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2021-12-31-accounts

89 High Street, Tring, Herts., HP23 4AB 01442 824054; www.tringbaptistchurch.co.uk admin@tringbaptistchurch.co.uk

– Annual Report for High Street Baptist Church for 2021 Charity Commission Number 1128094

Prepared by:

Catherine Rowland 13 March 2022

– Section A 1 Administrative details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers

The Principal office of the Charity is:

89 High Street Tring Hertfordshire HP23 4AB

Current names of the Charity’s Trustees on the date the 2021 Annual Report was approved:

Cliff Brown James Cave Joseph Egan Ruth Egan Thelma Fisher Nandi Hall Deborah Inns Cheryl Law Alison Layne-Smith Katharine Passmore Kevin Rogers Catherine Rowland

Names of any other persons who served as a Charity Trustee during 2021:

Janet Briant Nicky Bull Reuben Nelson-Cofie Carol Tipson – Section A 2 Structure, governance and management

(From the Charity Constitution as prepared in January 2009 and amended on 24 September 2020)

The Charity is constituted under the constitution dated 29 January 2009, amended 24 September 2020 and “The Church” means members of the charitable unincorporated association governed by this constitution and known as High Street Baptist Church, Tring (or such other name as shall subsequently be adopted by decision of the Church Members’ Meeting and with the consent of the Charity Commission).

The Church is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (Baptist Union) and the Central Baptist Association.

A – 2.1 Appointment and Removal of Charity Trustees

The statutory definition of Charity Trustees in the relevant Charities Acts is “persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity”. The Church’s procedures are set out in Section 15 of the Constitution.

– Section A 3 Financial Review

Total income for the year was £115,427 (of which £9,500 was restricted) and operating expenditure was £118,882 (of which restricted was £15,468) resulting in an overall deficit of £3,455.

During the year, the church reimbursed Trustees a total of £458 for regular church expenditure pre-authorised by the Church but initially paid for by those Trustees.

The Trustees continued to operate a reserves policy in line with that agreed by the Leadership Team on 6 July 2017 namely that £30K is held in the deposit account as reserves. This equates to three months expenditure. The policy will be reviewed in 2022 following the appointment of a new finance team.

At the end of the year there was £47,125 unrestricted funds held in the deposit account. The restricted funds of £9,461 were for the second phase of the Baptistry project and grant income from Hertfordshire County Council for Linking Lives.

A – 3.1 Public Benefit Statement

This is to confirm that the Charity’s Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard on the guidance of public benefit published by the Commission in exercising their powers or duties.

The Church’s Objectives, Beliefs and Principal Activities employed to deliver this public benefit are shown below.

– Section B 1 Objectives and Activities

Purpose of the Charity is:

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.

Beliefs of the Charity are:

That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer his laws.

That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who ‘died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again on the third day’.

That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world

Principle Activities of the Charity are:

In fulfilling the Purpose the Church will engage in a range of Activities either on its own or with others that will vary from time to time with Activities being initiated, expanded, or closed, as appropriate.

The Activities may include but are not restricted to:

– Section B 2 Achievement and Performance

(Summary of the achievements of the Charity during 2021, as reported by the Church Secretary in March 2022)

Secretary’s Report 2021

The year started very much as the old year had ended with the country in another lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We returned to online services via Zoom, and these continued through until Easter Sunday. Our Easter Sunrise service was held on Zoom, but our main morning act of

worship was a hybrid event with some present in the church while others remained in the comfort of their homes.

Immediately after Easter work started on removing our old baptistry and so we returned to online only until the work was completed. A new stage with updated technology was installed resulting in an enlarged floor area which has been of particular benefit, not only for the midweek children's activities but also in allowing us to have more distanced seating when we restarted in-person services. Funding for this project was secured through several grants and the generosity of church members who responded to the ‘Baptistry Appeal’. Phase 2 of the project, the purchase of a portable baptistry, was completed early in 2022.

The year started with a sermon series entitled ‘Together on our Knees’ reminding us of the importance of prayer and to develop and reflect on our own prayer life. Alongside this a ‘prayer course’ was delivered and a group met online to consider Pete Grieg’s book How to Pray .

