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2021-05-20-accounts

Registered Charity No. 1134018

LONGMEADOW EVANGELICAL CHURCH STEVENAGE

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021

INDEX

Page 1 Independent Examiners Report

Page 2 Receipts and Payments Accounts

Page 2

Receipts and Payments

Page 5 Trustees Annual Report Pages 5-6 Legal & Administrative Details Page 7-11 Trustees’ Report

Page 1

Independent Examiner's Report

To the Trustees of

Longmeadow Evangelical Church

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Longmeadow Evangelical Church (the charity) for the period 01 January 2020 to 20 May 2021 on pages two to four following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

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

Independent examiner’s statement

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

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection 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.

J Farley

Jacob Farley ACA

For and on behalf of: Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: 8 February 2022

Page 2

Receipts and Payments Accounts Longmeadow Evangelical Church

Registered Charity 1134018

For the year 01/01/2020 to 20/05/2021

Section A Receipts and Payments

Section A Receipts and Payments
Receipts
General Offerings & Regular Giving
Special Offerings
Restricted Gifts
Income Tax Reclaimed
Investments Income
Income from Groups and Activities
Legacy
Hall Hire and Catering
Grants Received
Total Receipts
Payments
Grants Paid and Care
Activities and Groups
Restricted Gifts Paid Over
Special Offerings Paid Over
Staff Costs and Ministry
Premises Costs
Mission Giving
Governance
Administrative Costs
Total Payments		 Total funds
Previous year
to nearest £
to nearest £
to nearest £
to nearest £
135,078
3,496
138,574
90,318
2,039
2,039
665
37,993
559
38,551
17,490
418
418
96
220
345
565
1,827
2,000
2,000
43,613
170
170
595
0
1,000
1,000
0
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
175,879
7,438
183,317
154,605
1,350
0
1,350
1,677
0
331
331
1,618
1,000
1,000
580
129,733
3,209
132,942
92,793
10,501
33
10,534
9,183
29,840
2,170
32,010
21,775
780
0
780
690
5,891
0
5,891
3,719
178,094
6,743
184,838
132,036
Net of receipts/(payments)
Transfers between funds
Cash funds from previous year end
Cash funds this year end
Transfer of funds to Incorporated
Charity		 -2,215
694
-1,521
22,569
-312
312
0
0
58,310
917
59,227
36,658
-55,784
-1,923
-57,707
0.00
0.00
0.00
59,227

Page 3

Section B Statement of Assets and liabilities at the end of the year, 20/05/2020

Unrestricted Restricted Details funds funds Cash Funds to nearest £ to nearest £ Santander £nil £nil Redwood £nil £nil CAF £nil £nil Cash £nil £nil Total Funds £nil £nil Unrestricted Restricted Details funds funds Other Monetary Assets to nearest £ to nearest £ Gift Aid Debtor £nil £nil

Assets retained for the charity’s use

Details Fund to which asset belongs Current Value
Freehold Property Unrestricted £nil
Furniture, Fixtures & Fittings Unrestricted £nil
Liabilities Details Fund to which liability relates Amount Due
HMRC Payments Unrestricted £nil
Pension Payments Unrestricted £nil
Accounts Examination Fee Unrestricted £nil
Balance of Restricted Funds
Details Closing Balance Details Closing balance
Christmas offering £nil Community Support Fund £nil
Mission Giving £nil Drive-In Carols £nil
Holiday Club £nil Building Improvements £nil
Groups within church £nil
Signature Print name Date
R Knell RUSSELL KNELL 30/01/2022
Signed on behalf of ___ ___ ___
the Trustees W Campbell WAYNE CAMPBELL 30/01/2022
___ ___ ___

Page 4

Notes

Note 1 Accounting Policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs. General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

Note 2 Transactions with related parties

The following employees were remunerated during this period in their capacity as church pastors, and not as trustees, as permitted by the governing document: Ben Epps Gross salary £48,408 (2019: £34,000) Pension contributions £1,936 (2019: £1,276) and Russell Knell Gross salary £48,408 (2019: £34,000) Pension contributions £1,936 (2019: £1,276).

