2013 Church Accounts

The Church of Scotland
Congregation No. 331992 Scottish Charity No. SC009462
ACCRUED (SORP COMPLIANT) ACCOUNTS

Year Ended 31 December 2013
Skene Parish Church Scottish Charity No SC009462 Year ended 31 December 2013
The trustees present the Annual Report and Accounts for Skene Parish Church for the year ended 31 December 2013.
Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Charity Registration Number: Congregation Reference No: Contact Address: Skene Parish Church SC009462 331992 10 Hilltop Gardens Westhill Aberdeenshire AB32 6PN
Trustees Kirk Session

Elders at 31 December 2013 John Anderson Gordon Argo Irene Arthur Margo Brewster Eileen Brunton Rev Stella Campbell Joyce Carter Jill Chessor Julia Chisholm Crosby Chisholm Malcolm Christie Hazel Clark Alan Crane Isabella Davidson Ronald Donald David Duguid Elsie Duguid Lilias Dunphy Cliff Eastmond Allan Fair Ann Findlay Philip Fletcher Stewart Forbes Ernest Fowler Mary Fraser Elizabeth Gray Sheila Gray Carol Green Gordon Hendry Alison Hendry Colin Kay Michael Kettle Alastair Kinnon David Lawson Elspeth Lawson John Leiper William Leslie George Low Niall MacBeath Duncan MacGregor Lucy MacLeod Cathy Mair Edward McDougall Sandy McPherson Jack Mearns Margaret Mearns James Menzies James Michie Iain Miller Dawn Miller Brian Milne Innes Murchie Heather Murchie Eleanor Murray Barry Norris Elizabeth Norris Elinor O'Brien Ann Paterson Elaine Percival Christopher Pinnell Lorainne Pirie Lesley Reid Douglas Reid John Ritchie Fiona Robertson Eunice Rodger Rosanna Rorie Kay Saddler Bruce Shepherd Jean Simon Mary Singer Frances Smith Margaret Smith Ann Stewart Marion Stewart Edward Strachan Donald Struthers Sheena Swinhoe Peter Thomson Ian Thomson Maureen Traquair Ian Traquair William Troup Donald Wallace Neil Watson Chrissy Watt James Weir Linda West Eva Will William Wood Peter Wright
Elders Who Resigned During 2013 Jackie Buckland Sandra Lyall David Fraser Innes Isaac Peter Isaac
Congregational Board Derek Armstrong (resigned 31 March 2013): Chris Baillie (resigned 31 March 2013): Euan Bruce (elected 31 March 2013); Sandra Buchan: Flora Buthlay: Kathleen Christie: Barbara Emmerson: Dorothy Holmes: Helen Kettle: Martha Kinnon (elected 31 March 2013): Sheila Milne (resigned 31 March 2013): Hendry Morrison: Diane Mowatt (resigned 31 March 2013): Kathleen Murray (resigned 31 March 2013): James Murray (resigned 31 March 2013): Isabella Reid (resigned 31 March 2013): Muriel Reith: Jean Shirer: Anne Sinclair: Andrew Smith (elected 31 March 2013): Beth Struthers: Hilda Wallace (resigned 31 March 2013): Yvonne Walker (elected 31 March 2013): Kirk Session In accordance with the Model Deed of Constitution a resolution was passed at the Stated Annual Meeting on the 31 March 2013, that the number of elders on the Congregational Board be reduced to 20. The following elders now sit on the Congregational Board: 4 Years: Malcolm Christie: David Duguid: Ann Findlay: Sheila Gray: Margaret Mearns: Jim Menzies: Lesley Reid: Fiona Robertson: Rosanna Rorie: Ian Thomson. 3 Years: Crosby Chisholm: Gordon Hendry: Sandy McPherson: Jack Mearns: Brian Milne: Barry Norris: Liz Norris: John Ritchie: Bruce Shepherd: Donald Wallace: Principal Office Bearers Minister: Reverend Stella Campbell
Deacon:
Miss Marion Stewart
Session Clerk:
Mr Malcolm Christie
Clerk to Congregational Board:
Mrs Lesley Reid
Church Treasurer: Independent Examiner
Mrs Fiona Robertson Mr Michael Sim, M.A., C.A. 11 Hawthorne Way Kintore Aberdeenshire AB51 0SR Royal Bank of Scotland Westhill Branch 2 Old Skene Road Westhill AB32 6RL
Bankers
Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document The Church is administered in accordance with the terms of the Model Deed of Constitution. Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees Members of the Kirk Session and the Congregational Board are the charity trustees. The Kirk Session members are the elders of the Church and are chosen from those members of the Church who are considered to have the appropriate gifts and skills. The Minister, who is a member of the Kirk Session, is elected by the congregation and inducted by Presbytery. The Congregational Board is appointed from within the congregation and members of the congregation are invited to nominate individuals who are believed to have the skills and commitment to contribute to the management affairs of the Church, to become members of the Board. Board Members are then appointed at the Stated Annual Meeting and serve for a period of three years after which they must seek re-election at the next Stated Annual Meeting. It was agreed during 2013 that the Congregational Board should be reduced in size. A unanimous decision was taken at the Stated Annual Meeting that the Congregational Board should consist of 16 elected members and 20 elders. This reduced the number of elders represented on the Congregational Board. The elders will serve for 3 or 4 years on the Congregational Board and may be re-elected. Organisational Structure The Congregational Board is chaired by the Minister and met six times during the year. Certain responsibilities are delegated to the Finance Committee and the Fabric Committee as appropriate. The Kirk Session, which met ten times throughout the year, is responsible for the spiritual affairs within the Church.
Objectives and Activities

