## **Grace Church Thame**
## **Registered Charity 1124788**
## **Trustees’ Annual Report Period 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024**
## **Objectives and Activities**
Grace Church Thame is committed to the advancement of the Christian Faith and, in accordance with the church’s doctrinal basis, to demonstrate the love of Christ in practical ways. The church is also committed to the relief of poverty, sickness, hardship and distress, together with education based on Christian principles.
Grace Church Thame is passionate about enabling as many people as possible to worship at the church and become committed members of the family of God at Grace Church Thame. Our Sunday worship service is open to all, and people are encouraged to put faith into practice and action by exercising spiritual gifts, prayer, scripture and music. As part of our Sunday meeting, we have a separate children's work, currently covering the ages 0 to 11, where the children are offered a safe environment in which to have fun, sing, hear stories from the bible and pray. We regularly meet during the week in small group meetings for bible study, prayer, worship and evangelism. We run courses explaining the Christian faith (Alpha courses) when there is a demand and discipleship courses for members and others who ask for help (Freedom in Christ, money management, marriage preparation and marriage courses). We regularly join with other local churches to run community events, and are committed to supporting Christian missionaries and inter-denominational aid agencies.
In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out extraordinary lives of faith as part of the local community in Thame and the surrounding area. This is achieved through:
- Worship and prayer, learning about the gospel and developing people’s knowledge of, and trust in, Jesus Christ.
- Provision of pastoral care, not just for the church family, but also for people living in the local community.
- Mission and outreach work.
## **Achievements and performance**
The charity is a Christian church seeking to extend the kingdom of God and demonstrate the love of Christ in practical ways. The church employs two part-time pastors. All other roles are carried out by unpaid volunteers.
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Midweek groups continue to run twice-monthly with the emphasis on growing in spiritual maturity. Also, we run bi-weekly prayer meetings all together to pray for our town and country.
Our children’s work continues to be focussed mainly on Sunday mornings and predominantly, though not exclusively, with children from families with links to the church.
Jigsaw Babies and Toddlers group continues to run weekly in term-time, and remains very popular. It provides opportunities to minister to and support parents and carers of young children in the area.
All volunteers are required to follow the church’s Safeguarding Policy and also be subject to DBS checks before they are allowed to work with the children. We do take our responsibilities in this respect very seriously, and have a coordinator who ensures that DBS checks are kept up to date.
In November 2023 we hosted a Ukrainian pastor and his family for a week to give them respite from the war in Ukraine.
In January 2024, we celebrated the third anniversary of our debt help service in partnership with Christians Against Poverty. One of our pastors has responsibility as the debt centre manager, and many others in the church volunteer as “befrienders” to come alongside and offer support to those struggling with unmanageable debt. We are very grateful for the support and encouragement of other local churches in this essential ministry.
We are also passionate about working in partnership with other churches and organisations. The groups we work with include:
- Newfrontiers - we are part of Newfrontiers, a family of around 1,000 churches in over 80 different nations: www.newfrontierstogether.org
- Catalyst - within Newfrontiers we are part of Catalyst, a network of churches aiming to make disciples in the nations of the world: www.catalystnetwork.org
- Evangelical Alliance - we are members of the Evangelical Alliance, the umbrella body representing the UK's two million evangelical Christians: www.eauk.org
- Impact Thame - fun events for children, young people and families in and around Thame, to make Jesus and his love known in our community.: https://www.impactthame.org.uk/
## **Structure, governance and management**
The church is governed by a trust deed, which was adopted by the membership on 29[th] August 2007.
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Trustees are appointed as described in the Declaration of Trust, which is by recommendation and by the existing Trustees.
## **Administrative information**
Grace Church Thame is situated in Thame, Oxfordshire and is a part of the NewFrontiers family of churches. The correspondence address is c/o 72 Roundhead Drive, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 3DJ. The Registered Charity number is 1124788.
