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2022-12-31-accounts

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

ST JOHN’S MUXTON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2022

INTRODUCTION

This report is intended to explain how St John’s operates, our objectives and activities, our achievement and performance and our financial position. We hope that you find the information helpful.

1. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS

St John’s Church, Muxton

Correspondence address: Lesley Trotman, Church Office,

St John’s Church, Saltwells Drive, Muxton TF2 8RJ. Website www.stjohnsmuxton.org.uk Church Office: 01952 670033 Email: admin@stjohnsmuxton.org.uk

St John’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) had the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Revd Matthew Lefroy in promoting the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical matters within the ecclesiastical parish of Muxton. The PCC is responsible for the running and maintaining of the church building, namely, St John’s Church and Community Centre, Saltwells Drive, Muxton.

Members of the PCC are either ex-officio (Clergy, Churchwardens and Deanery Synod Representatives), elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting or co-opted in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. At the 2022 Annual Parochial Church Meeting held in April those listed below were appointed to serve as members of the PCC.

Incumbent : Matthew Lefroy

Curate : Vikki Day

Ordained Local Minister : Jane Evans Churchwardens : Andrew Hambler (+ Vacancy) Representatives on the Deanery Synod : Kerry Hoult (+ 2 Vacancies)

Elected Members: Jan Stackhouse, Dan West, Gill Steinert, Jon Rawson, Lesley Trotman (Secretary), Simon Hartridge (Treasurer) and James Tagg (Vice Chair)

Banker : CAF Bank

Auditor : Lynne Clifford at Clifford & Co

2. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

PCC Constitution: The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission, number 1162098. In 2012 we became a covenanted parish agreed with Bishop Mark of Shrewsbury (certificate hanging by kitchen door).

PCC Members: PCC members are elected by the congregation. We have twelve elected PCC posts. Four become vacant each year. On election the post lasts for three years. Those elected to deanery synod are also eligible to sit on PCC as are wardens and clergy.

Induction and training of PCC members: At the first PCC meeting the PCC shares Holy Communion and all members are given a summary of how the PCCs work and there is an opportunity for questions. PCC members are invited to attend any relevant diocesan training. Subcommittees and working parties: The PCC has a sub-committee to help with the day to day running of St John’s which is the Standing Committee. This is the only committee required by law. It has the power to transact the business of PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. It is comprised of the vicar, vice chair, wardens, Secretary and treasurer.

We also have working parties which are decided in consultation with the vicar: Working parties include the Building Management Team, Evangelism, World Church & Justice, Pastoral, Personnel and Safeguarding.

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

We take seriously the safeguarding of children young adults and vulnerable people in our care. The PCCs will take all reasonable care to ensure the safety of the children, young people and vulnerable adults of St John’s & St Michael’s Churches for whom they bear responsibility. We recognise that children by virtue of legal status and dependency on adults for their emotional and physical needs will always be vulnerable and at a disadvantage. We also understand that illness, disability, race, mental health and other issues can put adults in a position of vulnerability. We commit to considering these things in our activities – undertaking supervision of staff working with them and risk assessing activities and groups as a check and balance in our work.

Risk Management – is done by Building Management.

3. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

OUR VISION

WE WANT TO BE PASSIONATE FOR GOD BY…

Visibly developing trust in Jesus

We will offer explicit opportunities for people to reflect regularly on their journey of faith and then challenge and support them to progress to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ .

Readily taking risks

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

We will always be ready to share our faith with others and to be in those situations where the Holy Spirit would want us to be.

Generously serving our community

We will actively engage with our local community to provide Christian support where needed and help to develop community spirit.

Unashamedly praying

We will live lives that demonstrate the importance we place on praying alone and together and we will be ready to pray for and with people who are and who are not part of our church.

4. ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

During the year, six scheduled meetings of the PCC were held,

The main items that the PCC have looked at during the year have been:- update of polices, Jubilee, Weekend away, 25[th] Anniversary in 2023, New porch doors and heating system and various Finances – Fees/Wages/Budget/Approval of financial accounts/Parish share.

ENERGISED BY FAITH AND GOD-INSPIRED AND INSPIRING WORSHIP

We continued to offer our services online, live streaming via YouTube for both St John’s and St Michael’s members to join in.

Sermon series included ‘Going Deeper & Further’, ‘Why bother with Church?’ ‘Conversions in the Bible’, ‘The Life of the local Church’ and ‘Hope in Advent’. Thursday Morning Prayer at 7:30am continues to take place via zoom where attendance is good. In addition we have a time of Bible reading and prayer weekday mornings at 9am also via zoom. All welcome to both.

