CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAIES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts SL)Ctioii A Indei)endent Ex¢iiiiiiier's Report Report to the trustees Longw•ll Gr••n Chilstlan F•llowshlp On accounts lor the year ended 05 Aprll 2tr Charlty no (11 any) 1003295 Set out on pages I report to the IN8te88 on my 8xamlnatlon of the accounls of the above charlty Vh8 Tru81') for Ihe year ended S Aprll 2024. Responslbllltles and ba81s of report AS Ihe chaflty's Irusleos, you ara raspon81bl8 for the pr8paratlon of Ihe account8 In accordanca whh the requlronwnls of the Charftle8 Act 2011 Clhe Act,). I roport In re8pecl of my oxamlnatbn of the Trust'8 aoUnt6 cathed oul under 88Ctlon 145 of the 2011 Act and In carrylng out my ex8mlnatlon, I have followed all Ihe appllcable Dlrecllon8 9fv8n by Ihe Charlty Comml88lon under 8ectlon 145(5){b) of the Act. Independent examlnerfs Statement I have wmpleted my examlnatlon. I conflrm that no molerlal matters have (x)me to my attentlon In connectlon wlth Ihe examlnatlon whkh glve8 me cAuEe lo belleve that In, any materlal respect: lh8 aecountlng re¢ord8 were not kept In accordance wlth 8ecllon 130 of Ihe Charltles Act; or tho accounls dld not accord wlth the acu)untlng record8. or the accounts dld not comply wlth Iha applllxble requlrem8nts cx)ncemlng Ihe fom) and content of accounls Set out In the Charltles (Accounts and Reports) Regulatlons 2(N other than any requlremenl Ihat the accounts glve o 'true and falrf vlgw whlch is not a matter consldered aB part of an Ind8P8ndenl axamlnatlon. I have no concam8 and have me a•XO88 no olher matter8 In connectlon wllh the examlnallon lo whlch attenllon thould b? drawn In Ih18 report In order to anabb a proper understandlng of the account8 to be reath. Slgned: 6111 ILq- Name: Joanna Tett Relevant professlonal quallfl¢atlon(s) or body (11 any): Instltute of Chartered Accountants In England and Wales Address: 34 Cherlngton Road Brlstol BS10 SBJ IER Oct 2018
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGIAND AND WALES Longwell Green Chrlstlan FellowBhlp (Mustard Tree Community Church) Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the pèrfod from 6.4.23 5.4.24 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year to the n•ar*¥t to the n•4re8t £ to th9 nearest £ to the near¢$t £ to the no#re8t £ A1 Recelpts coffeetol$ tax effic¢enl Ivin tax reclaims 1,107 39,433 9,260 1.107 39.433 9.260 1,118 37,041 10.379 Grft Aid Small Donalions Scheme 223 223 bank interest other ivin other tncome 141 6,731 29 5,163 665 5.731 600 rent from Foolprlnls (for propety not owned b the cha tota ss income 2,708 2,708 3.743 or AR) 59,103 59,103 68,038 A2 Asset and Inve8lment 8ale8, (see tablo). Sub total rotal recelpts 59.103 69,103 58,038 CCXX Rl a¢counts ISS) 1611112024
A3Pa ment8 bank char es Christmas SeeS Literature & rintin Internel calerin enera Child roleclKsn I al Fool rinls l outreach Meals ifted si nalure dlshes offeetols Christmas & Easter in a box extemal ivln sou run 84 113 advertisin 211 93 182 780 170 164 182 780 170 182 834 169 143 222 897 411 7.911 339 644 644 so 4,245 318 4,245 318 HOPE Sunda s@e$ health & safety {setvl¢e fire extin uishers Shoe boxes insurance music Parent Buddies Winter Su ori meals SIFa ans outreach event repalrs I Improvements for bullding I contents eakers lftsle slalione l offe subscripllon lo Brlstol Evangellcal Alllance Ir8inin ulilrtres {eleclri¢ £3352 water £134) 25 220 43 260 260 226 682 1.388 478 1.388 476 773 535 773 116 595 271 271 378 enses 375 1A91 625 20 300 300 667 ensioii wa es 2.402 2,402 39,488 57,459 2.144 3$,983 65,102 Sub total 07,459 A4 A89et and Investment urchages, {see table Sub total SY,459 57.459 65,102 Net of receApts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Ca8h funds last year ond Cash lunds thls year end Th& trustees have not received any expenses. Expense¥ do not IlUde purchases made on behalf of the charlty for vthlch a trustee Is then relmbursed. 1.644 1,644 7,064 19,816 21,460 5.399 5,399 25.215 26,859 32.279 25,215 CCXX R2 accounts ISSI 1611112024
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Catogorie8 Unrestrlcted funds to nearest £ Details Restrlcted funds to neBrest £ Endowment funds to nearest £ B1 Cash funds Cash (Coffee Tots) current account 99 3,350 Fixed Temi Deposil savings account 1S.000 3,011 5,399 Total cash funds 21,460 5,399 laL¥e• bnl *ilh r¢¢oipls and paym¢ni$ 8c¢ounll$ll Unre8trlcted fund8 lo noarest £ 9,914 Restrlctsd fund8 to noar•8t £ Endowment fund8 to near•$¢ E Detalls rfi aid cldm B2 Other monetary assets Delalls Pund to whlch Cost lopllonal) Current value 83 Investment assets Dotails fix¢ures & filllng$, P.A equipment office gouipmeTrl Fund tts whleh a86•t belon unrestii¢bJ Cumnt valu8 tlon81 84 Assets retalned for the charlty's own use Coit loptlonal) Delails t8x & Nl lJ8nuary lo IA8r¢h) pensi (March) Fund to whlch relat•• untrIct¥d Amounl due O Ilonal Whèn due lonal BS Llabllltles Aprll unre51ncied Aprll Signed by one or trustees on tehalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name Date of roval Richard Hull 12.6.24 Ste hen S mour 12.6.24 1611112024 CCXX R3 accounts ISSI
