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2021-12-31-accounts

St Mary’s Goudhurst Book of Reports for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting

May 2021- April 2022
Page
Introduction Revd Rachel 2
Vicar’s report: May 2021 - April 2022 Revd Rachel 3
Letter from our Churchwardens Ali Williams and Simon Taurins 5
Safeguarding Andrea Kirkby 7
Worship Revd Rachel 8
- Congregation Thursday 10am Marion Vellino 9
- Congregation Sunday 8am Anthony Farnfield 9
- Congregation Sunday 10.45am Wes Hinsley, the Loys, Becky Addis 10
- Sung worship Wes Hinsley 10
- Preaching Revd Rachel 11
- Sunday groups, and Ignite Kat Ogden and Barney Mayhew 11
- Churches Together Revd Rachel 13
- Flower arranging Marian Sargeant 13
- Bell ringing Rosemary Southon 13
Prayer
- 10am Zoom prayers Revd Stephen Hardy 14
- Prayer ministry Simon & Katie Taurins 14
Discipleship
- Small groups Martin Loy 15
- Alpha Katie Taurins 16
Youth & Children
- Overview Kat Ogden 17
- Café Toddlers Kat Ogden 17
- Goudhurst & Kilndown Primary School Lindsay Roberts 18
- Blend Tracey Smith 21
Community

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Page
- Weald Family Hub Louise Vickerman 22
- Community Cupboard Ali Williams 24
- Connect Ali Williams 24
- Crafty Mondays Dave and Val Lodge 25
- Lend with Care Rosemary Southon 26
Buildings
- Eco Church Sam Davis 26
- Church Rooms James Wickham 27
- St Mary’s Ali Williams 28
- Friends of St Mary’s Pam Stubbs 28
Stewardship Revd Rachel 29
- Finance Dave Lodge 29
Organisational structures
- Weald Deanery Kat Ogden & Sue Donkin 32
- PCC Barney Mayhew 33
- Leadership Team Revd Rachel 33
- Church Office Becky Addis 34
- Administrative Information 35
Thank yous 36

Introduction - Revd Rachel Robertson

We are the Body of Christ, and each one of us is a part of it 1 Corinthians 12:27

There are many ways in which we participate in being part of the Body - ways which give glory to God and help to build each other up as we follow Christ together. Not all of those ways are noted in a document! However, each year, we try and capture areas of our church life in the Book of Reports. This is a key part of what is reported at our APCM. Each report will:

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Vicar’s report May 2021-April 2022 – Revd Rachel

It’s been a joy and a privilege to serve you as Vicar of St Mary’s, Goudhurst with Christ Church, Kilndown and lead this time of reflection as we look back on the year just passed.

When we spend time reflecting, we allow God to reveal more of where He’s been at work. That prompts us to praise God for who He is including His faithfulness and provision. It’s also a chance to express thanks to one another, and spot areas to pray into.

Our overall vision and purpose is based on Jesus’ response to the question, what is the greatest commandment?

“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22: 37-40)

This will always be our vision, that we go back to again and again to remind ourselves of who we are, and why we do the things that we do. Alongside the five characteristics of our church life that I have previously shared with you I wanted to note an example of where this has happened over the last year. These examples are not the only ones, but I share them to assist us in spotting where these characteristics exist or are emerging in our church life, to nurture them, to speak about them.

Who is our God? - That we would develop in our understanding of who God is, and be able to confidently articulate this.

Our preachers this year have helped us dig into scripture to see the character of God and to apply what we learn of who God is into our lives. This next year I hope to encourage more times of testimony so that we become even more confident in our own ability to articulate who God is in our day to day. I would love to start a book to be displayed in church noting what we have learnt about the characteristics of our God, with our testimonies recorded alongside.

That we are called to go deeper with God , establishing really deep foundations.

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Evidence of going deeper with God included fasting for the health of Ariana, the growth around small groups (numbers meeting, content), and the heart for worship that adapted to the restrictions of Covid without losing the connection to worshipping God as His people. Amazing.

This next year I will be encouraging us to pray the ancient prayer ‘Come Holy Spirit’ to strengthen and empower us with the Holy Spirit as we go deeper with God. I would like small groups to continue to develop, and for God’s equipping through them. Someone to help co-ordinate this ministry alongside the tremendous work being done by Martin Loy would help this. Daily prayer continues to be vital and those who can encourage that will help us go deeper with God. Creating opportunities for each young person to establish their own deep foundation with God, and to be open to how God speaks through our young people, remains a priority.

That church has the element of campfire about it: welcoming, with space to share stories, a place for all to gather, visible to those from afar who may be drawn to the edge of the campfire - and open to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Alpha, Café Toddlers, Crafty Mondays, Blend, church on Sunday, youth gatherings are a few of the examples where God-stories are shared and others can look in at what authentic Holy Spirit-filled faith looks like. This next year I will be encouraging these and further opportunities where we live out our faith with a sense of an open edge - being easy to join in with.

That as GK Church, we are to be beacons of Christ’s light, one of many beacons in the area, as Christ’s power transforms the nation and the world.

When we are faithful worshipers it helps us to shine as Christ’s light into the world. This coming year we will continue to enable worship which is one of our core areas (obvious, but worth saying). Each gathering closes with that clarity that we are sent out into the world again. This year we will look for more ways to encourage prayer to join in with Christ’s mission to transform the nation and the world.

That one by one, we would see people come to know God and his love, and be able to confidently declare, ‘I am the Lord’s.’

Every time I see a leap or a move forward in faith from someone I am deeply encouraged. Amy being baptised was one of the times many of us will have witnessed someone declare ‘I am the Lord’s.’ We see it each time a young person chooses to come to church rather than any number of other options they have. This next year I am expectant of more of these times when as a church we will be like

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those who cheer people on in a marathon - when someone says ‘I am the Lord’s’ we all rejoice! This is God’s work, and we are invited to join in through praying this in.

Thank you

Thank you for your support which helps me in my role including holding me in your prayers. My family are amazing, and without their generous love I would not be able to undertake this role, thank you to them. Ali and Simon (and supporting them, Chris and Katie) have been the most tremendous blessing to me as Churchwardens - the list of what they do is endless, but sharing who they are, their faith and the outworking of that has been the biggest support. Becky, Louise, Kat: you shine in your roles and I love working with you.

When I was being interviewed for this role I expressed how much I loved working as a team. I truly feel I am part of many teams within our church family life, and I am grateful to all of them, but I do especially want to thank our PCC and within that our leadership team for their role in listening for God’s wisdom in the oversight of church life.

I hope what comes over throughout this report is the one big team that I am privileged to be a part of - our church family. You are much loved and valued for being you, and contributing into the mix the way God has shaped you to be able to.

Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Letter from our Churchwardens – Ali Williams and Simon Taurins

Our last APCM was held via Zoom and we were unable to meet in church without masks. We were unable to sing within our building and many were fearful of human contact.

What a transformation, one year on, and what a transition we were able to enjoy last springtime, with the outdoor services and live music, despite the weather throwing what it could at us.

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We are part of a family that is headed by a faithful God and Father. It never ceases to amaze us at how each time that we lean forward a little, He is able to stretch our stride, and we see efforts multiplied:

It is so good to see our church full again – to see many having returned – and to welcome so many new to our community. There is a freedom that comes with giving ’ one s life to Christ and each Sunday our prayer is that each one would find sanctuary in this Holy place and grab hold of the salvation that Jesus offers.

We are blessed to have Rachel leading us as Priest, with such a heart for people and a drive to share God’s own heart, his Word and his Spirit. There is an intimacy with the Lord that she is encouraging us to seek – walking more closely in step with Him will change our lives.

On 24[th] April 2022, the two of us will stand down as your Church Wardens, having reached the statutory maximum six years of service. As we look back, more than anything, we are conscious of the privilege it has been to be part of the leadership team of the Benefice.

There is a new chapter starting, and there is a fitting Collect for our final Sunday, which reflects in many ways the joy that we share; very different from the courage that we felt a call to when we started.

Risen Christ,

for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred: Open the doors of our hearts, That we may seek the good of others And walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace To the praise of God the Father.

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Safeguarding – Andrea Kirkby

I attended the Safeguarding Conference held by the Diocese of Canterbury and Rochester in January via Zoom. There are quite a few changes, the main being that the Diocese have changed their policy for re-checks, which were every five years to every three years. However, we had already changed our policy to this anyway so nothing changes for us. Parishes now have until the end of 2023 to catch up with all the retrospective re-checks that need to be done. The Diocese have just had a Safeguarding inspection holding them accountable (similar to an Ofsted inspection for schools). All past cases were reviewed but no cases in our Diocese were considered at risk and needing further investigation.

A few of my recent DBS checks have been queried by the DBS authority, as apparently not all the roles in Church require a DBS check. It is often quite difficult to define a Church role as it is not a “normal” job that would require a DBS ie a Doctor, Teacher or similar. Only those who are carrying out a regulated activity require a DBS (similar to running a Sunday Group, Blend or an organised activity, where the parents are not present). There is more emphasis on getting references and carrying out the Safeguarding training. Our policy has always been to obtain two references and get the Safeguarding training done prior to an applicant starting their role. So in future only roles that are carrying out a regulated activity will be DBS checked, if I am unsure I will check it out with my contact at the Diocese.

