Annual Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Councils of Legbourne Raithby
Woldmarsh
For the year ended 31st December 2020
Aims and Purposes All Saints’, Legbourne Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Legbourne the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, as well as the maintenance of the fabric of the church at Legbourne and the churchyards at Legbourne, Burwell and Muckton, and the church yard and cemetery at Little Cawthorpe.
Woldmarsh Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Woldmarsh the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, as well as the maintenance of the fabric of the churches and churchyards at Strubby, North Reston, Belleau, Swaby and South Thoresby and the churchyards at Gayton-le-Marsh, Aby, South Reston, Withern and Authorpe.
Raithby Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Raithby the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, as well as the maintenance of the fabric of the churches and churchyards at Raithby, Tathwell and Withcall and the churchyard at Haugham. Objectives and Activities Together the three parishes form the Bene ice of Legbourne Woldmarsh, an Anglican Christian community, worshipping in - and working from - nine churches, in villages across the Lincolnshire Wolds and Marsh. We are inspired by the Bishop of Lincoln’s call for ‘faithful worship, con ident discipleship and joyful service’. In our mission to the people here we seek particular encouragement from the mobile ministry of Jesus Christ amongst the rural communities of his homeland, as recorded in Luke 8: ‘He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.’ It is our sacred duty and joy to continue his work, aided by the Spirit, in the villages of Lincolnshire. As God's pilgrim people we move around our churches for worship, being prayerful, active and present in all of our communities. The PCCs are committed to inviting and enabling as many people as possible to worship in our church, to have access to the sacraments of the church and to become part of the Christian community. In summary, we exist to • communicate a comprehensive and glorious vision of God and the nature and purpose of his creation, • to help people to be formed into the image of Christ and to live out their faith as his disciples • to nurture human lourishing and the common good according to God’s will. We primarily aim to achieve this by • Worship, prayer and catechesis • Provision of pastoral care • Missionary and outreach work.
Achievements and Performance
Worship, Prayer and Catechesis At the beginning of the year the parish Eucharist was the central act of worship, taking place on a Sunday morning at 10.30am. According to the longstanding bene ice rota this happened at All Saints’, Legbourne on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, and in Woldmarsh parish on the 2nd Sunday, and in Raithby parish on the 4th Sunday. Numerous members of the congregation read the lessons from scripture, and actively assist the priest by administering the chalice, under licence. A weekly celebration of Holy Communion according the Book of Common Prayer was held every Thursday at 10, following on from morning prayer, at Legbourne. Attendance was never high but is valued by those who do come, including two who were not previously part of our worshipping community. The daily of ices were said publicly Monday – Thursday (Friday being Fr James’ day off), at Legbourne, except for Morning Prayer on a Tuesday at Swaby, and Evening Prayer on a Thursday at South Thoresby. The bell is always rung before the of ice to let the village know they are being prayed for! On top of this a Taize Prayer Group met at Legbourne during the Spring and Summer on Saturday mornings and Fr James was involved in running a Messy Church group in Louth, and a deanery Lent Group. On Sunday 9th Feb 2020 we gathered for a special service for the Patronal Festival at St Vedast’s, Tathwell. As well as commemorating our patron saint, we also remembered a former incumbent of Tathwell, the Rev'd Bertie Hibbett, whose war letters were the subject for a deeply moving talk by his daughter Elizabeth.
All of our usual patterns of worship, along with our plans for the year, were suspended with the commencement of a national lockdown in March, and a irm order from the government to stay at home, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
This unprecedented situation placed great strain on individuals, living under severe restraint and at a time of great anxiety, as well as on our parishes, cutting off our usual sources of fundraising and income, and limiting the ways in which our worshipping community could gather and grow. The pandemic also placed the church in a position of great responsibility, as we responded to the needs of the communities and institutions which we seek to serve.
