Annual Report for the year ending 31st December 2020
This has been an unusual year, dominated by the effects of the corona-virus pandemic and the national and international responses to it.
1[st] January - 23[rd] March. As of January 2020 we were still using the large hall as church and letting out the small halls, as the church floor was being replaced and other major works were being carried out under the direction of our architect Keith Loveless, with D & G Morgan as lead contractors, overseen on the PCC’s behalf by Gill and Mo. By February we were confident enough in our progress to provisionally book Bishop Karen for an opening weekend in May: this was not to be. Otherwise the year began fairly normally, with the marking of Epiphany and a special Christmas meal in the hall for Holiday Club families, hosted by Revs Lynn and Mo, welcoming and feeding 25 adults and 40 children. Community coffee mornings and monthly lunches continued through to mid-March. February half-term Holiday Club drew 19 adults and 20 children. Our January Healing service was held as normal. Women’s Fellowship, Mothers’ Union, Craft Group, Men’s Group, Worship Band, Choir and a range of external hirings ran as normal. 2 baptisms, 9 funerals and 5 burials of ashes (one of these not connected with any of the 9 funerals) were taken before lockdown. However, news of the pandemic began to filter through. Lynn and Jane were able to return safely from separate trips to the Canaries but then restrictions began to bite. No wine for communion. Hand washing. With talk of an approaching lockdown, we held our last community lunch on 15[th] March with gloved ‘waiter-service ‘ and no touching or sharing of any shared plates/cutlery etc. 22[nd] March was our last Sunday with the hall open, but simply for prayer from 10am12.30pm, with sanitising and social distancing in place; Graham’s sermon was given out and ten people attended.
Then nearly everything stopped: church services, hall bookings, midweek activities, all visiting. We kept the office open on weekday mornings however, to field enquiries, organise funerals and to run the Foodbank which became extra-busy. Office staff continued with their usual number of hours but distributed differently, trying to keep a maximum of only two staff in the office space at one time and therefore requiring some working from home. This enabled a number of long-term administrative tasks to be done and lots of phone calls to be made, and it also kept everyone safe.
– Pastoral contacts during the frst lockdown (23/3 30/6/20)
Phone contacts:
Everyone on the electoral roll was rung at least once by one of the clergy or by Gill or Jane . Each of the clergy were also given a different list of
some 15-25 parishioners for more regular contact. In addition, Jane and Barbara rang everyone on the women’s fellowship books most weeks.
Others contacted , who are not on the electoral roll.
(50 households, not including the electoral roll nor the groups mentioned below).
Plus: Wedding couples and Baptism families were contacted by the office and (for wedding couples) clergy. Some had to go through more than one postponement as the year unfolded.
Plus: Bereaved families were contacted/rung/visited ‘socially distanced’, by clergy and services were conducted as allowed, under restrictions. 6 funerals and 2 burials of ashes were conducted between 23/3 and 30/6. 12 more funerals and 6 more burials of ashes (including three not connected with the funerals listed) and 2 baptisms were conducted between 1[st] July and 31[st] December, all subject to covid restrictions.
Plus: Holiday Club families were rung and, in addition, received craft and food parcels and seasonal materials for their children and were also invited to collect surplus supplies of bread, vegetables, fruit etc when available.
Plus: electoral roll members received mailings for Easter (12/4); at the end of April/early May (with the May/June magazine) and for Ascension (21/5). Suitable seasonal materials were sent out through the rest of the year.
Plus: Magazine subscribers who are not on the electoral roll were sent a May/June magazine by post. This process was repeated with the July/August, September/October, November/December issues (and with the last Viewpoint in its present format in January/February 2021).
Plus: Weekly emails were sent to all those we could find email addresses for (initially 40 ish, growing to 60 + by June and 80+ by the end of the year.). At festivals we used the Royal Mail and personal (safe) delivery to cover any not on the internet.
Plus: Many Foodbank parcels were issued and a few delivered (safely) where essential.
Plus: Fare Share parcels (and parish magazines) were delivered in March -June to Manorside school, Livingstone Road schools (2, under one academy), Upton school; Aldbury House, Elizabeth House, Maidment Court, The Laurels, Hilsdon Nursing Home, The Links (Broadstone), Waypoints (Upton); Alderney Hospital; Rosemary Medical Centre; Bourne Steel, Halford’s, Chalwyn, Pipes, Hermes, and company with entrance by hall car park; the Lawns, Ives and Shand. Seaview Centre were offered but declined. (19 places, some 35 deliveries). Holiday Club families (see
above) and a number of other individuals and families also received deliveries. All deliveries were made mindful of ‘social distancing’ and hand hygiene. Fare Share items were also added to the many Foodbank parcels issued. Thank you to Tesco, Asda and especially to Rev Lynn for coordinating/leading on this and to all who helped.
