2020-08-31-accounts - Guildford Methodist Church

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GUILDFORD METHODIST CHURCH

TRUSTEES' REPORT

To 31 August 2020

Annual Report 2020

Reference & Administrative Details

Registered Name:

Guildford Methodist Church

Registered Number:

Guildford Methodist Church is registered as a charity under number 1127643

Principal Office Address: Guildford Methodist Church c/o Holy Trinity and St Mary's Parish Office 5 Trinity Churchyard Guildford GU1 3RR Tel: 01483 567716 Email: office@holytrinityguildford.org.uk Correspondence should be directed to the above address.

Charity Trustees

Charity Trustees
TRUSTEE NAME	OFFICE HELD	DATES (if not full year)	APPOINTED BY
Rev Keith Beckingham	Minister & Chair
Mrs Andrea Campion- Smith	Church Steward		General Church Meeting
Mrs Rosemary Lee	Church Steward	From 7.2020	General Church Meeting
Mr Peter Youngs	Secretary & Church Steward		General Church Meeting
Mr Michael Lee	Treasurer		Church Council
Mr David Lander	Circuit Steward
Mr Nigel Campion-Smith	Project Coordinator
Mr. David Birch	congregation
Mrs Margaret Birch	congregation
Mr Michael Bishop	congregation
Dr Bruce Farmer CBE	congregation
Mrs Beryl Farmer	congregation
Mrs Jean Gent	congregation
Mrs Janet Hancock	congregation
Dr Alwyn Marriage	congregation
Mrs Janus Smith	congregation
Mr Rodney Smith	congregation
Mrs Promila Skelton	Pastoral Secretary
Dr Susan Snashall	congregation
Mrs Rosamund Trembath	congregation
Mr. David Williams	congregation

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document :

Guildford Methodist Church is registered under the Deed of Union of 1932 and the Methodist Church Act 1976 incorporating the Model Trusts. The governing document is The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church (known as CPD).

Recruitment and Appointment of new Trustees:

The Trustees are drawn from the membership of Guildford Methodist Church. Under CPD, the church has adopted a procedure permitted for smaller churches under which all members may serve on the Church Council, if they so wish, without the need for elections and without limit on time..

Induction and Training of Trustees:

Trustees have often already served or are serving on one or more of the committees or groups within the church. Induction and training is principally through discussion with established members of the Church Council and attendance at the Church Council meetings held around 3 times a year; and, for the Church Stewards, attendance at leadership meetings held every 1 to 2 months, depending upon need.

Organisational Structure:

Within the structure of The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church, Guildford Methodist Church is governed by its Church Meeting and Church Council and with the assistance of the Stewards and the Pastoral Committee. The Church Council and Annual Church Meeting have oversight of committees and groups, and the Church Council is the managing trustee body.

Representatives of the church serve on the Joint Council with representatives of the Parish of Holy Trinity St. Mary's pursuant to the sharing agreement referred to below. Two Methodist members have been elected and serve as members of the PCC.

Risks to the Charity:

The principal risk to the charity has for some time been lack of human resources. This led to the Church closing its former building and moving to worship at the Anglican church of St Mary’s in Guildford town centre from 1 September 2013; on 6 July 2014 it entered into a sharing agreement with the Parish of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s.

Methodist Circuit

Guildford Methodist Church is part of the Wey Valley Methodist Circuit.

Objectives and Activities

The Aims of Guildford Methodist Church:

As part of the wider community, and together with the congregation of St Mary’s Guildford, it is the vision of Guildford Methodist Church locally to be a worshipping and welcoming community, working together with other Christians to share God’s love, through word and action, with the people of Guildford and further afield.

The achievement of this vision will be seen by:

Activities in conjunction with the Parish and other churches in the Methodist Circuit, ecumenically and within the community
Development of the worship and prayer life of the church
Growth in the life and activities of the church fellowship
Outreach in the community, in conjunction with Common Ground, building on relationships formed through individual members as well as new initiatives.
Training and Study opportunities

Objectives for the year:

Taking an active role in the community through ecumenical and community projects.
Playing our part in the wider Methodist Connexion through Circuit and District
Reviewing and continually updating our policies for health and safety and safeguarding, and implementing practices to improve standards of care for those using our premises.
Looking for ways in which we can further develop worship services.
Developing the relationship with the Anglican worshippers and leadership at St. Mary's Guildford as a united congregation.
growing the Common Ground ecumenical community, based at St Mary’s, and its activities
Progressing plans for improving the St Mary’s building to better equip it for mission and service activities

Strategies for Objectives:

Playing an active role in Circuit services, meetings and activities.
Continuing our giving to charity and our normal teaching and outreach activities.
Providing a welcome and support for foreign residents through our Chit Chat drop-in.
Supporting in whatever way we can the Street Angels community project and the Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy.
Being represented as a church in Community and Ecumenical events whenever possible and taking active roles individually in community projects.
Continuing to support individual, Friends International, and Circuit Chaplaincy links with the University to develop a relationship between the church community and University students.
Working towards a consistently good level of pastoral care, and continuing to organise opportunities for social interaction.
Working through small house groups to further develop the community and spiritual life of individual members.
Holding discussions with other Christian and lay organisations about possible shared activities.

Significant Activities:

Weekly Sunday Morning worship services.
Monthly Communion for Guildford. Occasional Circuit Services.
House group: Onslow Housegroup.
Tuesday Mix – afternoon fellowship meeting
ChitChat, a weekly drop-in for foreign residents
Ecumenical lunchtime series of Advent and Lent reflections
weekly Monday lunchtime time of reflection ‘Still Mondays’
periodic Sunday afternoon Taizé-style services
opening of the church on a regular basis to welcome visitors to view the building and, where they wish, reflect or chat. Additional opening for prayer events such as Thy Kingdom Come and Heritage Weekend as well as special events, e.g. General Election in December 2019
Art and photographic exhibitions with a Christian theme or supporting the work of charities
Monthly Coffee and Cake, focussing on the work of a particular charity or voluntary organisation
Baptisms and Funerals, both of congregational members and community.
Fundraising for Charities e.g. Christian Aid, Local Projects, African Charities and Methodist Charities.
Members and adherents attached to the Church are cared for pastorally by one of our Pastoral visitors. Pastoral Visitor training has taken place. Communion is taken to housebound members of the church by a Minister or persons appointed by the Church Council, and visitation to the sick and needy is carried out by a Minister and by church members.
Members participate in the Common Ground ecumenical community.
Several of the members of Guildford Methodist Church exercise a Christian ministry in the course of their daily work and activities and by involvement in a particular cause or local need, such as prison visiting and chaplaincy work and drop-ins for the needy. Church members are involved with work for schools and orphanages in both Kibera (Nairobi) and Mityana (Uganda), both of which have been supported by the Church
Social Activities including: Men’s Dinner, Harvest Supper, occasional Church Lunches.
Safeguarding and other training courses are provided by the Circuit.
The Church has strong links with Friends International which cares for, and gives hospitality to, students from abroad; the Number Five Project, a hostel in Guildford for the homeless; the Samaritans and the Guildford Salvation Army Drop-in and Foodbank
The Church supports ecumenical events and services in local churches, especially in Lent and at Easter, and regularly hosts ecumenical services on occasions such as Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Ascensiontide.
Guildford Methodist Church supports the Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy, a charity established by the Churches of Guildford to care for people in the town centre. Their aim is to build bridges of understanding, trust and cooperation between communities of work, faith, leisure and society and to serve people by providing pastoral care for anyone who lives in, works in or visits Guildford.
The church is represented on the Guildford and Godalming Interfaith Forum.
A member represents the Church as a trustee of Hillier House
We participate in the Cluster group of Town Centre Anglican churches.

Achievements and Performance

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Activities were significantly curtailed during the latter half of the year as a result of government restrictions and guidance .

At 31 August 2020 the total membership stood at 36 members. Regular attendance at the 10.30 Sunday worship services continues to increase slightly and we are delighted to welcome new worshippers. As mentioned below, physical services were suspended as a result of the Pandemic but the Zoom services have typically attracted over 60 participants each week.

Safeguarding and other training:

All members requiring safeguarding training have attended such training.

Our policy is jointly agreed with the Parish and will continue to be reviewed annually.

ChitChat volunteers participate in regular training sessions.

Reports

Review of Progress and Achievements

Building improvements:

During the course of the year work started on the first phase of the building improvements which had been planned over several years. Fortunately the builders were able to continue for most of the year with the bulk of their work completed by September 2020 . The works, largely funded from the proceeds sale of the previous Guildford Methodist church building, included the construction of improved access, a new Welcome area, a kitchen and a meeting room , as well as the installation of underfloor heating in the North Aisle. Although the church continued to worship in the building some weekday activities were relocated or curtailed to facilitate the building work.

