## **Halesworth Community Church** **Registered Charity No. 1125417** **Report and Accounts** **For the year ended 31[st] March 2022** **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year ended 31[st] March 2022** ## **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 2022 Legal and Administrative Details** |**Charity name**|Halesworth Community Church| |---|---| |**Address for**|6 Princes Green| |**correspondence**|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 were:| ||John Sparkes
(Pastor) (served during the year but passed| ||away on 22ndJuly 2022)| ||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 2022 Trustees Report** The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year to 31[st] March 2022. ## **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. Due to COVID-19 restrictions church meetings were conducted online until 19[th] September 2021, when we resumed meeting at Cratfield. Prior to that date meetings were held via Zoom with everyone welcome to attend our Sunday morning meetings and mid-week Bible studies. A Zoom link continued to be provided for those who could not attend in person once we resumed our meetings; this continued to work well and be much appreciated. Appropriate measures were taken to comply with COVID guidelines. The meeting room was well-ventilated with the seating spaced out, masks were worn as required and individual communion pots provided. Several people who attended our Zoom church meetings during the pandemic returned to their own churches as they opened. Our average weekly attendance from September – March was 30, with a further 10 attendees joining online. The talk continued to be pre-recorded and available on the church website by Saturday evening. Our Bible studies were held on Zoom throughout the year and continued to be very well-attended and appreciated. The recordings are available on the church website. Regular weekly prayer meetings also resumed during the year and have been held as appropriate with due regard for COVID infection rates. Members of the church have continued to meet and pray together regularly in small informal groups. 3 **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2022 Trustees Report** ## **2. Pastoral Care and Wider Support** The leadership have continued to meet remotely, and in person as restrictions 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 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 because 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 visits 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 pleased to be able to welcome both visitors and new members to our church during the year. 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 available through our website and a Step One course is planned for June 2022. ## **3.** ## **Website** Online church resources have continued to be accessible and developed via the website throughout the year, including recordings of the Sunday talks and mid-week Bible studies and written teaching materials. Podcasts have continued to be recorded covering topics such as ‘What is church?’, relationship conflict, healing and the way our lives have been influenced by our fathers. There has been much positive feedback regarding the benefit of the podcasts. A regular website newsletter has been sent out and the website has continued to be well-used and appreciated throughout 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 visitor numbers and church attendance have been good 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 leading the Sunday morning meetings, preaching and pastoral work. He has continued to be 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 2022 Trustees Report** ## **6. Financial Review** ## **6.1 Financial Activity** - The church reports a net surplus of £10,839. - Payments - the cost of running the church for the year was £43,159, an increase of £4,202 on the previous year. - The main additional costs were for pastoral services paid to Tim Sparkes for the full financial year, which amounted to £9,500. 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 church meetings and website. - A gift of £751 was made from general funds to John Sparkes towards the purchase of a new computer to enable him to efficiently carry out his work for the church. - A gift of £110 was made from restricted funds in November 2021 to Tearfund which, along with individual cheques, gave a combined total of £405. We did not make any gifts from general funds to other charities. - We held a special collection for Tearfund on Harvest Sunday (see above) but were unable to hold special collections for The Missionary Aviation Fellowship and Open Doors. However individual members made direct donations to these charities. ## **6.2 Financial Position** The balance held at 31[st] March 2022 was £41,302 on unrestricted funds. There were no restricted funds. The Trust does not operate a separate account for Reserves. The Trust’s funds are held in a cheque account. ## **6.3 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 2022 the church had net free reserves of £41,302 as follows: |**Cash balances**
**Free reserves requirement:**
3 month’s budgeted routine expenditure|**2022**|**2021**
**£**
**30,463**| |---|---|---| ||**£**|| ||**41,302**|| |||| |||**10,697**| |||| ||**11,457**|| |||| |||| 5 **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2022 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. ## **6.4 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 continued to increase during the year 2021-2022, which has covered the additional expenditure on pastoral services. ## **7. 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. ## **8. Approval** This report was approved by the Trustees on 16[th] November 2022 and signed on their behalf by: ## **David Sillett, Chair of Trustees** 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 2022, 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: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the church as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. 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 16[th] November 2022** 7 **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2022 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**
Cash balances brought forward
**Cash balances carried forward**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**2022**
**Total**
**2021**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
39,628
0
39,628
34,708
8,331
0
8,331
6,838
5,929
110
6,039
5,780| |---|---| ||53,888
110
53,998
47,326
0
0
0
0| ||| ||**53,888**
**110**
**53,998**
**47,326**| ||41,848
0
41,848
38,212
751
110
861
325
450
0
450
420| ||**43,049**
**110**
**43,159**
**38,957**| ||**10,839**
**0**
**10,839**
**8,369**
30,463
0
30,463
22,094| ||**41,302**
**0**
**41,302**
**30,463**| The notes on page 10 form part of these accounts. 8 **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2022 Statement of Assets and Liabilities** |**Assets**
**Fixed Assets**
Equipment (insurance value)
**Debtors**
Gift aid receivable
**Bank Balances**
**Total Assets**|**2022**
**£**
1,400
8,957
41,302
**51,659**|**2021**
**£**
1,400
8,331
30.463| |---|---|---| |||**40,194**| The accounts were approved by the Trustees on 16[th] November 2022 and signed on their behalf by: **David Sillett Chair of Trustees** 9 **Halesworth Community Church Report and Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2022 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
Thirtyone:eight (previously Churches Child
Protection Advisory Services)
Advertising and Publicity
Website
Miscellaneous
**Gifts Made**
**Governance**
Accounts Examination|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2022**
**2021**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
40,400
0
40,400
36,442
414
0
414
412
280
0
280
269
35
0
35
35
129
0
129
129
419
0
419
419
122
0
122
127
49
0
49
379| |---|---| ||41,848
0
41,848
38,212| ||751
110
861
325
450
0
450
420| ||**43,049**
**110**
**43,159**
**38,957**| ## **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