St Michael’s Church, New Malton
Annual
Report
and
Financial Statements of the
Parochial Church Council
for the year ended 31st December 2020
together with Reports given to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 25 April 2021
Bankers: National Westminster Bank Plc Yorkersgate Malton
Independent Examiner:
Mr A W Richardson
St. Michael’s Church, New Malton
Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2020
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Annual Report | 1- 6 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 6 |
| Clergy and other reports | 7-12 |
| APPENDIX | |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 1 |
| Balance Sheet at 31 December 2020 | 2 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 3-4 |
St Michael’s Church – Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2020
Administrative Information
St Michael’s Church is situated in the Market Place, Malton. It is part of the Diocese of York within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 17 The Mount, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7ND
PCC members who have served from 1 January 2020 until the date of this report was approved on 10 March 2021 are:
Vicar The Revd Glyn Diggins Wardens Mr Alan Young Mrs Constance Clark (Lay chair) Representatives on the Deanery Synod Mr David White until 15 November Mrs Patricia Atkinson until 15 November Mrs Margaret Clark until 15 November Mrs Susannah Clark from 15 November Mrs Tracey Young from 15 November Elected members Mrs Tracey Young until 15 November Mrs Heather Williams Mrs Sue Wright Mr John Morris (Treasurer) Mrs Anne Screeton Mrs Samantha Free Mr Robert Hall from 15 November Mrs Elaine Ramsey from 15 November Mr Barry Gillespie from 15 November Mrs Janet Patten from 15 November Mr Hendrik Klaver co-opted November 2019
Secretary Mrs Helen Shaw
Structure, governance and management
The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission as “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Michael New Malton”.
The charity number is: 1130648
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
The objective of the PCC is to work alongside the clergy in promoting the mission of the church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. All the activities of the parish noted elsewhere in this report are in furtherance of that primary objective.
The underlying pattern of services remains broadly the same as that in 2019, albeit that for extended periods these have had to be suspended due to Covid-19 restrictions. Throughout, however, we have maintained the main Sunday Service of Parish Communion, whether a congregation has been present or not. During the times the place has been closed to worshippers we initially provided access online to recordings by the choir and of readings and the sermon for the Sunday service. However very shortly afterwards the service was streamed live, with the celebrant (Glyn or Simon) hosting from their homes with church members recording the readings and intercessions and the music for the hymns to be played in at the appropriate time. This was accessible by those with computers or tablets. After a while it was possible for those without these devices to listen in by phone. As soon as we could, we streamed the service from church.
When permitted, the Wednesday Holy Communion service has taken place in church. All other opportunities to worship have moved online and will remain so for the foreseeable future. At time of writing, this comprises Morning Prayer every morning at 09.00 and Evening Prayer on Tuesdays at 19.15.
In the last report it was mentioned that there had been increasing pressure to review services as the demographic of the congregation changes as we welcome an increasing number of young families to our flock. Some changes were about to be trialled at the Sunday Holy Communion service when the pandemic intervened. It is important that these are taken forward as soon as normal service resumes.
Achievements and Performance
The Church Electoral Roll was fully updated during 2019. There were 105 members on the Roll at the end of 2020 comprising 82 people living within the parish and 23 outside our parish boundaries.
The total number of communicants over Christmas was 41 and the total attendance at all services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was in person 49, on Zoom 85.
Review of the Year ended 31[st] December 2020
It goes without saying that the year has been dominated by the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is difficult to recall what things were like before we were required to close the church building completely on 26 March at the start of the first lockdown. In fact, the last Sunday service the congregation could attend was an Area Deanery event at St. Peter’s in Norton on 15 March to mark the end of the “Come and See” weekend.
Lockdown One:
The instructions received for the first lockdown were severe, to the extent that no one was permitted to enter the building other than in exceptional circumstances.
Of course, the church is not merely a building. It is the people. However, given we could no longer meet in person in church or even in our homes, it was seen as important to find other ways to keep in touch with one another. We quickly reviewed our list of church members. We added to it any others known to us and associated with the church. We ensured it was up to date with email addresses etc. Special note was made of the more vulnerable on the list and contact made with them. All received details of who to contact during the lockdown if help was needed. It was immediately decided to retain the Weekly Sheet and distribute this principally by email (the Church of England advised against posting items, although we did breach this guidance to ensure we kept in contact with most people).
Streaming of Services :
One of the most remarkable outcomes of the Covid-19 restrictions has been the use made of electronic means to remain in contact. This has been no different for the Church and for us at St. Michael’s. As stated earlier we soon moved our main Sunday service online, initially by emailing out readings, music and other parts of the service, but quickly moving to streaming the whole service “live” from the celebrant’s home. Morning Prayer was moved online as well. Of course, not everyone is able to join us in this way. It is possible to listen on the phone, and several make use of this facility. However we have tried to maintain some form of meaningful
contact with all members of the congregation (and beyond) even if they are not with us online. Bible Adventure Bags :
Several members of the congregation have been working with our 20-40 Minister in the filling and distribution of Bible Activity Bags every month as the year has progressed. These are aimed at keeping in contact with families with young children, providing them with Bible related activities to fill their time (a sort of virtual Messy Church – but we’re not cleaning up the mess afterwards). These seem to be growing in popularity as each month passes and may well continue after the Covid restrictions are lifted.
Summer Reopening :
In the summer, restrictions were lifted on 15 June to the extent that it was permitted to reopen the building for private prayer and for services from 4 July. However, we were unable to do this as contractors were in the place repairing the heating system (see Fabric Report below). We eventually reopened for visitors on 22 July and the first service with a congregation was held the following Sunday, 26 July. We had, however, been able to access the church prior to that to enable us to stream the Sunday service from the building for a couple of weeks. While services had been resumed in church, the decision was taken to continue streaming the Sunday service for those who preferred to remain at home and we will continue to do this for the foreseeable future. Morning Prayer has remained entirely online as well.
Reopening followed the removal from the nave of all but essential items to reduce the risk of virus transmission, in line with guidance received, and a thorough clean of the building by Joanne our cleaner and an army of volunteers to whom thanks are due. Precautions and protocols were introduced following the completion of the appropriate risk assessment provided by the Church of England and shared with the PCC.
One strange consequence of our delay beyond 4 July in reintroducing Sunday services at St. Michael’s was that we could have technically been in breach of Canon Law! The Diocese advised us that the legislation passed in Westminster that introduced the lockdown in March included the disapplication of the Canon Law requirement for us to hold a service every Sunday. This lapsed on 4 July with the lifting of the Government restrictions on holding services of worship. Anyway, we had to pass a PCC minute to get over this problem, which we duly did.
Virtually all social and fund raising events have been cancelled during the year including Coffee Stops, Table Top Sales, Benefice lunches
(although one was held in August) and Christmas Lunch. Let us hope that later in 2021 we can again start meeting in this way.
We have tried to maintain the momentum of the monthly All Age Service. Thanks go to Janet Patten and her team for this. Those that have taken place in church see an increasing number of families with young children, a trend that hopefully will continue as and when things return to normal.
New Director of Music :
A number of other things have either been cancelled or postponed as a result of the Coronavirus epidemic. Foremost among these is the appointment of a new Director of Music. This had been planned to take place shortly after Easter to allow Janet Patten to retire at the end of July after 37 years sterling service. In the meantime Janet agreed to continue. While she has not seen out her last few months in the job in a way she could ever have imagined, our immense gratitude goes to her in the way that she has adapted and found ways to allow us to be able to continue to enjoy music with our worship throughout the lockdown and beyond. Hopefully later in 2021 we can join together in a celebration of Janet’s contribution to St. Michael’s, another event we have had to postpone from 2020.
Eventually we were able to hold interviews for the post in October. Alison Forster was appointed to the job and started with us on 1 November and immediately was confronted, as we all were, with the implications of a further national lockdown. It was not until later in December that she was able to meet and hear the choir in person for the first time!
Lockdown Two and reopening for Christmas :
The second lockdown saw the suspension of services in church, although we were able to remain open for visitors, which we did. We were able to hold services again four weeks’ later, in time for us to consider what to do for Christmas. We had already cancelled our annual main fund raising event (the Christmas Fayre). This was replaced by a “virtual” event where people were encouraged to donate what they might have spent at the Fayre (or contributing things for it). Amazingly, this resulted in an outcome which was only a few hundred pounds less than that achieved at the actual thing the previous year (and with a lot less effort!). That said, I think we all missed the fellowship of queuing for the tombola and guessing the weight of Eileen’s cake (among other things).
It was decided to maintain the usual pattern of services over Christmas. However, the two services that see numbers in excess of the
capacity of the building in usual times, let alone that required for social distancing, were moved entirely online. These were the Carol Service and Christmas Eve Crib/Christingle service. In the case of the Carol Service, there was the added complication of the space taken by the augmented choir. The risk assessment for singers during Covid requires enhanced distancing. Hence the choir could only be accommodated in the body of the church, rendering virtually no space for any congregation. It was felt that children and families would better enjoy and participate at home for the Christingle. Both events proved immensely popular with those at home. A great deal of work went into both services, but particular thanks must go to Alison, our new Director of Music, for the Carol Service. This was among her first tasks in joining us, and was achieved with just four or five rehearsals, two of which were online and with people she had yet to meet in person!
Lockdown Three :
As the year closed, the Government announced a further lockdown of activities. On this occasion, however, there is no requirement for places of worship to close or for services to be suspended. However, it was quite clear that the situation with the virus was considerably worse than even in the first lockdown. So the decision was taken at the start of the year to suspend services, but that the building remain open for visitors and private prayer. The Sunday service continues to be streamed from church with the minimum number of people present (four or five).
Looking Ahead :
Of course, it is important that the efforts taken to stay on top of things in respect of the virus does not detract from our wider mission. To this end, the PCC was able to meet in person a couple of times in the autumn, including for a special meeting in October. Here we discussed our objectives for the next few years and alighted on the following three:-
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Improving the flexibility of the building in order for us to better capitalise on our “Church in the Market Place” position
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Pastoral Care
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Prayer and Bible Study.
Let us hope and pray that as life returns to more like normal, we can actively turn to these and move forward in 2021.
The year has been the most difficult in living memory on account of Covid-19 and for long periods of time worshipping in church has been impossible, not to say banned. The PCC met in church in January and March but the May and July meetings could not be held. By September, the PCC was able to meet in church again but, following another lock-down in November, the November and December meetings were held successfully on Zoom. The December meeting is usually a short business meeting followed by a bring and share social gathering, but there was none of that this year. Every social and fund raising event that was planned for 2020, as well as bookings by third parties for concerts, had to be cancelled, including, very reluctantly, the annual Christmas Fayre in the Milton Rooms. The APCM, due to be held in April, was postponed and held on Zoom in November.
An extraordinary meeting was held in church in early February to discuss essential heating system repairs, following the discovery of leaking Victorian cast iron pipes running under the floor across the eastern end of the nave. Against the odds, contractors were eventually able to come in and lift paving slabs, renew the leaking pipes and make good. Thanks are due to R&R and Pickups for a smooth running project and also to Jason Othick who removed asbestos from the boiler house to ensure a safe working environment for our contractors. Other works carried out during the year included the cleaning out of all the gutters and parapets around church, repairs to entrance doors and fencing and the refurbishment of some of our silverware.
