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THE PARISH OF ST. MARGARET OF ANTIOCH, HEATH

ANNUAL REPORT 2014

http://www.stmargaretiverheath.org.uk/

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Contents:

Aim and Purposes …………………………………………… 3

Rector’s Report …………………………………………… 4-6

The Parochial Church Council …………………………………… 7

The Christian Community …….……………………………… 8-9

PCC Structure ….………………………………………… 9

PCC Secretary’s Report ………….…………………………….….. 10

The Standing Committee …………………………………………… 10

Churchwardens’ Report …………………………………………… 10-11

Building and Churchyard Report ………………………………… 12

Churchyard Working Party Report ………………………………. 13

Deanery Synod Report ……………………………………………14

Living Stones’ Report ……………………………………………14

Living Stones’ Plus Report ……………………………………….. 14

The Bible Study Group Report ……………………………………. 15

Contact Magazine Report ………………………………….. 15-16

Friends of St. Margaret’s Report …………………………………. 16

Social Committee Report …………………………………… 17

Hon. Treasurer’s Report …………………………………… 18

Financial Statement for the Year ended 31 st December 2014 ..19-25

Annexe A ……………………….………………………………… 26 3

Aim and Purposes

To promote the spreading of the Faith of Jesus Christ according to the formularies of the Church of in co-operation with the Incumbent of the parish.

We are committed to being a:

GROWING By fostering the faith in each person, wherever they may be, through education, nurture, and prayer WORSHIPPING By developing accessible, meaningful, worship for all members of our community, young and old, devout and hesitant CELEBRATING With the local community and collaborating with other organisations and churches PROCLAIMING By giving account of the faith within each committed Christian, not just by what we say but what we do CARING By caring deeply about all aspects of our community and taking seriously the command to love your neighbour as yourself CHRISTIAN By trying to be “Christ-like” Christians COMMUNITY By taking the local community seriously, but at the same time being open to the wider issues of our environment, society and world.

The Parish of St. Margaret’s exists to:

• Proclaim and witness to the Christian Faith as it has been revealed to us; • To build up the spiritual life of the worshipping community; • To reflect God’s love in serving the local community.

This report is about:

• The life of our Church; • The mission undertaken to help people grow in faith and reflect God’s love in practical ways; • The use of the resources at our disposal to carry out our objectives during 2014; • Our plans for 2015. 4

Rector’s Report

2015 Annual Church Meeting

The Korean Connection

In the afternoon of Thursday September 11 th last year, I welcomed fourteen people who I had never met before and will probably in this life never meet again. They sat down in St. Margaret’s and after a few words about our church, its life and mission, I handed over to them. For the next half hour, these complete strangers, all at the same time, prayed out loud in Korean for our Church, its members, and for people in Iver Heath to become Christians. They finished by singing ‘How great thou art’ in Korean. That afternoon has affected me, and I think will in time affect you. These brothers and sisters in the Lord had travelled across the world from East Asia, at their own expense, with no other purpose than to pray, in England, for the Church.

To almost everyone outside the Church, and not a few people within it, what these Korean people were doing was utterly pointless and a waste of their time, money and energy. So why did they do it?

They came because they believed in what they were doing. They believe in prayer, they believe that God acts when we come to him through Jesus His Son and pray. The Church in Korea is big. Korea has the largest Christian Church on earth, and the Christian Church is growing rapidly in neighbouring China too. The founder of Korea’s largest Church begins his day with prayer. He says that the first half-hour is the most difficult. That’s the first half-hour of prayer, not the first half-hour of the day!

I am telling you all this because I really believe that nothing that has happened in the last year, not Remembrance, or Christmas, or Apple Day, or any other single event is as important and significant for St. Margaret’s as this. St. Paul writes to the Christians in Thessalonica, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). If we truly believe in the Lord, if we truly know the one in whom we believe and trust, then we know that prayer matters and that when we pray, God acts. I believe there is no more important lesson for us to learn at this time- Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus is alive! And through Jesus, prayer can change and transform the lives of men and of churches.

In the light of that belief, I must observe that the Lord has taken a number of former worshippers with us to himself in the last year, and some others have 5

left us for other pastures. Our Church has problems in a number of areas- for example filling roles that have become vacant and making our activities more open and attractive to people from younger age groups. There is a long list of jobs to be done and a short list of people available to do them. Historically this has sometimes meant that a small number of people have done a lot of things. Inevitably, some get burnt out. One of the difficult kinds of decision we have to make in the future is what to give up or reduce in order that we may do fewer things with better resources. But more than that, to switch from the idea of maintaining what we have to mission to those who are outside our Christian community, and there are many of them!

Congregational Survey and PCC Away Day

In the year 2013/14 the PCC considered on several occasions the changes that are happening in our community and the need to respond to them. This resulted in a survey of the congregation carried out in September 2014. There were many interesting contributions to the survey. Broadly speaking, two things stood out- we have a traditional congregation which favours the Book of Common Prayer, but we are also concerned about engaging more with our community, and welcoming younger people into our Church.

At the end of September, members of the PCC spent a day at the Bridgettine Convent in discussing the future. Out of this ‘Away Day’ came a task group, called ‘Church in the Community’. Members of this group have in recent months met with representatives of several other groups in the community and sought their views. The Church in the Community Group is aiming to report back to the PCC in a few weeks’ time with a detailed proposal for a new initiative in the community aimed at younger people. The Treasurer has already been advised that this will cost money!

