OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2020-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT 2020

PREPARED FOR THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2021

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Contents

Vicar’s Report ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 2020 Highlights ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Church Wardens’ Report ..................................................................................................................................... 4 PCC Report........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Treasurer’s Report ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Buildings and Facilities.......................................................................................................................................... 6 Youth, Children & Families ................................................................................................................................... 7 Worship ................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Safeguarding ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Prayer ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 St Mary’s in the Community ............................................................................................................................... 11 Small groups and Discipleship............................................................................................................................. 12 Elderly Care Group .............................................................................................................................................. 13 DPC Friendship Club ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Mission .................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Deanery Synod ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Diocesan Synod .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Charitable Objectives and Activities ................................................................................................................ 16 Charitable Information and Trustees ................................................................................................................. 17 Accounts................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him. They wi l be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. Jeremiah 17:7-8

2

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Vicar’s Report

This is in many ways a historic report in the sense that it charts the journey of the Church, and specifically the life of the church of St Mary’s, during a pandemic. It would be easy for us to look back and say that the year started with such promise – a confirmation service with adults and young people affirming their faith in Jesus and all of us worshipping Him and being sent out by Him. Then a wonderful sermon series in Ephesians in which we explored how to live our lives worthy of God’s calling and about which someone said ‘it’s like a Netflix box set, in that you can’t wait for the next episode.’ Plus a recognition that we had welcomed in a good number of new people. And then …

But the ‘And then …’, although daunting, was also full of promise. On Sunday 22nd March 2020 the doors of the church building closed. However, God’s promise to be with us and never leave us, His promise to equip and sustain us, has been realised. We do however recognise that it was a tremendously hard year, there has been much pain and sadness about people who lost their lives and there is an enormous amount of exhaustion and ongoing impact amongst those who had to step up in various ways to serve others. Going forward we need to consider how time is given to lament and how space is made for people to tell their stories.

Within our individual stories and the story of the church there is much to give thanks and praise to God for. In my Vicar’s report a year ago I used the verse:

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3)

No-one could have ever envisaged what happened in 2020, and although I in no way believe God caused the pandemic, I do believe that because of it the door to proclaiming the message of Jesus opened. Our worship services went online (and we express a huge thank you to all who have enabled that to happen, especially Graeme Yeo and Cathy Walters). We found that this meant that many people were able to connect with online services and so connect with God and His word. Some people were local, some in other parts of the UK and some even in other parts of the world.

Doors also opened into our communities in a new way, with neighbours getting to know one another better and people helping one another out in various ways.

The text I want to give as we both look back and look forward is Psalm 27 verse 13:

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

There are three aspects I want to highlight:

CONFIDENCE – We can be confident in God for He is the Lord and holds all things in his hands. This is our trust, our faith. By looking back we see that God has been faithful, He has never left us therefore we look forward with confidence for all He will do in the future.

HOPE – Hope has become our key message at the end of 2020 and into 2021. It is wonderful that there is much hope around – hope in the vaccine, hope that Spring is on its way – but we know that true hope is found in Jesus. This is the hope we have, a hope that is ‘steadfast and certain’. The verse from Psalm 27 states ‘I will see …’ we are confident that we will see the Lord at work, He is our hope.

EXPECTANCY – The outcome of our confidence and our hope is to be expectant. To know that we will see the goodness of God. My prayer is that we are always looking for signs of the kingdom breaking in – that we are expectant to see salvation, healings, growth in faith and breakthroughs in our community and whatever God wants to do among us.

Lord, move by your Spirit and make us a confident, hopeful and expectant people. Amen.

Rev Amanda Featherstone, Vicar February 2021

3

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

2020 Highlights

The Charity Commission asks us to report our achievements and performance for the year, as well as our ongoing activities. Of particular note in 2020 were the following:

Churchwardens’ Report

Who remembers doing the Hokey Cokey dance? In out, in out, shake it all about. "In out" sounds a bit like our Church in 2020 and the "shake it all about" probably applies to all of us as we have been "shaken" during these last months due to the pandemic. However, we have to remember that we have a God who always takes care of us and has protected and is still protecting us, His congregation, here at St Mary's.

The year started well with a confirmation service in January, a welcome lunch in March, home groups were still meeting in person and there were two services on Sundays. Then suddenly, in March, the word ZOOM became the buzz word of the year! PCC meetings have been on Zoom during 2020 along with many other meetings of various sorts.

Fortunately, the summer was good and despite the numbers of people being restricted, lots of home group meetings took place in gardens.

23rd August saw the church building reopened so we were able to have a service at 9.30am with seats booked online and numbers limited due to Covid restrictions. We had a Zoom evening service in October. Our APCM took place on Zoom 18/10/2020 with all roles filled and our thanks go to those who have volunteered. The annual 'In Loving Memory' service was able to take place and we welcomed Bishop David for a Confirmation service in December. Over the Christmas period there were a range of online and in-church services which we trust enabled everyone to take part in worship during this important season. There were also special events including the nativity scene with carol singing being taken around the village on a truck and a nativity story trail using QR codes in Wythall Park.

4

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

We will all have our own memories, good or bad, of 2020 but we are still here and, with the vaccine being rolled out, 2021 should be the year when we can all meet and worship our loving God together again. What a celebration that will be!

Take care and stay safe.

Pam Carter & Andy Harris, Church wardens

PCC Report

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is St Mary’s executive and decision-making committee. Members are elected onto the PCC at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and each serves for a period of 3 years. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the government requirements for social distancing no PCC meeting was held in March and the APCM, scheduled for April, was postponed until October. However despite the restrictions the PCC has met on eight occasions during 2020, with six of those meetings being held online via Zoom.

Key agenda items have included the following:

Easter and Christmas Services: The PCC spent time discussing, agreeing and evaluating the programme of services and activities held by St Mary’s at Easter and at Christmas. The programmes were reviewed to ensure that the content included something for people of every age group and circumstance, and that they met both the needs and expectations of the church and the community.

St Mary’s response to the coronavirus pandemic: The PCC has spent a great deal of time this year discussing and agreeing how to move the church forward during the pandemic: How to ensure we meet the government restrictions and Church of England guidelines at all times, how to ensure we meet the needs of our congregation across all age groups and circumstances, how to ensure we have a defined presence in meeting the specific needs of the community at this time, how to ensure we work in tandem with the Coppice School when considering access to the building and how to ensure our leaders, musicians, technical and administrative personnel have the support and resources they need. In many ways it has been a rollercoaster ride, with situations changing all the time but our online services have been well received and have opened up many opportunities to reach out to our community and beyond, opportunities we will not want to lose when restrictions cease.

Church Finances: The PCC was reassured to receive positive reports from the Treasurer regarding the church finances, especially as many churches are currently suffering a drop in income due to the pandemic, and it was pleased to formally agree the church accounts at the APCM in October. The PCC also agreed the proposals submitted from the Mission Committee regarding the allocation of the church tithe.

Safeguarding: The PCC, in line with our safeguarding policy, receives a report from the Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator at each PCC meeting. During the year the PCC has discussed and agreed our responses to issues arising from the action plan generated by Diocesan Safeguarding Dashboard, and was pleased to formally agree the revised Parish Safeguarding Policy at its meeting in May.

Reflect and Pray: During 2020 the PCC has been encouraged during this time of lockdown and social distancing to reflect and pray on how the church should move forward when lockdown is finally removed. The PCC was asked to pray with an open mind and with a spirit of creativity towards possible areas of change.

