PARISH CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, ADEL, LEEDS ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL, 2023
AIM AND PURPOSES
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Adel cooperates with the Rector of the Parish and its elected Churchwardens in promoting, in the ecclesiastical Parish, the whole mission of the Church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. To do this, it aims to make the most appropriate use of the resources available to it: a beautiful 12[th] Century Parish Church; The Old Stables (used as a meeting place for activities in the Parish); the funds donated to the Church by regular giving, legacies and bequests; and, most importantly, the lay members of our Church, both those who wish to be formally identified by inclusion on our Electoral Roll - 209 at the end of 2023 - and those who, though not formal members, regard our Church as their spiritual home.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The mission of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Adel is:
Adel Parish Church: part of Christ’s family, welcoming everyone, sharing God’s love and being a voice of hope.
Our Vision Statement:
We offer a warm and sincere welcome to everyone, old friends and new. We share the love of God with our Church community and neighbours near and far. We provide care and compassion by loving service for those in need.
We respect and nurture God's environment.
The PCC carries forward its mission and seeks to achieve its vision by maintaining oversight of our regular worship to ensure that it meets the spiritual needs of as many of our parishioners as possible; by making specific provision for young people to grow up in our Christian family; by encouraging and enabling all parishioners to take advantage of the occasional offices (baptism, marriage, funerals) and welcoming as many as possible to festival and special Services; by facilitating, promoting and organising social events open to all; by making The Old Stables available for the use of groups which benefit the community; and by providing spiritual and practical support for Adel St. John the Baptist Church of England Primary School. To achieve all this, we make prudent use of the financial resources available to us to maintain and enhance our beautiful church, The Old Stables (both Listed Buildings) and the churchyard.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Our Church
Our main services, and some select services such as funerals, continue to be live-streamed each week and this has made a massive difference for those unable to get to church. We are grateful to our rota of technicians who make our church much more inclusive.
We continue to work hard to provide worship opportunities for as many people as possible. Over the year most of our services built in numbers compared to 2022. It is good to see our young people growing in faith and confidence, in large part due to our dedicated Junior church team. Our Ace group for older children has proved to be very popular and we have a good number of children at each session. Once a month, they are joined by parents for a short Eucharist. For our youngest members we also have JJs; their leaders report: JJs is the monthly group for our very youngest church members and their parent or grandparent. There are
five of us who regularly help. We meet in the Stables on Friday afternoons and enjoy rhymes , a story, a prayer , craft and refreshments. We focus on different themes each month, including special times in the church year such as Harvest and Christmas. We like to provide a warm welcoming space to meet together
1
in a Christian environment. We frequently welcome new families to our group. Families sometimes join us after contacting church for Baptism, and the children later move on when they are four to join school, having made friends already at JJs and Junior Church.
For our younger children, we have our Junior Church section. Their leader’s report: We continue to work hard to provide worship opportunities for families and their children. It is good to see our young people growing in faith and confidence, in large part due to our dedicated Junior Church team. We welcomed a new leader in 2023 and are always on the lookout for more leaders to join our team of ten. In September 2023, 77 registration forms were handed in and the average attendance was 15 children per Sunday – approximately 7 in each of the two age groups (preschool and Key Stage 1). Junior church runs alongside the 10am service and three leaders are needed per Sunday. Junior Church runs for 3 Sundays in the month in term time with the third Sunday being an All-Age service in church. The children start in church and go out to the Stables Hall during the first hymn. They come back in time for communion after which they present their work to the church. Parents come down to Junior Church with their younger children but older children attend on their own. Sometimes Key Stage 2 children come and help.
Within the last 12 months Karen Baylis, alongside other Junior Church leaders, has also organised family crafts and worship events at Patronal Festival, Harvest and on Good Friday. These have been well received and are open to all children of the parish not just those registered with Junior Church. Our smaller services, the fortnightly Evensong and the midweek Eucharist have both grown in numbers, providing a quiet chance for worship and a supportive community.
