Easter Servlce Suhday2n**Leonard’s**|Every Sunday|08:00|Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)| |---|---|---|---| ||Every Sunday|18:30|Sung or Choral Evensong (Book of Common
Prayer)| |**St Mary’s**|Mondays –
Thursdays|08:30|Morning Prayer (Common Worship)| ||1stand 3rd
Sundays|10:15|Parish Communion (Common Worship)
with Children’s Church JAM(Jesus & Me)| ||2ndSunday|10:15|Family Service, preceded by crafts at 09:45| ||2ndSunday|11:30|Said Communion (Common Worship)| Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 7 ||4thSunday|10.00|All Age Communion (Common Worship)| |---|---|---|---| ||5thSunday|10:00|Team Communion (Common Worship)
rotatingaround the threeparishes| ||Every Thursday|11:00|Holy Communion (Common Worship)| _Revd Sarah Nesbitt Team Rector_ ## 6.2 Outreach & Nurture Group ## 6.2.1 Outreach & Nurture Group – General At the start of 2024, the group organised several events in St Mary’s to help foster a sense of community. This included a pancake breakfast at the Family Service before Lent, and an Easter Egg hunt for children on Easter morning. The Collation Service for Sarah’s licensing in March involved a wide range of groups and individuals, including the Outreach and Nurture group. As the days became warmer and longer, we could start to organise outdoor events. This year this included: - A team picnic in Liz’s beautiful riverside garden, followed by Evensong - Hymns and Pimm’s in the churchyard at St Leonard’s. The Outreach and Nurture group helped facilitate links between our churches and our community, by supporting events such as: - Hustings in St Mary’s, ahead of the July General Election. - Activities for children in St Mary’s, as part of the town’s Curfew Bell event. To support the choir’s singing in St Alban’s Cathedral (see 6.6 below) we organised a parish coach trip to St Alban’s. Feedback from the bring-and-share Harvest Lunch we organised, suggested that it may have worked better as a sit-down meal, with revised timing. Christmas and Advent allowed us to bring back some popular features such as the Tree of Remembering at St Mary’s, along with sharing mulled wine after selected services. A highlight this year was the lantern making workshop and parade we ran for children, as part of the town’s Christmas Event at the start of December, which was incredibly popular. I would like to record my thanks to the other members of the group and also thanks to those beyond the group who support this vital aspect of our church life. _Charlie Brampton On behalf of the Outreach & Nurture Group_ Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 8 ## 6.2.2 Children, Young People and Families Our children, young people and families are an important part of our church community. Since the departure of our Children’s Worker in September 2023, the activities for young people have continued through a team of wonderful volunteers with some hugely creative sessions. Key highlights include: - JAM (Jesus and Me), where children spend time engaging with bible stories on three Sunday mornings a month, reducing to two when the All-Age Communion was reintroduced on the fourth Sunday of the month from September. There is occasionally JAM on fifth Sundays if the Team service is at St Mary’s. - Family Service on the second Sunday of each month, preceded by crafts relating to the topic which are enthusiastically received. - Baby Singing and Tiny Toes on Wednesday mornings in term-time continue to be well supported. - Collective Worship (CW): we offer CW at St Nicholas’ School every two weeks and led CW at Fir Tree School on three seasonal occasions in the autumn term. St John’s School enjoyed a whole-school Carol Service in church and discussions have been initiated at Wallingford School to improve engagement. - We have enjoyed 8 baptisms with home visits for baptism preparation. - The Brownies came into church to make bouquets for Mothering Sunday and will be joining our flower arranging rota in the New Year. - Confirmation preparation sessions began in December. - Two Christmas Eve Nativity services were beautifully chaotic and well-attended A huge thank you to the team of very capable and enthusiastic volunteers who encourage our young people to explore faith through scripture, craft and song. _Revd Sarah Nesbitt Team Rector_ ## 6.3 Social Responsibility Group The Social Responsibility Group aims to raise awareness of social and justice concerns and to balance our church giving between international emergency appeals and other national and local charities, particularly those known to us here in Wallingford. We welcome any suggestions or recommendations from members of the congregation. This year the church has donated £9,636.25. The PCC increased its donations to our two nominated charities (Sue Ryder Hospice Care and the Sharp Memorial School for the Blind in India) to £2,000 each. We also supported two Red Cross Appeals for the war in the Middle East and for Gaza, MSF (Doctors without Borders) and the UNHCR (World Refugee Week). Nationally we supported Cruse Bereavement Care and Crisis at Christmas. Locally we helped PACT (Parents and Children Together), Wigod Way Family Centre, Style Acre and Open the Book. Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 9 Charlie Hughes organized Christian Aid week collections and spoke about its work at a Parish Communion service at St Mary’s. We also welcomed Kelsey Proctor, Manager of the Wigod Way Family Centre to tell us about the work of the Centre at Parish Communion in November. We held two cake sales in St Mary’s, to mark Refugee Week and Harvest Festival. Many thanks for everyone who contributed delicious homemade goodies! _Elizabeth Gordon On behalf of the Social Responsibility Group_ ## 6.4 Fabric, Buildings and Churchyards ## **Phase 1 leadwork replacement project involving St Mary’s and St Leonard’s churches was** **completed** in March by our appointed contractor Warren and Neale. This project, which stemmed from the 2021 Quinquennial Inspection (QI), involved lead replacement to the south roof and the tower roof at St Mary’s, alongside the tower abutment at St Leonard’s. It included remedial plaster work in the south aisle at St Mary’s due to the plaster failure in 2023 caused by historical water ingress. **St Mary’s chancel movement ‘live-with-it’ option completed –** This required a purlin condition inspection by a structural engineer to progress the ‘live-with-it’ option. The inspection took place on 19 March 2024 by Matt Groves of Seabrook Groves. Faculty approval was gained and the work involving the installation of a steel sleeve and remedial plaster work took place on 9 April 2024 by Warren and Neale through the Phase 1 leadwork replacement project. This situation now needs to be monitored. **The Standing Committee and the Fabric Committee organised an interim QI meeting** with Henry Sanders, quinquennial architect, in June. There were two aims: 1) To gain direction from Henry Sanders on which actions we should prioritise; 2) To gather information on the likely significant repairs needed in the next 5-20 years to develop a long-term strategy for both churches and to support the work of the Friends of St Mary’s and St Leonard’s. **Phase 2 leadwork progression at St Mary’s** – There is outstanding lead replacement work required to the north aisle at St Mary’s. We have obtained grants of £20,750 and fundraised £6,215. We opened discussions with the architect in October 2024 to enable progression of the work in 2025. **St Mary’s boiler replacement project** – following approval by the PCC and agreement by the Diocese on the approved replacement of the gas boiler by air source heat pumps, we have progressed the project by employing a structural engineer and acoustics expert to carry out further preparatory work. **St Leonard’s structural assessment of the apse and tower** – There is a quotation in place for Matt Groves (structural engineer) to inspect the Apse and Tower at St Leonard’s – this is linked to a QI action and required due to the visible crack in the Apse. Step one is a CCTV survey of the drains.. Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 10 **St Mary’s East End Window condition assessment** – Chapel Studio stained glass specialists were due to re-assess the condition of the East End window in December. This was cancelled due to personal reasons and is planned for January 2025. **St Mary’s security enhancements** – We have improved the security of the building through the installation of several mortice locks following the break-ins in 2024. **Buildings, fabric and churchyards Committee (formally known as the Fabric Committee)** has delivered a number of activities required by the QI alongside reactive activities. This includes responding to the many issues with St Mary’s boiler some of which were caused by flooding linked to a problem with a nearby downpipe. It also includes the remedial works to the south aisle wall in St Mary’s following an incident on Ash Wednesday. The committee has developed a monitoring and maintenance programme for both churches. **Monitoring and maintenance of church buildings –** This includes service of the boiler, annual fire extinguishers inspections, PAT testing and 6-monthly maintenance of fire alarm and emergency lighting, routine health and safety inspections. **Churchyards** – SODC completed minor remedial works to the paving in the front churchyard at St Mary’s to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. They also carried out tree maintenance in St Leonard’s which required faculty permission. We had to provide evidence of not being able to find any living relatives for graves in St Mary’s and All Hallows to progress remedial works to gravestones. I am indebted