Annual Financial Report for 2023 Tho Parochlal Church Councll of St John's Church. Polegate wlth tho Conventlonal Dlstrlct of St Wllfrld'8 Church. Lower Wllllngdon In the comblned parlsh of St John's with St ￿lfr1d'S Churches for tho year onded 31 December 2023 li C/pLES ofr PwJg nwthr. 1lfr Statement of financial activlties TtA•l Furnjs ToftalFunLIs 2022 Incom• and 0nd0￿ from: Donat￿n5 & I 224,251 163,903 Ch8ntable activitss T8 Other tredin 21, 1.51 23N15 19.579 Investments 571 671 24 Other receipts Total In¢om• 3,41 247,169 12 249.381 187,91 Exp•ndltsr• on: Raisin lund$ 134 651 Charitablo actNittO8 186.414 2217 188NI 167,30 Other trndin 17.424 17 4,26 Total oxpndltur• 1217 206,190 172,22 N81 L8ln8 Not Inconw or or b88es on invesbnents ndltur• 43.197 43.192 15.692 Trnn•l•r8 botw••n fun 43.197 43.192 15,692 Oth•r r•cognl••d 9*1￿10￿•#1. Gain81 losses) on revaluatKJn of assets Other gainsl Not mov•mont In fund• 43.192 15,692 RKoncSll•tlon of fund•: Total funds brought fop*ard Total fund8 ¢*nlod fonnvd 116.940 116,945 101.252 160.136 160.136 116. 15. Balance Shaot lalso km>wn as staten￿nt of Financial Posilion) Totsi FIKKl• Totsl Fund8 2022 Intangible assets Tan9ible as6ets Hentaoe assets Endcwf investrnents 65,001 65,001 65,001 StskJ5 824 Investments Cash at bank aTrJ In h Total Curr•nt ••••t8 10124IQ 102.337 54.766 55.590 14 Credltors.. Amounts faltJln .duo one N•t curr•nt aMol• or (Il•bUItI•• Total ••80ts lom currnnt Ilabllltl•• Creditors.. Amounts falli￿ due after more lx Provislons for liabilities 7202 95.135 160.136 3.646 51.944 116.94 11 12 160.136 116, The funds of the charty. Endowment funds unrest￿ted funds 160,136 11&9 Totsl unrestricted funds Total charlty lund• 116,94 116. 1￿.136 This Annual Fir)arrial Report. for year ended 31" Decomber 21f23 In¢ludin9 Ihe r￿te$ k*ifovang. The Revd Chris SplnKs Notas to the financial report TE 1. Acct)unlln Accountlng conv•nllon The financial statements have been prep3r&l unts the Church Accounting Regulath)n 20￿ In ￿ordance with applicable accounting standards and the current {20151 Statement ol Recommended Pr*i¢e, Accounts'ng and Reportiivj by Charit*s SORP (FRS11f2). The financlal statements have beon preF*￿1 under the hIstor￿1 Mst con4¢ntion 88 n￿diffied by the Inclusion ol investments at market value. The financial statsments indude all transacticm, assets and liabilrties for which the PCC 18 responsible in law. They do not Ihe actounts of church groups that cTh¥e their affiliation to Funth •c¢ountln9 Fund8 hold ty the PCC arn: UnIWrf￿ fund8 . general funds wthich ￿ be u8ed for PCC ordlnary purwges DeskJnat8d fvnds . rrwil6s set 8SKle by Ihe PCC out of unrknted funds lor spocth fu￿re wrpo8e8 or projects. obJe¢ts pr￿dea In the temij of the trust or b8quosC b) donations or grdnts received for a object or Invited by the PCC lor a objecl. The funds mal onty be expended on the speclfic obpct for vthKh they were given. Any balanca remaknlng unspent at tho of tho S*aT18 carrfod 10Th￿d as o ba&ncé on that fund. Endowment funds- funds the capttal ofwhlch must b& maintainod,. onty arl8lrKJ from the Investment of the endowment mly bo used, either as restrkted or unrnstricted fun05. depanding on th? purpose set out In the teTm8 of ot*lnd end(y All income and endowments are oxounted for ￿thout ded￿1￿￿ for any L¥* or reCe￿bIlIty, are reco3nlsod en there ig avhlen¢e of entittemen( receipt Is probablfr, and the amLMJnt can be measured rellabty. Donatlom and ltyaclo• Coll8ellons ere recognlsed received. Plannedgivlng receivab￿ is recc¥nised bythen there is evklonce of entluemert weipt b probable. aTrJ the amount accords with the Gift Ald ¢Jeclaratlon or record of the Intsntion to donate. GIftAld rncovernd is recognised when the inGome to *thich it is atiached is recognised. Grants and leg8uos are recognised when Ihe fom*l offer in writing ofthe fvrKling. 18 recei¥*d by the PCC. Charlt•bl• actlvftle• Sa168 of ma9ozines 8nd8tuty notss aye rBcognised when receWI. Rents Imm prnpertya￿ rewnisa1 in accordance with the renlal agreements. receipt ￿ probable. Oth•r tr4dlng actlvlll•• Trading ecfmbes are where income is ￿￿Nable in retum for selling goodg or provKling servrAs. Income from tradlng 1$ Tecognised either, al when receiv&J. or bl in the ¢ase of concerts." for the year In question. irresFective of date of receipt. knance t￿O￿n9$ are in Gredith unti the con¢¢rt has taken plxfr. Investment income," dNidends are arxounknl kn Tkni due arKI payatk. Interest onbuements are accounted 17 for as they accrue. Notes to the flnancial report (continued) All oth•r In¢om• All other Ir￿e is recognised in ￿rda￿ Thith the above O￿aN pow. Gains and 108808 on Inv••tsMnts Realised galns 8re recognised the Investrnents are sold. Unrealised gains arKI losses are a¢￿u￿ted ftjr on revalualx)n at 31 D￿emb￿. - R•8our¢M u••d Resources expended are accounted for on an ettrih718 basis and are a¢count8d for groes. Grnnt8 a blndlng oblyatton on th8 PCC. Church Acllvltlo• The dsoc6san parfsh ￿ntrib￿n ig a¢¢cwnknJ for on an annual b08is. rellecting the allocation set by our D&anery. Any partsh ¢ontrrbulion unpaKI as 31 December L8 pfovKled for in these accounts as an Opgratlonal (though notlggall liabillty and 1$ 8ho¥m a8 a credllor in the bBlance St￿1. . Flxed A•Mt• T•nglbl• fix•d a•8•ts Conse¢ratsd and benef￿ property of any kind18 exckthd from the acc￿ by 8.1012) of the Chartfje8 Act 2011. Moveatde church lum18hKVJ hekl by the VIW WKI Chur¢hwerden8 on spoclal trust for the PCC and whlch require a lacufty ft*r dlsposal. arn xcounted as inalienable prop8ty unless ¢on5ecrated. they are listed In the church's Inventory whlch can bo insr*¢t6d tsrt are nol included in the financlgl 8laleff￿nts. For other property wulred to 2CU) tkwe i¥ in$uffK1￿I co8t inforTnathM available and therefore the c08t of Such 08s•ts is not Slated in thè ffftancial statement8. All expenditure on consttrated or beneft8d buildlng8 and IndNKlual iteff* costing undw £2,000 are wrltten off In the year vKre Incurred. D•pr•cl•tlon Depreckfjon 18 cal¢ulated to wrfte d￿+M the cost of tsngible ￿ed 88sets. exdudlng freehohj prowrtles, over their exFected u8efvl lives. Tho rate8 generamy we." Fixtu￿ and fftfings 20% ALKIK) vlsual equipment 33% OTre eqU￿￿bI 25% No depreciatton 15 provided on freehold propety 4 it k% the P.C.C.'s Frf* to maintsin these assets in a