With St. Peter’s, Hebden

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 15th November 2020

Reports Booklet

The Parish of Linton St. Michael’s & All Angels, Linton St. Peter’s, Hebden Church Officials Rector Rev David Macha Reader Cath Currier PCC Secretary Vacancy Church Wardens Rory Magill Helen Davy Mark Ludlum Valerie Ludlum Treasurer Maureen Chaduc Deanery Synod Representatives Lesley Brooker Jennie Scott Lay Members Neil McCormac Betty Hammonds Jane Sayer Jacqui Sugden + 5 Vacancies Sidespersons Rita Clark Ian Clark Betty Hammonds Dennis Leeds Bunty Leder Valerie Ludlum Phyllida Oates Bryan Pearson Pamela Whatley-Holmes John Wolfenden Joan Whittaker Muriel White Brian Metcalfe Mary Douglas Ian Simpson

The Parish of Linton St. Michael’s & All Angels, Linton St. Peter’s, Hebden

Meeting of Parishioners – 15th November 2020 Agenda Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners 2019 Election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting – 15th November 2020 Agenda 1 Apologies for absence 2 Reception of the Electoral Roll 3 Election of Laity to the Parochial Parish Council and to the Deanery Synod 4 Appointment of Sidepersons 5 Approval of 2019 APCM Minutes 7 2019 Annual Accounts – Receipt of and Acceptance of Independent Examiner’s Statement for 2019 accounts 8 Annual Reports in booklets 9 Chairman’s Address 10 AOB & Questions

Electoral Roll Information at 6th October 2020

There are 64 names on the Electoral Roll for 2020. This is an increase of one from 2019 and comprises 55 resident in the parish and 9 not resident in the parish. The electronic publication of the Electoral Roll on the Linton parish website undoubtedly contributed to the low level of revisions and no removals were notified. Jean Powell Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners Sunday 14th April 2019

The meeting opened with prayer by the Rector Rev D. Macha (DM) The 2018 minutes of the meeting of parishioners were accepted as a true and accurate record. Four churchwardens were nominated – Rory Magill, Helen Davey, Mark Ludlam and Valerie Ludlam. The nominations were accepted with no abstentions. Thanks were expressed to the churchwardens for their continued hard work.

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 14th April 2019 1. Apologies for absence Apologies were received from Penny Hamilton, Charles Knowles, Angela Knowles, Chris Baker and Barbara Cosby. Number in attendance 26 2. Reception of the electoral roll Jean Powell explained that the electoral roll had to be renewed for 2019, it now consists of 63 members, 55 residents and 8 non-residents. The old roll had been 95 people, 49 had reapplied and there were 14 new applicants. The need to renew the electoral roll was advertised, and those who currently have not applied will be followed up. 3. Election of Laity to the Parochial Church Council and general synod There were no new nominations for PCC members, there are no vacant spaces with the current size of the electoral roll, and the current membership will be rolled forward. The PCC now comprises the following: Rector: David Macha. Church wardens (ex-officio): Rory Magill, Helen Davey, Mark Ludlam and Valerie Ludlam Reader: Cath Currier. Deanery Synod representatives; Lesley Brooker and Jennie Scott. Lay members: Neil McCormac, Betty Hammonds, Jane Sayer, and Jacqui Sugden, and carrying 5 vacancies. Treasurer: Maureen Chaduc

4. Nomination of side persons The list of side persons was read out: paste in the list form old minutes Rita Clark, Ian Clark, Betty Hammonds, Sandra Jenkins, Bunty Leder, Valerie Ludlam, Phyllida Oates, Bryan Pearson, Pamela Whatley-Holmes and John Wolfenden. Specifically for the 8am service – Joan Whittaker and Muriel White. For Fountaine’s Chapel – Brian Metcalfe. For St Peter’s – Mary Douglas and Ian Simpson. This list was received and thanks expressed for their ongoing hard work. A list of chalice assistants was confirmed: Lavinia Hardy, Judy Booth, Jane Sayer, Jo Clark, Francis Barton, Angela Knowles and Elaine Macha 5. Approval of 2018 APCM Minutes These were accepted without any amendments 6. 2017 Annual Accounts – Receipt of and acceptance of Independent Examiners Statement for 2017 accounts Appreciations were expressed to Maureen Chaduc for her hard work and getting the accounts in order. Sue Arnott asked who Maureen was and she explained she lived in , having returned years ago from . She had a daughter at Girls and completed accounts for a number of organisations in the area. The accounts were proposed by Mark Ludlam and seconded by Rory Magill, and were unanimously accepted.

