## **St Luke’s Church – Hedge End Annual Parochial Church Meeting Incorporating the Annual Meeting of the Parishioners Sunday 8 May 2022** **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (ALSO KNOWN AS TRUSTEES) OF THE PARISH OF HEDGE END, ST LUKE** **Charity Registration No: 1142990** |||**C O N T E N T S**|| |---|---|---|---| ||||Page Number| |1.|INTRODUCTION||1| ||1.1 Rev|Ben Jones’ (Vicar) Introductory Remarks|2| ||1.2 Administrative Information||2| ||1.3 Income and Reserves||2| ||1.4 Structure, Governance and Management||2| ||1.5 Membership of PCC||3| ||1.6 PCC’s Objectives and Activities||3| |2.|REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2020||4| ||2.1 Reports||4| ||(a)|Curate’s Report|4| ||(b)|Ministry Leadership Team (MLT)|4| ||(c)|Parish Mission Action Plan (pMAP)|6| ||(d)|Pastoral Report|6| ||(e)|Mission and Outreach:|| |||(i)
Christian Aid|6| |||(ii)
Hedge End, West End and Botley Churches Together|7| |||(iii)
Encounter Afternoon Tea|8| |||(iv)
Youth Café|8| |||(v)
Minnows Playgroup|9| |||(vi)
Book Club|9| |||(vii) St Luke’s Walkers|10| ||(f)|Children and Youth Sub-Committee|10| |||(i)
Children’s Church Groups for 0-11 Year Olds|10| |||(ii)
Youth Groups|12| ||(g)|Buildings Sub-Committee|13| ||(h)|Eco Church Sub-Committee|14| ||(j)|Finance Sub-Committee|15| ||(k)|Publicity Sub-Committee|16| ||2.2 Standing Committee||17| |2.3|Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwarden’s Report|17| |---|---|---| |2.4|Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representatives’ Report|19| |2.5|Electoral Roll/Church Attendance|19| |2.6|Safeguarding|19| **Annual Report for Year Ending 31 December 2021** ## 1. **INTRODUCTION** ## **1.1 Rev Ben Jones’ (Vicar) Introductory Remarks** I can’t tell you what a joy it has been arriving at St. Luke’s and starting to get to know everyone. Thank you so much for making me and my family so welcome, and for making it such an easy transition into a new parish, a new church and a new home. I want to begin by thanking all those who did such a fantastic job during the vacancy in the most difficult of circumstances. Vacancies can be tricky enough in and of themselves, but when you throw in a global pandemic, things start getting really tough! A great number of people played their part in keeping the show on the road, ably led by our PCC, our magnificent Ministry Leadership Team and our wonderful wardens, Jacob and Karen, who have given so much of themselves and have steered the church with great skill, grace and integrity. I also owe a debt of gratitude to our brilliant curates, Hayley (who moved on to pastures new last summer) and Liz (who was ordained deacon last July). It is no easy task to begin a curacy without a training incumbent in post, and Liz did a fantastic job in leading the church with the wardens in the few months before my arrival last September. It has been great getting to know Liz and developing ministry together, and my role as training incumbent is a key focus for me. My first priority was, and continues to be, to get to know people, both as individuals and within the context of the church community. I can genuinely say that that was, and continues to be, a real pleasure! You probably all already know this, but St. Luke’s is filled with amazing people, many of whom have no idea how amazing they are. A large part of my calling is to help people see how God sees them, to discover his gifts and talents in themselves, and to use those gifts and talents as they live Kingdom lives in the everyday. My second priority was to begin the process of building a springboard for growth. We have been working together to put in place systems, structures and ideas that we hope will enable us to grow as a church, both spiritually and numerically. Some examples of this include: - Clarifying leadership structures and establishing the staff team. - Establishing a pastoral care team. - Re-establishing the provision of Children’s Church or All-In services every week. - • Increasing provision for our young people through Junction 7, the new youth band and other community-building activities. - Seeking to improve communication through the weekly email and the set-up of OneDrive. - Making some changes to our financial structures, including regular giving days, increasing our charitable giving and annual forecasting It’s vital to note that most of these are not the end in themselves, but are important means to that end, which is to glorify God, deepen community and equip people to live Kingdom lives at home, work and school. 1 I believe that St. Luke’s is a church with strong foundations, a good heart and great potential. My prayer is that together we can be a church family that shines as a beacon of God’s love in our community. As St. Paul says: ‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.’ 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 As we go forward together, may God be at work in us, as individuals and as a community, and, as we deepen our understanding of his love and grace, may we live it out in our everyday lives, pointing people to Him. I’m excited about what lies ahead! _Rev Ben Jones_ ## **1.2 Administrative Information** This Annual Report was approved by PCC (Trustees) on 21 March 2022. The Parish of Hedge End, St Luke, is part of the Diocese of Winchester within the Church of England and is in the Eastleigh Deanery. **Bank:** Co-operative Bank, Kings Valley, Yew Street, Stockport. **Independent Auditor:** Russell Lee ## **1.3 Income and Reserves** The Parochial Church Council’s income was again below the threshold of £100,000 in 2021 but, due to the continuing pandemic this was another unusual year. Charity Commission registration has been maintained during the reporting period as we expect to return to an income in excess of the threshold figure. St Luke’s has the Charity Registration Number 1142990. It is the policy of this Church to hold in reserve £10,000. This figure is deemed to be appropriate taking into account (a) the size of St Luke’s church and (b) the considerations stipulated by the Charity Commission which include: forecasting for levels of income and expenditure in the current and future years; analysis of future needs, opportunities, commitments and risks; and an assessment on the likelihood of a shortfall arising. ## **1.4 Structure, Governance and Management** The method of appointment of Parochial Church Council members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to PCC. Guidelines on the role and responsibilities of PCC and Deanery Synod Representatives are available from the Churchwardens. 