Trustees. Annual Report for the period ' Period start date Period end date From V8ar ear To,J5 04 Section A Reference and administration details Charity name Longwell Green Christian Fellowship Other names charity Is known by Mustard Tree Community Church (MTCC) Reglstsred charity number (If any) 1003295 Charity's prlncipal address The Mustard Tree Watsons Road Longwell Green, Bristol P08t¢ode BS30 9DW Names of the charity trustees who manage the charlty Tru8toe namè Offl¢e (If any Date8 acted If not for whole ear Chair Name of per80n (or body) entltled toa olnt trustee Ifan The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. Stephen William Seymour Melanie Jane Balch 17.1.24- 5.4.24 Donna Louise Gaywood Richard Hull 17.1.24- 5.4.24 Treasurer Peter John Miles Secretary The recognised spiritual leaders of the church. Names of the trustees for the charlty, If any, (for example, any custodlan trustees) Name Dates acted If not for whole ear Names and addresses of advisers (Optlonal Informatlon) e of adviser Name Address Name of chlef executive or names of senior staff members (Optlonal information) Section B Structure, overnance and mana ement Description of the charity's trusts Type of governing document A trust deed, established in 1991. How the charity 18 constituted A trust governed by a trust deed. TAR March 2012
Trustee selection methods Trustees are appointed by the recognised spiritual leaders of the church. Additlonal governance Issues (Optlonal infomiation) You may choose to include additional infomiation, where relevant, about.. policies and prOdureS adopted for the induction and training of trustees. the charity's organisational structure and any wider network with which the Gharity relationship with any related parties., trustees, consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them. Section C Ob"ectives and activities (a) The advancement of the Christian faith and the worship of God by preaching. proclamation of the gospel and teaching of Christian doctrine. The printing and distribution of the Bible and other Christian literature. (b) The reli8f of persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distre8s or who are aged or sick. (c) The advancement of education on the basis of Christian principles for persons of all ages. In planning activities for the year, the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. All our charitable aclivities continue to focus on the advancement of the Christian faith and are undertaken to further our charilable purposes for the public benefit. As we would express it in terms of the Chrislian faith, we are seeking to connect with God. grow together, and change our world. un We continue to provide weekly Sunday morning services at the Mustard Tree hall. These are streamed via YouTube for those unable to attend on Sunday mornings. Summary ofthe objects of the charity set out in Its governing document Summary of the maln activitles undertaken for the public beneflt in relation to these objects (include wlthin this sectlon the statutory declaratlon that trustees have had regard to the guidance Issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) The teaching programme is designed to help develop people in their faith and discipleship. During the past year this has varied from studies on specific books of Ihe Bible (including 1 Peter and John's Gospel) to broader topics of Christian life. Such topics have included: Living Today & Living for God: Transformed in Christ,. Identfying in Christ" Boldly Go,. Biblical Characters.. Kingdom Perspectives, Building the Church. The programme has included outside speakers such Pam Scott Cook,. Jane Gillis - Bristol Schools Connection. Julian and Caroline Lott - Salt Malawi,. Rosie Hopley,. Ron Cross - Open Doors. Café Church As an allemative to the traditional format of services we have introduced occasional "café church. services. These provide a more inclusive environment with a different layout, allowing for more interactive participation and discussion. These services are deliberately low-tech, with simplified worship in place of a band, and are not live-streamed. TAR March 2012
