CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER 05354231 CHARITY NUMBER 1110782
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
CONTENTS
| Contents | Page | |
|---|---|---|
| Company Information | 2 | |
| 3 - | 14 | |
| Report of the Independent Examiners | 15 | |
| Statement of Financial Activities (Including Income and Expenditure Account) | 16 | |
| Balance Sheet | 17 | |
| Cash Flow Statement | 18 | |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 19 | 30 |
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CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
REPORT
| REPORT | |
|---|---|
| Company number | 05354231(England and Wales) |
| Charity number | 1110782 |
| Trustees/Directors | Rowena Loverance (Chair of Trustee Board and |
| Convenor of Enabling Group) | |
| Mr Richard Bradbury (Vice-chair of Trustees and Deputy | |
| Convenor until October 2020) | |
| Mrs Amanda Allchorn | |
| Revd Stephen Fowler | |
| Mr William Gabb (until October 2020) | |
| Mrs Doral Hayes | |
| Dr. Elizabeth Joy | |
| Mr James Laing (Treasurer) | |
| Revd David Lavender (Company Secretary) | |
| Miller (Vice-Chair of Trustee Board and | |
| Deputy Convenor of Enabling Group from October 2020) | |
| Bishop Moses Owusu-Sekyere | |
| Revd Dr Callan Slipper | |
| Maddy Thomson (from October 2020) | |
| Fr. Nephon Tsimalis (from October 2020) | |
| Victoria Turner (from October 2020) | |
| Company Secretary | Revd David Lavender |
| Chief Executive Officer/General Secretary |
Revd Dr Paul Goodliff |
| Registered Office | 27 Tavistock Square |
| London | |
| WC1H 9HH | |
| Bankers | CAF Bank Limited |
| 25 Kings Hill Avenue | |
| Kings Hill | |
| West Malling | |
| Kent | |
| ME19 4JQ | |
| CCLA Investment Management Ltd | |
| COIF Charity Funds | |
| 80 Cheapside | |
| London | |
| EC2V 6DZ | |
| Epworth Investment Management | |
| 9 Bonhill Street | |
| London | |
| EC2A 4PE | |
| Independent Examiners | Knox Cropper LLP |
| 65 Leadenhall Street | |
| London | |
| EC3A 2AD |
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CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
REPORT (CONTINUED)
The Trustees present their annual report with the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020. The accounts comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Financial Reporting Standard 102 and follow the recommendations in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
ABOUT CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND
Churches Together in England (CTE) is the national body set up by the churches in 1990, and has partner bodies in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is the successor body to the British Council of Churches, and acts in part as a Forum in which the concerns of the four National Ecumenical Instruments can be shared.
The Member Churches of CTE are: Churches and Denominations with a national presence; Unions of Churches; and Associations or Councils of Churches with a national presence. Member Churches are expected and entitled to make an active contribution to the life of Churches Together in England, to develop its fellowship, to guide its policy and to contribute financially. Local churches and congregations are encouraged to join their local 'churches together' grouping, or if appropriate their County/Intermediate Body.
At a national level CTE has 48 Member Churches or Councils of Churches and a similar number of Bodies in Association. The numbers continue to grow. Churches are also continuing to develop ecumenical commitment locally and at Intermediate (County) level.
CTE is a visible sign of the Churches' commitment as they seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another. It also provides a vehicle to proclaim the Gospel together by common witness and service. Its strength comes from people from different ecclesial traditions and cultures finding new ways to work and worship together.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
CTE is a company limited by guarantee (company number 05354231) and a registered charity (charity number 1110782). The governing instrument of the charitable company is the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
There are six Presidents of CTE: The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, The Free Churches Moderator, a representative of the Orthodox Churches, a representative of the Pentecostal Churches and a President nominated by the Religious Society of Friends and the Lutheran and German-speaking Churches. The Presidents meet regularly to discuss matters of concern to the churches in England. Their meetings are facilitated by the General Secretary of CTE. In June 2002 the then Presidents signed a Personal Covenant to seek a common understanding of Christ's message of salvation in the Gospel; and to work towards the visible unity of the Church of Jesus Christ in the one faith in the presence of HM The Queen, at Windsor. This has subsequently been signed by the new Presidents.
The Forum is a triennial meeting of CTE that provides an opportunity for people representing churches at local, intermediate and national levels to meet. It serves as a place where the current work of CTE is celebrated and affirmed and general fresh directions are discerned. The functions of the Forum are: to engage in worship and discussion; to recommend to the Member Churches such matters as it believes should be addressed jointly; to support and encourage Intermediate Bodies in their role as the servants of their participating churches; and to share its reflections on the activities and future programmes of CTE. The Forum does not have other roles in the governance of CTE. During 2018 the Forum met during September, fulfilling those purposes.
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The Members of the charity, with other ecumenical representatives, comprise the Enabling Group. To enable the widest possible participation in the shaping of the life and work of CTE the Enabling Group draws together representatives of Denominations, Bodies in Association and regional representatives of the Intermediate Bodies. Every member of the charity undertakes to contribute up to £10 to the f the dissolution of the charity.
The Enabling Group has the legal responsibilities in the governance of the charity for electing the Trustees and electing the chair of the Trustees. Its responsibilities also include: the admission and classification of members of the charity; agreeing procedures at general meetings and meetings of the Trustees; receiving the annual report and accounts of the Trustees; and appointing Independent Examiners.
The Enabling Group is a reference point for Member Churches and other representatives for making decisions together which are proper to them (where necessary referring matters back to the Member Churches) and for responding to initiatives from the Forum, Member Churches and Intermediate Bodies and enabling those initiatives to be carried out by the churches in consultation with one another. The Enabling Group may make recommendations to the Trustees and comment upon their operation, but tions. The Enabling Group meets twice a year.
