2025-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of St John the Evangelist, Burgess Hill THE ANNUAL REPORT and ACCOUNTS

2025

Aims & Purposes

The Parochial Church Council of St John the Evangelist, Burgess Hill (the PCC) has as its primary objective the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent, Fr David Charles, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

We aim to know Jesus better – and make Him better known.

Objectives and Activities Fr David Charles, on behalf of the PCC

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. When planning our activities for the year, the Incumbent and the PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on ‘charities for the advancement of religion’. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Thank you so much for a wonderful journey through Holy Week and Easter (Parishioner).

Attendance over 2025 has been positive, increasing and encouraging. We are seeing steady but continuous growth, which is well worth celebrating. This doesn’t happen, however, without the stalwart hard work of those who so often strive diligently behind the scenes

– so an opportunity for us as a church, as we reflect on the past year, to give thanks for all of that effort that we too frequently take for granted.

Near the start of the year, it was a pleasure and privilege to be able to welcome Hugh Morris (Director and International Director of the RSCM) to give a fantastic organ recital for us – the climax of our celebrations as we gave thanks for our fully refurbished organ. In October, we hosted an RSCM ‘Come & Sing Day’ – well-attended (over 50 singers), and also wellsupported.

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We have also been delighted to host the ecumenical service in commemoration of Memorial Day – this will now be a yearly fixture. additionally played our full part in the VE Day anniversary celebrations – not only through our awaited cake-stall in the park, but also with the unmistakeable sound of the bells, which rang out town.

Holocaust We eagerly across the

Having transferred the Patronal to May 4[th] (the Feast of S. John the Evangelist on 27[th] December never works out well for anyone!), it was a real joy to have Bishop Nichols Reade with us to celebrate Mass for that Festival. A few days later, Bishop Will confirmed 16 of our confirmands at Hurst.

Here, the introduction of the Healing Ministry been the year, In the Cathedral explore

on the 3[rd] Sunday of the month appears to have particularly well received. At Advent Carols, later in it was a blessing that Bishop Ruth could be with us. autumn, a good number of us went to Chichester for a guided tour, a shared lunch, and a chance to that great church and the town.

Thank you for letting us come to visit – I loved the organ pipes and liked ringing the bells” (Woodland Meed).

We have many extra special services throughout the church’s year, and other events to celebrate our fellowship as well. We have been blessed to welcome several school visits, the opportunity to host school Carol Services, and this year (for the first time) the town’s Girl Guides’ Service – when the

church was full. The Vicar continues to visit the local schools – including the taking of RE lessons –

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also appointed Chaplain to the Air Cadets, alongside ongoing responsibilities as Bishops’ Liturgical Chaplain.

Deacon Stephen hosted a Lent course for us, where the attendance was in double figures; the Walsingham Pilgrimage attracted around 30 people to come, Dcn Stephen continues to look after three nursing homes in our parish.

We held our set series of services for Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. There has been a steady and encouraging trend of seeing more younger people, and especially those from uniformed organisations, coming to these commemorations – and (maybe paradoxically) as the years advance, so does the attendance. This year, our services were covered by the BBC.

The frequency, popularity, and regularity of concerts have increased over the past year. While this welcomely secures extra income for the Church, the greater advantages lie in having the church open for our neighbourhood, and expanding our accessibility for use by the wider community – the imperative of encouraging new folk to come through our doors, and experiencing the beauty, wonder, and mystery within – while also being able to have a fun time too!

Looking through that lens, extended thanks to Felicity and her

team for expanding church opening and refreshments throughout the week; the recent refurbishment of the Spire Café has also helped us to provide a more welcoming and comfortable space.

The IT Group on a Thursday always has a steady stream of people needing assistance and advice – and we thank God for the opportunities we have to try and help provide it.

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The number of young people in church is gradually growing. That said, we always need new volunteers to help coordinate and accommodate this so crucial work, but it’s fantastic that we have now been able to re-establish the youth group – such that it now meets again on a regular and planned basis. In 2025, we enjoyed our first ‘out’ adventure – and an afternoon’s bowling was enjoyed by all! Children’s Church also coordinated the Bonfire Night refreshments/hospitality stall, outside the church on 27[th] September.

It is often said that the Church of England is in decline. That’s not the case at St John’s. Both our Electoral Roll and average Sunday attendance have increased – again – over the last year.

Please do invite family and friends at any time – we want to grow the church still further. But as members of a church family – this brilliant household of faith – we need everyone to play their part:

if you could help with any aspect of ministry, please speak to a Churchwarden or one of the Clergy.

Above all, let us rejoice in our shared faith together, and pray for God’s blessing on each one of us, as we all move forward in faith – and onwards into God’s future.

Achievements & Performance

Services Statistics Fr David Charles

Attendance at services continues to grow steadily, several of our previous members having moved away, have now been called to ‘higher service’. Growth a great sign of encouragement to us, and also an of one of our strengths – in that others are constantly drawn to share in the life of St John’s.

despite or who should be indication being

Of course, we think not only of our services in church, but in the outreach and care the parish provides to the housebound, infirm and unwell. We are blessed to have the opportunity to take a monthly Communion service both at Clayton Court and Edward House and now also Hilgay – Thank you so much for taking the time and both Dcn Stephen and I regularly take to talk with me (from all the family). communion/visit those who – while unable to physically attend the church – are still no less a part of our church family and fellowship.

Clayton Hilgay – Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me (from all the family). to a part of

Attendance at Christmas and Easter services inevitably fluctuates but continues to hold well. Additionally, St John’s is committed to offering a full range of services and events that will hopefully

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appeal to all sectors of our community, and in offering opportunities for socialising and companionship alongside these occasions.

• At Easter, the attendance was 217, of which 178 were communicants (25% increase from last year).

• At Christmas, 450 people attended our church on Christmas Eve/Day, of whom 133 were communicants. This is a modest increase from 2024.

• There were 7 baptisms during the year.

• 8 adults and 7 children were Confirmed.

• There was one church Wedding, and one Renewal of Vows service.

• 23 funerals were conducted, of which 10 were held in church; there were 3 burials of ashes.

These figures are broadly in line with those from 2024.

There are an increasing number of home communicants – some who receive the Sacrament during times of sickness or immobility, and those now long-term housebound.

Dcn Stephen and myself are committed to a regular pattern of pastoral visiting.

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Attendances 2022 - 2025
250
200
150
100
50
0
Wednesday attendance Sunday attendance Sunday average
Jan23A Jan23E Feb23D Mar23D Apr23D May23C Jun23C Jul23C Aug23B Sep23B Oct23B Nov23A Dec23A Dec23E Jan24D Feb24D Mar24D Apr24D May24D Jun24D Jul24C Aug24C Sep24C Oct24B Nov24B Dec24B Jan25A Feb25A Mar25A Mar25E Apr25D May25D Jun25D Jul25C Aug25C Sep25B Oct25B Nov25B Dec25A
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Churchwarden’s Report Colin Squires (Churchwarden)

I would like to begin by thanking Fr David for all his hard work and support during the last year. Life as a churchwarden can be a bit challenging, sometimes it feels as though you have joined a circus and are trying to keep all the plates spinning, but thanks to so many people I got to the end of the year still in one piece. It was a busy year in so many ways with all the usual services including Holy Week and Easter, Advent and Christmas plus the Holocaust Memorial service which we hosted at very short notice. One highlight was our Advent Carol service when Bishop Ruth came and preached. Deacon Stephen led the VJ

Civic Service at the War Memorial on 15th August. The parish had an outing to Chichester Cathedral celebrating the 950th year of the diocese. We have also welcomed Woodland Meed School, London Meed Primary School, Burgess Hill Girls School and the Gattons Primary School plus London Meed again for their Christmas Carol service. In June students from Hurstpierpoint College came and spent a day tidying in the churchyard as part of their community day, many thanks to them.

