All Saints Oakham

Annual Vestry MeetingAnnual Parochial Church MeetingSunday 9 April 2017

Annual Report and Accounts

Reports from ChurchOrganisations

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Contents

© 2017 All Saints Oakham Parochial Church Council

Photography by Deans Street Photography — page 6; Richard Adams — page 22;

Dennis Corton — page 21; Jenni Duffy — page 12;Rebecca Falconer — page 13; Neil Hyman - cover; Jane Ince — page 9;

Beryl Kirtland — page 7, 22; Denise McDonald — pages 14; Alan Oliver — page 22; Anna Oliver — page 10

Robin Robson — page 12, 13; Kevin Slingsby — pages 8; Louis Totaro — page 10, 11

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 7Pastoral Forum 8Bereavement Support Group 8Licensed Evangelist 8Communications Group 8Music 9Healing Prayer Group 9Flower Guild 10Bell Ringers 11

Children & Young PeopleSunday School 12ASH & ASK 13Tiny Tots 14Pram & Toddler Services 14

Adult EducationHomes Groups 15Good News Van 15

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Finance & StewardshipFinancial Stewardship 16Mission Giving 16Fairtrade 16Fabric, Furniture, Fixtures & Fittings 17Boiler Project 17Church Hall 17

The Wider ChurchDeanery Synod 18Mothers’ Union 18Diocesan Synod 19Churches Together in Oakham 19Rutland Foodbank 20

Social ActivitiesConcert Society 20Walking Group 21Catering Committee 21Friends of All Saints’ 22Open House 23

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 5

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Annual Vestry Meeting 2017A meeting of Oakham parishioners will be held at 11:00am on Sunday 9 April 2017 in All SaintsChurch for the election of Churchwardens.Agenda1 Prayers2 Apologies3 Minutes of meeting of 24April 20164 Election of Churchwardens5 Election of Deputy Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2017The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of members of the Church Electoral Roll will then followAgenda1 Presentation of the Electoral Roll2 Minutes of meeting of 24 April 20163 Election of Deanery Synod member4 Election of PCC members5 Finance: to receive Church Accounts and appoint an Examiner6 Vicar’s Report7 PCC Secretary’s Report and reports from other church groups (see booklet)8 Deanery Synod Report9 Election of Sidespersons10 Other matters

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

Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 201624 April 2016 at 11:15amPresent: Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani (Chair), approx 90 Parishioners.Apologies: Mr J Pearce, Mrs A Hardy, Miss J Mallett and Mrs M Pattinson.PrayersMinutes: The Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting held on 26th April 2015 were accepted as a true record of that meet-ing.Election of Churchwardens: Having been correctly nominated and seconded Alison Long and Ann Blackett were dulyelected as Churchwardens for Oakham All Saints Parish Church.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

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Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 201624 April 2016 at 11:25amPresent: Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani (Chair), approx 90 Parishioners.Apologies: Mr J Pearce, Mrs A Hardy, Mrs J Mallett and Mrs M Pattinson..Presentation of the Electoral Roll: Richard Davies (Electoral Roll Officer) presented and proposed the Roll, secondedby J Tomalin. Carried nem con.Minutes: Proposed (D Ufton), seconded (P May), that the Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 26thApril 2015 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 2019: Mrs Robin Robson and Mr Gordon Woods. These appointments filled the vacancies created by Dr J Inceand Mrs P Munro standing down at the end of their three year terms of office.Treasury Team’s Report: The Treasurer (Peter Hill) presented the comprehensive Financial Review and Annual Ac-counts published in the Annual reports Booklet. There had been a large lump sum donation given to the Church duringthe year, together with the return of two years’ tax from HMRC. Away/Mission giving continued at a level of 10% of our in-come (40% International, 30% National and £0% Local). Funding of the boiler project would continue to be the majoritem for the Treasury Team in 2016. Both Peter Hill and John King were standing down from the Team, and formal thankswere recorded by the Chair for their major contribution to the financial management of the Church. Proposed by P Hilland seconded by J King that the audited and examined accounts be accepted as a true statement of the financial positionof the Church. Carried nem con.Appointment of an Independent Examiner: With his agreement Mr Neil Lowther was reappointed to this position.Vicar’s Report: Activity over the past year was covered in the Annual Reports Booklet. The Vicar underlined some areasof improvement for the future, including additional members in the choir and more volunteers for Secretaries, Treasurersand Committee Members, as and when needed. Once the boiler project was completed by the end of the year, Churchheating, lighting and decoration would become the areas of focus.Thanks: On behalf of the congregation thanks were given to the Vicar by Alison (Churchwarden) for the work of the wholeclergy team.Other Reports: The PCC Secretary’s Report and other Reports had been issued previously as part of the Annual ReportBooklet.John Tomalin (Deanery Synod Lay Chair) stressed the importance of support for the Deanery Synod and for Oakham’sSynod Representatives.Acceptance of the PCC Report and other Reports was proposed by P May and seconded by P Woods.Election of Sidespersons: The following list was submitted by Andy Compton as sidespersons for 2016-2017: AudreyAusten, Richard Blythin, Stanley Bruce, Kathryn Collinson, Andy Compton, Dennis Corton, Richard Davies, Heather Day,Clare Dobbs, Gerry Duffy, Rebeca Falconer, Ken Gilman, Peter Hill, Jane Ince, Joan Jervis, Stephan Johnson, PeterKinal, Jack Pearce, Sue Reilly, Elizabeth Smith, Ron Streeter, Michael 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 12.00 noon.

Electoral RollRichard Davies – Electoral Roll OfficerThe total on the electoral roll in March 2017 now stands at 294. There are 270 residents and 24 non-residents.Thirteen members have died during the year. Seven members have gone away. Twelve new members have joined.The roll is compiled with the help of the Stewardship secretary.

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Canon Lee T Francis-Dehqani — Team Rector and VIcar of OakhamIn this, my thirteenth annual report as your vicar, I am very aware of the many blessing that come tous in this place and through our joint ministry of service and Christian witness. As always I am awarethat my report is only a partial reflection of the busy and engaged parish of Oakham. The reportscontained within this document show a vibrant parish with much to be thankful for. I am also aware that I write this at avery pressured time in our commonlife. As both of our curates havemoved on, and Revd Janet Tebby isdue to retire and Canon Julie Hutchin-son is currently been on an extendedperiod of sick leave, I find myself forthe first time the only ordained mem-ber of the Ministry Team. Clearly serv-ice cover is difficult and the pastoralworkload is huge. In truth it would beimpossible without the unstinting sup-port of our lay minsters and the verygenerous offering of time and supportfrom our retired clergy. I am deeplygrateful to them all.Every year I offer a report under thefollowing headings. I do so again (al-beit in rather shortened form) I wantto share with you what excites me ineach area and offer one challenge orencouragement to the parish

WorshipI always say that being a worshippingpeople is at the heart of all we do.Numbers at worship are encouragingand we offer a wide range of serviceswhich attract a cross section of ourtown. I am always excited to seenewcomers and to hear of their jour-neys of faith. When Presiding atParish Communion I feel a deep loveand commitment to the people herewhich has only deepened the longer Ihave served here. Last year I encouraged you to bemore welcoming to newcomers, thatstill stands, but I would also want toask what we can do to increase vol-unteers to undertake all the practicalaspects of worship provision. Weneed more servers, choir members,vergers and much else. Can I chal-lenge you to volunteer in these ways?

Pastoral CareIn 2016 there were 54 funerals fromthe Parish of Oakham. 11 weddingsand 21 baptisms. All of these involvedpreparation and often follow up visits.

