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2022-12-31-accounts

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The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Wellington In the Wellington & District Team Ministry

Annual Report for 2022

Interim Team Rector: Rev Martin Kirkbride Churchwarden: Christine Winhall PCC Treasurer: Henry Richbell PCC Secretary: Sharon Chorley

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The Parochial Church Council and Church Officers

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St John’s. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

When planning our activities for the year, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:-

To facilitate our work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church.

There are three places for members of the PCC to sit on the Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the church. A new triennium for the Deanery Synod starts in June 2023, so the three places are available. In 2022 we had two representatives, Ken Winhall and William Brown.

MEMBERS ON THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL IN 2022

NAME POSITION FIRST ELECTED
Rev’d Martin Kirkbride Interim Team Rector & Chairperson Licensed September 2021
Finished April 2023
Christine Winhall Churchwarden & Deputy Chairperson April 2017
Henry Richbell PCC Treasurer May 2022
Sharon Chorley PCC Secretary Appointed May 2021
Fiona Brown PCC Member April 2018
John Massey PCC Member April 2018
Kieven Yim PCC Member May 2018
Sue Rackley PCC Member May 2021
Judith Dufour PCC Member May 2022
Julie Morton PCC Member May 2022
Lenore Clarke PCC Member May 2022
Barbara Allen PCC Member May 2022
Andrew Maddocks PCC Member May 2022
Diane Donohue PCC Member Co-opted May 2022
Marilyn Neale PCC Member May 2022
William Brown Deanery Synod Rep April 2020
Ken Winhall Deanery Synod Rep April 2020
Rev’d Richard Kelley Ex Officio, Pioneer Curate Ordained June 2020
Moved on to further
training January 2023

Independent examiners certificate Martin Arthur The Old P05t Office 56 Dorchester Road, Lytchett Minster,Poole, Dorset, BH16 6JE Telephone." 01202 621622 Fax.. 01202 621488 Indepondont Examiner's Report to the Trustogs of St John the Baptlst Parlsh Church, Wellington Somersel. Independent examlnerfs report to the trustees of St John the Bapllsl Parlsh Church I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Sl John Ihe Baptist Parish Church {Charityi for the year ended 31 December 2022. Responslbllltles and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in aG￿rdance with the reqsjirements of the Chatities Act 2011 Ilhe A¢t'). I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Chafity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent examlnerfs statomènt I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection wilh the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act., or the accounts do not accord with those records-, or the accounts do nol comply with the applicable requirements conceming the form and conlenl of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I confim that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be rea¢hed. Martin Arthur FMAAT, FFA, FIPA, FFTA. MIH. ACIE. 1Èt March 2023 Mathn Arthtsris license(l wulatedby thJA5$0c18￿on olAccounUng Techrtici8n$ toprowde seFvKes in accordance wlth Lkonséfvo. 2208 detai15 of whKh 8rn dlspl8yeé at the rngistemd 8ddTr$5 shown bolow. Owner.. Martin Arthur FMAA T. FFA, FIPA, FFTA, IAIH, ACIE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST. WELLINGTON STATEMENT OF FINANCtAL ACTIVITIES YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2022 The following accounts have been prepared on an Incorne and Expenditure basis and produce the following totals.. Total Income 143.902.56 Total Expenditure Oeficil for the year 152,577.49 8,674.93 As dgtailgd in the Ineoma and Expènditura account. Approved by the Stan¢Jing Cornrnittee of And signed o ils b half by'.- Parochial Church Council on.. Chairman Trèasurèr The following pages cornprise the accounts.

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CASH BOOK RECONCILIATION 2022

A B C D
Restricted Deposit
Current current Deposit A/C A/C
Total A/C A/C unrestricted
Restricted
Funds NatWest
NatWest		 CBF CBF
Reconciled Bank at 1st Jan 2022 133,509.99 9,650.78
2,094.72		 31,048.78 90,715.71
Bank as at 31st Dec 2022 70,556.22 975.85
112.98		 972.64 68,494.75
-
Nett movement of funds -62,953.77 8,674.93 -1,981.74 **-30,076.14 ** -22,220.96

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St John the Bapist Income and Expenditure Account 2022

