2022-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Peter & St Paul Mitcham

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2022/23 REPORT TO THE CHARITY COMMISSIONERS

T HE ANGLICAN D IOCESE OF S OUTHWARK

M ITCHAM P ARISH CH URCH

St Peter & St Paul Church Road Mitcha m CR4 3BP

Aims & Purposes

The Parochial Church Council of Mitcham, St Peter & St Paul (‘the PCC’) has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent, the Reverend Fr David Pennells, in promoting within the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Parish Church and the Parish Centre complex opposite the church building in Church Path, Mitcham.

Objectives and Activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church building and to become part of the parish community of Mitcham Parish Church. The PCC maintains an overview of worship and activities and makes suggestions to the Incumbent as to how our Services and activities can involve the many groups that live within the parish boundary and beyond. Our Services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and Scripture, through the seven-fold Sacraments being celebrated - principally, the Holy Eucharist – and through music and occasional offices, such as Baptisms, Holy Matrimony and Funerals.

In planning our activities, the Incumbent and PCC are mindful of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit - and the specific guidance on the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people (‘the people in the pews’) to live out their faith through:

X Worship & Prayer; learning about God and the revelation through Jesus Christ and the preaching of the Gospel.
X Providing pastoral care to people, especially those living or studying or working in the Parish.
X Missionary and Outreach work.

To facilitate and advance this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the historic Parish Church building (Grade II* Listed) and the adjacent modern Parish Centre Complex.

The Parish’s mission is regularly measured against the ‘Five Marks of Mission’ posited by the Anglican Communion. This approach forms the basis of the current agreed Parish Mission Action Plan.

Achievements and Performance 2022/23

Throughout this past year, the Incumbent and PCC have been keen to offer a range of Worship Services on Sundays & during the week. Happily, the major Festivals of the Church have been celebrated with due reverence and dignity – Advent, Christmastide, Lent & Holy Week, Eastertide, our Patronal Festival, Dedication, Harvest, All Saints’ & All Souls’, and Armistice / Remembrance Festivals have all been appropriately marked with due Anglican ceremony.

At present there are 120 people on our Parish Electoral Roll (May 2023). Average Sunday attendance is about 35 - 45 people, and Tuesday morning celebrations of the Eucharist now attracting a regular attendance of about 15 - 20 people. As well as our regular Eucharistic Services each week, other events (such as the monthly ‘Julian Meetings’ and annual ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ Novena of Prayer) enables our community to come together to pray and thank God for the many blessings we still experience.

Through the ‘Occasional Offices’ of the church, we thank God for the gift of life (Baptism & Thanksgiving Services) and ask that the graces of the Holy Spirit will pour out on the candidate – in Marriage we dedicate two people’s lives together in the sight of God and the assembled congregation, and at Funerals we give thanks for a life now complete, handing them back to God’s merciful love, and seeking and offering support for those who grieve. Principally due to the after-effects of Covid-19, of these, Parish records show: few Baptisms, no Marriage ceremonies, and twelve Funerals have been celebrated; the first two categories usually taking place on site at the Church and the latter, Funerals, most often now are celebrated at local (or distant) Crematoria or Cemeteries, as suits the mourners and general circumstances.

Merton Deanery Synod

Three members of the Laity comprise the Parish representatives on the Deanery Synod, alongside the Vicar, Fr David Pennells & Assistant Priest of this Parish, the Reverend Jackie Cockfield; this provides the PCC with a link to the other churches within Merton Deanery (with boundaries co-terminus with the London Borough of Merton), with the Diocese of Southwark, ultimately linking through to the General Synod of the Church of England. Clergy also meet separately as a Deanery Chapter, holding meetings where issues of common concern are raised and collegiate support is offered and received. In March 2020, the Vicar was appointed as one of two Assistant Area Deans to Merton Deanery, and this role continues.

The Mitcham Group Ministry

This Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, alongside the three other Anglican Parish Churches in Mitcham (namely: St Barnabas – St Mark – St Olave) form the Mitcham Group Ministry in which the four Mitcham parishes seek to cooperate, work and encourage each other in their ministries to the entire geographical area.

