**Reports to the APCM 2024**
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## **APCM Reports 2025**
**1. Annual Report 1.1** Vicar’s Report **1.2** Agendas & Administrative information **1.3** Electoral Roll Report. **1.4** Minutes of APCM 2024 **1.5** Financial Review **1.6** Churchwarden’s Report **1.7** PCC Secretary’s Report **1.8** Fabric Report **1.9** Deanery Synod Report **1.10** Safeguarding Report
**2. Worship, Discipleship & Pastoral Care 2.1** Worship Report **2.2** Music in Worship **2.3** Prayer Meeting **2.4** Living Well Pastoral Team **2.5** Sound, Zoom, Tech **2.6** Home & Community Groups **2.7** Lent Course **2.8** Communications / Website **2.9** Pastoral Care
**2.10** Life Events: Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals
**3. Children & Young People 3.1** Blast **3.2** Blaze **3.3** Ignite
**3.4** Pizza & Games
**4. Growing as an Intergenerational Community of Faith 4.1** Messy Church **4.2** Connect **4.3** Little / Big Fish **4.4** Over 50’s **4.5** Holiday Club **4.6** Knit & Natter **4.7** Men’s Group
**5. Building on our Traditions of Service in the Local Community**
**5.1** Living Well **5.2** Blend Choir **5.3** CAP **5.4** Lunch Club **5.6** Outdoor spaces **5.7** Schools **5.8** Pines & Needles
**5.9** Mission Giving
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Section 1: Annual Report
## **1.1 Vicar’s Report**
At the Bishop’s Study Day recently, clergy and lay leaders from across the Diocese of Rochester were encouraged to take seriously “a theology of joy and playfulness”. If there is one word that shouts from this collection of reports into the life of HTSJ during 2024 louder than any other, it is this one – “joy”! I’d like to use this report to reflect on joy in three images taken from the life of HTSJ in the past year.
First, the joy of **presence** . Picture a toddler. She is wearing a princess dress and a bright green wig, vigorously rocking the red seesaw and singing loudly, if out of tune, along with the CD (“Say I love you – I LOVE YOU!”). She is utterly and completely present in the moment, totally unselfconscious. Most of us struggle to achieve that level of presence in the moment. We live in an unprecedentedly distracted society. Addicted to our smartphones, we are constantly pulled away from the moment by the lure of the next notification, the next WhatsApp message, the next headline.
The God who revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush as “I am who I am” is the God of the present moment, the God who is, the God who, according to a significant stream of Catholic and Orthodox theology only reveals himself in the present moment. When we seek to encounter God in something that has been good in the past, we are likely to miss the joy of
what God is doing amongst us now. When we seek to encounter God in a better future, we are likely to miss the signs of his work, the seeds of that future in the present. When we are distracted, like Martha, because of all the things that have to be done, we cannot fully enter into the joy which is to be found sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he says. (Luke 10:38-42).
I wonder what distractions, rose-tinted memories or unrealistic expectations we need to let go of, individually and collectively, in order to notice and experience the joy of what God is doing among us in this present moment?
Second, the joy of **partnership** . In my home group on a Thursday morning, as in any home group, we share both the challenges and difficulties of life – illness, loss, anxieties over family or friends – but also the joys – a cup of coffee, made with love, a cake which someone has brought in, a photograph of a tree in blossom.
Writing from prison, Paul writes to the Philippian church that he always remembers them “with joy” because of their “partnership in the gospel”. When I tell others about HTSJ, I often say that, when we meet together, there’s a lot of laughter and, often, tears. That’s joy – not a brave “putting on a smile” when everything inside us is
screaming or weeping – nor a refusal to face up to the very real challenges of life. Joy is about partnership – relationship – getting to know people and sharing the realities of life. This can be locally, or with people and places further away. One thing we’re going to be talking about in 2025 is Mission Partnership, a rebranding of Mission Giving to help us think more holistically about how we build partnerships in the gospel with local, national and global organisations.
There have been lots of new people in church during 2024. I wonder what joy would be released if in the coming year each of us committed to building a relationship with one person we don’t already know, and to “doing life” with them?
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Third, the joy of **participation** . I was lucky enough to join with Blend Choir, who sang their hearts out at the Penge Music Festival back in April 2024. Performing on that day were two people who are blind, one with
significant additional learning needs, and several with emotional and mental health issues which meant that standing on stage to sing was an
enormous deal for them. They were performing in front of a number of highly gifted amateur and semi-professional musicians. And what everybody commented on afterwards was the joy which simply shone from them.
In Mark 4, Jesus tells a parable of a growing seed. The farmer plants the seed and then, night or day, whether the farmer is working or sleeping, the seed takes root and grows. The work of building God’s Kingdom is God’s work. God can and will build his Kingdom whether we are awake or whether we are asleep. But by the grace of God, we are invited to participate in God’s mission to our community and world. And, when we participate, when we work together to build something worthwhile, joy is released. We see this every time we run Messy Church. We see it at Living Well. We see it in the range of people named in these reports, and in all the others, unnamed, who faithfully serve on Sundays and throughout the week. Thank you all so very much.
I wonder if God is nudging us to participate in some way, either in the life of the church or in some different way, in the building of his Kingdom? Or whether there is someone God is calling us to encourage?
Thank you all so very much for a year in which your partnership in the gospel and participation in God’s Kingdom life has once again released so much joy.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Amen.
## _**Jessica Smith, Vicar**_
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## **1.2 Agendas & Administrative Information**
## **Agenda for the Annual Vestry Mee3ng Sunday 11[th] May 2025**
## **Agenda**
**1.** Opening Prayer
**2.** Apologies for absence
**3.** Elec4on of Churchwardens
**4.** Thanks and Prayer
## **Agenda for the Annual Parochial Church Mee3ng Sunday 11[th] May 2025**
## **Agenda**
**1.** Approval of minutes of last year’s APCM (28[th] April 2024)
**2.** MaGers arising from the minutes, if any
**3.** Elec4on of PCC members and Deanery Synod Representa4ves
- **a.** 5 PCC members (4 for three years, 1 for one year)
- **b.** 2 Deanery Synod member (for one year – elec4ons to be held in 2026)
- **c.** LLM, Readers, Pastoral Assistants
- **d.** Sidespersons
**4.** Adop4on of the Electoral Roll (copy available for inspec4on)
**5.** Fabric Report (including fabric, goods, ornaments)
**6.** PCC Secretary’s Report
**7.** Financial Report (including Financial Statements for Year Ending 2024)
- **a.** adop4on of audited accounts
- **b.** appointment of the independent examiner for 2025
**8.** Safeguarding Report
**9.** Other wriGen reports are available for inspec4on
**10.** Vicar’s Report
**11.** Any Other Business
**12.** Closing Prayer
_The new PCC and wardens will gather at the front of church immediately a7er the mee8ng to appoint officers and confirm the date for the first mee8ng._
## **1.3 Electoral Roll Report for 2024**
The roll was revised in advance of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 28[th] April 2024.
There were 159 names on the revised roll, as against 155 in the previous year.
73 of those names were resident in the parish and 86 were non-resident.
6 names had been added to the roll.
2 names had been removed from the roll.
I again acknowledge the indispensable part played by Hazel Willson, who had signed up almost all the names added to the roll; thank you Hazel.
## **Richard Thomson, Electoral Roll Officer**
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## **1.4 Minutes of AVM & APCM held on Sunday 28[th] April 2024**
: **Minutes of Annual Vestry Meeting (AVM)** Sunday, 28 April 2024 at the St John, Penge site
_**Present in church:**_ Viola Ambikiire, Lorraine Baker, Ian Baldwin, Val Baldwin, Valerie Beckway, Frances Braithwaite, Valerie Carrier, Bethan Carney, Carol Carter, Pete Carter, Tamara Cooper, Margaret Davies, Yvette Evans, Betty Friend, Maggie Gomba, Juliet Gramaglia, Alex Griliths, Andrew Griliths, Gareth Hall (CAP), Emily Jacks, Russell Jones, Khaiz Katunguka, Robert Lambert, Diane Lovell, Steve Lovell, Steve Miller, Sue Miller, Sarah Murrell, Sally Nicholas, Kemi Ogundipe, Gill Owens, Diane Pemberton, Alison Penfold, Laura Polaine, Cordelia Providence, Julian Providence, Lionel Riches, Margaret Riches, Ray Shergill, Beccy Short, Yesica Siheret, Lin Skinner, Jessica Smith (chair), Sue Smith, Michelle Stewart, Christine Stone, Colin Stone, Richard Thomson, Sue Thomson, Michael Vance, Richard Williams, Sarah Whiting, Hazel Willson, Ruth Wright, Terry Wright, Charmaine Yip
_**Present via Zoom:**_ Sally Jones, Maria Layne, David Osbourne, Mary Osbourne
**Apologies for absence:** Jessica Moscrop
## **Introduction**
JS welcomed everyone and opened with prayer.
## **Election of churchwardens**
After six years, Ian Baldwin relinquished his duties as churchwarden. Jessica Smith thanked him for his faithful work over a period which happened to include a global pandemic, a church merger, and a year as sole churchwarden.
Beccy Short and Richard Thomson were elected as the new churchwardens, though they will be supported by others when necessary and appropriate.
## **Proposed:** Sue Thomson | **Seconded:** Pete Carter | **all in favour**
Jessica thanked everyone whose work at HTSJ incorporates churchwarden-style responsibilities and closed the AVM with a prayer.
