2023-12-31-accounts

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Annual Report for 2023

For presentation at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Monday 15[th] April 2024 - 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Membership of the Parish of Moseley PCC…………………………………………………………………………	2
Agenda ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………	3
Associate Vicar’s Report ………………………………………………………………………………………………………	4
Parish of Moseley - Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners and Annual Parochial
Church Meeting …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..	7
Parish of Moseley PCC report……………………………………………………………………………………………….	13
Extract from Parish of Moseley PCC Minutes ………………………………………………………………………	14
St Mary’s Music and The Friends of St Mary’s Choirs and Music – Mick Perrier ………………….	15
St Anne’s Music Report – Fiona Chew and Trish Everett………………………………………………………	16
Bell Ringers’ Report – Simon Linford Tower Captain, St Mary’s, and Trish Everett, Tower	17
Captain, St Anne’s ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
St Mary’s Flower Guild – Angela Brown…………………………………………………….…………………………	18
St Anne’s Flower Arranging – Jan Midgley ……………………………………………………………………………	18
Churches Together – Jennifer Holloway ………………………………………………………………………………	19
Discipleship – Revd Magdalen Smith and Liz Blakey …………………………………………………………….	19
Intergenerational Ministry – Rachel Kinning ………………………………………………………………………..	20
Report from Moseley C of E Primary School – Miss Young (Head Teacher)…………………………..	23
Safeguarding – Janet Thorne………………………………………………………………………………………………..	25
Christmas Day Together – Bridget Langstaff…………………………………………………………………………	26
Charitable Giving – Debbie Barwell………………………………………………………………………………………	26
Pastoral Care Team – Jennifer Holloway ……………………………………………………………………………..	28
Parish Hospitality Group – Angela Brown …………………………………………………………………………….	28
Coffee and Company and Warm Space – Angela Brown and Janet Thorne…………………………..	29
St Mary's Churchwardens' Report – Angela Brown …………………………………………………………….	30
St Anne’s Churchwardens’ Report – Danielle Edwards and Stephen Alabaster……………………	31
St Mary’s Row Properties – Robert Brown ………………………………………………………………………….	32
Stewardship and Gift Aid - Robert Brown ……………………………………………………………………………	32
Treasurer’s Report – John Clarkin ………………………………………………………………………………………..	33
Moseley Deanery Synod – Sabina Bealt………………………………………………………………………………..	43

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Background

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Parish of Moseley is responsible for co-operating with the Ministry Team in promoting within the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE PARISH OF MOSELEY PCC

Members of the PCC are either ex officio, or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the period April 2023 to April 2024, the following served as members of the PCC:

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Vicar: Associate Vicar: Revd Magdalen Smith Assistant Priest: Revd Frank Berry Reader: Mark Simons Peter Alcock Wardens: Angela Brown Danielle Edwards Stephen Alabaster ELECTED MEMBERS: Deanery Synod Members: Jean Lindley Jenny Daniels Sabina Bealt PCC MEMBERS: Until APCM 2024 Janet Thorne, Fran Rowley, John Clarkin (Treasurer), Jill Adams (Lay Vice Chair), Stephen Alabaster, Mike Midgley, 2 Vacancies Until APCM 2025 Una Lodge, Jean Lindley Until APCM 2026 Scott Smith, Tom Brodie

PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS

ARCHITECT Philip Waghorn, Acanthus Clews Architects Ltd, 57 Hightown Road, Banbury, OX 16 9BE BANK HSBC, PO Box 68, 130 New Street, Birmingham B2 4JU INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Deidre Mattison, 22 April Croft, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 9HP PROPERTY AGENTS Fishers, 22, 24, 26 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 9NF

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

THE PARISH OF MOSELEY

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

15[th] April 2024

Agenda

Prayer and Welcome

Revd Magdalen Smith, Associate Vicar

Annual Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens

Apologies Minutes of last meetings (24[th] April 2023) Matters arising Election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Apologies Minutes of last meetings (24[th] April 2023) Matters arising Electoral Roll Report – Fiona Chew / Trish Everett Election of Deanery Synod Representatives – 1 vacancy Election of Parochial Church Council – 8 vacancies to APCM 2027 plus 1 vacancy to APCM 2025

Accounts: John Clarkin

Appointment of independent examiner

Churchwarden’s report: St Mary’s

Churchwarden’s report: St Anne’s

Report from Church organisations (tabled)

Closing comments – Associate Vicar, Revd Magdalen Smith

Date of next year’s APCM

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Associate Vicar’s Report – Revd Magdalen Smith

Like most years, 2023 held its fair share of challenges but also enormous blessings. For me, Moseley Parish continues to feel a place of deep spirituality, excellent and enriching worship and a strong place of community where an inclusive culture of welcome and acceptance has been developed over many years. Reading the Thought for the Week each week has made me realise how much theological knowledge our congregation holds. In spite of the shrinking from 3 fulltime to one full time clergy person and the death of my mother, I finished the year feeling fortunate and happy to be here as Associate Vicar. Thank you to all of you who were so kind and understanding around this time.

Revd Duncan and Revd Sara left for pastures new in February and May. I have been immensely grateful for the efforts of our ordained and lay leaders in keeping the worship flowing. Since the interregnum we have only had to cancel two services throughout the year. Thank you to Revds Keith, Frank and Bishop James and to our Readers Mark and Peter, and IMC leader Rachel for doing this to such a high standard. This year, we will welcome our link student Amy from Queen’s to be part of this, and Fiona Elvins, local URC Minister who will be helping us with some of the evening services. It’s good to have Sabina Bealt training as Reader and hopefully others in 2024. We said goodbye to Mark Simons, Site Manager for the parish for 10 years but were delighted at his continuation in Moseley as Reader and also that he is flourishing in his new role as verger at Birmingham Cathedral. He also coordinates Moseley at the Movies which has grown from strength to strength with new leadership emerging to support to him.

In spite of the interregnum things have moved forward as we not only sustained ministry but tried new ventures. Vision 13 (with Becs Ray as project coordinator) has refined its vision after visiting several reorderings in the locality over the summer, and after a meeting with the architects we hope this will continue now at a faster pace. We desperately need better kitchen facilities as well as better space for small groups and outside bookings. In spite of our limitations and lack of heating we have managed to sustain Warm Space and Coffee and Company on three mornings a week as a welcoming place for anyone in the community to gather. I am very grateful to Angela Brown who has faithfully continued with this as well as including new volunteers. Our Pastoral Team headed up by Jennifer Holloway is a quiet but strongly supportive presence for many people in the parish. Thanks to Bridget and James Langstaff for taking on Christmas Day Together, last year successfully held at The Hive Community Hub. Our parish is also fortunate to have Janet Thorne as Safeguarding Officer who works tirelessly in a constantly changing arena.

It is also very positive to have progressed the refurbishment of the organ now with a faculty having been granted and work commencing in the next few months. It has been wonderful to continue to grow the Choir, Singers and Bell Ringing Team and to also affirm the new training bell and replacement bells at St Anne’s. Thank you to Simon, Trish, Mick and Rachel who head up these ministries and to all who create joyful sounds!

One joy has been to welcome Ryan Creighton as Site Manager who comes with significant experience; it has been lovely to include him as part of the Staff Team. A continuing challenge has been the closure of the Church Hall, and I am very grateful to our Office Managers, Fiona and Trish for the additional work and negotiation with

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

hirers this closure has continued to require. We hope that this year a positive decision will be made as to its future role in order to progress its refurbishment or redevelopment. Another challenge has been that for many months St Mary’s was very cold due to the failure of an archaic boiler. This has now been replaced and a small team also works on the current meter system to make this accurate and efficient. Angela Brown was also instrumental in applying for and obtaining a Bronze Eco-Award for the Parish. Rob Brown continues to manage the properties the church owns and has overseen the work on the flat refurbishment which will hopefully begin to generate income once rented out. I am very grateful to him for this.

Other new things have been offering some Bereavement Café events and a Christmas service to those struggling with long-term grief, an outside Service of Celebration of Creation and pet blessing and a Welcome Lunch last June. This latter event generated new roles and tasks being covered with people getting involved as Warm Space volunteers, helping with the flowers, the parish finding a Christian Aid rep and new PCC members. We enjoyed celebrations for the Coronation of King Charles III with special musical, worship and social events. Two young people were prepared for Confirmation and Lent and Advent offered some rich and creative discipleship. Two new Home Groups were also begun, making 3 in total. We held a Christmas Tree Festival in early December and kept the 15 or so trees on display until after Christmas. Several school, nurseries and community groups contributed which was very positive. We have also begun to work more closely with the local police and Faith Forum in the light of the crisis in the Middle East and how this affects our community here in Moseley.

Our Church of England School has also seen new leadership in a change of Head, Karen Young and Deputy Amanda Perry. We said a sad farewell to Mrs Gallagher as we wished her well again for a new job. Rachel Kinning, Inter-generational Minister continues to provide much input and inspiration at the school as well as welcoming many other groups from other schools to our places of worship. Y@smaa has also grown to such an extent that we have decided to create a group to accommodate the older children.

At Christmas we welcomed Riverside to St Anne’s, and it has been good to forge stronger links with Christian brothers and sisters and to continue to build on relationships with the cluster parishes of United Church of St Paul’s and St Mary & St Ambrose. We look forward to getting to know our new Bishop in time as he settles into providing some vision for the Diocese as a whole.

Our parish finances continue to be a challenge for us with expenditure being more than our income. The Stewardship Team will continue to work towards building a stronger base for giving through the Parish Giving Scheme and there will be fundraising opportunities over the coming year which also provide opportunities for fellowship. A big thank you to the Hospitality Team who provided excellent Parish Lunches, an enjoyable Afternoon Tea in my garden over the summer and refreshments after funerals amongst many other things. We now also have the inclusion of two new Payaz machines which have provided additional income. John Clarkin our Treasurer continues to work over and above to balance the books and work at a long-term financial strategy and my thanks goes to him for all he does. I would also like to thank Richard Ellis for all he does at St Anne’s in this respect.

A final and very heartfelt thank you to our amazing team of Wardens and deputy Wardens, especially to Angela Brown, Danielle Edwards and Stephen Alabaster who work extremely hard and conscientiously. It would be good to find a second Church Warden for St Mary’s, as well as to fill the PCC Secretary’s role. Our Parish is a large and busy one and we are always needing volunteers for a

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

variety of tasks. We hope to hold a Pledge Sunday when we can encourage people to give of both money and talents. I have contributed to the Diocese by the leading of a Quiet Day for the Readers, an Advent Retreat for Solihull Deanery and being the Anglican facilitator on the West Midlands training course for Spiritual Accompaniment. This coming year I will also be publishing my 5[th] book ( Reverence ) and hope to celebrate this with the parish.

Over this coming year we also hope to attract the presence and experience of the right Incumbent. Please do pray for this as we continue through this year in joy, faith and compassion. Thank you to you all for all that you are and all that you do.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Parish of Moseley - Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners and Annual Parochial Church Meeting 24th April 2023

Attended: Revd Magdalen Smith (MS), Revd Sara Moore (SM), Danielle Edwards (DE), John Gray (JG), Karen Gray (KG), Fiona Chew (FC), Scott Smith, Mick Perrier (MP), Adam Thompson (AT), Jean Lindley, Jennifer Holloway (JH), Janet Thorne, Sabina Bealt (BB), Jokhim Meikle, Michael Hell (MH), Liz Blakey, Jill Adams (JA), Bridget Langstaff, John Clarkin (JC), Stephen Alabaster (SA), Kevin Edwards, Nigel Blakey, Phil Hall (PH), Elizabeth Southall (ES), Fran Rowley, Helen Kavanagh (HK).

Prayer and welcome

Revd Magdalen Smith, Associate Vicar, led our opening prayers.

Annual Meeting of Parishioners

1. Apologies

These have been received from Glyn Samuel, Kate Stocks, Angela Brown, Rob Brown, Helen Collett, Una Lodge, Jenny Daniels, Elisabeth Leicester and Betty Clarke.

2. Minutes of last meetings (25th April 2022)

Betty Clarke would like it to be noted that her surname is spelled with an ‘e’.
KG asked that in the SAC charities section, St Chad’s Sanctuary is referred to in full.

With the above amendments, the minutes were accepted as an accurate record of the meeting with no objections.

3. Matters arising

There were no matters arising.

4. Election of Churchwardens

We have received two nominations, for Angela Brown to stand again and for Danielle Edwards to stand again. MS has approached a couple of people to see if they are interested in filling the two vacancies. We thank Angela and Danielle for their willingness to continue in their roles and they are duly appointed.

Adam Thompson is standing down as Churchwarden of St Mary’s after a year. We are grateful for

the work he has done and his friendly, approachable manner. MS presented a small gift of thanks.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

John Gray has served for 6 years as Churchwarden of St Anne’s, in most recent term in this role. We

are grateful for the work he has done over many years and will miss his quiet wisdom and

contribution as churchwarden. MS presented a small gift of thanks.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

1. Apologies

These have been received from Glyn Samuel, Kate Stocks, Angela Brown, Rob Brown, Una Lodge,

Jenny Daniels, Elisabeth Leicester and Betty Clarke.

2. Minutes of last meetings (25th April 2022)

There were no amendments and these were accepted unanimously as an accurate record of the meeting.

3. Matters arising

There were no matters arising.

4. Electoral Roll Report – Fiona Chew / Trish Everett

FC reported that last year there were 150 people on the parish electoral roll. Three have been added during the year, taking the total to 153. The roll was open for revision from February to April and no new names were added. Four names were removed: two were sadly deceased and two have moved away from parish. The total now on the electoral roll for the parish is 149. MS thanked FC and Trish Everett for working on this and for their contribution to parish life as office staff in general.

5. Election of Deanery Synod Representatives (4 vacancies)

Sabina Bealt, Jean Lindley, Jenny Daniels have been nominated. They were re-elected unanimously. MS thanked them for all they have done this year as representatives. They have been very faithful in representing the parish at meetings and have reported back to the PCC.

6. Election of Parochial Church Council (2 vacancies)

There are two vacancies and we have two new nominations. Scott Smith, who is here, and Tom Brodie, who could not attend this evening. These were elected unanimously to PCC and warmly welcomed.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

7. Accounts: John Clarkin

JC provided an overview of the accounts in the report.

In summary, there has been a material worsening this year and the parish is £100-120K worse off in terms of income and expenditure. There are three main causes of this:

The cost base is increasing; we have been affected particularly negatively by the increase in utility costs. These are up from £25-30K/annum to £50/60K per annum and will go up again next year. Other costs are also rising. Insurance is up c.10-12% year on year.
Our income is broadly flat. There are three main sources of income: rental (from properties on St Mary’s Row), dividend and free will offering. Free will offering went down during COVID and is only now beginning to return to pre-COVID levels. In 2022, there were high levels of expenditure on property portfolio.
In 2021, we were lucky to have large bequest which has not been repeated.

