OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Westbury-On-Trym Baptist Church

2023-12-31-accounts

Westbury on Trym Baptist Church

DEEPER CLOSER FURTHER

Annual Report For the year to 31[st] December 2023



Our Church Constitution states that the Minister(s) shall, ex officio, be President(s) of all Societies and Organisations of the Church.

CONTENTS
1st section– Contents Page 1
Annual Charity Reports of
Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church Page 2
Statutory Information Page 3
Church Secretary’s Report Page 4 -6
Independent Examiner’s Report Page 8
Finance - Statement of Financial Activities Page 9
Balance sheet at 31stDecember 2022 Page 10
Notes to the accounts Page 11 - 18
Expenditure analyses Page 19 - 20
Connected Accounts Page 21
Funds Income Page 22
2nd section
Annual Reports from Groups and Organisations of
Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church Page 23
Mission Commitment Page 24
Minister’s Report Page 25
•
Focus Teams:
Prayer Team Page 26
Social Justice Page 26
Premises Page 27
Administration & Finance Page 27 - 28
Safeguarding Page 28
Pastoral Care Page 29
Tuesday Together Page 29
Tuesday Together Lunch team Page 30
• Activities:
Monday Prayer Group Page 32
Musicians Page 32
Singing Group Page 32
Café Refresh Page 33
Craft Group Page 33
WoT’s Tots Page 34
TableTalkers Page 34
‘Happy Days’ Memory Café Page 35
Pre-school Page 36
•
Uniformed Organisations:
Group Scout overview Page 37
167thWestbury Baptist Beaver Colony Page 37
167thWestbury Baptist Cubs Page 38
167thWestbury Baptist Scout Group Page 38
Explorer Scouts - STEAMA Page 39
28thWestbury Guides Page 39
28thBristol Brownies Page 40
195thBristol Brownies Page 41
Membership Page 44
Further Thank-Yous Page 45

1

Annual Charity Reports

of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church

2

Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church Statutory Information

Registered Address

Reedley Road Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3TE

Charity Registration Number

1132392

Trustees

Dr James Watson (Minister) Mr Jeremy Colbran (Treasurer) Mrs Jan Morris (Church Secretary from April 2023) Mr Ian Dawson Mrs Moira Nicoll Mrs Sarah Brain Mrs Linda Gilmour Mrs Alison Heard Mr James Thorp

Property Trustees

West of England Baptist Trust Company (West) Ltd Little Stoke Baptist Church Kingsway Little Stoke Bristol BS34 6JW

Bankers

Lloyds Group plc 15 High Street Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3DA

Independent Examiner Mr Chris Davies

3

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CHURCH SECRETARY

The Trustees present their Annual Report and financial statements for the twelve months to 31[st] December 2023.

Charitable object

Westbury on Trym Baptist Church was incorporated under a Charitable Deed of Trust in 1947 and became a registered charity on 23[rd] April 2009 which stated that the principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according the to the principles of the Baptist denomination.

Westbury Baptist Church practices open membership which is through adult baptism or on profession of faith.

Members meetings are normally held 10 times a year, and overall responsibility for policies in the church lies with the Church Meeting.

In 2023 these meetings took slightly different forms over each term in order to be inclusive for those members who, for a variety of reasons, found attendance at these meetings problematic.

  1. sharing a picnic Sunday lunch and meeting to discuss items afterwards;

  2. an evening meeting in person;

  3. an evening meeting on zoom.

This pattern is to be reviewed after a year.

At present we have 9 elected Deacons including the Church Secretary and Treasurer and Minister who are responsible for the day to day running of the Church’s witness and work, and the financial and legal aspects of the charity. They are elected by the membership and they also meet 10 times per year with extra meetings where necessary.

The Deacons are appointed for one term of 3 years and can be nominated for a further term of 3 years which must be followed by a vacant year when they are not eligible for re appointment.

Our wonderful Church Secretary, Dave Murray, stepped down from Deacons as did Kate Caple, and Helen Potter. The church thanked them for all their hard work.

Three new deacons were appointed, Alison Heard, Ian Dawson and Sarah Brain. Jan Morris was elected as the new Church Secretary

The deacons and members discuss a wide range of topics, including regular updates on church finance, work on the premises and wider issues involving the whole Baptist family. In 2023 the Baptist Union requested a consultation on the major question of same sex marriage and Ministerial Rules. After much discussion we chose the process of a questionnaire, completed prayerfully, individually and anonymously if preferred. On receipt of these, several discussions were held to share our findings with each other and to formulate a ‘whole church’ response to the question.

This was a difficult process, however we recognised that it is hugely important in our witness to, and understanding of, the community and society we are called to serve.

The Baptist Union voted our very own Steve Finamore to be President in 2024-25. We will, of course, be praying for him and Becca in this new role.

4

We were also working together to discern God’s leading towards extra ministerial support. It became apparent that we were being pointed towards the need for someone to work specifically with our children and young people. The Deacons led this process and in September Gavin Ball was successfully interviewed and unanimously appointed as our full time Children, Youth and Families Worker, the role to be taken up in January 2024. This position is made possible by a wonderful legacy for this purpose.

At the beginning of 2023, Mike Peat and his family set off to Loughborough where he was inducted a minister in the local Baptist church. We thank Mike and his family for their ministry and time spent here with us.

Also, in January we had a meal for newcomers to the church. The aim of this is for the deacons and James to get to know them and tell them of the activities of the church and it forms part of our pastoral caring.

In February, we had the sad news that Bryan Ricketts went to be with the Lord. He was a valuable member of the church, serving in many ways over the years.

Our membership has welcomed new people into our fellowship this year. It is wonderful to see God’s hand in this. We are blessed with open hearted Christians who are generous with their time and talents and willing to support and challenge in very considered ways.

We had the great joy of welcoming Fiona Garry into membership through the wonderful sacrament of baptism.

In our wish to grow our connection with our wider community, several groups meet on the premises. You can read about these later in this report document. Meetings began to take place with the uniformed groups again at the church, post pandemic. We are immensely grateful to all the leaders and other volunteers who faithfully serve in this way. All volunteers are vetted with regard to the disclosure and barring service. We are grateful to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Kath Conway and to Annie Somerville for her work as our DBS administrator.

The Pre-school continues to serve and support many local families. We are very grateful to the team for their dedication and hard work. Becca Finamore and Anne MacFarlane stepped down as joint chairs of the Pre-school trustees and Helen Thorp became the new Chair, supported by Moira Nicoll and Tim Gilmour. We thank them all for their gifts of time and thoroughness in all they do to support the smooth running of Pre-school.

There are many church members who serve outside the church premises in supporting and helping refugee families to live and settle in Bristol. There was ongoing support, along with other church groups, for those who fled Ukraine in a war that tragically shows no sign of ending peaceably yet.

As a church and as individuals our congregation is also very generous financially. Not only to the church itself but also in supporting Home Mission. We have a practice of giving to 12 charities, both local and national, throughout the year. We also support practically the charity InHope which works to encourage and care for homeless people in Bristol. However, as 2023 draws to a close, we are well aware that, as a church, we need to look at our financial position with a view to future ministry. A group is to be convened which can help us be both prayerful and pragmatic in suggesting necessary changes.

We are grateful to so many within our church for their work behind the scenes in facilitating our day-to-day work. We are blessed with a church building with several rooms all of which are maintained by our Caretaker Hillary Jones and our Premises Team, and whose work is quietly and efficiently carried out. We are so grateful to them. And to our administrator Annie

5

Somerville, who manages the church office, liaises with our community and produces our weekly newsletter, among many other activities.

We are particularly grateful for our minister James Watson whose leadership is spiritually loving, encouraging and challenging. He has taken us through studies of 1 Peter and part of the book of Genesis and also led the Childrens sessions through Wild Worship. We have been blessed by his preaching and also by several visiting speakers. Our special services included our Harvest Festival and Christmas towards which many of our groups generously donated. We reintroduced a Christmas crafts session for children alongside our very much loved Saturday morning cafe , a blessing for children and parents alike.

We thank God for the many blessings, challenges and love that He inspires us to share with each other and with all whom we meet and entertain in our church buildings or wherever we happen to be. May we, as His church in Westbury, continue to love and serve in His Name.