Following a deep clean and the necessary risk assessments, St Michael’s was ready to reopen for public worship on Sunday 26[th] July. The PCC determined that, even though we could welcome the congregation back into church, the Parish Communion service would still be broadcast on Zoom. Attendees were very co-operative of the new regime of face coverings, hand sanitiser and leaving contact details, with every other pew roped off to maintain social distancing, and only the wafer for Communion.
The PCC held a supplementary meeting in church in October to discuss the way forward and a number of new initiatives were discussed. The second wave of Covid has meant that none of these ideas have yet been implemented. Changes have been made to the pattern of services and Morning Prayer began to be held on Zoom every morning. Later on, Evening Prayer was also broadcast on Zoom on Tuesday
Connie Clark Alan Young
Annual Report on PCC 2020
evenings. The All Age Parish Communion service continues to be held on the first Sunday of the month. Our annual Crib & Christingle service was held online only and parishioners helped to deliver the Make-Your-Own Christingle kit bags. Our new Director of Music was faced with holding her first Carols by Candlelight service online. A socially distanced choir occupied the pews and the congregation watched from home. It was a resounding success. Another resounding success was churchwarden Alan’s idea of a Virtual Christmas Fayre. The idea being that people were invited to donate what they would have spent at the Christmas Fayre, if it could have been held. There was a very healthy response and the sum generated for church funds was only marginally less than usual.
We have carried on with exchanging observers with the Methodist church at our PCC meetings. Three members of the PCC completed their terms of office and stepped down at the APCM in November: Trish Atkinson, David White and Margaret Clark. Five new members joined and were welcomed: Susannah Clark, Robert Hall, Janet Patten, Barry Gillespie and Elaine Ramsey. Hendrik Klaver has attended meetings throughout the year to update the PCC on his activities as our Associate Minister for the 20-40s age group.
Several charities benefitted from our severely limited opportunities for fundraising over the year, including Christian Aid, The Children’s Society, Ryedale Food Bank, Samaritan’s Purse and Ryedale Special Families. At the start of the year, a donation was made to a fund set up and administered by the Diocese of Melbourne, to assist victims of the Australian bush fires that raged in late 2019.
carrying water to/from the radiators and the boiler in the church office. Once the work was started it became obvious that a boiler house re-pipe was needed to complete the installation. This further work meant that the project was not completed until middle of July. Our thanks to Pickups and R&R for their excellent work. The heating is now very effective in church.
Further , Once the flags had been lifted, the opportunity was taken for a conduit to be laid across the chancel step in order to facilitate future use of electronic equipment.
- Church Notice Board
The Church Noticeboard was out of date in the fact that it mentioned Morning Prayer which is no longer applicable.
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Church Lighting
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We continued to experiment with stronger lights in church. Through trial and error we have now reached a compromise using the brighter bulbs where they do not cause discomfort. John Waind, the electrician, has been asked to quote for two spotlights to illuminate music/singers on the chancel step. Lockdowns have delayed this request.
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Outside Fencing
Our thanks go to Simon Wright and Maurice Walker for replacing rotten fence posts and making good the chain links on the north side. A great job was done which enhances the care of our church property.
- Guttering
In summary, a very testing year in which everyone did their best to hold the congregation together.
Helen Shaw Fabric Report 2020
This has been a very different year, in that the country has been in lockdown for the greater part of it. What follows is a brief report on what we have been able to achieve by way of maintenance of building, grounds and fabric.
- Church Heating
After a postponement in March, major works were undertaken to replace a corroded water pipe across the nave
We have now established a biannual cleaning of both high and low level guttering.
- Silver Ware
As church services and numbers attending were restricted, the opportunity was taken to have a damaged chalice and paten repaired.
- Clerestory Windows
Architect Andrew Boyce on a site visit had made us aware of damage to the plasterwork surrounding the clerestory windows. Repair work has now been commissioned a special thank you to Helen Shaw for facilitating this.
- Church Office
A new printer and a new telephone system have been installed.
- Vicar’s Vestry
A cause for the smell of damp in the cupboards has not been found.
- Church Linen
An ongoing inspection and sorting through of linen is continuing, with substandard items being discarded. Thanks to Sue Wright for her help in this and for also ensuring altar cloths are fit for purpose.
- Terrier
It has not been possible to carry out an annual inventory of movable objects in church, as a lot of it not accessible. A note to this effect will be lodged in the register.
Local townspeople and occasional visitors have appreciated the church remaining open for private prayer whenever the regulations have allowed this.
Thank you to all those who help to keep the church looking clean and tidy and adhering to the extra hygiene protocols now in place. Thanks too to all those who care so beautifully for all the linen and the flower arrangers for the ongoing flower displays. Connie Clark Alan Young
Treasurer’s Report
In an exceptional year you will not be surprised to read that there was a deficit in 2020 on our day to day activity (Unrestricted Funds) of £1,622. The surprise was that the deficit was not larger given that the PCC also maintained its Free Will Offering (FWO) to the Diocese of £41,240. The Virtual Christmas Fayre at the end of the year provided a welcome boost.
Inevitably many comparisons with 2019, in numerical terms at least, were rendered somewhat meaningless but you can see the impact that the reduction in services in church and in the number of events held, had on our income from collections, tax recovered and fund raising. This in turn reduced the
amounts that would normally have been given to charity.
Having said that historically speaking 2020 was an exceptional year, 2021 promises to be at least as challenging and the PCC will keep under review its FWO and other commitments.
Thank you to those who support the church through the planned giving scheme: it is particularly important when other sources of income are absent and represented 74% of our income in 2020 (including any tax recovered on Gift Aid where appropriate).
The only major repair (from Restricted Funds) of 2020 was the fixing of the leaks in the central heating system which was completed at a net cost of £16,553 [ie once the VAT had been recovered].
John Morris, 22[nd] January 2021
APPENDIX 1 Accounts
Independent examiner’s report to the PCC of St Michael, New Malton
This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ending 31 December 2020 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (‘The Regulations’) and section 43 of the Charities Act 1993 (‘The Act’)
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:
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❖ which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and to prepare financial statements, which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and Regulations have not been met; or
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❖ To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts be reached.
Mr A W Richardson,
White & Hoggard, Wheelgate Malton 7[th] April 2021
The Vicar’s Report
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. (Romans 8:28)
I think we’d all agree that 2020 was an incredibly testing year. At the time of writing this report over 4 million people have been tested positive for COVID resulting in excess of 122,000 deaths. Our economy is struggling (to say the least) with approximately 1.75 million people being registered unemployed. Families have been separated for over 12 months, the lonely have felt even more isolated, the NHS has been stretched to breaking point and our education system has been bolstered by parents having to juggle home working with home schooling.
Looked at in isolation, the above would be enough to drive anybody “to take a quick walk off a tall cliff” and that is definitely the picture the media likes to paint, however, as people of God, we have a more eternal perspective and we know that our hope is grounded in our Lord Jesus Christ. God will work all situations to our good and He is the master of New Beginnings.
I am reminded of The Valley of Dry Bones, as described in Ezekiel 37. As the prophet was surrounded by death and lifelessness, God commanded him to prophesy over the scene and as he did so; there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them, but there was no breath in them. Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy once more (to breathe God’s Holy Spirit over them) and as he did; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.
I believe with all my heart that God is going to do a “new thing” in this nation and as a result, we will witness new life from the devastation which will produce a “vast army” of God’s people.
Talking of a “vast army”, I was listening to a fascinating interview with Brigadier John Clark (Connie’s son) who is now Head of Strategy for the British Army. In the interview he explained the
changes that the Army will need to undergo, in order to be “fit” to meet the defence needs of the 21st Century. During the discussion he explained that one of the biggest risks the Army faces is trying to address 21st Century needs through a lens and structure of a 20th Century Army.
I think there are real parallels between what John was outlining and the changes necessary in the Church of England.
2021 has seen the start of a full Strategic Review of Ministry Needs and Resources throughout the Church of England, with a year long Consultation Process within the York Diocese. Bishops and Archdeacons have already started conversations with Deanery Leadership Teams, which will permeate to Benefices and individual parishes as time goes by. It is envisioned that within the next 5 years, updated structures, methods and procedures will have been put in place, which will enable a Christian Presence In Every Community, while taking into account changing needs, resources and methods.
York Diocese is adamant that the review will result in changes that have been discussed, identified and resolved on a Deanery (Benefice and Parish) level, which take into account local complexities and nuances.
I think it’s fair to say that the model of a dedicated Parish Priest in every location is no longer sustainable and we, as the people of God, will need to decide how best we can resource the Mission of God in our local communities.
As you all know, I’m a huge advocate of Every Member Ministry, as opposed to Everything Is Down to The Vicar. It is my view (and that of the Early Church) that the Victorian Model of Parish Ministry has in fact hindered God’s people from identifying their own gifting and stepping into the Calling that God has place on their lives.
I’m pleased (actually delighted) to observe that the above approach is not one that I witness at St. Michael’s. In fact, the breadth and number of people (more are always welcome) who are involved in church life, taking initiative and “cracking on” with things is heartening.
This past year has placed a spotlight on people who have “stepped up to the plate” and shown real “grit” and I would like to commend and thank them for their service to The Kingdom. Please note that my
list is by no means exhaustive and I’m sure there are more people to thank, but I only have so much space for my report (the order I have placed them is by no means indicative of their level of importance):
Streaming of Services
Under John Patten’s leadership, the Technical Team (inc. Alan Young and Andrew Slack) have researched, experimented and implemented a state-of-the-art video streaming capability that will serve us well into the future. Not only have they enabled us to stay together as a Worshipping community from the very beginning of the COVID crisis, but we now have a permanent system that will enable us to stream further services, weddings and funerals. None of this was planned before the crisis hit. A great example of a “good” thing out of a “bad” situation.
Repair of Leaking Pipes
You may or may not be aware that we have had a leaking pipe at the front of church for some time, resulting in slow but gradual structural damage. The first Lockdown gave us a gift of a “window” to shut church and allow the necessary work to take place. The repairs have now been completed resulting in a heating system that is now much more effective and can be “zoned” into three distinct areas, as opposed to heating the entire building whenever one area needed warming up.
Pew Sheet
I would like to thank Helen Shaw and Alison Hardwick for their diligent work in keeping the Pew Sheet “hot off the press” every week. It has been an enormous task for Helen to produce the sheet, edit the content and send the resulting documents out to each of the Zoomers on a Sunday. Many thanks to you both.
Wardens
Connie Clark and Alan Young have both done a sterling job throughout the year. Their joint contribution is so extensive that I would struggle to list everything they have done and continue to do. Their initiative, ability and commitment is nothing short of breathtaking. Thank you both so much and no…you can’t retire yet. Helen Shaw has also been instrumental in a number of “structural” initiatives and we are blessed to have her expertise in relation to our building.
and I would like to thank Janet Patten for her leadership of this team.
Musical Director
We said goodbye to Janet Patten as Musical Director. She has faithfully served St. Michael’s in this role for close to 40 years. Lockdown prevented us from celebrating Janet’s ministry in a correct way, but, this will be resolved as soon as possible after restrictions are lifted. Subsequently we were fortunate to secure Alison Forster as our new Musical Director. What you may not realise is that we had started the recruitment process prior to COVID, but the process was “stalled” once the first Lockdown hit. During this time, it was announced that The Minster School would close, where Alison was Head of Music. This meant that once we restarted recruitment, Alison was now in a position to apply. Without COVID, it is unlikely that we would have secured Alison’s services. “Good’ out of “bad”.