The Church of Scotland is Trinitarian in doctrine, Reformed in tradition and Presbyterian in polity. It exists to glorify God and to work for the advancement of Christs Kingdom throughout the world. As a national Church, it acknowledges a distinctive call and duty to bring the ordinances of religion to the people in every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry. It co-operates with other Churches in various ecumenical bodies in Scotland and beyond. As a Parish Church in the Church of Scotland, we operate from two buildings, Trinity Church in Westhill and Skene Church in Kirkton of Skene. We share our building in Westhill with our friends, the local Roman Catholic and Scottish Episcopal congregations and throughout the year we work together on various projects to develop our relationships. Trinity Church is also home to a number of non-Church community organisations. As Moderator of the Kirk Session, the Minister is assisted by other office bearers and leaders of Church organisations in the completion of this report which covers our objectives, activities, achievements and performance.
Worship During 2013 we undertook the Christianity Explored Course as a congregation, covering the teaching material both on a Sunday morning and a Wednesday evening during Lent. This then enabled us to run out first Christianity Explored course in the autumn of the year. During spring and summer we worked our way through Ephesians, learning what it is to be a Church and how God equips us for the work He calls us to. Our Stewardship Season focused on Time and we followed it with a series entitled, Do not be afraid. We expanded our musical repertoire and were delighted when a new choir was established at Trinity Church. The choir consists of between 12 and 14 people, who have added considerably to our worship. During the summer months, with our joint services, we again pitted the men against the women in weekly quizzes. The women claimed the 2013 Hamilton Cup on the last Sunday of the competition. What will be the result in 2014? Our new Wednesday afternoon services of worship continued to flourish. This was in conjunction with the Action Group who also serve tea and cakes and is attracting between 35 and 40 people once a month on a Wednesday afternoon. Messy Church grew during 2013, with over 60 people gathering in worship in December for our Messy Nativity. We organised a sheep trail in conjunction with shops and businesses in Westhill, which was a great success and were delighted to welcome lots of families and friends to our Messy Christingle Service on Christmas Eve. Services of Public Worship are held weekly on Sundays in Trinity Church at 10.00am and in Skene Church at 11.15 am, and we have a weekly midweek service on Wednesday evenings at 7pm at Trinity Church. Occasionally we arranged a Sunday evening service and we held a number of Songs of Praise evenings. There were special services during Advent, Christmas, Lent and Holy Week, including our first Carols by Candlelight at Skene. Monthly services were held in Blackhills Court Sheltered Housing Complex, Kirkton and Pitcairn Nursing Homes, in addition to quarterly services at the Garlogie Day Centre. There were also Christmas services with the Mums & Toddlers at both Trinity and Skene Churches. The Minister and Deacon conducted 51 funerals and there were 4 weddings during 2013. There were also 18 Baptisms (one of which was an adult Baptism) and 4 Thanksgiving & Blessing services. Transport to Church services is available for elderly members, and teas/coffees are served after morning worship in both Churches. Pastoral Care The Minister and Deacon made a significant number of pastoral and hospital visits during 2013. Our new Pastoral Care team began to visit various members within the congregation and has now expanded to a team of 6. The team attended training in Perth entitled Dementia Friendly Churches, which was invaluable and met during the year to discuss the pastoral care of the Church. Through the Rabboni Fund, relatives were given a houseplant and card on the first anniversary of a loved ones death.
School Chaplaincies During 2013, the Minister and Deacon were chaplains to four Primary Schools and one Academy in our Parish, conducting assemblies, visiting classes and providing pastoral support as requested. The Deacon with assistance from Ann Paterson, one of our elders, was involved with the Bible Alive Team, visiting the local primary schools. In November, we arranged for Fischy Music to come and host workshops and concerts in Westhill Primary, Crombie Primary and Elrick Primary, as well as a concert in the Church. These were a great success and it is hoped that the music will be used more frequently in school assemblies. In addition, we invited Skene Primary to take part in our Christmas Carols by Candlelight and were delighted with the response, both of the children and of family members coming along to support them. Membership The membership of the Congregation at the end of 2013 was 1,310. Six new members were admitted during the year. Kirk Session The Kirk Session which is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Congregation comprises 92 elders (48 male and 44 female). All meetings were well attended. We