## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**Charity number: 1100270**
## **Trustees' Report and Financial Statements**
**for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
## **CONTENTS**
||Page|
|---|---|
|Report of the Trustees|1 - 13|
|Receipts and Payments Accounts|14 - 15|
|Report of the Independent Examiner|16|
## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
The Trustees are pleased to present their report and the financial statements of Helping His Hungarian Heroes ('4H' or "the Trust") for the year ended 31 January 2024.
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
|**_Charity name_**|Helping His Hungarian Heroes|
|---|---|
|**_Other names used by the Charity_**|'4H' and '4H' / 'Magyar Misszió' (working names)|
|**_Charity registered number_**|1100270|
|**_Status_**|Trust|
||Registered as a charity with effect from 23 October 2003|
|**_Registered office_**|Helping His Hungarian Heroes|
||28 Oaklands|
||Elton Road|
||Clevedon|
||BS21 7QZ|
## **Trustees**
The names of the Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out below, along with the dates when they were appointed:
|pointed:||
|---|---|
|Mr Peter D Aston|7th June 2010|
|Dr Eric C Barrett (Chairperson)|27th January 2003|
|Mrs Rosemary J Barrett (Secretary)|16th June 2003|
|Mr Karl A Brunning|7th June 2010|
|Mr Michael S Bryant|27th January 2003|
|Mr David J Clarke|27th January 2003|
|Mrs Sally Ann Winsor|11th July 2016|
None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the Trust and all served without remuneration in their capacity as Trustees.
**Bankers** HSBC Bank PLC 10 Colliers Walk Nailsea Bristol BS48 1RL **Independent Examiner** P E Hodges CPFA 74 Cottrell Road Bristol BS5 6TN
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## _**Governing Document**_
'4H' is a registered charity governed in accordance with its Declaration of Trust made on 16 August 2003.
The Charity Commission granted '4H' registered charity status on 23 October 2003.
## _**Organisational structure**_
'4H' is governed by the Trustees who comprise members of churches from across the South West region of England. The Trustees meet at least twice a year, and normally three times a year, to set policy and review the activities of the Trust. The annual general meeting of the Trustees was held on 30 January 2024..
## _**Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**_
Trustees are nominated and appointed by a vote of the existing Trustees and may serve for a period of up to five years after which time they are eligible for re-appointment. None of the Trustees receive remuneration or any other benefit from their work with '4H'.
## _**Risk Management**_
At each of their meetings the Trustees examine the major strategic and operational risks which '4H' faces. They seek to manage and mitigate these risks within acceptable levels.
## _**Charity Governance Code**_
The Trustees have studied the Charity Governance Code and discussed it at length. The Trustees consider that while much of it does not apply to '4H', in areas where it does apply the Trust is in compliance with the good practice the Code recommends, and in several respects significantly surpasses its recommendations. Para 5.7.3 of the Code says that Trustees serving for more than 9 years should be reviewed. The Board agreed at its July 2019 meeting that in future all Trustees should be treated the same, including Founding Trustees.
During 2022, ‘4H’ was required to review its policies and associated procedures in respect of a list of topics provided by CCEW, and to say when they were most recently reviewed. The Board discussed the list at length and agreed the following positions as from 28 June 2022:
## _**Procedures: common to all categories:**_
If and when an issue of potential concern is drawn to our notice, the matter is recorded, and addressed as appropriate and as quickly as possible via the following hierarchy of responsible persons:
- The Directors
- The Board of Trustees
- External advisors
- Selected professionals
and thereafter, if and as necessary, by reference to the most appropriate authority(ies).
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## _**Policies: specific to each category:**_
- **a. Bullying and harassment:** ‘4H’ discourages, and does not tolerate, bullying or harassment of any kind.
- **b. Conflict of interest:** if and when we become aware of any conflicts of interest in our areas of activity, we adjust our operations accordingly to minimise or eliminate their present and possible future effects.
- **c. Financial controls:** the Board of ‘4H’ meets once each year to agree a provisional Annual Budget, and regularly to monitor income and approve expenditure. The Books are open to all Trustees, and are independently and professionally examined as the Charity Commission requires.
- **d. Safeguarding:** a policy on this is not necessary for us as we have no direct contact with either children or vulnerable adults.
- **e. Complaints:** any complaint about a Director, Trustee, volunteer, or recipient of ‘4H’ assistance is considered on its merits, and action taken accordingly.
- **f. Whistleblowing:** we positively encourage anyone who has serious concerns about any aspect of ‘4H’ or its ministries to come forward and voice them clearly and simply, and we follow up on their concerns
- **g. Reserves:** we aim to maintain a financial reserve sufficient to at least cover the ‘committed’ expenditure we have promised for 12 months ahead.
