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← The Anglican And Methodist Church Of St. Andrew, Paddock Wood

2023-12-31-accounts

THE ANGLICAN AND METHODIST CHURCH OF ST. ANDREW, PADDOCK WOOD (REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1137783) REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2023

The trustees, who are the members of the Church Council, present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023. The trustees confirm that the report and financial statements of the charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity’s governing document, and the provisions of “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (effective 1 January 2015) (Charities SORP FRS 102).

1. Aim and Purpose

The Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Reverend Canon Bryan Knapp (Chair) and the Methodist Minister The Rev Kirsty McGhee in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The Church Council is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church Complex of St Andrew’s.

2. Objectives and activities for the public benefit

Our main objective as a church is to promote the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England and Methodist church. Our responsibility is to share the Good News of God’s love with the community we serve.

The trustees are committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St Andrew’s. We want to be a church without walls, one which reaches out to the community and the world at large. We want to grow in Christian maturity and to know and understand God’s will for our lives and our church. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer, preaching, scripture readings, music and sacrament.

We encourage people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through

When planning our activities for the year, including setting the grant-making policy, the incumbent and the trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.

They have also considered how the charity had succeeded in delivering its aims, including public benefit, when reviewing the achievements for the year, which are summarised below (Section 5), and which the trustees considered to be a public benefit.

3 . St Andrew’s Church Centre Complex- Public Benefit

To facilitate this work, the trustees recognise the importance of maintaining the amenities and the fabric of the Church Centre Complex and ensuring that the facilities remain welcoming to those visiting our church buildings. The public can freely access all of our amenities and can enjoy, and participate in, all of our activities, subject to observing safeguarding arrangements currently in force.

The Charity furthers its charitable purposes for the public benefit through its grantmaking policy, which is set out below.

4. Policies on Grant making, Investment and Fundraising

Our policy is to make grants to missionary charities we nominate, and to our Parish link with Bereko (Tanzania), based on 10 percent of our annual voluntary income. The 10 percent also includes an equal amount to be used to fund our Mission Opportunity Fund (see below).

All grants are made to charities and to individuals where there is accountability and transparency in the way they use these funds. We seek and receive regular updates and reports from each charity on how these grants are spent.

In respect of the Fair Trade Shop, it is our policy to give away the whole of the annual surplus made by the Shop, consistent with maintaining adequate reserves to meet normal trading requirements (three months’ purchases of goods for resale, plus a 10% margin for contingencies). An amount of £406 which had in earlier years been set aside for refurbishment of the Fair Trade Shop, was released to income, as it was no longer required.

In addition, it was decided to release £309 from reserves to add to the total amount available to be distributed to charities as grants. The final amount distributable totalled £5,000.

The Shop makes grants to charitable organisations based in the UK which are Christian in outlook and practice, and which promote sustainable livelihoods and development opportunities to marginalised peoples and communities in the UK and the rest of the world, having regard to the impact on the environmental and social impact of their activities.

Details of all grants made in 2023, and the recipient organisations, appear on page 14 of the Financial Statements.

4.2 Investment policy and objectives, including policy on social investment and program related investment

The trustees have adopted a risk-averse approach to investments. In view of their low risk appetite, the trustees are willing to accept a lower rate of return by placing surplus funds on deposit with the CCLA, in return for certainty and flexibility. The charity does not make social or program related investments.

4.3 Performance of fundraising activities

Our policy is to raise the vast majority of our funds from within the church membership. The frequency of fundraising activity is relatively low, as most church-organised events are free.

5. Significant Achievements and Performance

This section of the report summarises the main achievements of the Charity and the difference our work made to our beneficiaries, and where possible, explains any wider benefits to communities as a whole.

As trustees, we are committed to managing the resources of the charity in accordance with the highest principles and standards of stewardship, integrity and accountability, consistent with our obligations under charity law. We regularly review our obligation to keep all vulnerable adults and children who visit or use our premises safe at all times. One of our trustees is responsible for monitoring our performance as a church and for ensuring that everyone whose duties require them to be interact with others, receives essential safeguarding training.

Introduction

“Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others.

“Christ’s love controls us.

“God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.”