Income Expense
Regular Income Administration
Donation not in Church Service 1719.85 Bank Charges 350.04
Offerings in Church Service 5976.62 Insurance 2120.04
Planned Giving 46299.22 Licences and Subsriptions 635.17
PCC Statutory Fees 2312.00 Telephone 1108.53
Gift Aid Reclaim 10275.36 Stationery 285.66
VAT Reclaim 910.88 Photocopying 927.80
Professional Fees 534.00
Other Income Buildings
Fundraising 3303.75 Grounds Maintenance 530.00
Sales 304.91 Office Equipment 2886.46
Interest 14.83 Cleaning 2350.99
Lettings 8039.00 General Repairs 5962.31
Concerts 1192.01 Utilities 3737.38
Sumup 1526.73
Mission Transfer 19612.82 Programmes
CBF Deposit Fund 36110.89 Childrens Work 717.09
Hospitality In 2916.40 Fundraising Costs 484.80
Flower Fund 97.00 Hospitality 1435.54
Ukraine Appeal 1540.29 Mission 2326.86
Grants 1750.00 MES 572.12
Recovery Grant 678.73
Service Costs 849.54
Flowers 162.95
Miscellaneous 76.00
PCC Expenses 170.07
Staff
Clergy Expenses 1600.85
Salaries & Wages 17746.25
Income Tax and NI 244.14
Pensions 1308.00
Parish Share 101733.37
Organist 870.00
Fees 172.80
143902.56 152577.49
Surplus/(Deficit forYear) -8674.93

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The Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens and the Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting for 2021 of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Wellington held on Sunday, May 8th 2022 at 11.00 a.m.

Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens

(This meeting was open to all residents in the parish and those on the Electoral Roll)

Apologies:- Anne and Ron Williams, Adrian and Jane Exell, Fiona and William Brown, John and Angela Massey, Jenny Bache, Margaret Bowen, Shirley Rayson

Martin started with a prayer and thanked everyone for being there.

The meeting now began.

  1. The minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners of May 2021 had been circulated. Sylvia Waymouth proposed that these were accepted. Martin asked for a show of hands and the minutes were accepted unanimously as a true record with no objections.

  2. Election of Churchwardens. Martin has received one completed nomination form for the post of two Churchwardens, namely Mrs Christine Winhall. This was proposed by Barry Salter and seconded by Patrick Clarke. Martin asked for a show of hands. The decision was unanimous with no objections so he was happy to announce that Christine was duly re-elected.

  3. Martin’s Remarks. Martin started by giving huge thanks to John Young who was stepping down as Churchwarden in order to concentrate on other commitments. He stated that he had been very grateful for John’s judgement, help and advice during his time so far at St John’s. He also wanted to give thanks to Christine for all that she had done and let her know how grateful we are for all of the work that she does for us all at St John’s.

This concluded the Annual Meeting of Parishioners

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting for 2020

1. Apologies

Anne and Ron Williams, Adrian and Jane Exell, Fiona and William Brown, John and Angela Massey, Jenny Bache, Margaret Bowen, Shirley Rayson

2. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on May 23[rd] for approval and signature The minutes had been circulated prior to the meeting. Sylvia Waymouth proposed that these were accepted. Martin asked for a show of hands in approval. The minutes were accepted unanimously as a true record with no objections.

3. Matters arising

Martin asked if there were any matter arising from the minutes, there were none.

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4. Presentation of the Electoral Roll, dated May 2022

Julie Morton presented the electoral roll and announced that the year started with 145 people however 10 people came off this year for various reasons but another 10 people joined so we finish the year still with 145 people. Julie presented the report to Sharon and was thanked for her work.

5. Presentation of the Annual Parish Report of the PCC for 2021 including the reports on safeguarding, the fabric and inventory

This had been circulated before the meeting. Martin asked if there were any questions on this, there were none. He asked if we could formally adopt this report with a show of hands. This was proposed by Andrew Maddocks and seconded by Julie Morton. The decision was unanimous with no objections, the report was accepted as a true report of last year.

6. Elections

Electoral Roll Officer

It was noted last year that Julie Morton did not want to continue in this role for this year. Christine announced that we have another volunteer, Maralyn Norman. This was proposed by Julie Morton and seconded by Lenore Clarke. Martin asked for a show of hands, this was accepted unanimously with no objections. Christine thanked Julie for all of her time and hard work over the years and also thanked Maralyn for taking on the role.

