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2021-12-31-accounts

The Ecclesiastical Parish of Potters Bar St Mary the Virgin & All Saints Church

Annual Report and

Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2021

Registered Charity Number: 1174737

www.stmaryspb.org.uk

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ANNUAL REPORT OF POTTERS BAR PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church is situated in The Walk, Potters Bar. It is the parish church of the town and is part of the Diocese of St Albans within the Church of England. The correspondence address is the Church Office, The Walk, Potters Bar, EN6 1QQ. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2020) and is a Registered Charity with the Charity Commission (number 1174737).

PCC MEMBERS who served during 2021 were:

Ex Officio members Vicar The Revd Stefan Chrysostomou (Chairman) Churchwardens Mr Mark Jones Canon Richard Osborn (also Licensed Reader & PCC Vice Chairman) Deanery Synod Mr Geoffrey Foster representatives Mrs Sue Loader Canon Richard Osborn

Elected members

Ms Beverley Ashdown Mrs Christine Beland-Hancock (Honorary Treasurer) Mr Paul Camp (from 28th April 2021) Ms Lyn Galbraith (until 28th April 2021) Mrs Heather Hawkes (from 28th April 2021) Dr Gillian Hilton (Safeguarding Officer) Mrs Anne Holt (until 28th April 2021) Mrs Elizabeth Liney (Honorary Secretary & Electoral Roll Officer) Mr David Miller (Health & Safety Officer) Mrs Elizabeth Nethercott (Stewardship Secretary) (from 28th April 2021) Mrs Pearl Shepherd

The PCC met five times during the year with an excellent average attendance. The following sub-committees are in place:

Apart from the Standing and Finance Committee, all committees draw on people from the wider congregation for their membership.

The method of the appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church, the membership of the PCC consists of the Vicar, Churchwarden, and members elected by those members of our congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services/members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to consider standing 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 spent. No member of the PCC has received any remuneration in relation to their duties as members of the PCC.

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AIMS AND PURPOSES

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Potters Bar has the responsibility of cooperating with the Vicar, The Revd Stefan Chrysostomou, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church and Hall of St Mary the Virgin and All Saints, The Walk, Potters Bar, EN6 1QQ.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our Church and to become part of the parish community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can reach and involve the people of the parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament and encourage us to express our faith in practical ways in our day to day living.

When planning our activities for the year, the Vicar and the PCC have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church and Hall to a high standard. We also take responsibility for the Health and Safety Policy and the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

2021 began with the imposition by the government of another lockdown to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19. Fortunately, the Vicar and a small group of people were permitted to worship in church for the Sunday Parish Eucharist which was livestreamed on Facebook. On the First Sunday of Lent, the 8am Sunday Eucharist resumed, followed by the 10am Parish Eucharist on Mothering Sunday. We were delighted that a full programme of Holy Week and Easter services was possible in 2021. The choir resumed on Easter Sunday and it was a joy to be able to sing together as a congregation at the end of the Festival Eucharist with a rendition of ‘Thine be the Glory’ outside on the forecourt. Congregational singing in church did not resume until the end of July, and the serving of post-service refreshments also re-started at the same time. It was also a joy to be able to share a celebration lunch together after the Harvest Festival Eucharist and to hold our usual programme of Advent and Christmas services. Gradually church life has returned to normal and we give thanks to God for that.

Livestreaming has now become a permanent feature. The Sunday Parish Eucharist and other special services continue to be streamed live on Facebook. We are very grateful to Meryl Chrysostomou, our main camera operator, but also to Brenda Chisholm and Chris Cook who have stepped in to assist when Meryl has been unavailable. The Sunday Eucharist has also been broadcast on Potters Bar Radio on a regular basis. Midweek Morning and Evening Prayer are now firmly established online and have a loyal following. Worshippers continue to join us from much further afield than Potters Bar, in the UK and other parts of the world. We also

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used Zoom for Stations of the Cross during Lent and Compline during Holy Week. This worked well as we were able to display various images on the screen as reflections were delivered. Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting took place once again on Zoom.

The weekly email bulletin using Mailchimp, sent out each Saturday, has continued to be much appreciated. It includes a message from either Fr Stefan or Richard, links to the weekly news sheet and readings, words of the Sunday hymns, prayers and other relevant information. Currently there are 143 subscribers, reaching over 160 individuals when couples are taken into account.

We are grateful that our worship and activities have returned to something more like normal during the second half of 2021 and look forward to 2022 with confidence and hope.

