## **Annual Report 2021** ## **ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING** ## **24[th] May 2022** ## **7.30pm St Mary’s Church** _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|5| |Bradfield Deanery Synod|7| |Prayer Life: Report on Prayer and Healing Team|9| |Outreach: Outward giving|10| |Outreach: Burghfield Parish Support Group for|| |The Children’s Society|11| |Outreach: Flying Solo & Holiday @ Home|11| |Outreach: Churches Together in Burghfield,|| |Sulhamstead and Mortimer|12| |Burghfield St Mary Primary School|12| |Buildings: Fabric report|13| |Buildings: Parish Centre report|15| # **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 13[th] June 2021 Election of Churchwardens ## **ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING** 1. Minutes of the APCM held on 13[th] June 2021 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 1 ## **Clergy Report** Life in 2021 was still very much concerned with the Covid-19 pandemic and Church life was no different. While 2020 might have been categorised as ‘confusing and bewildering’ as we came to grips with the reality of a pandemic, 2021, could be classed as a year of ‘persevering’ as we continued through a pandemic, seemingly without end. We had times when we were able to worship in church and others when we were back in various lockdowns, sometimes imposed and at other times we chose not to worship in church due to the high numbers of local Covid-19 cases. The year began in a continued lockdown from the end of December 2020, and we journeyed through Lent on Zoom together, trying out several different services and options. During Holy week, we tried an Easter Wreath workshop on Zoom (following the success of our Advent Wreath workshop via Zoom) which was well attended. On Maundy Thursday night we experimented with an online Passover meal and though participants were few in number they literally joined in from around England and even further afield. Afterwards, along with Revd Lorraine, myself and some members of our Prayer and Healing Team, we held a very moving three-hour vigil. Our Good Friday service of Stations of the Cross was very beautifully led by several members of the Prayer and Healing team. We finally returned to worship in Church again, on Easter Sunday (4[th] April) which began outside as we sang a wonderful resurrection hymn together, before moving into church for the rest of our service. We continued to wear masks for our services throughout the year, communion was in one kind only, and social distancing was simply the norm. Whole congregation singing in church, only became possible later in the year when restrictions lifted a little. All decisions made concerning our services and how to implement restrictions in our context, were taken together between myself and our PCC. Numbers at our services remained low but steady throughout the year, with the continuation of Zoom provision enabling hybrid services for those unable to attend church to, join in online. 2 Occasional services were few in number, with only two baptisms and one wedding in 2021. Though some funerals were able to take place in church, the majority took place at the crematoriums, especially with the opportunity for attendance through live streaming for family and friends of the deceased, as numbers attending Funerals remained restricted for a large part of the year. PCC continued to meet mostly on Zoom though occasionally in Church, socially distanced of course. With COP26 looming in November 2021, our PCC discussed making a deeper and renewed commitment to caring for God’s beautiful Creation. A small committee was formed in April ‘Creation Matters’, whose remit was to focus on ways we could make a difference to the climate crisis, how we could raise awareness of the crisis and how we could be better informed. We raised awareness through a Sermon Series, as well as a Study Course with a small number of participants. We committed to having an annual ‘Climate Sunday’ and +Olivia Graham (Bishop of Reading) led and preached at our first Climate Sunday service on 11[th] July 2021. We also updated our registration with the Fairtrade Foundation, renewing our commitment to be a ‘Fairtrade Church’. In our Creation Matters meetings, we planned for a ‘Festival of Creation’ which we worked towards, and which took place in October. While numbers were low in attendance, we managed to raise some awareness in our local community as we had a number of participants from local organisations displaying various aspects of creation and our need to care for the environment. Furthermore, we committed to ‘Terracycling’ as much as we could. To this end we placed bins in the church entrance to collect some items which could not be recycled through the local council, and which could be delivered to ‘Ali’s Recycling’ for recycling. This project continues to be well supported by church and wider community alike. 