Elections to Parochial Church Council

Sharon announced that we had received several paper nominations. These were for Julie Morton, Lenore Clarke, Marilyn Neale, Diane Donohue, Barbara Allan and Andrew Maddocks. Christine pointed out that Diane had not been on the electoral roll for 6 months so would need to be co-opted from the PCC which would be done after the meeting. Judith Dufour stated that she had been missed off the list. She had been on the PCC last year as Ex-officio but now needed to be nominated for this year. All of these people had all been correctly nominated and seconded and were duly elected. No need for an election as we had enough spaces.

7. Appointment of Independent Examiner or Auditor

Christine said that Aspin Waite had been the auditor for this year but now that we have a new volunteer for Treasurer, Henry Richbell, he might want to use someone else. Henry has not started in his role yet so would give this some thought and it would be approved in the future.

8. Any other business

Sylvia Waymouth asked if anything could be done about the bumps in the drive from the tree roots as she in concerned that someone might have an accident. Christine replied that David Grabham has been liaising with the tree surgeon. He is coming on Friday 20th May to crop some of the branches as they are causing an obstruction and he would then start working on the roots.

Andrew Maddocks asked if anything more had been done on the online magazine. Christine replied that we have tried to put one together but hit a few problems with the software however we would still like to do one. She reiterated that communications are really important and that we had done well at this over the year with written, verbal and visual approaches. We’d had four churchwarden newsletters, our weekly welcome sheet and the survey. Verbally, we’d had three churchwarden surgeries and regular Tea@3 organised by Judith. We also have eighteen pastoral companions who are the backbone of our church and look after our congregation and we are thankful for all that they do. Visually we have been updating the noticeboards and putting out banners. We have also sent out videos of the services during the pandemic.

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We have delivered 1000 leaflets to the new housing developments. We’ve had regular notices in the Edge magazine and we now have 522 followers on Facebook plus our website is regularly visited. She finished by saying that we would get the magazine up and running as soon as possible.

Lenore asked when the mess at the back of the hall would be tidied up as its dangerous. There are sand boxes full of sand and water and a cable drum plus others bits and pieces. Christine said that we will sort this out.

James Bradnock wanted to comment on the fact that the church garden looks neglected and does not give a good impression. The approach to the church is important and needs to be kept in good order. He particularly mentioned the Anne Squire garden which needs tidying up. This was noted. Christine commented that it was a shame that William Brown was unable to attend as he is leading on bio diversity and some areas need to be left for wild flowers.

Diane Donohue wanted to suggest that some consideration be given to parking at the church, particularly for people with disabilities. She asked if we can convert part of the grass at the front. This was noted and will be discussed further at another meeting although Graham Street remarked that this had been explored before and we cannot tarmac over this area as there are graves underneath. We should look at other solutions that could be laid on the grass.

Judith gave her thanks for rectifying the report to include the pastoral companions and their important role.

Giles Godber proposed that we give our thanks to Martin and the wonderful job that he has done and continues to do through getting to know us and the parishes. A round of applause was given.

James Bradnock had some questions to submit on behalf of David Dufour – he asked for clarity on the financial report i.e. what exactly was our parish share in 2021 and what is it in 2022, how much did we pay in 2021 and why was it not paid in full, will the PCC commit to paying the outstanding balance, can we increase giving from the church community. James reiterated that we do need to talk about money and we all should look carefully at our financial contribution. Christine replied that the parish share for last year has now been paid in full at the beginning of 2022. Martin Kirkbride said that finance is something that he would like us to actively look at. This Diocese has now joined the Parish Giving Scheme which offers the option for inflation linked increases. 86% of his previous parish were members and it gives a great boost to giving so he is very enthusiastic about using this.

Chairman’s remarks

Martin said that over the last 10 months he has focused on visiting the whole team and that during the first few months some may have felt that he was absent. This, he feels, points out to the Diocese that it’s difficult for a Team Rector to engage with all 14 churches. We may seem like we are in sense of limbo but this will now change and from the Diocese and Deanery perspective we should see some progress in the next few months. He will be continuing as Team Rector but where he was invested team wide previously, he will now be making St John’s and the Wellington community his focus. We will now be re-establishing Wellington’s civic church at St John’s starting with hosting the Jubilee service on the 5th June. As we emerge from lockdown, we are seeing the development of many new ministries. He gave his thanks to John, Christine and Sharon and also his colleagues and retired clergy. He asked if there were any questions. There were none so he finished the meeting with a prayer.

