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2024-12-31-accounts

The Parish of St Matthew and St Luke, Chadderton

Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2024

Presented to the Parishioners meeting and Annual Church Parochial Meeting on Wednesday 2[nd] April 2025 at 7.30pm

Agenda for the Parishioners’ and Church Parochial Meetings

The Meeting of the Parishioners

  1. Election of Churchwardens

Annual Church Parochial Meeting

  1. Apologies for Absence

  2. Minutes of the previous APCM

  3. Matters Arising

  4. Reports for 2024:

  5. Vicar

  6. Work of the PCC

  7. Accounts for the PCC

  8. Independent Examiners

  9. Gift Aid

  10. Reader

  11. Safeguarding

  12. ALM

  13. Grounds Maintenance

  14. Churchwardens

  15. Deanery Synod

  16. Mothers’ Union

  17. 200 Club

  18. Electoral Roll

5. Elections:

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Parish Annual Report

St Matthew’s Church is situated in the Deanery of Oldham and Ashton which is part of the Diocese of Manchester within the Church of England

The correspondence address is The Vicarage, Mill Brow, Chadderton, Oldham OL1 2RT

The Annual Report of the Parish of Chadderton: St Matthew and St Luke for the year 2024

Administrative Information

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a registered charity with the Charity Commission. Registration number 1143492.

The parish was in interregnum until 25[th] September 2024

PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2024 until the date this report was approved are:

Incumbent The Revd Elizabeth Jane Devall SCP – from 25[th] September 2024 Reader Ann Tattersall ALM Margaret Hughes Ann Emmott Lorraine Moore Paula Leech – until 30[th] September 2024 Wardens: Helen Crabtree Margaret Hughes

Representatives on the Deanery Synod:

Gillian Barker PCC Secretary Margaret Hughes PCC Treasurer Roy Tattersall Elected Members: Jon Baptiste Max Butterworth From APCM 2024– 17 April 2024 Clare Clark Alma Costello Andrew Cox Geoff Crossley From APCM 2024– 17 April 2024 Ken Edwards Lynn Edwards Ann Emmott Carole Heeks From APCM 2024– 17 April 2024 Claire Middlebrook Until APCM 2024– 17 April 2024 Lorraine Moore Jane Wernick Rodney Wild From APCM 2024– 17 April 2024 Pat Wild From APCM 2024– 17 April 2024

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Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representatives Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Bank, Investment, Insurance & Other Details

The Parish banking is with Lloyds, TSB and Co-Operative banks CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authorities)

The Insurers for the Parish are Trinitas

(Finance details are shown in the financial statements) The PCC holds licences from Church Copyright Licensing & the Data Protection Registrar Details of Trust Funds attached.

Objectives and activities

St Matthew and St Luke’s PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Revd Elizabeth Devall in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the Church of St Matthew, Chadderton Hall Road, Chadderton.

Church attendance

At the 2024 Annual Parochial Church Meeting the number of people on the Electoral Roll was 194. The average weekly attendance, counted during October was 194. Over 16 years old – 130, under 16 years old – 71.

Activities and performance follow in the form of various reports as detailed on the front page

This report was approved by the PCC on Wednesday 19[th] March 2025 and signed on their behalf by Revd Elizabeth Devall SCP (PCC Chairman)

Signed:

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Vicar’s Report

I would like to begin by saying thank you to everyone for their wonderfully generous and warm welcome at St Matthew and St Luke. It is a privilege and honour to serve as your parish priest.

The first nine months of 2024 the Church was still in interregnum and huge thanks must go to the Churchwardens and Church Officers, PCC members, retired clergy and everyone who ensured that worship continued, that the congregations were looked after and that the church buildings, finance and administration was taken care of. There is always a burden of huge responsibility that has to be carried during an interregnum, by Churchwardens in particular, but I know a whole team of people helped to maintain worship, mission and ministry at in the parish of St Matthew and St Luke. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who prepared for the Welcome Service, those who issued invitations, got the church ready, prepared the music, organised refreshments and so on. It was a wonderful occasion, and guests commented to me what a wonderful welcome they had received and what a beautiful church I had come to. It was a joy to know that St Matthew’s PCC had gained an ECO Church Bronze Award just before I was installed as your Vicar and that St Matthew’s was already a member of the Inclusive Church network.

From October to December 2024 we managed to fit quite a bit in! I met with the Wardens and the PCC and am grateful for all that they do in the church and community and for their support to me particularly in showing me the ropes at a new church! I know that changing the times of Church services isn’t easy and I am so grateful that the service time changes made both at St Matthew’s and at St Anne’s mean that I am able to lead worship and spend time with congregations at both churches each week. Thank you.

I have been privileged to officiate at baptisms, funerals and a marriage in my first 3 months with you as parish priest. Many non-church goers are welcomed into our churches as guests at occasional offices of baptisms, funerals and weddings. These occasions present great opportunities for reaching out and sharing the love of Christ with those who not normally attend church. Thank you to all who offer vital support and share in this mission and ministry of the church with these occasional offices as Vergers, musicians, with administration and as welcomers.

It has been wonderful to worship with you each week on a Sunday and Thursday and get to know you. New liturgy was introduced at Advent and Christmas in our Sunday worship, using well known hymn tunes or folk tunes to sing parts of the service. Thank you to Garry our organist and musical director and the choir for their support with this and leading us in our singing and worship. Thank you to Ann Tattersall also for her support with leading worship. Thanks to all who are part of the welcoming team, who serve refreshments, operate the audio-visual equipment and those who read and lead our prayers. Thank you also to those whose ministry involves taking Holy Communion to the sick or housebound.

Huge thanks to Maggs Hughes for her support and her ministry at the Thursday evening Family worship and also to the team of welcomers. A revised liturgy was introduced using more of the Nursery Rhyme service when I arrived. The service is designed to encourage participation of all ages. Thank you to Maggs to leading a Service of the Word at least once a month too for that congregation. September saw an increase in numbers attending these services as a new school year began and some St Anne’s families transferred to our Thursday evening worship and other new families joined. Most weeks there are more than 100 people in attendance and occasionally as high as 150.

At our Harvest Festival we collected donations for the Food Bank at both our Sunday and mid-week services– thank you for your support. In November we celebrated All Souls’ Day, Remembrance Sunday and Safeguarding Sunday and ended the church year with a celebration of Christ the King. We held a Mission Community Advent Carol Service on Advent Sunday – huge thanks to Garry and the choir for helping to lead our worship. It was good to begin the new Church year by worshipping with those from other churches in our mission community. A Blue Christmas service was held at St Anne’s and was attended and enjoyed by a number of St Matthew’s folk. A St Nicholas service was introduced for the first time and gits were given to St Nicholas who in turn, donated the gifts to the Booth Centre. The Booth Centre were very grateful. We held a beautiful Christmas Carol service which was much

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appreciated by all who attended. Thanks to Maggs for leading the worship at our Christingle Service and our Crib Service. It was a joy to celebrate my first Christmas with you all, beginning at Midnight Mass.

I lead Collective Worship and have become a Governor at St Luke’s Primary school. I have been in St Matthew’s School and welcomed them back to Church for Harvest, Advent and Christmas services. Thank you to all those at St Matthew’s It is a challenge and a blessing to look after 3 church schools (St Anne’s Royton also),and I would like to thank all those from Church who work as Governors and help out at the schools when needed.

It is a joy to come to such a vibrant church as St Matthew’s with the Toddler Group, the Dressmaking, the Luncheon Club and the Drop In going on each week and the Mothers’ Union each month. Huge thanks to Alma Costello, Margaret Lees, Ann Tattersall and Val Prestwich and everyone who helps and supports them each week in their ministry. Thanks also to all involved in the grounds maintenance team who look after our beautiful grounds and church yard and thanks to Derek Seddon who prepares the ground for burials and helps maintain the records for our churchyard. Thanks to Margaret Rochford for the beautiful flowers in church.

Thanks to Maggs Hughes, Ann Emmott and Lorraine Moore for their ALM ministry and Ann Tattersall for her Reader Ministry and all that they do in those roles that contributes so wonderfully to the mission and ministry of our church.

As part of the Manchester Diocese family, we are called to be a worshipping, growing and transforming Christian presence at the heart of our community here in Chadderton. We have much to look forward to in the coming year as we pray and worship together and discern where God is calling us to join in His mission in our community and as we join with our neighbouring churches of St Anne’s Royton, St Paul’s Royton, St James’ Oldham, St Mark’s Chadderton and St Gabriel’s Middleton Junction as a Mission Community. We will face challenges along the way I am sure but we will face them together and I look forward to the future with hope.

