The church of St Mary the Virgin is situated on the outskirts of Wendover. It is
part of the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. The
correspondence address is Parish Office, 11 High Street, Wendover,
Buckinghamshire, HP22 6DU.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) became a registered charity in August
2009. Its registration number is 1131299.
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin
Wendover,
Buckinghamshire
Annual Report
April 2013 to March 2014
Vicar: Revd Canon Mark Dearnley
34a Dobbins Lane
Wendover
Buckinghamshire
HP22 6DH
Bank: NatWest
22 Market Square
Aylesbury
HP2 01T
LLM’s: Ruth Dearnley
Glenys Newman
Joe Groat
Beryl Pearn
Independent Examiner:
Mr Alex Noall ACMA
4 Walnut Drive
Wendover
HP22 6RT
PCC members who have served from 14th April 2013 to the date of approval of
this report are:
Incumbent:
Curate:
Rev Canon Mark Dearnley (Chairman)
Rev Michael Hunt
Churchwardens:
Bridget Avery
Tony Farmer
Deanery Synod Representatives:
Rosanne Adam
David Prescott (deceased Oct 2013)
Carol Crockett
Christopher Trower (from Nov 2013)
Elected Members:
Ian Sansbury
Mike Greaves
Peter Lockett
Sarah Bishop
Richard Peck
Sian Chattle (co-opted)
Keith Sculz
Joe Groat (LLM rep)
Neville Morton (Treasurer)
Paul Dean (Secretary)
A: Structure, governance and management
The method of appointing PCC members is set out in the Church
Representation Rules. New appointees are given an information pack. The PCC
has passed a resolution by which a proportion of the PCC members will stand
for re-election every three years, limited to a total of six years served. All
Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand
for election to the PCC. This is achieved by notices given out during church
services, articles in the St Mary’s newsletter and notices placed around the
church.
Revd Canon Mark Dearnley is the incumbent and Revd Michael Hunt is the
curate. Mrs Ruth Dearnley, Mrs Glenys Newman, Joe Groat and Beryl Pearn
are licensed to serve in the parish as Licensed Lay Ministers.
The PCC operates by meeting every other month with various sub-committees
meeting and conducting delegated activities and taking delegated
responsibility in between. Methods of reporting back to the PCC range from
the formal pre-distributed reports for discussion at PCC meetings, to informal
verbal reports. The PCC became a registered charity in 2009 and is mindful of
its responsibilities as Trustees. The major risks to which the church is exposed,
as identified by the trustees, have been reviewed annually and systems or
procedures have been established to manage those risks.
B: Objectives and Activities
St Mary’s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Rev
Canon Mark Dearnley, in promoting the whole mission of the Church –
pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance
responsibilities for the church building, St Mary’s Centre and the churchyard at
Church Lane. Since 1992, the PCC has been a party to the Sharing Agreement
of 1986 relating to St Anne’s Church, Aylesbury Road, Wendover. The PCC also
holds a lease over the premises at 11 High Street (@St Marys shop and Parish
Office) which expires in 2014. All of which contribute to our aim to be a church
at the heart of the community. Details of our work is described more fully in
the following reports from committees and other groups who contribute to
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our church community. The PCC depends on many volunteers who give freely of
their time and talents. A major part of its activity is the training and involvement
of an increasing number of volunteers, doing practical projects or duties
alongside others who are further involved as a trustee or a committee member.
The benefits from volunteers work, and our thanks to them, cannot be
overstated, without them the viability of our church would be seriously
affected.
Our grant-making policy is twofold; special appeals which may arise, and giving
at a budgeted annual level, where finances are available, as managed by the
Mission Committee.
Electoral Roll
Our electoral role is managed by Rosanne Adam, our Electoral Roll officer. As
required, the draft new register has been displayed in church for two weeks
prior to the APCM. The number of people on the new roll will be reported at
the APCM on 6th April.
The PCC
The full PCC met six times during the year. Committees met between meetings
and a number reported formally to the PCC.
Church Attendance
We are required by the Diocese to report on the average weekly attendance for
the first four weeks of October. This figure is one of the inputs to our Parish
Share allocation. For this period in 2013 the average weekly attendance was
152 as compared with 138 in 2012 and 147 in 2011. This period includes the
October half term holidays so cannot be taken as a true reflection of ‘average’
church attendance.
Committees
The PCC operates through a number of committees that meet between full
meetings of the PCC:
Standing Committee (Chair: Revd Canon Mark Dearnley Tel: 623123) It is
responsible for transacting the business of the PCC between its meetings,
subject to any directions given by the PCC.
The committee met six times between the Annual Meetings of 2013 and 2014
and has reported formally to each PCC meeting.
Churchyard Care Committee (Chair: Revd Canon Mark Dearnley Tel: 623123) It
operates under an agreement with the Parish Council and oversees the care
and maintenance of the Churchyard, which is the burial ground for Wendover.
The better weather last summer enabled our own volunteer team to get on
top of the more complicated grass cutting around graves.
The White Swan volunteers have maintained order in the Victorian section,
and our contractors have reshaped the decorative yews and cut the main
grassed areas. The main path yews have also been thinned.
