2024-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of All Saints,kenley

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All Saints- Making Christ Known in Kenley www.allsaintsandstbarnabas.co.uk

ALL SAINTS KENLEY

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING SUNDAY 18 MAY 2025 12.00 NOON.

AGENDA.

MEETING OF PARISHIONERS.

1. Opening prayers.

2. Welcomes and Apologies.

3. Minutes of the Meeting of Parishioners held on 19 May 2024.

4. Election of Churchwardens.

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING.

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2024.

2. Election of 3 lay representatives to the PCC to serve for 3 years and 2 to fill vacancies for 2 years.

3. Report on the Electoral Roll.

4. Report on the proceedings of the PCC and the activities of the parish generally.

5. Financial statement of the PCC for the year ending on 31 December 2024.

6. Appointment of Independent Examiner.

7. Fabric report.

8. Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod.

9. Any other business.

10. Date of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in 2026.

PCC MEETING.

A meeting of the new PCC is to be held immediately after the APCM for the sole purpose of election of Vice Chair of PCC, Treasurer, Secretary, Standing Committee, Electoral Roll Officer and Sidespersons.

MEETING OF PARISHIONERS 19[TH] MAY 2024.

1. Opening prayers. Rev Justine Middlemiss opened the meeting with prayer.

2. Welcomes and apologies. Rev Justine Middlemiss welcomed approximately 20 members to the meeting. Apologies were received from Chris Preston, Ros Shepherd, Brian Shaw, Gerald Bodmer, and Brian Perry.

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 21[st] May 2023. It was proposed by Ann Jones, seconded by Janet Shaw, and agreed by all that these minutes were correct, and they were signed by the Chair as a true record.

4. Election of Churchwardens. Two nominations had been received prior to the meeting. David Shepherd had been proposed by Marie Kimberley and seconded by Peter Bedwell, and Chris Preston had been proposed by Nicki Howe and seconded by Marie Kimberley. All were in favour, and they were duly declared elected. Huge thanks were expressed to them for all they were doing, which included a wide range of practical tasks.

Signed as a true record………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 19[TH] MAY 2024.

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 21[st] May 2023. It was proposed by Menai Jones, seconded by Jean Gould, and agreed by all that these minutes were correct, and they were signed by the Chair.

2. Election of 3 lay representatives to the PCC to serve for 3 years. One nomination had been received prior to the meeting, of Helen Dighton, and it was agreed by all that she be appointed. The meeting was informed that Mike Rodwell, though not qualifying on the Electoral Roll, was willing to be co-opted. He was proposed by Theresa McFarlane, and seconded by Andrea Gostick, and agreed by all to be appointed. Rev Justine welcomed the new members of the PCC, thanked those who had completed their period of service, (Alison Bicknell and Felicity Jones), and thanked all who gave of their time to serve on the PCC.

3. Report on the Electoral Roll. Jean Gould was thanked for the report which was noted. The number on the Electoral Roll now stood at 83, having stood at 88 the previous year.

4. Report on the proceedings of the PCC and the activities of the parish generally. A comprehensive report was noted, and the themes had been reflected in the worship immediately preceding the meeting. There were no further comments, and Peter Bedwell and Rev Elizabeth Goodridge were thanked for their part in preparing the report.

5. Financial statement of the PCC for the year ending on 31 December 2023. Andrea Gostick, Treasurer, gave a detailed presentation of the statement which had been independently examined and approved by the PCC. The main points were as follows. At the end of 2023, the balance of the accounts was £77,792, up from £73,946 at the end of 2022. Voluntary giving was down because of the loss of members. There was a significant increase of revenue from the hire of the Church Hall. The income of £9,900 included donations from the Uniformed organisations and was offset by the return of hire deposits of £1,400. Sundry donations of £7,954 came from two legacies, and two individual donations from members of £1K for