6

FINANCE PAGES

WESTBUR Y.ON-TPYM BAPTIST CHURCH Independent ExarnlnOT'$ Report lo th8 Trustees Charfty Plo. 1132392 YEAR ENDED 31 OECEMBER 2023 l ieport io the trustees on my èxamlnatk>n ol tho accourrts of thE al)0￿ charlty (Yhe TN$t") lor the yg3T •nded 31 (>e¢efftbar 2023 S•t out on pages 9- 18 Re$ponslbllltl•8 and bas￿ 01 r•port As Ihg ¢ha(slls Iruslees, yw a￿ responsitde f(Y the Ixvfatl￿ ol ts aD)JunlB In accordance wth Ihtr rwuir8ments ol thB Ch•iiies ki 2011 nh6 Acll. I rgWrt in respwt ol my examinatwyb tsl ihg Trusfs ac£thnts ur#Jw Section 145 01 the 2011 A¢1 arnl in carrying out my axafflinalion, I have tolljwed al Ihe given by the Charity Commi8SM)n under secbon 145lSllbl ol Ihe knt. Ind•p8ndont examln•t'• slal•fflenl I hav8 c￿mpleted my ox8minatson. I conlirm thaf FK) m8t•io1 matter5 have ￿rn0 lo rry attonttrjn In r)nneth wkh Ilw examinatwjn wlwch giv88 m• ¢ause to tKglwg that in any malerial resFect'. th8 attountlng re¢o¥ds were not in tyth secllon 130 ot Iha Cfwlll8s Acl; G th8 attounts dkl Tr)t aco)r¢l with tho ac¢ouniing records., or the a(xounts dkl rot (y)mply with the aFvfrabb rewiioments concerning thg torm and content of ac£•unts Sel out in lh8 Charit￿ {ACcoL￿S arKI Rewrtsl Regulalons 2(M)8 othor than any r￿oraMen1 thal Ihe accounts Ovg a Irue and fai¢ viv whlch L% 8 maltgr c(fftid8red as pwt ol an WKlependert exami￿lOn. I have no <#)nwns aNI havo como ¥wos¥ no other matws wth Ihe oxaminatlon lo whkh attention sh)ukl be drawn In IhiB re1x￿1 lo a prw LWKS8¥si&rth ol Ihe accounts lo bo reachod. SwJn8d.' Chrfs Davlés Chartered Acc¥y*knnt 40 Trlnlty C1060 s￿Ibl00k CaklKxil NP26 SUF

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Notes Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 2 94682 25000 9239 0 128921 110300
Investment income 3 21343 11633 0 0 32976 27657
Charitable activities 4 25934 8874 0 0 34808 32300
Total incoming resources 141959 45507 9239 0 196705 170257
Expenditure
Raising Funds 5 3066 1385 0 0 4451 4844
Charitable Activities 6 155258 16038 9239 5355 185890 164784
Other expenditure 7 19928 0 0 0 19928 22576
Total Expenditure 178252 17423 9239 5355 210269 192204
Net incoming resources
before gains on investments -36293 28084 0 -5355 -13564 -21948
Increase on investment value -760 -760 -14380
Net Income for the Year -36293 27324 0 -5355 -14324 -36328
Transfers between funds 17-19 18052 -18052 0 0 0 0
Net movement in Funds -18241 9272 0 -5355 -14324 -36328
Other recognised gains/(losses)
Actuarial gains/ (losses) on
defined benefit pension schemes 21 0 0 0 0 0 16643
Net movement in Funds -18241 9272 0 -5355 -14324 -19685
Total Funds brought forward 63184 313196 803 401914 779097 798782
Total Funds carried forward 44943 322468 803 396559 764773 779097

Comparative figures for each fund are shown in the notes to the accounts.

9

wEsTBURY.O￿TRylI BAPTIST CHURCH BALANCE SHEET YEAR E14DED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Notes 2023 2023 2022 2022 Tangible Flxed Assets 452828 423699 Current Asse18 Siocks Debtors Investments Bank & cash 12 13 14 15 1061 15972 325210 15616 357859 6321 298698 11173 316192 Current Llablllllas Credilors arnounls lalllng ¢Ju• within one year 16 4247 2462 Nel Current As8et8 311945 355398 Total Assels less current liabilili85 764773 779097 Delbned benelll pen8Ion 8cheme 21 Nel Assets 764773 779097 Charllable Funds Endowment Restricted Oesi9nated Unreslrlcled 17 18 19 20 396559 803 322468 44943 764773 401914 803 313196 63184 779097 The notes on page8 1110 18 lorrn an Integral part ol th959 accounts These accounls were approved by Ihe Trustees on i 04 ¢ and slgned on Ih84r behalf by.. J R Colbran Treasurer J MorrSs Secretary io

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

1 Accounting Policies

a Basis of preparation
The accounts are prepared in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended
Practice (Charities SORP 2015), FRS102 and with the Charities Act 2011.
Westbury Baptist Church is a registered charity no. 1132392 and meets the definition of a public
benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or
transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant policy notes.
b Income recognition
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is
legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can
be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.
c Donations
Donations are accounted for gross when received.
d Legacies
Legacies are accounted for at the earlier of the Estate accounts being finalised and notified
and the legacy being received.
e Investment income
Investment income is included in the accounts in the year in which it is receivable,
f Expenditure recognition
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is recognised where there
is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that
settlementwill be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
g Costs of raising funds
The church does not make formal appeals for funds, and expenditure on these items is
therefore not material. However, investment and letting fees are now treated as costs of funds.
h Grants payable
The church makes grants to other organisations whose charitable objects complement its work.
They are accounted for when the recipient has been notified of the grant and payment is
unconditional.
I Support costs
Support costs are those that assist the work of the church but do not directly represent
charitable activities and include office costs and goverance costs. Where support costs cannot
be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to the cost of raising
funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
This represents direct expenditure on the governance of the church. Most of the management
is carried out without charge by volunteers. This intangible cost is not included in the
SOFA since there is no measurable cost to the volunteers for their service.
j Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at
least £1000. They are initially recognsed at cost, or for donated assets, at a reasonable
estimate of their value on receipt.
k Depreciation
Depreciation is provided on all fixed assets, other than freehold land, to write off the cost on
a straight-line basis over their expected useful life, at the following rates
Buildings
1%
Furniture and fittings
10%-15%
Computer and electrical equipment
20%
��

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

1 Accounting policies -contd l Investment Assets Investments are initially stated at cost. Subsequently they are measured at fair value with changes recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities if the shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably. All other investment assets are shown at cost less impairment. m Funds Unrestricted funds are those funds that the church is not legally bound to use for any particular purpose. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for a special purpose. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Restricted funds are those which are to be used in accordance with specfic restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for a particular purpose. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Endowment funds represent those assets which must be held permanently by the charity, principally the church buildings. Income arising on the endowment funds can be used in accordance with the objects of the charity and is included as unrestricted income. n Employee benefits The charity operates a defined contribution plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a plan under which the charity pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the charity has no further payments obligations. The contributions are recognised as an expense when they are due. Amounts not paid are shown in accruals in the balance sheet. The assets of the plan are held separately from the charity in an independently administered fund. Prior to 2012 pension provision was made through multi-employer defined benefit plans. Where it is not possible for the charity to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for a plan as a defined benefit plan, it accounts for the plan as a defined contribution plan. Where the plan is in deficit and where the charity has agreed, with the plan, to participate in a deficit funding arrangement, the charity recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. This amount is expensed in the Statement of Financial Activities. The unwinding of the discount is recognised as a finance cost.

2 Donations and Legacies

Unrestricted **Designated ** **Restricted ** Endowment 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
Offerings & Donations 77095 20000 97095 76888
Charity Donations 7512 7512 10205
Tax refunds 17587 5000 1727 24314 19796
Legacies 0 0 3411
94682 25000 9239 0 128921 110300

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Unrestricted **Designated ** Restricted Endowment 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
3. Investment Income
Rent received from 8 The Dell 21290 21290 21687
Bank & investment interest 53 8449 8502 3060
Dividends from invested funds 3184 3184 2910
21343 11633 0 0 32976 27657
4. Income from charitable activities
Trading income
Rents and room hire 25934 25934 23350
Refresh café 2275 2275 756
Fair trade 17 17 730
Other organisation income
Flower Fund 379 379 514
Tuesday Together & Lunch Club 5210 5210 5891
WotsTots 993 993 1059
25934 8874 0 0 34808 32300
5. Raising funds
Investment management costs 1385 1385 1481
Manse letting fees 3066 3066 3363
3066 1385 0 0 4451 4844
6. Charitable activities
Ministry 54150 54150 54460
Mission - external donations 18100 3125 9239 30464 31266
Mission - other expenditure 75 8576 8651 7523
Establishment 82933 4337 5355 92625 71535
155258 16038 9239 5355 185890 164784
7. Other expenditure
Support Costs 19928 19928 22480
Other Costs 0 0 96
Governance costs 0 0
19928 0 0 0 19928 22576

