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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Peter, Elworth

2023-12-31-accounts

For the year ended 31st December 2023

Revd David Page The Vicarage 2, Taxmere Close, Sandbach

Registered Charity No. 1130803

Contents

Contents
2. The P.C.C.
3. Vicar’s Report
4. Assistant Minister
5. Associate Minister Church Flowers
6. Church Warden The Church Office
7. Treasurer’s Report
8. P.C.C. Report The Foyer
9. Welcome Team Church Attendance
Church Organisations
10. Acorns Adventurers
11. Baby Group Lego Church
12. Xplore Encounter
13. Youth Hub Chaplaincy at Elworth C of E
14. ABC All Age Team
15. Youth Church Slavic Gospel Association
16. Mission Support Group Fair trade Supper Night
17. Church Prayer Life Worship Group Church Choir
18. Shoe Box Appeal Residential/Nursing Homes
19. Messy Church Speak Book Club
20. Churchyard Church Christmas Card
Home Groups
21. Monday House Group Kairos Lighthouse
22. Monday Small Group Koinonia
23. Fuyin Monday Home Group
24. ABC Accounts

Accounts

Accounts
25. Examiner’s Statement
26. Receipts and Payments by Report Group
27. Balance Sheet
28. Reserves Policy
Notes to Financial Statement
30. Analysis of income and expenditure

1

The Parochial Church Council

The Parochial Church Council Members of the P.C.C. are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

During the year, the following have served as members of the P.C.C.

Incumbent: Rev David Page Associate Minister Rev Anthony Rigby

Church Wardens: Mr Stephen Parfitt Mrs Rebecca Davies Mrs Helen Coppenhall (Assistant Warden) Miss RMebecca Holland (Assistant Warden) Treasurer: Mr Andrew Clee Secretary: Mr John Cargill Elected Members Ms Nicole Archer Mr Mark Barker Mrs Fiona Cooper (Co-opted - Legacy Officer) Ms Catherine Edmonds Mrs Liz Hill Mrs Helen Jones (Co-opted - Safeguarding Officer) Dr Heather Savvides ( Deanery Synod Representative) Mrs Margaret Taylor Mr Steven Thorley Mr David Topping ( Deanery Synod Representative) Mrs Lynda Wisbey Ex-officio: Mr William Chapman (Parish Evangelist and Deanery Synod representative) Mrs Kathleen Cliffe (Deanery Synod Representative) Mrs Michelle Walker (Pastoral Worker) Mr Paul Savvides (Diocesan Synod representative) By Office: Pastoral Workers, Lay Readers and Parish Evangelists are entitled to serve on the P.C.C.

2

Vicar’s Report

2023 was a year when God, through His Holy Spirit, was very active in the life of the Church at St Peter’s. Across the year we saw all our main Worship Services and activities grow. New members from across the world, especially Hong Kong, have joined the church family through out the year. This has given the church a much more multi-cultural dynamic and feel. As somebody who leads and preaches, this has given me a new dimension to develop in reaching out to everyone.

The National Context remained difficult for the Church. COVID affected many of our activities, high energy prices and the cost of living also impacted our church income and expenditure, leading to a large deficit at the end of 2023. The Church of England position on same-sex marriage was also not satisfactorily resolved. All these issues will continue to have an impact on us during the forthcoming year.

We began the year with a full compliment of paid ministry staff, and this gave us the leadership and vision to take on outreach with all ages across the whole parish. Jennie Coppenhall moved on to a new role in September and Gareth Davies left us just before Christmas. They both gave us new ideas and ways of working which we will, as a whole church, need to consolidate during 2024.

Cathryn Houghton has continued to inspire and develop our work with families and children, including through her role as School Chaplain.

After completing his Curacy, Anthony Rigby was licensed as our Self-supporting Associate Minister, and he continues to encourage and lead us in worship and preaching.

Hopefully in 2024 Paul Savvides will complete his training and join Steve Coppenhall as a Reader at St Peter’s.

Just before Christmas, the new heating system was installed in Church, and we have already started to feel its benefit. It would not have come to completion without the tenacious and dedicated work on this project by Steve Parfitt, our Church Warden, and we all owe him a big thank you.

Looking through the year, we had many celebrations including a Confirmation Service, several eating events from Burns Supper to Christmas Supper Night, walks, Renewal of Wedding Vows, and a ‘Good’ OFSTED Report at Elworth School. We also shared in sadnesses across the year, most notably the sudden deaths of both Tom and Karen who were friends to many at St Peter’s. Several church members have also moved on to other parts of the country, and to new roles.

We continue to be supported by a dedicated administrative team, and volunteers, without whom our impact for the Gospel in the parish would be very much diminished.

For us as a family, 2023 has been a year with challenges and great joys and we continue to be thankful for all who have prayerfully supported us, and the work of the church, over the last year.

What will 2024 bring? We don’t know! However, what we do know is that Jesus will guide us, through His Holy Spirit, as we seek to be faithful to our Heavenly Father’s Word and, as the prophet Isaiah reminds us :

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” Isaiah 43 : 5a

Rev. David Page

3

Assistant Minister’s Report

2023 was a varied and busy year, where God’s blessings were in abundance.

Part of my role was supporting the Children and Families work alongside Cathryn, and we saw great growth with ABC moving to two sessions, and thanks to an effective booking system, we were able to ensure both sessions weren’t over-subscribed. We also saw a lot more families from ABC and other family activities at more church centred activities and services.

Away from that, there were several other areas I focused on throughout the year. These include:

1) Safeguarding

Cathryn Houghton, Helen Jones and I spent the year working through the requirements we needed to adhere to to ensure we carried out good safeguarding practice. Working together was really enjoyable, and we made big steps, meaning that we were in a much better place at the end of the year than we were at the start.

2) Schools work

I continued to support the year 5/6 work in Elworth C of E School, and also got involved in other ways, including speaking at services and running the annual staff quiz.

I also visited the 2 main secondary schools at Easter and Christmas, running sessions over a 2-week period. It was great to explain the Christian truth, whilst also taking questions from the students.

3) Social Media/ Mailing lists

I took on the digital output for the church in 2022/2023, and focused on us being a church which communicates as effectively as we can do on-line. We had a steady flow of social media presence throughout 2023, and we ended the year with a mailing list of 84 people, including the 2 local primary schools who, in-turn, forwarded any mail-outs to all their families.

4) St Peter’s @ 4

‘St Peter’s @ 4’ changed from ‘Illuminate’ at the start of the year, and although it took a while to find its feet, we ended the year well. Due to a diligent team and amazing blessings from God, the last three services of the year had an average of 67 people attending, most of whom were new to Church. The format of the service also became stronger throughout the year, and it was lovely to see some members of Youth Hub helping to lead the service.

