Progressive Christianity Network Britain Registered Charity No: 1102164
Annual Report & Financial Report 1[st] January - 31[st] December 2020
Registered address
26 High Street, Newnham, Gloucestershire, GL14 1BB
The Progressive Christianity Network Britain
Registered Charity No : 1102164 Governing Document Constitution adopted 22[nd] September 2003, and amended 19[th] January 2004, 12[th] November 2005, 24[th] October 2009 and 20[th] April 2013 Object of the Charity The advancement of the Christian Religion in such exclusively charitable ways as the trustees in their absolute discretion see fit. Main activities i. Promoting a way of living consistent with the 8 points and with a progressive, inclusive, open approach to religion. ii. Supporting groups of PCN members and non-members to explore a progressive understanding of Christianity. iii. Supporting and encouraging members of the Progressive Christianity Network, both those whose faith is lived out within the community of church as expressed in mainstream denominational Christianity and those outside of any such organised institutional Christian framework. iv. Networking, conferencing and providing forums for open debate about all aspects of Christianity, including interaction with people of other faiths. v. Engaging in discussion and negotiation with members of different Christian denominations, promoting agendas and understandings that are both liberating and radical. vi. Developing and encouraging progressive Christian congregations and communities.
vii. Promoting membership of PCN Britain
Address: 26 High Street, Newnham, Gloucestershire, GL14 1BB Bankers: The Co-operative Bank Independent Examiner David Ferguson Trustees for the period of this report :
Chair Adrian Alker Vice chair: Paul Onslow Secretary: Sandra Griffiths Treasurer: Peter Stribblehill Martin Bassant Dave Coaker Simon Cross Ian Geere Sue Hobley Jenny Jacobs Mo Lawson-Wills Naomi Nixon (from September 2020) Tony Sanchez
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Chair’s Report on the Network in 2020 by Adrian Alker
This annual report, reflecting upon the work of PCN since the Spring of 2020 can be like no other because of the Covid 19 pandemic. As we were preparing to hold our annual meeting in March 2020 in London, about to launch our films to an audience of members and guests, the country went into lockdown. Since then, our groups have ceased to meet in homes or halls, our conferences have been postponed and the trustees have met only on Zoom. So first of all, may I say, that as a network of friends, we have shared times of sadness, loss, loneliness and frustration. Yet as friends do, we have tried to support each other and have learnt new ways of continuing our work as a movement for change.
We were saddened to hear, early on in the pandemic, of the death of a loyal and highly regarded member of our West Yorkshire PCN group. Many of our older members have found their daily lives greatly restricted until the recent vaccination programme. And so we acknowledge that last year was indeed an ‘annus horribilis’ for so many.
However, PCN has come through the year in remarkably good shape. First of all I wish to pay tribute to our group convenors who, in the majority of cases, maintained their group contact through a programme of Zoom meetings, seeing new possibilities of contact with others and offering new opportunities for meetings alongside the face to face gatherings we all long to see resumed. During those long months of restricted travel in 2020, I had the pleasure of meeting most of our convenors individually on Zoom and this has
been followed by meetings on Zoom of groups of convenors, listening and gaining ideas from each other. This might never have happened in normal circumstances.
Whilst it has been disappointing not to have been able to show our five films to gathered audiences, nevertheless groups and individual members have been able to watch them on their laptops and tablets and this has proved to be a boon in lockdown. We are now hoping that we can proceed with the making of our sixth film and we hope, if finances allow, to commission further films. ‘Made of Stories’ has proved to be a wonderful set of resources and it was pleasing to see a very full commendation of the films in the Church Times.
It has been frustrating to have to cancel our conferences in York on the theme of science and religion and also the final Marcus Borg memorial conference in Birmingham. However, like so many organisations across the world, we have now successfully turned to online webinars, having already hosted Brian McLaren, Julian Baggini and in prospect Dom Crossan and Deshna Shine.
All of this activity is only possible because of the work of trustees, our administrator, media editors and others in PCN. So first of all I want to thank my fellow trustees. During the year we welcomed as a co-opted trustee the Revd Naomi Nixon, Chief Executive of the Student Christian Movement (SCM). We hope that this will forge a greater closeness to the world of younger Christians.
Despite the pandemic and the interruption to businesses, we have maintained the production of Progressive Voices, our quarterly magazine. PV continues to be one of the most important means of sharing ideas and communicating with members and others and we are so indebted to the hard work and creative energy of Dave Coaker our editor. In addition to PV we felt that many of our members in lockdown would appreciate more regular contact with others in our network and so a weekly bulletin was begun, with contributions from members sharing their experiences, their highs and lows during the pandemic. This has now transformed to a monthly bulletin.
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The bulletin means extra work for Sarah Guilfoyle, our administrator and here I want to offer the thanks of all of us to Sarah for her unstinting work to our organisation. Despite all the other demands on her time as a busy parent, Sarah has added the organisation of webinars and zoom meetings to her portfolio of skills and we occasionally get to see glimpses of Ada who tells us about her days at nursery!