There have been opportunities to practise corporate prayer through our various prayer meetings. ‘Start the Week’ on a Monday morning has continued on Zoom. The Thursday evening prayer meeting introduced at the start of the Covid pandemic continued until the summer when it was felt right to bring it to a close. High Street Prayers held on the last Friday of the month provides an opportunity to pray for local businesses. The church has remained open for private prayer on a Wednesday afternoon whenever the Covid restrictions allowed.

During Lent the teaching focused on ‘Journeying with Jesus’ to explore how we live out the gift of new life that we receive through his life, death and resurrection.

For Lent we usually encourage members to follow a devotional book but this year we wrote our own devotionals. Individuals provided a short devotion based on a passage, verse of Scripture, poem, image or hymn and these were shared each day during Lent.

By the end of May the work in the church was complete and we returned to hybrid services. The theme during the late spring/early summer was ‘All shall be well’. This is a quote from the writings of Julian of Norwich, and we explored the biblical perspective of the five ways to wellbeing: Connect; Give; Take Notice; Learn; and Be Active. Alongside this a ‘Wellbeing’ group met online and followed a course developed by ‘Kintsugi Hope’. The book group read Ruth Rice’s book Slow Down, Show Up and Pray .

During the summer term we explored what Scripture had to say about our church family relationship through a series entitled ‘Me, You and God.’ In August/September Kevin led us through the book of Lamentations – a first for many!

Joe and Ken led a ‘Bible course’ on Zoom based on a programme produced by The Bible Society.

With the removal of many of the Covid-19 restrictions in July we carried out a survey with the church family to seek their views as to how we as a church should move forward. We continued with ‘Bring your own Communion’ and re-introduced refreshments after the service, encouraging individuals to bring their own cups.

The Tring Summer Carnival took place again this year and we organised a ‘Churches together in Tring’ stall creating a mini ‘Tring-on-sea’ which included a paddling pool, deck chairs, inflatables and ‘take-away’ children’s craft activities alongside information about the churches in Tring.

We rejoiced with Joe and Ruth following the birth of Hope Annabelle on 10 August. Ruth began her maternity leave at the end of July, and we are grateful to those who picked up extra responsibilities to cover some of her role.

Hope was dedicated in early December along with Charlie, Harrison and Thomas.

In the autumn our sermon series explored Micah chapter 6 verse 8: ‘Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly’. We were blessed with a number of visiting speakers during this period.

Some of our midweek activities resumed in September, including Wednesday Afternoon Games and Coffee with a Cause.

‘Bake Off’ returned to High Street at the end of October – the challenge to produce six identical bakes. Thanks to Jennie and Piquita for judging and congratulations to our winners and runners up.

Also back was the Tring Christmas Festival, this year being held on a Saturday and with longer opening hours. The church was open for prayer and contemplation with children’s craft activities in the hall and hot chocolate served in the foyer.

During Advent we looked at the ‘Songs of Advent’ – Mary’s song, Zechariah’s song, the Angel’s song and, on the first Sunday of the new year, Simeon’s song.

Again, during Advent, we produced our own daily devotions focusing on lines from favourite carols.

It was good to be able to return to holding our Christmas services in the church although those who were unable to attend in person were able to join in on Zoom. Christmas Eve afternoon we held an outdoor Christingle service at the home of Polly and Julian. Fortunately, the rain just held off until the service was over. Our thanks to Polly, Julian and all those who helped with the set up and serving of refreshments.

The monthly ‘Bake with P’ sessions on Zoom continued until October when we were able to reintroduce them in person at the church.

Junior Church takeovers on Zoom continued monthly until September when Junior Church was able to re-start in the building with one all-age class and a creche for the under-5s in the lounge. The technology was set up so that the parents could access the service on Zoom while with the children.

The Activity Garden restarted once the weather improved and ran throughout the summer, proving popular again.

In June we started a ‘baby group’ which meets weekly and provides an opportunity for mums with babies to meet up and share the challenges of parenthood. This too has proved popular with 1015 mums attending each week.

Tots restarted in September, and we had to limit numbers to 30 each session. The first week saw a queue down the High Street!

We were able to hold our ‘Light Party’ on 31 October this year for children aged 3-11 years. There were party games and crafts, all with the theme of light, remembering that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Our youth groups ‘Up’ and ‘HP23’ have for the most part been able to have sessions in person again and have been pleased to welcome a few new faces to the group. They have had a number of outdoor sessions including sunset field games, human-table-football and in November they roasted marshmallows and other treats around a bonfire. During the summer a popular activity was an afternoon spent at Willen Lake where the youngsters and adult helpers built and sailed their own rafts. ‘Bake with P’ sessions remained popular and Zib joined the group one evening for ‘chips and chat’ when she shared with the group some stories from her life and journey with God (this type of session is something the leaders hope to arrange more of in 2022). Given the circumstances it has been a positive year with a super group of young people.

This year has again been a challenge for our mission partners but has seen their work moving forwards.

Tim and Linda Darby continue to serve the population in the area of Gulu in many ways, including developing the drilling of boreholes for safe water, using radio to broadcast help for children while schools were closed and providing legal information for adults.

Lois Ovenden has continued to develop audiology work and Joe provides overall leadership to various church and mission teams. There is an emphasis on passing on skills to local workers, for example Genesis who is trialing new agricultural practices. Both families spent time in the UK during the summer and they were able to each attend a service via Zoom.

The Darbys and the Ovendens are both coming to the end of their time in Gulu and will return to the UK around May 2022.

The Global Mission team decided that it would be good to learn about different mission groups by exploring their work over a two-year period. Musalaha UK is one of these; they support the Jerusalem-based team which brings together people from different backgrounds, especially Christian Palestinians and Israelis, and has touched tens of thousands of people over time. This summer, despite very strict rules due to Covid, they ran a successful week’s ‘camp’ for children and young people from the different groups.

Creation care continues to be an important aspect of church life at High Street Baptist Church and our social media posts have reflected this throughout the year. As a Gold Eco Church, we have received many enquiries from other churches who are on the same journey and eager to learn from our experience. Our own journey has been widely circulated through the church being included as a case study in an article in Preach magazine and Polly featuring in a video produced for Fairtrade Fortnight and a webinar organised jointly by Preach magazine and A Rocha.

In June we held a Climate Sunday service as part of a national initiative in the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and in August we hosted an event for walkers participating in the Young Christian Climate Network Relay walking to the COP26 event in Glasgow.

An Ethical Procurement Policy and an Environmental Policy were approved during the year and the church features as a case study in The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility’s (ECCR) new ‘Ethical Buying Guide for Churches’.

We are coming to the end of our third year of official existence as a Joint Venture with Linking Lives UK. We have around 50 link friends ranging in age from late 40s to 100 who receive support from our limited number of volunteers. We are grateful for the wonderful work they do each week keeping in touch with the socially isolated through personal and telephone support. The service has remained flexible to meet the needs of the Covid-19 restrictions as they have changed throughout the year.

Although some clients and volunteers have caught Covid-19 all have recovered. However, this has impacted on our ability to grow the service. It is with sadness that we have to report that a small number of clients have passed away during the year, possibly due in some part to the impact of the various ‘lockdown’ measures. We have also noticed that some of the sprightly, older clients appear to have ‘given up’ in the face of the relentless restrictions that became necessary. We are determined to prevent people dying alone and without friends – a real problem in our local area.

We have been able to retain the unspent monies from the Hertfordshire Community Grant that we received last year. Plans are in place to spend this money on improving access to our building.

As we move into 2022 the project has identified various issues that need to be addressed, including working with other agencies to promote social cohesion and address social deprivation in Tring and the surrounding villages.

During the first part of the year when there were few face-to-face activities, our Safeguarding Officer, Ken, ensured that the safeguarding procedures agreed in the 2020 safeguarding review for Zoom activities were implemented and followed.

When some face-to-face activities recommenced in the autumn, the opportunity was taken to make sure that all those involved in work with children and young people and vulnerable adults had up-to-date DBS certificates.