specific purposes. We fulfilled our pledge of £37K to the Parish Support Fund (Quota). It should be noted that we have increased our pledge to £41K for 2024, and this is still slightly below our notional parish costs. Our expenditure on utilities has remained relatively modest, as we have been shielded from the huge rises in energy costs by a fixed term contract, which will expire in June 2024. We have negotiated a new contract with Octopus, which is a leader in green energy, but also highly competitive in price. However, there will be a significant increase in cost. The Hayes Church (Restricted) Fund was established with a grant from the Diocese to set up The Hayes Church which has now closed. The funds are being used to fund mission activity, particularly the Play Café. At the current rate these funds will soon expire, and we will need to find other ways to fund mission. We have taken over from St Barnabas paying the salary of the Parish Administrator, but the costs are shared proportionately with St Barnabas. There is £9,612 in the Church Building Fabric Fund. This is mostly from a legacy from the estate of Olga Olver and earmarked for repair of the Baptistery roof. The Vicar’s Discretionary Fund is resourced by voluntary donations of members and was exhausted at the end of the year by heavy demand around September time for help with buying school uniforms and clothing, as well as for help with costs such as fuel bills and Council tax bills. Referrals come through our informal networks, such as Play Café. Andrea commended the Parish Giving Scheme and asked members to consider using this. It saves a lot of work in the parish in claiming Gift Aid and provides quickly and regularly income from tax reclaimed.

Andrea expressed her thanks to David Paterson both for his work as Independent Examiner, and for making claims for Gift Aid. This was echoed on behalf of the meeting, and Andrea was thanked for a job well done, and a clear explanation of the accounts.

6. Fabric report. David Shepherd, Warden, addressed the Fabric report. He highlighted that urgent work recommended in the Quinquennial Survey of 2020 had not been done, and this needs to be addressed now. This includes work on the north roof. There were 5 places in the Church and Hall where there is water ingress. David will place on the notice board a list of what needs to be done. We will need a new lighting system in Church, as the current one is obsolete. We will need to put some energy into fundraising.

On a positive note, a group of volunteers has continued to meet every Monday, to tackle odd jobs on the buildings and the care of the gardens. Appreciation was expressed for the work of this group.

7. Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod. The report was noted. Nicki Howe added that the next meeting on 6[th] June was an open meeting for all those interested in work with children, young people and families. Rev Justine noted that from feedback at the service this morning this was an area identified that we need to focus on.

8. Appointment of Independent Examiner. Andrea Gostick proposed that David Paterson be reappointed as Independent Examiner. This was seconded by Ann Jones and agreed by all.

9. Any other business. None.

10. Date of next meeting. The next meeting was scheduled for the 18th May 2025.

Signed as a true record………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT – APCM 2025

2025 has required a new Electoral Roll.

The total number of people on the updated Electoral Roll for 2024 stood at 83. This year on the new Roll we have 75.

29 people have not rejoined the 2025 Roll, 2 of which have passed.

21 new names have been added to the 2025 Roll.

Of the 75 people on the Roll, 40 are resident in the parish and 35 are non-resident (compared with 53 and 30 on last years updated Roll).

Jean Gould

REPORT ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PCC AND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PARISH.

Period covered. This report covers the financial period of 2024, and the proceedings of the PCC from the APCM held on 19th May 2024 to April 2025.

Administrative information. All Saints Church, Kenley is in Church Road, Kenley, CR8 5DU. The correspondence address is The Parish Office, St Barnabas Church, 69 Higher Drive, Purley. CR8 2HR. The registered Charity number is 1185283. All PCC members are trustees of the charity.

The membership of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) from the APCM of May 2024 is set out below.

Vicar Rev Justine Middlemiss. Self-supporting Minister Rev Elizabeth Goodridge. Churchwardens: David Shepherd, Christopher Preston. Deanery Synod Representatives: Nicola Howe, Ann Jones, Charmian Preston. Lay Representatives: Peter Bedwell (Secretary), Darnelle Constant-Shepherd, Marie Kimberley, Gerald Bodmer, Andrea Gostick (Treasurer), Michael Stock, Helen Dighton, Michael Rodwell.

Of these the Standing Committee members were Rev Justine Middlemiss, Rev Elizabeth Goodridge, David Shepherd, Christopher Preston, Peter Bedwell, Andrea Gostick, Helen Dighton and Ann Jones. The Standing Committee has the power to transact business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council.