to the many people who have given their time and talents, and help and support to enable this work to be achieved in 2024. Since 2021, we have had a very significant church building workload due to the urgent and important issues that were identified through the Quinquennial Inspections alongside the many unknown problems that have arisen on the way. _Emma Cross On behalf of the Fabric, Buildings and Churchyards Ctee._ 6.5 Communication Group The website http://www.wallingfordcofe.org.uk, covers all three parishes in the Team (Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell). It continues to meet the needs of locals, visitors and newcomers by promoting upcoming services and events as well as providing information about what we offer. The distribution list for the Weekly News email continues to grow, and Weekly News is now sent to over 300 email addresses every week. This email details the services and events for the coming week and beyond. A handful of paper copies are made available at both churches for those who do not have access to the internet. The livestreamed Sunday morning service at St Mary’s still attracts a number of regular viewers and is a vital link to the church for these members of our parish and beyond who cannot attend the service in person. The monthly Zoom sessions for TWHAS (The Wallingford Historical and Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 11 Archaeological Society) continue, thus allowing people at home to join the presentation being held in St Mary’s. Posters, flyers and invitations were produced throughout the year promoting special services and events, and articles were published in local magazines when appropriate. We continue to use Facebook to communicate news and promote special services and events; and the TV screen near the door in St Mary’s provides visitors and congregation a glimpse of our diverse services and activities. _Wendy L Muggeridge On behalf of the Communications Group_ ## 6.6 Choir Extra services this year included Sarah’s Collation service in March and a beautiful 1928 prayer book wedding in April. There was more collaboration between juniors and seniors: joint rehearsals and the All-age Communion services. The choir enjoyed three cathedral visits: - Two days in Salisbury in May, where we were accompanied by Andrew Prior, and which involved a large number of juniors; - A weekend in St Alban’s in August, where we were accompanied by Mathias Herbst, and welcomed some former choir members back to sing; - Evensong at Christ Church, Oxford at the beginning of August, joined by a few members of Christ Church Cathedral Singers and Dorchester Abbey Choir. There was a Good Friday evening performance of choruses and arias from Handel’s Messiah, accompanied by Gaby Clements. Remembrance Sunday included a performance of Walford Davies’s Requiem in D, written in 1915. With a liturgy from a 1913 draft of a revised Book of Common Prayer, it was paired with the Communion Service in C minor by Wood and accompanied by Sue Huntingford-Ledger. Christmas was very busy, as ever, but we enjoyed some particularly successful carol-singing evenings, thanks to excellent turnout from the choir and welcome additions from the congregation. The choir committee continues to support Judith and has embarked on a review of the music library to rationalise our resources and make space for new music. _Judith Ward Director of Music_ ## 6.7 Bellringers We have had another good year with a loyal band maintaining all the ringing required for services, as well as continuing our regular Thursday practices. We number 14 paid-up members of the Diocesan Guild. We can ring on 8 bells fairly regularly and sometimes on 10 if numbers permit. The Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 12 band continues to make good progress, with individual members progressing well. One of our number (Millie Gall) rang her first full peal during the year, less than a year after starting to learn. We currently have one further member starting to learn. There have been five quarter peals during the year, but no full peals (just one failed attempt!) We had an enjoyable outing last summer to towers in Buckinghamshire. Repairs have been required: we needed 3 new ropes and the other 7 “tail ends” were replaced at the same time. Also, one clapper sheared off in the middle just before Christmas. We are grateful to the PCC for funding all the work required for this. We are always pleased to welcome visitors to our practices, and also will be most interested to hear of anyone wishing to learn to ring. Ringing is an activity open to all in the age range 8 to 88+! _Chris Tuckett Tower Captain_ ## 7. Cherishing God’s Earth This continues to be a key part of our mission and we are very proud of the fact that we have been a Silver rated Eco Church since September 2020. Despite some lack of resource this