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2020-12-31-accounts

Parish of Rochester St Peter with St Margaret

ANNUAL REPORT 2020

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CONTENTS

Contents

Parish of Rochester Annual Report for 2020 – Introduction ............................................................. 3 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................ 3 Aims, Objectives and Activities of the PCC .................................................................................. 3 Structure, governance and management ...................................................................................... 4 PCC Members During 2020 .......................................................................................................... 4 Vicar’s Report .................................................................................................................................. 5 Churchwarden’s Report ................................................................................................................... 7 PCC Secretary’s Report ................................................................................................................... 8 Treasurer’s Report ......................................................................................................................... 10 Deanery Synod Representatives’ Report ....................................................................................... 11 Cluster Report ................................................................................................................................ 12 Churches Together In Medway ...................................................................................................... 12 Buildings Report ............................................................................................................................. 12 Mission & Outreach ........................................................................................................................ 13 Pastoral Care / Community Vision. ................................................................................................ 13 Electoral Roll Report for 2020 ........................................................................................................ 14 Dementia Groups ........................................................................................................................... 14 Dementia Friendly Worship and Anna Chaplaincy ......................................................................... 15 Caretakers’ Report ......................................................................................................................... 16 Catering ......................................................................................................................................... 16 Eco Church .................................................................................................................................... 16 Steeple Keeper’s Report ................................................................................................................ 17 Bellringers’ Report ......................................................................................................................... 17 Parish Buildings Development Group ............................................................................................ 18 Family Time ................................................................................................................................... 19 Flowers In Our Churches ............................................................................................................... 19 Gardening ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Prayer Ministry ............................................................................................................................... 19 IT Report ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Music Director’s Report .................................................................................................................. 21 Parents’ Pop In .............................................................................................................................. 21 Neighbours ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Refreshments After Services ......................................................................................................... 22 Welcomers ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Parish Safeguarding Officer’s Report ............................................................................................. 23 APCM Report (Safeguarding adults) .............................................................................................. 23 Servers’ Report .............................................................................................................................. 24 The Social Committee Report ........................................................................................................ 24 St Margaret’s at Troy Town School ................................................................................................ 24 Stewardship Report ....................................................................................................................... 25 Walsum .......................................................................................................................................... 25

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Parish of Rochester Annual Report for 2020 – Introduction

Administrative Information

This report is for the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Rochester (the PCC), registered with the Charity Commission as charity number 1132260. The PCC is a body corporate and the governing documents of the PCC are the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure (1956) as amended and the Church Representation Rules 2017. This report covers the period from 1[st] January 2019 to 31[st] December 2020.

The Parish of Rochester is in the Church of England diocese of Rochester.

The correspondence address is St Peter’s Church Parish Centre, Delce Road, Rochester, ME1 2EH.

Aims, Objectives and Activities of the PCC

The PCC is responsible for working with the incumbent, the Reverend Dr Joel Love, in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of churches and other properties in the parish, which are currently:

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our churches and to enjoy full participation in the parish community. The PCC, through its committees and groups, maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions as to how our services can involve the any social groups that live within our parish.

When planning our activities for the year, the incumbent and the PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. We try to deliver the responsibilities of the PCC in our parish community through, amongst other things:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the buildings listed above. Please see all detailed reports in this annual report for information on how our activities are planned, managed and carried out.

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Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At the Parish of Rochester, the PCC consists of the incumbent (the vicar), the curate, the two churchwardens elected at the Annual Meeting of Parishioners, and two Deanery Synod representatives and nine ordinary members elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. Three deputy churchwardens, and honorary treasurer and an honorary secretary are appointed by the PCC and may be co-opted to the PCC if they are not already elected members.

All those who attend our services or are otherwise involved in the life of the church are encouraged to register on the electoral roll.

PCC Members During 2020

Ex Officio Members (thoughout 2020 unless otherwise noted)

The Reverend Dr Joel Love (Vicar) The Reverend Folake Makanjuola (Curate) (until Sept. 2020) Mr Peter Cornell (Churchwarden) Mr Douglas Seth-Smith (Churchwarden)

Honorary Treasurer

Michael O’Connor

Elected Members serving until October 2020

Mrs Pat Featherstone

Deanery Synod Representatives until October 2020

Dr Richard Coyle Mrs Angela Cornell

Deanery Synod Representatives from October 2020

Mrs Angela Cornell Mr Michael O’Connor

Elected Members serving throughout 2020

Mr Aidan Dooley Mrs Pam Moss (Deputy Churchwarden) Mr Stuart Pearson (Deputy Churchwarden) Mr David Porter Mr John Portman (Deputy Churchwarden) Mrs Lindsay Ward Mr Alex Sime

Elected Members serving from October 2020

Mrs Bonnie Chandler

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Vicar’s Report

In 2020 we continued to reflect on our priorities as we prepared our parish ‘Called to Grow’ plan as part of the diocese’s strategic plan. Given the realities of the lockdown we have decided to shelve the plans for a new entrance and hall at St Peter’s for the time being. We reviewed our 5 priorities at an online Vision Day in October, where we decided to keep them, but to re-order them from hardest to easiest:

1. Outreach means making connections. We have to find new ways to do this with social distancing, getting creative with our use of technology, the website, mailing list, and sharing photos of what we are doing.

2. Families and children growing in faith - Ruth Pyrke our placement student worked with Jo Coyle, Gordon Millar, and Calvin Beedle to create Christmas activity that went out to many families in our parish (and beyond).

3. Intergenerational activities that include young and old , many of whom are feeling cut off at the moment. Dementia-friendly worship is difficult when people can't zoom but we want to provide training or tutorials to help more people get online. We are aware that many people are not able to access online services, and we shared a freephone number where people can access a prerecorded Church service. Many people volunteered to phone an elderly or isolated person and lots of you continue to look out for one another at this difficult time. As a parish we also have an aspiration to provide a bereavement listening when this becomes possible again. To this end we received a grant from Countryside Homes to help with volunteer training when the time comes.

4. An Open Church: right now this means we are looking for openings and opportunities to connect with people. We now have a presence on Facebook and YouTube. We are also thinking about big screen events, screenings in people's homes (when this is permitted), and perhaps multi-sensory events and other forms of community engagement.

5. Eco Church , where we have made great strides and which is becoming very much the core of our mission. There was a working party in St Margaret’s Churchyard at which twelve people helped out. Many of us are also growing wildflowers from seed for Spring 2021.

In line with our identity as an Inclusive Church, I have helped to deliver some unconscious bias training within the diocese. I have also been involved in leading a small group of LGBT+ people and allies in a worshipping community called A Seat at the Table, which meets every other month. Normally based at the Cathedral, we have been meeting online during the lockdown. I am also excited for us to reflect using the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ resources about sex and relationships which were published by the House of Bishops in November 2020. This is an issue which affects many people in our parish and which will be the subject of our cluster Lent groups in 2021.

Thanks to the Mission & Outreach team, we had several successful charity fundraising campaigns in 2021, raising money to twin the rest of our toilets, and supporting the Medway Foodbank (at Harvest) and the All Saint’s Community Project and Sure Start Children’s Centre with money for Christmas hampers and toys (instead of our usual Toy service). Several of us also took to the streets for the annual Ride & Stride in support of the Friends of Kent Churches.

Many of our regular fundraising and community events had to be cancelled, including the beer festival, summer fete, and Christmas bazaar. Our income from hall hirers also disappeared, which has put some pressure on our budget. You can read more about this in the Treasurer’s report and annual accounts.