We celebrated James and Lydia’s wedding blessing on 2nd August then on 25th October we celebrated James and Naveena’s wedding when they also invited the congregation to join them in the Spire to toast their wedding.

We had a good collection of Harvest gifts for Family Support Work then on Advent Sunday a fantastic number of toys and gifts were brought in again for FSW and we received thanks for both these collections.

We hosted 9 concerts or recitals during the year which made us a profit on tickets of £3,480 plus £965 on refreshments after all expenses were taken out. Many thanks to all those who helped in any way with these and those who came and supported them. We are now in the process of arranging concerts for this year, so if anyone has connections or ideas of what might appeal, please do let us know. Many thanks to Amelia in the parish office for doing the majority of the arranging.

We have sadly lost a number of our faithful congregation during the year, Yvonne Eatwell, John Willis, Lawrie Robinson, John Richards, Margaret Nundy, Mibs Peacock, Leigh Beaver and Kit Widdowson may they rest in peace and rise in glory.

A few issues have kept us busy during the year, one was when a large bough on the outside Christmas tree broke off during a storm in late January, this was quickly dealt with by the council’s contractors. Work on the boilers was ongoing during the year but at least we had heating especially

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over the Christmas period. Stuart Jackson replaced PIR lights as required and also a couple of the floodlights. He also managed to camouflage the large tree, disguising the hole left by the missing branch, so when the Christmas tree lights were on you could hardly notice it. The west path was replaced in February, as the old one was becoming a trip hazard, this was carried out by Glendale. New concrete pavers were used, as too many of the old ones were broken, but they matched the existing pavers around the church. The WiFi had a few connection issues, this was finally resolved by Abcom and is now all working well, the CCTV also needed attention, and this was sorted by MechElec. The beginning of May saw the council’s contractors putting double gates into the churchyard from Church Close. This enables them to bring their large mowers into the churchyard without blocking the lay-by. June saw the café closed for 1 week while the floor behind the counter was replaced, the old wood block floor had started to disintegrate and was a safety issue. Tilley’s started work on the narthex roof, more from Graham on that. Ginny arranged for a waste prevention talk in early November and we have also had several litter pick days as well as churchyard working parties, many thanks to all those who come and support these events in all weathers. We have also welcomed visiting ringers to St John’s, Burgess Hill History Society in late August and also Burgess Hill artists on the day when the town lights were switched on.

Finally, many thanks to all those who work behind the scenes to ensure that the church is open and welcoming, to the duty wardens, sides people, flower arrangers, Musical Director, choir and musicians, servers, bellringers and all members of the PCC.

Electoral Roll

Ginny Nicholls (Electoral Roll Officer in 2025)

At the beginning of January 2025, we had 172 people on the ‘St John the Evangelist Church’ Electoral Roll. We sadly had 2 members of our congregation die in January which took us down to 170 before we closed the Electoral Roll in preparation of creating a completely new Electoral Roll.

A new Electoral Roll is created every 6 years. This means the old Electoral Roll is deleted and everyone in the congregation has to complete a new Electoral Roll form and be registered afresh onto the new Electoral Roll. The opportunity to do this ran from beginning of February to 4[th] May 2025.

The new Electoral Roll was closed two weeks prior to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 25[th] May. The final total stood at 190. This was very encouraging to see an increase of 20 onto the Electoral Roll. As of 31[st] December 2025, the number on the Electoral Roll stood at 188. This was due to 2 additional people joining the Electoral Roll after the APCM and three deceased members of our congregation and one member requesting to be removed from the Electoral Roll.

The 2025 Electoral Roll can be broken down as follows:

• 101 people living within the parish

• 87 outside the parish

• 69 males

• 119 females

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The figures do not include anyone under the age of 16, or those who come to church regularly but for various reasons have not joined the Electoral Roll. The total comprises those who come regularly to the main Parish Mass plus people who attend the 8.00am Sunday Mass or the 10.30am Wednesday morning Mass.

How do I join the Electoral Roll?

It is possible to go on the Electoral Roll at any time of the year, and application forms are available from Father David, the Churchwardens, the Parish Office or from the Electoral Roll Officer (who from January 2026 is Andy Sanford). You will need to be over 16, been baptised and not a member of the clergy (e.g. a lay person). Also, you need to live within the parish of St John the Evangelist; if you live outside the area, then you will need to have attended St John the Evangelist for at least 6 months. A reminder that if you are on the Electoral Roll, and your details change (e.g. move house, or email/phone number change), then please inform Andy or the church office.

Why be on the Electoral Roll?

Being on the Electoral Roll allows you to be contacted by the clergy in times of illness, emergency, general support or bereavement. It also allows you to attend the APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting), where you can raise questions, and hear what is happening in the church. You can also join the PCC (Parochial Church Council) which is a committee of church members and clergy, who make decisions on behalf of the church members and looks to support the local community in outreach projects. The PCC meet about 6 times a year.

Fabric

Graham Todd (Fabric Manager)

Who looks after the church fabric and technical issues?

Your PCC has that responsibility, and it is constantly involved dealing with problems of leaking roofs, spalling stonework, floor maintenance, heating and sound system issues. Often members of our faithful congregation are unaware of the ancillary aspects of keeping their church building warm, dry, lit and safe. So, during 2025, here are some of the items that we organised and arranged to be carried out on the parish’s behalf. We need further volunteers to assist with this essential element of stewardship.

South West corner in the Narthex

As you entered the church every week, you may have noticed the very wet wall in the narthex. It’s got worse over the past 10 years, so this year the PCC faced up to approving expenditure in the region of £33,000. Firstly, the roof leaks and damaged stonework were repaired but we must leave the internal replastering (see adjacent picture) for later months in 2026.

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Stonework deterioration

During the year chunks of stone on tower spalled and fell onto the vestry breaking tiles and caused the heavy come onto our new vestry floor. We promptly and a trusted roofer the damage. (Another unexpected This picture shows another section of stone damage on the north transept.

the roof rain to acted repaired cost). Bath

The Spire Café

The Spire café is regularly inspected by the Local authority health department, so when the floor was becoming uneven, it was found that the woodblock floor under the floor covering in the kitchen area, had rotted. A new subbase and floor covering was needed. This in turn caused extra carpentry work to support a section of the counter. In order to save expenditure, we did the carpentry work in house.

by the

Sound system

The sound system consists of a number of audio components and is quite a technical system which had been shutting down during services. Suddenly the loudspeakers in the nave cut out. Eventually we discovered that the local mains very high voltage was causing the problem. We spent many hours getting this sorted.

