ALL SAINTS, CHURCH, BRENCHLEY ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL For the year ended 31 December 2023 Incumbent: The Revd Campbell Pagel The Vicarage 8 Broad Oak Brenchley Kent TN12 7NN Independent Examiner- Mrs Geraldine Hughes Diocese of Rochester St Nicholas Church Boley Hill Rochester Kent ME1 1SL ALL SAINTS. CHURCH, BRENCHLEY ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023 Administrative information I Saints, Church is situated in The High Street, Brenchley. It is part of the Paddock Wood area Deanery and the Diocese of Rochester, within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 8 Broad Oak. Brenchley, Kent TN12 7NN. The Parochial Church Council IPCCI of All Saints, is a charity registered with the Charity Commission (No.. 11309111. Structure. governance and management The function and purpose of the PCC is outlined in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2020. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and are then eligible lo sland for election lo the PCC. Objectives and Activities The PCC of All Saints, Brenchley has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Revd Richard Campbell Paget, to promote in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. 11 also has responsibilities for maintenance of the church building and churchyard. It is commilled to enabling as many people as possible, in all age groups, to worship at All Saints,. It maintains an overview of worship to ensure provision of a range of church services to suit different tastes of worship, wlh an overall aim lo adhere striolly lo the message of the Gospel. All members of the congregation are encouraged to play a part in serwces and there is a rota for bible readers and leaders of intercessions. The main activities of All Saints, PCC are the provision of church services, baptisms, weddings, funerals, yOLJth and children's work, and the teaching of adults by way of regular home groups throughout the year. A report on the various activities undertaken al All Saints, is attached, each group or committee dealing with specific aspects of parish life. AII PCC members are jointly responsible for deciding how their funds are lo be spent and are made aware of the liabilities involved in their role. They are required lo be DBS checked and to undertake regular Safeguarding training. PCC Membership Members of the PCC are either ex-officio. elected or co-opted by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting IAPCMI in accordance with the Church Representation Rules 2020. During the year, the following served as PCC members.. Incumbent.. The Revd Campbell Paget Mr Robin Brooks Mrs Moira Tunslall Chairman Wardens.. Representatives on the Deanery Synod.- Mr John Garthwaile Miss Cherie Sargent Elected members.. Mrs Penelope Lowe Mr Duncan Norman Mr Nicholas Woodcock Mr Stephen Edler Mrs Angela Boobbyer Mrs Diana Brooks Mrs Thelma Cunningham Mrs Sarah Thorpe Sir Robert Akenhead Miss Karen Maier Mr Samuel Smilhson Mr Peter Westley (elected 20221 (elected 20221 Ire-elecled 20221 (elected 20211 Ire-elecled 20231 Ire-elecled 20231 Ire-ele¢led 20231 Ire-elecled 20231 Ire*lecled 2023} Ireelecled 2023} Ireelecled 2023} (elected 20231 Secretary Vic& Chairman Mrs Julie Humphreys (co-opted 20231 Tre8surer PCC Committees The PCC operates as a body, meeting whenever considered necessary up to 10 times a year (usually excluding August and December) and through certain committees which may or may not co-opt members of the congregation and others lo fulfil their tasks. standing Committee.- This is the only committee required by law. It consists of the Incumbent, Churchwardens, Treasurer and Secretary. It has power lo transact the business of the PCC between ils meetings, subject lo any directions given by the Council. Churchyard Committee This attends to all mallers relating to the Maintenan￿ and preservation of the churchyard. other Commillees These attend to various other aspects of the life of the church on an ad hoc basis. A¢hievgmgnts and Pgrformancg Church attendance At 31st December 2023 there were 183 parishioners on the church electoral roll, 55 of whom were not resident wthin the parish. Since the 2023 APCM, 10 names were added and none removed. In terms of attendance, although modern social developments and Covid have had their effect on Sunday attendance, over 200 men, women and children attended our varied diet of services of worship al least once a month, of whom a significant number allend more often. Some 70 of these live within walking distance of the church and a further 30 also live in the parish. Throughout the first six months of 2023, services continued in their post-covid nom with Campbell. After the beginning of July services continued with the support of Andy Cameron and visiting ministers. Some serwces were lay lead. Streaming continues and streamed services are viewed by 8 wide range of people. The 'baby and toddler serwce, met throughout the year. The church building remained open and this together with the well-mainlained churchyard was greatly appreciated by many in the village. Review of the year In addition lo the short meeting to appoint officers following the APCM. the full PCC mel 9 limes during 2023, with an average level of attendance of 72 /0. We have increasingly relied on Teams to enable members who would otherwise have been absent lo attend. All PCC meetings were held inside the church. Where Commillees mel between meetings, minutes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where ne￿$Sary. Copies of the Minutes of each PCC meeting may be found in a folder on the Black Tomb by the North door. Members of the