It feels as though the last year has been solid. The parish has been chugging along in a regular way and this has been important after the trauma of the pandemic. We have tried to gently rebuild what seemed lost to us; liturgically, socially and financially. What was needed was a steadiness and nurturing which I think has taken place.
Let me draw your attention to some of the significant pints during the year.
Just before Advent we had our very well attended All Souls’ Requiem mass. This seems to have become affirm fixture in many people’s minds and the attendance was very good. Advent itself begins with a parish day retreat at St Katherines foundation in Limehouse and again we were joined by Fr Tom and some of his people from St Giles-in-the Fields. Attendance at Church during Advent was steady and grew slightly. Our carol service was richly attended as were the Christmas Eve and day services.
During the winter months we continued with our partnership with C4WS offering shelter and food to some homeless people. I am very grateful to Patricia Cobb who organises the volunteers and to everybody who helped out with cooking and food offerings.
Ash Wednesday was well attended and the music was beautiful. During Lent instead of a discussion group we concentrated on liturgy. The new Wednesday evening services were promoted. Each Wednesday offers a different sort of liturgy, from silence, to a sung evening prayer. The aim is to offer a mid-week 30 minutes of peace and prayerfulness in the midst of all the noise. Attendance began well but has dropped off slightly, so I do encourage to come at some point. We also offered Stations of the Cross each Friday evening.
Holy Week and easter offer the divine invitation to enter into more fully the Paschal Mystery. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday had slightly disappointing attendance but Easter Day was full and the liturgy an the music were very splendid.
The parish pilgrimage to Walsingham remains firmly part of our calendar and I do recommend anybody who has not been to sign up now!
It was with great sadness we learned that queen Elizabeth had died. On the evening Sunday evening before the State funeral we held a Requiem Mass at which a choir rehearsing in the Church stayed to join and sing for us. It was a simple but rather moving moment. We are of course getting ready for our Coronation lunch in the coming to celebrate the crowning of Charles III.
The Korean community continue to worship at St George’s and they remain a very welcome presence in our midst.
We have also been joined by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They use the Church extensively through the week and now on Sunday mornings before our Eucharist. Many of the congregation are refugees, having escaped from the dreadful Russian invasion. They remain in our prayers.
It was with sadness we learned of the death of Michael Denchfield, Robert Mrozik and Fr Ronald Coppin. Michael had moved to Scotland along with Jenny his wife but still remained a loyal supporter of St George’s. Robert had lived in St Mungo’s for the last 5 years. His life had been difficult and hard but he retained and emanated a deep Christian faith. Fr Ronald, as many of you will know, had spent the last years of his life being looked after in a home in Kentish Town. He had been a senior priest in the Church of England and had supported many younger clergy in their vocation over the years as well as being a wise friend to St George’s. We thank God for both Michael and Fr Ronald and commend their souls to Christ.
At the beating heart of the parish is the rhythm of the Sunday by Sunday Eucharist’s. Worship that is enhanced by the choral scholars, ably led by our director of music, Mr Sam Bardsley and we are grateful to him for all of his contributions to Church life.
There are many people to whom I need to give my thanks both personally and on behalf of you all.
To our churchwardens, Julian Sharpe and Helena Roden, for their personal support and a commitment to the life of St George’s. I am so very grateful to them both. Julian, as an architect takes a particular responsibility with the building, which as you can imagine presents some unique and continuing needs. Helena has an eye of the social side of life at St George’s and offers her support for these events.
To the PCC, Hugh Kennedy, Claire Barraclough, Carmen Bailey, Neil Handley, Dorothy Connell, Mabel Sharpe, Sara Payne, many thanks for finding time to meet and to discuss and plan. To Mabel for her work as treasurer, which can be very time-consuming. To Sara Payne for her work as PCC secretary and her work as the safe-guarding officer. To Dorothy for being our lay deanery representative.
Thanks to Dr Neil Handley, for his contribution as our reader and for his offer of helping with the practical side of future pilgrimages. To Dr Jack Highton who not only serves but is very close to be licensed as a reader.
Thanks also to Eva Driskell for her help with the Sunday sheets and for being the creative mind behind our quarterly brochures which are very
splendid indeed and being so helpful and crucial to the online broadcasting.