The importance of social media and online information is a given and we thank Janis Knox, Peter Bellenes and Peter Gamston for their work regarding Facebook, Twitter and the website. During 2020 our web developer, Pete Eveleigh, undertook a major rebuild of the PCN site and we now have a much more lively home page to attract visitors. Our resources section grows and more and people continue to borrow DVDs through the service offered by our librarian, Jess Lee.
The Trustees have met rather more than usual because of the ease of shorter Zoom gatherings and have decided that in future two of our meetings will be held on Zoom alongside our two residential meetings, thus saving costs and a modest contribution to the environment. In the last twelve months we have attended to a risk assessment in connection with the ongoing viability of PCN; the policy on the underwriting of events has been updated, as has the policy in regard to the editorship of PV. Peter Stribblehill continues to provide the other trustees with wise and thoughtful guidance and advice in regard to our finances and Christine Whitworth has continued with the patient work of minuting our meetings.
Another new initiative, thanks to Zoom, has been the meeting online of those PCN members in ministry, where we can share our challenges of being progressive thinkers in churches which may or may not be always on our wavelength! Recently members have been telling of their thoughts about church going after the pandemic is over and the sharing of experiences of church offers scope for further thought and action.
PCN has always sought to work collaboratively with others and our series of booklets under the title ‘Together in Hope’ was a shining example of such cooperation. With the ending of that particular venture, the trustees agreed that those booklets should be made freely available as online resources for groups to use and can now be found on our website. One door closes and another opens...and so a new collaboration has appeared under the title ‘Power in Partnership’, whereby PCN, Modern Church, Inclusive Church, One Body One Faith, SCM and Open Table Network have pledged to work closer together on matters of major importance.
Finally, what of the future? The pandemic still reverberates though 2021. Greenbelt is cancelled for this year and it may well be the autumn before our groups reconvene. But in some ways PCN is now better than ever equipped to offer on line events; our groups can look forward to a mixed economy of online and ‘real meetings if they so wish. Membership remains high and enthusiastic and in an increasingly fragile and vulnerable church scene, PCN continues to offer the challenge to be open minded, open hearted, honest and explorative as we share that ongoing search for meaning in the complexities of human existence. Thank you to all our members for making PCN what it is!
Adrian Alker, Chair, May 2021
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Financial Report for the Year Ending 31 December 2020
1. Summary
The accounts for 2020 have been prepared on the accruals basis. They are prepared on the basis that the trustees are confident that PCNB is a going concern, able to meet its financial obligations and commitments for the next twelve months.
The accounts comprise the income and expenditure for the Year and a balance sheet.
The accounts show a deficit for the year of £4,866 with balances at the year end on the General Funds £31,269 and Restricted Funds £1,542.
The accounts show that membership receipts were a little lower than in 2019 although the number of members was steady over the year. No events took place due to Covid-19.
The deficit on publications is considered below.
The accounts reflect major developments during the year; the first five short films were issued and there has been significant expenditure on website development.
In view of the Covid-19 disruption, I have amplified my comments this year.
2. Marcus Borg Memorial Fund
The planned October conference in Birmingham was postponed due to Covid-19. It has been rearranged for October 2021.
3. Events
As the Covid-19 lockdown started before the AGM, the event was cancelled along with all other conference activity for the year. Receipts for a conference in York were returned with the date rearranged for 2021. Some expenditure was made on the Borg Memorial Conference and the Members' Weekend but this is all held over with the amounts shown as other debtors on the balance sheet.
4. Publications
In spite of some disruptions, we were able to produce all 4 editions of PV using different printers with a slight increase in cost. No new publications were produced during the year so ongoing sales were at a reduced level.
5. Website
Around £2,000 was spent on upgrading the website during the year. After this work, the annual cost of maintaining the site and other IT issues should be around £1,300 - £1,500
6. Development
The Social Media Editor continues to work about 4 hours a week maintaining our media presence. The first short films were produced and released during the year providing a useful discussion resource for our local groups during lockdown, as well as their wider exploitation. The balance of £3,423 from 2019 was used in 2020 with the rest of the expenditure met from general funds.
7. Operating costs
Various of these were much reduced due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Trustees met by Zoom apart from one meeting at Swanwick. This meant much reduced travel and accommodation costs for the rest of the year. We have discussed the ongoing use of Zoom when normality is resumed; although it may continue to play its part, is was recognised that actual meetings have a tremendous value for full discussion.
Bank charges were much reduced this year. These relate to payments for various items using PayPal or Stripe. In the absence of any events, these charges have mainly been on membership renewals where members use that method of paying.
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8. Surplus / Deficit
At first sight, the deficit of £4,866 may look alarming. However £3,423 of that was met by last year's reserve for film expenditure, leaving a deficit of £1,443 on the General Fund. As discussed above, we have also replaced our website during the year at considerable cost, whilst making savings on management committee costs and bank charges. Whilst we don't organise events purely to raise money, they usually do provide an overall surplus and this didn't happen in 2020. This makes any firm conclusions difficult to establish but it is considered that the finances continue to be on a firm footing with no cause for alarm.