When you remove ‘one off’ expenditure and income, we are still worse off than in the previous year, by about £35K. This is driven primarily by lower property income and higher costs.

JC mentioned the asset position of the parish. We have c.£3M of assets in property and investments. Investments went down in 2022 by c.£300K due to movement in the stock market. There is a commitment to invest capital in the reordering of St Mary’s; this must be considered carefully as the dividends from the capital investment will go down.

JC explained how funds are held by the parish: these are ‘restricted’ (can only be spent on a particular project), ‘designated’ (intended for a particular project) and ‘general’ (for the day-to-day running of the parish. There is a need to redirect funds when the financial landscape shifts and the ‘buffer’ we have (in ‘general’ funds) is falling. We have c.£100K less cash in the bank compared to last year and we are now having to liquidate assets to fund the day-to-day life of the church. There is a need to balance the books so that our expenditure matches our income.

There has been a revision to the 2021 accounts. Two or three accounts had not been reflected collectively. These represent c.£30/40K of assets and £2/3K income. The merger accounts have also been restated to correct an error.

In summary, we have some challenges which need to be resolved. We have good leadership and a strong congregation: our financial problems are solvable, but we do need to take action.

JA asks about inflation: JC said that dividends might go up a bit, but not enough to fund the gap.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

MP thanked JC very much, saying that church treasurer is not an easy brief to hold. MP asked about how the money from sale of Centre 13 (c.20 years ago) was held. JC responded that this is a ‘designated’ fund. There is £1M in the fund, but PCC could redeploy the funds, if they see fit. At the moment the capital is earning dividends and these are helping to ‘plug’ the gaps: the parish has benefitted from the dividends in many other ways. We have the same number of ‘units’ we have always had; the value of the capital balance is lower as the units are lower. Currently, these funds are still designated to the Vision 13 fund. JH also had understood that the money was ‘ringfenced’ – JC restated that it is intended at the moment for Vision 13, but PCC could redeploy. The Vision 13 fund represents around a third of parish assets today.

ES asked about organ fund. JC replied that this is a restricted fund and so cannot be used for anything else.

MH expressed concern over the level of free will offering in the parish and our payment to the Common Fund. MS replied that his comments were very astute and there are lots of conversations happening at the moment between herself and JC and a finance group. They are considering how we can mitigate against the loss of income we are experiencing and they are in conversation with the Diocese. PH also expressed concern about the Diocese. MS strongly discouraged an ‘us and them’ mentality: this is a tough time for all. Any conversations with the Diocese will remain reasonable, kindly but firm. MP commented that the Diocese has moved out of the large offices they had and have downsized considerably into smaller buildings.

JC commented that the solution to the financial challenges will come from a number of areas and will take at least two years.

In response to a question about free will offering, SM confirmed that we can encourage members of the congregation to give more. We are very well off compared to our near, and far, neighbours. BL commented that some smaller and less well-off parishes actually give more sacrificially. MS said that Sunday 4[th] June will be ‘Stewardship Sunday’ and we will be focusing on giving.

SS asked about movement in the investment portfolio compared to what you would usually expect. JC expects the value of the portfolio to go up this year.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

SA asked about changes in the value of investments from the end of December. JC could not give an exact answer, but they have improved a bit although have not yet returned to previous levels.

KG asked about the timing of possible liquidation. JC said that ideally we would not have to liquidate funds at the moment, but we need to fund losses and meet Quinquennial costs. It is also sometimes necessary and prudent to invest in the future even when facing financial challenges.

MS expressed thanks to JC for his hard work on a very complicated set of accounts and his work on a number of different areas within the finance life of the parish.

8. Appointment of independent examiner

Deidre Mattison is willing to continue in her role as External Examiner. JC proposed appointing her; this was seconded by KG and approved unanimously.

9. Churchwarden’s report: St Mary’s

AT commented on this report, saying that the Quinquennial inspection took place and work has been identified which needs to take place this year and in 2024. The Archdeacon’s visit in December went very well and there were useful discussions about controls and processes in church. It has been good to get back to ‘normal’ in 2022. Numbers are nearly back to pre-COVID levels. There were no questions.

MS wished to thank AT and Angela Brown and others who have worked to support them.

10. Churchwarden’s report: St Anne’s

JG commented on the report. The Quinquennial inspection took place and this was a significant improvement on previous iteration. Quite a lot of work has now been identified, including tens of thousands of pounds worth of stonework repairs and repairs to the tower. The churchwardens are in the process of getting quotes for PCC, but the priority currently is SAC Hall refurbishment this year. It is hoped that the hall will be returned to an attractive and useful asset for us and the local community. There have been issues with the Hall’s drains and boilers, which have now been resolved.

MS wished to thank JG, DE and others who have worked to support them. JG mentioned in particular Mark Simons, FC and Trish Everett.

Report from Church organisations (tabled)

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Thank you to Rob Brown for the St Mary’s Row property report and the Stewardship and Gift Aid report. These are very clear.

Thank you to SB and JD for the Deanery Synod report. SB mentioned that there is still time for a fourth member to be elected before the final meeting before the summer.

12. Closing comments – Associate Vicar, Revd Magdalen Smith

MS thanked everyone and said that many people contribute a great deal to the life of the parish. It is really important during the interregnum to pause, take stock and celebrate what we do. When one reads the APCM report, one realises how rich we are as a parish. In our ‘busyness’, we can race on to the next thing without stopping to reflect. We should remain as united as we can be in terms of our collective vision, building God’s kingdom in this place in Moseley, and in our own communities. MS sees Christ at work daily in all of us and in Birmingham. Recently someone moved into area for two weeks and attended lots of activities at our churches. They then had to return to Devon. The person emailed to thank us and said that we had brought him on in his discipleship. He said that we had wonderful churches and that he had received a very warm welcome.

Over the next few months, we may have to make changes in terms of our patterns of worship, what we do and how much we do. MS will try hard to keep going with four services on a Sunday, but it may not be possible to cover these. MS does not want anyone to feel guilty about not doing things, but if people can step up and help, this would be really appreciated. Many hands make light work!

The coming PCC meetings will not be held here, but in SAC Hall. The next PCC meeting will be on 9[th] May. Archdeacon Jenny will be coming to talk through the process of finding a new incumbent, exploring the qualities and experience of the right person. PCC members, please come to this and everyone, do think about our priorities for a new incumbent.

Sunday 28[th] May will be Sara and Mark’s last Sunday with us. There will be a service of celebration and a lunch to say goodbye to them.

JA thanked MS for all she does and continues to do, holding it all together.

MS thanked JA and HK.

MS led us in a closing prayer.

Date of next year’s APCM – 22[nd] April 2024

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

PCC Report – Jenny Daniels

The joint PCCs from St Mary’s and St Anne’s have met on a regular basis throughout the year. In a year that has seen some radical changes and challenges, it is pleasing to note that the ‘new’ PCC has settled into a positive and structured organisation. All meetings have been quorate and decisions made in a thoughtful and informed manner. Meetings follow an agreed structure – reports, either written or verbal - are received from committees and organisations involved in the running of the churches on a weekly basis.

Our particular thanks to Helen Kavanagh for her role in this. As Secretary to the PCC she has been instrumental in keeping excellent order through her note taking and commitment to the role. We are very grateful to Helen for all her hard work on both PCC and Standing Committee. We do still need to appoint another PCC Secretary.

Revd Duncan’s departure in February resulted in Jill Adam’s chairing the meetings as Lay Chair– or Magdalen/Angela Brown in her absence. Papers are sent by the Parish office in sufficient time for reading and discussion before the meeting. It is very helpful for PCC members and we appreciate such efficiency.

Below are the main items concerning the PCC over the last year.

Finance. It has been a difficult year. While there are investments - the cost of running both churches has escalated and finance is an issue. Free Will Giving is being addressed through a longterm stewardship campaign with the hope of getting more people onto the PGS (Parish Giving Scheme) which builds a more secure and regular giving strategy to the parish. Our Treasurer John Clarkin has been magnificent in keeping finance for both churches in check. Thank you, John, for all your hard work and keeping the finances transparent for PCC. Thank you also to Richard Ellis at St Anne’s.

Vison 13. PCC receives reports for the Vision group re the reordering of St Marys.

Reports from the following received for every meeting:

People and Places, Charitable Giving, Deanery Synod, Churches Together, Pastoral Team, and Churchwardens.

Other items on the agenda have been:

Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Organ Restoration, Property Management, Bellringers, Churchyard, Choir Matters, Social Events, Hospitality, Bellringers, Christmas Day Together and Parish events.

Discipleship continues to be an important part of parish activities. Revd Magdalen has organised courses, meetings and events to explore the spiritual understanding in our churches. The Pastoral team are active and report to PCC. Clergy are actively involved with Moseley C of E school and have representation on the Governing body.

As both churches and church properties are in need of renovation, there have been a number of building and safety issues. The appointment of Ryan Creighton as Site Manager for all our buildings has helped to address some of these problems.

PCC are instrumental in the process of appointing a new Vicar. Archdeacon Jenny attended a

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

meeting last year and gave guidance and information about this. Particular thanks go to our Churchwardens for the past year. Their brief is wide and the time and effort to deal with so many different issues is demanding.

As a United Parish we are slowly moving forward in confidence and Christian unity.

Extract from Parish of Moseley PCC Minutes

Extraordinary meeting held on 12[th] March 2024 via Zoom.

The PCC approved the draft accounts for 2023 subject to one or two updates.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

WORSHIP

St Mary’s Music and The Friends of St Mary’s Choirs and Music – Mick Perrier

This past year, my 46th as Director of Music at St. Mary’s, has been an extremely gratifying one in many ways after the years immediately post-Covid when any sense of continuity or normality had been severely compromised.

After some sad departures – Sam Perlo-Freeman (Singers and Robed Choir Bass leaving for Scotland), Ray Leung (Robed Choir Bass, leaving for Chelmsford), Matt Price (Robed Choir Bass leaving for Nottingham) - the Music Team has flourished with some excellent new members in the Treble department, the arrival of Mark Menezes (Tenor in both Robed Choir and Singers) and, finally, four first class young choral scholars from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire: Evelyn Byford (Soprano), Erin Davies (Alto), Seb Sgouraditis (Tenor) and Will Swinnerton (Bass). We hope that all will extend a warm welcome towards them from the St. Mary’s family.

A particularly sad occasion since the last AGM has been the passing of John Carey, for some 45 years a loyal choir parent, Singers Bass and for many years loyal Chairman of the Friends of the Choirs. It is hard to overestimate John’s quiet background contribution to the work of the Music Team in so many ways. He will be sadly missed. The Music Team turned out in numbers to celebrate his life in October. We are very glad that Cathie Carey continues to be associated with the Friends and to sing with the Singers.

For the first time in recent years, we have seen some moves from the Treble section into the Adult section of the choir, with Olivia Chew now singing as a soprano with Joshua King and Cal Drew as tenors. Part of the purpose of the Choral Scholars is to act as role models for the developing exTrebles. It is good to see this aspect beginning to emerge.

The Choral Scholarships have been hard to fill since we received funding from the Ouseley Trust in 2021. However, we are most grateful to the Trust for allowing us to carry the grant forward till this year. Their monies have primed the Scholarship programme but the Friends are due to take up the financing of the programme from Academic Year 2024-5 so some extra funding will need to be raised.

As well as in his tenor role, it has been a joy to see Joshua King develop into a fine emerging organist. He has played hymns and voluntaries on a number of occasions, and we look forward to more of this over time.

It has also been a real boon to have had the organ expertise of Dr. David Pitches (as well as his voice on the bass line!). He played excellently for the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols and on February 4th accompanied a memorable rendition of “The Heavens Are Telling” at morning Eucharist.

The Coffee Concerts have continued to become popular and are attracting a healthy audience bimonthly. We have performers who now come regularly (Moseley & Kings Heath U3A Choir, Michael Jones and our own – no relation! - Jeanne Conard Jones) as well as being able to welcome new faces to the line-up. The Nova Wind Quintet graced us with their presence for the first time last September. The income from these has enabled the Friends to make enhanced donations both to the Music Budget of St. Mary’s Church and to the Organ Renovation Fund.

The Friends have also financed a treat for the Trebles, a new pair of Head / Deputy Chorister’s cloaks (to appear at Easter) and contributed to the weekend choir residency at Bangor Cathedral which took place last August.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Although the Friends’ Committee had limited meetings in the past twelve months, it didn’t mean they were inactive, as testified to by the above. A more regular pattern of meetings is postulated for 2024 in order to provide opportunities for Friends members and to increase the membership overall. This is especially needed as some longstanding Friends have also moved away: among them Peter and Jenny Jupe (to Canterbury), Rev. Caroline and William George (to Wolverhampton). We were especially saddened to hear of William’s recent death – many from St. Mary’s and its Music Team supported the family at the funeral at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Penn. It was a particular privilege (and an emotional surprise to the family) that I was able to play the organ and piano for the service.

St. Mary’s Music Team presented a very well-received Summer Concert last July and repeated the exercise in September for St. Chad’s Church, Rubery, where our own former chorister and now Rev. Chloe Hewett was appointed as curate. Members of the Team also sang for Rev. Chloe’s first service in July. We were invited back in December and helped lead St. Chad’s Carol Service which was greatly appreciated.

Christmas was again busy with the Team singing for the St. John Ambulance Service Carols at St. Paul’s in the Jewellery Quarter, Masonic dinners in Kings Heath and in Warwickshire and a Christmas event in Earlswood.

One of the most momentous events in recent weeks has been the signing of the contract for the long-anticipated renovation of St. Mary’s Henry Jones Exhibition Organ. It has been largely due to the immense generosity of two members of the Music Team that most of the cost of the refurbishment has been achieved. The ordering of materials and new parts has begun, and the instrument will be dismantled and removed after Easter, with a hoped-for reappearance for Christmas or soon after. More events around this will emerge over time but we are privileged that this once-in-a-generation project will be accomplished in our time.

Finally, I’d like to thank all members of the team for their stalwart and good-natured support during the past year (as in countless years before!). I’m particularly indebted to Andrea Shelley who has patiently laboured as unofficial music librarian, to Terry Adams for keeping the Friends’ finances on an even keel, to Fiona Chew and Rachel Kinning for their inestimable contribution to the development of the Trebles, and to Kate Stocks for her help with keeping robes in good order. And lastly, but certainly not least, to Rev. Magdalen who, in this testing time of interregnum, has found time to be a constant source of encouragement and appreciation of the music at St. Mary’s in all its forms. Her support has resulted in our flourishing team and the coming to fruition of the Organ Project.

New singing members of all ages – from 7 to 70 and beyond! - for the Music Team are always encouraged and welcomed. Previous experience is helpful but certainly not required – just a willingness to muck in to learn as we go!

We are indebted to our loyal supporters in the Friends. I do hope that others too may take up membership to lend support to the enterprise. If you have family or friends who you can encourage into the fold this would be most welcome.

