- ANNUAL REPORT (August 2019 September 2020): TRINITY CHURCH, LOWER EARLEY.
(Approved by Church Meeting, 27 October 2020)
This report is divided into two halves reflecting the extraordinary year everyone has experienced in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. (Our Annual Report covers our financial year from September 2019 to August 2020, but extends to include September 2020).
What used to be our regular activities week by week continued until we were locked down by Government on 16 March, and a summary of the highlights up to then is provided in the second part of this report. This meant Mother’s Day, Easter and Pentecost could not be celebrated in our building, and all other activities in pursuit of our vision to show and share Jesus that we normally run and take part in from that date were fully halted until July when we were permitted to open the building for personal prayer. During the intervening period Trinity was far from ‘closed’ just like the church across Reading and the World!!
We sought ways to care for one another, reach out to neighbours and friends and worship together virtually. How we continue to do this, showing and sharing Jesus as we do, is an expedition into the unknown which is both daunting and exciting. Trinity, along with the wider church has a unique opportunity in the face of all the challenges, to explore and find out how God wants His church to adjust its worship and prayer life, its sowing and reaping, and how to step out in faith and trust more than ever to increase its impact for God.
This report begins with a summary of the lockdown and immediate post lockdown periods as we began to re-open and re-gather from mid-September, and then provides a summary of activities pre-lockdown as well as a financial report for the whole reporting period.
SINCE LOCK DOWN (MARCH 2020)
Worship:
Worship quickly focussed on a weekly pre-recorded online service streamed through You Tube. Over the weeks a mix of Trinity folk took part, in leading, praying and reading and our musicians put in a huge amount of time and effort recording themselves singing and playing including some recording of individual parts that were edited together to create a 'virtual' music group. Some original music was also recorded. Our All Age team did an amazing job, creatively providing online worship that helped us feel, very much, a family. It’s been a learning experience both in front of and behind the camera, and we opted not to invest in additional recording equipment. Huge thanks go to all involved, and a special vote of thanks to Giles Murphy for all his editing and processing.
During lockdown we undertook a series on spiritual formation, aiming to encourage individuals in the journey of faith, and then, to help us prepare for meeting again and shaping a new norm we concentrated on Acts 2:42-47 and how the church then explored being a learning, loving, worshipping and evangelistic church in the very new context it faced.
The number of viewings for the online service were encouraging ranging between 100-200 each week until we began re-gathering (see below). Even then it is clear the online service is proving a valuable resource with requests made to keep it going and viewings have been between 50-75. We have appreciated that having an online presence is important and we want to explore going forwards how we might ordinarily continue and develop this.
Opening For Personal Prayer:
A small group of volunteers (hosts) worked really hard to have the church open from June/July and to make it a welcoming place for individuals to come and spend time quietly with God. Time and again
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positive comments were received endorsing how important and welcome this has been; that the church should be open, with the lights on and facilitating time for peace, reflection, and prayer. There has been an average of 2-3 visitors per session and many people from the community who are not normally known to the church have come in to enjoy the space and take time for personal prayer. Huge thanks need to go to the team.
Sunday Gatherings:
On 20 September 4 new “gatherings” began on Sundays as a way to begin meeting and worshipping together given the continuing restrictions as a consequence of Covid 19. The gatherings intended not to look back at what is no longer possible but rather to see an opportunity and look forward creatively, asking what God wants us to do to shape the new norm.
Social distancing meant numbers had to be carefully managed, singing wasn’t possible, facemasks had to be worn, and the intended duration was 45 minutes because guidelines indicated worship services should be as short as reasonably possible. Three met in the sanctuary at 11am, 4pm and 6pm, and one was an outdoor/walking gathering with craft resources to facilitate worship. Changes to the government guidelines meant the initial plan of walking together as a larger group didn’t happen, so individuals/families did their own walks and used WhatsApp to share experiences and pictures.
