Three Bridges Free Church
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2020
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Three Bridges Road Three Bridges Crawley West Sussex, RH10 1LS GOVERNING DOCUMENT Trust Deed dated 17 November 1998 (amended February 1999) CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1074518 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Graham Bell MANAGING THE CHARITY Steven Collingham Robert Cranfield David Hails (resigned February 2020) Nelson Lucero Keith Martin (resigned April 2020) Andrew Morgan (resigned April 2021) Mark Pash Peter Taylor (appointed February 2020) BANKERS Santander INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal and Administrative Details Pages 2-4 Trustees' Report Page 5 Independent Examiner's Report Page 6 Receipts and Payments Account Page 7 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 8-9 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020.
Objects of the charity
The charity, which is a church, is governed by a trust deed and is constituted as a trust. The charity's principal objects, as set out in its governing document, are to advance the Christian faith.
Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements
The Trust seeks to demonstrate the Christian faith in action by acting as a church in the area of Crawley, Sussex. To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows:
Our verse for 2020 was Ephesians 3:20-21 and we are grateful to God that he has done far more than all we could ask or imagine in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. To Him be the glory. See below on the impact of Covid-19 on our regular activities.
We held regular Sunday worship services during which we preached through the books of Acts, 1 Timothy, Nehemiah and Lamentations.
A key development this year has been the calling of an Assistant Pastor, Tom Adams, who started his ministry with us in August. He has shared much of the load with our pastor in preaching and conducting Home Groups and some youth groups.
Until the start of the pandemic, other regular ministries included our Agape group which serves the needs of older and vulnerable people and a Toddlers group for parents and young children on Friday mornings. We also ran various clubs for children and young people including Explorers, Sparklers, Spotlight, Ignite and C21. This included a Holiday Bible Club in February that reached approximately 45 children over a three day period and included a cafe for parents. We also have ministries for men (Band of Brothers) and women (Women in the Word) both of which are open to the local community.
Our midweek Home Groups provided opportunities for fellowship and Bible study including series in Ephesians, the Psalms and 2 Peter. In seeking to share the Christian message we distributed evangelistic magazines in the area before Easter and invitations to the Christmas Carol services. Also a number of evangelistic videos were placed on Facebook in the lead up to Christmas. An evangelistic course was publicised locally and also held once in person and twice online through Zoom during the year (Christianity Explored).
Our Agape group which serves the needs of older and vulnerable people has adapted to the current situation by producing a newsletter with inspirational articles. Its other activities have had to be cancelled until social interaction opens up again.
In spite of not being able to hold a harvest service, people were encouraged to donate food directly to the local homeless charity. During the year we reviewed our Safeguarding Policy and planned for ongoing training. Membership at the end of 2020 stood at 82. In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
Financial review
During the year income increased by £6,100, to £129,600, and expenditure increased by £28,300, to £124,400. As a result the cash held by the charity increased by £5,200, to £119,400, of which £115,000 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
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Reserves policy
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £40,000 (which equates to about 4 months' of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £115,000. As part of long term planning for capital projects, the trustees have identified the need for investment over a number of years. This means the trustees are holding reserves over £40,000.
Impact of Covid-19
Following the government Covid restrictions from 16 March 2020 we moved our Sunday ministry online, reducing our services to once per week with a pre-recorded service. Our Sunday morning prayer meeting (weekly) and Explorers meetings (fortnightly for ages 4-16) meet using Zoom. When the government restrictions eased for Churches at the start of July, we began meeting together again at the church building for a short, socially-distanced service on a Sunday evening, taking care to follow the latest guidance. However, a pre-recorded online service for each Sunday is also still produced. On average, 35 people attend the evening service and over 90 different people have attended since the start of July.
Leadership meetings are still regularly held and the required church business meetings/AGM have taken place to deal with the most pressing issues - again using Zoom to facilitate these meetings. Our income is down by 15% mainly due to the general offering and car park income being lower. To manage our cash flow, we have postponed a number of planned infrastructure projects, concentrating on our pastoral ministry and have continued with our planned employment of a second full time pastor during this time. The receipt of a legacy has meant that income has been reduced by less than would otherwise have been the case. We have also created a hardship fund, and associated policy following a gift, with the aim to help those connected to the church who may be in financial difficulty. As the government restrictions around Covid evolve, the leadership of the church continues to adapt the ministry in line with the latest guidelines, and our aim to reach the people of Crawley with the good news of Jesus Christ has not changed.
