2024-12-31-accounts

For the year ended 31st December 2024

No incumbent during Interregnum

Associate Minister Anthony Rigby

Registered Charity No. 1130803

Contents

1. The P.C.C.

2. Associate Minister’s Report

3. The Church Office

4. Treasurer’s Report

5. Church Wardens’ Report Speak 7. P.C.C. Report The Foyer 8. Church Flowers Church Attendance

6. Welcome Team

Church Organisations

1. Baby Group Acorns

2. Adventurers

3. Lego Church Xplore 13. Encounter Safeguarding 14. ABC All Age Team 15. Slavic Gospel Association St Peter’s Football 16. Mission Support Group Worship Group 17. Church Prayer Life Supper Night Book Group 18. Shoe Box Appeal Residential/Nursing Homes 19. Messy Church Chaplaincy 20. Church Christmas Card Church Choir 21. Churchyard Sewing Machine Group

Home Groups

1. Monday House Group 23. Monday Small Group 24. Fuyin

2. Kairos Koinonia

3. Ezekiel

Accounts

1. Balance Sheet

2. Reserves Policy Notes to Financial Statement

3. Receipts and Payments by Report Group

4. Analysis of income and expenditure

5. Examiner’s Statement

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 (Until the end of October) Associate Minister Rev. Anthony Rigby Church Wardens: Mr Stephen Parfitt Mrs Helen Coppenhall Miss Rebecca Holland ( Assistant Warden) Mrs Helen Jones ( Assistant Warden and Safeguarding Officer )

Treasurer: Mr Andrew Clee Secretary: Mr John Cargill Elected Members Ms Nicole Archer Mr Daniel Chan Mr Mark Barker Mrs Fiona Cooper (Co-opted - Legacy Officer) Ms Catherine Edmonds Mrs Liz Hills Dr Heather Savvides ( Deanery Synod Representative) Mrs Margaret Taylor Mrs Jennie Coppenhall 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

Associate Minister’s Report

The past year at St. Peter’s has been a period of transition, growth, and immense grace. We began the year with some uncertainty, facing a significant financial deficit from 2023 and also the departure of Gareth to Knutsford to explore new challenges and to aid their growth in family ministry. Despite these challenges, God’s faithfulness has shone through, enabling us to witness His blessings in numerous ways.

Growth in Worship and Ministry

Attendance at our Sunday services, particularly the 10:30 am service, has continued to grow, reflecting a renewed enthusiasm and engagement within our church family. Weekday activities for children and families have also seen a significant resurgence, reaching levels of participation not experienced in recent years. This growth has been supported by the arrival of Josephine, whose contributions to the children and family team have been a true blessing. Even during the time of vacancy since David’s retirement we have not seen a dip in numbers. Statistics show that during these times it is likely that congregation numbers may drop by up to 20%. We have remained consistent in worship numbers across all services and all Christmas services and events were up slightly.

February marked a special moment as Bishop Sam conducted a confirmation service for two elder members of our congregation. This intimate and meaningful occasion was deeply appreciated by all who attended. Later in the year, we launched a new football group, which, despite a few injuries, has brought great joy, fellowship, and even a little sweat to its participants.

Leadership Transitions

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was held early this year, during which Helen Coppenhall joined Steve Parfitt as Churchwarden. David’s retirement was announced during the APCM, marking the beginning of a transition in leadership. His departure was celebrated with heartfelt gratitude, culminating in a wonderful afternoon tea attended by around 250 members of the community. Kate also retired from her office role in September, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and service. These milestones were accompanied by thanksgiving services that honoured their contributions. During September we also welcomed Jenny Drain to the office team with both Lucy and Jenny supporting us all and ensuring a smooth running of the hall etc.

The departure of David in October brought about a shift in leadership responsibilities. This year I have stepped into a more prominent leadership role, particularly in overseeing sacramental services and serving as the liaison with Church House. I am deeply grateful for the steadfast support of our Churchwardens, office team, lay workers, and volunteers, whose dedication has made this transition possible whilst we are in a period of vacancy and as we look for a new incumbent minister.

(Continued overleaf)

3

My ministry continues to include a unique focus within my workplace, providing pastoral care as a Self-Supporting Minister (SSM). At St. Peter’s, I have been privileged to lead various forms of worship and not only the usual Sunday services, going out into the community to do home communions, participating in churches together events and the Remembrance Day parade with the Air Cadets. Serving as Padre to Sandbach Air Cadet Squadron (1873 Sqn.) has been particularly rewarding, as we organised an enrolment service for new members. This year, Jenny Coppenhall’s growing leadership in this role has been invaluable, especially as the squadron continues to flourish.

In January, we hosted our second annual Burns Supper, seeing over 60 people attend, building on the success of the previous year’s event. This joyful evening brightened the dark winter nights and raised funds for Cancer Research, St Luke’s Hospice, and the church fund. By the time of the APCM, we will have celebrated our third Burns Supper, further cementing this tradition as a cherished part of our community life.

Looking Ahead

Balancing the roles of husband, father, full-time employee, church minister, and Padre has been a challenge at times. Yet, in every struggle, the Lord’s presence has been a source of reassurance and guidance. As we move forward, I am confident that God’s continued faithfulness will lead us to new opportunities to serve and grow as a church family.

