## Connect Church Maidstone
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 August 2023
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
**YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 1st Floor, MSCC Titchfield Road Maidstone Kent ME15 8FX GOVERNING DOCUMENT Trust Constitution adopted 12 March 2007 (as amended on 29 April 2019) CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1119213 TRUSTEES Leon Mileham Peter Farmer David Evans (resigned Sept 2023) James Holland Jane Shankar BANKERS Royal Bank of Scotland, Maidstone Barclays Bank PLC, Kent INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB **INDEX** Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-4 Trustees' Report Page 5 Independent Examiner's Report Page 6 Receipts and Payments Account Page 7 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 8-9 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
1st Floor, MSCC Titchfield Road, Maidstone **T** 07757 129136 Kent ME16 8XY **E** office@connectchurchmaidstone.org.uk
## **Annual report for the year ending 31[st] August 2023**
Registered Charity No. 1119213
## **Purpose**
- The advancement of the Christian faith in the UK and overseas
- The advancement, for public benefit, of Christian teaching and other learning
- The relief of the poor, sick, disabled and homeless
## **Organisation**
Nationally a member of the Evangelical Alliance.
Locally is a part of Maidstone Churches Together.
CCM has its own team of leaders who meet on regular basis on church and charity matters.
CCM meet in a hired hall at the Maidstone Skills and Community Centre (MSCC), it also has a rented office at MSCC and occasionally uses other rented premises for its various activities.
## **Staffing**
As of 31[st] August 2023 CCM has one full time employee, and two part time employees.
- Leon Mileham is employed full time as CCM’s Pastor/Minister.
- Karen Kamundi is employed part time as CCM’s Administrator.
- Esther Barnes is employed part time as CCM’s Youth Pastor.
- Donna Farmer was employed part time as CCM’s CAP Debt Coach, until March 2023, when she resigned, but continued her CAP Debt Coach role on a voluntary basis.
CCM does fund occupational pension scheme through the government’s workplace pension scheme, this started in November 2016.
All other work carried out on behalf of CCM is on a voluntary basis.
## _**Activities during the year**_
- The various activities of CCM include life groups, youth & children’s clubs, bible teaching & training events, etc.
- CCM has financially supported Christian workers in Tanzania & Liberia. Involvement in foreign missions and humanitarian work is a primary objective for CCM.
- _‘Little Steps’_ is a weekly group for parents with pre-school age children to provide a friendly, welcoming environment where parents & children can build real and lasting friendships.
- _‘The Hub’_ is a weekly (term time) Youth club run on a Friday night for the benefit of local young people between the age of 11 and 18 and gets good engagement from the local community.
Page 2
Registered Office: 1st Floor, MSCC, Titchfield Road. Maidstone, Kent. ME15 8FX Registered Charity Number: 1119213
1st Floor, MSCC Titchfield Road, Maidstone **T** 07757 129136 Kent ME16 8XY **E**
**E** office@connectchurchmaidstone.org.uk
- CCM Holds a summer Family Fun Day at Maidstone Skills & Community Centre in Senacre annually as an outreach and to build links and friendship with the local community.
- CCM helps to run the Maidstone CAP debt centre, along with The Vine church, and regularly sees and helps people who are in extreme debt.
- Members of the congregation are also involved in other community activities e.g _. ‘Street Pastors’_ , _‘Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter’, and ‘The Princess Project’._
In planning the activities, the Leaders/Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charities Commission on public benefit.
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**||
|---|---|
|Incoming
resources|£89,419|
|Expenditure|£110,103|
|Surplus/(Deficit)|£(20,685)|
## **Grants**
CCM is committed to the aid of overseas Christian workers and supports _Friends of Helper_ in Tanzania and MAF in Uganda.
In Maidstone CCM regularly gives to local charities.
CCM also made gifts to _CAP_ clients and to various members of its congregation.
