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2020-12-31-accounts

Annual Report 2020

ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING

13[th] June 2021

St Mary’s Church (following the 10am Service)

Attached – Examined accounts and Report from the chair of the PCC as required by the Charities Act 2011

Contents

Agendas for the Annual Meeting of Parishioners
and Annual Parochial Church Meeting 1
Clergy report 2
Churchwardens’ report 8
Bradfield Deanery Synod 11
Prayer Life: Report on Prayer and Healing Team 11
Outreach: Outward giving 12
Outreach: Burghfield Parish Support Group for
The Children’s Society 13
Outreach: Flying Solo 14
Outreach: Holiday at Home 14
Outreach: Churches Together in Burghfield,
Sulhamstead and Mortimer 14
Burghfield St Mary Primary School 15
Buildings: Fabric report 16
Buildings: Parish Centre report 18

The Annual Meeting of Parishioners and Annual Parochial Church Meeting

AGENDA

Opening Prayers

Apologies

ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners held on 18[th] October 2020 Election of Churchwardens

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

  1. Minutes of the APCM held on 18[th] October 2020

  2. Matters arising from the minutes.

  3. Presentation of the Updated Electoral Roll

  4. Presentation of the Annual Report

  5. Report from Churchwardens

  6. Report from Deanery Synod

  7. Annual Report Statement by Treasurer

  8. Matters arising from the annual reports.

  9. Appointment of Independent Examiner

  10. Report on Safeguarding

  11. Election of Members to serve on the PCC

  12. Appointment of PCC Secretary

  13. Vision for the Future – Revd Glynn Lautenbach

  14. Any Other Business – only items which have been notified in advance will be taken

  15. Closing Prayer

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Clergy Report

What can be said about 2020, except that it was a unique year where we lived through the Covid-19 Pandemic which will surely be an experience to share with generations to come. While the year began with some signs of upheaval no-one could possibly have foreseen the way our lives were changed, and the church was impacted too in a unique historical manner. At no time in history have churches ever been forced to close for worship, which was what took place between 23[rd] March through to the end of June.

With worship in church suspended, we discovered new ways of being church, really living out the words from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian’s, ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Corinthians 4.7-10)

We discovered that God really is in every situation and can work through them to open new opportunities. While initially we found it bewildering as we tried to adjust to the enormity of the situation, we began with recording services and ‘short Reflections’ uploaded to our website, Facebook, and progressed to discovering the opportunities presented through ‘Zoom’. After Easter Sunday we offered a weekly Zoom Communion Service and we got to know more about one another (even more so than we might have done had we been in church), as we ‘socialised’ after the service or tried out ‘breakout room’s’.

Zoom offerings continued as ‘Hybrid’ services once we were able to return to worship in church from the beginning of August. This gave everyone the opportunity to join in worship together, whether face to face or virtually. It will continue to be offered long after the pandemic ends since we have discovered the possibilities of ‘virtual church’, something really positive which has come out of this past year. We are also exploring other possibilities of technology to expand our outreach in various ways.

When we were able to return to church for services, it was under very different circumstance to our worshipping life prior to Covid-19. The layout was different, ‘social distancing’, wording we’d become so familiar with, even transferred to the church

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furniture as it too was arranged to accommodate new guidelines. Singing was no longer permitted though Gill Sinclair continued to lead us as we listened and later on a small choir was permitted to lead singing. Though we long for the day when singing and so many other aspects of our worship will return to normal, we have learned to appreciate our worship, as we have deepened our relationship with God and one another.

Through 2020 we found that holding meetings via zoom, though no replacement for meeting in person, gave us a platform to continue to meet and plan through the different guidelines and regulations and we became very adept at planning for ‘Plan A’, ‘Plan B’ and at times even adapting to ‘Plan C’ or further to ‘Plan D’!

We continued to meet as a PCC on zoom and used the time and opportunity through the year to discuss, discern and finally create our new vision statement – ‘ Welcoming all, growing faith, serving others .’ As we continue to be led and guided by God in our planning for mission and ministry, we will keep checking that our plans reflect our vision statement.

