The Parochial Church Council The Church of Sl. Mary ihe Viryin. Tham• Report and Financlal Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 St Mary's Parochlal Church Council. Thamé Contents Page Legal and administrative information Report of the Parochial Church Council Independent Examiners, report Statement of financial activities Balance sheet Notes to the accounts 10-20 St Mary's Parochial Church Council. Thame Legal and administrative informatlon for the year ended 31 Decernber 2023 Reference and Administrallve Detsils of the Charity St Mary's Parochial Church Council, Thame (registered charity number 11293731 is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the assets and the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Thame. The church forms part of the Thame Valley Team Ministry in the Diocese of Oxford. The charity's address IS.. Thame Church Office Thame Barns Centre Church Road Thame Oxon OX9 3AJ The charity is administered by the members of the PCC. However, between major parochial meetings various working teams operating under the overall guidance of the Chairman conduct the day-to-day business of the parish. In particular, the PCC has delegated many of its day-to-day responsibilities to an informal Joint Church Council IJCCI working together with two other parishes in the Benefice. The JCC has a Standing Committee that meets between main council meetings. The members of the PCC hold their position either ex officio or by election. Elected members of the PCC are appointed at the Annual Parochial Church meeting by a vote of those parishioners whose names are registered on the churches, electoral roll. Members of the PCC - ex officio Team Rector Reverend Michael Reading Team Vicar Reverend Andy Mcculloch Associate Minister Reverend Graham Choldcroft Curate Reverend Emma Endean-mills Churchwardens David Brown Helena Fickling Diocesan Synod Representative Vicki Reay Deanery Synod Representatives Nick Carter (Resigned April 20231 David Brown Rosalie Gibson IResigned April 2023) Vicki Reay PCC Minute Secretary Jackie Hurst St Mary's Parochial Church Council. Thame Legal and administrative information for the year ended 31 December 2023 Icontlnued) Members of the PCC - elected Treasurer St. Mary the Virgin Natasha Challoner Susan Bennett Sharon Bond Linda Ferris Margaret Jewson Rosalie Gibson David Gurney Robert Paterson Robert Ridgway Gordon Taylor Other relevant organisations Custodian Trustees The Diocesan Trustees (Oxford) Limited Church House Oxford Langford Locks Kidlington OX5 1GF Independent examiners Critchleys Audit LLP Beaver House 23-38 Hythe Bridge Street Oxford OX12EP Investment Advisors CCLA Investment Management Limited The CBF Church of England Funds 80 Cheapside London Bankers Barclays Bank plc 34 Market Square Aylesbury HP20 ITW CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Acorn Community Bank Unit A George Hall Court Cavendish Square Swindon, SN3 2LZ (Part of Swan Credit Union) St Mary's Parochial Church Council, Thame Report of the Parochlal chU￿h Council for the year ended 31 December 2023 The members of the Parochial Church Council submit their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023. The PCC has adopted the provisions of the Slatement of Recommended Practice ISORPI "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" 120151 issued by the Charity Commission in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities SORP and FRS 102. Slruclure. governance and management St. Mary's Parochial Church Council registered with the Charity Commission (number 11293731 on 1 May 2010 under the name The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary The Virgin Thame. St. Mary's Parochial Church Council is the charity's working name. It is a body corporate undef the PCC Powers Measure 1956 and Church Representation Rules 2006. Aim and Purpose St. Marfs Parochial Church Council IPCCI has the responsibility of assisting the incumbenL the Reverend Mike Reading, and the Team Vicar, the Reverend Andy Mcculloch, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Objertives and Activitles The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of the worshipping community of St. Mary's. The PCC works closely with the incumbent and Team Vicar to decide how the services can embrace and be relevant to all of the community of Thame, including families and children. The services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17151 of the Charitie5 Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. When planning our activities for 2023 the incurnbent and PCC have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and been mindful of the need to reach as many people as possible throughout the parish through a range of services and other aclivities, where there is teaching about Jesus, worship and prayer. In addition to the regular services, marriage preparation groups and baptism preparations individually in the home and together as groups are held frequently. Achievements and Performance GOVERNANCE & IDENTITY The new governance structure, providing an informal Joint Church Council IJCCI and a Standing Committee, was agreed at the PCCS for St Mary's, Barley Hill and St Catherine's churches early in 2023. This structure has been successfully managing the running and finances of the combined churches, whilst retaining the legal structures of the existing PCCS. This has reduced the number of PCC meetings and helped decision making and communication across the three leadership groups. although improved communication from the JCC back to the PCCS is required. A major project to combine the finances and financial systems has also been undertaken. During 2023 the name 'Thame Church, was