- **h. Political activities:** ‘4H’ is an entirely apolitical organisation whose raison d’etre is spiritual.
- **i. Volunteers:** our volunteer policy is governed by the general ethos and modus operandi of our mission, plus our commitment to diversity, individual dignity, personal integrity, group respect and trust, and above all the Christian ministry of service to God and those whom we are seeking to serve.
## **Objectives and Activities**
The objective of '4H' is the advancement the Christian faith by providing help and support for Bible-believing Hungarian Churches and Christians and their work in Hungary itself, and among Hungarian speaking communities in regions of Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine which were parts of Hungary before the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.
During the year '4H' gratefully received voluntary assistance from its Trustees, other individuals and partnership churches, without which the effectiveness of '4H' would be severely limited.
The following report provides further information regarding the activities that were undertaken by '4H' during the year ended 31 January 2024.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
The twenty-first year of ‘4H’ activities continued to recover from effects of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, but, very sadly, continued to be adversely affected in significant ways by the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. In particular, for a second year the war seriously influenced what we could do in the Hungarian-speaking ‘Carpathian’ Province of Ukraine, though its effects on Hungarian Churches and Christian organisations in Hungary and Romania lessened as the flow of refugees from the war zones into neighbouring countries that had been such a feature of FY 2022-23 largely ceased.
Directors Dr Eric and Mrs Rosemary Barrett were glad to be able to personally visit Hungary and Romania in February/March, June, and September/October 2023, and together these three ‘Multipurpose Missions’ were the most wide-ranging and successful in any year since before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Additionally local colleagues were able, for the third year running, to carry out a number of other tasks for ‘4H’, e.g. in respect of locally-sourcing ‘Christmas Gift Boxes’ for Young People in South-west Ukraine because, following BREXIT, we still cannot send such boxes direct from the UK. In addition to meeting with, encouraging and discussing projects with more Hungarian church leaders than in most recent years, the Barretts were glad to be also able to meet some local pastors and denominational leaders for the first time in four years.
However, the shadow of the Covid pandemic continued to constrain the speaker meetings the Barretts were invited to take in the UK in churches and other venues, as many churches have reduced their numbers of meetings. Those with a missionary focus have been, perhaps, the greatest losers. Thus the Barretts were able to speak in person in only 30 church services or other meetings in 2023-24, compared with 33 in person in 2022-23 (and regularly 60-plus pre-Covid). At the same time, Zoom and other on-line inputs to church evenings fell away to almost zero.
Once again the year 2023-24 witnessed the ‘Homecall’ of several long-term supporters of ‘4H’, but because there were some new additions to our Mailing List, this remained about the same length at the end of this FY as at its beginning. Monetary gifts and payments received for books and cards fell away quite sharply, because so few meeting-goers now carry cash, and we do not offer a Bank card machine for ‘plastic payment’. Indeed, we now offer books free of charge at our meetings, hoping that some takers, instead of paying cash for them, will subsequently be led to send a gift for ‘the work’.
With the Bank Interest Rate rising further this Financial Year, interest received on ‘4H’ reserves held temporarily in savings accounts with HSBC and COIF increased again, to about 3% of the year’s total receipts: double that in even the previous year. Meanwhile, in comparison with that, the number of Standing Orders from personal supporters has remained about the same, though some have increased their monthly amounts, for which we are very grateful. Thus, total income from personal Standing Orders increased in this FY to some 12% of the total receipts for the year, though Gift Aid recovered from HMRC during the year ending 31 Jan 2024 was unfortunately down from £18,220 in the FY ending 31 January 2023 to £15,651.
Nine churches continued to support ‘4H’ regularly via Standing Orders or regular Bank transfers in FY 20232024, contributing in total some 8% of the total receipts for the year, a figure that was up by about onequarter on the year. Other churches have given gifts during the year, some very generously indeed.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
As usual though, we are indebted most of all for our income to our ‘regular’ private financial supporters, plus occasional and ‘impulse’ individual donors, who together gave some two-thirds of all ‘4H’ income in 2023-24, either by cheque or, increasingly, by direct Bank Transfer.
Thus, the total income of the mission in FY 2023-24 was £131,683 compared with £147,526 in FY 2022-23, a fall of approx. 11 %, almost exactly in line with the steep rise in compound inflation during the year. Coupled with significant rises in many prices, this ‘double whammy’ has adversely affected the level of help we have been able to give across the board this year in ‘Greater Hungary’.
