2021-12-31-accounts

Annual Report for Nine Thirty Eight (‘9:38’)

For the year 1st January to 31st December 2021

The board of trustees are pleased to present their annual report and financial statements of the charitable trust for the year ended 31 December 2021. This report is prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charity Commissions set for Receipts and Payments accounts.

Nine Thirty Eight is a charitable trust (number 109288) and is also known as 9:38. The charitable trust is constituted and governed by a trust deed dated 30 January 2002. The method of appointing new Trustees is by a decision of the Trustees under the terms of the charities governing document. Potential candidates are considered with regard to the need to maintain a balance of skills and backgrounds.

The registered address of the charity is Dundonald Church, 577 Kingston Road, London SW20 8SA .

Aim of 9:38

9:38 exists to serve local churches as they seek to raise up the next generation of gospel workers. It runs an annual residential conference & seeks to catalyse regional conferences where Christians can think through how best to maximise their gospel ministry and to consider full or part-time gospel work. 9:38 also helps churches to set up ministry trainee programmes and promotes such vacancies online.

Membership

The following served as Trustees in 2021: Richard Coekin (current chair) Clayton Fopp (resigned 23 July 2021) Peter Snow (appointed by resolution 8 September 2021) Elizabeth Smallwood Fran Kirby (appointed 4th February 2022)

In addition to the above, the following served as members of the Steering Group: Danny Rurlander Carrie Sandom Ralph Cunnington Lizzie Ling

During 2021, the following were employed by 9:38: Director – Andy Harker Administrator – Fran Kirby (Resigned 7th January 2022)

Objectives

In setting our strategic objectives and planning our activities our Trustees and Executive Committee have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance.

Our overall objective for 2021 was to help local churches raise gospel workers . In more detail we sought to:

1. Resource pastors:

2. a. In developing a gospel training culture

3. b. In mentoring those with gospel ministry potential

4. c. In establishing ministry traineeships

5. Envision those exploring gospel work

6. a. Helping them understand gospel ministry

7. b. Helping them grasp God’s priorities

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• c. Helping them navigate a pathway into gospel work

• Encourage ministry trainees

• a. Promoting a diversity of excellent training opportunities

• b. Connecting potential trainees with trainers

• c. Clarifying next steps

Additional medium term objectives included:

• a) To deliver an Online Maximise conference in the midst of the Covic pandemic

• b) To conduct research into ministry training trends across England and Wales

• c) To establish a Steering Group composed of those in church ministry distinct from the Trustee board

Public benefit:

In setting our strategic objectives and planning our activities, our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance.

Specifically, in 2021, public benefit could be seen in a number of ways:

• In a huge increase of reach from previous years, 670 people engaged with the 9:38 Online Maximise Conference (streamed 6-8 January 2021) and were equipped with quality training in how to invest their lives for the glory of Christ and the good of others. There was also an increase in the number of churches represented among the booked delegates (75 up from 66 in 2020).

• Nine Thirty Eight continued to give consultancy to churches on setting up traineeships, specifically in the area of negotiating issues of financial support for trainees. Our finance guidance, updated twice a year, has been downloaded over 100 times.

• We conducted research into ministry training numbers and trends across England and Wales, published in July 2021 and downloaded by over 50 church leaders. We have heard good feedback in regard to the helpfulness of this research and reports of church leaders working carefully through the data and recommendations with their staff teams.

• 9:38 promoted 85 ministry positions (a 12% increase on 2020) in a range of local churches in England and Wales. As previously, around 50 of these positions were for ministry trainees but there was an increase in other roles - e.g. youth workers and women’s workers. Each of these positions represented an opportunity to serve hundreds of children, youth and adults through Bible teaching and practical ministries.

• 9:38 online resources were well used in 2021. In particular the two Training Masterclass sessions from the Online 2021 Maximise conference were downloaded over 200 times between them.

Review of the Year

Maximise Conference 2021 Online

Format innovations:

• Necessitated by the Covid pandemic and restrictions the Maximise Conference was reimagined as a 3 day online event, streamed in high quality from the Clownfish studios in London.

• The main morning talks by Richard Coekin from Acts 6, seminars from Ben Cooper, Santhosh Thomas and Johnny Juckes, and interviews with Sam Gibb and Santhosh Thomas were all live.

• Evening talks from Nigel Styles and John Taylor were pre-recorded, as were interviews with Dai Hankey, Rachel Chard, Johnny Juckes and Carrie Sandom, book trailers and Bible readings from ministry trainees - all artfully cut into the live production.

