2022-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Mary & St Ethelburga, Lyminge With St Oswalds, Paddlesworth

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

ME…[Ss] M E ary[&] thelburga, Lyminge Reports For 2022

for the … APCM March 2023

CHURCH WARDENS’ & VERGERS REPORT FOR 2022

The last year has been one of progress within the Elham Valley Benefice. We have established, in conjunction with the other seven churches, a Benefice Committee to assist in coordinating activities, administration and future developments in our quite large and diverse group of churches. The committee, which has no statutory authority but relies on mutual cooperation and agreement between PCCs, has agreed the division of the parish share for the next three years and is now working on the statements of the parishes to be combined into a Benefice Profile for the appointment process for a new incumbent. This process can begin now that Revd Jane, our current incumbent, will resign next month. At current levels of progress I do not foresee us having a new incumbent before next Christmas. Our curate, Deb, continues her excellent work as the only full-time priest in the benefice and we are very grateful to her for all her outstanding work over the past fifteen months or so. As a curate, she is in a training post which, when it expires and she moves on, will not be filled unless we have an incumbent. We must also thank The Reverend Stephen Dougal who has shouldered an immense amount of work for us despite running his business and travelling all over the world to do it. We are lucky to have him.

I must thank our Verger, Bob, for all the maintenance jobs and general duties he has continued to perform so well over the last year; our church would not function as well as it does. Even though his own health has not been perfect he has always been there when needed and we are very fortunate to have him as Verger.

We have maintained our long-held policy of providing a varied mix of services in the parish with one formal sung Communion mid-morning and one said Communion at 8.00am each month, along with a WOW, a Family Praise service and a choral Evensong monthly. This mix of formal and modern services hopefully meets all preferences.

During the year the church has seen 5 Baptisms, one wedding and one blessing of a marriage, 7 funerals and 3 burials of ashes. Also, we held the licensing service for Stephen as Assistant Priest last May and celebrated a special communion service for the late Queen in September.

We held our traditional services at festival times, Easter, Christmas, Harvest and Remembrance, and the ministry team and PCC will continue to try to achieve this.

I thank my fellow Church Warden, Mike Chinneck, for all his work in taking PCC minutes and running the PCC admin so effectively. If anyone would be willing to become the PCC minutes secretary to relieve Mike of that task do let us know.

Both Mike and I thank all those who have helped to run the Church in Lyminge over the past twelve months: PCC members, in particular the Fabric and Finance Team, Sidesmen, Refreshment Team, Cleaning Team, Flower arranging Team, Bellringers, Christians Together members, the tireless Gardening Team and, of course, the lay members who have led and conducted services for us.

We also heartily thank our Organist and Musical Director Anita, the Choir and the Worship Music Group who have all contributed so much to our services this year.

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 1

Derek Smith

We look forward to hearing more about the long-awaited reordering of the back area of the Church.

- FABRIC & FINANCE 2022 2023

The Fabric & Finance Committee is a small group that meets on a regular basis to deal with all the matters concerning the upkeep of our historic church building and the surrounding churchyard.

The overdue Quinquennial (five yearly) Inspection of the Church building was at last carried out in January 2023 but the full results have not yet been received. However, the preliminary indications from the Inspector at the time were that there were no major items that would require immediate attention.

The final approval for the refurbishment of the Nave has been subject to yet further delays but we have been given to understand that our plans have been approved in principle. Once the final signatures have been obtained, work should be able to start within a few weeks and we hope this will commence in the late spring.

Our thanks are due to the ‘Garden Gang’ for their efforts which have helped keep the whole Churchyard area tidy. I would again particularly want to record my grateful thanks to our Verger, Bob Lane, for the time and energy that he has put into the practical work of maintaining the churchyard and the building – despite many difficulties. There are just so many things that would not have been achieved without Bob’s hard work and expertise. I would also like to record our thanks to Norah Chinneck, who has overseen the cleaning and preparation of the church building to make it usable for occasional services and private prayer.

Keeping the church accounts and determining how best to use our resources is a never ending task. We owe a great deal to Lynne Lane for all the work that she has put in with regard to keeping the Church accounts over these 12 months. She has also given the committee wise advice to help us monitor the financial situation – particularly when numerous costs began to escalate.