held an Elders Vision Day in February 2013, and enjoyed the opportunity to gather together to review the past and to look forward to the future. During the day a number of issues and ideas were identified and during the year these began to be addressed, including the creation of an Elders Handbook. The day provided the space for elders to talk and to get to know one another better and it is hoped that this will be repeated in future years. During 2013 we also looked at how the Kirk Session is engaged in leading the life of the Church. Each elder was asked to comment on which areas they would like to be involved with. It is planned that from this, teams will be created which will then report to the Kirk Session on the development of these areas e.g. youth, community and outreach, discipleship. It is intended that this will replace the oversight visits that take place during the year. Congregational Board The Congregational Board met bi-monthly and regularly received reports from the Treasurer, Finance and Fabric Committees and also the Eco Group. The Stated Annual Meeting was held on the 27 March 2013, where we heard reports from the Treasurer and the Reverend Stella Campbell. It was proposed that with effect from the 13 August 2013, the number of elders on the Congregational Board would be reduced to 16 elected members and 20 elders. This resolution was passed unanimously. Safeguarding The Church of Scotland is committed to the safeguarding of all who come into contact with it and its services. We are very lucky in Skene Parish Church in having over 80 volunteers working with various groups of children and young people.
Our thanks must go to all these willing volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to work with the young people of this parish. During 2013 we have had several new volunteers who have become PVG Scheme members (Protection of Vulnerable Groups), and one new Safeguarding Coordinator taking the Safeguarding Coordinators team to 4. All volunteers who were cleared under the Disclosure system, must now join the PVG Scheme. This process was begun during the latter part of 2013, and will continue through 2014/15. New volunteers will join the PVG Scheme, or if they already have membership they can have it updated. Sunday School Sunday School is at Trinity Church for children of 3-10 years of age. There are 3 leaders with several parent helpers to assist. The teaching material used is 'Light' by Scripture Union - 'Bubbles (3-4yrs); 'Splash' (5-7yrs); 'X-Stream (8-10yrs). It is a Bible-based interactive programme. Fischy Music songs are being introduced and are popular. Three children entered the Crossreach Design a Christmas Card competition and were delighted to receive a certificate for taking part. Sunday School, along with the Congregation, took part in the annual Blythswood Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. There were 33 children in the Sunday School during 2013. GRID (P7 to S4) We have been following the Scripture Union 'GRID' workbooks, and covered Jesus life as seen by Luke, Abram's life from Genesis, and Moses' life from Exodus. We also had a considerable and enjoyable Involvement with the congregation, with dramas in Church, leading and writing prayers for others, and prayer stations. We spent several weeks learning about communion, observing the sacrament and attending a Communion celebration. The year ended with the GRID group's nativity input of a 'Modern View of Mary & Joseph in a Carpark Overspill ' video presentation!! Plus we have held/joined in with social /fellowship events like the Eco tree planting, and Trinity Gardening events, Christmas tree decorating, and Cadona's funday out. theBrand (S2 to S6) The Saturday evening (monthly) youth club. We have enjoyed evenings including challenges, team building, pizza, a 'God Slot' and games. This runs once a month, and has some special events including a 'sleep-over' film night, 'Crystal Maze challenge night and a Christmas " Celebrities at Hollywood' " A Star is Born" night. This group attracts friends from sister Churches and non-Church youth. Those at the new Grid PLUS (for S3 to S7) meet once a month in each others homes of an evening, to watch specialist faith based videos and to read related scripture and develop their faith. Holiday Bible Club Our theme in 2013 was Space Academy and led our children through the story of Daniel and his friends. We had a bumper year with over 130 children attending the club in August. It was great to have some new helpers on board from our congregation and to see relationships with the other congregations deepening during the week.
