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← The Parochial Church Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Christ Church, Erith

2023-12-31-accounts

Christ Church In the Parish of Erith

Annual Report & Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ending 31 December 2023

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CONTENTS

Objectives and Activities

Administrative Information

Structure, governance and management

Safeguarding Risk management

Achievements and performances

Financial review Reserve policy

Accounts

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

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The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Christ Church in the parish of Erith, has the responsibility of cooperating with the Priest in Charge, the Revd Anthea Harris-Faulkner, in promoting the ecclesiastical parish and the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical.

The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the Church Hall which is adjacent to the Church.

Christ Church Erith PCC’s primary responsibility is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England.

In planning the activities of the church, the clergy and the PCC have considered the Charities Commission’s guidance on Public Benefit, and in particular the specific guidance for charities for the advancement of religion. These activities include:

MISSION STATEMENT

We exist for Christ and are committed to the mission and teachings of Christ.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Christ Church is part of the Diocese of Rochester within the Church of England and is situated in Erith.

The correspondence address is Christ Church Vicarage

Victoria Road Erith Kent DA8 3AN

The Parochial Church Council is registered with the Charity Commission, number 1133966.

Bank

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HSBC Bank

High Street Dartford Kent DA1 1DG

Independent Examiner

Martyn Burt ACMA CGMA Adventus Accounting Solutions Ashby Acres Chapel Lane Ashby-cum-Fenby Grimsby DN37 0QT

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Appointment to the PCC is in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Church Representation Rules 2022. All those who attend church services are encouraged to register on the electoral role and stand for election to the PCC.

PCC members including ex-officio who have served from 1[st] January 2023 to the date the minute is approved:

Priest in Charge – Revd Anthea Harris-Faulkner

Licensed Lay Minister & Licensed Anna Chaplain

Mrs. Funmi Makanju

Wardens

Doreen Ives Natalie Slator

Representatives to Deanery Synod

Mr. Okechukwu Iwuagwu Mr. Benjamin Milton- Cole

Elected Members

Mrs. Claire Perkins (PCC Treasurer) 2022 - 2025 Mrs. Patricia Iwaugwu (PCC Secretary) 2022 - 2025

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Mr. Ayodeji Akande 2022 - 2025 Mrs. Heather Taylor 2022 - 2025 Mrs Velma Gage -Tobun 2023 - 2026 Mr Chris Wakeman 2023 - 2026 Ms Ernesta Redwood-Sawyer 2023 - 2026

Safeguarding

As a church, we take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and we are committed to ensuring our church and hall buildings are safe places for all.

All PCC members have completed their DBS checks. All those with responsibilities to the congregation have completed the various levels of safeguarding courses required by Rochester Diocese and the Church of England.

Risk Management

Christ Church has clear objectives. Between September and November 2023, it set out its vision and Mission Action Plan which will inform its activities for 2024 to 2028.

Health and safety policy is implemented. Appliances are PAT tested as required.

There are three first aiders for Christ Church and they have completed the first aiders training with Rochester Diocese.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Electoral Roll – Davison Simbagegavi, Electoral Roll ofcer

During the period from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023 Christ Church Erith had 13 new members successfully applying for enrolment on the Church Electoral Roll. During the same period also one member left Christ Church Erith to join St Augustine's Church in Slade Green., By 31st December 2023 the total number of members in the books for Christ Church Erith was standing at 129. which is more than the previous year when we had 120 members.

Report from the Church Wardens – Doreen Ives & Natalie Slator

We were very happy to see the congregation growing over the year, many returning after the disrupted Covid Epidemic years. Thanks to this fact the list of those happy to undertake the roles of readers and intercessors has grown. We now need to see similar growth of those willing to get to Sunday services by 9.30 to undertake Welcomers’ duties.

A new notice board case to better publicise Church activities, was installed by the Church fence, well positioned to be seen by the public travelling to and from the railway station and the centre of town.

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The fraying Font carpet was replaced using money gifted to us by the Erith Historical Society. The carpet behind the Altar had become dangerous although not worn out so new underlay was put down and the carpet refitted. Both jobs were done by Erith Carpets. We would very much like to replace the carpet opposite the West Porch which is also showing signs of very heavy wear. Ideally this ought to be done before we resume the Toddlers Group and likewise the bare floorboards left when pews were removed from the back of the south aisle.

Acting on the recommendations in the Quinquennial Report, the carpets in both vestries were taped down at edges and doorways to prevent tripping. New strip lighting units were installed in both vestries, the chancel and behind the organ because they were found to be dangerous, one having completely burnt itself out.

The Church boilers were not performing well over the year culminating in a very cold Church in the later months of 2023. Eventually new parts were installed and the heating is now working efficiently. Consideration is underway about possibly changing Service contractors.

The handrail in the ramped entrance was damaged during the summer BBQ so this was repaired using FOCCE funds.

Climate change and more frequent prolonged periods of rain meant the puddling problem on the route from hall to Church became much worse, so a soak away was installed in the worst area which has solved this particular problem. Concrete slabs have been acquired to install within the gravel laid on top of the soak away but so far we have not been able to lay them in position.

The extensive periods of heavy rain also raised awareness of the need to do work to the outside guttering. This has had serious implications for the internal wall paintings and ceilings of the south aisle. Efforts are being made to solve the problems. Funding is the main obstacle to making progress with this. Towards the end of 2023 funding was on the PCC agenda and efforts are now being made to acquire permission from the Charities Commission to use money from the RANT TRUST which is money left as a legacy to Christ Church by a congregation member in 1967 and managed by the Diocese.

The organ has also received lots of attention during the year and, although it does still suffer from a few intermittent faults, it sounds as good as ever most of the time.

Report from the Deanery Synod Secretary - Okechukwu Iwuagwu & Ben Milton – Cole

There were three formal Deanery Synod meetings held this year. They were held in February, June and October 2023.

A representative from CCE attended all meetings bar the meeting in February 2023. However, minutes of this meeting was received to fill in any gaps.

On 16 May 2023, Roderick Johnson stepped down as Deanery Synod Rep. Ben Milton Cole was elected Deanery Synod Rep with Okechukwu Iwuagwu.

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The meeting in February was held at St Paulinus Crayford. Rev Paul Prentice gave a short talk about St Paulinus Crayford. This was the last meeting before APCM so a vote of thanks was given to all those retiring.

There was an additional meeting held on 17 May 2023 @ Christ Church Bexleyheath. This meeting was held at the bequest of the Allie Kerr, the new archdeacon to enable her meet Deanery Synod members and church wardens.

The 2[nd] meeting was held on 20 June @ St Augustine’s Slade Green. This was the first meeting after APCM so all new members were welcomed. Elections were carried out as normal with the Synod breaking into two houses for the election of three representatives to standing committee and deputy Secretary (Clergy).

At the business meeting, Danny Branch was elected as Lay Chair. Linda Dowell was elected as Secretary and David Baldwin elected as Treasurer, both unopposed.

When the houses returned as one meeting, Rev Gareth Brown, Rev Anthea Harris-Faulkner and Rev Adam Foot were elected to standing committee. There was no volunteer for Deputy Secretary. The Area Dean Jim Bennett made the decision to deal with this as the need arose.

