2019 REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS TO THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
Meeting to be held on Wednesday 21 October 2020
Registered Charity Number 1128859
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Annual Reports 3 Parochial Church Council (PCC) Proceedings 4 Treasurer’s Report 8 Safeguarding 9 The Estate & Property Report 15 Electoral Roll 15 Deanery Synod 16 Mission Support Group 24 Families Ministry (including Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals) 25 Children’s Ministry 27 Youth Ministry 28 Guiding in Ecclesall 29 Scouting in Ecclesall 30 Mothers’ Union 31 All Saints Women’s Social Group 32 Women’s Ministry 32 Men’s Ministry 33 Small Groups 34 Readers’ Reports 36 Report from our Internship Programme 37 Worship Ministry 38 Seniors’ Ministry 39 Pastoral Ministry Report of Pastoral Ministry Leader Bereavement Team Healing and Wholeness Group 42 Welcome Ministry 42 Whirlow Spirituality Centre at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit 44 Flowers in Church 44 Sanctuary Guild 44 Bookstall
APPENDIX I ACCOUNTS for year ended 31 December 2019 (See separate file)
APPENDIX II Summary of Financial Information for year ended 31 December 2019
APPENDIX III Statutory Information
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PAROCHIAL PARISH COUNCIL (PCC) PROCEEDINGS
During 2019 the full PCC met six times for our usual business meetings and twice for PCC Times Apart in March and June. Following Vicar Gary Wilton’s departure in June, PCC members also attended Section 11 and Section 12 meetings in preparation for appointing a new vicar. The PCC discussed the following major items: · Being a resourcing church and the wider diocesan strategy · Reviewing how our finances are managed, including our reserves policy and designated funds · The process of appointing a new vicar · The Parish Safeguarding Audit and Action Plan 2019, including the adoption of a policy for the recruitment of volunteers, role descriptions for each volunteer role and safeguarding training · The adoption of a Safeguarding Children Policy · The adoption of an updated Governance Overview document · Refreshed partnership arrangements for the Whirlow Spirituality Centre Joint Venture with Whirlow Grange Limited . The purchase of 9 Greystones Grange Road and sale of 48 Renshaw Road, so that the housing for our new Associate Vicar who took up her post in January 2019, matched the criteria previously approved by PCC Our Vicar, Gary Wilton, left to take up a new post in Brittany in September 2019. We also saw the departure of our Youth Ministry Leader, Joseph Sheldon, and one of our Toddler Group Assistants, Eve Brankin. Hannah Chester and Rob Haley were appointed as Youth Ministry Interns for the 2019/20 academic year. Various works to our buildings and churchyard were completed during the year, including lighting upgrades in the church and works to the halls roof above the church office. Faculties were requested to install Commonwealth War Grave signage in the churchyard and erect a poustinia in the grounds of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Whirlow. These both received approval to proceed. The PCC also discussed the following items: · The Big Church Weekend Away held in Buxton in January 2019 · The mission partnership agreement with St. Gabriel’s Greystones I would like to thank all the members of the PCC, staff team and church family for their continued support and encouragement. Emily Jackson PCC Secretary
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TREASURER’S REPORT
The Trustees’ Report and Audited Accounts as at 31 December 2019 have been published as a separate document and provide the detail on our financial position.
Financial Highlights from 2019
PCC approved a budget for 2019 which planned for expenditure for the year to exceed income by £20k. (This excludes any net increase or decrease in the value of our investments in year.) The deficit budget was set in the knowledge that we had sufficient free reserves to fund this deficit. It was to allow All Saints to continue with our wide range of church activities, and as part of this welcoming our new Associate Vicar, Beth Keith, from January 2019, as well as supporting additional missional activities.
Our audited accounts show that we ended the year needing to transfer £20.5k from reserves and so very close to our plan. There were, however, some quite big variations in individual areas of income and expenditure. We are thankful that church family members continued to be generous with planned giving through our Stewardship arrangements. Including Gift Aid, members gave £421k, but we fell short of the PCC previously agreed target of £440k. We were, however, blessed by Legacy income of £41k (against a budget of £10k) and additional Grant income. Our expenditure was greater than planned by around £29k particularly in relation to maintaining our buildings and associated with the sale of Renshaw Road.
The chart below gives a summary of how our total £721k income was received. Other income was particularly large in 2019 due to our very successful Big Church Weekend Away (BCWA) in Buxton last January. In total income for the BCWA was £46k and we spent just over £45k. PCC offered the £700 surplus to Whirlow Grange Ltd to support other church families having time away.
2019 Income
General Giving (incl. Gift Aid) - 59% 8% Other donations -1%
Legacies - 6% 15%
Grants - 5%
4% Investment Income -2% 2% 59% 5% Funeral & Wedding fees -4%
6% Other income eg hire of Whirlow, Church & Halls -15% 1% Events eg Big Church Weekend Away and House Party -8%
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The chart below gives an analysis of our £741k expenditure. In total we spent £528k (71%) on our usual church activities and maintaining our buildings and church yard, £68k (9%) on other activities including special events such as the BCWA and £145k on our three main areas of missional giving. In 2019 we continued to make our Common Fund contribution to the Diocese in full (£139k). For the first time in the accounts we showed this in two parts; £47k of a possible maximum £70k for our incumbent (we formally entered our Vacancy on 6 September 2019) under church activities and the balance of £92k as missional giving as this supports other church families across the Diocese. In 2019 we had a new area of missional giving (at £19k) as part of the mission partnership arrangements with St Gabriel’s. We fully funded the stipend of Revd. Alistair Stevenson who worked half time as Priest in Charge at St Gabriel’s throughout 2019. The partnership arrangements are for 5 years and will see All Saints reduce our financial support over this time.
2019 Expenditure
3% 4% Common Fund - All Saints Vicar - 6% 6% Staff Salaries & Expenses - 35% 13% Estates costs including churchyard - 23% Ministry and admin costs - 7% 9% 35%
Other activities including special events eg BCWA -9% 7% Common Fund - support to other churches -13% St Gabriels Mission Partnership -3% 23%
Other Missional Giving -4%
Our Properties
At the end of 2018 we owed two large amounts (shown as creditors due after more than one year in the accounts). The level of our cash receipts, including from three large legacies, allowed us to clear both of these creditors in 2019. We paid the £68.5k balance of our share of the costs for the redevelopment of the Chapel of Holy Spirit and spirituality centre at Whirlow. There has been an increased use of the centre for a variety of events in 2019 and as part of our partnership arrangements with Whirlow Grange Ltd we continue to share income and expenditure. For 2020 we have established a Partnership Committee and agreed some simplified operational and financial management arrangements. The value of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit does not form part of our accounts because it is a consecrated property, but it continues to be valued at around £280k.
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Most significantly PCC approved the purchase of 9 Greystones Grange Road. PCC wished to purchase a house which met the criteria previously agreed by PCC for a property suitable for occupation by an Associate Vicar and family. With the Stevenson family vacating 48 Renshaw Road in December 2018 when they moved to the St Gabriels’ vicarage, this meant we could sell this property. However, it was jointly owned with the Church Commissioners which meant we had to repay the £135k loan due to them (our other large creditor at year end 2018). As a result, the net cost of purchasing the new property was £206k. This is the main reason why our Free Reserves reduced from £521k to £295k in 2019.
During 2019 there was limited expenditure on major repairs of our Church building and Halls, although our Estates Committee and PCC actively considered the remaining requirements from the 2015 Quinquennial Inspection and as shown below, have set aside a significant element of our Free Reserves for use for necessary repairs in 2020 and beyond.
Our Funds and Reserves at 31 December 2019
All Saints as a registered charity has to separately monitor and account for the different sorts of Funds we hold as each of the Funds come with different rules and restrictions which affect how they can be used. Our accounts set these out in detail, but in summary we have four different sorts of Funds as follows:
£'000 Endowment Funds: Funds must be held permanently. We can only use the income from the investments for the specific purposes for which the Funds were originally given eg estates costs 464
Restricted Funds: These can be used for the specific purpose for which the income is received. Our largest is for our church yard at £93k. Also £20k for St Gabriels mission partnership and £5k Connected Church. 117
Designated Funds held as Property and other Fixed Assets: Our main assets are the houses occupied by our Associate Vicars and our Church Halls 1,260
Unrestricted/ Designated Funds = Our Free Reserves 295
2,136
In summary, at 31 December 2019 we had £2.1 million of Funds but we only had £295k of Free (Unrestricted) Reserves. It is these reserves which PCC decides how best to use to support the running of our church and halls, including for any major repairs that are needed to our buildings.
As a registered charity we must have a Reserves Policy which we must set out in our annual Trustees’ Report. The PCC approved a new policy to be effective from 1 January 2020 after taking advice from our auditors and looking at our risks and needs over the next two years. We determined three main uses for our Reserves over the next 2 years as follows:
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Reserves Required at 1 January 2020 £'000 £'000 Church Activities 2020 Activities: To cover Planned Deficit 40.5 Contingency Reserve 54.0 94.5
2021 Activities: Contingency Reserve 50 PCC will need to try to set a balanced budget for 2021 Estates For Major Repairs to Church 120 Repairs likely to cost more; Grants to be sought For Repairs to Halls / Other minor requirements 30 150
Total 294.5
Looking Ahead to 2020 and beyond
PCC identified during 2019 that 2020 was going to be a year when we would need to carefully monitor and manage our finances. We recognised that we faced some areas of new or increased expenditure and a range of calls on our reduced Free Reserves. We set these out in the 2020 Stewardship Appeal booklet circulated to the church family in October 2019. We highlighted that if we wished to continue with our full range of church and missional activities in 2020 it was highly likely that we would have to set a substantial deficit budget (i.e. expenditure to exceed our income for the year). The level of deficit would partly depend on the church family’s response to the request to prayerfully consider increasing giving.
PCC reluctantly approved a final deficit budget of £40.5k for 2020 on 17 February 2020, recognising that the need to return to a balanced budget (i.e. expenditure for the year does not exceed income for the year) within 2 years. PCC’s decision was taken in the light of likely income, reflecting on the response to the Stewardship Appeal, the level of reserves it was appropriate to use to support the general running of the church in 2020 and the desire to continue in a period of Vacancy, if at all possible, with all our usual church activities and missional giving.
The unprecedented event of the Covid-19 pandemic, which none of us could have foreseen, unfortunately is likely to result in substantial financial pressures and implications not just for 2020 but potentially into 2021 and beyond. The actual deficit for 2020 is almost certain to be greater than planned and so we are likely to need much of the contingency reserves we set aside. PCC have agreed that it is important to take actions to reduce our expenditure and maintain or increase our income where possible during 2020. We summarised our initial actions in a financial update to the church family on 31 May 2020 in the absence of our APCM usually held in May.
PCC has agreed deficit budgets for each of the last five years since 2016, as our staffing and some other expenditure was expanded. This could be supported while we had substantial Free Reserves and a trend of annual increases in giving, but it has always been the stated intention, as set out in various Stewardship Appeal booklets, to return as soon 7
as possible to a balanced budget. For 2021 PCC will need to continue to prayerfully discern the way forward, particularly as we are likely to have to make some difficult decisions when we come to set the budget. All our decisions are made in the knowledge that our financial resources are received in response to God’s generosity to us and are given to support our mission:
Called to be a vibrant multi-generation missional Christian community worshipping the God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, living our daily lives as worship and sharing our faith with Ecclesall and beyond.
In our extended period of Vacancy, PCC is seeking to keep our finances in a stable and sustainable place, recognising that the Covid-19 pandemic is making this more of a challenge. The project to consider developments to our church building and halls has continued to be “paused”, with resources needing to be focussed on work to ensure that our buildings remain safe and water-tight.