Heating issues

Likewise, the heating installation, in the basement boiler house (yes, we do have a basement) was not operating correctly. churchwarden and I have spent many chasing the engineers to find the cause of fault. The system was eventually operating one boiler during Advent and fortunately provided heat over Christmas. I mention demonstrate the many voluntary hours we keeping your church comfortable.

The hours the with this to spend

Maintenance of our lovely building

Each year regular maintenance is carried out on such things as fire alarm system, lightning conductor testing, floor polishing, organ servicing, light bulb replacement, electrical testing, plumbing and drainage clearing. Externally the stone framing to the windows and on the roof edges, need replacement. Brickwork joints also need repointing. All these things cost us valuable funds.

So, our church should have a maintenance budget of £20,000 per year to cover such costs. That’s about £200pa for each church member.

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Music

Christine Alp (Director of Music)

Music has continued to develop flourish at St. John ’ s. I have thoroughly enjoyed completing my year as Director of Music and now much better idea how everything

and first have a works!

We have been delighted to welcome a new choir member, Amy (soprano), and a new flautist, Laura, to the music group. I am very pleased that Amelia has continued to play for us, after starting university, and that Will returned from Durham to sing for our Christmas services. The choir would always be keen to hear from new singers, particularly tenors and basses, so please let me know if you would like to join us. Likewise, if you play an instrument and would like to join the music group we would love to hear from you!

We have sung a variety of music during the year, ranging from traditional church anthems to a pop song requested at the wedding we sang for. Everyone has been very receptive to and quick to learn new music, as well as their own favourite pieces.

We have continued to sing at the 10 am Sunday services throughout the year, and at special services, for example at Christmas and Easter. The 9 Lessons and Carols service was a particular highlight, and the choir did exceptionally well to learn several new Christmas anthems.

We were joined by some of the children in one of the carols, and it is lovely to welcome the children to sing with us at communion in family services. If your child would like to join us, please let me know!

Another choir highlight was the Choral Evensong we sang in June. We also sang Evensong in October when we hosted RSCM Voices South, in which several members of

our choir joined a large group of church singers from far and wide, in what proved to be a splendid day of choral singing. I am keen for any interested members of the choir to work towards the RSCM awards, and as encouragement(!) I completed the Gold Award in November. A few choir members are now working hard to prepare for these.

Away from St. John’s the choir sang before Christmas at South Nurseries, raising money for charity and church funds, and this followed by a very enjoyable Christmas lunch. We also held a barbecue in the summer (in my garden in Crawley!)

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As ever, I would like to thank all the choir, extra singers, and instrumentalists who have worked hard throughout the year to support some excellent music making at St. John’s.

EcoChurch

Ginny Nicholls

EcoChurch’s vision is for churches of all denominations to care for creation as an integral part of loving their neighbours and following God faithfully. Since obtaining the Bronze Award in 2023, we have continued to highlight to the congregation our need to care for our planet. We have done this in the sermons, prayers and providing information on the Eco Church notice board (changing every few months). We are now working towards the Silver award.

This year we started a regular (every few months) litter pick on Saturday mornings. We focused on the church yard and the surrounding roads and town centre where litter commonly collects such as the two local car parks.

On Sat 8[th] November, we invited West Sussex County Council to come and talk about ‘Waste Prevention’.

This was a very useful talk and everyone who attended learned something new about how they can ‘reduce / reuse / recycle’ to help reduce what goes into landfill.

Samantha Burton joined the EcoChurch team and we have run through the Silver award survey questions and looked at what we can focus on for the year ahead.

We had a meeting late November with John Orchard to discuss ‘re-wilding’ parts of the churchyard to encourage more insects, wildflowers and wildlife.

Family Support Work Felicity Fernee (Hurst Deanery Committee Member)

The above charity supports families in need across Sussex. Those with educational barriers, mental health struggles and parenting pressure have once again required the greatest support. Over 800 families throughout the year received direct one to one support. St John’s has helped the organisation through food collections at Harvest, gifts at Christmas, Lenton Lunch, winter fuel allowance and personal donations. Many thanks to all the supporters.

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Flower Arrangers Carol Matthews (Flower Team Co-

ordinator)
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Throughout the year, the small team of flower have maintained keeping flowers in the church weekly basis with the exception of the Lenten advent seasons. My thanks go to Jackie Jacquie Bowers-Frost and Felicity Fernee for and support over the year. Many people have commented how nice it is to see the flowers in and how hard we have to work to maintain this.

We are beginning to use more eco-friendly ways of arranging flowers, rather than using oasis for all the arrangements. We are tending to use vases at the High Altar rather than always having a traditional pedestal arrangement, this also frees up space in the sanctuary for the clergy and servers. For the Advent ring this year, I used moss and chicken wire on a large plastic garden pot dish, all of which can we used again next year, overall, the foliage kept fresher and moister than using the traditional oasis ring, so was a worthwhile exercise. This is still work in progress for us, but we are working on it. At the Easter morning service in 2025, once again you witnessed the creation of the Living Cross during the service, the finished effect looked wonderful and again thanks to Jackie and Jacquie for doing this.

I would like to thank the members of congregation who give generously at Easter and Christmas to help with the cost of purchasing flowers and to those individuals who sponsor the flowers on a specific week to commemorate a loved one, or to celebrate a special date. If anyone feels able to help in anyway with either arranging flowers or providing sponsorship for a specific occasion, event or memorial, please contact me. ([e-mail])

Servers’ Report Colin Squires (Server and Sacristan)

Thank you to all the servers who week by week carry out their various duties, especially around Easter and Christmas when there are many services over a short period of time. We have also managed to field a full team for all the major festivals throughout the year, so thank you all. It was an honour to serve at Peter Bowyer-Frost’s wedding to Amy in May, unfortunately because of Peter’s work commitments he has not been on the rota for a while but hopes to be back soon. We are always looking out for anyone who wishes to join us, so please speak to me after any of the services, especially any young people who might consider being boat boy or girl. It is such a privilege to serve at the altar, assisting the clergy to ensure the liturgy runs smoothly.

Community Outreach Felicity Fernee (Market stall and outreach)

The church continues to be open on Saturday mornings with refreshments making it a very welcoming place for regulars. It has offered a place of fellowship, an introduction to the church, as

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well as a quiet place for prayer. The church has also been open on Tuesday mornings (including sometimes a little organ music which gives it a lovely atmosphere). We are still aiming to open the church on other days (Monday to Friday) but of course we need the volunteers to man the church. It is a lovely way to create a quiet hour or two for oneself – why not give it a try?

The monthly stall outside, usually the 2[nd] Saturday of each month remains very popular. It is a great way of making contact with people and over the year we have raised over £3240.00. Many thanks to our volunteers and supporters.

Deacon’s Report Deacon Stephen MacCarthy

It is an honour and a privilege to share in the life of our parish, and to exercise the ministry to which I have been called. My grateful thanks go to Fr David and indeed to all who share in our prayer life and worship, both in church and in this community where we are placed.

