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2020-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of Cheltenham St Paul

Annual Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2020

Trustees Report

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Administrative information

St. Paul’s Church is situated in St. Paul’s, Cheltenham. It is part of the Diocese of Gloucester within the Church of England. The correspondence address is St Paul’s Old School, St Paul’s Rd, Cheltenham GL50 4EZ.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a registered charity with charity number 1130330.

PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2020 until the date this report was approved are:

oved are:
Incumbent Rev R Widdecombe Chairman
Wardens Mr B Booth Vice Chairman
Mr J Platt From Apr 2019
Elected Members Mrs C Sandys To July 2020
Miss H Skerratt To Oct 2020
Mr M Constance
Mr N Denniss
Miss S Hillman
Mr M Hirst
Mr A Jenkins
Mr C Meredith Treasurer
Mr S Russell
Mr D Chatfeld From Oct 2020
Mrs L Constant-Ford From Oct 2020
Co-opted Member Mrs J Fellows

Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Objectives and Activities

St. Paul’s Cheltenham PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Roger Widdecombe, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for St. Paul’s Church and associated property.

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A chievements and Performance

Church attendance

There are 114 people on the Church Electoral Roll; this number is 4 more than last year. There were thirteen PCC members throughout the year. The average weekly attendances, counted during October, were 87 adults and 46 children, but these numbers increased significantly on special occasions such as the Christmas services. It is also worth noting the effect of the pandemic on physical attendance.

Review of the Year 2020

2020 was one of the most unexpected years in recent history, due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the subsequent social restrictions put in place and even ‘lockdowns’ where we, along with the rest of the country, were required to stay at home. The unforeseen nature of this health crisis meant that 2020 became a year of constant adaptation for our church community and activities. Maintaining a sense of ‘community’ and pastoral care became the chief concern for both our church and local community throughout much of the year, as members of our congregation experienced isolation, anxiety for their health and the health of loved ones, and a greater practical need due to job insecurity and those in vulnerable groups ‘shielding’.

By God’s grace, the local St. Paul’s area did not experience many COVID-related deaths, and the wider church family was also kept mainly safe. However, the impact of social restrictions and lockdowns was keenly felt by all, and we are still aware of a need for people to heal from and process their experiences. Through all of this, however, we have also felt God’s guidance and a clear sense that He will use this time for His glory. In particular, we have come to see the ‘ceasing’ of our usual programme of activities and ways of gathering as a long-term blessing as, in this slowing-down, we have been able to evaluate our vision and direction as a church and explore God’s will for St. Paul’s in a deeper way than we may otherwise have done.

Gatherings

From March to July 2020, the first national lockdown prevented us from gathering people physically. Using recordings of talks and sung worship, as well as a new technology called ‘Zoom’ to gather virtually, these months were spent exploring how people could be church in their homes. Small groups continued to meet online and provide a place of deeper connection, prayer support and other pastoral care; it was perhaps clearer in 2020 than ever before how much they are the lifeblood of the church. Later in the year, a relaxation of the restrictions allowed some people to gather physically in limited numbers. We invested in technical equipment to allow us to ‘livestream’ from the building, and we accepted a ‘mixed-mode’ of church for a number of weeks, with some people attending physically and others continuing to engage from their homes. Finally, we took the opportunity created by the temporary easing of restrictions for Christmas gatherings and held a Nativity Trail, Carols in the Churchyard and our Christmas Morning Celebration outdoors on the church grounds; all of which were a real blessing at the end of the year.

Community Mission and Care

A significant portion of our time and resources in 2020 were spent on meeting practical and pastoral needs in the community and reaching out to them with the gospel. The pandemic brought to light many immediate needs of local people, such as food and someone to collect medicine and go shopping for them. We set up a dedicated email address for the community to get in touch, and joined the Long Table ‘Feed The Five Thousand’ scheme to deliver healthy ready meals to many in the St. Paul’s area over the summer. At Christmas, we once again distributed some Long Table meals, and also gave away around 100 turkeys and additional food to local families on the doorstep of the church.

