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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St. James, Taunton

2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report for 2024

Prepared by the PCC, the Coordinators and other leaders

Fabian Wuyts Vicar 14 April 2025

Registered Charity No : 1130757.

Full name of the charity : The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. James, Taunton. Short names : St James Church PCC; St James Church Taunton. Address : St James Church Office, St James Street, Taunton, TA1 1JS.

St James Church Office, St James Street, Taunton, TA1 1JS.

This report covers calendar year 2024 and has been written to meet the requirements of the Charity Commission’s Statement of Recommended Practices (SORP FRS102).

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Foreword by the Vicar

As we look back on 2024, my heart is full of gratitude. I want to begin by saying a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who give your time, your gifts, and your prayers to support the life and ministry of our church. Whether you serve on a team, help and work behind the scenes, or simply offer a word of encouragement – you are part of what God is building here, and I am truly thankful.

One of the most encouraging signs of growth this year has been within our ministry to children and their families. We give thanks to God for the appointment of Rachel Haddell, who, alongside a faithful and creative team of leaders and helpers, has helped shape a vibrant and supportive children’s ministry. It has been a joy to see families drawn in and young lives being nurtured in faith.

We are also deeply grateful for the arrival of Glenys Hanlon as our new church administrator. Her warmth, hospitality, and professionalism have already made a noticeable impact, and we thank God for bringing her to journey with us at this time.

Throughout the year, we have continued to explore new ways of staying rooted in prayer and drawing close to God. We give thanks for Lynn and Felicity, whose leadership in reflective prayer events has helped grow a deeper awareness of God’s presence and goodness among us.

This past year, we also saw the greatest number of Alpha courses ever offered through our church – with three courses hosted at St James Church and one held beyond our church walls. This is a remarkable encouragement, as more people continue to explore faith in Jesus in an open and welcoming environment.

We have also taken a closer look at our pastoral care ministry, and I am deeply grateful to everyone involved in this vital part of life at St. James. Pastoral care is not limited to a single team or group – it is beautifully woven into the very fabric of our church community. Whether through our Life Groups, including Thursday Fellowship and Hymns and Tea, our prayer ministry, or the informal support offered through special interest groups, our church family has shown a remarkable commitment to walking alongside one another in times of both joy and sorrow.

A sincere thank you to our leaders, volunteers, safeguarding team, prayer intercessors, and to every person who offers a phone call, a visit, a meal, or simply a listening ear. Your love in action reflects the heart of Christ, and our community is stronger and more compassionate because of you.

Our Welcome Team remains central in helping newcomers feel at home, and our Welcome Lunches continue to thrive – offering valuable space for connection, conversation, and community. We are also deeply thankful for all the other faithful teams and ministries that support the life of the church – whether on Sundays, throughout the week, in maintaining our facilities, or in carrying the love of Jesus into our local schools, community, and beyond. Your faithfulness is not unseen.

Looking ahead to 2025, we sense a strong call to deepen and expand our ministry to children, young people, and their families – placing them ever more at the heart of all we do. We are praying for the right person to join us in ministering to our growing number of teenagers, and we are actively exploring the exciting possibility of welcoming an intern studying for Youth Ministry from September. So watch the space!

Yet above all else, we are reminded to remain close to Jesus – rooted deeply in Scripture and prayer. We are not simply building programmes; we are agents of the Kingdom, representing Christ’s heart and purpose in our homes, our work, our communities, and our church life. Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing – and we are called to grow in that same intimacy and obedience, empowered by the Holy Spirit. These are not mere ideas to nod along with; they are the heartbeat of a fruitful, faithful life.

So let us continue to spend time with Him. Let us listen closely for the Spirit’s guidance, lay down our striving, and walk in step with the amazing plans God has for our lives and the life of his church. He is the Shepherd – seeking the lost, caring for his flock, and leading us with love, power and wisdom. That is his heart. And we want to follow it.

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Prayer for Growth

Heavenly Father, increase in number your Church at St James as you deepen us as followers and learners of Christ.

Help us to show uninhibited reliance on your grace and power as we seek renewal of our lives, our church, our community and our world.

Give us courage, imagination and generosity in order that your kingdom may come and your abundant life be known by all.

We make this prayer in the name and to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rev Fabian Wuyts Vicar, St James Church

Introduction

St James Church, Taunton, is a parish church within the Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Church of England. Its parish includes the Roughmoor, North Town, Priory and Firepool areas of Taunton. The church’s membership is drawn partly from within the parish, partly from across the rest of the town, and from nearby villages. Its services and activities are open to all, and the church works with other churches and local inter-church organisations in proclaiming and applying the good news of Jesus Christ.

The size of the worshipping community at the end of 2024 (as declared for the “Mission Statistics” return to the diocese) was 159 adults and 32 children. For comparison, the 2023 figures were 160 adults and 27 children. At the 2024 Annual Meeting, there were 159 people on the Church Electoral Roll.

Objectives

The governing document is The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. In common with other Anglican (Church of England) churches, this gives the objects of the church as to:

Promote in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The PCC’s registration with the Charity Commission (using headings provided by Church of England Guidance at the time of initial registration) expands the statement of objects as covering:

Public Benefit

The PCC has noted the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, including publication PB4 The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit .

Worship services are all open to the public. The church building is open as many days as possible for private prayer, and is available for weddings and funerals of parishioners as required. Baptisms of parishioners are normally conducted during Sunday morning services.

Pastoral support is available to anyone who requests it. Church members also receive support through home groups.

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Significant effort goes into supporting St James Church School, with volunteers helping to lead assemblies, assist school staff run Christmas, Easter and Leaver’s services in the church building, listen to children reading and run a mentoring scheme.

The church also supports local Christian organisations – further details are in the Local and International Mission Partners section, below.

A church does not exist in isolation, but is part of one world-wide church of all denominations. St James supports the work of several organisations whose work is overseas – further details are in the Local and International Mission Partners section, below.

