2024-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From: 01 01 2024 To: 31 12 2024

Charity name: METRO CHRISTIAN CENTRE Charity registration number: 1052533

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The object of the charity is the advancement of the Christian religion by the proclamation and the furtherance of the Gospel of God.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	There is one Sunday service and a prayer meeting each week. Along with various outreaches during the week (listed below). The Sunday programme for children, 'Kids Life', is supplemented by the Youth programmes 'SMASH' (secondary age) and ‘Kingdom Life’ (college age) which meet fortnightly. There is also a creche facility during the sermon. A Men's Group meet weekly, and regularly for food and a film when their friends outside of the church family are invited. A Ladies Group meet once a month, for a time of encouragement and support. And a general, open-to-all, mid-week discussion group takes place on the church premises every Wednesday evening. Trust House Bury, a charity started by Metro in 2019, continues to operate from the Building 4 days a week, serving those of low income and offering support to any in physical, mental or emotional need. A Parent and Toddler group (named, Little Gems) takes places on Wednesday mornings during term time, serving the people of the community. A homework club takes place on Saturday afternoons, supporting those children whose parents do not have e English as their primary language. In addition to this, we have a drop-in session, on Wednesday afternoons, assisting those of

		African heritage who have sought asylum in the UK. This has been establishing by one of our African members under the banner of BRAC. Numerous social and charity fundraising activities are planned throughout the year. All the above are supported by a programme of evangelism, preaching, teaching and training, music ministry and a social environment cateringforallages.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The Trustees of Metro Christian Centre had due regard for the guidance issued by the CC on public benefit.

Additional information

Additional information
	SORP reference
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	Metro Christian Centre works closely with Trust House Charity (based on our premises), the Evangelical Alliance and Missionary Ventures.
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Metro Christian Centre holds great value to the contribution of those who volunteer on Sundays and during midweek events and activities.

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	During this past year, 2024, Metro Christian Centre has continued in its endeavour to create opportunities to serve our local community in a sustainable way. Metro Christian continues to have its doors open, through some activity, each day of the week. The numbers within our congregation attendance has increased over the past year. During the year we have continued to proclaim the gospel of, and according to, the Lord Jesus Christ at Bury and provided ministry support to several churches in the wider Manchester area. Trust House (started in 2019) continues to meet needs within the borough of Bury. As

noted in last year’s report, due to the initiative obtaining its own charity status (reg. charity: 1199709) they file their own annual report. MCC continue to be proud and supportive of the progress Trust House has made under Katie's leadership over the past five years, contributing volunteers and financial support. Trust House operates every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Little Gems Parent and Toddler Group, launched in September of 2021, continues to run on a Wednesday morning, during school term times. The attendance continues to exceed our expectations, and we see many parents, grandparents, and carers, of various ethnicities attending from our local community. This space has created a wonderful opportunity for us to practically serve and get to know our community and provides a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to get to know each other. Under the initiative of one our African members, a homework club continues to operate on Saturday during term time. This has been established to help the number of children who live upon the Chesham fold community whose parents do not have English as a primary language. In addition to this, a drop-in service has been arranged to assist the parents directly, and others from the African community, in navigating and adjusting to the differences of British society. Due the timing of the homework club, it has proven difficult to find volunteers and the person running this is currently looking at solutions. Our commitment to establishing connections in our local community has included running a MacMillan Coffee afternoon in October. This has been the fourth year of running these afternoons, and we continue to see a growth in the local community's engagement and attendance. Additionally, with the success of the coronation party for King Charles III last year, we decided to host another community funday and BBQ this year, inviting the community to attend, with Halal options for our Muslim neighbours, Bouncy Castle, farm animals, and other activities, utilising the full space of our church building and the outside