Thanks to all who read lessons, ring the bell, great people at the door. Thank you to Tim Fairclough for sweeping the steps! Thank you to Michael Taylor, Esther Kim, Stuart Pantal and Jack Highton for serving. Thank you to Kathryn Hughes for organising the reading rota and for all who read and lead the intercessions. Thank you to Carmen for looking after the cleaning and washing of linen and preparing our Sunday tea and coffee.
Thanks to Eva again for her work in the office and putting up with all sorts of frustrations. Eva will be leaving St George’s as administrator at the end of June. She has shown incredible enthusiasm, efficiency and drive in her work and we will miss her very much. We offer her our very best wishes for her next adventure, though she will still be around as a parishioner! Thank you to Noel Gordon who continues to look after our lettings and keep an eye on the building and the people coming and going.
We continue to be grateful to the church volunteers who offer their time opening the church and helping with the concert programme.
Most of our income is sourced by the letting out of the crypt to the Leicester Square theatre company and from the renting out of the hall to various social groups. This income was substantially reduced by the pandemic and we have had to dig deep in to our limited reserves. I would like to thank those individuals who been particularly generous over the past few years and I would like to ask you all to be as generous as you can according to your means.
There is a great pressure from the hierarchy in the Church to grow. This is not a bad thing! But it starts with depth. We must continue to offer , at our heart, a prayerful worshipping community, in which people in their own way can encounter Christ in their midst. But it does also mean that each and every one of us takes up the gospel command to reach out to friends and neighbours and to say to them, “come and see”. In a recent piece of research it was discovered that 86% of people coming to church for the first time (or returning) did so through a personal invitation. In a world which can feel functional, managerial and individualistic, the personal, which is at the heart of the gospel, is what really matters.
1:27 PM 15/03/23 Accrual Basis
St. George's Church Bloomsbury (reg. charity 1139695 ) Profit & Loss January through December 2022
| Ordinary Income/Expense Income Collections Box Collection - Other Gift Aided Church music - gift aided Weekly giving scheme Yellow Envelopes Gift Aided - Other Total Gift Aided Plate Tax recovered GASDS recovered Tax recovered - Other Total Tax recovered Collections - Other Total Collections Dividend Income Fundraising Books Cards Parish Lunch Fundraising - Other Total Fundraising Gifts and Donations Income Restricted Unrestricted Total Gifts and Donations Income Income - Church and Hall Hire Church Donations for use of space Donation for use of E courtyard Donations for use of space - Oth... Total Donations for use of space Musician fees Upper Meeting Room UVH (Upper Vestry hall) Income - Church and Hall Hire - Ot... Total Income - Church and Hall Hire Income - Concerts Concerts Income - PRS charge Total Concerts Income Income - Concerts - Other Total Income - Concerts Income - Licences granted Lower Vestry Hall Licence Parking space licence Undercroft Licence Income - Licences granted - Other Total Income - Licences granted Interest Income Parochial Fees |
Jan - Dec 22 |
|---|---|
| 6.50 1,398.38 800.00 1,739.53 2,301.91 7,210.00 12,051.44 2,795.71 260.20 3,095.67 3,355.87 1,304.05 20,911.95 20,164.56 70.00 20.50 185.00 2,114.70 2,390.20 1,130.00 675.00 1,805.00 18,172.50 490.00 1,200.00 1,690.00 1,160.00 70.00 125.00 28,030.00 49,247.50 98.84 98.84 752.06 850.90 39,280.00 2,100.00 57,930.77 940.61 100,251.38 130.70 960.00 |
Page 1
1:27 PM 15/03/23 Accrual Basis
St. George's Church Bloomsbury (reg. charity 1139695 ) Profit & Loss January through December 2022