5) Home group

Our home group grew in the year, with eight people regularly coming along. We studied Mark for most of the year, and then merged with the Christianity Explored course later on. Although we couldn’t fully dive into the course due to the group not running on some weeks, we were still able to focus on Christian foundations on a level which seemed to help both those that came regularly, and those that were new.

Gareth Davies

4

Associate Minister’s Report

This year saw my title change to associate minister, after finally completing my years of training. I remain in my fulltime job running a number of laboratories and supporting the entire worship team here at St. Peters. This year I have continued supporting local churches, especially Astbury and Smallwood as well as Church Lawton, who had been without a vicar for some considerable time. As a self-supporting minister I have a very specific ministry within my workplace, which is predominantly pastoral. The majority of my church ministry work this year has been in the participation of leading established forms of worship at St Peters. That said, it has been good to participate in diverse forms of ministry such as Messy Church and the annual Remembrance Day parade with the Air Cadets. I am also fortunate to be Padre to the local Sandbach Air Cadet Squadron (1873 Sqn.) and share a ministry with them on a monthly basis and we are organising an enrolment for the entire squadron since King Charles III became the reigning monarch. This year I have been fortunate to be supported by Jenny Coppenhall in this role who has been a huge help as Sandbach is a large squadron of cadets. In January we will be undertaking our second annual building on the success of last year’s Burns Supper which brought considerable light and joy into those dark January nights. We will again be raising money for Cancer Research, St Luke’s Hospice and also the church fund. Being a Self-Supporting Minister there has been much juggling of hats between husband and father, Church minister, full-time employment, and Sqn Padre duties, but each time I have struggled in any of these aspects of life, the Lord reassuringly reveals himself to me and is my comforter and guide always.

Rev. Anthony Rigby

Church Flowers

We are a friendly team of 25 volunteers of men, women and children of all ages that come together in fellowship to contribute to the purchase, arrangement and maintenance of flowers in various areas of the Church and church hall. We arrange live, dried and silk flowers and greenery to make decorative displays and to ensure that weekly flowers are placed on the Lord’s table. These flowers are often paid for by members of the congregation as an offering of thanksgiving to God. A team made up of approximately 14 of our members also works together to decorate the church according to the Liturgical calendar with fresh flowers during Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Special Flower arrangements have also been placed in church throughout 2023 for funerals and weddings. This year, for the first time, a small flower arrangement has also been presented to each baptismal party. We are always looking for willing volunteers to join the team and no experience is necessary.

Tracy Rigby and Joyce Foster

5

Church Warden’s Report

This past year saw Paul Savvides stand down as a churchwarden to be able to concentrate more on his reader training. At the APCM, Becky Davies was voted in to replace Paul. Sadly, with Gareth moving on to take up a new post in Knutsford, Becky felt she should resign as churchwarden and so I will be the solo warden until the next APCM in 2024. Thank you, Paul and Becky, for all your hard work and commitment. I am supported by two deputy wardens, Helen Coppenhall and Rebecca Holland and, of course, the sterling work of the churchyard team must not be forgotten.

Aside from routine maintenance to the church buildings, the standout event must be the installation of under-pew heating in the church. As I write it has just been installed and we are pleased to have our church building back in comfortable use in time for Christmas and for the coming years. Other major items included the five yearly full electrical check of the hall which included some rectification work and an inspection of the lightning conductors on the church and hall. Whilst these items are expensive, they are required to keep everyone safe and to meet our obligations whilst hiring out the hall. Additionally, in the main hall carpet tiles that had lifted over the hearing loop were replaced.

Earlier in the year we were chosen as one of the churches in the diocese to receive a CollecTin contactless donation device and this has been in use to receive donations since September. It is an easy-to-use, touch-sensitive device that gives the choice of making a contactless donation as nowadays many of us no longer routinely carry cash. Together with the SumUp device which is used at coffee stop and various other events in the hall, these provide a useful alternative to expecting donations only in cash.

In 2024 I’m sure we will continue to face many new challenges so we must continue to give thanks to God for his provision in the past year and to seek his guidance as we face forthcoming issues in the future. We give thanks also for all our fellow Christians in the church and we value your continued support and prayers. Let us continue to further God's Kingdom together here at St Peters.

Steve Parfitt

The Church Office

Again, another full year of activity in the Church Office. We are here Monday to Friday, 9am till 2pm and are glad to be the first port of call for any enquiries and assistance with the day to day running of the Church. Usage of the Church Hall has continued to grow over the last year, and it has been good to welcome back “old” friends and new groups.

Lucy works Monday and Tuesday, Kate covers the rest of the week, but you may notice us swapping around occasionally to cover holidays.

We continue to carry out a variety of tasks and are grateful to the volunteers who provide assistance, most notably on a weekly basis with the Church banking.

Lucy Kelly and Kate Page

6

Treasurer’s Report

The PCC recorded a deficit of £71.6K in 2023, compared to a deficit of £40.1k in 2022.

Income at £174.1k was down by £23.8k from 2022. Total giving and donations from all accounts was £116.3k which was down by £18.4k from 2022. £19.1k was received via tax returns from gift aid donations. The ABC account was closed at the end of September and will now be incorporated into the main current account, although the separate fund will remain for ABC.

Church hall lettings were £30.1k, which was £6.5K up from 2022.

Expenditure at £245.7k was up £7.7k higher than in 2022. The major investment of 2023 was the heating for the church, which cost £24.8k. The hall electricity cost of £13.4K was £9.3k higher than in 2022 which was to be expected. £7.2k was saved on housing costs for the assistant minister following his move in the early part of the year. 2024 will also result in a cost saving following Gareth’s role in his new church.

It is worth noting that in September 2022, the Out of School Club closed. In 2022, this recorded a total deficit of £16.7k. As the OOSC is no longer running, this should be taken into account for any comparisons between 2022 and 2023.

As of the 31[st] December 2023 the deposit account contained £151.4k and the current account was at £12.9k.

Thank you to everyone who has generously given to support the church financially, we could not operate as we do without this money.

Thanks again to all the people who help crunch the numbers with me. From everyone who counts and banks the money from each Sunday to Kate and Lucy in the office. Thanks again to Mark for his support, I genuinely could not have done this without him and thanks to Jess, Seth, Heidi and Polly for sustaining me with snacks and drinks as try to figure out where I put that missing £500!? (I’ve found it now by the way!)

Although it has been a difficult year financially, we have a God who can multiply a few loaves and fishes into thousands, so I think we can trust him with our numbers.

Andrew Clee

7

PCC Report

PCC membership increased to a total of 22 members, including ex officio members, following the APCM in May. In addition, our expanded roll numbers entitled us to elect an additional member to the Deanery Synod.

For the first time in many years, there was a contested election for our second Churchwarden with Becky Davies being elected to replace Paul Saviddes who had stepped down due to his increased commitment to his Readership training.

Meetings returned to the more familiar face to face format in the church hall following the two-year gap during the pandemic which had obliged us to hold meetings via Zoom.

Meantime, at an extraordinary PCC meeting in March, we agreed to proceed with electric under-pew heating to replace the gas boiler system which had been out of action for over two years. We submitted this scheme to the Diocesan Architectural Committee (DAC) for approval which was eventually granted in May. However, there was a additional delay whilst a further Diocesan process was undertaken to confirm the approval, and which took until late September to be completed. We were fortunate to be able to hold onto the preferred contractor at the quoted price and the heaters were installed just in time for the Christmas services.

Unfortunately, towards the end of the year, Gareth Davies our assistant minister resigned to take up another appointment, and his wife Becky also stepped down from her position as Churchwarden. Steve Parfitt kindly agreed to continue on his own, for which we give thanks.

John Cargill

The Foyer

The Foyer provides a wonderful space within the Church Hall a place where we can all take the opportunity to meet with others.

There is also the opportunity to browse through or order from the Fairtrade catalogue and several Christian publications are available.

The Foyer is open as the ‘Foyer Café’ on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings between 10.00 – 11.30am for the use of the wider local community, and for the opportunity to enjoy fellowship together perhaps with a friend, neighbour or with your small / home group.

On a Friday morning the always popular Coffee and Company is open in the Foyer.

This coming year may provide more opportunities to use the Foyer Café/space as we continue to look forward to reconnecting with one another and the wider community.

Michelle Walker

8

Welcoming Group

The welcoming group for most of the year consisted of Michelle Walker, Lynda Wisbey and Gareth Davies. We recognised that this area of the life of the Church was very important as it would often be the first contact for those who are new to church. Even for those that come regularly, a warm welcome can make a big difference. In the most recent meeting on the 6[th] November there was a real strategic focus on how we welcome people to the church. This can be split into three sections.

First, there was intentional drive to increase the number of people who were on the ‘welcoming team’ at the 10.30am service, whilst also recognising that this was of equal importance at the 9am and 6pm services (where sides-people over-saw that role).

This entailed having more people at the door when people arrived, and also having nominated people to generally be around in the hall and chat to newcomers. By the end of 2023, Helen Jones, Gareth Davies, Becky Davies, Lynda Wisbey, Michelle Walker, Jo Burton and Allan Walker were all involved in welcoming at the door in some capacity, with Martin Hathaway joining the team towards the end of the year. .

Secondly, we invested a lot of energy in Men’s and Women’s events. These proved successful, and in both cases, there was a team for each event who met with each other to plan them. They were inventive, popular and clearly a much-needed provision.

Lastly, we organised a Welcome Tea. In the future, this would be for anyone who joined the church community in the previous 6 months. However, for the first one, that time frame was extended slightly. Although a great effort was made to ensure we invited as many people as possible and there was a healthy number on the initial list who had confirmed they were coming, illness and other issues meant that attendance was smaller than we thought. However, those that came really enjoyed it, and there was a good number of church family members present to support it. The intention is to continue running these events twice a year, with the first two dates being March 17[th] and October 13[th] 2024.

We are currently a small team and would ‘welcome’ anybody who felt called to this particular ministry at any of our church services or when the church is open for Prayer.

Gareth Davies

Church Attendance

The attendance at the 8.45 services varies between 7 and 23 (on Carol Service Sunday) but are fairly steady averaging 14. At the 10.30 family service the averages are 24 under 16’s and 69 adults. The evening services have and average of 16. Of course, all the service numbers had a few lows and highs, especially for baptism services.

Since the 9.00 service is only held twice each month, the attendance at the 10.30 service might be slightly inflated on the other two or three Sundays. Also baptism and special services increase the averages, but I have not included the Carol Service of 155!

And, for what it’s worth, the weekly average attendance at 9.00, 10.30 and 6.30 was 111, though some people may be included more than once.

Jim Watson

9

Church Organisations

Acorns

Acorns continues to be available to any child aged between 3 and 6 years of age whether they attend on a regular basis or come along to a baptism service or any other special occasion. Four volunteers (names below) alternate leading the group.

We are thrilled to share that we have seen an increase in the numbers of children attending in this age range and currently have 10 children registered with a weekly regular attendance of around 5-7 children. We continue to meet in the Meeting Room in the church hall. Over the year we have taught the same themes followed in the 10.30 am Church service and across the Junior Church groups. We continue to use age appropriate material produced by the on line resource called Energize . Within each session we have a story, craft activities, prayer, a small snack and time to play.

For any further information please contact the church office..

Denise,Kate, Lucy and Tracy

Adventurers (Age 6 – 11)

In line with the rest of Junior Church, numbers have been boosted this year thanks to the hard work put in by Cathryn and Gareth towards children and families work during the week, as well as the wonderful arrival of so many new families from Hong Kong.

In line with best safeguarding practice, all leaders and helpers have received the most up to date training and have been DBS checked.

We started the year with key characters from the Bible, including Mary Magdalene, Solomon and Samson.

After completing the Easter story, we looked week by week at each of Jesus’ miracles. After the summer holidays, in parallel with St Peter’s Sunday sermons, we ran with the themes in Christianity Explored ‘Good News’, ‘Identity’, ‘Sin’ and ‘the Cross’.

At the end of the summer, we sadly said goodbye to Cherie who is standing down as helper and from the production of the Sunday School rotas after many years of faithful service, for a well-earned rest. Thank you, Cherie.

Likewise, with Gareth and Becky called to pastures new outside of the parish, we consequently have several vacancies and would love to hear from you if you God has given you a heart for children’s outreach.

Paul Savvides on behalf of Jennie, Martin, Becky, Mary, and Cherie.

10

Baby Group

St. Peter’s Baby Group was set up in February 2016 in response to the growing number of parents/carers in the local community with babies under the age of 12 months. The group meets on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 am to 11:30 am term time. We meet in the church hall.

Soft play is provided and refreshments are offered to the parents/carers who attend. This format provides a great opportunity for new parents/carers to connect with each other and to form lasting friendships. Christian hospitality is a real driver for those serving at Baby Group. Each week we welcome on average between 15-20 parents/carers and their babies to the group.

The group is currently served by Cathryn Houghton, Gareth Davies and one of the grandparents, Lynn Fairhurst. The serving role for this group involves making refreshments, serving hot toast and making everyone feel as welcome as possible.

If you would like to offer your time supporting Baby Group in a serving capacity, please do get in touch with the Children and Families Outreach Leader, Cathryn Houghton: children-family@stpeters-elworth.org.uk

Cathryn Houghton

Lego Church

Lego Church was initially trialled at the end of 2019 with a couple of sessions before the Christmas period. The sessions ran once/month on a Wednesday in the church hall from 3:30pm – 4:30pm and were open to primary aged children attended by a parent/carer. Due to Covid-19 restrictions during 2020 Lego Church became a virtual club available monthly. During this time lots of family engaged with our Lego builds which were uploaded to St. Peter’s Church Website.

Post Covid-19, Lego Church has seen a continuous rise in popularity and attendance. At our most recent session, 50 people attended and this is broadly average for all our sessions.

The first half hour of Lego Church involves free building with Lego. After that there are refreshments and then a Lego bible story, a song and a prayer. The children are given a challenge to build something from the story which they have just heard.

Lego Church has become part of the embedded Christian outreach of St. Peter’s Church. Children from both Elworth CE School and Elworth Hall School attend.

Cathryn Houghton

11

Xplore

Xplore is a children’s club for primary aged children which meets each Friday evening during term time from 6:00pm – 7:15pm in the church hall. The club was set up in April 2013 and is now nearly eleven years old. Each week the children take part in a range of activities based around a bible theme. This includes a bible story, a time of worship and sharing of news plus crafts, games and a time of prayer. Simple refreshments are also provided.

Xplore has a regular attendance of between 20 - 30 children the majority of whom do not attend church. It is a real privilege to be able to forge positive relationships with local families and to engage them in other church related events such as Messy Church, Lego Church, Schools Projects and Church Holiday Clubs.

Xplore can only happen because of a very committed team of adult helpers who come along each Friday and serve the Lord in this very important outreach to the children in the local community. If you feel that you can help at Xplore please email Cathryn Houghton on children-family@stpeters-elworth.org.uk

Cathryn Houghton

Encounter

Encounter is a youth group for Years 5 – 7 (10 – 12 years). The group meets in the church hall on a Friday evening from 7:30pm – 9:00pm term time. Encounter was originally set up in 2014 as ‘Xplore+’ to provide fun activities and a short Christian based discussion for those young people who were moving on from the Xplore group age range. The name and age range has been modified during 2023 to encompass the Year 5 children. During 2023 it has been most encouraging to see the Encounter group grow in number. Between sixteen and twenty+ children now regularly attend.

This year we have purchased a set of Good News Youth Bibles for Encounter. These bibles are proving invaluable to our bible studies each week as our young people are learning how to study God’s word. They ask questions and many good biblical discussions have been had this year for which we must thank God. Seven children have now requested bibles of their own and the Good News Youth Bibles have been distributed to them. This means that in 2024 we will need to buy more! This is a wonderful position to be in and we are very grateful to God that our young people want to know more about Jesus.

During 2023 we have taken the Encounter children on a number of external visits including a visit to Laser Quest and more recently a visit Ten Pin Bowling. Both of these outings were well attended.

Encounter can only happen because of a group of committed voluntary helpers. We are seeking more adult help and if you feel that you could support the work of Encounter please contact Cathryn: children-family@stpeters-elworth.org.uk

Cathryn Houghton

12

Youth Hub

As with all the Friday night groups, Youth Hub grew significantly throughout 2023. As the year ended, we had 8 regular attendees coming along. This hadn’t been the only form of growth, with the Bible discussions seeming to be the strongest they had ever been. There seemed to be a real sense of depth, and in the future, there is potential to do a separate study group to go deeper with those that would enjoy that opportunity.

Another encouragement was seeing some of those that came along helping in other activities. Two attendees helped to lead services (as part of St Peter’s @ 4) by taking on the readings, and another attendee helped on the team at Xplore.

Jenny Coppenhall and Jenny Drain were fantastic team members and did an amazing job of working alongside those that came, and giving them some much needed encouragement.

At a time when churches are struggling to capture this age-bracket effectively, we are blessed to have such a vibrant group.

Gareth Davies

Chaplaincy at Elworth C of E

Since September 2020 I have had the privilege of serving Elworth C of E School as School Chaplain. This extension to my normal Children and Families Outreach Work has been introduced to extend and hopefully enrich the outreach work of the church within the local school community and indeed, during 2023 we have seen ever increasing numbers of Elworth C of E children attending events such as Lego Church, Messy Church, Xplore, Encounter and our annual holiday club.

The role involves a thirteen hour commitment to the school, three hours of which are funded by the church and ten hours funded by Elworth C of E. School.

The role has several component parts. These are:

Cathryn Houghton

13

ABC

St. Peter’s ABC is a parent/carer toddler group which meets on Thursday mornings. Due to the popularity of the group, two sessions have been introduced during 2023: Session one starts at 9:00am and finishes at 10:20am. Session two starts at 11:00am and finishes at 12:20pm term time. This important outreach provides an opportunity for the children to experience different types of play including role play, dressing up, small world play, physical play and story corner. It also provides an opportunity for the adults to catch up over coffee. A healthy snack is provided for the children and hot toast and sausage baps are available for the parents/carers to purchase at a small cost. Each session is concluded with a singing time when nursery rhymes are chosen by the children and the singing of these is coordinated by a member of the ministry team. The ABC sessions provide important opportunities to build lasting relationships with our local families. It is always a priority to invite the families to other church events such as Messy Church and our Friday night children’s group.

A team of regular helpers come along each week to set up the hall with a variety of play opportunities and our refreshments team works hard to provide refreshments from the hatch. ABC can only happen because members of the church family are willing to give up their own time to help out with this very important work.

The ABC year ended with our annual Christmas Party which was attended by fifty children and their parents/carers. We were entertained by Rhythm Time. The children were given a Christmas gift and a party tea and parents/carers were served seasonal fayre.

ABC is supported by voluntary helpers. If you feel that you could support this work, please do contact Cathryn Houghton: children-family@stpeters-elworth.org.uk

Cathryn Houghton

All Age Team

All Age services are held monthly in the Church Hall, with a less formal atmosphere providing the opportunity to try different ways of sharing in praise and worship whilst remaining faithful to the Gospel.

The services contain elements which many other services have - such as songs, intercessions, a Bible reading and a talk but the aim is to look for opportunities to express these in fresh ways which reach out to all the different age groups that attend.

Some words from Psalm 100, “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”. We feel privileged to lead the All Age services and trust that God will continue to inspire us to find ways to engage all those who attend in a relevant and meaningful way.

Rebecca Douglas, Gareth Davies, Nicola Hathaway, Jenny Drain, Paul Savvides, Denise Shone, David Page, Helen Jones

14

Youth Church

Youth Church was steady and fruitful over the past year. We had 4 children/teenagers regularly coming along, and through working as a team, we ensured that it had become a group that was enjoyable, as well as having a strong biblical feel.

We started upstairs in the youth room for 30 minutes, then moved to the office or foyer. We would have a catch up on the week, followed by a maximum of 20 minutes teaching and ended the session by playing some games. This combination seemed to work well, and as the year went on, the sessions seemed to flow more successfully.

Although we would welcome the group being bigger, those that attend get on well with each other, and also get on with those leading the groups as well.

Having Cathryn Houghton and Alex Tsang join the team this year has added a fresh dynamic, which works well alongside the established leadership.

It’s felt a very productive year, and with the church welcoming more families, the hope is that this group will continue to flourish.

Gareth Davies

Slavic Gospel Association

St. Peter's has continued to support the Slavic Gospel Association which is active in 17 countries stretching from Poland and Slovakia in the west to Kazakstan and far east Russia in the east. S.G.A. works by supporting local churches in their initiatives and needs. The focus of the work is in making disciples by cross cultural witness of the good news of Jesus Christ. S.G.A. activities and ministry includes biblical leadership training and supporting leaders, Hope Centres aiding people in central Asia, medical mission, christian literature, pioneering mission in far east Russia and childrens camps in Europe.

S.G.A. is supporting churches in Ukraine, who are helping many people affected by the war. The death and destruction reaches everyone and fellowships are helping at every level, materially and spiritually. Many people are turning to Christ, so there are thousands of new believers. The effect of the suffering is to encourage people to share to gospel. New churches have been planted by leaders who have been forced out of their ministries in the war zone.

St. Peter's sponsors Sefan Zarevi who is minister at churches in Velingrad and the village of Rakitovo in south west Bulgaria. Both fellowships have a full range of activities. A mission school is based at Velingrad church. Stefan leads childrens camps in summer. Many of the members of Velingrad and Rakitovo churches come from the Roma community, as the churches reach out into those cummunities.

Bill Chapman

15

15

Inter-Church Mission Support Group

St.Peter’s Church commits to giving 10% of its voluntary income to support Mission, communities and good causes in Sandbach, the UK and around the world. How that income is distributed is decided by the Inter-Church Mission Support Group. The total available for distribution in 2023 was £11,080, and we decided to support the following charities

The group consists of church family members who support particular charities/ good causes and is chaired by the Vicar and administered by myself. Anyone who is interested in this aspect of the Church’s work is welcome to join us. We meet once or twice per year. Mark Barker

Fair Trade

2023 did not start well with the demise of Traidcraft. I tried sourcing items from various other companies, but their delivery charges made them not viable in the end. I have therefore sold the majority of my stock and the last few items have gone to Charity. By the time you read this I will have wound up the Fair Trade bank account and donated to the general Church fund. This is in the region of £800. Many thanks to all my supporters over the last 11 years.

Carolyn Barkerr

Supper Night

I am very pleased to have been able to carry on with Supper Night, with the support of my Mum, Gail. We consistently serve around 40 people every other month and 60 for the Christmas meal. I am pleased that we are able to serve in this way and strengthen the bonds within the Church Family.

16

Church Prayer Life

There are a number of ways that the church prayer life has been encouraging this year. The monthly prayer meetings held on Zoom and led by different housegroups continue each month, usually on the first Monday of the month unless it is a Bank Holiday when it is usually held on the Tuesday. In December 2023 we held the first face to face prayer meeting since the beginning of the Covid pandemic and will discuss soon whether we should return to this as the norm or continue on Zoom especially during the winter months. The prayer meeting is led by one of the housegroups each month.

Also there has been an increase in the numbers of people joining the Connect network and praying for other members of the church, as well as outside of the church community and national and international events. People have said how supported they have felt by knowing that the church is praying for them and how helpful they have found this.

Some church members pray together weekly in small groups at a time which suits them. Others have continued to join in with a large national prayer group connected to one of the missions that we support working in Ukraine. Thanks to Zoom they are able to join internationally with Ukranian Christians and supporters in Poland and Moldova to hear and pray for events on the ground.

Private or group prayer is an essential part of our Christian Life in developing our relationship with God through Jesus and underpins all our work.

Norma Chapman

Worship Group

The Worship Group lead the sung worship at the 10.30 contemporary service in the church hall on Sundays. We meet to practise and pray at 9.30 on Sundays before the start of the service. We would encourage you to pray for others to come forward to hone their musical worship skills and to join us on Sundays, as well as considering that it might be you! A worshipping heart is the most important thing and we can help with learning music. We have been grateful to those who have suggested new songs to us through the year and would ask that you continue to do this please and continue to offer your suggestions as well as praying for us.

Heather Savvides on behalf of the Worship Group

Church Choir

The Choir continues to meet faithfully at each Sunday service in Church, however unfortunately since Covid, our core members are now only five in number.

We are happy to continue to meet and support the traditional evening service, and it is encouraging to see that the numbers attending are rising, if a little slowly. We hope that now we have the heating installed in Church our numbers will continue to grow so that we can continue to offer a, literally, warm welcome to all who love the traditional worship service.

Margaret Taylor

17

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Appeal 2022

Once again we had terrific support for this year’s campaign with a total of 90 boxes collected. Donations were received from the Church Family, Elworth C.E Primary School, Elworth Preschool, 2[nd] Elworth Rainbows, Elworth Methodist Church and individual members of the community of Elworth and beyond.

In addition to individual packed “shoeboxes” we also ran a similar campaign to last year whereby for the 12 weeks leading up to National Collection week (13-20th November) we encouraged people to donate specific items. These items were then prayerfully placed into age appropriate Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. We also had a cake sale to help fund the passage of the completed boxes and were thrilled to raise £207.32. Enormous thanks to the fabulous “bakers and buyers” as their support was invaluable.

A reminder that since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, which is run by Samaritan’s Purse has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. We will not witness the individual impact that our gifts and prayers have but we are reminded that every shoebox makes a difference in the life of a child, their families and their communities. The purpose remains the same - to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ through a gift filled shoebox. Through prayer, through the gift of their shoebox and through the opportunity of children participating in a bible study called “The Greatest Journey” the word of God is shared.

Thank you for your support. Your generosity is truly appreciated. Particular thanks to Bethany for her unwavering practical support, to Carolyn for her help at the cake sale and for Catherine who facilitated the collection from Elworth C.E. School.

In 2022 many of us got notification that their shoeboxes were sent to Central Asia. If you would like any further information please contact Denise Shone.

Denise Shone

Residential/Nursing Homes

It has been our pleasure during the past 18 months to be able to resume our visits to our local Residential / Nursing Homes, Turnpike Court, St Stephens Nursing Home and Elworth Grange.

We have joined with the Residents once a month for a short service of Worship, celebrated the festivals, reconnected with familiar local and church families and made some delightful friendships.

If you would like to know more about our visits’ please speak to Revd David Page or myself.

Michelle Walker

18

Messy Church

St. Peter’s Messy Church takes place on average twice each term in the church hall. It is held on a Saturday afternoon from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The ethos of Messy Church is to provide a relaxed craft and activities based approach to bible themes for the whole family. There is always a time of worship and celebration followed by a hot meal for everyone. For many people Messy Church is the only contact they have with church and so it is vital that the gospel message is presented in a clear and vibrant way.

More recently, Messy Church has become part of the St. Peter’s @4:00pm Service and this is now under review for 2024.