Worship:

Our main weekly act of worship is a service at 10.30 each Sunday, with a variety of styles drawing on our Methodist and Anglican traditions. There is in addition an Anglican-led service of Holy Communion at 08.00 each Sunday morning (following the Book of Common Prayer) and on the third Sunday of each month we are joined by worshippers from other churches for Communion for Guildford. On a monthly basis the St Mary’s Choir participates in the service.

From March 2020 physical services were suspended and transferred to Zoom. At times blended services were able to take place with some worshippers present in person in the church and others on Zoom. Our Zoom services have been shared by other local Methodist churches and some worshippers from further afield.

There is a periodic Circuit evening service.

Worship services are led by Methodist and Anglican clergy, accredited lay preachers (including one of our members, Rosemary Lee) and other invited preachers. Worship is varied and endeavours to be inclusive.

Communication:

There is a weekly email which details worship for the week and other items for the attention of the congregation such as meetings and events in the church, circuit and local community and printed copies are provided to those members without email facilities. This is supplemented by a weekly Parish newsletter and monthly Supplement.

The Church also has a website: www.guildfordmethodist.org which contains information about services and events.

Mission and Outreach

During the year we put on Lent and Advent series of weekly lunchtime Reflections but the Lent 2020 series was curtailed by lockdown. These Reflections are, typically attended by between 40 and 50 people from across Guildford and beyond. We were pleased to present the Christmas Pathway in December 2019 and Fiona Bunn’s Alpine Dawn photographic exhibition in September 2019. We were pleased to host the annual Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre Service once again.

The Common Ground ecumenical community, established to pursue mission and outreach and based at St Mary’s, enabled us to increase our Outreach activities in keeping with our objectives when Guildford Methodist Church moved to St Mary’s. https://www. commongroundguildford .org

Open Church

Although sometimes constrained by our building work and for a long period by the Pandemic , weekday opening continued on Thursdays and Farmers’ Market Tuesdays, with additional days in August, , and the Heritage Weekend in September when we are supported by Brownies, Guides and the Bell ringers. We also open on special occasions at times of community concern or need.

Onslow Village House group:

Organiser: Rosamund Trembath

Meeting frequency and membership: Fortnightly meetings during term time, prior to the Pandemic. Around 10 members.

Purpose: To enrich our Christian discipleship through Bible Study, discussions, learning and fellowship, with pastoral support.

Tuesday Mix:

Physical meetings were relocated to the Salvation Army’s premises during the building work and then suspended from the onset of the Pandemic but members have kept in touch and being supported.

Organisers and/or church link : The organiser is Rosamund Trembath. In addition, there are a number of volunteers who assist with transport, and their help is invaluable and makes such a difference to those who otherwise would be unable to attend.

Meeting frequency and membership: Tuesday Mix meets fortnightly at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday afternoon, with a typical attendance of 12-16 at each meeting. The members of the group are not all church members; some belong to other churches or no church. During the summer months members enjoy garden parties in the homes of church members.

Purpose of group: A time of worship, fellowship, and social activity, usually with an invited speaker. Special activities and any money raised for charity over the past year: A collection is taken each week and most of this money is given to charities through the year as speakers come and address the meeting and at the Annual Review. A very small amount is used for special occasion meetings e.g. Christmas, Harvest, Easter

Targets for the coming year: To maintain a happy environment in which people can come and meet with each other and have a chat - as well as listen to a speaker.

ChitChat

ChitChat, our drop-in for international residents, grows from strength to strength with up to 35 international guests present each week and is much appreciated by those attending. By its nature, most of those attending are in Guildford for a limited period so there is a constant renewal as some guests move back to their home countries and others join. As well as helping guests to understand and practise English, ChitChat explains British traditions and helps answer questions on aspects of British life. ChitChat hosted Christmas and summer lunches for helpers and guests. Ecumenical participation is crucial to staffing ChitChat and we are very grateful to the volunteers from other churches who act as hosts.

ChitChat transferred to Zoom from the first lockdown and has continued to flourish online, in part with some established guests joining from overseas having headed home from Guildford.

Church Steward’s Report

Until the onset of the Pandemic, life at St Mary's continued well despite the disruption caused by major building work. We were able to continue worship until the Pandemic, with the builders working in a way which allowed church life to continue. Indeed we were due to receive a visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury in the midst of our building work but unfortunately that was an early casualty of the Pandemic.