year, we have accomplished the following: - achieved RHS Thames & Chilterns in Bloom awards for the two churchyards; - celebrated the season of Creationtide in September through worship and prayer; - continued to use Fair Trade coffee, tea and sugar; - progressed the project to replace the gas boiler at St Mary’s with a more environmentally friendly option; - worshipped outside in the summer, when we held Evensong in a private garden (see 6.2.1. above) _Wendy Muggeridge PCC Secretary_ ## 8. Plans for the Future Our main aims for 2025 and beyond include the following: - Planning for the Team Vicar vacancy - Developing our work with Children, Young People and Families - Developing our provision of Christian ministry appropriately in a growing community - Developing the Personal Discipleship programme - Reviewing previous research and progressing our vision ‘Enabling people to be the best they can be in God’ - Holding a Confirmation service for adults and young people in February 2025 - Extending the confirmation preparation into a youth group meeting regularly - Building resilience, resources and knowledge to maintain and care for church buildings - Delivering Phase 2 leadwork project for the north aisle at St Mary’s Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 13 - Completing the CCTV survey and structural assessment at St Leonard’s - Completing the planning for St Mary’s boiler replacement project - Endeavoring to find somebody to become our Cherishing God’s Earth Champion - Working with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, the Oxford Diocese and local conservation groups to create a strategic plan for the two Churchyards for them to become havens for wildlife, heritage, and people. ## 9. Structure, Governance & Management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. Membership of the Wallingford PCC currently consists of the Team Rector, two Churchwardens, one General Synod representative, Deanery Synod representatives, one Licensed Lay Minister plus lay members elected by those who are on the Electoral Roll of the church. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Election to the PCC is for a three-year term, although immediate re-election is possible. We are permitted 12 lay members on the PCC, governed by the number of people on the Electoral Roll. Churchwardens are elected annually and serve for a maximum of six consecutive years. Re-election is possible after at least one year’s break. A Standing Committee is required by law; its purpose is to transact the PCC’s business between meetings of the PCC. Our current Standing Committee consists of the Team Rector, two Churchwardens and two other members of the PCC, appointed by the PCC, these are currently the PCC Secretary and PCC Treasurer. Deanery Synod representatives are elected every three years, according to a schedule set by the Diocese of Oxford and governed by the number of people on the electoral roll in the year preceding the elections. The next date for elections will be at the APCM in 2026. Based on the number of people on our electoral roll in 2022, we are currently entitled to 4 representatives. General Synod Representatives are elected by lay members of the Deanery Synod every five years, according to a schedule set by the Church of England. The members of Wallingford PCC are Trustees of the charity and, as such, are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish as well as managing the parish’s finances. The PCC met four times during 2024. Given its wide responsibilities, the PCC has a number of committees and groups, detailed earlier in this report, each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees and groups are responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with recommendations of their decisions when appropriate, for approval by the PCC. Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 14 ## 10. Administrative Information The Parish of St Mary-le-More and St Leonard is situated in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The churches are, together with those in Crowmarsh Gifford and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, part of the benefice of Wallingford, which is within the Wallingford Deanery in the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. Wallingford PCC registered as a charity on 21 April 2009. The details are: Charity Name : The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary-le-more and All Hallows with St Leonard & St Peter, Wallingford Noted Working Name: Wallingford Parochial Church Council Registered Charity No.: 1129240 Charity Address: 112 The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8EJ Bankers: Lloyds plc., Market Place, Didcot, OX11 7LQ Independent Examiner: Caroline Webster. UHY Ross Brooke, Suite I, Windrush Court, Abingdon Business Park. OX14 1SY Trustees of the charity (PCC members) who have served at any time from 1st January 2024 until the date this report was approved are: |**Name**|**Office**|**Elected**| |---|---|---| |**Revd Sarah Nesbitt**|Team Rector|_ex officio_| |**Emma Cross**|Churchwarden & Deanery Synod representative|_ex officio_| |**Jacquie Hughes**|Churchwarden
