## The Parish of All Saints, DARFIELD _All Saints Darfield and St Michael and all Angels, Great Houghton._ Registered Charity No: 1185316 ## **ANNUAL REPORT of the Parochial Church Council:** **Year ended 31[st] December 2023** ## **Administrative Information:** The Parish of All Saints Darfield is part of the Wath 2 Mission area within the Wath Deanery and the Diocese of Sheffield. All Saints Church, Darfield is situated in Church Street, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9JX. Listed Grade I St Michael and all Angels Church is situated in Church Street, Great Houghton, S72 0BL. Listed Grade II* The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Darfield All Saints [ **The PCC** ] is a Registered Charity with registration Number **1185316.** The PCC has responsibility for maintenance of the fabric and environs of these Listed buildings. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the Rectory Cottage and Church Hall, both situated in Church Street, Darfield, S73 9JX. The Wath2 Mission Area contains the Parishes of Darfield, Ardsley, Thurnscoe, Bilham, Barnburgh with Melton on the Hill, and Adwick upon Dearne. The correspondence address is: The Rectory Cottage, Church Street, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9JX ## **Aim and Purpose:** Darfield All Saints’ PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2020) and a charity registered with the Charity Commissioners [1185316]. The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent to promote the ecclesiastical parish mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. ## **Objectives and Activities:** ## **We aim to be a visible spiritual presence in our communities as we strive to make Jesus known to all.** The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to come to faith and become members of a worshipping community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish to ensure that services and activities meet the needs of the many groups within the parish. It attempts to put faith into practice through prayer, Scripture, music and sacrament and to allow each individual’s knowledge of and trust in Jesus to develop. The PCC supports societies and individuals involved in missionary, pastoral and outreach work within the parish and beyond. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The full PCC meets up to 12 times per year to make decisions of general concern and importance to the Parish including deciding how the PCC funds are collected and spent. Additional joint meetings with the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Christ Church Ardsley have covered more general topics such as _Leading your Church int Growth, Living in Love and Faith_ and Mission Action Planning The method of appointment of PCC Members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2020. All eligible church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to stand for election to the PCC and to other elected offices. _Responsibility for day to day running of St Michael’s Great Houghton is delegated by the PCC to their District Church Council [DCC] elected at their own Annual District Church Meeting. A number of DCC members are additionally members of the PCC_ Usually from within its membership, the PCC appoints a Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The PCC has power to co-opt additional members, generally with full voting rights. The PCC also appoints a Standing Committee which has delegated powers to make decisions on urgent matters between PCC meetings. 1 If the Parish does not have an incumbent for the time being, the PCC Vice-Chairman takes over as Chairman of the PCC and the PCC may nominate a further individual to deputise. The PCC may also create sub committees for specific purposes which can make recommendations to the PCC. Membership of these committees may include non-PCC members. ## **Membership of the PCC** _Notes:_ _**Readers** licenced to the Parish are members ex-officio_ - _**Readers with Permission to Officiate** may be elected to the PCC as ordinary members._ _**Churchwardens** are elected annually by the Annual Parish Meeting with no restrictions on length of continuous service._ - _**Deanery Synod Representatives** are elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting [APCM] for a period of three years [next election 2023]. Vacancies mid-term may be filled by the PCC or at a subsequent APCM_ _**PCC Members** are generally elected for a three-year term but may stand for re-election, should they so wish, at the APCM at which their membership term ends._ **GtH DCC** _indicates representatives on the PCC from the District Church Council, St Michael’s Great Houghton_ ## **Unless otherwise stated all members served from 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2024** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Name From 1 [st] January From 26 [th] March 2023 Notes
2023 to 26 [th] March to 31 [st] December
2023 2023
Rev Fiona Kouble   Priest in Charge
Mr Peter Robinson   Churchwarden
Mr John McMillan  
Mrs Sue Lee  Resigned
11 [th] September 2023
Mrs Kay Valentine   Treasurer
Mrs Jo Darlison   Secretary
Deanery Synod
Mr Rob Stanton  Resigned
12 [th] September 2023
Mrs Katy Stanton  Resigned
12 [th] September 2023
Mrs Sheila McMillan  
Mrs Carol Hunter  
Mrs Karen Walton  
Mrs Deborah Exley 
Mrs Justine Evans 
Mrs Stela Firth 
Mrs Olive Shaw   GtH DCC
Deanery Synod rep
Mrs Sylvia Martin   GtH DCC