( 2 Cor 5: 11, 14, 18, 20 )

We consider it a privilege to act as Christ’s ambassadors in this place, to represent him and to tell others of God's love and his wish for everyone to be reconciled to him through Christ. This is what motivates us.

As Christ’s ambassadors during the year under review, we

Detail

Pastoral Support

We attach prime importance to this integral and vital part of our role as ambassadors for Christ. Compared with 2022, a smaller number of our congregation now prefer to stay away from attending church following the end of Covid. However, older age and infirmity has meant that more home visits are being offered, together with the service of Holy Communion.

During the year we conducted 20 funerals in the parish which included 8 members of our regular congregation. Whilst these are of course a great loss to their immediate family, they also are a great loss to us the church family. Given the years of service which many of them gave in areas such as worship on a Sunday, the Governance of our church, serving on Church Council or its committees, their prayer and pastoral concern, or sharing in our communications, their deaths now leave a hole in the ministry of our church. We thank God for them all and for the way they shared their faith with us and others.

The Steering Group, set up as a point of support during Covid, to encourage members and others through prayers, monthly phone calls and visits, continued to meet weekly, initially under Sharon’s leadership while Bryan’s health recovered. Bryan was able to resume leadership on his return in May and currently continues to lead the group.

Finally, pastoral support was also offered by our church through continuing to provide support (including financial) to The Community Storehouse, both weekly and

through our Harvest gifts. We also hosted a Christmas lunch and afternoon tea in the church Hall for those on their own. The ACTS 2 Fund and Vicar’s Discretionary Fund were also used to support people in their hour of need.

Missional Activities

We continued through the year to take the opportunity to grow relationships with the three growing housing developments in Paddock Wood. The door to door knocking with invitation and small seasonal gifts have allowed us to make contacts and they have become a talking point by those who received them.

We tried in 2023 to recruit three teams who would take on this responsibility and to meet in prayer for the developments. Sadly, only two members of the congregation came forward. We sadly still have a long way to go before people feel comfortable and natural in doing such things.

We ran two UK Welcomes Hong Kong courses during 2023 and also received funding from local Government to undertake this. However, the standout event with our Hong Kong friends was our new Year Celebrations held one Saturday in January. We welcomed over 600 people to this event which included dragon dancing, craft activities and cultural experiences and food. We are grateful to all those who supported this event and those who staged it.

Finally, we took part again in the Paddock Wood Carnival and the Lights Up Event. Being present at such events is important, as it shows our commitment to the community and often offers times in which to talk and be reunited with people whom we have supported in the past.

Ecumenical Relationships

We once again shared a Lent course with our brothers and sisters from Paddock Wood Baptist Church and welcomed them as a congregation to a couple of services during the year. Their Minister Steve Collingwood announced that he was stepping down from ministry. It would be right to acknowledge his support, friendship and ministry amongst us over the last 7 years. We look forward to working with Jennifer Roberts who takes on the leadership of this church in February 2024.

The Chinese Church celebrated its first anniversary in October and continues to flourish with baptisms taking place of new converts. We welcomed one or two more of the Hong Kong community into our own services as regulars at our 9.00am service.

As a whole we have continued to ‘fly the flag’ of some ecumenical activity in Paddock Wood, mainly at the instigation of St Andrew’s and we hope that we might be able to encourage more activity amongst the churches in 2024.

Weald of Kent Methodist Circuit

St Andrew’s is one of eight churches in the Weald of Kent Circuit served by 4 Ministers (3 Methodist, one URC Minister in an LEP) and 2 lay workers. East Peckham continued to explore their premises with a view to changes to maximise mission opportunities.

A meeting was held in the autumn of 2023 at which representatives of Church Council met with the Archdeacon of Tonbridge and The Methodist Superintendent. This was to see what progress might be made in supporting the appointment of a Housing Minister at St Andrew’s. Funding was the main issue, along with the possibility of using the curate’s house at 3s Ashcroft Road. Encouraging noises were received from both parties assuring the representatives that Paddock Wood was seen as a ‘missional area’ that needed supporting and this might include a significant time scale.

Finally, following the announcement of John Ritson’s retirement in 2024 the Weald of Kent Circuit called together an invitation committee to find a replacement for September 2024. After a day of visits and conversations the Rev Jane Braund was unanimously appointed. We look forward to welcoming her to St Andrew’s in due course.