OUTWARD LOOKING

OCCASIONAL OFFICES

Baptisms/Thanksgivings: We were able to offer Baptism and Thanksgiving services during 2022. We had 2 Baptisms and no Thanksgivings during the year.

Weddings: No weddings took place at St John’s in 2022.

Funerals: Our pre-funeral pack with information on hymns, readings and tributes etc is available if required and we are grateful to the bereavement team who continue to support those who have recently had a relative pass away. This as with all occasional office ministries occurs across the benefice. 2 Funeral services were held within church during 2022 and 6 were held at Telford Crematorium. 82 adults and 1 under 16 attended the joint annual Memorial Service held at St Michael’s in March.

EVANGELISM Aims and objectives of the Evangelism Team:

The EVANGELISM sub group is made up a group of people who meet every 6 weeks to discern what God wants to do through St John’s in order to outreach and share the Gospel. In addition to arranging events we take time to pray and reflect on where we should be going next. During the year we have met on 6 occasions.

In February we launched our own process evangelism series, SoulSpeak . The aim was to develop a course that preceded Alpha as an introduction to Christianity through a number of topics that we feel people are wanting answers to and stimulate a curiosity about the answers the Christian faith may offer. 27 people in total attended at least one session with the breakdown as follows:

Feedback forms indicated the series had been well received and people left wanting more!

We have produced and delivered 3 editions of our local newspaper The Word around Muxton . This is a low level evangelism initiative delivered to every household in Muxton. Our aim for the paper to provide local interest and information, whilst sharing Good News, we feel has been achieved; the challenge will be to maintain sufficient material to produce stories and news of interest to the community.

We have continued to deliver 3 healing services throughout the year. Whilst numbers of those attending continue to be quite low it is always felt that those who have attended have benefited. It would be good to see our church family extend invites to friends and family as there is no doubt that there is always a need.

Easte r again offered us an opportunity to be more visual in our community in the following ways:

A second production by the choir, Songs from the musicals , was held in September and was well attended and enjoyed. The choir has offered

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and enjoy singing and friendship. In February we started our book club, A Novel Idea, which meets once a month. There is a good mix of church family and those from the community or further afield. This is proving to be very much valued by those who come along and relationships are being established. In July we hosted celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee which provided a visual presence in the community as people gathered for fun, refreshments and fellowship and in December we live screened the World Cup which attracted a number of people from the community – especially young people. Christmas again offered opportunities to engage with the community. In November we held a Christmas Fayre and in December we sang carols in the community, hosted a Carols and Candles evening and for our youngsters had the much loved ‘ Crib’stingle.

Many of the activities we have been involved in this year are what we would call ‘low level evangelism’ and provide opportunities to be visible in the community and also to develop relationships with people. Already we have seen people become more involved with the church family as a result; this is especially noticeable through the community choir. However we do strive to see what God wants of us in this area of ministry and in May we explored some material called Living His Story where we reflected on how this may help us outreach more effectively. This is a work in progress!

Plans for the coming year

Let us also remember all the groups and activities that are crucial to the outreach of the gospel in our community. Please pray for these groups and especially for their leaders as they discern what God wants of each them.

Please continue to support this area of our ministry and anyone who feels they would like to join the Evangelism team please contact Jan Stackhouse 01952 604775 or janicestackhouse@btinternet.com

COMMUNITY

The Men’s Breakfasts began again in 2022 after being unable to meet in 2021 due to covid restrictions, continuing to meet the second Saturday of the month at The White House Hotel, Muxton. In 2022 Join us 4 a Cuppa! took place on the third Friday of the month, where up to 40 people enjoy a cup of coffee/tea, homemade cake and refreshments such as pancakes, soup or afternoon tea according to the theme. People very generously supported our various charities including Ukraine, Books for Parkinsons, Tickled Pink and CAP hampers at a Turkey & Tinsel themed coffee morning. When the Explorer Scouts asked for help with a trip to Iceland they provided the cakes! Several people have been to other church events as well, and we like to think we provide warmth and friendship at our Friday mornings in Church. Forget me not films have just completed another happy year of meeting once a month on the 3rd Thursday morning to enjoy a time of fun, fellowship, food and films! We now start the film at the slightly earlier time of 9.30am (arriving any time after 9.15am) and have a break half way through the film to enjoy chatting with others. If you enjoy good films, good company and plenty of tea/coffee and cake, then please think about coming to join us. All are welcome. Lunch Club had an unsettled start to the year not being able to meet in January, managing February but not March and April but things improved from May onwards with approx. 50 people enjoying each other’s company with lovely food. Thanks to all Lunch Club members for their continued support and to the fabulous team of helpers/organisers. We look forward to a more settled 2023 especially as we will be celebrating our 25[th] Anniversary.