It remains important to put our finances into context. Some churches in our Diocese are facing a very uncertain future. We are fortunate to have a much more secure financial position, with options to ensure we remain in such a place. God blesses the church family at All Saints by His abundant provision and faithfulness and generations of our church members have responded generously.
A tribute to Ann Hawkes: Finally I would like to pay tribute to Ann Hawkes, our Treasurer for nearly 8 years until her death on 10 February 2020 and to put on record, on behalf of the church family, a sincere thank you for all the hard work, time and expertise which she generously and cheerfully gave to the role in that time. During 2019, as part of our increasingly active Treasurer’s Group arrangements and in the light of Ann’s failing health, I started to work closely with her. I am grateful for the time together, to allow Ann to share her knowledge and for us to combine our different skills. Thank you for the laughter, alongside the serious focus and responsibility of the stewardship of our church finances.
Julia Newton Treasurer (From 15 June 2020)
SAFEGUARDING A major focus of the past year has been on ensuring that all our volunteers who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults have received appropriate safeguarding training in order that they can ensure a safe environment for all who attend church activities. A total of 85 volunteers have undertaken the foundation level training and all wardens and ministry staff and associate clergy have completed the appropriate safeguarding leadership course. In addition 11 people have undertaken specialist training in responding well to domestic abuse. In July 2019 we were required to complete the Diocesan Safeguarding Audit, which is undertaken every three years. Although the audit identified that we were up to speed in many aspects of safeguarding policy and practice, we needed to undertake further work on the safe recruitment of volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults. Following the audit, PCC approved a policy on safer recruitment, ministry staff and
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volunteer church officers involved in the appointment of staff and volunteers have undertaken specialist training in safer recruitment, and role descriptions have been developed for all volunteer roles that cover work with children and vulnerable adults. Safer recruitment of volunteer roles will be implemented in spring 2020. During the past year, the PCC has approved the general safeguarding policy, and additional policies relating to children and responding to domestic abuse. Copies of all safeguarding policies are displayed in the welcome area at the back for the church. In November 2019 Rosie Blackett stepped down as Deputy Safeguarding Officer in order to have more capacity to focus on children’s ministry. Revd Beth Keith has kindly taken up this role and works closely with me in taking forward safeguarding policy and practice. I would like to thank Rosie for her invaluable support during her time as my deputy. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the ministry team, wardens and volunteers who together help to make All Saints a safe place for all. Kate Gerrish Safeguarding Officer
The Estate & Property Report
With adherence to the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018, the Churchwardens have approved this report, compiled by Rachel McLafferty, the Operations Manager with the support of Revd Beth Keith. The report covers any actions taken or proposed to protect or maintain the church building or articles, with particular reference to the 2015 Quinquennial Inspection.
Responsibility for maintaining oversite of the estate is devolved by the PCC to the Estate Committee. Its purpose is to act as the interface between the governance of the church and the management and operations of the All Saints Estate. The Estates includes the church building, the churchyard, the parish halls complex, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit/Spirituality Centre (owned and managed jointly with Whirlow Grange Ltd), housing for our Associate Vicars. Maintaining the vicarage is the responsibility of the Diocese, although the wardens also have some oversight responsibility for the property while it is vacant and for maintenance of its grounds.
The Operations Manager brings reports, quotes and recommendations to the Estates Committee via the Chair, Revd Beth Keith. The Estate Committee meets 4 times a year.
Review of the Year All Saints continues to ensure that annual maintenance and regular testing is a priority to ensure that our systems function correctly. Where necessary, we update equipment and this has been the case for a number of our fire extinguishers recently. Regular testing is undertaken and recorded by either our Hospitality and Facilities Assistant, Michael Davis or our Estate Caretaker, Mike Rowland. Annual inspections are overseen by our Operations Manager, Rachel McLafferty.
Church cleaning is something that is vital to maintain the hospitality we offer to our visitors. We are fortunate to have Michael Davis who keeps the building in an excellent condition. Our weekly cleaning schedule also allows for deep cleaning to take place on a
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semi-regular basis. In addition to this, we decided to have the main gangways of our carpets deep cleaned by a professional company.
Our two boilers ensure that our church is kept warm, especially during the winter months. We care for the boilers and they are serviced by qualified engineers. Due to the age of the system, repairs can become costly. We experienced one significant issue over the past 12 months. The temperature would drop in the East End are of church towards the end of each day. Further inspection identified a problem with an actuator and this was replaced.
The lighting in church continues to provide us with new challenges. We are attempting wherever possible to replace the bulbs with LED fixtures. In some cases this has been quite simple. However, many of the fittings do not support this model of bulb and in some cases we have been able to ‘cannibalise’ the unit to make it fit for purpose. This means that we do not change the appearance of the units. Where this has not been possible we continue to explore cost effective approaches to change these over time. We have had issues with two of the fittings in the East End. During works, one of the units started smoking, and was at risk of fire. Our able electrician and Estate Caretaker took immediate action and the unit, and its counterpart has now been decommissioned.
Following feedback from members of the church family, we have ordered four new Beverly chairs for our church. These are the exact same make as our current chairs, but will have arms. We hope that this will support those with mobility issues. If necessary we will purchase more. Their delivery, however, has been greatly delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2019 we experienced issues with taps around the building and have needed the support of a local plumber. Sometimes it can be a relatively simple fix, sometimes we have had to replace a number of parts. An ongoing issue remains the tap in one of the toilets accessed via the welcome area. Hot water is accessed through a small boiler under the sink and over tightening the tap occurs regularly because it drips. This small drip is completely normal, and we have brought this to the attention of our users.
We continue to develop our Welcome area, under the oversight of Revd Beth Keith. Ensuring that information is clear, welcoming and up to date is vital. This then provides an excellent space for the welcome team to greet our church family and visitors.
Under the instruction of the Churchwardens, we have been experimenting with the layout of our building, to create a more relaxed and flexible environment. This has included removing a number of chairs from the north side of the back of church and replacing them with the sofas and small side tables from our Emmaus Chapel. This has been positively received, and has created an excellent setting for meetings in church.
Over the past 12 months it has not been necessary to apply for any Faculty Permissions for our church building, but we have done so for our churchyard. We have been granted permission under the List B scheme for works related to our Quinquennial Report, namely the renewal of our porches.
Quinquennial Work
Our thanks go to our Estate Committee for their important contributions and expert advice. This committee is tasked with reviewing works pertinent to the Quinquennial 10
Inspection and its related action plan. Specific thanks go to David Howarth for his ongoing support in translating this into the work plan that exists. Over the past 2 years the committee has worked with our Architect, Smith and Roper Ltd to develop a specification to address the significant areas of water ingress related to the building. This specification was put out to tender to 3 organisations, with 2 responses. The quotes we received were much higher than anticipated, so it was then decided that the committee would create a ‘phased plan’ that could be re-quoted and to present this to the PCC Executive.
The PCC Executive received this information at the same time as new information was being shared about our general financial situation, and with this in mind the work was paused. Following further work undertaken by the Estate Committee, this then continued moving forward at the beginning of 2020.
We are, where possible, committed to applying for grant support towards the work and we hope to know the outcome to these applications by November 2020. The option to do any of this work during the summer of 2020 has been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.
Just prior to lockdown we were in the process of applying for permission to undertake work to a crack in the south nave that has been allowing in a significant amount of water and to address plaster work in the South Transept which had been falling. With the Diocese of Sheffield having ‘furloughed’ all their staff responsible for the processing of these permissions this has unfortunately been put on hold, with no clear idea of when we can move forward. However, we continue to focus on being ‘ready to go’ as soon as restrictions are lifted and we can submit applications.
At the end of 2019 we carried out an asbestos management survey for our church building. We did not have a record of this having been done before on this scale. We are pleased to report that on the main our church is not susceptible to asbestos, and we do not have to worry about any works that might disturb asbestos. Asbestos was, however, discovered in the seal of our large safe. This will not be a problem unless we choose to move the safe, which is highly unlikely.
In the last 12 months we have also introduced new, updated policies and risk assessments related to our building. These include a new and thorough Fire Risk Assessment and a new Health and Safety Policy, of which the latter was approved by our PCC in March 2020. We will use these new tools as a benchmark to keep improving our practices.
Church Halls Our church halls remain much used by our community. Each month over a thousand children and adults use the room for a wide variety of activities including arts, dance, fitness and education. The halls also provide a busy church office and facilities for many of our children’s and youth ministry activities. The halls house a busy pre-school and a large number of uniformed organisations.
In 2019 an updated Quinquennial inspection took place. Despite a constant programme of maintenance, major issues continue to be highlighted as needing attention. These include replacing the single glazed windows, improving poor disability access and relaying the main hall floor.
We are extremely grateful for the support of our groups and wish to give special thanks to Act One Drama who redecorated Room 4. Act One have had a home here for many years and we are proud to be working with them. 11
Housing for Our Associate Vicars We own two properties for our two Associate Vicars. These are both relatively modern properties and have required only very limited maintenance expenditure in 2019. One of these properties we bought in January 2019 to coincide with the arrival of our new Associate Vicar. This allowed the sale of 48 Renshaw Road. A few limited repairs were required on the property prior to the sale. These matters are described in more detail in both the PCC Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports.
Looking forward to the future projects The March 2020 lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that we had to close our church building. We have focused on ensuring that it is safe and secure, and that regular testing and maintenance continues. Apart from this we are restricted in many projects that we would like to see carried out. Whilst our Estate Caretaker continues to be on site, we have taken the difficult decision to furlough our Hospitality and Facilities Assistant. As such, ‘Lone Working’ and ‘Working at Height’ policies exist to keep people safe, and it is to these that we must turn to ensure that we protect our staff, even though this may mean that we cannot achieve the jobs that we would like to see done.
Our huge thanks go to all the staff, and the many volunteers for their input in keeping our church building functioning. The experience of so many people would not be the same without the care and attention given by the Sanctuary Guild and the Flower Team. We are so fortunate to have such a talented and lovely bunch of people involved! It is God that we serve and for whom we undertake this work, and to God that we give thanks for all that he has provided.
Rachel Mclafferty, Operations Manager Revd. Beth Keith, Chair of Estates Committee
Churchyard All Saints Church, Ecclesall has a churchyard of some eleven acres with over 10,000 graves, dating from the late 18th century and still in use today for both burials and the spreading of ashes. The work of maintaining the churchyard is done through landscape and tree contractors and a team of volunteers. The former do formal grass mowing and tree surgery while the latter do all the remaining maintenance work. There are approximately 11 volunteers made up of members of the church congregation and people from the surrounding neighbourhood. The church provides all the machinery, equipment and materials and the team operate from an old stone building within the churchyard that used to be the Sexton’s hut. The team is represented on the Church’s Estate Committee which has oversight of its maintenance work and the annual operating budget. The churchyard team is aware of the ecological importance of this space and takes care to protect the wildlife living there, including the construction of special bird boxes and their maintenance, preservation and encouragement of wildflower areas throughout the churchyard, and a management/maintenance plan for all the hundreds of trees. Bonfires are used only when necessary to deal with the considerable amount of debris from the trees and bushes, both from natural decay and annual pruning. The bonfire site is located at the most optimum place to minimise any inconvenience to our neighbours.
