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2022-12-31-accounts

St Paul’s Church, Barrow in Furness

Annual Reports and Accounts For the year to 31 December 2022

Charity Registration: 1132621

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Charity Registration: 1132621

Trustees Annual Reports & Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2022.

Aim and Purpose

St Paul’s Parochial Church Council (the “PCC”) has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent, the Reverend Robin Ham (‘priest-in-charge’), in ‘promoting in the ecclesiastical parish and benefice and the Diocese, and also at home and abroad the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’. (This is as stated in the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956.) The PCC is also responsible for maintaining the church building and the church hall. This overall mission is expressed in the following mission statement:

“To make and grow wholehearted followers of Jesus who make and grow wholehearted followers of Jesus.”

MEMBERSHIP

The PCC is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

PCC MEMBERS

During the year, the following served as members of the PCC:

Incumbent:

Revd Robin Ham

Associate Priest :

Revd Canon Elaine Bates

Curates:

Revd Dr Sarah Richardson Revd Simon Jones (from July 2022)

Church Wardens :

Miss Jackie Dower Mr Derek Pearce (until July 2022) Mr Mike Derry (from July 2022

Representatives on General Synod:

Mrs Zoe Ham

Representatives on Deanery Synod:

Mrs Maureen Aubrey Mrs Tracy Graham

Elected Members:

Mr Derek Bradley Mrs Julia Burns

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Miss Susan Cowell Mrs Debbie Gardner Mrs Julie Jones Mr Howard LeRoy Mr Peter Molyneux Mrs Sheila Pearce – (also Secretary) Mr Callum Whitehall

Co-opted Members (April 2022-23):

Mrs Fiona Geibel

Treasurer:

Revd Elaine Bates (Acting Treasurer)

COMMITTEES

Standing Committee

This is the only committee required by law. It has the power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council.

Finance Committee

This committee oversees the general financial matters of St Paul’s Church by monitoring income and expenditure and the financial implications of PCC decisions.

Building Committee

This committee has responsibility for maintenance of the church buildings and fabric.

Safeguarding

Our safeguarding officer is Mrs Tracy Graham, with Mrs Fiona Geibel helping her by overseeing safeguarding particularly for our J7 children’s ministry.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE & ELECTORAL ROLL

At the time of writing this, there are 62 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll, of whom 22 are not resident within the parish.

6 people have been added in the last year, and 8 people have been removed (1 deceased, 3 leaving Barrow, and 4 no longer attending the church and not living in the parish).

We have 131 people named on our 2023 congregation prayer diary.

The Average Weekly Attendance for January-December 2022 was:

Sunday 11 at 8.00 am Holy Communion service 37 at 10.00 am Sunday worship and 14 children under the age of 16 yrs.

Wednesday 10 at 10.00 am Holy Communion service Night prayer 10 at 9pm Zoom Thursday night prayer

At the last APCM, a request was made as to whether this document could indicate previous figures too, so we have included the following.

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Previous years’ service attendance:

Sun 8am Sun 10am Children u16 Weds 10am
Year 2022 11 37 14 10
Year 2021 11 41 14 10
Year 2020 11 36 7 13
Year 2019 13 33 4 12
Year 2018 10 32 2 11
Year 2017 13 36 6 11

Previous years’ electoral roll:

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Electoral Roll 102 80* 77 73 68 64 55* 52 57 64

FORMAL MEETINGS

The full PCC met 6 times during the year in their usual pattern of meeting. An Extraordinary Meeting was held in February regarding making a decision about the future of the Church Hall.

The Finance and Building committees met in between meetings where necessary and reported back to the PCC.

The EcoChurch Working Group also met between meetings and reported back. Good attendance was had throughout.

Review of 2022 from Rev Robin Ham

It is strange to recall that up until February 2022 we were still encouraging people to wear masks at all times in church. 2022 was also the first full calendar year of meeting physically again after the lockdowns of 2020 & 2021. For myself, it has also been the first full calendar year where I have been in post.