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In 2020 we said farewell to Revd Folake Makanjuola and her family, as she returned briefly from furlough to lead us in a final service in September. A few members of our congregation were able to attend Folake’s licensing in Croydon, where she has gone to be Priest in Charge of St Andrew’s Church and associate priest at Croydon Minster. We also welcomed Ruth Pyrke as a student on placement with us until summer 2022.

In 2020 we had one wedding, 5 baptisms, and 19 funerals (of which 6 were in Church). We said goodbye to several beloved members of our congregation, including Dorothy Houckham, Pat Featherstone (and later Dorothy Armstrong and Hilary Bean). We are planning some memorial services in 2021, as soon as it is safe for us to begin meeting all together in Church once again.

Our worship for Holy Week and Easter did not happen in the usual manner this year, but we began to develop online services in April and were able to meet in person from August to the beginning of November before returning to online services in the second lockdown. Small congregations were able to gather in December, including on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We are grateful to Revd Lindsay Llewellyn-Macduff, Christine Seth Smith, Revd Folake Makanjuola, Revd Mark Ball, Revd Canon Neil Thompson, Revd Alan Le Grys, Revd Canon Gordon Oliver, and the Rt Revd James Langstaff, who have all led worship in the past year. Thanks also to everyone who leads intercessions and does readings. Special thanks to Mary Jeffreys, Laurence Long, and Michael O’Connor for technical support in creating a wonderful online carol service.

When it became impossible for us to meet in Church during the first lockdown, Peter Cornell set up a WhatsApp group and Bonnie Chandler kept our ‘Voices in the Wilderness’ going from Lent all the way through to Advent. Jayne Pearson has kept the office open to answer people’s queries and coordinate much of our response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Angie Cornell has been quietly coordinating our pastoral care and prayer ministry. Our Churchwardens Douglas Seth Smith and Peter Cornell have kept the show on the road, especially while I was on retreat in November 2020. Your PCC has been very creative, patient, and understanding throughout the various lockdowns and tier 3 and 4 restrictions.

We look forward to reopening as soon as it is safe to do so. Your Safeguarding team have been busy with risk assessments and the safer recruitment of volunteers. As we review what is possible for us to offer in future we will be asking ourselves how best to serve and participate in our local community. All volunteers who have been safely recruited and trained will be welcome to join us. And everyone is welcome to pray with us for God’s guidance.

Thanks again for all you do.

Joel Love

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Churchwarden’s Report

Due to the pandemic, 2020 has been a very different year for our Church. We have all had to get used to new ways of worship and interaction with one another. Peter and I have been very grateful to the congregation, who have adapted well to our changed circumstances. This is still an ongoing process as we move forward together as a Church.

Just as our first lockdown started in March last year, Joel was about to embark on a well-deserved three-month sabbatical. Sadly, this had to be postponed. From our point of view it was very good to have him with us at this stage, guiding us all and working out the practicalities of new forms of worship.

The Church of England gradually introduced ways of being able to have private prayer and then worship safely in Church. Meanwhile Zoom Café Church was introduced which enabled many of the congregation to meet up for discussion, prayer and support. Then on 23[rd] August we were able to open up both St Peter’s and St Margaret’s churches for Sunday services, with social distancing in place.

We have been able to welcome some new participants through the use of technology, for example, at midweek Morning Prayer online. Conversely, we are very aware of the people who have not been able to join us for lack of technology.

In September we bid a sad farewell to Folake as she came to the end of her three years with us as our Curate. We are very grateful for all she did for the parish, especially in prayer ministry and pastoral care while she was here. We wish her well as Priest-in-Charge of St Andrew’s Church in Croydon. During the autumn we welcomed Ruth Pyrke as a trainee ordinand in our parish.

Meetings, including the PCC, have continued regularly via Zoom which have enabled us to function as a Church. We continue to endeavour to be an Inclusive Church.

Joel’s second attempt at a sabbatical in November again coincided with the second lockdown! He was, however, able to spend a month in retreat locally.

During November, after the first Sunday when we welcomed Bishop James at St Peter’s, the planned services had to switch from Church to online, to comply with the lockdown rules. We were very grateful to the four ministers who took our services, namely Neil Thompson, Mark Ball, Alan le Grys and Gordon Oliver. Since January 2021, our Sunday worship has been delivered via Zoom and YouTube from St Peter’s Church, with the minimum number leading the service.

In addition to thanking all the many people who have continued to help with our Church life and outreach, we would like to acknowledge the roles played by the deputy church wardens – Pam, John and Stuart, and also Michael for his amazing technology skills, our licensed lay minister Christine, and Lindsay who has kindly taken some of our services. Above all, Peter and I would like to thank Joel for his strong leadership amidst a difficult and challenging year.

Douglas Seth-Smith

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PCC Secretary’s Report

This year we had two meetings in person, followed by five held on Zoom, which was quite interesting. We were unable to hold the APCM until October, which was held both in person at St Peter’s church and simultaneously on Zoom.

January

It was agreed that we should start to raise money for more toilet twinning as we have only done it with one of our churches so far. We also discussed the wild flower area in St Margaret’s churchyard and were looking forward to Simon Curry from Medway Green Spaces coming to talk to us on Flower Sunday in February. We will also be reviewing our policies, one a month.

March

Corona virus was the main topic throughout our meeting as we were trying to make arrangements as to how to arrange things safely. This was before everything changed with lockdown, but we had already decided to stop a lot of our activities until further notice.

The name of the Buildings Committee was changed to the Development Committee. We have received new plans for the proposed extension of St Peter’s. The PCC approved the proposal to create a wildflower meadow in the south side of St Margaret’s church with mown paths. The Walsum visit has been postponed until next year.

May

This was the first of our subsequent meetings held on Zoom due to lockdown.

Joel was with us as his sabbatical had been postponed.

The 2019 accounts were approved. It was agreed to put the situation regarding the glazing at St Margaret’s to the advisors as the supplies do not think that they are liable. Income and expenditure have dropped due to coronavirus, though income has dropped the most, but more people have signed up for standing orders. We discussed the return to church in three phases but will continue to use Zoom for café style worship and the WhatsApp set up by Peter.

It was agreed to elect PCC members by a single transferrable vote if we ever have more candidates than seats on the PCC to make us more inclusive. Toilet twinning was put on hold. We can postpone the APCM until any point until 31[st] October.

July

The returning to church for public worship was discussed in depth, but we were aware that the guidelines were changing frequently. It was decided to change the BCP service at St Margaret’s from 8am to 9am to encourage more people to attend. It was decided to have a dress rehearsal for reopening at St Peter’s on 16[th] August ready for reopening on 23[rd] August. Services will be streamed on Zoom so that people at home can follow. Zoom café church will continue but at 11.30. We will be using our Reserves account due to lack of income but will try and recoup in November when we do the budget for 2021. The development plan will be reviewed annually. A proposal for applying for a faculty to repair the organ at St Margaret’s will be circulated to PCC members. The date for the APCM was changed to 18[th] October.

September

The proposal for the faculty for the repair of the organ had been approved by PCC members but permission had not been received yet, so Ray was going to chase them up the next day. We also started to discuss a PRS licence for services and Christmas. The Parish offer is staying the same for this year, but we may negotiate next year.

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Voting for the APCM will be held in person and on Zoom. Joel will have one month of his sabbatical in November and cover has been arranged.

