Cowley Team Ministry St James and St Francis Churches Report 2022 – 2023 Presented to the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 23 April 2023
## **ANNUAL REPORT ON PROCEEDINGS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL AND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PARISH GENERALLY Cowley Team Ministry**
## **Background**
The Cowley PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Team Rector in promoting the whole mission of the church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It is responsible for the Church of St James the Apostle, Beauchamp Lane, the Church of St Francis of Assisi, Hollow Way and St James Church Centre, Beauchamp Lane.
## _**Our Vision**_
“To live out God’s purposes for us, make Christ known in Cowley and to raise up a new generation to love and serve the Lord."
## _**Our Core values**_
_**Prayer:** Prayer is conversation with God in which we speak from our hearts and listen to God’s by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a central element of life in the parish of Cowley. Nothing will happen without prayer_
_**Bible:** God has spoken to his people and to the world through the Bible. It contains basic instructions for life and is an essential element in knowing God and learning to live a life worth living._
_**Community:** We are called to live in community. We are called to serve one another, to be an encouragement to those who are having a hard time, to sing and laugh and cry together in the journey of life. We are called to be brothers and sisters in our lives together._
## **Membership**
Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following served as members of the PCC
Team Rector: The Revd Canon Dr Geoffrey Bayliss Curate: The Revd Liam Cartwright (from July2022) The Revd Joshua Hordern (from July 2022) Anglican Asian Living Church: Zeenath (Sunita) Masih Church Wardens: Maureen Stone Christine Woodman
Deanery Synod Representatives (2020 – 2023):
Christine Lee (to August 2022) Maureen Stone (from June 2021) Christine Woodman
Elected Parochial Church Council members:
Joan Coleman (Treasurer) (to November 2022) Emily Sommerlade (Treasurer) (December 2022) Sheila Collett (to August 2022) Sally Hemsworth (Secretary) Marie Paterson Sue Philcox (co-opted May2022) Norah Shallow Maureen Stone Andrew Swallow Lesley Williams (Electoral Roll Officer and Safeguarding Officer)
## **Additional Active Ministers**
In addition, there are the following Self-Supporting Ministers (formerly called Non-Stipendiary Ministers):
Revd Mark Oxbrow Revd Max Diaz Butron Miss Alison Lockhart (LLM)
## **Church Committees**
The PCC operates through a number of committees, which meet between full meetings of the PCC.
**Finance Committee:** Oversees the general financial dimensions of the work of the Parish by monitoring income and expenditure.
**Standing Committee:** Membership consists of Team Rector, Vice-Chairman of PCC, Church Wardens, Treasurer, and the PCC Secretary. It makes decisions if required between PCC Meetings.
## **St James Church Committee**
## **St Francis Church Committee**
These committees attend to all matters relating to the ministry, mission and maintenance of their churches. In addition, St James Church Committee deals with matters relating to St James Church Centre.
Annual Congregational Meetings will not be held and the committee memberships are due to be reviewed shortly.
The membership of St James Church Committee currently is:
Val Goodall Sally Hemsworth Jill Ling Josie Rignall Lesley Williams
## **The membership of St Francis Church Committee currently is:**
Shirley Costar Gwen Denny Lyn Lord Norah Shallow
## **Church Statistics 2022 2021 figures in [ ]**
The average Sunday attendance in 2022 was 71 [90] – 21 [31] at St Francis and 50 [59] at St James.
There were 2 marriages (2 at St James, 0 at St Francis), 11 baptisms (9 at St James, 2 at St Francis), 8 funerals held in church (8 at St James, 0 at St Francis) and 6 services conducted by members of the Parish Ministry team at the Oxford Crematorium.
The total number attending worship in the Parish on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2022 was 124 [61] (111 at St James, 13 at St Francis), with 99 [53] communicants (88 at St James, 11 at St Francis).
The number attending worship on Easter Day 2022 was 99 [44] (76 at St James, 23 at St Francis), with 86 communicants (64 at St James, 22 at St Francis).
## **PCC Review of the Year**
There have been five PCC meetings since the last APCM Meeting – May, October and December 2022 and February and March 2023. The March meeting dealt solely with the 2022 accounts.
## **Ministry Team/Service Times:**
The PCC continually reviews the work of the Ministry Team, and were delighted with the way the Rector, with Mark Oxbrow, Max Diaz Bruton and Alison Lockhart and lay members, Lesley Williams, Jo Duckles and Elwira Lubos provided services.
The PCC was surprised that a charge would be made for the use of self-supporting ministers as these formed such a useful part of the Ministry Team. Service provision was discussed at all PCC meetings and special consideration was given to the programme of services at Easter and Christmas.
