radiate the refracted light of God's love for us all, bursting out wide and far!

Registered as a Charity No: 1128943

2021-Report v3.0

Administrative Information ..................................................................................................................... 4 Church Officers ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Membership of the PCC .......................................................................................................................... 4 Advisers ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Structure, Governance and Management ............................................................................................... 5 Risk Assessment ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Insurance ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit ...................................................................................... 6 Standing Committee ........................................................................................................................ 6 Fabric Committee ............................................................................................................................ 6 Magdalene Room Booking Secretary .............................................................................................. 6 Volunteers ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Electoral Roll (Janet Peplow) ........................................................................................................... 7 Ministers Report (Reverend Jo Musson) ................................................................................................. 7 Discipleship .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Administration ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Funerals, Weddings and Baptisms ...................................................................................................... 9 Ministry Team ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Outreach .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Church Wardens Report (Pam Summers) ............................................................................................. 10 Fabric Report (Reverend Jo Musson & Bob Rolison) ............................................................................. 10 Safeguarding (Paul Fulbrook, Parish Safeguarding Officer) .................................................................. 11 Safeguarding Statement ................................................................................................................ 12 Financial Matters (Trish Greenwood) .................................................................................................... 13 Independent Examiners Report .................................................................................................... 13 Financial Review ............................................................................................................................ 14 Accounting Policies ........................................................................................................................ 15 Incoming Resources ...................................................................................................................... 16 Resources Expended ..................................................................................................................... 17 Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) ....................................................................................... 18 Balance Sheet ................................................................................................................................ 19 Unrestricted Funds / Designated & Restricted Funds ................................................................... 20 Fixed Assets / UK Investments ...................................................................................................... 21 Debtors / Liabilities / Fund Details ................................................................................................ 22 Activities in the Parish ........................................................................................................................... 23 Worcester Diocese (Reverend Jo Musson) .................................................................................... 23

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Deanery Synod (Paul Fulbrook, Worcester Area Deanery Secretary) ........................................... 23 Café Church (Pam Summers) ......................................................................................................... 24 Café Church Band (Alison Clarke) .................................................................................................. 25 ZOOM Drivers (Elisabeth Witter) ................................................................................................... 25 The Flower Guild (Jan Tovey) ........................................................................................................ 25 The Altar Guild - Sacristy (Trish Greenwood) ................................................................................ 26 Social Media (Amanda Stokes) ...................................................................................................... 26 Website (Frances Burton & Bob Rolison) ...................................................................................... 26 ECO-Church & Green Team (Alison Clarke) ................................................................................... 27 Quest Group (Trish Greenwood) ................................................................................................... 27 The Mothers Union (Judy Morris) ................................................................................................. 28 Kingdom Arts (Alex New & Sue Ashby-Davis) ................................................................................ 28 Calling Young Disciples (Judy Morris) ............................................................................................ 29 Children’s Worship (Elisabeth Witter) ........................................................................................... 29 Advent Travellers (Rebecca Lowe & Sam Hibbert) ........................................................................ 30 School Ministry (Pam Summers & Barbara Rolison) ..................................................................... 30 Gift Aid Secretary (Yvonne Parker) ................................................................................................ 31 The Magdalene Hall & Church Bookings (Barbara Rolison: [e-mail]) ............. 32 Summer Fair (Elisabeth Witter) ..................................................................................................... 33 Bible Reading Fellowship (Joy Kyte) .............................................................................................. 33 Worcester Foodbank (Margaret Stokes & Lyn Crowther) ............................................................. 33 The Childrens’ Society (Helen Gilbert) ........................................................................................... 33 Christian Aid (Alison Clarke) .......................................................................................................... 34 Make a Lasting Difference (Trish Greenwood) .............................................................................. 35

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Introduction

The PCC members (‘The Trustees’) present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31st December 2021, which comply with the Church Accounting Regulations 2011 and the Charity Commissions Statement of Recommended Practice.

Administrative Information

The Parish Church of Saint George is situated in Saint George’s Square, Worcester WR1 1HX. It is part of the Worcester Deanery in the Diocese of Worcester within the Church of England.

Public and working address of the PCC is: 14 Kipling Close, Worcester WR3 8DR Emails may be sent to the PCC Secretary: [e-mail]

The PCC website is: www.saintgeorgesworcester.org.uk

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint George with Saint Mary Magdalene, Worcester is the name of the charity, registered as a charity number 1128943 in England and Wales. The charity also uses the name PCC Saint George with Saint Mary Magdalene, Barbourne, Worcester.

Church Officers

Incumbent: Reverend Jo Musson Associate Priest: Reverend Peter Davies Reverend Jennie Hayward Reverend Sue Pollard Reverend David New Church Warden(s): Pam Summers (vacancy) Assistant Church Warden(s): Chris Bishop Trish Greenwood Margaret Stokes

Membership of the PCC

Chair: Reverend Jo Musson Ex-Officio: Judy Morris – Reader Pam Summers – Churchwarden Representatives of the Deanery Synod: Geoffrey Cottam (2023) – 1[st] term (3 year term, max. 2 consecutive terms) Judy Morris (2023) – 1[st] term Elected Members: Alex New (2023) – Lay Vice Chair (3 year term) Alison Clarke (2023) Amanda Stokes (2021) – Secretary Margaret Stokes (2023) Patricia ‘Trish’ Greenwood (2021) – Treasurer Robert ‘Bob’ Rolison (2023) – Health & Safety Officer (Vacancy) (Vacancy) NB. retirement at APCM during year shown in brackets (Vacancy) Co-Opted: Paul Fulbrook – Parish Safeguarding Officer

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Advisers

Bankers: Lloyds Bank PLC The Cross Worcester WR1 3PY Independent Examiners: Douglas B Lee TD, AIB 270A Birmingham Road Bromsgrove B61 0EZ Architect: Nick Joyce Architects LLP 5 Barbourne Road Worcester WR1 1RS

Structure, Governance and Management

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. It operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC was formerly an excepted charitable organisation but registered as a charity in its own right on 1[st] April 2009. The method of appointment of PCC members and church wardens is set out in the Church Representation Rules. The PCC has adopted a resolution requiring one third of its members to retire annually on a rota but being eligible for re-election. All church members are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and nomination to the PCC is open to all members on the roll. Information about being a member is made available throughout the nomination period. Decisions are made by majority vote at PCC meetings. The first meeting of the PCC after the Annual Parochial Church meeting (APCM) elects the Vice-Chairman, PCC Secretary, Treasurer, and Electoral Roll Officer. There are also three Assistant Church Wardens appointed. Dayto-day Fabric matters are actioned by the Chair of the Fabric Committee.

By the nature of sharing our Vicar with Claines we are developing a close working relationship with them. This is formally managed through weekly Ministry Team meetings, weekly joint Online Worship and occasional away days. The PCC meets a minimum of 4 times a year and also operates through a number of sub-committees, which meet between full meetings of the PCC. A Standing Committee meets between each PCC meeting.

Risk Assessment

The members of the PCC regularly review the risks to which the Council might be exposed and recommend action to mitigate or to manage appropriately. The PCC reviews its Child Protection, Vulnerable Adults, and Health and Safety Policies on an annual basis, but the PCC Safeguarding Officer and the PCC Health and Safety Officer have delegated authority to manage these areas on a day-to-day basis. Financial risks are regularly reviewed by the PCC and are under the day-to-day control of the Treasurer.

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Paul Fulbrook Health & Safety Officer: Bob Rolison

Insurance

The Ecclesiastical Insurance Office PLC provides the PCC with insurance cover. The Parish Guard Insurance policy was renewed on 1[st] January 2021 to provide cover on Saint George’s Church and Magdalene Room and of the contents, after revaluation, for a total (index linked) figure of up to £14,000,000. In addition, the policy covers other types of risk, such as Employers’ and Public Liability, and Personal Accident.

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Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit

Embracing difference, living as one, mirroring the likeness of Christ.

Saint George’s is different. No pews. We sit in a circle with the altar in the centre because the Eucharist is at the heart of our worship and Saint George’s is at the heart of the local community, offering peace, prayer and practical support. Saint George’s is an inclusive church, we welcome every person because we believe everyone is made in the image of God. No exceptions.

The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Parish Priest in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Its primary objective is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the churchyard, boundary walls and church gates by reason of the closing of the churchyard by an Order in Council dated 6[th] June 1859. PCC members confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the PCC’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities. The agreed objectives for the sub-committees working under the authority of the PCC are as follows:

Standing Committee

Consisting of the Vicar, Church Warden(s), Treasurer and PCC Secretary, the committee has the power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings subject to any direction by the PCC. The committee also supports the Treasurer by reviewing the basis on which accounts are prepared. It identifies ways to improve income and reduce costs and considers matters of a financial nature which are reported to the PCC. This committee meets between PCC meetings.

Fabric Committee

The Fabric Committee reports to the PCC on all matters relating to Saint George’s Church building, churchyard, Magdalene Room, fabric and Health & Safety. The members of the committee meet regularly:

Chair of the Fabric Committee: Reverend Jo Musson Members: Bob Rolison (Convener) Geoff Cottam Pamela Summers

Magdalene Room Booking Secretary

The Booking Secretary has the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the room, approving booking enquiries and making recommendations to the PCC for hire charges. Together with the Chair of the Fabric Committee, they report to PCC on all matters relating to the fabric, facilities and equipment of the building:

Booking Secretary: Barbara Rolison

Volunteers

In common with most churches, Saint George PCC’s activities could not happen without the input of many volunteers who offer their services on every single day of the week. The PCC is immensely grateful for all the hard work of its volunteers who contribute many hours of their time to the church. Although the number of volunteers is large, more are needed because the harvest is still more plentiful than our labourers can manage.

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Electoral Roll (Janet Peplow)

As at 31[st] December 2021 there were 63 names on the electoral roll, of whom 35 are non-resident in the Parish. 5 names have been removed during the year and non were added.