As I finish this report, there truly is “light at the end of the tunnel” and before too long I hope that things will start getting back to “normal”.
The past 12 months have achieved some other positives worth mentioning:
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We’ve been forced to slow down and reflect on what’s really important to us.
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We have learnt a new found respect for our relationships; with God, others and ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s really only relationships that matter.
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We’ve discovered new and innovative ways of “being church”, which will ensure we are well placed for what the future brings. Perhaps you really can “teach old dogs new tricks”.
Yes the last 12 months have been tough but as a church I believe we have weathered the storm well and I for one feel really positive for the future. Yes I admit it will be different from what we’re used to, but a bright future none the less.
After all; “If God is for us, who can be against us”.
All Age Worship
The All Age Worship Team has continued to deliver engaging services on the first Sunday of every month
Every Blessing in Christ
Revd. Glyn
Prayer
2020 has been a very strange year! Early in January we were informed that a corona virus was threatening us all and we were to be vigilant by keeping our hands sanitised every time we went out. Life went on much the same as normal and church remained open until our last service on 8 March when we were told we should no longer meet together. From 24 March we were in Lockdown and the church was closed completely! This continued until mid June when the church was able to be open again but only for private prayer until our first service on 26 July. We were able to continue meeting in church, wearing face masks, sitting socially distanced and not being able to sing until another complete Lockdown that began again on 6 January 2021.
Morning Prayer was held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. in the Lady Chapel but as the lockdown took over it was started on Zoom seven days a week and continues up to the time of writing this (January 2021). It is attended by members of St Michaels congregation and people from a distance, currently there are usually ten to twelve people who join in. Evening prayer takes place on Zoom each Tuesday evening. The 9.30 Sunday service has been on Zoom since mid May and is continuing for the foreseeable future.
We are no longer permitted to have books on the prayer table because of the risk of passing on infection but the prayer posters are able to be displayed on the two screens on the prayer table and in front of the Lady Chapel which are kept up to date reflecting the changing seasons in the churches calendar.
It has been a hard time for us all especially those in the congregation who have had to stay at home because of underlying health problems, but we have continued to be a prayerful church upholding all these people in our prayers either virtually or when we have been able to meet together.
Trish Atkinson
St Michael's Church Choir - Report for January to October 2020
This really is my final report as Director of Music. I retired from the post at the end of October 2020. I played my last service as DOM on 1[st] November.
The year began normally with the choir singing at the Parish Communion services. We had just got into the Lent music, and planning for Passiontide and Easter was underway when Covid struck, or rather the lockdown started. Mothering Sunday was the first service with no one in church. Fortunately we were able to get one choir practice in before total lockdown. We recorded the choir singing all the music for Mothering Sunday and Passion Sunday. The recorded music and pew sheets were then made available to all members of the congregation who had access to the internet. For the next four weeks John and I went to church every Sunday morning to record a couple of hymns on the organ so that air continued to be blown through the pipes regularly. The other hymns for each Sunday were recorded at home on the piano. All the recorded hymns and the words were made available on-line.
The 26[th] April was a big turning point when the Parish Communion service was zoomed live from home by the vicar, but still using recorded hymns and readings.
July 26[th] was the next big event when the congregation came back into church. For the next 3 months I played the hymns in church and the service continued to be zoomed for those who preferred to stay at home where they could join in with the singing!
Choir members have met every Thursday evening, first on skype and then on zoom, to sing through favourite hymns and anthems. For the first few weeks they also met on Sunday mornings to sing what they would have sung had we been in church. From June onwards, a few choir members became a 'virtual' choir by recording themselves at home to piano recordings of hymns and anthems. These recordings were used during the services, mostly for the communion hymns but also a few others. On the last Thursdays of August, September and October members of the congregation were invited to join us for a Hymn Singalong.
We were still able to hold our annual Choral Evensong with the West Buckrose choir which was broadcast on zoom on 26[th] July. All the music was recorded at home by singers from both choirs accompanied by either myself or Moira Gray. The service was led by their vicar.
A few choir members were able to sing in church for the first time for a wedding on 24[th] October. We had to work out the best arrangement for the singers and found we could have a maximum of 8 in the chancel suitably spaced out.
practice!
I felt it was very important during this time to keep the choir going by meeting regularly and singing favourite hymns and anthems and also learning some new music. The virtual choir benefitted from the challenge of recording themselves to be mixed together by John P. The results were quite impressive and I was told that for the 'cong at home' it was much easier to sing along if they could hear others singing. Thank you choir for all your hard work, meeting these new challenges.
Reflections on the past 37 years as DOM at St Michael’s.
There are not many folk who will remember a time when I wasn’t in charge of the music at St Michael's! I started in November 1983 and learnt ’on the job’! Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years. We have had some memorable services including performances of the Fauré Requiem every other year, Carol Services when the church had standing room only, joint services with West Buckrose choir and St Mary’s choir. We’ve been to RSCM singing days and learnt new repertoire. Choir members have worked for their RSCM medals and we’ve attended the services in various cathedrals when they have been presented.
I have worked with 6 vicars. The first was Ron Treasure to whom I am very grateful for having faith and trusting that I could do the work in spite of not being a ‘proper’ organist. Roger Pope was another help in guiding me in the ways of the choir. The RSCM helped with courses for Reluctant Organists and Choir Directors, which built on the training I had at music college.
In the early years I had two young assistants, first Anthony Wilson and then later, Bernard West. They have both gone on to become organists and choir directors elsewhere.
The number of singers has developed and changed over the years. We have had children and young people up to fairly recently and an instrumental group ran for about 10 years playing for family services. The choir has always been like a family who care about and support each other. I have always been very grateful to our ‘augmented’ choir members who come along when they can and especially for the Carol Services.
Over the years I have had the help of many other organists who played when I was away, their help has been very much appreciated.
I am going to miss playing for the regular ‘bread and butter’ part of the job which is the weekly Parish Communion service, and the camaraderie of choir
I wish Alison all the best as she takes over from me and I am sure she will enjoy the kind of support and friendship that I have had for the past 37 years! Janet Patten,
Director of Music (1[st] Nov 1983-1[st] Nov 2020)
Report for St. Michael’s Church Choir November 2020 – January 2021
Due to Lockdowns Two and Three, the Choir of St. Michael’s Church have had an unusual November, December and January; as have all church choirs. Having been appointed Director of Music for St. Michael’s Church in the Autumn, the Choir only met me in person in the middle of December!
Most rehearsals have taken place over Zoom and much service music has had to be pre-recorded by Ceri, Heather, John P and Alan. My heartfelt thanks to them for ensuring that there was choral music at each Sunday service, regardless of Covid restrictions. Special thanks should go to John P for his advice, and his ability to mix and produce the individual voices and accompaniment.
We were all delighted to sing together live from Advent II through to Christmas II though, with Boris Ord’s Adam Lay Ybounden and Rutter’s Nativity Carol sung in Advent.
Although the traditional Carol Service had no live congregation, the occasion still had a magical awe to it. The choir were all very keen to make the occasion as successful as possible: a feat that was even more impressive considering we had only had two live rehearsals prior to the service! Ian Little was unable to play for the service, due to needing to self-isolate. Fortunately, William Dove, organist at Ampleforth School, was able to step into the breach at short notice. My thanks to him. A former chorister of York Minster, Jamie Vicary, also joined the choir for the service, singing the 1[st] verse of Once in Royal with utter musicality and accuracy. Since then, I am delighted to announce that young Jamie has just been awarded a Music Scholarship to Bootham School in York.
Throughout the Christmas season, the Choir has sung a range of music, some known, some unfamiliar. Darke’s In the Bleak mid-winter and Torches by Joubert, were coupled with Gardner’s rhythmically exciting Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day and Chilcott’s dance-like arrangement of In Dulci
Jubilo. New anthems were also introduced for the season of Epiphany. My thanks to Ceri, Sarah and Alan for their solo work during the season.
As I write, the choir has now started the repertoire for Lent. Hopefully, we shall be allowed to sing live again by Easter. Whatever lies ahead though, I would refer the choir and congregation to the last lines of the hymn Ye Holy Angels Bright :
“Let all thy days ‘til life shall end, what’er He send, be filled with praise.”
Alison Forster
Director of Music 31/1/2021.
Safeguarding update
A review of the Parish Safeguarding Policy was completed earlier in the year and our policy was found to be up to date.
Four new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were completed, and certificates obtained, and others have been renewed as necessary by our Parish Verifier, Sue Wright. For information, all members of the PCC must have a DBS at enhanced level, as well as all church members who are involved in children’s work.
Due to the COVID-19 situation over this past year, most of the Diocesan training was put on hold, though a small amount has recently moved online. These changes have meant that fewer training modules have been completed this year than usual. As the Parish Safeguarding Representative, I have one further training module to complete, and am hoping to attend this later in the year. Sue Wright has previously attended courses in safeguarding and safer recruitment.
The members of the PCC are working their way through the online training modules offered by the Church of England, to enable as many people as possible to be fully aware of the needs and safety of children and vulnerable adults. If anyone else would like to complete these, please let me know and I will provide further information.
Samantha Free
All Age Worship
The new pattern of All Age Worship began in July 2019 following discussions during the Lent Course that year. They are held on the first Sunday of each month.
In 2020 we had three services before lockdown, for Epiphany, Candlemas and Lent. Sadly, Mothering Sunday was the first Sunday that the church did not have a service. The booklets had been printed and the bunches of daffodils were ready, so both were left at the back of church for people to take home. The hymns had been recorded by the choir and made available via the internet, so that the service could be read and the hymns sung at home for all who wanted to do so. There was a gap in All Age services until we decided to start again in September, followed by October (Harvest Festival), November (All Saints), and December (Advent 2). The service is a shortened from of Parish Communion. The team who plan it, meet to decide on the content, who will do the readings and intercessions, and to have ideas for activities related to the theme, for the children to do during the service. At first, activities were provided for the children to do sitting at a table in front of the pulpit. This was not possible for the final four services of the year, so children attending the service were given activity bags to do in their family group. For the talk, the children were encouraged to sit on kneelers at the front of the nave. From time to time, the young people take part in the reading and intercessions.
Each service has a separate booklet so that we can have variations in the liturgy for the different seasons, and readings and hymns can be included where appropriate. Details of forthcoming events for families and children can be listed when they are happening.
As a team we have been very encouraged by the positive responses we have had for this service, and by the number of young families who now attend and take part.
Thank you to the AAW planning team who have worked hard to make it happen each month, especially during the latter part of the year. Janet Patten
Children’s work – Growing Faithful Families
“New ideas are beginning to grow wings and with our prayers and support who knows what we will be reporting on next year—well...God does of course!”
These were the words that ended my report, written in March last year, on our work with children and young families, and yes, who knew what the last year was about to bring!
Due to the Government restriction that have continued throughout the last year, there was no point at which we were able to meet for our usual activities such as Messy Church, Tot’s Church and activities we would normally arrange around festivals or social occasions. As the initial impact of restrictions began to sink in, we quickly realised that to maintain contact with families at a ‘social distance’ was a priority requiring lots of creative thinking.
appreciated by all.