The Diocese are in the process of updating their Domestic Abuse training which is now available online. Myself and Caroline Davis (our Domestic Abuse Listener) have both completed this course and I have made suggestions to particular ministry areas in the church that they also do this training. Members of the PCC are also required to do this training, which I am in in the process of organising.

I have just updated and sent out the Guidance notes for both Sunday and Youth Groups and the Connect Food Cupboard team. These are general good practice and what procedure to follow should a disclosure be made. The Connect Food Cupboard delivery team are also being asked to sign a Confidentiality Agreement.

At our last Safeguarding meeting it was agreed that photographs should only be taken using a dedicated mobile phone to prevent photographs being stored on personal mobile phones. This mobile phone is available for the Sunday Groups and anyone else wishing to take photographs, particularly if children are in them. If you wish to use the mobile phone please contact Kat.

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Individual folders for each of the groups have been set up, instead of having them in the same folder. This includes all information that we have for each person who is involved in the Ministry of the Church. I am producing a spread sheet to include who has a DBS check, the date, references, training and various other information, which will be made available for those who need to know.

We are required by the rules to include this statement: The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

Worship – Revd Rachel

1 Corinthians 10:31…’whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.’ Our daily lives can be a continual act of worship to our God. We also have the privilege (noting after Covid what a privilege it is!) to hold gathered worship.

Our utmost priority with our worship is to give God glory for who He is. So the aim of those involved in leading worship is to give opportunity to bless God for who He is, and to enable encounters with God. Those encounters may be in quiet and contemplation, in receiving his blessing, in sung worship with full band or just our voices, in accepting Jesus’ invitation to his table, outside, inside, in our preferred style, or deferring to the preferred style of others.

At GK Church we have four regular congregations, the 9.15am Sunday worship congregation at Christ Church, and the three congregations at St Mary’s, noted below. At these regular weekly times, and in ‘one off’ services (such as in Holy Week) I have again sensed a faithfulness amongst the church which has overcome difficulties and frustrations in not being able to meet together, and concerns about Covid when we have.

There has been a focus all year of re-gathering, and re-building, and in that there has been some mourning as some of our church family have not yet returned to the regular gatherings. Yet there has also been the great excitement of times when each known church family member has come back to weekly worship, and in the enormous blessing it has been to grow in new members.

In the Thursday and 8am congregations there has been a steadiness which I have appreciated in terms of pattern, numbers and liturgy. At the 10.45 we have been experimenting, first by meeting outside so that we could sing together when there were restrictions on singing inside, and then in terms of pattern. We have settled for now into an alternating Holy Communion with groups for young people one week, and a Worship for Everyone on the other week. A group meets weekly to review our

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10.45 worship, to plan ahead, and to ask the questions what went well? What learning do we need to capture? Where did we sense God’s Spirit at work? ’ Feedback on all services is always welcome.

There has been a real sense of continual worship, with daily prayer a strong part of that, which I feel has deepened our sense of worshipping God for who He is in all circumstances.

Unity amongst all our congregations is also a worship offering (see Psalm 133). Two examples of ways we demonstrate this is that firstly the same preacher comes to all three Sunday services (one of which is recorded) and thus each week the whole church has opportunity to hear the same message. Secondly, when there is cross over (even occasionally!) between congregations it generates further warmth of fellowship and enables us to worship God even if the style of service is different.

Congregation – Thursday 10am – Marion Vellino

A Parish Church should provide a Communion Service during the week as an alternative for worshippers who are unable to attend on a Sunday.

There are currently 10 regular worshippers, some of whom are not always able to attend Sunday Services, so the Thursday Services are very important to them. These worshippers prefer the old liturgy and the utter peacefulness and reverence of this Communion Service which, for many of us, is a stable reminder of our upbringing. We have developed a fellowship so special it enables us to support each other in times of crisis both practical and spiritual. Over the last 2 years, this was borne out particularly by our constant contact during the isolation caused by the Covid pandemic and Lockdowns. Some additional people also attend on periodic occasions for their own private and personal reasons. Rev Rachel has introduced a short talk into the Service which we find meaningful and helpful, plus an informal Carol Service before Christmas which was well attended and enthusiastically received. Our members set up before and tidy away after the Service so there is no extra work for the incumbent.

Congregation – 8am – Anthony Farnfield

The 8 am service at St Mary’s takes place every Sunday morning. We sit in the choir stalls or the main body of the church. This is a quiet, reflective communion service lasting some 40 minutes using traditional language holy communion, together with a short homily from the Minister. If you would like to join us you would be one of

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about 15 to 20 worshippers on average and you will receive a gentle but warm welcome.

Congregation – 10:45am – Wes Hinsley / The Loys / Becky Addis

This time last a year, the 10:45 congregation met each week using zoom, as the best compromise we could make to see and hear each other “live”, while still from our homes. We celebrated Easter Sunday, usually one of our loudest and busiest services, with a socially distant band broadcast in Wes’s garden, as an innovative attempt to praise the Risen Jesus in as lively and passionate a way as we could.

A few weeks later, as conditions allowed, we met together for some weeks in the church grounds. A great blessing to be reunited, to see each other, to pray, to praise with a similarly reunited band. We were little less blessed by the weather of the early English Summer at times, but we met and praised with umbrellas, warm clothing, and gazebos (well fastened down…)

By September, we could meet inside the church again, and the gradual resurrection has continued with being able to share communion together, and the groups for our children and teens restarting. It’s great to be able to do those things again – but also to keep some of the things we learned to value more during lockdowns, particularly having time worshipping altogether as one crowd.

We continue to enjoy welcoming familiar faces back to church, and also are thrilled that many new friends have joined us, finding the 10:45 service a place where they sense the presence of God and can feel at home. We also continue to hear different voices leading services and speaking as part of the broader team lead by Rev. Rachel.

Each Monday, a small group meets to talk about the previous 10:45 service has been; what went well, what we can learn, and where we feel God was moving. Please pray with us, that we will hear the Holy Spirit’s leading and that God will continue to shape and grow us in our thinking, planning and serving. Pray that our services will continue to be fresh, vibrant encounters with a God who loves us, and that our congregation will be happy, healthy and blessed, growing deep roots in God, and making strong friendships together. Pray for our young people that their time in groups will build strong foundations for their lives, and that they too will have significant encounters with God as we meet together.

Sung worship 10:45 – Wes Hinsley

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So much has changed in the past year for our musicians, with prayers we have prayed for some time being answered at what might be considered a surprising time. Little over a year ago, we were recording and mixing videos, playing instruments and singing from different places, to be used in online services of various kinds. Over the lockdown period, we recorded around 80 songs – a phenomenal effort from all the team, and watching them over time shows how we grew continually through that time.

Yet nothing really beats playing, singing and worshipping together at the same time and place, and even more so, with a crowd. Being back together over Summer (even with the challenges of playing outside, and quite often in the rain!) was a joy.

A greater joy still, has been the growth of our team. Building on a strong core, we have new voices, violinists and pianists joining us, with different ages and experiences, but all with a passion to worship God, make beautiful sounds to Him, and spend time in His presence – and to help the congregation to draw close and to do the same.

We continue to use all sorts of songs; the older classical and the modern contemporary, and occasionally songs written for where we are now with God. We want what we sing to flow with the passages and themes of each service, and for our congregation to find themselves singing praise through the week.

Please join us in praising and thanking God for our growing team, and all of the wonderful times we have had singing together and meeting God as a congregation. Pray for us to keep growing, to keep learning, to keep hearing God, and finding new and creative ways to lead. Especially pray for the teenagers in our team, as they grow in skill, in taking more responsibility in leading us, and for some as they finish school this Summer.

Preaching – Revd Rachel

We are a church family who love the bible and we have more to learn as we delve into it together. It is where we learn who God is and then become more confident in articulating that in our every day lives. We have been blessed to have a range of preachers sharing their insights on scripture and how it might be applied. I am especially thankful for those who have preached and been willing to do so at all three of our Sunday services. It’s a responsibility and honour to preach. Please know I am always open to feedback. Thank you too to those who record and livestream our 10.45 service so that there is always an opportunity to listen to the preaching during the week.

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Sunday Groups – Kat Ogden: Youth & Children’s Pastor

Every fortnight we run six different Sunday Groups for all children from babies to sixth formers; Scramblers (babies and pre-schoolers), Climbers (Reception to Year 2), Pathfinders (Years 3-6), Pioneers (Years 7-8), Explorers (Years 9-11), Ignite (Years 1213 - see additional report by Barney Mayhew, below).

Since re-opening after Covid we have changed some of the venues so that three of the groups now meet in the primary school. Having the use of this space has been a huge blessing and is really working well.

We have changed the pattern of Sunday Groups from running on the second and fourth Sundays to a fortnightly pattern so that when fifth Sundays and other key events in the church calendar fall, we don’t end up with a number of weeks running without Groups. We feel that this is working well and plan to continue with this pattern for now.

We have learned that the success of our Sunday Groups is not about recreating exactly what we had before the pandemic but instead in taking delight at welcoming new people into our groups (leaders and children) and watching how faith is growing and blessings are appearing as we minister to our children and young people.

