st Matthew's Church QroWIVI ckrisl Deeper Together Younger Beyond APCM Reports 2022 Page Y off 11 ## **CONTENTS** Ministry Leadership Team reports by Vision strand Deeper ………………………………………… 3 Together ………………………………………. 4 Younger ……………………………………….. 5 Beyond ………………………………………… 7 Vicar’s Report ………………………………………. 8 Treasurer’s Report ………………………………….. 9 Churchwardens’ (Fabric) Report ………………….. 10 Safeguarding Report ……………………………….. 10 Deanery Synod Report …………………………….. 11 _Page of 2 11_ ## **Growing Deeper** ## _**Corporate Worship**_ This time last year we were booking tickets to attend worship, only singing outside on the car park, and had no midweek groups running. What a joy it’s been to see those restrictions lifted, and the return of singing and refreshments. Corporate singing was something most of us had been longing for, and our sung worship has been really special in recent months - it’s been great to welcome some new singers, too. One musical highlight was our Christmas choir contributing to a number of the Christmas services, including a performance of “Silent Night / I Speak Jesus”. The lockdowns gave us the opportunity to review our worship so, rather than simply restarting what we had before, we have tried a new pattern of Sunday services. The 9am Communion service - with a slightly more traditional feel - now happens every Sunday. Alongside that, the 10.30am service has been communion roughly half the time and morning worship for the rest, giving greater flexibility for teaching and worship. Churches across the nation have typically found Sunday attendance to be 60-70% of pre-Covid figures. St Matthew’s has hovered at just over 70%, with signs of this increasing over the last couple of months. Looking forward, we hope to reestablish prayer ministry as a regular feature and, when appropriate, to bring back the common cup in communion. Teaching is the same across both morning services. In the Summer of 2021 we ran a series on the story of _Exodus: Looking Back, Going Forward_ , seeing what we might learn from the Israelite’s experience of coming out of Egypt into a whole new landscape. Since September 2021 we have been looking at the _Sermon on the Mount_ , with breaks for Christmas and Easter. Engagement with our online worship dwindled quickly as restrictions lifted, and this now accounts for a very small portion of worshippers. However, we recognise the importance of continuing to offer opportunities for online worship - for those unable to attend in person, and as an opportunity for potential visitors to see what we’re like. Over the past year we have tried various combinations of live-streaming, recording and uploading our services, and each of these presents its own challenges. For now we continue to record the teaching segment and upload this as soon as possible, as well as continuing the midweek messages. For those who need to worship at home, there is a regular offer of home communion services. Earlier this year we offered an Encounter Worship evening, which was well attended and very much appreciated. There was a real sense of God’s presence and a longing for more. The next Encounter evening is coming up in May. ## _**Discipleship Opportunities**_ The first thing we offered midweek was the Wellbeing Journey, which seemed appropriate coming through the collective trauma of a global pandemic. In the autumn term Life Groups each did their own thing, with some meeting in person each week, others online, and others supporting mainly via WhatsApp. Heading into 2022 we sensed it would be good to try offering a range of midweek discipleship opportunities on a termly basis. We hope this will enable people to opt in for a term at time, as well as stepping back for a term as appropriate, rather than thinking of midweek groups as fixed and ongoing. Alongside the termly content changing we hope to see Life Groups continuing to pastorally support one another. At the beginning of the year we offered groups for Prophetic Prayer, Bible Study of Mark’s gospel, and Digging Deeper into the Sunday teaching. More recently _Page of 3 11_ an Intentional Discipleship group was started, using the LifeShapes material to learn how Jesus did discipleship. Looking ahead, next term will also offer the Freedom in Christ course. During Lent we hosted the Living in Love and Faith course, looking at questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. This was a profound and moving experience for the 11 of us who took part. No doubt the conversations were not always easy ones to have, but we found ourselves able to express and listen to a range of opinions and still love one another in that. In fact, we found it so helpful that we intend to continue the conversations after Easter, and invite anyone else to join us. _Revd Matt Hird_ ## **Growing Together** For many, being able to meet in person has been a wonderful blessing and has helped in building and developing relationships. For others, the continuing Covid situation has meant that they do not feel ready to return or, have been responding week by week to the infection rate and risk factors. This has meant that growing together has continued to present many challenges this year. We have a number of people who very much consider themselves to be part of the family but feel unable to join in with in person opportunities. We have continued to provide on line content, including midweek opportunities for those people and Whats App chats and one to one visits have continued to play a significant role. For those who have felt able to meet in person we have enjoyed our Sunday services including the return of refreshments and a chance to chat. One of the joys in the last few months has been seeing the children play and spend time with each other after the service. We have spent time together in midweek groups, including life groups, pop in, place of welcome and bible study. There are so many things happening during the week that church family are often gathered at