The Incumbents meet together regularly every week, when possible, to pray and share notes together. During these times, the concept of working together comes to the fore: in encouraging each other, in listening to issues / problems, and in finding ways for the ministry of the Anglican churches in this place to serve the whole local area. As a vehicle for shared ministry, tasks are often shared - and an interchangeability of Altar / Pulpit are agreed. Joint Services of Worship are planned and instigated, and activities, both spiritual and social, are encouraged. Relying on

the cooperation of each constituent member, this Group concept proves to be a great success; the Group Annual Confirmation Service is usually held in one of the Mitcham churches by rotation. Due to Covid-19, no Confirmation service was held in 2021.

The Parish Church

The present Parish Church building, a Grade II* Listed structure in Georgian Gothic Perpendicular style, has celebrated its Bicentenary in 2022 – having been built between the years of 1819 and 1822, on the exact ‘footprint’ of the previous mediaeval-founded structure when it was rededicated and reopened for worship by the Bishop of London.

The PCC, in the past year or so, has seen, working with the Parish Architect, the replacement / renovation of the South Vestry Roof, the South Aisle Roof and the Tower Roof. Plans enabled a Faculty to be granted by the Diocese, and the work, costing in the region of £130,000 started in August 2021. Bids for financial assistance have been successful to various charities: £10,000 being granted by Marshall’s Charities - and a further £50,000 being agreed by Viridor Credits. Prudent savings of income into our Buildings Fund in recent years have resulted in a budget showing that we could realistically go ahead with the project, which we saw coming to fruition in December 2021.

Sadly, in late 2021 the monsoon rains penetrated the inner ceiling spaces in the South Aisle and the Old Vestry – damaging war memorials in the process. A long catalogue of dehumidifying the voids above the ceilings and drying out of the brick & plaster walls has continued throughout the past year and it is hoped that repair / restoration work will be completed by late 2023.

The Parish Centre Complex

The Parish Centre – which comprises of the Parish Office, a second office, an assembly hall, a grassed garden area & ancillary rooms (toilets, storerooms and kitchen) – was previously an excellent source of income to the parish, principally through the letting of the Centre throughout the daytime on weekdays to a privatelyrun Day Care Centre for Asian elderly people. Sadly, the Day Centre had to close due to the Pandemic, and remained so; and a replacement earner has not been located. The second office room is used by the associated domiciliary care service administrators. The Mitcham Community Choir meets to rehearse in the Hall one evening a week, and a Tai Chi Group one evening; a second community / Wellbeing Choir meets midweek, and a Children’s Keyboard class runs weekly in term time.

The Parish Office - the administrative ‘hub’ of the Parish - is usually the locus of the part-time Parish Administrator and most parish-related administration flows through this office. During Covid-19, the Administrator ‘worked from home’ for most of her hours, but now is restored to Wednesday – Friday office hours in the centre. Parish Centre Hall bookings for weekend and evening sessions have continued to be hit, but not so drastically, during 2022/3 principally due to people’s reluctance to gather in large numbers.

The Parish Centre is regularly hired out to one Christian church community for regular Services on Sunday mid-morning to early afternoons, and it can also be hired for other social and community events (such as the Mitcham Community Choir, MP surgeries / meetings, gatherings of local Community & Interest Groups / Mothers’

Union Social Afternoons and Social Evenings. Quarterly ‘Jazz Cafe evenings’ are returning as a regular event, and attract a wide audience base.

The use of the Centre’s Hall for Mothers’ Union meetings and social events / International Evenings, etc. evidences its value as a parish resource, and the hall and garden are an asset for Parish celebrations such as the Patronal Festival celebration barbecues.

Maintenance of the Parish Centre is the responsibility of the PCC Buildings’ Committee. The garden feature (maintained by a regular hall-user for us) is particularly welcome when an event is very well supported; the garden acts as an ‘overflow’ facility to obviate overcrowding.