The children continue to surprise us with their depth of understanding of Jesus ’ message and to delight us with their gems of wisdom. We have seen a particular rebuilding of our Explorers group and pray that this continues well into the future in this and all of the other groups. We hope that in all that we do we are giving the children both head and heart knowledge of the Bible and the depth of God’s love for them so that they are deeply rooted in their relationship with God.

The current team of volunteers are amazing at what they do and we are so grateful for their time and input into this important area of ministry, but we would welcome more volunteers to become part of our Sunday Groups team as there are many weeks when organising the rota to ensure our groups are properly staffed can be a challenge.

As we enter into the summer months we are looking forward to organising some social outdoor events with our Sunday Groups and their parents as we recognise how important relationship building amongst Christian peers is.

Please pray for all of the children who are part of our Sunday Groups – that their love for Jesus grows and becomes a real and lived out faith in their everyday lives and that they grow up looking forward to coming to church and developing their own spirituality. We pray that the ministry that takes place on Sundays is continued by parents at home to help deeply root the whole family’s faith.

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Older teenagers group – Ignite – Barney Mayhew

A small but faithful group of sixth formers has met fortnightly on Sunday mornings during term time, and a slightly larger group has met on about ten Friday or Saturday evenings. We aim to build them up in faith, hope and love. Lots of discussion, ranging from capitalism to marriage, prayer, identity, how to find a church when you leave home, resilience, relationships, discovering and using one's gifts, and the relationship between science and faith (when the group was joined by five professional scientists).

We pray for those who’ve recently left home and those just about to; for the new cohort of sixth-formers; and for new ways of reaching out to and welcoming everyone of that age group who lives in the area of our two villages.

Churches Together – Revd Rachel

As referenced earlier, unity as brothers and sisters in Christ is one of our worship offerings (Psalm 133). One expression of that unity is the mutual desire expressed within GK Church and Sacred Heart, Goudhurst with St Barnabas, Hawkhurst to share together in worship and fellowship at several points through the year. Sacred Heart and GK Church have both had new priests since January 2021 and Father Patrice and I were both very happy to lead our congregations to worship together on our Walking the Way of the Cross on Good Friday and look for continued opportunities to nurture our fellowship moving forwards.

Flower arranging – Marian Sargeant

I have been on the Church flower rota for some years now. Then along came the “ ’ Pandemic and as many others found, tasks” came to a standstill. St Mary s was flowerless. I was invited to take up the “flower power”, which at times is very challenging, but with a “flower gang” who are wonderful at being called on, I took up the baton. Time consuming, but so rewarding. I’ve had to ask when , what and why “ ’ and made an Advent blunder! Looking forward with the team” to making St Mary s sing with flowers for Easter.

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Bell ringing – Rosemary Southon

At present there are few practice nights at St Mary’s and no ringing on Sundays. There are currently insufficient ringers for a band here so there is now a link with Lamberhurst. I also decided to stop ringing last year due to health problems. The bells will continue to be rung but with a lot of help from people outside the village. This seems to a trend in this part of the Tonbridge District.

10am Zoom prayers – Revd Stephen Hardy

The 10.00 Prayers on Zoom began as soon as the Covid-19 lockdown began and have now been running six days per week for over two years.

Practically it was a good way of keeping in contact with a good number of church members during a time when others means of contact were not possible. And spiritually, we were aware of the importance of prayer, and the great value in praying together every day.

The normal format is an opening piece of liturgy, a Bible reading, and then the prayers to which many contribute using the ‘Chat ’facility within Zoom. For many months we also had a short Bible Study as well.

We have been blessed to see some prayers answered very clearly, and we have learnt much about praying consistently for various people and situations. We try to be like the church at Philippi, to whom Paul said: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

In the early days there were up to 30 windows on our computer screens which included perhaps 45 people in total. More recently, through 2021, as people have been able to return to work and other occupations, the number of participants has settled down to a figure of between nine and twelve each day. Some of these are not able to attend church for various reasons, so for them the daily prayer time is effectively their church.

Prayer Ministry – Simon and Katie Taurins

Prayer and prayer ministry is not something just for Sunday.

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The prayer chain / prayer WhatsApp that started in lockdown currently has 50 warriors on it. You can be sure that, if there is a need, prayer will happen and it will make a difference. We know it makes a difference because we hear back from those we pray for - and that’s a tremendous encouragement. Allowing yourself to be prayed for does require some vulnerability, and a willingness to be honest about life's challenges, but pride should never stand in the way. We do pray for people by initial or just for a situation, so we can protect identities if that is important. We don’t have to have the detail, our God knows that, but if we don’t have the request ’ we can t help.

If you would like to talk with someone confidentially and be prayed for and with, then do join us in the Bedgebury Chapel after the 10:45 service. There will always be two people on hand to sit with you. Everyone is DBS checked and will adhere to appropriate safeguarding practises. It's a chance to talk and, we hope, find some peace. Sometimes, as we pray, we may get a sense for God’s heart in a situation, and may share that; so come expectant.

For thanks:

For prayer:

Small Groups – Martin Loy (Small Groups Co-ordinator)

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The past twelve months has been a hugely encouraging time to be Small Groups Coordinator. Small Groups continue to be a wonderful opportunity for members of GK Church to develop closer and stronger bonds with a small number of people from within the larger church. SGs meet in a variety of settings: to enjoy fellowship, learn from the Bible and each other, and support one another practically and in prayer. Many people have become involved in SGs this year. We have had to establish an entirely new group to meet demand and there are advanced plans to introduce a further daytime group to cope with demand here too.

There is a real richness and diversity in the existing groups and an appetite from many others in the church to be involved in a SG. There remains a strong core of current leaders, with many others keen to step up and take on groups. It is especially encouraging to see some members of SGs stepping up to take the lead of a session, with some potentially keen to become leaders themselves in due course.

The benefit of being part of a SG has been highlighted in recent months and there is a great deal of pastoral work going on within groups, as well as some other practical outworkings with groups taking on physical work to help those requiring specific support.

This continues to be an exciting time of growth and an opportunity to enable this key area of church life to thrive even more. Some groups have been really stuck into the Bible, covering some challenging parts of the Bible, and others have been particularly blessed and encouraged by having a mid-week opportunity to going into more depth from the sermon the previous Sunday.

Please pray for continuing wisdom as groups are enlarged with new members, for leaders to emerge when more new groups need to be formed, and for good decisions to be made when seeking to create the best blend of people in each SG. We remain determined that each SG can be a vibrant expression of fellowship, discipleship and spiritual growth that can make a direct impact in the lives of each person associated with a SG. Praise God for all He is doing in the groups and in individuals from the groups.

martin.loy@gkchurch.org

Alpha – Katie Taurins

Tuesday group:

A small, varied group of men and women from mostly non- churched backgrounds met for this course, held in the children’s chapel on Tuesday mornings 9-10.30am.

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We give thanks for the:

Youth & Children – Kat Ogden: Youth & Children’s Pastor

We are so blessed to have a wonderful team of volunteers leading our youth and children’s ministry which covers a breadth of missional areas - Café Toddlers, Collective Worship and Church Services with Goudhurst and Kilndown Primary School, Blend and our Sunday Groups with their associated evening and other weekend gatherings - more detail on each of these are given in the below reports.

It is clear that the Holy Spirit is at work in our community and in our work with young people. Although we are in a period of re-building, we are seeing great blessings all of the time, whether it is through new people coming forward to work with our young people for the first time or when we see the relationships between our young people growing in depth between each other and with Jesus.

Please pray for those volunteering in our youth ministry – to give thanks for them and all that they do and that they remain encouraged and energised by their work in this area. I pray that we remain open to where the Holy Spirit is leading us in all of the different work we do with children and that each and every child grows a deepening sense of their own identity in Christ which will strengthen them in all areas of their lives.

kat.ogden@gkchurch.org

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Café Toddlers – Kat Ogden: Youth & Children’s Pastor

Café Toddlers is a wonderful group for pre-schoolers and their parents to meet with others and enjoy drinks, snacks and fabulous cakes every Friday morning during term-time.

The group re-opened after Covid in May last year with a number of restrictions such as the wearing of masks, social distancing of play stations, needing to book places in advance and having individual craft and snack packs. The group quickly became a life-line for many parents and their children and we were often fully booked with a waiting list whilst legal limits on numbers were in place. Gradually the restrictions have lifted and we are now back to a group that resembles life pre-pandemic.

Café Toddlers is an incredibly warm and welcoming place to be. Although we have many regulars, we continue to welcome new people through our doors on a regular basis, some of whom travel a fair distance to us as the reputation of Café Toddlers stretches far and wide.

In our team of volunteers, we have had an amazing group of people using different gifts, some of whom are key members of our church family, other occasional church goers and some who wouldn’t class themselves as Christians at all. We also have a team of people regularly baking for us which includes two school-children who do this as part of their service for the Duke of Edinburgh award.

We have learned that Café Toddlers is just as much for the parents and carers as for the children themselves and it really is a place of welcome and support for one another.

