st berteline’s and st christopher’s church, norton berteline’s and st christopher’s church,...

St Berteline’s and St Christopher’s Church, Norton of 14

St Berteline’s and St Christopher’s Church, Norton

Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended

March 2013

Administrative Information

The Church of St. Berteline and St. Christopher is located in the parish of Norton,

Runcorn, Cheshire. It is part of the Diocese of Chester within the Church of England.

The correspondence address is The Vicarage, Norton Hill, Windmill Hill, Runcorn,

Cheshire, WA7 6QE.

Priest in charge:

Rev Canon John Beaney (Chair)

Reader

Church Wardens:

Mr Mark Slater

Mr Kevin Read

Elected PCC Members:

Mr Ian Feeney (Treasurer and Planned Giving Officer)

Mr Steven Yensen (Secretary)

Mr Phil Worrall

Mr Steve Castling

Mrs Maureen Hazelwood

Mr Steve Miller

Mrs Mary Hill

Mrs Lorraine Gerraghty

Mrs Kathryn Dean

Deanery Synod Representatives:

Mr David Young

Mrs Nikki Morris

This year has seen the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meet on nine occasions.

During the year the PCC has ensured the updating and management of the Child

Protection Policy as well as authorising the addition of several parishioners to support

our youth group and junior church after a period of probation.

The PCC oversaw the spending of the £3666 tithe to support several good causes both

local and international. The PCC has also supported the food bank that has been set up

at our church.

Throughout the year the PCC has been discussing the repair and upgrading of our

church, this has led to the proposals for the heating system, kitchen and also the toilet

areas to be upgraded. This work will also look to improve the signage around and

leading to the church. Grants have been awarded to help support this expenditure.

Reverend Canon John Beeney has been representing the PCC’s interest in the “Big

Local Lottery reference group” this is a lottery funded improvement grant for the

Windmill Hill area.

Annual Report of the PCC for the Year Ended March 2013 Rev Ver.01


The PCC has updated its Growth Action Plan for the coming year, Bishop Keith has

seen the plan and commented on the detailed work that has gone into it.

The Diocesan Director of Human Resources wrote to the PCC to explain that the

Bishop has decided to renew the suspension of the patron’s right to the benefice of St

Berteline and St Christopher. This means we will be continue to be served by a priest

in charge rather than a Vicar. The secretary wrote a response to outline the views of

the PCC in accepting this suspension.

The church website has been re launched and now reflects all of our on-going

activities. This has been led by the PCC appointed communications team and is part

of the on-going plans to improve the communication and between the church and its

congregation.

The PCC has also seen regular updates from Churches Together in Runcorn, Diocese

of Chester ( Synod ), Deanery Synod and financial reports.

NORTON CHURCH VISION 2011

“Growth through Spirit-led fellowship and outreach”

Growth

Growing in our knowledge and love of God through a personal relationship

with Him—nourished by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word

Fellowship

Welcoming all into a church where everyone can be involved and is cared for,

through a fellowship where each knows and loves each other

Outreach

Reaching out through God to support, and be embraced, by the community

Objectives and activities

The strap line of our mission at St Berteline’s is:

To know Christ and make him known.

with:

To be an example of God’s love.

St. Berteline’s has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent in promoting

in the Ecumenical Vision , the whole mission of the church; pastoral, evangelistic,

social and ecumenical. The latter is conducted through our link with Murdishaw

Church, a Methodist church located at the southern end of the parish, also our

involvement in Churches Together in Runcorn. The new Statement of Ecumenical

Vision for working with Murdishaw Church, agreed by our P.C.C. in 2010 to replace

the L.E.P. Constitution, has yet to be implemented and accepted by both

congregations.

The Benefice of St Berteline and St Christopher, Norton was suspended for a further

period of 5 years from January 2013.



Review Of The Year

INCUMBENT’S REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING APRIL 2013

Five Full Years

It is amazing to realise that Jenny and I will have been in Runcorn 5 years this

summer, moving in during August and me being Licensed in September 2008. The

time has gone by very quickly, and this is probably a good opportunity to review the

whole period as well as the last 12 months.

