## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025**
PREPARED FOR THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 10th MAY 2026
**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## Contents
Vicar’s Report ........................................................................................................................................... 3 2025 Highlights ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Church Wardens’ Report ......................................................................................................................... 5 PCC Report .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Treasurer’s Report ................................................................................................................................... 7 Safeguarding ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Buildings and Facilities ............................................................................................................................. 9 Worship .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Children, Family and Schools Work ......................................................................................................... 11 Youth @ St. Mary’s .................................................................................................................................. 13 SCoFF ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 Prayer ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Super Saturday ......................................................................................................................................... 16 Discipleship .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Homegroups ............................................................................................................................................. 18 St. Mary’s Friendship Group .................................................................................................................... 18 Hillside ...................................................................................................................................................... 19 Mission Committee .................................................................................................................................. 20 Deanery Synod ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Electoral Roll ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Charitable Objectives and Activities ....................................................................................................... 23 Charitable Information and Trustees ...................................................................................................... 24 Accounts ................................................................................................................................................... 25
_See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland._
_Isaiah 43:19_
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## Vicar’s Report 2025
As I reflect on 2025 I share with you this verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:24
_The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it._
I am so aware of the faithfulness of God and am giving thanks for all He has done in each of our lives and in the life of the church of St Mary’s.
2025 was characterised by the ongoing, a new era, a different time and a time of change.
## **The Ongoing**
I love the phrase ‘The local Church is the hope of the world’. We thank God for sustaining us throughout the year to be His church in this place. Meeting every Sunday for worship, holding out the message of hope found in Jesus. We are grateful for the huge team of volunteers that enable us to show and share God’s love in the community with Friendship Club, SCoFF, Little Lights, services at Hillside etc etc
The church and the Good News of Jesus are a constant in an ever changing world.
_The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it._
## **A New Era**
We have been excited in 2025 to hear reports of a ‘Quiet revival’ of more people attending church and the sale of Bibles greatly increasing. We have the joy of seeing aspects of this at St Mary’s. Most Sundays we have a new person or visitor joining the worship of the church. We have seen people come to faith and be baptised. We were able to go onto the streets of Hollywood and Wythall in Holy Week and offer people a Bible – over 175 were given away. Then at the baptism service on Advent Sunday over 30 Bibles were taken by people. Please pray that people will read these Bibles and that Jesus will walk off the pages and meet them. May this Quiet Revival become even louder.
_The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it._
## **A Different Time**
I was very privileged and greatly blessed to have a 3 month sabbatical from mid August to mid November. This was a very special time and a real joy. There were two main adventures; cycling in Scotland and re-visiting India and there was also time at home, opportunity to see family and friends and space to read and reflect.
Here are 4 insights that I am taking forward
1. A scripture verse from Psalm 68:6 _God puts the lonely in families._ Paul and I are working out whether this is a verse for us – what it means to offer hospitality and open our home, and where we also receive family. I’m also working out if this is for St Mary’s – what might it look like to ‘be devoted to the fellowship’?
2. A very basic line from a book on leadership by Amy Orr-Ewing – _Remember to let God be God_ . I return excited by an enlarged vision of God and, I pray, a new ability to trust Him and watch to see all that He will do. A real ‘Let Go and let God’ time for me. It is so freeing and is bringing much joy.
3. The wind in the Outer Hebrides! On a bike a head wind is hard work, a gusty side wind can be a bit scary but a tail wind is amazing, you can just fly, even the uphill is much easier. The Holy Spirit is
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## Vicar’s Report 2025 continued...
described as like a wind. I’m asking for fresh anointing and constant help from the Holy Spirit, as I only ever want to do what God calls me to do
4. A consideration of who we are to be as St Mary’s, and this has led to the January 2026 sermon series - ‘be devoted to the Apostle’s teaching, the breaking of bread, prayer and the fellowship.’
_The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it._
## **A Time of Change**
2025 has marked a change in the staff team at St Mary’s. It has been wonderful to welcome Sonyanette Parker and to see new life in the youth work of the church. But it has been very sad to say goodbye to our curate Marcus Pagnam. We are so thankful for him and Nic and for their ministry among us. I am already missing my clergy colleague greatly. But we are delighted to see him flourish and respond to God’s call to St Chad’s Handforth. We know God continues to be with us here as He also goes with Marcus.
_The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it._
God is faithful and He will do it. The clear vision and aim of St Mary’s continues to be
## **To make disciples and to grow as disciples**
**To love God and to show God’s love to others**
The key focuses for me are prayer, dwelling in God’s Word and submitting to Jesus as Lord. My key focus for the church is Sundays and Small Groups
_The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it._
Rev Manda Featherstone
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## **2025 Highlights**
- Our Curate, Rev Marcus Pagnam, completed his training and was appointed to his post of first responsibility as Vicar of St Chad’s Handforth
- Our Vicar, Rev Amanda Featherstone, was able to take a 3 month sabbatical
- We launched a ‘supervised’ creche for our 10.30am service, enabling parents to stay in the worship service
- We increased our giving to the Diocese for the Common Fund by 20%
- We recruited to the post of Part-time Youth Worker (15 hours per week and funded by the congregation)
- There is now stability and growth in the Youth Group
- We welcomed the new Bishop of Birmingham, Michael Volland, at our Palm Sunday Service where he preached and presided at communion
- There is clear evidence of growth within the congregation, we have seen new families and individuals join us
- There are more children in our Sunday Kids groups each week
- We had two Sundays where there were full immersion adult baptisms, this is the first time these have taken place at St Mary’s for some years
- The required safeguarding training and procedures have been followed
- Our homegroups led our Sunday services during the summer period, enabling more people to be involved and exercise their giftings
- We have given away in excess of 250 Bibles
- Our Sunday evening bi-monthly Prayer and Praise services have become established within the pattern of worship at St Mary’s
- All our Christmas services were a blessing, attendance at the Christingle service increased from 100 to 160 people
- We continue to have a very good relationship with The Coppice Primary School and an increasing and developing relationship with Woodrush High School
## **Churchwardens’ Report**
Last year I started the Churchwardens report by saying that it has been an exciting year at St Mary’s. I have to start this year’s report echoing that very comment! It has indeed been another exciting year as we have seen God at work amongst us and we have seen growth in many ways through the year.
This growth has come against the backdrop of Rev Manda Featherstone having a 3 month sabbatical and the departure of our curate, Rev Marcus Pagnam, and his wife Nic, at the end of the year to St Chad’s, Handforth in Cheshire. Thorough, careful and prayerful preparation by Rev Manda, Rev Marcus, the Churchwardens and the PCC for both of these potentially disruptive events meant that they became opportunities for growth. Worship, teaching, outreach and pastoral care continued as the vision of “going and making disciples” was fully embraced by the family at St Mary’s. We are grateful to God for the date of Marcus’s departure 2 weeks after Manda returned. Perfect timing!! But Alison and I are
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also so grateful to all of you who offer your gifts on all the team rotas for Sunday and the mid-week activities. The prayerful commitment of so many is one of the cornerstones to the foundation for the growth that we are seeing.
As we have continued to serve Jesus in our community, we see our ongoing mission activities (SCoFF, Little Lights, the 3-2-1 course) continuing to flourish. Alongside this we have seen our Sunday worshipping community grow in numbers with people from different age groups joining us to worship regularly, including families. This has meant an encouraging growth in the size of children’s groups.
The appointment of Son Parker as our Youth Worker has also meant that our Youth Group is growing in number and in their knowledge of Jesus love for them.
At the heart of this is the depth of prayer by the St Mary’s fellowship. The weekly prayer meetings, bi-monthly Prayer and Praise services and weekly Sunday intercessions are supplemented by the personal devotional lives of so many in the fellowship. It has been so encouraging to hear of new “prayer partners” for Son and the Youth Work team as they seek to cover this work in prayer.