car park area. Radcliffe Brass Band were also hired to provide an outdoor concert for the afternoon. We ran the day in tandem with the national ‘Thank You Day’ scheme—and we are thankful to the scheme in providing banners, t-shirts, and an amazing photographer to the day. Admittedly, as the King’s coronation was a nationally recognised event with a lot of coverage, we were not expecting anything like the numbers we had then. However, the attendance exceeded last year, with over 460 people attending the event. Like last year, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we feel we will be doing something again in 2025 to bring the local community together such a way. The photographer provided by the ‘thank-you day’ scheme, had these kind words to share regarding the day: ‘You are all doing an amazing job, we live in a very unforgiving time, so it is so special to see a great mix of ages and cultures just all getting along and wanting to enjoy each other’s company, you are all doing something very special!’ Metro Christian Centre continues to be an active presence with our local Churches Together in Bury. Under the banner of Churches Together, our minister, Tristan, continues to co-ordinate the chaplaincy presence in the Mill Gate shopping centre in Bury Town. This work continues to go well and has furnished us with the opportunities to bless our town. As part of our outreach with Churches Together, MCC has played part in both the Walk of Witness on Good Friday and helped lead a time of Carol Singing in the Mill Gate shopping centre during the Christmas season. In addition to this, MCC was also involved in the Prayer in the Park initiative on Pentecost Sunday, which saw churches come together from around our town to worship together in Clarence Park and to pray for the town of Bury as a whole. This year has also seen the reprisal of MCC’s involvement in some of education sectors. MCC were approached by the head teacher at Holy Trinity Primary School to see if we could support the school in delivering assemblies. Tristan now goes in on a regular basis, and our hope is that this relationship will continue to grow. Also, MCC were approached by a Bury College to organise a - day visit for some of their A Level History

students to discuss Christian worship. Tristan co-ordinated this and invited other ministers from the town to participate. The day went well and will feature again with next year’s student intake. As part of the Evangelical Alliance, and to help develop unity within the town, Tristan Sherwin and the minister of Radcliffe Road Baptist church, Pastor Russell Philips, helped co-ordinate an EN-COURAGE evening in October, which saw people from various congregations to come together for worship and teaching. Ben Jeffries, who leads the North Area for the Evangelical Alliance, was the speaker for the evening. SMASH Youth programmes continue to sustain their numbers (growing, in fact), and we are also seeing the attendance of young people from other churches who do not have a youth gathering. They have enjoyed meeting with other young people at Liv-It Camp and had energetic weekends away in the Lake District. In partnership with St. Peters C of E Church, Bury, the initiative called 'Kingdom Life' continues. This initiative runs every other week on a Wednesday afternoon and provides a space for college-age students to discuss topics of faith together. Our Christmas Celebrations this year saw a good number of people attend our Christmas Concert (by Radcliffe Brass Band) and our Christmas Carol Service. The faces present during our carol service were an amalgamation of people who we have been in contact with throughout the year via Trust House, Little Gems and our events (like the MacMillan Coffee Afternoon and the Fun Day), along with families and relatives of our church congregation. As with the community BBQ, the numbers at of Christmas concert and carol service exceeded last years. This year, as part of exploring networks to join, MCC has also been walking alongside the Maximise Network and has been attending various events they have organised. Tristan, along with Helen Jenkinson (Elder), have also been participating in their monthly leadership meetings.

Through the agency of Trust House, the church building had the kitchen renovated. We are thankful to Trust House for this! Various upkeep has taken place around the building to repair leaks etc. and our annual maintenance and Health and Safety checks continue to take place. A major leak in the administration office, which caused considerable damage to the walls, has been repaired (once the good weather arrived at the end of May) and the plaster of the walls has been repaired. Due to the age of the exterior brickwork, the internal skin of the exterior wall, even after plaster repair, is still producing efflorescence—the external wall has been repointed, but it could be, due to the type of brick and longevity of exposure, that the brickwork is still saturated and will take longer to dry out. Temporarily, our administrator has been moved into another office while the wall dries out. We have maintained our active, regular support of missions overseas, in addition to donations to other mission fields, including a couple currently within our congregation who have established churches over in Kenya. Financially, the church’s giving remains strong. However, it will be noted that this year’s accounts report a great overspend in the expenditure. This is because of overcharges from our electric supplier that were identified and reported to them. Our supplier acknowledged the overpayment and promised a refund. We were hoping that this refund would come in prior to the filing of this year’s account. Sadly, a refund of circa £19,000 arrived only afterwards. This will be reflected in next year’s reporting instead (and will be mentioned again, therein). On a pastoral note, a good deal of the church's ministry cannot be delineated to a particular programme we run or a service slot in a week. There is much that happens in conversation and the 'ministry of presence' as people face difficult circumstances. 2024, like 2023, saw several families connected to us face loss and hardship. It is a privilege and honour to come alongside them in times of need.

