## **LUMLEY EVANGELICAL CHURCH** ## Registered Charity 1052527 ## 5. Annual reports - (a) Financial Report and Statement of Accounts for the Year to 31st December 2024 - (b) Budget Report for 2025 - (c) Annual Report 2024 ## **as presented at the** ## **ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING** held ## **6:00 pm on Saturday 1st March 2025** 1 of 10 **FINANCIAL REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024** ## Introduction 1. The annual Statement of Account is attached for year ended 31[st] December 2024. ## Decisions 2. The AGM is asked to: - Receive the report and Statement of Accounts for 2024. - To note the annual missionary giving of £16,600 for 2025. ## Summary 3. The outcome for the year is a surplus of £8,224 against a budgeted deficit of £22,750. Greater than expected offerings, and particularly donations influenced the budget this year. In addition, anticipated work to the premises did not take place, thus a significant amount allocated to Premises was not required. 4. Overall receipts were £17,629 more than budget. Payments were £13,345 less than budget. 5. As at 31 December, reserves totalled £115,072 **.** ## Details ## Receipts 6. Receipts were more than budget by £17,629. Of this, offerings and donations were higher than budget by £17,427. 7. Interest on investments has been better this year as interest rates improved. Gift aid taxation refunds, however are late in coming in and will appear in the account in early 2025. ## Payments 8. Payments were less than the budget by £13,345. Although there was a slight overspend in the Outreach, Ministry and Evangelism category, this was mainly due to additional giving in regard to particular needs. As agreed at the 2024 AGM, the amount of missionary giving was increased to £17,400. 9. Under the category of Premises, the underspend was mainly due to anticipated work not being carried out as yet. ## Decisions for 2025 10. The Church policy is to give 50% of general offerings and donations, to missions: therefore, for 2025 the sum calculated is £16,600 (rounded up). 2 of 10 ||**Statement of Account for the**|**Statement of Account for the**|**Statement of Account for the**|**Statement of Account for the**|**Year to 31 December 2024**|**Year to 31 December 2024**|**Year to 31 December 2024**|**Year to 31 December 2024**|**Year to 31 December 2024**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||||||| ||||||**Actual**||**Budget**||**Actual**| ||||||**2024**||**2024**||**2023**| ||||**Receipts**||**£**||**£**||**£**| ||||||||||| ||Offerings||||18457||15250||17784| ||||||||||| ||Donations||||14720||500||1012| ||||||||||| ||Gift Aid Tax||||0||1500||3144| ||||||||||| ||Interest on Investments||||2702||1000||1181| ||||||||||| ||Sale of assets & refunds||||0||0||0| ||||||||||| ||**Total Receipts**||||35879||18250||23121| ||||||||||| |||**Payments**|||||||| ||||||||||| ||Outreach, Ministry and Evangelism||||22242||21000||21345| ||||||||||| ||Premises||||3490||17500||3472| ||||||||||| ||Administration||||1923||2500||1662| ||||||||||| ||**Total Payments**||||27655||41000||26479| ||||||||||| ||**Surplus/(Deficit)**||||8224||-22750||-3358| 3 of 10 **Budget 2025** ## Introduction 1. The attached Budget for 2025 for the AGM to adopt is attached. ## Decision 2. To endorse the Budget proposals set out in this report and the attached Budget Statement. ## Summary 3. This budget, as recommended to the AGM, shows a predicted of deficit of - £21,100. The following paragraphs explain the basis on which the Budget has been prepared. ## Receipts 4. Offerings have been set at around the same level as actual previous year figures. 5. Interest on investments is shown at an equivalent level due to recent interest rates being fairly stable. ## Payments 6. Expenditure on Church Outreach and Evangelism: i.e. invited ministry, hospitality, equipment and outreach (including missionary donations), has been considerably increased due to the increased offerings and donations of last year. Within this budget area, the missionary support/donations is set at £16,600 in accordance with Church’s policy. 7. The remaining budget of £5,400 is for ministry, family services, equipment and children’s work. 8. Expenditure on premises is shown to be significantly increased once again to accommodate any upcoming work/repairs to be done on the Church’s premises. 4 of 10 ||||**Budget for 2025**|**Budget for 2025**|**Budget for 2025**|**Budget for 2025**|**Budget for 2025**|**Budget for 2025**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||||||| ||||**Receipts**|**Budget 2025**||**Budget 2024**||**Actual 2024**| |||||**£**||**£**||**£**| ||Offerings|||18000||15250||18457| |||||||||| ||Donations|||500||500||14720| |||||||||| ||Gift Aid Tax|||2500||1500||0| |||||||||| ||Interest on Investment|||2400||1000||2702| |||||||||| ||**Total Receipts**|||23400||18250||35879| |||||||||| |||**Payments**||||||| |||||||||| ||Outreach and Evangelism|||22000||21000||22242| |||||||||| ||Premises|||20000||17500||3490| |||||||||| ||Administration|||2500||2500||1923| |||||||||| ||**Total Payments**|||**44500**||**41000**||**27655**| |||||||||| ||**Surplus\ (Deficit)**|||**-21100**||**-22750**||**8224**| 5 of 10 **Lumley Evangelical Church** ## **Annual Report 2024** ## Our Mission Statement is: - “To care for and bring people to faith in Jesus, aiding their growth into mature believers, developing their gifts for service, for the Glory of God.” 1. We seek, as a church and as individuals, to live out our faith in Jesus Christ and in so doing act as witnesses to our community of the saving grace of God. Our testimony is that, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the message of sins forgiven and eternal life is open to everyone. 