continual state of sound repair. The useful econom￿ life of Ihese assets ts so tong and resvjual values so high that any dep￿latiOn wouk* not b8 materol. assets will te sUbJ￿t to annual impainnent reviews. Provlslon wlll be made rfthere has been any pemianent diminubo)n in value. Investments Investments are stated at ryrdrket value at the balance sl* date. CuTr•nl A88ets Amounts owng to the PCC 8131 December in respect of tses. rents or other in¢4)me are shth¥n debtors less provision for amounts that may not pwove ¢dI￿￿blo. Short-term det#)siis indude cash he￿j on ¢JeFosrt eilher wrth the C8F ChuTch of England Funds, or at the bank. Page nwrthr. j 3 Note8 to the financial rnport (continued) ofi T¢kni Fund• Fw Fw 2022 Planned Glft4lded excl. tax refvrmts Planned 9lviLno tax relurnls Loose cash colkctions.sUnd￿ ¢JonatM Feles, ￿nd-raIsIn event income Special appals, Gift Da Gift recovered acies Grants Don•tlon• & l•q•cl•• 86,084 81,38 7,580 51,918 47 61,966 1.90 520 130 520 28207 50,592 28,077 23.482 2,67 224251 Fees for weddi s & fvnerah Ch•rltabh •¢tlvltl•• 448 780 780 Rent from lelUThJ proport Church h811 and room18tllng8 Fund-raisins events Othor tradln *ctlvttl• 12261 8.074 11261 8.074,, 12,32 4,826 2,42 1.515 23 15 Bank and CBF deposrt interest Inveslm¢nt fund dNidends Inv•otm•nts 571 671 245 671 571 24 Other receiEts Total roc•lv•d on •ll fund• 247,169 2312 249J81 187,91 Not•s to tho financlal r•port (continugd) 3. Ana Tat•l Fund• Tdal FU 202 ial a Fund-raisi Stewardshi Grants c051s1g.q. GrnTrt•A4t• Investment man nt costs Other fundraisin rK￿-trad1 C￿t ol Ral$ln eal costs le.a evenl costs 112 112 23 23 134 651 missiona￿ and charita￿e wtmg) Minist 15.732 13.600 1.144 9,035 10.497 26,114 17,812 14,428 283 93.576 8,476 9,524 17.788 10,781 10,934 259 otherde c(ksts Staff (so• ￿￿tpa￿vI Church runni costs Church maintenance and Mi8cellaneous Bank Cha reciati)n Govemance ¢0gts (AcCoW￿ ok) Charltabl• actlvltle• 9.035 IOA97 26.114 19.327 14N28 283 1,515 2,370 186A14 2.370 188,631 2,37 167.308 2.217 Church hall running costs and repair Oth&r tr*Jin Bookstall costs Cost of oth•r tr•dl 11,633 5.791 11,633 5.791 2,94 1,326 actlvltl 17 4,266 Total ex nd•d on all lund• 203￿2 1217 Paqe ZO Notss to the Ilnancial report (contlnued) Totolfv 2tr22 Crosslinks CMS Church Mlgs Interserve London C. Misslon Sund rants overseas Qutckon Tru¥t Homo:. Sun Diocese Famity sU￿wryk St Wllfrkl's Hos innaker. Schools outre Sussex Gospel ParbwshiL Univers Christsn Fellowsh BHCT ucc 732 702 13 TolAIFundJ 202 Fw•Jb •) R•mun•Mtlon and sal¥1 Soclal securfty eosts 10,497 9,52 10A 10h97 9.524 Ouring the year tr* PCC of St John's ernpl￿ one kwrt4ime person as Parfsh cloth wtbo Is al80 8 member of the PCC whose remunerabon was £8,980. PCC Membets were relmburned ft)r church expenses as frAIthvs- A]an Packard £187.. Bw¢e Margrett. £105: Katrlna Burton £200: Pam Sharpe. £149,. Phll Kyte £390. TotalFunds 2022 1370 2.370 Book keepin Total of Gov•rnanc• costs 2A70 1370 1. Notes to th• flnanclal report (continued) T￿•1 ￿￿Ing T•Yur¥lwrt fiY#ls St Jr to the t*nefit of General St J(*rf8 Total of transfevs bel*Ten Fwvjs 13 13 Fw 2022 (a) knv••kn•nt• Market va￿ 01 Dis Isat¢a Purchases at CL￿1 Net an$ and revalualhin Mark•t valu• 31 D•¢wnbw 2023 b) T*tylbl• fA•d a••ats Asat01 Ja Addttbns Disposal8 Reyaua 65.001 66,001 Charg• for Imp•lnn•nt As at 01 2023 AdditKJns Disposals At 31 December2023 N•t book amourt• At 31 December 65.001 Tangibk fixed usets con$lst of properties- 11} 5, St John'8 Road was wrehased In 1W) out of the O'Hara Legacy. It was used for staff accommodation, first for a Church Army Officer, then for the Chur¢h Pastoral assistant. After her redundancy in August 2012 it was let in May 2013 unfumished on a short4emi renu and is reli￿1 on to SUPF4ement the thurch income. For M)unting purposes. the proFety Wds revaI￿d in 1996. but there no legal requirement to re-value rt again until it ts disF#Jsed of. The nominal house Va￿ is the Fund balan* £65.000 now. (2) St Wilfrid's House was buitt in 1964 at a i>)st to the parish ¢ongregakn rased ty gift and loan It is not owned ty the dvxe58. By acwunts'ng oversighc rt never Pre¥￿￿$1Y teen incI￿jed in the Parfsh accounts until 2018 amhough it 15 a parish asseL There15 nologal requirement to Inclu¢* it at ivs current valu8, and w is entered here at a nominal of £1. n￿nber. 22 Notes to the financlal report (conlinued} . FWKVB 65,(M)1 85￿1 65.001 Investment fixed assets Current assets 1•X￿ Cash at bank and on Current UabIlit￿S Lon tem) Ilabllrtlos 1.138 1.138 101.200 7.202 82 54.76 3,64 721r2 160.136 T•lal T(tsfFunds Fw Gfft Akl reLoverable 1,138 1.138 824 Other debto Tothl Fund Totsl Déferred income AccnJal8 for ulllUe8 arml other Crffjts Loans Other cred5tord 2,19 1,454 TOWF Totsl FINNJ amounts tan Deferred income Accruals ulilbtles ollw costs Loans Page 2 3 Not•8 to the flnanclal report (contlnu•d) NOTE 13. TotslF 31 D•c. rgakn5 1kn23 Endow•d fund8 none Total ol Endow•d lund Restrlctad fund• 'Buildin ° St WilfrMIs Cha nd, St John's Cha fvrKI, Sl Wilfn(f8 1,515 697 1.515 702 12 17 unre•trfCt￿ fund• General fund Sl John's General fvnd St Wiffiids Des nated O'H8ra L fund, St John's nated St Wilfrid's Kitchen fund. Desii nat&￿ St. Wllfrld's Rtrwder Desi naled St. John's Kitchen fund. Total of Unro•lrf¢￿ fui 29,181 10.427 65,lJ)O 18S,294 73.rx11 118,994 78,604 75,481 6,824 65,000 8.788 9,288 8,375 8.375 203,972 116 Total of All lund• 116,946 NOTE (11 The St Willrld's 8ulldlng Furxl has served li s wrrTh8 NOTES lill and (iii) The Charity funds are lund$ that mb3ht hold funds about to ￿ pakd out. NOTE (Iv) O'Hara bgacy In 1990 was unrnstricte(l. For the past datals 888 Note 8 {1). NOTE (vl St Wilffid's Kttch fund 8wai18 plans to use. NOTE Ivi) Reorderfng fund, hekl Fending a ￿1￿lIng plan at St w1￿￿J,5. 206,190 Tol41 Funds 22 Cash In hand Notice deposits I￿S than 3 monts . Overdraft lacil. Total cash and cash 62 54,704 101.136 ulvalonts 1012QO 54.766 rtl•s an There are none to disck)se. P*E Thvrthr. 