Annual Report 2021 - Cuddington

Annual Report 2021

Top of the Avenue, Worcester Park

From the Editor

Rod Clarke

Welcome to St Mary's Annual Report that has been prepared for the 2021 Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) to be held on Sunday 16th May shortly after the 9.30am Service.

I have used the same structure as in recent years as it brings us into line with the sample report on the Church of England website. The statutory reports section contains information that we are responsible for bringing to the APCM, but some of it is spread around a number of reports, in particular the PCC Secretary's, Churchwardens' and Church Estates reports.

The remainder of the document contains unofficial reports from any groups within the church who wished to contribute and they are grouped into the 6 areas of mission in the table below.

This year has been a very strange one with various restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It has been very interesting to read about the different ways our various groups have handled this situation.

CONTENTS

STATUTORY ANNUAL REPORTS Vicar's Report ....................................1 Annual Report ...................................3 Financial Review ..............................4 Annual Accounts ..............................6 PCC Report .................................... 12 Minutes of the 2020 Meetings ..... 13 Churchwardens ............................ 15 Estates Committee ....................... 16 Sidesmen, Welcomers & Listeners 18 Electoral Roll ................................. 18 Deanery Synod ............................. 19 Safeguarding ................................. 20

MISSION TO YOUNG PEOPLE Sunday Club .................................. 21 SMYG ............................................ 21

MISSION TO FAMILIES St Mary's Toddlers ........................ 22

MISSION TO THE OLDER COMMUNITY Thursday Club ............................... 23

MISSION TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY Churches Together in Ewell .......... 24 Social & Fundraising ..................... 24 Women's Ministry ........................ 25

Men's Ministry ............................. 26 St Mary's Walkers ........................ 28 Table Tennis................................... 28 MISSION TO THE WIDER WORLD Mission and Outreach ................. 29 The Listening Post ........................ 29 Website ........................................ 30 SUSTAINING OUR MISSION 125 Years of St Mary's Church ..... 31 Worship ....................................... 34 Prayer & Spirituality ..................... 36 Dancing to Prayer ........................ 36 Choir ............................................ 37 LLM (Reader) Ministry ................. 38 Pastoral Assistants ....................... 38 Housegroups ................................ 39 Stewardship ................................. 40 Flower Arrangers ......................... 41 Church Library ............................. 42 Gardening .................................... 42 St Martha's Guild ......................... 43 Servers ......................................... 43 In Memoriam ............................... 44 Making Contact .........................Back

STATUTORY ANNUAL REPORTS

Vicar's Report

Rev Theresa Ricketts

I remember a conversation with Dan, one of our Churchwardens, early in December, when he was updating the A Church Near You website with details of our forthcoming Christmas services. He explained to me that it was difficult to find the words to publicise our services, while at the same time advising people that space would be limited. It hit me during that discussion that so much of what we have had to do over the past year has been counterintuitive.

For many years now, much of our energy has been focused on how we welcome people. Services and events have been put together with the hope that new people will find their way to St Mary's and thereby discover something of God's love, and the transformation it can bring to our lives. This year has been so different. On 23rd March 2020 our doors were closed, and did not re-open until May.

Do you remember how in Christmases past we would be bringing extra chairs in from the hall in order to cram in more people? Sometimes there was standing room only, and that sense of being cheek by jowl was really all part of the joy of the festive season. Covid 19 has changed so much. For most of 2020 our focus has had to change. Safety has taken centre stage, and the means of achieving it has been social distancing, face coverings and a heightened awareness of hygiene.

All of this has been necessary, and I am grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly to make worship possible, even if it has been very different from what we were used to. I don't want us to forget, though, that what has been necessary has also been very difficult. I have led far too many funerals during which the comfort of touch could not be offered. I know people who have had to hear bad news or face the most challenging situations alone. Even the ease with which we have begun to cross over the road to avoid passing too close to other people, while an act of thoughtfulness, is also painful. We will all need to find healing in the months and years to come.

There are some things, though, that have not changed. The community spirit of the St Mary's congregation has endured, and perhaps deepened. Throughout 2020 we have found ways to maintain contact with one another. More than that, though: we have offered each other encouragement and consolation; we have shared joys and sorrows; we have helped one another with the practical and the pastoral.

It is fair to say that my training didn't have a module on leading worship with over half of the congregation at home on Zoom, while only a few were in church. It has been a steep learning curve, not just for me, but also for those who have put so much work into ensuring that the various technologies function. We have had the odd glitch along the way, and yet I have heard only thanks and gratitude. It is testament to the spirit of St

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Mary's that we have borne with one another, making the best of things, and focusing on the positive. What a difference that has made.

When we started 2020, we were looking forward to celebrating our 125th anniversary year. Plans were in place for a summer fete, an exhibition including oral histories, and services of celebration and thanksgiving. While nothing in 2020 went to plan, we refused to be entirely deterred. David Rymill's exhibition is displayed around the church building and is also available on the website. I was delighted that when Bishop Jo celebrated the feast of Christ the King with us in November, she had clearly relished finding out about our history prior to the visit. Her encouragement to us on that occasion was a real high point. The oral histories, a labour of love on the part of Sara Tomlin and Annie Paul, are displayed at the back of church, and are the source of much interest. Having lost five members of our congregation this year, it is particularly poignant that some of their stories have been told so beautifully.