Some winter storm tree falls have been cleared away, and much briar and
elder along Church Lane has been removed.
The burial section crossing path has been built, and tidying of the gravestones
continues.
Some more 19thC. grave slabs have been uncovered. We hope to de-moss the
church-yard flank wall this year.
Our volunteer team of Tricia, Delia, Elizabeth, Gisela, Clem and Gilbert meet
every Wednesday morning, to continue mowing, strimming, weeding,
composting, bonfiring and rubbish removal.
More help, even occasional help, is always welcome.
Report by Bryan Reading
Christian Aid Committee (Chair: Ginette Hampton With a committee of five
from the other churches in Wendover.
Mark Thomas resigned from the Committee at the AGM in November. He has
been a very loyal and committed fundraiser for Christian Aid for many years,
an active member of the Wendover Committee for twelve years and
Chairperson for the last three. The Committee will miss Mark's knowledge,
passion and enthusiasm as we try to raise funds for people less fortunate than
ourselves.
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I have taken on the role of Chairperson and Natalie Beach has joined the
Committee, kindly agreeing to act as the Secretary. Muriel Reip and Hilary
Gilbey continue to be active Committee members, along with three members
from the other Wendover churches.
Last year we were not able to organise so many events, as Committee members
found they had less time to give, but we were still able to send over £5000 to
help disadvantaged people. The events were:
Community Lunch £763
House to House Collection £3561
Summer Feasts £900
We are currently preparing for the annual Ploughman's Community Lunch in
May, quickly followed by the House to House Collection later in the month. We
hope to arrange some other fundraising events later in the year.
As always we thank all our supporters for the help given in our fundraising and,
if you would like to be involved in helping those in need, we would welcome any
new members to our committee.
Report by Ginette Hampton
Churches Together in Wendover Committee (Joint Chair: Heather McIntyre and
Revd Canon Mark Dearnley) With representatives from the other Churches in
Wendover, it coordinates and promotes ecumenical relationships, joint work and
worship.
The headlines of 2013 for Churches Together in Wendover were dominated by
significant individuals. It was with shock and sadness that we learned of the
sudden death of Father Timothy Russ who had been part of Churches Together
in Wendover since it began during his 17 years as Parish Priest of Great
Missenden and Wendover.
We were pleased to welcome Father Wayne Coughlin as Parish Priest to St
Anne's Church in October. He is not a total newcomer to Churches Together
events as he joined us for part of Easter, 2013. We look forward to his future
involvement with us here in Wendover.
Once again a Mothering Sunday Workshop was held in St Anne's Hall offering an
enjoyable opportunity for the making of gifts to give thanks for mothers.
We were also saddened to learn of the resignation of Dr Mary Cotes from her
role as Ecumenical Development Officer for Buckinghamshire. We are grateful
to her for her inspiration and for her support of our work together in many
practical ways.
Maundy Thursday saw a development away from the Agape Meals held in
previous years, offering instead an informal celebration of Holy Communion
held in the Christian Centre both at lunch time and in the evening. The response
was poor, though those attending appreciated the reflective readings and time
together. The other Easter celebrations followed their usual pattern and it was
good to welcome Father Wayne Coughlin to join these.
The new year of 2013 arrived with ice and snow causing the first ecumenical
event of the year - the United Service for Christian Unity - to be cancelled. This
was rebooked with Bishop Alan of Buckingham for January, 2014.
During 2013, two new initiatives have been established, namely the Food Bank
and Tea and Chat for the bereaved. When the Food Bank for Wendover was
launched towards the end of 2012, it was not known how much need there
might be in our community. To date, approximately 45 people in Wendover
have received help through the scheme. The second initiative, a monthly Tea
and Chat Group for recently bereaved people is more recent. It is being
organised jointly by St Mary's bereavement team and Churches Together
representatives. As yet the take up has been small but encouraging.
Following the success of the 2012 Lent series on 6 Tuesday evenings, a second
series was designed by the same team from our 3 churches - Mary Sketch from
St Anne's, Gill Osmond from Wendover Free Church, Margaret Heald and Peter
Louis from St Mary's. This was designed to build upon the experiential teaching
on different approaches to prayer and held a rich provision of offerings. These
included opportunities to explore prayer stations, to meditate on the different
faces of Christ depicted in art, to learn about the creating of icons through
iconographer Constantina Wood, Artist in Residence from St Mary's in
Aylesbury, to participate in Taize worship by candlelight, as well as
experiencing prayerful walking on a giant sized labyrinth. The course was
consistently well attended and received good feedback.
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The only significant change to the existing round of joint events was at the
year's Harvest celebration marked on Sunday 22nd September, when Jessica Hall
from Christian Aid was invited to join our services. She preached at St Mary's
9am service and addressed those attending the 10.30 service before relocating
to Wendover Free Church to participate in their 11am service! This was followed
with a Bring and Share Lunch at St Mary's.
Report by Margaret Heald and Gill Osmond
Junior Church Committee (Chairs: Nick and Jo Morley Tel: 623289) Oversees
Junior Church activities and considers arrangements for Family Communion and
special services.
Junior church groups meet on a Sunday morning. Due to lower numbers of
young people and fewer leaders, we have combined the Lagoon (8-11y.o.s) and
Rivers (5-8 y.o.s) groups. This means we have four groups – Springs (0-3), Brooks
(3-5), Rivers/Lagoon (5-11) and the Deep (11-14). Many thanks to those who
lead and help these.
Similarly to last year we continue to have some issues in working with
Wendover House School to find appropriate rooms for us to use each week. We
have now agreed to use a set of rooms in a different building which we hope
will bring more continuity.
Over the last few years we have been encouraging children and adults to
become involved with the residential holidays run by Scripture Union and other
organisations. This year over thirty adults and young people attended four
different holidays – The Maze for 12-15 year olds, Bitesize for 8-10 year olds,
and Saddle Up and It’s Your Move (which run together) for 10-12 year olds.
The children and young people who went all had a great time, and we are
especially grateful to the adults and junior leaders who filled a whole range of
roles and in the process made a real difference to young people’s lives.
Report by Nick and Jo Morley.
Youth Activities Our youth activities outside of Junior Church are overseen by
Matt Ryan and a small group of volunteers.
St Mary’s had two youth groups which try to engage different areas of
development for the young people and help them move from childhood to
adulthood.
At the start of the year Surge met fortnightly on Sunday mornings looking to
grow their faith and build their relationship with God further, and the alternate
Sunday evenings met for an informal, relaxed approach to building
relationships and sharing experiences with one another.
Part of the way through the year it was decided that we would only meet on
Sunday mornings. Surge were involved with activities in Sunday morning
services and a number of our young people attended the Scripture Union
residential holiday called the Maze, from which we explored some of the
material later in the year.
2014 brings great excitement as we are joined by Becky Murgatoyd who is our
new youth worker spending two of her five days working days here in
Wendover, at St Mary’s. This will be a great opportunity for her to help
develop the youth activities further, however, we are extremely short of
volunteers this year. If you are interested in finding out more about what
happens at Surge, please let me know.
Finally I liked to say a big “thank you” to Mark, Paul, Jane, Jared, Saffron and
Alex for all their help this last year!
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Report by Matt Ryan
Amazing Donkey is a youth club for young people between the ages of 10-13
years. The aims of the club are to promote the welfare and quality of life of the
young people of Wendover and surrounding district, regardless of gender, race,
colour, nationality, disability, religion or political creed, to advance education,
and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation or other
leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for
the young people.
The youth club provides a warm and safe place for young people to meet with
their friends and freely participate in a wide range of different activities.
The youth club is an activity of St Mary’s and reports to its PCC. However, it is
run independently of the church - it has its own constitution, committee and
bank account.
We meet for two hours on Friday nights in term time at the Wendover Youth
Centre. We currently work with between thirty and forty young people most
weeks and have had the privilege of working with over three hundred and fifty
since the club’s formation over 8 years ago. It is a project at the heart of the
community, meeting the needs of the young people in it as well as being
supported and resourced by many adults from it.
We run approximately 40 sessions a year and currently have 50+ members. As
well as Paul Hammett, our Youth Worker, we have a team of 12 adult volunteers
(including a number of 18+ youth leaders) plus a number of former members
who now assist as young leaders. During the past year membership and
attendance have increased and the range of activities has been extended.
We work very closely with The Wendover Youth Centre trustees, and are very
excited that this is now “home” for Becky. Both Amazing Donkey and the Youth
Centre have an exciting vision for future growth and it is thrilling that we can
now begin to deliver this for the young people of Wendover.
The involvement of St Mary’s with Amazing Donkey gives confidence to our
members’ parents and underpins our approach to the way the club is run and
how we work with the young people. There are many members of St Mary’s
who help us and while we are very grateful for our dedicated group of adult
and young leaders we always welcome new volunteers.
the appropriate guide and uses it as a reference when working in the church
community.
Please talk to Paul or Chris if you would like to become involved or learn more
about the workings of the club and/or what is happening at the Youth Centre.
All volunteers are DBS checked (formally called CRB) and the appointment
process is regularly re-examined, alongside a central list kept to inform the
officers when training needs to be updated. Currently we check volunteers who
are involved with:
 Children - Junior Church , Youth Groups (Surge & Evening group), Music
group, & Amazing Donkey & Bellringers (when required)
 Adults – Music Group, Bellringing, Choir, Community Transport,
Bereavement Visits, Sages. Clergy, Prayer Ministry, Pastoral Care Team
and Wendover Churches, Lunch club, @stmary’s
Report by Chris Heald and Paul Hammett
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults (Chair: Sian Chattle Tel: 623899)
The committee exists, “as part of the Church’s vision ‘working with children
and young people’, to consider all aspects of the ‘Protecting Children and
Vulnerable Adults in the Diocese of Oxford’ policy to ensure a safe environment
for children and young people in all aspects of St Mary’s work. Within this, it
considers all aspects of disclosure procedures under the Criminal Records
Bureau to ensure safe recruitment of volunteers.”