The PCC was very pleased to welcome two new curates in July 2022 – Liam Cartwright and Joshua Hordern. The Ministry Team was enhanced by the input from Liam Cartwright and, to a minor degree, Joshua Hordern, who has different commitments, being shared with Grace Church and had full-time employment.
The PCC continued to support the training of Jo Duckles, Elwira Lubos, Sunita Masih, Salina Chand, and Krishna Singh.
Service Times were continually reviewed but remain the same as 2021. Joint services worked well, and it was hoped there would be more joint services with AALC in the future.
Low attendance figures are still of concern, although numbers were increasing, and the PCC was pleased to learn that the number of students at St Francis Church was increasing. Members were saddened by the loss of so many of the congregation, people who had played a large part in the running of the churches over many years.
The PCC continually reviews the position of the provision of digital projection at St James. Energy Saving Reviews were undertaken on all three church buildings, and very quickly it was agreed that LED lighting should be provided in both churches and under-sink water heaters should be provided at St Francis Church. Steps were taken to provide LED lighting. These improvements would be in place shortly. The installation of internet connections in both churches were of great benefit.
Quinquennial Inspections s were undertaken at both churches during May2022. No major work was required in either church, and the Church Committees continually review the work needed and the action required.
The following policies were reviewed annually: Data Protection – Cowley Parish Audit Data Health and Safety Safeguarding Parish Mission Prayer and Giving
The discussions at Synod on Living in Love and Faith were drawn to the attention of both the Church Committees and the PCC. It was appreciated that there would be further discussion on this.
At the end of the year there was a lot of discussion on the way the finance work could be covered following Joan Coleman’s departure to Bristol. Luckily volunteers came forward to deal with various parts of the work, and details are reported under the Finance Report.
**Sally Hemsworth Secretary to the PCC**
## **Team Rector’s Annual Report**
Sit down, have a cup of coffee and relax.
A Rector’s annual report is a bit of a ‘state of the nation’ affair. What’s going well, where can we see God at work, where are the challenges, what does the road ahead look like. One way to look at this is through the 5 marks of mission of the Anglican Church:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers.
- To respond to human need by loving service.
- To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation.
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
But some recent conversations make me think that this year, another set of windows might be more useful. Those are what we have chosen as our ‘Purposes and Values’. You can find them on the web site, but I wonder if they have been collecting a bit of dust. We have journeyed with them over a decade, and I wonder if you can remember them?
- **Purposes:** Fellowship, Worship, Discipleship, Ministry, Evangelism
- **Values:** Prayer, Bible, Hospitality, Community
I have been sneaky and added an extra. I wonder if you can tell which one? For now, I am going to focus on the windows of ‘Purposes’. I am going to consider where we can see such ideals shaping church life and our own lives.
**Fellowship:** We are still climbing out of the ‘COVID’ season. Steadily we are returning to patterns of fellowship that were experienced before the pandemic. Our Sunday morning numbers are growing, but we have not yet returned to pre-COVID levels. Numbers on Monday and Tuesday mornings at Little Stars and Seashells have fully returned. Opportunities for fellowship are found at many times of the week. Yes on Sundays, but also whilst arranging the flowers, tending to the grounds, cooking for others, singing together, counting money,
Some of our people still find it difficult gathering. It will always be right and proper, that people ‘go at a pace’ that is right for them, but we do need to hold onto the truth and teaching of scripture: it is ‘good to meet for study, prayer, running school assemblies, worship and fellowship’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:25). And we must bear in mind; it was only in the early months of 2023 that we reinstated the common cup and started returning to normality.
**For every Christian, worship is at the centre of life** . We worship alone and when we are together. For many, Sunday worship is the ‘icing on our cake’, a chance to meet up with the ‘Family’. COVID shook our confidence in meeting together., but we have joyfully seen confidence growing and members returning. Our whole life is lifted when we come together in praise and worship.
In the last year we have been blessed by the organ playing of amongst others, Revd Liam and Alex Newton. They have enhanced our singing and our ability to lift our voice in praise. Our coming together to sing, on Tuesday lunchtimes, has given us increased confidence to open our voices when we meet in larger groups. It has been great to welcome some new individuals and families. These have included people across the age range and have led to preparation for ‘Confirmation’ and ‘Communion before Confirmation’.
**Discipleship:** Discipleship is about following Jesus and becoming more Christ like. It is a journey that is never over. There are challenges we need to regularly ask ourselves, ‘What have we done to encourage our own discipleship?’ Are we stuck at a place on our journey were we have stopped growing? Where have we been growing as individuals? As a parish we need to consider where have we done our ‘growing’ as the family of Christ?