##
## **Minutes of Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM)**
Sunday, 28 April 2024 at the St John, Penge site
_**Present in church:**_ Viola Ambikiire, Lorraine Baker, Ian Baldwin, Val Baldwin, Valerie Beckway, Frances Braithwaite, Valerie Carrier, Bethan Carney, Carol Carter, Pete Carter, Tamara Cooper, Margaret Davies, Yvette Evans, Betty Friend, Maggie Gomba, Juliet Gramaglia, Alex Griliths, Andrew Griliths, Gareth Hall (CAP), Emily Jacks, Russell Jones, Khaiz Katunguka, Robert Lambert, Diane Lovell, Steve Lovell, Steve Miller, Sue Miller, Sarah Murrell, Sally Nicholas, Kemi Ogundipe, Gill Owens, Diane Pemberton, Alison Penfold, Laura Polaine, Cordelia Providence, Julian Providence, Lionel Riches, Margaret Riches, Ray Shergill, Beccy Short, Yesica Siheret, Lin Skinner, Jessica Smith (chair), Sue Smith, Michelle Stewart, Christine Stone, Colin Stone, Richard Thomson, Sue Thomson, Michael Vance, Richard Williams, Sarah Whiting, Hazel Willson, Ruth Wright, Terry Wright, Charmaine Yip
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_**Present via Zoom:**_ Sally Jones, Maria Layne, David Osbourne, Mary Osbourne
## **Apologies for absence:** Jessica Moscrop
## **Minutes of the APCM held on 23 April 2023** | _pp. 10–14 of the APCM reports_
The APCM approved the minutes of the last meeting with one amendment to #7 (‘Beccy’, not ‘Betty’), and Jessica Smith signed them as an accurate record.
## **Proposed:** Richard Thomson | **Seconded:** Yvette Evans | **all in favour**
## **Matters arising**
There were no matters arising.
## **Election of PCC members, Deanery Synod representatives, and sidepersons**
Jessica Moscrop, Julian Providence, and Michael Vance had reached the end of their terms of olice, though Jessica and Julian were standing for re-election. Steve Miller relinquished his position on the PCC a year early due to an expected and imminent relocation. Beccy Short and Richard Thomson, formerly elected to the PCC, are now HTSJ’s churchwardens. Taking into account an existing vacancy, the APCM could elect up to seven people to sit on the PCC for the 2024-25 period.
Ian Baldwin, Frances Braithwaite, Maggie Gomba, Jessica Moscrop (re-election), and Julian Providence (re-election) had been nominated and were approved by the APCM as PCC members. Jessica Smith also proposed to co-opt Ollie Mitwali onto the PCC for one year (at present, Ollie does not meet the requirements for full PCC membership). Hazel Willson and Ruth Wright remain the Deanery Synod representatives.
**Proposed:** Beccy Short | **Seconded:** Ruth Wright | **all in favour**
Jessica Smith thanked everyone for their faithful work.
## **Adoption of the electoral roll** | _p. 8 of the APCM reports_
Richard Thomson noted there are now 159 people on the electoral roll.
## **Proposed:** Frances Braithwaite | **Seconded:** Tamara Cooper | **all in favour**
Jessica Smith thanked Richard and Hazel Willson for their work in consolidating the electoral roll. There is a need to elect a new electoral roll olicer now that Richard is a churchwarden.
## **Fabric report** | _p. 27 of the APCM reports_
Jessica Smith noted that new signage at both sites would be in place once Bromley Council grants planning permission. She also confirmed a faculty has been granted for permanent removal of the choir stalls.
## **PCC Secretary’s report** | _pp. 25–26 of the APCM reports_
Surprisingly, perhaps, nobody asked any questions.
## **Financial report** | _pp. 15–23 of the APCM reports_
adopted Parish Giving Scheme is proving its worth. Andrew thanked HTSJ members for their
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Catherall for their work.
Andrew also announced that Anne Yeardley, a longstanding member of both HTSJ legacy congregations who died in 2023, left a generous legacy of around £60,000.00 for HTSJ’s worship and work, including the recruitment of a family worker.
The APCM adopted the audited accounts.
**Proposed:** Steve Lovell | **Seconded:** Michael Vance | **all in favour**
The APCM appointed Tony Catherall once more, with gratitude, as the independent examiner for 2024.
**Proposed:** Beccy Short | **Seconded:** Margaret Davies | **all in favour**
Jessica Smith thanked Andrew for his continued work as the treasurer.
## **Safeguarding report** | _p. 29 of the APCM reports_
There were no questions, and Jessica Smith thanked Ruth Wright for her work as parish safeguarding olicer.
## **Other written reports**
Jessica Smith thanked everyone for providing written reports as necessary as well as for the work underlying them to which the reports testify.
Rebecca Day is stepping down from her position as Living Well’s Operations Manager; Jessica thanked Rebecca for her work.
Gareth Hall, CAP centre manager, noted Lin Skinner planned to step down as debt coach, and thanked Lin for her work. Gareth also thanked Jessica, Ray Shergill, other volunteers, and various local churches for their support of CAP during the year.
The APCM accepted the written reports.
## **Proposed:** Richard Thomson | **Seconded:** Hazel Willson | **all in favour**
## **Vicar’s report**
Taking her lead from Isaiah 43, Jessica focused on growth and the new things God is doing at HTSJ. Among these are an emphasis on prayer during Thy Kingdom Come (9–19 May 2024); the appointment (hopefully!) of a family worker in the autumn; a confirmation service at the St John site planned for 22 September 2024; Ray Shergill’s ordination as priest and Laura Polaine’s ordination as deacon (for St Peter and St Paul, Bromley), both on 28 September 2024; and the
commencement of Hazel Koungoue’s ordination training and Charmaine Yip’s training for Licensed Lay Ministry, both in September 2024. Jessica olered further thanks to everyone who worships and serves at HTSJ.
## **Any other business**
There was no other business, and so the APCM closed with prayer.
## _**Terry Wright, PCC Secretary**_
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## **Holy Trinity with St John’s Penge**
**Report of Financial Activity for the Year Ending 31 December 2024**
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## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge**
I report to the PCC on my examination of the accounts of the PCC for the year ending 31 December 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As members of the PCC, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”) and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006.
I report in respect of my examination of the PCC accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act and also those found in the Church Guidance, 2017 edition.
## **Independent Examiner’s Statement**
connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept respect of the charity as required by section 63 of the Act;
2. the accounts do not accord with those records; and
3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a “true and fair” view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Yours faithfully
T. J. Catherall 77 Merlin Grove Beckenham BR3 3HS 07/03/2025
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## **For the period ended 31 December 2024**
been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs and with the Regulations’ ‘true and fair view provisions’. They have also been prepared under FRS 102 (2016) as the applicable accounting standards and the 2016 version of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP(FRS102)). As Holy Trinity merged with St John’s Penge on 1 September 2021 to form a new benefice, the accounts represent a merging of the two churches.
In utilities, the mast use is netted against costs – the mast company spent and reimbursed £32,535 in utilities payments in 2024.
responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main aliliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of Church members.
##
of ‘charity’ by s.10(2)(a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not capitalised in the
## **Moveable church furnishings**
These are capitalised at cost and depreciated over their useful economic life other than where insulicient cost information is available or individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £2,500 or less, which are written ol when the asset is acquired. The item is not capitalised, but all items are in the Church’s inventory.
##
No depreciation is provided on buildings as the currently estimated residual value of the properties is not less than their carrying value and the remaining useful life of these assets currently exceeds 50 years, so that any depreciation charges would be immaterial.
## **Investments**
Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange or whose value derives from them are valued at market value at year end. Other investment assets are included at PCC’s best estimate of market value.
## **Loans**
Following the merger of the two parishes the loan with the Diocese of Rochester was written ol through a grant from the Trust for London Fund within the gift of the Archdeacon.
## **Short Term Deposits**
These are cash held on deposit with a bank, credit union or (for the Church Repair Fund) with the Diocese.
## **Unrestricted funds**
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These represent the remaining income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC, including amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project.
## **Restricted funds**
These are income funds 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 maintained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of any income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Full details of all their restrictions are shown below.
## **Diocesan building fund**
On a monthly basis we put aside £180 for the Holy Trinity site and £10 for the St John’s site with the diocesan building fund. This designates money towards repairs of the respective buildings, as is intended to provide funds to respond to concerns raised by quinquennial surveys. The dilerent amounts reflect historically dilerent approaches to these funds from the respective PCCs, and we will need to agree a collective policy. At present there is £18,356 in the Holy Trinity site account and £2,486 in the St John’s site account with the diocese.
## **Sta_ costs**
**2024** Wages, Salaries & Pension £32,266 costs Average no. of employees 4
During the period the PCC employed a part time administrator and a part time cleaner. No payments were large enough to attract social security costs. These employees equate to less than one full time employee.
The PCC also employed two people to run the CAP centre.