The Church operates an approved Child
Protection Policy across all its children's and
youth ministry based on the model provided
by ThirtyOne:Eight, an advisory service
endorsed by the Department of Health and
the Department for Education and Skills (see
www.thirtyoneeight.org for further
information).

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The figures provided on the separate report show a considerable overspend against income. The reason for this is that we changed fuel provider part way through the year. Unfortunately they over charged us by over £19,000. We have had the overcharges refunded, but it was too late for 2024 accounts, sowillshow in 2025.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves statingwhy they areheld	Para 1.22	£15,000 is held in reserve in case Metro Christian Centre needs to provide redundancy to staff.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£15,000
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	N/A

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document	Para 1.25	Trust Deed
How is the charity constituted?	Para 1.25	Trustees govern the buildings and contents, and Pastoral Leadership Team look after the congregation and visitors.
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	The Trustees meet quarterly, although have met ad Hoc. The Chair of Trustees is entitled to appoint trustees in consultation with The Trustees and Pastoral Leadership Team.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Metro Christan Centre

Other name the charityuses	N/A
Registered charitynumber	1052533
Charity’sprincipal address	13 Parkhills Road,Bury,BL9 9AU

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Deborah Massey	Chair		Deborah Massey (Chair)
David Molloy	Treasurer		Tristan Sherwin(Trustee &
David Jenkinson			Pastoral Leader)
Tristan Sherwin	Secretary
Giovanni Fancellu

Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name N/A

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
N/A

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) D Massey Full name(s) Deborah Massey Position (eg Chair of Trustees Secretary, Chair, etc)

Date 14/10/2025

Receipts and Payments Accounts Charity Name Metro Christian Centre Bu Chaiily number lif any) 1052533 For the period from {slart datel 010124 To lend dale) 311224 Section A Receipts and payments A1 R8¢olpts Unreslricled funds lo the nearest £ Reslricled funds lo the nearest £ Endowment funds to the nearest£ Total funds to the nearest Last year to the nearest £ Offerings & Gifts Covenant Tax rebate R.B.S. Account interest K.B Savlngs Account Interest Church Hlre Miscellaneous 59230 10886 59230 10886 409 318 207 6863 77913 53356 10224 562 3117 1266 409 318 207 6863 77706 3899 72424 Sub total A2 Asset and Invostment 8ales, otc rolal receipts 207 77706 207 77913 72424 A3 Payments Buildlng Church Mlnlstry Disbursements (Missions) Mlscellaneous Dorcas Fund Office Outreach Support Metro CC Staff Nest Pensions 34629 16433 3722 509 154 2544 953 42921 34659 16433 3722 509 154 2544 953 42921 611 102476 20899 17997 2100 370+ 200 2984 1158 34924 439 80331 611 102476 Sub total A4 Ass6t and Investment purchases,etc Tolel payments Net of receipts (pgymenls) 102476 -24562 102476 -24355 80331 73689 207 A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end C8sh funds this year end 73689 1266 73689 46565 79036 73660 46565 207

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Details Unrestricted funds lo the nearest£ Reslricled funds lo the neare81£ Endowment funds to the nea￿1£ B1 Cash funds RBS Bank accounts KB Savin s account Missions account Pett Cash Cash in hand 16463 29021 475 289 317 46090 funds (agree balances wilh receipts and payment accounl(s)) 475 Details Unrestricted funds lo the neares1£ Resliicted funds to the n8aiesl£ Endowment funds lo the nearest £ B2 Other monetary assets Details Funds lo which asset Cost {OPlionall Current value loplionall B3 Investment assets Details Funds to which asset belongs Cost loplional) Current value loplionall 84 Assets retained lor the charity's own use Church and Communlt Centre Parkhllls Road Unrestricted I nsured value buildin & contents 5,186,593 Details Fund lo which Amount due liability relates loplionall When due loptional} B5 Liabilities Signed by one or trustees on behalf of all the trustees Signature Print name Dale of approval Deb Masse 17,08.2025 David Mollo 17.08.2025

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of METAO cwpisrifvJ CcNJr On accounts for the year ended Charlty no (if any) L 2oiLk IOS2S33 Set out on pages 23 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)Ib) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Slgned: Date: 14 2025 Name: Relevant professional quallflcatlon(s) or body (If any): Address: IER October 2018

Section 8 Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018