Worship and Prayer

The PCC maintains a range of services during the week that our community will find both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling. In 2021, we offered:

All are warmly welcome to attend our services. At the 2021 Annual Meeting, there were 136 members on the Electoral Roll, of whom 56 were non-resident in the parish - an increase of 3 people on 2020. We are sad to report the deaths of Peter Baker, George Garnham, Jean Knowles and Louise Street during 2021.

The usual Sunday attendance was 77 adults (the same figure as in 2020). Due to Covid-19, the number of families with children attending services has remained low (in common with most churches) and we have not been able to progress our plans to re-start Junior Church. It was not possible to hold any Parade Services during 2021.

From a survey undertaken for the national Church of England statistics collection, we calculated that an average of 22 people had watched services online each week in October, in addition to those attending services in person in church.

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We are appreciative of the high standard of our music at our Sunday services and at festivals and are indebted to our organist Dave Miller, choir director Julian Zerfahs and assistant organist Oliver Matley.

As well as our regular services, we warmly welcome the wider community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of their journey through life. Through baptism, we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage, public vows are exchanged with God’s blessing; through funeral services, family and friends express their grief and commend the person into God’s keeping. During 2021, we celebrated 10 baptisms (1 in 2020), 0 marriages (0 in 2020), and held 5 funerals in church (5 in 2020), with a further 24 funerals conducted in local crematoria (27 in 2020). Our annual Memorial Service held close to the Feast of All Souls was well attended and much appreciated by those who had suffered bereavement over the past two years.

We were delighted that Violet Herrick and David Smith were confirmed by the Bishop of Hertford in November at a service at King Charles the Martyr Church.

Barnet Deanery Synod

Three members of the PCC sit on the Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with a link between the parish and the wider structures of the Church of England. Richard Osborn remains as Deanery Lay Chairman and will serve in that capacity until 2023.

The Church

Thanks to the work of the Watchers and Welcomers, the church has been open on three days a week from 10.30am to 12 noon for people to drop in, to pray or light a candle. We are grateful to Heather Hawkes, our Watchers and Welcomers Co-ordinator.

The church continues to be in a good state of repair and we are meticulous at keeping on top of items of maintenance.

The Church Hall

We are pleased to report a busy year for church hall bookings following the disruption of 2020. We are most grateful to Jessica Hollings, our new Hall Lettings Secretary, who has worked diligently to maximise income from both regular and one-off lettings. We have gained a number of new regular bookings for the main hall and are also benefiting from an arrangement with a local podiatrist, Ms Asha Bhundia, who hires the small hall three days per week for her clinics. The hall continues to be popular for children’s parties at weekends.

Pastoral Care, Outreach and Education

Music plays a significant part in church life at St Mary’s and is an important element of our outreach to the local community. The well-established lunchtime recitals on the first Tuesday of the month took place when possible and continue to be well supported. Sadly, it has not yet been possible to offer the usual lunches but tea, coffee and biscuits are being served before and after each recital. Thanks are due to Dave Miller for co-ordinating the programme of recitals.

During the year, study groups led by the Vicar and Reader met during Lent and Advent and these were much appreciated. Both Lent courses took place on Zoom but the Advent course was able to take place in person.

The Pastoral Care Group had a busy year. Members of the group took responsibility for keeping in touch with church members who are frail and housebound and also those without

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access to the internet, so unable to take part in online worship. Home and hospital visits (including for communion) have been severely limited due to Covid restrictions. Likewise, it was only possible to visit some of our care homes in the parish towards the end of the year.

Due to Covid-19, it was once again not possible to host school services in church in 2021. However, the Vicar did resume visits to Ladbrooke School for teaching sessions with the children. We hope that it will be possible to resume most activities during 2022, including school Christmas services and concerts in church.

Mission and Evangelism

Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. We continue to actively support USPG, Christian Aid and the Children’s Society, as well as other more local charities and organisations. We support the Potters Bar Foodbank with donations of food and other essential goods.

We are very grateful to Dave Miller for his work on the website and social media. Our number of Facebook followers continued to increase during 2022. Our intention is to inform as wide a circulation as possible of the important matters affecting our church and the Christian Faith.

Our current “Mission Action Plan” (MAP), agreed in June 2019, will be reviewed during 2022.