The restrictions on physical meetings curbed our activities but modern technology, especially Zoom, enabled us to move online for worship, many meetings and some social activities. Indeed, the alternatives introduced new diverse and creative resources and opportunities. for worship and enhanced some social interaction. Unfortunately, by its nature, technology excludes some from participating but major efforts were made to keep in touch with and support those unable to join online.

I am grateful to everyone for adapting to the challenges of the time and demonstrating that the church is people – and not the building.

The Church community at St Mary’s has continued to grow in its sense of community and purpose, sharing in worship and other activities. The appeal and location of our historic building give us considerable opportunities for ecumenical outreach in the town centre which we hope to enhance with the building improvements underway. Our focus is outward-looking as we seek to engage with visitors and the town.

Those building improvements represent the fulfilment of a vision which we have shared over the last 7 years but only the start of the next chapter in the long history of the building. It is a pleasure to share the joy and excitement of getting back in and making use of the wonderful light and open space St Mary’s has become, whilst maintaining its very special sense of spirituality and history. We are very grateful to all who have contributed time, skill, money and patience to this project.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Keith Beckingham, Robert Cotton, the other Anglican and Methodist clergy and others who supported us during the year under review. I thank my fellow Stewards and all the members of the Church for their hard work and support and for the continued encouragement we receive from so many.

ANDREA CAMPION-SMITH Church Steward

Financial Review & Examined Accounts to 31 August 2020

Despite the challenges of the year, we are very fortunate that, through the loyalty of our members, our accounts showed a surplus of income over expenditure, despite further expenditure on our programme to equip the improved building for its role for the church and the wider community, for which we had built up reserves. We also recognise the financial uncertainty brought about by the Pandemic and the pressure this is placing on many churches and charities. Our giving covered the Circuit assessment, normal operating expenses and external donations.

Although the Parish bears almost all the running costs of the St. Mary's building and retains responsibility for the structure, we have contributed to the building works from our reserves (in addition to substantial sums provided by the Wey Valley Circuit and the Methodist Connexion) and continue to contribute to expenditure on cleaning, the sound system and resources for activities at St Mary’s and modest donations have been made to the Parish by Church groups which use the building.

Our thanks go to the Treasurer for his work in relation to our finances.

CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Guildford Methodist at St Ma Church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2020 Wey Valle Circuit Circuit no 3616 Registered Charity - Charity Registration number If not a registered charity Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid number (The HMRC number is equivalent to a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see eviden of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist charities in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242) Minister: 1127643 Reverend Keith Beckin ham Church Stewards: Andrea Campion-smith Rosemary Lee Treasurer: Michael Lee Church R and P 2015.xls 1of5

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2020 Guildford Methodist at St Mary's Church SECTION A Unrestricted Restricted Totals this Funds Funds year Totals last year a1 RECEIPTS Note a2 Offerings and Tax recovered Bank and CFB interest and Investment income Lettings Other receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS 39,768 39.768 38,831 133 133 a4 157 a5 a6 39,901 39,901 (a7) 38,988 SECTION B b1 PAYMENTS Circuit Assessment or Share Donations b2 19,462 6,000 304 b3 19,462 6,000 304 15,570 5,650 1,097 b4 Repairs and Maintenance Utilities (Insurances, water char es, heatin & li htin Project Costs Other payments TOTAL PAYMENTS b5 230 230 b6 228 453 b7 453 21,463 3,573 47,581 3,493 29,942 b8 3,493 29,942 (b9) SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR Total funds brought forward from last year c1 (a6-b8) 9,959 9,959 (8,593) c2 54,070 54,070 (c6) 62,286 c3 Sub total (c1+c2) 64,029 64,029 53,693 c4 Transfers and adjustments TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR 64 64 (c7) 377 c5 (c3+c4) 64,093 64,093 (c8) 54,070 (c6) SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS (these amounts are not to be included in total receiptslpayments figures above) d1 Balance brought forward from last year d2 Offerings/Gifts - received for external organisations 284 810 d3 Offerings/Gifts - passed to extemal organisations 284 810 d4 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID (d1 +d2-d3) Church R and P 2015.xls 2of5