October

This was an extra meeting held due to the regular changes in guidelines, so that we could be as up to date as possible with how we proceeded with services etc. Our income is down due to lack of hall hirers so we must consider our parish offer. Risk assessments for Home Communion, Hall hirers and Opening for Public Worship were approved but will be reviewed at every PCC meeting. There will be no Christingle service this year and Mary and Laurence are working on a virtual carol service, using a recorded version of a previous one. Midnight mass will be ticketed and held at St Peter’s. It was suggested that as we cannot hold a Toy Service we will ask for people to donate money in the same way that we did for Harvest. The Harvest money went to support homeless people and the Toy service money will go to the All Saint’s Community Project Trust. We will not be having a box for Christmas cards this year and everyone must make their own arrangements. We now have the Archdeacon’s permission for the organ refurbishment and we now have to authorise the contract with the organ builder. The work will commence in November and they hope to have it completed for Easter.

Folake has left us to go to Croydon and will be inducted on 4[th] November.

November

The budget was discussed and will be set at the Finance meeting in December to which all PCC members were invited to attend on Zoom. The Carol Service will be held online on the Sunday before Christmas with virtual recorded readings and photos being shown during congregational items. It may be presented on You Tube, followed by a Café Zoom. At the time of this meeting we were in another lockdown so arrangements for groups of carol singers in the streets would be considered later. Work is going well on the organ refurbishment. It was decided that due to a variety of reasons the December issue of Neighbours would be the last one. Advent Bible study will be held on Zoom, organised by Pete and Angie.

Monica Aldridge

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Treasurer’s Report

Financial Review

The cash balance on the general account at the beginning of the period was £18,662. Total receipts on unrestricted funds (excluding income from the Friends to fund organ refurbishment) amounted to £78,343 (down £24,995 or 24% from 103,338 in 2019. Gift aid recovered accounted for £7,242 (slightly down from £7,733 in 2018). The freehold property at Hathaway Court which the PCC lets to private tenants provided a gross income of £ £11,433 over the year which is at the upper end of the range of income expectation.

£91,991 was spent from unrestricted funds to provide the Christian ministry in the parish, including a parish offer to the diocese of £47,206 (up from £37,872 in 2019). The parish offer provides for (amongst other things) stipends, housing and training for the clergy, and funding of diocesan activities (including a contribution to the national Anglican Church). The cash balance on the general account at the end of the period was £5,014, excluding a temporary sum held for the organ refurbishment which is already committed).

During 2020 the PCC received the Independent Examiner’s management letter for 2019 and this was entirely positive regarding the management of the parish finances. In 2020 we also embarked on the refurbishment of the organ at St Margaret’s church, which we expect will be wholly or largely financed by Friends of the Churches of St Margaret of Antioch & St Peter.

Reserves Policy

It is the PCC’s policy to develop and maintain a balance of unrestricted funds which equates to at least six months unrestricted payments. This is approximately £65,000. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies.

Following this good news in 2019 that we achieved the reserves fund target, we have had to start spending from the reserves fund to sustain operations. It is not clear when we might be able to start to rebuild the reserves, but we hope there will be greater clarity on this in 2021 as the COVID-19 situation is brought under control

Conclusions

Two thousand and twenty was a difficult year for everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this has had a critical effect on the finances of the parish. All the usual main fundraising events were cancelled including the parish fete, the bazaar and the family fun day and beer festival. This brought additional stern challenges for the parish budget and there was a deficit of £13,648 which was not forecast.

The PCC has chosen not to set a balanced budget for 2020, but instead to fund £12,000 from reserves to support general operation, retain the employments of the parish’s three part time staff and to provide a parish offer of £35,000 to help the Diocese of Rochester with its budgetary challenges. This approach is not sustainable in the longer term, but it is hoped it will not be needed in the longer term and will be reviewed regularly.

We continue to be most grateful for all donations received, but particularly for regular giving by standing order and other regular giving schemes because this provides a firm basis for financial planning. In addition, the Friends of the Churches of St Margaret of Antioch & St Peter provide continuing support which is most welcome.

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We look forward to a better year in 2021 when we hope to resume many activities which not only raise funds but also of themselves help us to carry out the mission of the Church. If you are able, and they happen, please support these events however you can, with time, money, effort and ideas.

Michael O’Connor Honorary Treasurer 30 January 2020

Deanery Synod Representatives’ Report

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only two meetings of the Rochester Deanery Synod in 2020, the first on Thursday 12 March, and the second on Tuesday 1 December.

In the March meeting:

The meeting also covered “Taste and See” which was planned to be the Deanery mission initiative (largely shelved due to COVID-19) to encourage members of congregations to become more confident in knowing that they have a story to share of God’s goodness and the saving love of Jesus. Adam Pyrke gave a video presentation outlining the principle of intentional conversations, drawing on Romans 10:14. Adam is available to run workshops for small groups in churches to help people develop in this art of intentional conversation.

The December meeting was announced to most participants less than a day before it happened, so attendance was perhaps lower than usual. The main business was electing various officers of the Deanery Synod, including, most curiously, a treasurer even though the Deanery does not have a bank account and does not handle funds as a corporate body.

The following points were also covered in this meeting:

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Michael O’Connor Deanery Synod Representative 30 January 2021

Cluster Report

In this rather unusual year the Cluster representatives have only met online a couple of times and it was great to see everyone virtually but all the usual cluster activities and the opportunities for Without Walls to raise money and support events have been obviously severely curtailed. However, we are all looking forward to getting together as soon as possible to resume our work in assisting and sharing with each other and helping where we can, those who need it in our communities.

Just to note that the upcoming Lent course is being run through the Cluster on the theme of “Living in Love and Faith”. Please do support this if you can.

Gary Ward

Churches Together In Medway

During the pandemic the work of CTIM has been curtailed as has been the case for most organisations. CTIM have however continued to hold its prayer meetings and Breakfast meetings via Zoom. Saints Alive which is the main annual event of the CTIM was created as an on-line experience which was enjoyed by many as was the Christmas Connect Carol service which CTIM has supported for a second year. As you would imagine, these events cost money to produce but with membership and donations very low this year the organisation has dipped into its reserves, so we are hoping that the churches and organisations who have not been able to afford to join in 2019 come back to support us this year.

Peter Cornell

Buildings Report

The monthly working parties continued until the pandemic lockdown prevented them in March 2020.

As usual the lawn mower, boilers, fire alarms, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers were regularly serviced and, of course, our regular small band of grass cutters continued to keep the back and front lawns at the Parish Centre cut.

ST MARGARET’S CHURCH – New lamps were fitted above the vestry door and new tubes fitted in the kitchen. Some broken tiles on the Lych Gate roof were replaced. The brass cleaning was also regularly carried out.

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ST PETER’S CHURCH CENTRE – The paving slabs were rebidded and seem to be withstanding at the moment although traffic use is much lighter due to the building being closed for most of the year. One of the windows in the worship area was refixed as it had suddenly come open and the top track was refixed on the sliding partition.

MATTHEW MEMORIAL HALL – A new ball valve was fitted to the toilet system and the main back gutter was cleaned.

67 HATHAWAY COURT – New carpets were fitted throughout the property and a new tenant moved in during January. We also upgraded the en-suite bathroom

Ray Shuter

Mission & Outreach

No report received however giving by the congregation during 2020 was as follows;

Date Event Donations January Flower service Flowers/plants to the elderly and sick February Toilet Twinning £200.00 Lent Water Aid £200.00 Harvest Medway Foodbank £125.00 plus online donations September Ride & Stride £332 (50% each to Friends of Kent Churches and The Parish of Rochester) December Toy Service £385.00 to The Children & Family Hub £530.00 to All Saints Community Project Christingle Candles £110.30 for the Children’s Society

Prior to lockdown, food dropped into the baskets at each church by Parishioners and users of the buildings was donated to the Open House Project

Jayne Pearson

Pastoral Care / Community Vision.