‘Welcoming all’ took on new meaning as some of our annual services and events went online particularly towards the end of the year. The annual Advent Wreath making was a wonderful event on Zoom with Kat Josey of ‘Georgie’s Florist’ going above and beyond to make it possible by personally delivering our ‘wreath kits’.

The Auction was another example of what could be achieved virtually and so much time and effort went into the planning and organisation and I want to give particular thanks to Margaret Thomas, Alison Eves, and the rest of the planning team along with our auctioneers, Mike Wood and Colin Thompson who did such a great job on the night.

Even our Christmas Tree Festival went online though our wonderful community organisations still produced the festive trees for church. However, as church was only open for private prayer with limited foot traffic, photos of the trees were posted daily on our Facebook page. Somehow seeing an empty church with the beautiful display of Christmas trees, really brought home the true meaning of the birth of our Saviour, a saviour born to rescue and redeem us, to bring light into a dark world.

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Another service which has been such a mainstay of our community, ‘Christingle’, also went online with the Children’s Society Committee taking turns to make the kits and enabling them to be collected prior to the service on Christmas Eve -all socially distanced of course! Our grateful thanks to them for making it all possible.

We organised an ‘Advent Windows Trail’ around Burghfield for a second year running and I’m sure it will become a fixture for our community. Many thanks to the team who organised it all and those who supplied the ‘windows’ for the trail.

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As the Carols on the Hatch could not take place, we became creative and hosted not one but two ‘Carols in the Car park, wonderfully led by Gill Sinclair once again and ably assisted by Tadley Brass Band who gave their time freely as we raised funds for the Children’s Society.

We also started a new study group (via zoom of course) to encourage ‘growing faith’ and held an Advent Course as well with several members of our congregation attending. Our weekly Monday Morning Prayer went online, and our small group continued faithfully praying together through the year.

‘Serving others’ has been reflected right through the year as members of our church have joined support groups, made scrubs bags, delivered groceries, collected medications, kept in touch with one another and generally shown kindness in ways too numerous to list. We saw the extraordinary generosity displayed by our congregation throughout this past year from food donations to our local foodbank, as the severity of the pandemic increased the need for food parcels drastically. We doubled our efforts for our annual donations of toys as we supported not just Berkshire Women’s Aid but also Spotlight UK.

These are only a few examples of how the pandemic has brought out the best in us, as we have felt moved to show care and compassion for our neighbours, friends and even strangers.

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Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to join us in online worship and meetings, though we have tried our best to keep in contact through our email group and our new newsletter ably created by our wonderful administrator Janey Cleary. We could not have managed without her as she adapted and adjusted to working from home and kept our communications going throughout the year and who has been a huge support to me.

Not everyone is on email and pastoral support was also offered by telephone and I want to extend our appreciation to two people in particular, who gave much time to keeping in contact with those who would have attended our monthly ‘Flying Solo’ meals and our ‘Holiday at Home’ events. Many thanks to Anne Burtenshaw and Revd Lorraine for all their time and efforts to maintain contact and we look forward to a time when these events can be reinstated.

So much was cancelled this year, due to the pandemic, though one community event which will remain in my memory, was the extraordinary contrast of Remembrance Sunday 2020. Where normally we would have had literally hundreds of members of uniformed organisations and members of our community attending, 30 of us met together in a very small, yet somehow poignantly special service to represent our community on Remembrance Sunday.

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Our grateful thanks to Paul and Hellen Baird of the ‘Village Eye’ who livestreamed and recorded the service to enable our community to join in virtually. We also had another opportunity to show our community support, as we placed our poppies in the new ‘Remembrance Cross’ created by Brian Thatcher and Clive Eatwell, many thanks to them for their efforts.

I do want to give my special thanks for all the support offered to me personally as well as to our church family, by our wardens Mike and Alison, my colleague Revd Lorraine, and the members of our PCC. I give thanks too for the faithful prayer support of the Prayer and Healing Team who have continued to pray for those in need or for prayer requests as they have been passed on.

There are so many others I could mention, who

have supported and encouraged throughout this year, in unnoticed and often unseen ways and I want to say thank you to you as well.

This year has been a year of challenge and testing, and as we have been stretched, as we have mourned the loss of so many, as we have wrestled with mixed emotions and many questions, we have supported one another and grown together in faith. Overall, I give thanks to our faithful God who has brought us this far together and that together we have managed to keep that flame of hope burning brightly as we have learned to trust in our heavenly Father, our Saviour Jesus Christ and rely evermore deeply on the Holy Spirit.

To misquote a well-known hymn…

Lord for thi s year, your love has kept and guided, urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way, sought us and saved us, pardoned, and provided, Lord of this year, we bring our thanks today.

Revd Glynn Lautenbach

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Churchwardens’ Report

Last year we described 2019 as a year of reflection where the pace of change in our parish life had been gentle and considered. In comparison 2020 can only be described as having been a year of turmoil where the pace of change in our parish life has been turbulent and rapid.

The Ministry Team of Rev. Glynn, Rev. Lorraine and ourselves have, like all the other committees, been meeting via Zoom to try to keep up with the changing situation and rules as we moved between lockdowns, tiers, and other restrictions on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis. Revd Glynn in particular did sterling work wading through the plethora of guidance (or sometimes frustrating lack of guidance) coming from the Diocese, the national Church of England authorities and the Government.

In the case of the first lockdown this meant closing the church completely, even for private prayer, a decision that we were unhappy about but had to comply with. Fortunately, through the skills and dedication of a ‘number ‘of members of the congregation we were

soon able to hold our Services remotely via Zoom and this was embraced by many parishioners. During the easing of restrictions in early autumn we chose, with the approval of the PCC, to continue our Services in a hybrid fashion so that those still shielding could continue to take part. The hybrid services even allowed those not in the Burghfield area to take part, with people “Zooming in” from as far afield as Portugal, Leicester, Devon, and Yorkshire, with Gill and Don leading our singing from Wales! What a blessing it has been to be able to continue to meet and worship in this way. Sometimes it felt like a blessing in disguise (!), but the skills we have acquired and honed will bring lasting benefits. In late autumn as covid19 case numbers rose again and West Berkshire moved up the tiers we decided to revert to fully on-line Services in order to minimise the risk to the congregation, many of whom are in the more vulnerable categories, even though this time we could have continued in church (with suitable precautions). However, we were pleased to be able to keep the church open for private prayer and this continued with daily cleaning (thank you to the locking and unlocking team!) ensuring it remained a safe space.

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Our Parish Administrator, Janey, has had to adapt to working from home rather than the Parish Office but this hasn’t stopped her continuing to be an invaluable source of help to Revd Glynn (and to us). The newsletter, now an on-line publication, has gone from strength to strength as she’s been able to put her energies into reporting all that has happened, and is due to happen, rather than having to work on fitting it onto two sides of A4.

The Little Footprints nursery, which meets in the Parish Centre, gained a good OFSTED report early in 2020. Unfortunately, they were also forced to close during the first lockdown, which made it a challenging year for them financially, and for the PCC as we lost associated lettings income from both the nursery and other hirers. Little Footprints have adapted well to providing a covid19-secure environment for their charges and are happily now beginning to grow again.

Whilst we were able to continue our on-line and hybrid services at 10:00am on a Sunday morning we had to suspend the other services that we were trialling: First Sunday 8am Breakfast Church, Second Sunday Taste Service and Third Sunday Church4U not least because we were unable to provide the refreshments that supplement each service. We will consider these afresh in the autumn of 2021 if conditions permit. Closing the building did at least mean that cleaning could also be suspended. As we open again, we have reflected on how incredibly grateful we are for our dedicated group of regular cleaners. There’s always room to come and join in, we usually clean one Friday night and one Saturday morning each month.

Other community focused events that we organise, or join, also had to adapt in 2020:

• “Flying Solo”, which provides a monthly opportunity for (mainly older) people who live alone to eat together and share fellowship and friendship had to be suspended from March. We look forward to the time when we can offer this ministry once again.

• The Remembrance Day parade was severely limited, with a packed church being replaced by a short open-air wreath-laying ceremony and prayers at the War Memorial. The Royal British Legion arranged for the event to be live streamed to allow the rest of the community to be there in spirit. Many thanks to Clive and Brian for producing the large cross trough into which many parishioners were able to plant their poppy crosses in memory of those who died.