2 Jfv . The Parochial Church Council ol St John's, Polegats w6th tho Dlstrict Convention Council of St Willrid's, Lower Wllllngdon Reglstefed Chartty Number 1130861 Ind•pend•nt examlMrs'• I•￿rt to tho tr￿tea8 of Th¢ Parochlal Church Councll of St John'6. Poleg•te wlth thè Dl8trlct Conventlon Council of St wilfr1d￿. Lu**r ￿llIngd0Th I report on the ac£ounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2023, which are set out on page$ 15 to 24. Resp￿11¥8 responslbllftles of trust••8 and examlnor The ¢harity's tnjstees are resp(Thibb for the preparatson of the a¢counts. Th8 charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under so¢1￿￿ 144 of the Chant*s Acl 2011 (the Charities Acti and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to. - examine the ￿0￿nts under sectlon 145 of the Charltie8 Art . to follow the procedures laKI down in general Direcknns given by th8 Charlty Comkssion under section 145{51{bl of the Chari1*s Act. and . to stste whether particular r￿tter$ have Gome to my atten Basls of Inde￿ndant wmlnof8 •tal•rn My examination was carrled out In ￿￿ance wilh the genwd Directions given by thè Charty Commission. An examinab'on indudes a revM¥ of the accountin9 rec4wds k&pt by the charity and a comparison of the accounts pres8rrted w6th those re￿rds. It also Includ8s consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the ￿0)unts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees conceming any such matters. The proCedU￿S undertaken do not provwje all the evthnce that would b8 required in an audit and consequently no ownion ts given as to whether the accwnts present 8 'true and fai¢ view and the report is limrted to those matteTS Sel oui In tho statement below. Indep•ndent oxamln•fs statem•nl In connection wth my examinth'on, no matter has to my attention.. 111 whlch gives reasonable cause to belwe that in any ffKqterial reswt thè requireff*nts'. - lo keep accounting records in accordance th section 130 of tho Charities ACL and . to prepare accourts which ac￿r￿ with the ￿)Untr￿ t8(￿[dS and compty wlth Ihe accounting quirements of the Charities Act have not been rret,. or {2} to which. in my opin￿n, attenllon should be drwn in order to enable 8 proper understandiro of the a¢coun18 to be reached sIgn￿ by ￿Ik R Selllngs FCCA (Indopendwrt Ex•mlner> 30- 34 North Street Hailsham E8St Su8sex 8N27 1 DW 25. Yhls page l¥ forlnforn?allon t)nty and does not l•galty prt of the Flnancial Statements IndNidual INCOME and EXPENDITURE ACcCMJP￿s CHURCH CIIURCH CHURCH, CHURG 2022 INCOME T￿ 6ffKienl gly Tax refvnds Other Collectk)ns cdk%1K￿s Gfft Day gJndry (knna￿ a Cthts Leg8Lie8 Porc¥J)W Fe88 Churth hall. r(hY￿ & Fund.radng Ilmdends intefwt kn$urm dwms 4&047 14,248 33,338 9,231 6,0&) a424 3240 . 4833 &484 Z6T9 2,824 47 4,826 2,380 207 IZ326 ¢074 512 410 174 LESS.. EXPENOITURE Gr*ts gfven away P￿sh Mini$ty ct4ts AJI dwgy èy4ens68 Ck8rgy houslng fjypen Renbj ly0F￿ costs Sd0ri88 8nd Churth runnkng 8w8¢8 Churth r• aTrJ Mail￿ Hall running o)6ts H811 repth arK1 Trant ClJtreac*, rn￿￿95 and rrlse Other DlrKtExFaW8 Youth 3,1 1276 1641 4791 a104 14TIO 1117 1158 14709 5,932 318 575 7256 T,451 FU￿r¥i￿ng put4Kitytt4ts Posty, ststbjnwy aml (wyitVJ gjndry ey4ww68 k LI)￿8$ 154 1,457 1.185 1,185 1.185 1,185 128.071 104. 78.119 66,594 103 736 page is for Inforniarfon onty does lepuy fm p•t ￿the Hnandal Sts¢emMts P•99 nurrthr. The Parochial Chur¢h CouD¢ll of St John's, Polegate wlth the Dlstrict Conventk*n Councll of St W41fr1d's, Lower Willingdon Registered Charfty Number 1130861 Ind•pendont •xamln•rs'8 report to the trustees of Th? Parochlal Chuvch Council of St John's. Polegate with the Dlslrlct Conv¢ntlon Council of St Yllfrid's. Lower Mlllngdon I report on the a¢￿Unts of th8 Charity for the year ended 31 De(xmber 2023, vthich are set out on pages 15 to 24. Rgspectsve rosponsibllltkB of In￿tea* and •x•mln•r The charity's trustées ar8 resF*)nsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required lor this year under SarA￿ 144 of the Clwrti8s Act 2011 {the Charities Acti and that an indepenfjent examination Is needed. It Is my responsibilty lo.. . examine t￿ accounts under sectK)n 145 01 the Charlt*s Art . to follow the procedures la•J dcr*n in the gèneral Dire¢lions given by Ihe Charfty Ccffiriwon under section 14515)Ib) ol the Charities Act: arKI . to state whether particular matters have corn to my attentw)n Basls ot Ind•pend•nt ex•mln•f• st•tth My examinatson Wds carried out In aCC￿￿anCe with the genoral Dire¢tiorsS given by th8 Charity Comi$ss￿n An examination includes a revw ol the accounting records kept by the charity and omparison of the accounts wesenknl with It￿ re¢ords. It also indudes consideratiDn of any unusual Iterns or dixlosures in the ac£wnts, seth'ng explanations from you as trustees cor￿a)mIng any $uch matters. The proGedures undertaken do not provwJ• all the evtrdence that woukl be réquired in an audit and Consequentty no opinion is gr4en as to whether the ac(J)unts prosent a aTrJ fairf vlew and Ihe report i% limited to thoge matters set out wi the ststement below. Indgpènd•nt èxamlnfrfs £tatsm•nt In connection with my examination. no ryotter hag cijrn to my attention.. 11) which gives reasonable cause to be[￿e that in any materHI re$p&t the requlremnts: . lo keep accounting reo)rds wi accordanc£ with 8ectv)n 130 of the Charli* Act,. and - to prepare accounts which awd with the recorils and coryly with thè xcounting reqLirements of the Chant￿S Acl have not been or {2} to which. in my opinion, attentson should be drawn in order to enable a proper understaTrJing of the a¢counls lo be reached Slgned by Mark R SelllngB FCCA Ilnd•pW￿ent Ex•mln•r) 30- 34 North Street Ha11sham E8sI Sussex BN27 1DW Date: n￿mber 25. Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report of The Parish of St John's Church, . Church Road. Polegate, BN26 5BX Includlng the Conventional Distrlrt of St Wllfrld's Church. Broad Road. Lower Wlllln8don. Eastbourne, BN20 9RA For the year ended 31 Oecember 2023 CONTENTS Paqes 2to6 Trustees annual report. Stjohns,............................. Trustees annual report, St Wilfrids,............................ ........... 7t013 Statement of flnanclal artlvltles............................................ 15 Balance sheet 16 Notes to the accounts... ............................ ... ...................... 17to24 Report of the Independent examlner.................................... 25 webs￿&. www.polegate.org.uk The Revd Chrts Spinks. clo The Church Office. Church Road, Polegate, BN26 SBX hknndent examlneTr. Watson A550ciates. 