Halesworth Community Church
Registered Charity No. 1125417
Report and Accounts
For the year ended 31[st] March 2021
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year ended 31[st] March 2021
Contents
| Page 2 | Legal and Administrative Details |
|---|---|
| Pages 3-6 | Trustees’ Report |
| Page 7 | Independent Examiner’s Report |
| Page 8 | Receipts and Payments Accounts |
| Page 9 | Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
| Page 10 | Notes to the Accounts |
1
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year ended 31[st] March 2021 Legal and Administrative Details
| Charity name | Halesworth Community Church |
|---|---|
| Address for correspondence | 6 Princes Green |
| Halesworth, Suffolk | |
| IP19 8DP | |
| Registered Charity Number | 1125417. The charity was registered with the Charity |
| Commission on 7thAugust 2008 | |
| Governing Document | Trust Deed dated 1stMay 2008 |
| Objects | (a) To advance the Christian faith in accordance with the |
| Statement of Beliefs appearing in the Trust Deed in Halesworth | |
| Suffolk and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world | |
| as the Trustees may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such | |
| other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the | |
| law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable | |
| work of the Trust. | |
| (b) To relieve sickness and financial hardship and to promote and | |
| preserve good health by the provision of funds, goods or services | |
| of any kind, including through the provision of counselling and | |
| support in Halesworth and in other parts of the United Kingdom | |
| or the world as the Trustees from time to time may think fit. | |
| (c) To advance education in accordance with Christian principles | |
| by such means as the Trustees may consider appropriate in | |
| Halesworth and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the | |
| world as the Trustees may from time to time think fit. | |
| Trustees | The Trustees who served during the year and who were serving |
| at the date of this report were: | |
| John Sparkes (Pastor) |
|
| Stephen Hall | |
| David Sillett | |
| Tim Sparkes (Assistant Pastor) |
|
| Julie Gorton (Secretary) |
|
| Jennifer Basey-Fisher | |
| Bankers | Barclays Bank PLC |
| Leicester | |
| LE87 2BB | |
| Independent Examiner | John Helm ACA |
| 17 Heathville Road | |
| London, N19 3AL |
2
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year ended 31[st] March 2021 Trustees Report
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year to 31[st] March 2021.
Government
The policy and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the Church. New Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees of the church.
Conflict of interest policy
This was reviewed during the year and the Trustees decided that the present procedure was adequate. When the payment for pastoral services is reviewed annually it is discussed and decided only by Trustees who are not remunerated by the Trust and who are not related to anyone who is remunerated by the Trust. Those Trustees who are remunerated or who are related declare an interest and leave the meeting while the remuneration is discussed.
Activities, Achievements and Public Benefit
In planning the activities of the church, the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission in September 2013.
1. Church Meetings
The Trust has continued to run a Community Church. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, our church meetings have been conducted online throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to attend our Zoom Sunday morning meetings and mid-week Bible studies.
Our average attendance on a Sunday morning is 30 screens, which represents approximately 40 – 50 individuals, including children. The Zoom meetings have enabled people to join from different parts of the UK and the world, and we have regularly had attendees from Spain, Italy, France and Canada. The format of the meetings follows a similar pattern to our physical meetings, including worship, sharing, prayer and communion, with the talk being pre-recorded and available on the church website.
We held a series of Zoom Bible studies during the year, which were similarly well-attended and appreciated.
The church website has been developed to provide resources for people to access during the lockdowns.
The regular weekly prayer meetings have not been able to be held this year. However, as restrictions allowed, members of the church have walked together, and prayer has become an integral part of those walks. The prayer life of both individuals and the church has deepened as a result.
3
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Trustees Report
2. Pastoral Care and Wider Support
The leadership have continued to meet remotely, and in person as restrictions have allowed, to discuss the running of the church and pastoral issues. As a church we continue to seek to serve those who approach the church for help and many people have continued to look to the church for help and support. These include Christians from the UK and abroad as well as people with no faith. Apart from running our website, we do not advertise in any way so all those who come for help do so as a result of recommendations by those who have been helped. The online course that we offer has continued to prove very effective. Other means of support have included phone calls, emails, Zoom conversations and the opportunity to ‘walk and talk’ as restrictions have allowed. Much of the support is offered on a regular ongoing basis and this results in real and permanent changes in people’s lives.
We have been unable to run the ‘Understanding Yourself’ courses in person this year, though ongoing help has been offered to those who have attended courses in previous years. All the course materials are now available through our website.
3. Website
Online church resources have been made accessible and have been developed throughout the year, including recordings of the Sunday talks and mid-week Bible studies, links to worship songs and written teaching materials. A series of podcasts have been recorded which explore the importance of understanding yourself and some of the mental and emotional issues we face. These have been particularly popular. The website has continued to be very well-used and appreciated throughout the year. All the pastor’s teaching materials and course notes are now available through the website.
A regular website newsletter was sent out during the year.
4. General Data Protection Regulations
The annual review of our Data Protection policies was carried out in May 2021 and they were updated. The information held by the Information Commissioner’s Office is current.
5. Development
Website visitors and online attendance have been excellent throughout the year and the church has continued to grow, both numerically and in depth of relationship with one another and with the Lord.
A monthly article and report on the church has been published in the Halesworth Community News, a local free newspaper which is delivered to several thousand homes in the area.
The assistant pastor has taken on increased responsibility in preaching, leading the Sunday Zoom meetings and pastoral work. He has been paid for one day a week for consultancy and pastoral services to the church.
4
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Trustees Report
Financial Review
1. Financial Activity
-
The church reports a net surplus of £8,369.