As we have entered 2021, the Bible Adventure bags have continued and families have been involved actively in our virtual All Age worship.
As we emerge slowly from ‘lockdown’ we must now give careful and timely thought to how we take forward our mission and nurture the roots and shoots that have grown during the past very strange year. We can reflect on what worked well in ‘precovid’ times, but also reflect on the mission that the pandemic forced us to explore. The best of each will take us forward into new ways of touching young families within our community with God’s love.
Tracey Young
Report 20s to 40s minister
As Mothering Sunday and then Easter passed, a small team began to explore supporting, encouraging and getting alongside families by providing a variety of active and prayerful activities in a bag to be taken out to family homes monthly. And thus the Bible Adventure Bags were born and have proved to be an invaluable way to maintain and develop relationships and contact with a growing number of families in our parish and beyond.
As levels of restriction came and went, we were happy to welcome families back to our All Age services in the autumn and kept up communication with them to ensure they were comfortable and safe within a new way of meeting together.
Hopes and plans to celebrate Christmas together with families rose and fell according to the rates of the r-number. When gathering together en masse, other than virtually, became impossible, we were able to embrace ‘zoom’ for our Christingle service. A small group of helpers ensured that all at church, young and old, were offered the opportunity to receive a ‘Christingle in a Bag’, complete with an orange, candle, sweets, activities and zoom joining instructions. It was a joyous service, attended by several nativity characters and those that had already eaten their sweets and was much
During the first few months of 2019 I was still in the listening stage of the Multiply project where I was not expected to “do” much but was there to focus on listening and asking many questions in order to hear and see what God is doing and how we can start to grow something new. To this end I was drinking lots of coffee with lots of different people to ask questions to gain a better understanding of the area, a better understanding the 20’s to 40’s in the area and to start to gain a better understanding of the role of Churches in the towns Malton and Norton.
Listening to what people had to say, the dream emerged to see small groups of 20’s to 40’s develop in the neighbourhood they live in (encouraging discipleship and mission to become practical at this level) whilst at the same seeking to create a sense of a movement with others across Malton and Norton. Working with the name “OMG”, we’d like to see people discovering God in the mess and in the glory of their everyday lives and sharing his love across Malton and Norton. This sense of movement becomes visible online and when we gather people from across Malton and Norton. We seek to develop in such a way that almost all we do is replicable and
can be a blessing beyond Malton and Norton, encouraging a ripple on effect in Ryedale.
As our aim is to not just engage the 20’s to 40’s the Church already connects with but to reach out beyond the 20’s and 40’s we are already in contact with. Therefore I seek to be present in spaces where relationships can be formed and where there is space to start to connect with people’s spirituality. The Pop-up Café (every other week at St Peter’s Church Hall in Norton) was very good for this and we were developing relationships at Peasey Hill with a view we might be able to (help) (re)start a parents and toddlers group there. We also connected a bit to Brew and Dumplings (at the Stew & Oyster) and to Tots Church and started the preparations for acquiring a coffee bike as a vehicle for conversation.
On Shrove Tuesday I organised a Pancake party and around the same time I tried to start a small group activity around the same time as well but this wasn’t successful at the time. It was clear more relationship(s) had to be formed first.
Soon after Covid-19 changed our lives drastically and our approach and opportunities for ministry had to change too. I developed the Coronaprayers website to see if that was something people would connect with. This had some impact and was valuable for some but the reach appeared to be fairly limited.
During the second lockdown I did a few more prayer livestreams using the Coronaprayers platform. Learning the lessons from the first lockdown and taking advantage of the way the rules were during this second lockdown, more people were involved in these prayers which made them more accessible.
In May we started thinking about Bible Adventure Bags and we did the first one in June. The idea of Bible Adventure Bags is to bless families with a bag filled with a number activities and all the materials needed are included in the bag allowing families to connect with a bible story, do something around prayer all in a way that is fun to do. After “trialling” this with a small number of families the Church and I were already in contact with (we started with 20 bags in June 2020), we saw this ministry gradually grow and by Christmas this number had grown to 90
bags serving many families in Malton and Norton who had little or no contact with Church.
It has been a real blessing working with the team on this (they are awesome!) and it is also a real blessing to see how these bags have opened doors. The delivery is always an important moment as it allows for some personal contact and for relationship to develop. We pray that this is just the beginning of our journey with these families and we will seek to build on these new connections whist we are also just grateful to be able to serve these families with these bags in a time like this.
Throughout the year I continued to seek ways to start and develop new contacts. As a consequence of the pandemic, most of this had to happen on social media. During the last months of 2020 I regularly met with a group of 3 to 6 men around a firepit where we shared life and faith in a relaxed and nonthreatening environment. We finished these evenings with evening prayers for which all men joined. This was a really good and safe way of connecting with people at a time when it was generally quite difficult to meet others.
Hendrik Klaver
Tech Team Report Year 2020-21
March 23[rd] 2020. Mothering Sunday. Church closed and the Minster has a friendly sign outside – ‘closed due to pandemic’.
Although the Joint Archbishops letter in March encouraged us to think of modern ways to connect, the Church of England was basically shut. For me and others this was a dismal response to a World Crisis. In these circumstances I often think of the fictitious character Don Camillo in Giovanni Guareschi’s novels- what would he do? He would find a way around this and not dither over it.
From Sunday 22[nd] March we ensured something was done about this. Words and hymns and the like available from the internet were one thing, but the technical issues of making a service live were unknown to me. It was a steep learning curve and with dogged determination (as a previous vicar has said about me!) and with Alan’s sterling support we
tested a live transmission from Glyn’s home on 19[th] April.
The process of moving from an online interactive session with Zoom (basically unknown to all of us at that time) to a live transmission from church was fraught with problems.
Firstly, we needed to ensure there was the infrastructure in place (ethernet, wifi, fast broadband etc) and secondly, we needed the necessary hardware and cables. That required expense.
On top of that however, we needed to understand how the software worked and why certain things did not happen. Both were hard graft-there was little from the internet and mainly American written by geeks who thought you knew everything! The C of E had zero knowledge on this. In fact, I can safely say that they, and the whole Diocese have been of no help whatsoever through last year.
Using our own resources and our own money we sorted the hardware and infrastructure out by May. Through weeks of testing and research we felt by the end of May we were ready to run live from church. We had cables everywhere!
We had to wait until July before a live transmission and that was with Simon. From then on we got into a semi routine. One person operating the laptop and the other moving cameras and firefighting!
Our objective now was to be able to operate this with one person and remove many of the wires and plugs- each fraught with their own problem. Andrew came to help us with his technical sound background and several things were resolved. We knew what we wanted but this cost money. The Standing Committee would not approve expenditure and so it
was not until December that we obtained approval to buy a second wifi camera and various kit and get reimbursed. Fortunately, we were able to order this before Brexit and use the kit over Christmas. It is difficult to buy this now – indeed it is easier to buy from China than Europe.
Alan developed his skills into pyrotechnics and laid words over the video which has helped at All Age services and the carol service. We tested the two wifi cameras and the camcorder and reduced the video complexity, but in the end, we decided that sound needed to be simpler and more understandable to control.
The last year has been an eyeopener to me on a variety of matters. It has at times been quite frustrating and stressful as Alan will no doubt concur, but we seem to have now settled down somewhat and learnt a great deal. Without Alan’s support throughout the Tech Team would have not even happened. We have had arguments and frustration, but these have been offset by many jokes and good humour! And we have generally reached a good solution between us.
However, I think our overall pleasure has been the almost universal support and encouragement from many parishioners and Zoomers. Seeing the whole congregation on Zoom singing away to hymns has been very satisfying. Many have been ready to read, sing and prepare prayer at short notice. It has assisted in keeping the community of St Michael’s together and getting the church into your home.
In my view one of the best Zooms was the wedding in October. It helped make the marriage for the couple more complete and inclusive, and attracted a world audience- even Manchester as well!
John Patten 8.2.21
St. Michael’s Church Malton Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2020
| INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary Income Activities for generating funds Church activities Income from Investments Other RESOURCES EXPENDED Cost of generating Funds Charitable Activities Church activities Major Repairs Governance costs Other Resources Used NET INCOMING RESOURCES BEFORE OTHER RECOGNISED GAINS & LOSSES Unrealised gains /(losses) on Chancel Fund Unr’d gains/(losses) on CBF Investment A/C Unrealised gains/(losses) on RBS shares Other & agency funds Transfer between funds NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Balances b/f 1st January 2020 Balances c/f 31st December 2020 |
Note | Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | Total | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| 7a | 50,899 | 3,430 | 54,329 | 92,586 | |||
| 7b | 2,127 | 2,127 | 8,925 | ||||
| 7c | 1,889 | 1,889 | 2,642 | ||||
| 7d | 3,024 | 2,142 | 5,166 | 4,131 | |||
| 7e | |||||||
| 57,939 | 5,572 | 63,511 | 108,284 | ||||
| 39 | 39 | 377 | |||||
| 478 | 478 | 1,799 | |||||
| 8 | 59,044 | 59,044 | 63,089 | ||||
| 19,863 | 19,863 | ||||||
| 59,561 | 19,863 | 79,424 | 65,265 | ||||
| (1,622) | (14,291) | (15,913) | 43,019 | ||||
| 1,726 | 4,861 | 6,587 | 14,235 | ||||
| 12,077 | 12,077 | 4,450 | |||||
| (156) | (156) | 53 | |||||
| 9 | (2,145) | 2,145 | |||||
| 8,310 | (156) | (10,420) | 4,861 | 2,595 | 61,757 | ||
| 124,530 | 14,392 | 31,030 | 70,676 | 240,628 | |||
| 132,840 | 14,236 | 20,610 | 75,537 | 243,223 | |||
St Michael’s Church Malton Balance Sheet at 31 December 2020
| FIXED ASSETS Investments CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Prepayments Investments Cash at bank LIABILITIES Creditors TOTAL NET ASSETS PARISH FUNDS Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment |
Notes | Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | Total | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| 119,899 | 14,236 | 18,648 | 75,537 | 228,320 | 150,812 | ||
| 12,941 | 1,962 | 14,903 | 89,816 | ||||
| 132,840 | 14,236 | 20,610 | 75,537 | 243,223 | 240,628 | ||
| 132,840 | 124,530 | ||||||
| 14,236 | 14,392 | ||||||
| 20,610 | 31,030 | ||||||
| 75,537 | 70,676 | ||||||
| 243,223 | 240,628 |
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
1 The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the SORP 2005.
2
Reserves policy: it is the intention of the PCC to retain a balance of at least £35,000 being approximately six months committed expenditure within unrestricted funds
3
In accordance with the guidance provided by the Church Commissioners any collections taken at special services - including Weddings and funerals - which go directly to charity are excluded from the 2020 accounts. This also applies to the Lent Appeal. Funds raised in this way were as follows: British Heart Foundation £386, Donkey Sanctuary £85, Marie Curie £66, M S Society £25, St Catherine’s Hospice £72, York Hospital £386, York Cancer Research £66.