2 ## **1.5 Membership of PCC (also known as Trustees)** During the year, the following served as members of the PCC: Ex-officio: _(where these members have held other roles, during 2020, these are documented below for information)_ The Revd Ben Jones Incumbent (since mid-September 2021) Jacob Blamey (Lay Vice Chair) Churchwarden Karen Cotton Churchwarden The Revd Hayley Richens Curate (until July 2021) Martin Phillips Licensed Lay Minister The Revd Liz Williams Curate (since June 2021) Elected Members of PCC: Chris Duff, Deanery Synod Representative Jenny Little Joyce Lynas Sue Phillips Sandra Plaw Roger Spink Liz Williams, Lay Deanery Synod Representative until June 2021) Co-opted Members of PCC: None xxxxx, Vicar’s PA/Parish Administrator has served as Secretary to PCC. ## **Notes** - Those noted as ex-officio are members by virtue of their position in the Church including all Licensed clergy in the parish, LLM’s, Churchwardens and Lay Deanery Synod Representatives. - Co-opted – PCC can co-opt people. Co-opted members have the same voting rights as elected and ex-officio members ## **1.6 PCC’s Objectives and Activities** St Luke’s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Vicar in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC operates through several sub-committees that meet in between PCC meetings. These sub-committees are: 3 - Ministry Leadership team (MLT) - Parish Mission Action Plan (pMAP) Working Group - Mission & Outreach - Children & Youth - Buildings - Eco Church - Finance - Publicity - • Social ## **2 Review of the Year 2021** ## 2.1 **Reports** ## (a) **Curate’s Report** I started my ministry in July 2021 at a time of Interregnum, and after Hayley had left. After two months I was pleased to welcome Ben as Vicar and my training incumbent. We meet on a regular basis for supervision, and I have actively been encouraged to broaden my understanding of ministry by being involved with Youth Café, Open the Book, Care Home services, Small Group co-ordination, Police Chaplaincy. Each one of these areas have given me different experiences of the work of the church and I have enjoyed working with different people and getting to know them better. I have continued to lead and preach at services and have also been given opportunities to take a Baptism service, lead memorial services, and observe and lead Funerals. I am looking forward to exploring these all these areas in more depth in the next two years of my training. I have enjoyed my new responsibilities and ministry in the church. I am looking forward to seeing this continue in the next part of the St Luke’s church journey, together with the challenges and opportunities it will no doubt present. I am also looking forward to my priesting on the 2nd July and hope that (Covid allowing) you will be able to join me in celebrating this next part of my ministry. _Rev Liz Williams_ ## (b) **Ministry Leadership Team (MLT)** The MLT seeks to have oversight of the spiritual life and worship services of the life of St Luke’s. It is formed from all licensed ministers and those seeking out a vocation into authorised ministry. During this year, the MLT 4 has consisted of Hayley (until July) Liz, Martin, xxxxxx, xxxxxx (until March) and Ben (from September). xxxxxx has continued in his invaluable role with a Permission to Officiate (PTO), for which we thank him, although was not part of the MLT, by his choice. Obviously, a large part of our work was involved with how to ‘do church’ in a pandemic, with our building closed, and then a looking forward and preparation for the arrival of our new vicar. The MLT met a short time before each PCC meeting so that our matters of interest can go on for discussion or approval by the PCC. Items discussed included: - Services on Zoom – how are we doing? - Service themes - Preaching rota - Pastoral matters - MLT membership – Hayley and xxxxx leaving, Liz’s ordination - All-In services - Easter gift delivery - Vacancy matters and selection/arrival of the new vicar. We met once with Ben as an MLT and this was mainly focussed on what happens, planning for the short term and individual ministries. ## Worship Group Headed up by xxxxxx and xxxxxxxx who select the music most weeks and compile the rota, as well and playing and singing! Ably supported by other musicians and singers, and more recently, Ben, who has joined either on guitar or drums. ## All-in Worship The All-in team reduced in size in the early part of the year and was headed up by Hayley until she left and then by a great team. All-In by Zoom was always going to be challenging, but amazing services were produced with snippets of video from various kitchens, living rooms and gardens. From September the All-In team consisted of Ben, Liz, xxxxx, xxxxx and xxxxx, with xxxxx taking up a new role in leading services, which has been wonderful to see. 5 ## Open The Book The team’s visits to Wellstead and Berrywood were curtailed last year, although the team did send some drama videos to the school which were watched by some of the classes. _Martin Phillips_ ## (c) **Parish