New Life Pentecostal Church, Saffron Walden
Trustees Report for 2023
The Church was able to open as usual for the whole of 2023. In the early part of the year, some of the services were also streamed on Facebook for those unable to make it in person. During the year, some people moved away from the Church, but other new people joined, including some families with young children. The Church also has many members from Polish and Ukrainian communities.
During the year, the Church members continued to tithe generously, but the Church finances were very tight for some of the year, and in particular the early part of the year.
We were able to provide a Polish language service once a month, which has grown in popularity, and this will continue throughout 2024. The Church also hosted a Polish Conference and a Ukrainian Conference, both of which were well attended by people from across the country. There was also a Polish and Ukrainian life group held every week in the Church building.
The Church ran a Prayer and Praise evening every Thursday in the Church Building, and a Ladies Strength meeting once a month on a Saturday.
The Church was able to run its Sunday morning children’s groups during the service, including a Creche for the youngest children, a group for Primary aged children, and a group once a month for Secondary aged children.
The Hope Community Hub has continued to work hard to provide for families in need in the local area. The Make Lunch team continued to deliver food bags to families during the school holidays, providing them with essential food, as well as treats and activities. Around 25 families were supported by the Hub, including over 100 children. The Hub also ran a weekly pop-up shop, where families could drop in and choose some food to take home with them, and this was very well received by families in need of extra support.
The Church continued to run a very popular Parent and Toddler group on Wednesday mornings. It is an essential and important group which is very much appreciated by the parents that attend. Around 25 parents along with 40 children attend every week.
The premises were also used by the Town Toy Library, National Childcare Trust, Little Learners, Saffron Players, and a local Cubs group.
For and on behalf of the Trustees
Richard Knight
31[st] March 2024
The Christian Centre, 9 Shire Hill, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 3AQ Tel: 01799 506045 E-mail: finance@nlpc.co.uk
Accounts 2023
-
Summary of receipts and payments accounts '2022 and 2023’
-
Summary of cash in hand, non monetory assets & liabilities
-
Key Groupings of receipts and payments
-
Financial Review
In Fellowship with Assemblies of God in Great Britian and Ireland – Charity No. 1054353
Summary of receipts and payments '2023+2022’
| Income Tithes & Offerings Gift Aid Tax Return Buildings Fund Hire of Church Gift In Baby + Toddler group Hope Hub Income Loan in Other income Total |
2023 53,856 14,962 309 2,631 1,134 2,573 184 800 1,283 77,732 |
2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53,856 | 44,026 | ||
| 14,962 | 9,282 | ||
| 309 | 2,470 | ||
| 2,631 | 1,924 | ||
| 1,134 | 790 | ||
| 2,573 | 2,138 | ||
| 184 | 590 | ||
| 800 | 3,600 | ||
| 1,283 | 2,247 | ||
| 77,732 | 67,067 |
| Expenditure Salaries, Tax & Pensions Church building & manse Utilities Mortgage Repayments Missions/Ministry Gifts Gifts Music & Technical Youth Work + Hope Cafe Annual Contribution to AOG Cleaning Caretaker Insurance Food & Drink Hope Hub & Make Lunch Polish Church Baby + Toddler group Loan Return Other Total Surplus of Income over Expenditure |
25,979 3,416 7,543 6,706 4,165 436 1,444 623 1,752 3,709 4,049 1,660 449 144 1,300 1,933 1,800 5,535 72,643 5,088 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 25,861 | ||
| 4,406 | ||
| 7,449 | ||
| 6,020 | ||
| 2,214 | ||
| 506 | ||
| 1,210 | ||
| 709 | ||
| 1,620 | ||
| 3,469 | ||
| 3,887 | ||
| 1,491 | ||
| 340 | ||
| 2,656 | ||
| 1,150 | ||
| 2,012 | ||
| 2,600 | ||
| 4,676 | ||
| 72,276 | ||
| 5,088 | -5,210 |
Cash, Assets & Liabilities
| Cash Santander Account Lloyds Account CAP Account Building Fund Youth Account Cash in hand Change in cash balance |
Cash Santander Account Lloyds Account CAP Account Building Fund Youth Account Cash in hand Change in cash balance |
Opening Closing 1,605.23 6,248.93 117.17 289.15 0 0 68.55 341.12 0 0 1,790.95 6,879.20 5,088.25 |
Opening Closing 1,605.23 6,248.93 117.17 289.15 0 0 68.55 341.12 0 0 1,790.95 6,879.20 5,088.25 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,605.23 | 6,248.93 | ||||
| 117.17 | 289.15 | ||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||
| 68.55 | 341.12 | ||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||
| 1,790.95 | 6,879.20 | ||||
| 5,088.25 | |||||
| Non monetary assets Church & Manse buildings |
1,600,918 | 1,632,936 | |||
| Liabilities Loan Mortgage Church Building Total Liabilities |
-1,000 0 -31,914 -27,133 -32,914 -27,133 |
Key Groupings of receipts and payments
| KEY GROUPINGS | |||
| INCOME | 2023 | ||
| Tithes & Offerings | 53,856 | ||
| Gift Aid Tax Return | 14,962 | ||
| Hire of Church | 2,631 | ||
| Toddler Group | 2,573 | ||
| Gift In | 1,134 | ||