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Unrestricted **Designated ** **Restricted ** Endowment 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
8. Grants payable
BUGB Home Mission 9000 9000 9000
BMS World Mission 9000 9000 9000
A Rocha 601 601 664
Bible Society 0 150
BMS Birthday Fund 683 683 915
Bournville Christmas Gifts 626 626 100
Bristol Baptist College 598 598 696
Bristol Dementia Action Alliance 514 514 589
Bristol NW Foodbank 0 219
Christian Aid 1307 1307 863
Christian Solidarity Worldwide 642 642 640
Christians Against Poverty 0 451
Crisis Centre (In Hope) 516 516 723
European Baptist Federation 443 443 310
European Baptist Federation Appeals 625 625 3446
Friends International 0 335
From Bristol to Ukraine 100 100 335
Home for Good 0 539
Int. Fellowship of Evangelical Students 0 335
Lawrence Weston Christmas Gifts 626 626 200
Network Counselling 421 421 634
Sixty One 568 568 451
Shepherd Society (Hope Christian Trust) 0 310
Tearfund 737 737 549
Universities & Coll. Christian Fellowship 332 332 0
Other Grants 3125 3125 150
18100 3125 9239 0 30464 31266
9. Support costs
Administrator 13009 13009 14892
Admin costs 2753 2753 1996
Church telephones/internet 785 785 840
Miscellaneous 3381 3381 4752
19928 0 0 0 19928 22480
10. Staff costs and Trustee expenses
Salaries 55972 53318
Social security costs 0 0
Pension costs 5007 6975
60979 60293

The average number of employees during the period was 4 (2022:3) No employee received emoluments in excess of £60000 during the period (2022: nil) No sums were reimbursed to the Trustees for their work as Trustees (2022: nil) The Manse has been rented to a third party since September 2017.

The rent from the Manse has been partly used to rent another property for the Minister. The church pays pension contributions for its Minister to the Baptist Ministers' Pension Fund, a defined contribution scheme, which is not contracted out of the State second pension. The pension cost to the church was £3722. In addition, a further £12 was paid in respect of the deficit on the previous defined benefit scheme. This scheme is a multi-employer scheme and it is not possible to identify the assets and liabilities of the scheme which are attributable to the church.

Therefore, in accordance with FRS102 Section 28, the liability to the scheme is accounted for on the basis of a discounted cashflow of contributions due under the Schedule of Contributions.

Other employees are offered a Stakeholder pension scheme or a defined contribution scheme with the Baptist Union. The pension cost to the church was £1312.

Further details of the Baptist Ministers' Pension scheme are shown in Note 21.

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

11. Tangible Fixed Assets

Freehold Fixtures, Fittings Total
Property & Equipment
£ £ £
Cost
At 1 January 2022 535545 238051 773596
Additions 0 38821 38821
Disposals 0 0 0
Adjustment 0 0 0
535545 276872 812417
Depreciation
At 1 January 2022 133631 216266 349897
Charge for the year 5355 4337 9692
On Disposals 0 0 0
138986 220603 359589
Net Book Value at 31 December 2023 396559 56269 452828
at 31 December 2022 401914 21785 423699
Insured
Freehold valuation Date Cost Value
£ £
Land at Reedley Road 1945 2200 0
Church buildings at Reedley Road 1951/68/94/2009/17 523919 4795604
8 The Dell, Westbury on Trym 1947 3776 483836
1 Brainsfield, Westbury on Trym 1970 5650 304506
535545 5583946
All the fixed assets are used for charitable purposes.
2023 2022
12. Stocks £ £
Fair trade goods 0 1061
Other 0 0
0 1061
13. Debtors
Tax recoverable 5244 5008
Prepayments and other debtors 1077 10964
6321 15972
14. Investments
Stock Exchange portfolio at market value 112210 111171
Loan to Baptist Union 186488 214039
298698 325210
15. Bank & cash balances
Lloyds Bank 7462 9558
Cash & other accounts 3711 6058
11173 15616

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
2023 2022
£ £
16. Creditors : amounts falling due within one year
Other creditors 0 0
Accruals 4247 2462
4247 2462
17. Endowment Funds 1.1.2023 Incoming Resources Gains and Transfers 31.12.2023
resources expended Losses
£ £ £ £ £ £
Freehold property 401914 -5355 396559
The endowment funds are shown as fixed assets in the Balance Sheet
18. Restricted Funds 1.1.2023 Incoming Resources Gains and Transfers 31.12.2023
resources expended Losses
£ £ £ £ £ £
Compassion fund 803 803
Raised for other causes 0 9239 -9239 0
803 9239 -9239 0 0 803
The compassion fund was formerly the communion fund, which is no longer topped up.
The majority of money raised for other causes is derived from charity donations given through the church accounts.
19. Designated Funds 1.1.2023 Incoming Resources Other Transfers 31.12.2023
resources expended Items
£ £ £ £ £ £
Youth Travel Fund 8200 -8200 0
Mission Grants Fund 4650 -4650 0
Ministry Fund 1652 -1652 0
Legacy Fund 253000 11633 -1385 -760 262488
Fixed Assets 21785 25000 -4337 13821 56269
Maintenance Fund 8656 -8656 0
Refresh Café 8499 2275 -1248 -8134 1392
Fair Trade 4125 17 -3561 -581 0
Flower Fund 227 379 -434 172
Tuesday Together & Lunch Club 1503 5210 -5524 1189
Wots Tots 899 993 -934 958
313196 45507 -17423 -760 -18052 322468

The Youth Travel, Mission Grants and Ministry funds were set up several years ago for specific, named, purposes. As agreed in the Church Members Meeting on 20 July 2023 these accounts have been closed and the assets transferred to the general fund.

The assets in the Maintenance Fund have been used towards the cost of repairs to 1 Brainsfield.

The fund has been closed but may be re-opened if surplus funds are available at a future date. The Fair Trade Fund has also been closed.

The Legacy Fund is used to fund the Children's Worker and has been invested. The Legacy Fund has been adjusted to reflect the change in value of the Investments. Other funds relate to connnected organisations.

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
20. Analysis of net assets by fund
Endowment Funds
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds		 Net
Fixed
Current
Deferred
Assets
Assets
Liability
Total
£
£
£
£
396559
396559
803
803
56269
266199
322468
44943
44943
452828
311945
0
764773

21. Pensions

The Church is an employer participating in a pension scheme known as the Baptist Pension Scheme ("the scheme") which is administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Ltd.) The scheme is a separate legal entity and the assets of the Scheme are held separately from those of the Employer and the other participating employers. For any month, each participating employer in the Scheme pays contributions as set out in the Schedule of Contributions in force at that time.

The scheme is considered to be a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102. This is because it is not possible to attribute the Scheme's assets and liabilities to specific employers and means that contributions are accounted for as if the scheme were a defined contribution scheme.

The pensions costs charged to the SOFA in the year are contributions payable towards benefits and expenses accrued in that year, plus any impact of deficiency contributions (see below).

The Minister and some members of the church staff are eligible to join the Scheme,

From January 2012, pension provision is being made through the Defined Contribution (DC) Plan within the Scheme. In general, members pay 8% of their Pensionable Income and employers pay 6% of members’ Pensionable Income into individual pension accounts, which are operated and managed on behalf of the Pension Trustee by Legal and General Life Assurance Society Limited. In addition, the employer pays a further 4% of Pensionable Income to cover Death in Service Benefits, administration costs, and an associated insurance policy which provides income protection for Scheme members in the event that they are unable to work due to long term incapacity. This income protection policy has been insured by the Baptist Union of Great Britain with Unum Limited. (Members of the Basic Section pay reduced contributions of 5% of Pensionable Income, and their employers also pay a total of 5%.)

Benefits in respect of service prior to 1 January 2012 are provided through the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan within the Scheme. The main benefits for pre-2012 service were a defined benefit pension of one eightieth of Final Minimum Pensionable Income for each year of Pensionable Service, together with additional pension in respect of premiums paid on Pensionable Income in excess of Minimum Pensionable Income. The Scheme, previously known as the Baptist Ministers’ Pension Fund, started in 1925, but was closed to future accrual of defined benefits on 31 Dec 2011.

Actuarial Valauation at 31 December 2016.

A formal valuation of the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan was performed at 31 December 2016 by a professionally qualified Actuary using the Projected Unit Method. The market value of the DB Plan assets at the valuation date was £219 million. The valuation of the DB Plan revealed a deficit of assets compared with the value of liabilities of £93 million (equivalent to a past service funding level of 70%). The Church and the other employers supporting the DB plan are collectively responsible for funding this deficit.

The key financial assumptions underlying the valuation were as follows:

%pa
RPI price inflation assumption 3.50
CPI price inflation assumption 2.75
Minimum Pensionable Income increases (CPI plus 1.0% pa) 3.50
Assumed investment returns
-pre-retirement 3.50
-post retirement 2.25
Deferred pension increases
- Pre April 2009 3.50
- Post April 2009 2.50
Pension increases
- Main Scheme pension Pre April 2006 2.70
- Main Scheme pension Post April 2006 2.00

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

21. Pensions -continued

Cessation events

Consequent upon the departure of ministers in the scheme in 2006, 2011 and 2017, the church has had cessation events under S75 of the Pensions Act 1995. This makes the church liable for the proportion of the overall deficit (assessed by reference to the cost of securing benefits by the purchase of annuities) applicable to its previous ministers who were members of the scheme. At present the church is paying the ongoing deficiency contributions outlined above, and the balance sheet liability below is based on those deficiency contributions. However, the Pension Scheme Trustee has the right to quantify and seek payment of the debt at any time.