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PCC Meeting

(A brief meeting of the PCC took place after the APCM with just the PCC members)

The new PCC appointed the following unanimously:-

PCC Treasurer – Henry Richbell

PCC Secretary – Sharon Chorley

PCC Member – Diane Donohue

Christine handed out a proposal for future dates of meetings. The next meeting is proposed to be on Tuesday 12th July at 7.00 p.m.

Churchwarden’s report

Buildings

There were no major building works conducted in 2022 although the tree roots were pruned and the drive relaid as you come up the driveway. The regular tasks have all taken place such as the clearing of gutters, testing the lightening conductor, carrying out minor electrical and plumbing works as well as the servicing of the hall and church boilers and the servicing of the roof alarm. The log book is up to date and can be examined any time if requested.

Christine Winhall

The church inventory

The Church inventory has been checked in 2022/3 and is largely unchanged from last year. We have had the addition of equipment for our hospitality (teapots, table-cloths etc) and an increase in the number of toys. Some of these belong to the Toy Library. New large rugs have been bought to make the children’s area more comfortable, and also for the vestry. A new addition is the community library of jigsaws and games, which is in the church for people to borrow items or swop them if they wish. During the year we have also upgraded the office equipment (computer and photocopier plus a new desk). The full church inventory is available for inspection at any time and is kept in the office. Christine Winhall

Reports from various church activities

Occasional Offices

In 2022 we had 16 Baptisms, 1 wedding, 9 funerals in church, 11 funerals at the crematorium and 1 burial of ashes in the memorial garden. There is a trend towards people going to the crematorium and not having a church funeral service. The baptisms were encouraging. It is partly due to our outreach to young families

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with the toddlers and babies group, and also there are some catch up baptisms after the isolation during the covid pandemic.

Christine Winhall

Sacristan Report

Sue Rowley and Jennie Wilson are responsible for the Sacristan duties, which include checking supplies of candle oil and communion wafers and wine. Due to the slight change in our Eucharist procedure, however, not so much wine is now used due to Covid safety procedures. The duties also include responsibility for taking care of the linen and we are pleased to add the acquisition of a new altar cloth, taking our total to three.

The Sunday serving team has gained a new server in Iris who is doing a grand job, along with the other members of the team, Lenore, Patrick and Fiona. We are very grateful to them for making themselves available on such a regular basis. If anyone would like to consider joining the team, please don’t hesitate to put your name forward.

Sue Rowley

Intercessions

We are a group of six encouraged by Stephen Bowen who regularly lead prayers on a rota basis week by week. What are we doing? We bring the everyday situations of our world, its light and its darkness into the presence of God. On behalf of the congregation we ask that he will soften the hearts and minds of those who have the power to shape His world. Where does our vision come from? We study the scriptures set for the day, the theme of the preacher, and follow the events of the week. Sometimes we are given the words we need, but it is never in our strength but in the strength of Him who leads us. There are many prayer book “helps” on which we can draw. Our aim? To express the voice of all God’s children in St John’s as we worship together week by week.

Judith Dufour

Prayer ministry

We are a small Team who believe in the power of prayer and are available each Sunday in the Lady Chapel at the end of the service to listen and to pray with all who have a need, whether for themselves, a family member or a friend, or a situation. It is strictly confidential.

We pray over the names of all those who have been listed on the prayer board..

We pray before the service for those who are leading worship that God will speak through them to touch our lives, and for each person present that they may know God’s love. Judith Dufour

Church flowers

We are a small happy group of 6 ladies who manage to keep the Church looking lovely throughout the year. At the moment we only do arrangements with fresh flowers at Christmas, Easte and Harvest (at all times funded by members of the congregation, for which we are truly grateful) this is due to the increase in the price of fresh flowers.

At other time we use good quality silk flowers, some of which have been supplied by strangers and at other purchased by us from our funds, but we always use fresh greenery. We are always looking for others to join us. Lenore Clarke

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Midweek Communion

It has now been four years since Tim our last Rector asked me to lead the Thursday morning communion service and look after the congregation. This ancient service from the Book of Common Prayer has been said in our church for many years, I have learnt so far that it was being said as far back as the early 1950’s. It has not changed in format for those many years and still the congregation has not changed that much something in the region of 24 people attend every Thursday, sometimes more. Coffee is served afterwards and many stay and have a chat and catch up with news. We also support the Women’s refuge in Taunton with gifts and supplies and also we support Link Hope with Christmas shoe boxes which go to Eastern Europe, this year to Ukraine. Do come and join us if you can you will be most welcome.

Rev Ian Brierley

Homes Communion Group

During the latter half of 2022 we have been able to return to visiting the Nursing Homes and Care Homes surrounding our town with prayer, praise and Communion, to support the residents and staff and to rebuild relationships after Covid restrictions. We bring a simple service of prayers and communion with traditional hymns to a group in their communal lounge. It is a precious thing to see a smile of recognition on the residents faces as we sing familiar hymns and to hear someone recite the Lord’s prayer who would not normally hold a conversation. We also visit individuals in their rooms if requested, to share prayer and conversation.

We have a small Team who are happy to give their time to visiting once a month but would love to have a few more join us.

We celebrated “older age” at a 9.45 am service in November at which Stephen Bowen presided and Stephen Norris spoke encouraging others to become part of the Homes Communion Group. We pray that God will call others to this ministry.

Stephen and Andrew have many years experience working with Homes and older age groups and are very supportive, helpful and encouraging to us.

Judith Dufour

Churchyard report

The churchyard at St John’s has been kept tidy by a number of volunteers during the past year, with special attention given to the Memorial Beds and shrubbery at the rear.

Work has been carried out on various trees within the churchyard by qualified tree surgeons – one overhanging a neighbouring property and one in a conservation area touching the Church tower. David Dufour kindly donated another 500 spring bulbs and these have been planted around the grounds Finally the pathway near the large tree has been levelled out and resurfaced, making it much safer. Julie Morton

Pastoral Companions

The Companions continue to look after their individual groups, to keep in touch by telephone, to visit and to pray with members as requested. Sadly we have lost two or three Companions this year, through retirement or ill health and we are grateful for all their time, love and compassion given for those they have watched over. We have two new Companions who have each taken on a small group.

In April Martin Kirkbride led our annual service at which we rededicated ourselves to this work and we then enjoyed tea in the Hall.

Judith Dufour

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Concerts 2022

In 2022, the number of concerts almost returned to pre-Covid times. The Choral Society performed in March and October whilst Amici in July. In August, Blackdown Early Music hired the church for a rehearsal. December was busy with the Collegium Singers, the entertaining JW3 ‘Spirit of Christmas’ and a packed out church for the traditional Popham Voices’ service . Hiring fees, collections and takings from refreshments means these events bring in valuable income to St John’s. Hosting winter afternoon concerts is an avenue to explore but would mean more volunteers to man these.

Sue Rackley

Hall bookings 2022

The hall and church bookings for St John’s have been going really well this year. In particular, our hall has been very well used and attracts a number of regular bookings, generating a good sum of money towards the church.

The hall is used every day, Monday to Friday, by various groups, our main booking being the Health Visitors who now use it during the day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We have a regular yoga class on a Tuesday evening and our warm spaces initiative on a Friday morning. Tea at three use the hall every other Thursday afternoon. Other local groups use the hall now and then such as the Wellington Twinning Association or Wellington Choral for their annual AGM. Its also well used by families who have christenings in the church, to have a gathering after the service. Sharon Chorley

Soup Lunches

Soup lunches proved to be a hit with the congregation during the first half of 2022 as Kieven and Iris organised, promoted, cooked and prepared each event with the help of many volunteers. The first one took place on Valentine’s Day and included a choice of soups, desserts and a candy gift set. The other soup lunch took place in March not long after the war in Ukraine started. It was decided that all proceeds from the lunch would go towards the Ukraine fund. In total, after expenses, more than £700 was donated. As well as soup, there was a Korean style salad which made up the colours of the rainbow, and proved to be a hit with the patrons.