Being a company limited by guarantee, there is a Board of Directors who also act as the Trustees of the registered charity. The members of the charity elect the Trustees. The Trustees manage the business of the charity and are responsible for: ensuring that the charity is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for which it has been set up; ensuring that the charity complies with charity law, and with the requirements of the Charity Commission, that the charity does not breach any of the requirements in its governing document and that it remains true to the charitable purpose and objects set out there; acting with integrity, and avoiding any personal conflicts of interest or misuse of the chari
Trustees may enter into contracts, appoint and employ staff, determine staff pay and conditions of service. The Trustees may appoint an honorary treasurer. The Trustees endeavour to consult the Enabling Group and to inform it of their decisions. They arrange the agenda of the Enabling Group, which the Enabling Group is free to amend.
The Trustees meet at least three times a year. They are mostly elected because they already have the necessary experience of being a Trustee and/or director within their denomination. Time is given new to the work of the company meet with the General Secretary. Where required, formal training or advice from consultants is given. The Trustees (who are also Directors) who served during the year were:
Rowena Loverance (Chair of Trustee Board and Convenor of Enabling Group) Mr Richard Bradbury (Trustee until October 2020 and Deputy Convenor until October 2020) Mrs Amanda Allchorn Revd Stephen Fowler Mr William Gabb (until October 2020) Mrs Doral Hayes Dr. Elizabeth Joy Mr James Laing (Treasurer) Revd David Lavender (Company Secretary) (Vice-Chair of Trustee Board and Deputy Convenor of Enabling Group from October 2020) Bishop Moses Owusu-Sekyere Revd Dr Callan Slipper Maddy Thomson (from October 2020) Fr. Nephon Tsimalis (from October 2020) Victoria Turner (from October 2020)
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CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
REPORT (CONTINUED)
The day-to-day management of the company is delegated to the General Secretary, Revd Dr Paul Goodliff, who reports to the Trustees and is managed by the Convenor. There are five full time staff members and two part-time staff members.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
In compiling this report, the Trustees have given due regard to the public benefit guidance as issued by the Charity Commission.
As a charity, CTE is committed to the advancement of the Christian religion, the promotion of religious harmony, and promoting co-operation, joint working, and greater efficiency amongst its members. We intent to reconcile all people and the whole of creation to himself under Christ as head. That is a vision which encompasses peace and cohesion, mutual respect and self-giving love.
We work out our public benefit in a number of ways. It is primarily done through the service which we offer to our members (as detailed below). However, we also contribute to the creation of social capital and community cohesion by bringing together Christians of differing ethnicities and theological persuasions, and by providing resources which assist them to create relationships with neighbours of other faiths and beliefs.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
accordance with the statement of faith given below, the relief of poverty and the advancement of education and any other purposes which are charitable according to the law of England and Wales.
o (NRSV)
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
After a very full year of consolidating the work of previous years, it was agreed that in 2020 Churches Together in England would concentrate upon establishing a new Strategic Plan for 2020 and thereafter. In addition to the usual meetings for governance (Trustee Boards and Enabling Group) and the sustaining of relationships (Bodies in Association and the Pentecostal Forum), so much of the work anticipated at the start of the year was affected profoundly by the Covid-19 pandemic that initially brought a nation-wide lockdown in March, gradually eased during the late Spring and summer, only to be implemented afresh in the autumn with the prospects for the damage caused by the pandemic seeming to be deepening as the year drew to a close, with fresh severe restrictions upon social and economic life.
Churches Together in England responded with its member churches in flexible and rapid ways. Public worship closed with the first national lockdown throughout England, and was briefly re-imposed in November (with lobbying by church leaders and the General Secretary preventing such a move afresh when the Tier-4 restrictions were imposed on 19[th] December. A weekly meeting on zoom with ecumenical figures began in March, and continued until the summer, when it reverted to a monthly meeting. Church leaders and the General Secretary, together with Dr Joe Aldred, took the opportunity to meet with various Government ministers and civil servants as invited, and overall the pandemic has served to reset the relationship between church and Government in a more collaborative way.
The work to renew our website began late in the year, working with the media organisation CPO in discussing our aims and values. This work will be completed in 2021.
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Relationships
other as disciples of Jesus Christ, but are also diverse in their styles of Christian worship, theology and spirituality. This reflects the relational heart of ecumenism, and it is why relationships remained at the deepening collaborative mission and evangelism between member churches is at the forefront of its concerns. This was challenged in a severe way with disagreements about the status of equal marriage, but the depth of relationships held the fellowship of churches together, with grace and patience exercised on all sides.
The meeting in March took place just prior to the lockdown and concentrated on issues of broad societal change in the light of Brexit, led by Dr Malcolm Brown from the Church of England and the implications for the churches of the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, with a presentation by The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation. In October the second Enabling Group was conducted online via Zoom, and included the Annual General Meeting, followed by presentations and discussion on racial justice and on intermediate ecumenism, together with Bible studies that informed reflection on living in a post-Covid world.
In 2020 we approved the applications for membership by Neighbourhood Prayer Watch, World Vision UK, Church Mission Society, Faith in Later Life and Kick-UK to became a Body in Association.
Website and Social Media
website project. We also launched our Facebook account.
Our new CTE coronavirus web hub hosted a wide range of content under four sections: Guidance, Resources, Stories and Church reflections. This included 17 diverse Member Church Coronavirus reflections collated for our June 2020 CTe-News.
A highlight in 2020 was the Candle of Hope call for a National Day of Prayer and Action on Sunday 22 March, ahead of the Coronavirus lockdown. From 1 March - 17 April 2020, the call to prayer statement received 48,158 unique page views. Unique page views for our site as a whole rose from 12,739 in February 2020 to 94,642 in March 2020.
In the run up to the day of prayer, we used the opportunity to launch CTE on Facebook on 19 March, and by the end of the year 1,204 people had liked the page. Social media content has included videos on prayer from CTE Presidents and Trustees.
We continue to Tweet ecumenical news and good news stories from across the churches via our Twitter account @ChurchesEngland , which had more than 2,500 followers by the end of the year. In the 15 months from June 2019 to September 2020, our Twitter followers increased 46% (from 1,701 to 2,476). We retweet content from many of our 50 Member Churches and the numerous county and local Churches Together groups across the nation, as well as sharing resources from our sister ecumenical instrument, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and initiatives such as Thy Kingdom Come.
