## **CHRISTCHURCH METHODIST CHURCH** ## **Trustees Report and Financial Report** ## **1[st] September 2020 – 31[st] August 2021.** ## **Charity Number 1129001** Aims and Purposes Christchurch Methodist Church Council (CMCC) has the responsibility of working with the Loughborough Circuit Ministry Team; the Reverends Andrew Lomax, Martin Swan and John Pugh, and probationary minister Calvin Chung to promote the whole mission of the Church and manage the pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical work of the Church. Rev. Martin Swan has a part time appointment to work with Christchurch specifically for all pastoral and ecumenical work at the church. CMCC is specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church buildings known as Christchurch Methodist Church, Field Street, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 9AL. ## Objectives and Activities The Church Council is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church, and to become part of our church community. The CMCC maintains an overview of worship in the church and ensures that this worship is relevant to all sections of our community. When planning our activities for the year the Minister and the CMCC have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our church community through: - Worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus - Provision of pastoral care for people living in Shepshed, who are members of our community - Missionary and outreach work. To ensure all of this can happen we need to maintain the fabric of the Church buildings. ## Achievements – Serving our community Based in the heart of the town the CMCC work to ensuring that our buildings are available to all community groups, and we reach out to provide a welcoming space for the community to gather. On Friday mornings, before Covid Church members provided an open coffee morning at which residents of the town can pop in for a chat, a cup of coffee and a piece of home-made cake. These coffee mornings helped to keep people in touch and offer a chance for meeting friends from the town. Transport was often provided for those wishing to attend. **ii** It is hoped that these sessions will restart in September 2021 once all covid restrictions have been removed. However, it is acknowledged that regrettably the pool of helpers for these sessions will now have decreased, due to ill health, increasing infirmity, or sadly the passing of some members. Our community use has declined during the pandemic with the following groups now meeting in the premises. - 6th Shepshed Guides - Christchurch Gilbert and Sullivan Group - Knit and Natter - ACT 1 Youth Theatre Group - Chera Voce - Slimming World - Shepshed Dance classes It is hoped to restart our Senior Choir, but our Junior Choir will not be restarting, nor will our fellowship group. Church members can also use the premises for celebrations with family and friends, for Birthdays, Wedding Anniversaries and personal celebrations. ## Pastoral Care A number of our Church members are no longer actively able to attend church due to ill health or advancing years. Since Covid we have started a new weekly electronic service sheet to keep members in touch with the church community and avoids them feeling isolated and lonely. In addition; church members in need of particular visiting in either times of distress or loss are visited by the Minister as required. Our new minister Rev. Martin Swan also has a pastoral role now in the town and is active in engaging with our community on pastoral matters. Pastoral lay visitors visit those in need and a prayer chain is in place to support those within the Church family to pray for those in need. Even when members are isolated, the prayer chain helps them to remain in touch and care for the pastoral needs of others. **iii** ## Worship Worship normally takes place on a Sunday morning at 10.45 am and a Sunday evening at 6 pm will resume once a month from September 2021. It has not been possible to reinstate weekly evening services due to the lack of preachers within the circuit who will be available for the plan. Our Age Worship ceased during Covid and this hasn’t yet