2021-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From: 1st January 2021 To: 31st December 2021

Charity name: Romsey Baptist Church

Charity registration number: 1127624

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The Church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	In order to achieve the above principle objective, the church is active on two main fronts: Firstly, we provide a number of activities for those associated directly with the church. We meet together for public worship morning and evening each Sunday, providing an additional monthly ‘Traditional Service’. Communion of the Lord’s Supper is observed twice each month. We provide a full children’s programme, including teaching during Sunday morning worship, Parent and Toddler groups, Youth clubs, GRACE (girls weekday evening group) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. There are House groups meeting at various homes on a number of weekdays, providing support and spiritual growth within the fellowship. Secondly, we seek to reach out into the community around us. We are involved in Churches Together in Romsey, the umbrella organisation of the seven local churches. The church premises are made available for community use, and a wide range of organisations make use of the facilities. Our church works with Churches

		Together in Romsey for a number of united events each year. We are a Fairtrade church, support Romsey Foodbank by collecting groceries for distribution to needy people and have an active group supporting Christian Aid. We support the local Christians Against Poverty group financially and with a part time staff member. One Saturday a month the church provides a Community cafe for all to attend, but is particularly focused towards those more vulnerable in our older-aged society.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	All trustees are made aware of the rights and obligations of a trustee on appointment. Confirmation of understanding is acknowledged through the signing of the document setting out said rights and obligations.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	N/A
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	N/A
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Many volunteers contribute their time and expertise to support the work and outreach of the church.
Other		N/A

Achievements and Performance

SORP reference

Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	As the third lockdown eased in the Spring of 2021, Romsey Baptist Church (RBC) began to welcome back its congregation for ‘in-person’ services, with the necessary and relevant mitigations in place. One particularly momentous milestone was the ability for the church congregation to openly worship through collective singing. During this time the church has also invested in technology and infrastructure to allow church services to be live-streamed and for those still not able to attend in person to be part of the services online. As a result of both an online presence, and the public looking to explore their faith and beliefs further, RBC has been blessed with good numbers attending on a Sunday morning (and online). It is not back to pre-2020 levels but we are thankful that numbers are not as small as feared. RBC also employed its first Youth Worker in the Summer. The Youth Worker will be working part time and working with the church’s youth to build their faith and relationships with God. The work the church has been doing within the community, whether that be through the monthly Community cafe, Toddler Group or CAP service, has been growing and we are encouraged by the numbers of people the church is able to support and serve. The role of ‘Trustee responsible for Safeguarding’ has transferred from a departing Trustee to the Church Secretary. WIth the recent reports into safeguarding around churches, the Leadership Team have increased the scrutiny, support and guidance around this area. While all deaths are significant, a special mention goes to a lady in the church who lived to 101 and had been a member of the church since 1973. This contrasted

with the news of births within the church in 2021, just highlights the range of people within RBC.

Additional information (optional) You maychoose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You maychoose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You maychoose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	N/A
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	N/A
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	N/A
Other		N/A

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	Cash at bank and in hand at 31/12/2021 is £203,930
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The church needs reserves to cover its financial commitments in the event of any significant variation in its income or any significant unexpected expense. It would seem prudent to set the level of reserves to 35% of the anticipated annual spend. The amount is to be assessed annually against the budget, which is set based on our vision, commitments and anticipated income. Special attention should be paid to changes in the requirements of the Charity Commission, the BU Guidelines and any special circumstances encountered, e.g. loans, together with cash-in-hand and a carefully considered view of the expected income.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£71,375
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	None
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	None

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	Church congregation and membership.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	N/A
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	Risk: Church congregation/membership are unable to contribute financially to the church due to the impact of COVID Outcome: A reduction in income would reduce the work the church could do in achieving its aims Mitigation: The trustees would prioritise the outgoings to ensure that the

‘business critical’ work could continue and the church could support its employees in the work they do Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Approved Governing Document for Baptist Churches known as “Constitution for Baptist Churches 20th March 2008” and adopted by Romsey Baptist Church 24 November 2008 (administrative changes May 2018)
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Charitable Unincorporated Association
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Trustees are appointed by the Church Members’ Meeting in accordance with Clause 15 of the Church Constitution