Safeguarding

At St. Andrew’s Church we take our safeguarding responsibilities seriously and we are committed to ensuring that our church and buildings are a safe place for all.

Brian Banks, a trustee, is our Safeguarding Officer, with Felicity Lusted as his deputy. Training continued to be rolled out during the year, and all leaders and volunteers, where appropriate, have now completed their training. The records system was brought up to date.

Church Council continue to be updated confidentially at each meeting by Brian on changes, updates and actions taken.

There is still a need for everyone to recognise that safeguarding applies to everybody.

The trustees remain grateful to Tom Chewter for continuing to manage our DBS process.

Bereko Committee Report

The Bereko Committee is a committee working to Church Council approved Terms of Reference. In practical terms, it is run through the Bereko Community Partnership (BCP), as the church representatives are also Bereko Committee members. Occasionally pure church matters are dealt with separately.

The BCP coordinates the activities relating to Bereko, of the Town Council, Mascalls and Paddock Wood Primary Academies, ourselves and St Justus. It is working well with all members actively contributing to the work of the partnership.

The major project being supported by BCP is the Bereko Garden Group, an entity in Bereko that runs community development projects.

During the year, BCP held events to raise funds and also awareness with the community: water stand at the Paddock Wood half marathon, stand at carnival, soup lunch, quiz night, Celtish concert, presentations to U3A and the Town Council AGM and articles in Contact magazine and the Town Crier.

This year, a group of ten visited Bereko. The group included two teachers from Paddock Wood Primary Academy, a nurse from East Peckham Methodist church and seven members of St Andrew’s. Daily video diaries were published on the church website and feedback was provided to the congregation at a service in November.

Between the church’s Bereko Fund and the BCP funds, the group was able to take £9,170 which was used to purchase bibles, medical supplies, 80 sacks of maize to help address the hunger situation, materials and labour to add a roof, ceiling and floor to the catechist’s house at Kikilo and a number of smaller items.

Also during the year, funds were sent to cover the pastor’s annual salary (£650) and the £350 parish share to the Diocese.

In conclusion the work of the Bereko Committee is going well, relationships have been strengthened by our recent visit and the partnership within Paddock Wood remains strong.

Methodist Circuit

Staffing Changes

2023 saw the first of many staff changes within the circuit that will lead to a totally new team within just two years. Rev Sharon Lovelock moved on from her stationing here in the summer. She was a very active minister and in 2023 pioneered some of the projects that are proving to be very successful. At Tonbridge we have seen the introduction of a Community lead and the growth of mission there, and she worked with Bryan and those at St Andrew’s in thinking about reaching out to the new developments. She was replaced in September by Rev Kirsty McGhee, our new probationary minister.

Further staffing changes are coming in 2024 when the superintendent minister, Rev John Ritson “sits down” (retires) in the summer. The new super-intendent Rev Jane Braund will be starting in September. We will also see Phil Staddon, the rural worker, retire in the summer, and will be planning for the retirement of Rev Dermot Thornberry the minister at The Drive in Sevenoaks.

A new circuit safeguarding lead was appointed who is in Helen Atkinson., Local Preachers’ Meeting

The Methodist Church has updated its requirements for local preachers, who now all receive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training, as well as safeguarding training. At our local preachers meetings we have been looking at Justin Welby’s book The Power of Reconciliation and are now looking at Boys will be Boys by Will Moore.

Discernment

There are many ways our circuit will be changing in the coming year, with churches undergoing building projects and new people bringing different sets of priorities. It is not clear what the out-come will be, but prayers for all the churches in their discernment and worshipping life would be most appreciated.

Other Areas of St Andrew’s work and witness

Detailed reports of the specific activities, achievements and performance in other areas of the church’s work, may be found in the separate booklet, which does not form part of this TAR . These areas include:

6. Financial review

The net results for the year of both the Parochial Fund and Halls Account, before depreciation, were a small surplus. This is encouraging after the challenging times of Covid and the opening of the Community Centre adversely affecting our bookings. Our thanks are due to our regular givers and loyal users of the Halls. The overall result for the year after taking depreciation into account, but before revaluation of the Halls Complex, is a deficit of £11, 224 compared with a deficit of £39,673 for 2022. This is a substantially better result than last year, but most of the favourable increase is in Restricted Funds which cannot be used for normal running expenses. The balance of free reserves now stands at £40,789 somewhat below our aim of covering the equivalent of three months’ expenditure, £54,000. The Designated Reserves other than the Fixed Assets Reserve are down to £23.315, due to the expenditure on necessary roof repairs and the clock.