Please pray for Café Toddlers to continue to be a beacon of light in our community amongst parents and carers of young children. We give thanks that Café Toddlers gives us an opportunity to display God’s love in action and pray that it is also a place where people think about exploring their own faith in conversations that occur about church, Alpha and baptisms.

Goudhurst Primary School – Lindsay Roberts

What has gone well?

Boris Johnson confirmed that the easing of England's lockdown would progress to stage three of the roadmap, on Monday 17th May 2021. In reality there were no changes for Primary Schools to implement; it was business as usual for us. That said, we were delighted that schools were allowed to resume Educational day and Residential trips and excitedly some of the teaching staff planned their first trips of the year for the summer term. Furthermore, with the arrival of drier and warmer

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weather, we decided to introduce whole school face to face Worship again outside in the playground. This was a wonderful opportunity for us all to forget ‘bubbles’ and be able to gather together as a school community. We were particularly grateful to Reverend Rachel and her team who visited the school weekly to lead Worship in person.

In addition, trumpet and Djembe drumming lessons resumed, along with Forest School, and all the children were even able to enjoy a 'tennis' taster day. Indeed, we were feeling very optimistic for the return of all normal school activities by the 21st June 2021, whilst remaining sensibly cautious.

Due to the pandemic, it had been a tough year for all, and local charities had suffered greatly without their regular fundraising events. Therefore, I decided to set myself a challenge whilst raising money for The Weald Family Hub, Benenden and Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary Schools, PTFAs. On the 31[st] May I proudly completed a Skydive, no mean feat for someone scared of heights! £1980 was shared equally with our three charities.

Unfortunately, we were then disappointed to hear from the Prime Minister that the easing of the coronavirus restrictions in England would now not be lifted on 21 June 2021 but instead would be delayed until 19 July 2021. However, despite this set back, we were determined that the children would be able to enjoy all the normal end of term activities. Indeed, over the last few weeks of the summer term, we were able to hold class 'bubble' sports days, and an amazing end of year production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We were also pleased to be able to hold our traditional Year 6 Leaver’s Service with parents by using St. Mary’s Church rather than the school hall.

Where is God Moving?

On Monday 6[th] September we were delighted to be able to welcome all our pupils back and once again be reunited as a School Community and we were excited about the year ahead. Most national coronavirus restrictions had been lifted; no class bubbles, no staggered drop off and pick-ups, external sporting events could now take place, after school clubs, whole school worship could resume inside, children were allowed to sing and parents were once again allowed onto the school playground.

Our Harvest Festival took on Friday 1[st] October in St. Mary’s Church; the children performed beautifully and filled the church with their music, poems and prayers. It was a delight to be able to once again welcome parents to the service. The school laid a wreath as usual on Remembrance Day as part of the Sunday Service and our Head Boy and Girl read at the service confidently and capably.

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Sadly, as the term progressed, rising levels of coronavirus infections in school and the wider community, including the arrival of the new Omicron variant, brought about another surge of national restrictions. However, we took comfort in the knowledge that God would support and guide us once again through these unchartered waters, and this gave us the strength not to panic but to ‘keep calm and carry on.’

At the end of November 2021, our choir were able to sing at St. Mary’s Church as part of the village Christmas late night shopping and our PTFA were able to host our first ever, outside Christmas Market which was simply magical. Christmas festivities including wearing your Christmas jumper, Christmas lunch, Christmas parties with a visit from a socially distanced Father Christmas and even a trip to the pantomime were all able to go ahead.

KS1 were able to perform a their ‘The Big Little Nativity’ much to the delight of their parents and donations of £244.94 were shared equally between our school charitiesStarfish Malawi, Weald Family Hub and the NSPCC. We were also pleased that we were able to end the term by visiting St. Mary’s Church for a special Christmas service - thank you Reverend Rachel and your team for all your support and for filling us with encouragement, hope and love for the new year ahead.

At the end of the Autumn Term we said a fond farewell to our fabulous Mrs Donoghue. She had been part of the staff at Goudhurst & Kilndown for 13 years, she had taught in nearly every year group, had been our amazing SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) since September 2013, was appointed as Assistant Headteacher in 2015, became a Specialist Leader of Education in 2018 and had been the Head of Personal Development and Wellbeing across the Federation since April 2020. Moreover, we were delighted to hear that Mrs Donoghue had successfully lead the school to achieve the 'Optimus Education Wellbeing Award.' This was an amazing legacy to leave behind! I think it is fair to say that during her time at the school and Federation, Mrs Donoghue made an outstanding contribution to our whole school community for which we were hugely grateful.

Despite the significant surge in the number of Omicron COVID-19 cases across the country over the festive period, the Government resisted the need to introduce further restrictions and particularly recognised the importance of keeping schools open at the start of 2022. All existing COVID-19 safety protocols remained in place and with the reduction in the number of days anyone who tested positive for COVID19 needed to self-isolate, we were once again optimistic and excited about the term ahead.

Indeed, in January 2022 we welcomed Miss Day, an experienced Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Leader to our Federation, we saw the introduction of our first Federation residential trip to Bowles Outdoor Learning Centre in Tunbridge

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Wells and we saw the reinstating of our regular services at St. Mary’s Church with parents! We were extremely grateful to Reverend Rachel, Kat and the rest of the team for continuing to lead us in Worship every week and for our Christingle service held at the beginning of February. When the candles were lit and the lights turned out, silence filled the church and there was a sense of awe and wonder in the air.

This year our Ash Wednesday service was held with the whole school, and then just before we broke up for Easter we were delighted to mark the end of yet another busy term with a beautiful service in St. Mary’s Church; the church was full and it was a very uplifting occasion. Moments such as these really help to deepen the children’s spiritual development.

What have we learnt?

Once again, I am proud to say that despite all the challenges this year yet again has presented, the staff, governors, children and parents have continued to adapt to the changing restrictions, they have demonstrated enormous perseverance, inspiration and amazing strength, and as a community, I believe we continue to grow ‘stronger together.’

Finally, we are very proud to announce that we have launched a new website. Please do take a look and get a flavour of everything that we are doing:

www.goudhurst-kilndown.kent.sch.uk

Additionally, you can follow us on Twitter @GandKPrimary

Blend – Tracey Smith

Summary of who we are:

Blend is a café for Children in School Years 7 to 10. It was set up in enable the children of Goudhurst and Kilndown school to keep in touch when they went on to their secondary schools.

We offer a safe place for them to meet on a Wednesday at church during school terms, with games, activities, quiet space for homework (not used that often) and their favourite part Milkshake and cakes.

What has gone well?

We have like everyone suffered over the last 2 years from covid but we have remained their for the children whether on-line or in person.

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The team are great and have adapted to all the rules and regulation changes.

July 2021 we had a large group of year 7’s sign up but once they started their new schools it was harder for them to get to us than first imagined.

We have a group of boys that are regulars and put smiles on our faces every week. They also challenge our thinking as what we need to put in place for them.

Great Young Leader/DOE helpers who have made a real effort to join in and come up with activities and bake for the children.

What has been learnt?

We have learned that trying to keep the children at a safe distance from each other during covid did not work. I can a chat with one young person who said “because they arrive at different times they were kept away from friends and that was why they came, to be with them.” This is one reason a big group of them stopped coming and now school work has taken over their time (as seen in previous years our children stop coming during Y9).

We need organised activities along side the games to manage their exuberance.

God s work

We see God’s work every week. He keeps the team enthusiastic and willing.

The children turn up on the wettest and coldest of evenings.

We have been praying for more girls and on the last week before Easter we had 4 (some weeks there is 0 or 1).

God saw us through Blend On-Line with children making time to join us.

God has shown the children we are safe adults when they have needed someone to talk to.

Prayer pointers for future

Bring more children to us from all corners of the village.

We are looking for people with different experiences of life to come and talk to the children, so pray for those right people to come forward.

And most of all prayers for the team, all volunteers, for God to watch over us and protect us so we can continue to serve in this way.

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Weald Family Hub – Louise Vickerman

The Weald Family Hub was established to ensure that mental health support for children, young people and their families is accessible, affordable, and readily available in the village communities of the Weald.

Founded by St Mary’s Church in 2018, the Weald Churches have come together to provide subsidised professional mental health counselling for primary school children ’ and family support for those who are struggling in partnership with local children s charity Fegans. The Hub also provides mentoring support for local primary and secondary school pupils.

At present we offer local primary schools between 18 and 36 weeks of subsidised professional mental health counselling dependent on their needs. Schools are offered counselling places for a minimum of three children with many accessing support for six or more children each year. We are also able to offer emergency support to schools for children needing immediate support.

Work has continued supporting a number of families from across our partnership schools with our Parents Supporting Parents program. It was with sadness that our Parents Supporting Parents Co-ordinator, Katie Davis-Clifford, announced she would be leaving The Hub in the autumn last year, but and we are extremely grateful for all the hard work and expertise she brought to the role.

Mentoring support, run by our Co-ordinator Bridget Stewart, resumed at the High Weald Academy and embedded really well into the school with many of the mentors offering additional support for students beyond mentoring alone.

Now in its fourth year of operation, the Weald Family Hub has supported nearly one hundred and fifty children with professional mental health counselling in twelve local primary schools. It has supported twenty-five families through its Parents Supporting Parents program and eighteen students through its mentoring scheme.