2. During 2024 the Fellowship met together each Sunday morning, seeking to grow in the faith by - sharing fellowship - worshipping together - learning together from God’s Word~ - remembering the sacrifice of Jesus in the Breaking of Bread. There is a strong sense of love and care within the Church, with members looking out for the needs of others, including those who are only able to meet with us from time to time, or not at all. It was good to welcome visiting speakers, including representatives from Platform 67 and LAMA Ministries (Philippines). It has been helpful to hear first hand of the work undertaken by these organisations which the church supports financially. A focus on the persecuted church has also been maintained with a Sunday service dedicated to provide information about the places where it is hardest to be a Christian and to pray for those persecuted for their faith. 3. The mid-week meetings for prayer and Bible study have been a source of help and encouragement. Studies included The Ten Commandments (“Just 10”), “Romans” (The Bible Society) and other Bible teaching from respected teachers on video. 4. There was some fluctuation of numbers attending Family Service but as the year progressed it became clear that a number of families were making Family Services a priority. With the lively programme seeking to engage all age groups, there has been enthusiasm to take part and genuine interest in the message that was shared month by month. 5. Coffee Morning provides a warm, safe place to meet every fortnight and has been well supported throughout the year with many attending regularly. Once again we have seen a few new faces and everyone enjoys the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Whilst it is difficult to gauge its impact, the ‘Thought for the Day’ is well received and many engage actively with the thoughts shared. 6 of 10 6. Children attending KidZone have done so with regularity and consistency, with over 30 on roll and an average weekly attendance between 25 and 30. Children attending for the first time have predominantly been at the younger end of the age range, including five who came up from Tiny Church. We now also have a strong nucleus of children from Y3, Y4 and Y6. In the early part of the year another volunteer joined the team to work with the children in Y3. The children’s enthusiastic singing has been striking and they have engaged with the Bible teaching and age-appropriate follow up activities with enjoyment and growing understanding. With such consistency of attendance, good relationships have developed with the children and their families. As in previous years, the final KidZone session before Christmas took the form of a craft evening. Extra volunteer helpers, namely KIdZone parents and some teenagers from YZone, allowed for a greater range of crafts, all of which were enjoyed and appreciated. Alongside the crafts they had made, each child was also given an age-appropriate book about the Nativity. 7. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the KidZone Choir did not meet until after Easter this year. Despite the long gap, the children who attended from April to December began with enthusiasm and have grown in confidence and musical ability, giving two performances in July and December to parents and friends. They also hosted an evening session of ‘Carols with the Choir’. All three events were well attended and well received. 8. Throughout the year the same group of 9 young people regularly attended YZone, as schoolwork and other commitments allowed. The oldest three teenagers moved into school 6th form in September and continue to attend with the same enthusiasm as the rest of the group. The young people relate well and are supportive of one another. Within the group there is a growing openness, and they often engage well with Bible study and teaching. During the year some of the group met with other church youth groups in the region, under the auspices of Wearside Youth for Christ. 9. Tiny Church began the New Year with a healthy number of pre-school children on roll and with an empty waiting list. During this year the toddlers and rising-fours have begun to engage really well with singing and story-time, joining in with enthusiasm and remembering and recalling the simple Bible stories we have been sharing. ‘Keep in Touch’ sessions were held in the Spring and Summer term for those children in fulltime nursery, then in the second half of the summer term they were invited to start KidZone early, which five children chose to do. As in previous years, some sessions in the summer term were held in the local park. In one of those out-door sessions, families took part in a ‘Sponsored Toddle’ event, to raise money for an animal husbandry project in Brazil, organised and coordinated by EAB, a missionary organisation we support. We were delighted that the families’ efforts raised enough money to buy five hair sheep which have since been donated to five needy families in NE Brazil. 7 of 10 EAB leaders, who live and work in Brazil, have maintained contact with the Tiny Church group, and we have exchanged photos as well as audio and video messages with them. Some of the parents have been so impressed they have requested that we do something similar in 2025, so this will be under consideration in the early Spring. In December we ended the year with another ‘Pop-up’ Nativity, which was well supported by parents and other family members. 10. The Sew and Grow group met fortnightly throughout the year and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to share fellowship and Bible study as well as developing skills. Many useful items have been created, for personal use and to be packed in Shoe Boxes. New members have been added to the group during the year. 11. We were able to support Operation Christmas Child once more, setting a target of 120 shoeboxes. During the year, church members and families from all the groups contributed gifts, both home-made and purchased. The target was exceeded and 133 boxes were packed, some by the young people of YZone, and some by the ‘Sew and Grow’ group. A Saturday in November was also set aside and families were invited to help pack the remaining shoe boxes. As in previous years, we were a “Drop off Location” for shoe boxes during OCC collection week, which was convenient for a number of individuals and groups in the locality. The boxes we packed were sent to Coventry to be processed, along with the bar-codes that enable us to find out their destination early in the New Year. It was agreed that this support would continue in 2025. 