All Saints Oakham

Annual Vestry Meeting

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Sunday 24 April 2016

Annual Report and Accounts

Reports from Church

Organisations

Page 2

Contents

© 2016 All Saints Oakham Parochial Church Council

Photography by Dennis Corton — page 23; Julie Hutchinson — page 8;Beryl Kirtland — page 24, 25; Martin Lewis — page 6;

Denise McDonald — pages 16; Anna Oliver — page 7, 9, 11, 21;Robin Robson — page 13; Kevin Slingsby — cover, pages 14, 15;

Louis Totaro — page 12; Catherine Wilson — page 10

Annual MeetingsAgenda for the Annual Vestry Meeting 2015 4Agenda for the APCM 2015 4Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 2014 4Minutes of the APCM 2014 5Electoral Roll 5Vicar’s Report 6

Ministry, Worship & OutreachMinistry Team 8Worship Forum 8Pastoral Forum 9Licensed Evangelist 9Music 10Communications Group 11Healing Prayer Group 11Flower Guild 11Bell Ringers 12

Children & Young PeopleSunday School 13ASH & ASK 14Pram & Toddler Services 15Tiny Tots 16

Adult EducationHomes Groups 17Good News Van 17

Page 3

Finance & StewardshipFinancial Stewardship 18Mission Giving 18Fairtrade 18Fabric, Furniture, Fixtures & Fittings 19Church Hall 18

The Wider ChurchDeanery Synod 20Churches Together in Oakham 20Diocesan Synod 21Rutland Foodbank 22

Social ActivitiesConcert Society 22Walking Group 23Catering Committee 23Friends of All Saints’ 24Mothers’ Union 25Open House 25

Part 2Annual Report for the Charity

CommissionAdministrative Information 1Review of the Year – PCC Secretary’s Report 2Financial Review 3Statement of Financial Activities & Balance Sheet 4Notes to Financial Statements 6Independent Examiner’s Repoer 11

Page 4

Annual Vestry Meeting 2016A meeting of Oakham parishioners will be held at 11:00am on Sunday 24 April 2016 in All SaintsChurch for the election of Churchwardens.Agenda1 Prayers2 Apologies3 Minutes of meeting of 26 April 20154 Election of Churchwardens5 Election of Deputy Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2016The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of members of the Church Electoral Roll will then followAgenda1 Presentation of the Electoral Roll2 Minutes of meeting of 26 April 20153 Election of PCC members4 Finance: to receive Church Accounts and appoint an Examiner5 Vicar’s Report6 PCC Secretary’s Report and reports from other church groups (see booklet)7 Deanery Synod Report8 Election of Sidespersons9 Other matters

(items should have been notified, where possible, to the chairman or secretary in advance)

Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 201513 April 2014 at 11:15amPresent: Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani (Chair), approx 80 Parishioners.Apologies: Mr & Mrs A Bush, Mrs G Bruce, Mrs C Carlin, Miss R Carlin, Mr & Mrs D Corton, Mrs R Falconer, Mrs AHardy and Mrs M Willows.PrayersMinutes: The Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting held on 13th April 2014 were accepted as a true record of that meet-ing.Election of Churchwardens: Having been correctly nominated and seconded Alison Long was duly elected as Church-warden for Oakham All Saints Parish Church. The second vacancy for Churchwarden was left unfilled due to a lack ofnominations.The Vicar recorded formal thanks to Margaret Pattinson (Churchwarden) who was retiring after seven years in post. A trib-ute followed from Alison Long (Churchwarden) and Margaret recorded her thanks to the Vicar and others for the guidanceand assistance which had been so readily forthcoming to give her a memorable period as Warden.Election of Deputy Churchwardens: The Chairman asked that with the permission of the Meeting the election of DeputyChurchwardens should be considered by the PCC at its next meeting. This was agreed.There being no further business the meeting closed at 11:25am.

Annual Meetings

Page 5

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 201513 April 2014 at 11:25amPresent: Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani (Chair), approx 80 Parishioners.Apologies: Mr & Mrs A Bush, Mrs G Bruce, Mrs C Carlin, Miss R Carlin, Mr & Mrs D Corton, Mrs R Falconer, Mrs A Hardyand Mrs M Willows.Presentation of the Electoral Roll: Richard Davies (Electoral Roll Officer) presented and proposed the Roll, secondedby J Tomalin. Accepted nem con.Minutes: Proposed (D Ufton), seconded (P Munro), that the Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on13th April 2014 were a true and accurate record of that meeting. Carried nem con.Election of PCC Members: Having been duly proposed and seconded the following were elected to the PCC until theAPCM in 2018: Mrs Helen Bush, Mr G F Mike Churchill and Mr Mark Nicholls.Treasury Team’s Report: The Treasurer (Peter Hill) outlined some points from the comprehensive Financial Review andAnnual Accounts which were published in the Annual Reports Booklet. There were only limited funds available for mainte-nance and repair, with no transfer of money to the Fabric Fund. The PCC was very grateful for the donation by theFriends of All Saints of £2,000 for the provision of two new noticeboards in the Churchyard.The Stewardship Renewal campaign had been moderately successful, and the introduction of ‘mini-renewal’ campaignsshould be considered for the two years between the major event. Looking ahead the boiler project was clearly a major un-dertaking for the remainder of 2015. Thanks were formerly recorded to John King of the Treasury Team for his work dur-ing the whole year on the Church finances. Proposed by P Hill and seconded by J King that the audited and examined Accounts be accepted as a true statement ofthe financial positionof the Church. Carried nem con.The Vicar recorded his thanks for Peter Hill’s time as Treasurer, who was in the process standing down from the post indue course.Appointment of an Independent Examiner: With his agreement Mr Neil Lowther was reappointed to this position.Vicar’s Report: The Annual Report Booklet carried a detailed account from the Vicar of activity over the past year. TheTeam Ministry had experienced problems during the year due to sickness and a vacancy, and looked forward to welcom-ing the Revd Canon Julie Hutchinson who would join the clergy team in September.Thanks: Margaret (retiring Churchwarden) thanked the Vicar for all that had been achieved during the past challengingyear, particularly as the Vicar had the additional responsibilities of Rural Dean. This gratitude was given on behalf of allmembers of the congregation.Other Reports: The PCC Secretary’s Report and other Reports had been issued previously as part of the Annual ReportBooklet.John Tomalin (Deanery Lay Chair) underlined the need for continued active support for the Deanery Synod and espe-cially for Oakham’s representatives on Synod.Beryl Kirtland thanked the congregation for its support of the Friends, and commented that the new Churchyard notice-boards had received favourable observations from ‘the town’.Acceptance of the PCC and other reports proposed by D Ufton, seconded by P Kinal.Election of Sidespersons: The following list had been submitted by Andy Compton as sidespersons for 2015-2016: Au-drey Austen, Richard Blythin, Stanley Bruce, Kathryn Collinson, Andy Compton, Dennis Corton, Richard Davies, HeatherDay, Richard Day, Gerry Duffy, Rebecca Falconer, Ken Gilman, Peter Hill, Jane Ince, Joan Jervis, Stephan Johnson,Peter Kinal, Jack Pearce, Sue Reilly, Elizabeth Smith, Ron Streeter, Michel Timms, John Tomalin, Marilyn Tomalin, StuartLong, Jackie Vecqueray, Mike Vecqueray, Brenda Weatherhogg and Patrick Wilson. Approved en bloc.Final Prayers: There being no further business the meeting closed with prayers at 12.05pm

Electoral RollRichard Davies – Electoral Roll OfficerThe total on the electoral roll in March 2016 now stands at 304. There are 278 residents and 26 non-residents.Three members have died during the year; six members have gone away; eight new members have joined.The roll is compiled with the help of the Stewardship secretary.

Page 6

Canon Lee T Francis-Dehqani — Team Rector and VIcar of OakhamI am very aware that my report is but one part of a wide ranging annual review of the life and work ofthe Parish. The reports contained within this document show a vibrant parish with much to be thank-ful for. I offer my reflections on the past year as a challenge to us to continue to seek to be an out-ward looking engaged Christian presence at the heart of our town and county.

Worship Being a worshipping people is at theheart of all we do. It is a great joy andprivilege to lead worship here, bothon Sundays and in our weekday serv-ices. For the last year we have beenable to use our new service bookletswhich make worship more accessibleand offer us a range of seasonally ap-propriate liturgies. The last remainingbooklet in production is a new set ofservices for Family Worship. This hasneeded to await the authorisation ofnew baptismal texts by GeneralSynod. We hope these booklets willbe ready for September. There are real signs of encourage-ment in the numbers at Sunday Wor-ship and the willingness of so manyto assist in reading and leading inter-cessions. The Team Choir has addedgreatly to our sense of being part ofthe wider Oakham Team, but weneed to encourage more people tosupport the very good work our Direc-tor of Music seeks to do particularlyby singing in the Oakham Choir.Please see his separate report. If I could encourage one thing in thosewho worship in the Parish Church itwould be to combine their very sin-cere commitments to worship with awarm welcome to newcomers.

Pastoral CareThe Pastoral Work of this Parish is acombination of the care and supportwe offer for one another within thecongregation and the wider help andsupport we offer to the Town. Bothare equally important. The former isevidenced through mutual care andthe home communions and visits thatthe clergy and other ministers under-take. This work is coordinated by thePastoral Forum currently chaired byRevd Hildred Crowther. I am gratefulto them for their care and attention.Pastoral Care to the wider town is of-fered through our many occasional

Vicar’s Annual Report

Page 7

offices. In 2015 there were 57 funer-als from the Parish of Oakham. 20weddings and 33 baptisms. All ofthese involved preparation and oftenfollow up visits. It has been reallypositive to see the developing work ofour Come and Chat group in support-ing the recently bereaved.We should always remember thatcaring for one another is a sharedmutual commitment within our churchcommunity and we each need to playour part within that.

Children & Young PeopleIt is always great to see and hear ourChildren present their Sunday Schoolwork at the end of Sunday Worship,which represents much planning anddedication by their teachers. I amgrateful to each and every one ofthem, for their time and their commit-ment. Currently we have three groupsmeeting (see separate reports) andnext year will present some chal-lenges in terms of staffing and ac-commodation. Mrs Robin Robson andothers are meeting shortly to gothrough our forthcoming plans and Iam grateful to them for thinkingahead in this way.First Communion 2015 was the firstyear for some time when we had nocandidates for First Communion.However we have a good crop for2016 and classes start in May. Any-one interested should speak with meor Robin.Safeguarding The National andDiocesan requirements on safeguard-ing are considerable and we are veryably served by Mrs Ruth Bray as ourParish Safeguarding Officer. All thosewho work with Children or vulnerableadults through the Parish have beensubject to the necessary DBS proce-dures and regular and comprehen-sive training is offered by theDiocese. Above all things we should seek ourchurches to be places of affirmationfor our young people in their spiritualdevelopment.

