## **Parish 0f St Maxentius Bradshaw**
**Annual Report And Financial Statement.**
**Year ended December 31[st] 2021**
## **St Maxentius Church**
**Bolton Road, Bradshaw , Bolton, BL2 3EU**
**Diocese of Manchester, Bolton Episcopal Area**
**Walmsley Deanery, then Bolton Deanery**
**The Parochial Church Council of the Parish of St Maxentius, Bradshaw**
**Registered Charity Number 1132522**
**Year ending December 31[st] 2021**
## **Presented to the Annual Parochial Council Meeting**
**Sunday 15[th] May 2022**
## **Foreword:**
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and prayers. (Acts 2, 42). The first Christian Community was marked by these four actions, their instinctive response to the miracle of the resurrection and the call of God in Jesus.
As we give thanks for the last twelve months and look forward to the next, let us recommit ourselves to that same service, with gratitude for all we have received and a fervent hope for all we might accomplish for the future.
This report is complied by members of the Parochial Church Council .
## **Background and general information.**
The Anglican Parish of St Maxentius is part of the Turton Moorland ministry, among with the parishes of St Peter, Belmont, St Anne, Turton and Christ Church Walmsley. The team is on the Northern edge of the Manchester Diocese, consisting of suburban development, moorland villages and extensive rural areas. St Maxentius Church is situated on Bolton Road, Bradshaw, and serves a stable and settled community based on the village of Bradshaw on the northern outskirts of Bolton. Many of the local population have links with the church and many of the congregation have long standing local connections.
The address for all correspondence is St Maxentius Church, Bolton Road, Bradshaw, Bolton, BL2 3UE.
## **Administrative information.**
The Parochial Church Council, known as St Maxentius PCC is a registered charity, no 1132522. Church officers who served from Jan 1[st] 2021 until this report was approved are:
Team Rector Canon Peter Reiss. Team Vicar and Chair: Vacant. Deputy Chair: Jan Bennett ALMs: Jan Bennett, Jo Haslam Churchwardens: Joyce Armstrong, Jan Bennett Deputy wardens: Bryan Goodall, Dave Haslam, Don Taylor, Margaret Heaton, Tom Heaton, Ruth Scorah PCC: Edna Bowers, Carol Carr, Elaine Christian, Andrew Cox, Alison and Arthur Greaves, Bryan Goodall, Jo Haslam, Don Taylor, Ruth Scorah, Rebecca Smith, Chris Sutcliffe Treasurer: Bryan Goodall Secretary: Carol Carr
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church representation rules. All church attended are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC at the next APCM. A third of the PCC will be elected every year to serve for 3 years.
Elected members are limited to 15, plus ex-officio and co-opted members. Each year a third of the PCC is up for election to serve for 3 years.
Two churchwardens are elected every year at the Annual Parishioner’s meting immediately before the APCM. Any person on the electoral roll may attend and vote. Churchwardens are officers of the Bishop and ex-officio members of the PCC.
The PCC has responsibility for a wide range of matters affecting the Parish, including compliance with health and safety, disability discrimination and child protection and safeguarding.
Day o day management is exercised by the Team rector, delegated as appropriate to the Team Vicar and churchwardens, and officers of the PCC assisted by the team administrator.
## **Team Rector’s Report.**
A year ago we met on ZOOM and we thought that the blight of Covid might be over reasonably soon. This past year has seen the Omicron variant prove even more contagious, though thankfully less lethal.
We have tried to balance a more open and free way of worshipping and gathering with necessary precautions. It has not been easy nor was there an obvious answer. We had to judge as best we could and we may not have got everything right.
As a Team we have welcomed Hannah Lane as an assistant Curate, and what a blessing this has been in many ways. We have not had a replacement at Bradshaw and now we prepare to say thank you and farewell to Carol Hayden. It is a reminder that church is about people, community, it is about growth and change and development, it is about walking forwards with each other into God’s future,
I want to offer a big thank you to all who have done so much in all our parishes to keep things going during Covid, and also to get things going, either new things like our midweek services, or things we have missed like a Team service, Turton Youth Church or Choirs. A particular thank you to the Wardens, across the Team who carry that extra responsibility.