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• Our finances were badly impacted for various reasons by the pandemic. In November we held a Grand Auction to raise some extra funds. Parishioners and supporters gave very generously to make a fabulous catalogue (lots of lovely lots!) and then the bidders on the night dug very deep in support of the cause. The amazing result was over £5000 and many happy people who have purchased items that normally money can’t buy. The auction represents an enormous amount of work and we would particularly like to thank Margaret Thomas who masterminded much of the event, drawing on her invaluable past experiences.

• The marvellous Kat Josey (of Georgies the Florist) took the Advent Wreath making evening on-line, with over 50 people ordering their kits beforehand and then following the Zoom instructions to produce their wreaths. We had people joining us from far flung parts of the country, something not possible with a physical event, of course.

• The sixth annual Christmas Tree Festival was hosted in church but needed to be visited via our website or Facebook page. Once again, we had many wonderful trees, decorated in the theme of Christmas Carols.

• Although we arranged the provision of the Christmas tree on the Hatch (kindly donated by Englefield Estate) and the installation of the lights again, we were unable to host the Big Sing around it due to the restrictions. The replacement was two drive-in Carol Services, held in the larger church car park. We are incredibly grateful to Tadley Brass Band for turning out again (and donating their fee to charity) and to Gill Sinclair for leading the singing. A wonderful time was had by all who attended.

We would like to thank our clergy colleagues (Glynn and Lorraine), as well as the members of the PCC and all the unsung heroes of our congregations, for all their wonderful support throughout 2020. The year might not have turned out as expected, but with God’s help we have come through it having learnt a lot, adapted well, and found ways to continue serving and worshipping together. Thank you.

Alison Eves and Michael Wood Churchwardens

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Bradfield Deanery Synod

Deanery Synod representatives serve for up to three years. Elections were held in 2020 and our current representatives are Carol Jackson Doerge and Colin Thompson.

The Synod meets three times in the year but this year the March meeting was cancelled and those in June and October were held by Zoom. Following the retirement of the Revd Heather Parbury, the Revd David Archer of Purley has been appointed Area Dean.

The year has been very challenging for all parishes as a result of Covid-19 and the Deanery Treasurer has been at the forefront of negotiations with the Diocese with regard to inability to pay Parish Share. A Deanery Strategy Paper has been prepared by a working party and is awaiting final adoption.

Colin Thompson

Prayer Life

Report on Prayer Coordination & Prayer and Healing Team for 2020

2020 impacted hugely on the ministry of prayer and healing.

The Prayer Chain of Intercessors and Prayer and Healing Team members have been informed of urgent prayer requests by e mail. The Monthly prayer diary has been updated. Prayers in the chancel were offered when we were able to hold services in church, but of course for much of the year our services have been held on Zoom, so this aspect of ministry has not been available. We have also had to suspend the use of the prayer request book, due to Covid protocols. Only one circle of prayer meeting was held, very early in 2020 and we have been unable to undertake any training this year.

We were able to assist with one Reflective service early in the year and several team members made themselves available for the All-Souls Service in church in November to assist Rev Lorraine.

We were delighted to welcome Hilary James to the team, and she has been able to assist on a number of the few occasions when services in church were possible.

Margaret Thomas and Anne Greaves

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Outreach

Outward giving

For some years now we have donated a percentage of the church’s income to charities and mission agencies in accordance with the PCC decision made a few years ago to commit 10% of the church’s planned giving income.

In choosing the charities to receive monies from us, the PCC has striven to maintain a balance between large and small charities, and domestic and overseas charities. We also favour charities where we have personal knowledge of the good that their work does.

Our Outward Giving figure for 2020 is £4,000. This year’s beneficiaries are:

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Burghfield Support Group for The Children’s Society

This exceptional year has been unlike any other for the parish Support Group as for everyone else. The group consisting of Anne Burtenshaw, Hilary James, Pat Glover (our Treasurer), Janet Reed, Nicky South-Klein, and Colin Thompson were delighted to welcome a new member, Sheila Langston-Hopgood in July at a meeting held in a

garden to comply with the then current Covid regulations, and only met on one further occasion (in October in church).