The PCC also has maintenance responsibilities for St James’ Church building (Grade 2* listed) and the church halls. The halls are available for hire by community groups. The church building is also used for concerts and by some other groups, such as the NHS Blood Donor service.

How St James Church Operates

St James Church has long had a tradition of Every Member Ministry, with all members encouraged to play an active part – and not wait to be told what to do. This applies to all parts of church life except those where licenced clergy are required to undertake a specific role.

Paid staff : Vicar (full-time), Church Administrator, Children’s Church Pastor and Caretaker (all part-time). The administrator handles bookings for the church halls; we welcomed Mrs Glenys Hanlon as our new administrator in June 2024. The caretaker works alongside the administrator and together they look after the needs of hirers of church premises. The Children’s Church Pastor leads Sunday children’s activities, and liaises with families; this is a new post from April 2024, and we were pleased to appoint church member Rachel Haddell.

Church officers : the churchwardens, together with the vicar, manage the day-to-day business of the church, assisted by the administrator. All financial matters are handled by the Treasurer, assisted by the Planned Giving and Payroll Officer. The PCC Secretary manages the routine business of the PCC and looks after governance matters.

PCC: The PCC meets monthly, except in May (Annual Church Meeting) and August (summer holidays). It approves all major non-recurring financial expenditure and decides proposals to undertake any major new activity. The PCC’s Standing Committee is empowered by law to conduct PCC business in between meetings of the council. Its members are the church officers plus one ordinary member of the PCC.

Readers and service leaders : a small group of church members, including one licenced Reader, assists the vicar in leading services and preaching.

Coordinators : a number of coordinators were appointed from 2012 to manage certain aspects of church life with delegated responsibility from the vicar and PCC. The aim is to avoid overloading the vicar with too many decisions. The Worship, Discipleship and Facilities (premises and technical) Coordinators continue to function largely as originally envisaged. A Hospitality Coordinator has since been appointed. The Pastoral area is currently being reviewed. The original intention was that this structure would evolve with experience, and this has taken the form of establishing groups and teams.

Groups and Teams : these look after specific activities, again with the expectation that they will progress their business without unnecessarily troubling the vicar or churchwardens. The following are currently operating: Mission Review Group (support for mission partners), Welcoming Team, Prayer Team, Deputy Wardens, Hospitality Team, Tech Team, Pastoral Team, Worship Group, Safeguarding Team, Premises Team (including gardening), Flower Team, Banner Group, Hymns and Tea Team, and the Churchyard Development Group. In 2024 the PCC agreed to form a Communications Team, and this will gradually become operational in 2025.

Fellowship and Interest Groups : Lest the previous paragraphs give the impression that everything is business related, most of the groups and teams work with a strong element of fellowship. The same members may also be part of other groups, such as Life Groups or specific interest groups such as the Bellringers, the Art Group and St James Players.

Diocesan authority : provisions decided by General Synod or decisions made by Diocesan Synod govern, for example, the type of public worship services that can be provided but allow a church to develop its own style. The appointment of clergy and readers is managed by the diocese, in

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consultation with the parish. Payment of clergy is carried out via the diocesan Common Fund, to which all parishes pay their Parish Share (Benefice Share from 2025). Significant maintenance work and alteration of the church building is overseen by a Diocesan Advisory Committee, through faculties granted by the diocesan chancellor; this process is in lieu of civil planning procedures. The parish is required to appoint an architect approved by the diocese to advise on and specify all works required.

Activities

Worship

There is one service on a Sunday at 10.30 am which is live streamed on YouTube and available later on the church YouTube channel in ‘tidied up’ form. This service is Communion on two Sundays and Morning Worship/ All Age Worship on the other Sundays with the pattern dependant on school holidays and other factors. These services are planned by Fabian and are each part of a themed series. Fabian works in collaboration with Ray Crooks (the Musical Director) and Worship Coordinator as well as a leading and preaching team, Fabian organises these rotas. Alongside this there are those who read and lead prayers within the services. Church Suite is used to support this.

Prayer ministry happens after each morning service as well as within communion services. This is led by Sue Lucas and Vicky Dykes. Ongoing training takes place for the team.

The Musical Director selects the songs and hymns in consultation with the vicar and the Worship Coordinator and those leading the service.

The style is contemporary corporate worship with a range of songs and instrumentation that complement this. The music team currently comprises of a drummer and singers with the Music Director providing settings to match the available skills. New music is introduced in collaboration with the Musical Director, Worship Coordinator, and the Vicar and meetings take place as required to practice new worship songs. There is excellent commitment and engagement from the team with different members leading the praise section of each service. There are also meetings when required with the Vicar to look at the praise and worship within the morning service.

Sue Doyle leads the dance ministry which enhances our worship and adds dimension to our prayers during each service. Members of the church are encouraged to use the flags to express the lyrics of the songs we sing or words we say.

St James Players have contributed dramatic interpretations of Bible passages to our services to help our understanding of particular themes.

Alongside Morning Worship there is a growing young people and children’s church in the hall planned and led by Rachel Haddell and the CYP team that is engaging the younger members of our church and is well received with excellent feedback.

The crèche area for younger children continues to be well used and the south side of the church is arranged to encourage family groups and participation.

This side of the church is also used by members of a nearby residential home. Their support workers comment that they respond well to the music in particular those with actions and signs.

A great deal of planning, preparation and set up goes into each service. A hard working and dedicated team of volunteers runs the various elements of the technical set up, sound, live stream, visuals on screen, flowers and banners as the visual expression of the season or theme, the Welcome Team, and last but definitely not least, the Hospitality Team which provides refreshments at morning services and many other events.

Online Morning Prayer continues on Mondays and Thursdays at 9.15am on Zoom, streamed on Facebook. Church Members are encouraged to use the Prayer Space in church.

The monthly evening service known as “The Room” continues on the first Sunday of each month at 7.00 pm in the Hall. The format is more informal and contemporary with a mixture of songs supported by a small worship band and singers. The aim is to give people the space (room) to worship, contribute, reflect, respond and worship in a more informal setting. This includes songs, readings, media, testimony, prayer and response. It is led by different members of the congregation each month and has been well received by those who attend.