When we set ourselves the ‘Purpose’ of discipleship we raise the game. It is not just about ‘attending’ but presenting our lives as ’clay’ that can be moulded and become more Christ-like. Here are a few areas where I think we, together, are looking to deepen our calling to be more Christ like. Some might seem quite simple, but they have the potential for great impact.
At St James, moving our ‘after service refreshments’ from the Church Centre into the church has reduced the number of people simply ‘drift off’ without a conversation. It encourages us to stay together for fellowship. At St Francis, we have increased the diversity of the snacks. Interestingly such a move has encouraged others to contribute to the table.
In both churches we have worked and continue to work to improve the projection, recording and transmission facility, thus enabling us to broaden the numbers who are able to join us via the internet and social media.
In both churches we have installed low-energy lighting and are looking at how we can reduce our energy footprint. Such endeavour goes alongside our investigations into providing bike racks to encourage the use of cycles.
Our focus on encouraging Fair Trade has increased. Our lovely Lesley Williams has worked hard to improve the ‘Fair Trade stalls’ we have over fair-trade week. Sourcing goods from a number of local suppliers and ‘shop windowing’ showed the availability of such products. Discipleship in this area is about education and commitment to personal change, and community change. It always feels a bit of an uphill battle. But we need to deal with each decision as it comes each day and do our very best to encourage good employment models around the world. We have also attempted to do that with those we employ, as a church.
We have a commitment to supporting our local children. Thereby increasing biblical literacy and the understanding of Christian prayer, and we present opportunities for conversations with God (prayer) in our prayer spaces. Other engagement comes via our preschool groups on Mondays and Tuesdays, our Open The Book assembly team, the minister-led assemblies, and the other school visits. Other work which includes that of our team of school governors and the Parenting Programme we run for St Christopher’s school.
**Ministry:** Scripture is clear, everybody has been given gifts by God (Matthew 5:16,1 Peter 4:10, James 1:17). Using those gifts is what we call ministry. We see such gifts being used all around us, at Church, supporting the work of the Church, but also in our everyday lives as we are Christ’s hands and feet in the world. We see it in the welcome that somebody gets when they sit next to us in Church. It is seen in the real interest we have as we talk and hear their story. Ministry is in the coffee we make and the bag of shopping we deliver. It is in the concerned questions we ask about someone’s health and the prayer we offer, asking God to bring blessing and healing. Ministry is on every occasion we use the gifts God has given us. You will see people exercising ministry all around you. The real question arises when we look at ourselves and ask what ministries do we have. There is no hierarchy, all ministries are equally important. And we are thankful for each one of your ministries. Even those you do not recognise.
As a church we are reliant on some specific ministries. We need people to lead us in: worship, understanding God’s word; prayer; pastoral care; caring for, preparing and the materials of the church, and in administration. The list is endless. As a people who believe in a generous God, we believe he has given those gifts to members of the congregation. Part of our calling is to discover those gifts, call them out, hone and commission them. You can safely say that we have got all the gifts and ministries we need. Our challenge is that many of them are still hidden in the people sitting in our pews on a Sunday morning, and perhaps on the streets we walk during the week.
**Evangelism:** This goes hand in hand with Discipleship. Jesus commissioned his followers to ‘go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’. It can be argued that we all have parts of our lives that need evangelising: we are consistently being challenged to ask if we are using ‘what we have’ to fulfil the calling described above. Issues of fair trade, our money, our relationships, the value we put on our jobs, the cars we drive and the clothes we wear, are often places where we struggle to put kingdom values first.
We all need to be evangelised and give over hidden areas of our lives. But we are also called to be evangelists. It is not accidental that I have left this Purpose to last. Christ came not just for ‘us’ as individuals but for the people we live with, work with, laugh and cry with. Where are we the evangelist? In short, we need to be the evangelist in every part of our life. When we are fulfilling the 4 earlier purposes (Fellowship, Worship, Discipleship, Ministry) then we are being the evangelist. It is in; the welcome we give, the listening ear, the serving hands, the willingness to talk of God’s love, and in not just turning a blind eye, and gently walk away.
As you read the other reports you will see so much of our life as a part of the family God that is shaped by Fellowship, Worship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Evangelism. We have much to learn and we have much growth still to experience. But together we hear and respond to the call of God to be more Christ-like for the sake of His world. May God bless us on our journey together!
## **Revd Canon Dr Geoff Bayliss**
## **Safeguarding in Cowley Parish**
Safeguarding is high profile in all settings which serve children, young people and vulnerable adults. It is required that we annually review our Parish Child Protection policy and practice, including procedures for checking and training all officers and volunteers who have regular contact with our youngsters, even when parents are present; and/or with vulnerable adults, in situations where trusting relationships may be developed. The PCC policy, based on a Church of England template, is reviewed at the first meeting of the calendar year; a safeguarding report is made to each PCC meeting.