For those who struggle to get into our church building we continued the monthly Stables Eucharist which is followed by a drink and chance to chat. This is small in numbers, but much loved by those who attend. Our Home Communion team continue to visit members of our parish in the community. These volunteers take communion out to people who would otherwise not be able to share in this vital aspect of our shared faith. It is much valued both by those who are visited, and the team, giving chance for a chat and maintaining links with the church. The Rector or lay minister Paul also takes a monthly communion service in the care home Adel Manor.
Learning about our faith is an important part of church life. Outside of services, there were again opportunities to join a Lent discussion group. In Advent we again held a Quiet Day. Those who came to all or part of the day found it valuable.
Holy Week was a very special time with a different service each evening: Monday eucharist, Tuesday Compline, Wednesday ‘Seven Last Words’. On Maundy Thursday the service included foot washing, stripping of the altar and a watch. On Good Friday morning we again had a successful family event of activities, worship and refreshments. On Easter Sunday we had a very joyful dawn service, and the 10am communion was once again followed by the children’s Easter egg hunt.
The 2023 Beating the Bounds Walk took place in May, on the Saturday of Rogation weekend. This is a very popular event and was well supported. We meet at the Old Stables and spend the day walking the boundary of the parish, with appropriate refreshment breaks factored in. The walk is open to all and it is taken at a pace that is comfortable for everybody. Then on our return to the Stables we enjoy a wonderful tea provided by members of our church.
At Christmas we enjoyed some very notable services. The 3pm crib service was in church and packed out with small children and their families. We planned to continue our new tradition of holding the 5pm candle lit carols round the outdoor crib, however due to high winds, that service had to be brought inside, but it was very well attended and enjoyed by all. Once again, the nature of that service provides an opportunity for a Christmas service for those who have perhaps outgrown our woolly crib.
2
Outside of church it has been another difficult year, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, troubles in the middle east and the rising cost of living. We have tried to be a resource for the community through all of this. We continue to support Leeds North and West foodbank.
We continue to enjoy close links with our church school. The Rector or another member of church leads Collective Worship in school weekly. It was a joy to welcome the whole school to church for Easter, the Patronal Festival and Advent. The school choir again joined us for our Harvest Festival service and Mothering Sunday, singing for us during communion and as we left church.
Paul Barker has continued his studies on the Licensed Lay Minister course. It has been wonderful to see him grow into the role, leading worship in a variety of settings and preaching. We look forward to his licensing in the later part of 2024.
In February, the PCC joined for an “away day” to discuss our mission and vision and strategies to achieve them. This was an excellent day and a very worthwhile exercise. It was felt that it was very useful to be regrounded and focussed. The meeting generated a list of activities to undertake, which were banded into three groups; quick wins, Next steps and Important challenges. The PCC continues to work on and develop these activities.
Thanks to our dedicated band of voluntary “church sitters” we were able to open the church for visitors every Monday and Saturday afternoon in 2023.
Our Social committee continued to provide monthly events, apart from in August. 2023 saw a reintroduction of our popular Brunch and we introduced a new idea in the form of a Soup & Sandwich lunch which proved very popular. Other events included coffee mornings, a barbecue for our Patronal Festival, a Quiz Night, a talk on a Saturday afternoon by Joyce Hill which was very well-attended, a ‘Desert Island Discs’ event and our Christmas Coffee Morning with stalls and raffles was a great success. We enjoyed several concerts throughout the year which brought in people from our wider community, culminating in a very successful Christmas Concert by the Leeds Guild of Singers.
Adel Bells is a valuable asset to our community, informing readers of church and community events and helping to spread the message of God’s love for us all. In 2023 we introduced the idea of providing free copies in local establishments where people might congregate: hairdressers, York Gate, the Memorial Hall, allowing us to reach a wider spread of people. We continued to provide an electronic copy on the church website and on Facebook, thus being able to be read by people in different countries.
