2024-12-31-accounts

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Parish Church Council of

St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead

Annual Report for the Parish Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024

Presented at the APCM on Sunday 11 May 2025

Incorporating the financial statements of the Parochial Church Council

Bank : HSBC Bank, 33 Park Road, Leeds, LS1 1LD Independent Examiner: Linda P Nelson FCCA, BFE Brays Chartered Accountants, Building Society Chambers, Wesley Street, Otley, LS21 1AZ

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ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025
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ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

CONTENTS
Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 2024………………………………….	3
Minutes of the APCM 2024…………………………………………………………..	4
Membership and Attendance of the PCC……………………………………..	6
Electoral Roll…………………………………………………………………………….	8
Achievements and Performance…………………………………………………	9
Public Benefit…………………………………………………………………………….	10
Worship and Prayer
Zest / 11am services…………………………………………………………………….	11
Thursday Midweek Communion / Inclusivity / The Core…………………….	12
Occasional Offices / Festivals and Seasons…………………………………….	13
Home Groups / Altar Flowers Guild / Sacristan………………………………..	14
Intercessions / Reading the lesson…………………………………………………	15
Pastoral Care
Safeguarding………………………………………………………………………………	16
Home Communion / Pastoral Support / Mothers’ Union……………………	17
Church Social Events…………………………………………………………………..	18
Mission and Evangelism
Zest @ Kirkland’s / Stay & Play………………………………………………………	19
Community Engagement / Mission Partners……………………………………	20
Parish Magazine…………………………………………………………………………	21
Fabric and Environmental Care
Fabric Report………………………………………………………………………………	22
Eco-Church Group………………………………………………………………………	23
Being Part of the Wider Church
St John’s within the Diocese of Leeds………..……………………………………	25
South Craven and Wharfedale Deanery Report………………………………..	25
St John’s and Ecumenical Friends………………………………………………….	27
Financial Strategy
Finance and Stewardship……………………………………………………………..	29
Financial Review…………………………………………………………………………	30
Financial Reports
Independent Examiner’s Report…………………………………………………….	32
Incoming Resources…………………………………………………………………….	33
Balance Sheet……………….……………………………………………………………	34
Accounting Policies……………………………………………………………………..	35
Income………………………………………………………………………………………	37
Expenditure………………………………………………………………………………..	38
Fixed Assets……………………………………………………………………………….	39
Debtors……………………………………………………………………………………..	40
Funds………………………………………………………………………………………..	41
Budget……………………………………………………………………………………….	42
Extracts.…………………………………………………………………………………….	43
Churchwardens Report………………………………………………………………	44
Clergy Report…………………………………………………………………………….	46

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2024

The Reverend Andrew Howorth, Associate Priest, took the Chair and welcomed people to the meeting.

Annual Vestry Meeting

Nomination of Minutes Secretary

Mrs Julie West was appointed secretary for the Annual Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 2023

The minutes of the Vestry meeting held on 30 April 2023 were unanimously agreed as a true record. Proposed by Dr Colin Alexander and seconded by Peter Wilbraham.

3. Election of Churchwardens

There were nominations for the post of churchwarden:

Hilary Feathers Proposed by Elizabeth Leopold and seconded by Judith Knaggs.

Dominic Hall Proposed by David Mercer and seconded by Jane Pratt.

There being no further nominations, and were duly elected unanimously to serve as Churchwardens for the coming year.

Any Other Business

There was no further business and the Annual Vestry Meeting was declared closed.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2024

The Reverend Andrew Howorth, associate Priest, welcomed all present and reminded the meeting that only those on the Electoral Roll were eligible to vote.

Apologies for absence were received from: Iain Johnson, Ann Dixon, Barbara Chadwick and Marjorie Body.
The Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Held on Sunday 30 April 2023 were accepted as a true record of the proceedings. This was unanimously agreed. Proposed by Jan Alexander and seconded by Judith Knaggs and signed by the chair. There were no matters arising.
Presentation of the Electoral Roll: The Electoral Roll of 98 names was received as detailed in the Annual Report.
The Parochial Church Annual Report had been printed and made available to all members of the church prior to the meeting.
4.1 PCC Review of the Year: The review outlined the work of the church and the Parochial Church Council during 2023. Paying particular note of the steadfast work undertaken by the Wardens and clergy throughout the year, also the dedication of the PCC and army of volunteers.
4.2 Churchwardens’ Report: Mr David Mercer and Mrs Hilary Feathers thanked all concerned for their guidance and support in this role. The Chairman thanked the Churchwardens for all their work.
4.3 Deanery Diocese Report: Marilyn Banister spoke to the report.
4.4 Church Groups report as detailed in the annual report. Proposal: To accept the Parochial Church Council Annual Report. Proposed by David Mercer and seconded by Hilary Feathers.
Presentation of the Annual Accounts: The treasurer Iain Johnson had submitted his apologies on the grounds of ill health, Rev Andrew Howorth therefore presented the accounts for 2023 on behalf of the Church Council as presented in the Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council.

The Chairman thanked Iain Johnson for his work and dedication to his role.

The Treasurer thanked Mrs Linda Nelson, Accountant, for acting as our independent examiner.

Total income: £112,938. Total expenditure: £104,493.

Proposal: to Accept the accounts. Proposed by Peter Wilbraham and seconded by Marilyn Banister. This was unanimously accepted.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Elections: The chair thanked all those who had served on the PCC during 2023.
5.1 Deanery Synod: no new nominations received.
5.2 PCC Vacancies: James Shepard, Jan Woodland, David Mercer and Roger Banister elected to stand for three years. Dorothy Slater elected to stand for two years and Marion Edenborough for one year.
5.3 Wendy Thornhill was nominated to act as lay minister and ex-offico member of PCC - nominated by Jenny Steele and seconded by Pat Machin.
5.4 Appointment of Independent Examiner: Mrs Linda Nelson was elected to the role of Independent Examiner. Proposed by Sue Wilbraham and seconded by Janet Hawkyard. This motion was unanimously agreed.
Chairman's Comments: The Reverend Andrew Howorth, thanked the whole congregation for their support during his prolonged wait for surgery. He highlighted the challenges presented during the preparation for and the period of interregnum in particular the additional tasks and responsibilities undertaken by the wardens. He expressed grateful thanks and highlighted the ongoing work of all the many volunteers St Johns is blessed with including pastoral care, music, magazine and gardens teams, the ECO group, the outreach and home groups, cleaning, coffee rota and flower teams. He thanked and acknowledged the dedication and commitment from Iain as Treasurer who has dedicated many hours to his role, Catherine Meakin as Safeguarding Officer, the vergers team the Zest and Den teams and Amy our administrator. Roundly thanking the wardens for their dedication and commitment, commending the work of the lay team leading the Junction and Den service and youth group. He also thanked the PCC for their continued support and dedication, in particular Sally Smith and the Zest team for continuing to maintain the Zest & Den services, and our organists Margaret and Elizabeth for their beautiful music leadership. He thanked Lynda Shelley for undertaking the role of PCC Secretary and to Julie West for stepping in to provide temporary cover for the role since Lynda stepped down. In particular a special note of gratitude for the superb work undertaken by our dedicated administrator Amy. Concluding by asking the congregation to pray for our church throughout the year.
AOB. David Machin addressed the meeting to express his concern that what he considered to be a business meeting being held during a service. Whilst acknowledging the need to undertake church business he did not believe this was the right time to hold such a meeting. The chairman acknowledged his own concerns as he expected many others had, but that he had long ago concluded that this is very much church business, indeed God's business.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

St John The Divine, Menston with Woodhead, is situated in Burley Lane, Menston. It is part of the Diocese of Leeds within the Church of England.

MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE OF THE PCC - JANUARY 2024 TO DECEMBER 2024

Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following served as members of the PCC.

Meetings attended out of a possible 10 during 2024 are in brackets; # indicates members of the Standing Committee.

Ex-officio Members of PCC

(04:04) Rev Joanna Glenwright # Incumbent from September 2024

(10:10) Rev Andrew Howorth # Associate Priest

(09:10) Hilary Feathers # Churchwarden (10:10) Dominic Hall # Churchwarden (09:10) Iain Johnson # Treasurer

(07:10) Wendy Thornhill Licensed Lay Minister

Representatives on Deanery Synod [and PCC]

(08:10) Marilyn Banister until May 2026 (09:10) Sally Smith # until May 2026

2 Vacancies until May 2026

Elected Members of PCC

(* indicates that a PCC member is serving a second term of office and is not eligible for re-election for one year following completion of their second term).

(09:10) Catherine Meakin until APCM 2025 (09:10) Sally Smith until APCM 2025

(07:10) Julie West until APCM 2025

(04:10) Marion Edenborough until APCM 2025

(05:10) Dorothy Slater until APCM 2026 (09:10) Judith Knaggs until APCM 2026 (05:10) Hannah Needle* until APCM 2026

1 Vacancy until APCM 2026

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

(05:10) James Sheppard until APCM 2027

(05:10) Jan Woodland until APCM 2027

(09:10) David Mercer until APCM 2027

(10:10) Roger Banister* until APCM 2027

PCC Secretary – role vacant

(0:10) Menston Methodist Representative

The PCC operates with a Standing Committee, which also functions as the Finance Committee. The Standing Committee is the only committee required by law. It has power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, if this is deemed appropriate, subject to any direction given by the Council.

Contributors to this report:

Rev Joanna Glenwright Sally Smith Rev Andrew Howorth Matthew Smith Catherine Meakin Jan Alexander Elizabeth Leopold Jane Pratt Sue Wilbraham Majorie Boddy Jennifer Sheppard Marilyn Banister Hilary Feathers Dominic Hall Iain Johnson

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

ELECTORAL ROLL

The electoral roll is your parish's register of electors who can vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and stand for election to the PCC.

The Electoral Roll should be revised annually. Every sixth year the preparation of new church electoral rolls takes place, which means that everyone must come off the roll and re-apply. The latest occasion for the preparation of a new roll is this year, meaning a new roll has been prepared for this APCM (Sunday 11 May 2025).

Following the new Church Representation Rules, names no longer need to be removed from the roll during the course of the year; this only happens at the annual revision. Names can continue to be added to the Electoral Roll throughout the year.

There are 79 names on the revised Electoral Roll. The numbers can be broken down into the following groups:

Females 55

Males 24

Residents 61

Non-residents 18

Individuals 44

Family Units 17

If your name is not on the Roll, please ask for a form to complete and return to our Electoral Roll officer, Elizabeth Leopold.

The average usual Sunday attendance (across both services) during 2024 was 57.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The year of 2024 has been a year of change for St John’s, Menston, which has been weathered extremely well. The church was in interregnum from the beginning of the year, but by September the church had reviewed their needs and their vision for the future, produced a brochure of the church and its mission in Menston, attracted and appointed a new Vicar, who was in post by September. This is a remarkable collective effort by St John’s and a faithful response to the change in circumstances. St John’s was well supported by the Archdeacon and Bishop of Bradford in this process, to ensure the interregnum was not unduly prolonged.

During the interregnum the church community rallied, and lay ministry blossomed, a wonderful fruit of this time. The churchwardens and the Associate Priest provided consistent leadership and gave confidence to all during this time. Worship and community were maintained, no small feat. As at the end of 2024 we have around 100 people in our regular worshipping community (20 aged <18, 35 aged 18-69 and around 45 aged 70+). St John’s is a lively and faithful community.

Alongside this St John’s conducted a number of occasional offices (3 baptisms, 3 weddings and 9 funerals) for our parishioners, as well as multiple ways of connecting with and blessing the village. For example, 2024 saw the start of Stay & Play @ St John’s (a toddler and carer group run by St John’s volunteers), several music concerts, many home communion services, and much more.

This growing and deepening connection with the village was particularly evident in December which saw St John’s give away 140 hot drinks at the train station, leading to a local radio interview and an opportunity for St John’s, Menston and the Good News to be heard about across Yorkshire in the run up to Christmas. We also saw growth in attendance at our Christmas services, in particular the attendance at the Carol Service was more than double the previous year. This is the fruit of an open and committed church genuinely seeking to reach out and be beacon of hope.

In 2024 the churchyard was formally closed following an extensive and bureaucratic process, leading to the release of St John’s obligation to maintain the grass and historic grave monuments instead passing that on to the council. A burden lifted.

In 2024 we contributed 85% towards our Parish Share Request from the Diocese. Traditionally St John’s has offered 100%, but in recent years has had to manage finances by offering a reduced proportion instead. Overall, we finished the year in relatively good financial health although the pressure on resources is evident.

The above are merely highlights, further details about St John’s ministry and mission in 2024 is detailed below. Overall, we can see and feel that 2024 has been a year in which St John’s has both been blessed and a blessing. God is good, and he has continued to be faithful to us, as we have continued to offer what we can, for the sake of all and to His glory.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The public benefit from St John’s, Menston comes in different ways.

Firstly, there are many benefits obtained from being part of a prayerful, multigenerational, lively and supportive church community. We are connected to others, cared for and encouraged to lead a good life, keep faith and have hope. As well as the personal and church community benefits of this, this in turn positively impacts our wider social engagements and our involvement in the village of Menston and wider society, benefitting all.

Secondly, St John’s is part of Menston’s heritage and integral to the village’s identity and connection to the past. This is evidenced by the local people who support and appreciate St John’s without being regular attenders at worship services. It is further evidenced by the numbers who join us for Christmas services. We can see that we are an important part of village life. Further we provide a safe, non-anxious presence in an anxious world, and we are needed here to encourage confidence and be a beacon of hope.

Thirdly, the church and the Parish Room buildings are available to the public at large. Our special position on the hill affords beautiful views and our churchyard benches are regularly frequented by people looking for a quiet spot to enjoy the view. Our church building is open during daylight hours Monday to Saturday in addition to Thursday and Sunday services. This provides a spiritual retreat for people in the village, or those passing by. Our visitor book and our ‘Prayer Pebble Pool’ indicate St John’s provides a special space for many. We also continue to inter ashes in our Garden of Remembrance, which is an important pastoral offering for the village, and mourners regularly visit the garden, with its beautiful view and its opportunity to reflect.

In 2024 we hosted three music concerts in the building as the Church building provides a wonderful acoustic space for music. This enables local talent to enjoy performing, sharing their gifts and fundraising for good causes.

The parish room is utilised by church and local groups to build and facilitate community life from the Scouts to fitness classes, from our own Stay and Play group to funeral wakes. We maintain this space as a facility for the village to benefit from, and they do.

Finally, St John’s seeks to support other charities and churches that align with our charitable objectives but who do work we cannot do ourselves. We do this through considering what financial support we can offer and by directly seeking donations at key times of year like Harvest and Christmas. In 2024 we specifically supported the wider Diocese of Leeds, Wheatfields hospice (Sue Ryder), A Roche UK, the Samaritans, Homeless not Helpless, ZARACH, LDBF Sudan Diocese appeal and Medicines Sans Frontieres.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

WORSHIP AND PRAYER

ZEST

Zest is St John’s informal and creative worship service which is held at 9.30am every Sunday. We also hold special Zest services at key points in the year where we intentionally seek to take the Good News in an accessible and creative way to more people in the village.

2024 has been busy year and Zest has continued to evolve. Supported by our Associate Priest we completed the interregnum months as a predominantly lay led service. This gave us the opportunity to grow and develop a lay worship team and we continue to lead and support Zest services.

Our new Vicar has brought a fresh perspective to Zest and it has been great for the team to work alongside her to bring new ideas. We now have a regular monthly communion, which is done in a way that involves the children and young people. Our children and young people are fully involved in Zest and regularly give bible readings, lead prayers and are always excited to explain the activities they have been doing. We are hugely grateful to our craft team for all the fantastic work they do coming up with new and exciting crafts each week. The discussion group has allowed the adults to dig deeper into the bible readings, ask questions and support each other in faith. Our music band (Thomas and Jamie) are regularly provides live worship music in Zest; we are grateful to them both for sharing their gift for music with us and for bringing such joy to our worship.

Going forward, we continue to think of new ways to help us to engage with God and to deepen our faith and understanding, and to share that with the village. With God’s guidance we would like to grow the Zest congregation further, with more community engagement translating into regular attenders in the future. The Zest team regularly meet to review how things are working and to think of new ways to worship and we are excited about the future.

11AM SERVICES

At 11am each Sunday we gather for a traditional Holy Communion service. During the interregnum, 11am services were made possible by the kindness of many retired clergy serving on a regular rota basis. We benefited from the wisdom and the freshness of many new faces joining us to lead our worship. With one eye on pastoral care and those who we didn’t see for a few weeks, the Wardens and our Associate Priest tried to keep the church family together. Every service from January to August was filled with visiting preachers, and our Licensed Lay Minister did a wonderful job of welcoming each new face and ensuring they all knew everything they needed to lead worship here. Thanks must be given to our Parish Administrator who kept the rota fully staffed and ensured we had a Priest to preside for us at every service. We are grateful to all those who we got to know better over the year.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Special thanks to: Rev Phil Moon, Rev Dick Watson, Rev Barry Overend, Rev Adam Roebuck, Rev Mike Coe, Rev Denis Tate, Rev Cayte Norman, Rev David Robinson and Rev Jan Goodair.

We are conscious of the demographics of our 11am congregation and the access issues of being a church on a hill. Next year we will be looking at ways of improving access to worship.

THURSDAY MIDWEEK COMMUNION

We continue to offer midweek Holy Communion Service on Thursday at 09:30am. This service offers a quiet a gentle time of worship and has a regular and committed congregation of around 10 people.

INCLUSIVITY

St John’s is a village church, here for all. Given the real diversity of all God’s children, we feel called to engage further in the discussion of Living in Love and Faith, and conversations around disability, neurodiversity, ethnic heritage and more. As a church, we will be looking at what it means to be truly inclusive and if this is something we feel we can embrace and the ways in which we could grow in understanding of ourselves and each other and ensure St John’s Menston is truly here for all.

THE CORE

The Core, which is our monthly church group for our children aged 7-11 years old, continued throughout 2024 and the interregnum. Each month we had a different topic for the children to explore through crafts, games and baking followed by a time to reflect on the bible story and discuss the impact that passage could have in our lives today. We encouraged the children to pray together and grow in their faith as a group of friends.

For 2024 we mainly concentrated on the Old Testament, including the stories of Creation, Noah and Jonah, as well as thinking more deeply about Lent, the Easter story and Jesus as the Light of the World. Currently, this is a small group that serves our older primary school aged children but we were blessed to grow our team leading the Core in 2024 and to welcome our new Vicar’s eldest children to the group.