During the year we reviewed our Reserves Policy; with general reserves of £31,269, around 150% of our annual subscriptions they are considered to be more than adequate for our requirements. We also created a Financial Risk Register which identified our main risk as being falling income due to our increasing age profile and not being able to replace members who leave the Network. We consider that our activities such as film production, Media Editor and our continuing range of events all help to raise our profile and help mitigate this risk.
Peter Stribblehill, Treasurer, February 2021
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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner Basis of independent examiner’s statement Independent examiner's statement Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body: Address: |
Progressive Christianity Network Britain | Progressive Christianity Network Britain | Progressive Christianity Network Britain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31stDecember 2020 | Charity no (if any) |
1102164 | |
| Eight and Nine | |||
| The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: • examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, • to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and • to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any 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 accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: • to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and • to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Date: 17/05/2021 |
|||
| 17/05/2021 | |||
| David Ferguson | |||
| Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland | |||
| Chennel Cottage, Ripon Road, Killinghall, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 2AY | |||
| Section B Disclosure | |||
| No disclosures or qualifications |
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Progressive Christianity Network Britain Income and expenditure for the Year Ending 31 December 2020
| Membership and Donations Subscriptions Donations - general Gift Aid Memorial Fund (Restricted Fund) Donations Events Income / Expenditure - ticket events Income / Expenditure - non ticket Publications Sales Publication costs Newsletter costs Website Development Projects Media Editor Film Project Grants / Donations Gift Aid Production Expenditure Interest Received CCLA Operating Costs Admin salaries Insurance Management Committee expenses Other costs Bank Charges Depreciation Cash Surplus for Year |
2020 Income Expenditure Net £ £ £ 20,380 - 20,380 240 - 240 4,058 - 4,058 |
2,019 | Note 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net | |||
| £ | |||
| 20,998 | |||
| 1,225 | |||
| 3,378 | |||
| 24,678 - 24,678 |
25,601 | ||
| 0 0 |
|||
| (200) | |||
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
|||
| 725 | |||
| 97 | |||
| 0 0 0 |
822 | ||
| 379 379 (222) (222) 165 (4,695) (4,530) (3,357) (3,357) |
|||
| 975 | |||
| (749) | |||
| (4,126) | |||
| (2,541) | |||
| 544 (8,274) (7,730) |
(6,441) | ||
| (2,134) (2,134) 105 105 16 16 (5,145) (5,145) |
|||
| (1,833) | |||
| 18,035 | |||
| 1,013 | |||
| (15,625) | |||
| 121 (7,279) (7,158) |
1,590 | ||
| 53 - 53 |
|||
| 114 | |||
| 53 - 53 |
114 | ||
| 0 (11,924) (11,924) (423) (423) (1,678) (1,678) (441) (441) (243) (243) 0 0 |
|||
| (11,312) | |||
| (455) | |||
| (4,946) | |||
| (892) | |||
| (439) | |||
| (300) | |||
| 0 (14,709) (14,709) |
(18,344) | ||
| 25,396 (30,262) (4,866) |
|||
| 3,142 |
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Progressive Christianity Network Britain Balance Sheet at 31 December 2020
| Funds Balance at 1 January Net receipts for Year Balance at 31 December |
31/12/2020 General Fund Memorial Fund Joint Event Film Fund Total £ £ £ £ £ 32,712 654 888 3,423 37,677 (1,443) 0 0 (3,423) (4,866) |
31/12/2020 General Fund Memorial Fund Joint Event Film Fund Total £ £ £ £ £ 32,712 654 888 3,423 37,677 (1,443) 0 0 (3,423) (4,866) |
31/12/2020 General Fund Memorial Fund Joint Event Film Fund Total £ £ £ £ £ 32,712 654 888 3,423 37,677 (1,443) 0 0 (3,423) (4,866) |
31/12/2020 General Fund Memorial Fund Joint Event Film Fund Total £ £ £ £ £ 32,712 654 888 3,423 37,677 (1,443) 0 0 (3,423) (4,866) |
31/12/2020 General Fund Memorial Fund Joint Event Film Fund Total £ £ £ £ £ 32,712 654 888 3,423 37,677 (1,443) 0 0 (3,423) (4,866) |
2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| 34,535 | ||||||
| 3,142 | ||||||
| 31,269 | 654 | 888 | 0 | 32,811 | 37,677 |
| Balance Sheet Assets Co-operative Bank CCLA Stripe Gift Aid Other Drs / Prepayments Office Equipment Total Liabilities Membership in advance Other Cr / Accruals Total Net Assets |
31/12/2020 £ 12,957 20,206 1,687 880 830 0 |
2019 |
|---|---|---|
| £ | ||
| 16,535 20,153 2,581 1,234 0 |
||
| 0 | ||
| 36,560 | 40,503 | |
| 3,624 125 |
||
| 2,468 358 |
||
| 3,749 | 2,826 | |
| 32,811 | 37,677 |
Adrian Alker, Chair Peter Stribblehill, Treasurer
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