2024 ANNUAL REPORT The Parish of St Mary the Virgin, Deane Deane Church Mee[.￿￿ Willk Wllh.kts% s￿lle.18S&S ST ANDREWS CHURCH OVER HULTON GROWING AOOTED IN, L EMPOWf8ED TO SERVE Deane Church ei J£Sug WaikwilhJbSu>s￿ieth￿S DEANE CHURCH Team Rector l Rev'd Canon Dr Terry Clark Team Rector's Report - pg 2 Deane Church staff team and officers - pg10 Curate's report - pg11 Youth and Community Worker Report- pg14 Churchwarden's Report - pg18 Safeguarding Report - pg 21 District Church Council Report - pg 22 Women's Ministry - pg 24 Children's work - pg 25 Finance Report- pg 26 Junctgn R(iad l Deane I Blton l BL3 4LT -ffjww.deanechuroh.org TEAM RECTOR'S REPORT For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2.8-10) In their yearly cycle of prayer, our brothers and sisters in Christ at Chadderton (Christ Church) will be praying for us this April (2025). Chadderton is where Ben Wilkinson, our former curate, is vicar. How encouraging is that? As I was jotting down some prayer points for them to be praying for us, I found myself reflecting not just on recent months but on the past five years. From the depths of Covid and lockdowns to how we have been seeing God at work in recent times. It seems to me that for much of the past five years we have seen a growth in FAITHFULNESS at Deane, in the knowledge of God and in maturity in Christ. But, what we have additionally seen in 2024 into 2025 is a significant going up a gear (if I can mix some metaphors) in FRUITFULNESS at Deane. The church family as a whole have certainly been more proactive in Christian witness, and in inviting non-christian friends to church events. One person who joined us in 2024 recently said to me, "I've been a member of a number of churches, but what really stands out about Deane is that the Bible is clearly taught and people actually love each other." That's good to hear from a relatively new member of the church family. l increasingly feel that over these past five years, God has been preparing us for something new and exciting at Deane. I don't know exactly what that is, but I'm happy to trust him since he already knows what's up ahead and will provide for us all the resources to do these good works which he has prepared in advance for us to do. January 2024 saw the establishment of The Junction which Nigel heads up, and it has picked up momentum to become a real hub for fellowship and outreach each Friday morning. Our Deane Church open day in March saw seventy-five visitors with two of them since joining the congregation and doing the Alpha Course. We look forward to our next open day in April. r* CHURCh OPEN The programme of events aimed specifically at Deane & Lostock women seems to have been a great success, with good numbers of church members plus guests coming along to the garden party at the Rectory, and to the Christmas wreath making at Lostock Parish Centre. And it was a pleasure to dust off my dinner jacket to wait on the ladies at the garden party! The upcoming ladies residential retreat at Grange-over-sands in May 2025 is booking up nicely. The Tuesday evening Deane & Lostock men's Growth Group has continued to provide around a dozen guys with a safe, fun and supportive place to enjoy fellowship, to study the Bible together, and to get prayer support. My phone pings through the day with group members sharing encouragements for each other on WhatsApp. We are also developing a men's programme with events open to a wider group of guys. The Mission Community's Connect 24 mission weeks after Easter certainly turned up the evangelistic heat across the fourteen churches, including with the various events and special services at our churches. CONNIC BOLTON WEST MISSION COMMUNITY Invilulion evenl By June 2024 we were facing a projected budget deficit by the end of August (i.e. for a little over half the year) of just under £10,000, mostly due to increases in energy costs. This deficit was brought to the congregation; we had some Bible teaching from 2 Corinthians chapters 8-9 and we prayed. As a church family there was a wonderful and generous response through some one-off gifts and increases in weekly and monthly giving. The one-off gifts alone reduced the deficit to August from £10,000 to £1,760. Income through standing orders, and people setting up new standing orders, increased, and so too did weekly giving through the collecting box and e-giving device at the back of church, so we finished the year with NO DEFICIT AT ALL. Praise God! The Carols By Candlelight service in December was such an encouragement, not only because it was well attended but because at least half of those present where guests/people who don't usually attend Deane or Lostock churches. While attendance at the10.45am service continues to grow, with new people turning up most Sundays, attendance at the 9am service had been decreasing for some years, leaving just six regulars by the Autumn. Following a