I greatly appreciate sharing this pas-toral ministry with our readers andteams of visitors. It is a given inParochial ministry that the Vicar willalways be expected to do more pas-toral visiting and at times I have expe-rienced direct challenge in this area. Itry not to be defensive but I am awareof the time limitations that are con-stantly upon us. We should alwaysremember that caring for one anotheris a shared mutual commitment withinour church community and we eachneed to play our part within that. I amexcited and moved by the potentialfor building this sort of mutual sup-port. I want to challenge all Parishionersabout how they can assist me and theMinistry Team in keeping a good eyeout for those who are unwell or inneed of increased pastoral attention.

Children & Young PeopleRecent figures from the NationalChurch show that there continues tobe decline in children attendingchurch and very many churches re-port no children attending public wor-ship. Against that background I amthrilled to see what it is possible to dowith a small but committed team ofvolunteers. Our Sunday School lead-ers together staff three groups provid-ing for children aged 3-16. I never tireof engaging with them.A Challenge for us all: In a majorpiece of Research the Church of Eng-land shows that one of the most im-portant roles of a local church is toinclude children in every aspect oftheir worshipping and parochial life.You can read the results herehttps://www.churchofengland.org/media/3775547/rooted-in-the-church-sum-mary-report-nov-2016.pdf One of theexamples given is how influential it iswhen older parishioners take a realand active interest in the lives of ourchildren. How we can best work onthis?

Adult Education Home groups continue to meet; thereare always people looking to join studygroups and we should be open toforming additional groups. The Chris-tian meditation group meets weekly atSt John and St Anne Chapel. In Lent over 120 people met in Lentgroups organised by Churches To-gether in Oakham this was more thanin previous years. We are beginningconfirmation classes in the Autumn. This year I have had the opportunityto work with several parishioners ex-ploring a call to ordained ministry andthis is for me one of the most excitingthings in ordained life; seeing andmarvelling at how God calls peopleoften in surprising ways. I would encourage all parishioners toconsider joining some form of prayeror study group in the incoming year. Itis only through these opportunities forshared reflection that we grow in faith.

The TeamIn the separate Ministry Team Reportyou will see the range of ordainedand Lay Ministers that provide min-istry to the 10 parishes that make upthe Oakham Team. I am always ex-cited and encouraged by working witha range of ministers who come withdiffering perspectives. I am particu-larly encouraged at how strong atraining environment we can offer tonew ministers. Working with Dominic

Vicar’s Annual Report

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was a great privilege and seeing himflourish has been a joy in this lastyear. 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.And I offer a challenge to all Parish-ioners to encourage them to supportTeam events especially when held atother parishes.

ThanksThere are many people to thank. Myteam colleagues ordained and lay for

their commitment and support espe-cially when things are busy and pres-sured. A particular thanks to ourretired clergy for assisting so gra-ciously in weekday and Sunday serv-ices. To Janine and Kevin for theiradministrative support and to theChurchwardens, Alison and Ann, fortheir hard work.There must be a special thanks to myfamily who at times bear the bruntwhen my time is taken up with morework than usual. I was very proud in-deed when the Bishop made Guli anHonorary Canon of the Cathedral inrecognition of her substantial work in

curate training and women’s ministry.The Vicarage saw some changesthis, Gabriel went away to school inSeptember and the twins started trav-elling to school in Peterborough. I amso grateful that Guli’s mother wasable to die peacefully at the Vicaragein October and we were very con-scious of the outpouring of love forher from so many places, not leastthis parish in which she had lived for12 years. I offer this report with great thanks forall that this parish offers me as its or-dained leader. Thank you

Ministry TeamCanon Lee T Francis-Dehqani – Team Rector, Chair Ministry Team In the last year the Ministry Team has included:Revd Canon Lee T Francis-Dehqani (Team Rector since 2004)Revd 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 Feb 2016)Mr Vyv Wainwright (Reader since 2000)Mr Alan Rudge (Reader since 2007)Mr David Pattinson (Reader since 2008)Mrs Robin Robson (Reader since 2014)Mr 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)

Ministry, Worship & Outreach

Again 2016 saw some changes:In February Revd Owen Williamsjoined us for a year’s extension to hiscuracy, having previously served inUppingham. This ended in January2017 and Owen is currently discern-ing options for his future. We saidfarewell to him and his family at theFebruary Family Service. In May Revd Hildred Crowthermoved to Sheffield to be nearer fam-ily. We were able to celebrate her 8years of ministry in the Team at aleaving service on 1st May. In September Mrs Jenni Duffybegan her studies for ordained min-istry at The Queens Foundation Birm-ingham. Jenni is still with us atweekends, but will soon begin a

parish placement elsewhere in theDiocese.In October Revd Dr Dominic Coadleft to be Team Vicar in the Benwelland Scottswood Team in Newcastle.Some parishioners travelled north forhis licensing by Bishop ChristineHardman. Parishioners were greatlyheartened to share Dominic andFrances’s news about the expectednew baby which is due any day!In December Revd Janet Tebby an-nounced her retirement from April2017. On 30th April there will be ateam service to thank her for her min-istry here over the last 5 years.During the year the Bishop asked usto be the training parishes for twonewly ordained deacons. On 25th

June Mr Iain Osborne and MrsCharlotte Osborn will be ordained atPeterborough Cathedral and we willhave a Welcome Service at 6pm onSunday 25th June at All SaintsOakham. Iain will serve a StipendiaryCuracy living at Trent Road; Charlottewill be SSM and continue living at theMethodist Manse as her husband,Canon Leo Osborn, continues hisministry as Methodist Minister.The Ministry Team meets monthly forconsultation and support and contin-ues to meet weekly for Holy Com-munion on Thursdays at 9am. Wehave been well supported by our re-tired clergy especially during recentperiods of clergy sick leave.

Dominic’s licensing in Benwell

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Pastoral ForumSian ChevertonThe Forum is a small group which met every two months to coordinate social needs for members ofthe congregation. It was led by Rev Dominic Coad. One of its tasks was to ensure thatchurch members who were house-bound or frail were visited and, if theywished, brought communion at home.Another was to encourage the churchtea parties which offer the opportunityfor people to socialise, enjoy delicious

food and appreciate the church build-ings from another perspective. Since Dominic left it was felt that theremaining clergy were too stretchedto take this on, and that it was inap-propriate to carry on without clergysupervision. We hope the Forum will

recommence once the two new cu-rates are in place.Meanwhile, if you are aware that amember of the congregation is un-able to come to church and would likehome communion and visiting, pleaselet one of the Ministry Team know.

Licensed EvangelistJenni Duffy Due to the increased workloadof my theological training, Ihave had to step back from allthe activities and groups I haveenjoyed over the years. All Saints Church needs a Li-censed Evangelist – if you have aninterest in reaching out to those peo-ple on the fringes of church, if youenjoy chatting to people and sharingyour faith with them, and if you havea heart for nurturing the spark of faithand bringing people to a relationshipwith God then this might be where Heis calling you to. Lee and I would be happy to discussthe training and the commitment thisrole involves. I pray that as yousearch your heart, the Spirit will guideyou in your decision.

Bereavement Support GroupSian ChevertonThis group was set up by Rev Hildred Crowther, to support those who were struggling after bereave-ment – whether recent or not. It was run as a drop-in session one afternoon a month in the Parish Hall. There is no doubt that bereavementsupport is needed, particularly per-haps for those who are left alone andisolated after the death of a lovedone. However it became apparentthat this model was not the best wayof providing the support. When RevHildred left, Sian Cheverton took overrunning the group and the numbersattending dropped from small tonearly zero. This I hope was more atribute to the importance of Rev Hil-

dred’s role than Dr Cheverton’s in-competence!By summer 2016, the numbers at-tending were so small that it was de-cided to stop the drop-in sessionsand reconsider how best to providethis service. A questionnaire was is-sued to try and gauge what peoplefelt would be most useful, but veryfew were returned. The Group has been disbanded for

now. Where loneliness is an issue,people are signposted to pre-existinggroups such as the WednesdayDrop-In at the Congregational Hall orthe Oasis Group. Many thanks RevHildred for recognising the need andstarting group, and to the small bandof volunteers who gave their time andexpertise to try and make it work.

