## **Christ Church Flackwell Heath** Annual Report 2024 ## Background The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Christ Church Flackwell Heath has the responsibility, as stated in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, of co-operating with the Vicar, Revd James Dwyer, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the Church and Church Centre of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath. Christ Church is a Registered Charity, as required under Charity Law, with a Charity Registration number of 1132634. ## **Parochial Church Council** ## **Membership** Members of the PCC are either ex-o�cio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. In addition, members may be co-opted as necessary. During 2024 the following served as PCC members: ## _**Ex o�cio members:**_ _Chair:_ Revd James Dwyer _Curate_ : Revd Gill Taylor _Associate Minister_ : Revd Martin Courtney _Licensed Lay Ministers:_ Sue Simpson _(Vice Chair)_ and Debbie Fox-Webb _Churchwardens_ : Karen Christie and Phil Simpson _Deanery Synod Representatives:_ Neil Bourhill, Neil Favager, Richard Chalmers and Rebecca Hawes ## _**Elected members:**_ It was agreed in the APCM in 2004 that the PCC should consist of seven elected members, in addition to ex-o�cio and co-opted members, and be elected on a three-year rolling retirement. In 2024 the terms of o�ce were amended to state that members elected from that date must take one year o� after each three-year term, after which they are permitted to return to PCC. During 2024 elected members were: Denise Herschel (until March 2024), Sylvia Bourhill (until March 2024), Reg Jaycock (until March 2024), Chris Broadbent (from 2024 APCM), Keely Hammond (from 2024 APCM), Paul Churchouse (from 2024 APCM), Meg Scullion (from 2024 APCM), Tim Franklin (from 2022 APCM), Sammy Simpson (from 2023 APCM), and Phil Bellamy (from 2023 APCM). ## **PCC Committees** In 2024 the PCC had six committees: 1. The Standing Committee is required by law and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. 2. The Missions Committee coordinates links with the mission partners that the Church supports. It advises the PCC on mission giving. 3. The Fabric Committee oversees the maintenance of the Church, Church Centre, and grounds. 4. The Finance Subcommittee was formed in 2023 in response to our financial situation with the remit of stabilising our giving and providing analysis and oversight of church finances. 5. The Eco Subcommittee was formed in 2024 to help take forward our endeavours as a church to improve our eco footprint and become a carbon neutral church. 6. The Children, Youth and Families Subcommittee was formed in 2024 to help us strategically support our work with children, young people, and their families. The PCC met six times during 2024, with the Standing Committee meeting five times. PCC members were commissioned on 21st April 2024 and, apart from the normal business life of the church, there was a regular focus on mission and agenda items on Safeguarding and GDPR compliance. ## Church attendance in 2024 Church attendance remained stable throughout 2024, with gentle growth and a significant increase in attendance at our Christmas services. The 9am service saw an average weekly attendance of around 40-45 adults, the 10.30am of around 80-90 adults and 10-15 children and youth, and the 6.30pm a range of attendance, reflecting the varied service pattern. Average Sunday attendance across all three services is therefore around 140 people. The introduction of a second weekly communion service has led to more regular attendance, with around 15-18 people attending on average. Messy Church sees on average 45 children and their carers attend once a month. Numbers of Occasional O�ces remained low, reflecting a concerning wider trend at a national level. In 2024 we held: 8 baptisms - 1 wedding - 19 funerals in which Christ Church clergy and LLMs were involved, either at Christ Church or local crematoriums ## Electoral Roll The Electoral Roll declared at the Annual Meeting in 2024 was 194 people, a decrease of three compared with that declared in 2023 (197). During 2024 three people were removed and three people were added. The Christ Church Electoral Roll stands, as of 1st February 2024, at 194 (122 residents and 72 non-residents). Jackie Chalmers, Electoral Roll O�cer ## Safeguarding Throughout 2024 the PCC complied with the requirements imposed by the code under section 5A of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016. Our safeguarding culture and processes were carefully managed by Denise Herschel, our Parish Safeguarding O�cer. ## Review of the Year As a year, 2024 saw Christ Church continue to see gentle growth, both spiritual and numerical. As a church we continued to sense God’s call for us to grow deeper with one another, with Him, and with the community we serve, and this is reflected in some of the story of the year as told below. This review cannot capture everything, but is a snapshot of the year. **January** 2024 started gently after a busy Christmas in 2023, giving us a chance as a church to rest and take a breath before Lent, which began only a few weeks into the New Year. We took the opportunity of a quieter few weeks to redesign the Link, the church newsletter. Prompted by the prayer of one of our church family, we started to pray for a doubling of children and young people in our church. Lent began on the 14th **February** and as well as Ash Wednesday, we marked the opening of our Lent Prayer Room, which picked up on the gardens theme we looked at in our sermon series. Our Lent Course was LICC’s _On Purpose_ , five sessions helping us to think about what it means to live purposeful lives wherever we are. Along with the wider Diocese, we were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Bishop Alan. In **March** we held our APCM, giving thanks for the past year and looking ahead into the year to come. In particular we spoke about our need to invest in our work with children and families, and announced that thanks to funding from the Diocese of Oxford, we were able to advertise for a Children’s Minister later in the year. Many from the church family joined the celebrations at the wedding of Rachel Franklin to Chris Entwisle. Our Holy Week and Easter services included a Walk of Witness for the first time in some years, and our Easter Trail in partnership with the Methodist Church and Residents’ Association. In **April** we were privileged to welcome Revd Dr Ajith Kumar, General Secretary of the Church of North India, to Christ Church. He spoke at our morning services and was treated to a famous Christ Church bring and share lunch. It was a special moment for us to hear more about God’s church in India. At the end of the month, around 60 members of Christ Church went to High Leigh Conference Centre for our Church Weekend Away, where we reflected on God’s call to be his disciples. Those who didn’t go on the weekend enjoyed a joint service at Christ Church, with God’s people meeting together bound by the Spirit. In **May** we joined others from the village in celebrating the long-awaited arrival of a new minibus for the Nancie Ross Centre, which Christ Church made a financial contribution towards. We held a preaching workshop for our preachers and enjoyed our annual Plant Sale as part of Christian Aid Week. We started a process of reviews of our Mission Partners, and the advert for our Children’s Minister position was published. In **June** we joined thousands of other Christians from across Wycombe for Love Wycombe on the Rye. Our LLMs attended the annual LLM conference, and we attended the licensing and first service of the new chapter at St Mark’s Bourne End. We celebrated Gill’s priesting both at her ordination service in Amersham, and then a church family lunch the Sunday after, when she had presided at her first communion. In **July** we were again part of Heath Fest, the village music festival. We held our annual Tea Dance for those living with dementia, and welcomed Rebecca Hawes to the team as our new Children’s Minister. A group from Christ Church went to New Wine, back in Shepton Mallet, and at the end of the month our service pattern changed to joint 10am services for the summer holidays. To make the church more accessible to the parish, we started keeping the building open during the week. **August** was a quiet month, with some members of Christ Church helping at Lighthouse in Loudwater. Holiday Co�ee Stop gave a point in the week for people in our community to come together throughout the summer. In **September** we began our autumn sermon series, looking at Mark’s Gospel, and at the end of the month welcomed Azita Jabbari to our Alpha Supper where she gave a moving and powerful talk. We were able to attend Afternoon Tea celebrations at The Cherries and Nancie Ross Centre, and held a prayer meeting for our schools. A team from Christ Church did rather well at the annual village quiz! In **October** we celebrated Harvest, with our food collection once again being shared between One Can Trust and the Community Pantry. Some of Christ Church had an evening with two guests from India who were visiting James, and got to hear about the school system and challenges faced by the churches there. We hosted a Deanery Confirmation Service, with 15 candidates from across the Deanery being baptised and/or confirmed. The Quinquennial inspection took place, with a comment in the feedback that we were perhaps the “best kept church in the Diocese of Oxford.” We welcomed Paulin, our Mission Partner from Albania, to our services at the end of the month, and a number of the congregation stayed for a lunch with Paulin and his wife Luli. On 31st October we hosted a Bright Party to the delight of all who attended. In **November** Christ Church hosted BBC Radio 4’s _Any Questions_ as a live broadcast, with a packed church filled with people from the community. It is believed to be the first time Radio 4 has come live from the village! Our Charities Fayre was a good opportunity to showcase local charities, and our Memorial Service was as always a moving opportunity for people to remember those they have loved and lost. Christmas began early, with Christmas on the Heath taking place on 29th November – Christ Church played a key part in the short service that takes place during the event. **December** saw us engage in a whole host of Christmas events, both inside and outside the church. The weather didn’t stop us, and we saw an encouraging number of people encounter the Christmas story. We had new opportunities to be part of Christmas celebrations in the village, including at The Cherries and Nancie Ross Centre, and welcomed schools into church as well as sharing the Christmas story in assemblies. Throughout the year, the church Safeguarding Policy was kept up to date and overseen by the Parish Safeguarding O�cer. ## Church life ## **The Fabric Committee** The Church and Centre continued to benefit from a small but dedicated team of volunteers, led by the churchwardens, particularly the monthly Grounds Working Party. Energy bills continued to be carefully monitored, and a church declutter continued to keep the Church and Centre maintained and e�cient. The Church and Centre continued to be cleaned to a high standard, professionally and by volunteers. In July 2024 we started keeping the church building open during the week, with steps taken to ensure the building and valuable items were secured. ## **Worship** Christ Church is blessed by a talented team of musicians, singers, and technical support teams, complemented by Bible Readers, intercessors, and the flower team. In person services continue to be complemented by a livestream (10.30am only), managed by some superb volunteers. Services at Christ Church continue to o�er a variety of styles, both traditional and modern. A second midweek communion service was introduced in the summer, meaning there are now two midweek services each month (on first and third Thursdays). ## **Discipleship** Growing deeper as disciples of Jesus continued to be a key part of Christ Church’s mission. - Sue Simpson continued to coordinate home groups at Christ Church, with groups encouraged to follow a church-wide teaching pattern of using the sermon series from September-Easter, and then choosing their own subjects - Preaching continued to be a rich source of discipleship, led by Revd James Dwyer, Revd Gill Taylor, Sue Simpson, Debbie Fox-Webb, and Helen Broadbent as well as Phil Bellamy and Cheryl Dwyer (Authorised Preachers). Series included Gardens of Scripture, Philippians, Mary’s Song, and Samuel - Sharon Howard and Bridget Wiseman continued to oversee Junior Church, supported by a fantastic team of volunteers. In July 2024 Rebecca Hawes, our Children’s Minister, joined the team. Engagement within schools was grown throughout the year, with an increasing number of assemblies in school and visits to church by the children. Junior Church started moving towards following the same sermon series as used in services Cheryl Dwyer continued to oversee Thrive, our youth group. Members of Thrive are involved across church life, including the co�ee rota, All Age Worship, and more Messy Church continued to flourish, meeting monthly and welcoming an average of 45 children and 24 carers each month for craft, games, Bible stories, and dinner. Messy Church is overseen by Cheryl Dwyer and Rebecca Hawes, with support from a brilliant team - Leonie Cowlard continued to facilitate Play Café and YouNique, creating small but significant gathering spaces for families in our community - We held a Deanery Confirmation Service in October, with 15 candidates being baptised and/or confirmed - A Church Weekend Away in April o�ered the chance for 60 members of the church family to spend time together and with God, deepening faith and growing in discipleship A new Growing Deeper session was started by Helen Broadbent, running on the third Thursday of the month before the midweek Holy Communion service ## **Prayer** Overseen by Jane Franklin, prayer continued to be a core value of Christ Church, including: - Creative ways of praying were continued, including a much-valued Prayer Room in Lent picking up on the theme of Gardens of Scripture - Daily Prayer (Mon-Fri) was held in the Rotunda, along with monthly parish prayers online and an emergency prayer chain and team of confidential intercessors - Community Prayer regularly gathered leaders from nine local churches to pray for one another and our area - Prayer takes place formally and informally during the week, in services, within prayer groups, and pastorally Prayer meetings for local schools ## **Pastoral Ministry** - The Pastoral Team, under the leadership of Sue Hill, continued to provide excellent pastoral support and develop pastoral care at Christ Church. The Bereavement Visiting - Team continued to minister to those in the days after loss - Oasis, our self-help bereavement group, continued to meet three times a month as well as for social events and holidays throughout the year. Oasis regularly welcomes new members and spent some of 2024 preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025 Prayer for Healing continued to be o�ered at the 9am service on third Sundays, and prayer ministry at the end of the 10.30am service remained a key point of prayer and support. Prayer for Healing and Anointing was introduced on second Sundays at the 10.30am service - Fellaship (men’s ministry) and Sister Act (women’s ministry) met regularly throughout the year, welcoming a range of speakers from both within and outside the church ## **Outreach and Evangelism** - The Flackwell Heath Community Pantry continued to be well resourced by donations from the church family and wider village - We provided 45 School Starter Packs to families with children starting at Carrington and Juniper Hill Schools in September - Co�ee Stop continued as a registered Warm Space, providing a place of comfort for those struggling with the cost of living. Co�ee Stop remained a key part of Christ Church’s outreach in the community, running weekly during term time and on Wednesdays during school holidays (including the Christmas break) - Play Café and You-Nique provided regular contact points for families in the wider community, and o�ered a safe space - Alpha courses were run in partnership with Flackwell Heath Methodist Church Christ Church members were involved with local ministries, including One Can Trust, Wycombe 24/7 Prayer, Wycombe Youth for Christ and Wycombe Homeless Connection. Christ Church continued to support Christian Aid through collection and the plant sale. Our Christmas Gift Service collection went to Wycombe Homeless Connection At the start of 2024 Christ Church was committed to four Mission Partners: Jubilee - Society (Mongolia), the Albanian Christian Centre (with New Beginnings Children’s Home), Wycombe Youth for Christ, and a ministry in East Africa. During 2024 the ministry supported in East Africa ended, meaning our support for the ministry would need to change. It was agreed to keep some support going into 2025, but at the end of 2024 Christ Church had three ‘active’ Mission Partners. The Mission Partner reviews, undertaken during the year, provided a good platform from which to ask the question ‘what next?’ The mission noticeboard was maintained all year ## **Other community involvement** Christ Church continued to be an active presence in the life of the community, including: - Welcoming the parish in for occasional o�ces - Opening the church building during the week - Holding the annual Memorial Service in November - Holding a variety of Christmas services, including the village Christmas on the Heath celebrations - Leading the village Remembrance Service - Being an active presence in village schools Welcoming the Girl Guides, Brownies, and Rainbows for their Christmas service, and hosting Girls Brigade events ## Financial Review With total incoming resources of £241,960 and expenditure of £197,305, the net financial result for the year was excess of receipts over payments. The hard work of stabilising our finances in 2023 was rewarded by a good year in 2024. Major outgoings were the Diocesan Parish Share and the salaries for, by the end of 2024, three members of sta�. All general income was tithed and supported the work of our mission partners. ## Reserves Policy In November 2024 the PCC reviewed the current level of reserves and were happy with the reserves held at around £110,000, which is designed to cover the equivalent of two months’ general running costs and other anticipated expenses. Our reserves policy states our reserves must be no less than £40,000. **Revd James Dwyer** **Chair of the Parochial Church Council 24th February 2025** ## **Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath Statement of Financial Activities** |**for the year ending 31 December**|**2024**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||Unrestricted|Restricted|TOTAL FUNDS|TOTAL FUNDS| ||||Funds|Funds|2024|2023| |||Note|£|£|£|£| |**INCOMING RESOURCES**||||||| |_Incoming resources from donors_||2(a)|163,639|-|163,639|167,166| |_Other voluntary incoming resources_||2(b)|2,483||2,483|5,003| |_Incoming resources from operating activities:_||||||| |to further the Council's objects||2(c)|12,816||12,816|16,237| |to generate funds||2(d)|240||240|120| |_Income from investment_||2(e)|7,096||7,096|1,511| |_Other ordinary incoming resources_||2(f)|24,337|31,349|55,686|34,208| |**TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES**|||**210,611**|**31,349**|**241,960**|**224,245**| |**RESOURCES EXPENDED**||||||| |_Grants_||3(a)|17,316|4,956|22,272|19,708| |_Activities relating to the work of the Church_||3(b)|139,868|15,242|155,110|137,240| |_Church Management and Administration_||3(c)|19,923||19,923|17,933| |**TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED**|||**177,107**|**20,198**|**197,305**|**174,881**| |||||||| |NET MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS|||**33,504**|**11,151**|**44,655**|**49,364**| |Balances brought forward at January 1|||170,148|15,131|185,279|135,915| |Balances carried forward at December 31|Balances carried forward at December 31||203,652|26,282|229,934|185,279| Page 1 **Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 December** **2024** **----- Start of picture text -----**
2024 2023
£ £
Monetary Assets
HSBC Current Account 6,689 5,424 2,500 6,006 -6,013
Barclays Account 3,849 4,317 0 5,110 1,175
HSBC Deposit Account 20,216 71,508 104,981
1 year bond 120,000 85,000 85,000
90 day notice account 62,000
Cash 94 310 136
229,934 185,279