Leeds hosted the Rob Burrow marathon in May, the route bringing the runners along Church Lane. Due to road closures, and the marathon being such a great community event, we elected to cancel our 10am service, but placed a banner in the churchyard (made by our school holiday club), gathered to cheer runners on their way, opened the Old Stables with drinks and toilets for those watching the marathon. The feedback from the runners and their supporters was so positive about our engagement with the event, that the organisers are planning to site a formal “Cheer Station” outside of the church for the 2024 event.
The Old Stables
This listed building provides an excellent resource to support our Church’s outreach into the community. The main room is used every Sunday - during the 10am Service for our Junior Church and after it to provide refreshments and the opportunity for fellowship for the whole congregation. And both downstairs rooms are regularly used throughout the week by up to a dozen different community groups.
The PCC and some of its committees also meet in The Old Stables. It has a fully equipped kitchen and, in normal times, our Social Committee arranges and runs a series of events throughout the year, some associated with the church’s Festivals and others, such as regular coffee mornings on Saturdays, talks, quiz
3
nights etc., which are aimed at - and attract - people from the wider community. These events always include refreshment, which acts as a lubricant both for fellowship and for outreach.
We ensure that hirers of The Old Stables have adequate public liability insurance, so that the PCC would not itself be liable if there were a claim against the church.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone’s business. We are all conscious of our responsibility in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding meetings are held biannually with the Rector, the parish Safeguarding Officer and the Child Advocate.
All appropriate DBS checks have been carried out for those involved in the provision of services to young children. In addition, Confidential Declaration Forms are completed annually. All those involved are actively encouraged to undertake Safeguarding training, a process which is ongoing.
The Diocese continue to use the booklet “Promoting a Safer Church” setting out the Safeguarding Policy Statement of the Church of England. This is an abridged version of their more detailed document. This is now displayed next to the Church’s Safeguarding policy for all to read.
There have been no Safeguarding incidents to report during the year.
We are conscious of our responsibility in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, and those involved have attended Diocesan trainings and adhere to our Safeguarding Policy
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the ecclesiastical Parish of St. John the Baptist, Adel is a Registered Charity which administers the activities of our Church in the Parish. So its policies and procedures are controlled not only by Church law - in particular the Church Representation Rules 2011, the Churchwarden’s Measure 2001 , and the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956 (as amended) - but also by the criminal and civil law of England and Wales and in particular the Charities Act 2006 .
The policies and procedures of the PCC are formalised in our Governing Document (last updated in January 2015) which, in accordance with the legislation listed above, defines the mission, structure and organisation of the PCC. It commits the PCC to providing a safe environment for all church members and visitors to our premises by implementing all relevant Health and Safety legislation and by adopting and implementing Diocesan and national Church policies and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults . The Governing Document includes annexes which lay down the rules for the conduct of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and PCC meetings and gives details of the purpose and procedures of the permanent committees of the PCC.
The PCC has a Standing Committee and 4 other permanent committees:
-
Fabric Committee
-
Finance Committee
-
Social Committee
-
Health and Safety Committee
The Governing Document defines the purpose of all committees, their membership, the minimum number of meetings they should hold and the arrangements for reporting back to the PCC. Most of the committees also have oversight of Teams, under the leadership of a coordinator, to carry out particular functions – e.g. Eucharistic ministers; Junior Church leaders; churchyard conservation.