A special aspect of this ministry is that of outreach to the sick and the housebound among whom we share friendship and fellowship, and with whom we share Holy Communion. At times it can be isolating when one is unable to attend the church regularly, so it is good that we are not restricted to a building but are a living church that permeates our community.

Our monthly services at Clayton Court are well supported, and this is also the case at Edward House in Mill Road, where we are welcomed by both residents and staff alike. Edward House has now become a regular monthly fixture in the diary. During 2025 we have established a further monthly service at Hilgay Residential Care Home in Keymer Road. I hope that further areas of our community may be added in the future. Alongside this we celebrate the establishment of a regular offering of sacramental healing ministry alongside our Eucharist on the 3rd Sunday each month introduced during 2025.

Our Mission Action Plan (MAP) encourages opportunities for increasing growth and ministry and includes a wish to nurture small groups, such as our Lent Group, which we hope will become a regular opportunity for both study and prayer as members grow over time

Our Lent group became entwined with teaching and nurture for our adult confirmation group, and we also prepared a group of our young people for confirmation or to receive ‘First Holy Communion.’ It was a great joy to present the group to Bishop Will at the Confirmation Service at Holy Trinity, and we give thanks for this great privilege.

Our long-established Pilgrimage to Walsingham was another joyful part of the year’s programme. This time of worship, retreat, and reflection included regular pilgrims as well as those who had not experienced this before. New beginnings and a renewal of faith were again shared in ‘England’s Nazareth’. Currently the 2026 pilgrimage group numbers 43 for the 24th to 26th July.

In conclusion, I am grateful to Fr David for his generous support, alongside our other ‘honorary’ clergy, Fr Clay, and Fr John.

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The Spire Cafe

Jean MacCarthy, Kate Rhodes & Sue McCabe

The Spire Cafe continues to open every Wednesday and Thursday, welcoming members of the congregation as well as people from the wider community. The café is run by a small but dedicated team of volunteers.

We offer a variety of home-made soups, jacket potato toppings, and Panini fillings as well as a good selection of home-made scones and cakes. During the summer months our various salad options proved to be very popular.

In addition to the usual weekday openings, the café has opened on a number of Saturdays when the Church was hosting other events. These additional opening days proved to be very successful.

The kitchen floor was replaced and a number of other repairs carried out during the year. The old fridge has been replaced and a new toaster purchased.

We would welcome any new members to the team.

Deanery Synod

Deacon Stephen and Jean MacCarthy (Hurst Deanery Synod Representatives)

In 2025 there was not a February Synod due to the Year of Faith celebrations planned in the diocese. This included a Deanery Service at Holy Trinity, Hurstpierpoint, on 20th January 2025 led by Bishop Ruth. This was to share and celebrate the ministry and outreach of the parishes in Hurst Deanery, and their role in the wider diocese. Further, it had previously been resolved that two Deanery Synods would take place in future years, generally a short time after Diocesan Synods which meet in May and November each year. In consequence, the Hurst Deanery Synod met twice during 2025.

Each meeting began with an act of worship, most usually Evening Prayer. The meeting format normally includes a Finance Report, a substantive subject for the evening, often with an invited speaker, a report of Diocesan Synod, including a General Synod report if available, and other matters arising in the Deanery together with any events to be publicised.

The initial meeting was held on 4th June 2025 at Holy Trinity, Hurstpierpoint.

The Lay Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, and the Revd Richard Coldicott led worship.

A Presentation on Six Steps into the Bible by Canon Peter Sills was very well received. He spoke about his book, the retreats he leads on the same subject and study groups that may be run using this as a resource. We also shared a short presentation from two past members of one of these study groups. Canon Peter hopes his book will help us understand scripture in order that we can better relate to it. He has a website where more information might be obtained as well as access to purchasing his book www.peter-sills.co.uk

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Finance Report: The Deanery Treasurer spoke to the Finance Report. He was also pleased to tell us that Susan Gumbrell of St Andrew, Burgess Hill has expressed an interest in the role of Deanery Treasurer. She will ‘shadow’ Robert Monroe over the next few months. We hope to elect her at the next Deanery Synod meeting in the autumn.

It was very encouraging to note how many Confirmations took place at the Deanery Confirmation Service in early May. There were 27 newly Confirmed as well as 3 Baptisms at the service.

The second meeting was held on 20 November 2025 at St Edward the Confessor, Burgess Hill

The Rural Dean welcomed everyone to the meeting. The Revd Jules Middleton led worship.

A presentation on the work of Family Support Network was given by Martin Auton-Lloyd. He gave a broad and interesting explanation of the charity’s work and answered some of our questions afterwards. Help is needed both financially and in practical ways such as giving items for families to enable them to have a Christmas celebration without too much expense. The website is www.familysupportwork.org More information and how churches can help can be found there.

Finance Report: The Deanery Treasurer gave the Finance Report. Parish contributions are up to date. Most parishes have now confirmed their Parish Ministry Contribution for 2026. This will be the last Synod at which Robert will attend as Deanery Treasurer. Synod appointed Susan Gumbrell as our new Deanery Treasurer. She will take up the reigns fully on 1 January 2026 and will continue to work in tandem with Robert Monroe until then.

From the Belfry Doug Stewart (Tower Captain)

We would love to be able to ring the full octave every Sunday, however we do not have enough Ringers to do so. Sometimes we can only ring 3 of the bells. We need new Ringers as we would wish to pass on our skills to new people.

We are lucky to have regular visitors, without whom the Tower would be silent on a number of Sundays. We have also entertained visiting Ringing bands from Other Towers. Fortunately, visitors ensure we can have meaningful practice nights. So, if you know of anyone who could join us, please send them along. Insurance says minimum age 11.

Charity Giving Di Tipler and John Carter (Charity Co-ordinators)

The congregation of St John's has again been very supportive and generous to the four charities that the PCC has approved for the year ending 31st December 2025 and we thank you for your generosity especially in a year when everyone's income has been tested.

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Cheques have been sent to the following charities:-

WINTER COLLECTION January – March	SAVE THE CHILDREN	£214.95
SPRING COLLECTION April – June	UNICEF	£324.42
SUMMER COLLECTION July – September	SUSSEX HEART CHARITY	£392.09
AUTUMN COLLECTION October – December	MEDECIN SANS FRONTIERES	£602.00	*
*This collection included a one-off private donation.

TOTAL FOR 2025 £1533.46

We welcome suggestions from members of the congregation for other charities to be considered by the P.C.C and these can be passed to Di Tipler. John Carter or a Churchwarden at any time.

Our aim each year is to support one local charity, one national charity, one international charity with the last charity being nominated either by the congregation or the PCC so do please come forward with your suggestions. Thank you all for your support – these charities are always so grateful.

Safeguarding Dr Vince Elliot (Parish Safeguarding Officer)

Safeguarding is, and always has been, an important part of the work of our Church. Our Church is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all children, young people and vulnerable adults, while remaining open and inclusive, to all worshipers. We have adopted and implemented the House of Bishops Safeguarding Policy, ensuring that all those who work with children and young people are safely recruited and appropriately trained.