## **Support for improvements to church buildings**
The expenditure by ‘4H’ on Hungarian projects and ministries in 2023-24 was £128,746 compared with £149,755 in 2022-23. That was much lower than budgeted at the beginning of the FY, primarily because of the disappointments we have had in NE Hungary in respect of the two Roma Church building projects we had budgeted to support. In the event, we were unable to proceed with these because of completely unforeseen changes to Hungarian planning regulations that now seem to rule out the construction of ‘container churches’ in Hungary – whilst short distances away in Romania these are still permitted, and are easily the best general solution to the need for acceptable and affordable ‘starter church buildings’.
Thus, from our total expenditure in 2023-24, only approx. £29,500 went towards church building and improvement projects, some £45.5K less than originally planned. Meanwhile, good progress was made with some other church building projects, namely at:
**Beregszász (Ukraine):** In our reports on the previous two years, we described excellent progress in the largely Hungarian-speaking border town of Berégszász with the transformation of two centrally-located buildings and some adjacent land to serve its recently planted and growing new Hungarian Baptist Fellowship. Work on the rebuilt smaller structure that houses the main Worship Room has been completed, and despite the continuing hostilities further east in Ukraine, work on rebuilding the larger structure next door has now been completed too with financial help from ‘4H’. Alongside, an entirely new ‘Aid Store’ is now nearly finished, to service and support the needs of war refugees from further east in Ukraine.
**Pilisvörösvár (Hungary):** ‘4H’ had been aware for some years of the urgent need for proper church premises for a Baptist ‘church plant’ in this town NW of Budapest. During 2019 alone the Fellowship had to move their place of worship four times – not the best way to grow any congregation. Thus, ‘4H’ was glad to hear in the Spring of 2019 that building work had at last started on the planned new church building on a plot of land not far from the town centre. Work progressed well during that year, and with some additional financial help from ‘4H’ that Autumn, plus matching funds from the Hungarian Baptist Union, it was possible by that year’s end to roof and enclose the structure. Work continued on and off though 2020, as and when the pandemic allowed. Unfortunately, in 2021 the project was hit by delaying effects of the Covid pandemic that affected the availability and costs of both workers and materials. We were therefore very glad to see rapid progress being made on the site in the last few months of 2021, and to learn of a local government grant that was then unexpectedly secured.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
**Pilisvörösvár (Hungary):** This enabled good progress to be made on the main public areas of the new church building during 2022 and 2023 so that most of the work is now complete, and parts of the premises have recently come into regular use.
**Kőszeg (Hungary):** During 2020/21, there was exciting news about a new possibility in this small town very near the western border of Hungary with Austria, where a Baptist Fellowship that Dr Barrett knew from its start was planted in the town nearly 20 years ago. In the mid-1990s he made an initial visit to Hungary with a Practical Mission Team to help advance work on the house of the Kőszeg Lay Pastor and his family, including a severely cerebral palsied son. Sadly, the Fellowship was rendered ‘homeless’ in mid-2020 when the Music School in which it had been meeting on Sundays had to close at least temporarily because of Covid-19. More happily, in the autumn of 2020 we learned that a small restaurant in the town centre had also closed due to the pandemic – in this case permanently – and its building (the earlier ground floor retail area, plus an attic and basement) was up for sale. Responding to a request from the Hungarian Baptist Union, ‘4H’ was able and glad to make a substantial, indeed crucial, contribution to the purchase of those premises so they could become the new imaház (Prayer House) for the Kőszeg Baptist Fellowship. That purchase was completed just before Christmas 2020, along with the blessing of the Town Council for its proposed change of use. An onsite Thanksgiving Service was held there on 17 January 2021, and conversion work on it continued until early 2023. In June 2023 the Barretts were delighted to revisit the Fellowship, and find it now fully installed in their new church. They were also happy with the set of new chairs whose purchase had been made possible by a gift from a North Somerset church to ‘4H’ for that purpose. it is hoped that the town centre location of the new imaház will be the stimulus the Fellowship needs to grow further, and to raise its profile and range of ministries in the town and district.
**Possible New Roma Church Building Projects in NE Hungary:** Last year we reported that we were allocating substantial funds for providing much-needed new church buildings for growing Roma congregations in the large villages of Hajdúhadház and Mezőladány. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, our efforts to identify and supply suitably-configured ‘container units’ for those locations did not receive approval from the local planning departments. Thus, other arrangements have been made in Mezőladány, and in Hajdúhadház we are now pursuing the possibility of helping financially with the purchase of an existing property suitable for conversion into a church.