A team of helpers serve the Lord Jesus at Messy Church. This is a really important outreach to our local community and if you feel that you might be able to offer your support, please contact Cathryn Houghton: children-family@stpeters-elworth.org.uk

Cathryn Houghton

Speak

‘Speak’ is the magazine for the Church family. It is distributed online and as a paper - copy. Please contact the Church Office for more information on office@stpeters elworth.org.uk.

The Church Office staff and myself edit the magazine. We work hard to ensure that the information is correct (at the time of printing) and we would really appreciate your thoughts and comments on the magazine!

We are always looking for new articles and suggestions for content. We would be more than happy to chat with you.

Bethany Jones, Lucy Kelly and Kate Page

Book Club

It has been a successful year for our small group. We grew in number and read and discussed a wide variety of fiction books. We hope to sustain our current numbers and would welcome any new members from within the Church Family or even better if we can encourage non-members to come along.

Your prayers are appreciated.

Lucy Kelly

19

Churchyard

This year has proved to be quite a challenge for the churchyard team due to the unpredictable weather. However we have managed to mow and strim the grass when conditions allowed. To this end the team are very grateful to Ken Lever who agreed to come out of retirement to drive the ride on tractor mower. The crocus lawn has been treated to reduce the moss and sewn with fertiliser and grass seed to encourage new growth. The team have also trimmed all the hedges tree bases and overhanging branches where necessary. The flower bed and shrubbery areas have also been carefully maintained during the year. Several of the slabs on parts of the paths have been relayed to avoid them becoming trip hazards. Two small trees have been planted in the churchyard in memory of two church members.

The usual repairs and servicing of the churchyard machinery has been carried out as required during the year.

On behalf of the churchyard team we are very encouraged by the complimentary comments received from members of the church family, it is very much appreciated.

Bill Morrison.

CHURCH CHRISTMAS CARD

As a Church Family we have, over several years, had a church ‘Christmas Card’ which gives us all the opportunity to write a Christmas Message or New Year greeting to one another as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The other opportunity we have is to donate to a named charity, whilst perhaps saving the cost of individual cards.

For several years the large ‘Christmas Card’ displayed in the Church Hall from the first Sunday of December - Advent – until the first week of January - Epiphany has been designed and produced by Sue giving free reign to her amazing talent.

The last couple of years, all donations have gone to the Dianne Oxberry Trust. This was set up following the passing of Dianne Oxberry, a BBC television presenter who died in 2019 from Ovarian cancer. Her family, friends and supporters set this up with the aim of spreading awareness of the illness and helping patients and families affected. They have been extremely grateful for donations, and you can find out more from visiting www.dianneoxberrytrust.org

I myself (Sue) have been going through ovarian cancer treatment for the last 2 years and I have been so grateful for the medical care from Christies Hospital and for the love and support from family and friends, and the church family at St Peter's. I am trusting God in his answers to prayers as I continue to have treatment.

We ask that you take time during the Christmas Season 2024 to write your greeting to each other, and take this opportunity to say thank you to all that have supported the Charities and theChurch family ‘Christmas Card’.

If you would like more information, please speak to us.

Sue Podhorodecka & Michelle Walker

20

Home Groups

Monday House Group

We have met both by zoom and face to face during the year. We usually meet twice a month, providing much valued fellowship, support and prayer for each other during what has continued to be difficult times for group members. We have undertaken a number of Scripture based studies during the year including a study of David, ‘Busyness; Finding God in the Whirlwind’, and a series on Mark in parallel with the Christianity Explored sermon series. Apart from our meeting nights, we have also led the monthly Prayer Meeting and provided Sunday morning tea & coffee before and after the 10.30 service. Anyone who wishes to try joining a Home Group will be made welcome with us.

Mark Barker, on behalf of Bill, Carolyn, Cherie, Deon, Joyce, Michelle and Norma

Kairos

Kairos continued to meet fortnightly throughout 2023.

At the beginning of the year we finished the study BUSYNESS (Finding God in the Whirlwind).

This was followed by a set of 8 studies called THE STORY OF GOD’S JUSTICE. In September we began 6 studies from 1 PETER called LIVING WELL ON THE WAY HOME.

Also in September Kairos led the monthly Prayer Meeting where we talked about the lives of several important and influential Christian Women.

Christine Saucedo

Lighthouse Home Group

We have met every fortnight on a Thursday evening where possible. As we meet our friendships have become deeper as we study, share and pray together. A couple of the studies we have done include 'Money and Work' and 'Loving Justice'. More recently, as life events have changed the group, we have met more regularly for socials like bowling and even winning a Pub Quiz!

New members are always welcome, please do contact the office.

Bethany Jones

21

Monday Small Group

The Monday Small Group (MSG) met fortnightly throughout 2023. We meet on Monday evenings at a slightly later hour to allow young children to be put to bed. The group, which is aimed primarily at those with young families, continues to meet via Zoom, thus removing the need for additional childcare arrangements. We have recently had the pleasure of welcoming two more couples into the group, bringing our regular attenders to a total of 14.

Our studies this year have been quite varied. In the period up to Easter we studied the book of 1 Corinthians. Between Easter and the summer break, we focused on character studies, looking at major events from the lives of Peter, Moses, Esther and Elijah. During the autumn term we followed the ‘Christianity Explored’ material from the gospel of Mark, alongside the sermon series.

We always make time in our meetings to pray together, and we reserve occasional Monday gatherings for social ‘chat time’. We try to meet together in person when possible, and we have a dedicated WhatsApp group for mutual support, sharing prayer requests and other information.

If you want to find out more about this group, please contact us through the St Peters church office.

Lynda and Simon Wisbey

Koinonia

Koinonia small group meets at 8.15pm on alternate Monday evenings at Paul and Heather's. We are a busy but friendly group and always ready to welcome new people. We started the year with Be Still, a five-session series based on Brian Heasley’s book, ‘Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times’. Be Still helped us to explore together how to grow and develop a regular quiet time with God.

www.24-7prayer.com/podcast_series/be-still

After Easter, staying with the 24-7 prayer resources, we embarked on the Lectio Divina series presented by Pete Greig.

https://www.24-7prayer.com/podcast/introducing-lectio-divina/

In the autumn, in parallel with St Peter’s Sunday sermons, we ran with Christianity Explored presented by Rico Tice, to better appreciate how this programme works for seekers and new Christians. The series looks at Jesus’s life in Mark’s gospel, meeting the man who claimed to be God and discovering how he changed history. - https://www.christianityexplored.org/courses/christianity explored/

Paul Savvides on behalf of Heather, Stephanie, Fiona, Anthony, Kath, Daniel, Dave, Simon and Lynda.