Recovery Plan

In addition to the contributions to the DC plan set out above, where a valuation of the DB plan reveals a deficit the Trustee and the Council agree to a rate of deficiency contributions from churches and other employers involved in the DB plan.

Under the Recovery Plan dated 30 September 2020, deficiency contributions were payable until 30 June 2026. These contributions were broadly based on the employer's membership at 31 December 2014 and increase annually in line with increases to Minimum Pensionable income as defined in the Rules. However, The Trustees and Council agreed a 50% reduction for all deficiency contributions payable between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2020. At the end of June 2022 the Baptist Pension Scheme signed an agreement with the insurance company Just Group (‘Just’) to secure members’ pension benefits under the Defined Benefit (‘DB’) Plan. As a result, the Scheme no longer has a shortfall.

A revised statement of contributions was announced in July 2022 with deficit contributions from each participating employer in the DB Plan reducing to just £1 per month from August 2022. See www.baptist.org.uk/pensions for more details.

Movement in Balance Sheet liability.

Section 28.11A of FRS102 requires agreed deficit recovery payments to be recognised as a liability. The movement in the provision is set out in the table below

Balance sheet liability at year start
Minus deficiency contributions paid
Interest cost (recognised in SOFA)
Remaining change to balance sheet liability (recognised in SOFA)
Balance sheet liability at year end		 2023
2022
£
£
0
18700
-12
-2407
0
350

12
-16643
0
0

This liability represents the present value of the deficit contributions agreed as at the accounting date and has been valued using the following assumptions set by reference to the duration of the deficit recovery payments:

31-Dec-22 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-20
Discount rate 5.7 2.0 0.4
Future increases to Minimum Pensionable Income 3.3 4.1 3.0

In addition there is also a live scheme with Standard Life.

This is the Westbury Baptist Church, Group Stakeholder Pension Plan making fixed monthly Employers and Employees contributions.

22. Related Charities

Baptist Union/West of England Baptist Association

The custodian Trustee of the church is the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd which is charity number 249635, and which is controlled by the Baptist Union Council.

The church is also a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and the West of England Baptist Association.

The church made donations to the Baptist Union Home Mission Scheme of £9000.

Westbury Baptist Pre-School

The pre-school is a separate charity (registered no.1097997) which makes its accounts up to 31 July each year. The pre-school paid rent to the church during the period to 31 December 2023 of £16000 for use of its premises.

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Ministry
Minister & expenses
DB Pension deficit contribution
Pulpit Supply
Rent paid for 76 Westbury Lane
Manse rates
Mission
Family church/youth work/other
BMS/Home Mission
Donations to other causes
Refresh Café
Fair Trade
Flower Fund
Tuesday Together & Lunch Club
Wots Tots
Establishment
Light, heat & water
Premises including repairs
Cleaning including materials
Depreciation - buildings/fittings
Insurance
8 The Dell maintenance & insurance
Caretaker
1 Brainsfield
Groundsman
Support costs
Administrator
Admin costs
Church telephones/internet
Fees
Bank Charges
Other Adjustments
Miscellaneous
Total expenses		 General
Designated Restricted Endowment
2023
2022
£
£
£
£
£
£
34580
34580
32804
12
12
2407
1180
1180
1070
15900
15900
15000
2478
2478
3179
54150
0
0
0
54150
54460
75
75
149
18000
18000
18000
100
3125
9239
12464
13266
1041
1041
332
1061
1061
509
434
434
364
5106
5106
5287
934
934
882
18175
11701
9239
0
39115
38789
16087
16087
6753
7298
7298
11799
16378
16378
15035
4337
5355
9692
10007
4486
4486
3880
1909
1909
7972
10785
10785
10390
22741
22741
3366
3249
3249
2333
82933
4337
0
5355
92625
71535
13009
13009
14892
2753
2753
1996
785
785
840
3066
1385
4451
4844
100
100
102
0
96
3281
3281
4650
22994
1385
0
0
24379
27420
178252
17423
9239
5355
210269
192204

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES; GRANTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
EXPENDITURE ANALYSES; GRANTS
General Designated Restricted 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Baptist Missionary Society 9000 9000 9000
Baptist Home Mission 9000 9000 9000
Compassion fund gifts 0 0 0
Connected organisations giving 3125 3125 150
18000 3125 0 21125 18150
Raised for other causes
A Rocha 601 601 664
Bible Society 0 0 150
BMS Birthday Fund 683 683 915
Bournville Christmas Gifts 626 626 100
Bristol Baptist College 598 598 696
Bristol Dementia Action Alliance 514 514 589
Bristol NW Foodbank 0 0 219
Christian Aid 1307 1307 863
Christian Solidarity Worldwide 642 642 640
Christians Against Poverty 0 0 451
Crisis Centre (In Hope) 516 516 723
European Baptist Federation 443 443 310
European Baptist Federation Appeals 625 625 3446
Friends International 0 0 335
From Bristol to Ukraine 100 0 100
Home for Good 0 0 539
Int. Fellowship of Evangelical Students 0 0 335
Lawrence Weston Christmas Gifts 626 626 200
Network Counselling 421 421 634
Sixty One 568 568 451
Shepherd Society (Hope Christian Trust) 0 0 310
Tearfund 737 737 549
Universities & Coll. Christian Fellowship 332 332
100 0 9239 9339 13116
Total 18100 3125 9239 30464 31266

��

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

CONNECTED ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Tuesday
Refresh Fair Trade Flower Together Wots Tots Total
Income Café Fund Lunch Club
Sales 2275 17 2292
Subscriptions 783 993 1776
Donations 326 326
Lunches/Outing 4035 4035
Transfer from Church 53 53
Raised for other causes 392 392
2275 17 379 5210 993 8874
Expenditure
Purchases 630 0 434 442 691 2197
Stock Written Off 1061 1061
Lunches/Outing 4223 4223
Equipment 411 18 429
Training 0
Speaker/events 441 441
Donation to church 8134 581 225 8940
Donations to other causes 207 2500 418 3125
9382 4142 434 5524 934 20416
Surplus -7107 -4125 -55 -314 59 -11542
b/f assets 0
b/f stock 1061 1061
b/f debtors (creditors) 0
b/f cash 365 101 227 1503 138 2334
b/f fund bank account 2963 761 3724
b/f church bank account 8134 8134
8499 4125 227 1503 899 15253
c/f assets 0
c/f stock 0
c/f debtors (creditors) 0
c/f cash 510 172 1189 61 1932
c/f fund bank account 882 897 1779
c/f church bank account 0
1392 0 172 1189 958 3711

Fair Trade Fund

This account has been closed.

The remaing stock and a donation of £2500 has been given to the Community Café at St Marks Baptist Church, Easton, Bristol The balance has been transferred to the general fund.

21

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

FUNDS INCOME YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Main Fund
Offerings
A
Raised for other causes
F
Tax refund
B
Manse Rent
I
Rents and room hire
I
Dividends
D
Loan Interest
G
Legacies
E
Ministry fund
C
Other Organisations
Sales
H
Subscriptions
C
Donations
C
Raised for other causes
F
Total
Combined
Offerings
A
Tax refunds
B
Donations etc
C
Dividends
D
Legacies
E
Raised for other causes
F
Investment interest
G
Trading activities
H
Rent
I
Total		 General
Designated Restricted
Total
77095
20000
97095
7512
7512
17587
5000
1727
24314
21290
21290
25934
25934
3184
3184
53
8449
8502
0
0
0
6327
6327
1776
1776
379
379
392
392
141959
45507
9239
196705
77095
20000
97095
17587
5000
1727
24314
2155
2155
3184
3184
0
392
7512
7904
53
8449
8502
6327
6327
47224
47224
141959
45507
9239
196705

22

Annual Reports From Groups and Organisations of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church

CHURCH WEBSITE WWW.WESTBURYBAPTIST.ORG.UK

23

MISSION COMMITMENT

We seek to be:

A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT THE HEART OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD OFFERING:

In these ways we seek to be true to our calling to follow Jesus, developing our personal relationships with God and together expressing the presence of God’s kingdom in the world.

We are a member of the West of England Baptist Association, of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and of Churches Together in the Westbury Area. We are supporters of BMS World Mission, Christian Aid and Tearfund.

24

MINISTER’S REPORT 2023

We are once again thankful to God for all he did in and through Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church during 2023. Personally, it was a significant year as I moved from three years as a NAM (newly accredited minister) to being a FAM (fully accredited minister)! It was great to be able to celebrate this with the church accompanied by lots of cake!

It was also wonderful to welcome new faces into the church, and we did this formally with a newcomer’s lunch in February. This was well attended and a good opportunity to share together. During the year we looked at different parts of the Bible, with preaching focusing on the books of 1 Peter and Genesis. We also had excellent Lent and Advent booklets produced by members of the church and during Lent pictures contributed to our windows from Elmlea School. Home Groups continued to offer opportunities to learn from scripture and to be places of support for one another. We ran the Bible Course, a video-based resource from the Bible Society, which was very helpful for those who attended.

Administratively, Dave Murray finished as Church Secretary and Jan Morris took up the role. Sarah Brain, Alison Heard, and Ian Dawson joined the diaconate. We had changes in our preschool committee, with Helen Thorp, Moira Nicoll, and Tim Gilmour joining. Becca Finamore and Anne Macfarlane stepped down after years of faithful service. One of our church members, Steve Finamore, was also appointed to be the BU President for 2024!

We also decided to tweak our church meeting pattern with a Sunday lunchtime meeting three times a year to include more people, especially families and children. At the first of these, in September, we discussed the area of baptism, with a few friends sharing their testimony. Later in December we were able to celebrate the baptism of Fiona Garry!

A significant amount of work took place on the premises, not least the fitting of air-to-air heat pumps in the Sanctuary. This took a great deal of work to organize but provides a more efficient way of heating such a large space.

We are also thankful for God’s presence with us during some challenging discussions, firstly around Webnet’s statement of faith, and later in the year, the BU Consultation on Same-Sex Marriage and the Ministerial Recognition Rules. These were difficult areas, but we thank God for his presence with us as we sought to hear from the Lord and from one another.

The year ended in excitement with the appointment of a new Children, Youth, and Family Leader, Gavin Ball. This concluded a long journey of discussing, planning, and praying that occupied a lot of 2023. It was back in the autumn of 2022, at a Deacons’ Away Day in Brockweir that we really felt God nudging us to get going with recruitment. This we did in discussion with the wider church, and we truly believe God has led us to the right person at the right time. As such, just as we thank God for all he did in and through Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church during 2023, we look forward with expectation and anticipation to what he might do in 2024.

25

• FOCUS TEAMS:

PRAYER TEAM

Team Members: Matt Caple, Sheila Cooper, Rachel Hall, Eveline Johnstone.

We have continued to produce Lent and Advent prayer booklets to help us pray together and to mark the seasons of the church year. It is good to hear that people like to pass these on to friends and neighbours in Bristol and further afield. It is encouraging to see how these small seeds of hope spread and may bear fruit in unexpected ways.

The Lent booklet for 2023 was entitled ‘Journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem’. We chose to tell the story of Jeus through some of the characters he met on the way. We looked particularly at encounters Jesus had and included stories of healing and changed lives.

For Advent we concentrated on the theme of ‘Waiting through Advent’. We used the traditional themes of hope, love, joy and peace. It was very helpful that the services in December picked up on these themes, as did the Advent ‘stations’ Rachel created in the sanctuary.

In both of the booklets we included a number of thoughtful reflections from members of the congregation and we are grateful to them for their efforts.

The prayer ministry team continues to offer prayer on Sunday mornings. We currently have a team of about 10 people who offer this ministry week by week. We are always there after the service if you have something or someone on your mind or if you simply want to thank God for something.

In addition, some of the team, and one or two others, have been able to contribute intercessory prayers on some Sunday mornings. It is good to have different voices in the services and we are grateful to those people who prepare prayers so thoughtfully and helpfully.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Chair - Ruth Davies.

Team members - Heather Colbran, Graham Cooper, Margaret Pinnock.

The Committee met in person as well as communicating by email.

Helen and Angus Douglas joined us for an evening communion service in July. It felt intimate and poignant as they shared their experiences of 10 years in Nepal. God had led them and shown them the way, He had guided in every situation, and they were continuing to trust that He would show them the way ahead back in the UK. At the time, there were a lot of unknowns – jobs, schools, housing but He had provided a home for the immediate future through a contact. Their updates said that suitable schools and a home were found and a job for Angus while Helen was at home and available for the children.

Andy and Jenny Saunders did not visit us in person but kept us updated with their newsletters about their life and work in Nepal and then as they prepared to leave after a decade. We look forward to seeing them soon.

We continue to support In Hope through donations of food and other items as requested.

26

PREMISES TEAM

Team members: Terry Wright (Chair), Hillary Jones, Jeremy Colbran, David Hughes and Tim Gilmour.

The team have continued to serve the church throughout 2023. This year has been a difficult one in many ways and has required a lot of extra work from the team to keep our church buildings fit for the present and for the future.

Apart from the routine day to day maintenance of the church buildings, there have been a number of projects managed by the Premises team during the year.

A major achievement has been the completion of installation and commissioning of the air-toair heat pumps in the Sanctuary and the Foyer. This system draws heat from outside (even in cold weather) and turns it into usable heat inside. These heaters are nearly 4 times more efficient than a normal electric fan heater and they have enabled us to turn off the old gas fired heating system in the Sanctuary completely. Planning permission for these heaters took nearly a year to achieve and we now look forward to extending this future proofed heating system into further rooms as time and finances allow. We are grateful to Richard Brooks for a very generous donation towards the heating system from the estate of our dear friend Sheila Brooks.

The roof of our caretaker’s house at 1, Brainsfield has been replaced. This enabled us to install much needed insulation in the sections which extend down to the upper floor so that the upstairs and bathroom of the house are more comfortable to live in.

The completion of a long term let of the manse (8, The Dell) has allowed us to start some remedial work on the inside and outside of the property so that it continues to be attractive to the rental market. One major project is refurbishment of the ensuite bathroom which is being carried out by a contractor.

The installation of a smart meter on the church electric meter and renewal of our electrical supply contract has enabled us to start to earn an income from any excess electricity generated by the solar panels on the Tyndale Hall roof.

The church has continued to benefit from the ongoing work on the outside spaces by James Harding and the gardening team creating a lovely and peaceful environment for our local community to use.

Premises are looking forward to serving the church in 2024 and finding out where God will lead us as we seek to show his love to the local community.

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE TEAM

Team Members: Annie Somerville, David Murray (stepped down April 2023) Jan Morris (from April 2023), Jeremy Colbran, James Thorp

The team deals with the management of administrative matters & church finances with the aim of ensuring that different aspects of these responsibilities are managed & co-ordinated. Much of the Team’s work is done behind the scenes and some of it may go unnoticed. Most of the Church’s financial transactions are conducted online and our systems continue to function efficiently.

27

James Thorp now operates the system for recording Gift Aid donations and claiming appropriate tax refunds.

The composition of the team is such that each member can contribute distinctive gifts. After Covid, Annie’s work overseeing room bookings resumed as groups met. Church documentation, including many new policies, was reviewed and updated, & the website managed & kept up to date. The weekly Church news is now in a magazine format & continues to evolve.

SAFEGUARDING

Safeguarding roles at WBC:

Safeguarding is the protection of adults and children from harm, abuse, or neglect.

Safeguarding involves a range of activities aimed at promoting each person’s right to be safe. These include making and maintaining safe environments for all, having processes to follow should something go wrong, and support for everyone involved.

Through our active engagement with safeguarding , we demonstrate our mission as “a Christian community at the heart of the neighbourhood.” At its heart safeguarding is about having a real and active concern for people, especially the most vulnerable in society, and ensuring that we create environments that are safe.

Safeguarding activities during 2023:

Safer recruitment is a really important aspect of safeguarding. If you are a leader of a Church group and are considering approaching a new volunteer to work with children or adults at risk please do refer to our safeguarding policy to ensure that all new volunteers are appointed in line with safer recruitment. This is an important step to demonstrate that as a Church we take our safeguarding responsibilities seriously, even when appointing people whom we may have known for a long time.

If you are ever concerned or unsure about any situation, trust your instincts and make contact.

Thank you for your support of this important work.

Kath Conway safeguarding@westburybaptist.org.uk

28

PASTORAL CARE

“Praise be to God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 1 Corinthians 1:4

Our care for each other in the life of the church is a privilege and is motivated by our love for our Lord, and our love for each other, manifesting itself in many ways.

James Watson, Liz Dawson, and Linda Gilmour meet termly to watch over pastoral care and to explore ways to bring people together and share life’s experiences.

In our welcome of new folk who have started to attend services in recent months, we extended an invitation to share a Sunday lunch with them, and enjoyed getting to know them and each

We do not underestimate the time and thoughtfulness shown by so many people in the life of our church who often unknown to others, are just quietly and faithfully fulfilling our Lord’s command to “share each other’s troubles and problems” and we are grateful.