Ecumenical Relationships

The church is an active member of Churches Together in Potters Bar. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many Churches Together events were cancelled, including the Good Friday Walk of Witness. The Vicar is now Deputy Chair of Churches Together and is an active member of the Ministers’ Fraternal group which meets on a regular basis. The Reader has led services and preached for the United Reformed Church and Baptist Church on several occasions during the year.

Financial Review

Total incoming resources in 2021 were £126,826 and total expenditure was £107,192 resulting in a surplus of £19,634.

We were fortunate to receive a grant of £6,000 from the City Churches Fund. After discussion by the PCC, this money has been set aside towards the new lighting project.

The PCC is very grateful to Christine Beland-Hancock our Honorary Treasurer, assisted by Liz Nethercott our Stewardship Secretary, for their work and is also grateful for the generous giving of our church members during these difficult times.

The PCC remains committed to the ongoing promotion of stewardship. We currently have 105 members enrolled in planned giving (including couples), most of whom now give by standing order and are able to Gift Aid - a course which we actively encourage. We held a Commitment Sunday in October and were most grateful for the very generous response from both existing and new planned givers. An additional £131 per week was pledged, which will result in an increase of £6,812 in planned giving during 2022.

Risk Review

The PCC does not consider that there are any significant financial exposures. It is the policy of the PCC to maintain wherever possible sufficient reserves in the General Fund to cover

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three months unrestricted expenditure. At the year end, the PCC was in compliance with this policy.

Safeguarding

The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, with regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. We are grateful to our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Gillian Hilton, and Richard Osborn, Lead Recruiter for DBS checks. All PCC members and church officers have been DBS checked and undertaken training (either face-to-face or online) as required by the diocese.

Data Protection

New General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were introduced in May 2018 which have an effect on how the PCC maintains, stores and uses information held on individuals. The PCC has acknowledged the impact of these regulations and taken appropriate steps to conform to them. This is an ongoing process.

Volunteers

We remain very grateful to all those who give an enormous amount of their time and talents to enabling our Church to both function and flourish – our Sacristan David Hancock, altar servers and those who care for the altar linen, our PCC Secretary Elizabeth Liney, our choir, our Intercessors and Lesson Readers, our Sidesmen, the Flower Arrangers, our Cleaning Teams, Gardeners, the Watchers and Welcomers, those who serve refreshments and organise social events – and many others. Of special mention are the Churchwardens, Richard Osborn and Mark Jones; and Geoff Foster who continues to do so much to assist with the maintenance of our buildings. We are grateful to Richard Osborn who continues to offer a very active contribution to our worship and life as Reader.

Conclusion

St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church aims to build a stable and secure congregation and actively seeks to grow and, in particular, to ensure that newcomers are always quickly welcomed and encouraged to feel an integral part of the Church community. We thank God for his continued blessings richly given to us all, especially during another challenging year.

The Revd Stefan Chrysostomou (PCC Chairman) March 2022

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

Receipts & Payments Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2021 2020
**Receipts **
Voluntary Receipts 73404 2869 60 76333 99995
Tax Recovered 11634 160 11794 17840
Investment Income 11192 2952 14144 13709
Rental Income
15167 15167		 9463
Fees 3295 3295 2318
Miscellaneous Income 52 41 93 2251
_______________
114744 3029 3053 120826 145576
Grant 6000 6000 0
_______________
Total Receipts
114744 3029 9053 126826		 145576

Payments

Charitable Donations
4799 4799
2655
Church Expenses 26462 1426 27888 24014
Hall Expenses
5699 5699		 4003
Parish Share 65816 65816 65816
Sundry Administration
2469 521 2990		 4664
Organ Replacement 0 9665
_______________
Total Payments 105245 1947 107192 110817

Excess of Receipts over Payments 9499 1082 9053 19634		 34759
Cash at Bank 1 January 2021 33743 3158 37834 74735
Cash at Bank 31 December 2021 43242 4240 46887 94369

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN & ALL SAINTS POTTERS BAR STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31st DECEMBER 2021

ASSETS Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Total Funds Funds Funds 2021 2020 Bank Current Accounts 43242 4240 39299 86781 70098 Bank Deposit Accounts 317 317 317 CBF Deposit Fund 7271 7271 4320 ___________ Total 43242 4240 46887 94369 74735 Investment Assets CBF Investment Fund (1) 116045 116045 101457 CBF Investment Fund (2) 440159 440159 384825 __________ Total 556204 556204 486282 ____________ Total Assets 599446 4240 46887 650573 561017 _______________

Non-Monetary Assets

Moveable church furnishings held by the Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal.

