## Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church - ANNUAL REPORT TO CHARITY COMMISSION 2023 24 **1. Name:** Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church **Registration Number:** 1128900 **Principal Office:** South Parade, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B72 1QY ## **2. Trustees:** Pat Allen, Joan Burkwood (part), Les Burkwood, Anne Cole (Secretary), Bob Dauncey, Keith Dennis, Philip Griffith, Enid Howles, Amanda Hume, Angela Lavender, Peter Le Brocq, Donna Miller, David Mills, Yvette Morgan, Cynthia Reakes, Rev. Alan Smithson (Chair), Grahame Tench and Gill Wallwork. ## **3. Structure, governance and management:** We are governed according to the "Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church". Within the Methodist Church we belong to the Sutton Park Circuit. Our governing body is the Church Council (i.e. the Trustees listed above) which meets three times a year, usually in March, June and November. Trustees are generally appointed ex officio from membership of various church groups, with provision for others from the church membership and the Church Stewards. There are committees to cover Finance and Property and Pastoral matters. The membership as at 1[st] November 2023 was 90. ## **4. Financial Review:** The Church is in a healthy financial situation, able to meet its commitment to the Circuit assessment and to maintain its premises in good condition while maintaining consistent levels of giving to charitable causes. We have general reserves equivalent to 6 months' running costs consistent with the connexional policy. ## **5. Public benefits:** The Church offers weekly opportunities for worship, and there are some house groups whose aim is spiritual development and growth. The church is outward looking and provides a number of facilities for the community at large for many age groups. These include:- - Thriving uniformed groups for Scouts, Cubs, Brownies and Beavers - Twice monthly Wednesday Club open to all - Weekly Friends on Friday club for people with memory problems and their families - Weekly coffee mornings for anyone to drop in Over many years there has been a gradual change in the use of the Centre with increasing use by non-church groups for room hire. The Centre is in use 7 days a week, 50 weeks of the year. There is a tremendous cross-section of people using the Centre and in a typical week there are as many as 1,300 people passing through the doors via a wide variety of external community groups. The groups for vulnerable adults include Gamblers Anonymous, MIND Friendship Club providing recreational activities for people with mental health problems, Support Groups for Parkinson's Disease, Memory Cafe, RVS Dementia Group, Friends on Friday Memory Club, Alzheimer’s Singing for the Brain, Talking Newspapers and Sian Bain breathing exercises. There is a weekly coffee morning for anyone who’d like to drop in for company. The community groups include Cherished “Blossom” for teenage girls and “ROAR” for the boys, art groups, Yoga groups, Drama Club, Sutton Coldfield Choral Society, a Sewing group, Needlecraft, Lace-making, Folk dancing, Little Pals toddlers group, Portrait painting, Aikido, Tai Chi, Badminton, Ballet for children and for over 55s, Indoor Bowls, Antenatal yoga, Birchfield String Orchestra, seated exercises, Sutton Coldfield Photography Club, Sutton Arts Theatre, Smart 11+ Tuition, Stamp Fairs, Speech and Drama and Ballet exams, National Trust lectures, Royal Sutton Coldfield Philatelic Society, Tumbletots, u3a classes in German, Latin, Spanish, Philosophy, Dancing and Enjoy Opera plus Mixed Games and Pickleball and PKA Karate/ Kick Boxing. In addition to this we also have local residents meetings and occasional other outside organisations using our rooms for meetings. E.g. Sutton Ramblers, Sutton Coldfield Stroke Club, Birmingham City Council for ballot box distribution. ## **6. Objectives:** Our objectives are in line with those of the Methodist Church which are:- _Worship_ The Church exists to increase awareness of God’s presence and to celebrate God’s love. _Learning & Caring_ The Church exists to help people to grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care. _Service_ The Church exists to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice. _Evangelism_ The Church exists to make more followers of Jesus Christ. ## **7. Activities and Milestones :** The premises have been maintained in excellent condition and are an asset both for the church itself and the local community. In the past year we have replaced the heating system for a much more efficient one and hope to be able to meet the national issue of spiralling energy costs as a result. We gave £140 to Action for Children, £100 to Bible Society, £270 to World Mission, £538 to Mission in Britain, £243 to All We Can (previously Methodist Relief & Development Fund), £3,086 to Christian Aid and £417 to Methodist Homes. In all, the special collections raised £4,795 for outside causes and a further £3,900 was given from our church funds to other organisations and charities. The photo-voltaic panels which were installed on the roof of the Church Centre in 2013 generate just over 30,000 kWh/year. These continue to make a significant contribution to reducing our carbon footprint and helping to protect the environment as well as reducing our electricity bills. ## **8. Future Plans:** The Church plans:- - To continue to offer worship which is varied in style blending the traditional and the modern - To continue to offer groups for Prayer and Spiritual Growth - To encourage the development and growth of the various groups which make up our Church Family - To support financially, according to our means, charities both Methodist and more widely ## **9. Risk Assessment:** Risk Management is monitored via the regular trustees meetings. The main items of concern are maintenance of membership, safety and adequacy of the building used, balance of funding to maintain current activities, the ongoing commitment of volunteers in running the church and the community centre and ensuring the church operates within