## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Matthew, High Brooms (Also known as St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms) For the period January to December 2021** The Parochial Church Council of St. Matthew’s Church (PCC) is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our church community at St. Matthew’s, High Brooms. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services and activities can involve the many groups that live within our parish. The mission statement of St. Matthew’s Church is ‘Igniting Passion for Jesus’ and we aim to do this through: - Worship and prayer, and we hope to bring people to faith through our services - Reaching out to our community, maintaining and developing links with key community members - Supporting the work of mission agencies around the world To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of St. Matthew’s Church and St. Matthew’s Church Hall. ## **WHAT WE DO** 2021 was another challenging year for churches, including St. Matthew’s Church, with a national lock-down for the first part of the year, but with churches being allowed to stay open. Covid19 caused disruption for most of the year, with changing restrictions and new variants of the virus meaning we had to keep adapting and working out how to keep people safe. All the hard work which had been put in during 2020 to run things online meant that we were well placed to adapt as needed, both with Sunday services and with youth and children’s groups. St. Matthew’s Church made sure that everything we did during 2021 met with national and Church of England rules and guidance. During the second half of 2021, St. Matthew’s Church was able to restart many of its services and activities in person, which took a lot of hard work and a great response from the congregation in rebuilding our volunteer teams. As this report shows, much of what we do as a church is only possible because of the support and commitment of those in our congregation and community, and the challenges of the last two years have provided new opportunities which would not have arisen without the pandemic. None of the activities and services which St. Matthew’s Church runs would be able to happen without the many volunteers who give their time and energy. We are immensely grateful to all our volunteers, especially during this last year in which so many have faced so many challenges. ## **1. Worship and prayer** For most of 2021, St. Matthew’s Church continued to offer one main service on a Sunday at 10am. Following a period of reopening churches in 2020 and being allowed to welcome people back into the building, the PCC had to make the decision to return to online worship only just before Christmas 2020 and this lasted through to March 2021. This was in line with most other churches locally and nationally. Once the church building was reopened at the end of March 2021, St. Matthew’s Church has continued to offer hybrid services every Sunday at 10am, both online and with people in the building. 1 Once services were able to be in person again, the 8am service was reintroduced on the first Sunday of each month. This small service follows the Book of Common Prayer and is a service of Holy Communion. The decision was made towards the end of 2021 that the 5pm service (more traditional and liturgical) and the 7pm service (an informal service with café style layout and mainly attracting younger adults) would be restarted in early 2022, each once a month to start with. It has still been quite hard to track the attendance to the online side of our services in 2021. Those leading the services have encouraged anyone watching to comment and like the service, which has helped with identifying numbers. You Tube also gives analytics of how many people viewed the video while it was being aired and how many people watched afterwards. From comments, we know that there are people who have been regularly engaging with Sunday services online who had not yet returned to in person worship by the end of 2021, and we also know that we have people joining with us online who have not worshiped with us in person before. The average weekly attendance to our online services from January to March 2021 was 100 adults and 25 children. Throughout the rest of the year, numbers slowly increased in the building and decreased online, and we also stopped tracking online attendance so closely. We therefore had a combined weekly average of about 87 adults and 23 children each Sunday between April and December 2021, but the likelihood is that more people were watching the service online than we were aware of. In person attendance grew from about 25 adults and 5 children each week in church in April to more like 55 adults and 25 children in church each Sunday towards the end of the year. ## **Electoral Roll** At the end of December 2021, the number of names on the Electoral Roll of St. Matthew’s Church was 123, which includes 1 addition and 2 deletions during the year. The Electoral Roll was revised before the APCM in April 2021 and there were no changes for the rest of the year. The number of people on the Electoral Roll is used to calculate the number of representatives we have on Deanery Synod. Electoral Roll additions, deletions and rolling totals are reported at each PCC meeting. ## **Christmas and Easter services** Christmas and Easter are special times in the church calendar. 2021 had its own challenges but also continued online opportunities for these special services. At Easter 2021 we had just started welcoming people back into the church building for services, and our services were also streamed online. Our service on Easter Sunday was watched by about 100 people. Christmas 2021 was also overshadowed by the Omicron variant of Covid, which meant that people were being a lot more careful about mixing in large groups again. Our numbers in person were therefore down, but people were able to watch all our services online. Our Christmas Carol service has been watched by over 100 people on You Tube, and the nativity service has over 80 views. On Remembrance Sunday, St. Matthew’s Church held a Remembrance Day service in the morning and a memorial service in the afternoon. These services were well attended and appreciated. ## **Life Events** Life events continued to be restricted and disrupted during 2021, as people weren’t confident to plan these events in the face of uncertainty. Two baptisms were carried out in 2021, both for young children. 