Our plan for 2025 is to look at different aspects of the Bible and church life, including thinking about ‘Who is Jesus and how did he live his life on earth?’, ‘What is prayer?’ and ‘How do we read the Bible?’. God willing, we will try to increase the reach of this group out into the local community by advertising in the village and to local school families.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

We are also painfully aware that some of our church young people have outgrown The Core and so we are not meeting their needs for fellowship and teaching, at a time when they will be looking for answers and risk drifting away from church. With this in mind, our hope for 2025 is to create a safe space for these young people to meet and grow together, and developing our capacity for Christian youth work.

OCCASIONAL OFFICES

Weddings, baptisms and funerals were all maintained throughout the interregnum with very little need for outside help; three baptisms, three weddings, one wedding dedication and nine funerals. We recruited a new team of vergers to support us especially through the weddings and funerals, and after some intensive training we now have a great team that we can call upon. These services give us an opportunity to engage with a large number of people who don’t regularly come to church, so it is always positive to be able to offer an efficient caring and competent welcome to people who are marking significant transitional moments in their lives. We want them to show them that God cares about them and their lives.

FESTIVALS AND SEASONS

These dates are often the highlight of our Church year and create a framework around which all of the other Sundays come together. During the Interregnum we marked Ash Wednesday and Lent with our usual services, and Holy Week had a variety of opportunities for people to worship. Children’s workshops, Stations of the Cross, Maundy Thursday and a service of Meditation for Good Friday all prepared us for the joy of Easter. Pentecost was our time of prayer for renewal and preparing for our new vicar to join us. Once September was here, we were delighted to celebrate our Harvest Festival with our new vicar and her family. Our new Vicar led the village Remembrance Service at the war memorial in the village. Christmas 2024 was a well-attended by the wider village. We saw 125 more people at our carol service than in 2023. We also added a new service, “The Longest Night”, which shared the Christmas hope with people who find it a difficult time of year. Our Christmas Eve Nativity service saw more than 200 people, angels and shepherds attend. Midnight Communion and our “Everyone Together” Celebration on Christmas morning were well attended too. It was a great encouragement to see so many people join us in worship, and we ended the year full of hope for the year ahead and the relevance of our church and the appetite for the Good News of Jesus in this village.

In 2025, we hope to build on this and would like to work ecumenically on some services with our Methodist brothers and sisters, as well as ensure we offer accessible worship that meets the needs of many, and we continue to invite people to join in.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

HOME GROUPS

Over the past year our home group has discussed many topics across three courses. There was the Talking Jesus course, which introduced different ways to share our faith with others that we meet. The Psalms course talked about five different passages from Psalms, covering many of the big issues that we encounter like poverty and injustice. Finally, Fruitfulness on the Frontline highlighted different aspects of our faith and how to spread the message to others. This has been a good year for the home group, with many people coming together to share different perspectives of our faith.

We hope to continue in spreading our message and contribute to our community more, and hope to be an inclusive and sharing space for all in the year ahead. We also hope to see more fellowship and bible studying outside of our main services. In 2025 we will start to look at short courses we might like to offer, with the hope of deepening our relationships with God and each other.

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - ALTAR FLOWERS GUILD

Thank you to the small group of ladies who helped to arrange the Easter lilies and to decorate the church for Christmas. We welcomed our new Vicar’s help and had a very enjoyable morning arranging carnations and candles in time for the Candlelit Carol Service. We were pleased with the impact it had on our worship and the attraction that a candlelit service drew in – with attendance more than double that in 2023 – with no candles.

During 2024 many people volunteered to arrange flowers by the main altar. The variety of flowers and arrangements have been enjoyed by many. The sign-up process also offers people an opportunity to remember a loved one by sponsoring the flowers on a key anniversary, and provides key pastoral connection between our personal lives, our fellowship and our worship.

In 2025, we will continue to support worship with flowers and candles, and will encourage new people to get involved in what is a joyful, mindful and creative aspect of our shared life.

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - SACRISTAN

As a traditional Holy Communion service, the 11am service requires the support of the Sacristan team to set up for the presiding clergy. This is a valuable ministry that practically supports the clergy but also enables others to be involved in the special ministry that is offering the sacrament of Holy Communion to our worshipping community.

In 2025, we will continue to support St John’s Eucharistic ministry and add to our team.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - INTERCESSIONS

As a traditional Holy Communion service, the 11am service includes a time of intercession, where we as a church community pray for each other and the world. This time of prayer is led by lay members of St John’s, and the rota is managed by our Parish Administrator. In 2024 we introduced the ‘Pebble Pool’ which allows those who have visited church during the week to indicate their need of prayer. We pray for each person who left a pebble, trusting God to know their needs. We have been encouraged by how much this has been utilised.

We want to be a church that prays, that relies on God first and foremost, rather than our own strength and agenda. In 2025, we will look to hold a 24-hour prayer session.

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - READING THE LESSON

The reading of the Bible is central to our faith and our worship. In the 11am service, the reading of the lesson is shared across the church community. It is a joy to hear and see many different people speak God’s Word aloud to us. The rota is managed by our Organist.

In 2025 we will continue to encourage the existing team of readers and seek others to support special services. We will also look to hold a 24-hour Bible reading session in church.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

PASTORAL CARE

SAFEGUARDING

Our church must be a genuinely safe place for all, and that requires a continuous commitment by all. Keeping each other safe is essential to ensure that each individual made in the image of God is cherished and respected as such. Nothing will undermine that truth like someone doing them harm, intentionally or through ignorance. But together we can build a culture of safety, openness and love that is at the heart of our Christian faith.

Throughout 2024, including during the interregnum period, we continued to follow the guidance issued by the House of Bishops in order to instil a safeguarding culture that would make St John’s a safe space for many people.

It is important that we acknowledge that the few individuals who are determined to do harm to children, young people or adults will deliberately seek out groups or organisations where they can come into contact with children or other vulnerable people. The church, by its nature, is particularly susceptible to these people and so we must all have an ‘it could happen here’ attitude to care for each other in our church and the wider community.

We have 22 individual church members with up-to-date safeguarding training, which enable them to work safely and consciously with the young or vulnerable and be able to notice any flags for concern. Those involved in ministry with the young or vulnerable have up to date DBS checks. We are grateful to all involved for taking the time for this challenging but vital aspect of our church mission.

The arrival of our new Vicar has led to a review of how we recruit volunteers. During 2025, we are going to be ensuring that we have thorough procedures in place to check the suitability of our volunteers for the role they wish to undertake, this will include retrospective checks for existing volunteers. We are also updating the role descriptions for all our volunteers so that they feel confident in carrying out their role and we can all better understand the time and talents that we, as a church, are blessed with.

For St John’s to be a safe and caring community we all need to look out for each other. If you have any concerns regarding safeguarding or the wellbeing of yourself or anyone else in our parish, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Catherine Meakin, via email (safeguarding@stjohnmenston.org.uk), phone (07966 847231) or in person. If you believe a child or adult to be in immediate risk of significant harm you should always contact the police by dialling 999, then you should also contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor on 0113 3530257 or safeguarding@leeds.anglican.org .

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

HOME COMMUNION

Unfortunately there are a number of our faithful congregation who are, through illness or increasing frailty, unable to get to church. Therefore, we try to take communion to them in their homes. Due to the demographics of our congregation this is an expanding ministry so in the last year additional people have been trained for this.

As well as individual homes, we also take communion to The Beeches (care home) every month. This a much-valued service led by our Licensed Lay Minister and regularly facilitates the worship of 12-20 people, enabling them to receive the sacrament, an important offer to someone at a more vulnerable time of life.

In 2025, we hope to start visiting the Spindles (retirement apartment complex) and will consider if a regular Home Communion offering somewhere with easier access may be a possibility for the future.

PASTORAL SUPPORT

In 2024 we continued to send Christmas and Easter cards to members of the congregation of St John's who had moved away to be nearer their families, or had gone into care or nursing homes, to show that they had not been forgotten. We also sent cards on behalf of the church to anyone in the congregation who was ill, bereaved or going through a difficult time. We made visits or phone calls to people who had been referred to us; mainly older members of our congregation.

We are aware that we need to recruit more people to help us with visiting and we realise that we need to involve the younger members of our congregation and make them aware that pastoral support is for them too. We intend to connect with Zest and Stay & Play so that younger people and families in need can also be supported by the team where possible.

In 2025 we will gather as a Pastoral Care team at the Vicarage for mutual support and encouragement in this important part of our shared life. We will also consider what other support we could offer.

MOTHERS’ UNION

Maintaining our membership with 19 members, we met once a month during the year, with two meetings with a speaker and two services in church for Lent and Advent. For the Advent Service, we invited members to join us from St Oswald’s Mothers’ Union, Guiseley, and our new Vicar joined us for the first time. Other meetings were more of a social event, and we had a small summer lunch outing in June to the Wetherby Whaler. Our main yearly fundraising event was a lunch in the Parish Room for members and in September we invited members from our link branch near Holmfirth to join us for lunch and a short service in church.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

At the start of this year 17 members renewed their MU membership, which means we can carry on as a group for the foreseeable future. We will have our programme in place by now for the coming year to maintain our monthly meetings, and we give thanks for the very small committee who carry out the work involved, which is required to run our group.

