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2023-08-31-accounts

Ofngton Park Methodist Church Trustees Report for the year ending 31[st] Aug 2023

1. Objectves and actvites

In setting our objectives and planning our activities the Church Council now meets six times a year under the leadership of the presbyter in Pastoral Charge.

Our mission statement: “this church exists to live the Good News of Jesus in word and action and build an inclusive community where everyone can come and fulfil their God-designed potential”.

The church continues to use Our Calling to focus on all areas of the church’s life and has adopted some targets under the headings of Communication, Pastoral Care, Worship and Spirituality, Discipleship and Rhythm of Mission. These are used as guidelines in Stewards and Church Council meetings to focus our work.

2. Achievements and performance

The church family are made up of a wide age range but we continue to recognise that most of the congregation are chronologically older. This has led to the Leadership Team and Church Council to pray and explore a new vision having completed a successful year to celebrate the 90[th] Anniversary of the church. Every month saw a fundraising activity and in some cases two or three. Everybody put in a huge amount of effort and the sum raised reflected this challenging work. (Please see finance statement).

However, this amount of effort is unsustainable over any great length of time. Sadly, a boiler replacement was necessary which meant £9,000 was needed to pay for the general maintenance of the building, once again leaving finances for a new kitchen (which is used for missional outreach) heavily dented. Post Covid, Zach’s café was formed and is open Monday – Thursday 9:00-12:00 midday, initially to give those who had been isolated during the pandemic a space to

meet others and begin socialising again. There were two days where the concentrated effort was to reach families with small children. This has proved popular with many families.

It was hoped that members of the congregation would also use this as a chance to meet with friends and consequently those who were visiting for the first time. This has not been extensively used by the congregation unless coming to church for other activities.

We continue to provide a wide range of services for all ages and have advertised appropriate services to the differing age groups. Messy Church, Breakfast Church and Fun Church attract a regular number of people, and worship is rich and varied. We are grateful to our team of organists and musicians for their dedication and help in supporting those leading worship. A concerted effort is made to refer to the differing congregations as one, to promote unity within the church.

The Church Administrator role continues for eight hours a week, and we are grateful to a number of volunteers who work on the Welcome Desk. This continues to be a successful way of taking the burden of workload away from the Administrator.

Regular use of Facebook and a new closed (by invitation only) group on Instagram continues to give the church a social media presence within the community and allows the young people to have safe contact with each other and their leaders. This year, due to the Preschool closing, the church has been able to offer a designated area to our young people and they have been busy decorating and organising the space to make it suitable to invite their friends into. Three new youth leaders have led this small but dedicated and committed group of young people every fortnight. They are represented on the Church Council and feel confident to join in the discussion when necessary and are always keen to help at social and fundraising events.

Uniformed organisations continue to thrive and meet regularly on the premises, attending three Parade services each year. Cameo, Knit

‘n’ Natter and the Bells group meet regularly on the premises and provide opportunities to share gifts and skills.

The church and its members are upheld regularly by the Powerhouse of Prayer, a group which has met for many years for this purpose. Bible study is held weekly and for those who are unable to come there continues to be a Zoom facility. They have recently been studying the course ‘Everyone an Evangelist’ as a Circuit-wide initiative.

Weddings have taken place during the year, including the first Same Sex Blessing which was a joy for all concerned. Baptisms have been celebrated both in messy church and traditional services. The pastoral team stay connected with members and adherents by telephone. Pastoral friends have been introduced who write, or phone, and then pass any concerns onto the Pastoral Co-ordinator or Minister.

We have been delighted to welcome some new faces to our congregation and look forward to getting to know them better. All communion services are now face to face, with a team of people taking extended communion out to those who are housebound, or unable to attend due to illness.

Senior Lunch Club (“Tuesday Lunches”) continues to be popular. The group has been extended by inviting a local group from Guild Care to join them.

We have been developing and extending our ECO involvement with the new Eco team, which consists of adults and young people. The church grounds have new planters, a compost site, and exciting future plans.

The church building lends itself to large gatherings and the Circuit and District make full use of this when holding larger services and meetings. The President, Vice President of Conference and the Chair of District were welcomed and met with local supernumeraries for

tea. The building is well equipped with screens thanks to a generous grant from Circuit and District which are used at services and events.

Plans for future years.

A new vision for the church has been discussed extensively with the Leadership Team, Church Council, and wider church family at an open day, which was positively received and affirmed. A permanent soft play area will be built in the main hall. The main hall will be decorated, and a new floor laid. Toilets will be added for ease of use for hall users. The kitchen is long overdue for refurbishment and is one of our main resources for church mission. It will be redesigned and updated as soon as this is possible. This will include some major work to address wood rot and work to an old chimney. The focus of the soft play will be to optimise the length of time we are able to engage with families with children from birth to the age of eight. This will enable a longer time to build relationships which are a key to church growth.

