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Annual Parochial Church Meeting- 

Sunday 28^th April 2013

Minutes

The meeting opened at 7.35 pm

130428A.1       Opening prayer and worship. 

We prayed for the work of the Partnership and asked that we be helped to keep in mind any ecumenical implications of what we were to decide during the evening. We were reminded of our purpose to see that God’s worship and ministry would be increased and renewed in Old Town. We concluded with our Bible verse for 2013:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

130428A.2       Attendance & Apologies.

Ailsa Palmer was thanked for the work she has done in preparing for the smooth-running of the APCM.

Several church members presented apologies for their absence and they were thanked for their courtesy. 34 people signed the attendance register. This is attached to the file copy of the minutes.

Annual Vestry Meeting

130428A.3       To elect two churchwardens.

Simon prayed for Lynda and thanked her for their enthusiasm and commitment over the past year as she steps down from the role of Warden.  She has put in many hours of work over the preceding years, when her trust in God and faith has come shining through.  We are fortunate that Lynda has agreed to stand for election as a PCC member.

Daniel Pitt and Gareth Hutchinson were nominated. Simon then led us in prayer that they should know God’s love and encouragement for them in their year ahead as churchwardens. All of those present at the meeting warmly offered their own love, encouragement and support.

RESOLVED

130428A.3R This congregation elects the two persons named below to serve as Churchwardens.

All assented.

APCM Sunday 28^th April 2013

Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

130428A.4       To approve the minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Resolution proposed by Ailsa Palmer and seconded by Gareth Hutchinson.

All assented.

RESOLVED

130428A.4R This congregation approves the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th April 2012

130428A.5       Matters Arising from the minutes of the 2012 APCM – none.

130428A.6       To approve the report of the Electoral Roll Officer.

Cynthia Desmond reported that currently there are 286 members on our roll (an increase of 21 over 2012). There are 52 new members but, sadly, there had been several deaths and some members have moved away.  Please would everyone make new members welcome and notice when people are missing so that pastoral follow-up can take place where appropriate?

The report was approved without a vote.

130428A.7       To notify items of other business, not covered by the agenda – none.

130428A.8       To elect:

(a) New Members of the PCC.

Elaine Guilding, Lynda Fisher, Celia Lee, David Morse were nominated.

Vacancies arise because members of the PCC have stepped down, either because they have reached the end of their service or for other reasons.   This year, we will lose Jim D’Avila, David Morrison, Michael Palmer and Sue Rush. All members were warmly thanked for their loyal service and the excellent work which they had done, in their various ways.

RESOLVED

130428A.8R1 This congregation elects those named below to serve as Members of the PCC.

All assented.

(b) Members of the Deanery Synod.

The current members, elected in 2012, are Gareth Hutchinson and Margaret Williams. Members of Deanery Synod also serve on the PCC as ex-officio members.  We affirmed Daniel Pitt, our new Warden, to serve as a member.

Resolution proposed by Peter Ford and seconded by Gareth Hutchinson.

All assented.

RESOLVED

130428A.8R2 This congregation elects David Ratnam to serve as a Deanery Synod member.

The 2013/14 PCC now consists of:

Ex-officio voting members: Revd. Simon Stevenette, Margaret Williams, Norma McKemey, Trudie Wigley, Anne Macmillan, Daniel Pitt, Gareth Hutchinson,  David Ratnam and Peter Ford.

Ex-officio but non-voting members: Ian Walters, Ailsa Palmer.

Elected members, serving until APCM  2014:  John Plaister; until APCM 2015: Mark Antell, Pam Bridgeman, Hannah Feeney, Chris Raven; until APCM 2016: Elaine Guilding, Lynda Fisher, Celia Lee, David Morse.

We prayed for the PCC, mindful of the challenges of being a trustee and the need to work together as a team, whether as a member of Deanery Synod or as a PCC member.  We prayed that we might work together in a Godly way.

130428A.9       To appoint:

(a) Sides-people.

Those people listed below have volunteered to continue as sides-people and were re-elected en bloc without a formal vote.

James D’Avila, Cynthia Desmond, Marjorie Fry, the Godfrey family, Anne Griffiths, D & G Lewington, David and Ann Sharpe, the Shinde family, Jenny Selwood,  Christine Senior, Colin Simmons; Christine Stratford, Ken Trenerry, the Williams family, Ivy Wilkins.

In addition, Kath Bluh and Roger Morcumb were affirmed as a sides-people without a formal vote.

The importance of the role of sides-person as a member of the church community is underlined, especially in the welcome given to the congregation and visitors at our services.

The volunteers are thanked for their faithfulness in the past year.  As always, the more people who come forward to serve the easier the task will be for those who are already sides-people. It is an ideal opportunity for those wishing to do so to become more involved in church life.

(b) The auditors for 2013 /14.

Proposed by Margaret Williams and seconded by Chris Raven

All assented.

RESOLVED: 130428A.9R This congregation approves the appointment of Monahan’s as auditors for 2013 /14.

130428A.10     To receive and approve the Annual Report and Accounts for 2012

Ian, the Treasurer explained the Accounts and the implications for Christ Church.  The comments below are the highlights; please refer to the published accounts for the full story.

Treasurer’s Report.

The main message for 2012/13 is again a generally positive one.  Changes that took place during 2012 include the sale of 58 Upham Road and, in 2013, the old Church Centre building has been demolished.  These changes represent a reduction in our current property income.  However, the building of the new Centre has given us the opportunity to eventually liquidate the restricted fund which holds the proceeds of the sale of the Church Hall, which was in Devizes Road.  On the plus side, 121 Victoria Road now represents an income stream for us, having been re-let in 2012.

The auditors have advised us that the D&R fund and the Stipend Fund should be classed as a ‘designated fund’ rather than a ‘restricted fund’. This is because the PCC has placed its own restriction on the use of the funds and has the power to change the designation or remove it completely if it ever becomes necessary.

The Treasurer has worked hard to reduce the amount of money held in the various restricted and endowed funds and, where possible reclassifying the funds so that capital can be spent rather than just the income.

APCM Sunday 29^th April 2013                        

One example of this was the ‘Button Fund’ (for the organ) where we applied to the Charity Commission to remove the restriction by endowment to release the capital to pay for an upgrade and repairs to the organ.

Income to the PCC totalled £210,755 (down 8%).  Expenditure totalled £210,364.

Income:

Nearly 50% is ‘Planned’ and ‘Other Giving’.  Our recovery of Gift Aid continues to be as fully up-to-date as it can be – thank you for your continuing generosity, and thanks to Stephen Grosvenor who is assiduous in squeezing every penny from it!

Investment income has shown an increase, especially because of the money from the sale of 58 Upham Road.

‘Fees’ has shown a useful increase, particularly from hall lettings and ‘weddings’. Car park spaces are available.

‘Fundraising’ – Apart from the PCC stalls at the Christmas Market (organised by The Friends), all the other fundraising events were for D&R.

We need to increase our income because expenditure is increasing with inflation.

Expenditure:

Costs continue to be well-controlled and driven down whenever possible which is essential so we are not spending money for the sake of it.

We gave to ‘Mission’ only what was given in donations (plus Gift Aid).

Over 50% of the expenditure went to the Parish Share for 2012.  We also repaid part of the debt incurred in 2008

‘Other Ministry’ expenses in 2012 were lower than they might have been because those who are training for Ministry generally supported themselves.

‘Church Buildings & Property’ received reactive maintenance only – costs are continually rising; there were no funds provided for routine maintenance. The day-to-day utilities bills put our finances under pressure, the increasing age and poor efficiency of our buildings and their systems being a contributing factor. Governance costs were up because of the legal bills associated with the sale of 58 Upham Road.

The accounts show a surplus of £211,000, which increases to £382,000 when the sale of 58 Upham Road and transfers are taken into account.

Looking ahead in 2013/14:

We have budgeted for an expected reduction in income of 4%.  We have been forced to reduce our contribution to the Diocese to £110,000 (the Parish Share). The sum allocated to Ministry training has been increased because  there is more training going on.  However, the sum allocated to buildings maintenance has been severely restricted once again and if there is an emergency, it will make a big hole in our budget plans.  Two major projected events (the Beer Festival and the Parable of the Talents – see item 11(g)) are contributing to the increase in the sum allocated to fundraising but it is hoped that we will see a return nearly double this in increased  income. Likewise, governance costs reflect the likely legal expenses etc. associated with constructing and commissioning the  new Community Centre.  The wages bill has been reduced because the cost of a cleaner will be set against the accounts of the Community Centre, which, although they are part of the main church accounts, will not show in the normal expenditure of the church.

Ian was thanked whole-heartedly for his work in producing a clear and cogent report on the finances.