We have arranged two webinars for Couny Ecumenical Officers/Bodies in Association to develop their effective use of social media.
On our website we have shared more than 150 articles on ecumenical news or stories of churches working together in unity. This has included stories of churches uniting to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, to host outdoor services, to pray together and to hold remembrance services for those grieving.
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REPORT (CONTINUED)
We also collated a range of content on , including collating church and CTE racial justice officers from the churches, and stories of churches working locally to tackle racial injustice, including in Nottingham and Luton. Our Presidents also released two statements on racial injustice, in June and July.
More than 1,660 people received our monthly e-newsletter CTe-News by the end of the year (up from 1,516 in October 2019).
In 2020 our website www.cte.org.uk received 297,906 unique page views (compared to 144,891 the previous year the significant increase being largely due to the Candle of Hope national call to prayer content). This is an average of 814 unique page views per day (up from 397 in 2019).
The most popular pages were the Candle of Hope national call to prayer in March, our home page, the coronavirus funerals and wedding information page, the Prayers of Hope page (encouraging continued statement in July, and our Member Church information.
The new website project is well underway, with the aim of launching in the summer of 2021. We are excited about include an interactive map allowing people to select a region and access details on the Intermediate Bodies/CEOs in that area; an expanded local unity section including a new Flexible Framework toolkit; a new mission section, including a mission research library (hosting a range of Masters and PhD dissertations on missional topics); a press centre (aimed at journalists); an A-Z resources index and advanced search functionality.
Ecumenical Relationships
Pentecostal, Charismatic Churches and Multi-cultural Relations.
During 2020 the Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum met twice, and planned a 24 hour conference for June, postponed due to Covid-19 to 2021, and again to 2022 due to continuing uncertainty related to the pandemic.
A major change to this work arose with the retirement of Bishop Dr. Joe Aldred in October 2020, and the recruitment of his successor to the role of Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multicultural Relations, more fully described below. Ms Shermara Fletcher took up her post on 1 March 2021.
CTE Presidents engaged with the issues of racial justice highlighted by the death of George Floyd in May 2020, entering into a listening process with black Christians, including a young black people, and called for greater racial justice in church and society. The Trustees agreed to establish a CTE Racial Justice Working Group, the parameters of which were agreed at the October Board, and implemented - at its first meeting in February 2021. Sekyere have been appointed co-chairs of this.
Ecumenical Officers and Intermediate Bodies
Ecumenical Officers are the backbone of local ecumenism and are vital to English ecumenism. At Intermediate level, ecumenically appointed officers (usually referred to as County Ecumenical Officers -- CEOs) work alongside their denominationally appointed counterparts (Denominational Ecumenical Officer DEOs), dealing with all sort of queries and providing encouragement and support to local ecumenism. They are supported by National Ecumenical Officers (NEOs), appointed by their Churches at national level, who resource and train them in collaboration with Jenny Bond, CTE's Principal Officer for Intermediate Ecumenism, Governance Support and Resources.
Normally NEOs meet twice a year. In 2020 the January meeting took place in Manchester. Two months later, when it was clear that Covid-19 required a national lockdown, CTE called together the National
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Ecumenical Officers to compare notes, on Zoom, and to decide how best to proceed. These Zoom meetings took place weekly until the summer when it was possible to reduce their frequency to weekly. They quickly became a four nations forum and until the summer were chaired alternatively by CTE and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. At the beginning, the main task was to convey to our smaller Member Churches the importance of closing their buildings but over the months many issues were discussed, some of which were relayed to the Westminster Government, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly. The meetings continued throughout 2020 and into 2021.
The enthusiasm shown for these meetings prompted us to offer similar meetings to County Ecumenical Officers, though they were not all focused on Covid. As CEOs are part-time, some of them with very limited hours, or voluntary, these meetings have not been as frequent.
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The first, on 1 April, did focus on the Coronavirus situation. CEOs shared how they and others around them were feeling, the challenges of the situation and also the new opportunities. The meeting was very well received and involved CEOs who are normally unable to attend face-to-face meetings.
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The second meeting continued that focus. This time CEOs spoke of the way technology had been used and community built during Eastertime. They also reflected on the disproportionate effect of Covid on BAME communities.
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A further Zoom meeting focused on social media and was a training session on how best to use it.
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At the meeting on 19 May, CEOs reported region by region on the activities of their Intermediate Bodies and a huge amount of mission activity was revealed. The issue of church closures was also raised, with many pointing out that some congregations will not survive the financial implications of lockdown. It was suggested that this was something which Church Leaders at Intermediate level could best address, ensuring ecumenical collaboration in decisions about which churches to close permanently.
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On 25 September further training on social media was offered to CEOs. 'Getting the most out of Twitter' was a joint event for them and for CTE's Bodies in Association.
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29 September saw the first of two meetings in response to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The aim of this first one was to help CEOs understand the issues and be more aware of the need for change and for practical actions. Alton Bell, chair of the Movement for Reconciliation and Justice, spoke on the history and the philosophical root of racism and Dionne Gravesande, Senior Ecumenical Relations Manager at Christian Aid, helped us to understand microaggression/white privilege/white supremacy.
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A follow-up meeting on 9 December reflected on the first meeting and considered how to move forward and how to work out what actions were needed. Among these, it was pointed out that a clear diversity policy (covering gender and age as well as race) would be worth putting in place to help Intermediate Bodies keep an eye on how well they are doing. Akin to this was to look at the composition of committees and governance bodies. The importance of education and awareness was also stressed, both as something CEOs could do by themselves (eg by reading) and also something that Intermediate Bodies could consider, given that one of the unique abilities of ecumenical instruments is to create an ecumenical space where people can gather. It was noted that it might be possible to put on a county event or create a county reading group or perhaps do something at a regional level. More importantly, the need to listen to people's experience of injustice was recognised. It was clear that this is a challenging area and it was agreed to have another Zoom meeting on the topic after about six months to encourage and support CEOs in this important area of work.