I took over the role of Safeguarding Officer in September 2012. At St Mary’s we
follow the guidance on Safeguarding issued by Oxford Diocese. Our
Safeguarding Policy, for Children & Vulnerable Adults, was reapproved by the
PCC in November 2013. This policy can be found in the church porch and
centre.
We currently have many volunteers helping lead the various activities for
children and young people. Training of volunteers has been a priority and was
given to all volunteers and paid workers last year who work with both children
and vulnerable adults. This consisted of:


On-line training undertaken in small groups.
Large group training by Buckinghamshire County Council for vulnerable
adults - organised by Margaret Bryant.
This training will be repeated at regular intervals, or when new volunteers join.
What is most important is that all volunteers are aware of ‘Best Practice’. St
Mary’s have adopted two Good Practice Guides – one for children and one for
vulnerable adults. These guides include a Code of Conduct and other relevance
guidance. Every volunteer and paid worker has been given a personal copy of
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If anyone has cause for concern then please contact Sian Chattle - the
Safeguarding Officer.
My thanks go to Julia Fish, Di Groat and Margaret Bryant, who have been a huge
support during the past year. They have all put in a great amount of time and
effort to help bring St Mary’s Safeguarding up to date.
Report by Sian Chattle
@stmarys Management Committee (Chair: Kyla Sansbury Tel: 620023) It
oversees the functions and working practices of the Parish Office and the shop.
2013 has been a successful year for the shop with sales up by 4% on 2012 and
Christmas sales up 7% on last year. With more Christmas trade than ever
switching to online retailers this is encouraging news. This is a testament to our
eye catching window displays, increased advertising and marketing efforts and
our continued attempts to diversify our product ranges. The shop raised £2,000
through ticket and raffle sales in 2012; the majority benefitting the church along
with the Youth Centre, RAF charities and the Rotary club’s chosen charities.
@stmarys paid Wendover PCC £9,000 during 2013 to cover running costs and as
at 31 December 2013 owed £7,037 for 2013 costs and £4,000 for prior year
costs, the majority of these balances will be paid during 2014. The year saw
several changes in staff as we said thank you and goodbye to Veronica Lockett
in the church office and Candy Lamond as manager of the shop and we wish
Amanda Ryan and Kyla Sansbury good luck as they take on these roles. The
shop also saw many of the volunteers assuming more responsibility for
purchasing, volunteer welfare, window dressing and the shop finances. The
management committee thanks all the volunteers for their unfailing support.
We look forward with interest to the decisions surrounding the renewal of the
lease of 11 High Street in October and the new opportunities that will bring.
Report by Kyla Sansbury
The Personnel Committee meet with staff on an annual basis and ensure that
policies relevant to employment law are updated.
Mission Committee: The committee aims to raise the profile of mission at St
Mary’s by expanding the Church’s support of mission, increasing its awareness
of the needs of the world, developing links with a number of initiatives and
committing to support these regularly.
Ministry Team
It has been a relatively quiet year for the Mission Committee but during the
year donations of £1300 each were made to CMS, Stop the Traffik, and Helen
and Douglas House, £600 to Lindengate and £500 to Padstones. St Mary’s also
continued its strong support for Christian Aid. The Mission Committee is
refocusing its efforts in 2014 and has a lot of ideas about how St Marys can
support the Church’s global mission. However, it also recognises that in order
to make those ideas a practical reality in the face of our financial challenges,
we will need to work hard to encourage giving (both directly to our chosen
charities and through St Mary’s).
We meet about once a month in order to review matters to do with the
development of ministry and outreach of St Mary’s and St Michael’s and to
support one another and those involved in ministry.
Report by Ian Sansbury
Report by Bridget Avery
C: Other Church Activities
The Ministry Team is Rev Canon Mark Dearnley, Rev Canon Peter Louis, Glenys
Newman, Rev Michael Hunt, and Joe Groat.
This year we have added an extra layer in the form of a ‘leadership team’. This
consists of those who have particular responsibility for leading areas of church
life such as the shop, communication, youth and children, etc. This group along
with the ministry team have been part of the means by which our church vision
and activities are planned, shaped and reviewed. (Copies of the vision
document available on request)
Personally speaking I’m very grateful for the ongoing support given by others
who share in ministry at St Mary’s and St Michael’s.
Report by Revd Canon Mark Dearnley
Personnel Committee: (Chair: Bridget Avery Tel: 625458) Ensures the PCC
properly executes its responsibilities under Employment Law.
St Mary’s @ Work
Thanks to Amanda who is employed to manage the office and a wide range of
administrative tasks very calmly and competently.
We welcome Becky our Youth Worker, who is employed by the PCC, working
2/3 for the Youth Centre and 1/3 for St Mary's. We have a formal agreement
with the Youth Centre for reimbursement.
St Marys @Work came together in 2010 as a group who wanted to explore
specific challenges for Christians in today’s workplace. Our debates have been
scripturally-based, engaging, hilarious at times and generally very practical. We
typically meet at Matt Ryan’s office (32 High Street) on a Wednesday evening
(7.30 for 8pm) and there is always some wine, cheese and other nibbles to help
things along.
