Bethel Baptist Church Trustees Report – 2021-2022
Objectives and Activities
Our stated charitable objective is “to glorify God by the advancement of the Christian Religion for the benefit of the public in accordance with the basis of faith of the church.”
The trustees work alongside the pastor and deacons of the church to promote the ministry of the church in every way. This includes pastoral ministry to members and other attenders, evangelistic ministry to those outside the church and mission ministry supporting friends who are working in other parts of the world. We are committed to following the teaching of the bible in our activities and the basis of faith of the church reflects that commitment.
Public Benefit
When planning our activities for the year, the trustees, pastor and deacons have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.
We benefit the public by providing a safe, accessible and welcoming environment for Christian worship in the village of Laleston. This is achieved through our regular weekly meetings, some less frequent but regular activities and through special events at various times throughout the year. We meet a valuable social need in providing opportunities for local people to meet together.
To meet these objectives and to continue to run activities, we also need to maintain and upgrade our buildings and facilities.
Achievements and Performance
At the start of the financial year of this report (April 2021) we were back meeting in person for just a morning service each Sunday after all the changes to our routine brought about by covid restrictions in Wales the previous year. We were minimising contact by having just one service with no refreshments and still adhering to rules on sanitising, distancing and mask-wearing. Our mid-week bible study and prayer time continued on Zoom and all other meetings remained on hold until restrictions eased.
As more people felt comfortable coming back to in-person meetings, we struggled to fit everyone in with the social distancing rules and so we began repeating our Sunday morning service in the evening. This continued for most of July and August and allowed all who wanted to attend one service. When the requirement for social distancing ended (Sept), we returned to holding two services on a Sunday as before.
We have continued recording the morning sermon and sending out the YouTube link and notes to members and friends in case anyone was not able to attend. This has been helpful for some members who have been kept from services for other non-covid health reasons.
Other events and meetings began to restart during October and November. We hold a monthly coffee morning which is a free event organised by church volunteers and attended by around 15-20 people, many of whom belong to the local community of Laleston.
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We have two ladies meetings that started back in September and November, one a craft meeting, the other a worship service with an invited speaker.
The craft meeting usually has around 11 ladies in attendance and during the year they supplied knitted blankets to the hospital and a local nursing home. The worship meeting started again in September and welcomed local speakers as well as those representing some mission organisations, including Tirzah Jones (UBM) and Tabitha Doey (Wycliffe). There are usually about 10-15 ladies who attend.
We also hold a men’s breakfast event around four times a year which had been on hold during covid, but restarted in March 2022. This is another free event and usually about 10-15 local men attend.
We were saddened as a church to lose three of our dear members during the past year. Mr. Ken Smith had served the church faithfully for many years as deacon and secretary and alongside his wife Sybil, had maintained services at Bethel during some difficult times in the past. Ken passed away on the 8th June 2021.
Another of our long-standing members, Mrs. Pat Ward passed away on the 13th January 2022. Pat had also been a key part of Bethel for many years, helping alongside her husband Frank in almost every area of the church’s life.
And finally, Mr. David Richards passed away on the 25th January 2022 after an extended period suffering from cancer. David had served the church faithfully as a trustee, deacon and as treasurer for many years and also worked tirelessly to maintain the building and grounds.
We will miss our friends greatly, but we rejoice that as Christians, they are now at rest with the Lord Jesus Christ whom they loved and served throughout their lives.
Joint church activities – Due to remaining covid restrictions and caution in some of the local churches, we haven’t been able to connect with local churches through most of the year, but with lessening restrictions from the start of 2022, we planned a joint week of mission activities in April. To prepare for the week, local pastors met together and there were several joint prayer meetings that Bethel members attended.
Mission – during the year we continued to support a number of missionaries working in S. Ireland, Hungary, Nepal, the Middle East and also in the UK. The church supports the Baptist Missionary Society that has missionaries engaged in a variety of activities worldwide. We also support Union, the organisation that runs the bible college in Bridgend (Union School of Theology).
Building work – There were no grants to assist with building work in the past year, but we have started researching a number of grant opportunities for future expansion of our facilities, particularly with respect to another room for use by small meetings and for children during services.
Some minor building repair work was carried out during the year as well as servicing of the boiler and regular maintenance of the grounds.
Financial Review
The giving for the year was slightly down on the previous year due in some part to the loss of members but still high enough to leave us a small surplus at the end of the year (£2,420). We are
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very thankful and grateful for the faithful way the members and friends of the church support all that the church does.
The reduction in some church activities has resulted in lower utility costs, although it will be noted that those utility costs have increased dramatically in the early part of 2022 and will continue to rise.
Our total income for the year was £37,048 and our total expenses were £34,628, leaving us a surplus of £2,420 in our unrestricted fund. The restricted fund stands at £4,486. With money already in the unrestricted fund of £21,119, the total at the end of the year was £23,539. As mentioned above in building work, we have longer term plans for some expansion and the surplus money in the unrestricted fund will be used for that purpose along with any extra money from grants.
Reserves Policy
The deacons and pastor have agreed together to maintain a reserve fund of £5,000 to cover running costs of the church for a period of approximately 3 months in the case of any financial emergency affecting the current account finances of the church. The level of this fund will be reviewed annually by the trustees and members of the church.