The Pastoral Care / Community Vision group used to meet on alternate months to discuss and support ways in which we could support people within our church and wider community in various ways. Our last scheduled meeting was 23.03.20 which was cancelled due to England entering the first lockdown on that day. Since then we have not met as a group, as apart from a short reprieve over the summer, as you know, our situation regarding getting together has been in flux. However some really good pastoral care has happened. People have rung each other, visited, cooked, taken gifts, flowers, and have supported in many other ways, which amounts to watching out for each other and caring. We set up the WhatsApp group as soon as lockdown started, which unfortunately cannot be accessed by everyone - this is such a shame – but has been helpful to many.

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I hope that by the time our various reports are published for the APCM we will have come out of the darkest times of the Corona Virus pandemic. When we reach this point we can start opening up our church again along with some of the activities we previously provided. Before the pandemic occurred we had been planning and had arranged funding for a Bereavement and Listening Course. This will go ahead as soon as we are able and will probably be run as training not just within our church but also within the cluster churches. I hope that we will be able to provide bereavement and listening support where requested over the coming months.

Angela Cornell

Electoral Roll Report for 2020

As at the 31[st] December 2020 there were 75 people on the Electoral Roll.

48 were resident in the Parish and 27 were non-resident.

Changes occur when people move into the Parish, get married, die, choose to worship elsewhere or move away.

It should be noted that every six years each parish is required to prepare a new electoral roll which happened this year, when those who habitually attend public worship in this Parish had to reapply to have their names entered onto the roll.

Jayne Pearson Parish Administrator

Dementia Groups

Supporting older people and people living with Dementia.

The Parish of Rochester has provided valuable services to older people and those living with dementia within our local community and further afield for many years, but most of these services have been cancelled since the pendemic started in March 2020. Plans are in hand for recommencing all the activities aiming for Easter 2021.

The Rochester Dementia Memory Café

The Rochester Dementia Memory Café has been running since November 2015. It is normally held in the Parish Centre on the 4th Friday of each month. Since the Cafe stopped operating in March contact has been maintained with most of those registered with the Cafe by sending out a newsletter every month to those who are online and others being telephoned. The first online Zoom Cafe Chat was held on Friday the 22nd January 2021 and it is hoped to continue these until the actual Cafe restarts.

The Cafe welcomes people living with dementia and their Carers and is recognised in Medway as a valuable community service which is much appreciated. It is supported by Medical and Care professionals and is designated as one of the two Dementia Drop In clinics in Medway. Users confirm that they gain much by attending as it provides a friendly social occasion where both the person with dementia and the carer or friend can relax, exchange experiences, and where advice and information are available. We are fortunate in having many experienced and committed volunteers who welcome and support each person attending.

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The Rochester Carers Group. The Carers Group is a service for all Carers. It is run in partnership with CarersFIRST who are represented at the meetings. These are normally held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month within the Tuesday Coffee Shop. It provides information, guidance and support to the Carer. The group is one of the few in Medway where the person being cared for can also be brought along to be looked after by a volunteer.

Singing for the Memory Medway. This activity was first held in October 2018 in the Parish Centre and runs on the second Friday of each month. It is attended by some 20 people but the evidence is that this will increase as it is the only singing group for people with dementia and their carers that is running in Medway.

Sing for your Life and the Silver Song Music Box. The Rochester Cluster’s own Music Box has not been used during 2020 and a review as to its use will need to be carried out this spring. The equipment is kept in the vestry at St Peter's.

Dementia Gardening Group. The gardening group for people living with dementia has obtained funding from the Rotary Club of Rochester and it is intended to start the group in the Spring under the auspices of the Rochester & Strood Dementia Friendly Community in partnership with the Rochester Adult Education. The group will meet monthly and will help to maintain the Dementia Sensory Garden in the gardens at Eastgate House.

John Portman

Dementia Friendly Worship and Anna Chaplaincy

In January, February and March 2020 we continued our Dementia Friendly Worship as normal at St Peter’s Church on Monday afternoons, as a Cluster initiative. The services had been running since March 2019 on a monthly basis, and these were well attended by people living with dementia and their Carers. There was always a theme connected to the Church calendar, linked to a practical activity which was absorbing and engendered plenty of conversation, as well as tea and cakes afterwards.

Sadly, from April onwards the services ceased due to the pandemic and lockdown, and it has not been possible to hold one since because of the Church of England’s regulations and guidelines, and above all, people’s safety.

New ways of keeping in touch with our older people (especially for their spiritual wellbeing and emotional care) have been tried and tested. Not everyone has the technological links to access Zoom services from the comfort of their sitting rooms, but Daily Hope, a free national telephone line, offering music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of the phone, was recommended by us.

Phone calls to keep in touch with people have been really important, as well as sending cards and trying to keep in touch with local care homes. Anna Chaplaincy by bicycle was offered to older people during the summer months ie doorstep visits around the parish. When it was permitted, it was even possible to hold a socially distanced coffee morning in our back garden, mainly for older people.

During the autumn 2020, Home Communion was taken to quite a few people in the parish, but there was only a short window of time when this was possible.

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Hopefully, Dementia Friendly Worship will be able to recommence safely within a few months. With much sadness at the loss of Pat Featherstone, who was a wonderful help at these services, I would like to say how grateful we were for her unstinting support and cheerful kindness, and how much she will be missed by us all.

Christine Seth-Smith (Anna Chaplain)

Caretakers’ Report

Due to social restrictions caused by the virus situation there have been no lets or hires at either church since early March. Until then I carried out my normal duties.

After lockdown there have been no responsibilities for the caretaker in 2020. However once the situation has eased the caretaking of the two church's will continue as normal.

Derrick Solly

Catering

There were no events at all since January where catering was involved.

Pat Price

Eco Church

Despite the pandemic, it has been a good year for our Eco Church project especially regarding the conversion of part of St Margaret’s Churchyard into a wildlife meadow. This has been an exciting venture, with considerable interest shown by increasing numbers of our congregation and the wider community. The grass nearest the Church has been kept short and neat, providing easy access to the two benches, and also to the wall with the stunning view of the River Medway and beyond. There are mown paths for dog walkers and others around the perimeter of the churchyard.

In February 2020, Simon Curry (Chair of Medway Urban Greenspaces Forum) gave a talk at St Margaret’s Church during our Sunday morning service which inspired many people. He reminded us that Medway Council is responsible for the management of the land around the Church and that by liaising with their contractor, Norse, we could ask them to leave the grass and wildflowers in the top part of the churchyard to grow throughout the spring and summer. This we did, and a variety of insects and invertebrates were attracted to this area, including pollinators such as bumblebees. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust had been to visit us on a previous occasion and explained that they are campaigning to save the 24 different species of bumblebee found in the UK, and the North Kent coast is a crucial area for them.

During the summer, the number of species of grass and wildflowers were recorded and documented by Sue Poyser and Doug Grant, totalling 71, which was amazing! The latest research shows that meadows can hold up to 10 kg more carbon per square metre than intensively managed amenity grassland, which is very good news.

In September, Norse gave the meadow its annual cut, after the grasses and flowers had dropped their seeds. As agreed, they left the hay strewn on the ground, so a dedicated team from the Eco Group set to and raked it all into a neat pile which took a couple of hours. It was soon completed with ‘many hands making light work’.

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Volunteers have kindly offered to grow seedlings of wildflowers which we shall plant in the spring to expand the number of different varieties growing there. My grateful thanks to everyone who has participated and shown an interest in this project. As Simon Curry said, ‘There will not be a perfect meadow immediately but over the next few years you will see a gradual increase in the species that are recorded’.