## **Reserves**
It is an agreed principle that at least three months cash reserves in hand should be kept in CCM’s current account. This is kept under periodic review. 3 months running costs are approximately £25,000, at the end of the financial year, there was approximately £112,073 in unrestricted cash reserves, with the Trustees able to reassign designated funds should the need occur.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the UK in March 2020, the Trustees immediately repurposed money from the designated building fund into a Financial Assistance Fund, and members of the church also contributed towards this fund. A number of grants have been paid to various individuals and families to support them financially since the fund started.
## **Risk Management**
The Elders/Trustees of CCM meet on a regular basis and receive regular reports and financial statements detailing the opportunities and risks that CCM faces. This
Page 3
Registered Office: 1st Floor, MSCC, Titchfield Road. Maidstone, Kent. ME15 8FX Registered Charity Number: 1119213
1st Floor, MSCC Titchfield Road, Maidstone **T** 07757 129136 Kent ME16 8XY **E**
**E** office@connectchurchmaidstone.org.uk
enables them to plan or curtail activities accordingly making judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
CCM has an operational Safeguarding Policy to ensure that children, young people, vulnerable adults and workers are protected at all times. This is kept under constant review.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
## Signed by,
## Peter Farmer
Peter Farmer (Jun 27, 2024 11:38 GMT+1)
Peter Farmer, on behalf of all the Elders/Trustees of CCM.
Report dated Jun 27, 2024
Page 4
Registered Office: 1st Floor, MSCC, Titchfield Road. Maidstone, Kent. ME15 8FX Registered Charity Number: 1119213
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF**
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Connect Church Maidstone ('the charity') for the year ended 31 August 2023 on pages 6 to 9 following.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## Sarah Crispin
Sarah Crispin (Jun 27, 2024 15:03 GMT+1)
Sarah Crispin ACA
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: Jun 27, 2024
Page 5
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
## **YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
||||||Unrestricted|Funds|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||General|Designated||Restricted|||
||||||Funds||Funds|Funds|2023|2022|
|||||Notes|£||£|£|£|£|
|**_Income receipts_**|||||||||||
|Donations|||||70,700||-|-|70,700|78,313|
|Gift aid receipts|||||12,711||-|21|12,732|14,455|
|Income from charitable activities|||||-||429|-|429|168|
|Interest|||||-||593|261|854|40|
|Other|||||2,587|||2,116|4,703|453|
||||||85,999||1,022|2,398|89,419|93,429|
||||||||||||
|**_Total receipts_**|||||85,999||1,022|2,398|89,419|93,429|
|**Payments**|||||||||||
|Payments in relation
activities undertaken||to charitable
directly||2|99,763||-|-|99,763|105,252|
|Grants paid in relation to charitable||||3|9,940||-|400|10,340|10,990|
|**_Total payments_**|||||109,703||-|400|110,103|116,242|
|Net
of
receipts|/|(payments)|before||||||||
|transfers|||||(23,704)|(1,022)||1,998|(20,685)|(22,814)|
|Transfers between funds|||||(10,000)|(10,000)||-|-|-|
|**Net movement in**|**funds**||||(13,704)|(8,978)||1,998|(20,685)|(22,814)|
|Cash funds as at last year end|||||18,478|116,277||138,826|273,581|285,405|
|**Cash funds at this year end**||||A|4,774|107,299||140,824|252,896|262,591|
The notes on pages 8 - 9 form part of these accounts.
Page 6
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES**
## **YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
|**A Cash funds**
Cash at bank with immediate access
Notice deposits
**B Other monetary assets**
Gift aid due to charity
**C Liabilities**
Trade creditors
PAYE due
Accounts and Examination fee for 2022
Accounts and Examination fee for 2023||General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
4,774
107,299
-
-
**4,774**
**107,299**
856
-
**856**
**-**
1,110
-
760
-
1,170
-
1,188
-
**4,228**
**-**
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
funds
£
73,211
67,612
**140,824**
-
**-**
-
-
-
-
**-**|2023
£
185,284
67,612
**252,896**
856
**856**
1,110
760
1,170
1,188
**4,228**|2022
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General
funds
£
4,774
-
**4,774**
856
**856**
1,110
760
1,170
1,188
**4,228**||||
||||||206,574
67,007|
||||||**273,581**|
||||||1,011|
||||||**1,011**|
||||||90
760
-
-|
||||||**850**|
All liabilities fall due for settlement within one year.
