## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** ## **Aim and purposes** St James with Emmanuel Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Heather Atkinson, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. ## **Objectives and Activities** The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St James with Emmanuel. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and the Parish Development Group (a subgroup of the PCC) makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. An area we have been developing is ministry for young people, which now needs nurturing. The all age service continued throughout 2022 but we are struggling to attract new families. Baptism families continue to be invited but with little uptake. We continued a youth group for the older children, meeting on a Monday in termtime at Emmanuel, unless on an outing. Parade Services have continued in 2022. Our participation in Bridging the Wallasey Gap has enabled us to continue working with wither delivering hampers or they inviting families to collect their hampers from the member churches (See Organisation Reports. ## _**Vision of our Leading your Church into Growth Plan (LyCiG)** The Parish has a mission statement: -Together in Prayer, Worship, Community Care and Outreach._ _The aim is to be a growing church both in spirituality, numbers and unity and to be confident in our faith through the engagement of the mission statement._ When planning our activities for the year, we have continued working on the **Leading Your Church into Growth** (LyCiG) plan which we initially developed together as the Lent group back in 2018. This document is flexible, developmental and transformative. People can openly suggest other ideas which can be taken to the PDG to develop. We try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: - Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; developing knowledge and trust in Jesus. - Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish. - Missionary and outreach work. To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Churches of St. James and Emmanuel ## **A) Worship and Church Buildings Aims: - To continue to be welcoming churches and encourage worship across all ages.** ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** An All-Age Service has continued at St. James which is advertised to all baptism families by email. We now have a small group of young people who are enjoying exploring their faith. Children are helping to make the choice of hymns in the All-Age service. A children’s corner has been developed at St James which the children enjoy using, A youth group for the older children, has met on a Monday in termtime at Emmanuel. Local schoolchildren were invited to St James to experience harvest. This was taken up by the school council of New Brighton Primary School and initial conversations have taken place to develop links further. In June 2022 for the Queens Platinum Jubilee, uniformed organisations were invited to attend the service and on the Saturday they had a BBQ at which Rev Heather said grace every hour. A children’s party took place at St James. Free books were given out at both churches to every child who attended and Foodbank families a copy of the adult version. Towards the end of 2022, Colin Jones encouraged attendance at parade services. We hope to hold again the twice yearly healing service at Emmanuel, involving Rev Chris Turner. This could be a Taizé style service alternating with Holy Communion which will be discussed at the PDG During 2022 we had to start gaining ground lost due to Covid 19. The use of Testimonies in services continues and also in the Parish Magazine as part of everyday faith. . A new screen for St James has been approved by the PCC. We had previously looked at Christ Church Moreton, St Peter’s Heswall and St Mary’s Eastham. Three quotes had already been already obtained but would need updating by AV Practical, the company chosen. The balance of sound at St. James needs to be reviewed long term. ## **B.) Care and Fellowship Aim: To deepen existing relationships and build on our links with the community. This will enable transformation to happen on different levels.** Over the next 5 years we need to ensure that pastoral care is kept on top of, with the congregation working together. Revd. Heather cannot see everyone so asked for volunteers to help with home communion. Safeguarding and CRB checks needed to be implemented for the team to start in December. Those who are housebound were contacted to see if they wished to have home communion. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure a growing church still feels cared for. We need to work on further developing the pastoral care groups already started. Ann Barlow and Sue Chadwick have continued to ring members on the electoral roll supplementing the work of the pastoral groups. Funeral follow up: - Bereaved families are asked if they would like to have a post funeral visit. Bereavement visits where necessary are continuing. Welcome people moving into the area: A welcome pack for community and visitors to church is slowly being developed. This extends pastoral care to the newest members of the community and gives presence. New people will know what is going on better. Electoral roll follow up is still being developed. ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** Both churches have been accepted into the Places of Welcome scheme, Emmanuel on a Saturday morning and St James on a Wednesday with Tea and Toast. These sessions are part of the Warm Spaces initiative and further conversations took place for more sessions at Emmanuel. Revd. Heather is also a member of the Coastal Committee which has continued to meet via Zoom. The local RNLI let Rev Heather know when they have been called out so that they can be included in prayer has continued. Rev Heather is available for pastoral visits with the RNLI staff. From this information a leaflet was created informing people where to go to get help. Rev Heather had conversations with the RNLI and the Council for help posters like Liverpool have done, to be put in sites along the coast which attract visitors but also vulnerable people. Further conversations have taken place but there are unforeseen complications regarding placement. For parish events and socializing, a Jubilee dinner and harvest quiz and supper took place and several groups have met for social events. Other social suggestions remain as part of future planning now that all restrictions have been removed. Valentines’ dinner Epiphany party Car Boot sale or Auction Get involved with Love New Brighton Cruise liner evening Beetle drive A meal with a Christian speaker Outings Film nights Socials as opportunities to invite people outside of the church. Strawberry pick with strawberry tea and a service Songs of Praise with meaning of hymns explained. ## **c) Prayer and Spirituality: Aim to deepen existing faith within the congregation and to enable the community to know that they can ask for prayer.** - Testimony and Bible Notes will help, links to apps etc. Many use Bible notes and Heather has let people know about Lectio 365 App which is a great resource for morning and Evening Prayer. - To encourage prayer for the church and growth. A bookmark of LYCIG prayer has been made and will now be put out, which includes details for children and families. - To mention any useful courses in the pew sheet. (Ongoing) Members of leadership teams have been completing safeguarding courses online and as has Revd. Heather. - The Lady Chapel at St James and votive candles continue to be used as a practical place for prayer for all who come. - The pebble bowl at Emmanuel needs to be reinstated. - Prayer walks around the parish boundary with printed tee-shirts and picnics (flyers with service time make it become missional): still outstanding. However, some of us did mingle with the Pride event in New Brighton at the Floral and also walked along the prom and give out leaflets which promoted our service and that we are Pride friendly. ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** - House groups. The Vicarage House group met in person during the year and Peter Jordan carried on zoom with a couple of people. - Monthly Prayer group at St James has continued to meet online and Heather’s WhatsApp group has continued in this format. - Practical Prayer board at St. James. - Youth group continued Alpha and then we used Urban Saints material. - Sam Rowan was accepted for Ordination Training and Fred Asbury is further on in his exploration of ministry and will go to the selection event in 2023.  ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Worship and Prayer** Revd. Heather has continued filming and editing as some are still worshipping online, via our YouTube channel. The Lifeboat Service took place in March at which the Glee Club were present. This years’ service will take place in October as usual. Five weddings took place at St James in 2022 and two at Emmanuel Two baptisms and two thanksgiving services took place at St James and one baptism at Emmanuel Nine funerals took place at St James, four at Emmanuel in 2022 and eleven funerals took place at the Crematorium. All are welcome to attend our regular services. At present there are 150 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll following the revision in 2021. Christmas: A Carol Service was held at St James with 72 people attending, a slight increase on last year. 43 attended at the midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve, which was down on last year and represented the amount of illness prevailing in the congregation at the time. At Emmanuel, the Christmas Tree service and Christmas crafts took place without any Covid restrictions and were both well attended. The Christingle service also took place with 109 attending. The other advent Services at Emmanuel (Christmas Tree, Ladies Fellowship and nativity) totalled 119. Members of both congregations took to the streets near the church to sing carols which was well received. Generally, the service attendances increased to about 50 on occasions at St James and 25-35 at Emmanuel with a good attendance midweek at Emmanuel of about 21. A service of BCP Communion continued on the third Sunday in the month and also first Wednesday in the month at St James. Choral Evensong attendees increased in number as the year went on. ## **Deanery Synod