FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BEDFORD CHARITY NO: 1064225
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
1 JANUARY 2020 – 31 DECEMBER 2020
To the Charity Commission.
Aim and Purpose
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Bedford, is a branch of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. As noted in our branch church Constitution and By-Laws our purpose is to promote the understanding and demonstration of truth as set forth in The Bible and interpreted in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.
Activities
The activities listed below are free of charge and open to the general public:
Church services
Testimony meetings
Sunday School
Reading Room
Saturday Morning Reading Group
Public lectures on Christian Science.
All our services are focused on healing and include Scriptural readings, prayer and hymns. We plan our activities bearing in mind the guidance on Public Benefit given by the Charity Commission under the heading “Advancement of Religion”. These activities are also in line with guidance given in the Manual of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Fundraising
Our activities are funded through church collections and individual donations. We do not employ professional fundraising organisations to raise funds for us . Since March 2020 collections have not taken place because the Church
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BEDFORD CHARITY NO: 1064225
premises have been closed but individual donations have continued to be made.
How our activities achieve our purpose
Our Sunday morning services and Weekly Testimony meetings are designed to provide a reflective experience for the congregation which is conducive to healing. Readings from The Bible and Science and Health are chosen with the aim of deepening the appreciation of man’s relationship to God through greater understanding of The Bible. There is time allotted at the Testimony meetings for those attending to speak of the benefits of this greater understanding of God gained through their own experience. Every week several people will share how they have been helped through their study of The Bible and Science and Health.
Since March 2020, respecting Government guidelines, our Church home has been closed to the public however both services and testimony meetings have continued using Zoom enabling our congregation and members of other churches to worship together, if remotely. Gratitude has been regularly expressed for the opportunity to meet online at these Services / Meetings which have continued uninterrupted throughout the year.
Our Sunday School, which is usually open to youngsters up to the age of 20 for Bible study and discussion has also been closed.
Our Reading Room on the Church premises is normally open to the general public for an average of 4 hours per week. This space offers visitors a quiet space in which to read, pray, study The Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. The Reading Room also operates a book shop and lending library and has a computer and lap top for online research. Healings and experiences are shared in the weekly publication The Christian Science Sentinel, the monthly Christian Science Journal and in various languages in The Herald of Christian Science. These magazines are published in the United States and are normally offered for sale in our Reading Room. Any profit generated by sales is returned to the Church and goes towards the upkeep of the building and to support the range of services to the public.
Despite being closed to the public since March 2020, the Reading Room continues to maintain an illuminated showcase close to the pavement at the front of the Church, which attracts much attention from passers-by. The
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BEDFORD CHARITY NO: 1064225
display has been updated regularly throughout the year by members of the Team, mindful of Government guidelines. Scriptural texts, passages from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and from Christian Science literature are displayed. Themed items are chosen with the intent to uplift, heal and comfort those in need. Particular attention is given to local, national and world events which need prayerful support.
The Saturday Morning Reading Group is an educational activity organised by the Reading Room. It has met regularly for many years and this year has comfortably lent itself to remote attendance, attracting participants from further afield, including Scotland, Italy and on one occasion the United States. Attendees are currently reading Science and Health aloud – sharing ideas, inspiration and seeking healing insights from this textbook of Christian Science.
Lecture
We have not been able to offer an in-person lecture for the general public this year. This annual gift to the community providing a platform to explain how Christian Science can help in all aspects of daily life, will be offered as soon as circumstances permit. In the meantime invitations to online Christian Science lectures which have been held all around the world, have been shared with members and friends. A link to this information is included in our website to alert the general public to these opportunities to learn more about how Christian Science can help in all aspects of daily life, maintaining wellbeing by healing physical and mental problems.
The Church has a Care Committee which is tasked with maintaining contact with those individuals who are temporarily unable to attend Church services.
Our website has been enormously helpful in providing information about our activities and also a link to sites operated by the international Christian Science movement. The aim is to highlight the potential for healing as a result of deepening one’s understanding of God. www.christian-science-bedford.org.uk.