Communications GroupKevin Slingsby2016 has been a year of consolidation in many ways, and in par-ticular has seen the Team Website expand and develop.There is now informationavailable there on prettymuch all aspects of churchlife, and it is a good sourceof information for both regu-lar church members and on-line visitors. Each of theTeam churches have theirown section on the site, in-cluding news published inthe Good News magazine,and in the future I hope toencourage people from thevillages to play a more ac-tive role in helping to main-tain the site. The diary listsall the events across the Team, buteach church section has the facility tolist just the events in their patch.The Welcome Leaflet has not pro-gressed as quickly as we had hoped,

partly due to the integration of theproject with the Churches Togetherinitiative in the same direction, andpartly due to other personnel con-straints, but we hope to get this goingagain in the very near future..

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MusicKevin Slingsby, Director of MusicMusic continues to play an important part in our worship at All Saints, as well as in the wider Team.This is true whether we consider purelycongregational music or input from thechoir, and indeed, given the current smallsize of the choir, perhaps the former is es-pecially important. I think we do pretty wellwith our congregational singing, both at themorning service and at evensong, but thereis no doubt that the presence of the choirenhances the worship greatly, both for thecongregation and the choir members, and Iwould encourage those of you out therewith reasonable voices to consider whetheryou might join us.We now have a well-established pattern ofTeam Choir practices at Whissendine onTuesdays, and the larger numbers providesa much more enjoyable and beneficial ex-perience, even if we might be singing somethings that not everyone will be singing onSunday. However, although we might besmall in numbers week by week, the high-lights of the year when we can sing as aTeam Choir continue to thrive – Fifth Sun-day Team Communions, Ash Wednesday,Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, theAdvent Carol Service and the ChristmasNine Lessons and Carols, as well as Pa-tronal or Harvest Evensongs at Teigh.Two events further afield that always figurein the calendar are the Deanery Eucharistin July, and the Diocesan Choral Festival atPeterborough Cathedral in October, whichis always a great chance to sing with amuch bigger choir and enjoy some musicthat we might not otherwise tackle, underthe inspiring leadership of Steven Grahl,the Cathedral’s Director of Music.On the social side, we always enjoy the an-nual Choir Dinner, and this February wevisited the newly re-opened Wheatsheaf atLangham, where we were provided for inexcellence. and the traditional quiz wasalso greatly enjoyed!The music group has continued to play atFamily Services on the third Sunday, andhas grown in strength this year, with a goodcomplement of violins, flutes, viola, clarinetand cello providing a good strong lead tothe singing.I am grateful as ever to the many peoplewho support and encourage the music inmany ways, especially the Team Rectorand the Ministry Team, the Laudamus plan-ning committee, our librarian Sandra Need-ham, and not least deputy organists PaulButler, Peter Hitchcox and John and LindaHall.

Healing Prayer GroupPatrick WilsonThe Healing Prayer Group meets for prayer 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 within the Group is strictly observed.These meetings and the prayers offered are not linked directly with thePrayer Chain, but are supportive of it.On the first Wednesday of each month, at 12.00 pm, there has been ashort service in the church, for healing and prayer, with laying-on of handsif requested.Membership of the group has been fairly small and new members are al-ways welcome.It is to be hoped that the Ministry Team will be able to arrange one or twoservices in the morning or the evening on a Sunday, at which prayer andthe laying-on of hands will be offered. One such service was arrangedduring the year.

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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 to John Tomalin forthe larger arrangements he does atthe altar for Easter and Christmas .A warm welcome to Brenda Bland-ford for joining our team.We are very sorry that our longstanding member and treasurer BettyTidd passed away recently. Memberswere pleased to be able to do 2pedestals and a basket of flowers forher funeral.

Some other members have had to re-tire this year due to ill health, so weare looking for new members to joinour group of volunteers. Few of usare trained we just like flowers.The Flower Guild is largely self fi-nancing and so we welcome dona-tions to support the decoration of thewindows during the church festivalsand the altar pedestal flowersthroughout the year. 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

carried out by John Taylor Bell-founders of Loughborough recentlyidentified several items that will requireminor repairs, some of which will needto be addressed before next year.

As I mentioned in last year’s report2016 would be focussed on convert-ing the clock to automatic winding.Having now raised the required fundsand gained DAC approval I ampleased to report that installation ofthe new system has just been com-pleted, after spending most eveningsin the tower during the last 2 weeks.We are now in a period of commis-sioning the system and ‘fine tuning’.

The new system not only provides au-tomatic winding to the clock but alsofor the quarter and hour chimes,which themselves can now disabledon a timer during night time curfewhours. Using radio technology theclock will now also be able to maintainbetter keeping going forward. My heartfelt thanks goes to all thoseindividuals and bodies who donatedfunds, lobbied for approvals/permis-sions, to Richard White for designingand constructing the system and mostof all, to Nigel Campion, who hasbeen our resident winder for the last8-10+ years – your efforts and selflessdedication has been very much appre-ciated. Thank you.

More recently, this January sawOakham host the Annual GeneralMeeting for the Rutland Branch of BellRingers of the Peterborough DiocesanGuild. We first had some excellentringing at Oakham from members rep-resenting all areas of the county andthe Guild, followed by a Service ofThanksgiving led by Reverend Lee.Members were then ushered to ourChurch Hall where several ladies ofour Oakham team were on hand tomake sure our visitors were fed andwatered with a variety of heartysoups! An excellent and constructivemeeting was held and I myself waselected as Branch Ringing Master for2017. I am thoroughly enjoying thispost and have already been very busyhelping to organise events with mybranch colleagues and to lead ringingfor the year ahead. I shall be gettingout and about to towers across Rut-land, which gives me the opportunityto meet new and old faces and pro-mote ringing across the county. For Oakham practice nights on Tues-days also remain well attended by localmembers and visitor numbers havebeen increasing recently and we con-tinue to press on with developingringers of all abilities. Of course all ofthis hard work, time and commitmentby the ringers and their families shouldnever be taken for granted and as I sayevery year, I am most grateful of theircontinued support. I would also like toextend a warm invitation and encour-age anyone who is interested to join usand come to have a go. Our practicenight is held every Tuesday 7.30pm –9.00pm and our Sunday morning ring-ing commences at 9.55am.

Our peal of bells remain in a goodringable condition. The last inspection

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Bell RingersLouis Totaro – Tower Captain 2016 was expected to have the same familiar regularity of ringing at Oakham for weddings, funeralsand visiting teams to ring our fine Peal of Bells. However, one should always expect the unexpectedand 2016 proved not to disappoint! We have continued to support no-table annual events to include; StGeorges Day ringing, Proms in thePark with the Rutland Concert Band,Remembrance Sunday and theNSPCC Charity Christmas Fundrais-ing Concert. Last April, I took the decision asTower Captain to enter a team of ourlocal ringers to compete in the Rut-land Branch 6 Bell Striking Competi-tion at North Luffenham, as I thoughtit would provide a good opportunityfor some of our learners to try differ-ent handling bells and develop somegood striking. Deciding to keep ourentry piece simple with some goodrounds and call changes I felt that wehad done ourselves proud with ourefforts.