The national system for vetting staff and volunteers is with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). The system is on-line, quick and efficient; our current volunteers for children’s in church activities, Seashells/Little Stars, Open the Book and the AALC Young people’s group are all checked. Renewal is required every 3 years.
Volunteers also complete a form, outlining their experience and the role(s) they are undertaking, along with a confidential declaration. For new staff and volunteers, we are also following safer recruitment procedures, requiring a reference from a previous or present employer or independent referee.
The national structured training programme for all church officers and volunteers includes: Basic Awareness for the majority of our volunteers which is an on-line course; it can be taken individually or as a group.
Those with more responsibility and having direct contact with children and young people are required to take that _and_ the Foundations course which can either be followed on-line individually or at a face-to-face group session delivered by a Diocesan trainer, which is preferred.
The Leadership course is currently delivered live on-line using Zoom, as is Safer Recruitment and Raising awareness of domestic violence and abuse. Only the Parish Safeguarding Officer and clergy are now required to take the latter three.
Training is required to be refreshed every 3 years; the pandemic delayed a major update programme, particularly for those unable to take courses on-line at home. We still await a Diocesan trainer for a face-to-face Foundations session; there is a shortage of trainers.
The roles requiring training attendance are: verger, sidesperson/welcomer, flower arranger, bell ringer, office volunteer, chalice administrator, coffee server, church committee member, PCC member, Children’s Church/Sunday Club, Little Stars/Seashells worker, Open the Book team member, church warden, choir leader, pastoral link team member, prayer space leader, volunteer driver, prayer ministry team member, home group leader. Clergy and LLMs are trained directly through the Diocese
There is an on-line RAG rated ‘Safeguarding dashboard’ which generates the necessary actions for the ‘Promoting a safer church action plan’. That is reviewed regularly; we still have just one amber item left to address.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. So anyone not included in the role list above who would like to undertake the basic awareness course is very welcome to access it. Contact Lesley Williams. _safeguarding@cowleyteamministry.co.uk_
We are also responsible for insisting that all users of our premises comply with the regulations and therefore monitoring that they do so.
## **Lesley Williams, Approved Parish Representative**
## **St James Church Centre**
St James Church Centre is a very popular venue for many activities. There are not many days when it is free of hirers or church/community gatherings. Slimming World, Seashells, Jelly Tots, Brownies, Guides, Lunch Club, Exodus Church, Film Club, AALC, Over 50s, Cowley WI and MU to name just a few. We strive to keep the Centre in good order and this is possible with the help of Stacey and Carole.
The Lunch Club is going well with the numbers each Tuesday keeping to around 12 plus the helpers.
Doug Loveridge looks after the lawns and our Gardening Club meets once a month to carry out bigger gardening projects.
We do enjoy opening up our Centre to hirers, all of whom give us very favourable comments and requests to come again when they wish to celebrate a special occasion. We look forward to another good year sharing our premises with all who wish to use our lovely building.
**Chris Woodman**
**Cowley Festival of Christmas Trees With the theme ‘Peace on Earth’ Friday 9 - Sunday 18 December**
## _**Christmas tree festival charities: SeeSaw & ROSY**_
## **Data:**
- 40 trees from 15 Parish groups – 4 schools – 11 community groups – 2 businesses - 2 churches – 6 individuals plus those that come out every year.
- Around one thousand visitors – although some are double counted!
- £1,500 raised so £750 each to SeeSaw and ROSY
At the review meeting, we committed to planning for CTF 2023, Friday 8 to Sunday 17 December. with a provisional theme of love – the title to be decided – and will meet in May to begin the process. We would love for more people to join our very small group.
Thank you again to all who decorated a tree, stewarded, visited, donated. _contact : ctf@cowleyteamministry.co.uk_
## **Lesley Williams – Convenor**
## **Christian Aid**
Christian Aid Week: We again used ‘delivery only’ envelopes, each labelled to tell the recipient where it could be returned – St James Centre for the roads around the church and four parishioners’ home addresses. The system didn’t raise a huge amount but we will try it again in 2023. Those, with the envelopes returned by worshippers in church, the Big Brekkie, and a Sunday afternoon Templars Square tombola and games stall raised £620
Big Brunch/Brekkies in January and September raised £140 & £110 respectively; from June’s QuizAid there was £120. Lesley Williams was due to abseil from St Mary Magdalen’s tower in the autumn and had donated £50 to Christian Aid for the pleasure – but the tower was declared unsafe at the eleventh hour so she will have to await another time.
So the 2022 Parish Christian Aid total was £1,040. Thank you!
2023 opened with a Big Brunch on 9 January, with £140 donated.