While we were unable to start Messy Church as planned in April, Sunday Club has continued throughout the pandemic, initially weekly, and then fortnightly. We have also experimented with family services to give the children an opportunity to come to church. Many House Groups have continued in different ways ? some exclusively online, others taking the opportunity to meet outside when it was possible. At times some have met more frequently than before to maintain contact and pray with and for one another. The PCC has seemingly moved effortlessly to online meetings, and the building and grounds continue to be well maintained. Even the clock wasn't allowed to stop!

And so we move into a new year. As 2021 began, the national situation was as serious as ever, and we entered our third lockdown. The vaccination programme means that there are real signs of hope, yet we are probably all more cautious about planning. We know what it's like to have the best laid plans collapse around us.

So what do we take with us into the new year? What have we discovered in 2020 that we want to hold on to? What has endured that should never be lost? And what did we realise just wasn't that important after all?

At St Mary's, I think we have always understood that church is about the people. Perhaps this understanding has been heightened in the past year. And perhaps we have also come to appreciate the place that the church building holds ? not as a structure or edifice, but rather as a sign of God's presence and love, and a place where we have found ourselves able to connect with that love over the years. The church is not the building, but the building is precious nonetheless.

Over the years, we have been encouraged to plan for the future; to take time to reflect on our purpose within the community; to seek a direction of travel that brings Christ alive for those around us. Planning may take on a different feel in the years to come. We may be a little less certain about whether our plans will come to fruition. Yet I wonder whether that will make us just a little more ready to place our trust where it really belongs. Not in our plans, important though they can be. But rather in God. Because throughout this past year, one thing has remained the same. God has continued to be alongside us, present in all that we have endured. And the loving purposes of God will always bear fruit ? even if it is in the most unexpected ways.

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St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington Annual Report 2021

Annual Report

Administrative information

St Mary's Church is situated in The Avenue, Worcester Park. It is part of the Diocese of Guildford within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Parish Office, The Avenue, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 7HL.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is registered with the Charity Commission under number 1128308.

PCC members who have served from 1st January 2020 until the date that this report was approved are:

Incumbent:

The Rev Theresa Ricketts

Retired Priest:

The Rev John Richardson

LLM (Reader):

Mr Jason Gray

Churchwardens:

Mr Dan Smithers

Mrs Sara Tomlin

Representatives on the Deanery Synod:

Mr Rodney Clarke

Mr Peter Harvey

Ms Julie Stamford

Elected Members: Mr David Eames

Mrs Samantha O'Shea

Mr Colin Hooper

Mrs Judith Peake

Mrs Margaret Lelliott

Mrs Daphne Richardson

Mrs Josephine Reynolds

Mrs Jenifer Dore

Mrs Carolyn Harvey

Mr Roger Eales

Mr Shaun Potter

Mrs Jacqui Potter

Mrs Kate Nowak

Co-opted members: Mrs Linda Charlton

Mr Steven Robbins

Chairman Secretary Vice Chairman Treasurer Until September 2020

From October 2020 From October 2020

Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Objectives and Activities

St Mary's PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, spiritual and ecumenical.

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Achievements and Performance

There were 115 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. Regular Sunday attendance was very much affected by the lockdown restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic from March 2020. When open for worship, the number of attendees was limited by the safety and social distancing requirements in force.

During the year, fifteen funeral services were held and there were three interment of ashes. Two couples were married, and three baptisms took place.

Throughout the lockdown, services were delivered via Zoom for those unable to attend the church in person. They were also recorded on YouTube.

Financial Review

St Mary's total funds decreased by ?1,696 in 2020, despite an unrealized gain of ?2,670 on the revaluation of the shares held in the Greenfield and Leverton investment funds.

General Fund

The General Fund had a deficit of ?1,698 against a budgeted deficit of ?11,081. As in recent years, exceptional unbudgeted giving improved the outcome, contributing ?15,000 to income. A gift week in December resulted in ?8,285 being received against a budget of ?2,000. These, together with the associated gift aid reclaimed, ensured a much better outcome than was budgeted. Hiring of the Cuddington and Leverton rooms was suspended from March, due to the pandemic. This resulted in a loss of over ?13,000 of income in the year. The furlough of staff for part of this period provided a ?7,061 contribution to income, to partly offset staff costs. In total, costs for the year were generally on budget.

Designated Funds

Designated funds in total saw a net outflow of ?3,399. The major expenditure related to the repair of the choir vestry roof costing ?3,600. Together, the General and Designated funds had an outflow of ?5,097 for the year.

Restricted Funds

Restricted Funds increased by ?803 in the year. ?302 was spent on updating furniture in the Leverton Room and the Spiritual Development Fund provided Advent boxes to the Sunday School.

Reserves Policy

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on free reserves (net current assets) which equates to at least six months' unrestricted payments. This amounts to ?64,333. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The balance of free reserves at year end was ?194,542, held on unrestricted (including designated) funds.

Investments

It is PCC policy to invest cash, which is surplus to day to day requirements, with the Church of England Deposit Fund (administered by CCLA).

As always I would like to thank Malcolm Coffey, our Independent Examiner, for his efficient and thorough review of the accounts, and his advice and comments. The Independent Examiner's Report, together with the accounts below, form part of the report filed with the Charity Commission and may be viewed on their website.

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St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington Annual Report 2021

Many thanks again to Jacqui and Colin Hooper for counting and banking our collections and other receipts each week, particularly under difficult circumstances. They also administer our Planned Giving scheme, and I would like to thank them for the efficient way they record our Planned Giving and claim the associated Gift Aid Tax.

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St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington Annual Report 2021

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