Alison Bicknell and Felicity Jones also served on the PCC during 2024 until the APCM of 19[th] May 2024.

The PCC has held 5 full meetings in the year. The average attendance has been 69%. The minutes of the meetings have been circulated to all members of All Saints once approved. The PCC also had 2 informal meetings with the PCC of St Barnabas to discuss the coming together of the two Churches.

The Independent Examiner throughout this period has been David Paterson, for whom the correspondence address is the Parish Office, St Barnabas Church, as above.

Aims and Purposes.

All Saints Kenley is a parish church in the south of the London Borough of Croydon. All Saints is part of the Diocese of Southwark within the Church of England. The primary object is the promotion of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrine and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility for co-operating with the Vicar to promote the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the church, church hall and grounds.

All Saints Church has worked closely with St Barnabas Church, Purley, for many years, and on 1[st] July 2023 the union of the benefices was formalised, with the Reverend Justine Middlemiss, formerly Priest in Charge of both parishes, to be the first incumbent as Vicar of the “Benefice of Kenley All Saints and Purley St Barnabas.” A public announcement was also made on 14[th] May 2023 that it was proposed that St Barnabas Church will be closed, and the parishes of All Saints and St Barnabas will be joined together, with All Saints Church as the sole parish church. Following the necessary consultation processes the closure has now been scheduled. The final service at St Barnabas will be on 8[th] June 2025, and the formal closure will take effect on 1 July 2025. The St Barnabas site will then need to be sold, and a further consultation process is then to take place regarding the uniting of the two parishes.

Statement of Public Benefit.

The members of the PCC are aware of the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in “The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit” and have had regard to it in their administration of the PCC. The PCC believes that by promoting the work of the Church of England in the parish of All Saints Kenley, it provides a benefit to the public by:

providing facilities for public worship and pastoral care both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the church can offer,
by 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, and
by offering activities in the community to meet identified needs

Structure, Governance and Management.

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England and operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a registered charity. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2020. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC operates through a few committees and working groups, which meet between full meetings of the PCC.

Standing Committee: This is the only committee required by law and has consisted of the Vicar, the Self-Supporting Minister, the Churchwardens, the Treasurer, the Secretary and two other members of the PCC. It has the power to transact business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council.

The PCC this year has had 5 full meetings in the year. There have been two additional informal joint meetings of the PCC with the PCC of St Barnabas to facilitate working together and building closer relationships. The Standing Committee has had no meetings in this period, with a preference for decision making in full PCC meetings.

Kenley Memorial Hall. All Saints Church had an historic link with Kenley Memorial Hall (KMH), whereby the Vicar and two Churchwardens were the trustees of the KMH. The constitution was radically revised and now operates under the Constitution of Kenley Memorial Hall Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered in 2017, charity number 1173776. This gives the power to the PCC to nominate one trustee of the KMH. Additionally for the first 9 years from the inception of the new Constitution, to nominate up to three trustees if that is necessary to ensure there is a minimum of three trustees. Trustees are nominated to serve for a period of three years. Rev Elizabeth Goodridge was nominated by the PCC for a third term in June 2023 and has continued to act as Chair of the Trustees.

Registration with Charities Commission.

All PCC members are trustees of All Saints Church and are required to register and affirm that they are fit and proper persons to manage the assets of the Church, and to be trustees of a charity which provides activities for children and vulnerable adults. They are also required to complete DBS checks and undertake Safeguarding training.

Safeguarding.

The PCC has always sought to comply with the duty under S5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, (duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

A range of activities for children and for vulnerable adults has continued. These are currently Junior Church, Eucharistic administration in the Care Homes and to the housebound, Play Café now in the Church Hall, and the Games Afternoon which has been added to the list as a number of residents of Rokewood Court Care Home attend by invitation. A range of checks are required to ensure that those working in these activities are suitable, and that the activities are carried out in a safe way. There are also required safeguarding training courses according to the volunteer’s role. Junior Church and Eucharistic administration are regulated activities, whereas Play Café and the Games Afternoon are non-regulated, as in the case of Play Café the children remain in the care of their parents/carers, and in the case of the Games Afternoon the residents of the Care Home are accompanied by a member of staff. There is a higher level of safeguarding requirements for regulated activity, e.g. in respect of DBS checks.