| Total Income Expense 2001 Common Fund 2002 Clergy Expenses 2002 Books 2002 Computer consumables 2002 Courses and retreats 2002 Office equipement 2002 Postage and stationery 2002 Rector's pastoral work 2002 Rector discretionary fund 2002 Telephone 2002 Travel 2002 Working lunches & coffees Total 2002 Clergy Expenses 2003 Rectory Expenses 2003 Rectory Repairs 2003 Rectory Water Rates 2003 Rectory Expenses - Other Total 2003 Rectory Expenses 2005 Church Running Expenses 2005 Cleaning General 2005 Cleaning Stone Floor 2005 Electricity 2005 Gas 2005 Insurance 2005 Sanitary Supplies 2005 Sundry 2005 Water Rates Wifi equipment and maintenance Total 2005 Church Running Expenses 2006 Church Maintenance 2006 Boiler Maintenance 2006 Drains clearance 2006 Key cutting 2006 Lift Maintenance 2006 Lightning Protection 2006 Misc 2006 Piano Tuning 2006 Refuse Collection 2006 Tree trimming Total 2006 Church Maintenance 2007 Upkeep of Services 2007 Books 2007 Candles 2007 Flowers 2007 Giving Envelopes 2007 Honoraria 2007 Music Extra 2007 Music for High services 2007 Music Licensing 2007 Music sheets 2007 Publicity 2007 Repair and Replacement 2007 Sacristy Supplies 2007 Service Sheets 2007 Upkeep of Services - other Total 2007 Upkeep of Services 2016 Salaries & Support 2016 Accounts Manager |
Jan - Dec 22 |
|---|---|
| 196,712.19 50,000.00 164.24 297.78 132.68 246.94 89.95 887.80 890.00 360.00 254.45 851.43 4,175.27 615.00 467.11 57.96 1,140.07 56.56 800.00 21,699.98 7,206.47 15,610.08 682.90 220.01 1,701.38 12.94 47,990.32 1,508.12 10.99 12.96 630.00 3,985.20 79.86 85.00 1,368.42 4,224.00 11,904.55 4.00 30.07 306.24 346.60 880.00 1,110.55 4,138.00 169.00 162.32 481.34 691.73 704.15 448.57 145.42 9,617.99 5,603.09 |
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1:27 PM 15/03/23 Accrual Basis
St. George's Church Bloomsbury (reg. charity 1139695 ) Profit & Loss January through December 2022
| 2016 Cantors Choral Scholars Scholar deputies 2016 Cantors - Other Total 2016 Cantors 2016 Caretaker 2016 Church Secretary 2016 Er Pension 2016 Organists Total 2016 Salaries & Support 3000 Fund Raising 3000 Dublin Tour 2022 Total 3000 Fund Raising 4000 Church Administration 4000 Advertising 4000 Computer Hardware 4000 Computer Software 4000 IT Support 4000 Stationery/IT Consumables 4000 Telephone & broadband Total 4000 Church Administration 6000 Musician Fees Bank Service Charges Concerts & Events Activities Expenses Concerts - core expenses PRS tariff for concerts Total Concerts - core expenses Total Concerts & Events Gifts and Honoraria Miscellaneous Parish Events Payroll Expenses Pensions expense Payroll Expenses - Other Total Payroll Expenses Professional Fees Accounting/Audit Fees Total Professional Fees Repairs & Renewals Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Other Income/Expense Other Expense Decrease in value of investment Total Other Expense Net Other Income Profit for the Year |
Jan - Dec 22 |
|---|---|
| 4,981.89 1,435.00 672.63 7,089.52 11,143.68 5,499.57 377.34 6,317.53 36,030.73 1,989.13 1,989.13 30.00 192.77 138.07 2,196.69 174.78 1,594.12 4,326.43 1,075.00 195.74 25.00 388.07 388.07 413.07 337.60 272.88 4,401.17 529.98 612.00 1,141.98 240.00 240.00 1,613.72 |
|
| 176,865.65 | |
| 19,846.54 93,132.32 |
|
| 93,132.32 | |
| -93,132.32 | |
| -73,285.78 |
Page 3
Independent examiner's report to the PCC of St George's, Bloomsbury This report on the accounts of the St George's, Bloomsbury for the year ended 31 $1 December 2022, which are set out on the annexed p8ges, is in respect of an examination carried out under Regulation 3131 of the Church Accounting Regulations 1997 10 20051.the Regulation'l and s.43 of the Charities Act 19931'the Act'l. Respectlve responslbilltles of the PCC and the examlner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.. you consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 3131 and section 43121 of the Act do not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of Regulation 25. Basls of this report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317llbl of the Act and lo be found In the Church guidance, 2005 edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops, Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. 11 also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examlner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention.. which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in any material respect Ihe requirements lo keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act,. and lo prepare accounts which 8ccor(J with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations have not been mel- or 2. to which, in my opinion, allenlion should be drawn in order lo enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Leon Charalambides FCA 247 Gray's Inn Roa London WC1X 8QZ 29 March 2023