The Annual Reports
The Parish of Bollington April 2015 THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PARISH OF BOLUNGTON IN THE DIOCESE OF CHESTER 2014/2015
This report is prepared in order to fulfil the requirements of the Charities Act 1993 and associated Regulations.
Vicar: The Reverend Canon Veronica Hydon The Vicarage, 35A Shrigley Road Bollington, Macclesfield SK10 5RD
Churchwardens: Susan Whitehurst Jacqueline Pengelly
Inspecting Architect: Mark Pearce Lloyd Evans Pritchard No 5, The Parsonage, Manchester, M3 2HS.
Bankers: NatWest Macclesfield Branch PO Box 65 2 Chestergate, Macclesfield SK11 6BS
Insurance Company: Ecclesiastical Insurance Company St. Oswald's Policy No. 04/XPG/9078684
Independent examiner: Mr. Barry Matthews
Membership (PCC) Ex Officio Current Members Elected Term Ends Revd. Canon Veronica Vicar Michael Hall (Treasurer) 2013 2016 Hydon Revd. Michael Fox Assistant Curate Angela Williams 2013 2016 Susan Whitehurst Churchwarden Susan Matthews 2013 2016
Jacqueline Pengelly Churchwarden Christine Osbaldiston 2013 2016 Anthea Wilkinson Deanery Synod (2014) Anne Stringer 2013 2016
Sue Berry Deanery Synod (2014) Maggie O'Donnell 2013 2016
Beverley Nixon 2013 2016
Jennifer Riley 2014 2017
Jean Reader 2014 2017
Hannah Beko 2014 2017
Kenneth Bennett 2014 2017 Christopher Ward (Secretary) 2014 2017
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 1
THE ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS, Sunday 26th April 2015 For the Election of Two Churchwardens
1. Apologies 2. Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting held on Sunday 27th April 2014 3. The Election of Churchwardens for 2015/2016
Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting of Parishioners held at St Oswald's Church Bollington Sunday 27th April 2014
The meeting opened with prayer. 34 parishioners were present. Revd Canon Veronica Hydon was in the chair.
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from: Anthea Wilkinson, Brenda King, Angela Williams, Jenny Riley, Ray Mills, Irene Mills, Derek Gascoigne, Stella Gascoigne, Debra Tracey-Carney, Ken Edwards, and Sandra Edwards.
The minutes of the last meeting held on Sunday 28th April 2013 were approved and signed as a correct record.
2. ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS FOR 2013/2014
There were two nominations: Susan Lilian Whitehurst - proposed by D Tracey-Carney and seconded by Beverley Nixon. Jacqueline Mary Pengelly - proposed by Susan Matthews and seconded by Jennifer Riley. All were in favour and the above were duly elected as Churchwardens for 2014/2015. The meeting then closed.
THE ARCHDEACON'S VISITATION From the Diocesan Registrar, Helen McFall
I hereby give notice that the Venerable Ian Bishop., the Archdeacon of Macclesfield, or his duly appointed Commissary will hold a Court for Admitting Churchwardens and Sidespersons to their Offices upon at 7:30 pm
Tuesday 5th May All Saints, Marple Chadkirk, Mottram, Stockport Wednesday 13th May St Peter, Prestbury Cheadle & Macclesfield Monday 18th May St Mary, Alsager Congleton & Nantwich Thursday 28th May St John, Knutsford Knutsford & Bowdon
Churchwardens, present and new are cited to attend at the Court aforesaid, the present ones to make and give their Presentments and the new ones to make and subscribe the Declaration required by law for the due execution of their office for the ensuing year. a) Sidespersons are cited to attend at the aforesaid Court to make and subscribe the said Declaration b) Parochial Church Council representatives are invited to attend
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 2
THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, Sunday 26th April 2015 Agenda
1. Apologies 2. Approval of the Minutes of the last APCM held on Sunday 27nd April 2014 3. The Electoral Roll 4. Church Fabric & Furnishings Reports 5. Report on the Financial Affairs of the Parish and the Presentation of Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2014 6. General Parochial Reports to be received. 7. The Vicar's Report to the Parish 8. Election of Tellers and of Lay Representatives to the PCC. 9. The Appointment of Sidespersons 10. The Appointment of an Auditor to the Parochial Church Council 11. Questions / Matters of Parochial Interest
The Elections of Parochial Church Council Secretary and Treasurer, and the Electoral Roll Officer, take place at the first main meeting of the newly elected PCC.
Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held at St Oswald's Church Bollington Sunday 27th April 2014
34 members were present. Revd Canon Veronica Hydon was in the chair
1. Apologies for absence: were received from: Anthea Wilkinson, Brenda King, Angela Williams, Jenny Riley, Ray Mills, Irene Mills, Derek Gascoigne, Stella Gascoigne, Debra Tracey-Carney, Ken Edwards, and Sandra Edwards.
2. Minutes of the last Annual Parochial Church meeting held on Sunday 28th April 2013 were approved and signed as a correct record.
3. Electoral Roll
The Electoral Roll Officer - Christine Osbaldiston - reported that there are 140 members on the Electoral Roll: these included 15 new names.
4. Church Fabric and Furnishing Report
The Report is presented in the Annual Report for 2013/2014. There were no questions.