A Parish safeguarding self-audit was completed in March 2025, and submitted to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team as requested. The audit and an annual safeguarding report were discussed at the PCC, which shares responsibility for the implementation of safeguarding. The audit identified several actions which are being pursued to ensure our compliance with requirements. It also identified achievements including the holding of a Safeguarding Sunday in August 2024, a sermon on the Makin review which had led to the resignation of the Archbishop of

Canterbury, and a sermon on the Assisted Dying legislation. Safeguarding is an agenda item at every PCC meeting, and those who have been on safeguarding training often bring back issues to discuss. Peter Bedwell is to retire from the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer after 28 years when a successor is appointed by the new PCC.

The Church of England is now planning to establish the independence of Safeguarding processes at a national but not at this time at a diocesan level, by the creation of an independent charity funded by the C of E.

Activities and Achievements.

-Relationship with St Barnabas Purley.

When we returned to Church following the pandemic, it was agreed to worship jointly with St Barnabas Purley on a trial basis. This has continued and we have also integrated our organisations and activities, and the PCCs have met together informally to agree a joint Mission Action Plan.

For many years it had been the plan to create a United Benefice with St Barnabas, Following the necessary consultations, the union of the benefices was made by the Church Commissioners on 5[th] June 2023, and became effective on 1[st] July 2023. At that point Rev Justine Middlemiss, formerly Priest in Charge, automatically became Vicar of All Saints and of St Barnabas.

On 14[th] May 2023, at a joint service, a public announcement was made of a proposal to close St Barnabas Church, and for the parishes of All Saints and St Barnabas to be joined together with All Saints as the sole parish church. This followed a thorough examination of all options by the PCC of St Barnabas. In January 2024 the draft proposals, having been unamended in a consultation process, were forwarded by the Bishop to the Church Commissioners to draw up a full legal text.

However, it was then decided to separate out the process of closure of the Church from the sale of the site and the uniting of the parishes. A proposal for the closure of St Barnabas Church and the designation of All Saints Church as the alternative place of worship of parishioners of St Barnabas required a fresh consultation process. All Saints PCC was consulted as an interested party and agreed to the proposal on 20[th] October 2024. In the meantime, authorisation was given for the temporary closure of St Barnabas during the cold weather of the winter months, and all services were held at All Saints. Subsequently, a public consultation took place, and no objections were received by the closing date of 6[th] January 2025. The last service at St Barnabas will be on 8[th] June 2025, which is the Patronal Festival and also Pentecost. On 1[st] July the closure of the church will be formalised and the maintenance of the Church building and its insurance will become the responsibility of the Diocese, while everything else will remain the responsibility of the PCC of St Barnabas. When the site is sold, some of the proceeds will go to the Diocese and some to the PCC of St Barnabas. There will then be a consultation about uniting the parishes of St Barnabas and All Saints.

The PCCs of the two Churches have met informally on two occasions during the year. Some exploration began of developing a joint Mission Action Plan, using research on growing churches. More recently, focus has been on the process and impact of the closure of St Barnabas. St Barnabas PCC needs to decide what objects are important to bring to All Saints, and All Saints needs to complete a similar task to see what might be disposed of. It is anticipated that there will be a visual change to All Saints when the Churches join together.

-Worship .

Creative forms of worship have been used through the year based on the experience and review of worship last year and developed over the preceding years. In the autumn, we again celebrated a season of Creationtide, with an emphasis on thanksgiving and appreciation and on environmental concerns. We celebrated Harvest Festival, and again held an animal blessing service, which was popular and much appreciated. We also marked Black History month in October, with relevant sermons and talks celebrating the contribution of the black community as well as their challenges and including a range of music from the Caribbean and black American worshipping communities. The Remembrance Day service drew a large attendance with the Uniformed organisations on parade.

A Christingle service was held for the Uniformed organisations in early December, and two “Crib n Christingle” services were held on Christmas Eve. Volunteers helped with the significant task of making up the Christingle kits. A Candlelit Carol service was very well received.

