2021-12-31-accounts - The Saint Peter's Vauxhall Mission Initiative

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 The Saint Peter's Vauxhall Mission Initiative 2021 Annual Report Registered Charity Number 1189870 For the year ending 31 December 2021 310 Kennington Lane, London, SEII SHY www.stpetersvauxhall.org hello st etersvauxhall.or

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 ST PETER'S VAUXHALL Contents I ntroduction................................................................................................................................... Aims and Purposes...................................................................................................................... Objedive5 and Activitie5............................................................................................................. 4. Achievements and Performonce.............................................................................................. Financial Review........................................................................................................................14 Funds held as Custodian Trustees on behalf of others....................................................... 16 Plans for Future Periods............................................................................................................ 16 Risk Management.......................................................................................................................17 Structure, Governance and Management............................................................................18 Administrative Information.................................................................................................. 19 10. May2022 Page 2 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 Introduction St Peter's Church in Vauxhall is a mission initiative established by the Bishop of Southwark undera Bishop's Mission Order (BMO) on 18 March 2020. On IOJune 2020, a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) was established to provide the necessary governance structure for the mission initiative. Under the BMO. the mission initiative has responsibility for the St Peter's church building and the congregation based there. The church is situated geographically within the Ecclesiastical Parish of North Lambeth. This annual report of the CIO covers Ihe reportin9 period from l January 2021 until 31 December 2021. The CIO is not a parish church and so is not subject to the reporting framework for Church of England parishes set out in the Church Representation Rules. However, the trustees are mindful thal Ihe CIO performs many oflhe same functions as a parish church. Moreover, the trustees are elected by and accountable to the church's congregants. To that end. the trustees have agreed to submit several reports (all contained in this document) to an annual meeting of the church's congregants. They put into context the financial statements of the CIO and relate them to the wider life of the church. They set out a review of Ihe past year and link Ihe financial plans of Ihe church lo it5 vision for Ihe future. This document also serves as the annual report of the CIO to the Charity Commission. The trustees have considered the Charities Acts, other associated regulations and the applicable Statement5 of Recommended Practice when drafting Ihis documenl. This annual report has been prepared by several authors and was reviewed and adopted by the Board of Truslees by resolution passed on 15 May 2022. This report 15 signed below by Rev Michael John, Minisler-in-charge and ex-officio chair of the Board of Trustees, on behalf of the board by way of confirmation of the passing of this resolution. Rev. Michael john 15 May 2022 May2022 Poge 3 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 Aims and Purposes As set out in the CIO'S constitution. the object of the CIO is: "the advancement of religion in accordance with the tenets and practices of the Church of England for the public benefit including (but not limited to).. l. promoting the Gospel through the growth and development of Saint Peter's Church, Vauxhall ancillary or incidental educalional activities,. and other a5socialed activilies for Ihe benefit of the communily. The CIO pursues this object in accordance with the objectives of the mission initiative for which it is responsible for managing. As set out in the Bishop's Mission Order. these are: "To further the mission of the Gospel and the Church of England in North Lambeth, particularly.. (i) the establishment of thriving worshipping communities. to include two congregations worshipping at Saint Peter's Church, Vauxhall., a congregation using forms of worship with traditional catholic aspects of the Church of England ("the traditional congregation.).. and a congregation using forms of worship from the contemporary evangelical tradition of the Church of England ("the contemporary congregation.) sharing in the reconciling mission of God in Christ through evangelistic outreach: and community engagement meeting the needs of local people physically or emotionally, promoting the common good and having particular regard for the vulnerable and marginalised and overlooked in society. The trustees support the Minister-in-charge, Rev. Michael john, and the wider staff team in this mission, which we summarise in our vision statement. to be.. "Jesus, People, in His Church, for His Mission, in this city. May2022 Poge 4 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 Objectives and Activities The trustees are committed to supporting St Peter's Vauxhall in being Jesus, People. in His Church. for His Mi55ion, i n thi5 Clty. Our desire 15 for each person to know Christ personally through God's Word, prayer, worship. and His Spirit. We want to see