2022 Report for the Parochial Church Council All Saints’ Church, Hartford Aims and Objectives It is the shared responsibility of the incumbent, Rev Geoff Boucher, and All Saints Hartford Parochial Church Council (PCC) to consult on all matters of general concern and importance to the Parish. Together, they co-operate to promote and provide leadership of the whole mission of the Church in Hartford through: • Prayer – both personal and corporate. • Pastoral care - looking after individuals. • Evangelism - sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting people to share in God’s saving love for all. • Social concern - helping those in need, especially those who are disadvantaged and persecuted. • Ecumenism - encouraging fruitful relationships with other Christian denominations. Our mission is to reach open hearts with the love of Christ, and to help all the people of Hartford to find Christ, to be found by Him, and to respond to His love through the life and worship of their Parish Church. Worship and Prayer As of December 2022 the total number on the Electoral Roll was 81 of which 44 were residents and 37 non-residents of the parish. The average Sunday 11am service attendance was 41 adults and 2 children. The average bimonthly 8.30am service was 9, the monthly 6pm service was 9 and the monthly healing service was 5. Various special services were held during the year, attendances were Ash Wednesday – 11, Maundy Thursday – 22, Good Friday – 27 , Easter Day – 71 adults / 8 children, Christmas Carol service - 81 adults / 2 children, Nativity service - 117 adults / 46 children, Midnight service 41 adults / 4 children and Christmas Day 11am 44 adults / 2 children. A Christingle service was held for the local schools on the 19th December with 53 adults and 50 children attending. During the year there were 10 baptisms, 5 weddings, 1 blessing, 4 funerals in church, 9 funerals at the crematorium and 5 interments of ashes took place. Rector’s Report The heart of our life as church is worship and prayer and our social activity and care for one another and the wider world flows from there. 2022 was the first year since 2019 in which we were able to gather in person for worship throughout the year. In February we welcomed Reverend Sam Perez to serve his curacy among us. We are delighting in Fr Sam’s warmth, energy and intelligence, the insights of his preaching and his prayerful leading of worship. It was a joy to see Sam ordained to the priesthood at Ely Cathedral in July and to be present with his family and friends for his first celebration of the Eucharist at Hartford the following day. The Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated across the four days from June 2nd to 5th. The church was beautifully decorated for the occasion, visitors signed and left warm messages in a book, a tree was planted in the churchyard and a celebration service was held on Sunday 5th. Just three months later Her Majesty died, and we joined the nation in mourning and commending to God an extraordinarily human, strong and loving monarch who served God and the family of our nation and Commonwealth with such devotion. Harvest was celebrated with a wonderful flower festival which involved groups from the church and around the parish and was appreciated by the many visitors. Andrew Bath greatly enriched our Harvest Festival speaking to us about the realities and the joys of farming and a lunch followed. It is a delight to have the church room used so much and mostly by Amanda Smith’s dance school. In September conversations began on the possibility of the children in the Dance School performing a Nativity on Christmas Eve. Amanda brought her remarkable creativity, energy and organisational skills to this and a packed church experienced a beautiful expression of the Christmas story. Our thanks and congratulations to all the children involved. It was also good to welcome children from Hartford School who sang and read beautifully at their Christmas service and provided a lovely Christmas decoration as they had also done for Harvest. There was plenty of social activity through the year. Sunday tea and coffee was much appreciated; Crafty Saints and Chatty Saints met regularly; Lent lunches were enjoyed, and the summer Cream Teas brought many of us together; The Christmas Fayre was a social and fundraising success. We were delighted by a concert given by Huntingdon Male Voice Choir, especially by Clifford Owen’s turn, and by the group ‘Enchanting’ preparing us for Christmas. The Healing Eucharist resumed on the third Wednesday of each month and a regular group is now meeting for Bible Study on the second and fourth Wednesday. Paul Fearon agreed to take on the office of Churchwarden in addition to Treasurer and we are very grateful for all that Paul and Sue Craven do, mostly unseen, to not only sustain our church but see it thrive. During the year the sale of the Grazing Land, held in trust by the Churchwardens, was completed. £5000 was set aside for church enhancements and £5000 for a wish list of smaller items, the balance of £60,000 has been invested and will yield us an income. We are grateful for the communication that is facilitated through our website, Newsletter and weekly pew sheet and heartened by the growing numbers on Hartford Connects. The PCC met six times during the year. Thank you to all members of the PCC, for your contributions to our discussions and for the variety of activities in which you engage. Thank you all for your continuing participation in and contributions to our worship together and the sharing of life. It has been a joy and strength to be together through 2022. - Reverend Geoff Boucher Deanery Synod and Diocesan Synod Diocesan Synod met in March, June and October. Some items have been put back to next year. Partly due to the death of Queen Elizabeth and also there were some which have had to be held back while information is gathered. Safeguarding in light of historical issues faced by the Church of England is rigorously examined and is continuously being monitored . The Diocese faces a financial deficit as result of investment income being lower. The parishes have risen to the challenge to pay the parish shares allotted and the Diocesan Board of Finance has expressed thanks for this in the current financial climate. Deanery Synod met twice by zoom. Without a Rural Dean for these meetings, they were very much a holding time. At least two meetings have to be held in the year. In the November meeting the new Archdeacon spoke, and we knew by then we had a Rural Dean designate. Rev Duncan Goldthorpe will take up the role at Easter 2023. An update was given on Deanery Planning, which has had a difficult journey. As Lay Chair I am grateful for the support from that group. We hope the results from it will be good. Also it was agreed to pay the shortfall in the Deanery share from reserves .The Deanery will get a return which will help future needs of the Deanery. Perhaps one day we will be able to use it for mission! – Elaine Levitt Churches Together in Huntingdon and Godmanchester To be honest it's been a rather disappointing year in CTHG with only three standing committee meetings and with quite low attendance figures. However there are several activities taking place under the CTHG auspices which continue to do good work. The foodbank run by Godmanchester Baptist Church continues to thrive. The financial advice service and furniture, household goods for needy families is still being run by Christchurch (Church plant under Bishop’s Mission Order) But the two mission flagships are the Men's bi-monthly breakfasts (for the women and men separately!) regularly attended by 30+; and the 3 minute Thoughts for The Day on HCR104fm on Mark Box's Breakfast Show (Mon. to Fri.) Geoff, our Rector, Elaine Levitt, our LLM, and Clifford Owen have a part in these. So whilst activities are ongoing the CTHG has lost a bit of its general frisson and really needs re-envisioning, e.g. no-one came forward to organise the Good Friday walk of witness - so popular and effective in the past. This is why I am trying to put a new ecumenical motion to our Anglican Deanery, and hopefully explore more ecumenical studies we can do together across our denominations. – Reverend Clifford Owen Achievements and Activities During the year many social and fund raising events have taken place and been enjoyed by members of the congregation and the wider community. The numbers attending these events have grown considerably and been very encouraging. This has been a direct result of Hartford Connects which sends out News about All Saints, Church Events, and the Quarterly e-Newsletter by email. There are currently 150 people who have signed up for Hartford Connects. These have included 2 Lent lunches, Coffee Morning to raise funds for flower festival, Platinum Jubilee Open Church Weekend with refreshments, 2 cream tea afternoons, Harvest Flower Festival weekend, Harvest lunch, Huntingdon Male Voice Choir Concert, Enchanting Capella Concert and the Christmas Fayre. Details of our fundraising and charitable giving are listed in the Treasurers Report in the Accounts. Crafty Saints and Chatty Saints 2022 was a busy year for Crafty Saints with skills and talents used for a variety of events throughout the year. We have been lucky to have many different crafts we have been able to include at different times. Easter bunnies and chicks (with eggs) (of course). To mark Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee, we knitted a doll’s tea party which has often attracted little ones on Sundays. At Harvest we decorated a window with fruits and vegetables and butterflies and displayed some prize-winning