In October we invited another speaker to talk to us at our morning service about environmental issues. Thelma West (who is part of Towards Plastic Free Medway) came to St Peter’s Church and spoke about the huge problem of plastic waste in the Medway Towns. She urged us to think about what we could do as individuals to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day activities, for example to re-use or refuse . It is our own responsibility – remembering that we are both consumers and voters and therefore we do have some power. Both St Peter’s and St Margaret’s churches have signed up to become an ‘ally’ of Towards Plastic Free Medway.

Christine Seth-Smith

Steeple Keeper’s Report

As there has been no ringing at St Margaret’s in the past year due to the pandemic, my only duties have been occasional checks to see that all the bells are visually in good order. They will need to be checked again before any ringing is able to take place, and we look forward to the time when this will be possible.

Douglas Seth-Smith

Bellringers’ Report

  1. We had our annual Bellringers meal at The Quills in Rochester on Saturday 8[th] February 2020 which was very well attended, and Joel also came to join us for the evening which was very much enjoyed by all and full of laughter.

  2. It has been a very quiet year organising events as due to the COVID-19 pandemic sadly all ringing activities had to end. We last rang the bells on Friday 20[th] March 2020, and we still do not know when we will be able to ring again.

  3. I would like to express my thanks to Rona who rings at Cuxton as she joins us on practice nights and on Sunday mornings for setting our band up on Zoom since the Lockdown started so that we can all join in on a Friday evening at what we have called The Zoom Pub Virtual Arms. It’s nice to see one another even if it is virtually and to catch up on each other’s news throughout the week. Setting us up on a virtual ringing room set up on our Computers/laptops has been a great success as a couple of us log in on most Friday evenings keeping our minds and brains going whilst having a go at ringing virtually. It is an experience pressing your bell number on a key board rather than ringing at the end of a bell rope but it all helps with listening skills and counting places and we do get rounds and call changes, Plain Hunt and the more advanced ringers do Steadman and Grandsire.

  4. We also have our what’s app group which I set up well before the Lockdown started as it is another good way of communicating and letting people know about events in advance.

  5. When the restrictions were lifted in the Summer I organised a socially distanced picnic at St Margaret’s on Friday 7[th] August 2020 and a good number of us went. There were 12 in total and it was so lovely to see people and to catch up on what we have been up to during lockdown. I was in the middle of organising another one then the rule of 6 came in.

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  1. We did a Christmas virtual ringing room where we rang Christmas carols which was a lot of fun and then afterwards we joined together at the Zoom Arms for a virtual nibbles and quiz evening which again was very enjoyable, with us wearing our Christmas jumpers and hats.

  2. Richard, our deputy tower captain, is moving to France in December with his wife Philippa he will missed by all as he organised practice nights and service ringing for a little while for when Derna and Phil were away.

  3. I do hope that next year I will be able to organise a tower tour as sadly we were not able to have one this year. This all depends on how things go with this ongoing Pandemic.

  4. I did start to draft out a plan for a Ray Morgan and Brian Palmer quarter Peal Board as the PCC had confirmed that we could go ahead with this and that we need to apply for a facility, I’m just waiting for Phil and Derna to get back to me with the finished draft as mine needed a bit of tweaking as the PCC need to see the finished plan but with this pandemic like a lot of things this has been put on hold until we get the go ahead.

  5. Hopefully, we will be able to ring the bells again as they have been silent for too long as they are a part of the church’s life as they call people to worship on a Sunday Morning.

Jayne Vousden (Secretary)

Parish Buildings Development Group

Early in 2020, Thomas Ford & Partners, architects, submitted new layout plans for the proposed extension of the Parish Centre. The plans had been revised in accordance with the Group’s wish to bring the overall cost of the project down to below £1.0m. Following consideration of those plans, further comments were made to Thomas Ford indicating that, whilst broadly content with the new layout, there were still a number of points which needed to be clarified. Some of the issues raised by the Group were essentially matters of detail which could be ironed out as the project progresses, or matters of organisation and/or management of the extended building. The Group also asked for an overview of the cost reduction in moving to the new layout.

Subject to the resolution of these matters and to the agreement of the PCC, it was the intention then to move on to the planning application stage, and also to open up discussions with potential fundraisers.

Unfortunately, Covid 19 then intervened. In a report to the PCC in July, the Development Group pointed out that…

‘as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic…. there is a question mark over the survival of some community groups and how those which do survive will organise themselves and their activities. It is likely that at least some of the groups which use the existing facilities at the Parish Centre and the Matthews Memorial Hall will not recover from the enforced break or, if they do, will want to organise their activities differently. In short, we cannot be sure that there will be the same demand for the facilities the church offers, at least in the short to medium term. Even a scaled back project will be very costly, and we need to be sure that it will give the church a reasonable return on its investment. In the present circumstances we cannot be certain of that.’

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The Group then recommended to the PCC that….

‘…the most prudent course would be to retain the aspiration to extend the Parish Centre, but to defer the building project for the time being in the expectation that the demand for our facilities will recover sufficiently to give us assurance that the investment will be worthwhile.’

Alan Moss Chairman

Family Time

No report was received however there were a fluctuating number of families that came to church before lockdown. During Advent the organisers sent out a Christmas activity which was a Nativity scene for people to cut out and put in their windows.

Monica Aldridge

Flowers In Our Churches

The Christmas flowers continued to grace our churches during January. Lent arrived soon after as did the Covid 19 Virus. As a result with both churches shut for much of the year we flower arrangers sadly had a very quiet 2020. Some modest flowers were done for a couple of funerals at St Margaret’s. Again for Christmas a few arrangements along with Advent rings were done. For our virtual Nine Lessons and Carols service some photos of previous Christmas flowers at St Margaret’s were featured. We hope that we will be able to decorate our churches for Easter to celebrate our Risen Lord but we will await developments!

Julia and Lindsey

Gardening

I have done no gardening for the church at all this year, but we are all very grateful to Gordon for regularly mowing the grass in the back garden of St Peter’s and very impressed when he mowed round the shape of a large cross which he left to grow. What inspiration.

And also grateful thanks to Stuart who regularly mowed the grass in the front garden.

Pat Price

Prayer Ministry

The Prayer Ministry team has been unable to meet and support people as it usually would over this last year of challenge and disruption. You may remember we are the small team of people who are available after the main 10.30 Sunday service to support you with any prayer requests and pray with you if you wish. This doesn’t mean that we have been redundant over this last year, in fact it’s quite the opposite! Prayer is the backbone of the church, and in these unstable, difficult times, this has been proven – did we ever doubt it? To be able to continue to be part of organised worship within the church, either in silent prayer at St Margaret’s, or by attending our Eucharistic service via Zoom, or the Lectio Divina meetings also via Zoom has been a great support to many. We have also managed to run an Advent course via Zoom.

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The Prayer Ministry team remains available for anyone to contact. Recently we have been meeting on Tuesday each week, again by Zoom, to pray together for our church congregation, local community and any specific needs and concerns. If you would like us to include anyone or any issue in our prayers, please contact one of the team.

Angie Cornell.

IT Report

IT has played an important role this year in enabling all of us to still attend services when we aren’t able to be physically present, in keeping everyone informed of what is going on through emails and the website and in fostering a sense of community through the eclectic conversations to be found on the WhatsApp group. There are some people which we would like to especially thank for this including:

Alan for preparing the notices and getting them sent to Jon, our ever-reliable website guy.

Simone for staying on top of Social Media.

Michael and Douglas for ensuring that the services are transmitted to us at home and then for making sure these are then available on YouTube for those unable to make the service on Sunday. The pre-recorded “Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” was also beautifully and professionally produced and additional thanks need to go to Mary and Lawrence for making this possible.