During Lent, there was a weekly service of Communion and a Lent lunch to follow. There was also a weekly study group on the Book of Revelation, entitled “Apocalypse Now!” Through Holy Week we followed the theme of “The Things He Carried,” and on Palm Sunday we again held a choral service, with Bible readings, reflections, prayers, hymns and anthems. On Easter Day, we introduced elements of the Sunrise service to begin our main service at 10am, beginning outside around a brazier and recalling stories of deliverance.

Camera and digital technology for home worship. On weekdays, Morning and Night Prayer are available to members of our closed Facebook group. Twice a month there is a service available on zoom on a Tuesday morning. Our main Sunday service is relayed on YouTube. This use of technology caters for those who are unable to come to the building, for those who are interested in the church and worship, and as a possible alternative to Church attendance.

-Prayers of Love and Faith. Blessing of same sex civil marriages and partnerships. All Saints Church is a member of Inclusive Church, and is advertised as such, and this means we will welcome those in same sex relationships. In December 2023 the Church of England published approved prayers to bless those in same sex relationships, as relationships of love and faithfulness. The prayers are currently for use in established liturgical services and are appropriate for those in civil partnerships or who have had civil marriages and wish for God’s blessing. There was support for this development in the PCC as there had been in the Love and Faith study groups. The approach of the House of Bishops was to avoid legal changes in an attempt to avoid a split in the Church of England.

Junior church has continued to thrive. The children enjoy creative activities related to the readings and themes of the main service. They designed an altar cloth which we use during the Easter season. Great credit and thanks are due to the leadership of Frances Perry from All Saints and Laura Lawrence from St Barnabas and to their team of helpers. It was a shock that Frances Perry was found to have terminal cancer and died shortly afterwards. The funeral service in February 2025 was a major event, with a very large number of attendees, and a fine tribute to a long-standing member of the Church, celebrating her many gifts, her faith, and her character. A major feature was the tributes made by the children of Junior Church for her role in nurturing their Christian faith in creative, exciting and thoughtful ways. Our prayers and support are needed now for Laura and the team of helpers after the loss of Frances as a leader.

-Confirmation and Admission to Communion. In September 2024 George Stock was confirmed, and in November 2024 five other young people were admitted to Communion.

Uniformed organisations have attended the main service on Sunday on appropriate occasions in the year, such as Mothering Sunday, the Animal Blessing service and Remembrance Day. They also had their own dedicated Christingle service.

-Mission Action Plan. (MAP). This is a standing item on the PCC agenda at every meeting.

-Open House London. All Saints took part in this event with an Open Day on Saturday 14[th] September 2024 which included a guided tour of the Church by our expert guide Tim Kidd from St Barnabas and refreshments in the Church Hall, and a brilliant classical guitar and double bass concert by Dominic Holland on the Sunday evening.

The Play Café has continued to provide a lunch and play activity once a week for carers and toddlers during school terms with just £1-50 donation welcomed. This was run at the Kenley Memorial Hall but relocated to All Saints Church Hall from September 2024 to eliminate hire costs. There was a slight fall off in numbers on relocation. The future of Play Café was considered by the PCC, but 2 Childminders rallied attendance, and the PCC confirmed that it should continue, and further options for advertising are being pursued.

Coffee Cake and Chat (CCC) has continued to run once a week in All Saints Church Hall for adults in the community. This provides important pastoral support where needed. A highlight this year was the craft activity which produced purple bunting to decorate the front of St Barnabas Church in support of the South East Cancer Help Centre in Purley.

The Games Afternoon has continued to run monthly in the Church Hall. A number of residents of Rokewood Residential Care Home attend alongside members of the community.

In cooperation with KMH we have continued to support Craft sessions for children and families with volunteers during the school holidays at KMH. These have been highly valued by the community.

-Visits to Care Homes. A team of appointed Lay Eucharistic administrators and assistants, together with the clergy, visit care homes across the two parishes, usually monthly, and administer communion to residents who form a significant percentage of our congregation. These visits are important to the residents and much appreciated. A group of singers from both Churches visited to sing Christmas Carols, which were enjoyed by the residents. Home communion is also taken to individual homes for those who currently have difficulty coming to church.