**----- End of picture text -----**
2 ## **Activities of the Parochial Church Council, Achievements and Performance** The PCC met regularly during 2023 with a mixture of face-to face, Zoom and hybrid meetings. Some additional meetings were combined with the Parochial Church Council of Christ Church Ardsley and included presentations and activities linked with LYCIG – _Leading your Church into Growth_ and _Living in Love and Faith._ The established pattern of Sunday Worship continued with a celebration of Holy Communion at St Michaels on the first and third Sundays and at All Saints on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. The Service of the Word on the first and third Sundays at All Saints also continued. During the year, the monthly Sunday afternoon ‘Well’ Service at All Saints was renamed as Café Church and a similar monthly Café Church was established at St Michael’s on a Saturday afternoon. In the months with five Sundays, a variety of services took place in both churches including Brunch Services. The PCC dealt with the usual range of regular business, with its ongoing financial situation affecting the support to the Diocesan Common Fund and the various Mission agencies. Most of our activities as a church continued including the Board Games Club and Book Club. A new team was recruited and set up a regular series of ‘Open the Book’ bible story sessions in Darfield All Saints’ Academy and Sandhill Primary School in Great Houghton. Our traditional Carols by Candlelight service featured in the Christmas Service provision in both Churches. The main areas of our Parish were ‘Angel Bombed‘ with hundreds of angels knitted by our congregation and friends were distributed around fences, railings and lampposts. We received positive feedback on our Social Media pages. In a new initiative we held Pet Blessing services in both our Churches. We continued our ministry to our Parishioners through funerals in both our churches and at the cemeteries and at Barnsley Crematorium. Fifteen funeral services were held in All Saints and three in St Michaels followed by interment or cremation and three services were conducted at Barnsley Crematorium. We celebrated the weddings of four couples at All Saints and one couple at St Michael’s and one wedding blessing at St Michael’s. The regular meetings for prospective Baptisms continued and, during the year, six children were baptised at All Saints and one at St Michael’s. Our Day of Remembering in October allowed visitors to remember in their own way as well as incorporating a short service. All Saints’ Church was opened for visitors several times during the year including the national Heritage Open Days with emphasis on ‘Creativity Unwrapped’ and for our now annual Snowdrop Trail in conjunction with the Maurice Dobson Museum & Heritage Centre. A Bee Trail in the Churchyard was made available during August. All Saints welcomed representatives of local organisations and others to the Annual Remembrance Sunday Services and was opened on the previous day to allow a Time of Remembrance. St Michael’s Church has been open for an hour on most Thursdays during the year and their Knit and Natter group continues to meet on Tuesday afternoons. Two new initiatives were established with the church additionally being open for an hour for ‘Mindful Mondays’ and, during the Summer Months, hosting Tea and Cake Tuesdays. We were able to hold a mini–Christmas Coffee Morning to foster our links with our community. In a new initiative starting in December 2023, _Community Shop on the Go_ set up their mobile stall on our Church Hall car Park on alternate Thursdays to sell quality food at affordable prices which would otherwise go to landfill. In conjunction with these visits, our Church Hall has been opened as a Warm Welcome Space providing light refreshments. Our Church Hall continues to see use by Slimming World, DanceFit, Darfield Scouts, Exodus Youth Group and the U3A on a regular week by week basis. Some casual bookings have seen the Hall booked for children’s parties. In a repeat booking the Phoenix Academy of Dance and Performing Arts from Thurnscoe held their Christmas Show in December. A silk painting session roved to be popular and raised funds for our Projects Fund. Rev Fiona Kouble and Rev Christine Moorey continued to visit and conduct assemblies in Upperwood Academy All Saints Academy and Sandhill Primary. Both Darfield schools have organised services in All Saints and visited the church as part of their History and Religious Curriculum. Links with Sandhill Primary School in Great Houghton continue to develop. 3 ## **Fabric report:** The regular routine maintenance of equipment in our buildings continued. The slow process of specifying the Project which will add toilet facilities and permanent kitchenette area together with alterations to permit greater accessibility to All Saints continues. The Friends of Darfield Churchyard continue to undertake the maintenance of our Churchyard for which we are very grateful. In the early part of the year the remains of one of the walnut trees in the Churchyard had to be made safe and the resulting wood was made available The condition of the Church Hall continues to be a cause for concern with urgent repairs completed to the lighting in the kitchen and to one of the toilets ## **Safeguarding** The PCC and DCC are committed to implementing _Promoting a Safer Church_ , the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policies and Good Practice guidelines. Safeguarding is included on the agenda of every PCC meeting and its relevant policies are regularly reviewed and updated as required by changes in legislation and recommended good practice. In accordance with their duties and where required, individuals are subject to regular checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service. Safeguarding Training at an appropriate level is undertaken in line with Diocesan guidelines. The PCC will maintain a Safeguarding Training Needs Analysis and present it each year to the Annual Meeting. I have continued to audit the safeguarding and maintained the DBS lists as the Diocese have updated their training and website for Safeguarding. There are several applications that have been or are being processed including the Open the Book Team. I will be contacting those that need to update their DBS certificates in the near future. _Parish Safeguarding Officer is Dr Roland Kouble_ ## **Activity Reports:** ## **St Michael Great Houghton:** All