the church building serving, or joining in (or eating Hub for Grub food). One of the best ways to spend time together and get to know each other is serving together and it is wonderful to see the relationships building between members of various teams; whilst we tidy the church grounds, host the life exhibition, as we practice for the band, or meet to plan. It has been particularly great to see more of our young people starting to serve though music, tech, kids work and preparing refreshments. During the year we have also had a number of events to help us grow together. In October we held our first Slow Cooker Sunday which was a huge success and will definitely be repeated. We also had a games night, a film night and a messy family play afternoon. During the summer the vicarage hosted New Wine where we joined in with the summer festival on line, worshipped together, hung out and on at least one night got completely soaked! We have welcomed a number of new people over the last year, including some with English as an additional language, and we are looking at ways to continue to develop our welcome to all and enable everyone to become a part of the family. _Chioma Okafor, Deb Blakemore & Jess Hird_ _Page of 4 11_ **Growing Younger** ## **JAM** The last year has been filled with so many blessings for JAM. We have continued to meet on an almost weekly basis. It has been a tough year, having to combat different restrictions, but throughout all of it the JAM Sunday Team have be able to manage to continue run weekly teachings for the primary school aged children. As restrictions continued to lift it was clear that some of our youngest members of church needed Sunday teaching provision, and it was decided that children 3 and over could now attend JAM sessions. From July 2021 JAM ran as two sessions; children aged 3 to school age, and then children within primary school. The sessions continued to involve games, bible teaching and crafts. As the year progressed it became clear that the oldest of our JAM children (Years 5 and 6) were wanting to have more space to dig deeper and talk about the bible readings. They were keen to have a chance to go deeper and develop their faith more. In Autumn 2021 the JAM groups shifted slightly again, with a focus more on the activity taking place, rather than age group. Following discussions with the young people Sunday JAM sessions consisted of 1 group which focused on games, age-appropriate crafts, and bible time, and then a second group which was more focused on digging deeper into the word. Rather than splitting the groups by age, the older children have a choice on what activity they wish to join in, giving them some autonomy on how they access their Sunday teaching. So far, the splitting of the JAM groups this way has been a great success. The focus going forward into the next year is to look at the provision for our very youngest members of church. Bible Tots had not resumed yet, and the Younger Team are looking at how we can best meet the needs of the toddlers and babies that attend St Matthews. Currently we have been providing age-appropriate craft activities for the Bible Tots to complete if they choose, with their parents looking after them in the Craft. But in the very near future, we are looking forward to relaunching Bible tots! So, watch this space! Overall, this last year has been such a great year filled with amazing conversation with our young people. It has been a privilege to watch them grow, not only in confidence, but also in their faith. I’m looking forward to what the next year holds, and eagerly anticipate hearing the wonderful stories that our young people bring to the JAM sessions. _Rachel Payne, Helen Foster, and Ann Macmanomy_ ## **Youth** The youth at St Matthews has gone from strength to strength over the last year. The youth continually bring joy and positivity to the church. Not only have they grown their faith, but they have also developed and nurtured friendships. Following easing of restrictions youth returned to face-to-face meetings, which was long awaited. It had been over a year since the youth last had a face-to-face meeting. It was such a joyous night when, finally, our young people walked through the hall and took their seats. The Youth group had continued to meet virtually throughout the pandemic, but it was great to finally be able to meet in church. It was like no time had passed at all, and the conversations flowed freely. From September 2021 youth group continued to meet in person at church once a fortnight. Friday nights have been social sessions for the youth. They have played board games, played _Page of 5 11_ dodgeball along with baking, and making pancakes. Along with the Friday sessions we have also introduced Sunday sessions at the vicarage where Matt and Jess Hird have been leading bible studies. These sessions have proved a great success, with multiple members of the youth group attending each week. What will probably be one of my proudest moments of leading the Youth Provision at St Matthew’s was watching the youth lead a service by themselves. As a group the youth planned the service, picked the songs, and Leah wrote the sermon herself. What they achieved in leading their service was simply something I know I wouldn’t have been able to do at their age. They should be so proud of their selves. In closing, this year has been simply a year filled with many blessings, and the entire youth team are looking forward to seeing what the next year holds. ## _Rachel Payne and Helen Foster_ ## **St Matthew’s Baby and Toddler Group** The last twelve months have been a challenge for everyone, the Toddler Group included. Having decided to reopen the group after Easter 2021 after an absence of 12months, it quickly became clear that we would need to rethink the structure and running of the group, as the normal opendoor policy we had was no longer feasible. To comply with social distancing and general keeping safe measures, we