The expenses paid to clergy may include a small immaterial proportion, which relates to their function as PCC members. No 4 payments were made to PCC members apart from the reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the PCC
-
- The working expenses of the incumbent and the curate are
-
Shared equally with St Mary’s PCC
-
6 The movements in designated and restricted funds during the year were:
| The movements in designated and restricted funds during the | year were: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted & Designated Funds in Bank Accounts: General Funds St Michael's 2000 Church Repair Fund (Deposit Account) |
Balance b/f |
Receipts | Payments | Transfers out |
Balance c/f |
| 561 | 120 | 620 | 61 | ||
| 9,243 | 2,142 | 9,240 | 2,145 | ||
| 7 Incoming Resources a Voluntary income Planned Giving Gift Aid donations inc CAF Other regular giving Tax recoverable Collections (loose plate) One off gift aid Gift Days / Recurring Giving Non recurring giving / donations Special Appeals and Donations Non recurring grants Legacy b Activities for generating funds - receipts Church lettings Fund raising Non charitable trading c Receipts from church activities Fees Other d Receipts from investments Dividends and interest e Other receipts not counting as gross income |
Unrestricted Funds |
Designated Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total 2020 |
Total 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32,197 | 120 | 32,317 | 28,360 | ||
| 2,862 | 2,862 | 3,082 | |||
| 9,604 | 9,604 | 9,965 | |||
| 2,206 | 2,206 | 6,554 | |||
| 2,042 | 2,042 | 3,755 | |||
| 299 | 299 | 588 | |||
| 1,302 | 1,302 | 282 | |||
| 387 | 3,310 | 3,697 | |||
| 40,000 | |||||
| 50,899 | 3,430 | 54,329 | 92,586 | ||
| 641 | |||||
| 2,127 | 2,127 | 8,284 | |||
| 2,127 | 2,127 | 8,925 | |||
| 1,889 | 1,889 | 2,642 | |||
| 1,889 | 1,889 | 2,642 | |||
| 3,024 | 2,142 | 5,166 | 4,131 | ||
| 57,939 | 5,572 | 63,511 | 108,284 |
| Resources Expended Cost of generating funds Donations (grants) to charities 8 Church Activities Overseas missions Christian relief Home missions Secular charities Ministry Diocesan Freewill Offering Working expenses of incumbent Working expenses of assistant Church utility costs Church running costs Salaries, wages & honorarium Mission and evangelism Major expenditure Major repairs to church buildings Heating pipe repairs Major repairs to other PCC properties New building or major works |
Unrestricted Funds |
Designated Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total 2020 |
Total 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 39 | 377 | |||
| 478 | 478 | 1,799 | |||
| 428 | |||||
| 97 | |||||
| 478 | 478 | 1,274 | |||
| 41,240 | 41,240 | 44,000 | |||
| 884 | 884 | 1,318 | |||
| 1,149 | 1,149 | 193 | |||
| 3,023 | 3,023 | 3,463 | |||
| 7,856 | 7,856 | 8,835 | |||
| 4,541 | 4,541 | 4,020 | |||
| 351 | 351 | 1,260 | |||
| 59,044 | 59,044 | 63,089 | |||
| 19,863 | 19,863 | ||||
| 59,561 | 19,863 | 79,424 | 65,265 | ||
This transfer will be reversed in 2021 when that sum is moved from the CBF Church Repair Fund to the PCC bank 9 account.
St Michael’s Church, New Malton
Annual
Report
and
Financial Statements of the
Parochial Church Council
for the year ended 31st December 2020
together with Reports given to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 25 April 2021
Bankers: National Westminster Bank Plc Yorkersgate Malton
Independent Examiner:
Mr A W Richardson
St. Michael’s Church, New Malton
Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2020
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Annual Report | 1- 6 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 6 |
| Clergy and other reports | 7-12 |
| APPENDIX | |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 1 |
| Balance Sheet at 31 December 2020 | 2 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 3-4 |
St Michael’s Church – Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2020
Administrative Information
St Michael’s Church is situated in the Market Place, Malton. It is part of the Diocese of York within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 17 The Mount, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7ND
PCC members who have served from 1 January 2020 until the date of this report was approved on 10 March 2021 are:
Vicar The Revd Glyn Diggins Wardens Mr Alan Young Mrs Constance Clark (Lay chair) Representatives on the Deanery Synod Mr David White until 15 November Mrs Patricia Atkinson until 15 November Mrs Margaret Clark until 15 November Mrs Susannah Clark from 15 November Mrs Tracey Young from 15 November Elected members Mrs Tracey Young until 15 November Mrs Heather Williams Mrs Sue Wright Mr John Morris (Treasurer) Mrs Anne Screeton Mrs Samantha Free Mr Robert Hall from 15 November Mrs Elaine Ramsey from 15 November Mr Barry Gillespie from 15 November Mrs Janet Patten from 15 November Mr Hendrik Klaver co-opted November 2019
Secretary Mrs Helen Shaw
Structure, governance and management
The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission as “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Michael New Malton”.
The charity number is: 1130648
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
The objective of the PCC is to work alongside the clergy in promoting the mission of the church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. All the activities of the parish noted elsewhere in this report are in furtherance of that primary objective.
The underlying pattern of services remains broadly the same as that in 2019, albeit that for extended periods these have had to be suspended due to Covid-19 restrictions. Throughout, however, we have maintained the main Sunday Service of Parish Communion, whether a congregation has been present or not. During the times the place has been closed to worshippers we initially provided access online to recordings by the choir and of readings and the sermon for the Sunday service. However very shortly afterwards the service was streamed live, with the celebrant (Glyn or Simon) hosting from their homes with church members recording the readings and intercessions and the music for the hymns to be played in at the appropriate time. This was accessible by those with computers or tablets. After a while it was possible for those without these devices to listen in by phone. As soon as we could, we streamed the service from church.
When permitted, the Wednesday Holy Communion service has taken place in church. All other opportunities to worship have moved online and will remain so for the foreseeable future. At time of writing, this comprises Morning Prayer every morning at 09.00 and Evening Prayer on Tuesdays at 19.15.
In the last report it was mentioned that there had been increasing pressure to review services as the demographic of the congregation changes as we welcome an increasing number of young families to our flock. Some changes were about to be trialled at the Sunday Holy Communion service when the pandemic intervened. It is important that these are taken forward as soon as normal service resumes.
Achievements and Performance
The Church Electoral Roll was fully updated during 2019. There were 105 members on the Roll at the end of 2020 comprising 82 people living within the parish and 23 outside our parish boundaries.
The total number of communicants over Christmas was 41 and the total attendance at all services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was in person 49, on Zoom 85.
Review of the Year ended 31[st] December 2020
It goes without saying that the year has been dominated by the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is difficult to recall what things were like before we were required to close the church building completely on 26 March at the start of the first lockdown. In fact, the last Sunday service the congregation could attend was an Area Deanery event at St. Peter’s in Norton on 15 March to mark the end of the “Come and See” weekend.
Lockdown One:
The instructions received for the first lockdown were severe, to the extent that no one was permitted to enter the building other than in exceptional circumstances.
Of course, the church is not merely a building. It is the people. However, given we could no longer meet in person in church or even in our homes, it was seen as important to find other ways to keep in touch with one another. We quickly reviewed our list of church members. We added to it any others known to us and associated with the church. We ensured it was up to date with email addresses etc. Special note was made of the more vulnerable on the list and contact made with them. All received details of who to contact during the lockdown if help was needed. It was immediately decided to retain the Weekly Sheet and distribute this principally by email (the Church of England advised against posting items, although we did breach this guidance to ensure we kept in contact with most people).
Streaming of Services :
One of the most remarkable outcomes of the Covid-19 restrictions has been the use made of electronic means to remain in contact. This has been no different for the Church and for us at St. Michael’s. As stated earlier we soon moved our main Sunday service online, initially by emailing out readings, music and other parts of the service, but quickly moving to streaming the whole service “live” from the celebrant’s home. Morning Prayer was moved online as well. Of course, not everyone is able to join us in this way. It is possible to listen on the phone, and several make use of this facility. However we have tried to maintain some form of meaningful
contact with all members of the congregation (and beyond) even if they are not with us online. Bible Adventure Bags :
Several members of the congregation have been working with our 20-40 Minister in the filling and distribution of Bible Activity Bags every month as the year has progressed. These are aimed at keeping in contact with families with young children, providing them with Bible related activities to fill their time (a sort of virtual Messy Church – but we’re not cleaning up the mess afterwards). These seem to be growing in popularity as each month passes and may well continue after the Covid restrictions are lifted.
Summer Reopening :
In the summer, restrictions were lifted on 15 June to the extent that it was permitted to reopen the building for private prayer and for services from 4 July. However, we were unable to do this as contractors were in the place repairing the heating system (see Fabric Report below). We eventually reopened for visitors on 22 July and the first service with a congregation was held the following Sunday, 26 July. We had, however, been able to access the church prior to that to enable us to stream the Sunday service from the building for a couple of weeks. While services had been resumed in church, the decision was taken to continue streaming the Sunday service for those who preferred to remain at home and we will continue to do this for the foreseeable future. Morning Prayer has remained entirely online as well.
Reopening followed the removal from the nave of all but essential items to reduce the risk of virus transmission, in line with guidance received, and a thorough clean of the building by Joanne our cleaner and an army of volunteers to whom thanks are due. Precautions and protocols were introduced following the completion of the appropriate risk assessment provided by the Church of England and shared with the PCC.
One strange consequence of our delay beyond 4 July in reintroducing Sunday services at St. Michael’s was that we could have technically been in breach of Canon Law! The Diocese advised us that the legislation passed in Westminster that introduced the lockdown in March included the disapplication of the Canon Law requirement for us to hold a service every Sunday. This lapsed on 4 July with the lifting of the Government restrictions on holding services of worship. Anyway, we had to pass a PCC minute to get over this problem, which we duly did.
Virtually all social and fund raising events have been cancelled during the year including Coffee Stops, Table Top Sales, Benefice lunches
(although one was held in August) and Christmas Lunch. Let us hope that later in 2021 we can again start meeting in this way.
We have tried to maintain the momentum of the monthly All Age Service. Thanks go to Janet Patten and her team for this. Those that have taken place in church see an increasing number of families with young children, a trend that hopefully will continue as and when things return to normal.
New Director of Music :
A number of other things have either been cancelled or postponed as a result of the Coronavirus epidemic. Foremost among these is the appointment of a new Director of Music. This had been planned to take place shortly after Easter to allow Janet Patten to retire at the end of July after 37 years sterling service. In the meantime Janet agreed to continue. While she has not seen out her last few months in the job in a way she could ever have imagined, our immense gratitude goes to her in the way that she has adapted and found ways to allow us to be able to continue to enjoy music with our worship throughout the lockdown and beyond. Hopefully later in 2021 we can join together in a celebration of Janet’s contribution to St. Michael’s, another event we have had to postpone from 2020.
Eventually we were able to hold interviews for the post in October. Alison Forster was appointed to the job and started with us on 1 November and immediately was confronted, as we all were, with the implications of a further national lockdown. It was not until later in December that she was able to meet and hear the choir in person for the first time!