-Outreach to Schools. All Saints has worked together with the two schools in the parish at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. This has involved visiting the schools to lead assemblies and the schools visiting the Church building. Harris Primary Academy held an Easter assembly led by a member of the clergy, and in December 2024, one year group visited the church to hear the Christmas story and make Christingles. Kenley Primary School held a clergy-led harvest assembly, and the whole school came to church for their annual Christmas service in December.

-Eco Church.

An Eco Team has led the work on developing our status as an Eco Church. In 2020, the Church of England made an ambitious pledge to become a Net Zero Carbon organisation by 2030, and in July 2021, All Saints PCC made that pledge on behalf of All Saints Church. A Silver Eco Church award was achieved in November 2021, and we have been pursuing the goal of a Gold award. Eco tips and information have been shared on the weekly notices and on a noticeboard

in the Hall. Eco products are being used in the Church. The Church grounds have been made eco-friendly, e.g. with bird feeders, compost bins and insect-friendly plants. A litter pick was held in August. The season of Creationtide was held in Church over 4 weeks. This balanced an appreciation of the gift of creation including an animal blessing service, with concern for the environment, for climate justice and the protection of endangered species.

In September the PCC committed to support financially the British Bee Charity which educates and raises awareness of the plight of bees and increased our donation to £20 per month. We also agreed to support through prayer the Earthshot Prize winners of 2024.

A survey has been conducted by a working group and the Wardens drew up a list of viable works that would improve the insulation of the Church buildings. Many of these could be undertaken by volunteers, while other projects such as the insulation of the Hall ceiling will require professional work.

-Social Team.

The Social Team run jointly with St Barnabas has organised a full programme of events. These have included a Quiz night which raised £800, a breakfast talk with a speaker from Alzheimer’s Dementia Friends, another breakfast talk on the History of Kenley, and a performance of the HMS Pinafore by Utopians Unlimited. These events have provided a useful source of income, as well as providing important social opportunities. The Committee also supported other church events requiring refreshments throughout the year.

-Hire of Church Hall.

Three years ago, following guidance from the Local Authority that we could hire out the Church Hall broadly in accordance with regulations applying to Church Halls generally, we created a system for this with our Parish Administrator acting as Hall Bookings Secretary. Over this year, there has been a further increase in the hiring out of the Hall, with regular weekly hires on weekdays, and a steady stream of bookings at weekends. Generally, the arrangements are working smoothly. This has provided a significant additional source of income, as well as making good use of a resource for the local community.

-Parish Support Fund. This is the contribution which the parish makes to the Diocese according to its means, and with a view to its notional share of the costs based on our full-time minister shared with St Barnabas. For 2025, we felt able to increase our pledge from £41K in 2024 to £42,300. In due course, if we become a united parish with St Barnabas our notional costs will double.

-Deanery Synod Lay Chair/Diocesan Synod. A report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod appears elsewhere, but it should be mentioned that our member Nicola Howe has been acting as Lay Chair of Croydon South Deanery Synod, and both Nicola Howe and Rev Justine Middlemiss have been elected as Deanery representatives to the Diocesan Synod.

Financial review and Reserves policy. This year we had an overall deficit of £2,205 compared with a surplus in 2023 of £4,520. Such fluctuations are to be expected with varying essential repairs and maintenance. Our overall income was marginally down, with regular giving showing a small decrease owing to the loss of generous donors, which was partially offset by a further increase in our income from Hall lettings. Our expenditure was up by nearly £4K. A significant factor was an increase in our giving to the Parish Support Fund of £4K compared with 2023. Grant money we had obtained for Fresh Expressions, (innovative mission activity) has almost run out, but we have been able to reduce our spending on this item considerably by moving the Play Café from the Kenley Memorial Hall to the Church Hall.

The finances do remain under some pressure owing to the loss of members through death or moving away, and we are facing substantial costs for maintenance of the buildings and meeting our target of becoming a net zero carbon Church. We are likely to need to seek additional voluntary contributions and/or grants to pay for urgent repairs in the near future. In the medium term we are likely to be affected by the proposed merger of the parishes with St Barnabas. This may significantly impact our income and reserves in a positive direction but will lead to an increase in our notional costs in relation to our giving to the Parish Support Scheme. The PCC seeks to maintain an adequate reserve to meet unexpected emergencies.