It is a wise Christian rhythm to look back at what has happened amongst us, as it can grow glad gratitude in our hearts, as well as giving us a sense of perspective, for by ‘numbering our days’ God grows in us a ‘heart of wisdom’. I have framed most of this review & report around our five ‘vision priorities’, which the PCC identified and agreed after a discernment process over the last year.

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After the tangible change of a church merger through 2020-21, perhaps this past year has been a year of ‘settling into’ who we are as a church. As above, this has involved the PCC doing some significant work on refreshing our church mission statement, vision priorities, and considering a set of values. We have been delighted to see new people become part of our church community, as well as being sad to lose others to death or see people move away.

We began January reflecting on Jesus’ call to remain - or ‘abide’ in him through this year. Only then do we bear fruit. Without him, we can do nothing. But as we remain in him and his commands, we are remaining too in his love and experience his joy. We only grow out and grow wider as a church, as we grow deeper.

Transforming Gatherings that Sow & Grow

Gathering together as God’s people is vital as we grow together through our encounter with the living God, Father, Son & Holy Spirit. We continue to have three main service congregations, Sunday 8am & 10am and Wednesday fortnightly 10am. These couldn’t happen without a whole range of people, from welcome & refreshments team, service leaders & preachers, pray-ers and Bible readers, musicians, our Audio Visual team, and people setting up & clearing up. Through this rhythm of meeting together, we ‘trust the process’ and believe God sustains and grows us. We also want our services to be places where others can explore God too and God’s word is sown to those who have never really considered it before.

In our preaching, we continue to have a mix of expositional series’ that work through books of the Bible, as well as topical or thematic series. As mentioned, we began the year with a call to ‘Abide’ in Jesus - growing everyday rhythms that help us do this, as well as on our ‘frontlines’ and in our digital lives. In February & March we continued our journey through Luke’s gospel, ‘Rediscovering Jesus’. In April & May we had a ‘Life Pitstop’ teaching series, looking specifically at marriage, singleness, parenting, church and friendship. People were encouraged hearing powerful testimonies of God’s faithfulness and provision, but also honest reflections on the challenges of discipleship. In the summer term we studied the Joseph story - ‘Joseph for Grown-Ups’ and reflected on God’s sovereign goodness throughout our lives. Over the summer we focused on the Apostles’ Creed and engaged with the significance of each line week-by-week. As part of this series there was a moving video of church members reciting different lines of the creed. In the autumn we looked at 1 Peter - ‘Living Hope, Living Different’. We reflected on the way God uses our ‘ordinary lives’, tracing out the example of Jesus, to make an impact for his kingdom in our world. We finished the year with three weeks in some of the great Advent promises in Isaiah’s prophecy.

Our pattern of prayer has largely continued as in 2021. We continue to gather once a month for an ‘all church’ prayer meeting, which is now always a Sunday evening. Our Monday morning prayer group for children, young people & families, and our prayer gathering before the 10am service are both opportunities for people to pray faithfully for the Lord’s work. The daily prayer diary continues to be a powerful tool to enable us to be praying for each other. Barrow Mission Community Night Prayer on Thursday evenings on Zoom continues to be a much appreciated reflective end to the day. This was pioneered by Hannah Wallace before she passed it onto a dedicated team in Spring 2022.

A few other particular highlights that fit under this ‘vision priority’:

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Focused on our Frontlines

In February, Revd Sarah Richardson and St Paul’s featured on a BBC 1 programme, ‘We are England’, which followed the lives of two newly ordained clergywomen. This was particularly fascinating for the way it showed Sarah’s ‘frontlines’ - her work as a doctor and as an ordained minister. It led to some media interest - and on April 1st we were delighted to announce her forthcoming TV chat show, ‘On the Sofa with Sarah’, telling everyone they’d be a ‘fool to miss it’.

This fitted well with an inspiring morning thinking about ‘Abiding with Christ on our frontlines’, which led to some really important conversations and a sense of wanting to be used by God wherever he has placed us.

