St Luke's Church - Hedge End Annual Parochial Church Meeting Incorporating the Annual Meeting of the Parishioners Sunday 6 April 2025 THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (ALSO KNOWN AS TRUSTEES) OF THE PARISH OF HEDGE END. ST LUKE Charity Registration No: 1142990 CONTENTS Page Number INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rev Benjones, Introductory Remarks 1.2 Administrative Information 1.3 Income and Reserves 1.4 Strurture, Governance and Management 1.5 Membership of PCC 1.6 PCC'S Objettives and Attivities 2. REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2022 2.1 Reports la) Curate's Report Senior Leadership Team ISLTI and Ministry Leadership Team IMLT) Ib) Icl Pastoral (dl Children and Youth Sub-committee (il Children's Church Groups for 0-11 Year Olds (li) Youth Ministry Mission and Outreach le) Christian Aid Hedge End, West End and Botley ChurchesTogether liiil Encounter Afternoon Tea Ilvl Snowdrop Care Home Iv) Open the Book Ivil Minnows Playgroup Iviil Youth Café Iviiil Book Club lix) St Luke's Walking Group Ixl Israeli Dancing Ixi) Not So Strictly St Luke's (xiil Ladies Group Buildings Sub-committee 10 12 13 13 13 14 14 (fj 14 (gl (h) Communications and Publicity Sub-committee Eco Church Sub-committee li) 2.2 Standing Committee 2.3 Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwarden's Report 2.4 Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representatives. Report 2.5 Electoral Roll/Church Attendance 2.6 Safeguarding Finance Sub-committee Annual Report for Year Endlng 31 December 2024 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rev Ben Jones, (Vicar) Introductory Remarks Well donel You've made it as far as the introduttory remarksl That's a good start but I really want to encourage you to keep readi ng. I realise that an annual report sounds like it might be quite dry but I promise you there is loads of interest, joy and life contained in the following pages. 2024 was another great year in the life of St Luke's. I know I say it all the time but this is a uniquely special community consisting of magnificent peoplel We continued to grow over the year and it's been fantastic to welcome new faces into our church family. Our services have continued to be dynamic and engaging and the Easter Day baptisms, the Christmas services and the sermon series on Jonah and Habakkuk were particularly memorable. What has been much less good is the involvement of our children and young people in our services. It is deeply di5tre55ing for me as a vicar to discover that our 7-year-olds act better than me. our 12-year-olds run games better than me and our 16- and 17-year-olds preach and lead better than me! (For the avoidance of confusion. I'm joking that this is negative. Our children and young people are gloriousll One of the standout events of the year was our 30, Anniversary Celebration, It was amazing to cram over 120 people into the church for a slap-up meal, some great music and some distinctly dubious dancing! It was also lovely the next day to welcome our Bishop and many old St. Luke's faces back to the church for a beautiful celebratory service. There's lots more to read about in the reports below but there are a couple of people I'd like to thank beforehand. You are all very special to me but for the sake of brevity I'd like to name-checkjust a few. Michael and Rosie have been the best wardens a vicar could hope for, offering me so much support and wisdom. Louise looks after our finances with dedication and faith la winning combination). Jeanette and Maddie continue to be wonderful colleagues and l am deeply indebted to them for their exceptional skills in administration and youth ministry respectively. Finally, I want to thank Clive, who Is leaving us forthe bleak and frosty north. Clive has been an outstanding curate and it has been a genuine delight to see him grow in his ministry. He is an incredibly gifted man whose ministry is characterised by integrity and humility. He and Judith have been a huge blessing to us as a church and to me personally. We will miss them greatly but are excited to see what God has in store for them in the next phase of their ministry. S'd like to conclude with a verse that l often return to as it helps one maintain a healthy perspective. I pray this for me, for you and for us as we look forward to whatever 2025 has in store. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed. do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thank5 to God the Father through him.. Colossians 3:17 Revd Ben Jones, Vicar. St Lukes Hedge End 1.2 Administrative Information This Annual Report was approved by PCC (Trustees) on 17 March 2025. The Parish of Hedge End, St Luke, 15 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: RLJssell Lee 1.3 Income and Reserves St Luke's has the Charity Registration Number 1142990. As anticipated in the last annual report, income has now returned to a level that requires Charity Commission Registration. It is the policy of this Church to hold in reserve £10.000. This figure is deemed to be appropriate considering (al the size of St Luke's church and Ib} the considerations stipulated bythe 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 Vicar and Churchwardens. 