Our annual meeting follows the morning service and will probably get under way at about 11.30.

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting has very ancient historical roots and continues an early form of democracy whereby the parishioners elect their two churchwardens for the coming year. This election is technically carried out by a Meeting of Parishioners rather than a meeting of the church, because any resident of the parish registered to vote in national and local government elections is allowed to vote for the churchwardens. The reason is that in the past all residents were assumed to be churchgoers unless proven otherwise, and churchwardens could have a range of duties including the collection and distribution of poor relief, the maintenance of highways, reporting to the authorities those who did not attend public worship, ensuring that the parish clerk could read and write, and punishing the recalcitrant by placing them in the stocks or the parish lockup. Residents (male only) normally served just a single year in this onerous office, and fortunately the wardens' responsibilities today are mainly to do with church administration (itself demanding enough). The Annual Church Meeting then follows, for receiving reports of church activities and electing three PCC members. Please come if you are able; anyone is welcome, but only those on the electoral register of the church (which is separate from the local government Register of Electors) can vote in this second part of the meeting.