Signs of Hope Meal cooked by ‘Living Stones Plus’

The proposal which the ‘Church in the Community’ Group will present, will be an initiative about people. So often, understandably, PCC meetings become

6 dominated by two issues- money and fabric. Of course, these matters are important, but you can have churches (I can name some) which have beautiful well kept buildings but nobody in them, or bank balances which would make the Treasurer’s mouth water, but a declining membership. In the end, the Church is about Jesus Christ and about the people he died to save. That’s why I suggest we must focus more on Christ and on people.

I would like to draw your attention to two signs of hope in this last year.

The first is that the weekly Bible Study group has grown in numbers. Several new people have started to come, two of them came to the Bible Study before coming on a Sunday. For them, this was a way in! Mary Mitchell puts a tremendous amount of preparation into the Bible Studies, and, along with her work with the little children, we owe her much thanks.

The second sign of hope is the existence of a youth group for 11-14 year olds at St. Margaret’s. Sadly, Living Stones has few children under 11 at present, but we do have one or two and we do keep going. But we now have several young people in the 11-14 age group. After the Confirmation last year when five young people were confirmed, we continued to meet on Sunday evenings from 5 till 6 p.m. We eat pizza, chat, and look at the Bible. We have also gone on a theatre trip and a bowling evening, and more activities are planned. In March we cooked a Sunday lunch together for fourteen people to raise funds for the child they are supporting in Myanmar through World Vision, and we also ran a stall at the Autumn Fair. Living Stones Plus, or ‘The Grid’, as the group is now called, follow a theme each week, and so in a very small way, this little but regular group of young people is learning about Christ, and it is my prayer that each of them may come to a living personal faith in him.

These two signs of hope are all about people. Without people there is no Church, and without a living, growing faith in and relationship with God in Christ, there will be no future. The beginning of the future I believe is prayer, the people follow. Everything else is secondary and follows from this. When we focus on Jesus and his people, other things follow. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6: 33)

Fr Andrew Montgomerie April 2015

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The Parochial Church Council

The Trustees of the Church of St. Margaret’s are the Parochial Church Council (PCC) which has the responsibility of co-operating with the Rector in promoting the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, in the ecclesiastical parish.

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is accepted from registering with the Charity Commission.

PCC Membership 2014/2015:

Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following served as members:

Incumbent: Fr. Andrew Council Sue Boon Montgomerie Members: Nick Davies Reader: John Mitchell Julia Dutton Churchwardens: John Mitchell Malcolm Brown Julia Dutton Eileen Hemsworth George Jeffers (resigned during the year) Deputy Jean Pearson- Sam Jephcote Wardens/Verger: Hall George Knight (sadly died during the Martin Sands year) PCC Lay Rob Penn John Lane Chairman: Treasurer: John Lane John Mitchell Secretary: Sue Boon Jean Pearson-Hall Rob Penn Deanery Synod John Mitchell Rosemary Read Representatives: Rob Penn Martin Sands (ex officio) Martin Sands Dee Singleton Chris Woolley

Banks: National Westminster Bank, Langley, Berkshire The Central Board of Finance of the Church of England, St. Alphege House, Fore Street, London. Independent Examiner: Mrs. K. Willcox 8

The Christian Community

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Electoral Roll 132 120 128 132 148 156 99 99 96

Normal Adult Attendance 80 84 93 98 90 87 67 55 50.75 Normal under 16 14 18 14 15 19 15 4 4 3.13 Attendance

Weekly Attendance 94 102 107 113 109 102 *71 59 53.88

* Denotes partly estimated figures

Christian Initiation:

Baptism 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Adult 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0

Children 6 6 5 7 0 12 4 4 4

Total: 6 6 6 7 2 14 4 4 4

Confirmations 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Adult 2 0 3 0 3 0 0 4 2

Children 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 5 (U 16) Total: 4 0 5 0 4 0 0 4 7

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Marriage:

We maintain that it is suspected that the decline in couples wishing to be married in church is due predominantly to the current recession and an overall decline in couples getting married.

Marriages 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

3 6 6 1 2 4 2 2 1 Total:

Worship:

Average attendance figures:

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Sunday Communicants 64 70 69 68 66 62 54 52 46.74

Easter Communicants 129 127 102 123 110 125 65 74 86

Christmas Communicants 104 139 109 138 93 115 80 96 63

Weekly Communicants 91 93 91 94 104 89 71 70 53

PCC Structure

The PCC operates through a number of committees, which meet between full meetings of the PCC to discuss various topics that are then brought back to the PCC. The following committees were in operation during 2014:

• The Standing Committee • Junior Church (Living Stones and Living Stones Plus) • Building and Churchyard Committee • Social Committee 10

PCC Secretary’s Report

Last year I was lucky enough to go to Walsingham with the Church. It was an amazing spiritual experience and I had great company on the journey in the minibus, which was very ably driven by Rob Penn (thank you Rob). During the year I have also attended some excellent courses organised by Fr. Andrew. They have made for good social evenings, but first and foremost have deepened my understanding of “The Bible” both historically and spiritually and I would certainly recommend that you try them. Fr. Andrew, through his enthusiasm and passion for teaching, has taught me so much during his time at St. Margaret’s and I am grateful that he chose to re-locate to Iver Heath!

Thanks must also go to the volunteers who keep St. Margaret’s Church and Churchyard so lovingly cared for and welcoming. I feel very privileged to attend this Church.

Finally, I can report that the PCC met five times during the year, as did the Standing Committee. All of the sub-committees have met and reported to the PCC during the year.

A summary of the continued sterling work of the sub-committees and various groups that operate within the Church are detailed in the following pages.

Susan Boon

The Standing Committee

This is the only committee required by law and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings. The normal composition is the Incumbent, Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary and Vice Chairman.