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Our latest term explored the theme “Distinctively Christian at Work”,
discussing how we might be more distinctively Christian in our strategy,
leadership and business communication. We also continued to examine
opportunities to create a social enterprise that could operate within our
community. A social enterprise is a commercial business venture with a social
purpose and benefit. Our hope was that we could find an “engine” that might
deliver some social good at the same time as generating some profit to invest
elsewhere in the community. Over the course of the last year or so, we have
been involved in four main areas of activity:
We examined the opportunity to launch a green energy company, either to
procure cheap green power for Wendover under a collective buying scheme or
to leverage the government’s Green Deal for households (in which energy
efficiency measures would be financed by lower fuel tariffs from suppliers). In
the end, we decided that both were too risky and capital-intensive.
We have engaged with pupils at the John Colet School to run a Dragon’s
Den competition to find young entrepreneurs looking for investment and
business support. We are excited to have found our first mentee, who has
already launched (and wants to grow) his own online stationery business.
The Dragons have provided both advice and capital to help him grow his
business.
We have also worked with Lindengate, the new Wendover-based charity,
to provide advice and support.
Most recently, we have been examining the opportunity to launch a credit
union (or something similar) that can operate in the Wendover area. That idea
is still under review.
Report by Ian Sansbury
Publicity –A new leaflet setting out the approach to pastoral care along with
contact details of who to approach for different areas of pastoral care has been
widely distributed both within the church family and the wider Wendover
Community. Copies available at the back of church, and used by Church Links,
Home Group Leaders, and Prayer Ministry Team.
The Welcome Area and noticeboard has been re-created, and will provide a
focal point for visitors, newcomers and the Welcome Team.
The Bereavement Team has developed over a number of years, evolving into a
model of good practice e.g. regular team meetings held, attention to ‘matching’
individual’s needs with what a volunteer can offer, followed through with
support for individual bereavement support volunteers. In a new development
Bereavement Teas, are now offered on a regular basis jointly with Churches
Together. This extends support across the community of Wendover, to help
address the social isolation often experienced after bereavement.
Pastoral care visiting across the church membership includes befriending,
neighbourly and informal support. The Pastoral Care Co-ordinating group
supports this where needed so that rotas and coordination of support can be
set up if requested. Links have been made with Amersham hospital to provide a
contact with individuals from the Wendover community returning home after a
period of hospitalisation. Current thinking is about how we might extend
outreach/community visiting to the elderly and housebound.
The introductory Course in Pastoral Care supported 19 volunteers across the
Deanery. This course is recognised by the Diocese of Oxford, meaning that it
meets minimum requirements of training for pastoral volunteers, and provides
locally accessible opportunities for personal development and support. The first
pilot course was over-subscribed. It will therefore be repeated in 2014.
Pastoral Care
Highlights from the first 12 months of the new Coordinating Group set up by
the PCC in 2013 include:
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The Coordinating Group acknowledges the significant voluntary time that
resources all these activities. Special thanks to Mark Thomas who convened the
Prayer Ministry Team (among other things!) for several years, and who handed
this role over to Margaret Heald in 2013.
There is lots of scope to get involved in pastoral care at St Mary’s. We are
currently keen to hear from people who can help manage the Church Links
system, and recruiting for the visiting team.
Report by Margaret Bryant
Pastoral Care Coordinator
Coordinating Group: Tony Farmer (PCC link); Margaret Heald (Prayer); Glenys
Newman (Communion at Home); Sylvia Oram (Visits); Patricia Thomas (Links
and Welcome); Wendy Trower (Bereavement)
SAGES
SAGES is a monthly morning meeting for the Senior Ages, run by Avril Horton,
Veronica Lockett and Eileen Knight. It provides a great opportunity for getting
to know those of a similar age over a cup of coffee or tea, and a cake or two.
Refreshment is followed by a talk or presentation suitable to the age-group
and the meeting usually concludes with a brief thought and prayer. Attended
regularly by 35/40 men and women we have enjoyed many interesting
meetings this last year including: The City of London Livery Company; Johnnies
Travels; The History of St Mary’s Church (given by David Prescott); A Victorian
Love Affair with China; An outing to the Horse Trust at Speen with a tour and
excellent freshly made food; The Forestry Commission; Reflections on a year
in St Mary’s by Michael Hunt; The Four Georges, and a Christmas party with
Brian Freshney providing the music and Don Knight providing the light hearted
readings. We are looking forward to another fulfilling year especially as we
celebrate our tenth anniversary in October.
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Most of the groups meet on a fortnightly basis and with over 100 people
involved they continue to provide great opportunities for fun, fellowship and
learning. Prayer, bible study and chat are the essential ingredients of most
house group meetings.
During 2013 the house groups have all used the same material, with a new topic
introduced for each term - the house groups tend to follow the school terms.
The start of the 2013 saw house groups exploring Luke’s gospel, the lectionary
gospel for the year, looking in particular at Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ journey
towards Jerusalem. In the summer house groups discovered more about Moses,
one of the great characters of the Old Testament, and with a story that remains
relevant and inspiring today. Finally in the autumn house groups covered John’s
first letter – a short book, but one that explores the practical implications of
God’s love.