Meetings 2022** Sally Giles and Helen Harvey were the lay representatives of the parish at Deanery Synod for the beginning of last year. Sally stepped down at the APCM and Maureen Hennessey was elected. They report back to our PCC after each Synod meeting. All clergy licensed in the deanery are automatically members of the Deanery Synod, so Revd. Heather also attends. Licensed lay readers and pastoral workers are **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** automatically members too. The purposes of Deanery Synods are to share information amongst local churches, pray for each other, bring together the views of the parishes in the Deanery on common issues and make known provisions made by Diocesan and General Synods. Wallasey Synod usually has three meetings each year in February, May and September each beginning with a time of worship. Meetings in 2022 were held on - - 10 February at St Hilary’s - 4 May at St Paul’s - 6 October at Christchurch **On 10 February** , Rural Dean, Rev. Alan Ward opened the evening with Celtic Evening Prayer. We had invited Rev. Nikki Eastwood as our speaker to give a presentation on Living in Love and Faith and that took place before the business part of our Synod. Nikki spoke to us for about half and hour with a PowerPoint presentation and then engaged us in a question-and-answer session for about another half hour, which could have gone on much longer as the discussions were lively and thought-provoking. Nikki sits on Bishop’s Council as our diocesan LLF lead and reports into the National Group on LLF. She explained that 30 April is the deadline for us to feed into the national debate. Nikki was thanked for joining us and she led us in prayer for the LLF process and for the parishes in our Deanery. Deanery news and prayer was the next item on the agenda and all were invited to feedback to the group on the progress of their own church’s items and events on the items-for-prayer list compiled at the previous meeting. Members also wrote down future prayer needs which are compiled and distributed after each Synod. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted. Other topics discussed were : Diocesan Synod report, vacancies on our Deanery and Diocesan Synods, The Everyday Faith event on 7 July for our 3 Wirral Deaneries and best wishes for his retirement were extended to Graham Cousins with the note that Christchurch Moreton will be in vacancy from 1 March. **On 4 May,** opening worship was led by Revds. Peter Cooper and Chris Turner. Our speaker at this Synod was Shirley Bowen speaking about Wallasey Christians Against Poverty (CAP). Shirley spoke passionately about the CAP Wallasey Project, its history, its aims, its administration and its future needs. Some time ago, CAP Wirral began praying about a new centre based in Wallasey as that is where a large percentage of their clients come from. The local debt centre is the public face of CAP where clients are contacted and supported, and the national HQ in Bradford draws up pathways our if debt and deals with creditors. Thanks to the support of many local churches and a grant from Wirral Council, the project has a Debt Centre Manager employed for 20 hours and a Life Skills Manager for 12. Going forward Cap needs £40000 pa and volunteers and a prayer network to sustain it. Shirley answered questions and distributed leaflets about CAP at the end of her presentation. 20 minutes was then set aside for Deanery news and prayer. Minutes of the last Synod meeting were read and accepted and other items discussed were the Diocesan Synod report, the visit of our 3 Bishops to Wallasey Deanery for the ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** 3 days 6-8 June and ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ taking place 26 May- 5June. **On 6 October,** Revd. Debbi Stott led us in opening worship. The main part of the Synod was devoted to our guest speakers Zarah Ross and Annie Merry from Faith4Change who spoke to us about the NetCarbonZero (NCZ) initiative in the Church of England and how it applies to churches across the country. They gave an excellent presentation, a copy of which was circulated by email, to all members, after the meeting. They explained exactly what net carbon zero means and spoke of the moral imperative that we all have, as Christians, to take a lead in reducing carbon emissions. They are willing to come to any church to help them discover the right way forward for them, advise on Eco Church registration etc. Our regular item of Deanery News and Prayer then followed. We call it **S** haring **Y** our **N** ews **O** r **D** ates. Items for prayer were shared (and are complied into a list and distributed) and time was spent in prayer for some of these issues. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted followed by a few matters arising. 