The activities of the Bedford Council of Faiths continue to be supported by Church and individual memberships. During this year links have been forged with other faith groups through attendance at meetings organised by Bedford Borough Council to update faith communities on the often swiftly changing Government guidelines with regard to holding services / meetings. The role of
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BEDFORD CHARITY NO: 1064225
faith groups in protecting their members and informing their communities has been recognised by BCoF and the local Council.
Our refurbishment project at the Church begun in 2019 has continued throughout 2020. Workers employed at the Church premises have adhered to Government guidelines and progress has been slow but steady. The project continues and is funded through donations from members and from grants received from The Christian Science Trust in Great Britain, an organisation which exists to assist Christian Science churches to flourish by supporting projects of the above mentioned type.
Conclusion
We are a lay church with officers elected annually and serving on a strict rotational basis. The Trustees appreciate the work of all our Church family who contribute so much to the smooth running of the Church and its activities.
Christian Science is a non-medical religious healing system whose adherents rely on prayer for healing all conditions, but all those who practise it remain free at any time to choose medical treatment should they so wish.
The Trustees are deeply grateful for progress made in all our activities this year despite the prevailing conditions.
15.10.21
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FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
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READING ROOM ACCOUNT
2019 2020
£ £ INCOME £ £
Income from sales:
331.40 Audio materials 43.00
170.55 Books 40,30
1746.50 Periodicals inchiding Quarterlies 1331.60
18.60 Goods & miscellaneous 6.00
2266.45 Total sales 1414.90
4.20 Donations 11.00
Postage from sales reimbursed 0.00
4.20 Total non-sale receipts 11.00
Items paid for from Church funds:
14.50 CDs of solos for Readers 0.00
269.03 Gift subscriptions to periodicals 276.42
477.18 Journal card 446.23
291.54 JSH Online for Reading Room (4 months in 2020) 0.00
0.00 New hymnal CDs, church and Sunday Schoo! 0.00
415.68 Quarterlies 0.00
0.00 Miscellaneous: shipping, Reader’s words hymnal 0.00
200.45 License fee for Cross & Crown 0.00
1668.38 Total paid from Church funds 722.65
3939.03 Total income 2148.55
EXPENDITURE
CS Publishing Society
0.00 Audio materials
0.00 Books
AT7 18 Journal card 446.23
315.15 JSH Online for Reading Room (3 months in 2020) 73.02
200.45 Miscellaneous (Cross & Crown license) 0.00
1731.12 Periodicals including Quarterlies 2022.79
269.03 Gift subs to HMP Woodhill and Univ Beds 347.25
0.00 Currency adjustment
2992.53 Total CS Publishing Society 2889.29
Non-CSPS expenditure
0.00 Intemet 0.00
0.00 Purchases, other Reading Rooms and internet 9.50
0.00 Display materials 0.00
0.00 Sundries: postage, free lit. box, stationery 0.00
326.05 Tetal non-CSPS 9.50
3318.98 Total expenditure ; 2898.79
620.05 Excess (deficit) ofincome over expenditure (750.24).
1156.04 Opening balance brought forward 1776.09
1776.09 Closing balance carried forward 1625.85
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FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD
BALANCE SHEET AND ASSETS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2020
| 2019 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 24,322 | PermanentLand& Buildings atcost | 24,322 | |
| 21,145 | Fixtures & Fittings atCost | 21,145 | |
| 3,558 | Organ atCost | 3,558 | |
| 49,056 | TotalofFixed Assets | 49,056 | |
| ReplacemntInsurance coverat31 December2019 | |||
| Building 526,072 |
|||
| Contents 34,828 |
|||
| 560,900 | |||
| 34,431 | General Fund | 49,930 | |
| 3,335 | Reserve Fund | 0 | |
| 37,766 | ChurchFunds | 49,930 | |
| 1,776 | ReadingRoomFunds | 1,026 | |
| 39,542 | TotalFunds | 50,956 | |
| 88,598 | FundsandFixedAssets | 100,012 | |
| 2,594 | ClosingStock: ReadingRoom | 2,531 | |
| 91,192 | TotalAssets | 102,543 | |
| CASHANDBANKBALANCES | |||
| Church | |||
| 34,371 | BarclaysCurrentAccount | 49,930 | |
| 3,335 | Leeds Building Society Charity LineMaturity | 6 | |
| 60 | Cash inHand | 0 | |
| 37,766 | 49,930 | ||
| ReadingRoom | |||
| 1,736 | Barlcays Currentaccount | 1,018 | |
| 40 | Cash in Hand | 8 | |
| 1,776 | : | 1,026 | |
| 39,542 | Total Funds |
50,956 | |
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| Lhe ~ SignedSe Date2xz\or\eoz Treasurer |
1
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD INCOME FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
GENERAL FUND (PAGE 1 OF 2)
| 2019 | 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collections | ||||
| 0 | Church and Sunday school collections | |||
| 4,115.00 7,430.00 |
Small DonationScheme (GASDS) Gift Aid (G)donations (collectionenvelopes |
2,664.00 8,845.00 |
||
| or directto bank | ||||
| - | IncomeTax Refund (Note 1) | 10,707.19 | ||
| 11,545 | ‘Total GiftAidfrom SDS collections,GAdonations | 22,216 | ||
| 85.00 | The Aid Fund (Note 2) | 20.00 | ||
| 85.50 | Hawthorne Trust ( Charton Manor) | 55.00 | ||
| 105.00 | Mountlans Trust (Lime Tree House} | 25.00 | ||
| 92.50 | CS Prins Chaplains’ Committeee (2) | 76.00 | ||
| 368 | Collections at Business Meetingsfor above specified charities | 176 | ||
| Other Income | ||||
| 1,154.00 | Non-Gift Aid donations | 254.00 | ||
| - | Insurance Claim | - | ||
| - | Refund from E-on avercharge Electricity Bill | 149.85 | ||
| 114.06 | Refund ofoverpaymnet ofBTTelephone acc | - | ||
| 228.00 | Refund ofoverpayment to Planning Portal | - | ||
| 4,250.00 | Building Fund | 2,300.00 | ||
| Westminster Fund Gift | 5,000.00 | |||
| 13,050.00 | CSGrants | 11,766.07 | ||
| 18,796 | Total otherincome | 19,470 | ||
| Transfer(s}) from Reserve Funds | ||||
| 10,000.00 | Leeds Building Society (3) | 3,336.00 | ||
| 21,597.00 | Cambridge& Counties Bank | - | 3,336 | |
| 31,597 | Total Transfers from Reserve Fund | |||
| 62,306 | Totalincome | 45,198 |
Notes:
(1) Gift Aid tax refund has been claimed for Tax Year 2018, 2019 and 2020
2) The R76.00 for the Prison Chaplain fund collected in 2020 will be paid over in Feb 2021
3) Leeds Account closed in March 2020
Page 2
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FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD
| FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORDSCIENTIST BEDFORDBEDFORD | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXPENDITURE FOR YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2020 | ||||||
| 2019 | GENERALFUND (page2 of2) | 2020 | ||||
| 97 | Advertising (Web site) | 72 | ||||
| 333 | Audit, Legal & Professional | 283 | ||||
| 36 | Care Disbursements | 27 | ||||