A new development during 2013 has been to include the study material within
the Sunday sermon series, enabling a link between the house groups and
Sunday sermons, and providing the opportunity to explore the material in
different ways. This is a feature that it is hoped to continue during 2014.
I would like to say a very big thank you to the leaders of the house groups, for
their gentle, encouraging, yet determined leadership of their groups. House
groups play a vital part in building the community of the St Mary's and the
leaders’ contribution to this is vital. So thank you Martyn, Glenys, Wilfred,
Louise, Miles, Andrea, Matthew, Roz, Julia, Hilary, Pat, Stan and Peter!
A warm welcome is guaranteed if you would like to join a house group in 2014.
Report by Michael Hunt
Report by Veronica Lockett
Church Flowers
House Group Review
We had slightly fewer weddings altogether this past year in the church (13) but
less than half were arranged by the ladies of the Flower team. However, two of
the weddings we did, were daughters of people in the congregation and they
have been at St Mary's for years, so there was much excitement by many who
were involved in one way or another!
St Mary's continues to support an extensive network of house groups and
small groups. At present there are 9 house groups that meet on Monday,
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There were the usual Wendover Music concerts and other musical or singing
concerts throughout the year, so lovely arrangements were still done with
them in mind, even to choosing special colour flowers and themes. One lady
from the Flower team who does not arrange for weddings, was chosen to do
the arrangement of behalf of St Mary's Church in St Anne's, to help the Free
Church celebrate their 30th anniversary - a good job done too!
The team did arrangements for the usual three Church Festivals that we
have throughout the year - Easter, Harvest and Christmas and we received
many favourable comments!
A couple of new ladies have joined the team but you'd be very welcome if you
would like to join too – and men!
Thank you to all the Flower team - much appreciated!
Report by Jean Western
Bell Ringing
This year has been a quieter one for the St Mary’s Wendover Ringers
compared to last year’s Olympic one! However, we have had some fun and
significant achievements.
I am proud to state that we have successfully completed three quarter peals,
(a set of 1260 changes in Plain Bob Doubles taking 45 minutes each). Our
quarter peal on the 14th January 2014 has been dedicated to the Revd Mark
Dearnley on his Installation as an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral,
Oxford. Also, for Ruth Dearnley awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year
Honours List for services in awareness and prevention of human trafficking and
has been recorded on all national ringing records.
This was a first for two of our ringers and a first ringing an “inside” bell for
another. It is also something that hasn’t been able to be attempted in our
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tower for about ten years! All the ringers in our tower have been involved, a
true team effort, and it would not have been possible to undertake without the
help and experienced support from our two regular visitors Alan Bentley and
Roger Powell - as well as Alan’s wife Kathleen Bentley.
We have had a lot of fun on our local ringing outing. We were locked out at
Stoke Mandeville which meant we could have a longer and enjoyable lunch!
Spongy ropes at Long Marston (that made us feel like we were re-enacting the
Mars advert) and it was topped off by ringing a heavy eight at Ivinghoe. We all
appreciated our own bells a lot more afterwards!
In terms of attendance, we have been relatively steady, 10 ringers now on our
records and we have regular support from local visitors without which we would
struggle to improve. There have been more times towards the end of the year
where we have been able to ring six, seven or even all eight bells for Sunday
services and we have had one ringer return to ringing after a long spell of
absence. Bob Gerhardi has unfortunately had to retire from nearly 50 years of
ringing, most of which at Wendover. I would like to thank him for all the
support, knowledge and dedication he has given to ringing at Wendover over
the years, in particular for Sunday service ringing. He will be missed in the
tower.
We have been a somewhat learning band in recent years and as Ringing Master,
I have seen amazing progress made by the whole band - especially on eight bells
which of course they have not had the opportunity to ring on until the bells had
been augmented. In 2014 we aim to ring for as many of the services and
weddings as possible and I am particularly looking forward to seeing how much
further the band can progress in 2014, including more quarter peals!
Report by Jennie Crummack, St Mary's Ringing Master
Church Music
D: PCC Review of the Year
The last year has been a busy one for St Mary’s choir and music group. There is
now a core body of musicians who regularly sing and play at both the 9 o’clock
and 10.30 services every Sunday. Several new instrumentalists and singers
have joined us recently and this has helped create a wonderful, full and rich
sound during our worship.
The new 2013-2014 PCC welcomed the following new members Christopher
Trower, Sarah Bishop, Richard Peck, Paul Dean as the new secretary and during
the year Sian Chattle was co-opted onto the PCC as the St Mray’s Safeguarding
Officer.
We were all very saddened in November to lose a much loved member of our
group. David Prescott had been a member of the choir for many years and we
very much miss his friendship, companionship and wonderful tenor voice.
