Home > Annual report for 2021

Church documents

 

 

 

The Diocese

Of

St Edmundsbury and Ipswich

 

 

Annual Report & Financial Statements

Of the

Parochial Church Council

Of St Andrew’s Church, Marlesford, Suffolk

 

For the year ended 31st December 2021

 

Prepared under the Receipts and Payments Accounting Basis

 

 

 

 

 

General information

Church Address:                                                                               St Andrew’s Church

                                                                                                                Church Road

                                                                                                                Marlesford        

                                                                                                                Suffolk IP13 0AT

 

Priest in charge                                                                

                                                                                                                The Reverend Canon Graham Hedger

                                                                                                                14, St Peter’s Close

                                                                                                                Charsfield

                                                                                                                Woodbridge

                                                                                                                IP13 7RG

                                                                                                                01473 737280  / 07388117656

 

Bankers:                                                                                              Church of England Deposit Fund

                                                                                                                St Alphage House

                                                                                                                2 Fore Street

                                                                                                                London EC2Y 5AQ

 

                                                                                                                CAF Bank Ltd

                                                                                                                King’s Hill

                                                                                                                West Malling

                                                                                                                Kent ME19 4TA

 

Examiner:                                                                                            Mrs Carol Parry

Church Membership and service numbers     

Electoral Roll (Resident):                                                                              22

There were 19 Sunday parish services this year.                                                 

Average adult attendance:                                                                           16                                                                                          

Average fortnightly young persons’ attendance:                                   0          

Average adult communicants:                                                                    14                                                                                          

Average monthly young person’s communicants:                                0

There was one  Benefice Communion, whose numbers  have not been calculated in.

The Christmas Eve carol service                                                                  51

 

  36 Wednesday Compline services with average attendance        3-4

 

Aims and Objectives

 

This has been a second challenging year because of the Covid-19 virus.

 

From January till the end of March we had no services apart from those on Zoom.  Then from April to the end of June there was a Holy Communion service for the Benefice each Sunday in each parish in turn. After July we returned to the previous pattern of a Benefice Holy Communion on the first and fifth Sundays, with Evening Prayers on the second Sunday and Holy Communion on the third. The Revd Graham Hedger and the Revd Deirdre Parmenter led our services.  It was our objective to provide as much as possible a continuity of worship in our community.

 

 

Membership of the Parochial Church Council

 

We held our APCM for 2021 on 24th April, the first possible date, spaced out as much as possible in church.

 

Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representative Rules. 

 

Priest in Charge:                               The Revd Canon Graham Hedger

 

Churchwardens:                               Lord Marlesford

                                                                Mrs Nancy Waterfall

 

Deanery Synod

Representative:                               Mrs Nancy Waterfall

 

Elected Members:                           Mrs Jackie Cousins (Secretary)

                                                                Mrs Carol Cooke  (Treasurer)

                                                                Mrs Brenda Lavender    

                                                                Mr Roger Waterfall

Mrs Julie Barham

Mr Andy Cousins

Mr Andrew Quartermain

 

Standing

Committee:                                       Priest in Charge, two churchwardens, treasurer and secretary.

 

After the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in April we commemorated his life in the church porch as we were unable to use the church to do so.

 

 

Overall Review of the year

  • We thank all those who willingly read the Bible passages during our services throughout the year.
  • The annual accounts were ratified by email by email prior to the APCM by prior PCC agreement
  • The PCC met once on September 25th, owing to continued Government regulations. 
  • We worked towards fulfilling our financial commitment to paying our entire Share for 2021.
  • Outreach in the community continued to be the focus of our parochial work.

 

Church Services and Mission

 

Once we had returned to worshipping in church, we recognised the need for distance and used our pews accordingly.  

 

  • After July 1st our usual pattern was changed so we had a Eucharist service on the third Sunday in the month and Evening prayers on the second Sunday.
  • During the most stringent lockdown regulations from 2020, two of us who had been in a “Bubble” met to say Compline, and after we were able to use St Andrew’s again continued to meet there. It was opened up so that everyone could join in and was held every Wednesday. Compline was said in its traditional form using our south aisle altar.
  • During Holy week, we held   a benefice Compline on 31st March
  • July 25th saw the Chalkwell Bay Sea Scouts with us for their biennial camp at Marlesford.  We held a special service in which the scouts took part.
  • Our Harvest service on September 26th celebrated the season and it was so good to see the church decorated with the fruit and flowers that typify it.   
  • On November 14th we held our Remembrance service. Our two perspex “here but not here” silhouettes continue to be a  poignant reminder of the six men Marlesford lost.  
  • Our Carols on Christmas Eve service involving two young musicians continued to be very popular and was well attended . The church was decorated and looked lovely
  • We are very grateful to our organist Andrew Quartermain
  • We had a funeral on 17th February, a marriage on August 21st and a Baptism on November 21st

 

Community Initiatives

 

  • The monthly cake stall in church resumed in 17th July. Prior to that we had continued the order and home delivery service we offered in the lockdown in 2020. In August and September the cake sales were augmented by a plant sale, run by Lesley Bensley, for which we thank her.
  • Our monthly Soup and Scone Lunch in the Community Centre started again in November.
  • At the September PCC meeting we began to consider how to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and we agreed to hold a parish meeting on November 27th to gauge the opinions of the village.
  •  

Maintaining our church and churchyard.

  • The PCC is grateful to Susan Wilson for organising the flower rota and thank the flower arrangers for their contribution.
  • We thank Richard Cooper and Susan Wilson for their continuing churchyard maintenance overview.  They organised 2 working parties which were well supported with an expanding group of workers.