I now have access to software called a Parish Dashboard, which has been established by the safeguarding team at the Diocese. It is designed to provide tracking and monitoring for a parish with regard to their obligations to meet the Church of England’s safeguarding standards. It updates itself as data is inputted, provides useful links to documents and information, and can be monitored by the diocesan safeguarding team to ensure that we are meeting requirements. Since the establishment of the dashboard we have achieved our targets, for the diocese to have moved us up to level 2. It means that we have more targets to achieve, but to set it in context, across the diocese, 117 parishes are at level 1, 122 are at level 2, and 51 are at level 3.

The parish safeguarding e-mail has now been activated, so I can now receive directly, information and reports. This has enabled us to publicise safeguarding as an important issue in this Church and invite anyone with concerns to contact me.

A notice to this effect was placed in the pew sheet, highlighting the importance of safeguarding to this parish.

As Parish Safeguarding Officer I am now fully trained having completed the final two training courses required by the Diocese. Training is an especially important aspect of safeguarding. It raises awareness of safeguarding issues and participants learn how to respond if they have concerns. There is a training course available to all and any member of the congregation. It is an Internet based course and takes about 1½ hours. I would encourage anyone who is interested in

pg. - 17 -

increasing their knowledge regarding the care and well-being of children and vulnerable adults, to consider this course. If anyone would like further information, please contact me, and I shall provide details of how to access the course.

There is within Safeguarding the concept of the “Trusted Adult”. It may well be that a child, or vulnerable adult, who wishes to talk about something that could be considered a safeguarding issue, may not feel that they can approach the safeguarding officer. They may fear starting some formal process or perhaps have concerns about confidentiality. In these circumstances, they may turn to someone they consider a “trusted adult”. Perhaps a youth group leader, or someone who they may see as friendly or approachable. If you are that person, that trusted adult, then the concerns expressed must be reported to the parish safeguarding officer. Everything will be dealt with in complete confidence, and with the utmost sensitivity, but they must be reported. We all have an obligation to ensure that our Church is a safe space. The purpose of the above-mentioned training is to ensure that everyone is aware of safeguarding issues and know what to do when concerns are raised.

Safeguarding is more than just creating a safe space within the Church. As a Church we have a duty to all members of our parish and there is a spectrum of concern between pastoral care and safeguarding. It is important that anyone who is worried regarding the safety and well-being of any child or vulnerable adult should feel able to discuss their concerns with the parish safeguarding officer. It may not be a safeguarding issue, but it is better that we should have that discussion, than someone at risk should be overlooked.

So, if anyone has any concerns or questions regarding the safety or wellbeing of any child, or vulnerable adult, no matter how minor or trivial they may seem - please come and talk to me about it. Anything you say will be treated in the utmost confidence. I am in Church almost every Sunday and my contact details are on the notice boards in the Narthex and in the Spire Café and I can be e- mailed at [e-mail] .

Treasurer’s Report Penny Marr (Treasurer)

Overall income in 2025 decreased by £8,000. Generous legacies totalling £11,100 and donations for special appeals have minimised the decrease. Fundraising activities in the Spire Café and stalls increased revenue but the value of investments decreased.

Total expenditure has decreased by £33,000 however general running costs have increased £9,000. The overall decrease is largely due to completion of the Organ restoration. Phase 1 of major works carried out on the Narthex were funded by donations from members of the congregation along with grants from Sussex Historic Churches Trust and Benefact Trust as well as a legacy. The parish increased its planned Parish Contribution to £36,000 which represents 44% of the full Parish Ministry Cost of £81,455.

General Funds remain at an acceptable level however this will not continue if regular giving and donations continue to decrease as costs increase. The PCC has continued to control costs by negotiating with providers whenever possible, seeking cost effective strategies and budget funds for specific areas of parish mission.

pg. - 18 -

In 2025 it cost £95,000 to run the church, even though the parish only paid 44% of full Parish Contribution. This figure excludes the major works to the building. Alternatively, it costs £1,800 per week. If the church paid full Parish Contribution, this would rise to £140,445 per annum or £2,700 per week.

Although regular giving this year has covered 80% of our costs, including routine maintenance, there has been a decrease in income from regular giving and donations. Regular giving, including Gift Aid and Parish Giving Scheme (PGS), and sundry donations have seen a decreases despite an increase in service attendance. Giving through PGS has decreased £2000 and sundry donations also decreased £2000.

St John’s is blessed to have volunteers who keep the Spire Café running, hold stalls and keep the church open for prayer. It is also blessed to have so many contributing financially through some form of regular giving. Despite this there is a need for members of the parish to review their giving according to their means. Those who are time rich might consider ways of contributing to fund raising or parish outreach whilst those with a regular income might consider how much they can afford to give on a regular basis.

All other funds (Organ, Bells, Charity, Narthex) are legally restricted and may only be spent for the specific use and therefore cannot be used to keep the church open.

Churchyard Report John Orchard

The Churchyard has been maintained by Mid Sussex District Council since it was closed as a burial ground in 1989. Burials are a municipal responsibility and once the churchyard is closed the council maintain it in perpetuity. However, since 1989 St John’s has, in good faith contributed to the upkeep by undertaking certain activities to help MSDC and their contractors (currently Glendale Services).

Over the past 12 months and as in previous years, we have held 2 working parties, one in Spring (leading up to Easter week) and one in Autumn (leading up to Remembrance). In addition, we provide ad-hoc support by clearing fallen branches, removing ivy and brambles and sweeping up leaves etc. Last February we also managed the re-laying of the West path which had become a trip hazard and the new double gates along the North boundary, both of which were funded by MSDC.

The churchyard is in good shape and is particularly colourful in the Spring. Its importance in the Burgess Hill community cannot be understated, as it is a pleasant and accessible area of green space next to the Town Centre that is often visited by people looking for a quiet environment for valuable thinking time.

The main project for 2026 is to allow the Northern side of the churchyard to become ‘meadow’ and to devise a plan to

identify ways of encouraging wildlife to re-settle.

pg. - 19 -

As ever, help from the congregation is always welcome whether it is weeding the beds in the Garden of Remembrance, litter picking or other light jobs.

Children’s Church and Youth Group

Claire Elliot (Children’s Church and Youth Group Leader)

Leadership Team:

The Children's Church remains an active and important part of the life of St John's, particularly within the Sunday services. We also have had an opportunity to bring colour and interest to the church building with our art displays throughout the Church year, reflecting the different liturgical seasons and services.

The leadership team, headed up by Claire, is committed to proving a space for spiritual growth, friendship and fun for the children and young people of the church. Fr David continues to arrange cover one Sunday a month to enable him and Deacon Stephen to join Claire, John, Amanda and Steffi for the Sunday morning teaching sessions. Felicity and Sarah also offer help when available. We have had additional support from other members of the congregation for our Nativity rehearsals during Advent. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped during the year.

Sunday morning teaching sessions:

We continue to offer children's church once a month on the 3rd Sunday. We start our sessions all together, listening to and exploring the Gospel reading before splitting into two age groups (toddler - 9 years and 10 -15 years for more targeted teaching and for creative activities which we can then show to the congregation on our return. This raises the profile of the children's church and helps develop the children confidence in sharing their learning. We have also had more young people become involved as servers and readers in the family service, which is wonderful.