Tiny Tots Club is open every Tuesday in term time from 10am to 11.30am. We welcome children aged up to the age of 4 with their parent/carer. We have a very varied group of people attending, childminders, Dad’s, Mum’s and Grandparents, some of the children have been attending from as young as 4 weeks old. We vary the sessions each week, rotating toys and offering a craft activity, finishing with singing nursery rhymes, a bible story and final prayer – before drinks and biscuits for the children and adults. The group is advertised through church magazines etc, however word of mouth and recommendation has led to large numbers of 20+ families, and the need to start a waiting list! We are blessed to

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

have a team of 9 volunteers, who we could not run the group without.

Community Litter Pick (monthly)

This initiative is arranged to coincide with “Join us 4 a cuppa” event but sadly very few people help since the break during COVID. It is a simple way of showing our love and care for our community, we usually meet just before 10am at St John’s to get kitted out with equipment supplied by Telford Street Champion project; gloves, gripper tool, bin bag holders and fluorescent tabards. We then go around the streets and parks of Muxton collecting litter that blights the environment. This not only benefits our community but gives us an opportunity to chat with members of the community as we get some fresh air and exercise. We usually fill a bin bag with litter then go back to Church, wash up, have a free coffee for our exertions and continue with our chats whilst indulging in lovely toasted sandwiches or similar.

CAP (Christians against Poverty) DEBT

CENRE We at St John’s continue to be one of the partnership churches that oversee the Debt Centre. In 2022 Linda Stone took over from Gill Carley as West Midlands Area Manager. We continued to support people in Telford suffering from unmanageable debt and giving us the opportunity to talk to clients about our faith and pray with them during their journey to debt resolution. We had 43 clients by 31 December and 12 people became debt free during the year. Once more we had several social events for clients and generous members of St John’s joined other churches in providing Christmas hampers to all our clients.

The year began in the hope that the issues presented by Covid 19 were behind us. The return of face-to-face meetings with clients was welcome. These are much more satisfactory and effective when engaging with clients and sharing God’s love. However new challenges presented themselves not least of which is the financial crisis. Mental health issues are particularly evident in many of our clients and it has been a difficult year for Jane, Marcelle and Lizzie (our three Debt coaches) with client cases becoming ever more complex and a reducing number of volunteers supporting them.

The team of volunteers/befrienders (several of whom are members of St John’s and St Michael’s) fill a critical role in supporting clients through, at times, a long journey and this support is an integral (and rewarding) part of our service to our clients. We would like members of St John’s to consider if they could become a volunteer helping vulnerable people in Telford. The role is varied and volunteers can offer help in a variety of different ways. Could this be something God is calling you to do?

Two fundraising events were held this year but our financial position is in need of strengthening. We pay £850.00 per month to CAP HQ who provides the professional debt management services and

two staff members are salaried. We are so grateful to regular contributors to the Centre (some of whom are members of St John’s). These monthly donations are key to the stability of the finances of the Debt Centre. We are committed to follow God’s call and to continue to support these vulnerable people in our community especially during the current cost of living crisis which is having a significant impact on those already in debt. We have had to dip into our reserve funds for yet another year. Is this something you could help with? Just a small regular donation every month would help the finances of this vital service. Donations can be made via our account: P C C All Saints Code: 30-99-27 Account Number: 00006531 Ref; CAP followed by your surname. This is a dedicated account for the Debt Centre. Your prayer support for the Centre as a whole, for our clients and for staff and volunteers is very much appreciated. A full CAP Debt Centre annual report is available, on request, from Vicky. Latest news: Many of you will know that Jane Preston who set up and managed the Debt Centre in 2015 has resigned (at the beginning of 2023). We are tremendously grateful for all her hard work, overseeing the Debt Centre for so many years and ensuring, once again, that it has performed well above the national CAP Debt Centre average in the UK. As this report is being written, we are shortlisting candidates to take over from Jane. Speak to Matthew or Vicky for up to date news on this front!

Street Pastors are trained Christian volunteers from local churches supporting the night time economy in their local communities, providing teams of men and women to go out in the evenings to offer support by ‘caring, listening and helping’.