For at least the last two years, they have vigorously cut the nettles to the north of the church. Progress is being made and the former tangle of Urticaceae is beginning to give way to a grass sward which will be much better for wildflowers. All the material cut in the churchyard in 2020 and 2021 has been used in the creation of various habitat piles which should encourage small mammals (including hedgehogs), amphibians and reptile to use them as hibernacula. Seed has been harvested from the rare Meadow Saxifrage growing on the south side of the path. It has successfully germinated and will be planted and encouraged to spread in other areas of the churchyard.

  •  Jason Catling and Ray Howard continued to strim when it becomes necessary, and we thank them for their work
  • No further essential maintenance needs have been identified.

 

Policies

 

  • There is currently a vacancy for the Safeguarding Officer for the seven parishes.  The policy is on the notice-board in the porch.  PCC members have been requested to complete their training, as the basic training has been extended.  The Diocesan Safeguarding Policy was reaffirmed at the APCM.

 

Deanery Synod

 

  • There was one meeting at Debenham when Archdeacon Sally Glaze gave a presentation about her work in rural communities with an emphasis on farming .  

 

Finance and Fundraising

 

  • Parish share – we were pleased that we were able to exceed the amount of our allocated share and contribute £9,000
  • The ease with which the Gift Aid on the PGS regular giving is received makes the treasurer’s task more straightforward.  We continued to receive Gift Aid via the PGS and the sum for 2020 has not yet been received, though applied for.
  • The monthly cake sales raised £1,162 during the year. 
  • On July 10th and October 31st we had very successful concerts in church, organised through the generous offices of Andrew Quartermain, our organist.   Andrew accompanied Dominic Moore, violin, and  the concerts raised £335.00. We thank Andrew and Dominic very much.
  • The Christmas raffle and auction, a new initiative, raised £384.00.  We thank Julie Barham for all her hard work and also those who generously gave prizes.

 

 

Financial report

Appended separately (Carol to provide)

 

 

Priest in Charge APCM report for the year 2021

 

I do sometimes wonder what people in a hundred years time will make of these momentous years.  Covid has caused so many individuals and organisations to rethink what we do and how.   Last year I quoted from Psalm 137:4 ‘How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land?’  These words continue to be relevant as we move forward.   This report, looking back over the last year is also coloured by the fact that it will be my last as priest in charge, having announced that I will retire on 30th April.

 

Services

Returning to church and ‘in person’ worship has been a welcome change.  Being able to sing has helped.  In common with many churches, we notice that our numbers are down as some are reluctant to mingle too freely.  I am therefore very grateful to Bill Clark for continuing to host the Zoom service and for members of the ministry team in leading them.  It is a real blessing to share ministry with Canon Deirdre Parmenter and the elders within the ministry team.  In the New Testament ministry is normally exercised in partnership with others and I thank all of the ministry team for their hard work.  Also, the number of people who play the organ and sing in the benefice choir, all of which enables us to have a range of services throughout the benefice.

 

Mission and ministry

A former Dean of St Edmundsbury, Neil Collings, used to remark in meetings that ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.’  Over the past two years it has seemed a bit like that.  Yet it has been amazing how we have been able to continue to develop many of our aims under our Growing in God strategy.  We have had to put some things on hold but others have flourished.  For me two highlights of the year have been things we were able to do in partnership with the Mid Loes benefice.  Throughout the summer we were able to host in Easton a monthly Taize service led by the Revd Wendy Gourley.  Then in August  we hosted at Brandeston the holiday club for  primary aged children.  It was a fantastic event and it was good to be holding the club again after a covid imposed break.

 

Finance

The diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich is a modern diocese, created in 1914.  As such we have very little  ‘free reserve’, which means that the Diocesan Board of Finance cannot subsidise ministry in the parishes.  We are therefore very reliant upon the  generous gifts of individuals and the fundraising efforts of each parish.  It is noticeable that where churches have electronic giving via the Parish Giving Scheme or standing orders that their finances are much more healthy.  A big thank you to all who have continued to give towards the work of the church and to all who contribute in any way.  The parish contributed  £9,000 in Parish Share and as  a benefice were able to contribute £52,542  Parish Share.  Well done and thank you.  A special thank you to all those who in imaginative ways enabled fundraising to continue.

 

Thank you

Every annual report quite rightly records thanks to many people.  My thanks goes to the Elders, Canon Deirdre Parmenter and the Archdeacon of Suffolk for their work and support across the benefice.  Pam Bennett-King stood down as Safeguarding Officer in February and we thank her for her work. 

 

In our parish, I would like to give thanks in particular to our wardens Lord Marlesford and Nan Waterfall and to Carol Cooke, who as both treasurer and elder does an immense amount both in the parish and the benefice. Also, to the other members of the PCC who give loyal service to Christ and his church.  The work of Andrew Quartermain as our organist has made an immense difference to the quality of our worship.  We are also grateful to him for the ‘Music in Marlesford’ concerts and to the  wonderful work of the Marlesford Bakers through whose efforts so much money has been raised over many years.  I and indeed all of us are also indebted to the many others who quietly and behind the scenes have done so many things to enable our church buildings to remain open for prayer, to offer support to others in the villages and ensure that the message of God’s love is experienced in our communities.

 

What does the future hold?

Who knows what the future holds?  2022 and beyond will be different.  As a group of churches, we have faced many periods when priests have left and we have waited for a new priest to join us.  These times are not about sitting back and waiting for something to happen.  Rather they are opportunities to be open to the Spirit of God, prompting, challenging, encouraging us to continue to grow in faith and to try new things.  Continue to support one another, to pray and worship together and be open to the God of surprises.  We know that Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end and he will lead us and guide us, therefore we will not be afraid.

 

Rev’d Canon Graham Hedger

Priest in Charge