Church Manual - Documentation

Policies and Guidelines

At Norbury Church, we emphasise that we are a parish church. We try as far as possible to meet the needs of those in the parish who are not church members as well as those who are.

In general we follow the policies and guidelines of the Church of England, with these particular emphases:

Baptisms:

We accept that the final decision as to whether a child is baptised lies with the parents of that child. We very seldom accept a baptism from outside the parish, unless the family has strong links with Norbury. We offer families the choice between a baptism or a thanksgiving for the birth of their child. We find that about a third of families now want a thanksgiving instead of a baptism.

Confirmation:

Anyone over the age of 14 who wants to be confirmed is encouraged to do so, after suitable preparation. 13 year olds are also accepted if they are in regular contact with the church.

Marriage:

We consider our ministry to engaged couples to be important, and spend significant time with them in preparation for their marriages. We do marry divorced people, providing that they agree to look with us at the reasons for the breakdown of the first marriage, and to worship with us over a period of 6 months before their wedding.

Funerals:

We normally only conduct funerals of those connected with the church or the parish in some way. We use the same criteria for deciding whether someone can be buried in a new grave in the churchyard. We take great care over the ministry of the whole church to the bereaved.

Employment:

In general we follow national employment guidelines. For particular details, refer to the terms and conditions of each employee, kept in the Church office.

Child Protection:

We follow diocesan guidelines, and are very committed to this aspect of our work. Our policy statement is to be found in the Church office.

Health and Safety:

We follow national guidelines within the limitations of working within an old church building.

Records

Current records of baptisms, weddings and funerals are kept in a locked safe. The following old records have been transferred to the Cheshire County Archives, Duke Street, Chester, CH1 1RL (phone: 01244-602 574, fax: 01244-603 812, email: recordoffice@cheshire.gov.uk):

• Baptisms prior to 1963
• Confirmations prior to 1990
• Marriages prior to August 1965

The Grave Database maintains electronic records of the graves and Garden of Remembrance plots in the Norbury churchyard including both the names of those buried and the current contacts.

The Parish Register database maintains electronic records of members and contacts as well as committee and other church organisation memberships.

The church is not required to register under the Data Protection Act.

Reference Documents

• A Handbook for Churchwardens and Parochial Church Councillors. Kenneth M. MacMorran and Timothy Briden. 2001 Edition
• The Charities Act 1993 and the PCC, 2nd edition 2001
• Charity Accounts. Accounting for the larger charity. Charity Commission. CC53
• Internal Financial Controls for Charities. Charity Commission. CC8
• Fundraising and Charities. Charity Commission. CC20
• Charities and Insurance. Charity Commission. CC49
• Capital Expenditure by Charity Trustees. Charity Commission. CC38
• Use of Church Halls for other Charitable Purposes. Charity Commission. CC18