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Below is an outline of most of the projects, maintenance, repair and replacement work that can take place over a year. While most of our work is scheduled, we respond to emergencies as and when they occur. The most common is a fallen tree or large branch. Autumn Clearing the leaves from the paths and grassed areas, which is done mainly by the leaf blowing machine, but some raking is also essential. Bonfires – as and when necessary. We are sensitive to the effect of smoke on our neighbours, so ideally, wind direction needs to be from the SW. The location for bonfires is in the centre of the ‘old’ section (middle ground). Tree pruning – only within the limits of the volunteers. The height of overhanging branches needs to be kept to 8 feet. The state of the trees are reviewed regularly by members of the team and by a professional arborist with a written report every 3 years. Quotations are obtained for both this professional review and any subsequent work. The report from this review identifies any trees that present a potential danger to the public and the appropriate action to make them safe. The safety work is carried out by local tree surgeons, based on competitive tendering. Plant any bulbs if we are provided with any from the City Council or elsewhere. Carry out pruning on shrubs and the planting beds. Clearing ivy from trees and headstones is an ongoing challenge. Each autumn, members of the team organise the collection and laying of remembrance wooden crosses and poppies on all the war graves within the churchyard. In 2014, the team organised a memorial plaque and the planting of an English oak for the men killed in the 1st World War who are buried here. Support was kindly provided by the charity, A Life for a Life Winter Sexton’s Hut – a good time to tidy and re-organise it. Paths need to be kept clear of fallen twigs, snow and ice. We are directed by the Operations Director on the latter. A supply of grit is kept in the hut and church Paths require edging during the winter. Graves close to the path edges are also weeded. All our equipment is checked, serviced, repaired, sharpened, replaced, cleaned etc on an annual basis. An inventory of all machines and equipment is done and a record kept up to date. In recent years the team has commenced an ambitious programme of restoring older graves. This involves the digging out of old turf and debris, levelling the area within the grave, inserting a membrane to minimise weed growth and covering the membrane with an attractive small stone dressing. While there are hundreds that require attention, the results are impressive, even though the weeds persist in returning in the spring/summer.
Spring Tidy up after the winter. Pull out saplings throughout the area and remove any ivy threatening trees. Edge paths. Some three weeks prior to Easter, remove all Christmas 13
wreaths from graves. This is a good time to carry out clearance in different parts of the churchyard that have become heavily overgrown. Summer Grass is kept mown around the church and at the top of the churchyard by a contractor. In 2020, at the request of the ministry team, a labyrinth was established and which has proved very popular both with members of the congregation and the public in general, as a different way of praying. All the remaining grass throughout the churchyard is strimmed and raked by the volunteers on the Churchyard team throughout the summer. This is the busiest time of the year and at times the strimming feels like ‘painting the Forth Bridge’. We have five strimmers and they are usually in full use for our main shift on Tuesday mornings. Additional shifts are sometimes necessary at other times of the week, in an effort to keep up with the extent of strimming. Litter is kept to an absolute minimum by the team who empty all the bins and collect any loose litter throughout the churchyard. Care of the Mothers Union bed, the small bed near the lichgate and the bed adjacent to the entrance to the church is carried out through the summer and plants are replaced as and when required. Gravestone maintenance
A ‘wobble test’ of headstones is done biannually to check for their stability and a record kept of the results. There are some 35 war graves that are checked every three years by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that provides £10 per annum per grave. This is used in part to purchase the ‘poppy crosses’ each year. A list of the war graves is kept in the hut and with the Operations Manager. Responding to requests From time to time, the team is approached by members of the congregation or family members of people buried in the churchyard for assistance. This ranges from requests to tidy up the family grave or help to commemorate the death of a family member. Over the last few years, the team has co-ordinated the planting of a row of five young Himalayan birch trees, with commemorative plaques for a close relative, most of whom have contributed to the church over the years. Insurance Volunteers who work in the churchyard are covered by the church’s insurance scheme. There is a first aid kit in the hut. The contents are updated periodically. Induction for new volunteers Some induction is required for new volunteers to determine the type of work they can and cannot do, the use of equipment (if appropriate), access to first aid when necessary and any health and safety issues. Jack McBane, Churchyard Team Co-ordinator
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ELECTORAL ROLL AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION The total on the electoral roll stands at 341, following the publication of a new electoral roll in 2019.
If you have any questions or just wondered if you are on the current roll, look for the chap in the famous “Black & White” football shirt and I will be pleased to help out with any questions, or contact the office. There are some frequently asked questions regarding the electoral roll which I have listed below.
How do I know that I’m on the Electoral Roll?
The latest Electoral Roll will be available in the welcome area of church. This copy will be in place for this year’s APCM Meeting.
Please do check whether your name is included in the list, and that all the relevant details are correct – any problems, please come and see me and I will pleased to help.
Can I become a member of the Electoral Roll if I’m not already on it?
Electoral Roll Forms (PINK) can be found in the welcome area, if you satisfy two of the criteria set out on the form - then fill in the appropriate information, sign and date it and send it or hand it to me in person.
If you have any questions relating to the form, do not hesitate to ask a member of the clergy or the office for clarification.
Remember only those on the electoral roll are entitled to attend the APCM, to be elected to the PCC or to become a warden or sidesperson.
Stuart King Electoral Roll Officer
DEANERY SYNOD REPORT Deanery synod has met twice in 2019. We have been represented at Deanery synod by our clergy, Gary Wilton, Beth Keith, Alistair Stevenson and Dan Christian as well as our Deanery synod reps, Vicki Vidler and Tim Robinson. At the February 2019 meeting, we considered ministry to the aging. There was a presentation from Gerrie Strugeon, Michael Collier and John Marsh about how churches can engage with those who are aging. At the October meeting we heard from John Hibbard from the Parish Support Team about the new Diocesan strategy of encouraging focal ministers. Thanks to everyone who has represented All Saints in the Deanery throughout 2019.
Revd Dan Christian
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MISSION SUPPORT GROUP
During 2019 MSG has continued to work hard in overseeing the ‘Mission Beyond Ecclesall’ on behalf of the PCC and the church family.
Review of Programme
The focus of our Mission Sunday in July 2019 was Mission to Youth. We welcomed Carl Tinnion from YWAM as our speaker at the morning services and a speaker from Higher Tour in the evening. Our young people also had a great experience as the Message bus parked up in the church carpark after the evening service. We also organised a church family picnic after the morning service and we had a chance to discover more about the work of CaSS, Galeed House and the Oakes. With Gift-Aid we raised just over £2,500. This was largely divided between the organisations working with young people. We hosted a quiz evening in October in aid of the Golddigger Trust to raise their profile and raise some funds for them. Unfortunately the Live at Home Scheme has undergone major reorganisation over the latter part of 2019 and a report from them has not as yet been forthcoming
For 2019 we continued to receive 5% of the giving from the church family (after adjusting for the element of the Common Fund which is missional giving to support other churches across the Diocese.) This meant we had £16,663 to allocate between our mission partners. In addition, the church family has separately continued to support our connected church in Tanzania. This funding is made available through Tearfund.
Please note – some of our Mission Partners work in areas of the world unsympathetic to their work. To protect their safety and that of their fellow workers, names and other details are therefore withheld from this report and their individual reports below. Further information is available from the Mission Support Group on request.
Organisation: A Rocha International Funding provided by All Saints: £700
Purpose of Project: A Rocha is an international Christian organisation which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education and community-based conservation projects.
Their vision is for a world transformed by the love of Christ, where Christians in every nation…
• recognise that following Christ requires us to care for all of his creation • seek to live sustainably both in community and personally • work with all people to protect and restore natural habitats and their wildlife Mark of Mission To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and furthered by the renew the life of the earth. project? Key Holding an environmental education conference in Uganda for activities during A Rocha staff from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, India the last year? and Peru. Participants learned about the Sustainable Development Goals and shared ideas for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change – both central to developing strategies for sustainable livelihoods. They also 16
visited a local eco-school and spent a day with A Rocha Uganda learning how to make bio-sand water filters and charcoal briquettes.
How has the The support of All Saints has provided core funds to: funding been • Strengthen and support the capacity of A Rocha used? organisations and foster the development of initiatives in other areas where resources for nature conservation and Christian witness are particularly needed. • Provide scientific expertise and advice that undergird our conservation projects; and • Provide theological training and resources to transform the Church’s understandings of the breadth of the gospel and its responsibility to care for creation. Other information Please pray for Peter Harris as he continues to recover from his injuries and for the Harris and Naylor families in their
devastating loss, and for wisdom for A Rocha Int, in terms of decisions that need to be made in the short and longer term.
Organisation: Aanandit Charity Funding provided by All Saints: £700 Centre
Purpose of Project: - Helping needy people, especially children, in Lalitpur, south of Kathmandu, and in other parts of Nepal. - Sharing the gospel - Hostel for those leaving our Children’s Home with nowhere else to go - Day Care Centre for toddlers whose parents are out at work
Mark of Mission 1.To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. furthered by the 2.To teach, baptise and nurture new believers. project? Key activities during 3.To respond to human need by loving service. the last year? Our activities: 1. Sharing of the gospel with day care parents. 2. We provided nutritious food for the toddlers 3. We sheltered young women/girls above 18 who had nowhere else to go after orphanage How has the To provide Toddlers’ lunch at Day Care Centre among poor funding been families and single mothers used?
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Other information There is an urgent need for £30,000 to build a home for the girls who have outgrown the orphanage. They have the land,
so please pray that they would raise the money.
Organisation: Christians & Sheffield Funding provided by All Saints: £1,005 Schools (CaSS)
Purpose of Project: The vision of CaSS is to enable and encourage Christians to serve schools in the city of Sheffield.
Mark of Mission 1 To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom furthered by the 3 To respond to human need by loving service project? Key activities during • Joined Up Conference the last year? • School Chaplaincy Training Course June 2019 • School Chaplaincy Community of Practice • Running Learning Hubs on Mental Health, Online Bullying/Social media, Making Young Leaders • Resourced an event to connect Christian teachers • Working alongside other national organisations such as ‘Open the Book’ ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools’ & ‘Higher Tour’ How has the Our funding covered a month’s salary for the CaSS worker funding been used?
Other information Planning to increase School Chaplaincy training and create a School Chaplaincy online community/blog, and to increase the
number of Open the Book groups in Sheffield
Organisation: Foundation for Relief & Funding provided by All Saints: £804 Reconciliation in the Middle East
(FRRME)
Purpose of Project: Family relief programme, St George’s Church Baghdad Mark of Mission furthered by the 1 To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom project? Key 3 To respond to human need by loving service activities during the last year? Providing for a proportion of the monthly needs of the poorest in Baghdad through the ministry of St George’s Anglican Church
How has the The grant has been used to support 10 poor families at St funding been George’s Church to cover the cost of their food, medical care used? and other needs
Other information Prayer needed that they will be able to continue the work of supporting persecuted Christians in Iraq
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Organisation: Galeed House – The Funding provided by All Saints: £1,075 Datic Trust
Purpose of Project: A community house where Muslims and Christians can come together in peace to create understanding, break down barriers and build relationships ultimately with the aim of sharing the Gospel.
Mark of Mission 1. All our activities for adults and children furthered by the are aimed at building friendships that lead to Gospel project? Key opportunities. We share and teach Bible stories as part of what activities during we do at Kids clubs, Men’s and Women’s English and Ladies the last year? drop in. 3. We offer friendship and support to this needy community. Some are asylum seekers or new immigrants with limited English whom we seek to help by improving language skills and assisting with form filling etc. Children who come to the clubs often have no resources at home for games, craft or reading and we offer all of these.
How has the Unrestricted funds enable us to cover the costs of salary for funding been our men’s outreach worker and our part time administrator. used?