Having relaunched our new discipleship groups as ‘Connect Groups’ in 2021, these continued through 2022. By the end of 2022, we had three daytime groups meeting (including a Farsi based discipleship group for our Iranian congregation members) and three evening groups meeting. These groups seek to help us connect with God, connect with each other, but also connect with God’s world as we uphold each other in prayer, apply God’s word, and send each other out with God’s Spirit to serve him.

During the spring, our Connect Groups studied the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. In the autumn we ran the ‘Real Change’ course across our Connect Groups. This used home-made video resources and aimed to help us consider where God might be wanting to grow us into the likeness of Jesus Christ as we turn from our old selves and trust in God’s goodness. God often uses the ‘heat’ in our lives to change and shape us.

We also hosted a special Women’s Brunch on the theme of God’s grace motivating us to display the beauty of the gospel in our lives.

The church Prayer Diary continues to be a precious resource as we pray for each other and our individual witness on our frontlines.

Growing Younger

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Over lockdown we had held an online pancake party for children and families, so in February it was a delight to be able to host this in the building for the first time. There was a brilliant turn-out with many people inviting friends and it being a ‘next step’ for many of the children & families who have some connection with our church.

Our J7 children’s groups on Sunday morning continue to meet in two age streams and we’re grateful for all who serve to make this possible. In September we invited all our J7 leaders and helpers to get together to give thanks for them and to pray together about this vital ministry amongst 3-11 year olds on a Sunday morning.

Having restarted in September 2021, Who Let The Dads Out? celebrated its five year birthday in the summer and continues to draw a ‘new generation’ of dads, grandads, carers, and their little ones, with a dedicated and joyful team.

A number of our church members continue to be actively involved in the hugely important ‘Open the Book’ ministry. Throughout 2022, a number of schools began to ‘open up’ again and allow visitors in, so the team found their diaries getting busier once again.

St Paul’s School have begun visiting the church for their monthly act of collective worship again, as well as their ‘mock wedding’ event - and we continue to explore how to develop this relationship. We continue to have one-off visits from other local schools who might be wanting their children to experience a church building as part of their learning. It was brilliant to see Experience Easter back up and running, including with new faces, which was a real gift to local schools. We’re also thrilled Happy Tots are visiting again too.

Partnership Beyond Our Walls

Carlisle Diocese is hoping that St Paul’s functions as a ‘training hub’, where leaders can be trained and equipped together. This inevitably involves ‘comings and goings’ as leaders are welcomed and sent out:

As the training hub model intends, our clergy continue to serve other churches in the town, particularly in instances of maternity leave and vacancy.

The horrific war in Ukraine led to a real desire to partner in prayer for that situation. In the immediate months after the war began we had a prayer station at the back of church, and it was a regular focus in our services

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and prayer meeting, including at Night Prayer, and we joined in with a prayer gathering on Dalton Road in the town centre.

In July we were able to host the annual admission of Church Wardens service for the Barrow Deanery, celebrate and pray for these men and women who serve our churches in this way. In October a group of women went to the Northern Women’s Convention in Manchester, where they came back encouraged from teaching from Habakkuk on ‘From Frustration to Faith’ and a range of practical seminars.

Church members also supported various Barrow Mission Community initiatives and partnerships. These including the monthly CAMEO event at St Aidan’s on Sunday afternoons, led by Opa Geibel, Pioneer Enabler; the BeWell Fest at Barrow Raiders stadium; and a community-led service to mark the ‘Knife Angel’ statue visiting Barrow in January, amongst others.

Opens Doors & Hearts to our Community

As lockdown restrictions have lifted, there seems to have been a readiness to return to ‘normal’ patterns of life amongst many people. As a result, it has felt like we’re in a season of ‘opening up the doors’ as we rediscover old rhythms and new opportunities for gathering together. Of course, Christian mission is not just about inviting people to ‘come to us’, but there is a place for creating welcoming spaces that bless the local community and allow a space to explore the Christian faith.