APCM Sunday 29^th April 2013

Summary:

• We can match what we spend to what we receive with more certainty if everyone gives regularly by standing order.
• Our giving still needs to increase further and be planned more effectively.
• We cannot continue to rely upon regular use of our Reserves.
• The Development and Renewal plans will remain a huge challenge and will have to be funded in addition to our usual day-to-day needs, not in substitution of it.
• Good Stewardship must continue to be our prime focus.

Resolution proposed by Daphne Harwick and seconded by Richard Moore

All assented.

RESOLVED

130428A.10 R –  This congregation approves the Annual Report and Accounts for 2012.

130428AP.11              Vicar’s Report: The church groups share with us their achievements in 2012 and their plans for 2013*- Simon Stevenette & Lynda Fisher.

Simon introduced the annual report and invited questions on the sections which dealt with our activities during 2012.  Our achievements since the last APCM are to be dealt with in more detail by the reports from the Church Groups (see below).  He then moved on to what is happening at Christ Church during 2013/14, highlighting the building and commissioning of the new Community Centre.  He announced the appointment of Chris Smith to the post of Community Centre Manager financed by a grant from the the Church of England. The Community Centre is to be the charity for this year’s Old Town Festival. We thanked God for everything achieved in 2012/13 and prayed for Chris as he takes up his new important role.

Simon spoke about emphasizing some of the values of Christ Church: the importance of imagination (the Beer Festival (involving local people who would not normally have considered church important); having a sense of humour (Confirmation Group – having fun together); the importance of listening (wise communication – eye to eye and heart to heart rather than only by e-mail).

Lynda gave the analogy of a box of coloured pencils: we need all the pencils to make a picture.  Every one represents a colour that contributes to the work of  the church community.  Whatever colour you think you are, please use your colour to the best to bring glory to God.

Reports from Church Groups.  Fuller versions are attached as an appendix.

(a)      Deanery Synod & Partnership Report – Margaret Williams.

Achievements in 2012/13

Deanery Synod – Christ Church is a member of the Swindon Deanery and Simon is Area Dean.  This year we have concentrated on producing a Deanery Strategy Plan covering such things as leadership discipleship and outreach for the next three years.

Partnership – We had an independent Partnership Review which reported on areas which were doing well and things we needed to work on.  We will draft a new constitution to focus more on mission unity and fellowship rather than doctrinal conformity.

In 2013/14

Deanery Synod – Bishop Mike will be visiting and we hope to promote a Deanery-wide day of prayer.

Partnership – We will have a partnership away day when we will try to come up with an action plan to address some of the issues raised in the Review as well as find ways of reducing duplication of activities between the member churches.  We will look at ways of supporting home groups.  The partnership project is to help projects in the Middle East.  If we can raise £5000, the EU will treble it!

(b)      Children & Young People – Trudie Wigley (presented on her behalf by Lynda Fisher).

Achievements in 2012/13 – We promoted full involvement of C & YP  in the life of the church through e.g. Sunday Club in Church, the Junior Music Group, Partnership Holiday Club, Advent Angels, strengthening of the relationship with local schools and the launching of Messy Church in April 2013.

In 2013/14  – We will continue to support and develop Messy Church and, as a church, consider admitting children to Communion before confirmation.  We intend to re – launch the Youth Group when the new Centre is completed and eventually, perhaps, apply for the Diocesan Child Friendly Church Award.

(c)      Mission & Evangelism – Norma McKemey.

Achievements in 2012/13 – As a change from the Alpha Course we ran an Enquirers’ Course attended by six people and a Discipleship Course.

In 2013/14  – We will reconvene the Discipleship Course and seek to further encourage prayer through the use of national initiatives such as ‘Neighbourhood Prayer’ and ‘One Voice of Prayer’.  We will support the Christian Aid partnership Project, with Margaret Williams representing Christ Church and look at ways of promoting more interest in Mission Giving.  We will establish another CMS link as Anne Lapage and her husband have returned to England now.

(d)      Church Family – Pam Bridgeman.

Achievements in 2012/13 – We concentrated on house groups and were able to form a new group; we had a very well-attended bring-and-share supper so that the groups could socialise and share their experiences with each other.

In 2013/14 – We will hold a new-comers’ bring-and-share welcome evening; tea & cakes during the Old Town festival; a bring-and share picnic at Holy Rood on the lawn in the summer and looking at starting a car rota combined with a taxi service for those in wheel-chairs.