5. Report on Financial Affairs
Mike Hall, the new Treasurer, thanked Ray Mills, Ann Stringer and the Ministry team for easing him into his job. Referring to page 6 of the Annual Report he drew attention to the annual deficit of £17,000 as the major point, and referred to the St Oswald's giving leaflet prepared by the Finance Group to encourage regular giving by a wider group of people connected with the church. The benefits of Gift Aiding any donation were pointed out: completed gift aid forms should be handed to the treasurer. There were no questions.
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 3
The vicar thanked Mike for his work and added that the giving leaflet was also included in the current church magazine and asked people to give copies to their neighbours. The vicar emphasised the deficit saying that we had been good at one-off donations for specific projects but we needed to improve our regular income.
6. General Parochial Reports
The vicar added to the Annual Report saying that we may be eligible to receive Section 106 money from Cheshire East Council paid to them on the sale of St Johns church for loss of amenity. A claim has been made via Bollington Town Council for money to support repairs to St Johns churchyard, including diocese-approved drainage work.
7. Vicar's Report
The vicar thanked all those involved in making this church a success, saying it was a joy to be here. She also thanked everyone for their support at the service of her installation as an honorary canon at Chester Cathedral in March.
8. Deanery Synod elections
The following appointments were made.
Sue Berry proposed by Christine Forbes and seconded by Sheila Capper. Anthea Wilkinson proposed by Christopher Ward and seconded by Jackie Pengelly.
9. PCC Elections
The following appointments were made.
Kenneth Bennett proposed by Jackie Pengelly and seconded by Sue Matthews Jean Robb proposed by Sue Whitehurst and seconded by Debra Tracey-Carney Hannah Beko proposed by Jackie Pengelly and seconded by Sue Matthews Christopher Ward proposed by Jackie Pengelly and seconded by Debra Tracey-Carney Jennifer Riley proposed by Jackie Pengelly and seconded by Sue Matthews.
10. The following were elected as sidespersons for the coming year:
Jenny Riley, Valerie Genders, Irene Mills, Angela Williams, Valerie Garforth, Stella Gascoigne, Ann Stringer, Peggy Wakefield, Phillip Gilchrist, Gaynor Barton, Michael Burdekin, Sue Matthews, Raymond Mills, Margaret Booth, Derek Gascoigne, Eddie Clayton, Susan Gilchrist, Sheila Capper, John Baker, Claire Street, Helen Nixon, Delia Rix, Martin Rix, Alex Ireland, Nicola Ireland, Rachel Potter.
Auditor
Barry Matthews, proposed by Joan Kendrick and seconded by Phillip Gilchrist, was appointed as Auditor for the PCC Accounts.
The meeting was then closed.
C J Ward - PCC Secretary
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 4
3 - ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT From Christine Osbaldiston
The Electoral roll is the basis for church representation and permits church members to attend the APCM and stand for the PCC and act as sidespersons. The numbers are also used as a basis for the permitted numbers of lay members on the PCC and the number of Deanery Synod representatives.
The new roll will be reported at the APCM
4 - CHURCH FABRIC AND FURNISHINGS Jackie Pengelly - Churchwarden
St. Oswald's is still generally in good condition.
The Quinquennial is due to take place sometime this year.
The Fire Extinguishers have had their annual service and all appears to be fine.
Garden Maintenance is still being carried out by John Rickman who does an excellent job and also by Suzanne Wainwright and her team who are on contract to cut the lawns.
The Sound System is now completed and is working very well and is being used for all services.
The Mosaic was completed in May 2014. The Bishop of Chester preached at our Communion Service and afterwards fitted the final piece of the Mosaic before giving a blessing. Afterwards we had refreshments in the school hall.
Allen Stringer has cleared the gutters of leaves and debris.
Health & Safety Procedures are now in hand and will be implemented over the next few months.
A Grit Box has been purchased for use over the winter months to alleviate people slipping in the car park and on the pathways leading into church.
Fire Precautions - Fire Training is recommended in the Fire Risk Assessment - this is now in hand.
PAT Testing of electrical equipment and the Lightening Conductor are both due for inspection during April 2015. The boiler is due an annual service in August 2015.
5 - FINANCE REPORT 2014 From Mike Hall PCC Treasurer
This report should be read together with the audited Accounts for 2014 printed towards the end of the Annual Reports.
Deficit
I am afraid that the accounts show the bad news that we paid out £22,500 more than we received during the year. This figure includes the final payment of £3,745 on the re-ordering of the church over the previous two years.
During the year we also paid for the new sound system, churchyard drainage and the new mosaic outside the church. The mosaic was very generously funded by a gift from a donor. The sound
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 5 system and drainage were funded by appeals and donations and we received a grant of £3,000 from Bollington Town council towards the drainage scheme.
Our major item of expenditure is the Diocesan quota which amounted to over £58,000 this year and represents 77% of our 'regular' payments in running the Church in Bollington.
If we remove ‘extraordinary’ items from our accounts our ‘regular’ deficit for the year was £17,120 for 2014. I must also say that the bad news is that this figure is bound to increase in future unless we can increase our income.