Ministers Report (Reverend Jo Musson)

2021 - another year living under the cloud of the Covid pandemic and yet again Saint George’s proved they were adaptable, creative and generous. With an ever-changing situation, both churches responded carefully and cautiously to each lifting of restrictions and subsequent re-imposing. I am grateful to all those involved in managing the ever-changing risks, sanitizing, stewarding, and all the prayer and technical support which enabled us to maintain a worshipping presence every week. Both churches worked closely together ensuring all decisions around worship patterns and deployment of our shared clergy resources were made jointly. I particularly want to thank the Ministry Team who rose to every challenge, supported me when everything changed yet again, and helped provide worship that was uplifting, inspiring and comforting. I also want to commend Pam Summers, Trish Greenwood and Barbara Rolison who managed the practical challenges with the Church and Hall with grace and a smile. Thank you ladies!

Both churches opened on Easter Sunday 2021, to celebrate the resurrection and give thanks to God, bringing hope, light and encouragement to our congregations and communities. Crosses were erected outside both churches and to illustrate Jesus bursting out of the tomb: in St George’s Square passers-by tied on brightly coloured prayer ribbons and at Claines fresh flowers were tied to the cross.

When we weren’t allowed to sing in church we sang outside, either in the churchyard or the Quiet Garden. With the use of a camera and tripod, we shared our services on Zoom every week, enabling those who were shielding to join in with worship and fellowship and enabling us to reach out to worshippers from all around the globe, using Facebook live-streaming and YouTube. Eventbrite was used to control numbers for the big Christmas services, although in the end some were held outside whatever the weather and will never be forgotten!

The pandemic presented an opportunity to explore what sort of ‘normal’ we wanted to return to. The ‘Back to the Future’ group (BTTF) was formed from both PCC’s and those involved in children’s ministry. The priorities identified they can be summed up as follows:

• To reach as many as possible, making the message of Jesus known to our communities

• To be inclusive, welcoming, encouraging, supportive, loving and pray for one another

• To listen to everyone’s views, bringing everyone along on the journey, not only considering what works for ourselves

• To think of our two churches as one church family, maintaining the strong links and friendships made during lockdown

• To build on the community links made during lockdown

• To offer worship to God, grow in Christian maturity and equip God’s people to deepen their knowledge of Jesus

A questionnaire resulted in a new pattern of worship for both churches with service times changing to 10.30am and 4.30pm and a midweek service alternating between the two churches. For Saint George’s the introduction of a new All Age Holy Communion was an exciting step, and when a further interim review highlighted that the All Age services at both churches were not enabling children to participate in the way originally intended, measures were taken to address this. (The pattern was reviewed again in February 2022 and some tweaks made to improve the overall spread of services which will come in in July 2022). It was agreed that a Joint Parish Away Day would be held.

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Thanks to Sue and Trevor Davies, Alison Clarke and Francis Plummer who formed a new Worship Group to play at Saint George’s All Age services in addition to the Celtic Communion. Music has played a significant part in our worship this year and is somehow even more precious when you can’t meet in person. Thanks to all our musicians. Towards the end of the year David Terry retired as our organist, kindly leaving his electronic organ as a gift to the church. He was replaced by Des George who also joined the Worship Band at Café Church.

Both Standing Committees were invited to a meeting with the Diocesan Secretary John Preston who explained that from 2022 Parish Share will be called Ministry Share and Claines and Saint George’s will be classed as a single joint benefice and asked to pay for the cost of employing one ordained minister which is currently calculated at around £65,000. (This includes all the various overheads: housing, pension, infrastructure, and training of Curates, I don’t earn that much!) We must be mindful that the financial situation in the Diocese means clergy resources are diminishing, many not being replaced. With only Reverend Peter and myself available to lead full 10.30 communion services we must accept that some weeks two simultaneous communion services might not always be sustainable (Rev Peter is retired and entitled to at least one Sunday off a month!) Following the resuspension of the right of presentation at St Stephen’s, all three Standing Committees met to consider how our churches might develop a closer relationship over the next 5 years. The group, known as ‘Working Well Together,’ identified that working together could offer opportunities for better organization, financial savings, a rebalance of resources within the ministry team, the pooling of administrative resources, better communication and promotion of each other’s events. In the meantime it was agreed that St Stephen’s Curate Reverend Lindsey Coulthard would lead services for us to broaden her ministerial experience, and that Margaret Mandrell would also help out. Reverend Andy Todd has also led services at both churches when we have been short of clergy.

Discipleship

During Lent we explored Hannah Steele’s book ‘Living His Story’ on zoom. Her book was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2021 and was most engaging. (Hannah is David and Alex New’s daughter and Director of St Mellitus College, London). In the summer Reverend Peter, Paul Fulbrook and I were trained to facilitate the National course ‘Living in Love and Faith’ and we were all able to help facilitate the course for Worcester Deanery. Please remember that our PCC’s are required to make an informed response to the National consultation on the course and the Church’s response to same sex relationships. During Advent we followed the Methodist course ‘All the Good: Journeying Through Advent’ which unfortunately was not as good as we had hoped.

Administration

Amanda Stokes, our PCC Secretary, has kindly agreed to stay on as PCC Secretary until the APCM in May and I thank her for her continued support and careful governance which is a ministry in itself, and for all her hard work in producing this Report.

John Brady and Gwen Clifford both retired and our new Parish Administrator was appointed: Michelle Billings works in the Parish Office Mon, Weds, Friday mornings from 9am -1pm and is employed jointly by the PCC’s. She is responsible for administration of weddings, baptisms and funerals, sending out the weekly mailchimp newsletter, ordering liturgical supplies, and producing posters and orders of service. Michelle produces a printable version of the newsletter which a loyal team of Posties hand deliver to people without access to the internet. Myself and the Ministry Team produce what is known as ‘Service Provision’ for each month, a rota of who is leading what service. Production of the detailed rotas and allocation of roles was picked up by Sue Cottam in Saint George’s and Julie Palmer at Claines to whom I am most grateful. Previously these were produced by Joy Kite and Gwen Clifford and we thank them for many years tackling what is an essential, complex and sometimes thankless task.

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Funerals, Weddings and Baptisms

A new National system for wedding registration was introduced, the old registers were closed and copies deposited at the Hive. Instead we now produce a customized ‘wedding document’ inhouse which is signed at the wedding and posted to the Registry Office. Couples then apply to the Registry Office for their official certificates. The Life Events Diary software ‘myiknowchurch’ enables us to print the official documents ready for each wedding and helps us manage all the data associated with occasional offices in line with GDPR.

During the second half of the year we were overwhelmed with weddings and baptisms as families tried to rebook all the many events that had been cancelled in 2020. Overall we did more than 30 wedding, baptism and funeral services and I want to thank MU for their continued support at Baptisms.

Ministry Team

Throughout the pandemic, the Joint Ministry Team continued to meet every Monday morning at 10am on ZOOM for worship and to pray for our churches, congregations and the wider world. Rachel Cramp was accepted for training to become a Licensed Lay Minister and as part of her formation, joined the intercessions rota at Saint George’s. Cary Taylor went on placement to St. Wulstan’s as part of her LLM training and felt the call to transfer there, we were sorry to lose her, she left at the end of October; we wish Cary every success with her training and in her new role. Towards the end of the year Reverend Sue Pollard stepped down from the Ministry Team and subsequently moved back to the Bowbrooke Team. We wish her well.

Outreach

On Sunday 14[th] February we took part in the Muddy Church initiative ‘Heart Bombing’ and people across the parishes got busy knitting and crocheting woollen and fabric hearts. These were hung all around our parishes (some are still there a year later!) and looked marvellous.

Lockdown did not stop us engaging with children and families in our parishes. Together we produced Lent bags for all the children with whom we have contact as well as all the adults that form part of our worshipping communities. The adult bags contained things like ‘diy-ash’, palm crosses, Mothering Sunday bookmarks, knitted hearts; the children’s contained knitted sheep, silver chocolate coin, seeds, a woven heart basket craft, a scratch art cross, a palm cross, chocolate eggs and Easter books. In total we delivered 148 adult bags and 60 Family bags (some for 3 or 4 children). During Lent as part of our online worship, I filmed a weekly video telling a part of the story of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and showed how to create a Lenten Garden. The children were able to participate at home having been provided with the objects required in their Lent packs, their wooly sheep journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem as well.

Both churches were well represented at the Worcester Show in August. We had an ecumenical stall which was simpler than in the past but effective and appreciated by those who stopped by. We were also invited to lead an Outdoor Service at the Festival of Water on Perdiswell Park by the Boaters' Christian Fellowship. Both events are a reminder of how important it is to share God’s love with our community outside our church walls.

In all this there is Good News. 2021 was another challenging year, but the unchanging reality is that God does not sit distant and aloof watching our pain and loss. In Jesus, God stepped right into the fragility and sadness of the world, to be with us, his beloved children. When all else is changing and shifting, God does not change. God is with us and loves us as his children. Jesus is our rock. Now we are back in church we must not forget the importance of reaching out and sharing this good news with others.

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Church Wardens Report (Pam Summers)

Another year has passed and even now it seems as if time has stood still. Take another look and you will see things have changed, we have changed. Along with Claines we have developed a new timetable for services which gives all worshippers a chance to attend a service that suits their needs. Zoom has expanded our congregation letting people be part of our community either at home, in church or with friends and family. We have given the opportunity to locals and visitors to step into our magnificent building.

The joy of the past year has been welcoming people back, resuming our group activities and offering a calm place for Private Prayer. All services including Baptisms, Weddings and Blessings have shown how we can change to adhere to the current situation.

I must mention the Ministry Team, who along with visiting Clergy have enabled us to hold regular services and Communion. Thanks also go to the support team that ensures everything is in place so that services run smoothly. Many thanks go to Sue Ashby and Des George who stepped in to cover the gap left by David Terry.

