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← Garland Street Baptist Church

2025-03-31-accounts

Garland Street Baptist Church

Report and Accounts Year ended 31 March 2025

1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Garland Street Bury St Edmunds Suffolk, IP33 1EZ GOVERNING DOCUMENT Constitution adopted 3 September 2009 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1131966 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Revd Gavin Walter – Minister (from September 2021) MANAGING THE CHARITY Ms Claire McMillan (resigned May 2024) Mr Adrian Mundell – Secretary (from March 2019) Mr Thomas Mundell (from March 2019) Dr Adrian Terry - Treasurer (from March 2021) Mrs Helene Terry (from March 2013) Mrs Joan Warnett (from May 2022) CUSTODIAN TRUSTEES The Baptist Union Corporation Limited Baptist House 129 Broadway, Didcot Oxfordshire, OX11 8RT BANKERS National Westminster Bank Plc 7 Cornhill Bury St Edmunds Suffolk, IP33 1BQ INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Lisa Darby FCA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

INDEX

Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-5 Trustees' Report Page 6 Independent Examiner's Report Page 7 Receipts and Payments Account Page 8 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 9-10 Notes to the Accounts

Page 1

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025.

On 21st November 2024 the church meeting voted to adopt the new Church Vision 2025-28 document, a result of prayer, discernment, feedback and discussion. A sermon series launched the New Year based on the vision and it will be exciting to see how God leads us to fulfil his vision through us in the coming years.

The Sunday school reestablished in April 2024 as a response to new children and families worshipping with us. We are grateful to Helene and Adrian Terry for coordinating the team and delivering such a varied programme. We give thanks to God for all the new people who have joined us in the past year and pray that we continue to encourage and raise each other up, to serve and spiritually grow together.

Leadership

Deacon elections were held on 20th of March 2025 at the church meeting. There was one nomination, and Joan Warnett was re-elected for another three-year term. All current deacons have served for several consecutive years, and we must pray that new people in the coming year will step forward and use their gifts to serve GSBC as deacons.

Membership

Membership as of 31st March 2025 stood at 55.

Prayer

Helene Terry continued as the deacon overviewing prayer. The River of Prayer within our Sunday morning services continued to inspire and challenge us to keep prayer central to our faith. The quarterly evening prayer service offered a time to reflect and be still as we gathered to pray. The monthly prayers letters enabled different people to contribute to the prayer life of GSBC. We give thanks to the people on our prayer chain, who continually lift up in prayer the people and situations that we face as a church family, in complete confidence.

Pastoral Care

Rosemary Clare stepped down from leading the team after many years of faithful service. We give thanks for her commitment and pastoral gifts. The team held two teas, one on 5th June which included a walk around Abbey Gardens and the other on 7th January, both were well attended and appreciated. We continue to be grateful for the visits, phone calls and conversations the pastoral team undertake in supporting people in our fellowship.

The team hosted a ‘holiday at home’ day on 18th August 2024, the day included a quiz, a sing along, fish and chip lunch and a cream tea. It was wonderful to see so many people appreciate the chance to meet up and share a day together.

Fellowship deaths in the past year were Jack Chant, Yvonne Gadd, Joan Everett and Wendy Pryer who were Church members, and Doreen Simmonds who had been a regular member of the congregation. We give thanks to God for the life and witness of these faithful servants.

Page 2

Homegroups

Adrian Terry overviews our Homegroups which continue to be a source of pastoral care and spiritual growth for those who attend. A range of biblical subjects were studied in the year and two homegroups led Sunday morning services again this year, which were well received.

Outreach

We have had numerical growth at several of our outreach activities, which is really encouraging. And a bimonthly book group was started in September 2024. We thank the coordinators of each group for their service and hard work.

Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association and Arise

During the year the difficult decision was made to close the Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association Company which had been running for 105 years. This was due to staff commitments and enhanced regulations from BB HQ. The leaders agreed that we should transition into a non-uniformed youth group, meeting every second and fourth Friday and not paying subscriptions. The new group, Arise, was started in September 2024 and the BB Company decommissioned on 31st August 2024. The majority of young people who were attending remained with the new group and with new members having joined since September the numbers of young people are now slightly higher than they previously were.