Finally, a lunch was organised to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth 2 on October 1. More than 70 people attended the 3 course meal. Guest chef Freddie and his wife Vicky took on cooking duties and produced a delicious menu fit for royalty. Chris Patterson organised logistics and cooked apple crumble for dessert. 6 tables were set in the hall, each one named after a royal residence. Each table was headed by a host who helped to serve the food and clear up the table after each course. This event was a huge success having guests from within and outside the church. More than £700 was donated to the church. Kieven Yim

Autumn Fair 2022

By holding the Autumn Fair on November 12 th , we beat the Christmas rush of local fairs and attracted a good crowd. Over 20 volunteers helped with setting up, manning stalls, running raffles and refreshments as well as clearing up. We had 8 external stall holders along with St John’s popular cake and craft stall making nearly £600! In order to attract more families, we introduced children’s stalls and craft activities and ‘Name the Teddy’ and we saw many families attend. We marketed the event on local Wellington social media sites as well as St John’s Facebook/website. In total, we raised £1179 and feedback from stall holders, volunteers and attendees was enthusiastic. I would like to host a Spring or Easter Fair in March. Sue Rackley

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Healthy Community Hub and Talking Cafe

Jeannie who has been an important part of this project but is currently off sick so Dee from Living Light Church is helping me along with some of our regular attendees. The Village Agents work has increased and they could now do with two agents being available each week as the demand for help and advice grows. If we were interested then I think there could be the opportunity to continue serving the community with informative health talks in the afternoons eg talks on diabetes, cancer, heart problems etc. followed by small discussion groups and tea. We already know the potential from the response to the Prostrate Cancer talk. Poppy who represents MIND is available most weeks if people need a confidential chat. We have leaflets from various groups to encourage people to seek further help where needed. My vision is that we will have a member of the clergy or a chaplain available every week and the opportunity for a short mid-day service after the morning session. We already have interesting conversations such as ‘are angels spirits?’ Marilyn Neale

Babies and Toddlers drop in Cafe

This is an evolving group as last year’s babies are now toddlers and therefore more challenging. The parents are responsible for their children as this is not a pre-school group but an opportunity to drop in and meet other parents and children. Everyone is very appreciative of what we do and are sad when they have to leave us to return to work. We use chairs to block access to the altar and Lady Chapel - this is not full proof but does act as a deterrent. Rev Alison is a wonderful support and is able to help most weeks. My vision for this group would be to have a member of clergy or chaplain available all day. The health visitors have been grateful for our offer of prayer support.

Helpers are always welcome at both groups as we need servers for refreshments and listeners in conversations. Gradually more people are putting their names on the rotas. We are very grateful to James Bradnock for organising a team of helpers to move chairs and tables on Mondays and Wednesdays. It only takes 15 minutes but makes an enormous difference to our workload. Marilyn Neale

Tea@3

Tea, cake and conversation continued on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month in the Church Hall from March to our Christmas special on 1st December when 31 people enjoyed tea and carols led by John Young. Tea@3 started when we came out of Covid lockdown to encourage our Church family to renew friendships and enjoy each other’s company. It has continued to flourish. Also, we have visitors from the wider

community dropping in. Thanks to several regular helpers who enjoy baking, we are able to offer a variety of delicious cakes with tea or coffee in a warm room. New friendships have been made and ideas shared. At the end of the afternoon everyone joins in to clear, wash up and tidy the Hall! Judith Dufour

Reading Club

During 2022 we held a weekly reading club for children from St John’s School. This was regularly attended by three families, and the children involved benefited. It was decided at the end of the Christmas Term however to finish it, as the take up had not been as expected. The school run quite a lot of after school clubs which seem to fit in with parents’ plans better. It was appreciated while it lasted. Thanks goes to Kieven Yim, Richard Morse and Emma Peacock who gave their time to help. Christine Winhall

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Warm Spaces November – December

In response to the Government initiative, wwe provided a ‘Warm Space’ on a Friday Morning 10 – 12 offering a warm welcome to all who are struggling with energy bills this winter.

We have 12 volunteers who help regularly, there are always 3 on duty, ladies and men, so no one is ther alone.

We have ejoyed the privilege of talking to those who have come in and joined us. There are several regulars who we see most weeks/. We had a total of 20 join us on Fridays over November and December. We hope that we have been an encouragement to all who have joined us. Lois Webb

The Women’s refuge

All the items I take to the refuge are always greatly appreciated. Many of our church family give me items regularly (i.e. Jean Figg with knitted items for children) also the Inner Wheel of Wellington have collections for us. Unfortunately, people have been leaving items in the church or even on the doorstep which have not been up to standard and I spend a lot of time going through bags very carefully. What I always say is if you would not wear or use it, please don’t leave it. In future I will leave a list of items the ladies require with our donation box, which will obviously change with the seasons. Lenore Clarke

Foodbank

Unlike many other Foodbanks, especially in the north of England, although there has been roughly a 20% increase in the demand in Taunton this year, the Foodbank in Wellington has not experienced such an increase. However, there still is a need and every week between four or five and as many as thirty people are being fed through the Wellington branch.

