## **Parochial Church Council of** ## **St Sebastian’s Church, Wokingham Without** ## **ANNUAL REPORT 2022** **Annual Parochial Church Meeting 19 April 2023** ## Contents Our Aims And Purposes At St Sebastian’s ................................................................................................... 3 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................................. 5 Structure, Trustees And Membership Of The PCC ....................................................................................... 5 Safeguarding ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Fabric Goods and Ornaments of the Church Report for 2022 .................................................................... 10 Priorities For 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Summary Of Church Activities In 2022/2023 .............................................................................................. 11 A Thank You from the Deanery ................................................................................................................... 23 Electoral Roll & Church Attendance ............................................................................................................ 23 Sonning Deanery Report ............................................................................................................................. 23 Financial statements of the Parochial Church Council (Year ended 31 December 2022)………………… 25 2 OUR AIMS AND PURPOSES AT ST SEBASTIAN’S ## **Parish Values** Based on Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in John 17, we believe that as a Church God has called us to be: - **C** hrist-centred Not ‘Jesus and…’, but _Jesus alone_ at the centre of our lives. _‘…glory has come to me through them…’ (_ John 17: _10)_ - **R** ighteous God-directed living, thinking, and speaking. _‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth_ (John 17:17) - **O** ne Not ‘I’ve won!’, but ‘We are one’. _‘…that they may be one as we are one…’_ (John 17:22) - **S** ent A serving Church rather than a consumer Church. _‘As you sent me into the world, I have sent them…’_ (John 17:18) **S** pirit-filled All God’s people using God’s gifts to the full. _‘…so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them…’_ (John 17:13) ## **Mission Statement** We believe God is calling us as a Church to be: A beacon in the community: - To lead people to Jesus Christ - To help them grow in Him _‘A city set on a hill cannot be hidden’_ (Matthew 5:14) ## **Vision Statement** Our current Vision: To glorify God and to serve the local community, sharing the heart of Jesus. 3 The Parochial Church Council of St Sebastian’s Wokingham Without has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent in promoting the whole mission of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of Wokingham in the Diocese of Oxford. It has responsibility for maintaining the Church on Nine Mile Ride and has the responsibility of acting as Managing Trustees of the Church Hall, Parish Centre, and St Sebastian’s Lodge. ## **Public Benefit** The trustees of the Charity are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in _The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit_ and have had regard to it in their administration of the Charity. The trustees believe that, by promoting the work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Sebastian, Wokingham it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, within the Ecclesiastical Parish, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by: - Providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the Church offers. - Promoting Christian values, and service by members of the Church in and to their communities, to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. ## **Charity Registration Number** 1139933 (registered on 19 January 2011). 4 ## ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION St Sebastian’s Church is situated in Nine Mile Ride, in the district of Wokingham Without. It is part of the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. |**Clergy: **|In Vacancy|| |---|---|---| |**Churchwardens:**|MaryUnwin|Nigel Wickens| |**Deputy Churchwardens:**|Jane Addison|Nigel Birch| ||Paul Morrison|| |**Deanery Synod:**|David Hare|Wendy Wickens| ||Peter Thompson|Janet Rogers| |**PCC Members:**|Clergy, Churchwardens, and Deanery Synod Reps (Ex-Officio)|| ||John Congram|Chris Bull| ||Sue Thomas|David Smart| ||Nigel Birch|Russell Shipton (Co-opted)| ||Paul Morrison|Murray Foulds| ||Suman Shrestha|Vacancy| ## **Address for correspondence** ## **Banks** St Sebastian’s Church CAF Bank Ltd Barclays Parish Office 25 King’s Hill Avenue Leicester Nine Mile Ride King’s Hill LE87 2BB Wokingham Kent RG40 3AT ME19 4JQ ## STRUCTURE, TRUSTEES AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE PCC Legally the council is responsible for the financial affairs of the Church Parish and the maintenance of its assets, such as Churches and Church halls, and promoting the mission of the Church. Members (Trustees) of the PCC are Ex-Officio or elected by the APCM in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. The PCC meets as a whole body usually seven times a year. For six of these meetings the items of business will include approval of decisions made by the Finance, the Environment, the Mission or the Standing Committees; items brought forward by the clergy or Churchwardens that need discussion and decisions and information items from the Team Leaders, Deanery Synod representatives and the Churches Together representatives. Each year the PCC also review its Safeguarding policies, following Diocesan guidelines and policies, its Health and Safety policy and Employment policies. The meeting in October is dedicated to discussions and decisions on the budget for the coming year. The sub-committees during the year were: **Standing Committee** – This is the only committee required by law. It has the power to transact business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the council. **Finance Committee** – Concerned with the stewardship of our financial resources. Makes recommendations to the PCC on Budget, approaches to voluntary giving (stewardship), scrutiny of major expenditure to ensure PCC secures best value for money on expenditure incurred. 5 **Mission Committee** – Liaises with and promotes the work of selected Christian missions and missionary work of the Church in the local area. Makes recommendations to the PCC regarding how the Church’s giving should be distributed. It also researches and provides reports to the PCC on the work of the charities, missions and individuals benefiting from these gifts. **Environment Committee** – Attends to matters relating to the stewardship of our site including the Church, Hall, Parish Centre and St Sebastian’s Lodge; the fixtures and fittings thereof and health and safety matters **Communications Committee** – Seeks to ensure the most effective and coordinated communication with both church members and our community through the use of existing and new channels such as social media and video. Has taken an active role in making all services and meetings available on-line. **Covid Committee** – This ad hoc Committee seeks to monitor and review local, regional and national Covid-19 trends and their impact on the Covid-related processes, protocols and controls in respect of St Sebastian’s Church; to feed relevant Covid-related concerns to the PCC; to make recommendations for appropriate action in the context of Government and Church of England requirements/guidance for the safety and protection of St. Sebastian’s congregations, staff and volunteers. The PCC also appoints Team Leaders, who are responsible for the day-to-day running of their respective teams within the life of the Church. These teams include: Administration (vacant), Children and Youth, Evangelism (vacant), Pastoral Life, Prayer, Small Groups and Worship Services. ## **PCC Officers** |**PCC Officers**|||| |---|---|---|---| |**Officers 2022:**|David Smart|Acting Chair|| ||Peter Thompson|Acting Vice Chair & PCC
Secretary|| ||John Congram|Acting Treasurer|| ||Jacob George|Independent Examiner|| ||Church Administrator|Electoral Roll Officer|| ||John Congram|Planned Giving Officer|| |**PCC Committees**|||| |**Standing Committee:**|David Smart|Acting Chair|| ||Peter Thompson|PCC Secretary|| ||John Congram|Acting Treasurer|| ||Mary Unwin|Churchwarden|| ||Nigel Wickens|Churchwarden|| |**Finance Committee:**|Mary Unwin (Chair)|Sue Thomas|| ||Janet Rogers|Marshall Miller|| ||John Congram||| |**Mission Committee:**|David Smart (Chair)|Suman Shrestha|| ||David Hare|Heather Marsh|| ||Nigel Birch||| 6 |**Environment Committee:**|Nigel Wickens(Chair)|Murray Foulds| |---|---|---| ||Paul Morrison|Peter Thompson| ||Chris Bull|David Metson| |**Communications**