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We must always be mindful that Worship is a whole life experience and is not confined to the time in church services and the portion where we sing. Praise within our worship may seem to be a vertical act – we receive from God and we return our praise to him. However it is also Horizontal – we praise God with others and in speaking and singing out our praise with each other we encourage each other and remind ourselves of Gods character and acts. But there is a third dimension – the world beyond the walls of our church and we need to “Declare his Glory among the Nations , his marvellous deeds among all peoples.”

So as stated in previous reports we continue to consider how we reach out to those who are currently outside of the church and those without a church background and endeavour to make worship accessible and relevant within the changing landscape.

Psalms reminded Israel that they were not to be like other nations and were not to hide from the rest of the world and become inward looking. The people of God instead were to proclaim his character and his acts to the whole world

I would also again this year like it noted that there is a great commitment required for both online and face to face services in facilitating the technology required and my thanks go to all those who give their time to this ministry.

Richard Lucas, Worship Coordinator

Pastoral Care

Pastoral care at St. James is deeply embedded within the life of the church, ensuring that members are supported spiritually, emotionally, and practically. Various groups and ministries contribute to this essential aspect of church life, with a focus on small group support, prayer ministry, hospitality, and newcomer integration.

Life Groups play a crucial role in providing pastoral care, with 10 groups engaging up to approximately 20 members on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. Leaders are key in ensuring that members feel supported within these small communities.

Beyond Life Groups, several key gatherings contribute significantly to the pastoral care landscape of St. James:

Effective pastoral care is built on a foundation of safeguarding and well-supported volunteers. Our approach includes:

Prayer remains central to pastoral care at St. James, with the following key elements:

The Hospitality Team and Welcome Team Ministry play a vital role in fostering fellowship and integrating new members into the church community.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributes to the care and support of others, whether through leadership roles or personal initiatives. Pastoral care is a shared responsibility, and our collective efforts help build a compassionate and supportive church family. Assessing and

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improving our pastoral strategy is an ongoing process, and we recognize several key areas that require attention:

  1. Bereavement Support

We want to address the growing need for grief support through initiatives such as promoting resources from other churches (e.g., St. George’s Wilton), continuing our annual services for remembering loved ones, and creating a space for the bereaved to receive support and help.

  1. Integration of Pastoral Systems We see the need to strengthen the links between prayer ministry, Life Groups, and professional support services (signposting). We also want to ensure individuals unable to attend church due to illness or other circumstances receive pastoral support through visits, phone calls, or written communication.

  2. Improved Follow-Up for Newcomers We want to implement a system for contacting and supporting those who stop attending and provide pastoral follow-up where appropriate.

  3. Growing Support for Families, Children, and Young People We aim to recruit additional volunteers for Children’s Church, allowing leaders to focus on building meaningful connections with parents and carers. We recognize the vital role of investing time in supporting and equipping families, empowering them to navigate today’s complex and challenging world with confidence and faith.

Pastoral care at St. James continues to be a vital ministry, ensuring that individuals and families receive the support they need. Through Life Groups, prayer ministry, hospitality, pastoral visiting, safe recruitment, and specialized support, we seek to create a community where everyone feels valued and cared for. Moving forward, our focus will be on strengthening our systems, equipping volunteers, and expanding our reach to meet the evolving needs of our congregation.

Fabian Wuyts, Vicar

Discipleship

Exciting Times. New people seem to be appearing at church most Sundays, and, after a few weeks to settle in, it is my privilege to chat with them and see what faith needs we can meet. Requests to join a Life Group have been, almost without exception, satisfied, but most groups are near maximum people or space capacity, making the need for additional Life Group leaders a priority in the coming year.

There are currently 10 Life Groups, with a total of approximately 86 regularly attending members. Both I and the church are indebted to the leaders for their faithful ministry, which can often present some challenges. As leaders, we meet 4 times each year, meetings of mutual support, fellowship and prayer, and the church continues to invest in developing this ministry and support the leaders.

We were able to deliver 3 Alpha Course in 2024 (one more than planned) with 19 people completing the course and wanting to make a commitment or renew their commitment to Jesus. I am indebted to the Life Groups and others who generously donated desserts and full meals in support of Alpha. Plans are in place to again offer 3 Alpha Course in 2025

Study notes for Life Groups (and all church members) continue to be produced ‘in house’ each week and build on and compliment the subject of the Sunday readings and talk. The notes continue to be authored by Fabian, Richard Carpenter and myself, and this brings a variety of style and content that has been well received.

Roger Fenton, Discipleship Coordinator

Children’s & Youth Work

Having appointed Rachel Haddell as a part- time Children’s church pastor in April 2024, the Children’s church has continued to flourish on a Sunday morning. We have a wonderful team of volunteers who bring a variety of gifts and strengths to the ministry. We welcome between 20 and 30 children most Sundays but are in regular contact with around 50 children and young people.

The children remain in a mixed-age group using the hall and outdoor space for stories, songs, crafts, snacks, games and prayer. Babies and toddlers transition from playing in their dedicated

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play space at the back of church (often popping into the hall initially just for a snack) to attending Children’s church with a parent/ carer when ready. We welcome parents both attending with their children or leaving their children with the team. Friendships between parents and informal support often begin around the edges of this room.

During the school holidays, we enjoy All-Age services with the whole church family. During the summer holidays, we planned some simple activities to get the children interacting with the wider congregation. At Christmas, some of the young people tried out being welcomers at the door, getting involved with drama, lighting candles and reading liturgies. Larger numbers of children do require a bit more thought but Rachel, Fabian and the team are working hard to ensure our All-Age services have a consistent format, and that we build services where everyone can bring their different talents and personalities and feel welcome, involved and engaged.