Our music director, Edward Blakeman, has guided us through the year and we
thank him for the patience he has often needed at times! This was very evident
over Christmas when the various services come thick and fast. The Christmas
Carol Service was very successful and the large congregation gave many
positive comments afterwards. The opposite of this big occasion was
Compline, a thoughtful and quiet service sung, by a smaller group of singers, at
the beginning of Advent on a Sunday evening.
Many singers joined together for two weddings in the autumn to celebrate the
marriages of Hannah Taylor and Laura Blakeman – both former choir
members. The singing from the back of the church certainly added to the
joyous atmosphere and we were thrilled to be a part of their big day.
Several social events were enjoyed during the year and the local pub certainly
benefited from our attendance after every Friday practice!
New members are always very welcome. Please talk to one of the group if you
would like to join – or just turn up at the church at 7.30 on a Friday evening.
Report by Sian Chattle
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The PCC has met 6 times over the year where a number of reports were given
by different church representatives on the following topics Home Groups,
SAGES, Youth Work, Junior Church, St Mary’s @Work, Safeguarding, Foundation
Governors.
A number of policy documents have been written or updated and agreed during
the year such as Working Alone at St Mary’s and the Shop, Letting Policy, St
Mary’s Vision document, Safeguarding policy.
The proposed HS2 new train line has resulted in the PCC sending a couple of
statements to HS2 on the financial and environmental impact to St Mary’s and
further details of this is in the church wardens report.
Very sadly in October David Prescott passed away after a short illness and he
will be greatly missed by all at St Mary’s, David had a great involvement with
fund raising for the refurbishment fund which was such a great success, as well
as this David was one of our deanery synod representatives, PCC member and a
long standing member of the church choir.
Thanks to Neville Morton who regularly gave financial updates to the PCC during
the year and advised us on where our fundraising efforts should be channelled
in the future.
Other subjects discussed during the last year have been issues with the church
electrical floor sockets, church sound system, various incidents of vandalism,
investigating the broadcast of services, and resurfacing of the church car park
2013 wasn't particularly great for Newcomers' Teas. We had a successful one in
the Spring but one was cancelled in the Summer due to lack of take-up and the
Autumn tea looked viable but in the end only two turned up!
I would like to mention the St Mary’s band of drivers who regularly drive the
Wendover Community Car for the 9.00 am service as their efforts are much
appreciated by the congregation who make use of this service.
Finally my thanks to all of those who have assisted me during my first year as
PCC Secretary.
Written on behalf of the PCC by Paul Dean, PCC Secretary
E: Financial Statement of the PCC
Treasurer’s Report on accounts for year to 31 December 2013
On paper the financial results for 2013 look healthy: there is a surplus of
£4,411 on the General Fund and £23,796 on all other funds (after depreciation
of £28,537). We should rightly be pleased with the total income of £234,349
which reflects the tremendous efforts and generosity from within the parish
and congregation, and included a generous grant of £15,000 from the Lionel
Abel Smith Trust. Thank you! Given the accounts for 2013 it is tempting to
conclude that our financial position is OK. But unfortunately the continuing
story is one of financial concern for two reasons.


Firstly the healthy position in 2013 is due to a generous “one-off”
donation of £15,000 plus a further £3,750 gift aid tax claim. Without
that £18,750, we would have incurred a deficit of around £14,000.
Whilst historically we have benefited from sound regular giving from
the congregation this is still not at a level that enables us to cover the
essential costs of running the church.
Secondly we face significant additional financial commitments in 2014
due to an increase in Parish Share (£6,000) and the appointment of a
shared youth worker with the Wendover Youth Centre (£9,000).
Taken together St Mary’s faces a potential £29,000 funding shortfall in 2014 so
there has to be a substantial increase in regular income just to break even.
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This is a significant amount, and it will be a challenge to meet. But the need to
raise more income is covered partly by the following. (a) The level of giving rose
after our appeal a year ago, so a full year’s increase does not show in these
figures. (b) Our priority has to be to pay the day-to-day bills, so any fundraising
ought to be for the general fund. (c) The commitment we have towards youth
work may be perceived by some to warrant further support from their existing
level of giving. (d) Most people gift aid when they can, we can always improve
that proportion, so we try to maximise the help offered by the taxman. (e)
There are other designated funds, the income of which can be used to cover a
small part of the money needed. However this still leaves a great deal to find. St
Mary’s holds limited capital reserves that could be used (although not ideally as
they were not really given to support day to day spending) to manage any
ongoing deficit, the prime focus for 2014 has to be increasing our regular giving
to meet our commitments.
An indication of what we have been up against is set out in the comparison
below;
General Fund Only
2009
2013 % incr/(-decr)
Retail Price Index at 31st December
218.0
253.4
Total giving and tax claim, incl. big donation
£125,407
£139,501 11.2%
Parish Share paid
£88,400
£114,300 29.3%
Other General Fund Costs
£50,352
£45,155 (-11.3%)
16.2%
Turning to the Refurbishment Fund it is very pleasing to note that thanks to
continued giving, a grant from Lionel Abel Smith Trust, and a further generous
donation and fund raising the amount needed to pay off the Refurbishment
Fund loans and liabilities has reduced by £38,714 to £48,858. Alongside this the
money in Fabric Funds has increased by £8,450 to £18,177, thanks mainly to the
Friends, who gave us £10,400 this year.