**Committee:**|David Smart (Chair)|Suman Shrestha| ||Marvin Vogel|Kirsty Milam - Church Administrator| |**Covid Committee:**|Murray Foulds (Chair)|Suman Strestha| ||Mary Unwin|Nigel Wickens| ## **Team Leaders** |**Team Leaders**||| |---|---|---| |**Administration:**|Vacant|| |**Children & Families:**|Amy Vogel|| |**Youth:**|Marvin Vogel|| |**Evangelism:**|Vacant|| |**Pastoral Life:**|Russell and Angela Shipton until May 2022
Pauland ClaireMorrison from May2022|| |**Prayer:**|Alexis Clarke and Jill Gardener|| |**Small Groups:**|Russell Shipton|(Caretaker)| |**Worship Services:**|Eve Bull|| ## **Safeguarding** |**Safeguarding in the**|Helen Thompson|Safeguarding Officer| |---|---|---| |**Diocese of Oxford:**|Nicola Brock|Deputy Safeguarding Officer| ||Murray Foulds|PCC Safeguarding Lead| ||Suman Shrestha|Children’s Advocate| ||Amy Vogel|Recruiter (Youth)| ||Russell Shipton until September|| ||2022 Paul Morrison from|Deputy Recruiter (working with vulnerable adults)| ||September 2022|| ||Church Administrator|Verifier| ## **Other PCC Appointments** |**Other PCC Appointments**|| |---|---| |**Churches Together in Crowthorne:**|David Hare, Janet Rogers| |**Health & Safety Officer:**|Murray Foulds| |**Data Protection Officer:**|Chris Bull| |**Deputy Churchwardens:**|Jane Addison, Nigel Birch, Paul Morrison| |**Church Hall Liaison:**|Marvin Vogel and Janet Wood| 7 ## SAFEGUARDING The PCC continues to regard ‘Safeguarding’ as one of its most important responsibilities. There has been much discussion amongst the PCC members at many of the regular PCC meetings. Safeguarding for our church, is driven by the Church of England’s publication “Parish Safeguarding Handbook - Promoting a Safer Church”. It extends to all - young and adult alike. The following policy was agreed at the PCC Meeting held on 18th May 2022. In accordance with our policy, it is planned to annually review, agree and renew this at the PCC Meeting to be held in May 2023. In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to: - Promoting a safer environment and culture. - Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church. - Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation. - Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons. - Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons. - Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others. The Parish will: - Create a safe and caring place for all. - Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures. - Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse. - Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish. - Display in church premises and on the parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs. - Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse. - Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops’ guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and statutory agencies immediately. - Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred. - Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties. - Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually. - Inform the Diocesan Safeguarding Team if we receive any DBS Disclosures that are not clear. - Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually. 8 Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church. This church appoints Helen Thompson as the Parish Safeguarding Lead Officer. ## SAFEGUARDING TRAINING During the interregnum the Leadership Team and PCC members committed to update their safeguarding training with regard to roles/responsibilities and in accordance with Oxford Diocesan requirements. Further safeguarding training has been undertaken by other congregational members/ volunteers etc. according to roles/responsibilities. **Current Safeguarding Training Summary** (as at 10.02.23) is as follows: Level 1 - Basic Awareness - approx 40 completers Level 2 - Foundation - approx 28 completers Level 3 - Leadership. - 14 (completed + enrolled to complete Feb/March 2023) In addition, there has been good progress made in use of the Oxford Diocese Safeguarding ‘Dashboard’. This online tool measures and reports on Parish compliance in respect of safeguarding matters. Whilst voluntary, the PCC has committed to continued use of the ‘Dashboard’ to progress safeguarding compliance. During the interregnum St Sebastian’s successfully completed the ‘Safeguarding Action Plan - Level 1 - “Safer Foundations”. Work continues to towards completion of the remaining two Levels (Level 2 and 3). _Murray Foulds, Health & Safety Officer_ 9 ## FABRIC GOODS AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH REPORT FOR 2022 We continue to thank all our volunteers who help with the upkeep of all our buildings. However, we have again had a very difficult year in 2022 trying to keep all our buildings fit for purpose. I have noted below the main points about our church buildings. ## **Church Building** We are blessed to have a Church building with history. But this comes with its own challenges We have had a blocked drain to the outside of the wall of the kitchen which has caused damp to the interior of the kitchen window frame. There has also been a leak from the exterior into the kitchen flat roof, and we now have damage spread into the hallway. We have spoken to Ecclesiastical insurance, and although we are covered for the damage inside the kitchen and hallway, this does not include the roof. To address this, we will be putting in a faculty (written permission from the Diocese) so that the work can be carried out. We also need to get quotes on costs for this repair. This will take time as the Diocese have a back log of requests since Covid. Upon investigation we have also found damp in the vestry which will need to be dealt with. This will involve putting in another faculty to get permission to deal with the damage. We also had our quinquennial report which gives us guidance on upkeep of the fabric of the building that needs to be done over the next five years. After the APCM the Churchwarden of Fabric will be working with the team on a plan of action for the work with associated costs. As we are part of the Oxford Diocese, finance has been made available to pay for energy audits for churches. The aim of this audit is to see how we can be more carbon friendly. This audit took place on the 14[th ] of March and will be taken to the PCC for discussion. ## **Our Other Buildings** The church hall, parish centre, parish centre flat, and St Sebastian’s lodge continue to raise problems due to the age of the buildings. At present there are no big expenditures scheduled for these premises, but essential work still needs to be undertaken as needed. ## **Car Park** As you are aware the car park has many potholes which need to be rectified. We are hoping that we can engage in future discussions between the school and our new Vicar Rickey Simpson-Gray. Report by: Nigel Wickens, Churchwarden 10 ## PRIORITIES FOR 2022 Our Vision is _‘To glorify God and to serve the local community, sharing the heart of Jesus’._ The interregnum has delayed the review of the PCC Strategy that was planned for 2021. The existing strategy, therefore, remained in place: - To prioritise growth in discipleship. - To adopt a staged approach to the development of the Church site. - To seek to take the Church out into the community. We had planned to review the vision statement and strategy in the course of the year, however due to the interregnum this was not possible. ## SUMMARY OF CHURCH ACTIVITIES IN 2022/2023 AND TEAM LEADER UPDATES Our annual report includes activities and information from May 2022 until April 2023 in accordance with our Annual Parochial Church Meeting. 2022 was another difficult year at St Sebastian’s, Andrew’s health meant he needed to take early retirement in February 2022. This placed a strain on the leadership of the church as we entered the interregnum and thanks must go out to all those who rallied round to continue the life of the church in particular the churchwardens, Mary Unwin and Nigel Wickens, who took the church leadership role and Russell Shipton who took the lead on services. The Churchwardens, PCC and other Leaders continued to be very well supported by Richard Lamey, the Area Dean. ## **PCC Report** The PCC has met every other month over the past year to discuss church business, with additional meetings specifically covering the budget and recruitment of the new vicar. In fact, whilst many other issues have been discussed and decisions made, these two items have been our focus of discussion along with standing items such as safeguarding. At the last APCM 4 members were voted on, and during the year Russell Shipton was co-opted due to his responsibilities as LLM and organising the services. PCC meetings in 2022 were generally well attended. As you would expect a lot of focus was on the Parish Profile and the interview day for our new vicar. Another area which was discussed at length was finance as the church has run at a deficit for the last 2 years. John Congram has worked incredibly hard as treasurer with many ideas about saving and raising money and also encouraging people to give or increase their giving, starting first of all with the PCC and Leadership team, many of whom responded and as a result our deficit was reduced to £25,700 (before unrealised losses on investments) in 2022. Further details are shared in the Finance Report. Safeguarding remains a priority at St Sebastian’s. Murray Foulds was appointed as PCC Safeguarding Lead and has been concentrating on making sure that training is up to date as per his report above. _Report by: David Smart, PCC Acting Chair_ 11 ## **Churchwarden Report** After 2 years of Sunday services being disrupted by lockdown, it is good to say that in 2022 all 10am Sunday services took place. The Lockdown restrictions due to Coronavirus and Andrew’s illness has meant that after March 2020 we did not have 8am Sunday Communion services or 10am Wednesday Communion. Early in 2022 we were in contact with Rev Marina Brain, who, used to be at St Sebastian’s and she was given Permission to Officiate in Sonning Deanery and has been leading Communion and preaching at St Sebastian’s since 6 March 2022. Together with Rev Ian Seymour this has enabled the 8am Sunday Communion to resume from 13 February, twice a month. We have also been supported by Bob Whitely, Jane Kraft, Becky Medlicott and Stephen Pullen who have all led services here at St Sebs. David Hare, Russell Shipton and Wendy