consultation period with the 9am congregation, the DCC and I decided to close that service down, the final service being on Christmas Day when we marked and gave thanks to God for that congregation over many years. Some from that congregation have moved to 10.45am, and a monthly midweek Communion service in the Church Centre was established in the new year with some of the former 9 o'clockers attending that. It's been encouraging to see a number of people stepping up into new roles/ministries at Deane in 2024. And from the staff team, Andre has continued to grow in his ministry, and in his sense of calling to future roles in God's Church. And Beccy is in her final year of training with Emmanuel Theological College and will be ordained at Manchester Cathedral in June as a self-supporting minister. On Saturday 28th October 2023, the Church Council met to discern God's vison for Deane Church and from that day, and a bit of fine-tuning afterwards, we settled on four goals: l. To raise the prayer temperature at Deane. Getting everyone praying more! 2. To host a new partnership with Urban Outreach Storehouse, incorporating other compassion and hospitality ministries such as Christians Against Poverty and Warm Space. And friends from Lostock Church to be invited to join with us in this new ministry. 3. To launch a Toddler group meeting in the Church Centre. This to have a definite Christian focus and not be just another toddler group on the local circuit. 4. To develop Deane Church open days, and to have a heritage display in place in church. Goals '2, and '4, have certainly been reached now. With 'l',1 think we are not really there yet. As a church we could, and indeed need to be significantly more prayerful in a corporate way. And the toddler group will launch when all the key elements are in place. To do so before that would be asking for trouble. Please be holding this in your prayers. Last summer we held a Sunday evening prayer for healing service at Deane with Bishop >4.y gu, J- 7pfft. O-- fj/,-ei Matthew speaking and he and his wife Sam, along with our prayer ministry team, offering prayer ministry. That was a special time. Just recently, at a normal Sunday morning service, Bishop Matthew (who joined us on his birthday) spoke again, and he and Sam again prayed for a number of people. What on paper was a'normal, Sunday morning service at Deane turned out to be anything but! It was an extraordinary time with God meeting with people in deep places of need and longing. And it was awesome (certainly for me as the Rector) to see the church family at Deane really operating as members of the Body of Christ, serving each other with love and humility that Sunday... as they so often do. But that Sunday it was on 'spiritual steroids,! Let's be praying for the Holy Spirit to be doing this more often. l am grateful to so many at Deane who faithfully and selflessly serve. I would especially mention our wardens Paula and Heath, our off ice staff Beccy and Sheri, our prayer ministry co-ordinator Margaret, our church Treasurer lan, our lay chair of the Church Council, Jane, and our Youth and Community worker Nigel. And a special shout out to my two wonderful clergy colleagues at Deane Paul and André. And to others who have preached and led services at Deane this past year, especially Steve Openshaw. I continue to value the wise counsel of my colleague Vinny at St Andrew's Over Hulton and his service for Christ in the wider Diocese of Manchester and on General Synod. We need to continue to hold Vinny in our prayers and especially during these challenging times in the Church of England. l end my report this year in the same way l ended my last year's report... Friends, let's dream big dreams and pray big prayers to our awesome God as we go forward. Let's be humble before our Holy God, and courageous in the face of any unbiblical forces that come our way. And let's talk more with our loving Heavenly Father through the day, individually and as we meet together. What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer. May you know God's shalom in body mind and spirit, this day and always. Terry 14th March 2025 DEANE STAFF TEAM AND OFFICERS (as at 31st December 2024) Rev'd Canon Dr Terry Clark Team Rector Rev'd André Adefope Curate Rev'd Canon Paul Hardingham I Retired Clergy Nigel Newton Youth and Community Worker Paula Small Churchwarden and Safeguarding Officer Heath Taylor Churchwarden Beccy Clark Ordinand, Administrator and PCC Secretary Bryan Shephard DCC Secretary, Verger and Churchyard Administrator Members of Deane Church Council (not listed above) elected at the Annual Meeting on 22 April 2024: Simon Davies, Jane Hampson (DCC Lay Chair also CAP Lifeskills Manager), Christine Mcwilliam, Alison Partington, Margaret Rutter (Electoral Roll Officer), (lan Hampson, co-opted as DCC Treasurer) 10 I CURATE'S REPORT Hello everyone, It is always a joy to look back on the