Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Longwell Green Chrfstian Fellowship (Mustard Tree Community Church) 05 April 2023 Charity no 1003295 (rf any) On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages I rèport to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust°} for the year ended As the charivs trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Act"). Responsibllities and basls of report I report in respect of my examination of the Twst's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dirèctions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515)(b) of the Act. Independent examinees statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection wrth the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records" or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements contrming the form and Content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give 8 Irue and fairf view which is not a matter o)nsidered as part of an independent examination. I have no COnmS and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in thls report in order to en2ble a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Date: Signed: Name.. Joanna Tett ACA Relevant professlonal qualification{s) or body {rf any): Chartered AGCCntant (ICAEW) Address: 34 Cherington Road. Bristol BS10 5BJ IER Oct 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examlnation of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give hero brief details of any Items that th8 examiner wlshes to dlsclose. Not applicable IER Oct 2018
Trustees, Annual Report for the period Period start dale Period end date From To Section A Reference and administration details Charity name Longwell Green Christian Fellowship Other names charity is known by Mustard Tree Community Church {MTCC) Registered charity number {rf any) 1003295 Charity's principal address The Mustard Te Watsons Road Longwell Green, Bristol Postcode BS30 90W Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Trnstee name Office {if any) Dates acted if not forwholo ar Chair Name of person lor bodyl entiljed toa ornt trustèè rfan The recognised Spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual lea(Jer3 of the church. Stephen William Seymour Jacqueline S¢hachner Paul Mccarthy 6.4.22- 6.11.22 Secretary 6.4.22-6.11.22 Ri¢hard Hull Treasurer Peter Miles 6.11.22- 5.4.23 The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees) Name Dates acted if not for whole ear Peter Miles Secretary 26.1.23- 5.4.23 Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information} e of adviser Name Address Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) Section B Structure, overnance and mana ement Description of the charity's trusts A trust deed, Éstablishpd in 1991. Type of governing document How the charity is constituted A trust govomed by a trust deed. TAR March 2012
Trustee selection methods Trustees are appointed by the recognised spiritual leaders of the Ghurch. Additlonal governance issues {Optional infomiatioii) You may Ghoose to include additional information, where relevant, about.. policies and protsdures adopted for thLa induction and training of trustees., the charity's organisational Structu and any wider network with which the charity works., relationship with any related parties., trustees, consideration of major risks and the syslem and procedures to manage them. Section C Objectives and activities lal The advan¢emenl of the Chrisliaii faith ancl the worship of Goa by preaching, proclamation of the gospel and teaching of Christian doctrine. The printing and distribution ol the Bible and other Christian literature. Ibl The relief of persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress or who are aged or sick. {cl The advancement of education on the basis of Christian principles for persons ol all ages. In planning activities for the year, the trustees have had regard lo the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidan is relevant. A11 our charitable activities continue to locus on the advancement of the Christian faith and are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit. As we would express it in terms of the Christian faith, we are seeking lo connect with God, grow together, and change our world. lal The advancement of the Christian faith and the worship of God by preaching, proclamation of the gospel and teachiry of Christian doctrine. The printing and distribution of the Bible and olhei Christian lileralure. Summary of the objects of the Charity set out in its governlng document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) During this year we have continued to rebuild the Sense of church community as more people return to Sunday morning services rather than watching online This has helped lo reconnect people with each other at a deeper level, with the benefits this brings. Services are still streamed via YouTube for those unable to allend on Sunday mornings. The teaching programme itself has been designed to help develop people in their faith and discipleship, looking at topics such as resilience, lament, being equipped, poverty. why do we pray and sharing our faitr. The programme has included out51de speakers such as from Christians against Poverty. as well as notable calendar events like Harvest and the Platinum Jubilee. Cor orate Pra er There continues to be a weekly day-time prayer meeting on Zoom which has a regular attendance. In addition lo this we hold an evening prayer meeting once a month and have tried moving the lime of this to make It easier for more people lo allend March 2012 TAR