though we are few in number I am pleased to say that St Michael’s is still opening its doors and welcoming people into the family of God. 2023 saw us start new ventures. We have Mindful Monday evening for just sitting and letting your mind wander to so many things to thank God for. Knit and Craft Class, open prayer day, Café Church, Summer Tea and Cakes afternoon, remembering loved ones and Angel Bombing. We have seen new people join our services, some stay, some come now and again. It has been a great year for St Michael’s. Thanks to all who have made this happen. O _live Shaw_ ## **Prayer Ministry Team:** There are seven of us: Irene Barraclough, Wendy Chorlton, Pamela Emson, Andrea Harrison, Sue Lee, Karen Walton, and Carol Hunter. We meet every Thursday for an hour and a half, to pray in confidence for the Church and for the people and situations of those who have requested our prayers. Our ministry reaches far and wide and we are often asked to pray for people not only nationally, but as far away as The States, Australia, and Greece. We also have a secure WhatsApp that only the team can access ~ this serves as a prayer chain and enables us to contact each other with urgent prayer requests which cannot wait until our weekly meetings. You will see us gather in the South Chapel before the Sunday morning Service begins, where we pray for those who are leading the service, and for everyone in the congregation, that we may be blessed as we receive God’s Word and sing His praises that morning. We occasionally visit those who have requested some-one to talk to or pray with, who are unable to get to Church. Prayer ministry is offered during and after Communion, in the Communion Services which happen twice a month. This is announced during the service, and you will find us in the South Chapel waiting to talk with you or pray with you. We do not have magic words and are not ‘super spiritual’ ~ we are a bunch of people who believe in God’s goodness and grace, in the power of prayer and are passionate about seeing God’s Kingdom furthered. You will also see us active in other areas of the Church ~ some of us serve on the PCC and others are on the cleaning, leading, intercessions and preaching rota’s and are actively involved in special services such as the Memorial Service. You can contact us by phone or text: 07542 527 331 (Carol), through the Parish Office, or by grabbing any of us before, during, or after Services or events. 4 You may also wish to avail yourself of the Prayer Tree and Prayer Box (which are at present situated in the resource area at the back North corner of our Church). _Carol Hunter_ ## **Thanksgivings and Baptisms.** Throughout 2023 we scheduled six Baptism Preparation Evenings but the March meeting was postponed because of snow. Out of the five meetings that happened, we had four families making eleven people in total and there was one home visit. These evenings look at what is involved in Baptism, arranging a date for the baptism and letting the parents know what will happen in the service. It provides an opportunity to meet the families and welcome them to church as they prepare to take this important step in their child’s life. The baptisms take place at 12:30 p.m. at Darfield or 1:00 p.m. at Great Houghton. _John McMillan_ ## **Friends of Darfield Churchyard: FODCY** FODCY is a small group of people who make sure that the Churchyard an all graves are accessible. The work we do is grass cutting, checking graves, clearing paths and setting flower beds close to the church. A walnut tree blew down in January and part has been removed but the root ball remains. Two grave stone were disturbed and will need resetting. Some of the Table or Box Tombs are becoming a danger and will need resetting. One cross has been damaged by vandalism and will need re-fixing, _John Kendall_ ## **Bell Ringers** The bell ringers have had a good and enjoyable year in 2023. We practice on Thursday evenings and ring for all Sunday services plus special occasions, some weddings and occasional funerals. In 2023 we had a lot of ringing for the King’s Coronation. The three young learners, Seb, Charlotte and Will, have all progressed well and are now valuable members of the band. Our Tower Captain is Chris Walton and Ringing Master is Tom Booth. We have about 15 actual Darfield members, but rarely get above 8 ringers on Sundays for a variety of reasons, including university, work, living away, holiday homes (and in some cases – a difficulty in getting out of bed!). We are helped by friends from other towers, notably Barnburgh and Monk Bretton, the latter providing three generations of one family appropriately named Bell. We help other towers too as needed. At the beginning of 2024 Darfield Bellringers have started their own Facebook page which is already proving useful in raising awareness of bell ringing and Darfield bells. This year we hope for more connection with the community and more ‘tower open days’. One problem that we have had in 2023 has been the flag on the top of the tower which keeps shredding itself. We need to find a better system for when the flag goes back up at Easter. Other than that, we look forward to another enjoyable year of ringing in 2024. _Chris Walton_ ## **Games Night** This is a group that started in June 2022 and has usually met every other month (on a Saturday 7:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m.) since that date and sessions have been currently timetabled in up to the end of 2024. It has attracted a wide variety of people from the local church family and community with ages ranging from around 10 to 70+ years of age, and at times has had over 20 participants. Several family groups have also attended. These participants have had the opportunity to play not just traditional board games but a host of a new generation of games that they have appeared to enjoy very much. There has been a real interaction between players, and many have purchased various of these