3￿34 North Street. Hailsham, BN27 IDW Barclays Lelcester. LE87 288 and CBF Church of ErÈgland deposit fund. InCum￿n￿ Trustees Annual Report for 2023 for St John's. Polegate Our aims and purposes as a charity The Parochlal Church Cotsncll (the PCCI has the responsibility of c04)peratin8 wlth the incumbent, the Rev'd Chris Spinks. in: The womotion of the gospel of iNd Jesus thrist accordin8 to the doctrlnes and pract1￿ of the Church of England Promottng in the parlsh the whole miswn of the church. pastOTal, social, evan8eltstlc and. ecumenkal Kr￿wIng Jesus better and make HIM better known Pfactlcal 5UPPOrt and care for people In ihe parlsh, from the youngest to the eldest, Irrespertive of level of need or. ability lo pav O Pr￿ldIng financlal support to tIM)se in need and. to otlw organi5ation5 wrth slmllar objettives. What we planned to do in St. John's, to achieve our charltable objectives When planning our actlvltles for the year, our Incumbent and the PCC have consklered the Charlty Commlsslon's guidance on public benefft and, in particular, the 5pecift Eu#laKe on'charltles for the advancement of reli81on'. The PCC has complied wlth its dirty under Section 5 of the Safe8uardin8 and Uergy Oisclpline Measure 2016, fully reco8nislng its duty to have regard to House of Bishops, guidance on safe8uordln8 chlldren and vulnerable adultk DuAn8 2023 we planned the followiNd oble¢tives and artmtles to fulfil our alms: D Enabllng as many peowe as possible to I￿￿rshIp al (wr Church O Enabllr* as many people as posslble to become part ol our churth famlly Teachir& baptislng and nwturing newand existi￿ believers O Maintaining an over¥lew of worship thrO￿&hoUt the parlsh O Conslderin8 how servtces (3n Invol¥e the many groups that li￿ withln the parish D Putting faith into practlce. thrwh prayer and sulptwe, muslc and worship Offering worship, prayer and leaming about the 604x1, in small group 5ituatlons tJ Assisting people from all walks of lrfe to develop their knowledge of, and tTU5t in, Je5US Pn)vision of pastoral carE for people living in the parish Gtvlng grants to missionary organlsatlons MaintsiniThdthe fabric of thechurch buildingasa centre and splritualfocu50f life in the town. Page number- 2 What we achieved in St. John's and how people attending weekty serrfices wa5 72 adults (64 we affected beneficlaries, lives. in 20221 and 5 children, but at seasonal times le.8. Christmas) that number was up to 193. 8om in Irelat)d, Joseph Scriven wrote a favourite hymn of many people. the first verse of whith is".- ht7t ofriend we have inJesu4 All our&ns ondgriefs to beorl What o privilege to corry Everything to GLxlin proyerl O what peace we ofvnfvfe¢ O whot needless poin we I￿r. All because we do n t corry Everything to Godin proyerj The Trustees of St John's Church echo thb certalnty that prayer should have a central part of our daity Acelebratory Parlsh Tea was begun with prayer, and Ilves, and the ble￿Ing and benefit of the comfort enjoyed to mark the Kln¢s Coronatlon in June. that thls brlng5. is what they would share with anyone becomin8 Part of the church famity. The churd) family ha5 also been offerln8 open-to.all Indeed. the very first sermon preached In the gatherln8s called'Pop-In'. They are held twice- church In 1876 was entitled 'My House shall be month on Wednesday mornlngs as a servlce to the C8118d the House of Prayer., And our prayers communlty, partlculady the lonely and Isolated must be centered on Jesus Chrlst, oursavlour members of our town. At these 8atherlngs we provlde ji8-saw puules. board 8ames. craft To that end, not onty are prayers a slgnlf(ant part of activitres, 118ht refreshments, space and warmth to the Morning Servke but there Is a special tirne of facilitate conversatlon and company for any who ¥wuld welcome St. The openln8 time was extended In colder weatherto glve a ￿$pfte from cost-of-Ilvln8 pressu￿$. Ihinking particuljrfy of the cost of heatln8 In winter tlmes. Forthe second year. a notkn board put outside most Tuesday aftemoons. invited anyone who chose, to enter for a tlme or prayer or quiet contemplation. The inside of the church continues to be enhanced by a change of banners. often featurlng prayerful words and chosen for the time of year, selected from the 71 expertty-made 'llbrarf by the Banner Team over the years, lffting hearts wfth a message or a tlwht for the day. Offering the benefit of easler public access to records. two indexes have been added to the church website aivut the Garden of Remembrance Intemients. allowing slght by those searching for detalls about a person whose ashes are interred In plot. Also added has been a hkstory of the church to freely view and search. prayer held in the church hall on Sunday evenings In Adwtnt and before Easter, leaflets were delivered at 7.30 pm. to the dwellings on the Bluebell and Mlll estates to share a SI￿le messa8e of the moment plus tlmes In addltion, frlendly meetings in homes. also open and dates of the seryices to be held during those to new jolners called'Housegroup<. do that as ￿11 seasons of the spiritual year. as studying scrlpture and 5harin8 friendship. And on Ash Wedrlesday. 12 hours of contlnuous prayer For those wlth difficulties in getting to church on a were sustained by very many of the churth family Sunday, transport by car has been offered. provided taking a tum to undertake one of the ￿minUte and used and continues to be avallable to any who sessions encouraged by a ltst of prayer requests. would seek help in their diffKulty of attending serv0￿ in church. The Trustee5 belleve that tly meet the needs of One innovatlon in December the provision of a those wishing to live a life of prayer as evidenced Christmas L)ay lunch and fellowship for those who by 88 on the electoral roll of whom 14 live outside preferred not to be on their own that day. A dozen the parish. During 2023, the average number of were able to enjoy that unexpected tlme together. Page number- 3 Malntolnlnq the fvbrfc OA the St John's w o Presen￿ to the benefft to the Communlty. Prayer has been a comfort and has sustalned Trustees in carrying their responsibilit*s in maintainlnga church of 1873. exter￿ed in 1957. plus a churth hall built in 1975. By way ol example of the challenge of maintsining ageing buildlngs. in the six year5 of 2017 to 2022 inclusNe. £167.014 has been spent on maintslnlng the church and £69,861 on the church hall. An Imposslble tssk except for