My fellow Churchwarden, Alison Spencer, has continued to gently teach and support me as I have learnt the full 12 month cycle of a Churchwarden’s “life”! Alison has been the most fantastic colleague and it must be acknowledged that, as she comes to the end of her service as Churchwarden at St Mary’s, she has been an excellent role model. She has done a quite brilliant job and I inherit an incredibly well organised and functioning set of responsibilities. But Alison is not just an organiser; she communicates clearly, serves faithfully and works supportively in a team, covering everything in prayer and bringing wisdom, faith and love to all that she does. She loves Jesus and wants to give Him the best, and I have been a witness of that as I have served alongside her. Thank you, Alison, for all you have done as Churchwarden.
Alison and I are also very grateful for the practical and spiritual support of Paul Featherstone as Duty Warden. His faithful commitment makes our job so much easier in many ways, whether through serving on a Sunday or through the practical tasks he takes on around the year.
We also give thanks for the knowledge that Rev Manda had a fruitful and restful sabbatical. As we all look to strengthen the family of St Mary’s and to develop our ongoing outworking of Jesus mission for us, it is encouraging to know that Manda has returned with new and renewed vision. Alison and I are excited by the focus Manda brings to our vision of “making new disciples” and for us to grow as a community, worshipping and serving God together. It is a privilege to work alongside Manda as she ministers in the power of the Holy Spirit, looking to root the life and ministry of St Mary’s in the truth of God’s Word.
The year ahead looks exciting, with more episcopal visits planned, church fellowship events added to the calendar and a larger group going to the New Wine Summer Gathering .
As we continue to serve Jesus may we be “rooted and established in love” (Ephesians 3:17) caring for one another, whether a long standing member of St Mary’s or a new member of our growing congregation.
## **Paul Harrison (Churchwarden) Ali Spencer (Churchwarden) Paul Featherstone (Duty Warden)**
## **PCC Report**
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the executive and decision making committee of St Mary’s church. Members are elected to the PCC at the Annual General Meeting for a term of 3 years duration. During 2025 the PCC has met each month excepting December, April, May (APCM) and August. Key items on the agenda have included:-
- Revisiting our church vision of making new disciples and growing in our discipleship of Jesus.
- The processes around the recruitment of a new Youth Worker which led to the employment of
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
Sonyanette Parker who started work in May.
- The introduction of ChurchSuite and how the church can help every member use this new means of communication.
- Regular scrutiny of how various events at the church have been attended and found beneficial for discipleship and faith sharing.
- The PCC has received regular updates from the Treasurer, Pam Miller, regarding St Mary’s financial situation. Recently the PCC voted to replace the dishwasher in the kitchen. The PCC also agreed to proposals submitted by the Mission Committee regarding the allocation of the church tithe.
- The PCC has been kept up to date with matters concerning the upkeep of 247 Alcester Road and 5 The Willows and agreed on maintenance to be carried out.
- Safeguarding is discussed at every PCC meeting, with training for church volunteers at the forefront.
- Policies and Risk Assessments are brought throughout the year. Some have recently been scrutinised and where necessary amended or brought up to date and in line with Diocesan ones.
Membership of the PCC in 2025 was:-
Rev. Amanda Featherstone (Incumbent), Rev. Marcus Pagnam (Curate – until he moved to his own Parish), Pam Miller (Treasurer), Ali Spencer (Church Warden), Paul Harrison (Church Warden), Amanda Dauncey (Safeguarding), Lynda Rogers, Llinos Looker, Deborah Brockbank, Julie Arkell, Julie Croxford, Jo Darby, Jenny Clark and Paul Featherstone.
Thanks are given to Jude Emery who has stepped down from being on the PCC.
In attendance, in a non voting capacity are Ros Harrison (PCC Secretary) and occasionally Gary Daniel (Children, Families and Schools Worker).
## **Ros Harrison (PCC Secretary)**
## **Treasurer’s Report**
As we look at the accounts for 2025 we are once more praising God for his faithfulness: he who promised to ‘supply all our needs’ has generously done so again this year, enabling us to pay our share of the diocesan Common Fund, to support mission at home and overseas (details in the Mission Committee report), and, perhaps best of all, to employ Son Parker as a part-time Youth Worker! So let us rejoice in all these blessings.
My thanks to everyone who gives faithfully by standing order, through the envelope scheme or as cash on the plate. Giving is an expression of our love and thanks to God, not just a duty in order to pay for the costs of running a church. However, these costs do tend to rise annually so it is good practice to review our giving before God each year, especially if we have had a salary or pension rise. If you pay income tax, and Gift Aid your giving, the Chancellor allows us to reclaim the tax paid - this year that amounted to nearly £33000. Please ask me for more info if needed.
I am indebted to Dave Walters who continues to provide advice and support in all things financial, and my husband, Steve, who helps me with computing problems. Dave is again preparing the Annual Financial Report for the APCM in May. This will show our financial activity in detail - the table below summarises in round numbers the main ways in which our money has been received and spent:
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
|Income|£|
|---|---|
|Giving|148711|
|Tax refund|32928|
|Div/interest|925|
|Rental income|16797|
|Hall hire by clubs etc|829|
|TOTAL INCOME|180,752|
|**Expenditure**|**£**|
|---|---|
|Common Fund|73500|
|Clergy expenses|3309|
|Service costs|9438|
|Admin|3073|
|Salaries|53400|
|Charitable giving|13424|
|SCoFF (net)|1517|
|Houses - mortgage
- ins/repairs etc|6800|
|Outreach|625|
|Total Expenditure|195,566|
## **Safeguarding Report**
We at St Mary’s have a rigorous Safeguarding Policy which is being followed carefully and this is easily accessible on our website. A paper copy of the policy is also available within our Policy file, which is kept in the church lobby, for any church member or visitor to read.
Our Parish Safeguarding Policy is updated & reviewed by the PCC annually. The Parish Safeguarding Coordinator gives a regular safeguarding report to the PCC. 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)
I am pleased to report that most of our Church Volunteers have completed or updated their ‘Basic Awareness’ Safeguarding training. Many of our Volunteers & all PCC members have also done the recommended ‘Foundations of Safeguarding’ training and ‘Awareness of Domestic Abuse’ training, which is important & relevant to our Church and family life. If you are unsure whether you need to update your training or DBS please contact Nicola Clarkson, who is our Safeguarding administrator. Nicola and I are happy to help anyone who is unable to do their online training at home.
St Mary’s Church has a portfolio of group activities which require Safeguarding:
- **Sunday Kids (Seeds & Shoots):** held most Sundays during our 10.30am church service
- **Sunday Night Youth:** held on Sunday evenings
- **Children’s GLOW group:** (Children’s discipleship group) held on Monday afternoons
- **SCoFF:** held after school on Wednesdays during term time for school children and families in the community.
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- **Little Lights:** St Mary’s Parent and Toddler Group held on Friday mornings during term time
- **Creche:** A staffed crèche is now held every Sunday for babies and children under school age, in the Peter Thomson room.
- **Hillside:** A small team from St Mary’s regularly visits this care home for adults with disabilities and we usually hold a service there every month
- **Authorised Drivers:** a small team of drivers confirmed & authorised by the church to give lifts to elderly or vulnerable adults to attend church
- **Friendship Club** and Elderly Care **:** for our senior members & friends
For each of the above activities which include children, young people or vulnerable adults, the church has a safeguarding responsibility to ensure that a risk assessment is done and reviewed annually. Each activity has a team of volunteers with a nominated team leader. The Safeguarding team is required to ensure that each volunteer has been safely recruited (with 2 references & a current DBS if necessary) and has received the required training appropriate for their role. Guidelines are clearly laid down by the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team and on-going adherence is monitored on the Church of England Safeguarding Dashboard. Each of our volunteers, when commencing their involvement with an activity, is provided with a role description and a pack of essential / helpful information specific to their role.
I would like to thank Nicola (our Safeguarding Verifier) for all her hard work in updating the Safeguarding Dashboard & Hub & ensuring that all Volunteers have been safely recruited. It is important that Activity leaders regularly inform Nicola about any new Volunteers or Helpers.