games to play in their own social circles in smaller groups. The majority of the games we have played so far are ones that last around an hour or less (some taking 10-15 minutes) meaning that participants can generally play at least two different games on a game night. The player count for the games range from 2 to 8 players and sometimes up to 10 players. Games that have been enjoyed recently are: Cascadia - a puzzly tile-laying and token-drafting game featuring the habitats and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest Camel Up - five racing camels, trying to suss out which ones will place first and second and last in a quick race around a pyramid. Archaeology (The New Expedition) - You are an archaeologist working the dig sites of the Egyptian desert. Search for the right pieces to complete torn parchments, broken pots, and other priceless artefacts. Skull - the quintessence of bluffing, a game in which everything is played in the players’ heads. (this particularly caused a lot of raucous laughter and interaction. 5 Saboteur - Players take on the role of dwarves. As miners, they are in a mine, hunting for gold. Suddenly, a pick axe swings down and shatters the mine lamp. The saboteur has struck. But which of the players are saboteurs? Other games include Ticket to Ride, The Foundations of Rome, The 99 game, Azul, Carcassonne, Sagrada, Jaipur, Wingspan and Point Salad. Overall it continues to be a success. _Darren and Rachel Ward_ ## **Book Club** While this group is small it is attended by a mixed group of passionate and enthusiastic book lovers of both genders and a range of ages. It generally meets every other month on the second Wednesday of the month for just over an hour. Every six months, we all suggest books that we would like to read and randomly compile the reading list for the following few months. So far we have read a whole range of books of different genres; from the fantasy of Diango Wrexier’s ‘The Forbidden Library’, Khaled Hossein’s ‘The Kite Runner’ a Bildungsroman ( a novel dealing with a person’s formative years and spiritual education) to the futuristic and dystopian novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood. We have read both what would be thought of as adult literature, as well as books considered to be for children. As we feel that it is refreshing, every so often, to pick up a children’s book and remind ourselves why we fell in love with reading: the wealth of imaginative worlds and the unparalleled sense of wonder! Currently we are reading C. S. Lewis’ ‘The Last Battle’, generally thought of as a children’s story but of course, so much more. The concluding book of the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’, like the rest of the series, is full of ‘hidden truths, deep mysteries and spiritual treasures’, that illustrate the vital truths of the Christian faith. generally considered an allegory, many of the characters and events represent something from the spiritual realm. Although no books are universally liked by all our group, they certainly have inspired lively and interesting discussion so far. In addition, we have an informal book borrowing system and have created a network of people who love to share what they are currently reading or one’s they can recommend! Darren & Rachel Ward ## **A Warm Welcome Space** At the beginning of December, Barnsley Council launched ‘Community Shop on the Go’, an initiative to provide a mobile food-shop in Darfield every other Thursday morning. The choice and quantities available are huge ranging from your humble brown onion to Medjool dates. The choice varies session by session depending on what the various supermarkets involved need to get rid of. But don’t get the idea this is in anyway substandard or needs to be eaten that very day, I got a hand of just off green bananas which lasted a week and would have lasted longer had I not eaten them! Pricing is simple, 6 items for £3, 12 items for £5. In conjunction with this we opened Supper Room as a Warm Welcoming Space serving tea, toast, crumpets etc. We already have a select group of “regulars” who have a cuppa with their friends and their kids, then do their shopping (or sometimes vice versa). It’s great to see the same faces and sometimes remember their orders like the lady who doesn’t want butter on her crumpet! We have a small but dedicated group of volunteers but (as usual) we are always looking for more. A couple of hours every fortnight would do it. This is a straightforward way to make a real difference to the day-to-day struggles that everyone is facing. _Jo Darlison_ ## **A Reader’s Perspective** This past year I have been given the opportunity to preach regularly at All Saints and I am very grateful for the prayer that has surrounded and supported me, as I made my journey to being relicensed on the 11th December 2023. Currently, I am working with the ordained ministers to further develop my own ministry, but also to discern how best to serve the people in Darfield and Great Houghton. I love having the opportunity to explore a more all age style of worship as well as a quieter, more reflective service for Lent as I consider how best to use the gifts that God has given me. Looking to the year ahead, I pray that my ministry will flourish and grow, and I look forward to all the opportunities to work together with my fellow Readers, John and Stella and all of our Church family. _Justine Evans_ ## **Curate’s Reflections – Rev Christine Moorey:** As I write this, I recognise that I am coming to the end of my curacy, and this is a sad thought as I have felt so welcomed by the congregation at Darfield and Great Houghton and would like to record my thanks and love for them all. 6 2023 was a full year! Serving my curacy in Darfield and Great Houghton, as well as at Christ Church Ardsley, enabled a rich and varied tapestry of ministerial experiences. As I look back on last year, of course the personal highlight for me was being ordained