St John’s Erith announced that they would be celebrating 900 years with various events taking place as part of the celebrations.

The last meeting of the year was held on 19 October 2023. There was a talk by Neil Bunker on Mental Health in Bexley. He talked about the work he is doing with diocese of Rochester. He signed posted the churches to various support agencies within Bexley borough. This was mainly through Mind in Bexley www.mindinbexley.org.uk (information on Young Adults Project (YAP), The family and Carers Information Session, Grow online and Bexley Crisis Cafe) can be found using the mind website above. There was also leaflet on Re-Instate – www.reinstate.co.uk.

David Branch who was elected Lay Chair at the last meeting had to stand down and Sue Maxwell from St Augustine’s Slade Green was elected Lay Chair. Keith Trutzenbach took on the role of Deanery Prayer Co-ordinator.

Rev Gordon Mcbean was bade farewell as this was his last meeting before taking up his new post in Northfleet.

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Other Areas of Achievements and Performances

Children and family ministry is a mission priority. The kids club which is held in the church hall on Sunday morning continues to grow from strength to strength, both numerically and spiritually. The children return to church beaming and want to share what they had done at kids club.

The children and families project worker resigned from her post at the start of April 2023. This put a strain on Messy and Toddler Church. Both continued up until the summer break but had to be put on hold until another project worker was employed. There were two rounds of advertisement for a children and families worker but unfortunately we were not able to recruit into the role. It will be advertised again in early 2024.

The youths have become more visible and active in the church. Four of our youths were confirmed on 21[st] May by The Bishop of Tonbridge, The Right Reverend Simon Burton-Jones, at St Augustine’s Church in Slade Green.

Five of the youths from Christ Church attended the Rochester Youth Council residential camp during summer, an experience which they enjoyed and said they will attend again. The youths from Christ Church and St John’s had a games and pizza social evening on Friday 6[th] October. They had fun, shared ideas for Bible Sunday and Black History Month Service. Sunday October 29[th] was a joint service with St John’s at Christ Church where we celebrated Bible Sunday and Black history month. The service was shaped and led by the youths from both Christ Church and St John’s.

There has been collaborative ministry between Christ Church and St John’s, Erith, throughout the year. This has enhanced the mission of the churches and strengthened the presence of the Churches within the community of Erith. Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day, All Souls, Christmas Day services were all joint services alternating between the two churches. Where there was a fifth Sunday in the month, it was a joint service again alternating between the churches.

There was the first New Year’s Eve watchnight service for the two churches in Erith held at Christ Church. It was well attended and there is another one planned for next year.

The pattern of Sunday Services is 1[st] Sunday 8am Holy Communion

10am All Age Worship

2[nd] Sunday 10am Holy Communion

3[rd] Sunday 10am Service of the Word

4[th] Sunday 10am Holy Communion

5[th] Sunday 10am Holy Communion alternating between Christ Church and St John’s.

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My thanks and gratitude go to Funmi Makanju, Licenced Lay Minister, Richard Demuth, Licenced Lay Minister at St Paulinus Church, Crayford and George Johnson, Licenced Lay Minister at Christ Church, Bexleyheath for their ongoing support in leading and preaching at the 10am Service of the Word Services.

Visits were made to the sick at home and in hospital. Home Communion was taken to the sick at home where it was offered and accepted.

Bible study during Lent and Advent were collaborative activities with St John’s and held at St John’s.

The King’s Coronation was an opportunity to worship and fellowship with St John’s and Queen Street Baptist Church and some members of the community during the morning service on 7[th] May held at Christ Church.

The weekend of 9[th] and 10[th] September was the Erith Made celebration, organised by Erith Town Partnership. As part of our community engagement, Christ Church hosted an Erith Made Music Concert on Sunday evening to close the event.

The relationship between the church and Christ Church school has been strengthened and this was acknowledged by the headteacher Mrs Hedman during her Christmas message. I have had the opportunity to lead collective worship at the school once a month. I was invited to lead worship for the staff at the start of the academic year. The school has been in church for their Easter, End of Year and Christmas Services. They also visited the Christmas Tree Festival.

Christ Church has re-established contact with Myer House, the local care home. I visit the home once a month to chat with the residents and staff.

Christ Church is growing both numerically and spiritually. We are thankful for God’s faithfulness. Christ Church is also growing leaders. Marlene, who is the lead for kids club was commissioned as a children’s worker by Bishop Jonathan at Rochester Cathedral in June 2023.

Benjamin and Godwin started the hearing and speaking God’s word training in autumn.

The finance continues to present a challenge, but we are taking steps to address this. One of the steps taken is to sign up to the parish giving schemes. May I encourage you all, if you have not yet collected your envelopes, to do so and those who have collected theirs but not returned them to please do so as we need to move forward with the scheme.

Looking ahead to next year, we are aware that there are some challenges ahead of us, not least, repairs to the church building. We also look in anticipation of the mission and ministry opportunities that will be presented to us. We pray for God’s wisdom and council as we discern them.

Two mission activities already discussed in response to the Mission Action Plan are:

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Further details of these plans are to follow.

On behalf of the PCC, I wish to thank all who use their gifts and talents to support the mission and ministry of the Church.

Revd Anthea Harris- Faulkner

Financial Review

Total income in the year was £89,616 (2022: £88,750) and total expenditure was £88,646 (2022: £94,361) giving a surplus of £970 (2022: deficit £5,611). At the end of the year, we had £50,012 in the bank in the various PCC accounts (2022: £54,301). The PCCs financial position is beginning to recover after a few difficult years.

Further details about specific items are explained in the paragraphs below and the full set of the statutory financial accounts are on the pages following.

As is in previous years, the payment of fuel bills constitutes a large part of our expenditure. Our large, but beautiful church takes an awful lot of gas to heat and this is reflected in the utility charges.

Our main source of income remains donations from the congregation, and in late 2023 we signed up to the Parish Giving Scheme and launched this in Church to encourage the congregation to think about their giving and where possible sign up to a Direct Debit scheme. The Dona machine is still proving popular for contactless payments in Church during both our regular Sunday services and additional services held throughout the year. We remain heavily reliant on the income generated from the letting out of the hall to both regular hirers and those using the hall for celebrations on weekends.

The Christmas Tree Festival does generate a good amount of donations, but these were matched by an increase in the gas and electricity bill for the energy costs during the weekend.

We paid a contribution towards our Parish Share where the PCC felt we could afford to, but we did not meet our full request for 2023.

All restricted funds within the main account are fully preserved with a positive balance in the account to cover monthly fees.

There were no Gift Aid claims made in 2023 due to the absence of a Gift Aid Officer, this is a priority for 2024.

Following formal advice from the diocese and others, it has been recommended that the permanent endowment from the Rant bequest should be included within the parish accounts, whereas until now they have not been included. To this extent, the accounts for 2022 have been restated to include this, with the relevant endowment values and dividends received from the investment being fully included within the PCC accounts. Although the Diocese of Rochester receives the dividend payment, the diocese has not included the endowment within its own accounts and it has been determined that the bequest should have historically been included within the PCC accounts. The restatement of the accounts rectifies this matter.