endorsed by the JCC to refer to the combined congregations of the th￿e churches. The communications team developed options for a new logo, with a final design was selected by the three PCCS. The new branding includes Thame Church at St Mary's, Thame Church at Towersey etc. to acknowledge times when the location is important. It is hoped to recruit a part-time Operations Manager during 2024 lo support the clergy in the effective planning and organising of church ministries and events. St Mary's Parochial Church Council. Thamg Roport of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued) Achievements and Performance (continued) WORSHIP & PRAYER At the stsrt of 2023 a weekly contempofary service was introduced for Sunday evenings and Evensong and Quiet Services were moved to 3pm. The evening service provided a valuable gathering and re-gathering of people who were on the fringes who preferred this style of service. The Evensong and Quiet Service5 suffered from being too early in the afternoon. With the Team Rector Mike's operation and prolonged recovery, a review of the service pattern was conducted to try and create a sustainable pattern given reduced availability of clergy and retired clergy. In September the JCC proposed moving from 4 services each Sunday18am BCP, 10.15 Morning Service J Holy Communion with Kids Church, 3pm Evensong/Quiet Service, 6.30pm Contemporary Service) to 2 19am Holy Communion and 1 lam Informal Service with Kids Church) with shared coffee between the services. This was introduced in Ottober, with the intention of reviewing after Easter 2024. This new pattern has significantly reduced the burden of running so many setvices, which has been essential in Mike's absence, and also with our Curate Emma, on placement in Chinnor. It has also brought greater clarity and consistency to service styles. A further benefit has been bringing the church congregation closer together, rather than being spread across multiple services, with refreshments between the services bringing the whole church together (although the gap between services is proving too great for this to be effectivel. The new pattern has meant a loss to those who appreciated the BCP. Even50ng and Quiet Services as well as a service in the evening. This will be considered at the review. There are currently 189 parishioners on St Ma￿S Church electoral register12022'. 1891. Weekly church attendance is typically 170 adults, 15 children and with around 20 watching online between the two services. During the year there have been 22 baptisms and birth thanksgiving512022.. 221, 12 weddings12022.' 191, 23 funerals12022'. 301 in St. Mary's and 7 services at the crematorium12022'. 91. There were also 33 committal of ashes services during the year12022.. 29). CHILDREN & FAMILIES We were delighted to appoint Hannah Smith to our team in September as our new, full-time, Children & Families Ministry Leader, with the support of a grant from the Diocese. Hannah has brought experience and leadership to this ministry. She has already developed our links with local primary schoo15 Barley Hill and John Hampden, stared assemblies at both and re-slarted our presence at the Barley Hill Carol SeNice. There are many plans for 2024 including Outdoor ChLJrch events and a Parenting Group. Baptisms have continued to be held regularly, mainly during the 10.1 Sam service and the new 11am service, and the midweek Sparklers service meets weekly with around 70 people, ensuring that families and carers have regular, predictable pattern of activity. YOUTH Our volunteer youth leader stepped down and the weekly discipleship group for around 8 now meets fortnightly. However, we plan to start a new Sunday morning group in 2024 to support youth at the 11 am service. St Mary's Parochlal Church Councll, Thame Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2023 Icontlnued) Achievements and Performance (conlinued} SMALL GROUPS & PASTORAL CARE We have encouraged participation of Small Groups during the year, with two new groups starting. taking the total to 14, with over 100 people attending. These include missional groups such as the Choir and EcoAction Group. The Small Group Leaders now meet termly for encouragement, training and to facilitate communication. Our Small Group structure is the main form of pastoral care in the church and is complemented by our clergy for those not in group5. We hope to establish a more formal Pastoral Care team for home visits in the coming year. MISSION & EVANGELISM We serve the town of Thame through our Sparklers Group, our monthly lunch and talk for older people155+1 as well as through the involvement by members of the church in numerous aspects of Service within the town- e.g. as school governors, councillors, housing authority representatives and supporting charities. We further support care of the elderly through our Anna Chaplain, services in Care Homes and regular home visiting done by many members of the church. The PCC allocates at least 10% of general giving to mission support, Iboth in the UK and oversea51. The allocation of this support is reviewed by the Mission Group each year. This group, like several others, has begun the process of amalgamating with similar groups at the other churches. This wider group is enabling effective communication and strategy to be made for all the mission partners. We have seen a good number of people returning to the church following the changes to service structure. We have also welcomed many more newcomers. A leaflet drop across Thame facilitated many new people lo come to our Christmas services this year. It was decided not to run Alpha or similar courses this year, but we plan to do so in 2024. COMMUNICATIONS Significant developments have been made to the systems this year, including the implementation of Churchsuite and SharePoint as the primary administrative, communication and archiving systems. This included appointing an Interim Church Administrator as a Project Manager of an Implementation Project to provide the extra capacity required to enable Thame Church to introduce these systems. Whilst resolving teething problems and buy-in from all the congregation is ongoing, we now have comprehensive and robust tools to provide a plarform for effective data management and communication. We have also developed a new Thame Church web51te. which will gradually take over from the individual church websites. ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS Impact Thame Iformerly known as Lighthouse) is an ecumenical charity serving children, young people and families in Thame and surrounding villages. It has run several successful events during 2023 including a Big Church Family Fun Day in July and a Lighten Up Paty on 30th October. These were successful and there are plans to develop them further in 2024. Thame in Prayer has continued to meet regulady. and the Team Vicar has also been meeting the other church leaders in the town regularly. With thanks to all who serve in this ministry of God. Andy Mcculloch Team Vicar, Thame Church St Mary's Parochial Church Couniil. Thame Report of the Parochlal Church Councll for the year ended 31 December 2023 (contlnued) Financial Review Income for the year totalled £252,806, a decrease of £490 over last year. Expenditure of £233,051 was £13,435 lower than in 2022. The net position in 2023 therefore was a surplu5 of £19,755 compared with a surplus last year of £6,810. The increased income in the previous year was due to donations for large repairs on Victoria Mead to keep the property to a good standard. The propety is now occupied by the Curate. There has also been an increase in Regular Giving. The increased expenditure in the previous year was due to the costs of Victoria Mead repairs and restoration of the building. There was no capital spending in 2023. Bank balances at the year-end increased from the previous year by £33,962 at £132,072. The PCC has a reserves policy of seeking to hold in its Unrestricted Fund a continuing minimum of 3 months, running costs including salary and expenses. At 315t December 2023, the balance on the Unrestricted Fund was £65,411, equivalent to 3 months running costs. Independent Examiners A resolution proposing Critchleys Audit LLP be re-appointed as independent examiners to the charity will be placed before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. Statement of Trustees. Responsibilities for the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Trust and of the surplus or deficit of the Trust for that period. In preparing those accounts, the Trustees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently,. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent., state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements,. ar*d prepare the accounts on the going-concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Trust will continue in operational existence. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Trust and to enable them to ensure that the Accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011 (the 201 l Act). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. This report was approved by the PCC on Monday 18 March 2024 and signed on its behalf by.. M.D. Reading (Trusteel St Mary's Parochial Church Council. Thame Independent Examiners, Report to St Mary's Parochlal Church Council I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of St Mary's Thame Parochial Church Council (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2023, which are Set out on pages 8 to 20. Responsibllities and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'the Act'l. I report in respect of my examination of the Trustee's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 1451Sllbl of the 2011 Act. Independent examiner's statement Since the company's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that l am qualified to undertake the examination because l am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect.. 111 accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by seclion 130 of the Art or 121 the accounts do not accord with those records.. or 131 the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 othef than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view, which 15 not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attentlon should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Date.. Robert Kirtland, FCA Critchleys Audit LLP, 23-38 Hythe Bridge StreeL Oxford Sl Mary s Parochial Church Council. Thame Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023 Unrestricted Designated Funds 2023 Totsl 2022 Total UnrestrSrted Restricted Endowmènt Notes Funds Funds Funds Fund5 Funds Income and eb)d4)wmÈnts from: Donations and legacies Income from investments Other income Total income and endowments 191,191 12,295 3,575 4,733 207,061 5,721 223.500 5,048 232 203 12295 253 296 Expenditure on: Grants Activitie5 directly related to the church's work 16.900 16,900 16,000 168,417 9,484 4,725 182.626 161,515 Church management and administration 10 Total expèndtture 218842 23 246 486 Net income before 9ain5 and losses on investments 13,361 2,811 3,583 19,755 6.810 Net gains/lLossesl on investments 14 14 Net int0mellexpendl￿rt) 13,361 1811 3,583 14,890 34,645 114,3041 Transfers between funds Net movement in fund5 13,361 2,811 3,583 14,890 34,645 114,3041 Balance brought forward ai 1 january 2023 8250 Balance carried forward at 31 De