**----- End of picture text -----**
## _Debtors_ There are no debtors. ## _Creditors_ There are no creditors ## _Liabilities_ There are no liabilities ## _Moveable Church Furnishings_ Moveable church furnishings are valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes. ## _Non-Monetary Assets_ Assorted gardening implements and shed – valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes. The PCC owns assorted dvds, books and office equipment – valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes ||**Funds Statement**
**Balance**
**Restricted Funds**
Relief
490
Community Pantry
23,102
**Designated Funds**
Hardship Fund
878
Schools Support
1,963
Oasis
11,674
General Fund
109,868
Development Fund
81,959
Total
229,934
0.00
**Represented by :-**
HSBC Current Account
6,006
Barclays Account
5,110
HSBC Deposit Account
71,508
1 year bond
85,000
90 day notice account
62,000
Cash
310
Total
229,934| |---|---| Page 2 **Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2024** In previous years Designated and Restricted Funds were shown in a combined column. As Designated Funds are unrestricted they are now shown in the Unrestricted column |2 **INCOMING RESOURCES**
Unrestricted
Funds
2(a) _Incoming resources from donors_
£
Planned giving:
Gift Aid donations
108,584
Other planned giving
7,864
Income tax recoverable
30,070
Loose plate collections
5,441
Other Gift Aid donations
7,396
Other donations
4,284
163,639
2(b) _Other voluntary incoming resources_
Donations to costs/expenses
1,483
One off Grants
1,000
Legacies
-
2,483
2(c) _Incoming resources from operating activities:_
_to further the Council's objects_
Bible Notes & Events
3,300
Church Centre lettings
9,220
Fees for weddings etc
296
Other
-
12,816
2(d) _Incoming resources from operating activities:_
_to generate funds_
Other funds generated
240
240
2(e) _Income from investment_
Bank and deposit account interest
7,096
7,096
2(f) _Other ordinary incoming resources_
Special collections
-
Community Pantry
Schools Support
3,310
Use of photocopier
126
Oasis
13,673
Cash Floats (eg. Coffee Stop)
7,228
24,337
**Total Incoming Resources**
**210,611**|Restricted
Funds
£
-
5,606
25,743
-
31,349
**31,349**|2024
2023
108,584
88,956
7,864
8,200
30,070
30,602
5,441
6,827
7,396
25,263
4,284
7,318
163,639
167,166
1,483
1,003
1,000
-
-
4,000
2,483
5,003
3,300
6,145
9,220
8,972
296
1,120
-
-
12,816
16,237
240
120
240
120
7,096
1,511
7,096
1,511
5,606
1,638
25,743
23,285
3,310
126
198
13,673
1,735
7,228
7,352
55,686
34,208
**241,960**
**224,245**
TOTAL FUNDS| |---|---|---| Page 3 |3 **RESOURCES EXPENDED**
3(a) _Grants_
Missionary societies
Relief and development
Home mission
Special collections
Other
3(b) _Activities relating to the work of the Church_
Ministry: Diocesan Parish Share
Clergy expenses
Sanctuary
Music
Junior Church/Youth
Materials/books/services
Childrens Minister
Church running expenses
Church repairs/maintenance
Church Centre costs
Bible Notes & Events
Cash Floats (eg. Coffee Stop)
Oasis
Community Pantry
Schools Support
Training
Families/Parenting
Improvements
3(c) _Church Management and Administration_
Printing and stationery
Administrator salary & related costs
Office/administration
**TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED**|Unrestricted
Funds
£
16,716
-
600
-
-
17,316
83,917
2,568
251
854
671
1,091
5,257
8,870
2,301
6,243
2,231
5,647
5,993
3,347
80
9,321
1,226
139,868
2,677
15,409
1,837
19,923
**177,107**|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
4,956
4,956
15,242
15,242
**20,198**|0
2024
2023
16,716
17,470
-
-
600
600
4,956
1,638
-
-
22,272
19,708
83,917
86,488
2,568
1,475
251
345
854
667
671
648
1,091
383
5,257
8,870
8,904
2,301
1,755
6,243
6,214
2,231
2,177
5,647
6,179
5,993
657
15,242
9,370
3,347
80
34
9,321
11,465
1,226
479
155,110
137,240
2,677
3,325
15,409
13,373
1,837
1,235
19,923
17,933
**197,305**
**174,881**
TOTAL FUNDS| |---|---|---|---| Page 4 ## **Independent examiner's report to the PCC of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath** This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31st December 2024 which are set out on pages 1 to 4 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Account Regulations 2006 ("the regulations") and section 43 of the Charities Act 1993 ("the act"). ## **Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Independent Examiner** The PCC is responsible for the preparation of the accounts and considers that an audit is not required for this year and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the regulations ## **Basis of this Independent Examiner's Statement** This examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. It 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 the PCC concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts ## **Independent Examiner's Statement** In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention: 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements • to keep accounting records - to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met; 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached Mr Ian Bickerstaffe 17 Ash Close Walters Ash High Wycombe HP14 4TR Page 5