May we enter the coming year with hearts full of gratitude and a steadfast commitment to serving our Lord and our community.

Revd Anthony Rigby

The Church Office

It has been a busy year in the office. We are here 9am till 2pm, Monday to Friday and are the first port of call for a lot of enquiries. More groups are using the hall on a regular basis and the rota for letting people in and locking up afterwards grows ever more complicated! We are very grateful for the volunteers who perform these duties.

The biggest change we have seen is Kate;s retirement. She will be sorely missed, and we wish her luck and God's blessings as she and David move into the next chapter of their lives.

Lucy has had to reduce her hours due to ongoing family commitments. We welcomed Jenny to the office team, and at the moment she works Monday afternoons, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. We have a small team of volunteers who cover Tuesday afternoons. Lucy is very appreciative of the support, flexibility and understanding that the Church Wardens have given her.

Lucy Kelly & Jenny Drain

4

Treasurer’s Report

The PCC had a successful financial year and recorded a surplus of £1,967 during 2024. This is compared to the deficit of £72.6K in 2023 and a deficit of £40.1K in 2022.

Income for the year in total was £187.1K which was up £13K from 2023. Total giving and donations was £103.2k which was down £13.1k from 2023 which mainly came from regular gift aid bank giving being down by £15.2K. However, gift aid returns were £23.5K and no money was withdrawn from the deposit account which therefore managed to generate interest of £6.3K. Church Hall lettings were up by £3.2K, recording £33.3K of income, and most other sources of income were fractionally higher than the previous year. ABC income is now also recorded in the main church account figures, during 2024 ABC generated £3.6K of income.

Additional giving for David and Kate’s leaving gift is not included in here, but people were extremely generous, and it allowed them to have a really good send off.

Expenditure £185.1K which was £61.6K less than in 2023. This money was saved by not having any significant major work required during the year, such as the church heating, which was done in 2023 and although we missed out on a lot of non-financial aspects by not having an assistant minister during the whole of 2024 after Gareth left, it did result in us saving money on wages and housing allowances.

We had set a budget for 2024 to break even which seemed optimistic at the time, but of course God is a grade A* math’s student, and we managed to do this with a small surplus. So, thankfully we have been able to get back on track, thanks to everyone’s generosity, efficiency, prayer and God’s miraculous abacus.

As of the 31[st] December 2024, the current account contained £9K and the deposit account contained £157.7K.

Thank you to all of you who help with the finances and for making my job as easy as possible, it really is a team effort and please continue to pray that the finances going forward will remain stable.

Andrew Clee

5

Church Warden’s Report

Well – it’s been a busy year hasn’t it! At the end of last year’s report Steve wrote that he was sure that “in 2024 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.”

With David announcing his decision to retire in October the challenges facing us as a church have certainly increased! Thankfully, David gave us a lot of notice and did a lot of forward planning before his departure which has eased the transition into the current vacancy. However, no matter how much you plan, you never really know what it takes to run a church and what the vicar does until you try to do it without one!

We are really appreciative of the support we’ve been given in ensuring St Peter’s services and other activities have run as usual. There are too many involved to name everyone, but we’re blessed with an associate minister and two lay readers whose skills, with the help of others, have ensured we haven’t had to ask for help from other ministers to conduct our Sunday worship.

Our office staff have been superb not only dealing with routine admin work but also keeping us up to date with daily reports concerning the day’s happenings and bringing to our attention anything that needs our input. With their and Anthony’s assistance we think we’ve just about kept on top of most of the jobs!

Looking ahead, we are committed to embracing new opportunities to serve our Church and community. With God’s guidance and your continued support may we continue to grow in love and service and we thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.

Helen Coppenhall and Steve Parfitt

Speak

The Church has had a magazine for as long as I can remember! It is a great source of information and keeping up to date with the life of the Church.

‘Speak’ is the magazine for the Church family. It is distributed online via our website and as a paper copy. Please contact the Church Office for more information on [e-mail].

Currently it is bi-monthly with a couple of information sheets throughout the year. As a team we work hard to ensure that the articles we provide are interesting and factual. If you have anything that fits that description let us know, we would love to chat with you.

Bethany Jones, Jenny Drain and Lucy Kelly

6

PCC Report

The PCC membership increased to 24 at the time of the APCM in March which is the highest number in our recent history. The electoral roll at the time of the APCM was confirmed as 149, a net increase of 4 over the previous year. This year, under diocesan rules, we will hold a complete renewal of the roll so there may be a significant change in the number at this point.

After Gareth Davies resigned and Becky left as a result, Helen Coppenhall stepped up to replace her as Warden and Steve Parfitt kindly agreed to continue. We therefore have two committed and experienced wardens at this crucial time.

At the APCM David announced his forthcoming retirement in October thus triggering a recruitment process to select a new incumbent. The PCC elected the wardens, Steve and Helen, to serve as PCC representatives on interview panel along with Bishop Mark, Archdeacon Jane and Rev Bee Boyde of St Mary’s Sandbach, our patron church. At the time of writing the position has been advertised and the process is ongoing.