Girls Brigade In 2013, the girls entered a variety of competitions, including sewing and cupcake making. We held a fundraising Body Shop party and attended a divisional display at the Beach Ballroom. The girls planted bulbs in a new planter outside Trinity Church. We have 27 girls in total. Boys Brigade In October 2013, the Boys Brigade celebrated its 130th Anniversary which makes 1stSkene Company, formed in 1977 a comparative youngster. That said, the Company has evolved into one of the most active and successful companies in the North of Scotland, with a roll of 79 boys (Company Section 37, Junior Section 21, and Anchor Boys 21). The Company currently benefits from the commitment of 17 Officers and Helpers. A key objective of the Officers is to actively promote the boys participation in indoor and outdoor activities they would not normally have the opportunity to engage in. As the boys progress through the Company, many of the activities they enjoy present them with significant physically demanding challenges and require the development of new skills including camp craft, First Aid and Leadership. Our Annual Camp at Badaguish near Aviemore, weekend camps and routine outdoor activities present ideal locations and opportunities for the boys to test themselves and to take part in the Queens Badge and Duke of Edinburgh Awards programmes. During the year, 11 boys were awarded the Queens Badge with 7 of them also achieving the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. There are currently 3 boys engaged in the Queens Badge scheme and another 15 about to join them after the summer break. The older boys in the Company Section have managed our Annual Christmas Card delivery service of cards posted in post boxes located in Trinity and Skene Churches. This Christmas past, the boys delivered in excess of 2,000 cards across Westhill and Skene. Our Summer Camp is held at Badaguish Outdoor Centre which is run by the Speyside Trust, whose objective is to provide 24 hour holiday respite care for disabled children. One of their main fundraising events is the Corrieyairack Challenge, now a 52 mile duathlon from Fort Augustus over the Corrieyairack Pass to Badaguish. We continue to support this event, with our senior boys giving up the first day of their camp to man remote water stations and other marshalling duties. Some of our officers and several senior boys have previously taken part in what is often described as Scotland s toughest Duathlon. This year one officer and three senior boys entered the Corrie. The great news is the event raised over 22,000 for the charity and our team all completed the very demanding route raising 900 in sponsorship. Calum Ross, one of the senior boys finished in an impressive 8th position in a time of 4 hours 3 minutes beating the officer, Steve Cole who finished in 11th place. The other two senior boys, Matthew Cole and Ross Horgan finished in 32nd and 58th respectively.
Youth Club The Skene Youth Club ran again during 2013. We meet in the Milne Hall, Kirkton of Skene from October to March on Thursday evenings and we cater for children between Primary 1 and Primary 7. It has been really successful with almost 30 children regularly attending towards the end of the year and volunteers coming forward to assist Rev Stella Campbell and Marion Stewart to run the club. We have a great group of teenage helpers who ran a wonderful Christmas party at the end of the year. The Discovery Group Our group meets 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. There are 12 of us who come together to learn more about our Christian faith. We do this by listening to one anothers experiences, Bible reading and watching DVD teachings. It is an informal meeting and all are welcome to join us. Our last study was a John Ortberg DVD titled, If You Want To Walk On Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat. We all learned a lot from this, especially how, if we want to follow Jesus we have to be prepared to be led into new situations that sometimes we find difficult, but remembering we are not alone. We are about to start a new session with again a DVD teaching The Me I Want To Be. We hope this will be as challenging to our faith as other topics have been in the past. CrossReach In the autumn of 2013 the Circle of Care magazine had a change of name to CrossReach News. It is hoped that the new format will continue to give the stories and information about the Social Care market place. As before the magazine will be available in January, May and September. The Christmas card catalogues were supplemented by a mini section in the September magazine. Presently we have 50 copies of CrossReach News on order - 15 for the Guild and 35 for the Kirk Session and the Congregational Board. There is also a Prayer Letter which is taken by three Elders. Orders for 21 CrossReach calendars were taken at a cost of 4.50 each making a total of 94.50. Donations received enabled a cheque for 5.00 to be sent to CrossReach. Posters advertising the Christmas Card Competition for 2014 are in both Churches and further information on this and the sale of Easter cards and notelets are published in The Chronicle. We are grateful to Susan Anderson for taking over from Ann Stewart, as our CrossReach representative. Action Group During 2013 we held our usual fundraising events; our Coffee Morning in the Milne Hall in November and a Daffodil Tea at Trinity in April. The money raised from these events is used to fund the two concerts we have in March for Church members aged 65 plus. We paid for the use of the Community Mini Bus to transport members to the monthly Wednesday services and the teas after the service. This year we also bought Youth Bibles, a pulpit Bible and a Dyson hand drier for the toilets. Finally we contributed towards the new tablecloths for the Lounge.
