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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S, BENNETT ROAD
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Registered Charity Number 1130076
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Introduction
The following report is a small summary of some of the things that have happened in the life of our church throughout 2023. It has been another year of real change for us, as we’ve experienced growth both in terms of depth of faith as well as in the number of people engaging with what happens at St Andrew’s. When looking at some of the differences in the life of the church from January to December, it is clear to see the ways that God has been at work amongst us and so we need to give thanks for all that He’s doing!
Some of the changes have been visible for us all to see: there’s been a growth in the number of children and young people that are a part of our church family, thanks to the launching of regular Sunday kids and youth groups as well as a consistent programme of midweek youth outreach. We’ve had wonderful moments of gathering and celebrating together as a church: whether that’s been through the regular events such as the ever popular monthly bring and share lunch, or through new initiatives like the fireworks night in November. Christmas in 2023 presented great moments of not just gathering with the church at Carol services but engaging with people currently beyond our church community - whether that was through Love Christmas, where we joined in with other local churches providing Christmas dinner to those locally who otherwise would not have it, or gathering in The Brunswick for Carols in the Pub. Through our two Alpha courses and in other ways, we’ve seen people come to faith in Jesus Christ for the first time, or rediscover the joy of walking with Him. Specific ministries such as Better Together, Prayer Walks and Third Thursday have continued to flourish and provide a place of hope and belonging for many. We’re continuing to grow in our cultural diversity which is a cause of great celebration, as we seek to better reflect the local community that we’re placed in and called to serve. The vibrancy and joy of being a church of different cultural backgrounds will only continue to grow and further enrich our shared life together. Throughout the year we’ve celebrated together some key milestones within the church family, including: engagements, weddings and new babies being born and more to come in 2024! One of the greatest joys at St Andrew’s has been the way that we’ve continued to represent the full range of ages and stages of life - part of being a church family is that we’re not all the same, but together we’re united in Christ and learning to love each other as he loves us. This is often noticeable on a Sunday and the hope is this will only continue to develop in the year ahead. 2023 also heralded a major growth in our staff resourcing. Jordan Clements started as our full time Operations Manager in June and has revolutionised the operational life of the church - you will have no doubt noticed a difference! Niki Smith started in November working alongside Jordan to support and simplify our admin and finance processes, thus helping with the smooth running of the day to day life at St Andrew’s. Charlie Brown has continued to lead the youth ministry from strength to strength, alongside his theology studies at Moorlands. Hannah Dorban also continues to keep the church and Parish Centre clean and organised. Finally, in December Katie’s curacy
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
was moved to become full time at St Andrew’s, bringing greater capacity and skill to the leadership of the church. The staff team exists to support and resource the volunteer base of the church and enable ministry and mission to happen - they are a remarkable gift to us as a church.
Other changes in 2023, however, have been less visible. Moving the central church team office into the Parish Centre has not only freed up space for the church toilet upgrade project (coming in 2024!) but has created a central team hub from which to further kickstart mission and ministry to, with and for, the local community. We’ve made changes behind the scenes, further developing our office processes and systems to provide greater clarity and transparency over our financial systems, which only fuels our outward facing ministry and mission. The number of people serving in unseen yet vital ways has grown as together we play our part in what it means to be God’s people at St Andrew’s. Many different people have commented on the ways in which serving on a team helps to grow a sense of belonging and is a great way of deepening friendships in the church community. Whether you’re serving in kids or youth, welcome or worship, cafe or cleaning - we’re so grateful for how we pull together as a church to serve God and one another. The love and bonds of family and meaningful Christian community continue to deepen as we share life together, not just on a Sunday but during the week in numerous ways. There is a growing movement of prayer in the church, as we continue to recognise the importance and centrality of seeking first God - this must always be a priority for us. The words of Jesus in John 15 continue to ring true: ‘ apart from me you can do nothing ’!