Adult EducationHome groups continue to meet and anew group was formed this year.There are always people looking tojoin study groups and we should beopen to forming additional groups.The Christian meditation group meetsweekly at St John and St AnneChapel.

In Lent over 150 peoplemet in Lent groups organ-ised by Churches Togetherin Oakham this was morethan in previous years andthe course was helpful tovery many people. In theautumn four candidates forConfirmation were pre-pared by our curate RevdDr Dominic Coad.I would encourage allparishioners to considerjoining some form of prayeror study group in the in-coming year. It is onlythrough these opportunitiesfor shared reflection thatwe grow in faith.

The TeamIn the separate MinistryTeam Report you will seethe range of ordained andLay Ministers that provideministry to the 10 parishesthat make up the OakhamTeam. Sometimes atOakham, where numbersand resources are strong,we can forget the mutualbenefits that come fromsharing together in thisway. They include:• Team Wide Worship Pro-

vision particularly in HolyWeek

• Looking at new projects(in particular work on thenew housing developments)

• Shared Approaches to Confirmationand First Communion Preparation

• Development of Joint Musical re-sources

• Meeting together for prayer andsupport

• Sharing the perspectives of others• Economies of scale in administrative

support• Allow broader training opportunities

for our ordinands and curates• Providing Holliday Cover for each

other

For all the reasons and others I amstrongly committed to a Team thatworks well together for the wider min-istry and mission in these parishes.

A ChallengeI firmly believe that I could not have abetter parish in which to serve. Thereports in this booklet show why thatis so. However it is a concern that we

find it so difficult to get people to un-dertake some of the responsibleposts in a parish of this size. In partic-ular we need to have people willingand available to be Church wardens,Secretaries and Treasurers. I willspeak more about this at our APCM,but I challenge all of us to consider inwhat areas we could contribute to inour common life together

ThanksThere are many people to thank. Mycolleagues for their commitment andsupport; parishioners for their forbear-ance and good humour when we getthings wrong. To Janine and Kevin fortheir administrative support and to theChurchwardens, Alison and Ann, fortheir hard work. Above all to my wife,children and mother in law for theirpractical support and for being so pa-tient and long suffering.

Page 8

Ministry TeamCanon Lee T Francis-Dehqani – Team Rector, Chair Ministry Team Working as a team of licensed lay and ordained col-leagues allows us to provide the range of ministry withinour 10 parishes.Currently the Ministry Team is made up of:Revd Canon Lee T Francis-Dehqani (Team Rector since 2004Revd Hildred Crowther (Assistant Priest since 2008,)Revd Janet Tebby (Team Vicar since 2012) Revd Canon Julie Hutchinson (Team Vicar since September 2015)Revd Dr Dominic Coad (Curate since 2012)Revd Owen Williams (Curate since February 2016)Mr Vyv Wainwright (Reader since 2000)Mr Alan Rudge (Reader since 2007)Mr David Pattinson (Reader since 2008)Mrs Robin Robson (Reader since 2014Mr Michael Hinman (Reader since 2015)Mr Phillip Hutchinson (Reader since 2015)Mrs Gail Rudge (Licensed Evangelist since 2003)Mrs Jenni Duffy (Licensed Evangelist since 2012)Mrs Madeleine Morris (Lay Pastoral Minister since 2003)

Again 2015 saw some changes:In September Canon Julie Hutchin-son joined us as Team Vicar respon-sible for the Parishes of Langham,Braunston, Brooke, Hambleton andEgleton, bringing a wealth of experi-ence and new ideas. In September Mrs Charlotte Osbornjoined us on extended placement asan ordinand, training for ministry on-ERMC. Charlotte is married to RevLeo Osborn Oakham’s new MethodistMinister and hey have recentlymoved to Oakham from the NorthEast In November Mr Michael Hinman andMr Phillip Hutchinson were licensed

Worship ForumCanon Lee T Francis-Dehqani – ChairmanThe Worship Forum aims are to reflect on the worship pattern offered at All Saints and act as a refer-ence group for the vicar in developing service provision. It is chaired by the vicar and its membershipincludes the Churchwardens, the Director of Music and representatives of the Ministry Team and PCC.This year the Forum has been activein reviewing services, particularlyafter major festivals, and has begunto review Family Worship services,and now that General Synod has fi-nally approved the new and more ac-

cessible baptism liturgy, this is a taskwhich we will bring to a conclusion in2016. We always are open to new membersjoining this Forum and anyone inter-

Revd Canon Julie Hutchinson toook up her post asTeam Vicar in September 2015

as Readers in the Team. Phillip hasbeen a Reader for some years withinthe Diocese whilst Michael has trans-ferred his licence from the Diocese ofCoventry. Both are well known inOakham having lived here in the past. Towards the end of the year Rev Hil-dred Crowther announced her plansto move closer to family in Sheffield.Once her timings are clearer therewill be an opportunity to mark heryears of ministry here. In December Revd Dr Dominic Coadcompleted his training as a curateand has been signed off as ready forhis first post as an incumbent. He willbe looking for posts throughout thecoming year.

ested should make themselvesknown to the Vicar or Wardens.Parishioners are encouraged to con-tinue to make their views on worshipknown through the Forum or the PCCto which it reports.

Throughout the year Mrs Jenni Duffyhas been preparing for a selectionconference for ordained ministry andwe were thrilled that she was se-lected for training in early 2016. Shewill begin her studies in September2016. Soon after the end of 2015 we werepleased to welcome Revd OwenWilliams to continue to serve his cu-racy with us.Ministry Team meets monthly for con-sultation and support and continuesto meet weekly for Holy Communionon Thursdays at 9am. The next yearwill bring more changes.

Ministry, Worship & Outreach

Page 9

Pastoral ForumRev. Hildred Crowther – Assistant PriestI would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all the members of the forum, Denise Macdonald, Monica Compton, Pamela Woods, Jenni Duffy and Dominic Coad for their faithful and loyal support over a good number of years. I was also very pleased that Sian Cheverton agreed to join us in February.We continue to meet every othermonth to share any news we haveabout members of our Church fam-ily who are in need of visits or whoare unable to attend church due to ill-ness or other incapacity and wouldlike their communion to be brought tothem at home. I can assure you thatthese discussions are entirely confi-dential and are invaluable in helpingto ensure that those in need don’t slipthrough the net. However, as ever, weneed your help. If you know of any-one who would like a home visit, orindeed, if you yourself are in that po-sition, please do let us know. We’realways grateful to know of need andobviously can’t respond unless weknow of the need in the first place.With such a large congregation, eachone of you plays a vital role in keep-ing us informed.In view of my plans to move toSheffield, Sian has now taken overthe leadership of the Come and ChatBereavement Group. Many of you willknow that for many years Sian was aGP at our local surgery and thus has

vast experience of bereavementwork. I’m delighted that I will be leav-ing the group in such capable hands.Once again, there has been very littleuptake for Come & Chat over the win-ter months but we’re hopeful that nowthat the days are lengthening and theweather improving, people will feelmore inclined to venture out on aThursday afternoon. If you know any-one who would be helped by comingplease do point them in the directionof the Church Hall on the first Thurs-day of the month where the groupmeets from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. If youcould afford the time to accompanythem, please do so. This group could not run without thesupport of our loyal band of volun-teers who are there to lend an ear tothe people who come and keep sup-plies of tea and coffee going, as wellas helping behind the scenes. We ex-tend our grateful thanks to each oneof them.This time last year we appealed forvolunteers to take over the running of

the tea parties which hitherto we hadheld in church on a fairly regularbasis. Two relative new comers to ourchurch, Pam and Joyce, generouslyoffered to step in but were very disap-pointed that so few people came. Weare currently thinking about restartingthis venture in the summer possiblyto coincide with the queen’s 90thbirthday celebrations.

Licensed EvangelistJenni Duffy Being a Licensed Evangelist in the Oakham Team during the last 31/2 years has been really excitingand it is an absolute privilege to be a part of the many areas of outreach in our parish. I continue to enjoy assisting at themany Baptisms we have and welcom-ing the children and their families andfriends to our beautiful church. Duringthe last year, 30 children have beenbaptised, and it is lovely to see somany of them attending our toddlergroups and special services that wehave during the year. Thank you to allwho have helped during these Bap-tism services and to the wonderfulteam of ladies organised by JackieVecqueray who are involved in theBaptism follow-up. The Travelling Nativities were hostedby more than 60 families during Ad-vent last year; please see the photo-graphic display in the children’s area.Special thanks must go to our lovelyknitters who produced such a variety

of rainbow and woolly sheep for thefamilies to keep and to PamelaWoods and Denise McDonald fortheir help with the logistical challengeof co-ordinating all of it. This is a won-derful outreach project as the Christ-mas story is brought into so manyhomes and there is a real communityfeel as families make contact withone another to pass on the sets.The Christingle and Crib serviceswere well attended and lively, withlots of involvement from the children.Mothering Sunday was a very specialoccasion and our thanks to Marilyn &John Tomalin for making the deliciousSimnel cake and to the ladies of theflower guild for the beautiful posies offlowers that were so gratefully re-ceived.

We have a new home group whichwas launched in September and ishosted by Monica Compton. Ourstudies are such fun with a dynamicgroup who bring so much to the ses-sions. See the separate report for fur-ther details. This report has been rather poignantto write as it will be my final one asyour Licensed Evangelist. As most ofyou know, I will begin training for Or-dained Ministry in September and sowe will need a new Licensed Evan-gelist for our parish. Could this beyou? If you feel that you are beingcalled to this valuable and interestingrole, please come and talk to me - Iwould be happy to discuss the posi-tion and answer any questions youmay have over a cup coffee..

Page 10

MusicKevin Slingsby, Director of MusicMusic rightfully plays an important part in our worship at All Saints, and this manifests itself in a vari-ety of ways, traditional and contemporary, choral and congregational, and as the hymn book puts it‘Ancient & Modern – Hymns and Songs for Refreshing Worship’.That tagline, ‘Hymns and Songs for Refresh-ing Worship’, is precisely what we hope toachieve when selecting music for our serv-ices, whether it is hymns for the congregationto sing or music for the choir to sing that re-flects on the theme of the service. We nowhave a well-established routine of printinghymns for the 10:30am service in the WeeklyPewsheet, and this gives us good flexibility inthe choice of material. ‘Ancient & Modern’,published in 2013, provides a good basis tothe repertoire, but we regularly draw on othersources, including other Anglican hymn bookssuch as ‘Hymns Old & New’, as well as hymnbooks from other denominations and those ofa more ecumenical nature, and indeed morerecent hymns available only online.The choir continues to sing at the10:30am service (except on the thirdSunday), and makes an importantcontribution to the worship, both inleading the congregational singingand in enhancing the worship with, forexample, communion anthems. How-ever, the choir is currently very smallin numbers, and while I am extremelygrateful to its members for their dedi-cation and support, it is disappointingthat there are not more of youamongst the All Saints family that feelthey could join us to contribute to en-hancing our worship in this way.We are fortunate that when we jointogether for Team services, with theTeam Choir, Laudamus, that we areable to sustain a more effective ‘criti-cal mass’. Last year I reported thatwe had established more regular,twice-monthly, full practices, and thesuccess of this approach has led usto move to a full Laudamus practiceevery week. This has proved to bevery effective, and the benefits of re-hearsing as a full choir every week faroutweigh the fact that some membersare practising items that they mightnot be singing in a service in theirown church. Nevertheless, moremembers would be very welcome inall voices, whether singing in theOakham choir regularly, or justsinging for ‘Team’ occasions. Onebenefit of the new rehearsal schedulehas been a more substantial choir forthe third Sunday evensong atOakham, which has become a biggerpart of the Laudamus schedule.