Afternoon Teas Team Leaders, Jill Chessor, Ann Findlay, Sheila Gray and Carol Green, continue to make everyone who attends Afternoon Teas feel welcome. We have a great team of bakers and helpers who give of their time on a rota basis as well as a team of men who help us by setting up the tables and are there at the end of the afternoon helping with the tidying up. Another member of the team who deserves recognition is Eileen Brunton who as well as baking, assists us by keeping our finances in order. We cater for a wide age range of customers from the senior citizens age bracket to toddlers and the children who arrive with their parents after school and whose faces light up at the sight of all the cakes. In July an Afternoon Tea was held with the proceeds of over Seven Hundred Pounds going towards the Rooftop Garden Project at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The following donations have also been made during 2013; 200 each to Christian Aid and the Christmas Offering; 380 for the purchase of a Lectern Bible for Trinity Church along with 1,000 towards the new organs at Skene and Trinity; 500 to the Flower Fund plus 600 for the purchase of kitchen equipment. We now look forward to continued support in our outreach during 2014. Skene Parish Church Guild We are the biggest Guild in Scotland, with a very healthy membership (66) and are happy to say that we have 15 fireside members. Our meetings start with our Dedication on the Sunday before our first meeting in October. Our meetings are held on the second Monday of each month, in Trinity Church, Westhill, starting at 7.30pm, and are relaxed with varied speakers (usually connected with our theme for that year) and Christian worship. Our December meeting is our Christmas Party Night. This year we had Lorna Angus, who took along poems and stories she wrote herself and everyone had a great night. We hold a Summer Fayre on the first Saturday in June and this is always a busy time for members. We follow this with an outing on the Monday evening. This year we had two outings; one to His Majestys Theatre with a guided tour of the front of the theatre and back stage, and the second outing was to Raemoir Garden Centre for Afternoon Tea - 28 went to this. Throughout the year, we raise funds for a variety of causes. There is also our Annual Guild Conference held in Dundee in August and 3 or 4 members go to it. Guild week is in November, when we do as much as possible to let people know about our Guild. As this was our Centenary year, the Guild took the service in Skene Church on the 6 th October and a lunch followed in The Holiday Inn. At the beginning of Guild week on Saturday 16 November 2013, we held an event called, Christening Gowns Through the Ages which was a great success. On Sunday 24 November 2013, the Guild again took the morning service at Trinity Church. There are training days held in March for the coming years theme, held in the Acorn Centre in Inverurie. We also help do the World Day of Prayer on the first Friday of March. This year we are very grateful to some men for coming along and enhancing our evenings.
Traidcraft We have had a steady year, but we find that people are not buying as many goodies. Ann Findlay writes I have been to a lot of interesting places with Fairtrade. I went along to the Marcliffe for The University Ladies Lunch and heard their speaker Paul Mellor talk about his life in music, I also attended some coffee mornings, as well as going into Westhill Primary School to tell them a little about what I do and play a game with them (it is the third time I have gone along with Marion Stewart to the primary school). Ann has decided, along with the Catholic Church, to cut down on Traidcraft on a Sunday morning to every 2 weeks but will still hold the annual Breakfast/ Coffee Morning on 1 March 2014. Presbytery Area Grouping Skene Parish Church is in the area group with Echt & Midmar Churches and the congregations work well to support the various events organised. For example, we had a joint service and lunch on Souper Sunday. The Ministers & Deacon offer holiday cover for each other. At the meeting in early Spring, it was decided to take a table at the Heart & Soul event at the General Assembly. Concern was also raised over our twinning with Khayakhulu as it seemed that communication was one way. This seems to be a common problem as was discovered when a few from the Grouping attended a World Mission Twinning Event in Arbroath in September. Further discussions about the future of the twinning will take place in February 2014 with Carol Finlay & Rebecca Greenwood from World Mission Office. During 2013 Rev Dr Alan Murray moved to Banchory-Ternan East on 29th October, leaving Echt linked with Midmar in a vacancy. As a result of this there was only one Area Group Meeting in 2013. Through our Area Group twinning it is hoped that awareness will be raised about the Church in South Africa as we endeavour to continue our links with the congregation in Khayakhulu, Pretoria Presbytery. Eco Congregation Group During 2013 the Eco Group have: 1. funded one of the new eco friendly hand driers for the toilets at Trinity. 2. purchased new wooden planters made from recycled wood for Trinity. The Anchor Boys, Girls Brigade and The Sunday School have agreed to take responsibility for planting and caring for these. 