Looking to the future, experts agree that underlying mental health problems will remain significantly higher because of the pandemic and the need is, and will continue to be, greater than we have ever seen before. It is also documented that children's mental health services in England are still unable to meet demand with capacity far less than is needed to cope. For the coming year and beyond, the work of The Hub will continue to be critical so that together we can help build mental health resilience and hope in our village communities and we are very thankful for our strong, continued partnership with Fegans in making this happen.

Please keep in your thoughts all those who are suffering with issues of mental health and that our work can continue to support as many of them as possible at a time when they need it most, in particular the children, young people and families in our communities; please also give thanks for the expertise, skills and time given by so many people in support of our work, the team at Fegans, our volunteers and

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volunteer co-ordinators and to those who have financially supported our work ensuring we realise our vision to transform the lives of children, young people and families in the Weald.

wealdfamilyhub@gmail.com

Community Cupboard – Ali Williams

The Community Cupboard continued to support many households in our community through 2021. After the Covid peak of serving 24 plus households at one time, for the moment we have settled on an average of 16 households we help look after on a regular basis. Helped by your generosity, we were able to deliver 17 Christmas food hampers, and with your donations to the Reverse Advent project we provided sacks full of gifts for 18 children, a small gift for another 17 adults and a card and chocolates or biscuits to a further 10 households – thank you so much for your generosity and for helping to make Christmas a little easier for some by donating children’s presents, and for other contributions too, which enabled us to give gifts to many others, some of who were facing a rather bleak Christmas.

The Community Cupboard has now established itself as an important ministry and valuable service to our community. We see God at work here every week as we support those we care for in many ways, not just by providing food. Ali Mackey, who did an absolutely brilliant job of overseeing the Community Cupboard for over a year until circumstances meant she had to take a break last autumn, will now be standing down permanently due to a new full time role. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Ali Mackey for her incredible contribution to this ministry and wish her every success in her new role. I would also like to thank the fabulous Community Cupboard team, which now numbers 12, for their dedication to this ministry, and the love and care they have for those we look after.

Connect – Ali Williams

The Meal Train continues to be well supported by generous people happy to cook and deliver to individuals or families who are going through a difficult patch, recovering from or suffering with illness or disability, or dealing with bereavement for instance. We always get wonderful feedback from the recipients of the meals, not only for the tasty meals themselves, but also the opportunity to see a friendly face and have a chat, and the comfort of having someone check you are ok. We welcome new volunteers to this ministry, there is no prescribed commitment, just sign up to provide a meal when you are able to. If you would like to know more about the Meal

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Train, or be part of it please do let me know. God is always moving in this ministry born out by the generosity and love of those who are part of it.

The church freezer has been topped up with home cooked frozen meals by one or two people fairly regularly. We use this alongside the Meal Train and as extra support on an occasional basis for some of our Community Cupboard clients who would welcome a home cooked meal.

Our Connect lunches which we so loved providing pre covid have not started again, mainly due to the fluctuating rules around large groups being indoors and the safety of our guests in this type of situation. However as everything begins to open up, and many of us are now more comfortable in those social indoor situations I’m confident we will be able to get going again.

I say this in every Connect report I write, I see the church as a whole as the ‘Connect ’ team, looking out for each other and those outside the church family, serving in practical ways and demonstrating God’s love through our actions, and always being ready to share the good news we have in Jesus: thank you to everyone who is part of it.

ali.williams@gkchurch.org

Crafty Mondays – Dave and Val Lodge

Amongst the first gifts given to us by a generous God, were craftsmanship and artistry. Exodus 31:1-5 describes how God chose Bezalel and “Filled him with His spirit, with wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills…. to engage in all kinds of crafts,” in order to build and decorate the Tent of Meeting where God was going to engage with His people. Craftmanship was pivotal, so very early on, in forwarding God’s Kingdom on earth. We are made in the image of a creator God and so it naturally follows that creativity is intrinsic to us; we reflect who He is and in doing so, bring joy to our own souls and find peace.

The intention and ethos of Crafty Mondays is to provide a warm welcome to anyone who wants to meet other friendly crafters, share ideas and maybe learn something new. It is open to absolutely everyone, Church-goer or not, and no previous experience is needed. We meet on the first Monday of each month at our home and usually see around 12 lovely people, including two brave chaps, who are keen to chat, drink plenty of tea & coffee and tuck into homemade bakes. We set up an ’ activity for guests to try, or they bring their own projects to continue working on. It s very free and easy – we listen, and we share our lives, as well as our skills, learning from each other.

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Sonja Drew, Sue Donkin, Rosemary Southon & Norma Draper are the backbone of the team that prays for and inspires our group. To them and all those who come, a huge ‘thank you ’for making it such a blessing.

We would love the prayers of the Church as we reach out to our neighbours in the hope that, through the joy of crafting, they might begin their own faith journey.

For those of you who may feel encouraged to join us you can always get more details from the weekly Church email, or speak to either of us.

Lend with Care – Rosemary Southon

Lend with Care is part of Care International U.K. It allows individuals and groups to make small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. This is how our Church is involved.

Over the past year new loans have been arranged covering Zambia, Rwanda, Peru, Ecuador Pakistan and Malawi and totalling approx. £3,500. I try to find individuals or groups with connections to education, farming, “country type” activities, or aiming to employ other people. Due to Covid some repayments have been erratic and one group has defaulted, but we still have 10 entrepreneurs repaying loans. Three others have completed in the past year. (The GK Church monies and funds are held and administered by Lend with Care).

It is certainly worthwhile supporting people in their own countries and knowing that for some it is a lifeline to get their business going and to support their families. Another thought is how Covid has affected people around the world (hence non payment for some), and some African countries have been experiencing economical and political difficulties. All require our thoughts and prayers.

Buildings

Eco Church – Sam Davis

EcoChurch is an environmental improvement programme designed by A Rocha, a leading Christian environmental protection agency. It provides a survey against which churches can benchmark themselves in four key areas - Teaching and Worship, Land and Buildings, Community and Global, and Lifestyle. The programme has bronze, silver and gold award levels. While EcoChurch is a highly useful tool, we see it less as a mechanical improvement exercise but more as a platform for encouraging a better stewardship culture within the church.

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St Mary’s received a bronze award early in 2020, then the COVID pandemic struck resulting in other priorities and delayed progress towards our next goal of silver. That said, we have continued to provide a collection point in the church lobby for crisp packets, batteries and printer cartridges, all of which the church and local community continue to use. We are also approaching our second swift nesting season since our nesting boxes were installed last year and are hopeful that these well-constructed homes, high up and away from human activity, together with the attraction call system we have installed, will help numbers of these endangered birds to recover.

Having switched to an all-renewable electricity tariff in 2020/2021, the single most significant action the church could take to cut its emissions would be to change our heating from the old and very inefficient oil-fired boiler system we currently use to an all-electric system. A small team has continued to look at the options available to us and, despite going up a few blind and time-consuming alleys, we believe we are making progress towards a short-list of potential choices.

At a macro level, let’s all be praying that God provides the wisdom, righteousness, political and personal will and technological solutions necessary to reverse the damage that has been done to His creation. Locally, let’s continue to pray for church members committed to creation care to step forward to offer time, talents and innovative ideas both at St Mary’s and Christ Church – we are blessed with a variety of assets and resources and there is much that could be achieved by the right team. Specifically, please pray for the small team working on the heating system, for wisdom and determination to get to the right answer and for the resources to implement that solution.

Church Rooms – James Wickham

Over the last twelve months bookings have returned back to near normal, with the Pre-School being fully active during term time.

The Church Rooms has a kitchen, is fully heated and is ideal for birthdays and other uses. After many years of managing the Rooms bookings Rosemary Southon has stepped down and handed the batten to Jo Galloway. We thank Rosemary for her service.

If you are interested in booking the Rooms please call Jo on 07483 262753

or email her at joannegvp@gmail.com

Looking forward there are plans to make the roof fully rainproof and looking after the Rooms to ensure we have this facility for many years into the future.

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St. Mary’s – Ali Williams

St Mary’s was shrouded in scaffolding for many months while the quinquennial works were undertaken in 2020/2021. We thank the Friends of St Mary’s for their contribution of £50,000 which formed part of the total expenditure of £120,000, without their contribution we would not have been able to complete the works. The great reveal occurred in early August when the extent of the replaced stones and repaired mortar and clock refurbishment could be seen, very satisfying for all after such a long drawn out process. Only time for a short breather, the next QI inspection is due in 2023!

Progress on the churchyard wall ground to a halt while we concentrated on the QI. It has been picked up again now, but progress is painfully slow. We hope the outcome will be a lowered design of wall that the lorries miss as they round the corner.

The Friends of St Mary’s are pursuing a conservation project concerning the Culpeper wooden effigies that reside beneath the bay window in St Mary’s. Jo Alsop did a great job of obtaining a grant towards the cost of an environmental report which amongst other things flagged up the need for Ultra Violet and Infrared light protection to prevent further deterioration once the conservation work has taken place, we are waiting for a quote on some specialist glass which would address this issue. Once received we can move forward to seek approval for the works to go ahead, which will take time.

I’m also delighted to report that James Wickham, who is a member of the PCC, has agreed to take on the oversight of the property and fabric of St Mary’s and the Church Rooms. James has already attended to and resolved many issues. We are so grateful to him for taking on this responsibility and for doing such a fabulous job.

Friends of St. Mary’s – Pam Stubbs

Due to Covid restrictions meetings in February and March were held by Zoom as was our AGM. We were first able to meet face to face in April when restrictions were eased.

The main issue for consideration was the request from St. Mary’s PCC to match their contribution of £30,000 to facilitate the uninterrupted completion of the stonework identified by the QI. The committee agreed to do so but stipulated that £5,500 of the £30,000 should be spent repairing the housing and re-gilding of the clock. We also

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paid a further £1,600 in September towards additional unforeseen stonework. This expenditure was in addition to repairs.

Stewardship – Revd Rachel

We trust in God who is provider. In turn, God trusts us to care well for our areas of responsibility, to share wealth, to grow as his children into his likeness: to be generous, to be hospitable, to steward resources of time, energy, money, gifts - well - for his glory.

In terms of where stewardship means stewarding financial gifts we start by recognising that all that we have comes from God: ‘For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.’ (1 Chronicles 29:14).

I believe God calls us to honour him with our first fruits, in other words experiencing freedom to spend most of my money on personal needs having honoured God by apportioning the first amount of it to Him. Linked to that, for me the concept of giving a tithe is helpful. Regular giving to the church, straight from my bank account means it’s done and dealt with. The process of claiming Gift Aid is much simpler and traceable through direct bank giving, and is our preference.

There are also times when we are called to honour God with a freewill offering in addition to regular giving. For each of us, what God may nudge us to give regularly and in addition to that is between us and God. The amounts will vary between us, and potentially the percentage of our income given will vary at different times in our lives.

Jesus’ teaching on the widow’s mite (Luke 21:1-4) highlights how God looks at the heart when it comes to financial giving. God asks us to give out of love to Him whatever the amount we are able to give.

As Vicar I very much choose not to know who has given what financially. The people who know these amounts are the Treasurers, the Gift Aid Officers and the Administrator.

Finance – Dave Lodge: Treasurer

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)

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The 2021 church accounts are now available for release, having been independently reviewed. They have been prepared on a consistent basis with previous years.

We feel very blessed with having regular income to enable the activities that you will read about elsewhere in these APCM Reports. Please prayerfully consider your responses to the accounts and the following details, as we seek to use our limited resources wisely:

There are a number of funds, including some ’restricted funds ’which can only be used for specific purposes, depending on the restrictions imposed by the donors.

The main ‘General Fund ’(Page 1 of the accounts) includes all of the regular giving and expenditure which supports the life of the church. This Fund is largely the subject of this report.

Giving from the regular congregations increased over the previous year by 3.5% to £94,848, mainly as a result of new donors and the reopening of regular services. Gift Aid added a further £18,469 which was slightly down from 2020 due to a catch-up in 2020 from previous years. There were also a couple of one-off donations and legacies received.

Total receipts for the year amounted to £145,156.

Expenditure for the year was largely in line with expectations. We paid our Parish Share to Canterbury of £73,301 as agreed.

The Tower and other stone works as required by the last Quinquennial inspection, were completed during the year, which, together with architects and other costs, amounted to £131,143. The Friends of St Mary’s donated a fantastic £49,257 towards these costs and we were able to reclaim VAT under the Government scheme of £22,216. This gives the net cost of £59,670 during the year. There is a small retention payable in 2022 which will complete the project spend.

In total, General Fund expenditure for the year amounted to £204,660.

Therefore, we had a net outflow of funds for 2021 of £59,504, which largely reflects the Quinquennial works. This was as expected, when we agreed to complete the fabric repairs in one phase, this being the most cost-efficient option.

However, this means that the General Fund was in deficit at the end of 2021 by £4,612. It is our intention that we rebuild our reserves over the next three years to recover the situation (see below for more details)

The Beacon Fund (Page 3) has successfully funded the role that Caroline Turvey held for the past three years. Following Caroline’s appointment as Curate for the Doddington & Wychling Villages in mid-2021, we prayed and sought God’s direction.

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A revised job role was advertised and the recruitment process resulted in Kat Ogden being successfully appointed as our Youth and Children’s Pastor. The Beacon Fund has sufficient funds to support this role for 2022, and there are several regular donors who continue to pay into this fund. As from 2023 we will need to fully support this role financially through the General Fund.

The Community Cupboard (Page 2 of the Accounts) continued to support local families mainly with groceries and a few small household expenditure needs. There is a regular team who collect food and deliver each week, including a time to chat and share with the families. There are a number of donors who regularly contribute funds to this work, together with food items that are gifted. We are also supported by the Cranbrook Bakery who supply free bread each week. In total, we paid out £10,368 during the year, not including the gifted items. There was £1,556 in the Fund at the end of the year.

The Weald Family Hub – WFH (Page 3 of the Accounts) continues to support counselling in 13 of the local Primary Schools, working through Fegans, a local charity. We gained support from a number of local Charitable Trusts together with regular individual donors. St Mary’s contributed £6,000, as in recent years. The schools contribute around 50% of the full cost of the counselling, with the balance funded through the WFH.

The Projects Funds (Page 5) includes receipts and expenditure on projects that span more than one year. In 2021 we had a specific donation of £4,600 to support the setup of a local Christians Against Poverty (CAP) team and £13,000 for the potential to employ interns. These funds were held at the end of the year, together with £27,636 balance of insurance proceeds from the Church Wall claim; the repair/replacement of the wall continues to be worked through with the Diocese and other interested parties.

Outlook 2022

This year is expected to be similar to 2021, but with more of the regular activities being open for the whole year and therefore a slight increase in some costs.

With the spending in excess of the General Fund reserves in 2021 and an overall deficit as we come into 2022, there are no major projects planned for this year until we can start to recover the reserves position. Longer term, we will need to replace the old oilfired heating system to be more efficient and to meet the Church of England target of ‘net zero carbon ’by 2030. We will get no financial support from the CofE and are investigating grants and other support to help meet the (very large!) costs that we will need to spend. There is a team actively working on options. There are also other projects and initiatives that we would love to start if money were no object!

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A big ‘Thank You ’for the regular giving and donations received through weekly offerings, bank transfers and the recently installed debit/credit card reader, as well as those who give one-off donations. If you would like to talk further about increasing your contributions, starting regular support, or anything regarding our church finances, then please contact me the treasurer, Dave Lodge. If you pay Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax, then we can reclaim 25p for every £1 given from HMIT with no cost to the giver; we can supply a Gift Aid form to get this started – again, please just ask.

To put the current General Fund deficit into perspective, we currently have around 130 regular givers (or families of givers). If each of these were to increase giving, on average, by £4 per week, then we would increase our income by £27,000 per year. This would give us the opportunity to recover our reserves over the next three years and provide extra for increasing the wide-range of activities and support to our community. Regular income enables us to plan what we can afford to do.

I am grateful to the team who support the back-office accounts work; to those who collect and count the weekly offerings, to John McCaig who operates our Gift Aid claims, and to Becky in the Church Office. Thank You!

dave.lodge@gkchurch.org

Organisational structure:

Weald Deanery – Kat Ogden and Sue Donkin

The parishes within the Diocese are grouped into small geographical divisions known as Deaneries, each under the care of an Area Dean and governed by a Deanery Synod. Revd. Rodney Dreyer (Hawkhurst) is the Area Dean of the Weald Deanery and Kat Ogden and Sue Donkin are the representatives from St Mary’s Church on the Deanery Synod.

Last year the Deanery completed a Deanery Plan that was approved by Bishop Rose, although this should be seen as a living document which is regularly reviewed.

The finances across both the Diocese and the Deanery are not in a strong position. Some of the information supplied to us by the Diocese paints a fairly bleak picture:

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The Weald Deanery will therefore be reviewing and revising the Deanery Plan specifically to look at meeting the financial and organisational needs in the future, and this is likely to involve looking at future ministerial provision and deployment.

Please pray for strong leadership and vision for the Mission and Ministry Committee who will be working on the plan. Please pray that the Lord’s vision for the future Church becomes clear to us and that the Holy Spirit guides us in how to build a flourishing and sustainable model for the future.

Proceedings of the PCC – Barney Mayhew, Chair of the PCC

The PCC has met on average once a month, and seeks to be prayerful, loving and visionary. We have discussed and decided on just about any significant aspect of the church’s life: vision, mission and outreach, all areas of ministry, safeguarding, finance, work with young people, home groups, the church buildings, employment, eco-responsibility, prayer, the Deanery, worship, staff appointments, and so on.

We ask your prayers for good leadership and accountability, and for the PCC to enable all parts of the church family to worship and flourish fully.

Leadership structure – Revd Rachel

In addition to the PCC there is a Leadership Team (also referred to as the Standing Committee of the PCC). This is: Revd Rachel, Simon Taurins, Ali Williams, Becky Addis, Wes Hinsley, Dave Lodge, Kat Ogden, Barney Mayhew. We meet most weeks to pray and discuss issues. This grouping will change as Ali and Simon step down and are replaced with two new churchwardens.

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Please pray for refreshment and wisdom as we work together.

Church Office – Becky Addis

The last year has again been full of challenges as we continued to navigate Covid as a church community, often having to change plans at the last minute, but with everyone working together to make our worship safe. I moved back into the Church Office and was very happy to welcome a new roommate at the start of this year with the arrival of Kat. Staff meetings started to be held in person again, and that felt so good – to meet with Rachel, Ali and Kat face to face, pray, drink tea, sometimes eat cake, and chat, about work obviously!

It has been wonderful to start organising baptisms again, lots of them, and to make arrangements with bridal couples about their weddings which actually felt like they might happen – we have couples marrying this year who have been waiting for two years so it will be especially joyous to see them marrying at last.

My role continues to be as varied as ever but with communication with the church family a big part of the job. I enjoy writing the weekly GK Church news which is now sent to nearly 600 people, and Sam Mayhew has worked hard at trying to get me more competent with updating the website.

’ When the village experienced the recent power cut, Kat and I sat in the Children s Room to welcome people into the church who needed to charge their phones, use the Wi-Fi and find some warmth. It was really good to be able to offer that and so we may well start working in the church a couple of mornings a week – but otherwise, do come and find us at The Vicarage – the lovely yellow door is to the right of the garage – we’re there Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 3:00.

34

Administrative information
Bankers CAF Bank
15 Kings Hill Avenue
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent ME19 4JQ
Nat West Bank
High Street
Cranbrook
Kent TN17 3EA
Independent Examiner Mr J A Tapper FCA
Mill Cottage
Mill Lane
Sissinghurst
Kent
TN17 2HX
Architects Purcell
15 Bermondsey Square
London
SE1 3UN

35

Thank yous

A huge thank-you to everyone for being part of the church family or has supported in any way. As part of this, thank you to everyone who has:

Prayed on the emergency prayer chain Applied for a faculty
Cooked a meal via the Meal Train Helped with any Children and Young
people’s ministry
Was a verger at a weddings or funeral Led Collective Worship in G&K Primary
Cleaned the glass doors Delivered the parish magazine
Opened or locked the church Tidied up in the church building or
graveyard when they saw something
needed doing
Delivered a Christmas card or parish
magazine		 Been part of the Café Toddlers team
Helped with the sound desk Was part of the Alpha team
Hosted, read or prayed at 10:00 Zoom
prayers		 Printed our posters, flyers – all our printing!
Looked after the GK Church social media
feed		 Looked after the safeguarding of our
church
Led a small group Reached out to someone who was grieving
Helped with the Community Cupboard Helped with our Mothering Sunday
daffodils
Gave to the Community Cupboard Prayed for our world, our country, our
community and our church family
Was part of the Blend Team Ran Lend with Care
Made activity bags for Sunday worship Looked after our Connect Clothing
Led our services, both in church and whilst
we were still on Zoom		 Did something kind for someone in the
church community without anyone
knowing

36

Gave someone a lift Cooked for the church freezer
Led us in singing Cleaned the church
Were part of the PCC, especially those who
stepped up for the first time to serve in this
way		 Set up and helped at Crafty Mondays
Preached, read, led intercessions at one of
our in person or online Sunday services		 Mentored at the High Weald
Updated the website Looked after our beautiful church building
by fixing something or making something
Baked for the Community Cupboard Cooked and served at a Welcome lunch and
other events
Looked after the church finances Took Holy Communion to someone at
home
Collected and banked donations and sorted
out Gift Aid		 Arranged flowers and made the church look
beautiful
Recycled the crisp packets and batteries Looked after the flower beds and the
churchyard
Went prayer walking around Goudhurst Looked after the Church Rooms
Put together a beautiful window as part of
our Advent Windows		 Went for a walk with someone who really
needed someone to talk to
Kept the conversation going about what it
means to be an Eco Church		 Shared their faith with someone, maybe for
the first time
Cleaned the brass Looked after the linen and changed the
altar frontals
Set up the church for Holy Communion Hoisted a flag
Spotlighted someone Prayed and cared for your family
Visited someone Cleared up after an event
Rangthe bells Said ‘yes’ to helpingout at the last minute

37

St Mary's Parochial Church Council, Goudhurst

Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

Index Page
General Fund 1
Community Cupboard 2
Beacon Fund 3
Weald Family Hub 4
Projects Fund 5
Church Room Fund 6
Local Community Fund 7
Sri Lanka Fund 8
Mustard Seed Fund 9
Summary and Balance Sheet 10
Notes to the Accounts 11 & 12
Examiners Report 13

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

GENERAL FUND Receipts and Payments Account
RECEIPTS
Incoming Resources From Donors
Planned Giving
Collections and other giving
Call Flow - Masts on St Mary's Tower
Income Tax recovered
Other Voluntary Income
Restricted Donations & Legacies
Unrestricted Donations & Legacies
Income From Investments
Income from CBF Deposits and Investment Funds
Income from Operating Activities
Sales of Parish Magazine
Magazine Advertisement Fees
Café Toddlers - donations / tea money etc.
Fees from Weddings and Funerals etc.
Connect Clothing
Fund Raising
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Grants & Donations
Contribution to Weald Family Hub
Local, UK and Overseas Mission Giving
Activities relating to the Work of the Church
Diocesan and Deanery Parish Share
Organ, Organist and Choir
Service Consumables
Weddings & Funerals (including Diocesan share)
Clergy Expenses
Alpha, Small Groups etc
Sunday Clubs and Childrens/Youth work
Magazine Printing
Church Running and Fabric Expenses
Heating & Utilities
Insurance
Church Cleaning & Supplies
Covid related costs
Repairs and Maintenance
QI Works to Tower and Stonework (including FOSM support of £49,257)
Enhancements
Church Management and Administration
Church Office, Printing Stationery, Telephone etc.
IT and Social Media costs
Costs of Operating Voluntary Income
Fund Raising Events
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
General Fund Balance at 1st January
General Fund Balance at 31st December		 Notes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		 94,848
3,926
3,596
18,469
120,840
1,200
10,160
11,360
251
251
2,049
4,066
208
5,944
439
-
12,706
145,156
6,000
6,037
12,037
73,301
1,549
994
4,193
(31)
309
547
3,338
84,200
4,393
8,192
4,420
-
3,104
59,670
2,717
82,496
24,242
1,685
25,927
-
-
204,660
(59,504)
54,892
(4,612)
2021		 2020 2020
94,848
3,926
3,596
18,469		 91,631
3,875
2,044
20,282		 117,832
6,210
315

12,250
1,200
10,160		 3,710
2,500
251 315
2,049
4,066
208
5,944
439
-		 2,649
4,278
-
3,619
932
772
6,000
6,037		 6,000
5,872
136,606
11,872
88,315
29,776
24,850

-
72,918
3,120
949
2,566
2,268
2,306
2,053
2,134
4,393
8,192
4,420
-
3,104
59,670
2,717		 5,287
7,703
4,662
466
1,802
4,089
5,767
24,242
1,685		 24,208
642
- -
154,814
(18,208)
73,099
54,892

Page 1

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

COMMUNITY CUPBOARD

Notes

RECEIPTS
Donations received
Transfer from Local Community Fund
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Cost of produce purchased
Purchase of storage cupboards
Support payments to Community
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) / EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Community Cupboard Fund Balance at 1st January
Community Cupboard Fund Balance at 31st December		 7,617
1,118
1,633		 6,549
2,019
8,568
10,368
10,368
(1,801)
3,357
1,556		 5,229
-
-		 8,586
-
8,586


5,229
5,229
3,357
-
3,357

This fund is being ring-fenced for the Community Cupboard - there are a number of regular and one-off donors

In 2020, as part of the church's response to the Corona virus pandemic, the Community Cupboard was rapidly expanded and deployed to help a number of local families with provision of basic food items. This has continued into 2021. A loyal group of helpers collect, purchase and deliver food on a weekly basis, together with some additional support for a number of these clients.

Page 2

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

BEACON FUND (Restricted Fund)
RECEIPTS
Lay Family Worker Donations
Blend Donations received
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Lay Minister Costs (including expenses)
Less: Job Retention Scheme receipts
Other Costs
TOTAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS / (SHORTFALL) OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Beacon Fund Balance at 1st January
Beacon Fund Balance at 31st December		 Notes 13,952
-
13,952
13,952

5,701
5,701
8,251
20,063
28,313		 3,079
135		 3,214
5,606
-
95
3,214
12,549
(9,335)
29,397
20,063

The Beacon Fund is a Restricted Fund. It was set up in 2017 to fund and support the appointment of a Lay Minister to develop work with local children and young people.

In 2019 further contributions were invited to fund an additional Lay Family Worker. This fund will now be used to support the Youth and Childrens Pastor role which has started at the beginning of 2022.