Other information Give thanks for an influx of new volunteers in all areas of ministry but particularly with kids clubs where many pairs of
hands are needed. Pray for wisdom especially with children’s work as the kids are often very disruptive and numbers can be overwhelming. Teenage boys club was suspended earlier in the year. Pray it could restart when other groups restart
Organisation: Grace Food Bank Funding provided by All Saints: £118
Purpose of Project: The aims are to relieve financial hardship primarily among, but not limited to, people living or working in the Beauchief and Greenhill Ward in Sheffield, and areas near the Ward, mainly by providing people with food which they could not otherwise afford.
Mark of Mission 3 To respond to human need by loving service furthered by the • We provided food parcels to feed 2046 adults and 951 project? Key children. activities during • We estimate that the number of unique people we have fed the last year? is 711 adults and 239 children (last year 724 adults and 297 children). • We gave out Christmas parcels to a total of 192 adults and 115 children.
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• We gave out 175 recipe packs, to provide a meal for 337 children in the summer school holidays. • 53 people attended at least one Meet and Eat session over the year. How has the The money has gone into the general pot that supports the funding been behind the scenes running of the foodbank: rent, insurance, used? phones etc.
Other information Thanksgiving for a client who has finally been awarded high level Personal Independence Payment after a two year process
of application, assessment, refusal, mandatory reconsideration, appeal, tribunal, appeal and second tribunal.
Prayer that funding will be found to continue to provide Advice Workers in foodbanks. Prayer for clients with mental health problems, unable to access adequate support.
Organisation: The Oakes Holiday Funding provided by All Saints: £817 Centre
Purpose of Project: The aim of The Oakes is to run camps (holidays) for 8-18yr olds where: • The Christian message is shared. Young people will hear a clear gospel explanation • Christians are encouraged in their faith • Everyone has a fantastic holiday Mark of Mission 1. To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom. Last year furthered by the (Sep18-Aug19) 2116 young people heard the gospel. project? Key We ran 46 camps (23 schools, 13 holidays, 10 activities during weekends). the last year? We still have many school groups where the children have never heard the gospel or been to church. 2. To nurture new believers. We continue to have campers who are Christians and we seek to encourage them in their faith. Our support team programme (15+ helping to run camps) have a programme of serving and teaching & are encouraged in their faith.
How has the The money went towards the purchase of a new zorb – 3m funding been high human hamster ball. It is made of stronger material and used? punctures less.
Other information Praise for another year with over 2000 campers, and for new schools coming. Pray for the door to remain open for schools
to keep coming, and that God would continue to bring the gospel to life for the campers.
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Organisation: Chaplaincy HMP Leeds Funding provided by All Saints: £50
Purpose of Project: Running Alpha courses regularly in the prison to introduce inmates to life-changing Christian faith.
Mark of Mission 1,2 - Proclamation and Nurture. furthered by the Since September 2018 we have run 4 courses. project? Key 3 - Loving Service – getting alongside prisoners to encourage activities during and support them in their efforts to turn around their lives. the last year?
How has the The much valued financial support has gone towards the cost funding been of a celebration buffet meal during the final session of the used? course. Three churches have contributed including ASE.
Other information The courses have all been fairly small – usually 12 or less guests. Some have turned to Christ for the first time. Pray for
links to lively churches when they are released who will encourage & mentor ex-offenders.
Organisation: Rachael Williams Funding provided by All Saints: £240
Purpose of Project: The purpose of the presentation team is to excite and mobilise UK churches and individuals to be more involved in what God's doing around the world. Up to four individuals, current or recent OMers, will travel around the UK for a block of three months, sharing their experiences from the mission field, and encouraging OM partnership opportunities through praying, giving and going.
Mark of Mission 1:To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom – Through furthered by the encouraging other believers to be involved in joining in project? Key missions, to be involved directly or to be involved through activities during prayer or financial giving to enable others to share the Good the last year? News around the world. 3:To respond to human need by loving service – through the presentation team OM will be able to gather resources to enable the many different ministries to respond to human need in many different countries around the world. 4:To seek to transform unjust structures of society – OM does this by using many resources to challenge the unjust structures of society. For example, on board Logos Hope there are regular human trafficking workshops to raise awareness to many people in the port communities the ship visits.
How has the The money has helped to cover the cost of the team’s funding been accommodation, food and travel throughout my time in the UK used? Presentation team.
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Other information 46 people filled in contact cards to be more involved with missions whether through prayer, financial giving or going
themselves
Organisation: David & Helen (SIM) Funding provided by All Saints: £1,000
Purpose of Project: To live and work amongst people of other faiths in Birmingham, getting involved in various outreaches to these communities, including a Christian charity shop, a Christian outreach centre, sports outreach, mums and tots groups, and engagement projects. We do this to share our faith in a real way with the Muslims living around us in Birmingham, in the hope that many of them will turn to follow Jesus and become disciples of Him.
Mark of Mission 1 – Proclaiming the good news in one on one conversations furthered by the with Muslim friends & Neighbours, as well as openly sharing project? Key our faith at various outreaches around the city. We can do this activities during through the Christian and non-Christian run projects that are the last year? already running in the area. 3 – Responding to human need by providing football coaching for boys who would otherwise get into gangs and by working at the Open Door Friendship Centre – a Christian outreach centre to help people with a variety of problems. David’s ability to speak Urdu is helpful as many have limited English. Helen has done counselling training to encourage and enable people to come to her with their problems
How has the The financial support has paid for to pay for small gifts and funding been cards for our Muslim friends for Christmas, training courses we used? have attended, hospitality, travel and gone to support our daily needs (food, rent etc).
Other information This has been a year of transition between Pakistan and the UK. Please pray for our move to Manchester – that a suitable
house would become available, and that Daniel (5) and Amy (2) would settle well.
Organisation: St Michael’s BA Funding provided by All Saints: £300
Purpose of Project: Our purpose is to provide containment, support and to empower and develop the potential of the women who attend the “Acción Social Ecuménica”. We do this in the premises of our church, located in the North area of the outskirts of Buenos Aires City.
Mark of Mission 1 To respond to human need by loving service. furthered by the By ministering to very poor people, we: project? Key - Supply food, medicines and clothing 22
activities during - Offer different craft workshops the last year? - Give psychological and spiritual assistance
How has the The money has been used for the purchase of medicines and funding been food. used?
Other information We thank God that through the generosity of All Saints and other organizations and people we have been able to make a
difference in the quality of life of people in situations of great vulnerability.
Organisation: Tearfund Funding provided by All Saints: Specific fundraising has raised – in excess of £15k over three years from 2016 – 2019.
Purpose of Project: The partnership supports the Church and Community Mobilisation Programme (CCMP) in the rural district of Babati in the Diocese of Kilimanjaro. The programme is run jointly between Tearfund and the pastors of the diocese, teaching and inspiring people from the rural communities to understand their challenges and develop self-help schemes to improve their lives. Over the three years of the programme we have seen evidence of significant change. People who previously lacked knowledge, confidence and the ability to see how their lives could change have become engaged in the programme and seen significant results in what they can achieve in livestock rearing, farming and other small projects.
Mark of Mission 1. The diocese have evangelism at the heart of the furthered by the programme and teach of God’s transformational love for all. project? Key 3 Their human need is extreme and Tearfund’s understanding activities during and expertise in African communities like these are effecting the last year? change and improving lives in a material way. 4 The programme is based on the principles of social justice.
How has the The money has been used to facilitate the various levels of funding been training within the rural communities and includes facilitator used? and workshop costs, travel and hotel costs for all participants (who would be unable to take part without costs being met) Ongoing support both during and after the training to encourage new projects.
Other information Due to the success of the programme and the regular feedback we have had from the lead pastor in the diocese of Kilimanjaro
we intend to continue to support for another 3 years at a minimum of 2k per year starting September 2020.
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Organisation: Golddigger Trust Funding provided by All Saints: £350
Purpose of Project: Golddigger Trust is an award-winning charity, working to equip young people with the confidence and skills to make positive choices for themselves. We have the privilege of seeing many lives truly turned around and transformed through our projects as we see young people recognising their true value, often for the first time. Mark of Mission 3 To respond to human need by loving service furthered by the Over the last year we have seen hundreds of vulnerable young project? Key people recognise their true worth for the first time, through activities during accessing our self-esteem courses, I’m The Girl I Want To Be the last year? and Made of More as well as through our managing emotions course, Sisu, and 1:1 mentoring. We have also run weekly wellbeing drop-ins where young people can come and join in with wellbeing focused activities, meet new people who may be feeling similar to them and have access to our team for one-off chats when needed.
How has the General running costs funding been used?
Other information
Jenny Coleman Chair of Mission Support Group
FAMILIES MINISTRY
This year our families, children’s and youth department have been unified into one department. I have been line managing Rosie Blackett throughout the year and I am so thankful for the huge amount of work and expertise that she has brought to the children’s ministry. It has also been wonderful to have both Ruth Ling and Eve Brankin supporting the department in their roles as toddlers’ assistants. In September 2019 the youth department was amalgamated into the department and it was fantastic to have Rob Haley and Hannah Chester join us as youth interns. You will find a separate report for our children’s’ and youth ministry later in this document.
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
Over the last year we have continued to give the same provision for those coming to our church for baptisms and thanksgivings. It has been wonderful this year that we have lots of babies born within our church family. Most of our services of both baptism and thanksgiving have been for families who regularly worship at All Saints. This has created a real sense of celebration at our services. For families who do not worship at All Saints, our baptism ministry is a lovely way to share God’s love and to welcome people to All Saints. In April, we had a fantastic baptism service with the Bishop of Sheffield, where both young people and adults were baptised and confirmed. A big thank you to all the volunteers and Mothers’ Union who have supported our baptism ministry this year. 24
We have conducted weddings this year. This is a fantastic opportunity to share God’s love with couples at an important part of their lives. Growing relationships with couples is always at the heart of what we do whether they are members of the church; local couples in our community; or couples who live further afield. We had a wonderful marriage preparation day with 4 couples looking at how their marriages can flourish. A big thank you to Rob and Cath Liley, Greg and Ali Burke and Laura Christian for their support in this ministry.
Funerals have continued to be conducted by myself, Beth Keith, Alistair Stevenson, John Hutchison and Geoff Snell. We have sought to minister to families at this most difficult of time with love and care. Our bereavement team continue to offer support to those who are grieving after losing a loved one.
Small Saints
Small Saints meets every other Thursday morning in the church and continues to share bible stories, crafts and songs with pre-school children and their carers. Eve Brankin, one of our toddlers’ assistants has led the group this year. It has been wonderful to see some of the youngest members of our families meet and worship God in a way that is appropriate for them. We are exceedingly grateful for the outstanding team of volunteers that support all of our activities with young families, especially as these ministries help us to reach into our community and show God’s love. With our current financial constraints, sadly we were unable to extend Eve’s contract. We are looking at how we will run Small Saints in 2020.
Revd. Dan Christian
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
2019 saw me complete my fourth year working at All Saints and a change in title; where as I was the Children’s Chaplain and Ministry leader, I am now the Children’s Minister. The temptation at this juncture is to say the change is in title alone and to an extent that is true, however, as I have been reflecting on the many changes we are experiencing at this time, I have also been reflecting on how different my job is from when I first arrived and how many changes 2019 has brought.
In my APCM report last year one of the exciting things I was able to talk about was the appointment of two Toddler assistants. Unfortunately we no longer have two assistants. PCC decided that due to the church’s financial position, Eve Brankin’s contract could not be extended beyond the end of December 2019. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Eve for all she did with our Toddler ministry, particularly for Small Saints. Her passion and love for those who attended Small Saints shone through and I am very grateful to her for all she contributed.