3 As December came around we returned to the Hatch for our annual ‘Carols on the Hatch’ raising funds for ‘The Children’s Society’. We also hosted our annual Christmas Tree Festival weekend once again, this time unlike 2020, with actual attendees. We even had the wonderful Hurst Singers providing entertainment on the Saturday as they raised our spirits with their Christmas songs. As the year came to a close we found numbers of covid cases rising locally once again, and so we took the decision to go online for our Christmas services for a second year in a row. Our Christingle Zoom service was again well supported by The Children’s Society Committee who provided the bags for collection, to make the Christingles at home during the service, as well as the many families who attended online. I give thanks for the support of our Churchwardens Mike and Alison, along with my colleague Revd Lorraine; for the prayer support of our Prayer and Healing Team and Prayer Chain, for the dedication and commitment of our PCC members; for our administrator Jane Cleary; and for so many others who have contributed in various ways to the life and witness of our parish. Throughout the year we worked together to support and encourage one another, relying on God’s faithfulness and grace to bring us through another difficult year. It is in the trying times that our faith is most tested and yet in that testing, we somehow find strength, encouragement and a deeper trust and faith in our loving God. As we emerge from the pandemic, I pray that we will all know the blessing and peace of our heavenly Father, as we deal with the fallout from the last two years and the long term effects the pandemic has had on us all. I pray too for new life in the Holy Spirit, courage, and encouragement, as we venture with renewed hope, into a changed world with new opportunities for life and growth, faith, and witness to the glorious message of the Gospel our Saviour Jesus Christ came to bring. I commend the following passage to you as we look ahead to 2022. _[2b] ..And we boast in the hope of the glory of God._ _**[3 ]** Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces_ _perseverance;_ _**[4 ]** perseverance, character; and character, hope._ _**[5 ]** And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:2b-5_ _Revd Glynn Lautenbach_ 4 ## **Churchwardens’ Report** We entered 2021 full of hope that, despite the turmoil of the disrupted 2020 Christmas plans and the latest lockdown, 2021 would turn out to be a more predictable and peaceful year. Well, it seems we are learning the hard way to rely on our Father God, and to trust in Him rather than our own plans….. We endured the second period of lockdown and church closure and then rejoiced as Easter brought about the chance to meet in person again, albeit with many precautions in place to protect one another. Christmas however found us back online, but at least we were well practised and knew how to do virtual Christingles, complete with kits! We have continued to worship together, whether on Zoom, socially distanced or masked in church; we have learnt what is important and what is not, and we give thanks for the technology and the resilience of our clergy, Rev Glynn, and Rev Lorraine, as they led us through this period. Throughout the year our weekly worship has been the on-line and hybrid services at 10:00am on a Sunday morning, and of course we have enjoyed special services for particular occasions. Taizé services have been introduced on an occasional basis too. Unfortunately, we were not able to restart any hospitality/shared meals during the year, we have greatly missed these occasions, and the outreach and fellowship opportunities they bring. Our Parish Administrator, Janey, has continued to be a fantastic support to Rev Glynn, to us, and to the Parish at large. Nothing is too much trouble, and we thank her particularly for both her patience and her initiative, and her hard work, always done with good cheer. The newsletter, produced mainly by Janey and Glynn continues to be the “go to” place for information and updates, and represents a great deal of effort, but so valuable During 2021 the nursery changed hands, and “Little Footprints” became “Mini Oaks”, run by a well-established community company (Oaks Childcare). We have enjoyed continuing to work with the leaders and the children. One of the first things they took part in was our Festival of Creation in October 2021, of which more below We were delighted to expand again the community focused events and activities that we organise or join. Highlights included: • We shared a wonderful online Seder meal, with people joining from literally all over the world. What an unexpected joy and result of our enforced virtual marking of Holy Week 5 • We held our first ever Easter Wreath making workshop, run online as we had learnt how to do the previous Advent. Thanks again to Kat Josey for leading and making and delivering 20+ kits • Community Churchyard tidy up working parties have resulted in our beautiful churchyard being well cared for: thank you to all who have taken part, a wonderful cooperation between the Parish Council, parishioners, and the church family • We have established a Terracycling collection point and have contributed to various collections of items which would otherwise go to landfill • Our first Festival of Creation was held in the run up to COP 26. The church was filled with beautiful creations made by local individuals and groups as we celebrated God’s wonderful creation and pondered how we could steward it better. Café B kindly provided refreshments. The Festival is part of our increased focus on the fifth mark of mission (To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth), and we have also established a “Creation Matters” group to promote this work. • It was a joy to hold a full Remembrance Day service once again, albeit outside. It was such a pleasure to welcome so many from the community again. The weather was kind, attendance was better than ever, with around 600-700 villagers, young and old, attending the open-air wreath-laying ceremony and service at the War Memorial. This message of thanks from a parishioner sums it up: “We have never been before so didn't really know what to expect but it was so well organised and really good to see so many people had made the effort. Very emotional when the Chinook flew over very low as a mark of respect. The kids were brilliant.” • Thanks to a wonderful team of people, spearheaded by the marvellous, professional florist (and at that point very new Mum!) Kat Josey, we joyfully held the Advent Wreath making evening in person once again. This is a very valued event in the community - The Advent Window Trail ran again: some innovations due to the pandemic are worth keeping! • The seventh annual Christmas Tree Festival was once again in person but with covid precautions in place of course. Sadly, a resurgence of the virus at the time meant we were only able to host one of the planned choirs, the Hurst Singersthey were fantastic- and hopefully in 2022 the school choirs can return. Café B again provided refreshments, which we all appreciated. • The Christmas tree on the Hatch (kindly donated by Englefield Estate) duly lit, was the venue for the Big Sing once again accompanied by the wonderful Tadley Brass Band and enjoyed by many from the community. 6 We would like to thank our clergy colleagues (Glynn and Lorraine), as well as all the faithful members of the PCC and all in our church family for all your great and much valued support throughout 2021. We have edged our way back towards a new normal, grateful for our Father’s loving hand guiding us as we all seek to live out His will and to be faithful, welcoming witnesses here in Burghfield. _Alison Eves and Michael Wood Churchwardens_ ## **Bradfield Deanery Synod** ## **What is Deanery Synod?** The Deanery Synod is part of the way the Church of England gives people at different levels a chance to discuss key issues and organise the church’s ministry and mission. It sits between the parishes with their Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) and the diocese with the Diocesan Synod. ## **What does it do?** - Considers matters concerning the Church of England - Brings together the views of the parishes of the deanery - Acts as a channel of communication between parishes and Diocesan Synod - Implements decisions made by General Synod - Raises matters with Diocesan Synod - Elects’ representatives to Diocesan Synod and General Synod Deanery Synod representatives serve for up to three years. Elections were held in 2020 and our current representatives for St Mary’s are Carol Jackson’ Doerge and Colin Thompson. During the year Synod welcomed Revd Grant Fensome from Aldworth, Ashampstead and Basildon and Revd Mark Hopkins, Priest in charge of Pangbourne, Sulham and Tidmarsh, as well as Revd Aidan Jones, Curate in Purley. Appointments were made to the Deanery Synod Standing Committee for the 3- year cycle. 7 Lay chair – Chris Newman; Secretary – Debbie Corrigan; Treasurer – Chris Goodchild; Lay member - Jenny Peabody; Area Dean – Revd David Archer; Clergy representative – Revd Glynn Lautenbach Appointments were also made to Diocesan Synod: Chris Newman for one of the lay posts and Revd Mark Hopkins for one of the clergy posts. The Synod meets three times in the year and whilst the July meeting was held by Zoom, the October and March meetings were held in the flesh. The principal topic of discussion (other than the perennial favourite parish share) has been the draft Deanery plan. It is generally agreed that the current draft is too general and needs to have a sharper focus. It briefly touches on changes to Deanery boundaries with differing views as to the best structure. The March meeting was a particularly lively affair, as the Area Dean shared a brief video and then invited comments from the floor. In a nutshell the producer of the video pointed out that the percentage of the population answering the census question as to religion with ‘None’ had risen from 5% in the 1940’s to over 30% with the figure being even higher amongst the