Just contact music@moseleychurch.org.uk for any enquiries.

St Anne’s Music Report – Fiona Chew and Trish Everett

In 2023, we were again lucky that Paul Smith was able to play at most services throughout the year. Paul’s ability to enhance our worship on the piano and organ is a blessing. The music that he chooses at the end of services also never fails to raise a smile. When Paul wasn’t available, Rowland Cotterill Kevin Gill and Joshua King were able to support.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Bell Ringers’ Report – Simon Linford, Tower Captain, St Mary’s, and Trish Everett, Tower Captain, St Anne’s

2023 was a very good year for the bellringers, particularly looking back at last year’s report where the pandemic’s effects were still being felt. Many churches are struggling for bellringers but St Mary’s and St Anne’s (our bands are combined now) would be the envy of most.

What has made the difference was the unsolicited appearance of three people wanting to learn to ring around April time, and the continued progress of three who started the previous year. The new three, Debbie, Sarah and Sue, went through an accelerated teaching programme with Simon so they could join in with the rest of the ringers quickly. With the other three learners, Peter, Lucien and Vicky, the band now has six new ringers. This has completely changed the dynamic of the band and its practices and service ringing.

We almost always have enough on a Sunday morning to ring at least 8 of the 10 bells at St Mary’s and the standard of ringing is good. Whereas a year ago we were often struggling to get a full team to ring at St Anne’s for the 11.00am service, the learners are enabling us to ring much more often.

For Evensong at St Mary’s, we used to try and ring quarter peals as often as possible, which are great for ringer development. In order to avoid conflict with the choir practicing for sung evening services we are now only attempting one quarter peal a month, with one other evening service per month which focuses on giving the learners their own chance to perform. Just having one quarter peal slot per month is a bit restrictive though.

St Mary’s continues to host the monthly midweek practice for St Martin’s Guild, attracted by the quality of the bells, the open nature of the ringing room, and of course the supply of tea and cake!

In June St Mary’s hosted the first National Call Change competition. 12 teams competed, with a mixture of teams from the call change heartlands of Devon and the method ringing bands of England. The competition was won by Kingsteignton with St Paul’s Birmingham a close second. The Moseley ringers also provided refreshments throughout the day including an excellent ringers’ tea!

Monday night practices at St Mary’s are very well attended and sociable and everyone is making progress. Attendance is supplemented by the university bellringers who have adopted Moseley as the place to go on a Monday! Tuesday night practices at St Anne’s had been struggling but this is now a very valuable practice for the learners in particular. An additional practice is being held on a Thursday afternoon specifically for the learners. This is with the bells silenced and a ringing simulator – more on that later.

The young Brumdingers now only ring once a month. Essentially the practice is for young bellringers from around Birmingham, with only a few of the original Moseley locals still ringing. The approach of GCSEs and now A levels had an effect on critical mass of the older ones. The Brumdingers continue to enter the annual Ringing World National Youth Contest (RWNYC) and did exceptionally well in the 2023 competition, led by Charlie Linford.

We have two active bell projects. The replacement of the front three bells at St Anne’s is subject of a faculty application. Two bells have already been identified that will suit the ring and they are at Taylors bell foundry waiting for us. On advice of the DAC bells adviser two of the original bells are going to need to find a home for display within the church. The St Anne’s project will make the bells much easier (and more enjoyable) to ring, and provide focus for a new wave of teaching youngsters.

In the meantime, and because of our need to have more ‘rope time’ for our learners we have

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

purchased and installed a ‘BellSim’ wireless simulator system. Electronic devices with a motion detector and a small radio transmitter have been attached to the frame, which send a signal each time a reflector on the wheel passes them. A receiver plugged into a laptop in the ringing chamber translates this into a bell sound that comes over speakers in the ringing chamber. With this, the team of ringers can ring the bells (which have been silenced by tying the clappers to one side with a bicycle inner tube!) with no sounds emanating from the tower, but full experience in the tower.

A similar facility is planned for St Mary’s but using a ‘dummy’ training bell which would sit in the room above the warden’s office. This is the same type of training bell as sat in the church for most of last year. This will enable ringers to develop their skills on their own or with a tutor, watching other simulated bellringers on a screen. We understand that the positioning of this training bell has now been agreed by the PCC along with a contribution towards the cost which is approximately £1,500. (The Simbell installation at St Anne’s cost approximately £800 which came from the ringers’ own resources.)

At the AGM in January, the first one chaired by Revd Magdalen, Simon Linford was re-elected as the ringing master at St Mary’s, with Trish Everett running the ringing at St Anne’s. Although we operate as a joint band, some ringers prefer one tower over the other, and the opportunities the two towers present are different.

St Mary’s Flower Guild – Angela Brown

2023 has seen a number of changes to the Flower Guild. Fewer people have been able to arrange flowers and with people coming off the rota the decision was made to have only one arrangement. After a number of years leading the Guild, Laura Dowell has decided to stand down, although I am pleased to say that she has agreed to continue to be on the rota. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes before the flowers you see in church are arranged. For festivals, displays have to be planned, flowers ordered and collected as well as being arranged and watered regularly. On behalf of the Flower Guild, I would like to thank Laura for all her hard work: it is much appreciated.

Thank you also to those people who have made donations towards the cost of flowers either to remember loved ones or to commemorate special occasions. If you would like to contribute to the cost of flowers for a special occasion please contact the office.

We are only able to have flowers in church to enhance our worship thanks to those people who give their time to volunteer. I’m delighted to say that a number of new volunteers have offered to join the rota for 2024. Thank you.

If you would like to help with flowers please contact the office.

St Anne’s Flower Arranging – Jan Midgley

I am pleased to report that I have been able to maintain flower arrangements during this past year by way of using both Fresh and Artificial Flowers to keep costs down. I am grateful to everyone who has put money in the Flower Donation Box at the rear of the church as this has helped to keep the funds in credit – thank you. I am also pleased to say that during the year I have had some assistance at busy times from my grand-daughter and some of her fellow 6th Form Students who, as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, have come along to help make the church look beautiful. This has been educational for them and helpful to me.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

If anyone has any special events or needs recognition of a loved one that require flowers then please get in touch with me via the Church Office and I can discuss your requirements.

Once again thank you for your donations they are very much appreciated.

Churches Together – Jennifer Holloway

Since the lockdowns, there have been no formal meetings between the churches representatives. Invitations to add the times of the different churches services or events to cards for distribution around the houses in Moseley, for Easter and Christmas, has met with limited response. The cards are still being sent out with known details, and grateful thanks are extended to those who have put the material together, printed it, and the volunteers who have delivered them.

There has been no joint service and no Walk of Witness, and it seems unlikely that these events will take place in the foreseeable future.

However, links with other local churches have developed in other ways. In December 2023, St Anne’s hosted Riverside church for their Christmas extravaganza and service. Our Lent Groups continue to attract people from other churches. Fiona Elvins, minister from St. Columba United Reform Church has led some evening services at St Mary’s.

DISCIPLESHIP

Discipleship – Revd Magdalen Smith and Liz Blakey

Inevitably with the interregnum to manage and time and energy spread more widely, we have not been able to do as much this year. However, what we have done nevertheless feels stimulating and fruitful.

For Lent we looked at The Difference Course – a national course devised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which aimed at exploring difference, navigating disagreement and pursuing a just and flourishing world. We ran this on Wednesday evenings as well as Thursday mornings as part of Thursday Thinkers. The course was run this year by members of the Discipleship Team and was well received. It asked participants to base their attitudes towards others on three simple principles - Be Curious, Be Present, and Reimagine.

We offered a Quiet Day in the beautiful setting of Temple Balsall in March and again enjoyed a good attendance. The day was led very creatively by Canon David Herbert a retired former colleague of Revd Magdalen’s and looked at three different aspects of the books of Acts.

Revd Magdalen is slowly growing Home Groups which provide a smaller and more intimate setting to form community, deepen discipleship and develop spirituality. There are now 3 Home Groups up and running. Magdalen advertises these every now and then and it is sometimes tricky to form groups to accommodate everyone’s needs and preferences.

Rather than running a Discipleship Course as such, we thought outside of the box and held a Welcome Lunch for people newer to the parish. At this we asked for interest to be shown in a variety of things including the help people could offer as part of their commitment to church. This proved

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

not only to be a wonderful occasion but also very fruitful in getting people involved. This year we plan to look at presenting discipleship and prayer through existing online apps and platforms, asking various people to commit to engaging with these over a period of time, then meeting together over a meal to discuss their experience.

Over the summer Thursday Thinkers were also offered three sessions to look at the themes of Memory, Travel, and ‘Stuff’ (material objects). These worked very well as people brought objects which formed the basis for sharing stories around the subject matter. These were also linked to faith and themes within the Bible as well.

In November two young people, Will and Felicity were confirmed at Birmingham Cathedral. It was a joy to be there this year and we wish them well as they continue on their faith journey. The preparation sessions were part of Y@smaa which will this coming year split into an older and a younger group. We are looking for more leaders and helpers in order to enable this to happen. There were no adults confirmed from the parish and it remains a challenge as to how to communicate the importance of this and to find ways of making the preparation manageable for people.

We have been blessed by Mark Simon’s leadership of Moseley at the Movies , now a regular monthly parish film night. Subjects vary and this year we have watched The Straight Story, Inside Out, Soul, Grow Your Own, The Long Day Closes, The Kings Speech, Marvellous, ….amongst other things.

Book of the Term has changed format too. Rather than choosing one book for people to read we have decided that those who want to attend just come and bring a book they have read to talk about for a few minutes. This proved very rich and fruitful, drew in a wider group and inspired those who came to read some of the books that others brought. We are going to continue in this format for the foreseeable future.

For Advent, to run alongside our Christmas Tree Festival we offered three sessions on the theme of trees – Roots, Trunk, Branches and Leaves. Again, these were led by different members of the team which added to the richness of approach. All of the sessions used images and objects to explore the subjects and links with the biblical text and Christian tradition.

Intergenerational Ministry – Rachel Kinning

Children’s Groups

This year has brought continued growth to each of the children’s groups with new families joining and new volunteers taking part.

Young Discovers (babies-3) - This group was well attended by a range of families, with new families joining the group at regular intervals. We spent the year learning about Jesus and his life and about God’s friend, Moses.

Explorers (4-Y1) - Due to a lack of volunteers and available space and heating in the Courtyard Room this group is often combined with the Young Discovers. When the West Room becomes too full, our established families with older children are asked to move downstairs to complete the craft. This system seems to work well enough.

Voyagers (Y2 and Y3) - This is our smallest group however it is growing in size. This group has shown increasing confidence with reading the Bible independently and discussing the relevant

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

verses.

Pioneers (Y4-Y6) - Most Sundays find this to be the busiest group, as a large portion of our trebles join in. They continue to engage actively in each session and have greatly increased their Bible knowledge in the past year.

St Anne’s - Usually only a small number of children attend this group (1-2) and it has often been cancelled due to no children being in attendance. A few volunteers have recently stepped up to assist with the running of this group when needed.

Y@smaa - This year has seen continued growth for Y@smaa and we now have around a dozen children who regularly attend. In January we teamed up with Christ Church in Selly Park to raise money for Amani, a charity that supports street children in Tanzania. The groups smashed their fundraising goal by raising close to £8000. The year has included many other highlights with game nights, confirmation classes, service projects and prayer. Due to the increasing size and age range present in Y@smaa, the decision was made at the end of 2023 to introduce the group Y@smaa + for our older youth (Year 9 and above) in the new year.

Volunteers - A dedicated group of volunteers have continued to lead children’s groups. With more volunteers being added at regular intervals. All volunteers have now completed their Safeguarding training alongside their DBS.

As our groups continue to expand, we are in a need of yet more volunteers. Ideally, we are hoping to add at least 3 more to our numbers through further recruitment.

Development

September Packs - We have continued to send out packs to all of the families who registered during the previous year. These packs contain a small gift (inscribed pencil and stickers) as well as a letter inviting them to register for the new school year and a few promotional posters. These have continued to be popular and extras are made to pass out to anyone who wants one at Stay and Play, at the surrounding schools and for new starters throughout the year.

Intergenerational Services – Intergenerational Services continue to run monthly and have covered a range of topics from Safeguarding to Bells and Bacon (extremely popular!). We have continued to hold three Eucharist Services a year which have been well received. In July we held a Creation/Pet Blessing Service outdoors which was incredibly popular, hopefully this will become a yearly tradition.

Our December Intergenerational Service included a Nativity performed by our children. Many more children, parents and families were involved this year than previously, including a handful of families from our Parish Stay and Play.

Pancake Party – On Shrove Tuesday we held our annual pancake party at St Anne’s Church Hall. As always, this event proved to be extremely popular with many people from all ages attending. A variety of new activities were trialled at this event that helped to keep it manageable. We again included a short reflective service at the end of the party which allowed the participants to come into St Anne’s to mark the start of Lent with prayer, song and the receiving of ashes. Good Friday Service - Rev Sara led a service on Good Friday which encouraged the congregation to journey with Jesus on his path to the cross. This interactive service allowed everyone to move around the church and to take part in group prayers and activities. It was valued by all who attended, which was a mix of established families as well as a few families who were new to the church.

After the service everyone was invited to move to the church hall for hot cross buns, drinks and crafts which included egg dying, biscuit decorating and Egg hunt as well as a variety of other crafts. Around 10-15 families joined in with this event.

Intergen Team - Towards the end of

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

the year a small group of dedicated volunteers have come together to help plan and deliver our Intergenerational Activities in the Parish.

Community Based Activities

Stay and Play - Our stay and play has continued to grow in size which came with its own challenges when we were unable to use St Anne’s due to the hall being out of action. From Sept to Nov we held ‘Stay and Play on Tour’ where we moved around various spaces such as St Mary’s until we found a semi-permanent home at the Moseley Hive. Our move to the Hive has been a real blessing, as it not only allowed us to keep the group going but to also attract more families due to its central location. The space is a bit smaller but we have been able to adjust and make the space work for us while building relationships with the Moseley Exchange and other community groups. The move also helped to improve communication and parental involvement, everyone mucks right in, though none as much as our ‘Tea Boy’ Phil Hall!

Christmas Tree Festival - All of the community groups and children’s groups got involved in the Christmas Tree Festival this year, so much enjoyment from all!

Nursery Events - This year has seen an increase in visits from and involvement with a few of our local nurseries. Norfolk House visits regularly and rents the space for their Nativity and Graduation events and they also bring various groups of children to visit the church for different events.

School

Assemblies - Members of the staff team were again invited to take part in the assembly rota at Moseley CofE Primary School. Each participating staff member was invited to prepare and deliver two assemblies each half term. The topic and a Bible passage are given ahead of time, allowing everyone to plan and resource their assemblies.