We would also like to thank Bonnie for her “Voices in the Wilderness” and Rachel for providing her thoughtful daily prayers on the Whatsapp group, and to everyone using this resource to share their worries, their joys, their dog tales (get it!), snow pics and of course the all important gardening tips! I notice that there have been 1126 pics, links and photos posted in the last year from 45 members and literally thousands of messages!

Latest Website Stats....

Now for a few ever popular website statistics!

Over the last year approx. 88% of visits have been from the UK, 5% from the USA and 4% from Canada.

40% of all visits are direct to the website from regular users, while 55% are from search engines…with 90% of these using Google.

56% of all visits are from towns in Kent.

5% from someone living in Islington.

I am also very happy to discover that word has reached Toongabbie in NSW and also Council Bluffs in Iowa. 2 visits recorded from each of these places.

As with last year, about 1/3 of all visits are made using mobile devices with Chrome being the most popular browser and Windows 10 being the most commonly used Operating System.

8% of visitors are lucky enough to be looking at the website using high definition screens! How we know that…I have no idea! ☺

Website: www.parishofrochester.org.uk E Mail: office@parishofrochester.org.uk Parish Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParishOfRochester Cluster Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RochesterClusterOfChurches

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Family Time: https://www.facebook.com/groups/268342923346343/ Without Walls Trips: https://www.facebook.com/groups/479217192446841/?ref=share

Cluster Partners:

St Justus: https://www.stjustus.org/ St Matthews: https://stmatthewsborstal.com/

Gary Ward

Music Director’s Report

The circumstances this year have, as we know, made use of hymns etc. impossible. Whilst I am aware, that many people have missed this element of the services, I think there has been a bonus in that we have more time and effort available to concentrate on the scriptural and prayer content and communicating with each other. To put it another way perhaps, hymns are Christian but Christianity is not just hymns.

Our cathedrals, with their greater space have done much to give us some wonderful services and music on line. Canterbury has done particularly well and continues to do so.

However, I did think that Christmas should not pass without our own carol service. Fortunately, I had recorded the 2017 carol service and so, using this as a basis, Laurence Long and I put together the on line service which Michael then live streamed on 20 December. Volunteers video-recorded 8 of the readings and Joel added his prayers, blessing and the remaining reading. Other members of the congregation responded with photos of St Margaret’s at previous Christmases and even a video clip of the bell ringers. Peter video-recorded his opening welcome and Douglas provided the signing off message at the end. Laurence produced the finished article, including himself playing Wachet Auf and In Dulci Jubilo. Singing along at home, we were aware that we were hearing our friends and our organ in our church. I like to think that this made a difference.

News from the organ builders is good. So as to keep to the rules, the team is splitting its time between the organ works and home workshops with a little furlough thrown in. As well as the considerable work they have already done,( soundboards etc) the pedal board has now been restored and is awaiting fitting of some new switch connectors. The console woodwork has all been restored and repolished and restoration of the drawstop knobs completed . The work on the bellows has just been started as have some other items. All is on track for the work to be completed and re-installed in the warmer weather.

Mary Jeffreys Music Director

Parents’ Pop In

The Pop In only met for a few weeks this year, from January to March. Due to families moving out of the area, and through illnesses, we only averaged about three children at a time, though I feel that as the year went on those numbers would have risen again under normal circumstances.

Pam Boarer

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Neighbours

We started off the year on a high, though still struggling for people to help at the Crease, but then came lockdown at the end of March. A few of the April copies that we had just managed to produce were delivered, and the subsequent issues were online with no added articles. By the end of the year we decided that we could no longer carry on in this format and could not see how or when we would be able to pick up and continue as we had been doing so it was with sadness that we came to the conclusion that the production of Neighbours should come to an end with the December issue after 40 years.

We are so very grateful to everyone who has helped over all these years, with contributions, advertising, setting, printing, folding and delivering. We could not have done it without you. It was a mammoth operation, with Neighbours being delivered to 4000 houses in the parish, and was enjoyed by many.

Notices which would have been in Neighbours can now be found on the parish website.

Monica Aldridge

Refreshments After Services

Like many others this is a very short report as there were only services held until the first lockdown in March. Until then our willing band of helpers manned the teapots with their usual skill only to be making tea for themselves at home afterwards.

Our sad news is that in December Pat Featherstone passed away, and the team will miss her greatly. She was responsible for the tea rota, and ensuring we had enough of everything and was always there to cover if anyone could not be there.

We look forward to serving you all again as soon as we are able.

Monica Aldridge

Welcomers

This year started off as any other year, welcoming people to our services and generally doing all our duties as usual, and then came lockdown and we had no services to welcome people to. After much preparation by the PCC we opened our doors again at the end of August, under very different circumstances. We joined as one team with the Churchwardens, with our main role of welcoming people but also checking temperatures and contact details to be kept in the safe for three weeks in the event of any resulting cases of Covid. This system has worked well, though we had another pause during the November lockdown.

We are very happy to have Joy Wilson join our team in September and she is a real asset. Derrick has also been wonderful as my deputy and has worked really hard in covering the rota when needed to step in and I am very grateful.

Welcomers this year have been Mark Pearce, Miriam Evans, Tina Evans, Derrick Solly, John Portman, Kevin Holloway, Joy Wilson, Pat Price and myself and my thanks go to everyone involved.

Monica Aldridge Co-ordinator

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Parish Safeguarding Officer’s Report

To my knowledge there have been no reportable safeguarding incidents this year.

The details on the parish website have been renewed regarding safeguarding contacts and all posters were updated despite the problems.

We have continued to safely recruit those who volunteer in our parish. Joel and I met when we were able to do so in the summer to go through the outstanding application forms for volunteers and to track progress. Most people have been safely recruited and references have been returned. The main problem has been encouraging people to complete the training that they need to do. All training has switched to online and understandably, some people are unable to access this. Unfortunately, others have failed to meet this requirement even though they were in a position to do so.

It is also nearly three years since some members of our congregation have completed their training and they will now need to renew this taking the highest level again. I will be sending out letters to those to whom this requirement applies. It is notable that some need to renew after three years and others haven’t even started the process.

There is still an outstanding issue regarding the bell ringers which will need to be addressed as soon as it is safe to do so.

I have taken part in a Zoom meeting where we were introduced to all the PSOs and to the safeguarding team at the diocese. It has been agreed that we will try and support one another by Email to share good practice.

I would like to thank Kevin and Martin for their continued support and work this year and a special thank you to Jayne Pearson for dealing with some of the admin, when I have been unable to do so because of having to shield.

We must all remain vigilant and be aware of people who have suffered from abuse during the lockdowns in their own homes. Please remember them in your prayers. Stay safe has been the mantra this year but for some it is not so easy.

Nicky Timlick

APCM Report (Safeguarding adults)

The year 2020 has been a very difficult year for the parish especially in the context of Covid 19 and the potential implications for vulnerable adults and children. In many respects the Covid crisis has highlighted these issues even more. Safeguarding adults and minors with care and support needs from abuse and neglect,remains an enduring responsibility for all who take an active role in the parish. It is worth bearing in mind that people who fall into a 'vulnerable' category may be more susceptible to abuse and neglect as others may seek to exploit disadvantages due to age, disability, mental or physical impairment or illness. In times of a crisis such as the year we have experienced, it may lend itself to more opportunities for the vulnerable to be exploited by individuals with malevolent intentions. All these issues make our responsibilities in terms of being vigilant in mitigating against these dangers even more important, and to ensure our safeguarding procedures are actively maintained and applied.