The good news is that our total planned giving and collections increased by almost 10% over the previous year but the amount received is still less than in 2012.
We also received over £9,000 in respect of reclaimed Gift Aid which shows the importance of everyone who is able to do so making a Gift Aid declaration if possible.
Charity Giving
The amount that we raised for various charities during the year is shown in note 6 in the 'Notes to the Accounts' section which form part of the audited accounts.
Reserves
The accounts show that our reserves at the end of the year were £102,504 of which £23,767 are in restricted funds and the remaining £78,737 are unrestricted for the PCC to use as it sees fit in the running of the Church. However this is complicated by the fact that £58,000 is in a RBS Autopilot bond which cannot be touched until December 2016 without incurring a substantial penalty.
6 – GENERAL PAROCHIAL REPORTS
PCC SECRETARY'S REPORT From Chris Ward
The PCC continued with bi-monthly meetings alternating with the Ministry Team. (The Ministry Team comprises the Vicar, churchwardens, Secretary and Treasurer) This year Revd Michael Fox attended PCC and Ministry Team meetings.
The main issues on the PCC Agenda were:
• Drainage of St Johns churchyard • Completion of mosaic and installation of new sound system • Possible installation of new lighting system • Growth Action Planning - setting new goals for GAP Year4. • St Oswald's church maintenance and minor improvements • Appointment of Canon Veronica as Rural Dean • Health and Safety • Future implications of current financial situation • Regular reports were also received from the PCC Treasurer, Deanery Synod representatives, Bollington church schools and HOPE in North East Cheshire.
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 6
CHUB (Churches and Pubs Club) From Jean Reader
Our June Chub meeting, was well organised by Derek and Stella to St. Mary's Church Disley - we were fortunate that our visit coincided with their Annual Well Dressing,
Our next outing was lunch only at the Deanwater Hotel in August; a very good friendship outing which was enjoyed by all who came, and which we hope to repeat in 2015.
Last and final meeting in September was at St. Paul's in Macclesfield. We also held a review of the year and considered potential Chub Visits in 2015; later we had lunch at The Cock and Pheasant where our group is looked after very well.
ST JOHN'S CHURCHYARD Sue Whitehurst, Churchwarden
The Churchyard continues to be well maintained by the Community Pay Back Team, ensuring it is a pleasant place to visit. We are very grateful and indebted to them for their hard work.
Work to eliminate the waterlogging in the Churchyard has been completed. Unfortunately this has not solved the problem. The contractor is being consulted and further channels may be needed.
MOTHERS' UNION From Joan Barton
Our small Mothers' Union Branch enjoyed a varied programme of talks and activities throughout 2014 and we also attended several Deanery Events as well as the Diocesan Festival in Chester. We also visited our Prayer Partners in Altrincham.
We welcomed one new member, Beverly Nixon, who was enrolled on Mothering Sunday.
Although our numbers are small we contribute financially to Worldwide projects. The Relief Fund makes it possible to respond quickly to an appeal when a disaster occurs in any part of the world and the Literacy Scheme is making a big difference to the lives of many families in Africa.
Copies of the 2015 programme are available in Church. It shows an attractive selection of speakers and everyone is welcome to meetings.
MUSIC IN THE PARISH From Anthea Wilkinson Choir Leader
The current choir is now eleven in number covering all the voices though we do have a rather lone bass voice, well done Brian, and would welcome further support in this register.
We continue to lead worship in all services, except the Family service on the first Sunday of the month. The preceding practice allows us to learn new pieces or brush up on unfamiliar hymns, this is quite an informal, unpressured practise so if you have ever thought of joining the choir but are not sure if it is for you why not come along at 7.0 pm on the Thursday before family service. Do remember that choir membership is open to all, sight reading is not necessary and if you feel like just joining for a week or two as a taster that is quite OK.
After some services there have been occasional mutterings from the congregation over the choice of hymn or tune. The congregational hymns are chosen each quarter and a copy is kept at the side of
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 7 the organ or in the vestry. Why not check the list and join choir practice at 7.00 p.m. on the Thursday before an unfamiliar hymn/tune is due to be sung - this might make Sunday worship more comfortable and you would be very welcome.
The Parish continues to be blessed with four organists greatly reducing the pressure on the choir mistress, especially when extra services are on the calendar. Thank you to Jennifer, Jenny, Luise and Martin as their playing continues to support the choir and enhance the services.
Final thanks go to all choir members who turn out to choir practice every Thursday, sing at the Sunday morning service and well as any extra services that the church calendar dictates.
PARISH MAGAZINE From the Editorial Team
Ten issues of Bollington Church News were produced during 2014 by the editorial team consisting of Katharine Howe, the Vicar, Ann Stringer and Joan Barton. John Rickman has continued as the Treasurer and Advertising Secretary. With the help of the advertising space the magazine has stayed at a cost of 40p per issue. In 2014, 350 A5 copies of the magazine plus 10 A4 copies were printed each month with very few left over. Therefore printing levels will remain at 312 copies per month (includes 12 large print) in 2015 and circulation will be carefully monitored for the rest of 2015.
There will be a mixture of cover illustrations for 2015. The children from the RICH group have contributed around half of the covers for this year, with the rest being provided by Ann Stringer. Roy Arnold continues to provide the accompanying cover comment.