as priest. I will never forget that evening. I would like to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am to everyone for supporting me on the journey towards being priested and for their help, support and attendance at the service. I will remember Revd Fiona untying my Deacon’s stole and us sharing a tear together as I was ordained. Thank you. I joined the PCC at Darfield part way through 2023 to gain experience of a different PCC and this has been valuable, thank you. At the time of writing, I look forward to chairing some meetings during Rev Fiona’s sabbatical and thank Peter and Jo for their support in preparing for this. I have very much enjoyed supporting St Michael and All Angels during 2023 with the aim of growing the congregation and helping the church become more visible in the village through a range of new events and services, together with links with Parish Council, the North East Ward Alliance and Sandhill Primary School. I would especially like to record my thanks to Olive for her unwavering support, time, care and encouragement. Starting a new Open the Book team has been a particular highlight in Darfield and Great Houghton and in All Saints Primary and Sandhill School respectively and I really am delighted to see this come to fruition and hope and pray the team will grow in the coming years. Autumn brought the opportunity to help with the new Welcome Space and Community Shop; seeing how this new team came together and how they welcome and support their community has been heartwarming and to help, when possible, has been wonderful. My third Christmas in post was very busy across all three churches, but nonetheless exciting and a great learning experience. I would particularly like to express my thanks to Peter and Kay for their support during 2023. And an enormous thank you to all the congregation for continuing to be so lovely and welcoming. Finally, a huge thank you to Revd Fiona for all of her time and patience in training me and supporting me both practically and pastorally. ## **Schools’ Ministry** To quote from the Bible Society’s website; “ _Open the Book (OtB) is an exciting storytelling project where Bible stories are shared with children in a way that is fun, interactive and memorable. As invited guests in school, storytelling teams use the Open the Book programme to prepare and present a 10–15-minute scripted Bible story to a school assembly, involving the children as much as possible.”_ I attended an OtB training session in January 2023 and subsequently devised and followed a safe recruitment process to build a team of volunteers; Olive Shaw, Katy Stanton, Janet Lowrie, Jo Darlison, Sheila McMillan and myself. We have met for training and planning sessions at the Rectory Cottage. Using props and costumes which were beautifully made a few years ago when OtB sessions were previously run in local schools, the team has been visiting All Saints Primary in Darfield and Sandhill Primary in Great Houghton twice per half term. Both schools have been very welcoming and keen for us to run the sessions. Feedback has been very good and we look forward to continuing with the work into next year. I have visited Sandhill school to deliver extra, none OtB, stand-alone assemblies in-between OtB visits, including a Christingle Service to parents and children. Sandhill’s feedback has been very encouraging, to quote from a recent email form the RE Lead “Done a pupil voice for RE today and they've all mentioned how they've enjoyed listening to stories! They want to hear more Christian stories….”. They are very keen to arrange visits from the school to the church. I would like to record thanks to the OtB team of volunteers for all of their time and support. I pray for more volunteers to come forward and for someone to take on a leadership role of this vitally important work. 7 ## **4th@4 Youth Fellowship Group** This is the last report from the “4th@4” Youth group – more of that later! The year began with our annual trip to Breathe Deep in January and this time it was held at Sheffield Cathedral where Sue Holden, the Revd Christine Moorey and myself took 9 of the youth group for a day of meeting with other young people from across the Diocese to listen to talks, play games and have fun in fellowship. The group has met monthly, and we have had new members join whilst other have left to go onto university. As there has been an increasingly wider age range in the group we met in September to plan how, or indeed if we would move ahead and it was decided that would continue but with two significant changes: 1) First we would change our main venue from Christ Church Ardsley to the Darfield Rectory Cottage and decorate the upstairs back room for use by the Youth Group 2) Secondly that the group would now split into two separated groups (Year 6 to Year 9 and Year 10 upwards). After much debate – we also came up with 2 new names – Salt: 5:13 and Light 5:14 We have applied for a grant to help with funding the painting and furnishing of the room as well as a future boat trip. We are very grateful to the Hollowford Trust that have given the Youth Group a grant of £400. I would like to give thanks to Sue Holden and Fiona Kouble who have made the group sessions possible and for their input over the last year. And to Megan Cook, Charlotte Cook (previous members) and Steven Ward who ended the year offering to take on leadership roles. We are looking forward to some exciting meetings and trips over the next year. _Dr Roland Kouble_ ## **Priest in Charge and Oversight Ministers Report.