year and celebrate what God has done. The first thing that comes to mind is all of us who have got involved in new ways over the year, and/or shared about what God is doing in our lives. l am a big believer in the principle that God gives us all gifts, and wants us all to be part of building his kingdom. It has therefore been a real joy and privilege to help enable two new people to co-lead the Sunday services (and another two from Lostock church). This was one of my key priorities for the year, and I have really enjoyed working with these leaders. (Let me know if you would like to be next!) Another highlight has also been when people have shared from the front about how God is with them and using them during the week, during our This Time Tomorrow slot. It is great to remind each other that we all get to play. As I look back, I particularly remember my work in our local schools. I continue to serve as a Governor at St Marys C of E Primary School, and I'm on the PTA at Lostock Primary school. I have helped at local school events, such as fairs and ' Pogetnef sports days, and I continue to deliver assemblies and oversee class visits to our church. I was even able to deliver a Christmas talk to one of our local schools last year, and this school usually does not have visiting speakers talk about the birth of Jesus. So this opportunity was a real answer to prayer. In 20241 was also able to lead five communion services at Cannon Slade, which some of us have links too. This involved delivering services for each of the high school year groups, which allowed me to share the Gospel and administer communion to over1,500 students, which was a real privilege. Terry and l also delivered some training on evangelism, which was a precious time. l am also aware that in our PCC meetings, and though general conversations with everyone, it feels like we as a church are Ivungellsm thinking about how we can serve the Ir(iinliicJ local community more and engage in mission, and it is exciting to learn about what God has in store for us moving forwards. oGwPTlffiary CONNIC BOLTON WEST MlSStON COMMUNITY 12 I have continued to dedicate a lot of time to preaching and leading, and it continues to be a joy to share and explore God's word with you all. I have been able to preach in some local churches that we have links with. A key one being St. Andrews Over Hulton, where I have visited several times over the year. As you have probably picked up on, this year has also been challenging for me, as my health has not been great. I have really been affected by a few issues. So your continual prayers and support are very welcomed, because l am not near a full recovery yet, but I know that God is good in all circumstances. So let's thank God for the year that has gone, as we look forward to the year ahead. André 13 YOUTH AND COMMUNITY WORKER REPORT For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2.8-9) YOUTH The verse at the top is one of a number that the youth group members looked at last year, and we used a variety of creative and imaginative methods to help everyone remember them! We also looked at the different types of literature that make up the Bible, and thought about how we should understand the messages they contain. The group members never fail to surprise me with their grasp of Biblical truths we share with them, and we can all be encouraged by this. We also play a variety of games and dodgeball is still as popular as ever! There have been a few changes in membership in 2024 with some people being less regular, but also we have had a few new members from both Deane and Lostock churches. When everyone turns up there are12 young people and always 2 leaders. l am there every week, and Paula, Lorraine and Simon have joined me on a rota basis, and also Abi before she left for university. We are very grateful for the occasional input and support from others such as Terry, Andre and Beccy. Throughout the year the group has enjoyed extra activities like litter picking, ten pin bowling, and joining other groups in the Bolton West Mission Community for a variety of events. The most memorable of these was the Catalyst weekend at St Peters Halliwell, where 8 of our members joined with about 30 other children for games, activities and Bible teaching. Deane and Lostock Youth just happened to win a trophy in an Olympic style challenge on the Saturday afternoon, not that we're over competitive! Looking to the future I will be visiting the parents and children to see how they are finding the youth group and generally offer support to them. This will be particularly useful for those whose attendance has not been so regular over the past year. 15 COMMUNITY W•rTh IpDc• pl•¢• The Junction launched in January and is open every Friday morning as a food hub in partnership with Urban Outreach, and also as a Warm Spaces venue. With volunteers from both our churches we are able to welcome Warn people in Deane Church Centre, offer refreshments and a chat. We have occasionally linked up with Christians Against Poverty and Citizens Advice Bureau to help those who need a little guidance with managing their finances. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers from both churches. Without your help we would not be able to minister to the community in this way, and this also applies to Bolton Lunches which we ran during the Summer. 16 It should also be noted that a number of people have been to church services at Deane as a result of this ministry. The most recent is someone who now has a job at Lyngate Residential Home and often brings a few residents to the Junction for coffee and a chat, as well as attending on Sunday. Schools work is another area where there has been progress this year, with a very positive response from staff and 3 classes of year 8 pupils at Ladybridge High School after an interactive presentation on "What Christmas means to me" in December. More classes and assemblies are being planned for 20251 l am currently trying to secure grant funding so this ministry can continue for the next few years, with the possibility of making it into a full-time post as there is lots of opportunity to expand the youth and community ministry. Thank you all so much for your prayerful support and encouragement throughout 2024. Nigel Newton 17 CHURCHWARDEN'S REPORT As we reflect on 2024 as Churchwarden's at Deane, we would like to express our sincere gratitude towards the many volunteers who give up their time to ensure that our magnificent building and grounds are maintained to the standard it deserves so that future generations will also benef it f rom its beauty. We continue to be grateful to Bolton Community Payback for their work in the churchyard. It is a huge task to keep on top of the grass and brambles, and whilst there are still areas which need work, it is great to see more areas being cleared. They have also enjoyed finding specific graves and clearing them for those who have been researching their family history. Bryan Shephard continues to do a fantastic job of keeping the paths, KK section and garden of remembrance clear and accessible to visitors for which we are extremely grateful. 18 Thanks also to our church cleaning team (Jane, Shirley, Mary, Margaret and Barbara) for their work in keeping church clean for our Sunday services and other events. We finally received approval for phase two of the roof repairs to be completed, and we were incredibly grateful to also receive some grant funding from Manchester Diocese to help fund part of that work. The work was completed in February 2025 and should now mean that the building is water-tight which will enable us to appraise options for re-decorating the internal walls of the building in 2025. Our Quinquennial Inspection was completed in August 2024 by our church architect, Andrew Ruaux for which we await the final report. The quinquennial is a mandatory five yearly inspection that aims to identify any problems requiring maintenance or repair to ensure the building is kept in good condition. Some of the issues that will be included in the report have already been completed during the phase two roof repairs. The new heritage display which was created for our open day in March 2024 is a great addition and the information which interweaves the1000 years of Deane Church history with the 2000 years of Christian history, presents the Gospel in a Church history setting. The open day was a great success, and we enjoyed welcoming lots of visitors into Church and the Church Centre. Our thanks goes to Sheri for helping in 19 pulling the designs and timeline together for printing on the banners that will be appreciated by visitors to our church building for years to come. The contactless donation device in church continues to be well used, and in 2024 over £1,500 was donated through that device. An inventory is kept of all the silver and valuable items owned by the church. Buildings and Employees, liability insurance has been maintained through Ecclesiastical Insurance. It is not without a huge sense of privilege that we serve God and the Church here at Deane as stewards of this historic building and we thank everyone, who may not have been mentioned, that has played a part in Sunday services, however small, who help in many ways. Heath Taylor and Paula Small 20 SAFEGUARDING REPORT All leaders of children and young people's groups have a valid DBS certificate, all new leaders now have references, safeguarding training and DBS'S completed before any face to face work starts. To ensure the leaders safeguarding training remains up to date we have decided we will send out links to all current leaders in July each year to ensure this is completed before groups restart in September. l am currently exploring the possibility of our prayer team having an up-to date DBS, this would hopefully