| Loan | 800 | ||
| BuildingFund | 309 | ||
| Other Income | 1,467 | ||
| Total income | 77,732 |
| KEY GROUPINGS | KEY GROUPINGS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| EXPENDITURE | 2023 | ||
| Salaries,Tax & Pensions | 25,979 | ||
| Utilities | 7,543 | ||
| Mortgage Repayments | 6,706 | ||
| Missions/MinistryGifts | 4,165 | ||
| Caretaker | 4,049 | ||
| Cleaning | 3,709 | ||
| Church Building | 3,326 | ||
| Toddler Group | 1,933 | ||
| Loan Return | 1,800 | ||
| Annual Contribution to AOG | 1,752 | ||
| Baking | 1,690 | ||
| Insurance | 1,660 | ||
| Music & Technical | 1,444 | ||
| Polish Church | 1,300 | ||
| Youth Work & Hope Cafe | 623 | ||
| Coffee | 493 | ||
| Food & Drink | 449 | ||
| Gifts | 436 | ||
| Other expenditure | 3,586 | ||
| Total expenditure | 72,643 |
FINANCIAL REVIEW
New Life Church owns its own building on Shirehill in Saffron Walden, and it also owns the Manse on Pennystone Road, where the Pastor and his family live.
The Church meets every Sunday morning, and there are also several other Church meetings held in the building during the week, including children and youth groups, Parent and Toddler group, Worship band practice, Prayer and Praise meetings, Leader’s meetings, and Ladies’ Meetings.
The Church hires out rooms in the building to groups in the local community, including Teddies Toy Library, Little Learners messy play group, the NCT, and Saffron Players, and also for birthday parties.
Total income amounted to £77,732 (2022: £67,067). The main income for the Church comes from money given through Tithes and Offerings, a total of £53,856, and Gift Aid tax return, a total of £14,962 in 2023. The income was higher than that of the previous year, mainly due to the Church being busier, with more new people joining during the year.
There were no significant building projects in 2023, just some general cleaning and maintenance. This accounts for the lower income into the Building Fund than in the previous year.
Income was received related to the Hope Community Hub and Make Lunch. The Hub is located at the Church but runs as a separate organisation. The money received was either to reimburse items bought for the Hub from the Church account, or donations towards the running of the Hub which were then transferred to the Hub bank account.
As finances were tight at the start of 2023, a Church member gave the Church a loan to help with costs, and this loan was paid back early in 2023.
Total expenditure amounted to £72,643 (2022: £72,276). This is very much similar to the expenditure of the previous year.
A significant amount of money is spent on Salaries, HMRC and Pensions (the salary of the Church pastor), a total of £25,979, and paying the invoices of the Church caretaker and cleaner – a total of £7,758 altogether. Other large amounts are spent on utilities, mortgage repayments, Toddler group, Music and Technical equipment, and Insurance.
Money is also spent on Missions – the Church continues to support 5 children through Compassion UK, and it also supports a Missionary working overseas. It also gives monthly to the NSPCC, and it supports the Polish language services which are held monthly in the Church building.
During 2023, the Church pastor continued to choose to receive a reduced salary of 80%, so that the additional money could be used to support people in need. This support was given by way of monetary gifts for petrol and car repairs, and also the purchase of food and drink for people in need. Later in 2023, the salary of the pastor was returned to the full amount, as requested by the Church Council.
The Benevolent Fund is also used to support people both within the Church and outside, when they are in need of financial support for a specific purpose (car repairs and food are just 2 examples).
The Church has continued to be part of the NEST workplace pension scheme set up by the government, with the Pastor having joined. Initial contributions were set at 1% of eligible salaries for both employee and employer; however, this increased again in line with the government guidelines in April 2019. From this date, contributions have been set at 3% for employer, and 5% for employee.
NEW LIFE CHURCH SAFFRON WALDEN CHARITY NUMBER 1054353 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 TO THE TRUSTEES OF NEW LIFE CHURCH SAFFRON WALDEN I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023. RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES AND THE EXAMINER As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Acts 2011 ("the Act")- I report in respect of my examination of your charitys accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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 Act. INDEPENDENT EKqMINER'S STATEMENT I have completed my examination. I confirtn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act.. or the accounts do not accord with those records", or the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination I have no Concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be brought in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Geoff Mann Geoff Mann Limited Dee House Highworth Avenue Cambridge CB4 2BQ