During the irst lockdown, we were initially instructed to close our church buildings, as well as suspending all public worship. The already depleted deanery clergy made the decision to continue on the trajectory that we had started on, and work as a united team to maintain a full weekly programme of worship and teaching, as well as pastoral care. Taking in turns to record and broadcast services online from our homes, the daily of ices, including compline, as well as two Eucharists and a homily were live-streamed or made available own the Parish of Louth website. It has been a steep learning curve regarding the use of this technology, aided by some investment at St James’, Louth in an i-pad and better internet connection.
In May the deanery ministry team introduced a weekly online series introducing different methods of prayer. Fr James led a session using the rosary. When the original series inished, a prayer group has continued online, alternating between lectio divina and Ignatian prayer methods.
Occasional of ices have been badly hit by the lockdown, with only funerals going ahead, and under very restricted conditions. Initially only 5 were able to attend, which were often held by the graveside.
When lockdown restrictions began to be eased in June, it was an emotional moment welcoming the congregation back to church. Worshippers had to be 2 metres apart at all times, washing their hands on entering and leaving, and wearing a face mask. Communion is given in one kind only, and the names of those attending are recorded. There was a ban on singing hymns. It was decided that All Saints, Legbourne was the only church building suitable to host worship under these conditions, due to its size and location. It also made sense to focus on one location, where we could establish safe practice. The Sunday service was moved to the later time of 11.15am, due to time pressures on Fr James, and alternates between Holy Communion and Matins for the same reason. The church could be open for private prayer, as long as it was stewarded, and so All Saints was opened up on Wednesday afternoons, for this purpose. These rules and this pattern has stayed in place since its introduction in June.
The lightening of lockdown rules allowed for two weddings to be held in the bene ice, on 5th September, at St Vedast’s, Tathwell, and, following the second lockdown, on 12th December at Legbourne.
A second national lockdown came into force in November 5th. Public worship was again suspended, with Fr James celebrating the Sunday Eucharist on behalf of the community. This lasted until 2nd December.
On Armistice Day a small group of representatives gathered at the war memorial in Legbourne churchyard. After the observation of the 2 minutes silence wreaths were laid on the cenotaph and war graves. Fr James was sister by Hank Green and local cadet Toby Precious.
A pared-back Christmas programme was able to be put on, with an evening of folk songs and readings at Raithby, ending with carol singing under moonlight in the churchyard, midnight mass at Legbourne, and a Christmas Day Eucharist at Belleau. These services were ticketed for safety. Special thanks are owed to Hilary King for, amongst other things, performing the duties of sacristan, and making sure the church was clean and safe during this turbulent time; to our reader Helen Marsden for her dedicated ministry, and to Liz Marshall for enhancing our worship greatly with her organ playing. We are also grateful to Keith the tower captain at Legbourne and our team of bell ringers for announcing our worship so wonderfully (a sound we have missed greatly since March); and our lower arrangers and church cleaners, who help enhance the beauty of our church and our worship, and our committed volunteers who cut and maintain the church yards.
Deanery Synod The bene ice is currently only represented on Deanery Synod by 2 members of Raithby PCC, as well as the incumbent and reader.
The synod was able only to meet once this year, in November, and that could only happen virtually via Zoom. A budget was approved and it was noted that the contributions from the PCCs across the deanery towards running costs of the deanery of ice were making a big difference. The diocese’s Resourcing Sustainable Church programme was reported on. A series of groups have been working out how the diocese can reduce its annual de icit (which is signi icant) and turn around the church from decline to growth. Covid has heightened the issues, but not caused them, and they can no longer go unaddressed. The proposals will be sent out for wider consultation before going before Diocesan Synod in 2021.
November also saw the resignation of Rev’d Nick Brown, who left his post as Rector of Louth and Rural Dean of Louthesk to become Precentor of Lincoln Cathedral. Nick went with our thanks for his hard work and vision in overseeing the deanery through a period of great uncertainty and change. However, it has left the situation in Louthesk very tricky, with now only 2 stipendiary priests in a deanery of 40 churches.