church family are warmly encouraged to keep abreast of these and to make their views known to either the Vicar or the Churchwardens. In his absence, through selection of ministers, Campbell ensured that the leaching of the Christian faith in ils biblically orthodox form with its insights and challenges to contemporary personal, moral, and social issues. continued to be central to the life of the church. The regular life of the church continued throughout 2023 with increasing levels of volunteers picking up the gaps left by Campbell's absence from July following major heart surgery. The church building has remained in a very good slate under the watchful eye of Peter Weslley. Aspects of the work identified in the last Quinquennial Inspection (which revealed that the church building is in a very good slate of repair for a building of its great age) were undertaken. Maintsining an old building requires continual vigilance and ongoing work. The churchyard continued to be well-kepl under the active supervision of Richard Beale who organised both contractors and volunteers to produce a very well-maintained churchyard. We held open-air services in July, August and September, Harvest Festival, on Remembrance Sunday, and at Christmas with a Chrislingle Service held on Christmas Eve. By the end of 2023, Ruth Parnell completed over 2 years here 88 our Youth-worker and Chaplain lo our church school. She has worked enthusiastically, tirelessly and successfully in her role and is well-established and widely respected. The Vicar, Churchwardens, and PCC have continued to explore a closer link wlh St. Luke, Malfield, bul the actual shape of this cannot yet be delemiined (See the Churchwarden's Reporti. We have continued to maintain our financial support for missionaries Father Kevin and Jen Cable Ifomer members of our congregalionl in Jaffa, Israel, from whom we receive regular updates. We donated half of the Christmas collection to Kevin and Jen's work generally and with refugees from the conflict in Gaza, and half locally lo 'Nourish' food bank. Many Church members continue lo parbcipate in exlra-church charitable activities and lake on different roles within the Church, which are too many lo mention individually, bul serve lo maintain a welcoming church family. The church website has recently been updated and we would encourage all to use it. Financial Review 2023 was a fairly difficult year financially for the PCC. Income has decreased while we continue to see expenditure increase. Income on the Ggnaral Unrestricted Fund was £111,165, against expenditure of £124,607. From the resulting net loss, the PCC then made decisions regarding the need to sel aside Designated Funds for various projects or purposes at the PCC'S discretion. Sel out below are the transfers lo these Designated Funds at the end of 2023, leamng overall a reduction of £11,314 on the General Fund. Closing balan￿.. £3,027. The Church Re air Fund - Here, we transfer £1,600 eath year to a saving plan with the Diocese, int8nd8d to help budget with repairs. Closing balance.. £3.999. The Vicara e Redecoration Fund - As it remains undear on the plan for the Vicarage, we have reducEd the Vicarage Repalr Fund Dy £3,QQQ. Closlng balance.. E7,000. Th8 Vveb bervices Fund - This was established In 2010 to fund the potential tuture costs ot Installing equipment lo broadcast services audio-visually from the church over the intemet. To dale, this has tsken place successfully without the need lor costly equipment. This Fund will be felained for now, however. Closing balance.. £4,000. Mission Partners Fund - £3,000 has been transfefred hele to give a closing ￿la11$￿ vf £3,¢XIO wliiLlI i¥ irilended lo be paid over the Course of 2024 in line with the PCC'S desire to support Reverend Kevin and Jennifer Cable in their call to rebuild and minister from the historic Sl Peter's Church in Jaffa, Israel. Youlhwork Fund - The Youth-worker POBltion is vital to the local and church community, to to proterj the employmcnt foi a Tneaningful lirne, we rnu51 keep a 5uffiGienl fund. We le￿Ived a sFnall donation of £350 towards Ihls Fund. Closing balance.. £21.050. Then there are then a number of Restricted Funds which. unlike the Design8t8d Funds, only be used according lo the wishes of those donating funds. Church ard Fund - Through a number of successful ftjnd-raising activities during the year, £3,941 was raised for this und, against expendilure ot £5,128. Llosing tyalance.. LYILI. Pnends Pund - I his relates specifically lo the maintenance ot ihe Church lor the benefit of the village and surrounding area as a whole. £2,275 was raised during the year, with expenditure of £5.197. Closing balance= £1.304. Mission Fund - P_3.403 was colleeted and intendÈd to pay out over the course of 2024 to valioug eharitable causes, iiiblutjii19 11i¥ PCC'¥ selebrted Cliiistsi)a¥4 Chai iti¥b, aiid tl)¥ Cl)ildivii'b kn'iely. Hardshi Fund - During 2023, £5,664 was donated towards those suffer(ng Ihrough hardshlp wllhin the wrnrnunity. Donations of £4,559 were received during the yeaT. Closing balance.. £0. In total, our charitable giving for 2023, including amounts given as local hardship payments, was £12,067. This represents 10% of our lolal unrestricted incorne. Finally. there are threè Endovmicnt Funds. Thè undedyin9 ¢aPltol inveatment Saw knveatrnenl gain of £6,302 duTing 2023. Closing balance.. £73,286. Looking ahead lo 2024. the PCC'S finances have the potential to become $lrained unless income can be increased or expenditure Can be reduc8d A notable proP￿tion of our income is still receiv&d from a relatively small and decreaging nurnber of generous benefactors. This cannot