Colchester City Church AOG 27-31 Straight Road Colchester CO3 9BY
## **Trustees Annual Report for Period 2023**
## **Aim of the Church**
Colchester City Church is a registered charity (number 120441) and a part of the AOG movement in the Uk and is located at 27-31 Straight Road Colchester.
The church is managed and administered by a church council and a small leadership team. Some members of the church council are also the composition of the board of Trustees. These people were specifically chosen from the congregation as suitable for this position for their good standing and suitable abilities.
The aim of the leadership and council is to actively promote the pastoral, evangelical and social purposes of the church.
The church has a full time pastor Mr Sean McIntyre together with his wife Joyce. The Pastor is the chairman of the board of trustees.
## **Objectives and Activities**
The aim of Colchester City Church is the growth, sustenance and nurturing of a healthy and vibrant community that is both an asset to the community at large and a valuable resource to all its members.
The practice and promotion of spiritual and practical matters in regards to the welfare, leadership and general encouragement of all the members of the church comprises the primary objective and activity of the church. This is also extended to all visitors who attend.
These objectives are achieved in the main through its regular activities which are offered in the church, which encompass fellowship, corporate worship and teaching.
The church’s activities are put into practice via our regular services and a variety of less formal meetings that take place during the week. It is during these regular meetings that the core values of the church are expressed and promoted wherever appropriate.
Every member of the church is encouraged and enabled to express their individual beliefs in the medium of worship, teaching, prayer and faith based activities during our meetings.
The church maintains a strong commitment to pastoral care of its members and anyone else it comes into contact with through practical support, advice and the promotion of lifestyles that reflect goodwill, care and the advancement of faith. The church has a deep commitment to cultural diversity and providing the wider community with information and education about the Christian faith.
The church continues to maintain a valuable contribution to missionary work across the world through an ongoing commitment of financial support and prayer.
## **Performance**
The church has had an increase in the visitors at the church on Sundays and this continues to grow. Although there isn't an online service option we have WhatsApp groups for various demographics such as youth, women, young adults as well as a general members group and a channel for people who are not members but want to connect with us more. We also have plans by 2025 to reintroduce live-streaming for a portion of the service.
The church had a special Pentecost gathering to celebrate our cultural diversity as a church for which the centrepiece was different cultural food. We organised coaches to take members of the congregation to an event at the O2 Arena, organised by the Billy Graham organisation.
## **Church Site**
The church is currently maintained by the Pastor as well as any volunteers from the visitors to offer a helping hand.
## **Pastoral Care**
During 2023 the church continued to provide pastoral care by visiting those members who were unable to attend in-person due to age or illness. The Pastor also began to carry out one to one meetings with individual members to help mentor them in personal growth and to hear individual concerns about the development of the church. We have improved our tracking and follow-up of visitors and those wishing to know more about Christianity with the adoption of a church management solution called ChurchSuite.
## **Missions**
The church is committed to Christian mission initiatives in Congo and Kenya. We have financially supported a missionary team in Congo through an organisation call CAM and also the work of Barnabas Outreach trust, an organisation that carries out missionary trips to Kenya and supports local churches in that region.We currently have a mission to Kenya planned for the end of 2024.
## **Administrative Information**
Colchester City Church is part of the Assemblies of God and is situated in the district of Lexden and Stanway in Colchester.
The address is 27-31 Straight Road, Colchester, Essex CO3 9BY
## **Financial Report for the Activities of Colchester City Church**
The financial period ending 31st December 2023 reported an increase in the income of the church in comparison with the last financial period.
The church was still able to make use of some credit balances held with some of its utilities companies which had been accrued in the previous financial period due to low usage of the building and the continued payments of its standing orders. This enabled the church to lower its financial payments in this period and use of these credits; however, with the increase of in-person meetings at the church, utility usage did increase but it hasn't affected the church finances.
Overall for this period, there was around a 314% increase in the amount of cash held in banks. This would be because we have made it easier for people to give to the church as we now have a card machine for people to tap to give at the church on Sundays. This has helped to improve the giving as many do not carry cash with them anymore. The church applied and received a Gift aid amount which helped with the church's finances. The church was also very honoured to receive a Legacy donation which boosted the churches finances substantially.
Use was made of the Building Fund, a restricted fund, for this period to fund the maintenance and replacement of fire extinguishers and boiler repairs.
## **COLCHESTER CITY CHURCH (formerly Praiseway Assembly of God)**
## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
## **Charity Trustees**
**Sean McIntyre Joyce McIntyre Martin Manning Jasmin Diaz**
## **Independent Examiner**
**Mrs Carole Cowgill ACA 4 Penny Meadow Capel St Mary Ipswich IP9 2UU**
|**Contents**
**Trustees' Report**
**Independent Examiner's Report**
**Receipts and Payments Account**
**Statement of Assets and Liabilities**
**Notes to the Accounts**|**Page**
**3 to 6**
**7**
**8**
**9**
**10**|
|---|---|
2
## **COLCHESTER CITY CHURCH (formerly Praiseway Assembly of God)**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
## **DRAFT**
## **AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
|**Notes**
**Receipts**
Donations
- offertory
- special causes
- gift aid
- legacy received
- premises hire
Interest received
Amazon credits
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
Pastoral support and payroll costs
1
Activities relating to the work of
the church
2
Gifts and Donations
3
Utility and insurance costs
4
Repairs and Maintenance
5
Equipment and accessories
Management and administration costs
6
**Total Payments**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Designated**
**Total Funds**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
32,114
600
32,714
0
0
6,997
150
7,147
10,123
10,123
2,540
2,540|**Total Funds**
**2022**
**£**
22,193
1,224
5,452
0
1,830|
|---|---|---|
||51,774
750
0
52,524
18
18
18
18
**51,810**
**750**
**0**
**52,560**
24,102
24,102
3,040
3,040
100
100
5,187
5,187
223
223
1,614
1,614
4,824
4,824
**39,090**
**0**
**0**
**39,090**|30,699
6
0|
|||**30,705**|
|||24,330
3,309
0
2,386
1,344
1,192
2,692|
|||**35,253**|
2
|**Net of Receipts/ (Payments)**
**Transfers between funds**
**Cash Funds b/f 1st January 2023**
**Cash Funds c/f 31st December 2023**|12,720
750
0
13,470
(4,795)
4,795
0
1,971
855
1,470
4,296
**9,896**
**1,605**
**6,265**
**17,766**|(4,548)
0
8,844
**4,296**|
|---|---|---|
2
**COLCHESTER CITY CHURCH (formerly Praiseway Assembly of God)**
## **REPORT AND ACCOUNTS**
**FOR THE YEAR ENDED**
**31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**Registered Charity Number – 1054335 Address: 27 Straight Road Colchester CO3 9BY**
2
## **COLCHESTER CITY CHURCH (formerly Praiseway Assembly of God) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
|**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**1.**
**Pastoral support and payroll costs**
Pastor's salary + pension costs
Visiting speaker fees
**2.**
**Activities relating to the work of**
**the church**
Pulpit supplies
Mission support
Books
Catering
Travel expenses
Sundry
Advertising / Banners
Fundraising display expenses
Conferences
AOG Minister's fee
**3.**
**Gifts and Donations**
Gifts and donations
**4.**
**Utility and insurance costs**
Heat and light
Phone and internet costs
Water charges
Insurance
**5.**
**Repairs and Maintenance**
Flooring
Extinguisher maintenance|**DRAFT**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
(24,102)
(24,180)
(0)
(150)|**DRAFT**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
(24,102)
(24,180)
(0)
(150)|
|---|---|---|
||**(24,102)**
(32)
(1,440)
(494)
(233)
(226)
(58)
(0)
(179)
(318)
(60)
**(3,040)**
(100)
**(100)**
(2,740)
(1,142)
(0)
(1,305)
**(5,187)**|**(24,330)**|
|||(77)
(1,440)
(334)
(165)
(0)
(49)
(1,224)
(0)
(20)
(0)|
|||**(3,309)**|
|||(0)|
|||**(0)**|
|||(672)
(562)
(40)
(1,112)|
|||**(2,386)**|
||(0)
(60)|(1,069)
(0)|
2
|Rubbish clearance
Boiler repairs
Other repairs and maintenance
**6.**
**Management and administration costs**
Admin salaries
Payments to AOG Head Office
Payment to AOG Property Trust
Accountancy and independent exam fees
Payroll costs
Software costs
Media costs
Postage, printing, stationery
Licences
Professional / consultancy fees|(0)
(150)
(13)
**(223)**
(1,860)
(660)
(100)
(300)
(219)
(462)
(172)
(362)
(689)
(0)
**(4,824)**|(210) **R**
(0)
(65)
**(1,344)**
(0)
(660)
(200)
(275)
(132)
(105)
(201)
(56)
(563)
(500)
**(2,692)**|
|---|---|---|
**R** = Restricted building fund expenses
2
## **COLCHESTER CITY CHURCH (formerly Praiseway Assembly of God)**
## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES**