Note 3 Transfer to Longmeadow Evangelical Church CIO:

On 19 May 2021 the following Assets and Liabilities were transferred from the Charity to the CIO:

On 19 May 2021 the following Assets and Liabilities were transferred fr
Assets:
Unrestricted Cash Funds: £55,784
Restricted Cash Funds: £1,924
Unrestricted Gift Aid debtor: £2,763
Restricted Gift Aid debtor: £50
Unrestricted Freehold Property: £849,411
Unrestricted Furniture, Fixtures & Fittings £65,654
Liabilities:
Unrestricted HMRC payments £609
Unrestricted Pension payments £456
Unrestricted Accounts Examination Fee £1,260

Note 4 Transfer to Longmeadow Evangelical Church CIO

On 19 May 2021 the following Restricted Fund balances were transferred from the Charity to the CIO:

Holiday Club: £95
Groups within church: £67
Community Support Fund: £795
Building Improvements: £967

Page 5

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021

Trustees

Wayne Campbell (Elder, volunteer) John Cooper (Elder, volunteer) Ben Epps (Elder, full-time employee) Russell Knell (Elder, full-time employee) Ian Thompson (Elder, volunteer)

Custodian Trustees

FIEC Limited 39 The Point Market Harborough LE16 7QU

Principal Office Address

Oaks Cross Broadwater Stevenage SG2 8LT Hertfordshire

Bankers

Santander CAF Bank Bridle Road 25 Kings Hill Avenue Bootle Kings Hill Merseyside West Malling G1R 0AA Kent ME19 4TA

Independent Examiners

Jacob Farley ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb’s Passage London EC1Y 8AB

.

Page 6

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021

The trustees present their annual report and the independently examined financial statements for the period 1 January 2020 to 20 May 2021.

Name and Registered Office of the Charity

The full name of the charity is Longmeadow Evangelical Church and the operating address is Oaks Cross, Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Legal Status

Longmeadow Evangelical Church was constituted in 1959 as a church and was governed by the Constitution and Notes adopted on 24 October 1959, and amended on 15 September 1962. A new constitution and church practices was adopted on 2 December 2008. The church was registered as a charity on 3 February 2010 with the Charity Commission, Charity Number 1134018.

Trustees

The trustees who served during the year are set out on page 5.

The trustees are those who exercise oversight as elders within the church. New elders are appointed by nomination of the elders from the membership of the church and subject to the approval of the church membership at a business meeting of the church. Each elder is required to be fully in agreement with the Basis of Faith.

Page 7

Objects

The purposes of the Church shall be:-

Aims and Organisation

Longmeadow Evangelical Church is a fellowship of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ gathering together in His Name in the Longmeadow neighbourhood of Stevenage and affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). We are a gathering of ordinary people who by faith in Jesus have been adopted by God our Father. So with prayer and love we seek to: listen to His voice in the Bible, serve one another, and share His good news in the power of the Holy Spirit. Longmeadow Evangelical Church; it’s trustees, elders and members are committed to following these New Testament principles.

Our vision is to encourage and serve one another so that we grow in our love for God and make the most of where He has placed each of us; to support and mentor members in training for gospel work; to plant a new church or revitalise an existing church, as the Lord grants the opportunity.

The church employs two full-time pastors, two part-time church visitors to assist primarily with ministry to women, and one part-time church administrator.

The two pastors are also elders and trustees of the church. The elders are required by constitution to call a meeting of the members to conduct Church Business at least once in each quarter of the year.

Page 8

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021(Continued)

Public Benefit

The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the commission on public benefit.

The church seeks to fulfil its charitable object of advancing the Christian faith in accordance with its Basis of Faith in the following ways which bring benefit to the community of Stevenage in which it is situated.

The following paragraphs describe our “normal” pattern of activities for serving our local community. As noted later, due to the Covid-19 pandemic many of these activities were not able to run in their usual forms.

Every Sunday the Church holds two services of worship at its Oaks Cross building which include preaching and/or Bible teaching; age-related activities are also provided in the morning for children and teenagers. All of these meetings are open to the general public, whom we regularly invite by word of mouth and through door to door leaflets and visitation.

Our activities for senior citizens include a lunch club.

Our weekday activities for children include an evening group for 6 to 11 year olds, and an evening group for those aged 11 to 16.

Home groups are also held on various days and evenings during the week.

The pastors of the Church take funeral services for deceased members of the community who are not members of, nor attend, this Church. From time to time we engage in various activities such as family fun days which are for the benefit of all members of the public. The Church building is regularly used as a public polling station by Stevenage Borough Council.

The Church assists with the religious education of local school children, with the pastors taking assemblies in local primary schools.

