2023-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Pott Shrigley

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1. ANNUAL REPORT – David Gem, Andrew Phillips

Mission Statement: St. Christopher’s Church, Pott Shrigley seeks to promote the whole mission of the church including evangelistic, pastoral, social and ecumenical work in the ecclesiastical parish and beyond. We are the local embodiment of the Church of England’s mission to be a Christian presence in every community.

Aim and Purposes: At St. Christopher’s Church, Pott Shrigley, we seek to:

Know Christ, discern His will for us and follow Him
Bring others know Him and grow in their faith
Increase our biblical knowledge and understanding
Reach every corner of the parish with the Good News of Jesus Christ’s saving grace

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is also responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the church building and churchyard.

Objectives and Activities: The PCC is committed to ensuring that the church is vibrant and viable both now and in the future. The primary activities we seek to achieve are:

Promoting and conducting regular worship services and occasional offices (weddings, funerals and baptisms) that are accessible to all and relevant to the congregation
Maintaining and developing music, singing and bell ringing to support the above
Promoting Christian learning and growth across all age ranges through:
Preaching God’s word in services and live streaming the services online
Encouraging Home Study and Prayer Groups (open to all)
Regular Prayer Group meetings (open to all)
Junior Church (for primary school children)
Youth Church (for secondary schoolchildren and young people)
Praise and Play (for pre-school children and their parent/carers)
Occasional Courses – eg Lent Course using Tom Wright’s book (open to all)
Actively supporting Pott Shrigley Church School including leading assemblies and providing the church building for occasional school use
Providing pastoral support to the members of the church (wherever they are) and the inhabitants of Pott Shrigley (whoever they are)
Role-modelling Christian use of financial resources by the giving of a proportion of our income to charitable causes, both in and outside the parish
Communicating and promoting the Good News of Christ and the work of the church via
The Church and Parish magazine, HotPott
Live streaming services on line including making recordings available
The church website and social media
Bell ringing
Maintaining the church building and churchyard to provide appropriately supportive and safe environments for the church activities in line with its status as a Grade I listed building situated in the Peak District National Park

Achievements and Performance in 2023: Life at St Christopher’s has continued with both 8:30am and 10:45am services held in church.

In January, we were very pleased to announce the appointment of the Reverend Lynn Caudwell as our new Priest in Charge. The service for her installation on 15 March 2023, was a wonderful, joyful occasion, led by the Bishop of Chester, with a full church which included representatives of local churches and organisations. An informal reception was held in the Village Hall
The preceding interregnum had been thankfully very short (August 2022 to March 2023). We were thankful to have had cover for every service with many of the visiting clergy coming several times; we thank each and every one of them for their support and encouragement. The number of people attending services was generally maintained during the interregnum
Most Sunday 10:45 am Services have been live streamed and recorded, as well as those on special days eg Christmas, Christmas Carols by Candlelight. This has allowed not only church members to join online, but also people from elsewhere in UK and several from overseas
The church building has continued to be kept open for visitors every day during daylight hours
Junior Church and Youth Church have been held regularly. We thank all who have helped teach in this important ministry
During the year we have been able to restart a ‘praise and play’ group under a new name “Little Doves” for babies and toddlers; this is open to anyone free of charge. It meets once week during term time
An informal prayer meeting has been held in church every Tuesday evening. Prayer Walks were started this year to pray for the people and businesses of our parish. These have continued all the year and have become a regular activity. Both activities are open to all
The parish magazine, HotPott, has continued to be published each month maintaining it’s very high standard of content and presentation
The “SPICE” WhatsApp group of church members has continued very successfully communicating church news, information, pastoral concerns and needs, prayer requests etc as well as social matters
Each week a prayer meeting is held in church. An online prayer meeting is also held at the same time for those who are unable to attend the meeting in church
In June, St Christopher’s took an active part in supporting the village Rose Queen Festival
The church bells were rung every Sunday, as well as on special occasions, including for the Coronation of HM King Charles III in May.
Four ‘Carols by Candlelight’ services were held in church, each led by Rev. Lynn Caudwell, with mulled wine and mince pies for all afterwards except on the morning of Christmas Eve. All four services were very well attended by the local community and surrounding areas
The PCC met every two months. A Standing Committee of the PCC comprising the Priest in Charge, PCC Chair, Churchwardens and the Buildings Representative was formally appointed by the PCC and have met on an ‘as needs’ basis between PCC meetings
Our church is an old, listed building, in a beautiful setting. This takes money to keep in good condition. With our contribution to the Diocese in 2023 amounting to over 50% of our total expenditure each year, we again suffered a significant loss in the year - even more than that in 2022. This again meant eating further into our financial reserves as in all recent years. This is a real concern going forward as year by year the reserves are reducing

Administrative Information: The ecclesiastical parish of Pott Shrigley lies within the Macclesfield Deanery of the Diocese of Chester. Located on Shrigley Road, Pott Shrigley, the Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Christopher . The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England and with annual income of around £90,000. St Christopher’s is registered with the Charity Commission with the Trustees being the PCC. Members of the PCC are either ex officio, or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. All regular church attendees are encouraged to be registered on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The Electoral Roll is updated throughout the year and formally revised and published prior to the APCM.

The Parish of St. Christopher's Pott Shrigley 1513 Financial Statement for the year ending 31st December 2023 PAYMENTS 2022 2023 Notes Grants To Charitie5 Parish Share Clergy Expenses Iworkingl Cler8y Expenses (Housing) Church Upkeep Upkeep Of Services Churchyard Upkeep Trading Church Mlssion Major Works Salaries & Support Costs Bank Charges 24.400 57,724 889 2,482 8,784 2,696 2,394 7.796 597 22,197 10.235 54,541 1.917 3,345 7,914 3,657 1,330 8,785 231 8.173 129 38 TOTAL PAYMENTS £130,088 £100,166 RECEIPTS Covenants & Glft Aid Income Tax Recovered Uncovenanted Plonned Givlng Collections At Services Sundry Donations Grants Le8acie5 Fundraisin8 Investment Income Trading Insurance Clalms & Other Income 55,218 20,478 2,5 3,273 2,144 714 5,000 4,291 928 13,195 57,142 3,922 3,152 4,195 6,060 1,017 3061 12,410 387 TOTAL RECEIPTS £107,741 £91,346 TRADING P & L BALANCE DR £22,347 DR £8,820 8ank Account Balance 1st Januarv £170,720 £148,373 Bank Account Balance 31st December £148,373 £139,553 I confirm this statement to be a true and accurate account of the payments and receipts of the PCC of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Pott Shr qharity No. 119338 Signed by the Independent Examiner .. Dated..... l ! Print Name..

Notes To The Accounts YIE 31st December 2023 Major Works Costs include repairs lo the lightning conductor, an asbestos survey. purchase of the vicarage lawnmower and pointing repairs Sundry Don•ilon8 Sundry donations hav8 increased as more people use the option lo gNe via the contscuess giving tem)inal at thè back of church