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The Rant bequest was received in 1964 and was in 2 parts:

• The bequest gave the Vicar and Church wardens of Christ Church, Erith £1,000 for the repair and maintenance of the Church

• And, the residue of his estate to the vicar and church wardens of Christ Church , Erith and the Missions to Seaman in equal shares, the share of the Church to be invested and the income to be applied to augment the stipend of the vicar of the Church for the time being. The value of the bequest as at 31 December 2023 was £181,301.

Reserve Policy

Ideally, we would aim to maintain free reserves equal to approximately two months unrestricted expenditure i.e. a figure in the region of £20,000. The current level of free reserves are £25,069 (2022: £23,480) which exceeds the reserve policy. The PCC keep a close eye on this figure.

adventus accounting solutions Supporting Charitable Organisations

8 April 2024

Independent Examiner’s report to the Member/Trustees of Christ Church Erith Charity Registration Number 1133966

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on the pages following.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner

The church’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church’s trustees 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

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement

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My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

Yours sincerely

Martyn Burt B.Sc.(Hons), ACMA, CGMA adventus accounting solutions Ashby Acres Chapel Lane Ashby-cum-Fenby Grimsby DN37 0QT

e-mail: martyn.burt@btinternet.com or adventusaccounting@btinternet.com Telephone: 07523 6229679

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Accounts

Accounts Accounts Accounts Accounts Accounts Accounts Accounts Accounts
ERITH CHRIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
as restated
Total Total
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Voluntary income 2 31,948 2,045 33,993 41,148
Actvites for generatng funds 3 49,655 - 49,655 42,434
Investment income 4 5,660 308 5,968 5,168
Total income 87,263 2,353 - 89,616 88,750
Expenditure
Charitable actvites 5 87,637 1,009 88,646 94,361
Total expenditure 87,637 1,009 - 88,646 94,361
Net income/(expenditure) before
Investment Gains/(Losses)		 (374) 1,344 - 970 (5,611)
Net Gain/(Losses) on Investments - - 15,591 15,591 (22,110)
Net Income/(Expenditure) (374) 1,344 15,591 16,561 (27,721)
Transfers between funds 3,731 (3,731) - - -
Net movement in funds 3,357 (2,387) 15,591 16,561 (27,721)
Reconciliaton of funds:
Total funds brought forward 10 35,689 11,031 165,710 212,430 240,151
Total funds carried forward 10 39,046 8,644 181,301 228,991 212,430
as restated
Following formal advice the funds for 2022 have been restated to allow for the inclusion of the Rant Bequest, previously
excluded from these accounts
The statement of fnancial actvites includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from contnuing operatons.
The notes on the pages following form part of these accounts.

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ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023
as restated
Total Total
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 7 0 - - 0 768
Fixed Asset Investments
Investment Assets 181,301 181,301 165,710
Current Assets
Debtors 8 4,133 - - 4,133 2,498
Cash at bank and in hand 41,368 8,644 - 50,012 54,301
45,501 8,644 - 54,145 56,799
Creditors: Amounts falling
due within one year 9 (6,455) - - (6,455) (10,847)
Net current assets / (liabilites) 39,046 8,644 - 47,690 45,952
CREDITORS: Amounts falling due 9 - - - - -
afer more than one year
Net assets / (liabilites) 39,046 8,644 181,301 228,991 45,952
Net assets 39,046 8,644 181,301 228,991 212,430
Funds
Unrestricted Funds
General funds 10 25,069 - 25,069 24,249
Designated funds 10 13,977 - - 13,977 11,440
39,046 - - 39,046 35,689
Restricted Funds 10 - 8,644 8,644 11,031
Endowment Funds 10 181,301 181,301 165,710
Total funds 39,046 8,644 181,301 228,991 212,430
as restated
Following formal advice the funds for 2022 have been restated to allow for the inclusion of the Rant Bequest, previously
excluded from these accounts
The fnancial statements were approved by the members of the Parochial Church Council on _____and
were signed on its behalf by:
--------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
[name] [name]
The notes on the pages following form part of these accounts

The notes on the pages following form part of these accounts

~~14~~

ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH ERITH CHRIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
as restated
2 Voluntary income Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Planned giving
 20,893 20,893 17,534
Collectons and other giving
 8,291 8,291 9,018
Collectons for charitable purposes
 - - - 136
GifAid recoverable 1,500 1,500 1,440
Grants
 - 2,045 2,045 12,450
Other Donatons 493 - 493 389
Friends of Christ Church Erith (FOCCE) - - - 181
Insurance Claim & Sundry Income 771 - 771 -
31,948 2,045 - 33,993 41,148
as restated
3 Actvites for generatng funds Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Sundry Income - - - 736
Hall Income 38,866 - 38,866 30,877
Fundraising
 270 - 270 422
Christmas Tree Festval 5,246 - 5,246 5,658
Income from magazine 272 - 272 -
Clergy Fees 5,001 - 5,001 4,741
Other income - - - -
49,655 - - 49,655 42,434
as restated
4 Investment income Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Income from interest on bank and investments 704 308 1,012 240
Income from Rant Bequest 4,956 - 4,956 4,928
-
5,660 308 - 5,968 5,168