be relied upon indefinitely. During 2023, we saw a gain of £6,302 on the ndowmenl Funds i)ul this cannot be quaranteed In 2U24. We musl also factor in the increase in 8nergy costs and gèner21 inueagè9 in eo•tg 2eross 211 sèrvices. Gard•ning s•rvic¢s have also inere2géd lor 2024 to £5,500 por yoar and we must factor in the wst lo trim the Yew Trees of £4,500. On a more positive note, the recent informal buildings inspedion indical&d that the church is generally in 8 Satisfactory condib'on. We should still focus our efforts on increasing regular givinq donations wherever wssible. Reserves Policy It is the policy of the PCC to hold bètween two and six months. expenditure in frèe rosourcgs. It is estimated Ihat the Church's average general expenditure is in the region of £10,500 per month. The ¢UfTent level of free reserves {£41,682 at 31.12.231 represents four monihs of average expenditurè. Approved by the PCC on 15th April 2024 and signed on their behalf by the Churchwardens.. All Saints. Church Brenchley Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council Year Ended 31st December 2023 Accrual Accounts using SORP 2015 PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL S￿NTS, BRENCHLEY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 TOTAL FUNDS 2023 TOTAL FUNDS 2022 Unrestricted DesNJnated Rest￿cted EndowTnent Funds Funds Funds Funds Notes Income and endowmènts Voltsntary incorns Aclivities fvrgpnerating fund5 Invesfmenl income ChuKh &ctréiti&s 2a 107,910 350 14,628 122,B88 133,474 2b 636 2,618 492 1,128 2,618 696 5,519 2d oth6rincomlng tsÉ0u￿6s 2& 842 14.628 126,634 139.689 Expenditure ChuKh actrrfit￿S 123.952 655 4.390 19.392 147,732 655 137.516 95 R8i&ng fLJttds otherexpgndllts Total expendi￿re 3b 124.607 4.390 19.392 148,387 137.611 Net Incom8116xp8ndltur81 bafore Inve8trn8nt galn8 Net galn8 on Inv&slmnls 113,4421 13,5481 14,7641 121,7531 6,302 2,078 18,9371 6,302 Net in¢omellexpenditurel 113.4421 13.5481 14.7641 6.302 115,4511 16.8591 Tran8f&rs b&tween funds 3,120 16,2251 3,105 Net movement in frjnds 110.3221 19.7731 11.6591 6.302 115,4511 16.8591 Total funds brought fomard al 1 January 2023 13,349 48,822 3,932 66.984 133,088 139,948 Total fvnds carried fO￿ard at 31 Decombor 2023 3.027 39.049 2.273 73.286 117,635 133.088 Page21a PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL S￿NTS, BRENCHLEY PRIOR YEAR STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR COMPARATIVE PURPOSES TOTAL FUNDS 2022 Unrestricted DesvJnÈled Restricted Endowrnpnt Funds Funds Fund8 Funds Not88 Income and endowments Volunlary irtcom8 Ac1Ml￿ts forgen8rnfing funds Inv&slm8nt ￿¢0￿8 Chuth &ctME￿$ Olherinwmin9 resources 2a 118,235 15,240 133,474 2b 2c 633 63 696 2d 5,519 5,519 2e 124,387 63 15,240 139,689 Expendlture Church a(tr￿lES Raising ffunds Olherexpenditure Totrl expendihjre 108,319 95 10.474 18.723 137,516 95 3b 108,414 10.474 18,723 137,611 Net incgmellexpenditurel before inve$tment gain$ Net gains on investrtEnls 15,973 13,4841 2,078 IB,9371 18.9371 Net incomellexpenditurel 15,973 13,4841 18,9371 16,8591 Transfers b8lw6trn funds 117,6601 16.600 1,060 Net movement in funds 11,6881 6.189 12,4241 18,9371 16,8591 Total funds btDughl forwaTd at 1 January 2022 15,040 42,632 6,355 75,921 139,948 Totsl fvnds carried forward at 31 December 2022 13,352 48.821 3,932 66.984 133,088 Page1b PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL SAINTS, BRENCHLEY BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2023 Noies 2023 2022 Flxgd assgts Tangible r￿e￿ assets Investments 73,286 66.984 Total fixed assets 73,286 66,984 Slorjt - MprNJwi81 kprt)stonps Deblo Shnrt tftmi depnqits Cash at bank and in hand 2,045 1,500 12,132 1 184 8,020 10,208 52,532 70,614 LredrtO￿.. amoullts lalling due wrthin one year Net curront assets 44.349 66,104 Tt)tal assets lesa curren* li8biliti¢a 117.635 133,088 Creditors.. amounts falling due after one year NET ASSETS 117635 133,088 Funds Endowment funds 10 73.286 66,984 R¢¥trictsd funds 10 2,273 3,932 Deslgn8ted Funds 1Q 39,049 48,822 Unr¢strl¢tsd fund5 10 3.027 13,349 117 635 133,088 Approved by the Parochial Church Council on . and signed on its beha Chaimian T￿asure[ The accompanying notes fomi a part of these financial slalemenls. Page 2 PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL SAINTS, BRENCHLEY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 1. Accounting policies Basis of preparation The financial statements have been prepared in a￿ordanCe with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities SORP120151- The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, except for the valuation of investment assets which are shown al market value. The financial statements indude all Iransaclions, 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 which are infom)al gatherings of church members. b Funds Funds held by the PCC are.. Unrest17Cted funds - general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes Designated funds - monies sel aside by the PCC out of Un￿StriCted funds for specific fLItU￿ purposes or projects. Restricted funds - 81 income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest- bl 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 al the end of the year is canied fotward as a balan￿ on that fund. Endowment funds - funds the capital of which musl be maintained., onty income arising from the investment of the endowment may be used, either as restricted or unrestricted funds, depending on the purpose sel out in the lemis of the original endowment Incoming resour¢gS All incoming resources are accounted for gross. Voluntary income Collections are recognised when re￿ived. Planned giving receivable