God's qronts tomhsknaryorgontsotkn gracious support and several generous legaw (yder the same period totalllng ￿arlY £172.1 The Trustees have ht5toricalfyBiven away some IO% of the The church vestry roof has been leaklng slnce 2022 chufth charitable income tar8etin8 in the main, mission- ary work. and and In 2023. Investt8atons r&*aled that at some date there has been added a 4 InclFdeep insulation Flrstly, supix)rt has been given to Chrls & Lotta Strajn held In place by 280 or 3(Kl concrete slabs. Various who work under the dlrection of Crosslinks in thelr home plans to return the roof to a ￿atherprO0f conditlon country of Sweden. They plant churches and train others have been drawn up and rnay cost In 2024 up to Wtth church leadership. Secondly. supported was Rlste £20,000. Thls and other necessary works works may and Tea Micev, also under Cr0551inks, who were be posslble thanks to the le8acy receNed In 2023 of them$efr￿ tralned by Chrls al￿ Lotta. tsklng over the £50,CiKI, a great 8eneroslty by the late Margaret StrnlDic< Work of mlnlstry In Serbia. tralning pastors In Maynard. Blbllcal preachln& publlshlng Chrlstlan books and planting churches. Thlrdly, supith has equalty been glven to Allce Cooper under tr* London Cfty Mlsslon In Tower Hamlets. By the end of 2023, the Trustees wlth the backln8 of the con8re8atk)n, were able to give each one £3,6C(J. condemned in 2023 and generous glfts of about £7,C wtll support the cost and installation of an elertric model (capable of catering to greater numbers than domestlcl with the 3-phase power suppfy to be arranged in 2024. The thurch hall kitthen need5 refurbishment. Early Sn the year, we pald some £2,1(K) to servlce the overhead projector. maintaln the church lighting and loop system. The fence on the l>oundary between the church and the 'old' vkarage. on S(xrth border had collapsed and was replaced Cost1￿ Jusl over £2,LIXI. A yew tree on the Northwest boundary whlch was Imperilllng pedestrlans was made safe at a cost of £580. A new &thotocopler for the vtstsy cost £2.640 in the Autumn The house let to tenants, 5 St John'5 Road. was badlv In need of the work carried out In the bathroom costlng some £4,2￿. Repolntlng work on the tenanted property costin8 £8.(Kl) 01 more Is Urgentlyd￿e in 2024. Tr church hall gas cooker was OtherdwrltoWe qfvlng tyStJohn $ Isee also the Finandal Report Note 4) The church famllv has supported other causes The vestry roof after partial removal of slabs and cladding, looking for water ingress. Page number- 4 therefore a t￿￿tee. re￿iVed £ 8.980 befo￿ tax for her duties during the year. The C￿an1ftg of the church and Financial Review for the whole Parish church hall. which was previously paid employment. of St John's and St Wllfrid's has been byally undertaken by volunteers In 2023. Work for which the Trustees are so grateful. St The total Parlsh receipts of Ge￿ra• UnrestrKted Wilfrid'5 DCC in 2023 employed 3 church cleaner. funds received were £246,6691£186.817 in 2022) Further detsits are provided in the notes to the and are detsiled in the Financial Report Ipage 12) accounts. Include legacies of £SO.5921£2.679 in 20221. Our total Parish voluntary income includinE tsx recovered {but excluding ￿acleS) was £174,356 {£161,224 in 20221. Both churches in the parlsh take advantage of the DSocesan system called the Parish Glvlng Scheme streamllnin8 money handling and tsx covery for the church. St John's was been gNen a contact-card reader as an addltlonal means for people to 6Ne to this church In place of cash. Tnotee paymeits und expens￿ St. John's PCC supported Its incumbent by paying the Vicarage water and envlronmental ¢h•rge5 plus Council Tax £2.807 plus other annuèl costs towards travel, hospitslity, telephone. postage and broadband amountin8 to £1.740. The repair costs of the Vicarage pald by the PCC We￿ £301. St Wilfrid's House costs, paid in support of tho Mlnlster, were Council Ta& Water rates and insurance Shorfnq the wholewrtsh Mlnlsty Costs rf the totsllin8 £3.940. TheTe were no costs for repalrs on St Dloeese of Chl¢hester Each Autumn. the Diocese House. a￿SseS the coming year for the parish costs of hou5in& stlpends and penslon costs of clergy. and St John's PCC members ITru5teesl were re-Imbur5ed wlth sums for expenditure on behalf of the church as standard sum for diocesan cential costs, dergy detailed In Note 5lbl In the Flnancial report. tTainin8 and a contr1b￿l0￿ to natlonal church funds. This annually Increased assessment 55 In 2023. payment of £2.088 was made to '8rlght & communlcated through the lotsl Deanery to each Beou¢¥ul Gordens., firm by Phil Kyte, church askin8 for thelr offer to meet these churchwarden & therefore one of the trustees, overheads. replaang the church boudary ftnce beslde the 'OId' V•carage. In the eleven years up to and Including 2021, the fum cost has been met even when expendtture was found to eX￿ed income. But the projection of Repolrs to thefvlxk oASt john￿ bulldlngs - see the budgets In the Wlnter of 2021 looked sufficlentty paragraph labove)-Malntaining the fabrid of St John5. threatening that for 2022 St John's offered and paid Rwlrs to the fvtrk oASt WIIArtd's Chur¢h bulldlnqs £55,176171.7%1 of the a55essment of £76.967: St Of a tolal of £8,224. some £2.912 were for fencing. Wilflrd's paid £38,4CKI towards £61.166 (62.8%). As figures were projected In the W5nter of 2022. St John's Ibefore any hint of the legacy 8ratefulty Why we hold Some money In reserve - St recelved from the estate of Margaret Maynard John's. £S0,OLKII, offered for 2023 £49.142184.3%1 towards the Deanery requested £58.3(W and the Diocese full See -Maintoining the fobrld paragraph on the calculatlon of the cost of £78.795. P￿VIouS page which describes the 2023 and 2024 Maintenance needs for St John'5 buildings, and, At the same tlme, for 2023 St Wllfrirfs were asked by ￿aUse of the 5iie and uncertainty of these costs, we the Deanery, and agreed to meet £41,CM14165.8%1 of ho￿ a slEnificant balance of the generous le8acy in the fvll assessed cost £52,367. anticipation of meeting these. Therefore, the largest actual 2023 expenditure for It remains the PCC policy to invest temporarily surplus the whole Parish was the sum of £90.1441£93.576 in general funds with the CBF Church of England deposit 20221, some 68% of the full cost of