Some of the money earlier earmarked for Mezőladány has been given to the indigenous Hungarian-Roma orientated Keresztyén Cigánymisszió Alapítvány (KCA), with whom we have worked on other Hungarian Roma church projects in Romanian several occasions, to help fund an extension of the Roma Church building in:
**Érselénd:** necessitated by growth of the congregation in that place. A ‘4H’ Practical Mission Team in 2009 helped with the construction of the present church building, but further facilities are now needed in this large village. Plans have been drawn up, and work will begin as soon as the winter weather relents.
**Parhida (Romania):** In mid-2023 we became aware of the need for a new Hungarian Roma Church building in the border village of Parhida, and were glad to be able to make a financial contribution towards the cost of completing this structure, which was already about half built. It is expected that that building will be completed in the middle of 2024.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
## **Humanitarian Aid**
As in the two previous FYs, because of several and significant post-Brexit problems with access to the EU in general and Hungary and Romania in particular, we were unable and unwilling to prepare shipments of ‘Aid’ items until we learned from other agencies that the situation had radically changed. It has not done so yet. This is sad, for we still have potential donors of goods eager to give them to us, as well as having Hungarian organisations pressing us to send them more ‘Aid’ because the need continues to be pressing.
One piece of good news is that we were able during 2023 to send two further mobility scooters to a Hungarian Baptist Care Home in Szalárd, W. Romania, with the help of another Bristol-based mission that specialises in the supply of used medical equipment. We continue to hope that as time passes it will become easier to send general goods free from VAT and other import duties if sent from one Registered Charity to another as the regulations permit: unfortunately, we have found that so far these are not usually honoured in practice. We have yet to test in practice the agreement that the Hungarian Baptist Union in Budapest, Hungary have negotiated with Hungarian Customs to allow the VAT- and Duty-free entry of pallets of closelyspecified types of ‘Aid’ from ‘4H’ into Hungary for distribution by the HBU. Whilst simply preparing the paperwork for such activity is daunting, our chief sticking point at present is that the agreement insists that any item(s) entering Hungary import-duty free should be subsequently trackable within that country: a requirement that could weigh very heavily on ‘4H’ and the HBU, as well as any recipient of ‘Aid’ items.
## **Leadership Support**
We are glad that, in our FY 2023-24, ‘4H’ Directors were able to make as many visits to ‘Greater Hungary’ as in the previous two years, so they were able to give many further ‘love gifts’ to help support and encourage selected Hungarian pastors and pastors' wives whom they were able to visit in Hungary itself, Romania and Serbia, and some visiting Hungary from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the ‘4H’ ‘Young Workers Project' – by which we help the Hungarian Baptist Union make it possible for several young Christian leaders each year to begin or develop their ministries – continued apace. In 2023-24, ‘4H’ continued to part-support deaf worker Bokros Andrea (Hungary), and the group under her leadership has continued its internationally acclaimed pioneer ministry producing ‘deaf friendly’ videos of selected parts of the Bible, and some Bible-based dramas in Hungarian sign language.
We extended ‘4H’ part-support for indigenous Christian charity leaders Ficsor Donát and Barbara (Hungary), and a new helper whom they have been sheltering for some months as a refugee from Ukraine. We were also glad to be able to go on part-supporting dedicated Hungarian-speaking ‘missionaries’ Nagy-Kásza Dani and Ilóna (Ukraine); and Fülöp Áron and Mogi in Buda (Hungary); plus Roma Pastor Fogárosi Deszó (Akós,
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
## **Leadership Support**
We were glad that all five of the Pastoral Apprentices we were part-supporting in Hungary during the final year of their studies at the Baptist Seminary in Budapest in 2022-23 graduated successfully in the summer of 2023. Four have since been ordained into pastorates of their own, and the fifth to a youth pastorate of a large church, all in Hungary itself. In their place we are happy to have been able to take on the part support of five further Pastoral Apprentices under this on-going, successful scheme with the Hungarian Baptist Union. Soon we may also part-support Pastoral Apprentices in 2023-24 under a similar scheme with the Convention of Hungarian Baptist Churches in Romania.
## **Camps, conferences, retreats and other public meetings**
Although some summer Christian Camp activities have still not yet returned to pre-Covid levels, ‘4H’ was glad to be able to financially support for the fourth time a ‘Widows and Singles’ Camp/Conference in Romania, and for the third time a residential Mens’ Retreat in Hungary. It was a special privilege to also support a third ‘Cold Camp’ for Young People in Sub-Carpathian Ukraine, and a further ‘Hope Conference’ for disabled Hungarians in Romania that was held at the Hargita Christian Camp high in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. Similarly in 2023-24 it was possible to sponsor once again the annual Hungarian Pastors’ Family Camp, also held at Hargita.