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Unable to finish our Spring Alpha course or run a second one in-person, we moved online and the team found that this was a great success. The Youth team also ran an online Youth Alpha course and again saw some great fruit, with many young people inviting their friends to join in. Many explored faith questions in this format and we have already seen some come to faith.

Unfortunately, the pandemic meant that Cheltenham Borough Homes shut the Hub for many months, and we were unable to continue some of our groups and activities there during 2020. However, we were pleased to be able to run our alternative to the annual ‘Craft Fair’ in partnership with CBH and the Hub, and this felt like another encouraging example of how God is allowing us to partner with others in the community.

Staffing

We had some more changes to the staff team in 2020. With their temporary contract ending in the summer, Will Prothero moved on from Cheltenham and Isaac Watson renewed his contract as part-time Youth Pastor for a further year. We were delighted that Maddie Watson, Isaac’s wife, joined the team as the other part-time Youth Pastor.

Simon Fellows started his training for ordination in September, and became an ordinand with us for the academic year; taking on the leadership of Alpha amongst other general duties.

Fabric Report 2020

Once again, very little happened with the building in 2020, largely due to the PCC policy of keeping on top of maintenance and executing the recommendations on the quinquennial survey.

The big item continues to be the creche development project, which has progressed painfully slowly, largely due to our architect being seriously ill with covid at the beginning of the pandemic. The plans are still being revised in the light of some new information and we hope to apply for planning in 2021.

A number of skylights in the Herrington Rooms and toilet corridor were vandalised this year, highlighting the need for the creche development project. The skylights were simply boarded as it is hoped the development will get underway soon.

The grounds provided the most interest with a number of new trees being planted to replace the ones that had to be felled due to their size. The lawn also received some attention as it was not being used for parking whilst the church was shut. Posts and chain have now been installed around the perimeter of the grass and it will not be available for parking apart from Sundays. This should mean that the grass has the opportunity to recover each week.

Quotes have been obtained for the repair and automation of the clock and we hope that will be done in early 2021.

PCC Report

PCC had five full meetings, in February, April, July, September and November, as well as a brief meeting immediately before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in October.

Compared with other years, less of the PCC’s time was spent on buildings; since much time was given to the ongoing pandemic response. However, approvals were made for the church clock to be repaired and eventually automated and chained posts to be installed around the churchyard grass; mentioned above. Due to the pandemic, progress with the building project significantly slowed.

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Much of the PCC’s time was spent on discussion around worshipping during the covid lockdowns and, then, gradually reopening the church building in the late summer and autumn. In addition, PCC approved the church’s involvement in a community meals scheme run by a local social enterprise called The Long Table. PCC approved the purchase and distribution of over 600 meals to residents in the St. Paul’s area between April and September. Prior to the start of the pandemic in March, PCC approved the creation of a Hardship Fund for church members in need of relief in financial difficulties. This became a valuable resource which was used during the pandemic.

With the appointment of Maddie Watson, and looking ahead to the future recruitment of a new Youth Pastor, PCC also approved a new Recruitment Policy to strengthen the recruitment process of future staff members.

Jennifer Fellows continued in her role as Safeguarding Officer, and the church’s safeguarding practices and policies were reviewed and approved for the next year in September.

On the finance side we approved the previous year’s accounts, reviewed the financial position throughout the year and approved the 2021 budget. Some significant assumptions had to be made in light of the pandemic, however PCC were confident in approving a deficit budget.

Finally, PCC once again reviewed the policy on mission giving. We will continue to give at least 10% of unrestricted income to external giving. In 2020, we supported four main mission partners, AFIRM (India), Church Army/Superkidz (London), Development Aid Nepal and Rapha Medica (Nigeria), and also made sizeable donations to GodFirst Church (Barry), The Rock, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Psalms, Christians Against Poverty and International Justice Mission.