For Christian Aid Week 14-20 May 2023, we will be extending our delivery only envelope coverage; holding a Saturday morning Big Brunch with the addition of live music from The Gospel Jazz Project, who also entertained us during the Cowley Festival of Christmas Trees, on Saturday 20 May, 10.30-12.00; and having a tombola and games stall in Templars Square on a date to be confirmed. Help will be needed!
## **Lesley Williams**
## **Finance**
Joan Coleman moved to Bristol in November 2022, and the finance duties are now being undertaken by a team of people:
- Treasurer: Emily Sommerlade who will be responsible for reconciling statements and reporting
- Donations/gift aid coordinator: Sue Philcox
- Banking at St Francis: Shirley Costar/Lyn Lord
- Banking at St James: Chris Woodman/Sally Hemsworth/Lesley Williams
- Contracts for energy and other facilities: June Smith
- Authorised to set by BAC payments for bills: Emily Sommerlade/Sally Hemsworth/Lesley Williams
- Payments by cheque: Emily Sommerlade/Sally Hemsworth/Lesley Williams/Chris Woodman
Emily Sommerlade will report the 2022 accounts. Due to the changes in the way finance matters are handled these are in draft form at the moment and will be inspected the week after this meeting.
## **Parish Mission Prayer and Giving Policy**
The PCC has reviewed and maintained this policy, first accepted in January 2021
Our declared Parish mission statement
- to live out God’s purposes for us
- to make Christ known in Cowley
- to raise up a new generation to love and serve the Lord
only directly references our life in Cowley, ignoring our responsibilities to creation and to our worldwide brothers and sisters.
When the time is right, the PCC may consult, review and add to that declared vision to include a wider view of our mission stance in relation to: creation, the environment, humanitarian issues – to develop our knowledge and understanding of our role in and impact on God’s creation and people.
The Parish has established a deeper mission relationship with a limited number of charities through the year. We demonstrate our Christian Love through action, prayer and giving; also responding as a Parish to major natural and humanitarian disaster appeals. We collected for the DEC Ukraine appeal in 2022.
Christian Aid is a year-round commitment with a special focus on Christian Aid Week in May. We no longer undertake a door-to-door envelope collection but have trialled ‘delivery only’ envelopes, labelled with a return point – the two churches, St James Centre, a few homes but also aim to find creative ways of gathering donations both from Parish members and the public during CAW and through other events – three Big Brekkie/Brunches, Quiz Aid and sponsored activities
Harvest thanksgiving: we commit to giving food items to CEF and cash to Water Aid every year, so seek to share more information about their work from speakers and leaflets/websites/ media. We will engage with them by praying for them regularly, not just on one autumn Sunday a year. We maintain all year collection points in both churches for donated goods to CEF, which is based at St Francis Church
Christmas: our Cowley Christmas Tree Festival relationship with SeeSaw and ROSY demonstrates our recognition of the instruction to ‘suffer these little children to come to me’. Following annual PCC approval, all Christmas service open plate collections are added to the CTF donations, shared equally between the two charities.
We also value our Parish relationship with/involvement in: BeSpace (prayer spaces in schools) and Open the Book (Bible Society) and support them with personnel, prayer and donations.
The Parish Mothers’ Union group also fundraises for the national MU AFIA (Away From It All)
A small number of parishioners participate in the sponsored September Ride and Stride, with the proceeds shared 50:50 between Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust and the Parish.
Of course, we maintain our own Parish fundraising to cover the costs of worship, fellowship, outreach and buildings through stewardship, planned giving and annual events: Plant sale – to be reimagined in 2023, Christmas gift and craft fair, film club and marmalade proceeds - and other small-scale social occasions.
## **Lesley Williams**
## **Report on the fabric, goods and ornaments of the churches of the Parish**
The major features of work during 2022/2023 have been:
- Quinquennial inspections at St James and St Francis Churches in May2022
- Energy Saving Reviews of all Church buildings
Both these major reports continue to be followed up, with improvements to the lighting and plumbing being considered quickly. We were pleased that no major work was required following the quinquennials but the list of work needed is continually reviewed.
The work on the provision of digital projection at St James Church continues, but it was hoped this would be in place shortly.
The Parish ensures that there was routine maintenance such as servicing of boilers, fire equipment inspections and annual PAT testing of electrical equipment.
Work was on-going on the inventories and the terriers.
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
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October 2018
**Serving God, Cowley and Headington**
## Cowley Team Ministry
## St. James and St Francis Churches
## Financial Report
## **2022**
**T O W A R D S A C O M M O N V I S I O N**
Registered Charity number 1153602
## Welcome!
Cowley folks have been worshipping at St James Church for nearly a millennium, and at St Francis Church for almost a century.