## **Analysis of transfers between accounts**
||Unrestricted|Endowment|Total||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|CBI Investment Fund income|£942|(£942)||0|
|**Summary of restricted funds**|||||
|St John’s building|£15,552||||
|Youth Worker|£19,887||||
|CAP|£43,672||||
|**Total**|**£79,111**||||
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## **Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge Statement of Financial Activity**
||**for the Year**|**Ending 31 December 2024**|**Ending 31 December 2024**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Income Resources**|**Unrestricted**|
**Restricte**|**Endowmen**|**Total**|**Total**|
|||**d**|**t**|**2024**|**2023**|
|Voluntary income|£174,640|£1,056||£175,696|£89,718|
|Investment income|£3,237|£282|£942|£4,461|£2,731|
|Church Activities|£66,176|||£66,176|£67,987|
|Other resources||£16,869||£16,869|£36,339|
|**Total**|£244,053|£18,207|£942|£263,202|£196,77|
||||||5|
|**Resources Expended**||||||
|Missionary Giving|£6,520|||£6,520|£6,804|
|Church Activities||||£183,161|£157,33|
||£182,105|£1,056|||4|
|Parochial Organisations||£23,105||£23,105|£27,066|
|**Total**|£188,625|£24,161||£212,786|£191,20|
||||||4|
|Transfers|£942||-£942|£0||
|**Net income/outgoings **|£56,370|-£5,954|£0|£50,416|£5,571|
|Gain on investment|||£778|£778|£2,921|
|**Total funds**||||||
|**01/01/2024**|£127,577|£85,065|£33,975|£246,617|£238,12|
||||||3|
|**31/12/2024**|£183,947|£79,111|£34,753|£297,811|£246,61|
||||||7|
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||**Holy Trinity with**|**St John’s, Penge**|**St John’s, Penge**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Statement of Financial Activity**|||||
|**Income for the Year Ending 31 December 2024**||||||
||**Unrestricted**|
**Restricted**|**Endowment**|**Total**|**Total**|
|||||**2024**|**2023**|
|**Voluntary Income**||||||
|Planned Giving Gift Aid|£72,869|£0||£72,869|£63,463|
|Income Tax Recovered|£17,103|£0||£17,103|£13,385|
|Building project|£0|£0||£0|£0|
|Other Planned Giving|£4,297|£0||£4,297|£6,647|
|Plate Giving|£1,619|£0||£1,619|£1,856|
|Donations|£16,434|£0||£16,434|£885|
|CAP 2022|£0|£0||£0|£2,912|
|Other (restricted)|£0|£1,056||£1,056|£570|
|Legacies andgrants|£62,318|£0||£62,318|£0|
|**Total**|**£174,640**|**£1,056**|**£0**|**£175,696**|**£89,718**|
|**Activities generating funds**||||||
|**Interest and Dividends**|£3,237|£282|£942|£4,461|£1,803|
|**Income from Church Activities**||||||
|Hall Lettings|£37,870|£0||£36,352|£36,352|
|Weddings and Funerals|-£910|£0||£637|£637|
|Little Fish|£11,166|£0||£11,948|£11,948|
|Mast|£18,050|£0||£19,050|£19,050|
|**Total**|**£66,176**|**£0**|**£0**|**£66,176**|**£67,987**|
|**Parochial Organisations**||||||
|CAP Project|£0|£16,869||£16,869|£36,339|
|**TOTAL**|**£244,053**|**£18,207**|**£942.00**|**£263,202**|**£196,775**|
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||**Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge**|**Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Statement of Financial Activity**||||
|**Resources**|**Expended for the Year Ending 31 December 2024**||||
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total 2024**|**Total 2023**|
|Missionary giving|£6,520||£6,520|£6,804|
|Admin|£180||£180|£219|
|Building project|£0||£0|£2,386|
|Building maintenance|£22,803||£22,803|£17,027|
|Catering|£479||£479|£209|
|Children and youth|£614||£614|£1,372|
|Cleaning|£1,828||£1,828|£2,522|
|Diocesan Share|£75,448||£75,448|£73,246|
|Discretionary fund|£620||£620|£57|
|Evangelism|£0||£0|£238|
|Insurance|£13,056||£13,056|£11,804|
|IT, sound and vision|£0||£0|£758|
|Minister's expenditure|£916||£916|£99|
|Other (restricted)|£0|£1,056|£110|£110|
|Printing and publicity|£7,042||£7,042|£1,827|
|Safeguarding|£76||£76|£38|
|Salaries and pension|£15,930||£15,930|£15,685|
|Sundry|£0||£0|£664|
|Training|£31.00||£31.00|£90|
|Utilities|£40,178||£40,178|£25,993|
|Vicarage|£2,370||£2,370|£1,189|
|**Total**|**£188,625**|**£1,056**|**£189,681**|**£164,138**|
|**Parochial Organisation**|||||
|CAP Project|£0|£23,105|£23,105|£27,066|
|Investment transfers|||£942|£928|
|**Total**|**£188,625**|**£24,161**|**£213,728**|**£192,132**|
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**Holy Trinity with St John, Penge Statement of Financial Activity Balance Sheet at 31 December 2024**
||**2024**|**2023**|
|---|---|---|
|**Fixed Assets**|||
|Investment|£34,753|£33,975|
|**Total Fixed**|||
|**Assets**|||
|Short Term|£82,451|£67,932|
|Deposit|||
|Cash in Bank|£180,607|£144,708|
|**Total Assets**|**£297,811**|**£246,615**|
|**Funds**|||
|Fixed Assets|34,753|£33,975|
|Restricted Funds|£79,111|£85,065|
|Unrestricted|£183,947|£127,575|
|Funds|||
|**Total**|**£297,811**|**£246,615**|
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**St John the Evangelist Penge Statement of Financial Activity CAP Centre Accounts at 31 December 2024**
||**2024**|**2023**|
|---|---|---|
|**Income**|||
|Gift Aided Income|£4,400|£2,890|
|Non-Gift Aided Income|£0|£240|
|Gift Aid Reclaim|£800|£3,247|
|Other|£11,669|£29,962|
|**Total**|**£16,869**|**£36,339**|
|**Expenditure**|||
|Salary, Admin and|£19,336|£23,330|
|Pension|||
|CAP Central|£3,600|£3,400|
|Admin (Office)|£60|£60|
|Expenses|£109|£276|
|Client Blessing|£0|£0|
|**Total**|**£23,105**|**£27,066**|
|**Balance Sheet**|||
|1 Jan 2022|£49,908|£40,635|
|Net Income/Outgoing|-£6,236|£9,273|
|**31 December 2023**|**£43,672**|**£49,908**|
_**Andrew Gri?iths, PCC Treasurer**_
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## **1.6 Churchwardens’ Report**
get on with. It is good to have two Church Wardens again as we can share the load.
We would like to give enormous thanks to Ian Baldwin for all that he did during his time as solo Church Warden and Steve Miller who helped with so many building and technology issues during his time with us.
The introduction of the Service Coordinator role last year has greatly helped in the smooth running of our services and we thank the team who have taken on this duty. Plus those who have helped with ad hoc tasks through the year, including the erection of our lovely new signs at the St Johns site. We’re determined to erect new signs at the Holy Trinity site as well, even though Bromley Council have for the second time refused us planning permission for them.
For the church this has been another year of growth and we welcome all of you who are new members to the family of Holy Trinity with St John’s. It has been wonderful to see God working in all that we have done.
## _**Richard Thomson & Beccy Short, Churchwardens**_
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## **1.7 PCC Secretary’s Report**
The inclusion of a statement from the PCC Secretary in the APCM report summarising the thoughts, words, and deeds of the PCC during the past year is a requirement, perhaps merely a tradition, that ostensibly is meaningless. After all, should anyone from HTSJ wish to learn more about the PCC’s activities, the proceedings from any of its six meetings[1] held during 2024 are available free of charge from the PCC Secretary, who is me. But minutes are seldom exciting – no, it’s true – minutes are seldom exciting (unless they’re, say, the minutes of the August Society for Stroking Kittens and Bunnies, or the Chartered Institute of Lamppost Snilers), and so my reasoning is that the PCC Secretary’s report functions as a desired, even necessary, summary of the PCC’s deliberative orchestrations (or orchestrated deliberations) to spare HTSJ members the task of reading full sets of minutes.
So what did the PCC do in 2024? Aside from overseeing the usual matters of safeguarding, building maintenance, and financial management, all of which necessarily take up much of its time (and did; see the aforementioned six sets of minutes for details), brave and noble PCC members continued to refine HTSJ’s Mission Action Plan. Lest ye forget, allow me to remind you of the plan’s three priorities:
- to grow (in depth of relationships as well as in number) as an outward-looking intergenerational community of faith;
- and leadership; and
- to build on the tradition of both legacy churches in serving the local community; to grow as a church for our community which reflects that community.
In many of its meetings, as well as its away day in June (held in Beckenham rather than Ibiza or the Cayman Islands or Skegness; the budget wouldn’t stretch), the PCC considered how these priorities continue to shape HTSJ’s Worship, Welcome, Witness framework. At its away day, the PCC also reflected on the Church of England’s _Living in Love and Faith_ programme, though, in light of the ongoing (shall we say) uncertainty regarding its legacy, such reflection remains little more than that. The PCC has also considered generosity – not just financial generosity, of course, but generosity more broadly in terms of using skills and gifts and giving time, all of which flesh out the #WorshipWelcomeWitness goals and HTSJ’s mission priorities. Otherwise, the PCC authorised Pines & Needles to set up its well-received Christmas tree store during the Advent season, and continued to contemplate the possibility of allowing baptised children and young people to receive Holy Communion.
All good things must come to an end; so, too, must this report, so I’ll say no more. Actually, let me say a _little_ more. If this report functions as an adequate summary of the PCC’s work in 2024 covered nowhere else in this volume, then I have successfully spared you no small amount of fine detail; and you might be grateful for that. However, if you _do_ eagerly desire the greater gifts that are the fine details, then by all means email me – pccsecretary@htsj-penge.church – for the minutes. And if you still don’t want to read these despite my unrefined, yet almost certainly persuasive, sales patter but nonetheless sense you have a burning desire to know more about what the PCC is and does, please do ask Jessica or me or any of its members. The PCC’s work is not always glamorous, but it’s certainly not meaningless.
## **Terry Wright, PCC Secretary**
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## **1.8 Fabric Report**
Our buildings continue to be a challenge as well a joy. Both buildings are getting older and as we use them so much throughout the week it is a never-ending task to keep track of the wear and tear issues.
At the Holy Trinity site we have carried out the following:-
- The Pre-School roof has been patched as a small gap had appeared.
- The boilers have been serviced and checked.
- New external motion sensitive lights have been installed to give better lighting over the doors and entrances.
- The Diocese installed new monitor sensitive lighting on the far side of the car park which helps with entering and exiting the vicarage.