The Hall remains in a generally fair state of repair, though the kitchen and main hall will probably need repainting in the future. Flooring in the entrance hall and toilets were upgraded to non-slip surfaces in 2020 and this has improved the general cleanliness / hygienic ‘feel’ and appearance of the Centre. It is hoped to develop the services provided in this building; an Architect had been instructed with a brief to develop ideas, and initial consultations with the Buildings' Committee had encouraged a creative 'future vision' set of ideas to flow from PCC members. This planning and development process has been on hold, due to the PCC focussing time and resources on the Church’s roof repairs/ restoration project.

Pastoral Care

A small number of parishioners are unable to attend church Services for various reasons, and the Incumbent and Assistant Priest, have kept in contact with these people. They have regular visits for Holy Communion where appropriate / requested, so these members to maintain a link with the Parish Church.

The clergy have been pleased to often hear of other parishioners’ contact / social visits when they speak to those visited. Hospital visits are also a common feature for the clergy, who spend time at St George’s / St Helier's and The Royal Marsden Hospitals. St Raphael's Hospice in North Cheam, serving the Borough of Merton is also visited - as required.

The weekly published Newsletter is sent out electronically to many email addresses ( and this is also published on Facebook & Twitter & the CoE’s ‘A Church Near You’ ) This is valued as a ‘link’ to isolated people - who report the interest they find in ‘keeping up-to-date’ with Parish affairs. Parish groups – such as The Mothers’ Union, the Tuesday Morning Eucharist Church Group, the Church Choir, the Servers’ Team, the Merton Citizens’ Group, and the Bellringing Band, all provide interlinking and overlapping ‘care networks’ which provide care links and communication between individuals.

Mission and Evangelism

A principal aim of the PCC and the congregation is to be seen as a ‘serving community’ in the local parish area. To this end, two specific initiatives continued to run successfully and provide a number of parishioners with an ‘outward’ focus to support people in our local environs.

Active Parish membership of ‘Merton Citizens’ – a community organising coalition of many different (though currently principally faith-based) community institutions – which has opened Parishioners’ eyes to the issues which are important

to our local community - and galvanised four principal Citizens’ working groups into action to challenge service providers in the fields of mental health, housing, and refugee support & welcoming.

The sharing of coordinated action is already showing results in a Pan-South London consultation exercise ( ‘South London Listens’ ), coordinated with local mental health Trusts, who now are supporting the establishment of ‘Be Well Hubs’ – one of which is now here at the Parish Church. Continuing discussions concerning housing and homelessness issues with local housing providers, including Merton Council and relevant Housing Associations are ongoing to seek to enhance the support for those in housing need.

The mental-health focus was promoted in Church by a monthly ‘mental health’focused discussion opportunity ‘Be Well Hub Meeting’, led by a mental health champion - over coffee - following the Parish Eucharist.

Other contacts: The Incumbent and PCC positively encourage engagement with local schools; Benedict, Bond, Cranmer, Cricket Green, Haslemere and William Morris schools have all visited the church to see the interior, to take part in project work or to engage with events such as ‘SingFest’ jointly arranged with Merton Music Foundation. Successful music-making sessions have again been arranged, again with Merton Music Foundation, involving a whole range of local schools, using professional musicians’ guidance.

Promotion The Parish Church continues to be a major player in the Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage’s annual ‘Mitcham Heritage Day’ in September, with the Church, Bell Tower and Graveyard open to visitors.

Encouragement The Incumbent continues to serve as a Trustee of Croydon Almshouse Charities, which amongst other functions, currently manages and supports the seven residents of the Mary Tate Almshouses on Mitcham Cricket Green. The Vicar also continues as a Trustee to the Wandle Industrial Museum - which is situated in Church Road, and promotes educational opportunities associated with the industrial history of the local area.

The Vicar works with the local South West London Basic Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police, chairing the Merton Borough Independent Advisory Group - and sitting on the Merton Safer Neighbourhood Board, and attending Cricket Green Ward consultation meetings.

Ecumenical Relationships

The PCC and Parish Church positively support the concept and activities of Churches Together in Mitcham (affiliated to Churches Together in England): this allows the coming-together of various local Christian denominations who speak with a common voice on issues of joint concern.