responsibility. fund. but the significantly low current interest rdtes. litt￿ can be earned by moving money about St•ff costs St John's PCC in 2023 employed Parish ClerK who is also a PCC member and Page number- 5 swiftly. Structure, governance and management of the charity during 2023 The Parochial Church Council IPCC) is registered with the Chartty Commlssion as required by the Charlties Act 2011. Its governing document is the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. Durlng the year the followln8 Se￿ed a5 members of the Parochlal Church Councll: Ex OffKio membe Incumbent: The Revd Chris Splnks Mr Alan Packard Mr Ben Pratt Mr Hush iowrfes Mr Bruce Alla￿rett Mr Phll Kyte Mr Robin Eldr Chairman Readers: Secretsry also Deanery Syntxl member a150 Vice Chalr also Deanery Synod member Deputy Churchwarden also Safyuardin8 Officer Wardens: Electedmembers.. Katrlna Burton Maureen Pemberton Mark Pybus Pam Sharpe Treasurer Deanery Synod member Thls Trustees, Annual Report was apwov•d by the Pccand sl8ned on thelr behalf by The Revd. Chrls Spinks, PCC Chairman Date......... St John's received a very kind gift from the family and in memory of the late Barbara May seen here in October just after treating it in the Remembrance Garden with preservative. II#IRSt.A Page number- 6 St Wilfrid's Church, Lower Willingdon Trustees Annual Report for 2023 Making digcwles ofJuxs Christ Our ainry aftdpurposes as a charity The DCC of St Wilfrid'4 LA)wcr willingd￿ Iw the reswbility of co-operating with the curate-ill-clwg4 th¢ Revd C J Stylffj in bis w￿k witbiD Convcntional District of St Wilfrid's. Part of their charge is to him ' . the sKon)otioD of the gosp¢l of our IA)rd Jesus accordtng to the doctrines and practices of the Refornled Church of Englarf" helping to promote in the parish the whole mission of Ibe churcb, p&%toraL social, evangelistic aD(L ecumenical: the fame and glory of Jesus Chri& the King of kings, and Lord of lords. practically supp)ty and L7zing for people in the parislL from the YoW￿eSt lo the eldesL irrespecknvc of levd of need or. ability to pay" Providing fi￿8￿181 SUFWt for those in ￿ esP￿￿llY their spiritual needs. and io other organi￿tiOnS with similar objectives. Whal weplanned to do ¢0 achieve our charilable objec¢iv When planning our activities for the year, Curatr-in-charge along with the DCC have discussed and p1am￿d the following objectives and adivities to fidfij our aims". Enablin8 as many PW)le &8 w>ssible to ￿￿[Ship 81 our chureh ID a safe environment in which the prcscnce of God is mth kno Teachi￿ baptising and nurturing new and existing believers. Pmvision of the building for users, gu￿ and the worshipping community. Considering knw and events can involve the many groups that live within Putting faith into tlrougb th¢ ￿ ofprnyer and scxiptur4 preaching, music and sacrament: I￿rning the will of ChrisL which is revealed in the Holy Bibl4 ID small group situatiOJL% and larger group4 with the objectives of kTh)wing GLMJ better and obeying his precious given as a wonderful gtft to Assisting Fwple from ail walks of life to dcveiop their kTh)wledge 0£ and trust in, Jesw, and to otry all things be h&$ LqugbL and through the prophets he inspired and through his apwfvinted vthich he seth to ￿ and had Written in the sacred scriptUTe4 enlTuth &) his Chur¢lL" Provision of ￿st0[al care for people living in the ￿[sh distrid: Providing assista￿¢ to the w and needy of the ￿Lsh districL' Re￿ill8 Out to th(ttwith no faith (r Stn￿lIng to Con￿ to tern￿ with faith in Christ. Challenging ourselve5 as we o)me together as the worshipping cA)nmiunty to love ea¢h othcr, and to aTh)tkntodo works vthich h(MKnrJ¢su5 and teveal hi5 light and auty hol Encourasing a cuhure that is &8haJned tot¢ll oth￿S whatJe5us has &)ne in OUT live& and that he can do thi4 and more IA their5 t￿. Maintaining the fabric of the chU￿b buildi￿ aThl the various Th)oms that make up the entire clllllch comple4 lo appeal to users and C￿ a safe which reflects community involvemenL Page number- 7 wh￿ we achieved and how we affeCledbenef￿jarIC5. Attendance a¢ worship The church family wela)mes visitors from within as well as outsAde the parish IK)undary. Visitors attend by personal choiL% it is our great pleaswe kn welcome anyo￿ and from all walks of life to take part in th¢ life of th¢ churdL We reco￿lse that this number i￿ludeS th(￿ vthom we CODsidtr'vulwable' aNI we acknowledge that their safety requires a righteous VI￿ on ourprL that same righteous conccrn ought to ¢mboldcn us to stand up to all bullie& We further conlend thal voluntary attend￿ to wotsbip the ￿rd Jesus Chris¢ is in itself a major demonstration of the public benefit of our activities. But its knock-on effects promote hope and exp)sc those who pretend freedom WI￿ rea]ly tlw wish to cnslave people with their false id¢ologi¢s and Antichrist systems. As Church is a tigbt to the world. And this is of incajculablc wortTrL Th¢ Church is not only ligbt it is 'salt a￿1 light, to this world. Ther¢ are 92 pfirishioncrs on the thurch cl¢ctmi rolL apwoxin*ly httlf of wbich do not residc WAthin the 'district' of 'the pwish,. About 40 pw)le ￿10￿8 to weekly hom¢-groups which are intended to ew)urnge growth in faith and kn encourage oWieDce to thc Lord. Jesus Cbri5L This obedience is part of what we call 'discipleship to Jesus Christ,. It is wh&t we utthrthd by our strap IiDe: Making disciples of Jesus Christ. Over this year. the minister b&8 ￿￿nallY eEwurage Prayer. pthich he sees ￿ vitsl if the Church is to Tegain its life aThl vigour and lo escape the cur￿￿ w)litically motivated woke culture that even many of our bisFK•ps have tK)w ado0￿. mo￿Ver. it is e55enlial if we are to actually be salt and light rnther than just say we art. The minister sees this gAloption of woke ideas as just one of many signs thai a declension in the spiriluality of the w)ple of G(Kl ￿ well as their leaders, has set ID. He feels thai the gre4*st defe￿e against IL and reversal of such a deadly trend, is to pray for God's bl¢ssin8. He believ¢s in the pery*kn￿ truth of what is Jaid out in the 2Th1 Book of Cbroni¢le4 the 7th chapter and the 14th verse, which says: -If my peopl4 Ire ¢alle41 by my name, wl]I humble tknelyes snd pray and seek wy hce ind from their wicked wayj. then I will hear froln heav￿ and I will forgive their lin wiu h￿1 tbetr land.