The key events at Oakham have con-tinued to be highlights of the year –the Holy Week services for MaundyThursday and Good Friday, the AdventCarol Service and the Christmas NineLessons and Carols, as well as AshWednesday, when it is always a pleas-ure to sing in one of the smaller vil-lages (Brooke in 2015, Hambleton in2016), patronal evensongs in Teighand Brooke, and fifth Sunday TeamCommunions, usually in Oakham,Whissendine or Langham. We sungfor carol services at Market Overtonand Whissendine as well as Oakham,as in previous years, and a new ven-ture this year was a more informalcarol concert at Langham, which wasbroadcast on Rutland Radio on Christ-mas Day! We have even managed tofield a small, but growing, choir at theEaster Dawn service (Braunston in2015, Langham in 2016).Other important occasions for thechoir this year have included the li-censing of Revd Canon Julie Hutchin-son as Team Vicar in September, theTeam Confirmation Service in No-vember, and a ‘Come and Sing’Stainer’s Crucifixion on Palm Sunday2015.Two events further afield that alwaysfigure in the calendar are the DeaneryEucharist in July, this year at Ryhall,and the Diocesan Choral Festival atPeterborough Cathedral in October,which is always a great chance tosing with a much bigger choir and

enjoy some music that we might nototherwise tackle, under the inspiringleadership of Steven Grahl, theCathedral’s Director of Music.On the social side, we always enjoythe annual Choir Dinner, and aftertwo years at the White Lion inWhissendine, we visited Baker’s Yardin Oakham in February 2016, wherewe had an enjoyable meal, followedby a return of the postprandial quiz!The music group has continued toplay at Family Services on the thirdSunday, and it has been a pleasure towelcome a number of new youngermembers this year. At full strength wecan muster around three violins,viola, cello, three flutes and clarinetas well as piano. We are not often allthere together, but the group doesprovide a confident and vibrant ac-companiment to the singing at FamilyServices.I am grateful as ever to the manypeople who support and encouragethe music in many ways, especiallythe Team Rector and the MinistryTeam, the Worship Forum and theLaudamus planning committee. Twoindividuals deserve a particular men-tion, namely Paul Butler, who is agreat support on the organ, enablingme to concentrate on the choir for im-portant occasions knowing that theorgan will be spot-on, and SandraNeedham for her energy andpainstaking sorting out of all themusic after the event!

Choir members at the Diocesan Choral Festival in October

Page 11

Communications GroupKevin SlingsbyThis year, the main two areas that the Communications Grouphave worked on have been the Website and the Welcome Leaflet.The new Team Website was launchedat Advent 2015, and the home pagenow provides a much more vibrantwelcome, with rolling photos depictingaspects of the many activities that aregoing on both in Oakham and acrossthe Team. In many ways it is still awork in progress, and there are cer-tainly areas which still need improve-ment, but it is now regularly updatedin parallel with the Weekly Pewsheetwith news items and future events,often giving more detail than there isspace for in the Pewsheet, and pro-viding information about events fur-ther in advance than the Pewsheetcan. Future enhancements will in-clude more sophisticated filtering ofevents to make the ones that individ-ual browsers are interested moreeasily accessible. Please have a lookat the website if you haven’t done so,

and let us know if you have any ideasfor its improvement.The Welcome Leaflet is designed toprovide an introduction to what weoffer at All Saints in a brief and acces-sible way to people in the town whomight otherwise be unaware, boththose who might have been here forsome time, as well as (most impor-tantly) those arriving newly on thenew housing estates. We have a draftleaflet ready to go, and a plan for thedistribution of it through the town, butwe have put the project on hold tem-porarily because Churches Togetherare currently looking at a similar exer-cise jointly between the localchurches aimed at the new develop-ments particularly, and it is clearly im-portant that we work together to carryout this work..

Flower GuildAnna OliverA big thank you to all the volun-teers of the All Saints FlowerGuild who have decorated thechurch at festival times and forthose who have arranged andlooked after the altar pedestalsthroughout the year.

We are grateful for John Tomalin’slarger arrangements at the altar forEaster and Christmas.The Flower Guild is largel self financ-ing and so we welcome donations tosupport the decoration of the win-dows during the church festivals andthe altar pedestal flowers throughoutthe year.Thank you to Betty Tidd our treasurer.We are always looking for new mem-bers to join our group of volunteers. Awillingness to have a go is all that isneeded.If you would like to do a smallarrangement at festival time or jointhe altar flower rota please give me acall on 01572 756845 or via emailoliveranna101@gmail.com.

Healing PrayerGroupPatrick WilsonThe Healing Prayer Group meets forprayer and Bible study on the thirdThursday afternoon of each month.These meetings are held in the vari-ous homes of members of the Group.Prayer requests are received andprayers offered. Confidentiality withinthe Group is strictly observed. Thesemeetings and the prayers offered arenot linked directly with the PrayerChain, but are supportive of it.On the first Wednesday of eachmonth, at 12:00pm, there has been ashort service in the church, for heal-ing and prayer, with laying-on ofhands if requested. Membership ofthe group has been fairly small andnew members are always welcome.It is to be hoped that the MinistryTeam will be able to arrange one ortwo services in the morning or theevening on a Sunday, at which prayerand the laying-on of hands will be of-fered. One such service wasarranged during the year.

Page 12

Bell RingersLouis Totaro – Tower Captain Ringing at Oakham during 2015 was quite busy for the Tower from a regular stream of weddings, (atleast 14!) and visits from several visiting teams. For the second year in a row we supported the Rut-land Concert Band and their open air concert in July and accompanied them to the 1812 Overturewith bells and cannons (very traditional); and we’re booked in for this year as well!Practice nights on Tuesdays remain well attended bylocal members and visitors and we continue to perseverewith developing ringers of all abilities. Over the last fewmonths we have welcomed Joshua and Kaleb Tomalin tothe Tower who are learning to ring as part of their Dukeof Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and both are making re-ally good progress... with the help of Grandma andGrandpa! I’m also really pleased with the rest of the teamwho are all making positive steps forward in new andsurprising areas of ringing.Of course all of this hard work, time and commitment bythe ringers and their families should never be taken forgranted and I am most grateful of their continued sup-port.On the flipside we have seen more adults become inter-ested in ringing and I would certainly like to extend an in-vitation and encourage anyone who is interested to joinus and come to have a go. Our practice night is heldevery Tuesday 7:30pm – 9:00pm and our Sunday morn-ing ringing commences at 9:55am. Our peal of bells remain in a good ringable condition.The last inspection carried out by John Taylor Bell-founders of Loughborough identified that the leatherwasher of the tenor bell was showing signs of its age andwear and therefore proposed this should be replaced.The work is still scheduled to be completed. Fortunately,there are no other major signs of wear on the bells orframe at this time, although I mentioned in recent reportsthat this could change and the latter will need to be

closely monitored. Our next annualvisit is due at the end of the year.For 2016 our main focus is the Clockand we are now in the process ofraising funds to upgrade the time-piece for the 21st century and be-yond, whilst maintaining its originalfabric. The proposed upgrade will in-volve a new automatic winding sys-tem to save on wear and tear, moreaccurate synchronisation using radiotechnology and the ability to disablethe quarter and hour chimes duringnight time hours to minimise noise.The quoted cost of these upgradeswill be in the region of £5,000 and wewould appreciate as much support aspossible to help us reach our targetand have the installation completedbefore the winter. So let’s dig deep!

The church clock

All Saints’ Bellringers

Page 13

Children & Young PeopleSunday SchoolRobin RobsonThe Sunday School continues to thrive. We have had a happy and eventful year starting with a Bar-becue in the Vicarage garden in early September. The day looked like it could be cold and even rain,but we were lucky and I hope everyone enjoyed it. We went to Peterborough in Januaryon our annual pantomime visit whichwas great fun. Thank you to BerylKirkland for organising it and to thechurch for subsidising the SundaySchool tickets.We continue to use a Magazinecalled Roots which keeps with theLectionary so that the children arelearning about the same parts of thebible as the adults, which is impor-tant. It also means that we know whatwe have taught our children and whatis planned for the whole of the year.There are quite a lot of children whowill be moving to Secondary Schoolthis year which is the natural time toalso go up to All Saints Hub – agesfor ASH are 11-14. Promotion to AllSaints Kids is 15 plus. We feel thatthe Sunday School and HUB childrenneed to meet weekly rather than lessoften and in consequence we arehoping that we have recruitedenough helpers to man this. Peoplehave been so kind in offering theirservices, they have to be DRBchecked which takes a while but isnecessary.

The Sunday Schools could not be run without the hard work and commit-ment of both the Leaders and the Helpers, there have to be three peo-ple at every session. I am so very grateful and thankful to you all. Every-one does it differently and everyone does it well, that is lovely for the chil-dren.Thank you Guli for organising ASH and to Dominic for organising ASK.Thank you also to the congregation as their reaction to the children’s work makes them happy to have worked hard, and to the parents.

Page 14

cinema to see Sufragette. At Christ-mas ASH wrote and delivered prayersfor the Nativity service and, onMaundy Thursday, members of ASKand ASH joined together for a mealbefore the Eucharist with Foot-wash-ing and, afterwards, helped to keepthe watch until midnight. Members ofASK and ASH, as well as some par-ents, came together to deliver theyearly reading of the Passion onPalm Sunday.Those involved in leading ASK andASH are always touched by the en-thusiasm and engagement of ouryoung people. They always have ex-cellent ideas and questions, and we

Young People’s Groups – ASH and ASKRevd Dr Dominic CoadThe ASK and ASH groups constitute our growing provision for Young People at All Saints. The ASHgroup is designed for young people aged 11-13 and ASK for those 14 and up. ASH meet during the10:30 service whilst the ASK group meet at times outside of services, including some trips.

are proud and grateful for their contri-bution to the life of All Saints. We lookforward to the new academic yearwhen we hope to be expanding theprovision, with more sessions forASH in particular. ASH sessions rely on members of thecongregation offering their own expe-rience and expertise and a broadrange of input is welcomed. Membersof the congregation who help in thisway find the experience rewardingand it helps develop relationshipsacross age groups. If you think youcould offer a session, please speak toGuli Francis-Dehqani or the curate.