7. 2018 Annual Accounts – Receipt of and acceptance of Independent Examiners Statement for 2017 accounts A number of queries were raised by Mark Kirkpatrick: a) Page 2 £13,003, where did this transfer of funds come from? b) Where does the funding come from to cover maintenance costs for the graveyard? 50% from the local parish council and 50% from the church. c) Reference to the church house cottage and flat, where was the church house cottage? This was identified as the small house adjoining church house where Betty Hammonds lives. d) Noted there were large funding’s to Inn Churches and Martin House; why were there no regular information updates on these charities like the other charities we support? DM clarified that the funding for these two organisations was from charitable fundraising completed at Dickensian and money was split at Christmas as decided by the PCC for these charities and the Children’s society, as a one off payment. e) Where does the support come from for project reverb? The money given to reverb comes from the church general funds as decided by the PCC. DM explained that although Reverb is a charity its work is done as part of the church and is therefore not an external charity. f) Why is the Diocesan share so high now? And why are we no longer paying it all? DM explained that previous to being part of the new Leeds Diocese the share was within out annual income, the new way of calculating the share now means that it is more than our annual income. As the Parish has a Surgery, a Dentist, a bus service and a post office it is considered wealthier than for example and so the share is significantly larger. Where parish shares have increased the Diocese have planned to limit the increase in a step by step way year on year. As a church if we did pay all the share we would be unable to do anything else. Mark Ludlam and DM have had meetings with the Diocese, and have asked them not to raise the share further. Elaine Macha stated that the previous way of assessing the share seemed fairer than the new method. DM stated that as we now have one clergyperson across the 3 parishes, (the total cost per year is £50,000 which includes all additional costs like housing and bills etc), the PCC will inform the diocese that we are unable to pay the requested share in 2019. The accounts were proposed by Mark Ludlam and seconded by Rory Magill, and were unanimously accepted. 8. Annual Reports in booklets These were received and celebrated without queries. Mary Lowe expressed thanks to DM for the good work described in the church reports, could clearly see the work was outward looking and that it was great to see the outreach work that was going on.

9. Chairman’s Address DM stated that the work is developing and it is good to see people encounter the ‘living God’; this does not necessarily mean more bums on seats at 11am services. DM identified current positives: Our work with schools; for example, school had recently requested an Easter service in the church. There are different congregations- in the local schools and in Toddler Praise and Primary Praise. DM expressed thanks again to all the hard work of Edd Greenfield with people in difference schools and community settings. The upcoming Ceilidh is a community event where the church is acting as a bridge between & Threshfield Schools and the wider community. Wendy at Scargill is going to working with us to cover some gaps in the Reverb vacancy. Team members from Camps will continue to be involved in TOAST and Collective Worship at Grassington School. Reverb post – this will be advertised after the end of April when there is feedback from a recent grant application. The canvassing for regular support for 15 people giving £10 a month, would enable the project to apply for funding at 50% grants and 50% sponsored events and giving. Tis could provide funding for a full time youth worker rather than 0.8. DM expressed thanks to Norman Cooke and Hannah Peace for their hard work on the Reverb committee and finances/grant applications. 10. AOB Ian Clarke raised the issue of replacing the plastic single use cups used after a Sunday service with paper cups. The minimum increase we could expect over a year would be double the cost, between £40-£80. This proposal was unanimously accepted, in favour of recyclable/biodegradable cups.

The meeting closed with prayer at 12.55pm.

Report of the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council for 2020

No report as the PCC does not have a secretary.

Rector’s Report APCM 2020 (for the year 2019)

As I think back to 2019, it all seems a very long time ago! The events of last year seem to exist in a different world, and in many ways that is very true. The global Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the world and changed all our lives in ways which we would not have been able to conceive only twelve months ago. This report seeks to remember back to 2019 but also addresses our time this year and the very real challenges we have (and continue) to face in being church in the time of Covid.

I continue to be encouraged that our common life together and our personal commitment to a relationship with the living God continues to deepen. I remain committed to serving the whole community and not just parts of it, and I am encouraged that our reach throughout 2019 was much wider than it was and that we encompass all ages across the parish. There is still much to be done but we are in a better place than we were, and we spent a lot of the year trying to create more and more opportunities for growth. I think it would be fair to say that in general things went well.

Throughout 2019 we continued to develop and deepen our relationships with one another. It remains really encouraging that the 11.00am congregation always remain at church long after the service has finished, to enjoy fellowship and encourage one another.

At the APCM both Rory Magill and Helen Davey will stand down as Churchwardens after many years of faithful service. We want to mark that commitment and also to offer our very appreciative thanks to them. I wish to add my personal thanks to them both; they will be greatly missed.

We still have a number of folk who suffering with long term illness and finding life increasingly difficult. It is wonderful that throughout 2019 members of the congregation faithfully visited and supported these folk; thank you for your Christ-like faithfulness in this.

Worship

Thank you to all those who were/are involved in the very many different aspects of worship throughout our congregations.

The Creative Worship Team at St Michael's has undergone a renaissance under the wise and facilitating leadership of Cath Currier. The team continued to produce stimulating and engaging worship which helped folk engage with God’s word and really think about its relevance to their lives. It has been great to see the leadership base continue to widen for this service. We have some really gifted folk who have so very much to give and share. There is a deep integrity in this that is easy to perceive and is part of the attraction of this service to so many.

Our music has also continued to develop; we are grateful to all who are involved in its leadership and the group of organists who make worship possible at so many of our services. The opportunity for singers to help lead the 11.00am St Michael’s service was brilliant until lockdown closed this opportunity; having Joyce Milner work with a flexible group to encourage participation and enjoyment was creative and helpful. Thanks to all those who enhanced our worship space with flowers and displays and with inspirational creative installations. Thank you to those who took on responsibilities for the building and polished, washed, ironed and prepared the different articles used in our worship. Without you the beauty of our worshipping lives would have been diminished.