Bob Rolison has ensured the building maintenance has been kept up to date. Bob carries out a weekly inspection that highlights any issues and then fixes the majority of problems before they get out of hand. For larger jobs he will liaise with the Fabric Committee to make a decision on the next step. The quinquennial report is checked and updated at regular intervals. During the last year we have had major work carried out in the Link to update the toilets and create storage areas in the hall and kitchen. Unfortunately during the work we had a break-in and a music system was taken. So far the person responsible has not been identified. We are thankful for the legacies and donations which made the improvement possible. Our "thrones" that are used at weddings and visits by the Bishop have been restored thanks to a generous offer from the family of one of our wedding couples.

Barbara Rolison is to be congratulated on her work of keeping the church and hall bookings in order especially during the ever changing covid restrictions.

There are many others who I have not named that keep our church a place of comfort and peace. Would you like to join them? Volunteers are always welcome either at a one off event or on a regular basis. Could you help with refreshments or help to keep the Quiet Garden tidy? Please speak to myself or a member of the PCC for more information.

Fabric Report (Reverend Jo Musson & Bob Rolison)

It was agreed that Geoff Cottam would replace Sue Cottam on this committee, the committee only met once formally. Thanks to Bob Rolison who carried out a weekly inspection and has carried out a long list of maintenance tasks during the year (see below). Thank you Bob for your diligence and dedication.

Works continued on both the North and South Towers and on the Balcony. Problems with the Clock were ongoing and it was agreed that the clock be taken away until the North tower could be made watertight. This work was covered by an insurance claim for which we already had the funds. All members of the Fabric Committee climbed the towers to inspect. A new problem was identified to the North Tower and subsequently addressed. The clock was returned and reinstalled in July.

Merrel & Bibby Building Contractors were appointed to carry out major works to reorder the kitchen and toilets during July & August. The church now has five smart new individual toilets with an accessible toilet and changing facilities. Thanks to all those who cleaned and cleared away to get the toilets, hall and kitchen ready for the Outdoor Praise Party in September.

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Maintenance tasks during the year:

1. North tower made watertight March

2. Gutters cleaned March & April

3. Clock re-fitted (June 4)

4. Fitted 2 florescent tubes in Mag room April

5. Inspected cellar for any problems (eg water ingress) June

6. Signed contract for Toilet refurbishment

7. Changed batteries in CO alarms March

8. Put up and removed banner May

9. Opened up men's toilet May

10. Re-pressurised the boiler in Magdalene room May

11. Re-fixed latch on gate (to garden storage area) April

12. Changed flood light time switch (monthly) Labelled light switches

13. Gully's cleared

14. Cleared up after break in Magdalene room. Damage to outside doors and resources cupboard.

15. Repaired outside display cabinet

16. Brickwork damage near piscina investigated. This was due to water splashing on to the brickwork outside. Contacted Severn Roofing who extended the down pipe so that it discharges into the gully without splashing.

17. Both boilers serviced. Checked on the pipes in the cellar. They were getting warm!

18. Replaced panels on Mag Room boiler.

19. Kitchen and hall thoroughly cleaned

20. Set the time switch for the flood lights (monthly activity).

21. Refitted signs over coat racks in the corridor.

22. Fix 2 out of the three outside lights that had failed.

23. Put up 3 of Alex's pictures in the Magdalene room.

24. Replaced light fitting outside S. Transept door

25. Emergency light test for 1 hr.

26. Fitted sign in disabled toilet

27. Put up 3 prints in the Magdalene room (from Sue)

28. Increased the bulb wattage in the light over the south transept door

29. Fitted shelving in the chair cupboard

30. Re-tied window in office (to stop it rattling so much)

31. Replaced battery in kitchen clock

32. Replaced spotlight bulb in Mag room

33. Also removed the decrepit 'England Heritage' sign under the notice board. This was suggested in the last quinquennial inspection

34. Repaired the down-light (fluorescent) light in the North aisle (with Trevor's help {twice!})

Safeguarding (Paul Fulbrook, Parish Safeguarding Officer)

Safeguarding St George from the dragon’s. And that for me, is exactly how it feels. Not only are these dragons very real but they are often hidden in plain sight with subtle camouflages. We all of us must be on our guard against them and their undermining accomplices who try to pretend that they are not a real threat to our vulnerable or gullible parishioners.

We have all of us had a trying two years of another real threat to our way of life and whilst Nationally church attendance is down by at least a third the dragons will be encouraged by thinking that our guard may be down.

The ‘powers that be’ have decided that the Disclosure and Barring Service certification will in future have to be every three years rather than the five heretofore. Quite a few of us will be caught in the need to catch up on our paperwork. We have also had permission during the emergency to take

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some of our training courses via Zoom or as On-Line training. This may also change quite rapidly if we go back to draughty Church Halls and face to face training. There must be good reasons known, that I hope that I never get to hear about, for increasing the threat level response.

Please accept with a good grace the need to fill in the forms, yet again, and take the online training whilst we still can. The work that we are doing is to the glory of God and a little more of your time can only enhance your generous giving. I do not intend to list any Statistics this year though be certain that we have a lot to get through in the next twelve months and I ask that you make my task easier by accepting the effort with a willing heart. God bless all volunteers!

The Basic Safeguarding Awareness Training ‘C(0)’ is available to anyone to do via an online portal and takes approximately 1 hour to complete. If you have not used the system before, it is simple to set up and you just need to follow the on screen prompts to create the login details including a user name and password. When entering the church that you belong to, please enter 'Worcester: St George with St Mary Magdalene'.

The Diocesan portal is available here: https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/

Safeguarding Statement

Please note under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens and PCCs must have ' due regard ' to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops (this will include both policy and practice guidance). A duty to have 'due regard' to guidance means that the person under the duty is not free to disregard it but is required to follow it unless there are cogent reasons for not doing so. ('Cogent' for this purpose means clear, logical and convincing.) Failure by clergy to comply with the duty imposed by the 2016 Measure may result in disciplinary action.

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Financial Matters (Trish Greenwood)

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2021-Report v3.0 FINANCIAL REVIEW Investment Polficy Tlie PCC'S investtiiait policy is i'egullll'ly i'eviewed by iiieinbers. The Cowicil seeks lo ni*LYiiiiise long laiii illCOJlle wiiliout exposing capital lo l￿dile risk. Reserves Pollcy Tlie PCC'S policy is lo invest fiinds balances willi Ilie CBF Chwrh of England Deposit Fund. PCC Members Responslblllty Tlie PCC iiieiiibeL"s ai"e i.espoiisible for PiEparing the financial stfttaiients in accoidance with applicable law and United Kingdolli Generally Accepted Accoiillting Practice. The Charity Law reqiiii'es the PCC JllembeTS to PreP￿.e fillancial statement for each fintlliciai year which gil'e a ttue and fail. view of the state of affails of the PCC alld of tbe su4)Iiis oi. deficit of the PCC for thal paiod. In PiPp￿Ill8 tbese fillancial stateinents, the PCC Ine￿be1% are ￿qlliTed to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply t1]￿ll COllSlStently; iiiak-e JiidgeiiieiLt alld estiinates diat ￿'e i'easonable ￿]d pl￿d￿lt,. prepare fill￿]CIal statenient oil tlie goillg coiicein basis iuiless it is iiw)p'opiiate lo presiwie that tlie PCC will contiiiiie in biisiness_ The PCC inenibers ￿'e i'esyonsible for keepiiig proper accoiuiting i'ecords whicli disclose with reasonable acciu2cy at any tillie tlie financial position of the PCC and to enable thelli to ￿)si)re respoi)sible foi. saf¢giw'diiig Ihe assets of the PCC ￿ld llence for taking i'easonable steps foi. the pi"ei". dillon and deleclioll of fi.aud and oilieL" Irtegid￿1Iie5. vi￿estriCted Funds 2021 2020 ie iull'estticted incoine was Less". the uDt£stricted expenditure 60629 60926 55262 59774 Net ItLcoming/ Outgoing Resourc&s -297 -4512 The latgest item of expenditui"e was in respect of the Paiisli Shate which was £37.-512 whicb was the s2uiie as the pievioiis year. Restricted￿eSignated Fi￿d$ Recei ts 2021 2020 Legacies Donations, etc. Orgall Fund 20956 1131 12999 35086 4538 4538 Less.. Ex eIiditw'e Legacies Otliei 47012 925 47937 -12851 2192 Total 2346 Page 14