Mission Action Plan (pMAP)** There have been no specific meetings regarding the pMAP but we have tried to reflect the priorities throughout our work, and this will be seen in the reports that follow. ## (d) **Pastoral** With thanks to our small groups and their leader’s, pastoral care has been happening in St Luke’s as we continued to cope with a further lock down and then set restrictions. The small groups have played an important part of supporting their members. The MLT also continued to encourage people during services to ring and look out for each other. Sue, our Lay Pastoral Assistant, has where possible rang, emailed, or texted those that didn’t belong to a small group particularly focusing on the more mature members or single people of the church who do not have a support network, and this also included members of Encounter who do not come to church. Members of the pastoral team have been aiming to keep in touch with those that are on their own. I would like to thank everyone who made the effort to chat and get alongside people as we all have had to negotiate the ways our lives have changed. _Sue Phillips_ ## (e) **Mission and Outreach** (i) **Christian Aid:** Christian Aid works in around 30 countries to transform the lives of those in poverty, working with people of all faiths and none wherever the need is greatest. At St Luke’s, we have been continuing our support for Christian Aid in 2021, through both fundraising and campaigning, helping to fight poverty worldwide to give everyone the chance to thrive. In April, Siân Andrews ran a sponsored marathon and was overwhelmed by the support of family and friends who altogether donated £2,343 for Christian Aid. For Christian Aid week in May, St Luke’s held an online service exploring the realities of the climate crisis with a focus on droughts and flooding in Kenya. The congregation were invited to take part in a postcard campaign to show the G7 our support for action on climate justice, sign a Cancel the Debt petition to the big banks and 6 to join in the Wave of Hope, sending a message of hope for a healthier, fairer, greener world in preparation for the G7 summit and COP 26.£435 was raised through our CA week Justgiving page. Members of St Luke’s also supported local churches collecting for CA week outside the Co-op in Hedge End where £162 was raised from the public, whilst being a Christian presence in our community. We responded with prayer and a collection to one emergency appeal in our role as an Emergency church: Global Hunger Appeal - July 2021 - £237 raised. Additionally, we shared a notice of the DEC Urgent Appeal for Afghanistan on our St Luke’s Encouragement Facebook page in December. Together with St John’s Church, we held a joint film night in September to show the film ‘Thank you for the Rain’, which tells the story of Kisilu Musya, a smallholder farmer in Kenya who used his camera to capture the life of his family and the human costs of climate change. The film was licensed and promoted by Christian Aid. St Luke’s supported the Christmas Appeal to help Mums in South Sudan provide for their children and raised £400 in total, which included £134 from the sale of Christmas cakes. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation, the total raised by St Luke’s for 2021 added up to £2,980, with some gift aid claimed by Christian Aid in addition to this. _xxxxxx_ - (ii) **Hedge End, West End and Botley Churches Together (HEWEB):** Churches Together for Hedge End, West End and Botley continued to meet bimonthly on zoom. It has been very encouraging to hear how God has sustained and grown the churches in our area. It was not possible during 2021 to hold any of the usual joint activities for the week of Christian Unity in January, Good Friday or Christmas carol singing. Churches Together has some specific joint projects. Healing on the Streets has not taken place during 2021. Delivery of information for new homes has also stopped, but monthly prayer for the new homes and future church witness continued via zoom. After eleven years it was decided to end the Street Pastors ministry in August. During the pandemic, several street pastors felt unable to continue and we no longer complied with the requirement to have enough different churches involved. However, it was also agreed that the time was right for it to end and that over the years Street Pastors had provided a very effective service. A Children’s Holiday Club, which had previously been run by Anchor Community Church, has now become a Churches Together project and will in the future be held in different churches. _xxxxxx_ 7 - (iii) **Encounter Afternoon Tea:** . Encounter afternoon tea is for anyone free on a Wednesday afternoon to gather between 2 – 4pm to share tea, coffee, and beautiful cakes! We have a plate for donations, and we are blessed that our cakes are donated. We put on tablecloths, and it now has been hand gel instead of flowers since our return in August. We do waitress service to the table in beautiful china cups and saucers, meeting in the church. We have had a core of people come but sadly numbers are low due to Covid and people’s health concerns. We have welcomed new people to join us which is a blessing. xxxxx helps me with Encounter and is amazing at helping me welcoming new people who quickly settle in. I would like to thank my team xxxxx – who is there every week and Karen who has supported xxxxx when I have been away. I would also like to thank xxxxx who makes a cake every week, she is amazing! I also keep in contact with people who came to Encounter but have not returned yet. _xxxxxx_ - (iv) **Youth Café:** We reopened Youth café in September 2021 after being shut for 18 months due to Covid 19. We began by using only the foyer, where they collected their food from, and then they sat outside at tables and