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as restated
5 Charitable actvites Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Charitable giving
 - - - -
Diocesan Share (Parish Ofer) 6,956 - 6,956 10,928
Church Running Expenses 23,155 - 23,155 26,158
Church Repairs 4,025 - 4,025 1,960
Quinquennial repairs - - - -
Church Equipment - - - -
Organ, organist & bellringers cost 6,530 - 6,530 2,470
Organ repairs 1,479 - 1,479 1,200
Toilet project
 - - - -
Clergy expenses and stpend
 1,843 - 1,843 1,097
Accountancy & Independent Examinaton
 40 - 40 850
Memberships and Subscriptons 408 - 408 150
DBF Fees
 1,738 1,738 695
Depreciaton 768 - 768 768
Christmas trees 2,248 - 2,248 2,580
Admin & Sundry 3,172 - 3,172 4,161
SDF Expenditure - 1,009 1,009 6,167
Sanctuary fund 979 - 979 295
Fees Repayment - - - 328
Miscellaneous Payments 600 - 600 -
Hall Running costs & Management 30,886 - 30,886 34,307
Hall repairs 2,810 - 2,810 247
Total expenditure 87,637 1,009 - 88,646 94,361
6 Analysis of staf costs, the cost of key management personnel and remuneraton of members of the PCC
There were no personnel directly employed during the year or the prior year. Other than the clergy atached to the
charity, who may receive stpend or housing benefts from the Diocese of Rochester, all of the charity's actvites are
carried out by volunteers.
For relatedpartytransactons see Note 11
7 Tangible Fixed Assets Fixtures,
 as restated
ftngs and Total Total
equipment 2023 2022
£ £ £
Cost
At 1 January 2023
 8,537 8,537 8,537
Additons
 - - -
Gains / (losses) on revaluaton - - -
Disposals - - -
At 31 December 2023 8,537 8,537 8,537
Accumulated depreciaton
At 1 January 2023 7,769 7,769 7,001
Charge for the year 768 768 768
Disposals
At 31 December 2023 8,537 8,537 7,769
Net book value
At 31 December 2023 0 0 768
At 31 December 2022 768 768 1,536
as restated
5 Charitable actvites Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Charitable giving
 - - - -
Diocesan Share (Parish Ofer) 6,956 - 6,956 10,928
Church Running Expenses 23,155 - 23,155 26,158
Church Repairs 4,025 - 4,025 1,960
Quinquennial repairs - - - -
Church Equipment - - - -
Organ, organist & bellringers cost 6,530 - 6,530 2,470
Organ repairs 1,479 - 1,479 1,200
Toilet project
 - - - -
Clergy expenses and stpend
 1,843 - 1,843 1,097
Accountancy & Independent Examinaton
 40 - 40 850
Memberships and Subscriptons 408 - 408 150
DBF Fees
 1,738 1,738 695
Depreciaton 768 - 768 768
Christmas trees 2,248 - 2,248 2,580
Admin & Sundry 3,172 - 3,172 4,161
SDF Expenditure - 1,009 1,009 6,167
Sanctuary fund 979 - 979 295
Fees Repayment - - - 328
Miscellaneous Payments 600 - 600 -
Hall Running costs & Management 30,886 - 30,886 34,307
Hall repairs 2,810 - 2,810 247
Total expenditure 87,637 1,009 - 88,646 94,361
6 Analysis of staf costs, the cost of key management personnel and remuneraton of members of the PCC
There were no personnel directly employed during the year or the prior year. Other than the clergy atached to the
charity, who may receive stpend or housing benefts from the Diocese of Rochester, all of the charity's actvites are
carried out by volunteers.
For relatedpartytransactons see Note 11
7 Tangible Fixed Assets Fixtures,
 as restated
ftngs and Total Total
equipment 2023 2022
£ £ £
Cost
At 1 January 2023
 8,537 8,537 8,537
Additons
 - - -
Gains / (losses) on revaluaton - - -
Disposals - - -
At 31 December 2023 8,537 8,537 8,537
Accumulated depreciaton
At 1 January 2023 7,769 7,769 7,001
Charge for the year 768 768 768
Disposals
At 31 December 2023 8,537 8,537 7,769
Net book value
At 31 December 2023 0 0 768
At 31 December 2022 768 768 1,536

