THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF STANFORD IN THE VALE WITH GOOSEY AND HATFORD Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2023 Stewardship Active generosity 1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB WWW.51ewardship.org.uk ## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF STANFORD IN THE VALE WITH GOOSEY AND HATFORD** ## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Stanford Mill Farringdon Road Stanford in the Vale Oxfordshire SN78NP GOVERNING DOCUMENTS PCC Powers Measure 1956 and the Church Representation Rules 2022 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1132033 MEMBERS OF THE PCC Rev Paul Eddy (incumbent) Marion Galley (church warden) Nigel Archer (resigned May 2023) (church warden) Michelle Sinclair (appointed May 2023) (church warden) Helen Dick (resigned May 2023) Peter Gill Tina Hardman Jenny Howard-Jones Jane Lintern (resigned May 2023) Suzanne Penman Yvette Upton Janet Warren Margaret Williams Jeanette Gill Judy Shippobothan (appointed May 2023) INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y BAB ## **INDEX** Page 1 Pages 2-6 Page 7 Page a Page 9 Pages 10-11 Legal & Administrative Details Trustees' Report Independent Examiner's Report Receipts and Payments Account Statement of Assets & Liabilities Notes to the Accounts Page 1 THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF STANFORD IN THE VALE WITH GOOSEY AND HATFORD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The PCC has pleasure in 5ubmi(ting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims. The objKtives of the PCC are defined by the Parochial Church Council IPowersl Measure 1956 as 'to ¢werat• with the ministér in Promotinz in th* porrsh th• whol• mission of th• Chur¢h. portorol, evangelisti4 sociol and ecumenicol,. Maln actlvltles and achlevements- Vic*s Report The parish seeks. prayerfulty. to build our church community on the person, teaching and work of jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. The PCC and congreption ha5 agreed four Values which urKlerpin all we do a5 a church..- Deeper Into God ￿OrShiP & Prayer) Deeper into Fellowship (developing aNI modelling Christian ¢ommurbiryl Deeper Into our Villages (service & eydngelism) Deeper Into God'5 Crearion lthrough responsible wwronfflental stewardship and practice) In addition, we have five Mission Action Plan goals which we are w￿rkIng towards (2022-271. These arÈ'.- Our 5 MAP Goals- 2022-27 • To launch, resource and develop Denys@4. focussaj on establishing a new Congregation amongst young familie5 To develop worship patterns. discipleship resource5 and pastoral supporr for older members of our church family To execute Phase One of the Reordering of St Denys Church To develop our Communications. arKf establish a Di￿tal {intemetlfybrid thurch) presence to ensure our worship. and resources, are ardilable to the housebound, and the 5piritualty searching Page 2 **• To explore viable options to ensure our two Chapels of Ease can be iermanent resources for the residents of Goosey & Hatford for todays, and future generations** **At the 2022 APCM, I also said that:** _"I am increasingly convinced that as a church family,_ **to** _gather_ **-** _together in deeper Fellowship, our various congregations and ages, we should explore:_ - _a Communal Way (Aka Rule)_ **of** _Life_ - _a Communal Pattern_ **of** _Prayer, and for each member who wants_ **one,** **•** _a Soul Mentor (someone in the church who you_ **meet** _with_ **2/3** _times a year_ **to** _explore how they are doing developing their faith and prayer life."_ **These latter explorations will be looked at in depth in 2024, where the church's annual focus shall be on the 'Ancient Christian Disciplines', using** _Practising The Way,_ **by John Mark Comer and other resources.** **Throughout 2023, we have rejoiced at the steady numbers of worshippers at both Chapels of Ease. At All Saints Church, Goosey, a dedicated and welcoming team provide light refreshments from 5, I 5pm, ahead of the monthly 6pm Evening Service, led by Licensed Lay Minister, Veronica Buxton. The Christian hospitality and developing community is evident, and there is now a strong core group of villagers who attend regularly, as well as some from Stanford and other churches in the deanery, who are welcome. Goosey Chapel has significant building works needed to be done due to the structural movements caused by the clay soil on which it is built. During 2023, the PCC's Surveyor and Structural Engineer visited the chapel and wrote a report with recommendations for action. A small team, led by recently elected church warden, Michelle Sinclair, has worked hard to liaise with the Oxford Diocese, Diocesan Advisory Committee with a view to works bring carried out in 2024, after fundraising.** **At St George, Hatford, the village and church community were saddened by the death of church stalwart, Mrs Pam Speed, who has been at the heart of village and church life for decades. However, thanks to the dedication and practical help of Mrs Alison Pierazzini, and John and Anne Baylis, Hatford's monthly 6pm Book of Common Prayer Evensong continues to be well attended. Thanks to an annual grant from the HatfordVillage Committee, the electricity and insurance costs of St George are covered.