The work in our church community and our beautiful buildings constantly needs funds.
Donations can be made by:
- Cash or cheque
- Weekly envelopes
- Standing order at a bank
- Direct debit using the "Parish Giving Scheme" #270627190, or single donations using their website
- Payments into our bank account
- [Name: Cowley (Oxford) PCC, Sort code: 30-12-51,
- Account number: 01000840]
- By card using the QR code on our website
- By leaving a legacy
Please contact the Parish Office if you would like further information.
1
## **Financial Summary 2022**
During 2022, the church community recovered well after the pandemic but was impacted by the cost of living crisis towards the end of the financial year.
Across all funds and activities, the largest expenditure cost increase this year has been the utilities. Gas, electricity, and water have all increased in total by 54% to £7,836. The cost of living and increased activity impacted on the general expenses, such as church maintenance and cleaning. In total, costs are up 17% (after excluding costs relating to major repairs).
Overall donations were down by 18% to £51,652 this year, from £62,802 in 2021. The largest reductions were in the donations by bank standing orders, envelope giving, and one-off donations, however donations through parish giving DD, and cash giving at services have increased as people return to the church after the pandemic.
## **General [Unrestricted] Fund**
All donations to the Parish, not specified for a particular purpose, go into the General Fund used to pay our contribution to the cost of ministry and to support services in our two churches. Donations for the general fund were down by 3% to £49,442, from £50,712 in 2021.
The fund held £21,238 at the end of the year, only £550 less than the previous year.
The income from donors continues to cover our Parish Share which was £47,975 (no increase from last year). Parish Share is paid to the diocese to cover clergy stipends, housing, training, pensions, and administration.
Gift Aid is claimed from HMRC by the parish on donations from individuals who have made a Gift Aid declaration and from anonymous small cash donations. This is a 25% uplift on money given. Due to the reduction in the overall donations, we were unable to claim as much this year.
2
Lettings in St Francis Church have generated £7,626, an increase of 30% on the previous year and a contributor to the General fund. Last year we received £4,500 in government grants to cover lost letting income during the pandemic. That income has not yet fully recovered. Parochial fees from weddings, funerals etc have also increased since restrictions were lifted.
Apart from the Parish Share, the General Fund is used for all the expenses relating to our two churches from gas and electricity to such other essentials as fire and electrical safety, insurance, office costs, communion wafers, light bulbs, and hand sanitisers, amongst many. The St James Church Centre gas, electricity and water comes from the St James Church Centre (Trading) Fund.
## **Restricted and Designated Funds**
## **St James Church Centre (Trading) Fund (Restricted)**
Total income for the year was £19,195. Lettings income has continued to grow, up 82% since the previous year, and has almost completely replaced the government grants for the lack of income due to the pandemic received last year.
Utility bills and cleaning are up from last year because of increased use of the building and high inflation. Expenditure was £17,146, almost doubling since last year.
The fund increased modestly to £31,140 at the end of the year.
## **St Francis Church Fabric Fund (Restricted)**
This fund received half the interest from the St James Church Centre investment account. The only expenditure was £450 for sealing the floor.
At the end of the year this fund held £13,450.
## **St James Church Fabric Fund (Restricted)**
This fund received half the interest from the St James Church Centre investment account, and income from the Plant Sale. There was no expenditure in the year.
At the end of the year this fund held £16,759.
3
## **The Flush Fund for St James Church (Restricted)**
This fund held £27,234 at the end of the year. Grants included £13,500 from the Oxon Historic Churches Trust and £12,312 from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, both contributing to the installation of the toilet in church.
The ODBF awarded a grant of £10k for a new AV system, which has been fully spent in line with the terms of the grant.
Donations, and the Gift and Craft Sale added £2,200 to the fund, and a legacy of £500 was received from the late Margaret Randall.
## **St James Church Centre Endowment Fund**
The capital in this fund is to be used only on the St James Church Centre building. £50,000 was placed in the CCLA CBF Church of England Investment Fund in 2010. On 31st December 2022, the shares held in the fund were valued at £95,070 (2021 - £107,835).
Interest from this investment is paid quarterly and can be used for other purposes. It is placed equally in the Fabric Funds of St James and St Francis Churches. The total for 2022 was £2,830.
## **Feed- In tariff payments (Restricted)**
The 39 solar panels, on the roof of St James Centre building, generated £587 in 2022 making a total income so far to £7,306. With the return to more typical use of the building, this was reduced when compared with last year.
## **St James Legacy Fund (Designated)**
A legacy of £44,084 was received from the late Audrey Smith.