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These Zoom meetings have been important to support CEOs both personally and in their work, developing relationships and sharing information in order to enable CEOs to work better in their Intermediate Bodies.
The annual training course for new Ecumenical Officers and facilitators was held as usual in 2020. This is one of the most established pieces of work held under the auspices of CTE. It is a joint enterprise between CTE and the National Ecumenical Officers with responsibility for DEOs. Jenny Bond, our Principal Officer for Intermediate Ecumenism, Governance Support and Resources, works with them to deliver the course with the support of Lorraine Shannon, our Operations Manager.
While there were no induction sessions for new CEOs in 2020, Jenny Bond continued to support and engage with Intermediate Bodies which were in the process of advertising for and appointing replacement CEOs. An induction session for them was planned for early 2021.
Unsurprisingly, the scheduled conference for all Ecumenical Officers was not able to go ahead in 2020 but NEOs have taken the decision to plan for a residential conference in 2021.
National Ecumenical Officers continued to work with A Flexible Framework for Local Unity in Mission and in 2020 published a Toolkit to sit alongside it. This Toolkit provides an easy-to use framework helping local churches to collaborate with confidence and flexibility, developing the right agreement for their joint venture such as a holiday club, mission event, messy church, homeless shelter or community café. It guides readers step by step, helping them decide which type of agreement would work best for their local group. It points to the key questions to ask and the practical steps to follow. A Flexible Framework and its toolkit is designed to help local ecumenical groups to collaborate with confidence, prudence and flexibility. The content was produced by the Baptist, Church of England, Methodist and United Reformed Church (URC) National Ecumenical Officers, working with a volunteer group of County Ecumenical Officers and CTE staff. The toolkit document was designed by the URC Communications Department.
Another piece of work allied to the Flexible Framework toolkit is to re-visit and update the materials relating to a Formal Declaration of Ecumenical Welcome and Commitment. Jenny Bond worked in 2020 to ensure that these are fit for purpose and all of these, apart from the Catholic documents, have been updated and are on the CTE website.
During 2020 CTE Trustees worked on formulating strategic aims for the work and one of these is to find new ways to support intermediate and local ecumenism. This led to a great deal of work to map CEOs and Intermediate Bodies for key and current information about them in order to inform accurately this area of work.
As part of this work, CTE has committed to visit all Intermediate Bodies between 2020 and 2013. Zoom has facilitated this enormously, with most of the visits which took place in 2020 being made by Jenny Bond, CTE's Principal Officer for Intermediate Ecumenism, Governance Support and Resources, by Ben Aldous, CTE's Principal Officer for Mission and Evangelism, and by Paul Goodliff, CTE's General Secretary. In particular, Jenny Bond was invited to some meetings of regional Church Leaders to report on what CTE was doing particularly in relation to the pandemic and to issues of racial justice.
CEOs have always been encouraged to meet in regional groupings for support, encouragement and information sharing. In 2020, Jenny Bond put in a considerable amount of work to re-encourage these meetings, ensuring that all CEOs were able to meet in viable groupings. Zoom has been a real boon here and she was able to accept invitations to attend some of these regional meetings.
2020 saw a new CTE initiative: Re-Imagining Intermediate Ecumenism. This began in the summer with Paul Goodliff, CTE's General Secretary, and Jenny Bond, CTE's Principal Officer for Intermediate Ecumenism, Governance Support and Resources, working with the NEOs for the Baptist Union of Great
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Britain, the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the United Reformed Church. The following meetings were held in 2020:
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A national meeting with one key Church Leader from those Churches involved at Intermediate level and also with representatives of CTE's Pentecostal Forum.
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A meeting between Paul Goodliff and Jenny Bond with Church Leaders, CEOs and DEOs in Yorkshire. Originally planned as a separate project which was rendered impossible by Covid restrictions, this meeting has now been included in the Re-Imagining process.
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CTE's Enabling Group meeting held in September 2020 received a presentation and a report on this process and it is planned to report further in March 2021.
A meeting is planned early in January 2021 of the whole Re-Imagining team and North West Church Leaders, CEOs and DEOs. East Midlands CEOs have indicated their willingness for a similar meeting in their region and the working group will continue its work in 2021 to engage with Church Leaders in all the regions of England, and to identify and share new and imaginative patterns of work.
Staff and Trustees
CTE would be unable to work as well as it does without the good relationships within the Board of Trustees, within its staff, and between the two bodies. CTE staff meet once a month in London for staff meetings, have a weekly Skype conversation and meet for a 24 hour residential meeting each January. During 2020 Bishop Dr. Jo
instruments, predominantly Churches Together in England, and we appointed Ms Shermara Fletcher as his replacement, and she will take up her post in March 2021. Joe Aldred had made a huge contribution to the ecumenical life of England, and brought his networking and academic skills to the role, retiring as one of the most significant ecumenists of his generation, in recognition of which in 2019 he received the award of The Lambeth Cross.
The Trustee Board served the organisation in many ways, especially in seeking a way forward with the challenges presented by the Fourth Presidency. Rowena Loverance continued to server as Convenor, and at the October AGM Mr Richard Bradbury retired as Enabling Group Deputy Convenor, and was
Ecumenism is sustained and developed by this complex web of relationships and networks, and we are grateful to all who have worked with us in 2020.
Mission and Evangelism
The first strategic aim of CTE is to inspire member churches to work more closely together in mission, and this aim has been pursued in 2020, which, for all its challenges and anomalies proved to be a of mission and evangelism.
Co-ordinating groups that generally meet 3 or 4 times a year at the CTE Tavistock Square offices in Euston all transitioned to digital platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft teams fairly seamlessly. In fact, the transition to virtual meetings enabled those who would face a long journey and were thus often prohibited from attending an opportunity to join us.
Co-ordinating groups committed to a rhythm of a virtual gathering twice a year with a contextual gathering in a particular location to explore that community on the other occasion.