This year has seen the continuationof the regular ASH sessions once amonth during the Sunday service,with numbers around 6 or 7. Ses-sions have included ‘heaven andhell’, ‘how the Bible was written’ and‘thinking about refugees’. The ASKgroup have also continued with theiroccasional ‘ASK the big questions’sessions.Outside these sessions there havebeen various other events, some in-corporating ASK and ASH together.ASK have had breakfast togetherand, in May, went for a quiet day atLaunde Abbey to help relieve examstress. We also made a trip to the

Pram & Toddler Service celebrates its 15th Birthday

Page 15

Pram and Toddler ServicesJenni DuffyThe Pram and Toddler services celebrated 15 years of Bible stories, fun and activity in May. Families,past and present, helped to mark this occasion by submitting photos and memories for our displaywhich was on view in church during this period. We also launched our second song book, decoratedby our current group of toddlers and produced by Kevin Slingsby. On the day we had balloons andcake and Lee held everyone spellbound as he taught about Jesus’ Ascension. We were delighted towelcome past team members and mums from the early days too (without their children, though, dueto school!) It was wonderful to recall all the fun we’ve had through the years and to see how our‘graduates’ have grown and find out what they are up to now.This year we have 26 children regis-tered and have been averaging 7 tod-dlers/babies plus their respectiveadults per week with some weeksreaching a lively 30 people in all. Wehave been very pleased to welcome 5of our young members into thechurch family following their Baptismsthis year. In our sessions we havebeen looking at traditional Bible sto-ries and have enjoyed painting, gluingand planting during our craft time.Our songs continue to be noisy andfull of activity and it has been a realjoy to see many of the children re-membering the words and actionsand joining in with such enthusiasm. New faces on our team rota include:Oakham school pupil Rebecca (join-ing us for her second year), as part ofher community service and OwenWilliams, our new curate. A hugethank you goes to everyone involvedfor keeping our group runningsmoothly and sharing their gifts andtime so generously.

Pram Service is onFacebook – like ourpage (Oakham Pramand Toddler Serv-ices) and you will re-ceive updates andother exciting news.

As always, though, things changeand move on as time goes by and it iswith a mixture of sadness and excite-ment that I announce my intention torelinquish the running of Pram Serv-ice due to a change of circumstancesthat will see me begin training for Or-dained Ministry in September. Lead-ing this vibrant and charming grouphas been such a pleasure and hugelyencouraging and I often think that Ihave more fun than the children!We need someone to take on thisrole, and if you feel this is somethingyou would like to do then I would bepleased to speak to you about what isinvolved.

Page 16

Tiny TotsDenise McDonald, Alice Clarke & Liz NichollsIn a small town like Oakham almost any activity is a community exercise in a way that would not beso in a big city. We all of us, children, parents, carers and group leaders necessarily encounter oneanother on a regular basis, not merely on Thursday mornings.

For the children, who are only just be-ginning the process of socialisation,meeting friends at Tiny Tots is, wehope a bonus to the important fea-tures of craft, play, story, singing andespecially biscuits! To the adults whohave lived in the town for a long timeit is often a chance to encounter fam-ily and friends in a new setting. Fornewcomers to the area joining us orother similar groups can be a reallyimportant opportunity to feel wantedand welcome (we hope) not astranger. A young mother, alone witha small child can FEEL very isolatEDand the chance to exchange ideasand problems with others who sharethem is more important than any spe-cific input. We also hope that at £1 aweek we offer good value for tightfamily budgetsFor the children, we offer an impor-tant early step in the processes oflearning about the world beyond thehome. We try to include a varied pro-gramme reflecting events which theywill be talking about - the changingseasons and festivals especiallyChristmas and Easter. We try also to

remember the needs of others espe-cially through Children in Need andour annual Toddle Waddle for Menin-gitis Now which this year raised£260.00. An important process oflearning is that everyone is not thesame, but we can learn to associatewith, and even become friends with,those who are apparently different.Though no two years are the sameour highlights include our Christmasparty which was particularly well at-tended this year. As always ourthanks go to Father Christmas whomanaged once again to fit us in to hisvery busy schedule. We were alsofortunate that in July when we have aTeddy Bears’ Picnic to end the ses-sion, the weather was fine and wewere able to venture outside. The endof the year is always sad since ourchildren grow up and move on tonursey or school but we are fortunatethat we always seem to find a newgroup to join us..

Page 17

Good News VanCatriona DryeThis is a library which has a selection of Christian books and DVDs about various aspects of our Christian lives. This in-cludes novels, biographies, prayer, worship etc. We usually meet on the third Tuesday at either 25 Willow Crescent or theCommon Room at St John and St Anne's flats in South Street.We would love to see more people. Check with Catriona about venue on 770429.

Home GroupsHome Groups are an integral part of church life here in Oakham. The leaders of the four groups ledby members of All Saints have submitted the following reports:Monday evening Home GroupJenni Duffy

This new home group began meetingin September 2015, we have 8 mem-bers and are very grateful to MonicaCompton for hosting us so graciously.We meet twice a month on the 2ndand 4th Mondays at 7:30 – 9pm. Dur-ing Advent to Epiphany we discussedthe events around Jesus’ birth fromthe perspectives of various key peo-ple in His life. This proved to be avaluable way for us to prepare forChristmas and to reflect on the im-pact of our Saviour’s birth. We havealso had the valuable opportunity ofexperiencing sessions led by differentmembers of the group. We then had a brief look at Colos-sians led by Michael Hinman beforeengaging with the Lent groups wherewe were joined by 4 new membersand studied ‘The Psalms’ YorkCourse. When we begin again in April, we willbe looking at Hebrews.Willow Crescent Bible Study GroupDouglas & Catriona Drye.

We have had an interesting time look-ing at the Women of the Old Testa-ment and have been surprised to seehow relevant that is in our lives today.One of the most astounding thingswas the way Esther, having been putin a very vulnerable situation, did thething she was asked to do. She had

the backing of prayer to give hercourage.The nest study we are looking atJoshua and wondering what we canlearn new that relates to our livestoday.We would welcome anyone whowould like to join us.We meet on the second and forthTuesday at 10am at 25 Willow Cres-cent the home of Catriona DryeAshwell Road Home GroupStan and Gill Bruce

During the past year our group hascontinued to meet fortnightly onWednesday evenings, except duringJuly and August, and during Lentwhen members were able to join oneof the regular Lent Groups. In thesummer we completed a stimulatingcourse of studies on the Book of Ne-hemiah, and in the autumn we beganto work our way through the Gospelof Mark. We are grateful for the regu-lar support and commitment of themembers of our group.We have continued to contribute to-wards the support of a family inKenya through 'Send a Cow', and fol-lowed with interest their progress intheir journey towards self-sufficiency.During the summer, as a group wevisited St. Margaret's Church in Hem-ingford Abbotts, where we werewarmly welcomed and given a brieftalk about the history of the church

and its unique features. After a lightlunch in the Tea Room at neighbour-ing Hemingford Grey run by volun-teers from the church, we enjoyed afascinating visit to the Manor House,one of the oldest continuously inhab-ited houses in Britain.And in January, we had an enjoyablelunch together at The Barn restaurantin Burley Road (highly recom-mended!)Peterborough Avenue Home GroupPatrick and Marjorie Wilson

Except during major holiday periodsor Lent, our Home Group meetingswere held fortnightly, on alternateThursday afternoons, with attendancethat included members from two ofthe other churches in Oakham.One of these, Ron Curtis gave a talkon two occasions, the first on theW.W.1 army chaplain, Tubby Clayton,the founder of Toc H; and the second,on Jackie Pullinger and her inspira-tional, Spirit-empowered work inHong Kong. Stephan led a short series on St.Peter. We followed the course devel-oped by Mary Pytches, “The Marks ofMaturity.” And finally we pursued aseries intended as a refresher to the“Freedom in Christ” course that weused a year or two ago.As usual, everyone benefited fromthe opportunities that our meetingsgave for fellowship and learning andpraying together.

Adult Education

Page 18

Financial StewardshipGordon WoodsStewardship recognises God’s goodness by making regular giftsto the church. This style of giving provides about 80% of our in-come. Unlike some churches we do not have frequent fundraisingevents, our main one is the autumn sale which both produces in-come but also interacts with townspeople. There are three main ways of regulargiving; (i) by a bankers order via theDiocese (the commonest way), (ii) byweekly numbered envelopes put inthe offertory and (iii) by an annualcheque. A small number use morethan one way. For all these givingmethods, if you are a tax payer, 25%can be added to your donation by‘Gift Aiding’. There has been littlechange in the number using the firstmethod as new donors balance thoselost through death or movement fromOakham. Every year some peoplewho have been using envelopeschange to the more convenient use ofa bankers order. No more envelopesto fill and remember to bring! A recent development is the increaseof the number of donors who giveboth to us and their local parish. Thecomplementary sharing occurs when

Mission GivingCanon Michael WilsonThe Mission Giving Proposalsfor this year were carefully dis-cussed at a meeting of the Mis-sion Giving Sub-committeetowards the end of 2015 andapproved by the PCC soon af-terwards. Full details can befound on page 10 of the sec-ond part of this document.As in previous years, a balance wasretained between International, Na-tional and Local causes – the only dif-ferences being the decision tosupport the Mothers’ Union in Ketter-ing instead of further afield and to an-ticipate giving to emergency reliefcauses regarding the Ebola Crisisand the disaster in Tibet.A balance was also maintained be-tween ecclesial mission enterprisesparticularly when there was a per-sonal, diocesan or Anglican overseaslink on the one hand, and aid, relief,medical and support charities nearhome and further afield.Thanks go to everyone who sug-gested areas and individuals in need,all who give consistently and gener-ously. The Parish Church FinanceTeam have been particularly helpfulto me in this process. Letters ofthanks come in from nearly all recipi-ents. The original copy goes to thePCC Treasurer to be placed onrecord whilst I retain a copy for refer-ence. The gratitude expressed to ourParish cannot be underestimated.