The intention was for people to sign up for and commit to one gathering and to make this their own. Each one has a leadership group and these groups have really committed themselves to making the gatherings happen. The online sermon was played at each gathering (an audio version was made available to the outdoor gathering along with a playlist) to foster a sense that each gathering is part of the whole Trinity family, and to ease preaching commitments. Other core elements included worship and Holy Communion, engagement with the Holy Spirit, prayer and looking outwards. How each gathering engages with these will develop. It is early days, and each is developing its own character. 11am is the largest and is near the current social distancing capacity possible. On average approximately 70 people have been taking part in the gatherings which should be seen alongside the online views as recorded above.
With both the online service and the gatherings we need to make sure we provide sufficient technical support and enable the sustainability of the online resources.
A huge thanks goes to everyone who has contributed to our online services and the gatherings.
Junior Church:
Junior Church continued to meet up until lockdown since when teachers have tried to keep in touch as best they can with the children and their parents through email and phone calls. One special way we have all enjoyed is through contributions from many of our children and youth in our online services - drama, readings, telling a joke and or performing an action song - and we praise God for technology that allows us to see each other and worship together on screen. Each child has received a book and some activity sheets, and over 30 children, connected to the church through Junior Church and Messy Fun club, have received an Activity Box with thought provoking and fun crafts and activities to do throughout the summer.
Pastoral Care And Small Groups:
We have a small group of dedicated pastoral visitors and we really do need more, particularly with the issues of isolation and restrictions that lockdown has produced for those who would appreciate a regular visit. Many Trinity members have continued to quietly and appropriately call in, shop, and provide for those in need. Huge appreciation to these people. We have tried to maintain regular contact with as many people as possible throughout the pandemic through telephone calls and home visits where appropriate.
Most of our 9 small groups have managed to continue to “meet” during lockdown using various virtual platforms and apps, and this has been really valuable pastorally. As lockdown has eased groups have started to meet face-to-face in COVID-safe ways either outdoors or in the church building. As our new gatherings
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begin to establish themselves with an emphasis on relationships, it’ll be interesting to see whether we being to develop some new groups. Sarah Brayshaw has agreed to take a lead in our small group ministry.
Youth:
During Lockdown, but pre-furlough for Sam, the following activities took place with fluctuating attendance:
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Sunday afternoons
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Zoom calls
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Games, check-in and Bible study
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Boys small group – moved online
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Young Adults Small Group
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Fridays
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new group with Uni returners and Chloe, mostly checking in
There was an inevitable hiatus whilst Sam was furloughed full-time, but since Sam returned on a part-time basis, the following has been possible given his limited time and the government restrictions:
- Just Around the Corner (JAC)
o back in school on Fridays
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excluding after school Drop In
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Detached
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Every Tuesday
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3-5pm
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roaming the streets as a visible presence for youth
And the plan is to start:
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Boys Small Group
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Youth Night
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hopefully after the 6pm Gatherings
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possibly with St. Nicolas
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maybe this side of half term
Families/children:
Nursery Service
Usually well attended and very much appreciated by a smallish group of mainly childminders and children in their care who come every week but Covid stopped play and we missed out on our Easter celebrations and our annual outdoor service/picnic and Bear Hunt, but we’ve stayed in touch with many of our families through Facebook. Activity boxes were also sent out to those households who wanted them, and we’ve been sent some fabulous photos of the children’s crafty and culinary achievements. We plan to resume as soon as we possibly can.
Parent & Toddler Groups
Both our Monday and Thursday groups which were always very busy and well attended and proved popular right up to lockdown. Inevitably they had to stop, and Sarah Pugh has kept in contact with families via Facebook and we’re beginning to receive lots of eager enquiries for when we are able to re-open.
Messy Church/Messy Fun Club
Unfortunately, we were not able to hold Messy Church Holiday Fun Club in August this year due to Covid 19 and our Easter Messy Church sadly had to be cancelled too. Anna, Ann, Lisa and Cecilia however, had great
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fun planning, gathering and putting together boxes filled to the brim with activities for some of our regular HFC and MC attenders. Children and parents were able to make Ooblek – (a non-newtonian fluid which acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it), take a plaster cast of animal prints, paint, draw, use chalks, make bird feeders and butterfly feeders, bake, build, pray, give thanks, praise and create! As you can imagine, they were very well received.