• Ministry trainees met in groups with a leader for half an hour immediately after the morning season and also for an hour in the afternoon where they received feedback on their talks which (in a departure from tradition) they had recorded and submitted in video form prior to the conference.

• On the middle evening there was a hybrid Q&A with Richard Coekin and Gabby Samuel in London and Dai Hankey in Cardiff taking questions from the viewers.

Benefits of being online:

• Being forced to go back to fundamentals and work out what was the most effective way to serve attendees and maximise gospel ministry.

• Accessibility to speakers - e.g. Dai Hankey in Cardiff.

• Accessibility to participants: 670 people engaged with Maximise content – half of these (336) during the three days of the conference and half of those (169) were formally registered on the conference.

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• Legacy - high quality video of the sessions now on our YouTube channel.

• Embeddedness - participants being able to view the conference ‘in context’.

Leaders feedback:

• “Encouraged by the call to raise the bar in helping future leaders give attention to leading & developing teams and the regular and helpful reminder to keep investing in others in ministry.”

• • “It is pitched well, faithful to Scripture, aware of our Christian-culture's foibles, thought-provoking, well-applied. Just a brilliant conference for raising up the next generation of workers, and helping them progress beyond us their trainers in their godliness, doctrine and ministry!”

• “There is a real need for this kind of conference.”

• “Generally very encouraging. There was good commitment, a good level of preparation from the trainees, an eagerness to engage with the text and each other too. Of course it was strange doing it on zoom, and we did miss the energy of being together. But all things considered, it was a fruitful time together under God's Word.

• “It was helpful to have the recordings beforehand and it worked well playing them from the computer. Pre-recording meant the individuals were much freer to engage in the conference and it made it much less pressured and more enjoyable as a result (as far as I could see).”

Trainees and delegates feedback:

• “I have found hearing of all the different contexts people are doing ministry so helpful. I've really appreciated the thought and time taken to show that women have wonderful ministries that they can do also. Above all I think I've been encouraged to just maximise whatever ministry I am currently able to do and including others more. I think my tendency is to be the one man band but I can better help and do ministry with the giftings of others.”

• “I found the teaching practice slots very helpful. I was with a group of people who aimed their talks at children and young people and had a leader who had exceptional knowledge and wisdom and could helpfully give feedback that I am already starting to implement into my talks over the next few weeks.”

• “I have been challenged by the priority of Gospel ministry, but also encouraged by the freedom I have to make decisions based on who I am, without trying to be someone I'm not.”

• “I took away a sense of importance in strategic thinking for pastor/teachers. As well as the importance of equipping staff and non-staff to serve in all kinds of ways.”

• “The focus on: with the gifts, opportunities, privileges I've been given, how can I maximise gospel ministry in myself and others. Something I've been thinking through for a while and this really helpfully framed and moved me further along in my thinking.”

Encouraging local initiatives

With the encouragement of 9:38, the East Anglia Gospel Partnership, for the third time, hosted a conference in Cambridge in November attended by 40 people (in-person), helping them to think through the next step in exploring gospel ministry.

Governance and Structure

Over 2021 we assembled a ‘Steering Group’ to advise 9:38, particularly in the area of ministry development, freeing the Trustees up to focus on guarding the vision of 9:38 and attending to statutory governance. This Steering Group comprises two independent church pastors based in the North of England - Danny Rurlander and Ralph Cunnington - together with two women experienced in church ministry - Carrie Sandom and Lizzie Ling - and Richard Coekin as chair.

In July one of our Trustees - Clayton Fopp - stepped down from trusteeship ahead of returning to Australia with his family, and we were delighted to appoint Pete Snow, vicar of St Paul’s Harringay, as a new Trustee in September. Pete brings personal experience of ministry traineeship, church planting and revitalisation.

Coming out of Covid

As we prepared for a physical in-person Maximise Conference for January 2022 there were points, particularly towards the end of 2021, where this looked like this might not be possible. We prepared a backup option of an online conference we could switch to at short notice if necessary. We are very grateful that, as it turned out, this contingency was not necessary.

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Finances & Reserves

Donations

9:38 is extremely grateful for receiving £21,129, incl gift aid, as unrestricted funds in donations in 2021. £4000 is restricted funds for the Director’s post. The trustees decided that we will no longer have a restricted fund going forward so as to have a higher degree of flexibility. There was £6,681 in restricted funds at the end of 2021, these funds are expected to be exhausted in 2022. Once this is exhausted, we will be paying salaries directly from the unrestricted funds.