In fact of the 8 teams that competedagainst ringers of accomplished abil-ity, we did in fact do very well……..wecame 1st! This is the first time in thelong history of this competition andthat of ringing at Oakham that we hadwon and I still feel very proud of allmy ringers and our Tower to have ledthem to this achievement. This year’scompetition will be held next month atCaldecott and I will be entering an-other local team to defend the trophy!

much work goes on behind thescenes and they are both workingmothers, yet they give the young peo-ple a instructive and challenging pro-

September was the time when thosestarting Secondary School graduatedto ASH and those in ASH graduatedto ASK. Because the numbers haveincreased and each group has differ-ent needs we needed three venues,the Sunday School continues to meetin the Church Hall, ASK meets in theMayhew Room and ASH in a roomkindly loaned to us by OakhamSchool.The frequency of the groups has al-tered. Sunday School is every Weekexcept the third, when we have familyworship. ASK and ASH meet sepa-rately on the second and together onthe fourth Sunday. They do not meeton the 5th Sunday of the month.We went to a Pantomime in Peterbor-ough, thank you to Beryl Kirkland forarranging this. Thank you to thechurch for subsidising the children'stickets.I would like to thank Guli Francis De-hqani and Rebecca Falconer for lead-ing ASK and ASH respectively. So

gramme as they grow in faith.I would like to thank all those wholead the various Sundays I know howmuch preparation this entails and forthe helpers, we could not do withoutyou. Each leader does things differ-ently and everyone does it well.Thank you to the congregation whoappreciate what the children do weekby week.For the children who are engaging,interesting and always fun, we reallycare about you and your journey infaith.

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Children & Young PeopleSunday SchoolRobin RobsonAs the academic year started in September so did the Sunday Schools with the annual Barbecue inthe garden of the Vicarage. There were lots of people and the weather held. The food was deliciouswith not just healthy barbecue food but also not so healthy puddings provided by the teachers andhelpers at Sunday School.

Once again both groups jointly wroteand delivered prayers for the NativityService and were also keen to be in-volved with the actual (SundaySchool) Nativity Tableau and alsoplay instruments in the ever growingorchestra!

As mentioned earlier, none of theabove would be possible without thehelp of our congregation, to whom abig thank you goes out to.

relevance and usefulness of ‘holding’crosses; the importance of quiet timeto reflect and pray; or to pay a visit tothe bells in the bell tower to hearabout their history. We as leaders,have been very impressed andpleased by the way in which theyoung people have listened, engagedand involved themselves in purpose-ful conversation regarding the subjectbeing discussed that morning – acredit to themselves.

On the 2nd Sunday of the month, theASH and ASK groups meet sepa-rately and are led by a member of thecongregation; on the 4th Sunday,they meet jointly with the sessiontaken from the ‘Roots’ magazine andled by members of the SundaySchool team. It was intended that thechildren would be present in churchand join in with the services on the1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.

We are once again ever so gratefulfor the members of the congregationwho have willingly given up some oftheir worship time to spend it with ourchildren, whether it was to discusstopics such migration and immigra-tion; the meaning of Christmas; the

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Young People’s Groups – ASH and ASKRevd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani & Rebecca FalconerIt was agreed that the Ash and Ask groups should meet more regularly each month and as a resultthey now have 2 sessions a month.

busy schedule for a much-appreciated visit. The summersession ended with our usual Teddy Bears' Picnic andamazingly, for the second year running, we were allowedfine weather to celebrate outside. When we have specialoccasions like these it is always a particular pleasure towelcome back former members of the group, now in theirteens, who are happy to come and lend a helping hand ifthey happen to have broken up from school themselves.Another incidental pleasure on a Thursday morning is theoccasional appearance of musicians who come in topractice for recitals which they will give in the church. Onelady who did so not only gave us great pleasure but com-mented on the fact that the presence of a number of peo-ple gave her a much better impression of the acousticsthan she would have gained from an empty building.One last thank you must go to the kind souls, Alison inparticular, who have struggled with the increasingly tem-peramental boiler to keep us warm each Thursday in win-ter!

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Pram and Toddler ServicesJenni DuffyIt is with sadness that we have to tell you that as from the end of this Spring Term we are restingPram Service for a while. After some soul searching and prayerwe have come to the conclusion thata pause is what is needed so that wecan see a way forward. Since Jennifinished last summer, to take up aplace at Theological College, wehave been without a committedleader, so sadly attendance hasdropped. With the increasing age ofsome of the 'alternative granny'

Tiny TotsDenise McDonald, Alice Clarke & Liz NichollsThe end of the year seems to come around with ever increasing rapidity! Certainly we do not, I think,change very much but we do acquire a steady new clientele "new comrades ever bringing, in com-rades' steps to tread". The only difference seems to be that the age range getssteadily younger because of government policy to extendnursery provision to more age groups. On the other hand,since in Oakham the range of available provision changesas other groups cease or are set up, we seem to be ableto offer opportunities which are widely appreciated. Onemother wrote "Thank you for your super group. Ourfavourite outing of the week". In fact, of course, the chem-istry between the accompanying parents is crucial. In thepast we had a few who contributed very little and corre-spondingly did not gain much,Our yearly programme remains broadly seasonal with sim-ple craft and stories linked to other events in the children'slives. As the group becomes younger, we have to plansimpler activities to meet their capacities but quite a num-ber of sub-two year olds seem to derive considerablepleasure from a finished picture or the like which they candisplay at home. We raised £26.75 Jumping for Pudsey inNovember. Father Christmas once again made time in his

helpers they have decided to retire toleave the way open for some youngervolunteers. At the beginning of July we welcometwo new Deacons to the parish, and itis hoped with their fresh enthusiasmthis group will be reformed, probablyon the first Monday after the Autumnhalf term. During this time hopefully a

younger member of the congregationor one of the present Mums would bekeen to take over with the full supportof the clergy team.Many thanks for your wonderful sup-port over the years we hope that wewill see you again when we reform, ifyou still have under school age chil-dren, or even as a helper!

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Good News VanCatriona DryeThis is a mobile Christian Lending Library that meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday at 7:30pm alternatively at 25 WillowCrescent or the Common Room of St John and St Anne in South Street.At the moment it looks as though it will be closing in June if no new drivers can be found. This due to changed circum-stances as previous drivers have had to give up. Please contact Catriona if you are able to help, on 01572 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 GroupMichael Hinman

This group meets on the second andfourth Monday of each month 7:30-9:00pm, normally at Monica Comp-ton's. From April until the autumn wewere studying the book of Hebrews,but have spent most of our time sincethen following the Life and Times ofKing David. Our usual attendance ofseven was augmented during Lentwhen we used the York Course book-let “Receiving Christ.” Members' var-ied experiences of Christ and hischurch have proved fruitful bases forour discussions.Willow Crescent Bible Study GroupDouglas & Catriona Drye.

This group meets on the 2nd and 4thTuesdays at 10am at 25 Willow Cres-cent.We have had an interesting and chal-lenging study in Joshua and the nextstudy is on The Prayers of the NewTestament. We would welcome newfolk to join us.As well as these studies we havejoined in the Advent and Lentcourses. There have also been twolunches together at The Lodge, Mar-ket Overton and also at Helen and AlfBush’s home.We will resume on 25th April. Con-tact: Catriona Drye 770429

Ashwell 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 Lent Groups. We have contin-ued to work our way through theGospel of Mark, and are now withinsight of the final chapters. It has beengood to look closely at the ministry ofJesus, and gain fresh insights from apart of the New Testament that in the-ory we know so well! We are gratefulfor the regular support and commit-ment of the members of our group,with ten or eleven in attendance atmost meetings.As a group, we have continued tocontribute towards the support of afamily in Uganda through 'Send aCow', and followed with interest theirprogress in their journey towards self-sufficiency. We pray regularly forthem, and for other situations thatarise, whether personal, national orinternational.On the social side, we enjoyed a pic-nic together in the grounds of Burgh-ley House during the summer, and inJanuary, as last year, we had an ex-cellent lunch at The Barn restaurantin Burley Road. And, at the end of ourmeetings, when appropriate, we cele-brate one another's birthdays withhome-made cakes, and coffee!

