APCM Meeting Minutes 2025

Under the current ruling for elections, if there are the same number of applications for each post as there are available positions, then there is no need for a vote and the applicants are automatically appointed.

Election of Churchwardens

The Chair thanked Elizabeth Holbrook and Matt Ellson for all they’ve done over the past year to challenge and support her. She reiterated that she relies on them immensely.

• Elizabeth Holbrook will be leaving the Parish in autumn as she will be moving nearer to her family when her husband, Bishop John, retires. She has offered to assist whoever is elected into the post until she goes.
• Matt Ellson was elected as Churchwarden last year and has reapplied this year.
• Matt had been proposed and seconded previously and was automatically appointed.
• This leaves one vacancy that has not been filled.

Dawn went on to say that Elizabeth has been totally loyal, faithful and reliable and that she owes her a huge debt and we will all miss her hugely.

Elizabeth addressed the church to give her thanks. See Appendix for details.

Election of PCC Members

PCC members can serve up to three years. The PCC is made up of clergy – Dawn, Ben and Livvi; ex-officio members – Churchwardens and Deanery Synod reps; and lay members. The number of lay members is determined by the number of people on the electoral roll. We are currently allowed up to nine lay members. There are currently three vacancies.

• Louise Harrison is stepping down from the role and we thank her for her service.
• That makes four vacancies. However:
• Fiona Clarke, Chiazokam Alozie and David Meleleu have applied and each of these had already been proposed and seconded and so were automatically appointed.
• There is one lay PCC vacancy that can be filled next year.

The new PCC is more representative of the church’s new population, increased area, and new goals.

The minutes from the last APCM were agreed by 22 people present. The remainder of the congregation have joined the church subsequent to last year’s APCM meeting. Dawn will sign and file the minutes.

Deanery Synod reps normally serve a three-year term. The current term is until 30/06/2026. However, new rules since 2020 allow them to stand for two terms before stepping down for at least one term.

• Helen Cracknell is stepping down from Deanery Synod.
• No-one has applied to be a Deanery Synod rep.
• There are two vacancies.

Dawn tried to encourage people to consider standing and explained that, in the Church of England, areas are split into Deaneries. Every month the clergy meet and every other month they are joined by Deanery synod reps. Their responsibility is to attend the meetings and feed back to PCC what is happening in the church in our Deanery and Nationally.

The duties are split as follows:

• John Gilyead is responsible for DBS, training, and safeguarding.
• Amanda Allen (Parish Administrator) is responsible for Safer Recruiting. If someone moves into a role Amanda collates their applications, references, etc.

Thanks were given for all that they do.

Dawn stressed that, as a church, take safeguarding very seriously and are doing all that we can to keep everyone safe. We know that it can be onerous completing all the necessary checks but there are really good reasons for this, and it is no more than is required for any organization.

Helen Cracknell had given her apologies for not being at the meeting but sent a statement about the state of the finances, paraphrased below:

• So far this year the church has received, through the generous donations of the congregation, £28,307. This includes the tax recovered on those who give through the Parish Giving Scheme. Thanks so much to all those who give regularly.
• Hall hire, expenses for events and other annual costs amount to £4,647. We do know of some outstanding payments at present relating to hall hire at Redwell school which we are still waiting to receive.
• We have given to our Mission partners £1,100.
• and paid £22,000 towards our Parish Share. Our Parish Share contribution to the Diocese this year is £70,207; we have £48,000 outstanding.
• The total of payments is £27,747.
• We also have restricted money:
  • for employing our Under 18s worker, hopefully ready to start in September,
  • and the building fund.

Money is tight and I’m having to juggle paying bills until money is banked and clears, especially as we started the year in a deficit for the general fund as banked money didn’t clear as quickly over Christmas as I had anticipated. Helen.

There were no questions arising from the Finance Report.

I start by thanking you, the church, where everyone is using their God given gifts to serve one another and to bring about God’s kingdom purposes where you live, where you work and being part of this church community ushering in God’s kingdom in this place.

I love being here and serving the Lord’s purposes together with you, genuinely, you’re a great bunch to do life with.  And I really love being part of the overall leadership team as well as the staff team, which is ever changing.  Last year we said goodbye to Rob who was an Ordinand here.

The leadership and staff are a hard-working team, and I appreciate the wisdom and generosity from each individual and am privileged to work alongside them.

I’m going to be brief and say two things: something about last year and something about looking forward.

Dawn went on to speak of her journey with this church, starting with when she was preparing to come to Gleneagles church towards the end of 2020 and the prophesies she received. . , Starting with the scripture from Isaiah 37:30-32. She said that:

• as we emerged from the pandemic it felt like we were the ‘remnant’ (v31) and it took time to adjust.
• Year 1 & 2 were about re-orienting ourselves, setting a new vision,
• Year 3 (2023) we would ‘sow and reap’ (v 30).

And at the beginning of 2023 we received another confirmatory prophetic word from Song of Songs 2

• ‘the winter is past’ and spring is on its way.

And yet again what a year of re-shaping 2024 has been for us!

• Elizabeth, with missional imagination, started the Creations Craft Group on Monday mornings.
• We also started a second toddler group, this time at Glenvale Park care home also on Monday mornings.
• And the summer drink stop over at the park on Wednesday afternoons during the summer weeks.
• Last year we ran Alpha for the first time in several years and off the back of that
• we had two lots of full immersion baptism services with children, young people and adults as well as a confirmation service in the Autumn.
• Our parish boundaries were extended so that Glenvale Park is now part of this parish (and we are now 3 housing estates).
• We changed our name from being Gleneagles to becoming North Wellingborough Anglican Church.
• Our engagement with schools increased, now that we have 2 schools, the new Glenvale School and Redwell School.
• Easter rock hunt,
• Summer community days,
• Teenagers went to the Satellites camp
• Advent/Christmas

Looking forward

Our core vision is ‘connecting’ – with Jesus, with each other and with the wider community.

The last couple of years at APCM I’ve focussed on Discipleship, but we made a significant decision last year about our Under 16’s ministry and looking at the possibility of employing a children’s and youth worker. We already have £53000 in the pot for this project, thanks to your generous donations and grants, and we are aiming for £65,000, which will allow us to employ someone for 30 hours a week, 42 weeks for 3 years.

To help achieve this, we launched the 100 for 100 project in January this year, whereby each person in the congregation aims to raise £100, which would collectively raise £10,000, and with gift aid on top which would take us to the £65,000!

Full details of Dawn’s review of 2024 and looking forward, can be found in the Vicar’s report which is now included in the Annual Reports.

• Q.  Is there a job description for the new children’s worker?
• A.  We are in the process of developing one, which will then need to go to PCC for approval. If anyone has someone in mind for the role please speak to Dawn.

There were no further questions, so the meeting closed and continued with the church service with Chris Gledhill leading prayers.