under 30’s. This suggests we have a forthcoming existential crisis which requires more than tinkering. Responses from the floor were varied but broadly accepted the premise, and we must now work to turn recognition of the problem into potential solutions. It is going to be an interesting year! Safeguarding and Financial matters are a standing item on all agendas. Deanery Synod has noted the challenges being faced in both areas and is reporting these up to the Diocese. Meetings have been a source of encouragement. Synod has considered the opportunities for leading the post-pandemic church. Synod has been challenged to consider the different preferences for church services (digital gatherings, physical gatherings, or a hybrid, or neither) of churched people by various categories of ages. It showed that older people (over 60) much prefer the physical gatherings, but that all other groupings much prefer a mixture of digital and physical gatherings Bradfield Deanery hosted Bishop Steven in December, through several events and services during the day and evening. _Colin Thompson_ 8 ## **Report on Prayer Coordination & Prayer and Healing Team for 2021** Prayer Chain of Intercessors and Prayer and Healing Team members continued to be informed of urgent prayer requests by email. The Monthly prayer diary was updated. During Holy week the team took part in the Maundy Thursday Service on Zoom leading a series of half hour reflection including readings, prayers, and reflection on paintings. On Good Friday the team led the last hour at the cross, a service of readings, prayers, and music, using the Turvey Abbey images of the stations of the cross. Both these services were well received by those who attended via Zoom, although sadly attendance was low. After our return to church at Easter, prayers in the chancel were resumed and with further loosening of restrictions we were able to resume the use of the Prayer request Book. We were not able to hold Circle of Prayer or undertake any training. We assisted with one Reflective service and again helped with the All-Souls Service. We welcomed Sara to the team. Sadly, some of the team have not returned to church since services resumed so filling the rota for prayers in the chancel is often a struggle and it means that only 6 members of the team fulfil most of the slots. Hopefully we will have a fuller team next year and others may feel the call to join this much valued aspect of mutual prayer support. _Margaret Thomas and Anne Greaves_ 9 ## **Outreach** Outreach is very much a part of our mission at St Mary’s and through the year we have been involved in various activities. Our congregation is exceedingly generous in supporting our local Foodbank and the need seems to have increased even more so through the pandemic. Food donations are at an alltime high and we participated in both the Lent and Advent appeals’ along with providing general food donations. This year we had our first ‘Shoebox’ workshop in November, where over 100 boxes were prepared for distribution through the charity ‘Samaritan’s Purse’ for ‘Operation Christmas Child’. We support two local charities through our annual ‘Toy Service’ where new toys and other items are brought to our service and then donated to Berkshire Women’s Aid as well as Spotlight UK. ## **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 2021 is £4,100. This year’s beneficiaries are: |•|Health Help International|£1,500| |---|---|---| |•|Farm Africa|£ 500| |•|The Trussell Trust|
£ 500| |•|Burghfield Utd Charities|£ 400| |•|Spotlight UK|
£ 400| |•|Yeldall Manor|£ 400| |•|Home Start|£ 400| 10 ## **Burghfield Support Group for The Children’s Society** The group consists of Anne Burtenshaw, Hilary James, Pat Glover (our Treasurer), Janet Reed, Nicky SouthKlein, Sheila Langston-Hopgood and Colin Thompson and met three times in the year in September, October, and January. New members are always welcome and if you would like to join our little group please speak to any of its members. Activities were again curtailed because of covid, but we were able to hold cake stalls on Toy Sunday in December and Mothering Sunday in March. The Christingle service was once again held in Church, and the Church also agreed that the collection from Carols on the Hatch would be given to the Society. The fall in the general circulation of coins meant revenue from Boxes was substantially less, but £346.77 was received from eleven boxes. Sales of Christmas cards produced £117.50, the Toy service raffle £36, the collection from Carols on the Hatch £174 and the Christingle service £187.38. The toy service cake stall yielded £255.10 (including donations) and the Mothering Sunday £136.70. Overall, therefore we raised £1253.45, well down on our pre-Covid figure, but still very gratifying in the circumstances. Hopefully 2022 will continue the return to normality and we are looking forward to resuming events in the Autumn _Colin Thompson_ ## **Flying Solo & Holiday at Home** Due to the Pandemic, Lockdowns and Social