Photocopier purchased 2011

LIABILITIES

Nil

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Restricted Funds

The movements on the Restricted Funds during the year were:

Bal. Brought Fwd Receipts Payments Bal. Carried Fwd Flower Fund 875 1613 (1426) 1062 Organ Fund 2197 1417 (521) 3093 Hall Equipment 86 0 0 86 __________ 3158 3030 (1947) 4241

Designated Funds

The movements on the Designated Funds during the year were:


Bal. Brought Fwd Receipts		 Payments Bal. Carried Fwd.

Lighting Fund 32000 6000		 0 38000
Office Equipment 1023 0 0
1023
Church Refurbishment 94 0 0 94
Robes 397 41 0 438
Friendship Group 0 60 0 60
Capital Fund 4320 2952 0
7272
____________
37834 9053






 0 46887

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN & ALL SAINTS POTTERS BAR NOTES FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

Information re: Receipts & Payments



Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Total
Funds Funds Funds 2021 2020
Receipts
Voluntary Income
Planned Giving 54547
 54547 49705
Collections 6451 6451 4862
Donations & Legacies 8736 8736 38661
General Fundraising 2923 2923 1884
Votive Candles 350 350 0
Sunday Refreshments 397 397 0
__________ _____
73404 73404 95112
Other Fundraising
Organ Restoration Fund 1257 1257 5743
Flower Fund 1613 1613 1023
Friendship Group 60 60 0
_______________
0 2870 60 2930 6766
Payments
Church Expenses 19487 19487 19475
Clergy Expenses 5075 5075 2998
Flowers 1426 1426 931
Robes 0 610
Recital Expenses 521 521 0
24562 1947 26509 24014
Sundry Administration 2469 2469 4664

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Notes

1. CBF Investment Funds

The number 1 investment represents units purchased in 1995. The last of the original investment of 11,744 units was withdrawn in 2015 but we still have a remaining balance of 4,962.02 units (2020 – 4,962.02) which represents accrued income. The market value of this at the 31st December 2021 was £116,045.27 (2020- £101,456.93).

Following the sale of the house at Otways Close the sum of £410,129 was remitted to the DBF. £26,500 was sent to the PCC to repay the loans from parishioners and a further £34,239.30 was received to boost the General Fund. The remaining £349,389.70 plus accrued interest of £610.30 (total £350,000) was invested in a second fund with the DBF (investment no.2) with the intention of generating quarterly interest for the General Fund. It was agreed by the PCC that £50,000 of those proceeds would be allocated to the Organ Fund and the Organ Fund would also receive a prorata portion of the investment income generated. During 2019 that £50,000 was withdrawn and all income is now directed to the General Fund. At the 31st December 2021 the total value of this fund stood at 18,820.89 units valued at £440,158.51 (2020£384,825.09).

2. Charitable Donations

During 2021 we made the following donations to charities:

1250.00 USPG *
916.12 St Vincent Volcano Appeal
410.00 GAVI Lent Appeal
12.50 The Children’s Society
520.00 Bishop’s Harvest Appeal
450.00 The Peace Hospice
400.00 Herts Young Homeless *
450.00 The Leprosy Mission
350.00 The College of St Barnabas *
40.00 Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust *

-----------4798.62

With the exception of the payments marked * these payments were mostly, or entirely, funded by collections in Church.

3. Staff Costs

During the year the PCC paid small honoraria to the organists and choir-master and made small payments to the church cleaner but no payments were large enough to attract social security costs.

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4. Payments to PCC Members

During the year, the sum of £2,000 was paid to the parish Organist who is a member of the PCC. £75 was also paid in Verger expenses to the husband of a PCC member. A small immaterial portion of the expenses paid to the Incumbent may have related to his services as Chairman of the PCC. No other payments or expenses were paid to any PCC member, persons closely connected to them or related parties.

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN & ALL SAINTS POTTERS BAR

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

This is my report to the members of the PCC on my examination of the Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2021.

Respective Responsibilities of the PCC Members and the Examiner

The church’s PCC members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and they consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the church and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as PCC members concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, consequently no opinion is given as to whether the financial statements present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statements below.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination no matters have come to my attention:

  1. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and

  3. to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met, or

  4. to which in my opinion attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Oscar Dodd FCA 27 Richardson Crescent West Cheshunt EN7 6WZ

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