_(Chair until 06/03/24) due to interregnum_|_ex officio_| |**Gavin Wood**|Licensed Lay Minister|_ex officio_| |**Charlie Brampton**|Deanery Synod representative|_ex officio_| |**Wendy Muggeridge**|Deanery Synod representative & PCC Secretary|_ex officio_| |**Luke Whitcomb**|Deanery Synod representative
_(resigned 16/12/2024)_|_ex officio_| |**Prof Helen King**|General Synod Representative|_ex officio_| |**Jane Anderson**||2022| |**Milli Eaton**||2024| |**Oliver Garland**||2022| |**Stephen Harrison**|PCC Treasurer|2023| |**Peter Howarth**||2023_for 2 years_| |**Charlie Hughes**||2022| Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 15 |**Amanda Simons**||2023| |---|---|---| |**Helen Swan**||2023| ## 11. Wallingford Team Ministry The Parish of Wallingford is part of the Wallingford Team Ministry, along with the parishes of Crowmarsh Gifford and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. Membership of the Team Council in 2024: |**Name**|**Parish**|**Role / status**| |---|---|---| |**Revd Sarah Nesbitt**||Team Rector| |**Revd Kevin Beer**||Team Vicar| |**Emma Cross**|Wallingford|_Parish representative_| |**Jacquie Hughes**|Wallingford|_Parish representative_| |**Amanda Simons**|Wallingford|_Parish representative_| |**Helen Swan**|Wallingford|_Parish representative_| |**Michael Drury**|Brightwell-cum-Sotwell|_Parish representative_| |**Andy Lewis**|Brightwell-cum-Sotwell|_Parish representative_| |**Anna Gordon**|Crowmarsh|_Parish representative_| |**Linda Parker**|Crowmarsh|_Parish representative_| |**Stephen Harrison**|Wallingford|_Treasurer. Co-opted_| |**John Dowling**|Brightwell-cum-Sotwell|_Treasurer. Co-opted_| |**Frank Sadler**|Crowmarsh|_Treasurer. Co-opted_| The Parish representatives are lay members of their PCC's and are elected at the first PCC meeting following the annual parochial church meeting. Licensed lay ministers are also entitled to be members of the Team Council. Two Team Council meetings were held in 2024: ## a) 30 May 2024 Last year there was no Parish Share discussion but, because of the Interregnum, they had remained the same as 2023. The 3% deduction applied because of the Interregnum was distributed equally across the 3 parishes. There had been no request for financial support for Crowmarsh. There was discussion concerning the Deprivation level for the 3 parishes; Experian Data makes Crowmarsh wealthier than Brightwell, which is patently wrong. We are told that the Benefice figure we currently pay is for two Clergy Members, if we don’t pay, we lose a Vicar. Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 16 - Frank reported that, since Covid, fundraising had been negligible, but giving through the Parish Share Giving Scheme (PGS) has increased along with inflation. His forecast is that by the end of this financial year the bank balance could be as low as £800.00 with no reserves, other than ring fenced reserves. - Mike reported that Brightwell was OK, with Reserve Funds in place. Everything is generally the same as last year with no more contributions – the Spring Fair had realised much the same figure as last year. - Stephen commented that Wallingford had not so far adopted the PGS, so that means no automatic increases in giving, however he does support regular Stewardship Campaigns. Mike asked how/when do we resolve to help Crowmarsh and how does it affect us getting another Team Vicar. Sarah said there would be a ‘House for Duty’, cover for Sundays plus two days. After further discussion it was agreed that Wallingford and Brightwell would go to their respective PCC’s and request £2,000 (Wallingford) and £1,000 (Brightwell) be made available to Crowmarsh. Kevin noted that 75% of Crowmarsh income went to pay their Parish Share. There was some discussion over the House Groups during Lent, with each Group doing their own thing. There was a mixed response to the material used, with some finding the Leadership material difficult. The Team Council Scheme 2003 lays out Membership as follows: In the first meeting following 1st May: Rector; Vicar; six Members. Jacquie Hughes was appointed Lay Chair appointment (Proposed by Sarah and seconded by Kevin). Margaret Foster was appointed Secretary. There followed a review of dates for Team Services and events until December. The meeting found the Oxford Deanery proposal about children woolly and non-specific, but there is money to help with youth work if we can access it. Rebecca (Cholsey) and Sarah are sharing ideas across boundaries and Sarah sees us working with Benson and Ipsden too. In September there will be a Deanery