In the Spring, we trialed a new monthly initiative, Vintage Thursdays. Our Anna Chaplaincy friend, Julie Jones, worked with a small team and our Barrow Pioneer Enabler, Opa Geibel, to launch this blend of ‘conversation, craft, and cake’. After a steady group of attendees through to the summer, we felt it was worth keeping this going as a monthly event during term time. Simultaneously, it felt wise to bring ‘Flix & Chips’ to a close for the time being, particularly because Lucy Jenkin had moved to Scotland and the fact that both initiatives were aimed at a similar demo graph of people. We are so grateful for all Lucy brought to St Paul’s and miss her very much!

In June, we ran ‘Wonderfully Made’ on Thursday mornings, a special course for new mums that explored the Christian faith through the lens of the joys & challenges of parenthood. In the same month we also ran ‘Alpha’ again on Wednesday evenings, giving people an opportunity to ask big questions about life.

Like last year, over the summer we ran a series of summer socials, these gave the opportunity for our church community across the three congregations to get to know each other, but also to invite friends and those perhaps on the ‘fringe’ of church to feel more connected. These including the annual Sugarfoot bandstand concert in Barrow Park, a Family-friendly Ramble, Games Night, BBQ, Bangers on the Beach, a Sketching afternoon, and a Quiz Night to support New Growth Ministries in Zimbabwe.

In September the nation and world mourned the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our bell was rung at St Paul’s on 9th September in response to her death, joining in with bells around the country. We hosted a special book of condolences & space for reflection & prayer in the church building, which led to many people coming to sign. A group also watched her funeral in the church lounge.

In September we hosted an annual Macmillan Coffee Morning for Cancer Support, and in the run up to Christmas, we also appreciated the opportunity to host carol services for St Paul’s School, Dane Ghyll School,

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St Mary’s Light Up a Life, Lynwood Nursery and Deemon Performance Academy. It was really encouraging to pick up old connections and grow new ones.

With the ‘cost of living crisis’, we joined many community spaces and churches in pledging to be a ‘Warm Space’. For us, as well as existing ministries such as Vintage Thursdays, this included opening as a Warm Space on Wednesday’s mornings from late November. We also made plans to restart and develop the ‘youth dropin’, which had been first initiated by Network Youth Church.

In the Advent & Christmas period, we used the ‘Follow the Star’ publicity campaign from the Church of England to host a range of events & services, including a Carols by Candlelight service, Pop-Up Nativity & Family Carols event, a Blue Christmas service, Christmas Eve Communion, and Christmas Day services. We again supported Furness Homeless Support Group. For the first time we also ran a Ladies’ Rag-Wreath Making Night, which was very popular. We also had ‘Christmas specials’ for Who Let The Dads Out? and Vintage Thursdays.

One of Hannah Wallace’s legacies has been the starting of an Eco Church Working Group, who have been helping us consider our role in stewarding and caring for God’s world. As a result of their work and encouragement, St Paul’s received a ‘Bronze Eco Church Award Certificate’ from A Rocha UK in November in recognition for the steps that we’ve taken in Worship/Teaching; Management of Buildings/Land; Community & Global Engagement; Lifestyle. As we begin to consider how best to use our land, we had a ‘Tidy & Tea’ event in the church grounds in July that was enjoyed by a whole range of ages.

Church Hall & Bus

As indicated in last year’s report, we had determined that this year we would make a decision on the future of these two precious assets, the church hall and the church bus.

Church Hall:

After a consultation process that began in early autumn 2021, the PCC met for an extraordinary meeting in February where they discussed this issue at length and shared their reflections on the consultation process.

The PCC recognised the immense value that the St Paul’s Church Hall has played in the life of the church and the wider community over 140 years. However, its present state meant that it is not currently offering such benefit to the church nor to our mission in the wider community. They recognised that determining to seek a buyer for the hall site was a big decision, and worthy of the prayerful and consultative manner in which the consultation had been undertaken. Naturally any sale would be irreversible for the site itself, but we reflected that God calls us to make courageous decisions in the sure knowledge that, whilst there are different seasons and chapters in life, ‘the word of God stands forever’ (1 Peter 1:25).

