Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church _Together in Christ for the World_ ## **Annual Report** ## **2025** Registered charity number: 1134122 1 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Introduction** The Trustees have prepared the Annual Report to give an account of the Church’s activities during 2025 to the Membership. It also fulfils the Church’s legal requirement to submit an Annual Report to the Charity Commission. The report is divided into two parts: **Part 1** describes how the Church is organised and financed and gives details of the activities that are normally undertaken by the Church in fulfilling its charitable objective. This part is quite formal as much of the information is legally required to be included in the report. **Part 2** describes the activities and events that have taken place during 2025 and is much less formal. It aims to give a picture of the life of the Church and contributions have been included from a number of people. ## **Winchmore Hill Baptist Church** Compton Road, Winchmore Hill, London N21 3PA www.winchmorehillbaptistchurch.org.uk Registered charity number: 1134122 2 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Charity Trustees:** |**Name**|**Role**|**Term**|**From (date**
**elected)**| |---|---|---|---| |Rev Ebenezer
Boakye|Minister|Permanent|| |John Burridge|Treasurer|3 years|23rdMarch
2024| |Sandra Burt|Secretary|3 years|29thMarch
2025| |Sonia Gumbs|Deacon|3 years|29thMarch
2025| |Richard
Greenaway|Deacon|1 year|29thMarch
2025| |Tochi Udokporo|Deacon|3 years|29thMarch
2025| |Faith Shaw|Deacon|3 years|29thMarch
2025| ## **Custodian Trustee:** London Baptist Property Board Ltd The Trust Company holds the deeds of the following properties: - Winchmore Hill Baptist Church, Compton Road, London N21 3PA - 29 Orpington Road, London N21 3PD No property valuation has been undertaken on either property in recent years. The values shown in the accounts are the insured values. 3 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Bankers:** - CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ - HSBC Bank PLC, PO Box 131, 1 The Town, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 6LD. ## **PART 1** ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The charity is an unincorporated association governed by an Approved Governing Document (known as the “Constitution”) which was adopted on 6[th] December 2009 and amended on 25[th] March 2023. The rules for the election of Charity Trustees and appointment of Members are given in the Constitution. The Charity Trustees (‘Trustees’) are the Minister, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Deacons. All of these are appointed by the Church Members’ Meeting. The Minister is a permanent employee of the Church. The remaining Trustees are elected from amongst the Membership and receive no remuneration. The Trustees meet monthly and are responsible for the day to day running of the Church’s work and witness and the financial and legal aspects of the charity. Relevant matters may be submitted to the Church Members’ Meeting for guidance or may be raised by Members for further consideration by the Trustees. The Church Members’ Meeting has responsibility for the overall policy of the Church. There were 6 Ordinary Church Members’ Meetings in 2025 (including the Annual Church Members Meeting, sometimes referred to as the AGM). 4 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 All Members are encouraged to take an appropriate part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charitable objective. New Members are enrolled by agreement of the Church Members’ Meeting, normally after baptism by immersion upon personal profession of faith, though Members may be accepted based on their own public profession of faith. The job of managing the Church’s finances is carried out by the Treasurer and assisted by the Finance Committee, whose responsibilities include paying the Church’s bills and salaries, keeping financial records, claiming Gift Aid on donations from individuals where possible and preparing the accounts. A team of Cashiers ensure donations received at services are counted and recorded properly. ## **Appointment of Trustees** At the Annual Church Members’ Meeting on 29[th] March 2025 Sandra Burt was elected as Deacon for a three-year period, Richard Greenaway was re-elected as Deacon for a one-year term and Tochi Udokporo and Faith Shaw were both elected as Deacons for the first time, each for a three-year period. Sandra’s willingness to serve as Secretary has been a great blessing to the church. ## **Objectives and Activities** The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The Church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world. 5 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 In fulfilling this purpose, the Church aims to engage in activities including: - Regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching. - Baptism, as defined in the Baptist Union’s declaration of principle. - The Communion of the Lord’s Supper - Evangelism and mission, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally - The teaching, inclusion, welcome and encouragement of young people - Nurture and growth of Christian disciples - Education and training for Christian and community service - Giving and encouraging pastoral care - Supporting and encouraging charitable social action in the United Kingdom and abroad. - Encouraging relationships with and supporting Baptists and other Christians. Central to the work and witness of the Church is the provision of regular services of Christian worship. These services take place each Sunday at 10.30am and occasionally at other times. All services are open to the public and the times are advertised on the Church’s notice board and on the internet. Members of the congregation are encouraged to invite their friends and relatives. Additional publicity is distributed for special services at Christmas and Easter. There is no charge to attend any worship service. 