Thank you once again to all who have contributed to the life, worship, ministry and mission of the parish of St Matthew and St Luke.

For all that has been thanks! For all that shall be yes!

Dag Hammarskjöld

With love and prayers, Liz

The Revd Elizabeth Devall

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The work of the PCC in 2024

The full PCC met seven times during the year with an average level of attendance of 72%, standing committee met three times and budget committee met once, minutes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary.

The “day to day” work of the PCC is carried out by its members – we are a working PCC, and all members are expected to contribute whether on committees or working on specific tasks. Recommendations are discussed and if appropriate, ratified at full PCC meetings. This process makes for more focussed and strategic discussions and decision-making.

We entered 2025 following 11 months of interregnum knowing that we would continue in this vein for most of the year. We continued to keep our services running as normal with 8.30am and 10.30am Eucharist on a Sunday morning and the 6pm service on a Thursday evening. We were extremely blessed that most of our Sunday morning services were covered by Reverends Richard Hawkins, Ray Morris and Ian Butterworth whilst Margaret our ALM continued to deliver the majority of the Thursday evening services along with Ann our reader emeritus. Our pastoral team with ALM’s Ann and Lorraine continues to provide support to those in the parish who needed somebody to talk to.

Whilst in interregnum we are unable to start anything new, however, we did begin the New Year by holding an exciting Beetle Drive which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. Who knew that throwing a dice and drawing a beetle could be so competitive? We were also able to have an afternoon tea as well as a concert by the Caprice clarinet quartet.

In March, the next stage of our interregnum journey continued, the interview of Liz Devall, our preferred candidate. The interview panel consisted of Helen and Gillian (our parish representatives), Area Dean Daniel, Archdeacon David, Bishop Mark and a representative from the King. Following the interview the panel unanimously agreed to offer Liz the position of incumbent at Saint Matthew and Saint Luke and we were pleased that Liz accepted. We were unable to announce this decision until we had formal approval from the King which was received a few months later. Once the announcement was made, the next job for the PCC was to meet with Liz to discuss her vision for our parish. It became clear that neither us nor St Anne (Liz’s other parish) would be able to continue with all our services in the same way. It is impossible for Liz to be in two places at one time. Liz made it clear that she wished to spend quality time in both parishes to ensure that neither church felt as second class.

The first obstacle to overcome was Sunday morning and Thursday evening services. It would not be possible to continue with two services at St Matthew on Sunday morning together with the 11am service at St Anne. Also, both family services on Thursday were at the same time. After a lot of discussion, it was agreed that St Matthews would have one sung Eucharist at 9am on Sunday morning with St Anne at 11am. Liz understood that this was a substantial change for St Matthews. It was agreed that St Anne would move their family service to a Wednesday evening allowing our Thursday evening service to remain the same. For congregations to get used to the new times, we started our 9am Sunday services on 1[st] September. Baptisms would move to 1pm on the second Sunday of the month from 2025, again this is to ensure that Liz can complete her service at St Anne and travel safely between the parishes.

PCC meetings will now be held on Wednesdays and Liz will be governor at St Luke’s primary school.

Liz’s service of welcome and licensing to the parish took place on Wednesday 25th of September and was presided over by Bishop Mark. It was wonderful to see representatives from Liz‘s other parish as well as members of other churches within the mission community. This was followed by a food and drinks reception and Liz pre presided at first Eucharist on Sunday 29th of September .

To encourage congregations to join in all aspects of the Eucharist service, new settings for the Sanctus and Benedictus together with the Agnus Dei were introduced. They are sung to well-known tunes familiar to the congregation. Eucharistic service would now also start with a processional and a recessional hymn.

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Services for Advent and the Christmas season were agreed with a few changes. We held a Mission Community Advent carol service on the 1st of December, a St Nicholas day service on Thursday evening where people brought gifts for distribution to the Booth Centre and our Christmas carol service took place on the 15th of December. On Christmas Eve at 3pm we had our Crib service and our midnight Eucharist at 11:30pm.

It has been a busy and eventful end to the year and we are thankful to the members of the PCC and other members of the congregations, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that our church has adapted to rapidly changing and challenging situations. We pray for strength and direction as we prepare to move into the new year with our new vicar, in the knowledge that God has a purpose for us all to ensure this parish is fit for mission and “Living out our call to share the Gospel in Faith, Hope and Love”.