Special services and events:

At Epiphany the children were involved in the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and the Wise Camels to complete the Nativity scene at the church.

carrying Men and back of Spire café

Lent: The children helped create a display in the to illustrate our Lenten journey.

Mothering Sunday, 30th March:

This was a family service and the children worked on various craft activities at the back of the church, which they then gave to their Mother’s and Grandmothers at the end of the service.

Palm Sunday, 13th April:

pg. - 20 -

After the procession from the band stand with their palm crosses, the children remained in church to help illustrate the Passion reading by dressing the front altar with items mentioned in the reading.

Good Friday, 18th April:

Children's Church/All age Stations of the Cross was held at 10.00am. The Station of the Cross Eggs help illustrate the and involve the young people, as we move around the The children placed the large crosses in the Lenten Garden. then enjoyed hot cross buns in the Spire café afterwards.

themes church. We altar

Easter Saturday, 30th March:

The children transformed the Lenten Garden and tree into a beautiful colourful and vibrant Easter Garden. The young people decorated a cross with yellow and white flowers that was placed at the on Easter day.

They were very busy and also created a beautiful Easter display for our notice board in the Spire café.

Easter Sunday, 31st March:

The Alleluia Banner was resurrected and processed by the children, along with the flower cross, to the altar.

Confirmation and First Holy Communion:

Between April and June Claire and Deacon Stephen held Confirmation and First holy Communion classes for 8 people.

The Confirmation with Bishop Will was held at Holy Trinity Hurstpierpoint on 8th May and the First Communion was Pentecost on 8th June at St Johns.

Youth Group:

As a forerunner to establishing the monthly Youth Group activities again we took the young people to Hollywood Bowling in Crawley on the 31st May. This was a wonderful event that strengthened the friendships growing during confirmation sessions.

six young held at social social the

Three more Youth group social events were organised before the end of the year:

A games evening in the Spire café on 18th October, a trip to JumpIn activity centre on 22nd November and a Christmas party held on 6th December.

pg. - 21 -

Bonfire Night 27th September : The Children’s Church and Youth Group leaders, with help from lots of other members of the PCC and congregation, hosted a refreshment stall during the evening of the Bonfire parade on the pavement at the main entrance to the church yard. We were able to raise funds for the church whilst providing fellowship to the Burgess Hill community.

Sunday 6th October is Harvest Festival This was the first Sunday of the month, so the number of displayed of years distribute “bring and service for at the 4

children stayed in the service. A large donations of non-perishable food were brought and were in the colourful boxes that the children decorated a number ago. The donations go to FSW (Family Support Work) who them to families in need in the Diocese. There was also a share lunch” after the service.

Sunday 9th November – Remembrance Sunday

We held an additional Children’s Church session during the the children and young people to lay poppies and say prayers war graves in the church yard.

Advent and Christmas:

On Sunday 16th November we started allocating parts and rehearsing for the Nativity play. We met each Sunday during Advent to rehearse. The children and young people were involved in the Nativity play in lots of different ways including playing a character in the play, narrating, helping with props and being a stagehand, helping with the lighting and the PowerPoint slide show.

The Crib Service, held at 4 pm on Christmas Eve, attracted a large congregation with additional children dressing up and joining in on the day. Thank you to all the additional people who helped make this such a success, including our 3 wonderful Wise Men!

pg. - 22 -

It has been a busy and exciting year for the Children’s Church and Youth Group. Thank you to all those involved for your hard work and dedication.

Structure, Governance and Management Ginny Nicholls (PCC Secretary)

The PCC is a charity (Charity number: 1165166) registered with the Charity Commission. Its governing document is the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. The PCC and Churchwardens are elected under the terms of the Church Representation Rules 2006 (Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended by Statutory Instrument 2004 No 1889).

The Vicar serves under licence from the Bishop; Churchwardens and Deanery (and, whenever applicable) Diocesan Synod delegates are the subject of separate elections to their posts. All these then serve on the PCC ex officio.

Churchwardens are elected annually, four lay members of the Deanery Synod for a three-year term, and a maximum of twelve members of the church are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, for a three-year term, on a rolling cycle. The electorate comprises those persons on the Electoral Roll.

All those who attend our services / members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll; members are warmly encouraged to stand for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent; a Financial Procedures Policy is in place. A Grievance Procedure and Disciplinary Procedure have both been adopted in respect of church employees.

The Standing Committee (SC) of the PCC transacts PCC business between PCC meetings – either because the matter is urgent, or, on the other hand, because the issue is sufficiently routine that waiting for a full PCC discussion would be unnecessary. The Committee consists of the Vicar, Churchwardens, Treasurer, Secretary and one other elected PCC member.

In 2025, the PCC was comprised of the following members, after the April 2025 APCM:

Name	Appointment(expiry)
Fr David Charles	Incumbent: Chair of the PCC,Chair of the StandingCommittee
John Carter	PCC(2026),StandingCommittee
Denise Court	PCC(2027)
Claire Elliot	DeanerySynod(2026),StandingCommittee
VinceElliot	PCC (2026),ParishSafeguarding Officer

pg. - 23 -

Karin Ford	PCC(2027)	PCC(2027)
Amanda Green	PCC(2029) joined in Sept 2025,starts 1stterm at APCM 2026
Liz Griffiths	PCC(2026)
Nidhin Jose	PCC(2028)
Jackie Knowles	PCC(2027)
Jean MacCarthy	DeanerySynod(2026)
Sue McCabe	PCC(2028)
Ginny Nicholls	PCC (2026), Electoral Officer, PCC Secretary, Standing Committee
AndySanford	PCC(2027)
DougStewart	PCC(2026)
Colin Squires	Churchwarden,StandingCommittee
Diana Tipler	PCC(2026)
Graham Todd	DeanerySynod(2026),StandingCommittee
Graham Zimmerman	Churchwarden,StandingCommittee
Name Appointment(continued)
GeoffreyBurton(Jan to July2025)		Treasurer,StandingCommittee,Co-opted
Deacon Stephen MacCarthy		Co-opted
PennyMarr(Aug2025 onwards)		Treasurer, Standing Committee, Co-opted

The PCC held 6 meetings during 2025 on the following dates:

• 30[th] January

• 1[st] April

• 26[th] May (a short meeting of the newly formed PCC following the APCM for the election of PCC officers.)

• 3[rd] July

• 4[th] September

• 6[th] November

meetings.

Administrative Information

Church Address:

St John the Evangelist Church, Lower Church Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 9AA Administrative Address:

St John the Evangelist Church, Lower Church Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 9AA Incumbent: Fr David Charles: 01444 244340 or [e-mail]

Charitable status of the parish

The PCC is a charity registered with the Charity Commission: number 1165166.