Churchwardens’ Report

The Churchwardens in 2014 were John Mitchell (JM) and Julia Dutton (JD) with Jean Pearson-Hall (JP) and Martin Sands (MS) as Deputy Churchwardens.

Aims and objectives of the Churchwardens: The Churchwardens are officers of the Bishop, ex-officio members of the Parochial Church Council and support and advise the Rector. In co-operation with the Rector, we are responsible for the day-to-day running of the parish. Together with a wide range of duties, our aims and objectives include: • Responsibility for ensuring that the fabric is kept in good repair. 11

This includes overseeing the maintenance of the church building and churchyard and any work necessary to implement the Quinquennial Review recommendations. The Review falls due in 2016 and an inspection is due shortly to implement any repairs, etc. that may be required to be carried out before then. We aim to ensure that a faculty is raised where necessary. • We are also entrusted with the movable property within the building, including the safekeeping of valuables used during the services. With the help of Mary Mitchell, we have kept careful and detailed records and inventories and complete the annual Deanery inspection. Mary has made an enormous contribution to St Margaret’s and her help has been invaluable. • Service related responsibilities include ensuring that the Church is unlocked/locked, that regular duties such as those of sides persons, readers and offertory teams are covered on each occasion and that newcomers to the congregation, visiting clergy/preachers and the Bishop or Archdeacon are made welcome when they visit. Churchwardens must also ensure that pledges and plate donations are counted and recorded and, if necessary, officiate at Morning and Evening Prayer if the Rector or licensed lay reader is not available. • Churchwardens ensure that, as far as possible, all necessary action is taken to comply with Health and Safety requirements. • We oversee and support the work of any committees responsible to the PCC, such as the Building and Churchyard Committee and the Fund Raising Committee.

Our task as Churchwardens is dependent on good teamwork, involving many members of the congregation and we thank them most sincerely for their help. We thank Martin Sands for his valuable and continuing support as Deputy Churchwarden. We extend our warmest thanks to our retiring Deputy Churchwarden, Jean Pearson-Hall, who, in many instances has gone way beyond the call of duty to ensure that the day to day workings of our Church run smoothly and we extend our most heartfelt thanks to her for her dedication over so many years.

We have supported our Rector, Fr. Andrew Montgomerie, in his leadership, and carried out our work for the Church during 2014 both at St Margaret’s and as members of the Deanery Synod to the best of our abilities.

Our congregation at St Margaret’s has dwindled over the last few years, largely due to anno domini but we are making strenuous efforts to encourage younger people to join us and feel optimistic for the future.

Julia Dutton and John Mitchell

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Building and Churchyard Report

The Building and Churchyard Committee have overseen the completion of several important projects in the year 2014 / 15. Improvements to the Parish Room entrance lobby and toilet :- To facilitate easier wheelchair access to the toilet, the door was rehung on ‘double width’ hinges allowing it to open fully against the lobby wall. Wheelchair access was further improved by removing the lobby heater. Its electricity supply was then used to feed a twin socket thus allowing electrical equipment for external and churchyard use to be powered without the need for access to the parish room. Thanks are extended to Gordon Read for his excellent redecoration of the lobby after completion of the alterations. Water Tank replacement :- During the year, the rusting metal water tank in the tower was replaced with a plastic one. Ronald Stamp memorial plaque :- Following the acquisition of a faculty, a brass plaque, in memory of Ronald Stamp and his remarkable continuous service as organist for 51 years, was mounted beneath the organ loft to the left of the vestry door. At the same time the plaque recording the original gift of the organ was lowered to be in line with it and mounted to the right of the door. Chancel ceiling Plaster :- A fall of plaster from the Chancel arch was investigated and loose plaster remaining between the arch and adjacent beam removed. As the gap was very narrow no redecoration was required. Yew tree removal :- In the summer (2014) the yew tree close to the entrance path, which was getting too large and preventing proper access for funeral and other processions, was removed including the below-ground stump. Boundary wall :- Renovation of the front wall small section to the south west of the gate (referred to in last year’s report) was deferred but is expected to be completed this summer. Martin Sands 13

Churchyard Working Party Report

During the period March to October 2014 the members of the Working Party met regularly to keep the grass mown and the churchyard tidy. Usually the work was carried out fortnightly, but on occasions when various members were unable to be present it was necessary for mowing to be done on a weekly basis to prevent the work getting out of hand.

Several ladies of the parish supported the group by making coffees and teas and providing biscuits at appropriate times, and then organising mid-day lunches. This assistance was always appreciated by those doing the mowing, weeding and sweeping.

The equipment available, particularly the six mowing machines, is getting to the point where the maintenance of them is getting difficult especially if spare parts are required. Nevertheless, the machines have been serviced on an annual basis, usually in March, in preparation for the growing season. It has always been difficult to mow between the graves, and because of this a new strimmer has been bought.

The cutting-back of the hedge has always presented a problem, and in recent years this matter has been dealt with by Mr. Keith Pask who has used his own equipment in carrying out this work. It may be that in due course a contractor will need to be employed, and a grant sought from Iver Parish Council to cover the cost. The Parish Council already makes a grant of £400.00 per annum towards the cost of maintaining our churchyard, and these funds are greatly appreciated.

Any assistance that members of the congregation can give towards the work in the churchyard will always be very welcome and gratefully received.