Due to our aging membership we are not able to be physically very active, but are happy to meet together in our church under the umbrella of the Mothers’ Union. In our prayers and fundraising we underpin the work of the MU worldwide in the support of marriage and family life, in particular those families whose lives have met with adversity.

CHURCH SOCIAL EVENTS

Perhaps more than any other time an Interregnum calls for opportunities to keep people together and feeling like they belong. In 2024, we held a family picnic, we had our annual quiz night with a supper, and we hosted a number of concerts, both locally sourced musicians coming together to make music, and our friends from the Fairfax Singers. Our Eco-team also hosted a number of eco-workshops and quizzes. The main purpose of all these events is to bring together all ages in the Church family, to deepen our fellowship and share together some fun and creativity.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

MISSION AND EVANGELISM

ZEST @ KIRKLANDS

We hold these special services on a Saturday to encourage people who can’t attend on a Sunday morning to give church a try. In 2024, we had 3 services: Easter, Harvest and Christmas. All three services were well attended and it was great to welcome both new and familiar faces. These Zest specials are a great way to engage with and to serve our village by being a visible presence and offering community fun as well as the Good News.

In 2025, we plan to run another three Zest Special’s at Kirkland’s and to advertise these as widely as possible and look for new ways to engage our village. For example, at Easter we plan to host donkey rides as part of the fun!

STAY & PLAY

Stay & Play was an established village playgroup that took place on Friday mornings in the Parish Room that St John’s took under its wing in September to enable this valuable community group to continue.

This community engagement provides a much-needed local, free group for preschoolers and their carers to meet each week. The group is open to all and has no specific Christian agenda beyond bearing witness to the love and generosity of God and his followers through being offered freely by St John’s and staffed by volunteers from our church community.

This group is valuable as it is facilitating peer support, fostering friendships and building a strong sense of community.

Since September, St John’s Stay & Play has experienced rapid growth in numbers, driven by positive publicity and increased social media visibility, as well as a reputation as a safe and welcoming space for young families. During term time we have averaged approximately 15 children, a significant increase from previous numbers which had rarely exceeded 10. At Christmas, the group welcomed 25 children with our very own Associate Priest donning the red hat and white beard for a guest appearance much to the joy of everyone present!

We are immensely grateful for the use of the Parish Room on a weekly basis and the dedication of volunteers who tirelessly set up, clear up, wash up, and run the group. Their efforts are invaluable to the smooth operation and success of St John’s Stay & Play.

We are committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for preschoolers and their carers while supporting the work of God in our parish.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

In 2025, we hope to attract more volunteers from within church to support this mission. Further, given the success of Stay and Play and listening to the needs of those we serve in 2025 we will look to run some Big Stay and Play events in school holidays.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The church exists not only for those who already consider themselves members but for all those who could be, that is indeed everyone. St John’s is no different and we seek to be beacon of hope in Menston, enabling people to hear and receive the love of God in Jesus and to take that same love out into the rest of their lives and bless the world.

Therefore, community engagement is integral to that mission. We want Menston to know we are their church, we care for everyone, and we are here for them. Starting a new chapter in our collective life with the arrival of our new Vicar released energy to do this and encouraged ideas. For example, we have designed some new portable signage, leaflets and posters to help us to be a visible presence in the village and at community events and to make sure the village know about what’s on offer at St John’s.

In 2024 we took ourselves, our love and our new banner to the village to Menston Community Association Event, the Village Christmas Fayre and down to the train station for three cold mornings to serve teas and coffees to commuters. The latter having a brilliant response, impact on social media and led to a regional radio interview.

At the end of 2024 we had over 60 children plus adults from Menston Primary School visit church for an interactive version of the Christmas Story with our Vicar, which they enjoyed and found helpful as they were quick to book in coming again for Easter. In 2025 we would like to develop the relationship between St John’s and Menston Primary School further, with additional school visits and St John’s going into school, if possible, to support and encourage the staff and the curriculum.

In 2025 we also have plans for broadening the advertising and reach of our special Zest services as we know we have such Good News and such good fun to offer families in the village, we would love to see more of Menston be a part of these special events.

MISSION PARTNERS

At the end of 2024, funds of £4408.98 were distributed equally between three key mission partners: Wheatfields Hospice (Sue Ryder), The Samaritans and Medecins sans Frontieres. This represented 5% of St John’s unrestricted income.

Through our contributions to Parish Share we supported the wider Diocese of Leeds contributing to both the cost of clergy provision for St John’s as well as other parishes in more deprived areas who are no less in need of a Vicar to encourage them in faith.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

At Harvest we supported Homeless not Helpless and at Christmas we supported ZARACH both local charities. We also supported the Sudan Diocese Appeal and A Roche UK.

The work of these charities aligns with our objectives, namely from the 3[rd] and 5[th] Marks of Mission of the Church of England: “to respond to human need by loving service” and “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. We are pleased to support the work of these charities whose objectives align with ours but who tend to those in need in way we cannot. It is an important tenet of Chirstian faith that we look beyond ourselves to the needs of others, and partnering with other charities enables us to do that.

Going forward in 2025, the Outreach Group is tasked with putting forward recommendations for charities to be recipients of funds collected at the Harvest and Gift Services, and to consider other mission partners if our contributions to Parish Share are sufficient, giving up to 5% of unrestricted income in a year end payment.

It is hoped that greater engagement can be achieved with the congregation and the wider village by specifying the recipients of our giving and encouraging speakers from those mission partners to speak at church and events.

PARISH MAGAZINE

In 2024 the number of copies required of the magazine continued to fall, yet that to the advertisers the magazine still makes a good profit which goes towards church funds. The magazine continues to provide an important connection between church life and those who cannot or do not attend. The magazine includes a wide range of topics/information; advertising of church events, reports from PCC and MU; Clergy Letters give us food for thought and spiritual direction; updates on

community/environmental matters and wider Church issues help inform; Prayer Points draw our thoughts to many different possibilities for prayer. A View from the Pews is enjoyed by many; quizzes.

Magazine profit in 2024 was around £2,000 but of course does not reflect the time offered by those contributing to, editing, printing and collating the magazine. It is a big team effort.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

FABRIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE

FABRIC REPORT

Church building

There were no major repairs needed during 2024 so all efforts were concentrated on keeping the building clean, tidy and functional. The crumbling plaster and stonework on the west wall require ongoing attention and, during the two working party days we held, we concentrated on these areas. The church architect has advised that the yellow paint coating is non permeable and so is holding moisture behind it from where the roof had previously leaked. We have scraped this layer off the worst affected areas to allow it to dry out and this seems to have been successful.

The important but unseen tasks such as boiler servicing, organ and piano tuning along with light bulb replacement have all been continued. A new dehumidifier was purchased after our old faithful machine died of exhaustion due to the continuous dampness in the vestries. A similar fate befell our second vacuum cleaner and discussion continues as to the most indestructible replacement model.

Plans for 2025 are to continue to monitor the crumbling walls and scrape as necessary. A ceiling panel above the lectern in need of replacement, as well and the need for a complete redecoration, will continue to be kept under review as finances permit.

Parish Room

2024 proved to be a similarly trouble-free time in the Parish Room. The boiler managed to (mostly) work which was a big relief as it is living on borrowed time according to the heating engineer. It had its moments, particularly during the winter when it is needed most, and does not work due to a drop in pressure. An increasing number of the congregation now have the necessary skills to reprime it.

In 2025, we expect to replace the ageing strip lights and the new sealed units give an excellent light at a fraction of the cost of the old ones. We will also install a new key box to the outside wall to avoid having to get new keys cut for regular users and for easier access for occasional hirers.

We have been able to continue to keep the cleaning of the room in house and our thanks go to the faithful cleaning team.

Churchyard

The milestone event of 2024 was that the churchyard is now officially closed for new burials, with the approval of both the King and the Ministry of Justice. Following this, remedial work to 36 headstones was very efficiently carried out by Council stone masons before future maintenance was handed over to Bradford Council in the autumn. They will now be responsible for the grass cutting of the whole area, except for

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

the Memorial Garden which is still in use. We have not yet seen how this arrangement is going to work out so it will be kept under review by the wardens.

Responsibility for the walls, paths, flower borders, trees and the rockery will remain with us and our thanks go to those who commit to hard work, planning and planting of these areas. We continue to have twice yearly working parties.

The plans for 2025 are to replace some of the old shrubs, renovate the well-used and much-loved bench by the sloping path, repaint the white step marking lines and maintain the sloping path as our step free access. We have also considered how we could enable those using the churchyard for contemplation and peace to connect with God e.g. through some scripture or Christian encouragement.

Further, a section of the path which had subsided was replaced in the autumn but further areas are being kept under review. There is currently no lighting down the sloping path and this is being looked into and a quote has been requested, which PCC will give consideration to.

As mentioned above we are aware of the access issues for many of our church family, with more infirm members unable to attend. We will consider this further in 2025.

Reflection

Maintaining an old building situated on a hillside is an ongoing but rewarding task. There are so many jobs that it would be lovely to complete but time, resources and most of all cost implications all have to be considered. On the current wish list are stripping and repainting both the Parish Room and Vestry doors as well as redecorating both Church and the Parish room. Help, advice and cash are always welcome as we prioritise what can be achieved in order to keep our buildings safe, accessible and in good order as an adaptable and welcoming place for all who visit and worship at St John’s.

ECO-CHURCH GROUP

During 2024 we ran Easter and summer workshops that welcomed anyone to take part in planting and crafting with a creation theme; the pots outside the parish room were used for potato, beans, beetroot and carrots sowing. We also ran another successful Eco Quiz.

The group instigated the composting of coffee grounds from the Sunday morning refreshments although less coffee is being drunk. Some of our younger church members checked out the number of solar panel arrays in the village and found 26 as of April 2024. They enjoyed the walk with a purpose! We picked our first apples from the tree planted in 2022 and marked the event at the Zest Harvest service!

The Christmas Jumper Swap at the Lights Switch On event in December was successful with 69 jumpers donated and 38 re-homed on the day, the rest going to charity shops.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

This event was particularly aimed at families who can benefit from nearly new jumpers for their growing children at limited cost (they were free to take but donations were given). It was also about understanding how we can all play our part in saving the world’s resources by re-using, reducing and recycling. The jumper swap was supported by Recoup who are keen to roll it out nationally having trialled it in Menston!

Each month, the group continues to publish eco tips in the Parish Magazine. Our story of obtaining a silver award from the A Rocha Eco church scheme was featured in an exhibition at Ripon Cathedral in September organised by the Diocese of Leeds.

In 2025 we plan to run another eco-quiz and promote care for creation through outside events and at services during Creationtide in September. We do need to plan how to reach net zero in line with the national church’s targets so how we heat our building in the future will be a big part of that.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

BEING PART OF THE WIDER CHURCH

ST JOHN’S WITHIN THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS

St John the Divine: Menston with Woodhead, is within the South Craven and Wharfedale Deanery, within the Bradford Episcopal Area of the Diocese of Leeds.

We work collegiately within our deanery and across the Diocese, seeking to learn from and support our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to see the Church grow in numbers, commitment to God and service to communities across the Diocese.

Sally Smith and Marilyn Banister continue as St John’s elected representatives on Deanery Synod, and our vicar Rev Jo Glenwright and our Associate Priest Rev Andrew Howorth are also members. Marilyn was re-elected in 2023 as lay chair of the Deanery Synod for another three-years.

Here is the Denary Report:

SOUTH CRAVEN AND WHARFEDALE DEANERY REPORT By Marilyn Banister

Sally Smith and I continue as your lay elected representatives on Deanery synod and all clergy in the Deanery are automatically members. I was re-elected as lay chair in 2023 for a three year term. Rev Mike Coe from Ilkley All Saints is the Area Dean and Rev Mike Green from Kildwick, Cononley and Bradley is the assistant Area Dean.

There is a standing committee comprising Maurice Hatton from Sutton, Cowling and Lothersdale, Gwyneth Hartley from Ilkley All Saints, Frances Robinson from Burley in Wharfedale, Rev Peter Willox from St John’s Ben Rhydding plus Mike C, Mike G and myself.

The Deanery meets three times a year, usually on Zoom in the winter months. There is also an expectation that Deanery members will attend the Bradford Episcopal Area Forums (fora!) which are held twice a year and organised by Bishop Toby. These BEAF meetings are open to anyone in the Bradford Episcopal Area and usually have a guest speaker and updates from the Diocese.

The role of the Deanery Synod is to be the line of communication between the parishes and the diocese. Parishes can submit motions for debate to the Deanery synod and if passed can then be sent on to Diocesan Synod and eventually to General Synod if appropriate. So if as a person in the pew you would want to see a change, raise it with the PCC and see where it goes!

Members of the Deanery elect a clergy and lay person to serve on the Episcopal Area Mission and Pastoral Committee which meets regularly to look at clergy deployment across the Bradford area. I am the elected lay member on this committee and am

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

sometimes called upon to be part of the interview panel when there is a clergy vacancy. Currently, there is just one vacancy in our Deanery and that is at Silsden.

At our meetings in 2024 we heard from Rev Ned Lunn who is the Canon for Intercultural Mission and the Arts at Bradford Cathedral. He spoke about Bradford as the City of Culture and how to be involved. In June the Chief Financial Officer, Geoff Park, gave a talk on share and what it pays for. In October, we shared ‘good news’ stories from across the Deanery.

A member of Ilkley All Saints was elected as a lay member of General Synod and, when she can, she also attends Deanery meetings. She was able to give us an update on how the possible Prayers of Love and Faith for same sex couples is being dealt with by General Synod.

Each month, the Archdeacon for Bradford, Rev Andy Jolley, shares information about share payments with Area Deans and Lay Chairs. The rate of collection is not keeping up with the cost of clergy and housing which it is designed to cover. In the short term, some properties are being sold but this cannot continue long term.

Below is the information about contributions made by churches in our Deanery towards the Diocesan share in 2024.


	Requested share for 2024	Contribution	Percentage of request 2024.	Percentage of request in 2023.
Diocese of Leeds	15,260,484	11,735,587	77%	76%
Bradford Episcopal area	2,619,612	2,005,822	77%	76%
South Craven and Wharfedale Deanery	748,508	620,596	83%	80%
St John’s, Menston	73,708	62,652	85%	81%
Churches that offered 100% share request in SC and W Deanery	Addingham, Ilkley All Saints and Lothersdale

ST JOHN’S WITHIN THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS - CONTINUED

In addition to Deanery Synod, the Deanery Chapter (clergy) meet four times a year to pray, support one another and share learning from across the local churches and parishes. For example, Christmas engagement resources, theology of children and Communion, and different approaches to Living in Love and Faith. We also take turns to

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

contribute a written piece for the weekly newspaper the Ilkley Gazette, which gives us an opportunity to share Christian reflections on the world across the Wharfe valley.

The Diocesan vision is for Confident Christians, Growing churches, Transforming Communities, and the Diocese seeks to support parishes to do this. The range of issues dealt with is vast and there is a huge wealth of expertise that parishes can call upon. In 2024 we were able to draw on diocesan support and advice. For example, HR expertise for the new contract for our administrator; safeguarding advice and support; and Stewardship team support to purchase the recent CollecTin machine (which enables financial giving by card).

The Diocese trains, pays and provides clergy for parishes. The Parish Share contributes to, but does not cover these costs. The shortfall in parish clergy costs, the administrative costs of the Diocese and the cross-Diocese projects have been met by selling assets and funding by the national Church of England. Whether the Church of England has the balance right between projects and supporting parish ministry is currently being considered.

In 2024, St John’s offered 85% of the Parish Share request we received, which the Diocese gratefully received.

In 2025 we will continue to work collegiately within our deanery and the Diocese and draw on the expertise and support on offer. We will also review our Parish Share contributions, mindful of the missional benefits of enabling well trained clergy to be deployed to parishes that could not otherwise afford them.

ST JOHN’S AND ECUMENICAL FRIENDS

Our Vicar and the new minister for the Methodist church (Rev Cameron) started at a similar time in September 2024. This has provided a natural opportunity to reconnect and deepen our ecumenical relationship with the Menston Methodist Chapel. Our Vicar has met with Rev Cameron and the Methodist lay worker to discuss opportunities for shared ministry and mission in Menston.

Our Vicar led the Remembrance Service at Kirkland’s for all.

St John’s Licensed Lay Minister Wendy Thornhill continued to lead the team taking monthly Home Communion to the Beeches Care Home, where most Christian residents are connected to the Methodist Chapel.

As per tradition our Methodist friends joined for St John’s for Midnight Communion on Christmas Eve/Day. Our Vicar and the Methodist Minister agreed to start a seasonal service at the Beeches Care Home, and to alternate which one of them leads it. Our Methodist friends led the first one in December.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

For 2025 we have plans to continue offering monthly Home Communion and to offer four seasonal services at the Beeches. We also plan have joint Ash Wednesday services and joint Lent groups (at two different time slots to enable people of different circumstance to attend). We also have plans for a shared Maundy Thursday service and a joint Ascension Day service.

In addition, in late 2024 we have started to take Home Communion into the Spindles retirement apartments, offering access to the sacrament for Anglicans from far and wide, as well as Methodist and Catholic friends. We plan to make this a regular offering in 2025.

St John’s Menston is committed to being the Parish Church, serving and supporting the whole village.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

FINANCIAL STRATEGY

FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP

In early 2024, we were concerned about St John’s finances combined with being in an interregnum. We noticed a decline in regular giving as well as increases in costs. Beyond this, regardless of finances, giving generously of our time, talents and money for the benefit of God’s mission in Menston is central to our discipleship. We believe that everything good comes from God, and so of his own do we give him; we are called to be good stewards. Therefore, we felt there was an opportunity, as well as a need, to look at our giving and culture around generosity and gratitude. So we invited the Diocesan Stewardship Officer to the March PCC meeting, who suggested certain actions we could take. Following this, we set up a group to look at the recommendations and report back to the September PCC meeting.

The group met in June and August and looked at an analysis of giving in the Parish and worked through the Generous Church resources made available by the Church of England.

The findings were that:

the number of givers reduced in 2024 from 77 to 68.
there were 69 regular givers.
23 people/families are giving between £21 - 40 per month.
14 people/families are giving between £81 - 200+ per month.
Our income is very dependent on the giving of a few households.
Average monthly planned giving was £71.15pm.
Small differences add up. E.g. If all planned givers gave an extra £2 per week that would raise another £7176 per year for church.

The Generous church resources asked the group to analyse giving practice and also our giving culture.