We support the local branch of Gideon's International, which has as its main activity the distribution of Bibles to local Year 7 school children, hotels, sheltered accommodation for senior citizens and hospitals.

Page 9

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021 (Continued)

The Church promotes the spread of Biblical Christianity which has brought significant public benefit to society. Some of the Church's current members are former offenders and addicts whose lives have been dramatically changed for the benefit of society. The Church also supports the Living Room, a local addiction treatment and counselling centre.

The Church also seeks to fulfil its charitable objects by supporting a number of overseas missionaries working in various countries in relief, education and other Christian activities. In times of disaster the Church also facilitates the collection and sending of funds to various parts of the world where the Church has contacts for emergency relief.

For the majority of this period it has not been possible to hold in-person meetings at the church building or in people’s homes due to Covid restrictions. We have been fortunate to be able to continue regular Sunday morning meetings using a combination of online meeting and live-streaming services. Similarly our small Bible study groups and young people’s meetings have been able to continue by using online meeting services.

These activities are made possible through the voluntary support of the members and friends.

Page 10

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021 (Continued)

Review of Financial Transactions

We are grateful to the Lord for meeting our financial needs.

We were able to continue our financial support to our mission partners who are serving the Lord both in the UK and in other parts of the world.

During this period total income was £183,317, and total expenditure was £184,838. This meant cash funds held by the charity decreased by £1,521 to £57,707, of which £55,784 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.

Once again we want to express our gratitude to all church members who have given so generously towards the work at Longmeadow. Most of all we want to give thanks to God for all his blessings and provision for yet another year.

Reserves

The Church seeks to retain reserves at a level which will enable it to continue its activities. Given current regular obligations we seek to hold minimum reserves of £28,000 (which equates to about 3 months’ of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. The unrestricted reserves of the fellowship at the year end were £55,784.

The trustees are continuing to investigate the possibility of using some of these reserves on improvements to the church building.

Restricted Funds

Car Park Carols

In the run up to Christmas 2020 we joined with a number of other churches in Stevenage to organise and run a drive-in car park carol service. We acted as treasurers for this event coordinating all payments and donations related to it. By the end of this financial period all invoices for the event had been paid and all donations received, leaving the fund with a zero balance.

Community Support Fund

In December 2020, recognising the additional hardships facing people brought on by loss of income due to furlough and the prolonged closure of many industries due to Covid-19 we created a Community Support Fund. The intent of this fund is to help to low income families and individuals in our area with the costs of of food and daily essentials. In addition to helping people known directly to us we are working with our local primary

Page 11

school to provide support to families. So far we’ve been able to give £1,097 in Christmas presents, Christmas food hampers and supermarket vouchers to families in our local community.

Impact Of Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has obviously had a large effect on day-to-day activities of the church, with many regular activities unable to take place. We suspended the taking up of cash offerings in March but are grateful to all those who have switched to electronic means of giving or registered as Gift Aid donors.

Restrictions on physical meetings have also brought on a number of expenses, with investment made in live-streaming equipment to allow us to effectively support online meetings.

Since we’ve not seen any significant shift in regular giving, and reduced spending on consumables and events, we have been fortunate not to see any detrimental financial impact resulting from Covid-19 so far.

Transfer Of Assets To CIO

During the financial year ended 31 December 2017 the trustees and church members voted to approve a motion to begin the process of changing the charity’s legal structure from that of an unincorporated charity to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

The Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Longmeadow Evangelical Church, was registered on 7 April 2020 (registered charity number 1188950). We had hoped to be able to transfer assets and liabilities to the new CIO at the end of 2020 and begin operating as a CIO from January 2021. Unfortunately delays in obtaining access to a suitable bank account for the CIO resulting from the pandemic meant this wasn’t possible. Assets and liabilities we finally transferred to the CIO on 19 May 2021.

Page 12

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 20 MAY 2021 (Continued)

Trustees Responsibilities

Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.

We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.

Risk

The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they take appropriate measures to mitigate those risks.

Disclosure of information to Independent Examiner

The trustees have taken all the steps necessary to ensure that the charity's examiners are aware of all relevant information. To the knowledge and belief of the trustees, there is no relevant information of which the charity's independent examiners are not aware.

Signed on behalf of the trustees

I Thompson IAN THOMPSON 30/01/2022 Signature ___ Print Name ___ Date ______

B Epps BENJAMIN EPPS 30/01/2022 Signature ___ Print Name ___ Date ______