One specific development during this annual reporting period was to set up a specific group for young people in Y6 and above. The focus for this has been to encourage the young people to grow in their faith and friendship. Our concern, if this group had not started was that there would be no provision for those finishing Y6 in July and possibly losing the opportunity to engage with them. Thanks to Karen and Steve Sancto, we now have a group (age 10+) meeting in the lounge once a month on a Sunday morning. This group currently continues to join the wider children’s church on the other Sunday mornings.

The group has also enjoyed social activities once a half term. So far the social activities have involved fun visits to McDonalds and bowling and an evening packing Christmas shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. Our numbers have grown with young people inviting their neighbours and friends. It has been amazing to see God at work in this and we are praying for his guidance as to how we take this forward.

A Family breakfast in the New Year was a highlight of our year. We welcomed around 50 children and parents for breakfast, worship, a treasure hunt and prayer. This was a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better. A WhatsApp group for our church families has been invaluable for communicating plans, events, timings and details. An informal ‘mums evening out’ during half term also came about as a result of this group and many are keen for more.

Schools Work

We continue to have a strong link with the local Church of England St James Church School.

Collective Worship : Fabian and Mike Gillingham lead weekly all school collective worship. The content of the collective worship is a mixture of singing, Bible story, reflection and prayer. There is good participation, fun and a sense of anticipation.

The school continues to hold their Christmas and Easter services at St James Church as well as a special Leavers Service that includes a free lunch and activities provided by a team of volunteers from St James church.

Teaching : The Vicar helps teach specific years about Christian Festivals and occasional services such as Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals.

Fabian also takes part in the Ethos Group that meets several times a year to look at the Christian and Pastoral input across the school.

Mentoring and Reading: David Jordan leads a team of 5 mentors who have been trained through TLG (Transforming Lives for Good) who are working with 5 individual children referred by the school who feel they would benefit from individual time. Two of the mentors started at the beginning of 2024 having done the necessary training. In addition, David coordinates four other people who go into listen to children reading. It has been a great privilege to partner with the school in this way and we have been warmly welcomed.

North Town School : Our involvement consists mainly in offering the church for their Harvest, Christmas, Carol, Easter and Leavers services. Once a year Fabian helps with the Harvest Assembly and is always available for Christian input where needed.

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Prayer: As a church we pray for the schools and meet twice a term at St James Church for a prayer meeting – although mainly attended by the school volunteers and staff members it is open to any church member has a heart for supporting the school.

David Jordan, church school team liaison

Communications

Communication includes both internal information provided to church members and external messaging for those who may be interested in who we are and what we do. Anything internal needs to be written such that it is also intelligible to enquirers.

Internally the weekly bulletin is the main means of informing church members (and anyone else who has signed up to receive it) of what is happening. It is sent out by the church administrator by email from our ChurchSuite database. Immediate notices are also displayed before and after morning services through a video carousel on the screens. Various noticeboards in the church carry other information, but this cannot be relied on to reach everyone.

The church magazine is published quarterly in print and on the website. Thanks to Chris Doyle for his hard work in putting this together and for the quality of the presentation. It carries a wide range of articles from church members, and a summary of what the PCC has been looking at.

Externally , online media are our main method of communication, and we are still developing our approach to this. The PCC has recently decided to form a Communications Team, one whose remits is to take a proactive approach rather than react to events as they are planned.

The website is the core of the online presence, being the overall source that can be referenced from other media. Its content is kept up to date and its structure adjusted to better meet the evolving nature of the content. Most of the site contains ongoing information, but the front page is regularly updated with new information, linking to details in the rest of the site. A “Bible Bytes” page carries audio recordings of the Sunday morning talks, which are posted a day or so after the service, and also “Bible Reflections” drawn from the twice-weekly online morning prayer services.

Facebook is the main online front window and this is kept up to date weekly, together with links to livestreamed services on YouTube, and further details of events on the website. The twice weekly Morning Prayer services (whose participants meet on Zoom) are also posted on Facebook.

YouTube carries tidied-up videos of our morning services, which replace the livestream recordings. Many people prefer to catch up this way rather than via Facebook. It also carries other occasional videos. The service recordings used on YouTube are also sent out on DVD to a few church members who do not have the internet.

Local and International Mission Partners

We have active links with six local Christian organisations working in the local community and five national/international organisations involved in humanitarian relief and the Mission of the Gospel.

These are our local links and, and in all but two we have church members volunteering with them:

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In addition we have links with the following National organisation:

The church continues to support the following overseas missions , financially and in prayer:

We continue to make financial grants to the above charities and have maintained our commitment to give 10% of our income to mission .We review the grants on an annual basis and although we have to make adjustment in accordance with our income, we remain committed to these very important organisations.

Our formal link with WEC ended in 2023 when Dave and Margie Whitehorn retired from their role as Area Director in Western and Central Africa. Dave and Margie had been our links for over 30 years and still continue to keep us in touch with their prayer letters.

We also have some links with Rooted in Jesus – a teaching ministry in Africa. Both the Vicar and Roger Fenton have engaged in this ministry and Roger made a return visit in January 2024.

Jenny Wakefield, Mission Review Team

Community links

This section covers various groups and initiatives which reach out into the wider community. All of these events see participation from people who do not normally come to a church service.

Thursday Fellowship meets monthly. Carole and the committee provide a varied programme for church members and nonchurch members, but also the ongoing care and prayer for the members.

Hymns and Tea continues to run twice a month on Sunday afternoons. It has proved popular for those who enjoy hearing the organ, singing hymns together and enjoying tea, cake and chat afterwards in the church.

The Eco group has continued to advocate for a positive response to our responsibilities in God’s Created world. The churchyard conservation area has been extended and further developed in conjunction with Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and other local experts. Children’s Church participate in some events, and have built a second bug hotel.

In April, St. James Players presented Bodysnatchers , a whodunnit mystery written by one of its members to tell the story of Easter in a new way. Money raised for the presentation went to Open Door’s Raising the Roof Appeal.

In September, the Players “staffed” the annual Heritage Open Days on two Saturdays with a caste of historical characters illustrating scenes from the history of the church. Many conversations were had with the steady stream of visitors throughout both days.

Our bellringers meet weekly for practice and welcome new members. They ring for some morning services and share duties with other towers’ teams, both locally and wider in the diocese.

The Art Group continues to meet weekly in the Hall offering an opportunity for those who enjoy creativity through different art mediums.

Open Church and Prayer Space – the Side Chapel continues to be appreciated as a prayer space by visitors. The temporary curtain separating it from the chancel has been replaced by a voile screen made and installed by two volunteers.

The Flower Team continues to produce wonderful displays that add to the worship experience but also are frequently commented on by visitors. More importantly the fact that the team are often working in the church on a Friday gives them an opportunity to talk with visitors to the church.

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In November, a team set up “Calm and Bright”, an Advent Quiet Space with a guided meditation, crafts, a reading corner, a sacred dance workshop, and reflective music and prayer.

Our Caretaker, Administrator and other volunteers working in the church have many opportunities to talk with visitors and enquirers, when a chance conversation, the handing out of a booklet or leaflet provides an opportunity to share God’s love.

We continue to foster good relationships with hirers of church premises. The many concerts held in the church during the year help to make residents aware of us as a church, as do the frequent blood doning sessions run by the NHS.

Facilities

70 jobs were completed during the year, comprising a mixture of immediate repairs, routine maintenance and small improvements. This is a 65% increase over the previous year and the team has also continued to make inroads into the backlog.

The main project for 2024 was the replacement of the 1975-vintage electrical distribution boards in the church, along with some additional electrical sockets. This was followed by the five-yearly Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which identified further work needed in the halls.

Another project was obtaining a faculty to fit three emergency lights in the church, mainly to improve safety at evening concerts where it could be difficult to manage the evacuation of an audience of 300 people should there be a power cut during an evening concert. The work will be carried out in early 2025, along with the replacement of most of the remaining discharge lamps in the church. We will then audit the remaining non-LED light fittings in the premises.

The rectification of loose stonework at the top of the tower in 2023 was followed up in 2024 by a full inspection by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, along with the repair of the more significant issues found. A further week’s work will be carried out in 2025.

The main excitement of the year was the accidental discovery of an unmarked early Victorian vault in the churchyard, about which we have since found no records. This has temporarily halted plans to level the uneven ground in this area to make an accessible garden. An archaeological investigation will hopefully be undertaken in 2025.

The demise of two gas fires necessitated a temporary move to electrical heating for the Small Hall and the Lounge. We were beginning to look at the possibility of a heat pump system to replace all the gas fires in the halls building, when the diocese provided us with an energy audit, and we will be seeking companies to come up with costed proposals for the halls. We will also ask advice about the church heating, but the halls are used more often and are the priority for action.

Two smaller projects are worthy of note. Two volunteers made and hung voile curtains to lightly enclose the Prayer Space in the Side Chapel; this area is often remarked on by visitors as being an attractive and welcoming place. Meanwhile, another volunteer has started a running working party to replace the vinyl seats and backs on all 130 chairs in the halls, which have not worn well.

The gardening team continues to enhance the conservation area in the churchyard, and the annual summer Working Parties carried out essential maintenance work on drains, gutters and various painting, oiling and cleaning tasks. We are now looking at establishing a decorating programme.

The technical team dealt with various issues with the livestream operation and continues to staff this, along with the projection and sound system for every main service.

Martin Wakefield, Facilities Coordinator

Financial Review

The majority of the PCC’s income is from direct giving by church members (including tax reclaimed under Gift Aid), with a smaller proportion deriving from hire of premises. No funds are raised from the general public.

2024 Significant events. The after-effects of Covid have now disappeared and Stewardship remains at a healthy level, with at least 70% of the congregation continuing to support through regular giving. Excluding a one-off donation of £10,000, it should be noted that this equates to a slight decrease allowing for current inflation levels.

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Hall hire continued to increase, and was slightly up on 2023 after taking into account increases in hiring charges. Increases in Stewardship and hall hire meant that the predicted deficit for the year was less than expected.

A Children’s Church Pastor was employed from April, and a new Church Administrator from May.

Routine expenditure was on a par with 2023, although a noticable increase in utility rates and a major upgrade to the electrical systems resulted in an overall deficit of just over £20,000.

The General Fund ended the year with a balance of £162,524, with no restricted funds. This was £16,555 less than at the end of 2023.

Investment Policy : it is our strategy to invest our funds balances in the Church of England’s Central Board of Finance deposit funds.

No funds are held as custodian trustee on behalf of others.

Reserves policy: within the General Fund, the PCC has designated the following reserve funds:

Projects Fund – for capital projects being planned by the church and as a place to hold legacies when first received. There is no set level for this fund, monies being assigned to it as needs arise and funding allows. Although designated for projects, this fund will need to be used for day to day running expenses should a further shortfall arise.

Fabric Fund – for major fabric repairs that will occur from time to time but cannot be met out of annual income (for example, gas boiler replacement, re-roofing, repairs to stonework). The intention is to maintain this fund at £30,000, but that level will fluctuate according to demand.

Risks Fund - for maintaining essential church activities for a period of up to around one year should there be a loss of income for any reason. This fund is set at 10% of Stewardship giving (and Gift-aid), which allows, for example, for members moving away; plus 30% of non-giving income (i.e. hall hire and car park charges, over which church members do not have control).

The Reserves Policy is reviewed annually.

At the end of 2024, the designated reserve funds stood as follows:

Projects Fund: £119,901 (£134,055 at the end of 2023.) Fabric Fund: £20,000 Risks Fund: £22,623 (10% of giving = £12,722, plus 30% of other income =£9,901) Total: £162,524

The total exceeds the £94,253 needed to cover the recommended accounting practice of holding in reserve 6 months' budgeted expenditure.

The £119,901 held at the end of the year in the designated Projects Fund was not assigned to specific projects. This figure has been drawn upon at the end of the year, as has the fabric fund. The church maintains a Capital Expenditure Plan detailing future projects which may in due course draw on this Fund. The PCC has decided that some of the funds can be used to pay for the Children’s Church Pastor.

Grant-making policy : the PCC has a policy of donating a minimum of 10% of stewardship giving (including cash collections and income tax recovered) to other Christian organisations. This is because an individual church such as St James is part of the one worldwide Christian church, with different parts of the church undertaking different responsibilities, and also being dependent on each other. Local organisations supported have aims which overlap with those of St James church. Organisations outside the local area are largely ones with which the church has had a relationship for some time. From time to time, the PCC also supports church members undergoing Christian training and undertaking full-time work with Christian organisations.

Richard Sainsbury, Treasurer

Staff and Volunteer Support

Approximately two and a half full-time equivalent posts are paid. The vicar is full-time, and the balance is made up of three part-time posts: the Church Administrator, the Children’s Church Pastor and the Caretaker. A curate (which is a diocesan training appointment) was with us from mid-2021 to February 2024.

Page 12 of 15

The majority of effort spent on preparing for and running church activities comes from volunteers: 88 members carry out various roles (approximately 180) within the church on a voluntary basis. This is equivalent to at least 10 full-time posts.

The contributions of all volunteers are much appreciated and are essential for the running of services, children’s and other groups, maintenance, pastoral care and every other aspect of church life. In particular, the churchwardens, treasurer, and Music Director all carry heavy loads.

Appointment of volunteers : where a post involves working with children or vulnerable adults, appointments are made using the Safer Recruitment process set out in the Church of England’s safeguarding guidance . This includes having a formal job description, being interviewed with references taken up, and. where eligible, the completion of enhanced DBS checks. Other appointments are made using a process appropriate to their role and in accordance with Church of England Safer Recruitment Guidance

Supporting volunteers : everyone who volunteers should have the opportunity to discuss their roles with the relevant coordinator in order to agree expectations, receive support, be reasonably resourced, discuss training needs and, as far as practicable, have these met. The safeguarding team have recently completed an audit, in which job roles have been reviewed and team leaders asked to confirm that their team are complying with Church of England guidelines as set out in the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance 2021.

Safeguarding

As a church we adhere to the Church of England Policy – Promoting a Safer Church: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/cofe-policy-statement.pdf. The latest guidance documents can be found in the e-manual on the Church of England website: https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-e-manual

The Church of England Safeguarding Handbook continues to provide practical information; a copy of this is kept in the office, on the safeguarding noticeboard or can be found online at:

Volunteers and team leaders within our church community need to be aware of the guidance with particular references to sections 11 and 12 which refer to how we conduct our activities and involvement in social media as safely as possible. In 2024 The Safeguarding team conducted an audit of all teams who confirmed that they were working with a knowledge of these two sections.

The aim of the Church’s safeguarding policy is to encourage a safer culture within the church We are “ called to share the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. The life of our communities and institutions is integral to how we address this task. The good news speaks of welcome for all, with a particular regard for those who are most vulnerable, into a community where the value and dignity of every human being is affirmed and those in positions of responsibility and authority are truly trustworthy. Being faithful to our call to share the gospel therefore compels us to take with the utmost seriousness the challenge of preventing abuse from happening and responding well where it has ”; from Promoting a Safer Church 2016.

In 2023 we appointed Jacqui Sainsbury as assistant Parish Safeguarding officer working with our existing Parish Safeguarding officer, primarily to assist with the administrative work. This has been an enormous help and we can now say we have a Safeguarding Team. Work has continued in using the Parish Dashboard system which has been advocated by the Diocese as a bespoke means of maintaining Parish Records. We are also now using Parish Hubs which has enabled us to store our training records and some recruitment information, giving easier access for the team and vicar. Further development of the hub is promised in the future.

The Parish Safeguarding Team working with the Vicar, Wardens and PCC, has a responsibility to:

Page 13 of 15

Safer recruitment procedures are carried out for all appointments involving working with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults, which all require DBS clearance.

For other voluntary posts there is a recruitment procedure in place operated by those in charge of different volunteers. We follow the guidance issued by the Church of England as set out in the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-e-manual/safer-recruitment-and- - people management guidance

Currently we have 88 volunteers from within the congregation engaged in a number of different teams and roles within the church, comprising approximately 180 different roles..

The Church of England recommends that anyone who acts as a volunteer should have safeguarding training, at least at basic awareness level and for many roles working with children or vulnerable adults a higher level of training (Foundation or Leadership) is required. This training is available online but for people who are not comfortable with this technology the PSO offers to support their training with in-house sessions as agreed with the Diocesan Safeguarding Manager (DSM). Training should be renewed every three years and reminders have been sent out. The use of the Parish Safeguarding hubs with assist in the administration of this and the Safeguarding team is very grateful to church volunteers for their response which in general is very good.

Safeguarding Training is obligatory for all clergy, PTO clergy and licensed readers, and this is overseen by the diocese. The diocese has been working hard to increase the number of leadership courses available. The PCC members have all completed the Domestic Violence Awareness and Foundation courses, which are available online. All church officers required to undertake leadership training have done so in the past 12 months.

Members of the prayer team, home group leaders and pastoral visitors have been encouraged to complete the Domestic Abuse Awareness Course and virtually all have now done so.

In November 2024 St. James again took part in the national Safeguarding Sunday with a service aimed at helping the congregation understand more about keeping our church a safe place.

Jenny Wakefield, Parish Safeguarding Officer

Risks

Finance : the main risk to the operation of the church is financial support. Most funding comes from church members, supplemented by income from hiring the church hall and car park. The church is not in receipt of any regular funding from other sources, either from within the Church of England, or the government. Grants may be obtainable to cover partial costs of some projects, and legacies may occasionally be received, but such sources do not impact on routine planning.

The church’s finances are thus vulnerable to:

In 2020, one of these risks materialised, in that the majority of income from hall hire ceased due to Covid; it has now recovered.

The PCC keeps a proactive watch on these matters through reports from the Treasurer to alternate meetings of the council. An annual stewardship campaign, in liaison with the Planned Giving Officer, aims to refresh church members’ awareness of the principles of giving.