Lockdown Two and reopening for Christmas :
The second lockdown saw the suspension of services in church, although we were able to remain open for visitors, which we did. We were able to hold services again four weeks’ later, in time for us to consider what to do for Christmas. We had already cancelled our annual main fund raising event (the Christmas Fayre). This was replaced by a “virtual” event where people were encouraged to donate what they might have spent at the Fayre (or contributing things for it). Amazingly, this resulted in an outcome which was only a few hundred pounds less than that achieved at the actual thing the previous year (and with a lot less effort!). That said, I think we all missed the fellowship of queuing for the tombola and guessing the weight of Eileen’s cake (among other things).
It was decided to maintain the usual pattern of services over Christmas. However, the two services that see numbers in excess of the
capacity of the building in usual times, let alone that required for social distancing, were moved entirely online. These were the Carol Service and Christmas Eve Crib/Christingle service. In the case of the Carol Service, there was the added complication of the space taken by the augmented choir. The risk assessment for singers during Covid requires enhanced distancing. Hence the choir could only be accommodated in the body of the church, rendering virtually no space for any congregation. It was felt that children and families would better enjoy and participate at home for the Christingle. Both events proved immensely popular with those at home. A great deal of work went into both services, but particular thanks must go to Alison, our new Director of Music, for the Carol Service. This was among her first tasks in joining us, and was achieved with just four or five rehearsals, two of which were online and with people she had yet to meet in person!
Lockdown Three :
As the year closed, the Government announced a further lockdown of activities. On this occasion, however, there is no requirement for places of worship to close or for services to be suspended. However, it was quite clear that the situation with the virus was considerably worse than even in the first lockdown. So the decision was taken at the start of the year to suspend services, but that the building remain open for visitors and private prayer. The Sunday service continues to be streamed from church with the minimum number of people present (four or five).
Looking Ahead :
Of course, it is important that the efforts taken to stay on top of things in respect of the virus does not detract from our wider mission. To this end, the PCC was able to meet in person a couple of times in the autumn, including for a special meeting in October. Here we discussed our objectives for the next few years and alighted on the following three:-
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Improving the flexibility of the building in order for us to better capitalise on our “Church in the Market Place” position
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Pastoral Care
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Prayer and Bible Study.
Let us hope and pray that as life returns to more like normal, we can actively turn to these and move forward in 2021.
The year has been the most difficult in living memory on account of Covid-19 and for long periods of time worshipping in church has been impossible, not to say banned. The PCC met in church in January and March but the May and July meetings could not be held. By September, the PCC was able to meet in church again but, following another lock-down in November, the November and December meetings were held successfully on Zoom. The December meeting is usually a short business meeting followed by a bring and share social gathering, but there was none of that this year. Every social and fund raising event that was planned for 2020, as well as bookings by third parties for concerts, had to be cancelled, including, very reluctantly, the annual Christmas Fayre in the Milton Rooms. The APCM, due to be held in April, was postponed and held on Zoom in November.
An extraordinary meeting was held in church in early February to discuss essential heating system repairs, following the discovery of leaking Victorian cast iron pipes running under the floor across the eastern end of the nave. Against the odds, contractors were eventually able to come in and lift paving slabs, renew the leaking pipes and make good. Thanks are due to R&R and Pickups for a smooth running project and also to Jason Othick who removed asbestos from the boiler house to ensure a safe working environment for our contractors. Other works carried out during the year included the cleaning out of all the gutters and parapets around church, repairs to entrance doors and fencing and the refurbishment of some of our silverware.
Following a deep clean and the necessary risk assessments, St Michael’s was ready to reopen for public worship on Sunday 26[th] July. The PCC determined that, even though we could welcome the congregation back into church, the Parish Communion service would still be broadcast on Zoom. Attendees were very co-operative of the new regime of face coverings, hand sanitiser and leaving contact details, with every other pew roped off to maintain social distancing, and only the wafer for Communion.
The PCC held a supplementary meeting in church in October to discuss the way forward and a number of new initiatives were discussed. The second wave of Covid has meant that none of these ideas have yet been implemented. Changes have been made to the pattern of services and Morning Prayer began to be held on Zoom every morning. Later on, Evening Prayer was also broadcast on Zoom on Tuesday
Connie Clark Alan Young
Annual Report on PCC 2020
evenings. The All Age Parish Communion service continues to be held on the first Sunday of the month. Our annual Crib & Christingle service was held online only and parishioners helped to deliver the Make-Your-Own Christingle kit bags. Our new Director of Music was faced with holding her first Carols by Candlelight service online. A socially distanced choir occupied the pews and the congregation watched from home. It was a resounding success. Another resounding success was churchwarden Alan’s idea of a Virtual Christmas Fayre. The idea being that people were invited to donate what they would have spent at the Christmas Fayre, if it could have been held. There was a very healthy response and the sum generated for church funds was only marginally less than usual.
We have carried on with exchanging observers with the Methodist church at our PCC meetings. Three members of the PCC completed their terms of office and stepped down at the APCM in November: Trish Atkinson, David White and Margaret Clark. Five new members joined and were welcomed: Susannah Clark, Robert Hall, Janet Patten, Barry Gillespie and Elaine Ramsey. Hendrik Klaver has attended meetings throughout the year to update the PCC on his activities as our Associate Minister for the 20-40s age group.
Several charities benefitted from our severely limited opportunities for fundraising over the year, including Christian Aid, The Children’s Society, Ryedale Food Bank, Samaritan’s Purse and Ryedale Special Families. At the start of the year, a donation was made to a fund set up and administered by the Diocese of Melbourne, to assist victims of the Australian bush fires that raged in late 2019.
carrying water to/from the radiators and the boiler in the church office. Once the work was started it became obvious that a boiler house re-pipe was needed to complete the installation. This further work meant that the project was not completed until middle of July. Our thanks to Pickups and R&R for their excellent work. The heating is now very effective in church.
Further , Once the flags had been lifted, the opportunity was taken for a conduit to be laid across the chancel step in order to facilitate future use of electronic equipment.
- Church Notice Board
The Church Noticeboard was out of date in the fact that it mentioned Morning Prayer which is no longer applicable.
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Church Lighting
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We continued to experiment with stronger lights in church. Through trial and error we have now reached a compromise using the brighter bulbs where they do not cause discomfort. John Waind, the electrician, has been asked to quote for two spotlights to illuminate music/singers on the chancel step. Lockdowns have delayed this request.
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Outside Fencing
Our thanks go to Simon Wright and Maurice Walker for replacing rotten fence posts and making good the chain links on the north side. A great job was done which enhances the care of our church property.
- Guttering
In summary, a very testing year in which everyone did their best to hold the congregation together.
Helen Shaw Fabric Report 2020
This has been a very different year, in that the country has been in lockdown for the greater part of it. What follows is a brief report on what we have been able to achieve by way of maintenance of building, grounds and fabric.
- Church Heating
After a postponement in March, major works were undertaken to replace a corroded water pipe across the nave
We have now established a biannual cleaning of both high and low level guttering.
- Silver Ware
As church services and numbers attending were restricted, the opportunity was taken to have a damaged chalice and paten repaired.
- Clerestory Windows
Architect Andrew Boyce on a site visit had made us aware of damage to the plasterwork surrounding the clerestory windows. Repair work has now been commissioned a special thank you to Helen Shaw for facilitating this.
- Church Office
A new printer and a new telephone system have been installed.
- Vicar’s Vestry
A cause for the smell of damp in the cupboards has not been found.
- Church Linen
An ongoing inspection and sorting through of linen is continuing, with substandard items being discarded. Thanks to Sue Wright for her help in this and for also ensuring altar cloths are fit for purpose.
- Terrier
It has not been possible to carry out an annual inventory of movable objects in church, as a lot of it not accessible. A note to this effect will be lodged in the register.
Local townspeople and occasional visitors have appreciated the church remaining open for private prayer whenever the regulations have allowed this.
Thank you to all those who help to keep the church looking clean and tidy and adhering to the extra hygiene protocols now in place. Thanks too to all those who care so beautifully for all the linen and the flower arrangers for the ongoing flower displays. Connie Clark Alan Young
Treasurer’s Report
In an exceptional year you will not be surprised to read that there was a deficit in 2020 on our day to day activity (Unrestricted Funds) of £1,622. The surprise was that the deficit was not larger given that the PCC also maintained its Free Will Offering (FWO) to the Diocese of £41,240. The Virtual Christmas Fayre at the end of the year provided a welcome boost.
Inevitably many comparisons with 2019, in numerical terms at least, were rendered somewhat meaningless but you can see the impact that the reduction in services in church and in the number of events held, had on our income from collections, tax recovered and fund raising. This in turn reduced the
amounts that would normally have been given to charity.
Having said that historically speaking 2020 was an exceptional year, 2021 promises to be at least as challenging and the PCC will keep under review its FWO and other commitments.
Thank you to those who support the church through the planned giving scheme: it is particularly important when other sources of income are absent and represented 74% of our income in 2020 (including any tax recovered on Gift Aid where appropriate).
The only major repair (from Restricted Funds) of 2020 was the fixing of the leaks in the central heating system which was completed at a net cost of £16,553 [ie once the VAT had been recovered].
John Morris, 22[nd] January 2021
APPENDIX 1 Accounts
Independent examiner’s report to the PCC of St Michael, New Malton
This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ending 31 December 2020 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (‘The Regulations’) and section 43 of the Charities Act 1993 (‘The Act’)
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:
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❖ which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and to prepare financial statements, which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and Regulations have not been met; or
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❖ To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts be reached.
Mr A W Richardson,
White & Hoggard, Wheelgate Malton 7[th] April 2021
The Vicar’s Report
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. (Romans 8:28)
I think we’d all agree that 2020 was an incredibly testing year. At the time of writing this report over 4 million people have been tested positive for COVID resulting in excess of 122,000 deaths. Our economy is struggling (to say the least) with approximately 1.75 million people being registered unemployed. Families have been separated for over 12 months, the lonely have felt even more isolated, the NHS has been stretched to breaking point and our education system has been bolstered by parents having to juggle home working with home schooling.
Looked at in isolation, the above would be enough to drive anybody “to take a quick walk off a tall cliff” and that is definitely the picture the media likes to paint, however, as people of God, we have a more eternal perspective and we know that our hope is grounded in our Lord Jesus Christ. God will work all situations to our good and He is the master of New Beginnings.
I am reminded of The Valley of Dry Bones, as described in Ezekiel 37. As the prophet was surrounded by death and lifelessness, God commanded him to prophesy over the scene and as he did so; there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them, but there was no breath in them. Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy once more (to breathe God’s Holy Spirit over them) and as he did; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.
I believe with all my heart that God is going to do a “new thing” in this nation and as a result, we will witness new life from the devastation which will produce a “vast army” of God’s people.
Talking of a “vast army”, I was listening to a fascinating interview with Brigadier John Clark (Connie’s son) who is now Head of Strategy for the British Army. In the interview he explained the
changes that the Army will need to undergo, in order to be “fit” to meet the defence needs of the 21st Century. During the discussion he explained that one of the biggest risks the Army faces is trying to address 21st Century needs through a lens and structure of a 20th Century Army.
I think there are real parallels between what John was outlining and the changes necessary in the Church of England.