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.It has been a pleasure to have two orthree members of the Group leading,on a subject of their choice. Ron Cur-tis spoke about Jackie Pullinger and,in early November, gave an appropri-ately-timed talk about the beginningsand development of memorials tothose who died in the service of theircountry in the wars of the 20th cen-tury. Stephan led a carefully preparedseries on the first letter of Timothy.Marjorie led a study of Jonah and weundertook a major study of Revela-tion. This gave us insights intoprophecy in general, and had, aswell, much that challenged our think-ing and expectations. As usual, everyone benefited fromthe opportunities that our meetingsgave for fellowship and learning andpraying together.

Adult Education

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Financial StewardshipGordon WoodsStewardship recognises God’s goodness by making regular giftsto the church. This style of giving provides about 65% of our in-come. Unlike some churches we do not have frequent fundraisingevents, our main one is the autumn sale which produces income,involves more helpers and also interacts with townspeople, threepositive effects.

There are 3 main ways of regulargiving, (i) by weekly numbered en-velopes put in the offertory (ii) by anannual cheque, and (iii) by a bankersorder via the Diocese, easily the mostpopular way. A few people 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 a netdecrease of seven in the numberusing the first method as the pair ofnew donors were less than those lostthrough death or movement from

Mission GivingCanon Michael WilsonThe Mission Giving Proposalsfor this year were carefully dis-cussed at a meeting of the Mis-sion Giving Sub-committee andapproved by the PCC. Full de-tails can be found on page 9 ofthe second part of this docu-ment, and as in previous years,a balance was retained be-tween International, Nationaland Local causes.

FairtradeDenise McDonaldSince its formation in 1979 Traidcraft has been fighting poverty through trade in many ways.

One of them doesn’t even involvemaking a fairly traded purchase. Fora number of years now they have of-fered a recycling scheme in order toraise funds to take their valuable workforward. They are able to acceptitems of jewellery which can be gold,silver, costume, watches and it makesno difference if they are broken orthere is only one of a pair of earrings.When I first became aware of thescheme Traidcraft had already raiseda healthy figure of £9000 and nowthat figure stands at approaching£31000!Because of schemes such as thisTraidcraft has been able to help tensof thousands of families inBangladesh. Before Traidcrafts sup-port was in place these families wouldstruggle to grow the food needed to

survive. Traidcraft’s work gives hopeby providing them with skills, confi-dence and saplings they need to har-vest tea. With this support eachfamily can produce 800kg of tea amonth giving them an income that willfeed their malnourished children allyear round and for years to come.If you have already given to thescheme a huge thank you.Traidcraft produces a catalogue twicea year to showcase all the wonderfulfood, fashion and gift items they selland last year once again produced avery healthy crop of orders, mythanks to everyone who placed anorder or made purchases at any ofthe stalls. The total sales for Christ-mas amounted to just over £910.00.During the year the stall made its an-nual appearance at the Lent Lunches,

Finance & Stewardship

Oakham. This is the main reason forgiving by this method being over£5,000 less than in the previous year.These figures are for the year March2016-February 2017.Every year some people who havebeen using envelopes change to themore convenient use of a bankersorder. No more envelopes to fill andremember to bring with you! Two church members have told methat they have left some money for AllSaints in their will. Whatever your

I also visited Market Overton for theirChristmas fayre and Langham fortheir Christmas tree festival. Lin Riderfrom Market Overton also sold goodsat the Lent Lunches she hosted. Mygrateful thanks to her and as everJohn Ainsley for their help in con-tributing to the year’s total sales of£3162.52.Due to everyone’s generosity I havealso been able to send a donation of£60.00 to Triadcraft exchange, whichhelps some of the world’s poorestfarmers and artisans work their wayout of povertyAs 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.

Please see pages 3-9 in Part 2 of this document for the full Financial Review and State-ment of Accounts for 2015

age, 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.Confidentiality. Please contact meat All Saints or by phone (01572755371) if you wish to talk confiden-tially about starting or changing yourgiving method. Thank you!

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Fabric, Furniture, Fixtures & FittingsAlison Long & Ann Blackett – ChurchwardensWe have seen lots of progress this year on the fabric front and weare extremely grateful to Des Cook who has taken on a lot of thiswork and is now overseeing the boiler project (see separate report)This year has seen the beginning ofthe new scheme for the memorialgarden, designed and overseen byOakham in Bloom. The initial plantingwas carried out on 29th October, withmore planned for the coming weeks.The border is a work in progress andby the summer we look forward tosome beautiful flowers. Signage andexplanation of the scheme itself willfollow in due course. The next phasewill be to explore a way of screeningthe bin area.The last few weeks have seen thecommencement of the clock refur-bishment and we are grateful to LouisTotaro for his work in this area. The noticeboards have been re-var-nished and continue to be an asset tothe church. We were also verypleased to welcome back the sanctu-ary lamp which has been repairedand is back to its former glory. All thefire extinguishers have been servicedduring this last year and the PAT test-ing carried out. There have beensome ongoing electrical issues withinthe tower and these have been dealtwith. The refurbishment of the clock

should highlight anything else thatmay come up.We will have completed the annualcheck of the contents of the churchagainst the inventory of the terrier bythe time you read this report.Over the last few months we haveseen several acts of criminal damageand theft take place in the church.This has led us to review our securityand to this end we have taken advicefrom the community safety officerfrom Rutland County Council.As the church building is open duringthe day, it is always going to be vulner-able to this kind of activity. All of ushave a role to play in being vigilantand popping in when out and about. Itis also important that you let us know ifyou see anything untoward as we areworking closely with RCC and the po-lice to minimise any future problems.As always, we are grateful for yoursupport and prayers for us as church-wardens. There are so many peoplewho help us and who work hard totake care of this beautiful building andsurrounding church yard. Thank you.

Church HallPeter KinalThe Hall has continued to pro-vide for regular and occasionalhirers. Thanks to various capitalimprovements last year, wehave been able to provide valuefor money for hirers. The newheating system has performedexcellently and appears to havereduced our electricity bills.We have been fortunate indeed tohave been able to enlist Helen Totaroas Treasurer, to replace John Denny,who retired last year. In addition toher accounting skills, she has up-dated payment and receipting meth-ods (internet based) and, working withJanine Weaver, who arranges book-ings, has made things easier for hir-ers as well as for Janine herself. Themajor capital outlay this year hasbeen imposed by the need for a newbarrier to the car park. The cost of thiswas shared with the flats The Committee met on five 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. Atsome point during the Spring, a“spring clean” of the Hall was organ-ized amongst Committee members,and we took an audit of cutlery andother equipment. The contribution ofother Committee members, in meet-ings and at other times, has been ofconsiderable valueAmongst 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.

Boiler ProjectDes CookThe existing heating system remains manageable, although it nowrequires regular (sometimes daily) re-pressurisation. This has re-cently meant that heating is often unavailable first thing in themorning.Additionally, the damp undergroundlocation makes the boiler unreliableand it is not a suitable enduringarrangement for a modern systemcontrolled by printed circuit boards. Aproject to replace the boiler and relo-cate it to the office above the MayhewRoom has therefore been evolving forsome time. The Mechanical & Electrical designspec was agreed in 2016, augmentedin December 2016 by a structural re-port which identified the need for twosupporting steel beams under the ex-isting mezzanine floor. We have alsohad to develop a plan to route exter-

nal pipework in a way which min-imises disturbance to the Garden ofRemembrance. The Diocesan Advi-sory Committee (DAC) has consid-ered all these works and approvedour combined proposal in February2017.The plans for boiler replacement andrelocation, structural strengtheningand external pipework now form thebasis of our application for Facultyand Invitation to Tender (ITT) to po-tential contractors. Bid evaluation anddown-selection of a preferred con-tractor is planned for May, with a rec-ommendation to PCC expected in

June. Work on-site is therefore notexpected to start until July, when ini-tial activity will include a recommen-dation investigation of the cause ofour current loss of water pressure.Commissioning of the new system isanticipated in late-summer, justahead of the heating season, al-though this depends on the extent ofany emergent work.