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8 Investments Investments
2023 2022
£ £
~~Market value as at 1 January 2023~~ ~~165,710~~ ~~187,820~~
Disposal
 - -
Additons at cost - -
Net gains/(loss) 15,591 (22,110)
~~Market value as at 31 December 2023~~ ~~181,301~~ ~~165,710~~
~~as restated~~
~~Following formal advice the funds for 2022 have been restated to~~
excluded from these		 ~~allow for the in~~
accounts		 ~~clusion of the R~~ ~~ant Bequest, previously~~
~~The investments are held with the CCLA Investment Fund, number~~
Finance act as custodian trustees
 ~~131001406S and~~
 ~~the Rochester~~
 ~~Diocesan Board of~~
~~As at 31 December 2023 there were 8,020.29 shares held at a mid m~~
market value 2,066.14pence).		 ~~arket value of 2~~ ~~,260.53 pence (2022: 8,020.29 shares mid~~
The investment was originally made following a bequest, date unkn
 own.
~~The bequest states that dividends generated would be used to aug~~
current practce is to pass these dividends to the diocese as part of
Ofer/Parish Share		 ~~ment the stpend of the vicar/rector of the parish, but~~
the PCC's contributon towards the Diocesan
Dividends received in 2023 were £4,956 (2022: £4,928) - see Note 4.
as restated
~~8~~ ~~Debtors~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2022~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~
GifAid 3,940 2,440
Other Debtors 193 8
Prepayments 50
~~Total Debtors~~ ~~4,133~~ ~~2,498~~
as restated
9 Creditors 2023 2022
£ £
~~Creditors: liabilites falling due within~~
 ~~one year~~
~~Accountng Fees & Independent Ex~~
 ~~aminer~~ ~~890~~ ~~850~~
Utlity Creditors 2,100 6,287
Miscellaneous Creditors 2,815 1,710
Hall Hirers & Fees Paid in Advance 650 2,000
~~6,455~~ ~~10,847~~
Creditors: liabilites falling due afer on e year
- -
~~Total All Creditors~~ ~~6,455~~ ~~10,847~~
~~10~~ ~~Funds~~
During the year the movements in the charity's fund s were as follo ws:
Opening Incoming Outgoing Investment
 Transfers Closing
balance resources resources Gains/(Losses) in the year balance
~~2023~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2023~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~General Unrestricted Funds~~
General Fund 24,249 86,976 (87,637) - 1,481 25,069
Designated Funds
Church Repair Fund 8,864 287 - - 2,100 11,251
~~Hall Repair Fund~~
 ~~1,970~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~1,970~~
~~Charites~~ ~~606~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~606~~
Men's Group - - - - 150 150
Total Unrestricted Funds 35,689 87,263 (87,637) - 3,731 39,046
~~Restricted Funds~~
Friends 181 - - - 682 863
Church Path 1,900 - - - (1,900) -
Church Repairs - - - - 820 820
Organ fund 53 284 - - (337) -
Legacy - - - - 400 400
~~School Bibles~~ ~~696~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~696~~
~~Community lunch~~ ~~334~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~334~~
SDF 473 2,069 (1,009) - (1,090) 443
CYP 171 - - - 850 1,021
Woollet 3,996 - - - - 3,996
Choir and Robes 71 - - - - 71
Energy Grant 3,156 - - - (3,156) -
Total Restricted Funds 11,031 2,353 (1,009) - (3,731) 8,644
Endowment Funds
Rant Bequest 165,710 - - 15,591 - 181,301
~~Total Endowment Funds~~
Aggregate of Funds 212,430 89,616 (88,646) 15,591 - 228,991
~~17~~
~~In thepreviousyear the movements in~~ ~~In thepreviousyear the movements in~~ ~~the charity's f~~ ~~the charity's f~~ ~~unds were as f~~ ~~unds were as f~~ ~~ollows:~~
~~as rest~~ ~~ated~~
~~Opening~~
 ~~Incoming~~ ~~Outgoing~~ ~~Investment~~
 ~~Transfers~~
 ~~Closing~~
~~balance~~ ~~resources~~ ~~resources~~ ~~Gains/(Losses)~~ ~~in theyear~~ ~~balance~~
~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~General Unrestricted Funds~~
~~General Fund~~ ~~34,392~~ ~~81,808~~ ~~(87,519)~~ ~~(4,432)~~ ~~24,249~~
~~Designated Funds~~
~~Church Repair Fund~~ ~~6,723~~ ~~41~~ ~~-~~ ~~2,100~~ ~~8,864~~
~~Hall Repair Fund~~
 ~~1,970~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~1,970~~
~~Charites~~ ~~606~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~606~~
~~Total Unrestricted Funds~~ ~~43,691~~ ~~81,849~~ ~~(87,519)~~ ~~-~~ ~~(2,332)~~ ~~35,689~~
~~Restricted Funds~~
~~Friends & Toilet Project~~ ~~-~~ ~~181~~ ~~-~~ ~~0~~ ~~181~~
~~Church Path~~ ~~1,900~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~1,900~~
~~Organfund~~ ~~-~~ ~~53~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~53~~
~~School Bibles~~ ~~696~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~696~~
~~Community lunch~~ ~~423~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(89)~~ ~~334~~
~~SDF~~ ~~1,554~~ ~~2,837~~ ~~(4,878)~~ ~~960~~ ~~473~~
~~CYP~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(1,289)~~ ~~1,460~~ ~~171~~
~~Woollet~~ ~~3,996~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,996~~
~~Choir and Robes~~ ~~71~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~71~~
~~Energy Grant~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,831~~ ~~(675)~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,156~~
~~Total Restricted Funds~~ ~~8,640~~ ~~6,902~~ ~~(6,842)~~ ~~-~~ ~~2,332~~ ~~11,031~~
~~Endowment Funds~~
~~Rant Bequest~~ ~~187,820~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(22,110)~~ ~~-~~ ~~165,710~~
~~Total Endowment Funds~~
~~Aggregate of Funds~~ ~~240,151~~ ~~88,751~~ ~~(94,361)~~ ~~(22,110)~~ ~~-~~ ~~212,430~~
~~Descriptons of Funds~~
~~Designated Funds~~
~~Church Repair Fund~~ ~~Money set asi~~ ~~de by the PCC~~ ~~for emergency~~ ~~repairs to chur~~ ~~ch~~
~~Hall Repair Fund~~ ~~Money set asi~~ ~~de by the PCC~~ ~~for emergency~~ ~~repairs to hall~~
Charites Money set asi de by the PCC in previous ye ars for transfer to various charites
Men's Group ~~Funds raised~~ ~~for maintenan~~ ~~ce of church an~~ ~~dgrounds~~
~~Restricted Funds~~
Friends ~~Money raised~~
fabric of the c
raised are for		 ~~by the Friend~~
hurch. These
the beneft of		 ~~s of Christ Chur~~
funds are inclu
the church and		 ~~ch Erith to supp~~
ded within the
the PCC.		 ~~ort the upkeep of the~~
PCC accounts as any funds
Church Path ~~Money given~~ ~~towards repai~~ ~~rs of the church~~ ~~path.~~
Church Repairs ~~Money given~~ ~~towards churc~~ ~~h repairs.~~
Organ fund Money raised for major rep airs to the chur ch organ. All fu nds were utlised in 2021
Legacy
~~School Bibles~~
~~Money given~~
~~to buy bibles f~~
~~or children in t~~
~~he local school~~
Community Lunch ~~The specifc p~~
similar event		 ~~roceeds for th~~
s.		 ~~e yearly comm~~ ~~unity lunch to b~~ ~~e carried over~~ ~~to future~~
SDF ~~Grants receiv~~ ~~ed for expendi~~ ~~ture on strateg~~ ~~ic development/outreach wo~~ ~~rk~~
CYP ~~Money given~~ ~~to be used for~~ ~~youth work ou~~ ~~treach actvites~~
Woollet ~~Proceeds of a~~ ~~legacy to supp~~ ~~ort children an~~ ~~dyoung famili~~ ~~es.~~
~~Choir and Robes~~ ~~Money given~~ ~~as donatons f~~ ~~or new choir ro~~ ~~bes and resour~~ ~~ces~~
~~Endowment Funds~~
Rant Bequest ~~Permanent Endowment giv~~
the augmentaton of the pa
theparish contributon to th		 ~~en where the dividends and in~~
rish priest's stpend (now paid
e Diocesan Ofer/Parish Share		 ~~terest generat~~
to the diocese
 ~~ed are for~~
as part of
~~Analysis of net assets by fund~~
~~as restated~~
Unrestrict ed Funds
~~General~~ ~~Designated~~ ~~Restricted~~ ~~Endowment~~
~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~2023~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~Fixed assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~
~~Investment assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~181,301~~ ~~181,301~~
~~Current assets~~ ~~31,524~~ ~~13,827~~ ~~8,794~~ ~~-~~ ~~54,145~~
~~Liabilites:~~
~~Amounts falling due within 1year~~
 ~~(6,455)~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(6,455)~~
~~Amounts falling due afer 1year~~
~~25,069~~ ~~13,827~~ ~~8,794~~ ~~181,301~~ ~~228,991~~
~~Analysis of net assets by fund atprevio~~ ~~usyear end da~~ ~~te~~
~~as restated~~
Unrestrict ed Funds
~~General~~ ~~Designated~~ ~~Restricted~~ ~~Endowment~~
~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~2022~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~Fixed assets~~ ~~768~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~768~~
~~Investment assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~165,710~~ ~~165,710~~
~~Current assets~~ ~~33,913~~ ~~11,855~~ ~~11,031~~ ~~-~~ ~~56,799~~
~~Liabilites:~~
~~Amountsfalling due within 1year~~
 ~~(10,433)~~ ~~(414)~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(10,847)~~
~~Amountsfalling due afer 1year~~
~~24,248~~ ~~11,441~~ ~~11,031~~ ~~165,710~~ ~~212,430~~
~~11~~ ~~Transactons with relatedpartes~~
During the year the charity:
a) received donatons totalling £5,4
anyone closely connected to them		 02 (2022: £4,3
).		 29) from rela ted partes (w hich includes members of t he PCC and
b) No expenses (2022: £nil) were pai
when actn as aent for the charit		 d to, or for, no
or incurred		 n-clergy mem
hen undertak		 bers of the PCC
in emlome		 (reimburseme
t dutesnot c		 nts for expen
nnectedwith		 ses incurred
servinas a
g g y g py g
18
~~In thepreviousyear the movements in~~ ~~In thepreviousyear the movements in~~ ~~the charity's f~~ ~~the charity's f~~ ~~unds were as f~~ ~~unds were as f~~ ~~ollows:~~
~~as rest~~ ~~ated~~
~~Opening~~
 ~~Incoming~~ ~~Outgoing~~ ~~Investment~~
 ~~Transfers~~
 ~~Closing~~
~~balance~~ ~~resources~~ ~~resources~~ ~~Gains/(Losses)~~ ~~in theyear~~ ~~balance~~
~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2022~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~General Unrestricted Funds~~
~~General Fund~~ ~~34,392~~ ~~81,808~~ ~~(87,519)~~ ~~(4,432)~~ ~~24,249~~
~~Designated Funds~~
~~Church Repair Fund~~ ~~6,723~~ ~~41~~ ~~-~~ ~~2,100~~ ~~8,864~~
~~Hall Repair Fund~~
 ~~1,970~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~1,970~~
~~Charites~~ ~~606~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~606~~
~~Total Unrestricted Funds~~ ~~43,691~~ ~~81,849~~ ~~(87,519)~~ ~~-~~ ~~(2,332)~~ ~~35,689~~
~~Restricted Funds~~
~~Friends & Toilet Project~~ ~~-~~ ~~181~~ ~~-~~ ~~0~~ ~~181~~
~~Church Path~~ ~~1,900~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~1,900~~
~~Organfund~~ ~~-~~ ~~53~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~53~~
~~School Bibles~~ ~~696~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~696~~
~~Community lunch~~ ~~423~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(89)~~ ~~334~~
~~SDF~~ ~~1,554~~ ~~2,837~~ ~~(4,878)~~ ~~960~~ ~~473~~
~~CYP~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(1,289)~~ ~~1,460~~ ~~171~~
~~Woollet~~ ~~3,996~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,996~~
~~Choir and Robes~~ ~~71~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~71~~
~~Energy Grant~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,831~~ ~~(675)~~ ~~-~~ ~~3,156~~
~~Total Restricted Funds~~ ~~8,640~~ ~~6,902~~ ~~(6,842)~~ ~~-~~ ~~2,332~~ ~~11,031~~
~~Endowment Funds~~
~~Rant Bequest~~ ~~187,820~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(22,110)~~ ~~-~~ ~~165,710~~
~~Total Endowment Funds~~
~~Aggregate of Funds~~ ~~240,151~~ ~~88,751~~ ~~(94,361)~~ ~~(22,110)~~ ~~-~~ ~~212,430~~
~~Descriptons of Funds~~
~~Designated Funds~~
~~Church Repair Fund~~ ~~Money set asi~~ ~~de by the PCC~~ ~~for emergency~~ ~~repairs to chur~~ ~~ch~~
~~Hall Repair Fund~~ ~~Money set asi~~ ~~de by the PCC~~ ~~for emergency~~ ~~repairs to hall~~
Charites Money set asi de by the PCC in previous ye ars for transfer to various charites
Men's Group ~~Funds raised~~ ~~for maintenan~~ ~~ce of church an~~ ~~dgrounds~~
~~Restricted Funds~~
Friends ~~Money raised~~
fabric of the c
raised are for		 ~~by the Friend~~
hurch. These
the beneft of		 ~~s of Christ Chur~~
funds are inclu
the church and		 ~~ch Erith to supp~~
ded within the
the PCC.		 ~~ort the upkeep of the~~
PCC accounts as any funds
Church Path ~~Money given~~ ~~towards repai~~ ~~rs of the church~~ ~~path.~~
Church Repairs ~~Money given~~ ~~towards churc~~ ~~h repairs.~~
Organ fund Money raised for major rep airs to the chur ch organ. All fu nds were utlised in 2021
Legacy
~~School Bibles~~
~~Money given~~
~~to buy bibles f~~
~~or children in t~~
~~he local school~~
Community Lunch ~~The specifc p~~
similar event		 ~~roceeds for th~~
s.		 ~~e yearly comm~~ ~~unity lunch to b~~ ~~e carried over~~ ~~to future~~
SDF ~~Grants receiv~~ ~~ed for expendi~~ ~~ture on strateg~~ ~~ic development/outreach wo~~ ~~rk~~
CYP ~~Money given~~ ~~to be used for~~ ~~youth work ou~~ ~~treach actvites~~
Woollet ~~Proceeds of a~~ ~~legacy to supp~~ ~~ort children an~~ ~~dyoung famili~~ ~~es.~~
~~Choir and Robes~~ ~~Money given~~ ~~as donatons f~~ ~~or new choir ro~~ ~~bes and resour~~ ~~ces~~
~~Endowment Funds~~
Rant Bequest ~~Permanent Endowment giv~~
the augmentaton of the pa
theparish contributon to th		 ~~en where the dividends and in~~
rish priest's stpend (now paid
e Diocesan Ofer/Parish Share		 ~~terest generat~~
to the diocese
 ~~ed are for~~
as part of
~~Analysis of net assets by fund~~
~~as restated~~
Unrestrict ed Funds
~~General~~ ~~Designated~~ ~~Restricted~~ ~~Endowment~~
~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~2023~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~Fixed assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~
~~Investment assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~181,301~~ ~~181,301~~
~~Current assets~~ ~~31,524~~ ~~13,827~~ ~~8,794~~ ~~-~~ ~~54,145~~
~~Liabilites:~~
~~Amounts falling due within 1year~~
 ~~(6,455)~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(6,455)~~
~~Amounts falling due afer 1year~~
~~25,069~~ ~~13,827~~ ~~8,794~~ ~~181,301~~ ~~228,991~~
~~Analysis of net assets by fund atprevio~~ ~~usyear end da~~ ~~te~~
~~as restated~~
Unrestrict ed Funds
~~General~~ ~~Designated~~ ~~Restricted~~ ~~Endowment~~
~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~Funds~~ ~~2022~~
~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~ ~~£~~
~~Fixed assets~~ ~~768~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~768~~
~~Investment assets~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~165,710~~ ~~165,710~~
~~Current assets~~ ~~33,913~~ ~~11,855~~ ~~11,031~~ ~~-~~ ~~56,799~~
~~Liabilites:~~
~~Amountsfalling due within 1year~~
 ~~(10,433)~~ ~~(414)~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~(10,847)~~
~~Amountsfalling due afer 1year~~
~~24,248~~ ~~11,441~~ ~~11,031~~ ~~165,710~~ ~~212,430~~
~~11~~ ~~Transactons with relatedpartes~~
During the year the charity:
a) received donatons totalling £5,4
anyone closely connected to them		 02 (2022: £4,3
).		 29) from rela ted partes (w hich includes members of t he PCC and
b) No expenses (2022: £nil) were pai
when actn as aent for the charit		 d to, or for, no
or incurred		 n-clergy mem
hen undertak		 bers of the PCC
in emlome		 (reimburseme
t dutesnot c		 nts for expen
nnectedwith		 ses incurred
servinas a
g g y g py g
18