Wickens did a Communion by extension course which also enabled us to resume the Wednesday communion twice a month from Ash Wednesday 2 March 2022. Particular thanks go to Russell for his commitment to this service. Russell has worked hard during 2022 to organise all the services which he has done very efficiently. Our thanks go to him as well as David Hare and Wendy Wickens for leading and preaching at services throughout the year. Andrew Marsden was signed off sick until the end of February 2022 when he was granted early retirement on Health grounds. We had an opportunity to say goodbye to Andrew, Ros and their family at the Communion service on 20 February, which was led by Olivia Graham Bishop of Reading and Andrew preached an uplifting and challenging sermon based on Colossians 3:12-17. The church was full and many people who had moved away came back for the service. This was followed by a lunch with presentations of gifts from Church members and other groups. Andrew had been with us since 1997 and so many of us have been blessed by his ministry over 24 years. On 16 January Revd Cannon Richard Lamey, Area Dean of Sonning baptised Pearl Vogel by immersion, a new experience for him. This was a very special service, and it was good for the congregation to meet Richard, who has been a huge support to the Churchwardens, leaders and PCC over the previous 2 years. During the year we have services focussed on Christian Unity and the following missions, Mityana, Yeldall Manor as well as service taken by Marc and Ruth Marques from UNiViDA. During 2022 Russell and Angela Shipton stepped down and Pastoral Team leaders and were replaced by Paul and Claire Morrison. Our thanks to Russell and Angela for their hard work over 11 years and to Paul and Claire for the work they have been doing in the last few months. The Leadership Team which consists of Team Leaders and Standing committee members has met frequently through the year, to pray, share ideas and vision and support one another. Suman was invited to join us for 2 meetings immediately prior to the interview day in January 2023 as he was on the interview panel. 12 The interregnum period started in March and began with preparing a Parish Profile. A team of 4 under the leadership on Peter Thompson worked hard on this, gathering information from various sources including a questionnaire open to all church members. Many people contributed in various ways to the Profile which was approved at the Section 12 PCC meeting in October along with all other documents required to advertise for our new vicar. 2022 was another difficult year in the life of the church but because progress had been made towards recruiting a new vicar there was a sense of expectancy for the future. The interview took place January 2023, and it was a great day for the church family and the 3 candidates culminating with the Bishop of Reading appointing Rev Rickey Simpson-Gray. We are all really looking forward to his Collation and Induction service on 10 May and welcoming him as vicar at St Sebastian’s with great anticipation for what God will be doing in the future. _Report by: Mary Unwin, Churchwarden_ ## **Family, Youth and Children’s Ministry** As we reflect over the last twelve months it is nothing short of a privilege to have been a part of all God has done in this ministry. After a tricky few years of working through the pandemic times, we have seen how God has brought new people our way on the other side. The word that comes to mind for each aspect of this ministry is ‘relational’. In each of the separate groups within this ministry it is evident that a strong sense of community, friendship and family has been established. God has grown our connections with people and has also grown the numbers in these communities. Furthermore, we are now seeing people from little angels and youth group, become committed members of the Base. There is now a much more connected feel between the different groups, and we celebrate the fact that we have dedicated, hard-working teams of volunteers who capture and fully embrace the vision of the ministry. We thank God for them and all He is doing! ## **The Base** The Base has been running since 2019 and has developed in many ways since then. Since returning after lockdown, we have been meeting in the School Hall as we had reached capacity in the church hall. The School Hall works well as a venue, as we have more space and make use of the outdoor area for games and now use the church hall for the kids craft break out time. We currently run every two weeks on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. There is a team of fifteen volunteers of all ages. Over the last year it has been good as new people have taken more responsibility for leading the band, talk and adult discussion time. The volunteers are really growing in their gifts. There is a strong sense of community and every time we have between 40-70 people attending. Youth group members are now volunteering to serve in different ways at the Base. The adult discussion time has become a safe place where people are willing to share their thoughts about faith and pray for one another. Some of the parents who come along have said the same thing that why the Base works well for them- that it is church for the family all 13 together. They appreciate the fact that their children are with them and journeying through what we learn and experience in the morning. ## **Youth Group (Friday Night Live)** Marv re-launched the youth group after lockdown times and was blown away by the number of young people that have been coming. The youth group runs bi-weekly and on average sees between 15 and 20 young people come along. This year the time of the group has been extended by 30mins for those that want to have a deeper Bible study time, on top of the talk time in the youth group. Most of the young people want to stay for this. A big thank you to all the volunteers. It has been wonderful to have new volunteers this year making the youth group 5 leader strong. There are also now young leaders, those in year 12 and 13, who participate in the leaders' meetings and serving on the night. The youth group has enjoyed several socials at the end of each term; gravity force and bowling. ## **Little Angels** The biggest changes that have happened for Little Angels is that we now meet weekly. We are fortunate to have willing volunteers to make this happen. The biggest reason for making the group weekly was due to the large numbers of people coming. A good problem to have. However, the group has become even more popular, and we now have a very full house every week. A lot of people have joined our social media groups, but most newcomers are now being brought by friends who have already been coming along. The donations of nappies have been greatly appreciated and this is something we would like to continue to offer as part of the group. There is also now a culture of donating outgrown clothes and toys amongst the people who attend. This is brilliant that we can bless each other in this way and that clothes and toys are being re-used. All these things add to the real sense of community. It is also wonderful to hear how some of the Mums have been meeting up together outside the group. There is a great culture of supporting one another. As we look to the future of Little Angels we really need to think about the capacity of the Church Hall and whether it the group can continue in this space. ## **Schools** We are regularly leading assemblies and church services for St. Sebastian’s school. The Collective Worship Club (CWC) has become a big part of St. Sebastian’s School. The children take it in turns to be part of the CWC, with two children from each year group participating at a time. The CWC then helps to lead the church services. Over the years the children have become much more involved and confident at leading things from the front. It is very special that some children have a call to prayer and are happy to come and lead a prayer from the front without pre-preparing. Marv also continues to help support the Christian Union at Holme Grange School. There has been a good number of children attending the CU. At the beginning of the academic year Amy helped some of the staff set up a prayer and reflection room for the students and staff to use. 14 Oaklands Junior School often asks Marv to come and lead assemblies and services. These tend to be the big festival times. Parent also attend these assemblies, which allows Marv to meet them as well. ## **Forest Church** This is a very new concept for 2023 as there has only been two forest churches so far. Many dioceses are exploring doing church in creation and seeing it as a way for newcomers to easily join in. The hope is that Forest Church will be a regular monthly walk and small service. So far, we have taken a short walk in Gorrick woods and stopped in the middle to do a short service with nature-based activities. It has been great to have members of our church sharing their knowledge of trees and birdlife with us. ## **Share Wokingham** We have now been working with Share Wokingham for just over a year. In 2022 we decided to become a Hub. This means we now sort some of the food donations here at St. Sebastian in order to create food boxes for our local community. Primarily, Share is about combating food waste and we have found we are now giving away at least 30 boxes a week. A lot of the people collecting are from the school, which is a great way to meet parents and build relationships. We also deliver some boxes to our neighbours down Nine Mile Ride. Every Wednesday afternoon a team of Wellington College Students come and