PCC members for 2020 included: Rev A Featherstone, P Carter, A Harris, P Miller, J Clark, J Emery, A Spencer, L Cotterell, V Farmer, V Harris, G Yeo, B Lee, E Bridgens, P Branford, L Rogers, Ria Taylor (Non - Voting), Marcus Pagnam (Non-voting) and C Walters (Non – Voting).

Jenny Clark , PCC Secretary

5

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Treasurer’s Report

This year has been a tribute to the faithfulness of God and of His people at St Mary’s. Unlike many other churches in this diocese and nationwide we have seen only a very small drop in income, and this has been more than compensated for by a reduction in expenditure. Our end of year finances are in a very healthy state and will enable us to pay all our requested Common Fund in 2021. Diocesan finances will struggle because so many other churches will not be able to pay their way so it is good that we can play our part.

My thanks to everyone who has continued to give faithfully, especially those who use the envelope scheme and have found ways to get their envelopes to me through the various lockdowns. Few of us seem to have lost our jobs and so have been able to maintain the same level of giving. While we thank God for that we must not lose sight of the needs of those who have not fared so well.

I am very grateful to Dave Walters who continues to provide advice and support in all things financial and is again preparing our Annual Financial Report. The table below shows our main 2020 income and expenditure in round numbers for those who can't wait for Dave's presentation at the AGM - or, like me, struggle to understand all those figures!

Pam Miller, Treasurer

Income £
Giving 113300
Tax refund 27000
Dividends/interest 900
Curate’s house rental 10500
Letting income 3000
Fees (net) 1740
Recycling (box in foyer) 82

Noah ’ s Ark, JAM, Create Space and the ECG are largely self-funding, when running.

Expenditure £
Common Fund 60000
Clergy expenses 815
Service costs - hall hire, wine/
wafers, door servicing		 3760
Admin 2800
Salaries 32200
Charitable giving 14500
Youth/children 1050
Houses - mortgage
- insurance/repairs etc		 5160
Cleaning 570
Training/outreach 600

Buildings and Facilities Report

Unfortunately due to the Covid 19 Pandemic most of the services this year have been ‘online’. As the need for online services continued some extra equipment was purchased to help with their preparation.

During the middle of the year, when some socially distanced services were allowed in the building, a water leak from the underfloor heating system caused the wooden floor to expand and a large section of the floor bulged. The whole of the floor had to be lifted and reinstalled, including sanding and varnishing. Hopefully the cost will be covered by the building insurance.

A number of maintenance jobs were carried out at the youth workers house including replacing the broken wardrobe doors in the main bedroom, replacing hinges on some of the windows and upgrading door locks.

6

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Most of the fencing in the back garden was replaced and the large trees in the front garden were cut down. In December I removed an old cupboard from the kitchen and repaired the walls. Ria then purchased a new fridge freezer and redecorated the kitchen

The tenants have renewed their contract for the ‘Curate’s’ house. Unfortunately Storm Ciara damaged most of the old fencing around the back garden so this had to be replaced. The locks in the external doors were upgraded in December.

Brian Lee, Facilities Manager

Youth, Children and Families Report

The year began like any other year with plenty going on, within church as well as out in the community.

JAM Club was running every Wednesday after school, teaching children about faith and the Bible through songs, games and stories. In February half term we hosted our biggest ever JAM Packed Holiday Club, involving 41 children and 25 leaders. We took the children on an adventure, finding clues about Jesus and how to follow him. We invited parents in, for the first time, on the last day, to allow the children to show and tell all that they had been learning.

SALT was the youth group meeting on Sunday evenings and youth home groups were being run for girls (SMG), lads, and younger youth (Pick n Mix). This provided space to hang out and build friendships, to delve into the Bible together and to encourage each other’s faith.

Create Space was going from strength to strength seeing more members become regulars, bringing along their friends and family members too. One family that had got to know us through Starting Rite and had since joined Noah’s Ark as regulars, had come to Create Space the Friday before and then come to the church allage service with their 3 year old. They messaged afterwards to say they’d be coming to a service again soon! Create Space provides a space where friends can meet, get creative, feel welcome and looked after in church, and think about things they wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance to think about, making first steps into faith and spirituality.

Noah’s Ark met every Friday morning for stay and play for parents, carers and their babies and toddlers. It has been a wonderful space for people to build friendships that often last through primary school years. We have regularly seen Noah’s Ark children and families reappear in JAM Club, Create Space, all-age services and Starting Rite.

At the end of March 2020, everything changed very abruptly. All of the groups meeting in homes or in the church needed to be cancelled. Without knowing how long it would last, we focussed on remaining connected with children and young people and learned as we went along what worked best.

In the early days of lockdown #1 I sent a video message to children who were still attending the Coppice School because their parents were key workers, as well as sending something in the post to some young people from St Mary’s who also still needed to attend school.

I gathered permissions from parents to connect via Social Media, WhatsApp and video calls, and home groups tried out keeping in touch in creative ways (ask me about the wooden spoon video!!) and meeting online. I wrote some reflective blogs to help support them in processing what was happening and engage their life circumstances with their faith and Manda began sending Manda’s Monday Message to keep in touch with some of the younger children. This later became ‘Some Good News’ (or SGN for short!) that Ria has sent out as an audio message to encourage the children in their faith during lockdowns.

Over time, the priority of encouraging ‘Faith at Home’ emerged. ‘The church’ couldn’t gather together, but instead ‘the church’ were meeting in homes across Hollywood and Wythall and in fact the whole country. Each week I put together resources that were sent out to engage children and young people in the church

7

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

service, supporting families to watch church all together and help them to engage in an age appropriate way. By Pentecost I was able to design packs to send out to all the families of St Mary’s to celebrate together but apart. These have caught on and been sent at the end of year celebration, harvest and advent as well, helping children and young people to read the Bible, pray and respond for themselves. It has been really profound to hand deliver each pack, physically being at each front door and praying for our wonderful church family.

August came along and we had a new focus of moving back into the building for Covid-safe services whilst continuing our online services as the main event. It is the first time I think we have done an all-age Bible study in such depth and I loved creating materials to engage children and young people in the book of Nehemiah. Whilst schools were on their holidays, some of our young people were making the leap from Primary to Secondary school. It was great to be able to support them in this by offering an ‘It’s Your Move’ school leavers’ session before they started High School and again just after.

As the summer came to an end, I wanted to hear from families to understand what was working best for them. I asked them to complete a survey, guiding us as to how best to engage families in church life while many were feeling disconnected and daunted at the prospect of a second wave. It was a confusing time, not knowing if we were coming out of lockdown, with schools going back, or preparing to go back into one for the winter season!

The church as a whole had a new focus on re-establishing small groups and so it was the season for risk assessments and training for new leaders. New groups were set up for 3 age groups; years 5-7, 8-10 and 11-13. We desperately wanted to meet in the church building, but with a new lockdown in November, all 3 groups moved online and continue to meet on Zoom each week.

Another outcome of the survey was to do with engaging children and young people in the online services. So I now pop up each week in the service to set them a challenge for engaging with that week’s Bible reading and offer to meet with them on Zoom after the service to share and talk together. We also try lots of ways of involving them in the service, delivering prayers, readings, drama and sung worship. I think they enjoy spotting each other and it brings such joy to others too!

As December approached, our focus turned to Christmas. This involved preparing online gatherings whilst being in national lockdown! But also enabled some creative responses! We saw Martha the puppet via Zoom, gave 50 FREE Christingle packs away in Coppice school to engage families in the service. Careful filming and voice recording brought together Coppice children with St Mary’s families for a Nativity story in the style of a Haribo advert… I wouldn’t have seen that coming a year ago!! It was a huge success, having 248 views, representing a likely 500 people. We created something the children, their families and the school all enjoyed and were blessed by.