4
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist is situated at the junction of Church Lane and Back Church Lane in Adel, north Leeds. The Parochial Church Council is a Registered Charity no: 1133876; during 2023, its members (i.e., trustees) were:
Rev’d Alison Battye
Chairperson and Rector
Anne Andrews ) Churchwardens Alison Howarth ) Bruce Buchan ) Mark Seaward ) Deanery Synod Representatives Leanne Whinfield )
Marjorie Cole Bob Holloway Jenny Jones Sarah Johnson Andy Neal Marisa Clayton Tina Gledhill Mary Larner Susan Smith Carole Smithies Loveday Loveridge Paul Barker Ruth Hutton-Searle Thang Tang
Andy Neal, PCC Secretary 468 Otley Road, Adel, Leeds, LS16 8AE
5
Adel PCC UnStrIcted Funds,Receipts and Payments. Year Ending 315t December 2023 2023 2022 RECEIPTS Regular Giw-ng Planned Giving under Gift Aid Planned Giving not under Gift Aid Collections (Open Plate) and other giving Income Tax recovered on Unrestricted Receipts 47569 7744 10711 15275 81299 50913 3720 10631 15979 81243 Totsl Other Voluntary Recekpts Unrestricted Donations Sundry Receipts Insurance Received i414 2877 Total 8?.91 Receiptsfrom ortNitiesfvr generotingfvnd5 Parish Magazine (Adel Bells) Sales and .4diiefiS Llookstall Fundraising Activities by Social Committee 100 Club Draw Church Hall (The Old Stables) Lettings 3363 254 3756 4275 9203 20851 242 3119 4965 8121 20182 Totsl Receiptsfmm Church Artlvities Fees Payable to PCC from weddings and Funerals Recelptsfrom Investments Interest and Dividends on Unrestricted Funds TOTAL UNRESTRICTED RECEIPTS PAYMENTS 14,000 10000 1981 127592 567 120283 Diocesan Parish Share Clergy Expenses Missionary and Charitable Giving Junior Church and Youth Work Local Mission and Outreach Provision of Services Provision of Music Church Running Expenses Church Minor Maintenance Churchyard Upkeep, including path5 and walls Expenditure on Parish Magazine {Adel Bells) Expenditure on Bookstall Church Hall (The Old Stables) Running Costs (including Insurance) Church Hall (The Old Stables) routine maintenance Administration Fund Raising Expenses 100 Club Draw Prizes Church Insurance Sundry Expenses 96403 543 3550 81 1916 701 3003 6610 2444 4250 2872 96403 909 3300 350 1891 482 3454 4722 1019 3739 3952 7916 1665 387 31 1945 2296 2034 6543 1267 125 134 1489 2477 216 TOTAL UNRESTRicfED PAYMENrs Excess of payments over receipts 139647 12055 132472 12189 Account5 Page 2
Adel P.C.C. Restricted Fund Receipts and Payments Year Ending 31st December 2023 2023 2022 RECEIPTS Legacies Interest and Dividends on Restricted Funds 10000 760 377 TOTAL RESTRICTED RECEIPTS 10760 377 PAYMENTS Beech Tree Survev Installation of streaming in ck)urch Reboarding garage repairs Investigation and draiiage viork Rebuilding of wall and balance of Q5 work 690 3036 13292 TOTAL RESTRICTED PAYMENTS 822 17018 Accounts Page3
Adel P.C.C. Assets and Liabilities Accounts as at 31st December 2023 2023 2022 CURRENT ASSETS Cash in Current and Reserve Accounts at Nat West Bank Cash with Church Hall (The Old Stable5) Manager At Central Board of Finance Deposit Account {Generall At fentral Board of Finance Deposii Account IFaSricl At Centr(Il Board of Finance Deposit Aicount jLegacyl 13374 12584 44679 8561 8915 9458 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 75529 73593 FIXED ASSETS AND INVESTMENTS Church Hall (The Old Stables) (See Notes) Investment Assets (See Notes) 120107 159096 120107 141230 TOTAL FIXED ASSETS AND INVESTMENTS 279203 261337 Accounts Page 4
