ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ALL SAINTS THORNTON HOUGH DIOCESE OF CHESTER Charity Commission Number 1131417 ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 2019 All Saints Parochial Church Council The Parish Office, The Parish Hall, Church Road, Thornton Hough, Wirral, CH63 1JW 2 Part 1: Trustees’ report to the Charity Commission 1. Aims and Purposes Our aim is ‘To promote the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’ Our purpose as a church is to worship God through our regular services and through the fellowship of our loving community. We share the love of God with those around, serving the community and witnessing to others about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. All Saints Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the legal responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Thornton Hough the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the church building and churchyards on Raby Road, and the parish hall on Church Road. 2. Objectives Statement of Vision and Goals for 2017 to 2022 Vision Our aspiration for All Saints Church is: for God to be central in all that we do and in the lives of all our members; to share the love of God with those around, serving the community and witnessing to others about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Goals 1. Spiritual Growth To promote a deepening of love and spiritual growth. To develop and grow our knowledge through study of the Bible, through prayer and through teaching at our services and other events so that we are better able to apply the Bible’s teaching in today’s world. 2. Mission To share the good news about Jesus Christ with others so that they too may receive and enjoy the grace and blessings of God in their lives. To support others who also work to share the good news of Jesus Christ. 3. Care for others in the church and in the community To reach out to others and demonstrate his love in practical ways by caring for and serving others within the church and without, including all age groups, newcomers and those in need. 4. Worship To use our talents to make our worship more meaningful. To ensure that our worship and events are worthy offerings to God, that they meet the needs of our existing members and are attractive and accessible to those outside the Christian community who are interested in what we do. 5. Organisation To promote the smooth running of the church we need to: Devise and explore ways of involving more of our members in all aspects of running our church. Ensure that we are using people’s God given talents in the most effective way possible. Generate sufficient income to balance the books. 6. Communication To improve our use of appropriate communication channels to support and enhance all of our activities at All Saints. 3 3. 2019 Activities, Achievements and Performance Regular Sunday Worship The pattern of Sunday worship is set so that there is normally one service of Holy Communion available every week. The main 10:30am service has continued to alternate between Holy Communion and Morning Prayer using the range of Common Worship service booklets to give some variety in language and emphasis in prayer and worship. On a ‘usual Sunday’ during 2019 the average attendance at the main service was 66 adults and 4 children. The music has been provided by the four-part choir accompanied by the organ under the leadership of our Director of Music. The choir regularly sings an anthem as part of the service as well as providing a strong lead and harmony for congregational hymns. The 8:00am service continued on alternate Sundays as a spoken service of Holy Communion using the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The number of people usually attending this service was 5. The 6:30pm evening service held every other Sunday has offered services of Holy Communion varying between “traditional language” versions and Common Worship formats, and occasional services of Evening Prayer or Choral Evensong. The average attendance at the evening services was 22. We have continued to hold united services with St George’s United Reformed Church, the other church in the village, on the first Sunday of the month. Both congregations value this opportunity to share faith and friendship and to be a witness to the wider community. Festivals and Occasional Offices The Mothering Sunday service was attended by 70 people. On Easter Sunday in 2019 there were 66 people who attended worship including 60 communicants. The annual Thornton Hough Primary School Year 6 Leavers’ Service and presentation of books was held in All Saints’ church with parents and staff in attendance in July. 68 people attended the morning service in All Saints’ Church on Remembrance Day. The village Remembrance service was held in St George’s Church this year after a parade to the War Memorial in the afternoon. All Saints’ church held a Remembrance Day assembly service for Years 1-6 of Thornton Hough Primary School. The Advent Carol Service was attended by 62 people. The Christingle Service was attended by 101 people. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was attended by 115 people. 78 people attended church at Christmas (24th and 25th December) of whom 65 were communicants. We also held a crib service on a Monday morning which was attended by the Reception Class from Thornton Hough Primary School and the cots2tots group. During 2019 we conducted the following occasional offices: Baptisms 5 Confirmations 0 Weddings 6 4 Wedding blessing 1 Funerals 12 (9 services in church, 3 at the crematorium) Thanksgiving services 2 Regular Midweek Worship and Fellowship We have continued to hold our Wednesday Holy Communion services on all except the fourth Wednesday of each month when there is a Coffee Morning instead. The number of those attending Midweek Communion has increased from 8 to 15. The informal service, lasting around an hour, has begun to attract a broader range of people. We continued to support the local nursing homes, Westwood Hall and Brimstage Manor. Revd Andrew Haslam and then Revd Vicky Barrett have taken a monthly Holy Communion service at Westwood Hall for a regular group of 12 residents and some of their friends and family. A small group of volunteers has gone into Brimstage Manor to sing hymns once a month. These occasions continue to be well received by the residents and staff and help to support their spiritual well-being. Other important fellowship groups in 2019 included the Monday Group and the Tuesday Bible and Prayer Group. In addition, the ACF (A Church Fellowship) has continued to provide good support to many through the Fellowship Meetings, Coffee Mornings and Chatterbox Club. Children and Families Children’s work at All Saints’ has been led by a small and committed team of volunteers during 2019. We are very grateful for their continuing support. The team has met to plan on a termly basis, and a programme of study for Sunday mornings has been devised for the children to follow during term-time. There are usually four children of school age attending church. Activities are provided in the Choir Vestry during part of the service, with the group returning for Communion. Some families with children under five years have joined the morning services and have enjoyed the toys in the transept. One of our Churchwardens has been helping to support families settle in this space. Revd. Vicky has been visiting All Saints’ Primary School and has taken assemblies every half term. The children enjoyed looking at the stained glass in church on their visit at Remembrance and it is hoped that this interest can be developed into a longer-term creative project in due course. Pastoral Care The Prayer and Pastoral group meet to share concerns about individuals on a confidential basis. People are asked whether they would like to be mentioned by name in our public church prayers or just prayed for by the group. Visiting has been undertaken to a number of housebound and elderly people in the parish on both a regular and one-off basis. The Vicar has visited and offered home communion to some who have been unwell during the year. 5 4. Governance and PCC Membership The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity. The appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules (2017). The PCC at All Saints consists of: the incumbent (our Vicar), the Churchwardens, elected representatives to the Deanery Synod, elected lay representatives and two co-opted members. In 2019 the PCC membership and Standing Committee membership was as follows Elected Members of the Laity Other Members Mr P Arch Revd. V Barrett* Vicar (Chairman) from May 2019 Mrs R Brothwell Until March 2019 Mrs P Baker* Churchwarden Mr S Deakin Mrs A Jones* Churchwarden Mrs M Gamble Dr E Macbeath Deanery Synod representative *Mrs D Hughes Mr B Brennan Deanery Synod representative Mr G Allan Price Co-opted until April Mr D Jones 2019 Miss E Roberts Mrs S Stinson* Co-opted until April (PCC Secretary) 2019 Mrs L Russell Mr A Splitt Mr I Stinson* * Members of the (PCC Treasurer) Standing Committee Members were also elected to the sub committees dealing with Finance, Fabric and Health and Safety, Remuneration and Three Churches Together. The committees exist to discuss and, for more major issues, make recommendations, which are then taken to the full PCC.