We continue to receive articles from a number of regular correspondents but we are always keen to attract new writers. We are very grateful to all those who have provided articles whether they be one- off or a series such as that provided by Elaine Ward on WW1 last year. The best editions are those with a wide variety of articles by lots of different people so please consider writing something for the magazine. We can't do it without you!
FAMILY SERVICE DEVELOPMENT Beverley Nixon, Children's Ministry Co-ordinator
I am pleased to report a busy year with regard to our Children's Ministry work which continues to develop and expand.
Family services - Our informal First Sunday Service remains well attended and popular with the young families in the parish. We now have a regular format for this which seems to work well and includes a story or presentation, hymns, prayers and a craft activity. Several parents have become involved in helping with this service by taking on various duties.
As a result of our recent GAP project we have also introduced a Family Communion Service on the third Sunday of the month the first of which was held on Mothering Sunday. The aim is to keep this relaxed and informal and under one hour duration. We shall be continually reviewing this service over the next year and welcome any constructive comments. Response so far seems positive.
It is encouraging to see that a number of young parents attending these services have now come forward for confirmation later this year.
Children's Groups - Our parent toddler group Praise & Play, continues to meet on a Thursday morning during term time and is thriving. Over the past year we have had several new families join
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 8 us after having the group 'recommended' by current members. The children continue to enjoy free play, craft activities and song/story time. The church garden [outside the vestry door] was well used by the group last summer in the nice weather and a 'planting activity' by the toddlers has resulted in some lovely flowers now growing under the new mosaic art piece!
The RiCH after school group for 11-14 year olds is now into its fifth term and continues to attract an average weekly attendance of 20 - 25 young people. The homemade cake kindly supplied by our lovely volunteers has this year been supplemented with fresh fruit donated each week by local butcher Jeremy Heathcote. The group is facilitated by our regular helpers as well as a number of the congregation who have visited on certain occasions to share knowledge, skills or stories with the youngsters. I would like to thank all of those who have supported the group in the various ways over the past year.
Schools - We have aimed to strengthen the links with our Church schools over this past year by having a visible presence at both Christmas Fairs. This gave us an opportunity to meet children and parents, as well as the school staff, and to give out information about our Christmas Services. The Schools Experience Week back in July 2014 was another successful production leading the children on the journey of Creation as it is told in the Bible.
New events this year - In order to bring more focus onto the Christian aspects of Hallowe'en we held a Light Party in the church for All Hallows Eve. This was well received by the younger children and we intend to repeat the event this year.
We had a fabulous response to our interactive telling of the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve at our new Crib Service. Children were able to don costumes and become characters in the familiar story. As we moved from scene to scene we had storytelling, songs and prayers portraying the events of the first Christmas. I hope this will now become a regular annual event.
Further provision for the Pre-school/Key stage 1 age group is planned in the introduction of a new monthly activity for male carers and their children on the fourth Saturday of the month with our 'Who Let The Dad's Out?' Group. This will start on 28th March.
Further Training - Over the past year I have attended the Diocesan Skills & More 2 course as well as a number of single study days focusing on the development of Children's Ministry. I have also applied for and hope to start the Churches Certificate in Children's Ministry this September. This will add to my formal knowledge base and qualifications which in turn I hope will benefit the work of the parish
CHURCH WEBSITE: stoswaldbollington.org.uk From Dave Williams
Recent changes include a link to "What's New?" on the home page. This is proving to be the page most frequently visited after the home page. The total number of pages available is now over 120, including over 40 pages of archived news items and 10 archived "Reflections from the Pulpit". The most visited News Item was the piece about our new Bishop of Stockport.
Statistics for February 2015 show 393 visit sessions by 274 different visitors. This compares with February 2014, when we recorded 290 visits from 160 different people.
We have discussed the possibility of carrying adverts for local businesses on the website, but this has not yet been implemented. Very few other church websites can be found which carry adverts,
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 9 although there is no principal problem with doing so. It would be unlikely to generate a significant income.
Following a revamp of the website in March (and the announcement of this on our Facebook page) there was a surge of interest and 565 different users recorded 4,933 pageviews.
GROWTH ACTION PLANNING (GAP) From Revd Michael Fox In September and October 2014 Michael Fox led three GAP workshops on Saturday mornings, each lasting 4 hours. The whole church was invited to join in, and around 50% of church members attended one or more of the workshops. Each workshop was self-contained, but led on to the next. The aim of the workshops was to seek a new vision for our church - a vision of what God wants to be doing amongst us and amongst the wider community of Bollington, and to seek ways to bring the new vision into reality.
We started with big blank pieces of paper. This helped us individually to look at where we are now and to picture where we want to be in the future - to draw our dreams. Over the course of three Saturdays we refined these pictures through prayer and discussion, with real honesty and much laughter, until we arrived at a single image, a joyful picture of a Eucharistic community which knows how to celebrate God's goodness to us but also how to reach out to the community and connect with those in need, in pain, in difficulty, who don't belong, who feel lost or neglected. The key phrase that emerged to accompany the vision was 'connecting and transforming' which we understood to refer to both ourselves - being connected to God and to each other and being transformed into His image - and to a mission for connecting with the wider community and playing our part in its transformation, enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We also looked at what kind of actions we need to undertake to become a truly 'connecting and transforming' church. With the help of Graham Tomlin's book 'The Provocative Church' we examined five characteristics of a healthy church - Adoration, Belonging, Compassion, Discipleship & Evangelism - and developed some initial priorities for action in these areas. The resulting priorities were: 1) to become more visible through marketing; 2) to explore alternative forms of worship with greater variety of music and to be increasingly suitable for families; 3) to give time to others in the Bollington community; 4) to develop our personal walk with God through new opportunities for deeper prayer and meditation; 5) to co-operate with and support outreach activities that are already successful; 6) to improve the welcome we give to visitors.
These initial priorities were then discussed by the PCC. A further refining process was called for and it was decided to institute a rolling GAP process, meeting every 8 weeks, open to all, to refine and monitor the GAP action plan. The process has now identified two key priorities to take forward the vision of 'Connecting and Transforming': l)The promotion of the church within the community by: developing a Facebook Page, by creating a 'brand' from our vision image and using it on all publicity, by using a wider number of media channels to tell our story. 2) The gradual transformation of our main Sunday services to include a wider range of music, more family-friendly elements and more participation from families in the services themselves.
[see the chart on the next page]
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 10
The Anglican Parish Church in Bollington: Our vision is for a connecting and transforming community empowered by God to act with compassion in the world.
What Who When
GOAL 1 INCREASE VISIBILITY WITHIN COMMUNITY Michael Fox STEP 1 Nov 2014 New 'brand image': Connecting and Transforming Ann Stringer Michael Fox STEP 2 March 2015 Set up a church Facebook page Hannah Beko Michael Fox STEP 3 Manage/monitor church Facebook page Hannah Beko ongoing Veronica Hydon Convene a Communications Group to co-ordinate publicity suggested membership to include Katharine Howe (monthly Church Dave Williams STEP 4 Magazine editor), Chris Ward (weekly notice sheet), Hannah Beko (church April 2015 (admin church Facebook page), Bev Nixon (RICH Facebook page), webmaster) Michael Fox (cleric with technical know-how!) Explore new marketing channels, including local radio & tapping STEP 5 CW& MF Oct 2015 into other existing community publications Ask the local community what they expect from / would like to see STEP 6 HB& MF Oct 2015 in Church and in the community
GOAL 2 TRANSFORM WORSHIP TO INCLUDE MORE FAMILIES
Institute rolling GAP meetings to include all sections of 25/01/15 congregation (with purpose of canvassing opinions and initiating STEP 1 HB& MF ideas, leaving decision-making still in hands of Vicar, 07/03/15 Churchwardens & PCC) & ongoing Mothering Change 10.30am Parish Communion on 3rd Sunday of each month VH & Beverley STEP 2 Sunday into 10.30am 'Family Communion' Nixon 15/03/15 Develop a wider musical culture, in conjunction with existing church musicians, with increased inclusion of children & staff of Bollington STEP 3 VH ongoing Family of Schools, and further encouragement of other congregational & local talent STEP 4 Integrate Praise & Play families into Sunday services BN ongoing STEP 5 Integrate RiCH families into wider church activities BN ongoing Continue to connect Baptism families into Praise & Play and now STEP 6 VH, MF & BN ongoing into new group "Who Let the Dads Out" (28/03/15)
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 11
Diocesan Response to our GAP 4 Report: April 2015 From the Parish Development Officer Macclesfield Archdeaconry
Dear Canon Veronica and members of St Oswald's PCC,
Thank you for the copies of your GAP4 papers. Bishop Libby has asked me to write the replies to GAP submissions whilst she settles fully into her role.
Well... wow! Your very comprehensive report on the process you adopted to formulate a new vision statement and discern your next goals makes for inspiring reading. If only more churches would give the time and energy you have poured into seeking your next steps. Three GAP meetings over a total of eleven hours with fifty per cent congregation involvement is a terrific achievement in itself. So, first of all, very well done for tending so admirably to the process of trying to work out what's next. From what follows in the rest of your text, it's time clearly well spent.
I hope overall you feel encouraged by the progress you made with those first three goals set five years ago. 'Praise & Play' and 'RiCH' sound as though they have become firmly embedded in the lifestream of St Oswald's and constitute big steps in the direction of the vital need for churches to re-engage with the younger generation it so catastrophically lost touch with over the previous decades. The challenge for all churches is huge, but you've made a significant start on which you can build and grow. Likewise you ought still to feel pleased as punch about the alterations you've made to the fabric of St Oswald's. Your building now says 'There's life within' in a way it never did before, and the involvement of so many Bollington people in the mosaic was a stroke of genius. I wonder what other ways you can include the very obvious and willing talent residing in your parish. Get those creative hats thinking!
I appreciate your third goal of securing sustainable funding for St Oswald's remains a challenge. It probably doesn't help to know you're not alone in facing testing financial times. Many churches have a similar concern and there aren't any gilt-edged answers, other than continue praying and periodically bring the honest situation before the church congregation to ask people to be as generous as they can. My only comment is that I think some churches become overly weighed down and hamstrung by the financial burden, and I wonder whether there's a point at which, having handed the situation over to God (it's his church, after all) and raised it with the congregation, as best as possible it should be laid aside and the rest of the business of the people of God attended to. Yes, there's a problem, and yes, we'd dearly like it to be solved so we don't have to worry about it.