(Additional places of delivery July- December) Regency Care; Ashley Court; The Oakdale; Lytchett Ward, Poole; Winchelsea School; St Edward’s School; Lloyd’s Pharmacy; Tappers (Harbour View).
Plus: Facebook (personal and church), What’s App (personal), the church website and YouTube were also used to keep people connected and to provide spiritual/devotional/ biblical/prayer resources, including a booklet of prayers especially for this time of pandemic, a printed order of Holy Communion and the Novena prayer booklet for ‘Thy Kingdom Come’(Ascension to Pentecost). Recorded services were provided for Sundays from 29[th] March onwards and also for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Dawn, Ascension Day, and a Healing Service on 25[th] May and another in the Autumn (see below also for the Autumn, Advent and Christmas services). Many thanks to all the preaching/leading team, all in the office, all who read and to Jeff Williams for the lovely music, pictures and postings on YouTube and to John Fisher and Jane for postings on (respectively) the church website and church Facebook page. From July John Fisher and Steve Whitbread kindly carried on the YouTube services on alternate weeks. Thanks too to Paul Wilkins for playing before and after services and during communion, once we were back in church.
Plus: Seasonal visual displays, including the large cross by the hall, and pictures in the hall windows were provided for those using or passing through the churchyard or coming to the hall office, and a number of pastoral conversations took place (socially distanced) in the churchyard. Moreover, the large cross was also a focus for remembrance, both for the 75[th] Anniversary of VE Day (8[th] May) and for those who had died during the pandemic. Later, for All Saints/ All Souls and Remembrance, Lynn installed another display, using a smaller cross, outside the East end of the church. A short ceremony was held there on Remembrance Sunday and another on Remembrance Day attended by clergy, church wardens and a handful of others. A number of people left poppies or other signs of remembrance. Thank you especially to Lynn for all this.
Plus: Many church members kept in touch with each other right through the pandemic.
Plus: Hospital chaplains were contacted to visit parishioners in Poole and Bournemouth hospitals when ‘outsiders ‘ were no longer allowed in. Some ‘last rites’ were carried out, mostly for people in nursing homes or hospitals: on the phone; in situ with appropriate precautions; or vicariously, through the hospital chaplains.
Plus: Contacts with the Diocese, Archdeaconry, and Area Deanery were maintained, along with links/cooperation with Churches Together in Poole, Faithworks and the Poole Foodbank. Emails, phone calls and Zoom meetings proliferated. The authorities were very helpful whenever we had queries and they kept us updated on the latest risks and regulations.
Finally, after so many complications and delays due to the Covid crisis, the works on the church were completed and we were able to move back.
Many, many thanks to EVERYONE involved in this great effort (see above, and below) at a very difficult time. Praise God!
On Sunday 6[th] September we held our first Sunday services back in the church: many thanks to Mo Willis and all who helped return so many items used in worship to the church, and to Colin Crabb, assisted by Peter Allen, who kindly reinstalled the Loop system and the complicated wiring for the many different electric appliances needed. Thank you too to Angela Fisher for restarting the beautiful flowers in church, Paul Wilkins for playing before and after our services and during communion and Colin Crabb and the Worship band for restarting their playing for 11.30am twice a month . On Tuesday 6[th] October we held our Annual General Meeting for 2020 in church (postponed from April by permission of the Diocese, due to Lockdown) and gave thanks for God’s generous provision through another year (2019).
From 5[th] November to early December we were under Lockdown again and only funerals and individual clergy prayers in church were permitted. Thank you to Rev Mo who took the major part of the rota for saying evening prayers in church every day.