So, we looked at:

Mechanisms - how easy it is to give e.g. contactless, via PGS, QR codes.
Impact - how we encourage people to give, e.g. how we tell the story of what God is doing in Menston.
Need - how people understand that the church needs money to do what it does e.g. fund ministry and mission from clergy time to toilet rolls, admin support to poster printing etc.
Trust - how people trust that the money will be spent wisely e.g. by communicating regularly and building relationships and giving thanks.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

In a similar way, the group looked at how we:

Inspire people to give - how do we encourage people to live generous lives.
Disciple people - how we teach people about generosity and gratitude.
Embed that in people lives - e.g. regular teaching on, and reference to, generosity.
Activate - how we help people to live more generous lives in every sense.

The findings were shared with PCC and with our new Vicar when she arrived and that led to the purchase of the CollecTin for contactless giving (the purchase of which was from a generous donation for which we are thankful) and the sharing of a QR code on the Parish Notes and screen. In 2024 the CollecTin enabled around £300 of donations from Christmas services that would not have been received otherwise.

In 2025, the team intends to follow up on teaching generosity, updating our legacy giving resources and continuing to promote giving via PGS. Also, to consider how we invest our money to enable our mission and help people understand the link between their generously given resources and God’s good work here.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial Performance 2024 (General Fund)

Total unrestricted income for 2024 was £88,180, a decrease of 18%, £19,956 on 2023. This reflects a decline in overall giving of £15,867 (regular giving £-6,690 over the period and irregular giving -£9,177). In addition, 2023 total donations were inflated by a large legacy donation of £10,000. Income from service fees and Parish Room lettings were marginally higher, whilst that from Magazine sales and advertising was lower.

Total unrestricted expenditure in 2024 stood at £92,015, which is £6,139 less than in 2023. Much of this was due to the PCC choosing to reduce our Parish Share contributions in order to manage our finances in light of lower income and other cost increases. Our total Share contribution of £62,652 was 85% of the total 2024 Diocesan request. Other expenditure items were slightly higher than in 2023 reflecting inflationary increases from suppliers. Also, our employment costs were higher reflecting the additional support required of the Parish Administrator during the interregnum period. The cost of utility bills was largely unchanged due to having fixed price contracts for gas and electric. Total mission giving for 2024 at £4,455 was down on 2023 by £989; reflecting the decrease in general income and the application of our mission giving formula of 5% of unrestricted income.

As a result, there was a deficit of -£3,835 between general income and expenditure over the course of 2024. The short fall was met from reserves, which is of course a finite and unsustainable financial buffer.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of this church to keep a minimum of 3 months general running costs (£15,000) in the general fund excluding Share contributions. This is to manage cash flow and to cover unforeseen emergencies. As at 31[st] December 2024, the general fund had £26,628, which is carried forward into 2025, with a further £2,885 in restricted funds.

Budget 2025

We expect income streams to be marginally higher at £92,689 due to a slight rise in planned giving. Irregular income will also possibly see an increase on 2024, due to the new digital payments machine for use at services and fund-raising events.

The PCC have decided to initially commit to monthly contributions of £5,000 towards our Parish Share in 2025, with the hope of being able to contribute more through “topup” payments later in the year as finances allow. This will see a contribution of at least £60,000; this is around 75% of the total Share request from St John’s for 2025 which is £81,079. The PCC will take a decision on the amount available for mission giving at the end of the year, alongside any additional Parish Share contributions. Based on 2025 expected income mission giving could be estimated at around £4,600 (similar to 2024) if we apply the 5% of general income formula to all unrestricted income, including monies from legacies.

In 2025 total expenditure is expected to be around £103,600, a rise of 12.6% on 2024. This in part reflects the PCC’s decision to allocate just over £11,000 from reserves to “Other Expenditure” items to release resources to support the ministry and mission of St John’s. Decisions on if, when and how to allocate these resources will be taken throughout the year as proposals arise and considering the actual financial situation, our financial strategy and our mission priorities. In addition, expenditure will also increase due to rises in electricity and water charges, plus higher staffing costs following a revision of the administrator’s role and contract.

As a result, we are budgeting for a potential deficit of around £11,000 by the end of 2025. However, this still maintains our reserve policy of keeping £15,000 to cover 3 months general running costs excluding Share contributions. In addition, we may benefit from a legacy of around £40,000 in 2025, but as this has still to be received it has not been included in the Budget considerations.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

FINANCIAL REPORTS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PARISH CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON WITH WOODHEAD, CHARITY NO 1129823 ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages 32 to 40.

Responsibilities 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 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

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:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is 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 attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Linda P Nelson FCCA BFE Brays Chartered Accountants Building Society Chambers Wesley Street OTLEY LS21 1AZ

Date: 8 April 2025

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for theyear ended 31st December 2024


INCOMING RESOURCES		Unrestricted		Design'd	Restricted	Total Funds
			Funds	Funds	Funds	2024	2023
		Note
Donations and legacies		2a	77,595	-	1,234	78,829	103,455
Income from charitable activities		2b	5,072	-	-	5,072	4,057
Other tradingactivities		2c	5,266	-	-	5,266	5,109
Income from investment		2d	248	-	35	283	318
Other incomingresources		2e	-	-	-	-	0
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES			88,180	-	1,269	89,449	112,938


RESOURCES EXPENDED
Mission activities		3a	4,455	0	0	4,455	5,444
Ministry		3b	64,635	0	368	65,003	72,329
Maintenance		3c	8,088	0	1,080	9,168	13,988
Support		3d	14,837	0	0	14,837	12,527
Costs ofgeneratingfunds		3e	0	0	0	0	205
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED			92,015	0	1,448	93,463	104,493

NET Incoming/-Outgoing RESOURCES before Transfer
			-3,835	0	-179	-4,014	8,444


TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS- in			0	0	632	632	47
	-out		0	-632	0	-632	-47

NET Incoming/Outgoing RESOURCES			-3,835	-632	453	-4,014	8,444


BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD
at 1st January2024			29,877	1,218	2,432	33,527	25,083

BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD			26,042	587	2,885	29,513	33,527
at 31st December 2024

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead ~~ee~~ ~~eeee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ol~~	~~ee~~ ~~ol~~
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st December 2024 ~~ee~~				~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ee~~	~~ee~~	~~ee~~ ~~ol~~	~~ee~~ ~~ol~~
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	Note		Unrestricted	Designated		Restricted		Total funds
			Funds	Funds		Funds		2024		2023
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets	5		-	-		-		-		-


CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors	6		2,320	-		-		2,320		4,661
Investments	7		6,571	-		936		7,507		7,225
Cash at bank & in hand	8		17,546	587		2,198		20,330		22,489
			26,436	587		3,135		30,158		34,375

LIABILITIES FALLING DUE
WITHIN ONE YEAR	9		395	-		250		645		848

NET CURRENT ASSETS			26,042	587		2,885		29,513		33,527

TOTAL NET ASSETS			26,042	587		2,885		29,513		33,527

FUNDS	10
Restricted			-	-		2,885		2,885		2,432
Unrestricted			26,042	587		-		26,628		31,095
			26,042	587		2,885		29,513		33,527

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 24th March 2025 and signed by: Vicar Rev'd J Glenwright (Chairman) Mr IK Johnson (Treasurer) The notes on the following pages form part of these financial statements.

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 24th March 2025 and signed by:

Vicar Rev'd J Glenwright (Chairman) Mr IK Johnson (Treasurer)

The notes on the following pages form part of these financial statements.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON WITH WOODHEAD

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the SORP 2015.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

FUNDS

Endowment funds are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investment of the endowment may be used as either restricted or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.

Restricted funds represent donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, interest is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis.

Unrestricted funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes. These may include monies designated by the PCC for a particular purpose.

INCOMING RESOURCES

Planned giving, collections and donations are recognized when received. Tax refunds are recognized when the incoming resource to which they relate is received. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Dividends are accounted for when receivable, and interest is accounted for as it accrues. All other income is recognized when it is receivable. All incoming resources are accounted for gross.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

FIXED ASSETS

Consecrated and beneficed property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993.

Moveable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the church’s inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For anything acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements. There have been no acquisitions since 1 January 2000.

All expenditure incurred in the year on consecrated or beneficed buildings, individual items under £1,500 or on the repair of moveable church furnishings acquired before 1 January 2000 is written off.

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over 4 years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,500 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

INVESTMENTS

Investments are valued at market value at 31 December.

CURRENT ASSETS

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents, tax refunds or other income are shown as debtors. Short term deposits are funds held on deposit in The CBF Church of England Funds with CCLA Investment Management Ltd.

LIABILITIES

We have been advised by the Diocese of Leeds that payments toward the Diocesan Share are regarded as donations to the Diocese and there is no liability to pay any shortfall in the future.

Any shortfall should not therefore be recorded as a contingent liability in the accounts.