Communications : as the church grows in numbers, there is a risk of fragmentation due to the inability of all members to know every other member and what the various groups and teams are doing. The PCC has recently agreed to form a Communications Team (which will also cover outreach communications).

Disaster Recovery Planning : The loss of the use of the church building is not considered to be a major risk. In 2001, the church moved its activities temporarily to the local church school, while the floor in the church building was replaced. It is considered that similar arrangements could be made

Page 14 of 15

again. The PCC does not consider that any disaster recovery plans need to be maintained for specific activities; the scale of operations is such that contingency plans are best drawn up in response to the nature of any issue that may occur.

Health & Safety : physical risks are managed through the church’s Health and Safety Policy , which is reviewed annually by the PCC. The policy includes a schedule of risks using a checklist provided by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Company. The Schedule sets out the procedures for mitigating and managing each risk. Equipment safety checks (gas appliances, security alarms, lightning conductor, fire extinguishers and electrical PAT testing) are undertaken annually. A summary reminder is issued to all volunteers annually.

Trustees

The members of the Parochial Church Council are the trustees of the charity. PCC members who served at any time from 1st January 2024 until the date this report was approved were:

Vicar: Rev Fabian Wuyts Chairman
*
Curate: Rev David Wilkie * Until 9 February 2024
Churchwardens: Mr Nigel Bright
Mrs Joycey Kirk
Mrs Fiona Hope		 Vice chair


*		 Until 13 May 2024
From 13 May 2024
Deanery Synod: Mr Richard Carpenter
Ms Chris Rickard *
Mr Martin Wakefield Secretary
*
Elected members: Mr Martin Bluemel Until 13 May 2024
Mr Roger Fenton
Mrs Marilyn Gibson Until 9 Sept 2024
Mrs Lyn Jones
Mr David Jordan
Mrs Sue Lucas Until 13 May 2024
Mrs Jane Price From 13 May 2024
Mr Richard Sainsbury Treasurer
*
Mr Johan Smit
Mrs Jenny Wakefield
Mrs Vashti Wuyts Smit
There were three vacancies for elected members from 9 Sept 2024.
Ex-officio Mr Nic Tall Diocesan Synod &
General Synod.		 Until 8 April 2024

Appointment of trustees : The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church of England’s Church Representation Rules . The number of elected members is 12, with one-third coming up for election each year.

Ex-officio members of the PCC are: clergy licensed to the parish, two churchwardens, separately elected annually, three representatives of the parish to Deanery Synod, elected every three year, and any members of Diocesan Synod and General Synod who are members of the church.

Recruitment of trustees : all Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and consider standing for election to the PCC. Active recruitment may occur when one sector of the church appears to be under-represented on the PCC.

Training of trustees : new members are provided with a copy of the PCC Standing Orders , which sets out how the PCC works, and a copy of the booklet Trusteeship – an introduction for PCC members . They are encouraged to obtain a copy of A Handbook for Churchwardens and Parochial Church Councillors and to attend any training events run by the diocese. PCC members also receive safeguarding awareness training.

Custodian Trustees : The Diocese of Bath and Wells is the custodian trustee for property owned by the church, i.e. the church hall and associated buildings and land.

Page 15 of 15

PCC St TuntOD TATEMENT F FIt4ANC for Y•ar End•d 31 b•r 2024 UnrnstrKed Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2024 Funds INCOME tjonats'ons & Legams 131,856 131.856 128.74• 35,039 35.039 Investment Income 8.718 8.718 TOTAL114COME 175.612 175,612 EXPENDITLIRE Church activibes 189,117 192,167 -16,555 NET EXPENDITURE -13,505 -3.050 TRANSFER8 BETWEEM FUNDS BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD AT 1 JAN 2024 176,029 179,079 187,51• BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD AT 31 DEC 2024 £162 524 £162 524 £179 BALANCE SHEET A• at 31 D8c8mber TOTAL FLWDS 2024 Funds Funds CURRENT A38m Oeblors Short tami deposrts Cash at bank & in harKI 23,876 151,275 2.526 £177.677 23,876 151.275 2,526 £177,677 24.1•. 159,1 LIABILMES Cr¢drtor8 - amounts falling due wrthin ￿ar -15,153 -15,153 -11,1(I, CURRENT A8SET3 £162.524 £162.524 LIABILmE3 ounts falling duo in more than LTh year NET ASSETS £162.524 £162,524 £179,071 PARISH FUND3: G8neralUnrestrthd Funos Caprtal TLG Make Lunch chi￿￿￿en & Familw w0￿er 162,524 162.524 176.0• £162 524 Approv•d on of th• Pan>chbal Church Council on and •ign•d by: Iolh A41ri12025 R•v. F•bl*n Wuyl• Mr Nipl 8ryht (Churchw•rd•nl Th• not•• on pag•• 2 to 6 form part of th••• A¢¢ounts. Pa8e I