existing and potential regulation and legislation. CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Sutton Coldfield IAethodist Church Church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2024 Circuit Circuit no. 504 Rggistsred Charity - Charity Registration number If not a registered charrty His Majesty's Revenuo and Customs Gbft Aid number (The HMRC number is equivalent lo a registered d￿rity number in tenns of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist charilies in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242) 1128900 Minister. Rev. Alan Smithson Church Stewards: Peter LeBrocq Gill Wallwork Cynthia Reakes Treasurer. Grahan￿ Tench ChUrd￿r￿1pts-aIWYMen￿2024.xIS 1of5 Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church Accoupifs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Church Totals last SECTION A Fund* Funds RECEIPTS Offerin s and Tax recovereil Bank and CFB interest and Investment income 57.976 51.976 57,559 a3 10.380 101.T16 6,543 101.776 7.442 174.T14 88,227 a5 Other receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS 18,015 170.344 177.574 (a71 SECTION b1 PAYMENTS b2 Circuit Assessment or Share 68,435 68.435 63,366 b3 Donations 3.850 4,800 Re airs and Mainlenanr Utilities (Insuran￿, byater charges, heating & lighting) 54.228 54,228 58,396 b5 26.839 26.839 22.516 b7 Other payments TOTAL PAYMENTS 21.050 174.402 21.352 174,704 28.122 177,21XI 302 Ibg) SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR c1 372 2.498 2.870 6,856 Total funds brought foward fr(Kn last year 178.436 S9.172 237.608 244,464 Sub totsl c1+c2 178.808 61,670 240.478 237.608 Transfers and ad'USln￿nts c7 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR Ic3+¢4) 178.808 61,670 240,478 {c8} 237.608 {¢6} SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EKfERP4AL ORGANISATIONS (these amounts are not to be Included in total receiptslpayments figures above d1 Balance bro ht fonyard from last d2 sIGifts. r￿1ved for exlemal anisations 4.795 2,972 d3 OfferingslGifts - passed to extemal organisations 4.795 2,972 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID (d1+d24ts) 2of5 Sutton Cobjfiebj Methodi81 Church Chw¢h SECTION E AND A DIFFERENT FORM m￿tI* ¥J (se*Metrts*lMt4*). Pl*Ke rnlerbthe gu￿j￿ rwJwthwJ Dlstri¢tand ITERNAL ORGANISATK*45 ¢5 totsl vf Intsm•l an￿￿On5 fur ¢I￿r¢h Il•l• 2-totsts columnl 17TAT4 lan 174704 1¢7) 237,608 240,478 BYGHUKH 191J73 137 242.972 (xl 251 109 ￿n￿sSary and briry fc¢wBrd TOT SECTkY4 F TATEMENT CLOSING cHLIR￿.cI￿ FuNDs￿&t31 Cash in harrfj 44 197 Bank f4 59272 81.924 SiJB TOTAL. ChurchvAow (o6} 240A78 bala￿8 t¢tslfrtyn ¥tth*l18121 1012 TOTAL CASH FVNDS IELD BY CHURCH 242,972 251.109 SECrnN G At 31 Awt2024 LaThJ & BLthJi 477 3r15 Name of Church Sutt¢)n Coldfield Methodist Churth Declarations and Scrutiny I confim that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2024 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they indude all funds under the control of the Church trustees. Signature oftreasuref......... Name and address of treasurer Grahame Tench 24 Frederick Road Sutton Coldfield Post Code B73 5QW Pr0s0ntstlon to the Church trustees I confirm that the annual ￿pOrt and a￿￿Unts for to the meeting of the Church trustees held on ./ . .. r ended 31 August 2024 werelM4ll&e' presented Signature of the Chair of the meeting Independent Examlnerfs Report to the Trustees of the Sutton Coldfield Methodlst Church Charlty Numbor 1128900 Re8ponsibilbties and basis of roport I rewrt to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church for the year ended 31 August 2024 set out on pages 2 to 3. As the Church's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requi￿rnents of the Charities Act 2011 (Yhe I report in res￿1 of my examinatM)n of the Churth's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and. in carying out my examination, I have folk>wed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under se¢lion 145(5Xb) of the Ad. . delete or cirde as apprwyate 4of5 Name of Church Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church No ........ Independent Examinerfs Statement I have completed ry examination. I confirm th* no material matters have come to my connection with the examination (other than that disclosed belo￿) which give me caus that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Act; the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the exai which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understandin accounts to be reached. I havelhave nor obtsined independent verification of all investments with the Trustees Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finan, Methodist Church which are indmdualty in excess of £10.000 (ten thousand pounds) al sheet date. Signature of independent examiner Name of independent examiner A M Sanders Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner NIA Name of firm (where appropriate) Address 149 Tamworth Road Sutton Coldfield Post Code B75 6DY Date ...72 A I￿2L delete or cirde as appropriate Chur¢harecelpts4nd-pa￿nts-2024.xts 5of5 ame of Church Sutton Coldfiekl Methodist Church No il 7 4 16 , Independent Examlnefs Statement I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my connection wth the examinab'on (other than that disclosed belo￿) which give me caus that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act: the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the exai which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understandin accounts to be reached. I havelhave not" obtained independent verification of all investrnents wrth the Trustees Church Purposes or held in other trusts. bank balances and funds at the Central Finan, Methodist Church which are individually in eX￿S of £10.000 (ten thousand pounds) al sheet date. Signature of independent examiner Name of independent examiner A M Sanders Relevant professional quaSification of independent examiner NIA Name of firm (where appropriate) Address 149 Tamworth Road Sutton Coldfield Post Code B75 6DY 22 A KJ(vC+Y4kn- 202L Date delete or circle as appropriate Churchwreceiptsvandv￿￿nts-2O24.Xls 5ofS