John S. Lane

Indeed help is urgently needed. 14

Deanery Synod Report

During 2014 there were four meetings of the Deanery Synod where various topics were discussed such as: Mission Action Planning

• Recovering Deanery Status • Community Engagement • Giving in Grace • Credit Unions

The complete Deanery Synod report of its activities during 2014 is attached to this report as Annexe A. If you require further information please speak to one of the Deanery Synod representatives who are: Father Andrew Montgomerie, John Mitchell, Martin Sands and Rob Penn. Rob Penn

Living Stones’ Report

The Living Stones, though few in number, have continued to meet each Sunday and participate in the All Age Eucharist. It is hoped that in the coming year more people willing to lead the sessions will volunteer to help so that we will be in a position to cater for more children. Mary Mitchell

Living Stones Plus Report

Living Stones Plus is a new group at St. Margaret’s which began after the Confirmation this year at which five young people were confirmed.

The group is made up of children from the top year Primary School through the first three years of Secondary school (aged range 10-14). The group has a regular membership of four. We meet on Sundays from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Parish Centre and our meetings involve Christian teaching using ‘The Grid’ – Scripture Union material for this age range.

In addition, this year the group has had a trip to a Christian theatre production in at Christmas, and ten-pin bowling. Recently the young people cooked a three-course Sunday lunch for twenty people, raising funds for a child they support in Myanmar through ‘World Vision’. We hope that in 2015 the group will expand both in numbers and in range of activity. Please pray for these young people at a crucial time in their lives.

Fr Andrew Montgomerie 15

The Bible Study Group Report

The Bible Study group has met once a week on Tuesday evenings for the past year. They have looked at the Book of Proverbs and the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah. We have had some new members joining recently and more will be welcome. Mary Mitchell

Contact Magazine Report

AIMS The aims of the magazine are: 1) To be an outreach tool to all in Iver Heath 2) To communicate local information and news of St Margaret’s Church 3) To be self-funding 4) To be an enjoyable read OBJECTIVES These are in line with its aims: 1) It is delivered free to everyone in Iver Heath. This task is co-ordinated by Nichola Grayson 2) By keeping abreast with what is happening locally 3) By having enough adverts to cover costs and by maintaining sponsorship from Pinewood Studios. John Lane (Treasurer) deals with this side of the production 4) By having a variety of topics of interest to a diverse population. SUCCESSES 1) Production has continued for a further year and has been distributed faithfully as far as possible each month, although more volunteers are always needed. 2) Favourable comments are received from time to time and articles generate enthusiasm eg. A relative wrote to say how delighted she was to hear about her grandfather in an article written by Jane Sandy. 3) New contacts have been made. 4) The bound edition for 2014 has been added to the archive collection. CHALLENGES 1) Maintaining enough people to distribute the magazine. 2) Gathering information, from other people, to cover all the pages of text. 3) As Editor it is a demanding task to fulfil each month and during production at the beginning of each month I cannot go away as I am

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reluctant to work whilst on holiday!. After 12 years my motivation is beginning to wane but I intend to continue for 2 more years. It is time for someone to take my place or an alternative means of communication established.

THANKS TO : Nichola Grayson for co-ordinating the distribution of the magazine and to all deliverers and to John Lane and Martin Sands for proof reading. Thanks are extended to Sadlers Printers for their role in the final printing process. Jill Sands

Friends of St Margaret's Report

During 2014 the Annual General Meeting was held in February, and two meetings of the Management Committee took place. Resulting from these meetings a small container was purchased in which to keep the cones that are used when parking has to be reserved adjacent to the lychgate. Discussions took place on various topics, principally relating to the renovation of the War Memorial plaques situated within the lychgate. A signwriter is to be asked to carry out this work once the cost is known, and the Friends could make a contribution in due course. A number of other projects have been discussed, but at present without any positive conclusion.

There is a Quinquennial Survey due within the next twelve months and once the report has been received some consideration can be given towards helping the PCC with any costs it has to face. The Committee is keen to have a missing cross replaced on the church roof, but as this work will no doubt involve the use of scaffolding the matter will be put on hold for the time being.

Additional membership was sought at the Parish Barbeque, and it has been suggested that an article or leaflet be included with a future edition of "Contact". The Treasurer has reported a healthy bank balance which has included a repayment of Income Tax of £125.18. Funds are therefore available as soon as the requirements of the Quinquennial Survey are known.

John S. Lane

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Social Committee Report

We began the year 2014 with a B & B Sale - not Bed and Breakfast, but Books and Bric-a-Brac! This was held in the Parish Centre in March and was a great success raising over £300 for Church Funds. In June there was a concert in the Church when the children from the local Infants School took part. In July we should have had the annual BBQ at The Rectory, but it was postponed during the week before because of very wet weather - then on the Saturday it was lovely! Never mind, we held it later in September.

In August Sylvia and Fay arranged a very successful social evening to celebrate the end of the First World War, and Harvest Lunch was served on 5 October – many thanks to Rosemary who cooked and supplied the food on this occasion. Monies raised at the auction of vegetables and fruit was sent to the charity Water Aid.

We had our usual stall at Apple Day and sold many items donated by Flowerland (the local garden centre), who also gave us the Christmas tree for the Church. We are very grateful for their generosity.

The last event of the year was our Grand Autumn Fayre which has been held for many years now in the Parish Centre and the Church. It is a very long day but very rewarding which raised £450 towards the Church Funds.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has helped in any way to make the above functions a success.

Jean Pearson-Hall 18

Hon, Treasurer's Report

Year to 31' December 2014.