Looking at the parish profile and early reports and records I am reminded that there

were a number of things considered as priorities for attention. These seem to be the top

5: 1. Pressure on services (space in church)

2. Finances

3. Youth

4. Ecumenical partnership tensions

5. Mission

We no longer have the same pressure on our services, particularly on the 3rd

Sunday of

the month. The provision of the Café Church and Junior Church taking 3 year olds

have helped enormously but the Family Service is no longer so popular with our

children either (they seem to prefer what is provided at Junior Church although my

impression is parents’ prefer that too). We now have a small group meeting at the same

time as Junior Church for the 11-14s although small and irregular attendance are a

problem for the leaders and threaten its viability.

Our finances are ordered much better now (fully recorded and inspected) but the

overall situation is still a major concern and we continue to rely on the goodwill and

generosity of the Diocese. The significant increase in payment of our Parish Share in

2012 was partly due to an encouraging increase in giving and partly to using some of

our reserves. However the giving has not continued to increase and we have used all

available reserves, and our Parish Share contribution has fallen back again, and the

prospect of paying a full share still seems a distant hope.

Over the past 5 years our relationship with Murdishaw Church has changed although

hopefully our personal relationships with people there have remained strong. We no

longer are a legally constituted Ecumenical Partnership but continue to share worship

and fellowship and work together whenever possible.

I guess most of our time , energy and resources are taken up with putting and keeping

our own house in order, and you will see from all our reports that Jesus’ “great

commission” to go and make disciples is still a long way from being our no. 1 priority.

The year in brief

We continue to have a great number of Baptism enquiries (many it seems because the

friends and other family members attending Baptisms are impressed and then contact

us themselves). It is a great joy that quite a number we see for Baptism become regular

members.

We also had another 8 people Confirmed by Bishop Peter at our annual service in July

2012 during a memorable service which was well attended and Bishop Peter said he

particularly enjoyed.



We do not have many funerals here, in church or at the crematorium, for a variety of

reasons. This is of course a happy thing but in other parishes it is a major opportunity

for outreach and care in the community (as well as bringing in a regular income)

One of the reasons is our modern and small building, and this also affects our

marriages – only one last year, and one booked for this year so far. Marriage is a

central part of our Christian witness (the Bible tells us it is a model for understanding

of God’s relationship with us) and is especially important when family life is under so

much pressure and attack today.

It is good to know that there are two groups meeting week by week for fellowship,

prayer and worship, and to study God’s word. This depth of sharing together in a small

group and with God is essential to healthy Christian growth. It really should be part of

all our lives as it provides so much loving support and encouragement.

Our Gap targets this year are very practical and obtainable and focus very much on

refurbishing our building and improving it to be ready for worship and witness. There

will be much more said about our “Building Project” and it will no doubt stretch us but

if we all work together and bear the cost we shall know God’s blessing and provision,

and be ready for the next stage.

Conquering the Land

We took as our verse for the year Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be

afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you

go.” Words given to Joshua and the people as they prepared to cross the River Jordan

and possess the Promised Land, and building God’s kingdom there.

In a sense our building project is the crossing of the River Jordan and we then can

really engage with the mission. Our ecumenical beginnings are being restored and

expanded as we are now finding a unity with other fellowships across the town in

worship and witness. There is a blessing being experienced which none of the

congregations have found on their own. We have been so encouraged by sharing in a

large number of joint events – the National Day of Prayer at Wembley, our joint

Advent Service, special services for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and Good

Friday, and especially working together on the Foodbank Project.

And now Churches Together in Runcorn are making plans for a major town wide

mission early in 2014, led by Bishop Keith, and with the help of other talented

evangelists. There is an increasing expectation as we sense God’s leading and discover

his provision. It will be a big and costly commitment but will enable us all to join

together in making the “Great Commission” a reality. We believe God has been

preparing us for such a time as this.

This is the time

This is the time for Norton (and Runcorn). We need to make the church ready. We

need to be ready ourselves. We have God’s assurance that he will be with us and we

will see exciting growth.

This is just what we need. Will you prayerfully commit yourselves to this year of

mission and discover just how God will show his presence and power among us? We

need to really get down to praying together about this. We must be prepared to give

(time, talents, money). God honours those who honour him. Together let us go forward

and seek his blessing in building his kingdom here .



The Congregation

ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT – APRIL 2012

The Electoral Roll revision for 2013 has now been completed. This was the 6 Year

review were we have to revise the Roll completely from scratch.