Mention should also be made of the successful completion of the project initiated in FY 2022-23 to provide chapel facilities at the campsite at Örimagyárosd in western Hungary recently acquired for Hungarian Youth for Christ. The excellent tent purchased by YFC with a gift from ‘4H’ was opened for use in the Summer of 2023, and pronounced an immediate ‘hit’ by the first campers to use it. Dismantled and stored away at the end of the camping season, we are sure it will serve the campsite well for many years to come.
## **Field ministries**
Dr & Mrs Barrett, during their three ‘Field’ visits in FY 2023-24, were privileged to be asked to speak in numerous Hungarian-speaking universities, schools and public arenas across the Carpathian Basin, in addition to being involved as speakers in a significant number of church services too. At the same time, they had many pre-planned opportunities to discuss future projects with national church leaders, as well as numerous opportunities – both planned and unplanned -- to visit and encourage national workers at all levels of activity and experience.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
## **Literature preparation, production and distribution**
For us in this sphere of activity, 2023-24 was, of necessity on account of the many needs arising from the Ukraine war, a relatively quiet year, but one that witnessed some significant achievements, especially in respect of reprints of works we had published earlier:
**FIRST:** ‘4H’ was yet again able to purchase numbers of Hungarian Bibles and New Testaments, and Children’s Bibles at special discount prices from the Hungarian Reformed Church publisher Kálvin Kiadó in Budapest, and distribute them to churches, pastors and church planters in Hungary and Romania. Most notably, we received a request in February 2023 from the Hungarian Roma Christian Mission, KCA, for 200 Hungarian Bibles, to meet a need that had arisen because of recent conversions and church growth. We were happy we could meet that request, and deliver the Bibles to the KCA Office in Debrecen almost immediately.
**SECOND:** In the latter half of 2023 we reprinted for Örömhír Alapítvány, KCA and ourselves five of our publications from recent years, some for Christmas gifts, and some for more general use, viz.:
**Felhök szigete (‘The Island of Clouds’)** , primarily for younger teenagers, one of the winning entries in our First Competition with Örömhír Alapítvány in 2006. This Third Printing was of 2300 copies (total to date in Hungarian, 10,300 copies).
**Micsoda Védes (‘What a Save!’)** , by ‘4H’ Director, Eric Barrett, primarily for teenagers, boys and girls: Second Printing, 3000 copies (total to date in Hungarian, 7000 copies, and in English, 3000 copies).
**Arany ABC (‘Golden ABC’)** , an educational flipchart for young children, but one that is also widely used for helping teach Roma adults to read, Fourth Printing, 5,000 copies (total to date, 20,000).
**Bibliatörténet madártávlatból (‘Bird’s Eye View of the Bible’)** , one in our series of manuals originally written by Rev. Dr. Kovács Jószef for students at the several Bible Schools for Roma in Romania, but now used much more widely, including at the Bible Seminaries in Budapest (Hungary) and Nagyvárad (Romania). This Second Printing was of 1400 copies (total to date, 2900 copies).
**Keresztyén vagyok (I’m a Christian now’)** , another of the manuals written by Kovács Jószef. Third Printing, 800 copies (total to date, 4800 copies).
In every one of these cases, ‘4H’ paid the printing costs, and is the Copyright holder of the titles. The books are offered to churches and other Christian organisations free of charge.
**THIRD:** The one new title we published in 2023-24 was Drágakövek és szalmaszálak, the inspiring biography of a Hungarian builder, farmer and pastor who, along with his wife, adopted five tiny children and went on to have 12 children in total. We have printed 6000 copies of the Hungarian original, plus a further 1500 of the English translation by Eric Barrett (‘Gems and Straw’), many of which were sent to ‘4H’ Prayer Partners as Christmas 2023/New Year 2024 ‘thank-you’ gifts funded by Dr and Mrs Barrett.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
**FOURTH:** During 2023-2024, ‘4H’ continued its support for two Christian magazines produced by Hungarian churches in Romania, namely Eszter (for ladies) and Harmatcseppek (for children). We again arranged for some copies to be sent regularly to groups of Hungarian churches in Serbia and Ukraine, and are undertaking a review of the need for regular copies of these excellent periodic publications in Hungary itself too, a process that was originally delayed by the pandemic. Further, we have recently begun to support the preparation of Életjel (‘Life sign’), the now two-year old on-line magazine of Második esély misszió (the Second Chance Mission, Beregsász, Ukraine).