Distancing we were unable to resume our meetings. Anne has been able to make some visits to people at home and keep telephone contact with others. Some people also managed to meet during the summer outside at Cafe B and inside when restrictions allowed. We do have a problem with volunteers who are no longer able to help. This will be kept under review, and we hope started again when possible. _Anne Burtenshaw & Revd Lorraine Colam._ 11 ## **Churches Together Burghfield, Sulhamstead and Mortimer (CTBSM)** Unfortunately, due to the pandemic no meetings have taken place for our local Churches’ Together Group. As we emerge properly from the pandemic, we will need to meet to assess the way forward together. _Revd Glynn_ The school’s vision is to create a caring Christian learning environment that inspires everyone 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). 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 has continued to teach in bubbles for the autumn term and the first half of the spring term, alongside a significant number of staff and pupil absences. The Senior Leadership team, teachers and support staff have worked hard to ensure consistency and have implemented a catch-up programme following the severe disruptions to the school curriculum from COVID 19. On a recent visit to the school our Foundation Governors found pupils to be demonstrating thoughtful behaviour, supportive of each other in lessons, and an enthusiasm for their schoolwork and school life. In our conversations with the pupils, they showed a positive school ethos and that they are proud of their progress in their schoolwork. Revd Glynn and her team were able to return to weekly Thursday assemblies from September, though with a spike in local covid-19 cases this was unfortunately stopped again. For the first time since the pandemic began, a few of the classes came down to church in October to lead a Harvest service. Due to the possibilities of zoom, the rest of the school and also some of the parents were able to participate virtually. We look forward to a time when the whole school can be together for our special services in church. 12 For the past few years, our school has been raising funds to develop an environmental science area with an outside classroom on the school field. Thanks to the support of our local community, we have been able to have a classroom installed. The school monitors pupil performance and are proud of the pupils’ positive attitudes. The governors would again 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. ## _Reverend Glynn Lautenbach (Foundation Governor) Deborah Marsden (Foundation Governor)_ ## **- Buildings Fabric Report** We are pleased to report that during the latter part of 2021 most of the regular users of the Parish Centre have resumed their usage of the building following the lifting of the Covid restrictions. Part of the 2019 Quinquennial Inspection Report was to overhaul the Church roof. After several delays this was finally done in June. As mentioned in the previous APCM Fabric report, concerns had been raised regarding a roof level “Sleeper Stone” which appeared to have moved. A Structural Engineer visited site and advised that he felt that it was currently safe and should be re-pointed and then monitored for any sign of movement. This repair was also undertaken by the roofing contractor and would appear to be stable. I am glad to say that the storms of the past few months do not appear to have had any negative effects on the roof. Concerns about a possible slow leak in the church underfloor heating system were mentioned in the last APCM report. However, since the church heating came back into use in the Autumn of 2021 the pressure seems to be stable, and 13 no further action has been taken, other than keeping a regular eye on the pressure gauge. During May the PCC accepted a quote for the installation of “Live Streaming “equipment in the Church. Video cameras in the church would enable a permanent set up for the Zooming & Live Streaming of services, rather than the current ad hoc arrangement using several webcams. Not only would such a system enable our Sunday Services to be broadcast, but it would also allow the broadcasting of occasional services such as funerals, weddings, and baptisms to anywhere in the world. The system would not need setting up for each service & would be simple to operate. A Faculty has been granted by the Diocese for the Installation of the equipment. An application for grant funding for the installation was made via the “Good Exchange” towards the end of 2021. Meanwhile the Fabric team consisting of Anne, Clive, Mike, Colin, Iain, Gary, and Brian have been undertaking various projects around the Church & Parish Centre: - The uneven paving slabs immediately outside the main church doors and the path round to the Parish Centre were lifted and re-laid. - The Storage porch was becoming very untidy and restricting access to the boiler house. The Fabric Team emptied the porch and disposed of items that were