FairtradeDenise McDonaldFairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fairterms of trade for farmers and workers.It’s about supporting the developmentof thriving farming and worker com-munities that have more control overtheir futures and protecting the envi-ronment in which they live.When we buy products with the FAIR-TRADE Mark, we support farmersand workers as they work to improvetheir lives and their communities. TheMark means that the Fairtrade ingre-dients in the product have been pro-duced by small-scale farmerorganisations or plantations that meetFairtrade social, economic and envi-ronmental standards. The standardsinclude protection of workers’ rights

and the environment, payment of theFairtrade Minimum Price and an addi-tional Fairtrade Premium to invest inbusiness or community projects.Given the above it is very pleasing toreport, once again that last year wasyet again a very good one for Traid-craft Fairtrade sales both here at AllSaints Oakham and in the wider teamand community.Stalls were predominately held on thefirst and third Sundays after the 10:30service with slight variations for fifthSundays and Festivals. The stall put inan appearance again at each of the fivelent lunches where it was as ever really

Finance & Stewardship

donors move to a nearby parish. Theresult is financially neutral.Two church members have told methat they have left some money for AllSaints in their will. Whatever yourage, would you consider leaving alegacy to your church. I have somehelpful leaflets and will discuss rele-vant ideas with you, of course in con-fidence.Our thanks are due to the youngerchurch member who, in response tomy request in last year’s report, isproviding the technical skill to obtaintax refunds from donations in en-velopes.Please contact me at All Saints or byphone (01572 755371) if you wish totalk confidentially about starting orchanging your giving method. Thank you!

well supported, particularly on the Fri-day of the Women’s World Day OfPrayer. Yet another new venture for mewas to take part in Market Overton’s an-nual Christmas fayre, a fun packedmorning with lots of other stall holderspresent and some sales too! I also tookpart in our annual Autumn Sale againwith good results. I also paid visits toTeigh, Langham and Whissendine dur-ing the course of the year. The parentsand carers at Thursday morningsTiny Tots really appreciate the Fair-trade cookies we offer, the chocolateones being a particular favourite! The

Please see pages 3-11 in Part 2 of this document for the full Financial Review andStatement of Accounts for 2015

Page 19

Fabric, Furniture, Fixtures & FittingsAlison Long & Ann Blackett – ChurchwardensThe main project this year has continued to be the updating of the boiler and we are pleased to reportthat there has been considerable progress. Building on the work carried out byVyv Wainwright, for which we aremost grateful, a small Fabric Groupconsisting of Lee, the Wardens andthe Treasurer, has been establishedto manage this project and work onother issues concerning the churchbuilding and its contents. A specialistmechanical engineer has been askedto carry out a full survey and preparea feasibility study, in consultation withour architect, to establish the best lo-cation for the new boiler. The initialconsultation resulted in the DAC rec-ommending that the boiler be locatedin the Mayhew Room, but the prefer-ence of the PCC is for it to be locatedin the upstairs office and the Architectand Engineer have noted this. Weaim to send revised proposals to theDAC for their April meeting and oncewe have obtained approval on the sit-ing of the new boiler we will apply forthe necessary Faculty in June. Allbeing well we are hopeful that thework will begin in August. The Archdeacon’s Visitation and In-spection was carried out by JohnTomalin – Deanery Lay Chair last yearand all was found to be in order. Wewill have completed the annual checkof the contents of the church againstthe inventory of the Terrier by the timeyou read this report. The initial workthat we have carried out has shown nomajor discrepancies. We would appealto anyone who has any of the pyxesbelonging to the church to let either ofthe Church Wardens know, as thereare several that are unaccounted for.The PCC were approached by

Oakham in Bloom regarding a plant-ing scheme to encompass the borderon the south side of the church. Thiswas well received and we are in aprocess of applying for a Faculty forthis work to commence, hopefully inthe Autumn.We have been in discussion with alocal Horologist regarding some nec-essary work to the winding mecha-nism to the Church clock. This isessential to preserve this historicallyimportant clock and its mechanismand an appeal will be launched toraise funds towards it. We are ex-tremely grateful to Louis Totaro for allhis work and expertise in this area.The new notice boards are now inplace and have attracted many positivecomments. We are grateful for the sup-port of the Friends in providing thesemuch needed additions to the church.During the year the south porch wasfound to be leaking and work is ongo-ing to solve this problem. Similarly,we are waiting for the sanctuary lampto be repaired after some of the deco-

Church HallPeter KinalThe past year has seen some significant improvements to theHall. We have installed acoustic ceiling tiles, a water boiler andupgraded sink unit in the kitchen, and a greatly improved heatingsystem. We have cleaned and re-sealed the floor. This has in-volved substantial capital outlay, funded from our own fabric fund.Thanks a continuing healthy currentaccount arising from hall bookings, atransfer was made to the PCC, as inprevious years. In this connection,special mention should be made ofthe role of our Treasurer, Mr. JohnDenny. His careful oversight and man-agement of Church Hall finances hasbeen hugely important. He has beenobliged, for a variety of reasons, to re-tire. He leaves with our very sinceregood wishes and unqualified thanks.The Committee met on four occa-sions. Cleaning and maintenancework has been regularly undertakenby Stephan Johnson, with help onwhat might be termed ‘domestic’ mat-

ters (in the kitchen, for example) fromPat Munro and Carol Scothern. Thecontribution of other Committee mem-bers, in meetings and at other times,has been of considerable value. Ithas been helpful to me to have beenable to call upon the Secretary,Patrick Wilson, from time to time, todeal with correspondence arising.Amongst contributors to another suc-cessful year for the Church Hall, thename of All Saints Church Team Ad-ministrator, Janine Weaver, shouldfigure prominently. Her arrangementof bookings and her handling of com-plaints, or of unexpected happenings,has been exemplary, and I am verygrateful.

rative lettering broke away. It is cur-rently with a local silversmith.Going forward we are reviewing manyaspects of health and safety, particu-larly in light of the small fire on Christ-mas Eve. Members of the FabricGroup are updating fire risk assess-ment and other policies.Within the life of our church commu-nity there are many people who worktirelessly to keep the church and thechurch yard in good condition for allour benefit as well as for the glory ofGod! We would like to thank all whogive up their time to clean, arrangeflowers, change lightbulbs, put up andtake down the Christmas tree andcrib, provide coffee and welcome ona Sunday morning, as well as thosewho are involved in working in thechurch yard and as sidesmen, read-ers and intercessors.Finally, we would like to thank all whohave supported us as church wardensover in so many ways over the lastyear and we look forward to workingwith you more in the year to come.

children at our Tiny Tots group alsoenjoy parcels of Fairtrade Eastereggs at the end of the Spring term. Sales from the Autumn cataloguecontinue to thrive with folk again or-dering a selection of cards, gifts andfood items. TOTAL sales for 2015 in-cluding this, Lent Lunches, regularstall etc were a MASSIVE £3,387.47!As ever my grateful thanks to every-one who continues to support thestall in whatever way they are able toand as I always say YOUR SUP-PORT REALLY DOES MAKE AHUGE DIFFERENCE.

Page 20

Deanery SynodJohn Tomalin – Lay Chair, Rutland Deanery SynodRutland Deanery synod met six time during the past year, including the Deanery Eucharist.

21 May 2015BisbrookeThe recently appointed DiocesanYouth Advisor, Chad Chadwick, gavean insight to his work withunchurched people and describedyouth work as looking for the sparkand creating a welcoming culturewhilst providing support, inspirationand resourcing.Chad explained how the diocese waslooking for younger ordinandsthrough the Young Vocations Cham-pion and the provision of year-long in-ternships

9 July 2015Deanery Eucharist at RyhallRevd Paddy McKee officiated at theeucharist and the Diocesan Directorof Mission, Revd Miles Bakerpreached a rousing and thought pro-voking sermon. It was a very enjoy-able occasion with joint choirs,including Laudamus, leading thesinging..

7 September 2015OakhamThis was an extraordinary meeting ofsynod, specifically on parish shareand addressed by the Diocesan Sec-retary, Andrew Roberts. There wasconsiderable questioning and discus-sion and synod voted against the pro-posal

24 September 2015North LuffenhamThe meeting was addressed byCanon Liz Holdsworth, director oftraining. As children of God sheasked what motivates us, angers usor pleases us? What actions do wetake in regard to global and nationalissues? Our witness is in all we sayor do in reaction to events.Liz then went on to explain a pro-gramme of discipleship events beingheld in the diocese.

Churches Together in Oakham and DistrictPatrick WilsonMeetings of the Churches Together Committee were held in March, September and November 2015,and in January 2016.CTO involvements during 2015-16 in-cluded:• Christian Corner and service details

in the Rutland Times.

• Lent lunches. Responsibility forthese was taken, a week at a time,by different churches.

• Weekly Prayer Meeting and shortservice, on Wednesdays at 12.00pm, in the Congregational Church.(For this greater support wouldbe welcomed.)

• Support for the Drop-in Centre in the

Congregational Church Hall. (Al-though additional help is alwayswelcome, it is pleasing to recordthat more than 40 volunteers, rep-resenting all the churches, helpwith this project. There remains aserious need for more volunteerhelpers with catering, serving orwashing up.)

• Publicity for Christmas Services.

• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,which, this year, was marked by ashared Covenant Service atOakham Methodist Church.

• Good Friday Walk of Witness.

• Lent House Groups and Palm Sun-day Joint Worship.

• Christian Aid Collection.

• Women’s World Day of Prayer.

• Support for the Rutland Food Bank.

• A Prayer Breakfast, to mark the be-ginning of the Week of Prayer forChristian Unity was held in the Vic-toria Hall on 23rd January, 2016,and was attended by upwards ofninety people. The theme was ‘Wel-coming the Stranger’, and the pres-entation given by ‘Open Doors’, wasarranged by the Revd. Steve Barn-well of Oakham Baptist Church.

The Wider Church

19 November 2015UppinghamRevd Miles Baker andBen Smith spoke on the missionaluse of church buildings. His role is tohelp us understand our buildings –What is important? What works well?How can it aid mission? Miles then spoke of mission opportu-nities and outreach for our buildings.He acknowledged that it is not alwayseasy to establish change within abuilding, e.g. moving of pews!

4 February 2016OakhamThe Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani,Diocesan Curates Training Officer,outlined the recent changes, nation-ally and within the diocese, to trainingwhich have had an impact on cura-cies. She then spoke about curate as-sessments, structures, training andopen and honest reviews.The Rural Dean raised the issue ofFees. He considered this an issuethat should be raised and synodagreed that a question would beasked at Diocesan synod

Page 21

Diocesan SynodJohn Tomalin – Diocesan Synod RepresentativeThere have been two meetings of Diocesan Synod since the last APCM; on 12th September 2015 atNorthampton and on 19th March 2016 at Kettering. Full details of all Synod activity, including BishopDonald’s addresses can be found at http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/finance-and-administra-tion/synods12 September 2015NorthamptonElections were held and Revd CanonLee Francis-Dehqani was electedVice-Chair of Synod and Chair of theHouse of Clergy and Mr JohnMacMahon Vice-Chair of Synod andchair of the House of Laity.Bishop Donald in his presidential ad-dress talked about Holy Cross Day,and our focus on the Cross, the sym-bol of our faith but also a symbol oftorture. “The cross is the centre, be-cause Christianity is about God’s self-giving. Our response must equally beself-giving. In Philippians chapter twoit says, ‘let the same mind be in youthat is in Christ Jesus.’” He went on tosay that this verse was also verypractical - the solution to argumentsin the church. The cross isn’t there asa theoretical centre of our faith, but asa reminder of what he has done forus. “He didn’t vote for his own com-fort, conveniences or privileges butfor the best for all.” This was particu-larly relevant to the Diocesan Synod.You are here as trustees of the Dio-cese, and you are here to vote forwhat is best for the diocese and itsmission.”Diocesan Board of Finance ReportsThe 2014 accounts were approved.Mr Michael Trueman, Chair of theDiocesan Board of Finance, intro-duced the 2016 budget. He statedthat currently the parish share doesn’tmatch the cost of our clergy, the extracomes from investment. The increasein cost is rising faster than the 5%projected parish share rise for the or-dinands, the rise in numbers of clergyand their training. +Donald added thatwe are not likely at all to receivemonies from the National Church inthe longer term. At some point we willhave to raise enough in Parish Shareto pay the full cost of all our clergy in-cluding training, recruitment, housing,pensions and so on. Approval of thebudget was carried unanimously.The new Parish Share SchemeAmendment was debated. There

would be a 5 year transitional periodwhen parish share would be calcu-lated on the full cost of clergy num-bers and not average Sundayattendance (ASA). This was passedby a large majority.General Synod (July 2015) mattersThere was a major debate on climatechange and synod ”pledged that ur-gent action is needed to tackle cli-mate change”. Synod gave finalapproval to a package of proposals tomake the Church a safer place forvulnerable adults and children. TheGeneral Synod discussed Simplifica-tion and the Task Group formed in2014. The Task Group aims to reduceand simplify Church rules and legisla-tion which may be forming barriers tomission for those working at diocesanand parish level.