chairs. This worked well with Covid regulations and we were lucky with the weather. As the weather got worse, we opened up the church worship area with tables dotted around the place inside and outside. Now, we meet only in the church and it works really well as there is so much more space for us. We have 160+ youngsters attending regularly. We have lost three team members due to circumstantial changes but have had three more helpers join our team! We also have two more ready to join us in March 2022. I thank God for our wonderful team of committed helpers. Ben joins us most weeks and the children call him ‘the cool vicar’! He has had some good conversations with the youth. We thank God that Ben has such a heart for these youngsters and is committed to helping us to keep the Youth Café going. I was able to secure two grants for the Youth Café during Covid - Tesco Bags for Life and the Hedge End carnival committee totalling £1,100 which was great. Recently, we have been given a gift of £3,000 which will last us for a whole year! We are so grateful for these wonderful gifts which mean that we are financially independent. 8 We have begun to form relationships with lots of regulars and they are now staying longer each week to sit and chat. There are many children who come each week and say they love Thursdays because it’s their church day! They see St.Luke’s as ‘their church’. Many say how they love coming to the Youth Café each week and it is a pleasure to see their smiling faces. For some, we know, it is their main meal for the day. We are looking at ways in which we can further reach these youngsters with the gospel and recently Ben and I had a chat with a man called xxxxxx who oversees lots of youth work in London. We are hoping we can follow up on some of the ideas we chatted about over the coming year. Please pray for guidance for us as we form relationships with these youngsters. Please pray for opportunities for us to share God’s love with them. Thank you. _xxxxx_ (v) **Minnows Playgroup:** Minnows playgroup meets Fridays 10 am to 11.30 am for parents, carers and under 5’s for free play, and a snack of cheese, fruit, bread and coffee for the Mum’s with left over Encounter cake most weeks. We finish with a time of singing where we have introduced a Christian goodbye song. We make a small charge of £1 per family which covers the cost of refreshments. We have had a good number attend each week and with great joy have been building good relationships. Due to Covid we did not run the group until September but have run term time since. The team are xxxxxx, xxxxxx and xxxxxx who helps when we are short, they do kitchen duty, they also help Karen, and I put out toys and interact with everyone during the sessions. xxxxx and xxxxxx joined us for some weeks to help too! Many thanks to the team for their help and support. _Sue Phillips_ - (vi) **Book Club:** The book club has met monthly and grown in numbers during the year. It was great to resume meeting in person after many months of zoom! We continue to get books through a library scheme which enables easy and cheap access to a copy for everyone. We have read a variety of books, ranging from psychological thrillers to a World War Two murder mystery, stories of family secrets and unrequited love. Some have been more popular or easy to read than others, but all have provided material to stimulate discussion. The discussions about the characters can provide an easy and gentle way of sharing how our faith has helped 9 us through similar issues. Thanks go to Dorothy Hare who continues to provide delicious cakes to raise money for Testwood Lakes Sailability. _xxxxxx_ - (vii) **St Luke’s Walkers:** With the easing of Covid 19 restrictions for group activities, we managed to recommence our walks on 16[th] September 2021, in the same format as before, the first and third Thursday of the month. The first walk was with eight persons and two dogs. We managed seven walks before Christmas and three so far this year with numbers growing 12 plus two dogs We have a programme of walks already set out for this year, the majority of which will end with an optional lunch in a nearby public house. Numbers joining us on each walk range from 10 to 18 + an occasional dog or two please feel free to join us. The walks take place around the Southampton area, Winchester, the New Forest, and Meon Valley and are on average 6 miles in length. We look forward to the 2022 walks with interest. _Chris Duff and xxxxxx_ ## (f) **Children and Youth Sub-Committee** ## (i) **Children’s Church groups for 0-11-year olds** This report is for the year 2021 and is about groups offered on a Sunday morning for children aged 0-11 years old. Excluding the first Sunday of each month, when there is the All-In service. The beginning of the year saw further lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19. Mothering Sunday flowers were hand delivered again to the ladies of the church. The children were not involved in this due to COVID-19 restrictions/lockdown. Easter eggs and notes of encouragement from members of the congregation were given to all the children with consent forms from J7 and children’s church. When the church was able to opened and services resumed, childrens church started on 13 June and ran until the 27 July. This consisted of one group for children aged 0-11 years old and was offered every Sunday apart from the first Sunday in July. During this period, the group mostly took place outside, (depending on the weather) and the church grounds were used to teach, explore and discuss God’s creation. xxxxx wrote and provided the resources for the topics covered. During this period, which consisted of 6 weeks, there were on (mean) average 2.5 children attending weekly. 