Our team exists to support and enable our local churches. We want to face up towards God in worship. How lovely to share Holy week across the Team. We must look within at ourselves, both how we manage and govern and do things, in grace, with mercy and truth. We must face outwards, as yeast or salt in and for our community and the world. How good to raise so much for Christian aid through the shared walk last September.
This coming year will see more change as we form a larger Mission Community, and this may affect the Team as a structure, and we will need to look at this in the coming year. We will hopefully see new appointments made and more people discerning a sense of ministerial vocation in their parishes, whatever this may look like. I have been here now for just over 2 and a half years, and I feel both anxious and hopeful for the future. Anxious because we do not live in easy times, and the world is dark in many places. Hopeful, because I know that as we live as people of grace, mercy and truth, then the Gospel is attractive and God’s blessing will draw others to find him. We will make mistakes, though I hope others will not be hurt by them and we will get some things wrong. As we seek to be Gods’s people in the places where God has called us, we may discover his blessing poured out on us and through us, and on to others. May the spirit of God guide us in the coming year. Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel.
## **Peter**
## **Vicar’s report**
I wonder what our feelings are as we come to another APCM. This past year has been another strange one, Covid restrictions have finally eased, but so much of the year has been uncertain, though not as restricted and locked down as the previous one.
Easter is the season when the disciples discover the risen Jesus, even when the doors are locked and they are fearful, Easter is the season when the disciples are encouraged and challenged to go forwards with Jesus and not go back.
I would like to begin by thanking Jan and Joyce, our wonderful wardens, who have shouldered even more in the absence of a resident vicar, and have done so willingly and cheerfully. We have settled into a pattern of Sunday and Wednesday worship, with a Family Communion service once a month on a Sunday It has been a joy to have Hannah Lane join our clergy team, and thank you also to Marcus Bulcock who has become more part of Sr Maxentius.
The mid-week service has grown and established itself and thank to Jo and Jan in particular for t heir leadership in this service. We have got much stronger links now with our school, and are rebuilding links with the uniformed organisations and will have quarterly parade services.
I hope we are a worshipping community, We are also a growing community – growing through invitation and welcome, growing in our own faith, and growing new ministries as new people discover what God is asking then to do. This must remain a priority, as it is so easy to be busy with “things” and lose the deeper truths. Each of us I hope, will want to find ways to grow in prayer and in faith. I hope we can encourage one another. We are also called to be a transforming community, one that makes a difference, one that is outward looking, that has its doors open and where we are “out there” as Christians, not huddled “in”. As individuals we will have various concerns that we support, as a church we want to make our building more flexible, useable and used. The church looks to support Urban outreach and Christian Aid. We had a very successful Team walk for Christian Aid. As individuals and the church we want to care for the lonely, the anxious, the frail. Again, if our building is more flexible then we can make more people welcome.
This coming year we will have new challenges, and the celebration of our 150[th] anniversary in the current building. It is a reminder that we are rooted but also called to grow and move onto new things. The new Mission Community will mean we learn to work and worship with our wider group of parishes. Like welcoming new members of a family there will be new joys and new challenges. As we look at God’s faithfulness over the
last 150 years and more, so do we also trust that God is calling us on, calling us forward, calling us to be a people of grace and mercy.
May God continue to bless us, our congregation and our ministry, and our congregation. We have much for which to give thanks.
**Peter**
## **Parish Report**
The electoral roll stands at 136. There have been no new additions, and we lost one member. Church attendance, after re-opening is around 65 people a week, but over 100 still receive the Worship at home. Wednesday Worship continued through church closure via ZOOM, and then, and now back in church is very well attended with an average of 37 children and 21 adults at most services. There have been 2 weddings, 5 baptisms, 4 funerals and 2 burials of ashes.