is recognised only when received. Incom8 tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is recognised. Grants and legaC￿S are recognised when receipt by the PCC is probable. Income from inveslments Dividends are accounted for when due and payable. Interest entitlements are accounted for as they accrue. All other income All other income is recognised when it is receivable. Gains and losses on investments Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold. Unrealised gains and losses are accounted for on revaluation on 31 December. Page 3 PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL SAINTS, BRENCHLEY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS {continuedl FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 d Expendilure and Liabilities ReSoUr￿S expended are accounted for on an accruals basis and are ac¢ounled for gross. Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal obligation and settlement is probable and qLJanlifiable. Grants Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over. or when awarded where the award creates a binding obligation on the PCC. Church Activities The diocesan parish offer is accounted for when paid. Any parish offer unpaid al 31 De￿rnber is provided for in these accounts as an operational {Ihough not a legall liability and is shown as a credi(or in the balance sheet. e Fixed Assets Tangible fixed assets Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s.10121 of the Charities Act2011. Movable church fumishing held by the Rector and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church's inventory which can be inspected. For inalienable property acquired prior lo 1 January 2006 there is insufficient cost informalK)n available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Individual items acqLJired since l January 2006 have been capitalised in the accounts and depreciated over their useful economic lrfe (see below). All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual items costing under £1000 are written off in the year they were incurred. Depreciation Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of tangible fixed assets, excluding freehold properties, over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are.. Fixtures and fittings Computerequipment 25Yo slraighl line 250/9 Strdighl line No depreciation is provided on freehold property as it is the PCC'S policy to maintain these assets in a continual slate of sound repair. The useful economic life of these assets is so long and residual values so high that any depreciation would not be material. These assets will be subject to annual impaim)enl reviews. Provision will be made rf there has been any permanent diminution in value. Investments Investments are staled at market value at the balance sheet dale. Current Assets Amounts owng lo the PCC al 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown a debtors less provision for arrx)unls that may prove uncollectible. Short-lemi deposits include cash held on deposit either wf(h the CBF Church of England Funds, or at the bank. Page 4 PAROCFIAL CHUR¢H COUNCIL OFALL SAJNTS. BRENCHLeY NOTES TO THE ANAIKIAL STATENENTS Icontinupdl FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 2 I￿0￿1? {ThU￿hYa￿ Reslncted Lknrestncted [*￿nated Restncted Mission Funds Funds Fund Fund Other TOTAL Churchyatd Re5tnrted Restncted FUND5 Unreskncted Designated Reslncted MisS￿n Funds 2023 Funds Funds Fulld Fund Other Restricted Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2022 GrfLAid Bank Gfft Aid Envèlopès Qiherplanned co1￿CtIDn Churth bomes Ofia￿ff gift gifts Donal￿n$ and app9a Sriiab￿ Giviny Colle¢￿n9 Gfft Aid-tax ￿C￿ve￿blE Grants Lggaci9$ 46.222 46,222 50.993 50.993 1.640 1,640 2.1B9 13.500 10.607 2,189 1,B82 28,500 6,372 28.500 21.337 350 3,941 3.403 7.284 25,585 5.482 2.483 7,000 21,752 275 15.392 10.500 12.000 350 7 284 122 888 b Actiwrf￿5 forgene￿I￿9 fund5 FUndraI￿ng-G￿n￿r￿l FundBl¥ng-Chur¢hprd EndowrnBnt Income Bank and SOCi8ty Int&r8St 636 636 492 33 633 63 696 492 492 63 63 636 833 d fjDm Chuffjh Actiwrt￿5 F@8S trom w8ddings. fun8rals8tc 2.618 5.519 Olherinconmg ￿50￿￿e5 Futhugh Grants Oth&rincoMing rasourc8$ Totsl inGornv 842 3,403 7.2B4 126,634 124,387 63 5,482 2.483 7,275 139.689 P&9è S PAROCTrIAL CHURCM COUNCIL OF ALL$￿NTS, BRENCHLEY NOTe$ TO THe FINANCIAL STATEMENTS l¢otsUnu*dl FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 3 ResourGES expended R&stncl&d R8slfflct8d UTrTe51riGted EÈ5igDeled chu￿hy8rd Funds Funds Fund oth&r TOTAL R8slnct8d R&stnctsd Re5tnrted FUNDS Unrestnrted Designated ChurGhY&￿ Funds 2023 Funds Funds Fund Oth8r Re5tmted Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2022 Fund Fund A¢iNh*s ISSiDnary and ch￿￿￿b￿ griing. Mlnlstry cosls.. Diocesan Offer Wort. the relatively modeqt income generated on these fund.% may be utili%ed by thL PCC, while the underlying eapilal Lannot be touched. Excluding th¢ Endowment Funds, owerall lunds are low¢r Ihan what w¢ had at the end of 2022. The Endowment fllnds, however, saw a gain of £6.J02 during 2023. It is the policy of the PCC to hold between two and six months expenditure in free resources. It is estimated that the Church's average general expenditure is in the region of £1 0,500 per month. The current level of free reserves (Unrestricted and Designated Funds totalling £42,076) represents 4 months of average expenditure. Looking ahead to 2024, the PCC'S finances have the potential to become even more strained unless income can be increased or expenditure reduced: preferably both. A noLqble portion of income is still received from a relatively small and decreasing number of generous benefactors. -l-his cannot be