19 March 2016KetteringIn his address +Donald made fourmain points. • Referring to legal matters and the

production of budgets and accountshe commented that the diocese op-erated with the minimum number ofstatutory committees but that 90%of the work in the diocese is notseen as it is on the front line.

• On the question of the forthcomingreferendum on Europe he encour-aged everyone to take the matterseriously and not to vote in self-in-terest but on the bigger picture. Howdoes it serve the poor and thegospels? He also considered thatreferendums are a bad thing; gov-ernments should take decisions.

• +Donald considered passion tide asa cosmic time of the cross with newlife following death. He consideredthis a huge theme and suggestedthat the interests of others shouldcome first not our self interest. Toallow us to do that he suggestedthat we should set aside things wecurrently do, reduce our burden andmove on to new challenges.

• The Bishop indicated that he will be

taking a sabbatical this summer forthree months part of which will beused to re-prioritise and turn aroundlooking for new life. He indicatedthat this would be half way from hisappointment to retirement age.

Bungoma+Donald introduced this debate stat-ing that the link had been in place for16 years. This had been formed ini-tially on the friendship of the thenBishops but over the years there hadbeen changes in the relationship, thelaw with respect to the purpose anduse of money donated and the expec-tations of the church in linked dioce-ses. He went on to say that thediocese would be looking for anotherlink, through the Church of England,in another part of the world that wouldbe more broadly based, time limitedand with a move to the gift of skills,culture and governance. It was pro-posed that the link should be endedin October, when Bungoma cele-brates its centenary and that a newlink diocese by the end of 2016.Agreed by a large majority. +Johnwould attend the centenary celebra-tions in Bungoma.Youth MissionersThere was a presentation by ChadChadwick and Becky Wills. They de-scribed youth work as being bleak inmany churches but did give a few ex-amples of green shoots. The goodwork with children up to 11 years wasundone by the lack of engagementthereafter. There was also a problemwith youth leaders who had becomedemoralised or burnt out. Examplewere given work being done to re-dress these issues – diocesan linkswith schools, deanery youth groups,training, resourcing and equipment.

Page 22

Concert SocietyKevin SlingsbyThe regular programme of lunchtime concerts at All Saints has continued during the year, and we aregrateful to Peter Davis and his colleagues and the pupils at Oakham School for giving us such a vari-ety of excellent performances during term-time. Catmose College have also occasion-ally contributed at the end of theirterm, and during the school holidayswe have been fortunate to engagethe services of many talented musi-cians, some regular contributors andsome performing for us for the firsttime. We have a good regular coreaudience at these concerts, and theyprovide an excellent short and inspir-ing break in the middle of the day(1:30pm) every Wednesday through-out the year. If you haven’t been toone, do consider coming.We also continue to promote our reg-ular Bank Holiday Organ Recitals, in2015 given by Ian Shaw (Easter),Steve Grahl (May Day), Philip Under-wood (Spring) and Ivan Linford (Sum-mer), and 2016 has got off to a goodstart at Easter with James Speak-man, the new organist at OakhamSchool. We are extremely lucky tohave such a splendid organ in AllSaints, and there is no better way tospend the late morning (11:15am) ona Bank Holiday Monday than to enjoya varied and accessible programmeof organ music followed by a conviviallunch in the Church Hall afterwards.We will be celebrating the 21st birth-day of the organ in 2016 (it was dedi-

cated in November 1995), and welook forward to a Celebrity Recital incelebration on Monday 26 Septem-ber, given by James Lancelot, Organ-ist of Durham Cathedral, which will bepromoted jointly with the Friends ofAll Saints.We organise the occasional eveningconcert, and two significant suchevents this year were a performanceof Haydn’s Nelson Mass in June, withthe Tudor Choir of Leicester and theCantus Choir, directed by Barry Col-lett, and in October an evening ofGilbert and Suillivan music, promotedjointly with the Friends of All Saints.Other concerts in 2015 included awelcome return of the Oakham Festi-val with two extra lunchtime concertsat the end of June, charity concertsby Rutland Sailability and Hopeagainst Cancer, concerts by the Rut-land Choral Society in March, Julyand December as well as the usualChristmas concerts by the NSPCCand Catmose College in December.Although some concerts are expen-sive, overall we reckon to make a sur-plus over the year, and in addition toa contribution to the church funds weaim to use such funds to improve the

provision for future concerts andmusic generally, for example projec-tor and screen, staging and floodlighting, and currently we are consid-ering funding improvements to theorgan in light of its anniversary..The programme of concerts is organ-ised by a small committee, and I amvery grateful to them all for them un-stinting support and encouragement,without which the various concertscould not happen.Finally, a plea for volunteers to helpwith Bank Holiday lunches after theorgan recitals. They are enjoyedgreatly by those attending, and alsohelp to offset the expenditure of therecital. In 2015, we only had volunteersto organise two of the four lunches,which mean that I had to organise theother two myself, a situation which cur-rently looks likes repeating itself in2016 – alongside looking after the visit-ing organist, setting up the videoscreen etc, it is a job which I would behappy to see a few more people com-ing forward to help with. It is usually asimple cold lunch (although we didventure into baked potatoes and fillingsthis Easter), so is fairly straightforwardto arrange. Please have a word withme if you can help..

Rutland FoodbankRevd Dr Dominic CoadFoodbank is now well settled into a strong pattern of service provision. We continue to enjoy ourpremises, which our volunteers ensure are well kept and welcoming. In the financial year 2015-16 wefed an average of 51 people per month, nearly a third of these were children. We distributed around 5tonnes of food.We open three times a week, inOakham, and are able to offer peoplea cup of tea and a friendly ear, as wellas their food parcel. Volunteers listento peoples’ experiences of jobless-ness, benefit delay and their strug-gles to get by on low pay, or theysimply chat and make the client feelat home.

We have over 70 volunteers, a goodnumber of whom are from All Saints.They work in the distribution centrewhere they welcome clients and packtheir food. Others work in our ware-house, ensuring that food is sortedproperly so that it does not pass itssell-by date and we don’t run out ofthe less donated items.

Social Activities

If you would like to volunteer for theFoodbank please speak to the curateor to Peter Hart from the 10:30 con-gregation. Donations continue to bewelcome and can be left in the box inthe south transept, please check thewebsite to find out in which items weare short.

Page 23

Catering CommitteeMarilyn TomalinWeek by week, members of theCatering Committee organisethe rota involving 20 or morevolunteers to produce refresh-ments after each 10:30 serviceon a Sunday. Then there are the special serviceswhere cakes and fancy biscuits mate-rialise to help us celebrate. This yearwe staged a Harvest Lunch where130 members of the congregationsgathered at Victoria Hall for CottagePies and Apple Puddings. RegularCommittee members were helped bymore than 30 of you to provide thisfeast. Grateful thanks to all who makethese events happen, and especiallythanks to the children who give us alldelightful entertainment – joys allround!

Walking GroupDennis CortonEach year since the Groups inception I have been able to report on the joyous occasions we havehad each month, when a great variety of walks have been undertaken. This year has been no differ-ent in this respect.Time clouds the memory a little, butI’m sure the weather has been ex-ceedingly kind to us, and we have en-joyed some memorable walks in ourcounty and our neighbouring onesalso. One walk in particular, which un-fortunately I was not able to be on, isetched indelibly upon the mind ofeach of the other stalwart walkers ashaving the most stiles ever encoun-tered! There are various suggestionsof the actual number but a reliablesource would suggest about thirtyfour. This is a record I do not wish toaspire to!Our numbers have increased thisyear with a number of new walkersand our pew sheet notice alwaysstates that new walkers are alwaysmade to feel welcome, will you beone of them?Leaders have been Daphne, Gordonand Dennis, and we have also wel-comed Russell to our midst.Our walks, which are always on thefourth Thursday of each month, havebeen from Oakham, Greetham, Eas-ton on the Hill, Castle Bytham, Buck-minster, Hallaton, Gaddesby,Wymondham, Somerby, and Eye-brook. During the summer monthsour walks are around 6 miles and weenjoy a picnic lunch en-route, the win-ter ones approximately 5 miles andwe enjoy a convivial lunch around thefire of some of the local hostelries.

Our New Year’s day walk, which nowhas established itself as part of thegroups tradition, was around Ham-bleton Peninsula. Everyone broughtsome bring and share food to ourhome before the walk with Sally verykindly presenting it together withsome nice warming seasonal drinkupon our return.If you are new to Rutland, or even ifyou are not, what better way is thereto explore and appreciate what wehave in our local area. If you enjoyany of the following activities docome and join us, you will not be dis-appointed, they are – chattering(lots), topical conversation, country-side, wildlife, rural activities, socialis-ing, local history and architecture.

Remember also, walking is verygood for you!Planning for this year’s walks is al-ready under way with the areasaround Launde Abbey, Blatherwycke,Lyddington, Fotheringhay, and Fox-ton Locks under consideration. Willyou be part of them?

Page 24

Friends of All SaintsBeryl Kirtland, ChairmanThe Friends of All Saints’ Church continues to be a flourishing and vibrant part of the Churches activi-ties. Friendship adds to the fellowship of the Church and via funds raised from events for improvementto the fabric of the Church.