## **Carol Carr, Electoral roll officer**
## **PCC report**
At the last APCM Jan Bennett and Joyce Armstrong were elected as Churchwardens. Bryan Goodall was elected as Treasure, and Carol Carr as secretary. The PCC met 6 times in 2021, 3 times by ZOOM and 3 time in person. We welcomed Ruth Scorah to the PCC and said farewell to Edna Bowers who has been a PCC member for many years and will be much missed. It was a joy to finally meet together in July. We have had a busy year looking at ways to open church safely, manage our finances and trying to keep St Maxentius open to all. Worship at home continues to be massively popular, reaching many more than our congregation via our Facebook page, which is has had a makeover and is now much more accessible. The Wednesday service for families and children continues to flourish. There have been no social events to oversee, but this should improve in 2022. The walk round the parishes for Christian Aid in September was wonderful, and we served refreshments outside suitably distanced. We did not pay the Parish share as our income was greatly reduced by Covid. Hopefully this will improve next year. One nice thing we had to do was spend some money which came as a windfall. One amount was from the Walmsley Deanery Synod which was disbanded when the Bolton Synod was formed. There was money left in their account which was split between the parishes in the Deanery. The money went towards providing a screen for use at Wednesday worship and much needed storage for at the back of church. Another legacy was left to provide memorial in church, so we purchased lectern falls in green, red and purple to complete the set, The donor family were delighted with them, and the purple one arrived just in time for Advent.
The disbanding of Walmsley Deanery, and the formation of the new Bolton Deanery has kept us busy. Parishes are being divided into very large Mission Communities and quite a lot of time was spent on consultation with PCCs as well as Deanery reps. After submitting our feedback it appears our team will be in the same Mission Community as all the churches previously in the Walmsley Deanery with the exception of St Augustines. Staffing and cover will become an issue here, but that is for the future.
After the Christmas services we were back into lockdown. It has been a difficult year for everyone, but we have kept our church available to all and I hope next year this report will be full of exciting things. Thanks go to the Wardens, Jan and Joyce who have taken the brunt of the work this year, producing endless risk assessments and keeping the church safe. Thanks to Peter, who has been our rock and who has kept everything together, to Marcus for takings some of our services, to all the PCC for your support and to the people in our congregation who make this church so special.
**Carol Carr PCC secretary.**
## **Deanery Synod report**
The last two meetings of Walmsley Deanery Synod were very much involved with discussing the move to a much larger Bolton Deanery, encompassing all the churches in Bolton, and how many people felt that Deanery Synod members were not being listened to, as arrangements for the new Mission communities look as if they had already been decided upon. The Turton Team was very concerned that the team was being split and Belmont removed. Keith Lewis said he would contact the Archdeacon and encouraged everyone to send in their concerns.
There was also a discussion about what to do with Diocesan funds and it was decided to split the money between each parish. It enabled Jo to buy some much needed storage and equipment for the family worship service.
The meeting ended with Julian Hartley, Chair of Walmsley deanery thanking officer and representatives and asking them not to get too caught up in thinking about the future but to give thanks for what we do have will continue to have and to look forward with hope.
The inaugural meeting of the new Bolton Deanery was held on July 7[th] via ZOOM. The new Area Dean, Simon Cook, led the act of worship posing two questions: What are we here for and why?
Keith Lewis, lay chair, introduced himself, and welcomed everyone including Bishop Mark and Archdeacon Jean. The discussion for breakout groups was If you had one prayer for your community what would it be? After verbal feedback, Simon Cook asked for feedback about the proposed Mission Communities to be sent to him.
The September meeting was at Christ Church Heaton. Diocesan Synod representatives were elected, and the discussion again turned to Mission communities. There was a lot of speculation about what would happen, and Simon said the Diocese was willing to listen to feedback from parishes. He asked representatives to go back to their parishes for further discussion.
Bolton West submitted a resolution that individual cups be used to distribute wine. This was passed and it will go to the Diocesan Synod.
The October meeting was at Bishop Bridgman School. After a presentation by the Children’s Chaplain Meesha and head of Ethos awe broke into Mission Community groups to discuss three [positive points, two questions two concerns and one next step which would be forwarded to the Diocese. Mission Community Group 3 which is the one St Maxentius is basically the old Walmsley Deanery minus St Augustines.
Mission Communities will be formed and leaders appointed in 2022.
**Chris Sutcliffe, Walmsley deanery secretary**
## **Financial report.**
Total receipts on unrestricted funds were £51,803 and are detailed in the financial statement. £50,735 was spent to provide the Christian ministry from St Maxentius Church, including the contribution to the Diocesan Parish Share which largely provides the stipends and housing for the clergy.