But, truth be told, there are other more important things needing our attention. Which takes me on to your new goals for 2014/15.
By the way, I think your new vision statement is brilliant. Pithy, punchy, pertinent. It's spot on and will help you become a church which does exactly what it says on the tin.
So ... Goal One is to increase your visibility within the Bollington community, building on what you've already done with your building and mosaic. Your facebook page is looking good, and I hope it catches on and more people start to make contributions to bring it more alive (I was going to suggest that maybe the young people from RiCH might post up some thoughts, but maybe they're into other more trendy forms of social media?). There's no doubt image is a powerful tool these days and therefore the visual impact of websites, notice boards, and even the church building is far more important than we usually give them credit. I know there's an uncomfortable line between merely giving information and starting to become obsessed with how we advertise ourselves, but the kind of image we present really does matter in a world which sees first and goes on to read only if it likes what it sees. So there are real ministry opportunities here for those who have the creative
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 12 skills to arrest passers-by, whether in the real or virtual worlds, and invite them to engage with the bigger thought that Easter Day changed the world forever and God is incredibly interested in them. I wish your newly-convened Communications Group every success - may they be awash with inspiration and ideas to persuade the Bollington community that Jesus and his church are very much alive.
Your second Goal (transform worship to include more families) has a very laudable aim, but to my mind falls into two halves over which you have greater and lesser control. The first half, to transform worship, is entirely within your corporate ability to achieve in whatever form you deem most suitable. I can't remember whether you have moveable furniture in St Oswald's. If you do, you'll find plenty of engaging ways to set the stage for your new third Sunday Family Communions. If not, you may not be able to be quite so imaginative, but your intention to draw in musicians, children, the schools and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all, is right in line with the findings from last year's 'From Anecdote to Evidence' report which highlighted the place of informal and innovative worship in attracting the younger generation to church and faith (and yes, I too worry that we might turn Sunday worship into a scaled down version of children's TV).
The second half of Goal Two, on the other hand, is much less in your control. You may decide to include more families, but whether said families will choose to be included is another matter. Let's pray that they will. However, I notice elsewhere in the Archdeaconry that a number of churches have found they needed to start a very different service (different place, time of the week, format, etc) as a kind of 'first contact' service and without any overt expectation that people will make the transition through to Sunday. Effectively, what's being talked about is a fresh expression of church, one that will seek its own members and exist in good relationship with what's already on the worship menu, but deliberately a church in its own right. Outside of the church community, families treat Sunday very differently and are not always ready to accommodate a Sunday service into their heavily committed diaries. Bollington may not be like that, and perhaps the families will come flocking on a Sunday, but it might be worth having a Plan B up your sleeve if you find you need to change tack.
As I said at the start, your GAP report is a brilliant read. Your new vision statement is ace, your goals demand faith and commitment (as they should), and I noticed you have priorities three to six neatly lined up for when one and two are up and running. It's all excellent. I'm sure you hardly need any outside assistance, but if at any stage you feel I can be of help on your GAP journey, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Grace, peace and prayers,
Revd Ian Rumsey Macclesfield Deanery Synod Review 2014-2015 David Marriott, Macclesfield Deanery Synod Secretary
Members and visitors from all our parishes have met 4 times in the last year with excellent speakers addressing a wide range of subjects. Hospitality from our host parishes has preceded all these meetings with a warm welcome for which we are most grateful. Each meeting has benefited from opening worship in the style of the host parish and we have all learned something new from this. The process of pastoral reorganization has lead in the period under review to the creation of 3 new Joint Benefices. St. John the Evangelist, Macclesfield and St. Thomas Henbury have united, with Revd. Dr. Tim Robinson as incumbent with his wife Revd. Norma Robinson as Associate Minister.
Revd. Dr. John Harries will be inducted and installed on 11th May as incumbent of the Joint Benefice
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 13 of Sutton with Wincle, Wildboarclough and Bosley. Gawsworth and North Rode are united with Rt. Revd. William Pwaisiho as their incumbent. Revd. Canon Veronica Hydon was commissioned as our new Rural Dean on 18th Sept.
May 14th, St. Mary the Virgin, Bosley 30 members from 14 parishes plus 5 visitors, gathered to celebrate Deanery Eucharist with celebrant Revd. Canon Peter Howell-Jones, Vice-Dean of Chester cathedral, before moving to Bosley CofE School for the Synod meeting. We welcomed 8 newly elected members to Synod. All parishes had made a welcome, timely response to the call for a levy and the treasurer reported a balance of almost £2,000 in hand. The Vice-Dean gave a lively presentation about the 2½ years he has been at the cathedral. A particularly relevant innovation has been the introduction of a programme of Deanery days welcoming Deanery members to "Their" cathedral. Perhaps Macclesfield Deanery might consider this opportunity?