10 funerals were conducted by our clergy during 2021 – 1 in church and 9 at the cemetery / crematorium. There were no weddings at St. Matthew’s Church during 2021. 2 ## **Youth and children** St. Matthew’s Church employed a Children and Families Minister (Lois Fryett) during 2021. There was no Youth Minister in post for the whole of 2021, but thanks to Lois, Berti from Tunbridge Wells Youth For Christ, and a small but dedicated team of volunteers, we have been able to keep our youth provision going during the year. Due to the national lockdown at the start of 2021 and the gradual opening up afterwards, groups for children and youth were run on Zoom from January to May of 2021. Lois and a team of volunteers ran Ignite on Zoom for anyone in secondary school on Tuesday evenings, with games and a thought for the week, as well as special events like cooking, bingo and quiz nights. Lois also ran Zoom sessions for two different age groups of children (school years R-2 and school years 3- 6). These Zoom groups have all been well received and kept the connection and support going for some of our children and young people and their families. We also continued to make videos for children and young people to accompany our Sunday services in place of in person groups being run. These continued from January to July 2021. Children and young people have also been encouraged to get involved with our online services, taking part in pre-recorded readings, prayers, worship and song videos. Once restrictions started to ease in April 2021, St. Matthew’s Church started exploring how we could offer face to face sessions again, with the safety of leaders and young people at the forefront. Two volunteers were able to meet with a few of our older youth for occasional sessions in a garden. Between May and July, Lois and a team of volunteers were able to use St. Matthew’s Primary School field to offer the Ignite youth session outside. This was well attended, and the young people really enjoyed getting back together again in person. September 2021 saw St. Matthew’s Church being able to restart most of its youth and children’s provision in person, building up gradually as the volunteer support allowed. This included Sunday morning groups for primary school aged children and for youth, and midweek groups for children in school years 3-6 and young people in secondary school, as well as a toddler group for preschool children and their carers. Thank-you so much to Lois, Berti and Tunbridge Wells Youth For Christ, and to all the volunteers who have been involved in this work throughout the year. We are so incredibly grateful that we have been able to continue to offer groups and support to our children and young people through a very uncertain time. ## **Church Weekend Away and New Wine** Unfortunately, the church weekend away at Rose Hill School and New Wine could not be held during 2021. New Wine offered some teaching and other resources online, which members of the congregation engaged with. ## **Courses** In April and May of 2021, St. Matthew’s Church ran The Wellbeing Journey, a course to help people think about their wellbeing coming out of the pandemic, and how to be healthy in all areas of our lives. The course was run on Zoom with about 30 people attending. This theme was also followed in our Sunday morning services during the summer term, helping the wider congregation to think about wellbeing in relation to God. ## **Prayer meetings** A worship and prayer evening was started on Zoom during 2020, and this continued once a month through 2021. This was a chance for people to pray and to worship in a smaller group. This meeting moved to being face to face from September 2021, meeting in someone’s home. ## **Home Groups and Pods** There are 6 Home Groups at St. Matthew’s Church, which meet weekly or fortnightly during the day or in the evening. These groups enable people to worship and pray together, explore their faith, ask questions to gain a greater understanding of both the Bible and Christianity and form a closer relationship with God and each other. 3 There are also numerous Pods, which are smaller prayer groups. These form out of existing friendships and connections and help people to further grow in their faith and deepen relationships with God and each other. These groups have been invaluable during the pandemic, as a way of making sure members of the church are being supported and stay connected. Groups have slowly moved from meeting online to meeting in person again as restrictions have allowed and according to how each group feels about this. ## **Revive Women’s Ministry** The women’s ministry at St. Matthew’s Church has been another way of making sure people are supported and connected during the pandemic. During 2021 Revive held two Zoom sessions and one in person breakfast, which included worship, teaching, and ministry. They also organised two different mornings of walks, to enable women to build relationships with each other and have time to chat. In November 2021, Revive ran a Christmas Wreath Making evening, which, given the Covid situation, went really well and was a great success. ## **Link Mission Partners** St Matthew’s Church continues to have Missionary Links with Tanzania, Pat Blanchard in Peru, Sozo in South Africa, as well as Ruth Radley at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Life & Soul locally in Tunbridge Wells. We also support Tearfund and Nourish Foodbank as a church. A Mission Prayer Meeting is held once a month for anyone who would like to join, to hear updates and pray for all these mission links. These were on Zoom for most of the year but became hybrid once people were comfortable with meeting in person. This means some of our mission links who are not local can still join in the meetings by Zoom, and this has made the links stronger than before. ## **Mission & Vision** As well as the PCC, St Matthew’s Church has a Leadership Team which meets to plan and develop