Name and address of Independent Examiner:

Helen Preece, Unit 1, Teknol House, Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 9LH

Copy of the previous APCM minutes is printed below:

pg. - 24 -

The Parish of St John the Evangelist, Burgess Hill

Sunday 25[th] May 2025 11.30 am in Church

Attendance: 33 parishioners

Meeting of the Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens MINUTES

Chaired by Father David Charles

1. Father David opened the meeting with prayer.

2. Formal apologies: Alison Bowman, Geoff Burton, Betty Fry, Paul Simpson, Graham Todd.

3. Election of Churchwardens. Nominations had been received for:

Colin Squires Proposed by Samuel Bowyer-Frost and Seconded by Richard Ellis Graham Zimmerman Proposed by Andy Sanford and Seconded by Jane Hatt

All were in favour and they were duly elected.

Father David took the opportunity to thank Colin and Graham for their dedication as churchwardens over the past year especially as they bring their own talents, different perspectives and experiences to the role. Father David explained it has been to a joy and privilege to work with you both over the past year. The congregation agreed and applauded.

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting then followed:

Annual Parochial Church Meeting MINUTES

Father David thanked everyone for attending the APCM and that this opportunity to look back over the past year and look ahead of how we can serve Jesus and the parish in 2025.

1. Acceptance of the minutes of the APCM 7[th] April 2024

Proposed: Alan Rhodes Seconded: Carol Smethurst

All in favour that they are a true and accurate report of the meeting.

1. There were no matters arising. Fr David signed the minutes.

2. Acceptance of the Annual Report and Accounts

pg. - 25 -

Father David explained that the Annual Report is split into statutory reports that require approval from those attending the APCM. The rest of the report reflects the many activities, events and groups that happened over 2024. These reports demonstrate the vibrancy of the parish life at St John’s. He thanked everyone who contributed to the reports as well as being part of St John’s over the past year.

Father David expanded briefly on his own report in the Annual Report. He said one of his personal highlights was to see the number of people that were confirmed in 2024 (and a few weeks ago when 16 were confirmed). He thanked Deacon Stephen for guiding and preparing the candidates for confirmation. He pointed to page 7 which showed the consistency of church service attendance growth over the past 3 years. He thanked everyone who contributed their opinions in forming the Mission Action Plan. There is still much to be done, but fley we should be pleased with the progress over the past 12 months.

Father David said we had managed to build up some financial reserves over the past year, which is encouraging. We are in a better financial position due to the increase in concerts happening in the church, the continued success of the café and an increase in electronic giving. Father David thanked Christine Alp (our Director of Music) for all that she has done since starting her role in September 2024, especially in introducing a junior choir. He is looking forward to seeing the musical life continuing to flourish over the year ahead. Father David explained that we are the only church locally to offer a fully robed choir & organ in the choral tradition.

In Geoff Burton’s absence (our Treasurer), Colin Squires briefly spoke about the Accounts. He explained that our finances are increasing, however, we are only paying about 50-60% of our parish share. We would like to be able to increase this share over the years to come. Some money has been allocated to repair the Narthex. Further funding will be required to finish the repairs and therefore a financial campaign will be initiated in the future. Funds will also be needed to repair the café floor – which may become a health and safety issue if not repaired.

Father David asked the congregation if there were any questions in relation to the Annual Report or the Accounts.

1. John Orchard asked how long is Geoff Burton intending to be the Treasurer. Colin Squires explained that Geoff has not indicated that he plans to stand down as Treasurer for the foreseeable future.

2. Doug Stewart asked if we are in danger of having to share Father David to another parish if we continue to not pay our full Parish Share. Father David said at this present stage that would not be possible because he is a Vicar of this parish. If in the future, he left, and the role changed from Vicar to Priest-in-Charge, then it is possible that we would share the Priest with other parishes.

3. Carol Smethurst asked why there was such a peak in church attendance in June 2024. Father David explained that the Diocesan Bishop and Patron of St John’s, the Bishop of Chichester came and celebrated Mass as well as dedicated and blessed the fully renovated organ.

After the questions were finished, Father David asked the congregation if they were happy to approve the Annual Report and Accounts for 2024.

Proposed: Claire Elliot Seconded: Gill Squires All in favour.

1. Presentation of the Electoral Roll

pg. - 26 -

Ginny Nicholls, the Electoral Roll Officer explained that 2025 saw a new Electoral Roll being created. The old Electoral Roll was deleted and members of the congregation were invited to apply to go onto the new Electoral Roll Form. As of Sunday 5th May 2025 (when the Electoral Roll was frozen before the APCM), the Electoral Roll stood at 190. Last APCM it was 178. This is an increase of 12 people. Page 9 of the Annual Report gives a more detailed breakdown of the Electoral Roll in 2024. Father David explained that due to people moving away from the parish and a number of deaths in the congregation last year (at the last PCC Meeting the Roll had slightly fallen to at 170), to get a net increase of 20 people on the Electoral Roll is amazing. It is normal to see the Electoral Roll number decrease at a complete revision of the Electoral Roll.

5. Report on Goods and Ornaments

Graham Zimmermann and Colin Squires reported that the Church Log Book was updated. The Terrier has a few additional photos added to document additional church objects. No one had any questions.

6. Election of Deanery Synod members

We have one 1 vacancy on the Deanery Synod. No one has volunteered for this vacancy. If you would like to join the Deanery Synod, then please speak to one of the currently elected members – Claire Elliot, Jean MacCarthy and Graham Todd. Their term on the Deanery Synod expires in 2026.

7. Election of PCC members

We are allowed 12 elected members of the PCC. We have 9 elected members, with 3 vacancies. First vacancy is due to Liz Griffiths stepping down from her term on PCC due to mobility issues. Second vacancy is due to Sue McCabe finishing her 1[st] term on the PCC. The third vacancy was not filled last year and remains open. There were 2 nominations for 3 places. Father David read out the following nominations:

Nidhin Jose

Proposed: Douglas Stewart Seconded: Jean MacCarthy

Sue McCabe Proposed: Gill Squires (2[nd] term) Seconded: Carol Smethurst

Father David explained that the Church Representative Rules have changed this year. Members of the congregation can no longer volunteer themselves for a PCC or Deanery Synod vacancy at the APCM. The person would need to complete a PCC or Deanery Synod nomination form ahead of the meeting. Father David asked the congregation if they would propose the PCC nominations for 2025.

Proposed: Colin Squires Seconded: Felicity Fernee All in favour

8. Appointment of an Independent Examiner

Colin Squires asked the congregation if they were happy to have Helen Preece as Independent Examiner for 2025.

Proposed: Gill Squires Seconded: Jean MacCarthy

pg. - 27 -

All in favour

9. Any Other Business.

None.

Father David thanked the congregation for their time and dedication to the church, the parish and serving one another over the past year.

Colin Squires thanked Father David for his hard work over nearly the past 3 years. He explained that Father David offers great pastoral support and has been a huge support to the Churchwardens.