**FIFTH:** Last but not least in respect of support for literature ministries, we continued and completed the three-year plan initiated by the Trustees of ‘4H’ in 2021 to help improve the Library of the Hungarian Baptist Seminary in Nagyvárad (Oradea in Romanian). This entailed repairing and extending its premises (Stage 1); then updating its stock of books and modernising the computer workstations and printers available to the student community and their lecturers (Stage 2).; and lastly in FY 2023-24 we completed the project by further enhancing the Library’s stock of books, and its range of on-line and electronic resource materials (Stage 3).
## **Assisting refugees from the Ukraine War, and help for Hungarians who have been helping them**
In March 2022 Dr and Mrs Barrett happened to commence a visit to Hungary and Romania on a planned itinerary just two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. They were able to see for themselves the mass exodus of refugees that was already in process from Ukraine, and to meet personally some of those who were keen to get as far away as possible from the war zone – some even speaking of their wish to travel to Australia or Canada.
Impressed by the desire in Hungarian Christian circles to provide ‘safe and welcoming spaces’ for refugees, the Trustees of ‘4H’ quickly formulated a policy of financial support for five centres known to them where God’s love would be actively and practically shared with the refugees, who were mostly women and children, because men without three children under the age of 15 were being barred from leaving Ukraine. Four of the five centres were as follows:
## **1. Pericei Hungarian Baptist Church** in NW Romania.
**2. Hárgita Hungarian Christian Camp** high in the Carpathian Mountains of central Romania.
**3. Debrecen Baptist Church in NE Hungary** , the largest such church in the country, and not far from the Hungaro-Ukrainian border.
**4. Örömhír Alapítvány** , the ‘Good News Foundation,’ the indigenous Christian mission in central Hungary where ‘4H’ has a ‘base’ and book repository.
In every case we made special donations to help with the costs of providing ‘white goods’, food and clothing for the refugees, and in some cases improvements to the necessary accommodation and facilities to enable guests arriving unexpectedly to have a reasonable level of comfort during their stays. Two years on, all four of those centres still have refugee guests locally, but many of these guests have obtained temporary employment and no longer need to live in the churches or camp.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
Meanwhile, what of the fifth centre we were specially glad to be able to help? This was the Second Chance Mission in Berégszász, Ukraine, in that quite small area of ‘Sub-Carpathian Ukraine’ to the west of the 8000foot high Carpathian Mountains, and therefore relatively insulated from the devastating hostilities in the rest of the country to the east of that range -- though still affected by power cuts, air raid warnings and the severe financial consequences of the war on Ukraine’s economy. Many fleeing from the war zone itself do not wish to leave the country, and so have sought temporary respite in safer regions of it before hopefully returning to their homes at some point. Many of those refugees are still in SW Ukraine, praying for an end to the war.
One Hungarian missionary couple whom ‘4H’ has part-supported for some years past have headed up the team succouring refugees from further east, and we have been very glad to be able to help resource their amazing efforts to shelter, feed and comfort many such unexpected refugee guests. A recent development of their ministry is now focussed on and in the new ‘Aid’ centre that ‘4H’ has very recently helped finance (see above, under ‘‘4H’ support for improvements to church buildings’). The need to provide humanitarian and spiritual help to displaced persons within Ukraine itself has not gone away.
We are very grateful to those in the UK who have given generously to ‘4H’ so that support for those five refugee centres could be given –- and we are thrilled that there have been so many messages of appreciation for it. Even better, we know of many instances in which unexpected blessings were received by refugees, and by those caring for them, that would not have come about had the war never happened.
## **Team of helpers**
Throughout ‘4H’s FY2023-24, professional maintenance of the mission’s financial accounts has continued to be the responsibility of Mrs Libby Morris who was until recently a Member of Dr Barrett’s home church in Bristol. We are very grateful indeed to her for the cheerful and speedy way in which she gives her services, and for the great care with which she maintains the ‘4H’ accounts.
Another fellow church member, Philip Hodges, has continued to serve ‘4H’ as its Independent Auditor and Examiner, and we are grateful to him too for his voluntary service, so graciously given.
Most of the drafting of ‘4H’ documents, and the preparation of the final proofs of them for printing, continues to be undertaken by Dr Barrett, but many Hungarian –- and some English -- friends have helped when needed, especially with interpretation, translation and advice on advanced graphic design. Special mention must be made of local friend Mrs Sandy Watts for the cheerfulness, speed and accuracy with which she has continued to help by typing and retyping successive book manuscripts as translations are iterated from the original Hungarian into a form of English fit for publication.
Maintenance of the computers used for ‘4H’ in the office in the Barretts’ home in Clevedon remains a testing challenge, and this year we have needed help with this from several sources, some commercial, and some who are personal friends. We are grateful to them all for their vital help.