Whilst there is much to celebrate, we must also recognise that for many in our church 2023 was a year of challenge with real pain and disappointment. Part of being a church family is walking through the highs and lows of life together even when things are far from straightforward. Family is one of the words that is often used to describe St Andrew’s but this isn’t something that ‘ just happens ’ when we turn up together. It requires a continued commitment to love one another, walking together even when life is challenging. We must continue to love and pray for each other, not simply because we need each other, but because it is part of our witness to the community of Charminster. Jesus tells us that it’s by the way that we love one another that the world knows we’re his disciples. The call of Jesus is a call to follow him together - the prayer for all that is ahead is that we would continue to do this and build on the great spiritual heritage that there is at St Andrew’s. May we continue to grow to be a church of gracious hospitality, faith-filled prayer, sacrificial generosity and fearless faith. It is only together, hand in hand with the Holy Spirit, that we may live out our vision to know, be and share Good News for and with the people of Charminster.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
So… THANK YOU! The successes and celebrations of 2023 only happen because of the numerous people who together make up the church of St Andrew’s Charminster. As we look ahead to all that 2024 holds, we can expect further developments in all that we’re seeking to be as a church. We know we’ve got changes to our buildings coming up, but there’s lots that 2024 holds that we haven’t yet discovered! We don’t know exactly what God has in store for us as a church, but we continue to long to see more people come to faith as God continues to move in power amongst us and deepens our fellowship together. Thank you for your continued love, prayer and support to us and our family - it is such a privilege to be rooted and planted in this spiritual family.
Our prayer is that we may continue to grow to be all that God is calling us to be!
With love,
Tom and Katie x
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
PCC Report
Administrative Information
The church is situated on Bennett Road in Charminster, Bournemouth. The PCC also has responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the Parish Centre, situated to the rear of the church at 123 Shelbourne Road and owns the old school building on Nortoft Road (currently leased to BEET Language School).
The PCC is a body corporate governed by the PCC Powers Measure 1956 and Church Representation Rules 2021.
Aims and Purposes
The Parochial Church Council ('the PCC') of St Andrew’s ('the church'), has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It does this by sharing information, sharing vision, making decisions and reviewing results. It shall manage the financial affairs of the church and oversee the care and maintenance of the fabric of the church. The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the Parish Centre and the Old School building.
Objectives and Activities
The PCC is committed to encouraging as many people as possible to worship and be part of the church family at St Andrew’s. Everyone at St Andrew’s is encouraged to become actively involved with all that God is doing in and through the church, committing both practically and financially. It is hoped that as St Andrew’s continues to grow, we will further embody our vision to be ‘ Good News for Charminster’ and beyond, recognising that each member of the church is placed by God to be an ambassador of His kingdom wherever they may find themselves.
When planning activities for the year and in compiling this report, the PCC has considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.
The PCC
The PCC is made up of the vicar and other licensed clergy, churchwardens and elected members from the electoral roll. Anyone 16 years and over who regularly attends any of the church services and is on the electoral roll is welcome to put themselves forward to serve on the PCC. Members of the PCC are trustees of the charity and together have responsibility for
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
the management of the church including practical and spiritual matters, decisions which affect church members and the upkeep of the church buildings.
The PCC also spends time at each meeting discussing relevant matters in relation to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
PCC Membership
Vicar
The Reverend Tom Hodkinson
Curate The Reverend Katie Hodkinson Church Wardens Sarah Carrington Elected 2023 Katy Elder Elected 2023
Representatives on Howard Kenward Elected 2023 the Deanery Synod vacancy Elected Members Alex Brobbey elected 2021 PCC Treasurer Emmanuel Udezue elected 2022 Briony Sidlow elected 2023 Pete Brown elected 2023 Sam Parkin elected 2023 Emma Smith elected 2023 Ex-Officio Members Sophie Wood PCC Secretary Liz Davies Safeguarding Officer Jordan Clements Operations Manager
Church Wardens are elected annually to serve for one year. Deanery Synod and PCC Members are elected for an initial term of three years.
PCC Meetings
The PCC has met 6 times to discuss matters of importance to the church and parish, including financial affairs, opportunities for mission and service, church growth and impact, buildings maintenance and safeguarding.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Electoral Roll Report
The electoral roll of the parish at the APCM in April 2023 included 80 names. Jess Weir served as interim electoral roll officer and has now handed on the role to Sophie Wood. We are thankful for them both. At the APCM 2024 the number has increased to 97.