** May 6th 2023 – I wonder if you can remember what happened? Now some of you will have known instantly, some will have a vague recollection that the date rings a bell… some well – what???! Of course it was a Saturday and the date of the Coronation of our King – Charles III. We were also blessed with an extra Bank Holiday on Monday 8th May. What a momentous occasion in the middle (well near enough) of our year – and a celebration of great joy – following the grief – albeit with thanksgiving of 2022 and His mother’s death and funeral. The Coronation Service was full of God’s love, and symbols pointing towards faith hope and duty. The King was presented with an Orb – representing the globe - a Cross at the top a reminder that this is God’s world - two sceptres – which represented justice - Spurs – “Receive these spurs, symbols of honour and courage. May you be a brave advocate for those in need” - armills ( bracelets to you and me), a sword, a ring, a rather strange looking glove representing gentleness, and of course the crown And then of course that rather beautifully strange moment when the King disappeared behind a screen whilst the Archbishop of Canterbury anointed Him with oil – a sacred moment between our King and our God – a moment of affirmation for the King – this is your duty now – your role – and I will be with you. For me, that was perhaps the most moving moment – the moment I couldn’t actually see. It reminded me of the moment that the Bishop of Sheffield – the Rt Revd Stephen Croft laid his hands on my head and called upon God’s Holy Spirit to come upon and bless me in my future ministry as an ordained deacon; it reminded me of when I laid on the floor of the church in Owlerton, Sheffield as the Veni Creator was played and sung ( Come Holy Spirit) in full submission to my God as I was ordained a Priest in the Church of England; it reminded me of the moment when Bishop Stephen licensed me to be the Vicar of Ardsley in 2013 and then in 2022 Rt Revd Pete Wilcox licensed me as Priest in Charge of Darfield and Great Houghton… We hear the story of Jesus, of God and His people over the year – and every week we are reminded of the story of Jesus’ sacrifice, of the Last Supper, a reminder to gather, to encourage, to praise, and to take God’s story of love and salvation out into the world… God is very wise and knows that we need moments to stop, reflect and remember; stories and symbols to help us inhabit the role that He has for us. Just as our King was images and words to help Him inhabit his new role as the King of Great Britain and the Commonwealth – so we need the support to be able to fully inhabit the role of His children. 2023 saw us gathering confidence again, remembering that we have a story that is worthy of being shared, of being declared – indeed shouted from the streets in our communities; that Jesus is Lord!! It has been wonderful welcoming new people into the church family In Great Houghton and for the church to be playing their part in the wider community. 8 We tried new things – Pet Blessing Services in both Great Houghton and Darfield were fun and welcome. New people experienced the welcome of our church families. Please notice as you read through this report - God’s faith being offered to us – if we are faithful to him, even if we might feel that we only have a tiny mustard seed worth Goodness how He will, and does redeem it. In December there were so many signs and reminders that God has a plan for His church in our communities… In All Saints there was some anxiety about having a Christmas Fair – could we do it? we don’t have the people anymore to organise? Okay- well let’s offer a Christmas Coffee morning and oh my, what a wonderful time was had – so what will happen in 2024?? We launched a new fortnightly Warm Welcome space alongside the new COminity Foodshop – the church showing up for the community. Angels were knitted and appeared throughout our communities in Advent and the response that we saw on our parish Facebook pages showed how appreciated they were. Our Christmas Carol Services were wonderfully received and in All Saints we thanked Margaret and Aubrey Venables for so many faithful years of service and leadership with our choirs and music. We also welcomed Justine Evans as she was licensed as our new Reader – and what joy to behold – Justine shared with us that she had come on quite a journey with God and with the church over the last few years- but He had been faithful and had brought her through some dark valleys to the rich pastures! School services were held and new people joined our churches, asking about Jesus and Life – real life. Faith, Hope, Peace and Joy realised. I am thankful to you all for the way in which you have engaged and trusted in God and trusted in my leadership. [Jesus] said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’ Matthew 17:20 Well, I sense that in 2024 – our faith is growing and I rejoice for all that I see happening. I trust that as we hear and rehear God’s story, as we receive in the Bread and Wine, as we inhabit His purposes, that we too will remember that we are God’s children and the victory is already won, whatever might challenge us along the way! We too - just as our King, Charles III is - are anointed and entrusted by God – to do His work. Praise the Lord! Revd Fiona Kouble 9 **Financial Review and Explanation of Funds** The Financial Statements **on page 12** give the combined figures for the whole parish. They show that the total unrestricted receipts in 2023 were £54,309, of which £37,748 was from voluntary contributions (including £6,763 from Gift Aid). An additional £10,253 was received in restricted funds. Total unrestricted payments were £53,096, with an additional £9,730 in restricted payments, £8,149 of which related to the spending of grants received. In summary, the total income for the parish in 2023 was £64,562 and total expenditure was £62,825. Full details of receipts, payments and funds are given in the Financial Statements. Income and Expenditure are classified under three headings – Unrestricted, Designated and Restricted. - Restricted amounts have been received for a specific purpose and can only be spent for that purpose. - Designated amounts are identified by the PCC as being for a particular purpose, but this purpose can change if circumstances change. - All other receipts and payments are classed as Unrestricted and can be used by the PCC for its general purposes. ## **Financial Notes for Darfield All Saints Church only.