when acting as agent for the charity or incurred when undertaking employment duties not connected with serving as a 18

– Report from Kids Club Marlene Busayo Elegunde, Kids Club Lead.

It has been a successful year as we noticed about 50 percent increase in attendance in comparison to the previous year (2022). This is very encouraging and we hope to encourage more children to attend the club. A maximum number of 18 children have been recorded in the year which is impressive and encouraging.

The kid’s club is held every Sunday except the first Sunday due to the All-Age service and briefly during the holidays (Summer and Christmas) due to availability of leaders and its duration is between 30 - 45mins. The kids club takes place in the quiet room at the church hall and children are supervised back into the church where we join in for the communion and close of service. Parent/guardian of children attending the kids club are required to complete a consent form granting permission.

The leaders are CRB trained and are required to have completed the Basic awareness and Foundation safeguarding training. A minimum of three leaders is required to proceed. We currently have six volunteers and interest have been shown by members of the church to become a volunteer.

During the club, the children open with a prayer and discuss on a bible passage which is mostly in line with the word in the main church. The children are involved in different activities such as art and craft, singing, drawing and colouring. They are engaging and very enthusiastic to read or showcase their craft to the church.

The children presented at the 2023 crib service.

Three leaders (Marlene, Miranda and Salem) attended the First aid course which was held on the 18[th] of November 2023 at St Andrew’s Church Paddock Wood and are certified as first aiders with their certificates valid for 3 years.

Marlene was commissioned by the Lord Bishop of Rochester to serve as a Children’s volunteer on the 3[rd] of June 2023.