Staffing
The PCC has delegated some of the day to day running of the church and parish to employed staff members. During the year of 2023 St Andrew’s employed 1 full time staff member and 3 part time staff.
Charlie Brown continued as Youth Pastor, being employed part time by St Andrew’s in addition to his studies at Moorlands. Charlie will begin his final year at Moorlands in September 2024.
Hannah Dorban took over the role of church and parish centre cleaner in the Spring 2023 and continues to keep our facilities in good order.
Jordan Clements began working as Operations Manager in June 2023, taking responsibility for the day to day operations of the church and parish centre.
Niki Smith also joined the team part time as the Admin and Finance Assistant and has been a key support to both Jordan and Alex Brobbey in their respective roles.
In addition to this we also attempted to recruit a Kids and Families Pastor. In December 2023 we offered the role to a suitable candidate who later withdrew from consideration. This recruitment process has continued into 2024.
The PCC continues to recognise and give thanks for the variety of ways in which so many people at St Andrew’s serve to help the church continue to be the church that God is calling us to be.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Charitable Giving
There has been a longstanding commitment at St Andrew’s to give away a percentage of our annual income to other local charities and partners. The amount that is given away is calculated based on the income to the church after we have made our contribution to the Common Mission Fund of the Diocese. This figure is calculated on the preceding year's budget and then given to the partners at the start of the new year. During 2023 the PCC considered the giving for 2022, looking at which charities to help fund. As the payments for the previous year had not yet been made, it was agreed to match these again for 2022. The following charities received grants of £2,000 (to include charitable contributions made against accounts in 2021 and 2022).
Barnabas Fund https://www.barnabasfund.org/gb/
Bournemouth Foodbank https://bournemouth.foodbank.org.uk/
Friends International https://www.friendsinternational.uk/
Fulani Ministries https://fulaniministries.org/
ICN https://www.icn.org.uk/
PACE https://pace.org.uk/
Prison Fellowship https://prisonfellowship.org.uk/
Safe Families https://safefamilies.uk/
SHINE https://www.shineproject.org.uk/
As a church we also support a Tailoring Project in the Diocese of Northwest Ankole in Uganda which teaches vulnerable girls a trade making uniforms and overalls for pupils in the poorest areas of the Diocese who couldn’t attend school if they didn’t have one. This project began following the visit of Bishop Amos and Jean to the church during the summer 2022. This has an annual cost of around £800 per year.
One of the priorities for the year ahead is to review our charitable giving links to ensure they are consistent with our wider vision and strategy, whilst also considering ways to develop more meaningful partnerships with those we are able to financially support.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Fabric and Furnishing Report
Sarah Carrington
The parish revitalisation has given us the opportunity to review the church interior and dispose of surplus and unserviceable furniture as well as update the layout. The kitchen has also had a revamp with the old cupboards removed as they were no longer fit for purpose and replaced with more flexible shelving. The annual gas and electrical safety inspections were completed.
Otherwise, 2023 was mostly a saga of leaks and lack of heating! The occasional roof leak over the kid’s corner was repaired but has recently made another appearance, albeit in one place instead of several!
We sprung a new leak from near the organ loft in December which has been spectacular at times! It is hoped that clearing the gutters and debris in the gully will stop water pooling and enable it to run freely down the drain pipes.
The main highlight for this year has been the ongoing issues with the heating in both the church and the parish centre.
The church boilers are nearing the end of their lives with parts rapidly becoming obsolete. This meant that we only had one boiler operating for the autumn and winter. The timer unit is also out of action, and we are very grateful to Tom for all the early morning dashes across the garden to switch the boiler on!
At the same time, the parish centre heating also required a great deal of attention with no operational heating at all through the autumn and winter, despite many attempts to repair it. The good news is that the under-floor heating is now functioning again.
November 2023 saw our quinquennial inspection which showed that the church building is generally in a good state. The most urgent issues are already being dealt with (such as gutters being cleared) and Jordan and Niki have expanded on the quinquennial spreadsheet to keep us on track with repairs. No other specific works were undertaken to improve or repair church fabric.