relied upon. We must also factor in potential church repair costs and general increases in all services. including services relating to the churchyard upkeep, including the yew tree pruning expenses. If anyone has any specific questions on the finances, please feel free to email me on.. hre s25 icloud.com Julie Humphreys Safeguarding Report I can confimi that during 2023 the PCC has complied with the duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops, Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidelines. During the past calendar year, I can report that we have had only one minor safeguarding incident. concerning the attendance, at church. of a wlnerable person. This was referred to the Diocesan Safeguarding Office and dealt with by them. The PCC members, Secretary and the helpers of LOGSIYouth GTOUP and Junior Church are all up to date with their relevant online Basic, Foundation and Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Trainings and Cl andlor renewals are in progress. The Church Wardens and Leaders of LOGS and Junior Church are also up to date with their Leadership training andlor it is bookedl in progress. It is important to note that these courses should not just be seen as a box ticking exercise, but they are to remind us all of the issues concerning the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults as well as the proceduresl processes to follow should we haNe any concerns about the safety of a child or adult in the church community or beyond. Thank you all with your help in Spreading awareness as well as keeping the church compliant. Risk Assessinents have been conducfrd bj LOGS/ Youth Group and Junior Church and this is regularly monitored in particular with regards to LOGSI Youth Group to ensure it is taking account of the risks associated with young peoplelteenagers in today. s world. The Leaders are particularly mindful of the appropriate use of e-communications which are every increasingly used post Covid. Scrllplllous attention is paid to the recruitment of our employees and volunteers, including seeking references. issuing role descriptions, checking the understanding of Risk Assessment and the complelion ot"DBS clearance. All stalT and volunteers are up to date with their DBS checks. The relatI￿elY new rules requiring that DBS checks are now completed every 3 years (rather than every 5) is now in force for all those eligible for DBS checks and as such we now have everyone on a rolling 3 }'ear renewal plan. Getting everyone up to date rneant that there were 15 or so DBS checks to be undertaken in December last year so thank you to everyone for their assistance with this as it made the process much easier. The auditing of safeguarding procedures is now by iva}, of self-assessment through the new Safeguarding Dashboard. This provides a fairly simple way of checking that sateguarding requirements are being met and is maintained by the relevant Safeguarding Officer. Following recent training course, I am revieiving our various policies with the Diocese and will provide copies to be ratified by the PCC in due course. The arrangements made by the PCC for streaming of services during the Covid restrictions are still in place and available tor those unable to atfrnd Church to stream s¢rvices most Sundays. Despite th¢ lifting of all social distancing rules concerning the spread of Covid, the Church has eontinlled to maintain some ot the Ineasllres il had in place during the pandemie such as reserving the North aisle for those wishing to wear Inasks and d]e distribution ot elements al Eloly Cominunion. We hope that these steps have enabled all members of the congregation to continue to participate in worship in a way in which they feel safe. Alexandra Mccaskill, Parish Safeguarding Officer Building Report There have been no significant problems with the church building during the last year. John Day has continued to work on the poinls Inenlioned in the last Quinquennial Report and in addition has made several attcmpts to solv¢ IhL probl¢m of water penctration above ihe black lomb by the int¢mal north door whieh also rcsults in unqightly streak.% do￿￿ the wall ( which h¢ had to repaint about thr¢c time% laqt )'¢ar with mandatory very expensive paint). It se¢ms h¢ has now found th¢ ¢aus¢ of the problem and has carried out a siinilar repair to the norrh aisle roof where it adjoins the north transept. Unfortunaielj. we had a large fall of plaster from the vestr>' root (which landed about a toot away froin me) but he has now re-plascered this and painted d]e west wall of the vestry as well as parts of the north aisle ceiling. We are extremely fortunate to have his expertise to call on. The only other work carried out was the replacement of the internal boiler flue ,which goes from the boiler in the kitchen througTh the LJround floor of the tower and through the exlemal wall by the west door. This should cure the smell of- tumes which sometimes made workingF in the kitchen Unplea￿nt and it seems to be successful. You will be aware of the plans to glass in the north porch and the south transept to provide somewhere protected for the Junior Church. Unfortunately progress on this has been unhappily slow during the past year although there was a useful meeting with the architects and the donors (who are paying for the work) to try to finalise the plans. The only outstanding point before the architects can submit their final drawings to us for approval is the design of some lettering and other small fittings and we are pressing for this to be agreed by the donors. In the ineantime, we are tr)'ing to set up a site meeting with the diocese and all the various heritage bodies that have to be consulted so that this does not delay the approval by the diocese of the final drawings and the issue of a Faculty authorising us to carry out the alterations. We do not usually mention the Vicarage in this Report as structural repair is the responsibility of the diocese, but now that the vicarage is empty, we are keeping a check on it to alert the diocese to any problems. In the autumn it became apparent that the "sag" in the roof tiles between the two dorn]er windows on the front elevation had got noticeably worse and at our request the diocese replaced the battens supporting the tiles. No ingress of water was apparent but we will keep an eje on this. Richard Beale has also arranged with the company which mows the churchyard that they will mow the ￿lcarage garden to keep this looking reasonably orderly. If anyone notices any problem or poiential problem with the Vicarage, would they please notify the churchwardens or me so that we can investigate. All the services have been disconnected and we are no longer paying any Council Tax. Peter Westley Paddock Wood Deanery Synod Report The Deanery is made up of the following churches/parishes- Brenchley, Capel, Collier Street, East Peckham, Five Oak Green. Hadlow, Horsmonden, Laddingford. Lamberhurst, Mattield: Neltlest¢ad, P¢mbur)', Tudeley and Yalding. In 2022, Brenchl¢y had two D¢anery Synod Reps: Ch¢ri¢ Sargent and John Garthwaite. There were no formal meetings of the Deanery Synod during 2022. The two meetings that I have attended have been Open Presentations. The f￿st was a discussion regarding the Church of England's 'Living in Love and Faith, process. In November, Paddock Wood D¢ancry met at Pcmbury Church with thc D¢ancrics of Mallin&J and Tunbridge Wclls. It wa% an opportunity to h¢ar about ea¢h othcr's locations, su¢c¢ss¢s, and ¢hall¢nges. We met th¢ Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs. recently appointed Bishop ot Rochester: who provided a vision of his lutur¢ role in the Diocese. He stated his intention to concentrate on three vital tactors.. ( l) change (2) setTr'iee and {3} growth. I le added that there is now an increasing 'hole" in the age profile ivithin most of our congregacions and we Inust be prepared to tace up to Change. This change may involi'e taking the 'chllrch' outside the building to connect with and serve others in the community. The mosi vital requirement is that everyone must have a heart to serve the Lord. He also stressed the importance of connecting with local schools (which we already do}. He emphasized that the church cannot afford to stand still, or it will not grow. Bishop Jonathan concluded with a quote froni the words of Jesus- John 10 N. I O "I have come that you may have life in all its t"ullness" Cherie Sargent Diocesan Synod Report Inthe ear 2023 there were 3 Diocesan S nods: on I I, March, 24 June and 15, November. I can (if anvone would like} provide further details, referring to the full Minutes of all the Synods. but for the purposes of this report I wish to highlight below the key topics and conclusions. As you will also note I have expanded briefly on some elements, which I believe are worthy of further comment. I I, March 2023 S nod.. l. Presidential Address by Bishop Jonathan emphasised the importance on the doctrine of rnarriagye and the inevitable conflict with ihe LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Tran5g7ender. Que5tioning7 and Jntersex, and asexual) community. The Bishop emphasised his role to uphold the historic teachingy ot'the Church and the difficulties this create%, e8pe¢ially when other Biqhop% and the House of Laity in General Synod believe the Church"s traditional thinking needs modifvinbJ lo include the alternative LGBTQI+ views. 2. General Synod Report.. The breadih and depth of disagreement on the issues higJhlighted in the Bishop's Address meant that common ground would almost certainly be impossible. 3. The opportunity for questions raised in l and 2 above illustrated that there was a Nery diverse view amongst clergy in the Diocese of Rochester and that the Bishop would have a difficult task uniting his own Diocese. 4. Children and young people. s work: There is a Te-examination of how children and young people's work is approached with a new funding model and approaches that are more community that church building focused. 5. The Parish Giving Scheme, which enables churches to take advantage of a central diocesan funded resource (nationally available as a C of E initiatil'e) for gift aid recovery and accounting, continues to expand and has been very well received, reducing the administrative burden that would normally fall on a church treasurer. 24th June 202J S od.. l.Presidential address by Bishop Jonathan reviewed his past 12 months as Bishop. He wished to note.. His homage on the day of his appointment to her late majesty The dedication of the clergy he had observed in the face of a cost of living and church attendance crisis The diocese has a commitment to maintaining standards and safeguardinThe issues faced by diocese require tough decisions to be made 2.Presentation on young people and their calling: Focus on need to grow and become more diverse, particularly the need to attach more young people to our churches The ¢hallengc majority of lav clergy and Dthcr key church leaders being ol'cr 60 Icading youth work How we need to accommodate young people wishing to serve by giving them opportunities create roles and become leaders How does your church listen to the vocational calling of 18-25 year olds. From the floor there was a clear focus on the importance of school chaplains planting the seeds in our church schools. 3. Annual Report and accounts Review for 2022.. Some of the highlighted items included that Parish offers totalled £9.25m in 2018 In 2022 the figure reduced to £7.7m when adjusted for inflation. The reduction in income created huge challenges. 2023 looked similar. The diocesan deficit is £4.6m, which was partly attributable to property value reductions (£2.8m). The pure deficit is £1.4m. Income £9.9m against costs £11.3m. 15 November 2023 S 'nod.. l.Bishop Jonathon in his presidential address gave a Trery full account of the Doctrine of Christian Marriage and his iiery strong orthodox view of this core teaching, how the attempts by the C of E over many years to find a way forward to include all aspects of the LBGTQ+ community were unfruitful and the fact that the Orthodox ￿leW he holds is irreconcilable with the alternative undersLqnding of same sex relationships promoted by the LBGTQ+ section of the church and those campaigning for the changes they request. The two sides of the argument cannot be resolved by discussion or compromise. IThe full text of Bishop Jonathan's address is an important docuinent. so please feel free to ask me to send N'ou a copN']. In the diocese the bishop would create separate oversight for the Liberal Churches which adopted the LBGTQ+ arguments. He is in the early stages of creating a new structure to allow such churches to stay within the diocese. He will continue as bishop to promote and support the orthodox view of Christian marriage and the teaching on sexuality which arises from it. 2. Approval of the Diocesan Budget for 2024: Operating deficit of £1.4in forecast and would be difficult to reduce. The requirement for each Parish was to recognise the cost of a full-time vicar being £74k. this being rnade up of.. £47k employment and pension costs, £1 I k Diocese costs, request for Diocesan mission contribution £16k, allowing the diocese to support struggling churches. The total number of full-time clergy in the diocese is increasing marginally trom 162.6 full time equivalents in 2022 to 164 budgeted for in 2024.The maximum total expenditure. requested b), wa>. of a vote. was a surn not to exceed £14m for the 2024 year. The Parish ofTers will need to rise by 50/0 to achieve the budgJet. [1 spoke to Nigel Pope. chair of the finance team: making the point that the Bishop is not pern]itting us to have a full time priest. How could Brenchley giTr'e a parish offer of the magnitude requested (by irnplication a 50/0 increase to reach a figure of £74k?). Since I received no adequate explanation, I felt I could not vote to approve the Budget and I was one of only 3 Abstentions. The Budget was approved by a large majority in the synod.] John Garthwaite Brenchley Ready Call This ye(ir we have continued to arranLJe lifts to doctors. dentists and Tunbridge Wells Hospital ai Pembury. We continue with our monthl), lunihLs at Grajs and this ycar invited som¢ of our volunt¢cr drii'ers to_join us for our Chriqtmas meal. We also had an outingJ with a ¢ream tea to a large garden centre on the outskirts ot Tunbridgye Wells with a stunning supply not only ot plants and a¢¢essories, but also Christmas ifrms and cloihing. We subsidise the meals and outing with your kind contributions for the Church Family Christmas Card so our heartfelt thanks as without these, we would not be able to continue with Our Care in the Community. Thank you. Helen Brown , Jill Sturgeon Lewis, Natalie Ha)ryvard (transport coordinator and contact) The Children's Society A year passes very quickly and it was October again, the time for me to empty and count the mone}, from boxes held by members of the congregTation who support the Society. The total for 202i from the boxes including donations at Church coffee was £535. Thank you to all those who continue to give to this worthy cause supporting runaway children on the streets, children Nvho are carers: holidays for children in poor circumstances and generally supporting children in need while they are growing up. If you have a cup of coffee after church, may I encourage you to add a few coins to the box which is on the table or if you feel inclined, do ask me for a collecting box. ETrer)' little helps. Margaret Maw Churchyard Report First and foremost, I should like to thank John Sales and our volunteers NigFel and Brenda Cullis who have over the year continued to keep improving the gJeneral health and wellbeing of OUT churchyard. The team have planted more bulbs in the conservation area and one will see the daffodils, donated by Mrs plumber, planted beside the hedges. The privet hedge on the south boundary has been reduced in height and width such that now there is an attractive walkway beside this hedge. We are grateful to Mrs Coleman, who provided Colin Langridge with his tractor powered hedge cutter to give an excellent finish to the hedges that border the churchyard. There is the continued use of Capel Groundcare to mow the churchyard through the season. They provide a very good service at a vers, fair rate and have been retained for the 2024 season. We held a v¢ry successful Christmas WT¢ath sale, alb¢it in v¢ry in¢l¢ment weath¢r, such that w¢ had to r¢treat into the Church. Our thankg to all who assisted and all who produced the wreaths. It is planned to revive the Friends of Brenchley Churchyard this spring, so please if you are able do join the Friends. Richard Beale Flower Committee This year we have arranged flowers for (he usual 4 pedesials for our Sunday services, the Church festivals and King Charles I I I Coronation. otten utilising our beauliful artiticial tloivers in these days of tlllcluating teinperatures