In the meantime we had been able to hold a service of thankful remembrance at All Saints’ on 1[st] November, attended by a good number of people and also watched on YouTube and Facebook by many. Due to the November lockdown we held a short service outside at 11am on Remembrance Sunday and on Remembrance day itself (see also above); When Advent came and we were allowed to hold church services from Sunday 6[th] December, we tried to follow the key themes of peace, joy, love and hope at both 9.30am and 11.30am services and a manger was added to the display outside the East end. For Christmas we were able to pre-record much of the music and many of the readings, and personnel in the chancel were kept to a minimum to try and keep everything as people remembered, but also to keep everyone safe. The church was beautifully and safely decorated under the direction of Angela Fisher. The Nativity play (pre-recorded, socially distanced, by Mo and Ted, Lynn, Mike and Janet Plummer and Jonathan and Jane), was shown in church and on YouTube. The carol service was also pre-recorded and the choir also sang ‘live’ (socially distanced) on Saturday 19[th] and Sunday 20[th] and George
and Heather Raggett and members of the Significance signing choir and St Clement’s Signs in Worship group also put on a Carol service, in British Sign Language. The crib service, organised and led by Rev Mo, was wellattended, with each family sitting at a separate table, and ‘Midnight’ Communion was held at 6.30pm. For Christmas Day there was a ‘live’ service at 10.30am in addition to the YouTube Christmas Communion. We held also one service on 27[th] December, the first Sunday after Christmas. In all, the average attendance for all thirteen special Advent/Christmas services held in church was exactly thirty (our legal capacity was 40). Numbers watching on YouTube were twice to four times that, and even more people had a look on Facebook. Safety was also the reason why, after Christmas, we took the difficult decision not to re-open Sunday services in church. The infection rate was taking off, including, for the first time, seriously fast in our area and we were conscious that so many of our regular attenders are vulnerable in one way or another.
I would like to express my (and, no doubt the parish’s) sincere thanks to Lynn and Mo, John, Graham, Stephen Whitbread, Jeff Williams, Paul Wilkins and the choir, Colin Crabb and the worship band, George Raggett and the Signs in Worship group, Churchwardens Beverley and Peter and Deputy Steve Campbell-Cooke, Hon Treasurer Adeeta Knight, Hon Secretary Janet Plummer, Electoral Roll Officer Isobel Heaton, the members of the PCC, Colin as our Synod rep and Tec Administrator; Gill, and colleagues Jane Foster and Emma Vanderweele in the office; all those who have volunteered in the office and with the Fareshare and Foodbank projects, Steve Beare (cleaning the church and maintaining the churchyard) with voluntary support from Robin Sowter and Peter Allen before shielding struck. Michelle Pearce (cleaning the hall), Paul Lory, Graham Dicker and the Viewpoint team, including Richard and Sandra Ferns who retired from printing it after over 40 years (thank you so much), Angela Fisher and the flower arrangers, Karen and Isobel, Peter, Margaret, Dorothea, Richard, Sandra, Martyn and all who opened the hall and later the church (in the hall) at 11am for prayer on Tuesdays and Fridays from 23[rd] June to 31[st] July, on Fridays from 7th August to 30[th] October (with a switch to the church building after 6[th] September), and all those who have helped, prayed, worshipped, looked out for and after each other and given so generously in so many ways. Although much of our usual income was lost, God has continued to bless us through individuals’ faithful generosity (in money and ‘in kind’: so many donations to the food bank; so many jars of jam and beautiful cards made and sold for church funds), generous legacies and a very kind grant of £3,000 from the Talbot Village Trust (thanks to Martyn Underhill for bringing it to our attention and to Gill and Mo for doing the paperwork). With hard work from Adeeta, Emma, Chris and all the team, these strands of income (and our investments for the capital works) have helped us to persevere and complete the major
refurbishment of the church: many thanks and congratulations to all concerned (see above). We have had to go into uncharted territory and keep the balance between keeping everyone as safe as possible and continuing to be a functioning and outward-looking community of faith. Much patience, kindness, wisdom, courage and love have been shown. Thank you to everyone, and praise be to God for his provision and for all the signs of the fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in his people.
During the year we have had to say some sad goodbyes: Hazel Pickering, Betty Winch, Maureen Macey, Ruby Mabey, June Loveless, Audrey Ferns, Freda Lane, John Kilminster, Val Morgan, Richard Clanfield, Michael and Margaret Shurey, past and present church members, are among the many who have left us and whom we remember with love and thanks.
At the same time we have rejoiced with families who have welcomed new arrivals and the few (including Giles and Stacey Bowerman and Matthew and Naomi Crabb) who were able to celebrate weddings.
As this report is presented and approved, it is March 2021, the parish will be facing an interregnum from 1[st] July and we in the UK are on a pathway out of lockdown. The events of the past year however, and new reports of a ‘third wave’ of corona-virus in parts of Europe are a clear reminder that life is uncertain, we are not ‘masters of the universe’, we need to bow to the One who is, and continue to walk obediently, following him day by day, by faith and not by sight. Looking back, I am very grateful to God for having had the privilege of serving here and knowing you all. Thank you all so much for your Christian example and witness and for all your love, prayers, friendship and ‘fellowship in the Gospel’. As we look forward now, we do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future! Let us all hold tight to him! To God be the power, the majesty and the glory, now and forever.