2021-Report v3.0 PAr￿Ck&A] Ch¥rcb CouudlofsAl•t Gi)vgeN'llh SAIDt maTh'MAgdalL￿9 Cbtiii l%thlJer 1128943 Ik+llllADdAI thèv¢AT fo41¢0 JI D¢¢¢wbr 2lJ21 AC'C'OL%TliYGPOLIeJEs PTryArAIio The been ptepated UDd￿[behI￿oricaic0s Colli￿tion. £Kcept fLrthe ate ￿chIdeO at ￿￿k￿l.￿LIe. as odifi&4by the rn"ahiattollofcertain as￿￿ aDd w ￿¢0[￿nceNTr]th the F￿a￿¢￿IRe￿rt￿g Stalldwd foTSmaller EDtitie5 letfectiTrY ?008)the Cliarili¢5Act 2011 aDdt11ere￿iu￿l1IBlll$￿ftlie S1ern￿l of REcoiiimeIid￿ Piartice..4EcDUntuig ￿aRE￿rt￿8 by Chaiitie5. Th¢y do Iiol w¢liidttht a(c￿l￿t5 olchurth 8IDiIPstkn￿ oH%the￿￿aIQ a￿j11&t10llt0 Y￿0$b￿b￿-￿orthoSe ate ￿[0￿￿￿1 ofcbii￿b ￿e￿be[s. F•ds Geller￿ lund&repre￿￿t tbe fu￿S olihepecthat are Dot sUbjLft￿ ￿Y reSfJict￿￿& te8atdiD8 theiru&e aDd are &?ilab￿ lor whcalioll oll the 8￿eral pil4￿se$￿ft1Ie PCC. FiiiidsdtsiilAted bytliePCCfor apart￿￿￿1.￿Ulp￿e Iiiirtstiided. Eiidowi¢Yltfiwds th¢¢¥itrlwyst be Ma￿tained O￿ty the1￿come Irojll the ￿l"estMe￿t ￿3Y beus& asllDre&tii￿ed ￿lectU Reiicted fvDd5 teptesait lal ￿¢0￿eFroM trUS￿&iCh may be onty on th05eie51rirtedobjects pioTrido] m thetenlls o11bet￿5[.do￿aft￿ 01 Pr￿1 rec￿1.￿ fora objett. The fv￿dS￿aY QDty be ￿pe￿Ied OD the Spe￿fiC obie£i fOr￿ts￿ they 8Th"ell. bakncejy￿allJ￿8 UDSpe￿r tbeeDd of￿1 Ye￿r￿u# be carned lon4￿d a5 abaLfjDceon thai full& TbePCC does uotii&ialty sepaiately for￿¢￿ fi￿d. Th'h￿e thejy ￿ llo sepa[￿e￿}"￿t￿ellt. 15 a￿O[l10lled ko ￿d1￿mIlIal ￿D050￿ ffi"era8e baknceba5i& Eudom￿ellt fiillds RTE knds. the (apital of ￿115￿ ￿Mal￿th￿ed." ollly of the ado￿￿eDtjUaY iEused either T￿riCt￿ tsrulltEtictEdhn&dEp￿dIllgll[w the foTMdicb the ￿a0￿￿Ellt W75e5tablisbed. Plalliied 8iitil8. tt)IkCti￿￿ F￿ad￿lIAtIO11￿ a￿￿e08111E￿d￿￿en ree￿i.ea. TaK refill￿% ￿ ￿0$111E￿d￿￿eTh the tiiCOilltsl8 rtsOuweto￿IiIClI they iEkne j rtteii"ed. G￿lt￿ and le8t£l￿ ￿e ￿rQU￿￿d for￿￿￿ thePCC is Ilyally eJJtttledtottse due. Dil￿endS ate aLfOUllled rLre￿3b￿. illlete&tis accrual Allother isreCo￿Dizedwthe￿Jr iSr￿eliable AlljllcoJll￿ res￿1r￿S are XCQUllkd lor8rosS Reaii&EdBaiD& ulosse& ￿ wi"&tDieut&3re r￿08￿￿ed￿￿￿tbe wi"e&tDielllis Ullreai￿￿ 8￿S OrI￿eS0￿ ￿4"e&l￿ellts3￿ For￿ the Traluation of the they￿ ￿d. Grwt5alld dDupli4Jus ￿Ear[DUllt￿ for￿￿￿ paidoi"er.oi a￿￿[dea. if that creates Or¢(￿$truCtI￿r ob]is*ion tbePCC. The DiO¢t%ai Partsts Shar¢isa¢¢oiiiltthl for￿￿¢￿ diie. ￿1)i￿nIS ree¢iledwe￿i¢)lly formissithi g£e rtstrieted fiiiids. AllOdi¢rex￿1aIllltt 1$ $eTherally reeo8iiized it is ￿￿litted i&aceounttd for8mss. thurdi aclii"Itie& eYpenst% Cr￿91&tof e05ts wundertAkin8 thePCC'& toweet irs objeLtii"es ts01"erna￿ee c05fs constst of the ex￿SeS ￿£v]yed w OiEtEee￿S the pec F6x(￿ Assots CoDSe￿￿ed b￿erice wopetty is Dot iDduded ￿ the 3CCOUDts. No value is pl8cLI] OD movable cburch fLUllisb￿ESh￿d by tbe ChurcbwBrdens oil spec131 m]st foT the PCC and wbicli refjll￿e a facu]ty for diTosal 5￿ce the PCC CO]]￿de15thlsIo be ill31ienable properry All ￿peIldIn)[e Ulcu￿ed dilllll8 tlie y£gT Oll Colistcratd or b￿leffice buildiiigs. Trlidher in&litai￿ice u iinproveineni. iswritt off as ¢xpendinweio iht SOFA aid yatar¢ly di¥losoJ. OtherJL7ltir￿.￿tsiF1gS ￿ld￿fficE vgiiipjiwpyt EqUtpni￿I usedwithlll tbe chutth ple￿iseS is depieaated oil a ￿Taight-[￿e basis OV￿ fouT yegTS. Individual ilans of equipniellt with a piwhase Jxic¢ of £1.0￿ or1¢ss arewrittai off 11¢ 3sser isgcqii1r￿. 11ie djurch piwo is d￿￿191ed￿l 5¢A per aDnuw on cost. lUv¢s￿￿￿ts aT¢ vgjiied ai maTketvalue. Unr¢aJised wdr¢alised ggiDs and lo￿$0￿ ￿V￿￿￿(￿ls￿ejDclUdtd ￿ the ST￿¢￿t￿r0f F￿a￿cL¥j Activiiits. C￿riED1 Assrts Ath01￿1$ owitig 10 the PCC in re¥cci of fees. raji or othtt ￿¢0￿¢ art showo a5 debiots1¢5sprovisiotss for alloullis thailljay provcnoito be colleciabl¢. Short iemj dqK)silS illdude heldott d4N)sil with the CBF ChuTckn of EDglaDd Futsds or with Lloyd5 Bgllkplc. Page 15

2021-Report v3.0 Tbe Pwiwblal Cbuiyh CouDcII of The E¢fclt*li$llril ParÈsb or SRiDt Gfoi¥e Ivitb SAlnt Ilan. FwlRgdalelle, WoiYt51ei' ChAI'lh' Ill￿ber 1128943 ote$ to the Fl]kaDflal 5tatemelll foi. the Trear ended 31 Decembei. 2021 2 INCOMNG RESOURCES U￿￿tria¢d DeSI￿ed Restricted Endowllellr F￿d5 FI￿d5 Full FI￿￿$ Toiai Fullds 2021 2020 Volulliary ￿e01￿e PI8JDed giving.. Gift Aid Donali04s T&x Tecover2ble Noll aid Coll¢ciioiis lopen plaiel ai all seTric¢s Sulldty DonatlODS Lteacies ￿￿ura￿Ce Clai￿-cloCk I'CC Giallts Organ Fund 26.708 8.875 7.801 4.811 ?6.708 8.875 7.801 4.811 2.304 20.9$6 26.698 8.797 7.710 4.1%4 3.469 487 70.956 694 4.112 4.201 4.201 12.949 88.605 12.949 li_643 53.519 ?1_443 54.940 Activiiies for gen¢ratillg fi￿d5 Tiaidcraft 73 73 CbuTcb Aciivitits 70? .96.% 4.339 702 1.965 4.339 649 300 3_658 L¢ll￿g5- Chutc Lettu¥5- Nlagad2leDe Room 7.006 7.006 4.607 Tncome froni ]Dvest￿c￿ts tlliertsi L04 L04 L04 k04 180 180 Toial ioco]llillg resources 60.6?9 21.443 13.643 59.800 Page 16

2021-Report v3.0 The Paiocblal C.￿￿1r￿ Councll of The Ecccleslasllcal Pailsh or Salnt GeoiEe ivllh SAIDI MAiTr ￿lagdalene, Woi'ctstei. ChAiali Sumbei. 1128943 Notes to the finallrial stHtemellts for the Treai. ellded 31 DeCe￿be￿ 2021 3 RESOURCES E￿ENDED Unrestricied Desigll8ted ElldowlleJ)t Fllllds Fullds Fullds Total F￿d5 2021 2020 Futt(traising Cosig "SSIOllary & Charitable giviJ]g Overseas Honie Oth¢T Cliariti¢s N'arious iooo 2000 1100 iooo 2000 1100 250 453 4100 4100 703 Legacies 47012 47012 1724 Church Activiti¢s MiJ]isry.' Diocesall P&ish S]we Clergy exp￿￿eS Fe¢s paid ov¢r Music alld Il'orship Ch￿ch biiildill29 Ru]]ning expeJ]ses Majot R¢paiTS Ill5￿￿1C¢ Uriliiies Childtell'5 Il'oik Magdalene Room - costs Magdalen¢ Room iitilities Sulldry costs Pansh Office Colltribiiiion FÈxed asset depieciatioll Co]nniullity Ptoj¢cts 37512 1087 37512 978 997 890 1087 1927 1927 4284 4284 628 6096 5170 2885 5170 ?885 2517 57 843 iioo 1015 1309 238 115 710 1031 487 1497 164 710 1031 487 1497 164 92.5 92.% 56754 925 57679 Govallallce Cosrs EXtell￿1 scutiny 72 72 84 Total Fesoitrces ll5ed 60926 47937 108863 61966 Page 17

2021-Report v3.0

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2021-Report v3.0 Thè Partr£hial Cburcb cou￿¢1[ &fTbe EctclesisiicAI Parish of Saint George Thith SAillt IIary ￿lagdal¢￿e. Ilorcester Chants. ￿￿rnber 1128943 BAlaDr¢ Sh¢¢t at 31 Dcr¢llLb¢r Z021 UJuesth¢ledDe$ip)aied Restyeied EJ)dowine¢ii Full& Futu Total Ful￿$ 2021 2020 Notes £ F￿ED ASSETS Tatyble 8ssels Inveslmellts 3389 3389 14793 3389 3389 14957 ctlliRENf ASSETS DebioTS aIid Prepayitten15 Short iettij de])osits Casb al Baj 7666 7666 2824 13003 18329 26774 3$871 I3￿3 Mo 24340 1794 -12006 1794 13643 47443 57024 LIABILITIES Ajlloullts falbll8 due urythin oJJe year 1065 1065 7705 NET ClTr￿ENT ASSETS 30941 1794 13643 46378 49319 TOTAL NET ASSETS 30941 1794 13643 3389 49767 64276 PARISH FUNDS U]JTestticl¢d Fulld5 Desipiaied(Restri¢ted Futsds Eudo￿￿e1]I 30941 30941 17033 15437 32450 3389 14793 1794 13643 3389 30941 1794 13643 3389 49767 64276 Approvedby the PaTOC]Jial CbuTcb Couttcil on Iotb Flarcb 2022 and SiBlled OJJ ils behalf by Rev Jo Musso PCC Chait Tieasut¢i ,'QJw°' Page 19

