Charity registratlon number 1128275 THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIAWATER ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION PCC Membars Rev Dr S Vibert Rev M Smith R 81ain B Slannard P Unwin A Bames (Rèsigned 19 May 2024} A Sachak C Rye (Resigned 19 May 20241 Dr M Petkins R Vvhitehead Rev J Brown D Thomas B Parker B Gilbert K B181ri S Payne H Hall (Appointed 19 May 20241 (Appointed 19 May 20241 Charity number 1128275 Principal addrèss Christ Church Virginia Water Chrisl¢hur¢h Road Virginia Water Surrey GU25 4PT Independent &xamin•r F J Wilde FCCA MBA DChA Wamer Wlde 4 Marigold Drive Bisley Surrey GU24 9SF Bankers Bardays Bank PLC 71 High Slreel Staines TW18 4PS THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER CONTENTS Pag• PCC Members, report Indèpendent examinerfs report ststement of finanoal actiwties Balance sheet 10 Notes to the financial slalemènls 12-30 CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER The PCC members present their annual report and financial statement5 for Ihe year ended 31 December 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with rhe accounting policies set out in notes to the financial statements and comply with the PCC'S governing documenr, the Charities Act 2011 and 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities- Statement of Recommended Practi£e applicable to charities prepaflng theiT account5 in ac£ordance with the Financial Reporting Standard 3pplicable in the UK dnd Republic of Irelané IFRS I Q21" leffeciive l January 20191. Structure, Governance and Management The Parochial Church Council of the E£desiB5tical Parish of Christ Church Vlrglniawater I"Christ Church Virginia Water"} is a re9isrered charity, number l 128275 entered on Ihe Register of Charities 26 February 2009. As a church wirhin the Church of England ICofEI, Christ Church Virginia Water ICCW is constituted within the Parochial Church Counci15 IPower51 Measure 1956. Members of the ParochiaS Church Courtcil IPCCI are either ex-officio or elected by Ihe Annual Parochial Chur£h Meeting IAPCMI In acctsrdance with the Church Repre5eniarion Rules and. by dinr of membership, become the charity's Trustees. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to consider standing for election io the PCC. Prospective new PCC members I trusrees are advised of PCC membership and Trusteeship duties and responsibilitie5 by means of receipi and discussion of Ihe CofE PCC Standing Orders and the Trtssteeship booklet praduced jointly by the Archbishop's Council and the Charity Commlssion. PCC members are required to complete an HMRC Fit and Proper Persons Declaration. and 3 Charlty Commission"Declaration of Eligibility for Newly-Appointed Trustees.. PCC menibers are required to complete safeguarding trainlng And to hold a valid DBS ceriificaie. The PCC usually meets every second Month. The PCC is responsible for policy direcrion and decisions, approval of significant non-rcutine expenditure. identification, assessmeni and mirigarion of risks. and oiher sigmificant decision-making. Including the rewew of any proptssals Submitted by church Sub-committees. The Standing Committee. a sub-set of the PCC rnember5hip meets, if necessary, between PCC meeiings to lake urgent decisitsns on ihe PCC'S behalf. The Incumbent (Vicar) seNes as Chair to the PCC and as senior manager to the Church Staff Team. which comprises seven PCC-employÈd staff. During the year Ihe following served ès members of the PCC.. Incun7bent/ Vicar fchair)." Rev Dr Simon Vibert. Associate Vicar.- Rev Matthew smith ' Children & F&milie5 Pastor." Rev Jeremy Brown Churchwardens." Mrs. Bev Gilbert ' Ifrom APCM) Mr. Roger Blain Safeguarding Officer.. Mr5. Pamela Unwin Represenrative5 orp rhe DeanerySyfPOd.. Dr. Margaret Perkins Mrs. Kathleen Blai CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER Structure, Governance and Management (Continued) ElectedMenpber5.' Mrs. Pamela Unwin. Dr. Margaret Perkins Mr. Akeel Sachak Mr. Rod Whiiehead Mr. Ben Siannard Mr. Ben Parker Mr. Oave Thomas Mrs. Kaihleen Blain Mr. Steve Payne (from APCM) Mrs. Helen Hall lrfrom APCAI} a150 47 Standing Commltrée member In the ptsrsuit of its Chrlstian charitable objeciives Christ Church Virginia Water co-operates on an ongoing basis with l O Mission Partners offering both praciical involvement and regular financial support in the form of grants. All are UK-regi5tered charitie5. The dailymanagement of rhe Church and its events is delegated by the PCC to an administrarive team con515ting tsf tw¢ part-time staff and the full-time Operations Manager. Mrs. Annetts Ross. This team is supported by several thurch members 4*ho volunteer their time to a55i5t with clerical and administrative tasks, and Many more who help with servlces, refreshments, catering and running events. Trustees Annual Report for 2024 Introdurtion and8ack9mund Christ Church PCC is responsible for co-operating Wlth the incumbent, Rev Dr Simon Vibert. In PTom¢ting the whole rnission of Ihe Church- pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also ha5 overs19ht of the financial affairs of Chri5r Church Virginia Warer an£f responsibility ftsr the mainrenance of rhe buildings. The Mission of ChrASt Church reYnain5 to know Jesus &nd make Jesus known.. This mission underpin5 the Church's wsion. In ihe Comiruniy. For the Communiiy." To ihe Glory of God" The number of people on the Church's Electoral Roll during rhe year was 160 1166 in 20231 and the avèrage weekly adult attendance at Sunday sèrvices was 186 1174 in 20231. Both the 2024 and 2023 attendance figures include attendance in person dnd online. Rewew of the Year When reviewing our airns and objectives and plannlng our future activities. we have referred to the guidellnes in rhe Charity Commis5ion'5 guidance on public benefit. In particular. rhe trustees, on an on-going basis. consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and obJectives they have set. Christ Church ha5 a public duty & charge to the 'carÈ of stsuls. for the Parish of Virginia Water. The overall ministry and work of the PCC. the Clergy and the stsff Team embraces this charge. All the Church'5 5eryices and activitie5 are accessible and open to the general publit Il￿ng within and beyond the Parish boundarie5. As an Anglican church we serve parishioners through the arrangement of baptisms. funerals. and weddings including wedding preparation. CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER Trustees, Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 IConttnued} Additionally, at Christmas, Easter and Harvest we run specific services and events for the wider communlty and on Remembrance Sunday we meet our civic responsibilities to Ihe Parish. Other activities that demonstrate our commitment and serwce to the communlty include the regular use of Church'premises by a branch of Community Bible Study and a Women's Bible Study grovp on Thursday mornings. We also welcome StudÈnts and Young Adult5 10 lunch each Sunday and host a social Youih night on Friday evenings open to all. Each monih we serve a two-course lunch open to anyone in the local community providing fellowship and nourishment. We have a weekly parentlcarer and toddler5 session on Wednesdav mornings. We also run family focussed activities for younger children at the Virginia Water Communiry Centre several times a year. In following Jesus, it is possible to live wthin a Church fan7ily that boih bullds up and srrengthens its own members and can also be a blessing ro the wider community in whlch we live. One of our key objectives is to be a Church which 15 relevant for'seekers, as well as believers. aswell as being relevant to the wider community. Objettives for the year to advance the Vision of the Church The Purpose of Chr15t Church is ￿ knowjésus andmakejesus known". This Purpose underpins the Church's Vision to be In the Community., For the Community. To the Glory of God" The key elements of this Vision are. Reaching & GrO￿n9- we want to be a growing church. feaching people both in and beyond the Parish. Maturing & Equipping - being a healthy church thai helps Church members grtsw in their faith and be the body of Christ. wilh a srrong sense of community created by home groups and proattive pastoral care. Influencing & Carin9 - we want to be a beacon of light in the community and a place that offers people friendship. hope in Christ, and a sense of belonging to a church family. Spre3ding & Promoting we want to be a connected church, which spreads & promote5 rhe Good News in the community and beyond through contemporary, media friendly, communication. Serving & Sharing we will seek to be a re50urcing church whose members share their skills & talents through serving in the Church, in the local community. and in the wider world. Our Vision is consistent with the Diocesan strategic initiative 'Transforming Church, Transformlng Lives" 2. Acti￿leS to achleve the object(ves During the year we continued 10 run three 5ervice5 on a Sunday, at 8.30am, 7 0.30am and 6.30pm. Children attending the l 0.30am service regularly attend age-appropriaie Sunday club aciivities. We have seen some encouraging growth in the Sunday serwces, making up for some of the ground lost during the Covid years. We conrinued with our hybrid model of Ilve services which are filmed and streamed on YouTube online. The YouTube broadcasts are also available for delayed viewing Nia Christ Church'5 YouTube channel. CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER Trustee5' A#nyal Report for the Year £nded 31 December 2024 IContÉnued} 2. Aalvi￿eS io achTeve the objettives Ictsntinued) Development of our Vlslon.. Below are some of the highlights of what we havo done to further rhe vision. Reaching & Growing". Outreach activities continue to be a key feature of the life of the Church, both in terms of financial and human investment. The actyvities include door to door visiting wilh well-produced fliers and materials,. the use of outside banners to promote courses and activities., running Alpha and Christianity Explored.. a monthly lunch open to anyone in the community.