1.5 Membership of PCC (also known as Trustees) During the year, the following served as members of the PCC: Revd Ben Jone5 Revd Clive Beard Rosie Adams Michael Crutchley (Lay Vice Chair) Martin Phillips Vicar Curate Churchwarden Churchwarden Licensed Lay Minister Elected Mem Emma Blamey David Cuthbert, Deanery Synod Representative Mandy Dean, Deanery Synod Representative Alastair Dobson Janet Compton Gary Holcombe, Deanery Synod Representative Sam Mathew Rose Spink Nibu Thomas of PCC: Anne Duffin In attendance: The following staff members attend PCC meetings but hold no voting rights. Maddie Thorp, Youth Ministry Co-ordinator attends PCC meetings as an observer. Jeanette Harrison, Parish Administrator, has served as Secretary to PCC. Notes Those noted as ex-officio are members by virtue of their positlon 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 Objectlves and Activltles St Luke's PCC has the responslblllty 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 5ub-comtnittees are.. Senior Leadership Team Ministry Leadership Team (MLTI Children & Youth Buildings Eco Church Finance The following Working Groups have been established to effect specific tasks: Pastoral Home Group Leaders Socials Publicity Review of the Year 2024 2.1 Reports la) Curate's Report I cannot believe that l am writing this havlng been with you for nearly three years and am currently preparing to move to serve a new parish. From the moment Judith and l arrived at St Luke's, we have felt so welcomed with warmth, generosity, and kindness. I have been so fortunate and blessed to serve here with so many fantastic people. You have encouraged and praised my successes and been supportive and understanding In my setbacks. It has been an immensejoy for me to walk alongside you in faith, sharing in your lives and being part of this parish family. During my time here, I feel that I have grown in so many ways- both spiritually and as a minister. As I look back across the years here. l am particularly grateful forthe support I have received from Ben, from whom I have received much guidance, encouragement, and partnership in rninistry.. and most importantly friendship. Asjudith and I prepare to leave our emotions are quite mixed. We are very sad that we have to leave here. In a relatively short period of time, we have been made to feel part of the family here at St Luke's. However, we know clearly that God has called us to serve the parish of St Stephen's. Preston and l am really excited for the next chapter in my ministry. I feel that my time here has formed and shaped me and equipped me to serve at St Stephen's effertively as their minister. So, I want to share a reading that I love from Lamentations'The steadfast love of the Lord never cease5,' his mercies never come to an end,'they are new every morning great is your f31thfulness." We are reminded that Gods mercies are new every morning, through both the highs and lows of life. It is true for me as I prepare to move and it is true for all of you, as you prepare to release me and say goodbye. I firmly believe that God is shaping something exciting at St Luke's, we are seeing growth in both numbers and in depth of discipleship and l am glad to have played my part in laying the foundations for whatever comes next. Judith and I will carry the memories of our time here with us fondly. and we will continue to pray for you as you journey together in faith. Thank you for shaping my ministry and for being such a blessing in my life. My prayer for you is that you continue to grow in love and unity, remaining steadfast in your calling to be a light to the community of Hedge End. God bless. Revd Clive Beord (bl Standing Committee. Senlor Leadership Team (SLT) and Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) SLT is comprised of the clergy, the wardens and up to three other appointed members of the congregation. Thi5 yearjacob Blamey and Alex Whitfield have served alongside Ben, Clive, Michael and Rosie. SLT met six times in 2024, discussing topics such as the church roof, opportunities and threats facing St. Luke's, finances, values and strategic direction. The standing committee vvas not required to meet as there were no extraordinary items that needed decisions between PCC meetings. MLT (comprised of seNice leaders, worship leaders and preachers) met three times and the all-in planning team met nine times to revievv, envision and prepare services. My deepest thanks to all those who have given their time so freely to help lead both the strategic direction of St. Luke's and our wonderful services. Revd Ben Jones (c) Pastoral St Luke's pastoral ministry COT)tinues to be led by our pastoral team, Ben, Clive. Sue and Rosie. We a150 have ra er stlukeshed eend.co.uk for prayer requests which are not confidential but are Ihen prayed for by a group of people who are on the prayertree. Thank you to everyone on the prayer tree for your faithful prayers! The pastoral team can be contatted on re stlukeshed een kor in person. We also offer to pray. and can arrange to offer practical support, or a listening ear which is confidential within the pastoral team. There is also pastoral care of church members and others provided by the small groups, and all the other ministries that we have in St Luke's. I would like to thank everyone who has taken tlme to chat, get alongside. WhatsApp and offer support by cooking. giving lifts and befrlendir)g another person. A real team effort! Sue Phlllips (dl Chlldren and Youth Sub-committee Children's Church groups for O-11 year olds: This report is for the year 2024 and is about groups offered on a Sunday morning at St Luke's church for children between the ages of 0-11 years. This group takes place every Sunday apart from the first Sunday of the month which is an all in service. Due to the lack of volunteers (between six and seven last year) we were unable to split the different ages up into older and younger groups. so the leaders and helpers required skills to manage and adapt the activities and learning to a large age span of children and also a varying number of children from week to week. The group always consists of at least two volunteers as per the safeguarding policy and most weeks there will also be a parent or two that will stay with their children. We started the year concentrating on the New Testament, in particular,. people thatjesus shared the good news with ie Matthew the tax collector.. people that sought outjesus for help and who revealed their faith ie the Canaanite woman,. friends of the paralysed man and the sinful woman at Simons dinner party; people who needed to choose their own path ie the rich young man,, and howjesus revealed himself by reading from Isaiah in the synagogue. After Easter, we focused on Acts. Howjesus continued to reveal himself on the Emmaus road and to his dIsc￿p1es before Pentecost. before moving on to the early church and Paul's conversion. After the summer holidays Briony took over the role of leading Childrens Church from Nickl and started