- As with all sections of Church ofChris4 aDd Pthicuknriy the ADglican ¢onuDunity. the minister fin(Ls this encA>uragement to being a prnyerful mle an uphill struggk. But St Wilfrid'$ lJa5 two prayer meetings that are open to Cbristians in this locality. aDd not exclusively to the worshipping cominurrity of St Wilfrid's. One meets ¢￿h Friday, at 7.30pm; the other &wmbles at 6.15am of a Twday morniDg. of our community and nation and for th¢ outiK)uriDg of the Holy SpiTiL We prdy atnong other things, that God will raise up workers forhis harvrt wRJich definitely means the UK as well as foreign missions. And we are l(KJkit]g for a Iwvcst of Wome￿ boys. and girls re5pondinE to the go￿} ofJesus. We are looking too forthe existing Church of God to be inspired with a new confidence in the gospel, and in its ￿Wer lo save. Page number- 8 If the cbaritable status of this church wtte ba￿d on nothing less than the Prayers put up for this coininimity and nation. the ￿l¢C would be iyond value. But this is considered by many as a sheer wasfr of ttme. But the day will yet declare wjwt l*en a wastc of time and what been of incredibly gr¢* vdue. Teacknngj bapli%ing ond nurturing new and aistinz believers We bapiized only one person during 2023, and at this young man's request this was a public event which took place in the sea at EaStl￿￿. As for nurtiwiD& we presently Iwve a group dedi(*d to Durluting ladics who are near to the Kingdom OT who have recentty come into the eX￿rIenCe of ￿ life in C￿lSL The minister's wife leads this group, and is aided by other ladia in the church who ]mve been in the faith sotne time. Vhile bapti&ns have been low. and clinversions even lower, we have se¢n a number ofpeople over the p&8t couple of Yea￿ returning from a backs]iddeD slate, or a discouraged and low spititual level, into something of a renewol spirit￿] st*. This has been encouragtng to see and th¢ minister puts this down to the spirit of prayer tl&qt h&8 be£D manifest htht s1￿C 2020. But it is only the first drops of Tain on a dry ground. PrOV￿lon ofihe buildingfor guests émd the worshipping conmiunity l. Users ofihe buildintzenernl We contioue to hire out our hau for children's partie4 &KI there are also a number of groups who hire the buildiDg out regularly. These lattu i2)clude: a line dancing group, a I￿al cboir, and a keep.fit club. We also ac￿MmOdate a piano k4cher in the smaller. Iil>stsits hall wbo works closely with the school acr0&8 the ro&1 from u& For som¢ years we have rented an Wirs offi¢e. at a generous lowrfosl to a charity called 'SpiJmaker'. Spinnaker work in sclKM)Is and take asscmblies and various c]we& It is also one of the 4 Mission￿charAti¢S we sUp￿)rt financially. More recently educatt)rs have be￿ ￿￿king our various r(M)ms for their a￿1VitieS. These presently comprise Iwo groups: 'ClassiLxJ Conversation,, pknich is a wup seeking to network with home-schoolets and provide some of their tuition requirrnts. The other group, is a Dewjy fonned organisation called 'Christ the Rock.. This lattcr group is a solidly Christian network whicM like th¢ PTevious grou￿ meets ott day a week on our premises. Both of these groups we helped to get established by cutting our rentsl cl)arges (as we did for other groups such as Weight Watchers and the piano tutor referred to a￿ve). 'Christ the Rock, support by fixin8 their rental at half-ratc. Bul we don't only rent out room& We al￿ have the priv￿¢ of welrA)ming ¢bildren from the local primary sch(K)l into our church. We have until recently allowed them to use the church for carol SeTvices. And we wfflr putting on services for the secijtyjary school too. until CkdOw￿ We are always bawy to do this, though ¢UTreDtly the 0￿Y visits they seem to want are the yearly one from the prlw scbool. On these visits the miDis*r explains what we do bere 8nd why we do it. This is part of Il*ir cuttic￿urn for unde￿￿ the differe￿ institutions in the community. The hall also acts &s a voting station durll￿ local and regional election& Page number- 9 2 The worshlpping comnwnty's Ixtsnlion41 servltes. and 84£st' direcled4divilies This February we set up a 'wdrnl spa￿, event ainKd at those who were fearfvl of turning on their gas and el¢ctric appliances. Those using this space are n￿￿Y older people who gather to play board games, read paper4 and cbat over coffee. This is a weekly, seasonal activity io accommodate those wbo are cold or lonely. The worshipping CoMn￿ty h&8 ￿$0 develop￿1 a speclfic service for those in the community hav¢ Ixen lrnveUt 30 gathaing e8ch week What's More. we've been able to keep the chil(Iren in with us which rneaTL8 &lults don'i have to miss out. and il means that we ar¢ seeing our vision Tealised of having children growing up in an environment of prdi4 prayer, and the living word of God pr￿1￿ in the atsnosphere of God. Page number- 10 [lappreciffje ikn il ￿ outside ihe scope ofthis docum￿ io ialk abo￿ such ¢knngs. I want to go on record￿ saying th￿ the learnpresently helping io gei all the 4pm services runnin& are in the main [9￿%) iknse who have beenJpnryiFW With me sI￿e 2020. wish io leslify thai I think these venlrn have come ofproyer, iu has much ihat hog been good ai & Wilfrid's.] Spatial reordering of the ehurcb building and future projeets We added a smart screen to our main hall, last year. ￿lch we Emve alrealy dtwvered to be a great help in delivering activities words or visu81 (bsplays are required. Our new afternoon service (along with the al￿dY existing SuTrJay@4) take place in the ll￿1n hall. And our kitchen, which has hatches opening on the halL make this the best venue for a service delittrately looknng to develop a I￿$ fonnal culture. Lack of fiDanK h&8 prevented fiypm ImgiD8 in a numbu of Vtial chws. I would like to lurn one of our break-out r￿mS inlo all office for aD thinistrator (arf aCtu￿]Y have an administrator!). I would like to develop the staiThvay to the top r(￿rn$ so that it is DO longer o￿n lo the elements by sealing off the stsiTway with a finisl4' to develop the landing atml even i￿Sts11 a toilet (this would create a suite that could be ￿ed fLY firture yo￿Work and k rented )it would make an ideal suits source of income, but that Tequires a loyal teaD] of people with the know-how to get things done. and mon¢y. An4 frankly, my priority is to see souls saved, and