Our midweek home groups also moved online, utilising Zoom, still meeting fortnightly with the introduction of a fortnightly prayer meeting on alternate weeks. Men's & Women's meetings have been held although not with the regularity of before - taking into account the amount of time people are attending online meetings. The decision was taken to pause our youth ministries initially, however our two older groups, Ignite 11-16 and C21 16-21, are now meeting again on Zoom.
Governance
Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the Trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. The Trustees have ultimate responsibility for the management of the trust and do so with the assistance of the Elders and Deacons on a day to day basis. New Trustees are appointed by a full meeting of the church members, in consultation with the Trustees.
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Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Graham Bell
Date: 14 October 2021
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Three Bridges Free Church ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2020 on pages 6 to 9 following.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
-
the accounts do not 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 of the accounts to be reached.
Jaimée Young
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 15 October 2021
Page 5
THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Unrestricted | Funds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | Total | Total | |||||
| Funds | Funds | Funds | 2020 | 2019 | |||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||
| Income receipts | |||||||||
| Donations | 75,776 | - | 4,215 | 79,991 | 89,941 | ||||
| Gift aid receipts | 15,870 | - | 775 | 16,645 | 18,344 | ||||
| Legacies | 25,000 | - | - | 25,000 | - | ||||
| Income from charitable activities | 265 | - | - | 265 | 673 | ||||
| Use of church and car park | 7,350 | - | - | 7,350 | 14,106 | ||||
| Interest | 262 | - | - | 262 | 253 | ||||
| Other | 133 | - | - | 133 | 252 | ||||
| Total receipts | 124,655 | - | 4,990 | 129,645 | 123,568 | ||||
| Payments | |||||||||
| Payments in relation to activities undertaken directly |
charitable | 2 | 99,548 | - | 507 | 100,054 | 74,305 | ||
| Grants paid in relation to activities undertaken by others |
charitable | 3 | - | 17,460 | 6,931 | 24,391 | 21,859 | ||
| Total payments | 99,548 | 17,460 | 7,438 | 124,445 | 96,164 | ||||
| Net of receipts / (payments) transfers |
before | 25,107 | (17,460) | (2,448) | 5,199 | 27,404 | |||
| Transfers between funds | 5 | (62,503) | 62,101 | 402 | - | - | |||
| Net movement in funds | (37,396) | 44,641 | (2,046) | 5,199 | 27,404 | ||||
| Cash funds as at last year end | 37,396 | 70,319 | 6,490 | 114,205 | 86,800 | ||||
| Cash funds at this year end | A | - | 114,960 | 4,444 | 119,404 | 114,205 |
The notes on pages 8-9 form part of these accounts.
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THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access Notice deposits B Other monetary assets Gift aid due to charity Other debtors C Liabilities Falling due within one year: Fee for Independent Examination Accrued expenses |
General Designated funds funds £ £ - 68,734 - 46,226 - 114,960 9,409 400 1,400 - 10,809 400 2,400 - 1,245 - 3,645 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted funds £ 4,444 - 4,444 - - - - - - |
Total 2020 £ 73,178 46,226 119,404 9,809 1,400 11,209 2,400 1,245 3,645 |
Total 2019 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70,672 43,532 |
||||
| 114,205 | ||||
| 11,805 - |
||||
| 11,805 | ||||
| 1,200 9,661 |
||||
| 10,861 |
D Assets retained for charity's own use
| ets retained for charity's own use Freehold Church building Freehold Manse Contents and equipment |
Cost £ 1,150,000 510,000 - 1,660,000 |
Insurance value 2020 £ |
| - - 138,125 |
||
| 138,125 |
The purchase cost of the Manse and the construction cost of the Church are shown.
The trustees have used insurance values for equipment since they are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf:
by date Graham Bell 14 October 2021
The notes on pages 8-9 form part of these accounts.