PCC St Jmts T•untoD FIIIANC rEn E14 mb•r 2024 1. Accounting Polkl•• The financ￿1 Slat￿)&nts have ten prepared in a¢xordance Church ACc￿nti￿j Regulations 2(Th, together ￿th applicab accounting stsndards and the Chanties SORP IFRSSEI published on the 16th Juty 2014 and the Ch•ritses Act 2011. Tho finanaal statements have teen prepared under the htstorical cost convenb.on and include all transactions, assets and liabill￿S for which the PCC is responsib￿ in law. They do not indude financaal statements of church groups that their main affiliatson to another or those that arn infomial gatherings of thurth members. Fund• Un￿stricted fvnds ropr8senl the funds of the PCC that arn not subjeci to any TeStriCtp￿ regarding their use and are availabkn for application on the gon8ral purposes of the PCC. Reslncted hjnds represonl donat￿n$ or grants received for a speufic 0￿"eCt. Of invrt¢d by the PCC for a specific object. The fvnds may on be expended on tho S[￿￿fiC objeca for they re gwen. Any tsalan￿ remaining unspent at the end of each year musl be carried forward as a ba￿nce on that fund. The PCC doos not invest separat•ty for each fijnd. Where thero ￿ no separate investment. Interest ￿ apPOrt￿￿d to indN#lual funds on an #Npr￿8 balance basts. Incom• Colleth'ons are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivab￿ under Grft AMI ￿ recc#3nised onty when received Income Tax rnCOverab￿ on Grft donatths i8 rèccgnBgd when the incoffe is rnoigntsed. Grants and to the PCC are accounted for as as the PCC is nobW of rts al enbllemen( the armunl du8 ￿ qUantrfIab￿ and rt8 uttmmate receipt ty the PCC is rea6onabty crtain. Rentsl income from the tb"ng of churth Premises ks rec&3nffjed wthen the fentsl is d￿. Exp•ndltrrn Grants and dona￿￿8 are accounted for wthen paKI over, or wthen w•Arded, rf that award cTrates a binding oblb38tion on the PCC. The di0￿$an parish sharo is accxiunled for when due. for mtssion are O¢alt wth as restrbcbj funds. Al other exwndrture k8 generalty recryntsed whon it s incurred. Flx•d Consècrated and beneficed pfoperty of any kind ￿ exckthj kn ￿ accounts by $.21{al of tho Ch8rils 1993. No value is placed on movable thurth fumishings by the ¢hurchwardens on srtsal trust for the PCC, and listed In the church'5 invgnlory wthich e4n be insFected at any Teasonab18 bme, and require 4 facuNy for disposal, sinc£ the PCC consKl8rs to te Inal￿nab￿ pr¢)￿rtY. All expenditure Incurred duriry ￿ year on ¢onseeratsd or benèftt bulk11￿5 and Movab￿ churth fvmishings, wh8ther maintenance or wYyrov8mnL r6 wrrtten off as ey￿jrtUro in SOFA and separalety disd06ed in the ￿ar of expondiiuro rf rt exceeds £5,CO). Equipment Usod wrthin the church premises dopre¢iatod on a strayht line basis over 4 IndNK1ual rtems of equiprn8nl a purcase pric of £2.5CM) or18s8 are Trtten ¢)ff kn acquired. 2. Grnnts The fo1th￿ng grants of over £1.CW m in the year. Taunton Team Chaplaincy Taunton Street Pastors Taunton Area Debt Advi( Taunton Youth for Chnst The Bes(Mn in Taunton £2.650.00 £1,2CM) £1.5LKI Total Fund• lon Church Overseas. - Missionary &)u8tsS . Relf and Oevelopm8nt Home MissK)ns Funds Funds 2024 2023 £5tY) £1,630 £9,224 £40 £214 £9,050 £9.264 £13,050 £254 £13,304 £13,354 P4e2

pc.c. TES TO TH FIP4ANC for tho Y•ar End•d 31 D•c•mb•r 2024 MEN 2024 2023 £21,441 Wa985 and salarns £23,226 During the year the PCC employed a musical director. a caretsker. and an adminBtrator. plus an assistant adMin￿tratOr11T support. Th8 hyhest pa￿ employee receNod £6,780. None of the Trustees have been paba any r8nurneratK￿ or reCN￿ any other benefits from an employmènt this chanty. Thgre are no employees who recNe emulments of more than £60.C#XI Payments totslling £5,251 ￿re made to 9 PCC memter¥ dufing the ￿ar for the re1mbu￿ernenl of expens85. Th￿ expenses wmre for Almin, Repairs, SLKial, Evangelism and fe88 . plus VKars. exponses aThl Fees. The￿ are no further related paty transath'ons In the year 31c). Ind•p•nd•nt •xamln•r f••• These amwnted to £60 for the year. 4. D•btor• 2024 2023 19,633 2,233 Income tsx recoverabl8 Prepayments arKI accnjed incryr Other debtors 21.925 1,951 £23.876 £21,867 5. Cr•ditor4 2024 2023 Deferred inco Accwal$ of utilty and otror costs Other creditors 1.413 13.740 1,379 £15.153 £2,679 6. M•jor Exp•ndltsbY• Repl8cem8nt arKI upgradiry of ekctrul sysytems. 7. C•p•tAI Commltm•nt• R•p8irs to TLMr stonevd £5.(KL) Pa8e 3

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. JAMES, TAUIYTON This report on the a¢counts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2024. which incorporate the Statemeni of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet and th¢ Notes lo the Accounts, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulalions 2006 ("the Regulations) and s.145 of the Charities Act 201 {"the A¢t"). Respeetlve respon5ibililies of Irustees 8nd examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of the Regulations. Basls of Independent examlner'5 Statement My examination was Ca￿led oui in accordance w'ith Ihe CJLneral Directions given by the Charity Comn)ission under s,145{5)(b) of the Aci and to be found in the Church Glbidance, 2006 edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops, Council. That examination includes a review of th¢ accounting records mainiained by the Truslees and comparison of the accounts with those r¢cords. It also includes considering any unusual ilems or disclosure5 in the ccounts and seekingTr explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertak¢n do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent Examlner's Statement I have compleied my examination. I confirni that no material matters have come to my atteniion in conneclion with the examination giving me cause lo believe thai in any material r¢sp¢¢l'. l. the accounlinbi records were not kept as required by section 130 of the Act: or 2. the accounts do not accord wilh those records: or 3. lh¢ a¢coun15 do not comply with the accounting requirements concerning the rom and content of accounts set out in the Charilics (Accounts and Reports) Regulation5 ?008 other Ihan any requiremenl Ihat the accounts give a 'IruL and fair view, which is noi a matter considered as part oran indep¢nd¢nl examination. I have no concern5 and have come across no other matter5 in connection wilh the examination lo which attention should be drawn in this report in order lo enable a proper understanding of Ihe accounts to be reached. Helen Hubbard FCA BFP Independent examiner ICAEW Amherst & Shapland (Taunton and Wiveli5combe) Chartered Accounrants 141 Staplegrove Road Taunton TA? 6AF 201<