the term by looking at the power of God. The power to provide, the power to amaze, the power to protect and the power to judge. In October we read some of the psalms remembering that God is our creator and that he is the same God that David sang to and that he is still near to us today. At the end of November, we started looking at the Christmas story through the passages of Luke. In December we practiced for ourjoint Childrens Church/Junction 7 nativlty with the help of Diana Snuggs and we Ih performed it on 8 December. The congregation enjoyed the performance and we had lots of lovely comments and feedback. umbers of Children Attendin For the Spring term we had 74 children attending over nine weeks making a mean average of eight children attending per week. For the summer term we had 99 children attending over 12 weeks making a mean average of eight children attending per week and in the autumn term we had a total of 104 children attending over 13 weeks again making a mean average of eight 8 children per week. In reality the numbers can vary hugely from week to week with some weeks as little as four children coming to Childrens Church and some weeks as many as 16, nsent Forms Consent forms are being completed when new children regularly attend the group. These are kept in the register which is locked in the safe in the cupboard in the office. From September 2024 new consent forms were required for each child attending regularly with their old forms being filed in an archive folder in the same locked safe as the register. Homemade (where possible) Birthday cards are sent out byjeanette to the church children on their birthday during the year - permission for this is included on the consent form. A really lovely gift from Jeanette which the children like and appreciate. The weekly lessons and activities are taken from the blue and red scripture union compendium books and other sources. Dis The display boards in room 3 are still used to display church events and important themes and this is kindly and helpfully updated by Ju l iette. This Is the room in which Childrens Church meets each week with Junction 7 now downstairs in the coffee room. Weekl Email Over 2024 Nicki and Briony provided Jeanette with weekly inserts for the weekly email. These provide the bible passage and a glimpse of what the session will involve so that the parentslcarers know beforehand what the children will be doing and learning about in a session. Forward 0 2025 There is still a need for more volunteers to help run Childrens Church and to take the pressure off the existing volunteers. Also to potentially allow two groups within Childrens Church separating the younger and older children. The group will continue to run every Sunday apart from the all in services at the beginning of each month. A meeting has been arranged in January 2025 for Ben and the team to celebrate successes, talk through any new ideas and to discuss challenges experienced. A change of pick-up arrangements for parentslcarers picking up their £hildren at the end of CC to be discussed at the meeting injanuary. Changelupdate for displaying the children's work in the church to be discussed at the meeting with Ben. Briony Girdler Youth Ministry On Sunday morningsjunttion 7 have been looking at some of the mi racles of Jesus and started an overview of the Bible series that will take us into 2025. They began with the creation story and have been working through the next part of the Bible each week, discussing how it affects our lives today. They also spent time planning and running youth led services throughout the year! These have been a real highllght of the youth ministry, and it has been amazing to watch ouryoung people grow as preachers. worship leaders, service leaders and every other role theyve taken on! All our young people engaged with the planning and leading of these Se￿iCe5 in various ways, and it was sreat to see this reflected when they gathered to pray before the seNices. We've also partnered with Children's Church several times throughout the year to run Sunday morning sessions over the holidays and to have a children and youth led Nativity service. It was great to see the children and youth come together in various waysl I'm really looking forward to developing the link and structure around how we support the children moving from Children's Church tojunction 7 and beyond and reflecting on how we prepare children and young people for a lifelong journey of faith. Junction 7 continued to meet twice a month on a Sunday evening for games, discussion and activities s(Jch as Bible story themed escape room51 These have been a lot of fun, and the escape rooms in particular have been really popular with both the young people and leaders! We trialled a youth partnership with Stjames Church, West End, during 2024 for these evenings, but have made the decision not to continue this into 2025. Hous The house group for young people in year 11 to 13 continued to meet and grow throughout 2024. They have been looklng at some of the Bible ProjecY5 videos about how to read and engage with the Bible and going deeper into whatjunction 7 looks at on a Sunday morning. This group is intended to be transitional as the young people leavejunrtion 7 and college. so we also spent time talking about what faith might look like at university or in the workplace. As we had a couple of teenagers leaving to go to university, over the summer we did a series looking at topics like how to find churches in new cities, mental health and what the Bible says about things like rest and work. It was also great to spend time cooking together and meeting socially to build those relationships up. It was really nice to hear from the two who started University in September about how theyve been getting on with their courses, finding friends and activities and exploring their faith at University. ther Events and Partnershi One of the key aims forjunction 7 has been building community amongst the young people, so there have been several social evenings including movie nights (which a couple of young people from Youth Café also came to!), ice skating. a