During the year, we received a donation of £50,000 to enable us to completely refurbish the Halls Kitchen, so we now have a splendid working kitchen which we can be proud of. There were sufficient funds left over from this project which meant we were able to improve the lighting by fitting LED lights in the Halls and the Foyer, and to replace the Winter Hall Floor, which desperately needed doing. Plans are in place to use the balance available on upgrading the facilities in the Church, including changing the carpeting, replacing the lighting with LED lights and improving the audio system, with the generous support of the Benefact Trust and Marshalls Trust.

Reserves Policy

Each year the trustees review the requirements for free reserves, which are those unrestricted funds not invested in fixed assets, designated for specific purposes or otherwise committed to ensure that the church can meet all its obligations.

As stated above, Free Reserves stand at £40,789. In reviewing its reserves requirement the trustees have decided that the charity needs to hold a level of free reserves equivalent to approximately three months’ running costs (£54,000), as advised by the Charity Commission. In addition, we need to hold reserves to cover emergency situations such as urgent property repairs. This gives flexibility to cover the need

for adequate working capital, the ability to respond quickly to emergencies and to fund partly our planned programme of improvement to the fabric and facilities.

Given the Church’s level of free reserves at the year-end, the Trustees consider that there are sufficient resources to continue for the foreseeable future. The Trustees identified no material uncertainties which would mean that the Church would be unable to operate for the foreseeable future.

7. Governance Issues

Church Committees

Church Council continued to exercise oversight over the work, issues and challenges of the various church committees through consideration of their minutes and any issues highlighted for the Council’s attention.

Risk management

Risks and uncertainties

Four types of risk have been identified for our purpose, namely financial, operational, statutory, and legal and reputational. Risk monitoring and control procedures are in place to manage these types of risk. These procedures are continual and ongoing.

The main financial risk for the charity is financial sustainability. A key element in the management of financial risk is a regular review of available liquid funds to settle debts as they fall due, regular liaison with the bank and active management of debtors and creditors balances to ensure sufficient working capital by the charity.

The financial position is reviewed by Council, at each meeting, in light of advice from the Finance Committee, which meets regularly to monitor and scrutinise the charity's financial performance against budget. If it proved to be necessary, or desirable, a Stewardship Campaign would be promoted.

Attention has also been focused on non-financial risks arising from Safeguarding, food hygiene, fire and health and safety of those who use the church's facilities.

These risks are managed by ensuring that we have up to date and robust policies and procedures in place, and regular awareness training for staff and volunteers working in these operational areas. The trustees keep the major risks to which the charity is exposed under active review. Responsibility for overseeing the management and proper operation of the charity's risk systems and risk policies is currently vested in the Finance and the Property and Fabric Committees.

All committees are required to prepare a risk assessment for each activity undertaken in the church’s name, particularly where proposals might affect children, the church’s reputation, or have financial implications. Steps are always taken to manage any risks (such as, for example, seeking to share the risk with others, insuring against the risk, strengthening internal financial controls, or not undertaking the activity). Health and safety, personnel procedures and office functions are reviewed on a regular basis. All committees are aware that for insurance purposes, the Church Council must be informed whenever any church sponsored activity takes place off-premises.

In light of the Covid pandemic, the trustees also reviewed other operational and business risks (including those to which the Fair Trade Shop were exposed), facing the charity, and believes that the measures which were taken to mitigate and control the significant risks were adequate and effective. Measures taken included, but were not limited to, regular risk assessments relating to access to, and use of, the shop premises, and the implementation of strict and frequent sanitisation controls.

Operational risk is managed mainly through supporting only appropriately gifted, qualified and supervised Christian workers and volunteers who fill positions of pastoral responsibility.

Reputational risk is managed mainly through supporting only Christian workers who have been rigorously vetted and trained. In addition, the Church of England's Safeguarding Policy requires that all trustees, individuals involved in regular work with children and young people provide references and submit to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. In addition, the trustees now require all trustees, staff and volunteers, where appropriate, to undergo formal Safeguarding Training. Review of risks facing committees

The trustees confirm that they ensured that regular risk assessments were done whenever the buildings and facilities were used, and in relation to all outside activities under the aegis of the Church Council.