1. CAP would still like some churches to support them, 2.The Everyday Faith event was well attended,3.The 3 Bishop’s visit was a success with a variety of activities for them to engage with our parishes. Other Deanery News that was shared was 1. that Debbi had served as Diocesan Secretary for over 6 years and was standing down after minuting this meeting. Veronica Sherlock volunteered to cover until a permanent appointment could be made. The secretary does not need to be a member of Synod but can be co-opted for the purpose of the role. 2. We have not asked parishes to contribute to deanery funds for some years now (used to be an annual thing) but the funds have now been depleted. It was suggested and agreed that £30 from each parish be requested from PCCs. 3. A Wirral Waters Development Open meeting had been arranged for 17 November for anybody to come and find out more about this large development and think about how the church could be involved in missional outreach. Members were asked to advertise the event in their parishes. The next Synod meeting was planned for 8 February 2023 at St Chad’s. Helen Harvey ## **St James Church: A Report upon the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments** The purpose of this report is to describe the structural condition of the Church building, and to assess the state of the furnishings and embellishments. The building is examined on a regular basis by the Churchwardens and occasionally by our architect. As far as can be established from these visual examinations, the main building remains sound, with no serious signs of settlement, there are however a number of deficiencies that have been noted in the recent mandatory quinquennial inspection. These will be addressed as part of the ongoing restoration of the building as funding becomes available. General maintenance has been carried out during the year including some small repairs in the ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** north porch, kitchen and to blocked and overflowing guttering. We are grateful to Sue Chadwick and Rob Jones for their assistance in contacting and meeting tradespeople when necessary. During the year the ravages of the weather dislodged plaster and stonework from a part of a high clerestory window in the Narthex. Our architect arranged for our builders, Mather and Ellis, to effect temporary repairs. Slates were also dislodged from the east roof of the north transept by the winter’s storms, repairs were satisfactorily carried out by Furber Roofing of Wallasey, who are well experienced in this class of work. The method of access shows the benefit of the new access door that was fitted from the tower upper floor on to the roof during the phase 2 restoration work. The old lighting in the church continues to cause problems. Failed lighting units have been replaced with LEDs on an ad hoc basis and throw up further visibility problems. Consideration is to be given to the improvement of illumination in certain areas of the church when we get to that stage of the restoration. The furnishings are generally well cared for by a dedicated group of helpers, and thanks are due to these people for all their hard work. The fire appliances within the church have been serviced by Claughton Fire Protection of Birkenhead, and all portable electrical appliances are tested annually in accordance with the current regulations. Our insurance for the building and contents remains underwritten by Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. A John Timms, Churchwarden ## **Emmanuel Fabric Report** Following the major repairs to the main windows last year little has been needed in the way of repair other than some minor issues in recent weeks. A roof tile has been dislodged during the recent storms but has now been replaced. Attention in the near future needs to be turned to the exterior. The trees need serious trimming, the front garden continues to be a challenge and the decking at the rear is beginning to rot and requires replacement. There is a metal shed standing on the decking, which houses the lawn mower and various gardening equipment, and needs to be emptied and the shed removed before work on the decking can commence. Thanks to those who have worked on the planters at the side of the church bringing a nice colourful spring display. The statuary annual inspections are being monitored: - Heating systems and boilers serviced (there was an issue with one of the boilers but it seems to have resolved itself. It will be kept under close watch). - Electrical system inspection not yet due. - Annual Portable Appliance Testing has been carried out - Fire extinguishers serviced Colin Jones (Churchwarden) ## **Community Outreach** Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. Charitable giving, Foodbank Distribution Centre at St James, and AA meetings at St James are examples, the latter ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** now meeting in the narthex due to an increase in numbers and the need for ventilation. Fun Food and Friendship ran fortnightly during the summer holidays, allowing families to pick up fresh groceries as part of Bridging the Wallasey Gap. Our parish magazine is distributed monthly to subscribers and available at both churches and several outlets in the parish of New Brighton. The magazine keeps our parishioners informed of the important matters affecting our Church and articles that help develop our knowledge and trust in Jesus. 