big BBQ and games event in the summer holiday5 and craft activities. I'm really thankful to everyone who has played a part in making all these different events happen and giving their time in different ways, whether that's on a Sunday, cooking, planning, leading creative sessions, ice skating and every other role that someone has stepped intol Junction 7 have also attended different events run by extemal groups. such as the youth worship nights at Thornhill Baptist Church. We have linked into Wildfire Youth Project a lot, and our youth went to a big sports activity day in Winchester as well as a summer festival that they ran. which one of our teenagers even played at. These have been a lot of fun. as well as holding space for spiritual input. Another key link for us has been with Scripture Union, who have led training for the leader5 on running sessions, managing challenging behaviour and working with young people with additional needs. Schools It was really exciting to begin weekly mentoring sessions at Deer Park and Wildern secondary schools, as well as a lunch time drop in at Deer Park in September! I run thisjointly with Revd Phil Aindow from Stjohn's Church. and his wife Chrissie Aindow also does some mentoring at Deer Park. It's been great bu ilding relationships with students and staff and doing this in collaboration with St John's Church. The link with the schools is a key part of thinking about how we engage with the youth that come to youth café. I've been stopped by young people, particularly at Deer Park, who have asked about youth cafe following Phil and l introducing ourselve5 in assemblies an(J regularly get stopped in the corridors to chat with staff and students. There have also been a few students from Wildern who come to youth café who have Stopped to speak to me at school and then came to a movie night with their friends! Conclusion IYS been such an exciting and full year forjunction 7 and the youth ministry here at St Luke'sl ltre been really amazed by how God's opened doors, particularly with Wildern and Deer Park, and loved seeing the youth grow in faith. We've got a really lovely group of young people and it's been great getting to know them and hear about their faith both in youth group and over coffee or whatever other activity we do! We have had several young people come up tojunctlon 7 from Children's Church who bring lot5 of fun energy and excitement and it's been a real joy walking alongside those who have transitioned out of Junrtion 7 into University. It also goes without saying that our volunteer team are wonderful and have a great range of gifts and all they do is greatly appreciatedl Please do pray for more doors to be opened, and more growth both spiritually and as a community. as well as in numbers of volunteers and youns people in 2025 Maddie Thorp lel Mission and Outreach 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 vvherever the need Is greatest. At 5t Luke's, we have been continuing our support for Christian Aid in 2024, through both fundraising and campaignin& helping to fight povety worldwlde to give everyone the chance to thrive. St Luke's continued to support Christian Aid as one of its chosen charities with regular giving of £219 per month to Christian Aid. In January, we focussed the monthly church zoom prayer session on praying for Christian Aid. We prayed for the work done by Christian Aid partners, we gave thanks for the Christmas appeal, prayed for peace and justice in the Middle East and prayed for climate justice. For Christian Aid week in May, we held a church lunch and raised £150. We responded with prayer and a collection to 1 emergency appeal in our role as an Emergency church.. DEC Middle East Humanitarian appeal - October 2024- £471.20 was raised and used to provide emergency food, shelter and children's 5UPPOrt to those who had to flee to safety. In December, we supported the Christmas Appeal to help support refugees in South Sudan. We raised £358. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation, the total raised and donated by St Luke's for 2024 added up to £3607, with some gift aid claimed by Christian Aid in addition to this. Sian Andrews, St Luke's Christian Aid Representotive Hedge End. West End and Botley Churches Together (HEWEB) Churches Together in Hedge End. West End and Botley (HEWEB) is a collection of churches whose leaders meet together on a regular basis to pray and share what is going on in their local church. Both Ben and Clive have played an attive part in thls group. and we are pleased to report tha¢ going forward,Joyce Seaman will be St Luke's lay representative. HEWEB put on a Service for Christian Unity in January, a Children's Bible club in August and a Children's Advent Morning in December, which we hosted at St. Luke's. Ben Jones ond Clive BeL7rd Encounter Afternoon Tea Encounter Afternoon Tea takes place on a Wednesday afternoon, it is for anyone to drop in between 2- 4pm for tea, coffee, and beautiful cakes! It is free but we have a bowl for donations if people like to contribute. We are blessed that our cakes are donated. We meet in the church and have the little tables with tablecloths and flowers cafe Style with waitress service, serving the drinks in beautiful china cups and saucers. This year we have continued to have regular people come although not necessarily every week, many are not church members. We have also had the privilege of welcoming new people who have found real friendships and support within the group. We chat about all sorts of things and look out for each other. Sonia Mccall has continued to bake a cake every week which is amazing thank you Sonial l also want to thank Heather Reay. Janet Gapes and Stacy Ashill for their help. and they are amazing at welcoming new and existing people. The team are brilliantl l also keep in contact with people who miss Encounter to check they are ok. io Sue Phillips Snowdrop Care Home A team from St Luke's vi51ts Snowdrop to provide a Communion Service once a mor)th with Ben or Clive joining us to lead the service. We also go in for a coffee and chat morning with the residents a couple of weeks