## **Other funds**
|**Other funds**||
|---|---|
|Bell Tower Restoration Fund(Restricted)|£955|
|Outreach - Outreach(Designated)Fund|£452|
|Music(Restricted)Fund_(see note i)_|£4,300|
|Organ - Organ Restoration(Restricted)Fund|£2,990|
|St Francis Activities(Restricted)Fund|£1,652|
|Friends Of St James Old School(Restricted)Fund_(see note ii)_|£4,011|
4
## _Notes:_
- _i. Music (Restricted) Fund_ - to be used for organist payments.
- _ii. Friends of St James Old School (Restricted) Fund -_ £4,011 was received in October restricted to payment for the group's commitment to install a plaque on the Old School building, acknowledging its educational heritage, and to produce a history of the school booklet. In accordance with the Friends' constitution, any remaining funds must be transferred to Church Cowley St James School.
5
## **Mission and Charity Giving in 2022**
The 2021 Mission Giving allocation of £2,020 approved by the PCC was not paid over to the eight nominated charities in 2022, so it will appear in the 2023 accounts. The donations represent 5% of the 2021 Planned Giving income.
The recipient charities will be:
- £300 to each of the following: Archway, OX4 Food Crew, Oxford Community Soup Kitchen, BeSpace, Agnes Smith Advice Centre, Delhi Open Air School
- £120 to Kids Matter
- £100 to Siloam’s Ministry of Giving (Bulgaria)
£1,250 was given to each of the children's charities ROSY and SeeSaw resulting from donations to The Christmas Tree Festival at the end of 2021.
Water Aid benefitted from £250 from donations at the Harvest Thanksgiving services, with an additional £50 from cheques paid direct to the charity.
The Parish 2022 Christian Aid fundraising total amounted to £1,090, but only £49 went through the Parish account, donated through the card reader. The rest was paid directly into the national Christian Aid account following Big Brekkies in January, May and September, Christian Aid Week in May, and a Quiz Aid in June.
We also made a donation of £610 to the DEC Ukraine appeal, following special collections in church services in March 2022.
6
## **Cowley Team Ministry Receipts and payments Selected period: 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022**
|**General - General fund (Unrestricted) Fund**|**From**
**To**
**01 January 2022**
**31 December 2022**
**01 January 2021 31**
**December 2021**|
|---|---|
|**Incoming resources**
Incoming resources from donors
Bank SO Gift-aided St J
Bank SO Gift-aided -St F
Parish Giving DD St J
Parish Giving DD St F
Env. Gift-aided St J
Env. Gift-aided -St F
Tax recoverable on Gift Aid St J
Tax Recoverable on Gift Aid St F
Standing Orders - non Gift-Aid St J
Env Non Gift-aided -St J
Env Non Gift-aided - St F
Loose plate-St James
Loose plate-St Francis
Loose plate-wedding/funerals St J
Non-Gift Aid donations St J
Non-Gift Aid donations St F
GiveaLittle StJ
GiveaLittle StF
Giving through church boxes St J
Giving through Church boxes St F
One-off Gift Aid gifts - St J
One off Gift Aid Gifts St F
Other voluntary incoming resources
Chronicle subscriptions + ads
Christmas Tree Festival donations
Coffee monies St J
Activities in furtherance of the councils objects
From lunches
St F- lettings
Fees-weddings/funerals St J
Fees-weddings/funerals St F
Activities for generating funds
Fund Raising St J
Fund raising St F
SeaShells
Income from investments
Bank & building soc interest|14,333
19,562
660
655
8,212
7,487
1,446
1,398
2,926
2,609
1,744
2,157
5,876
6,606
1,182
1,406
1,120
913
1,244
2,734
387
339
1,767
1,351
300
129
792
161
5,233
1,733
80
135
304
454
13
-
-
109
23
-
800
775
1,000
-|
||Total Incoming resources from donors
49,442
50,712
360
433
-
260
203
4|
||Total Other voluntary incoming resources
563
697
197
-
7,626
5,844
3,256
3,513
-
91|
||Total Activities in furtherance of the councils
bj
11,079
9,448
1,404
49
60
-
82
-|
||Total Activities for generating funds
1,546
49
953
36
Total Income from investments
953
36|
|**Note**|**From**
**To**
**01 January 2022**
**31 December**
**2022**
**01 January 2021**
**31 December**
**2021**|
|---|---|
|Other incoming resources
One off Grants St J
One off Grants St F
Misc Income St J
Misc Income St F
**Total incoming resources**
**Resources used**
Costs of generating funds
Seashells expenses
Activities relating to the work of the Church
Ministry parish share
Deanery Charges St J
Deanery Charges St F