The New Roll for April 2013 is 65 names.

The average Sunday attendance, counted during October 2012, was 72. This number

has dropped slightly from that of Sunday attendance of 82 for October 2011.

The Work Of The PCC

The PCC as previously state met 9 times in 2012/13 to discuss its continuing

responsibilities for running of the church. Among the major items discussed were:

The Giving Initiative ( Continuation From Previous Year )

Café Church

Collections and Offerings

Worship and Children

Back to Church Sunday

Deputy Wardens

GAP Plan

These meeting were attended by various members of the PCC who took an active part

in the development of the 5 Year Plan.

GAP and MDF summary for use in Final Annual Church Report

During the last year we have reviewed our current GAP plan and compiled an updated

submission for GAP 3. The items for consideration were;

Provide a “Start” course aimed at residents of the Windmill Hill Community

Improve awareness of location of Church with appropriate signage

Provide a Community notice board for use by everyone to advertise events and

activities taking place

Provide better kitchen/catering facilities to allow and encourage social

gatherings in church

Improve our welcome to new comers and existing congregation

We have established an action plan and master schedule covering the above items and

track the progress at each of the PCC Monthly meetings.



We also submitted an application to the Diocese Mission Development Fund (MDF)

requesting funding for the following;

Provide the materials for the above detailed “Start” course aimed at residents

of the Windmill Hill Community

Cover the cost of two signs to improve the awareness of location of the

Church

Provide a Community notice board

Increase parking capacity to cater for current and increased congregation

Improve the fabric of the building to make some aspects of it not only safe but

also more welcoming e.g. entrance lobby floor, safety exit lighting

We were successful in securing funding to the value of £1332 to cover the cost of the

first three items on the above list and are currently in the process of implementing

these actions.

In addition to the above we received a grant through the Archdeacon to pay for a full

refurbishment of the kitchen facilities of £5,000.

Fellowship

The Music Group is growing and meets on a Monday night to practice and improve

the music in Church. This is a lively group which provides opportunity for fellowship

as well as helping lead our services. The music group’s efforts enhance the quality of

our services and we are grateful to all those who participate.

Following on from our very successful Alpha Groups we now have two

fellowship/study/prayer groups meeting most weeks.

We are constantly looking for new members of the congregation to get involved in the

running of the Church and helping out with various activities.

It is good to see new members are feeling welcomed in to our congregation and very

quickly feel at home with us.



Financial Review

Income and Expenditure for the year

Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds were £37,815 and are detailed in the

financial statements.

£24,145 was spent to provide the Christian ministry from St Bertelines and St

Christopher' Church, including the contribution of £15,000 to the diocesan parish

share for the year of £37,895. The 2012 shortfall in parish share of £22, 174 together

with the shortfall brought forward from previous years (£75,101) brings the total

parish share shortfall to £97,275.The parish share largely provides the stipends and

housing for the clergy.

There is a marked increase in the end of year balance for 2012 over 2011 because we

the top up for to the parish share did not clear the accounts in time and the £5000

kitchen grant has been carried forward. The reserves in the Lloyds account should

cover any unforeseeable events.

Donations to charities, including the 2012 tithe, amounted to £4048, a significant

increase on 2011 and accounted for by the increase in tithe as well as Childrens

Society giving. The following organizations benefited from the tithe giving :- Urban

Saints, Altrincham Puppet Ministry, Widnes and Runcorn Cancer Group, Christians

of Libya in need, British Legion, River of Life, Halton Haven, British Heart

Foundation and the Food Bank.

The Church continues to benefit from the talents/giving initiative of 2011, however

there were no large gifts this and as a result there was a net decrease in giving w.r.t

parish share compared to 2011.

The PCC would like to thank the congregation of the Church for their ongoing

support.

Repairs to fabric of the Church are becoming an issue and the Church wardens have

started to arrange for repairs following the quinquinennial check. The monies in the

CBF account (£8000) were released by the PCC during 2009.

There was an expectation that ~£2000 allocated in late 2011 would be spent in the 1st

1/4 of 2012, this did not materilase and all building work, inc the expenditure of the

£5000 kitchen grant & £8000 CBF fund, will now occur during 2013.