later. Both of our visits are well received and attended. The chat time often ends up with us all in giggles as the residents share stories of their lives. We also visit sc)me residents in their rooms for a chat. Clive and Ben have also done end of life vi51ts supporting residents and their families. One of our highlights and sadness this yearwas when one of the residents wanted to be confirmed. Clive organlsed a Bishop to Join us for the service to do the confirmation but. sadly, the week before she passed away in her Sleep. However, Clive was asked to do her funeral which we all attended knowing that she is withjesus. We have been working with Gemma and Rachel at the care home who are both encouraging and supportive. Many thanks to the team Anne Duffin and Brenda Whitby who have been around for the whole year and thanks to Ben and Clive too. Sue Phillips Iv) Open the Book Open the Book is a regular and important part of our parish primary schoo15' assembly programme. Over the years we have established a very warm relationship with both Berrywood and Wellstead schools. and their appreciatlon of our visits is such that they are now happy to accommodate the dates we suggest, rather than telling us when to come In. Currently we take an assembly once a month in each school. We are blessed to have a committed team of ten people. whereas many groups manage with only three or four. Our clergy. Ben and Clive, also alternate in giving the introduction and conclusion, so the children all recognise and know them. We try to present a good balance of stories from the Old and New Testaments. as some of the children will never hear stories from the Bible in any other way. We always act out the stories in full costume and with as many interesring props as possible so that the chlldren go away with a memorable visual image. Very often we invite a number of volunteers to dress up and help us with the smaller non-speaking parts. and we always get the whole school to participate in some way with words and actions. The staff are also keen to join in. and it has even been known for both headteachers to make a surprise appearance in a guest starring role, much to the delight of the children! Open the Book is a resource for St. Luke's as well, with the team occasionally arting out storiEs in our All-ln services and supplying costumes and props for the church nativity service, for example. Once or li twice a year we also get invited by King's Commur)ity Church to bring one of our stories to their Dementia Group,"Gems" The older people are just as excited and involved as the children and if is a privilege to be able to share what we love doing in a wider context. l am so proud of this amazing team and really grateful fortheir outstanding commitment to this ministry throughout the year. Diana Snuggs Ivil Mlnnows Playgroup Minnows playgroup meets Fridays 10 to 11.30am for parents, carers and under 5's for free play, we provide a snack of cheese, fruit, bread, water with coffeeltea for the adults with left over Encounter cake some 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 and a Christmas present. Our numbers fluctuate but a good number attend each week with a few regulars coming each week. We do enjoy building good relationships with the regular member5 and chatting to those who come occasionally. We do find that those who come are making friendships with the other members. At Christmas we had a party with a visit from Father Christmas who gave every child a book for a present. We have had such encouraging feedback from those who come which is lovely. The team are Karen Cotton, Emma Blamey, Sandy Smith and Jackie Skoyles who has joined us during the year. Also. thank you to Jenny Little and Alison Baker who have helped when we have been short staffed. My thanks also to Rosie and Roger Adams for being part of the team until the summer when they finished although Rosie has helped since. My thanks to the team for their help and support. Sue Phillips {viil Youth Café We have had another wonderful year in youth cafe with between 140-160 youth attending the church each week on Thursday afternoon between 3 and 4 pm. They mainly come from Wildern School but we do get a few from Deer park School. They come to eat food and to chat. We have many regulars whom we are getting to know as we serve them each week. I have a wonderful team of helpers and have added two new people to our team recently. We all work together well and l am very grateful to have such a dedicated team but we do miss our wonderful washing-up marigold queen, Chris, who went to be withjesus last year. Maddie has begun working in the two local schools, Wildern and Deer Parl and has been building connections with the younssters which she is able to follow up at Youth Cafe. We are really praying for the connections to deepen and have had a few girls form Youth cafe come to ajunction 7 session. The relationships we build with these youngsters are 50 12 important in sowing seeds of faith in their lives. A few youngsters ca￿e to our Christmas service5 too. I was trying to find myway to Waterloo Station in London a few months ago and three young men saw me looking confused and came up to me to help me. They recognised me as being from Youth cafel One of them asked if I could thank St. Luke's church for the youth café. They said we need to always keep doing Youth Café as they had loved it and wanted other youngsters to also enjoy it. It was great to chat to them about their careers and lives and to know we'd helped them in their senior school years. They then helped me find Waterloo stationl! Please pray for us all as we reach out to these wonderful youngsters week after week. Please pray for our relationships with them and wisdom on how to connect on a deeper level with them. Thank you. Rose Spink (7nd all the Youth Cafe team Book Club Book club has met monthly during 2024. We continued to read books provided by Hampshire Reading Group Sets. We try to choose a variety of genres from thrillers and spy stories to family tragedies and romances. Every book generates an interesting discusslon, raising issues which range from offl)eat