I do want to express my thanks to all the members of the committee for their fellowship, diligence and encouragement and also to the many in the congregation who have contributed their time and effort to enhancing the ministry of Lyminge Parish Church. May God richly bless you all.

David Staveley. March 2023

TREASURER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER 2022

Total Unrestricted Receipts were £50,030 and Payments £57,563

This loss of £7,533 is not a true reflection of the difference between our income and expenditure.

Included in these figures is a £2,936 deficit for total Benefice expenses that Lyminge pay and that some of the other churches in the Benefice had not repaid as at 31st December.

It also includes £1,052 for Rev Jane Weeks’s expenses in 2021 plus £217 for 2020 which she was unable to claim in the correct year due to her long standing illness. She has only claimed £71 for 2022 as she has not worked at all since the end of January.

This still leaves us with the fact that our incoming receipts are £3,328 less than our outgoing expenses even though (a) the Parish share was reduced this year by £3,572,

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 2

(b) the income from direct debited giving increased by £5,286 and (c) service collections were up by £1,000.

The musical evenings brought in £520 and the Christmas Crib Festival £317. Our thanks go to all those who put in so much time and effort into running these events

This year we had to withdraw £10,000 from our unrestricted investments and £3,000 from our CBF deposit account to support the running expenses of the church

In the past our investments with CBF have been very advantageous with substantial increases in value each year. Unfortunately 2022 suffered a severe dip in investments nationally and our unrestricted investment valuation went down by £25,992.

Every year we reserve 10% of our unrestricted income to give to charities.

This year we only gave a total of £735 because we were not able to meet to allocate our outward giving due to illness.

We did however give £400 to the Pakistan flood appeal, £200 to Folkestone winter shelter, our usual £100 by direct debit to support the education of a child in India and rounded up a special collection that was made one Sunday for the Ukraine appeal.

Total unrestricted investment funds are now valued at £192,163 and our total assets at £209,863

Total Restricted Receipts were £12,082 and Payments £28,905

The Fabric fund received donations of £1,976; tax recovered on this was £256.

We received £4,274 in dividends from our investments and £127 in interest from our deposit accounts. The Kent Churches Bike ride raised £89.

Our Fabric Reserves now stand at £154,436 and we still intend to use this to refurbish the rear of the church to make it a more social and friendly area for informal activities.

We also still have only a ‘temporary’ felt replacement where the lead was stolen from the roof and this will need attention in the not too distant future.

Pathways to the Past, which was set up to raise funds for the archaeological dig and subsequent repairs to the pathways and churchyard, received donations and grants this year of £4,450 and expenditure amounted to £22,713. This project has now been wound up.

If you take Pathways to the Past out of the equation, the Restricted Receipts would have been £7,632 and Payments £6,192 a much healthier outlook for the future.

The flower fund balance carried forward to 2023 is £165.94 and the choir fund £123.83.

We have a total of £23,919 in the Organ/Music funds and £3,794 for Mission & Outreach.

The value of our Fabric Fund investment went down this year by £19,063 and The Organ/Music fund by £2,438.

Total restricted investment funds are now valued at £161,962 and total assets at £182,188

Lynne Lane

SAFEGUARDING

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 3

The Parish Safeguarding policy statement was reviewed and agreed by the PCC on 28th September 2022. The updated Safeguarding poster, signed by Rev Deb Scoble and Derek Smith is now displayed in the church.

During the year the PCC has undertaken further Safeguarding training in completing the Basic Awareness, Foundations and Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse courses on-line. All of the Bell Ringers have completed the course on Basic Awareness which is now a requirement. Kathryn Druery and Gary Colvin have completed the Safer Recruitment module. Anita Jones and Gary have also completed the Leadership training course. However there still remains a few people to complete safeguarding training modules to ensure that we are fully compliant.

Kathryn attended the morning online safeguarding conference on Saturday 21st January. On Thursday 9th March Gary and Kathryn attended the online Parish Safeguarding Officers network meeting.