help sort out the food, as part of their Citizenship Outreach. Thank you to members of the congregation who have also come and supported in the last few months. ## **Pastoral & Mentoring** As all the groups have grown so has the need for pastoral work. A big part of what we do is meeting with people and building relationships. It is a joy and a blessing to be journeying with so many people in this journey of faith. Now that we have been here for a number of years we have got to see how community has grown and how people are living their faith together with others in the community. ## **Confirmation & Baptism** We will be joining St. Pauls Wokingham on the 26 March for their confirmation service as a member of church is getting confirmed. We are currently running a confirmation course Bible Study for anyone who wants to come and go over the foundations of the faith. Amy has been doing the Baptism preparation for most of the Baptism families. It has been great having some of the Little Angels and past Little Angels coming for baptism. _Report by: Amy Vogel, Family and Youth Pastor and Marvin Vogel, Pioneer Youth Worker_ 15 ## **Mission Report** As a church we continue to tithe (give 10%) of our regular offerings to mission and charity work in the UK and overseas. We seek to split roughly 50/50 between the two. We also seek to support missions and charities that church members have a connection to. In 2022 we continued to support a number of missions that we have supported over many years including Mityana’s work in Uganda, Open Doors across many countries, and Univida in Brazil. In the UK we supported Yeldall, Just Around the Corner and Soulscape. We also instigated a Social Care fund to meet the needs of local people. The committee will meet in May 2023 to agree the allocation of giving for this year. If you have any missions or charities close to your heart that you would like the committee to consider please let us know. ## **Pastoral Care Team Report** “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” John 13: 34 – 35 ‘Let all that you do be done in love’ 1 Corinthians 16:14 Thank you to Angela and Russell Shipton for their many years of leading the Pastoral Care Team. Russell and Angela continued to support many folk during the Pandemic through regular phone calls and pairing those in need with those who could offer support such as food deliveries. Despite stepping down as Team leaders they continue to serve on the Pastoral Care team. We thank God for their leadership and wisdom, handover support and their continued service on the team. As the Pandemic eased, we have been able to provide in person support again, such as lifts to hospital appointments, phone calls and visits, cooked meals and cakes, and shopping. Our grateful thanks to all of you who have helped in this way over the last year and our apologies for not mentioning you all in person. You know who you are. We are called to love and to serve and you have done this to the glory of God. If you are aware of any need within the church, please do let us know. Serving God is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith, as believers are expected to help the church with a joyful spirit. “Love one another.” “Care for one another.” “Pray for one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Counsel one another.” “Support one another.” Scripture tells us of our relationship to God and others through service. We have lost quite a few people from the Pastoral Care Team in the last 3 years, and so we are looking for more volunteers to help with lifts, phone call/visits and meals and ad hoc requests. If you think you can help in any way, please do get in touch. _Report by: Claire and Paul Morrison, Pastoral Care Team Leaders_ 16 ## **Home Groups Report** Home groups, since Covid, have changed and re-formed in very different ways. It is interesting that, for most groups, the priorities before Covid had been 1) Bible-study, 2) Prayer, 3) Social: During Covid it became 1) Social, 2) Prayer, 3) Bible study: An exact turn around. Most groups initially went onto zoom, and some stayed that way for a long time. For various reasons, three groups dwindled and died, but slowly most of the remaining groups have moved back to meeting together: One novel outcome was that the group became a ‘WhatsApp group’ with a short daily devotion, and regularly sharing of prayer and social information. What a wonderful flexibility! So now we have 4 groups with a total membership of just over 40 people. In addition, a number of folks are regular members of the Wednesday Community Bible Study Group. Praise God that even under Covid, we had complete freedom to ‘meet’ together! Let’s celebrate and exploit that freedom. _Report by: Russell Shipton, Home Groups Lead_ ## **Welcome Team Report** “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” Romans 15:7 Thank you to the Welcome team who have served the church through the last year. Especial thanks go to Liz Jenkins who we sadly lost at the end of 2022. We now have 6 pairs who rotate welcoming each week. The role involves warmly greeting congregants with a smile, providing service sheets, directing to available seats and keeping an eye on everyone during the service, as well as a quick tidy up at the end. It is also a good opportunity to get to know members of the congregation and new visitors to the church. Please do speak to Claire Morrison, any member of the Welcome team or the church office if you are interested in serving in this way. _Report by: Claire Morrison, Welcome Team co-ordinator_ ## **Community Bible Study at St Sebastian’s** Would you like to know your Bible? The aim of CBS UK is to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus through in-depth Bible study. There are over 90 groups studying in the UK. Our group of 14 started in September 2022, meeting for 2 hours on Wednesday mornings, following the school calendar year. At present we are studying the Gospel of John in a relaxed, warm and sympathetic environment, learning and growing together. There is also a Wednesday evening group which presently meets on zoom. If you are interested in getting to know your Bible better, then please contact Claire Morrison or Stephen or Jacki Deakin. The study is open to all people inside and outside the church. 17 ## **Cancer Support Group** Anne Bone continued to run this support group on zoom during the Pandemic and whilst caring for her husband, Geoff who she sadly lost last year. She wants to thank the group for their support during this time. Since the new year, the group has begun to meet in person and now meets monthly in the Parish Centre. There are 8 regular attendees who are a mix of Christians and folk with no strong beliefs. The group explain to newcomers that there is a time of prayer at the end of the meeting and they have always been happy with this. The aim of the group is to provide a safe space in which to talk freely outside of the family whilst you or a loved have cancer. If you know of anyone who may benefit from this support group, please do get in touch with Anne through the church office. ## **Surviving the Breakup Course** This is a four-week course designed to provide information and support for anyone who is at any stage of separation, break up or divorce. Over the period the course will focus on the individual, the effects on children and the legal processes. The Surviving the Breakup course did not run during the Pandemic and now there are no plans to run a course at St Sebastian's. However, Pam Carter has been advising King's Church in Wokingham about how to run the course and the necessary safeguarding requirements needed. King's Church are hoping to run the course in September. If you know of anyone who might be interested in attending the course, please contact Pam Carter through the office. Similarly, if you think you could help in any way, please contact Pam. _Report by: Claire Morrison and other group leaders_ ## **Worship Report 2023** Since the last report there have been quite a few changes in the Worship team at St. Sebs. Several musicians and worship leaders have moved away or decided the time was right to change roles whilst others have seen the need and offered to help. We are very grateful to those people for joining us. In the last year we have had several occasions when the St Sebastian’s Band have led worship – one of the most memorable having been the Carol Service last Christmas. Christmas carols sound so much more festive with a Brass Band! It has been lovely having the Base musicians play on the 1[st] Sunday of every month and it has been good to get to know a whole group of new musicians. Recently, the church musicians have been added to the What’s App group so that we all can share new songs and communicate easily. I’ve asked Andrea to contribute to this article as she now runs the Base music team. It is so encouraging to hear about what God is doing among our young families. Andrea writes: ‘The Base worship team has been a great place for the team members to explore both new and well-known songs and has encouraged new friendships at St Sebastian's Church. 18 We have found using a 'What’s App' group a useful platform to provide a really useful space for sharing new songs via You tube clips and we post music sheets which we print off. It's also a useful space to chat and share ideas about Worship. We have learnt and led new children's songs and are constantly on the lookout for new ideas and seek what the Lord is leading us into. We have enjoyed meeting up for practices and shared new songs from artists like Michael W Smith, Bright City, Maverick City and some songs we learnt at Soul Survivor Watford worship day which a few of us attended. We have also used songs which we have heard on Premier Christian radio. The worship team is great fun to be part of as we've become both good friends and have been able to encourage each other in Christian worship. We take turns to lead worship at the Base meeting and also once a month we lead in the main Church service with the rest of Church congregation which is really enjoyable.’ _Report by: Eve Bull, Worship Leader_ ## **Prayer Report** ## **Zoom Prayers** ‘Zoom Prayers’ is our weekly church prayer meeting, held on zoom /online on Mondays at 7.30pm - 8.30pm. The prayer meeting moved online due to the Covid lockdowns and we have continued with this format as many regulars find it more convenient. We have a core group of twelve, although numbers vary from week to week. I am very encouraged by the faithfulness and prayerfulness of those who attend. We have held mission focus prayer meetings, praying for charities we support as a church, including Yeldall Manor, Open Doors Ministries, Univida and Mityana Charity. The prayer meeting is facilitated by one of the group. My constant prayer is that we come to spend time in God’s presence, thanking him and interceding for the things he has placed on our hearts and minds, for our church, local community, country and world. ## **Supporting the recruitment process of our new vicar** We supported the recruitment process of our new vicar in prayer, by the following: - At the weekly Zoom prayers and the Sunday service intercessions. - Points 4 Prayers – circulated to the whole church family at each stage of the process via email, Church website, Facebook and paper flyers in church - Prayer meeting on the church site on the applicant selection meeting day - Prayer meeting in the vicarage in preparation for the applicant interview day ## **Prayer Circle** St. Sebastian's WhatsApp Prayer Circle is in the process of being fully established to circulate prayer requests. It is not a chat group and members are asked for no response other than prayer. Alexis or Jill are the people to contact about joining this group. Our WhatsApp Prayer Circle has replaced the email Prayer Circle, which Brian Hart sensitively and efficiently managed for many years, until they moved away last year. 19 ## **Healing Service** -5[th] Sunday of the month (January/ May /October) Jill Gardener and I plan these services together. Healing services were held in January, May and October 2022 and in January 2023. In May 2022, we held a special service of Healing & Reconciliation. In January 2023, we held a special service of ‘Standing together in prayer for our brothers and sisters around the world, who face daily hardship and persecution for their Christian faith’. It was an interactive service, which sort to gently educate about the work of Open Doors Ministries. The main focus of the service was on proclaiming the word of God, over our Christian family around the world and interceding together for specific countries. My ongoing prayer is that we as a church, will have God’s heart of compassion for all those around the world, who are suffering for their Christian faith and for those who don’t yet know Him. ## **Pastoral Prayer support** Jill Gardener and I have visited people in their homes to pray for/with them. This has tended to come about following prayer ministry during communion or at coffee time. ## **Intercessions at the Sunday 10am service** There is a growing number of volunteers who lead our intersessions at the Sunday morning 10am service. I want to thank everyone who lead the intercessions. ## **Prayer Ministry Team** The prayer ministry team presently consists of fifteen members, nine of whom serve regularly, offering prayer ministry (PM) at the bimonthly communion services and at the 5[th] Sunday healing services (in January, May and October). In addition, there are five people who do not want to be called on regularly but are happy to step in if needed on the day. At each communion service, our aim is to have three sets of two people offering PM. Two sets at the front near the communion table and one set at the back, usually near the front door. I feel very supported by the commitment and faithfulness of our prayer ministry team. ## **Hearts for Prayer booklet** Last year, I put together (with Kirsty’s help!) a little booklet to help us pray the word of God over the children in our lives. It is such a powerful and effective way to pray. These are still available in church. That’s all folks. _Report by: Alexis Clarke, Joint Prayer Lead_ ## **Report 2022 for Churches** _**together**_ **in Crowthorne (and Finchampstead) - CTC** _How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. PS 133:1_ In another year first dominated, then interrupted by Covid it was great to finally get out and about together! 20 Our regular Coffee Mornings (Tuesday/Thursday) restarted last September, providing a much-needed sense of community for people struggling with isolation over the last difficult period. Do pop in! In December, we came together to celebrate the Late-Night Shopping / Lights in the High St with Breakaway Brass Carols, a service led by our ministers, livestreamed for those not able to attend, events in both the Baptist and Methodist Churches (and the Christmas Story scenes out in the garden). Out on the streets, CTC Stewards were on hand to make sure all ran smoothly. Then there were angels – 400+ of them – bringing much needed smiles and joy to traders, shoppers and Crowthorne in general. More Carols the following weekend in the new location outside the Baptist Church well supported by 40+ people. Not everything ran perfectly of course, but thank you to the army of people who helped behind the scenes, volunteered at the events, ‘liked’ and commented on Facebook posts etc. However, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Barry Bailey for his patience in negotiating (?) with Crowthorne Parish Council and other partners to allow CTC to reach out so effectively to our community. **January 2022** – (online) Service for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (hosted by Sandhurst CTC) **February / March / April** - Shared Lent Groups hosted by St John’s / Methodist Church and a daytime mediation group at Holy Ghost. Others met to rehearse “Jerusalem Joy” (with Sandhurst Churches Together) at St John’s Crowthorne, presented on Palm Sunday evening to a full (at last!) church. All these activities were represented at the Agape meal hosted once again by the e Methodist church on the Monday of Holy Week. Good Friday saw the return of our service together (in the Baptist Church), the outdoor walk of witness (in the glorious sunshine!) with 5 thoughtprovoking stops arranged by Rev Kevin Mills and Hot Cross Buns at the Methodist Church. **July/August** – Crowthorne Summer Activities was back on the Morgan Recreation Ground, starting later to avoid clashing with the market otherwise the same fun and joy from the kids, organised by Louise Truscott, now stepping down after many years. Thank you again to the many volunteers who gave up their time to support our young people. And the weather was fabulous too! During the year we said goodbye to Revd Canon Andrew Marsden (St Sebastian’s) and Revd Canon John Edwards (St James Finchampstead) who have retired. 21 We saw changes in our ‘family-connected’ organisations during the year as Sue Hester stepped down as chair of Good Neighbours and Louise Truscott stepped down from HopeZone. Thank you for all you have done for Crowthorne over many years. The astonishing work of the Foodbank continues, and as the Ukrainian refugee issue hit the front page, people in our churches stepped up to reach out in compassion (we will hear more about this work and how you can get involved at the CTC Service on the 11[th of] September). ## **CTC Meetings** We met 3 times during the year and were pleased to welcome David Atkinson as the new rep for St James Finchampstead and treasurer. Sadly, health problems have prevented David from continuing, but we want to thank him for his work, particularly on the bank account and send prayers for his ongoing health issues. Despite the best efforts of Jenny McKeever (our former treasurer) and David Atkinson (new treasurer) we are still trying to open a new bank account with the Coop, made more urgent by the closure of our existing Nationwide account. The delay is caused by bank’s interpretation of the Money Laundering regulations and in particular our status as an “official” charitable association, which technically we are not and until now was absolutely fine. No one wants to come to a meeting to discuss constitutions or organisational structure but as it is now preventing us running effectively (having a bank account) we need to address this urgently, and it seems sensible to combine the necessary changes with the formal AGM business at the end of October (Mon 24[th] October is suggested). ## **Back to normal or back to the future?