Community focus:
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Lock down and the months since has meant we have not been able to continue with our regular community-facing activities, such as Open Saturdays and c haplaincy in ASDA and the leisure centre . However, Trinity played a part in setting up and running The Earley Help Hub. This was a joint initiative between 7 local churches and developed in response to local needs, such as collecting prescriptions and shopping, made necessary by so many self-isolating during lock down. The hub was initiated through the on-going relationships between local church pastors. It was approved by Wokingham Borough and Earley Town Councils and worked in collaboration with them. Trinity provided members of the coordinating group, volunteers and hosted the hub’s finances – the hub was given a grant by a local Round Table and larger sum from ASDA. As lockdown has eased, the hub has aimed to continue by developing into a community support hub and could evolve into a model for the church working together much more as one church in the local area.
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Mission giving - although we could not engage directly with some charities in the way we have done in the past we did make gifts totalling £16,715.85 to 18 different charities, some local, some national and international, including some to whom we make annual contributions. See list at the end of the report.
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REinspired, Churches Together in Earley and East Reading (CTEER) - until lockdown Trinity volunteers continued to support the work of REinspired in schools and at Trinity. The sessions stopped during lockdown but Jon, as a trustee has continued to meet with the trustees to help steer the project during this challenging period. CTEER hasn’t met either but Jon has continued as a member of CTEER’s steering committee.
Our Denominations:
All three denominations have been supportive during lockdown providing summaries of government guidance and hosting virtual meetings to help develop understanding, especially relating to risk assessments.
Staff and Finances:
The Treasurer’s report is at the end of the report but in brief lockdown meant we lost rental income and a reduced weekly offering and faced a monthly shortfall of approximately £2,300. This was less than it might have been had we not switched to using the Parish Giving Scheme (with much hard work in getting this going by Sandy as Treasurer) and was off-set too by taking advantage of the Job Retention Scheme as we furloughed our three staff members full-time for a short period and then brought them back part-time.
Our financial year (FY) has been so far removed from ordinary, yet God’s goodness and provision has been very clearly evident. At the start of the FY, an anticipated shortfall equated to the cost of planned ministry and mission activities. On the premise Trinity would seek additional sources of income a deficit budget was approved. Very quickly generous donations were received and despite all uncertainty of this year we ended up with a surplus.
People and management:
During lock down Dianne Berry needed to step down as Chair of Church Council and Trustees to be able to attend to the increased commitments in her day job resulting from the pandemic. Dianne made a really valuable contribution to steering Trinity forward organisationally. Rod Eades stepped into both these roles
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bringing previous experience of such roles to bear but has had to begin his time chairing virtual council and trustee meetings!
Sandy Catchick completed her 3 years as Treasurer during lockdown and opted to stand down but kindly continued through lockdown. Sandy worked tirelessly for Trinity in all aspects of our financial management with the result we have a much more effective and efficient understanding of our finances. Veronica Elleson, formerly our Assistant Treasurer, took on the role of Treasurer from September, the beginning of the new financial year and has quickly got to grips with the role. As a church we are extremely grateful for these exceptionally committed and servant-hearted volunteers.
Our Youth Worker Sam, originally was planning to leave mid-year once he and Hannah had married (at Trinity) so they could travel and seek God’s purposes for them possibly overseas. In the event their wedding had to be delayed until July and Sam opted to stay until the end of the year, but the circumstances remain very unclear due to the pandemic. We are exploring the most appropriate way to progress this role moving forward given the extent to which the context has changed since the post was first established at the end of 2017. It had changed anyway prior to the pandemic. Deciding how best to move forward with this post is a major priority.
Church Council and Church Meetings took place as normal until March. Thereafter fewer Council meetings have taken place virtually and, as with most other churches, our AGM/Church meetings were postponed. Our AGM is scheduled for 27 October virtually. The trustees met, including four new non-Church Council trustees, during lock down.
Hiring out our building:
During lockdown we were not able to hire out any of the church building, which impacted our income and relationships with those who previously did hire the space. As lock down eased, we started hiring out the sanctuary only, requiring appropriate risk assessments.