In 2015 the friends paid £2000to the PCC for the total cost ofmanufacture and installation ofthe splendid new ChurchyardNotice Boards. I am sure thishas benefitted visitors, towns-folk and church members fortheir improved appearance andthe information they carry.Following a request from thePCC, the Friends Committeediscussed and agreed to con-tribute up to £12,000 to theChurch Boiler Fund dependenton final costs and the PCC’sability to raise funds from othersources. This was ratified at therecent AGM.An interesting programme ofvisits and events took placethrough the year. These in-cluded a visit to Leicester,Leicestershire and Rutland atRisk War Memorial Project at AllSaints’ Church, High Cross,Leicester, which is also an inter-esting CCT church so veryclose to the city centre. St. Maryde Castro a short walk away is

Tolethorpe we are making a re-turn visit this year. Andrew Swift, author of TheComplete Guide to the ParishChurches of Rutland gave aninspiring talk at the SummerLunch in the Church Hall. An-drew is coming back this year toconduct a Rutland ChurchesExcursion in April. The proceeds from a CoffeeMorning in September havebeen reserved for the BoilerFund. Vista was the Charitysupported at The Tide Lunchagain at The Harbour Bar andRestaurant. We are looked afterextremely well at this venue.Good food, delightful views overthe Rutland water makes thecelebration of All Saints’ Day avery popular event. The Pantomime is now a firmfixture and favourite in theFriends Calendar entertainingsome 60 family and friends anda welcome treat for SundaySchool, Ask and Ash members.

Visit to Leicester

also a gem to visit as we did that day.The combined trip with the Mother’s Union saw us explor-ing Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter Museum and then on to Lichfield for a tour of the Cathe-dral, cream tea and sung even-song. As a new venture a group of 20 went to see Henry V at To-lethorpe Shakespeare Theatre. In homage to 400 years of Shakespeare and 40 years of

Page 25

Open HouseBeryl WaitesWe have had another enjoyable year,meeting once a month in differenthomes for tea, coffee and general chitchat. The occasions are always wellsupported, giving time to get to knowpeople in a relaxed atmosphere. Wealways welcome new people and es-pecially offers of new hosts. Anyonewho would like to 'Open' their housefor a morning, please contact BerylWaites. (722893).

Mothers’ UnionMeg Dyer & Pamela WoodsWe have an active branch of the MU in Oakham which is underpinned by prayer.

The Corporate Communion servicesheld once a month at St. John and St.Anne are well attended. The currentmembership is 29, some formermembers have moved away and wewere sad to lose a long standingmember, Hazel Wise, through death.However we have enrolled some newmembers and we still have two menin the Branch. It has become usual to start the yearwith lunch before the AGM, always anenjoyable time for members and theirvisitors. Then followed a variety ofmonthly meetings with differentspeakers, Sheila Saunders speakingabout Friendship, Jill Cannings tellingus about working as A Street Pastor,hearing about one of the new Dioce-san Links, Soroti from Pamela whohas visited in the past. Some monthlymeetings were member based withpeople doing readings or talkingabout items of interest to them. Twomeetings started with a Holy Com-munion service, in Lent Brian Nichollstook it for us and went on to talk

about aspects of WW1. In DecemberHildred Crowther led the service inthe Church Hall and this was followedby tea and chat. As usual membersjoined the Friends for the outing, notwithout problems again, howevereveryone seemed to enjoy the tour ofThe Jewellery Museum in Birming-ham before going to the Cathedral atLichfield.In April the Deanery Quiet Morningtook place in Oakham led by the Ven.Roderick Wells and followed bylunch. May saw us joining with otherdeanery members running a PublicityStall in the market, it was a verywindy, cold morning! In the Autumnwe joined the Diocese in the Cathe-dral for a Festival Service with theWorld Wide President, Lynn Temby,as guest speaker, a very happy occa-sion. As in other years knitting has contin-ued steadily with the annual sheepneeded for the travelling Advent Cribsand the Easter chicks to sell, mostlythrough the Burley Road School.

Money from these sales goes to MUsupported work throughout the world.Both members and friends continueto produce the Trauma Teddiesneeded by the police for use in emer-gencies involving children. We wouldwelcome new people to our meetingsusually held on the 2nd Thursday ofeach month.

The annual Shrovetide Party isalways a sell-out. Not surpris-ingly, as it a relaxed, funevening with plenty of goodfood.We were particularly pleased towork with the Church ConcertSociety to host a return visit inOctober of The Wandering Min-strels presenting excepts fromGilbert and Sullivan Operetta’s.A well supported event meantthere was surplus funds to bedivided between the two Com-mittees.Thanks to a number of talentedreporters many of our eventshave been recorded in theGood News Magazine whichhas helped to keep people in-formed of our activities.John King has resigned astreasurer and we thank him forcompetently looking after the ac-

counts for the past 8 years. RoniProctor has resigned as a veryefficient minute secretary after 6years and we thank her for herhelp and support. Through JohnKing’s ill health and a reducedcommittee the workload hasbeen considerable on a fewpeople. Thanks go to all whohave helped. I am pleased tosay we have a new secretaryelected at the AGM and two newCommittee members but we stillneed a treasurer.

A good point of reference for allmatters regarding the church isthe new website onto which theFriends now have their own tab.An easy way to access the pro-gramme and other information.The 2016 to 2017 programme isnow available with a good se-lection of interesting events. An-nual membership remains, asever, at £5. I am sure we willshare some excellent times to-gether again this coming year.

Section 2: Annual Report for the Charities Commission

All Saints’ Church Oakham – Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2015

Administrative Information All Saints’ Church is situated in Church Street, Oakham, Rutland. It is the central church of the Oakham Team Ministry, a group of parishes within the Deanery of Rutland in the Diocese of Peterborough, of the Church of England. A Pastoral Scheme approved by the Church Commissioners established the Team Ministry with effect from 1st January 2011. Bankers are HSBC at 1 High Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire. The independent Examiner of Accounts is Mr Neil Lowther. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is charity no. 1129880. PCC members who have served from 1st January 2015 or commenced serving during 2015 until the end of the year were:-: Incumbent Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani, (Chairman) Assistant Priest Revd H A Crowther Curate Revd Dr D Coad Wardens Mrs M Pattinson (to April 2015), Mrs A Long, and Ms A Blackett (from July 2015) Readers/Parish Evangelist Mr AV Wainwright, Mr D Pattinson and Mrs J Duffy Representatives on Diocesan &) Mr G T Woods (to Sept 2015), Mr J Tomalin, Mrs M Tomalin, Deanery Synods ) Mrs Y Nicolle-Anderiesz, Mr K P Andrews, Ms A Mathias, and Dr S Cheverton (from Nov 2015). Elected Members Dr S Cheverton (to April 2015), Mr S Long (tp April 2015), Mrs H Bush (from April 2015), Mr J King (co-opted), Mrs S White

(to Jan 2015), Mr P Kinal, Dr J Ince, Mrs P Munro, Mr K Slingsby (co-opted), Mr R Morris, Mrs A Blackett (to July 2015), Mrs S Blythin, Mrs S Page, Mr M Churchill (from April 2015), Mr M Nicholls (from April 2015), Mr P S Hill (Treasurer)

and Mr D J Ufton (Secretary). Structure, governance and management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules, All church attendees are encouraged to join the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC or Deanery Synod. The Standing Committee is made up of the incumbent, churchwardens, treasurer, secretary and two or three PCC appointed members. The Standing Committee meets about two weeks ahead of each PCC meeting. In addition the PCC receives reports from forums or groups which oversee worship, pastoral care, communications and children and young people in the parish. A Fabric Advisory Group has been appointed with responsibility for oversight of the Church fabric, and this Group gives regular updates to the PCC on areas of work requiring attention. Objectives and activities All Saints’ PCC has responsibility for working with the incumbent, the Revd Canon Lee Francis-Dehqani, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibility for All Saints’ Church Hall, Oakham.

Page 1 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

Achievements and performance Church Attendance: In December 2015 there were 310 parishioners on the Electoral Roll. Ten names were added during the year and ten were removed either through death or moving away from the parish. The average weekly church attendance for all services during the year, including festivals and baptisms, was 260. When the “highs and lows” are omitted from this calculation the average weekly attendance figure is 208 adults and 21 children, which is the figure used in determining the Parish Share. Review of the year PCC Secretary’s Report During the year the Parochial Church Council met on six occasions, with an average attendance of 20 members. Normally meetings are held every alternate month. The Standing Committee membership is made up of the incumbent, churchwardens and deputy warden, secretary and treasurer, with the addition of PCC members Mrs J Duffy, Mrs P Munro and Mr K P Andrews. The Standing Committee has the power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings, subject to any directions given by the PCC. Prior to each PCC meeting members received an up to date financial report, and the treasurer commented as needed on any specific aspects which required to be brought to the PCC’s attention. From time to time other documents and reports as necessary were given to PCC members prior to the meeting date. These documents could, for example, deal with specific church fabric issues, wedding and funeral fees or Deanery Synod activities. Deanery Lay Chair John Tomalin is a member of Oakham PCC. Fabric problems, particularly the continued deterioration of the Church boiler due the damp conditions of its location, as well as lighting and sound system issues, were still heightened by the lack of adequate funding to effect much immediate improvement in the short term. However during the year much progress was made to formulate a scheme for boiler replacement. There was involvement and advice given by the DAC as well as the Church architect and possible sources of grant aid and other funding provision continue to be identified. At the time of writing the plan was to commission a new boiler in the autumn of 2016. Following a review of the Church’s Safeguarding Policy by Mrs Bray the PCC gave formal approval to the policy at the March meeting. An “Away-day” for the PCC took place as planned at Launde Abbey in October. Wide ranging discussions took place on varied topics including Guided Prayer, Discipleship, Experience Easter and other relevant areas. The Minutes of the latest PCC meeting are displayed on the notice-board by the north door, and remain there until the following some two months later. . Derek Ufton (PCC Secretary), February 2016 Risk Management Major risks have been identified, and where found procedures are in place to manage those risks.

Page 2 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

Financial Review

In 2015 the combined Church and Church Hall accounts show total Receipts of £182,386 and Expenditure of £164,766 as detailed in the financial statements. This includes a contribution to the Diocesan Parish Share, which largely provides the stipends and housing for the clergy.

The net result for 2015 was a surplus of £17,620 (2014 deficit of £5,115).

The Church General Fund The focus of income generation is through Stewardship. This resulted in total gifts, donations and tax recovered of £145,461 (2014 £137,352), including a one-off donation of £5,000 and two years recovery of Gift Aid on large donations. As a consequence of this focus there was no plan for generating funds through Fund Raising. Additional major contribution came from the Church Hall (£2,000), Rutland Historic Churches Trust (£7,000) and The Friends of All Saints (£2,000). A continuing drive to keep down expenses was only successful in a few areas, leading to total expenditure of £160,641 (2014 £155,167). Areas of major expenditure where the PCC have little control include Parish Share £98,600, Mission Giving which is a fixed percentage of previous year’s planned giving £8,330 (2014 £8,180) and Insurance £6,753 (2014 £6,129) where Ecclesiastical Insurance have phased in the full increase over 3 years. Other areas of substantial expenditure were Minor Maintenance and Fixed Equipment £3,172 (2014 £5,509) mainly due to boiler repairs but helped by a mild winter, and photocopying £1,600 (2014 £1,657) due to increasing size of pew sheets. These results allowed £12,000 to be transferred to the Fabric Fund including £6,000 Designated for the new Boiler Fund.