crafts from one of our group. With all this, we were also busy making items for the craft stall at the Christmas Fayre. We are pleased to report we raised a huge amount for Church Funds. The end of the year saw us making blankets, hats, hot water bottle covers and wrist warmers etc. some of which was coming from family and friends who do not come to the group. These we delivered to the Foodbank for distribution. The group is friendly and growing in number. We enjoy a natter and some of us may even finish a row or two of whatever we are doing! Anyone is welcome. You do not need to do a craft! And our discussions can get quite varied in topic! Chatty Saints meets on the second and fourth Mondays and numbers have varied. Our great British weather has something to do with that I think! Those who come can enjoy a friendly chat or even a game of scrabble! - Elaine Levitt Newsletter The All Saints Newsletter is produced quarterly and distributed electronically to 150 people. The newsletter is usually 20 - 24 pages in length. There are regular articles - The Rambling Rector, Money Matters and The Hartford Chronicles written by the Vicar, Treasurer and PCC Secretary respectively. There is always a feature page along with reports and pictures of what has happened in recent months plus a diary and details of forthcoming events for the next quarter. – Amanda Smith Financial Review The annual accounts are prepared on a receipts and expenditure basis. The total income for the year ended 31st December 2022 was £55,730 and total expenditure was £58,409 resulting in a deficit of £2679 for the year. Total funds held in the four bank accounts were £115,157 at the 31st December 2022, an increase of £58,595 compared with 31st December 2021. In November, the sale of the Grazing Land completed, and the net proceeds were £70,037. The unstable global financial situation, caused principally by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, is having a significant impact on energy prices, inflation and the cost of living. Our church is certainly not immune from this. Whilst the church does have strong financial reserves the use of over half of the money is restricted and cannot be used to cover day-to-day general expenditure. Please see the 2022 Annual Accounts for full details. . Structure, governance and management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At All Saints the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent, associated clergy, elected and co-opted members drawn from members of the congregation who are on the Electoral Roll. The PCC meets six times a year to discuss and make decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including how church funds are spent. A smaller Standing Committee meets prior to the PCC meeting to collate and prepare information for PCC consideration but it has no powers to make decisions unless specifically instructed by the PCC at a prior meeting. To facilitate the worship and outreach activities that take place at All Saints it is important that we maintain the fabric of our church and church room. We are very grateful to the small army of unsung heroes who regularly carry out cleaning and maintenance tasks in and around our church and those who look after the church contents and consumable supplies. Churchwardens’ Fabric Report for 2022 January – Health and Safety Inspection February – assessment for repositioning of sockets for new sound systems cupboard; electrical testing of appliances; new sounds system cupboard installed March – audio equipment installed in oak cabinet and microphone in pulpit; faulty circuit board in heating time clock repaired; Fire Alarms serviced April – double socket moved from below back pew to wall above for sound system; Organ tuned; batteries in fire alarm control panel replaced May – broken gate post and gate removed for safety; interference in sound system checked and resolved; roof light and vestry screen cleaned June – Quinquennial Inspection July – new lapel microphone system installed; annual boiler service and safety check; organ mixture stop freed August – safety check on stones in churchyard; white replacement crockery, 60 each of large / small plates, bowls and mugs purchased and old blue china donated to village hall September – assessment of requirements for new lectern step; fire alarms and extinguishers checked, one extinguisher and fire blanket replaced; 4 extra keys obtained for church lobby outer door October – second assessment of requirements for new lectern step; church room and lobby carpet cleaned November December – assessment of floodlights; churchyard gates rehung on new posts; boiler repaired; leaking pipe repaired; new lectern step installed The Log Book and the Church Property Register are up to date. They have been checked and signed off as an accurate record. – Sue Craven and