no longer required, most of these were taken to the recycling centre. - The long pews, stored at the back of church since the installation of the underfloor heating in 2012, were cut in half. - A survey of both the Church & the Parish Centre has identified all the nonenergy efficient lighting. As part of making the site eco-friendlier, the team will be replacing this lighting with LEDs over the next few months. I am very grateful to my fellow Fabric Committee members for their enthusiasm and willingness to tackle the various jobs that crop up in what sometimes feels like a never-ending stream: thank you all for your support during the past year. For many years concerns have been raised regarding multiple occupancy of the Parish Centre. The current layout of the building raises child protection issues when the Pre-school is in session, and it is very difficult to give free access to any organisations wishing to use the upstairs hall and facilities, or to provide access from the church to the toilets via the link door. This was felt to be inhibiting the Mission of the Church within the community. 14 A plan to modify the down-stairs hall and kitchen was put to the PCC. This plan would allow the Pre-school to isolate themselves to the hall, kitchen and two toilets, whilst allowing free access to the upper floor and the disabled toilet. The PCC has agreed to this. Following discussions with the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) & the Diocesan Architect, Building Plans have been drawn up for a faculty application. Local Authority Planning Permission has been requested, and we should hear within a few weeks whether this has been granted. We will then be able to finalise and submit the faculty application to the Diocese. The Diocesan Development Fund has also been approached for a grant towards the work, and we hope this request will be viewed favourably. Finally, the Church will need to seek grants and fund raise to allow the completion of the repairs to the church buildings as identified in the 2019 Quinquennial report, together with raising funds to replace the septic tank as identified in the 2020 Fabric Report. Recently a problem has also been identified with the Parish Centre kitchen window which has extensive rot and is currently filled with expanding foam to prevent the entrance of vermin into the kitchen. The Church needs to give a big thankyou to those who clean and maintain this wonderful church. We are very blessed to have such a building for our worship and for use by the whole community of Burghfield. _Brian Thatcher, Chair Fabric Committee_ ## **Parish Centre report** As we entered 2021 and restrictions began to be lifted, we started to see people returning to the parish centre for bookings which has been wonderful to see. The exercise classes are back in person although their class numbers are not back to 2019 capacity. These are currently taking place with a hybrid of zoom and class for those who are still uncomfortable in socialising with others. The new extra width on our broadband has allowed us to offer this service. 15 We had a big push of publicity to ensure people in the village were aware we hired out our hall. We have continued to push this, and we seem to be getting more enquiries coming through which is great as the church has lost a lot of revenue due to the pandemic. Our church has been booked so many times by choirs which have been open to the public. We have assisted them in publicity through our website, Facebook, and A church near you. The church has received some wonderful donations due to these concerts and the participants have already started to look at booking for 2022. The Nursery was taken over by ‘The Oaks Childcare – Community Interest Company’ and rebranded as Mini Oaks Pre-school, n the summer of 2021 and started their first term in the September. Mini Oaks are full time in the parish centre and utilising our downstairs room Monday – Friday. Although numbers have been low, we have maintained an agreement of a reduced rate for them. We are hoping that in 2022 their intake will increase and our income will improve. 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. J _ane Cleary Parish Administrator_ _The PCC of St Mary’s the Virgin Burghfield is a Registered Charity No.1167639_ 16 ## **Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield** Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2021 1 Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield ## Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 ## **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 2021 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| |Lesley Brigden|2021|2024|1st| |Iain Buchanan|2021|2024|1st| |There were no vacancies|currently on the PCC.