- There has been some major clearing out and sorting around the building, both by the church and the Living Well team including at least two skips of rubbish which has been taken away.
- Living Well repositioned a container and moved the girale bus to free up space in the car park.
- All the line markings have been redone in the car park area with a clear sign by the vicarage gate.
- One of the ovens in the main kitchen has been condemned and work is now going on to get and install a new oven and bring piping, vents and power supplies up to new regulatory standards. As the main users of the kitchen Living Well are funding this work.
At the St John’s site we have carried out the following:-
- We have a new photocopier/printer installed in the olice. It is linked up to computer so you can print from there as well.
- There have been new, brighter lights installed in the hall. Thank you to Ian for his initial work in the planning of this.
- sorting the light in the corridor and the ladies toilet cubicle.
- We held a work day to sort and clear the West Tower and clean some areas that don’t get much attention.
- The boilers have been serviced and checked.
- Pines & Needles successfully ran their Christmas Tree store in our front garden. We made some new friends and enjoyed seeing the lights in the dark nights before Christmas.
- We had a major power outage in December, but UK Power were able to keep us going and sorted out the cabling issues.
We have managed to get permission and erect our new signs at the SJ site, but have been refused Council permission a second time for the signs at our HT site. We are not accepting this decision and are taking steps to challenge it. Thank you to the team of Mick Vance and Keith McMillan for helping to erect the SJ site signs.
We thank Ian Baldwin for all his work as the previous Church Warden and his continued help and advice over the last year. We thank Pete Carter for his help and advice at the HT site with his knowledge of the building. And finally we thank Julia Jones in the olice who continues to field emails and phone calls as well as meeting engineers and work men especially at the HT site.
_**Richard Thomson & Beccy Short, Churchwardens**_
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## **1.9 Deanery Synod Report**
There have been 3 meetings during the last year:
**Feb 20[th] 2024 – at SJP** (5 clergy/11 laity). This included a presentation by Anna Khan, CEO of Welcare, a Christian family support charity, providing practical and emotional support to enable families under stress to thrive – with a particular emphasis on partnering with schools concerning post-covid mental health problems.
Also Helen Randall spoke of the ‘Bereavement Journey’ course at present being run in conjunction with Matthew’s cafe at Christ Church Beckenham.
**July 9[th] 2024 – at Christ Church, Anerley** (3 clergy/13 laity). Following extended worship, and as Claire Boxall, the Bishop’s ‘Called Together’ manager, was unable to attend – Father Jeremy (Area Dean) introduced the new Diocesan Strategy, ‘Change, Serve and Grow’, in which churches are encouraged to grow younger and more diverse, with a mission to seek God’s kingdom and share His love. In an increasingly secular society, Christians are a ‘Bible’ for many people, and practical faith is important.
Liam Conlon the newly-elected MP, a Christian, had expressed a wish to meet more people in the Deanery.
**October 3[rd] 2024 – at St George’s Beckenham** (6 clergy/12 laity). 2 new clergy were welcomed:Rachel Winn (St Paul’s), and Father Russell Stagg (St James/ St Michael and St Augustine). Also a curate, Mark, at C C Anerley. And Ray Shergill was congratulated on ordination to the priesthood. There was a presentation by Fr Jeremy Blunden (Area Dean) on Diversity and Inclusion – with reference to St George’s, Beckenham. This included work with children; a dementia audit; attention to Black History Month; listening to those on the margins, and treasuring each person. Every monument in St George’s had been investigated, and a statement acknowledging damage done in the past through links to slavery has been issued.
MP.
## _**Hazel Willson & Ruth Wright, Deanery Synod Representatives**_
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## **1.10 Safeguarding**
2024 was a fairly busy year for safeguarding at HTSJ. The care, vigilance and support of many people remained invaluable to try and ensure that people are safe in our church. Safeguarding is an individual and collective outworking of Jesus’s love for all others. This feeds into the HTSJ vision statements regarding welcome and witness. By its nature, some actions are unseen, but in 2024 the PCC particularly discussed ways to raise the profile of safeguarding in our church. The ongoing rounds of DBS checks and safeguarding courses continued throughout the year. We are thankful that those working with children, vulnerable adults, the PCC and those working in CAP, have particularly taken these tasks and the role of safeguarding seriously.
During the year the PCC were informed of several national, diocesan and local matters, as well as took part in discussions to enhance understanding and local practice. Details about issues raised at each meeting are as follows:
## **March:**
Ruth had attended the annual safeguarding conference held by the Dioceses of Rochester and Canterbury in January. The topics were support regarding stalking and obsessive behaviour, the sexual assault referral service and national safeguarding standards. Ruth provided feedback from the conference in the PCC meeting.
The new national standards were published in 2023, following various consultations and work from 2020, which included an independent audit. There are 5 standards and 54 indicators about what ‘good’ looks like in each parish. It is not a code, rather guidance for parishes and be reviewed regularly by the PCC. More details can be found on:
https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/national-safeguarding-standards
## **May:**
Following the APCM, the PCC formally agreed that it ‘is committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies and good practice guidance. [and] … adopt the House of Bishops’ “Promoting a Safer Church; safeguarding policy statement”’
The PCC also formally agreed the varied activities that are put on by the church outside of main services, which may/do involve children and/or ‘vulnerable’ adults.
The PCC formally agreed the Parish Safeguarding Team members – Pete Carter, Sue Thomson and Ruth Wright. Sue replaced Beccy Short as a Deputy Safeguarding Olicer, and thanks were given to Beccy for her role over the previous few years.
## **July:**
The PCC began work on the safeguarding standards, starting with ‘Standard 1: Culture, Leadership and Capacity’. The PCC thought through various questions about where HTSJ was at and how it could improve. Then in groups, members discussed a case study, following a recommendation from a member who had completed the Church of England’s ‘Leadership’ course. Afterwards, members individually and anonymously answered questions on how safe they felt in HTSJ. Feedback on the tasks was helpful to identify areas of understanding and improvements to strengthen safeguarding at HTSJ.
## **October:**
The PCC were informed of the positive feedback from the previous meeting’s anonymous questionnaire and discussed it further. December:
The PCC discussed the pastoral letter from Bishop Joanne Grenfell, Lead Bishop for Safeguarding in the Church of England, regarding the Makin Report. Jessica had previously raised the letter and
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report with the congregation and advised that support was available to anyone. The PCC discussed how safeguarding could be highlighted more at HTSJ.
## **Each meeting:**
At every PCC meeting brief details were provided about whether any safeguarding referrals were made since the previous meeting. In almost all instances, it was reported that something had been referred to the Parish Safeguarding Team. Liaison with statutory agencies and Rochester Diocesan Safeguarding Team, took place as necessary.
If anyone has any questions or comments about the details above, or has suggestions to improve safeguarding at HTSJ, please contact the Safeguarding Team or Jessica.
## _**Ruth Wright, Parish Safeguarding O?icer,**_
## _**Pete Carter & Sue Thomson, Deputy Parish Safeguarding O?icers.**_
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## **Section 2**
## **Worship, Discipleship and Pastoral Care**
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## **2.1 Worship Report**
As Christians, we are called by Christ to two loves: to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 26:34-40). In our corporate worship, we seek to grow in love for God, out of which our love for our neighbours will flow. Worship is part of our DNA as Christians, and, as the first “W” of our vision statement, at the heart of all that we do.
We are blessed by the sheer numbers and diversity of people involved in leading our worship week by week, and by their gifting in dilerent ways. It takes between 20 and 30 people (out of an average adult congregation of 60-70) to prepare and lead our 10.30am service on Sundays – and more are involved in our services through the week.
and to think prayerfully through our teaching programme. In 2024, we spent time during Lent reflecting on the tough questions Jesus asked his disciples on the road to Jerusalem in Mark’s Gospel. From Pentecost through the summer months, we reflected on our witness, with a long series from Acts 1-10. Through the autumn, we considered Generosity from 2 Corinthians 8-9, and then God’s Justice, from the book of Amos. We also re-thought the way we administer Communion (twice, in the end, as numbers attending continue to grow – what a great challenge to face!)
Our smaller services too are being blessed with life and energy. At 8am, we now regularly welcome somewhere between 8-12 people (up from 3-4 two years ago), and worship on a Friday and a Saturday is growing both in numbers and in depth of commitment and relationship. It is worth noting that we regularly welcome 30-40 adults to worship week by week across the dilerent services that take place at our Holy Trinity site.
We are blessed too by the diversity of worship styles across our church. From the quiet, spoken Communion service at 8am, to the somewhat noisier informality, and the sheer joy, of the 10.30am, from the interactive, café-style of Connect or Messy Church to the traditional hymns with organ at our more reflective Communion and seasonal services, from the contemplative feel of a Wednesday afternoon, to the Wholeness and Hope service at Living Well – all have their place in helping all of us to find our space to draw near to the God who longs to draw near to us.
In September, we rejoiced in the baptisms of Ollie Mitwali and Justin Gardner, the realirmation of baptismal vows made by Valerie Smith, and in hosting the Bishop of Rochester and our sister churches in the Deanery for the confirmation of three adults and five young people. The following week, a number of us headed to Rochester where we celebrated Laura Polaine’s ordination as deacon and our curate, Ray’s ordination as priest. The community of Penge invited us to be part of the Remembrance Day service, and we welcomed back more people than ever to colee afterwards. We were also asked to host both a memorial service on behalf of our local funeral directors, , and the Community nativity, and we attended Carols in the Park at Alexandra Rec. It is a huge privilege to be invited by the community to be part of community celebrations, and to see them wanting to bring God into their seasonal traditions.