We look forward to another year as we plan to continue to train the children in the way of the Lord and create a safe and exciting space for them to grow and thrive.

We would like to publish the children’s weekly creation on the church’s Facebook page and the parish magazine to make people aware and encourage the community to join in. A big appreciation goes to the leaders (Claire, Miranda, Salem, Prettie, Jebalin and Marlene) who have continuously invested time in planning, supervising and making the club a success.

Hall Report Ayodeji Akande, Hall Manager

We are very Grateful to God for our hall. The hall is heavily relied on to supplement the accounts. The income generated by the hall is of great importance and blessing to Christ Church Erith. The Christ church congregation uses the hall for tea and coffee after the Sunday service and to host community and church led events like the summer event.

19

The wider Erith community is still hiring our hall for events and parties, and we currently have eight regular hirers using the hall for one activity or the other.

We are still receiving hall enquires and are optimistic that we would increase the number of regular hirers using the hall.

We are actively looking for more members to join the hall committee and pleased to inform you that some new members are set to join the Hall committee shortly.

Please see below for the fees for 2024

Saturday Hall Fees 2024 11am - 11pm (12Hrs) £780 2pm – 11pm (9Hrs) £650 12Noon – 7pm (7Hrs) £500 8am – 2pm (6Hrs) £350

We have carried out a variety of repair jobs in the hall and there is still more to do.

We replaced the legacy florescent lights with new LED lights and fittings. We have also renewed the Gas boiler support contract with Blue Flame

Thanks to Chris Wakeman who has devoted a lot of time and effort for the upkeep of the hall, and thanks to the men’s group for working on the hall premises.

Thanks to Ayo and Bunmi for taking the time to open the hall for hirer’s event.

If you can help maintain our hall or join the hall committee in some capacity, please feel free to contact any member of the hall committee.

Report from the Bellinger’s – Natalie Slator, Tower Captain

Numbers of ringers belonging to Christ Church have remained the same this year. We have a band of 4 who ring regularly on Sunday mornings though we do have visitors occasionally. Three are available for Monday practice nights.

We have joined up with St. John’s and alternate our practices with them, also on Monday nights. Unfortunately, they are less blessed than us in the numbers that attend practices and only one, Margaret, rings regularly.

Margaret is a very good teacher, so we can offer instruction in how to begin bell control most Monday evenings. Once you can handle a bell by yourself you can start to join in and learn how to ring in sequence with other bells. The hobby is one that just grows with your skill and there is always another level to aim for.

We have gathered a friendly group on Mondays from local towers of Dartford, Crayford and sometimes Sidcup so our numbers on practice nights are usually between 8 and 12 and our ability to ring different methods (these are pattens where the bells change their order) is growing. We have, with the help of our Monday visitors, been able to ring for all the weddings and funerals where bells are requested at both Christ Church and St John’s.

If anyone would like to see if it could be something they would like to try please contact me and we will organise some instruction for you. I am in church, usually at the back, every Sunday as a churchwarden or on my mobile:- 07973877110.

20

– Choir Report Heather Taylor

The choir has grown this year and is continuing to do so both in numbers and musically. This is due (in no small way) to Ethan whose patience and perseverance especially with new members has worked wonders.

Events we have sung in this year include “St John’s 900th Anniversary celebration” in July and “Erith Made” in September.

The Christmas Carol Service went very well and we are now rehearsing for the next big church celebration Easter. We are of course looking towards our own 150th celebration in the summer.

Choir Practice is held every Sunday at present immediately after morning services to enable us to learn new music and brush up on our normal Sunday service music. We are always looking for new choristers. Please see Heather or Ethan if you are interested in joining the Choir.

– Parish Magazine Report Paul Hyde, Editor

Overview

Subscriptons

Collect from church 1 By hand delivery (within parish) 9 By post 2 By email (PDF) 3

The number of persons subscribing to the magazine has remained broadly similar to those for the previous years.

Due to only ten editions having been published, the 2022/3 subscription year was extended to include the April edition. Therefore, 2023/4 and future subscription years will commence Early Summer (June).

Circulaton

This year sales of the magazine have remained similar to those seen in 2022, in line with church service attendances post pandemic. The magazine had historically sold about 50 copies each month, but has now settled at around 30. As usual, the Christmas Tree Festival produced an uptick for the Christmas edition, which sold about 50 copies.

21

General content

There were seven editions of the magazine this year, each consisting of 20 pages per edition, with the following exceptions:

Early summer 24 Late summer 28 Christmas 28

Due to a bereavement, the January and February editions were combined and titled “Winter”, with publication in late January.

Once again, my sincere thanks to the few parishioners who have sent me articles and other material which has been included in the magazine over the last year. My role as Editor is to compile and collate these into a consistent format so as to produce a unified magazine each month. As in previous years, I have myself contributed at least one article each month, ranging from the regular Town & Around piece, to occasional longer, more thoughtful articles.

Restructuring

At the meeting on 21 March 2023, the PCC agreed to an overhaul of the publication schedule for the magazine. The changes were designed to address the following issues:

Frequency of publication

Publication switched to bi-monthly, on the following basis:


Issue ttle		 Targetpublicaton date
EarlySummer EarlyJune(commencingJune 2023)
Late Summer EarlyAugust
Autumn EarlyOctober
Christmas EarlyDecember
Lent EarlyFebruary
Easter In advance of the date of Palm Sunday

There was no May edition.

Cover price and subscriptions

Commencing Early Summer 2023, the cover price increased from £1 to £1.50. Annual Subscription (including delivery) is revised as follows: Delivery within the parish £9.00 Delivery by Royal Mail 2[nd] class £15.00 e-Subscription (PDF by email) £9.00

Advertsing

Once again, there were no paying advertisers. Two firms were granted free advertising in recognition of services provided to the church.

22

Commercial actvity

A private memorial service was held at our church on 18 November, for which we were asked to produce the Order of Service book. We produced 175 copies, which realized a profit of around £150 for church funds.

Pew Sheet

Commencing Palm Sunday 2023, the Pew Sheet was printed in black and white only. This measure reduces the printing costs (excluding paper) by about 90%.

Starting with the Christmas period, the Pew Sheet was treated to a new format which made better use of the available space on each page, which enabled a reduction from eight to four pages. This reduced paper consumption by 50%.

These two measures taken together have realized significant cost savings.

Some new Order of Service books were created, most notably for services in Lent and Easter, plus a new version for All Age Service of the Word.

Report From Christmas Tree Festval ( CTF) – Claire Perkins

The Erith Christmas Tree Festival took place during the weekend of 8th to 10th December 2023. The number of trees remained at 50 and we had a number of new sponsors from the local community this time. The trees looked fantastic and were, as usual, provided by Bexley Garden Centre and we remain grateful to Daryl and Danielle for their continued support. Thanks as always go to David Fitch for providing and installing all the electronics required to make the festival happen.

The weekend was very well attended and we received lots of compliments for the way the trees and the Church looked. The Charity Fair took place on the Saturday in the hall with a variety of stalls including a Christ Church cake stall and a Men in Sheds stall which proved very popular.