The church garden is now maintained by a gardener which has helped with making the area look cared for and less attractive for unwanted behaviour!
Much of the latter part of the year has been spent developing our plans for more toilets in church and the reordering of the parish centre.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Deanery Synod Report
Howard Kenward
The Deanery Synod represents all Church of England churches in our area. There are generally three or four meetings per year, with the venue being rotated around the various Churches in the Deanery. The Synod consists of members of the Clergy of the Deanery, as well as elected members from the Parishes.
The purpose of these meetings is for information to be shared from the Diocese to the Deanery and Parishes; for matters of common interest to the parishes to be reviewed; and to highlight issues of concern and to forward these to the Diocesan Synod. Both the Parish PCCs, and the Deanery Synod itself, may pass resolutions regarding any issue, and ask for these to be discussed, debated, and voted on accordingly.
Recent developments in 2023 / 2024 have seen all Synod meetings in the present “cycle” open to all members of the Church of England Parishes in Bournemouth.
I remain the elected Deanery Synod Secretary - however, the positions of Deanery Synod Lay Chair, and Deanery Synod Treasurer, remain unfilled at the time of writing, the previous holders of those positions having resigned during the 2023 / 2024 period. It should be noted that, while most parishes have their full legitimate representation at the Synod (which is based on the previous year’s electoral roll), there are 1 or more vacancies at several parishes, including ourselves.
The move to having “open” meetings should certainly increase the number of people attending Synod to hear the invited speakers, and will also, hopefully, encourage some from the parishes to take up the vacant PCC representative positions. From my personal point of view, while the recent years of Synod discussions have, to a considerable extent, centred on the discussions concerning “re-organisation” of Parishes and ministry structure within Bournemouth, we appear to now be moving towards a more general approach, centred on shared areas of concern or interest – for example provision for, and involvement of, those with additional needs within the life and ministry of the church; the challenges and experiences faced by those who are either attempting to discern a call to Ministry, Ordination, or service, or who are going through the process of training for those rolls; and what form of involvement the wider Church can have in “green” / ecology based concerns; as well as our responses to the ongoing issues relating to homelessness, the impact of the post-covid financial recession, and the provision of community services and associated support.
I consider it very important that St Andrews has its full number of Deanery Synod representatives (presently two, hopefully rising to three in the near future); and also that the parishes make the most of the open invitation to all Synod meetings. It is my hope that this will considerably increase the amount of shared activity, shared resources, and shared
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
contact and opportunities that the parishes the Synod represents will have over the coming years.
We are still in a period of considerable change, at Parish, Deanery, and Diocesan levels, and it is my hope that by maintaining our involvement in all of these areas, we will see new lessons being learned, and further progress for the Kingdom being made.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Safeguarding Report
Liz Davies
The past year has been a productive one with regard to Safeguarding. After several meetings, Katie Hodkinson has developed a safer recruitment process flow that can be managed through Churchsuite. This has given clarity to who owns each step of the recruitment process whilst also showing visually what stage each individual is overall. As a result, this ensures that those recruited for children’s or youth work within the church have undergone the required checks, training and onboarding before they are able to deliver sessions.
Katie and Jordan were also onboarded to the online DBS checking system which has freed up my time and enabled us to get more people through the DBS process. Through completion of several of these activities we moved through the safeguarding parish dashboard process from level 2 (safer activities) to level 3 (safer processes) and currently have no critical items to complete. Level 3 is the top level of the Diocese of Winchester safeguarding dashboard so we will be in a solid position when the final items at this level are completed.
THE PCC OF THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW’S BENNETT ROAD REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Financial Report
2023 brought in some changes with the way we manage and keep track of our finances. With the employment of a new Operations Manager, we have been able to implement Xero as our accounting software, making it easier for us to generate reports, create budgets, assign purchases to certain budgets and store receipts.