None of this happens without huge commitment from you, the Body of Christ. I would like to thank everybody who gives of their time and energy so freely week by week, and, especially, to thank the Worship & Preaching team for their dedication, wisdom and practical and moral support! Do speak to any of us if you want to talk about any aspect of worship, or if you sense God is calling you to participate in some way.
_**Jessica Smith**_
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## **2.2 Music in worship**
Music remains a big part of HTSJ’s identity, and it has been a joy to see how the music in worship has evolved over the last year. The biggest change was Steve and Sue Miller moving to the south coast and the transition from their wonderful leadership – we thank them for their many years of inspirational leadership of music and worship.
We have welcomed Mike as a leader, and we have enjoyed setting up new leadership structure, having planning meetings, and organising jam sessions to learn new material.
Many thanks also to Colin for his years of dedicated service.
We also welcome anyone who want to use their instrumental or vocal gifts and skills in God’s service. Please speak to one of the worship group leaders in the first instance.
Our music remains focused on the need to lead others in worship of God, and in a coherent whole within the flow of the service. God is faithful and good, and we know he has led our small group through some big changes and into a new and exciting place.
## _**Andrew Gri?iths & Hazel Willson**_
## **2.3 Prayer Meeting**
If worship is the lifeblood of Christ’s church (see 2.1 above!), then prayer is the lifeblood of our worship. We gather to pray on the first Monday of every month, from 8-9 pm, usually (but not always) at our Holy Trinity site.
These prayer meetings are not just for an elite group of the weird and wonderful – they are for everybody. Possibly even for you! The exact structure and contents vary according to the season, what is going on and the person leading, but the hour may include sung worship, Bible readings, silence, open prayer, more creative prayer stations, and liturgy. We pray for the needs of individuals, the church, the community and the wider world.
Our Prayer meetings in 2024 included, for example, a special journey through prayer stations for Thy Kingdom Come between Ascension and Pentecost, an evening of prayer for families during the National Month of Prayer for Toddler Groups, and a vigil for the victims of the Southport attacks and the subsequent riots in August.
Do feel invited to come on a Monday evening and “taste and see” what the prayer meeting is like. You will be warmly welcomed, and there is no pressure to pray out loud or to join in anything that you are uncomfortable with.
We also have a WhatsApp group for sharing prayer requests, which helps us to pray for one another. If you would like to be added to this group, please speak to Ian Baldwin, Sue Thomson or Jessica Smith.
Finally, a huge thank you to all who pray, whether on a Monday evening, through a WhatsApp group, or in your own unique way, for the work and ministry of HTSJ and for those within it for whom you have particular concern.
_**Jessica Smith**_
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## **2.5 Living well Pastoral team**
2024 saw the formation of a pastoral team at Living well, coordinated by Ray our curate. There are 8 regular members of the team. This has enabled the prayer ministry to expand, olering regular prayer on Tuesdays and Saturdays, as well as the long-established Friday prayers. The pastoral care team provides a strong link between the church and living well. At the moment all members of the team regularly worship at Holy Trinity with St Johns.
## **Tuesdays**
Living well on Tuesday afternoons is a very busy place. Guests queuing for food from the food bank or waiting for sandwiches tea colee and cake. My role is to Listen to guests and pray with them. Sounds easy doesn’t it! Not so. It’s about getting people’s trust. Knowing it is a safe place to Bare all. I have learnt a lot since I first started coming to living well. Fiona has a craft table where guests can relax and unwind and engage in a craft they haven’t tried before! Or rekindle their drawing skill. I have met many people at Living Well and heard their Story some sad some in a hope less situation! These are people that Jesus loves, and he brings them knowing that the Volunteers that is all of us are his Hands and feet. Living Well is a family to all of us, and we all need family whatever age we are.
## _**Gill Owens**_
## **Friday Prayer**
On Fridays we continue to see between 8 and 16 people welcomed to the group. We begin at 2.15pm after the living well meal and finish at approximately 3.15pm. We begin with sung worship and end with sung worship. During the session we look at a bible passage, have a short reflection and discussion and then go into a time of prayer. The session is very interactive with all the guests participating in readings, prayer and discussions. We have seen several guests starting to attend church regularly and really grow in confidence. There is a real strong community feel and mutual respect and support from both guests and volunteers.
On the last Friday of the month the service follows a dilerent pattern, as we host the Wholeness and Hope service. This gives people the opportunity for individuals to pray with prayer couplets.
In 2025 we hope to oler a discipleship style course to guests, we are looking at the Hope Explored course.
It is a real privilege to be a part of this great team and to walk with the guests on their and our spiritual journeys.
## _**Sue Thomson**_
## **Saturdays**
Jesus full of compassion, served the poor, the outcast, and those in need. I share his heart for those in need in my community and surrounding areas who are struggling.
Living well Saturday morning service was established 9th March 2024 by our curator Ray and me. It is a place where the love of Christ is seen in his people and the blessings he bestows upon them.
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Living well opens its door to guests at 10:30am, olering food from the food bank and light refreshments. As a volunteer, my role is to welcome every guest with an open heart, listen to them, and gently invite them to prayer.
The Prayer session began with just three attendees, but we have been blessed to see that number grow steadily to eight guests. We gather for our session between 11:00-11:15 am, once everyone has collected their food and had time for colee or tea. Our time together includes worship in song, reading of scripture, and reflection whether through words, silence, or music.
finish around 11:40 am. Guests are encouraged to participate by reading scripture, suggesting songs and sharing testimonies.
We have also witnessed guests getting involved in other church activities and attending Sunday morning services at both the 8:00am service at Holy Trinity and 10:30 am service at St John’s. The prayer session have helped guests build relationships and form a supportive community. It has opened doors for individuals to use their unique gifts, couple have led prayer and shared reflections and short teachings.
The pastoral ministry will continue to be a beacon of hope and healing, olering a space for all who enter to feel seen, heard, and valued, as we grow together in faith and fellowship, we trust that God will continue to guide, provide, bless this ministry drawing more hearts into his loving embrace.
## _**Kemi Ogundipe**_
## **2.5 Sound, Zoom, Tech**
We have worked hard during 2024 to establish greater consistency in sound, projection and tech across our two sites. Thanks to Steve Miller, Steve Lovell, Justin Gardner, Mick Vance and Mike Coates for your work on this.
We are learning to make better use of our OneDrive for sharing resources and enabling dilerent people to set up dilerent services for projection. Thanks go to the projection team for their flexibility and willingness to set up for one another in weeks where there are multiple services. During December, we had to construct its own itinerary for the laptop!
There are still occasional blips, sometimes caused by human error, often by matters beyond our control. We know that Zoom can be frustrating, especially the sound quality – thank you to our regular Zoom attendees for your patience, and for sticking with us.
If you would like to be involved in the tech team, please speak to Steve Lovell or to the person at the desk on any given Sunday.
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## **2.6 Home Groups**
Home Groups meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at dilerent times and in dilerent locations around the parish, including online, with around 40 adults and occasionally one or two young people taking part regularly. If you are new-ish to the church, then a Home Group is a great opportunity to get to know and grow in friendship with a group of people in a mutually encouraging and supportive environment. Each group has its own particular character but will normally involve a time of fellowship and friendship (which may or may not include cake!), a time of study and discussion, with a Bible passage and often a video, and a time of praying for one another. Many groups keep in touch during the week via WhatsApp.
During 2024, the Home Group programme included studies based around our Sunday sermon series – including a focus on Generosity and some challenging discussions on the book of Amos. We also opened up a discussion on the questions around identity and sexuality which are being posed within the national Church, through following the introductory course to Living in Love and Faith. We aim to ensure that home groups are safe places where a range of views can be listened to and expressed, and where people with dilerent perspectives can grow in understanding of one another.
Currently, home groups run at the following times and are led by the following people:
- § Tuesday evenings, led by Yvette Evans (women’s group)
- § Wednesday evenings, led by Ian Baldwin (in person)
- § Wednesday evenings, led by Russ Jones (online)
- § Thursday mornings, led by Margaret Davies / Jessica Smith (in person, Holy Trinity site)
- § Thursday afternoons, led by Sue Thomson (in person)
- § Thursday evenings, led by Kate Campion-Smith (in person and online)
out more.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
## **2.7 Lent Course**
Our Lent course in 2024 was run, as is now our custom, within our Home Groups, with the open invitation to Take Up a Home Group for Lent. We welcome those who are not normally in home groups to join in for a particular course, with no obligation to continue after Easter.
In 2024, we followed the former Archbishop of Canterbury’s Dilerence Course, aiming to think about how we engage with people whose experiences and perspectives are very dilerent from ours. We found some of the video testimonies especially provided much food for thought.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **2.8 Communications / Website**
You would perhaps be surprised that, since its launch at our APCM in 2023, there have been over 175,000 views to the home page of our website, over 7000 to our Sunday services page and, as I write, ten days before Easter, over 400 to our page for Holy Week and Easter this year. The website has become one of the principal ways with which we communicate with our community, and through which the community finds us, and through which they communicate with us. I respond to around a dozen requests per week from people who have contacted me via the website.
Steve Miller, who set up and maintained the website so faithfully and carefully, departed in August and, with him, a wealth of knowledge and expertise. I am grateful to Ollie Mitwali, Steve Lovell and Julia Jones who all help to keep the information online up to date. There is always work to be done here – if you have gifts in this area that you would like to share, we would be delighted to share the load!
John’s Site. These have been admired by visitors to the church and by passers-by alike – and have greatly enhanced our communication of who we are and what we stand for. We have been frustrated by the repeated planning refusals for the Holy Trinity site, but are working on this!
communicate many of our special services and events, and to tell the story of what goes on midweek in our buildings.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **2.9 Pastoral Care**
Pastoral care by its very nature happens and should happen in private and without fanfare. Like safeguarding, it is the responsibility of the whole church. I am so grateful for the care and concern you, as the people of God, show for one another, not just on Sunday mornings but throughout the week. A huge amount of pastoral care goes on informally before and after services both via prayer ministry and in conversation, during the week via phone calls, WhatsApp and in person, and, of course, in all our midweek activities, at Living Well, CAP, Little Fish, Open Doors, Home Groups, Knit & Natter, Community Lunch… I am also aware of how blessed I am at HTSJ with a congregation who care so generously and kindly for their clergy!