-
Payments - the cost of running the church for the year was £38,957, an increase of £6,005 on the previous year.
-
The main additional costs were for pastoral services paid to Tim Sparkes from September 2020, which amounted to £5,542 for 7 months of the year. There was no increase in payment for pastoral services to John and Merle Sparkes. We have continued to keep other expenditure as low as possible.
-
In order to continue to publicise awareness of the Church in the local community, the Pastor wrote an article and report each month for the Halesworth Community News at the editor’s request, for which there was no charge. The church paid for advertising space for the New Year article. The church is advertised on the Findachurch website. In addition, advertising cards were placed in the library and newsagent’s windows advertising our website and Zoom meetings.
-
The church received a gift of £325 to support any member of the church who needed additional financial help during lockdown. As such a need did not arise the Trustees decided that the money should be given to Tim with grateful thanks for all the additional work he had undertaken.
-
We did not make any gifts from general funds to other charities and were unable to hold special collections for Tear Fund, Missionary Aviation Fellowship and Open Doors as usual. However individual members made direct donations to these charities.
-
A new computer was bought for the church at a cost of £379.
2. Financial Position
The cash balance held at 31[st] March 2021 was £30,463 of unrestricted funds. There were no restricted funds. The Trust’s funds are held in a cheque account.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees consider that, given the nature of the church’s work, free reserves should be equivalent to approximately 3 months’ routine general fund expenditure, plus a reserve to cover anticipated annual deficits. The Trustees are of the opinion that this provides sufficient flexibility to cover temporary shortfalls in incoming resources and will allow the church to cope and respond to unforeseen emergencies. At 31 March 2021 the church had net free reserves of £30,463.
| Cash balances Free reserves requirement: 3 month’s budgeted routine expenditure |
2021 | 2020 £ 22,094 8,238 |
|---|---|---|
| £ | ||
| 30,463 | ||
| 10,697 | ||
5
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Trustees Report
The free reserves requirement has been increased to cover the additional costs of paying the assistant pastor for one day a week. However, at the present level of giving we do not foresee a deficit in the next two years.
Outlook
With large amounts provided by a very few donors the Trust remains vulnerable to unforeseen fluctuations in line with the fortunes of its donors. However, at the present time the income of the Trust is sufficient to cover the anticipated expenses for the next financial year and allow potential future development. The level of giving has increased significantly during the year 2020-2021, which has covered the additional expenditure on pastoral services.
Trustees’ Responsibilities
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare accounts for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. The trustees 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. The Trustees 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 on 22 September 2021 and signed on their behalf by:
John Sparkes Trustee
6
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year ended 31[st] March 2021 Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees of Halesworth Community Church
I report on the account of Halesworth Community Church for the year ended 31 March 2021, set out on pages 8 to 10.
This report is made solely to the Trustees in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act). My independent examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by the law, I do not accept responsibility to anyone other than the Trustees for my independent examination, for this report, or the opinions I have formed.
RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER
The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this period (under section 144(2) of the Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
-
Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Act);
-
To follow the procedures laid down in the General Direction given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act); and
-
To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S STATEMENT
My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S STATEMENT
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the church as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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.
John Helm ACA 22 September 2021
7
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Receipts and Payment Account
| Notes Receipts Charitable Receipts under Gift Aid Tax refunds under Gift Aid Other Charitable Receipts Other Receipts Interest received Total Receipts Payments 2 Church activities Gifts Paid Governance Total Payments Net Receipts/(Payments) Cash balances brought forward Cash balances carried forward |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total 2021 Total 2020 £ £ £ £ 34,708 0 34,708 27,219 6,838 0 6,838 4,954 5,780 0 5,780 9,230 |
|---|---|
| 47,326 0 47,326 41,403 0 0 0 0 |
|
| 47,326 0 47,326 41,403 |
|
| 38,212 0 38,212 32,422 325 0 325 170 420 0 420 360 |
|
| 38,957 0 38,957 32,952 |
|
| 8,369 0 8,369 8,452 22,094 0 22,094 13,642 |
|
| 30,463 0 30,463 22,094 |
The notes on page 10 form part of these accounts.
8
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Assets Fixed Assets Equipment (insurance value) Bank Balances Total Assets Liabilities Unbilled fee for Independent Examination Total assets less total liabilities |
2021 £ 1,400 30,463 31,863 420 31,443 |
2020 £ 1,400 22,094 |
|---|---|---|
| 23,494 | ||
| 420 | ||
| 23,074 |
The accounts were approved by the Trustees on 22 September 2021 and signed on their behalf by:
John Sparkes Trustee
9
Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2021 Notes to the Accounts
1 Accounting Policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
2 Payments
| Notes Church activities Pastoral Services 3 Insurance Copyright Licence Data Protection Churches Child Protection Advisory Services Advertising and Publicity Website Miscellaneous Gifts Made Governance Accounts Examination |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2021 2020 £ £ £ £ 36,442 0 36,442 31,050 412 0 412 409 269 0 269 314 35 0 35 35 129 0 129 120 419 0 419 142 127 0 127 0 379 0 379 352 38,212 0 38,212 32,422 325 0 325 170 420 0 420 420 38,957 0 38,957 33,012 |
|---|---|
3 Pastoral Services and Trustees
The Trust has no employees. The amount for Pastoral Services referred to above is the grant paid to John and Merle Sparkes for leading the church and to support them in their wider Christian work. In addition, a payment for consultancy, assistance and other activities as required to support the pastoral ministry of the church for one day per week was made to Tim Sparkes.
10