8. People Appointments and Governance Committee (PAGC)

Along with our volunteers and building, our staff team is a much- valued resource in the day-to-day operations of our Church. We employed 2 full-time and 1 parttime staff for most of the year. In addition, with the permission of the Church Council, one of the Wardens, Carol Barnett, covered the office part-time when the Operations Manager was on leave.

8.1 Staff - departure, recruitment

We bade a sad farewell to our Operations Manager, Steve Talmage, on his retirement in June. Steve had been an asset to St Andrew’s since his arrival 5 years earlier. Everyone will miss him and we wish him God’s blessings as he manages the next stage of his walk with the Lord.

We welcomed Steve’s successor, Chris Dunn, who assumed duty in July. Chris settled into the job quickly. However, for family reasons, Chris felt compelled to resign in December. We are sorry that we will be losing him in a few months’ time, but he will leave with our best wishes for the future.

Recruitment of Chris’ successor is expected to be completed by early March. In light of the departure of Sarah-Joy as Youth Worker in February, Church Council appointed Hanna Rosser to a full-time position as Families Manager. Hanna agreed to stand in on a part-time basis until a replacement for Sarah-Joy was found.

We thank Hanna for the excellent job she has been doing to keep the youth work going since Sarah-Joy left in February. Following Church Council approval in January 2024, the Youth Worker job was advertised on a part-time basis early in February 2024 and it is hoped to recruit a replacement by April 2024.

8.2 Staff pay

The PAGC reviewed the reports on the monthly staff and were satisfied that performances were fairly assessed and fully met the requirements of the jobs. Accordingly, the Committee had no hesitation in endorsing the recommendation to Church Council on the pay rise of 5% for all staff proposed by the Finance committee for satisfactory performance. The pay rise for all staff was approved by Church Council at its January 2024 meeting.

8.3 Contribution made by Volunteers

The Vicar and Methodist Minister have helped co-ordinate and further the objectives of the charity. During the year, over one hundred volunteers from within and outside the church gave wide-ranging help across all the different aspects of the charity's work. Without all of this dedicated and committed work the charity would not be able to accomplish all that it does.

We continued to maintain appropriate infection control measures aimed at keeping everyone using the premises safe, whilst monitoring through empirical evidence rising infection rates locally. We notify the congregation when individuals report

Covid symptoms having visited an activity or service. The controls in place are kept under regular review.

We are indebted to all the members of our congregation who share their gifts and skills with the wider body, and for the time and energy they commit to the ministry here.

8.4 The congregation

As is reported above, we experienced the death of 8 members in 2023 each longstanding members of our congregation who served faithfully and with love. It reminds us once again of the ageing profile of our congregation, and of the urgent need to find new, younger, members to replace our long-serving volunteers. We are working on ways to involve some of the new members of the congregation, but family and work responsibilities still continue to be factors limiting the extent to which they are willing to commit the necessary time for involvement in church activities. This, sadly, is the picture across many other church congregations.

9 . Plans for future periods People

From Bryan:

I am particularly conscious that in contributing to this report, I myself was off sick for the first four months of last year with a diagnosis of PTSD. I firstly wish to acknowledge my thanks to all those who stepped up at the time and have not rushed to hand back the responsibilities they took on. Ministry can be a bottomless pit of giving out and supporting, with in many cases a sense of guilt that you are never doing enough. Unless one looks after oneself, and invests time accordingly, all sorts of challenges arise. I returned a little wiser in the need to look after my own mental health and to get a better work - life balance. I am secondly, indebted to all those who supported with cards and gifts of time and kind words to aid my recovery.

As has already been mentioned, we said thank you and farewells to three members of staff who gave of their time and energy and shared gifts of ministry with us. Like many areas of work, finding the right people and attracting people to roles is never easy. As has been reported in years past vocations to church ministry are in decline and this is true of youth work as much as ordained ministry. As we enter 2024, we are praying that we are able to make the right appointments of an Operations Manager and a Part-Time Youth Worker.