lives transformed, not just individually but as a community, as we seek to work out what being the family of God truly means and how Christ's Church should live. We are committed to the mission of Christ which is to reconcile people to himself and whilst we can never do more than Christ to show his love to people. we believe it is our mission to try. Our response to the Good News is to play an active part in our city, seeking to respond to the needs of our area. When planning our activities for the year. we have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and. in particular. the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. jesus, People 2021 was a strange second year in the life of St Peter's, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to restrid the services, outreach opportunities and events we could run. Whilst churches could stay open during the third lockdown, the trustees were mindful to protect vulnerable members of the congregation and to practice social distancing. This was achieved by.. Resumin9 online services between 17January and 21 March, allowing people shielding to continue participating in the life of the church. We continued to hold short Sunday services at 11am and 4pm for those who needed them. Given the difficulties in getting children to maintain social distancing, launching a new 9.30am Sunday service to enable families to worship together whilst sitting in separate family bubbles. As many surrounding churches closed during the third lockdown. many new families came to St Peter's to worship and appreciated the welcoming yet safe respite from lockdown life every Sunday morning. The family service continued to Ihrive throughout 2021. AtFendance al the11am traditional service and 4pm contemporary worship bolh changed dramatically coming out of lockdown. Many members of the congregotion reconsidered which church they attended or moved out of London altogether. 2021 was a year of trying to re-find the rhylhm of gathering regularly agai n. We are hugely grateful to those in the congregation who returned regularly to worship with us. As restrictions eased shortly before Holy Week, we put on a range of services. These included a Book of Common Prayer communion service, a contemporary'stations of the Cross, service, traditional choral worship on Maundy Thursday, a reflective service on Good Friday and our three regular Sunday services on Easter Day. St Peter's continued to run 'The Gathering, a weekly Bible study and prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings - in the first half of 2021. We met for the first few months on Zoom May2022 Poge 5 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 but then met in person as restrictions eased. I n OctoEer 2021, this was discontinued as the church prepared to launch home groups for the first time. Church members gathered in St Peter's House on Wednesday evenings in the last three months of 2021 for prayer, Bible study and to begin fleshing out what the groups would look like ahead of their launch in january 2022. Our outreach pastor. Nadia Burrell, began a Bible study for students in the local area. In His Church A huge encouragement for us was the introduction of 'St Peter's House Lunches, in the second half of the year. Emma and I have been delighted to welcome people from all three services as well as newcomers into the vicara9e for Sunday lunch each month. We have really valued this time to eat together. unite as one church family and share more about our vision for St Peter's. A huge thank you to David Early and Patricia Ponniah for cooking over the autumn term. It has also been wonderful to gather as one church family for joint services throughout the year. These included our Focus Sunday service on 25 July and the Advent service on 28 November. As restrictions lifted, we were able to reintroduce refreshments at the 11am and 4pm services and share lunch as one church family on St Peter's Day. We encouraged church members lo share fellowship and h05Pltality in their own homes by launching 'Summer Suppers,. Over 50 people took part which was a huge encouragement. For His Mission Although the third lockdown made u5 focus primarily on reintegrating our church family once reslrictions lifted, we still put on a range of events aimed at helping people come to know Christ. We ran two Alpha courses in 2021 one in person, one online - and held a successful sludent night in Seplember, offering free pizza lo students who had recenlly moved into the accommodation in Nine Elms. Our monthly evensong services continued. Over Christmas. we held both traditional and contemporary carol services. Church members were encouraged to invite friends ond family- both services were well attended. In this City We were saddened that the pandemic again prevented us from hosting our weekly night shelter in partnership with Robes. However, we supported the guests staying in hotel accommodation organised by Robes by providing food and other supplies. As in 2020, we again look part in the Church Revitalisation Trust's 'Love Your Neighbour. initiative. We provided sleeping bags. blankets and warm clothes to people who were street homeless over the winter. We also began partnering with Vauxhall Foodbank and have set up a donalion point in the church for food and essential items. May2022 Page 6 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 Over the summer, Nadia Burrell joined the staff team as Outreach Pastor to lead these initiatives and develop new ones in partnership with local churches. Our ability to serve our local community will be greatly strengthened by refurbishing our church kitchen. We are so thankful for the generosity of our church family which means that we have almost reached our fundraising target. Conclusions Despite the long way