The sum that the churches in the Deanery have to find is shared between the churches according to a formula that is based mainly on a head count of the congregation. We will have to find more as we were unable to ay in full and did not get a discount.
The net result of the year was a surplus of receipts over payments of £1,068. Adding the bank balance brought forward from the beginning of the year the balance carried forward at the 31[st] December for unrestricted funds totalled £3,841.
The PCC aims to retain a balance of “free” reserves to provide working capital and to meet any future shortfalls in receipts or unexpected payments at least equal to three months payments. These accounts have been audited and found to be correct by Michael Renshaw.
**Bryan Goodall, treasurer**
## **Fabric Report**
No major repair work has been undertaken o the church building during 2021 and annual costs in respect of general maintenance have been well below previous years.
A new health survey by arboriculturists on the trees within the churchyard revealed the need for substantial work and a faculty was subsequently obtained for the felling 0f 5 trees and the pruning of a further 6. The lightening conductor on the tower has been upgraded in line with the insurer’s requirements. The underground electricity supply to the tower has been damaged resulting in the clock no longer functioning. Negotiations are ongoing to have the supply replaced at no cost.
Any works to the tower have been held in abeyance. Due to the estimated initial cost for obtaining a schedule and associated works from the church architects in the order of £6,600.
Volunteers have continued to devote a great deal of time and effort to maintain and improve both the churchyard and the church building.
**Don Taylor, Fabric Committee Chair.**
## **Safeguarding report.**
Since Covid we have not resumed Junior Church due to prior restrictions, and now nearly all safeguarding training and DBS checks need to be redone. Myself and Jo Haslam have renewed ours through the Diocese, and the decision has been made that Jo take over as safeguarding officer.
It seems that not only had the Diocese not replied to our requests for help with DBS and training, they had also lost all information on our change over of personnel. Jo has now got the necessary forms and is in the process
of changing things with Church House so hopefully we will then be able to function with Junior Church again. As Jo is DBS and safeguarding trained Little Church continues to operate.
During the time we have not had any causes for concern, and PCC passed the resolution for Jo to take over as safeguarding officer.
## **Jan Bennett**
## **Choir report**
The pandemic presented some big challenges for church choirs across the land, but the St Maxentius choir has weathered these very well. And therefore we only really have positive news to report. Once we were allowed to sing again the members returned on a regular basis. Not singing regularly does mean voices get a little rusty but after a few services we were back to singing hymns in 4 parts to a high standard and supporting the congregation in musical worship. New members have joined the choir during the pandemic phase and we are now back to practicing once a week. We continue to rehearse and sing anthems, with choir anthems performed at Christmas and three anthems during the Easter season. We recently joined forces with the choir of St Anne’s Turton for the Maundy Thursday service and attended the Good Friday service at Turton. I therefore conclude that the choir is in a good place and we will continue our important mission of singing God’s praise. As always we are delighted to welcome new members, so do let us know if you would like to sing with us.
Dr Matthew Pearson, choir master and organist.