Values Week - During the 2023 Summer Term we were asked to help plan and participate in Value’s Week again. This year the theme was Values in Action and each class was able to learn more about various community groups through visits and fundraising activities. I was able to go with Y4 to visit Headway, while other classes got involved with the Litter Pickers, Moseley Hall Hospital, Moseley Park, the Moseley Exchange and so on. The week concluded with a talent showcase at St Mary’s Church which parents were invited to attend and to then donate to the various community groups.

JAM Club - Jesus And Me (JAM Club) has continued to be a massive hit. It is held each term with a different group of students who are passionate about learning more about the Christian Faith. The club is open to 15 children each term, and we usually have a few on the waiting list as well. It has been a joy to work with both Key Stages this year.

Class Visits - Each class from Moseley CofE visited St Mary’s or St Anne’s as part of their RE curriculum. These visits are based around the RE curriculum, with each being themed around a question, such as ‘What is the Trinity’. These visits have gone very well, everyone is engaged and full of exciting insights. As always though, the highlight of the trip is getting to ring the bells. Playground Prayers - Playground Prayers was run throughout the year. The decision was made to move the location of the hot drinks table to a location closer to the gate which proved to be the correct location as more people now stop to chat and have a hot drink. New parents have been added to the rota to assist with the making of drinks each week.

School Group Visits – From September a variety of school groups have visited both St Mary’s and St Anne’s. Usually based around church holidays (Harvest, Advent, Lent) these visits are a popular outing for the students. This year brought our first Secondary School to St Mary’s post covid, they

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

now hope to come back regularly!

Termly reception for parents - Parents from Moseley Church of England Primary School are invited to the church once a term, after drop off, for hot drinks and refreshments. This is always well received.

Training

Throughout the year I have been lucky enough to participate in a variety of training workshops and courses. A few of these training sessions include:

Resilience for Leaders
Safeguarding
Toddlers Groups
Resourcing Children’s Ministry
Working well with Volunteers
Youth and Children in Multi faith Communities

Report from Moseley C of E Primary School – Miss Young (Head Teacher)

Collective Worship

As a C of E school, our Christian values and ethos are the heart of everything that we do. We gather together daily for a collective act of worship, something we have reviewed and relaunched this academic year.

Our weekly rhythm of Collective Worship follows this pattern:

Tuesday (WHOLE SCHOOL)

Setting the scene. A Bible story is introduced and a big question for the week is posed. There may be additional texts, images or songs to support the setting of the scene.

Wednesday (CLASS BASED)

We use class journals to ponder the big question. Children are encouraged to add post it notes/comments to the flip charts in the corridor areas to begin gathering responses to the big question for the week.

Thursday (KEY STAGE)

The question/theme/text of the week is explored creatively, maybe using art, a story, an example of an inspirational person, a poem, a news item, a text from another faith tradition. We accept that God speaks through all parts of life, that all interpretations are valid and that we can find the sacred in the everyday. Children are encouraged to add post it notes/comments to the flip charts in the corridor areas to begin gathering responses to the big question for the week.

Friday (WHOLE SCHOOL)

On Friday we celebrate as a community.

We celebrate birthdays. Children with birthdays go straight to the front and sit ready, it’s entirely optional for everyone, but happens first and children receive a sticker and pencil handed out by values ambassador.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

We celebrate the reflections of everyone as we share the question of the week. Sheets from both corridors come to the hall and the adult leading picks out some comments from the sheets to share with the whole school. Comments are celebrated and remain on display in hall all week. 3. We celebrate each other. One child from each class receives a ‘We are Celebrating You’ award. This is someone who has shone or helped others to shine, someone who has lived out our values or just needs celebrating. We write a certificate, print an A5 photo of this person and come prepared to talk about how this person has shone through the week. Others in the class are encouraged to give examples. Once the certificate is presented, the photo of the child is placed onto the board and remains on the board for the week.
We pray together in three parts – thankfulness, concern, please.
Thankfulness – There is a thankfulness box by the stained-glass window and during the week each class prepares and places one thing they are thankful for into the box and these are read out during Collective Worship.
Concern – This is led by Values Ambassadors who are encouraged to consider current issues.
Please – This is individual and silent, it is a time to consider what we need help with and who needs our help (circa 20-30 seconds).

Collective Worship at our school is further enhanced by the support we receive from the Clergy and wider Church community:

-On Mondays, Mick Perrier (Director of Music at St Mary’s) leads our singing worship, preparing children for important Church Services, and helping us to learn new songs.

-On Tuesdays, we launch our ‘question of the week’ with a visiting adult who leads the worship. Reverend Magdalen and Rachel Kinning lead this worship two times (each) per term.

Visiting Church

As a school we feel very lucky to have Churches so close, that we can visit and invite our parents to join us for special services. This year we have completed the following services in Church:

Harvest Service at St Mary’s
Remembrance Service at St Mary’s
Christmas service at St Mary’s
Mother’s Day Service at St Mary’s

Upcoming services:

Easter at St Mary’s
Leavers’ service at St Mary’s

These services have been very well attended by parents and have given our children an opportunity to share the message of Jesus with our wider school community. A huge thank you to the Church team for supporting us in these events.

Each class visits the Church to learn more about St Mary’s and to further enhance their RE learning.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Enrichment and offering further opportunities to pray and learn from the life of Christ at our school

As well as holding special services in Church, we have also had the opportunity to visit St Mary’s to enhance our learning in RE. Each year group visits a place of worship, with YR focusing on St Mary’s church, introducing them to the special relationship between church and school. These visits are carefully planned between school and church.

St Mary’s have also opened up the Church for the children to learn more about the most special times in the Church calendar, Christmas and Easter. Year 6 also benefit from their leavers’ service and retreat day before embarking on their Secondary school journey.

Each Monday, Rachel Kinning provides teas and coffees for parents collecting their children, this is fondly known as ‘Playground Prayers’. Rachel also runs a well-attended JAM club at lunchtimes on Fridays in the school library.

As a new head teacher, I have been touched by the love and support shown to me, and my colleagues, from both Reverend Magdalen and Rachel Kinning. Just knowing that they are there and thinking of us, means a great deal. We hope that we can also do what we can to continue to support the Church.

Safeguarding – Janet Thorne

We continue to embrace our safeguarding policy in all our activities and encourage everyone to accept responsibility for ensuring that our churches are safe places to be.

There are always new challenges, questions and dilemmas, as new guidance on policies and procedures are brought out by the diocese or the national church.

Upgrading the policy on the renewal of DBS checks from 5 years to three years has consumed a great deal of time throughout the past year for all concerned. Thankfully with a great deal of cooperation we are about 99% compliant.

Thanks are due to all volunteers who have undertaken the Basic safeguarding training, which is mandatory for all who work in a church setting with children, young people and vulnerable adults or are a member of any group that operates in the name of the church i.e. eucharistic assistants, hospitality groups, singers etc.

Once again, a Safeguarding Sunday was held at St Mary’s church in November as part of the intergenerational worship. We hope that this will be an annual event.

Since the departure of the Revd Duncan Strathie in February 2023 responsibility for safeguarding has fallen to Angela Brown the churchwarden at St Mary’s. Thanks are due to her for her oversight and for her support and encouragement.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

OUTREACH

Christmas Day Together – Bridget Langstaff

Christmas Day Together 2023 took place at The Moseley Hive because St Anne’s Hall was out of action. Staff from the Moseley Community Development Trust were extremely helpful in terms of practical assistance and appeared to welcome this use of the Hive. The event ran from 12.00 till 2.30pm.

By Christmas Eve 48 guests had signed up. On Christmas Day another 7 guests turned up but about 10 of those who had signed up before-hand did not arrive for a variety of reasons. In the end we fed about 45 guests and were assisted by about 18 drivers and volunteers.

The whole event ran very smoothly, even with having to cook all the food off site. There was a very nice atmosphere and both guests and volunteers appeared to enjoy themselves. A full turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding was served, and guests were offered sherry, wine and soft drinks. Each guest also had a small gift to take away with them.

Of guests who needed transport most was provided by volunteer drivers with only three taxis, booked in advance, being required.

A debrief meeting was held in January to discuss any lessons learned and a ‘thank -you’ tea was hosted by us on Sunday 3[rd] March.

The cost of the event was £678.00 plus a £200.00 donation to The Hive. We hope to hold the event again this year.

Charitable Giving – Debbie Barwell

The Charitable Giving Group met several times in 2023 and most recently in February 2024 to propose which charities should be supported in 2024 and to plan various fundraising events for this year. The Hospitality Team enthusiastically planned numerous fundraising events throughout 2023 that supported our nominated charities. Funds raised at the Christingle service in 2023 were shared equally between the Children’s Society and for the work of the church. The proceeds of the Christmas Fair were also shared equally between the nominated charities and for the work of the church.

In 2023, 10 charities were supported. There were 4 parish charities:

1) Amaudo – providing accessible affordable and sustainable systems of mental health care for all in Nigeria;
2) Educacion Plus- supporting families in urban shanty towns in Costa Rica;
3) CDT in Moseley; and
4) Fair Share – the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors.

St Anne’s supported 3 additional charities: Practical Action, St Chad’s and Headway and St Mary’s charities were: Busoga Trust, Torches Trust and Edward’s Trust.

The Charitable Giving Group is proposing to streamline the number of nominated charities to be supported in 2024 and thereby offer more targeted support in the current financial climate. It is recommended that the parish charities are reduced from 4 to 3 and that each church supports 2

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

rather than 3 charities. The overall number of charities supported would, therefore, be reduced to 7 rather than 10. It is also proposed that no new charities are introduced for 2024, with the 7 charities being selected from last year’s 10. It is intended to ask the congregations, towards the end of 2024, to nominate charities for support in 2025.

We would like to thank everyone who has created and supported events that have enabled generous donations to be made to all our charities during 2023. Please see the Treasurer’s report for details of donations to all our charities.

Our recommendation to PCC will be for the following nominated charities to be supported throughout 2024:

Three Parish charities (one international, one national and one local):

i) Educacion Plus (international) - supporting families in urban shanty towns in Costa Rica. www.educacionplus.org
ii) Headway UK (national) - the UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury by providing vital support and information services. www.headway.org.uk
iii) FareShare Midlands (local) works in partnership with FareShare to source and redistribute good quality, in-date surplus food. www.faresharemidlands.org.uk

Two St Mary’s charities:

i) Busoga Trust providing sustainable access to safe water, improved sanitation and comprehensive hygiene and health education to the communities in rural Uganda. busogatrust.co.uk
ii) Edward’s Trust providing specialist, holistic bereavement support to families in Birmingham. edwardstrust.org.uk

Two St Anne’s charities:

i) Practical Action - an international development charity using sustainable technology to challenge poverty. practicalaction.org
ii) St Chad’s – a place of welcome for asylum seekers and refugees through practical support, English lessons and signposting. stchadssanctuary.com

As a result of the meeting, 3 speakers have now been set up to come and speak about 3 of the 2024 charities on the following dates:

2nd June Practical Action (St Anne’s).
30th June Edwards Trust (St Mary's).
7[th] July St Chad's (St Anne's).
We hope to arrange a speaker for Fairshare on Harvest Sunday in October.

Charitable Giving Group: Jill Adams, Debbie Barwell, Angela Brown, Magdalen Smith, Danielle Edwards and Parminder Dosanjh.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

PASTORAL CARE

Pastoral Care Team including Care Homes Ministry – Jennifer Holloway

Care Homes

In the four Care Homes, where we previously took monthly or bi monthly services, we have unfortunately had to put the services on hold. This is because there are now not enough people who are able to give a regular commitment to taking them. Many thanks to those who have, over many years, supported and taken part in this important Ministry.

We continue to have contact with the Homes by taking in small individual gifts for residents (chocolates wrapped by the Brownies) and cards at Christmas, and a card and chocolate biscuits at Easter. These are always much appreciated.

Pastoral Care Support Group

The group meet formally once a term. Supported by the clergy, all members have undergone Diocesan training for the role of Pastoral Support. Members select different areas they have particular skills or interests in. There are additional trainings to highlight specific areas, including bereavement. During 2023, bereavement support in our Parish has been enhanced, with joint training along with Riverside Church. The bereaved are remembered regularly, and have chances to come together with others in the same situation. This can be particularly poignant, especially at the first anniversary of the loved ones death. Café style meetings have been found to be the most appropriate, along with the opportunity for individual support.

Home visits can be arranged for congregation members no longer able to come to church services, including taking reserved Holy Communion by members authorised by the Bishop to do this. Often it is support and a listening ear that is most appreciated, and of course all members of the congregations also do this.

Cards for remembering the anniversary of their baptism are delivered to children up to the age of 5, and these are much appreciated.

Prayer support is offered by the group members once a month in both churches.

Group members are encouraged to take up training sessions put on through the Diocese, including an annual Away Day, where we are able to meet up with other Teams and exchange ideas.

Anyone who might be interested in joining us would be welcome to talk to a clergy or group member to find out more.

HOSPITALITY

Parish Hospitality Group – Angela Brown

2023 has been another busy year for the Hospitality team. It has been good to welcome some new members to our team, Lynne, Philippa and Remi. Our aims remain the same - to co-ordinate, promote and deliver events in the Parish, some to raise money and some to foster fellowship.

A Parish lunch was held in January and an afternoon tea in Reverend Magdalen’s garden, was held in August. Both of these events were well supported and raised money for our Parish charities. Unfortunately, the lunch planned for

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

November had to be cancelled as St. Anne’s hall was not open and the heating was broken at St Mary’s.

Thankfully we were able to hold a lunch in a warm St Mary’s in January 2024 and our next lunch will be on 19th May with all proceeds going to Christian Aid.

On Shrove Tuesday we held our annual pancake party at St Anne’s. As always this was very well attended with games and fun for all and pancakes galore. The evening closed with a short reflection on the meaning of Shrove Tuesday and Lent in church.

2023 was a time of goodbyes and the hospitality group organised the 2 events that were held. On 19th February we said goodbye to Reverend Duncan with a bring and share lunch, and on May 27th we held another lunch to say goodbye to Reverend Sara and Mark Simons as they moved on to pastures new.

In June a new initiative was trialled, a table top sale. Tables were purchased by sellers and the hospitality team arranged refreshments as well as having a table for bric-a-brac and a tombola. This will be repeated in June 2024.

October saw us run a Harvest Quiz with thanks going to Jon Corfield for being our Quizmaster on the evening. The hospitality team provided the food on the evening and a good time was had by all.

The Christmas Fair was, as always, a popular and well supported event. This raised £2274 which was divided between our Parish charities and towards the work of the churches.

In addition, the hospitality team provide refreshments for events throughout the year in church so we are a busy group, as people always appreciate cake.

If you have any ideas for events you would be interested in taking part in or would like to join the hospitality team please contact the office. You would be very welcome.

Coffee and Company and Warm Space – Angela Brown and Janet Thorne

Coffee and Company has run every Saturday throughout the year at St Mary’s church from 10.3012.00. The aims for Coffee and Company remain the same as always, to deliver what it says in the title, provide a warming drink, be it coffee or tea and a piece of toast in a welcoming and friendly environment. People can either come in for a chat or have some quiet space if they prefer.