Paul Fearon Church Flowers This has been an excellent year for church flowers as we have had some celebratory events and other special days to commemorate. The Queen’s Jubilee weekend flower decorations enhanced the other displays in church and it looked very festive in the red white and blue theme. Not easy colours to source. Also, we had the Harvest Flower festival which included window arrangements from many groups in Hartford village and users of the church and church room. Both were very professionally and dutifully executed and enjoyed by many of our congregation and visitors to the church. We have of course kept the church looking lovely for our regular services, Christmas and Easter, and Remembrance Sunday and of course for additional weddings and funerals. I’m sure all the hard work from everyone is very much appreciated but a special mention must go to Pam Fearon who has been tireless in her dedication to making it all look so beautiful, and also arranging the fund raising coffee morning for the jubilee flowers. We look forward to another good year when we will again celebrate a royal event over the King’s Coronation weekend. A big thank you to all the flower arrangers for their time both arranging and looking after the flowers during their weeks on the rota, and for all the very generous donations of flowers. As in previous years if anyone wishes to dedicate lilies to loved ones a small donation would be gratefully accepted, and the names of the deceased listed in church. - Pam Clark Organ and Choir This is now my second year as organist here at All Saints' and am thoroughly enjoying my time here. It is a joy to have the choir singing on Sunday mornings and other occasional services, particularly good to sometimes sing an anthem during a marriage ceremony. It certainly makes my job as organist so much easier having a choir singing behind me. The choir worked particularly hard in learning to sing the psalm to Anglican chant when Sam presided at his first communion service as well as a hymn which was new to us all. Despite some members of the choir being missing through illness over the Christmas period those that were able to sing did a great job, especially at the Carol Service where they sang two carols on their own and Sam's son, Alex sang the first verse of Once in Royal David's City as a solo. Although the choir weren't needed at the Nativity Service I did play the organ and have to mention how brilliantly the children relayed the Christmas story through dance. As always I am very grateful for Helen stepping in to play the organ when I am not available and for David playing at Evening Prayer. There have been a couple of minor problems with the organ over the last year which fortunately were quickly rectified by Richard Bower. – Tony Humes Health and Safety An annual Health and Safety inspection of the church and its grounds was carried out in January 2022. - Vaughan Clark Safeguarding Until we can find a Safeguarding Officer the Reverend Geoffrey Boucher has taken on the role as interim named officer. Paul Fearon continues to undertake the role of DBS Administrator to support the Safeguarding Officer. Administrative information All Saints Church is situated at The Hollow, Hartford, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 1YF. It is part of the Diocese of Ely within the Church of England. The Rector, the Reverend Geoffrey Boucher, who is responsible for the benefice of All Saints Hartford and St Mary the Virgin Houghton with Wyton, resides at The Rectory, 3 Rectory Lane, Wyton PE28 2AQ. PCC members who have served at any time during 2022 are listed below. Ex-Officio Members:- The Rector - Reverend Geoffrey Boucher Curate – Reverend Sam Perez Associate Ministers – Reverend Clifford Owen, Reverend Catherine Wright Licensed Lay Minister – Mrs Elaine Levitt Churchwardens - Mr Paul Fearon (from 26th April 2022), Mrs Sue Craven Deanery Synod Representatives – Mrs Elaine Levitt, Mrs Helen Dowzall Elected Members:- Mrs Mary Adlam Mrs Pam Clark Mr Derek Colbert Mrs Pam Fearon Mr Paul Fearon (until 26th April 2022) Mr Tony Humes (from 26th April 2022) Mr Colin Jones Mrs Carol King Mr Peter King Mrs Amanda Smith Appointed Positions:- Treasurer –Mr Paul Fearon PCC Secretary – Mrs Pam Fearon Fabric Officer –Mr Victor Phillips Organist – Mr Tony Humes Health and Safety Officer – Mr Vaughan Clark Gift Aid Coordinator – Mrs Helen Dowzall Electoral Roll Officer – Mrs Helen Dowzall Churches Together Representatives –Reverend Clifford Owen Safeguarding Officer – Reverend Geoffrey Boucher (interim named officer) DBS Administrator – Mr Paul Fearon Data Protection Officer – Mr Patrick Hawkins Website – Mrs Haleema Hawkins Flower Arranging Coordinator – Mrs Pam Clark Independent Examiner - Mr David Ebdale Authorised Worship Leader – Mary Adlam Newsletter Editor – Mrs Amanda Smith