The Telford Street Pastors patrolled through 2022 on two out of every three Saturday evenings, and from 10pm - 4am the following morning, moving between Telford Centre, Wellington and Newport depending upon where the need was greatest. During 2022 the usual practice was to spend the first half of the evening at Southwater in Telford centre, as this has become increasingly popular, especially at “Albert’s Shed”. During the second half of the evening the need has been focussed on “PussyCats” nightclub in Wellington but the numbers attending do seem to be declining, and very recently we have been visiting Newport as well.

Both St John’s and St Michaels have actively supported this ministry for a number of years by providing both Street and previously Prayer Pastors, and during 2022 have had 5 active Street Pastors being Simon, Teresa, Gill, Justin and Chris. In addition, the church supports this venture financially and by Matthew being part of the organising committee.

The teams’ role is to help and support those people out in the evenings, helping them get home safely, caring for them when necessary or

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

simply providing a listening ear when they need someone to talk to. We also support the homeless, providing necessities, such as washing kits and sleeping bags, as well as working with our accommodation partners to arrange night shelter at short notice, depending on availability. Our presence continues to be highly valued by the vast majority of those out in the evenings, as well as our partners such as the local authority, police, ambulance and door staff. The Street Pastors are ably supported by a small but dedicated team of Prayer Pastors who pray for the team and any issues they face whilst they are out, and they are an incredibly important part of our team and mission. During the course of 2022 we ran a training course for new Street Pastors, and from this we recruited 3 new Street Pastors, which provided some much needed resilience to the current two teams, but we still don’t have the numbers to field a 3[rd] team, which would mean we could go out every week. We are therefore still looking to recruit more Street and Prayer Pastors, with a further recruitment campaign and training course planned for Q2 2023. Please see Simon T or any of the other Street Pastors should you want to find out more about this challenging but very rewarding ministry, as either a Street Pastor or Prayer Pastor, as we are keen to be able to extend our mission so that one of our teams can go out and show Jesus’ love for our community every week. We encourage those who are interested (or who simply want to know more about Street Pastoring) to join us to observe a patrol, as this provides a real insight into how the ministry works, and whether it may be something you may like to be involved in – once again ask any of the Street Pastors for details.

WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA Our website is

managed by UKchurches and is smartphone and tablet friendly. The St John’s and St Michael’s parts of the site are more integrated than on our previous website. Any comments on the website would be welcome. Please contact Dan with any feedback. Our Facebook accounts are looked after by Lisa, another way in which we communicate with the local community.

WORLD CHURCH & JUSTICE

The WCJ group includes representatives from both churches with the majority of activities being jointly organised and held in both churches. The joint group membership comprises of six members; two from St Michael’s; three from St John’s; and the Tearfund Representative for both churches. The group met on two occasions.

Mission Profile

CARE, a mission supported by St Michael’s, was selected as the main mission to be profiled in 2022 but the speaker had to be moved to early 2023.

Mission of the Year 2022

Educacion Plus which provides a variety of educational activities for youngsters in shanty

towns in Costa Rica was the chosen mission and Keith and Joy Holder gave a presentation of its’ work at St John’s on 29th May 2022.

Other WCJ activities

• Fairtrade Fortnight 2022 (21 February - 6 March) - This was profiled by holding a coffee morning at St John’s and combined with a CAP Pancake Fundraising event using Fairtrade ingredients. Church services during the Fortnight included the showing of a Fairtrade video and Fairtrade prayers.

• World Prayer Topics in Weekly Notices - These continued to appear on a two monthly basis (approx) and were aimed to help and encourage our congregations focus their private prayers on current world crises, emergencies and disasters.

Mission Giving

The 12% of income that St. John’s donates to support mission projects locally (2.5%), at home (3%) and overseas (6.5%) were donated as follows;

In addition to the above a separate appeal was made for Ukraine realising £958.77 which was split equally between Kreativity and Tearfund, a member the DEC. (This does not include those members of the congregation who chose to donate directly on-line)

The St John’s WCJ group members for 2022 were Di, Sandra, David (Chair) and Vicky, Tearfund Representative.

YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY Children’s groups comprise of:

LIGHT (our crèche for preschool

children) Provision was made for parents and carers to sit in the Acorn Room and watch a live link of the service if they wished. We do not have volunteers to staff this group at the moment.

SAS (for children aged 5 to 10) – We have been blessed by an increase in the number of children in this age group attending church. When they run in school term time, SAS sessions attract anywhere between 3 and 10 children. We are

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

grateful for the volunteers who lead and support these sessions and particularly Katharine who has taken on the organisation of the rota. We would love to welcome more leaders or helpers so please speak to Matthew, Katharine, Vikki or Lesley if you would like to consider this.