In the meantime, and with the various specific recruitment procedures continuing, the PCC continues to manage the life of the church entirely without interruption or constraint. Additional meetings to consider the recruitment have been held as required with either Steve or Helen chairing.

After careful consideration the PCC approved the under-pew heating. This was installed and we now have a full year’s operating experience of using it and we can now confirm that the new system provides a good level of comfort in the church at lower cost than the old boiler system even allowing for the increase in energy costs in recent years.

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, especially on a Sunday morning before and after Services. We are grateful for ‘those in the kitchen’ for serving in this ministry.

There is also the opportunity to browse through several Christian publications that are available and to catch up on upcoming church events.

The Foyer is open as the ‘Foyer Café’ on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings between 10.00 – 11.30 am 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

7

Church Flowers

We are a friendly group of 27 people that come together in fellowship to purchase, arrange and maintain the flower displays used to decorate the Church Hall and Church Building. These flowers are often paid for by members of the congregation as an offering of thanksgiving to God. Flowers at Church celebrate God’s goodness and gifts to us all and they are a fitting reminder of his glory and grace. Flowers can help to enhance services and uplift spirits.

Some of our members also work together to decorate the church windows according to the Liturgical calendar with fresh flowers during Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Some of these flower displays are moved between the Church and Church Hall for the 10.30am service. When services are over church flowers can give further pleasure, because (upon request), they can be given to people in need of pastoral care within the Church Family and wider community.

Arrangements have also been provided for baptisms, weddings, and funerals as well as for the Burns supper ceilidh and the retirement celebration for David and Kate Page. Tracy Rigby and Fiona Cooper demonstrated the arrangement of Christmas table decorations at the ladies’ craft event held in December, with fifty arrangements made possible by the kind donation of oasis from the Colville family. This year,with a focus on sustainability and the environment, we are moving away from the constant use of oasis foam in flower arrangements and will trial alternatives. This has been aided by the generous donation of a dozen crystal glass vases by the Barker family following the wedding of Rebecca and Mathias in October.

A new quarterly Church Newsletter for the flower arranging team was launched in November to keep all involved with St Peter’s flowers up to date with news and events. The next edition is due in March.

We are always looking for willing volunteers to join the team and no experience is necessary. If you feel able, please sign up on the 2025 flower rota displayed on the notice boards in the Church and Church Hall.

Tracy Rigby and Joyce Foster .

Church Attendance

The attendance at each of the Sunday services hovered fairly close to their averages with occasional lows at holiday times and highs at Baptisms and on special days but have shown a pleasing increase over last year.

The figures for the 9.00 service are between 22 and 25, averaging 17. The 10.30 service averaged at 25 under 16’s and 79 adults (including babies).

And, just for comparison with last year, the average total per week was 125. This actually shows very little since it includes babies and people who attended more than one service.

Jim Watson

8

Welcome Team

The Welcome Team at the 10.30am service, along with the sides-people at the 9.00am and 6.00pm service would often be the first contact for those who are new to the church. For an occasional visitor, and even those who come regularly, a warm welcome can make a big difference.

The ‘welcomers’ have grown in number over the year. At the 10.30am service there are now more nominated people welcoming at the door in the foyer and also in the main hall.

We have continued with our twice a year ‘Welcome Tea’ in March and October for anyone who joined the church community in the previous 6 months. These have been well attended and there have been a good number of church family members present in support. The buffet tea has been very much appreciated, thank you Liz. The intention is to continue with these two events into 2025.

How we welcome is much more than just on a Sunday. We provide a welcome in many areas:

By outreach with Publicity and Communication, either a poster, our website or Facebook and other media

Our personal and pastoral contacts

Coffee & Company

The welcome provided to church hall users by the office staff

The church grounds team to those visiting the churchyard,

The three ladies events held throughout the year

Please pray for all who welcome in these ministries recognising how we are all to be welcomers and welcoming.

Anybody who feels called to this particular ministry at any of the events or any of the church services please speak to one of the team you will be most welcome.

Welcome Team: Lynda Wisbey, Martin Hathaway, Daniel Chan, Michelle Walker

Welcomers: Allan Walker, Steve & Cathryn Houghton, Jo Burton, Helen Jones, Jennie Coppenhall, Wendy Woods, Pauline Thornton

9

Church Organisations

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 20-30 parents/carers and their babies to the group.

During 2024 we have introduced a singing time at the end of the session. Nursery rhymes are sung and sensory play is offered using a range of age appropriate musical instruments, a play parachute and sensory scarves.

The group is currently served by Cathryn Houghton, Josephine Chow 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: [e-mail]

Cathryn Houghton

Acorns 2024

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. We are thrilled to share that we currently have 20 children registered with a weekly regular attendance of around 6-10 children. We continue to meet in the Meeting Room in the church hall and are grateful to the staff of Elworth Preschool for the loan of various toys.

Over the past year we have tried to teach 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. The themes for the past year have been around “Love, Forgiveness, Friendship, God’s gifts and Acting Justly”. We also enjoyed looking at Characters in the Bible including Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, Gideon, Mary and Joseph.