Summer 2019 also saw our Children’s Choir come to a close due to time restrictions. Although we have hopes that this will only be temporary, we are sad that we have not been able to run it since July. Those who attended were always a lot of fun to work with and contributed well to our services, including helping lead us in worship in some of our bigger services such as Mothering Sunday and Harvest. It also served as an outreach.
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The other big change for the Children’s Ministry that took place this year was the opening of Clifford All Saints’ Ringinglow Road site, on the site formerly used by Ecclesall Junior School. The opening of this site allowed me to increase the support I am able to offer the school. It has been lovely getting to know the children and staff better and feeling more able to give support when needed, for example when Ofsted came in. Various members of our church family are also regularly involved with the school, offering their skills, time and talents through things such as hearing children read, supporting assemblies through Open the Book, being part of the governing body, being part of the community orchestra and more besides. I know what a blessing it is to the school to have people help in all these ways.
At various points throughout the year, Clifford All Saints have come to our church building to do some services and concerts. Some of you may have joined us for the Christmas carol service, which was a beautiful service with the children, where we celebrated Jesus’ birth and the hope he gives us for today.
As our relationship with the school has been strengthened, we have had the joy of seeing some families start to come to church, to some of our Sunday services. We also saw an increase of children come to our Holiday Club, Light Party and our Messy Easter service, when we had the donkeys. This has been really wonderful to see. All of these occasions in 2019 were really well attended, had a wonderful atmosphere and had Jesus at the centre. To be able to share these occasions with those in our community, who otherwise might not go to church or hear about Jesus has been an enormous privilege.
The reason we have been able to put on these things is because of the incredible volunteers we have in our Children’s Ministry. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each one of them. For those who serve in our schools, in both Clifford All Saints and Ecclesall Primary, for those who serve in the crèche at church, for the Sunday group leaders and helpers, the Messy Church helpers, Holiday Club and Light Party volunteers, a huge thank you. The Children’s Ministry could not run without you or without those
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who volunteer with Toddlers, Bumps and Babies and Small Saints. The way you all serve is a blessing to me and all our families. I thank God for you all.
Bumps and Babies and Toddlers continues to bless the families in our local community and beyond. I am hugely grateful to our volunteers and to Eve and Ruth for all they have done throughout 2019. Whether it is making the teas and coffees, helping set up and put toys away, leading singing or being a listening ear for the parents and carers who come, each element really does bless those who attend. We regularly have feedback to say how welcoming our groups are and what a difference it makes to come to a place and know they will be well supported and cared for and can make friends with other parents, carers or grandparents. To be able to serve our community in this way is precious. We have also had the pleasure of seeing some of our families from these groups join us at services such as Messy Church and our Christmas services.
One of the lovely parts of my role is the way different elements of the job overlap. This means that many of the young children we see at Toddlers I see again when doing different parts of my ministry. Quite a lot of the children go to Ecclesall Primary and it is lovely to be able to see them there and support them, particularly those who are nervous about starting in Reception, others I see when I visit the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides etc.
Despite no longer being a Church of England school, Ecclesall Primary has allowed me to continue to go in on a weekly basis and the Open the Book team continues to be invited in once a half term. The school also continues to use the church for larger services and their Easter service particularly stands out as being a very special service to be part of this year. In the Autumn, myself and Cherry Mair, who is the youth minister at Bents Green Church, were also allowed to start a Christian Union at the school, meeting on a weekly basis.
Throughout 2019 God’s faithfulness and goodness has been apparent and there is much to give thanks for.
Rosie Blackett Children’s Minister
YOUTH MINISTRY
At the heart of our youth ministry is a passion and desire to see young people meet and grow in relationship with Jesus and experience his love. All of our initiatives and events have this focus and it is a critical part of who we are.
We are grateful for the continued support and prayers of the wider congregation as the ministry moves forward. Our youth ministry throughout 2019 has been supported by a wonderful youth team, who have supported our young people. This has included our two youth interns, Hannah Chester and Rob Haley. Thanks also to Emily Jackson, Sam Chubb, Josh Chubb, James Heesom, Ross and Emma Draper, Bryn McGlashan, Joel and Mandy Toombs, Andy Griffiths and Rosie Blackett for all their support. In Summer 2019, Joseph Sheldon finished as our youth ministry leader after 2 years with us. Revd. Alistair Stevenson also stepped down managing the youth department. We would like to thank both Joseph and Alistair for their valued ministry with our young people.
Throughout 2019, we have a Sunday night youth space which has been running weekly during term time. We have been rotating between a testimonial night, a prayer and 27
worship night and then a seminar/discussion sort of evening- all around one theme. There are normally 30-40 young people with us on a Sunday night.
We have food together, random games and a time for God to speak to us through discussions and talks. It has been great to see what has worked well and where the strengths in our ministry are this year. There have been so many opportunities to see young people step up into new roles of leadership and responsibilities.
On Sunday mornings we run Livin’ It for young people in y7-y9 during our 11am service. This is a great chance to spend some time together and learn more about God through silly games and bible studies.
We have also been running weekly small groups at various times after school in term time. Each group tends to meet at a coffee shop on Ecclesall Road and is a good space for the young people to catch up and build relationships with one another. Also, it is wonderful to delve deeper into the bible; to discuss with each other and to be accountable with one another; this has been an incredible way for young people to grow in their faith.
On Wednesday afternoons we have been running Mapletree café which is a youth drop in particularly for those in y6-y8. Unfortunately, due to a lack of a youth ministry leader we have had to pause Mapletree during the autumn term of 2019.
The highlight of 2019 was going away on Houseparty to the Pioneer centre in Kidderminster. 50 young people and leaders were able to spend a week away with teaching, worship, big games and prayer ministry. It was an amazing time away with some very moving times of prayer and worship in particular. Thank you to all the volunteers who made it such a special week, but it was especially sad that it was the last time the Stevenson family were with us after supporting Houseparty for the last 7 years. After the Houseparty, it was wonderful to confirm and baptise some of our young people in our annual service with the Bishop of Sheffield.
At the end of 2019 we advertised for a youth minster but sadly we were unable to appoint. Please do continue to pray as we work with some amazing young people who are passionate and growing in their faith.
Revd. Dan Christian, Hannah Chester and Rob Haley
GIRLGUIDING I would like to start by saying a great big thank you to everyone involved from the church who help make guiding happen and making us feel so welcome at family services. The services have been lovely. Another massive thank you has to go to all the amazing leaders and people who support the units (treasurers, residential helpers and many more). The saying goes ‘Volunteers are not unpaid because they are worthless but because they are priceless.’ I think this describes the amazing volunteers we have in Girlguiding Ecclesall.
• Some of our girls spent a night at the museum with the 65th Brownie unit where we did activities related to the Aztecs, Greeks and ancient Egyptians. • A day trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park with the 65th Brownies. • A great winter weekend with another Brownie group from Sheffield • A trip to see the Elves and the Shoemakers at the Crucible.
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• Lots of fundraising related to the charities badge including one of our Brownies being in the local paper. • Handed out almost 50 interest badges, took part in future girl act and UK Parliament week.
204th Brownies has had a very exciting year, 3 girls have achieved Gold awards. We have enjoyed den building, campfires with a sing along and marshmallows, a trip to the panto and ice skating. We had a brilliant pack holiday making pancakes, going on a walk to park where we ate fish and chips, had a disco, went star gazing, did a torch light walk, went climbing.....and all slept very well on Sunday night when we went home having made a lifetime of memories.
Rainbows have taken part in a variety of activities including games nights, trips to the park and badge work.
Rangers have visited the cinema, been on camp, walk and chips evening, had tent assembling competition, games nights, as well as working towards badges.
Guiding is incredible, and in Ecclesall is extremely popular. As District Commissioners we both grew up in guiding and it was a fundamental part of our young life. We want to be able to allow as many girls as possible to also experience guiding, but we are very over-subscribed and desperate for more volunteers. You don’t need any experience, just the desire to have fun and change lives. If you are thinking about helping and have any questions please do email us on [email protected] or visit www.girlguiding.org/interested for further information.
Kate Evans and Rachel McLafferty Ecclesall District Commissioners
SCOUTING IN ECCLESALL 20th Sheffield Scout Group Report
What a fantastic year for 20th Sheffield! We now have more youth members than ever at 237 being led by 29 Adult volunteers. One of the key elements to scouting is going away and exploring. This year alone our young people have camped for 1600 nights!! We had our largest ever Beaver sleepover this year with 32 Beavers having a fantastic time at Walesby Forrest. Our Cubs held a Survival camp for 55 Cubs all sleeping under canvas. Both of our Scout troop spent two weeks away on their summer camps and 36 Explorers toured around Italy for their summer camp. They drove to Rome to begin with and ended up at Lake Garda before returning home. We organised a Sponsored walk in September to raise money for a much needed new minibus. We managed to raise more than £7000! 29
The first Cohort of our DofE unit have completed 5 Gold and 10 Silver awards. 20 more DofEers started this year. This programme is proving very popular. Our Active Support unit is proving to be a valuable resource to the group, they help organise and run fundraising activities, provide transport and logistics to our leaders when running camps and help maintain our equipment.
The Active Support Unit is a great way for adults of all ages to volunteer on a flexible basis to help the 20th Sheffield Scout Group.
Scouting is about offering Skills for Life. We offer a fantastic programme delivered by our amazing adult volunteer leaders. Activities such as Hiking, Weaseling, Air Rifles, Archery, Stop Motion Animation, Assault Course, First aid, Astronomy, Backwoods Cooking, Kite Flying, Camp Fires, Den Building, Wide Games, Fire Safety, Swimming, Camping, Map Reading, Axe and Saw Skills, Sledging, Beach Games are the reason our young people come along week in week out.
Scouting is a Movement, not an Organisation. This means it is able to ‘Move’ with the times and keep relevant for our young people. We now have awards such as Digital Citizen, Electronics, Media Relations, Skater, Street Sports. These all help prepare our young people for modern day life.
Despite offering scouting to more young people than ever we still have 125 young people on our waiting list, so our plan over the next 12-18 months is to open a new Cub Pack and a new Scout Troop.
Tony Richardson Group Scout Leader
MOTHERS’ UNION
Our branch has had an inspiring year with many interesting speakers, and a good attendance at the meetings.
2019 began with our Epiphany communion service, taken by Dan, which made an inspiring start to the year.
In February Beth conducted our Annual Branch Meeting, and Gary gave a very interesting talk based upon Psalm 23.
Our monthly meetings continued throughout the year, including a memorable talk by David Onac, about his Christian life and ministry through music. We all gathered around the grand piano as he played some lovely pieces for us.
The final meeting of the year was special and really enjoyed by everyone, as Sheila Gascoyne and friends entertained us with drama and poetry.
All Saints were the hosts for the Deanery Advent Service. Beth had prepared a lovely service. We were grateful too for Ian joining us, to play the organ for the hymns. And we
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were blessed by Margaret McWilliams singing an uplifting solo piece. The service was followed by tea and cakes, as we enjoyed fellowship together.
The coffee morning in May raised money for the ‘Away from it All’ holidays, which give needy families the opportunity of a relaxing break away. Also money was raised for the ‘Summer of Hope’ appeal, at a cream tea event in August…which was blessed by lovely weather. In addition we also supported the ‘Mothers’ Day Appeal’, helping families overseas.
Members of the Mothers Union enjoy making Posies which are given to all the Church ladies on Mothering Sunday. We give Baptism cards on the day of Baptism. And Baptism Anniversary cards are given until the child reaches their third birthday. The Mothers Union members are involved in many other activities that take place over the course of the year.