- PRE LOCKDOWN
A snap-shot includes:
WORSHIP - continued much as it had been for a while, with each week the more traditional 8am service and 10am family service (including an All Age service on the first Sunday each month, and café church on the third Sunday) and once a month Homethrone took place at 6pm, our very informal worship space. In the Autumn we took part in a Transform Reading (formerly Reading Christian Network) preaching series: One Kingdom: lets seek it, One Gospel: let’s proclaim it, One Church: let’s build it. Our Junior Church continued to operate week by week with it’s usual enthusiasm and commitment.
We conducted our regular pattern of occasional services including Remembrance, All Souls and all things related to Christmas.
PASTORALLY – our small groups continued meeting using a variety of resources and offering friendship and support. We also continued to visit monthly the one local care home that remained to hold a small Holy Communion Service and sang carols there as usual before Christmas.
The Community Chaplaincy Team expanded a little to include 2 additional members from another two churches, so the team included 6 members from 4 churches. We held sessions in ASDA on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings most weeks, and one session usually took place on Monday afternoons in Loddon Valley Leisure Centre. Relationships with ASDA and the Leisure Centre remained strong.
YOUTH – the following continued apace:
- Love Thursday
o Thursdays at 7pm
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with Brookside Church Youth
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at St Nicolas and Brookside (plan was to rotate)
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community facing open group with ‘intentional slot’ often around identity.
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approximately 30 youth
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Small Group
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Thursdays, 3pm
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with Brookside Boys discussion group/drop In often around big questions
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was just starting to form a consistent group of 8+
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JAC
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Fridays support groups and one-on-ones in school
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including after school drop-in
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Trinity Youth Night
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2nd/4th Sunday’s, 6pm
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with St Nicolas
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chilled out and play games night with monthly Event and monthly intentional time often around introducing to faith
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was just forming a consistent approximately 15 and was talking about going to every week
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Trinity Youth Am
o alongside 2nd/4th 10am Sunday services
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at the Vicarage
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8+ mixed small group often around fruits and gifts
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Drop In
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Wednesdays, 3:30pm
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had just started, very small number of youth, had just decided timings didn’t work
FAMILY MINISTRY -
Nursery Service – was usually well attended and very much appreciated by a smallish group of mainly childminders and children in their care who come every week. This year we started off every service by all sharing things we were thankful for and included these in our prayers at the end. Lunches were held for Harvest and at Christmas and our Christmas meal was followed by our wonderful interactive Nativity service which is always such fun.
Parent & Toddler Groups - both the Monday and Thursday morning groups were always very busy and well attended and proved popular right up to lockdown. Children and parents enjoy a wide and varied range of activities and experiences - from ride on toys, slide, trampoline, dressing up and role play and more active activities in the open space of the sanctuary, to puzzles, building toys, play-do, themed craft activities and baby mats and toys in the hall. Snack, refreshments and interactive song time end the sessions. Santa’s visit and the Christmas party were hits once again!
An average of 45-50 children + parents/carers attended on Thursdays, and around 25-30 children + on Mondays. Cecilia Hoddell continued to organise and run the Monday group with help from Ann Baker, Anna Meadows and Sarah Pugh. Sarah ran the Thursday group with help from Cecilia. Both of our Toddler groups both make a significant financial contribution every year to Trinity funds and to our community.
- Lower Earley Day Nursery Nativity Service (formerly Yellow Brick Nursery) - this has developed into a regular annual Christmas event enjoyed by the children and staff of the Lower Earley Day Nursery and the children’s parents and grandparents from the local community. The children join in with familiar children’s carols and interactive parts of the Christmas story and learn about the Advent wreath and candles. Parents and Grandparents sing along too. This year the children beautifully performed a short song in French called Le Petit Sapin – (The Little Tree) they had been rehearsing for the service.
ANNUAL REPORT 2020: TRINITY CHURCH, LOWER EARLEY.