6 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 During 2025 the monthly in-person Prayer Meeting and the midweek zoom-based Prayer and Bible Study Group have continued, albeit it with small numbers. In the last quarter of 2025, Church Members ran an Alpha Course which was attended by up to 8 individuals including several with no previous links to the church. The Church has a close relationship with the Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association and provides free use of the premises for their activities as well as hosting a number of joint events. The Minister, who is a paid employee of the Church, is responsible for leading and co-ordinating the Church’s activities including the Sunday services, providing pastoral care for the congregation and other people, and equipping and encouraging the membership in their Christan faith, witness and service. All the remaining work necessary for the operation of the Church is carried out by volunteers, including organisation of and participation in activities, cleaning, preparation and maintenance of the premises, administration, pastoral visits, prayer, financial duties, and others. A list of all those who serve the church in these ways and take on responsibilities is given in the document ‘Positions of Responsibility’. Many of those who organise activities have written their own account of them, and these have been compiled together in part 2 of this report. The Church provides financial and prayer support to organisations working for the advancement of the Christian faith in the United Kingdom and abroad. This includes one Church Member and his wife, who are working as missionaries in Japan. The Church is a member of _the Baptist Union of Great_ 7 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 _Britain_ and the _London Baptist Association_ and supports other Baptist churches through contributions to the Home Mission fund. The Church also supports local education charity _Pathway_ and is a member of _Churches Together in Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, and Grange Park_ , through which it participates in activities with other churches in the area. ## **Public Benefit** The Trustees are aware of the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission, and we believe that the activities of the Church which are described above provide significant public benefit in line with that guidance. It has always been the desire of the Church to reach as many people as possible in our community with the Christian message and to welcome new faces into our fellowship. ## **Financial Review** Once again, the Lord has shown His faithfulness; not least through Church Members and others who have generously continued to support the church with their prayers, time, and/or money but also from a consistently higher level of receipts from letting out its premises. Although the Church budgeted for the General Fund to be in deficit again in 2025, at the end of the year it is in surplus and additional funds exist to be used for the purposes of the Church, as may be decided by the Church Members. The table below shows the opening & closing balances for each fund, along with total receipts and payments. 8 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ||**B/Fwd**|**Receipts**|**Payments **|**Fund Transfers**|**Current**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**01-Jan-25**|**Total**
|**Total**|**Total**|**Balances**| ||||||| |**Manse Buildings**|**7,908.50**
**1,334.96**
**8,496.70**
**0.00**
**2,267.46**
**92,069.95**
**0.00**
**0.00**
**0.00**
**438.05**
**0.00**
**0.00**
**633.96**|**12,055.00**|**(14,629.00)**|**335.25**|**5,669.75**| |
**A Collins Funeral**||**321.24**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**1,656.20**| |**Buildings Fund**||**1,711.00**|**(6,624.98)**|**6,000.00**|**9,582.72**| |
**Not used**||**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**| |**Fellowship Fund**||**0.00**|**(700.00)**|**0.00**|**1,567.46**| |
**GENERAL FUND**||**100,095.64**|**(80,199.84)**|**(4,719.00)**|**107,246.75**| |**Harvest 24**||**452.09**|**(452.09)**|**0.00**|**0.00**| |**Harvest 25**||**1,975.94**|**(1,975.94)**|**0.00**|**0.00**| |**LBA Home Mission**||**125.00**|**(125.00)**|**0.00**|**0.00**| |**Legacies**||**20,000.00**|**(438.05)**|**0.00**|**20,000.00**| |**Thank Offering 24**||**670.50**|**(335.25)**|**(335.25)**|**0.00**| |
**Thank Offering 25**||**2,562.00**|**(1,281.00)**|**(1,281.00)**|**0.00**| |
**Youth Fund**||**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|**633.96**| ||||||| ||**113,149.58**|**139,968.41**|**(106,761.15)**|**0.00**|**146,356.84**| The total of all current balances reconciles to cash held across the bank accounts and the deposit account held by the Church. A Gift Aid claim will be made in 2026 and the amount received will be allocated to each fund as appropriate. ## Manse Buildings The Manse Buildings fund is a designated fund, set up in response the Church Members’ Meeting on 23[rd] March 2024, when Members’ agreed that 50% of donations made as a Thank Offering at the Church Anniversary (in May 2024) be allocated to the church’s General Fund and designated to be spent on maintenance & renewals work required at the Manse. To administer this, a Thank Offering 24 fund was set up in the accounts and once closed to donations, 50% of the Thank Offering 24 fund was transferred to the Manse Buildings fund. Gift Aid on 2024 donations was recovered in 2025 and added to the fund, both directly and by a further transfer from the Thank Offering 24 fund. The Church is thankful to a generous Church Member who made a single large donation to cover the full cost of 9 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 replacement windows to the front of the Manse. This was carried out and completed in 2025, and the donation was expended entirely on that work. Other work, notably insulation of the loft, was carried out and completed in 2025, using up part of the fund. Thanks go to Keith Richardson for managing this process on behalf of the Church. The fund remains open for other donations, recognising that other works are required, including some structural work to cracks in brickwork, external rendering/cladding, roofing, and other external works. ## Albert Collins’ Funeral This is a restricted fund. The A. Collins Funeral fund was set up at the request of the wife of the late Albert Collins, Inez Collins, to administer donations made to Winchmore Hill Baptist Church in memory of Albert. By a note on the Order of Service, attendees of the funeral on 27[th] September 2024 were invited to make donations and subsequent to this Inez clarified that the funds collected should be