Total Receipts on the General Account were £50,082, an increase of £1,879 over last year spread across several headings. Most noticeable was the amount received by way of Income Tax Recovered, this being achieved due to the relaxing of Government rules concerning Gift Aid. This year it was not necessary to use the Apple Day surplus, nor receipts from Scrap Metal sales, to ensure that all expenses were covered. There was, however, a deficit of £712 on the production of the "Contact" magazines which was partly covered by Sponsorship from Pinewood Studios. Unfortunately, despite the country's improved economic outlook, new advertisers are not coming forward and the prospects for advertising income in 2015 cannot be encouraging. General Account Payments increased by f4,663. Slightly more than last year was paid away in Grants to various charities, and the Diocesan Share was higher at £25,000. At this level the Parish is heavily subsidised by others in the Burnham and Slough Deanery as the Oxford Diocesan Office has advised that having a stipendiary clergyman in post is £50,000 when salary, pension, national insurance and housing are taken into consideration. Other increased payments concerned the upkeep of the Church building, £1,094, mainly due to the cost of central heating. Activity in the Churchyard Fund and Organ Fund was in line with the previous year, but the surpluses from Apple Day and from the sale of Scrap Metal were applied to the Building Maintenance Fund. The only expenditure there was the cost of replacing the cold-water tank in the tower. This was necessary due to the heavily rusted state of the original, and the consequent risk of flooding in the vestry. During the year an anonymous donation of £1,250.00 was received as an addition to Expendable Endowments, and there was also a legacy from the Estate of the late George Knight.

A.C.1.B. 23rd January 2015. 19

St. Margaret’s Parochial Church Council, Iver Heath. FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2014 .

/////////// 2013 GENERAL FUND 2014 Incoming Resources from Donors Planned Giving (Pledges) Weekly Envelopes 12,788.11 12,425.30 Planned Giving (Pledges) Standing Orders 6,972.00 6,432.00 Planned Giving (Pledges) Cheques/Cash 3,824.18 2,894.00 23,584.29 495.39 Gift-Aided Receipts 1,047.43 3,520.73 Cash Collections 3,044.72 742.23 Allocated Collections 643.52 4,685.03 Income Tax Recovered 6,512.11 ___587.10 Missionary Giving .__800.74 31,781.78 35,632.81 Other Voluntary Incoming Resources 1,306.00 Donations 1,439.88 4,900.32 Fund Raising 2,233.56 6,206.32 3,673.44

Income from Investments

312.68 Deposit Account Interest/Dividends 692.78

Income from Charitable and Ancillary Trading

6,227.50 Magazine Advertisements 5,987.50 1,000.00 Pinewood Studios:- Grant re Magazine 500.00 - Other Miscellaneous Income 118.60 1,142.50 Fees:- Retained by P.C.C. 1,250.50 1,515.00 Due to Oxford Diocesan Office 2,208.00 ___17.40 Wayleaves ___18.50 9,902.40 10,083.10 48,203.18 Total Receipts 50,082.13 45,177.93 less Total Payments 49,840.46 3,025.25 Excess of Receipts over Payments 241.67

5,141.19 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 8,166.44

8,166.44 8,408.11 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 ======23rd January 2015.

ACIB Hon. Treasurer. 20

2013 GENERAL Fund Payments 2014

Grants - Missionary & giving to the Church Overseas 100.00 390.00 Missionary & giving for Relief/Development 100.00 260.00 Home Missions 725.00 __690.00 Secular Charities 645.60 1,570.60 1,340.00

Activities direc tly related to the work of the Church 24,292.00 Diocesan Share 25,000.00 218.00 Deanery Share 218.00 252.38 Clergy Expenses 138.07 22.50 Locum Clergy Expenses 58.50 432.31 Cost of Services 518.96 Upkeep of the Church.Building 134. 27 Water Rates 138.42 810.45 Electricity 749.47 1,816.53 Gas - Central Heating 2,762.35 2,941.36 Insurance Premiums 3,114.81 533.69 Telephone 605.02 1,060.00 Church Cleaning 1,040.00 455.82 Sundries ___ 376.41 8,786.48 6,700.00 Production of "Contact" Magazine 6,700.00 1,515.00 Fees remitted to Oxford Diocesan Office 2,208.00 100.00 Architect's Fees 100.00 __150.00 Organist's Fees __840.00

41,434.31 44,568.01

Fund Raising and Publicity 72.20 Fund Raising Expenses 20.00

Church Management and Administration

432.00 Photocopier Leasing 432.00 112.78 Cost of Photocopies 98.76 751.89 Administration Expenses 737.48 1,034.75 Miscellaneous Expenses 1,413.61

2,331.42 2,681.85

Transfer to Building Maintenance Fund ___1,000.00

45,177.93 49,840.46 Total Payments ======

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2013 CHURCHYARD FUND 2014 Receipts

400.00 Iver Parish Council Grant - 16.48 Central Board of Finance Interest 3.26 692.00 Fees re Interments and Memorials 788.00 __290.00 Donations __250.00

1,398.48 Total Receipts 1,041.26

less Payments

196.23 Mower Fuel, servicing and repairs 302.18 55.23 Catering:- Churchyard Days - - Removal of Yew tree 300.00 3,623.20 Wall repair - 34.30 Waterproofing of Churchyard Container - New Strimmer __140.48 ______

3,908.96 Total Payments 742.66 - Excess of Receipts over Payments 298.60 (2,510.48) Excess of Payments over Receipts -

__2,946.30 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 _____435:82 435.82 734.42 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 ======

