St Michael and All Angels, Somerton Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2023 Priest in Charge Vacancy Registered Charity no 1168799 2023 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of St Michael and All Angels, Somerton Alms and Purposes St Michael's Parochial Church Council (PCC) primary purpose is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church or England. During the vacancy it h&8 the responslbxlity in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, p&sloral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the use and maintenance of the parish Church and its environs. The PCC is also responsible for making known and putting in to effect any provisions made by Diocesan or Deanery Synod and bringing to those synods notice any matters OT advice which the Council deems necessary. Oblectjves and activlties The PCC is comrnitted lo enabling as many people as possible to become Disciples of Christ and join our church family at St Michaels. We ty to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our church communlty through: Worship and prayer The provision of pastoral support for people livin8 in the parish Children and Youn8 People's work Specific outreach activities. Church Refurbishment Ecumenical relationships Charitable giving Achievements and performance AIthou8h the Vacancy continued throughout 2023, a full schedule of services and meetings was held, led by a combination of retired clergy, visiting clergy and lay worship assistants. A reor8anisation of the Benefices in the Diocese was discussed and debated durin8 the first balf of the year. Somerton will shortly be part of a wider Benefice with the addition of Pitney and Long Sutton with Long Load. A group from the Somerton PCC worked with members of the other PCCS in the expanded Benefi¢e, to produce a profile detsiling the qualities and skills required by the new Priest. Interviews for the post were held in early 2024. Worship and Prayer We try to offer a range of services each month on both Sundays and weekdays which benefit our community and provide spiritual input. The Sunday service consisted of a mixture of Eucharistic and non-Euchartstic worship at I l am. During tbe week we again hold a mixture of Communion and Worsbip services. Du]Ing the Saturday morning prayer meetings, a group meets together to pray for the needs of the parish and the world. We also held fellowship groups which met regularly and provided bible study) teaching, prdyer and discussion to build up ow faith. A Prayer Circle is made up of 57 members from the Congregation, Benefice and the town. Urgent requests are circulated to these members requesting Prayer for needy individuals and their friends and families. The Monday Prayer Hour to pray during the vacancy continues to be beld on the first Monday of each month. A]1 are welcome to attend our regular services. At present there are 109 Parishioners on the Church electoral roll. In thc last year sadly 5 have died, 2 have moved but 3 have joined. The average weekly attendance countcd through oC￿ber was 55, slightly down on the last year and the membership has also decreased to 71. As well as our regular services we like to enable our community to celebrate and thaT]k Cyod at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life, in marriage public vows are exchanged with God's blessin8 and through funeral services friends and family express their 8rief and give thanks for a life now complete in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping. We have celebrated 3 baptisms, 4 weddin8S, and supported families througb 17 fijnerals during 2023. Pastoral Care There is a team from the Benefice who help prepare families for Baptism and Weddings. Our retired clergy SUPPOrt the Bereaved. We also have the Caring Hands group who provide lifts to medical appointments or other needs and the Shepherding Scheme which provides pastoral care for those on the electoral roll. We run tea and chat sessions in conjunction with the other churches in the Benefice for those who find it difficult to get out. Children and Young People's Work We work regularly with the King Ina C of E Academy, who are now firnily established in their single building. We provide collectiv¢ worship through the clergy and the Open the Book Team. Foundation directors sit on the Academy's board. We were again pleased to welcome the Academy