10 We had five volunteers running and supporting children’s church. As normal the requirement was for two adults to be in attendance in the group. No children moved from children’s church to J7 in September. After the summer holiday (break), due to the small number of volunteers, we decided to run children’s church twice a month, second and fourth Sundays. The topic looked at and discussed over the autumn term was, Jesus’ genealogy and this fed into the Nativity at the end of the term. Resources used for inspiration during this term was the Jesse Tree and sessions were written by xxxxx and xxxxx. The stories from the Old and New Testament were incorporated into the children’s Nativity that took place on 12 December and was led by J7 children. On 19 December, we held a children’s church Christmas party before breaking for Christmas. During this period a new family attended the church. For the seven weeks that the group ran in this term (not including the Nativity or party on 19 December the (mean) average The five volunteers from the summer term were still running and supporting children’s church. During this term, we made an appeal in the service for more volunteers. Five more people offered to run/help the group, resulting in us being able to offer children’s church every Sunday (apart from the All-In service) from January 2022. The current ages of the children attending the group is 9-1 years old, resulting in the resources and volunteers having to be adaptable to vary their approach to meet the needs of the children. ## Consent forms Consent forms are being completed when new children attend the group. These are kept in the register which is locked in a box in the office. Jeanette sent our hand-made birthday cards to the church’s children on their birthday during the year. Consent for this is included on the consent forms. ## Resources As mentioned, resources this year were written by xxxxx and xxxxx. This was to provide a more tailored approach to topics covered and led to and were included in the Nativity.Stories that were covered were taken from the Old and New Testament. ## Displays 11 The display boards in room 3, upstairs, still have displays from the previous year. These were not changed because of time, restricted movement in the church for the first half of the year and the children not using this room, hence the displays are not viewed by either children or members of the congregation. xxxxxx has maintained and changed these displays in the past and is happy to continue. ## Nativity This service was led by J7 with children’s church performing the acting and providing the props for the nativity. xxxxxx selected and played the music, taking the lead in organising this years nativity. ## Looking forward - To return to offering a weekly group with more volunteers. - To review, if one group for the large age range (0-11 years old) is meeting the needs of the children attending children’s church. - If two groups were to be offered weekly, how could we facilitate this with the current volunteers and is there a place for the youngsters from J7 to help if they want to? Bearing in mind that two adults would still be required to be in each group. - Increase the awareness of the work produced in the group and share this with the whole church. I would like to extend my thanks for all the volunteers who have given their time and enthusiasm to children’s church over the last year. Xxxxxx ## (ii) **Youth Groups** Looking back to last year during the first lockdown, the question was raised “What are we doing for the youth during this time of isolation?” At the time there was nothing for the teenagers. This was the kick-start to get Junction 7 up and running online via Zoom. After an encouraging start, numbers tailed off and it was a struggle to keep going. However, in the warmth of the summer, with the promise of lockdown ending and the excitement of a new chapter with a new vicar ahead, we had a lovely summer get-together meeting outside in the church grounds. With the new term starting, a few new families in the church, and the ability to meet again face to face in the church building we started again in September, once a month. Numbers have been 12 good and the atmosphere is exciting. We really struggled for helpers at the start, but now we have more volunteers and since Christmas we have been able to increase the meetings to one every two weeks. The future is still being worked out. We have exciting plans for days out in the coming weeks and youth band is a great new venture that we hope will be an encouragement to our young people. Praise God for the prayers offered and answered, and all those who have responded to the call to help out in this ministry! _Roger Spink_ ## (g) **Buildings Sub-Committee** The general day to day maintenance and upkeep of the building is carried out / managed by our in-house team as and when required. The Quinquennial Inspection took place February 2021. The observations and recommendations are being programmed into the life of the church, as and when financial sums are available over and above the day-to-day maintenance. These works have included: ## **Internal.** - Attending Reactively to any situations which have occurred i.e. cleaning and minor repairs due to wear and tear of the interior. - Regular servicing of the statutory required items, Fire Alarms & Extinguishers, Emergency Lighting, Servicing of Heating and Lighting equipment. ## **External.