Gillian Barker

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Financial Statements of the Parlsh of St Matthew and St Luke for the ear 2024 Income for general use. 2024 saw a slight increase In 8lvln8 by Standing order which brought in £30,1431£29,211 in 20231. Giving by weekly envelopes decreased significantly to E5,9441£10,334 in 20231. Cash collections increased to £4,5461£3,993 in 20231 and donations. which include one-off envelope decreased to £2.38512,976 in 20221. Other activities e.g. refreshment5 and lunch club. parent and ioddler group made surpluses after expenses totalling £2,179. Our letting income was £5651£336 in 20231. Fees from funerals and weddings brought in £9,1351£7,798 in 20231. £5,592 of which is related to the graveyard Isee further infonnation re8ardin8 graveyard maintenance costs in the expenditure sectionl. Recovered gift aid amounted to £11,1901£11,652 in 20231. The amount we can claim is dependent on giving levels and it is automatically sent toward5 our parish share by the diocese. Fundraising for unrestritted funds made a surplus after expenses of £2,880 (£3,891 in 20231, some of which is attributed to our knitters and bakers-thank you. General expendlture. The parlsh share set by the diocese vms £67.881 and we were able to pay £40,750 whlch equates to 60.03%. In 2023 we were able to pay 80%. Expenditure for upkeep of 5ervlce5 e.8. wlne, wafers, candles, admln, prlntln& and payments to our organlst plus licenses, water rate, insurance etc was at 2023 levels plus an amount for Inflation. The cost of gas and electrlcity was slightly higher than in 2023. As we were In interregnum for 9 months of the year there was no expenditure on council tax, water and vicar's expenses fof that period. In October we started to pay half vicara8e costs and vicars expenses. £7,152 was expended on routine bulldln8 maintenance and cleaning. Upkeep of the ¢hur¢hyard. amounted to £9.735 but that included purchase of a second ride-on mower which cost £5,850 after part-exchanging the tractor. Thank you to the volunteers, whose hard work maintaininE the graveyard means that we are not having to employ a fi'rm to do the work, which we estimate would cost at least £10,000 perannum. Income and expenditure not for general use We received £10,905 from the sale of St Luke's church land. This has been noted In the maln accounts as desi8nated for future mission and ministry and major works. We replaced the broken projector at a cost of £6,6(X). We paid £29,810 for the second part of the landscaping of the memorial garden and replacement paths around the north and west sides of the church. The stained glass windows were cleaned and protection renewed at a cost of £18,708. Funds for the above major item5 Of expenditure came from legacies recetved over the past few years. Risk, review. fund5 and reserve5 policy. It is good practice to maintain a readily accessible balance on unrestricted funds to cover both ordinary running costs and those which arise unexpectedly. The PCC aims to hold between 3 and 6 months running costs in free reserves - at 31 Detember 2024 the balance of free ￿serveS stood at £47,732. This balance does not include any monles that have been designated e.g. legacies or for frdbric repair5 or those held in the Marianne Hamiltori bequest account (see paragraph belowl-

Funds and related transactions which are considered to be under the control of the PCC are included within these financial statements. In addition there exists an independent registered charity, number 244678, the Marianne Hamilton bequest which was created following the sale of land belonging to the Parish of St Luke. Its purpose is for the improvement of the amenities of the church and for other purposes In the Parish of St Matthew and St Luke. Statement of Trustees Responsibilit¢es Charity Law requires the trustees to prepare financial ststements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees have:_ selected suitable accounting standards and applled them consistently: made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent: stated whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements- prepared the flnanclal statements on the going concern basis. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accountlng records which disc105e with reasonable accuracy at any tlme the flnancial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements complv with the Charities Acts. They are also responsible for safeguardin8 the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the preventlon and detection of fraud and other irregularltles. Margaret Hughes Parish Treasurer.