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	The Charity Commissions documents and processes are used in the induction of new Trustees.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	The Trustees are the Leadership Team composed of the Minister(s) and lay members elected under the authority of the Church Meeting. The lay members include leaders of teams overseeing the: Administration, Discipleship, Fellowship, Mission, Children Young People and Families (CYF) and Worship life of the Church. Alongside these Team Leaders are the Church Secretary and Church Treasurer. At times there may be additional Trustees who hold no portfolio or position.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	Romsey Duke of Edinburgh Baptists Together Evangelical Alliance
Other		N/A

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Romsey Baptist Church

Other name the charity uses	RBC
Registered charity number	1127624
Charity’s principal address	22 Bell Street Romsey Hampshire SO51 8GW

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
	Jonathan Beer	Minister	All Trustees are appointed by the Church Members’ Meeting in accordance with the Church Constitution Elected as per the Constitution on 17/05/2021 as a Trustee and formally appointed Treasurer at the same meeting Already a Trustee but moved from Treasurer to Secretary on 17/05/2021 Completed 6 years as a Trustee and as per the Constitution did not stand for re-election. Stood down on 17/05/2021 Resigned his position on 03/07/2021 Also known as Mary Richards
	Rosemary Green	Treasurer
	Aaron Shutt	Secretary
	Graham Davies	Secretary
	Alun Richards
	Bronwen Mary Elizabeth Clemons
	Dr Hisham Saba
	Jeremy Langdon
	Martin Clive Mitchell
	Dorothy Mary Le Feuvre

Hannah Elected as per the 11 Richardson Constitution on 17/05/2021 as a Trustee

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

N/A

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
N/A

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	N/A
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	N/A
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	N/A

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

N/A

Declarations

Signature(s) Rosemary F Green Full Name(s) Aaron George Shutt Rosemary F Green ~~2~~ Position held Church Secretary Treasurer Date 19/01/2022 25/1/2022

Romsey Baptist Church ~~————~~	Romsey Baptist Church ~~————~~	Romsey Baptist Church ~~————~~	Charity No (if any) ~~————~~	Charity No (if 1127624
any) Annual accounts for the period ~~————~~
Period start date ~~————~~	01/01/2021 ~~————~~	To ~~————~~	Period end date ~~————~~	31/12/2021

Section A Statement of financial activities

Recommended categories by activity	Guida	Unrestricted funds	Unrestricted Restricted income	Endowment funds	Total funds	Total funds	Prior year funds	Prior year funds
		£	£	£	£		£
Incoming resources (Note 3)		F01	F02	F03	F04		F05
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies	S01	110,201	17,437	-	127,638		134,729
Charitable activities	S02			-		-		500
Other trading activities	S03	760		-		760		573
Investments	S04	1,205		-	1,205			307
Separate material item of income	S05			-		-		-
Other	S06			-		-		-
Total	S07	112,166	17,437	-	129,603		136,108

Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Separate material item of income Other

Resources expended (Note 6)

Expenditure on:

Raising funds	S08				-		-		-
Charitable activities	S09		113,482	17,203	-		130,685		140,610
Separate material item of expense	S10				-		-		-
Other	S11				-		-		240
Total	S12		113,482	17,203	-		130,685		140,850
Net income/(expenditure) before investment
gains/(losses)	S13	-	1,316	235	-	-	1,082	-	4,742
Net gains/(losses) on investments	S14		-	-	-		-		-
Net income/(expenditure)	S15	-	1,316	235	-	-	1,082	-	4,742
Extraordinary items	S16		-	-	-		-		-
Transfers between funds	S17		-	-	-		-		-
Other recognised gains/(losses):
Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own use	S18			-	-		-	-	2,091
Other gains/(losses)	S19		-	-	-		-		-
Net movement in funds	S20	-	1,316	235	-	-	1,082	-	6,833
Reconciliation of funds:								-	1,311
Total funds brought forward	S21		2,076,087	-	-		2,076,087		2,084,231
Total funds carried forward	S22		2,074,771	235	-		2,075,005		2,076,087

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1[st] March 2022

The Trustee’s Romsey Baptist Church Bell Street Romsey Hampshire SO51 8GW

Dear Trustee’s,

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Romsey Baptist Church

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Romsey Baptist Church (the Trust) for the year ended 31[st] December 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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 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 respect of the Trust 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.

Yours sincerely

John Dear FIAP

John Dear is a Fellow of the Institution of Analysts and Programmers