Your current St Mary’s Safeguarding Team is as follows:
Rev Amanda Featherstone (Incumbent)
Dr Amanda Dauncey (Parish Safeguarding Coordinator)
Mrs Nicola Clarkson (Parish Safeguarding Verifier)
Mr Gary Daniel (Safeguarding Advocate for Children and Families)
Mrs Sonyanette Parker (Safeguarding Advocate for Young People)
## _**Dr Amanda Dauncey**_
## **Buildings and Facilities Report**
We are greatly blessed that 2 houses are owned by St Mary’s
247 Alcester Road was home to our Curate Marcus and his family, until they moved out in December. During the year there was only a small amount of gardening work undertaken. The house is in great condition. As we will not have another curate in 2026, the PCC have made the decision to rent the house until the following Easter and this has resulted in some work to prepare for a potential rental family – mainly some electrical works that were found to be needed as a result of a routine 5 year electrical Inspection. I am excited to report that there should be a new family moved in by the time of this report. Please pray for them as they settle into Wythall and maybe visit our lovely Church.
5 The Willows is home to our Children, Families and Schools Worker, Gary, and his family. There was no work needed during the year.
In terms of Church maintenance; it is important to say that we are very blessed to share the building with The Coppice School and as a result we are not responsible for maintaining the building, only our property
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within it. We praise God for a good working relationship with the Headmaster Billy and with the Business Manager Dave and Caretaker Rich.
This year we have purchased a laptop for our new Youth Worker and paid for the fitting of a new tap in the disabled toilet to facilitate the filling of a baptism pool when used in church. I think you will agree with me that these are both very good purchases!
**Ali Spencer (Church Warden)**
## **Worship**
Psalm 95 verses 1 to 3 states:
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
- **2** Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
- **3** For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
Our gathered worship at St Mary’s is such a joy. It is wonderful to be together each Sunday to lift high the name of Jesus, hear from God’s Word and enjoy fellowship together.
Our two morning services each have a different style but have the same ‘DNA’ in terms of our focus on worshipping Jesus and in terms of the teaching from the Bible.
At the start of 2025 we had a wonderful sermon series on the Apostle’s Creed. It was so good to look in detail at the doctrines of the Christian faith and our core beliefs. After Easter there was a short sermon series ‘Come and See’ looking at Jesus’ invitation for each of us to spend time with Him, the call for us to invite others to come and see Jesus, and how we can ask Jesus to come and see our hurt and pain – He is the resurrection and the life.
It was great to see different people involved in our services when homegroups were invited to lead us over the summer. There was much creativity as we looked at the armour of God, may we continue to hear the call to stand firm.
In the autumn we followed the lectionary readings and it was good to spend this time in Luke’s Gospel.
In 2025 our pattern of Prayer and Praise on Sunday evenings every other month became firmly established. These were greatly blessed times as we engaged in sung worship, cried out to God in prayer and listened to God speak to us.
After much prayer and consideration we decided to no longer offer our monthly Family @ 4 services. The aim of these was to be a way into worship for families who found it hard to come on a Sunday morning. We particularly invited families who attended Little Lights and SCoFF however, latterly we found that it was church families who were attending and so felt it better to encourage them to be in church on the Sunday morning.
Reflecting on 2025 I can definitely see a new movement of God in bringing people into church who are curious and searching. We are seeing either visitors or new people most Sundays. I am therefore committed to making our Sunday Morning worship the key focus of St Mary’s. A place of welcome, worship, fellowship, teaching, a place and time when we invite God to speak and the Holy Spirit to
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minister to people as we worship Jesus together.
A huge thank you to the extensive group of people who make Sunday worship possible, there are so many roles that you fulfil.
Also, a very big thank you to all who pray for our Sunday services – I invite more people to do this during 2026. We pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit’.
Rev Manda Featherstone
## **Children’s, Families and Schools Work**
As I reflect on 2025, I am hugely thankful for another exciting and encouraging year serving as Children, Families & Schools Worker at St Mary’s. It continues to be a genuine joy to be part of the life, worship, and leadership of the church, and to see God at work among children and families in so many different ways.
This is a snapshot of all the highlights from the past year.
## **Sunday Children’s Ministry**
I continue to oversee our Sunday children’s ministry, Seeds (ages 4–7) and Shoots (ages 7–11), which aims to help children discover God’s love, understand the Bible, and see how God’s story weaves through their own lives, both planting seeds and building a foundation of faith in young lives.
Throughout 2025, the children explored a variety of teaching themes as Sunday Kids leaders taught the Bible in an age-appropriate way each Sunday morning as a part of our 10.30am service. These themes included exploring God in the Psalms; Christian lifestyle; hope; responsibilities; courage and more recently we looked at the calling of the disciples and prayer.
Seasonal celebrations including Easter, Pentecost, Harvest, Advent and Christmas were also key moments in our year with services and events bringing the whole church family together alongside families from the local community.
In September it was great to be able to start offering a staffed Creche in the Peter Thompson room as a part of our 10.30am service. This has given parents of young children the option to leave their children to play in a safe, nurturing environment whilst they engage in the main Church service.
Towards the end of the year, it has been encouraging to see an increase in families regularly attending Sunday worship and Children’s groups. One of our Church members has been praying faithfully for 20 children to attend, and we have begun to see God at work with our Sunday Kids numbers reaching 20 some weeks – Praise God!
## **Family@4**
We continued to run our monthly Family@4 service up until Summer 2025, providing a relaxed and engaging worship space for families with primary-aged children, to help families encounter Jesus through worship, Bible stories, testimony, crafts, and shared activities.
Whilst this was well-received by those families attending, having reflected on how best to serve the community, it was prayerfully decided by the Family@4 team that as we move forward in the mission & ministry of St. Mary’s we will focus on alternative events and outreach ministry to children and families, using the incredible people and resources we have, to provide further opportunities for them to explore faith.
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## **Glow Group**
Glow Group runs every Monday afternoon during term time and provides a discipleship-focused space for children in Years 3–6 (ages 7–11). Sessions help the children develop in their faith journey by combining fun, craft, drama, games and discussions to explore key Biblical topics. Amongst other things, over the last year we have been looking at prayer, the Holy Spirit, trusting in God, and Harvest. Glow had fun making a special video celebrating Jesus’ birthday that was shown in our Christmas Day service and they prepared and led prayers at our Pentecost celebration.
We have had a regular group of five attending this last year and continue to invite children who attend SCoFF. As we look ahead to 2026 we continue to pray and hope that this group will grow, so that more children and those who already attend can deepen their understanding of, and relationship with, Jesus.
## **Little Lights**
Little Lights, our weekly stay-and-play toddler group, remains a thriving and welcoming space for young children and their parents or carers. In July, nineteen children moved on from Little Lights to either full-time school or nursery. Despite this, we continue to have an average of 15 – 20 children coming along with their parents or carers each week, with new families regularly attending the group.
Little Lights offers gentle opportunities to introduce faith through toddler-friendly Bible stories and praise songs. During 2025 we have been looking at God’s promises, stories that Jesus told & seasonal themes.
Alongside providing support, connection, and community for families, we have a great opportunity in the group to draw alongside parents & carers, developing relationships & sharing faith. Our wonderful team of volunteers has a key role in showing & sharing Jesus to those who attend Little Lights, through conversation, caring & serving – we have a great opportunity to plant seeds of faith & share God’s story week-in & week-out at Little Lights.
## **Schools Work**
Our partnership with Coppice Primary School continues to be a significant and rewarding part of my ministry. Over the past year:
- I led whole-school assemblies, reaching over 600 pupils, at different seasonal times of the year. Our Harvest festival assembly was particularly memorable with the school response to providing tinned and dried goods for our local foodbank being particularly generous.
- I taught Christianity-themed lessons across all 18 classes, exploring topics & questions such as _Is anything ever eternal?_ and _Do people need to go to Church to show they are Christians?_
- As a Church, we gifted 90 ‘It’s Your Move’ booklets to children in Year 6 who are finishing primary school & heading into secondary school. Son Parker (our Youth Worker) and I, delivered lessons to each class of 11-year-olds transitioning up to ‘big’ school, sharing stories, anecdotes and seeds of faith with the children.
- Early Years (Nursery), Reception, Year 1, and Year 4 classes visited us here in St Mary’s Church to learn more about the building, its purpose, and the Christian faith as a part of their curriculum.