** _(Notes for St Michael and All Angels, Houghton, are given on page 11)_ Total unrestricted receipts in 2023 for Darfield were £49,746. An additional £8,603 was received in restricted funds, which consisted of £530 donations, £436 interest and dividends, and £7,638 grants. The ‘planned giving’ through envelopes and standing orders increased by £546 (2%) from the previous year to £23,430. Thanks go to the many of our regular givers who have maintained or increased their giving in very difficult circumstances. However, open collections reduced by 20% from the previous year to £3,748. Church hall income reduced by 16% to £6,691, but it should be noted that £1,000 arrears for 2023 has now been received in 2024. Our fund-raising income was also slightly down at £1,238 with income coming from a raffle (£95), a stall at Darfield Gala (£72), Silk Painting session (£350 for the projects fund), Christmas Fair (£563), sale of goods (£11) and ‘easyfundraising’ income (£147). We received 3 grants during the year, being £625 for the Hall toilet macerator, £6,150 towards church energy costs and £863 for the Warm Welcoming Space project. Overall income for 2023 increased from the 2022 figure by £830 to £58,349. A total of £58,002 was spent at Darfield in 2023. This included a £16,150 contribution to the Diocesan ‘Common Fund’ (which largely provides the stipends and housing for the clergy), down from £23,000 in the previous year. We tithe our income from ‘planned giving’ and this resulted in £2,240 being shared between our five supported missions (CPAS, Scripture Union, Release International, The Bible Society and Goldthorpe Salvation Army). Clergy expenses increased again in 2023, due partly to having a curate as well as a priestin-charge. Utility bills almost tripled for the church and also increased steeply for the hall due to rising energy costs and standing charges. The increase was so steep that the Diocese offered us a grant of £6,150 towards the church utility bills. Two other large of items of expenditure which arose during the year were (a) the cost of making safe a fallen tree in the churchyard (£576), and (b) the repair of the macerator toilet in the hall (£625 but covered by a grant). For 2023 Darfield’s total income exceeded the spending by £347. In addition to our current account, which is used for the day to day running of the church, we had six restricted funds and three designated funds. All actions on our different ‘Funds’ are shown on **page 2** of the Financial Statements. The total amount of money to carry forward to 2024 for Darfield All Saints Church is £90,107. Of this amount £76,401 is in designated funds and £5,583 is in restricted funds. Full details are given in the Financial Statements. That means that we have carried forward £8,123 in unrestricted and undesignated 10 funds. Bearing in mind that the monthly average cost of keeping Darfield All Saints running is about £5,000, we have around a month and a half running costs readily available in hand. Our COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Income Units continue to provide quarterly dividends to the Education Fund. We have to record members of the PCC or their immediate family who have received payments shown in the accounts during the year. For 2023 these were – J Darlison, who was employed from August 2019 as a Mission Partnership Development Worker by the Sheffield Diocese on behalf of the Mission Partnership to support the churches in the partnership. (This has now reduced to three Churches covered by Darfield and Ardsley parishes). PCC and DCC funds are paid to the Diocesan Board of Finance to support this work in line with the agreed division of costs between the churches. In 2023 this amounted to £3,146 from Darfield and £350 from Houghton. All members of the PCC who have pecuniary interests in PCC discussions declare these interests and withdraw from the discussions and any connected vote. ## **Financial Notes for Houghton, St Michael and All Angels Church only.** Total unrestricted receipts in 2023 were £5,381, including £3,136 from voluntary contributions and £589 from Gift Aid. Income from ‘planned giving’ (through envelopes) reduced on the previous year by 19% and income from open collections reduced by 11%. Two grants were received during the year - £1,150 towards energy costs and £500 for ‘Mission Events’. £1.288 was received in wedding and funeral fees. Overall income for 2023 increased from the 2022 figure by £1,492. Full details of all income are given in the Financial Statements. Total spending at St Michael’s in 2023 was £5,641 which included £1,000 contribution to the Diocesan Common Fund. 2023 accounts showed an overall profit of £1.390. St Michael and All Angels church had four restricted funds, JAM Gang, Energy Grant, Events Grant and Christmas 2023 Grant. All actions on our different ‘Funds’ are shown on page 2 of the Financial Statements. The total amount of money to carry forward to 2024 for Houghton St Michael and All Angels is £19,253, of which £453 is restricted funds. ## **Reserves Policy** It is PCC policy to try to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to at least three months’ unrestricted payments. This is usually equivalent to about £16,000 for the whole parish. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The balance of £103,323 held in unrestricted (including ‘designated’) funds at the year-end was more than sufficient to meet the target. This is mainly due to the balance of £74,099 held within All Saints’ designated ‘projects’ fund. 11 p￿e1 PAR￿H OF DARFELD. COMBIIIED ￿coUl￿s FIF4ANCJAL STATÈAÉNTS. Yw 31 D•c•nth•r 2023 RECEIPTS PAYIIEpifs ￿C01￿4T D•skJnat8d r4Js TOTAL TOTAL 2022 REC&PTS v(￿n￿ rec8yl Planned ghf t 23,799.80 É 24,2n.SO 1111 £ 23.