Financial Review

On ordinary unrestricted funds total receipts were £233702 and total payments £220799. On restricted funds total receipts were £32863 and total payments £10059. The largest item of expenditure was £70760 for staff employment. Total receipts were therefore £266565 and total payments £230858 giving a net result for the year of an excess of receipts over payments of £35707. Details can be found in the Financial Statements.

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds (if possible) to cover emergency situations that may arise from time to time. The PCC has funds restricted to the Vestries Building Project, Membership Hardship, Community Hardship and Organ.

It is PCC policy to invest fund balances in accounts that are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Approved by the PCC on ??? and signed on its behalf by

Roger Widdecombe

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL CHELTENHAM

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2020

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total Notes
Funds Funds Funds 2020 2019
Incoming resources
Voluntary income
Planned giving 184499 184499 219877
Collections,donations and other giving 7381 29560 36941 25199 1
Income tax recovered 38214 3303 41517 45873 2
Legacies
Activities for raising funds
Lettings 1168 1168 2209
Investment income
Interest and dividends 1468 1468 1490
Income from charitable activities
Parochial fees 117 117 2399
Other incoming resources
Other 855 855 1717
Total receipts 233702 0 32863 266565 298764
Resources expended
Charitable activities
Donations/grants to charities 30398 267 30665 49671
Mission and evangelism 10872 10872 9559 3
Parish share 60040 60040 56433 4
Clergy expenses 3361 3361 4735
Church running expenses 28133 216 28349 34706 5
Churchyard maintenance 1674 1674 2050
Cost of raising funds
Running costs
Support costs 3285 3285 3779 6
Administration costs 77134 77134 49071 7
Other 3490 9192 12682 4904
Major expenditure
Repairs to church buildings 1295 295 1590 6378 8
Repairs to other buildings 606 606 454
Capital purchases/additions 600 600 1125
Total resources expended 189890 30909 10059 230858 222865
Net (outgoing) incoming resources 43812 (30909) 22804 35707 75899
Transfers between funds (42812) 42812 9
Net (outgoing) incoming resources 1000 11903 22804 35707 75899
The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham
Annual Report and Accounts 2020

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RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

2020 2020 2019 2019
Payments Receipts Payments Receipts
Missions and Charities Fund (Designated Fund)
Church Army 1800 2545
Superkidz Community Trust 3450 2545
AFIRM India 5250 5090
Rapha Medica Project 5250 5090
Development Aid Nepal 5290 21090
Salvation Army Victim Care Fund 500 1500
CAP Cheltenham Debt Centre 1000 2000
International Justice Mission 1000 1500
The Rock 1000 2000
PSALMS 1000 2000
Godfirst Church Barry (R&R Gronow) 2200 2800
CBH - St Paul's Events and Activities 1000 500
Agape Freedom Fighters 1008
CCP - Bramah House 861
Children's Society 150 150
Community Fund 500
Donations 12860
Tax refunds 3140
From PCC General Fund 27398 29566
Deficit 3000 4105
Totals 30398 30398 49671 49671
Contingency Fund (Designated Fund)
From PCC General Fund 15414 74007
Income 1250
Expenditure 511 6378
Surplus 14903 68879
Totals 15414 15414 75257 75257
Vestries Building Project Fund (Restricted Fund)
Donations 6000 9000
Tax refunds 1500 1250
Expenditure 600 1125
Surplus 6900 9125
Totals 7500 7500 10250 10250
The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham
Annual Report and Accounts 2020

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL CHELTENHAM

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT (CONTINUED)

2020 2020 2019 2019 Notes
Payments Receipts Payments Receipts
Community Fund (Restricted Fund) 11
Member donations 1110
Tax refunds 275
Net community meals expenditure 611
Gift to Feed Cheltenham 267
Donation from PCC 500
Surplus 1007
Totals 1885 1885 0 0
Hardship (previouslySamaritan) Fund (Restricted Fund) 12
Donations from members 21450 1000
Tax refunds 1528
Grant (Barnwood Trust) 500
Gifts to members 8581
Surplus 14897 1000
Totals 23478 23478 1000 1000
Organ Fund (Restricted Fund)
There were no transactions in either 2019 or 2020.
The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham
Annual Report and Accounts 2020