All Saints, Kenley Fabric Report 2024/ 2025

Our volunteer AAA group meets every Monday : Painting Ironwork/ doors & windows/ sweeping leaves & debris/ draft excluders / doors maintenance / gardening / mulching / shredding / gutter cleaning / step sweeping & painting / puddle pumping etc

Faculty for Camera: still awaiting completion – cables need to be tidied & placed in conduit.

Main Expenditure:

· Annual: Boiler Maintenance, Electrical Maintenance (lighting & PAT), Organ tuning, Organ Blower maintenance, Lightening Conductor check, Fire appliances maintenance/

· Specific:

o Tree work from storm damage followed by later Tree Survey after which 8-9 trees were removed to long stump (mainly Ash Die Back)

o Drain blockage – One Sth wall drain was rebuilt; more work remains to be done (see *[2] below)

o Emergency Church Boiler pressure valve replacement

Energy Consumption:

· Dampness in Church: we seem to have identified the major causes of dampness in church: SW corner plus west wall of organ loft, causes partially cured – some more work to be done.

· Most walls of church soil/tarmac is above damp course; mostly obvious at the foot of Baptistry wall – now partially solved.

· Dampness in Organ Loft: West wall due to poor rainwater dispersal from Upper North Roof – only 2 outlets from upper Nth Roof, water gushes during downpours.

· Hot water now turned off permanently in toilets (originally on continuously); hot water in Kitchen and vestry are on a switched system, turned on as required.

· Quotes have been sought for limited insulation of hall Central heating, plus toilets & foyer area.

Church hall thermostat is now on ‘HIVE’ system – can be switched remotely.
Church Heating now reduced as dampness/mould now diminished. Future Expenditure:

· Many items identified in our last Quinquennial Inspection (5 yearly) still remain to be covered (lack of resources): Bell tower, Church Clock, stained glass window grids & repairs. Our next Quinquennial Inspection is due this July, but could be delayed as our appointed Church Architect suggests that the cleaning and re-guttering of the North roof should take priority – see below*[1}

· *[1] The North Roofs need urgent maintenance; the existing guttering and downpipe system is poor & inadequate; much moss and plant growth is evident; some tiles need to be repaired. Our Architect has been asked to supervise the overhaul & cleaning of both upper & lower roofs which will involve applying for faculty – major cost in region of £35.000 to £40.000

· *[2} Three church drains are blocked, 2 need to be rebuilt (either side of organ loft) with a new soakaway constructed in the car park - quote for £14,500. Two

areas in car park frequently flood after heavy rain as car park drains do not have proper soakaways; the proposed new soakaway will also solve the flooding in just one of these areas.

Other work needed:

Repair of the fence adjacent to the Play School – a number of panels missing.

· Reduction of raised area (covering drain) outside kitchen & West bank maintenance.

Upgrading of ‘emergency exit’ doors from church/hall SW end.
Continued minor tree work on Kenley Lane Bank.
Replacement of Hall curtains; hall & toilet insulation.
Major work on Clock, tower & bells; replace external window grids. DS & CP

CROYDON SOUTH DEANERY SYNOD 2024-25

As is my usual practice, for completeness this report covers the first Synod meeting in 2025, as well as all the meetings in 2024.

Our theme for 2023-24 was “Welcoming Church”. Within that, on 20th February 2024 at Christ Church, we tackled the issue of Unconscious Bias. We welcomed Rt Rev Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon, who gave a very thought-provoking presentation, based on the diocesan training course. Unconscious Bias was something we all suffered from, so no judgement was involved. The issue was how to recognize it in ourselves and tackle it. Bishop Rosemarie shared practical strategies for doing this.

Building on the 2023-24 theme, our focus for 2024-25 was sharing our Faith and, specifically, how to equip ourselves to do that.