Pa toral Care As part of our mission to Connect wth GodlGrow Together, we encourage people to meet rnid-week in small groups for Bible study and prayer. During the Covid lockdown periods, participation in these groups dropped off due to the restriction of meeting online, and due to key people no longer being able to run groups. During this last year we merged and restarted some of the groups and made sure that everyone who wants to participate can do. in a group they are Comfortable wth. The leadership team continues to offer individual pastoral care provision as necessary. Across the church there is a strong caring ethos with people continuously looking out for one another. offeeTot Our CoffeeTots toddler group continues to run at full capacity and has a w8iting list of about 12. The group is for families with children aged belween O and 4 and meets every Tuesday moming in the church hall. Tttis provides an opportUFiity for parents and carers to meet in a safe space with a welcoming team that provides play activities for the children. We try to create and develop links with this group and the main church. The carers receive regular invites to relevant church events, such as the Christmas Carol Service. as well as having their own special limes at Harvest and Easter where the gospel is promoted Ifor example, the children are each given an Easter egg with a little LK)oklet inside). Several of the families joined us on the coach for our away day to St Fagan's and a few have been out wth the 'Wombles" litter picking. We have been introducing special themed events during the year such as Christmas buffe( pancake day and a Hawaiian Day during last summers heatwdve. Church Events The church has held social events aimed at supporting other charities and engaging with the local community. This included the away day lo Sl Fagan's and the Tearfund Big Quvz. In the run up to Christmas we were invited by one of the local pubs to provide some carol singing one evening, which our brassy musicians accompanied merrily. Our m8in carol service was held again al Longwell Green School, with some lasl-minute rescheduling lo avoid the World Cup final. In support of local NHS staff. we held an outdoor carol singing event in the r park of the local surgery. This was well-receNed by staff and patients. {bl The relief of persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress, or who are aged or sick. ommunil Every month, th8 chLfrch holds a 'Wombling' Session where local people are inwted lo join members of the cttur¢h in litter picking aroLrnd the area, wth an opportunity to socialise afterwards. This has grown thr(gh the year wth more people from the community helping out, including some of the CoffeeTots families. A few members of other local churches have teen starting to join us. Between December and January we mn a new winter support project to provide a warm spa, free cooked meal, boardgames and puzzles, homework and reading support for tsmiliès from Longwell Green Primary School. This organised in consultation with the Headteacher at the school. who put us in contact with possible families to invite. The homework and reading support activities were provided by Malc lour full-time paicj leaderl who is a former primary-school teacher. Although uptake for this project was limited it was well- received by those who did come, and we intend to run something similar next winter. We continue to provide short-tem help in the form of pre-prepared meals I.SignatU Dishes") for those in times of crisis e.g. bereavement, serious illness. A number of members of the Church are regularly involved al JUICE, a local Community Interest Company. Highlights of this during the year have included rovidin them with a harvest collection for their foodbank and deliverin March 2012 TAR
Christmas meals donated by a local farmer. Wider Chari ble Su For many years we have provided Christmas Shoeboxes in support of different projects for distribution to those less fortunate than ourselves, In Septembèr we reinstated this, sending filled sho¢boxes lo Eastern Europe through the Link to Hope ¢harily. This is in addition to the regular, monthly support the church provides lo people who are homeless via our connection with the Bristol SoL4P Run Trust preparing soup and sandwiches and dèlivering these lo the homeless in Bristol We continue to activèly support other local charities in Bristol in accordance with our charitable purposes, notably.. Bristol International Student Centre~ financial support and help with welcome meals for international students. Beloved - financial support for the charity, as well as hampers, cakes and Easter gifts for the women who the charity is supporting. InHope- financial support and practical involvement from Individual church members. One25 - financial support. In addition to which, we continue to provide financial support for Sallmalaw, a registered charity working to relieve poverty and suffering, to enhance education and to advance the Christian faith in Malawi and Mozambique. Workin with other churches We continue lo develop and strengthen OUT relationship with the other churches in the area. Having an office al United Church Longwell Green IUCLGI means we have forged good working relationships with Steve Brittan (associatè vicar) and Mark Nam (recent curate). In conjunction with UCLG and St Annes we have organised two HOPE weekends (social action events) and we held joint se&$ at intervals throughout the year, such as for the Platinum Jubilee. The first HOPE event was held in May, where ioint-church teams carried out gardening and decorating projeBls al various homes identified by one of the local housing asswiations, Bromford Group. Following this success, we held a"HaNesl HOPE. in the Autumn which includèd further gardening projects for 8romford residents. For Harvest, CoffeeTols, Footprints and Krash IUCLGI painted plant pols for Litlle Heath care