## **SCoFF**
SCoFF continues to be a vital and fruitful outreach ministry, creating welcoming spaces where families can experience the love of Jesus. Further detail can be found in the separate SCoFF report.
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## **Church Invites and Outreach Events**
Throughout 2025, there were many opportunities to connect with families beyond our regular ministries and invite them into church life. These included:
- **Summer Drop-ins** – Every Wednesday during the school summer holidays we offered Church as a place to come along & drop-in for craft, games, puzzles and a chat. It was great that many individuals & families from both our Church congregation & the local community came to these sessions and it was a great place to build friendships & relationships.
- **Pentecost Service and Fun Day** – A joyful day as we celebrated Pentecost with a service followed by a BBQ, inflatables, and our third bake-off competition, attended by many families from the local community.
- **Christmas Events** – Our Christingle and Christmas Eve Nativity services again welcomed large numbers of families into Church, with the opportunity to share the truth of Jesus’ birth and His gospel of love & peace. The Posada also journeyed through 7 Church & community families, sharing the story of Jesus’ birth in their homes.
Each of these events helped to build relationships, strengthen community links, and invite families to explore faith in accessible and meaningful ways.
## **Children’s-work Volunteers**
I am deeply grateful for the committed and faithful volunteers who give their time, energy, and passion to support this ministry. Your willingness to serve plays a vital role in nurturing faith, building relationships, and creating welcoming spaces where children and families can encounter Jesus. Thank you for all that you do.
## **Looking Ahead to 2026**
As we move into 2026, my prayer is that the relationships and connections formed over the past year will continue to grow into deeper faith journeys. I long to see children and their families coming into St Mary’s to explore who Jesus is, respond to the gospel, and grow in relationship with him.
Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support. If any of these ministries excite you and you feel called to get involved, I would love to hear from you — additional volunteers are always warmly welcomed.
Please join me in thanking God for all he has done in 2025 and in praying for all that lies ahead in 2026.
## **May God bless you today and throughout the coming year.**
_Gary Daniel_
## **Youth @ St. Mary’s**
## **Overview**
Since coming into post, the emphasis has been on **laying strong and consistent foundations** for young people already connected with St Mary’s and Woodrush. This season has focused on **deep roots, discipleship, and individual faith growth** , trusting God to add fruit in His timing. While youthwork capacity is limited to 15 contracted hours per week, there has been clear evidence of God’s provision, momentum, and faithfulness.
The following tables are ‘at a glance’ though a more detailed report is available on request.
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## **Current Reach & Support**
**Area Current Position** Sunday Night Youth (St Mary’s) Up to **11 young people** SCoFF (Woodrush Volunteers) Up to **10 young people** Youth Team Volunteers **7 committed helpers** Prayer Team **4 faithful prayer supporters** , regularly updated
## **Key Activities by Term in 2025 (Summary)**
## **Period Key Activities & Highlights**
**May–June**
Youth Alpha with HCLC, Pentecost service involvement, half-term movie nights, exam pastoral support, SCoFF sessions
Year 6 transition work, socials with HCLC, SCoFF Extra, end-of-term celebration, youth **July** BBQ, weekly Wednesday drop-ins
Continued Wednesday drop-ins, movie night
**August** Continued Wednesday drop-ins, movie night **September** Peckwood Residential (11 YP), Sunday youth development, SCoFF & SCoFF Extra sessions **October** CPR training, half-term social, Harvest school assembly **November** Gas Street Cineworld worship trip, Woodrush outreach, baptism of one young person **December** Youth-led Christingle service, Woodrush outreach, Christmas socials and celebrations **January 2026** Launch of **TOAST** (Sunday 10am breakfast church), ongoing youth and SCOFF sessions
## **Key Outcomes & Impact**
- Consistent attendance and a committed core group established
- Young people increasingly involved in worship, outreach, and leadership
- Strong links maintained with Woodrush Youth Centre and local partners
- One youth baptism celebrated, with further faith journeys emerging
- Prayer, volunteers, and safeguarding practice remain strong
## **Looking Ahead (Feb – Easter 2026)**
- Sunday night youth and TOAST (10am) continuing
- Pancake Day / Ash Wednesday session
- Birmingham Vineyard youth prayer gathering
- Community skittles and games night
- Half-term Laser Quest social
- Woodrush outreach and Lent studies
- Easter celebration and outreach
## **Son Parker**
## **SCoFF**
SCoFF (St Mary’s Church offers Food and Fun) began in October 2022, and during 2025 we joyfully entered our fourth year of this growing and much-loved ministry at St Mary’s. By the end of 2025, we had hosted an incredible 78 SCoFF afternoons
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## since we started!
Each SCoFF session offers a safe, welcoming and lively space where families can gather, build friendships and, hopefully, feel at home. Together we enjoy creative crafts inspired by a biblical theme, energetic games, a short and engaging interactive talk that brings the theme to life, and finishing by sharing a hot meal together. These afternoons have become a highlight for many families and a wonderful point of connection with the wider life of the church.
We are incredibly blessed with a fantastic team who serve with faithfulness, generosity and joy. As a team, we have spent time together continuing to look at how we can all be better equipped to talk naturally and confidently about Jesus and our personal faith.
We have continued to pose questions for our guests to reflect upon and talk about with team whilst doing crafts – giving more opportunity to build relationships and share Jesus with the families who attend the sessions.
During our sessions we have looked at themes including – ‘Meeting the risen Jesus’ & ‘Jesus the….’ (friend, teacher, pray-er, Son, servant, Saviour etc). The sessions give us opportunity to share stories, parables and truths from scripture with a gospel thread running through them all. Prayer continues to sit at the heart of SCoFF – in the background as team individually pray for families who come along and also in the session as we put out our prayer post box every week, giving guests the opportunity to leave prayer requests to be prayed through in the Church Thursday morning prayer meeting.
We are hugely thankful to the Coppice School for sharing SCoFF dates with parents and for the generous use of their hall, and to Woodrush School for providing an amazing team of young volunteers who bring so much energy, commitment and enthusiasm to serving. We are also deeply grateful for our core SCoFF team of approximately 15 people, who consistently and joyfully give their time to set up, cook meals, welcome and befriend guests, lead crafts and games, serve refreshments and food, and then clear up afterwards—an enormous and often unseen commitment.
We strongly believe that SCoFF is at the very heart of St Mary’s mission. It enables us to connect with local families in meaningful and relational ways, sharing the love of Jesus both through conversation and in practical ways. We long for people to encounter the good news of Jesus and to come to know Him through the ministry of St Mary’s and through SCoFF.
Gary Daniel.
## **Prayer**
It is a great blessing to hear from new members at St Mary’s that they have found it to be a praying church. This is now, and has been for many years, one of our valued qualities.
Our two weekly Prayer Groups continue – a morning one in church and a second in the evening at the house of one of our Readers. All members of the congregation are welcome to join them. We begin with a led Bible reading. Our prayers begin with thanks and worship to our Father and to his Son Jesus our Saviour for all the blessings that we receive and then go on to hold up to Him the needs of our church, its members, and our community. We ask God to guide us in how we can all be salt and light to our friends and neighbours so that more people will come to discover the love and the constant presence of His Spirit which comes in knowing Jesus as our Saviour. Our gathered thoughts are recorded and followed up in later meetings.
We are blessed with a variety of gifted intercessors who lead our communal prayers during services, both adults and children.
During and after our services there is a group of congregants who form a Prayer Ministry Team to offer
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
personal prayer to any who comes. It is a privilege to be asked to share in their joys and sorrows in this way.
Our Prayer Chain continues to flourish. Prayer needs are communicated to the Leader who sends a concise request to more than 30 members of the congregation who promise to pray for the needs of the person for 48 hours. Requests are welcome from friends, family members, neighbours etc and can be anonymous, because God knows all of the people that we hold up to Him in our prayers. If prayer issues are long term, they are prayed for in house groups too. Often, we receive results of prayers and an affirmation of how they were appreciated in times of suffering or difficulty.