(deputy general secretary of the URC) and gathers leaders with the portfolio in mission and evangelism three times a year. More engagement from YFC, The Bible Society, EA and other parachurch organisations was welcomed and a strengthening of representatives from member churches was encouraging. A significant gathering just before lockdown in October saw about 15 members of the
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group gather at St Pantelimons in Harrow to hear the new Archbishop Nikitas of the Oecumenical Patriarchate on his vision for evangelism.
The Group for New Housing Areas saw the induction of a new chair in Penny Marsh. The group established a sub committee under the leadership of Ali Boulton from New Housing Hub to explore the potential of a New Housing Summit in 2020 with a number of webinars planned in the run up. The group heard from Paul Bradbury from CMS on leadership and Sue Steer from New Lubbesthrope on the progress of the work in that Estate.
The Churches Rural group also saw two new chairs in Simon Mattholie and Claire Maxim and continues to be an encouragement to those in rural settings.
A new group called the Mission Research Network was established as a co-ordinating group bringing together missiologists and educators from member churches theological institutions meeting 4 times a year. The network desires to create a robust, vibrant, critical and independent mission research nother new group the Urban Mission Alliance looks set to be established in 2021.
25[th] -26[th] March 2020 was supposed to see the inaugural Learning to be Missionary Disciples Conference taking place at High Leigh. The 1[st] national lockdown postponed that and subsequently it was rebooked for November. Due to continuing restrictions the conference was moved online. It was wonderful to welcome 70 participants to the Learning to be Missionary Disciples conference held virtually via zoom on the 25[th] and 26[th] November. Although we could not meet in person, as we hoped, it was a rich time of learning together. During the two days people gathered representing over 20 of our Member Churches , alongside charities, mission agencies, youth organisations, theological institutions and ecumenical bodies of various kinds - national, regional, intermediate (county-level) and local. Certainly, had we held the conference physically we would not been able to draw such a range of people. Joel all the virtual meetings this year, meeting with the CTE family to explore the idea of being missionary disciples in a Covid climate was one of my most meaningful events. A second conference in November 2021 is scheduled.
There was a general sense that during the pandemic more organisations were looking to establish deeper relationships. An informal but substantial relationship with yourneighbour.org and the organisation behind it The Good Faith Partnership continues to develop in 2021.
Theology
Jenny Bond, CTE's Principal Officer for Intermediate Ecumenism, Governance Support and Resources, is a member of the national committee of the Society for Ecumenical Studies and in 2020 was proactive in enabling them to hold several Zoom webinars, some but not all, on Covid related topics. These were advertised on the CTE website and CEOs encouraged to attend. Further webinars are planned for 2021.
Alongside the other CTE nominee, Ann Clifford (from Pioneer), Jenny Bond continues to work with the writers' group preparing the material for the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 2020 this work was disrupted by Covid and was largely done in-house by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. There are plans to reconvene the group in 2021.
Governance issues and general remarks
The Theos report, delivered in July 2017 continues to set the broad parameters of the work of the staff and Board of Churches Together in England, and throughout 2020 Trustees developed the new Strategic Plan, presented to member churches for their engagement at the October 2020 Enabling Group. This will now, in its subsequent iterations, direct the priorities of Churches Together in England as an ecumenical instrument, and it is hope, shape the collaborative work of its member churches.
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REPORT (CONTINUED)
The Enabling Group appointed three new Trustees in 2020, deepening the representation from Orthodox and New churches and welcoming a young ecumenist from the United Reformed Church. Evaluation of representation in terms of ethnicity, gender, tradition and skills/experience was maintained throughout the year, and in general, we believe that we are representative of the churches.
The Board, through its Finance Committee, continue to exercise careful financial control as they enter (as planned) a period of deficit financing. That is sustainable in the short term, but clearly not in the long term, and after engaging with Member Churches about that during 2019, revised subscription amounts were invited for 2020 from those member churches which contribute relatively small subscriptions. This process was generally approved by member churches, setting the finances for 2021 on a stable footing. During the year we concluded negotiations about a large pension debt owed upon the retirement of Dr David Cornick, a minister of the United Reformed Church and a member of its pension scheme, (a sowere reimbursed for some £25,000 of those financial liabilities during 2020 with our partner organisation, The Free Churches Group, and are grateful to them for their willing participation in this financial burden.
We continue to work in partnership with the Inter-Faith Network of the United Kingdom, the British Trust for Tantur, the Gather network and the Evangelical Alliance, Hope Together and the National (amongst others) as well as the other National Instruments and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. In particular, Jenny Bond is a member of the writers' group for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, convened by CTBI. Joe Aldred remained an Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University and Paul Goodliff an Associate Research Fellow at Group in its third round of meetings. Theological Foundation.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
CTE is committed to developing working arrangements with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and the National Instruments in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and also with the Free Churches Group A regular meeting between the General Secretaries of the five instruments continued in 2020, meeting once in early March in Glasgow, and thereafter by zoom.
Financial stability has been enabled by careful management of expenditure, a sustained level of support from member churches, and a new subscription levy of £50 pa applied to those organisations that are CTE Bodies in Association. Both new Bodies in Association joining in 2021 and a small number of new member churches will aid this stability.
The major mission conference described above was to be held in March, but the pandemic postponed that until November, when it was conducted on-line, and successfully so.
It is anticipated that the work on a Strategic Plan for 2020 completed in the third quarter will be endorsed by member churches, and woven into their own strategies, in 2021, and this will guide the working priorities for both staff and Trustees from henceforth.
2020 marked the 30[th] anniversary of the establishment of Churches Together in England, and plans that we would be marking this with a service of celebration for all the various ecumenical groups, local, intermediate and national, in England in the year was cancelled because of Covid-19.
CTE's Forum
Bringing together over three hundred representatives of CTE's Member Churches, Intermediate Bodies, Co-ordinating Groups and Bodies in Association, CTE's Forum is the broadest representative ecumenical gathering of Christians in England. Planning for this began in 2020, was disrupted by the pandemic but is due to begin again in 2021.
12
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
REPORT (CONTINUED)
RISK REVIEW
The Trustees undertake each year a wide-ranging appraisal in order to identify the major risks to which the charity is exposed. Steps are taken with a view to mitigating these risks as far as is reasonably possible.