Report by Neville Morton, PCC Treasurer
F: Churchwardens’ Report, including the Fabric,
Goods and Ornaments
Annual Report 13-14
Thank you to everyone for your support and help this year. So many of you
undertake regular tasks, often unseen, but vital in the smooth running of the St
Mary's'; from putting out the bins, organising rota's, being on rota's, cleaning,
flowers, churchyard care, the list is endless. We thank each one of you.
A recent visitor to the Church from the Society for The Protection of Ancient
Buildings was quoted as saying "St. Mary's was the best looked after Church he
had seen for some time and commended the care of the Church". So a great
big pat on the back to you all.
It has been good to have a year without builders or major work. The church is
being used for an increasing number and variety of events by many different
group. It is still lovely to hear visitors pleasure and appreciation of the special
space that we have.
It is six years now since we started opening the church every day, many people
visit and enjoy the tranquillity and peace. We are really grateful to the small
group of people who regularly unlock before 10.00 and lock in the evening.
The Church has been active in presenting its case regarding the impact of HS2
and we have already responded to both the Compensation and Environmental
Impact documentation. It is our intention to be a Petitioner when the time
arrives. HS2 themselves have identified St .Mary's as a site which is expected
to experience significant noise effects during construction and operation of
HS2. We are grateful for the ongoing support we have had from Christopher
Trower, Robert Phipps and Brian Thompson on this issue.
Unfortunately we have to report several instances of vandalism at the Church
(setting off of fire extinguishers, setting fire to a towel in the toilets and
general rummaging through cupboards etc.) Generally the culprits have been
identified and the appropriate authorities informed.
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From a reporting point of view this year has been relatively quiet from the
Church Wardens perspective. It has given us time to consider other matters, in
particularly a potential overspend of the General Fund and the need to raise
more money to support the running of the Church. Our Parish Share
contribution to the Diocese of Oxford alone costs us approximately £330 per
day so more income is of vital importance. If anybody has any bright ideas
please let us know.
The annual Health and Safety inspection of the church and shop was carried out
in July. The fire extinguishers and boilers also have an annual inspection.
We are delighted to welcome Becky Murgatroyd to the Church as youth worker
with responsibilities to both us and the Wendover Youth Centre. We look
forward to getting to know her and are sure all our younger members will
benefit greatly from Becky's involvement.
Report by Bridget Avery and Tony Farmer
G:
Deanery Synod Report
There’s been much activity again in 2013 for the Wendover Deanery, with four
Synod meetings, a successful year of paying our overall parish share, and taking
a motion on lay training to the diocesan synod which was then successfully
passed.
Once again the Deanery contributed its full Parish Share on time, but not
without a degree of mutual support as some parishes and the use of reserves
covered shortfalls at a number of other parishes. The effort to collect and pay
parish share is particularly appreciated, and many thanks are due to Allan
Whittow and our Parish Treasurers.
In January David Harris spoke on how we engage with young people in the
deanery. It was a lively discussion and a number of comments were gathered:
the need for mentors to support young people, courses for the unemployed,
youth community action, training for adults, experience-sharing, the possibility
of deanery level co-ordination, building confidence, linking to the Church
community and gathering a skills database.
At May’s meeting we discussed aspects of rural ministry with Revd. Canon Glyn
Evans. Again, a good discussion which also took in the Small Churches Forum.
In September Archdeacon Karen Gorham came to speak to us about
Pilgrimage. She gave an erudite and very informative talk, which was followed
by a discussion of Mission Action Planning.
At November’s meeting Gary Taylor, Strategic Projects Manager for Taylor
Wimpey, came to discuss the impact and the opportunities that can arise for
the Church. On a proposed major housing developments that are planned
within the Deanery, particularly in the area between Aston Clinton and Weston
Turville. With such a wide range of topics covered, there is definitely the need
for further work in all the above areas.
Wendover Deanery also sent a motion calling on all deaneries “to promote
short training courses, including home-based online study, which will facilitate
the growth in discipleship of their lay members and enable them to play a full
part in local ministry particularly in situations where and when an ordained
minister is not available”, and calling on the diocese to “identify, commend and
if necessary develop resources to support this initiative”.
The motion was debated by the diocesan synod on 16th March and passed,
with a high level of debate and engagement.
And finally, we’re all delighted that Mark has been appointed a Canon in a
special service at Christchurch Cathedral in Oxford. Well done, Mark!
Thanks to all those who have taken part in Deanery Synod evenings
throughout the year - as you know, all are welcome. Following our Mission
Action Plan meeting on 28th January, our remaining meetings this year are on
15th May, 16th September and 27th November.
With best wishes from the Deanery Standing Committee: that is, Mark
Dearnley, Gareth Beynon, Allan Whittow, Elizabeth Moxley, Rosie Harper,
James Adam and myself.
Report by Gavin Oldham (Lay Chair)
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Annual Report accepted and adopted by the PCC at their meeting held
on 6th March 2014 and signed by
Reverend Canon Mark Dearnley