home and the Children al Longwell Green school made booklets and collected food hampers lo be distributed to families via JUICE. Workin with the A ed In May we were contacted by Littlè Heath Care Home in Cadbury Heath, inviting us lo come in and do a 30-minule ses510n that would involve the singing ol hymns, the reading of some scripture and the leading of prayers. This really took off, as a collaborative effort between us, UCLG and St Annes, and is very much appreciated by the residents and staff. Highlights during the year have included taking the residents out lo a communion seNice al UCLG and helping lo facililale a wedding for one of the re5identsl Alongside this we have a second joint-church team running a similar event at Avonlea assisted Siving complex. This restarts our old Tea @ 3 al Avonlea Services that had slopped duTing lockdown. Icl The advancemellt of education on the basis of Christian principles lor persons Df all ages. We have a regular team who go into Longwell Green Primary School lo deliver Bible-based asserllblies. Malc leads this team and uses his experience as a former teacher lo develop a very positive, working relationship with the school and create materials that fit around the school ethos and values. The team visit March 2012 TAR
roughly three times per term, and work with small groups of children in delivering a Bible story to the rest of the school. The story is made relevant to modem times and the children leave with a sense of how this applies lo them today. The assemblies have been well received and are popular amongst the students. Joining together with two other local churches we have been able to supply Bibles for all Year 3 students. At Christsmas we were able lo delw8r the Christmas story in a simple, creative and fun way with Year 3 students using the Christmas in s Box resources developed by local Charity Bristol Schools Connection. This was very well received by the school who invited us to follow it up by presenting Easter in a Box to Year 6, the resources again coming from Bristol Schools Connection. Malc conlinLtes as chair of the Footprints pre-school, who meet in the church building three limès per-week. Malc visits the pre-school every Wednesday aftemoon and meets with the children, bringing a Christian story and games that fit around a theme. Malc also supports the staff and linmanage$ the le8der of the Drganisalion, providing oversight and supervision. This year he has also helped support them through their Ofsled inspe¢lion. We have been able to re-start Time 2 Talk, which is an opportunity for parents to come and discuss issues snd problems with an Early Years specialist who is a member of the Church. This is largeted al CoffeeTols and Footprir¢ls families inclLtdin rand arents and has run tNice durin the ear. Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional infonnation) You may Ghoose to include further statements, where relevant, about= policy on granlmaking. policy programme related investment., contribution rnade by volunteers. Section D Achievements and performance Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year Rebuilt the sense of church community as people continue to return to Sunday morning services rather than watching online. Services are still streamed via YouTube for those unable to attend. Refreshed the small groups th*. meet mid-week for Ble study and prsyer to make SLJre that everyone who wants to participatg can do, in a group they are comfortable with. Sunday Bible leaching programme designed to help develop people in their faith and discipleship.. the programme has included outside speakers such as from Christians against Povety, as well as notable calendar events like Harvest and the Platinum Jubilee. Pastoral Caff provision as necessary. CoffetrTDts toddler group continues lo run al full capacity wth a substantial waiting list. CoffeeTots families are increasingly involved in chLJrch activities, such as the church away day and the Wombles litter picking. Continued to develop a strong working relationship wth the other local churches. This is helped by us renting office space for our main leader at UCLG, the AnglicarVMelh¢xlist church in Longwell Green. In conjunction with the local churches planned 2 HOPE weekends {social action eventsl and held joint services at intervals throughout the year, such as for th Platinum Jubilee. TAR March 2012
Section D Achievements and performance Planned and organised a carol service al Lor,gwell Green School. Organised carol singing event al the invitation of one of the local pubs and carols for carers event in the ¢ar park of the lo¢al surgery. Expanded our school a88emblies team and the frequency with which they visit the local school. Provided additional onff events for the school such as Christmas in a Box.. Maintained links with Footprints pre-school, with members of the church on the Committee (including the chair rolel and strong support from the church for Footprints events such as their summer and Christmas fairs. Established regular worship Servi al Little Heath care home and Avonlea assisted living complex. These are run collaboratively with UCLG and St Annes churches. Worked with JUICE Ilo¢al Community Interest Company) arid Bromford Group (social housing) on several projects. Ran a Warm Spaces initiative one evening a week from mid-December to January. Held several social events, including an away day lo St Fagan's and the Tearfund Big Quiz. Continued to develo Mustard Tree Woinbles re ickin aclivit Section E Financial review stability of IncomelExpendilure and ils effect on reserves", MTCC'S income Is derived mainly from rts attendees. The attendees are diverse enough that it is unlikely that income would cease completely without a reasonabbe