## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mildred’s Tenterden 2022 Annual Report and Accounts** ## **Aims and Purposes** The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the Team Rector, The Reverend Canon Lindsay Hammond, and the Team Vicar, The Reverend Jeanette Kennett, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Parish Church of St Mildred’s, Tenterden and its two church halls. ## **Objectives and Activities** The PCC is part of the Church of England and its objectives are contained in the PCC Powers Measure. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our church community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship, and considers ways in which the worship offered at Tenterden can complement the worship offered by the other eight churches in our benefice. Our services put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, music, and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. We try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our individual church and benefice community in the following areas:     - Worship and Prayer Children, Young People and Families Pastoral Care Continuing Discipleship Community and Partnerships We implement the above in conjunction with members of the other churches in our benefice. To help us facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Parish Church of St Mildred’s. ## **Worship, Mission, and Ministry** _We are here to worship God, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to welcome all who come, to celebrate and pass on our rich Christian heritage, and to discover our place in God’s world and the local community._ Worship, mission and ministry are the foundations on which our Christian communities are built. The Reverend Jeanette Kennett became Team Vicar in January 2022 and the Reverend Andrew Tapsell joined us in July 2022 as Assistant Curate. In May Mrs Caroline Baker was appointed to the role of Churches Co-ordinator as a result of which we are immeasurably more efficient! Lindsay, Jeanette, Andrew and Caroline are privileged to serve and work with members of our congregations to offer the very best worship, mission and ministry. Page 1 ## **Worship** ‘O Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.’ _Isaiah 25:1_ The year 2022 has seen some significant progress in the way the nine churches work together. The Worship, Mission and Ministry Team, which was established in July, has been formed to explore ways in which the different worshipping communities can spread the Good News in a joined up way whilst retaining the individuality of each church.A consistent pattern of worship has now been established across the nine churches enabling us to make best use of the faithful commitment skills offered by our retired clergy, readers and lay leaders. This pattern of worship is only sustainable because of them all and we are grateful for the ministry they offer. In order to reach this position, a number of our churches have demonstrated generous flexibility regarding their service times and frequency, and we now feel there is a firm foundation to build on going forward. Across our group of churches, we have the ability to offer a breadth and depth of worship styles and service types. Morning Praise and Celtic Morning Prayer have been added to the traditional repertoire of Common Worship Eucharists, BCP Matins and Holy Communion and All Ages worship. The provision of bespoke orders of service across most of the churches has enabled us to enliven worship through the inclusion of the well written rich library of liturgical resources we have at our disposal. During the seasons of Advent and Lent our regular Saturday morning services have brought together regular congregations in excess of twenty people for worship and breakfast. A regular programme of retreat and quiet days will be a priority for 2023 onwards. Some worship highlights this year have included coming together in Tenterden to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and also her death in September; Taizé worship in Newenden, choral evensong in Wittersham; flower festival services in Rolvenden, Appledore and Smallhythe and the Ebony Pilgrimage in September. One new and successful initiative has been the introduction of a bi-weekly Christian meditation group. All churches reported excellent attendance at service over the Christmas period and there was a real feeling of returning to some normality after the horrors of the Pandemic. A major feature of our pattern of worship is the inclusion of online services. Beginning and Ending the Day with God have seen a continued increase in daily worshippers and the facility to livestream has enabled people who are still unable to attend worship to continue to be a part of our communities. We wish to build on all the above through further quiet days, retreats and outdoor church over