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Messy Church Christingle - took place with, in excess of 25 children plus parents and Grandparents joining us. Light themed crafts and festive decorations were made, and we shared together in our usual Christingle worship service where the Christingles made by the children were lit. In true Messy Church tradition, this was followed by a delicious festive tea for everyone, prepared by Cecilia, Joan O’Callaghan and Joan Parr. A fabulous team then miraculously transformed the ‘Messy’ sanctuary into a beautiful candle-lit worship area for our Carol Service, with several Trinity members and families contributing to the readings, music and carols. Sincere thanks to the many people who come together to make this wonderful afternoon of family worship and festive fun possible.
The Chalfont Group – continued to meet regularly with a mix of guest speakers and a harvest and Christmas service but had to stop with lock down and has been unable to meet subsequently. As soon as it is possible, this group will be given a fresh start.
Our Ladies Friendship Group continued to meet but the last meeting was in fact on January 25th. Margaret Cocks talked about ways in which we can alleviate stress. How helpful that proved to be in the present circumstances! The group made their own bread rolls and later enjoyed eating them with homemade soup. It was a lovely morning shared together.
The group hopes it can plan more meetings soon, but in the meantime, welcomes anyone getting in touch if you would like a chat, a walk and a prayer.
Who Let The Dads Out (WLTDO) – continued monthly with a similar number of dads (approx. 12) and children (approx. 15) each session. Relationships were developing and the dads certainly seemed to value the space and time together. There hasn’t been much contact during lockdown although a few WhatsApp messages have been sent. It’ll be interesting to see how well the group picks up once it can meet together again.
OPEN SATURDAYS continued until lock down. Many thanks to all the volunteers who supported Open Saturdays this year, without the great team who cook lunches, provide homemade cakes, set up / clear away, run the Bring & Buy and host the refreshments this event would not be the great success it is. The Lunches have raised awareness and funding for five charities this year (Hearing Dogs, At A Loss, A Bed for the night, Traidcraft Exchange, 1st Lower Earley Scouts), with a further three (Reading Refugee Support Group, Kidney Cancer Care UK, Christians Against Poverty) being postponed due to Covid-19. Two dates were unavailable due to weddings in the church.
£3,185.24 has been donated to the charities and this includes the matching made by Trinity.
We tried to maintain interest in Open Saturdays through lockdown by posting on Facebook, but this did not generate a big response (possibly because Trinity does not have an active presence on Facebook) and has lapsed.
Plans were underway to trial an Open Saturday Market Cafe on the third Saturday of May with business stalls, refreshments and any proceeds to Trinity Church, there was sufficient interest, but again this was stopped due to Covid-19.
Looking forward to next year there were already two charities assigned dates, and there was every indication that the Open Saturday Charity Lunches would continue on the first Saturdays of the month.
Depending on the success of the Open Saturday Market Cafe the plan was to run this on the third Saturday of the month up to three times a year, perhaps aligning with Easter and Harvest.
With the Covid-19 restrictions there are no plans to restart the Open Saturdays, either as Charity Lunch or Market Cafe, during the next financial year.
CHRISTMAS FAIR – this took place again due to an amazing team effort with lots of the praying, ideas, and hard practical work to make it happen taking on board lessons from last year. Huge thanks to all involved, especially Karen Eccles for coordinating everything.
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Karen’s view is that the fair is not just about the money, it's about the Trinity family working together, the community and what the money means we can do. This is spot on and we worked well together, related well to the community and raised a profit of £1,564.60!
Our BUILDING – benefited from a substantial rearrangement and improvement of rooms, prompted by the desire to provide a staff presence and welcome near the main entrance:
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The chapel has become the office, with space for all four staff and volunteers to work
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The vestry has become the chapel
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The office/resource room has become a meeting room “Bethlehem”
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The “creche” has remained a meeting room but named “Jerusalem”
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Storage cupboards have been built in the Sanctuary, Hall and Jerusalem
By lockdown all rooms except Jerusalem had been repainted by volunteers, and the chapel re-carpeted.
On a less positive note we had some damage done to the lead on the roof, more vandalism than theft. Fortunately, the lead was painted with SmartWater, to uniquely identify it, so our insurance paid for the replacement and repair.
Just in time, before lockdown, the sanctuary and entrance lobby were also re-decorated. Ironically, due to lockdown, the vast majority at Trinity didn’t see the results for months. We have created a much more welcoming entrance hall and the sanctuary looks fresh and uncluttered. The library has been revamped too with some books in the welcome area and the remainder in the new chapel.