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL CHELTENHAM

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total Notes
Funds Funds Funds 2020 2019
Fixed assets
24 St Paul's Street North 250000 250000 250000
Current assets
Cash funds
NatWest current account 20000 56677 29927 106604 70897
Virgin deposit fund 15000 70000 85000 85000
Shawbrook (CAF) deposit fund 85000 85000 85000
Total current and deposit accounts 20000 156677 99927 276604 240897 13
Other monetary assets
Income tax recoverable 9800 9800 8525
VAT refundable 59 59 839
Hire income receivable 455
Total other monetary assets 0 9859 0 9859 9819
Total current assets 20000 166536 99927 286463 250716
Total assets 270000 166536 99927 536463 500716
Liabilities
Utility companies 901 901 308
Diocese of Gloucester (fees) 199 199 1709
Mission giving 208 208 2400
The Cheltenham Trust 500 500
Building work 3333
Other liabilities 100
Total liabilities 0 1808 0 1808 7850
Assets less liabilities 270000 164728 99927 534655 492866
The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham
Annual Report and Accounts 2020

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL CHELTENHAM

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis.

Moveable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are recognised but not necessarily valued in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The expenses paid to the incumbent and to Mrs Fellows may include a small immaterial proportion which relate to their functions as PCC members. Mrs Fellows received £26000 as assistant pastor. This payment includes pension contributions. No other payments were made to PCC members.

Note

Unrestricted donations
7381
Vestries building project donations
6000
Hardship Fund donations
21450
Community Fund donations
1110
Barnwood Trust Grant (Hardship Fund)
500
PCC donation to Community Fund
500		 Unrestricted donations
7381
Vestries building project donations
6000
Hardship Fund donations
21450
Community Fund donations
1110
Barnwood Trust Grant (Hardship Fund)
500
PCC donation to Community Fund
500
2
The 2020 figure relates to donations received between October 2019 and September 2020 inclusive.
The 2019 figure relates to donations received between October 2018 and September 2019 inclusive.
3
Analysis of mission and evangelism costs
May Fayre
Craft Fayre
Hub
Alpha
Food Bank
Children
Youth
Tiddlywinks
Other mission costs		 40
774
174
1557
2416
2944
2424
40
503
Training 1580
Discipleship and pastoral care 573
Prayer and worship 4928
Servery 352
Vicar's discretionary fund 883
Utilities 4496
Hire of rooms 7000
Minor capital expenditure 1729
Cleaning and materials 3178
Servicing and other routine church maintenance 3630
The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham
Annual Report and Accounts 2020 10

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL CHELTENHAM

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)

Note

During the year PCC decided that expenditure on minor window repairs could be taken out of the Wolfson grant. £1675 had been spent between 2015 and 2019 and previously paid from the General Account. £511 was spent during 2020. The residue from the grant has therefore reduced from £2445 at the start of the year to £259 at the year end.

The Parochial Church Council of St Paul Cheltenham Annual Report and Accounts 2020

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Independent examine￿3 report to the PCC of St Paul's Cheltenham I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2020. Respectlve responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the p￿paratiOn of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144{21 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility= lo examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act.. lo follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145151{bl of the 2011 Act., and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent examlnefs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commi55ion. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by Ihe charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undèrtaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequenuy no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (11 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements.. to keep accounting records in accordance with seGtion 130 of the 2011 Act., and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and compty with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met", or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be reached Andrew J Ellis FCA 60 London Road, Cheltenham. The P8rochi81 Cl?urch Councilof Sl Poul ClJellenh8m Annual R8POrt antlAccounts 2020.