Contd

10

In October we said farewell to Kate who has led Acorns (previously Lego) for 22 years. Kate was an enormous part of the life of our church as well as this group. She will be missed terribly but we surround her with love and prayers as she and David prepare for new ventures. Thank you Kate for your dedication, leadership and support not only to us as leaders of Acorns but from all the children with whom you have had the pleasure of sharing Gods word.

Tracy, Lucy and Denise are thrilled to welcome Bethany and Jess to join our team of “leaders”. There is always a minimum of two of us taking it in turns to either lead or support this Sunday morning group.

For any further information please contact the church office but if anyone feels called to serve God by joining the Acorns Team do speak to one of the current Leaders / helpers. Written on behalf of Denise, Kate, Tracy, Lucy, Bethany and Jess

Adventurers (Age 6 – 11)

The Year began with a selection of subjects from the Scripture Union ‘Energize’ resource website selected from the New Testament: No sin too hard, Merciful God, Full of Grace, Friend of Sinners, Here Comes the King, Always there and Mighty God.

After Easter we looked at different themes, drawing on appropriate scriptures: Looking after God’s creation, One Body Many Parts, Social Justice and Brotherly Love.

In September we said au revoir to Martin and welcomed Libby, even though Martin thankfully filled the breach at a moment’s notice when Alex sustained a footballing injury (at the St Peter’s Wednesday football!). In this term we explored the Old Testament, focusing on the big stories and big characters of the OT: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Gideon. Advent allowed a change with separate sessions on Mary and Joseph. The term ended with Messy Christmas to which all Sunday school as well as Friday night Explorer families were all invited.

Our numbers are enough to warrant having three adults: long may we be so blessed. In a year or two we may need to be thinking about restarting the Sunday youth church.

Paul Savvides on behalf of Alex, Andy, Jess, Josephine, Jennie, Libby, Martin, and Mary.

11

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 a 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, over 60 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 C of E School, Elworth Hall School and further afield attend.

Cathryn Houghton

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 twelve 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 30 - 40 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 [e-mail]

Cathryn Houghton

12

Encounter Youth Hub

Encounter is a youth group for Years 5 – 11 (10 - 16years). 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 was modified during 2023 to encompass the Year 5 children. During 2024 the group has continued to grow and between 30 and 50+ young people now attend. This has meant that we have had to increase the number of adults supporting and serving at this group and it has been most encouraging to see members of the church family coming forward to help.

During 2023 we purchased a set of Good News Youth Bibles for Encounter. These bibles have proved 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. 19 young people have now received bibles of their own. This means that in 2025 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 the summer we took the group to Urban Air trampolining park as an end of term social and it was 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: [e-mail] n

Cathryn Houghton

Safeguarding

St Peter’s Church, Elworth takes its duty and obligation to protect all, extremely seriously. We have adopted the national Church of England’s robust procedures and guidelines and are grateful to all those who have undergone Safeguarding training and completed their DBS checks in a timely manner. This enables us to feel supported and that many people recognise the importance of Safeguarding within a Church community

During 2024, Cathryn and I have met on a monthly basis to discuss a range of matters related to Safeguarding, including training, DBS checks and role descriptions. We have attended two Diocesan Safeguarding network meetings, facilitated by Chester Diocese, which have enabled us to meet with people from other parishes and learn from their experiences. We recognise the importance of our role and ask that you would keep us in your prayers as we seek to carry it out to the best of our ability.

Helen Jones (Lead Safeguarding Officer), Cath Houghton (Deputy Safeguarding Officer)

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 were 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 is 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, Lego 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 with this very important work.

The ABC year ended with our annual Christmas Party sessions which were attended by 75 children and their parents/carers in total. 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: [e-mail]

Cathryn Houghton

All Age Team

In the past year, a group of us has had the privilege of planning and leading the All Age services which take place usually once a month. It is always a challenge to find different ways to try to ensure that there is something for everyone and we are constantly reflecting on the services which have taken place. We want to be able to communicate God’s Word clearly to all who are there, as well as providing opportunities to try different formats during the service, for example the use of Prayer Stations and puppets. We look forward to continuing to serve God in this way at St Peter’s in the year to come.

Jenny Drain, Rebecca Douglas, Nicola Hathaway, Helen Jones, Paul Savvides, Denise Shone

14

Slavic Gospel Association

St Peter's supports the Slavic Gospel Association. The focus of the work is in making disciples by cross cultural witness of the good news of Jesus Christ and S.G.A. works by supporting local churches in their initiatives and needs. S.G.A.is active across an area stretching from Poland and Slovakia in the west to Kazakstan and far east Russia in the east. 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 Mongolia and children’s camps in Europe.

S.G.A. is supporting churches in Ukraine, who are helping many bereaved families as well as serving soldiers. The news about perished soldiers reaches every town and village and everyone is affected by the sorrow and exhaustion of war. 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

St Peter’s Football

Set up in the spring of 2024, St Peter’s Football was set up simply to enjoy the game and get to know people in and out of church better. It is open to everyone (+14) and any ability. We currently have a good mix of people, including several church members, friends, friends of friends and people who have happened to hear about us through other means.