And so, it was with huge thankfulness for God’s blessings through the church hall to previous generations, that the PCC decided it would now be appropriate to pursue a sale of the church hall site for the sake of the church’s ministry to future generations. It is the PCC’s intention to use any sale funds to help the church carry out our mission ‘to make & grow wholehearted followers of Jesus who make & grow wholehearted followers of Jesus’ in the local community, as well as across Barrow, and beyond.

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Under God and with all things considered, it was the PCC’s sincere hope and belief that we might be more effective in this mission through responsible but creative use of any sale funds, rather than through retaining ownership of the current hall site. We believe this will be a means of blessing to the wider community, amongst whom the Hall has clearly meant a great deal to many.

Consequently, the inevitably lengthy process of pursuing a sale began and in late autumn the St Paul’s Church Hall was put on the market.

Church Bus:

The PCC had already determined that the Church Bus was highly unlikely to be used again in the same way it had been, and that Network Youth Church also had said they would not be using the bus going forward. Various options were discussed by the PCC, including scrapping or the bus being used by another organisation.

We were then approached by the headteacher at Dane Ghyll school, located in the parish, who had expressed interest in using the bus if we were looking to sell it. The PCC felt this would be a way of blessing our parish community and seeing it have an ongoing use, rather than scrapping or selling for a minimal amount nationally.

Any useful church equipment was stripped out and Dane Ghyll took responsibility for transporting the bus (which was out of operation). It’s wonderful to see that it is now being used on the school site as a coffee bar for children to serve parents at pick-up and drop-off.

Cost of Living & Financial Stewardship

Although our finances are covered in detail elsewhere in this report, I thought it was worth mentioning a few items:

In July the PCC also pledged to raise our Parish Offer (our financial giving to the Diocese) for 2023 to £52,500. We are one of few Anglican churches in the Diocese where our minister is only licensed to one church, and so it was felt that it was important to continue to raise our offer from the £46,000 given in 2021 and £50,000 in 2022. This still remains somewhat short of the £62,000 diocesan figure, which covers clergy costs, including housing, training, insurance, council tax & pensions, but we are grateful for the sacrificial and generous giving of many.

As we’re all aware, we are living amidst a ‘cost of living’ crisis. We are all feeling the pinch in some way or other, due to rising costs, especially with food and fuel costs. For us as a church, the increase in fuel costs has been particularly steep, and we need to consider how to help our income match our expenditure. That said, we recognise everyone has less financial resources than before this crisis.

In all of this, we look to God, the good provider In October we launched our five vision priorities and also encouraged people to consider their giving to the church’s mission. We look to God to help us grow habits of joyful generosity as we enjoy the generous heart of God.

Abiding in Christ

As I noted as I began this report, unless we remain in Jesus Christ, we cannot bear fruit. But we ‘abide in him’

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together, rather than as individuals. And although this report intentionally does not list many names, I am so encouraged by the sense of being the ‘body of Christ’ at St Paul’s. None of the different ministry and mission areas that we’ve described above, or the new ideas or initiatives, or the week-by-week rhythms of being a church community, would be able to happen without members of the church community using their time, gifts and energy. On behalf of the PCC as legal trustees, I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone.

It is perhaps fitting though for me to perhaps underline my gratitude to those whom I work alongside on a dayto-day, week-by-week basis. Since their appointment at the last APCM, Jackie Dower and Mike Derry have been wonderful churchwardens. I’m so grateful for their encouragement, thoughtfulness, prayerfulness and servant-heartedness through some significant decisions and discussions. I’m grateful too to our staff, Sheila Pearce who does so much ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘above & beyond’ as administrator, and to Christine, our new cleaner, who diligently helps our premises stay in good condition.