and the price rises tor fresh blooms due to produecion and transportation costs. We have also atTanged for weddings and funeral and memorial services. We must again mention that the list of our arrangers is dwindling, please consider having a go, no experience is required. the majority of us have never had a lesson. Please talk to anyone on the cominittee or giTre Helen a call for a chat. Thank you. Helen Brown {722885), Jill Sturgeon L¢wis, P#m Playfoot, and Lynda Harvey The Ladies, Study Group The Ladies, Group, organised by Henrietta, met intern]ittently at the Vicarage during the first few months of 2023, sometimes including a delicious lunch. Following inforn]al and light-hearted chat. we looked at chosen passages (read aloud from our various different versions of the Bible) and t"ollowed this up with a frank and meaningful discussion. This often involved relating to our individual personal experiences and interpretations, thus proiiiding N'arying perspectives. This served to broaden our general outlook. The sessions always helped to aid our appreciation of God's word. Each meeting always included prayers for inembers of our community we were aware of who were especially in need of God's help and support at that time. From July onwards, Henrietta's care lor Campbell following) his major surgery, meant our meetinbJs eventually dwindled. It would be great if someone was prepared to take over the running of this group, so please let me know if this migh( be a possibility. I cerlAinly feel ihai I have benefilled greatly from attending; it increased my knowledge and Understanding of the Bible as well as strengthening iny Christian taith. and this experience was enhanced by the group rapport. offering mutual love and support to all members. Sarah Thorpe Junior Church The first few months of the year were led by Henrietts] Paget and the leaders met to support each other and discuss the way forward, our resources and any specific needs. Due to the health needs of her husband, Henrietta was unable to supervise the team for the rest of the summer/ early autumn but we appreciated her prayers and support. In the Autumn at their farewell service. we wished ReTr' Campbell Paget and Henrietta a happy and well-earned retirernent. The children sang a 'Thank You. song to thern and presented Henrietta with a Camelia and some srnall plants for her new garden. The numbers attending Junior Church vary from week to week. We continue to meet in the small chapel at the south end of the church. Our prograiwne is based on a published series called "Roots" This encourages child participation so that they can grow spiritually in knowledge and Understanding of the Love of God. The children are very enthusiastic about showing the congregTation what they have learnt and or rnade during each session. Recently the children have taken responsibility for the intercessions on the third Sunday of each month. The appreciation from the congregation of the increased amount of child participation in the service is a great encouragement to the children and the leaders. Our leadership team has rnet twice on Zoom to develop the rotas for each term and share comments. All team members are very supportive of the children's spiritual development through fun activities and biblical lessons. All are up to date with DBS and training. one holding the required level 3 leadership training. Cherie Sargent #nd Karen Maier Youth Worker's Report This year has been a great second year to build on experience and ideas from the first year in role. In April 2023, 1 introduced a new Teacher Appreeiacion week for all tamilies to contribute iowards thanking our school stall for all their hard work. Most were ascounded b! the efforts made and some cominents included teaching statT with over 30 years of experience and never having been thanked in that way before. In May 2023. two senior leaders from the Canterbury Diocese education department came to experience primary school chaplaincy. They observed collective workshop and interviewed the children. The feedback given was that children are showing a deeper understanding of Christianity and applying this to how they relate to their peers within and outside their school community. Later that month we had our second May Camp where some youth from All Saints attended the teenage Bible weekend at Plumpton Racecourse. We all came back exhausted by with many memories of the fun we had. More are keen to attend next year. In June 2023 Tunbridge Wells Youth for Christ launched "Unite"'_ a monthly youth service of which we attended a few. At one session two of our }'outh decided to give their lives to Christ. A highlight! This Summer Tern] we organised an after-school club for Year 6 children to have a tasier of youth at All Saints. IP"e gained 5 children who now regularly attend our atter-school "toast and chat" In the autumn, along with developing the website, l organised a bam dance with the aim to bring families of all ages together with (and around) All Saints. We also split the youth into YoungTer Youth {!ears 7-8) and Older Youth (years 9+) due to our increase of numbers. Monthly Cafe Church services with Matfield continued with me leading in November 2023. We are really keen to find ways to encourage farnilies to gather together. 2023 ended with me leading the Christingle service on Christmas Ei'e. The youth read the Christrnas story while Junior Church took part. A great opportllnit), to preach the gospel to all ages and visitors! As we progress onwards. we are aiming 10 increase our youth to over 20 young people and therefore seek a team of support for both May Camp and socials. Ruth Parnell