## **D Assets retained for charity's own use**
|**ets retained for charity's own use**|||
|---|---|---|
|Music, PA equipment
Computers and IT|Fund to
which asset
belongs
General
General|Insurance
value
£|
|||18,845
6,991|
|||25,836|
The trustees have used insurance values as an approximation for current values.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
## Peter Farmer
Peter Farmer (Jun 27, 2024 11:38 GMT+1) -------------------------------------------Peter Farmer Date: _________________ Jun 27, 2024
The notes on pages 8 - 9 form part of these accounts.
Page 7
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
## **1 Accounting policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
|General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Employment costs (Note 4)
53,649
-
Hall Hire
32,405
-
Insurance & subscriptions
2,286
-
Ministry expenses
100
-
General expenses
11,324
-
99,763
-
**3**
**Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others**
Individuals:
Personal gifts / hardship payments
-
-
Overseas mission
1,800
-
Institutions:
Friends of Helper
1,200
-
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)
5,040
-
Other institutions <£500
1,900
-
9,940
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
400
-
-
-
-
400|Total
2023
£
53,649
32,405
2,286
100
11,324
99,763
-
1,800
1,200
5,040
1,900
9,940|Total
2022
£|
|---|---|---|---|
||||52,625
24,146
3,112
920
13,459|
||||94,262|
||||1,750
2,000
1,200
5,540
500|
||||10,990|
Page 8
## **CONNECT CHURCH MAIDSTONE**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
## **4 Staff & Trustees**
At the end of the year, the charity had one full time employee, and two part time employees.
Leon Mileham, a trustee, was paid £40,000 (2022: £38,104) plus employer pension contributions of £1012.92 (2022: £956) in his capacity as Minister as permitted by the governing documents.
Donna Farmer, wife of a trustee, was paid £2,791 (2022: £4,268) in her role as a CAP Debt Counsellor. . Donna was employed until 31st March 2023
Other than direct reimbursements of expenses made on behalf of the charity, no amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to them.
## **5 Movement of Funds**
|**Restricted funds**
Building Fund
Financial Assistance Fund
CAP Client Gift Fund
Youth Activities Fund
Other
**Total Restricted**
**Unrestricted Funds**
**_Designated funds_**
Financial Assistance Fund
Building Fund
Charity Fund
Care Fund
Little Steps
Outreach Fund
Women's Ministry Fund
**_General Funds_**
**Total unrestricted**
**Total Funds**|Opening
Balance
£
126,304
7,298
2,270
2,955
-
138,826
29,710
83,076
780
565
705
1,276
164
116,277
18,478
134,755
273,581|Receipts
£
261
1,095
20
-
1,022
2,398
-
593
-
-
429
-
-
1,022
85,999
87,021
89,419|Payments
£
-
(400)
-
-
-
(400)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(109,703)
(109,703)
(110,103)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
(10,000)
-
-
-
-
-
-
(10,000)
10,000
-
-|Closing
Balance
£
126,565
7,992
2,290
2,955
1,022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||140,824|
||||||19,710
83,669
780
565
1,134
1,276
164
|
||||||107,299
|
||||||4,774
|
||||||112,073|
|||||||
||||||252,896|
The transfer from the Designated Buildings Fund to General Funds was to maintain the Buildings Fund at the level as agreed by trustees.
The transfer from the Financial Assistance Fund to general funds reflects the original policy of the fund which was to reduce the fund as restricted income was received.
## **Restricted Funds:**
The Building Fund is money held for the future purchase of a building.
The Financial Assistance Fund is money held to support those in financial hardship. The CAP Client Gift Fund is money held for the specific needs of CAP clients. The Youth Activities fund is money for the setup and running of a new Youth Club in the Senacre area of Maidstone. The Other fund is for donations received for specific organisations
## **Designated Funds:**
The various designated funds are money set aside by trustees for or relating to particular projects or activities.
Page 9