We play each Wednesday 8-9pm at Sandbach Boys School (3G) and usually have between 10-16 players to get at least a 5-a-side game going. It is played in a good, friendly, competitive spirit and we have seen some spectacular own goals and are averaging a self inflicted injury once a week! Football is the most popular game in the world, so let's use it as a platform to build on and show that Christianity isn't just about visiting Church on a Sunday. If you want to know more please get in touch, dust off those boots and come along.

Andy (The Gaffer)

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 2024 was £9,178 and we decided to support the following charities :

• Compassion Child Survival Project, Delmas Haiti; £1,000 Dalit Freedom Network; £1,000

• Slavic Gospel Association; £2,000 ( £1,000 supporting the ministry of Pastor Zarev in Velingrad, Bulgaria, and £1,000 supporting churches in Ukraine )

• SYCAM; £1,000

• Tearfund; £1,000

• Barnabas Fund; £400

• Bible Society; £400

• Christian Aid; £400

• Childrens Society; £400

• Christian Vision for Men; £400

• Lifeline Debt Advice; £400

• Scripture Union; £400

• WaterAid; £400

The total agreed actually amounted to £9,200 so the extra £22 came out of General Funds.

Mark Barker

Worship Group

The St Peter’s Worship Group lead the sung worship at the 10.30am service every week. We have been so encouraged this year as more people have joined the group and are picking up instruments, some for the first time and others after a break or are joining us with their voices. We are also very thankful for the amazing technical support from Anthony and the rest of the team as we could not do the services without this. We are always looking to have new members, remembering that a worshipping heart is more important than musical skill. We meet at 9.30am before the service to practise and pray. Please continue to pray for the group, that we will stay focused on Jesus, keep worship at the forefront of everything that we do, and not just Sundays, and that we will enable all who join on Sundays to connect with God in a real and relevant way.

Heather Savvides

16

Church Prayer Life

There are a number of ways that the church prayer life has been encouraging this year.

The monthly prayer meetings led by different house groups 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. We now hold the prayer meeting face to face in the church hall, having previously met on Zoom during the pandemic . The majority of people feel that this encourages both prayer and fellowship together. The prayer meeting is led by one of the house groups 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.

After the 10.30am service there is now a team of people who are available to pray with individuals who have something or someone on their hearts.

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

Supper Night

While this year has been more challenging, I am glad that I have been able to carry on with the Supper Nights. This year we have had some extra help, and I am very grateful for that. God really does provide.

I hope to be able to carry on with these evenings in 2025.

Lucy Kelly & Gail Dell

Book Group

We have continued to meet on a monthly basis, in the Church Hall. Unfortunately, this year, we have reduced in number! Your prayers are appreciated as we really would like to grow. We read fiction books, from a variety of genres, some light, some a bit more challenging. One thing is guaranteed though, we don't all have the same opinion!

Lucy Kelly

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Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Appeal

We had a massive response for this year’s Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. Enormous thanks to the St. Peter’s church family, Elworth Primary School and members of the wider community. The generosity and support was fantastic. We collected 143 gift filled shoeboxes.

In addition to individually packed “shoeboxes” we ran a similar campaign to last year whereby for the 12 weeks leading up to National Collection week we encouraged people to donate specific items. These items were then prayerfully placed into a total of 13 age appropriate Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. Thank you for your support. Your generosity is truly appreciated.

Particular thanks to Bethany and Carolyn for their unwavering practical support and for Cathryn who always enthusiastically leads the organising, planning and collection from Elworth C. E. School. This year the children of Elworth C. E. School had two fundraising events and sourced the contents of 65 shoeboxes. It was wonderful to see members of staff and some of the School Prefects from Elworth C. E. Primary School presenting their boxes during our “Shoebox Sunday service”.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse. It is a hands-on way to bless children in need across the world by filling shoeboxes with toys, personal care items, school supplies, and fun gifts. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. 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.

In 2023 many of us got notification that our shoeboxes were sent to Belarus. We wait patiently to hear the destination of this year’s shoebox gifts.

If you would like any more information please contact Denise via St Peter’s Church office.

Denise Shone

Residential / Nursing Homes

It has been our pleasure to be able to continue visits to our local Residential / Nursing Homes, Turnpike Court, St Stephens Nursing Home and Elworth Grange.

We join 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.

Following David Page’s retirement in October our Readers, Steve Coppenhall and Paul Savvides, have been taking the services, enabling us to continue this ministry in our community, and have been welcomed and appreciated by the Residents and Staff If you would like to know more about our visits, please speak to Steve, Paul or myself. Michelle Walker

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Messy Church

St Peter’s Messy Church takes place on average twice each term in the church hall. It is held on a Sunday 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 snack 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.

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: [e-mail]

Cathryn Houghton

Chaplaincy at Elworth C of E School

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 making us one Christ centred worshipping community.

During 2024 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:

• Collective Worship with the school community

• Class based prayers

• Coordination of charity events between school and church

• One to one work with those in need of spiritual encouragement and support

• Leading the children of the Worship Warrior Team to coordinate their active input into the development of Christian based activities around school

• Offering support to walk alongside staff, parents and children and to offer pastoral support where appropriate.