The health of our finances overall has improved since 2022 with giving, both regular and one off almost doubling between 2022 and 2023. Despite losing income from the loss of the preschool in summer 2023, because of our giving increase, this has kept us sustainable throughout the year. As a parish church we do not receive any regular funding from the Church of England and the bulk of income comes from the hiring of our buildings and regular congregational giving. The PCC are very grateful for the 41 different households who regularly give by planned monthly giving which helps tremendously with annual planning and budgeting. It is hoped as the church grows the number of giving households will continue to increase. We remain very thankful for the generosity of the church family who give in a whole host of ways with time, talents and treasures.
The bulk of our annual expenditure goes towards staffing, utilities and the common mission fund of the Diocese of Winchester. With the employment of 2 new members of staff in 2023, expenditure in this area has risen, as well as in the area of running expenses due to heating systems failures across both the church and parish centre in the winter of 2023. Given the national picture of energy bills throughout 2023 as well as a period on a high tariff, utility expenditure is significantly higher than predicted. We are now on a lower tariff and it is expected this expense will noticeably decrease in 2024.
Peter Miles continued as our accountant in 2023 and has worked with us to run our payroll system, offer external advice and create our end of year accounts. Peter has signalled his intention to retire and a new accountant has been appointed to work with us from 2024.
ST. ANDREW'S PCC
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDING
31ST DECEMBER 2023
ST. ANDREW'S PCC
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER 2023
| INCOMING RESOURCES VOLUNTARY GIVING Regular Giving Collections Other Donations Gift Aid Tax Recovered Legacies Grants FUND RAISING INVESTMENT INCOME Interest Dividends Gains/Losses on Shares upon evaluation CHURCH ACTIVITIES Hall & Preschool Lettings Language School Rents Fees OTHER INCOME Solar Panel Income TOTAL INCOME RESOURCES EXPENDED FUND RAISING COSTS CHURCH ACTIVITIES Missionary & Charitable Giving Common Mission Fund Salaries, Pensions & Nat. Ins. Clergy Expenses CHURCH EXPENES Mission & Evangelism Costs Running Expenses Church Depreciation of Equipment Hall Administation Utility Bills Costs of Trading (Fees to WDBF) MAJOR REPAIRS OTHER EXPENDITURE TOTAL EXPENDITURE NET INCOME FOR THE PERIOD |
42,106 14,234 4,659 10,370 40,000 1,000 980 434 1,375 32,379 72,444 1,705 5,945 32,404 28,758 663 5,110 14,552 1,997 6,541 10,596 33,686 54,515 0 |
Year ended 31 Dec 2023 23,038 6,070 5,782 4,979 0 112,369 0 0 293 431 2,789 -1,924 31,532 72,444 106,528 1,381 2,838 224,524 110 4,938 38,907 8,731 0 67,770 822 6,838 1,997 6,085 7,516 22,436 20,401 93,311 0 6,292 0 167,483 57,041 |
Year ended 31 Dec 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39,869 0 -1,200 105,357 3,955 147,981 0 52,576 43,659 22,437 0 118,672 29,309 |
ST. ANDREW'S PCC
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023
| FIXED ASSETS Freehold Land & Property Sound System less Depreciation TOTAL FIXED ASSETS INVESTMENTS Church of England Shares CURRENT ASSETS Debtors: Gift Tax Recoverable Prepaid Insurance Premiums Bank Current Account Bank Reserve Account CBF Deposit Account Cash in Hand TOTAL ASSETS Less CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors: Missionary & Charitable Giving Other Accruals - PAYE TOTAL NET ASSETS REPRESENTED BY:- PARISH ASSETS Net Assets b/f as at 1 January 2023 Add Net Income for the Year to Date Net Assets c/f as at 31 December 2023 |
19,971 -3,994 6,000 0 6,000 34,415 95,900 11,242 0 6,000 3,489 |
As at 31 Dec 2023 527,842 19,971 15,977 -1,997 543,819 15,868 3,000 4,300 7,300 12,241 55,262 10,602 147,557 0 707,244 5,000 9,489 0 697,755 640,714 57,041 697,755 |
As at 31 Dec 2022 |
As at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 527,842 17,974 545,816 14,493 85,405 645,714 5,000 640,714 611,405 29,309 640,714 |