restarted, whilst the team involved reflect on how this should proceed. Christchurch is a member of Churches Together In Shepshed (CTIS) and works with the other churches and denominations within the town on various ecumenical projects including Learning in Lent, the Easter Walk of Witness, the Remembrance Parade and Service and the Summer Bible School. Together we support the Passion youth drop-in Centre, which engages young people in the town and provides a safe place, keeping young people off the streets. Christchurch from September will resume hosting circuit services on a regular basis where Methodists from around the circuit are able to gather and worship together, again these will resume when possible. Our Junior Church has now ceased operating as the number of young people within the church has decreased, and they either worship as part of the adult congregation, or have found other worship sources including the online 12[th] church within the circuit. ## A building fit for the Community Since Lockdown any repair or maintenance work has been kept to a minimum to ensure the safety of workers and those enabling access to the building. It has regrettably been necessary to replace a number of windows following further vandalism and we continue to talk to the Police about securing the property. We have also undertaken a deep cleaning of the building on a number of occasions and have ensured the safety and security of the water systems by having a Leptospirosis survey completed. A quinquennial review will be due in November 2021 which will identify any major repairs or work to the fapbric of the building which will need to be carried out within the next 5 years. **iv** Financial Review and Reserves For the period covered by this report the income on our unrestricted fund was £37100 and on the restricted renovation fund was £100. During this period, we paid £30200 to the Loughborough Circuit as our proportion of the circuit share for ministerial costs, and other church expenditure amounted to £7500. This expenditure includes donations to other charities or organisations of £970. Full details are given in the financial statements that were approved and signed by Church council in February 2022. N.B. All accounts figures rounded to the nearest £100 in this report. These figures show the considerable impact of covid on our income and this has meant a drop in our reserves. However, due to careful budgeting, and the resumption of some of our lettings this loss was not as bad as feared. Our assessment share to the circuit was reduced by £7000, thanks to a rebate that was given to all churches in the Circuit. The Church Council is aware of a risk to our income from loss of regular contributors and potential loss in letting income if any further lockdowns occur. Christchurch has always endevoured to hold a reasonable of level of reserves, ideally at £25,000 although this has not often been possible. However, the three legacies and the levels of reserves held at present mean that the trustees have confidence that whilst we may have a negative budget in 21-22 we will have sufficient reserves to cover this. **v** ## Administrative Information Christchurch Methodist Church is in Shepshed, Leicestershire and is part of the Loughborough Methodist Circuit. This forms part of the Leicester and Northampton District. Church Council members and trustees for the period of this report were: |Circuit Superintendent Minister|Rev Andrew Lomax| |---|---| |Circuit Minister|Rev Martin Swan| |Senior Steward|Lynn Hobson| |Steward|Lorraine Cutts| |Steward|Jane Dobson| |Steward|Steve Price| |Steward|Alf Thompson| |Steward|Gladys Watret| |Steward|Eileen Brogden| |Steward|Victoria Merrill| |Church Treasurer|Dawn Scott| |Assistant Treasurer|Lynn Hobson| |Assistant Treasurer|Alf Thompson| |Church Secretary|Ian Scott| |Chairman of F&P|Cynthia Popley| |Secretary of F&P|Katie Brooks-Duncan| |Safeguarding representative|Michelle Price| |Junior Church representative|Nicole Jordan| |Elected from AGM|Alan Hobson| |Elected from AGM|Hannah Alderson| |Circuit Steward|Les Longmire| |Fellowship|Alf Thompson| The administrative address for the church is: Field