Sep 18th St Oswald's Bollinaton Synod saw the commissioning of Revd. Canon Veronica Hydon as our new Rural Dean. Around a hundred people from churches and chapels of all denominations around the area were joined by civic representatives to celebrate this service lead by Rt. Revd. Dr. Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester with Ven. Ian Bishop, Archdeacon of Macclesfield.
Nov 18th, Holy Trinity Hurdsfield Just 23 members from 12 parishes came together to hear Revd. Jenny Mayo-Lythell -Transforming Lives Together (TLT) Development Officer, and Mrs. Jane Knight - Diocesan Head of Counselling services. Jenny and Jane maintained the high standard of speakers and presentations that we have had at Synod meetings. First Jenny encouraged us with stories of how parishes are responding to the challenges from TLT by working together with other churches and organisations in their communities. Jane told us how her team of 14 counsellors around the diocese provide a service with mental health for both clergy and church members.
Feb 3rd All Saints, Macclesfield 27 members and 2 visitors heard Pip Worswick - Head Teacher at Wincle CofE School and Deanery representative on the Diocesan Board of Education, and Andrea Fitton - Youth Minister with St. Peter's Prestbury working from Upton Priory, tell us about their work with children and young people. Two casual vacancies arising in the House of Clergy on Diocesan Synod were filled and notice was given that elections to the new Diocesan Synod will take place at the next Deanery Synod at the end of April. The retirement of the Deanery Synod secretary following the April Synod was announced.
The full text for all Deanery meetings and presentations is available from your parishes Deanery representatives. All meetings are Open meetings and visitors are very welcome.
A Deanery Choral Evensong, will be held at St. Michael's Macclesfield on Sat 26th Sept 2015 at 5:30pm
The next Deanery Synod will be on Wed April 29th at St. Thomas Church Hall Henbury at 7:30pm for 7:45, speaker Revd. Canon EWL (Taffy) Davies.
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 14
7 - REPORT FROM THE VICAR From Revd. Canon Veronica Hydon
It has been another eventful year in the life of Bollington Parish! In May we celebrated 50 years of Bollington Festival with a brilliant flower and embroidery festival called Petals & Threads. Over that week we also hosted concerts, a poetry recital, a historic talk, performances of a specially commissioned drama, plus a baptism and two splendid weddings, and finally we welcomed Bishop Peter to bless our new building extension and to place the very last piece in our community mosaic! In June we welcomed Revd Michael Fox as Assistant Curate: he is what is termed a Self-supporting Minister, not given a stipend or housing by the Church of England, so having to continue to earn his own living and he is also researching for a PHD, so his time spent in our parish as a deacon learning and exploring clerical ministry is technically confined to 12 hours per week. Michael however has to some extent been able to organise his time flexibly so that we have fortunately had the benefit of his ministry beyond a rigid time-frame, whilst he has also managed quite properly to attend to his family life. It has been good to have an extra clergy colleague with whom to reflect and to plan ahead for parish growth and mission. We look forward to celebrating with him when he is ordained as a priest this June!
Over the past year I have valued as always the wisdom and support of Canon Roy Arnold and we are fortunate as a parish to continue to benefit from his preaching and journalistic skills. We have also welcomed into our fold Brian Reader, who is an undoubted asset to our community and who preached for us on Remembrance Sunday. Our two church Schools, alongside Dean Valley School, continue to flourish and grow and we are delighted to have welcomed staff, parents and children into church for worship, fun, singing and explorations of faith. I'm grateful too for the friendship and co-operation of our nearest neighbours at Bollington Cross, especially Mrs Downing, the Head Teacher, who encourages us in our care and outreach to the children and parents around us. in September I was commissioned as Rural Dean of Macclesfield, a role which involves the pastoral care of clergy (serving and retired) across our deanery and of parishes in vacancies, troubleshooting where necessary, organising the Deanery Synod and Deanery Chapter in conjunction with the Lay Chair and the Chapter Clerk, plus a whole series of meetings with other Rural Deans, Bishops and Archdeacons in various guises! Some of the more unusual tasks so far have been blessing extra names inscribed on Sutton War Memorial and attending the topping out ceremony at Prestbury Church's new extension. This does mean that inevitably I have less time to spend in Bollington Parish but our church life is ably supported by our dedicated Churchwardens, assistant Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary, and our energetic Children's Work Co-ordinator, not to mention a whole range of people quietly working away behind the scenes to keep us functioning well, including our magazine editor, website manager, organists, choir, sacristans, laundress, rota producers, flower arrangers, church cleaners, sexton, columbarium tidiers, vergers, Mothers' Union members, school governors, Praise & Play parents, our RiCH Group team, our Schools Experience team, our Faith Hour leader and our weekly sheet producer. Special thanks are due to John Rickman, Janet Brown and Ann Stringer who help manage our finances alongside our excellent "temporary" treasurer, Mike Hall. THANK YOU all for your particular ministries and for your active support and prayers which will enable us to continue to be God's "Connecting and Transforming" people in this place!
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 15
News from the Head Teacher at St John's School: March 2015
I first joined Pott Shrigley as a Class Teacher in 2006 and have been Executive Head of the Federation of St John's and Pott Shrigley CE Aided Schools since 2010. During this time I have led the two schools through a significant period of transition, not just in responding to increasing numbers in both schools and the organisational change that has demanded but in responding strategically to a number of significant challenges imposed on schools by the coalition government. In this period of change we have seen good and outstanding Ofsted inspections; excellent results in national tests; engagement with national research projects and innovation in curriculum design. It is fair to say that together we have achieved a lot.