There were no safeguarding incidents reported to the Safeguarding Officer or team this year.

A review of our Safeguarding policy will take place in January 2022.

We undertook a review of our Church Membership list and removed the names of those we had not had any contact with for some years so that it accurately reflects those who attend and are committed to the church. We were delighted to welcome James and Gillian into membership and look forward to fellowship with them in the coming years.

Our annual election of Deacons took place in November. Nicky, Janet, Carol and Reuben stood down and five new Deacons were elected. We thank them for their contributions to the Leadership Team and wish them well for the future. We welcome Ali, Debbie, James, Katharine and Nandi to the Leadership Team.

Nicky has also stood down as Treasurer, a post she has held for 19 years. We are grateful to Nicky for all that she has done in this role over the years. It has proved impossible to replace Nicky so in 2022 we will be employing a bookkeeper to manage our payroll and account functions, to be supported by Polly and the Finance Trustee.

Financially the church has continued to cope well despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. During the second half of the year the lettings resumed strongly, and the church hall and worship space have both been well used by a range of community groups, providing a welcome addition to the church’s income.

2021 like 2020 has been a challenging year but God continues to bless us.

Our thanks go to Joe, Ruth, Kevin, Polly and Carolyn who have worked tirelessly during the year to ensure the work of the church continues.

This Report & Accounts was approved at the Annual General Meeting of the church, held on 13 March 2022 at which the following trustees were present:

Joseph Egan Ruth Egan Thelma Fisher Cheryl Law Kevin Rogers Catherine Rowland Nandi Hall Deborah Inns James Cave Katharine Passmore Alison Layne-Smith

Signed [ signed on original ]…………................................................

Print name…Catherine Rowland..……………….............................................

Date……13 March 2022…………....................................................

– Section C Report by Independent Examiner

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 DEC 2021

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the Responsibilities and basis of accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the report 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come examiner's statement to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:
Name:
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body (if
any):
Address:		 [Signed on original] 7thMarch, 2022
Malcolm W Rogers
ACIE
24a, Friars Walk,
TRING,.
Hertfordshire, HP23 4AY

FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021 FINANCIALSTATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED31 DECEMBER 2021
GENERAL RECEIPTS & PAYMENT ACCOUNT 2021 2020
Note Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Receipts
Weekly offerings + GiftDay £69,513 £0 £69,513 £82,771
Donations and other income 2 £11,891 £9,500 £21,392 £7,491
Income tax recovered ongifts £18,086 £0 £18,086 £17,223
Investmentincome 3 £6 £0 £6 £42
Rents/contributionsforuse ofpremises £5,719 £0 £5,719 £6,518
FundraisingIncome £212 £0 £212 £0
Grantincome 4b £500 £0 £500 £13,550
£105,927 £9,500 £115,427 £127,595
Payments
Ministry 5 £41,729 £0 £41,729 £40,115
Mission 6 £31,995 £0 £31,995 £36,428
Upkeep ofchurchpremises 7 £16,368 £0 £16,368 £17,902
Administration 8 £13,322 £0 £13,322 £13,273
RestrictedExpenditure 4 £0 £15,468 £15,468 £604
£103,414 £15,468 £118,882 £108,321
Church Surplus (deficit) for the year £2,513 -£5,967 -£3,455 £19,273
Capital Repaym't from Baptist Union Loan £0 £0 £0 £0
Surplus (deficit) for the year £2,513 -£5,967 -£3,455 £19,273
Balance brought forward £45,980 £15,428 £61,408 £42,135
Balance carried forward 4a £48,492 £9,461 £57,953 £61,408
STATEMENTOF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT31 DECEMBER 2021
2021 2020
Total Total
ASSETS:
Bankand othercashbalances:
LIABILITIES:
Current
11a
Long-term loans
11b
NET ASSETS
REPRESENTING BALANCE ON THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS:
Unrestricted
Generalaccounts
£48,492
Other monetary assets:
9
£0		 £57,953 £61,408
11a £0 £0
11b £0 £0
Restricted
£9,461
£0		 £57,953 £61,408
Total
£57,953
£0		 £61,408
£0
Total MonetaryAssets £48,492 £9,461 £57,953 £61,408
Non-monetary assets: Heldfor investment purpos e
10a		 £0 £0 £0 £0
Heldforchurch's ownuse 10b £2,886,289 £0 £2,886,289 £2,428,228
2020
£2,697
£2,007
£930
£1,774
£0
£0
£11,891 £7,409
2021
£6
£0
£0		 2020
£42
£0
£0
£6 £42

FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

GENERAL RECEIPTS & PAYMENT ACCOUNT
Note
Receipts
Weekly offerings + Gift Day
Donations and other income
2
Income tax recovered on gifts
Investment income
3
Rents/contributions for use of premises
Fundraising Income
Grant income
4b
Payments
Ministry
5
Mission
6
Upkeep of church premises
7
Administration
8
Restricted Expenditure
4
Church Surplus (deficit) for the year
Capital Repaym't from Baptist Union Loan
Surplus (deficit) for the year
Balance brought forward
Balance carried forward
4a		 2020
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
£69,513
£0
£69,513
£82,771
£11,891
£9,500
£21,392
£7,491
£18,086
£0
£18,086
£17,223
£6
£0
£6
£42
£5,719
£0
£5,719
£6,518
£212
£0
£212
£0
£500
£0
£500
£13,550
£105,927
£9,500
£115,427
£127,595
£41,729
£0
£41,729
£40,115
£31,995
£0
£31,995
£36,428
£16,368
£0
£16,368
£17,902
£13,322
£0
£13,322
£13,273
£0
£15,468
£15,468
£604
£103,414
£15,468
£118,882
£108,321
£2,513
-£5,967
-£3,455
£19,273
£0
£0
£0
£0
£2,513
-£5,967
-£3,455
£19,273
£61,408
£0
£61,408
£42,135
£48,492
-£5,967
£42,525
£61,408
2021

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 DECEMBER 2021

2021
Total
ASSETS:
Bank and other cash balances:
£57,953
LIABILITIES:
Current
11a
£0
Long-term loans
11b
£0
NET ASSETS
£57,953
REPRESENTING BALANCE ON THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS:
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
General accounts
£48,492
£9,461
£57,953
Other monetary assets:
9
£0
£0
£0
Total Monetary Assets
£48,492
£9,461
£57,953
Non-monetary assets: Held for investment purpose
10a
£0
£0
£0
Held for church's own use
10b
£2,886,289
£0
£2,886,289		 2020
Total
£61,408
£0
£0
£61,408
£61,408
£0
£61,408
£0
£2,428,228

The restricted funds held in the general accounts comprise: £1540.30 in the baptistry project fund and £7920.84 in the Linking Lives fund.

2 Donations and other income:
Sundry income, refunds etc
Friday lunch café
Other items (GAYL, FiT)
Children's Work Income
Legacies
Govt Furlough Grant
3 Investment income:
Bank interest
Trust income (if any)
Other items		 2021
2020
£1,501
£2,697
£0
£2,007
£794
£930
£2,240
£1,774
£5,000
£0
£2,357
£0
£11,891
£7,409
2021
2020
£6
£42
£0
£0
£0
£0
£6
£42

4a Restricted Funds

Sums gifted by the church to BMS and Home Mission appear under Payments: Mission; they are a gift from church income. 'Other causes' here are sums earmarked to be passed to the recipient organisation, eg coffee morning to go to BMS and Harvest gifts to DENS. Restricted Income and Expenditure for 2021 comprises these plus the baptistry project, and the Linking Lives project funding.

Category Open Bal **Income ** Expenditure Close Bal
Restricted Funds £15,346 £9,383 £15,268 £9,461
Donations for other causes £82 £118 £200 £0
Total Restricted £15,428 £9,500 £15,468 £9,461

The closing balances in restiricted funds were: £1540 remaining in the baptistry fund and £7921 in the Linking Lives fund.

4b Grants Received

In 2021 we received a grant of £500 from Dacorum Borough Council for our ongoing work on reaching the isolated. These funds are not restricted.