to serlous. It's good to hear different views and hopefully providing a fun and supportive environment for members. We continue to enjoy cakes provided by Dorothy Hare to raise funds for Testwood Lakes Sailability charity. Rosie Adom5 (ix) St Luke's Walking Group The church walking group meets twice a month on the first and third Thursday mornings starting at 10 a.m. We have walked in many area5 in the region including the New Forest, Meon Valley and around Mottisfont. The walks are about 5-6 miles long. The weather has not always been the best and during the latter part of the year, we had to cancel a couple of the walks due to heavy rain and flooding. The walks are well attended with an average of about 10+ people plus two dogs. The highlight of the walks is stopping at a local pub for a well-earned lunch at the end of each walk. A new programme of walks is being put together so if you would like to join us. please do. Mike Fisher (x) Israeli Dancing We have continued to meet on the first Sunday afternoon of the month, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm, in the Church worship area. Sadly, Sunday afternoon does not suit everyorle. and some former members no longer attend. but it does enable a core group of committed dancers to come 13 regularly. This is an advantage as, with consistent practice, we have made real progress as a group in mastering some of the more complicated dances. Mosi of the dances are very straightforward and accessible, however, and this has been good for welcoming some new member5 over the course of the year and enabling them to feel included right from the start. It is a very friendly group, and we enjoy some fellowship and chat as well as getting good exercise, challenging our brains and having fun. Why do we do Israeli Dancing at St Luke's? Many of the dance tunes are traditional melodies with words from the Hebrew scriptures- our Old Testament- so we are actually dancing the Bible, which is worship! Some of the music is lively and energetic, some is melancholy and hauntingly beautiful, but all of it provides a differerlt way of drawing close to God from what we are used to as Anglicans, enabling us to give expression to our Christian faith through connecting with ourjewish roots. Diana Snuggs Ixi) Not So Strictly St Lukds Our monthly Sunday dancing afternoons have been running now for over two years and have proved hugely successful. Numbers vary from month to month. and everyone is welcome whether already able to dance or not. Those that have been coming regularly have progressed so well. We are now doing various ballroom and sequence dances, plus enjoying tea and cake during the afternoon so it's very much a social event. The cost remains at £3 per person and all profits go directly to church. The group is on the third Sunday of the month from 2.30pm to 4pm. Please talkto Anne or lan if you need to know more. Anne ond lan Taylor Ladies Group Ladies group has had another successful year with an average of12-20 ladies in attendance. Meetings have included a visit to Winchester Cathedral and a summer walk. We have had various speakers. and enjoyed a bring and Share Christma5 meal. We also had a very informative event on staying safe on the internef. which was opened up to everyone, Sandro Plaw (n Buildings Sub-committee The church roof continues to dominate the PCC time. In 2023. the PCC authori5ed funds up to 1 Ok to investigate and provide ab501ute clarity to the works required. Due to the adverse weather in 2023 and the roof contrartor's delay with otherjobs. the investigatory works were only completed in December 2024. 14 The architect has completed a report providing recommendations for repair design. The PCC will review these in 2025, e5tabli5hing the cost against the risk of damage to Ihe church with the delay in works completed. The architect also provided an opinion on the ri5k,' he was of the opinion that the risk is low, reducing any urgent need to complete the works. The PCC is committed to completing the roof repairs, although the total cost of the repairs has increased from the initia l estimation through a combination of post- COVID inflation, the complexity of work required, and the architect fees. The PCC continues to liaise vvith the Diocese to ensure faculty support. We do not envisage the works to be completed in 2025, although there will be clarity on the exart works required, facility support, and the cost of the repair- the focus will then move to fundraising. An ongoing impact was the restrirted access to the back of the church - unfortunately, this continued in 2024 following a risk assessment. The maintenance team painted the coffee lounge, giving it a fresh look. We continued with the cleaning contractors and also had the carpets cleaned. Planned preventative maintenance included fire extinguishers. fire alarms, and security system. Michael Crutchley Ig) Communications and Publicity Sub-commlttee We have continued to reach out, raise awareness, and strengthen our connection with the community to share the message of our church. A key part of this has been our consistent presence on social media, with Maddie maintaining a regular heartbeat of Facebook and Instagram posts. This ha5 ensured that those digitally connected have been kept up-to-date with all of St Luke's news and activities. The social media actlvlty has been complemented by updates to the'church News, section of our website homepage including, for example. a section about the 30th Anniversary of the church with a selection of photos displayed to remember the event. Besides the visible updates, numerous changes have been made behind the scenes to ensure the website has stayed up and running and secure, enabling visitors to access to information about the church, enquire through the online form, and listen back (or again) to past readings and sermons. At Christmas, a fresh design was created and published online and in print. Many members of the congregation pitched in to ensure Christmas postcards were delivered to every house and flat in the parish. ensuring we reach as many of the people who live in our parish as