The 8.00am BCP Holy Communion Service continued to experience declining numbers and generally we were about half a dozen (including myself and the church warden). The Tuesday morning at Fountain's Chapel is a relaxed and open time and we had a wider participation in 2109. The Wednesday morning BCP service at Church House continues to goes well and we continue to see a boost each month when folk from the Methodist Chapel in Grassington come along to the service. We were grateful to Janet Clasper for her willingness to lead this service now and again before she retired and are very happy that Tracey Darling, the new(er) Methodist minister continues to be involved so that it truly is an ecumenical gathering. We are also grateful to Rod Geddes for helping out with Wednesday mornings sometimes over the course of the year.

We have multiple congregations and for these it is good to give thanks. Our new Primary Praise Service is the sister service to our already established Toddler Praise and it has been great to see this taking shape and growing since its launch in 2018. We celebrated a fantastic St Patrick’s Family Praise Service at St Michael’s. This was followed by a wonderful Harvest Festival at the beginning of October and a special Carol Service just before Christmas. Great fellowship, food, time together and meaningful and real worship drew us all together in very uplifting and encouraging worship across all-ages.

The closing of church buildings as part of the lockdown measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 changed all our worship plans, and experience, for 2020. We cancelled the Mothering Sunday Family Praise service and then locked the doors of the churches. Services moved on-line and we began the daily Thought for the Day emails. We’ve utilised facebook, redesigned and developed the Benefice website and have developed the daily email drop using mailchimp. Claire, our Administrator has become ultra-proficient in getting stuff on-line, and I have developed my skills as a film producer/director/cameraman/video editor.

The response to our online services has been really interesting and very encouraging. We had more uptake than we usually do on a Sunday in the churches, and folk seemed to especially appreciate that the worship was outdoors and in different places in the 3 parishes each week. It took a fair amount of time to film and then edit these services together and this was especially so once we encouraged participation in communal singing. Folk recorded themselves and sent in these tracks so that I could put them all together into a single track. I learned a lot about video editing along the way, but it was wonderful to have voices and instruments coming together in a way was not possible and is still not allowed in a physical setting. At one point we had over 250 people viewing these weekly services. These are still accessed each week but by much smaller numbers.

St Michael’s is presently open for services of Morning Prayer each week, but St Peter’s at Hebden is yet to re-open. Our weekly services at Church House and at Fountain’s Chapel are yet to begin again. The 8.00am BCP service has not been offered yet and with the current guidelines will not be in the near future.

Finances

We have been facing various challenges in our finances for the past few years. The older established members of our congregations who form the financial backbone of the church are diminishing in number and as a result our income is reducing. This, set alongside the diocese’s newer model for calculating parish share, which places a massive and unfair burden up Linton parish, has placed much pressure on our operations. 2019 has been difficult financially for the churches as you will see from the accounts, but 2020 was catastrophic. With no public services for a large part of the year a huge income stream has disappeared. It is very difficult to see how we will be able to balance the books in 2020 without significantly decreasing our diocesan share, a share that we already fail to pay in full. Various encouragements have failed to produce any significant increase to meeting the deficits.

Linton PCC feels that the dramatic jumps in the share request in recent years are just unrealistic for the parish. The new method of share calculation seems to perfectly penalise us. In 2018 we were asked to contribute £57,448 and contributed £39,000. In 2019 the share request was over £63,000; we were not able to meet this request and contributed just £21,000.

The on-going financial situation of the church remains vulnerable.

Help from Clergy and Local Friends

I would like to record my grateful thanks to all the clergy who have covered services over 2019 and 2020. Special thanks need to go to Rod Geddes and also the ministry team at Scargill House: Lucy Cleland, Paul Reily, and Margi Walker. Without their help and support we would really struggle. Thanks also to Andy Sellers – retired Baptist minister living in Threshfield, Janet Russell our regular Welsh visitor and Andy Peace from Yorkshire Camps at Netherside. Thanks also to Ian Greenhalgh from Giggleswick. All those who have covered and helped us, and they have brought something new and refreshing into our worship; we really appreciate their ministry amongst us.

Relationships with the parishes of Burnsall and

2019 saw the formalisation of our working links with Rylstone and Burnsall parishes. Bringing this to fruition was a time-consuming process, but it does now mean that for the first time in more than thirty years, the ministry provision and the single benefice boundary are co-terminus. We are now the Benefice of Linton, Burnsall and Rylstone - a single united benefice of 3 parishes. In this situation the individual parish PCCs remain sovereign and have control over their finances, but our agreement to becoming a united benefice shows a real and very valuable commitment to working together into the future.

Schools

Work with schools continued to flourish in the early part of 2019 with Ed Greenfield, but after he left Project Reverb in May we experienced a bit of a hiatus as we struggled to make a new appointment. With only the resources to pay a part-time post Reverb’s job offer was not very appealing. We were greatly helped in the later half of the year by the team at Yorkshire Camps and folk from Scargill House. Our good relationship with these meant we could call upon their help and commitment. I also increased my time commitment in the local schools to help compensate. Edd was a key member of the Benefice services aimed at the families of pre-school children – Toddler Praise - and families of primary-aged children – Primary Praise – and we very much missed his input. Cath Currier and myself took up most of the strain here.