moved to an online booking system and limited numbers to fifteen adults plus children. We changed the layout of the room placing tables around the outside, each adult having their own space and the children played in the centre of the space. Refreshments were served to the parents/carers by the team members and movement around the room was limited. Amazingly the restrictions proved to be a blessing in disguise, creating a calmer atmosphere where parents more openly engaged and formed new friendships in a very special way. Those first few months brought heart-breaking stories of families distanced from their close relatives. New-borns who had barely seen grandparents and toddlers who had not even interacted and socialised with other children outside of their own home. It really brought home to us as a team the responsibility we have, to serve our community and communities around our city, in this vital area of outreach and ministry. We continue to offer a range of play activities, crafts and singing, which are enjoyed by parents and children alike. In October we held a Toy Sale and our lovely parents donated and bought toys, enabling us to purchase much needed resources. At Christmas the children, dressed in Nativity costumes took part in a simple narrated version of the Christmas story, interspersed with carols and Christmas songs. Each child received the gift of a Nativity story book. To date we have registered one hundred and thirty parents/carers to our group and have now developed a regular core of people attending the Monday and Wednesday morning sessions. Included in numbers are families from Hong Kong and the Ukraine and we anticipate that there may be many others, forced to flee from their own country, who will become part of our community here at St Matts. It is with grateful thanks to our dedicated team of helpers, who have such a heart for serving community, that our group is so successful. We have been delighted to welcome new team members, Holly and Colleen alongside our regular team members, Jane, Gail, Maureen, Tash and Zara. _Page of 6 11_ We look forward to the future with anticipation and hope that we can continue to welcome many new friends and families. _Ann Macmanomy and Jess Hird_ ## **Growing Beyond** It has been exciting to continue re-connecting with our community in person as restrictions have eased and our own capacity to do things has increased over the last twelve months. This has been a slow and steady process but we are now seeing loads of people each week through the various activities and events happening in our building and beyond. Covid continued to impact our plans, especially in December when our Beer and Carols and Cookie day had to be cancelled but we were delighted to see the return of many from the community to our Christingle and Blue Christmas services. As we have returned to in person meeting we have also maintained an online presence which connects with those beyond our church family and parish. This is in the form of Matt's midweek message and services recorded (more recently just the sermon) and uploaded to YouTube. We continue to try and work with our local schools and in February we hosted the Life Exhibition where two of our local schools brought their young people to hear about who Jesus is. Eastfield Primary also came to us for their Easter assembly and joined in with our Easter Egg trail poster competition and Jess Hird went into school to lead an art lesson for a small group. The Easter Egg trail has also given us the opportunity to work with our local Beavers/Cubs and Scout groups who also joined in with creating the trail. As I write, we are getting ready for the Community fun day and egg trail and can't wait to welcome the wider community again. This year we became a Hong Kong Welcome church and have already welcomed a number of newly arrived families. Some of us have done online training to support this work and we are hoping to run the Hong Kong Welcome Course next term. We are also looking at preparing ourselves to welcome Ukrainian refugees over the next few months. All this is with support from the Welcome Churches network. Last year this report said, “As an MLT we have been discussing how we can make the things we do to serve the community more cohesive. How we can be 'a church backing one mission to bless our community with our space, time, love and resources'. We would love to see the church building open and busy every day with a whole range of activities enabling our community to really be blessed by us and our space.” It is exciting to report that this is starting to happen! Mondays see the church buildings become a hive of activity as the toddler group runs alongside our Place of Welcome and Hub for Grub. All three of these groups are working together brilliantly and welcoming a large number of people from our community. Place of welcome has grown significantly with a core group of regulars and a number of people who pass by. Hub for Grub joined us in December and are providing delicious food, from produce that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets, on a 'pay as you feel' basis. Our baby and toddler group continues to be an incredible space to meet and serve our community and we are seeing many people connect with church life through the work of this group. It has been amazing to watch these three groups work together, sharing the space and desire to serve our community. The toddler team will often pop into the place of welcome (and visa versa) and help Hub for Grub serve the toddler parents buying food. _Page of 7 11_ Pop In returned in July and has become a thriving social space for the growing group who attend each Tuesday. Toddlers meets again on Wednesdays and then the rest of the week our building hosts weekly art, kettle bell, martial arts, messy play and gaming groups, occasional PACT meetings and a steady stream of children's birthday parties. All this creates a busy atmosphere and a real sense that St Matthew's is at the heart of the community. On its own this activity would be great, but the friendly welcome of all the St Matt's family involved in these activities means that we are also ensuring we make the most of these connections to invite people to explore church and faith. Conversations about Jesus and about our faith as well as offers of prayer and support are happening all the time and we are seeing the fruit of that. Looking even further beyond we continue to develop our link with Hands at work and work towards a mission visit. In March we welcomed Dan and Jen Waspe to share their experiences with us. We have also collected donations for Afghan refugees, people from the Ukraine and our local foodbank, The Well. _Jess Hird & Deb Blakemore_ ## **Vicar’s Report** The past year has continued to be a time of change and uncertainty yet also filled with countless signs of God’s faithfulness and provision. As always, when I come to write this, I find myself feeling incredibly thankful. Thankful for God’s goodness, and thankful for the many people who lead, serve and minister alongside me here at St Matthew’s. I am so blessed to be part of the St Matthew’s family. I do want to give big thanks to our churchwardens, Jay Coley and Lee Blakemore, who have both been amazing stepping up over the past year. Perhaps the biggest development this year has been in our midweek ministries. We took advantage of the clean slate to shuffle things around and there is now a lovely buzz about the place throughout the week. Our own ministries include Baby & Toddlers, Place of Welcome, Pop In and Youth, as well as the other midweek discipleship groups. Since re-opening we have also seen a significant increase in the community usage of our hall… We have welcomed back-towork training, art classes, kettle bell exercise group, martial arts club, table top gamers, and a messy play class. Since November we’ve been delighted to partner with Hub for Grub, who use our kitchen on Mondays to cook hot meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis, saving food from going to landfill. All of this contributes towards our desire to be a hub for our community, and this seems to have been recognised by local councillors, who have supported us in running a big community Easter event this year and also given assistance in re-fitting our storerooms (which will happen in the coming weeks) and replacing the ZIP boiler. My own discipleship and leadership has benefited greatly from being part of a New Wine mentoring group with a dozen church leaders from across the midlands under the guidance of Mark Melluish. I have continued to be part of the Diocesan Renewal Team, who organise retreats for leaders longing to be renewed in the power of the Spirit, as well as the Bishop of Lichfield’s Advisory group for liturgy and worship. This year I have also trained as a Bishops’ Adviser, which means I help interview potential candidates for ordination as part of a new two-stage discernment process. There are so many special moments to give thanks for this year. Here are just a few of the highlights: _Page of 8 11_ - 5 members were confirmed by the Bishop of Wolverhampton last Summer. - Jess Ross joined us for 6 weeks on placement as an ordinand - Revd Gayle Greenway was (a year into post) installed as Vicar of St James’ Brownhills. - We enjoyed the sunshine for a garden party at the Vicarage. - We joined together in the vicarage garden for New Wine’s United Breaks Out, including the last night in torrential rain! - Hosting the Life Exhibition, and welcoming over 700 children to explore the life of Jesus. Looking ahead, by the time we meet for the APCM we’ll have hosted our first Easter Egg Trail with Community Fun Day. In June we begin the process of discerning fresh vision for St Matthew’s - the existing vision has been in place for 8 years and it is now time to seek God’s direction for the coming years. It is so important that church members engage with this process so do please look out for further details as they’re made available. We also look forward to welcoming Gareth Manser, who will be ordained deacon at Lichfield Cathedral on Sunday 26th June, and then join us as Curate. Please hold Gareth and his family in your prayers as they prepare to move home and start this new ministry. _Revd Matt Hird_ ## **Treasurer’s Report** The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2016 using the Receipts and Payments basis and then scrutinised by an external Independent Examiner. The key headlines for the year ending 31st December 2020 are: Our full year income amounted to **£57,815** Our expenditure in the year was **£50,723** We therefore had an excess of receipts over payments of **£7092.** This represents a considerable improvement on last year in which we just about broke even, despite the unplanned costs of installing new boilers a new cooker and alarm system. Year end funds available amounted to **£28,522** The Diocese offered to waive the Parish Share for 1 1⁄2 months which has been most welcome, and will be now be taken against the share for 2022 Income has increased notably from Hall rental and income from weddings and funerals has been restored. It remains the case that the majority of our income from tithing derives from a relatively small group of people with 2 or 3 major givers providing a disproportionate amount leaving us unduly dependent on their generosity, and spreading the load amongst more of the congregation willing to tithe would place us in a stronger position. Nevertheless we end the year in a better place than last year. _Brian Palmer_ _Page of 9 11_ ## **Churchwardens’ (Fabric) Report** It has been fantastic to be able to meet and worship in the building after the ever changing restrictions of the past two years. The past 12 months have seen some significant repairs needed: the buildings security system needed to be replaced and, as I'm sure you are aware from those cold Sunday mornings in the late part of last year, the central heating system failed for the church end of the building and two new boilers were fitted. Then, after an unexpected fault with the boiler at the church hall end of the building, that also had to be replaced. Other noticeable work carried out was the installation of a new zip hot water boiler in the kitchen and a new power point for the new dual fuel oven had to be installed, as well as the old gas heater in the youth lounge removed and a radiator fitted. It has been amazing to see the building so busy this past year with two toddler sessions running a week as well as place of welcome - pop in - two little learners sessions - art classes - table top gamers - kettle bell exercise classes and now a martial arts class alongside a constant stream of hall bookings for parties. It's brilliant that the building is being used so much by us as a church and by the community, yet with this comes the challenge of making sure the building is in a clean, welcoming and usable state - if you feel you would like to serve in a way that would make this easier please have a conversation with one of the wardens. In the coming months the building needs to have both a five yearly electrical inspection and it's Quinquennial inspection, which could highlight more action alongside the things we have noted ourselves as requiring attention, some examples being the storeroom doors needing replacing in the hall and the building’s guttering needing maintenence/repairs. We would like to thank everyone who so generously and sacrificially give their time and skills to assist in the general upkeep of our building it is very much appreciated and valued with a special nod to Brian our treasurer for the fantastic work he does looking after the churches finances and to Roger and Lynne for their invaluable and consistent volunteering to count the offering, as well as Lynne's incredible work looking after the gift aid claims and electoral roll and all of Roger's faithful work behind the scenes that make the day to day life of St Matthew’s run smoothly. _Jay Coley & Lee Blakemore_ ## **Safeguarding Report** Rebecca Hedger continued to be the Parish Safeguarding Officer. Safeguarding continued to be a priority in the life of St Matthew's. The safer recruitment process continued to be followed for all volunteers. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. _Rebi Hedger_ _Page 10 of 11_ ## **Deanery Synod Report** The Deanery Synod is made up of representatives from each parish within a local deanery, St Matthew’s is a parish within the Wolverhampton deanery. Deanery meetings are an opportunity for us to hear from guest speakers, usually from the diocese and catch up with news from the other churches in Wolverhampton. They also discuss issues that affect all the parishes in the Deanery. Since the last ACPM, St Matthew’s had a casual vacancy for Deanery Synod which PCC elected Jordan Dearn to the post. Only one meeting has happened since last ACPM which looked at what synod members want out of their meeting but also looking at participating in a growing your church course. The Deanery continues to work through the Shaping for Mission process, now entering the vision-setting phase. _Jordan Dearn, Jack Hedger & Rebi Hedger_ _Page 11 of 11_ # **Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew** **For the year ended 31[st] December 2021** _**Charity registration number: 1183263**_ ## **The Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31[st] December 2021** _**Charity registration number: 1183263**_ ## **Objectives and Activities** The Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew (the PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Matt Hird, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also spiritually responsible for the maintenance of the church. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St Matthew. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, music, and sacrament. Also, through non sacramental activities of hospitality and fellowship we aim to reach non churched members of the community. ## **Public Benefit** The trustees of the PCC are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit and have had regard to it in their administration of the Charity. The trustees believe that, by promoting the work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of Wolverhampton St Matthew it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, within the Ecclesiastical Parish, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by: - Providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the Church offers; and - • Promoting Christian values and service by members of the Church in and to their communities, to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. ## **Reserves Policy** St Matthews reserve policy was reviewed at the PCC meeting held on 22nd November 2021.The reserve fund was set at £13,000 based on the equivalent of 2 months general running at £8000 with an additional £5,000 to cover emergency building maintenance. This amount is held in a separate designated fund. Other free reserves at 31 December 2021 were £7,458. ## **Safeguarding** The PCC believe they have fulfilled their 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). _Page 2_ ## **Reporting Serious Incidents** A Serious Incident is an adverse event, whether actual or alleged, which results in or risks significant harm to the charity’s beneficiaries, employees, office holders, volunteers or to others who come into contact with the charity through its work, loss of the charity’s money or assets, damage to the charity’s property or harm to the charity’s work or reputation. The trustees are not aware of any Serious Incidents in the last year. ## **Fundraising** The PCC takes it fundraising responsibilities seriously and is very grateful to all donors – whether regular or occasional – for their support of the church and church events. PCC supporters are never taken for granted. The PCC take full responsibility for fundraising and do not use commercial organisations or professional fundraisers. All money raised is either by donations, fundraising events, special appeals or legacies for which the PCC are most grateful. ## **The Coronavirus Pandemic** 2021 was another challenging year with the coronavirus pandemic still in the forefront and the consequent national lockdowns, restrictions on routine services, weddings and funerals as well as fundraising and other community events planned during the year. The PCC have tried to remain positive throughout to support the community as well as the fabric of our wonderful church building and hall. Income has dropped from fees for funerals and weddings and giving via loose plate and envelope, and there were unexpected bills to replace the boilers and alarm system. However, we have seen a significant increase in income from hall rentals and an increase in standing orders. The clergy have worked extremely hard producing online teaching/reflections that have reached a broader audience than the routine congregation. It is hoped that this regular virtual contact has provided support to those most vulnerable. ## **Risk Management** The Church Wardens carry out regular Health and Safety Reviews and regularly inspect premises for potential hazards. We have safeguarding policies in place for child protection and for work with vulnerable adults, including rigorous DBS checking of staff and volunteers. Our insurances are reviewed annually to ensure adequate cover. An informal review of any new risks which may impact the work of the Church in the Parish is ongoing. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The PCC is a Body Corporate established by the Church of England and is a Charity registered with the Charity Commission. The PCC is governed by the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure (1956) as amended that came into effect on 2[nd] January 1957, and the Church Representation Rules (contained in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended). The method of appointment of the PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. The Council comprises the Incumbent, the Churchwardens, a representative of the Readers, those elected _Page 3_ to the Deanery Synod, and other members who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, by those on the Electoral Roll. The PCC members receive training from courses run by the Diocese. Members of the congregation are always urged to join the Electoral Roll, and to stand for election to the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance in the parish, and for all financial matters. The PCC usually meet 7 times a year. Given its responsibilities, the PCC delegates the implementation of our vision statement to the Ministry Leadership Team, who share responsibility for day-to-day leadership with the Incumbent and report back to each PCC meeting. In response to the challenges of the pandemic, PCC established a new Finance Action Team to monitor our financial health and implement measures to improve it. ## **Reference and Administrative details** The Church is situated in East Park Way, Wolverhampton, WV1 2DN and is part of the Deanery of Wolverhampton, in the Diocese of Lichfield. The correspondence address is the Vicarage, 14 Sydenham Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 2NY. Registered charity number 1183263. Our website address is: https://www.stmatthewswolves.com/ PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2021 until the date this report was approved were **:** ## **Ex Officio Members** **The Incumbent** The Reverend Matt Hird (Chairman) **Curate** _Vacant_ **Churchwardens** Lee Blakemore Jack Hedger (until 28[th] June 21) (and Deanery Synod Rep) Jay Coley (from 28[th] June 21) **Deanery Synod Reps** Rebecca Hedger Jordan Dearn (from 19[th] July 21) **Elected Members** Helen Foster (until 26[th] May 21) Rachel Payne Dawn Payne (until 14[th] July 21) Charlotte Taft Jack Hedger (from 19[th] July 21) Brian Palmer (Treasurer) Rachel Reid (Secretary) **Names and addresses of advisers Bank** Lloyds Bank Queen Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RF **Independent** Sue Schulz **Examiner** Lichfield DBF, St Mary’s House, The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD _Page 4_ Approved by the PCC on 20th April 2022 and signed on its behalf by: _Page 5_ ## ## ## ## ## **The Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2021** ## **Accounting Policies** The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis. There may be minor discrepancies in the totals as the pence are not being shown. ## **Fixed Assets** Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts by s.10(2)(a)&(C) of the Charities Act 2011. Moveable church furnishings held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the Church’s inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For anything acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements. ## **Description of Funds** **Unrestricted funds** are income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC, including amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are therefore not included in its "free reserves" as disclosed in the trustees' annual report. **Restricted funds** comprise of two elements: a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, interest is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis. **Endowment funds** are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of any income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Full details of all their restrictions are shown in the notes to the accounts. _Page 7_ ## **The Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2021** ## **Receipts and Payments Account** |**Unrestricted Designated**
**Restricted Endowment**
**Total**
**Prior year**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**total funds**|**Unrestricted Designated**
**Restricted Endowment**
**Total**
**Prior year**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**total funds**| |---|---| |**Receipts**
Donations and legacies
Income from charitable activities
Other trading activities
Investments
**Total receipts**|| ||41,930
—
1,779
—
43,709
58,997
1,645
—
—
—
1,645
2,081
6,285
—
—
—
6,285
2,005
3
—
—
—
3
7| ||**49,863**
**—**
**1,779**
**—**
**51,642**
**63,090**| ||| |**Payments**
Expenditure on charitable activities
Other expenditure
**Total payments**|| ||49,976
—
325
—
50,301
57,171
422
—
—
—
422
644| ||**50,398**
**—**
**325**
**—**
**50,723**
**57,815**| ||| |**Excess of receipts over payments before**
**transfer**|**(536)**
**—**
**1,454**
**—**
**919**
**5,274**| ||| |**Transfers**
Gross transfers between funds - in
Gross transfers between funds - out
**Excess of receipts over payments before oth-**
**er gains / losses**|| ||1,500
—
—
—
1,500
4,209
—
(1,500)
—
—
(1,500)
(4,209)| ||**964**
**(1,500)**
**1,454**
**—**
**919**
**5,274**| ||| |**Net movement in funds**|**964**
**(1,500)**
**1,454**
**—**
**919**
**4,972**| ||| |**All assets at 01 January 2021**|**6,493**
**20,810**
**300**
**—**
**27,603**
**22,632**| ||| |**All assets at 31 December 2021**|**7,458**
**19,310**
**1,754**
**—**
**28,522**
**27,603**| ||| |**Represented by**|| ||| _Page 8_ |**Unrestricted**||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |General fund|7,458|—|—|—|7,458|6,493| |**Designated**||||||| |Appeals & Special Projects|—|872|—|—|872|872| |Building & Maintenance|—|5,205|—|—|5,205|5,205| |Pop In Group Ministry|—|100|—|—|100|100| |Reserve Fund|—|13,000|—|—|13,000|14,500| |Toddler Group Ministry|—|133|—|—|133|133| |**Restricted**||||||| |Family Meal|—|—|200|—|200|—| |Gayle s Leaving Present|—|—|—|—|—|50| |POW Restricted fund|—|—|225|—|225|250| |Zip Boiler Buy And Install|—|—|1,329|—|1,329|—| _Page 9_ ## **The Parochial Church Council of Wolverhampton St Matthew Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2021** ## **Statement of assets and liabilities - 2021** ||**General Designated**
**Restricted Endowment**
**Thisyear**
**Lastyear**| |---|---| |**Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand**
Lloyds Current Account -
Lloyds Savings Account -
Cash in hand -
**Totals**|| ||4,962
3,785
(983)
—
7,763
8,429
2,381
15,525
4,725
—
22,632
21,933
115
—
—
—
115
115| ||**7,458**
**19,310**
**3,742**
**—**
**30,510**
**30,476**| ||| |**Liabilities - Agency accounts**
Agency collections -
**Totals**|| ||—
—
1,988
—
1,988
2,873| ||**—**
**—**
**1,988**
**—**
**1,988**
**2,873**| ||| |**Grand total**|**7,458**
**19,310**
**1,754**
**—**
**28,522**
**27,603**| ## **Statement of assets and liabilities - 2020** ||**General Designated**
**Restricted Endowment**
**Thisyear**
**Lastyear**| |---|---| |**Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand**
Lloyds Current Account -
Lloyds Savings Account -
Cash in hand -
**Totals**|| ||4,481
3,785
163
—
8,429
1,972
1,898
17,025
3,010
—
21,933
20,693
115
—
—
—
115
115| ||**6,493**
**20,810**
**3,173**
**—**
**30,476**
**22,781**| ||| |**Liabilities - Agency accounts**
Agency collections -
**Totals**|| ||—
—
2,873
—
2,873
149| ||**—**
**—**
**2,873**
**—**
**2,873**
**149**| ||| |**Grand total**|**6,493**
**20,810**
**300**
**—**
**27,603**
**22,632**| _Page 10_ ## **Fund movement by type - 2021** ||**Opening**
**Incoming**
**Outgoing**
**Transfers Gains/losses**
**Closing**| |---|---| |**Building - Building & Maintenance**
Designated
**Sub-total for Building**|| ||5,205
—
—
—
—
5,205| ||**5,205**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**5,205**| ||| |**Family meal - Family Meal**
Restricted
**Sub-total for Family meal**|| ||—
200
—
—
—
200| ||**—**
**200**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**200**| ||| |**Gaylepres - Gayle s Leaving Pre**
Restricted
**Sub-total for Gaylepres**|| ||50
—
50
—
—
—| ||**50**
**—**
**50**
**—**
**—**
**—**| ||| |**POWRES - POW Restricted fund**
Restricted
**Sub-total for POWRES**|| ||250
—
25
—
—
225| ||**250**
**—**
**25**
**—**
**—**
**225**| ||| |**PoW - Place Of Welcome**
Designated
**Sub-total for PoW**|| ||—
—
—
—
—
—| ||**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**| ||| |**Pop in Chr - Christmas Meal Pop I**
Restricted
**Sub-total for Pop in Chr**|| ||—
250
250
—
—
—| ||**—**
**250**
**250**
**—**
**—**
**—**| ||| |**PopInGroup - Pop In Group Ministr**
Designated
**Sub-total for PopInGroup**|| ||100
—
—
—
—
100| ||**100**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**100**| ||| |**Projects - Appeals & Special Pr**
Designated|| ||872
—
—
—
—
872| _Page 11_ |**Sub-total for Projects**|**872**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**872**| |---|---| ||| |**Reserve - Reserve Fund**
Designated
**Sub-total for Reserve**|| ||14,500
—
—
(1,500)
—
13,000| ||**14,500**
**—**
**—**
**(1,500)**
**—**
**13,000**| ||| |**Toddlers - Toddler Group Minist**
Designated
**Sub-total for Toddlers**|| ||133
—
—
—
—
133| ||**133**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**133**| ||| |**ZIP Boiler - Zip Boiler Buy And I**
Restricted
**Sub-total for ZIP Boiler**|| ||—
1,329
—
—
—
1,329| ||**—**
**1,329**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**1,329**| ||| |**General - General fund**
Unrestricted
**Sub-total for General**|| ||6,493
49,863
50,398
1,500
—
7,458| ||**6,493**
**49,863**
**50,398**
**1,500**
**—**
**7,458**| ||| |**Grand total**|**27,603**
**51,642**
**50,723**
**—**
**—**
**28,522**| ## **Fund movement by type - 2020** ||**Opening**
**Incoming**
**Outgoing**
**Transfers Gains/losses**
**Closing**| |---|---| |**Building - Building & Maintenan**
Designated
**Sub-total for Building**
**Gaylepres – Gayle’s Leaving Pre**
Restricted
**Sub-total for Gaylepres**
**HallChairs - Church Hall Chairs**
Restricted
**Sub-total for HallChairs**|| ||5,205
—
—
—
—
5,205| ||**5,205**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**5,205**| ||| ||—
50
—
—
—
50| ||**—**
**50**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**50**| ||| ||1,500
—
1,500
—
—
—| ||**1,500**
**—**
**1,500**
**—**
**—**
**—**| _Page 12_ ## **MinAssist - Ministry Assistant** |Restricted
**Sub-total for MinAssist**
**POWRES - POW Restricted fund**
Restricted
**Sub-total for POWRES**
**PopInGroup - Pop In Group Ministry**
Designated
**Sub-total for PopInGroup**
**Projects - Appeals & Special Projects**
Designated
**Sub-total for Projects**
**Reserve - Reserve Fund**
Designated
**Sub-total for Reserve**
**Toddlers - Toddler Group Ministry**
Designated
**Sub-total for Toddlers**
**General - General fund**
Unrestricted
**Sub-total for General**
**Grand total**|—
10,928
14,887
3,959
—
—| |---|---| ||**—**
**10,928**
**14,887**
**3,959**
**—**
**—**| ||| ||—
—
—
250
—
250| ||**—**
**—**
**—**
**250**
**—**
**250**| ||| ||100
—
—
—
—
100| ||**100**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**100**| ||| ||872
—
—
—
—
872| ||**872**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**872**| ||| ||14,500
—
—
—
—
14,500| ||**14,500**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**14,500**| ||| ||100
33
—
—
—
133| ||**100**
**33**
**—**
**—**
**—**
**133**| ||| ||355
52,079
41,428
(4,209)
—
6,493| ||**355**
**52,079**
**41,428**
**(4,209)**
**—**
**6,493**| ||**22,632**
**63,090**
**57,815**
**—**
**—**
**27,603**| ## **Fund Description** ## **Designated Funds** Building Maintenance – for the maintenance and upkeep of the church building Pop In Group Ministry – donations to help fund outings such as a Christmas Meal Toddler Group Ministry – to support the work of the Toddler Group Appeals & Special Projects – monies earmarked for specific projects during the year Reserve Fund – part of the PCC’s Reserves Policy is to keep £14,500 aside as per note in The Trustees Annual Report ## **Restricted Funds** Christmas Meal Pop In – community provision of Christmas meals Family Meal – to encourage families to eat together Gayle’s Leaving Present – donations towards Gayle’s leaving present. Place of Welcome - received a one-off donation towards ongoing costs of Place of Welcome Zip Boiler Buy and Install – new boiler _Page 13_ ## **Analysis of Transfer between Funds - 2021** - £1,500 was transferred from the Reserve Designated Fund to the General Fund – see Reserves Note on page 2. ## **Analysis of Transfer between Funds - 2020** - £3,959 was transferred from the General fund to Ministry Assistant Restricted fund to cover the shortfall in the year. - £250 was transferred from the General fund to Place of Welcome restricted fund to account for a restricted one-off gift towards the work of Place of Welcome. ## **Analysis of receipts and payments for the year ended 31 December 2021** |||||||**Total**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Unrestricted Designated**|||**Restricted**|**Endowment**|**This year**|**Last year**| |**ECEIPTS**|||||||| |**onations and legacies**|||||||| |Gift Aid - Bank||22,165|—|—|—|22,165|17,601| |Gift Aid - Envelopes||1,294|—|—|—|1,294|1,961| |Other planned giving||15,503|—|—|—|15,503|14,319| |Loose plate collections||518|—|—|—|518|1,580| |Tea / Coffee Ministry||—|—|—|—|—|23| |Toddler Group Donations||230|—|—|—|230|109| |Pop In Group Donations||289|—|—|—|289|123| |Place Of Welcome Donations||46|—|—|—|46|—| |One-off Gift Aid gifts||—|—|—|—|—|1,760| |Donations appeals etc||1,403|—|—|—|1,403|1,000| |Tax recoverable on Gift Aid||5|—|—|—|5|9,006| |Recurring grants||—|—|—|—|—|10,928| |Non-recurring one-off grants||—|—|1,779|—|1,779|—| |Other funds generated||478|—|—|—|478|588| ||Total|41,930|—|1,779|—|43,709|58,997| ## **RECEIPTS** ## **Donations and legacies** _Page 14_ ## **Income from charitable activities** |**Other trading activities**
**Investments**
Fees for weddings and funerals
Church hall lettings - objectives
Total
Bookstall sales - fund raising
Church hall lettings - fund raising
Total
Bank and building society interest
Total
**RECEIPTS TOTAL**|**Other trading activities**
**Investments**
Fees for weddings and funerals
Church hall lettings - objectives
Total
Bookstall sales - fund raising
Church hall lettings - fund raising
Total
Bank and building society interest
Total
**RECEIPTS TOTAL**|1,645
—
—
—
1,645
2,051
—
—
—
—
—
30| |---|---|---| |||1,645
—
—
—
1,645
2,081
—
—
—
—
—
45
6,285
—
—
—
6,285
1,960| |||6,285
—
—
—
6,285
2,005
3
—
—
—
3
7| |||3
—
—
—
3
7| ||**RECEIPTS TOTAL**|49,863
—
1,779
—
51,642
63,090| _Page 15_ ## **PAYMENTS** ## **Expenditure on charitable activities** |Giving to missionary societies
Ministry parish share etc
Parish Share Support
Ministry Assistant - Salary
Ministry Assistant - Pension
Ministry Assistant - HMRC Payment
Ministry Assistant - Expenses
Working expenses of incumbent
Working expenses of curate
Vicarage house expenses
Vicar's telephone
Education
Church running - insurance
Church office - photocopier
Church office - postage & stationery
Church - Broadband
Church maintenance
Church service supplies
Refreshment supplies
Place Of Welcome Supplies
Church equipment
Church communications
Church running - electric
Church running - gas
Church running - water
Church running - heating and lighting
Church running - waste collection
Governance costs examination/audit
fee
Total|5,148
—
—
—
5,148
—
33,726
—
—
—
33,726
37,424
(2,760)
—
—
—
(2,760)
(4,140)
—
—
—
—
—
12,093
—
—
—
—
—
735
331
—
—
—
331
1,814
—
—
—
—
—
245
348
—
50
—
398
144
—
—
—
—
—
67
102
—
—
—
102
—
—
—
—
—
—
24
—
—
—
—
—
50
1,428
—
—
—
1,428
1,422
760
—
—
—
760
398
—
—
—
—
—
28
572
—
—
—
572
460
6,111
—
—
—
6,111
623
121
—
—
—
121
818
78
—
265
—
343
135
—
—
9
—
9
—
895
—
—
—
895
1,647
731
—
—
—
731
193
843
—
—
—
843
847
968
—
—
—
968
1,580
107
—
—
—
107
100
300
—
—
—
300
—
168
—
—
—
168
164
—
—
—
—
—
300| |---|---| ||49,976
—
325
—
50,301
57,171| _Page 16_ ## **Other expenditure** |Other outgoing resources / payments
Total|422
—
—
—
422
644| |---|---| ||422
—
—
—
422
644| |**PAYMENTS TOTAL**|50,398
—
325
—
50,723
57,815| ||| |**GRAND TOTAL**|(536)
—
1,454
—
919
5,274| _Page 17_