3. purchased a composter for Trinity. 4. have been involved with others, and Ian Sutherland the gardener, in enhancing the grounds at Trinity bedding plants in the summer and bulbs etc for the spring. 5. continued our First Aid Recycling Project. We have now rescued about 34,000 worth of First Aid items . These are dispatched to Malawi through the local Charity, Famine Relief for Orphans in Malawi and to Intercare, an international charity that sends medical equipment to where it is needed in Africa. We have helped St Philips Church in Joppa to set up a similar scheme, rescuing kits from an oil company in Leith. Westhill and District Rotary Club have also taken on this project. They receive kits from another Aberdeen based company which they sort and then they pass to us for dispatch. 6. continued all our recycling initiatives throughout the year.
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World Mission Our Mission Partners are David & Rebecca Morton, at Nkhoma Hospital, Malawi and we continue to support them through prayer & financial giving. For several years Chrissy Watt has been the Mission Correspondent and we thank her for being so faithful in letter writing. Christian Aid 2013 saw the formation of a new Christian Aid Team taking responsibility for the annual door-to-door collection in May. As a congregation, we have always prided ourselves on how much is raised during Christian Aid Week and this is only possible when there are plenty of collectors to cover the area. Thanks go to Margaret Mearns, who is part of the team, for organising a performance of the Orpheus Choir, with all proceeds going to Christian Aid. Musical Evening A wonderful concert performed by the Aberdeen Orpheus Choir was held on Friday, 17 May 2013 at Skene Church. It raised the sum of 735 for Christian Aid. This concert has become an annual event and the Aberdeen Orpheus Choir will be appearing again on Friday, 16 May 2014. Fabric Committee The Fabric Committee's responsibility is to ensure that all church buildings are maintained in a sound physical state externally and internally as well as the good condition of the grounds. In addition to the usual activities of routine maintenance, painting and decoration, we conduct an annual inspection of all properties and perform tendering of any work to be outsourced to tradesmen and contractors. The Fabric Committee generally meets on a monthly basis. This year the main areas of activity have been: Replacement front doors at Trinity, New organs for both churches, Roofing / water tightness issues at both churches, External paintwork at Skene, Removal of trees and replacement of chimney at the manse following weather related damage. Ongoing actions include: Selection of new seating for Trinity Alteration to the sound room at Trinity as well as optimisation of the microphone systems Replacement cooker at Trinity Signage to improve traffic safety at Trinity. Lettings Trinity Church is used by three denominations - Church of Scotland, Westhill Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church for worship. The Church is also used for various activities of the organisations attached to these congregations (Girls Brigade, Anchor Boys, Guild, Discovery Group etc).
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In addition, other community groups use the building on a regular basis. These include the Gardening Club, Senior Citizens, as well as youth groups, for example, a Girl Guide Unit and a Brownie Unit. We also cater for two groups of very young dancers who come from various areas in the Parish. The premises are available for organisations to hold coffee mornings, charity book sales and birthday parties for young people. There is a Letting Convenor who is responsible for the letting of the various areas and ensuring the income for these lets is received and banked. A detailed record of income and payments is submitted to the Treasurer on a regular basis. Magazine This is now renamed "The Chronicle". Judging of entries for the competition was completed (with 26 names submitted) and the winner was Kieran Rorie. It was so good to have young interest in the renaming of this worthwhile magazine. The Chronicle incorporates material from the Roman Catholic and Scottish Episcopal Churches. We now distribute 5,100 copies in the Parish. After many years coordinating the material for the Church magazine, Donald Wallace stepped down as Magazine Editor. Donald was thanked for his valuable contribution and we welcomed Barbara & Robert Emmerson as the magazines new editors. Church Website www.skeneparish.com The website continues to be enhanced. There is now invaluable and practical information on Baptisms & Weddings. During Holiday Bible Club week, the website was enhanced by a daily blog and some great pictures of the event! Video footage was downloaded and the edited version of The Chronicle is now document embedded. The latter enables readers to enlarge (or reduce) the content of the document with feedback from individuals being extremely positive. Once again, Kieran Rorie volunteered his time and talents on improving the website for us. We encourage everyone to log on!
Achievements and Performance