used for upgrading works on the Carey Hall toilets. The process of defining the works and obtaining quotes has been delayed and is on-going and no payments have been made from the fund yet. Gift Aid on 2024 donations was recovered in 2025 and added to the fund. The restrictive nature of the fund reflects Inez Collins’ specific wishes. ## Buildings Fund This is a designated fund. The fund is set up to account for the cost of annual servicing & inspections and general maintenance, of both the Church buildings and the Church Manse at 29 Orpington Road, London N21, where the pastor and his family live. 10 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 As budgeted, £6,000 was transferred to this fund, from the General Fund, to cover annual servicing & inspections and general maintenance costs. Payments in 2025 included £1,595 for works to the Clifford Wood Room floor, which was competitively tendered and awarded to K & GN Ltd (T/A WJ Norman and Sons) by Church Members’ on 29[th] September 2024.There is a potential for a conflict of interest relating to payment to K & GN Ltd., and the Trustees adopt procedures to manage this. K & GN also carried out a small amount of insurance work on the Manse and provided new lighting to Carey Hall more cost-effectively than direct from suppliers. The fund benefitted from a few special donations in 2025 along with a small amount of Gift Aid recovered on 2024 donations. Although problems with Carey Hall floor persist, payments for buildings maintenance were limited in 2025, to annual servicing & inspection of gas boilers & heaters, the fire alarm as well as few other ad-hoc items/materials. Carey Hall is an important source of Lettings income for the Church and the persistent nature of problems with the floor is a matter of concern. The Church is grateful to those who have given time & energy to carry out DIY jobs and keep the cost of buildings maintenance down. The fund balance has grown in the year, by around £1,000 and the priority is to spend this money wisely to support the Church’s own use of its buildings but also to continue to support Lettings. 11 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 We continue with an approach in which funding or other resourcing is in place before more substantial works are undertaken and donations to the Buildings Fund are always welcomed. ## Fellowship Fund This is a restricted fund, which in common with other Baptist Churches, was set up many years ago to provide a source of funds to be used at the discretion of the Trustees – usually the pastor and treasurer – for the poor of the church or congregation. Although small Special Donations and Loose Offerings are occasionally made to this fund, receipts come mostly from a share of a payment received from the Captain Pierce Johns Trust (CPJT). Although not specified by the Trust Deed, to reflect the purposes of the Trust receipts from it are allocated 25% to this Fellowship Fund and 75% to the General Fund, specifically towards the cost of employing a minister. The expected contribution from CPJT is overdue and was not received in 2025. Without it, the balance has fallen in the year, as ad-hoc gifts have been made from the fund. ## General Fund This is an unrestricted fund. The Church’s reserve policy remains as approved in 2018 and dictates we retain a minimum of six months expenditure plus a further £10,000 to allow for emergency building repairs. Based on budgeted levels of expenditure going into 2026, this equates to around £54,000. The church has no separate reserves fund but holds surplus funds within the General Fund. At the start of 2025, the General Fund balance was just over £92,000 and by the end of the year 12 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 it had risen to just over £107,000. £110,618 is held on deposit and earning interest with the London Baptist Property Board. Having approved a budget deficit of £12,460, the accounts for 2025 show a final surplus of £15,177 mainly due to higher than budgeted Receipts from Lettings and from Regular Offerings. Higher Receipts from Interest, Special Donation, and a transfer from the Thank Offering 25 fund also contributed to the improved position. Overall, Payments were just within budget too. Loose Offerings were as budgeted and slightly below 2024 levels but as mentioned, Regular Offerings were above both budget and 2024 levels, supported by a small number of significant benefactors. Although less than budgeted, total Payments have continued to rise, due to inflation in Ministry and Premises costs. We are starting to see some reduction in energy rates. Payments for Mission, which is mostly donations, has not been increased for several years and in 2025 were the same. However, Church Members decides to ‘tithe’ the 2024 surplus and an unbudgeted £2,000 was donated to supported mission. The percentage split of all Payments made from the General Fund is as follows: - ||Ministry costs, incl. Minister’s Stipend|51%| |---|---|---| ||Mission, mostly donations|20%| ||Premises insurance, upkeep, fuel & cleaning|27%| ||Organisation|2%| |||100%| 13 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## Harvest 24 This is a restricted fund. It was set up to administer donations made at, or in response to, the Harvest Service on 22[nd] September 2024. Members at the Church Members’ Meeting on 2[nd] June 2024 agreed that the whole of the Harvest Offering be paid to Operation Agri. The only receipt in 2025 was Gift Aid recovered on donations made in 2024 and the zero balance reflects the fact that the full amount received was paid to Operation Agri in 2025. The fund is now fully closed. ## Harvest 25 This is a restricted fund. It was set up in 2025 to administer donations made at, or in response to, the Harvest Service in 2025. An administrative error was made in that whilst the fund was publicly declared, in advance of the Harvest Service, to be for the full benefit of Operation Agri, this was not formally agreed by the Church Members until after the Service, at the Church Member’ Meeting on 28[th] September 2025. The zero balance reflects the fact that the full amount received was paid to Operation Agri in 2025. The fund is closed to further donations but left open to received Gift Aid recovered on donations made in 2025, which will be claimed in 2026. ## LBA Home Mission This is a restricted fund, used to administer occasional Special Donations to the work of the London Baptist Home Mission, which the Church also supports as part of its budgeted World Mission giving. 