We began 2020 in much the same way as we left 2019, but with the addition of a new Youth and Children’s worker who worked part-time for Project Reverb. Sam Buster, a young Australian school-leaver, did a fantastic job of engaging with our children and creating a buzz in our engagement with children in all the local Primary Schools. The Coronavirus epidemic put a stop to that, and Sam managed to dash home to Australia just before borders were closed.

We continue to work very closely with Grassington school. In 2019 the whole school community came to St Michael’s for major festivals and at the end of each term. These services have proved increasingly popular with parents and with members of the local community. It is great that church members organise refreshments for everyone at each service; thank you. Edd, and then Sam, headed up the Collective Worship Committee every week and encourages the children in taking responsibility for leadership of Collective Worship services as they grow in confidence and commitment in the Christian faith. It is always a real privilege to be in the school each week as Edd and Sam and I, work closely with the volunteer team from Yorkshire Camps, to lead Collective Worship for the whole school community. The situation with Covid put our engagement on a very different footing and from the summer Joe McNutt from Yorkshire Camps and I have been producing videos for the local schools to use in Collective Worship. Joe has volunteered time to Project Reverb to make this happen; we are very grateful to him and Yorkshire Camps.

As Governor and parish priest I have a wide responsibility for the welfare of the school community.

Edd and I have continued to spend time in Threshfield School this past year. As well as visiting to conduct assemblies – especially at festival times. Sam also spent time at the school at the beginning of the year. Sarah Harper is the new head of school and she is very keen for our engagement and involvement in the life of the school.

Weddings

We continued to work with the many young couples approaching us and wanting to be married in our churches. These continued to receive a warm welcome in worship and to really appreciate the time and effort put into our ‘Table for Two’ days. We received much positive feedback from glorious wedding days and for what is described as really helpful engagement in the preparation for marriage.

Folk from Linton, Burnsall, and Rylstone, were part of the team which organised, cooked, set up, greeted, served, washed up, prayed and generally worked together. This ministry continues to be a great opportunity to share fellowship across the parishes as we seek to serve the folk getting married in our churches. Once again I have been meeting folk married years before who speak of how important Table for Two was in helping them to explore areas of their relationships and to prepare for married life. This is really important service that no other agency offers in the way we do.

Buildings

The plans for the proposed new toilet at St Michael’s came on leaps and bounds at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. We looked like being able to put things in place for the toilet to be completed before the end of the year. Then came Covid; since lockdown things have been on hold.

One of the challenges for the year ahead it to bring the work to completion. With all that has happened much of the organising has fallen to me and with Helen standing down as Churchwarden at the APCM we really are short of someone (/some people) to help make this happen. Do continue to pray that we might be able to move this project forward soon and that the necessary funding would be available.

Communications

The Parish Magazine has continued to develop over 2019 and we continued to receive much positive feedback saying that local folk appreciate the colour and artistic endeavour. We are keen to celebrate our life together through the magazine and hope to get it in as many hands as possible. The decision to move to voluntary contributions came as a result of this desire to have the magazine more widely read within the community. Do please contribute if you take the magazine with a donation.

We use our facebook access to promote what we are doing as a church and to showcase the life of the whole church. Toddler Praise and Primary Praise have their own pages and we use these, as well as the St Michael’s page, to promote our work. The posters outside Church House also help to let folk in the community know what we are up to, and these are a key tool in communication. The development of our mailchimp email accounts has allowed to readily reach a huge number of folk. About 100 people open our emails every single day.

Edd Greenfield and Sam Buster

I was very sad to say ‘goodbye’ to Edd our Youth and Children’s Leader in 2019. He had been brilliant in this role and we give real thanks for his perseverance, humility and gifts; his servant heart comes out of his deep commitment to Christ. Sam came to us at the beginning of 2020 and made a very significant contribution in his 3 months with us. It was a great shame that Covid cut short his time. We wish him well in Australia as he begins university in the new year.

Concluding Thoughts

Covid has changed us as a worshipping community and we face challenges ahead. I think we have done a good job of trying to navigate what has been difficult territory and we continue to look ahead to see how we can develop within the constraints which are placed upon us. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all who help and contribute to the life of the church in whatever way. May we do this with joy and appreciation; with servant hearts keen to serve one another and those around us. To all those who undertake unseen practical tasks, who serve the community of faith and witness to the Resurrection, may you know God’s rich blessing as you serve Him.

I would like to mark and give thanks for the ministries of both Donald Lowe and Charles Trevor. Donald passed away earlier in the year; I am so grateful to him for his long ministry in the Dale after many years of faithful service in both and South Africa. Donald’s genuine integrity and honest engagement with God were so encouraging for so many. Charles Trevor has relocated to Barnoldswick. His sparkly-eyed faithfulness is greatly missed by lots of folk in ; we are grateful for the years he ministered amongst us.

We mourn the passing of the faithfully departed from the parish. We have lost some very dear folk since the last APCM and we miss them.

May you know the Peace of Christ in these uncertain times

/David X

Financial Summary

The accounts for 2019 can be found as appendix 1 together with the Independent Examiners Report, appendix 2, at the end of the report.