Gary Colvin – Lyminge Parish Safeguarding Officer Kathryn Druery - Disclosure and Barring Officer

MISSION AND OUTREACH

It was great to hold Music on a Friday again after COVID. The first one being in March 22 with the Folkestone Community Swing Band. This was followed by BBQ Music on a Friday in September and a Christmas Special in December. All events were very well attended and we were able to add some money to the church funds as well as giving to the Alzheimer’s Society and the Ukraine. Our next Music on a Friday is on the 5th May which will be a BBQ to celebrate the coronation.

Angela and Mike Foxon organised a superb Crib display in the run-up to Christmas which was very well supported by many individuals and organisations in the village.

The church is holding a Flower festival in May and we still need more folk to hold an event to help raise funds. Coffee morning, afternoon tea, Quiz, Bingo are just a few suggestions. Please see Andrée if you can help.

Music on a Friday/ Roger and Katherine are holding an afternoon tea at the church on the 22nd April 2pm. With live music, teas, table sale and tombola. Donations for the tombola and for homemade cakes are requested. It is hoped people will invite friends and neighbours, so we can raise a goodly sum for the flowers.

At present Mission and Outreach mainly consists of these social events but it would be good to add some more. We used to have a mission and outreach team who met and discussed ways in which we could reach out to the village and surrounding area. Can we resurrect this for the future?

Katherine and Roger Goody

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 4

FREEWILL OFFERING

The following is a report on the Freewill Offering for the period 1[st] January until 31[st] December 2022.

----- Start of picture text -----
2020 2021 2022
£ £ £
FWO through weekly envelopes not
Gift Aided There was 1 envelopes 290.00 225.10 127.50
throughout the year
Collection plate from all services and
1,2244.00 1,643.82 3,568.26
Box Donations
FWO through weekly envelopes which
have been Gift Aided including one of
695.08 792.00 670.00
gifts – there was 1 envelopes
throughout the year.
FWO through Bankers Order which
has been Gift Aided. In January there 12,741.50 13,859.00 18,219.00
were 19 throughout the year.
FWO through Banker’s Order which
has not been Gift Aided. There are 4 1,372.00 1,260.00 1,260.00
names.
Tax reclaimed for FWO which has
been Gift Aided; not all of which was 3,359.15 3,662.75 4,722.25
received before December 31 [st]
Tax reclaimed through the GASD
scheme; not all of which was received 378.50 467.23 923.44
before December 31st
Donations through CAF – no tax to
2,400.00 2,000.00
reclaim
Total 22,460.23 23,909.90 29,490.45
Gifts made to the Fabric Fund by
Bankers Order and one of donations 776.00 1,006.00 1,886.00
not all of which are Gift Aided.
Tax reclaimed for Fabric Fund
donations which have been Gift Aided:
149.00 144.00 434.00
not all of this was received by 31st
December 2019
Total 925.00 1150.0 2,320.00
----- End of picture text -----

Patricia Hawken

CHOIR

Lyminge Parish Church Choir continues to thrive! We currently have 3 Sopranos, 3 Altos, 3 Tenors and 3 Basses – so we are well balanced.

We rehearse every Friday in term time and sing for three services each month - Evensong, Eucharist and Family Praise. In addition to these services, we also support Benefice services when invited, Flower festivals, Music on a Friday, and other important services that occur in the Church calendar.

Last year, we sang for the Platinum Jubilee and marked the occasion when the Queen died.

We had two social events last year – a summer ‘bring and share’ supper in Katherine and Roger’s lovely garden and a ‘winter meal’ in the local pub.

New members are always welcome to join us!

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 5

Anit3 Jones Combined Reports - APCM 2023 P39e 6

“CHRISTIANS IN LYMINGE”

The committee, which is made up of members from the Methodist Church and the Parish Church, meets to promote activities between the two churches.

On 2nd October the Harvest Festival was held at the Methodist Church and the collection given to a local homeless charity. Harvest gifts of tinned or long-life food was taken to the Rainbow Centre. After the service a Harvest lunch was held in the Tayne Centre.

The Remembrance Service was held at the Parish Church on 13th November following on from the service at the War Memorial. The collection of £137.23 was sent to the Royal British Legion.