14 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 Traditionally, funds have been collected around Christmas, when Church Members donate the cost of postage saved by distributing cards though a simple sorting process, rather than through the post. The fund remains open and the zero balance reflects the fact that a full payment from this fund was paid to the LBA Home Mission in 2025. ## Legacies This is an unrestricted fund. The opening balance reflected the amount remaining from a gift from the estate of the late Arthur Shriever who passed away in 2017. Church Members agreed to put this balance towards the cost of a new Windows 11 computer for use during services, which was purchased in November 2025. Also in November 2025, the fund received an additional £20,000, which was a gift from the estate of the late Coral Burridge who, with her husband Cliff Burridge (who died in 2015), were both long-standing, active Members of the Church. There is no restriction on this fund, which is therefore available for the Church to use at its discretion. ## Thank Offering 24 This is a restricted fund. The ‘Thank Offering 24’ fund was set up to administer donations made as a thank offering at the Church Anniversary, held in May 2024.At the Church Members’ Meeting on 23[rd] March 2024, Members agreed that 50% of donations be transferred to the Church’s General Fund and designated to be spent on maintenance & renewals work required at the Manse and 50% be paid to the Church’s Boys’ Brigade organisation. 15 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 The only receipt in 2025 was Gift Aid recovered on donations made in 2024 and the zero balance reflects the fact that the amount received was transferred/paid out in line with Church Members’ original agreement. The fund is now fully closed. ## Thank Offering 25 This is a restricted fund. It was set up in 2025 to administer donations made as a thank offering at the Church Anniversary, held in June 2025. At the Church Members’ Meeting on 25[th] May 2025, Members agreed that 50% of donations be transferred to the Church’s General Fund and 50% be paid to the charity Christians Against Poverty (‘CAP’). The zero balance reflects the fact that the full amount received was transferred/paid out in line with Church Members’ original agreement. The fund is closed to further donations but left open to received Gift Aid recovered on donations made in 2025, which will be claimed in 2026. ## Youth Fund This is a restricted fund. The balance reflects the amount remaining from a grant provided by the Jack Petchey Foundation some years ago. The grant was made as a contribution to the Church’s youth work, and its use is restricted to the purchase of equipment or payment towards the direct costs of the youth work. 16 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## Main Concerns of the Trustees 1. In line with the principal purpose of the Church, our chief concern is to continue to love God through obedience to Him and, by committing ourselves more fully to bible study, to prayer, to worship and to sharing the love He has shown to us with others, to allow Him to be at work through us in spreading the gospel. 2. To continue to trust God in all things, to recognise His faithfulness and express our thankfulness to Him. 3. To continue to be a Church that supports world mission in line with our World Mission statement. 4. To continue to grow as a Church: to encourage greater engagement in Church activities and see more of the Church involved in our own, local outreach. 5. To encourage children and young people to have and develop a personal relationship with their heavenly Father and be integrated into the Church. Discussion on taking on a youth worker/youth pastor, includes how this might be funded. 6. To continue to benefit from letting out our premises for purposes that do not compromise our objectives. 7. To address the on-going immediate and future needs of the church buildings and manse, to use funds made available wisely. We also recognise our need to progress compliance of our administration with Charity Commission requirements and as part of this we have recently established a simple Finance Policy. The Trustees continue to work on other areas. Finally, I am grateful Philip Stainer, who agreed again this year to conduct an Independent Examination of the 2025 Accounts, on a voluntary basis. _John Burridge_ 17 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **PART 2** ## **Pastor’s Report** Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is with gratitude to God that I present this report as a summary for the past year. As we gather for this Annual Church Meeting, we reflect on God’s faithfulness, celebrate the progress we have made together, and look forward in faith to the year ahead (2026), beholding the theme “The Unwavering Faith”. The year (2025) has been one of continued spiritual growth and deepening commitment among our members which was reflected in the increase of number of participants in bible studies, prayer meetings and church attendance. We thank God for His faithfulness and guidance throughout the year. ## Sunday Services Our Sunday worship services have remained the heart of our church life and it’s marked by: - Christ centred messages and the teaching of God’s Word - Meaningful times of prayer and Spirit filled worship. - Sacraments - Growing congregational participation - Welcoming church The sermons focused on the 2025 theme “Opened Doors”. Aside from occasionally inviting guest preachers from different churches, our committed in-house preachers like Pastor Nana, Benne, and Innocent have immensely helped deliver sermons and teachings through the power of the Holy Spirit. Members often go home feeling encouraged and motivated after service 18 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 because the sermons encourage personal growth, positive change and a renewed hope. We have witnessed spiritual milestones including three persons who were baptised, publicly declaring their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We give glory to God and celebrate this new life in Christ that those individuals enjoy. God faithfully added to our