The Vicar is currently Chair of this organisation, and works alongside the various Ministers in the town to promote joint working of the many denominations represented. The Vicar is also a member of the Merton Council‘s ‘Inter-Faith Forum’, and the South London Inter-Faith Group. Events, such as the open-air acts of witness on Good Friday and before Christmas being popular, alongside some meetings been held in various churches such as the Jointly-led Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the five-week Lent Course, visiting various constituent

churches. Te Group also sponsors and staffs a Christmas Day luncheon at the Vestry Hall for those who would otherwise be alone on that Day.

The Parish Church also acts as the host Church to the Tamil-led Bethel International Missionary Church (Pastor: Titus Pirabakaran) which meet every Sunday afternoon after the Parish Church Service in the morning.

The one regular independent church congregation meeting in the Parish Centre is the Refuge Temple Community Assembly (Pastor Reginald Weir). They gather from 11am to 2pm each Sunday for praise and worship.

Volunteers and Safeguarding

We continue to remain grateful for the massive contribution our volunteers make to the wellbeing of the Parish, particularly in pastorally caring for one another, and also in staffing church-based activities. Such activities in church have included tasks such as arranging flowers, staffing / stewarding the church for the regular Services, and leading the singing, the Choir being directed by Andrew King, alongside Gill Campbell, our Organist. Refreshments are served after every Service –and important community building activity.

Safeguarding is an important aspect of our work, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people and children in our midst. David Coggins remains our Safeguarding Officer, supported by the Incumbent. Where appropriate, Disclosure & Barring Service (‘DBS’) checks are carried out for those with designated roles where they may come into significant contact with vulnerable people. The Safeguarding procedures, based on the Diocesan model policy, is reviewed and endorsed every year by the PCC.

Structure, Governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is as set out in the statutory Church Representation Rules (2002) as subsequently amended. At Mitcham Parish Church the membership of the PCC usually consists of the Incumbent, the Assistant Priest licensed to the Parish, the churchwardens and members elected by the congregation on a three-year rotating basis (three places per year) and the three representatives elected to the Merton Deanery Synod. Co-options are also made to the PCC by the Council.

All regular worshippers and those living within the Parish boundary are encouraged to apply to join the Parish Electoral Roll – which, amongst other aspects, qualifies people to stand for PCC membership, and to vote at formal Parish Meetings.

PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the Parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are spent. The full PCC met less regularly during the past year, principally due to the Vicar’s incapacity during his cancer treatment. A good average attendance was noted at meetings held.

Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has a number of subcommittees dealing with aspects of parish life. The subcommittees are the Standing Committee (only convened for emergency decisions between PCC meetings) Finance Committee, Buildings Committee. All Committees and working groups report back to the full PCC and decisions are made at the full meetings.

Administrative information

Mitcham, St Peter & St Paul (Southwark Diocesan Code: KL3/172X) is situated on Church Road, Mitcham,

in the Deanery of Merton, in the Diocese of Southwark and in the London Borough of Merton.

The Correspondence address is: Mitcham Parish Church [e] mpcsspeterpaul@gmail.com The Parish Centre Church Path Mitcham CR4 3BN [t] 020 6848 1566

The Parish Administrator is Ms Sara Taylor

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2020) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission No: 1141719.

Ex-Officio members:

Vicar: The Reverend Fr David M B Pennells – Chair Asst Priest: The Reverend Jackie Cockfield

Elected members:

Churchwardens: Caroline Muller-Carpenter Prince Swaray ( Vice-Chair ) Deanery Synod Representatives: Mary Coggins ( also Deputy Warden ) Carole Hornsby ( also Deputy Warden ) Catherine Payne-Grey Ordinary members: Josephine Dixie Katherine Chandler (Hon Treasurer) Sylvia Gilpin-Jackson Valerie Hylton Jim Kirby Rachel Perera Co-opted members: Michael Carpenter David Coggins ( also Parish Safeguarding Officer )

Accounts and Annual Report of the PCC 202/23

signed on their behalf by

David M B P e n n ells - Vicar

The Reverend Fr David Pennells (PCC Chair)

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