As you will already have read, 2013 has been another packed and exciting year in the life of our Church. It has been wonderful to witness the growth of some newer projects and the sustaining of some of our long-established groups. We were delighted to celebrate the centenary of our Guild, as well as to witness the beginning of a new choir at Trinity. All this is thanks to the hard work of so many people, across lots of different groups and to the leading and guiding of God through His Holy Spirit. Two exciting events that we were involved with this year were Heart & Soul in Edinburgh and the Westhill Gala. On both occasions we created a stand for folks to visit. The Edinburgh event saw over 5,000 people gather in Princes Street gardens to participate in a Church of Scotland celebration, the theme of which was Celtic Christianity. For the Westhill Gala, we purchased a gazebo and spoke to people about our Afternoon Teas, and Messy Church. It is planned for this to become an annual occurrence.
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Stewardship In 2013 we reaped the benefits of our Stewardship Season on money in 2012 and we are grateful for the generosity of our members. As a Church within the Church of Scotland we are required to consider the topic of Stewardship each year, whilst reviewing money every third year. This was agreed at the General Assembly in 2011. This year we chose to focus on TIME and we considered how we use the time given to us, in worship, in the life of the Church, in family, in work and with friends. Again we produced a booklet to be given to each members home and our elders took time to explain to our members the purpose of this years season. We are amazed at the incredible variety of tasks undertaken by lots of people within the Church, although we did not receive as positive a response as in 2012. We will endeavour to take on board the feedback we received following the Season and to use that in our development of our 2014 Season on Talents. One focus on our Stewardship Season in 2013 was on our younger members. We hosted a dinner at Trinity, with a special after dinner speaker. This provided an opportunity for our younger members to talk about their involvement in the Church and to provide ideas of what they would like to see develop. Our hope is to bring some of this to fruition in the coming year.
Financial Review
It is pleasing to report a satisfactory outcome for the year under review and there were two main reasons for that. Firstly, the success of the Stewardship Season on money, undertaken in the autumn of 2012, has given our core income a significant boost. Indeed, our revenues from that source have risen by over 20% primarily as a consequence of the Stewardship Season and we are most appreciative of the support we received and for the regular giving of so many of our members. Secondly, there was a welcome drop in fabric expenditure from the levels incurred in recent times. The upshot was that the deficits we have seen in each of the last two years were wiped out and hopefully that trend will continue in the period ahead. Our letting income held up well though we shall see that drop during 2014 when the Episcopal congregation move to their new building. Very low interest rates impact adversely on our investment income and that picture may not change for some months to come. Whilst fabric outlays did, as mentioned above, fall in 2013, they still remained fairly high and details of the principal works carried out are covered elsewhere in the report. Our four buildings do of course have to be maintained in a satisfactory condition and that could lead to further high levels of expenditure in the coming years. We received a donation of 12,500 to assist with the costs of the two new organs and we also received gifts of a new Church Office computer, laptop and projector. We were extremely grateful to the donors for their generosity.
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Whilst there remain challenges for the year ahead, the Stewardship Season has placed our finances on a much sounder footing and we shall continue to monitor the overall position closely. Reserves Policy It is the Trustees policy to hold reserves of approximately 20,000 per annum in the General Fund. The reserves are held by the Congregation to meet the day-to-day running costs of two churches. Reserves are also held in the Fabric Fund to meet future capital requirements and significant building repairs. The Trustees are aware of the on-going need to repair the roof at Skene Church and may use the additional reserves for this purpose. The Church also held 41,228 of restricted funds which can only be used for the purposes specified in Note 12 of the Notes to the Financial Statements. As at 31 December 2013, 18,059 was held in the Organ Fund (Restricted) for the purchase of two new organs, one for Skene Church and one for Trinity Church. It is anticipated that all the money in the Organ Fund will be used early in February 2014 to pay for the new organs.