Donations are once again being collected from Waitrose and the Co-Op, as well as from several of the churches in Wellington. If you wish to do so, please make a donation in the collecting box by the font in St John’s (preferably on a Sunday) or if you wish to make a money donation please give it to Sharon in the office (marked for the Wellington Foodbank) or to James Bradnock. And Thank You! James Bradnock

Bible reading notes

For many years members of St. John's have appreciated regular Bible Reading Notes.

The Bible Reading Fellowship (B.R.F.) and Crusade for World Revival (C.W.R.) both produce publications either bi-monthly or three times a year.

There is something for everyone including a large print version and a set of reflections for older people.

There may be new, or less new, members of St. John's who would like to know more and perhaps try something new. If you would like to see copies of what is available please see me.

Many thanks Tessa Bradnock

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Morning Prayer

The Divine Office or as it is more commonly known today Morning Prayer has been said in our church for many years at 8.30am each day for as long as I can remember. It was usually the responsibility of the Vicar to say prayers on behalf of his parishioners each day Morning and Evening. That for various reasons has not happened now for a number of years. A small group of us are continuing this obligation on behalf of the church. It is mainly said using the Zoom facility on our computers at home and a few join from church on a Tuesday, Wednesday and sometimes Thursday, and I say Evening Prayer on my own on behalf of the church at home each evening. If you would like to join us at any time you do not have to commit to every day, just give me a call on 01823 666101 and I can give you the Zoom link and any other information. Rev Ian Brierley

Open the Book update 2022

The Open the Book team have been busy this past year and have had the joy of visiting some new schools in the area. We have been back to Langford Budville which we know so well and continue to visit the IKB school which now has 3 year groups. They are both always very welcoming,

Our new schools are Beech Grove and Wellesley Park. We were a little taken aback when we found ourselves telling our stories to several hundred children, not our usual number in the “audience”. We look forward to visiting the younger children in St Johns School in 2023.

We had a wonderful time telling the story of Moses in the Bullrushes and after 4 “performances” we could probably have done it in our sleep. It was a privilege to share with the children and we had encouraging comments from the staff. We included a song for the children to join in with, and there were many ooohs and aaahs when we produced a guitar to accompany them.

As always I am grateful for the time, energy and skills of the team and hope that others might feel led to join us.

Jackie Buttrick

School Chaplain report

School in general

The pupil chaplains

Further details can be supplied on request and I would like to thank the church for continued funding of the project. Very much appreciated. Also, just to mention, they always need governors... Helena Power

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Bellringing Report for 2022

The bells at St. John’s continue to ring out regularly for Sunday services and special occasions thanks to the ongoing support of ringers from Wellington, Rockwell Green and Langford Budville. This merger was proposed following Covid after several ringers retired from ringing and has since proved highly successful. A brief summary of our past year is as follows:-

In April we took part in (and won!!) the Bath and Wells Diocese 6 bell Method Striking Competition which was held at Langford Budville. In June we rang a quarter peal at St. John’s to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nds Platinum Jubilee and sadly in September we rang to mark her passing. This was followed by ringing to celebrate the accession of King Charles the 3rd. We hosted two visiting bands - the Sidmouth ringers in November and more recently the ‘Raving Ringers’ who rang so expertly at our Sunday service on the 15th January 2023. We also hope to ring to mark His Majesties Coronation later this year.

The bells themselves and ancillary equipment are at present in good condition but we are looking this year to replace the handrail on the tower stairs and, possibly, redecorate the ringing chamber. David Grabham

Mwenda

The biggest achievement for our link parish Mwenda this past year has been the start of works to supply water to the Priest House and Church. During July 2022 a bore hole was sunk. Unfortunately there has been political change in Zambia and work on this project has stopped. Bishop Robert Mumbi has been in contact with the authorities and has been assured work will commence again as soon as possible. With ever increasing costs worldwide, extra funds will be required to complete the project. When this is completed it would be wonderful if a visit could be arranged to celebrate with the congregations the achievements of this link. We pray for their Priest Fr Chabala Mwansa, the congregations of Mwenda and the completion of this project. June Best

Tone Deanery report for 2022

Tone Deanery Synod met three times in 2022. On February 24th there was a discussion about churchyards and encouraging biodiversity within them. At this meeting the Archdeacon Simon Hill also spoke about where we were now in regard to the pandemic.

