St Peter’s Church, Bentley Annual Report 2020 cma since 1896 Bentley about Safeguarding too. The PCC hope our progress on the building project. Welcome and pray that in reading it you will be Vicar’s Report However, with social distancing in place encouraged by what God was doing we were able to open the newly re- Hello and welcome to the Annual Report amongst us in 2020. Wow! 2020 was by far the oddest year ordered church in September with a for St Peter’s Church in Bentley. We are a I’ve ever lived through! But nonetheless, cover to cover reading of the Bible. This Church of England Parish Church. That Dave Berry Godwasgoodtous. was a great way to mark our re-entry and means that we are part of something Vicar and Chair of the PCC. over the week we were joined by the new bigger! We work with other churches in The year started with sadness as we heard of the death of Rene Hornsby, our Archdeacon of Doncaster, the Venerable our deanery (which is called Adwick Javaid Iqbal and both +Pete and +Sophie. Deanery) and the Diocese of Sheffield. oldest member. She died on the first of Our Bishops are The Right Reverend Dr since 1896 January, aged 104! The church re- We started our new midweek communion Pete Wilcox (the Bishop of Sheffield) and ordering was due to start before her on Wednesday mornings, which has been The Right Reverend Sophie Jelley (the funeral but had to be put back. We didn’t well received and well attended. We also Bishop of Doncaster). We are a Electoral Roll know then just how much of a blessing changed our pattern of services at 9.30 registered charity, 119023. thiswouldturnouttobe. Sowewere to reflect the Deanery Plan, which says At the time of the Annual Meeting in able to say goodbye to Rene in church. we will need to share a priest with If you have any questions about this 2020, 35 names were entered on the Sprotbrough at some point in the future. report, you can contact us on 0330 228 electoral roll. In February though worship moved to the 1896 or write to us at St Peter’s Team Community Hall as the builders moved in In October, we were delighted to appoint Hub, St Peter’s Community Hall, High Since then, one person has died and one to the Church. We actually flourished as Karen Jones as our CMA Bentley Centre Street, Bentley, DONCASTER, DN5 0AA. new name has been entered on the roll. a church in our new surroundings and Manager. Karen had been working in this Therefore, our electoral roll for 2021 attendance was actually higher than it role as a volunteer, but after a successful The Church Representation Rules 2020 remains at 35. had been at the equivalent times in 2019. grant application to South Yorkshire require the Parochial Church Council (the We were starting to hear about a new Community Foundation, she is now paid PCC) to provide the Annual Parochial Only those entered on the electoral roll virus and by the beginning of March we can vote for members of the PCC or to help people with expert and friendly Church Meeting with reports on: were wondering if we would be able to money advice five days a week. attend the Annual Parochial Church celebrate Easter together. It was as • changestotheElectoralRollsincethe Meeting. quick as the following week that all our Sadly, another lockdown in November last annual meeting; communal worship was suspended for Kate Davies meant we moved our Sunday services • theproceedingsofthePCCandthe what turned out to be 6 months. Parish Administrator and Electoral Roll back online, but our Wednesday morning activities of the parish general; Secretary. service continued to take place until the During those six months, we learned lots end of the year. • thefinancialstatementsofthePCC about online worship and made our for the year ending 31 December; services available on the telephone too The start of the year was marked by • thefabricofthebuilding;and for those unable to connect online. We Rene’s passing and at the end we were opened a temporary foodbank and saddened by the loss of Jean Gray, who • the proceedings of the deanery synod; passed it over to Bentley Baptist Church died peacefully at St John’s Hospice on rd This Annual report covers all these areas since 1896 in August. the 23 December. and includes some statutory information Covid-19 and the lockdown also slowed In all the challenges and changes 2020 Page 2 Page 3 threw at us, God remained faithful. Looking back to March when we had to Dave Walker for his support and help and lockdowns reduced our income from Taking church online has enabled us to close Little Fishes we thought it would be to Sue Depledge too. collections and hall rental and the closure connect with new people, although many for maybe 6 weeks, not almost a year! fo the church for the re-ordering meant I have enjoyed the freedom to be creative of us can’t wait to be able to worship in we weren’t able to take funerals in and felt that God has used my skills in this person again. Little Fishes was running very church. However, a number of people way. I thank God for His faithfulness to us successfully and new families were have started giving monthly by standing and for my church family for your love and 2021 has started with some, now, sadly, attending. Sue, Chris and Jan were part order or direct debit which has put our support over the year. I look forward to familiar challenges to 2020, but there of our team of volunteers and we were finances on a much more stable footing. the next chapter and where God is taking seemstobesomelightattheendofthe getting to build up good relationships We need to continue to pray for us. tunnel and God is with us and watching with the families, which allowed us to increased giving as we come to the end Steph Darbyshire over us. pray for them and share our faith too. ofsomeofourgrants. Wereallywantto #lovemyjob Dave Berry, The Vicar Little Fishes was so successful that we keep Kate and Steph in 2022 after their were looking at limiting the numbers so funding runs out. we didn’t become too crowded. Sadly ,in The other story of 2020 was the large March we had to close. I did continue since 1896 amount of grant funding that came Little Fishes online through Zoom which through the church, including £45,000 in was attended well to start with but then match funding for the Flood Fund, over as time has gone on families dropped off since 1896 £100,000 for the re-ordering, £10,000 for astheyfindanewwayofworking. Istill Finance the temporary foodbank and £48,000 for post regular updates on our Facebook CMA Bentley. This was fantastic to see, page and keep in touch with some but it must be noted that all this money families who are on there. I’m looking Summary 2020 was a strange year for our finances was restricted, it can’t be spent on forward to reopening and sharing the CPW’s Report as a Church. The full financial accounts keeping the Church running day to day. Good News of Jesus again through are at the back of this report and they CPW stands for Centenary Project Worker. crafts, songs and stories. Not sure when have been independently examined by Do have a look at the Financial Reports These are children and families workers this will be but praying we can pick up Campbell and Stenton, a local firm of and if you have any questions, don’t paid for by a grant from the Diocese for from where we left off. Thanks to all accountants. Our thanks to them, but hesitate to get in touch with Dave, Karen three years. We’re so pleased to have one those who volunteer, we couldn’t do it bigger and louder thanks to Alec or Kate, our new Treasury Team. and this is Steph’s report on what she’s without you and I am very grateful! Depledge who, through sheer dogged been up to in 2020. determination, raised most of the money 2020 didn’t turn out as I had planned, I’m Cuppainthecarparkhasbeenonandoff for the re-ordering. He has also been our guessing none of us expected that we through the various lockdowns! We treasurer for a good number of years now would be living through a pandemic! Even regularly serve between 25-30 cups of (he offered to do two, but kept going), but so,IknowGodiswithusandwehave tea and coffee. We give out Christian stepped down on the 31st December. probably still reached as many families, if flyers, booklets and info about what we Thank you Alec for all that you’ve done, since 1896 not more, than we would have when we get up to at St Peters and sometimes you’re amazing! physically meet! GOD IS GOOD! pray with people. Its an amazing opportunity to demonstrate Gods love in Like most churches and charities, we a practical way. I’m especially grateful to faced some serious issues in 2020. The Page 4 Page 5 The works completed include a kitchen Fabric Report and toilet inside the church building, Safeguarding About Us wheelchair access via a ramp to the This report was made to the parochial At St Peter’s we want to make sure that St Peter’s Bentley is a Parish Church in doors of the church and plenty of space church council underEcclesiastical everyone is safe.