• Helping to plan and implement Whole School Prayer Space days

• Leading the Rights Respect Award - UNICEF

Cathryn Houghton

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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 few 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 by visiting www.dianneoxberrytrust.org

I myself (Sue) have been going through ovarian cancer treatment for the last 3 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 2025 to write your greeting to each other, and take this opportunity to say thank you to all that have supported the Charities and the Church family ‘Christmas Card’

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

Sue Podhorodecka & Michelle Walker

Church Choir

We currently have five permanent and regular members of the Church Choir and although we are approximately half of the number of members we used to have before the pandemic struck, we are very happy to continue in this important aspect of worship at the evening service. We have a very loyal congregation at the evening service and when all our regulars are present, this number can reach up to between twenty-five to thirty attendees.

The Choir is always very happy to sing in our wonderful and beautiful Church building because the acoustics are perfectly designed to enhance the singing voice and this is so important when we are seeking to encourage more people to attend the traditional evening service. It is such a privilege to use the voice which the Lord has been gracious enough to give to us, in his service.

Margaret Taylor

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Churchyard

The gardening team has experienced another challenging year, mostly due to weather conditions. However we have tried to maintain the churchyard to the best of our ability, by grass cutting, path edging and repairing where necessary, together with hedge and tree base trimming where necessary.

Two small trees have been planted in memory of church members and the large trunk of the copper beech tree on the cremation area has been removed. Also a real Christmas tree was purchased this year and planted near to the church entrance which should become a welcoming festive feature in future years when decorated.

The more green fingered members of the team have been busy on the flower beds and shrubberies around the church and car park areas so we should see these become a real show of colour in the spring.

During the winter we service the machinery ready for the cutting season starting in the spring, and I am very grateful to the team for their help in keeping all the kit in good order. We are looking forward to the new growing season and hope the Lord will bless us with guidance and good weather.

My thanks to all the gardening team for their help and knowledge throughout the past year.

Bill Morrison

Making the most of your Sewing Machine

There is nothing quite so much fun as joining together with friends to share a hobby that you love. Sewing with like minded friends is such a lovely way to spend time. We offer each other, ideas, support, encouragement and occasionally expertise. Sometimes we are known to do a little more chatting than sewing.

We like to think we are a friendly, welcoming bunch but the only way to find out will be to come along and join in. Some of us have been sewing for years, whilst others are less experienced.

From quilting to dressmaking to soft furnishings, if it can be done on a sewing machine we will have a go, and we are always happy to help beginners to have a go too.

We meet three times a month, on the second Wednesday in the evening from 7.00 - 9.00 and on the second and last Fridays during the day from 10.00 – 2.00. There is a notice on the board in the church hall giving exact dates.

If you are keen to come and join us but machine sewing is not your thing, then do please just come and share the space and do some hand sewing, knitting or crochet. We assure you that you will be made very welcome.

Do pop in and see what we are up to and, maybe, to to find out if you would like to join us.

COME AND MEET US, HAVE A BREW AND A CHAT.

Gail Dell

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Home Groups

Monday Home Group

This year we moved back to meeting face to face, usually twice a month, providing much valued fellowship, support and prayer for each other during what has sometimes been difficult times for group members. We have undertaken a number of Scripture based studies during the year including a series on Timothy in parallel with the autumn sermon programme and the Bible Society’s excellent Romans studies. 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 Anne, Bill, Carolyn, Cherie, Deon, Derek, Joyce, Michelle and Norma

Kairos

Kairos continued to meet fortnightly throughout the year.

From February to July we covered the seven studies of Real Prayer: Connecting with our Heavenly Father.

Meetings were less frequent during the summer as members enjoyed holidays.

In the autumn we began Phillip D Jensen’s study: 1 & 2 Timothy: Guard the gospel.

In October we were sad to say goodbye to Kate Page who had led the group for many years. We wish her well in the future. Happily Helen Jones has now taken on leadership of the group and we look forward to continuing to explore more illuminating studies.

Christine Saucedo

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Monday Small Group

The Monday Small Group (MSG) is aimed at those with young families and/or busy working lives. We continue to meet via Zoom, thus removing the need for additional childcare arrangements. We met fortnightly throughout 2024, starting at a slightly later time, to allow young children to be put to bed. We have recently welcomed another couple into the group, which means we have 14 regular attenders.

Our studies continue to be varied. In the period up to Easter we used an evangelistic video course called ‘321 – Speak Life’, devised and led by Glen Scrivener. Between Easter and the summer break, we explored the challenges in the book of Revelation, using home-grown material. During the autumn term we followed the ‘Wellbeing Journey’ video material, derived from a book by Dave Smith, entitled ‘God’s Plan For Your Wellbeing’.

We always make time in our meetings to pray together. We also have a dedicated WhatsApp group for mutual support, sharing prayer requests and other information. Finally, we meet together in person a couple of times each year, with the children, for food and games.

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

Lynda and Simon Wisbey

Koinonia Small Bible study Group (meets Monday evenings fortnightly)

Our small Bible study group comprises both those who are actively working and some who have just reached retirement age but remain very active.