I now feel, however, that the time is right for me to move on and it was with a sense of sadness that 1 recently informed the governors of my intention to move on from the Federation at the end of this current academic year. One constant during my time at the Federation has been responding to change and I am sure that the governors and the school leadership, with the support of the Diocese and the Local Authority will work in partnership, moving forward, to ensure the improvements that have been made to our schools over the last few years will be built upon over the months and years ahead.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have supported me over the years and encourage you all to work together with those who succeed me as you continue to partner together in providing a fantastic learning environment for the children of Pott Shrigley and Bollington.
Kind regards,
Dr Andy Hodgkinson Executive Headteacher
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 16
Parish of Bollington PCC Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2014 Receipts and Payments Accounts Note Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2014 2013
Receipts £ £ £ £
Planned giving 1 31,926.85 31,926.85 30,369.61 Collections at services, etc 8,201.99 8,201.99 6,121.04
Donations 2 1,393.00 6,986.75 8,379.75 6,895.17
Fund raising 3 1,590.88 8,992.74 10,583.62 4,109.57 Gift Aid recovered 4 8,894.84 501.82 9,396.66 10,181.45
Fees 6,009.00 6,009.00 4,972.00
Miscellaneous 5 497.00 497.00 10,625.40 Dividends and interest 273.25 5.01 278.26 1,846.06
Special collections 6 2,497.48 2,497.48 1,664.88
Total Receipts £ 61,284.29 £ 16,486.32 £ 77,770.611 £ 76,785.18 Payments Diocesan quota 58,029.24 58,029.24 55,243.80
Clergy expenses 2,927.40 2,927.40 2,750.10 Other expenses 2,241.27 46.44 2,287.71 2,050.91
Vicarage 2,896.01 2,896.01 2,940.04
Churchyard 860.00 860.00 930.00 St Oswald's Church 7 7,963.99 7,963.99 19,846.65
Donations 0.00 0.00 400.00
Miscellaneous 425.50 425.50 2,150.89 Special Projects 8 1,818.89 17,026.65 18,845.54
Special Collections etc 9 2,290.68 2,290.68 1,599.66
Major Projects 10 3,744.60 3,744.60 33,721.97 Total Payments £ 82,337.58 £ 17,933.09 £ 100,270.67 £ 121,634.02
Deficit for the year -£ 21,053.29 -£ 1,446.77 -£ 22,500.06 -£ 44,848.84
M E Hall B Matthews Treasurer * Auditor
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 17
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 18
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 19
Parish of Bollington Notes to the accounts for the year ending 31st December, 2014 1 Standing orders and planned giving envelopes.
2 This includes donations for the mosaic and the RICH Group.
3 Includes fund raising for the new sound system, 'Petals and Threads' and work in the churchyard.
4 The restricted funds are for the 2012 appeal and the Sound System appeal.
5 Last year the figure for Miscellaneous included an insurance claim and proceeds from the diocese on the sale of St John's church.
6 Special collections Phillipine flood disaster appeal £ 509.75 Lent lunches for Christian Aid £ 198.50 Water Aid £ 538.47 Concert for Help for Heroes £ 229.00 Christingle sevice for The Children's Society £ 394.76 Collection for British Legion at Requiem Mass for World War 1 £ 102.40 Crisis at Christmas £ 524.60 Total £ 2,497.48
7 The accounts for 2013 included £9,400 spent on a new heating system, a new safe and on the security camera. Last year we repaid an underpayment in previous years for gas and then changed supplier resulting in a reduction in our gas bill by about £2,000 this year. If these amount had been excluded from last year’s accounts the comparable figure would be £8,371
8 These special projects were the new sound system, the new mosaic and the 'Petals and Threads' events in the church.
9 This figure does not agree with note 6 because not all receipts and payments are made in the same accounting year.
10 These are the final payments for the Re-ordering which was completed in 2013.
B Matthews Auditor
M E Hall Treasurer
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 20
Magazine Account - 1st Feb 2014 - 31st Jan 2015
Income Expenditure Diocesan Donation Parish Magazines Adverts Printing Leaflets To PCC Pump 20.00 400.00 164.19 46.89 1000.00 40.00 120.00 375.00 164.19 55.00 28,00 350.00 255.21 55.50 24.00 125.00 164.09 55.50 24.00 164.09 55.50 21.00 196.91 13.00 196.91 12.00 196.91 24.00 171.91 (Note) 4.00 24.00 24.00 32.00 52.00 20.00 84.00 12.00 5.00 96.00 38.00 4.00 195.00 Totals
876.00 1,250.00 1,674.41 268.39 1,000.00 40.00
Note £25 reduction for cost of Printer's advert in magazine
01-Feb-14 2.145.65 Balance 2,126.00 Income 4.271.65 Sub-total 2,982.80 Expenditure 31-Jan-15 1,288.85 Balance
10th February 2015
The Annual Report of the parish of Bollington in the Diocese of Chester: 2014/2015 21