Church House Report in Respect of Financial Year 01.01.2019 – 31.12.2019

CH finances are in a very good order which shows that it is well used by a variety of different groups. Funds were boosted by allowing CH to be used in the filming of All Creatures Great And Small. Hopefully a second series will be on the cards.

Special thanks go to Betty Hammonds who looks after the day to day running of CH.

Mark Ludlam

Gift Aid Report

A big thank you to all who made financial donations to St. Michael’s in 2019; they totalled £32,831.10.

A big thank you to all who made it possible for us to claim tax back from the government amounting to £8,355.38.

Not everyone may be aware that we can claim Gift Aid under the Small Donations Scheme on loose cash donated in sums of £30 or less up to a combined annual total of £8,000 whether the donors pay income tax or not. Whether a donor pays tax or not it is better for the church if donors put occasional gifts of £30 or less in loose change straight into the collection bag rather than into a non-gift-aided envelope.

Charles Knowles

Churchwarden’s Report for 2019 and 2020 (so far).

What a year we have had! This report originally to be given in April would have covered 2019 but with the delay in the APCM it also focuses on 2020 so far. Firstly let us look back to our pre-covid year. As always the Church has been a centre of the community, there have been weddings, funerals, christenings, memorial and thanksgiving services. We have also held carol services and services with the local schools and social events including a jointly run Barn Dance. We send our grateful thanks to all those who make these events happen for the benefit of our community. One of the main foci for us has been continuing the work towards the development of the new toilet facilities. Over last Winter many discussions had been held between ourselves, the architect and archaeologist and the Diocese about how to move forward with the work on the trench arch which will provide the drainage. Work is currently, unsurprisingly, on hold. We continued to hire the Portaloo during 2019 but the PCC made a decision towards the end of the year to end the contract as finances were very tight and savings needed to be made. Many thanks must go to those who had been contributing to the costs over the last two years. For Christmas 2019 there was the Christmas ‘Do’ at Long Ashes, on5th December, nice food, musical entertainment and no social distancing. Many thanks to those who organised this for us all to enjoy. Edd, our Reverb leader, moved before Summer 2019 and we were very lucky to be able to employ Sam Buster from Australia on a temporary contract in 2020. This was working well until he returned to Australia as Covid spread. From March, when lockdown started, services moved online and later weekly zoom catch ups were introduced. Our thanks to all those who helped lead these services and who continue to do so allowing everyone to access worship. We are really grateful to all who have been involved in reopening St Michael’s for Sunday services and for the Weddings that went ahead in August. The guidelines we have to follow are long and complicated – well done to Mark, Neil and David for working through them and enabling services to start again. Morning Prayer is currently being held on a Sunday each week And lastly, thank you to David and Cath for their ministry over the past year and to the willing helpers who keep the churches clean, dressed with the right altar cloths, bedecked with flowers and provide music for our services, those providing coffee and refreshments week by week, to the team keeping the grounds tidy and presentable, to the sidesmen, readers, those who lead the intercessions, lockers and unlockers, the PCC, the music group ...the list goes on and apologies if we’ve missed some...but to all, thank you. Helen, Mark, Valerie and Rory.

St Michael’s Fabric Report

Work on the Church has been limited to some exterior repointing and work on the guttering due to budget constraints. The interior redecoration is somewhat overdue; however this will have to be done after the toilet/kitchen works are completed. We are still short of funds for the toilet/kitchen project so once normality resumes we must make stringent efforts to raise the balance required.

The organ has stopped working so we are having to rely on the piano for music. Having spent a small sum having the organ repaired previously it is of the opinion that the organ has had its day. The PCC will need to consider its replacement for the future.

Overall the Church is in sound condition given the budget constraints that we have to work with.

Mark Ludlum

Fabric Report – St Peter’s

There has been very little work to the fabric of St Peter’s in the last year. A cleaning day was held earlier in the year to dust, polish and sweep – many thanks to our small band of volunteers.

Thanks, as always, must also be given to Ian Simpson who voluntarily carries out so much day to day work at St Peter’s including the grass cutting in the old churchyard, wall building, etc.

During the lockdown the church has been regularly checked and is in good condition. It currently remains closed and we review monthly when we might resume services.

Helen Davey

Hebden Congregation Report

Before lockdown the regular 4th Sunday Service continued with a range of types of service both Anglican and Methodist lead. We continue to have had some very geared to the community e.g. Christingle and some traditional Communion and Evening Worship Services.

An organ recital was held during the festival in 2019, thanks to Bunty for organising this.

We would like to thank our various organists particularly Myra for continuing to play the organ at our services and contributing so much through the music. We do all enjoy a good sing at all our services and are looking forward to the regulations allowing this at some point in the future.

We would also like to pay special thanks to Mary Douglass for everything she has contributed to St. Peter’s over the years. We wish her well in her new life in Ilkley. Thank you Mary for everything!

Helen Davey

Deanery Synod Report

There were two Deanery Synod meetings attended by Mrs Jennie Scott and Lesley Brooker. There was third meeting but a change of secretary meant that we were not notified .