that we have come since March 2020. our hopes that 2021 would be the year the pandemic ended frustratingly did not come to pass. Yet as we returned to holding Services in person and welcoming our church communily back into Ihe building, we are so grateful for all the amazing people that God has brought to St Peter's and their commitment to us. through attending regularly. serving practically and giving f inancially. Our prayer is Ihat people would see the wider family they are part of a5 we slowly come out of the pandemic. Have I not comm(Jnded you? Be stror)g and courageous. Do not be afr(Jid,. do not be discouraged. for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1..9 Rev. Michaeljohn Minister-in-charge Achievements and Performance 4.1 Wardens, Report After the challenges of last year, it's been a delight to once again be able to gather together as a prayerful community in person. Over the year, as a church, we have been exploring new ways for God to speak to new people through us. For many. Summer SuptErs and lunches at the rectory allowed everyone across our services to come together as a single church family. Our ability once again to join together is undoubtedly thanks to Michael and Emma whose boundless energy and love can be seen in so many aspects of the life of St Peter's. The way they have opened their home to all is now bearing fruit through the successful creation of home groups. All this would also not be possible without the tireless efforts of the staff team and many volunteers for whose time and dedication we are so grateful. Looking to the future. we are excited with plans to develop the building facilities at St Peter's, particularly with a view to strengthening our outreach. These plans will improve our ability lo support the many groups who use the church and fully commit to being "jesus, people, in His church, for His mission. in this city. which we look forward to developing over the coming year. Hattie Compston & Charlie Wacher Community Wardens May2022 Page 7of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 4.2 Report on the Proceedings of the Board of Trustees (a) Composition and Meetings Following the elections at the 2021 Annual Meeting, Tom Cross and Andrew Burrell continued as trustees, with Anna Melton and Peter Goves stepping down. Charlie Wacher. Hattie Compston, Marché Mackey, Esther Woo, Anna Boon and Sam Hermes were newly elected and took up office in June. Anna Boon resigned in September 2021 when she and her family mved out of London. The trustees met six times in 2021 and the Standing Committee met two additional times. (b) Structure and Policies The Slanding Committee. comprising the Minisler-in-charge, Community Wardens, Treasurer and Secretary, continue to set the strategic direction of the church. manage its day-to-day finances and implement its human resources policies. The trustees adopted rules governing how Annual Meetings are run. broadly following the rules Ihal apply lo parish churches. This included adopting the Church of England's policy on who cannot be elected as a trustee because they are a safeguarding risk. The 2021 Annual Meeting unanimously agreed thal future conlested elections to the Board of Trustees and Deanery Synod would use the single transferrable vote system. This will help to ensure that those elected better reflect all three of our congregations. The trustees agreed in principle to several constitutional amendments to clarify how trustees are elected and may resign. These were formally approved by Ihe trustees and the Charity Commission in March 2022. The trustees invited the staff to appoint a representative to attend meetings. In September. the Iru5tees reviewed the church's safeguarding policy and reaffirmed their commitment to the Diocese of Southwark's 'A Safe Church. initiative. Our safeguarding officers developed new practices across all three services, including a new photography policy and new signage directing people to other support services. The Iruslees adopted a new Health & Safety policy. overseen by the Church Coordinator. The Standing Committee reviewed the church's human resources policies. The trustees appointed Esther Woo as Pastoral Care Officer, who is available to support staff and volunteers with any concerns whilst at work. Our Minister. Rev Michael John. continues to be available to provide pastoral support to members of the congregation. (c) Services The 9.30 St Peler 5 slarled the 9.30am service lo allow families lo worship at church in a socially distanced, COVID-safe manner. Attendance grew substantially over spring 2021, with several families from other churches joining. However, as COVID restrictions eased, numbers were more unsteady, with between two and 14 familie5 attendin9 each week. May2022 Page 8 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 The trustees continue to monitor how sustainable it is for a small church like ours to run three Sunday services. However, we are satisfied thot its unique shape. style and content are attractive and make it worth continuing at this stage. The trustees are grateful to our Families Pastor, Julia Briggs. for her leadershiB teaching and pastoring of this service. The 11 and Evenson Despite sadly saying goodbye to several longstanding church members, the 11am service has grown over the lost year. Evensong also resumed after Easter. The trustees are keen to grow our choral worship at the11am service by encouraging more church members to join the choir so it can reduce its reliance on professional singers. We are grateful to our Director of Music, Will Fraser, as he takes on this work. Many regulars at the 4pm service used the third lockdown to reconsider where they attended church or whether to move out of London altogelher. However, Since restrictions began to lift, the