Most of our proposed fundraising events were cancelled and we had no cake stalls, but in total we raised £1534.87 plus a little more which will come from gift aid. This is £340 less than last year, but still very gratifying in the circumstances. The Annual Christingle service is always our biggest event and this year it was held online and raised £439.40. Furthermore, the Church generously agreed to donate the collection from the Drive-in Carol services (£436.50), and we did manage one remote quiz (£210) and made £147.75 from the sale of Christmas cards. Income from Boxes (£261.22) was also greatly reduced as at one stage they could not be collected, and people generally had less coinage to put in them!

Looking forward to 2021 we have already lost our traditional Feb quiz and Mothering Sunday cake stall, but we are hopeful the autumn will see some return to normality. If you think you would like to join our little group please speak to any of its members.

Colin Thompson

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Flying Solo & Holiday at Home

We were able to hold Flying Solo meals in January and February which were attended by our usual guests, sadly we had to cancel in March at the beginning of lockdown and were unable to resume due to social distancing. We will discuss future meetings when the road map out of lockdown allows. We were able to meet with a few people socially distanced outside at Cafe B whilst weather permitted.

Lorraine maintained contact with Holiday

at Home participants and Anne has continued to contact approx. thirty people by weekly telephone calls and had contact and discussion with people after T.V. Church services.

No Holiday at Home events were possible this year.

Anne Burtenshaw & Revd Lorraine Colam.

Churches Together Burghfield, Sulhamstead and Mortimer (CTBSM)

Due to the Pandemic, only one meeting of Churches Together in our area took place in January 2020

Revd Glynn

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Burghfield St Mary’s Primary School

The school’s vision is to create a caring Christian learning environment that inspires each individual in the school community to fulfil their unique potential and become a responsible, concerned, and active member of God’s world. The Governing Body includes two Foundation Governors, appointed by the Diocese (currently Revd Glynn Lautenbach and Deborah Marsden-Kwan). They meet with the Head Teacher on a termly basis to discuss RE provision and collective worship within the school, as well as strengthening school church ties.

The school remained open throughout the year for keyworker and vulnerable children, however many children were unable to attend school for long periods. In advance of the first lockdown the school had identified the need to make laptops for use at home more readily available and a significant number of devices were made available to children. Weekly assemblies were recorded and accessed by the children at home and at school. This included assemblies recorded by Mr Gallagher and Revd Glynn which were based on Christian themes. Children’s assemblies continued, with photos or videos being sent in of children’s activities and achievements, these all began with the lighting of the 3 candles to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was much appreciated by the children and parents to have this continuity and sense of community that these provided in lockdown.

Many annual events were cancelled, and no exams or statutory tests were held. The school monitors pupil performance and are proud of the pupils’ positive attitudes. The governors would like to place on record their gratitude to and admiration of all the staff of the school who worked so flexibly throughout the year in exceptional circumstances.

Deborah Marsden-Kwan (Foundation Governor) Colin Thompson (Vice-Chair, Governing Body)

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- Buildings Fabric Report

Regular use of our Church building and Parish Centre has been much less than usual over the past year, but I am glad to say that it did not stop completely. The church has as usual been open during the day for private prayer, even though most of the building has been screened off during the various periods of lockdown, and I want to thank the dedicated team who have carried out all the preparation and cleaning procedures each day to ensure that we complied with Government regulations whilst providing a safe space for individuals to spend time in God’s house.

Although most of the regular users of the Parish Centre have not been able to meet, Little Footprints has, throughout most of the pandemic, managed to remain open to provide childcare for key workers; the PCC granted them sole occupancy of the building and they have undertaken their own cleaning procedures. We know that having Little Footprints still there has been much appreciated by the children’s parents, and we are glad that our building has been there to help the community in this way.

At the end of 2019, a Quinquennial Inspection (QI) of the Church was undertaken by Dr David Pendery of Pendery Architecture & Heritage. The majority of the report raised concerns regarding the Church roof. The Fabric Committee studied the report and sought quotations from roofing contractors. The Committee then recommended to the PCC that Moran Roofing Specialists Ltd be appointed to overhaul the roof and rainwater goods. They are intending to undertake the works from a Cherry Picker which will save a huge amount on scaffolding around the church. A List B Faculty was obtained for the works. Unfortunately, due to the weather in recent months, the contractor has been delayed & it is hoped the works will now be undertaken at the end of April 2021. Towards the end of 2020 the Church received a very generous donation from a resident of Burghfield Village specifically for the maintenance of the Church building; this, together with a generous grant from the Archdeacon’s Discretionary Fund, will cover the costs of the works.