At Diocesan level we help at the coffee mornings held in the Cathedral. We are blessed by the Quiet Mornings led by our Chaplain.
This year All Saints Mothers Union have supported a new initiative—The Clewer Project— helping men and women who have been trafficked, and are being held and cared for in a safe place until more permanent accommodation can be provided. Our support provides a ‘Bag of Hope’. Each bag contains toiletries, underwear, notepads and pens, chocolates and biscuits, all given in a nice suitable bag. Fifty such bags have been provided so far, and the work will continue in the coming year.
In 2020 we will be celebrating 120 years of our branch at All Saints.
Everyone is welcome to join us at our meetings. We would love to have more members. We look forward with confidence to the next decade of ministry for our wonderful God.
Joan Ridgeway Branch Co-ordinator
ALL SAINTS WOMEN’S SOCIAL GROUP The Group continues to meet on the 3rd Tuesday evening of each month in Room 2 of the Parish Halls and is open to all women living in the Ecclesall area. The committee remains much the same as last year. However, a few changes took place at the time of the AGM in October 2019. The four key officers, i.e. chair, treasurer, minute secretary and speakers’ secretary remained the same. Most months we have a speaker followed by refreshments. Talks are quite varied and last year started with Revd. Alistair Stevenson talking about being called and commissioned. Other topics included the history and work of the Red Cross, life in unknown Nepal, the work of support dogs and some beautiful photos illustrating a talk covering a year in the Peak District. A full programme for the current year can be found in the Church Welcome Area, on the website and in the Parish Halls. Our August outing was a very successful trip to Halifax, the focal point being a guided tour of the Piece Hall, and optional visits to the Town Hall, the market and the Minster. We had the annual spring meal at Bistrot Pierre, following the closure of Baldwin’s Omega. This was not a total success, and a different venue is to be considered for next year. A summer walk in Ecclesall Woods was planned, but due to heavy rain had to be cancelled,
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although we met for a meal at the Rising Sun. Our annual Christmas Party meeting in December was very enjoyable. However there remains a problem with parking due to conflict with events at the church. Our Bible Study group continues to meet monthly at the home of one of our members. Sadly this year some of members suffered illness and bereavement, and we were able to offer support and sympathy to those affected. Our selected charity for the year was the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and we were able to let them have a cheque for £500 at the AGM. The money was raised by donations at our monthly meetings, our May book sale/coffee morning, and our July Berries and Bubbles evening at the home of our treasurer. We continued to send birthday cards to all children baptised at All Saints up to their 3rd birthday. Each year we pay for flowers for the main pedestal, and provide and serve refreshments for the annual confirmation service. The aim of the group is to promote Christian fellowship, friendship and support for women of all denominations and ages. We currently have about 45 members and offer a warm welcome to new members and visitors. Janet Threlfall
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
When I joined All Saints at the end of January 2019 I had expected women’s ministry to be a significant feature of my ministry. However, with the news of Gary’s departure coming soon after I had settled in, my role and workload changed significantly. Fortunately the women’s groups had already run with less support since Jo Hird’s departure, and were in a good place to keep going with minimal clergy support.
Echo groups continued to provide pastoral and discipleship support to women throughout 2019 with four daytime groups and three evening groups. Each group eats together, studies the bible and prays for each other. Each group has a different feel and focuses on discipleship in slightly different ways. About half the groups are full and settled with regular members. Some groups have been welcoming new members this year. Each group is led by experienced volunteers, some groups sharing between them leadership tasks week by week.
Having visited the groups in the spring and summer, the leaders then met up to review how the groups were going and think about possibilities for starting new things up. Towards the end of the year plans were beginning to take shape to run some additional events for women, particularly ones that would be open to women of no faith, or those who are not regular church attenders. In 2020 we hope to run some art events for women, looking at Spiritual Journaling and some outdoor walking events.
The impact and importance of these groups should not be underestimated. I have received considerable feedback from both regular church members, and those who attend echo groups but not Sunday services, who find their time with their Echo Group invaluable to their faith. Those who lead these groups, even where leadership is shared, play a crucial role is supporting women in the church, thank you for all you continue give.
Revd. Beth Keith
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MEN’S MINISTRY
All Saint’s Men’s Ministry has a variety of different activities and events designed to engage men at different stages of life. Around these activities we have developed a central set of events that are designed to engage men both within and outside the church to encourage fellowship and faith. This year we have started the process of trying to encourage men to grow in discipleship together.
Dads’ Breakfast has continued to move from strength to strength this year. The group has been run by myself and Alistair Stevenson, as well as the group of fine chefs who have turned up to burn the bacon and make the coffee! This group, which runs twice a month on a Saturday morning, enables young dads to bring their young children to a play environment, without mum. It provides a good chance for dads of similar age children to meet up, something that might otherwise be reduced by the pressures of work. We have a pool of 20+ Dads who are on our register mainly with no church connection. This means we normally have 10+ dads and their children on a Saturday morning. It is great for making relationships with dads in our community and we are ably supported by advertising in the Toddler groups. Alongside our regular Saturday mornings we are also doing a special event each term. Last Easter we had an Easter egg hunt and then at Christmas we had a special Christmas fry up. In August, we did a Dad’s and children camping trip, this was a wonderful highlight of the year. We did eventually get the children to sleep. We have been really encouraged about how this group enables us to make friendships with dads on the fringe of church as well as those in our community.
The Retired Men’s Group is an informal group that meets once a month in someone's home. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for 20+ older men to meet together in a sociable atmosphere and share their interests and experiences with others. They often have talks on interesting topics.
The cricket team had two successful fixtures this year. We comprehensively defeated St Thomas’ Crookes, with impressive performances all round. We also defeated Sheffield medics in a very tight but delightful match, avenging our loss last year. What was so encouraging was the relationships that we have been cultivating through our young families network meant we had lots of young dads playing for All Saints. We were also able to continue those relationships with two football against the Well this year. After trying a match on a 5 a side pitch, we realised we had enough players for a full 11 a side fixture which All Saints won 4-2.
We have run two central social events for Men this year. In March we went bowling and had a great evening on the lanes with men of all ages mixing together. We were all in awe of Matt Shorrock and his impressive feats at the alley. In November, we went out for a meal together again to build relationships.
Our Men’s Prayer Breakfast continues to meet on the first Thursday of the month at 7.30am. We meet together to pray as well as sharing requests with each other over WhatsApp.
I would like to thank all those who help and aid me in putting together the different parts of our Men’s ministry. Our hope this year is to encourage men in their discipleship of one another.
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Revd. Dan Christian
SMALL GROUPS
This year our small groups have continued to offer prayer, pastoral care, bible study, and discipleship. Three new groups have begun, one with members that are new to the church. A number of groups have changed, and new leaders have taken on responsibilities. This autumn a new small group began for young adults supported by Rob Haley, one of the interns. We look forward to seeing this develop in the coming year.
Whilst bible study notes are provided that sit alongside the church sermon series, small groups have autonomy over what they study as a group. About half the groups choose to follow the notes from All Saints, others follow material from other sources. This year study notes have been written for small groups on Seven Lesser Known Stories from the Early Church, Living in the Power of the Resurrection, Learning from Joseph, and Being Church Together.
Thank you to everyone involved in Small Group Ministry. During the vacancy, small group leaders have received less support from me than anticipated and have done a really great job ministering to those in their groups. Leading a small group is both a joy and a challenge and we are very grateful to our leaders who regularly open their homes and offer opportunities for fellowship, prayer and bible study.
Revd. Beth Keith
READERS’ REPORTS Geoff Snell My ministry agreement is for 6 hours per week. At ASE, in 2019, I preached 16 sermons, led the Service of the Word section of 9 Holy Communion services and assisted in distributing bread and wine at 23 Holy Communion services. I have conducted 4 funerals and 3 burials of ashes. At St Augustine’s Endcliffe I have conducted 2 services of Morning Prayer including preaching and leading intercessions. I delivered 2 talks to Community Bible Study. Prior to the vacancy in the benefice I was involved in a pilot project in mentoring for retirement. Under God, my preaching aims to contribute to the Mission of All Saints through teaching and appropriate evangelism. My conducting funerals aims to show God’s love to people at difficult times. The Diocese is concerned that all lay ministers continue to develop, therefore I have attended 7 training events. The continuing ministry development aim arising from the annual review of my ministry agreement with Dan Christian (Associate Vicar) in November 2019 is to continue improving my sermon delivery.
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Having reached the age of 70 there was a technical change in my status. All concerned agreed that I moved from a licence to permission to officiate. Into the coming year I plan to continue: · Preaching when required; · Conducting funerals when required; · Leading Morning Prayer at St Augustine’s when required; and · Identifying and taking relevant learning opportunities. As ever, I am very grateful for the support and encouragement of both staff and congregation.
Bridget Williams
During the year 2019, I have shared in the leading of 15 services of Holy Communion on Wednesday and Sunday at 8 a.m. At these services, I have contributed 5 sermons and in the remainder leading with some of the introductory sentences and prayers, and serving the cup at Communion. In addition, I have shared with others in the “Open the Book” activities in the local primary schools in order to enforce the knowledge and meaning of the Bible stories for the children.
I have also contributed to the Wednesday Discussion group after the service of Holy Communion including giving the talk at one of the meetings. I have contributed to other small groups such as Home Group meetings, sharing in the prayer of the Wholeness group and activities and prayer with the World Wide Mission Group.
David Williams My activities as a Reader in 2019 have been much the same as in previous years. I have had the privilege and opportunity to assist in services both at the 10.30am Wednesday Communion and the 8.00am Communion on Sundays. I have preached a total of thirteen sermons, three on Sundays, nine on Wednesdays and one on Christmas Day. I have continued to lead the team which runs “Christianity Unwrapped” on Wednesdays, after the service, and have given one of the talks there. I have also taken part in the ‘Open the Book’ team from time to time, acting out Bible stories to children in Primary Schools. Sadly, this year, owing to the re-organisation of primary schools in the area, the number of times that the team has been able to go into the schools has greatly diminished. I am continually thankful to the Lord that he has given me the opportunity to serve him in this way. I also grateful to for the encouragement that all the staff has given me during the year, especially Dan, and also members of the congregation. Although, at the time of writing this report the future of services in the church look uncertain, both the time of starting again, and also the shape, I hope and pray that there may be continuing opportunities for ministry during the remainder of 2020.
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John Goodacre During 2019, I have led or assisted in a total of twenty-three services at All Saints. Three of these were 9.15am choral communion services; all the rest have been the said services at 8.0am on Sunday or at 10.30am on Wednesday. At fifteen of these I have preached the sermon (twice at 9.15am) and usually done the readings; I have distributed bread and / or wine at each of these services and at three other communion services. During the year I have conducted three services of Morning Prayer at St Augustine’s Endcliffe. This involves taking the service and preaching as well as leading intercessions. As part of my Ongoing Ministerial Development I attended the diocesan training day on “Imagining the Good News: Inhabiting and commending the beauty of the Christian Faith through storytelling and poetry” as well as evening sessions on “An Overview of Jeremiah”, “Jesus, the Lion of Judah: Matthew’s introduction to the Messiah” and “Texts of terror - preaching on difficult material.” I have also attended the necessary two sessions of ‘Safeguarding’ training. In accordance with the diocesan regulations, I have completed an annual report for the diocese of my activities and undertaken a review of my ministry with an associate vicar. Since ‘Open the Book’ was introduced in Ecclesall, I have been a member of the team presenting Bible stories to assemblies in the local primary schools. This year, I have taken part in those presentations seven times in the Clifford All Saints C of E Junior School, three times in the new Primary School and once at Broomcroft Nursing Home! (at Christmas). During 2019, with my wife, I have continued to lead and host a fortnightly Home Group. We have hosted eighteen meetings. Leading the Bible Studies is shared around the group, with me leading five sessions. During the year, three meetings were hosted and led by other group members. As always, I am most grateful for all the appreciative comments and encouragement received. Thank you all.