the ministry of the church. We also have various forms of Ministry Groups that meet regularly to pray and plan for mission and ministry in the church, including youth ministry, children’s ministry, women’s ministry, fabric, finance, community larder, pastoral care and worship. Some of these groups have paused during the pandemic, but the aim is to restart them in early 2022. ## **Retired Clergy** Richard Arding joined St. Matthew’s Church in September 2018 and has been actively involved in St. Matt’s and helping other churches in the area as requested. ## **2. Reaching out to the community** St. Matthew’s Church is a key part of the community of High Brooms. During 2019 and into 2020, the church leadership had been thinking and exploring what the needs are in the local community and how the church can best support the community we are part of. A lot of this thinking was put on hold due to the pandemic, and due to the immediate pressures of getting services and groups online and making sure the church community was supported. The Leadership Team and PCC are returning to this vision planning in early 2022, as we learn to live with Covid and are more able to look forward. This will need to be thought about in light of how the pandemic has reshaped our lives and our community. ## **Community Larder** St. Matt’s Community Larder opened in November 2020 and has been open every Friday morning since in the Bethel Hall. This is only possible because of the dedication of a committed group of around 35 volunteers from the church and community. These volunteers cover a wide range of activities, including multiple supermarket collections, unloading FareShare deliveries, serving visitors on Friday mornings and packing up the Bethel Hall after the larder has taken place. 4 Food is purchased from the charity Fareshare at a low cost, and short date food donations are collected each week from a variety of supermarkets. The larder has also received donations from a wide variety of organisations, including Southborough Town Council, the Lions Club, TocH and many generous individuals. During 2021, we were regularly seeing about 70 people a week, and this was escalating even before the current financial and world crises. As a team we feel this is a God sent opportunity to put into practice Jesus’ teaching on loving those around us and helping to meet people’s needs. We have become increasingly aware of other areas of need including loneliness, anxiety and family and health pressures. Looking ahead we believe the need for food will grow and we would love to be able to provide additional practical support to our community. We are incredibly grateful to all those who volunteer to make the Community Larder the success it is in helping to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. ## **School links** St. Matthew’s Church continues to maintain good relations with St Matthew’s High Brooms CE Primary School. However, it has been challenging to be a presence in the school during 2021, due to the restrictions schools have had to reduce the spread of Covid. Chris Wicks (our vicar) has been into the school to take a few key assemblies during 2021 and it was lovely to welcome KS2 year groups into the church in December for their Christmas acts of worship. 4 members of the church served as Governors at the school during 2021 – two as foundation Governors (Chris Wicks and David Johnson) and two as associate Governors (Julian Brierley and Lynn MacKay). St Matthew’s Church continues to have links with local uniformed groups, although any physical attendance at services has not been possible during 2021. ## **Youth and Children’s Work** Our midweek clubs for children in church and in the community ran throughout 2021, starting off on Zoom and moving to face to face groups when restrictions and safety allowed. Lois has been running these groups, helped by groups of volunteers. Deeper (for school years 3-6) and Glow (for school years R-2) ran on Zoom until July 2021, and then started up in person in September 2021. These groups started the year with about 10 children in each group on Zoom, with the numbers dropping off as the weather improved and restrictions eased. Deeper then started face to face in September, with very low numbers to start with, but building to about 12 children per week by Christmas 2021. These are a mixture of children from church families and children from the community. Ignite is our group for secondary school age young people. Between 5 and 10 young people were attending this group on Zoom at the start of the year. When this was moved to face to face outside in May 2021, between 10 and 15 young people attended most sessions, culminating in an evening at Adamswell Scout Camp just before the summer holidays with 19 young people. Ignite then started back in the church building from September 2021, run with Berti from Youth For Christ, with numbers growing from a handful of young people to an average of about 8 each week. A meal was introduced into this session, which has helped the young people and the leaders to have time to chat and to build relationships. Ignite also went bowling and ice skating in the autumn of 2021. Another group that was able to restart in September 2021 is Matt’s Monkeys Toddler Group, for preschool children and their carers. This is a very popular group, with lots of time and space for the adults to reconnect with each other and for the children to play. Matt’s Monkeys had an average of about 25 children with their parents / carers attending each week between September and December 2021. Lois also does baptism preparation for those families bringing children for baptism and is great at encouraging those families to come along to toddler group if they can. 5 ## **Hubs** In 2018, St. Matthew’s Church started Hubs, which are small groups based around a shared hobby or interest. 