||| ## **Foundation Governors** The following have been appointed to serve on the school governing body of the church school as Foundation Governors from September 2020: Mrs Deborah Marsden-Kwan Revd Glynn Lautenbach 2 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 2021 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. In addition a new sub-committee of the PCC was created in April 2021 ‘Creation Matters Committee’, following the PCC’s renewed commitment to caring for God’s creation and in order to assess and follow up on how we can play our part to make a difference to the climate crisis we are all facing. 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** Our vision statement for the church created in 2020 is as follows: _Welcoming all, growing faith, serving others_ All aspects of the life, mission and ministry of our parish will be discerned and assessed in line with these three areas. During the year we began to work on our future Mission Action Plan (MAP) 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. 3 Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield ## Achievements and Performance ## **Church Attendance** The electoral roll was updated for 2021 and the number on the electoral roll recorded at the APCM was 76. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic another government lockdown was imposed in late December 2020 which continued into 2021 and we did not return to worship in the church building until Easter Sunday 4[th] April 2021. Services in the first few months of the year continued online through Zoom and otherwise members of the congregation were encouraged to join in the diocesan provision for online services. ## **Zoom service attendance between 3[rd] January 2021 to 28[th] March 2021:** Average **online** attendance 32 (including a few children only occasionally) From Easter Sunday we returned to church with a zoom option to join in and they became hybrid services. ## **Hybrid Services between 4[th] April – 12[th] December** ||**Attendance**|**Communicants**| |---|---|---| |10.00am Parish Communion||| |In Church|22|20| |On Zoom|6|-| These numbers include a few children, some of whom have been admitted to Holy Communion according to Canon B15A. The average weekly attendance figures for the services are reached having taken an average attendance over several Sundays spaced across the year, when there are no ‘special’ Sundays: Numbers attending church services in person have remained low due to the pandemic. Easter, Pentecost and Harvest were the major festivals which took place this year. Christmas services were once again online due to the high number of local Covid-19 cases. ## **Services from 19[th] December to the end of the year, were on Zoom only** Attendance On Zoom 25 During 2021 we celebrated 2 baptisms (2020:1); 1 wedding (2020 no weddings) and 14 funerals (2020: also14) were conducted ## **Review of the year** A full report on the activities of the parish during 2021 is found in the Annual Report booklet accompanying this document. 4 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 2022. Voluntary income for General Expenditure, (excluding Gift Aid, Fundraising, Fees & Lettings), fell back by 4% due to a fall in large individual donations outweighing a 3.3% increase in Planned Giving. Gift Aid was steady, with an annual increase of 2.5%. As other activities have been able to restart we have seen some recovery in regular Parish Centre lettings income (+18%). Although there was not a major fundraising event there were several events which were very community oriented. Advent Wreath making, Easter Wreath making, Festival of Creation and the Christmas Tree Fesival had income of £1510 of which £255 went as direct costs. Congratulations are due to all involved. Amazon Smile contributed an improved £55.88 and has scope to be much greater given that it is at no cost to the parishioner. Our allocated Parish Share was the same as that allocated for 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 £9k which was an improvement on the £11.1k reduction in the previous year. These resulted in an overall deficit on our Unrestricted Funds of £3.5k. Roof repairs cost £6691.50 towards which a Deanery Grant of £1500 was received, £5k donated in 2020 was also used leaving £191 to be met from General Funds. The Retention Fee for the Tower Project was also paid. A collection was made in memoria of Jacqui Fudge, who was at the centre of St Mary’s church life for many years. She will continue to be remembered by many of those who knew her. The following are some of the financial and ministerial matters relating to the church: - The ministry of the church has continued through a wide range of services, occasional offices and outreach initiatives. - Committed monthly giving and some one-off donations and fundraising have continued to provide the monies available for further reordering of our beautiful church. - Major fabric expenditures expected for 2022 are repairs to the Parish Centre windows, a Live Streaming project and reorganising the Parish Centre to enable fuller use. We plan to continue our efforts to be a greener church and there will be costs involved. The septic tank will need replacement in the next few years. - Despite it being much reduced by