** - Attending Reactively to any situations which have occurred i.e. cleaning, minor repairs due to wear and tear of the exterior, garden maintenance, relining parking bays in car park. Installation metal fencing panels to stop vehicles through the car park in front of the main entrance. **Future Works to be carried out:** Whenever possible when changing light bulbs, the electrical components are being changed to use LED light fittings, which will result in lower electrical running costs and contribute to the Eco Church initiative start by the Diocese. The church has so far 13 gained the Silver Award, for the progress made so far by the Eco Church group. **Urgent Works:** Works need to be carried out to the water damaged soffits of the Worship Area Roof, to prevent the ingress of nesting birds and protect the structure. This work will also have to include repairs to the gutters which are leaking and the source of the water ingress. Also, inspection and remedial works to Rooflight flashing. Because of the access required to carry out the work to the gutters, soffits and rooflight, it would be cost effective to carry out the redecoration to the high-level steel work to this roof, together with the external steel frame to the rear of the Church. The works to the roof and gutters are progressing this year due to the availability of finances with the assistance of the Diocese. We are actively preparing a programme of works and in consultation with the appropriate specialist contractors, the correct methods to repair the roofs to prevent further ingress and decay of the roof gutters/ soffits. We are hoping to have the relative permissions and financial resources in place to get these works completed by the Autumn this year. _On behalf of the Buildings Team Chris Duff_ ## (h) **Eco Church Sub-Committee** The Eco Church group was active during 2021, continuing to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the actions we can all take to tackle the challenge at a local, national and international level. In so doing, we recognised the responsibility God has bestowed on us to look after creation in all its wonderful forms. During the year, we did the following: - Came together for regular meetings, albeit virtually due to the pandemic, to pray, discuss and share eco-related ideas (e.g., local recycling tips) and measure progress using the A Rocha survey - Led an online Eco Church service in February (during lockdown) themed around the ‘Show the Love’ campaign in which we had a guest speaker and we hand delivered bags of eco-related items to members of the congregation in the area - Developed a Net Zero strategy for St Luke’s, targeting Net Zero by 2025. Where possible, we will seek to reduce the church’s emissions and offset the remainder - In March, Jacob Blamey represented St Luke’s in a Diocesan Synod meeting, explaining what we achieved and giving advice to other churches on how to become an Eco Church. This formed part of a wider talk led by the Chair of the Diocesan Environment Group and the 14 Archdeacon of Winchester to set out the Diocesan strategy for achieving Net Zero - Hosted an Eco Church service in October on the theme of footprints, amongst other things providing examples of actions that people can take and illustrating the effect of them on an individual’s carbon footprint - In October, we organised a joint film night with St John’s Church, Hedge End, watching “Thank You for the Rain” about the direct impact of climate change on a smallholder farmer in Kenya - The “Lots of Small Things” poem was written by Janet Compton about our Eco Church efforts - Planted wildflower seeds around the church and took part in “No Mow May” - A dozen members of St Luke’s congregation participated in a march through Southampton as part of the COP26 Coalition’s “Global Day for Climate Justice” in November 2021. We called for more urgent action to care for God’s creation and tackle the climate crisis while holding a banner created by the children’s church which read “Tread lightly on God’s Creation”. We look forward to continuing to act out our faith and demonstrate our love of God’s earth. _Jacob Blamey on behalf of the Eco Church Group_ ## (j) **Finance Sub-Committee** Members: Martin Phillips, Chris Duff, xxxxxx (Treasurer) Members: Martin Phillips, Chris Duff, xxxxxx (Treasurer) The committee met about every two months before the PCC meeting to review the accounts and agree actions that needed to be taken to the PCC. Louise, as Church Treasurer, presented the accounts for review of income and expenditure, demonstrating due diligence as Stewards and Trustees of the Churches’ finances. The Sage Account system has proved to be a huge time saver and enabled more accurate and flexible reporting. We expect to be able to produce a budget forecast for 2022. Our donated income has been remarkably resilient during the year, our thanks to all who give. Tax refunds from Gift Aided giving has been an important income stream. We began to see our income from lettings pick up in the summer as restrictions were lifted. We received a £1000 grant from Tesco and £100 from Hedge End carnival for youth café. We received a £450 vacancy grant for not being able to use the church. We have received £1775 from Online donations made through our website. 15 We kept a strict policy on any expenditure and Karen has been reviewing all our on-going contracts to see if there are cheaper alternatives. An agreed reduction in Common Mission Fund (CMF) payments had been agreed with the Diocese and, over the two years, we have underpaid 28,300. This was reviewed in the autumn when we could see that our finances were in a better position, and a recommendation was made to the PCC that we raise the amount we pay. We intend to pay our full amount in 2022. Our Utility bills are low for 2021 due to us experiencing billing issues from our gas supplier which has been ongoing for many months. We had overpaid in 2020 due to estimated bills and then we were not billed for the latter part of 2021, this has been resolved but not until 2022. We are aware that there will be a substantial bill to pay for the roof repairs, and we have set aside £26,342 towards this, and our policy is that all gift aid receipts are put towards this. Major expense of £1200 was for the roof scaffolding