The work on the building was a major piece of work that, in the end was a lot less expensive than first anticipated, and benefitted too from some generous donations. Thanks are especially due to Rod and Lisa but many others also helped make it all happen.
Logo and Website – work continued during the year with both these. We have started using the logo and it is included in a new ‘welcome’ sail banner for use by the entrance. The website has taken time but is nearing completion. Significant thanks to Grainne Leyton-Smith for steering this work.
ANNUAL REPORT FINANCES Y/E 31.8.20
In common with churches everywhere, Trinity Church has had to cope with the lock-down of the church in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. This has had a major impact on our income, and so we have taken a number of steps to help us through this difficult financial period.
As a result, despite some concerns early in the lock down, the church has ended the year in a good financial position, which should help it through the coming year, where projected income remains uncertain.
Looking at the major items for the year to 31[st] August 2020:
On the income side:
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The 36 households who have joined the Parish Giving Scheme plus the 34 households who continue to provide regular support through standing orders, Stewardship or the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) have provided a regular source of income for Trinity.
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The amount given per month varies from £1.00 to £875.00 per household.
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Over £17,000.00 was donated in one-off donations to help reduce the ambitious budget deficit set at the start of the year to enable the church to undertake planned mission.
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There were also some large one-off donations towards the strategic improvement and sanctuary work.
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The church fair raised £1,564.60 for Trinity with the previous year’s format of combining the fair and Open Saturday proving successful. Unusually this year, this was income before expenses were paid out for things like food costs.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2020: TRINITY CHURCH, LOWER EARLEY.
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Cash collection income dried up with the lock-down of the church in March 2020. However, people have been encouraged to give directly into the church bank account and a small number of people have started to do that on a regular basis.
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Envelope income has been reducing as people have been encouraged to move to the Parish Giving Scheme or standing orders or giving directly to the church bank account. The physical cost of purchasing printed envelopes means that these will no longer be viable in the coming year, so envelope giving will cease.
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We have received some small contributions towards the cost of things like photocopying and refreshments, as well as a number of generous contributions or donations from others e.g. the Chalfont Club, the Messy Fun Club, the Toddler groups and Trinity Youth.
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Our website has recently started to provide information on how to nominate Trinity Church via “Give As You Live” to raise money for Trinity at no cost to the individual when shopping online in any of around 4,000 shopping outlets for everything from clothes to insurance. No income has yet been received, but as shown on our website, around £15.00 has been raised from this new source of income. The website now also provides a link enabling anyone to make an online donation to Trinity Church, although we have not yet received any online donations. These are recent and exciting developments and we will need to see how they develop.
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For the second year in succession the church received a much larger than expected parish share rebate.
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No manse income was received in the whole year and we are cautious with respect to the expected amount of any manse income for the coming year.
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Room booking/rental income dried up almost entirely with the lock-down of the church in March 2020; the only continuing rental income being the small monthly fee for storage of musical instruments for Trinity Concert Band, who also kindly made a generous donation to the church to help us through this difficult financial time.
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All those scheduled to receive their May 2020 annual instalment of solar panel loans were asked if they would be willing to waive, postpone or donate-back their 2020 instalment. In total 20 of the 22 loan-holders responded positively with all but one promised donation having been received by 31[st] August 2020. This was an amazing and encouraging response to the solar panel appeal.
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As a result of a number of donors offering to waive their solar panel loans in full, only £9,000.00 remains outstanding on solar loans at June 2020 and all but one loan will still be paid off in full by May 2022; with a single loan repayment needing to be made in May 2023.
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With some regret, the church made a decision at the 28[th] May 2020 Trustee meeting to furlough all three of its employees from 8[th] June 2020 to the end of June 2020. The number of hours worked thereafter has been agreed by the minister on a monthly basis with each employee. The church hopes to continue to benefit from the Government’s Job Retention Scheme (JRS) until 31[st] October 2020, when the scheme is scheduled to end. It is the most important new source of income that will enable the church to continue to pay its staff and meet its commitments to its parent churches in the longer term despite the impact of the lock down on rental and cash collection sources of income.
