Ministers Report 2023124
If l am completely honest. it only seems like two minutes ago that I was standing here at
the last AGM giving a minister's ￿pOrt.we hwle had such a busyyearwith the usual mix
of things to celebrate and challenges that we have been brought through. There
definitely appears to be a paralleltrackthatwe walk inthe path of the church. The
parallel tracks ofvictoryand battles. Our challenge is to focus on the victory's whilst not
losing sight of the battles, knowingthatthe victory belongs to him. Since the last AGM
we have launched our newvision-A Unified Communitywho: Proclaims Jesus. Raises
Disciples. Equips the Saints and Sends into allthe v￿rtd. This is very much the direction
the Lord has been leading us. The focus of Sundaygatherings and preaching has very
much fallen in line with this vision. And l imagine itwiiicontinue to do so.
Since our last AGM we have had two baptism services {due to have another one next
month) where we had the priwlege of baptizing a number of ouryoung people. We also
had the joy of holdinga joint baptism service with Faith Life Church. It was amazingto
come together as two expressions of Gods family as siblings to celebrate what the Lord
is doing in the life of different people. We are praying for many more baptisms overthe
course ofthe nextyear.
Outreach overthe last year has been both encouraging and challenging. We helped
once again atthe Family Fun Day in Dysart Park. which was a brilliant time. Areasto
improve on. but generally went welL It was great to have the retum of the puppets and
was awesome to see Andy Masters doingwhat he is so gifted in. reteLlingthe stories of
scripture in a real. dramatized and engagingway.
We also had carols in the park. with a walking nativity, howeverthe bad weather had a
real impact on thatday. and while a few people came and a local schoolchoir sang, it
was very limited, but a bigthankyou to everyonewhowaswillingto get drenched and
help. Our Christmas Carol service went well. However, it would have been good if more
had attended. The pianningforthis year's carol service started prety much the next day.
For the events we really need to develop an invtte culture.
Ourfinal outreach of the Last 12 months was at Finkins. We united with StAnne's
church. and itwas a brilliant night. with standing room only. Stories of fruit came in the
next day. Conversations are being had about what we might be able to do next. and how
manytimes a yearwe can do different things like this. Look out for different things this
year. Please also note Mi7 is consistentlygoing out everyweek foroutreach. It has been
disappointingto see the numbers of this group reduce. We are beginning to see fruit
from this. Please continue to prayforthe team and consider being part of the team in
the future.

As well as all the excitement of the outreach stuff that we have done, people will also
have been noticingthat some people have decided itstime to move on. Whilstthis can
be difficult and upsettingfor people. our hearts need to have a postu￿ of blessing and
release, we are still siblings. Afewyears a friend was prayingfor me as I stepped into a
new ministryand he one of the things he prayed was-there are no wrong people in the
Kingdom of God, but there are right people at the wrong the time. Bring the right people
at the right time.
Let us not get bogged down in those who have left but lift our eyes and let us get excited
about the people the Lord is bringingto this expression of His family. Mostweeks now
we are seeing new people come through those doors, and they are coming backl Let us
be excited aboutwhatthe Lord is doing. Please let us also spend time gettingto know
the new people who are comingthrough the door. Build relationships and friendships.
invite people over for food.
This is something that is massively important. and with all the great outreach we are
seeing, we cannotforget about pastoral care. This is anything ranging from crisis
situations that people find themselves into ongoingdiscipleship. Like safeguarding
pastoralcare is everyone's responsibility. However. our modelfor pastoral c8re is done
through our LifeGroups. Lifegroup leaders are responsible for the pastoral care of the
group they lead. so initially the lifegroup leader is your first port of call. Lifegroup leaders
will then collaborate closely with elders and deacons and myself. I would al50 say that
pastoral care must be done relationally.
kin
Foroiard
We 8re spendingthe nextfew months continuing our series on Acts. This has been a
reaLly challenging series I feel. Therewill need to be a response from us as a church at
the end of the series. l am currently prayingforwhatthat might look like. But as I started
off at the beginningof the series. changes will need to be made as a resultof reading
Acts so slowly. This is the same atthe end of anyseries (but I'm a bit slow on the uptake}
because we are preaching from the livingword of God. It's time to make changes. Stwas
these I words that I heard Jesus whisper at the start of 2024.
Moving forward, it is time to build on the prophetic groupthatwas started a number of
years ago. I will beworkingwith Susie. Malcolm. Jenny and Moira to figure out whatthis
looks like. We need to be a prophetic church, not just a church that has a prophetic
group.
Linked with this is the foundational and fundamental need for us to be a church who
prays and fasts together. I have to be honest the numberof people comingto times of
corporate prayer is largelydisappointing. We have a greatturn outto the termly
Wednesdayevening prayer, otherthan that attendance is disappointing. On the first
Sunday of March. we are goingto have an evening called'Equipped to Pray.. from that