The Church is invited every other month to come together for an early Sunday evening hour of Prayer and Praise, when we are led in worship, and then reflect and thank God for all the blessings that he has bestowed on our ministry here. We then to look ahead and ask what He has for the future, offering ourselves to serve Him in whatever way He leads us.
The Woodrush School Prayer Group meets each school term in the Hub, attended by people connected to school, to young people and children's work, or who have a heart for young people and children. Each meeting we pick up on relevant topics seeking God's blessing on all our local schools, and the children's and youth work in our local churches. We pray for children and young people to flourish and for those who work with them to have wisdom and all the gifts needed to do their jobs well.
All are welcome to attend on the 3rd Monday into each term on a Monday evening from 7.30-8.30 upstairs in the Hub in the meeting room through the library.
We are always keen to increase both personal and communal prayer at St Mary’s Church, and in 2026 a sermon series will call us to ‘Devote ourselves to Prayer, being watchful and thankful’. Colossians 4:2.
## **Jude Emery**
## **Super Saturday - Provision for People with Additional Needs**
Super Saturday was started after what we felt were prompts from God specifically for families with children or adults with additional needs in our community.
It has been running since December 2021.
We learned that there were very few such activities available, especially at the weekend and particularly that provided not only for the person with needs but also for the carers and/or their wider family. We found that indeed whole families came along, and that carers and other family members meeting together was one of the most appreciated aspects of Super Saturday.
The events were completely free and somewhere that we could bless the wonderful people who gathered by sharing the abundance of God's love, something the whole team felt very strongly about. Each session provided a combination of crafts, games, a sensory space, singing, food, time to learn something of God’s love, and a warm friendly, accepting atmosphere for those with needs and their carers and families.
However, over the last twelve months, much to our surprise, this lovely ministry seems to have entered a time of transition, with interest slowly declining.
Leading up to and during our last team meeting in September we felt God was speaking to us about
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
‘keeping the flame burning’ but also being open to His ‘pruning’ of Super Saturday and so after much heartfelt prayer and searching for His leading, we concluded it probably shouldn’t stay in its current format.
The team that ran Super Saturday are fantastic, all with a real heart for those with additional needs and their carers. We have had such fun and were truly blessed every single Saturday spent with such amazing people, so please do pray for discerning and clarity as we sit in this time of change.
If you feel this is something God would want you to be involved in going forward, please do speak to Rev Manda or me, Claire Emery.
## **Claire Emery**
## **Discipleship**
After His resurrection and immediately before he ascends into heaven Jesus commands his disciples:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, **[20 ]** and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19 -20
We have a vision and aim at St Mary’s
## _**To make disciples and to grow as disciples**_
We know that all of this is God’s work. It is wonderful that Jesus says in those verses above, ‘And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age’. Jesus is present with us through the Holy Spirit. We constantly seek the anointing and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
In this era of the ‘Quiet Revival’ we are excited that many people are curious and want to find out more about faith and Jesus. At St Mary’s we have been offering the 321 course from Speak Life. In January last year 7 people engaged with this course, 4 continued to meet and went through the Alpha course and we rejoice that 2 of those people came to faith in Jesus and were baptised.
We offered the 321 course at other points in the year but it only drew in a couple of people. Please be thinking and praying as to who you could invite to future courses. 321 is very accessible and one person completed 1:1 and we were delighted to hear their profession of faith and see them baptised in November.
These courses are a key way that we seek to serve under God in the making of disciples.
There are many things within the life of the church that aim to help people who are followers of Jesus grow as his disciples. Our teaching within Sunday services is a key way, as are our homegroups where people read and discuss the Bible together (please see the report on our homegroups from Claire Emery). There are day events, retreats, summer festivals and of course our own study of the Bible, our reading and listening to podcasts etc etc that help us to grow.
We continue to ask God to grow His church not only in numbers of people but in our depth of love for Him, knowledge of His Word and in the closeness of our walk with Jesus.
In Mere Christianity C S Lewis states
“…the Church exists for nothing else but to draw people into Christ, to make them little Christs.”
As I close this report and as you come to the end of reading this section of the Annual Report can I ask you to pause
- Please pray for one person you’d love to see come to faith in Jesus
- Pray for yourself as a follower of Jesus
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
- Pray for St Mary’s as we seek to make disciples and grow as disciples.
All glory to God for all He is doing.
**Rev Manda Featherstone**
## **Homegroups**
Homegroups are a key part of the life of St Mary’s church and an essential part of our vision to ‘grow as disciples’. Our homegroups are nurturing places where individuals can grow in their faith, build strong relationships and find support in their journey with God.
At our latest Homegroup Leaders meeting we were reminded how important regular watering is in being transformed :
_And the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in a drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a well-watered garden and a spring whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11_
I am delighted that currently 67 members of St Mary’s are part of a homegroup. We have groups that meet in the daytime and others that meet in the evening. Most meet weekly, one group meets fortnightly.
The groups usually decide among themselves what they are going to study and at some points in the year groups are encouraged to follow the Sunday sermon series. As well as learning more of God through the Bible and growing as followers of Jesus groups are encouraged to ask ‘So what?’ each session – looking at the application of the study and how God is directing us in our day to day lives through his word.
Homegroup Leaders meet together three times a year to share ideas for resources and to encourage one another. I would like to thank all who lead groups, those who lead sessions and those who host homegroups.
I have been in the role of homegroup co-ordinator for a year now and have loved prayfully helping many new people join a homegroup. Please continue to pray for wisdom for me in this role as the Lord continues to grow our church family and consequently homegroups continue to evolve.
I would love to encourage as many people as possible to be part of a group. The benefits are endless: increased faith, stronger friendships, personal growth and a sense of belonging, to name but a few.
I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Take a look at the information leaflet at the front of church or come and chat to me to find out more.
We continue to rejoice and give thanks for all that God is doing among us.
**Claire Emery**
## **St. Mary’s Friendship Group**
Our events were well supported over the year in terms of volunteers and numbers attending.
As you get older and less mobile it’s good to have local events you can attend where you can also meet new people or old friends and feel part of your local community and of course see where your church is and meet some of its members.
Our film shows are very popular and we had a showing of Whisky Galore in February and almost had a showing of Thelma in October. Unfortunately the film became stuck and we had to make do with tea, cake and a chat! We will be having a run through with the CD player in the future to make sure that everything is working before the event!
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
At Easter we all made Easter baskets, and finished the morning with soup and pudding. In the May holiday we tried Chair Games, this wasn’t as well attended as we had hoped, maybe the word games puts people off, so in 2026 we will be trying something different. But those who came definitely enjoyed the bacon butty afterwards.
We had our usual Summer Tea in July with singing by the Wythall Community Choir. A lovely event which always goes down well.
If you would like to volunteer to help at any of the events please let me know.
We would love new ideas. If you have been to any event which you think we could put on at church for older people please let us know. Thank you to all those people who help with cakes during the summer or who help at events, we really do appreciate you.
We also attend Dennis Potter Court and have a small but loyal attendance at the services for Easter, Remembrance Day and Christmas.
## **Chris Turner on behalf of St Mary’s Friendship Group**
## **Hillside**
We have now been providing services at the Hillside Residential Home for around four and a half years, and the residents and staff continue to look forward to and support our services, held on a monthly basis.
Lara, the Entertainments Officer, continues to be a great support to us, and it is encouraging that a good number of staff are attending the services - the average number attending continues to be around 10 – 20 (about a third of that number being staff),
The staff tell us that they hear the residents singing some of our worship songs during the week, which is a great encouragement!
The services continue to be tailored to meet the needs of those attending, bearing out the ongoing truth that keeping the message of our faith as simple as possible continues to be effective for all!
We have the privilege of celebrating all of the Christian festivals, with the Christmas service being the highlight, with more attendees than any other service - followed by coffee and mince pies, kindly supplied by the home.
We continue to build up valuable relationships with the staff, who have invited us as a church to help with funerals when sadly needed.
Many thanks again to our team of Amanda Dauncey, Rob Watson, Rev Manda, Michael Holt and Linda Yates for continuing to make the services a success every month.