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## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **Objectives and Activities (continued)**
Other local friends and neighbours cheerfully help with the preparation of our quarterly mailings to Prayer Supporters, and in some cases with the distribution of such items too.
## **Overall Performance**
**In summary, 2023-24 quickly became yet another very challenging year for us. This was not only because of lingering after-effects of the global COVID-19 crisis, but also because of the continuing complexities and frustrations that BREXIT has brought; the ongoing war in Ukraine; and, more newly, the rapid rate of inflation in 2022 and 2023 that has hiked prices everywhere – and generally reduced the financial support for missions from the donor public. All the more we look to ‘Jehovah Jireh’, the ‘Lord Who provides’, to help us help those Hungarian churches and Believers who appreciate such encouragement so very much.**
**In addition to talks in public meetings, the Directors continue to share information on our current projects and ministries via quarterly mailings to those who have signified a wish to receive them, supplemented by additional information on our ‘Multipurpose Missions’ to those on our email contact list. The Directors respond by letter or email to those UK churches that ask for up-to-date topics for prayer, and personally acknowledge every gift that is received for the work.**
**The number of long-term supporters of ‘4H’ on our mailing lists continues to decline slowly, but we are glad to report that some new additions to them have been added in FY 2023-24. Overall, giving to ‘4H’ was down by some £16K in FY 2023-24 compared with the previous year, but we are very grateful to God, and to all our donors, for all the support they have given during difficult times for families and individuals everywhere. Because our expenditure during the year was less than expected on account of the unexpected Roma church building problems in NE Hungary, we have actually seen a slight increase in our available cash funds at the end of this year compared with the previous one. They continue to stand at a little under £210K. In view of the many uncertainties that face the world at the present time, we consider that holding such a reserve is both prudent and necessary, and we are thankful that our reserves will permit a very worthwhile programme of ‘help for Hungarians’ to be undertaken in FY2024-25.**
**In keeping with our long-established ‘business model’, a very high proportion of ‘4H’ income has once again been dispensed ‘in the Field’, with less than 3% spent on home office and ancillary costs. Once again we have spent 0% on staff, because ‘4H’ has no paid employees, and owns neither property nor equipment.**
**The Trustees of ‘4H’ are glad that, as testified by the achievements in ‘the Field’ that have been summarised above, much was achieved in 2023/24 despite the many national and international pressures under which we have had to operate. Many warm expressions of thanks received from Hungarianspeaking church leaders and others in the Carpathian Basin during this very challenging year testify to the effectiveness of our performance, and the blessing it has been to many.**
- 12 -
Helplng HIS Hungarlan Heroes
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
for the year ended 31 January 2024
Publk b•nefft
Workln8 closely with its UK supporters and Supporti churches. '4H' contlnues to advance ihe Christlan falth
In Hungary and in Hun8arian-sptakin8 regions of Romania. Sèrbia. Slovakia and south-west Ukraine by
provldln8 help and support foi Blble-bellevlng Churches and Chrlstlans where the need seems greatest, and
the potential benefits are most prornisin8.
In settin8, monitoring and frequently adjusting the detailed programmt of '4H' acttvities. our Trusteès
contlnue to give due consideration Io general 8uidance published by Ihe Charity Cornrnission relating to
publlc benefit. In 3 sentence. our Trust continues lo be essentially an 'enabling or8ani5at4on' that seek5 to
help Hungarian speakin8 Churches and Christ¢ans to achieve more of their own goa15 by enabling friends In
the UK and elsewhere to help them to do so.
Flnancl•l R•¥l•w
Thè flnan¢ial statements Of the Trust for the year ended 31 January 2024 ha been prepa on a recelpts
and payments basls and should be revlewed In conlunctlon with thls Tnjstee Report.
Income Is derived prlmailly from unrestritted and restriaed glfts fecelved from Individual stspporters and
churches. ExpendItU includes office administration and pftnting costs and field minisiry eosts associated
with travel to and Irorn Hun#arian speaklne countries to encourage and support church pastor5 and thelr
local inltlatlves.
'4H"5 total receipt5 in the year ended 31 January 2024 were £132,629 12023.. £147,526), and its total
payments were £128.74612023= £149.7551. fesultln8 In a nei surplus of £3.88312023.' net payments £2,229).
As at 31 January 2024 '4H"s cash fvnds were £210.079, comprlslng unrestricted general funds of £210,079
12023.. £206.1961 and Ttrkled fund5 of £Nil12023: £Nill.