During Advent. we held IMO special Christmas-themed Café Church setvices that were well attended by families from Coffee Tots. One involved making Christmas decorations, the other a Christingle. These led up to the annual carol service, which as usual was attended by many local families. aith Ex During the course of the year have offered various different opportunities for people who do not know much about Christianity or the church to find out more al)out the Christian faith. "Come and See" an initial taster session to talk about what faith is and what the church does. This was based around a meal, leading into a time of discussion. Later in the year we ran an online Alpha course. To accommodate the parents of young families who wanted to participate we released an Alpha video to the participants each week and followed this up with online discussion via VVhatsApp. Allhough an unconventional way of running Alpha. this proved to be a successful approach, and the group is continuing to complete the full set of Alpha videos and intending to meet in person. We were excited to hold two adult-baptism services during the year. This required some hasty renovation of the baptlstry that is under the church floor. Many of our regular attendees had no idea this even existed, as it wasn't in use in the years prior to Covid when we were holding our meetings at the local Community Centre. id-week From time to time we hold mid-week study groups, to explore particular topics in more depth than is possible on Sunday mornings. One highlighl this year was the Big Picture 2 series.. 5 evening sessions learning about the development of the church from its New Testament times up to modern days. or ora There continues to be a weekly day-time prayer meeting on Zoom which has a regular attendance. In addition to this we hold an evening prayer meeting once a month and have tried moving the time of this to make it easier for more people to attend. Urgent prayer requests can be shared quickly and confidentially amongst the church via WhatsApp groups. Pastor As part of our mission to Connect with GodlGrow Together, we encourage people to meet mid-week in small groups for Bible study and prayer. We have a variety of different groups, and we try to make sure that everyone who wants to meet can do so, in a group they are comfortable with. 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. CoffeeTots Our CoffeeTots toddler group continues to run at full Capacity, and currently has a waiting list of about 13. The group is for families with children aged between O and 4 and meets every Tuesday moming in the church hall. This provides an opportunity for parents and carers to meet in a safe space with a welcoming team Ihat 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 servi. as well as having their own special times at Harvest and Easter where the gospel is promoted (for example, the children are each given an Easter egg with a little booklet inside). A few families have been out with the Wombles. We continue to put on special themed events during the year such as Christmas buffet or pancake day and the families had a special day out to a local farm in June. TAR March 2012
Chur hE ents This year has been quieter for church events. Highlights were Palm Sunday and Carol SeNice events held at Longwell Green School, and the Good Friday picnic at Willsbridge Mill. This included a taSUre hunt and making paper boats. and vrfas a great success with the CoffeeTot families. ms and Soci l Media We continue to connect with and publish events to the local community through our Facebook site and this year have restarted our Instagram feed. We have established a Friends of Muslard Tree email group for sending out news and event information to those who have expressed interest. Communit Every month, the church holds a 'Wombling' session where local people are invited to join members of the church in litter picking around the area, with an opportunity to socialisa afterwards. This has continued to grow throughout the year with more people from the community helping out. including some of the Coffee Tots families and a few members of other local churches. Special wombling events were held at the Coronation and as part of our Harvest Hope weekend. A new initiative this year was to provide Christmas presents for residents of some of our local care homes. This was a joint initiative with St Annes and UCLG churches. Members of the church congregations took away labels with particular present ideas, and the86 gifts were then collected together and distributed by the Mustard Tree. We continue to provide short-term help In the form of pre-prepared meals {"Signature Dishes.) for those in tim88 of crisis e.g. bereavement, serious illness. Early in the year we relaunched Parent Buddies in the church. This is a listening service for parents when Ihey need someone to talk to, and provides another way In which we can support young families in the area. We now have 4 volunteers trained in listening skills and host training sessions al Ihe Mustard Tree for other branches of Parent Buddies. We have h1 our first few referrals to the team. and the headteacher at Longwell Green school is keen to promote the servi. A number of members of the church are regularly involved at JUICE, a local Community Interest Company. Highlights of this during the year have included providing them with a harvest collection for their foodbank and delivering Christmas meals donated by a local farmer. We now also have a food box at church to collect food for Juice. Some members of the congregation give money for the