** Reviewing our Statement of Purpose (from 2010) T, I found much to celebrate (and I hope nothing fundamental to disagree with!). What we do need to think through is the two-way engagement between our Member Churches and “CTC” to make sure that we remain true to our Statement of Purpose and relevant to our joint yet separate missional identities in 2022. To ensure effective communication and decision-making for a coordinating (or enabling) group such as CTC will always be challenging and works best when strong personal relationships are established. (A particular thanks to Leigh Welham for her tireless work on the communication and coordination front!). We have had significant turnover in ministers since 2010, not to mention Covid, so now is a good time to revisit and reset our previous assumptions based on a new set of people’s views, particularly around youth work. I am prepared to stand again as Chair but am also happy to stand aside in order to support a new Chair who wished to take CTC forward. I continue to be humbled by the astonishing commitment, energy and good humour by the many people who make all the CTC events happen. Thank you for all you do and for bearing with me over the last year. _Report by: Janet Rogers, CTC Chair_ 22 ## A THANK YOU FROM THE DEANERY The Interview Day in January 2023 was an exceptionally good day in that we had a very strong field of candidates to consider and to explore with and it felt very strongly that this was the parish coming together after some difficult years to work as one, to share something exciting and to rediscover something vital about God’s leadership and direction. At the end of it we emerged with the very exciting appointment of a new Vicar, Rickey, and, I felt, a shared smile which is part relief and part excitement and hope. 2022 was not an easy year, of course, but there were some real pluses and highlights- worship, how the leadership team stuck together and worked together, how the concerning financial reality was identified, understood and then started to be addressed at the end of the year- as well as the way the Parish Profile was put together and the way the interview day was shaped and delivered. Last year I wrote the following and it feels very appropriate and very true as we look forward to Rickey’s arrival with eager anticipation, while remembering that we are the Church together and however good Rickey is, growth and mission happen when we all work together in the Spirit: “Part of the reason there should be such confidence around in 2022 is the way you as a parish and congregation have navigated the last two years… so, thank you for the faithfulness, willingness and prayer you have shown throughout the last three years. Those are great attributes to build the future on, in terms of the character and identity of the parish under God.” _the Rev’d Canon Richard Lamey – Area Dean for Sonning_ ## ELECTORAL ROLL & CHURCH ATTENDANCE ## **Kirsty Milam: Electoral Roll Officer** Following the revision of the Church Electoral Roll for the APCM on 19 April 2023 there are 151 Parishioners on the roll as compared to 152 in 2022. 2 names were removed and 1 added. The whole roll was renewed in 2019. Average Sunday attendance (at all services), counted during October 2022, was 70, this has increased slightly from 64 in 2021. ## SONNING DEANERY REPORT 2022 was a year of continuing recovery and mutual support. Deaneries are at their best when the parishes are walking alongside each other, sharing ideas, offering support and encouragement, and that has been very visibly true in 2022 as we all began to move out of the shadow of the pandemic together. It was visible in the way parishes and clergy supported those in vacancy, in the way that Parish Administrators rang each other with questions, in the way that an experienced Treasurer helped a new one, and in countless other ways. 23 In terms of Chapter, Canon Andrew Marsden retired on the ground of ill-health from St Sebastian’s in February and Anna Harwood moved to Cardiff from Ruscombe, Twyford and Hurst in the summer. Laura Wheatley Downs was installed as Vicar of Crowthorne in the Autumn, and Richard Eves (Wargrave) and Becky Medlicott (All Saints) were both ordained priest at Petertide. We followed our Deanery Plan for recovering from the Pandemic with some success, focusing on rebuilding relationships and mutual support after a broken and disrupted few years. In June the Diocese approved adjustments to the Parish Share scheme and much of the rest of 2022 was spent responding to that, not least since the proposals as they initially came indicated a rise in Share of over 30% for some of the parishes in the Deanery. The meeting in September focused on Parish Share, with the Archdeacon in attendance, and we agreed as a Synod to set up a small group to look at Share and to make recommendations to the meeting in March 2023. In November we agreed that we would not make any changes to the Scheme for 2023 but just add 2% to every Parish Share as the fairest way of meeting our increased allocation while we took the time to work out a system which is fair across the Deanery. There was still time in November to have the Revd Katie Tupling (Diocesan Disability Advisor) address us on disabled people in Church, and being a community in which everyone is welcome and included. It was an inspiring and encouraging talk, at once challenging and supportive, and Synod and guests enjoyed it immensely. 2022 was a decent year for the Deanery- and it has laid the foundations for the year to come. Please pray for Winnersh and Bearwood, St Sebastian’s and Ruscombe, Twyford and Hurst as they enter 2023 in vacancy, especially for their Church leaders who have so much more to organise and think about at the moment- and thank you to the members of Synod who have made our meetings so warm, effective and focused on God. _the Rev’d Canon Richard Lamey – Area Dean for Sonning_ 24 ## **Parochial Church Council of St Sebastian’s Church Nine Mile Ride Wokingham Without** ## **Diocese of Oxford** ## _- Not Without Jesus -_ **Financial statements** Of the ## **Parochial Church Council** For the Year ended 31 December 2022 Charity Number: 1139933 ## **Contents** Independent Examiner’s Report Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements Parochlal Church Councll of St S8bastlan, Woklngham Flnanclal ststemants For tha year endlng 31 December 2022 To the fflembers of the Parochial Ctr•Jrch Council of St Sebastian. WokirWwm l ￿port on the auounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2022, Ivthlch are set out on pages 6 to 141. Respertive respo￿16111tIej of the PCC and the examiner As membeTs of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the Financial Statements: you consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 3131 and section 144121 of the 2011 Charitie5 Act do not apply. It is my responsibility to.. examine the 3ccount5 under section 14S of the 2011 Act: follow the procedures laid down in the General Dirertion5 w'ven by the Chartty Commi55ion under section 14515lbl of the 2011 Act,. and state whether particular matteTS have come to my attention. Basls of Sndependent examlnerfs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions 8tven by the Charity Commission under section 145lSllbl of the 2011 Art and to be found in the PCC Accountability 8uid3nce. 5th edition. 2017 issued by the Finance DNision of the Archbi5hops' Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting record5 kept by the PCC and a compari50n of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosure5 in the accounts and Seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matter5. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not expre55 an audit opinion on the ew given by the accounts. Independent ex•mlnerfs ststen*nt In connertion with my examinatM)n. no matter has come to my attention.. which gives me ￿aSOnable cause to believe that in any material respert the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with sertion 130 of the 2011 A£t,' arKI to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the 2011 Act and the Regulations have not been met.. or 2. to which. in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Jacob Geor8e Accounting Partnership Ltd 74 Salisbury Close Alton GU34 2TP 1510312023 Parochlal Church Councll of St Sobastlan, Woklngham Flnanclal ststomonts For tha year endlng 31 Docomber 2022 The accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022 are presented on page5 6 to 14 and are in accordance wtth the PCC Accountability guidance, 5th edition, 2017 issued by the Finance Division of theArchbishops' Council. Revlew ot the Accounts forthe year ended 31 December 2022 In 2022 total Expenditure £172,419 exceeded total Income £147,727 reSu￿1ng in a net Deficit of £24.692 (before gains or losses on investments) compared with the net Deficit in 2021 of £31,537. Income Total income was £147,72712021.. £144,836). (Note 2 of the financial statements provides further details.) Our main income source 15 Woluntary income" or congregational giving (plu5 associated HMRC tax recoveryl and we a grateful to the many faithful and generou5 givers (some over many years) who contribute, and wrthout whom the Church would r70t be able to run its programme of activities. Thi5 year total donatwJn5 and legacy income ha5 decreased to £123,431 from £127.193 in 2021. Ir￿luded in these totsls the Regular Monthly Gifts drOp￿d to £101,531 from £122,600120211, but this was offset by an increase in One-off Donations to £18.506 from £4,109120211. Activitie5 for generating fund5, arising froffl the letting of the Church's premises, provided £20,09012021: £15,760). The income from the letting of St Sebastian's Lodge amounted to £15,61012021= £14.9WI and was for the second year reduced by a void period. Church Hall rent was £4.480 up from £860 in 2021 as a result of increased rents from the existin8 regular hirers and a new re8ular hirer. Expendlture Total expendrture in the year was £172,41912021.' £176.3731. INote 3 of the financial statements provides further details.) The largest sln8le item of expendlture remains the dI0￿san parish share of£83.71812021.. £83.1271. The parish share is set by the Diocese and Deanery Kcording to pre-determined formulae. We pay our parish share via a 12 monthly direct debit which