Repairs to fabric of the Church are becoming an issue and the Church wardens have

started to arrange for repairs following the quinquinennial check. The monies in the

CBF account (£8000) were released by the PCC during 2009.

There was an expectation that ~£2000 allocated in late 2011 would be spent in the 1st

1/4 of 2012, this did not materilase and all building work, inc the expenditure of the

£5000 kitchen grant & £8000 CBF fund, will now occur during 2013.

The net result for the year was excess of receipts over payments of of £9,623. Adding

bank and deposit balances brought forward at the beginning of the year, the balance

carried forward at 31 December 2012 for all funds totaled £23,607.



Reserves Policy

The balance of £8,000, held with CBF Church of England Deposit Fund prior to 2010

was earmarked for future alterations to the church. This was released by the PCC

during 2009 so that it can be used for repair to the current fabric of the Church.

The balance of £3,080, held with Lloyds bank are held in reserve to cover emergency

situations that may arise from time to time.

It is our policy to invest our funds balances with CBF Church of England Deposit

Fund.

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT



REPORT OF THE CHURCH WARDENS (includingFabric Goods And Ornaments)

The Wardens are pleased to report that during the past twelve months no faculties

have been requested or granted.

There are no significant changes to the Terrier and inventory log following the recent

physical verification of the inventory.

The last quinquennial inspection was undertaken in September 2011. A copy of the

quinquennial report is kept in the safe. Some of the recommendations have been

completed but we still have some to be acted upon but the fabric of the building is

generally in good condition.

Some concerns which were raise at the Archdeacon’s Visitation in May 2012 were :-

The size of the parish and our limited resources to minister to such a large and diverse

population.

As part of that, Windmill Hill where the church is situated, has the worst social

deprivation statistics for the whole of Halton Borough which itself scores highly in the

national statistics of deprivation and social concerns.

It would appear the demographic of our congregation is beginning to change and the

range of members widening with others than those with young families joining, and

more from the less well off parts of the parish.

Our parish share is set on the 85% level which on current levels of giving (albeit

substantially improved) severely limits our ministry and mission because this annual

figure and the substantial arrears mean we don’t have money to do things with, and

the pressure to become financially self sufficient constantly distracts from our

outreach.

Following on from our issues raised with at the Archdeacon’s Visitation , a visit took

place and we had the opportunity to express our concerns with him.

This meeting was attended by John , Mark and Kevin. It was a very productive

discussion involving the continued support and additional guidance from the Diocese

in our efforts to grow the Church within the community.

Also dialogue took place in regards to the letter received from The Bishop to renew

the suspension of the patron’s right to the benefice of St Berteline and St Christopher.

The Archdeacon expressed his and The Bishop’s continued support in our endeavours

and understandings of our concerns. They both could see the efforts and

improvements that were continuing within the congregation. He also pledged his

support for our on-going work.

At this meeting we also outline our desire to make some improvements around the

Church in line with recommendations from the Quinquennial Report. Along with the

need to adapt the kitchen in line with requirements for the Food Bank.



The main changes will take place within the entrance hall area as you enter into the

Church , with the addition of a disabled toilet incorporated within the existing ladies

toilets.

The current 1983 boiler to be replaced with a more efficient combination boiler thus

doing away with the need to heat a tank full of hot water every time the Church is

used and reverting over to a supply on demand system. The running of the system will

be more cost effective as it will incorporate a digital ignition meaning that a pilot light

does not have to burn continuously.

The kitchen will have new cabinets and include food preparation area with separate

sinks for food preparation and hand washing.

New lighting to be installed in the Church along with general decoration and clean-up

of existing paint work.

The changes will need a full faculty from the Diocese before we can action any work ,

this currently is in progress to be completed by the end of May.

On the 25th

April 2013 we had the Archdeacon’s Inspection.

The Archdeacon was happy with all the necessary items that he was looking for and

made 3 recommendation to be considered going forward :-

1) We revise the Church Log Book to the new standard as issued by Church

House publications. This is a more user friendly loose leaf folder instead of a

book.

2) Church Insurance could be cheaper if we explore the possibilities of

committing to one agency for a 5 year period. We should also have a Liability

Policy displayed in Church.