12. There was a warm reception in both Lumley Junior School and Lumley Infant School when visits were made to take whole school Assemblies during the Spring and Summer terms. Once again the Year 6 Leavers Assembly in July was well received and copies of the “Moving On” booklet were given to each of the children. Due to some administrative uncertainty and a crowded calendar, further invitations did not materialise during the Autumn term, however indications are that invitations into both schools will be forthcoming in the New Year. 13. The fellowship remains a relatively small group but among those who have some contact with the church, there has been a growing interest in finding out more of the Christian faith and there have been a few more people meeting regularly for Sunday morning worship. This is encouraging, as is the consistently healthy interest in all the activities, with new people being welcomed. 14. For a number of years it has been noted that we live in uncertain times and 2024 was no less a time of turmoil and instability in all aspects of life, both at home and abroad. In these days, our confidence is in God and His love for us, and the hope for the future found through faith in Jesus Christ. We also reaffirm our commitment to the Bible as the inspired Word of God, which gives us the basis for our belief and conduct. 8 of 10 ## **Finance** 15. A Financial Report and Statement of Accounts for 2024 is included in this document. The Charity has a sound financial position and there are no concerns about unforeseen risks to the Charity’s funds. The Charity’s bank has not notified us of their intention to withdraw any of their services. 16. A 2025 Budget Statement and report is also included for adoption. The Budget continues to support a wide range of missionary outreach through donations, investment in the outreach to the adults and children of the community and maintaining the ongoing spiritual and practical support to the members of the Church. 17. There were no new works carried out during the year. The condition of the perimeter wall is being monitored and although there has been some further flaking of the brickwork, it is still the case that there are no signs of substantial cracking to indicate that it is unstable. Funds had been set aside for remedial treatment of the wall. ## **- Looking forward 2025** 18. There are a number of encouraging and reassuring signs in the work of the church: - members of the fellowship actively and generously support and encourage one another - there are healthy numbers in all activities and developing relationships with those who attend - there is an interest from some in finding out more about the Christian faith - the truths of the Word of God and the good news of sins forgiven through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, continue to be shared faithfully - there are determined efforts to welcome people into church on all occasions and also to reach out with love and kindness - there is a willingness of members to give of themselves in service, despite advancing years. For all of this we give thanks and praise to God and acknowledge His goodness and grace. 19. Plans are in place for the “Christianity Explored” course to be run again. Invitations are to be given to all those with whom we have contact, through the activities of the church and we pray that there will be those for whom this will be the next step in their journey towards faith. 9 of 10 20. Needless to say, we don’t know what the future will hold; good days of health and encouragement or days of difficulty and challenge. It will likely be some combination of them all, but whatever the circumstances, our desire is that, as a fellowship we - - continue in the faith, growing, developing, maturing - continue to be faithful to God’s Word - continue to serve God, as we are able, in the various ministries of the church; serving the community and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing to the difference that faith makes - see an openness to hear the Word of God and a desire to allow the message of its pages to transform lives - see the church grow numerically; with mature believers and those who embark on their own journey of faith. 21. These issues form the basis of our on-going prayers and whilst they are our aspirations, indeed, our mission, we are acutely aware of our own limitations, in strength and resources. As the church is a small fellowship and the “work force” of volunteers is limited in number, we continue to ask God for His help, strength and equipping for all those involved in service. We also pray that we will know God’s direction and blessing on all aspects of the work and that the future of the fellowship and its witness be safeguarded as other believers join the fellowship and become involved in the work. 22. As a small independent church, it is possible to feel somewhat isolated. Affiliating with other like-minded churches is under consideration as this could provide opportunities for fellowship and possible practical and spiritual help in coming years. 23. As we face the future with all its uncertainties, we do so with confidence in God, in whom our hope rests. He is our rock and our redeemer. ## 24. **Conclusion and Appreciation** - Lumley Evangelical Church is a caring group of Christian believers who wish to help one another grow in the faith, and to share their faith with others, particularly in our locality. The commitment and contribution of each person is what makes the fellowship function. Thank you, to everyone, for everything you do and for all you contribute to the life and work of the fellowship. What we do, we do for the glory of God. LEC Church Council February 2025 10 of 10