will have two Sunday evening gatherings where we come togetherwith the sole
purpose of praying. This will take us through the next season for GBC.
This year it is also importantthatwe build on the outreach of the last 12 months. We are
slowly beginning to see trickles of fruit. this is the drip before the flood. We need to be
thinking in terms of multipLication. Currentlywe are not set up for multiplication- so
overthe nextfewweeks and monthswe will be seekingjesus on what this Looks like.
Pleasejoin in as we pray into this.
Also. we are wanting to increase ourfocus on discipleship. We cannot rely on Sunday
morning gatherings and mid-week LifeGroups to be sufficientforour discipleship and
growth in Christ. As well ourown time readingthe bible and prawng, we need to be
spurring each other on in theirfaith in a deeper and more open way. We are wanting to
launch triplets. So simply put. 3 (4 at stretch) people gathering monthly to go through
some thought-provoking questions about our own faith and walk with Jesus and others.

Grantham Baptist Church
NANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Basls of a¢counts:
These accounts have been prepared
on a Re￿Ipts and Payments. basis and in accordan￿ wrth (cl 25. Part 811) Chanties Act 2011.
GENERAL RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS Accoupir
Recelpts:
Note
Offerings Iweekty & monthly)
Donabons and other inD)me
Income tsx recovered on gffts
Contributions for use of premises
Transfers (from Dep.alcl
Interest
Recei
ts total -
2023
65.348
21.980
12.884
1.758
2022
60,454
4,247
10,858
1.107
40.000
101970
116665
aymen
Ministry
Mission
Maintenan
Administration
Transfers (to Dep. alc)
ote
34,023
20,C
17.764
10,468
78,513
19,672
10.762
11.813
120 760
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABLMES AT 31 DECEIABER 2023
Assets:
Note."
Bank and other balances:
other diurch accounts..
2023
17.656
26,457
44,112
2022
14,342
10,172
24,514
10.
other monelary assets.
Non monetsry assets..
11.
Held for Churches own use
3,635.507
2,981,258
3. Offerings:.
Weekty offerings induding enYeioFes
Standing orders
6,738
58.609
65,348
Donations and other Income:.
Church work..
18,493
18,493
Other charitable causes:_
Other church reasons"_
987
21,980
5. Ministry:
Pastorate- Rob McGibbon
Stspend
National Insuran￿ & tax
Representstion duty
20.915.92
2,984.20
200.00
24.100
Manse
Council tayl Water rates
Insuran
Repairs
2.697
461
2,870
6.028
Teaching
Teaching
Page f

Training
JAM
Pulptt
Communty outreach
1.173.80
593.04
150.00
1.977.40
3,894
34.023
6. Mission".
Other cause$4aptist
BMS Specffic - B Francis
BMS General
4.500.IJO
2.200.00
6.700
Other causes4)ther
Compassion Fund
Passage donab.on
Other
863.00
2.500.00
575.10
3,938
10,638
Support
Moldovan MinBty {M Mccomick)
Wycliffe Bible TransFators (M Pearce)
Schools Ministy- jenn￿ Fytche
bible society
3,000.00
5,600.04
750.00
72.00
9.422
20.060
Malntenan¢e
Utilities
Cleaningl toiletries
Insurance
PAJAV
Refvrbishment
Servicing
CareLqking
Caleringl kttchen supplies
Copyright CCLI
7.629
316
3.125
2.176
354
1.358
812
1,350
17.764
8. Adrninlstration:
Statronarylprinting
Office supplies
Telephonelinlemevcomputers
Advertising
Subscriptions
Worship
Finance system
Office Admin support
500.52
400.54
49J.68
968.62
38.93
25.00
8,044.12
10,468
Current Account reconcilialion
Balance as per Dewsrt t￿k 01 Jan 2023
Re￿[pts in 2023
Transfer5 to Current alc
Payments in 2023
Transfers to Deposit alc
Debrt
Balan
14,342
101.970
82,315
16,204
98,519
101.970
17,793
Receipts in 2024 belonging to 2023 (500034)
Payments in 2024 belonging to 2023
Catculated Current account balance at 31 Dec 2023
Actual current account" balances 31 Dec 2023
137
17,656
17,656
Page 2