and hoist to inspect the roof. Our parish administrator did not take wages for the first six months of 2021, she kindly gifted her time to the church for which we are extremely grateful. We have a financial reserve policy, as advised by the Diocese, at a total of £10,000. The accounts show an overall surplus for the year of approximately £14,886. We continue to be grateful for Ian Taylor’s management of the Gift Aid applications for the Church, and many thanks too for Louise looking after the accounts and being so accurate and helpful in all she does. _Martin Phillips, for Finance Committee_ ## (k) **Publicity Sub-Committee** Towards the beginning of the year, we were able to finally instal the new outside logo on the noticeboards which looks very eye catching and smart! We also continued putting services onto our three Facebook pages, St Luke’s, the Encouragement page and Messy Church, linking through to our website which Jacob has continued to update and develop. The readings and sermons continue to be uploaded every wee k. The outside posters and our return to church, as well as Ben’s arrival were all published through media and posters around the parish. This year we did produce a Christmas Card which was posted through quite a lot of doors but not finished due to Covid changes. However, they did have an impact as people came to the services. I would like to thank Jacob who has done most of the work designing and updating. Thanks also to Martin, Louise, and Sandra for their contributions too. _Sue Phillips_ 16 ## 2.2 **Standing Committee** The Standing Committee were convened on two occasions during 2021. The meetings pertained to matters related to building maintenance and the church’s Covid response. There was a meeting on 1 March to discuss the technical details of the roof damage and associated repair work and agree the next steps. The deterioration of the gutter, caused by water ingress, was explained in depth. It was agreed that works should initially focus on a trial section of limited length to find out whether the solution put forward, with the backing of the architect, would work. If so, the solution would be expanded in time to the remainder of the gutter. The next meeting was on 5 May to discuss when to resume in-church services, following feedback from a questionnaire sent out to the congregation and a briefing from the MLT who had met to discuss the matter in the days before. The majority of the congregation and the MLT were of the same mind that St Luke’s should consider a return to in-church services in mid/late-May. This proposal was accepted and implemented in the weeks following this meeting. _Jacob Blamey on behalf of Standing Committee_ ## 2.3 **Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwardens Report** The Churchwardens - Jacob Blamey and Karen Cotton - have worked together during, what has been, a particularly challenging time. There have been very high demands, as with the year before, due to a combination of the covid pandemic and the interregnum. The Churchwardens would like to express their thanks to both Assistant Churchwardens – xxxxxx and xxxxxx – who have ably assisted and ensured the smooth running of the services and offered their wisdom, advice, and time on regular occasions throughout the year. The Churchwardens would also like to thank Liz Williams and Hayley Richens, for their guidance and support as curates at St Luke’s at different points during the year, as well as the wider MLT who have been tremendously helpful and tireless in their work for the church. Covid pandemic: The country experienced a third lockdown at the start of the year and there was a shift thereafter toward more local decision making, although still guided by general advice from both the Government and the Church of England. This enabled a response commensurate with the perceived risk specifically in and 17 around the parish, but it also put a greater onus of responsibility on the leadership team, and in particular, the Churchwardens. The Churchwardens canvassed the opinion of the Standing Committee, PCC and congregation on multiple occasions to ensure the measures were in keeping with the wider church family. These consultations helped us agree on and manage the gradual transition from online-only services back to in-church services as the risk abated. The gradual easing of restrictions throughout the year meant constantly assessing and updating the risk assessment and the measures (hand sanitisation, ventilation, mask wearing, signing-in, cleaning procedures and more) and communicating these to the congregation and to hirers. Interregnum: The interregnum continued through until September. During this time the formal process of filling the vacancy was undertaken in consultation the Bishop of Southampton and the Archdeacon of Winchester. Jacob helped organise the drafting of the parish profile in coordination with a working group selected from members of the PCC. In February, Jacob was elected, along with Joyce Lynas, to be the parish representatives, tasked with representing the congregation in the candidate selection process. This was undertaken between February and May. We were humbled by the experience and are delighted to have played a part in the installation of our new Vicar, Revd Ben Jones. The Licensing Service for Ben occurred on 16 September. The Churchwardens would like to take this opportunity to recognise the numerous gifts Ben has already displayed and shared in his first few months at St Luke’s and the way in which he has managed the transition out of the interregnum/the start of his tenure. Aside from those matters, both Jacob and Karen attended a virtual Visitation service in June. They have been in touch with the Head of Operations at the Diocese regarding a loan for the roof works which remains an on-going task. Jacob