So the year ended, like no other! It has been full of difficulties and challenges, for each of us personally, and for us as a church. What a privilege it is to see how God has moved throughout it all. Thank you to everyone who has embraced online church and got involved. And to Graeme Yeo, and his family(!) for enabling so many ideas to become reality online. I can’t wait to see you all in person and give out some big HUGS!!

Stay safe, Ria

Ria Taylor, Youth, Children & Families Minister

8

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Worship

1 Chronicles 16:23-25 states:

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

There is so much to give God praise and worship for and how we love to do this as the family of St Mary’s. Like everything else the pandemic of 2020 impacted upon how we were able to worship, but our worship and our song of praise has not been halted.

We had 11 Wednesdays and Sundays at the beginning of the year with our known pattern of worship. We started the year with a brilliant sermon series through the book of Ephesians and our preachers, leaders, musicians and many others led us wonderfully.

When the first lockdown came and the Church of England deemed that all church buildings be closed we moved online. We are so grateful to Graeme Yeo and Cathy Walters for enabling such professionally produced services to be put online. We are also grateful to all those who have been willing to record themselves preaching, leading services, leading music, praying and reading the Bible and so many more contributions.

It has been wonderful to see how God has been using these services and we are aware of new people joining us locally, from elsewhere in the UK and from different parts of the world. It is all very exciting.

Worship has also been facilitated by written material for Holy Week and Easter, for Pentecost and for Advent. It has been important to remain mindful of those who haven’t been able to connect online.

On Sunday 23rd August we re-opened our church building for services of said communion. Following the guidelines produced, it was necessary to maintain social distancing which put a limit on numbers, and we also wore face coverings and were not able to sing. It was wonderful to see one another and to gather around the Lord’s table together.

Alongside all the positives however, we need to also express the pain, sadness and frustration of not being able to meet together in large numbers to worship the Lord. We are created for relationship with God and with one another and our gathered worship is a beautiful expression of this and we miss gathering so very much.

One step toward gathering has been to have some evening services on Zoom. These have been wonderful in terms of being able to see one another, albeit on a screen. It gave a real sense of people being together in the same space and being able to engage in sung worship.

Not being able to gather for worship the way we did in the past gives us opportunity to think and reflect. We can ask the big overarching question of ‘what is worship and how do we do it?’ We can consider for ourselves how we worship daily (as the verses above from 1 Chronicles state) and, individually and together, we will need to look at what God has been teaching us from this period to inform our gathered worship in the future.

The Lord is worthy of praise and the praises of His people continue and will do so eternally.

Rev Amanda Featherstone, Vicar

9

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Safeguarding Report

Throughout this challenging year, the Safeguarding team at St Mary’s has ensured that our safeguarding policy, procedures and practices are up to date and continue to reflect those specified by the Church of England and the Church of England Birmingham. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we were unable this year to hold our annual in-house Safeguarding Training Session. This is when we welcome our new volunteers and introduce them to the Parish Safeguarding Policy and guidelines for good practice and update our existing volunteers to any additions and changes. We plan to hold that postponed inhouse session as soon as restrictions are lifted and we can meet together. In the meantime however, we are pleased to report that all our volunteers are up-to-date with their Diocesan Safeguarding Training, which is currently undertaken online.

The Diocesan Safeguarding Dashboard is an electronic programme which provides a safeguarding checklist to which each church is required to respond. This checklist involves questions relating to the Church of England Safeguarding Policies and Procedures and asks each church to confirm whether or not they have achieved the standard specified for each question. In response to this inputted data the dashboard automatically produces an action plan for St Mary’s which is agreed and actioned by the PCC. We are pleased to report that St Mary’s has now reached level 3 which is the highest level and is making good progress in meeting the requirements of this level. The Safeguarding Dashboard is an ongoing self-evaluation tool with many of the items requiring regular review and new ones being added as new policy and practices dictate. To that end it remains a continuous process.

The Parish Safeguarding Policy underwent its required annual review this year and some additions were made. The revised policy was agreed by the PCC at its meeting in May. A copy of St Mary’s Parish Safeguarding Policy is available on our church website and a copy can be found in the folder rack in the church foyer. As safeguarding is the responsibility of every member of our church family, please do find time to familiarise yourself with its content.

I am also happy to report that the PCC has complied with its duty to have due regard to the Church of England House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults (as required by Section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016)

Your current St Mary’s Safeguarding Team is as follows:

Rev Amanda Featherstone (Incumbent) Miss Jenny Clark (Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator) Mrs Cathy Walters (Parish Safeguarding Verifier) Mrs Ria Taylor (Safeguarding Advocate Children) Mrs Linda Yates (Safeguarding Advocate Vulnerable Adults)

Jenny Clark, Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator

Prayer

Psalm 17 verse 6 states:

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

I wonder what your personal prayer life looked like in 2020? Were there any significant changes? For some people the challenges of the year combined with extra time meant more opportunity to come before God in prayer. For others the difficulties of the year and a greater intensity of work combined with home schooling squeezed out some of the time previously set aside for prayer.

The prayer life of the church in 2020 has been rich and like other aspects has had to respond to the issues created by the pandemic.

10

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Prayer for us as St Mary’s takes place individually, in our small groups and in our services. There are also specific times set aside for prayer – two weekly gatherings take place on Monday evenings and Thursday mornings. These continued for the first quarter of the year and then when lockdown came these gatherings became WhatsApp groups where prayer pointers were shared. Later the Thursday prayer gathering started meeting on Zoom on the third Thursday of the month which has been a real blessing to all.

We continued our pattern of specific prayer gatherings at the beginning of the year, during the period between Ascension and Pentecost (Thy Kingdom Come) and at the beginning of the academic year. Our 24 hours of prayer during Thy Kingdom Come was a very special time.

The other wonderful aspect of prayer at St Mary’s is the Prayer Chain. People commit to pray for specific requests for 48 hours. We have seen some wonderful answers to prayer as well as being able to support people through our prayers in difficult and troubling times. When someone shares a particular burden with you, whether they’re a member of St Mary’s or not, do consider suggesting that people on the church prayer chain pray for them.

Let us continue to encourage each other by sharing answers to prayer and celebrating the work of God among us.

Rev Amanda Featherstone, Vicar

Community Report

God’s teaching is very clear that we should love one another, and ‘Love our neighbour as ourselves’ I also love this verse from 1 Thessalonians 3:12

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.

Once the pandemic hit and lockdown came we saw the most wonderful outpouring of neighbourliness and community spirit across the whole country. It has been great to hear how members of St Mary’s have been part of this. There has been shopping done for others, many people are now part of street WhatsApp groups and many would assert that they know their neighbours better now than ever before. May God lead us to continue to be part of this and where he prompts us may we be instigators of it.

Due to the pandemic many of the usual community events that St Mary’s had previously been part of did not take place. However, in planning Christmas we were clear to aim to ‘go out in the community’ where it was deemed safe to do so. We had three wonderful joint events with Hollywood Christian Life Centre – a colouring competition in the Primary Schools, a truck with Mary and Joseph and carol singing around the streets and a Nativity Trail in Wythall Park.

During the meetings of the Christmas planning team there was comment that what we do early in 2021 is very important. Thus by the end of the year we had felt God’s guiding to a vision / strapline of ‘Hope in the Community 2021’ and we are excited to see how God opens doors and leads us forward in this.