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Parochlal Church Councll of ST MATTHEW AND ST LUKE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year endlng 31 December 2024 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES Thè princlpal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial ststements are set out below Basis of re aration The linanoal statements have been propared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Paymènts basis. The financial 51alements indude all transactions lor which Ihe PCC is responsible. They do not include the accounts ol church groups that owe th&if main 8ffi'1iation to 8nolher body. nor those Ihet are informal gatherings of ¢hur¢h members. Fund ac¢ unlln Endowmont Funds are funds, the Gapital of which must be maintained., only Incomo arising from investment may be used either as reslricled or unrestricted funds dependlng upon the purpose for which the endowment was established Marianne Hamilton is this type of fund. Reslricled Funds repres8nl donations or grants received for 8 speclfic PUTpose or Invlled by the PCC for a specific purpose. The funds may only be expended on the specific purpose for whlch they were given. Any. balan￿ remalning unspent at the end of the year is carried forward a8 a balanca on that fund. Tho PCC does not nomially invest 8eparately for fund but when appropriate interest 1$ apportioned lo individual funds. Designol¢d Funds are funds which are not restn'cted by the donor but which the PCC has agreed to designate to be used in the future for a specific purpose. They remain under ihe control of the PCC as part ol unrestricted funds and could be re-designated at any time in the future at the discretion of the PCC. Unrestricted Funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purpose8. They include designated funds and free reserves. Free reseryes are those funds available to be used al the dlscrelion of the PCC which have not been designated for any particular purpose 16

Parochial Church Councll of ST MArrHEW AND ST LUKE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year endlno 31 Decgmber 2024 Icontl General Funds General Funds represent the amounts available lo the PCC to meet its ongolng obllgations, based on the assumption that restricted funds are nol available for general use. Music fund Donations and fees weived that are 8pecrfi¢ally for all aspects of mu*c other than the orgonist's salary are held in a reslricled fund. Flower funds Donations received In respect of church flowers are held in a restricted fund lo be sponl on future flower displays. The bolanee on hand is suffi'cient lo pay for flowers for the immediate future. Mlsslon V4riou$ collections ore held on behalf of olher org8ni8atlon¥ and tha8è ar• p•ld ovor 88 soon 98 practical. Marlann• Hamllton Be uest. The PCC acknowledges Marianne Hamilton Bequest as an Independent Reglstered Charfty, number 244878, which was created followng the Sale of land belonging lo the Parish of Sl Luke It'8 purpose is for improving the amenitie3 of thè ¢hurch and lor other purkxjses in the Parish of St Matthew and Sl Luke. Chadderton. 17

Independent examinerfs report to the PCC of St Matthew and St Luke. Chadderton I report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2024. Thi5 report is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 I'the Regulations'l and section 43 of the Charities Act 19931.the 1993 Act'l. Respective responslbilities of the PCC and the examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. you consider that an audit is not required for this year under the Regulations and under section 43121 of the 1993 Act and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the temis of the Regulations. 8a5is of this report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317llbl of the 1993 Act and to be found in the Church guidance, 2006 edition. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees Con￿rnIng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required of an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view gNen by the accounts. Independent examinerf statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention: 111 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirement5 to keep accounting records in accordance with sertion 41 of the 1993 Act; and to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and Comply with the requirements of the 1993 Act and Regulations have not been met: or 121 to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. SIGNED.. NAME.. qualification. if relevant Address Date 1..Si O.IiJ O L 2 s-) 26.2. 20i 18

Gift Aid

Thank you, the Parishioners, for the donations you have made in 2024 - whether as a regular committed giving donation or as a single donation and regardless of your tax-paying status.

The Gift Aid year runs in tandem with the Tax Year, though for the purposes of this calendar year report, I detail those donations that we were able to prove an audit trail on, vis: valid name, address and Gift Aid Declaration (separately held, or contained on the One-off yellow envelopes). In total we were able to claim back £10650 from the government to contribute to church expenses. This is of course a tremendous sum, albeit we cannot ignore the falling trend. Some £5000 less than the pre-covid year of 2019, and even £2000 less than we recovered during the covid years of 2020 & 2021. Ie Less gross claimable income of £8000 per annum than we managed during covid.

This reflects the harsh practical reality of upheaval of interregnum, reduced footfall with our 2 vs 4 weekly services, and congregation lost from the parish and to ill health and death. Anecdotally, replacement individual donor giving is not being seen at the lost individual donor giving levels. Unfortunately, our expenses have not tailed off with the income trends – sharing the burden of competing for constrained congregational income in their respective hierarchy of needs.