period of decline in which to manage the loss of income. MTCC'S expenditure is made up of four mair¥ elements., costs of aclivilies, staff costs, support for external organisalions, and building costs. Thè costs ol activities are closely linked lo the numbèr of attendees, so they are not considered by the reserves policy. Staff costs and the support for external tsrganisalions are also linked to the number of allendees bul less dynamically and therefore must be considered by the reservès policy. Building costs are mainly a fixèd cost and reserves are required to cover major projects and unexpected bills, Resetvès Definition.. For MTCC purposes reserves refer to the amount of working capital available in the bank account and related investments. This reserves policy wi11 be reviewed ar)nually by the trustees. Staff To allow for notice periods and redundancy the required amount is £12,400. Extemal Or anisalions MTCC has mediumllong term commilmenls to externJ organisations, Reserve8 should be adequate to ensure that in the event of a loss of income 6 months, riotice can be given before support is withdrawn. This is estimated lo be £1.600. Buildin MTCC is resporisible for maintaining the Mustard Tree building in a good state of repair in order lo accommodate the aclivrties that lake place there. Routine maintenance costs are covered out of income. The flat roof was replaced in 2022. Resetves should be £3,000 to cover unexpected bills. Conclusion ReseNes are held lo cover, 1. A significant loss of income. 2. Emergency building work. The likelihood that both events occur at the same lime is remote. Therefore the reed olic of the trustees is lo kee reserves to cover the lar er of these two March 2012 Brief ststement of the charity's policy on reserves TAR
items and hence £14.000 wll be maintained. Details of any funds materially in deficit No funds are in deficit. Further financial review details {Optional infomiation} You may choose to include additional infonnation, where relevant al)out.' the charity's principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)., how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity., investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. Section F Other optional information Section G Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees Signaturels} Full namels) Position leg Se¢retsry, Chair, etc) Richard Hull ste hen Se Chair mour Treasurer Date 1023 TAR March 2012
CHARITY COMM155ION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Longwell Green Chrlstian Fellowship (Mustard Tree Community Churchl Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period from 6.4.22 To 5.4.23 Section A Receipts and payments UnStrIcted fur]ds Restricted funds Endowment fund$ Total funds Last yèar to the nèarest to the nparest£ to the nearast£ A1 Receipts coffeètols tsx effKiÈnt SI10g (Rèstricted funds. Shoe boxes tsx reclaNns ttsth noarest£ tothe nÈrpst£ 1.1f8 364 38,710 331 37,041 40,fSD 11,379 10,379 9.745 Grft Aid Small Donation5 Scheme 138 b8nk nterest other giwn9 IRestriGted fvnd8-, Shoe boxes Other income (Restred fvnds.. St Fa ans oulrea¢h event Ad'ustment on cash 29 29 4,990 173 5,163 7,5 299 265 sss 140 rent from Footprints (for propety ntst owned b thè cha Sub totsI(GsS income for ARJ 3,743 3,743 950 56.150 1.888 58,03B 59,D52 A2 Asset and inyesthient 5ale8, Isee tablo). Sub totsl Totalrèceipts 56.150 1,888 58,038 59.052 CCXX R1 accovnb ISSI 1510712023
A3Pa ments bank cha es carol seNice Lrterature & Literature & Internet calÈrin enéra hild rotects-on I le childiens, work Foot rints l outre8¢h Meals ifted n8ture dishe8 coffeelots C*,ristmas & Eastèr in a box external ru sou 84 84 84 211 331 29 66 300 I books adwertisin 93 93 182 834 1£9 182 634 594 189 129 105 143 222 897 411 17S 143 222 897 411 7.911 339 .530 21S 7,911 339 25 220 25 HOPE Sunda Serv¢$ health & safety Isemce fre extin 15heis Shoe boxes insurance music Wler Su ort meals stFa ans outreach ewent repairs l improvements for building I contents eakers rfts I stalion$ l offtce subscription to BristDI Evangelical Alliance 220 43 43 226 582 1.096 535 116 19$ 226 78 504 1,028 2,62 1,096 535 J29 266 59$ 2,403 615 4,£83 62$ 4.¢83 625 anses 1,899 2.084 2,084 20 667 20 923 887 utililles le¢t[[C £3856 water £1061 3,962 2.144 25,983 65,102 4,433 1,868 34,178 1,036 3,9S2 2.144 35.983 83,435 ension ws es Sub total 1,6S7 A4 Asset and Inv8stsnent urchases, l$èe tsble Sub total 61,036 Totalpayments 63,435 1,667 65,102 7,064 1,984 Net of receiptsl{paym8nts) AS Transfers bean funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds thi5 year end The trustees have not r&cgivod any xpenses. Expentss do nol Include purchases rnade on bphalf of th& Gharlty for which a trustee Is then reimbuT8ed. 7,285 221 34,263 32,279 27,101 19.816 5,178 S,399 32,279 25,215 1510712023 CCXX R2 aonts ISSI
Section B Ststement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds Restricted lunds to n¢4re$t£ Endowment funds to nèares¢e to n6ar8¥1£ B1 Cash funds CoffeeTots 397 current 3250 saving 16.466 5,002 Total cash funds 19,816 5,399 lagre• b&qnw Elpts and pawn Unrestricted furtds to nearèst £ Restrictsd funds to nearest£ Endowment funts nearest£ B2 Other monetsry assets Gift aid cla 9,260 Fundtowhich $¢1 bplp Cost l¢pJona Currentvalue Details Pund to which asset bèlon nresth¢*d Details fixtures &fiIUng$. P.A 4uipmentand office 8quipmeni Cost loptiona Currentvalu¢ 84 Assets retalned for the charity's own use Fundtowhi¢h relates AmouThtdue iona Vvhen due Detsils & Nl (January lo March) or B5 Liabilities unre$tnc pern0 (March) unre5tllcted April Signed by one Dr two trustees on behaW of all the trustee% Signature Print Narne Date of prowal Rlchard Hull Iirt3 1023 Ste ense mour CCXX R3 accwnts ISSI 1510712023