Father David concluded the meeting the Grace. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting ended at 12.09 pm.

pg. - 28 -

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Sectioii C Notes lo the accoiinls Irniill Not• 11: Pald •mploy••8 Pl••se compht• th1 not• M th• chwtyhm am￿9Y• 11.181aff Co•ts Th1• y•v La•t y••r 8al•rl•• •nd wag•• 1113 51 PKlon co•t8 Id•finod conlrtlxrtlon •th•n) Olh•r •mployo• b•n•fft• Toi•l •l•ff C￿t PIM•• prnvld• d•t411• ol •xp•ndl￿re on •taff worklng th• ¢h•TIty whom ¢¢ntra¢ts ir• wfth •nd arn pald by • r•l•t•d p•rty Pl•a•• provlde d•tsll• of exwndltur• on •t•ff *yxklng for th• .¢￿rIty contrxt• ar• and arn pald by 4 rolatad party Pl••8• gfv• d•t•ll• ol th• numb•r ol •￿￿0y••$ wlK>M total •mWoy8• 11￿•￿$ {￿CludIng •￿￿0y￿ co•tsJ ￿11 wlthln o•ch band 01£14000 Imm £60,000 upw•th Mth•r• arn no 44Kh tran••c pwmlon co•t•) lor th• r•portlng p•rfod ol mor• th•n £80.000 TrUE 8•nd Numb•r of •m Th 60 000 to £69 999 £70 000 to £79 999 £80,000 to £89 999 £90 000 to £99 999 £1￿,000 to £109 999 IAw• than £110 000 Pl•a•• provld• th• tot•1 •mount pakl to koy man•g•m•rt p•rnonnol (IKlud•• tru•t•M and ••nlor m•nig•m•nt) for tho ••rylc•• to th• ch•flty. For •p•clfic •mounts p•ld to tru•t•••,

11.2 Av•r•g• h••d In th• y•ar Th• Pafts of ts ¢h•rty In th• Th1• y•ar Numb•f La•t y••r Nurnbv Total 11.3 Ex4ar•tla rAym•nts to •mployw• •nd ath•r• l•xdudlng tr￿1•••) •#• •xW•ln th• n•lurn of1h• p•yment Th1• y•ar L••t y••r Pl••M •l•t• th• l•gal •uthth or Thh y•ar La•t y••r Th0• Pl•M• •tat• th• amount ol th• paym•nt valu• ol any w•l¥•r of a rtiht to an u•ot)

11.4 R•dundancy paym•nts Pl•••• ¢ompl•t• M any rndund•ncy or t•rniln•llon p•ymwX th m•d• In lh• pwlod. Th• naturn of th• Ixynwrt (¢••h, •M•Q Th• •xt•nt of v•dund•ncy I￿NI1￿ at th• tsalanc• •h••t d•1•

Plots 14: T•TrJlbl• Ilx•d ••••t• 14.1 Co•1 Totsl Alth• b•glMlr4 01tr• >•w R•v•lu•O Al•nd oltt yw Al•Trl ol th• 1U M•lbookw N•iboc th• b•gknnb¥ ofth• ) 14•1 boak •1 th• •xl olth• >*•r

14A knp•lnn•rt 14J (Ill) Il•t*U• ollh• •nal¢•ftylnq•mowil• (rfpn¥wty. pknrt•nd

TO TO

IlJl• y•trt Lwi rnMl¥•d A¥y ￿ dknEl¢••d I

Not• 19: D•btorn and pr•p•ym•nts compl•l• th1• no¢• Illh• ch•rfty h•8 any 1•.1 An￿y•kn ol d•lrtorn Th1• y••r •t y••r 1.716 3,167 1•2 An•lyth al d•tth• rncov•rnbl• th morn than 1 y••r (Il￿￿d•d In d•btarn ibov•) Th1• y•ar La•t y••r

Siiclinri C Nots 20: Cfedltor• and K¢ru•l• Xi.1 An•ly•kn of v•dll Amounts hlllng du• wlthln on• Th1• yur Arnounl• fall1￿ du• •ft•r mor• th•n on• •ar Th1• yw L••t y••r L••t y••r A¢¢ru•l• for grnnl• pay•bl• B•nk I￿n* •nd ovwdf•ft• Tr•d• cr•dllo Amounts ow•d to grclup •nd a••o¢lthd und•rt•kln Tax•Oon •nd ••¢urfty Oth•f cr•dllorn T•Jl•l 20.2 Deferr￿ Incom• Th Un¢Wm•d Un¢l•lnMd glft •ld •nd ftn•l Th1• y•ar L••t y••r

•hort 4tspo•n•

111 111 111 111 111 Iifi 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 111 1111111

111 111 11

111. Iiilliiiiiii 'III'ILI 111 111 111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111

11 111 11

Seclior1 C Notes lo 11)c accuiinls ILOIIII Not• 27: Ch•rfty fund• (cont) 27.3 Tran•f•r• b•tw••n lund• Afflount In¢om• lor Il• ¢onv•rnlon rn8trthd fund• Betwn endtyhynont and rnstrrlthl fund8 Bet￿ •ndtrrnt and unT••trfct•d fund• R•••on lortr•n•l•r and wh•r• •ndowm•nt l• conv•rt•d to Ineom•, l•o•l pow•r for ft• conv•rnlon rnstrthd fvnd8 rn8trttod fvnd• u￿￿tr￿led lurts 27.4 D••lgn•t•d fun Thls PIATrn•d u Pl•nn•d u

Examiners Re I feport on the accounts ol the PCC for the year ended 31112n025. The rnembers ofthe Church's PCC are ￿spOnSIble for the preparntknn of the accounts. The mernber5 of the Church's PCC consider that an audtt is not fequlred for this year lunder sectM)n 144{21 of the Charities Art 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an irthpendenl exaMI￿110n is reeded. Itls my respon51blllty to: Examine the aco)unts under secilon 145 of the 2011 Art: To follovj the procedures laid down in the Cneral DIrect￿n5 by the Charity Commi55k)nefS {under sectlon 1451511bl of the 2011 Aci: and To state whether particular m•tters have come to my attention. Basls ol Independent ex•mlnerfs rep(#t My exarninalion was carried out In accordance wlth the ge1￿1 direclfons 8l¥en ty the Charlty Commission. An examlnation Included a revltw of the accountln8 reconts kept by the charfty and a xnpar150n of the Kcounts presented with those recDrds. It also Includes cw51deratlon of any unusual Items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations frorn you as trustees con¢efnin8 any suth matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evIde￿e that would be required In and audlt and consequerfty no opinlm ￿ 8lven 35 to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair T•lev/ and the report Is Ilmlted to those mattws set in the statement beknv. In connertlon wlth rny exarnln•tlon, no matter ￿ ¢Mbe to my atteTrtlon whkh Blves me cause to believe that in. any materlal respect.. The account6n8 records were noi kept In accordance wlth sealon 130 of the Charltles ￿. or The accounts dld not accord wlth the accounting records: or The actounts dkl not cMiply with the applkable requlrements concernif¥ the lorm and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reportsl Re8ulatlon$ 2LI)8 other than any requlfement that the accounts a 'true and laif vie whith is Njt a matter consklered as part of an independent examinatlon. I cc#me acn>ss no other mattets In connection wlth the emaminatlon to whlth artentknn should be drawn ln this rem in wder to enable a proper undustar￿1I4 ofthe accounts to be reached. Date: 1310312026 Profess￿1 Quallficatlon". ACMI AaB Address: 173 Ofthard Road, Bur8e55 Hlll, Wesr SusseL RHIS 9PJ

Thank you for your faithfulness over 2025 and Please continue to pray for our church and local community of Burgess Hill

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