22

Fuyin

We are thrilled to share that we are now a group of 11 ladies as this year we welcomed Catherine to our group. We continue to meet face-to-face in the upstairs room in St Peters Church Hall every Wednesday morning between 09.30 – 11.30 ish when we worship, pray and study scripture. There is always a welcome brew and tasty treats to enjoy. Two members of our group live overseas but we are delighted when they can join us on zoom.

We enjoy occasional trips out for breakfast. We are also very grateful to members of the group who on occasions host our mornings together.

Throughout the year we have used a variety of study books starting with a Cover–toCover series called “Great Prayers of the Bible applying them to our lives today”. During Lent we looked at “Waiting Patiently” using notes taken from Stuart Townsend’s internet series plus some bible hopping and prayers for Easter. We continued the year with an eight session Life Builder Bible Study by Dale and Sandy Larsen titled “Images of the Spirit” followed by “Bible Genres – Hearing what the bible really says” a Cover-to-Cover series written by Andy Peck. We ended the year looking at the Gospel of Mark. We got to Mark chapter 10 so may well continue this in the New Year.

In July we led the monthly prayer meeting where we focused our prayers on the theme of “ Doubt”. The idea conceived from the fact that “The Feast of St Thomas” is celebrated on July 3, and observed across the world.

I thank every member of our group for their friendship, support and the unwavering prayer they offer each other. If you would like any more information please have a chat to Denise or indeed any member of our group.

Denise Shone on behalf of Andrea, Catherine, Elsy, Helan, Helen, Julie, Mary, Pat, Rachel, and Sue

Monday Homegroup

We are a group of 7 who began to meet during Lent 2023. Following which we have continued to meet on a regular basis.

We have studied three texts firstly “A Place for Us”, a Lent course linked to the recent production of West Side Story. As a group we completed the 5 sessions entitled. Through the sessions we reflected upon fear, love, betrayal, death and reconciliation by studying Bible passages and how the key messages are relevant in today’s society.

We went on to study “Just 10” by J. John, a series looking at the Ten Commandments and their relevance today. We considered the issues at the heart of each of the Ten Commandments within a 21st-century context and how each of us can live by these timeless principles today. We invited David to discuss further with us questions that were raised based on the Church of England’s viewpoints particularly linked to advancements in science and changes to society viewpoints.

(Continued overleaf)

23

Monday Homegroup

We are a group of 7 who began to meet during Lent 2023. Following which we have continued to meet on a regular basis.

We have studied three texts firstly “A Place for Us”, a Lent course linked to the recent production of West Side Story. As a group we completed the 5 sessions entitled. Through the sessions we reflected upon fear, love, betrayal, death and reconciliation by studying Bible passages and how the key messages are relevant in today’s society.

We went on to study “Just 10” by J. John, a series looking at the Ten Commandments and their relevance today. We considered the issues at the heart of each of the Ten

St. Peter's ABC Group

Income and Expenditure Statement for for the year ended 31 December 2023

£
£
Income
Sum up Payments
677.40
Donations
2,498.47
3,175.87
Expenditure
Refreshments
841.35
Crafts / Equipment
117.32
Christmas Party
-
Donation to St Peter’s P.C.C.
500.00
Donation to St Peter’s P.C.C.
for Support Worker
500.00
Donation to Operation
Christmas Child
-
1,959.07
Net Income for the year
1.216.80
Balance b/f
1 January 2023
419.41
Balance c/f
29 September 2023
1,636.21
Cheque paid to Elworth P.C.C. Account
(1,636.21)
Total at 31 December 2023
0.00		 £
677.40
2,498.47		 £
677.40
2,498.47		 £
3,175.87
841.35
117.32
-
500.00
500.00
-
1,959.07
1.216.80
419.41
1,636.21

(1,636.21)
0.00		 1,959.07

24

Independent examiner’s report to Elworth PCC

This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2023, which are set out on pages 24 to 32, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (‘the Regulations’) and s.145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner

As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements; you consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and s.43(2) of the Act does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.

Basis of this report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under s.43(7)(b) of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance, 2006 edition. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken 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 examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

a) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and

b) to prepare financial statements, which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and the regulations have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should have been drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mr S. Valentine Independent Examiner

25

Receipts &

Income and endowments fro
Voluntary donations
Church activities
Trading activities
Investments
Other Income
Total Income
Expenditure:
Raising funds:
Church activities
Fundraising costs
SubTotal: Raising funds
Charitable activities:
Giving
Diocese
Ministry
Administration
Mission & Evangelism
Church & Churchyard
Trading costs
Church Hall
Major Work
SubTotal: Charitable activi
Total Expenditure
Excess of Receipts over Paym		 P
 a
U		 yments
nrestricte
£
110,664
16,812
33,896
6,248
119		 b
d




 y Report Group
Restricted
Designated
2023
£
£
£
4,526
1,200
116,390
-
-
16,812
657
-
34,553
-
-
6,248
-
-
119



2022
£
135,317
15,818
43,769
2,993
39
197,936
211
109		 2022
£
135,317
15,818
43,769
2,993
39
197,936
211
109
m:
167,738 5,183
1,200
174,121		 197,936
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
211
109
- -
-
-		 321
ties
ent		 30
71,802
52,916
33,368
8,998
6,632
-
32,163
25,271







11,080
1,265
12,375
-
-
71,802
500
-
53,416
-
-
33,368
1,618
-
10,615
-
-
6.632
449
-
449
-
-
32,163
600
-
25,871







10,823
69,667
53,245
29,114
9,430
8,013
35,688
20,706
1,030
231,180 14,247
1,265
246,691		 237,716
231,180 14,247
1,265
246,691		 238,036
s

26

Balance Sheet

Current assets
Bank current account
CCLA (CBF) deposit account
ABC Bank Account
Fairtrade Bank Account
Accounts Receivable
Total Current Assets
Liabilities
Agency collections
Accounts Payable
DBFCreditor
CEC Loan
Total Liabilities
Net Asset surplus (deficit)
Reserves
Excess/(deficit)
Starting Balances
Total Reserves
Represented by Funds
General (Unrestricted)
Designated
Restricted
Endowment
Total		 As at
As at
31/12/2023 31/12/2022
£
£
12,893
5,411
151,414
230,166
-
419
890
682
-
917
165,197
237,596
558
386
40
40
60
60
107,541
107,541
108,199
108,027
56,999
129,569
(72,570)
(40,101)
129,569
169,670
56,999
129,569
35,754
109,676
2,618
1,101
14,684
14,849
3,943
3,943
56,999
129,569

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 31st Jan 2024 and signed on its behalf by

The Revd David Page (PCC Chairman)

27

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of St Peter’s Church Elworth to hold unrestricted cash in reserve for three months operating costs including salaries and parish share, anticipated building and equipment works. It will also hold restricted cash reserves for the Benevolent, Outward Giving, Church Hall Development and Endowment funds. At 31[st] December 2023, the amounts held in reserve are as follows:

Unrestricted Reserves Item Total
Operating Costs £61,443
CEC Loan repayment 2016 – 2024 inc £50,400
Building Work & Equipment reserves £11,766
Restricted Reserves £123,609
Church Hall Development £12,522
Outward Giving £9,179
Benevolent £2,161
£23,862
Endowment Funds £3,943 £3,943
Total Reserves £151,414

.