The trustees who currently manage the charity are:-
Mr David-John Williams Ms Jane Jubb Mrs Aileen Stanley Mr Anthony Taylor (Chair)
These accounts were approved by the trustees on 16[th] December 2024 and signed on their behalf by: ……………………………………………………. Mr Anthony Taylor Apps
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|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**GRACE CHURCH THAME**
**Registered Charity- 1124788**|||||
||**Financial Statements**
**Year Ended 31 March 2024**||**2023/24**
**Totals**
**£'s**||**2022/23**
**Totals**
**£'s**|
|||||||
||**Summary of Balances**
**General Funds**
**Acts IV Fund**
**New Frontiers**
**TOTAL FUNDS**||**6,068**
**780**
**47,236**
**54,084**||**9,940**
**1,319**
**43,200**|
||||||**54,459**|
|||||||
|||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Financial Statements**
**Year Ended 31 March 2024**
**CASH AT BANK**
HSBC Bank
CAFcash Bank
CAF Bank
Petty Cash
**TOTAL FUNDS**
Manse Loan
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
**TOTAL NET ASSETS**|**2023/24**
**Totals**
**£'s**
-
5,032
44,688
140
**49,860**
5,000
-
-776
**54,084**|**2022/23**
**Totals**
**£'s**
-856
4,719
44,720
20
**48,603**
5,000
856
-
**54,459**|
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|||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**GRACE CHURCH THAME**
**Registered Charity 1124788**|||
||**General Funds**
**Income**
**Offerings**
**Gift Aid Tax Recovered**
**Other Income**
**Interest Received**
**Transfer from Restricted Funds**
**Expenditure**
**Staff Costs**
**Working Expenses – lead elder**
**Manse - Council Tax/Rates etc.**
**Insurances**
**Premises Hire**
**Training/Conferences**
**Stationery**
**Sunday Mornings**
**Outreach/Publicity**
**Jigsaw**
**Mission Support**
**Travel Exp**
**Visiting Speakers / locums**
**Catalyst gift & festival costs**
**Newday Costs**
**PA/Tape/Music**
**Fund Raising & Governance cost**
**Net Income/(Expenditure)**
**Net Transfer to Restricted Funds**
**Balance B/fwd**
**Balance C/fwd**|36,326
8,774
3,950
990
-
**50,039**
32,220
346
3,012
419
4,650
225
385
1,420
140
1,453
2,368
56
100
2,400
203
761
**50,159**
**(120)**
(3,751)
**9,940**
**6,068**|28,898
6,046
4,282
328
-|
||||**39,553**|
||||31,849
301
2,828
373
4,176
335
103
1,300
360
1,885
-
-
-
2,400
-
-
956|
||||**46,866**|
||||**(7,312)**
(3,498)
**20,750**
**9,940**|
|||||
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|||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**GRACE CHURCH THAME**
**Registered Charity 1124788**
**Church Tithe**
**Income – Offerings**
**Transfer from General Fund**
**Net Receipts/(Payments)**
**Balance B/fwd**
**Balance C/fwd**|4,036
-
**4,036**
**43,200**
**47,236**|3,211
-|
||||**3,211**|
||||**39,989**
**43,200**|
||**Acts IV Fund**
**Income – Offerings**
**Payments – Church Running**
**Payments – Welfare gift**
**Transfer from General Fund**
**Net Receipts/(Payments)**
**Balance B/fwd**
**Balance C/fwd**|-
-
(539)
-
**(539)**
**1,319**
**780**|-
-
(379)
-|
||||**(379)**|
||||**1,698**
**1,319**|
||**Christians Against Poverty Fund**
**Income – Offerings**
**Payments – CAP Debt Centre Subscription**
**Payments – Church administration costs**
**Transfer from General Fund**
**Net Receipts/(Payments)**
**Balance B/fwd**
**Balance C/fwd**|130
(3,881)
-
3,751
**-**
**-**
**-**|342
(3,300)
(540)
3,498|
||||**-**|
||||**-**
**-**|
|||||
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## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Grace Church Thame**
I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2024, which are set out on pages 4 to 6.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner's report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act
have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: Donald Pottie
Relevant professional qualification or body: FCA., CAI
Address: 143 Denmark St., Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, SL9 9QL
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Date: