2020-12-31-accounts

St Mary the Virgin Alveley

Annual PCC & Trustee Report for year ended 31/12/2020

The church of St Mary the Virgin, Alveley, is a Grade II* listed building within the village conservation area. The church dates back to 1140 and is of considerable architectural beauty and historical interest. The United Benefice consists of the churches of St Mary the Virgin, Alveley, and St Andrew, Quatt. It is in the Bridgnorth Deanery within the Diocese of Hereford and situated in the county of Shropshire.

The address for correspondence is:

Mrs H J Fleming, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Email: [e-mail]

Members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) are either ex-officio (Clergy, Readers, Church Wardens, Deanery Synod Representatives, Alveley Old Chapel Manager) – the latter because Alveley Old Chapel is under the ownership and jurisdiction of the church. Others are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with Church Representative Rules.

During 2020-2021 the following have served as PCC members:

Incumbent: Rev Neil Dunlop Retired Clergy: Rev Dr Wendy Rylance Rev Dr Ruth Sims Reader: Mrs Sue Chidwick Mr Barrie Jenkins (until November 2020) Church Wardens: Mr Peter Fry Mrs Jenny Sirrell Deanery Synod Reps: Mrs Kirsty Ritzenthaler (Safeguarding Officer) Vacancy Alveley Old Chapel Manager tba Elected Members: Mr Dale Chidwick (Deputy Churchwarden) Mr Fred Cooper Mrs Pauline Cooper Mrs Julie Fry Mrs Hilary Fleming (PCC Secretary and Electoral Roll Officer Mrs Anne Simms (PCC Treasurer/Gift Aid Officer) Mrs Penny Jenkins Mrs Lynn Madden Mrs Jean Marshall Prof Paul Rylance Mrs Carol Wall (Deputy Churchwarden)

Other Officers: Ms Lisa Dhillon (Independent Examiner) Mrs Vickie Dunlop (Parish Administrator)

Aims and Purposes of the PCC: St Mary’s PCC has the responsibility for cooperating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It is now a Registered Charity.

We have continued to enjoy working with Rev Neil Dunlop and his wife Vickie within the joint benefice. We continue to feel truly blessed by his ministry and that of Vickie, not only to regular churchgoers but to the whole community. They are greatly regarded by the whole parish. Vickie continues in the role of Parish Administrator; on an informal basis this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of Alveley Old Chapel for the period of the pandemic. We are immensely grateful to them both. Our Retired Clergy, Rev Dr Ruth Sims and Rev Dr Wendy Rylance, have been unable to contribute on a major scale again this year owing to family commitment and illness but we are very grateful for what they have done and wish them and their families well. We are grateful to the two Readers, Sue and Barrie, for the part they play in the church’s worship. Towards the end of last year Barrie took the decision to retire from Readership owing to ill health and retired in November. As yet we have not been able to formally acknowledge his dedication and years of service in this role but hope to do so in the coming months as regulations allow. We remain indebted to him for his devotion to this work and express our sincere thanks to him.

Objectives and Activities: The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship and become part of the parish community of Alveley. To facilitate this work it is important to maintain the fabric of the church. The Quinquennial Report last year highlighted various issues to be addressed and these continue to be attended to by the Churchwardens. This year has been especially challenging and demanding on all levels. Services and worship have had to take on a completely new aspect as buildings have been closed and usual forms of worship became impossible to carry out. Online services have been aired via our website and Facebook page and these reach a world-wide congregation. These are led by Neil and Vickie and various members of the congregation to whom we are very grateful. As regulations allowed socially-distanced services have been held in the Churchyard by the Preaching Cross and eventually in Church itself although the latter necessitated thorough cleaning afterwards. We are indebted to the Rector and Wardens for carrying out this task. An online prayer meeting continues to be held each Sunday evening with grateful thanks to Vickie for leading this. The Rector has continued to officiate at Funerals as regulations have allowed. During the summer months a midweek online Coffee and Chat evening was held, attracting a large group of participants and providing much-needed social contact. All other outreach and social activities were sadly not able to take place including those at Alveley Old Chapel which has had to remain closed throughout the period of the pandemic. The appointment of a new Manager following the retirement of SP is an ongoing process.

The PCC was able to meet in person in September between the lockdowns and later in the year agreed electronically that day to day decisions concerning the running of the church should be delegated to the Rector and Churchwardens. The Rector and Churchwardens have met regularly via Zoom.

It is hoped that as regulations ease we are able to slowly and carefully steer the resumption of activities towards our “new normal” and we acknowledge that this

will not be an easy task and that many of our community have endured loss and loneliness and suffered in many ways. Hopefully we can retain some of the technological methods of communication we have come to rely on at this time to keep in touch with each other and look forward to when we can meet again face to face.

To ensure that all are cared for safely, we have a Safeguarding Officer, Mrs Kirsty Ritzenthaler, and any concerns over personal welfare and safety should be addressed to her or the Rector.

Worship Planning: has continued to place to plan Sunday services and other worship, making the best use of gifts and learning from each other.

Pastoral Care and Visiting: has had to take place technologically and at a distance.

Prayer Ministry: praying with and for people at any time. People in need are considered at each PCC meeting and a prayer meeting takes place online each Sunday evening.

Worship and Music: This has been limited to a small music group at outdoor and online sevices and the use of recorded music. Full congregational hymn singing and the playing of the organ seems to be our final goal in recovery.

Children and Youth: Sadly all our usual children and youth activities have had to be suspended including Youth Club, Open the Book, Sunshine Corner and Messy Church.

Small groups: held in homes, draw adults to explore the Christian faith and lead them to learn more from Bible study and discussion. These too have had to cease although personal contact has been maintained informally.

Men’s outreach: “Breakfast in the Old Chapel” a meal and an outside speaker to present men with the message of Christ outside the church. A regular “Chaps’ Lunch” in local pubs takes place, fostering fellowship and social needs. It is hoped to resume these activities once we are able.

Alveley Old Chapel: a church-owned and governed establishment in the redundant Methodist chapel which has continued to grow in strength and popularity with the whole village. Coffee, tea, cakes and light lunches are available on three days a week and there is a lovely garden to sit in on sunny days. AOC supports itself financially and a system of joint accounting with church has been established so that the Treasurer can easily oversee finances. A joint Management Committee has been established, consisting of Jenny Sirrell, Kirsty Ritzenthaler, SP and AL. We are very grateful to the team of volunteers who work so hard for its success. Other village organisations (Chapel Crafters, Music Club, Alveley Singers) and the Be Cafe use this as a venue as well and other social events are held here. The PCC holds its meetings here and the Parish Administrator uses the office facilities. AOC is also available for private hire.

This has become a wonderful use of a redundant building and we continue to be grateful for the generous legacy which enabled the Chapel to be purchased by the church, thus providing the whole community with hospitality and fellowship and a continuity of life for a much-loved building. Plaques recording the legacy and giving the mission statement are on display

It is sad to record that this splendid asset has been completely closed throughout the year and we are grateful to AL and KL for overseeing the security of the

building and also for setting up an outdoor book and jigsaw puzzle exchange when the Mobile Library had to stop visiting the village.

New Life Nepal : We continue to support this charitable trust, along with supporters in Thame, Tupsley, and another parish in Hereford diocese. We receive regular news and updates at PCC meetings. We are endeavouring to strengthen the link with NLN and regular meetings are held with representatives of the supporting parishes. Penny Jenkins has continued to maintain our contact with the trust and we thank her for this.

Church Attendance: The Electoral Roll is currently 86, entitling us to 3 Deanery Synod representatives. Church services outside averaged 30-40 with a similar number sharing online services. We continue to work with and share events at St Andrew’s, Quatt. Online services have been a shared provision.

Fundraising and Social Events: We are still very aware of our ambitious parish promise made a few years ago and have had to reduce our offer this year as it was felt that the sum promised previously could not be sustained. We are very grateful to those in the congregation who have arranged to make their offering by Direct Debit thereby ensuring a regular income from these sources. Obviously there has been no opportunity for additional fundraising this year.

Compiling this report has made so obvious the varied and vibrant activities in which our church family engages. We hope and pray that steadily through the coming year we are able to resume these activities with renewed enthusiasm and commitment. Many members of the congregation have continued to help with ongoing practical tasks of maintenance and caring and we would again like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who plays a part in our church life. Without everyone’s efforts in countless ways, our church would not be the spiritual, caring and loving community it is, seeking to make God’s kingdom here in Alveley. Thank you so much to you all for all that you do.

Hilary Fleming (PCC Secretary), March 2021

St Mary's APCM / Trustee Financial Review for Year Ended 31/12/20

2020 was an understandably tough year for everybody. At St Mary's, we have been fortunate and incredibly grateful for the ongoing financial support we have received, both in terms of increased regular gifts direct to our bank account, parishioners playing 'catch up' with regular giving as soon as they returned to church and the generosity shown with 'one-off' donations on our Gift Day.

Fund-raising activities were curtailed from March 2020 onwards, with the bulk of our £6k of fundraising coming from the Gift Day in September. An incredible effort to be only £3k down from the previous year. PCC fees from weddings & funerals were up £1k but, with only one wedding during the year, the figures serve as a sad reflection of the human loss and tragedy experienced within our community during this pandemic.

Alveley Old Chapel has been closed for the majority of 2020, although running costs continue. However, we were fortunate to receive a £5k business grant from Shropshire County Council, which more than covered the deficit but, of course, we face further ongoing costs in 2021.

Overall our draft accounts are showing us in the unexpected position of having an excess of receipts over payments of almost £7k. This can be explained by the following 'one-off' items though:

• a) The already mentioned Gift Day raising c£5k.

• b) £5,450 received in December 2020 from the HT Bequest. £450 was to be put towards £1.2k of remedial work on overgrown trees, which unfortunately was not completed until 2021. The rest was a much needed contribution 'to help the church in this uncertain time'.

• c) Almost 3k received in November from a bequest from the SMM Loan Trust.

• d) The aforementioned £5k grant to AOC from Shropshire County Council.

• e) The ‘donation’ of £1.5k of unclaimed verger fees from previous years, as approved by PCC in March 2020.

Without the £20k of 'one-off' gifts / grants etc. above, we would have had a deficit of c£13k, compared to £8k in 2019.

With all the uncertainty still facing us through 2021, the PCC agreed to reduce our Diocese contribution in 2021 from £50k.

Anne Simms

Treasurer, May 2021

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69.673 Owkandush CBFY¢wMS 740 667 lo.x 7Y.I 1047 56.614 io.fj•i 71.725 .740 3ml 4J71 545 JJAI Jn 70J47 ?40 124.1>4 135 N•pg114Wilf• Jn Jn Fob[k$￿d Cholr FrfEnthfvr TheCldTh• 2)Jl Jx .] 14 IQOS? 10.D?I ?.i?I 12.4111 IY.7 71.137 )4 J24ia4 Toi NAfJrdop.¢

STMARYTHE MAGIN ALVELEY PAAOCHIAL CHUACM COUNC (IIAAifY RE615TrAIION IIUMetlL' I1￿17 NOTES FOR THE YEAR EP4DED JI OECEkl8ER 2020 The flnantlal Statements of the Parothlal Church Coundl have beèn prepared In a¢¢ordafi¢e vlth the Church Ac(tyJntln8 Regul•tlorb$ 2(#J6 and the Charities Acl 2011 U￿n6 the Recwpt5 and Payments b•$ ThE 3¢counis Include Al¥eley Old Chapel. Although the daytoday funThlng Is under th¢ control of a mana8er who maintsins its financlal re¢￿d$. the uhlmate re5pLwibility rests with the PCQ Thefixed assets are the freehobd premlses at Al¥teyOld Ch•O at Cost. The Aestrided Funds are ksted below.. The Newl New Llfe Fur￿ Ss fordon•tlDns recew for the prw ¥thlth we sypptyt In Nepal. A separate charity now t￿ts to channel these fvnd Tht Church R¢h)l Fund rewesents accumulated donjtlonslor malrfen¢e ot the churth roof. whlth can only be spent forthat purw. The Fabrfc Fund represents accmlated d￿alkIn510r malntenarKeof the thwth whlth on On￿ be swnt for that PUfPW4e. The UnrestrKted Deyywt¢d Funds.. Alveleyold Chapel represents the amimulated Income and e¥Knd¥tu￿ ofAfvdeyOld Chapel. These re held Irb J separate ba￿ account. but the Parochlal Church Council L% the •tcourttable l)ody f¢ them. The SuThJay School fvnd ftpresents accumuled d¢mabons ftKthe ￿￿5d￿JaI. Transfers.. £487 transfer rel•tes io Alveley Old Chapel's wopwtkn of the combtned Insuran￿ pollcy pald for bv the PCC. The Churchyard Fund. ￿1th was a ￿ffirted hjnd, amountin8 to £1.035 represents accumulat¢d donitlons lor malnten3nce ol the thurchyard. In a meetlftll held on ItAh March 2020. It was aKreed by all members th* thls fvnd bttrdrthrred to the8eneral lund ol the PCL The Frlends Fund, whkh was an unie5trkted deS￿nated fund. an￿)UntIn￿ to É2.915 represents accumulated donatk)ns and interest. This was a grtyjpthat had been diKontinued 31 the be￿￿￿1￿8 of the pr￿0￿S Incumbent's ienure. li was aÉreed by aN rnember5 on 10th March 2020 that this lund should be translerred to the 8eneral lund ol the PC

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