Coffee and Company is open to everyone and the popularity of this outreach project has continued during 2023 with a regular group of people meeting for fellowship and to catch up on the news of the week and put the world to rights. Somewhat of a challenge! What is important above everything is that people feel welcome.

Coffee and Company also attracts people who are just passing who see that the church is open and come in to have a look. It is amazing how many people say they have lived in the area for years but have never been into the church.

St Mary’s continues to be a member of the Places of Welcome network and is promoted on the Places of Welcome website. Places of Welcome is a growing network of community groups providing neighbourhoods with places where all people feel safe to belong, connect and contribute. You can find out more about Places of Welcome at www.placesofwelcome.org.uk

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

The bi-monthly Coffee concerts continue and bring another group of people into the church. A varied programme means there is something for everyone. My own U3A choir sang to a full church which was really enjoyable. If you haven’t been to one of the concerts, do come. Cake and hot drinks precede the concert and it is a good relaxing way to spend a Saturday morning, the next concert being on May 25[th ] 2024.

Warm Space has continued to take place throughout 2023, with the church being open on a Thursday and Friday morning from 10.00 -12.00 to offer a place of warmth where people could come for friendship and maybe save some money on their own heating bills. This has continued into 2024. As the weather improves, we will continue to open the church for those who want to come in. Warm Space offers a warm room, a warm drink and a warm welcome.

We are only able to run Coffee and Company and Warm Space thanks to the loyal group of volunteers who give up their time. It is good that we have had a number of new volunteers who have joined our ranks. Thank you all, what you do is appreciated. Many of our volunteers have been helping for many years and some for a variety of reasons will be coming off the rota. For this very worthwhile outreach project to continue, we need more volunteers. If you feel you could give up a couple of hours once every few months, please see one of us in church.

Next time you are in Moseley on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday morning why not pop in for a drink and a chat, you will be assured of a warm welcome and a smile.

BUILDINGS & FINANCE REPORTS Church Wardens’ Reports

St Mary's Churchwardens' Report – Angela Brown

In February 2023, Reverend Duncan Strathie left the Parish taking up a new post in Scotland meaning that the Moseley Parish went into an Interregnum. During interregnums the responsibility of Churchwardens becomes much greater, and it is their responsibility to ensure everything continues to run smoothly and safely in the church. We are extremely lucky to have Reverend Magdalen Smith as our Assistant Vicar who has shared the load, ensuring all services are covered, as well as myriad other things. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her personally for her support and for all she has done during the interregnum, which continues at the time of writing.

Adam Thompson stood down as Churchwarden at the APCM in April. I would like to thank him for his time as a warden and for his support for me personally. As I know only too well, it is a huge responsibility and takes up a lot of time, which is difficult with a young family and a busy job.

Necessary repairs and maintenance have taken place throughout the year. Works identified in the Quinquennial report are on-going. Our emergency lighting has been replaced and a big emphasis has been placed on Health and Safety. Just as the weather was getting colder and we needed to heat the church our very old inefficient boiler broke down and with parts needed now obsolete, we had to purchase a new boiler. We had to suffer a number of very cold weeks but we now have a new A- rated electric boiler and thankfully have a warm church with heating that can be controlled rather than being on or off.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Reverend Phelim O’Hare, Area Dean for Kings Norton, Moseley and Shirley Deanery carried out our annual Archdeacon’s Visitation on behalf of the Archdeacon. This visit is an opportunity to check our Log book, Service Registers and see where and how valuables are stored. In 2023 there were additional discussions about our Eco journey and Safeguarding. You will be pleased to know that we were awarded Bronze Eco church status during the year and are now working towards our silver award.

There was discussion about the Safeguarding dashboard and the Action plan of the PCC. You will be reassured that everything was in place. Thanks must go to Janet Thorne our Safeguarding Officer for all her work in this area.

Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me during 2023.I am hugely grateful to Liz Blakey, Fiona Chew, Trish Everett, Glyn Samuel, Kate Stocks, Una Lodge, Laura Dowell, Mark Simons and Ryan Creighton for all their help in so many tasks.

Associated with Wardens’ duties at St Mary’s, I also want to thank all the Sidespeople, without whose help it would be difficult to perform all the necessary tasks on a Sunday.

If anyone is interested in becoming a Sidesperson and welcoming people into our church, please speak to one of the wardens or a Sidesperson on duty at any service. I am grateful to so many other people who have provided so much assistance to me throughout 2023, in helping to create a welcoming place and ensuring our services run so smoothly and I thank you all!

St Anne’s Churchwarden’s Report – Danielle Edwards and Stephen Alabaster

The fabric of the church remains in good order, though the Quinquennial Inspection undertaken in March 2022 identified a large number of stonework repairs that would require significant expenditure. During 2023 we commissioned a quantity surveyor cost report for the tower repairs to obtain more robust costings. The resulting costings were much higher than initially anticipated in the Quinquennial Inspection reflecting the current environment we are working in. The next step is to meet with Peter Waghorn (Inspecting Architect) to discuss the urgency of works and what is deemed necessary.

By way of note, Peter Waghorn moved firm from Oliver Architecture to Acanthus Clews at the end of 2023; PCC decided to retain him as inspecting architect based on his knowledge of St Anne’s and St Mary’s.

In terms of the hall, we reported last year that it was clear that a significant upgrade to the facilities was required. A plan was approved by the PCC and work started on upgrading the toilet facilities in summer 2023. Part way through the refurbishment a large water leak was discovered at the hall, as well as discovering that work was required on the electrics. It was therefore decided to pause the upgrade and close the hall to public use, with our regular bookers either using the church or finding alternative accommodation e.g. ballet. The drains are now fixed, and plans are in development to repair the electrics and get the boiler back in operation so that we can re-open the hall. The upgrade to facilities will then be considered; this will be supported by a business case.

It has been a difficult period in respect of the hall and managing our tenants. Our thanks go out to Ryan, Fiona and Trish who have been a great support in helping to manage through this period and respond to the many unforeseen events.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

St Mary's Row Properties – Robert Brown

In 1938, the PCC made the foresighted decision to buy the properties adjoining the church site to the West for the sum of £1337. These comprise 25, 27, 29 and 31 St Mary's Row with the land behind, surrounding the courtyard, upon which then stood Rose Cottage. The original purpose of the purchase was as a site for a parish hall and as accommodation for a Verger but the existing tenancies of various of the properties were never brought to an end and only the latter purpose was achieved for a short time above No. 31.

Over the years, the site has been developed with the kitchen, toilet block, parish office, meeting room, three commercial businesses on 6-year leases and four residential apartments on short term lettings. All are fully let and there are no arrears.

The whole portfolio is managed by the Agents, Fishers, and I supervise their work on behalf of the PCC. After fees and expenses, the properties produce a very welcome addition to the church's income as shown in the Accounts which also reveals the current estimated valuation.

In May 2022, Rice Chamberlain did not renew their lease of the floors above their office and the PCC decided to create more accommodation by converting the space to additional residential flats and so producing increased income. I am overseeing this work which is progressing.

Stewardship and Gift Aid – Robert Brown

I have continued as Gift Aid Recorder and kept the bookkeeping entries and claims for gift aid up to date. I am the only person who records how much anyone gives, either by Standing Order, through the envelopes with the help of Rachel McLeod or via the Parish Giving Scheme which collects gift aid on our behalf. The Treasurer only sees the monthly totals and we maintain utter confidentiality. Even the anonymous cash on the plate, banked by me and Rachel, and the donations through the church website and the card reader on the Welcome desk are accumulated under the Small Donations Scheme for additional gift aid.

On behalf of the Parish of Moseley, thank you to everyone for their financial giving to develop the ministry and mission within the parish. There is so much that goes on day-to-day that would not be possible without the support that is given – often sacrificially. Not only do we sustain the worshipping and pastoral life of our congregations, but we are also able to be involved in a wide range of community engagements that help to share God’s love with the people of Moseley and further afield with charitable donations to our supported charities. All contributions are greatly appreciated. We would not be able to continue to flourish without our congregations’ generous support.

It is planned to have a Stewardship Campaign in the early part of 2024.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Treasurer’s Report – John Clarkin

The overall financial position of the parish in 2023 has continued to be difficult, with a growing number of structural issues in the parish weighing heavily on the parish’s finances. The parish continues to spend much more than it receives through gifts and other income, and the consequence of this is that both churches are having to liquidate financial investments to make sure bills can be paid. Overall, the parish made a loss on unrestricted activities of £131.9k, adverse to 2022’s result of £117.7k by £14.2k. Overall the loss was £57.4k as a result of one-off gifts towards the organ refurbishment project. Currently, the parish is no different to a household spending beyond its means. It cannot continue ad infinitum without the parish going insolvent and hence change is essential.

£	2022	2022	2022
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Overall
St Anne's St Mary's Moseley	(30,908) (55,136) (86,819) (76,794)	84 4,862 3,718 69,647	(30,824) (50,274) (83,101) (7,148)
	(117,728) (131,931)	3,802 74,509	(113,925) (57,422)

In last year’s APCM report, I referenced each church having between 4-6 years to remedy the situation before funds were exhausted. We are one year into that window and, because of events this year described below, the situation, particularly at St Anne’s, is more pressing.

During the last 12 months, a number of issues have increased the pressure on the parish’s funds.

St Anne’s and St Anne’s Hall : At the hall, a major water leak, significant issues with the Hall’s electrics and general deterioration in the fabric of the hall have caused the building to be closed. This removes a source of revenue for the parish.

In the short term, this has been, oddly, financially beneficial. SAC Hall has lost significant amounts of money in the last 2 years (2023: £10.7k before one-off investigations, 2022: £6.7k) and has been consuming a significant amount of cash to remediate problems in the building. The building will deteriorate further without remediation. A solution to the Hall is needed but it must be one that helps put the finances of the parish on a sustainable footing.

More broadly, St Anne’s finances are in an extremely challenging position. The church lost c. £55k in 2023 before restricted income, of which £25k came from losses either from trading losses or investigatory expenses at the hall. Before hall losses, the church loses c. £30k per annum. This position is completely unsustainable. Radical changes to the income and cost profile are needed to make St Anne’s a financially viable entity.

Facilities Management: During the last 12 months, it has become clear that the PCC needs to

increase the level of investment it makes into the parish’s facilities (including buildings, electrics, gas, water) to maintain them in good order. Urgent issues are being addressed, but it is likely that, to bring the facilities up to a good standard, an extended programme of investment will be needed.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Energy: The parish is spending too much on energy. After adjusting for one-offs, in 2021, the combined spend at both churches was £17.2k, in 2022 it was £30.4k and in 2023 it has been £49.5k. This is driven by 3 things. Firstly, the unit costs have gone up following the Ukraine war. Secondly, we have a billing disagreement with British Gas (and, historically, Ecotricity). Billing rates at St Mary’s are way too high for the level of consumption. Finally, we have seen a step in consumption at St Anne’s, in part because of historically underbilling and in part because of demand driven by the way in which the church is being used now the hall is closed. The parish can’t afford these levels of energy use. They must be reduced.

Despite the worsening in the financial position, the parish has started to make steps to remedy this situation which will start to yield benefits in 2024.

Flat Refurbishment: In the second half of 2023, the parish commenced refurbishment of part of the St Mary’s Row properties to create 2, 1-bedroom flats. At the end of 2023, refurbishment is part completed, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2024. On an annualised basis, this will generate between £13-£14k of income which will help to close the financial gap the parish is experiencing.
Cost management: In June the parish took the difficult decision to reduce its parish gift to the diocese. In 2022, the parish was giving over half of its income to the diocese – a total gift of £155k. This level of gifting was unsustainable given underlying income of c. £213k. It has been reduced to £110k per annum.

In addition, the parish has commenced reducing its cost base in other areas. Cuts to areas such as photocopier and paper costs and delays in spending in other areas are starting to close the gaps the parish sees. However, more is needed to put things on a sustainable basis.

Giving and Fundraising: The parish has started to increase efforts on stewardship, and in addition the level of fundraising that is ongoing has increased. There has been a concerted push at St Mary’s to, wherever possible, move regular givers onto the Parish Giving Scheme. This has started to have an impact on the monthly giving through PGS. Average monthly giving through PGS is just above £3.5k, compared with £1.5k two years ago.

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Monthly PGS giving - 3 month rolling average
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2021 2022 2023 2024
£ Thousands
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Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

In addition, 1 week before Christmas 2023, the parish purchased 2 contactless giving terminals for St Mary’s after having completed a trial in the middle of the year. In addition, the parish started more heavily advertising QR codes and online giving as additional giving routes, alongside more conventional monthly giving and cash collections.

By the end of December 2023, over 2 weeks, the parish had collected £427 through the contactless terminals. As at the end of February 2024, it was £1044. In total, in 2023, the parish tripled the amount raised through electronic, contactless and online giving to £2397.83. In 2022 this was £809.74. Moving giving on to different platforms is clearly critical to keeping our income growing in line with the inflation we’re seeing in costs.

Finally, there has been renewed vigour in the fundraising activities of the churches with additional events now in the calendar, including the tabletop sale and the parish afternoon tea. 2023 has offered an excellent base from which fundraising will doubtless grow.

As we anticipate the remainder of 2024, it is clear that the parish has a huge number of priorities that it is trying to juggle. The parish cannot do everything at once, and must prioritise carefully how to deploy the finite resources, both financial and the talents and skills of the people of the parish. We must be kind to each other, and cognisant of the stresses and strains all members of the congregation face.

Priorities for 2024 include:

1. Continued efforts on stewardship and fundraising across both churches in the parish

a. 2023 established an excellent base from which to grow activity in 2024.

2. Completing the flat refurbishment at St Mary’s Row properties

a. This will unlock C. £13-14k per annum on an ongoing basis.

3. Commencing the refurbishment of the organ at St Mary’s

a. The parish signed a contract for £220k with Clevedon Organs in January 2024 for the refurbishment of the Henry Jones organ. The organ will be under repair for the remainder of the calendar year. Significant disruption will need to be managed at St Mary’s through the refurbishment.

4. Completion of the search for a new vicar of Moseley

a. The search for a new vicar triggered by the departure of Revd Duncan is ongoing.

5. Progress on the search for a sustainable way forward for St Anne’s

a. The current church and hall footprint is financially unsustainable in its current form.
b. We must come together as a parish to find a settled way forward to continue to have a sustainable, vibrant and thriving community through St Anne’s.

6. Improve church facilities

a. Following the commencement of improvements to our facilities in all three of our buildings, funding, work and effort continues to be needed to ensure we continue to keep our facilities well maintained and secure.

The above list is far from exhaustive, but it gives a sense of the amount of activity the parish is undertaking at the moment, and the pressure that the parish’s finances are under to deliver against all these priorities.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

2023 vs. 2022:

Against 2022, the parish has had a difficult year. A number of one-off costs have been incurred by the parish, offsetting the beginning of progress on balancing the parish’s book.