On the expenses side:
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Just over £4,000.00 was spent on the work done to re-decorate the sanctuary, although plans for further sanctuary work have had to be put on hold due to Covid-19’s impact on church finances. Much of the income raised for this purpose has therefore not yet been spent.
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Almost £3,000.00 was spent on strategic improvements to the building which had been planned for and partly covered by donations in the current and previous year.
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Only around £700.00 of the marketing project expenses anticipated the previous year reached the accounts in the current year, so there will be further major marketing project expenses to meet in the coming year; in particular the cost of the new website which has yet to be invoiced.
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We had to add a streaming licence to our other CCLI licences to enable the church to continue with services via You Tube during the lock-down. We also subscribed to Zoom Pro in August 2020 to help us develop new ways of communicating online in the coming year.
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- While we cut costs as far as possible due to the lock down e.g. on things like gas, electricity, water, refreshments and church activities, a number of expenses were on long-term contracts so that we continued to have to pay out for things like telephone and broadband, mobile phone SIMs and photocopying despite no or minimal usage.
There have been some important developments during the current year to 31[st] August 2020:
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We launched the Parish Giving Scheme in November 2019, as planned.
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We had to make a small insurance claim with respect to damage to the disabled toilet roof. Although we have received the income for this, the repair work will only be done in the coming accounting year.
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We offered the church bank account facilities to the Earley Help Hub, which provided help to a wide range of people during the Coronavirus pandemic. Income for the hub was received from a local rotary club and expenses were signed off by a church member involved in the hub before being paid against the relevant invoices. The balance of Earley Help Hub money in the church bank account at 31[st] August 2020 was £10.33.
Overall, Trinity Church has continued to benefit from the generosity and commitment of its congregation and the wider church community, who have continued to support us through this difficult year. As a result of this and the other measures taken, we have reached the year-end in a reasonable financial position. We must bear in mind that there is considerable intended expenditure that has been postponed or delayed into the coming or future years, for example the proposed continuing work on the sanctuary and church building, the roof repair and the website development. Also, the August pension payments have slipped into the coming accounting year.
This is Sandy’s last report as church treasurer as she has stood down after 3.5 years in the role. In that time, we have moved from being a loss-making church to one that has been able to weather the financial storms associated with the recent pandemic. We have also become more efficient in submitting our various annual returns. Sandy thanks all those who have helped along the way. The list is too long to mention everyone, but she is very grateful for all the help she received and thanks everyone for their support. She has been so encouraged by people’s response to need and to God’s calling, especially since the start of the lock down. This has enabled us to come through some difficult times together. Sandy wishes her successor all the best in the role going forward. The church has some big mission and building plans and those will need to be financed in the coming years.
Annual Report Mission Giving y/e 31.8.20
During the year to 31[st] August 2020 Trinity Church supported the following charities directly via mission funds:
| funds: | |
|---|---|
| A Bed For The Night* | £458.34 |
| At A Loss* | £336.97 |
| Christian Aid | £2,331.64 |
| Christian CommunityAction | £2000.00 |
| Church of England’s Children’s Society, the | £331.64 |
| First Lower EarleyScouts* | £9.44 |
| DEC Coronavirus Appeal | £2,000.00 |
| Friends of Kagando,includingNyabirongo PrimarySchool | £3,680.00 |
| HearingDogs for the Deaf | £375.71 |
| Hillside CommunityAllotment | £100 |
| Home for Good | £1,008.00 |
| Hope for Justice | £1,008.00 |
| RE Inspired(via Churches Together) | £1,800.00 |
| StartingPoint(aproject of the Mustard Tree Foundation) | £120.00 |
| Tearfund | £625.00 |
| Traidcraft Exchange* | £338.81 |
| United Christian Broadcasters | £16.00 |
| Water Aid | £175.30 |
10/11
ANNUAL REPORT 2020: TRINITY CHURCH, LOWER EARLEY.