Our Summer Activity Days returned enjoying 3days with approx 60 children attending. St John’s was transformed into this year’s theme ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with games, crafts and lots of energy and fun.

Looking ahead

As always we rely on the teams to carry out the work week in week out and we would just like to thank everyone who has helped in anyway. Sadly our leadership has reduced considerably and we ask that you consider whether Children’s work is a ministry you would like to be part of. Please speak to Matthew or Lesley if you are interested. Young People’s groups:

Spark runs on Sunday mornings during the service, led by Andrew and Kathy. Since September, to comply with safeguarding, many members of the congregation have joined as helpers. Many thanks to everyone who has volunteered, without you Spark couldn't run. On average, we have around 5 young people each week.

sub:Zero and sub:Extra continue to be popular, and in September we were able to increase to fortnightly instead of monthly. Once a month we are able to have some good discussions about faith and beliefs, while we eat donuts or cakes in the lounge area. We also give a short talk, and food, at the end of each term. We relaunched the 'film-fest', which was good fun but tiring as always!

At the beginning of the year, some of our young people were still attending FROGS. However, towards the end of the year they chose to attend Telford Minster Youth instead as it's more local. Many of our young people enjoyed helping out at the Activity Days in the summer, as pastoral or activity helpers. Some of our young people are booked into 'Contagious' youth camp in the summer.

SAFEGUARDING The children, young people’s and vulnerable adults’ work is undertaken within agreed policy statements together with an e- safety policy ratified by PCC. This has been devised along guidelines recommended by the Lichfield Diocese. The policy statements, ratified by the PCC, are displayed on the notice board by the office and on the church website. In 2022 the Safeguarding Officer was Jan Stackhouse & the Deputy Safeguarding Officer was James Tagg. A sub-committee made up of members from St John’s and St Michael’s, along with the PCC, review the detail and practice of the policies for the Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Everyone involved in ministry with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults are

required to undertake training relevant to their position. DBS clearance is required for many of these roles. DBS requirements and training records for all staff, both paid and voluntary are reviewed and lapses reported to the PCC. For the period January- December 2022

· There were no incidents that required a referral to Social Care

· There were 3 Cause for Concern reports filed – which were examined and satisfactorily dealt with using St John's and St Michael's Safeguarding procedures. Lichfield Safeguarding team was consulted on one occasion

LOVING RELATIONSHIPS WELCOME AND CONNECTIONS TEAM

We have much to be thankful for as we see St John's growing.

St John's Pastoral Team: The team headed by Julie Shelley meet on a regular basis to ensure all members of our church are cared for. During our meeting, time is spent going through the Church Directory/Pastoral list to ensure everyone is supported. Barbara gently asks newcomers who have been coming to St John's for a while if they would like to join the Church Directory/Pastoral list. It is important that there is no pressure to share their details.

Both Lunchclub and Join Us play a vital role as they welcome and befriend members of our church and also members of our community. It is rewarding to see new friendships form between those who serve and those who come along. Our youth groups offer many and varied opportunities for young people and are our hope for the future. A big thank you to Anne with help from Julie and Nigel who have given so much of themselves to form the Community Choir, which has welcomed and brought several new people to St John's.

Close friendships have formed between members of St John's and those from the community who have joined the choir.

Some members from Lunch Club, Join Us and the choir have also become regular visitors to our Sunday services. Many have commented on how welcoming and friendly they have found St John's. Tots is going from strength to strength with a waiting list to join the group. Our House Groups are thriving, offering support to each other as well as studying many and varying subjects within scripture.

Jan Stackhouse and House Group leaders meet to review membership and also discuss the possibility of inviting new members of St John's to join one of the groups.

Welcoming and Connecting is developing as members of our church befriend and care for each other.

Psalm 136: 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Amen

The Pastoral group consists of Matthew Lefroy (Vicar) Vikki Day (Curate & Bereavement coordinator), Julie (Pastoral coordinator), Barbara

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

(Welcome and Nurture), Moira, Jane, Terry and Martie. The pastoral team met regularly throughout the year continuously looking at the pastoral list to identify those in our congregation that may need extra support. Julie continued to send cards out regularly, flowers and also phone calls. Housegroups also support our church family. A welcome tea for new members of the congregation and training is also planned for the team.

SMALL MID WEEK GROUPS continue to be essential to the life of St John’s and St Michael’s and those that attend find them integral to their daily life offering the opportunity to pray and grow in faith together.