The first meeting was held at Christ Church Skipton on January 15th. This gathering was attended and addressed by Bishop Nick Baines. Looking back it is rather odd to discover that the prayers and the start of the Bishops’ talk was dominated by the result of the Brexit vote and the start of the negotiations! Also at this time mention was still made concerning the position of women as priests and in the church in general. We were given copies of the diocesan leaflet entitled ‘Maturing in Christ ‘ . It stated the five guiding principles that are the strategic goals for 2020-2024. They are 1. Vision and values 2. Re-imagining ministry 3. Nurturing lay discipleship 4. Building leadership pathways 5. Growing young people as Christians. ( Copies of the leaflet available) Christ Church had a new priest the Rev Ruth. She spoke of the new initiatives being undertaken by the church. Led by Tony Cartlow a ‘Tuesday cafe’ was being started and the parish now has links with canal people through the new Waterways chaplain, Janet Denton. She spoke about her developing role along the canal with residents and holiday makers.

New people in post in the diocese were the Rev Jonathan Gough who was to be made Archdeacon of Ripon and the Dales on 10th March 2019 and the Rev Nicholas Mercer installed as Rector of Bolton Priory

The second meeting was held at St Mary’s Church Embsay. After a welcome and a time of worship we were given an overview of the work in this parish.. Work in schools brought the pupils into church looking at and being inspired by the stained glass windows. There were strong community links ,often fostered by the Fair Trade connections-for example the local pub buying fair trade coffee through the church. Being the body of Christ in Embsay involved the congregation trying to undertake the outworking of St Paul’s pathway outlined in Romans. It means finding local solutions for local issues and making connections.

The meeting was then given an over-view of Diocesan strategy by Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley. The five goals were spoken of and she also talked of the work of the pastoral advisory group which stressed the commitment to clergy well-being as a shared responsibility. Parish difficulties, like the problems raised by so many people commuting and this making aspects of parish life awkward, were also aired.

Questions from the floor were dominated by queries about different parish shares. It was strongly felt that a review of the calculation method was urgently needed but the Bishop could give no timetable. She was made aware that parishes worried about where the money was going and the fact that there was never any acknowledgement of the effort made to raise that cash by individual parishes to meet their Share. Some appreciation would be welcome.

Stella. ? gave a summary of the motivation of giving by Henri Nouwen. He pointed out the links between fundraising, mission, vision, resources, new directions and opportunities. It all seemed seamless at the time!

The meeting closed at 9:45pm

Lesley Brooker

Diocesan Synod – No Report

The Linton Parish Magazine Report

The parish magazine continues to be an important part of our ministry here in Linton, the colourful and engaging ‘monthly’ is a conduit for the church engaging with the community. The magazine brings together church activities for all ages with local interest groups and businesses. It’s an important source of information for many and we promote everything from the arts to the plight of refugees to the litter picking group!

Unknown to many but in April 2019 a major element of the production process was brought in house. For some time the magazine had benefited from the formatting and keen eye of Carol Saul who behind the scenes laid the articles out ready for printing. Having had the advantage of observing Carole‘s technique and coaching from her the magazine is now produced completely in-house prior to printing. This has created a substantial cost saving in its production.

Many thanks to all those who support the magazine, also to Helen Davey who manages the advertisers and the team of helpers who distribute it.

Claire Senior

Baby and Toddler Group Report

This has been another very successful year for the Baby and Toddler Group, a ‘stay & play’ group for preschool-age children and their parents/carers, which meets every Thursday morning in Church House, Grassington from 9.30 -11.30. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, when the local Health Visitor holds her clinic in the side room, there can be up to a dozen families attending, with rather smaller numbers in the intervening weeks.

We have a cupboard full of toys for the babies and children, and during the morning, serve drinks along with toast, fruit and biscuits. Many of our families, particularly those living on isolated farms, travel quite a distance to give the children the opportunity to play with other toddlers and the parents and carers the time to catch up with each other over a cup of tea or coffee.

There is a lovely ambiance in the group, which is both mutually affirming and inclusive and welcoming to newcomers. It’s a great joy for me to be a part of it, and I am particularly grateful for the help given by Joan White and Dot Carswell.

We were very sorry to have to say goodbye to Edd in April 2019, but equally pleased to welcome Sam Buster, his replacement as Reverb Youth Worker, for a short spell in the Autumn. Both Edd and Sam had an amazing ability to relate to both adults and children, and are much missed.

If you’d like to join our team of helpers, please get in touch with me on 720445 or email: [email protected]

Cath Currier Reverb Report 2019-20

Reverb works with children, youth and families across the Anglican Churches in Wharfedale, supporting and encouraging the ministry provision and seeking to serve and reach out into the wider community. Project Reverb is a separate charity with a committee of oversight and is primarily funded by the Anglican Churches of the Dale, together with support from Charities, fund-raising, and private individuals.

We began 2019 in a fantastic position with so much happening and Edd Greenfield very settled into his role with Reverb. After Easter Edd left us to take on a civil service role with trading standards that will (hopefully) eventually lead into a career with the Police Force. We are so grateful to Edd for all he has done with children, young people and families in Wharfedale. Isaac was born to Edd and Emma at the end of 2019.

In the absence of a Youth and Children’s Leader, David and Cath took on more responsibilities, working together on Toddler Praise and Primary Praise and developing our Family Praise services. David took a lead with the schools’ work and Cath with Toddler Group. Rob Statham, from Scargill helped us manage to restart TOAST, the Wednesday after school club based at Church House, with the assistance of some of the Team at Yorkshire Camps. Individuals from Yorkshire Camps also helped out with Collective Worship at Grassington School.