2021-Report v3.0

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2021-Report v3.0 The Parochial Church Council of Tbe Eccclesia5tical Parish of Saint George with Saint Mary ￿I￿gda1e￿e. Worcester Cbarity f*umber 1128943 Notes to the financial statement5 for the year ended 31 December 2021 Fixed Assets I￿ed by tlie PCC. Cliurcli Pl￿10 Cost At l Jajkuary 2021 4,764 At 31 Deeejllber 2021 4.764 Depreciatio At l 2021 C]Large for t]Le year 4,600 164 At 31 Decejnber 2021 4,764 UK Investsneiits M￿"ke1 Nlatket Value Value 2021 2020 {1) Elldowllellt Funds cojnpiise three fullds held in the llame of The Worcesler Dioces￿] T[￿st Regislered (as Trustees). foi. the PCC..- The CBF Church of Eii8lalld Fixed 1ntei.est See￿]ties Fund 6896.96 Income Share-c]￿Ity foi. Eeclesiastieal Purpl 74 12,053 The CBF chi￿ch of Englalld tnveslJ]Leni FI￿d- 55 Ineojne SbaTes Bequest of the late Emily Hiigbes for Assistant Clergy 1286 1,125 The CBF Cl]i￿ch of Eiigland Inveslillent Fwid-79 Incoiue Shares T A Joiies Disci"etioiw Tnist 1848 The CBF Cbiu'eb of England Deposit Fulld 181 3,389 14,793 Page 21

2021-Report v3.0 The Parochial Cburcb Council ofTbe Ec<clesi#sti<al Parish of Saint George witb Saint Mary Magdalelle. Worcester Cbarity Number 1128943 Notes to the financial statements for tbe year eDded 31 December 2021 Debtors.. Ajnounts falling due withing Ojke year 2021 2020 Incojne tLx i'eeoverable I,ioi E,100 Debtors 6,565 218 PrepaynLent 1,506 7,666 2,824 9 Liabilities.. Axllounts fallin8 due within one year 2021 2020 Cieditors 1,065 1.065 7,705 10 No reJnullei?tioll or expenses bave been paid to any of the tnlstees durillg the Ye￿.. 11 Fwid Ddails 2021 2020 The designated Sjnall FI￿dS of £1259 includes '. Flower Fwid Quiet G￿.den Opell tbe Book Worcester Sliow Kiiigdoin Arts Noahs Ark 30 203 NtL 78 862 85 85 243 42 108 I,oii 85 D￿ill￿ the ye￿. we baTre Jllade payjllellts alld siipported V￿louS cbaiities.. Maggs Day Centre, Christian Aid, Childre￿5 Society, Fairtrade, Foodbank, St Georges Primary School National Churches Trust, Quiet Garden Trust, Myrk2d Centre, Operation Noah Medecills sai￿ Fi'oiitiei'es, Hollle Start. The Evelyll Allen Legacy stallds at -£4990 Waiti]kg foi Vat and Gift aid totalliu8 £.$526 Page 22

2021-Report v3.0

Activities in the Parish

The following reports have been prepared.

Worcester Diocese (Reverend Jo Musson)

There was much to celebrate. During 2021, five people were licensed as Lay Ministers (LLM’s or Readers), 19 people were Authorised as Lay Ministers (ALMs), five people were ordained as Deacons and nine as Priests, and 40 people completed and received the Bishop’s Certificate. What will your ministry be? If you want to know more about any of these ministries or want to talk about where God might be calling you please speak to Rev Jo.

In November 2021 the following people were elected for the next five years to represent Worcester Diocese on General Synod : House of Laity: Kashmir Garton, Robin Lunn, Lynn Nichol; House of Clergy: Nikki Groarke, Claire Lording, Fraser Oates.

Phil Kear and Janet Wilson were elected to the Worcester Diocesan Synod and in so doing became Directors of the Diocesan Board of Finance Limited (the legal entity of the Synod). Phil Kear also serves as a trustee on the Bishop’s Council and Standing Committee, these exist primarily to advise the Bishop, plan the business of the Synod and to initiate strategic proposals to the Synod. Phil intends to bring "the view from the pew" to these roles.

In June, after much discussion, and as part of a cost-cutting exercise, the Diocesan Office staff moved out of the Old Palace to new offices at 16 Lowesmoor Wharf, Worcester WR1 2RS. The Bishops and Archdeacons remain in their existing offices. The Diocesan staff went through a period of great change and sadly several redundancies had to be made.

The 2nd Calling Young Disciples learning hub met for the final time before being commissioned by Archdeacon Nikki. Judy Morris represented our two churches with Andy Todd and Lindsey Coulthard from St Stephens. Archdeacon Nikki spoke of the massive changes that have happened since which we couldn’t have imagined: “you have huge potential to bring about change.” Each of their group anointed their palms with oil using cotton buds, making the sign of the cross and Nikki prayed for those present and their wider church communities.

In October 200 people from across Worcester gathered to discuss how they could work together to make the city a better place to live and work. Organised by Church leaders of different Christian denominations, the ROC Conversation included senior members of West Mercia Police, the Mayor of Worcester and Lord Lieutenant alongside local businesspeople and people in the community and voluntary sector. Both our churches were represented.

Parishes are now being encouraged to apply for a Mission Accompanier . Mission Accompaniers will work alongside a small group of clergy and laity in the parish, church or benefice to help understand and work towards what health and sustainability might look like in your context, setting or tradition. Watch a short video with Archdeacon Nikki here: https://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/about- - us/growing kingdom people/

Deanery Synod (Paul Fulbrook, Worcester Area Deanery Secretary)

This report is a synopsis of the work of the re-formed Deanery Synod for the Worcester Area for the year 2021. Our first meeting was on the 9[th] March and after being opened by the new Area Dean, Revd. Diane Cooksey our zoom meeting showed 63 active screens including members from the former Deaneries of Martley and Worcester West, Worcester East, and the Saltway Team part of the Droitwich Deanery. We were given instruction by the two Archdeacons and Bishop Martin as to their expectations. Diane Cooksey stated who she intended to appoint as her Leadership Team of six and

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she was then Commissioned. Three further meetings for 2021 were planned and announced those being, June, September, and November.

Our June meeting was again held on Zoom with Alison Maddocks in her new role as ‘Dean of Smaller Churches’ speaking to us. We were told that the current definition of a ‘smaller church’ is based on an Electoral Roll of 20 or less. The 2018 figures are in use at this moment.

The September meeting was supposed to be ‘face to face’ and incorporate a Deanery Service to be held at All Saints in the Deansway. Unfortunately, some people did not appreciate that it was an actual meeting and not a voluntary attendance, misunderstood the instructions given, were worried about the then lack of motor fuel available in the UK or the several other reasons that were given. As it was, those few that attended, enjoyed the experience.

November’s meeting was again back on Zoom with darker nights and a reoccurrence of Covid surging in the area. John Preston the Diocesan Secretary dealt with the financial health of the Diocese and explained in detail why certain decisions are being taken on our behalf. Whilst the details are not always pleasant to hear, I am sure that your appointed Deanery Synod Representative has already passed on to you, via your PCC’s, the salient points.

On a more positive note, A Deanery Questionnaire was prepared by the Leadership Team and most churches, though not all, have replied to that. Analysis of those answers is taking place at the time of writing this summary and some of that evidence and examples will be used at the Diocesan ‘Open Conversations 3’ due to be held throughout 2022.

Deanery synod always used to be referred to something along the lines of a ‘group of people in a meeting waiting to go home’ and many felt that it had lost its way in the greater scheme of things. By reducing the number of Deaneries and increasing the sizes to now include both Rural and Urban Churches there is a strong chance that your church can by using the stronger voice of an expanded group have a meaningful input into the Worcester Diocese. I urge you to make sure that your Representatives regularly report back to you and that you also ensure that your views and wishes go back, via them into the melting pot.

Café Church (Pam Summers)

Like all of life during the last two years Cafe Church has suffered disruption, loss of members and doubts. Despite this we have kept going and adapted. We have "zoomed", used the Quiet Garden and moved into the Church to adhere to Covid restrictions. As I write this restrictions have been lifted and we are looking forward to returning to the Magdalene Room and our Cafe Style mornings. I know a certain member of the Band will appreciate that the Coffee Machine will be back in action.

Our worship has included following a River of Prayer from its source to the sea. We have packed our rucksacks with objects that help us on our journeys of faith. Everyone managed to construct a Christingle using the traditional orange, sweets and dried fruit (quite a lot being eaten in the process) before lighting the candle. Candles were also a theme in our January meeting to celebrate Candlemas. We molded a piece of clay into a candle holder that held our hopes and memories of how we came to Faith and where our journey is going. March will have seen us counting our Blessings as a lead up to Easter.

One of our founding members of the team leaves us to move closer to her family. Judy Morris we will miss you and send our best wishes along with our thanks for all your organisation and input over the years. As I finish, many thanks go to Alison Clarke and The Band who share with us their gift of music which uplifts us all. The team of Alex New, Lynn and Clive Crowther, Alison, Jan Kear and myself, look forward to welcoming you to Cafe Church in the Magdalene room on the 4[th] Sunday of the month.

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Café Church Band (Alison Clarke)

Café Church emerged from lockdown to try a blended service for Christian Aid Week in March 2021, vocally supported by members of Claines’ café band (Spark to a Flame). The theme, reflections and songs were moving and prayerful. Though we had some technical issues, it was wonderful to worship together in person again. Our post lockdown line-up of Ade Musson on vocals and guitar, Alison Clarke on vocals and guitar and Barbara Mitra on drums is ably supported by Des George on whatever keyboard instrument he can lay hands on. (Most recently at our February Café, he had to resort to the piano (successfully) as his own keyboard and the electric organ failed to work). New members are welcome. Please contact me if you sing or play an instrument and would like to join the band.