Guildford Methodist at St Ma SUMMARY OF CHURCH ACCOUNTS AND INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS REPORTING TO THE CHURCH COUNCIL SECTION E Please follow the Guidance Notes to com lete this Summary of the Church accounts for the year ended 31 August 2020 and Intemal Organisations reporting to the Church Councivchurch Meeting. Note that the funds of an Intemal Organisation would nonnally be Restricted funds unless it could be dearly shown that they could be used for any Methodist purpose. This section must be completed to arrive at the gross income and expenditure totals of the Church. If gross income exceeds the Accruals threshold, then the Accruals method of accounting AND A DIFFERENT FORM must be used to report the accounts (S Methodist website). Please refer to the guidan notes regarding transfers between the District and connected District Oraanisations. 'S Church INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS Receipts Net ReIpt Payments Payments Opening balances Adjustments Closing balances el e3 e4 e5 e6 e7 Sub total of Intemal Organisations funds e11 Church accounts (totals brought forward from page 2-totals column) (e12 39,901 (a7) 29,942 (b9) 9,959 64 (c7) 54,070 (c6) 64,093 (c8) elo BY CHURCH 39,901 29,942 9.959 64 Continue on a separate sheet if necessary and bring the totals forward 54,070 (x) 64,093 (y) TOTAL RECEIPTS TOTAL PAYMENTS SECTION F STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES CHURCH- CASH FUNDS HELD at 31 Au OPENING BALANCES ust 2020 CLOSING BALANCES Cash in hand Bank Current Account 250 250 Bank Deposit Account 46,892 56,850 Central Finance Board Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes Other funds 6,928 SUB TOTAL~ Church accounts Total funds held by Intemal Organisations (the closing balance total from above) (e12) 54,070 (c6) 64,093 (c8) (e11) (e12) TOTAL CASH FUNDS HELD BY CHURCH 54,070 (x) 64,093 (y) SECTION G At 1 September 2019 At 31 August 2020 OTHER ASSETS and LIABILITIES Investments indude Endowments) Land & Buildings see notes re Insuran value) Other Assets Loan(s - show amount outstanding at ear end Other Liabilities f4 Include only Funds held at the Central Finan Board f5 Include only Funds held at Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes g1 Include any other investments (not the cash element of TMCP trusts accounts this is included in line f5 2015 Church R and P.xls 3of5

Guildford Methodist Church Accounts as at 31 20 Bank Balance Brou ht Forward 2018 2019 47,141.19 Income 2019 Givin Standing Orders/Cheques/Collettion5/Donations Gift Aid TMCP Interest CAF Gold Account Interest Totsi 2020 Methodist Church Accounts from Sertion No A2 £ 32,739.70 £ 7.028.17 50.11 83.13 £ 39,901.11 39,901.11 nditure 2019 Multistore Storage Admin Charges CAF Bank Fees Methodist Insurance Communion Wine/Glasses/Worship material Hospitality Donations Building Fund Donation Pastoral Gifts Cleaning Projett Costs Methodist Circuit Assessment Total 2020 £ 3,190.80 16.60 60.00 230.28 76.30 12.97 £ 5,750.00 250.00 135.90 304.15 452.54 £ 19,462.50 £ 29.942.04 B7 B7 B7 B5 B7 B7 B3 B3 B7 B6 B2 29.942.04 Account at 31/1120 57,100.26 Bank Statement CAF Gold Accouzrt CAF Cash Account Totsi TMCP Investments Totsl £ s650.26 250.00 £ 57.100.26 £ 6,992.85 £ 64.093.11

Name of Church . Guildford Methodist (St Mary's) 1127643 Independent Examiner's Statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attenl connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below") which give me cause to bi that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. [the [the I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examinatli which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of th accounts to be reached. I haveniave not" obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for ME Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Bo; the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at tF balance sheet date. Signature of independent examiner Name of independent examiner Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner Y 4c/6 Name of firm (where appropriate) Address TI1£ RRFthf. Post Code <177Ar Date delete or circle as appropriate Sep-19 2015 church R and P.xls 5of5

Name of Church . Guildfonl Methodist (St Mary's) 1127643 Declarations and Scrutiny I confirm that these ReIpt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2020 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees. Signature of treasurer...........-....---.... Name and address of treasurer ...... Michael Lee 30 Oak Hill,Wood Street Village,Guildford,Surrey GU3 3ER Date......... Presentation to the Church trustees I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2020 were presented to the meeting of the Church trustees held on 12th October 2020.............. Signature of the Chair of the meeting Name of the Chair of the meeting ... Reverend Keith Beckingham Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Guildford Methodist (St Mary's) Charity Number. 1127643 Responsibilities and basis of report I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the ...Guildford Methodist (St Mary's) Church for the year ended 31 August 2020 set out on pages 1 to 3 As the Church's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the Church's accounts carried out under section 145 of the and, in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the 2015 R a1 P.xls 4of5