Jonathan Foster, vicar, and chair of Trustees
March 2021
lement's Church ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended: 31 December 2020 Our mlsslons." to 8chleve Chu gmwth thmugh evangelism, to ¥Iad the Gospel and advanco Chnsfs lQngdom wthln the Parfsh, to 8UPPOrt existing members, to kx)k after the splhtU81 health of the parish in general, to continu8 our support for the wider chuth.
11
To1 From donors Othervoluntlry Incomt From opera11 actmtles Inve5tmert Inwme 64MI 2b 2c 122 23yI 27.199 39 29mS 27.199 Grnnts ActMtle5 dlrecty rel•Uryto the Trk01 the Chtsrch Church m•Mi•iient & •dmkthirJtbn 262 262 L885 3b 247,011 43m2 247mi 218275 39 17U17 117U171 GAIN {L05SI 011 INVE5fAIENr S817 17 NEf MOVEMEiif IN RXIDS 17U17 BALAIKE5 BIF I"WIUARY ALANCES cfft OECfM8ER
FIXED A55E15 Inveslments IEndwnefft4- St Barn•b¥ -HIN Debtors 23J67 IrJ).676 Cash at and In hnd Its1,674 145,929 222A76 Amounts fall1 wthin om yr 31
ClosinB MreSt fvndj 220J93 aoslnz rntrkted fvnds.endowrn¢rt Apprthtd ty the P•roraChTCh Covndl on •rnl I[d on Its behalf $18ned
- INCOMING RESOURCES Youth FwKIs TotslFurnts 2019 Yard i) lrtomèfrom do Pl•nd 8M Glft ald donatlons 25,on 270 25.827 29268 4941 lo14 Other 8lvln8 ColtectlDrs {op•n pknl 16 7.928 967 Lry•desif4ft dty/Gr•nt 16.YJJ 16J93 dorntbns 1750 2253 6&127 64.631 80863 b) Othervoluntsry IrKom• Fund rilsln8 & specknl appeJ15 e) Incom• from opernth8 •CtMths CINrth h•ll *ttlngs Mryazlne Fee5 fDrwethlry & fwwals 52 52 047
521 Rent of Fl•t 22337 39,010 dl Income from lrn*slJne 27.179 29m6
Total •) qrants. mlMIthMry& 1,795 Chrbl•n & other UKorynhatkms b) thurth Dloc•Mn p•rlsh sh•r• 71159 W•ddlry & funernl f•es 6A57 3,379 Churth: nmnlry expernes L526 852 Chwch.. routTne mtnce. & repafr 16h35 16A35 7.633 M•Jor bulldlry wors 13W 72J19 Books & blble rudtry note5 47 47 216 Magazlne (& Church hL#aryl Lll7 Lll7
H•lP. exp•n 6Y2 10517 Flatr runnln8 e¥pen 3,ni 32393 Holl: routlrn rntr & rnpalr L169 341 Upk••p of Churth Ser¥kes Chur¢h M1n•prnrt&fflI ChtM¢h m•nyTrent & •dmln. 43m2
Sal•rl4 feos & tIonal £37,ts3 £31,T14 •) TaryllA• fknl •tr There are no tsnglble •ts c•ottlised st P•rMbM Total 13,IIJ £ 83LS14 £ 844787 Market value l Janu•ry Net plnslf0j on an1 rffikwtjon 886347 £ 886 347 Proceedj from th•fes soll V•lu• at 3111 D•c•rnb•r Hgldlryj Jt 31Decemb•r - no. of sharns Market value persharp •t 31" Decmber(pl 4L325 20A5 &61% 26J6 3AXI% . 46342 £2&596 £ Divjdend ylold 6. AIIALYSIS OF NET ASWS BY FUAfl £ 24033 £ 24033 337% Fund Endowment fvnds Unrestrfcted fvnds Currentassets £ 886,347 £ 886.347 5.919 £ 5J29 222A77 £ £ 222A77
2DIg Fundj Fu Furn Rents Glft •kl reco¥wy Total D•btm aiEDITOR5 Dlcc•s•. wvddlnu5 & Independent examlner Owed to Swndry tharfties HMRC. tsK & n•tk)Ml Inxnn Reeeipts In •dv•nre Tatsl Cv•dltorn 1,663 £ 31 £ 31 95 £ 95 17 Pl•w HIN Klithen
lement's Church ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended: 31 December 2020 Our mlsslons." to 8chleve Chu gmwth thmugh evangelism, to ¥Iad the Gospel and advanco Chnsfs lQngdom wthln the Parfsh, to 8UPPOrt existing members, to kx)k after the splhtU81 health of the parish in general, to continu8 our support for the wider chuth.