** **October 8 saw the first birthday of Denys@4, the weekly informal service aimed at families with crafts, activities, and a core base of worship, prayer, bible and fellowship. This has become a popular service. During 2023 a wide variety of Bible themes were covered, including the 'I Am' statements of Jesus, the Parables, and the Care For The Family** _ParenTalk_ **course, and the CPAS evangelistic** _START_ **course were run at 4pm. As a result, two Denys@4 members have asked to be confirmed and others are considering.** **Denys@4 has seen around 20/25 adults and children attending weekly during the year, with a further 30 being 'on the fringe', and attending less frequently. The families the PCC has aimed this service at have no/little previous church, or faith involvement, and so the cultural shift towards a weekly service is a big jump for many. However, at least three core families have made that move in the first year which has been a real encouragement.** **The core planning team is myself as vicar, Yvette and Steve Upton and Jeanette Gill. We have been helped greatly by practical support from Natasha Belcher and Peter Gill and it has been a joy to see this new community develop. In terms of church growth research, one year on is still 'scattering seed' and seeing 'early roots' start to grow. But a solid foundation has been laid, and with the active prayerful support and encouragement from all our Parish's Christian community, I believe the investment the PCC has made into families, first with Messy Church, and now with Denys@4 will see even more fruit in the years to come. The new Stanford Village Festival Task Group and key** **Page3** **helpers are mainly members of, or connected to, Denys@4. It is good to see this infant church congregation taking wider responsibility, like previous generations before them.** **The IO I Sam Parish Holy Communion Service has continued to draw around 20-25 faithful members each week On March 6, the Coronation of King Charles Ill took place in Westminster Abbey. Along with most of the CofE parishes across the country, the following day we used liturgy provided by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to commemorate the occasion and to pray for our new Monarch and the Royal Family. During 2023, our village Uniformed organisations were invited to parade and attend at a special St George's Day service in church, which was appreciated - though the leaders said they struggled to find young members available on Sunday mornings - which backs up our own research several years ago and hence, the reason why our families service was timed at 4pm. Culturally now, Sunday mornings are simply not the best time to for young families to attend worship due to sports, shopping and other family activities.** **A group from St Denys had a fruitful weekend at Lee Abbey in October and, in 2023, to try to increase communication and prayer, we trialled some Network evenings where leaders of various ministries would share latest news, then attendees would go into small groups to pray. After a large turnout for the first one, the second one was attended by just me and three others. The PCC will review this as part of a major Communications Audit planned for 2024. In my IO years here, I have tried three times to gather the whole church to pray outside of Sunday services, but each time, after a well-attended first meeting, numbers drop. I am convinced the bible clearly shows a link between God's blessing and provision to prayer, earnestly seeking His will and spending time in His presence. It is an area of our church's life I hope we can develop as part of our 2024 'Christian Disciplines' focus.** **The church's relationship with Stanford in the Vale CofE (VC) Primary School continues to flourish. In addition to a weekly team providing an 'Open The Book' Collective Worship (CW) on a Tuesday afternoon, I lead a weekly Thursday afternoon CW, specifically focussing on the major Christian Festivals (at the request of the headteacher) and seeking to share a Christian worldview with the children. I am regularly asked by teachers of various classes if the children can visit St Denys, and for me to share with them resources and information to help them think through questions such as 'The role of the church in the life of the village', and 'why and how Christians worship?', and to use the physical elements such as the Font, Pulpit, Organ and the High Table and East Window stained glass windows to explain the elements of Christian worship and with the latter, the gospel. The school also comes to St Denys each year for its Mothers' and Fathers' Day services, Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas services/events - including major school productions. Parents, grandparents, guardians, and others connected with the 204 primary school children attend these events, and so throughout the year, St Denys welcomes a huge proportion of the village.