ORGAN FUND

Receipts

19.19 Central Board of Finance Interest 16.88 92.00 Organ Usage at Weddings 20.00

111.19 Total Receipts 36.88

No Payments have been made

3,132.28 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 3,243.47

______3,243.47 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 3,280.35 ======

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2013 BUILDING MAINTENANCE & IMPROVEMENT FUND_ 2014 Receipts 138.57 Central Board of Finance Interest 89.13 - Internet Purchases 44.93 1,000.00 Donation - - Balance of Legacy 1,505.59 - Scrap Metal sales 320.03 - Apple Day proceeds (net) 880.56 - Transfer from General Fund 1,000.00 ______1,138.57 Total Receipts 3,840.24 less Payments

2,669.76 Electrical repairs 1,230.00 Central Heating Boiler repair 3,453.60 Entrance flooring - Replacement cold -water tank 510.00 ______7,353.36 Total Payments 510.00 (6,214.79) Excess of Payments over Receipts - Excess of Receipts over Payments 3,330.24 23,257.63 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 17,042.84 17,042.84 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 20,373.08 ======Receipts EXPENDABLE ENDOWMENTS Payments 1,250:-00 Anonymous Donation 22,500.00 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 ______Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 23,750.00 23,750.00 23,750.00 ======WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE - 2014 1,860.00 Contributions from Congregation - - Cost of Accommodation 1,403.80 - Hire and Fuel for Minibus 448.43 - 7.77 Transfer to Walsingham Surplus Funds ______

1,860.00 1,860.00 ======CHOIR FUND 295.00 Donations - 80.00 Fee from Wedding - - Purchase of Choir Books 201.27 709.84 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - ______Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 883.57 1,084.84 1,084.84

======

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Receipts LEGACIES Payments 11,705.59 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - 600.00 Legacy - Mr G Knight - - Transfer to Building Maintenance Fund 1,505.59 ______Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 10,800.00 12,305.59 12,305.59 ======RESERVED AMOUNTS 1,517.00 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - 840.00 Wedding Deposits (Deposits) - - Deposits transferred to Fees Account 640.00 - Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 1,717.00 ______2,357.00 2,357.00 ======WALSINGHAM - SURPLUS FUNDS - 237.81 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - 7.77 Surplus from 2014 Pilgrimage 245.58

- ______Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 245.58 245.58 ======

THURSDAY CLUB 49.70 0 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - 39.0000 Collections at Healing Services - -0000 Christmas Meal 80.00 00 ______Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 8.70 88.70 88.70 ======

CHILDRENS' AND YOUTH FUND 1,430.89 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - 102.03 Living Stones: Refreshments - 135.00 Donation - 76.58 Surplus from Parish Barbeque - - Transfer to General Fund (Donation) 1,000.00 - Printing 14.37 - World Vision (Child Sponsorship) 45.60 - Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 684.53 1,744.50 1,744.5000 ======

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 131.00 Balance of Account as at 31st December 2013 - - 131.0000 ======Balance of Account as at 31st December 2014 ======00 ======0

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FUND RAISING COMMITTEE APPLE DAY 2014

Income Expenditure

Stallholder Deposits 1,238.00 Face2Face Security 2,491.00

Car Parking 1,592.00 Hire of Road Sweeper 540.00 Pedestrians 502.00 Hire of Toilet Facilities 342.00 Scouts 495.00 Hire of Road Mats 256.50 Raffle 453.00 Punch & Judy 250.00 Toffee Apples 395.00 Toffee Apples 206.10 Teas Stall 320.00 Raffle Shopping Vouchers 100.00 Childrens Activities 194.70 Gas - Teas Stall 120.00 Catapult 112.00 Ferret Club 100.00 Badges 93.75 Wingroves - Raffle Prize 75.00 Sale of Tools 88.00 Hire of Water boilers 68.22 Bang-the-Nail 81.50 Advertising Flyers 52.50 Unidentified 80.00 Badges 43.20 Ice Cream 70.00 Raffle Tickets 31.00 Coffee Shop 60.00 Bang-the-Nail 12.08 Punch & Judy collection 49.75 Mobile Phone 10.00 Knit-wits 37.20 Sugar - Teas Stall 6.79 Horse Riding 20.00 Stationery 5.58

Toy sale 2.15

______

Total Apple Day Income 5,884.05 Total Apple Day Payments 4,709.97

Apple Day remittance to Charities 293.52 Apple Day surplus to Building 880.56 Maintenance Fund Scrap Metal proceeds to Building Sales of Scrap Metal 320.03 320.03 Maintenance Fund ______6,204.08 6,204.08 ======

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Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31st December 2014. Monetary Assets

2,571.39 National Westminster Bank Current Account 3,065.12

165.82 National Westminster Bank Diocesan Account 361.73 18,000.00 Investments 18,000.00 24,530.49 C B F Deposit Account. General Fund 24,650.27 493.82 C B F Deposit Account Churchyard Fund 647.08 3,368.95 C B F Deposit Account Organ Fund 3,385.83 17,329.28 C B F Deposit Account. Building Maintenance 20,418.41 Fd. 1,932.86 Debtors and Prepayments 2,034.18 ______68,392.61 72,562.62 ======Representing Liabilities:

(1,222.21) Creditors (1,546.28) (435.82) Balance of Churchyard Fund (734.42) (3,243.47) Balance of Organ Fund (3,280.35) (17,042.84) Balance of Building Maintenance Fund (20,373.08) (22,500.00) Expendable Endowments (23,750.00) (709.84) Choir Fund (883.57) (11,705.59) Unutilised Legacies (10,800.00) (1,517.00) Reserved Amounts (1,717.00) (237.81) Walsingham Pilgrimage. Surplus Funds (245.58) (49.70) Thursday Club (8.70) (1,430.89) Childrens' and Youth Fund (684.53) (131.00) Christmas Tree Lights (131.00) (8,166.44) Balance of General Fund (8,408.11)