possible. Through these efforts, we continue to reach out and connert with those who live in the area, ensuring that God'5 work in St Luke's is shared in our community, . Jacob Blamey on beholf of the Publicity Group 15 (h) Eco Church Sub-committee At St Luke's, we continue to strive to steward God's creation. This report outlines the significant progre55 made by the Eco Church group as we work to integrate the principles of the A Rocha Eco Church initiative into all aspects of church life. The five key areas of focus are: worship, buildings, land, community, and lifestyle. We have been Suided and assisted by the Eco Church survey in those areas and have seen improvements to our scores. Over the course of the year, through numerous meetings and activities, we have made significant strides, highlighted by a series of thoughtful policies, initiatives, and community actions. These efforts reflect our commitment to preserving and nurturing the earth as part of our Christian calling. Some of the notable achlevements Include: Environmental Policies.. We developed key policies such as the Future BuildinglRefurbishment Policy, Ethical Purchasing Policy, Floodlighting and Security Policy, and Mowing and Grass Treatment Policy. These policies guide us in making decisions that minimise waste, reduce energy consumption, and encourage biodiversity on our land. Fundraising and.Community Engagement: Through the generosity of our small groups, we raised funds to toilet-twin our remaining toilets. We also led a climate change prayer vigil at Stjohn's and engaged in the Big Plastic Count, fostering community awareness and attion. Sustainable Practices.. We have changed our energy contracts. ensuring they are as green as possible. commissioned an external energy audit. and explored grants to improve the energy efficiency of our lighting. Youth and Worship.. Our commitment to environmental stewardship was also shared with the younger generation through a two-week Children's Church program focusing on caring for God's earth. Additionally. we led a well-received service on "Care for Creation" on 2nd June. Land: In support of biodiversity, we completed a Land Management Strategy and took part in"No-Mow May,, helping to conserve local flora and fauna. The artions above are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Eco Church group during 2024. Each initiative demonstrates our commitment to living out our faith in a way that honours God's creation, As Christians, we are called to care for God's creation, which is a central tenet of our faith. The actions outlined in this report are not just environmental choices they are an expression of our love for God and our global neighbours. Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and our response 15 a reflettion of 16 our understanding that God has entrusted us Wlth care of God'5 world. By reducing our ecological footprint, engaging in sustainable practices, and encouraging others to do the same, we are being faithful stewards of the earth. Through these efforts, we not only honour God's creation, but we also bear witness to the transformative power of faith in action. Our work is a reminderthat environmental care is not just an issue of politics or policy, but a deeply spiritual practice that calls for our active involvement. The stewardship of God's creation is integral to our mission as a church, and as we continue to take steps to reduce our impact, we invite others to join us in this vital work of climate action. Jacob Blumey on behalf of the Eco Church Sub-committee Q'I Finance Sub-committee Finance Sub-committee members: Ben Jones, Clive Beard, Martin Philllps. Louise Brown (Treasurer) The committee met regularly to review the accounts against the bvdget and agree actions that needed to be taken to the PCC. Louise Brown. as Church Treasurer, presented the accounts for review of income and expenditure. demonstrating due diligence as Stewards and Trustees of the church's finances. Income Thank you to all who glve financially and support the valuable work at St Luke's. Gift Aid continues to be an important stream of our income, so please consider this if you are able. We have received the following restricted donations: Youth Co-ordinator role.. £31.515 - mainly as a result of the Giving Surlday Youth Café: £2,825 The rental income has increased by £4.700 compared to 2023. The card reader continues to be regularly used to receive donations. Easy Fundraising has raised £440; we have 49 people sigr)ed up. Ex enditure The Charities we supported in 2024 were Christian Aid, Safe Families and Operation Noah. There has been an increase in our utility bills due to changing supplier and having to pay £1,600 deposit in advance. We are aware that there will be a substantial bill to pay for the roof repairs, and we have set aside £25,000 towards this. Other uncommitted funds could also be used. We continue to keep a strict policy on expenditure and ensure we are getting best value for money. 17 We have produced a budget forecast for 2025 which has been agreed by the PCC, and this will continue to be reviewed in 2025. We continue to be grateful for lan Taylorfs management of the Gift Aid applications for the Church. Louise Brown and Mt7rtin Phillips 2.2 Standing Committee (See section 2.1(b) above) 2.3 Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwardens Report St Luke's continued to grow and develop in 2024 under the inspiring and faithful leadership of Ben. Clive ably a551Sted Ben in contributing to the growth and spiritual direttion of the church. Congratulations to Clive who successfulty completed his curacy training in the summer, allowing him to look for his own parish. We have continued to experience growth in the church. with new people joining the congregation. some from other churches and some new to faith. tb The church celebrated its 30 anniversary in ottober. An amazing party on Saturday evening was followed by a wonderful service on Sunday morning where we were encouraged to give thanks to God for the past and look forward in faith to the future. There are not many churches where the current vicar is able to