John (one of the residents) continues to attend Sunday services in church on a regular basis, and other residents have also attended our Super Saturday events
We continue to trust that God is using these services to plant the message of salvation deep in the hearts of all attending, and trust that He will continue to do so.
As mentioned previously, if you feel that you were able to offer assistance in supporting the services occasionally you would be most welcome – please let us know!
Dave D’Arcy
## **Mission Committee Report**
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
The Mission Committee has been joined this year by Janet Smith, so now consists of Janet, Jenny Clark, Rob Watson and Pam Miller. We’re not closed - anyone with an interest in mission is welcome to talk to us about joining. Our role is to spearhead the church’s response to Jesus’ command to ‘go into all the world to preach the gospel’. We aim to do this by keeping the church informed about the work of our mission partners, by bringing new causes to the attention of the church, and ensuring that mission matters are included in the weekly intercessions on a regular basis. Each month a prayer section in the news sheet gives information about one of our partners so that we can all be prayerfully involved in their work. This year we have also produced prayer boards with information about our mission partners Caroline and Ultan, and Kira Farm and Bolivia. These rotate each month and are updated with the latest information we have for prayer.
We also recommend to the PCC how the tithe of the church’s income should be distributed, and the following gifts were made in 2025:
Project Moroto (Alakara orphan girls’ home) £520 (agreed in 2024)
AIM £500 for TEE project in Moroto £500 (agreed in 2024)
Teach Beyond £500 for Rachel Gidney in Kenya (agreed in 2024)
Just Caring £1000
Tear Fund £1000
Betel £1000
Sat7 £1000
Bishop of Bolivia visit £500, personal gift £500
Centro Cristiano Church, Citta Della Pieve, Italy (known to Marcus
and Nic) £500. Marcus and Nic’s ministry trip to this church £500
Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza £500
Gift for John, Ordinand in Uganda £200 (to purchase a water filter)
Mission Aviation Fellowship £500
‘TikTok Vicar’ £1000 for free Bibles for his Bible give-away project
Barnabas Aid £1000 for Sudan
Open Doors £1000
Prison Chaplaincy Support £875
Donations at our Christmas services raised £200, which we gave to HCLC for the food bank. A total of £342 was sent to The Children’s Society from boxes held by members of the congregation and the collection at the Christingle service.
Our Kira Farm student, Erick, corresponded regularly by email with Pam, and was full of enthusiasm for all that he was learning. Like all our previous students, he gained a much more positive outlook on life and left with new skills to share with his community and to help lift his family out of poverty.
A highlight of the year was the Mission Day in November, when speakers from Just Caring and Betel updated us on their work, before a soup and dessert lunch. In the afternoon Bishop Walter from Bolivia shared about the churches and projects he is responsible for. It was a valuable time and we shall consider whether to repeat something similar in 2026. Separately, we had visits from Caroline and Ultan (also known to us as
**20**
Joshua), who told us about their work, and Rachel Gidney, who was part of this church as a child, and shared about her plans to teach in Kenya.
If you would like to know anything more about topics mentioned above, please speak to any of the committee members.
## **Pam Miller**
## I **Kings Norton, Moseley & Shirley Deanery Synod**
The Deanery Synod of Kings Norton, Moseley and Shirley has met on three occasions during 2025 and the main agenda items included the following:
## **1 March 2025**
Deanery Synod met at St Lawrence Church Centre, Northfield and the speakers were
Dr Jan Smart, Diocesan Secretary who is responsible for governance, HR, Strategy and Comms and Andy Winmill, Director of Mission Support. Together they presented a number of slides designed to explore the interplay between Diocesan Mission Strategy and mission strategies being developed in parishes and by oversight areas, and how they might develop and interact.
Nick Forknell, the lay chair of the Synod then put to them some pre submitted questions, and questions were also invited from the floor.
Acting Area Dean Gordon Steele gave an update on the vacancy for Area Dean. Interviews will take place on 10 March 2025
The meeting was closed with prayer
## **18 June 2025**
Deanery Synod met at Holy Trinity Church, Lickey
The main speakers were Caroline Egan, Assistant Diocesan Environmental Adviser and Ben Smith, Net Zero Carbon Project Manager. They delivered a PowerPoint presentation about climate change, with various suggestions about how churches and individuals might make changes to help improve our carbon footprint. It was a long presentation so there was no time for questions from the floor but the speakers agreed to stay behind to answer anyone’s pressing questions
After a few notices the Synod was then closed with prayer.
## **22 October 2025**
Deanery Synod met at St Pauls Church Centre, Balsall Heath
New Area Dean, Rev Mark Bennett introduced Bishop Michael who had come to speak about the
Church of England Birmingham National Funding Award. The vision is to use this gift to further Growing Churches and flourishing schools at the heart of each community. He delivered a talk about using entrepreneurial and innovative gifts to deliver a strategy based upon the four pillars of Sustainability, Leadership, Parish Growth, Church Planting and Revitalisation. Synod then split into Oversight Area groups, appointed a scribe and noted down points arising from various questions which were put to us. After a time of discussion, feedback from each group was then invited. Jan Smart, Diocesan Secretary, and Bishop Michael then addressed some of the questions arising.
After a few additional notices the meeting was closed with prayer.
Current representatives are Lynda Rogers and clergy.
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Lynda Rogers will step down at the end of her second term of service in May 2026
**Lynda Rogers**
## **Electoral Roll**
As of 31st December 2025 the Electoral Roll was 96. This year we have prepared a new roll, as per the instructions from the Church of England, we now have 103 on roll.
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## 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 worship services have been given in this report. We also upload an audio of the sermon from the Sunday service each week to our website and also send this out to people who have requested it and are unable to attend church on a Sunday.
## 2. **Teaching of Christianity**
This is done through sermons at our services and sometimes through small groups and occasional courses on mid-week evenings. Children and Young people are taught about Christianity through our young people’s groups.
## 3. **Taking of Religious Assemblies in Schools**
During 2025 we continued termly assemblies for The Coppice Primary School, and also provided lessons each term.
## 4. **The provision of a youth group with a Christian Ethos**
We have continued to hold a youth group on Sunday evenings, and now also on occasional Wednesdays. **Activities 1-4 above are public benefits relating to the advancement of religion**
## 5. **Pastoral work including visiting the sick and the bereaved**
Clergy and Licensed Readers take funerals and are in contact with the bereaved. Contact with those who are housebound was made by phone calls and visits and also written letters/cards.
6. **Promoting the whole mission of the church through the provision of activities for senior citizens, parents and toddlers, children and those with additional needs.**
More information about these activities is given on pages 10-19 of this report.
**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 2025 we supported the organisations listed on page 20.
**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
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**St Mary’s Wythall Annual Report 2024**
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity:**
|**Trustee name**|**Ofce (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body) enttled to ap-**
**point trustee (if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|
|REV AMANDA
FEATHERSTONE|Vicar||N/A|
|ALISON SPENCER|Church Warden||Those on the Electoral Roll of St. Mary’s
Wythall|
|JENNIFER CLARK|||as above|
|JUDITH EMERY|Reader|Untl 11th May 2025|as above|
|LYNDA ROGERS|Deanery Synod Rep||as above|
|JULIE CROXFORD|||as above|
|JULIE ARKELL|||as above|
|AMANDA DAUNCEY|Safeguarding Ofcer||as above|
|PAUL HARRISON|Church Warden||as above|
|PAUL FEATHERSTONE|||as above|
|LLINOS LOOKER|||as above|
|DEBORAH BROCKBANK|||as above|
|JOANNE DARBY|||as above|
|PAMELA MILLER|Treasurer||Co-opted by PCC|
|ROS HARRISON|PCC Secretary||Appointed by PCC|
## **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 Families Worker’s and Curate’s houses. At 31/12/25 the total of the reserves fund was £ 1,076,840
Details of any funds materially in deficit - None
## **Declaration**
The trustees declare that they have provisionally approved the trustees’ report on 27th March 2025, subject to minor changes to format. Report was the circulated by email for final approval.
## **Alison Spencer, Church Warden**
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## **St Mary’s Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 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. The balances therein are available as unrestricted reserves.