Tuesday Together

Team members: Sheila Cooper, Liz Dawson, Fiona Garry, Rachel Hall, Marcia Needs, Margaret Pinnock, Carol Symes, Janet Taylor, Jenny Witts Meeting time: Alternate Tuesdays during term time 10.30am – 1.45pm Place: Church Foyer and Sanctuary Numbers attending: We have 57 on our register of whom 44 are regular attenders

We have continued to meet in our usual pattern, gathering from 10.30 for coffee and biscuits (prepared by Carol and served by Fiona & Marcia). At 11.00am we have some form of entertainment for ¾ hour. Our mornings conclude with a Thought for the Day led by a team member or James our minister. We then move into the Carey Hall for a delicious lunch prepared alternately by our two lunch teams headed up by Pat Clarke & Rachel Hall. (See separate report)

Towards the end of the year Yvonne and Faith felt the time had come to step down from their responsibilities serving tea and coffee. We miss them at our team meetings but continue to

29

appreciate their smiling and helpful presence at our fortnightly TT meetings. Fiona and Marcia have taken their places on the Team.

Each term we have a speaker from a different chosen charity – this year we have supported Age UK, St Peter’s Hospice and the Bristol North West Foodbank.

The Pre-school made their annual visit to give us to give us a joyous preview of their Christmas Nativity songs and we were entertained by a variety of talented musicians.

Our programmes also included ‘in house’ entertainment - quizzes, holiday memories and bulb planting. We enjoyed watching a video of the Easter story and celebrated the Coronation …. and much more! We had a great time on our outing to Wells in July when happily the sun shone for us as we checked out the cafes & shops and wandered around the lovely gardens at the Bishop’s Palace.

Most of our attendees live alone and greatly appreciate the warm welcome we provide.

The appreciation works both ways because the team gain so much through sharing in the life journeys of our Tuesday Together friends each week as they offer us their trust and friendship too – a privilege for us all.

We finally produced a Risk Assessment for our meetings and have adhered to its recommendations. Walking sticks and Zimmer frames can cause hazards and we have created more space for our guests by moving some tables and chairs into the rear end of the sanctuary for our meetings. Our numbers have increased and the foyer was getting too crowded.

When some of our regular attenders find the ageing process makes it impossible to attend any more, we make every effort to keep in touch, letting them know they are not forgotten.

The summer holidays, when the teams take a well-deserved break, can be difficult for our senior friends, particularly those living alone. So, for the past 8 years we have held a day at the church that we call AUGUST TOGETHER. We offer a variety of activities and space to sit and chat. We share lunch together and then enjoy some entertainment before leaving for home. Other members of the church join our team to help on these occasions.

2023 was no exception and 36 guests joined us for the day - a great time was had by all. The Tuesday Together teams aim to share and declare the love of Jesus through all we do.

Tuesday Together (Lunch team)

Cooks: Pat Clarke, Tim Gilmour, Rachel Hall, Tessa Taylor, Gill Kirk (vegetable prep), Alison Heard (serving and coffee), Jenny Farmer, Anne Macfarlane (waitresses), Louise Storrie, James Harding (setting up and clearing tables). Washing up: Steve Clarke, David Hughes, Dot and David Taylor, Wendie and Terry Wright, Jane and Steve Ryan, Bob Pinnock, Elsie Murray, Ruth Davies, Hilary and Sue.

2023 proceeded in much the same way as 2022! We have a good reliable core of helpers and always have enough people no matter if availability changes at the last minute! We were pleased to welcome Ruth back on the team as a couple of helpers are taking a break due to health issues. We wish them well and will welcome their return when they feel ready. Each person provides much needed help and we really couldn`t manage without them.

30

We are still providing lunches to about 50 people, which includes helpers, although we have struggled at times to keep this number to a maximum! It is essential to book for lunch as we don`t feel able to cook for greater numbers and we would not have sufficient space to seat everyone. Such is our popularity!! Most people are from Tuesday Together, although there may be a small number who find the meeting plus lunch is too long for them, however this is generally discouraged. We always try to produce a 2-course tasty meal with coffee each time and are managing to keep the cost at £5 per person.

In October we were thrilled to have installed 2 new ovens. They are very efficient, simple to use and reliable, which has made the cooking much easier. A lot of planning and some changes to the gas and electrical supplies were required and we are very grateful to Tim, Jeremy and Terry for making this all happen. We have also bought new roasting pans for the new ovens and new stainless steel jugs, a new food mixer and a variety of small kitchen utensils. These items are for general kitchen use by anyone using the kitchen of course.

We were able to contribute towards the cost of the new ovens and have therefore not made our usual donation to a charity, but we plan to do this in the next few months. We have been able to donate 24 Easter eggs to” InHope” for distribution to struggling families.

It is a lot of hard work planning, shopping, cooking, serving, and clearing away afterwards, but we enjoy working together in our teams and we feel that it is definitely worth the effort to provide a meal in friendship and fellowship with each other.

We hope to continue in 2024 and are always looking for new helpers to join us if you have any spare time!

Pat Clarke (on behalf of Tuesday lunch team)

31

• ACTIVITIES:

MONDAY PRAYER GROUP

Leader: Revd Eveline Johnstone

A small group normally meets regularly for prayer on Monday evenings at 7.30pm.

The group usually meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month (see Church News for exact dates). This is a space for quiet prayer and contemplation; we think of this time as ‘A Breathing Space’ where we can meet with God and each other. We often use a psalm or other reading to lead us into prayer which will include prayers of praise and thanks as well as prayers for the world, the church and individuals.

If you have a prayer request, please let Eveline Johnstone or James Watson know and we will pray it on the next Monday or during the prayer ministry time after Sunday worship.

MUSICIANS

Leaders – James Thorp (Keyboard and vocal) Rachel Hall (Piano and vocal).

Members: Sheila Cooper (Clarinet), Margaret Johnstone (Vocal), Allan Macfarlane (Bass guitar), Mary Neave (Recorder), John Todd (Vocal).

The group’s primary purpose is to lead and facilitate the sung worship on a Sunday morning, occasionally also for an evening service, led by Rachel Hall.

As well as the regulars mentioned above, we are sometimes joined by Heather Colbran (Organ), Mary Hughes (Bassoon), Janet Taylor (Piano) and Jan Morris (Vocal), especially for the Easter, Advent and Christmas services where their contributions are much appreciated by the rest of the group and the wider congregation. We generally meet at 9.30 on a Sunday morning before the service to run through the songs and sometimes add extra rehearsals for more special services such as the Carol Service. It is a joy to be able to lead the congregation in worship and will continue to do so with as many or as few of us able to do so on any given Sunday.

SINGING GROUP

Leader: Rachel Hall 11 members Meet - Monday evenings 6.30pm in Carey Hall, term time.

2023 saw the Singing Group back to its normal activities post Covid, meeting regularly throughout term times. We have been able to lead sung worship sometimes during the Sunday morning services, especially during the Festivals of Easter, Advent and Christmas where we are joined by a few other singers, enabling us to be a little more adventurous with our part singing and taking part during each Advent Sunday service was wonderful. It was an especial joy to lead a song at a recent Baptism.

32

We enjoy our times singing together and are a close, supportive group ending each session with a short time of prayer for each other. My own musical style is very fluid and the group is very patient with my interpretation of the music which is not always what is written!

As usual we have met twice socially, once for a fish and chip supper and once at our now regular Summer Garden Party, both hosted by regular members.

CAFÉ REFRESH

Team: Pat Clarke, Tim Gilmour, Alison Heard, David Hughes, Dot Jenner, Linda Jolly and Tessa Taylor. We were grateful to Carol Symes and Moira Nicoll for their help in busy periods.

The café was held between 10 and 12.30pm in the church foyer on alternate Saturday mornings in term time.

The café has grown increasingly popular over the year and we were pleased to welcome customers from within and outside the church congregation. It has been good to see a number of people make the café their venue of choice for Saturday morning refreshments and fellowship.

The café menu has developed during the year and now includes a range of sweet treats and some savoury items such as ham and cheese croissants, crumpets and, on occasion, bacon rolls.

We were happy to support the annual Christian Aid Big Breakfast in May and the Family Christmas Craft event in December.

We look forward to welcoming new people and families in 2024 alongside our existing customers. We will do our best to ensure that they feel warm and welcome and trust that they will unexpectedly find something of God’s love as they enjoy pastries and coffee.

CRAFT GROUP

Team: Dot Jenner (on behalf of all involved in the Creative Group)

We have really enjoyed meeting as a group through the year and it has been good to share our cares, concerns, laughter, faith and love for one another as we have worked on various projects and chatted about future ones. Lent and Easter saw the regular but updated displays in the window. In the summer we supported Elmlea School to display the children’s work on the theme ‘Jesus is a good friend’ in the front window. The autumn saw us making the Christmas Cards for those who are part of the Tuesday Together/Lunch meetings and starting to think about how to manage the Advent Calendar. It’s amazing how ideas develop when you gather together.