Gas-St Francis
Electric-St James Church
Electric-St Francis Church
Waste disposal-St J
Water-St James Church
Water-St Francis Church
Insurance-St James Church
Insurance-St Francis Church
St J-Church maintenance
St F-Church maintenance
Organ/piano tuning St J
Music Licence St J
Music Licence St F
Service consumables St J
Service consumables St F
Sundry expenses St J
Sundry Expenses St F
Water- Centre
Christmas Tree Festival Giving to Charity
Support costs
Administration-giving envelope
Church management and administration
Administration-Stationery
Administration-Computer + website
Administration-phone and broadband Centre
Administration-photocopier
Bank charges
**Total resources used**
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Transfers to/(from)
**Total carried forward balance**|1,538
-
-
1,500
4,079
883
620
477|
||Total Other incoming resources
6,237
2,860|
||**69,820**
**63,802**|
||18
-|
||Total Costs of generating funds
18
-
47,975
47,975
170
155
170
155
1,739
1,025
2,472
2,766
217
163
754
938
238
16
262
(101)
2,518
2,371
1,616
1,524
1,269
327
2,167
1,444
330
97
715
682
170
163
359
84
359
73
1,935
388
71
55
39
-
-
260|
||Total Activities relating to work of the Church
65,545
60,559
91
123|
||Total Support costs
91
123
457
353
235
398
570
527
1,131
829
424
340|
||Total Church management and administration
~~2,816~~
~~2,447~~|
||
**68,470**
**63,129**|
||1,350
673
21,788
23,215
(1,900)
(2,100)|
||**21,238**
**21,788**|
## **Cowley Team Ministry Balance Sheet detailed**
## **For the period from 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022**
## **Current assets**
## **Liabilities**
## **Reserves**
||**As at**
**31/12/2022**
**As at**
**31/12/2021**|
|---|---|
|A1501: Bank current account
A1505: Bank deposit account
A1506: Lloyds TSB Investment
A1510: CCLA Investment
A
A1550: Cash in hand
Z05: Accounts Receivable
6699: Agency collections
Z04: Accounts Payable
Excess/(deficit) to date
Z01: Starting balances|105,557
43,122
74,414
70,631
-
-
50,000
50,000
150
150
2,024
2,024|
||**Total Current assets**
**232,145**
**165,928**
1,682
(65)
(1,389)
(1,389)|
||**Total Liabilities**
**293**
**(1,454)**|
||**Net Asset surplus(deficit)**
**231,853**
**167,382**|
||64,471
3,225
167,382
164,156|
||**Total Reserves**
**231,853**
**167,382**|
## **Represented by Funds**
|General (Unrestricted)|21,238|21,788|
|---|---|---|
|Designated|44,536|452|
|Restricted|112,809|91,872|
|Endowment|53,270|53,270|
|**Total**|**231,853**|**167,382**|
## **Cowley Team Ministry**
## **Statement of Financial Activities**
## **For the period from 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022**
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Endowment**|**Total**|**Prior year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**funds**|**funds**|**funds**|**funds**|**total**|
||||||**funds**|
|**Incoming resources**||||||
|Incoming resources from donors|49,442|2,210|-|51,652|62,802|
|Other voluntary incoming resources|44,647|2,791|-|48,138|4,626|
|Activities in furtherance of the councils objects|11,079|2,039|-|13,118|10,668|
|Activities for generating funds|1,546|19,870|-|21,416|17,300|
|Income from investments|953|2,830|-|3,783|2,772|
|Other incomingresources|6,237|39,867|-|45,404|39,368|
|**Total income**|**113,904**|**69,607**|**-**|**183,511**|**137,536**|
|**Resources used**||||||
|Costs of generating funds|18|2,469|-|2,487|1,250|
|Activities relating to the work of the Church|65,545|47,632|-|113,177|130,059|
|Support costs|91|-|-|91|123|
|Church management and administration|2,816|469|-|3,285|2,879|
|**Total expenditure**|**68,470**|**50,570**|**-**|**119,040**|**134,310**|
|**Net income / (expenditure) resources before transfer**|**45,434**|**19,037**|**-**|**64,471**|**3,225**|
|||||||
|**Transfers:**||||||
|Gross transfers between funds - in|-|-|-|-|78,795|
|Gross transfers between funds - out|(1,900)|1,900|-|-|(78,795)|
|**Other recognised gains / losses**||||||
|Gains/losses on investment assets|-|-|-|-|-|
|Gains on revaluation, fixed assets, charity's own use|-|-|-|-|-|
|**Net movement in funds**|**43,534**|**20,937**|**-**|**64,471**|**3,225**|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||||
|**Total funds brought forward**|**22,240**|**91,872**|**53,270**|**167,382**|**164,156**|
|**Total funds carried forward**|**65,774**|**112,809**|**53,270**|**231,853**|**167,382**|