At the meeting on May 12th there was a presentation by Emma Brown, (Diocesan Church Buildings officer) about the future of our church buildings. This generated a lot of interest, questions and answers. There was also a report by Rev Helene Stainer on the leadership team report, who are concentrating on Deployment. The third meeting on October 19th went into more detail on the deployment options. There was a lot of discussion by people across the Deanery about which parishes would be able to work together. 2023 sees the start of a new triennium for the Deanery, so three new representatives are sought from St

Johns. Hopefully you can see from this report that it is not a lot of work to be a Deanery Synod rep, and some interesting topics are covered.

Ken Winhall

And finally

The reports above are from people who have taken leadership roles in our church, but there are many many others who do little jobs quietly in the background, so thank you to all. There is one person though who needs a special mention, our parish administrator Sharon Chorley. The work she does to keep things moving smoothly is very much appreciated and she has managed this despite all the difficulties caused by coming out of the pandemic and getting back to “normal”, so thank you Sharon. Sharon is also the safeguarding officer, and her report on this is below

Christine Winhall

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Annual Safeguarding Report 2022

Diocesan News

The Bath and Wells website has recently been updated with improved information and resources about safeguarding. There have also been some changes on the safeguarding team.

The manager, Ben Goodhind, has new contact details. He no longer uses his work mobile so please contact him via 01749 588917. He has an app so that this number will reach him wherever he is.

Another change is that out of hours cover this will now be provided by Thirty One Eight (an Independent Christian Safeguarding Organisation) via a dedicated call centre. This will cover 5pm to 12pm every week day evening, 7am to 12pm on the weekend and also bank holidays and Christmas. During these times, you are advised to contact the Safeguarding Helpline on 0303 003 1111 for emergency safeguarding queries. The Diocesan Safeguarding Office will then receive a report from them so that follow up advice and support can be offered to the caller. All of this information is included on a new safeguarding poster which is already displayed in church.

Leonie Jones at the Diocese is now the person to contact for any queries about safeguarding training or DBS checks. Her contact details are email Leonie.Jones2@bathwells.anglican.org or telephone 01749 588907.

Training Update

As many of you know, it is now a requirement for all PCC members to have completed C0 and C1 safeguarding training. Nearly all PCC members have completed both of these levels which is great. All Churchwardens should also complete the next level of training, the C2 course. Our present Churchwarden, Christine, is completely up to date with her training. The C2 course has not been available for some time due to covid and also staff shortages within the Diocesan Safeguarding Team but is now being offered on zoom or via in-person training at Flourish House. The page can be accessed on the Events & training page of the Bath and Wells Diocese website. Many of our volunteers who lead our activities in church also need to complete this training and they have been given the necessary information to proceed with this.

Safer Recruitment

This has been our main focus over the last year. Following advice from the Diocese, all volunteers helping with activities taking place in the church should be safely recruited. This means they should have a job role and person specification, fill out an application form and also be DBS checked if necessary and complete the necessary safeguarding training. We also need two references on file for each volunteer. This is still very much an ongoing task as it’s a huge job to complete but we are making good progress. I’ve recently learned that there will be an add-on to the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard which deals with safer recruitment. This will be a great help in making sure that we are doing the right things.

I am continuing to update the online Parish Dashboard which has proved invaluable in keeping our safeguarding up to date. We also have regular safeguarding meetings in order to discuss any updates and ongoing work.

Safeguarding continues to be an item on every PCC agenda where I’ll ask if anyone has any concerns about anyone or questions about safeguarding. This makes sure that we continually monitor our safeguarding situation. This is a huge part of caring for everyone who participates in our church, either as members of the congregation, visitors to church, people attending groups or volunteers who help us every day. Thank you to everyone for continuing to help make this possible.

As always if anyone has any questions or concerns, I’m here to help so please contact me.

Sharon Chorley Parish Safeguarding Officer stjohns.wellington@googlemail.com 01823 665254