R•ser¥es Polkv
As stated above. Ihe Trustees are committed to maintainin# an adequate level of reserves for general funds.
Because of this, the Trustees can contlnue to actlvely seek opportunities for '4H' 10 SUPPOrt Hungarian.
speaklng church initiatives in the artas of church buildin8 and restoration prgjects, literature projects,
pastoral support and supporting youth and dlsabled Chrlstlan carnps.
Ded•rJtlon
The
ruste
Report was approved ty the Trustees and signed on their behalf bv..
and
Dr Eric
8arrett
Chairperson
rs Rosemary J 8arrett
Secretary
Date
13-
## **Helping His Hungarian Heroes**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS for the year ended 31 January 2024**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**Receipts**
Donations, legacies and other similar receipts
113,378
Interest received
5,740
**_Sub total_**
**119,118**
**Asset and investment sales, etc.**
**-**
**_Total receipts_**
**119,118**
**Payments**
Church building projects
24,450
Literature projects
37,438
Pastor support
26,596
Disabled support
3,062
Camps & Subsistence
9,013
Response to Results of Ukraine War
4,049
Field ministry expenses
6,456
Printing, postage and stationery costs
3,486
Sundry costs
-
Bank charges
685
**_Sub total_**
**115,235**
**Asset and investment purchases, etc.**
**-**
**_Total payments_**
**115,235**
**Net receipts / (payments)**
**3,883**
Transfers between funds
-
Cash funds last year end
206,196
**Cash funds this year end**
**210,079**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
13,509
-
**13,509**
**-**
**13,509**
50
1,200
-
9,612
-
2,647
-
-
-
-
**13,509**
**-**
**13,509**
**-**
-
-
**-**|**2024**
**Total**
**£**
126,887
5,740
**132,627**
**-**
**132,627**
24,500
38,638
26,596
12,674
9,013
6,696
6,456
3,486
-
685
**128,744**
**-**
**128,744**
**3,883**
-
206,196
**210,079**|**2023**
**Total**
**£**
146,281
1,245
**147,526**
**-**
**147,526**
44,850
16,675
31,823
4,210
9,752
31,866
5,707
4,030
-
842
**149,755**
**-**
**149,755**
**(2,229)**
-
208,425
**206,196**|
|---|---|---|---|
- 14 -
Helping HIS Hungarian Heroes
RECEIPT5 AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS
lor the year ended 31 January 2024
STATEMENT OF ASSEfs AND UABILITIES
As at 31 January
2024
2023
Total
Tot•1
Vnr*strlcted Restrlctrd
lunds
nd5
Cash funds
COIF CharStles Deposlt Fund
SBC Bank PLC
74.916
135.163
74,916
13S.163
71,641
134.555
TOtalsbfvd5
210.079
210.079
206.196
Oth*¢ monetary Jssets
Gift aid recoverable Irom HMRC
12,931
12,931
15,594
Investmefit *ssets
Ass•ts r•taln•d ft>r Ihe charltys own u
Llabllltles
Supplier accounts not yet pald
The flnan
ements were approved by the Trustees and 5i8ned on their behalf by:
on
Dr Erlc C Barrett
Chairperson
Oatè ts. Y a.i
15-
Helping His Hungarian Heroes
REPORT OF THE INDEPENOENT EXAMINER
TO THE TRUSTEES OF HELPING HIS HUNGARIAN HEROES
I report on the financial statements of Helpin8 His Hungarian Heroes for the year ended 31 January 2024
which are set out on pages 13 and 14.
Respecttve responslblllttes of trustee5 and examlner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The charity's trustees
consider that an audit is not required for this year under settion 144 of the Charities Act 20111.the Charities
Act") and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to..
examine the financial statements under sertion 145 of the Charlties Act,.
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission
nder sectSon 1451511bl of the Charities Act: and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basls of the Independent examlner's Statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with the Beneral Directions given by the Charity Commlss10n.
An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the
financial statements presented with those records. It also includes tonsideration of any unusual items or
disclosures in the financial financial statements. and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning anv
such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an
audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the financial statements present a 'true and fèlr,
view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent e¥amlner's statement
In connection with my examination. no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to
believe that in any material respert:
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act- or
the financial statements did not accord with the accounting record5- or
the financial statements did not comply with the applicable requirements ¢oncemin8 the form
and content of financial statements set out in the Charities (financial statements and Reports)
Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a 'true and falr,
view which is not a matter considered a5 part of an irhdependent examination.
I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn
in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
P E Hodges CPFA
Independent Examiner
74 Cottrell Road
Bristol B55 6TN
Sl8ned=
Date..
16-