______(68,392.61) (72,562.62) ======

As an Independent Examiner I/we confirm and verify the Accounts of St Margaret's Parochial Church Council for the Year ended 31st December 2014

26

Deanery of Burnham and Slough Annual Deanery Report 2014 Synod Meetings During 2014 there were four meetings of Deanery Synod. During the year the new Synod, 16, began. At these meetings the Synod has discussed such varied topics as: • Mission Action Planning • Recovering Deanery Status • Community Engagement • Giving in Grace • Credit Unions

It was at the beginning of July that we heard the sad news of the death of Bob Saunders. Bob had been a long time member of Deanery Synod. He was a LLM in the parish of St Peter’s Burnham and an enthusiastic educator who shared much of his skill and wisdom with the Deanery. Passionate about environmental issues and the education of others, Bob dedicated much of his time to developing courses for the Deanery and the wider diocese. He is much missed and our continued prayers and support go out to Jo, his wife.

Movements We have had several new people licensed to Parishes in the last year: • In April, Janet Minkkinen was appointed as Vicar of St Andrew’s Cippenham. • In May, La Stacey was licensed to Eton, , Boveney and . • In October Mary Kent joined Parish as their new priest. Also in October John Chorlton, the vicar of St George’s Britwell, retired. John developed and grew the parish from little to a thriving place where Christ is clearly in the hearts and minds of the people. Some will say that he will be remembered for the wonderful church that was built in Britwell but I believe his more enduring legacy will be the great spiritual heart that he put into the people there.

Flooding The year began badly for some parts of the Deanery. At the beginning of February flooding badly affected Wraysbury and Datchet. Although the churches were not flooded many in the communities experienced severe problems and some had to be rescued from their houses. The church swung into action reaching out and supporting many in the community. In particular, in Wraysbury, where the worst of the flooding occurred, many of St Andrew's congregation spent long hours along with the rest of the community supporting the worst affected by providing meals, clothing, and running a place of safety for any who had been evacuated. Bishop Alan came down to see the situation and offer his support to both parishes.

The Grand Day Out In September many of us joined Bishop John and the rest of the diocese in the Grand Day Out in Oxford. It was a wonderful occasion and an opportunity for us to do something that rarely happens - to worship together, to give praise to God and to celebrate all that is good about our diocese.

Bishop's Farewell Around about that time, Bishop John was walking the Thames path as a pilgrimage. His final few steps on this two week journey were in our Deanery. He was welcomed and fed as he 27 travelled the last few miles; coffee at Boveney, lunch at Datchet and worship with the whole Deanery at Wraysbury with a worship and celebratory Hog Roast. It was a great occasion and an opportunity for us to say a personal farewell to our Bishop.

MAP 2014 has been a year for us all to look at how we wish to grow in mission and ministry. Early in the year we committed, as a Deanery, to develop individual Mission Action Plans (MAP). This process is on-going but it is hoped that it will allow parishes to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and to ask the Lord what are his plans for us all. Once these have been developed then we as a Deanery can see how we can support those plans by offering advice and resources that are needed. Further, it is an opportunity for parishes to offer support and skills to each other so that we all become better equipped for the work of the Kingdom.

Parish Share For several years now the Deanery has struggled to fulfil its Parish Share completely and as a consequence has not been able to receive any diocesan refund. At the end of 2013 the standing committee, ably assisted by the finance committee, renegotiated our Deanery share down to a level which was manageable and proportionate.

This gave us a fighting chance to fulfil our commitment to the diocese. It should be noted that we find ourselves in this situation not entirely through our own fault. In the past two years the rebate we have received because we have some parishes with high deprivation levels has been reduced. This, in turn, is due to two factors: the inception of a Rural Deprivation fund and the use of Mosaic data to 'more accurately' assess the levels of deprivation across the diocese. The Mosaic information, however, does not take into account the level of deprivation within the extant Christian community (as defined by 2011 census data) and as housing is bought by people of other faiths and no faith the demography is changing.

Recovering Deanery This, in turn, meant that we became a Recovering Deanery. From this position we have been able to propose a plan for the next few years which will see our actual giving eventually converge with the level of giving that we should be attaining.

I am aware that at least one parish has called for us to reduce the level of stipendiary ministry in the Deanery so that we could reduce our over all level of Parish Share. But as I have explained at Synod this is not as easy as it might appear. Given the constraints on Common Tenure; i.e. we cannot just redeploy clergy where they are most needed and that we must wait for vacancies to readjust ministry 28 strategically. We can only reduce clergy numbers in a piecemeal fashion which will not lead to the best deployment for the whole Deanery.

The really good news is that in 2014, for the first time in years the Deanery was able to receive the full rebate. This was simply because we were able to pay our Parish Share in full. For some this was a sacrificial act but as we were able to pull together we were able to achieve our goal. Although we expected to have to support the parish share by about £16,500 in the end the Deanery only had to find some £2,500. This was partly due to the generous gifting of over £8,000 from the Amersham Deanery whom we thank deeply.

Vocations Over the last year, there has been a marked rise in people exploring vocation. Bruce Russell has, for some time now been our Vocations Advisor and has done sterling work in this area. Recently he has been supported by Colin Gibson. Bruce has now decided to stand down from this position and Colin has agreed to take it on. I would like to thank Bruce for all his hard work and commitment to the vocational process and wish Colin well as he continues on with the vital work. I hope that in the near future we will identify someone who would be prepared to assist Colin as the number of enquiries grow.