## **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**
## Actvites directly relatng to the work of the church
The diocesan parish share (“quota”) 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.
## **Assets and liabilities**
## 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.
**25**
Fixed assets (contnued)
## _Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment_
Equipment used by the church for services and office equipment in the vicarage 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 9 years for the replacement sound / vision equipment in the church.
## _Investments_
Investments are valued at market value at 31 December.
## Current assets / liabilites
Current assets, including estimated income tax recoverable, are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.
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.
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## **Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025**
## **Statement of Financial Activities**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**TOTAL**|**TOTAL**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**|**2025**|**2024**||
||**Note**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**||
|**Incoming Resources**|||||||
|Voluntary Income|2(a)|148,045||148,045|179,420||
|Actvites for generatng funds|2(b)|19,349||19,349|16,449||
|Income from investments|2(c)|7,711||7,711|6,588||
|Church actvites|2(d)|5,647||5,647|15,424||
|**Total Income**||**180,752**||**180,752**|217,882||
|**EXPENDITURE**|||||||
|Church actvites|3(a)|195,566||195,566|176,965||
|Raising funds|3(b)||||||
|**Total expenditure**||**195,566**||**195,566**|176,965||
|**Net income / expenditure before investment gains**||**(14,814)**||**(14,814)**|40,916||
|Net gains on investments||(2,235)||(2,235)|3,293||
|**Net income / expenditure**||**(17,049)**||**(17,049)**|44,210||
|Transfer between funds|||||||
|**Net movement in funds**||**(17,049)**||**(17,049)**|44,210||
|Total funds brought forward||1,098,889|5,000|1,103,889|1,059,680||
|Total funds carried forward||1,081,840|5,000|1,086,840|1,103,889||
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**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025**
**Balance sheet at 31 December 2025**
||**Note**|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**Fixed assets**||||
|Tangible fxed assets (including 5 The Willows and 247 Alcester Rd)|6|787,472|806,654|
|Investments|7|167,528|165,554|
|**Current assets**||||
|Debtors - principally amounts due from Inland Revenue|8|29,501|33,543|
|CBF deposits||47,879|45,806|
|Cash at bank and in hand||57,954|56,309|
|||**135,334**|**135,658**|
|**Current liabilites**||||
|Liabilites: Amounts falling due within one year|9|(3,494)|(3,977)|
|**Net current assets**||**131,840**|**131,681**|
|**Net assets**||**1,086,840**|**1,103,889**|
|**Funds**||||
|Unrestricted: General||239,865|251,204|
|Unrestricted: Designated||841,975|803,476|
|Restricted (For young people in Wythall & Hollywood)|10|5,000|5,000|
|**Total**||**1,086,840**|**1,103,889**|
**28**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts**
|**Notes to the accounts**|**Notes to the accounts**|**Notes to the accounts**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**1.**The accountng policies adopted in these accounts are shown in the statement of|||Accountng Policies.||||
|Unrestricted funds include the general fund and the reserve fund (a fund designated|||by the PCC)||||
|**2.**Income is analysed below|||||||
|||Unrestricted Restricted||TOTAL|TOTAL||
|||funds|funds|2025|2024||
|||£|£|£|£||
|**2(a)**Voluntary Income|||||||
|Planned giving:|Gif aid donatons|108,512||108,512|124,918||
||Tax recoverable|28,177||28,177|32,463||
||Other|4,981||4,981|7,417||
|Collectons|cash|3,929||3,929|4,811||
|Gifs||1,689||1,689|||
|Donatons, appeals|||||9,046||
|Specifc charity collectons||415||415|560||
|Children’s Society||342||342|205||
|Legacies|||||||
|Voluntary income||148,045||148,045|179,420||
|**2(b)**Actvites for generatng funds|||||||
|Hall letngs||900||900|690||
|Property rental / Diocesan contributon||18,449||18,449|15,759||
|Actvites for generatng funds||19,349||19,349|16,449||
|**2(c)**Income from investments|||||||
|Inland Revenue and bank deposit interest||2,576||2,576|3,061||
|Dividends on CCLA investments||5,135||5,135|3,527||
|Income from investments||7,711||7,711|6,588||
|2(d) Income from church actvites|||||||
|Fees for weddings and funerals||650||650|1,390||
|Spring harvest / Uganda|||||8,472||
|Outreach||1,040||1,040|696||
|Socials||592||592|359||
|Scof|||||520||
|Course and other book sales / visitng speak-||651||651|352||
|Church weekend|||||904||
|Youth||249||249|||
|Sundry||436||436|340||
|Discretonary income / expense||300||300|300||
|Recycling / Easy fundraising / Amazon||41||41|51||
|Outstanding cheques released||200||200|||
|Litle Lights||1,488||1,488|2,040||
|Income from church actvites||5,647||5,647|15,424||
|TOTAL INCOME||180,752||180,752|217,882||
||||||||
~~**29**~~
## **Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
|**Notes to the accounts contnued.**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|3. Expenses are analysed below|||||
||Unrestricted|Restricted|TOTAL|TOTAL|
||funds|funds|2025|2024|
||£|£|£|£|
|3(a) Church actvites|||||
|Missionary and charitable giving|15,235||15,235|14,689|
|Diocesan Parish share|73,500||73,500|61,222|
|Maintenance of the ministry (clergy expenses)|3,309||3,309|2,268|
|Upkeep of services (hall rental and maintenance)|5,680||5,680|8,201|
|PCC property|7,897||7,897|3,007|
|Sunday school|912||912|932|
|General Parish expenses (church ofce related)|3,840||3,840|3,702|
|Salaries of church staf (administrator, childrens / youth work-|53,411||53,411|42,851|
|ers)|||||
|Depreciaton|19,182||19,182|19,448|
|Training / Growth|299||299|2,487|
|Spring Harvest / Uganda||||9,535|
|Youth|2,053||2,053||
|Outreach|1,510||1,510|989|
|Socials|806||806|926|
|Scof|1,636||1,636|2,144|
|Course and other book sales / visitng speakers|586||586||
|Repairs|274||274|73|
|Church weekend||||777|
|Sundry|360||360|344|
|Super Saturday|173||173|127|
|Discretonary income / expense||||32|
|Elderly|228||228|118|
|Gifs|1,152||1,152|10|
|Kitchen|668||668|646|
|Cleaning|1,377||1,377|1,377|
|Litle Lights|1,479||1,479|1,062|
|**Church actvites**|**195,566**||**195,566**|176,965|
|3(b) No costs were incurred in respect of raising funds or church|stewardship in the current period.||||
|4. Staf costs|||||
|Wages and salaries included salaries of £47,564 (2024 £38,920),|£4,767 (2024 £2,861) of Natonal||Insurance|and £904|
|pension contributons in respect of 2 (2024 2) employees.|||||
|5. The PCC has a target togive 10% of income to charity.|||||
**30**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
## 6. Fixed assets for use by the PCC
|||New building||Church||5 The Willows||Curate’s||Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||equipment||||House|||
|||£||£||£||£||£|
|Cost brought forward 1/1/2025||482,631||85,764||253,765||292,351||1,114,510|
|Additons|-||-||-||-||-||
|**Cost carried forward 31/12/2025**||482,631||85,764||253,765||292,351||1,114,511|
|Depreciaton brought forward at 1/1/2025||200,993||30,060||48,054||28,750||307,857|
|Charge for the year||7,586||5,998||2,598||3,000||19,182|
|**Depreciaton carried forward at 31/12/2025**||208,579||36,058||50,652||31,750||327,039|
|**Net book value at 31/12/2025**||**274,052**||**49,706**||**203,113**||**260,601**||**787,472**|
|Net book value at 31/12/2024||281,638||55,703||205,711||263,601||806,654|
No fixed assets are carried at a valuation. Church equipment primarily comprises the stained glass window and the PA
## 7. Investment fixed assets
|Movements during the year|2025|2024|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|Net book value brought forward - 1 January|165,554|129,638|
|Additons|4,209|32,623|
|Net (loss) / gain on revaluaton|-2,235|3,293|
|**Net book value carried forward**|**167,528**|**165,554**|
Holdings at 31/12/2025 included £72,618 (market value) in the Church of England fixed interest fund and £94,910 (market value) in the Church of England Investment fund.