È44.00 6,912.53 5,912.S3 7,344.54 othergNhigfv￿ntwY rer*W5 1272.46 1.342A6 4.054.29 6,763.02 8.783.02 8.902.33 888.46 350.00 1,238.46 1,503.68 360.89 2.360.79 43S.61 3,165.19 1.406.61 £ 12259.00 É 12,2S9.00 14.477.65 314.79 9,287.53 9.602.32 3.299 86 £ Sl,578.6$ 2.730.79 É 10,283.04 £ 64.S62A8 £ 6283296 PAYMENTS Chuith Athyrfies £ 17.1EO.QO £ 17.1fj0.00 £ 24,OW.00 a8rgy*¥J Lymts 1.042.96 6,042.90 3.519.62 ChLYch e>yyeJ £ 17331.29 9,104.74 £ 28.343.03 18.026.27 H811 and C(4w £ 10.316.63 625.00 £ 10.941.63 12.155.14 2240.00 2,240.00 2,285.00 107. 107.15 373.15 £ S3,O*S.$2 9,729.74 82626 £ 60.3S9.18 Exe•#• t4 rne•lOX tr¥•r I,S16.87 2.720.79 823.30 1.73722 2.473.78 29 200.00 149.71 1.567.16 2,930.79 3n.$9 1.73722 2.473.78 Cash at bar￿ In hat*Y al 1 Jar￿ary?)23 C*gh at bank In hand It 31 DK•rrknr 2023 f lQ7 622.01 £ 105.148 23 £ 26 921.95 £ 76 401.29 É 109 359.23 £ 107 622.01 12 STATEMENT OF ￿SET$ ANO UABUTES Urtr•strkt•d D•$bgnaty R•$trhx•d TOTAL TOTAL 2023 2022 Cash Ftsndl C8sh 517.16 517.16 105.19 Bank ￿￿ent xcount £ 14525.87 £ 14.525.87 £ 11,763.89 £ 82 562.31 £ 16.963.60 £ 11.013.72 £ 79.539.50 Bank Deslgnated and Restr￿ CCLA depos￿ arxount 5,717.90 £ 70 683.39 É (036.99 £ 11878.92 £ 26 921.9S £ 76 401.29 £ 109 3S923 £ 107.622.01 Shares {Ed￿r￿1th F￿dI ¥*￿ at 31 r*e 20fJ NOTES £ 13.179.07 £ 13.179.07 £ 12.OCN).40 Nd• 1. IJ 8180 a Feas A￿nf 81 ts b￿K 5¥h￿h stood ai t119) on 1 J&nu8ry 2023 and was t30D ai 31 December 2￿23. Thi4 monty 1$ noi the p[￿rtY d D8rf￿￿1 S8￿15 PCC aTKI i4 not for ypeNJln¥. Not• 2. The finanCk￿ sktemenls of the PCC have been wepared In acc£rfdance the Cthurch Accounlkng Rwtths 2006, U￿ng Reeelpts and PayTr*nts ba818. Not• 3. Fixed &ssets retawj fu d¥Jch use are the Cthurrh Hal Ipwch&sed 1957laThY the Recw Cottage IpJrchased from Ihe dhxese m 19971. h8¥ been tynllted. Not• S. Thè mo¥*knefiL* kn dtJl9Mied and ratric￿ futjds dunn B•1 Jthvd the r were". P•yn*n Ti*nsf•r Jn D•gbgnat•d 1,680.26 £ 71,390.11 400.13 17.31 1,697.57 £ 74,098.97 604.78 Prc4ecls FuThY I￿1r￿N￿￿181 FuTrJ Tis •nd P•ym•nts A¢¢tyrtlS R*strki•d fundA funds furtdl 2023 2D22 Ga Plartt￿d ￿r￿j Tax eifK4ent £ 19.125.LK) 4.674.50 48D.C £ 19.605.tsJ 4.674.$0 £ 17.900.00 S.944.00 Clher p18nned £ 23 799.50 480.00 £ 24 279.50 £ 23.844 00 7.344.54 6¢ Al Olh•r ckne OH donabDnS 1.272 46 20.D) SD. 1.342.46 1.554.29 Leg8de$ 2.500.00 4.054.29 20. 50.00 8 763.02 6 763.02 e.902.33 88 Actlvltl•s Ivr ￿￿41*￿1¥a fvndl Fund raw e¥ents 888.46 3SO.00 1.503.68 368 89 2.360.79 58.53 2.788 21 1.032.70 376 98 376 98 373.91 368.89 435.61 3 166.19 1.406.61 69 Clwrch actlvldos Stalulcrfy fees l￿ffj & funer Churth Hal IncoffE elc 5.$68.1X) 6.691.L¥J S.S68.C 6.691.QO 6.544. 7.933.65 £ 12 259.1)0 £ 12 2S9.QO £ 14.477.65 Sl Vd'chad's shsre & 4fr)rMB¥hx expern In5uranL* I)ths 314 79 314.79 23.52 ants 9.287.53 9.287 53 3.276.34 314.79 9 287.53 9 602.32 3.299.86 14 PARISH QF DARNELO Note 6. FurtheranntyBlo of Rec4lpts and P•ym•its Accour Paym*n¢A Unrqstrtctod Deiiqnatad fund• TOTAL TOTAL funds funds 2023 2022 81 Dioc•san Corrmon Fund £ 17,160.00 £ 17.150.00 £ 24,000 00 61 Cl•rgy and Staffinp Colts Clergy expenses Administrator exp8n$es Adrninistrator ¢osls (to dioc&gel 2,517.81 2,547.81 1.301.23 3.495.14 6.1142.95 3,495.14 6,f142.9S 2.218.39 3,519.62 6k Chur¢h Running Expenb•• Church 8xpense5 OUtr￿h Church utility eosts Chureh IngJaneo Major Repair to Churd) 4.477.16 216.82 1,438.15 5,915.31 5e3.41 £ 10,B83.20 8.385.11 576.00 5,743.08 428.36 3,583.20 8,385.11 576.Q) 7,300.CrfJ 5,176.85 6,6TT.9 e 17.238.2 9.104.74 £ 26,343.03 E 18,026.27 Hall running costs Moior R•pairlo Churth H811 Cow8 running w$ts 8.452.10 8,452.10 625.00 6,743.47 625.00 1,864.53 £ 10.318.63 1,864.53 e 10 941.83 4,727.67 £ 12 155.14 $25.00 6m Ml••lon Glvlng 2.240.00 £ 1240.00 2,285.00 6n Cost ofG•n•rnting Fufids si6ward&hip envelo￿$ Fund rai$ing &xyn$6s 67.17 67.IT 65.21 40.48 40.48 307 94 107.65 107.63 373.15 Approvod by th• P4w¢h141 Church Councll IW>31¥ and 81gned thi h ￿ha￿tsY JWf.k -] CHARITY COMMISSION i Independent examiner's report on the I FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES accounts Section A Independent Examli)Èr's Report R•port to tho truslms llD8rfiekl All Sanls Pansh Chur¢h On accounts for th• y•ar j 31* December, 2023 Charlty no Ilf any) 1185316 Set out on pages NIA I report lo the trusteès on my exaThr￿tion ofthe acctyJnts of th• ab) chanty {nhe Trusf) forlhe year end•J 3111212023. R•Aponslblli¢ios and bas￿ of rnport As the ¢h$rity's trustees. you are reswnsible for the preparath)n of the accounts in accofdarKe writh the requiremenls of the Chantses Ad 2011 (Iha Act") I fo￿rt in r•sF•d of my examinality) of the TnJ8t's acco￿￿ carried out under section 145 of Ihe 2011 Acl and In carrying oul my exafftnalion. I hav8 followed all tr*e applicatle Chrections given by the Chwity Commissh under seth.on 14515llb) of the Act. Independent tharity's gross 6xtthd&J £250.000 l am quallfied lo examinerfs ststement undertake the exam1r￿￿On by beirrfJ a qualffied member of Iinsert of app1leA￿fj IisW bodyjl. ihl8t81 l tinot8p￿e8b1o. I have comthed my examination. I confirm that no matenal mattefs have come lo my ￿entiOn in ￿nn￿lion with the tsxamination (other th￿ that disdosed bdow ') which gives me cause to believe that in. any materi the xcounting records wer• not kept In &C￿lanCe vlth $￿tIon 130 of the Charities Aci: or the a(uunts dKI not accord ￿th the a¢xThtnting rgcord$'. Of the accounls not comply with the applicable requiremeftts co￿eming the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charilies IAcccAJnls and ReForis} Regulatws 2008 dhef than any requiremenl thal the accoun15 give a Irue aThJ fairf wew which 16 nol a mattef considered as part of an Independent exomination. I have no COn￿M5 and have come xross no other matters in connectlon with the examinats'on lo which attents'on sh￿Id ke drawn in this report in ord¥r to enable o proper uTrJerslanding of accounts to be reached. Slgnod.. Date: 61312024 N•mo: ,. matth￿ Law Relevant profession41 qualSficatSonlsl or body Addrom: 9 Tay Close, Mapplthvell. 8am8￿Y, S75 6FS IER Oct 2018 16