We advertised for a new Children and Youth Worker on a part-time basis, due to the financial situation of Reverb, but did not receive applications. Repeated attempts were unsuccessful. Part-time youth/children’s roles are very hard to fill. In December 2019 we were contacted by Sam Buster a young Australian, and he applied for the role. We appointed him on the strength of his application and references and he quickly settled into his new job with enthusiasm and skill. Despite being well-liked by the children and staff of the schools, the situation with Covid meant that Sam needed to quickly return to Australia in March. He arrived home as the borders closed.

Covid has seriously affected the work of Reverb, and from Easter to summer (2020) much of that with which we have normally engaged has not been able to happen.

Since the summer the situation has been improving. At present we have a one day a week worker who comes to us 'on loan' from Yorkshire Camps: Joe McNutt. Joe works each Wednesday for Reverb and is well-liked by the local young people. Last year he was one of the folk helping with Collective Worship at Grasssinton School. He & I produce videos for Collective Worship in the local Primary Schools as we cannot physically visit the schools. We are presently exploring the opening of an after-school club, with the help of volunteers from Yorkshire Camps. The recent rise in Covid infections in the present climate makes us cautious in this, but we would like to increase our provision.

At the beginning of 2020 we began a process of reflection on Reverb, its role, its relationship with the funding churches and organisation recognising that much of the very good work it does was not always fully appreciated sometimes due to a lack of communication. This process ground to a halt in the midst of the rise of Covid and lockdown, but my hope is that we can restart this discussion in the New Year. Working with children, young people and families is a vital part of the ministry and mission of the churches.

/David Macha

Mission Partners

Craven Schools Partnership (CSP) Mission Partners

2019 saw CSP working in twenty schools offering collective worship, RE days, staff support, pupil reflective workshops, curriculum advice along with support for SIAMS and Ofsted. CSP works alongside many different groups and individuals who support the school in providing a framework for RE and Christian teaching.

Also offering staff wellbeing and support at four different schools locally and as far afield as Bradford, in particular working at Westminster Primary and the BDAT (Bradford Diocese Academy Trust) group. This has involved staff training days and workshops throughout the year on Christian themes, prayer and lifestyle.

More recently in 2020, there are new and exciting opportunities to explore and being explored going forward. Online collective worship, lessons, prayer reflections and staff support is currently being offered and taken up across the area. I am extremely grateful to members and friends from within the local church communities who support the work and continue to give financially and prayerfully, this allows ongoing opportunity for this much needed work to grow. Equipment, time, and logistics are an ongoing challenge, but we are getting there. CSP has also relocated the ‘Resources’ equipment from the closure of Cornerstone Christian Bookship in Skipton, this continues to make items available for churches, groups and schools.

So what can you Do ?

• Pray, Encourage, Offer some time,

• Speak to Peter about the work,

• Ask him how he’s doing, what’s he planning.

In nurturing young lives, all of us will be aware, it takes time, has very little recognition or thanks, but can bring enormous rewards. (Unknown, Uncertain, Unsure.)

Trust, Hope, Pray.

Peter Thomas 07740 543677 [email protected]

CMS Mission Partners: Ben & Katy Ray

As many of you will know, our CMS Mission Partners, Ben & Katy Ray, manage the Neema Crafts Centre in Iringa, Tanzania, which provides employment opportunities for disabled people, enabling them to take their rightful place in society.

2019 has been rather a mixed year for them in many ways. Following two very successful years of selling their products in the Christmas market in Dar-es-Salaam, as well as in Iringa and through the online shop, they decided to pursue the idea of opening a shop in Dar. However, this has proved very difficult and most discouraging, in terms of the bureaucracy involved, resulting in their potential business partner pulling out.

Shortly after this disappointment, Ben & Katy returned to the UK for the exciting event of the birth of their third child, Julia, on June 25th. So we congratulate them and welcome Julia, holding her and the whole family constantly in our prayers.

In their March newsletter, Ben & Katy expressed concern about the children’s health, saying both Zachary & Alessia had suffered from one virus after another; and of course medical care in Tanzania bears no comparison with the NHS in UK; but the next letter was much more encouraging, saying ‘the best news is that Alessia has been without fever for ‘a whole six months!’

Many of the Neema workforce are deaf. Shortly after the family’s return to Tanzania, the finale of the National Week of the Deaf was held in Iringa, attended by the Tanzanian Prime Minister, who spent time speaking to everyone on the Neema Crafts stall and gave an encouraging speech promising greater access to loans for those with disabilities, and for provision of sign language translators in all government offices.

Throughout the newsletters, Ben & Katy thank us and all their sponsors for their support, both in prayer and financially, but have been told by CMS that their costs are not completely covered by the amount they receive. Our support is a proportion of our individual giving to church, amounting to £386 in 2019, a fall of £59 from our giving in 2018. During the year Val Ludlam, very kindly organised a coffee morning at Church House, to bolster our support, but please do consider helping them as their family grows, Zachary and Alessia needing to attend International schools for their education. You can do this on the CMS website, with the link below. Please also consider looking in the Neema Online Shop, for your Christmas presents this year.