3) We need to review our Health & Safety Policy and appoint an person to advise

on safety issues. This is already a discussion point for the PCC which they

have been deliberating.

.



PROPOSED CHANGES TO ENTERANCE HALL



Appendix 2 – Frodsham Deanery Synod Report April 2013

For the past year Norton Parish had two representatives on Deanery Synod: Nikki

Morris and David Young. Nikki has now sadly moved to New Zealand and hence

resigned her post, leaving a vacancy to be filled at the church annual meeting.

The “formal” purpose of synod is to play its part in the government of the Church of

England locally. However there is very little business referred to us and so the main

item of each meeting is a speaker. All the events are ‘open’ meetings and we

welcome all church members to attend. The Deanery does not incur much in the way

of expenses, and this year again the parishes were not asked for any contributions.

We held three meetings this last year. Jane Knight, Head of Counselling Services

for the Diocese of Chester, spoke in March on the subject of mental health issues

within the church. She challenged us about our own church’s response to the “1 in 4”

sufferers of poor mental health.

In July we travelled outside the deanery boundary to the Cygnet Group office and

factory in Northwich. Matthew Kimpton-Smith is a member of Kingsley church; and

he showed us round his company premises, and spoke on the subject “People of

influence – being a Christian at work”. He testified to God’s faithfulness as he has

built up the family business into a thriving multi-national company.

Finally we visited Christ Church Castlefields in November, where Captain Rob

Barker of the Church Army spoke about the youth work he undertakes in the diocese

– especially at Ellesmere Port and Warrington.

At each meeting we hear news from a couple of parishes, and pray for them together.

Using their notes we are urged to continue to pray for their churches until our next

meeting.

Our times together are really encouraging and a means of supporting each other. Do

come!

Appendix 3 – St Berteline's C of E (Aided) Primary School Report

There continues to be strong links between the school and the church. John Beaney

and his wife Jenny are valued members of the school community and continue to

contribute significantly to school life. Their regular attendance at family worship on a

Tuesday morning is always welcomed.

The ‘Café Church’ Sunday Service continues to be a great success. Attendance is

between 20 to 30 people. The ‘family friendly’ nature of this service appeals, very

much, to our young families.

Church and school continue to jointly support a number of charities. The ‘River of

Life’ charity remains a priority. In September, we joined forces to collect products

for our local food bank. For Lent we focused on raising money for the River of Life

‘Plus One’ Appeal.



In addition to our joint fundraising the school has supported many other charities

including:-

Halton Haven

The Poppy Appeal

Operation Christmas Child

Bethesda Chapel

Alder Hey Oncology Unit

Christian Aid

Our commitment to supporting Fair-trade continues and is very well embedded in the

culture of the school. We run a weekly Fair-trade Tuck Shop and this year we had a

Fair-trade Tea Party for our Grandparents which was an immense success. Such

events are very much seen as the links which encourage family involvement in the life

of St Bert’s.

St Berteline’s continues to be a popular choice for families. As far as new

applications are concerned, we continue to attract growing numbers, many of whom

apply using the Church criteria for entry. This year there were 81 applications for 44

places. 6 of these places were allocated using the Church criteria. Many of the

sibling applications also depended on Church criteria in the first instance, ie for their

older brother/s or sister/s.

We are very fortunate in that our families have the choice of two Church schools at

the High School stage. Bishops’ High School in Chester and St Chad’s Joint Faith

High School both attract a significant proportion of our Year 6 children. We continue

to foster links with both our Church schools and visitors from both schools lead our

Family Worship on a regular basis. We would like to remind Church Members that

they are more than welcome to join us in worship on a Tuesday morning.

At the end of each term all the children go the St Berteline’s Church for a special

service. Unfortunately, weather has hampered our efforts on a couple of occasions,

although our Easter Celebration was able to take place. In addition, several classes

have visited the Church or else had John talk to them, about his work, in class.

We are very fortunate as a Church school to be linked to such a supportive Church.

We would like to thank St Berteline’s Church for all their thoughts and prayers over

the past year and look forward to continuing our partnership in serving the families in

our care.

Appendix 4 – The 4Th

Runcorn Boy’s Brigade & Girl’s Association Report

To Be Add

____________________________________________

st berteline’s and st christopher’s church, norton berteline’s and st christopher’s church,...

Documents