## **Mothers Union Report**
For many years St Maxentius Mother’s Union held two meetings a month in the day school at 7.30pm. Due to Covid 19 we have had to make several changes, and we now meet monthly in church at 2pm. Our first meeting in 2021 was 12[th] October in church and most members were happy with the new arrangements for meetings. In November we held a bible market which raised £47. 80 and we also had a trip to Bents garden centre. The Christmas meeting was a short service followed by readings, music and seasonal refreshments. **Edna Bowers**
**1132522**
## **St Maxentius Church, Bradshaw Charity No Financial Statement for Year Ended 31st December 2021**
|Unrestricted|Designated|Restricted|Endownment|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Funds|Funds|Funds|Funds|**2021**|2020|
|£|£|£|£|£|£|
## **Receipts & Payments Accounts**
|**Receipts**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Voluntary Receipts|||||||
|Regular Giving|||||||
|Receipts from donors|||||||
|Planned giving|36,613|-|-|-|**36,613**|**37,806**|
|Collections other than giving|635|-|-|-|**635**|**903**|
|Income Tax recovered|8,777|-|-|-|**8,777**|**11,171**|
||46,025|-|-|-|**46,025**|**49,881**|
|Other voluntary receipts (note 4a)|1,112|1,190|11,189|-|**13,491**|**12,243**|
|Activities for generating funds (note 4b)|217|-|1,815|-|**2,032**|**5,438**|
|Receipts from Church Activities (note 4c)|2,227|-|-|-|**2,227**|**2,230**|
|Investment income (note 4d)|2,222|-|-|-|**2,222**|**2,146**|
||51,803|1,190|13,004|-|**65,997**|**71,938**|
|**Payments**|||||||
|Church activities|||||||
|Diocesan parish share|39,127|-|-|-|**39,127**|**46,000**|
|Other payments (note 4e)|11,607|652|6,816|-|**19,074**|**33,995**|
||50,735|652|6,816|-|**58,202**|**79,995**|
|Excess of Receipts over Payments|1,068|538|6,188|-|**7,795**|**(8,057)**|
|Transfer between funds|-|-|-|-|**-**|**-**|
||1,068|538|6,188|-|**7,795**|**(8,057)**|
|Bank current & deposit accounts 1st Jan|2,773|2,412|17,193|-|**22,378**|**30,435**|
|Bank current & deposit accounts 31st Dec|3,841|2,950|23,381|-|**30,173**|**22,378**|
|**STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES**|||||||
|**Cash Funds**|||||||
|Bank current accounts|3,841|2,950|23,381|-|**30,173**|**22,378**|
|CBF deposit fund|-|-|-|-|**-**|**-**|
|Other deposit funds|-|-||-|**-**|**-**|
||3,841|2,950|23,381|-|**30,173**|**22,378**|
||||||||
|**Other Monetary Assets**|-|-|-|-|**-**|**-**|
|**Investment Assets**( note 2 )|||||||
|Investment Fund shares at market value|-|-|87,446|-|**87,446**|**76,453**|
|**Assets retained for Church use**|-|-|-|-|**-**|-|
|**Liabilities -**|-|-|-|-|**-**|-|
The attached notes on pages 2 & 3 form part of these financial statements
**Approved by the PCC on 15th March 2022 and signed on their behalf by Rev. P Reiss and Mr B Goodall (PCC treasurer)**
**St Maxentius Church, Bradshaw Financial Statement for Year Ended 31st December 2021**
**Charity No**
**1132522**
## **NOTES**
- 1 The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the receipts & payments basis.
- 2 All the funds are invested in CBF Church of England Investment Fund shares.
- 3 The movements in designated and restricted funds during the year were:
|Restricted: Church Fabric Fund
Church Organ Fund
Flower fund
Designated: PCC yearly charity|Bal b/fwd
Receipts
Payments
Tax Rec
Bal c/fwd
16,515
12,754
6,665
0
22,604
520
250
151
0
619
158
0
0
0
158|
|---|---|
||17,193
13,004
6,816
0
23,381|
||-
-
-
-
-|
The fabric fund represents accumulated donations, appeals and monies transferred from Investment Assets which can only be spent for fabric maintenance.
The organ fund represents accumulated donations which can only be spent for organ maintenance.
The flower fund represents accumulated donations and monies spent on flowers for the church.