Sometimes, however, more formal pastoral care is needed. During 2024, this included visits to people at home and in hospital, taking Communion to people who were housebound, funeral visiting and, of course, the work of the new Living Well Pastoral team, described in section 2.4 above.
If you, or somebody you are concerned for, needs or would like to be visited in this way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask. People are often concerned not to be a bother, or that I and others are “too busy”. We are not! In Galatians 6, Paul commends to the Galatians the practice of “bearing one another’s burdens”. Pastoral care is an outworking of this, and of the love for one another that Christ calls us to. Something can always be moved, and time always be found for this Kingdom work.
I am grateful to everybody who shares in this work – especially to the prayer ministry team, to Ian, our Pastoral Assistant, to Janice and Hopeton for their work at Open Doors, and to the pastoral teams at Living Well. Safeguarding is vital in our pastoral work, and I also thank Ruth and the safeguarding team for the developments in that work over the year which have helped us to keep on building the safe and healthy culture that God calls us to be.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **2.10 Life Events: baptisms, weddings, funerals**
Part of our pastoral role as a Church of England parish church is that anybody living in the parish (or with an appropriate qualifying connection) has the right to have their child baptised or to be married in church, or to ask us to conduct their funeral, either in church or at the cemetery or crematorium.
During 2024, we conducted one infant baptism, at our Holy Trinity site on a Sunday afternoon in August, for Janae, daughter of Sean and Letitia Evans, supported by family, friends and the regular congregation of the afternoon Reflective Communion service. As previously referenced, we also conducted two adult baptisms and a service of renewal of baptismal vows.
Two very dilerent weddings took place in church, on July 27[th] and September 7[th] , both with full congregations and following a series of marriage preparation meetings. We read banns for four couples.
Between us, the funerals team of Janice, Ray, Hopeton and me conducted four funerals at the crematorium and four in church, including, tragically, in October, the funeral of Daejaun Campbell, a sixteen-year-old knife-crime victim, with nearly 300 people in attendance.
please do talk to me.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **Section 3**
## **Children & Young People**
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## **Sunday Morning Children’s & Youth Work**
During 2024 we are excited that God has provided us with enough leaders and helpers to split the children and youth work into 3 distinct groups allowing for the delivery of sessions to be more targeted at that age group.
## **3.1 Blast**
BLAST is our youngest organised children’s group for preschool children and those in infant school.
BLAST continues to welcome a group of between 8-15 children on a weekly basis to complete fun and engaging activities which allow these children to understand more of the love that Jesus has for them. Children are between 3-7yrs of age and some younger siblings come with their parents as well. The children meet in the main hall allowing for a diverse range of activities to take place.
We are truly blessed to have 3 amazing leaders (Fiona, Sue and Alana) who are supported by 6 helpers (Cordelia, Alison, Menuka, Gillian, Margaret and Cath) on a rotation during the month and are empowered to use their own talents in developing material for this age group. Three core teams work together to plan the sessions and deliver a fun and engaging experience for the children.
The Blast team have created a community of children who are learning together to understand more of what it means to follow Jesus and love God through the way they live their lives. The leaders use the Scripture Union material to prepare sessions. The sessions include activities such as making sheep biscuits, creating sensory experiences of bible stories, parachute games, acting out the parables of Jesus, engaging in worship through music and movement of their bodies. Playdough and creating puppets have been some firm favourites this year. The activities are dilerentiated by age group so that all of the children can access the key messages at their level. The team has been using their gifts and talents to witness to the children about what it means to them to live by faith and have a relationship with Jesus.
The team have loved getting to know some of the parents and families more from this age group and really value being able to support them in their journey of faith. Please pray for this group that the team would continue to have the energy and enthusiasm in planning the sessions and that the children would learn more of what is means to love God and love others too.
## _**Kate Campion-Smith**_
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## **3.2 Blaze**
BLAZE is the largest and fastest growing group in our children’s work at present. BLAZE caters for all primary age children, from 7yrs-11yrs. They meet in the olice downstairs and are now reaching numbers that mean it can be a bit of a squash to get everyone in! This is a growing community of faith where all are welcome and encouraged to share their interests and gifts to contribute to activities in the group. There are consistently 8-14 children coming to BLAZE each week, with a diverse range of experiences of church and faith.
We have 3 dedicated leaders (Sally, Diane and Jonno) who have put in huge amounts of time and elort to prepare sessions for this group of children. They are supported by a group of 3 other passionate helpers (Tamara, Ruth, Maargie) who kindly give up their time each month to help these children to know what it means to experience the love of Jesus. Over the past year they have had great fun in lots of dilerent activities including spaghetti towers, expressive artwork, silly games, creative talks and great discussions. The group uses the GO material from Youth For Christ, which is engaging and full of inspirational ideas which go into leading the sessions. This enables the leaders to be creative about how they engage with this group of children.
The biggest challenge in this group is the small amount of space and supporting a group with huge diversity in terms of need, experience of faith, understanding and ability to engage for a whole session. Please pray for this group of children that their understanding of faith would continue to grow and that they would learn what it means to know Jesus as their friend and saviour.
From April 2025 the BLAZE leadership will be changing slightly and we would like to say a huge thank you to Diane for all her hard work and support of children, not only over the last year, but for the many years she has helped with children’s work at HTSJ and Holy Trinity before that. You are an inspirational leader and you will be missed by both the children and team alike. Thank you also to Marggie for her support this year in BLAZE, it has been much appreciated.
We are still looking to expand the team supporting this age group so if you would like to be involved, please do get in touch with Kate and we can discuss how you can support this great team.
## _**Kate Campion-Smith**_
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## **3.3 Ignite**
Ignite is our youth group that meets in the upper olice every Sunday morning for young people of secondary school age (and beyond!). We begin all our sessions by chatting, welcoming the young people and sharing breakfast together. This enables us to find out what has been going on for the young people that week and encourage them in whatever they have been experiencing.
The Ignite team consists of Kate, Jonno, Julian and Richard, who rotate with two of them supporting this group each week. Ignite follows the Youth for Christ material Lumen, which allows the young people to engage in a diverse range of thematic ideas on faith and biblical understanding. During 2024 we have looked at real life issues of justice and poverty and what it means to respond in faith to these issues. We have also looked at creation and the fall, and how this applies to our every day lives. We finished the year thinking about God’s upside-down kingdom and how we can be a part of that too.
Every session begins with an icebreaker whether that be quizzes, Pictionary, balloon games, learning skills of making wine glasses sing or competing to see who can plank for the longest! We then have a time of discussion around a topic and a talk from the YFC video which we then use as a starting point for discussion. All ideas are welcome and we try to encourage the young people to feel this is a safe place they can ask questions and challenge anything they want to discuss.
On an average Sunday we currently welcome between 3-6 young people, with a mixture of people attending each week. There are about 14 young people on our registers. We have also had the chance to have a few social events, including a bowling night and a pizza and film evening. We would love to develop these social opportunities further in 2025, and are looking at ways to work in unison with youth from St Paul’s Church, Beckenham on this front.
The leaders have been modelling what it means to live a life following Jesus, showing by example how we can share the love of Christ with others. Please pray for these young people as they face the challenge of working out their own faith in a complex and changing world. Please pray that each of them would come to have a living relationship with Jesus that guides their decisions and paths as they journey through life.
We would always welcome more helpers to support with this age group and feel that it would be great for the young people to feel more supported by the congregation at large. If you would like to be more involved with these young people we would love to hear from you.
## _**Kate Campion-Smith**_
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## **3.3 Pizza & Games**
Pizza and Games is a 2-hour social and play session for children School Years 3 and above. It is run in the church hall of the St John’s site on the first Sunday of each month. There is no ‘Sunday School’ element to it - it is just a session for children to get together.
We tend to attract a group of around 6 - 8 children each week. There is a team of around 5 helpers. Parents and carers sometimes stay as well.
We set out games ranging from badminton to table tennis and some card and board games, crafts and other activities and the children choose what they want to play. We serve pizza and garlic bread, squash and hot chocolate.
There is always a fun and relaxed atmosphere in the hall and playing games gives a chance for adults and children to talk and get to know one another better. We hope the children not only have fun but also sense the love and value God has for them. These sessions are now well established and they are a great way for children to enjoy each other’s as well as adult company in a fun, safe and relaxed atmosphere and in doing so to enjoy being at church.
There is no formal ‘Worship’ but the adults’ commitment to these sessions and their love and care for the children is an act of worship and thanks for these amazing young lives. Certainly, HTSJ’s mission statement of ‘Welcome’ of the children into this safe and happy space and ‘Witness’ of God’s love and care for them always features strongly throughout Pizza and Games sessions.
## **Julian Providence**
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## **Section 4**
## **Growing as an Intergenerational Community of Faith**
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## **4.1 Messy Church**
Messy Church is an opportunity for all ages to come together to ask questions and learn together through a wide range of activities, games, crafts and a short time of lively worship. Messy Church is open to all in our community, young or old. We invite families from Little Fish along as well as often extending invitations to children at St John’s School. Following the success of our two Messy Church events in 2023 we held five sessions in 2024. Messy Church was held for Pancake Day, Easter, Pentecost, Harvest and Christingle. The events were very popular averaging 70 children and their families. Our most well attended session was Messy Christingle which had 180 attendees, with around 90 children. Highlights across the year have been the ever popular themed treasure hunts around the church, the quiet sensory tent with calming lights, the cooking of 150+ delicious pancakes, beautiful stain-glassed tissue paper jars, amazing junk model animals, creative prayer stations, joyful dancing and innovative accessible short talks including Jessica memorably turning dust into sparkles!