World Mission

Anne Wiles from BMS spoke at our BMS Sunday service held on 12th May 2024 and as a church we have a new mission partner Genesis Acaye a trained agriculturalist living and working in Uganda. Working through local church networks, Genesis now trains pastors, farmers, and community groups in sustainable methods of growing crops and raising livestock. With higher household incomes and better standards of living, children in previously isolated communities can attend school. Genesis also seeks to encourage those he teaches in their faith.

Through prayer we support many mission organisations in our home groups and services. In addition, individuals from the fellowship maintain personal links with missionaries, which are then shared.

Local Church links

On Sunday 19th January 2025 we hosted the launch service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 70 people sat down to enjoy an agape meal, and we give thanks to the catering team for organising and delivering the meal of soup, bread and cheese boards. The meal was the first for many years as Churches Together and feedback was very positive.

The Good Friday Walk of Witness was well organised. David Honeyball played at the worship service in the market square, which was well attended. Thomas Mundell led the procession beating the drum and was interviewed by BBC Look East. GSBC hosted hot cross buns after the services, which was an ideal way to close such a moving day, as we witness our faith to the community as Churches Together Bury St. Edmunds.

Page 3

Elven Centre Sale

There had been a delay in placing The Elven centre on the market, due to clarifications on the Church Trust deeds and boundary lines. The Elven Centre was placed on the market in February 2025 and at the time of writing, we have had several interested parties, with two offers made; we are hopeful that the sale will go through in the coming year.

Page 4

Fabric

Joan Warnett continued as the deacon overviewing the day-to-day fabric upkeep of the Church and Elven Centre. We thank her and the small team who undertook several jobs. In July 2024 work on the new kitchen in the church lounge started and by the Autumn had been completed. A very generous donation was received, which covered the cost.

We are grateful to the cleaning team who each week keep all areas of the church clean and tidy, and to the catering team who organised, prepared and served fellowship lunches in the year and catered for funerals and special events throughout the year.

Worship

We are grateful to our stewards and refreshment teams who provide such a warm welcome as people arrive to our services. Thomas Mundell continued to lead our morning worship and David Honeyball the evening. We are delighted that several new people joined the singing group and the rota to read in church and lead our prayers of intercession on a Sunday morning. All age service were held at Easter, Harvest and Christmas.

We continued to hear from a range of local preachers, offering a different voice and perspective to our worship and during our morning services we raised awareness of many organisations which included BMS World Mission, our local Women’s refuge, BCY, St. Nicholas Hospice, West Suffolk Hospital Chaplaincy and Fairtrade. We have seen an average of 70 people regularly attending the morning service and 21 people at our evening service over the past year.

Safeguarding and DBS

The Church operates policies and systems to ensure that all people working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are appropriately equipped with regards to Safeguarding and checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service. (DBS).

The Safeguarding team reviewed our Safeguarding policy and no changes were required, the 19th September 2024 church meeting adopted the existing policy for the coming year. The EBA Level 1 training (video) was shown as part of our morning and evening worship services on 8th September 2024.

GDPR

Adrian Terry continued as the deacon overviewing our GDPR policies and procedures. Appropriate permission continues to be in place and are reviewed regularly.

Training

On 19th October ten people renewed their Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work training with Bartram Training Services. In addition, several of our catering team renewed their Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for catering on-line course, with Hi-Speed Training.

Financial review

The Church continues to raise the funds that it needs to carry on its activities from within its own membership and congregation. No wider public appeal was made for funds during the year.

The financial results for the year, together with a summary of the accounting policies adopted, are set out in the accompanying financial statements.

Page 5

Reserves policy

The Trustees have established a Reserves Policy (equivalent to 6 months direct running costs), and are satisfied that they have sufficient reserves at the year end, together with on-going income anticipated, to enable the church to function effectively in the coming year.

The church has read the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, and is satisfied that the activities outlined above clearly demonstrate that the charity is providing a benefit to the public.

Thank You

It has been another exciting year for GSBC as God has continued to bless us as we tried to faithfully follow him in all that we have done in His name and for His glory. The minister and deacons thank you all for your support, encouragement and commitment as we all worship and serve God together.

Approval

This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Adrian Terry

_____ Adrian Terry (Dec 20, 2025 16:36:09 GMT) Dr A S Terry Dec 20, 2025 Date:___

Page 6

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Garland Street Baptist Church (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025 on pages 7 to 10 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

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.

Lisa Darby

Lisa Darby (Jan 5, 2026 12:26:50 GMT)

Lisa Darby FCA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: Jan 5, 2026

Page 7

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Notes
Income receipts
Voluntary income
2
Income from charitable activities
Investment income
Legacy income
Uniformed organisations
DCMS VAT Refund
Grants
Other
Total receipts
Payments
3
4
Total payments
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Cash funds as at last year end
Cash funds at this year end
A
Net
of
receipts
/
(payments)
before
transfers
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken by others
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly
Purchase of fixed assets		 General
Restricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
63,146
25,010
3,070
-
4,530
3,808
30,000
-
-
2,740
6,016
-
-
-
-
-
106,762
31,558
106,762
31,558
78,796
31,557
7,382
1,093
86,178
32,650
-
32,980
-
32,980
86,178
65,630
20,584
(34,072)
-
-
20,584
(34,072)
174,751
296,963
195,335
262,891
Unrestricted Funds		 2025
£
88,156
3,070
8,338
30,000
2,740
6,016
-
-
138,320
138,320
110,353
8,475
118,828
32,980
32,980
151,808
(13,488)
-
(13,488)
471,714
458,226		 2024
£
101,671
1,500
10,843
10,000
2,979
5,886
-
1,246
134,124
134,124
85,120
8,184
93,304
-
-
93,304
40,820
-
40,820
430,894
471,714

The notes on pages 9-10 form part of these accounts.

Page 8

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
2025
Notes
£
£
£
A
Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access
56,425
17,516
73,941
Notice deposits
138,910
245,375
384,285
Petty cash
-
-
-
195,335
262,891
458,226
B
Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity
14,372
-
14,372
Prepayments
3,213
-
3,213
17,585
-
17,585
C
Liabilities
Falling due within one year
Fee for Independent Examination
1,680
-
1,680
Agency funds (see below)
-
293
293
Accrued expenses
6,375
-
6,375
8,055
293
8,347
Opening balance
Additional amounts received
Amounts paid over
Closing balance
D
Assets retained for charity's own use
Church Building
Hall Building
Church & Hall Contents
Manse
Manse Contents
Agency funds relating to 'Who Cares' and the Farmers' Club (not included in cash balances)		 2024
£
94,849
376,734
131
471,714
19,267
4,502
23,769
1,560
493
5,361
7,414
493
1,112
(1,311)
293
Current
value
£
4,073,423
1,195,257
370,708
251,948
5,000
5,896,336

The trustees have used re-instatement insurance values as an approximation for current values.

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Adrian Terry

Adrian Terry (Dec 20, 2025 16:36:09 GMT)

_____ Dr A S Terry Dec 20, 2025 Date:_____

The notes on pages 9 - 10 form part of these accounts.

Page 9

GARLAND STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1 Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

2 Voluntary income
General donations
Tax recoverable
3
Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly
a
Direct Charitable Costs
Visiting speakers
Youth work including Youth & Family Worker salary
Uniformed organisations
Gas, electricity and water
Repairs & renewals
Cleaning
Subscriptions, fees and donations
Publicity and outreach
Other church costs
Discipleship and training
Manse - other costs
Stipend
National Insurance
Pension scheme
Building works
Support & Administration (see note 3(b))
Media Equipment
b
Support & Administration
Administration
Insurance
Accounts and examination
4
Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others
Grants for:
Home and Overseas Mission
The grants to institutions amounting to more than £1,000 in the year w
BUGB Home Mission
BMS
BCY - Bury St Edmunds and District Christian Youth		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
51,709
11,437
63,146
£
1,091
44
-
9,973
16,514
756
1,939
1,296
100
526
5,776
29,439
17
2,949
-
7,949
426
78,796
2,106
4,283
1,560
7,949
7,382
ere:
2,520
3,000
1,000		 Restricted
Funds
£
17,450
7,560
25,010
£
-
-
3,317
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
28,240
-
-
31,557
-
-
-
-
1,093		 Total
2025
£
69,159
18,997
88,156
£
1,091
44
3,317
9,973
16,514
756
1,939
1,296
100
526
5,776
29,439
17
2,949
28,240
7,949
426
110,353
2,106
4,283
1,560
7,949
8,475		 Total
2024
£
88,989
12,682
101,671
£
681
595
1,452
12,835
1,175
1,161
1,773
1,330
275
70
3,479
27,206
-
2,706
6,960
7,628
15,795
85,120
2,029
4,099
1,500
7,628
8,184

Page 10