number almost every week and we’re most grateful to Him. Our Sunday services are aimed to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and we have received many testimonies regarding that. Our services are also designed to be spiritually uplifting and to make room for everybody to attend. We want members to be strengthened in faith and in unity. We want to encourage continued devotion to God by the power of the Holy Spirit and practically living a life that reflects Christian values. Following the Sunday service members of the congregation gather for a period of fellowship and social interaction. This time of socialising provides an opportunity for members to connect, encourage each another and strengthen relationships within the church community. ## Bible Studies Our Bible studies have continued to nurture spiritual maturity. Special thanks to all those who have faithfully served in this ministry. We meet fortnightly online, to build relationships and help each other explore what it means to live out the Christian life of discipleship, daily. Typical meetings include Bible-based discussions, laughter, questions, contributions and prayers. We have finished the " _MasterLife_ " study materials. It was enriching and spiritually uplifting, it provided in depth knowledge, encouragement and practical guidance for living as a disciple of Christ. 19 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 We’re now journeying through the book Galatians which remains vital for understanding Christian freedom, grace, and identity. Our main aim is to gain a deeper understanding of - Justification by faith - The Role of the Law - Freedom in Christ - Fruit of the Spirit Studying the epistle of Galatians will strengthen our personal faith and spiritual growth and help us to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel, apply the principles found in it in our daily lives and share our faith with others. ## Prayer I thank God for the gift and privilege of corporate prayer in our church. The prayer meeting continues to be a vital pillar of our spiritual life and ministry. As Scripture reminds us in Acts 2:42, the early church devoted themselves to prayer, and we have sought to follow that same pattern. We have continued with intercession prayers during Sunday Church Services and our fortnightly online Prayer Meetings from 8pm-9pm with average number of 10 in attendance. We hold 30-minute prayer sessions in the Elsie Silby Room before the Sunday service starts and prayer for individuals who want to be prayed for at the "Prayer Corner" after the service. We also thank God for sustaining our monthly in-person prayer meetings. We are committed members of the Churches Together in the community, where we join fortnightly online to pray on various topics and issues. We have continued our three times year prayers and fasting in January, July, and December. In each period, we set aside one week for prayer, fasting, and reflection. We’ve seen and heard many testimonies of those prayers. The 20 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 testimonies often involve healing, protection, provision, and victories. We are grateful for the faithfulness of all those who consistently attended and carried the church in prayer. Your commitment has been a spiritual strength to our congregation. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen and guide us all. Throughout the year, we intentionally prayed for: - Spiritual growth and revival within our church - Church leadership and ministry teams/BU/LBA - Families, marriages, and youth - The sick and bereaved - Our community and UK/ Nations - Missionaries and outreach efforts We give thanks to God for tangible answers to prayer, including healing and recovery of members, restoration in families and provision in times of financial need. These testimonies remind us that God hears and answers when His people call upon Him. ## Evangelism and Outreach As a church, we have sought to fulfil the Great Commission through evangelism and mission. The purpose of our evangelism outreach was to spread the Gospel, share the love of Christ and invite people to fellowship with us. Methods of evangelism and outreach is as follows: - Street Witnessing - Distribution of Flyers - Open Day - Visitation ministry - Support of missions (local and global) 21 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 We thank all members who have given their time, resources, and prayers to extend Christ’s love beyond our church walls. We trust God will continue to add to our number as we remain faithful. ## Pastoral Care Providing spiritual and practical support remains a central responsibility of pastoral ministry. Throughout the year, we have conducted hospital and home visits, provided counselling and prayer support and supported families during times of bereavement and crisis. I am grateful to my leadership team and the entire membership of the church, particularly Sonia Gumbs who has assisted tremendously in pastoral care. We had bereavements in the Church last year; a committed Member (Coral Burridge) went to be with the Lord, and another long member (Winnifred) lost her husband. As a church family, I'm proud to say that we offered support, prayer, and comfort to both families. The bereaved families expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the entire Church for our kindness and the attention we gave them. ## Challenges Faced As a church we are not immune from the challenges that churches all over the Country are facing. But these difficulties tested our faith, unity, leadership and commitment to our mission. However, those challenges also provide opportunities for growth, reflection and spiritual maturity. While we thank God for His faithfulness, we recognise areas for improvement and growth: - Inconsistent church attendance - Lack of an established youth ministry - Lack of participation of young people in our services 22 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 These challenges encourage us to renew our emphasis on the importance of corporate prayer in the life of the church. ## Youth Worker In 2025 the church began a process to search for and appoint a suitable Youth Worker on part time basis. The purpose of this search was to find a committed individual who can lead, guide, and support the spiritual and personal development of young people within the church. As a church we value the importance of prayer, therefore we initiated prayers with the purpose of seeking God’s face for wisdom and guidance in identifying the right person to serve and lead the young people and develop the youth ministry in the church. In our discussions in Deacons’ and Church Members’ Meetings we felt the next step is to appoint individuals responsible for coordinating the process of finding a suitable Youth Worker and look at profiles/ job description. We had two committed members of the church who volunteered to coordinate the process. They contacted Oak Hill College which is one of the few colleges around us. They reported back to us with a letter from the college which asked they be provided with more details about the role so that this can be placed on their bulletin board. We held an extra Church Meeting that focused on: - Reflection on where we are, - What direction is God leading us? - Commitment to continue prayers Many church members attended the meeting, which was very encouraging. The response from the congregation showed a strong commitment to supporting the youth ministry through 23 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 prayer, spiritual encouragement, and careful evaluation. After the meeting, majority of the church members agreed that it would be beneficial to appoint a Youth Worker to support the youth ministry. We remain committed to continued prayer as we trust God to guide us in appointing a Youth Worker. We believe that through prayer and faith, God will lead the church in strengthening the youth ministry and nurturing the next generation. ## Looking Forward Although the year 2025 presented many obstacles, as a church (WHBC) we remained steadfast and trusted God in every step of the way. We beheld the theme “Opened Door” always before us to fulfil our mission mandate. In addition to WHBC concerns highlighted in this report, we shall also focus on: - Unwavering Faith - Trusting in God - Practicing Obedience - The Promise of God - Expanding evangelism effort - Establish home groups. These can be achieved through this year’s theme “THE UNWAVERING FAITH”. “Unwavering faith is not a feeling or wishful thought. It is a force, an unshakeable conviction that what God has said, He will do. Unwavering faith is not based on what we see but what we believe” Our prayer is that we will continue to grow not only in numbers, but in spiritual depth, unity, love and faith. 24 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## Conclusion I want to personally thank each member for your faithfulness, prayers, encouragement, and service. Ministry is never the work of the minister alone or one person, it is the shared calling of the whole body of Christ. Therefore, I encourage every member to see prayer and work in WHBC not as an optional activity, but as a shared responsibility and privilege because a praying church is a powerful church. It should be noted that the strength of a church is not measured only by attendance or programs, but by its dependence on God and the submission to the Holy Spirit “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts. (Zac 4:6). May we continue to seek the Lord wholeheartedly in the year ahead. As we enter 2026, let us do so with faith, expectation, and unity. The Lord who has been faithful to us in the past will continue to guide us by His Holy Spirit into the future. May this year’s theme challenge us to grow deeper in Christ and stronger together as His church. _Rev Ebenezer Boakye_ ## **Secretary’s Report** 2025 started with the Church Motto & Theme for the year, “Opened Doors”. This echoes the message in Revelation 3:8 which offers a powerful promise to the church in Philadelphia, highlighting that even with "little strength," faithfulness to God’s word and loyalty to His name leads to opened doors of opportunity that no one can close. It is a call to trust God’s sovereignty, relying on His strength rather than our own. We are encouraged that the Lord is hearing our continued prayer and we have had new faces joining the congregation and 25 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 witnessed three baptisms. For the first time in several years our membership has grown numerically and there are new applications for membership with several membership visits planned for 2026. We continue to facilitate the sharing of worship over Zoom for those who are not always able to attend in person. In addition, our weekly newsletters have been a useful tool to promote up and coming events and share devotionals and scripture of the week with our community and congregation. We recognise the benefits of an effective website and that it is a great way for people and potential visitors to find out about us. Unfortunately, managing this area has been a challenge. We are grateful that we are able to post our publicity for example, our Easter, Harvest and Christmas services. We recognise the benefits of an effective website and aim to put systems in place to expand its use to help us connect with the community. It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to Coral Burridge a faithful and cherished member and former Church Secretary. We celebrated her life with former Pastors with whom she worked as Church Secretary. Coral had been involved with our church for over eighty years making it almost a ‘second home’ for her since childhood. With this experience and detailed research, she penned ‘A Wilderness Journey”, The Winchmore Hill Baptist Story. The husband of our member Winifred Hines also went to be with our Lord, and she was grateful for the support from the church. We welcomed Tochi Udokporo and Faith Shaw to our diaconate, and vacancy for a Church Secretary was filled by Sandra Burt. 26 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 On Sunday morning,15th June, we celebrated our Church Anniversary with a time of informal worship and prayer. The service was followed by an international bring-and-share lunch. Our pastor, Ebenezer, took a well-earned break and spent approximately five weeks in West Ghana, over October and November. It is a great privilege for me to serve as Church Secretary, alongside a prayerful Diaconate. _Sandra Burt._ 27 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Churches Together in Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, and Grange