Pastoral Care The lockdown restrictions have severely limited what visiting and face to face pastoral care could be offered, as well as at times making it impossible to visit hospitals or care homes. Every effort has been made to keep contact with parishioners. Fr James wrote to every member of the electoral rolls at Easter, and has routinely telephoned parishioners to make sure they are keeping well. An signi icant mailing list has been collated, with a weekly ‘Worship at Home Newsletter’ being emailed out to 70 addresses, containing readings, a sermon, notices and prayers. Fr James has offered his support to any who might be struggling, including local businesses and schools.
Following the gift of a tabernacle from the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, a tabernacle has been installed in the chancel of All Saint’s, Legbourne, so that the sacrament can be properly reserved for the sick and housebound. A collecting box for the Community Larder, based at the Trinity Centre in Louth, is kept by the church entrance and regularly illed through donations and delivered to those who need it. During the lockdowns, the Trinity Centre became a focus for our pastoral work as a deanery, with food packages and medical deliveries being organised.
Helen’s dedicated chaplaincy work at Ash Tree House care home in Withern has continued this year, albeit under dif icult circumstances. Both she and Fr James has maintained contact, even though physical visiting has been impossible. Fr James attended an outdoor party for the 75th anniversary of VE Day and at Christmas was delighted to be part of a carol singing event in the car park, to the entertainment of the residents watching on through the windows.
Sadly we have been unable to run the usual programme of social events that do so much good in maintaining well-being, such as the Strubby Lunch Club and Legbourne Friendship Club. Mission and Outreach 2020 was marked by a series of cancellations, as we were forced to embrace the government’s lockdown restrictions on movement and contact. The Tathwell Arts Festival, the Withcall Good Friday walk, Legbourne cream teas, the Lincolnshire Wolds Churches Festival, South Thoresby craft fairs and Raithby’s Midsummer concert were all victims to this.
Work with schools and young people.
Fr James serves as ex of icio school governor at East Wold Church of England Primary School, Legbourne, which is in a federation with North Cockerington Primary School, and of St Margaret’s, Withern. The church is further represented on this governing body by Diana Stovin, church warden of Belleau, and Don Martin.
The link between church and schools is to be treasured and nurtured. Every class room now has a cross on display in it, and the Christian identity of the schools is clear to any visitor through the display boards. Fr James takes responsibility on the governing boards for ‘Church School Distinctiveness’, and has met with both heads to discuss ways in which this might be developed.
Fr James had been going into all three schools of which he is governor at least once a fortnight to lead worship, as well as welcoming them to their respective local churches for services at Christmas, harvest, Easter and at the school year’s ending. Sadly this has not been possible, because of Covid, with the schools being closed for long periods, or operating under tight safety restrictions. Fr James has worked hard to support children and staff under these trying circumstances. A considerable success of this year has been the provision of a weekly worship video, made by Fr James and his wife Arabella, which now gets sent out to around 10 schools across the deanery. This was watched by children when they were being homeschooled, and collectively in classrooms when schools were open again, and has kept the link alive between us. In fact it may well have grown our connections, and has certainly allowed for some creative ways of sharing the faith. Links with Red Hen Nursery, in Legbourne, are also being developed. Instead of his usual Easter visit, Fr James did a virtual storytelling session via Zoom. He was able to visit outdoors at Harvest time, and was presented with a beautiful bread sheaf made by the children. For Christmas he ilmed a special nativity video, which was played in the nursery.
The challenge of creating a regular children’s group at Legbourne had to be stalled, due to the climate.
Church and Fabric
There is less to report than usual from most of our churches with regards to their maintenance and upkeep, on account of the lockdown: we have had to keep most of our church buildings closed and workmen have not been available.
There are two exceptions to this which should be reported. After a great deal of fundraising and planning, work to repair the tower buttresses, gutters and some interior plastering at All Saints’, Legbourne was undertaken. At St Oswald’s, Strubby, the Farrow Window in the chancel needed to be taken out and safely stored as work was done to sure up the wall. Some signi icant cracks in the wall, caused by the moving of the marshland beneath, were also addressed, and the brickwork around a window in the south aisle had to be restored. The window has since been replaced. Enormous thanks are due to Hilary King, Dot Webb and Margaret Farrow for overseeing this work.