the coming year. All our worship is enriched because it involves such a large number of people - welcomers, sides people, bellringers, choristers, readers, chalice assistants, intercessors, sacristans, musicians, refreshment providers, flower arrangers, cleaners and those who raise the roof through their singing and prayer week by week. **Page 2** ## **Children, Young People and Families** ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’ _Matthew 18:5_ In common with many other churches across the country the Pandemic has disrupted work with families and young people. As such a key focus has been the development of our Young People and Families Group. In 2022 re-establishing strong links with our schools resulted in the re-emergence of Collective Worship, with a weekly combined congregation of about 700 children – many of whom come into our churches for a bespoke act of worship and some of whom join us online. We have also re-instated CAST (Churches and Schools Together). This is a group incorporating the clergy, headteachers and RE and Worship leaders in all our local schools, including Homewood Secondary. In addition, we have continued themed ‘Experience Days’ which explore the significance of church, Christmas, Harvest or Pentecost and been involved with supporting the delivery of the school RE curriculum. We are delighted that this work has extended beyond our ‘Church’ schools (Wittersham, St. Michael’s and Tenterden Juniors) to include our ‘County’ Schools (Rolvenden and Tenterden Infants), the former of which has regular Open the Book sessions delivered in Rolvenden Church by a team of dedicated and experienced volunteers. We have seen the successful launch of our Toddler Group ‘Little Sparrows’ which meets weekly in term time. Across the group conducted 28 baptisms and 23 weddings in 2022. In 2023 we will be ramping up our work with Young People and families and aiming to start a number of new initiatives including ‘Wild Church’ and midweek worship for school children and their families. ## **Pastoral Care** ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.’ _John 13:34-35_ Pastoral care is ongoing. ‘Informal’ care offered by individual members of our congregations. More formal care is channelled through: - Pastoral and bereavement visiting; - Pie & Pint is mainly – but not exclusively – for men that have been bereaved. This men’s group meets at a local hostelry, on the first Monday of the month at 12.30pm **;** - Sunday Lunch Club for those who live alone and would like good company and an excellent Sunday lunch for just £5 - Cappuccinos, a monthly bereavement café for all who have been recently bereaved **;** - Wednesday Lunch Club, for those who live on their own, which costs just £4; - And monthly Holy Communion at home for people who are housebound. Page 3 We currently work with teams of volunteers who engage in pastoral and bereavement visiting and card writing for anniversaries. This is however an area where more volunteers are still required. There is a need for gentle, discreet, listening people to join these activities and extend the provision we are able to offer. Across the group we conducted 67 funerals in 2022. **All of our work with children, young people and families and our pastoral work follow strict safeguarding procedures and we pride ourselves on being safe churches. We are blessed with a strong team of safeguarding officers who model and excellent example of working together as a group of churches.** ## **Continuing Discipleship** ‘I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.’ _John 15:15_ In addition to the aforementioned quiet days and retreats, study courses have been offered during Lent and Advent. The latter of these was an ecumenical group. In addition, the daily online bulletin ‘Connect Up!’ offers a regular digest of material – often of an educational and spiritual nature. We are eager to provide prayer groups and Bible study as well as preparation for adult baptism and confirmation where the Spirit wills. We are always ready to respond to ideas for one off or extended courses. Community and Partnerships ‘We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.’ _Romans 12:5_ Our churches are porous! By that we mean that they are open to the community and strive to be at the heart of the community with the community at their heart. We are so grateful for those who facilitate this by locking and unlocking our churches daily to allow all people to come in and use the space in good times and bad. In the time following the death of Queen Elizabeth II our churches played a significant and distinctive role which was truly valued by the communities they serve. We see our links with community groups and organisations as a great strength and have fulfilling relationships with schools; town and parish councils; branches of the Royal British Legion; dementia groups; Rotary and Lions clubs; local hostelries (!) and businesses. We are the Church of England here in and for our communities and their people and we try hard to be places where the lintels are high, and the thresholds are low. We recognise there are areas of Worship, Mission and Ministry that have remained untouched during the last twelve months; however, we know what these are and will be seeking to address them during the coming year. We look forward to the future in quiet confidence because Christ is at the centre of our life together. ‘God is as he is in Jesus and therefore we have hope’ _(David Jenkins)._ Page 4 ## **Deanery Synod** Two members of the PCC represent our Deanery of Romney and Tenterden on Diocesan Synod and we conveniently ask them to represent St Mildred's on the Romney and Tenterden Deanery Synod. This representation links us to the Diocese of Canterbury and the wider church. ## **Electoral Roll** The current Electoral Roll for St Mildred’s Church stands at 189. This is made up of 133 residing within the Parish and 56 residing outside of the Parish. This year 4 new names have been added and 6 names of our recently departed friends from the congregation have been removed. The total on the roll is 2 less than last year. ## **St Mildred’s Church and Halls Buildings** Whilst no major works have been undertaken this year, we continued to plan to deliver two major projects in the first half of 2023: the replacement of the cedar shingles on the north side of the Nave roof and the replacement of the church boiler. ## **North-Side Nave Roof Cedar Shingle Replacement Project.** The budget for the works is £80,000 including vat. (£67,000 net of vat). The works will be funded from a variety of sources. The PCC has set aside £40,000 and we are very grateful for grants subsequently agreed from the Friends of Kent Churches, the Marshall's Charity and the Friends of St Mildred's. We expect to replace the drier South side Nave roof in about 5 years’ time.Church Boiler Our boiler is fragile and whilst it has lasted for the 2022 winter it is not expected to last until the planned new underfloor heating system is installed. Consequently, the PCC decided we should instal a new gas boiler as soon as practicable during 2023. The budget for the works is about £53,000 including vat (£44,000 net of vat) and is part of the work for the Transformation ## **Transformation Project** The aim is to provide a building which meets the 21[st ] century needs of the church and community. Faculty approval for the raised floor and underfloor heating system which is to be run by an air source heat pump was finally given in March. This crystallises the project and enables the fundraisers to approach potential funders with clarity. Fundraising is progressing well. We estimate the scheme will cost about £600,000 (£500,000 net of vat) . In parallel we are also developing plans to re-light the church which, if funds permit we will deliver for a core cost of about £130,000 (£109,000 net of vat). Meanwhile we continue to progress the plans for our proposed extension which will contain much needed toilets including disabled facilities, storage and office space. The work is now at a stage when we can undertake pre- application consultations with Ashford Borough Council and Heritage England. ## **Churchyard** We are pleased with the way in which our churchyard has been maintained by Ashford Borough Council since last April 2022 and especially with the way in which they reacted to deal with the fallen oak tree in December. Tenterden Horticultural Society look after the flowerbeds that border the south path and again we enjoyed a fine display of flowers during the summer. Our thanks go to the members of the Society who undertake this work for us. **Page 5** ## **Halls** The Church Halls continue to provide much valued and accessible venues for both church related and wider community activities, as well as generating income to support the mission of the Church. Highlights have included the NHS COVID19 vaccination clinics; the highly successful relaunch of the parent and toddler group Little Sparrows; the growth of the Men’s Shed sharing experience and skills and of course the warmth and hospitality of the Sunday and Wednesday lunches. ## **Finance Review** 2022 saw general receipts exceed expenditure by £1578 with regular giving being a little above 2021 and collections increasing after covid. This meant that no further sums were available to set aside for future redecoration and roof repairs. The agreed reserves policy is to maintain a minimum 6 months of general expenditure. The year end balance in general reserves of £110265 represents approximately 7 months. In 2023 we have introduced a new way of giving for us called the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) The current standing order and envelope schemes will still be available