The Trustees are aware that the continued financial stability of the charity relies on contributions from Member Churches and Intermediate Body subscriptions and to some extent on donation income. They believe that the time-frames for which such income is reasonably assured is satisfactory, and that expenditure linked to grant income is also managed along similar time-frames, so as to mitigate these risks so far as possible.
Professional Indemnity insurance is purchased at a cost to the charity to protect the charity and its Trustees.
CTE places a great importance on health and safety matters and undertakes to conduct its operations in such a way as to safeguard the health and safety of all its employees, visitors and the general public. To this end CTE has endeavoured to create and develop a working environment in which there is an awareness to the vital importance of health and safety. This encourages all staff to participate in developing and practicing safe working methods and to have regard for the welfare of themselves and others. CTE has a certified first aider amongst its employees. Staff training and consciousness-raising is regarded seriously.
CTE is aware of the implications of the full implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act in all its activities. Staff have been made aware of, and are required to implement, the data protection principles. CTE is registered with the Information Commissioner.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The result for the year is shown in the Statement of Financial Activities on page 16 and is considered satisfactory by the Trustees. The surplus in the year on the General Fund of £23,302 (2019: £49,549 ) leaves the general fund with a balance of £521,847 (2019: £498,545) which the Trustees consider adequate to provide the charity with stability and enable longer term planning.
INVESTMENT POLICY & PERFORMANCE
-term surplus funds, including designated and restricted funds, in the highest possible interest-bearing accounts consistent with the objects of the charity,
Long-term surplus funds are placed in quoted investment funds as set out in note 9. Investment performance was disappointing but this was in line with a significant downturn in the market at the year end.
RESERVES POLICY
It is the policy of the Trustees to ensure that the charity has adequate reserves to enable it to meet both its ongoing commitments in regard to general charitable activities, and its future funding requirements. The Trustees require as reserves a minimum meet any contractual and winding-up costs.
At the year end the charity held restricted funds of £2,356 (2019: £2,356 ), designated funds of £249,993 (2019: £233,044 ) and general funds of £521,847 (2019: £498,545 ) of which £Nil (2019: £Nil) is represented by tangible fixed assets. The Trustees consider the current level of reserves to be appropriate for the present situation and requirements of the charity, and will continue to review the overall position and policy at regular intervals. The Special Projects Fund is intended to be expended over the next 3 to 5 years.
13
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
REPORT (CONTINUED)
INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS
Knox Cropper LLP were appointed as Independent Examiners of the Charity at the last Annual General Meeting and a resolution proposing their reappointment will be put to the next Annual General Meeting.
accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law), nited Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, of the company for that period.
In preparing those financial statements, the directors are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
examiners are unaware. The directors have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken in order independent examiners are aware of the information.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
On behalf of the Board
Rowena Loverance (Convenor/Chair) Dated: 23[rd] September 2021
14
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS TO THE MEMBERS OF CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Churches Together in England for the year ended 31 December 2020 set out on pages 16 to 30.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the required by charity or company law to be audited and have chosen instead to have an independent examination.
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of ICAEW which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
-
the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and 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 accounts to be reached.
Shoaib Arshad FCCA, ACA Knox Cropper LLP Chartered Accountants
65 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 2AD Date:.23[rd] September 2021
15
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
16
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102.
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2020.
The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
-
(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
-
(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and were signed on its behalf by:
James Laing, Director Company Number: 05354231
Date: 23[rd] September 2021
17
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Components of cash and cash equivalent Cash held with investment managers Cash at bank and in hand Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year |
At 1 January 2020 £ 349,569 136,783 486,352 |
Cashflows £ (2,214) 10,257 8,043 |
At 31 December 2020 £ 347,355 147,040 494,395 |
|---|---|---|---|
18
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
1) Accounting Policies
a) Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under historical cost convention with the exception of investments which are included at market value. The presentational currency of these financial statements is Pounds Sterling (£). Churches Together in England meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.
b) Going Concern
After making enquires, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue its activities for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements as outlined in the Statement of 4.
c) Grants receivable, donations and subscriptions
Grants receivable, donations and subscriptions are recognised in the period when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income has been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
d) Investment income
Investment income is recognised on the receipts basis.
e) Grants paid
Grants paid are recognised on a payments basis.
f) Resources expended
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Costs are split between categories based on staff time.
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake osts associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the costs relevant to the strategic management of the charity.
g) Pension costs
minational and other pension schemes, including The Pensions Trust (see below), and are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they are incurred.
The Pensions Trust Growth Plan is in most respects a money purchase arrangement, but does include certain guaranteed benefit elements. The Plan is a multi-employer scheme. As such it is not possible in the normal course of events to identify the share of the underlying assets belonging to the individual participating employers, and accordingly, in accordance with section 28 of FRS102, is also accounted for as a defined contribution scheme with contributions being recorded as they become payable.
19
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
Where the scheme is in deficit and where the charity has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement, the liability for this obligation is recognised as the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement.
h) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less the estimated residual value of each tangible fixed asset over its expected useful life as follows:
i) Office furniture - 10% / 20% straight line ii) Office equipment - 20% straight line iii) Computer equipment - 50% / 33% straight line
All assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised.
i) Listed investments
Listed investments are initially recognised at their transactional value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing market value. Realised and unrealised gains are disclosed in the Statement of Financial Activities.
j) Funds
Unrestricted funds are incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general fund. Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for a particular purpose. At the decision of the Trustees, previously designated funds may be transferred back to unrestricted general funds without further specified purpose. Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of costs.
k) Financial Instruments
The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments, these being cash at bank, debtors and creditors (see notes 10 and 11). Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
l) Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents in the Balance Sheet comprise cash at bank and in hand and short term deposits with an original maturity of three months or less. For the purpose of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash and cash equivalents are as defined above net of outstanding bank overdrafts if they exist.
m) Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty
No judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have been made in the process of applying the above accounting policies that have a significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.