- free children's actiwities, boih in rhe Church and at the Virginia Water Community Centre.. meals for Royal Holloway Student5. and staff presence at many other community events. As a result, the Church has grown numerically in the past year. Maturing & Equlpplng.. The prime place for this ministry is the Connect Groups, wth about a third of the congregation at these daytitne and evenin9 meetings. We also run one-off training events in evangelism, and pastoral matters, as well a5 re50urcing the Parochial Church Council through its regular meeiings and annual day away. In 2024 we started discussing revamping and refurbishing the Church. This will be a 3-pFJa5e project, over rhe next 3 year5, which include5 upgrading of church carpets and chairs, and improving office and meeting space. Initially we will use Ibe £72,514 in the designaied Church Improvement Fund and will Ihen fundraise to complete the project. Influencin9 & Caring." We have a Pastoral Care team who seek to support members of the church and community in need. We have a WhaisApp group open to church members For prayer and for co-ordinating practical 5UPPOrt su£h as wslting those in h05Pital. Pastoral Care also happens through the Connect Group network and Ihe work of the Good News Café montlily meal. We visit the local residential care homes in rhe parish ar least once per month and provide boih Holy Communions services, and pastoral care to residents. Spreading & Promoting.. We make good use of Social media- our website. electronic news updates. Facebook, TikTok, articles & letters in the community magazine. Links into Wentworih Golf Club and the Royal British Legion happen naturally through congregation member5. and Christ Church presente at their events has grown this past year. We also have a gazebo at Ihe Virginia Water Tiail offering frÈe refreshments and literature. Serving & Sharing.. We seek to Use our re50urce5 for Ihe benefit of the wlder Churth. This includes supporting and sending Some of our members for further ministry and trainlng. We have artive links with national and overseas mission organisarions, which include5 financial 5UPPOrt, as well as invitations t¢ Christ Church to report on progress. The Vicar teaches and supervises church pastors & educators around the world who are pursuing their Doctor of Ministry, through Gordon Conwell Theologi￿1 Seminary in Boston. USA. He also teaches on the Dlocesan LLM and Caleb Church of England Iraining schemes based in the Ditscese of Guildford. The Church gives support to the Vicar in his teaching and writing. by allowing some of his time to further this aspert of the Church's vision. 3. ￿nancIal Report We 5taried 2024 budgeting for a deficit of £35.000 on the General Reserve fund (similar to 2023 when we had recorded a deficit of £31,662, prior ro Ihe Iransfer of £40,000 frotn our One-off Gift ReseNel. This budgeted deficit would have brought our General Fund Reserve5 down to about £1 00,000, the middle of our targeted range. The 2024 outcome on the General Fund was a surplus of approx. £15,000, SOMÈ £50,000 better than expected, This was due to danation income being £39,000 higher than budget, and expenses being approx. £1 1.000 lower than bud9et. primarily because we did not need to pay rent on the Associate Vicar's accommodation from September 2024. which saved £1 1,000. CHRIST CHURCH VIRGINIA WATER Trustees, Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 Oecember 2024 Iconiinuedl 3. Nnancial Report Icontynued) In December 2023 we received a wonderful legacy from the estate of Merle Adams, a much loved and longstanding member of the church family. The legacy comprised her 2-bedroom bungalow at 23 Cabrera Avenue, Virginia Water, and a share of the residue of her estatÈ. The bungalow was 501d for £515,000 aNd we also received £144,408 from the residue of the estate lof which £1 00,OQO was received in 2023 and £44.408 in 20241. This was by far rhe largest 9ift the church has received in irs 170-year history. The proceeds were invested in a much larger sewni-detached 4-bedrooM house in Wirginla Water. ¥vhich has been re-named 'Merle's Place" in her mernory. We also received a wonderful gift of £37,500 from a member of the church family, which funded most of the refurbishment Needed on the house. Our volunteÈr Property Committee did an excallent job co-ordinating the repairs and improvements in anly 5 ¥veeks, and our Associate Vicar and his famlly moved into the property In Seprember 2024. They vacated a nearby iented house, which Is saving the