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Deanery SynodJohn Tomalin – Lay Chair, Rutland Deanery SynodThere were four synod meetings and the deanery eucharist in the past year.On 19th May 2016 Dr Tim Williams,director of music at St Wulframs,Grantham, spoke on his work in de-veloping and maintaining churchmusic in that place.An extra deanery meeting in Oakhamon 9th May was addressed by RevdCanon Miles Baker (Mission Enabler)and Paul Adams (Stewardship andFunding Officer) on stewardship. On7th July 2016 the deanery eucharistwas held at Greetham. The preacherwas Revd Canon Tim Alban Jones,Bishop’s Chaplain.On 22nd September at Morcott RevdCharlie Nobbs explained that heworked for the diocese in the capacityof pioneering and new initiatives andtrying to connect with those who didnot attend ordinary church. The meet-ing on 9th February 2017 was ad-

dressed by Sally van der Sterren,secretary to the DAC. She explainedhow the DAC worked – giving adviceto PCCs when applying for facultiesand, in relation to church mission,helping churches to make worshipmore suitable to provide appropriateworship.Deanery organisation has not beeneasy this past year. In addition tosome clergy long term sickness theSouth Water benefice vacancy hasnot been filled, although interviewswill take place on 24th March 2017. Revd Jo Saunders retired on 31st De-cember 2016 from Casterton and theopportunity was taken to place Tin-well parish with Ketton. Revd HelenRayment has taken on responsibilityfor this parish. We welcomed the VeryRevd Christopher Armstrong to Bar-

The Wider Church

rowden on 18th June 2016. We con-tinue to work towards Ketton, Tinwelland the Barrowden parishes forminga new benefice in the future.Revd Janet Tebby will be retiring atthe end of April 2017. We wish herand Jo Saunders long and happy re-tirements.Thistleton and Tickencote churcheshave both agreed to cease as parishchurches and become chapels ofease. The process is ongoing.On 26th February 2017 the HighSheriff hosted a celebration of Rut-land at Peterborough cathedral. Thiswas very well supported. The cathe-dral was full, and those there experi-enced a joyful occasion.Finally, my thanks to Lee as RuralDean for all his hard work and com-mitment over the past year.

Mothers’ UnionPamela WoodsThe Mothers’ Union branch continues to meet each month, sometimes locally in the Chuch Hall withspeakers or with other branches in the Rutland Deanery. We also have a Corporate Communionevery month held at the Chapel at St. John & St. Anne.The year started with the AGM, takenby Meg Dyer, after an enjoyable mealfor members and friends. KevinSlingsby spoke at one meeting aboutthe church organ and enabled us tosee the complicated system of pipesetc. at Peterborough Cathedralthrough his computer. Sian Chevertontold us of her visit to Uganda withMission Direct making use of hermedical expertise. Another localspeaker was Helen Bush with thetopic of Reflections. We were able tohave Dominic Coad just before hewent to his parish in Newcastle. Heagreed to a question and answer ses-sion which ranged over how he firstmet Frances, his wife, to his call to bea minister and information about hisnew parish.

There were two communion services,in Lent Julie Hutchison took the serv-ice and spoke about her life, and inAdvent we were pleased to haveBrian Nicholls take the service for us.The Deanery Festival was at Kettonlast year and the Quiet Morning atUppingham and this gave us achance to join with the other localbranches. Members enjoyed a Straw-berry tea in the summer with somepeople giving Summer Readings.Mary Sumner Day saw a service at alocal church followed by lunch at anearby pub. The outing, again withThe Friends, was to Bury St Ed-munds on a bright sunny day. AFundraising event that proved to bevery successful was a wine tastingevening when all profits went to the

recently started Frances Lunch Proj-ect in Kettering. This enables childrenwho normally have free schoollunches to have meals at holidaytimes as well.The membership remains at 29 butwith some changes due to deaths ofelderly people and new people joiningus. We still have two men and one in-door member. Those who can man-age it continue to knit the sheep forthe Advent cribs and Chicks forEaster, the latter being a fundraisingexercise. All meetings are open toanyone who would like to attend andwe would be pleased to welcomeyou.

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Diocesan SynodJohn Tomalin – Diocesan Synod RepresentativeThere have been only two diocesan synods this past year, 10th September 2016 and 25th March 2017.The synod of 19th March 2016 was reported at last year’s APCM. Full details of all Synod activity, in-cluding Bishop Donald’s addresses can be found at http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/finance-and-administration/synods10 September 2016September 10th 2016. The presiden-tial address was given by +John Inwhich he talked about ‘connecting’;the disparate parts of the diocese,rural & urban, the rich and poor, thedecision-makers and those impactedby those decisions, the Church andYoung People, different Church com-munities – denominations and tradi-tions within denominations, ofconnecting power and powerless-ness. He talked of connecting witheveryone everywhere. +John statedthat we are here for everyone every-where. Synod was addressed by the Chil-dren’s Society. The scope and natureof their work was outlined in an excel-lent presentation. (One of the speak-ers, Jane Foster, will be at ourdeanery synod meeting on 4th May2017).The annual accounts and report for2015 and the budget for 2017 wereadopted. Paul Adams, Stewardship,gave a presentation on the next stepsin the ‘Giving for Life’ campaign. Themain points were regular teachingabout giving in the context of disciple-ship, communication with givers, to

give thanks, hold annual review,agree a legacy policy, use gift aid anduse the parish buying service.The Rev Guli Francis Dehqani re-ported on the General Synod meetingincluding an update on shared con-versations.

25 March 2017+Donald, on the 7th anniversary ofhis being made bishop, gave thepresidential address. He reflected onthe conception of Jesus which islargely forgotten, unlike conceptionstoday which are rejoiced. This mustsay something about the attitude ofthe church to the vulnerable today.The gospels teach about care for thevulnerable; Jesus himself was arefugee and was vulnerable. Work inthis area is also central to our dioceseand should be a high priority.There was a presentation from MaryHawes, National Youth & Children’sAdviser, who outlined the national de-cline in attendance at church by youngpeople. A survey of young church-going young people identified four keyareas; inclusion, equality, a securesafe base and leadership. Thechurch’s response should include an

inter-generational culture, all age in-clusiveness, recognition of young peo-ple, pre-confirmation communion,unconditional welcoming of the youngand leaders and youth worker support.Synod was addressed by BeverlyHuff on the work being done in re-spect of safeguarding and outliningthe long term vision and strategy.Four objectives were stated; to dealwith past legacy, implement the na-tional approach, effective engage-ment and embedding safeguarding.The chair of the DBF, Paul Bucking-ham, outlined the diocesan finances.While income from parish share hadrisen the % given by parishes had de-clined against budget. This repre-sented a £700K funding gap which islikely to increase. A 25% reduction incentral running costs was plannedand parishes not paying 100% ofparish share were to be supported,while the DBF would undertake tohave a better understanding of parishfinances.Synod adopted revised Articles of As-sociation of the Board of Finance. Areport on the proceedings of GeneralSynod was given by Canon LizHoldsworth.