Currently we have 7 groups in Muxton and 1 in Lilleshall that meet either during the day or evening; membership to the groups is not dependant on which church people attend and there is a healthy and valuable cross over between the 2 churches and the groups they attend. At the end of the year the number of people attending all groups was 89, some of these include membership of more than 1 group. The actual number of members of the church family who are members of a group is 81. Each group has its own unique style but all are soundly based in sharing our love of Jesus, learning and deepening our faith and praying for each other’s needs. We use material best suited to our groups and on occasions will follow a common theme or material that has been suggested to meet the needs of the whole church family.

Since Covid, whilst most groups primarily meet physically, zoom is sometimes used as a valuable option when either people have been unwell, or the weather has been inclement.

Group Leaders have met together on 3 occasions during the year to offer each other support, pray, and share ideas and material.

Please pray for these groups and especially the leaders who work hard preparing, leading, encouraging and supporting their members. Should anyone like to join a mid week small group please contact either Jan Stackhouse or Matthew for more information.

SIDESPERSONS

This is our current Sidespersons list. The sidespeople arrive at church for 10.30am to greet our congregation with a smile and hello and to hand out service sheets/notices. Thank you to all who help. Please speak to Lesley if you would like to help.

----- Start of picture text -----
Dom & Martie Ann L
Stan & Susan Alisdair
Vicky Colin & Judith
Christine John & Wendy
John & Moira Pete & Julie
Andrew & Katharine Terry & Jan
----- End of picture text -----

Simon & Julie Simon & Lesley Steve & Heather David & Sue

CHURCH ATTENDANCE, ELECTORAL ROLL FIGURES AND OTHER STATISTICS

Electoral Roll: At the 2022 revision the number of names on the roll was 92. After preparation of the Roll prior to today the total stands at 88. We have 48 women and 40 men on the Electoral Roll of which 26 are nonresident, 4 from Lilleshall parish which leaves 58 people live in the parish of Muxton. General Attendance: Our attendance this year is different again. After an unsettled 2020/2021 we are beginning to get back to normal. We continue to offer a mix of ‘in person’ and live streaming of our 11am service via YouTube. Our average ‘in person’ attendance during 2022 averaged 54 adults with approx. 6 watching on YouTube.

----- Start of picture text -----
20 20 202 20 20 20 20
STATISTICS
23 22 1 20 19 18 17
Average Oct
Adult 54 79 75 72
See 72
Attendance:
abov
Average e
Child 10 - 15 17 16
Attendance:
Adult + child Oct
64 94 92 88
attendance 72
Easter Day
Communica 78 9 - 122 78 80
nts:
Christmas
Eve/Day 107 40 76 62 70 113
Communica
nts:
Electoral 88 92 96 87
95 104 107
Roll
Baptisms
(aged 0-13 1 1 0 4 1 5
years):
Baptisms
(aged 13 1 0 0 0 3 1
and above):
Thanksgivin 0 0 0 2 1 0
gs
Marriages: 0 0 0 0 0 0
Funeral
service in 2 0 0 2 1 1
church:
Funeral
service at
6 15 10 6 6 5
crematoriu
m:
Total 15
8 10 8 7 6
funerals
5
Confirmatio 0 0 0 3 0 (+2
ns:
)
----- End of picture text -----

THE DEANERY SYNOD OF EDGMOND AND

SHIFNAL Encompasses both St John’s and St Michael’s churches; with 2 vacancies from St John’s.

There were three meetings in the calendar year 2022, held at Lilleshall, Shifnal and Albrighton. In response to the Diocesan-wide “Shaping for Mission” initiative this deanery was looking at our

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

area in two parts based on Newport and Shifnal/Albrighton. Parishes are being encouraged to look for opportunities to share functions to reduce administration and increase efficiency. Speakers this year included Rev Chris Densham, Ecumenical Missioner Enabler for Shropshire and Telford who spoke about recovering from the pandemic and Rev Zoe Hemming who spoke on “Enabling all.”

At each meeting there was an opportunity to get to know a member of the synod through an interview and we even had a quiz to help synod members become more familiar with this diverse deanery. We also heard news about new initiatives in each of our parishes: among many others, these included a Men’s outreach ministry in Albrighton, warm spaces in Albrighton, Shifnal and Lilleshall, a home written seeker’s course “SoulSpeak” at Muxton and a new toddler group at Edgmond.