presentation; Diocese is putting in time and money; Wallingford was well represented at the last workshop. We need common aims with our youth work: Cholsey predominately focuses on pre-teens but that’s less the case in Wallingford. Sarah noted that we have catchment for Wallingford School but we’re not strong on resources and we don’t have a Team Youth Group. Cholsey is well placed with Volunteer helpers. It’d be good to build more with Wallingford Academy Youth – the Head might be amenable. A bigger ‘Open the Book’ team would to be able to reach more Schools, or we could persuade the current volunteers to become leaders of more groups. b) 21 November 2024 As expected, the Parish Share increased again this year, and the Deanery Formula assumed Crowmarsh would pay more than Brightwell. Stephen advised the meeting that Wallingford had already accepted their increase, so it was decided that the figures for Brightwell and Crowmarsh should be reversed: the sums for 2025 will therefore be: Crowmarsh £32,373.00 Brightwell £33,350.00 Wallingford £70,034.00 Total £135,756.00 Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 17 - Andy voiced a general concern over the loss of our Team Vicar and how we prepare for the Interregnum. He then gave a summary of this year’s events. - Linda gave an account of Crowmarsh activities, the most important being that a Faculty for the long awaited Toilet and Servery had at last been granted; and Open the Book was going from strength to strength. - Jacquie spoke about plans for December, the Junior Choir and the six Candidates for Confirmation this year. The Collection from the Christmas Carol Service will be donated to ‘Open the Book’. Kevin will be making some arrangements for cover during the Interregnum following his retirement, which leaves us to put together a list of jobs which need covering. Sarah advised that a new Parish Development Advisor (PDA) will be starting in January. She asked the meeting to consider the idea of employing a Parish Admin Officer, who could cover all three Parishes, and be a point of contact during an Interregnum. Such an appointment will need careful consideration and clarity about which tasks would need to be covered. Sarah proposed that we have a Benefice Away Day sooner rather than later, however we cannot set a date before we get our PDA. There followed a review of services and events up to Easter. There followed a discussion of how things were going concerning Children’s Ministry. The situation was broadly similar to the last meeting and we had not been successful in gaining money from the Development Fund. There are currently no Children worshipping in Crowmarsh and 4-5 children in Brightwell. Sarah will start to work on our children and youth ministry. _Margaret Foster, Minutes Secretary_ ## 12. Wallingford Deanery Synod The Deanery includes parishes in Blewbury, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Chilton, Cholsey, Crowmarsh Gifford, Didcot, Great Western Park, Hagbourne, Harwell, Moulsford, the Moretons, the Astons, Upton and Wallingford. The Deanery Synod provides PCCs with an important link between parishes and the wider structures of the church. Meetings are jointly chaired by the Area Dean (Revd Dr Andy Lord) and Lay Chair (Vaughn Lawfull). Two Deanery Synod meetings and two Standing Committees were held in 2024. The Synods both related to the question of how we perceive ‘church’ in the modern world: ## a) February Deanery Synod meeting We heard from Revd Pete Wheeler from St Peter’s Aylesbury (who is on the Diocesan New Congregations Board), speaking about his ministry on a rather deprived estate. Before Pete’s revitalisation work, St Peter’s was run by a few elderly folk and much of the focus was on fundraising. Pete introduced a ‘breakfast church’, which introduces health/well-being and to inspires families to choose things for themselves. On the first Sunday an 11-year-old turned up, on Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 18 the second he brought his brother, on the third they brought their mother. 4-5 years later they now welcome around 80-90 each Sunday, of whom 80-90% are unchurched. All activities are intergenerational, and attendees are welcome to bring their own food. They also bring problems of addiction, abuse, alcoholism, but God is at work breaking chains. Pete shared several principles for creating a healthy church: - Mission is not a separate department, rather it runs through all our activities. His church has no intention of inviting people in – they need to want that for themselves. - Church is usually an attractional model (we expect others to come to us) but we need it to be an incarnational model (people expect us to go to them) - ‘Appreciative Enquiry’ is the principle that everything we need to grow and thrive is already in the room/in our hands. We need to think about Asset Based Community