** **Post lockdown restrictions, the church has continued its Parish Outreach through the Saturday morning Open House, Village Voices, the very popular Afternoon Teas, Women's Breakfasts, our Christmas Bazaar and the church's underwriting and organising of the Stanford Village Festival, carried out over two days, this year I**[st ] **and 2[nd ] of July. 2023 was the first Festival under new leadership, Janet Warren having retired in 2022 after many decades co-ordinating the event. Karin Williams-Kuss, the new Festival Co-ordinator has done an outstanding job of taking over, especially with so much institutional memory to be learnt 'on the job'. During PCC meetings we often discuss 'why' various events and ministries were started many years (or decades) ago, or ask if the original need is still there? Or has it been met? Then, how might all our outreach events be more focussed in helping people move on in their journey of faith? and, how can we provide opportunities for parishioners to hear the gospel, and then be given an opportunity to respond? Towards the end of 2023, the PCC started to look at how we might start to reach a whole swath of parishioners for whom 'church' is irrelevant, and who never attend worship, except for funerals. The prayerful discussion is ongoing.** **Page4** At St Deny5, we are forwnate to have a dedicated group of Bellrrngers, very abty led by jackie O'Hagan, Tower Captain. They are alway5 willing to ring at additional 5ervice5 and we are grateful to them for announcing our weewy 1015am worship to all in earshot of the ringing tower. In 2023, we were delighted Ihat a group of young people asked to leam to ring and now. our team of ringers has had a boost of new member& with many of the young people recnjiting parents as welll As ever, Occasional Offices during the year have provided key moments to support families rhrough the Cycle of Life. Eleven funerals, four wedding5 and one bapvsm were taken by me during the year. and sevtral interments of ashes. Each occasion provided an opportunity for in depth discussion and pastoral care with the individualslfamilies concerned and after 10 years. l am increasingly finding that I have now taken a baptism. wedding and a funeral for families - one of the many benefits of longer terms of Incumbency. The churchyard at Stanford is nearty full and will ￿ by the end of 2024. The warden5 and I have started to look at initial plans for a Garden of Remèmbrance in the churchyard, authorisèd by a Faculty. There. ashe5 Of villa8er5 would be interred. 3nd advice 15 being sought as to styles and policies other churches have found helpful. Finally. I would like to thank churchvnrdens Maz Galley and Michelle Sinclair. honorary administrator janet Warren, treasurer Sue Penman. Or￿Dist Margaret Williams. verger Susan Mayall, parish 5afe8uarding officer Liz Ward. Chri51ine Smith who quietly and faithlully change5 our High Table ¢¢vers a¢¢¢rding t¢ the liturgical seaso￿. and ovr Hoffle Group C¢¢rdinators. And in this 10th year as vicar here {19 February). I would like ¢0 ¢hank my wrfe Verity for her fraithful supporL love, prayers, and encoUrageM￿t for me through lrfe's ups and downs. at)d the many joys and challenges of being a vicar. In planning the activitie5 the PCC ha5 applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commis5i0n. Financial review Thank5 to the faithful giving of church members. total income for the year increased by £8,977 to £87.014 of which £26.612 ￿as restricted. Total expenditure reduced by £16.696 to £73.875, mainly due to Significant restricted expenditure on building maintenance in 2022. For the full year, after fund transfers. there was an unrestricted deficit of £952 and a restricted surplus of £14.091 which resulted in a net increase in osh furKls of £13,139. In 2023, the PCC made a principal poliry de¢ision that each year, we would give away 5% of our unrestricted income to World Mission (Outreach). In 2023, thi5 amounted to £3.OCKI, with grants of £ I,(WJ each to Bible Sociery, Open Doors and TearFund. The PCC is to set up a Missions Task Group to look at how we can encourage further world mission enrdgement Irom all four congrezations goinz forward. In the year. £45,000 was paid in Parish Share to the di0￿* rmjt of a requested £51,000. Reserves policy The PCC has determined that the chary should aim to hold ￿restrICted cash equating to no le55 chan 3 months unre5trirted expenditure (approximately £16.600 based on current expenditure levels) so that the tharity could corbtirbue to operate should income and l or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £25.980 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy. Page 5 ## Paul A. Eddy Paul A. Eddy (Apr 18, 2024 17:04 GMT+1) Apr 18, 2024 Sarah Crispin (Apr 19, 2024 09:05 GMT+1)Sarah Crispin Apr 19, 2024 THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OFTHE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF STAMFORD IN THE VALE y￿TH GOOSEY AND HATFORD RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENOEO 31 DEcE￿ER 2023 Unresirid&J FutK15 Restricted Funds 2023 2022 Income recwpts Voluntary receipts Fundraising Income Ch8nlable athvil*$ Invesimenl intome 21al 2(bl 21cl 21dl 47,174 5,917 6,885 426 21,861 69,035 5,917 7,927 4.135 63,163 7,825 4,905 2.145 1.042 3.709 Totslrecwpts 60.402 26.612 87.014 78,037 Paym•nt8 Churth activth'es Pansh share Clergy aThJ slaffiThJ ￿18 Church mnniThJ experoes 45,lYY) 45.OLX) 2.566 20.777 39.300 3.302 45,146 87.748 31a 3(bl 13,345 60.912 7.432 7.432 FundraisSng expen8es Mi55ion giving donabor 2.531 2.531 3.ofrj 2.824 rotsipaymont¥ Net of recapls I Ipaymentsl before transfers 16.0421 19.181 13.139 112,5351 Transfers be￿￿en fwd8 (S.0￿)) Not movomont In lund8 19521 14.091 13.139 112,5351 Cash funds as a118SI year end ¢￿h fund8 41 thh y•ir •nd 26.932 113.254 140.186 152,721 25. 53.325 140,186 The noie$ on page$ 10- 11 Itym port olU*se a¢cthwrts. 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