As your vicar I love connecting with the community. One of the things I invested in as lockdown eased last summer, was taking a couple of hours one afternoon a week to walk around the area in a dog collar and to sit outside a coffee shop. God opened up many opportunities both to bump into and chat to members of our church but also to have conversations with strangers or with people in the community I know. I would appreciate your prayers for me as I seek ways of including this part of my ministry in my week as we move forward.

Rev Amanda Featherstone , Vicar

11

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Small Groups and Discipleship

In the gospels we read this:

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:17-18)

We see these first disciples becoming followers of Jesus and as his disciples now in 21st century Britain we want to follow him and encourage one another in doing so.

One of the ways we are helped in our discipleship is through being part of a small group (a homegroup or discipleship group). We have groups that meet on different days and at different times. When lockdown came, groups had to respond. Some have met on Zoom, some (when it was allowed) met in gardens, some haven’t met but have kept in contact through phone conversations. These groups not only help us grow as followers of Jesus they also provide amazing places of fellowship and care. I heard one person say that their small group had been their ‘lifeline’ during the pandemic and lockdowns.

On seeing the impact of the pandemic, in terms of restrictions of gathering in larger numbers, I put an emphasis on small groups. I have always advocated small groups as a place of discipleship but in this pandemic was aware that their function in terms of fellowship, care and communication became even more key. All small group leaders were contacted and asked if they wanted to continue in their roles, I was so pleased that all of them did. This point helped to re-focus groups. It also enabled us to look at small groups across the whole church ie children, young people and adults and you can read more of this in Ria’s report.

I was delighted that by the end of 2020 we had two new small groups established for adults – praise God for that.

Another aspect of our small group discipleship is running Alpha so that people have the opportunity to explore the Christian faith and ask their questions about life and the universe. We offered Alpha online in July 2020 but sadly no-one wanted to join a group at that point.

Previous Alpha members from 2019 transitioned to what St Mary’s call ‘The Green Course’ (because the course book is green!) which is The Navigators Course ‘Growing in Christ’. This proved a great group for people to continue their exploration and discipleship.

Discipleship is of course not confined to small groups, we grow as followers of Jesus through our own reading and study and time with the Lord. I also see the teaching of the church as part of our discipleship. As well as periods of the year following the lectionary (the set readings for the church) on Sundays we have had sermon series including those on Ephesians and Nehemiah, and ‘But God ...’ and on Wednesdays Paul’s Prayers, Fruits of the Spirit and Characters around the Cradle. These have all been great ways to dwell in God’s word and grow as disciples of Jesus.

I would like to express a big thank you to all who help and encourage us in our discipleship especially all our small group leaders and those who teach and preach.

I’d love you, having read this report, to reflect on yourself as a follower of Jesus. Would you like to join a small group? Is Alpha or ‘The Green Course’ for you? I’d love to hear from you if your answer to either of these is a yes (or even a maybe).

Rev Amanda Featherstone , Vicar

12

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Elderly Care Group (ECG) Report

Sadly the activities we had planned and were very much looking forward to offering were cut short by the Covid virus. We were able to hold an Epiphany charity coffee morning where people brought in their unwanted Christmas presents for sale and had an afternoon in February watching Downton Abbey with tea afterwards.

Phoenix Assurance, who have very kindly supported ECG activities for some years now, paid for the ECG team to deliver cream teas from Bean 47 to those who would normally have gone to Holiday at Home and later in the year donated masks which we delivered to some of our older church members. It was good to have a chance to keep in touch.

ECG funds supplemented the Christmas pack from church with jam or chutney as a small present from the ECG team.

We miss you all and can’t wait to get back to planning the next season’s fun, whenever that may be.

Chris Turner

The Friendship Club – Dennis Potter Court with St. Mary’s Church

In my last report I spoke of the lovely forthcoming events we had planned for Members of the Court throughout 2020. All this, of course, because of the pandemic had to be put on hold, however not before we had done another requested 40’s event in February 2020, entitled “Those Were the Days”. We showed a DVD of Britain in the 1940s (a different one from our previous 40s DVD in 2016), which everyone enjoyed and you could hear lots of “oh, ah, yes that is just how I remember it”. We followed this with a frugal, yet scrumptious afternoon tea. We again had forties food: spam, jam, salmon paste, and cheese & carrot sandwiches. Cakes made with eggs, 40s favourite Victoria sandwiches with homemade jam in, cakes without eggs, cakes made with beetroot, apples, and carrots as grown in a wartime allotment, of course! Some of us dressed in hair rollers, headscarves, shawls, knitted jumpers, and again one member of the team (saying no names) came as 40s posh, wearing pearls, and a mink stole! We then had a lovely sing-a-long with songs from the era such as “I’ll Be Seeing You”, “Keep The Home Fires Burning”, White Cliffs of Dover”, “There’ll Always Be An England”, “Rule Britannia”, and “When You’re Smiling”. By the end of the afternoon all the residents were smiling, as we had provided an afternoon which I hope has stayed in their memories until we can safely see them all again.

Grateful thanks go again to Rev. Amanda for the Services in 2019, to John (the Voice) Clements for his help in our singing throughout 2019. We shall all miss our John so much. It will never be the same without his input! John was fond of singing two of his own favourites, which brought tears to the eyes, “Love Me Tender” and “How Great Thou Art”. Thank you again to our lovely cake ladies, Lynne, Llinos, Jean, and of course the DPC Team, Julia, Linda, Chris and Pat.

A special thank you goes to Marilyn and Louise, Court Managers, and to those residents who very kindly set up the chairs etc. and help us each time we go, and to all the other Residents for their warm welcome and supporting us in all we do!

God bless each of you.

Tricia Horton

13

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Mission Committee Report

The Mission Committee has hardly been able to meet this year to pray and discuss, because of Covid restrictions, but much can be accomplished by email. We had one mission speaker: Caroline Bell was able to update us on her work in Uganda, and was later able to join us for a Zoom prayer meeting when Covid delayed her return to Africa. We have maintained contact with our mission partners through email and passed on information via the newssheet.

The Mission Committee also prayerfully recommends to the PCC how the tithe of the church's income should be distributed. In 2020 we had a total of £13450 to share amongst charities and mission partners and the following gifts were approved by PCC:

Just Caring £1000

Tear Fund £1000 for hygiene kits for Rohinya refugees

Bham Diocesan Bolivian Task Group £1000 to help with urgent food shortages in some of the dioceses

Barnabas Fund £1000

Tear Fund £240 to ‘twin’ the church taps

Christian Aid £500 in lieu of a door to door collection

A Rocha £250

Caroline Bell £500

Church Mission Society £1000 to support a new mission partner, ‘Joshua’

BCM £1000 in lieu of harvest gifts and Christmas toys

Amigos £500 - for student sponsorship in 2021

Betel £1000

Phil Jackman £500

Send a Cow £500

J&B Spencer £500

Scripture Union £250

Link to Hope (E Europe) £170 via Jo and Josiah

Total: £10910 - the remaining £2540 will be prayerfully used early in 2021

If you would like more information about any of these people/organisations, please have a word with one of the committee.

During Advent we collected non-perishable groceries through a ‘reverse Advent calendar’ project for local food banks. We again sponsored a student at Kira Farm, this year a young man named David. However, the students were sent home after only a couple of months because of lockdown in Uganda. The Farm staff remained in touch with the students and sent an update on David after visiting him.

It has been good to be able to support charities financially but we look forward to a resumption of more extensive activities as soon as the situation allows.

Jenny Clark, Elizabeth Lee and Pam Miller are the Mission Committee members. We always welcome from the congregation both suggestions for Christian charities to support and requests for more information.