At St Mark’s on 6th June 2024, we welcomed Imani McEwen from the diocesan Children and Young People (CYP) Team who shared some revealing research on young people’s attitudes to faith and spirituality, and the resources available to assist churches in the vital work with children and young people. It also provided a valuable opportunity for churches to reflect on their CYP work: and the joys and challenges involved in it.

On 9th October 2024 at St John’s, Rev Canon Will Cookson, Diocesan Director of Mission and Dean of Pioneering Ministry & Fresh Expressions gave an exciting presentation on “Sharing Faith: Telling Your Story”. This included details of the Diocesan Investment Programme. for which £30 million had been secured from the National Church. The session also provided opportunities for Synod members to reflect on key issues in groups. Particularly revealing was the exercise in which we looked at maps of our parishes to pinpoint places where people gathered and where there might be opportunities for Mission.

Before the meeting at Christ Church on 6th February 2025 we shared a delicious meal, kindly prepared by members of the Christ Church family. The meeting then concentrated on various aspects of recruiting and training volunteers for the work of the Church.

Ven Carol Coslett, diocesan Assistant Director of Lay Ministry, described the Southwark Vision for Lay Ministries. There were various kinds of Affirmed (local/parish), Commissioned (diocesan) and Licensed (nationally recognised) Lay Ministries, each with their particular training pathway. Resources were available to help with recruitment and training.

In this context, Deanery Lay Vocations Champions will play a significant part. We are very grateful to Mrs Linda Etheridge (All Saints’, Sanderstead) for accepting the role for our Deanery.

Rev Sue Thomas (on behalf of Rev Jono Simpson who was away on a mandatory course) then described the techniques used in a recent, highly successful, volunteer recruitment campaign at St John’s.

Volunteers, once recruited, need to be trained. Rev Doug McHardie then described a course in Pastoral Care delivered at Christ Church over 15 months or so. Christ Church was very happy to assist other churches in similar endeavours.

Finally, Jude Barber, Lead Children & Families Pastor at Christ Church gave a fascinating presentation on work in this area in the parish. This included statistical information on attitudes to a spiritual matters among children and families, which very much chimed with the information from Imani McEwen, demonstrating how vital this work is to the future of the Faith.

The key procedural item covered by Synod last year was the election of the Deanery representatives on Diocesan Synod: Rev Justine Middlemiss (All Saints’, Kenley & St Barnabas’) and Rev Doug McHardie (Christ Church) to the House of Clergy; and Mrs Nicola Howe (All Saints’, Kenley) & Mrs Indrani Balachandran (Christ Church) to the House of Laity.

Chris Babbs

Secretary, Croydon South Deanery Synod February 2025

PCC All Saint5 Kenley Financial Statements veat ending 31 December 2024 Pdxe I UrtrtSlTi¢¢e RbcBivfs & PAITrrfENTS Noi¢ 2W'I'ntal Trund PF.C.EIPTS 65.801 4J27 2,J93 2,327 PATrTrIEliTS 769 213iJ l149S 56.925 12.287 Balancev ¢lf3J OtbEr ,J22 77.79Z 11.4L4N.CF $1 Ir.FT 31.12,11 24 7S587 77792 GerttY41 121 Dr%iRn&itd Futtd 10675 Rostrirttd Fund 16 Signed L E. Gostick Treasurer J.MiddlvJni¥% Prl¢¥t In Char¥e

PCC All Saint8 Kenlej Financial Statemcnts half vear cnding 31.12.24 Pa#¢ 2 Nnie$ io thL Financial Sts¢emtnls Dcsi%nat¢d 1 2024TntAI Cjencydl Re4iriilid Fiiiid% rtd 2023 Totsl Fiindy Ri'cL'jPts iidj I IDiJ¥41CJiii 40,456 11,442 1.350 3,29D 9,263 1,71JLb 8.G63 7,1) 64,5U6 6i.8O1 996 96 1,032 3,29) 1,032 4,327 IIAJ 11,246 IIR46 51NJ 1.09) nL fiiT.S1 l5xmAbi% IfundrJLft 1,459 1,459 i.tff)5 1,887 1,896 Tot] 82J93 84,729 8S,650 Ni)t¢'y'.

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