(e)      Community Networks – Daphne Hardwick.

Achievements in 2012/13  – We focussed on developing our links with the local community and also looked for opportunities to boost our income by holding local events.

In 2013/14  – An important milestone will be the opening of the new Community Centre and will be the focus for new community and church events and for links with local schools, for example as part of a history project time capsule.  We are looking at ways of attracting publicity to the new Centre and to the church and involving the whole community in it.  One way of doing this is to commission a piece of art, from a prominent local artist, based on a sort of montage of local landmarks and buildings.  We will then look to organise a ‘grand opening’ by a prominent local person / celebrity.  In the autumn, we will organise an Autumn Fayre building on the goodwill associated with the Beer Festival and the opening of the Community Centre.

(f)       Site Development – Stephen Grosvenor (presented on his behalf by Mike Palmer).

Achievements in 2012/13 – There have been various repairs and upgrades to 31 & 32 Cricklade St. such as installing a new boiler and resolving damp problems.  We have carried out asbestos surveys which have raised some minor concerns.  The Church Centre site was cleared ready for the building of the new Community Centre.  Thanks are due to those who have helped with this and provided storage for items from the old Centre.

In 2013/14 – We will repair stonework, particularly the mullions of the South Transept window, part of which is potentially hazardous.  We will carry out some further necessary repairs at 31 & 32 Cricklade St.  We will progress the building of the Community Centre, which expected to be ready for occupation in September; drilling is currently taking place for the new ground-source heating system.  In the church building, we intend to install a new internal porch at the west door, and remove three rows of pews at the back of the church to improve circulation space.  We will trial an LED lighting system in the Lady Chapel and, if successful, will extend it to the church at some point in the future.  The sound system will also be improved and a new projector and projection screen will be installed.  All of these changes to the church will require faculties or other permissions and are subject to these being granted.

(g)      Finance & Innovation – Gareth Hutchinson.

Achievements in 2012/13 – There are two key areas: stewardship and planning the budget / accounts.  We distributed flyers to advertise our available car park spaces and are awaiting the outcome.

In 2013/14 – We aim to continue our focus on stewardship by finding utilities providers that will give us best value.  We will work with the church groups to give them the individual budgets they need to deliver their plans for the 2014/15 within the resources available and we hope that groups are already thinking about what finances they will need.  It can be difficult to make a fair balance between the needs of different groups when resources are tight.

Our major innovation for 2013 is the ‘Beer Festival’; we have already sold all the reserved tickets, and there will be a strictly limited number available on the day.  We hope the return in terms on the capital invested and Mission to those not normally reached by conventional church activities will justify the PCC’s faith in our idea.

The other innovation is our ‘Parable of the Talents’ initiative.  We have put aside £1,000 and we aim to challenge members of the congregation to ‘grow’ some of this money entrepreneurially and return it to us at a profit.  This will be invested in church projects via the budget.

130428A.12  To receive questions from the floor.

Ian answered questions concerning the church finances:

Q:                Are there any outstanding loans on the purchase of the Parish Office that need to be repaid?

A:                The PCC is still considering whether to sell, but there are loans that will need to be repaid in due course.

Q:                The Parish Share for 2013 is less than last year.  If the income in 2013 is more than predicted, will we be increasing our donation to the Share?

A:                The Parish Share is part of our response to God’s mission in the Diocese and the World.  But, there are competing demands for His mission in Swindon and at Christ Church.  When the FIS Group is asked to make its recommendation for the Parish Share in October, we will ask them to make it on the basis of the state of the finances after this year’s stewardship campaign. If the concept of pledging is adopted for our giving to CC then it will enable us             to plan more intelligently, particularly for the level of the Share in 2014.

130428A.14  To set the provisional date for the next APCM.

The due date is Sunday 27^th April 2014.  – 11.30am followed by a bring and share lunch

130428A.15            Any other business.

John Plaister proposed vote of thanks to Simon Stevenette and the Staff team which everyone supported.

Lynda closed the meeting closed the meeting with prayer at 9.10 pm.

PJF

Appendix – Group Reports.

Community Network Group – Daphne Hardwick

The group, which is jointly lead by Daphne Hardwick and Nick WIlliams, consists of Hannah Feeney,

Sarah Bowden, Nicola Stevenette and Ed Dabbs, all of whom have very active links with various organisations and individuals outside the immediate church.