Our gathering resulted in four magnificent ‘Christmas Trees’ displaying the work of Elmlea pupils for the 25 days of December. It was much easier to manage this year aided by others from the wider Church family. We also co-ordinated the themes in the Advent prayer booklet with the Advent/Nativity window display.

We continue to be interested in receiving ideas about making more use of the front windows of the Church to speak to the community and for decorating the various internal walls of the church building.

33

WOTS TOTS

Team: Trish Hart, James Harding, Anne Macfarlane, Jan Morris. Sue Perry, Sarah Shelley, Tessa Taylor, Charlotte Veldman, James Watson, Wendie Wright.

Treasurer: Terry Wright

We have settled into our fortnightly sessions, welcoming approximately 20 families each time. We use several spaces for our toys large and small, a separate room for our babies and story time, plus space for a variety of toys encouraging imaginative play – i.e. the well-loved ‘kitchen’, and construction toys. There is also a wide variety of crafts for practising fine motor skills and having relaxed conversations.

Our families appreciate the welcome, the coffee, time to play with their children and share their experiences with others. Our wonderful team enjoy playing and chatting with them, offering a listening ear, support and encouragement where it is helpful. The families are also very supportive of our Church Harvest and Gift Services. Everyone takes part in the tidying away and our sessions finish with a Bible story, singing and finger rhymes, with fun instruments!

We were sad to say goodbye to Charlotte who has been a committed and kind team member. However, we have a very supportive team and are grateful to the Church for their prayers and encouragement.

TABLETALKERS

Coordinator - Ian Dawson

In May 2023, by popular demand, we restarted TableTalkers which had stopped due to Covid restrictions.

This is a group where some of the WBC retired or semi-retired men (or men finding themselves free at lunch-time) meet in a local pub approximately once a month to eat together and to discuss current news events from a Christian perspective. We meet at the beginning of each month on either the first or second Tuesday or Wednesday dependent on whichever the majority can attend.

To stimulate (or at least kick-start) our discussions, we choose blogs and articles primarily from various Christian sources such as Care or Premier Radio. They are normally comments on news items from recent weeks. As we only meet monthly, we take a vote to choose one of the topics from the intervening month’s selection and off we go! There’s no guarantee we’ll stick to the subject, but we have an enjoyable ramble, good fellowship, and a pleasant lunch together.

The numbers attending vary from 5 to 12 each time. We always seem to have a good discussion no matter how many are able to come.

The topics we have tackled during this last year have ranged from the King's Coronation (to pledge or not to pledge?), climate action, whether free speech is under threat in the UK, the Israel and Palestine conflict, Assisted Suicide, and even AI. If you think you would be interested in joining us for lunch please speak to Ian Dawson.

34

‘Happy Days’ Memory Café

Leader: Tony Hall

Happy Days is a café for carers and people living with dementia.

We meet on the first Friday of the month from 2.00. – 4.00 pm in the foyer.

Why do we meet? To give respite to carers and people with dementia.

What do we do? We’re silly for two hours!

Why? What is the best medicine? – laughter. What have we done this year?

  1. We started the year with a panto – Snow White (oh yes, we did!)

  2. “Movement with Becky” and a talk on nutrition

  3. Claire from Alive Activities got everyone moving and having fun.

  4. A visit to the Dementia Friendly Allotment in Brentry.

  5. Maggie, Janine from Healthwatch, Blaire from All Aboard, Maria from U3a came to visit.

  6. We gave our folks Coronation mugs to celebrate King Charles 3[rd] being crowned.

  7. A second visit to the allotment – this time making clay pots (therapeutic horticulture)

  8. A silent disco to celebrate BDAA’s 10[th] birthday (with cake!). Our folks love silent discos – have you ever been to one?

  9. A Sea-side Special with Punch & Judy, ice-cream, and lots of laughs.

  10. Our long-standing friends Geoff & Graham playing the violin and guitar.

  11. We “Dunked a Donut for Dementia Day”- our BDAA annual fundraiser.

  12. Our Happy Days 8[th] birthday – with Alive Activities and more cake!

  13. Christmas lunch with Maggie – she’s a group favourite.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our guests, visiting performers and especially our volunteers for their continued commitment and enthusiasm.

35

- PRE SCHOOL

Preschool Manager: Angie Loughlin Deputy Manager/SENCO: Lorraine Edmonds

Early Years Practitioners: Jayne Dymianczuk, Sintija Murniece, Sue Webber Administrator: Vanessa Hayden (until March 2023), Carla O’Sullivan (from April 2023) Trustees: Anne Macfarlane (until July 2023), Becca Finamore (until July 2023), Helen Thorp (chair from April 2023), Moira Nicoll (from April 2023), Tim Gilmour (from April 2023) Treasurer (not a trustee): Steve Summerbee

2023 marked 20 years of Westbury Baptist Preschool. It is a requirement that the preschool has at least three trustees who are members of WBC and are elected to this role at the Church AGM. The preschool could benefit from more trustees whether Church members or not.

The preschool is open to children from 2 years and 10 months to 5 years of age. Although individual session lengths vary the preschool is open 9am-3pm Mon-Thur and 9am-1pm on Fridays. 2023 was a busy year for the preschool. While the staff work hard to provide a stimulating, safe and nurturing environment and to prepare the children for school they also provide experiences that enrich each child’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and creative abilities and interests.

In January there were 29 children on the preschool register. This rose to 38 in the summer term. In the first term of the 2023-24 academic year there were 24 children on the register and we expect this to increase over the school year. The preschool has a small but dedicated staff team that have been willing to work flexibly to cover the fluctuating child numbers throughout the year.

The preschool administrator Vanessa moved on to a new work opportunity at the end of March. It was sad to see her go after all she had brought to the preschool over two years. We were very glad to be able to recruit Carla O’Sullivan to this role in April. Anne Macfarlane and Becca Finamore also moved on from their roles as trustees at the preschool. They have given a lot of time and support to the preschool over many years.

This year the preschool has enjoyed park visits and picnics, forest school, sports day, leavers and Christmas parties as well as the nativity play. The children also enjoyed contributing to the Church Easter Garden and singing with Tuesday Together.

There have been four formal meetings of the trustees, the manager, the administrator and the treasurer over the course of the year. The formal committee meetings take place virtually, however there have been other meetings with the trustees and staff members throughout the year which are usually face to face.

36

• UNIFORMED ORGANISATIONS

167[TH] BRISTOL SCOUT GROUP OVERVIEW

Group Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is a small group of volunteers who have overall responsibility for the running of the 167[th] Scout Group. The Exec are like a driving committee to represent the parents and get the best for their kids within the parameters of scouting. They look after the finances, membership records, policies and charitable activities. They are ultimately responsible for Health and Safety – though the section leaders take responsibility for risk assessing all activities.

The Exec performs a similar function to the Governors of a school or the Trustees of a charity. Setting vision, holding responsibility, and being a supportive critical friend to the leaders who deliver scouting.

Every year we hold an annual general meeting where members of the charity executive committee (our board of trustees), are appointed or elected.

The GSL supports all the volunteers, and particularly the Section Leaders, in the delivery of the scouting programmes that we provide.

167[TH] WESTBURY BAPTIST BEAVER COLONY

Leader: Nimisha Birmingham ,

Assistants: Adrian Rogers, Jacob Cox (replaced Nathan Parrot who has moved up to Cubs part way through the year) and Nicky Taylor, with two young leaders also helping each week - we did have 3 but one left in September to concentrate on GCSEs.

Numbers : We have 16 children in our colony and most attend every week.

Under starry skies and around crackling campfires, our Beaver Scouts explored a world of adventures this year. They cycled safely around the church car park, learned about constellations and space, whipped up delicious treats at Christmas, and even developed their green thumbs by growing towering sunflowers.

Beyond badges, they built friendships, discovered kindness, and served their community. From joining the district campfire at Woodhouse Park to participating alongside other uniformed groups in the Armistice parade, they left their mark.

Christmas carols brought smiles to residents at a local retirement home, while collected food warmed the hearts of families in need as part of the Church collection. The money raised from selling their sunflowers helped support essential needs for the group, ensuring even more exciting adventures for future Beavers.

Five beavers graduated to Cubs, each proudly clutching their Chief Scout's Bronze Award. As they embark on new challenges, we celebrate their spirit and the countless others who learned, grew, and made a difference this year. The future of Scouting shines bright, thanks to the boundless curiosity and kind hearts of our Beaver Scouts.

37

167[TH] WESTBURY BAPTIST CUBS

Section Leader: David Jeanneret (Baloo)

The 167[th] Cub Pack meets on Monday evenings during term time. We welcome boys & girls aged between 8 & 10½. Focus is on fun, friends, activities that build towards badges and preparing for camps!