Churches Together in Oakham and DistrictPatrick WilsonMeetings of the Churches Together Committee were held in March, May, July, September and No-vember, 2016, and in January2017.CTO involvements during 2016-17 in-cluded:• Christian Corner and service detailsin the Rutland Times• Lent lunches. Responsibility forthese was taken, a week at a time, bydifferent churches as well as, on oneoccasion, by the clergy.• Weekly Prayer Meeting and shortservice, on Wednesdays at 12.00 pm,in the Congregational Church. [Forthis greater support would be wel-comed.]

• Support for the Drop-in Centre inthe Congregational Church Hall. It ispleasing to report that, thanks to ac-tive involvement of the Chairman,both with the CTiO Committee andRutland County Council, severalchurch leaders have been able toshow better support, by means of oc-casional visits and in other ways.• Publicity for Christmas Services.• 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 Victo-ria Hall on 21st January 2017, andwas attended by upwards of ninetypeople. The speaker this year was Br.Nicholas Palmer, a Cistercian monkfrom Mount St. Bernard Abbey, nearColville. He spoke about the monasticobservance of prayer, giving an in-sight into the disciplines, order andpractice of prayer – very illuminatingof spiritual ritual and custom, new tomany or most of those present.

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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 continued togive a lunchtime concert on the dayof their evening Christmas concert,and during the school holidays wehave been fortunate to engage theservices of many talented musicians,some regular contributors and someperforming for us for the first time. Wealso had a short themed Friday seriesthis February, when John Dobsonpresented the piano sonatas ofWeber. 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 except immediately afterChristmas. If you haven’t been toone, do consider coming.We also continue to promote our reg-ular Bank Holiday Organ Recitals, in2016 given by James Speakman(Oakham School), Jeremy Lloyd (Pe-terborough Cathedral), ThomasKeogh (Holy Cross Leicester) andWilliam Fox (Magdalen College Ox-ford). In 2017 we look forward to IvanLinford at Easter, Paul Greally andNicholas Edwards (London Organ

Competition prize winners) on MayDay, and James Thomas (St Ed-mundsbury Cathedral) and DavidPrice (Thailand) for the last Springand Summer Bank Holiday Mondaysrespectively. We are extremely luckyto have such a splendid organ at 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.In September we celebrated the 21stbirthday of the organ with an excel-lent Celebrity Recital given by JamesLancelot, Organist of Durham Cathe-dral. We also hosted the NationalOrgan Club’s AGM at Oakham inMarch, with a recital by Henry Fairs,and in July we welcomed three youngAustralian organists for an excellentrecital as part of their UK visit. Weplan to mark the birthday event fur-ther this year by investing in an up-grade to the organ’s piston capturesystem.We organise the occasional eveningconcert, and the Wednesday of Holy

Week saw the return of the TudorChoir of Leicester and the CantusChoir, directed by Barry Collett, per-forming Stainer’s Crucifixion. Otherconcerts in 2016 included two extralunchtime concerts at the end of Juneas part of the Oakham Festival,evening concerts by the RutlandChoral Society in April, July and De-cember, and Rutland Concert Band inNovember as well as the usualChristmas concerts by the NSPCCand Catmose College in December.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. It is usually a simple coldlunch, so is fairly straightforward toarrange. Please have a word with meif you can help.

Rutland FoodbankSuzanne JohnsonFoodbank 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 2016-17 wehave fed 546 people, and have collected around 6 tonnes 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 60 volunteers at the Distri-

bution Centre in Oakham, a goodnumber of whom are from All Saints,where they welcome clients and packtheir food. In addition we have a goodsquad at Uppingham, and half adozen at the warehouse, ensuringthat food is sorted properly so that itdoes not pass its sell-by date and wedon’t run out of the less donateditems. We probably total 80 to 90, butcan always use more, as many of

Social Activities

them only volunteers once a monthand we have lots of slots to fill. If youwould like to volunteer for the Food-bank please speak to Peter Hart fromthe 10:30 congregation, phone us on07582 783363, or visit the website.Donations continue to be welcomeand can be left in the box in thesouth transept, please check thewebsite to find out in which items weare short.

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Catering CommitteeMarilyn TomalinMy sincere thanks to all who week by week organise the teas/coffees after Church, and especially toGill Welsh who tirelessly sorts out the rotas and bridges any gaps.

Walking GroupDennis CortonEach year since the Group’s formation in 2010 I have been able to report on the happy occasions wehave had each month, when a great variety of walks have been undertaken. This year has been nodifferent in this respect with lively chatter on so many subjects and topicsTime clouds the memory a little, but I’m sure the weatherhas been exceedingly kind to us, perhaps with the exceptionof storm Doris, and we have enjoyed some memorablewalks in our county and our neighbouring ones too.Our numbers have increased again this year with a numberof new walkers, welcome to Darrel, Richard and Sue, andour pew sheet notice always states that new walkers are al-ways made to feel welcome. Leaders have been Anne, Gor-don, Stephan, Russell and Brenda, and Dennis some haveled on more than one occasion. Our walks, which are always on the fourth Thursday of eachmonth, have been from Ryhall, Easton on the Hill, LaundeAbbey, Kings Cliffe, Lyddington, Nassington, BraunstonExton Park, and Rathby. During the summer months ourwalks are around 6 miles and we enjoy a picnic lunch en-route, the winter ones are approximately 5 miles and weenjoy a convivial lunch around the fire of some of the localhostelries. Our walks have taken in places of interest including therivers Welland and Nene, Thornton Reservoir and Blather-wycke Lake

Our New Year’s day walk this year was held on the sec-ond day of the new year! This has established itself aspart of the group’s traditions and was around HambletonPeninsula. Everyone brought some bring and sharefood to our home before the walk with Sally very kindlylaying it all out together with some warming soup anddrinks upon our return. We had 25 people to lunch thatday!If you are new to Rutland, or even if you are not, whatbetter way is there to explore and appreciate what wehave in our local area. If you enjoy any of the followingactivities do come and join us, you will not be disap-pointed, they are - chattering (lots), topical conversation,countryside, wildlife, rural activities, socialising, localhistory and architecture. Remember also, walking isvery good for you!Planning for this year’s walks is already under way anda number of volunteers have come forward to leadthem, thank you very much, it is greatly appreciated.

This simple activity gives so muchpleasure and purpose to our regularworship, and gives so many peoplethe opportunity to have a chat andmeet up with or make friends. Visitorsto our Church too are always madewelcome.The Catering Committee don’t spenda lot of time in meetings and discus-sion, but hopefully meet the require-ments requested for fun and fellowshipthroughout the year. We are a verysmall group, relying heavily on yoursupport, when asked, to provide thecake, or the biscuits, or the cottage

pie, or… This year we stretched ourcomfort zones by providing a full scalelunch in Church after the 10.30 servicefor Dominic as he left us for pasturesnew. About 140 of us came together tocelebrate the time he spent with us,and to wish him well on his next ven-ture. It was time well spent, and allseemed to enjoy the occasion. So - weplan to hold the Harvest Lunch (Sun-day 1 October) in much the same way,providing we receive the help and sup-port from you all.Our small group has diminished withthe loss of Rebecca’s contributions

and advice re the younger section inthe Church. We really valued herinput, but pressure of work and homecommitments etc must come first forher and her family. But maybe some-one else reading this has that enthu-siasm to make a similar contribution –no endless meetings, just your ideasand contacts! Similarly, if you are newto our congregation and would like togo on “Marilyn’s list of helpers”, Iwould definitely be keen to hear fromyou 01572 723184 email john.toma-lin1943@btinternet.com . So I lookforward to hearing from you soon.

