NEW LIFE CHURCH NEW LIFE PENTECOSTAL CHURCH LEIGH REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30TH 2024 Objects of the charity The charity, which is a church, is governed by a deed of Trust and is constituted as an unincorporated charity. The charity's principal objects, as set out in its governing document, are: To advance the Christian faith in accordance with the church's Statement of Faith, in Leigh, Lancashire, throughout the United Kingdom, and in other parts ofthe world as the church council may determine. To relieve sickness, promote and preserve good health, and alleviate financial hardship by providing funds, goods, services, counselling, and support, in such parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the church council mayfrom time to time determine. To advance education in such ways and in Leigh, Lancashire, throughoutthe United Kingdom, and in other parts of the world as the church council may think fit. We desire to provide a relevant spiritual voice in a time of confusion. Reaching out to the community offering guidance and direction for positive living, leading to a preferred moral and ethical fulfilment. Speaking to the hearts of our children and youth so they have a good grounding to make important moral ethical and spiritual decisions in their adult life. Review of the charity's main activities and achievements To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows: Sundayworship We at New Life Church Leigh have continued to meet regularly for Christian worship on Sundays. The format has remained the same where everyone is together initially before the children are taught lessons from the Bible separately using age-appropriate materials. The main service consists of teachings from the Bible, worship through song and prayer. Once a month the Lord's Supper is celebrated. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 NÉW LIFE CHURCH July 2023 saw the start of a teaching series on Ephesians and June 2024 saw the start of a teaching series on the Gospel of John. Regular Sunday attendees, including children, have averaged around thirty to forty people each week with that number steadily increasing. General Church Activities In JULY 2023 we held a barbecue in a local parkfor church members and their families and friends, this was weLL attended. November 2023, we started "The Start Course" for anyone who had expressed an interest during any of our outreach ministries. This interactive course introduces Christianity through six DVD-based small-group sessions. The Start course does not assume any prior knowledge or experience with Christianity or the church, truly starting from scratch. We had previousLy tested this in our Home Groups, and it was well received. NLCL actively participates in Churches Working Together in Leigh and plays a key role in manyjoint outreach initiatives. In December 2023, we joined with other local churches for'carols Round the Tree,, comingtogetherto sing and worship with members of the public around the town's Christmas tree. In March 2024, NLCL once again partnered with fellow churches for the annualwalk ofwitness. This collaborative event, largely co-ordinated by NLCL, began with a service at St Joseph's Church, followed by a walk through the town and an outdoorworship gathering. The event concluded with refreshments at St Mary's Church in Leigh and was well attended by members from various congregations and members of the public. March 2024 also saw a return visit from Barrywoodward, a well- established evangelist, who spoke at our Sunday morning service. 7 individuals, mostly visitors, expressed an interest in the Christian faith. During March 2024 we were sufficiently funded as to be able to order a number of commercial kitchen appliance to enable us to continue to provide a more polished refreshment service to our members but more specifically to our Fresh Ground visitors. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 NEW LIFE CHURCH In May 2024 our leadership attend the AOG Conference. We are delighted to report that Mrs Susanna Matthews gained her AOG Ministerial Status following 3 years of study and it was at this conference that Susanna was presented with her accreditation certificate. Home Groups & Powerhouse Right now, we have one Home Group that meets everyThursday evening in a church member's home. Each week, about 8 to 15 people come together to talkthrough the previous Sunday's sermon and spend time in prayer. As the group continues to grow, we're planningto divide it into smaller groups based in different areas, making it easierfor more people to get involved. Our hope is to help more of our church family experience the encouragement and connection that comes from being part of a Home Group. On the first Sunday of each month, we have a 'Powerhouse Prayer and Worship meeting,. This is held in the evening and is our opportunity for corporate prayer and worship. At this meeting we pray for NLCL, its vision, focused ministries, current and future outreach plans, and any other needs as led by the Holy Spirit. New Life Kids New Life Kids continues to be a fLourishing ministry at NLCL. We have at least 8 families who are regularly attending NLCL and on average around 12 children attending New Life Kids each Sunday. There is a small team of volunteers who teach, lead and help the children. All the leaders are DBS checked and we're endeavouring to retain our current leaders and helpers as wel( as recruit more. We have erected and decorated a large gazebo to the rear of the church, and this is used duringthe spring and summer months to accommodate the growing number ofyoung people. We intend to construct a more permanent building towards the end of 2024 In May of 2024 some of our children attended Merseyside Christian Youth Camps (MCYC) alongwith a member of the leadership who attended as a helper. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 NEW LIFE CHURCH New Life Youth NLY continues to meet monthly on Friday evenings. The youth have age- appropriate activities and a short time of teaching. The overarching purpose of NLY is all about helpingyoung people grow in theirfaith, make great friends, have fun, learn about the Bible, serve others, and build Leadership skiLLs in a welcoming community. Men's ministry The Men's Ministry has seen a steady and fruitful growth over the 2023/2024 period. They meet monthly on Friday evenings, sometimes with guest speakers and all activities are always around a meal with the aim of building lasting relationships. Women's ministry Women's ministry continues to flourish through 'Refreshed'. We meet monthly either Friday evenings for supper or Saturday mornings for Breakfast. We usually have a guest speaker and a time of fellowship and opportunity to build relationship with each other, especially new visitors. We have continued to seek and serve women who are consistently attending NLCL and making space to build relationships with new visitors. Evangelism/Outreach As stated previously we regularly partner with other churches in Leigh in outreach events, but we do also have our own regular'Fresh Ground, outreach. The aim is for us to practically show the love of God to our immediate neighbours and to help us to reach our neighbourhood with the Gos el. We offerthis service every ednesday morningfrom 10:00am to noon, providing free bacon and sausage barms, tea, coffee, cakes, and a warm, welcoming space where people can sit, relax, and chat if they wish. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 NEW LIFE CHURCH Our incentive continues to support a broad range of people, including the Lonely, those with mental health concerns, families struggling to feed their children, unemployed and those who have had or now have a drug or alcohol dependency. Our clients frequently express their gratitude for the care they receive and howthey feel welcomed when theyvisit. It is not simply the food that they come for but also the warm and non-judgemental atmosphere. For this project, we've partnered with both Wigan Council and the nationwide Warm Welcome Campaign, with our work featured on their social media platforms. Our services are available throughout the year. Financial review Duringthe year our income showed an increase of £25,074.60 to £44,932.85 and an expenditure increase of £16.601.50 to £32,775.68 Our remainingfunds are unrestricted and may be used for any purpose. A total of £2,100.25 was received from Christian Life Church Leigh (charity number 1172426) following the closure of the charity on 16th October 2023. Between 1 st July 2023 and 30th June 2024, the charity received funding from several grant-making bodies. These grants were used to support the modernisation of our kitchen facilities, ensuring compliance with current health, safety, and environmental regulations. The funding also contributed to environmental improvements in Line with our commitment to sustainability. These developments have directly supported the objectives of our Fresh Ground initiative, which aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and functional space for community engagement and outreach. Monies received were as follows: 27" September 2023 we received £1000 from Deal for Communities- Household Support Payment (Wigan Council) 24" November 2023 we received a Virgin Unite Local Legends Fund Grant of £5000 th 8 December2023 we received a National Lottery Community Fund Grant of £4380 11" December 2023 we received a Warm Welcome micro grant of £1000 New Life PentecostaL Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 EW LIFE Governance Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the charity (the church) has been delegated to the pastors. New trustees, when required, will be recruited and appointed by a majority vote of the existing trustees. 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 complywith 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. Approval This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: Julian Matthews, Senior Pastor and Chair of Trustees. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 ## **Statement of Accounts for the Financial Year** ## **1st July 2023 – 30th June 2024** ## **Income** - Donations and Offerings: £31,443.60 - Grant Income: £11,380.00 - Transfer from Christian Life Church Leigh (Charity No. 1172426, closed 16 October 2023): £2,100.25 ## **Total Income: £44,923.85** ## **Expenditure** - Total Expenditure for the period: £32,775.68 ## **Net Movement in Funds** - Income less Expenditure: £12,148.17 ## **Brought Forward from 2022–2023** - Opening Balance: £30,405.59 ## **Closing Balance of Funds as at 30th June 2024** - **Total Funds Carried Forward: £42,553.76** ## **Fund Status** - All income and expenditure for this financial year related to **unrestricted funds** - The charity held **no restricted funds** at any point during the reporting period. New Life Pentecostal Church Leigh Charity registration number 1121905 NEW LIFE CHURCH LE IGH Annual account verification For financial years 2023124 Due to the accounts for period 2023/24. it has been a requirement of the charities Commission that these accounts be verified by an Independant Person. The trustees therefore asked Mr Okiemute Esievoadje as an Independant person, to undertak8 this task. This has therefore confirmed that the annual accounts for the period 2023/24 are a satisfactory record. Independant Person Name: Ok. Signed: L ute Esievoadje Trustee Name: Julian Matthews Signed Trustee Name: Lynn Disley Signed: £fs_ Trustee Name: Chris Bulpitt Signed: