## Parish of St Augustine's with St Luke's Bromley Common ## Annual Report 2024 Incumbent: Reverend Steve Spencer Curate: Reverend Becky Willoughby Independent Examiner: Christine Case, Highfield Road, Biggin Hill TN16 3UX ## Aim and Purposes St. Augustine's with St Luke's Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church and rooms of St. Augustine, Southborough Lane, Bromley BR2 8AT and of the Church hall of St Luke, Bromley Common BR2 9RN. The Church building of St Luke's is currently leased to Hope Church, with a provision for Anglican worship on occasions. ## Objectives and Activities The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Augustine with St Luke. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within the parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through sacrament, prayer, scripture, and music. When planning our activities, the incumbent and the PCC have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. We try to encourage all people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: - Worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus; - Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish; - `o` Outreach work. To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church of St Augustine, including its Church rooms and facilities as well as the Church hall of St Luke's. ## Achievements and Performance ## Worship and Prayer The PCC aim to offer a range of services during the week and over the course of the year that our community find both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling. Our main Sunday morning services have been held in person and streamed online throughout the year, with many in the congregation having the opportunity to contribute through scripture reading, prayers and music. We have been blessed by the members of our music group who sing and play the songs and hymns at our services. . 1 All are welcome to attend or stream our Sunday service. We have welcomed a number of new people into our church family this year. Attendance at the Sunday morning service averaged 96 people. Once a month we have a café style Sunday morning service, which has been well attended by existing and new members of the congregation. Our Christingle service was held just before Christmas and raised £267 for The Children's Society. We hold a monthly evening service at St Luke’s church, that has a range of different forms of worship and an average attendance of 18 people. The Christmas Eve Mass service at St. Luke’s attracted 28 people. As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage public vows are exchanged with God's blessing; and through funeral services friends and family express their grief, give thanks for the life which is now complete in this world, and commend the person into God's keeping. At St. Augustine's with St Luke's Church, we celebrated 1 baptism in 2024 and held 11 funeral services in the Church or elsewhere. As of 31 December 2024, there were 129 parishioners on the St. Augustine's with St Luke's Church Electoral Roll, unchanged from April 2024 The Reverend Rachel Winn completed her curacy in June 2024, moving to become vicar of St. Paul's Beckenham in July. Members of St. Augustine's with St. Luke’s very much appreciated Rachel's ministry during the four years she served as curate in the parish. In September, Reverend Becky Willoughby became the new curate. ## Deanery Synod Rev'd Steve Spencer, Rev'd Rachel Winn, Rev’d Becky Willoughby and Nigel Pope represented St Augustine's with St Luke's at the Deanery Synod during 2024. There were three meetings in March, July and November. At the March meeting there was a presentation from Claire Boxall, Diocesan Called Together Manager, who provided an update on Diocesan strategy using the themes Change, Serve and Grow. At the July meeting, Rev’d Canon Pamela Ive, Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Vocations for Rochester Diocese gave a talk on vocations. At the November meeting, Rev’d Andrew McClellan, Vicar of St John the Evangelist, Bromley was commissioned as Area Dean of Bromley Deanery by the Ven Allie Kerr, Archdeacon for Bromley and Bexley. Allie also presented an update on Diocesan strategy. ## The Church and Church Rooms The Church rooms are a blessing for our Church and for the community and we welcome their responsible use by groups and individuals. The rooms were open every day including Sunday afternoons (since September 2024). The rooms are reserved for Church use on Wednesdays. The Church rooms are hired out to clubs and charities as well as individuals and families for the celebration of their important events, such as funeral receptions and parties. The Monday Pilates class meets in the Garden room. Bromley Well booked their cookery club for adults with learning disabilities three times each term, as they did for their lunch club for carers. Five Elms clinic use both rooms for exercises and clinics once a month on Fridays throughout the year. 2 Regular users have been joined by Baby Ballet classes on Thursday mornings, Jazzworks and a short– lived language club. There were some interesting one-off bookings in 2024 too, including an Antiques valuation day, a Hustings event for people who would normally have difficulty accessing the information about voting and a concert. Last year, the Monday Karate class closed due to low numbers. The Orpington Video and Film club also closed, partly due to the age of its membership and falling numbers attending. The club had been using the Barnard room since it opened, so it was sad to see them go. We have many requests for information about booking parties from the enquiry form on our website; however very few enquiries result in bookings. There were 4 children’s parties in 2024. We also hosted one funeral reception. The Scouts took over a lot of the space as dressing rooms for their annual pantomime in January. The Church itself made good use of the rooms, for ARK, CAMEO, Warm Space and Forget-me-not cafe, as well as Deanery meetings, Youth Connect and Mothers' Union. St Luke's Hall is a hybrid facility housing two permanent tenants, namely a pre-school and a care company, as well as offering a large hall for hire. The hall is open for hire by regular users such as organisations offering services to the local community and for one-off hires. Regular maintenance has been undertaken and plans developed to create a longer-term plan for the asset. We are grateful to Richard Coughtrie for his volunteer service; we value all the organisations that offer important services to the community through St Luke's Hall. The hire income makes a valuable contribution to our charitable funds which support the operational objectives of the church. ## Pastoral Care The pastoral care team have continued to widen their outreach during 2024. We have offered regular befriending support to a number of people, some because they can no longer travel to church. We have visited people in hospital as well as at home and there are a number of people to whom we make regular phone calls. We have also offered practical support such as shopping and lifts where we can. Over the year we have connected with 50 people and each month we make around 30 contacts. The pastoral care team have developed their safeguarding knowledge, written a ‘job profile’ for the roles and updated risk assessment forms. John Murray our safeguarding officer has been very supportive with safeguarding training and Jeff Blyth ran a training session for us. Three of the group have also attended an excellent loneliness training session run by Bromley Council. ## Mission and Evangelism Throughout the year we have continued to offer activities, opportunities that reach out not only to our church members and their families, but also the wider community in our large parish. Our Family, children and young people’s work continued to flourish in 2024. The year opened with the main operational activities being led by the leadership team with much valued support from a loyal group 3 of volunteers. This enabled us to deliver Club JC, ARK and Youth Connect to meet the needs of our children and young people. Every week during term time the church is used for ARK (Augustine’s Reaches Out to Kids) (our Parent and Toddler group) with up to 40 children and accompanying parents and carers in attendance most weeks. Our team of volunteers provide a wide variety of play stations, craft activities, bible stories and singing, offering a welcoming Christian experience, to both parents/carers and the children. “Youth Connect” continued to flourish during 2024. This group for secondary school age young people met twice monthly on Saturday evening. One of the monthly meetings has a movie theme with appropriate snacks and the other meeting has a main activity and a variety of informal activities including table tennis and board games and a meal. The activities have included pancakes, Lego, cookie baking and an Easter egg hunt. The group often had ten or more members and is supported by a team of eight volunteers who shared the responsibility. Our 'After School Hot Chocolate' and 'Summer Ice Creams events were held monthly outside St Augustine's Church with many children and adults stopping on their way home from school. A successful recruitment exercise brought Catherine Lord into the role of Family, Children and Young People Worker at the end of August. After a period of induction and familiarisation, Catherine has taken the lead on our main activities and started to enrich and develop them further. In addition, Catherine introduced Messy Church with two highly successful sessions in October and December with more sessions planned. There are several other ideas in the pipeline including, an after school drop in, Pit Stop, for primary age children and their adults and a new weekly youth club. We have continued to offer immersive activities for local primary schools at Christmas and Easter through the efforts of our wider church community. Our annual, Easter Experience and Christmas Journey was attended by around 250 year 2 children from five local primary schools. Christmas Journey and Easter Experience offer the chance to discover more about these major festivals through drama and craft. The popular Advent Trails were set up once again this year. The Green trail, around St Augustine’s church, was put up on the 23[rd] November to coincide with the Scout Christmas Fair and the Gold Trail around St Luke’s was put up in early December. There were small prizes for those who visited the 24 posts for each trail. Our main summer outreach event Fun on The Green was held in June. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, and the decision was made to hold the event in the Church rather than on The Green. This worked well, even the inflatable fitted! Families & friends enjoyed the cream teas, taking part in the quiz and other indoor activities. On a rather cold, dreary Saturday in December a small group of singers from the church gathered on the green outside Budgens to sing carols to passing shoppers, between 10.30 & 11.30am. Sadly this was not well attended due to the inclement weather; however the annual, “Churches together in Bromley Common” Christmas event on Chatterton road, was well attended, offering mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas crafts for children, carol singing for all accompanied by guitars and a nativity scene. Over 140 local people stopped and took part in some way. Messy Christmas took place on Saturday 14[th] December from 4pm to 6pm in St Augustine’s Church and was well attended by local families. The Nativity Scene competition submissions were on display at the back of the church and were judged by the Vicar during the Christingle service. The leadership team have delivered and supported assemblies in local schools and strengthened bonds with uniformed organisations and schools with much more planned for the future. We welcome Catherine and give thanks for her work and that of all those who contribute to God’s mission for our church to reach and nurture children, young people and families 4 The Cameo and Warm Space social groups, now in their 5[th] year, have gone from strength to strength, meeting weekly in the Garden room, offering friendship, support, homemade soup and rolls at lunch time, and tea and homemade cakes in the afternoon; a number of folk now stay all day! We continue throughout the year and always have at least 16 folks round the table. A real joy! This would not be possible without our loyal band of volunteers; soup makers, cake makers and the teams who lead the events week by week. St. Augustine’s and St. Luke’s participated in a number of events co-ordinated by Churches Together in Bromley Common. These included an Advent Service hosted by Hope Church at St.Luke’s, a Pentecost service at St. Augustine’s, and a Christmas event on Chatterton Road. All these events were well attended. We have developed a good relationship with “Bromley Well” who are committed to helping people improve and maintain health and well-being. They often encourage folk to attend Warm Space, and our “Hope into Action” tenants are now joining us. We are involved in 'Hope into Action', a nationwide initiative that provides help to homeless people. ## Enriching Faith Vision At the start of 2024 a large group of church members headed to Ashburnham in Sussex for a very successful Parish Weekend. Steve and Linda secured the accommodation at a favourable rate and it coincided with the time to refresh our thinking about what God is calling us to do as a church. The focus of the weekend was vision in the widest sense and mission activities for the next three years and beyond. Hundreds of contributions were gathered from church members through prayer, reflection, focussed workshops and discussion, both at the Parish Weekend and through interactive sessions at church. Expert guidance was offered by Magali from the diocese and other external sources. Steve and the leadership team were determined that that the emerging vision would be owned by the whole community and form a foundation for many years to come. A Vision Working Group was formed to process the raw data, establish priorities and discern what might be possible with the resources available. The seven members of the group met regularly, offered interface opportunities for the church community, prayed hard and gradually a way forward emerged. **“Enriching Faith”** is the output of the efforts of the wider church community. It is a mission initiative with four components, **Growing Disciples, Community Engagement, Serving and Family, Children and Young People Work.** From this mission initiative an aspirational vision will have objectives to create a church that reaches more people, that is more representative, offers more opportunities for people to be nurtured on their faith journey and enhance their faith through service. The work has begun and we are excited to see where God’s vision for the parish will lead us. The **“Enriching Faith”** mission initiative will be delivered operationally by the church leadership team and an army of volunteers and will be under the governance of the PCC through a mixture of existing committees and new working groups. Our website (https://www.st-augustines.org.uk) provides information about all aspects of the life of St Augustine's with St Luke's. Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. As a Church, we give 10% of our income to local Charities and Overseas missions, our ‘Away Giving’, which amounted to £17,500 in the year. Prominent 5 among these were £1,800 to the Church Army, £1,400 to Bromley Welcare, £3,000 to the Church Mission Society, and £1,500 to 2MakeIT. We gave £1,000 to support our link parish of Mwaikisabe and £1,750 to the Bible College in Kondoa Diocese in Tanzania and gave £1,000 to Poverty & Hope who address justice for the poor internationally. Our Children’s Society representative, Valerie Gorman, is stepping down after 8 years in which she has co-ordinated collections for the Society. Valerie noted that the decreased use of cash, has meant that people no longer have much change to put in the home collection box. The collection boxes raised £161,34 in 2024/25, down from £615 in the previous year. A further £267 was raised from donations made at the Christingle Service. Valerie encourages Church members to support the Children’s Society either by donating online or by sending them a cheque. Thank you, Valerie, for the work you have done over the years. St Augustine’s with St Luke’s has a link with the parish of St Mark’s Mwaikisabe in the Diocese of Kondoa in central Tanzania. In Autumn 2024, Alan and Verity Mitchell and Ann and Nigel Pope visited Kondoa and Mwaikisabe. The trip went well, enabling old friendships to be developed and new ones to be made; they met Canon Andrea Mwaluko and his wife Anna. Canon Andrea moved to be the pastor at the parish of Mwaikisabe in October 2024 and Canon John Sinda, who had been the Pastor at Mwaikisabe since our parish link was established in 2016, has now moved to be Diocesan Secretary in Kondoa. The generosity and hospitality of the people of Kondoa and Mwaikisabe and their focus on prayer continues to be inspirational. Mothers' Union members continue to play an active role in Church life, although many of the members are elderly and some find it difficult to attend meetings. Membership of the Mothers’ Union is not necessarily about meetings, but about supporting the work of the Mothers’ Union world-wide and in Great Britain and Ireland. We do this in our branch through fundraising and craft work – knitting squares for blankets and hats for premature babies and donating to the food bank. Meditations were led for members and visitors during Lent and Advent led by Steve and Becky respectively. We also held a meeting to discuss the vision for the parish and submitted our views to the Wardens. Phil Emery gave a very entertaining talk on his work with 2Makeit which led to a lively discussion. The 23[rd ] Bromley (St Augustine) Scout Group continues to thrive, along with the Brownies and Rainbows. Our parish magazine, Roundabout, is published in ten months of each year and readership is mainly online although a limited number of copies are printed for those without internet access. The magazine keeps our parishioners informed of the important matters affecting our Church and articles that help develop our knowledge and trust in Jesus. Our editors welcome contributions or letters from our readers. ## Ecumenical Relationships The church is a member of Churches Together in Bromley Common. (CTiBC). The clergy liaise regularly to support one another in prayer and fellowship. Wherever possible we share resources and expertise. ## Volunteers We would like to thank all the members of our Church who contribute so much to make our Church the community that it is. From the visible jobs such as Churchwarden, to the less noticed jobs such as ARK helpers, we have approximately 50 volunteers, for which we are grateful. 6 ## Financial Review The financial statements have been prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 in accordance with applicable accounting standards and the current Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities and applicable accounting standard FRS 102. Overall in 2024 there was a total restricted and unrestricted net income of £11,774. To this was added unrealised gains of £17,993 on the investments. The net income is compared to a budgeted deficit of £41,641 and the previous year’s deficit of £3,195. The most significant variances from the 2024 budget were the unbudgeted capitalisation of new chairs into fixed assets (£21,601) which increased net income, the receipt of a legacy of £11,136 and Catherine Lord starting as young people’s worker a couple of months’ later than budgeted. We have budgeted an operating deficit of £765 in 2025. Adding budgeted depreciation of £6,044 and exceptional building and project expenditure budgeted for 2025 of £28,000, the overall 2025 deficit is projected to be £34,809. Alan Gorman served as treasurer until 1 November 2024 and Jan Fox has taken over from that date. We are grateful to both Alan and Jan for their hard work and expertise. ## Reserves Policy The PCC have reviewed their reserves policy during 2024 and in January 2025, guided by a paper from the organisation Stewardship on ‘How to set a church reserves policy’, and have established a revised reserves policy as follows: Unrestricted funds not invested in tangible fixed assets (‘the Free Reserves’) held by the PCC are targeted as follows: Firstly ‘running reserves’ (ongoing church costs in the event of a loss of income or an increase in running expenses). Under this heading the PCC included holding 6 months’ running costs, funds to pay a Families worker for 5 years and funds to cover the giving of the top 5 givers for 2 years, should they leave the parish. This reserve totals £388,000. Secondly ‘project reserves’ (specific future projects). Under this heading the PCC include holding property repair reserves, a reserve for building a porch at St Augustine’s and a reserve for building a new church in Mwaikisabe. This reserve would total £430,000. Thirdly, ‘unforeseen event reserves’. The reserve here was agreed as £100,000. Total Free Reserves are therefore targeted at £918,000 compared to Free Reserves of £847,000 at 31.12.2024. So on this basis the PCC’s reserves are sufficient but not excessive. It was agreed this policy would be reviewed every 3 years or if significant income such as a legacy were received. 7 ## Safeguarding There has been significant progress in the development and the on-going management of safeguarding at St Augustine's with St Luke's Bromley Common in 2024. This is against a background of Safeguarding Changes escalated down from the Church of England and the Rochester Diocese Safeguarding Team including: - The requirement for Parishes to implement 5 new Safeguarding Standards over the next 3 years; - The impact on Parish Training requirements by Church of England’s Practice Guidance Safeguarding Training and Framework document updated in 2024. This document advises that St A’s with St L’s should develop and plan a three-year Safeguarding and Learning Strategy. - The Rochester Diocese Safeguarding team has published a Matrix of Training Courses that increases the numbers of volunteers / helpers needing Basic Awareness, and Domestic Training either in-house or on-line. - The impact of failures of senior CofE clerics to properly report incidents of abuse. The Parish Safeguarding Dashboard has been a vital tool for recording this progress and providing a data driven action plan in the 9 Key Areas of Safeguarding. It also highlights the dates for appropriate approval by the PCC of actions and safeguarding documents. Key Documents approved by the PCC in 2024 included: - a) Generic Risk Assessment; - b) Lone Worker Policy; - c) Health and Safety Policy; - d) Procedure for the Reporting and Recording of Safeguarding Concerns or Allegations. 31 members of St A’s with St L’s have current Church of England Safeguarding Training. The risk register 2023, which includes governance, operational, financial, environmental and regulatory risks, requires update and review. ## Structure, governance and management The PCC operates through the following committees: ## Standing Committee The Standing Committee is the only one required by law. It has power to transact urgent parochial business between the main PCC meetings, subject to particular directions given by the main Council. The Churchwardens and Officers of the PCC make up its membership and the Incumbent may invite members of its other committees if these are not Officers themselves. ## Finance Committee This committee considers the budget and accounts of the PCC and other financial matters. ## Worship and Pastoral Care Group. The Incumbent chairs this committee which considers the pattern of worship and pastoral care. ## Property Management Committee 8 This committee oversees the day-to-day care of church premises and ancillary areas, together with the church room and hall lettings. ## Outreach and Mission This committee considers outreach and mission in our parish and further afield. ## Administration, Communications and Technology (ACT) This group considers all aspects of support, training and research in our Church life ## Review of the year At the PCC meeting in January 2024, thanks were given to those who had organised the parish weekend at Ashburnham at the beginning of the month. It was agreed that this had been a very encouraging weekend. Plans to enable members of the congregation who did not attend the weekend to contribute to the process of creating our vision were outlined. Away Giving for 2023 and a Safeguarding Action Plan were agreed. There was a training ‘bite’ on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. At the April meeting, the PCC approved the accounts for 2023 and the budget for 2024. It was reported that the main projects in the budget for 2024 would be installing a ramp to the Garden Room and new chairs at St Augustine’s. The PCC approved the PSO’s Safeguarding Report for the APCM. The APCM took place on 28[th] April 2024, following by a PCC meeting in May. Anthony Hammil from the Diocese came to give a presentation concerning PCC responsibility for our new curate. The PCC welcomed two new members, Ann Pope and Christine Regas. The PCC agreed the adoption of the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy Statement. After a presentation from the Parish Administrator, the PCC agreed in principle to the purchase of a new photocopier, delegating to Jeff and Nigel the due diligence required. Rachel was thanked for her commitment to the PCC and for all her input. At the July meeting, it was reported that Catherine Lord had accepted the post of Family, Children and Young People Worker, starting on 27[th] August 2024. The PCC approved the Standing Committee Terms of Reference. The PCC agreed in principle to take on the administrative aspects of the role of employer for the Empowerment Worker at Hope into Action Bromley. The PCC agreed to spend £20,161.20 on the purchase of 200 new chairs and 4 storage dolleys at St Augustine’s. The plan is to raise £10,000 of this in donations. The PCC agreed to petition for faculty for a disabled ramp leading to the Garden Room at St Augustine’s. The PCC approved a trip to Tanzania by Nigel and Ann Pope, Alan and Verity Mitchell from 20[th] September to 4[th] October 2024. The PCC approved the Safeguarding Communications Strategy. On 4[th] August 2024 there was an extra PCC meeting to approve a proposal that Hope Church at St Luke's be given permission to erect scaffolding at St Luke's to carry out a detailed specification for maintenance and repair work for the Church roof. lt will also enable a further inspection of the spire so that a faculty from the DAC can be obtained and works completed. At the September meeting, it was reported that the PCC had agreed by email to accept the Statement of Need prepared by Lisa Brooks so that essential works can proceed in order to prevent the church fabric from deteriorating any further before the winter period. In response to ongoing problems at St Luke’s Hall concerning inconsiderate one-off hirers and unhappy neighbours, the PCC agreed to delegate authority to Jeff and Christian to draw up new terms and conditions of hire for St Luke’s Hall. The PCC approved a number of important safeguarding documents. Following the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the PCC accepted Janet Fox’s offer to stand for the position of Treasurer when Alan Gorman moves out of the parish in October. The PCC agreed to delegate responsibility to Jeff to go ahead with taking on the role of employer for the Hope into Action Bromley Empowerment worker (line management actions to rest with Hope into Action Bromley). 9 At the November meeting, the PCC agreed Becky’s membership of the PCC and Steve welcomed her to the meeting. The PCC approved the amended document ‘Responding to a Safeguarding Concern or Allegation’. The PCC approved the formal appointment of Jan Fox as our new Treasurer. The PCC agreed to offer the Diocese £87,675, which is a 5% increase on what we gave in 2024 and 6.6% above the 2025 lndicative offer. The PCC approved the Away Giving for 2024. Jeff updated the PCC concerning our work on vision. It was reported that the PCC had approved three resolutions by email since the last meeting: the Pre-school rent review; expenditure on upgrades to the sound system at St Augustine’s; expenditure on the disabled ramp to the Garden Room. In addition to these approvals and discussions, the PCC reviewed reports from the Parish Safeguarding Officer, the Treasurer and the operating groups (Outreach and Mission, Worship and Pastoral Care, Property, Communications) at each meeting. ## St. Augustine’s with St Luke’s Flower Guild _‘Thank you, Lord, for the gift of our senses so that we may enjoy nature’s gifts. From the first snowdrops of spring through summer’s glory to autumn’s harvest of fruits, we thank you Lord. Help us Lord to draw strength from nature’s continuing beauty so that we may be enriched and thereby able to enrich the lives of_ others. _Amen’_ (by Caroline Lee from ‘Favourite Prayers’). In working closely with the Ministry team, the very purpose of our flower arrangements is always to reflect and enhance the worship services held within the church and to welcome our many visitors. Our congregation provides the budget for our flowers in memory of loved ones and this year our appeal raised a very generous £1,206 for which we are very grateful to everyone who contributed. Mindful of the increased cost of flowers, members of the guild have again been creative in the use of artificial flowers and craft materials. The new wall hangings made by the guild for Harvest were inspired by the words from the hymn ’We plough the fields and Scatter’ and those for Christmas came from the hymn ‘O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining’. Our main flower festivals since last April have been, Easter, Harvest festival, Memorial Service, Remembrance Sunday, and Christmas. For Mothering Sunday this year, we are going to be making cones of chocolate ‘Celebration’ treats instead of daffodil posies. These will be distributed to the congregation attending the 10am Mothering Day service. In June 2025 St Augustine’s will be hosting the summer meeting of the Guild of Church Flower Arrangers when we will be welcoming church flower arrangers from across the borough of Bromley to an evening of floral demonstrations and fellowship. The evening is also open to anyone with an interest in flower arranging for a small entrance fee. In the last 12 months, both Val Gorman and Helen Smith have moved away from the parish. We are very grateful for all the help and support they gave over the years. Thankfully, Anne Bond, John Blunden, Alan Fyfield Johanna Gurney and Jane-Anne Riley continue to give of their time and talents, and we are delighted this year to welcome Maureen Joyce to our team. Our thanks to Cathy Fyfield for co-ordinating the flower arranging team 10 ## St. Augustine’s with St Luke’s Bellringers The tower and spire of St Luke’s Church have been a significant landmark on Bromley Common since 1910. The ringing of bells has been part of the local soundscape over the same period. The bellringers have continued to ring before the monthly services at St. Lukes, led by Chris Lawrance and with the support of bellringers from other local churches. On Sunday 13th April, they rang a quarter peal before the joint service with Churches Together in Bromley Common celebrating Palm Sunday. On 27th April 2024 members of the group joined with other ringers at Otford, Shoreham and Eynsford. Two members attended another outing on 8th June to ring at four City of London churches. Looking ahead, the bellringers plan to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day by ringing the bells on Thursday 8th May along with churches nationwide. ## Administrative Information St Augustine's church and St Luke's church are situated in Bromley Common and are part of the Diocese of Rochester. The correspondence address is: Southborough Lane, Bromley BR2 8AT. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church representation Rules 2006) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission No. 1129375. 11 ## PCC Membership 2024 Clergy: Revd Steve Spencer (Chairman) Revd Rachel Winn (until 02.06.2024) Revd Becky Willoughby (from 28.09.2024) Licensed Lay Ministers: Alan Mitchell Verity Mitchell Wardens: Jeff Blyth (elected 2023) Hilary Chittock (elected 2023) Parish Safeguarding Officer: John Murray Treasurer: Alan Gorman (until 1 November 2024) Jan Fox (from 1 November 2024) Secretary: Johanna Gurney Representatives on Deanery Synod: Nigel Pope (elected 2023) Elected Members: Marvia Downie (elected 2023) Alan Fyfield (elected 2023) Richard Jones (elected 2022) Christian Major (elected 2022) John Murray (elected 2024) Karen Palmer (elected 2023, stepped down 28.04.2024) Ann Pope (elected 2024) Christine Regas (elected 2024) Approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf Rev'd Steve Spencer 26 March 2025 12 ST AUGUSTINE'S with ST LUKES CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For th• yèar ended 31 Decemb•r 2024 U￿r￿trict•d Fund• Ro8trf¢tsd Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2024 Not88 2023 INCOME Voluntary income 142,267 2,244 144.811 110.859 Activities lor generating funds 2b 7,850 7,660 7,730 Income Irom investments 2c 22.478 22,478 22,1C6 Churth Acllvllles 2d 75.452 7S,452 75,293 Other income 28 06 Total InconK* 247.913 2,244 250,167 21S.694 EXPENDITURE Church gob'Mli88 38 237.433 950 238,383 218,989 Raising fund8 3b Other c081s 3c 2￿ Total Exp•ndltur• 237.433 950 238,383 219.189 N•t Incom•￿xPendfjtUr• 10,480 1.294 11,774 13,2951 Net Ggin8 on Inve8tmenls & Fixed As8etS 17,993 17,993 68,138 Transfers L*tween hJnd6 Not fflov•m•nt In lund• 28,473 1,294 29,767 84,843 Total bro￿h1 fO￿ard at 1 January 2.103.568 2.822 2,106.390 2,041.547 Total ￿rrfed fonward at 31 Oe¢•mber 2.132,041 4,116 2.130,157 2.106,390 StAugusline s Mlh St Lukès ha￿ no Endowmenl Funds. Thgy ore the￿ffft nol shown as a Fund category in these aoGounts. 1of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S wf(h ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEhlBER 2024 Notes 2024 2023 Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets 7a 1.283,303 1,2S2,050 Investments 7b 804.091 786,098 Totsl flx•d ass•ts 2.087,394 2,038,148 Current a880ts Debtors Gener81 Depo8rt A¢￿￿nI Repair Fund Dep0811 Accounts Cash al bank and in hand 20.415 37,929 8.831 30,162 59,408 5,929 46,249 90,107 Credrtor8.' due within one year 110,6451 121.86SI Not currnnt a8•at8 48,763 68,24 Total 4888ts1086 curf•nt Ilabllltl•s 2,136,157 2,106,390 Creditors.. due after one y•ar 5b NET A88ET8 Parlsh Fund8 UnMtrlct•d 2,132,041 2,103,568 Resirlctod 4.116 2,822 Approved by the paT￿hla1 Church Council on 26 Mar¢h 2025 and signed on its behalf Chaiman (Reverend Steve Spencerl Chair of Finance Commiitee IN￿e1 Pope) The accompanwng n(rte8 lomi a part of these financial slalements. 2of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S with ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON 2 INCOME Unrostrlcted Rostrictsd Funds Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2024 2023 a Voluntary income Planned Giving- Grft Aid Reckimable Planned Giwng - Gift Aid Not Recbimable Collections and Giving eligiblo for GASOS Charitable ApFeals Flower Appeal Other Don8tion$ Legacies Tax Recoverable (Gfft Aid and GASDSI 60,942 38,150 3,760 9,759 1,070 760 11,136 16.6SY) 142,267 60,942 38,150 3.760 11,384 1.070 53.840 35,390 3,213 1,332 635 1,623 1,625 11,136 17.309 144,511 619 2,244 14,626 110,659 b Aclivrfies for gen8r8ting funds Tower Rentsl (Mobile Aeriall Parish Magazine- Advertising 7,100 550 7.650 7,100 550 7,650 7,100 630 7,730 c Income fmm Investment5 Interest on Bank Depo811 Interest from HMRC Interest on Repair Funds Investment Fund DivKlend8 82 269 288 21,487 22,1C6 308 2S2 21.918 22.478 308 252 21.918 22,478 d Income from Church Activities Parochi81 Fee8 Inel of Diocese Fee81 Community Aclivili88 Parish M898zing Sale8 Fundraising and Outreach Evenl8 RocKn Hir& 8nd OffKe Rents 1,291 3,124 1.291 3.124 788 3,174 869 70,168 75,452 869 70.168 75.452 1,808 69,523 76,293 Grants Sundry Income 88 106 106 Total Income 247,913 2,244 250.157 215,894 3of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S with ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON 3 EXPENDITURE Unrestrlcted Ro8trlcted Funds Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2024 2023 GI￿rCh Aclwiligs Missionary and Charitable Giving (Se% Not¢ I DKcesan Off8r Other Ministry Costs Staff SalarÈs and Pension Cost8 Facilities Running CDsIg Fa¢ililie5 Improvements Equipment D8precialion Community Activities 88ck Office IAdminislrath)n and Techno109y Worship Outreach Other Expen8e8 17,500 83.500 7,039 33.357 78,494 950 18,450 83,500 7,039 33.357 78,494 14,857 75,￿7 5,548 45,803 62.416 281 1,025 747 3,262 4,104 2,997 2.242 218,989 1,785 1,370 4,203 4,634 2,658 2,893 237,433 1.78S 1,370 4.203 4,634 2,658 2,893 238,383 950 b Raising Funds Stewardship c Other Costs G¢vemanc8 88d Deb18 Exceplion81118m8 200 200 T¢t•l Exp•ndStUfe 237,433 950 238,383 219,189 4 DE8TORS 2024 2023 Accrued lax recovgrable Other accounts r￿e1VebIe 8,076 12.339 20,41 S 12,188 25,741 37,929 5 UABILITIES 2024 2023 c￿dItorS.. due wilhin one year Aecounls Payable & Other Liabilities 10,645 21,865 b Cffjdilots." due after one year 40110 ST AUGUSTINE'S wf(h ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON 1. ACCOUNTING STATEMENTS Basis of financial statements The financial stslemenls have bean prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 in accordance ￿th applicab￿ &counling standards and the current Statement of Recommended Practi￿, Accounting and Reporting by Charrties 8ppli¢able accounting standard FRS102. The financial slalemenls have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for investment a85els, which are shown al market value. The financial statemen18 include all transaction8. assets and liabilrties lor which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the account3 of chuich groups that owe their main affiliation lo another boty. nor those that are Info￿al gatherings of church members. Fund accountlng En(Jowmenl Funds are funds, the capital of which mu81 be retained either permanendy or at the PCC'S discretion., the income derived from the endowment is lo be used either as reslricled or unre81ricled income funds depending upon the purpose for which Ihg endowment was es18blished in the first place. Sl Augustine's with Sl Luke's has no endowment funds, Reslrrled Funds comprise lal income from end¢Jvmenls whith 15 to be expended only on the restncted purposes intended by the donor, and Ibl revenue donations or gran19 for 8 specific PCC 8Ctivty intended by the donor. Whore these funtjs have unspent balances, interest on their pooled inve51menl is apportioned lo the individual lund$ on an avera98 bal8nce ba818. Unreslricled Funds are income fiJnds which are to bè 8penl on the PCC'S general purposes. Desgnated funds are gtnaral fund5 set aS￿e by the PCC for use in the future. Propel funds are designated for particular projects for adminislrats'on purp08e5 only. Funds designated as invested In fixed assets for the PCC'S own use are abated in line with those assets, annual depre¢iatson charges in the SOFA. Designated funds remain unrestri¢led and the PCC 11 move any surplus lo other general funds. Incomlng r•8ourco• Planned giving, collection5 and similar donations are re¢ognised ￿en received. Tax refunds are recognised vthen the incoming resource lo which they relate is ￿CeIved. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC 18 enlilled lo the use of the resoufce8, their ullirnale receipt is considered rèa$¢nably certain and the amounts due are readily quantifiable. DivKlends are accounlgd for when declared receivable, interest as and when accrued by the payer. All incoming re80urce8 are accounted for gr08S. Re8our¢•• oxpendod Grant$ and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when aworded, if that award c￿aleS a binding or con¥truclive oblig81ion on the PCC. The diocesan parish share expected to be paid over Is accounted for when due. All other expenditure is generally recogn15ed when il is incurred and is accounted for gross. Flxed assets Consecrated an¢J bgnefice property 1$ not inGluded in the accounts in accordan¢o with s.1012llal and Icl of the Ch8ri1ies A¢12011, Movable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwarden$ on special IriJ51 for the PCC and which requirè a lacully for disposal are inalienable property and listed in Ihe church's inventory. For anything acquired prior to l January 2001 the￿ Is in5ufficienl cost information available and therefore such asgels are not valued in the financial statements. Items acquired since 1 January 2001 and over £1000 are capilalised and depreciated in the aceounis over their anticipated useful lifg on a straight line basis. Eouipmenl used within the church premises is depreciated on a Slraighl-line basis over between four and len years. Individual rtems of equipment wlh a purchase price of £1000 or less are wrrtten off when the asset Is acquire(l. Investments are valued al market value al 31 December. DePr￿vation on freehold property. calculated lo write off its cost, less anlicpated reshsual value, over ts expected useful lrfo, is conSide￿d by the PCC to be immaterial, particularly in tho light of continuing mainlenanr£. Therefore no depreciation Is charged in the financial stalemenls. 5of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S with ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON STAFF COSTS 2024 2023 Wages and $81aries Employer Defined Contribution pgnsion xherne Av8r8ge nurrkner of •Frploy•e¥ 32,796 667 44,953 698 DurirvJ 2024. the PCC employed part.t1￿￿ parish administrator8. The PCC employed a Farnily, young people and chiklreTh wod(8r in August 2024 Quring the year tha PCC 8110 employed an empowement worker who worked entirely for HoFe Into Acbon a￿1 whose ¢o$t& W8r8 entiraly recharged to Hop8 Into ACt￿n No costs are Shown In the88 account5 in respect Df thi$ employ88. In 8dditK)n, th8 PCC contributed toward8 th8 Diocesan costs of erybying the Reverand Steve Spencer and Rèverend Rach81 Winn and Revèrènd 8écky Willoughby which is induded und8r the"Dio￿an Offe¢, in Not8 3. b R•l&t•d P•rty Tr•n•8Ctlon• A small Imm4ten¥l portion of the a￿ens•S pald to the incumb8nl may r81ate to 8ervice5 as Ch8irman of th8 PCC. Linda Spencer, the wif8 of R8v8rend St8¥e SFencer, received payments of £5,895 during the yèar12023 £8.2531 working as part-trme Parish Administr¥tor Adam Winn, the husband ol Reve￿nd R8ch81 Winn rècèivod paym8nt of £250 for Hadg8 maintenanc￿ In 2023. No ethèr paym•nts were paid to any PCC ffl8mb8r, F4rsons clo8•ly connected to them or relgtgd p8rtie5. DonBtion$ r•c8iv•d from PCC rkwmbers and r￿St￿ parU•8 were £49,36112023'.£43.9271 lexduding gift aid). 7 FIXED AS8Efs & bNve8TMENT8 8t H•U othgr T*nglbl• Raglan Roid Flx•d A••ots Totsl • T8n9ible fixtrd •s8•t& ACTUAL I DEEMED COST At 1 January 2024 Additsons Di8poia18 At 31 D•¢•mb•r 2024 1,250.000 4.100 33,038 1,254,1 33,038 1,250,0 37,138 1,287,138 DEPRECIATION Al 1 J4nuBry 2024 Charge for the ￿ar Disposa16 At JI OBc•rnber 2024 2,050 1,785 2,050 1,785 3,835 3,835 NET BWK VALUE At 31 tkc•mb•r 2024 1,260,000 33,303 1,283.303 At 31 Docgmber 2023 1,2S),000 2,050 1,252,050 The freehokl land and building# comprBing of the St Luke'B Church Ha11, Roglan Road 18 owned $ol•ly by the PCC. Tho value shown in the accounts Is tho Insurance value a5 at 1st JBnu&ry 2015 This ￿p￿ent8 the d88rn8d c05t under FRS15 transl￿'On8l provisioris. b Inv8slm8nts y Fund Ty Un￿￿1nct8d Reslnct Endowrnents Market V8lua at 1st Januory 2Q24 Purchase9 at Co¥t Di5po$oIs Unroa115ed G8in5 or Lo6se8 M•rkelva￿o 4t 31st 0o¢•mbor 2024 786,098 804,091 17,993 804,091 Total 804.091 represented by 34.775 unit5 of the CBF Church of England Inwlment Fund IlnctswÈl 8of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S wf(h ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON 8 SUMPIARY OF FUND MOVEMENTS Balancg BIFwd 1 Jan 2024 Income Expenditure Transfers. other galns •nd IossBS Balance CIFwd 31 Dec 2024 Unrestrfct8d Fund$ General Regerves a Raglan Road b Investment FurKI c Repair Funds d Olhèr Fixed Tangible Assets Other Designated 57,416 1,250,000 786,D98 5,929 2.050 2,075 2,103,S68 246.843 1234,6931 135,9401 33,626 1.250.QOO 804,091 8,831 33,303 2,190 2.132,041 17.993 2.902 33,038 11,7851 19551 1237.4331 1,070 247,913 17,993 f Kondoa Charitable