|**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**31 December**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**Cash Funds**
Barclays current account
95
Metro Bank current account
16,538
Metro Bank expenses account
27
Kingdom savings account
1,106
**Total Monetary Assets**
17,766
**The Funds of the Charity:**
**Unrestricted Income Funds**
Unrestricted General Funds
9,896
Designated funds - Welfare Fund
370
- Administrator Fund
174
- Relocation Fund
5,721
6,265
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
16,161
**Restricted Income Funds**|**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**31 December**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**Cash Funds**
Barclays current account
95
Metro Bank current account
16,538
Metro Bank expenses account
27
Kingdom savings account
1,106
**Total Monetary Assets**
17,766
**The Funds of the Charity:**
**Unrestricted Income Funds**
Unrestricted General Funds
9,896
Designated funds - Welfare Fund
370
- Administrator Fund
174
- Relocation Fund
5,721
6,265
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
16,161
**Restricted Income Funds**|**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**31 December**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**Cash Funds**
Barclays current account
95
Metro Bank current account
16,538
Metro Bank expenses account
27
Kingdom savings account
1,106
**Total Monetary Assets**
17,766
**The Funds of the Charity:**
**Unrestricted Income Funds**
Unrestricted General Funds
9,896
Designated funds - Welfare Fund
370
- Administrator Fund
174
- Relocation Fund
5,721
6,265
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
16,161
**Restricted Income Funds**|**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**31 December**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**Cash Funds**
Barclays current account
95
Metro Bank current account
16,538
Metro Bank expenses account
27
Kingdom savings account
1,106
**Total Monetary Assets**
17,766
**The Funds of the Charity:**
**Unrestricted Income Funds**
Unrestricted General Funds
9,896
Designated funds - Welfare Fund
370
- Administrator Fund
174
- Relocation Fund
5,721
6,265
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
16,161
**Restricted Income Funds**|**DRAFT**
**31 December**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
3,207
0
0
1,089|**DRAFT**
**31 December**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
3,207
0
0
1,089|**DRAFT**
**31 December**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
3,207
0
0
1,089|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Cash Funds**
Barclays current account
Metro Bank current account
Metro Bank expenses account
Kingdom savings account
**Total Monetary Assets**
**The Funds of the Charity:**
**Unrestricted Income Funds**
Unrestricted General Funds
Designated funds - Welfare Fund
- Administrator Fund
- Relocation Fund
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
**Restricted Income Funds**|||||||
||370
174
5,721||17,766
9,896
6,265|470
1,000
0||4,296|
|||||||1,971
1,470|
||||||||
||||16,161|||3,441|
2
|Building Fund|1,605||855|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Total Charity Funds**|17,766||7,737|
|These accounts were approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf:||||
|Signed:……………………………..|Date:……………….|Date:……………….||
2
Inde
endent Examiner's Re
ort to the Trustees of
Praisewa
Assembl of God
For the
ear ended 31 December 2023
Chari
number 1054335
5t
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31
December 2023.
st
Res
nsibilities and basis of re
ort
As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the
requirements of the Charitics Act 2011 (the Charities Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the
Charities Act, and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable directions given by
the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act.
Inde
ndent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirni that no material matters have come to my attention in
connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that, in any material respect,
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act, or that the
accounts do hot accord with the accounting records.
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 ot. the acL'ounts to be
reached.
Signed:
Date:
22
|2ryQ
Mrs. Carole Cowgill ACA
4 Penny Meadow
Capel St. Mary
Ipswich
IP9 2UU
ICAEW
CHARTERED
ACCOUNTANT