Street, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 9AL The Church Council meets quarterly to discuss and approve church business and the trustees and members are elected yearly at the Church Annual General Meeting held in May. Authority may be delegated to subcommittees formed at the wish of the Church Council. Report produced by Dawn Scott on behalf of Christchurch Methodist Church Council **vi** CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Christchurch Methodlst Church, Shepshed FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2021 Loughborough Clrcuit Clrcult no 23110 Reglstered CharTty - Char￿/ Reglstration numbér 11 not a registered chartty H•r M8jesty's Revenue and Customs GfftAld number (rhe HMRC number Is equivalent lo a registered chrity number In terns ol e¥ideft￿ ol charilable stuiu8 and may be used lo give lo donoryJ or grant lundets wishing lo see evidence ol the organisation's ch8rrtable stalus. Melhodisi chanti83 in En￿rKI and Wales thal are nol reg￿ered chanties are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242) 1129001 Ministef: Reverend Martin Swan chu￿ Slewards.. Mrs L Hot)son Mrs Victoria Memll MrAII Thompson Mr Steve Pnce Mrs Gladys Watrel Mrs Jane Dobson Mrs Ethn Brogden Mrs Rosemary Grimley Tfaasuref, l el5 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021 Christchurch Methodist Church, Shepshed SECTION A l)nrnst1kt￿ R•striGted To￿$ ihi5 Funds yÈor a1 RECEIPTS 52 Offenngs and Tax fec£wer8Lf Bank an(1 CFB Interest and Investmenl incorne 32.670 32.769 34,197 83 42 42 Lelling5 Oih8r rocèipls TOTAL RECEIPTS 3.997 3,997 424 8.e79 424 18.11Q 37.133 37232 la7) 61.191 SECTION b1 PAYMENTS Circuit Assessment Of Sha Donaiions b2 30.240 b3 1,655 1,666 Repaff¢ #nd M8iniènance Utilitses Ilnsuranc85, water charges. heaiino & Iwhbng) 1,855 i,784 974 974 2.895 1895 4.488 b7 Olher payments TOTAL PAYMENTS 2.134 37.899 10 2.144 37.909 3718 10 Ib91 SO.389 SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR c1 aw} -765 .678 10.802 Tolal Funds trwoht forward from lasl year 29.628 31,933 Ic6} Sub lo141 Ic1+c21 28,862 2.395 31,267 31.933 Tiensters anda¢YILIsim￿tS (¢71 roTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR Ic3+c4) 28,862 1395 31.257 Ic81 31,933 le6) SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY." M014EY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL OROANISATK)NS Ithw amounts 4r• not to b• includ•d In totsl r4¢dp￿P•ymellts flgures above dl Qal8nce brou hl fonyara froffl U751 year 120 120 Off￿&ngSIG{fts. reGeived tor exlwnal ori￿1$81￿ 105 1.236 03 OfferiwlGffls . passed to frxtemal otowt5at*> 1.236 L14 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID (d1￿1￿13) 120 2fI5 Christchurch Mèihodjsi Church. sum OF URCII SECTIO￿ E piÈa5e IhE Gu to com nmary e. &￿0￿rb￿ ty ÈrFJee 31 aryo tg L>v.ch Noi• lth.eg an ImprnEI r.?*fn• t* lkn.J )t CC410 ?0 ￿ed tor￿ ¥elhccW.V￿￿.t Th15 Tiuol DIFFERV4T FORM I￿￿10 fOPffjrttr* leee wabkt•l iTsr*Tsb•t*TEn INYERNAL ORGANI¥AnoA¥ Cloy¥￿ttI1￿% Fqlltrw4Np 351 351 rr•ld¢ixft ()Iga-.E£Xn5'.￿1d 45Q 450 141 ¥VUgM lop4*anl Imlm P41• )T.232 37.ty39 410 £¢71 31.933 31,2S7 , ay CFIURCH 3T.ZJ2 J7.109 4T 3138 31.707 TOTAL t(**6 ILvwY*d PAYIIEF￿5 SECTION F EMTO stTS eHURCII. CASH FIIMDG ￿L0 •tJi 21 CLOSWO L4NCE8 BALA¥CE$ io S.EQ fs*k D ¢¢1￿￿ F.wwe Bp•d 28.2JJ Ji,oyJ Tr￿& fGr UÈththai6llJNw¢hPwpw SU8 TofaL- Clrtir¢h a¢¢o* Total hBIdby￿lernI {t61 312S7 Ir81 450 TOTAL ¢AS*I FUNDS HELD 8Y¢MUACM 31.707 SECTION G At Al 31 k'wEt2021 OTHER AsseTSaThd LIABUYIES 1.32QOQ) Chrlstchurch laethodlst Church. Shepshed Charity No. 1129001 Declaratlons and Scrutlny I confirm Ihal these Recepl und PaJTht based aetounts forthe year lo 31 ￿U$l 2021 have been prepared Irm Ihe records of the Ct¥Jrch Ihat mthd8 all lunds uTrJer Ihe corrtro10l Ihe hurch tru￿ee$, Slgnaf(r& of treasurer ..... Name and address of treasurer: Dwm Scoll. 21 Fldd Av¢Ne. Stwshed. L&%sler3hire. LE1129SH Pra8enthtkni to the Church irustses I corfimi that Ihe annual report and accourtts for Ihe year ended 31 ￿ts$1 2021 wereA•itN be. 95enled lo the meeting of the CtKrc* Intslees hekl on ShJn81ure of the Chair ol ....... Name of the Chatr ol Ihe meelw .....EA.l¢*Pl￿.....￿￿