Also raised in the QI report was a concern for a Sleeper Stone situated at roof level on the corner of one of the Transepts. This is no longer in alignment with the wall and the surrounding brickwork is cracking. The Architect advised that the church appoint a Structural Engineer to assess the situation. The Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) was approached to suggest a suitable Engineer.

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With the agreement of the roofing contractor, it is hoped that whilst they are on site, the engineer will be able to make a close inspection of the stone from the Cherry Picker.

During March 2020 just before the 1[st] lockdown a Digital Projector & Screen were installed in the Church. This has proved invaluable during the times between lockdowns when we have been able to meet in church for worship, whilst also inviting people to join us via Zoom. The system is still playing a vital role as we continue with our current hybrid services. Of course, however good an audio-visual system is, it cannot function without people who know how to use it, and we are very blessed at St Mary’s in our technical team who week by week are faithfully connecting the right cables and pressing the correct keys. Being something of a dinosaur myself when it comes to 21[st] century technology, I am extremely glad that you are there. Thank you on behalf of everyone who has benefited from this important new aspect of our ministry.

We have been aware for some time that there is possibly a slow leak in the Church underfloor heating system . It is intended that JFK Heating, the company that maintain the system, will carry out a pressure test during the summer and attempt to isolate where the leak is so that repairs may be undertaken.

Just before the February Half Term, Little Footprints reported that the Parish Centre had no hot water. JFK Heating investigated and found that the main hot water storage tank was corroding and was leaking. Repairs were undertaken during the half-term holiday.

As reported last year there are major problems with the Septic Tank. The soakaway is failing, and a quotation for its replacement & the installation of a water treatment plant has been provisionally accepted by the PCC. Currently we are waiting on the Diocesan Advisory Committee to agree in principle a Faculty for its replacement. We will then need to obtain Planning Permission from the Local Authority. It is anticipated that the cost of these works will be between £16,000 & £20,000. We hope to obtain grants for some of this, but a major fund-raising effort will be needed to provide the balance of funds needed.

Brian Thatcher, Chair Fabric Committee

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Parish Centre report

2020 has impacted The Parish Centre heavily with the restrictions of Covid-19. The first part of the year our bookings were as normal. Once March came along and restrictions were put in place, we had no bookings. Little Footprints also closed their doors

at this time. The regulations then changed and Early Years for keyworkers reopened. Little Footprints identified that a percentage of their children were keyworkers and opened to look after them. Little footprints continued to be the only income the Parish Centre was receiving. Unfortunately, due to the covid regulations our usual bookings with Yoga and Pilates, Burghfield Art Group, and meetings for the Burghfield Residents association (BRA) were unable to take place. All other reservations which may have been booked for our church meetings, community events and concerts to raise money for charity also had to be cancelled.

In 2019 the nursery was sold and taken over, this year after their good Ofsted rating and the hard work that the family and team had done we started to see an increase in numbers. Once covid hit and they had to close, conversations between the church and owners took place and an agreed figure was confirmed and capped for the nursery to pay. This gave the church some form of income during an uncertain time. It also assisted Little Footprints as they were only receiving a limited income due to the number of children attending.

Due to all the restrictions with Covid-19, we have not increased the Parish Centre fees they still stood at: £12.75 per hour per room on weekdays until 6pm, or £15.30 per hour per room thereafter and at weekends.

Jane Cleary Parish Administrator

The PCC of St Mary’s the Virgin Burghfield is a Registered Charity No.1167639

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2020

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2020

Reference and Administrative details

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is in the village and parish of Burghfield in the county of Berkshire.

All correspondence regarding the church should be addressed to: The Parish Office, St Mary’s Church, Church Lane, Burghfield, RG30 3TG.