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Friends of All SaintsBeryl Kirtland, ChairmanThe varied programme of events of The Friends for 2016 was well supported.Andrew Swift, Author of The CompleteGuide to Rutland Churches, showedus round four Rutland Churches point-ing out many interesting features; TheVisit to Little Gidding and was espe-cially moving, surrounding us withpeace and tranquillity while learning ofthe links with Charles 1, George Her-bert, T.S. Eliot and Nicholas Ferrar;The coach trip with The Mothers’Union to Bury St Edmunds on a beau-tiful summer’s day showed the Cathe-dral and The Abbey Gardens at theirbest. The Theatre Royal, the last sur-viving Regency playhouse in the coun-try, was extremely interesting tour;Rainbow’s Children’s’ Hospice weremost appreciative of the donationmade to them. Money raised at thecoffee morning was presented at theannual Tide lunch, again at the Har-bour Bar and Restaurant. A group vis-ited Tolethorpe to see The Tempestwhich celebrated 400 years of Shake-speare and 40 years of Tolethorpe.There was a Summer Lunch with JohnStacey as speaker, an Organ recital(in conjunction with the Concert Com-mittee), a visit to the Pantomime and,of course, the well-attended annualShrovetide party.A very interesting outing was TheLeicester Temple Visit. Listening to therepresentatives of the Hindu Temple,

the Orthodox Jewish Synagogue, theSikh Temple and the Muslim Mosquebrought greater understanding of theirfaiths.Our treasurer, John King sadly died inNovember and his contribution to TheFriends has been sorely missed. Asno-one came forward to be treasurerthe committee decided that the end ofyear balance of accounts should beprofessionally done. As such an audi-

tor is not required and a book keepercould then look after day to day mat-ters.At the recent AGM it was unanimouslyagreed that £15,000 should be do-nated to the boiler fund as required;that the maintenance and preservationof the notice boards now in progressshould be paid for by The Friends. Inprinciple it was agreed that TheFriends could be approached to fi-nance the resolve of a secure placefor money for purchases and dona-tions after the recent spate of vandal-ism and theft in the church.Alan Oliver kindly painted an attractivepicture of the church which has beenreproduced to make greeting cardsand notelets. When sold they will raiseabout £2000.This year Mike Vecqueray, an inaugu-ral committee member of the Friends,is stepping down and we thank him forhis input throughout the 24 years ofThe Friends existence.Brenda Blandford, our new secretary,presents the agendas and minutes ina very professional way and has beenvery helpful with the AGM paperwork.The planning and helping with eventsis cheerfully undertaken by PatsyClifton, Janet Higgins, David Kirtland,Liz Plummer, Kevin Slingsby and Gor-don Woods as Committee members.

Visiting Morcott - one of four Rutland churches

The Shrovetide Party

Their commitment and support of The Friends is much appre-ciated.Another varied programme is available. Membership remainsat £5. New members, church members and supporters,friends and families are very welcome to join our events andactivities.After Chairing The Friends for 10 years I have decided to stepdown at the AGM in 2018. I have thoroughly enjoyed leadingThe Friends, helping to plan and organise our many eventsand trust that someone will come forward to take my place.The Friends are a vibrant organisation in The Church andthrough our outings help to spread the word of the good workand Christian fellowship that exists within it.

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Open HouseBeryl WaitesThese popular monthly gatherings are flourishing. Peoplelook forward to meeting each other for coffee & a chat, es-pecially if it is in someone's home that we haven't been tobefore. I am pleased to say that there are eight new placesto go to in 2017. It's very good for getting to know new peo-ple who may have been to church. So thank you all the wel-coming hosts, & enjoy the rest of the year! .

Alan Oliver’s painting for the new cards

Poetry at Little Gidding

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 2016

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 2016 or commenced serving during 2016 until the end of the year were:-:

Incumbent Revd Canon L T Francis-Dehqani, (Chairman) Assistant Priest Revd H A Crowther (to March 2016) Curates Revd Dr D Coad (to October 2016), Revd O Williams (from

July 2016) Wardens , Mrs A Long, and Ms A Blackett

Readers/Parish Evangelist Mr AV Wainwright, Mr D Pattinson Mrs J Duffy and Mrs R Robson (from April 2016)

Representatives on Diocesan &) Mr J Tomalin, Mrs M Tomalin, Deanery Synods ) Mrs Y Nicolle-Anderiesz, Mr K P Andrews, Ms A Mathias, and

Dr S Cheverton

Elected members Mrs H Bush, Mr J King (co-opted to April 2016)., Mr P Kinal, Dr J Ince (to April 2016), Mrs P Munro (to April 2016), Mr K Slingsby (co-opted), Mr R Morris, Mrs S Blythin, Mrs S Page, Mr M Churchill, Mr M Nicholls, Mr P S Hill (Treasurer, to April 2016, and from Sept 2016), Mr G Woods (from April 2016) 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.

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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.

Achievements and performance

Church Attendance: In March there were 304 parishioners on the Electoral Roll. Six 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 210 adults and 25 children.

Review of the year

PCC Secretary’s Report

During the year the Parochial Church Council met on six occasions, with an average attendance of 17 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 Mr M Churchill 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 comments as needed on any specific aspects which require 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. However during the year much progress was made to formulate the 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 have been identified. At the time of writing the plan to commission a new boiler in the autumn of 2016 was delayed whilst final issues of the siting of pipework and other installation details were addressed. The plan is now to install during the summer of 2017. During the year approval was given for “Oakham in Bloom” to redevelop the Garden of Remembrance with new planting and layout. The DAC gave approval for the Church clock to be upgraded. The work takes place in early 2017.

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), March 2017

Risk Management

Major risks have been identified, and where found procedures are in place to manage those risks.

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Financial Review

The year 2016 has been a difficult one, not only with reference to changes to the Treasurers team, but also with respect to a challenging financial climate. The retirements of Peter Hill and the late John King early in the year, with the ensuing personnel changes, has resulted in unforeseen delays in completion of the Annual Accounts. As a result, we ask for your indulgence in accepting the following Interim accounts. These represent the true data for both Church and Church Hall, but are not yet in the new format required. However, they are in the format used in last year’s Financial Report.

In 2016 the combined Church and Church Hall accounts show total Receipts of £171467 and Expenditure of £162,659 as detailed in the Financial Statements. The net result for Income over Expenditure for 2016 was £8808.

The Church General Fund The focus of income generation is through Stewardship. This resulted in total gifts, donations and tax recovery of £163,611 (2015 £164,023) including a one-off legacy of £20,000, subsequently designated for the Fabric Fund., and donations from the Church Hall. Disappointingly, Gifted-aided donations are lower than in 2015. In general we have managed to keep expenditure within budget, though much of our major expenditure is beyond our control, including Parish Share, Mission Giving (a fixed percentage of previous year’s planned giving) and Insurance. Before the transfer of the Legacy to the Fabric Fund, Income less Expenditure was £8081.

The Church Fabric Fund The Fabric Fund balance was boosted by the transfer of the £20000 legacy from the General Fund. All major expenses during the year (£7741) were related to the new boiler project,

The Vicar and Wardens Fund Little activity other than Leaving Gifts.

The Church Hall achieved a surplus of £727 (2015 a deficit of £5885). No transfer was made to the Church General Funds, though proposals are to do so in 2017 to support the Boiler project. The Church Hall has been Valued in line with Diocesan requirements, and current market value has been assessed at £275.000. There is no proposal to depreciate this value since any subsequent sale would be for property development.

Church Funds. It is clear that the Church General Fund has a major problem. Levels of income are low and insufficient to meet current expenses. A Stewardship campaign is planned for 2017, but the fund will have reached a critical point, that is to say a negative status, long before then. We therefore encourage Church members to consider their annual contributions to the Church before the Stewardship campaign where possible.

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