Pam Miller

14

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Kings Norton, Moseley & Shirley Deanery Synod

The Shirley, Kings Norton and Moseley Deaneries met all together in November 2019 and voted with a firm majority for the three single deaneries to be merged into one deanery. Since that decision the new deanery has not met due to the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic. The next stage in the development of this new deanery is the appointment of a full time Area Dean. Until now Area Deans have been experienced clergy with responsibility for a parish as well as fulfilling the role of Area Dean, so for us to have a full time Area Dean with no parish responsibilities will be a very positive change. However, the appointment of our Area Dean has met with delay for various reasons, not least the constraints of COVID-19, and we have at present a part-time Area Dean who has an overseeing role supported by three Associate Area Deans with responsibility for their respective areas. This situation is expected to be in place until August 2021.

St Mary’s currently has four members representing the church on the Kings Norton, Moseley and Shirley Deanery Synod they are: Rev Amanda Featherstone, Jenny Clark, Pam Carter and Lynda Rogers.

Jenny Clark

Birmingham Diocesan Synod

The Birmingham Diocesan Synod has met twice during 2020, on both occasions via video conferencing. Due to the government introduction of lockdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic the March meeting of the Synod was cancelled.

The key agenda items were as follows:

People and Places: A progress report regarding this diocesan restructuring initiative was received at both of the meetings. Progress was being made with all the 6 new deaneries now formally established and with full time Area Deans appointed to most of these deaneries. However, the coronavirus pandemic has inevitably caused delays in some areas and many churches are struggling financially and are unable to pay their Common Fund contribution in full and this will inevitably have a detrimental affect on the roll out of the People and Places plan.

Diocesan Finances: At the July meeting, the Synod received and approved the annual accounts of the Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance for the year ending 31st December 2019. The Interim Director of Finance was keen to point out that the accounts were better than had been expected with income showing ups and downs but overall holding steady. However, the strain was beginning to show with a reduced parochial fees and Common Fund income compared with 2018. With regard to expenditure this was slightly down on the previous year, so efforts to control expenditure have been bearing fruit and are a good basis for going forward. At the November meeting of the Synod, we agreed the Diocesan Budget for 2021.

Mission and Ministry: This has featured as a key item at both meetings and the Synod received reports from both Bishop Anne and Liz Dumain who explained how the Diocesan Parish Mission Support initiative had been a lifeline to many parishes during these very challenging times. People from around 50 parishes have made use of three Zoom drop-in sessions each week, on general mission, children, families, and young people and responding to the ever-changing landscape of church life.

The Way of Discipleship and the Way of Servant Leadership: The Revd Guy Donegan-Cross gave a presentation regarding the priority of disciple making and the new way of discipleship, with the launch of two pathways designed to form confident Christians who can grow into discipling and leading others. These two pathways, which build on the 3D course, are entitled The Way of Discipleship and The Way of Servant Leadership. Each pathway involves 4 modules and will be run by the Diocese initially on Zoom commencing October 2020.

Jenny Clark Member of the Diocesan Synod representing Kings Norton, Moseley & Shirley Deanery

15

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Charitable Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document: Promoting in the Ecclesiastical Parish the whole mission of the church.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects:

1. Regular Public Worship open to all

Details of our Sunday and Wednesday services have been given in this report. For parts of 2020 we were not able to hold services in the building; however from the start of the first lockdown onwards we produced online services twice a week which were available to anyone.

2. Teaching of Christianity

This is done through sermons at our services and sometimes through small groups and occasional courses on mid-week evenings. During 2020 much of this was online. Children and Young people are taught about Christianity through our young people’s groups and with weekly activity suggestions from our Youth, Children & Families' Minister.

  1. Taking of Religious Assemblies in Schools

During 2020 virtual assemblies were recorded termly for the Coppice Primary School.

  1. The provision of a youth club with a Christian Ethos

This moved to an online chat group in 2020

Activities 1-4 above are public benefits relating to the advancement of religion

  1. Pastoral work including visiting the sick and the bereaved

This work was more limited in 2020 but our Clergy and Licensed Readers continued to take funerals and to be in contact with the bereaved. Contact with those who are housebound was made by written letters and phone calls.

  1. Promoting the whole mission of the church through the provision of activities for senior citizens, parents and toddlers, children and others.

More information about these activities is given in on pages 7, 8 and 13.

Items 5 and 6 help ‘the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age or ill health or other disadvantage’

7. Supporting other charities in the UK and overseas

In 2020 we supported: A Rocha, Send a Cow, Narthex, Barnabas Fund, Tear Fund, Diocesan Bolivia Connection, Just Caring Midlands, Church Mission Society, Amigos International, Birmingham City Mission, Paul Jackman, Betel of Britain, J&B Spencer, Scripture Union, Christian Aid, Link to Hope and Caroline Bell.

We have considered the guidance given by the Charity Commission about public benefit of our charity’s activities.

Charitable information and Trustees

Full Charity name: The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary’s Wythall

Other names the charity is known by: St Mary’s Wythall PCC

Registered charity number: 1132792

Charity's principal address: St Mary’s Church, Shawhurst Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham B47 5JN

16

St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2020

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity:

Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not
for wholeyear		 Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trus-
tee(if any)
REV AMANDA
FEATHERSTONE		 Vicar N/A
JENNIFER CLARK Deanery Synod rep
PCC Secretary		 Those on the Electoral Roll of St. Mary’s Wythall
PAMELA CARTER Church Warden
Deanery Synod rep
from 18/10/2020		 as above
ANDREW HARRIS Church Warden as above
JUDITH EMERY Reader
Deanery Synod rep
until 18/10/2020		 N/A
VALERIE HARRIS Reader Those on the Electoral Roll of St. Mary’s Wythall
PAMELA MILLER Treasurer as above
LYNDA ROGERS Deanery Synod Rep From 18/10/2020 as above
PATRICIA BRANFORD Until 20/8/2020 as above
ELIZABETH BRIDGENS as above
LLINOS COTTERELL as above
VAL FARMER as above
BRIAN LEE as above
ALISON SPENCER as above
GRAEME YEO as above

Structure, governance and management

Type of governing document - EXCEPTED

How the charity is constituted - The PCC is a body corporate

Trustee selection methods - Trustees are PCC members – these are the current Vicar, Curate, the Readers, and other members elected by those on the Electoral Roll of St. Mary’s Wythall at the Annual Meeting. Additional members may also be co-opted to join the PCC.

Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves - We have a designated reserves fund. Some is invested with the CBF Church of England Funds and most is now represented by the 50 year lease on our new building and our Youth, Children and Family Minister’s and Curate’s houses. At 31/12/20 the total of the reserves fund was £ 866,207

Details of any funds materially in deficit - None

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report on 15th April 2021

Pamela Carter & Andrew Harris, Church Wardens

17

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Accounts

Wythall Parochial Church Council

Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Statement of Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2011 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities FRSSE SORP.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of certain investment assets, which are shown at market value.

Funds

The general funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for the application of the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted. Restricted funds are only available for use for the purpose for which the funds have been raised. During 2015, the PCC decided that the Building Fund be renamed the Reserve fund and balances therein are available as reserves. The remaining balance on the Restoration fund was also transferred into the Reserve fund. The Restoration fund is restricted and the balances therein are reported within these financial statements.

Incoming resources

Voluntary income and capital sources

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is also recognised only when received. Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is recognised.

Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount is quantifiable and the ultimate receipt by the PCC is reasonably certain.

Income from investments

Dividends are accounted for when due and payable. Interest entitlements are accounted for when they accrue.