Ben & Katy have shown their commitment to this work by taking the brave step of remaining in Tanzania during the current Covid situation. We pray for their safety in the coming months.

Cath Currier

https://churchmissionsociety.org/people- in-mission/ben-and-katy-ray/ https://www.neemacrafts.com/index.php

Yorkshire Camps Mission Partners

Our Mission Partners here in the Dale continue to grow from strength to strength.

From 31st August 2018 - 1st September 2019 there were: 31 individual camps with 1003 children attending. This included 28 different churches bringing groups, 4 school residentials, a Dads and Lads camp, Bible in the Dales, and 13 holiday camps. Each year we welcome more children and young people to the site and it is always lovely to see campers return camp after camp. Hannah Peace (Director) provides regular monthly updates through our church magazine as to progress and developments at the camp base, Netherside Hall. Her husband Andy occasionally preaches at St Michaels’ and the whole family attend our Sunday worship when the opportunity permits. Yorkshire Camps believe it is very important that they are involved in the local, rural community and also that neighbours know they are welcome to visit the Hall. They ran two coffee mornings open to anyone from the local area and further afield to visit and look around the hall. The Training Team continued to assist the local youth and community worker to run an after school club called ‘Toast’. They help as part of the ‘Creative worship’ team at a local Primary School and help a schools worker take assemblies in the Secondary Schools.

Over the May Bank Holiday, they hosted once again the ‘Bible in the Dales’ which is a weekend of Bible teaching for the whole family. It also serves as an open weekend at which everyone is welcome to come along and look around the building and hear about the work we do throughout the year. It is a special weekend and attracts many local people Other developments over the year.

We were delighted to agree the lease extension, meaning that Netherside Hall will be our home for a further 25 years. We are grateful to the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation for their continuing support. They generously funded a new boiler, which after several breakdowns at key moments, needed to be replaced. We trust that the new boiler will not only run much more smoothly but also be more economical. We added a number of showers to the top floor for the Training Team. These have been a great and much needed addition. As planned, work began on renovating the Lodge House with a view to it being completed by the end of the year. It will become housing for our new Chaplains/House Parents who will join the team in 2020. Norman Cooke (with particular thanks to Hannah Peace for much of the information above).

Sudan Link Linton Parish is part of the Leeds diocesan link with the Episcopal Church in Sudan. This link, which has been active in the parish for a long time has been renewed in recent years as we have sought to support the five dioceses of the Church in Sudan particularly with prayer, but also with financial contributions. The Church in Sudan has much that it would like to do, but often lacks the resources to achieve it. We work together with the church there through prayer and encouragement, giving some funding, and occasionally through providing expertise.

2020 Initiatives: Special Emergency Appeal Over £65,000 was donated by over 260 donors and 40 churches across our Diocese to meet the extraordinary needs this year. By September 2020 £30,000 had been sent to Khartoum with another £20,000 in process. In the first round of funding about 1,000 families were helped through distribution of hampers and other support. The Diocese of Port Sudan reported to us "This was a great blessing for the people: all expressed their joy for the food. Our thanks and appreciation to our friends in the Diocese of Leeds for the generosity they have shown to the people in our Diocese." High inflation coupled with the coronavirus outbreak is causing shortages of basic necessities. The church in Sudan is sometimes desperate for funds to help distressed people: the situation they currently face is acute, especially because of exceptionally heavy monsoon rains which have caused much flooding and damage. There are no food banks in Sudan, and Islamic Aid customarily is not given to Christian believers. Income Generation Projects Before Covid-19 arrived, this was the main strategic initiative for which Archbishop Ezekiel was asking help. The Church in Sudan has extremely low financial resources. The long-term way in which we can help our fellow Christians best is to enable them to be self-sufficient, investing in projects which give the church its own income tomorrow. Amongst other things, in the past we have sent funding to provide materials to build shops that can be rented out, or to pay municipal fees for the right to build. Church Schools Church schools are self-built by parents. They lack basic resources and often in the rainy season need repairs. Some of the schools try to provide children with food and water. Many teachers are unpaid as the children come from impoverished homes and cannot contribute. We send funding to help fulfil the vision of education outside the Islamic state schools. The Shokai Bible Training Institute, based in Omdurman, trains ordinands and Readers and Women Workers, and supports Bible teaching courses across Sudan. The diocesan link provides £3,000 p.a. as many students lack the resources to pay fees, and trainers are then unpaid. From Shokai a few students go on to further education elsewhere, and we sometimes pay their tuition fees or travel costs.

Supporting Women We are concerned to support work by women, a vital part in the life of the Church. Diocesan and parish branches often lack funding for basic working. This year we are giving funding to Wad Medani Diocese to help establish an office as a centre for the Mothers Union workers.

Our link opens a window on another part of the world helping us to widen our horizons and see what God is doing in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ in another place. But this relationship is not all one way; the spirit of the link is partnership. Together we are members of the Body of Christ, so the link works as a mutual relationship: We receive as much as we give We respect each other We listen to each other We pray for each other We work on shared tasks

If you would like to receive a copy of this by email please let me know at [email protected]

The APCM Report booklet can also be found on the parish website at

https://linton-burnsall-rylstone.com/linton

APPENDIX 1 – 2019 Annual Accounts

APPENDIX 2 -Independent Examiners Report