We have met on a number of occasions to consider how to achieve the aim set for us.   Following considerable discussion we decided to focus our energies on the new community centre as this we believed would be an ideal opportunity to engage with community of Old Town.

To date we have:

• Developed a productive link with King William Street School who are going to link many of their educational projects around the Community Centre.
• Promoted a gardening competition for the proposed Garden of Reflection on the previous site of the bonfire in the churchyard.
• Have acquired a brass container, compliments of Mr. Mark Hillier, to be used as a Time Capsule to be filled and placed in the foundations of the Community Centre by children from King William Street School.
• Considered the commissioning of piece of art to be placed in the Community Centre.  This will involve many opportunities to involve the general public.
• Arranged for Stephen Grosvenor is to be the guest speaker at the local residents association AGM.
• Set a date for an Autumn Fayre and are in the process of approaching various groups and individuals for their participation.
• Have begun to consider a Grand Opening Ceremony with a notable figure to officially open the building.

Children and Young People’s Group – Trudie Wiglie & Janice Titcombe

Achieved:

There have been a number of areas the team have been working on this year.  We are pleased that the Children and Young People are becoming more involved in the life of the church through things like welcoming at the door, participating in some of the All Age services and the starting of a junior music group.  Holding Sunday club in church whilst the hall is built has been a blessing and has encouraged a better integration of CYP into church family life together.  In September 2012 we held an evening to promote work with CYP and it was encouraging to see 30 people there.

In partnership with OTP colleagues, a successful holiday club was held in the summer with over 70 children attending, and our Saturday gathering “Advent Angels” before Christmas saw 25 children attend.   Our contact with schools remains strong and together with a team of ecumenical colleagues, presents have been delivered to the staff at local schools at both Easter and Christmas and we regularly visit for assemblies and the schools visit us at CC – over the year our relationship with three schools has strengthened (Lethbridge, Croft, Commonweal).

A highlight in recent weeks ( just in case you hadn’t heard )  was that after much preparation Messy Church was launched last week as an OTP mission project. It was an encouraging start with 86 people with 49 children attending together with 30 of the 80-person-strong team of helpers.  Great fun and pleasantly exhausting!

All of this has been done alongside the important work in Sunday Club and the Youth Group that goes on every Sunday thanks to a wonderful team of teachers and leaders.  We would like to thank them for their commitment and what they do every Sunday in nurturing our young people and children.

Looking ahead:

Looking ahead, as a priority we will be seeking to establish a routine with Messy Church which is sustainable for everyone.  With only one session under our belt we still have changes to consider and to find a working pattern.  In the near term we are also supporting the church in exploring the possibility of admitting children to communion before confirmation.  There will be a wide range of opinions on this matter, but we pray that we will all learn through the process whatever the outcome.

Looking ahead to later in the year, when the youth group starts to meet in the Community Centre again, there are hopes to re-launch the group particularly inviting Commonweal school.  Additionally, subject to training courses and ability to attend, we are looking towards apply for the Diocesan “Child friendly Church Award”.

The children and young people’s work is supported by many committed and gifted people without whom it would not happen.  We would like to thank them all for their time and energy in this important area of our church life and for their continued support.

Church Family Group – Pam Bridgeman

The Church Family Group, one of the six sub-groups of the PCC, is led by Anne Macmillan and Pam Bridgeman.  The other members of this group are Lucy Hayward, Sue Rush, Angela Ruck, Nitan Shinde and Patrick Williams.

Our main aim as a group is concern for the Church as the people, rather than as a building, and to try to help the various congregations to get to know each other.  Also we want to welcome newcomers and visitors to the Church and into the Family of God.

Our first event was to re-launch Home Groups after the summer break last year.  For this we prepared a display board showing the Leaders and venues and meeting times for the existing Home Groups.  At all the services at Christ Church and at St. Mary’s that Sunday one of the team spoke about the friendship, fellowship and support received in each Group.  As a result one new Home Group was formed.  Following this, and to keep the Home Groups in touch with each other, we had a Social Evening with ‘a bring-and-share supper’   in the Church Centre in January (one of the last events held there).  We opened this to others who may have been interested in learning more.  We had almost 70 attend and who knows what seeds were sown that evening?    Each group told of their studies and events they had taken part in – food definitely comes high on the list of each group !!!!!   We prepared a display of the resources already available to groups.  That evening we all agreed to have a Lent study for all of the groups called Glimpses of God – a 5-week York course.   We are always pleased to introduce people to a Home group and also to hear about studies anyone may  know about and we do not have in our resources at present.

