Parish of Mickleham Parochial Church Council - Reports for 2008-09
from the May 2009 magazine
Parochial Church Council - Reports for 2008-09
The Annual Parochial Church meeting received reports from PCC
sub-committees and working groups. These are included on pages 6
and 7 of the Mickleham magazine. Here is the Council’s
report:
Achievements and performance In 2006 the PCC embarked on a major programme of renovation and improvement to both the church and chapel. A number of major repairs have been completed including the external stonework of the church, external surface water drainage and resulting damp in the chancel. The north wall of the chapel will be repaired during 2009. In both the church and chapel the front pews have been realigned creating improved spaces for occasional services and in the case of the church a large enough area for choral and other types of concert. A grand piano has been generously donated to the church.
During 2008 both the church and chapel have been completed redecorated. In the church the ceiling bosses have been restored to great effect and in the chancel, marble and stone detail previously obscured by paint have been exposed. Both the chapel and the church chancel have been recarpeted and the hatchments in the church have been restored. A completely new lighting system was installed in the church during 2008 and completed in time for a Mickleham Choral Society concert on Remembrance Sunday. In 2009 the major project will be an extension to the vestry incorporating an accessible toilet and a meeting area which can also function as a crèche during Sunday services.
Promotion of the mission of the Church has included donations to various domestic and overseas charities in accordance with PCC policy of allocating five percent of planned giving and collections to outward giving.
Young people’s activities are very important to the PCC and include the Sunday Club and St Michael’s Crew (Crusaders) which takes children from 7 to 16 years of age. Festival workshops run jointly with the church school continue to thrive. Each event attracts 50 to 60 children followed by the Sunday service attended by participants and parents.
Baptism preparation is now led by a team of laity and the Parish holds a marriage preparation day for those marrying during the year. It is well attended and much valued.
Regular Sunday service attendances have increased but more importantly the total number of people coming to church however infrequently continues to grow significantly. There are now monthly evening services which include Choral Evensong, Taizé Worship and a Youth Service. The church continues to reach further into the parish community.
There are 107 names on the electoral roll. The average weekly attendance at Sunday services during October 2008 was 103.
Financial Review In January 2008 the PCC received another generous donation of £100,000 from the Ranmore Charitable Trust towards the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund. This has enabled us to continue with the programme of restoration and enhancement begun in 2006 and referred to above. In addition the Bosses Restoration Fund raised £11,272.44 (including tax recovered). Total receipts for the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund, which is held in a CBF Church of England Deposit Fund managed by CCLA Investment Management Ltd., were £128,576.35 (inclusive of interest earned and tax recovered). Total expenditure made or committed from that Fund in 2008 was £152,027.19, including £89,280 on internal repairs and redecoration and £47,470.10 on the new lighting system. The year-end balance on the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund (taking account of 2008 receivables and creditors) was £177,555.89.
In January 2009 the PCC received further generous donations from the Ranmore Charitable Trust (1) of £100,000 towards the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund and (2) of £600,000 by way of expendable endowment to be held on terms that will be recorded in a Declaration of Trust in course of preparation at the date of this report.
Total receipts on unrestricted funds were £71,939.56. These included £19,850.75 from planned giving (an increase of about £1,000 over the previous year) and a total of £21,243.68 in collections, church boxes and donations in the wall safe. There will be a tax recovery of at least £7,571.44 on gift-aided payments included in these sums. Fund raising in 2008 included Golden Wedding and Birthday Collections, and sums raised from the Village Fete, Gardens Open, Harvest Lunch, and Concerts.
Total expenditure from unrestricted funds was £75,752.03, major items of expenditure including Parish Share of £33,793 and total Church and Chapel running expenses of £13,810.52. This resulted in a deficit for 2008 of £3,812.47 – a salutary reminder that Stewardship and fund-raising activities cannot be relaxed, and are vital to ensuring that the Parish can continue to meet ongoing (and ever-increasing) costs primarily from the financial contributions and other efforts of parishioners.
The year-end balance carried forward on the Unrestricted Fund (taking account of 2008 receivables and creditors, and including the balance held on the Parish Magazine Account), was £60,065.76.
The final Parish Share for 2009 is £36,678 which is an increase of 8.5%.
Reserves Policy It is PCC policy to maintain (if possible) a balance on the Unrestricted Fund which equates to approximately 75% of unrestricted payments, to cover emergency situations and changes in circumstances that may arise from time to time. The balance at the end of 2008 is approximately in line with that policy.
A substantial balance is now held on the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund but it is anticipated that a large proportion of this balance will be expended in 2009 on the proposed vestry extension. The PCC will endeavour to maintain substantial reserves on that Fund to meet the ongoing costs of maintaining, and wherever possible enhancing the facilities of, the Grade I Listed Church and of the Chapel of Ease in Westhumble. It is our policy to invest the fund balances on the Restoration and Repairs/Buildings Fund with CBF Church of England Deposit Fund.
Approved by the PCC at a meeting on 9 March 2009
Signed by the Reverend D.A. Ireland (Chairman)