Adel PCC Unrestricted Funds,Receipts and Payments. Year Ending 31st December 2023 2023 2022 RECEIPTS Regular Giving Planned Giving under Gift Aid Planned Giving not under Gift Aid Collections (Open Platel and other giving Income Tax recovered on Unrestricteo Receipts 47569 50913 3720 10631 15979 81243 7744 10711 15275 81299 Total Otlier Voluntary Rpceipt> unStrICted Donations Suno'ry ReceiEJts Insurance Received 9451 2877 Tatsi 9461 8291 Receiptsfrom artivitiesfvr generntingfvnds Parish Magazine (Adel Bells) Sales and .Idiierts 8cokstall Fundraising Activilies by Social Committee 100 Club Draw Church Hall (The Old Stables) Lottin8S 254 3756 4275 9203 20851 242 3119 4965 8121 20182 Total Recelptsfrom Church Actlvitles Fees Payable to PCC from weddings and Funerals Recelptsfrom Investments Interest and Dividends on Unrestricted Funds TOTAL UNRESTRicfED RECEIPTS PAYMENT5 14,OlJ) 10000 1981 127592 567 120283 Diocesan Parish Share Clergy Expenses Mi55ionary and Charitable Glving Junior Church and Youth Work Local Mission and Outreach Provision of Services Provision of Music Chuich Running Expenses Church Minor Maintenance Churchyard Upkeep, including paths and walls Expenditure on Parish Magazine (Adel Bells) Expenditure on Bookstall Church Hall {The Old Stables) Running Costs (including Insurancel Church Hall (The Old Stables) routine maintenance Administration Fund Raising Expenses 100 Club Draw Prizes Church Insurance Sundry Expenses 96403 543 3550 81 1916 701 3003 6610 2444 4250 2872 96403 909 3300 350 1891 482 3454 4722 1019 3739 3952 7916 1665 387 31 1945 2296 2034 6543 1267 125 134 1489 2477 216 TOTAL UNRESTRICTED PAYMENTS Excess of payments over receipts Accounts Page 2 139647 12055 132472 12189
Adel P.C.C. Restricted Fund Receipts and Payments Year Ending 31st December 2023 2023 2022 RECEIPTS Legacies Interest and Dividends on Restricted Funds ioooo 760 377 TOTAL RESTRICTED RELEIPTS 10760 377 PAYMEN Beech Tree Survey Installation of strpaming in cliurch Reboarding garage repairs Investigation and draiiage vjork Rebuilding of wall and balance of Q5 work 822 690 3036 13292 TOTAL RESTRicfED PAYMENTS 822 17018 Accounts Page3
Adel P.C.C. Assets and Liabilities Accounts as at 31st December 2023 2023 2022 CURRENT ASSETS Cash in Current and Reserve Accounts at Nat West Bank Cash with Churc4 Hall (The Old Stables) Manager At Central Board of Finance Dp.posit Account (Generall At Central Board of Finance Deposit Account (Fabric) At Central Board of Finance Deposit Account j Legaol) 13374 12584 44679 8561 8915 9458 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 75529 73593 FIXED ASSETS AND INVESTMENTS Church Hall {The Old Stables) - (See Note51 Investment A55ets (See Notes) 120107 159096 120107 141230 TOTAL FIXED ASSETS AND INVESTMENTS 279203 261337 Accounts Pa8e 4
Inde endent Examiner's Re Leeds. ort to the Adel Parochial Church Counci st I report on the accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 which are set out in the preceding pages. Respective responsibilities of the Adel Parochial Church Council and the Independent Examiner. The Adel Parochial Church Council consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144{2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), and that an Independent Examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: l. Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act: 2. Follow the procedures laid do in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the 201 l Act. and 3. State whether particular nwtt¢rs have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examiner's StatemenL My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. èln examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with these records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from the Adel Parochial Church CouncÉl concerning any such '"matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. Independent Examiner's Statement. In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention: l. Which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accord&nce with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met" or 2. To which, in my Opinio attention should be drawn in order to enable a pmper understanding of the accounts to be reached. J.E.Hobson Hpn. Independent Examiner. March 2024