leaders to buy things for Juice. One Home Group regularly supports a local needy family. er Charitable Su For many years we have provided Christmas Shoeboxes through different charities, for distribution to those less fortunate than ourselves. This year we collaborated with a local school to provide shoe boxes to local families as well as sending some overseas. This is in addition to the regular, monthly support the church provides to people who are homeless via our connection with the Bristol Soup Run Trust. preparing soup and sandwiches and delivering Ihese to the homeless in Bristol. We continue to actively support other local charities in Bristol in accordance with our charitable purposes. During the year we have reviewed the level of our external giving in line with our financial position. A key criterion for us in deciding which charities to support is whelher we have a personal connection through members of the church. and an opportunity to be involved. As a result. we continue to support.. 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. TAR Mah 2012
Further afield, we continue to provide financial support for Saltmalawi, a registered charity working to relieve poverty and suffering, to enhance education and to advance the Christian faith in Malawi and Mozambique. Workin h other churches We continue to develop and strengthen our relationship with the other churches in the area. Having an office at UCLG means we have forged good working relationships with Steve Britton (associate vicar) and Mark Nam (rent curate). In conjunction with UCLG and St Annes we held a Harvest HOPE weekends as well as joint services at intervals throughout the year, such as for Ihe Coronation. At Harvest, the churches worked together to create posies for everyone in the local care homes thal we support. Children at Longwell Green School made Hope booklets for each of the homes and collected focKI for Juice. On Remembrance Sunday we joined the Remembrance parade and wrealh- laying with the local churches in Warmley. Our work with local care homes and assisted living complexes has expanded to include Collingwood and Avon Valley, in addition to Little Heath and Avonlea. We visit each once a month to lead a 30-minute session that includes hymns, the reading of some scripture and the leading of prayers. This is a collaborative effort between us, UCLG and St Annes, with 2 regular teams of volunteers, and is very much appreciated by the residents and staff. In addition to these regular visits, we provide additional gifts and assistance on an occasional basis through the year, such as the Harvest and Christmas activities mentioned above. We have a regular team who go into Longwell Green Primary School to deliver Bible-based assemblies. Malc {full-time paid leader) leads this team and uses his experienc6 as a former teacher to develop a positive, working relationship with the school and creaie materials that fit around the school ethos and values. The team usually visit 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 modern times and the children leave with a sense of how this applies to them today. The assemblies have been well received and are popular amongst the students. Joining together with two other local churches have been able lo supply Bibles for all Year 3 students. At Christmas we were able to deliver the Christmas story in a simple, creative and fun way with Year 3 students using the Christmas in a Box resources developed by local charity Bristol Schools Connection. We followed this up by presenting Easter in a Box to Year 6, the resources again coming from Bristol Schools Connection. Additionally, this year the school invited Malc to lead their Harvest festival and join the school Irip as an adult helper. In collaboration with Hanham Baptism, Hanham Methodist. UCLG and St Annes we purchased picture Bibles for Years 3 & 4 to use in school and gave Year 6 new Bibles io take home. Foot Malc continues as chair of the Footprints pre-school, tho meet in the church building three times per-week. Malc visits the pre-school every Wednesday afternoon and meets with the children, bringing a Christian story and games that fit around a theme. Malc also supports the staff and line-manages the leader of the organisalion, providing oversight and supervision. He occasionally is asked to fill in for staff when they are off sick, and Joins the school for trips. Two other church members are on the Footprints committee and the church regularly helps with Fcotprints. Fairs and supports their other fundraising events. TAR March 2012