With regards to the unrestricted donations, £4,600 was given by our four supporting churches and organisations; £14,900 were larger donations (£2,400, £4,000 and £7,510) from two individuals and one trust. We also received £ 1,083.78 in Gift Aid. The remainder of our donation income consisted of donations which were either monthly donations between £5 and £50 or one-time donations of equivalent value. It is worth noting that one of our supporting trusts have decided to scale back on their giving and will therefore be decreasing their yearly gift to us over the course of the next few years.

Advertising

In 2021, 9:38 received £6,273 in payment for 92 paid and voluntary roles which we publicised through our website and social media. The majority of these payments were for 90 adverts which we ran during 2021; a small minority were late payments for 2 adverts which we ran during 2020. Encouragingly this advertising income is back up from the lack of postings in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Reserves

In the Trustees’ view, 9:38 reserves should provide us with adequate financial stability and the means for it to meet its objectives for the foreseeable future. The Trustees maintain the charity’s reserves at a level which is at least equivalent to six months’ operational costs (approximately £30,000) and have done so having regards to the manner of operation of 9:38 and its likely funding streams.

Our cash in hand at the end of 2021 totalled £76,304.

The Trustees will continue to review the amount of reserves, on an annual basis, to ensure that they are adequate to fulfil 9:38’s continuing obligations. The Trustees will also have particular regard for our manner of operation, as well as for current and potential funding streams.

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.

This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Elizabeth Smallwood

Elizabeth Smallwood

Date: 26 October 2022

9:38 Contact Details

Postal Address: 577 Kingston Road, London SW20 8SA Email: [e-mail]; [e-mail]

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

Nine Thirty Eight (9:38)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Nine Thirty Eight ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2021 on pages 6 to 8 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:

1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. 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.

Sarah Crispin

Sarah Crispin ACA

Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: 26 October 2022

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Nine Thirty Eight (9:38)

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

Receipts (income) Maximise (Conferences) Donations (excl. Gift Aid) Gift Aid Advertising JRS/SMP Other Total Income: Payments (expenses) Printing and postage Office Costs (Phone, stationery, website) Maximise (Conferences) Travel Sundry Expenses (Other) HR Advertising and exhibiting Total Expenditure: Surplus / (Deficit) Cash Funds Brought Forward from 2020 Cash Funds at 31 December 2021	Unrestricted 2021 Restricted 2021 Total 2021 Unrestricted 2020 Restricted 2020 Total 2020 £ £ £ £ £ £ 17,250 0 17,250 5,442 0 5,442 20,045 4,000 24,045 23,295 8,000 31,295 1,084 0 1,084 1,413 0 1,413 6,273 0 6,273 4,608 0 4,608 0 0 0 1,265 2,352 3,617 349 0 349 117 0 117
	45,001 4,000 49,001 36,140 10,352 46,492
	0 0 0 0 0 0 912 0 912 3,059 0 3,059 6,386 0 6,386 25,070 0 25,070 0 149 149 534 0 534 1,445 0 1,445 628 0 628 11,312 18,332 29,644 11,105 20,389 31,494 0 0 0 0 0 0
	20,055 18,481 38,536 40,396 20,389 60,785
	24,946 -14,481 10,465 -4,256 -10,037 -14,293
	44,677 21,162 65,838 48,932 31,199 80,131
	69,623 6,681 76,304 44,676 21,161 65,838

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Nine Thirty Eight (9:38)

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

			Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Total 2021	Total 2020
		Notes	£	£	£	£
A	Cash funds
	Cash at bank with immediate access		69,593	6,681	76,274	65,838
	Petty cash		30	-	30	30
	Total		69,623	6,681	76,304	65,868
B	Other monetary assets
	Gift aid due to charity		962	-	962	1,082
	Other debtors		500	-	500	1,245
	Total		1,462	-	1,462	2,327
C	Liabilities
	Falling due within one year
	Trade creditors		17,798	-	17,798	-
	Fee for Independent Examination		600	-	600	600
	Accrued expenses		-	-	-	262
	Total		18,398	-	18,398	862
	Falling due after one year:
	Trade creditors		18,592		18,592	17,798
	Total		18,592	-	18,592	17,798
	Total		36,990	-	36,990	18,660

D Guarantees and secured debts

The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Elizabeth Smallwood

Elizabeth Smallwood

Date: 26 October 2022

The notes on page 8 form part of these accounts.

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Nine Thirty Eight (9:38)

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

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. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors (i.e. for the sole purpose of employing the Director); they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

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