Kevin Holloway (Safeguarding adults)

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Servers’ Report

I would like to start my report by saying a big thankyou to David Bacchus, Ray Shuter, Miriam Evans, Richard Coyle, Michael O’Connor, David Porter and Bonnie Chandler for keeping the serving duties going on most Sundays, before we went into Lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our last Sunday of doing our serving duties was on Sunday 15[th] March 2020, due to the church having to close.

When the Church was allowed to reopen back in the Summer we still haven’t been able to carry out any of our serving duties due to the ongoing pandemic, however at Folake’s last service on 13[th] September 2020 she presented the serving team with some new altar cloths for which we are extremely grateful and we hope to use them when we can resume our serving duties and are able to all worship together once again as a church family.

Jayne Vousden (Head Server).

The Social Committee Report

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we were only able to hold one Table Talk evening in January and a Quiz Night in February. Every other event had to be cancelled.

Please note that due to the height and proximity of the new block of flats on the Yeoman House site, we will no longer, after at least 30 years, be able to put on the annual Parish bonfire and firework display. I have personally been involved with this for 26 years and together with Trevor Barnett we have very much enjoyed setting off the fireworks and listening to the crowd’s reaction. Special thanks also, to Pam Boarer and her team for organising the disco and refreshments and Pam Moss for door duties.

We are hopeful that later in 2021 we will be able to resume some social events. As always, keep an eye on the pew sheets for details.

Stuart Pearson 9[th] January 2021

St Margaret’s at Troy Town School

Children of key workers and vulnerable children have been able to attend school since the spring of 2020, with Joel going in to deliver collective worship in their classrooms to begin with, before migrating online so that children watching from home could also join in. The school has provided home learning and a recovery curriculum for those who have missed out on schooling this year. The school also operated a foodbank and delivery scheme to support families they knew were struggling. The local governing body has continued to meet online, with governors doing what we could to support staff, children, and families. The Parish provided a gift for Year 6 leavers in the summer.

Joel Love

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Stewardship Report

Thank you to ALL who give to the Parish in any way; financial or with their time and talents and often, all three!

2020 has been an extraordinarily difficult year for the Parish. We have been unable to open our halls to hirers, fund raising events have been cancelled, donations and loose plate collections have dried up. I would therefore respectfully ask that, if you have not already signed up to planned giving, that you consider this and for those who already make regular contributions that you kindly review your giving.

One way to increase your giving, If you pay tax in any way at all, whether on income, personal or occupational pension, stocks and shares, bank and building society savings or investments, or rental income Gift Aid may be reclaimed. In 2020 we successfully reclaimed tax paid by members of this congregation totaling just over £7242.15. This is effectively free money for the Parish and I would ask that if you are a tax payer in any way and if you haven’t done so already, that you consider signing a Gift Aid declaration.

For those who currently make their contributions via the envelope scheme

Sadly, as there are now just a handful of people who make their contributions this way, we will no longer be able to arrange for the printing of the boxes of envelopes. So, from April 2021, we would ask you to kindly consider donating via monthly standing order.

Once again, thank you for your continuing support. It is very much appreciated.

The Responsibility Is Ours!

Jayne Pearson Parish Administrator

For more information about making a regular contribution via standing order or signing up to gift aid, please contact me in the Parish office: office@parishofrochester.org.uk

Walsum

There was to have been a large group visit from our partner parish in Walsum in May 2020, but this sadly had to be postponed until May 2022. We will still be looking for volunteers to host guests from Walsum as we work out how to develop our partnership in the post-Covid 19 and post-Brexit future. A smaller visit from Rochester to Germany for our annual retreat with participants from Walsum also had to be cancelled. Thankfully we have been able to keep in touch with our brothers and sisters in Walsum via Zoom and email.

Joel Love

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Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total Funds Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment TotalFunds
Funds Funds Funds Funds 2020 Funds Funds Funds Funds 2019
Incomingresources Note £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
Voluntaryincome 2 53,618 762 35,250 89,630 59,290 4,193 460 63,943
Activitiesforgenerating funds 2 721 721 7,208 7,208
income frominvestments 2 13,640 14 6 13,660 11,874 36 6 11,916
Incomefromchurch activities 2 8,171 1,470 9,641 25,197 4,089 29,286
Other incomingresources 2 3,792 3,792 2,756 2,756
Total IncomingResources 79,942 776 36,726 - 117,444 106,325 4,229 4,555 - 115,109
Resourcesexpended
Fund-raising trading costs 3 - - - - - - - - - -
Activitiesrelatingtotheworkofthe Church 3 87,792 4,566 26,385 - 118,743 88,835 16,653 6,893 - 112,381
Governancecosts 3 _500 - - - 500 500 - - - 500
Total ResourcesExpended 88,292 4,566 26,385 - 119,243 89,335 16,653 6,893 - 112,881
Net Incoming/fOutgoing)Resources (8,350) (3,790) 10,341 - (1,799) 16,990 (12,424) (2,338) - 2,228
Transfers (601) 3,700 (3,099) - - (3,700) 3,700 - - -
Gains& LossesonInvestments - - - 4,312 4,312 - - - 9,578 9,578
Net MovementsinFunds (8,951) (90) 7,242 4,312 2,513 13,290 (8,724) (2,338) 9,578 11,806
Baiancesbrought forwardat 1st January 2020 79,379 19,702 111,845 239,023 449,949 66,089 28,426 114,183 229,445 438,143
Balancescarriedforwardat 31st December2020 70,428 19,612 119,087 243,335 452,462 79,379 19,702 111,845 239,023 449,949

BalanceSheet at31stDecember 2020 Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment
Funds Funds Funds Funds 2020 Funds Funds Funds Funds 2019
Note £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
FixedAssets
Fixed assets property 4 - - 105,575 175,715 281,290 - - 105,575 175,715 281,290
Investment assets 5 341 - - 67,620 67,961 342 - - 63,308 63,650
341 - 105,575 243,335 349,251 342 - 105,575 239,023 344,940
Current Assets
Debtors 6 7,956 - - - 7,956 6,419 - - - 6,419
ShortTermDeposits 68,771 8,459 1,522 - 78, 752 67,316 6,842 1,516 - 75,674
Cash at bank& inhand (6,140) 11,153 11,990 - 17,003 5,802 12,860 4,754 - 23,416
70,587 19,612 13,512 - 103,711 79,537 19,702 6,270 - 105,509
Liabilitiesfallingduewithinoneyeai 7 (500) - - - (500) (500) - - - (500)
Net Current Assets 70,087 19,612 13,512 - 103,211 79,037 19,702 6,270 - 105,009
Net Assets 70,428 19,612 119,087 243,335 452,462 79,379 19,702 111,845 239,023 449,949
Funds
Endowment - - - 243,335 243,335 - - - 239,023 239,023
Restricted - - 119,087 - 119,087 - - 111,845 - 111,845
Designated - 19,612 - - 19,612 - 19,702 - - 19,702
General 70,428 - - - 70,428 79,379 - - - 79,379
70,428 19,612 119,087 243,335 452,462 79,379 19,702 111,845 239,023 449,949