GASDs is a longstanding ‘temporary’ scheme whereby - regardless of tax-payer status - we can currently claim up to £2000 in a tax year from cash in the weekly collection. If you DO pay tax, may I please ask you instead, to complete a Gift Aid Donation Form available from me and in church. Likewise, if you can commit to regular giving, you strongly consider payment by weekly/monthly standing order, or if not possible, Regular Giving Envelopes available from me and in church.

You will note how the declaration does state it is your responsibility to ensure that you personally (not your joint/shared household) pay sufficient tax to cover all your GiftAided donations - the Revenue do randomly audit! With standard tax-free income unchanged at £12570 per annum, a change in circumstance/tax status can quickly change matters. Do please let me know - on a strictly confidential basis - should your declaration with me need to change at any point. I can then ensure no over-claims are made. Conversely, with the continuing ‘fiscal drag’ of static tax allowances, you may have now started paying tax again on your total combined income, enabling you to complete a Gift Aid Declaration for me.

Eg £80 per month donation = £960 in a year on which £240 tax is reclaimed by church. A minimum £13,770 annual income would need earning to incur this ‘refunded’ £240 tax charge.

In the meantime, please do keep me updated of any changes in your email address, physical address, name or tax-paying status!

Neville Barker (GiftAidStMatthews@gmail.com)

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Reader Ministry

Since our last A.G.M., I have been pleased to help the Vicars that have led our Services in Church since Revd. David Penny departed in Jan 2023. I would especially like to say “Thank you” to Reverend Richard Hawkins, as he was the one who was most available to lead us during our Interregnum.

It has also been a pleasure to work with Revd. Liz Devall since she became our Minister, as I assist with leading the Services in Church that she has composed, using a variety of options for the different Services during the Church’s year.

On Tuesdays I have also continued to assist with the Luncheon Club that Revd. David Penny suggested we have every week, and which began over ten years ago. We are recognised as a “Place of Welcome” for all who come and spend time with us, as we chat together, have a meal, and usually play a board game or card game afterwards, before departing around about 3.00pm.

I also wish to thank Margaret Rochford who has also been part of our team at the Luncheon Club for over 10 years, and to Susan Tracey and Alma Costello who also joined us later on, taking turns to make the main course of the Lunch, and helping with the cooking, serving and cleaning up afterwards. We are also grateful for Harry Mullins, who now brings to Church or takes home afterwards in his car, those who need help to travel to and from Church, so that they can join us.

Finally, I am pleased to be able to visit those who are not able to travel to Church on their own for Services, but I can take Home Communion to them and hopefully help them recognise that God is always with us, even in times of difficulty, as we pray together to Him.

Ann Tattersall

Safeguarding

During the period 1st January to 31st December 2024 there were no notifiable disclosures or causes for concern.

Our parish of St Matthew and St Luke, Chadderton is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies. We currently do not have a nominated Parish Safeguarding Officer and until we make an appointment to this role the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Abbey Clephane Wilson continues to fulfil this role. She can be contacted at safeguarding@manchester.anglican.org or by calling 0161 828 1465 or 07384 460958. You may also contact myself as the Vicar or the churchwardens.

The certificate numbers and their issue dates of members of the congregation holding DBS certificates relevant to their role within St Matthew and St Luke’s are held on record. This enables us to check when renewals are due.

All our groups working within St Matthew’s are reminded that any new leaders/post holders having contact with children and/or vulnerable adults must have a relevant, current DBS certificates to safeguard all people attending those groups.

The Current Parish Safeguarding Handbook is available online, accessible through the diocesan website.

The Revd Elizabeth Devall

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Authorised Lay Ministry

During the interregnum I continued to lead most Thursday evening Service of the Word worship with Ann leading those that I didn’t do. Since Liz started her ministry I have been on rota for one Thursday service per month.

Each Service of the Word has a format of prayer, hymns, confession, readings, a talk, creed and intercessions but is also quite bespoke as we try to make the services as interactive as possible. It is a pleasure to report that attendance at these services and the Thursday Holy Communion services led by Liz has increased with a regular attendance of 120 and the occasional high of 150 (roughly 50/50 children and adults).

During Holy week I led an evening service of Stations of the Cross and the family worship on Good Friday morning. I also took a ministerial role in the Good Friday liturgy.

In December I led the Christingle service and on Christmas Eve I led the Crib service.

From Advent, I also put together the slides for the new service formats and continue to add each week’s hymns.