24th March 2024

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
Notes to the Financial statements for theyear ending 31st December 2024

INCOME
		Unrestricted	Designated	Restricted	Total Funds
		Funds	Funds	Funds	2,024	2,023

2a	Donations and legacies
	Regulargiving: via bank	57,001	-	-	57,001	60,600
	via envelopes	2,039	-	-	2,039	5,130
	Income Tax recoverable on reg giving	12,775	-	-	12,775	14,711
	Irregulargiving	3,281	-	154	3,435	14,978
	Collections(openplate)at all services	1,923	-	-	1,923	2,835
	Special collections	-	-	-	-	-
	Grants	-	-	1,080	1,080	-
	Appeals	-	-	-	-	1,220
	Legacies	-	-	-	-	-
	Income Tax recoverable on irreg giving	576	-	-	576	3,982
		77,595		1,234	78,829	103,455

2b	Income from charitable activities
	Service fees	3,683	-	-	3,683	2,490
	Magazine sales	1,389	-	-	1,389	1,566
	Sale of books/leaflets	-	-	-	-	-
	Educational events	-	-	-	-	-
		5,072	-	-	5,072	4,057

2c	Other trading activities
	Parish Room lettings	2,040	-	-	2,040	1,709
	Magazine advertising	758	-	-	758	962
	Office income	39	-	-	39	24
	Fund raisingevents	2,428	-	-	2,428	2,414
	Income Tax recoverable	-	-	-	-	-
		5,266	-	-	5,266	5,109

2d	Income from Investments
	Interest	248	-	35	283	318
		248		35	283	318

2e	Other income
	Other Income	-	-	-	-	-
	SMP reimbursement	-	-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-	-

TOTAL INCOME		88,180	-	1,269	89,449	112,938

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead Notes to the Financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2024

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
Notes to the Financial statements for theyear ended 31st December 2024

EXPENDITURE		Unrestricted	Designated	Restricted	Total Funds
		Funds	Funds	Funds	2,024	2,023
3a	Mission activities
	Overseas - missionarysocieties					-
	Overseas - relief and development agencies	1,470	-	-	1,470	1,798
	Home missions and other relief organisations	2,985	-	-	2,985	3,646
		4,455	-	-	4,455	5,444
3b	Ministry
	Diocesanparish share	62,652	-	-	62,652	70,000
	Arrears ofparish sharepaid off	-	-	-	-	-
	Clergycosts	190	-	-	190	691
	Service expenses	1,048		368	1,416	1,063
	Fees	576	-	-	576	420
	Magazine costs	169	-	-	169	156
		64,635	-	368	65,003	72,329
3c	Maintenance
	Church	1,606	-	-	1,606	7,193
	Equipment depreciation	-	-	-	-	-
	Utilities	3,496	-	-	3,496	3,451
	Insurance	2,543	-	-	2,543	2,415
	Upkeepof churchyard	31	-	1,080	1,111	764
	Parish Room maintenance	411	-	-	411	165
		8,088	-	1,080	9,168	13,988
3d	Support
	Employment costs	10,629	-	-	10,629	9,577
	Subscriptions and licences	1,361	-	-	1,361	970
	Office runningcosts	1,146	-	-	1,146	1,167
	Office equipment	625	-	-	625	250
	Bank charges	209			209	194
	Other expenses	867	-	-	867	368

		14,837	-	-	14,837	12,527
3e	Costs ofgenerating funds
	Fundraisingcosts					205
TOTAL EXPENDITURE		92,015	-	1,448	93,463	104,493

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead Notes to the Financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2024

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
Notes to the Financial statements for theyear ended 31st December 2024

Expenditure cont'd
		Total	Funds
		2024	2023
4	Staff Costs
	Administrator's salary	10,485	9,472
	Pension contributuions	0	0
	PAYE	144	105
	Organists fees	576	420
		11,205	9,964

Duringtheyear the PCC employed apart-time organist
and an administrator,neither of whom earned more than £50,000pa.
Nopayments were made to trustees.

5	FIXED ASSETS FOR USE BY THE PCC

		Total Funds
		2024	2023

	COST
		-	-

		-	-


		-	-
		-	-
		-	-

	NET BOOK VALUE
	at 31st December 2024	-	-

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
Notes to the Financial statements for theyear ended 31st December 2024

6	DEBTORS		Unrestricted	Restricted	2,024	2,023

	Income Tax recoverable		1,827	-	1,827	4,170
	Prepayments		493	-	493	491
			2,320	-	2,320	4,661

7	SHORT TERM DEPOSITS		Unrestricted	Restricted	2,024	2,023
	held in CBF Church of England Funds
		Choir	0	75	75	73
		Churchyard	-	139	139	134
		Donations	-	188	188	181
		Fabric	-	534	534	514
		General Purposes	6,571	-	6,571	6,323
			6,571	936	7,507	7,225


8	CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND		Unrestricted	Restricted	2,024	2,023

	HSBC Main Account		18,132	2,198	20,330	22,479
	HSBC Magazine Account(closed)		-	-	-	-
	CateringCashbook(closed)		-	-	-	-
	Office Cashbook		11	-	11	11
			18,143	2,198	20,341	22,489

9	LIABILITIES		Unrestricted	Agencies	2,024	2,023
	amounts falling due within oneyear
	AgencyCollections		-	250	250	467
	Accruals		395	-	395	381
	Other creditors
			395	250	645	848

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead	Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead
Notes to the Financial statements foryear ended 31st December 2024

10a	FUND MOVEMENT SUMMARY
			Incoming	Outgoing	Transfers	Gains/	Total	Funds
			Resources	Resources		Losses	2,024	2,023

	Fabric Fund		20	-	-	-	20	0 -
	Choir Fund		3	-	-	-	10	7
	Churchyard Fund		1,085	1,080	-	-	19	14
	Altar Flower Fund		154	368	-	-	603	818
	Donations Fund		7	-	-	-	188	181
	Mission Fund		1 -	-	-	-	1 -	1 -
	Churchyard PlantingFund		-	-	-	-	2,631	2,631
	General Fund		88,180	92,015	-	-	26,042	29,877
			89,449	93,463	-	-	29,513	33,527

10b	Fabric Fund		Incoming	Outgoing	Transfers	Gains/	Total	Funds
			Resources	Resources		Losses	2,024	2,023

	Deposit acc. Interest		20	-	-	-	20	23
	Legacies		-	-	-	-	-	-
	Church Roof appeal		-	-	-	-	-	1,315
	Church roof upgrade		-	-	-	-	-	5,889 -
	Fundraisingevents		-	-	-	-	-	486
	Fund Transfers							47
			20	-	-	-	20	-

11	Contingent liabilities

		We have been advised bythe Diocese of Leeds that			payments toward the Diocesan Share
	are regarded as donations to the Diocese and there is no liabilitytopayanyshortfall in the future.
	Anyshortfall should not therefore be recorded as a contingent liabilityin the accounts.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

MENSTON PCC - General Fund -	MENSTON PCC - General Fund -	BUDGET 2025	BUDGET 2025
Budget 2025		Budget 2024	Actual 2024

	INCOME
60,000	Planned Giving- via bank	61,000	57,001
2,000	Planned Giving- via envelopes	5,000	2,039
14,000	Gift Aid Tax reclaimable	16,000	13,350
2,000	Cash Collections	2,800	1,923
3,700	Fees	2,500	3,683
-	Legacies	-	-
39	Office Income	24	39
2,000	Parish Room letting	1,700	2,040
250	Interest	200	248
2,200	Magazine	2,600	2,147
4,000	Irregular Income	2,500	3,281
2,500	Fund Raising	1,000	2,428
-	Special collections	-	-
-	Appeals	-	-
92,689	Total Income	95,324	88,180

	EXPENDITURE
60,000	Diocesan Share	73,708	62,652
250	ClergyExpenses	700	190
1,500	Church maintenance	1,500	1,606
1,000	Service expenses	620	1,048
3,730	Utilities	4,000	3,496
2,700	Church Insurance	2,450	2,543
180	Parish Magazine	160	169
1,100	Parish Room	170	411
100	Churchyard	170	31
800	Organists	450	576
-	Vergers	-	-
-	Fundraisingexpenses	-	-
650	Office -printing/stationery	650	623
500	- telecoms	480	484
13,487	- administrators salaries + SMP	10,000	10,629
200	- equipment replace/repair	150	625
1,500	- subs/licences/computer support	1,000	1,361
50	-office sundryexpenses	60	39
-	Sundries	-	-
4,634	General Fund donations/Mission Giving	4,758	4,455
-	Churchyard Closure	-	-
220	Bank Charges	200	209
11,042	Other Expenditure	-	867
103,643	Total Expenditure	101,226	92,014
-10,954	Surplus(-Deficit)	-5,902	-3,835

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024	Extracts from the Financial Statements 31/12/2024

Charitable Donations
	2024	2023
Mission Giving			Parish Room	Inc	Exp	Net
Roche ECO Church	46	-	Lettings	2,040 *938* 0 0 411
Medecins Sans Frontieres	1,470	-	Utilities
Samaritans	1,470	-	Cleaning
Wheatfields Hospice	1,470	-	Maintenance
	4,455	5,444		2,040 1,350		690
% of unrestricted income	5	5
			*Utilities estimated at 46% of Church utility bill*


Collections(Big Jar)
ZARACH	467		Magazine	Inc	Exp	Net
Homeless Hampers	57		Sales	1,389 758 311
Sudanese Diocese	538		Adverts
			Production/distrib costs
				2,147 311		1,836


Utilities	2024	2023
	kWh	kWh
UseGas	22,320	22,664
Electricity	3,908	3,357
Change ingas usage	-2%	n/a
Change in electric usage	16%	n/a
Change ingas costs	-6%	-1%
Change in electricitycosts	18%	13%

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

CHURCHWARDENS REPORT

It would appear that there is never a fallow year in the life of a church. 2020/1 was dominated by the global pandemic; 2022/3 saw the replacement of the roof and at the start of 2024 we began the search for a new vicar.