2.INCOMINGRESOURCES Unrestricted Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2020
funds funds funds funds Total
£ £ £ £ £
Voluntaryincome
Planned giving 27,709 - - 27,709
Incometax recovered 8,779 - - 8,779
NonGiftAid planned giving - - 360 360
Collections and othergiving 768 - - 768
Sundry donations 4,294 762 - 5,056
Grants 8,448 - - 8,448
Friendsof Rochester - - 34,890 34,890
JRS Grant 3,620 - - 3,620
Activitiesforgeneratingfunds
Fetesbazaarsetc 721 - - - 721
income fromInvestments
Dividendsand interest 2,207 14 6 - 2,227
HathawayCourtRent 11,433 - - - 11,433
Income fromchurch activities
Hireof Hall &rentals 5,471 - - - 5,471
Magazines - - 1,470 - 1,470
Fees 2,700 - - - 2,700
Other incomingresources
Insurance claims - - - - -
Other income 3,792 - - - 3,792
TOTALINCOMINGRESOURCE'— 79,942 776 36,726 - 117,444
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2019
funds funds funds funds Total
£ £ £ £ £
Voluntaryincome
Plannedgiving 30,184 - - 30,184
Incometax recovered 7,547 - - 7,547
NonGiftAid planned giving - - 460 460
Collectionsand othergiving 3,818 - - 3,818
Sundry donations 7,241 4,193 - 11,434
Grants 10,500 - - 10,500
Friendsof Rochester - - - -
JRS Grant - - - -
Activitiesforgeneratingfunds
Fetesbazaarsetc 7,208 - - - 7,208
Income fromInvestments
Dividendsand interest 2,324 36 6 - 2,366
HathawayCourtRent 9,550 - - - 9,550
income fromchurchactivities
Hireof Hall &rentals 20,230 - - - 20,230
Magazines - - 4,089 - 4,089
Fees 4,967 - - - 4,967
Other incomingresources
Insurance claims - - - - -
Other income 2,756 - - - 2,756
TOTALINCOMINGRESOURCE'— 106,325 4,229 4,555 - 115,109
3. RESOURCESUSED Unrestricted Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2020
funds funds funds funds Total
£ £ £ £ £
Fund-raising trading costs
Cost of fundraising - - - - -
Church activities
Missionary& charitablegiving 68 - - 68
Clergy expenses 11,913 - - 11,913
Parish share 47,206 - - 47,206
Church runningexpenses 10,237 - - 10,237
Churchrepairs& maintenance 3,351 - - 3,351
Children& youth work - - - -
Parish magazine& bookstall - - 1,386 1,386
Otherpropertycosts - - - -
Hall Runningcosts 6,593 - - 6,593
Designatedfundspayments - 4,566 - 4,566
Printing& stationery - - - -
Sundry expenses 8,424 - - 8,424
Developmentfund - - 780 780
OrganRepairs - - 24,219 24,219
Governance costs
IndependentExaminer'sfee 500 - - - 500
TOTALRESOURCESUSED ___ 88,292 4,566 26,385 119,243
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2019
funds funds funds funds Total
£ £ £ £ £
Fund-raising trading costs
Cost of fundraising - - - - -
Church activities
Missionary& charitable giving 615 - - 615
Clergy expenses 15,058 - - 15,058
Parish share 37,872 - - 37,872
Church running expenses 9,794 - - 9,794
Church repairs& maintenance 6,781 - - 6,781
Children& youth work - - - -
Parish magazine& bookstall - - 3,293 3,293
Otherpropertycosts - - - -
Hall Running costs 8,672 - - 8,672
Designated fundspayments - 16,653 - 16,653
Printing& stationery 170 - - 170
Sundry expenses 9,873 - - 9,873
Developmentfund - - 3,600 3,600
Governance costs
IndependentExaminer'sfee 500 - - - 500
TOTALRESOURCES USED 89,335 16,653 6,893 112,881

4.TangibleFixed Assets Freeholdland Hathaway Church Total Total
& Buildings Court Equipment
£ £ £ £
Actual/Deemed Cost
At1 January 2020 105,575 175,715 10,342 291 ,632
Additions - - - -
Disposals - - - -
At31December 2020 105,575 175,715 10,342 291 ,632
Depreciation
At1 January 2020 - - 10,342 10,342
Charge for the year - - - -
Disposals - - - -
At31December 2020 - - 10,342 10,342
NetBookValue
At31December 2020 105,575 175,715 - 281,290
At31December 2019 105,575 175,715 - 281,290
5.Investments Market Market
Investmentsareincludedat theirbidvalue on31.12.2020 Value Value
2020 2019
Endowment £ £
Fabric ReserveFund
1,164.96CBFInvestment Fund 23,819 22,281
1,487CBF Fixed Interest SecuritiesFund 2,515 2,431
CBFInvestmentFund
2,035.86CBFInvestment Fund shares ______41,627 38,938
67,961 63,650
6. Debtors 2020 2019
£ £
Giftaid taxreclaim 7,956 6,419
7,956 6,419
7. Creditors 2020 2019
£ £
Independent Examiner's Fee 500 500
500 500

Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gains on 31 December
2020 Resources Expended investments Transfers 2020
£ £ £ £ £ £
Parish Buidings 4,704.21 13.98 (2,132.40) - 3,700.00 6,285.79
Pop in 1,402.80 473.14 (2,145.95) - - (270.01)
Bells Fund 2,137.86 185.00 (150.00) - - 2,172.86
General Designated Fund 10,000.00 - - - - 10,000.00
Table Tops - - - - - -
Dementia 287.55 50.00 (138.00) - - 199.55
-Rochester & StroodDFC 220.00 - - - - 220.00
Saturday Social 949.17 54.20 - - - 1,003.37
19,701.59 776.32 (4,566.35) - 3,700.00 19,611.56
Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gains on 31December
**2019 ** Resources Expended **investments ** Transfers 2019
£ £ £ £ £ £
Parish Buidings 14,348.55 36.06 (13,380.40) - 3,700.00 4,704.21
Pop in 899.70 2,663.10 (2,160.00) - - 1,402.80
Bells Fund 1,952.86 275.00 (90.00) - - 2,137.86
General Designated Fund 10,000.00 - - - - 10,000.00
Table Tops 319.14 - (319.14) - - -
Dementia 10.76 968.80 (692.01) - - 287.55
-Rochester & StroodDFC 150.00 70.00 - - - 220.00
Saturday Social 745.17 215.60 (11.60) - - 949.17
28,426.18 4,228.56 (16,653.15) - 3,700.00 19,701.59

Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gains on 31December
2020 Resources Expended investments T ransfers 2020
Memorial (Trust)Funds 412.82 1.66 - - 414.48
DevelopmentFund 2,841.83 364.43 (780.00) - - 2,426.26
OrganRepairs - 34,890.00 (24,219.00) - - 10,671.00
PrintAccount 3,015.12 1,470.00 (1,385.91) - (3,099.21) -
Fixed Asset for churchuse 105,575.00 - - - - 105,575.00
111,844.77 36,726.09 (26,384.91) (3,099.21) 119,086.74
Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gains on 31December
2019 Resources Expended investments Transfers 2019
Memorial (Trust)Funds 411.16 1.66 - - 412.82
DevelopmentFund 5,977.43 464.40 (3,600.00) - 2,841.83
PrintAccount 2,218.46 4,089.00 (3,292.34) - 3,015.12
Fixed Asset for churchuse 105,575.00 - - - 105,575.00
114,182.05 4,555.06 (6,892.34) - 111,844.77

Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gainson 31 December
2020 Resources Expended investments Transfers 2020
CBFFunds 63,308.30 - - 4,311.79 - 67,620.09
HathawayCourt 175,715.00 - - - - 175,715.00
239,023.30 - - 4,311.79 - 243,335.09
Balance Balance
1January Incoming Resources Gainson 31December
2019 Resources Expended investments Transfers 2019
CBFFunds 53,729.99 - - 9,578.31 - 63,308.30
HathawayCourt 175,715.00 - - - - 175,715.00
229,444.99 - - 9,578.31 - 239,023.30

Capitalsum Interest Total
Legacy 670,687.74 - 670,687.74
Notionalinterest (2018, 2019, 2020) - 7,215.22 7,215.22
DiocesanLegal fees (6,680.00) - (6,680.00)
664,007.74 7,215.22 671,222.96