A Christmas card was delivered to all houses in Lyminge and Etchinghill and some were also passed on to Rhodes Minis for their use. The cost, which was shared between the two churches, was £106.50.

Each month a list of shared events is advertised in the Lyminge News Letter.

Tricia Hawken

ELHAM DEANERY SYNOD 2022

Background to the Deanery Synod

Deaneries are led by one or more Deans and they must be appointed by the local Bishop. Synods are made up of both Clergy and Lay Representatives. Representatives are elected to serve for three years (triennial) but can be elected for more. The number of Lay Representatives is dependent on Parish Electoral Roles. The Clergy is controlled by their Chapter. The legal powers are held within Canon Law and the Synod Meetings are held to reflect any concerns a Parish or Benefice has. Those concerns, if adopted by the Deanery Synod, would be passed to Diocesan Synod for their consideration and majority vote for General Synod to debate and answer the concerns. Deaneries, as well as Parishes, have legal duties whereas the other layers Benefice and Diocese) do not.

There were 4 Synod Meetings held.

• 21st February. Led by Secretary who introduced Speakers Canon Dr Neville Emslie, Director of Mission and Ministry, who spoke of continuing diversity and the challenges faced by Leaders in the bigger Benefice system; exhaustion, separation and ultimately job satisfaction.

The second Speaker was Michael Keeler-Walker, Head of Peoples Services who introduced himself as Human Resources for Clergy and Lay. He wanted to be the net stopping problems before they became serious. As the Lay Chair had resigned an election was held forming part of the business side of the Synod and Dr Alan French was elected unopposed when the other candidate withdrew.

Attention was drawn to the “Living in Love and Faith” Lent Course that would be virtual (Zoom).

• 5th May. Led by Lay Chair who introduced Rev Barry Knott and Rev Bob Weldon as our joint Area Deans replacing Rev Jane Weeks. The Speaker was Mark Harrison who was a retired Police Officer and now lectured on Church Safety and Security. He said CCTV was proving to be an effective deterrent and should be regularly maintained and updated. Details were given regarding a Deanery Evensong in September.

• 15th September. Led by Area Deans and Lay Chair. Speaker was Rev Seth Cooper who was an Advisor for Rural Affairs. He said most of his role became maintaining pastoral care for local Farmers, workers within Livestock Markets and Smallholders. He had taken over from a part time Chaplain and reported to the Bishop of Dover.

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 7

• 1st December. Led by Area Deans and Lay Chair. Speakers were Dr Jonathon Arnold (Director of Communities and Partnerships) and Teresa Redfern (Diocesan Environmental Officer}. The main subject was eco savings and zero carbon by 2030. Several Members queried these possibilities particularly with the age of our Churches. We needed to get the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee) on our side and Theresa urged any applications should include her input.

Paul Sharman

LYMINGE CHURCH BELLRINGERS

Thankfully the band has survived another year! We have not had any new members join but also none of our members has left.

We have managed to ring for most Sundays (having occasionally needed to cancel due to lack of ringers available). We have rung for any weddings that required bells (sadly there are not very many Lyminge weddings these days).

In May we entered a band for the District Method Ringing Competition and were happy to be placed 4[th] in the Canterbury district.

In June we rang to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of HRH Queen Elizabeth 2[nd] and even learnt a new method “Platinum Jubilee Doubles” that had been suggested by the Central Council specifically for this occasion.

In September the tenor bell was tolled at Lyminge to mark the death of HRH Queen Elizabeth 2[nd] . The bells were then rung, a couple of days later, to celebrate the proclamation of the new king. A couple of weeks after this we rang the bells half-muffled (except for the tenor which was fully muffled) for the Queen’s funeral.

Most Mondays we have managed a ringing practice and the late afternoon time seems to suit most people. Now and again we have needed to cancel due to lack of numbers.

We entered a band for the March 2023 call change competition and the band did well but was not placed in the top 3.

The handbells are still used regularly and any money we raise is sent to the Nepali Children’s Trust. We practice on a regular basis.

As ever we hope that some ready trained bellringers will move into the village and join us! Meanwhile, we hope that this time next year the band will still be managing to provide any required ringing.

Ro Edmond (tower captain)

’ – Curate s Report for APCMs 2023 Elham Valley Group of Churches

As I write this review today, we are just a few weeks from entering the official interregnum, as Rev Jane will be officially retiring from her post as Rector on 17th April. We continue to pray for Jane, Dave and the family, and wish her the very best as she discerns her next steps. Further information about the interregnum – including the appointment process – will be shared with everyone in due course.

One of the outcomes of the news of Jane’s retirement has been the development of a Benefice Committee. It has been a worthwhile endeavour – churchwardens have come together to discuss some of the meatier issues we face as individual parishes within a

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 8

benefice (not the least of which is finance) – and all have benefitted from the chance to share good practice and swap ideas. Being a churchwarden in an interregnum (official or otherwise) can be an onerous task, but we are blessed here with dedicated and committed people, who don’t allow their sense of humour or purpose to be waylaid. Please, continue to pray for them all. Our treasurers have also been involved in parts of these conversations, as well as having their own bespoke session, and I commend them to you also for thanks and prayer. Alongside this, our benefice services are being well-supported – and it’s great to hear different voices at each of them as various members of our church communities are involved.

Alison, our amazing administrator and I have been working on streamlining some of the benefice’s procedures in terms of service organisation (especially with regard to maintaining the enormous amount of paperwork surrounding baptisms, weddings and funerals, and general service rotas) and we will continue to do this. We have (under the direction of our churchwardens) reviewed the Hub newsletter, so that it is fit for the purpose we now require of it. Alison continues to maintain our website and deals with all enquiries that come through online means, as well as fielding phone calls, printing services and generally trying to keep me on top of things. Please pray for her!!!

It’s been a real delight to see the flourishing of our church schools over this past year, with two successful OFSTED inspections and a good SIAMS inspection too. We continue to look for ways to strengthen the links between the church and the schools, and would be keen to hear from anyone who (subject to the appropriate checks) feels they’d like to be involved. My unending thanks to Janet, who alternates with me to deliver Collective Worship each week, and to the team involved in presenting the weekly ‘Open the Book’ with our Methodist friends in Lyminge. Thanks also to the members of our churches who serve as Foundation Governors for the schools.

This time last year, we were learning what a post-Covid church might look like in our benefice, and working out what we could, and could not, do. I’d begun learning how to fulfil the technical requirements of a training curacy post without the benefit of a Training Incumbent, and had embarked on a steep learning curve on how best to support the benefice as we prayed for Rev Jane, exploring how to manage rotas, different services, schools’ work, pastoral conversations and life event services, whilst preparing for ordination to the priesthood and trying to keep on top of my own studies. (I’m still on that learning curve, by the way, but it’s flattening out a bit now!) It was wonderful to have so many representatives from the benefice at my ordination service at the Cathedral back in July, and it is an absolute privilege to be able to celebrate Holy Communion with you.

To end, just some personal stats and figures - since 1st April 2022, I have led

10 schools’ services
42 sessions of Collective Worship in school
12 baptisms
13 funerals or burials of ashes
31 services which were non-eucharistic
1 confirmation course

and, since 2nd July I have also led

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 9

17 BCP Communion services
25 Order 1 Communion services
2 weddings

I have also written 11000 words for official assignments (not including footnotes and appendices) with another 5000 to write (and a presentation to give) before the end of June.

There have, of course, been many other services across the benefice, for which our thanks go to Rev Stephen, Rev Ted, Sharon, Janet and the entire ministry team for their unfailing dedication. Your churchwardens will be able to provide the numbers for each individual parish (and how they compare to previous years) if you’re interested!

The time of interregnum we now face is a liminal space – it sees the ending of one period, without the next being ready to start. Imagine it, if you will, as an airport. It’s not a destination in and of itself (well, unless you’re really into planes, in which case it might be!!) but simply a space through which one must go if you’re to travel on. Like it or loathe it, it’s necessary. Perhaps we can regard this time positively - as a space in which we can learn to listen to each other, to God and to the cry of our own hearts; a space in which to respond to God’s voice speaking to us, before he calls us to board the next flight.

I continue to hold you all in my prayers.

With every blessing

Rev Deb Scoble Assistant Curate – Elham Valley Group of Churches

Combined Reports – APCM 2023

Page 10

Treasurer’s Report for the year ending 31st December 2022

Total Unrestricted Receipts were £50,030 and Payments

£57,563

This loss of £7,533 is not a true reflection of the difference between our income and expenditure.

Included in these figures is a £2,936 deficit for total Benefice expenses that Lyminge paid and that some of the other churches in the Benefice had not repaid as at 31st December.

This still leaves us with the fact that our incoming receipts are £3,328 less than our outgoing expenses even though (a) the Parish share was reduced this year by £3,572, (b) the income from direct debited giving increased by £5,286 and (c) service collections were up by £1,000 .

The musical evenings brought in £520 pounds and the Christmas Crib Festival £317

Our thanks go to all those who put so much time and effort into running these events

Especially to Katherine and Roger Goody and Angela and Mike Foxon

This year we had to withdraw £10,000 from our unrestricted investments and £3,000 from our CBF deposit account to support the running expenses of the church

In the past our investments with CBF have been very advantagious with substantial increases in value each year. Unfortunately 2022 suffered a severe dip in investments nationally and our unrestricted investment valuation went down by £25,992.

Every year we reserve 10% of our unrestricted income to give to charities. This year we only gave a total of £735 because we were not able to meet to allocate our outward giving due mainly to my illness.

Total unrestricted investment funds are now valued at £192,163 and our total assets at £209,863

Total Restricted Receipts were £12,082 and Payments £28,905

The Fabric fund received donations of £1,976 & tax recovered on this was £256 We received £4,274 in dividends from our investments and £127 in interest from our deposit accounts. The Kent Churches Bike ride raised £89

Our Fabric Reserves now stand at £154,436 and we still intend to use this to refurbish the rear of the church to make it a more social and friendly area for informal activities.

We also still have only a ‘temporary’ felt replacement where the lead was stolen from the roof and this will need attention in the not too distant future

Pathways to the Past, which was set up to raise funds for the archeological dig and subsequent repairs to the pathways and churchyard, received donations and grants this year of £4,450 and expenditure amounted to £22,713. This program has now been wound up.

If you take Pathways to the Past out of the equation, the Restricted Receipts would have been £7,632 and Payments £6,192 a much healthier outlook for the future

The flower fund balance carried forward to 2023 is £165.94 and the choir fund £123.83

We have a total of £23,919 in the Organ/Music funds and £3,794 for Mission & Outreach

The value of our Fabric Fund investment went down this year by £19,063 and The Organ/Music fund by £2,438

Total restricted investment funds are now valued at £161,962 and total assets at £182,188

Independent examiner's report to the PCC of St Mary and St Ethelburga, Lyminge This report on the financial statemenis lor the PCC for the ygaT ended 31 December 2022. whi¢h are sei out on pages 1 and 2, in rgspecl ol an examinaiion earried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 20061.the Regulations'l and s.43 of the Charities Aci 19931.ihe Aci'l. Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner As members of ihe PCC you are responsible for the preparation foi the financial statem8nis.' you consider that the audil requirements of the Regulalions and s. 4312101 the Act does noi apply. It is my responsibility lo issue this report on those financial siatements in accordance wilh the terms of the Regulations. Basis of this report My examination was ¢ariied out in accordance wilh the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under S.43171 of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance, 2006 edition. That examination included a review of the accounting records kept by ihe PCC and a comparison of thè accounts with those records. It also included considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations for you ar8 trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undfyrtaken do not provide all lh8 evidence that would be required in an audit. and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examinerfs statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come io my attention.. 111 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance wilh section 41 of tho A¢t.' and to prepare financial statements. which accord with the accounting records and comply with ihe requirement of the Act and the Regulations have not been m81., or 121 to which, in my opinion. att8nlion should be drawn in order to enable a propgr understanding of thg a¢counls lo be reached. Mrs Sapphire Flisher FCCA 4 Fulmar Mews Hawkinge Folkestone Kent CT18 7TE