20
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
2) Grants and Donations
| Grants and Donations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations: Grants: Contributions from Member Churches Total |
General 2020 2020 £ £ 7 - 1,000 - 359,540 - 360,547 - Designated Unrestricted Funds |
Funds 2020 £ - - - Restricted |
Total Funds 2020 £ 7 1,000 359,540 |
Total Funds 2019 £ 74 350 348,440 |
|
| 360,547 | - | - | 360,547 | 348,864 |
Comparative grants and donations
| Comparative grants and donations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations: Grants: Contributions from Member Churches Total |
General 2019 2019 £ £ 74 - 350 - 348,440 - 348,864 - Unrestricted Funds Designated |
Funds 2019 £ - - - - Restricted |
Total Funds 2019 £ 74 350 348,440 |
Total Funds 2018 £ 16 20,583 347,140 |
| 348,864 | 348,864 | 367,739 |
3) Charitable Activities
| Comparative income from charitable activities General 2020 2020 £ £ 11,800 7,000 Conference fee income (1,982) 10,000 Sales of publications - - 21,720 - Miscellaneous income 445 - Total 31,983 17,000 Subscriptions from intermediate bodies Contribution to former employees pension deficit Unrestricted Funds Designated General 2019 2019 £ £ 9,450 7,000 Conference fee income 19,480 9,955 Sales of publications 1,075 - Miscellaneous income 139 - Total 30,144 16,955 Unrestricted Funds Designated Subscriptions from intermediate bodies |
Comparative income from charitable activities General 2020 2020 £ £ 11,800 7,000 Conference fee income (1,982) 10,000 Sales of publications - - 21,720 - Miscellaneous income 445 - Total 31,983 17,000 Subscriptions from intermediate bodies Contribution to former employees pension deficit Unrestricted Funds Designated General 2019 2019 £ £ 9,450 7,000 Conference fee income 19,480 9,955 Sales of publications 1,075 - Miscellaneous income 139 - Total 30,144 16,955 Unrestricted Funds Designated Subscriptions from intermediate bodies |
Comparative income from charitable activities General 2020 2020 £ £ 11,800 7,000 Conference fee income (1,982) 10,000 Sales of publications - - 21,720 - Miscellaneous income 445 - Total 31,983 17,000 Subscriptions from intermediate bodies Contribution to former employees pension deficit Unrestricted Funds Designated General 2019 2019 £ £ 9,450 7,000 Conference fee income 19,480 9,955 Sales of publications 1,075 - Miscellaneous income 139 - Total 30,144 16,955 Unrestricted Funds Designated Subscriptions from intermediate bodies |
Funds 2020 £ - - - - - Restricted |
Total Funds 2020 £ 18,800 8,018 - 21,720 445 |
Total Funds 2020 £ 18,800 8,018 - 21,720 445 |
Total Funds 2019 £ 16,450 29,435 1,075 - 139 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,983 | 17,000 | - | 48,983 | 47,099 | |||
| Funds 2019 £ - - - - - Restricted |
Total Funds 2019 £ 16,450 29,435 1,075 139 |
Total Funds 2018 £ 16,800 42,913 - 6,858 66,571 |
|||||
| 47,099 |
Comparative income from charitable activities
21
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
4) Investments
Comparative investments
| Comparative investments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Listed Investment Use of premises Bank interest received Total |
General 2019 2019 £ £ 8,126 - 100 - 2,421 - 10,647 - Unrestricted Funds Designated |
Funds 2019 £ - - - Restricted |
Total Funds 2019 £ 8,126 100 2,421 |
Total Funds 2018 £ 3,791 - 2,509 |
|
| 10,647 | - | - | 10,647 | 6,300 |
22
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
- 5) Expenditure: Charitable activities
23
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
5) Expenditure: Charitable activities (continued) Comparative expenditure: Charitable activities
| Staff welfare, training and recruitment Travel expenses Insurance Conference expenses Investment management fees Website Bad debts Total Support costs Governance Costs Independent Examination Fee Other Governance costs Total Governance costs Total Legal fees, HR and financial consultancy Computer consultancy and running costs Charitable activities Staff costs: Office costs Total Staff costs Support costs: Rent |
General 2019 2019 £ £ 246,132 - 246,132 - 15,000 - 16,855 - 7,965 - 3,005 - 22,064 - 4,459 - 14,170 - 35,001 27 80 - 810 - (2,445) - 116,964 27 72 - 5,143 - 5,215 - 368,311 27 Unrestricted Funds Designated |
General 2019 2019 £ £ 246,132 - 246,132 - 15,000 - 16,855 - 7,965 - 3,005 - 22,064 - 4,459 - 14,170 - 35,001 27 80 - 810 - (2,445) - 116,964 27 72 - 5,143 - 5,215 - 368,311 27 Unrestricted Funds Designated |
Funds 2019 £ - Restricted |
Total Funds 2019 £ 246,132 |
Total Funds 2018 £ 347,168 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 246,132 | - | - | 246,132 | 347,168 | |
| 15,000 16,855 7,965 3,005 22,064 4,459 14,170 35,001 80 810 (2,445) |
- - - - - - - 27 - - - |
- - - - - - - 738 - - - |
15,000 16,855 7,965 3,005 22,064 4,459 14,170 35,766 80 810 (2,445) |
14,125 14,769 10,475 4,638 21,462 4,297 17,800 83,995 320 - 3,180 |
|
| 116,964 | 27 | 738 | 117,729 | 175,061 | |
| 72 5,143 |
- - |
- - |
72 5,143 |
2,460 6,935 |
|
| 5,215 | - | - | 5,215 | 9,395 | |
| 368,311 | 27 | 738 | 369,076 | 531,624 |
6)
None of the Trustees were remunerated or received pension benefits.
Expenses reimbursed to Trustees for travel, subsistence and conference expenses were £1,286 (2019: £2,437).
- 7) Staff Costs
No employees received remuneration greater than £60,000.