Working closely with Revd Canon Elaine Bates, Revd Sarah Richardson, and, since July, Revd Simon Jones has been a real joy and privilege. Our thanks must go to Elaine who has again served as Acting Treasurer this past year, on top of everything else she does. It was also wonderful to have Hannah Wallace as part of this team up until May, and as is seen in the details above, we’re so grateful to God for the contribution she made to the life of the church on her two-year ordained placement.

As we bring this review to a close, let us end with Jesus’ words: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

Yours in Christ,

Robin

Churchwardens’ Report APCM 2023

All goods and ornaments have been checked and are accounted for and are correct.

The church building and grounds have been checked on a regular basis for any damage or deterioration. The church roof was inspected in October and work was begun in November to carry out repairs and general maintenance. This work is ongoing and will continue into 2023.

Both church boilers have been serviced and no repairs were needed. In addition, Emergency Lighting and Fire Alarms were checked regularly. A problem with the Intruder Alarm was dealt with by “Swan Alarms” and it is now working effectively. We also purchased new screens for use inside the church, due to concerns about the stability and safety of the old grey screens.

Energy costs have increased greatly and these are regularly monitored by the PCC and Finance Committee. We get our energy through the Diocese Parish Buying Scheme, using the Energy Basket, which offers good pricing and competitive rates. We are currently with “Total Energies” which was recommended as providing good value. After many years’ service, it was finally agreed to find a “new home” for “The St Paul’s Bus”. It was becoming harder to keep The Bus going for outreach work, due to rising costs and the difficulties in finding a driver and volunteers to man it. Although it was sad to see it go, we were delighted when Dane Ghyll School decided that they would like to use “The Bus” for their community events. It is now established at the school and is continuing to serve the local community. Praise the Lord!

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It was also with great regret that we decided to sell the Church Hall. A lot of work was needed to bring it up to an acceptable standard for use and we did not have sufficient funds to cover the costs involved. This was a painful decision both for church members and for many people in the community, as they had fond memories of happy times spent at the hall. A public meeting was held to explain the difficulties we faced in trying to keep the hall going and following that meeting, the PCC made the decision to put the hall up for sale. It was decided that funds from its sale would be used to develop the facilities at the church and continue the Lord’s work through our outreach and support for the community.

In January we said goodbye to our cleaner Christine North, who started a full time job at BAE Systems at the beginning of 2022. From January until a new appointment in May, we were blessed by the generous support of church members in helping to keep the church clean and tidy. We would like to thank them for the gift of their free time and hard work in keeping our building looking its best. We couldn’t have managed without you! We were able to appoint a new cleaner in May and we were pleased to welcome another Christine to our team. Mrs Christine Ashley joined us on 2[nd] May.

We also said goodbye to Hannah Wallace who finished her placement with us. We were sad to see her go but we wish her well for the next stage of her training. However, God has blessed us with another placement. Simon Jones has joined us and he has quickly settled into church life and is proving a real asset.

In July church had a “Visitation” from the Archdeacon of Westmorland and Furness, the Ven. Vernon Ross. The Archdeacon looked around the church and grounds and discussed the work of the church. The “Visitation” went very well and the Archdeacon was encouraging and supportive of all that had been done. He was very positive about how the church was moving forward.

2022 saw another exciting development, which Hannah encouraged and supported before she left. We now have a new “Eco Church Working Group”. Thanks to their efforts we have achieved a Bronze Certificate for the “A Rocha’s Eco Church Award Scheme”. They have produced a “St Paul’s Caring for Creation” statement which expresses our commitment to making improvements to our grounds and building, so that we can do our part in protecting our local environment and habitats, and in preventing further damage to God’s Creation. We are grateful to all those who joined our working parties to clear and tidy the grounds in preparation for the planned improvements, and also to the “Community Payback” Team who came to continue this work on Saturdays. A lot has happened in the past year – we have welcomed a group of Christian men from Iran and they have become an important part of our church family. We have continued to reach out to members of our local community and “Vintage Thursday”, an afternoon of craft and conversation for older members of our community began after Easter.