On income, the most noticeable impact comes from the net cost of St Anne’s Hall. The parish spent £18.1k more on the hall than in 2022, and made an overall loss of £25k. Of this, £10.7k came from underlying activity, largely before the hall was closed in September, and the remainder as a result of investigations into the hall to understand what needs to be remediated to fix the building.

If the losses at St Anne’s Hall are excluded, underlying income has increased materially by £21.5k, with contributions from rental income (£9.8k), FWO (£6.3k), dividends (£2.5k) and solar panels (£1k). Though more is needed to fully close the income gap, these increases are extremely encouraging.

Income	2023 2022 Variance
Donations Free Will Offering Bequests and donations Charitable Activities Investments and other trading St Mary's Row Properties St Anne's Hall (Net) Dividends Solar Panels Wedding and funeral fees (Net) Other TOTAL Income - Of which restricted -Of whichunrestricted	83,984 77,279 6,705 3,174 2,582 592 73,938 10,538 63,400 58,494 48,661 9,834 (24,964) (6,863) (18,101) 80,926 78,413 2,513 5,120 4,109 1,011 5,023 4,018 1,005 9,678 3,923 5,755
	295,373 222,660 72,714 78,818 9,531 69,287 216,556 213,129 3,427
Expenditure Common Fund Clergy Expenses Church Buildings and Yard Music, Organ and Choir Children's Work Office and support costs Charitable Giving Other TOTAL Expenditure - Of which restricted -Of whichunrestricted	132,757 156,015 (23,258) 9,481 17,194 (7,714) 117,755 73,675 44,081 16,278 17,068 (790) 19,691 18,539 1,152 40,029 37,953 2,076 7,027 7,793 (766) 9,777 8,347 1,429
	352,795 336,585 16,210 4,309 5,729 (1,420) 348,486 330,856 17,630

Net Income	(57,422) (113,925) 56,503
- Of which restricted -Of whichunrestricted	74,509 3,802 70,707 (131,931) (117,727) (14,204)

In terms of cost, three items have dominated the increase in costs

Energy : This has increased £27.5k driven by the rate we pay, extra usage on the back of the closure of SAC Hall and a dispute with British Gas and Ecotricity.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Common Fund Gift: This has been reduced by £23.3k, the gift being unaffordable. Reductions took place from July 2023 and during 2024, a full year’s impact will reduce the Common Fund gift by a further £23.3k to £100k annualised.
Clergy Costs: The departure of Rev Duncan and also Rev Sara have reduced the costs the parish incurs year on year, principally because the parish only funded 5 months of curate housing in 2023, as against 12 months in 2022, a reduction of £10.5k. A further £4.4k will be reduced YoY in 2024, as the 5 months incurred to May 2023 will not repeat in 2024.

The principal driver of the residual increase in cost was the pay increase given to employees.

Below is a detailed reconciliation between net income booked in 2022 and that booked in 2023.

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£ Moseley St Mary's St Anne's Comment
2022 Net Income (113,925) (83,101) (30,824) After interchurch charges of £12k
Movements in underlying activitiy
Income
FWO and Donations 6,296 7,785 (1,488) Increases in giving driven by contactless/electronic giving and the move to PG
Rental Income 9,834 9,834 0 Inflation, lower maintenance costs and better utilisation
Dividend Income 2,476 (230) 2,707 Better yield offset by funds liquidations
Solar Panels 1,011 1,011 0 Increased unit rate received
Hall Income (3,806) (3,806) Increased hall losses to September 2023
Other Income 1,910 2,200 (290) Better lettings income at St Mary's; better net wedding fees
Expenditure
Common Fund 23,265 17,313 5,952 Reduction in gift from July 2023
Clergy Costs 7,714 7,714 0 Departure of Rev Duncan and Rev Sara
Utility Costs (27,526) (18,503) (9,023) Energy costs, primarily SMC billing issues and SAC consumption
Insurance (2,511) (995) (1,517) Inflation and impact of policy usage
Other Building Costs (2,386) (247) (2,139) Maintenance spend at SAC
Support Costs (2,076) (1,387) (689) Salary increases
Other Costs (2,452) (2,812) 360 Sundry movements
Hall Refurbishment (14,294) (14,294) Spend in investigations into SAC Hall remedation
Reordering Project (11,657) (11,657) Increased spend in 2023 due to replacement of SMC boiler
Add:
Net Restricted Income 70,707 65,929 4,778 Contributions to the organ refurbishment fund, transfer of lunch club balances
2023 Net Income (57,422) (7,148) (50,275)
2022 Net Income (113,925) (83,101) (30,824)
Underlying Revenue Movements 17,721 20,599 (2,878)
Underlying Cost Movements (5,974) 1,082 (7,056)
Underlying Net Income (102,178) (61,420) (40,759)
Plus:
One off movements (25,951) (11,657) (14,294)
Restricted income net movement 70,707 65,929 4,778
2023 Net Income (57,422) (7,148) (50,275)
----- End of picture text -----

Cash and Investments

Over 2023, the parish’s investments deteriorated in value, principally due to liquidations of £170k to fund losses, paydown of legacy energy creditors and early funding of the flat refurbishment. After taking into account fund liquidations, overall investments went up in value by £90k, primarily driven by investments in the CCLA Investment Fund (+9.4%). The property and M&G Charifunds investments declined by 6.1% and 2.3% respectively. The total value of investments in the parish is now £2.0m, down from £2.1m in 2022.

Note 5. Investments	As at 1 January 2023	Purchases	Disposals	Change in market value	As at 31 December 2023
	£	£	£	£	£
M&G Charifunds (Piggott)	293,904	0	(30,000)	(7,715)	256,189
M&G Charifunds (Fairn)	17,634	0	0	(414)	17,220
CCLA Investment Fund Halsey	39,877	0	0	3,752	43,628
CCLA PropertyFund	403,331	0	0	(24,752)	378,579
CCLA Investment Fund	1,327,585	0	(140,000)	119,480	1,307,065
	2,082,331	(140,000)	(170,000)	90,349	2,002,680

The parish had cash resources at the end of 2023 of £193.5k, up from £84.5k at the end of 2022. This was primarily due to the receipt of a one-off gift towards the organ refurbishment project, and also the

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

liquidation of funds in advance of payment of invoices due to Logmoor for work undertaken for refurbishment of the St Mary’s Row flats. It should be noted that as at 31 December 2023, St Anne’s owed St Mary’s £13.35k from loans advanced and bills paid on St Anne’s behalf. Funds will be remitted to St Mary’s following the closure of the St Anne’s savings account.

the St Anne’s savings account.	the St Anne’s savings account.

Cash (£) St Mary's St Anne’s Moseley	01-Jan-23 31-Dec-23 48,659.69 158,436.90 35,854.08 35,013.52
	84,513.77 193,450.42

Funds

During 2023, 2 additions have taken place to the parish’s restricted and 2 to the parish’s designated funds.

Restricted funds:

Due to the ongoing interregnum, parochial fees owing to the diocese are retained by the parish to offset costs incurred due to the interregnum, primarily relating to costs of the parsonage house. Currently Moseley owes the diocese £366 which represents the excess of parochial fees owing to costs incurred.

In addition, the parish took custody of funds relating to the Lunch Club previously housed at St Anne’s. These are held as restricted funds, totalling £4,116.

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Note 8. Movements in Funds 01-Jan-23 Income Expenditure Capital movements Transfers 31-Dec-23
£ £ £ £ £ £
Endowment Funds
St Mary's Sydney Halsey Fund 39,877 0 0 3,752 0 43,628
39,877 0 0 3,752 0 43,628
Restricted Funds
Sequestration Fund 0 366 0 0 0 366
St Anne's Fairn Clergy Discretionary Fund 18,077 1,026 (400) (414) 0 18,289
St Mary's Clergy Discretionary Fund 6,155 2,000 (1,409) 0 0 6,746
Parish of Moseley Lunch Club 0 4,116 0 0 0 4,116
St Mary's Sydney Halsey Fund 0 1,193 (1,193) 0 0 0
Bell Fund 2,000 0 0 0 0 2,000
Fabric Fund 4,328 0 0 0 0 4,328
Christmas Day Together Fund 2,634 332 (1,073) 0 0 1,893
Childrens Fund 2,035 0 0 0 0 2,035
Pew Bibles 206 0 0 0 0 206
Choristers' Fund 2,000 0 (600) 0 0 1,400
Music Fund 0 10 0 0 0 10
Organ Fund 83,409 70,141 0 0 0 153,550
120,845 79,183 (4,674) (414) 0 194,940
Designated Funds
Stay and Play 0 517 0 0 0 517
St Anne's Church Ball Fundraising 5,172 0 0 0 0 5,172
St Anne's Bequest Fund 97,438 0 (17,369) 0 0 80,068
St Anne's Piggott Fund 209,129 19,096 0 (7,715) (30,000) 190,510
St Mary's Row Properties 800,000 0 0 0 29,350 829,350
St Mary's Designated Organ Fund 0 0 0 0 75,000 75,000
St Mary's Investment Growth Fund 0 0 0 94,727 (94,727) 0
Agreed Improvements Fund 42,027 0 0 0 0 42,027
Staffing Developments Fund 300,000 0 0 0 (75,000) 225,000
St Mary's Vision 13 Fund 986,914 0 (19,285) 0 0 967,629
Premises Fund 165,000 0 0 0 (29,350) 135,650
Contingency Fund 125,000 0 0 0 0 125,000
2,730,680 19,613 (36,654) 87,012 (124,727) 2,675,923
Unrestricted funds
General 71,320 248,683 (363,572) 0 124,727 81,157
Total Funds 2,962,721 347,479 (404,901) 90,349 0 2,995,649
----- End of picture text -----

Designated funds:

The parish has opened a mirror designated fund to the restricted organ fund, representing the £75k the parish undertook to contribute to the organ regeneration effort. The parish has also received funds relating to the parish Stay and Play for £517, again held as a designated fund.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Other fund movements relate to 3 areas:

Properties : A transfer of £29,350 has been made from the Premises fund to the St Mary’s Row Properties Fund, representing investments made by the end of 2023 into the flat refurbishments.
Capital movements : These movements represent the unrealised capital appreciation or depreciation in parish investments.
a. The St Anne’s Piggot Fund is the primary fund used to support losses at St Anne’s, invested in M&G Charifunds.
b. The St Anne’s Fairn discretionary fund is invested in M&G Charifunds, and represents a restricted, clergy discretionary fund for St Anne’s.
c. St Mary’s core investments in the CCLA Investment and Property Funds represent the noncash funds held for St Mary’s use.
d. The Sydney Halsey fund, is an endowment held for the use of the clergy at St Mary’s, with the income a restricted fund. Currently, income is remitted to the diocese as an augmentation to our Common Fund gift.
Transfers to General Funds :
a. Transfer to the General Funds represent liquidations and funds transfer to fund day to day activity at the parish.

In aggregate, the asset position of the parish is marginally better than this time last year, with the restricted donations received for the organ and capital appreciation offsetting underlying losses.

Other points of note:

The parish has adequate funds to meet its contractual and strategic commitments, but will lose dividends through the funding of those activities.

The liquidation of funds to meet those obligations will reduce the asset base of the parish, lower the dividend income we receive and make our losses worse.

With all the activities ongoing leading to funds liquidation, adequate resources need to be found to replace the lost income from falling dividends.

Whilst the position of St Mary’s may be turning a corner, the financial position of St Anne’s is extremely difficult.

St Mary’s is showing some early signs that its financial position is slowly improving. It is likely that the church will make losses for the next couple of years, but thereafter, assuming income continues to increase, the church is likely to break even.

St Anne’s is in a much more difficult position. The church cannot continue to spend the amount it is spending without either remedying its income position, or cutting expenditure to match its income. With no action, it is likely the church will be bankrupt in 4-5 years, with the church making losses of between £30k and £40k per annum before one off expenditure and with no changes, expected to draw down on the investments it currently has to fund losses.

Incremental change is unlikely to have a sufficient impact on the finances as incremental change is unlikely to generate sufficient funds from SAC Hall or reduce the expenditure footprint of the church to be sustainable. Financially, a more radical plan is needed.

There is no easy answer. The parish will require time to think and reflect on the options open to it, led by scripture and faith. The plan to set up St Anne’s for the next phase of its ministry and mission

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

will be difficult to identify and agree to, but without reflection and discussion, St Anne’s is likely to find its future financially very challenging and very short.

Summary and Recommendations

2023 was, again, a difficult year. The parish’s financial position worsened again and the list of things on the to do list has only grown. However, there is hope. The parish is blessed with significant assets, an engaged and hard-working congregation and parish team full of skills and experience. The parish has taken steps to address a number of aspects of its income profile, and has been reducing its cost base. More work is needed, but the journey to a financially secure parish has begun. Now is the time to continue to make efforts on stewardship, cost management and long-term strategic options.

Accounts are being reviewed by our Examiner, Deidre Mattison and a certificate is expected to be issued prior to the APCM.

Recommendations

That the APCM supports the 2023 Accounts & Finance report.
That Deidre Mattison is appointed External Examiner for the 2024 accounts.
That the PCC and parish further increase their effort to balance the operational income and expenditure of the combined parish and that the parish proceeds forward in faith to find a solution to the challenges across our parish.

With thanks to all who support the financial activities of the parish, including but not limited to Rob Brown, Richard Ellis, Fiona Chew, Trish Everett, Ryan Creighton and Rebecca Vakarcs.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Appendix: Statement of Financial Activities and Statement of Financial Position.