We thank Hanna in the meantime for leading the youth work and to Chris as he steps down from being our Operations Manager.

A New Vision (Back to Basics)

Over the last 18 month the Church Council have been talking and reflecting on its priorities as we move forward. Four words have evolved from this time which have given us some focus for the future.

Invitation this is a reminder to us that at the heart of the gospel message is God’s invitation to invite us to be one of his family and to work with him in making him known .

Welcome this surely reminds us that St Andrew’s needs in every aspect of ministry to be an intentional place of welcome, support and care for all.

Engage welcoming is good but we need our welcome to grow into a positive engagement with individuals, so that we meet the person and they meet, through us, Jesus Christ.

Worship Paul reminds us that our lives should be one of worship - one that bears witness and praise to God. Not just on a Sunday, but every waking hour of our lives.

In light of this, we have all been reminded that we have a part to play, we are the ones that need to be invitational and welcoming, we need to engage with people and to show through our lives the reality of a life changed in worship of God.

Communications

Through the latter half of 2023 we have extended the publicity of our Social media. Whilst many of our current congregation do not rely on this for information or encouragement, growing numbers of younger people do. We therefore took the decision to advertise hall hirers and events and to share from 2024 the themes our Sunday services would take in small, ‘pithy’ adverts or comments. This is undoubtedly an area for growth but also for expertise that we currently don’t have. We will monitor its effectiveness and see how we can grow or develop this in 2024.

Missioner

It is hoped that, with both the Diocese of Rochester obtaining support money from the central church, and with funds from the sale of Southborough Methodist Church, we may be able in this year to recruit for this post. Whilst the resources may become available, as has already been stated, it will then require finding the right person. We must believe that God is in this and that he has the right person for us and that his timing, along with our church school, is perfect.

10. Structure, Governance and Management

The Anglican and Methodist Church of St Andrew Paddock Wood, is a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) of Anglican and Methodist church members in Paddock Wood. It was registered as an independent charitable Trust in September 2010. The trustees and the Church Council are the same body. The structure of the Trust is set out in a New Framework Constitution agreed by the Charity Commissioners, The Church of England, The Methodist Church (and the URC and The Baptist Union) as well as Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Kent. The governance of the Trust is set out in a Working Policies document and a Sharing of Buildings Agreement (both available on our website). The Charity is administered and managed by the Church Council, comprising:

(a) ex-officio trustees, being the ministers of the LEP, the Curate, the Youth Worker and the Children and Families Worker;

(b) up to sixteen elected Trustees elected at the Annual Congregational Meeting: four Wardens/Stewards, three Deanery Synod Representatives, and eight ordinary members. Wardens/Stewards are elected every year, but commit to serve for three years. Ordinary members serve for three years; and

(c) up to four Co-opted trustees, appointed by the trustees, including one representative for Local Preachers/ Readers, one representative for Pastoral Assistants and two co-opted members. Co-opted members serve for up to one year until the next Annual Congregational Meeting.

The chair of the Church Council was shared between the Reverend Canon Knapp and the Reverend Lovelock until the latter’s departure mid-year. The Lay Chair, who will usually chair meetings when neither minister is available, is Sue Chalkley.

The newly elected Church Council takes office from the end of the Annual Congregational Meeting, which will be held on 28 April 2024 .

The induction and training of any new trustees takes place in a number of ways. First, each Trustee is given a Member’s pack, the aim of which is to help them in their legal role as a Trustee. The pack (first introduced in April 2010, and updated annually), includes a copy of the LEP governing constitution, material on the meaning of Trusteeship, the duties of a Trustee, the marks of good governance, future meeting dates and topics and details of Church Council Committees and their Terms of Reference. The information in the pack is reviewed and updated annually. During 2016, an updated written version of the duties and responsibilities of trustees was issued, reflecting changes in the law and latest guidance from the Charity Commission.

Secondly, at the first meeting of the new Council, the Secretary gives a brief talk on the duties and responsibilities of trustees and fields questions on the workings,

objectives, policies and procedures of the charity. Thirdly, the new trustee is trained 'on the job' at trustees' meetings by observation and explanation by other trustees of the workings of the charity.

The Church Council meets every two months. Between Church Council meetings, the Standing Committee (comprising the Vicar, the Methodist Minister, the Curate, the Church Council Secretary, the Treasurer and the Warden team) is able to conduct church business as necessary.