Development (the ABCD concept). We should ask our PCCs about what we already have and how we can use it. - We need to consider what our Mission Statement is/should be - b) November Deanery Synod meeting We heard from Revd Canon Helen Kendrick who had been asked to comment on ‘The Church in Mission’ from her experience in the Damascus parish. The Damascus parish covers five villages, which border Didcot and Abingdon. Helen has been there for 21 years, in which time the congregations have halved. In 2017 a radical decision was made to become a single parish. This was not an easy process (there were 26 different bank accounts!) but activities such as sorting out paperwork and joining the Parish Giving Scheme has helped stewardship. Numbers are now growing, and the parish has a financial surplus. There is basically one PCC with churchwardens plus local church committees with co-wardens, and one general fund. Pastorally, there is a key person in each church who calls in members of the clergy when required – they are building up lay teams to become the central contacts. Technology is being enabled in new ways, with increasing use of co-operative Google programs. Practically, church worship moves around between the villages, but each church is unique. The group’s Mission Statement is ‘nurturing faith, bringing hope, sharing love’. From a PCC Away Day came the idea of ‘5 doors’: using all of the five main church buildings. There are: home groups, lay-led services, the use of ‘Open the Book’ in the primary schools, an assembly in each school weekly. Warm Spaces, emergency food supplies, toddler groups and family engagement afternoons. They encourage regular giving of talents as well as money. Helen reminded us that if everything else seems impossible, just keep praying! There was time for discussion in small groups and a chance to ask questions. These clarified some of the missional and structural issues faced by parishes and Benefices in the Wallingford Deanery. There was plenty to think and reflect further on! - c) Ongoing Deanery Synod work Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 19 At both synods there were discussions about (and commitments to) Parish Share Payments. At the end of 2024 the Deanery had raised the significant sum of £468,341 towards the Share allocated to it. Gordon Gill stood down as Lay Chair at the beginning of the year and was gratefully thanked for all he had contributed during his years in office. Vaughn Lawfull was voted in as his successor in that role in November. Due to the continued lack of a Deanery Treasurer, the Standing Committee has covered this role again this year. The Deanery Secretary ran the Diocesan Election process in the Deanery during the Area Dean’s Sabbatical (and during the vacancy for Lay Chair). Revd Jason St John Nicolle was elected to one of the two Clergy vacancies; but one Clergy and two Lay places were not filled. Each Synod heard a report from Prof Helen King in her role as a General Synod Representative, particularly in relation to the Living in Love & Faith process, and to the many aspects of Safeguarding which had featured in the national news during the year. Inspections took place in several parishes during 2025 particularly in the Churn Benefice. More will take place in 2025, lessening the backlog after the hiatus of the pandemic. Much work took place around the Deanery on projects related to Children & Youth, ahead of a plan being put together in 2025 alongside the diocesan bid for national funding. It was encouraging to hear stories of the many varied activities taking place each month across the Deanery. _Ali Adams, Deanery Synod Secretary_ Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 20 13. Annual Financial Statements Wallln8ford Pwochlal Churth Coundl Reglstered Charfjty Number 1129Z40 ANNUAL REPORT and FINANCIAL ￿ATEmENTs for the year ended 31 De￿rnber 2024 Statement of Flnanclal Actlvltles Urrntrltttd EndD*Thtfit 1024tDtsI 2023tat fun Income and Endowments from: (Note 21 135.25).W 31.¥JS.59 1é6.W).39 115.491.4) 19,1kn3.13 19,(b3.13 18.916.11 ZO.44).32 11.11￿Cl) 20.440.32 11.110.( 21.￿.1) 8.174.n Invthmw Totallncume 185 167.25 217 273.31 164,421.37 Expendlture on: (Note 31 2,1ffl.59 2,6D2.59 210 804.31 15&,771.59 1.155.6 rtdftur* 202 912.31 10.444.59 20.962.( 213.406.W 158,927.27 3.866.94 5,495.10 Nptknwmin lou rpy)Utre5beforpt￿￿er 17.IY45.C6 Transfe￿ INote 121 c￿￿tra￿e[SLy1W￿f￿Kts. 79,LXO.O) . ￿,l￿).[ p￿t￿coMIn ￿fOre other Other reco8nlsed galnslllossesl Fknel4 933.24 4,694.43 5 617.67 17,895.94 20.962. 4,694 43 9.494.61 23,391.04 Reconclllatlon of funif$ ToLilfundsbrou htforward 293.281.42 1.W.92 177.147 12 4rL.352.46 448,961.4Z Totalfund5rarfPdlorw￿d 271.119.CQ 21.545.91 181,8B1.55 481.547.07 47Z,352.46 Tr¢w5mF¢8e5ZI to29fm F•rtdtr*eftr￿￿stJ￿Trw Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 21 wai11n￿Ord Parochlal Church Countll Re8lstered Charlty Number 1129240 AJINUAL PEPORT and FIN*J4CIAL ￿ATE￿ENTs forthe ￿ar ended 31 December 2024 Balance Sheet 2Jtot41 Flxed assets I￿efits 1*te57￿14 lo1.