2021 has seen the start of a full Strategic Review of Ministry Needs and Resources throughout the Church of England, with a year long Consultation Process within the York Diocese. Bishops and Archdeacons have already started conversations with Deanery Leadership Teams, which will permeate to Benefices and individual parishes as time goes by. It is envisioned that within the next 5 years, updated structures, methods and procedures will have been put in place, which will enable a Christian Presence In Every Community, while taking into account changing needs, resources and methods.
York Diocese is adamant that the review will result in changes that have been discussed, identified and resolved on a Deanery (Benefice and Parish) level, which take into account local complexities and nuances.
I think it’s fair to say that the model of a dedicated Parish Priest in every location is no longer sustainable and we, as the people of God, will need to decide how best we can resource the Mission of God in our local communities.
As you all know, I’m a huge advocate of Every Member Ministry, as opposed to Everything Is Down to The Vicar. It is my view (and that of the Early Church) that the Victorian Model of Parish Ministry has in fact hindered God’s people from identifying their own gifting and stepping into the Calling that God has place on their lives.
I’m pleased (actually delighted) to observe that the above approach is not one that I witness at St. Michael’s. In fact, the breadth and number of people (more are always welcome) who are involved in church life, taking initiative and “cracking on” with things is heartening.
This past year has placed a spotlight on people who have “stepped up to the plate” and shown real “grit” and I would like to commend and thank them for their service to The Kingdom. Please note that my
list is by no means exhaustive and I’m sure there are more people to thank, but I only have so much space for my report (the order I have placed them is by no means indicative of their level of importance):
Streaming of Services
Under John Patten’s leadership, the Technical Team (inc. Alan Young and Andrew Slack) have researched, experimented and implemented a state-of-the-art video streaming capability that will serve us well into the future. Not only have they enabled us to stay together as a Worshipping community from the very beginning of the COVID crisis, but we now have a permanent system that will enable us to stream further services, weddings and funerals. None of this was planned before the crisis hit. A great example of a “good” thing out of a “bad” situation.
Repair of Leaking Pipes
You may or may not be aware that we have had a leaking pipe at the front of church for some time, resulting in slow but gradual structural damage. The first Lockdown gave us a gift of a “window” to shut church and allow the necessary work to take place. The repairs have now been completed resulting in a heating system that is now much more effective and can be “zoned” into three distinct areas, as opposed to heating the entire building whenever one area needed warming up.
Pew Sheet
I would like to thank Helen Shaw and Alison Hardwick for their diligent work in keeping the Pew Sheet “hot off the press” every week. It has been an enormous task for Helen to produce the sheet, edit the content and send the resulting documents out to each of the Zoomers on a Sunday. Many thanks to you both.
Wardens
Connie Clark and Alan Young have both done a sterling job throughout the year. Their joint contribution is so extensive that I would struggle to list everything they have done and continue to do. Their initiative, ability and commitment is nothing short of breathtaking. Thank you both so much and no…you can’t retire yet. Helen Shaw has also been instrumental in a number of “structural” initiatives and we are blessed to have her expertise in relation to our building.
and I would like to thank Janet Patten for her leadership of this team.
Musical Director
We said goodbye to Janet Patten as Musical Director. She has faithfully served St. Michael’s in this role for close to 40 years. Lockdown prevented us from celebrating Janet’s ministry in a correct way, but, this will be resolved as soon as possible after restrictions are lifted. Subsequently we were fortunate to secure Alison Forster as our new Musical Director. What you may not realise is that we had started the recruitment process prior to COVID, but the process was “stalled” once the first Lockdown hit. During this time, it was announced that The Minster School would close, where Alison was Head of Music. This meant that once we restarted recruitment, Alison was now in a position to apply. Without COVID, it is unlikely that we would have secured Alison’s services. “Good’ out of “bad”.
As I finish this report, there truly is “light at the end of the tunnel” and before too long I hope that things will start getting back to “normal”.
The past 12 months have achieved some other positives worth mentioning:
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We’ve been forced to slow down and reflect on what’s really important to us.
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We have learnt a new found respect for our relationships; with God, others and ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s really only relationships that matter.
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We’ve discovered new and innovative ways of “being church”, which will ensure we are well placed for what the future brings. Perhaps you really can “teach old dogs new tricks”.
Yes the last 12 months have been tough but as a church I believe we have weathered the storm well and I for one feel really positive for the future. Yes I admit it will be different from what we’re used to, but a bright future none the less.
After all; “If God is for us, who can be against us”.
All Age Worship
The All Age Worship Team has continued to deliver engaging services on the first Sunday of every month
Every Blessing in Christ
Revd. Glyn
Prayer
2020 has been a very strange year! Early in January we were informed that a corona virus was threatening us all and we were to be vigilant by keeping our hands sanitised every time we went out. Life went on much the same as normal and church remained open until our last service on 8 March when we were told we should no longer meet together. From 24 March we were in Lockdown and the church was closed completely! This continued until mid June when the church was able to be open again but only for private prayer until our first service on 26 July. We were able to continue meeting in church, wearing face masks, sitting socially distanced and not being able to sing until another complete Lockdown that began again on 6 January 2021.
Morning Prayer was held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. in the Lady Chapel but as the lockdown took over it was started on Zoom seven days a week and continues up to the time of writing this (January 2021). It is attended by members of St Michaels congregation and people from a distance, currently there are usually ten to twelve people who join in. Evening prayer takes place on Zoom each Tuesday evening. The 9.30 Sunday service has been on Zoom since mid May and is continuing for the foreseeable future.
We are no longer permitted to have books on the prayer table because of the risk of passing on infection but the prayer posters are able to be displayed on the two screens on the prayer table and in front of the Lady Chapel which are kept up to date reflecting the changing seasons in the churches calendar.
It has been a hard time for us all especially those in the congregation who have had to stay at home because of underlying health problems, but we have continued to be a prayerful church upholding all these people in our prayers either virtually or when we have been able to meet together.
Trish Atkinson
St Michael's Church Choir - Report for January to October 2020
This really is my final report as Director of Music. I retired from the post at the end of October 2020. I played my last service as DOM on 1[st] November.
The year began normally with the choir singing at the Parish Communion services. We had just got into the Lent music, and planning for Passiontide and Easter was underway when Covid struck, or rather the lockdown started. Mothering Sunday was the first service with no one in church. Fortunately we were able to get one choir practice in before total lockdown. We recorded the choir singing all the music for Mothering Sunday and Passion Sunday. The recorded music and pew sheets were then made available to all members of the congregation who had access to the internet. For the next four weeks John and I went to church every Sunday morning to record a couple of hymns on the organ so that air continued to be blown through the pipes regularly. The other hymns for each Sunday were recorded at home on the piano. All the recorded hymns and the words were made available on-line.
The 26[th] April was a big turning point when the Parish Communion service was zoomed live from home by the vicar, but still using recorded hymns and readings.
July 26[th] was the next big event when the congregation came back into church. For the next 3 months I played the hymns in church and the service continued to be zoomed for those who preferred to stay at home where they could join in with the singing!
Choir members have met every Thursday evening, first on skype and then on zoom, to sing through favourite hymns and anthems. For the first few weeks they also met on Sunday mornings to sing what they would have sung had we been in church. From June onwards, a few choir members became a 'virtual' choir by recording themselves at home to piano recordings of hymns and anthems. These recordings were used during the services, mostly for the communion hymns but also a few others. On the last Thursdays of August, September and October members of the congregation were invited to join us for a Hymn Singalong.
We were still able to hold our annual Choral Evensong with the West Buckrose choir which was broadcast on zoom on 26[th] July. All the music was recorded at home by singers from both choirs accompanied by either myself or Moira Gray. The service was led by their vicar.
A few choir members were able to sing in church for the first time for a wedding on 24[th] October. We had to work out the best arrangement for the singers and found we could have a maximum of 8 in the chancel suitably spaced out.
practice!
I felt it was very important during this time to keep the choir going by meeting regularly and singing favourite hymns and anthems and also learning some new music. The virtual choir benefitted from the challenge of recording themselves to be mixed together by John P. The results were quite impressive and I was told that for the 'cong at home' it was much easier to sing along if they could hear others singing. Thank you choir for all your hard work, meeting these new challenges.
Reflections on the past 37 years as DOM at St Michael’s.
There are not many folk who will remember a time when I wasn’t in charge of the music at St Michael's! I started in November 1983 and learnt ’on the job’! Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years. We have had some memorable services including performances of the Fauré Requiem every other year, Carol Services when the church had standing room only, joint services with West Buckrose choir and St Mary’s choir. We’ve been to RSCM singing days and learnt new repertoire. Choir members have worked for their RSCM medals and we’ve attended the services in various cathedrals when they have been presented.
I have worked with 6 vicars. The first was Ron Treasure to whom I am very grateful for having faith and trusting that I could do the work in spite of not being a ‘proper’ organist. Roger Pope was another help in guiding me in the ways of the choir. The RSCM helped with courses for Reluctant Organists and Choir Directors, which built on the training I had at music college.
In the early years I had two young assistants, first Anthony Wilson and then later, Bernard West. They have both gone on to become organists and choir directors elsewhere.
The number of singers has developed and changed over the years. We have had children and young people up to fairly recently and an instrumental group ran for about 10 years playing for family services. The choir has always been like a family who care about and support each other. I have always been very grateful to our ‘augmented’ choir members who come along when they can and especially for the Carol Services.
Over the years I have had the help of many other organists who played when I was away, their help has been very much appreciated.
I am going to miss playing for the regular ‘bread and butter’ part of the job which is the weekly Parish Communion service, and the camaraderie of choir
I wish Alison all the best as she takes over from me and I am sure she will enjoy the kind of support and friendship that I have had for the past 37 years! Janet Patten,
Director of Music (1[st] Nov 1983-1[st] Nov 2020)
Report for St. Michael’s Church Choir November 2020 – January 2021
Due to Lockdowns Two and Three, the Choir of St. Michael’s Church have had an unusual November, December and January; as have all church choirs. Having been appointed Director of Music for St. Michael’s Church in the Autumn, the Choir only met me in person in the middle of December!
Most rehearsals have taken place over Zoom and much service music has had to be pre-recorded by Ceri, Heather, John P and Alan. My heartfelt thanks to them for ensuring that there was choral music at each Sunday service, regardless of Covid restrictions. Special thanks should go to John P for his advice, and his ability to mix and produce the individual voices and accompaniment.
We were all delighted to sing together live from Advent II through to Christmas II though, with Boris Ord’s Adam Lay Ybounden and Rutter’s Nativity Carol sung in Advent.
Although the traditional Carol Service had no live congregation, the occasion still had a magical awe to it. The choir were all very keen to make the occasion as successful as possible: a feat that was even more impressive considering we had only had two live rehearsals prior to the service! Ian Little was unable to play for the service, due to needing to self-isolate. Fortunately, William Dove, organist at Ampleforth School, was able to step into the breach at short notice. My thanks to him. A former chorister of York Minster, Jamie Vicary, also joined the choir for the service, singing the 1[st] verse of Once in Royal with utter musicality and accuracy. Since then, I am delighted to announce that young Jamie has just been awarded a Music Scholarship to Bootham School in York.
Throughout the Christmas season, the Choir has sung a range of music, some known, some unfamiliar. Darke’s In the Bleak mid-winter and Torches by Joubert, were coupled with Gardner’s rhythmically exciting Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day and Chilcott’s dance-like arrangement of In Dulci
Jubilo. New anthems were also introduced for the season of Epiphany. My thanks to Ceri, Sarah and Alan for their solo work during the season.
As I write, the choir has now started the repertoire for Lent. Hopefully, we shall be allowed to sing live again by Easter. Whatever lies ahead though, I would refer the choir and congregation to the last lines of the hymn Ye Holy Angels Bright :
“Let all thy days ‘til life shall end, what’er He send, be filled with praise.”
Alison Forster
Director of Music 31/1/2021.
Safeguarding update
A review of the Parish Safeguarding Policy was completed earlier in the year and our policy was found to be up to date.
Four new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were completed, and certificates obtained, and others have been renewed as necessary by our Parish Verifier, Sue Wright. For information, all members of the PCC must have a DBS at enhanced level, as well as all church members who are involved in children’s work.
Due to the COVID-19 situation over this past year, most of the Diocesan training was put on hold, though a small amount has recently moved online. These changes have meant that fewer training modules have been completed this year than usual. As the Parish Safeguarding Representative, I have one further training module to complete, and am hoping to attend this later in the year. Sue Wright has previously attended courses in safeguarding and safer recruitment.
The members of the PCC are working their way through the online training modules offered by the Church of England, to enable as many people as possible to be fully aware of the needs and safety of children and vulnerable adults. If anyone else would like to complete these, please let me know and I will provide further information.
Samantha Free
All Age Worship
The new pattern of All Age Worship began in July 2019 following discussions during the Lent Course that year. They are held on the first Sunday of each month.
In 2020 we had three services before lockdown, for Epiphany, Candlemas and Lent. Sadly, Mothering Sunday was the first Sunday that the church did not have a service. The booklets had been printed and the bunches of daffodils were ready, so both were left at the back of church for people to take home. The hymns had been recorded by the choir and made available via the internet, so that the service could be read and the hymns sung at home for all who wanted to do so. There was a gap in All Age services until we decided to start again in September, followed by October (Harvest Festival), November (All Saints), and December (Advent 2). The service is a shortened from of Parish Communion. The team who plan it, meet to decide on the content, who will do the readings and intercessions, and to have ideas for activities related to the theme, for the children to do during the service. At first, activities were provided for the children to do sitting at a table in front of the pulpit. This was not possible for the final four services of the year, so children attending the service were given activity bags to do in their family group. For the talk, the children were encouraged to sit on kneelers at the front of the nave. From time to time, the young people take part in the reading and intercessions.
Each service has a separate booklet so that we can have variations in the liturgy for the different seasons, and readings and hymns can be included where appropriate. Details of forthcoming events for families and children can be listed when they are happening.
As a team we have been very encouraged by the positive responses we have had for this service, and by the number of young families who now attend and take part.
Thank you to the AAW planning team who have worked hard to make it happen each month, especially during the latter part of the year. Janet Patten
Children’s work – Growing Faithful Families
“New ideas are beginning to grow wings and with our prayers and support who knows what we will be reporting on next year—well...God does of course!”
These were the words that ended my report, written in March last year, on our work with children and young families, and yes, who knew what the last year was about to bring!
Due to the Government restriction that have continued throughout the last year, there was no point at which we were able to meet for our usual activities such as Messy Church, Tot’s Church and activities we would normally arrange around festivals or social occasions. As the initial impact of restrictions began to sink in, we quickly realised that to maintain contact with families at a ‘social distance’ was a priority requiring lots of creative thinking.
appreciated by all.
As we have entered 2021, the Bible Adventure bags have continued and families have been involved actively in our virtual All Age worship.
As we emerge slowly from ‘lockdown’ we must now give careful and timely thought to how we take forward our mission and nurture the roots and shoots that have grown during the past very strange year. We can reflect on what worked well in ‘precovid’ times, but also reflect on the mission that the pandemic forced us to explore. The best of each will take us forward into new ways of touching young families within our community with God’s love.
Tracey Young
Report 20s to 40s minister
As Mothering Sunday and then Easter passed, a small team began to explore supporting, encouraging and getting alongside families by providing a variety of active and prayerful activities in a bag to be taken out to family homes monthly. And thus the Bible Adventure Bags were born and have proved to be an invaluable way to maintain and develop relationships and contact with a growing number of families in our parish and beyond.
As levels of restriction came and went, we were happy to welcome families back to our All Age services in the autumn and kept up communication with them to ensure they were comfortable and safe within a new way of meeting together.
Hopes and plans to celebrate Christmas together with families rose and fell according to the rates of the r-number. When gathering together en masse, other than virtually, became impossible, we were able to embrace ‘zoom’ for our Christingle service. A small group of helpers ensured that all at church, young and old, were offered the opportunity to receive a ‘Christingle in a Bag’, complete with an orange, candle, sweets, activities and zoom joining instructions. It was a joyous service, attended by several nativity characters and those that had already eaten their sweets and was much
During the first few months of 2019 I was still in the listening stage of the Multiply project where I was not expected to “do” much but was there to focus on listening and asking many questions in order to hear and see what God is doing and how we can start to grow something new. To this end I was drinking lots of coffee with lots of different people to ask questions to gain a better understanding of the area, a better understanding the 20’s to 40’s in the area and to start to gain a better understanding of the role of Churches in the towns Malton and Norton.
Listening to what people had to say, the dream emerged to see small groups of 20’s to 40’s develop in the neighbourhood they live in (encouraging discipleship and mission to become practical at this level) whilst at the same seeking to create a sense of a movement with others across Malton and Norton. Working with the name “OMG”, we’d like to see people discovering God in the mess and in the glory of their everyday lives and sharing his love across Malton and Norton. This sense of movement becomes visible online and when we gather people from across Malton and Norton. We seek to develop in such a way that almost all we do is replicable and
can be a blessing beyond Malton and Norton, encouraging a ripple on effect in Ryedale.
As our aim is to not just engage the 20’s to 40’s the Church already connects with but to reach out beyond the 20’s and 40’s we are already in contact with. Therefore I seek to be present in spaces where relationships can be formed and where there is space to start to connect with people’s spirituality. The Pop-up Café (every other week at St Peter’s Church Hall in Norton) was very good for this and we were developing relationships at Peasey Hill with a view we might be able to (help) (re)start a parents and toddlers group there. We also connected a bit to Brew and Dumplings (at the Stew & Oyster) and to Tots Church and started the preparations for acquiring a coffee bike as a vehicle for conversation.
On Shrove Tuesday I organised a Pancake party and around the same time I tried to start a small group activity around the same time as well but this wasn’t successful at the time. It was clear more relationship(s) had to be formed first.
Soon after Covid-19 changed our lives drastically and our approach and opportunities for ministry had to change too. I developed the Coronaprayers website to see if that was something people would connect with. This had some impact and was valuable for some but the reach appeared to be fairly limited.
During the second lockdown I did a few more prayer livestreams using the Coronaprayers platform. Learning the lessons from the first lockdown and taking advantage of the way the rules were during this second lockdown, more people were involved in these prayers which made them more accessible.
In May we started thinking about Bible Adventure Bags and we did the first one in June. The idea of Bible Adventure Bags is to bless families with a bag filled with a number activities and all the materials needed are included in the bag allowing families to connect with a bible story, do something around prayer all in a way that is fun to do. After “trialling” this with a small number of families the Church and I were already in contact with (we started with 20 bags in June 2020), we saw this ministry gradually grow and by Christmas this number had grown to 90
bags serving many families in Malton and Norton who had little or no contact with Church.
It has been a real blessing working with the team on this (they are awesome!) and it is also a real blessing to see how these bags have opened doors. The delivery is always an important moment as it allows for some personal contact and for relationship to develop. We pray that this is just the beginning of our journey with these families and we will seek to build on these new connections whist we are also just grateful to be able to serve these families with these bags in a time like this.
Throughout the year I continued to seek ways to start and develop new contacts. As a consequence of the pandemic, most of this had to happen on social media. During the last months of 2020 I regularly met with a group of 3 to 6 men around a firepit where we shared life and faith in a relaxed and nonthreatening environment. We finished these evenings with evening prayers for which all men joined. This was a really good and safe way of connecting with people at a time when it was generally quite difficult to meet others.
Hendrik Klaver
Tech Team Report Year 2020-21
March 23[rd] 2020. Mothering Sunday. Church closed and the Minster has a friendly sign outside – ‘closed due to pandemic’.
Although the Joint Archbishops letter in March encouraged us to think of modern ways to connect, the Church of England was basically shut. For me and others this was a dismal response to a World Crisis. In these circumstances I often think of the fictitious character Don Camillo in Giovanni Guareschi’s novels- what would he do? He would find a way around this and not dither over it.
From Sunday 22[nd] March we ensured something was done about this. Words and hymns and the like available from the internet were one thing, but the technical issues of making a service live were unknown to me. It was a steep learning curve and with dogged determination (as a previous vicar has said about me!) and with Alan’s sterling support we
tested a live transmission from Glyn’s home on 19[th] April.
The process of moving from an online interactive session with Zoom (basically unknown to all of us at that time) to a live transmission from church was fraught with problems.
Firstly, we needed to ensure there was the infrastructure in place (ethernet, wifi, fast broadband etc) and secondly, we needed the necessary hardware and cables. That required expense.
On top of that however, we needed to understand how the software worked and why certain things did not happen. Both were hard graft-there was little from the internet and mainly American written by geeks who thought you knew everything! The C of E had zero knowledge on this. In fact, I can safely say that they, and the whole Diocese have been of no help whatsoever through last year.
Using our own resources and our own money we sorted the hardware and infrastructure out by May. Through weeks of testing and research we felt by the end of May we were ready to run live from church. We had cables everywhere!
We had to wait until July before a live transmission and that was with Simon. From then on we got into a semi routine. One person operating the laptop and the other moving cameras and firefighting!
Our objective now was to be able to operate this with one person and remove many of the wires and plugs- each fraught with their own problem. Andrew came to help us with his technical sound background and several things were resolved. We knew what we wanted but this cost money. The Standing Committee would not approve expenditure and so it
was not until December that we obtained approval to buy a second wifi camera and various kit and get reimbursed. Fortunately, we were able to order this before Brexit and use the kit over Christmas. It is difficult to buy this now – indeed it is easier to buy from China than Europe.
Alan developed his skills into pyrotechnics and laid words over the video which has helped at All Age services and the carol service. We tested the two wifi cameras and the camcorder and reduced the video complexity, but in the end, we decided that sound needed to be simpler and more understandable to control.
The last year has been an eyeopener to me on a variety of matters. It has at times been quite frustrating and stressful as Alan will no doubt concur, but we seem to have now settled down somewhat and learnt a great deal. Without Alan’s support throughout the Tech Team would have not even happened. We have had arguments and frustration, but these have been offset by many jokes and good humour! And we have generally reached a good solution between us.
However, I think our overall pleasure has been the almost universal support and encouragement from many parishioners and Zoomers. Seeing the whole congregation on Zoom singing away to hymns has been very satisfying. Many have been ready to read, sing and prepare prayer at short notice. It has assisted in keeping the community of St Michael’s together and getting the church into your home.
In my view one of the best Zooms was the wedding in October. It helped make the marriage for the couple more complete and inclusive, and attracted a world audience- even Manchester as well!
John Patten 8.2.21