Work on furtherance of the Church’s objectives and aims is carried out by a number of committees at the behest of the Church Council. These committees carry out detailed work and make recommendations to the Church Council for future action. During the year, the chair of each Committee makes a presentation to the Church Council on the work of their Committee and the issues and challenges facing them. This arrangement was suspended during Covid, but was resumed fully in 2022 following the end of Covid restrictions. All key decisions in relation to the Charity’s strategy, direction, policies, finance, use of the Church’s assets and major items of expenditure, remain the responsibility of the Church Council.

Though the charity cooperates with many other charitable organisations through the financial support that it gives and the work in which it is engaged, it has no structural relationships with charities or other parties.

11. Reference and administrative details of St Andrew

These are set out below:

Name of charity : The Anglican and Methodist Church of St Andrew, Paddock Wood

Registered Charity Number: 1137783

Registered Office : Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6DZ

Trustees : The members of the Church Council are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout the report are collectively referred to as the Trustees and/or the Church Council.

In 2004 a motion was passed at the Annual Meeting whereby elected members of the Council would serve for 3 years. Clergy, Deanery Synod Representatives, Reader Representative, Pastoral Assistant Representative, the Youth Worker and the Children and Families Worker, are all ex-officio members of the Council i.e. they are Council members by right of their position.

During 2023, the names of the Trustees, their positions and the date their office expires, were:

Role

Name

The Revd Canon Bryan Knapp Anglican Vicar - Joint Chair

Term ends/ed (ex officio)

The Revd Sharon Lovelock Methodist Minister - Joint Chair (Left July 2023)
Hanna Rosser Children and Families Minister (ex officio)
The Revd John Ritson Methodist Superintendent (ex officio)
The Revd Kirsty McGhee Probationer Minister (ex officio) (Joined Sept. 2023)
Roland Tolley Church Warden (Resigned
January 2023)
Kevin Dunn Church Warden
 (March 2024)
Carol Barnet Methodist Steward (March 2024)
Ken Hesse Methodist Steward (March 2024)
Brian Banks Deanery Synod Rep (March 2026)
Linda Hobbs Deanery Synod Representative (March 2026)
Sue Chalkley Ordinary Member/ Lay Chair (March 2024)
Peter Crouch Ordinary Member Member/Treasurer (March 2025)
Anita Fleming Ordinary Member (March 2025)
Keith Rosser Ordinary Member (March 2026)
Jacky Taylor Ordinary Member (March 2024)
Ron Taylor Ordinary Member (March 2026)
Carl Warren Ordinary Member/Church Council Secretary (March 2024)

Bankers : HSBC Bank, plc, 105 Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1QP

: Unity Trust Bank, Nine Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HB Independent Examiner : M N Jenks & Co Limited, Chartered Accountants, Commercial Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6DP

Operations Manager and Church Council Secretariat : Chris Dunn

Approved by the Church Council on 18 March 2024 and signed on their behalf by the Revd Canon Bryan Knapp (Chair)

Signed :

Name : The Revd Canon Bryan Knapp

Date : 18 March 2024

APPENDIX

1. Our Vision: Ecumenical Vision Statement

As part of the Weald of Kent Methodist Circuit, we have adopted, along with the other churches in the circuit, a Circuit Vision statement. This reads:

In the light of the prayer of Christ “may they all be one…that the world may believe that you sent me…” (John.17:21) and the injunction to “spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unity which the Spirit gives” (Ephesians 4:3), The Anglican and Methodist Church of St Andrew, Paddock Wood commits to express the visible unity of Christ’s Church, and to work as a united church: in prayer,

in worship and ministry, in making and nurturing Christian disciples, in serving God’s mission in our neighbourhood and beyond, while retaining the distinctive features of Methodism and Anglicanism and maintaining our connections with other Anglican and Methodist bodies outside Paddock Wood.

Furthermore, our own Mission statement for the ministry here at St Andrew’s reads “Building a community of faith, to witness to the community at large” Our Values and Aims

We seek as God’s Church, in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit to be:

Maturing in our Faith Prayerful in all we do Transformed by our worship Reaching out to our town and the world Excited by the opportunities to share our faith

A community where all are welcomed, cared for, and valued