for the peopje of God to grow in faith. Provlsion ofpaslornl careforpeople living iTn Iheprf￿￿sh We appointed a pastOr￿-¢(X)rdl￿aIOT in 2022 to WO￿ with m& So, provision for low-level needs are delegated tlrough organisatiODa] skills of this very Ca￿b]e worn￿ atml I am called in wben neede(L and also infornxd wlui a visit mighl k Ik1Pfi￿. Aside fivm the worshipping community. there is the provision of pasloral care of the bereaved, and the happiertask of helping th￿¢ wlK> seek to get married- thich forme also includes diTecting them to cheaper ways of doing this. tn facL I get more calls for tdp fr(th people who havc w c1ll￿Ch COm￿£tio￿8 and have no int¢ntion of getting Involv￿ than I do from in Ik churdL Provision oftsngible support lo Ihepoor and needy We continue to work with F(KxI Bank aTrl Fatnily Swx)rL A numbtt of p¢ople in the congregation now also W0￿]ng under the auspiees of 'HO￿ in Action, to wovide fuznikn aJ)d supw•rt for Hope's housing for the homeless proicct4 one of which is ILYaJ ￿ st Wilfrid, . Ow monthly 'Friendship GTOUP, has also Irought in a number of who fmd the atmosphere of this group a great help. This is Fwticuknrty g) for those a￿ oldez atyj lonety. The DCC also contribu*s from its incoll￿ to seve￿] clwiiie4 in¢lwling: Beachy Head Chaplaincy, which seeks to counsel those conteinplating 5UiCtd¢: Spinnaker, a clwity invojved in supporting local schools" and two charities with projects b&8ed overseas. li akn gives a percentsge of funds raised from its two fayres to I(￿1 Ch￿l*leS deemed worthy of be]p. Page number- 11 Other Loc41Jnvolvemenl At Easter, HarvesL and Christhw we've continued to see high attend￿ with p￿pIC cA)ming in from th¢ community. We also lake part in Ibe local cowKil's led Remembrance Day service in the Trlangle (Low¢r Willingdon). and take &wmblies in I￿al ￿h(m)]8. We also do services in care hom¢s. and we do a yearly service al the District General Hospital. for DGH Eastboume's hospital radio. One of our memlxrs volunteers for Hospital Radio: aDd individuals ar¢ involved in many other activitie& some of whi¢h are local. an after-school club in the secondary school acro&s the roa While therearplans to engage in strett evangelism ill the near fllts￿ direc¢ yet iL)w-key. evangelism outside our four wall4 is achieved largely througb our ecumenical c4)mie£tions with Churches Together. In particular, the book table in Polega*'s sho￿]ng centre is a roc￿. A number of us support this for an hour or more week, by slanding with thc people officlally on duty, and we speak with passers.by. I call this 'low-key' Ivause it is l¢ss thtitstion￿ than much of the evangelism that h&s been done over the years. However, I fecl we should not be asbamtsj to approxh people more dire¢tly as long as we are polite. Churches Together also run the singin8 in the square which Iwppens at Ekn and Christmas. and which I've been privileged to l¢ad the last couple of yeats. Slruclure. governance and Managen￿MI ofSI Wdfrid's Before we proceed, it is to be noted that the flexibility we enjoy at St Wtlfrid's is only possible beeause the ¢hurth membership sees that we ￿ a Conventional District only exist independently by the grace of the incumbent of the parish of St John's and its PCC. Th¢ District Church Council IDCQ. is not an official PCC (though we ref¢r Io OUTseJve infonnally as the PCC), but for purposes of rehrns and other legal ¢oLsiderntion4 such as this docuD]enL we refer to ourselves as t￿c under the PCC of the Parish of St John's Pol¢gate (of which our Distri¢t fiw only one part). This district is utth the supervision of the 'Curate-iTrCharg¢', Reverend (￿rIStopher James Styles. He is also Chair of the DCC. Membershtp of the DCC is determined under the Churcb Repre￿tion Rules (though see the measures we've adopted below. whi¢h were duly adopted by voting at the APCM) Consists of ¢ertain ex.offi¢io D￿mberS (the curntC-2n-¢knrge, and WaTdeDS), and elected members. At our APCM (AIKM. but we refer to it as the APCM) two years ago. and at pr¢vious APCM meetings, we voted to find ways of eventually: iA>w¢rlllR the number of pcc (DCC) memberg. At one time we 16 on PCC: 17 with th¢ se¢tctary. This number seemed bi& and we w¥Dted J smaller. morr friendly nuD)b¢r. Part of how we achieved thi5 was by voting not to allow the ex officio status olthe thre¢ Synod representatives we w¢re all(￿d. And it also WOTked by limitingtk atnount of wle vosed OD to PCC to just 2 peryear - both serving for just l ye4T. (This now means we hav¢ 10 M¢mi￿5 io aliend￿- I I including our secretary.) Page number- 12 Kttpthg peraolls wlth ¢ert*im key rok8 oMliDMIty om PCC. This is why we have a mysteTM)us 'virtyaJ a-officio. memb¢r5bip categ(¥y (s¢e bek)w). This measure is helpful because it mean4 for Inslat￿¢, ow Treasurer (by agreement) can Temain on PCC and not find himself voted off. We by vots that all 'Mwem¢nt Team. maniw could b¢ considerejj officio. We also ad4kd an 0OiTh) for the 5￿c8￿*rdlllg officer to attend if helshe Allowiag for ptopk have Do¢ oerved ou PCC fo ¥rve for a short terni. We voted to limit PCC meM1￿h[P by changing Me￿b￿shIp from a thre+year *nn of servic¢. to just one. A could onty remain on PCC if n01K￿ else wanted to ￿ryc. This ensures two 'fresh f￿, each yeu. and prevents from wing on PCC indef1nitety. However, this does not prevem us from c4H>Pting someone who wants to come on DCC and for whom w¢ feel it would benefit the ch During the year the following sezved &8 rnemi￿ of the District Church Council: Curate-in-¢har8¢: NSM (now PTO): Warden: Warden: The Revd C J Stylcs Chairnthn The R￿d Richard Hcrkes{& Mwement Team) Mr Chris M&8on (& Management Team) Mrs Sh¢ila Reeve (& Managemenl Team) P&8loral-CO4)rdinaknr Mrs Yvonne Pressdee (& Management Team) Mrs BaTbara Minall (& MaDa8ement Team) Mr Jolm Cheao Saf¢8uardin8 officer Mr Gary Smith (& Management Team) Elededmembers Ms Janc Hamper Secretary (p￿n-m¢mber).' kn3 Helen Roberts A note about the 'M2oagemeth Team,. This is lantaMO￿ to a Stsnding Commtttee. It forn]s the core of DCC, and it works well for us to SIn￿￿ things in this way. Although the minister tweaked this tean) over the years it h&8 mo￿.1¢$$ ID exist¢llce through mwh of the church's li8tory. The Revd. C J Styks DCC Cb*tr On beha]f of the DCC of St Wilfrid's iA)wer Willingdon Febnwy 24th 2024 Page number- 13