Structure, governance and management

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC is responsible for safeguarding the assets of the church operating under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. This involves working with the Revd Glynn Lautenbach the Rector, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for the Parish Centre. The PCC is a charity Registered with the Charity Commission of England & Wales and our number is: 1167639.

Furthermore the PCC of St Mary the Virgin has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishop’s guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

Membership of the PCC

Members of the PCC are either elected by the Parochial Church Meeting or are ex-officio in accordance with the Church Representation rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and may stand for election to the PCC.

During the year 2020 the following people served as members of the PCC.

Ex Officio Members

Clergy:

Revd Glynn Lautenbach

Revd Lorraine Colam

Wardens:

Michael Wood

Alison Eves

PCC members as a result of Deanery Synod Membership

Colin Thompson and Carol Jackson-Doerge were elected to Deanery Synod at the APCM on 18[th] October 2020 for a 3 year term of office till 2023.

PCC Secretary

Brian Thatcher

PCC Treasurer

Oliver Dillon

Elected Members of the PCC

Name Elected at APCM Serve Until Term
Brian Thatcher 2019 2022 1st
Amy Legg 2019 2022 2nd
Oliver Dillon 2020 2023 3rd
Margaret Thomas 2020 2023 2nd
Sara Fantham 2020 2023 1st
Clive Eatwell 2020 2023 1st
Anne Pocock 2020 2023 1st

There are 2 vacancies currently

Foundation Governors

The following have been appointed to serve on the school governing body of the church school as Foundation Governors:

Mrs Deborah Marsden-Kwan

Revd Glynn Lautenbach

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Structure, governance and management

Committees and Groups

The sub-committees of the PCC which continued through 2020 were the Finance and Stewardship committee, the Fabric Committee for care of the Fabric of the buildings and grounds and the Worship and Discipleship committee for matters relating to worship and discipleship. The Standing Committee met regularly for decision making, support and Agenda planning.

The Ministry Team comprising Revd Glynn Lautenbach (Rector), Revd Lorraine Colam (Part time Non Stipendiary Associate Minister), Alison Eves (Churchwarden) and Michael Wood (Churchwarden) met regularly to plan and co-ordinate the ongoing ministry of the parish.

PCC Vision Statement

The new vision statement for the church created in 2020 is as follows:

Welcoming all, growing faith, serving others

Going forward, all aspects of the life, mission and ministry of our parish will be discerned and assessed in line with these three areas.

In addition, we continue to work in accordance with the Diocesan ‘Common Vision’, to be a ‘A more Christ-like church for the sake of God’s world’ becoming a more Contemplative, Compassionate and Courageous Church.

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Achievements and Performance

Church Attendance

The electoral roll was updated for 2020 and the number on the electoral roll recorded at the APCM was 73.

Due to the regulations during the pandemic and church closures from 23[rd] March no services took place in the building till Sunday 2[nd] August 2020. Between March and up to Easter Sunday, members of the congregation were encouraged to join in the diocesan provision for online services, along with some recorded services uploaded to our website and Facebook page.

From ‘Low Sunday’ (19[th] April) we tried a ‘Zoom’ gathering for the first time and thereafter provided a Zoom service every Sunday at 10.00am. Since returning to church services in the summer (beginning of August) we moved to a pattern of ‘hybrid’ services, whereby the congregation could join in via Zoom or face to face in church for the same service. When Covid rates continued to rise in late December after the 2[nd] Lockdown in November we took the decision to remain online for all our Christmas services and events.

Only the 10.00am service continued through most of the year as other occasional services were paused as we were evaluating them prior to the Pandemic.

January – March 22nd 2020 Attendance Communicants
10.00am Parish Communion 30 29

These numbers include children, some of whom have been admitted to Holy Communion according to Canon B15A.

No major festivals took place in church in 2020 except for Harvest Sunday in October.

Zoom service attendance between 19[th] April to end July, between 8[th] - 29[th] November and between 20[th] to end of December 2020:

Average online attendance 34 (including a few children only occasionally)

Hybrid Services between 2[nd] August to end October, 6[th] and 13[th] December 2020

In Church 20 18
On Zoom 10

During 2020 we celebrated 1 baptism (2019:16); No weddings took place (2019: 4) and 14 funerals (2019:8) were conducted

Review of the year

A full report on the activities of the parish during 2020 is found in the Annual Report booklet accompanying this document.