## 8. Debtors include £28,002 of income tax yet to be recovered from HMRC (2024 £32,188)
|**9.**Liabilites due within one year comprise:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Trade creditors|3,494|3,977|
|Deferred income|||
||**3,494**|**3,977**|
|**10.**Restricted funds|||
|During 2021, the church received a £5,000 donaton arising from the proceeds of the sale of Cornerstone Quest in|||
|Wales. The donor requested that the funds are used for the beneft of the young people of Wythall and Hollywood. At|||
**31**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
|**11.**Analysis of unrestricted funds||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|The church has two unrestricted funds; the general fund and the||reserve fund.|We show below the detailed performance of|||||
|funds for 2025 and 2024||||||||
||General fund|Reserve fund|Total|General|Reserve|Total||
||||unrestricted|||unrestricted||
||2025|2025|2025|2024|2024|2024||
|Voluntary income||||||||
|Planned giving: gif aid donatons|108,512||108,512|124,918||124,918||
|Tax recoverable|28,177||28,177|32,463||32,463||
|Other|4,981||4,981|7,417||7,417||
|Collectons - cash|3,929||3,929|4,811||4,811||
|Gifs|1,689||1,689|||||
|Donatons, appeals||||9,046||9,046||
|Specifc charity collectons|415||415|560||560||
|Children’s Society|342||342|205||205||
|Legacies||||||||
|Voluntary income|**148,045**||**148,045**|179,420||179,420||
|**Actvites for generatng funds**||||||||
|Hall letngs||900|900||690|690||
|Property rental / Diocesan contributon||18,449|18,449||15,759|15,759||
|Actvites for generatng funds||**19,349**|**19,349**||16,449|16,449||
|**Income from investments**||||||||
|Inland Revenue and bank deposit interest|1,824|752|2,576|2,211|850|3,061||
|Dividends on CCLA investments|926|4,209|5,135|904|2,623|3,527||
|Income from investments|**2,750**|**4,961**|**7,711**|3,115|3,472|6,588||
|**Income from church actvites**||||||||
|Fees for weddings and funerals|650||650|1,390||1,390||
|Spring harvest / Uganda||||8,472||8,472||
|Outreach|1,040||1,040|696||696||
|Socials|592||592|359||359||
|Scof||||520||520||
|Course and other book sales / visitng speak-|651||651|352||352||
|Church weekend||||904||904||
|Youth|249||249|||||
|Sundry|436||436|340||340||
|Discretonary income / expense|300||300|300||300||
|Recycling / Easy fundraising / Amazon|41||41|51||51||
|Outstanding cheques released|200||200|||||
|Litle Lights|1,488||1,488|2,040||2,040||
|**Income from church actvites**|**5,647**||**5,647**|15,424||15,424||
|**TOTAL INCOME**|**156,442**|**24,310**|**180,752**|197,960|19,921|217,882||
**32**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
|11. Analysis of unrestricted funds||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Expenses**|General fund|Reserve fund|Total|General|Reserve|Total||
||||unrestricted|||unrestricted||
||2025|2025|2025|2024|2024|2024||
||£|£|£|£|£|£||
|**Church actvites**||||||||
|Missionary and charitable giving|15,235||15,235|14,689||14,689||
|Diocesan Parish share|73,500||73,500|61,222||61,222||
|Maintenance of the ministry|3,309||3,309|2,268||2,268||
|(clergy expenses)||||||||
|Upkeep of services|5,680||5,680|8,201||8,201||
|(hall rental, church repairs)||||||||
|PCC property||7,897|7,897||3,007|3,007||
|Sunday school|912||912|932||932||
|General Parish expenses|3,840||3,840|3,702||3,702||
|(church ofce and repairs)||||||||
|Salaries of church staf|53,411||53,411|42,851||42,851||
|Depreciaton|5,998|13,184|19,182|6,159|13,288|19,448||
|Growth|299||299|2,487||2,487||
|Spring Harvest / Uganda||||9,535||9,535||
|Youth|2,053||2,053|||||
|Outreach|1,510||1,510|989||989||
|Socials|806||806|926||926||
|Scof|1,636||1,636|2,144||2,144||
|Course and other book sales/|586||586|||||
|visitng speakers||||||||
|Other repairs|274||274|73||73||
|Church weekend||||777||777||
|Sundry|360||360|344||344||
|Super Saturday|173||173|127||127||
|Discretonary expense||||32||32||
|Elderly|228||228|118||118||
|Gifs (including leavers)|1,152||1,152|10||10||
|Kitchen|668||668|646||646||
|Cleaning|1,377||1,377|1,377||1,377||
|Litle Lights|1,479||1,479|1,062||1,062||
|**Church actvites**|**174,485**|**21,081**|**195,566**|160,670|16,296|176,965||
**33**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
|12. Unrestricted funds - summary income / expendi-|12. Unrestricted funds - summary income / expendi-|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Incoming Resources**||||||||
||General fund|Reserve fund|Total|General|Reserve|Total||
||||unrestricted|||unrestricted||
||2025|2025|2025|2024|2024|2024||
||£|£|£|£|£|£||
|Voluntary Income|148,045||148,045|179,420||179,420||
|Actvites for generatng funds||19,349|19,349||16,449|16,449||
|Income from investments|2,750|4,961|7,711|3,115|3,472|6,588||
|Church actvites|5,647||5,647|15,424||15,424||
|**Total Income**|**156,442**|**24,310**|**180,752**|197,960|19,921|217,882||
|Expenditure||||||||
|Church actvites|(174,485)|(21,081)|(195,566)|(160,670)|(16,296)|(176,965)||
|Raising funds||||||||
|**Total expenditure**|**(174,485)**|**(21,081)**|**(195,566)**|(160,670)|(16,296)|(176,965)||
|**Net income / expenditure**|**(18,043)**|**3,229**|**(14,814)**|37,291|3,626|40,916||
|Net gains on investments|(1,332)|(903)|(2,235)|746|2,548|3,293||
|**Net income / expenditure**|**(19,375)**|**2,326**|**(17,049)**|38,036|6,173|44,210||
|Transfer between funds||||(30,000)|30,000|||
|**Net movement in funds**|**(19,375)**|**2,326**|**(17,049)**|8,036|36,173|44,210||
|Total funds brought forward|259,240|839,649|1,098,889|251,204|803,476|1,054,680||
|**Total funds carried forward**|**239,865**|**841,975**|**1,081,840**|**259,240**|**839,649**|**1,098,889**||
**34**
**Wythall Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Notes to the accounts continued.**
## **Analysis of assets and liabilities by fund at 31 December 2025**
|||**Designated**|**Total**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**General**|**Reserve**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Represented by:||||||
|Fixed assets|49,706|737,766|787,472|-|787,472|
|Debtors|28,427|1,074|29,501|-|29,501|
|Liabilities due within 1 year|(3,494)|-|(3,494)|-|(3,494)|
|Bank account|103,274|(50,320)|52,954|5,000|57,954|
|CBF Deposits|29,964|17,915|47,879|-|47,879|
|CBF Investment Fund|31,988|62,922|94,910|-|94,910|
|CBF Fixed Interest|-|72,618|72,618|-|72,618|
||**239,865**|**841,975**|
**1,081,840**|**5,000**|**1,086,840**|
The total market of value of all bank balances, deposits and investments at 31 December 2025 was £273,162 (2024
**35**
**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 **Warden:** Alison Spencer 07772 568898 ali@wythallchurch.net Paul Harrison 07532 016436 paul-harrison5@sky.com
**Church Office:** churchoffice@wythallchurch.net 01564 823248
## **Services**
All are welcome at our regular Sunday services, which are: **9am Communion Service 10.30am Informal Service with children’s groups**
## **St. Mary’s online**
## **Web**
**www.wythallchurch.net**
**facebook.com/StMarysWythall**
Our YouTube channel is called **St Mary’s Wythall**
_Copies of this report printed at St Mary’s are on recycled paper. This report is also available electronically from the church office._
**36**