600 leaflets were printed inviting people to the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Emmanuel which resulted in a few new faces New Brighton Primary School Council came to ‘Experience Harvest. Mount Primary School attended in December for their lesson ‘Why Jesus is called Saviour’ Rev Heather remains a member of the Coastal Committee and can highlight the important things that are happening in Church. The Alpha course ran again at Emmanuel and the prayer teams met at Foxhill in November which was a powerful day. Those who did not come will have a second chance to attend in 2023. ## **Safeguarding** Children were welcome and safe in the company of Jesus, and children and people at risk should be safe in Christ's Church. The Diocese of Chester and all its churches are committed to encouraging an environment where all people, but especially those who may be at risk for any reason, are able to worship and follow their faith journey with encouragement and in safety. Safeguarding is everyone’s business, and the Safeguarding Team is available to discuss any concerns at any time. It currently consists of Revd. Heather, Sue Chadwick, Gill Walduck, Cath Tunstall, Helen Jones and Helen Harvey. PCC Members have been encouraged to take part in the Diocesan Safeguarding training. One item was investigated during 2022 with a satisfactory outcome. ## **Electoral Roll** This is another of those years in which the roll is simply revised using the existing roll as a basis. The major revision takes place every 6 years when all members have to resubmit their details. This year the roll is simply compiled using any amendments of which I am made aware through the year. Our numbers have once again remained fairly stable. There are now **151** members on the roll as at the date on this report compared with 148 in 2022. As we are obliged to do under ecclesiastical law, we have had a period of revision prior to the annual meeting, but if any regular church members are still not the roll and wish to be, then I can supply a form which can be completed and returned to the PCC. It is possible that members miss the revision for some reason which can cause their membership to lapse. May I take this opportunity to remind everyone that only members listed on the current electoral roll are entitled to vote at church meetings where important decisions could be taken. Rolls will be available at both church sites and can be consulted at any reasonable time. Once again, I am sad to report that a number of long-standing members of the church have passed away during the period since the last meeting. I hope that I have ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** managed to keep this information up to date and amend the roll accordingly. I do, however, apologise for any distress caused by the inclusion of any deceased persons. New applications have come in through the year and have been dealt with according to the ecclesiastical regulations. Please check the roll following this meeting, especially if you are a new applicant to ensure you are fully listed. Many of our members are still affected by the pandemic which may limit their ability or willingness to regularly attend church. It is quite possible that I have still included persons who for some reason are no longer active members of the congregation. Any help from the congregation in this area would be appreciated as we do not always hear when people pass away especially if they move out of the area. Once again, I would thank all members of the congregation who have helped to ensure that the electoral roll is kept up to date and for the secretary who has ensured that we comply with all the necessary legal and ecclesiastical protocols. We have some applications to join which have been received during the revision period. These will be completed at the next meeting of the Parochial Church Council. Stephen Cottam, Electoral Roll Officer ## **Ecumenical Relationships** The Foodbank team at St James works together with members from Claremount Methodist Church and St Mary’s Church, Liscard to assist those needing food. Bridging the Wallasey gap is a good example of working with 5 other churches. Revd. Heather has a good working relationship with Revd. Lorraine Aizlewood Threlfall at St Andrews URC which has continued and due to Covid difficulties in 2022, joint services were only resumed in 2023. Our churches are members of Churches Together in Wallasey. ## **Financial Review Treasurers Report 2022** 2022 has been an interesting and eventful year for us all, and changes in the global economy have undoubtedly had an impact on our church finances. Sadly, we have lost more of our regular congregation and faithful supporters, and our investments have been impacted by economic turmoil. However, church attendance has picked up a little from 2021, and both churches have gradually opened up to a wider range of activities including some fund raising. ## **General Account** This is our main account for both receiving income and paying bills. Expenditure exceeded income again, but by less than in 2021 (even taking into account the charitable giving situation in 2021), the gap being a little over £9,000. Expenditure on heating and lighting was very similar to 2021 due to the joy of fixed price contracts. Sadly most of these are coming to an end in Spring 2023 and a large increase next year is inevitable. Photocopying and magazine printing costs were reduced significantly by a more cautious use of colour, and the magazine now makes a healthy profit. Due to the cost of living crisis it was agreed to increase the fee paid to the organist and this, together with the pleasure of having Katinka play at Emmanuel more often, is evident in the expenditure on that item. Internet costs increased slightly as the system at St James needed to be upgraded, but a change in provider for Emmanuel should hopefully lead to a decrease in costs overall in 2023. ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** The defibrillators at both churches required new pads and batteries, a routine cost regardless of usage. Most other costs remained similar or changed in a predictable fashion. There was an encouraging increase in income to this account compared to 2021 but this is still lower than pre-pandemic. Wirral Foodbank made two sizeable donations to St James, and it was decided to put part of this into the General Account. Chester Diocese also decided to pass on in full the Energy Costs Grant to parishes and these two amounted to over £3000 of help with our energy costs. Lettings income is also greatly increased with a significant amount of use for Emmanuel hall _._ Refreshment income includes amounts raised at the Harvest Supper £275, and Tea and Toast £393, both at St James. ## **Fabric Reserve Account at Emmanuel** A much quieter year on this account with little expenditure beyond the normal maintenance and minor repairs with the exception of the construction of a patio area at the side of the church to replace rotting and dangerous wooden decking. A further small account, the Ledder Cornish Trust, was closed with the balance transferred to this account as it was left for the benefit of Emmanuel. The Summer and Christmas fairs were well attended and raised over £2,500, such that income and expenditure were almost balanced. ## **St James Restoration Fund** A very quiet year with little activity on the finances of the account while the Management Committee continued to explore a variety of plans in order to obtain a grant from the Lottery Fund. There was only one significant item of expenditure which covered the professional fees of preparing a detailed plan for landscaping the church grounds. The survey had been carried out in 2021 but was only invoiced in 2022. Income was a little lower than in previous years due to fewer fund raising events which had on impact on tax recovery. This fund continues to be expertly managed by Trevor Thomas. ## **Repairs Account at St James** Expenditure on this account decreased from 2020, due to mostly only routine maintenance and testing taking place, and just two visits by the organ tuner. As mentioned previously Wirral Food Bank felt able to make two donations to venues providing distribution centres this year, and this money was shared between the Repairs Account and the General Account (heating). This provided a welcome boost and meant it was not necessary to supplement this account from the Legacy Account as we did last year, but the balance remaining at the end of 2022 (£1,376 as shown on page 4) will not be sufficient to meet maintenance costs for 2023. ## **Churchwarden’s Legacy Account** As usual there was little activity here. Due to a change in provider the heating system was only serviced once, and also the account benefited from increased interest rates. However the value of our investments with the Central Board of Finance dipped considerably as shown on page 4. We continue to value this account as a reserve in case of unexpected outlay or if income continues to dwindle in the General Account. ## **Vicars Discretionary Fund for Youth** This account has seen more activity this year at both churches. The development of a Kids Corner at St James was largely funded by a grant for £800. The youth group enjoyed a variety of outings, activities and food. ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** ## **Charities Account** Page 5 shows a full analysis of our charitable givings. ‘Collections in Church’ mostly reflect the destination of funeral collections, as well as the Christingle Service, whilst ‘Other collections’ include an appeal for Ukraine and the Bible Society ‘Bake for Bibles’ which proved to be very successful. In addition charitable donations in the form of food and toiletries are collected in Emmanuel and donated directly to Wirral Foodbank. ## **Ledder Cornish Brace Trust** As agreed last year by the PCC, this Trust has now been wound up and the balance transferred to Emmanuel Fabric Reserve account. ## **Review of Resources** The parish continues to find itself in the fortunate position of having sufficient funds for all foreseeable events, despite another very difficult year. However, as can be seen in the balance sheet, there was an excess in expenditure over income on the General Account. Whilst this is a relatively small proportion of overall income, we should perhaps be mindful of the situation, and that we cannot sustain this in the long term. Looking at the balance of all of our accounts in total, there was a slight excess of income over expenditure but this is due to the