The Cubs’ section is the second section in the Scout Group following on from Beavers and leading up to Scouts. Cub packs first met in 1916 as the younger brothers of Scouts wanted in on the action. Cubs are members of the global family of Scouts.

Our programme of weekly term time Cub Pack Nights and regular Pack Camps prepare young people with skills for life. In amongst the fun and adventure they will gain a sense of achievement in the badges that they are awarded.

167[TH] BRISTOL SCOUT GROUP

Leaders: Thomas Jenkins (Quarter Master)

Playing our part

Pleased to report another successful year of Scouting at the Baptist church. Currently numbers are hovering around 25 or so, without young leaders and leaders.

Upcoming for some of the Scouts is a weekend camp with other groups in the Cabot (NorthWest) District of Bristol, at an activity centre new Chew Magna. We attended this previously in 2022, and the Scouts loved it, so why not go again!!

Helping other people

Scouts and the 167[th] continue to help those around them. During our summer camp last year, a number of the Scouts supported a conservation project local to the camp, cleaning up, litter picking and I believe some tree planting too. In our upcoming term programme, we are looking to do some more of the same in the local area.

Growing strongly

Pleased to report, that year on year, Scout numbers are up, and are only due to increase in the next 12 months. Dare I say, but it is likely we will exceed 30 young people by the end of 2024, a first for me as a leader, and a first I believe as a group in 10 years or so.

Celebrating achievement

At Scouts we are continuing to hand out lots and lots of activity and achievement badges. During the term we encourage the young people to share in their interests, particularly outside of the Scouting world. I remember when I was young being fascinated by the hobbies of my peers, and eventually giving some of them a try for myself!

Transforming futures

As well as new starters coming thick and fast, we also have a steady stream of leavers moving into the next chapter of their Scouting journey - Explorers and/or young leadership within the 167[th] . I am pleased to report that the Explorers are busier than ever, running an annual summer camp with lots of opportunities for our ever more adventurous young people.

38

- CABOT DISTRICT EXPLORER GROUP STEAMA

Leader: Matthew Routledge

Explorers are a group of young people, aged between 14 and 18. Explorers meet every Wednesday during term time

Like the Scout section, the Explorers plan their own programme which is only limited by imagination (and some Scout rules). However, we have previously taken part in local, national, and international activities. We have done various activities from scavenger hunts around our local area, and some have even gone as far afield as Africa & Nepal!

While Explorers have adult leaders they do not “lead” the unit evenings, the Explorers themselves do that. The “leaders” are on hand to help and support the Explorers achieve the programme that they want.

28TH WESTBURY GUIDES

Leaders – Emma Jenkins Unit helpers: George Bowyer, Caitlin Fairweather and Megan Newboult. Unit administrators: Chris Lyons and Tripta Grey Treasurers: Laura Thompson and Louise Tomlins Young leader: Bella Bray.

We are a thriving Guide unit with 38 girls attending each week. We have followed a full and varied program over the year: we have camped at Wellies and Wristbands, visited Cadbury World and the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, had a wonderful theatre trip to Wicked, learnt new camping skills, took part in Parliament week and liaised with our MP, made some wartime rationing recipes and attended the Remembrance parade in Westbury village.

We learnt first-aid skills with the Red Cross. To celebrate the Coronation, we also made some marvellous cupcakes, silhouette stamps and personalised cards for King Charles. We perfected our whittling and crafted our own bird feeders and beeswax wraps. We have also taken part in many adventurous activities including crate stacking, axe throwing, ice skating, fire lighting, assault courses, Ninja Warrior, rowing, Nordic walking, Airhop, outdoor cooking and rifle shooting.

We currently have 2 fully qualified leaders, Emma Jennings and Sally Pugh, and are always on the lookout for more! Our unit helpers are George Bowyer, Caitlin Fairweather and Megan Newboult. We also have as administrators Chris Lyons and Tripta Grey, treasurers Laura Thompson and Louise Tomlins and we also have a young leader, Bella Bray.

39

28[TH] BROWNIE PACK

Leaders: Jo Hewitt (Stripey Owl), Ellen Tweney (Hedwig) Adult helper: Clare Brice–Taylor Young Leaders: Catie Clark, Lucy Powell, Bella Barsby and Ella Armstrong.

Time: Tuesdays during school terms from 5.45 - 7.15pm. 22 girls aged 7-10

It was another busy year for 28[th] Brownies. We started 2023 working on the ‘Be Well’ Theme Award, following on from learning First Aid Skills.

In between badge work, on a February evening we walked the Light Trail through central Bristol which was interesting seeing the different installations. We also enjoyed an evening learning the martial art Kempo.

On a Saturday in March, we took a group to the County Activity Day at Woodhouse; the girls enjoyed a range of indoor and outdoor activities in spite of being really chilly!

In the summer term we moved onto working on the Explore Skills Builder, including map skills which helped when we explored the Unicorn trail through Bristol in July. We also spent a lovely evening at Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve, learning about the conservation work the volunteers are doing; we explored the reserve, made duck food and went pond dipping to help monitor the wildlife. There was also a trip to the Hippodrome in May with other Westbury uniformed organisations, to The Lion King and we celebrated the coronation with a Royal evening.

For the rest of the summer term, we worked on the SHARE badge, completing a range of activities to promote Girlguiding, reaching out to the local community. We made bookmarks to distribute at Westbury library and the term culminated on a high with a ‘Bring a Friend’ party with 50 girls!

In the Autumn term, we marked key events including Harvest, Remembrance Day making our annual poppy wreath that a group of us took to the parade in Westbury village.

In October, we joined a Division trip to Cadbury World and Birmingham’s Sea Life centre which was a busy day visiting both attractions. Before long it was Christmas …….

95[TH] BROWNIE PACK

Brown Owl: Alison Heard

Young leader: Eleanor Watson, Maddie Lewis until July 2023, Niamh Chivers & Ruby Lewis from October 2023.

Plus one parent helper each week.

We have 12 brownies who are girls aged 7 – 10 years old and we meet on Thursdays during term time from 5.45 – 7.15pm.

This year, as well as welcoming new brownies and saying goodbye to others, we have worked on skills for life: including assembling an IKEA chair, learning to sew on badges, ‘Know

40

yourself’ theme awards, the charity badge, which included a sponsored suspension bridge crossing in aid of Flamingo Chicks ‘dancing for all’ charity.

We visited Bristol Hippodrome with 28[th] Brownies to see ‘The Lion King’, & made the church posies for Mother’s Day. At Christmas we all played chime bars to accompany carols. We have also enjoyed games, craftwork & singing, particularly rounds.

We could do with two more adult leaders and would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in helping us.

41

– Membership changes – 1[st] January 2022 31[st] December 2023

Summary :

During the year there have been the following additions and deletions: -

ADDITIONS DELETIONS
By profession of faith 4 To death 3
By baptism 1 Toresignation 4
By transfer 0 To transfer 0
TOTALS 5 7

Details:

Additions -

By profession of faith – Stewart & Linda Jolly, Marcia Needs, & Joan Clarke By transfer – 0

By baptism – Fiona Garry

Deletions

Deaths – Bryan Ricketts, Margaret Cave, Hazel Ashton

Resignations - Mike Peat, Harvey Atkinson, Maggie Crisp, Penny Dove.

Church membership on 1[st] January 2023 – 97

On 31[st] December 2023 - 95

42

FURTHER THANKYOUS:

MISSION AND OUTREACH:

Flower Rota: Flower Distribution : BMS Birthday Scheme : Website administration :

SUNDAY WORSHIP: Welcomers’ rota: Contribution to worship rota: Sound and Technology :

CHURCH YOUTH POLICY: Designated Person for Safeguarding : DBS organisation :

Alison Heard, Heather Colbran, Louise Murray Pam Merriott Sheila Cooper Annie Somerville

John Todd David Ploss Tim Gilmour (coordinator), Lee Hall, Robin MacLeavy, Malcolm Neave, Stewart Jolly

Kath Conway Annie Somerville

ADMINISTRATION:

Church Administrator: Church Secretary: Gift Aid: Treasurer: Membership Secretary : Church Archivist:

Annie Somerville Jan Morris James Thorp Jeremy Colbran David Hughes Steve Clarke

CARE OF CHURCH PROPERTY:

Premises Chair: Caretaker: Property Steward: Health and Safety Officers: Gardening team: Coffee supplies:

Terry Wright Hillary Jones Jeremy Colbran Hillary Jones, Terry Wright Linda & Tim Gilmour, Gay Wale, Janet Taylor. Ian Dawson

REPRESENTATIVES:

Christian Aid: Tear Fund:

Graham Cooper Heather Colbran

43

DEEPER CLOSER FURTHER

Visit

the Church’s website

www.westburybaptist.org.uk

44