service has grown from strength to strength. The trustees are grateful to our ordinand, David Hill. for leading the worship, sound and production at our 4pm services. (d) COVIN19 The coronavirus regulations and Government guidance during the third lockdown permitted churches to stay open for public worship. After much consideration, the Minisler-in-charge and Communily Wardens decided lo keep Ihe church open in january and February 2021 to support those people who were struggling with isolation and felt they needed to attend. Others were discouraged from attending church in person and to take part instead in our online pre-recorded services. As restrictions began to ease, online services ended on Palm Sunday. Throughout the pandemic, the trustees had regard to guidance from the Government and Diocese of Southwark on issues such as face coverings, social distancing and the taking of Communion. The trustees are grateful to our Church Coordinator and Health & Safety Officer. Grace Broome, for her leadership and guidance in thi5 area. (e) Relationship with North Lambeth Parish St Peter's held a joint service with St Anselm's on Moundy Thursday. which was well attended. North Lambeth Parish (NLP) owns both the church building and St Peter's House. However, the CIO is responsible for the upkeep and refurbishment of the church building and does not receive any ongoing financial support for this from NLP, though we were grateful for o one-off contribution made towards cutting back the trees outside St Peter's House. NLP is currently selling St Peter's House to the Diocese of Southwark. The trustees support this as it will guarantee that St Peter's House will become the permanent vicarage for the Minisler-in-charge of the CIO. The trustees are in discussions with NLP about how Ihe proceeds of the sale will be distributed. May2022 Page 9 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 (fj Staff & Volunteers In 2021, the CIO made several staff appointments: The CIO took over the contrad of Will Fraser, our Director of Music. so that he is paid directly by St Peter's rather than by North Lambeth Parish. Lizzie Watts finished her year-long voluntary placement with St Peter's in summer 2021. Nadia Burrell joined in july 2021 as Outreach Pastor. The role includes both coordinating Sl Peler's social justice project5 and leading our sludent evangelism in Nine Elms. The latter is partly funded by a grant f rom the Diocese of Southwark. julia Briggs was appointed as our part-time Families Pastor in September 2021. The role is funded out of a gift made to the CIO from Holy Trinily Church, Clapham. We were delighted that the Rt Rev Emma Ineson and Rev Mat Ineson joined our congregation this year. Mat generously offered to assist Rev Michael John in presiding over some services, such as when Michael is on holiday. Consequently, the trustees invited the Diocese of Southwark to appoint Mat as a non-stipendiary Associate Minister of St Peter's. We were pleased that the Archdeacon of Lambeth confirmed this appointment on 22 November 2021. Mal will conlinue to provide support on an ad hoc basis but hos declined to take up office as a trustee of the CIO. (g) Finance The CIO has now assumed full responsibility for managing its finances. taking over funclions previously performed on ils behalf by bolh North Lambelh Parish and Holy Trinity Church. Clapham. The trustees scrutinised and approved the accounts for 2020. The trustee5 adopted budgets for 2021 and 2022. The 2021 budget was based on o modest increase in expenditure, with the appointment of two new members of staff. The CIO continues to increase its contribution to the Diocese of Southwark's Parish Support Fund. Our contribution in 2021 was £11,500, compared to £4,339 the previous year. The CIO received a £2,000 grant from Kennington Vineyard church which had closed. The money has been earmathed to refresh the church's branding, messaging and website. (h) Buildings I n January, the CIO agreed with Lambeth Council to rebuild the wall outside St Peter's House. The trustees approved additional spending to repair damage to the brickwork and stonework on the exterior of the church building, remedy eledrical work and tend to the Irees outside St Peter's House. The trustees applied to the Diocesan Advisory Committee for permission to renovate the church kitchen. The work is expected to commence in summer 2022. The CIO has secured May2022 Page 10 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 a substantial grant f rom Viridor Credits for the work. The trustees ore also grateful for donations received from members of the congregation. We continue to consider how the kitchen refurbishment could be incorporated as part of a wider project to make the church more welcoming to visitors and to make the building more useful practically to the church and the wider community. However. no final decisions have been taken. The trustees continued to pray throughout the year for God's will to be done at St Peter's and among its congregation. As we prepare for the board of Iru5tees lo grow following elections at the Annual Meeting in May, we are excited for God's plans for St Peter's in the year ahead. Andrew Burrell Secretary 4.3 Report on the Mission Initiative Roll As required under the Church Representation Rules, the Mission Initiative Roll will be updated annually and every Six year5 a new Roll musl be produced. This is the second year of the current Mission Initiative Roll. The deadline for revisions to the roll was l May 2022. The number of people on the Roll is now 73. The number of people on the roll determines: The number of representatives that the mission initiative has on North Lambeth Deanery Synod (currently two).. The size of the board of trustees. Members of the congregation who are enrolled are eligible to vote in elections to Deanery Synod and the board of trustees. Grace Broome Church Coordinator and Electoral Roll Officer May2022 Page 11 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 4.4 Report on Fabric, Goods and Ornaments The Church building remained safe and secure throughout 2021. More work was carried out on the building than the previous year, including: A structural engineering report was obtained for the whole church building assessing which work is urgent and how to carry it out.. Repairs were made to the boiler and surrounding pipes., Urgent repairs were made to the electrics.. Brickwork on the exterior front of the church building was replaced and repaired.. Work was carried out on the gutters to prevent leaks from damaging a wall by the upstairs off ice.. An asbestos management report was completed,. The annual PAT test. lightning conductor test. fire extinguisher test, and quarterly pest control inspections were carried out as usual. No work was carried out on St Peter's House. Grace Broome Church Coordinator and Health & Safety Off icer 4.5 Safeguarding Report Even though 2021 did not see any safeguarding incidents, the Minister. trustees and Safeguarding Officer5 took several step5 lo ensure Ihat Ihe church meets Ihe Diocese of Southwark's "A Safe Church. guidance. This included several meetings around how to ensure the church delivers its safe church model. Throughout 2021 we remained in close contact with Ihe Diocese of Southwark's safeguarding team and sought their guidance where appropriate. Signs are now displayed in the church building informing the congregation about how to access the safeguarding officer and other local services. The church also adopted a new photography policy which falls in line with the "A Safe Church. guidance. In February 2022, Rhodo Oblie-Allen from the 4pm service was appointed as the church's second safeguarding off icer, alongside Luke Taylor. Luke Taylor & Rhoda Oblie-Allen Safeguardi ng Officers May2022 Poge 12 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 4.6 Report on the Proceedings of North Lambeth Deanery Synod After Sam Hermes and I were elected as Deanery Synod representatives for St Peter's Vauxhall in May 2021. we attended two Deanery Synod meetings. one in July and one in Odober. Injuly. Deanery Synod met to elect members to the Diocesan Synod. We elected four lay members and five clergy members, including our very own Rev Michaeljohn. who was appointed to the Diocesan Council of Trustees. We also elected seven lay members and seven clergy to General Synod. After the elections, we enjoyed a social with the other Deanery Synod members, sharing dinner and drinks together. In October, we attended a Zoom meeting which focused on the environment. We discussed how churches in the Deanery could engage with climate issues in the run-up to the COP26 climate change conference. Nadia Burrell 4.7 Church Statistics for 2021 Baptisms Thanksgivings for the Gift of o Child Admi55ion of Children to Communion Confirmations Marriages Funerals (with church service) Funerals (al Crematorium/Cemetery) Number of adults and children attending worship on Easter Day Number of odults and children attending worship on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Number of communicants on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 73 42 39 May2022 Poge 13 of19

Docusign En¥ÈlopÈ ID." 15378B2(kDD3741F7-BEF7-ODE583DA77C8 Financial Review The church's f inancial position for 2021 is positive. The church has continued to generate a healthy income stream through congregational giving and church income increased through the year. This is particularly encouraging given the continued difficulties the pandemic presented. Income from church activities was marginally below budget given that the building could not be rented out for use by external organisations for the first part of the year. By contrast, giving from the congregation far exceeded our initial expectations, for which we are very grateful. Income The main source of church income is congregational giving (approximately £104,000)- This is very encouraging and gives us confidence that the church's finances are sustainable. The trustees want to thank everyone in the congregation who supports the life of the church in thisway. Another source of income is renting out the church. In 2021 we received almost £14.000 from hiring out the church to different choirs, orchestras and for one-off events. We hope to be able to grow the use of the church building by the local community in 2022. Expenditure Overall expenditure in 2021 roughly doubled compared to 2020. Two new members of staff were hired, some minor building projects were completed, and COVI D restrictions were further relaxed. This meantthat more money was spent on events and, because the church was open more. our utility bills increased. However. pleasingly this increase in expenditure was in line with the budget agreed upon at the start of the year. I n july 2021, the CIO employed Nadia Burrell as Outreach Pastor. following a competitive recruitmenl process. A5 Nadia 15 married to Andrew Burrell (who 15 a trustee), permission to employ her was obtained f rom the Charity Commission. Nadia Burrell's gross salary is £26,000 per year. The 2022 budget is balanced. We expect expenditure to increase further as we invest in new outreach projects lo further the ministry of the church. decide how we can belter support charitable efforts outside St Peter's, and invest in the fabric of the building itself. The trustees have authorised the use of part of our reserves (which increased in 2021) to support these projects and are grateful to both our staff and volunteers who have already secured external f undraising for some of these project5. May2022 Page 14 of19