help to build individuals confidence in trusting them at vulnerable times in their lives. We will continue working on the statement of good practise for all groups working with children and vulnerable adults. Each leader can then sign these annually when they receive the good practise guidelines and renew any training due. In October or November this year we will be looking to offer first aid training for anyone who is interested in completing it. This isn't a necessity for everyone but it would be useful if at least one person in any group is a qualified first alder. The cost for the course is currently £475 for twelve people. It is an all-day course and if we include lunch the cost would be around £45 per person. Paula Small 21 DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL REPORT The District Church Council comprises of the 7 elected representatives as appointed at the APCM, our 2 Church Wardens, the elected Synod Representatives, plus co-opted members which include the Curate and Treasurer. It is chaired by the Rev'd Terry Clark with an appointed Lay Chair being Jane Hampson. Meetings always commence with a Bible Study, a time of prayer and also the sharing of encouragements for matters that have happened since the committee last convened. The DCC endeavours to act with a duty of responsibility and prayerfully seeks God's guidance on a whole range of matters. At each meeting the Treasurer also provides an update on the Church finances and will make recommendations as appropriate for agreement by the DCC to any actions that are required. 22 The DCC met four times during the year and have overseen actions/progress being made on: Prayer is now offered in the Pace Chapel during communion and at other times for the congregation The importance of safeguarding was raised and all DCC members were required to complete the relevant training modules Grant application to the Diocese of £10,000 was made to fund important repairs to the Church roof. Unfortunately, the proposed west end re-ordering has had to be put on hold due to financial constraints of the Church finances The viability of the 9.00am Sunday morning service was discussed and the decision was made to cease the service at the end of the year. Regular attendees were communicated of the decision. Thankfully the organ was repaired as finding a suitable repairer had been a challenge but it is now working with some additional maintenance work required. Bryan Shephard DCC Secretary 23 WOMEN'S MINISTRY In 2024 we ran a full programme of women's events through the year, including a Ladies Brunch, summer garden party, walk and wreath making evening. It was so encouraging to see people getting together, enjoying fellowship, building new friendships and increasingly inviting friends along. We were thankful to have some great speakers, including Jo Newton at our Ladies Brunch and Laura Bagley from Urban Outreach at our Advent wreath making evening. Despite the great British summer, and one postponement, the garden party was a relaxed evening of food and fellowship, including our very own waiter.. ! We're looking forward to the events planned in 2025, as we continue to encourage each other to be women of hope. Beccy Clark, Sheri Taylor and Lyn Lawson 24 CHILDREN'S WORK REPORT It's a great privilege to be able to share our faith with children in Junior Church at Deane, helping them explore their own journey of faith and their questions! During 2024 we enjoyed learning more about how amazing God as we explored God and science. A big thank you to Felicia and Esther for their help with Junior Church through the year. We've seen some children come, some children go, and some children come and go during 2024(1), but however many are there on a Sunday morning we always have a good time, and they have some great questions. Thank you for praying for this important ministry. While we spend time with the children on a Sunday morning, we can't do any of it without your prayers. Please continue to pray that the children in our church family would grow to love and trust Jesus, no matter how hard that might be. Thank you too to parents, carers and grandparents who spend time through the rest of the week sharing the love of God in words and in action. Again, we can only do so much on a Sunday morning, but we're thankful to partner with you in this journey. Beccy Clark and Paula Small 25 FINANCE REPORT The aim of the Church Council at the end of each financial year is to 'break even,, and we seek to steward the resources given to us with that in mind. We were able to achieve that aim in 2024, but only because of generous donations totalling £6,600 (£8,250 with GiftAid) received in response to our Stewardship Sunday in July. Giving by envelopes and Standing Orders (our main source of direct giving) has increased by 2 %, and we are very grateful for all who give in this way, supporting the ministry and mission of