Tim We continue to run occasional Time 2 Talk evenings, which are an opportunity for parents to come and discuss issues and problems with an Early Years specialist who is a member of the church. This is targeted at CoffeeTots and Footprints families (including grandparents). It is a safe space with no judgement where people can talk, and they come away supported and encouraged that the are not alone. Additional details of objectives and activities (Optlonal Informatlon) You may choose to include further statements. where relevant, about.. policy on grantmaking. policy programme related investment., contribution made by volunteers. Section D Achievements and performance Summary of the main achlevements of the charlty durlng the year Continued to provide Sunday morning worship services ai the Mustard Tree hall, streaming these services via YouTube for those unable to attend. Sunday Bible teaching programme designed 10 help develop people in their faith and discipleship., the programme has included outside speakers such as from Bristol Schools Connection and Open Doors, as VRII as notable calendar events like Harvesl and the Coronation. Established new Café Church format which allows for more interactive participation in the service. Ran our first Alpha course in a number of years. Renovated our baptistry, which we have subsequently used for baptism seNices. Pastoral Care provision as necessary. CoffeeTots toddler group continues to run at full capacity with a substantial waiting list. CoffeeTots families are increasingly involved in church activities, such as the Wombles litter picking and an Easter picnic at Willsbridge Mill. Continued to develop a strong working relationship with the other local churches. This is helped by us renting office space for our main leader at UCLG, the Anglicanlmethodist church in Longwell Green. In conjunction with the local churches provided support for residents of local care homes, and held joint services at intervals throughout the year, such as for the Coronation. Planned and organised Palm Sunday and carol service events at Longwell Green School. Continued to lead assemblies at the local primary school. with one-off special events such as Christmas in a Box and Easter in a Box. Purchased bibles for use in the school, in collaboration with other local churches. Maintained link with Footprints pre-schcol, with members of the church on the committee (including Ihe chair role) and strong support from the church for Footprints events such as their summer and Christmas fairs. Continued the regular worship services at Little Heath care home and Avonlea assisted living complex and started up similar serViS at Collingwood and Avon Valle These are run collaborativel with UCLG and St Annes churches. TAR March 2012
Section E Financial review Brief ststement of the charity's policy on reserves Stability of IncomelExpenditure and its effect on reserves., MTCC'S income is derived mainly from its attendees. The attendees are diverse enough Ihat it is unlikely that income would cease completely without a reasonable period of decline in which to manage the loss of income. MTCC'S expenditure is made up of four main elements", costs of activities, staff costs, support for external organisations. and building costs. The costs of activities are closely linked to the number of attendees. so they are not considered by the reserves policy. Staff costs and the support for external organisations are also linked to the number of attendees but less dynamically and therefore must be considered by the reserves policy. Building costs are mainly a fixed cost and reserves are required to cover major projects and unexpected bills. Reserves Definition.. For MTCC purposes reserves refer to the amount of working capital available in the bank account and related investments. This reserves policy will be reviewed annually by the trustees. Staff To allow for notice periods and redundancy the required amount is £14,000. xt rnal Or isation MTCC has mediumllong term commitments to external organisations. Reserves should be adequate to ensure that in the event of a loss of income 6 months, notice can be given before support is withdrawn. This is estimated to be £1,600. ildin MTCC is responsible for maintaining the Mustard Tree building in a good state of repair in order to accommodate the activities that take place there. Routine maintenance costs are covered out of income. The flat roof was replaced in 2022. Reserves should be £3,000 lo cover unexpected bills. Conclusion Reserves are held to cover, 1. A significant Ioss of income. 2. Emergency building work. The like11hd that both events occur at the $8me time is remote. Therefore the agreed policy of the trustees is to keep reserves to cover ihe larger of these Iwo items and hence £15,600 will be maintained. Details of any funds materlally in deficlt No funds are in deficit. Further financial review detslls (Optlonal Infomation) You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about: 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. TAR March 2012
Section F
Other optional information
Section G
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustses, report above.
Signed on behalf of the charlty's trustees
Slgnature(s)
KHui
Full name
Posltlon (eg Secretsry, Chair,
etc)
Richard Hull
Ste
hen Se
Chair
mour
Treasurer
Date
12.6.24
TAR
March 2012