We are thankful for all that the Lord has done for us in 2022, especially for the blessing of our clergy, led by Rev. Robin Ham. They continue to provide us with good ministry and loving pastoral support in an ever changing world. Furthermore, we are blessed with faithful church members who give tirelessly of their time in supporting the work of St Paul’s and in encouraging and supporting us on our journey with God. Praise the Lord!

Jackie Dower and Mike Derry Churchwardens

Safeguarding Report to the PCC and to the APCM 2023

1. The Parish Safeguarding Officer

The Parish Safeguarding Officer for St Paul’s Church Barrow-in-Furness is;

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Mrs Tracy Graham, Tel: 07786438357, Email: tracyj22.tg@googlemail.com,

This is my first full year in the safeguarding role, I would like to thank Miss Jackie Dower for all her help and support. I have completed the following training:

Safer Recruitment Domestic Abuse Safeguarding basic Safeguarding Foundation Safeguarding Leadership Parish Safeguarding Officer DBS online awareness

2. Safer Recruitment, and Training

Our parish supports the following groups working with children and young people, and with adults who are vulnerable:

J7 - Activities for children during the 10 o’clock service.

WLTDO? – Dads and Children Aged 0 to 11 (end of Y6) every third Saturday in the month from 10.00 to 11.45.

Open the Book – Groups visit local schools and retirement homes to perform stories from the Bible and share their meaning.

Easter Experience – Schools visit Church to hear about and discuss the Easter Story

Happy Tots Nursery – Groups of children visit fortnightly to enjoy stories from the Bible; learn about Jesus and learn about the church and its work.

Visits to Church – Groups e.g., schools visit church for special services, assemblies or activities.

Home Communion – Held on request for individuals who are not able to attend church.

Vintage Thursdays - Craft, conversation & chat for those later in life.

The leaders and volunteers working with our groups have all been safely recruited according to the Church’s national guidance.

2022 was a year for training with the leadership training starting again after covid. Training is ongoing with 78% having completed training. I will continue to support everyone to ensure they have received the level of training required by the Church.

The DBS checks are carried out where required and the register is regularly updated with checks being carried out for members of the church working with children or vulnerable adults for the first time, or those whose checks have reached the 3 year deadline for renewal. Checks are now completed on-line. There is currently 1 DBS outstanding & 1 renewal outstanding

3. Church Policy and Guidance

All parishes are required to have formally adopted the House of Bishops ‘Promoting a Safer Church; Safeguarding Policy statement’, and Church of England safeguarding policy and guidance.

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This policy statement was adopted by the PCC at a meeting on 12[th] March 2018 and was reviewed on 27[th] March 2023. Details of this are on the poster displayed in the lounge which also included contact details for parish safeguarding in St Pauls church.

St Paul’s Safeguarding Policy for Children and Vulnerable Adults has also been reviewed and updated. This is now a single policy for both children and vulnerable adults and it was reviewed at a meeting of the PCC on 27[th] March 2023 Copies are available from the office on request.

5. Church Practice

Any safeguarding concerns should be reported to the Parish Safeguarding Officer, the Churchwardens or the Clergy. There are also posters in church giving other points of contact. The Diocese Safeguarding Adviser can be contacted for advice where needed.

Risk assessments for activities involving children, young people or vulnerable adults are regularly reviewed and updated and the Parish Safeguarding Officer, the Churchwardens or the Clergy should be notified of any concerns regarding the safety or welfare of church members and/or visitors.

Everyone has their part to play in keeping our church and community safe and I would like to thank you all for your help with this. It is very much a team effort and your support is invaluable. Finally, we give thanks to The Lord as He guides and protects us in our work with both adults and children. His blessings are many and we know that we are nothing without Him.