Parish of Moseley, 2023 Accounts


Statement of Financial Activities		Unrestricted	Unrestricted
		General	Designated	Restricted	Endowment
	Note	Funds	Funds	Funds	Funds	2023	2022	Variance
		£	£	£	£	£	£
Income and Endowments from:
Donations	2	85,158	-	2,000	-	87,158	79,861	7,296
Charitable activities	2	3,455	-	70,483	-	73,938	10,538	63,400
Other trading activities	2	(14,896)	517	4,116	-	(10,263)	1,077	(11,340)
Investments	2	123,226	19,096	2,219	-	144,541	131,183	13,358
Total		196,942	19,613	78,818	-	295,373	222,660	72,714

Expenditure on:
Raising funds	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Charitable activities	3	311,832	36,654	4,309	-	352,795	336,585	16,210
Total		311,832	36,654	4,309	-	352,795	336,585	16,210

Net income/(expenditure) before investment gains		(114,889)	(17,041)	74,509	-	(57,422)	(113,925)	56,503

Netgains on investments	5	-	87,012	(414)	3,752	90,349	(254,446)	344,795

Net income		(114,889)	69,971	74,095	3,752	32,928	(368,371)	401,299

Transfers between funds	8	124,727	(124,727)	-	-	-

Net movement in funds		9,838	(54,756)	74,095	3,752	32,928	(368,371)	401,299

Total funds at 1stJanuary		71,320	2,730,680	120,845	39,877	2,962,721	3,331,092	(368,371)

Total funds at 31st December	9	81,157	2,675,923	194,940	43,628	2,995,649	2,962,721	32,928

Parish of Moseley, 2023 Accounts

Balance Sheet at 31st December 2023 Note Fixed Assets: Tangible - Investment 4 Tangible - Operational 4 IT Plant and Equipment 4 Investments 5 Current Assets: Debtors 6 Short term deposits Cash at bank and in hand Current Liabilities Creditors 7 Net Current Assets Total Net Assets Represented by parish funds: 8 Unrestricted – general Unrestricted – designated Restricted Endowment	2023 2022 £ £ 749,350 720,000 80,000 80,000 - - 6,663 9,738 2,002,680 2,082,331
	2,838,693 2,892,069
	14,384 22,263 132 131 193,450 84,515
	207,967 106,909 51,011 36,257
	156,956 70,653
	2,995,649 2,962,721
	81,157 71,320 2,675,923 2,730,680 194,940 120,845 43,628 39,877
	2,995,649 2,962,721

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

2. Income Donations Free Will Offering (Inc Gift Aid) Legacies and Donations Charitable Activities Christmas Day Together Music Organ Social & Fundraising Events Other Trading Activities Lettings Hall Hire less: expenses less: Hall refurbishment Other Income Net fees for weddings and funerals Investments Bank interest & dividends Property Rentals less: expenses Solar Panels' Generation Total Income	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2023 £ £ £ 83,984 83,984 1,174 2,000 3,174 85,158 2,000 87,158 - 332 332 - 10 10 (180) 70,141 69,961 3,635 - 3,635 3,455 70,483 73,938 1,635 - 1,635 17,916 - 17,916 (28,585) - (28,585) (14,294) - (14,294) 3,927 4,116 8,043 5,023 - 5,023 (14,379) 4,116 (10,263) 78,708 2,219 80,926 65,747 - 65,747 (7,253) - (7,253) 5,120 - 5,120 142,322 2,219 144,541 216,556 78,818 295,373	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 77,279 77,279 1,582 1,000 2,582
		78,861 1,000 79,861
		- 138 138 - 750 750 180 5,461 5,642 4,008 - 4,008 4,189 6,349 10,538 544 - 544 19,133 - 19,133 (25,996) - (25,996) 3,379 - 3,379 4,018 - 4,018
		1,077 - 1,077
		76,231 2,182 78,413 58,599 - 58,599 (9,938) - (9,938) 4,109 - 4,109
		129,001 2,182 131,183

		213,129 9,531 222,660

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 0 0 0 17,194 - 17,194 73,675 - 73,675 15,530 1,538 17,068 1,403 - 1,403 - - - 3,939 2,106 6,045 154,829 1,186 156,015 34,158 - 34,158 300,728 4,829 305,557 - 900 900 18,539 - 18,539 7,793 - 7,793 3,795 - 3,795	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 0 0 0 17,194 - 17,194 73,675 - 73,675 15,530 1,538 17,068 1,403 - 1,403 - - - 3,939 2,106 6,045 154,829 1,186 156,015 34,158 - 34,158 300,728 4,829 305,557 - 900 900 18,539 - 18,539 7,793 - 7,793 3,795 - 3,795	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 0 0 0 17,194 - 17,194 73,675 - 73,675 15,530 1,538 17,068 1,403 - 1,403 - - - 3,939 2,106 6,045 154,829 1,186 156,015 34,158 - 34,158 300,728 4,829 305,557 - 900 900 18,539 - 18,539 7,793 - 7,793 3,795 - 3,795
	30,127 900	31,027

	330,856 5,729	336,585
-117,727 3,802 -113,925 Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 35,427 - 35,427 2,526 - 2,526		-113,925
37,953 - 37,953

MOSELEY DEANERY SYNOD

Moseley Deanery Synod – Sabina Bealt

Moseley, Kings Norton and Shirley Deanery Synod meets about once every four months: three times a year.

At each meeting a different aspect of church life is often presented. This gives an interesting overview and an insight into the workings of the Church of England in Birmingham, and some of the people involved in decision-making and different areas of work.

It also gives an opportunity for people to have their say in the running and work of the church.

This year, we have seen topics covering the work of Thrive Together in Birmingham, a charity run by the Diocese which seeks to tackle poverty by re-building community in Birmingham and allowing people to tell their stories.

The impact of the Covid pandemic on church attendance and therefore finances was also discussed through a presentation by the Area Dean, Phelim O’Hare, at another meeting.

Eco church has been an important and ongoing issue, which highlights the need of each of our

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

churches to become more environmentally friendly in our use of heating and lighting. St. Mary’s has won a Bronze Award for their achievements in this area.

A talk on Flex, which is an online tool for use by leaders who wish to engage children and young people, was given by Emma Sargeant, from the Diocese. Children’s and family ministry into a local school setting was a subject that was also covered in the same meeting.

The speakers on these topics are accessible via e mail and/or website links which are circulated with the minutes.

If anyone wants to be more active in church life, then membership of Deanery synod can present multiple opportunities.

Parish of Moseley - Annual Report for 2023

Parish of Moseley, 2023 Accounts

Statement of Financial Activities
Note
Income and Endowments from:
Donations
2
Charitable activities
2
Other trading activities
2
Investments
2
Total
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
3
Charitable activities
3
Total
Net income/(expenditure) before
investment gains
Net gains on investments
5
Net income
Transfers between funds
8
Net movement in funds
Total funds at 1st January
Total funds at 31st December
9

Unrestricted
Unrestricted
General
Designated
Restricted
Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
2023
2022
Variance
£
£
£
£
£
£
85,158 - 2,000
-87,158 79,861 7,296
3,455 - 70,483
-73,938 10,538 63,400
(14,896) 517
4,116
-(10,263)
1,077 (11,340)
123,226 19,096 2,219
-144,541 131,183 13,358
196,942 19,613 78,818
-295,373 222,660 72,714
- -
-
-- - -
311,832 36,654
4,309
-352,795 336,585 16,210
311,832 36,654 4,309
-352,795 336,585 16,210
(114,889) (17,041) 74,509
-(57,422) (113,925) 56,503
- 87,012(414)
3,75290,349 (254,446)
344,795
(114,889)
69,971 74,095 3,75232,928 (368,371)
401,299
124,727 (124,727)
-
--
9,838 (54,756)
74,095 3,752
32,928 (368,371)
401,299
71,320
2,730,680 120,845 39,877
2,962,721 3,331,092 (368,371)
81,157 2,675,923 194,940 43,628
2,995,649 2,962,721 32,928

Parish of Moseley, 2023 Accounts

Balance Sheet at 31st December 2023
Note
Fixed Assets:
Tangible - Investment
4
Tangible - Operational
4
IT
Plant and Equipment
4
Investments
5
Current Assets:
Debtors
6
Short term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
Current Liabilities
Creditors
7
Net Current Assets
Total Net Assets
Represented by parish funds:
8
Unrestricted – general
Unrestricted – designated
Restricted
Endowment

2023
2022
£
£
749,350 720,000
80,000 80,000
- -
6,663 9,738
2,002,680 2,082,331
2,838,693 2,892,069
14,384 22,263
132 131
193,450 84,515
207,967 106,909
51,011 36,257
156,956 70,653
2,995,649 2,962,721
81,157 71,320
2,675,923 2,730,680
194,940 120,845
43,628 39,877
2,995,649 2,962,721

The notes of within the 9 pages of these accounts form part of these financial statements.

The financial statements were approved by the PCC on 26th March 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Jill Adams Lay Vice Chair Parish of Moseley

1. Principal Accounting Policies

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 in accordance with the current Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities and applicable accounting standard FRS102.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for investment assets, which are included at fair valuation. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Following transition to FRS102 for the first time, all the accounting policies have been aligned with the new accounting standard and where these have resulted in a material change to the amounts, classification or presentation within the financial statements as at the date of transition then a transitional adjustment has been made. The principal accounting policies and estimation techniques are as follows:

Funds

Funds over which the PCC’s control is limited by statue or the terms of a trust deed, or which are restricted in their use have been defined as “restricted funds”. Funds which are controlled by the PCC and over which there are essentially no restrictions as to their use have been defined as “unrestricted funds”. Designated funds are unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the PCC for purposes designated by PCC policy. Such designations may be set aside from time to time according to policy decisions.

Endowment Funds are funds, the capital of which must be retained either permanently or at the PCC’s discretion; the income derived from the endowment is to be used either as restricted or unrestricted income funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established in the first place.

Restricted Funds comprise (a) income from endowments which is to be expended only on the restricted purposes intended by the donor, and (b) revenue donations or grants for a specific PCC activity intended by the donor.

Unrestricted Funds are income funds which are to be spent on the PCC’s general purposes.

Designated funds are general funds set aside by the PCC for use in the future. Designated funds remain unrestricted and the PCC will move any surplus to other general funds.

Income

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the PCC is legally entitled to them as income or capital respectively, ultimate receipt is probable and the amount to be recognized can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Planned giving, collections and similar donations are recognised when received. Tax refunds are recognised when the income to which they relate is received.

Grants received which are subject to pre conditions for entitlements or use specified by the donor which have not been met at the yearend are included in creditors to be carried forward to the following year. Dividends and rents are accounted for when declared receivable, interest as and when accrued by the payer.

All income is accounted for gross.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognized as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the PCC to pay out resources. Expenditure is included on an accruals basis under the following headings; all costs are allocated under a specific category:

Costs of raising funds

These are the costs associated with the PCC’s fundraising activities.

Charitable expenditure

Charitable expenditure is analysed between ministry and mission expenditure. Ministry expenditure includes the direct costs of running the church such as the diocesan parish share, church building and service costs. The diocesan parish share expected to be paid over is accounted for when due. Mission expenditure includes mission giving and donations, outreach in the community activities, children's work cost and associated staff costs.

Support costs consist of central management, administration and governance. These are costs which are directly attributable to a specific charitable activity.

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over or when awarded. Expenditure is accounted for gross.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Movable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the church’s inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). There is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements. So all such expenditure has been written off when incurred.

The properties the PCC owns comprise of 25, 25A, 25B, 27, 29 & 31, 31A & 31B St Mary's Row. During 2015 in line with the revised Charities accounting requirements (FRS 102) properties have been split Investment and Operation on the Balance Sheet. Investment Properties were revalued by Fishers Property & Lettings Management in September 2015. This valuation is reflected in the Balance Sheet. Neither Operational nor Investment Properties were not revalued in 2023.

Depreciation is not provided on these properties as any provision (annual or cumulative) would not be material, due to the very long expected remaining useful life and because it’s expected residual value is not materially less than its carrying value. The PCC has a policy of regular structural inspection, repair and maintenance and the property is unlikely to deteriorate or suffer from obsolesce.

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight-line basis over four years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired. There are no such assets at this time.

Financial instruments

The PCC has elected to apply the provision of Section 11 “Basic Financial Instruments” and Section 12 “Other Financial Instruments” of FRS102 in full to all of its financial instruments.

Debtors which are receivable within 1 year and which do not constitute a financing transaction are initially measured at the transaction price. Debtors are subsequently measure at amortised cost being the transaction price less any amounts settled and any impairment losses.

Creditor’s payable within 1 year and which do not constitute a financing transaction are initially measured at the transaction price. Creditors are subsequently measure at amortised cost being the transaction price less any amounts settled.

2. Income Donations Free Will Offering (Inc Gift Aid) Legacies and Donations Charitable Activities Christmas Day Together Music Organ Social & Fundraising Events Other Trading Activities Lettings Hall Hire less: expenses less: Hall refurbishment Other Income Net fees for weddings and funerals Investments Bank interest & dividends Property Rentals less: expenses Solar Panels' Generation Total Income	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2023 £ £ £ 83,984 83,984 1,174 2,000 3,174 85,158 2,000 87,158 - 332 332 - 10 10 (180) 70,141 69,961 3,635 - 3,635 3,455 70,483 73,938 1,635 - 1,635 17,916 - 17,916 (28,585) - (28,585) (14,294) - (14,294) 3,927 4,116 8,043 5,023 - 5,023 (14,379) 4,116 (10,263) 78,708 2,219 80,926 65,747 - 65,747 (7,253) - (7,253) 5,120 - 5,120 142,322 2,219 144,541 216,556 78,818 295,373	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 77,279 77,279 1,582 1,000 2,582 78,861 1,000 79,861 - 138 138 - 750 750 180 5,461 5,642 4,008 - 4,008 4,189 6,349 10,538 544 - 544 19,133 - 19,133 (25,996) - (25,996) 3,379 - 3,379 4,018 - 4,018 1,077 - 1,077 76,231 2,182 78,413 58,599 - 58,599 (9,938) - (9,938) 4,109 - 4,109 129,001 2,182 131,183 213,129 9,531 222,660

3. Expenditure Expenditure on Fundraising: Charitable Expenditure: *Resourcing Ministry* Clergy Expenses - See Note 14 Church Buildings and Yard- See Note 13 Music, Organ and Choir Altar items Flower Guild Other Church Activities Common Fund to Diocese Net Sequestration Costs Support for resourcing ministry *Resourcing Mission* Christmas Day Together Children's Work Charitable Giving Support for resourcing mission Total Expenditure Analysis of Support Costs Parish Office Other Costs	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2023 £ £ £ 0 0 0 9,481 - 9,481 117,755 - 117,755 15,678 600 16,278 1,869 - 1,869 200 - 200 5,192 1,809 7,001 131,564 1,193 132,757 (366) (366) 36,027 - 36,027 317,766 3,236 321,001 - 1,073 1,073 19,691 - 19,691 7,027 - 7,027 4,003 - 4,003 30,721 1,073 31,793 348,486 4,309 352,795 -131,931 74,509 -57,422 Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2023 £ £ £ 36,351 - 36,351 3,679 - 3,679 40,029 - 40,029	Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 0 0 0 17,194 - 17,194 73,675 - 73,675 15,530 1,538 17,068 1,403 - 1,403 - - - 3,939 2,106 6,045 154,829 1,186 156,015 34,158 - 34,158 300,728 4,829 305,557 - 900 900 18,539 - 18,539 7,793 - 7,793 3,795 - 3,795 30,127 900 31,027 330,856 5,729 336,585 -117,727 3,802 -113,925 Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Funds Funds 2022 £ £ £ 35,427 - 35,427 2,526 - 2,526 37,953 - 37,953

Note 4. Tangible Fixed Assets
Cost/valuation
At 1 January 2023
Additions
Assets under contruction
Disposals
At 31 December 2023
Accumulated depreciation
At 1 January 2023
Charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 December 2023
Net book value
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022
During 2022, the parish purchased a new boiler for the
The parish is current converting previously commercia
Note 5. Investments
M&G Charifunds (Piggott)
M&G Charifunds (Fairn)
CCLA Investment Fund Halsey
CCLA Property Fund
CCLA Investment Fund
Property Rentals
Receivable within one year:
Gift Aid Recoverable
British Gas Feed In Tarif
Rent - St Mary's Row Properties
St Anne's Hall Receivables
Note 7. Creditors and Deferred Income
Amounts falling due within one year:
Utilities
Charitable Giving
Software
Rent - St Mary's Row Properties
Hall Maintenance
Other Creditors
Note 8. Movements in Funds
Endowment Funds
St Mary's Sydney Halsey Fund
Restricted Funds
Sequestration Fund
St Anne's Fairn Clergy Discretionary Fund
St Mary's Clergy Discretionary Fund
Parish of Moseley Lunch Club
St Mary's Sydney Halsey Fund
Bell Fund
Fabric Fund
Christmas Day Together Fund
Childrens Fund
Pew Bibles
Choristers' Fund
Music Fund
Organ Fund
These properties comprise of 25, 25A, 25B, 27, 29 & 31,
buildings. The properties were last revalued in 2015.