Our next project was a Newcomer’s Welcome Lunch. . This had been held in the past as a supper, but this time we held a lunch and concentrated on new families joining us in the past couple of years.  This was held in October and around 25 people including children came along.  A very lively time and a chance to get to know new families was had.  Thanks must go to Lucy for opening up her home to us and organising the food.  We hope to hold both these events again later this year, dates will depend on the completion of our new Community Centre.

During the time the Group has been together we have also compiled a list of volunteers willing to help with refreshments at Church event.  This is on-going and new names are very welcome.

Our next events in the near future will bring us as a Church into the community and give a chance to meet the people of Swindon.  The first is on  June 15^th  to help with a stall at the Old Town Festival selling tea/ coffee and cakes  .We will be asking for help on the stall for an hour or so on the day  and with providing cakes for this .

On Saturday July 13^th we are holding a Family ‘Bring-and-Share’ Picnic from 4-8 pm in the grounds of Holy Rood in the Lawn.  This is for everyone – not just families.   Watch for further detail in the weekly news sheet for both of these.

In the longer term we are starting to plan another Church away weekend – probably in autumn 2014.  We are looking at several venues and may include transport this time.

Also we will be looking at transport for people who find it difficult for various reasons to get to Church sometimes.  This may be a car rota and/or occasional taxi runs for wheel chair users.

We always welcome your ideas, thoughts .and most definitely your help and support as without you all there is no Church Family.  Please pass your comments on to any of us at any time.

And thank you all for taking part in these events.

Treasurer’s Statement – Ian Walters.  This is a transcript of the Power Point slides.

Types of Fund

n  Endowed Funds – The Capital cannot be spent, only interest or income derived from can be used

n  Restricted Funds – The PCC can only use specifically for the purposes originally imposed by the donor

n  Unrestricted Funds – The PCC is free to use however it decides – it may designate part for a particular purpose (e.g. Development & Renewal)

Not all of the money we have is useable as we might wish – indeed lots of it can only be used for very specific purposes.

Designated Funds

These are very similar to Restricted Funds, but here the ‘restriction’ as to the purpose the funds are used for is set by the PCC

n  This means that the PCC can also change or release the ‘restriction’

n  We have designated funds for Development & Renewal and the Stipend

In 2012, following a recommendation from our Auditor, we started to use a new category of Funds.

This involved the re-allocation of many Funds that we had previously shown as Restricted.

So the value of our ‘truly’ Restricted Funds diminished considerably.

State of Funds

The designated ‘pot’ consists of the Church Hall sale proceeds £247K and Upham Road (sold in the year) £209K and the balances in the D & R and Stipend bank accounts.

The sale of Upham Road created an uplift in value in the Accounts of £161,744 and the Accounts also include the residual £199,834 of the Grant from Swindon Borough Council which will be received in 2013.

Movements in Funds

This slide just summarises the movements in the various categories.

We were granted a very exceptional permission from the Charity Commission during the year to reclassify the Organ Fund from Endowed to Restricted. £17,318 of these Restricted funds were spent in the year.

The Development & Renewal fund will be covered later in this presentation in far more detail

Income 2012

These figures compare 2012 against 2011 actual and only include ‘normal’ day-to-day activities.

Planned and Other Giving has fallen considerably. Whilst this is unwelcome, with focus on other areas for fundraising and generosity (D & R and Stipend for example) is perhaps not surprising.

Our collection of Gift Aid recoverable continues to be as fully up-to-date as it can be – Thank you for your continuing to give what you do.

Investment income has shown a welcome increase, again expected as we have more funds to invest following the sale of Upham Road.

Property rental decrease due entirely to timing differences with the new tenant at 121 Victoria Road.

Hall lettings and Fees etc due to increased activity, despite the pending closure of the Leisure Centre.

Fundraising – Only event was the Christmas market organised jointly with the Friends. We must continue to be mindful of the impact that ‘eventing’ would have on Development & Renewal.

There are spare Car Park spaces available due to businesses have either been taken-over or relocated.

Overall, our ‘normal’ income was down 8% on that last year.

Expenditure 2012

A sea of red is not what we would want to see, but it merely reflects general economic pressures and confirms that costs continue to be well controlled and driven down whenever possible – they have to be !!

Mission only what is given (plus Gift Aid)

Diocesan Share increased to £10,000 per month and includes a one-off reduction of £1,177 in the amount owing in respect of the 2008 Share.