We are aware that an awful lot of people give of their time in caring for the churches and churchyards. We are immensely grateful for all who volunteer to go on the church cleaning and grass cutting rotas. Ecumenical Relations We continue to develop our relationship with Withern Methodist Chapel, and were delighted to join them for their annual Covenant Service in January, at the outset of the annual Week of prayer for Christian Unity. Fr James preached the sermon.
Communication The bene ice website is regularly updated. Funded by the Diocese and managed by Fr James, it provides a necessary point of contact for people seeking information about our life and worship. It contains all service information as well as celebrating events and achievements. One response to the lockdown was our ‘Worship at Home Newsletter’, which is emailed out to around 70 addresses every week. The monthly notices, as well as a letter from Fr James and reports on church activities are included in Legbourne and Little Cawthorpe Newsletter, and the Gayt Post (village newsletter for Gayton-le- Marsh)which is widely distributed every month (lockdown allowing). The Woldmarsh Parish Magazine has not been able to be produced for most of the year, due to the lockdown restrictions.
Financial Review The unprecedented and unexpected outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic has had a detrimental effect on our inances. Fundraising events have been impossible, and service collections down due to reduced services and reduced numbers of those attending. The decision was made that it was only right and fair to use what collections were taken in services (now all held at All Saints’, Legbourne) towards the bene ice parish share. Legbourne. However, our share contribution is well down, as parishes have felt less able to pay.
Structure, governance and management
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. Membership of the PCCs consists of the incumbent (our rector Fr James), churchwardens, the reader and members of the electoral roll who have been elected by fellow members. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and consider standing for the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern to the parish, including deciding how the PCC funds are spent. New members will receive any necessary training and guidance.
Administrative Information The parish of Legbourne is situated on the eastern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, south of the country market town of Louth. It is in the deanery of Louthesk and the Diocese of Lincoln, within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: The Rectory, Westgate, Louth, LN119YE. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956) and a charity currently excepted from registration with the Charity Commission. PCC members who have served at any point in the calendar year ending December 2020 are: Ex Of icio members: Incumbent: Fr James Robinson Reader: Helen Marsden Wardens: two positions, both vacant.
Elected members: Hilary King (Treasurer) Trish Broadly (Secretary) Margaret Tointon Mavis Maw Janice Willrich John Davenport Glenys Gray. Sheila Johnson Don Martin.
The parish of Woldmarsh is situated on the eastern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, between the towns of Louth, Alford and Mablethorpe. It is in the deanery of Louthesk and the Diocese of Lincoln, within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: The Rectory, Westgate, Louth, LN119YE. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956) and a charity currently excepted from registration with the Charity Commission. PCC members who have served at any point in the calendar year ending December 2020 are: Ex Of icio members: Incumbent: Fr James Robinson Reader: Helen Marsden Wardens: Diana Stovin and Michael Lamb (Belleau); Dot Webb [secretary] and Margaret Farrow (Strubby); Rebecca Johnson (Swaby); Rebecca Morgan-Chan and Sandy Walpole (South Thoresby); North Reston – vacant
Elected members: Beth King