￿5.57 195,467. 145 4fy7. Cutrent assets DÈknsith81 11,327.07 10,448.23 2ty.5th.$1 2n.073.46 2￿.827.58 212 521.69 LIabIll￿t5 10,076. 5,617.13 Tr4Ptcurrenla5Te15*￿CUlreDI 1trknIYrtIp5 ZW.751.91 276,BN. 4&1,JIP.Q7 47Z.352.45 Represented by INote 1ZI Unre5trlcted 16.677.44 11),Wl.63 De￿Inated c￿￿rf￿ 9,328.94 8,279.43 1￿.￿15.5￿ I￿￿1.14 4.tO6.15 4,106.15 19.923.29 10,530.32 20.456.5) 11.99b.61 4.&18.24 5.119.70 15.441.93 Restrlcted ReS1rKt&.51￿u1Slr￿YerflTVj 2.65T.35 2.657.35 J2,r*17.4) 11,015. Endowment 12.451.14 21.•49.75 199.429.41 155.Z37.37 Fundsofth*thurth 481 847.07 472 352. Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 22 Wallln8ford Parochlal Church Coundl Re8tstered Chartty Number 1129240 ANNUAL REPORT and FIN￿CIAL STATEh4ENTS for the ye4r ended 31 Derember Z024 Note 1- Accounting Policies kyeF4r•JknacC(¢daKe￿ tr*CtwchA¢corttsReWknr620X. trEctrA￿tk$￿tt20lj Acc￿t￿N•￿ReWrtl￿ tyctthdes ieffettfve1 Jtrnaty2019tr*'SORPIFRS1021"1. I￿•e￿a￿￿￿hare5Iv￿Vnal￿a[￿tVth. CthcttrsJr¢JwL8fryrrffltr•W tWefKtsr*5h&verntwrtved￿XcTh￿s￿t￿W were¢d*tedrAlteWfoftrdr¢yrt Ttr*f1NrKWstat￿¥￿¢tsmtC0rl•InIheaC¢￿sofl￿￿￿aiq￿K4Of¢Irt￿¢hrn￿tr￿swr *nd•d 31 t￿tr￿r2014 Note 10. Credllors rxedbt•rs- onèw¥ 151.Q) I.￿ 10 Not* 11 - Commftm•nts Note 12 Funds I4￿.19 .677.44 9,)lJ.•4 I.1￿15 i$.J2k19 9￿.2+ ￿,￿5b.53 lo.5￿3 11.99b ,￿2+ Iyd41.93 ¥Mg.)2 1.657.)5 ,(W.40 2.yl L,451.14 192.01 139411.41 s.￿￿07 4JI.11707 Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 28 Waillngford Parochlal Church Coundl Re￿Stered Chadty Number 1129Z40 I￿NuAL REPORT and FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 De￿rnber 2024 Note 13 - Analysis of Net Assets between Funds Currentyew vr*•rt￿¢f•d (**Mt•d PAsttht•d Enth￿Nn1 Total 19,214.02 16.677.44 159.U.31 181,8BI.55 zo1,￿.57 ZW.751.5Q Y.664.75 Total 86 677.44 178 623.33 34 664.75 181 881.55 481 847.07 Vrrf•&trfct•d P*rtrkt•d Enth)wAMnt Tot&1 F￿dI I8,2￿.78 113 580.63 149 WI.18 177,187.12 195,467. I13,￿.63 167,881.% 13,702.75 177,187.12 4n,352.46 Note 14 - Details of Investments 24tètal stLwrrf5Qrtrch CCLAshv￿.5tLÈyThrrtSTr￿￿￿e Enthwmert 87,213.27 85,261.77 St Le￿d5(1￿Ch CcLASlw￿.stLÉYThrdsc(tt￿e Eth%xYmert 66,￿7.9& 64,414.70 sfLEL¥KTdsCLtIwi tNot hflh(bJErl £YOAWivKC 51 )YPff•a4¥rZVI)£6O¢V CCLASFWe5.StL￿rd5la￿ St Leonardsctuch Erthrtmert s,6￿18 5,5W. CCLASN¥e5. JrythnLe8Xy n)ted 19,Z14.02 18,ZW).75 RuthCtAmb&laln (CLAS￿5. Ruth(￿MI¥l31￿Tr￿l ZZ,45L14 Z1,949.75 Investrnentsgjbto zoi.(Y15.57 195.467. T￿real￿*ja￿jurttal￿ *tsthilrNe51rneDts* rare 5.627.67 I7.￿.94 Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 29 14. Independent Examinerfs Report Wallin8ford Parochial Church Council ReBiStered Charity Number 1129140 Independent Examinerfs Report for the yearended 31 December 2024 Independent Examinerfs Report tothe Trustse5 of WallingFord Par¢xhial (bu￿h Coundl I report to the trustees on myexamlnation of the accounts of the tharityfor theyear Ènded 31 Deiember 2024, which are5etvut on pages 21 tv 29. Responslbllltle5 and bas19 of report As rhe membersof the Pccwho are also the charlty trustees you are resp0nslblef0rt￿ preparatlon of the account5 in accordance withthe reguirement50f the CharitiesAtt20111"the ACWI. I report In respect of my examinatlon of the chariVs accounts carried out under settion 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Direction5 given by the Charity Comrni5shin undersection 14515llbl oftheAct. Independerrt Examinerfs 51atement I have completed my examinatlon. l confirm that no material matters ha¥e come to myattentlon In ¢othnert￿￿ with the txatninatioD givin8 me cause tu believe that in any material rtspert.. accountin8 record5 were not kept in re5pert of the charity a5 required by section 130 of the Act,. the accounts do not accord with those rerord5.' or the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirement5 concerning the form and cortent of accounts Set out in the Charitie5 (Account5 and ftepDrtsl Re8ulatlOn5 2(N)8 othErthan any requirement thatthe accouDt5 gwe a'true fairvie%rf which is Dot matter(on5idered as part of an indepenLIEDtexaffliDation. I have no con¢ems and have tome across no other matters in conne¢bon with the eXaMinat￿n to which attentlon Should be drawn in thi5 report in order to enablea proper understanijing of the accountsto be reached. Èw61ine Webster FC4 UHY R05s Brooke Windru5h Court Abinidon OX14 ISY 21 March 2025 Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 30 **Wallingford PCC Annual Report 2024** approved by the PCC on 4 March 2025 and signed on their behalf by Revd. Sarah Nesbitt (PCC Chair) **Revd. Sarah Nesbitt, Chair Wallingford PCC** Wallingford Parish Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 - Registered Charity No. 1129240 31