£16,714.85
TOTAL MISSION DONATIONS**
* Open Saturday Matched Giving and/or Seeding the cost of food
**This was less than 1% or £107.57 short of our target 10% or £16,822.42 of agreed tithable income of £168,224.22.
Points to note:
-
£1,665.97, net of the cost of food for lunches, was raised by members of Trinity Church through holding Open Saturdays for specific charities, as asterisked above. This includes £360.00 raised for the First Lower Earley Scouts which was not matched from mission funds. The total raised for charities through Open Saturdays was banked and paid through the church bank account directly to the charities concerned. This was in addition to our mission giving shown above.
-
In addition to the mission giving and Open Saturdays the following was raised directly for charities, some using the church’s bank account as a conduit and a small amount going directly to the charities concerned e.g. by cheque:
-
£331.00 was raised for Christian Aid through a special collection
-
£331.00 was raised for the Church of England’s Children’s Society through a special collection
-
£625.00 was raised for Tearfund through the organisation of a quiz evening
-
£350.00 was raised for Water Aid through a special collection
-
Trinity members provided a range of food, mostly tinned, for ReadiFood (Reading’s Food Bank run through the Faith Christian Group) through its Harvest Collection.
-
Trinity members sent a total of 66 boxes filled with toys and essentials for children for Christmas through Samaritan’s Purse.
Signed on behalf of Trinity Church Trustees:
Rod Eades
Date: 27/10/2020
11/11
ANNUAL REPORT 2020: TRINITY CHURCH, LOWER EARLEY.
| Trinity Church Lower Earley |
Trinity Church Lower Earley |
Trinity Church Lower Earley |
1147501 | 1147501 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
01/09/19 | To | 31/08/20 | |||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 134,871 574 10,152 16,896 - - - - 162,492 40 - 40 162,532 69,861 16,715 13,209 6,551 37,725 - - - - 144,061 - - - 144,061 18,471 - 9,100 74,184 83,555 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ 24,036 - - 1,181 - - - - 25,216 - - - 25,216 - - - - 28,404 - - - - 28,404 - - - 28,404 - 3,188 9,100 - 2,877 3,035 |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ 158,907 574 10,152 18,076 - - - - 187,708 40 - 40 187,748 69,861 16,715 13,209 6,551 66,129 - - - - 172,465 - - - 172,465 15,283 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Offerings and associated Gift Aid | 134,871 | - - - - - - - - - |
158,907 | 149,172 | ||
| Interest and investment income | 574 | 574 | 3,877 | |||
| Lettings | 10,152 | 10,152 | 16,459 | |||
| Other receipts | 16,896 | 18,076 | 13,629 | |||
| An additional £2425.00 was raised | - | - | - | |||
| for specific charities andpassed through | - | - | - | |||
| the church bank account | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
162,492 | 187,708 | 183,137 | |||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| 40 | - - - |
40 | ||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| Sub total | 40 | 40 | - | |||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| - | 187,748 | 183,137 | ||||
Parent church assessments |
69,861 | - - - - - - - - - - |
69,861 | 68,703 | ||
| Missiongiving | 16,715 | 16,715 | 17,593 | |||
| Repairs and maintenance | 13,209 | 13,209 | 6,559 | |||
| Utilities includingbuildinginsurance | 6,551 | 6,551 | 5,697 | |||
| Otherpayments | 37,725 | 66,129 | 67,114 | |||
| An additional £2425.00 waspaid to | - | - | - | |||
| specific charities having passed through | - | - | - | |||
| the church bank account | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 144,061 | 172,465 | 165,666 | |||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | - - - |
- | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | |||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| - | 172,465 | 165,666 | ||||
| 18,471 | - 3,188 | - | 15,283 |
17,471 | ||
| - 9,100 | 9,100 | - - |
- | - | ||
| 74,184 | - 2,877 | 71,307 | 53,836 | |||
| 83,555 | 3,035 | - | 86,590 | 71,307 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
21/02/2022
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at | the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities |
Details Current account Deposit account Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Details Loans for solar panels repayable to church members (interest free) Signature |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 9,268 2,383 74,287 652 - - 83,555 3,035 OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) 9,000 - - - - Print Name ROD EADES |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Repayable annually over next 2years |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| ROD EADES | 21/02/2022 | ||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
21/02/2022
2
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