Our year started with a series from Krish and Miriam Kandiah on the Passion which saw us through Lent and up to Easter. After Easter we spent time looking at a few of the Psalms and after the summer, as the time of Vicar David’s retirement approached, we joined other small groups in looking at Paul’s letters to Timothy.

The series on Timothy was quite challenging and raised some important questions as we grappled with questions around faithfulness to the Gospel and handing on the baton in church leadership.

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

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Fuyin

It is wonderful to report that we are still a group of “11 ladies”. We meet weekly, Wednesday mornings between 09.30-11.30 ish in the upstairs room in St Peter’s Church Hall where we worship, pray and study scripture. There is always a welcome brew and tasty treats to enjoy. Two members of our group continue to live overseas but we are delighted when they can join us on Zoom.

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

We began the year continuing to study the Gospel of Mark which we had started in September 2023. Following this we them completed a study called “Growing Older & Wiser” a Life Builder Study guide written by Dale and Sandy Larsen. We then studied the books of Ruth, Titus and Philemon. From October through to December we followed the teaching in Church and completed the study of 1 & 2 Timothy with the aid of the study guide written by Philip D Jenson (The Good Book Guide to 1&2 Timothy “Guard the Gospel”).

In May we led the monthly prayer meeting where we focused our prayers around the theme of “Pentecost, Ascension and Thy Kingdom Come”, the global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost. The idea is conceived from the fact that in the life of the church calendar the month of May sees us remember Ascension day and Pentecost.

I just want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each member of this home group. Their support, kindness, unwavering prayer and shared faith have been such a blessing to us all. The way we come together to encourage one another and study God's word is invaluable.

If you would like any more information please have a chat to Denise or any member of our group.

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

Monday evening group – Ezekiel

We meet on a Monday evening, alternating between the homes of three of our group members. During 2024 we continued to study Christianity Explored from Advent 2023, and we looked at Lamentations alongside the sermon series which we did as a church family during Lent.

We went on to study The Lord’s Prayer, which was very thought provoking for us all, and gave us time to reflect on each section and apply that to how we live today, and how it challenges and inspires our faith journeys. In the autumn we started to study 1.Timothy along with other home groups, and in line with the autumn sermon series.

Barbara, Cecilia, Helen, Kath, Margaret, Nicole, Rebecca

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Balance Sheet

	As at	As at
	31/12/2024 31/12/2023	31/12/2024 31/12/2023
Current assets	£	£
Bank current account	9,001	9,001 12,893
CCLA (CBF) deposit account	157,709	157,709 151,414
Fairtrade Bank Account	-	- 890
Total Current Assets	166,711	166,711 165,197
Liabilities Agency Collections	104	104 558
Accounts Payable	40	40 40
DBF Creditor	60	60 60
CEC Loan	107,540	107,540 107,541
Total Liabilities	107,744	107,744 108,199
Net Asset surplus (deficit)	58,966	58,966 56,999
Reserves
Excess/(deficit)	1,967	1,967 (72,570)
Starting Balances	56,998	56,998 129,569
Total Reserves	58,966	58,966 56,999
Represented by Funds
General (Unrestricted)	39,794	39,794 35,754
Designated	4,007	4,007 2,618
Restricted	11,221	11,221 14,684
Endowment	3,943	3,943 3,943
Total	58,966	58,966 56,999

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 18[th] April 2025 and signed on its behalf by

Stephen Parfitt (P.C.C. Chairman)

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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 2024, the amounts held in reserve are as follows:

Unrestricted Reserves		Item	Total
		£	£
Operating Costs		46,285
CEC Loan repayment 2016 –	2024 inc	56,000
Building Work & Equipment	reserves	30,301	132,586
Restricted Reserves
Church Hall Development		9,060
Outward Giving		9.960
Benevolent		2,160	21,180
Endowment Funds		3,943	£3,943
Total Reserves			157,709
The cash reserves in the depo	sit account m	eet the Reserves re	quirement

The cash reserves in the deposit account meet the Reserves requirement.

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 December 2024

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.

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,

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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 2023-24. For tax year 2024-25 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, toolstore/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.

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Receipts & Payments by Report Group

			Restricted	Restricted
	Unrestricted Designated			2024	2023
	£	£	£	£	£
Income and Endowments from:
Voluntary Donations	123,874	4,157		128,032	116,389
Church activities	15,298	-	-	15,298	16,811
Trading Activities	37,415	67	-	37,482	34,552
Investments	6,295	-	-	6,295	6,247
Other income	-	-	-	-	118
Total Income	182,884	4,224	-	187,109	174,120
Expenditure:
Charitable Giving	-	9,200	-	9.200	12,375
Diocese	75,344	-	-	75,344	71,801
Ministry	27,685	-	-	27,685	53,416
Administration	25,796	-	-	25,796	33,367
Mission & Evangelism	7,716	1,878	-	9,595	10,615
Church & Churchyard	7,624	-	-	7,624	6,632
Trading costs	-	-	-	-	449
Church Hall	26,433	-	3,462	29,895	32,162
Major Church Work	-	-	-	-	25,871
Total Expenditure	170,601	11,078	3,462	185,141	246,691
Excess of Receipts over Payments	12,283	(6,854)	(3,462)	1,967	(72,571)

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Analysis of income and expenditure 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