The Church Fabric Fund Work was undertaken in 2015 to clear some of the outstanding items from the 2013 Quinquennial Report. The Fabric focus was on planning for the new boiler.

The Vicar and Wardens Fund Little activity.

The Church Hall incurred a deficit of £5,885 after major expenditure on sound proofing the ceiling and new heating, but the Hall still managed to transfer £2,000 to the Church General Fund.

Church Funds The opportunity was taken to correctly differentiate between Restricted and Designated Funds. The Designated Fund now stands at £6,143 which represents the total of funds designated to the Boiler Project.

The balances carried forward to 2016 are: Restricted funds £36,052 Designated funds (Boiler Fund) £6,143 Unrestricted funds (Church) £21,441 Unrestricted funds (Church Hall) £19,168 Total £82,804

Reserves policy The Parochial Church Council is aware of the need to increase the reserves in both the General and Fabric Funds. This was addressed, with some success, as part of the Stewardship Campaign launched in November 2014. This achieved sufficient increase to cover predicted General Fund expenditure, but it still requires focus to cover Fabric Fund requirements. Indeed the Fabric may require a Fund Raising campaign in order to raise sufficient funds to replace the boiler and complete the essential outstanding Quinquennial Report items.

Peter Hill and John King, March 2016.

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on Tuesday 15 March 2016 and signed on their behalf by the Reverend Canon Lee Francis-Dehqani (PCC Chairman)

Page 3 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total TotalNote Funds Funds Funds 2015 2014

£ £ £ £ £INCOMING RESOURCES

Voluntary income 2(a) 148974 2400 9817 161191 141852

Activities for generating funds 2(b) 9093 143 907 10143 8565

Income from investments 2(c) 11 0 0 11 13

Income from church activities 2(d) 11041 0 0 11041 9845

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 169119 2543 10724 182386 160275

RESOURCES EXPENDED

Costs of generating voluntary income 3(b) 0 0 0 0 352

Fund raising costs 3(c) 0 0 0 0 0

Church activities 3(a) 159623 2400 2743 164766 165038

Governance costs 3(d) 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 159623 2400 2743 164766 165390

NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES BEFORE TRANSFERS 9496 143 7981 17620 -5115Transfers between funds -12000 6000 6000 0 0

NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS -2504 6143 13981 17620 -5115

Balances brought forward at 1 Jan 2015 7 43113 0 22071 65184 70299

Balances carried forward at 31 Dec 2015 7 40609 6143 36052 82804 65184

Notes on pages 6 to 10 and the Balance Sheet form part of these accounts

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ALL SAINTS' OAKHAM

Statement of financial activities for the year ending 31 December 2015

Page 4 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

Note 2015 2014£ £

CURRENT ASSETS

Cash in Bank 70129 44986

short term deposits 17824 23213

Debtors and prepayments 4 4705 3729

92658 71928

less LIABILITIES

creditors-amount falling due 5 9854 6744in one year

9854 6744

NET ASSETS

Total assets less current liabilities 82804 65184

Represented by:

PARISH FUNDS UNRESTRICTED 40609 43113DESIGNATED 6143 0RESTRICTED 36052 22071

82804 65184

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on Tuesday 15 March 2016and signed on their behalf by the Reverend Canon Lee Francis-Dehqani (PCC Chairman)

Balance sheet at 31st December 2015

Note: In view of the accumulation of funds to provide for the replacement of the church boiler, the opportunity has been taken to correctly differentiate between funds Designated for a specific purpose, and those restricted in their use.

Page 5 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC. The diocesan parish share is accounted for when due. All other expenditure is generally recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross.

Resources expended

Incoming resources

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and SORP 2005.

The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law.

They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Fixed assets

Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993.

Notes to the financial statements

for the year ended 31 December 2015

Funds

Planned giving, collections and donations are recognised when received. Tax refunds are recognised when the incoming resource to which they relate is received. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Interest is accrued. All other income is recognised when it is receivable. All incoming resources are accounted for gross.

Restricted funds represent (a) income from a trust which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust, and Designated Funds (b) donations or funds raising for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The fund may only be expended on the specific object for which they are given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance of the fund.

Moveable church furnishings - anything acquired prior to 2006 has been written off in the year of acquisition. From 2007 items of £1000 or less will be written off in the year of acquisition. More expensive items will be depreciated.

Page 6 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

2 INCOMING RESOURCES

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total Totalfunds funds funds 2015 2014

£ £ £ £ £2(a) Voluntary income

Planned direct giving Gifts by Gift Aid 91615 0 0 91615 83743 Gifts not under Gift Aid 6229 0 0 6229 2591

97844 0 0 97844 86334

Other direct giving One-off donations by Gift Aid 5000 0 0 5000 13545 Plate collections not by Gift Aid 11653 0 0 11653 11623 Other sundry donations not by Gift Aid 874 0 87 961 3165

17527 0 87 17614 28333

Income tax recoverable 30003 0 0 30003 22685

Other voluntary income 8 Grants 2100 2400 9730 14230 45009 Legacies 1500 0 0 1500 0

3600 2400 9730 15730 4500

Total voluntary income 148974 2400 9817 161191 141852

2(b) Activities for generating funds Fund Raising events 9093 143 907 10143 8565

2(c) Income from Investments Interest 11 0 0 11 13

2(d) Income from church activities Fees (for funerals, weddings etc) 8521 0 0 8521 5865 Hire of church/ hall 2505 0 0 2505 3980 Other 15 0 0 15 0

11041 0 0 11041 9845

Total incoming resources 169119 2543 10724 182386 160275

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015

Page 7 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

3 RESOURCES EXPENDED

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total Totalfunds funds funds 2015 2014

£ £ £ £ £3(a) Church activities

Ministry Parish Share and Deanery quota 98600 0 0 98600 93384 Contribution to Benefice Parish Share 0 0 0 0 400 Ministry Team expenses 6408 0 0 6408 7751

105008 0 0 105008 101535Worship Organist, choir and music 7310 0 0 7310 6189 Altar requisites 2507 0 0 2507 2449 Other 662 0 132 794 6975

10479 0 132 10611 15613Faith development Children's groups and youth work 769 0 0 769 3719 Christian Books for resale 0 0 0 0 230 Other 0 0 0 0 0

769 0 0 769 3949Outreach Donations 0 0 0 0 0

10 Evangelism and mission 8392 0 0 8392 8236 Baptism, marriage, bereavement groups 127 0 0 127 37

8519 0 0 8519 8273Church running expenses Gas 5185 0 0 5185 6708 Electricity 2984 0 0 2984 4179 Water 95 0 0 95 91 Insurance 7211 0 0 7211 6585

15475 0 0 15475 17563Church buildings and land New building & other major works 0 0 0 0 0 Moveable furnishings and equipment 0 0 0 0 0 Building maintenance, minor equipment 13947 2400 2611 18958 12491

13947 2400 2611 18958 12491Administration photocopying 1601 0 0 1601 1657 bank charges 4 0 0 4 4 other 3821 0 0 3821 3953

5426 0 0 5426 5614Total cost of church activities 159623 2400 2743 164766 165038

3(b) Costs of generating voluntary income Stewardship expenses 0 0 0 0 352

3(c) Fund-raising trading costs 0 0 0 0 03(d) Governance costs 0 0 0 0 0

Fees of independent examinerTotal resources expended 159623 2400 2743 164766 165390

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015

Page 8 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

4 DEBTORSUnrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total

funds funds funds 2015 2014£ £ £ £ £

Prepayments 345 0 0 345 338other debtors 4360 0 0 4360 3391

4705 0 0 4705 3729

5 CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accruals for utility and other costs 285 0 0 285 1580other creditors: 9569 0 0 9569 5164

9854 0 0 9854 6744

6 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND

Debtors 4705 0 0 4705 3729Cash and short term deposits 45758 6143 36052 87953 68199

50463 6143 36052 92658 71928Current Liabilities 9854 9854 6744

40609 6143 36052 82804 65184

7 SUMMARY OF FUND BALANCES

Balance Transfers Incoming Outgoing Balance31.12.14 Resources Resources 31.12.15

£ £ £ £ £Unrestricted Funds 43113 -12000 169119 159623 40609Designated Funds 0 6000 2543 2400 6143Restricted Funds 22071 6000 10724 2743 36052Total Funds 65184 0 182386 164766 82804

8 OTHER VOLUNTARY INCOMEUnrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total

funds funds funds 2015 2014£ £ £ £ £

Grant from Church Estates 0 2400 0 2400 2400Grant from Church Estates for Music 2100 0 0 2100 2100Grant from Friends of All Saints Church 0 0 2000 2000 0Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme 0 0 730 730 0Grant from Rutland Historic Churches 0 0 7000 7000 0

2100 2400 9730 14230 4500

Church Estates Charity was formed from the sale of Church land over the years and a bequest from Royce for Church music. All revenue from investments is committed to the Fabric of the Church and to Church music. Other 2015 Grants were allocated to the Restricted Fabric Fund.

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015

Page 9 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

9 LEGACIESUnrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total

funds funds funds 2015 2014£ £ £ £ £

Mrs M Steele 1500 0 0 1500 0

1500 0 0 1500 0

10 MISSION GIVING 2015 2014£ £

INTERNATIONALEmbrace the Middle East 250CMS (Canon Waller to South Sudan) 500 750MU Wheels Appeal 200PRIME (Partners in Medical Education) 200US Anglicans in World Mission General Fund 700 700Julian Lott 400 400Bungoma Link/Nurse 600 700Diocesan Missionary Fund 30 30DEC Ebola Appeal 750DEC Appeal for Nepal 500Sprerpa Appeal for Nepal 250Christian Aid Refugee Support 400

NATIONALSSAFA 300 250Church Urban Fund 400 350Parish Nursing 250 300Bible Society 300 300Farm Crisis Network 400 300Childrens Society 300 250Medecins Sans Frontieres 200British Red Cross (Grantham HQ) Refugee Help 550

LOCALOpportunity Chalet Rutland & Melton 400Launde Abbey 300 250Churches Together in Oakham 400 400Drop in Centre 250 200Scouts 200 150Guides 200 150Rutland Reminders 150 150Rutland Food Bank 300 300Leicestershire & Rutland Emmaus 250 250MU Local Projects 400

8330 8180

Note: The sum shown on Note 3 (page 5) includes £62 evangelism expenses (2014 £56)

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015

Page 10 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham

Independent Examiner’s Report to the members of All Saints’ Church, Oakham, Parochial Church Council I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2015 which are set out on pages 4 to 10. Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Independent Examiner The PCC considers that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to

examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity

Commissioners section 145 (5) (b) of the 2011 Act; and state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. Independent Examiner’s Statement In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been

met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

N. I. Lowther F.C.A. 7 Sculthorpe Close Oakham Rutland, LE15 6FJ 12 March 2016

Page 11 of 11 All Saints Church Oakham