but transferring to the the new PGS would really help make administration easier and the reimbursement of gift aid quicker. Unsurprisingly we expect costs to increase in 2023 as inflation bites and our Parish Share increases substantially. We are budgeting for our income to increase to meet the extra costs. The main amounts held in restricted funds were £170444 for the Transformation Project and £40000 allocated to the roof repair. Our Mission Giving was refocused in 2022 onto 6 charities which were: 3 Home: Tenterden Social Hub (Day Centre), Tenterden Counselling Service, Maidstone Homeless Care and 3 Overseas: Mission Aviation Fellowship, Tear Fund, Zimbabwe Aids Fund. They each benefited to the tune of £2700. In addition generosity has been in much evidence with other donations being received for the Food Bank and Christmas Cheer. Thanks to our Treasurer, Chris Northen, and Gift Aid Secretary, Rob Easto, for producing the Accounts and looking after our finances. Many thanks also to Kevin Hayman our Examiner who is standing down after 4 years. ## **Volunteers** We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. We want to mention particularly our churchwardens, Caroline Salmon and Chris Brown, who have worked so tirelessly on our behalf. Page 6 Structure. Govern•n¢• and Manaoement The method of appointment of PCC members is set out In the Church Representatlon Rules, At St Mlldred's the membershlp of the PCC conslsts of the Team Rector, the Team Vicar and Asslstant Curate, churchwardens, Deanery Synod representatlves, and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our servlces are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for electlon to the PCC. The PCC members are responslble for maklng declslons on all matters of general concern and Importance to the parish Includlng decidlng on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive Initial training into the Yiorkings of the PCC. The full PCC met slx tlmes durlng the year with an average level of attendance of 80%. The PCC Is represented on the benefice Worship, Mission and Ministry Team and the gathering of churchwardens, treasurers, and safeguardlng officers. These groups are all responslble to the PCC and report back to it ￿gulartY wlth mlnutes of their decisions being recelved by the full PCC and dlscussed as necessary. A Rlsk Assessment has been produced for the church and its operatlon and thls wlll be regularly reviewed, updated and approved by PCC. Admlnlgtratlve Inforniatlon The Parish Church of St Mildred's Is sltuated In Church Road, Tenterden. It Is part of the Dlocese of Canterbury and Deanery of Romney and Tenterden wlthln the Church of England. The correspondence address Is The Vlcarage, Church Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6AT. The PCC Is a l)ody corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representatlon Rules 2006) and a charity currently excepted from reglstrntlon wlth the Charlty Commlsslon. PCC members who have serve£1 at any time from 1st January 2022 untAI the date this report was approved are: Ex Offlclo Member• The Reverend Canon Lindsay Hammond (Co-chalrperson) The Reverend Jeanette Kennett (Co-Chalrper50n) The Reve￿nd Andrew Tapsell Churchwardens: Carollne Salmon; Chrts Brown Deanery Synod Representatlves: Nell de Vllllers; Nlck Hudd Treasurer: Chrls Northen Elected Members: Chrls Cheesman, Mary Monckton, Robin Lovell, Shlrley Docker Oavid Dodds, Cllve Smith, Steve Curtis, Pat Curtis Llndsay Hammond Team Rector Jeanette ennett Team Vkar The Flnanclal Statements and Examlner's Report for th• y￿r ar• s•t out on the followlng 4 pages. Page 7 St Mildred's Tenterden Registered Charity 1130113 Flnanclal Statements for Year Ended 31112122 Receipts Voluntary Rtt&pts RegularGlvlng Planned Gi￿1ng Collethons eto Tolal 2022 Total 2021 Funts 109422 109422 15938 26 152269 107294 27495 147444 Tc4al Other v￿Untary ￿lpts Fund generaty.ng ￿v￿"e8 Re￿ypts frorn churth aL*vibes other Income Tolal 4221 1C651 87492 1(￿1 152454 41274 15924 30219 333 124545 297668 173123 Payments ChyKh Actmbes Diocesan Pwish Share Other P￿tnts Totsl 87275 84270 171546 87275 7(￿40 154910 245602 7LWO 24218$ 329694 Exce88 Rac8iPt8 over Paynwits Bank Acwtsnts 1101r22 Bank ko￿nts 31112r22 25315 I847(￿ 293387 2W72 348870 293387 110265 Cash Funds 110265 228846 &39111 286844 9759 9759 6543 Hall Bar* Totsl 110265 CBF Investsn• Churth Hall 211C6 5W4 Notes on Flnan¢lal Slatsmw 1. Prepared on Receipis arKI Paymerrts bas¥s under Chutth A(rxMJntir¥J R•35 2. CBF investment relates to th8 Hukn"n'5 Bequest ts Chwth Fabric 3. Hall orTr 999 year lease from 271tyW1995 4. Reserves Pobcy is to retain 8 miw¥¥nurn of6 m¢y)ths wral exwses in reseNes. Currenly tly Stand at awjroximatdy 7 of FKLPXed 2￿23 Sp￿J. P¥1 Funds Fund5 2022 2021 lal Other voluntsry rer*ipts Lega(aes Donations Choir For F(xxlbank For Christmas Cheer For Fe9ans ReDr