into church for their Christmas carol serYi¢e. Specific outreach activities During the year the Saturday coffee mornings on the first Saturday of the month continued, providing both a source of revenue and fellowship for people in the town and Benefice. A unique event for many w&8 held in May to celebrnte the Coronation of King Charles III. Tbe Church hosted concerts to rnise ￿venue and entertain people in the town. Church Refurbishment During the second half of the year major repairs to the m&8onry of the tower were completed to rectify the issues identified in the Quinquennial report. Ecumenical Relationships The Church is part of Chuwhes Together in Somerton whose regular activities include joint Lent groups, a walk of witness on Good Friday? a Dawn service on Easter Sunday, a Carol concert, collectin8 during Christian Aid week, services during the week of prayer for Chrislian Uniiy and Worship services at Wcssex House. Joint Beneflce services are held on the fifth Sunday of each month. Charitable Giving During 2023 we have 8UPPOrted Churches Together in Somerton, the people of Ukraine, Turkey and the middle Easl the Salvation Arniy Toy Appeal and the Trussel trusL Flnancial RevRew 2023 has been a difficult year financially* our regular income has fallen by 15.120/0. The PCC invested in a card Teader to take donations from the people do not have cash. The card reader was installed on I" July 2023 and for ihe 6 months a total of £735.50 had been donated mostly unrestricted donations from visitors to our church and for social events including coffee mornings, We are grate￿1 to the congregation who continued throughout 2023 to maintain their Tegular giving. The unrestricted 2023 receipts were £91,135 against payments of £104,515, meaning that we are in a 2023 unrestricted deficit position of £13,380. The major concern is at the current level of receipts the reserves will be exhausted somelime in 2024. The PCC will examine what action can be taken to reduce the deficit in 2024. We ￿'e also extremely fortunate to have Church Lands Trust who for 2023 covered payments such as insurance/energylrepairs and maintenance to a ￿tal of £23,387. We were grateful to the Doris Cooper legacy which covered the repairs to the masonry of the tower at a cost of £129,739. Reserves Policy Our current reserves policy aligns with the Diocese view that reserves should be set at 3 months expenditure. From our 2023 accounts that fi8ure will be £26,128. Our unrestricted balance sheet reserves are at £9,586. Risk Management Potential Risks to the Charity have been identified as: . l. Damage to the Buildlng The building 15 insui'ed: and thei'e aLe othei. potential halls foi. hii'e in the vi¢inily to enable woi'ship to continue whilst I'epairs al'e caii'ied out. 2. Less Funding - fewer publlc donations We ￿'e holding a regul￿ giving i-eview encouraging member5 to ieview theii. giving, we also hold fund i'aising events to suppoi1 incoine. 3. Damage to Charity's reputation We attempi to build our reputation by the excellence of service to oiir cominunity, by advertising our activities and by ensui-ing thoughi is given to avoiding all potential safeguarding risks. Volunteers We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard in so many different ways to make our Church wmmunity, the exciting and welcoming place it is. strurture Governance and Management The Parochial Church Council is a corpordte body established by the Church of England, The PCC opera￿$ under the Parochial Church Council Measure. The church 18 a charity and registered with the Charity Commisslon, our charity number is 1168799. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church representation rules. At St Michaels th¢ membership of the PCC consists ofour Priest in ChaT8e, the churchwardens and members who are elected by those who are on the electoral roll of the church. Other licensed clergy and our benefice reader are also entitled to attend and if they do so, have full voting rights, All those who attend church or are linked in some way to the church are encowaged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC. 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 used. The fvll PCC met eleven times during the calendar Ye￿ with an avera8e attend8mce of 9￿/0. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC h&5 a number of committees which deal with particular aspects of church life. These committees are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly. The Committees a￿. Worship which supports the Incumbent in reflecting upon worship services held and helping to plan those in the future Social who are responsible for planning and organising social events for the fellowship. Administrative Information St Michael and AII Angels Church is situated in the ma￿et Square Somerton. It is part of the Benefice of Somerton, the Charltons and Kingsdon, the deanery of Ivelchester, tbe archdeaconry of Wells and the Diocese of Bath and Wells within the Church of England. The CO￿espOndence address is The churc￿ Market Place, Somerton TAI I TNB. PCC members who have served at any timc from 1st January 2023 unttl 3 Ist Decemb¢r 2023. Ex Officio mernbers: _ Priest in Charge: Vacant Wardens: Mrs MaryAnn Pike Mr Rodger Calderwood Synod Members Mr James Turner (Deanery Synod and Vice chaIrn￿l) Elected Mcmbers Mrs Patricia Alfi Mr Geoff Bryant Mrs Jacky Calder+vood Mrs Susan Cave (until May 22 ) Martyn Cave (witil May 22. ) Mr Alan Hilbome (unttl May 22.1 Mrs Joy Rattenbury Mr Joljn Saundcrs Mrs Pauline Saunders Mr David Speed (PCC secretary) Mrs trene Stone (freasur¢r) Mr Grtham Taylor Mrs Jan Turner Mrs Rowena Wallace Also entitled to attend. Read¢r.' Mrs Jenny Gollop Approved by the PCC on I" May 2024 and signd on their behalf by the Jamcs Turner (PCC Vice Chainnan) ( CHAIL ST MICHAEL AND ALL AN6ELS CHURCH SOl•lERTON Not¢s 2(23 FIXED ASSETS In¥estmÈnts £ 406,054 £ 504,129 CLRRENT AssEfs St¢xk 36 11,649 4.549 Short Term Dep￿￿¥ £ 12.308 12,158 Cosh at Bank Ca¥h in Hond £ 34,658 £ 35,013 £ 58.651 £ 51,765 LTAUILTTie3 ¢r¢ditor¥ 1.085 1.114 £ 57.366 £ 90.6Jl TOTAL NET ASSETS £ 463,620 £ 554,780 PARISH FVNDS Unwtrr￿ttd 9.586 £ 22.966 ko*trict¢d £ 490.378 £ 528.607 IM*ignoted 3.657 3,207 £ 463.620 £ 554,760 Approved by the Papochk?l tsjrrtll on 13th lkny 2024 ond $*3rrtd oh thelr behalf by the Vlu Jome• Turntr. MICH￿ A TON Th¢ f ¥tot¢me￿J Iwe b¢¢n prewed under the Church Accwntirg Re*l4tOoty¥ 2006 QC¢LTthrKe with applicablE occwntir9 #tdkthr& the ojrrtnt Stat¢m¢nt of Re¢ommerKled Prtt¢tl¢¢ on Accwntiry and R410rtirg by Chopitw (FR5 102) The fiTrJrthil ¥*ot¢ments hovt been prepyed under the hixtorical Cost conVent￿Tr Th¢ f Irrtj￿IQ1 sfotements in¢We all *raf*Jctioni, assets aTr4 liobilitiu for whleh the PCC 18 re8poNYible in law. Th¢y do not inckth the acctyJnl# Of inforrMI 9ththerirgty vf church ff￿ber kestricted Futh tomwix re¥er•Je doMti0￿ or wants far o JPEcif K Pccoctivty irtterd¢d by the donw. Dejigmted fvndi we wr*r¢l fvnd¥ 8•t ulde by thé PCC for in the futLW¢. Urr¢#trlc*td furth are Incom¢ whkh ape to b¢ jwt on *he PCC'# ge￿ra1 puppo8es, Exyrditwe r¢lotin9 to the upkw) ard moint•Mnte of th¢ Chwch ￿lId1￿9 l• by thurch Lttnd# Trurt. The Dk)ctJhin Heod of Fimnce su99Srted an altermtive way of ihowtry the costs rEimbwsed by CknLYth Lk)rrfls. It is the mtthod lldopted by the in their de￿￿0*• and hfjlps the hywson with the underJt•ndir9 01 to whot the oKroll expenditure wtyjld b¢ If St Alicho•ls to tw¢ to receive th¢ Church Larrtkn St Ml¢hoel¥ dected the Chwch of En9lard p¢roior+ •cheme P¢￿19n &Jlklor 2014. The pension provider iswed o #*dtwEnt For the yeor tndir9 f>•c¢mbw 2023 as follow*.' roft FR5102 worditr9 Jpecif led the pe￿10n costs char9ts to the SOFA o* follo￿.. 2022- £328 ttr￿ 2023 £468. Th￿¢ f vJup¢x repre•¢n* ¢mphyerA pemion contriknion# of 4% ond Ilfe cover ol dEQth in ivvice of 0.50%. Pknnned 9lvln9, colle¢tioM ond swnilar dor#JtioM tyt r¢¢pgni8ed whe* rtcei¥ed. Tox refurdrt art r¢¢o9niJ when the I￿￿Mir9 re8tyJrte to which they relotz ij r¢uived. dnd Wc4e• ore acC￿￿ted for the PCC I• ¢Trtl*led to the of *h¢ re8¢NtrYU. 6ronts and doMt10M qr¢ a¢¢tyJTrrted for wh¢n ￿ld ¢r when Q￿rded, If thot oward cpedtss tt bindi obll9ation onthtPCC. The diocesan wish share expet*ed to be over ￿ •ttaurted for when du ST CHA LS CIWRCH 50 TOM Z022 e JO.It2 É 3J037 4.246 £ 1.843 9J• JO.122 •.116 £ 0.301 £ J.674 £ J503t £ w £ 9.476 772 Trz 1.490 £ edFEÉNER6Y6NANT j.lso £ ath) £ 6*4 15 77.)W £ OTJ99 £ 70.ON £ 09.124 2b 6.012 0.012 £ J.¥ZT 6.ov £ i.ui 1.3ti CBfD•pwbtVura 106 £ 116 f 41 CRP Sh#r 79 * V.OSY .É £ J.J90 .E ￿.401 2A1 ¥.gJO £ 2.19 2.7J4 £ J,&J 6.461 £ 4.9?P 4,919 £ 91.13D £ 70.4JJ eJ2.067 -£ 49.xo £7rii £ n9 J43.952 £ 2T.OJ4 aE501P¥ES EXFfWEts T•i•l 1012 ¢0.•46 £ 4oJo3 i.wi JO.•93 J28 J.J24 St&ff