11
To1 From donors Othervoluntlry Incomt From opera11 actmtles Inve5tmert Inwme 64MI 2b 2c 122 23yI 27.199 39 29mS 27.199 Grnnts ActMtle5 dlrecty rel•Uryto the Trk01 the Chtsrch Church m•Mi•iient & •dmkthirJtbn 262 262 L885 3b 247,011 43m2 247mi 218275 39 17U17 117U171 GAIN {L05SI 011 INVE5fAIENr S817 17 NEf MOVEMEiif IN RXIDS 17U17 BALAIKE5 BIF I"WIUARY ALANCES cfft OECfM8ER
FIXED A55E15 Inveslments IEndwnefft4- St Barn•b¥ -HIN Debtors 23J67 IrJ).676 Cash at and In hnd Its1,674 145,929 222A76 Amounts fall1 wthin om yr 31
ClosinB MreSt fvndj 220J93 aoslnz rntrkted fvnds.endowrn¢rt Apprthtd ty the P•roraChTCh Covndl on •rnl I[d on Its behalf $18ned
- INCOMING RESOURCES Youth FwKIs TotslFurnts 2019 Yard i) lrtomèfrom do Pl•nd 8M Glft ald donatlons 25,on 270 25.827 29268 4941 lo14 Other 8lvln8 ColtectlDrs {op•n pknl 16 7.928 967 Lry•desif4ft dty/Gr•nt 16.YJJ 16J93 dorntbns 1750 2253 6&127 64.631 80863 b) Othervoluntsry IrKom• Fund rilsln8 & specknl appeJ15 e) Incom• from opernth8 •CtMths CINrth h•ll *ttlngs Mryazlne Fee5 fDrwethlry & fwwals 52 52 047
521 Rent of Fl•t 22337 39,010 dl Income from lrn*slJne 27.179 29m6
Total •) qrants. mlMIthMry& 1,795 Chrbl•n & other UKorynhatkms b) thurth Dloc•Mn p•rlsh sh•r• 71159 W•ddlry & funernl f•es 6A57 3,379 Churth: nmnlry expernes L526 852 Chwch.. routTne mtnce. & repafr 16h35 16A35 7.633 M•Jor bulldlry wors 13W 72J19 Books & blble rudtry note5 47 47 216 Magazlne (& Church hL#aryl Lll7 Lll7
H•lP. exp•n 6Y2 10517 Flatr runnln8 e¥pen 3,ni 32393 Holl: routlrn rntr & rnpalr L169 341 Upk••p of Churth Ser¥kes Chur¢h M1n•prnrt&fflI ChtM¢h m•nyTrent & •dmln. 43m2
Sal•rl4 feos & tIonal £37,ts3 £31,T14 •) TaryllA• fknl •tr There are no tsnglble •ts c•ottlised st P•rMbM Total 13,IIJ £ 83LS14 £ 844787 Market value l Janu•ry Net plnslf0j on an1 rffikwtjon 886347 £ 886 347 Proceedj from th•fes soll V•lu• at 3111 D•c•rnb•r Hgldlryj Jt 31Decemb•r - no. of sharns Market value persharp •t 31" Decmber(pl 4L325 20A5 &61% 26J6 3AXI% . 46342 £2&596 £ Divjdend ylold 6. AIIALYSIS OF NET ASWS BY FUAfl £ 24033 £ 24033 337% Fund Endowment fvnds Unrestrfcted fvnds Currentassets £ 886,347 £ 886.347 5.919 £ 5J29 222A77 £ £ 222A77
2DIg Fundj Fu Furn Rents Glft •kl reco¥wy Total D•btm aiEDITOR5 Dlcc•s•. wvddlnu5 & Independent examlner Owed to Swndry tharfties HMRC. tsK & n•tk)Ml Inxnn Reeeipts In •dv•nre Tatsl Cv•dltorn 1,663 £ 31 £ 31 95 £ 95 17 Pl•w HIN Klithen