A new youth group for the 7 – 10 age group will begin in September, which will feed into the older youth group which will be advertised in the soft play area. The soft play can be themed and will offer crafts and special sessions can also be provided for those needing a ‘quieter time of play,’ e.g., young people with individual special needs. It will also be offered to school groups for faith sessions.

On Saturdays, the soft play will be for outside party hirers, with the possibility of two or three sessions and with assorted options for

food, supplied by the church or self-catering. At present most of our party users hire a bouncy castle and on talking to them at booking are delighted that this will not be necessary in the future.

It was recognised from the start of the discussions that compromise would be necessary for the existing groups who share this space. The vision/project responds to the popularity of Stay and Play pre covid and will hopefully generate some sustainable income.

Due to the extended compassionate leave needed by the minister to recover from two close bereavements, the Stewards, Leadership Team, Lay Worker and three supernumerary ministers have enabled the life of the church to continue and flourish. They have also pastorally responded to those who were in need. On behalf of myself and the congregation I would wish to offer grateful thanks for their care, commitment, and dedication to the life of the church.

Rev Dawn Carn

3. Financial Review

The Examined Account for the year ending 31st August 2023 shows a General Fund surplus of £3,275 after allocating reserves to the soft play project mentioned above. Overall income was aided by a rebate from the West Sussex (Coast & Downs) Circuit, increased lettings activity and a strong income stream from Zach’s drop in café and play zone. The Church works hard to keep expenditure levels as low as possible and to keep the buildings in good repair. Our property focus was on preparing the main hall to receive the soft play equipment.

4. Investment policy and performance

The General Fund comprises £38,636 held locally and £44,473 held in TMCP Model Trust Funds. Reserve funds underperformed resulting in a loss on revaluation of £2,477.

5. Reserves Level and policy

The Reserves Policy agreed by Church Council is a tiered approach as follows:

For each financial year ending on 31st August the Managing Trustees are required to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the Church’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing these financial statements the Managing Trustees must:

Trustees must also safeguard the assets of the charity and take reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The church operates within a sound control framework which allows it to function effectively. Processes in place are regularly reviewed and cover typical church activities such as recording and handling income, recording and controlling expenditure, management of restricted funds, effective budgeting, general financial controls and the review of investment holdings.

  1. Structure, governance and management

The Church is governed by the Methodist Church Act 1976, the Deed of Union and the Model Trust Deeds of the Methodist Church.

Structure

Offington Park Methodist Church is part of the West Sussex ( Coast and Downs) Circuit. As such it is represented on the Circuit Meeting which meets four times a year. The Methodist Conference, with whom overall regulatory authority rests, meets once each year as the supreme denominational body for all Methodist Churches.

Governance

Overall regulatory authority rests with the Methodist Conference.

The Connexional Office implements decisions made by the Conference and is responsible for the stationing of presbyters and deacons (collectively known as ministers) in individual Circuits within the District. Connexional decisions are passed to the Chair of the District and the appropriate officers of the District for implementation.

The District passes down to Circuit level for implementation by the Superintendent Minister, ministerial staff and Circuit Stewards, and authority is delegated to the Circuit Meeting for certain matters.

The Circuit Meeting passes regulatory control down to Church Councils for local implementation by the presbyter, the Church Stewards, and other officers, and this regulatory control is then

exercised by the Church Councils as Managing Trustees of their charity.

8. Purpose of the Church

The purposes of the Methodist Church are and shall be deemed to have been since the date of union the advancement of:

  1. The Christian faith in accordance with the doctrinal standards and the discipline of the Methodist Church; and

  2. Any charitable purposes for the time being of any Connexional, District, Circuit, local or other organisation of the Methodist Church; and

  3. Any charitable purpose for the time being of any society, or institution subsidiary or ancillary to the Methodist Church; and

  4. Any purpose for the time being of any charity being a subsidiary or ancillary of the Methodist Church.

The primary purpose of Offington Park Methodist Church is to advance the Christian faith by providing opportunities for worship, Christian nurture and fellowship within the wider Worthing Community.

The Church operates within a statutory framework of regulation and seeks to ensure that it follows Methodist Standing Orders. It relies on the Connexional Office at 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR to provide guidance on changes that could affect the Church.

The members of the Church Council are appointed under the terms of S.O. 610(2). The Superintendent is ex-officio chair of the Church Council but may delegate this task to other presbyters in the Circuit.

The Church Council normally meets six times per year and deals with routine and exceptional matters. It oversees the work of other groups within the life of the Church. The responsibilities of the Church Council and other committees are set out in Standing Orders 603 – 604 of the Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church.

9. Reference and Administratve Details

Name of the Church Offington Park Methodist Church

Charity Registraton number 1127681

Superintendent Minister The Revd Rosemarie Clarke MA

Presbyter in Pastoral Charge The Revd Dawn Carn BA(Hons)

Names of Managing Trustees Revd Dawn Carn John Bishop Adam Cook Lesley Skinner Jacqueline Brown Joy Barnes Hilary Colbourn Kevin Harmer Gill Powell Mike Powell David Gibbs Alison Wright John Carr Elaine Carr Sue Head John Head David Barnes Michele Funnell Charlotte Gould Carolyn Williams Catherine Burgess

Independent Examiner Mr Keith Thacker

Ofngton Park Methodist Church

General Fund Account for year ended 31 August 2023

Income
Oferings
Circuit Assessment Rebate
Gif Aid on Oferings
Gif Day Receipts
Donatons (General)
Letngs (Use of Premises)
Weddings and Funerals
Church Actvites (Fundraising)
Spotlight Sales
Photocopier Income
Transport Receipts
Church Flowers
Solar Panel Income
Interest on Investments
Miscellaneous Income
Fund Contributons
Zach's Café
Tuesday Lunches Net Surplus
Support Actvites
Cleaning Receipts
Total Income
Other Funds Income through bank
Expenditure
Circuit Assessment
Salaries & Wages
Insurance Premiums
Administraton
Property Account
Gas Charges
Electricity Charges
Water Rates/Commercial Waste Removal
Telecom inc Broadband
Church Actvites
Photocopier Expenditure
Transport Expenses
Church Flowers
Fees & Charges
Miscellaneous Expenses
Fund Expenses
Digital Media
Wedding and Funeral Costs
Zach's Café Expenses
Organ & Piano Costs
Cleaning Materials
Worship Resources
Total expenditure
Other Funds Expenses through bank
Net Surplus/Deficit(-)		 THIS YEAR
###
£
72,792.58
8,255.00
18,422.74
10,860.10
4,425.60
32,376.35
1,199.00
9,374.76
735.55
146.20
819.12
135.00
4,441.03
3,202.10
667.28
0.00
10,204.28
3,392.89
210.55
482.28		 LAST YEAR
###
£
68,316.41
9,040.00
16,465.13
11,731.02
0.00
20,179.06
0.00
9,801.61
0.00
0.00
3,912.47
526.53
0.00
868.82
215.94
2,274.40
4,206.37
0.00
2,738.15
0.00
150,275.91
81,400.00
6,622.97
5,179.57
2,852.65
21,550.17
4,717.95
3,924.61
1,064.69
764.03
3,119.73
2,892.04
1,388.93
171.30
0.00
2,233.94
72.00
0.00
0.00
1,372.23
834.35
1,041.80
1,632.90
#
142,835.86
7,440.05
182,142.41
8,499.94
84,984.00
9,846.40
5,955.80
497.13
10,132.54
4,657.79
4,057.40
1,304.69
1,266.30
2,575.39
3,227.29
525.48
182.78
293.74
1,054.45
0.00
2,708.88
175.00
2,485.07
689.97
3,842.75
609.71
141,072.56#
14,006.97
41,069.85
B/F Balance Collections for Others
Collections for Others (current year)
Payments to Others (current year)
C/F Balance Collections for Others		 1,846.37
630.63
2,417.00
60.00
TOTAL OPMC FUNDS B/F
Unrealised Gain/Loss on TMCP Unit Revaluatons
Net Surplus/Defcit(-)		 89,481.63
2,476.98
41,069.85

Ofngton Park Methodist Church

General Fund Account for year ended 31 August 2023

Net Other Fund Movements (Refected in CFB)
TOTAL OPMC FUNDS C/F		 THIS YEAR
###
£
5,507.03		 LAST YEAR
###
£
122,567.47
STATEMENT OF FUNDS
Current Local Fund Balances
CAF Bank Current Account
Cash In Hand
Central Finance Board
Less Funds Collected for Others
Sub-total Funds held locally
Reserve General Funds Held at TMCP Manchester
TMCP Trustee's Interest Fund
TMCP Managed Fixed Int Fund
TMCP Managed Mixed Int Fund
Sub-total Reserves
TOTAL OPMC FUNDS		 10,092.89
325.00
67,736.38		 33,425.05
325.00
10,627.77
60.00 1,846.37
78,094.27 42,531.45
845.41
17,376.55
28,728.22
46,950.18
89,481.63
845.41
16,119.60
27,508.19
44,473.20
122,567.47
##
ANALYSIS OF FUNDS H ELD LOCALLY
Funds Held Locally
CAF Current Account
Central Finance Board
Unrestricted
COP Project Fund
Restricted
Youth Fund
Restricted
Dunning Bequest
Restricted
OPYP (Senior Youth) Fund
Restricted
Tuesday Lunches Reserve Fund
Restricted
Kitchen Refurbishment Fund
Restricted
Minibus (Transport) Fund
Designated
Eco Fund
Designated
10,357.89 31,903.68
28,278.18 979.90
28,334.09
0.00
2,676.50
1,650.18
2,007.19
4,043.86
0.00
746.38		 0.00
1,372.61
870.21
2,000.00
0.00
2,209.76
2,388.03
807.26
42,531.45
78,094.27
ANALYSIS OF RESERVES
Reserves
Allocated Reserves
Unallocated Reserves
Sub-total Reserves
TOTAL OPMC Funds		 0.00
44,473.20		 0.00
46,950.18
46,950.18
89,481.63
44,473.20
122,567.47
ANALYSIS OF GENERAL FUND HOLDINGS
General Fund at CFB
General Fund at Bank & In Cash
General Fund at TMCP
Total General Fund
Total Other Funds
TOTAL OPMC FUNDS		 2023
28,278.18
10,357.89
44,473.20		 2022
979.90
31,903.68
46,950.18
79,833.76
9,647.87
89,481.63
83,109.27 79,833.76
39,458.20
TOTAL OPMC FUNDS 122,567.47 89,481.63
2022
80,106.38
79,833.76
-272.62
-1,186.69
16,088.38
-15,174.31
-272.62
GENERAL FUND MOVEMENT 2023 2022
79,833.76
83,109.27
3,275.51
27,298.28
-21,545.79
-2,476.98		 80,106.38
79,833.76
-272.62
-1,186.69
16,088.38
-15,174.31
3,275.51 -272.62

CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Offington Park Methodist Church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2023 West Sussex (Coast & Downs) Circuit Circuit no 36108 Registered Charity- Charity Registration number 1127681 If not a registered charity Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid numbor (The HMRC number is equivalent lo a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable slalus and may be used to give lo donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisalion's charitable status. Methodist charities in England and Wales that are not registered charitios are excepted from registration under Stalulory Instrument 2014 No.242) Minister.. Rev Dawn Carn Church Stewards: Jacqueline Brown Hilary Colbourn Joy Barnes Kevin Harmer Gillian Powell John Bishop Treasurer: Michael Powell Church R and P 2015.￿S 1of5

.CCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023 Offington Park Methodist chU￿h Uniestricted Restricted Funds Funds Totsls thi$ Totsls last yèar SECTION A year a1 RECEIPTS Note a2 Offerin s and Tax recovered Bank and CFB interest and Investment income 91,215 91.215 84,782 a3 3,202 32,610 55,349 182,376 3.202 32,610 55,349 182,376 869 a4 Letlin 20,179 44,446 150,276 a5 Other receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS a6 {a71 SECTION B b1 PAYMENTS b2 Circuit Assessment or Share 84,984 84.984 81,400 b3 Donations b4 Repairs and Maintenance utilities Ilnsurances, water cha es, heatin hlin 10,823 10.823 21,550 b5 17,242 17,242 15,651 b7 Other payments TOTAL PAYMENTS 28,024 141.073 28,024 141,073 24,235 142,836 b8 Ib91 SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS c1 a6-b8 41,303 41.303 7.440 Total funds brought forward from last year 87,248 87.248 c61 86,757 c3 Sub total Ic1+c21 128,551 128,551 94,197 Transfers and ad'uslments 15,984 5,984 c7 16,9491 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR Ic3+c41 122,567 122,567 Ic81 87,248 Ic61 SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY.. MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS Ith0$9 amounts are not to bè included in total receiptsl ments figures above) d1 Balance brou ht forward from last ear 1,846 d2 Offerin sIGifts - received for external o anisalions 630 3,465 d3 OfferingslGifts - passed to extemal organisations 2,416 1,619 d4 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID Id1 +d2431 60 1,846 2of5 hUrch¢vreLYipls-and-pa￿Cnts-202j 111

Offin ton Par Church MARY OF CHURCH AGGOVNTS AND INTERNAL RGAPIISATIONS REPORTING TO THE ¢ pcHc UNCIL SECTION E efollow the Guldance Notes to co lete Sufflmary of the Churth accounts for the year e￿e￿ 31 August 2023 and Intfjrnal Organi$atsons reKA)rbn9 to Ihechurch Cc￿n[￿￿¢hY[th Meeting. Note thaithe lunds ol Èn Intsrnal Oroanisalion normally te Reslricled funds unle55 Ilcould becle3dy shDWn thai theyeould ￿ used forany Meth<￿1$1 puipos¢ This seeiion musi cgmpleied t02rrive allhe gross In¢OTne¥nd expendiluretotsls of the Church. Ilgr055 illcoffle exceeds IheAccruals IhreshDld. then the Acctuals fflelho¢ of accounliDg AND A DIFFERENT FORM rnust be used to the ￿￿O￿niS lsee Mah(Mli$lwebsrtel. Pkne referto the guthce notes rega￿1n9 transfers betsyeen the Dislncl and connected Disiri¢t Oroanisauons INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS Plei R¢¥ptsi Paymenls Openiny balance5 R¢¢tipts Pa ments ustments cbsing Be)evoJence 357 357 Tuesd Luntheg 418 1.53D 1.530 e5 ¢7 ub Ii)lal o Intem8 Organisabonsfund¥ 416 1,946 357 e12 hurch 8c¢ounts Itotals brought forward from page 2-totals column) 18Z.J76 141.073 Ib9 41.303 15,9841 87,248 122,S67 BY CHURCH 182,792 143,019 39,773 6.9841 89,135 122,924 con￿nUe on a sep3r?le sheei Il ressary and bnng ihe totals lotward TOTAL RECEIPTS TOTAL PAYME14TS SECTION F STATEMENT OF ETS AND LIABILITIES OPENING BALANCES CLOSIP4G BALANCES ¢HUPCH- CASH FUNDS HELD at 31 Au u2023 Cash in han<1 325 32S nx CvtreniAceounl 33,425 10,033 Bank D 511Accounl f4 Central Finante BcArd 6.548 67.736 Tivstees for Melhodisl Church Pu 46.950 44,473 Other funds SUB TOTAL- Church a¢toun 87.248 122,567 Total funds held by Internal Organisalions (Iheck)5i balance from above) 18121 1,887 357 TOTAL CASH FUN05 HELD BY CHIJRCH 89.135 122,924 SECTION G Al 1 September 2022 51 Augus12023 OTHER ASSETS and LIABILITIES Investment$ Indude EndNments Land & BU￿￿1 see re Insuiance value £6.22tn £7.10rn OtherAssets £278k £318k Ltran - shDW aM￿nl￿tS1andl reod f4 InclLthonly Funds he￿ al the Central Finance Boar 15 Includeonly Fund$ he￿ ai Truses lor Melhodisl Church Putposes 91 Indude any oihw Inyestsnenls Irhot the cash elemeni of TMCP trusts aGcounls this 1$ indudd in line f5 3018

DECLARATIONS Treasurer I confirm that I have prepared the accounts from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control o ch Council Signature of Treasurer Dale 2iliolz3 Name MICHAEL POWELL Address 20 Sl Lawrence Avenue Worthing BN14 7JF Presentation to the 'Chur¢h Councll for approval. I confirm Ihal the Accounts have been presented lo the Church Council on 2111012023 and were approved. Signature of the Chair of the meeting Name of the Chair of the meeting Rev Dawn Carn Date 21.10.1 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Offlngton Park Methodist Church This Report is on the Church Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner The Gharily's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year und8r section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 Ilhe Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. 11 is my responsibility to.. Examine the accounts under Section 145 of the Charities Act lo follow the procedures laid down in the genefftl Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 14515llbl of the Charities Acll, and lo slate whether particular mallers have come lo my altenlion. 2015 thurch R and P.￿8 4of5

Basis of Independent Examiner's Report My examination was carried out in accordance with 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. 11 also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the Iruslees concerning any such mallers. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as lo whether the accounts present a 'lrue and fairf view and the report is limited lo those mallers sel out in the statement below. Independent Examinor's Statement In connection with my examination, no maller has come lo my attention lolher than that disclosed below'l.. 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 Charities Act., to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been mel., or 121 lo which, in my opinion, allenlion should be drawn in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please d&lete the words in the brackets rfthey do rpot apply appropriate (31 I havelhave not. obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for Melhodisl Church Purposes I'TMCP") or held in other Trusts, Bank balances and Funds al the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church {"CFB"}, which are individually in excess of £10,000 Iten thousand pounds) 81 the balance sheet dale. Please Gircle as appropriate Name Keith Thacker Signature Relevant Professional qualification or body Address 16rf7 Dale 2015 church R atld P.xls 5015