provide5 US with a 1% discount. During 2022. we employed S staff members. which accounted for our second largest expenditure of £4622212020.. £32,955). The increase is due to having a paid administrator for the whole 012022 (five month5 in 20211, pay increase5 and the employment of 8 cleaner for the Church Hall replacing a more expensive outside contractor. The Church is committed to Bive at least IO% of its unrestricted voluntary income to support the workof charities and reach out to those in need acr055 the world and in the UK. This year the Church's mt55ion and charitable giving allocation was calculated. excludin8 the special one-off gifts donated to replenish our reserves. at £1061712021.. £12.7201. As is detailed in note 12. £9.465 from this yearfs tithe was spent. and the balance of £l.152 was added to unspent tithin8 from previous year Our property costs in theyear totalled £20,63812021= £38.0081. Major repair costs of £16,870 in 2021 were not incurretl in 2022. Further during 2022 the arrangemènts were changed for waste CO1￿Ction. cleanin& pest control, and the setvicing of our five boilers reducin8 the expenditure compared to 2021 by a further £3.115. These savin8s were offset by other increases in our costs, particularly for gas and electricity. We are also grateful for the many volunteers who generousty provide theirtime antl skills for the benefitof the Church and thus make a substantial savin8 on our running costs. Parochlal Church Councll of St S•bagllan, Woklngham Flnanclal stthm•nts For th• y•ar •ndlng 31 D•c•mb•r 2022 At theend ofthe year. the netcurrentassets toQalled £62.68012021 £91.3121 made up¢lcash balan¢esof £SSJ92. Oebtty5 £1167 and Investments valued at £19.252 less Creditors of £13.031 It has beÈn PCC poli¢y. whwe prarticable. to maintain a minimum balanceof free reseThes Inrt current assets) equatin8 to approximatety morrth's generdl fvnd p•ffl*nts tr £J),IXO. li is held to sm¢)oth out fluctuatK)ns in cash flow and to meet emeftencies. The balarKe ol the General Fund at 31° Deceffl￿r 2022 was £10597. The PCC Ik(ided to redesignatt the balance on t Fund Irr4estmènts 01 £19252 to the General Fund. In 5epiember the PCC r&01¥￿ to sèll the 8arclap Shares repo5ented by tht Fund Investments as soon as the IVPL¥tunity arose to sell wit1￿t a loss The PCC has d￿￿Trated three othef funds.. "MaAor Malntenan¢o FuThf, setup in Jawary 2012 t¢ cover laf8¢ repair and maintenan¢e items relatin8 to the thurch and buildings. 'Jubilee Ck* Fund". ￿￿tl￿t0 thts churthirou Ègary Fund" _ duiire 2019. the PCC received a legacy of £S.CQO from the estate ol Mike Page a m￿h-10¥Qd member ol the congregatKJn. The PCC has designated these fund5 whilst ConsKleri￿ optrtrns to invest funds in a way that %wuld ho￿Ul Mikè's memory. In 2021 the PCC rÈ¢erod gifts in memory ol the wonderful servant of the churth Eric FLAlge and these havè been simllarly de&￿ated. The ￿￿•￿1¥1 P05ib¢*i 2022 a ¥ery challebwingyearfinancialy. As expected for most ol the ￿al our regular gi￿n& Income continued tolall as result of the dIsrupt￿n ¢•Lsed by the P*dtmic and fart that we htée be￿ ifft an interTe8num folkw1￿ t ftytwMte retiRment ol our ￿ar to I1￿4. The PCC h)d bud8thd for a t>elkit 01 £28250. but recoenised at the tmne of settin8 the bu*et that the actual deficit f 2022 might be som￿that htgher. Mbj-way through the year it becamÈ dtaf that we faced a forecast dÈficit of around £43.QX. Deficits ¢ontinuin&•t this level would mean our Reseryes would fall be*)w the minimum le4tl of f￿e Reserves * alm to maintsin. An appeal was madÈ to the PCC and Ministry Tèam t1￿1 resulted in onÈ-off donations of £17250 to shore > ow Reserye N(pJember. the PCC apw¢h*d a Stewardship Plan. YfvthKh included differert apwoaches to the Bast m?mbw5 lffleeting airy*d at ytyjng familiesl and the Church coryegalM￿. The s￿ardShiP Plan included an eyplination to the merythrs of The Base as to how iheir activi￿ #re fuNled, and an invitation to &ivÈ regularly. In Jatsuary rt was planned to show a video esentatrf>n entitled The Voyage of the Lor(fs Sh¥1 St Sebastian's" subtitled Yhe Financial Storm" to ￿gin to make tKJth con8regatKJns aware of our fin•nci•l position. In February a mort formal presentationol iht lorecast for 2023 to the Church c(Mwegation *I￿ld be made. vnth an in¥rtat￿n to uptheir ￿￿h￿B￿lng or make one 4>fl dOTrat￿s to repair the reser%*L Tho I￿rtk>Ok lor2023 Ha¥in8 rvéiewed our fina￿la1 position and the Stewardship Plan, in lkn*mbef. the PCC resoPod to -keep all activities goi￿ as they are until at least the end of calendar year 2023". In earty 2023. the KC ￿11 consller the results ol the Stewardship pl￿ and thrO￿h 2023 wll regularly review a rolli￿ twefve month forecast ol future I￿1 ol reserves. necessary. the planned level ol church activities will be fevised. Parochlal Church Councll of St S•butlan, Woklngham Flnanclal ststemonts For the y•ar endlng 31 D•c•mb•r 2022 alnMnistr•li A Finan(e Committee apwinted by the PCC ha5 responsibility for oversight ol lo￿0￿e financial administration. anmal t￿dgetin￿ and weparntion of f￿￿claI reports. We would like to thank Christina G(xharn for hef work as Finance Offic*r. Prty•isth ol infrKmatiM to ifftdepndwt Eath ¢f the ￿Mber$olt￿ PCC at the time when this reptyt is awoved has confimied that: $0 lar as helshe is a￿t, thtte ts no relevant fin￿¢￿•1 informatitin olt*hich the tharity's indtptndent Exaff¥nws a￿ unaware, and that hel5￿ has taken all the step5 that ought to have been taken as a trustee in iyder to bp aware of any informat>￿ needtd by irKlependent examiners in ¥thryth preparm8 his ￿K#￿t and to eStabl￿h th•t the inde￿ndent eXami￿r is aw*e of that inlomiation. A resolytK•n prOp￿ing the re4ppointment ofJ*K¢b Georze as ir#Jependent ex•niw ¢1 the charity will be wt to t Annual Parothial Church meeti￿ on 19" April 2023. Oète.. 15" March 2023 Parochlal Church Councll of St S•bastlAn, WoklnghAm NotM to th• flnanclal stat•m•nts Y•ar •nd•d 31 D•e•mb•r 2022 srATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AcnviTIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022 Fw F￿r 2022 1•22 2fr22 YJ22 1.$1* 1&.P•Q 145.125 145 125 147.T27 Parrth Share and FÈa IAiwon ChwlE*ble Gl• St41 Costs 1*714 1fL4S7 1YF itOJ YrnJT3 111415Trff NfGAIIIS ILOSSES) 1511 Tr•tth ol Vdion Ft4xl *Aljustfftènt io Rest*thd Fw 14 Xéi &ts: 4u4d 14EI MIMMEF•T ￿•VIlD5 122WI Is￿ 11.0&11 12AA45 Parochlal Church Counell of St Sebastlan, Woklngham Notès to tho flnanelal statemènts Year ended 31 December 2022 BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022 zo ASSETS x•d Asg0ts Investm￿￿ FLxgJ A$8ets T8ThJible Totsl Flx•d A49•ts 1.750 1,750 245 Curr•nt A#s•ts Deblors and PrepaY￿nIS Current asset Thestrnen15 Cash at bank and in haThd Totsl Cwr•nt A•￿ts L167 19.2S2 345 22.642 Ta 75 711 Currnnt Li•bilit CreditOTS- Idling due wrthin one 13,031 NET CURRENT ASSErs 62.680 9L312 TOTAL NET ASSETS PARISH FUNDS 8.112 26,846 9,195 49,489 Unmtricted FuThl8- Design81&l unrestn.cted FuThts. G&*r81 Fu￿1 64,430 93,C62 296 495 Church Cw'tal Reserves CLOSING BALANCES Approved ty thè ParotNal Ch￿Ch Councll on 15th Marth 2023and s*néd on Its behalfby. Davld Smart PCC Chalr JohnCon8ram PCC Treasurer The notu on to 14 form part ts1th￿ fln*)tlal statement> Parochlal Church Councll of St Sébastlan, Woklngham Notes to the flnanclal statements Year ended 31 December 2022 Accountln8 policl•s Basis ol Prep•r•tion The financial statements have been prepared In accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Finanoal Rewrting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland ISORP IFRS 102)) and the Charities Att 2011. The PCC 15 a public benefitentity within the meaning of FRS 102. The financial ststements have been prepa￿d under the historical cost convention except for the valuatpjn of investment a￿ts and certain of the freehold properties which are at valuation as described in the notes. The finanoal statements include all transartions, èssets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do Trjt include the accountsof church Br(￿p5 that owe their main affiliation to another body. nor those that are infomial gatherings ofchurch members. Funds Copitol reseTre51or pemionent endowmentfvnds) are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investment of the tapital reserves may be used either as restricted or unrestrirted fund5 depending on the purp¢)5e for which the capital reserve was established. The PCC has a single permanent endowment (capital reserves) established bv trust in 1968 relating to the Upkeep of the Church and Churchyard. Re5trirtedfunds represent income from trusts and endowments vthith may be expended on those restrided objerts provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and donations or grants received for a specific objeci or invited by the PCC for a specific object. These funds only be expended on the specific objert for whith they were given. Any balance refflaining unspent at the end of exh year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. Restrirted fvnd5 indude an upkeep of thurch and churchyard fu￿1 held undef trust deed together with several other restricted funds. Unrestrirtedfvnd5 are general funds that can be used to fund ongoing Church expenditure. These represent the remaining income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC, induding amounts designated by the P(C for fixed assets for its own use or for spendin8 on a future project and which are therefore not included in it5 'free reserves, as disclosed in the trustees, report. DesignGrted unrestrirtedfvnds are monies Set aside by the PCC from unrestricted funds for specific purposes. That purpose is not binding on the PCQ though the PCC must be mindful