One of our regular Messy Church attendees recently commented ‘ _My children love Messy church, they are so engaged and immersed in all the activities. All the volunteers are so amazing and even when I have gone on my own with the boys there is always someone to help out. My kids love the crafts they make and they generate good conversations about the theme of the Messy Church’_
Our aim at HTSJ is to be a truly intergenerational church and Messy Church is a brilliant example of this. We have attendees aged less than a year and helpers in their 80s all coming together to celebrate and learn together. We would like to give huge thanks to the large team of volunteers who prepare activities, set up tables, lead crafts, serve refreshments and tirelessly clear up the Mess of Messy Church – we really appreciate you all!
## **Ruth Wright & Cordelia Providence**
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## **4.2 Connect**
According to one author, intergenerational worship is less a style of worship (which some of us love and some of us hate) and more a spiritual discipline. One of our church mission priorities is to grow as an intergenerational community of faith and, on that basis, we believe that it is good for us to meet together regularly across the generations and share in worship.
Connect aims to help us in this growth by enabling us to make connections across the generations. During Connect, we:
- § connect with God the Father as we worship and pray together
- § connect with Jesus, as we learn from scripture together
- § connect with the Holy Spirit as we share stories of the Spirit’s work in our lives
- § connect with one another as we spend time together
A lot of the learning and the prayer happens on our tables, in small groups, as we are involved in an activity and, during this time, an eighty-year-old may learn from an eight-year-old, and vice versa. We have been learning to worship not just with our voices but with our whole bodies – and some of the most powerful moments have been when we are singing and signing our worship together. We have been learning to pray from a simple stimulus, maybe passing an object around the table, or sharing sweets of dilerent colours. We have been learning from scripture, responding to Bible passages from Genesis to Acts with creativity. And we have been learning to recognise and to articulate God’s work in our lives, thinking through questions such as “What has brought you joy this week?”, “What has encouraged you?” together.
Connect is not for children. It’s not for adults. It’s for us, the church, the Body of Christ, to come together, to work out our faith together in the messy business of loving and sharing life together.
I’d like to thank those who regularly welcome, serve refreshments before and after the service and manage the tech, Charmaine for all her work in leading and preaching, and Sue Miller, whose careful work on logistics and organising the boxes is much missed!
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **4.3 Little Fish**
Little Fish and Little Fish Saturday are our toddler groups (play and stay) operating at the St Johns site on Monday and Wednesday and one Saturday a month during term times. We welcome around 60 families on a Monday and Wednesday and 20 to 30 families on a Saturday. That means we welcome over 100 adults and 150 children to our building each week.
We provide a safe, stimulating, varied play space for pre school children, including a dedicated baby area. There is a bible story, with biscuits and drink for the children followed by tea and colee for the adults. The session finishes with songs.
During the sessions we try to make time to chat with the adults and children, over time we get to know the families. Many families come to the various ‘Messy ‘ events throughout the year, often bringing older school age siblings, which they really enjoy. This is a real link to the community.
We require four adults in order to run the sessions safely. However we are two short on a Monday as one can only do two sessions a month and the other has had to stop due to ill health. We want to thank Helen Parker for her hard work in the sessions and the story telling and craft ideas. We pray for her healing. The Wednesday team are currently covering this shortage but it is becoming more dilicult. Therefore, we ask if there is anyone who could help in any of the following:-
- Monday from 8.30 to 11.30am to help with the session
- Monday and/or Wednesday from 10.45 to 11.45 to help clear up.
- Third Saturday from 8.30 to 11.15am to help with the session.
- Third Saturday from 10.30 to 11.30am to help clear up and set up for Connect.
Little Fish is a great example of ‘Welcome and Witness’ which are parts of the HTSJ’s vision. Those who attend appreciate the range of activities and the opportunities to meet other families. Through our conversations we have been able to support and encourage both children and the adults, whether parents, grandparent or carers. It is an opportunity to serve those across all generations.
Finally, a thank you to the team for their hard work and the fun we have.
## _**Ian Baldwin**_
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## **Open Doors**
Open Doors is a group mainly for those over 50, with a few exceptions.
We aim to give the members of the community a chance to meet socially. We have found that many older people become socially isolated; and we aim to address that issue, giving them the opportunity to socialise and use cognitive skills.
We meet most Wednesdays and begin with lunch at 1pm followed by a choice of activities: Boccia, Games (the most popular game is Rummikub), Art and Craft or a chance to sit and chat. The group proudly produced an Easter banner, which was used for the Easter celebration.
During the afternoon tea, colee and cakes are on oler. We average 22 people each week. A big thank you to those who cook the meals, especially Peter and Carol, Ben, Mark and Julia. We do need more people to cook; if you would like to help in any way, please contact Janice. Also thank you to those who host etc. and to Sue and Sally who provide the Art and Craft activities.
## **Janice Bessant**
## **Holiday@Home**
Holiday@Home is intended for those who are isolated at home, especially during a time when family members go on holiday and leave the older family members at home. So it is an adult holiday club which meet for two sessions. The first, Winter Holiday at Home, met from 21[st] to 23[rd] February, and during that time we olered Silk Painting cards, Watercolour Painting and Textile Crafts along with the usual Boccia and Giant Team Scrabble
The Summer Holiday at Home was from 5th to 8th August. The club was well attended, and people came from a varied number of groups. It gave everyone a chance to get to know each other; and there was a good mix of church members, members of the community and members of Open Doors etc.
There were a number of activities on oler, including Watercolour Painting, Découpage, Fabric Origami, Silk Painting cards in addition to the Carpentry project, which was to build a potting bench for the garden.
Boccia or Table Tennis, Singing and Giant Team Scrabble were also on oler.
A big thanks to all who came and helped, (the list would be too long; so if you helped, THANK YOU). We finished on the Wednesday with a Drumming Workshop led by Kay from Joo Doo Drums.
## **Janice Bessant**
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## **4.6 Knit & Natter**
are a social, supportive and crafty group. It is a very relaxed atmosphere as we sit around together. People are welcome to just pop in briefly or join us for the morning. We enjoy eating cakes and/or biscuits with lots of tea and colee.
Our numbers have stayed with between 7-15 people each month, but we have had a few people popping to visiting after seeing the posters outside.
We are happy to be part of the large team of knitters supporting Betty by knitting lots of squares for her to make into blankets for sending to the Ukraine. She has just completed her 40[th] blanket.
We always have a jigsaw on the go and regularly help Jessica with some of the prep for Connect Services and her visits with local schools.
But mainly we enjoying being together, chatting and sharing art and craft ideas.
Please do join us if you are able, we would love to see you.
## _**Beccy Short**_
## **4.7 Mens’ Group**
A men’s group, formed by Ray, our curate, met several times during 2024, for various sporting activities, and for a Christmas meal.
This has enabled men in the congregation who might not otherwise get to know one another to build relationships across generations, and to enjoy spending time together.
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## **Section 5**
# **Building on our Traditions of Service in the Local Community**
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## **5.1 Living Well**
## **Living Well Bromley - 2024 Summary**
2024 was a busy and very productive year for Living Well. Despite high levels of demand, we kept all of our services running and made a real difference to the lives of a huge number of people. We were able to work with more partners than ever before to provide additional free services and expand our unique approach to supporting the “whole person”.
In 2024 we provided the following:
- 11,543 free hot meals
- 10,571 food parcels for adults
- 5,976 food parcels for children
- 607 foodbank home deliveries
- 875 advice sessions
- 629 counselling hours
- 234 free cafe sessions
- 18 clothes bank sessions
- 40 art cafe sessions
- Weekly Blend Choir meetings
- Prayer sessions
- Laundry and shower facilities
- Pastoral care support
We also worked with a number of partners to provide our guests with the following:
- Free eye tests and glasses
- Blood pressure checks
- Energy advice
- Health team appointments
- Free hair cuts
We did all of this thanks to our army of amazing volunteers who spent **24,500 hours volunteering**
Due to increased demand and decreased food donations, **we spent £77,916 on food.**
We are extremely grateful to all the churches, schools, local businesses and individuals who supported us throughout the year.
## _**Kate Lott, CEO Living Well**_
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## **5.2 Blend Choir**
The choir met in Holy Trinity on Thursday evenings throughout the year, for sociable refreshments from 6:30 then singing from 7:00 until 8:00.
We had the pleasure of performing at Penge Congregational Church as part of the Open Penge music festival in April, and on two occasions in July and December we made guest appearances at Living Well fundraiser concerts by Sydenham choir Hidden Voices.
We sang at Holy Trinity services on Good Friday and Remembrance Sunday, and in the Carol Service at St John’s we sang “Cloth for the Cradle”, a carol from the Iona Community.
Numbers held steady and average weekly Thursday attendance in the last three months of the year was 14 people. Typically, they would be a mix of guests and volunteers from Living Well and Open Doors, and worshippers from this church and other local churches.
I am responsible for choosing songs which I hope are alirmative, but the credit for teaching us how to sing them with meaning and energy must go to our regular piano accompanist Liz Hills; we are truly grateful for her musicality, resilience and good humour. Sincere thanks are also due to our occasional pianists Jessica Smith, Paul Grimwood, Hazel Willson and Anna Wetherell.
We have a wonderful team who provide us on arrival with tea and colee, cake and biscuits, all served with a smile at the table, and when we finish wash up. Big thanks to Liz Spencer, Diane Banks, Val Carrier, and Trevor Carrier. Also, to Sue Thomson for signature home-baked star biscuits and banana bread.