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 December 2023

Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the SORP 2015.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. They include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

28

Funds

Endowment Funds are funds the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investments of the endowment may be used either as restricted or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.

Restricted funds represent (a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, interest is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis.

Unrestricted funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.

Incoming resources

Planned giving collections and donations are recognised when received. Tax refunds are recognized when the incoming resource to which they relate is received for the year 2022-23. For tax year 2023-24 tax refunds will be recognised on receipt. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Dividends are accounted for when receivable, interest is accrued. All other income is recognized

when it is receivable. All incoming resources are accounted for gross.

Resources expended

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC. The diocesan parish share is accounted for when due. Amounts received specifically for mission are dealt with as restricted funds. All other expenditure is generally recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross.

Fixed Assets

The freehold land and buildings now comprise of the Church Hall, tool store/garage, railings, car park gates and refurbished footpath. Church and Hall equipment comprises of the Church AV system, new lights, a piano keyboard, a ride-on mower and other gardening equipment. In the Church Hall, the security system, interim PA, tables, chairs, defibrillator, acoustic panels, artificial turf, AV system, foyer furniture, replacement corridor lighting and dishwasher, a camera system in the Hall and Church with a cabled link between the two and Wi-Fi in the Church.

29

Analysis of income and expenditure 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023

Restricted Restricted
Income Unrestricted Designated 2023
2022
£ £ £ £ £
Voluntary Donations
Gift Aid: Bank 63,988 600
1,200		 65,788
62,219
Envelopes 6,245 -
-		 6,245
6,147
Other planned giving 6,861 -
-		 6,861
24,254
Loose plate collections 3,068 -
-		 3,068
3,211
QR code/Electronic 5,919 -
-		 5,919
904
One off Gift Aid gifts - -
-		 -
10,100
Donations sundry 3,907 -
-		 3,907
3,961
ABC donations - 3,926
-		 3,926
3,416
Tax recovered on Gift Aid
Recurring grants		 19,190
330		 -
-
-

-		 19,190
330
19,710

390
Non-recurring one off grants 567 -
-		 567
1,007
Other funds generated 587 - - 587
-
Subtotals 110,664 4,526
1,200		 116,390 135,317
Income from charitable activities
Fees for weddings and funerals 4,592 -
-		 4,592
5,716
Chaplaincy Elworth C of E School
6,024		 -
-		 6,024
5,796
Photocopying recharges 411 -
-		 411
486
Heat & Light 1,150 -
-		 1,150
1,335
Coffee Money 122 -
-		 122
485
Outreach Catering Donations 4,513 - - 4,513
1,999
Subtotals 16,812 -
-		 16,812
15,818
Other trading activities
Church hall lettings - fund raising 30,121 -
-		 30,121
23,598
Out of School Club Fees - -
-		 -
16,051
E.ON FIT Receipts 3,775 -
-		 3,775
2,708
Fair Trade Sales - 657
-		 657
1,412
Subtotals 33,896 657
-		 34,553
43,769
Investments
Bank and Building Society interest
6,248		 -
-		 6,248
2,993
Other income
Easy Fundraising / Amazon Smile 119 -
-		 119
39
Grand Total 167,738 5,183
1,200 174,121		 197,936

30

Restricted Restricted Restricted
Expenditure Unrestricted Designated 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Voluntary Donations
Costs of fetes & other events
Envelope Scheme		 -
-		 -
-		 -
-		 -
-		 211
109
Subtotal - - - - 321
Expenditure on charitable activities
Outward Giving 30 11,080 - 11,110 10,580
Messy Church 926 - - 926 1,002
Holiday Club 841 - - 841 676
Youth 961 - - 961 1,625
Benevolent Donation - - 1,265
1,265		 20
Other Donations - - - - 224
Ministry parish share etc 71,802 - - 71,802 69,667
Assistant staff costs 24,423 - - 24,423 20,636
Assistant Minister Housing 2,324 – - 2,324 9,540
Assistant Minister Expenses 827 - - 827 2,019
Curate's expenses - - - - 181
Family & Child Worker 16,251 - - 16,251 15,144
Youth Worker 4,380 500 - 4,880 2,000
Administration staff salaries 12,971 - - 12,971 12,104
Payroll Administration 725 - - 725 714
HMRC PAYE 10,102 - - 10,102 7,092
Pension Fund 4,038 - - 4,038 3,716
Working expenses of incumbent
510		 - - 510 617
Vicarage Council tax 2,589 - - 2,589 2,470
Vicarage Water 696 - - 696 638
Training and Courses 601 - - 601 94
Study Materials & Books 99 - 99 440
Junior Church 332 - - 332 435
ABC & Baby Group - 1,618 - 1,618 3,155
Outreach Catering costs 4,633 - - 4,633 1,421
Iluminate and Extra Services 605 - - 605 582
Church running - insurance 2,054 - - 2,054 2,294
Church office - telephone 875 - - 875 580
Music expenses 626 - - 626 1,726
Church maintenance 258 - - 258 641
Services expenses (non-music) 1,408 - - 1,408 105
Upkeep of churchyard 426 - - 426 728
Subtotals (interim) 166,283 13,198 1,256 180,776 172,866

(Continued overleaf)

31

Designated Designated
Expenditure (contd.) Unrestricted
Restricted
2023		 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Subtotals from page 31 166,313 13,198 1,265 180776 172,866
Photocopying & Printing 2,661 - - 2,661 2,639
Stationery 1,093 - - 1,093 403
Publicity 223 - - 223 110
General Expenses 680 - - 680 1,188
Church running - electric 1,136 - - 1,136 1,272
Church running - gas 725 - - 725 1,247
Out of School Club Staff costs - - - - 32,704
Out of School Club other expenses - - - - 1,526
FairTrade Cost of Sales - 449 - 449 1,458
Hall running - electricity 13,460 - - 13,460 4,098
Hall running - gas 2,225 - - 2,225 3,037
Hall running - insurance 2,053 - - 2,053 2,294
Hall running - maintenance 7,639 - - 7,639 3,592
Cleaning Staff 4,445 - - 4,445 4,112
Sanitary services and cleaning 573 - - 573 1,198
Hall running - water 891 - - 891 724
Hall miscellaneous 876 - - 876 1,651
Church major repairs - installation 24,221 600 - 24,821 -
Hall, interior and exterior decorating 1,050 - - 1,050 1,030
Subtotals 63,951 1,049-222222 65,000 64,283
Expenditure Grand totals 230,263 14,247 1,265 245,774 237,470

32