24
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
7) Staff Costs (Continued)
| Staff Costs (Continued) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Direct charitable activities Management and administration Total The average number of employees (including 2 who are part-time) during the year was: |
2020 Number 5.0 2.0 |
2019 Number 3.0 2.0 |
| 7.0 | 5.0 |
All staff are entitled to receive pension contributions. Pension contributions for the current year are after recognising the movement in the deficit reduction funding provision for the year as analysed in note 12. This was a release of £2,369 in the current year (2019: release of £21,876).
Key Management Personnel
Key management personnel are those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the charity, directly or indirectly, including any trustee (whether executive or otherwise) of the charity. The key management personnel of Churches Together in England are the Trustees and the General Secretary.
Total compensation paid to key management personnel in the year amounted to £54,406 (2019: £53,248).
8) Tangible Fixed Assets
| Cost Depreciation At 1 January 2020 Charge for the year At 31 December 2020 Net Book Value At 31 December 2020 At 31 December 2019 At 31 December 2020 At 1 January 2020 |
Office Equipment £ 2,776 |
|---|---|
| 2,776 | |
| 2776 - |
|
| 2,776 | |
| - | |
| - |
25
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
9) Investments
The UK listed investments are as follows:
| 10) Debtors 11) Current Liabilities: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year Other debtors Prepayments Total Other creditors Tax and NI creditor Accruals Total |
2020 £ 38,736 1,548 |
2019 £ 252 1,474 |
|---|---|---|
| 40,284 | 1,726 | |
| 2020 £ 11,710 5,555 2,544 |
2019 £ 8,405 6,165 - |
|
| 19,809 | 14,570 |
26
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
12) Pension Obligations
a) The Pension Trust Growth Plan
Past and some current employees of CTE are entitled to membership of the Pension Trust Growth -employer pension plan which in most respects is a money purchase arrangement, although it does include certain guarantee elements as described below.
Contributions paid into the Plan up to and including September 2001 (Series 1 and Series 2) were converted to defined amounts of pension payable from normal retirement dates. From October 2001 contributions were invested in personal funds which have a capital guarantee and which are converted to pension on retirement, either within the Plan or by the purchase of an annuity.
The rules of the Plan give the Trustee the power to require employers to pay additional contributions in order to ensure that the statutory funding objective under the Pensions Act 2004 is met. The statutory funding objective is that a pension scheme should have sufficient assets to meet its past service liabilities, known as Technical Provisions.
A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2017. This valuation showed total scheme assets of £794.9m, liabilities of £926.4m and a deficit of £131.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme. During the year this amounted to £3,447 (2019: £3,347) in respect of CTE.
The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 scheme liabilities. From 1 April 2019 to 31 January 2025: the additional contributions will be £3,551 per annum (payable monthly and increasing by 3% each on 1st April).
Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using an appropriate discount rate of 0.27% (2019: 1.13%). The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.
27
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
13) Funds
Unrestricted funds are incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for a particular purpose.
The Forum represents funds earmarked by the Trustees to meet the cost of an event called The Forum which is intended to be run every three years.
The Special Project Fund has been established to provide support for small projects run by CTE and capacity building within Churches Together groups.
The They Also Served Fund has been set up for a project to explore the Black African and Caribbean contributions of servicemen and women during the First World War.
| Comparative statement of funds Balance at 1 January £ Unrestricted Funds: General funds 448,996 Designated funds: - Forum 16,089 200,000 Total designated funds 665,085 Restricted Funds They also served 3,094 Total Funds 668,179 Windrush Commemoration Special Projects Fund |
Income £ 389,655 - 16,955 - |
Expenses £ (368,311) (27) - - |
Gains £ 28,232 - - - |
Transfers £ (27) 27 - - |
Balance at 31 December £ 498,545 - 33,044 200,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 406,610 | (368,338) | 28,232 | - | 731,589 | |
| - | (738) | - | - | 2,356 | |
| 406,610 | (369,076) | 28,232 | - | 733,945 |
28
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14) Analysis of net assets between funds
Comparative analysis of net assets between funds
| Unrestricted Funds General funds Designated funds: Forum Special Projects Fund Total designated funds Restricted Funds They also served Total Funds |
Tangible Fixed Net Current £ £ £ - 278,012 220,533 - - 33,044 - - 200,000 - - 233,044 - - 2,356 - 278,012 455,933 Investments |
Tangible Fixed Net Current £ £ £ - 278,012 220,533 - - 33,044 - - 200,000 - - 233,044 - - 2,356 - 278,012 455,933 Investments |
Tangible Fixed Net Current £ £ £ - 278,012 220,533 - - 33,044 - - 200,000 - - 233,044 - - 2,356 - 278,012 455,933 Investments |
Total £ 498,545 33,044 200,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 233,044 | 233,044 | |
| - | - | 2,356 | 2,356 | |
| - | 278,012 | 455,933 | 733,945 |
15) Operating lease commitments
At 31 December 2020 the charity had no (2019: nil) annual commitments under operating leases.
29
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
16) Comparative Statement of Financial Activities by fund type
| Net Incoming/(Expenditure INCOME Donations and legacies Charitable Activities Investments Total expenditure Net Income/(Expenditure) before gains/(losses) on investments Gains / (Losses) on investments Total EXPENDITURE Charitable activities |
General Designated 2019 2019 £ £ 348,864 - 30,144 16,955 10,647 - 389,655 16,955 368,311 27 368,311 27 21,344 16,928 28,232 - 49,576 16,928 Unrestricted Funds |
General Designated 2019 2019 £ £ 348,864 - 30,144 16,955 10,647 - 389,655 16,955 368,311 27 368,311 27 21,344 16,928 28,232 - 49,576 16,928 Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds 2019 £ - - - |
Total Funds 2019 £ 348,864 47,099 10,647 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 389,655 | 16,955 | - | 406,610 | |
| 368,311 | 27 | 738 | 369,076 | |
| 368,311 | 27 | 738 | 369,076 | |
| 21,344 28,232 |
16,928 - |
(738) - |
37,534 28,232 |
|
| 49,576 | 16,928 | (738) | 65,766 |
17) Related Party Transactions
There are no related party transactions during the year.
30