the current circumstances we have still received a substantial amount of additional income from the lettings of the Parish Centre. We are thankful for the work by past and present members of the congregation who had the insight and the commitment to provide this resource for us. Oliver Dillon Michael Wood Alison Eves Treasurer Churchwarden Churchwarden 5 Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ## Independent Examiners Report to the PCC of St Mary the Virgin Burghfield 6 Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Burghfield Financial Statements Financial Statements For the 12 Months Ended 31 Dec 2021 Unie5tri(ted Unre5ttitted Re5tsi(ted Fund Dès*rtated Fund Fund Totsl 2021 Totsl 202Q RECEIPTS Note Volvntsry Receipts DirEEt Giving bysta￿￿1￿￿ urder Gmng bycolouredafidwhrteenweh) open ¢ollectH)ns Grt aiddaimed othér8onoral dDnath) 411fj4 8n 41154 873 39817 813 182 L8Z 11060 497 10788 3655 Z659 6734 TOTAL 56938 56938 58649 RecdptstromattMtsforge￿ra￿ThSf￿nds 76 1576 1576 6157 TOTAL 1576 6157 liewptsfromchurch actnnbe5 4432 14 22514 I￿32 othérlrebatQsand donat￿￿> TOTAL 26519 26519 23464 Recdptsfr4>mln¥ostrnÈnts Intere5ton8ankArcDunt5 Inter@5toThCCLAAccDunt 22 22 88292 Total Receipts IUnre¥trictedl 85034 85035 R•calpts on R•itrfrt4d Accounts FU￿￿(￿1￿￿￿dforOthercharltI0s Grft a￿￿al￿ed Re￿￿￿rIng Prgect 47883 Its 220 195 195 529 1847 I￿7 I￿67 TOTOI Rece￿￿$(ReSt[1tted1 2937 2937 11995 TOTAL RECEIPT5 85034 2937 87973 100287 Note5 2021 vniesirtrted Fund 2021 uhiestykted De5*natod Fund 2021 Ehdowment Fund 2•21 Total 21 2020 Toial 2020 Restlitted Fund PAYMENTS 1738 1817 1129 1212 6597 7811 1106 3288 957 Clergyexpense5 82 1582 1198 dmlnigtratk)Th 12&38 107 4163 52194 4163 53194 4187 51325 -1744 Outreèch& Youthwotk In 171 164 Outward Gmng io 41( 41 Total UnrestiictedPayments 88582 6747 95331 83684 ReJtrf¢ted Payments Re￿d￿rIng Account 2470 2470 5285 746 235 235 Total ReJtri¢ted Payments 3090 3090 6030 TOTAL PAYMENTS 88582 9837 98421 89714 Tr?n5fer5 Between Fund5 Surplu51{Deficit) for Year to Date li -3548 -6900 -10448 10573 Rev'd Glynn Lautenbach (Rector & PCC Chair) Mr Oliver Dillon (PCC Treasurer) **Approved by the PCC on 17[th] January 2022 and signed on their behalf by Rev'd Glynn Lautenbach (PCC Chair) and Mr Oliver Dillon (PCC Treasurer)** 7 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 direct claims for 2020. 2. Other General Donations includes £2,776 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 £3,071. Transactions relating to payments for Bellringers, Vergers etc are also specifically excluded. 4. Fundraising events were Easter & Advent Wreaths The Festival of Creation and the Festival of Trees. Gross incomes were £1520 and expenses charged were £260. Donations from the Amazon Smile program improved to £56. 5. The pandemic restrictions and a lower level of income from the Nursery continue to have an impact on Parish Centre Lettings income, which is still £14k down compared to pre-pandemic levels. 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 Deanery Grant of £1.5k and £5k donated for Fabric Repairs were used towards Roof Repairs totalling £6.7k. The Christingle service raised £110 for the Childrens Society. A Parishioner kindly donated the funds for a new Liturgy Cruet Set. A collection was taken for donations in memory of Jacqui Fudge, former Church Warden at St. Mary’s. 8. Due to the lockdowns and restrictions on services a number of costs were significantly suppressed. 9. Parish Share was initially set at the same level as last year. In discussions with the Deanery Treasurer, it was agreed to reduce the final 3 months by a total of £9,000. 10. Our Outward Giving figure for 2021 is £4,100. This year’s beneficiaries are: |Health Help International|£1,500| |---|---| |Burghfield United Charities|£400| |Spotlight|£400| |Yeldall Manor|£400| |Farm Africa|£500| |The Trussell Trust|£500| |Home Start|£400| 11. A deficit of £3,548 is reported on the unrestricted funds statutory accounts. Independent Examinerfs Report to the Members of the Parochlal Church Councll of St. Mary the Virgin, Burghfield I report to the members on my examination of the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of St. Mary thevirgin, Burghfield. for the.year ended 3L December 202L Responsibilities and Basis of Report As the PCC'S trustees, you arè responsible for the preparation of the attounts in 3ecord3nce with th requirements of the Charities Act 20111"the ACY'I. I report in respect of my examination of the PCC'S accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dircctions given by thc Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independeni Examlnerfs Statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connoction with the •xamination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act,. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the ar.r.(JiJnts to bp reached. Signed:.Z- Date: Ross Mackinnon Fellow of the Instltute of Chartered Accountsnts in England and Wales 17 Hanningtons Way Burghfield Common RG7 38E