Gains and losses on investments

Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on revaluation of investments at 31 December.

Resources used

Activities directly relating to the work of the church

The diocesan parish share (“quota” or “common fund”) is accounted for when paid. Any parish share unpaid at 31 December is provided in these accounts as a constructive (though not legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet.

Fixed assets

Property

Freehold land is not depreciated. Freehold property is depreciated over an estimated useful life of 50 years. The new church building is depreciated over 50 years to nil residual value.

Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment

Equipment used by the church for services and office equipment is capitalised and depreciated to its residual value (usually nil) over its estimated useful life from the date of commissioning. Estimated useful lives range from 3 years (for computers and software), 8 years for furniture and 15 years for the sound / vision equipment in the new Church.

Investments

Investments are valued at market value at 31 December.

Current assets / liabilities

Current assets, including estimated income tax recoverable, are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

18

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers and recorded at transaction price.

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit with the CBF Church of England Funds.

Mortgage debt

Mortgage debt is initially recorded at proceeds less transaction costs. Interest is charged based on contractual interest arrangements. At the period end, the mortgage is shown at its settlement value.

Incoming and Outgoing Resources - General Fund

2020 2019
£ £
Income given under gif aid 105,872 100,658
Income tax recovered / recoverable (Note 2) 26,430 27,239
Non-gif aid giving 3,495 5,272
Collectons 1,736 4,468
Donatons 2,299 421
Deposit interest 26 46
Income from investments 911 868
Fees to PCC and Diocese 3,676 1,706
Children's society 288 650
Sundry Income (Note 4) 2,344 12,449
Total incoming resources 147,076 153,778
Maintenance of the ministry (clergy expenses) 818 1,130
Upkeep of services (hall rental, church repairs) 1,677 5,622
Sunday school and youth 1,003 1,445
Administraton expenses (church ofce) 2,842 2,892
Parish quota to Diocese (Common Fund) 60,000 63,900
Diocese share of wedding & funeral fees 2,296 1,320
Missionary and charitable (Note 5) 14,460 11,963
Children's society 288 650
Salaries of church staf (administrator, children, youth & families minister) 32,255 33,010
Depreciaton (Note 6) 792 1,199
Growth 376 166
Sundry expenses (Note 4) 4,509 11,919
Total outgoing resources 121,316 135,216
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources before transfers 25,760 18,562
Transfers between funds - -
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources (Note 3) 25,760 18,562
(Losses) / Gains on investments 1,903 4,347
Net movement in funds 27,663 22,909

19

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Balance sheet at 31 December 2020

2020 2019
£ £
Fixed assets
Tangible fxed assets (including 5, The Willows and 247 Alcester 6 867,176 891,698
Road)
Investments 7 122,885 113,894
Current assets
Debtors - principally amounts due from Inland Revenue 2 27,054 28,995
CBF deposits 21,690 21,598
Cash at bank and in hand 29,294 22,929
78,038 73,522
Current liabilites
Liabilites: Amounts falling due within one year 8 -2,263 -2,192
Net current assets 75,775 71,330
Liabilites: Amounts falling due afer one year 9 -63,631 -86,307
Net assets 1,002,205 990,615
Funds
General 135,998 108,335
Designated 866,207 882,280
Total 1,002,205 990,615

Analysis of assets and liabilities by fund at 31 December 2020

General Reserve Total
£ £
Represented by: £
Fixed assets 13,681 853,495 867,176
Debtors 26,584 470 27,054
Liabilites due within 1 year -2,263 - -2,263
Bank account 62,399 -33,105 29,294
CBF Deposits 6,133 15,557 21,690
CBF Investment Fund 29,464 38,615 68,079
CBF Fixed Interest - 54,806 54,806
Mortgage - -63,631 -63,631
135,998 866,207 1,002,205

The total market of value of all bank balances, deposits and investments at 31 December 2020 was £173,870 (2019 £158,420).

20

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Analysis of funds movements for the year ended 31 December 2020

2020 2019
£ £
General Fund
Brought forward 108,335 85,426
Net incoming / (Outgoing) resources 25,760 18,562
(Losses) / gains on investments 1,903 4,347
Carried forward 135,998 108,335
Reserve Fund (previously Building Fund)
Brought forward 882,280 892,942
Dividends/Interest 2,892 3,138
Income from Diocesan Board of Finance - curate accommodaton 0 4,375
Income from hiring accommodaton 10,516 2,994
Income from church facilites hiring 470 1,903
Other income - 0
Mortgage Interest -2,325 -2,771
Other expenses - 0
Repairs / maintenance -7,448 -2,307
Depreciaton -24,440 -24,440
Net (outgoing)/incoming resources before transfers -20,355 -17,108
Transfers from restoraton fund / general fund 0 0
Net (outgoing)/incoming resources -20,355 -17,108
(Losses) / Gains on investments 4,262 6,446
Carried forward 866,207 882,280
TOTAL
Brought forward - 1 January 990,615 978,369
Carried forward - 31 December 1,002,205 990,615

21

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Notes to the accounts

  1. The accounting policies adopted in these accounts are shown in the statement of Accounting Policies.

  2. Income tax of £26,584 is yet to be recovered on income received under gift aid (2019 £27,162) and is included within debtors.

  3. The general fund surplus for 2020 is £27,663. In 2019, the general fund surplus was £22,909.

The reserve fund balance includes £963 which is held in the restoration fund.

  1. Sundry Income and Expenses may be analysed as follows:
2020 2020 2019 2019
Income Expenses Income Expenses
£ £ £ £
Cofee 25 116 125 645
Soul Survivor - - 3,458 1,777
Socials / Outreach 6 242 68 328
Licensing - - - 283
Course books / visitng speakers - 20 128 286
Maintenance - 364 - 468
Youth related income - - 284 -
Sundry 130 242 259 441
Contributon to bike rack - - - 866
Discretonary income / expenses 300 381 600 -
JAM 759 614 1,670 1,274
Advent - 357 - -
Elderly 143 35 335 622
Gifs - 800 667 1,166
Vicarage Redecoraton Fund - - - 500
Recycling / Easy fundraising / Amazon 120 - - -
Create Space 300 66 565 479
Cleaning - 837 - 1,053
Specifc charity collectons 10 - 2,493 -
Noah’s Ark 551 435 1,798 1,732
2,344 4,509 12,449 11,919
  1. The PCC has a target to give 10% of income to charity. Charitable giving also includes Malawi and other appeals
6. Fixed assets for use by the PCC New building Church 5, The Curate's Total
equipment Willows House
£ £ £ £ £
Cost brought forward at 1/1/2020 482,631 33,860 253,765 292,351 1,062,607
Additons - 710 - - 710
Cost carried forward at 31/12/2020 482,631 34,570 253,765 292,351 1,063,317
Depreciaton brought forward at 1/1/2020 102,519 20,097 34,543 13,750 170,909
Charge for the year 18,738 792 2,702 3,000 25,232
Depreciaton carried forward at 31/12/2020 121,256 20,889 37,246 16,750 196,141
Net book value at 31/12/2020 361,375 13,681 216,519 275,601 867,176
Net book value at 31/12/2019 380,112 13,763 219,222 278,601 891,698

22

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Notes to the accounts, continued

No fixed assets are carried at a valuation.