2021 has not seen much growth in these groups due to the pandemic, but the existing hubs have been another way of helping people stay connected and supported. The groups that have been running during 2021 are knitting hub, gardening hub, sewing bee hub, chair aerobics and table tennis teams. ## **Pastoral Care** The pastoral care team at St. Matthew’s Church has continued to work very hard through 2021 to ensure the holistic care of individuals in need. This includes hospital visits, home visits where people are ill, suffering or unable to leave their homes, provision of cooked meals, coffee mornings and generally being available to listen. Some of this support during 2021 has been through phone calls to those who are lonely or isolated but visiting has happened when it has been allowed. Trevor Long has had a longstanding outreach to the Barnett’s Wood area of High Brooms. During the pandemic he has continued to contact and follow up families and individuals that he has had contact with through St. Matthew’s Church over the years. ## **Community Events** Some of the church’s community events were able to restart in 2021, being adapted to meet current needs and safety requirements. Rosemary Blanchard and her team ran a Macmillan Coffee Morning outside in September 2021, and then a Christmas afternoon tea in church in December, for older members of the community. The local churches table tennis league used the church building for practices and matches, and a local choir also met in the church for rehearsals. The church also ran a quiz night in November 2021, which people invited friends and family to and held a couple of picnics and BBQs over the summer to help build relationships and grow connection. ## **Support for charities** At Harvest, food gifts were collected for Nourish Foodbank and an offering was taken for Tearfund. Food was also collected throughout the year for the community larder. Our Christmas offerings in 2020 were sent to Ruth Radley at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, to help the multi-faith chaplaincy team carry out their work with sick children and their families. Support continues for a number of local, national and international charities and organisations through the tithe that St. Matthew’s Church gives each year. 6 ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** St. Matthew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of working alongside the Incumbent, the Reverend Christopher Wicks, in promoting within the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, including pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical activities. The PCC also has the responsibility for the maintenance of St. Matthew’s Church and St. Matthew’s Church Hall in High Brooms. St. Matthew’s Church is situated on High Brooms Road in High Brooms (correspondence address: St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9BW). It is part of the Diocese of Rochester within the Church of England. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity currently registered with the Charity Commission (registered charity number 1185772). Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. PCC members as at the APCM of May 2021 are: ## **Ex Officio Members:** The Reverend Christopher Wicks Incumbent David Johnson Church Warden Brian Hobden Church Warden Hannah Mwesigwa Secretary (also employed as Operations Manager for the church) Kate Whitehead Treasurer ## **Elected Members:** Mary Wilson Deanery Synod representative Matthew Fryett Michael Southwick Suzanne Owen Ian Wilson Julia Church Graham Church **Other key office holders in the church, but not on the PCC are:** Clergy – PTO: Rev Richard Arding Operations Manager (employed): Hannah Mwesigwa Children’s Minister (employed): Lois Fryett Pastoral Assistant Carole Wicks Evangelist / Lay reader Trevor Long **The following roles are appointed by the PCC:** Parish Treasurer: Kate Whitehead PCC Secretary: Hannah Mwesigwa Electoral Roll Officer: Gill Fuller Parish Safeguarding Officer: Linde Horseman (until November 2021) Julia Church (took over in November 2021) Recruitment Officer: Elaine Latchford (began this role in October 2021) Health and Safety Officer: Michael Southwick Banks: Lloyds TSB Bank Plc, Nat West Bank Plc Independent Examiner: David Stephens FCCA Patronage Board includes: Church Pastoral Aid Society ## **Induction and Training of Trustees** The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. All new Trustees (PCC members) are provided with a link to the Charity Commission’s publication: “The Essential Trustee: What you need to know” which provides guidance to all Trustees on what is involved in 7 being a Charity Trustee. All new Trustees are provided with Guidance Notes covering the various meetings throughout the year and other responsibilities of PCC members plus a copy of the booklet jointly produced by the Charity Commission and The Church of England entitled “Trusteeship – An Introduction for PCC Members”. ## **PCC Meetings** The full PCC of St. Matthew’s Church met eight times during 2021 with an average level of attendance of almost 90%. Five of these meetings were held on Zoom and three were held in person. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has a number of committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees, which include worship, children’s ministry, youth ministry, mission, pastoral care, community larder, fabric and finance, are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary. Most of these groups have continued to meet on Zoom during the pandemic. **A Standing Committee** is required under Church Representation Rules and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the PCC. |The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2021 consists|The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2021 consists|The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2021 consists|of:| |---|---|---|---| |Incumbent|Chris Wicks|Secretary|Hannah Mwesigwa| |Church Warden|David Johnson|Elected member|Ian Wilson| |Church Warden|Brian Hobden|Elected member|Graham Church| |Treasurer|Kate Whitehead||| The standing committee carried out one electronic vote during the period 2021. ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM)** The APCM was held on 10[th] May 2021 in St. Matthew’s Church. At this meeting, Church Wardens were elected and sworn in, and Lay Representatives to the PCC were elected. Sidespeople were appointed for the coming year and the Independent Examiner was also re-appointed for 2022. ## **Reporting Public Benefit** The trustees of St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms, are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit and have had regard to it in their administration of the charity. The trustees believe that, by promoting the work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Matthew, High Brooms, it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, within the Ecclesiastical Parish, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by: 1. Providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the church offers; and 2. 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. ## **Major Risks** The Trustees consider that major risks have been identified. Those which are not covered by insurance through EIG plc are namely Health & Safety and Safeguarding. These topics are reviewed regularly by the PCC. The PCC has complied with the duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and the PCC complies with GDPR guidance. ## **Responsibilities of the PCC** In preparing the accounts of the PCC, the Trustees must make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent, follow suitable and consistent accounting policies, follow applicable accounting standards, subject to any material departure disclosed and explained in the accounts and must apply the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate. The PCC is also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. It is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 8 ## **OUR BUILDINGS** ## **Report by the Church Wardens – David Johnson and Brian Hobden** ## **Quinquennial Works** The work of maintenance and repair of the Church building reached the stage of Practical Completion in April 2021. The scaffolding was removed just as the Covid 19 lockdown period came to an end and the Church was opened once again for ‘in person’ worship. In accordance with the building contract, there followed a 3 month ‘rectification period’ when any defects in the work were noted. The Final Completion of the work was reached in July 2021 when all the defects had been rectified. ## **Church Fabric and Goods** In September 2021, our electricity and gas supplier, The People’s Energy Co. stopped trading and Ofgem switched our accounts to British Gas. This is the second time our supplier has stopped trading and Ofgem have had to switch our accounts. We are therefore planning to stay with British Gas (actually British Gas Lite) to avoid any further confusion due to switched suppliers. ## **Church Hall Fabric** Since our last report, the boilers have been serviced and faulty fluorescent lights have been replaced. One sliding sash window had a broken catch which was replaced. Upgrades are needed to the electrical distribution board and emergency lights to meet current regulations. ## **Thanks and Congratulations** We would like to express our thanks for all those that have volunteered or returned to volunteering since we have got back to in person worship and activities. We would also like to congratulate Lij Cheeseman for his runners up spot in the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s “Love Where We Live Awards” as young volunteer of the year – for his work in the livestreaming of church services for the Church since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. 9 ## **SAFEGUARDING** ## **Report by Hannah Mwesigwa – Operations Manager** ## **Parish Safeguarding Officer role** During 2021, Linde Horseman, our Parish Safeguarding Officer, decided to step down from the role. The process of handing over took a few months, and the role was then divided into two parts for new people to take over, as it had grown hugely during Linde’s time in post. In November 2021, Julia Church took over the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer and Elaine Latchford took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator. Julia’s role includes being the contact person for anyone needing to report safeguarding issues or wanting advice, dealing with any safeguarding incidents within the church, keeping up to date with guidelines from the Diocese and Church of England, and making sure the children and young people in our groups know who they can talk to if they feel unsafe in any way. Elaine’s responsibility is the safe recruitment of volunteers, including the administration of DBS checks and the application process. Anyone in the church who has responsibility for children / young people or vulnerable adults needs a DBS check. Hannah Mwesigwa is continuing to keep a record of Safeguarding training for volunteers and reminding people when they need to complete training modules. As a church, we would like to offer Linde our thanks and appreciation for all she did in the role. She brought the skills and personality needed for this challenging and sensitive role. ## **Safeguarding incident** During 2021 one safeguarding incident and one welfare concern were reported to the Parish Safeguarding Officer. These were dealt with professionally and efficiently by all involved and in close partnership with the Diocesan Safeguarding Lead (Greg Barry). In both cases pastoral support has been and is continuing to be offered to all those involved, in addition to the more formal side of the processes, and all those involved feel supported and are appreciative of the efforts and actions of the church. Linde Horseman was very involved in both cases, and they took up a lot of her time and energy. Greg Barry has been incredibly grateful for the way Linde has handled these cases and assured us that we did everything correctly as a church. ## **Volunteer recruitment** 2021 was a year when many groups for children and young people moved from online to in person, and the safeguarding associated with that must adjust. Safeguarding is always considered in the planning of all groups and activities that involve children, young people and vulnerable adults, and the restarting of in person groups in September of this year meant a lot of thought was given to this. The restarting of groups also meant that volunteer teams had to be grown, and this meant that there were quite a lot of new DBS checks carried out towards the end of the year. In 2021, ten DBS applications and renewals have been processed. At the St. Matthew’s Church PCC meetings all the names of the people who have applied to be volunteers with youth / children and vulnerable adults and have therefore had DBS checks are put before the PCC for their approval. Safeguarding is included on the agenda at every PCC meeting and in March 2021, Linde joined the PCC meeting in order to take members through the new Serious Incident procedure document. ## **Training** All those who become volunteers in a role requiring some safeguarding training are advised of which modules to do and how to do this. The Church of England safeguarding training needs to be refreshed every three years, and all volunteers are currently being notified of this. 10 ## **DEANERY SYNOD REPORT** ## **Report by Mary Wilson - Deanery Synod representative on the PCC** In 2021, Tunbridge Wells Deanery Synod met twice under the joint chairmanship of Rev. Douglas Wren, Area Dean and Mike Lawes, Lay Chair. ## **The first meeting of the year was held on June 23rd via Zoom** Bishop Simon’s address included the **Role of Deanery/Diocesan synod** in the life of the Diocese - generally a very poor take up. These bodies need to have strong, missional focus to energise people. There is a risk of being static and a need to work collaboratively in Mission. **Process of appointing new bishop.** The final leaving service for Bishop James was on 3[rd] July 2021. Bishop Simon outlined the process that will take place in the appointment of a new bishop. (Easter/April/May approximate time for appointment to be made). **Challenges in Diocese for new bishop?** Getting to know people. Grasp of the work of the Diocese & work of God within it. Inspiring people in mission & ministry. Bishops called to be evangelists & teachers – lead from the front. Listening ear post-Covid. Engage with social action/sharing good news of Jesus Christ. Identify with local communities where acute needs are. Inspiring confidence in the gospel & the faith that we share. Work force – establish their vision, work out their plans, then work through employment issues/resources. Be led by God in what they’re doing. Justin Welby has asked us to work closely with Canterbury – working more smartly/organically. Already working together on vocation and ministry, communications and 24/7 faith agenda. Rochester is a strangely shaped Diocese – it is often easier in Dioceses where the boundaries link better with county boundaries. We should see ourselves as being a family of churches across the Diocese. Look at potential partnerships – we have very different churches within this Diocese. ## **The second meeting of the year was held on October 13th hosted by King Charles the Martyr.** This was the first ‘in person’ meeting since before Covid. Representatives were able to sit, eat and talk together over a meal. There was a sense of the privilege of being able to share fellowship together again around the table. Judi Hammill (St James Church and Community & Engagement Officer at Millward House) shared the need for volunteers in various roles; - visiting, IT, gardening, knitting, singing, baking art. The planned speaker (Jenny Ross – Comms. Officer at the Diocese) was unable to attend so Rev. Douglas Wren (Rural Dean & vicar of Speldhurst) shared his ‘study leave’ experience of “Walking the Camino”. He recommended the book “How to lead when you don’t know where you’re going” by Susan Beaumont (pertinent in these post-lockdown times). The walk had been a very positive experience. Some of what he learnt: - the value of walking with others - not talking but in the silence, the valuing and accepting of each other. Pilgrimages can be uncomfortable but creative times – empowering, equipping, times of change…. He felt that there is a liminal aspect to pilgrimage which shouldn’t be rushed. God’s people in Egypt, Jesus in the Wilderness, Paul’s post-conversion time in Damascus – there is a confidence in God but uncertainty about the future. 11 ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** ## **Report by Kate Whitehead - Treasurer** ## **Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthew, High Brooms Charity No: 1185772 Notes to the Financial Statements for the twelve months ended 31 December 2021** ## **1. BASIS OF PREPARATION** These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs together with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice 2016 as the applicable standard to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP(FRS102)). ## **2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## **ASSETS** Consecrated and benefice property: In so far as consecrated and benefice property of any kind (i.e., the church and vicarage) is excluded from the statutory definition of 'charity' by Section 10(2) (a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not classified in the financial statements. Moveable church furnishings: These are capitalised at cost and depreciated over their useful economic life other than where insufficient cost information is available. In this case the item is not capitalised, but all items are included within the Church inventory. Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity (functional fixed assets): Larger items are capitalised and written off over their useful lives. Smaller items are written off as incurred. Short term deposits: These are the cash held on deposit either with the Diocese or at another bank. ## **FUNDS** Unrestricted Funds: These represent the income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC. These include amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are not included as 'free reserves' as disclosed in the trustees' report. If part of an unrestricted fund is earmarked for a particular project it may be designated as a separate fund, but the designation has an administrative purpose only, and does not legally restrict the trustees' discretion to apply the fund. Restricted Funds: These are income funds restricted by the donor that must be spent on restricted purposes and details of the funds held and restrictions provided are shown in the notes to the accounts. Endowment Funds: These are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Full details of all their restrictions are shown in the notes of the accounts. ## **INCOMING RESOURCES** The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of church members. 12 ## Voluntary income and capital sources: Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving under covenants or gift aid donations is recognised when received. Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations is recognised when the related income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its entitlement and the likely amount due. Funds raised by church events and activities are accounted for gross, i.e., before any associated expenses. Other ordinary income: Rental from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rental is paid. Parochial fees due to the PCC for weddings, funerals etc. are accounted for when received. ## **RESOURCES USED** Grants: Grants and donations are accounted for when paid, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC. Activities directly related to the work of the Church: The Diocesan Parish Offer in respect of clergy and diocesan costs is accounted for when paid. Any additional amounts agreed by the PCC but not paid across as at 31st December are shown as creditors in the balance sheet. ## **DEBTORS** Amounts owing to the PCC at 31st December in respect of income tax fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectable. ## **Diocesan Church Repair Fund - Quinquennial Funds** The Diocesan Church Repair Fund consists of funds designated by the PCC for future repairs. ## **2021 Accounts commentary** The accounts are presented for the PCC’s approval. During the year ended 2021 the PCC recorded a deficit of £4,640 (2020: deficit of £29,622) on day-to-day activities plus significant repairs as per the Quinquennial report. Although total income increased by £962 year on year to £172,847 (2020: income decreased by £1,484), unrestricted income reduced by £5,571 to £158,716 (2020: unrestricted income reduced by £8,916). Restricted giving/income increased in 2021 to £14,131 (2020: £7,598); this is due to the Community Larder having been in operation for a full year (opened in Nov 2020). Also included within the restricted funds, are the donations towards the funding of equipment, purchased to provide online services (£2,119). Total costs decreased by £24,021 year on year to £177,486 (2020: expenses increased by £24,128). However, significantly higher expenses were incurred in both 2020 and 2021, compared with previous years. The key driver of higher expenses in these last two years is the quinquennial remedial works (£45.4k in 2020 and £26k in 2021). The delay to recruiting a Youth Minister has gone some way to mitigate this increase (staff costs were c£38k in 2021, c£54.7k in 2020). The deficit is covered by c£4.4k remaining from the Gift Day held towards the end of 2015 – this fund is now exhausted. The PCC has retained reserves, in cash, of £186,989, as at 31 December 2021. This is a sound financial position and meets the reserving requirements set by the PCC. ## **Kate Whitehead - PCC Treasurer** 13 1gnilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5 Parochlal Church Councll of St Matthew Hl8h Brooms-charlty No: 1185772 BALAN￿ SHEET at 31 December 2021 Fixed Assets None 2021 2020 Current Assets Debtors & Prepayments £27,761 É28315 Shorttemi dewsits £109,699 £109,444 Repair funds £19,429 £54971 Cash at bank and in hand £48.999 £52283 Totsl current assets £205,887 £245,013 Creditor51Liabilties: Falling due within one year £18.898 £53,384 NETCURRENT ASSETS £186,989 £191,629 FUNDS OF THE CHARITY Unrestrirted Restricted Endowment £181,164 £5A25 £0 £190,210 £1,419 £0 £186,989 £191,629 &p?Tpv* b¥thf Pwoch471 Church Covncdon 19 2D21 ￿d5*ne￿OnIts bth¥tb¥.' s￿￿ule Dott ftev ChdsWit5 Kaiewhrteheatt 14 Parochial Church Council ofst Matthew High Broom5- Charity No: 1185772 STATEMENT OF FINANOALAcnviTIES For thet￿￿￿e montseryled 31 L*wnber 2021 2021 Endown*nt Funds 2020 Enrfowm￿t Funds UnrestrKted Funds Restricted Funds Unre5trKted Fynd5 Re5trr¢ttd Funds TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary Incorr Actlvities for8weratin8 Inco￿ Income from Investff*nts Income from church ￿tIVIt￿e5 Note 146.288 669 284 11.474 5.143 963 151.431 1.632 284 19.499 155,069 78 599 8,541 164 87 6,195 161,264 78 599 9.945 171 885 8￿25 1.403 Total 158 716 172 847 98 RESOURCES ErfPENDED Pèrish share Salaries, wa8es and honorai Cler8y & staff exp￿$￿$ Churth running Church gAp￿Se$ Mi55ion givingand donations Hall eKpen5es Major rwairs to churth M3jor rwairs to hall Major repair5 to p￿sOn New buildinBW)rk Other 62.000 38.822 3.828 15.883 1.782 14,9S2 4,487 26,008 62,000 38,822 3,828 17,477 9,913 14,952 4A87 26.008 53,437 54,710 4,567 15,612 1,335 15,577 4.697 45.393 53,437 54,710 4,567 19,362 3,764 15,577 4,697 45,393 1594 8,131 3,750 2,429 Total 167 761 9.725 177A86 195 28 6J79 201 507 NETlncomlTh8re50urce5 befofeother1￿0Sn1$ed gains and105se5 Galns on investwtht 3SSLrt5 on dSsposal on revaluation N￿MOvEMEr IN FUNDS TrANSFERS &￿EEN FUNDS BALANCES BROUGHTFORw￿0 AT I JANUARY 2021 BA￿cEs CARRIED FORWAJID AT 31 DECEMBER 2021 19,0461 4A06 14.6401 131,0411 1,419 {29,6221 19.0461 4.406 14.6401 131,0411 439 1.418J4 (29,6221 439 190.210 1.419 191.629 220,812 220,812 181.164 5A25 186.989 190210 IA19 191.629 15 Parochlal Church Councll ofst Matthew Hlgh Brooms- Charity No: 1185772 114COME 2021 2020 Endowmtht Fund$ Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Fund$ TOTAL UnreFtrrctgd Re5trrctsd Funds Funds TOTAL Ilal v0￿￿t￿ Income Gift aidd donations Other donatK)r15 Tax re£overable Collettions at swyices Grant5 Lyle5 Other donatM)ns TOTAL 113,041 1,716 26,268 1,370 315 1,475 2,305 688 114517 4￿21 26956 1370 915 110,611 7,785 26,000 1.326 6,675 1,062 3,566 1.017 Ill￿72 IlJ51 27￿1? lJ26 7A25 600 550 3,577 146 88 75 3*52 151 31 2,673 155 069 2￿73 161 64 Ilbl A£tsvitles forgeneratlng Income Fundraisin8 Other incorne 669 963 1*32 78 78 TOTAL 669 963 78 78 Ilcl from I￿￿$1mP￿ts DIVId￿d5 and interest 284 284 284 2B4 599 599 S99 599 Ildl kncorne from (hU￿h ￿tr￿S 1,267 8,610 934 1267 8&10 914 448 6,870 456 Hall lettin85 Children & Youth Church event5 Pastoral éwents Communtty lunchlbr&kfasVFitness Cornmunity Larder Other 6*70 456 664 664 102 666 102 666 IA03 8,025 8M2S 1,403 li 74 19 99 IA03 45 TOTAL 158.716 14.131 I72￿4? 164.287 7.598 171A85 16 Parochlal Church Councll ofst Matthew Hlgh 8rooms- Charlty No: 1185772 LXPENSES 2021 Endowment Funds 2020 Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds TOTAL Unrestricts Funds Restrs¢te41 Funds Endownxftt Funds TOT Note Churrh KtAryties 21al Parish share 21bl Salarie5, w4e5 and honoraria 21¢) Clergy & staff Èxp￿$es Par50n Training Mobile5 0thwvlc￿ WLpwse5 6Z.000 38,822 6Z.000 38,822 53A37 54.710 53337 54,710 3.181 120 409 118 3028 3,181 120 409 118 3028 3.682 643 228 14 4J67 3,682 643 228 14 4567 21dl Church runnin8 vApense5 Operations Fabric Worshiplservices Catwn8 Govemance Other Church utility bills Cost of fundraisin8 Mi55i0n and e4angdi5m 2.348 5.363 2.243 174 844 1.348 5,363 3￿36 174 844 1.889 5.565 2.528 491 606 IA89 SJ6S 6278 491 606 1,594 3.75D 4.188 366 357 15,883 4.188 366 357 17A77 3.870 3370 663 15.612 663 19J62 1.594 3.750 21el Churih 3rtMty ￿penSeS Children & Youth Pastoral wents Church ￿entS Community Lunchn)reakta5Vfitne55 Community Larder 658 1,074 51 658 1,074 51 873 50 873 so 412 412 2.429 3,764 15577 4.697 4SJ93 8,131 8.131 8.131 9,913 14.952 4A87 26,008 2,429 2A29 1,782 14.952 4A87 26,008 lJ3S 15577 4.697 45J93 21fl Mi$5i0n gi￿￿8 and donations 2181 Hall trApenses 21hl Major repair5 to church 211> Major repairs to hall 2111 Major repairs to par50nage 21kl NÈW buildingvx) 2111 Other 167 761 177 86 19S 28 201 07 Parochial Church Council ofst MatthewHigh Brooms-CharityNo: 1185772 Notes to tr* STATEMENT OF FINANOALAcnvinES For the twelve montr& ended 31 December 2021 I RESTRicfEDINCOME Donations lincluding Grft Aidl tothe value of £2,119 have been gwen to purthase technologylequipment required to provide online seN1￿$ duing the COVID-19 pandem￿. Donations linduding Grft Aidl and grants totalling £3.894 have been given to suprK>rt the set-up costs of the Communty Larder. In addition, a further £8,025 has been received as a contribution towards fo(Ml. UNRESTRicfED INCOME Cong￿Eational income has re(luced by £8.8k in 2021 from 2020 Ila) GRANTS As well as grants toward5 the Community Larder induded above, the lob RetentK)n Scheme I"furlough"I has provKled a total of £315 in payments. 21a) PARISH SHARE The parish share was set at £62k for2021. 21b) STAFF COSTS ANDPENSION During the year the PCC employed a families & chIl(l￿n w0￿er, an operations manager and a deanei. None of these empk)yees eamed more than £60LI)O p.a. No trustees recevied ￿muneratIon f0rtheirseN￿eS as trustees. Total Staff Costs were.. Gross Salaries 38.113 Social Security Costs Pension Costs 708 38,822 All employees are entit￿d tO￿￿n a defined benefit pension scheme adm1nln5te￿d by The National Emthment Savings Tnjst INESTI. The PCC meets its auto enrolment obligations forall eligible stsff. The redwtion in salaiies1£54.7 in 20201 of £15.8k Is due to the Youth Wor*ernot being replaced after he left in ort 2020. 21d) CHURCH RUNNING EXPENSES Govemance.. include5 Independent Examine¢s free of £450. 18 21el CHURCH AcfiviTY EXPENSES- RESTRicfED A totsl of £1.$94 has been Spent on expenses rElating to providing online services, leaving £586 toward5 2022 costs. A total of £8,131 ha5 been Spent on expen5e5 fElating to the Communtty Larder, leaving a further £3,788 towards 2022 costs. 21fj MISSIONARY ANDCHARITABLE GIVING Grants of £l.LXX) or more made in the perN)d CMS Tear Fund fe & S¢xJl Grants of< £1,1)￿} made kn perlod, mtssh)n Otherorgantsationslcharities Otherindividuals 6252 I,soo 14,952 21hl MAIOR REPAIRSTO THE CHURCH In response to Quinquennial reports. signrficant maintenance took place toward5 the erKI of 2020 (costing £45.4kl arKI continued into the eady part of 2021 costing a further £26k. c. £41k has been put aside lin the Church RepairFundl in previous years to supportthis expense. and a further£5k added during 2022. PCC Members It is a common praLtice. for reasons of expedition and value for money. for member5 lor other church member51 to be requested to make purchases on behalf of the Pccfor which they are LiterreImbu￿ed on production of documentstion. All such transactions a￿ recorded in the accounts and accounted for underthe relevant heads of expenditure. 19 1gnilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5 Parochial Church Council of St Matthew High Brooms- Charity No: 1185772 Notestothe STATEMENTOF FINANaALACTIVITIES Forthe tWe￿e months ended 31 December2021 4 DEBTORS & PREPAYMENTS 2021 £27,761 £0 £0 £27.761 2020 £28,315 £0 £0 £28315 Tax recoverable Insurance Other ￿>18 undaf S•clion 145 of tho 2011 Art. to follow the I￿(*dUr&S laid in the Gon8rn1 Dlr•dions ￿Ven by tho Charity ComrThs&onor under SeclK*n 145151 Ib} of Ihe 2011 Ad. and to stale partic￿lar rnattern hava CAXM to my att•nb'on. Bass ol IrKlependant Ex•rrMnefs Report My •xarThnat￿n vms camed (XA In acctrd¥•ca *ith Ihe gwwal th'r•dbn8 given ty th• Charlty CorT¥T4￿on An 8xarrMnatson irdude$ a rew8w of Ihe aca)untrry records kept by tho tharity d a (x)nwanson ol thg 8Ctounts wesenled wilh those record$. It also Ind￿ Considera￿on ol any unU￿al ItOfTr8 or disdosures in the accounts the seoklng of explanations from you as trustees oxH*ming ary such mAttèr8 Th• woc4dur8$ undortakon ¢Jo wovide all Ihe •wden(* lfial thould be regLlred in an audit. and conwuenlty no opnion 18 given as to v**lhar acrounts present a 'true and f•r wov/ and Ihe report is lirrilod to Ihosé matters 901 out in lh¢ In£*F￿dO1rt Ex8mn•rfs stste￿ni In rnrneclion **th my examinats'fm. no mkn ha8 u)me to iry attthlon: Which give$ ro••onabl• (*u80 to believe tw In nwtori* rnspoca, tr req￿reMents. to k8ep acts)unllThJ rec￿￿$ In ac0x0￿ *llh 130 of t￿ 2011 Act", and lo prepwe a¢uy￿ts *with Ihe acc%*Jnts'ng records to C4xnply *lth acciM¥rtif¥a req(￿remonth ol 2011 have not boen fiw: or 2. To in my 0￿￿0￿. attents'on shtyJld be In ￿￿Or to •nable a propar und8r81anth.ng of ael￿nIS to bo raathed. i¥ iQ7L DaMd Slefvs FCCA 13 NO￿ana$ Road Tunbndge W•ll$, Kent TN4 9AS Dal 21 19nilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5 DECLARATION The Tru¥to9$ declare that they have approve Trustees R above. Slgngd on behalf of the PCC: Rgv. Chrfstoph (Chair) Date lofthe APCMI: 25th April 2022 22