Park (‘CTPGWH+GP’)** The local Churches Together group in Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill and Grange Park provides opportunities for the different churches to worship, work, have fellowship and witness together. Each church is represented at the regular Forum meetings by the minister of the church and one of the members. The year started, as usual, with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which begins with the Feast of St Peter on the 18thJanuary and concludes on the 25thJanuary with the Feast of St Paul. Instead of meeting for prayer each morning in each of the churches in the group, this year Churches Together held a “Songs of Praise” service hosted by St Paul’s, Winchmore Hill. Someone from each of the churches present introduced a hymn and gave a short talk on reasons for their choice, before the congregation sang it. This was a wonderful service and was very well attended with over 100 people present. It was good to get to know people from the other churches over refreshments afterwards. At the beginning of Lent, the different churches were able to “Launch Lent Together” with a meeting at Winchmore Hill URC. Rev Jim Gascoigne and Rev Julie Coleman led a very meaningful reflection on the miracle of the Pool of Bethesda. The different churches were again able to demonstrate our unity, on the Good Friday Walk of Witness. Our section of the Walk of Witness started at Winchmore Hill Green, and we finished at St Monica’s Catholic Church where we joined the other section from Palmer’s Green for a short open-air service followed by refreshments, including hot cross buns. 28 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 Rev. Jim Gascoigne stepped down from the role of chairperson of our Churches Together Group after the Walk of Witness. We are very grateful for all that he has done during his time as Chairperson. We are also very grateful that Rev Paul Weary from Grange Park Methodist Church has volunteered to take over this role. St Monica's was able again to hold their evening of quiet reflection on the meaning of the Cross with help from the music of their Worship Band and readings telling the story of the events of Good Friday The Churches Together Prayer Meeting has continued to meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month to pray for the different churches and the needs of our area, which we do on Zoom. The members, although small in number are very committed and there is a real sense of fellowship and friendship. It has been a privilege being WHBC’s representative for the local group of Churches Together. My faith has been encouraged and strengthened by meeting and working with Christians from the local churches, many of whom have become friends. ## _Carin Blunn_ ## **10th Enfield Boys’ Brigade & Girls’ Association Company** Our Vision is that children and young people experience ‘life to the full’ through coming to know Jesus for themselves (John 10:10). All that we do as a group is focused on this, having faith in young people, providing them with opportunities to learn, grow and discover in a safe, fun and caring environment which is rooted in the Christian Faith. 29 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 We’ve had another great year, maintaining a steady number with nearly 50 children and young people engaging in our weekly activities across all age groups. As we headed towards the summer all age groups were able to get out and about and enjoy a range of offsite activities at the park, foot golf, kayaking, adventure golf and a whole lot more. 14 of our Juniors joined in the Enfield Battalion Weekend Away in June at Gilwell Park Activity Centre in Chingford, which offered a range of activities onsite including zip wires, climbing, raft building and more. Towards the end of June, we had some visitors join us for our Thursday night programme with our Juniors. A film crew from Eight Engines, a filming company based in Salford were with us for the evening, capturing everything we got up to - including making pizzas and cooking them in our outdoor pizza oven, building Bird Boxes, playing games and a whole lot more. We had a great night, one of the hottest days of the year, and are looking forward to seeing the footage in future BB Headquarters promotional and support videos. In July, at our Parade Service, we explored the Miracle of Jesus Feeding the 5000 and presented our Annual Awards recognising the achievements of all the children and young people from over the last 12 months. This was a great time together which saw parents and the wider church congregation able to see all that we had been up to during the session. After finishing for the summer, we still had our Annual Summer Camp in Norfolk to look forward to, with 16 boys and girls from our Company along with some young people from 3rd Enfield and 4th Barnet Companies join us for the weeklong adventure. It was our largest Summer Camp for years, enjoying a wide range of activities including Surfing, High Ropes Course, Swimming, Canoeing on the Norfolk Broads, a day at 30 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 Pleasurewood Hills theme park and a whole lot more. During the week our devotions were themed around how God Journeys with us, with a number of leaders involved in leading these. Our Summer Camp marked the end of an era for setting up our Static Campsite at Beeston Regis Caravan Park, which the Company has been running for over 35 years. Originally started as a fundraiser and to enable our own Company to be able to go on Summer Camp, over the years it has evolved from a much smaller offering (camps of around 25-40 people), to a site in 2025 which has 12+ large ridge tents, a large marquee and cookhouse, toilets, showers and a whole lot more, offering camps for up to 100 people. With an average of 4 weeks of camping every year (with the exception of a few years, due to foot & mouth and covid) so many BB Companies and thousands of young people have had the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic clifftop campsite. It was a difficult decision, but with rising costs and the ever-increasing work to setup and manage the site, we had to take this difficult decision. We will hopefully be able to return to Norfolk for our own Summer Camp at some point in the future. In September, we got involved with Palmers Green