Sadly, October saw the theft of all our electronic sound equipment. We are very grateful to Ade and for all his efforts transporting and setting up borrowed equipment from Claines ( and to Spark to a Flame for sharing). We hope to have new equipment very soon. Again we are enormously grateful to Ade and Trevor Davis for sorting this out. We have learned new songs as well as enjoying many from the Little Extra Song Book, some with a sustainability theme (Café Church saw the launch in October of St George’s Eco Church project and Green team), some that are just great praise songs. A good number of our congregation really enjoy the freedom to praise, move (and dance!) which these more modern worship songs offer. Café Band also contributed music to our wonderful outdoor summer service in the garden at St George’s as well as to the Boat Festival service at Perdiswell.

My personal thanks to Ade, Barbara and Des for their skills, heart for Jesus and support.

ZOOM Drivers (Elisabeth Witter)

We started 2021 going back into a lockdown (LD3) and we were all very glad again, for the Zoom services and the help from the Zoom drivers. We have two from St George’s (myself and Barbara Mitre) and two from Claines (Janet Wilson and Ian Cramp).

Since we have been gradually relaxing the restrictions, we have moved to showing the live main service from the two churches. We generally alternate with two Sundays at one and two at the other. We have a small a steady congregation and some lovely chats afterwards. This requires just one driver, so we have been able to easily share out most Sundays in the year. Rev Jo has declared that we will continue this service, as there is a clear need.

Before Christmas, we had a surge in numbers, due to the omicron variant of Covid. We do get caught out sometimes, particularly when Zoom decide to move around the option which makes it easier to hear the music, or the church phone goes for a little wander between the churches. I can assure you that we are working hard to fix them. Thanks to all for your help – do share the word with those unable to attend regular services.

The Flower Guild (Jan Tovey)

Fortunately we were able to open our church more in the last year and so flowers were part of our ‘Welcome Back’. Apart from the usual festivals and annual dates to commemorate, we were able to just use the minimum, arrangements. This was helpful to me, as working alone (and being well over the age of 21) made it just about manageable. My daughter and granddaughter helped with advent and Christmas, but this is not an ongoing possibility. Please, if you would like to come on board to create a team, it would be so helpful. Anyone can do it, despite what you may think. Perfection is not what it is about, but satisfaction and service is the reward. Please have a word! Thanks to all who generously donated towards our Christmas flowers.

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The Altar Guild - Sacristy (Trish Greenwood)

The Lord’s Table is prepared each Sunday by a team of ladies. The silver is polished, the candles are checked, the wafers, wine and linen are carefully placed ready for the Eucharist Assistant to put on the altar Sunday morning. Unfortunately one of the team, Jean Jones, has had give up due to ill health but I know she hopes to be able to help in the future. Thank you to Carolyn Corfield for taking on her week. Thank you also to Judith Peachy for covering one of the other weeks. It is very rewarding and stress free to know that the work is done with the minimum of fuss. Thank you ladies.

Social Media (Amanda Stokes)

St George’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/saintgeorgesworcester YouTube Channel: Saint George's Worcester Anglican Church Twitter: @StGeorgesCEBarb

The Church Facebook page currently has 848 followers (up from 794 this time last year) – these are the number of people who have opted-in to “follow” our page, meaning that they will receive our updates in their timeline each time we post or share something. The number of people that regularly and actively engage in the content we share varies enormously depending on the subject matter, the timing of the item being published, and the over-all reach of the item. The easy way to increase the reach is simply to ‘like’ or comment on an item when you see it, to share it on your own wall, and/or to invite your ‘friends’ to follow the St George’s page.

The Midweek Services are now broadcast alternately from within either St George’s Church or Claines Church using Facebook Livestreaming, allowing for in-person attendance or online viewing. The weekly Newsletter content is currently also published manually by me to the St George’s Facebook page each. If anyone is interested in helping to maintain the page when I am no longer here please do have a chat with Rev Jo as it would be such a shame for the page to become inactive and out of date, particularly given it has such a broad reach to those 848 followers.

We also have 44 subscribers to our YouTube Channel (up from 37 this time last year). This was managed by Andy Russell until he relocated back to the South coast in early 2022. The online Sunday and mid-week services were uploaded from Facebook to the YouTube Channel each week throughout 2021. Since Covid restrictions were relaxed and more people returned to public worship in-person, the decision was made to cease recording and/or Livestreaming the Zoom services, therefore they are no longer uploaded to YouTube or Facebook. We have 388 followers on Twitter (up from 383 last year) and Antony Corfield continues to manage this. Rev Jo uses Twitter to pass on news about events, prayers, and anything which involves or affects St George’s.

Remember: The more you interact with the any of our Social Media content, the wider the reach of our ministry will be and the more visible we will become within our online community.

Website (Frances Burton & Bob Rolison)

St George's Website: http://www.saintgeorgesworcester.org.uk/

In February/March 2021, the website saintgeorgesworcester.org.uk was re-vamped using a theme specifically designed for churches by Grace Themes. Because we have the PRO version, we have advanced features which allow us to choose websites' font and colour but there is also a facility for people to donate to the church online, an online shop and an intranet, which we can turn on if ever required. It can take a long time to build a website so we are hoping that this version will also enable us to make changes that will update its appearance easily when we need to do so. The website is a 'go to' place for information about Saint George's but it is also a place where visitors can find out how to grow spiritually, whatever age or ability you are. It is inclusive and the only church website in Worcester that includes resources for parents who have SEND children to help them organise their

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visit to Saint George's. Please do not forget that, along with many recordings of the virtual services, there are Rev. David New's notes as well as Dr Barbara Mitra's Christian Mindfulness audios which are super resources for day to day life. We are not experts but we do know how to add pages and posts and doing so is as easy as making a cup of tea so please let us teach you. If you are intrigued as to what a website looks like behind the scenes, would like some website experience for your CV, need a skill for your Duke of Edinburgh Award or you are interested in marketing and website design, please get in contact with us and we can introduce you to WordPress.

ECO-Church & Green Team (Alison Clarke)

Eco-church/Green team was launched at St George’s at the October café church. Our theme was ‘Cherish the Earth’. We thought about the effects of climate change: extreme weather, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution and learned about the reasons for the COP26 conference which would meet in Glasgow in November 2021. We prayed about how we could make a difference in this climate emergency.

We introduced the Eco Church accreditation scheme which will enable us as a church to track our progress towards being a carbon-neutral community. The scheme offers three levels of award: Bronze, Silver and Gold, falls into five categories:

1. Worship and teaching

2. Buildings

3. Land

4. Community and global engagement and

5. Lifestyle

Overall, we are probably ready for a bronze award, (though in some areas we already score gold!) Our biggest (though long-term) challenge will be to plan to reduce our carbon footprint as a set of buildings.

We set up a Green Team to encourage the whole church family to embrace a greener way of living, with an informal meeting after church and during coffee time to discuss progress and make plans. Not surprisingly, it is the children who are showing us the way. We launched a poster competition before Christmas to encourage them further. We still have a way to go, I believe, in recovering from the withdrawal imposed by the pandemic and it may be a while yet before all our families are back in the swing of things. So, despite the few submissions, Lili and Rheya Hung were worthy winners of the competition with their excellent posters about protecting the domestic hedgehog population. A prize awaits them. We have set up a Green Team table in church and are actively encouraging people to bring along batteries, soft plastics and ink cartridges (things which can’t be recycled through our fortnightly kerb-side collections). There is a noticeboard with information and ideas about living a greener life.

Quest Group (Trish Greenwood)

The group is for someone who has recently lost a loved one and can chat to others who are in the same position. We meet on the 3[rd] Thursday of the month in Claines Church Hall, Cornmeadow Road. We started to meet again after the Covid Pandemic in August with 3 ladies from Kidderminster who were looking to start a similar group. The ladies chatted to several of the group to get an idea of what it meant to them it was very encouraging. It was so lovely to get back together and meet face to face. We have a new member of the team, Margaret Stokes who makes lovely cakes and will be an asset to the team. The group now has a steady number of 12. After lockdown we had to change the day and venue of the group which unfortunately meant a few members could not attend. We did make an arrangement to go out for Christmas Lunch but decided to cancel for safety reasons. If it is something you may be interested in please contact Rev. Jo for more details.

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The Mothers Union (Judy Morris)

As most of the MU members are not comfortable on Zoom we did not have virtual meetings during lockdown. I tried to keep in touch with members in person, by phone email and occasionally even snail mail. Members continued with their knitting ministry, knitting for the hospital included some blankets to meet the needs of the Special Baby Unit and shawls and lap blankets for patients with dementia. We continued with our Prayer Shawl Ministry and know how much comfort they give to those going through difficult times, the card with them explains that they are knitted in love and prayer and then blessed. If you know anyone who would welcome a shawl please let us know, we usually have a few in the vestry, and also holding crosses which can also be a strength in times of trouble.

Joy Kyte continues making the small teddies which we give out in school to the Reception Class. Pam Summers and I were able to join them on Zoom when they received their Prayer Bears and they really were delighted. We also knitted sheep for the Advent Travellers and some blankets and other articles for some of the people who have been relocated here from Afghanistan. Well done to all those who knit and pray. We also continue with our ministry of supporting Baptism families, helping set up for the service and providing a cross to go on the wall as a gifts for the children.

In September we celebrated our children and young people Moving On as part of the Open Air service, this is a new part of our support of children and families, reminding them that they are continually supported by MU and the rest of the Church Family.

In September we began to meet again and decided to move forward in faith and plan a Christmas Fair, with two aims, to bring people together and to raise some money to pay for our own work and to support MU’s work around the world. We were successful on both accounts and felt that God blessed us richly. It was wonderful to see people lingering in the Magdalene Room, chatting away, glad to meet with people face to face again. There were family groups and older people, a lovely atmosphere (only partly due to the mulled wine!). We were pleased the Traidcraft stall did well, thanks to Sue for setting it up. In the end we raised well over £600. We were amazed and thankful for the support, and really experienced God’s blessing on our endeavours.

