PCC Minutes: Monday 19th June 2023
St Luke’s Church, Grayshott
Meeting 405 of the PCC in Timothy Room at 7.30 pm.
Present:
PCC Members: Revd Jeremy Haswell (Chairman), Sheila Austin, Edward Tobin, Philippa Whitaker, Clive Purkiss, Clive Loder, Hilary Loder, Jeremy Hassell, Alice Murphy, Frankie Kelly, Penny Thomas,Anne Gale-Jones, Ros Balfour and Viv Ward.
In Attendance: Sheila Sandison (PCC Secretary), Angela Haine (to present item 4)
1. Welcome and opening prayer
Revd Haswell welcomed new members of this PCC as well as those returning. He opened the meeting with a reading from Psalm 127 and a prayer.
2. Apologies received from: Revd Elizabeth Knifton, Chris Grocock.
3. Minutes of PCC Meetings 403 and 404
The minutes were agreed. A copy of the minutes was signed by the chairman.
4. Safeguarding Report – Presentation of Safeguarding Policy
The retiring Safeguarding Officer, Angela Haine, presented the policy and statement for 2023. She confirmed that there were no current cases of child abuse and, with one exception, all PCC members had had DBS checks.
Angela expressed her gratitude to her successors: Penny Thomas and Hilary Loder.
Ros Balfour proposed the PCC adopt the safeguarding policy and Penny Thomas seconded it. There was a unanimous vote in favour. Angela then authorised the acting PCC secretary (Sheila Austin) to sign 4 copies. This was proposed by Hilary Loder and seconded by Penny Thomas and all voted in favour.
Revd. Haswell thanked Angela for all the work she and her husband John Haine had put in over many years as safeguarding officer. Angela left the meeting at 8pm.
3a Action List
Energy Efficiency – cutting waste (put under finance working group but Viv felt this was not in their remit – churchwardens to address). PCC members pointed out instances where energy wasted. Examples included heating loss when doors were left open or lights left on. Doors to the belfry vestry were draughty.
Parish Funding Programme – meeting with David Senior coming up.
i-know church training – on hold as Lucie Thornton is leaving.
Risk Assessment for Holiday Club and Youth Activities – yet to be seen.
Vicar’s Report – had not been uploaded to One-Drive and paper copies were circulated to PCC members.
Due to financial constraints, the Youth Minister post was unsustainable at the present 20 hours /week. Dan Bennett had met with Viv and the Vicar and has been made redundant. To continue the young people’s Bible study on Wednesday evenings and the secular youth club (The Base) on Friday evenings would involve 9.5hours / week costing £6,000 / year. East Hampshire DC give a grant for the Base. This has been discussed with Grayshott Parish Council. Viv commended Dan’s co-operation. A donation has enabled Dan to continue in the post until the end of August. We support him in seeking a new job from September.
The PCC awayday has been booked for Saturday 22nd July and PCC members have been invited. (item 8 on the agenda).
Successful events have been Grayshott Hidden Gardens and the Thursday and Tuesday lunch clubs (the Tuesday lunch having continued after Lent lunches). The vicar thanked Anne Gale-Jones and Alice Murphy for their efforts in hospitality. He also thanked Clive and Gill Purkiss for continuing the Sunday lunches in their home fundraising for the church.
It had been planned that August Sunday services would be limited to a 10.30am family service and 12.00 BCP Holy Communion. After some discussion it was decided to alternate the Holy Communion service between Midday (first & third Sundays) and 08.30am (second & fourth Sundays).
6 Church Development Plan (CDP) update on items 1&2
Growing Discipleship and Outreach - Alpha Course.
The vicar hoped the Alpha Course will start in September possibly with a lead in during August on Tuesday afternoons. He is meeting with Susie Millard (LLM) who is keen to be involved.
He asked the PCC’s opinion about the Small Groups Workshop that Revd. Richard Lloyd gave on 15th May. Clive Loder felt that the model outlined by Richard Lloyd could have had been broader. Hilary Loder spoke about the home groups that have continued even though some of the members of those groups have moved away from St. Luke’s (but still attend the home group). Sheila Austin requested that we might publish the St. Luke’s home groups that are functioning at present. Viv Ward (as acting Stewardship Recorder) pointed out that some people who have moved to other churches are still donating regularly to St.Luke’s.
7 Finance Report – including item 3 of the CDP
The general fund re-forecast has got worse by £10k. The combined forecast for the year to 31st December 2023 is £(47,000).
The youth fund deficit is down from £12k to £8k thanks to some generous donations but regular income to the fund is now only £200 / month.
Plans made last January to seek extra funds have come to nothing
Outward giving this year is £12.5k. No money will be going out until after the Outward Giving Group meeting in November and the vicar requested that no decision is made until after the September PCC meeting.
Viv has written to the diocesan mission enabler to request that payments to the parish share (£8k / month) are suspended from 13th July until the year end.
They replied the decision rests with the finance team and archdeacon. The mission enabler (David Senior) will be meeting with Jeremy and Viv on 26th June to discuss this.
Hilary Loder reminded the PCC that the parish had been given the option of reducing payments to the parish share last year and the PCC had agreed to continue payments at the full rate. Viv reminded the PCC that our income is only £7k /month and our parish share payments are £8k / month. There are still some reserves in the PCC budget that are diminishing.
The Vicar proposed that, due to projected losses, the PCC suspends payments for the parish share with immediate effect until we are clear about our financial position at the year end. This was seconded by Sheila Austin. The PCC’s vote was unanimously in favour.
Hilary Loder asked the PCC to resist yet another campaign of “giving” by the congregation. In the present financial situation donors are giving what they can and we want people to give out of love.
Viv thanked the Finance Working Group for their help and advice. The vicar was grateful for Jonathan Tippett’s advice in any giving campaign that we should be the “Happy Team”.
Penny Thomas thanked Viv for his hard work agonising over the deteriorating financial situation.
9 - Reports
Sheila reported that the Electoral Roll had increased by 2. She was encouraged by the archdeacon’s talk at the churchwarden’s meeting recently.
Viv told the PCC that Grayshott Today magazine had been advised to open a separate bank account in order to qualify for a grant from East Hampshire DC. He cautioned that the editorial of this might become entirely secular in what was originally a church parish magazine. There was a general discussion. Ros left the meeting at 9.30pm. Clive Loder suggested that the PCC stipulate that a churchwarden (or the incumbent) might be a signatory on Grayshott Today’s bank account.
The vicar presented Ros’s report on Pastoral Care and thanked her (in her absence).
He also presented Dan Bennett’s report on Youth Work highlighting the difficulties with the Holiday Club in late July. The new safeguarding officers (Hilary and Penny) reminded the PCC that adults supervising the Holiday Club must be DBS checked. However more adult helpers are needed if the numbers of children are not limited down to 20. He also thanked Frankie Kelly for joining Liz Tippett in running Junior Church.
The meeting finished in prayer and the grace at 9.45pm.