Inte￿ieW the first vicar of the parish! The Bishop of Winchester came to preach, and several old friends shared in the celebration. The PCC has continued to meet bimonthly, providing a range of views and experience5 to enable the church to be governed well. The roof has remained on the agenda. proving to be a far more complex issue that originally imagined. The PCC spent tlme discerning the core values of our fellowship. This proved a productive and interesting task and resulted in adopting the three core values of Welcome'.'Challenge' and'Good News,. Financially, the church has been blessed. and we are able to increase our giving once again. Community groups continue to benefit from using our buildings.. apart from the boost to our finances, it provides an opportunity for the community to experience the church as a thriving and welcoming space. The Children and Youth work has continued to flourish, and we have been challenged and touched by the maturity, insight and imagination of ou r young people in their leading of church services, ably assisted by Maddie and the other leaders. We want to thank all members of 5t Luke's for their commitment and sharing of gifts ar)d talents. We ray that as a church we will continue to show and share the Good News of the gospel in all the ways we can. Rosie Adoms and Michoel Crutchley on behalf of the Churchwardens ond Ass1Stant Churchwardens 18 2.4 Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representative'5 Report In 2024 the Deanery Synod met three times,. in February, June and October. At the meeting in February 24 at St Francis Valley Park, where the Area Dean - Richard Wise- updated deanery synod about a variety of events and issues, not least the resignation of the Deanery Synod Lay Chair through ill health and the process to appoint a new one along with the call for new representatives from the Deanery to be our representatives on Diocesan Synod. He also provided an update about the installation of the new Diocesan Bishop, the Right Revd Philip Mounstephen. In June 24 we met at St Andrews Hamble. The guest speaker was Revd Sam Scott, the new Diocesan Environment Officer. He spoke about caring for God's creation, including Ecochuch progress, the challenge to all of us as indivlduals and parishes, and the current and future grants that are available for Benefices. Finally in October 24 we at St Lukes hosted Deanery Synod and the speaker was the Bishop of Winchester- Philip Mounstephen - who spoke to our Synod about his missional priorities for the Diocese and some of the challenges to be addressed. Across these three meetings we also discussed.. diocesan and deanery finances, updates on the proces5 of appointing a new Bishop of Southampton, and appointments and leavers within the deanery and diocese. Revd Clive Beard 2.5 Electoral Roll and Church Attendance Following many years dedicated service as Electoral Roll Officer, Melvyn Plaw stepped aside from this role during 2024. As required, in 2025 a new electoral roll will be prepared prior to the APCM on 6 April 2025. As at 31 December 2024, there were 104 people on St Luke's Electoral Roll. During October 2024, the average church attendance was 89 adults and 12 childrenlyoung people. These figures do not include those in attendance on Sunday 13 October when we were very pleased to have a number of people attending the service to celebrate the 30" anniversary of the opening of the St Luke's Church building. Jeanette Harrison 16 Safeguarding Catherine Spiers continues to carry out the DBS checks and ensure that all volunteer5 have completed the training modules required by the Diocese. Currently there are 62 members who have a DBS certificate. which is mandatory for all volunteers working with young people and children. The recruitment process which now requires all volunteers to receive a volunteer role description. have an initial meeting with the ministry leaderlvicar. and provide two references is now well embedded and meeting Diocesan requirements. This process ensures that volunteers are fully aware of what their duties are and adds an additional layer of safer recruitment. 19 Every parish need5 to annually pa55 eight policies created by the national church concerning best practice regarding the recruitment of ex-offenders, social media usage. domestic abuse and violence and other matters. These policies have now been put together for annual review by thejanuary meeting of the PCC for ease of administration and have all been ratified by the PCC. A new requirement of the national church is that the PCC, the safeguarding body of the church, meets at least once every three years to discuss how they can best promote a safe and healthy culture of safeguarding. This requirement was met atJanuarFs PCC when the PCC reaffirmed their commitment to working towards and maintaining a healthy culture in which safeguarding concerns can be raised. The PCC was also given access to the Makin Report on safeguarding concerns which was published in November 2024. Risk assessments have been annually reviewed and kept up-to-date. It is pleasing to note that St. Luke's has now met all the requirements of the Parish Dashboard, the online tool which records the status of safeguarding tasks undertaken by the parish. Thanks are again extended to all members of the congregation for their understanding of and commitment to safeguarding. Janet Compton. Sofeguarding Officer Revd Ben Jones Vicar. Michael Crutchley (Lay Vice Chair, PCC) On behalf of the PCC (Trustees) 20 ||All Mission Givinq and Charitable Grants and Donations|All Mission Givinq and Charitable Grants and Donations|| |---|---|---|---| ||||15152,1"1| ||of|Clerov. Pastoral Staff. Children's Worker|| |||to the buildinoRoofinqInstallations inc. Redecoration|| ||||1191.25| |Less:TOTAL EXPENDITURE|||| |ST LUKE'SCHURCHBALANCE SHEET FOR YEARENDING31stDECEMBER|||| ||119160.68||| |'otal = Balance tO31st December|||| |haveexamined the accountsfrom thebooks and vouchers presentedtome and cf,rtifythat theyrepresentatrueposition of the finances ofSt Luke'sChurch,HedgeEnd|||| |,ate:'70ILIuut|signed:flJ"*|
Name:Krst"r- NL€e|| ## ## ## ##