The choir originated from Living Well Friday activities, and we most gratefully acknowledge Living Well’s ongoing support which allows us to operate with no charge to participants.
We are open to all, so if you want to try us out one Thursday evening, please come to Holy Trinity Church at 6:30 pm and you will be warmly welcomed!
## _**Richard Thomson**_
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## **5.3 CAP**
## **Debt help service**
In 2024 our debt help service remained heavily in demand. CAP’s head olice recognises that our mission is to serve primarily clients who have acute financial need and other complex needs, and our clients’ profile at our centre reflects this focus. Most clients pursue an insolvency solution rather than managed debt repayment.
We have seen some clients go debt free. Our head olice is now advising a number of clients to regularise their finances before they deal with their debts, and clients are following this advice. By changing their spending patterns before they go debt free, clients improve their chance of living sustainably for the longer term. Other clients are grateful to receive our advice and then deal with their debts independently.
We have helped clients to buy essential items through Acts 435.
We frequently signpost clients to other support agencies and/ or liaise with those agencies. These include Living Well advocacy service, CAB for immigration advice or on contentious issues, and housing and care services. During 2024 we started spending a morning per term at Bromley Foodbank where we talk to their clients and, where appropriate, sign them up to CAP or signpost them to other agencies.
We had a lunchtime social for clients before Easter, and a dinner for clients before Christmas. The events were well attended and convivial and spontaneous. One client shared some lines of their own poetry.
## **Money course**
We ran CAP’s new format of money course in February and again in November. Our participants included some debt clients. The participants appear to have found the course a very useful guide to budgeting and managing their money, and some have stayed in touch. We are very grateful to Lin Skinner for helping to lead the courses, and to our volunteers who helped to host them.
## **Vision of Holy Trinity with St Johns: welcome, worship, witness**
**Welcome:** friendly, secure and professional environment. We see clients at our olice or, increasingly, in their home. We oler food bank to all clients, and we run social events for them.
**Worship:** The team opens each day reading God’s word and praying and we join regular cluster meetings and London wide meetings with the wider CAP family. We oler prayer to all clients. Most are happy to receive prayer, whether or not they have a faith. We issue monthly prayer letters to our partner churches and supporters, and their prayers sustain our work.
**Witness** : We aim to show God’s love to our clients by providing the CAP service and addressing their needs. We share our faith with clients where we have an opportunity to do so.
## **Our team**
The year saw some changes in our team. Lin Skinner took a sabbatical and then stepped back from work as a debt coach, for family reasons. We are very grateful for all her expertise and tireless help throughout the 5 years she served in this role. And we are delighted that she has stayed with us as a volunteer and continues to help lead our money coaching courses.
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We are delighted that Tabitha Foot has joined our team as a debt coach. She did her main training in November and started providing front line advice to clients in December. She is making a valuable contribution to our service.
For much of 2024 I was the only debt coach in our centre, and worked extra hard to maintain the service. It is great to be back at full strength.
Our wonderful volunteers Lin, Sally Jones, Gail Gee, Sarah Murrell and Paul Breakspear provided invaluable support in many ways to the debt coaches. Russ Jones and Andrew Griliths have helped us to manage the centre’s finances. Thanks to you all, and everyone else who has supported our centre.
## **Supporting churches**
Finally I would like to thank everyone in Holy Trinity with St. John’s Penge, Christ Church Beckenham, St John’s Eden Park, St Paul’s Brackley Road, Grace Church Beckenham, and Neighbourhood Church Beckenham and our many individual donors and supporters, for their support through prayer, food bank donations, provision of gifts for client events and financial giving. Our centre is financially reliant on the funding we raise. May God bless every one of you.
## _**Gareth Hall, Centre Manager**_
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## **5.4 Lunch Club**
Lunch Club continued to meet on Thursdays, 11.30am-1pm at our St John’s Site, throughout 2024.
Events included:
Laughter Yoga Workshop Free Haircuts for our Members Craft Workshop inc. Card making, Easter bonnets, Christmas wreaths. Tai-Chi Workshop Musical Exercise Session Talk on how animals were used in the war Cake Appreciation Society Barbershop Singers Visit from a Pearly King Annual Visit to Heart of Penge Cafe Talk regarding current scams Mayor of Bromley Visit Carefree choir singers Paul Betts singing Christmas party.
New sponsors:
Antonella's Mega Saver Three Gents Catering Bethlem Hospital Restaurant SoulTown Festival
Upcoming Events:
VE Day Celebration D-Day Celebration- Liam Conlon to attend Day trip by coach to Eastbourne Heart of Penge visit Drumming Workshop Pantomime trip to Catford Theatre Private sponser who is funding our coach trip and theatre trip
We have been nominated for a King's award and are awaiting the outcome. We feel privileged to be nominated.
We have a new Instagram page- please follow us @lunch_club_penge
We would love to thank Holy Trinity with St John’s for all their support and giving The Lunch Club a home.
## _**Karen Britton, Lunch Club Organiser**_
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## **5.6 Outdoor Spaces**
Sue Smith and a small team of faithful volunteers work hard to maintain the Community Garden at our Holy Trinity site as a welcoming space where people can sit and enjoy the beauty and peace of nature. Thanks also to Mark and to Peter who work hard to keep the grass cut and the grounds looking tidy, and to Eddie who faithfully maintains the sacred garden.
Thanks too to the people who turn out on a Saturday for working parties to manage the outside space at the St John’s Site.
It’s fair to say that, on both sites, there is a need for people to get involved and to help not just keep nature under control but to enhance the beauty of and create a welcoming feel around our buildings. If you enjoy gardening or are able to give just an hour or so every so often to maintenance or improvement work, or if you would like to build a team to make this happen, please do speak to Jessica or to a churchwarden.
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## **5.7 Schools**
2024 was another busy year in terms of school visits, both us going into schools and schools coming to us.
## **St John’s Primary**
We maintain a very close link with St John’s Primary. During 2024, either Ray or I went in to take collective worship on a Tuesday morning most weeks during termtime. We also hosted the whole school for four special services – Easter, the July Leavers’ Service, Harvest and Christmas.
Each class from the school came to St John’s for a visit to enhance their learning in RE. Year 6 looked at the Sermon on the Mount, engaging in lively conversation around some of Jesus’ most challenging teachings and spending time reflecting quietly on the Beatitudes. Year 5 took part in activities around God’s call to justice. Year 4 reflected on three images of Church in the New Testament – as a spiritual house, as the body of Christ and as a feast of bread and wine. Year 3 explored the Lord’s prayer through six interactive stations. Years 1 and 2 looked in some depth at the Easter story, and Reception thought about the risen Jesus appearing to the disciples on Lake Galilee in John 20 and did a range of fishy activities.
I also went into school regularly as part of my role as a member of the Aquinas Advisory Committee. In October, following the retirement of the previous Chair, I took over as Chair of this group.
## **Other Schools in the Parish**
We also maintained good relationships with other schools in the parish during 2024:
- § We visited **Alexandra Infants School** for Easter, Harvest and Christmas assemblies, and welcomed Year 1 for a visit to our Holy Trinity site, where they explored the parable of the Lost Sheep.
- § We visited **Alexandra Junior School** for their Harvest Assembly and welcomed Year 5 for a visit to our Holy Trinity site to look at Christian worship, where we covered baptism, Communion and service, in partnership with Kate from Living Well. The whole school came to us for their Christmas Carol Service in December. The Alexandra Junior Choir also sang for the Community Nativity.
- § Children from Year 1 at **Harris Kent House** and, separately, **Harris Crystal Palace** , visited our St John’s site during December to explore the Nativity story.
- § In a new partnership, we hosted the Christmas performance for **Harris Crystal Palace** , Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 on two separate Tuesdays in December.
- § We hosted the **Harris Girls’ School** on Lennard Road for their Christmas concert at our Holy Trinity site.
- § Finally, in another new partnership, we welcomed very small children from **Community Vision Day Nursery** to explore the Christmas story through play
I am very grateful to the teams who support with these visits, especially during the very busy time in December. If anybody would be interested in being involved with this, please do speak to me.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
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## **5.8 Pines & Needles**
In autumn 2023, the manager of the Pines & Needles Christmas Tree store had asked us if we would be willing to host their pop-up store during December 2023. We said it was too short notice, but that we would definitely consider it with the PCC for 2024.
Following an extensive discussion and a number of meetings with David, the manager, the PCC agreed to host this store during November-December 2024, with Pines & Needles paying rent for the site and for the electricity they used. Despite a couple of teething problems around keys that resolutely refused to fit the lock and all the electrics going down on a Friday night at the end of November, the partnership proved successful, and the team onsite were a joy to work with. People came onto the church grounds and discovered the range of activities we oler – and how much we are open during the week. Those who bought a tree were olered a flyer with our Christmas services.
We are likely to be involved in discussions with Pines & Needles for the coming year, and look forward to the opportunities this partnership might open up for further welcome and witness in the future.
## _**Jessica Smith**_
## **5.9 Mission Giving**
As part of our vision to be a community of mission, the PCC of Holy Trinity with St John, Penge, made the decision to set aside £6,500 to support mission organisations that are linked with our vision and purpose. These organisations were agreed based on the historic giving of the church,
As in 2023, these totalled:
- CAP - £1,625
- CMS (the Day family mission link) - £1,625
- Essubi - £812.50
- Release International - £812.50
- Living Well - £812.50
- St Christopher's Hospice - £812.50
Further, the PCC agreed a budget of £6,500 for 2025, and the allocations will be discussed and agreed by PCC, based on the recommendation of a small group who will look at how we give in the future. As ever, suggestions are always welcome.
## _**Andrew Gri?iths, PCC Treasurer**_
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