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Financial Review

As with every other part of life the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on St Mary’s finances. This will continue to affect us in 2021.

Voluntary income for General Expenditure, (excluding Gift Aid, Fundraising, Fees & Lettings), was up by 9% due to online giving. Gift Aid was lower this year as 2019 contained some catch-up from prior years. (Outstanding Gift Aid claims for 2020 and the Small Donations claim for 2019/20 are estimated to total approximately £5k.) The Montessori nursery school was severely affected by the pandemic and with other bookings limited, income from Parish Centre Lettings was down by 48% (£17.5k). We will continue to support the Nursery so that they are in the best possible position to achieve success.

Fundraising was very successful this year. £5,116 was raised by the auctions, £455 through sponsorship of Amy’s Haircut and Quizzes brought in £250. Advent Wreath making had income of £327.50 and after costs we retain £67.50. Congratulations are due to all involved. Amazon Smile contributed a rather meagre £8 given that it is at no cost to the parishioner.

We had been allocated a large increase in Parish Share compared to the previous year. It was clear that the pandemic would make the projected figures unattainable. In discussions with the Deanery Treasurer it was decided to reduce the final three months by a total of £11,100.

The PCC removed the Designated status of £6.2k which it had previously set aside for Fabric in case the funds were needed to be immediately available.

These resulted in an overall surplus on our Unrestricted Funds of £4.8k.

A projector, screen and sound system which were paid for by donation were installed prior to the start of the outbreak. A separate donation of £5k was received to help with future repairs and maintenance.

The following are some of the financial and ministerial matters relating to the church:

Oliver Dillon Treasurer

Michael Wood Churchwarden

Alison Eves Churchwarden

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Independent Examiners Report to the PCC of St Mary the Virgin Burghfield

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Financial Statements

Rev'd Glynn Lautenbach (Rector & PCC Chair)

Mr Oliver Dillon (PCC Treasurer)

Approved by the PCC on 18[th] January 2021 and signed on their behalf by Rev'd Glynn Lautenbach (PCC Chair) and Mr Oliver Dillon (PCC Treasurer)

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield

Notes to the Financial Statements

The financial statements for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield are prepared on a Receipt and Payments basis.

  1. Gift Aid was from the Parish Giving scheme throughout the year together with claims for 2019 & the small claim for 2018/19.

  2. Other General Donations includes £1,850 of online donations for General funds.

  3. The Fees Income is reported as the net amount payable to the PCC in accordance with C of E guidelines. Fees collected on behalf of the Diocese totalled £2,551. Transactions relating to payments for Bellringers, Vergers etc are also specifically excluded.

  4. Fundraising was significant with £5,116 raised by the auctions, £455 through sponsorships of Amy’s Haircut and Quizzes brought in £250. The Advent Wreath making had income of £327.50 and after costs we retain £67.50. Amazon Smile contributed a rather disappointing £8.

  5. The pandemic restrictions had a major impact on Parish Centre Lettings which were £17,487 down compared to last year.

  6. Interest Income on the J Harvey Thursby Memorial fund was allocated to defray costs incurred in maintaining the churchyard.

  7. Movements on Restricted Accounts:

Income on the Restricted funds included Monthly pledges of £780. A donation of £5,000 towards Fabric and Repairs was received. A Projector, Screen & Sound System was installed and this was paid for by donation. The Christingle and Carol services raised £275 for the Childrens Society. Donations of £100 were received to help offset the higher IT costs which have been incurred in the current pandemic. A £2.4k retention on the Tower project remains payable in 2021.

  1. Due to the lockdowns and restrictions on services a number of costs were significantly suppressed.

  2. We had been allocated a large increase in Parish Share compared to the previous year. In discussions with the Deanery Treasurer, it was agreed to reduce the final 3 months by a total of £11,100.

  3. Our Outward Giving figure for 2020 is £4,000. This year’s beneficiaries are: Health Help International £1,200 Burghfield United Charities £400 Spotlight £500 Yeldall Manor £500 PACT £500 The Trussell Trust £900

  4. A surplus of £4,827 is reported on the unrestricted funds statutory accounts.