funds building up in the SJRF and these will be spent once phase 3 begins. With rising costs and a very uncertain economic future for the nation the PCC will, as always, need to be prudent but also extremely grateful for the generosity of the parish. ## **Reserves policy** It is the policy of the PCC to keep a considerable sum in the unrestricted account as a cash balance to offset the many and varied needs of the two church buildings. This is usually at least six months unrestricted payments and is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The cash balance of approximately £45,000 in the General Account at the end of 2022 conforms to this policy. The two restricted funds: Reserve Account at Emmanuel and Repairs Account at St James, exist to cover the costs of maintaining the physical buildings. Whilst the Reserve Account at Emmanuel holds ample funds for the coming year, the PCC is aware that the Repairs Account for St James now needs to be supplemented from other funds or fundraising. The parish is fortunate to have a legacy, largely invested with the CCLA, which has remained largely untouched this year. This legacy provides investment income for the parish and is also available for larger projects, or to supplement maintenance when necessary. This is my fifth annual report. I continue to be extremely grateful to Trevor for providing a sounding board for decisions, and for proof reading my efforts at accounting, and my thanks also go to those who help by counting, checking and banking our funds, especially Helen Jones and John Codling at St James, and Viv Lythgoe at Emmanuel, and also to George Merrill who does a fantastic job as our Gift Aid Secretary, never missing a penny that could be reclaimed. Sally Giles, January 2023 ## **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** ## **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** ## **Volunteers** We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church enable to be an open presence under difficult circumstances. In particular we want to mention our churchwardens John Timms, John Codling (to May 22) and Helen Jones (from May 22) at St James’ and Colin Jones at Emmanuel who have worked so tirelessly on our behalf and all members of the various subgroups: Choirs at both churches, PCC, PDG, Cleaning Team, Refreshments Teams. Thanks to Rev. Marcus who preaches once a month and our readers Ron Jones, Mile Collins and Liz Cooper Clark for their support. We look forward to Rev. Fran Skinners preaching in 2023. ## **Structure, governance and management** The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St James with Emmanuel, the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our vicar), churchwardens from both churches, two readers who were coopted at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial training into the workings of the PCC. The full PCC met six times during the year with an average level of attendance of 65%. There was an additional meeting in March 2022 at the request of Chester Diocese which was asked to consider how best to support Rev. Heather who was not present at the meeting. The APCM for 2022 was held in May. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has a number of committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees, which include The Parish Development Group, Restoration Management Committee and fabric and finance, are all responsible to the PCC and reporting back to it regularly with minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary. ## **Administrative information** St James and Emmanuel Churches are situated in the parish of New Brighton which is part of the Diocese of Chester within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, Albion Street New Brighton CH45 9LF. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity currently excepted from registration with the Charity Commission. Incumbent: The Reverend Heather Atkinson (Chairman) Wardens: Mr. John Timms and Mr. John Codling (St James) until APCM then Mr. John Timms and Mrs. Helen Jones # **2022 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council** # **St James and Emmanuel Churches, New Brighton** Mr. Colin Jones (Emmanuel) Representative on Deanery Synod Mrs. Helen Harvey Representative on Deanery Synod Mrs. Sally Giles to APCM then Mrs. Maureen Hennessey Readers: opted) Mr. Ronald Jones and Mr. Michael Collins (Co- **Elected members: St James** Angela Adams Allyson Brown Sue Chadwick Lynn Lloyd Vanessa Martlew Keith Selby to APCM Richard Wilberforce **Elected Members: Emmanuel** Ann Barlow Carol Cliff Wilcock Sally Giles Sarah Merrill George Merrill Sara Sullivan to APCM * •? o 00 yl e4 o•)000 * ry tn en ry Or£￿￿>5>￿￿￿o Lh o m ri) r4 171 O rtts o v m T4 rf* r4 Iny Mo acc >0 114 ￿￿￿ 808 L• zv> *0* ¢D ty¢TrV WJ 38% £ffju io i r *m (Y* y e47 r• r¥ m 1111151 Ln V sLs w r fo ID ¢Q ¢D 151515."1 mOOOC*O On)0 rn￿r 4010000( SthOOOOOOOOQffi 00 3151111 000 c c * •? o 00 yl e4 o•)000 * ry tn en ry Or£￿￿>5>￿￿￿o Lh o m ri) r4 171 O rtts o v m T4 rf* r4 Iny Mo acc >0 114 ￿￿￿ 808 L• zv> *0* ¢D ty¢TrV WJ 38% £ffju io i r *m (Y* y e47 r• r¥ m 1111151 Ln V sLs w r fo ID ¢Q ¢D 151515."1 mOOOC*O On)0 rn￿r 4010000( SthOOOOOOOOQffi 00 3151111 000 c c