Volunteers
Many of the activities of the church rely on the time and energy given by volunteers. Activities include organising speakers for ladies meetings, setting up the rooms for meetings, cleaning, preparing flowers, serving refreshments, playing piano and recording and banking money. The covid pandemic continued to bring extra challenges through the year and the trustees would like to register their sincere thanks to all those who work so hard to make the church run smoothly and who give their time so freely.
Structure, Governance and Management
The trustees are appointed annually at the AGM. The day-to-day running of the church is under the pastor and the deacons, appointed by the members. Deacons serve for 3 years and must then be appointed by the members to continue to serve for 3 year periods. The deacons and pastor meet monthly to discuss the life and ministry of the church and to review the finances.
David Richards stepped down from serving as a trustee, deacon and treasurer on 20th April 2021 due to his worsening health. The current deacons are Marilyn John and David Laviers.
The church is now administered by two trustees, Jim Grindell (Pastor) and Kevin Green (secretary).
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Administrative Information
Bethel Baptist Church is situated in the village of Laleston, just outside Bridgend. Our postal address is:
Bethel Baptist Chapel
High Street Laleston CF32 0HP
Trustees:
Jim Grindell (Pastor) Kevin Green (Secretary) David Richards (Treasurer) - resigned 20th April 2021
Pastor:
Jim Grindell
Deacons:
David Richards - resigned 20th April 2021 Marilyn John David Laviers
Report approved by the Trustees on 16 May 2022 and signed on their behalf by Jim Grindell (Pastor).
Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………
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Trustees' Report & Statement of Accounts for Financial Year ending 5th April 2022
Registered Charity 1131135
Bethel Baptist Church Laleston
Registered Charity No: - 1131135
Receipts & Payments Account
Year Ending 5th April 2022
| Year Ending | 5th April 2021 | 5th April 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Designated | |
| Fund | Fund | |
| £ | £ | |
| 5726 | ||
| 23395 | ||
| 5913 | ||
| 42 | ||
| 2700 | ||
| 37776 | 0 |
| Receipts Notes Weekly Collections Gift Aid Donations Gift Aid Recovered Interest Received Funeral Gifts Grants Received Designated Gifts Total Receipts Payments Ministers Stipend Pension Contribution - Employers Contribution Visiting Speakers Local Mission Missionary Donations 1 Zoom Prayer & Conference Subscription Electricity Gas Insurance Boiler Service Building Repairs Cess Pit Fire Safety Grounds Maintenance Auditors Fee Fellowship Expenditure Sundries 2 Total Payments Annual Surplus / (Deficit) Funds as at 5th April 2022 & 2021 Funds as at 5th April 2022 & 2021 |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ 6,954 24,140 5,872 2 80 37,048 0 24,820 1,575 926 160 3,600 144 470 538 654 208 581 90 296 200 0 57 309 34,628 0 2,420 0 21,119 4,486 23,539 4,486 |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ 6,954 24,140 5,872 2 80 37,048 0 24,820 1,575 926 160 3,600 144 470 538 654 208 581 90 296 200 0 57 309 34,628 0 2,420 0 21,119 4,486 23,539 4,486 |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5726 | ||||
| 23395 | ||||
| 5913 | ||||
| 42 | ||||
| 2700 | ||||
| 37776 0 |
||||
| 23850 | ||||
| 1075 | ||||
| 160 | ||||
| 166 | ||||
| 3600 | ||||
| 200 | ||||
| 155 | ||||
| 626 | ||||
| 79 | ||||
| 2738 | ||||
| 180 | ||||
| 585 | ||||
| 200 | ||||
| 50 | ||||
| 655 | ||||
| 246 | ||||
| 34565 0 |
||||
| 2,420 | 0 | 3211 | 0 | |
| 21,119 | 4,486 | 17908 | 4486 | |
| 23,539 | 4,486 | 21119 | 4486 |
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Bethel Baptist Church Laleston
Registered Charity No: - 1131135
Assets & Liabilities
| Liquid Assets Santander Bank Account Barclays Bank Account Barclays Bank Account Total Funds Notes Contingent Debtor for Unclaimed Gift Aid Electricity Overpayment Contingent Liabilities Gas Building Repairs Storm Eunice |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ 17,789 5,750 4,486 23,539 4,486 6,078 185 40 100 Year Ending 5th April 2022 |
Unrestricted Fund Designated Fund £ £ 17787 3332 4486 Year Ending 5th April 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 21119 4486 |
||
| 5872 Nil |
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Bethel Baptist Church Laleston
Registered Charity No: - 1131135
Notes to Accounts
| ote 1 Union B. Griffiths - 100 Fold A. Douglas - Nepal M. Dunkley - Middle East J. McMaster - Eire T. Burgan - Hungary Total 2 Payroll Software Safeguarding Subscription CCLI Music Copyright Wheelchair Repair Folding Tables Clock & Batteries Flowers Total |
£ 600 600 600 600 600 600 3,600 59 32 83 90 45 309 Year Ending 5th April 2022 |
£ 600 600 600 600 600 600 3,600 59 32 80 45 30 246 Year Ending 5th April 2021 |
|---|---|---|
Note
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