The end of November some of us were able to attend a service at the Cathedral as part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign. MU is very involved with campaigning globally against gender-based violence.

We rounded off the year with a Christmas Meal at the Alma, which was an enjoyable evening. There was a short Meditation in December to round off our year.

Kingdom Arts (Alex New & Sue Ashby-Davis)

Into our 6th year of operation, but who could have foreseen such an interruption to our creative flow? However, we were not going into lockdown without making the most of technology and trying to come to terms with it. We therefore organised an Easter ZOOM meeting (March ’21) which was really lovely with Kingdom Artists as usual becoming fully engaged by contributing music, artwork and spiritual journey stories.

In order to keep the spirit of Kingdom Arts alive, each team member took on the responsibility for communicating with a small group of people by monthly email. Even if some did not respond, we felt it very important to do this and to show that we care about all who come to our meetings from far and wide. Postings continued to appear on our website throughout the year.

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Our first meeting after Lockdown occurred in October ’21. It was very special as all were so pleased to be together again. Amazing individual Lockdown stories were shared. We met again in November and December (our January ’22 meeting was cancelled as positive Covid test results increased).

We have dipped our toes gently back into the stream and people are returning, not in previous numbers, but enough to maintain our enthusiasm and to experience the warmth and meaningful discourse that reflects Kingdom Arts. We have respected those who keep their distance and their masks and those who feel free to make their own decisions on mask wearing and social distancing. A soup lunch has not been provided yet to avoid all of us gathering in a more confined space. Perhaps after Easter we will review this provision.

Thanks as ever to Rev Jo for her continued support and to the Kingdom Arts team: Alex and David New, Sue Ashby and Trevor Davis, Bob and Barbara Rolison, Jan Butterworth, David and Vikki Moore, Jan Kear, Pam Summers, Lyn and Clive Crowther, Trish Greenwood, Carolyn Corfield and Margaret Stokes. There remains a hunger for meeting in a creative space that allows freedom of expression in the Lord’s name and to nurture the love felt and shared among us so that we can go out into the world with confidence and a generous gifting spirit.

Calling Young Disciples (Judy Morris)

For over 3 years, since Adam was with us to help us with our work with young people, a group of us from Claines, St Stephen’s and St George’s have been working together to develop initiatives with young people and families. We have been receiving Training from CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society) twice a year and in November 2021 we were finally commissioned in this work. From St George’s the members have been Rev Jo, Ruth (until on maternity leave) Elisabeth and myself. Our most successful new initiative is definitely the Pancake Party – our first one attracted about 60 kids, and was amazing, and the second one was also brilliant, then we had to miss in 2021. Working together we are able to do things which would be too much for one church, more hands, different talents combined. We have also had Light Parties, as an alternative to Halloween, but again Covid got in the way of this. The CYD Hub was the driving force behind having our scarecrow Nativity Christmas 2020. More needs to be done, and we hope we can get some new initiatives off the ground in 2022. Families are definitely interested when we put on these activities, families who don’t come to church services. Can you help us in this work?

Children’s Worship (Elisabeth Witter)

2021 remained tricky with Children’s Worship and with the Children & Youth group (C&Y). There are regulations which require all of the C&Y group to both have a certificate and have passed (online) training, to ensure the safety of the children and youth in our care. These are very clearly very important and we started trying to get this checked and sorted in March 2021. To this date, we have two people who are both willing to continue and who have completed both points.

There has been a lot of confusion around exactly what was needed and some people are still struggling to get through their day-to-day work in our changed world, let alone commit to anything else. We are hopeful that this will all be resolved shortly and we will have more people through the system – we hope to even have enough to re-start Messy Church!

The usual four morning services in a month, are currently thus:

1. Standard service, including separate group(s) for C&Y

2. Worship together

3. Standard service

4. Café church

Alongside this, we have the Friendship and paper-based activities in the church that are available in our cupboard unit, near the Lady Chapel.

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Advent Travellers (Rebecca Lowe & Sam Hibbert)

We are delighted to report that the journey of the Advent Travellers, our annual event that is shared amongst the younger members of our community, resumed in person as well as online in 2021. From Advent Sunday our little knitted characters - Joseph, Mary and The Donkey, were welcomed into Church families homes to stay. This year as well as being hosted by some well-known faces they also stayed with some new families from St Georges school. The children at school were delighted to meet them when Becky and Sam took them into the key stage 1 classes and the children took turns to play with them in classrooms on the days they were not staying in family homes. Their journey was shared online on a dedicated Facebook page so those who sadly missed out due to the pandemic were still able to see what they got up to! They ended their journey on Christmas Eve at our Crib Service.

School Ministry (Pam Summers & Barbara Rolison)

The first thing that must be mentioned is our pride in the school community. The staff adapted to the ever changing rules and regulations during the last two years. School remained open to the children of essential workers. Online sessions were set up for each year group using zoom. For those unable to access these sessions printed packs were available. Many staff were juggling homeschooling with their own families at the same time. When school did reopen, each class was in its own bubble. Adaptations had to be made to the classroom layout, equipment and even timings for drop off, breaks and pick-ups. As was probably to be expected some staff did become ill. Teachers and Classroom Assistants adapted to cover the gaps and ensure pupils had a routine which helped them to accept change.

Saint George's Church and Saint George's School have more in common than their name. We both strive to ensure the children in our care receive a solid education based on Christian values. Mrs. Louise Norris is the Head Teacher. Under her leadership the school promotes the teaching of Christian Values alongside the national curriculum.

The school is made up of seven classes The children's ages range between 4 and 11. There are 173 pupils on the roll. Of these 54 have English as a second language. A total of 21 languages are spoken across the school. Portuguese is the most spoken language after English, previously it was Punjabi. This is above national averages. 41 children are eligible for pupil premium funding and 24 children receive free school dinners. This is generally in line with national averages. There are 12 teaching staff, some of whom are part time, 10 support staff and 3 people work in the office. A team of 7 serve and supervise lunch. The caretaker and 2 cleaners complete the school team.

Volunteers also share their talents and time to enrich the children's experience of school. As a Voluntary Aided school the governing body is made up of 2 parent governors, 1 LA governor, 1 staff governor, 1 headteacher, 8 foundation governors and 1 co-opted governor. Barbara Rolison, Alison Clarke, Sam Hibbert and Pam Summers are regular attendees at Saint Georges as well as members of the Governing Body.

Now most restrictions have been lifted, schools are returning to normal times. Year 2 and Year 6 will take part in SATS. Ofsted may arrive and next year the school will be visited by a Siams inspector.

Did you know?

The whole school attends services in St. Georges for all the major celebrations. Usually Year 6 plan the services, look after the sound system and arrange the chairs. Last year a restricted Leavers Service went ahead with the class receiving certificates to recognise their achievements during their time at the school. Harvest and Remembrance services were held in church. The donations for Harvest were received by the Food Bank. Unfortunately rising numbers of covid cases meant the

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Nativity Service was cancelled. Year 2 recorded the Nativity story in the school hall. They are to be congratulated for their hard work, especially those who had to take on extra roles at short notice. We all hope Church Services will go ahead this year and Parents and Carers will be able to attend.

Members of St. George's Mothers Union knit teddies that are presented to everyone in the Reception class just before Christmas. For the second year we had to send the teddies into quarantine before joining the class. Thanks to zoom Pam explained that their Teddy is a friend for them to keep. The children loved hearing about who made them and then a story about Friendship. A bear wearing a red top was left over so he is now their mascot. His name is George and he takes part in group activities.

Due to covid restrictions the Open the Book team had to stop school visits. Technology came to the rescue and a new joint group of Storytellers made up of the St. George's and Claines’ Teams used zoom to act out the stories. The recordings continue to be sent into school. The children are looking forward to visits starting again and taking part themselves.

Members of our church are invited to lead some assemblies, These were also conducted on zoom but since September we have been able to go into school. It is a great privilege to lead an assembly which gives us an opportunity to explore one of the school's values.

A few years ago Judy Morris and Pam set up a Quiet Garden Experience for Reception. Last year we invited the then year 1 class over to experience the Quiet Garden. We looked, listened, smelt and touched different plants and objects. The afternoon finished with prayers and tying ribbons onto the trees. We pray we will be able to invite Year 1 and Reception to experience the Quiet Garden this summer.

Gift Aid Secretary (Yvonne Parker)

This report was previously submitted under Mission Resources Officer, however, the new title indicates more clearly the duties involved with the position.

I work very closely with Trish Greenwood, our Treasurer. At the end of each quarter she supplies me with details of giving, I collate them onto a spread sheet then enter them onto the HMRC form and submit them online. When figures are checked and agreed the income tax recoverable is paid into the Church’s bank account. In 2021 this figure was £8,875 which is made up of £4,462 gift aid, £1,118 GASAD and £3,295 from people giving through PGS. During 2021 there were 10 people using the envelope scheme – 8 gift aid and 2 non-gift aid, 23 using the standing order scheme - 17 gift aid and 6 non-gift aid, and there were 22 people using PGS -15 gift aid and 7 non-gift aid. This means that 53 members of our congregation were actively supporting our Parish Vision and the wider Church during what continues to be difficult circumstances.

In July 2019 St George’s joined the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS). This offers an easy and efficient way for people, regardless of whether they pay tax or not, to make regular donations with benefits to both the giver and our Church. Please contact Rev Jo or our Treasurer Trish Greenwood if you would like to join this scheme or move from envelopes/standing order giving. Finally a BIG thank you to everyone for their continued support.