Givlng g HO￿ into Action Charitable Giving h Defibrillator Fund j Stained Glass Window 860 1,500 91 371 2,822 2,244 19501 2,154 1,500 91 371 4.116 2.244 19601 Total fund• 2.106,390 250,157 1238.3831 17.992.60 2,136,157 Fund Notes The'Raglan Road, fund matches the nel carrwng V81ue of the proporty Sl Luke'8 Hall. Ra9lan Ro8d in the a¢counls. b The Investment fund was setup in 2020 by the PCC lo support the angoing mission of the church lollowing the Sale 0140 Rolle$lon Avenue, with the 0￿.eCtIv9 ol replacing the rental Income with divkl8nd income. The inve8lm8nl fund malches the value of investments held. The 'Repair Funds, are amounts paid lo Rochester OKicese intended lo funtj future repairs lo Si Augustine'8 Church, and Sl Luke's Hall The fund8 are interest b¢8ring and fully refundable. d Th8'Olher Fixed Tangible Assets. Fund represents Cameras1£4,1001 purchased in 2021, photocopier1£4,7701, microphones and audio equipmenl1£6.6671 Pufchaged in 2024 all being depreciated over 4 years and Church chairs pur¢hased in 2024 costing £21,601 being depreciated over 10 years. e The'olher De81gnaled' fund wresents ring fenced amounts for the Flower Guild and Forget-Me-Nol. f The 'Kondoa Charitable Giving, Fund fepresenl$ amounts received and donated lo Kondoa Di¢xes8 or as8octhd projects. g The'Hope into Action Charitable Giwng, Fund represents amoun18 received to be donal¢d to Hope into AciKJn. h The Oefibrillalor Fund repros¢nls amounts received monies spent on a Defibrillator al St Augustine'8 Church. The stained glass window appeal was established in 1997 to fund the provision of a stained glass bMndcw4 in the church. This project is currently Suspended. and there was no movement on the fund Ihis year. The funds of £371 rai88d for the purpose are being hdd on deposit Fending the possible restarting of the projKI. Analysls of trnnsf•r between funds St Augustine's and St Luke's rapaii funds were funded from General Reserves at a rale of £265 a month. There were no transfers befv￿en Unrestricted and Re51ricl& Funds 7of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S Wbth ST LUKE'S CHURCH. BROMLEY COMMON 9 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND Unrestrkted Restrictad Funds Fund8 Total Funds Pr•vious Year On 31 Dec 2024 Tangib￿ Fixed Assets Inve81menls ICBF COE Investment Fund) Current assets Current Li8bili108'. due wf(hin one year Long Temi Llabllrt￿s.' due after one year 1,283,303 804,091 55,292 110,6451 1,283,303 804,091 59,408 110.6461 1,252,050 786,098 90,107 121,8651 4,116 2,132.041 4,116 2,136,157 2,106.390 10 CHARITABLE GIVING Sl Augustine's wrth St Luke's donated th• £17,500 to the follcming organi8alion8 in 202412023 £14, 2024 2023 10% Away Givlng 2MakelT Barnaba8 Tru81 Bible Reading Fellow8hip Biblica Bromley Foodbank 8romley Relief in N80d Bromley Welcare CAP Bromley The Church Amy Church Mission Sctiety Cry in the Dark Kondoa Diocese 8romley Homele88 Centre N8umbi Trust SAMS Ireland Scargill Movement Spinnaker Tru$l Poverty & Hope 1,500 1,2 400 750 300 250 250 1,200 420 1.500 2,500 750 2,oao 250 soo 400 650 600 1,000 250 250 1,400 480 1.800 3,000 1,000 2,750 250 570 850 800 1,000 £17.500 £13.920 Gran15 Collectlons andApp8al$ UKRAINE Relief via DEC Kondoa Dic¢esa 937 £937 Total Glvlng £17,600 £14.857 8of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S with ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ended 31 D8c•mber 2023 Unre•tri¢t•d Fund• Rejtrictod Fun TOTAL FUNDS 2023 14oteg 2022 INCOME Voluntsry incorn8 2a 109,946 713 110.659 105,376 Activities for g&ner8llng funds 2b 7.730 7,730 7,220 Income frorn investments 2c 22,106 22,106 21,642 Church Activili&s 2d 75,293 75,293 56,130 Othèr incon 28 106 106 3.791 Total Incomo 215,181 713 215.894 194.159 EXPENDITURE Churth actiwtie8 218,989 218,989 233,719 Ralslng fund8 3b 119 Other costs 200 200 854 Tot•1 Exp•ndlltsr• 219,189 219.189 234,692 Not Incom•lExp•ndlturn (4,0081 713 13.29Jl 140,5331 Net Galns on Investments & Fixed As8els 68,138 68.138 {95,3111 Transfers bth&9n lynd8 N•t movement In fundD 64,130 713 64,843 1135.8441 Total brought fO￿ard al 1 January 2,039,438 2,109 2,041.547 2,177,391 Total c•rrlgd forward •t 31 Dec•mbgr 2.103,568 2,822 2.106,390 2,Q41,547 stAuguslin8's St Luke 5 have no Endownwnl Funds. They Ihgreforn not shown as a Fund cal9￿ry in Ihgsg aGGounls. 9of10 ST AUGUSTINE'S wrth ST LUKE'S CHURCH, BROMLEY COMMON Independent Examinerfs Report to the PCC of Sl Augustlne's, Bromley Common l ￿pOrt on the accounts of the church for the year ending 31 DeLember 2024 wh￿h are sel out on poges 110 8 Respoctiv• rnsponsibilities of the Truste￿ and tho Examiner The church'8 trustees are responsible for the preparation ol the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144121 of the Chariii88 Act 2011 Ilhe 2011 Actl and that an independent examination ￿ needed. 11 is my responsibility lo Examine the &counls under section 145 of ltte 2011 Act., - To folknv th8 procedure8 laid down in Ihe General Directions given by thé Charity Commi8810ners (under sectDn 14515llbl ol the ?011 Act},, anrl - To slate vthelher particular matters have come to my allenlion. B•slJ of Independent examlnerfs rnport My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directv)ns given by Ihe Charity Commission. An examination includes 8 review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. 11 also includes consid8r81ion of any unusu81 rtams or di8cIo8ure8 in the accounts. and seeking explanations from you as Iruslees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all tha emdence that would te required in an audit. and consequgnlly no opinK)n is given 88 to whether the accounts present a Irue and fair and the report 18 limited lo those m8tters set out in the slalemenl below. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S STATEMENT In connection wlh my examin81ion, no malter ha8 come lo my attenlkjn.. 111 which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in any material respect the requirements - lo keep accounting Te¢ord$ in accordance wrth Section 130 of Ihe 2011 Aet.. 8nd - lo prepare accounts wh￿Ch accord wrth tho &￿untIng records and comply wf(h the o¢¢ounling requirements of the 2011 Act have nol been mel., or 121 lo whlch, In my opinion, attention shwld be drawn in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accoun18 to be reached. Christine Case Snaefell, Highfield Road Biggin Hill TN16 3UX 26 March 2025 10of10