I also continued the task of liaison with St Matthew’s school for the occasions when they come into church for services and I led the Year 6 joint leavers service, attended by pupils from St Luke and St Matthew.

Margaret Hughes

Grounds Maintenance

We had a small but dedicated maintenance team in 2024. We part exchanged the little used tractor for a second ride-on mower so more than one person can be cutting at the same time.

We continued our relaxed approach of not having a rota, which enables people to turn up when they have an hour or so to spare and the weather is right. However, an hour often stretches into a few hours as the ride-on mowers are fun to use!

WhatsApp is used to post where we have cut and to discuss which area needs to be done next. I would like to give a huge vote of thanks to Geoff, Rob and Tony plus Max when back home. Thanks also to Anne M for tacking the mowing of the field which is neither easy nor quick. Not forgetting Gavin, Louisa, Alastair and Sebastian plus new recruit Matthew who undertook the annual mammoth task of cutting the hedges. Thank you also to Jeff for hand mowing the memorial garden, cutting up and moving fallen trees and raking up leaves. And to Helen for clearing graves of items that haven’t been removed by grave owners e.g. dead Christmas wreaths and items that are not permitted under graveyard regulations.

Thanks also go to Sue for all her hard work planting and weeding our flowers beds and tubs which look beautiful all year round with spring bulbs and summer flowers making them especially colourful. We are always happy to welcome new recruits for all the tasks.

Margaret Hughes

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Wardens’ Report 2023

For the first three quarters of the year, we remained in interregnum, and we have again been extremely lucky to have had almost all of our services covered by retired clergy and clergy from other parishes. Gillian continued to work very hard to arrange cover for these services and for this we owe her a massive thank you. We also owe our grateful thanks to the visiting clergy themselves.

Our thanks go to Margaret and Ann who continued to step in to cover the services that could not be covered by visiting clergy, mainly the Thursday All Age Service. Margaret continued to work very hard with our schools acting as liaison and arranging services and activities held in church. As well as Margaret and Ann we are thankful for our other ALMs, Ann and Lorraine who have provided pastoral care to those unable to attend church services in person.

We are very grateful to our other volunteer teams without whose help we could not operate:

All of them work very hard and for this we offer our sincere thanks.

All the usual yearly maintenance services have been carried out:

Additional work was carried out as follows:

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(VAT where applicable is included in all prices. Professional fees are recorded separately in the church accounts)

There has been water ingress into narthex, also into vicar's vestry causing wet rot. Awaiting remedial work to be carried out.

St Luke's Church car park was sold for £10,905.00.

A white marble wedge installed without permission was removed from the churchyard under private faculty.

We held two fundraising events during the year in the form of a Beatle Drive in January and a Wind Concert in December, performed by Caprice Quartet. These two events were very successful both in terms of enjoyment and fund raising for the church. (Money raised is shown separately in church accounts). Our Seniors' Afternoon Tea which we held in November was also a great success and enjoyed by all who attended. We thank all the volunteers who helped make these events a success.

We held a raffle in December to raise money for church funds (Money raised is shown separately in church accounts). Prizes were kindly donated by our parishioners.

The inventory and Terrier were updated accordingly.

At the end of September, we were very pleased to welcome our new Vicar, Revd Elizabeth Devall and we thank Liz for leading us in Worship and for her Spiritual Guidance and Ministry of God’s Word.

Helen Crabtree & Margaret Hughes

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Deanery Synod

Area Dean: - Daniel Ramble Lay Chair: - Liz Dent Deanery Lay Secretary: - Barbara Micklethwaite Deanery Treasurer – Jan Ratcliffe Transformation Officer - John Evans Deanery

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The Deanery convened multiple times during the year, though attendance was lower than expected. Some meetings were held in person, but due to the Deanery's large geographical area, suitable meeting locations were limited. Other sessions utilized a hybrid format, combining online participation with in-person attendance. Each format presented its own challenges. For online meetings, issues included intermittent internet connectivity and speakers occasionally moving out of microphone range. In-person meetings posed travel difficulties for some delegates, particularly those from the older generation, who faced both travel and internet accessibility challenges. Despite these obstacles, the Diocese continues to explore methods to enhance participation and engagement among delegates. The Deanery has integrated multiple formats to accommodate all delegates, striving for inclusivity despite the generational and technological divides. While these meetings largely serve to disseminate information, they are still crucial for addressing key issues and ensuring representation within the Diocesan Synod.