Other Ministry increased due to having more people completed and undertaking the training.

Church buildings & Property is only reactive maintenance – costs are continually rising , there are no funds provided for routine maintenance

Day to day utilities bills under pressure and age/efficiency of building/systems a contributing factor – this is the only figure that has decreased, a big well done to the Building Committee who continue to somehow manage to maintain our properties on a decreasing budget.

Property costs include major repair works at the cottages and Leisure Centre includes what is effectively the non-recurring cost for the old building.

Governance costs up due to legal fees in connection with the sale of Upham Road.

Surplus calculation  – the “extras”

The accounts show a surplus of £211,344.

After transfers, the gain on the Upham Road sale and from the revaluation  of our other investments, the net

movement in our total funds increases to £381,585.

D & R and Stipend activities account for £228,551 of this with a further £17,368 spent from Reserves  on the Organ & Bells.

Surplus from ‘normal’ day-to-day activities was £111.

We achieved our break-even budget.

Balance Sheet

n  Net Worth increased by £ 381,585

n  Value of Investments increased by £ 164,673

n  Church Hall investment of £ 247,650 and new Upham Road investment of £ 209,217

n  Reserves policy met at Year End only by including short-term investments

The reserves policy when compared against ‘available’ Bank balances is not met, but this has been the case for many years – 2011 was the exception.

Development & Renewal

n  Since formation £279,521 has been either donated or raised, and £37,030 spent.

n   In 2012 income was £244,194 and expenditure £15,027, creating a surplus of £229,167.

n  Monies are retained in separate bank accounts with Barclays (Year End value £55,197) or held at the Diocese (£456,867) and their use is now more correctly shown as Designated, with PCC controlling the nature and extent of the restriction.

We will talk further about the impact that D & R will have on the make-up of our Accounts shortly.

Budget 2013 – Expenditure

Compares 2013 Budget with 2012 Budget

Mission – we are challenging ourselves to give more.

Share decreased by PCC by £10,000 per annum – not an easy decision to make, but necessary

Ministry assumes that most new ‘trainees’ will continue to self-fund the bulk of their development

Allocation for expected spend to maintain buildings and Property – reactive maintenance only, Building Committee budget again ‘reduced to minimal essential maintenance only

Administration costs includes a commitment of £4,750 to achieve the ambitious Fundraising target of £7,500 set by the Finance, Innovation and Stewardship group.

Wages & Salaries no longer includes the cost of a Cleaner.

Budget 2013 – Income

Overall giving expected to be £127,452 compared to £130,945 in 2012 Budget – Disappointing , but we have to be realistic.

Property rent reflects removal of Upham Road rental stream now property sold.

Hall Lettings down as obviously the completion of the new Community Centre will dictate. All Community Centre finances will be run through a separate Bank Account and have been excluded from the budgeting process. Income shown is a ‘contribution’ by way of a return for our investment.

Fees continue to show small amounts of growth, mainly from Weddings – new Community centre should help.

Fundraising targets are  very aggressive. Two major events are planned – Beer Festival and the ‘Parable of the Talents’ – watch this space.

Car Park still has some available spaces.

Again, nothing better than a break-even budget can be set

2013 Balance Sheet

Next Year our Balance Sheet will bear little resemblance to what we see now:

All of our historic records have been checked to make sure the funds are in the correct categories and match their similarly named investments.

The Grant monies already received and the net sale proceeds of both the Church Hall & Upham Road will have been used.

The existing Parish Office will probably have been sold.

The new Community Centre will have been finished and will be up and running.

Development & Renewal fundraising for the Church will have commenced in earnest.

Summary

n  We continue to match what we spend to what we receive with more certainty

n  Our giving still needs to increase further and/or be planned more effectively

n  We cannot continue to rely upon regular use of our Reserves

n  The Development and Renewal plans will be a huge challenge and will have to be funded in addition to our usual day-to-day needs, not in substitution of it

Good Stewardship continues to be our prime focus.

These statements are again exactly the same as last year, but repeating them again is even more important than ever in view of the exciting future we have all waited so long to see start to take shape.

The Development and Renewal challenge has forced us to understand our underlying core finances.

Going forward we will continue to make sure Stewardship is in the forefront of everybody’s minds and will be exploring many new avenues to try and ensure the financial well-being of Christ Church for many generations to come.

Most importantly, you continue to give sacrificially – Thank you.