| 1,460 | Cleaner (net) | 1,234 | ||||
| 520 | Committee on Publication pro rate (Note 3) | 860 | ||||
| 346 | Donationsfrom collections (Note 4) | 176 | ||||
| 186 | Donations from church | 1,000 | ||||
| 1,224 | Electricity | 849 | ||||
| 322 | Gardener | 530 | ||||
| 303 | PAYE Tax ( Note 5) | 240 | ||||
| 1,093 | Insurance | 1,098 | ||||
| Internet New Website | 560 | |||||
| Internet Zoom annual charge | 144 | |||||
| Internet 2 Domain Names | 28 | |||||
| 190 | Internet Service Provider | 261 | ||||
| - | Donation for Lecture elsewhere | 400 | ||||
| Lecture Costs | ||||||
| 1,375 | Lecture Fee | - | ||||
| - | Lecturers’ Expenses | - | ||||
| 149 | Publicity | - | ||||
| 1,523 | Total Lecture Costs | - | ||||
| Maintenance& Repairs | ||||||
| 345 | Safety & Security (Chubb Security) | 189 | ||||
| 200 | Organ & Piano Tuning and repair | - | ||||
| Halogen Tubes and Globes | 15 | |||||
| 25 | Drainage clearance | 864 | ||||
| 570 | Total Maintenance & Repairs | 1,068 | ||||
| 900 | Organists and Soloists (net) | 168 | ||||
| 250 | Petty Cash (6) | |||||
| 55 | Postage Printing & Stationery | 111 | ||||
| ReadingRoom Costs (Church) | ||||||
| 722 | Quarterlies etc, new Hymnals | |||||
| 477 | Journal Card | 446 | ||||
| 269 | Gift Subscriptions for periodicals | 443 | ||||
| 1,468 | Total General Fund Transfers to Reading Room | 889 | ||||
| Refurbishment | ||||||
| 5,775 | Planning: Consult'cy,Plans,Travel, | 2,984 | ||||
| 260 | Contractor-Westone | 3,257 | ||||
| 13,715 | Contractor- Equibuild | 12,820 | ||||
| 19,750 | Total Refurbishment costs in year | : | 19,061 | |||
| 95 | Sundries - CCLC Licence, Flowers and Subscription | 117 | ||||
| 461 | Telephone | 340 | ||||
| 250 | Water | 182 | : | |||
| 31,432 | 29,698 | |||||
| 30,874 | Excess (Deficit) of income over expenditure | 15,499 | ||||
| 3,557 | Opening Balance Brought Forward | 34,431 | ||||
| 34,431 | Closing Balance carried forward | 49,930 | ||||
| Notes: | 3) | Second Pro Rate paymen of£350 for 2019 Paid Feb 2020 Annual 2020 Pd | Oct 2020 | |||
| 4) | Collection forthe Prinson Chaplain £76was collected in 2020 but paid in | 2021 | ||||
| 5) | PAYE Payments forAugto Dec 2020were paid in Jan 2021 | |||||
| 6) | PettyCashAccountdetailattached |
3
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
|
|
|
| RESERVE FUND (4) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2020 | ||||
| INCOME | |||||
| 6 | interest Leeds Building Society CharityLine Maturity a/c | i | |||
| Closed in March 2020 | |||||
| 583 | interest Cambridge & Counties Bank* | - | |||
| 589 | Total income | 1 | |||
| EXPENDITURE | |||||
| 31,597 | Transferto General Fund | 3,336 | |||
| 31,597 | Total expenditure | 3,365 | |||
| - | 31,008 | Excess (deficit) ofincome over expenditure | - | 3,335 | |
| 34,343 | Opening balance brought forward | 3,335 | |||
| 3,335 | Closingbalancecarriedforward | - |
4
2019
2020
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD SUMMARY OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
GROSS INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
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|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|income|Expenditure|income|Expenditure|
|62,306|31,432|General|Fund|45,198|29,698|
|589|31,597|Reserve|Fund|3,336|
|3,939|3,319|Reading Room|2,149|2,899|
|66,834|66,348|47,347|35,933|
|486|Excess|(deficit)|of income over|Expenditure|11,414|
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INCOME AND EXPENDITURE NET OF TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS
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||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|2,019|2,020|
|Income|Expenditure|Income|Expenditure|
|30,709|29,764|General|Fund|41,862|28,975|
|589|Reserve|Fund|
|2,271|3,319|Reading|Room|1,426|2,899|
|33,569|33,083|43,288|31,874|
|486|Excess|(Deficit)|of Income|over|Expenditure|11,414|
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YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
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|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|2,019|2,020|
|39,056|Total|Funds|B/f|1 January|39,542|
|486|Excess|(Deficit)|of|Income|over|Expenditure|,|
|ee|11,414|
|39,542|50,956|
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6
,
Brian E Woods FCA 13 Windrush Avenue Bedford MK41 7BS Tel 01234 317762 Mob 07923130352
Auditors Report to the Members of
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST BEDFORD.
| have carried out the usual tests for the year ended 31 December 2020 and | am satisfied that the books and records showa true representation of the financial state of the Church.
Brian E Woods FCA
| | |