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Accounting Policies
The principal accounting policies, which have been applied consistently in the current and preceding year in dealing with items which are considered material to the accounts, are set out below. The charity has adopted the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (issued February 2005). Basis of preparation The accounts have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards and under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, The Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, the Regulations anent Congregational Finance approved by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2007 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (2005). Funds Funds are classified as either restricted funds or unrestricted funds, defined as follows. Restricted funds are funds subject to specific requirements as to their use which may be declared by the donor or with their authority or created through legal processes, but still within the wider objects of the charity. Endowment funds are funds which have been given on the condition that the original capital sum is not reduced, but the income therefrom is used for the purpose defined in accordance with the objects of the charity. Unrestricted funds are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. If parts of the unrestricted funds are earmarked at the discretion of the trustees for a particular purpose, they are designated as a separate fund. This designation has an administrative purpose only and does not legally restrict the trustees discretion to apply the fund.
Incoming resources All donations and gifts are included within incoming resources under either unrestricted or restricted funds according to the terms under which the donation is made and when the amount can be quantified with reasonable certainty. Donations and gifts in kind are brought into the accounts at their market value to the charity. Resources expended Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as the liability is incurred. Tangible fixed assets The charity has the right to occupy and use for its charitable objects certain tangible fixed assets, including the Church, halls and manse, vested in the Church of Scotland General Trustees. No consideration is payable for the use of these assets. Expenditure incurred on the repair and maintenance of these assets is charged as resources expended in the statement of financial activities in the period in which the liability arises and provision made for future major repairs.
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Accounting Policies (continued) All tangible fixed assets costing in excess of 750 having a value to the charity greater than one year, other than those acquired for specific purposes, are capitalised. Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis to write off the cost or initial value, less residual value, of tangible fixed assets over their estimated useful lives: Fixtures, fittings and office equipment 5 years
Stock Stock of Traidcraft goods is shown at the lower of cost or net realisable value. Stock of The Story is shown at cost. Taxation Skene Parish Church is recognised as a charity for the purposes of applicable taxation legislation and is therefore not subject to taxation on its charitable activities. The charity is not registered for VAT and resources expended therefore include irrecoverable input VAT.
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2013 Church Accounts

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2013 Church Accounts

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The Church of Scotland

Congregation No. 331992 Scottish Charity No. SC009462

ACCRUED (SORP COMPLIANT) ACCOUNTS

Reference and Administrative Information

Trustees Kirk Session

Miss Marion Stewart

Clerk to Congregational Board:

Mrs Lesley Reid

Church Treasurer: Independent Examiner

Structure, Governance and Management

Objectives and Activities

Achievements and Performance

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