Deane Church. We were encouraged to have our long awaited Parish Share Agreement meeting with Manchester Diocese in March 2024, where we were able to agree a more realistic contribution, and we have been able to pay our Parish Share payment in full in 2024. The figure increases in 2025, and again in 2026, and we have committed to achieving those agreed payments. Paying Parish Share in full opens up grant funding opportunities which were previously unavailable to us. 26 Our levels of expenditure in 2024 have continued to be impacted by gas and electricity costs, and although we are doing what we can to reduce those costs, we have to balance that alongside maintaining a temperature in church which does not contribute to the deterioration of the fabric of the building in anyway. We continue to support our Mission Partners in Uganda and South Sudan through Crosslinks, but our l % giving to missions and charities is significantly below the IO% which it is our aim to achieve. No legacies were received in 2024. In line with the decision of the DCC we continue to restrict any legacy monies received to help fund significant development projects, which may include buildings, equipment, staff or a specific mission project. 27 ST ANDREWS CHURCH OVER HULTON Yo GROWING ,.. (" hittlS1 ROOTEO IN LOVE EMPOWEAto ro $1 FliJ[ ST ANDREW'S, OVER HULTON Team Vicar l Rev'd Vinny Whitworth Team Vicar's Report - pg 29 St Andrew's staff team and officers - pg 35 Curate's report - pg 36 Churchwarden's Report- pg 38 District Church Council Report - pg 40 Children and Youth work - pg 42 Treasurer's report - pg 45 ,'S CHURCH OVER N￿LI. I I I Crgtent A-venue4Q!er HttltoTh- ww.slandrewsch Iton.c TEAM VICAR'S REPORT 'And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love, (I Corinthians13:13) As we reflect back over 2024, we have so much to be thankful to God for here at St Andrews, as we've continued to grow under our church vision 'Growing in Christ, Rooted in Love, Empowered to Serve,. This year our main focus was how we as a church can be rooted in love for one another. I think one of our real strengths as a church is our love for one another. As people walk through our church doors; they can see the gift of love in us and in our community and as a result are drawn into our community and that is why we are a relatively large and growing church with over150 people worshipping with us across our 4 services each week. Jesus himself taught that the 2 greatest commandments are to 'love God, and 'love your neighbour, (Matthew 22.37-38). It is our love for others that has been central to the growth we have seen at St Andrews over the past12 months. For example we have seen new people coming to faith and being part of our church community through our Alpha Course and personal invitation, we have seen our youth group KTJC grow in number with the addition of an older youth group for Year IOs+, we have been able to pray with more people through the ministry of our prayer and healing teams, and our regular midweek ministries such as Tiny Tots and Open Door have grown in number. Yet it is because we are rooted in love and we demonstrate the gift of love that we are seeing transformed lives. Yet we believe that God has 'immeasurably more, in store for us at St Andrews and that is why we as a church came together for a vision morning in April 2024. It was an opportunity to praise God for all He is doing here at St Andrews but also to spend time reviewing our missional priorities as we look ahead to the future. 30 Here are the areas that we highlighted as a DCC following our vision morning: 1) Developing our Children's Ministry This not only includes developing our existing children's ministry but growing new initiatives such as a midweek discipleship club for junior children and exploring the possibility of admitting children to receive communion. 2) Continue our programme of Alpha Courses to nurture new Christians 3) Develop our programme of small groups and one-off courses (e.g. the Bible Overview Course, the Prayer Course etc) 4) Expand our programme of regular social events 5) Improve our welcome and follow up 6) Engage in more evangelistic opportunities and sharing the Gospel out in the wider community e.g. our local pubs. My hope is that these missional priorities will continue to shape and lead us here at St Andrews in the coming years as we seek to 'grow in Christ, be rooted in love, and empowered to serve,. Some of these priorities we are already embedding into the life of our church, others will take some time to grow and develop yet as we prayerfully move forward I believe we will continue to see God powerfully at work here in our church. 31 Yet I have also been encouraged to see St Andrews continue to engage God's wider mission in the world in 2024. We are privileged to be able to work alongside our 3 main mission partners; International Aid Trust, Urban Outreach, and our new