Collaborative Ministry One way in which we often look at declining numbers of clergy or the reduction of funding for stipendiary posts is to seek more self-supporting ministers. Although this in itself is part of the answer it may also mask a more fundamental question: What sort of ministry should we be offering in order that the Church may grow in the 21st century? Yes, ordained ministry is a vital part of the answer but there may be other things that we should be considering in parallel. How do we become more collaborative in our ministry? Can we genuinely look at every member ministry in parishes? What are the skills and gifts that already lie within our church communities? These are some of the questions, I believe, we should be asking ourselves. We can no longer see ourselves as maintenance churches but as people who are prepared for Mission. In order to do that we can no longer sit back and say, 'Oh, that's the Vicar's job.' For the church to grow and thrive we all have to be prepared to collaborate in its Mission. However small we believe our role to be we must all be equipped for it so that we move from 'last one out switch the lights out' to 'how can we leave this place vibrant and full of the Holy Spirit for generations to come?'

Stewardship One of the things that we have agreed to look at, as a Synod, is how we approach Stewardship. Some parishes are on top of this and have a regular programme whilst others seem to rely more and more on fund raising to make their parish share. I have always been of the mind that fundraising is for the extras, whilst stewardship is for the day to day support of the Gospel and 29 running of a parish. To this end, we have committed to looking at the Giving in Grace stewardship programme, originally developed by the diocese of Liverpool. Robin Grayson is holding a morning on this for parishes who are interested in an off the shelf but adaptable way of looking at this subject. This will take place at St Mary's, Langley on Saturday 28th February l0.00am to noon. All are welcome just let Robin know you are coming.

Education in the Deanery In order to equip ourselves the Deanery has decided to offer courses for those who would like to build up their skills in various areas of the churches life. Over the next year or so we hope to offer courses on: • Leading Worship • Pastoral Ministry • Leading Intercessions • Child Protection • Growing Leaders (this is a CPAS course)

Preaching Course As part of this process we began, last autumn, with our first course on Preaching. 12 people joined us on this 6 week course from various parishes. They have also preached in their home parishes and are, as I write, also preaching in a variety of other parishes. The end of the course will be on 18th March, when Bishop Alan will come to celebrate with those on the course and to authorise them to preach in the Deanery.

General Synod For some years Anna Thomas Betts has been a member of General Synod. Not every Deanery can claim to have someone on the national body. Her presence on General Synod has helped us greatly to reflect on the wider issues of the church. She has been part of the Synod at a most historic time with the successful passing of the law allowing women to be raised to the episcopate. Anna is standing down at the end of this Synod and she does so with our thanks and gratitude. 2015 will see a new General Synod elected. We need to prayerfully discern whether there are others from our own Deanery Synod who might stand for election, lay or ordained.

Communication We have been without a website for some time now. Over the next few months we will be looking at the possibility of relaunching one. It is hoped that it will not only put Burnham and Slough back into cyberspace but, more importantly, that it will be a more efficient way of providing material, such as agendas and minutes for Synod and its supporting committees. Further we hope to have a regular blog for which members of the Synod could write articles and reflections. It will also be a space where we can 30 keep the world informed about what we are doing in this part of God’s Vineyard.

Re-vamp of Committees With the re-engagement of the Deanery with education, we have revamped the committees. Once the new Synod had been established we elected new members of the various committees (see below).

Deanery Officers 2014 Standing Mission and Finance Education Committee Pastoral Northern John Wheatley Marcia Wright Teresa Carter Henna Johnson Group Teresa Carter Steve Dass Eastern Andrew Sue Edward John Lane Jill Bell Group Montgomerie Robert Gooding Mary Kent Jubilee Alan Dibden Nicky Pledger La Stacey Janet Minkkinen Group Ian Fordyce Southern Angela Inger David Raynor Bob Chapman Anna Thomas Group Colin Hartley Peter Wyard Betts Robin Grayson

The Future Apart from the exciting developments in training which I have already mentioned we are planning several events over the next year or so. The first will take place on Pentecost Sunday, 25th May, We are intending to hold a Deanery picnic for all the parishes to join in fun, food and worship. We are still looking for a public venue, so if you have any ideas talk to Robin Grayson or myself. Then in 2016 we are hoping to have a Deanery Mission. This could take any shape that we, as a Deanery, want. What we do want to do is to harness the energy of the whole Deanery to share the Good News as widely as possible in Burnham and Slough. If you would like to be involved in the planning of this then do talk to me.

Thanks I would like to take this opportunity to thank various people. In particular those who give their time to the work of the Deanery through its various committees and roles.

Thank you to Carole George, my PA, who never fails to amaze me at the amount of paperwork and emails she can get through in only four hours keeping me just on the right side of sanity.

Especially I would like to thank Robin Grayson for his wisdom and caring support. Mark Johnson, our Lay Chair for his enthusiasm and loving commitment to the life of the Deanery and Bob Chapman our Treasurer for his 31 preparedness to immerse himself in figures and come out with a human response to the financial pressures we experience. Chris Broadbent in the last twelve months has become our associate Lay Chair which has given us a wise and caring pair of eyes. Further, thanks go to Zarah Wilson out Deanery Secretary and Susan Edwards who minute takes so efficiently for so many meetings. Zarah is having to resign now as she is beginning a course in Medicine in Bucharest. Shame she can't pop back for our meetings. We do wish her all success and God's continued presence in her life and work.

Finally a personal thanks to Pam, my wife, for all her support in this relatively new role. Without her the job would be impossible.

Thank you to everyone. Rod Cosh, Area Dean