of the intent when considering U5in8 the funds for other purposes. It IS the simplest and most f*xible way to ring fence money for special needs. "Major M•intenwKe Fun￿. setup in January 2012 to cover large repair and maintenarKe items relating to the churth and buildiw. "Jubilee Club Fund", setup in Septembef 2017 representing funds ènd expenditure relating to this church grwp. "Legxy Fund" Ifomialty -mike Page Le￿cY Fund"l- during 2019, the PCC receryed a legacy of £5,IXX) from the estate of Mike Page a much-boved member of the congregation. The PCC has designated these funds whilst considering options to invest funds in a way that would hoTh)ur Mike's memory. In 2021 the PCC received gifts in memory ofthe woThJerful servant of the church Eric Fudge. and these h￿e been Simi￿th designated. Parochlal Church Councll of St Sebastlan. Woklngham Notes to tho flnanclal statements Year ended 31 December 2022 IrKome Planned givin& collertion5 and donations are re(￿aniSed when received. Tax refvnd5 are recogni5ed when the incoming resources to which they relate is received. Grants aNI legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Rental income from the letting of the PCC property is recognised when the rental is due. Investment income is induded in the accounts when receNable. Investment gains and1055es include any gain or1055 On the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing imiestments to market value at the end of the ￿ar. All othef income is accounted for 8ros5. Expenditwe Grarrts and donations are accounted forwhen paid over, or when awarded, if that reward creates a binding or construrtive obligation of the PCC. The diocesan parish share 15 accounted for when due. Amounts received specifically for mission are dealt with as restritted funds. All other expenditure is generally recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross. It is the polici of the PCC that at least l(P% of our voluntary unrestricted grrfing land related rec(Nerie5 of incoffle tax) should be used for missionary and charitable giving= at the yearond amounts are accrued to comply with this policy. Ajted assets As Consecrated and beneffice property of any kind is excluded from the statut(Ky definition of 'charrtf by Sertion 10121 la) nd Ic) of the Charitie5 Act 2011 such a55ets are not capitali5ed in the financial sLatement& Moveable church furnishings held by the vicar and churthwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienoble property. listed in the church's inventory, which can be insperted lat any reasonable timel- No valued is placed on these assets in the financial statements. No indiwdual item has Cost more than £l.O(Xl so all such expenditure has been written off when incurred. Ffeehold propertles are either stated at cost when built by the Parish or stated at valuation when donated to the PCC. Fixed asset investments are stated at cost. Other Tan8ible fimed a55ets are capitslised ifthey tsn be used for more than ￿e year. and c05t at least £l,(XX). Thry a valued at cost or else, for gift5-in-kind. at a rea50nable estimate of their open market value on receipt. Depreciation 15 calculated to write off the capitalized cost of ftxed assets less their currentty anticipated resldual fair value over their estimated useful Itve5 a5 folk>ws.' Lond- Nil l Buildings'_ Nil l F￿tureS & Fiting5 - 20 Years 'No depreciation is provided on buildines as the currentty estimated residual value of the properties is not less than their carrying volue. Current assets Current asset inve5trnents are ststed at currefrt market val￿. Parochlal Church Coun¢ll of St Sébastlan. Woklngham Notes to the flnanclal statements Year ended 31 December 2022 2. Income •nd Endry*n Tokni Fund F￿05 F￿d9 FuTrJ$ FUNDS Tot zz zozz zo 202Z 21 It4COMÉ 21•1 L•9Dc*• Tax effkl•nt 744 T44 1.049 •d 0￿1￿4 .225 .225 fOJ.frXJ 969 969 97019 104939 .4n ).473 1.619 1545 810 1.774 L•wl•B 121.913 173 131 177.193 2(bl IrK•n• ¢h•ll￿1* xtt¥ltl•• Ch•rllabl• Aclfvl¥••. Fq 1.976 57 2.1fy1 2,154 2 164 371 1.419 21d) thcon* Imm Tradbw Aatr•*• 1561D 15 510 15610 14.9 i& TOTALINC 14S.12S 145.125 2.602 147.n7 144.836 io Parochlal Church Councll of St Seba8tlan, Woklngham Notes to the Ilnanclal statements Year ended 31 Docember 2022 3. Expenditu T•l*l Trrf•l Q•Mrnl Fw D•4w•t•d Futsd• IOTAL FLIIOS F￿dI Fund• TOTAL 2n 2022 2fj21 EXPENOITURE 4•1 P•rlth •Thl F••• ri￿•• •nd D•an•ry F••• P•rf*h s￿1* 1,375 83.718 1315 87 718 8771 iD1?7 9,92364 10.617 12.rnl 44 •ts* C¥ 703 ¢￿1¢h 8•Trle••Co*• 2.131 2.131 2.131 73 F•mlty WKI Ylwlh 1 8 ti78 2482 4 n 14 4•1 Prnml•• C¢ 19.714 19 714 924 2,417 2.417 2.417 Ir#1•g•r￿nl Ex•mln•f•F•• Admlnl**Ow Exp•rw• ?. l(P) 2 1CKJ 131 2245 Sub4L**I CMtb•r c￿rth A￿7￿11•• 50 137 4241 TOTAL EXPEN(¥TU 1S9,284 9.244 3.lJ6 INJn 4. stsff Costs zo 4S.$30 32.331 425 31•55 There were 4 employees in post until September when I new employee joined as a cleaner for the hall. There were S employees for the rest of the year. There were no employee benefits to key mana8emefrt personnel in thi5 year or previous years. li Parochlal Church Councll ol St Seba8tlan, Woklngham Notes to tho flnanclal statements Year ended 31 December 2022 S. Fixed assets (al Inve5tments- at 31 DÈ(ember 2022 CBF In¥￿tIn￿￿t fund- 1.764 5hare5 1.750 The CBF Investment funds represents pemianent endowment (capital reseryesl relating to the Upkeep of the Church and Churchyard ￿StrICted fvnd. (bl T*n8ible fixed •ssets- frnehold ￿nd and buildiw-at 31 December 2021 Z96.495 cumulated Depr¢claVon NEt 8TrJ& Value 296.495 Freehold land and buildings comprise the church hall and the parish centre, both of which **re built by the PCC and are stated èt cost of E201,495, and St Sebastian's Lodge which is stated at a valuation made in the year of donation to the PCC of £95.¢XQ. It is not considered that the current value of thE freehobd properties is lower than their stated c05t and according￿ no depreciation has been provided. The PCC do not see any benefrt in obtaining a current valuation of these properties. 6. Dthrs 31 De¢ 22 31 0*¢ 21 345 7a. Cwrent Asset Investments The investments being Bardays Ordinary Shares are stated at the market value prevailing at 310etember 2022. 7b. Oesi8natod Funds Given the fall in level of i)ur income the PCC 15 preparirva to cover the experted defKit in 2022 fn)m our Unrestrirted Aeser¥es, so has decided to consolidate the designated Wision Fund back into the General Fund. This leaves three designated fvnd5.' the Major Maintenance Fund, the Jubilee Clth Fund and the Legacy Fwbd Irepre5entin8 gifts we have received in rnemory of Mike Page and Erik Fudge). Vwonl Fuml- T(tsl 131.12111 11#2521 1192521 12 Parochlal Chur¢h Councll of St Seba$tlan. Woklngham Notes to the flnanclal statéments Yaar anded 31 Déc&mber 2022 CreditOf5- arnOW￿l￿111￿ due within one 31 D•c 22 31 D•c 21 II•N 41 1.018 2.133 3244 Tithir4 4.378 P•rthlon D&CECrnd*•r 128 1.537 11031 9. Restricted Fu To*1 Y•or {111r22) Chwchl Cywd Fw 412• Grnnt Imm Wokbnghwn lthlt•d elwty 0￿1 fv*m ¥YokbnW*n W41th￿ P. C 774 774 Toiil 3.135 &112 Restrrrted funds include an upkeep of Church and churchyard fund together Wlth sevefal other funds. i￿luding grants awarded for spe(ih"c purposes by Wokingham United Chartties1£3,9921 10. Oi5dosure of trustee and staff remuneration, related party and other transactK PCC member Mary Unwin is olso a Governor of 5t Sebostian's School. During the year, the PCC made grants of £1.319 to the school to pay for bibles for the thildren and staff and pay the Core Supwrt charge from the Diocese. No other payTrent5 or expenses were paid to any other membEr of the PCC or person dosely connected to them or related parties. other than the re-imbur5ernent of expenses incurred by PCC rnembers in respect of Church activitie5. PCC Indemnity Insurance cover Is prO￿ded for all PCC members as part of the Ecdesiastlcal Parish Plus Insurance pollcy entered on annual basis. The annual p￿MiuM for the combined church, parish centre and hall insurance, which also covers areas such as empl(Nerfs liabiltty, property damage, consequential k)s5. and financial1055. is £4.122 for the year to 30 April 2023. The cost of the indemnity insurance cover is not separately identifiable. 11. Fees p•y•ble to the Independent Exthner The independent examiner fee is E5(XJ. 13 Par¢xhlal chU￿h Coun¢ll of St Sebastlan, Woklngham Notes to tho flnanclal statements Yéar ended 31 December 2022 12. Charftable arants and spKl•l colleclfjo The Church is committed to give at least IO% of its unrestricted voluntary incometo support the work of charities and reach out to those in need acr05S the world and in the UK. In 2022, we granted a toLIl of £9.46512021'. £20.0531, furKled by the IO% tithe {£10.617 2021.- £12,7201. In 2021 we made grnnts totalling £9.1J)O relating to unspent tithes from earlier years. Below, accumulated fund5 from Ull5PEnt tithing allocations, are set OLrt and the total 15 shown as a creditor in Note 8 Creditors. Durin8 the year. charitable grants were made to the follovring organisatiOn5: Gift5 in 2022 to Charrtie5 and Or8ani5ations Ffom 2022 Subt(*• St Sebastlans C of E Prlmary Sthool -Dkxesan Core ￿ppcrft 8iblesfor Children Yeldall Christian Certre Just Around The Corner IJAQ Soulscape CrOwth￿￿ 8ank 33 1.3CM) 6Tr) 7LI) 31" 1.2Lfl 1.2CiI 1.2LKI 2LX) 21 1.319 2.631 Mitiyana Charlty Open Doo UnNida Elim Intemational MIssic￿5 (Bulembu mInt5t￿ l Don knanl St Cdumba's Presbrterian Church. supwrt Ed5(￿ Specffic Collections- Tearfund Ukraine - Crtwrthorne Food Bank . Tearlund ￿11 4￿21 187 Total SWKI 2022 rrthe 9,465 10,617 Set a￿de for future giving Balance of fithes brought forward IIID2 Trtal Bala1￿ carried forward 31 Detefflber 2022 L152 3.227 4,379 14