			Restricted	Restricted	Restricted
Income	Unrestricted		Designated		2024		2023
		£	£	£	£		£
Voluntary Donations
Gift Aid: Bank		50,551	-	-	50,551		65,788
Envelopes		7,642	-	-	7,642		6,245
Other planned giving		7,777	-	-	7,777		6,861
Loose plate collections		2,834	-	-	2,834		3,068
QR code/Electronic		6,564	.-	-	6,564		5,918
One off Gift Aid gifts		21,883	.-	-	21883		-
Donations sundry		1,855	500	-	2,355		3,907
ABC donations		.	3,657	-	3,657		3,926
Tax recovered on Gift Aid Legacies		23,511 1,000	.- -	.- -	23,511 1,000		19,190 -
Recurring grants		240	-	-	240		330
Non-recurring one off grants		-	-	-	-		567
Other funds generated		16	-	-	16		587
Subtotals		123,874	4,157	-	128,032		116,389
Income from Church Activities
Fees for weddings and funerals		4,485	-	-	4,485		4,592
Chaplaincy Elworth C of E School		6,640	-	-	6,640		6,024
Photocopying recharges		642	-	-	642		410
Heat & Light		422	-	-	422		1,150
Coffee Money		287	-	-	287		122
Outreach Catering Donations		2,821	-	.-	2,821		4,513
Subtotals		15,298	-	-	15,298		16,811
Other trading activities
Church hall lettings - fund raising		33,320	-	.-	33,320		30,120
E.ON FIT Receipts		4,094	-	.-	4,094		3,774
Fair Trade Sales		.	67	.-	67		657
Subtotals		37,415	67	-	37,482		34,552
Investments
Bank and Building Society interest		6,295	-	-	6,295		6,247
Other income
Easy Fundraising / Amazon Smile		-	-	-	-		118
Grand Total		182,884	4,224	-	187,109		174,120

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			Restricted	Restricted	Restricted
Expenditure		Unrestricted	Designated		2024	2023
		£	£	£	£	£
Expenditure on Church Activities
Outward Giving		-	9,200	-	9,200	11,110
Messy Church		1,408	-	-	1,408	925
Holiday Club		686	-	-	686	841
Youth		1,838	-	-	1,838	961
Benevolent Donation		-	-	-	-	1,265
Ministry parish share etc		75,344	-.	-	75,344	71,801
Assistant staff costs		-	-	-	-	24,422
Assistant Minister Housing		-	–	-	-	3,180
Assistant Minister Expenses		-	-	-	-	887
Family & Child Worker		17,423	-	-	17,423	16,250
Youth Worker		6,497	-	-	6,497	4,880
Administration staff salaries		14,299	-	-	14,299	12,970
Payroll Administration		540	-	-	540	725
HMRC PAYE		2,851	-	-	2,851	10,102
Pension Fund		2,082	-	-	2,082	4,037
Working expenses of incumbent		450	-	-	450	509
Vicarage Council tax		2,715	-	-	2,715	2,588
Vicarage Water		599	-	-	599	696
Training and Courses		-	-	-	-	601
Study Materials & Books		419	-	-	419	99
Junior Church		236	.-	-	236	332
ABC & Baby Group		-	1,878	-	1,878	1,617
Outreach Catering costs		2,566	-	-	2,566	4,632
Extra Services		560	. -	-	560	604
Church running - insurance		2,107	-	-	2,107	2,053
Church office - telephone		953	-	-	953	875
Music expenses		426	-	-	426	626
Church maintenance		361	-	-	361	258
Services expenses (non-music)		1,795	-	-	1,795	1,407
Upkeep of churchyard		1,118	-	-	1,118	425
C/f to page 31		137,273	11,078	-	148,351	181,693

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			Designated	Designated
Expenditure (contd.)	Unrestricted			Restricted 2024		2023
		£	£	£	£	£
B/f from page 30	137,273		11,078	-	148,351	181,693
Photocopying & Printing		2,646	-	-	2,646	2,660
Stationery		64	-	-	64	1,093
Publicity		143	-	-	143	222
General Expenses		2,214	-	-	2,214	679
Church running - electric		1,469	-	-	1,469	1,135
Church running - gas		345	-	-	345	724
FairTrade Cost of Sales		. -	-	-	-	449
Hall running - electricity		11,004	-	-	11,004	13,460
Hall running - gas		2,564	-	-	2,564	2,224
Hall running - insurance		2,107	-	-	2,107	2,053
Hall running - maintenance		3,562	-	3,462	7,024	7,639
Cleaning Staff		4,843	-	-	4,843	4,445
Sanitary services and cleaning		493	-	-	493	572
Hall running - water		1,383	-	-	1,383	891
Hall miscellaneous		474	-	-	474	876
Church major repairs - installation		-	-	-	-	24,821
Hall, interior and exterior decorating		-	-	-	-	1,050
Expenditure Grand totals	170,601		11,078	3,462	185,141	246,691

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Independent examiner’s report to Elworth P.C.C.

This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2024, which are set out on pages 25 to 31, 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 P.C.C. 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 bythe 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 P.C.C. 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 ACMA Independent Examiner

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