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THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
1 Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
| 2 Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly Employment costs Note 4 Church, property and related costs Note 2a Manse costs Note 2a Equipment Office and admin costs Guest speakers Ministry and outreach activities Children, youth and holiday club Other expenses 2a Sinking funds expenditure (incl. property) Accounts, advice and Independent examination FIEC affiliation SGP affiliation Professional fees Telephone Insurance Heating and lighting Maintenance and cleaning - Church Maintenance and cleaning - Manse Council tax & water rates 3 Grants and gifts paid to others Organisations: European Christian Mission Crosslinks UFM Worldwide Organisations under £1,000 Individuals |
Unrestrict | Designated funds £ - - - - - - - - - - Church £ 90 2,000 1,000 198 - 8,602 3,782 16,097 - 101 31,868 Designated funds £ 1,920 1,200 12,000 1,140 1,200 17,460 ed Funds ed Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - 7 - 500 507 Manse £ - - - - - 364 - - 783 - 1,147 Restricted Funds £ - - 6,352 - 579 6,931 |
Total 2020 £ 55,505 31,868 1,147 5,036 773 300 2,118 1,784 1,524 100,054 Total 2020 £ 90 2,000 1,000 198 - 8,965 3,782 16,097 783 101 33,015 Total 2020 £ 1,920 1,200 18,352 1,140 1,779 24,391 |
Total 2019 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 55,505 31,868 1,147 5,036 773 300 2,112 1,784 1,024 99,548 Unrestrict |
||||||
| 34,664 19,755 1,178 10,574 656 2,191 2,974 2,169 145 |
||||||
| 74,305 | ||||||
| Total 2019 £ |
||||||
| 1,384 - - - 40 550 3,098 14,906 785 170 |
||||||
| 20,933 | ||||||
| Total 2019 £ |
||||||
| General funds £ - - - - - - |
||||||
| 1,920 1,200 15,953 1,140 1,646 |
||||||
| 21,859 |
Page 8
THREE BRIDGES FREE CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
4 Transactions with related parties
Donations were made to UFM Worldwide of £18,352 [2019: £15,953} in the year, for the support of missionaries working abroad, who are related by marriage to Robert Cranfield, a trustee.
David Hails and Mark Pash, both trustees, were paid a total of £50 and £100, respectively [2019: £550 and £600] for preparing and delivering teaching to the church, not for their work as Trustees. The funds paid during the year were repaid after the year end.
In all cases, the related trustee was absent from meetings where the above payments were discussed and decided.
| 5 Movement of funds Unrestricted funds General funds Designated funds: Assistant Pastor Signage Sound equipment Ramp Missionary Fund Sinking Fund Restricted funds Church Library Fund Hardship Fund UFM Worldwide Other Funds Total funds |
Balance at 31Dec2019 £ 37,396 43,460 3,120 2,249 16,000 5,490 - 107,715 438 - 5,977 75 6,490 114,205 |
Receipts £ 124,655 - - - - - - 124,655 - 4,115 375 500 4,990 129,645 |
Payments £ (99,548) - - - - (17,460) - (117,008) (7) (579) (6,352) (500) (7,438) (124,445) |
Transfers £ (62,503) (43,460) (3,120) (2,249) (16,000) 17,587 109,343 (402) - 402 - - 402 - |
Balance at 31Dec2020 £ - - - - - 5,617 109,343 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114,960 | |||||
| 431 3,938 - 75 |
|||||
| 4,444 | |||||
| 119,404 |
The designated Missionary Fund relates to funds set aside from giving to support missionaries in various countries including France, Uganda and the UK through organisations such as UFM, ECM and Gideons. The transfer from restricted to designated relates to these funds being previously classed as restricted.
The Sinking Fund is used for capital and one off yearly projects along with supporting the increased expense of a second full time pastor. Surplus general funds are transferred to this fund for this purpose. The transfers from the other designated projects are because these projects are considered to be capital or one off projects.
The restricted Church Library Fund relates to funds donated for the purchase of books for the church library. Due to the size of the original gift it has taken some time to spend this wisely and as new appropriate books become available additional books are purchased from this. The restricted Hardship Fund is for the purpose of practically supporting others through difficult trials including situations of material need. The restricted UFM Worldwide funds relates to donations specifically for this mission agency (Charity no. 219946).
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