'Main & Credit Card ac￿Unt
10. Other Church a¢counts
Savings actounts - Lloyds Bank
Balance at 01 Jan 2023
Receipts in 2023
Interest receNed
Payments in 2023
Transfer from currerrt account
Calculated deposrt account tsaran￿ at 31 D¥ 2023
Actual deposf( account balan￿ 31 Dec 2023
Credit
Debit
Balance
10,172
16,204
82
26A57
26A57
11. Non monetsry assets
(a) Held for investment purposes..
Ibl Held for Church's own use
The church ss the beneficial ¢)wner {subl￿t to the relevartt trusts}
of the following assets, the legal b.tle to which is hehy the church's
custodian trustee Ithe Baptist Union Corporabon Ltdl
Church premises (insured value March 2024}
Church Manse
The church aL80 owns fixtu￿, fvrniture and
equipment (insured value March 2024}
3,057,569
405,000
172.938
3,635.507
Annual Ststement of Accounts prepared by Abimbola Durodola. March 2024
Independontty Examined by Nicci Whittaker and corrections made, April 2024
Page 3

The accounts and Ststbrn￿ ofass•ts and ¥rtout on pageB f&2 rE* ID th• yeartnding
31 Dec. 2023 arp appft>ved by the 08acoM. Signod:
Abtmbola Durodola Treasurnr April 2024
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAIIINER TO THE DEACONS AP4D IVB18ERS OF
GRANTHAM BAPTIST CHURCH (including Wharf Road)
In accordarrcewrth the prow&ons ofSe(*on 43 ofthÈ Cha[￿esA[1 I￿3.1 rer￿ts￿d p3￿n￿8¢en￿fjts and
Slatsmentof8stsel and IiaknlitEs of GFxntr￿M BaptL%t CtMJtth8et t￿￿On page5 1 & 2 rel￿ to ts yearenw 3t D￿eTn￿￿ 1997.
This independentex2Thin8tion did nolexterrd tt) a Uxnprehen*vea￿th[Qf wxJntscrst8*menL I confirm Ihat the a¢x￿tsand slat8menl a(Lord
the arcountino ￿rds0fthe thutth and thatsucth re(ths fvx laFn MtW*8rE ofany TrtattsrtOthth￿ atten￿￿ needs
lo be drawn in
Swned".
71 obts41 Und￿s￿ndIng 0ftheafx￿Mts.
D8t&' 10ffj7r2024

Independent examinerfs ￿pOrt to the trustees of Grantham Baptist Church
Registered Charity no: 1133324
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Grantham Baptist Church
for the year ended 31st December 2023.
Responsibilitle5 and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts
in accordance with the requirements of the Charstie5 Act 2011 {'the ACV).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trusys accounts carried out under settion 145
of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable
Directions given by the Charity Commission under settion 145{5llb) of the Att.
Independent examinerfs statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to mv
attention in connettion with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material
respect-.
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by sertion 130
of the Act; or
2. 2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connettion with the
examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper
understanding of the accounts to be reached.
51gned:
Name.. Mrs Nicola L Whittaker
Date: Ilyh July 2024

Independent Examlners recommendations to the
Trustees of Grantham Baptist Churth
s per my independent examiners report states I have no concern5 With the accounts
prepared for your financial year ending 31 December 2023
However. I do have a recommendation that I suggest you seriously tonsider implementing
to ensure more fluidrty in how your accounting systems and processes run.
The full transition to an accounting package will ensurethat accounts continue to be
maintained to a high standard thus reducing risk goingforward and enabling better
reporting for your Leadership & Trustees.
That all expense paperwork is correctly labelled with the relevant payee details.
If you would like any more information on the above recommendation. then do get in
touch.
Nicci Whittaker
10/0712024