The Saturday evening concert included Theatre Box, a local performing arts academty for the first time who put on an amazing performance for us, followed by the Rock Choir who with their many members really did raise the roof with their beautiful singing!

We were honoured to have the Deputy Mayor and our local MP and councillors join us for our Sunday evening Carol Concert of Nine Lessons wrapping up what was a wonderful weekend.

Thanks to all those who offered their time and gifts as volunteers, but as always the committee needs new volunteers and a new Chair with fresh enthusiasm and ideas to take the festival forwards. Please do consider if you are able to help this year.

23

As always, any money raised is split between the Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice and Church funds.

Report from Friends of Christ Church Erith (FOCCE) – Doreen Ives

The Covid epidemic certainly halted activity within the FOCCE group. The toilet project was completed during 2021 but then we had the interregnum which made serious demands on everyone with special responsibilities within the Church during 2022. Although we renewed the license, we did not organise and run the 2023 Annual Draw and Quiz Night. Membership renewals were also significantly down. However, FOCCE leaflets have been distributed at Church services, a rallying message is now getting out and new members are pledging their support for FOCCE.

I stepped down from being Chairperson in August 2023 to allow younger people to step up to the management committee and take the lead with future projects, also making better use of social media to publicise them. We hope that by identifying and widely publicising a future major project within the 2* listed building, FOCCE will inspire ready and generous support within the Erith community.

Many thanks to everyone who has supported FOCCE thus far.

Social commitee Report –Marlene Elegunde, Social Commitee Lead.

The first quarter of the year was quiet with no planned celebration or gathering organised by the committee. The last three quarters of the year had series of events which the social committee was involved in. The events are as follows:

The King coronation lunch was a collaboration with the St John’s and Queen Street Baptist church. This was a community event, and it was well attended by members of the three churches with food and drink donations made by all three churches. As always, members of the committee worked tirelessly to make this a success with series of meetings.

The Summer Fayre took a different shape this year as the committee was tasked with the BBQ side of the event. Monetary donation of £280 was received from members of the congregation towards the cost of the food and drinks. £161.34 was spent on the cost of items used for purchasing the food items and drinks. The BBQ raised £133.87 making a total profit of £252.53.

The Harvest Bring and Share was organised to get families and members of the church to get together to celebrate God’s blessings. We noticed a decline in number of prepared meals and food items showcased. This could possibly be associated with inflation and the increase in prices, however it was well attended and we were pleased that there was enough for everyone.

Lastly, we played a part in the Christmas tree festival. The Social committee was involved in providing breakfast at the Christmas fair and participated in co-ordinating the refreshments during the event.

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The committee was able to raise £316.36 from donation and sales. The expenditure was kept to the minimal owing to lessons learnt in previous event and to reduce wastage. £130 was spent towards the food items, utensils, consumables, and drinks. A profit of £186.36p was made from the breakfast stall. A massive thank you to Adanna (one of our youths) who has consistently for years been involved in helping at the breakfast stall.

All profit made is paid into the church account for the social committee and can be accessed when we need to use it for agreed expenditure by the committee.

The social committee continues to manage the Tea and Coffee rota for volunteers in designated groups involved in the reception of visitors, first timers and church members in the church hall after the service. This involves serving of light refreshments (Tea, Squash, Hot chocolate and Coffee, biscuits, pancakes, cakes and snacks) and setting up the hall. Voluntary donations are made upon receipt of the refreshments.

Thank you to all group members, Uniformed group (13[th] Erith) and the men of Christ Church Erith team.

For upcoming year, we aim to organise more events that will involve more of the community such as a family picnic, Bring and Share, summer BBQ party and Movie night.

A massive thank you to all members of the Social committee (Ernesta, Funmi, Natalie, Moji, Martha, Ellen, Francis, Deji, Heather, Ayo, Sylvia and Roselyn) for your time, commitment and dedication towards the success to all events or activities organised.

– Report from Men in Sheds Emily Willey

248 sessions delivered at Men in Sheds with 1777 attendances (between 47 people)-

Session highlights from 2023 at Men in Sheds centres around the many social outings and activities arranged for the Shed members. Trips in 2023 included the Sky Garden, a Riverboat tour, the Imperial War Muesum, a Barbeque for the Coronation and meals out. Men in Sheds also enjoyed being a part of Christ Church Erith’s summer and Christmas fairs. The members made items in their workshop to sell on a market stall and raised funds for their project.

In October, Men in Sheds was awarded £242,594 from the National Lottery Community Fund. This funding will support the project for 5 years.

In November, Men in Sheds was nominated by Christ Church Erith for an Interfaith Award for their service and contribution to promoting “Healthy Communities” in Bexley.

Coronation Barbeque

Trip to the Skygarden

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Men in Sheds delivered 2 Outreach sessions for the local community-

In August, members ran a one-day workshop at the Exchange for 9–16-year-olds. 13 young people all made footstalls from kit form using hand tools like saws and electric drills. In the afternoon, the group decorated the footstalls with paint and fabrics.

Members also ran a family friendly workshop making bamboo wind chimes with local residents at Belvedere Fun Day in August.

In February 2023, a few members from Men in Sheds participated in a podcasting workshop with Youth Unity. Shed members were interviewed by young people and asked about their outlook on youth today. These interviews were edited into a podcast and video (htps://youthunity.org/menin-she

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Outreach workshop at The Exchange
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Report from Beavers and Scouts by Eve Ives

In the past year there have been several changes within the Scout Group. In July, we had to close the Explorer Unit due to lack of Leaders but happily two of the Explorers have become Young Leaders in the Beaver Colony. We also lost Nathan as Akela but our Group Secretary, Ben Kennor, (an ex Scout of the Group) stepped up and took over the role of Cub Leader. The Scout Association is undergoing a massive change with regard to the management and Leadership of the Groups but we are well ahead of the changes and although our titles will change, we will still be undertaking the same duties.

We have improved the numbers in the Beavers and Cubs but Scouts are still trying to recruit more members.

In the past year the Sections have been active, attending various District activities and also a Group weekend camp at Cudham Shaws, the District’s camp site where everyone had a great time. The Cubs and Beavers attended the Panto at Erith Playhouse in January, which was very popular. We have lots of activities planned for the future and look forward to a very active Scouting year.

We continue to serve the wider community where we can and last year I reported that one of our Scout Leaders, Charlotte Born, helped out as a marshall at her late Majesty’s lying-in-state. Charlotte also stepped in as a Leader with the Beavers when the Beaver Leader broke her ankle

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and was out of action for some time. Charlotte also undertakes fund raising for her employers and the Scout Group and for all her work with the Scouts and others, she was recently awarded the Deputy Lieutenants Award which was presented at the Town Hall. To date, Charlotte is one of only five Scouters in Bexley who has received this award.

As usual, we need more helpers and Leaders to volunteer at the Scout Group, and I repeat what I said last year and that is that our young people are from diverse backgrounds but there is no diversity among the Leaders and we would welcome adult help from all sections of the community. As you will know, several of the Leaders are of the older generation and we need younger helpers or Leaders to progress.

We are looking forward to the coming year when we will be offering a wide variety of Scouting opportunities for the members of the 13[th] Erith (Christ Church) Scout Group.

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