Investment
Properties
Operational
Properties
IT Equipment
Plant and Equipment
Total
£
£
£
£
£
720,000 80,000 2,578 12,300814,878
- - - --
29,350
- -
29,350
- - - --
749,350
80,000 2,578 12,300
844,228
-
- 2,578 2,5635,140
- - - 3,0753,075
- - - -
-
- - 2,578 5,638 8,215
749,350
80,000
- 6,663 836,012
720,000
80,000
- 9,738 809,738
St Anne's Church Hall. It is being depreciated over 4 years on a straight line basis and was commissioned in March 2022.
l space to two 1 bedroom flats. This is shown as an asset under contruction in the ifxed asset reconcilition above.
As at 1 January 2023
Purchases
Disposals
Change in market
value
As at 31 December
2023
£
£
£
£
£
293,904
0
(30,000)
(7,715)
256,189
17,634
0
0
(414)
17,220
39,877
0
0
3,752
43,628
403,331
0
0
(24,752)
378,579
1,327,585
0
(140,000)
119,480
1,307,065
2,082,331
(140,000)
(170,000)
90,349
2,002,680
-
0
-
2023
2022
£
£
3,467
5,359
210
3,378
1,250
1,000
966
3,961
8,491
8,411
0
155
14,384
22,263
0
-
2023
2022
£
£
33,930
20,067
12,787
8,440
0
3,947
0
575
528
346
3,765
2,881
51,011
36,257
0
#REF!
01-Jan-23
Income
Expenditure
Capital movements
Transfers
31-Dec-23
£
£
£
£
£
£
39,877
0
0
3,752
0
43,628
39,877
0
0
3,752
0
43,628
0
0
366
0
0
0
366
18,077
1,026
(400)
(414)
0
18,289
6,155
2,000
(1,409)
0
0
6,746
0
4,116
0
0
0
4,116
0
1,193
(1,193)
0
0
0
2,000
0
0
0
0
2,000
4,328
0
0
0
0
4,328
2,634
332
(1,073)
0
0
1,893
2,035
0
0
0
0
2,035
206
0
0
0
0
206
2,000
0
(600)
0
0
1,400
0
10
0
0
0
10
83,409
70,141
0
0
0
153,550
120,845
79,183
(4,674)
(414)
0
194,940
0
31A & 31B St Mary's Row. These properties include a combination of residential, commercial and church used

Designated Funds
Stay and Play
St Anne's Church Ball Fundraising
St Anne's Bequest Fund
St Anne's Piggott Fund
St Mary's Row Properties
St Mary's Designated Organ Fund
St Mary's Investment Growth Fund
Agreed Improvements Fund
Staffing Developments Fund
St Mary's Vision 13 Fund
Premises Fund
Contingency Fund
Unrestricted funds
General
Total Funds

0
517
0
0
0
517
5,172
0
0
0
0
5,172
97,438
0
(17,369)
0
0
80,068
209,129
19,096
0
(7,715)
(30,000)
190,510
800,000
0
0
0
29,350
829,350
0
0
0
0
75,000
75,000
0
0
0
94,727
(94,727)
0
42,027
0
0
0
0
42,027
300,000
0
0
0
(75,000)
225,000
986,914
0
(19,285)
0
0
967,629
165,000
0
0
0
(29,350)
135,650
125,000
0
0
0
0
125,000
2,730,680
19,613
(36,654)
87,012
(124,727)
2,675,923
0
71,320
248,683
(363,572)
0
124,727
81,157
0
2,962,721
347,479
(404,901)
90,349
0
2,995,649

Note that, for the purposes of the 2023 accounts, as in 2022, all funds which were treated as designated in the separate parishes of St Anne's and St. Mary's have continued to be treated as designated in the merged parish.

Sequestration Fund: Represents amounts sequestered by the parish during the interregnum relating to parochial fees sequestered and running costs of the parsonages St Anne's Fairn Clergy Discretionary Fund: A bequest from Alison Fairn, parishoner of St Anne's, for use at the individual discretion of the vicar of the parish St Mary's Clergy Discretionary Fund: Donations received from Kings Norton Charities United to support discretionary activities of the clergy of the parish Parish of Moseley Lunch Club: Funds relating to the dormant Lunch Club, previously run from St Anne's

St Mary's Sydney Halsey Fund : An endowment for St Mary's Church with the income used for the support the Incumbent and the clergy. Currently donated to the diocese Bell Fund . During 2015 a restricted £2,000 donation was received toward the ongoing upkeep of the bells from the Trust. Fabric Fund. This fund resulted from an appeal and is restricted for re-ordering of the Nave Altar and Chancel. Christmas Day Together Fund . This annual event has a specific fund for its income and expenditure. Children's Fund . During 2017 the trustees of the Ballance Trust provided £2,035 toward Children and Youth work Pew Bibles . During 2016 the trustees of the Ballance Trust provided £2,000 for the purchase of Pew Bibles. Choristers' Fund: A donation of £2000 from the Ouseley Trust in 2021 to fund scholarships for choristers of the parish Music Fund . This is made up of donations towards the provision of music at the church by the Friends of St. Mary's Music and Choirs. Organ Fund: These are funds specifically raised to refurbish the organ in St Mary's

Stay & Play: Funds available for use in support of the parish Stay and Play group

St Anne's Ball Fundraising: Funds raised in support of the annual church ball at St Anne's St Anne's Bequest Fund: £100,000 bequest made in 2021 to St Anne's by a parishoner St Anne's Piggott Fund: Funds for support of the running of St Anne's church St Mary's Row Properties. See Note 4.

St Mary's Designated Organ Fund : £75,000 contribution towards the refurbishment of the organ with St Mary's Church Investment Growth Fund. Assumed on investments. This is significantly less that recent returns but returns can be volatile. Agreed Improvements Fund. Sufficient funding to provide for the remaining Church Yard Project, altar frontals and £20,050 bequest received in 2018 Staffing Developments Fund . To provide medium/long term funding for staff salaries once or if funding from investments reduces e.g. by reordering the church St Mary's Vision 13 Fund. Reserve to fund Vision 13 costs for church reordering Premises Fund. Provide funds for improvements to the church and other PCC premises Contingency Fund. Hold in reserves the equivalent of approximately 6 months general running costs for unforeseen events. General Fund. Provide a general reserve to provide deterioration in finance, one off costs and cash flow

Note 8a. Fund Transfers

The following highlights transfers between funds and their reason

Redistribution of Funds
Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Debtors due within one year
Debtors due outside one year
Short term deposits
Cash at bank
Creditors due within one year
Creditors due outside one year
Note 10 Related Party Transactions
Note 9. Analysis of Net Assets by Fund

General Funds
Investment Fund
St Anne's Piggott
Fund
check
Offset SMC 2023 Losses
(94,727)
94,727
-
Offset SAC 2023 losses
(30,000)
30,000
-
Total
(124,727)
94,727
30,000
-
Total
Total
2023
2022
£
£
£
£
£
£
0
836,012
0
0
836,012
809,738
0
51,560
1,783,455
124,037
43,628
2,002,680
2,082,331
(0)
14,384
0
0
0
14,384
22,263
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
132
0
0
132
131
0
64,372
57,498
71,581
0
193,450
84,515
0
(49,159)
(1,174)
(679)
(51,011)
(36,257)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
81,157
2,675,923
194,940
43,628
2,995,649
2,962,721
-
0
-
-
-
0
Unrestricted General
Funds
Unrestricted
Designated Funds
Restricted Fund
Endowment Fund

The PCC has related charities for which some PCC Trustees are also Trustees. The following cash transactions and closing balances are included in the accounts:-

Related Party Friends of St Mary's Choir & Music Flower Guild Total	Cash In Cash Out Owed Owing £ £ £ £ 0 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 200 0 0

No member of the PCC was paid during the year. A small immaterial portion of the expenses paid to the incumbent may have related to his service as chairman of the PCC. Some immaterial reimbursements for general church activities were paid to some PCC members or persons closely connected to them.

Note 11. Staff costs 2023 2022 £ £ Wages and salaries 59,745 67,791 Social security costs 0 0 Pension contributions 681 824 60,426 68,616 Add: Contracted Site Services Support 8,757 69,183 68,616

During the year the PCC employed a Director of Music, Site Services Manager (to June), a Benefice Support Manager (job share) and Intergenerational Ministry Co-ordinator. From June 2023 the parish has been contracting site services support from a 3rd party. In line with legislative requirements the PCC introduced a Workplace Pension Scheme from September 2016.

Note 12. Church Buildings and Yard
St Anne's
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Building Works, Repairs & Cleaning
- Yard
St Mary's
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Building Works, Repairs & Cleaning
- Yard
- Church Reordering Project
Parish of Moseley Utilities Costs
St Anne's
St Mary's
As reported
Add back Diocesan Energy Grant
Underlying utilities spend
Note 13. Clergy Expenses
Clergy Expenses
Of which:
Curate Housing
Expenses incurred in carrying out mission and ministry
Expenses incurred in supporting clergy lodgings

2023
2022
£
£
11,058
2,034
4,767
3,250
1,883
446
1,202
500
38,456
19,953
11,278
10,284
26,338
27,689
3,489
1,890
19,285
7,628
117,755
73,675
0
11,058
2,034
38,456
19,953
49,513
21,987
8,415
49,513
30,402
2023
2022
£
£
9,481
17,194
4,375
10,500

2,897
4,626
2,209
2,069

Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of The Parlsh of Moseley. Parochlal Church Councll l Tepon 10 the Ifustèes on my examination of the accounts of the Parish of Moseley, Parochlal Church Council for the yearended 31" December 2023 Responslbllltles and basls of feport As the charlty trustees of the Tru51 you are responsible for the prepararlon of the attounts In accordance with the requirement5 Of the CharitiesAci 20111'ihe Act'l. I report In respectof mYexarnin?tion of the Tru5Vsaccountscarried out undersection 145 olthe 2011 A¢t and In carrying out my examinatiofi I have followed Ill the applicable DIrtIons 8iven by the Charity Comm15sion unler section 145ISllbl olihe Affl Indtpendent emamlnerfs statement I have compltted mv e¥arninatlon. I confirm thai no materlal matters have come to my attentlon In conneffllon with the e¥amlThatSon8lvin8 me cavse io believe that In any mateiial iespect.. l. accouniinl retords were not kept In respect of the Trust as requlfed by sertior* 130 of the Act,. or 2. the aCCOUn¢s do notaccord with those records,. or 3. the •¢counts do not comply wlih tht applicablt requlremenis Concernin8 the form •nd content of ac¢ount5 set oul In the CharitieslAecountsand Reportsl fte8ulations 2thJ8otherthan any requirement that the account5gl¥e a'true and fairview whith is not a rnatterconsidered as part ol an indèpendent examination. I have no cancem5 and have come across no other matters in connectlon with ihe èxamlnation io which atteniion should be dr•wn in this report sn order io enable a proper understandin8 of the ctounts io be reachèd. Slsned.. Name.. Deldie A Mattison. MA ACA Chartered Accountant Address.. 22 Aprll Croft. Moseley. B1¢miham, B13 9HP

Annual Report for 2023

Table of Contents

Background

MEMBERSHIP OF THE PARISH OF MOSELEY PCC

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS

THE PARISH OF MOSELEY

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Agenda

Prayer and Welcome

Annual Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Accounts: John Clarkin

Churchwarden’s report: St Mary’s

Churchwarden’s report: St Anne’s

Date of next year’s APCM

Associate Vicar’s Report – Revd Magdalen Smith

Parish of Moseley - Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners and Annual Parochial Church Meeting 24th April 2023

Prayer and welcome

Annual Meeting of Parishioners

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of last meetings (25th April 2022)

3. Matters arising

4. Election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of last meetings (25th April 2022)

3. Matters arising

4. Electoral Roll Report – Fiona Chew / Trish Everett

5. Election of Deanery Synod Representatives (4 vacancies)

6. Election of Parochial Church Council (2 vacancies)

7. Accounts: John Clarkin

8. Appointment of independent examiner

9. Churchwarden’s report: St Mary’s

10. Churchwarden’s report: St Anne’s

12. Closing comments – Associate Vicar, Revd Magdalen Smith

PCC Report – Jenny Daniels

Extract from Parish of Moseley PCC Minutes

WORSHIP

St Mary’s Music and The Friends of St Mary’s Choirs and Music – Mick Perrier

St Anne’s Music Report – Fiona Chew and Trish Everett

Bell Ringers’ Report – Simon Linford, Tower Captain, St Mary’s, and Trish Everett, Tower Captain, St Anne’s

St Mary’s Flower Guild – Angela Brown

St Anne’s Flower Arranging – Jan Midgley

Churches Together – Jennifer Holloway

DISCIPLESHIP

Discipleship – Revd Magdalen Smith and Liz Blakey

Intergenerational Ministry – Rachel Kinning

Children’s Groups

verses.

Development

Community Based Activities

School

Training

Report from Moseley C of E Primary School – Miss Young (Head Teacher)

Collective Worship

Tuesday (WHOLE SCHOOL)

Wednesday (CLASS BASED)

Thursday (KEY STAGE)

Friday (WHOLE SCHOOL)

Visiting Church

Enrichment and offering further opportunities to pray and learn from the life of Christ at our school

Safeguarding – Janet Thorne

OUTREACH

Christmas Day Together – Bridget Langstaff

Charitable Giving – Debbie Barwell

Our recommendation to PCC will be for the following nominated charities to be supported throughout 2024:

Three Parish charities (one international, one national and one local):

Two St Mary’s charities:

Two St Anne’s charities:

PASTORAL CARE

Pastoral Care Team including Care Homes Ministry – Jennifer Holloway

Care Homes

Pastoral Care Support Group

HOSPITALITY

Parish Hospitality Group – Angela Brown

Coffee and Company and Warm Space – Angela Brown and Janet Thorne

BUILDINGS & FINANCE REPORTS Church Wardens’ Reports

St Mary's Churchwardens' Report – Angela Brown