|4 Receipts and Payments analysis
a) Other voluntary receipts
Legacy
Donations
b) Activities for generating funds
Book of Remembrance
Donations - Votive Stand
Events - Bonus Ball
Events - Christmas Fair
Events - Pancake, BBQ etc
Events - Safari Supper
Events - Quiz
Magazine Sales
Magazine Adverts
Misc
c) Receipts from Church Activities
Fees|Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
**Total**
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
**2021**
2020
£
£
£
£
£
-
-
-
-
-
1,112
1,190
11,189
13,491
12,243|
|---|---|
||1,112
1,190
11,189
13,491
12,243|
||40
-
-
40
20
145
-
-
145
150
-
-
1,815
1,815
4,005
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
377
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
32
-
-
32
362
-
-
-
-
525
-
-
-
-|
||217
-
1,815
2,032
5,438|
|||
||2,227
-
-
2,227
2,230|
**St Maxentius Church, Bradshaw Charity No 1132522 Financial Statement for Year Ended 31st December 2021**
|d) Investment income
Bank Interest
Dividends on CBF Investments
e) Church activities - payments
Vicar expenses
Vicarage Upkeep
Team Expenses
Gas/Electricity/Water
Insurance
Repairs/Maintenance
Service Consumables
Churchyard
Cleaner
Magazine
Organists
Event Expenses
Bonus Ball
Sunday School
Sundries
Flowers|-
-
-
-
-
2,222
-
-
2,222
2,146|
|---|---|
||2,222
-
-
2,222
2,146|
||-
-
-
-
775
(160)
-
-
(160)
3,333
1,500
-
-
1,500
1,500
2,824
-
-
2,824
3,499
2,950
-
-
2,950
2,940
211
-
5,001
5,212
13,399
675
-
-
675
761
-
-
-
-
3,276
1,895
-
-
1,895
405
254
-
-
254
225
1,090
-
-
1,090
1,050
(100)
-
(100)
2,218
-
-
1,815
1,815
-
-
652
-
652
-
468
-
-
468
581
-
-
-
33|
||11,607
652
6,816
19,074
33,995|
5 The expenses paid to clergy may include a small immaterial proportion, which relates to their duties as PCC members. One member of the PCC received payment for cleaning the church on a weekly basis.
## **Financial Review**
Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds were £51,803 and are detailed in the financial statements.
£50,735 was spent to provide the Christian ministry from St. Maxentius Church, including the contribution to the diocesan parish share, which largely provides the stipends and housing for the clergy.
The sum that the churches in the deanery have to find is shared between the churches according to a formula that is based mainly on a head count of the congregation. We will have to find more as we were unable to pay our contribution in full.
The net result for the year was a surplus of receipts over payments of £1,068. Adding the bank balance brought forward from the beginning ot the year, the balance carried forward at the 31st December for unrestricted funds totalled £3,841
## **Reserves policy**
The PCC aims to retain a balance of unrestricted "free" reserves to provide working capital and to meet any future shortfalls in receipts or unexpected payments, at least equal to three months payments.
Accounti
Records malntsined
Bradshaw Bolton 2021
the PCC St Maxentius Church
The accounts are recorded and maintaind on a spreadsheet in a straightforward manner.
Recei
Manual sheets re used each week to record in detsil all the monies received, these sheets are
Completed by a dedicated team of approved volunteers wbo also count and bank the monies.
The Treasurer receives the completed sheet each week and records the monies to the relevant
columns on the spreadsheet.
No cash book is used the spreadsheet forn)ing the main accounting record.
Pa ments
Payments are made on production of invoices or voucher4 these are then posted to the
relevant columns on the spreadsheeL and the invoicejvoucher cross referenced with the
cheque number, these re£ords are maintsined in date order.
General
The PCC have two bank accounts with Santander and NatWesL both accounts are under dual
contn)I with transactions requiring two signatures. and they are maintained by the Treasurer.
Both accounts contain restricted and unrestricted fimds, but these are recorded separately and
in detail on the spreadsheet which forn]s the prime record.
PCC meetings are held every other month and the Treasurer makes a detailed report at each.
The Flnancial records. statements and computerised spreadsheets are compiled at the Year
End and passed to the Independent Examiner for their report.
Sign
Iichael Rensbaw
IL
V4
ination of St Maxentius Church Accounts for the year ending 31" December 2020
My examination was carried out in accordance witb G¢neral Conditions given by the ChRty
Commission under section 145(5Kb) of the Act to be found in the Church Guidance, 2006
edition.
To complete the examination reviews of the accounting records and a comparison of the
accounts that are presented with those records are ru1red.
The examination also includes any consideration of any anomalies in the accounts, and
seeking explanations from the Truste¢s concerning any such rnatters.
This examination does not provide all the evidence that would be iequired by a fidl audit,
therefore. I do not express an audit opinion of the accounts.
Independent Euminers Statement
During my examination no matter h&s rA)me to my attention.
This gives me re&sonable aswan that the have met thetr requirements to ensure
l. Proper accounting records are kept (In accordance with section 130 of the Act)
2. Accounts are prepared and agree with the accounting record4 and these comply with
a]1 the requirements of the Art
Sig
ichael
nshaw.
214