Page 3

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

WEALD FAMILY HUB
RECEIPTS
Donations received
St Mary's Goudhurst Contribution
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Fegans Costs
Coordinator Salary and Expenses
Less: Job Retention Scheme receipts
Counselling & Mentoring Course Costs
Other Expenses
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Weald Family Hub Fund Balance at 1st January
Weald Family Hub Fund Balance at 31st December		 Notes 40,954
6,000		 46,954
46,954



50,245
50,245
(3,291)
31,970
28,679		 17,584
6,000		 23,584
39,588
10,658
-
-
-
23,584
39,091
(15,506)
47,476
31,970

The Weald Family Hub was set up in 2018 to provide funding for Mental Health counselling in local schools and parent support, working through the Fegans charitable organisation. St Mary's employs the coordinator on a 2 days per week basis and acts as a centre for support in partnership with other churches in the Deanery and a number of local schools

Page 4

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst
Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021
PROJECTS FUND
RECEIPTS
Christians Against Poverty Donations received
Church Wall Insurance Claim
Donation for Interns
FOSM Contribution to Tower Works
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Released to General Account
Costs re Wall Repairs Project
Paid to Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) / EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Projects Fund Balance at 1st January
Projects Fund Balance at 31st December		 Notes 4,600
-
13,000
-
17,600
15,000
2,364
2,500
19,864
19,864
(2,264)
47,508
45,244
2021		 2020
15,000
2,364
2,500		 -
-
-		 -
30,000
-
15,000
45,000



-
-
45,000
2,508
47,508

In 2019 donations were made at the service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury amounting to £2,508 for Christians Against Poverty. Dialogue commenced with CAP regarding the possibility of using the donation to go toward funding a local CAP Debt Manager where currently there is no local provision. CAP were in favour of this and further donations towards the cost of running this were received in 2021. The original £2,500 was paid to CAP which they are holding for a local scheme if we are able to recruit a volunteer.

In 2020 a settlement claim of £30,000 was reached regarding the repeated damage to the church wall. Work is ongoing to establish the most appropriate action to avoid further damage, for which this fund will be used. Architect costs were paid in 2021 in respect of this project.

In 2020 a donation of £15,000 was received from the Friends of St Mary's as part of the Tower repair works - this was carried forward against invoices paid in early 2021.

Balance of funds at 31st December
Wall Repairs Project
FOSM Contribution to Tower Works
Donation re Interns (not Restricted)
CAP Balance		 27,636
-
13,000
4,608
45,244		 30,000
15,000
-
2,508
47,508

Page 5

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

CHURCH ROOM FUND (Designated Fund)

Notes

RECEIPTS
Contributions to the use of Church Room
Income from Investments
Income from CBF Deposits and Investment Funds
5
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Repairs and Maintenance
Insurance
Utilities
Cleaning
TOTAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Church Room Fund Balance at 1st January
Church Room Fund Balance at 31st December		 3,595
867
1,347
328		 7,895
13
7,908
6,137
6,137
1,771
40,077
41,848		 1,254
858
598
1,058		 6,512
85
6,597
3,768
3,768
2,830
37,248
40,077

The Church Room Fund is a Designated Fund, held to ensure the ongoing maintainance and repair of the Church Rooms

Page 6

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

LOCAL COMMUNITY FUND (Designated Fund)

RECEIPTS
Restricted Donations
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Discretionary Support
Transfer to Community Cupboard Fund
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) / EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Local Community Fund Balance at 1st January
Local Community Fund Balance at 31st December		 -
-
-
2,019
2,019
(2,019)
2,019
-		 96
96
30
-
30
66
1,953
2,019

This fund has been amalgamated with the Community Cupboard Fund in 2021

Page 7

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

SRI LANKA FUND (Restricted Fund)

Notes

RECEIPTS
GK Church donations
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Payments out
11
TOTAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Sri Lanka Fund Balance at 1st January
Sri Lanka Fund Balance at 31st December		 -
-
-

-
-
-
7,933
7,933		 -
-
- -
-

-
-
-
7,933
7,933

The Sri Lanka Fund is a Restricted Fund, held to provide support for students of the Sri Lank Theological College whilst they are on placement in the UK, plus other specific needs, as decided and agreed with the College staff

In 2022 we are re-energising contacts with the college to ensure that these funds are best used to support students and will pay this money over as appropriate

Page 8

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

2021

2020

MUSTARD SEED PROJECT FUND (Restricted Fund)

Notes

RECEIPTS
Donations received
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Mustard Seed Project Payments
12
Other Costs
TOTAL PAYMENTS
(SHORTFALL) OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Mustard Seed Fund Balance at 1st January
Mustard Seed Fund Balance at 31st December		 -
-
-


-
-
-
2,437
2,437		 -
-
-
-		 350
-
-

350
350
(350)
2,787
2,437

The Mustard Seed Project is a Restricted Fund. It was set up in 2016 to fund and support projects relating to local asylum seeking teenagers and young people.

In 2022 we have paid the balance of this fund to the DEC appeal in support of the situation with refugees fleeing from Ukraine. The DEC work through a number of major charities.

Page 9

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst
Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021
SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
General Fund
Community Cupboard
Beacon Fund
Weald Family Hub
Projects Fund
Church Room Fund
Local Community Fund
Mustard Seed Project Fund
BALANCE SHEET - SUMMARY OF BALANCES
General Fund
Church Room Fund (Designated)
Local Community Fund (Designated)
Projects Fund (Designated)
Community Cupboard (Restricted)
Beacon Fund (Restricted)
Weald Family Hub (Restricted)
Sri Lanka Fund (Restricted)
Mustard Seed Project Fund (Restricted)
REPRESENTED BY:
Bank Balances - NatWest
Bank Balances - CAF Bank
Bank Balances - CAF Bank Deposit Account
CCLA Deposit Account
CCLA Investment Account - cost		 Notes
13
12
13
11
12
14		 2021
(59,504)
(1,801)
8,251
(3,291)
(2,264)
1,771
(2,019)
-
(58,856)
(4,612)
41,848
-
45,244
1,556
28,313
28,679
7,933
2,437
151,399
28,352
51,684
10,242
59,679
1,442
151,399		 2020
(18,208)
3,357
(9,335)
(15,506)
45,000
2,830
66
(350)
7,854
54,892
40,077
2,019
47,508
3,357
20,063
31,970
7,933
2,437
210,255
131,118
8,039
10,081
59,648
1,370
210,255

Page 10

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021 Notes to the Accounts

The accounts are prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis - no provision is made for items that do not fall within the year. There are no significant items that were outstanding at 31st December 2021 nor 2020

Note

Charges are made to Callflow for the Licence Agreement relating to equipment on the Church Tower. The agreement was terminated by Callflow in 2021

6
Local, UK and Overseas
Mission Giving
The list of charities supported during the year is as follows:
Lisell Mukola Community School - Rose's Project
Christians Against Poverty
Fegans
Goudhurst Scouts
Lend With Care
Maidstone Samaritans
ReadyCall
TearFund
TearFund - Harvest Offerings
Christian Aid
Bibles for GK Primary School & Preschool leavers
Eli Nelson - Donation for Nepal trip (funded by specific donation)
Other
Total Payments		 2021
1,200
600
600
600
600
600
-
600
443
290
499
-
5
6,037		 2020
900
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
-
-
451
1,000
21
5,872
8 Repairs and Maintenance Heating System Repairs & Servicing 699 -
Bat assessment in Tower 334 -
Piano & Organ Tuning 712 321
Other 1,359 1,481
3,104 1,802
9 Quinquennial Report The regular inspection was carried out in November 2017 and the report issued in January 2018. The majority
works have now been completed
Traditional Stone - Tower and other stone work 125,312 -
Architects Fees 4,583 3,525
Other Costs 1,248 564
Less: VAT reclaims under Government Scheme (22,216) -
Less: Support from the Friends of St Marys (49,257) -
59,670 4,089
10 Enhancements Updates to sound and video system (including on-line service provision) - 5,767
CCTV installation 1,131 -
Upgrade to WiFi 1,079 -
Card Payments system 507 -
122,057 13,945

Page 11

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021 Notes to the Accounts (continued)

14 CCLA Investment Account The market value of the CBF Investment Fund was as follows: 31-Dec
31-Dec
2021
2020
Number of shares held 122.59
119.32
Value per share 2,338.67
2,012.35
Market Value £2,870.82 £2,401.14
15 Physical Assets The PCC is responsible for certain physical assets in St Mary's Church both fixed and
movable which are not detailed in the financial statements, but are covered by insurance

Page 12

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC of St Mary's Goudhurst

This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31st December 2021, which are set out on pages 1 to 12

Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Independent Examiner

The members of the PCC 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 this report

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 PCC and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records, It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts

Independent Examiner's Statement

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

Signed:

Mr J A Tapper FCA Chartered Accountant Mill Cottage Mill Lane Sissinghurst Kent TN17 2HX

Dated: 1st April 2022

Page 13

St Mary's Church PCC Goudhurst Accounts for the 12 Months Ended 31st December 2021

Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC of St Mary's Goudhurst

This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31st December 2021, which are set out on pages 1 to 12

Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Independent Examiner

The members of the PCC 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 this report

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 PCC and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records, It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts

Independent Examiner's Statement

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

Signed:

Mr J A Tapper FCA Chartered Accountant Mill Cottage Mill Lane Sissinghurst Kent TN17 2HX

Dated: 1st April 2022

Page 13