Being a member of deanery synod is a great way to get to know others from our partner churches in the local area. There will be elections for membership in the spring.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

2022 has been a challenging year for the church finances as the country and therefore church, returned to some sort of normality. 2021 had had a devastating effect on the Building Management funds with a severely reduced income from hall hire during the pandemic. With the increase in the cost of energy it could be seen that income from hall rental would no longer cover the wages of the caretaker, building maintenance and utility bills as had always been the case and therefore the BM Fund would not be able to run independently. The PCC funds started relatively healthy as planned giving had remained the same through 2021 with little major expenditure during the pandemic.

A deficit budget of £10,000 was set, which has been about normal over recent years, but this did not include the cost of new porch doors, a project that was being worked on by the Building Management team. Early in the year it became apparent that the boiler would also need to be replaced. These works were completed in the autumn of 2022 at a total cost of £31,600. The BM Deposit fund of £6,000 was used up with the balance coming from the PCC Funds, without drawing on its reserves. However, it meant that by the end of the year unrestricted PCC funds had reduced to £6,200 with Building Management at £2,050. Increasing energy costs (forecast to be £9,000 compared to recent years of £2,500£3,500) mean that the separate BM account will be closed and all funds run from a single bank account.

The PCC continued to pay its reduced Common Fund (formerly Parish Share) in full, the wages of two staff as well as all the other regular costs of running the church such as office costs, clergy expenses, copyright fees, outreach through various events and the newspaper. The return of

the Activity Days was self-funding and did not need to draw on the £1,000 set aside in the budget. A successful Weekend Away in June had little impact on church funds, as the Restricted Youth Fund was used to cover the cost of all the children and youth attending. This fund now stands at £11,788

Income during 2022 was £97,646 with expenditure of £126,019. Overall funds reduced from £68,146 to £39,774 (£19,614 in deposit account and the £11,788 of reserved youth funds).

2023 will be a challenge financially; covering the basic costs of the Common Fund, wages, utilities and insurance is estimated to be around £66,000 without taking into account some major repairs that have been highlighted in the Quinquennial report.

I would like to thank all of you who give regularly to the church but to consider if you are able to offer more, not just financially but of your time in order to continue God’s work in Muxton and the surrounding area.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have given so generously to the church during 2022.

The FABRIC & ORNAMENTS of our church are in good order and the Church Warden(s) has (have) very little responsibility for ensuring that this continues, due to the PCC Sub-Committee Building Management Team. A Log Book listing details of work carried out on the building is set up and constantly updated by Building Management. An Inventory of church items, including the silver and moveable furniture is also noted. Photographs of all items are included and the silver weighed and hallmarks recorded for insurance purposes. These are both diocesan requirements.

The Building Management Team ensures that our church is maintained at the highest level at all times, is a safe, warm and welcoming place for all.

During 2022 the following was carried out:

As the church slowly returned to pre-pandemic times and opened up to hirers again, BMT ensured that the building was safe and adhered to the Church of England and Government guidelines at all times.

BMT focused on two main projects during 2022 – new porch doors and replacement boilers.

In addition, the Quinquennial was carried out and recommended a number of issues that should be addressed within the next two years.

St John’s Muxton: The community of Christ in Muxton, rooted in the scriptures, for all people

The BMT intend to revarnish the exterior of the church themselves over the spring period. The repointing will be completed and the soffits replaced in due course.

The redecoration of the inside of the church and the floor in the worship area will cost considerably more and will remain on the waiting list until funds are available.

The five-year electrical test was carried out and has shown there to be a problem with the ring main to the worship area and kitchen. Initial investigations are underway to ascertain whether it can be repaired.

The BMT dealt with several leaks during the year – thanks are due mainly to Simon, Les, and Steve for the repairs and mopping that was done during these occasions with added help from church hirers.

The Building Management Team is Lesley, Steve, Nigel, Simon H, Tony (until November 2022) and Gill.

CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR AND PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE VICAR Lesley Trotman continues to work as our valued Church Administrator and St John’s Building Manager and we are grateful for all that she does throughout the year.