The parish of Raithby is situated on the eastern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, to the south of the country market town of Louth. It is in the deanery of Louthesk and the Diocese of Lincoln, within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: The Rectory, Church Lane, Legbourne, Louth LN11 8LN. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956) and a charity currently excepted from registration with the Charity Commission. PCC members who have served at any point in the calendar year ending December 2020 are: Ex Of icio members: Incumbent: Fr James Robinson Reader: Helen Marsden Wardens: Mark Pocklington and Jeanette Dale (Raithby); Russell Howard (Tathwell); Henry Smith and David Martin (Withcall)
Elected members: Barnie Canter (Secretary) John Dickinson Jane Dickinson
All Wardens and PCC members are sincerely thanked for their invaluable hard work and dedication. ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER 2020 FOR THE BENEFICE OF LEGBOURNE WOLDMARSH ALL SAINTS CHURCH LEGBOURNE – Financial Statements for the year ending 31st December 2020 Statement of Assets and LiabiliHes
Assets 2019 2020 Bank Accounts Churchwardens current acc 5527 5462 Instant Access 29862 5872 TOTAL 35389* 11334*
Accounts held by LDT&BF Legbourne Church Motley Bequest 5912 6318 Legbourne Chyd Caudwell Trust Inv 1302 1392 Legbourne Chyd (Holmes) Trust 2109 2253 Legbourne Chyd Green Fund 958 1024 Cawthorpe Churchyard Trust 671 717 Legbourne Chyd Caudwell Trust Dep 765 CLOSED LiYle Cawthorpe Chyd Trust 671 717 Muckton Chyd & RuYer Trust 16715 17864
TOTAL 29103* 30285*
GRAND TOTAL* 64,492* 41,619* ALL SAINTS CHURCH LEGBOURNE Financial Statement for the year ending 31st December 2020
BUSINESS INASTANT ACCESS ACCOUNT comprising Churchyards, Fabric, Cooper Legacy, Miss Michael Legacy
2019 EXPENDITURE INCOME 2020
Churchyard 1,439 500 1,939 Fabric 26,724 36,500 12,000 2,224 Cooper Legacy 905 905 Michael Legacy 794 10 804
TOTALS 29,862 36,500 12,510 5,872
St Edith’s Parish Church, North Reston Accounts Y/E 31/12/2020 Current account balance at 1/1/2020 £1897.79
INCOME
Fundraising £105
TOTAL INCOME £105
EXPENDITURE
Electricity £221.10 Insurance £413.82
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £634.92
ASSETS £1367.87
St Nicholas Church, Swaby Financial statement for year ended December 2020 Swaby Church Council Account Business Bank account
2019 2020 2019 2020 Receipts Payments unrestricted Parish Share 2710 4000 Planned giving 2530 2580 Ministry expenses 400 400 CollecLons 783.55 51.95 Insurance 651.24 667.84 donaLons 1001.96 ULliLes 350.1 222.33 Field rent 1762.5 1762.5 Repairs and Maintenance Building 145.92 625.92 Churchyard 760 610 Fund raising 316.95 PrinLng 219.58 33.18 Other A 7500 Mission 48.96 16.5 Other B 1049.11 DonaLons 100 Music licence 25.75 restricted Fund raising 444.37 GiTs and donaLons 500 Other 7738 497
Total 14944.07 4894.45 total 13593.92 7072.05 Balance at 1/1/20 9529.14 Balance at 1/1/21 7351.54
Business Reserve account Balance at 1/1/20 £2463.08 Interest paid £7.90 Balance at 31/12/20 £2470.98
Notes to go with financial statement of Swaby Church Council Accounts Receipts
CollecLons Down due to lockdown. All Sunday services now held in All Saints church due to COVID restricLons Fund raising Down: None due to COVID DonaLons 2019 included donaLons towards Churches FesLval and to cover cost of A Chrisstoffersen’s funeral 2020 Legacy from P. Gibson to the ‘Fabric fund’ restricted giT. Other Down: 2019 included fraudulent withdrawal and subsequent repayment by bank of £7500. No equivalent in 2020!
Payments Parish Share Up: 2020; Extra withdrawn from our balance, reducing carry forward, to help Woldmarsh Parish pay a larger proporLon of it’s share; Other churches in Parish depend more on Fund raising which was impacted by COVID. Note St. Nicholas is one of five churches in Woldmarsh Parish. ULliLes Down; less services = less electricity used Repairs and Building; Up -Roof repaired maintenance Churchyard; Down- Covid restricLons reduced number of cuts PrinLng Down; final payment to Ricoh. We no longer own printer . Woldmarsh magazine pays for prinLng directly DonaLons Down; No Christmas service for collecLon to be given to charity Music licence Down; not renewed, as unnecessary in current circumstances Other Down; 2019 £7500 fraudulent withdrawals 2020 Sunday School fund payments of £200 each to Grace and Oliver Stafford. Money transferred from LDT Nov.2019 2020 . Payment for A Chrisstoffersen’s name to be added to Cremated Remains headstone