has also set up a new online IT and email system for the church, and Karen has been instrumental in organising a shared rota for the various church teams. Finally, the Churchwardens would like to extend our sincere thanks to xxxxxx for her hard work during this past year, doing an exceptional job with the church administration and supporting the Churchwardens in numerous tasks often behind the scenes. We continued to hold regular meetings with xxxxx throughout the interregnum which proved vital in keeping on top of the various actions. _Jacob Blamey and Karen Cotton on behalf of the Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwardens_ 18 ## **2.4 Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representative’s Report** The Deanery Synod have met on-line through this year in February, June and October. We mainly discussed financial matters, the Generous June Initiative, Companion Links, Diocesan updates, the nationwide “As one” initiative, training for Living in Love and Faith, Deanery Mission Action Plans and Deployment Plans as well as receiving feedback from the Eastleigh Parishes in vacancy. We also had a presentation on Prisons Ministry. _Rev Liz Williams_ ## **2.5 Electoral Roll and Church Attendance** As required, revisions to the electoral roll will be made prior to the APCM on 8[th] May 2022. As at 31 December 2021, there were 103 people on St Luke’s Electoral Roll. xxxxxx During October 2021, the average church attendance was: 70 (58 adults and 12 children/young people). ## **2.6 Safeguarding** At St Luke’s Church there are 41 people DBS certificated and trained in Safeguarding. All new volunteers and those being renewed are required to complete an online Safeguarding course. All courses have been revamped by the Diocese. The courses are now Basic and Foundation. Leadership courses have also been updated. Leadership courses are all going to be on Zoom for the time being. Certificates are now valid for three years, replacing the five year period of validity. All volunteers for the various activities have been briefed through a Diocese Safeguarding leaflet outlining guidelines and responsibilities each individual has in reporting any concerns. Since September a number of changes were made to Safeguarding in the Diocese. The three main children’s activities – Youth Café, Minnows and Children’s Church now have a folder with guidelines, risk assessments and roles and responsibilities for all volunteers. Thanks to xxxxx, Sue and xxxxx for their support in this. In the last few months during the gradual return to church, along with the wardens, we have aimed to make the church as safe and secure as possible for all ages. The barriers in the car park must be put out if the church is in use for any reason, for any age group. The hirers have been informed and have adopted good 19 practice for their clients. This is a requirement for Encounter, youth, maintenance and church meetings. Cars continue to drive through the car park at speed if the barriers are not in place. A reminder of lone working in the church. People should drop the latch and only let people in if they are expecting them. After a few weeks of anti - social behaviour and damage to the church, a meeting was held with Karen Cotton, myself and Sgt Stuart Jackson of Hedge End Neighbourhood policing team. The wardens have arranged CCTV at the front of the church. Patrols from PCSO’s have resulted in a group being warned regarding their behaviour. Antisocial behaviour has now ceased around the church area, especially in the evenings, when activities are held in the church. We are in close contact with Sgt Jackson and his team. Joyce Lynas, Safeguarding Officer ## **Rev Ben Jones Vicar (since mid-September 2021), Jacob Blamey (Lay Vice Chair, PCC) On behalf of the PCC (Trustees)** 20 Hiiii 21NN 11 11 11 Independent Exarnlnerfs Reporttothe membersltru5tees of St Luk&'s Church. 11odg¢ End. Pwodblal Chuich Counell. I report on the accounts for the year l January to 3111 December 2021 whlch are attached. Respetllve responslbllltles of the Trustees and Imdependent Examlner As trvstees of the charlty, the members of the PCC are ￿SponS[ble forthe preparatlon of the account5. They conslderihat an 3udlt Is not required for thfr5 year under sectk)n 144121 of the Charltles Acr 2011 I the 2011 Act l and that an Independent examlnatlDn ts neetw, It Is my responslblllty to:_ Iii Examlne the accounts undersertlon 145 of the 2011 Aet.. 121 Follow th8 procedures laid down in the General DSrections glven bythè Charlty Commlssloner5 in section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act.. 131 State whether partlcular matters have come to rny attentlon. Basls of Independent Examln•rfs Ststement My examlnatbn was tarried out In acCord3rb￿ wlth the General OlrÈctlons glvem by the Charity Commis31ox. An examlnation Includes a review of the accountlng record5 kept by the charlty and a comparison of the accounts presented wrth those records. It also includes conslderatknn of any unusual Items or dlsclosures in the accounts, and seeklng explanations from thE management commtttee concernln any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evldence that would be required In a full audit, and eonsequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounis. Indepèndenl Exarnlners Statemont In connectlon with my exarnlnatlon, no mattets have come to my attentlon l. Whlch glve w reasonable cause to belleve that In any materlal re5pert the requirements lal To keep acrountlng records In accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act, and Ibl To prepare accounts whkh accord with the records have r￿t been met, and 2. To which, In my opinlon, attention should be drawn In orderto enable a proper Understanding of the accounts to be reached. Russell N Lee, ACI8 20 Quay 2(J)O, S017 2NP Ila 2oiL