The new building has been accounted for within the building fund with the exception of the stained glass window, which cost £15,000 where funds were raised from the congregation within the general fund. The Curate's House is

7. Investment fxed assets
Movements during the year 2020 2019
£ £
Net book value brought forward - 1 January 113,894 100,079
Additons 2,826 3,023
Disposals - -
Net (loss) / gain on revaluaton 6,166 10,792
Net book value carried forward at 31 December 122,886 113,894

Holdings at 31/12/2020 included £54,806 (market value) in the Church of England fixed interest fund and

8. Liabilites due within one year comprise:
2020 2019
£ £
Trade creditors 2,263 2,192
Deferred income - -
Total 2,263 2,192
9. Liabilites due afer one year comprises:
2020 2019
£ £
Mortgage secured on the Curates House 63,631 86,307

Interest is charged on the debt at 2.90%. The term of the mortgage is 25 years. There is no minimum payment within 12 months although the PCC expects to pay about £10,000 which will reduce the outstanding liability by about £8,000.

23

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Statement of Financial Activities

Statement of Financial Activities
2020 2019
General Reserve Total Total
Fund Fund
Income given under gif aid 105,872 - 105,872 100,658
Income tax recovered (Note 2) 26,430 - 26,430 27,239
Non-gif aid giving 3,495 - 3,495 5,272
Collectons 1,736 - 1,736 4,468
Donatons 2,299 - 2,299 421
Interest 26 2,892 2,918 3,183
Income from investments 911 - 911 868
PCC Property - 470 470 1,903
Rental income on PCC property - 10,516 10,516 7,369
Fees to PCC and Diocese 3,676 - 3,676 1,706
Children's society 288 - 288 650
Sundry Income (Note 4) 2,344 - 2,344 12,449
Total incoming resources 147,076 13,878 160,954 166,188
-
Maintenance of the ministry (clergy expenses) 818 - 818 1,130
Upkeep of services (hall rental) 1,677 - 1,677 5,622
PCC property - 7,448 7,448 2,307
Sunday school and youth 1,003 - 1,003 1,445
General Parish expenses (church ofce and repairs) 2,842 - 2,842 2,892
Quota 60,000 - 60,000 63,900
Diocese share of wedding and funeral fees 2,296 - 2,296 1,320
Missionary and charitable (Note 5) 14,460 - 14,460 11,963
Children's society 288 - 288 650
Salaries of church staf 32,255 - 32,255 33,010
Depreciaton (Note 6) 792 24,440 25,232 25,639
Growth 376 - 376 166
Mortgage interest - 2,325 2,325 2,771
Sundry expenses (Note 4) 4,509 - 4,509 11,919
Total resources expended 121,316 34,213 155,529 164,734
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources before transfers 25,760 -20,335 5,425 1,454
Transfers between funds - - - -
Net incoming resources 25,760 -20,335 5,425 1,454
(Losses) / gains on investments (Note 7) 1,903 4,262 6,165 10,792
Fund brought forward 108,335 882,280 990,615 978,369
Fund carried forward 135,998 866,207 1,002,205 990,615

24

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary’s Wythall, also known as St Mary’s Wythall PCC, is a registered charity number: 1132792

Contact

Address: St Mary’s Church, Shawhurst Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham B47 5JN We are situated to the rear of the Coppice School site.

Vicar: Rev Amanda Featherstone 0121 413 3287 revamanda@wythallchurch.net

Wardens: Pam Carter 01564 822455 Andy Harris 07504 860313

Youth, Children & Families Minister: Ria Taylor 07966 847990 ria@wythallchurch.net

Seniors: Chris Turner 0121 430 8478

Church Office: Cathy Walters, Administrator churchoffice@wythallchurch.net 01564 823248

Services

Online services are published on our YouTube channel and website on Sunday mornings and Wednesdays.

Please see our website for details of our in-building services, when government restrictions for Corid-19 allow

St. Mary’s online

Web

www.wythallchurch.net

Our YouTube channel is called St Mary’s Wythall Tech

facebook.com/StMarysWythall

@stmaryswythall

@stmaryschurchwythall

Copies of this report printed at St Mary’s are on recycled paper. We have reduced our use of plastic by stapling, instead of binding, these printed copies and not having a plastic cover. This report is also available electronically from the church office.

25

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Accounts

Wythall Parochial Church Council

Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Statement of Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2011 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities FRSSE SORP.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of certain investment assets, which are shown at market value.

Funds

The general funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for the application of the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted. Restricted funds are only available for use for the purpose for which the funds have been raised. During 2015, the PCC decided that the Building Fund be renamed the Reserve fund and balances therein are available as reserves. The remaining balance on the Restoration fund was also transferred into the Reserve fund. The Restoration fund is restricted and the balances therein are reported within these financial statements.

Incoming resources

Voluntary income and capital sources

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is also recognised only when received. Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is recognised.

Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount is quantifiable and the ultimate receipt by the PCC is reasonably certain.

Income from investments

Dividends are accounted for when due and payable. Interest entitlements are accounted for when they accrue.

Gains and losses on investments

Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on revaluation of investments at 31 December.

Resources used

Activities directly relating to the work of the church

The diocesan parish share (“quota” or “common fund”) is accounted for when paid. Any parish share unpaid at 31 December is provided in these accounts as a constructive (though not legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet.

Fixed assets

Property

Freehold land is not depreciated. Freehold property is depreciated over an estimated useful life of 50 years. The new church building is depreciated over 50 years to nil residual value.

Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment

Equipment used by the church for services and office equipment is capitalised and depreciated to its residual value (usually nil) over its estimated useful life from the date of commissioning. Estimated useful lives range from 3 years (for computers and software), 8 years for furniture and 15 years for the sound / vision equipment in the new Church.

Investments

Investments are valued at market value at 31 December.

Current assets / liabilities

Current assets, including estimated income tax recoverable, are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers and recorded at transaction price.

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit with the CBF Church of England Funds.

Mortgage debt

Mortgage debt is initially recorded at proceeds less transaction costs. Interest is charged based on contractual interest arrangements. At the period end, the mortgage is shown at its settlement value.

Incoming and Outgoing Resources - General Fund

2020 2019
£ £
Income given under gif aid 105,872 100,658
Income tax recovered / recoverable (Note 2) 26,430 27,239
Non-gif aid giving 3,495 5,272
Collectons 1,736 4,468
Donatons 2,299 421
Deposit interest 26 46
Income from investments 911 868
Fees to PCC and Diocese 3,676 1,706
Children's society 288 650
Sundry Income (Note 4) 2,344 12,449
Total incoming resources 147,076 153,778
Maintenance of the ministry (clergy expenses) 818 1,130
Upkeep of services (hall rental, church repairs) 1,677 5,622
Sunday school and youth 1,003 1,445
Administraton expenses (church ofce) 2,842 2,892
Parish quota to Diocese (Common Fund) 60,000 63,900
Diocese share of wedding & funeral fees 2,296 1,320
Missionary and charitable (Note 5) 14,460 11,963
Children's society 288 650
Salaries of church staf (administrator, children, youth & families minister) 32,255 33,010
Depreciaton (Note 6) 792 1,199
Growth 376 166
Sundry expenses (Note 4) 4,509 11,919
Total outgoing resources 121,316 135,216
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources before transfers 25,760 18,562
Transfers between funds - -
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources (Note 3) 25,760 18,562
(Losses) / Gains on investments 1,903 4,347
Net movement in funds 27,663 22,909

2

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Balance sheet at 31 December 2020

2020 2019
£ £
Fixed assets
Tangible fxed assets (including 5, The Willows and 247 Alcester 6 867,176 891,698
Road)
Investments 7 122,885 113,894
Current assets
Debtors - principally amounts due from Inland Revenue 2 27,054 28,995
CBF deposits 21,690 21,598
Cash at bank and in hand 29,294 22,929
78,038 73,522
Current liabilites
Liabilites: Amounts falling due within one year 8 -2,263 -2,192
Net current assets 75,775 71,330
Liabilites: Amounts falling due afer one year 9 -63,631 -86,307
Net assets 1,002,205 990,615
Funds
General 135,998 108,335
Designated 866,207 882,280
Total 1,002,205 990,615

Analysis of assets and liabilities by fund at 31 December 2020

General Reserve Total
£ £
Represented by: £
Fixed assets 13,681 853,495 867,176
Debtors 26,584 470 27,054
Liabilites due within 1 year -2,263 - -2,263
Bank account 62,399 -33,105 29,294
CBF Deposits 6,133 15,557 21,690
CBF Investment Fund 29,464 38,615 68,079
CBF Fixed Interest - 54,806 54,806
Mortgage - -63,631 -63,631
135,998 866,207 1,002,205

The total market of value of all bank balances, deposits and investments at 31 December 2020 was £173,870 (2019 £158,420).