Matthew Lefroy (Chairman) 2[nd] April 2023 On behalf of St John’s PCC

St John's Church, Muxton

Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2022

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

RECEIPTS Voluntary Receipts Receipts from donors Planned giving Plate Collections Income tax recovered Other voluntary receipts Grants CAP H (monies transferred in 2021)

Hire of Hall

Receipts from Church Activities (Magazine, Evangelism, Youth) Children Youth Sub Extra Investment Income - CBF Deposit Fund From St Michaels for Shared Costs (Wages, Office, Copier, Phone etc)

Other Income Restricted Mission Giving Activity Days Weekend Away Total Receipts

Unrestricted
General
Fund
£
47,753.58
650.91
10,077.43
6,200.86
950.00
65,632.78
2,618.39
989.94
256.30
7,927.32
1,892.02
5,300.00
84,616.75		 Designated
Building
Management
£
11,588.44
46.29
54.85
11,689.58		 Restricted
Funds
£
1,103.77
334.95
1,438.72		 Restricted
Youth
£		 Restricted
Youth
£		 Total
2022
£
47,753.58
650.91
10,077.43
6,200.86
950.00
65,632.78
11,588.44
2,618.39
989.94
302.59
7,927.32
1,946.87
1,103.77
334.95
5,300.00
97,745.05		 Total
2021
£
47,753.58 £49,283
650.91 £415
10,077.43 £10,398
6,200.86 £6,108
950.00 £4,418
£2,080
65,632.78 £72,703
11,588.44 11,588.44 £4,647
2,618.39 2,618.39 £969
989.94 989.94 £318
256.30 46.29 302.59 £16
7,927.32 7,927.32 £8,020
1,892.02 54.85 1,946.87 £2,581
1,103.77 1,103.77
334.95 334.95 £300
5,300.00 5,300.00
84,616.75 11,689.58 1,438.72 97,745.05 £89,554

PAYMENTS

Church Activities Common Fund Outward Mission Giving (12% Mission and other charitable giving) Church Activities Evangelism, Publicity, Tots Activity Days Youth & Children (inc Sub Zero) Housegroup & small teams SML Magazine share Resouces, CCLI Licence and misc. AV, Music Other Payments - Insurance, bank charges, accountant fees Office costs inc phone Photocopier rental and printing Wages Utilities Maintenance & cleaning Clergy Fees

33,894.00 33,894.00 £35,866
8,213.87 1,103.77 9,317.64 £8,709
2,653.20 2,653.20 £1,674
444.42 444.42
1,282.34 1,282.34 £556
368.16 368.16 £220
250.20 250.20 £207
2,305.53 2,305.53 £1,764
1,091.03 1,091.03 £3,581
1,504.89 81.00 1,585.89 £1,582
1,105.75 1,105.75 £1,026
2,438.37 2,438.37 £2,658
13,256.01 5,786.70 19,042.71 £19,577
3,767.70 3,767.70 £2,201
3,998.24 3,998.24 £4,373
1,125.95 1,125.95 £390

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

Other Weekend Away 22 Weekend Away 23 Total Payments

Transfer between funds Excess of Receipts over Payments

Bank current and deposit accounts 1st January 2022 Bank current and deposit accounts 31st December 2022 Change in Reserves STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Cash Funds

Bank current account CBF deposit account

RESTRICTED FUNDS

Restricted Youth Fund Activity Days TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS

ASSETS

Porch Doors Boiler Camcorder Lenovo tablets (4)

Total

Unrestricted
General
Fund
£
32,013.53
5,250.67
1,410.00
108,163.50
3,260.00
-20,286.75
46,129.76
25,843.01
-20,286.75
Unrestricted
£
£6,242.83
£19,742.18
£25,985.01
Starting
Balance
£
13,500.21
300.00
13,800.21		 Designated
Building
Management
£
962.10
14,595.74
-3,260.00
-6,166.16
8,216.73
2,050.57
-6,166.16
Designated
£
£2,050.57
£2,050.57
Income
£
334.95
334.95		 Restricted
Funds
£
1,548.19
-109.47
300.00
190.53
-109.47
Restricted
£		 Restricted
Funds
£
1,548.19
-109.47
300.00
190.53
-109.47
Restricted
£		 Restricted
Youth
£
1,711.67
1,711.67
-1,711.67
13,500.21		 Restricted
Youth
£
1,711.67
1,711.67
-1,711.67
13,500.21		 Total
2022
£
32,975.63
6,962.34
1,410.00
126,019.10
-28,274.05
68,146.70
39,872.65
-28,274.05
Total
£
£20,272.47
£19,742.18
£40,014.65
Total
2022
£
16,719.60
14,888.30
199.00
396.00
32,202.90		 Total
2021
£
£4,257
£88,640
£914
13,500.21 68,146.70 £67,233
11,788.54 39,872.65 £68,147
-1,711.67 -28,274.05 £914
Total
£
£190.53 £11,788.54 £20,272.47 £42,568
£19,742.18 £25,578
£190.53 £11,788.54 £40,014.65 £68,147
Total
2021
£