The meetings are of an information giving exercise with little or no decision being taken. At the last meeting, decisions were taken to choose representatives for the Diocesan Synod. 3 out of the 4 places were filled. Geoffrey Dent, Deborah Warrington and Jo Korney were elected.

Financial updates are presented, an overall picture there is a Parish share shortfall of £1.8 million pounds. This is causing financial problems; the sale of housing stock and other assets is helping with the shortfall. Parishes who have contributed towards Deanery expenses of £30.00 are thanked for their contribution.

A Presentation was made by Area Dean Daniel Ramble on Growing Churches for all Generations. There was a growth in numbers attending churches. This resulted in group discussions and feedback. Growing Faith, new opportunity and building on learning from 2024.

An example of this was highlighted in the Diocesan newsletter.

St Anne’s CE Primary School Royton continue to flourish as a school/church community and “Arty Annies Creative Worship Sessions” are very much part of the vision for the school and its spirituality and collective worship time. We have a dedicated group of young people that come together to worship and respond creatively to a particular Bible story or verse.

Additionally, the commitment to fostering environmental stewardship through the Eco-Church initiative has been commendable, as demonstrated by the bronze award achieved by St. Matthews and St. Lukes. The congregation's collective support is vital for sustaining these initiatives and ensuring that the impact of their efforts reaches every corner of the community.

Roy Tattersall

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Mothers’ Union

Our year began with the AGM in January when our Branch Leader/Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor were all reappointed. Susan Matthews and Margaret Rochford both agreed to continue on the committee for a further three years. In February Mavis Booth told us the history of Shrove Tuesday and this was followed by us being served a chocolate pancake. Our March meeting took the form of a quiz and in April Gillian and Neville Barker took us on a wonderful safari showing us numerous pictures of their recent trip. The May meeting turned out to be quite hilarious with ‘Name that Tune’ organised by our church organist, Garry Johnson. Lesley Walker entertained us in June reading poems she has written which are all based on various events in her life. July being the last meeting before our summer break we just chatted with our friends and enjoyed a sharing supper. The speaker arranged for September let us down so we relied on the old faithful ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. October was a very interesting meeting with Rev Daniel Burton telling us about the work of the charity ABCD (Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability), a charity he is very much involved with. In November we made Christmas Cards under the supervision of Mavis Booth and again our musical knowledge was tested with Garry Johnson arranging ‘Name that Christmas Tune’. We all knew the tunes but could we think of the titles. This was followed by our Christmas supper.

Donations were again made to the Make a Mother’s Day and Summer of Hope appeals. We had our annual card stall in November and with Baptism and Mothering Sunday cards our branch sold a good £200s worth of cards with the profits going to Mother’s Union projects. It has been disappointing that we never received any feedback regarding the Bags of Love we have provided to our two church schools and in view of this it was decided to discontinue this and any money saved put to other projects. Our Branch was represented at the Archdeaconry Festival at Bamford, the end of triennial service at Manchester Cathedral and the Advent Carol Service at St Anne’s Manchester.

Unfortunately due to one or two people not renewing their membership and the sad deaths of two others our membership now totals 18, two of whom are indoor members and a third one wishing to become an indoor member. Attendance at meetings is averaging slightly below 9 but it has been pleasing to see that guests have attended at six of our meetings.

Finally I would like to thank those members who undertake tasks on behalf of the branch, the committee and all our members for their support and particularly those who organised the branch meetings that I was unable to attend due to health issues.

Valerie Prestwich

200 Club

2024 saw good participation in the 200 Club, with continued awareness/ability to partake whether based locally or not – permitted by our Local Authority registration of the same.

At the end of December 2024 we had 76 syndicate member lines (72 December 2023) each contributing £4 per month. Having sold 932 lines during 2024 (842 in 2023) , we were able to award £1677.60 across 36 winners in accordance with our constitution. In addition, £2050.40 was paid over to general church funds with regards to ongoing church expenses.

Thank you to each of you who subscribe to the 200 Club, and to those who share its existence with your local friends and neighbours who may want to know how they can help their local church at arms length.

Neville Barker, Margaret Hughes and Jane Wernick

Administrators StMatthews200Club@gmail.com Council Registration number: Lot0225

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