REPORT FROM OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
For a number of years All Saints has supported young adults on yearlong internship placements. These offer a hugely valuable experience to explore ministry and to develop in their faith and discipleship. Whilst the point of the internship is not to produce ministers a number of our interns have gone on to vocations within the church. Beth Keith oversees the internship programme, and interns are given supervision from the Ministry Team member who has responsibility for their area of ministry.
In September 2019 Hannah Chester and Rob Haley began their internship year with us. Both Hannah and Rob opted for an internship based on youth ministry and were supervised in this by Dan Christian.
Hannah was already a member of the church and a volunteer with the Youth, she has continued to lead the Encounter Group she was running before and has set up another one. She also has responsibility for leading the Youth Group on Sunday evening. Hannah
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has been developing her skills in leading and preaching at services (being mentored in this by Beth Keith) and she is keen to explore other areas of ministry. Rob moved to Sheffield from north Wales and settled in getting to know the church. He has been leading the boys Encounter Groups this year, including setting up a new group. He also leads the Sunday morning Youth Group and has set up a Young Adults small group. Rob has had a go at preaching and leading and also sings in the choir.
Rob and Hannah write… “This year we have both been doing the All Saints internship with a particular focus in youth ministry and working with young people. We’ve both had the pleasure of being line managed by Dan Christian with his role of Children’s, Youth and Families ministry overseer, and then also catching up regularly with Beth Keith as she oversees the Internship Programme. We have both felt really supported in our time here! We have had the opportunity to lean into roles that felt natural to us but also be challenged to build new skills in leading and organising, and we’ve both enjoyed being part of the wider staff team and found new skills in the roles of being part of a Ministry team. Our main responsibilities have been:
• Leading small groups for the young people, normally in a coffee shop after school, and investing time into leading and discipling the young people in each small group. • Working together to create a structure and plan for Sunday morning and Sunday evening gatherings. Rob took a lead in planning our Sunday morning Youth gathering during the 11am service called ‘Livin’ it’ and Hannah took a lead with the Sunday evening gatherings. • Posting on the Youth social media and keeping our topics fresh and exciting for the young people. • Outside of these weekly tasks, we have other things that we have been gaining experience in. We have taken an interest in preaching and leading at services in church and have both gained new skills and been challenged in this. • Rob has also headed up a small group for the young adults which has been running on a Tuesday night every other week.
Both of us have had the opportunity to study alongside the work at church; Rob has been doing the Aurora course which is a youth work specified course. He attends sessions every other week on a Wednesday evening at Church House and has a study day to do his assignments. Hannah has been doing the Foundations course run by St Peters College which is a broader course looking at ministry and calling. There is a monthly full day of teaching on a Sunday and then various assignments that she has been able to do throughout the month. Both courses have been challenging and thought provoking, but also places where we have grown in faith and in God’s word.
We have enjoyed the first part of this year so much and we have both loved being part of the All Saints team. We are looking forward to what this next season has for us and we will both be exploring what God is calling us to next. Thank you so much for the prayers and support that we have received throughout, we are so appreciative and we both feel that God is working with us in this internship.”
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As a ministry team we have benefitted from having younger people on the team who bring with them enthusiasm, vision, and energy. Hannah and Rob have also made a big contribution to our youth ministry which would not have been able to function this year without their commitment, time, and skills. Revd. Beth Keith
WORSHIP MINISTRY
Over 2019 the worship ministry at All Saints continued to flourish and grow. Thank God for his blessings on this church and for the many people who help to serve his praise and worship!
Now in his second year, David Onac continued to develop the choral music working alongside a very willing and able choir and a ‘core team’ supporting him. We continued to see growth in regular choir members with the demographic gradually starting to widen. David established a regularly monthly extended choir anthem rehearsal giving opportunity for the choir to expand their repertoire and developed their skills.
David continued to galvanise the operational systems with the further development of a digital database of hymns and songs and their usage, and the distribution of digital music to choir members in the week leading up to them being sung. Choosing hymns and songs became more efficient with systems that should be easily picked up by future staff or volunteers.
Easter and Christmas were again important highlights with our augmented choir and orchestra drawing in a wide demographic and demonstrating the all-age nature of the church. Advent was particularly demonstrative of the honing of ‘special’ services that have been forming their identity in recent years. Moreover the styles throughout advent highlighted the musical diversity of All Saints - from choral and more traditional hymns and songs, choir anthems, all-age action songs, carols in the community, gospel, contemporary and charismatic. Such diversity is unique to All Saints and a joy to be a part of.
In June 2020 both Alistair and David are leaving All Saints. Since 2018, Alistair has been sharing his time between St Gabriel’s and All Saints, focusing his time at our 11am and 6pm services. We have been particularly blessed by David’s work with augmented choirs and orchestras at Easter and Christmas. David is getting married this year and is moving to Manchester on a permanent basis.
Since leading the worship ministry at All Saints we have been continually amazed and grateful for the willingness, diligence and passion for each person who serves our worship. Whether helping with the sound and visuals, reading the Bible, leading our intercessions and helping to serve communion during services, singing in the choir, playing the organ, playing and singing for our ’special’ services or playing and singing in our 11 am or 6 pm bands - each person plays a crucial role in leading the church family in worship and praise of God. All Saints is so blessed to have a church family that has such skill and gifting.
Revd. Alistair Stevenson and David Onac
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SENIORS’ MINISTRY
The All Saints Seniors’ Ministry exists to grow faith in the oldest community within our church family. It endeavours to speak Christ’s love to those who are in their later years. This year we have been have been trying to re-evaluate how our seniors’ ministry ties together and we hope to invest in this further in 2020.
The Saturday Tea Services for seniors have continued to be welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed by those who attend (usually around 40). This provision is only possible thanks to the support of willing volunteers who bake, make sandwiches, pour tea, move chairs, provide musical accompaniment, give lifts and generally make themselves useful!
Our relationship with Broomcroft House Nursing Home has been strengthened in the last few years, helped by the appointment of a new Activities Coordinator there. The twice- monthly services continue, thanks to a small dedicated group of church members, namely Eric and Sue Phillips, Vicky Vidler and Gill Wells, along with Dan, Beth and Sue. It has been lovely to share this ministry with a team from St William’s as well. These services include special visits at Christmas and Easter. It was lovely to have the ‘Open the Book’ team with us this year.
Last year we reported that Luncheon Club is restarting under the All Saints banner led by a team of church volunteers. A big thank you to the team, led by Jeanette Jackson in providing a wonderful place of welcome and fellowship. Luncheon club couldn’t run without help from drivers, welcomers, setter uppers, chefs and servers. As numbers and demand continues to grow, our hope is that this ministry will continue to make a real difference in the lives of the elderly in our community.
This year we have started to trial retirement mentoring, this is the opportunity to link someone who is approaching retirement with someone who has been through it. By making this connection, you are able to think and pray through both the practical and emotional process of retiring. If you would be interested please do be in contact with the ministry team.
Revd. Dan Christian
PASTORAL MINISTRY
This ministry is overseen by Sue Blaby, Dan Christian, and Beth Keith who meet together on a weekly basis to share information and decide on action to be taken. Sue’s main sphere of work continues to be with our ‘Senior Saints’, Dan is able to pick up on any pastoral issues in the wider church family, whereas Beth deals with pastoral situations that come through our small group system, in particular supporting our small group leaders.
Throughout the last year Sue’s work has included visiting the housebound, taking Holy Communion where appropriate; visiting the sick in hospital and/or arranging for Chaplaincy visits; arranging lifts to church for people who need them, organising bi- monthly Tea Services and liaising with Broomcroft Nursing Home to arrange for our team to take the regular services there.
We are continually indebted to the members of the Pastoral Team who visit those with long term health needs within our congregation. We are also aware and are grateful for the care demonstrated within our church family through a network of informal and 39
unofficial visiting and support. It has continued to be an encouraging time for our Pastoral Team. We do our best to try and support all those in need, but, as always, we need your help to keep us informed about any pastoral needs. So do be in touch if you notice any unexpected absences of regular church attenders or if you hear of illness or other difficulties.
In all of these various activities and in all the acts of kindness from one member of the church family to another that go largely unnoticed, we believe that the pastoral ministry is doing much to fulfil our church Mission Statement ‘that all the people of our parish, and beyond, may encounter the love of God’.
Revd. Dan Christian
BEREAVEMENT TEAM Ministers of All Saints conducted 28 funerals from January to December in 2019, either at church or at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium. Follow-up visits have been offered to 23 people eligible for them by virtue of their living in the parish or through their church connection. The members of the bereavement team have stayed the same. The annual memorial Service was held at 9 15am on Sunday 14th July. The Bereavement Team’s activities aim to show love to people at the most difficult of times. In the coming year we plan to: ● Continue to support bereaved people through individual visits and the Annual Memorial Service;
● Continue to meet to review our ministry and make appropriate changes; and
● Continue to identify and take relevant further training.
Sylvia Smith
HEALING AND WHOLENESS TEAM
As I write this report, we are coming to the end of week 11 of lockdown and although the ministry of the Healing and Wholeness Team continues behind the scenes, our public ministry has been put on hold for the time being. I wonder what form prayer ministry will take when services resume? Lockdown has allowed many of us time and space to reflect on what is important to us and should stay the same, but also to dream a little as we consider the future, seeking to move forward rather than merely re-create the past. The Healing and Wholeness Team has proved itself to be adaptable in responding to the changing needs of the Church in the last couple of years. I am confident that under the guidance of the staff team we will continue to find ways of delivering prayer ministry which are safe and contribute to the wider priorities and life of the Church.