3

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Analysis of funds movements for the year ended 31 December 2020

2020 2019
£ £
General Fund
Brought forward 108,335 85,426
Net incoming / (Outgoing) resources 25,760 18,562
(Losses) / gains on investments 1,903 4,347
Carried forward 135,998 108,335
Reserve Fund (previously Building Fund)
Brought forward 882,280 892,942
Dividends/Interest 2,892 3,138
Income from Diocesan Board of Finance - curate accommodaton 0 4,375
Income from hiring accommodaton 10,516 2,994
Income from church facilites hiring 470 1,903
Other income - 0
Mortgage Interest -2,325 -2,771
Other expenses - 0
Repairs / maintenance -7,448 -2,307
Depreciaton -24,440 -24,440
Net (outgoing)/incoming resources before transfers -20,355 -17,108
Transfers from restoraton fund / general fund 0 0
Net (outgoing)/incoming resources -20,355 -17,108
(Losses) / Gains on investments 4,262 6,446
Carried forward 866,207 882,280
TOTAL
Brought forward - 1 January 990,615 978,369
Carried forward - 31 December 1,002,205 990,615

4

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Notes to the accounts

  1. The accounting policies adopted in these accounts are shown in the statement of Accounting Policies.

  2. Income tax of £26,584 is yet to be recovered on income received under gift aid (2019 £27,162) and is included within debtors.

  3. The general fund surplus for 2020 is £27,663. In 2019, the general fund surplus was £22,909.

The reserve fund balance includes £963 which is held in the restoration fund.

  1. Sundry Income and Expenses may be analysed as follows:
2020 2020 2019 2019
Income Expenses Income Expenses
£ £ £ £
Cofee 25 116 125 645
Soul Survivor - - 3,458 1,777
Socials / Outreach 6 242 68 328
Licensing - - - 283
Course books / visitng speakers - 20 128 286
Maintenance - 364 - 468
Youth related income - - 284 -
Sundry 130 242 259 441
Contributon to bike rack - - - 866
Discretonary income / expenses 300 381 600 -
JAM 759 614 1,670 1,274
Advent - 357 - -
Elderly 143 35 335 622
Gifs - 800 667 1,166
Vicarage Redecoraton Fund - - - 500
Recycling / Easy fundraising / Amazon 120 - - -
Create Space 300 66 565 479
Cleaning - 837 - 1,053
Specifc charity collectons 10 - 2,493 -
Noah’s Ark 551 435 1,798 1,732
2,344 4,509 12,449 11,919
  1. The PCC has a target to give 10% of income to charity. Charitable giving also includes Malawi and other appeals
6. Fixed assets for use by the PCC New building Church 5, The Curate's Total
equipment Willows House
£ £ £ £ £
Cost brought forward at 1/1/2020 482,631 33,860 253,765 292,351 1,062,607
Additons - 710 - - 710
Cost carried forward at 31/12/2020 482,631 34,570 253,765 292,351 1,063,317
Depreciaton brought forward at 1/1/2020 102,519 20,097 34,543 13,750 170,909
Charge for the year 18,738 792 2,702 3,000 25,232
Depreciaton carried forward at 31/12/2020 121,256 20,889 37,246 16,750 196,141
Net book value at 31/12/2020 361,375 13,681 216,519 275,601 867,176
Net book value at 31/12/2019 380,112 13,763 219,222 278,601 891,698

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Notes to the accounts, continued

No fixed assets are carried at a valuation.

The new building has been accounted for within the building fund with the exception of the stained glass window, which cost £15,000 where funds were raised from the congregation within the general fund. The Curate's House is

7. Investment fxed assets
Movements during the year 2020 2019
£ £
Net book value brought forward - 1 January 113,894 100,079
Additons 2,826 3,023
Disposals - -
Net (loss) / gain on revaluaton 6,166 10,792
Net book value carried forward at 31 December 122,886 113,894

Holdings at 31/12/2020 included £54,806 (market value) in the Church of England fixed interest fund and

8. Liabilites due within one year comprise:
2020 2019
£ £
Trade creditors 2,263 2,192
Deferred income - -
Total 2,263 2,192
9. Liabilites due afer one year comprises:
2020 2019
£ £
Mortgage secured on the Curates House 63,631 86,307

Interest is charged on the debt at 2.90%. The term of the mortgage is 25 years. There is no minimum payment within 12 months although the PCC expects to pay about £10,000 which will reduce the outstanding liability by about £8,000.

6

St Mary’s Wythall Accounts 2020

Statement of Financial Activities

Statement of Financial Activities
2020 2019
General Reserve Total Total
Fund Fund
Income given under gif aid 105,872 - 105,872 100,658
Income tax recovered (Note 2) 26,430 - 26,430 27,239
Non-gif aid giving 3,495 - 3,495 5,272
Collectons 1,736 - 1,736 4,468
Donatons 2,299 - 2,299 421
Interest 26 2,892 2,918 3,183
Income from investments 911 - 911 868
PCC Property - 470 470 1,903
Rental income on PCC property - 10,516 10,516 7,369
Fees to PCC and Diocese 3,676 - 3,676 1,706
Children's society 288 - 288 650
Sundry Income (Note 4) 2,344 - 2,344 12,449
Total incoming resources 147,076 13,878 160,954 166,188
-
Maintenance of the ministry (clergy expenses) 818 - 818 1,130
Upkeep of services (hall rental) 1,677 - 1,677 5,622
PCC property - 7,448 7,448 2,307
Sunday school and youth 1,003 - 1,003 1,445
General Parish expenses (church ofce and repairs) 2,842 - 2,842 2,892
Quota 60,000 - 60,000 63,900
Diocese share of wedding and funeral fees 2,296 - 2,296 1,320
Missionary and charitable (Note 5) 14,460 - 14,460 11,963
Children's society 288 - 288 650
Salaries of church staf 32,255 - 32,255 33,010
Depreciaton (Note 6) 792 24,440 25,232 25,639
Growth 376 - 376 166
Mortgage interest - 2,325 2,325 2,771
Sundry expenses (Note 4) 4,509 - 4,509 11,919
Total resources expended 121,316 34,213 155,529 164,734
Net incoming / (outgoing) resources before transfers 25,760 -20,335 5,425 1,454
Transfers between funds - - - -
Net incoming resources 25,760 -20,335 5,425 1,454
(Losses) / gains on investments (Note 7) 1,903 4,262 6,165 10,792
Fund brought forward 108,335 882,280 990,615 978,369
Fund carried forward 135,998 866,207 1,002,205 990,615

7