Tracy Graham Parish Safeguarding Officer

RESERVES

The PCC has no formal reserves policy and funds held are on deposit.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The PCC have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Commission in exercising their powers or duties

Acting Treasurer’s Report 2022

This year we have, like everyone else been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and especially a significant increase in fuel bills which will continue to affect us in 2023. Yet we have endeavoured to respond, not by stepping back, but by offering a warm space to others in the community in various ways, trusting in God.

Where people have been able, they have increased their giving, but we recognise that is not possible for everyone and we thank God for the generosity each person has shown, not just financially. Many have begun to give electronically which helps with cash flow and saves bank charges on cheques and cash deposits. We are setting up online banking so will soon be able to make payments electronically too, again saving bank charges. The card reader has proved valuable, enabling donations and payments to be made easily.

We have ended the year with a deficit which we have been able to cover from reserves thanks to the generosity of givers in previous years, including past legacies. We have made the decision to sell the Church Hall, believing that this is the right way to use our resources to serve God and our community better. Investing in LED lighting will not only save money but contribute to lowering our carbon footprint.

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We are, as always, grateful to those who are able to give financially – and in so many other ways – to those who count and bank money or administer Gift Aid recovery and manage other admin related to the finance.

Elaine Bates Acting Treasurer

St Paul's PCC

Receipts and Payments Account 2022

Incoming Resources
Voluntary Income:
Gift Aid Tax Recovered
Grants
Legacies
Activities generating funds:
Special Efforts & Sales
Rent Income
Charitable Activities:
Service Fees
Other
Investment Income:
Interest
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Expended:
Parish Share
People
Where we meet
Ministry & Mission
Giving Away
Office & Admin
Cost of generating Funds
Net (outgoing)/Incoming
resources
Balance brought forward
Funds transferred
Balance carried forward		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Endowment
Total
2022
2021
59,839
875
60,715
91,175
13,613
13,613
16,331
3,614
1,1143
1,143
2,145
3,333
3,333
907
27
27
16
520
520
82
78,476
875
79,351
114,280
47,334
47,334
46.000
12,896
12,896
17,356
14,743
2025
16,768
17,205
1,077
766
1,843
2,920
3,415
3,415
4,824
4,872
4,872
6,731
84,337
2,791
87,128
95,036
(5,861)
(1,915)
(7,777)
19,244
42,261
5,989
621
48,871
29,628
36,400
4,074
621
41,095
48,871

15

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

2022
2021
Current Assets
Cash at bank and in hand
41,095
48,771
Current Liabilities
Deposit refundable
43
43
HMRC
400
Other
30
-
Fund Movements in 2022
At 1/1/22
Receipts
Payments
At 31/12/22
General Funds
42,261
78,476
84,337
36.3400

Restricted Funds
Alpha
18
18
Building
2,451
2,025
428
Bus Ministry
728
728
Charity Donations
0
0
Flower Fund
160
30
190
PAIS
1,470
1,470
WLTDO
161
845
766
241
Hardship Fund
1000
1000		 2022
2021
Current Assets
Cash at bank and in hand
41,095
48,771
Current Liabilities
Deposit refundable
43
43
HMRC
400
Other
30
-
Fund Movements in 2022
At 1/1/22
Receipts
Payments
At 31/12/22
General Funds
42,261
78,476
84,337
36.3400

Restricted Funds
Alpha
18
18
Building
2,451
2,025
428
Bus Ministry
728
728
Charity Donations
0
0
Flower Fund
160
30
190
PAIS
1,470
1,470
WLTDO
161
845
766
241
Hardship Fund
1000
1000
5,989
875
2,791
4,074
Endowment Funds
Andrews & Knights Bequest
621
621
621
621
48,871
79,351
87,128
41,095

16

Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of St Paul’s PCC

I report on the accounts of St Paul’s Church for the year ended 31 December 2022 which are set out on pages 10 and 11.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The church’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:-

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair view” and the repost is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

17

Mr P Newsham – ACA

RfM Ulverston Ltd Chartered Accountants Bellevue, Princes Street Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7NB

18