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The team is here to pray with, and for, people seeking healing and wholeness in any matter concerning the body, mind and spirit, or wanting to give thanks to God. We have been doing this by offering prayer at the 9:15am, 11:00am and 6:00pm services (during communion and at the end of the services). We can usually be found near the wooden cross at the front of the Church in the 9:15am and 11:00am services; at the 6:00pm service, we are usually at the left-hand side of the Church near the front. We mostly minister in pairs and wear badges so that we can be easily identified. In addition, we intercede for people inside and outside the Church, who have asked for our prayer support. For many years now, the team has responded to prayer requests from family, friends, and neighbours – this is our outreach to the wider community. In recent months, this aspect of our ministry has become increasingly important. We are in touch with several people who give us regular updates on the people and situations for which we pray, all in strict confidence. Please contact us if you would like somebody to be prayed for regularly by the team in this way. The best way of doing this at the moment is to contact the team directly by e-mailing [email protected]. As things open up, it should again be possible to contact us via the Church Office by using one of the Prayer Request cards, which can be found in the Welcome Area near the door. However you choose to make contact, we encourage you to seek the permission of the person you would like us to pray for. In addition, please tell us how confidentially you would like the information to be held: the prayer team only, or the prayer team and the staff team. The team also meets together monthly, to discuss any issues arising from Sunday services, to spend time studying together, and to pray for those we know who are in need. In recent months, meetings have been over Zoom – this has presented new and interesting challenges, but it has allowed us to talk together as well as keeping in touch via e-mail. In addition to our monthly meetings, all of us have now completed the diocesan safeguarding training. Over the last year, we have continued looking at a training course from Healing on the Streets. Although we operate inside the church building, we share many of their values. Looking at the Great Commission, we took some time to consider the overlap between our ministry and the call to make disciples, which is perhaps more obvious on the streets than in a church context. We concluded that reaching out to God in prayer can be the first step in a journey towards Christ, and that it is also important to teach and encourage the church in the area of prayer ministry, a ministry for every believer. We spent some time exploring the authority we have for our ministry and the power available to us through the work of the Holy Spirit, concluding that the two go together: authority without power is humiliating, but power without authority is dangerous. Finally, we looked at the role of faith in the healing ministry. The Bible is clear that faith is present when somebody is healed but it’s not always clear whose faith is involved and how it works. Sometimes, the person approaching Jesus has faith. Sometimes, the friends who bring the person have faith. Sometimes, only Jesus appears to have faith. Our experience shows us that despite plenty of faith being present, sometimes people are not healed. All we can do is commit to growing and exercising our faith for healing at every opportunity. It has been lovely getting to know Beth Keith in the last year. She has met with us and encouraged us to look afresh at what our ministry involves. This will be helpful as we seek to recruit new members to the team. In the context of safeguarding (and potentially for use in recruitment), we now also have role descriptions for both the team leader and 41
members of the team. We are grateful to Kate Gerrish for all the work she has put into this. In May 2019, the Wholeness Team had the opportunity to speak at every service during a Sunday focussed on prayer. The prayer request cards were re-launched and there is now a poster with contact details for the team at the back of Church. As a result, we have had a greater number of prayer requests. We have had to think carefully about how we best engage with intercession in a way which is faithful to what we believe to be our calling yet manageable for the team. This aspect of the ministry now feels robust. Numbers coming for prayer after services have remained high and I have really appreciated the willingness of the team to minister even when not on rota. Another direct consequence of that Sunday in May has been a link with the Prayer Shawl ministry, which was launched on that day. I visited one of their meetings to find out a bit more about what they do and we have since supported this group by praying over the shawls before they are distributed. In June 2019, a number of Wholeness Team members were part of a team offering anointing at the Pentecost Service in the Cathedral. In the last year, we have welcomed Charlotte Driver onto the team – she has already brought a wealth of experience and encouragement. We have also said goodbye to Beryl Cole, for whose faithful ministry over many years we give thanks. I will personally miss her kind and wise support. Current members of the team are Shirley Allen, Sue Blaby, Lynne Bradey, Ali Burke, Richard Donkin, Ruth Greenlees, Janet and John Hutchison, Lotta Jackson, Pat Kendall-Taylor, Alan Nickless, Jan Otley, David and Barbara Peck, Brian Ridgway, Jean Stuart, Sally Whitehead and Bridget and David Williams. Lotta Jackson
WELCOME MINISTRY
The Welcomers are the first people to meet and greet people coming into church. Our welcome is important however long you have been part of All Saints, but for people who are new the Welcome Team are invaluable. All Saints is a large church with lots of things happening, and the Welcomers help people feel comfortable on their first visit.
When appropriate, Welcomers introduce new people to others, explain about the various groups, and help people to settle in. Welcome Packs are given out, which include information about church activities and groups, information about giving, and about becoming a member of the church. Home visits are offered to those who are enquiring about church and are wanting to find out more.
Our Welcome packs are useful in providing contacts and information but are now out of date due to the various changes to the ministry team which happened in 2019. These will need updating soon.
A big thank you to all on the welcome team, and to those who have joined the team in 2019, thank you for being the friendly faces at the door of our church.
Revd. Beth Keith
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Whirlow Spirituality Centre (WCS) at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit
2019 was a full and varied year at Whirlow. God continues to bless its work and ministry and it is lovely to welcome so many from All Saints to the various events and worship opportunities. WSC also attracts individuals from all over South Yorkshire and wider afield with the Spirituality Programme continuing to meet a clear need for sacred space, silence, uncluttered worship and generous hospitality. The Tuesday Reflective Communion, in particular, continues to be helpful to many, and the contributions from All Saints staff are appreciated.
The events programme continued to grow in variety and popularity. The Chaplain, Joy Adams, and Events Co-ordinator, Anna Potts, are now assisted by a Programme Support Group, which provides ideas, feedback, accountability and mainly support in their planning. It was a good year for the arts: the Temenos exhibition and the poetry of RS Thomas brought back old friends Ric Stott, Ian Adams and Graham Pigott; an enchanting evening of Strings, Song and Storytelling introduced us to new Sheffield performers with whom we continue to work into 2020. Joint working with All Saints includes Whirlow’s hosting of Community Bible Study on Fridays, and Beth Keith and Joy sharing the Lent Reflections on four Wednesdays in Lent.
A generous legacy from the estate of a WSC supporter, Jane Lander, enabled the purchase and installation of a Poustinia (Russian word for hermitage, a place for solitary prayer) which is available for group or individual use for prayer. Volunteers put in an enormous amount of work to prepare the ground. The legacy also provided funds to commission a landscape gardener to draw up a programme of works for landscaping and planting up the rear garden, and purchase of a summerhouse for the front garden: work on both began in early 2020. The garden has provided a place of sanctuary and space for many during the Covid-19 lockdown.
John Harrison was appointed to the new post of Administration and Operations Co- ordinator in April 2019. His appointment has provided support to both the Whirlow Grange Ltd (WGL) Board and the operations of WSC. John manages the bookings from external organisations and individuals wishing to hire the premises for group and individual events/prayer. His help is needed as we balance offering the wonderful facilities to as many as possible, whilst maintaining the spacious, quiet, sacred environment which makes it so attractive.
We were sorry to lose Gary Wilton’s presence on the WGL’s Board this year; his support for Whirlow has been so appreciated. Gary was instrumental in the setting up of the partnership between WGL and All Saints which has enabled the ministry to flourish since the closure of Whirlow Grange Conference Centre in 2014.
John Stride, Chair of WGL Board, will be stepping down in 2020. It is difficult to put into words all that John has contributed in his leadership over the last 8 years. We are thankful that he will continue his valued contributions to worship and the Spirituality Programme.*
None of the above could happen without the unstinting and prayerful contribution of many volunteers who offer hosting events, contemplative cleaning, DIY, facilitation of quiet days, workshops etc. We always welcome practical support of Whirlow’s ministry, look on the website to see where you might be able to join the team https://www.whirlowspiritualitycentre.org/support-us. 43
Discussions between WGL and All Saints resulted in the drawing up of the membership and remit of a Partnership Committee, which will meet quarterly beginning in January 2020. We continued to work in partnership throughout 2019 to fund the maintenance of the Chapel and our beautiful grounds. No major work was required in 2019.
Revd. Joy Adams Chaplain
*Bishop of Sheffield’s nomination of Bishop Richard Blackburn as the new Chair was received and unanimously confirmed at the AGM of Whirlow Grange Ltd on 15 June 2020 FLOWERS IN CHURCH
Thank you to everyone who donates money for the flowers each week, which are generally to celebrate an anniversary or in memory of a loved one. Also a huge thank you to the flower arrangers who make the beautiful arrangements and to Sue Smith who heads the team. We look forward to making many more flower arrangements in the coming year.
Lorna Mason
SANCTUARY GUILD The Sanctuary Guild is a small group of volunteers, who give one hour a month, to help keep the church clean. We usually meet on a Thursday morning. We work in teams of three – unfortunately this has dropped to two / one in some cases due to lack of volunteers. One team cleans the East End whilst another team cleans the Narthex and Balcony on a monthly rota. The Brasses and Silverware are also cleaned by a member on a monthly basis. We have an annual Communion Service when we can all meet together. I would like to thank them all for the excellent work they do, and have done over the past year. Some members have left or had to retire and I thank them all for the excellent work they have done for the Guild. We are a very friendly group and would welcome anyone who would like to join us. NEW MEMBERS ARE URGENTLY REQUIRED ... If you have that spare hour and would like to make new friends do come and join us. Please contact me through the Church office. Margaret King
BOOKSTALL
Christian books are available for purchase from the church bookstall. Where books are recommended to accompany a sermon series, these can be ordered through the bookstall. CLC are our main supplier of books, so purchasing through the bookstall contributes to keeping a Christian bookshop in the city.
Lesley Snell
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APPENDIX I
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ECCLESALL, SHEFFIELD
ACCOUNTS
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2019
Please refer to separate document
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APPENDIX II
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ECCLESALL, SHEFFIELD
SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2019
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APPENDIX III
STATUTORY INFORMATION
PAROCHIAL NAME: Ecclesall Bierlow REGISTERED CHARITY NAME: The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Ecclesall, Sheffield REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1128859 CHURCH LOCATION: Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PP PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES: These are to co-operate with the minister in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social & ecumenical.
All Saints, Ecclesall - PCC MEMBERS: 2019
Ex Officio members of the PCC
Clerks in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to the Parish: Gary Wilton - Vicar and Chair (T) – to 5 September 2019 Vacant from 6 September 2019
The following are also Clerks in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to the Parish who may attend meetings of the PCC: Dan Christian – Associate Vicar (Joint Vice Chair from 6 September 2019) (T) Beth Keith – Associate Vicar (from 30 January 2019) (Joint Vice Chair from 6 September 2019) (T) Stephen Hunter – SSM Associate Minister Alistair Stevenson – Associate Vicar
Churchwardens: Michael Gordon - (Vice Chair to 24 April 2019) (T) Sarah Leighton - (Vice Chair from 24 April 2019 to 5 September 2019) (Chair from 6 September 2019) (T) Ruth Watkin – (from 24 April 2019)
Members of Deanery Synod: Tim Robinson (T) Vicky Vidler (to 5 February 2020) (T)
Officers of the PCC
Secretary: Emily Jackson (T)
Electoral Roll Officer: Stuart King
Treasurer: Ann Hawkes (T) (to 10 February 2020)
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Deputy Treasurer: Julia Newton (T) (from 27 January 2020)
Treasurer for giving: Roger Manterfield
Deputy Wardens: Ruth Watkin - (to 24 April 2019) (T) David Coleshill- (T) Julia Newton – (from 24 April 2019) (T) (standard representative to 24 April 2019) (T)
Other Representatives: Sue Blaby - (T) Richard Blyth - (T) Jenny Coleman - (T) Alan Cantrell – (from 24 April 2019) (T) Mike Carney – (to 24 April 2019) (T) Sally Craig – (to 24 April 2019) (T) Richard Donkin (T) Kelly Feast - (T) Alison Fletcher - (T) Kate Gerrish, Parish Safeguarding Officer (Co-opted from 3 June 2019) (T) Michael Gordon – (from 24 April 2019) (T) Jonathan Hattersley – (from 24 April 2019) (T) Rod Ismay - (T) Eric Phillips - (T) Bev Popplewell (T) Beth Sliwinski – (to 24 April 2019) (T) Lesley Snell - (T) Kathryn Walker - (T) Alison Woodman - (T)
Key (T) = Trustees
ORGANISATION OF PCC: The PCC generally meets six or seven times a year and three times a year for a Time Apart. Between meetings, the PCC Executive deals with day-to- day financial issues, church business and decisions. During the Vacancy the Church Wardens have met with the Associate Vicars on a very regular basis.
NUMBER ON ELECTORAL ROLL (as at 31.12.19): 341- this followed the full renewal of the Roll which takes place every 5 years.
AVERAGE SUNDAY ATTENDANCE The average Sunday attendance in 2019 was 400 + 40 at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit
DATE OF REPORT: 11 May 2020
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