The interregnum was relatively short, compared to the experience of other churches, and we were delighted to welcome Jo and her family to the church and village in September. With a new vicar comes new ideas and changes. Our calm and unflappable administrator, Amy has done sterling work in ensuring the transition has been as smooth as possible.

We now have a contactless payment system at the back of church. It makes giving easier and has come into its own at the end of baptisms, weddings and the carol service. Also, Jo’s initiative to ‘bless the station’ proved a major talking point in the village and was extremely well received by bleary eyed commuters on a dark and cold morning.

The main focus this year has been consolidation. We have held a couple of ‘clean up’ days where groups have come along to tidy up paths and trim back bushes; to clean the church and scrape away plaster allowing the walls to breathe and dry out. These have been tremendous fun with various members of the congregation helping out and getting to know one another a little bit better. This was on top of the, sometimes Herculean, efforts of all those who regularly help to make the church and Parish Room clean, beautiful and welcoming. Those who clean, arrange flowers, make coffee and decorate are often unsung but their travails do not go unnoticed and are quietly appreciated by us all. A flickering light in the Parish Room has led to the wholesale replacement of the entire lighting units. This might sound extravagant, but it makes sense to do them all at once rather than piecemeal which is always more expensive in the long run.

A warden has a range of responsibilities none of which could be done without significant help. The deputy wardens are the ones who make sure we have an open and warm church on a Sunday. It is almost impossible to function without them and we are very grateful for the help they provide throughout the year.

The church has continued to grow during the year. Congregation numbers remain good, with a slight uptick in attendance at the regular Sunday services. It was joyful to see the candle lit church absolutely bursting at the seams during the carol service. It is rare to be able to declare the church as ‘standing room only’ but that was a magnificent sight and sound.

So, the year ticks round and we steady ourselves for the myriad challenges ahead. We do so sure in the knowledge that our community is strong and well led with energy and vitality.

It would be utterly remiss of me not to include a note of gratitude to Hilary. She has taken the decision to step away from wardening after a peerless tenure. I am hugely

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

indebted to her as there is so little on the practical front I can do and she is always on hand with encouragement and a no nonsense approach that is vital among wardens. I am sure her support and wisdom, along with that of all the deps will be hugely beneficial as we take St John’s forward into 2025/6 and beyond.

Hilary Feathers & Dominic Hall

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

CLERGY REPORT

REVEREND ANDREW HOWORTH: JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 2024

2024 was an important year from St John’s as we said a sincere and heartfelt farewell to Rev Steven Proudlove and his family and then later welcomed the Rev Joanna Glenwright and her family to join us as new vicar. It was with great joy and excitement that we started to get to know Jo, Rob and the children. But in between those times there was a huge amount of work undertaken. Reference has already been made to the Sunday morning services and the vast team of volunteer clergy who came and led our worship at 11.00am. At Zest the interregnum gave rise to a whole team of very capable worship leaders who worked wonderfully together to develop and grow the Zest experience. Please join me in thanking everybody who stepped up to the interregnum challenge in whatever way and helped us to not only keep going but to grow in number and strength too. Thanks to Hilary and Dominic and the assistant wardens who helped keep me on track, and to Wendy for her quiet but constant pastoral presence.

This year was significant for me in that I applied for and completed the process of a ‘faculty’ - my first and last! As we formally closed our historic graveyard and sought permission for the local council to take over the maintenance. This process included significant structural repairs to some of the graves and monuments. We had to formally request permission from His Royal Highness King Charles, as all the Church of England property comes under his jurisdiction. Hilary proudly displayed the formal letter from St James’ Palace with his signature on it.

This report is the place where the Clergy formally thank all the people who have helped or showed leadership over the year. I know that I could not have got through the interregnum without a huge amount of help from all the PCC members, it was a joy to work with them, and all the people who coordinate, chair, lead or inspire any and all of our groups throughout the St Johns family. You know who you are and I formally salute every one of you.

This period as ever was one of saying our goodbyes to faithful members who died, we mourn their passing and rejoice that they are now swelling the ranks of the heavenly host. We have also welcomed several new faces, and we are so happy that you are here with us, making us part of your wider family. So, with my thanks hopefully heard by all, I am delighted and relieved to hand over to Jo to finish this report.

Revered Andrew Howorth

REVEREND JOANNA GLENWRIGHT: SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2024

Since being licensed as Vicar of St John’s Menston on the 8th September 2024, it has been a hopeful, active and engaging time. I feel well placed and well blessed as Vicar here. Together with Rev Steve over the preceding years you have been faithful and active for the Kingdom, with the new roof, closing the churchyard, managing Covid, and enabling and developing Zest as a space for creative contemporary worship.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

Following that you have done a wonderful job in keeping the church community together and worshipping during the interregnum since January 2024.

All of this has meant that I was able to join a well-functioning church community with fruitful potential. I am grateful for all the support I have received as I have begun this season as vicar here, and the wonderful positive people you are and have been, enabling me to get up to speed gradually. It has been a genuine joy. Thank you all.

Together, since September we have:

Started to get to know one another.
Worshipped and prayed together, and for one another.
Celebrated and shared some key seasons and moments together, including Christmas where we saw a significant increase in attendance and connection with the village.
Intentionally sought to be a visible and sincere caring presence in the village through attending key events, building relationships and initiatives such a “Bless the Station.”
Started to look at areas of our shared life that need some support and attention (such as access issues, pastoral care, inclusion, finances).
Begun to notice opportunities to take forward (such as ecumenical links and developing youth work, community engagement).

This full report and account of St John’s in Menston for 2024 has set out the scope of our ministry and mission and the resources required and used in the last year. As you read it, I hope you got a sense of the good work God is doing with, and through, us here.

Looking ahead

In 2025 I hope we build on this encouraging new season so far, working together in the name of Christ and for the sake of all. As a PCC we have considered key areas for our Vision for St John’s going forward. These are: Community Engagement, Children and Families, Access, Inclusion, Discipleship and Financial Strategy.

We have a number of priorities in these areas for 2025 and 2026. These are:

For St John’s to be a visible presence and genuine support to the village.
To provide opportunities for young people in Menston to engage with church and faith.
To explore becoming an “inclusive” church.
To run introduction to Christianity, parenting and inclusion.
To take a decision on offering Prayers of Love and Faith.
To obtain professional advice on site and service improvements to increase accessibility, review proposals and take a decision on what should be done.
To explore feasibility of a monthly Home Communion Service at Kirkland's for those who cannot access St John’s.

ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON - APCM REPORT – SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025

To have specific teaching on generosity and gratitude.
To develop a Finance Strategy that supports the above as well as setting out key financial considerations and objectives.

So, there is much to celebrate and be thankful for, and there is much for us to take forward. I pray we live, love and grow together in 2025 and beyond.

Thank you for being here, we couldn’t do it without you.

Blessings,

Reverend Joanna Glenwright

St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead

Presented at the APCM on Sunday 11 May 2025

Incorporating the financial statements of the Parochial Church Council

CONTENTS

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2024

Annual Vestry Meeting

3. Election of Churchwardens

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2024

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE OF THE PCC - JANUARY 2024 TO DECEMBER 2024

Ex-officio Members of PCC

Representatives on Deanery Synod [and PCC]

Elected Members of PCC

Contributors to this report:

ELECTORAL ROLL

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

PUBLIC BENEFIT

WORSHIP AND PRAYER

ZEST

11AM SERVICES

THURSDAY MIDWEEK COMMUNION

INCLUSIVITY

THE CORE

OCCASIONAL OFFICES

FESTIVALS AND SEASONS

HOME GROUPS

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - ALTAR FLOWERS GUILD

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - SACRISTAN

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - INTERCESSIONS

SUPPORTING WORSHIP - READING THE LESSON

PASTORAL CARE

SAFEGUARDING

HOME COMMUNION

PASTORAL SUPPORT

MOTHERS’ UNION

CHURCH SOCIAL EVENTS

MISSION AND EVANGELISM

ZEST @ KIRKLANDS

STAY & PLAY

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

MISSION PARTNERS

PARISH MAGAZINE

FABRIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE

FABRIC REPORT

Church building

Parish Room

Churchyard

Reflection

ECO-CHURCH GROUP

BEING PART OF THE WIDER CHURCH

ST JOHN’S WITHIN THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS

ST JOHN’S WITHIN THE DIOCESE OF LEEDS - CONTINUED

ST JOHN’S AND ECUMENICAL FRIENDS

FINANCIAL STRATEGY

FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial Performance 2024 (General Fund)

Reserves Policy

Budget 2025

FINANCIAL REPORTS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PARISH CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON WITH WOODHEAD, CHARITY NO 1129823 ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Responsibilities and basis of report

Independent Examiner’s Statement

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE, MENSTON WITH WOODHEAD

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

FUNDS

INCOMING RESOURCES

FIXED ASSETS

INVESTMENTS

CURRENT ASSETS

LIABILITIES

Parochial Church Council of St John the Divine, Menston with Woodhead Notes to the Financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2024

CHURCHWARDENS REPORT

CLERGY REPORT

REVEREND ANDREW HOWORTH: JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 2024

Revered Andrew Howorth

REVEREND JOANNA GLENWRIGHT: SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2024

Looking ahead