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The Magdalene Hall & Church Bookings (Barbara Rolison: [e-mail])

My grateful thanks to Amanda, Pam and especially Trish who have answered my frequent queries as I begin to absorb the numerous and sometimes unusual aspects of being booking secretary. At the beginning of 2021 we were sadly in Lockdown again. However, Church services continued on Zoom and all our hirers were patient. Protocols were in place and regularly revised to keep us all safe and by May 17th there was some easing in restrictions to Stage 3 and gradually the “New Normal”. Parties provisionally booked for July, had to be cancelled when Stage 4 did not progress.

The plans for the refurbishment of the toilets were finalised and work began on July 16th and with a slight delay were completed by September 13th. The addition of 2 new storage cupboards has improved storage and clutter. All of these are assets, both to the church and all the hall users. Many thanks to the team of volunteers who worked so hard to clean the hall after the builders finished! Further thanks to Kathy, our regular weekly cleaner for her thoroughness and eagle eyes. Eco cleaning products are currently being used with trials of brands for the most effective. There are plans for further improvements to the hall in 2022.

Hire charges were raised in September. The charges for 2021: regular hire for the hall £13 an hour; the party rate is £50 for 3 hours with hourly hire £18. For the church it is £35 an hour or £50 for Ad Hoc and £200 for day hire for a concert. The increase has been accepted by all, although two groups reduced their hours. Charges will rise again from January 2022. There is a delicate balance between our costs, especially with the huge rise in energy charges and the affordability for hirers.

Church

We rejoiced on September 12th when we were finally able to return to the Church for services. Picnic and Praise in the quiet garden that afternoon was a wonderful chance to be together again. The fortnightly church services became weekly and weekly silent prayer including a fortnightly meditation. There were joyful occasions with weddings in August and October and a Blessing in December when the repaired and restored throne chairs were used and several Baptisms.

Worcester Philharmonic Orchestra and Barbourne singers continue to use the church weekly for rehearsals. Kingdom Arts returned in October with a carefully organised worship and sharing meeting and hope to return to a full programme, and even a soup lunch, later in 2022. Worcester Operatic Society held a concert in November and there was a private end of term piano concert. Chapter 8 gave a wonderful Christmas concert and they highly praised our church as a venue. Saint George’s school were able to hold school only services for Harvest and Remembrance, although the Christmas Nativity had to be recorded in school. A new event, a free lunchtime concert began on October 20th. It is monthly on the 3rd Wednesday at 1.00pm. Shulah Oliver offered us this opportunity and it is gradually increasing in popularity (www.lunchtimeconcertseries.co.uk). There is a voluntary collection to cover costs and a donation to church funds. We hope to be able to sell refreshments at a future date.

The Magdalene Hall

With the restrictions easing, June began with 5 hirers cautiously returning for a few weeks. Lynlees continued their classes through the period of refurbishment by using the church, an unusual venue for line dancing! From September bookings really improved; with regular classes namely; Pilates and Pilates For All, Gentle Yoga, Stay Young Yoga and Yoga with Mary. Lynlees Dance classes, Classical Guitar Society and Worcester Young Voices. Alan Hartland the Tia Chi teacher, decided to retire and we thank him for many years of bookings. The Mothers Union hold monthly meetings either in the

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church or the Hall. The M U Autumn Fair was most successful and the first fund raising event for many months. Party bookings both for Baptisms and birthdays have continued, although some were cancelled when Covid began to spread again. We wait with hope in our hearts for an improved and lively 2022.

Worcester's Big Parade - The Elephant in the Room

We were honoured to host a large sculpture of an elephant at Saint George's in our Magdalene Room whilst he was being brought to life by local artist Cherrie Mansfield. He was named 'Jackson' and was sponsored by Severn Arts in partnership with Worcestershire County Council. Jackson later stood proudly outside the Art Gallery & Museum as part of the Worcester Big Parade.

Summer Fair (Elisabeth Witter)

There was no Summer Fair in 2021. We will be back in 2022, with a theme of rainbows! If you usually take part, that assumption will persist! If you don’t usually take part, but would like to be involved, please contact Elisabeth on: [e-mail]

Bible Reading Fellowship (Joy Kyte)

BRF notes can be an excellent way of helping us to understand the more complex bible passages as well as giving us new insights into well-known scriptures. New Daylight notes often follow a different theme every two weeks, for instance “Looking Back” (at the beginning of the year) and “Remembering Holy Week & Easter”. They are advertised as “ideal for anybody wanting an accessible yet stimulating aid to spending time with God each day, deepening their faith and their knowledge of scripture”. The notes are written by a mixture of Christians, including priests, bishops, retreat leaders, etc., whereas Upper Room notes are written by the people who read them, from all over the world, who seek to share their insights and personal experiences of their faith with others. The booklets are published three times a year, in January, May and September, at an annual cost of approximately £14.50, post-free, if placed as part of a group order through myself, so please contact me if you are interested.

Worcester Foodbank (Margaret Stokes & Lyn Crowther)

As church community we support Worcester Food Bank by giving a regular supply of both food and essential household goods. We also give both financial and volunteering support, all of which is gratefully received. Over the past year there has been a 22% rise in the number of people seeking help (10,838 fed in 2021) and with the predicted rise in the cost of living in this coming year, these numbers are only set to rise. Our regular giving of food, goods time and money are essential to the ongoing work of the food bank here in Worcester. THANK YOU.

The Childrens’ Society (Helen Gilbert)

Although 2021 proved to be another very challenging year, I am pleased to report that we were still able to raise a total of £642.00 to give to The Children’s Society . This was comprised of £542.00 from house collecting boxes and £100.00 from the December Christingle collection. By giving to The Children’s Society, you are helping to improve the lives of children who feel scared, unloved and like they simply don’t matter because of the situations in which they find themselves. These might be caused by exploitation, including online increasingly, abuse or neglect. Poverty also plays a major role in children’s lack of well-being.

It is important that children know that they are being heard and the vital connection between Children’s Society project workers and young people has been maintained during

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lockdowns through the provision of technology, enabling ‘phone calls and video chats when face-to-face communication has been difficult.

Campaigning for change is an important part of The Children’s Society’s work, for example the recent ‘Look Closer’ campaign to prevent child exploitation. Another long campaign has led to the 2021 School Uniform Bill being made law in May, so that schools now have to consider the cost of buying uniforms.

Many thanks to everyone who has so generously supported The Children’s Society during this last year. You can find out more about their work on the website www.childrenssociety.org.uk or their social media platforms.

Christian Aid (Alison Clarke)

For what does the Lord require of us but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God ? (Micah 6:8)

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 2021

As far as Christian Aid Week goes, St George’s and Claines churches are now one body! And this year we raised £2094.74. Thanks to lockdowns and social isolation, people are becoming more comfortable with making online donations, so we were very pleased locally to make use of the GiveStar (formerly TapSimple) website to facilitate this. We were able to set up a number of different giving ‘pages’ within a Worcester group area of the website, so that people could donate to particular fundraising ventures and indeed follow the progress of fundraisers as they set out to achieve their goals. My husband, Paul, and I were really grateful to generous support from both churches as well as from friends and family allowing us to raise over £1100 in support of our “100 miles of the Severn Way” hike. Setting up a GiveStar fundraising area for Worcester also allowed us to know how much had been donated online in our area. At the same time, those churches who were able reported how much they had collected in cash donations. So, overall, in Worcester we know that we raised almost £11,500. In fact, the total will have been quite a lot bigger than this, as we know some churches sent cheques directly to Christian Aid.

CAMPAIGNING

Christian Aid continues to campaign, raise awareness and highlight the injustice of how climate change is affecting the lives of the poorest communities on Earth. Since the climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021, there is growing emphasis on Loss and Damage with Christian Aid and others calling for the establishment of a global fund to provide relief for those whose lives have been severely impacted by climate change. Christian Aid is also encouraging us to petition the UK government to further support the people of Afghanistan both financially and through a global humanitarian conference. https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/climate-justice-every-moment-matters https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/loss-and-damage-petition - - https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get involved/campaigns/stand afghanistan

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CHANGES AT CHRISTIAN AID

During the past months Christian Aid’s chairman, Rowan Williams, has completed his term of office. I am personally delighted that his excellent chairmanship is being followed by John Sentamu. (I am now his Facebook friend! Joy!

LOOKING FORWARD – I am probably supposed to confine myself to things which have already happened in this report , but I am excited that in 2022 we can look forward to a more normal Christian Aid Week. Already we have a concert planned for Saturday evening of 28 May with your home folk band 5 for Silver (Sue and Trevor and myself, plus our dear friends Bill Scriven and Grahame Lucas) and the wonderful Orchard Band led by Ali and Ian Craigan. I also think it’s time that the whole congregation had a chance to put in some steps/ wheelies for Christian Aid Week… this year with a royal theme. So watch this space!!

THANK YOU

Finally, none of what Christian Aid is able to do would happen if it weren’t for your gifts, acts and prayers. So an enormous THANK YOU!!

Make a Lasting Difference (Trish Greenwood)

Legacies have over the years, and with thanks to the generosity of those who have made a bequest, contributed greatly to the work and mission of Saint George’s. The PCC appreciates all bequests, large or small.

There are many gift types: Pecuniary legacy A cash gift of any size (i.e. £1000). Specific legacy Items of value such as property, a car, or jewellery. Residuary bequest The balance of your estate after all debts, taxes, expenses and other legacies have been paid.

Only some five percent of people in the UK have left a gift for a charity in their will, and yet legacies are the largest single source of income for many charities in this country today. Once you have provided for your family and friends, leaving a small gift to Saint George’s Church will ensure that our work can continue for many years to come. All legacies are tax free; if you make such a gift in your will, its value will be deducted from your estate before inheritance tax is calculated. If you are thinking about leaving a legacy or have already remembered us in your will, we would love to talk to you about it; everything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. We would love then to have the opportunity to thank you for your generosity. When considering leaving a legacy, we recommend that you consult a solicitor who will be able to give you specialist advice according to your own individual circumstances.

Remembering your Church in your will is a wonderful way both to thank God for the blessings you have received and to help your Church ensure it can meet the needs of future generations.

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