Festival held at Broomfield Park, helping to promote our group and recruit new members. It was a lovely sunny day, and we offered a range of activities for children and young people and spoke to a number of new recruits. Our weekly meetings restarted in September, with all age groups getting straight back into things. A group of our Seniors started out on their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award just before the Summer, and at the end of September, they completed their assessed Expedition for their Bronze Award. Walking 21 miles across 2 days, they stayed overnight at Phasels Wood Activity Centre. The group all did really well to 31 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 complete the expedition and have been continuing throughout the session to complete other sections for the award. At the beginning of October, a group of 13 Juniors spent the weekend at Gulliver’s World in Milton Keynes as part of Juniors BIG Sleepover event. They enjoyed two days of rides and sleeping over at the theme park as part of a special hosted sleepover along with around 100 BB/GA members from across England. Our Annual Enrolment Celebration took place in the middle of October, which saw over 25 children and young people in Church along with a good number of parents. During the service we learned that when our hearts are like good soil — ready to listen and grow — God can do amazing things in us. It was a special time as always when we come together to celebrate and rededicate ourselves, and the partnership with the Church for the year ahead. October was a busy month, with a group of 25 young people and leaders attending England v Wales football match at Wembley Stadium – a great opportunity for all that attended. Later in the month, a small group of our Seniors joined with others from across London for a day of Paintballing. Moving into November, all age groups came together for our Fireworks & Bonfire Party at The Scout Field in Fords Grove, which included a roaring bonfire, marshmallow toasting, glow sticks, hot chocolate, sparklers and to finish it off a fireworks display. On Remembrance Sunday we came together for our morning service, which was led by the Brigades, and as part of the service everyone lit candles and placed them in the shape of a heart to remind us of Jesus' command "Love each other as I have loved you". This was something that we also thought about in our weekly meetings in the week leading on from this. BB/GA members also joined other groups from across Enfield in 32 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 the afternoon at a Civic Service at the War Memorial in Enfield Town. As I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Here was on our TV screens, we ran themed nights for all age groups, with various challenges for the children & young people to win stars and be crowned Kings/Queens of the Jungle 2025. This year's games included Disaster Chef, Screw Loose, Wobbly Madness, Star Feet, Flying Cockroaches and Jungle Alphabeti. We also took time to unpack what the bible says about taking on challenges, thinking about how we conquer our fears (Isaiah 41:10). Both our Company and Senior boys took part in UK National 5- a-Side Football Competitions, whilst our Company team didn’t make it on from the first round, our Senior team progressed through to the UK & ROI Finals to take place later in the year. In December, our Christmas Fayre took place alongside the Church Open Day raising over £400 for Company funds. As a Company we also supported the Firs Farm Community Christmas Event by providing some activities and raising money to support the installation of a sensory garden. We're pleased to have been able to support Help For Hunger this Christmas by putting together Hampers for two families. Our young people and their families have donated food and other items over the last few weeks. Members of our staff team were also involved in helping with the sorting and distribution of 100's of hampers to schools across North London via our minibus. As we headed further towards Christmas 15+ young people from our group took part in the Parade of Light in Enfield Town. Our Christmas Trailer Collection got us out in the community in the run up to Christmas with our Company and Senior members helping to raise money for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice as 33 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 well as Company funds. We’re pleased to have been able to raise over £3500 this year. In January we were pleased to welcome some special visitors join us at BB/GA, the team from Wild Fangs came along and gave us the amazing chance to learn about, see up close, and even hold some incredible creatures, including Boa Constrictor, African Bullfrog, Bearded Dragon and other animals. Our young people have also enjoyed events run by Enfield Battalion including a Quiz & Pizza Night, Bowling competition, and Anchors Colouring competition. In January, we were proud to see two members of our Seniors age group attend an Awards ceremony at City Hall in London. Cooper and Jack were presented with their Jack Petchey Achievement Awards – a fantastic recognition of all they have achieved during their time in BB. As a Company, we were also honoured to be nominees in two other categories at the awards event including Fundraisers of the Year and Community Impact Award. We were delighted to be announced as the Winners of the 'Fundraisers of the Year' Award, for raising over £15,000 for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice over the last 10 years through our annual Christmas Collection. We were also proud to be a Runner-Up in the 'Community Impact Award', recognising our involvement with Help for Hunger – putting together two hampers for local families and supporting the distribution of hundreds more using our minibus. A truly fantastic day celebrating the achievements of our young people. In February, our children & young people along with a number of parents/family members joined the wider congregation for a Parade Service. The service was led by the BB/GA reflecting on how we are called to be Jesus’ hands and feet, following His example of love and service and inspired by Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. In response, everyone was asked to write 34 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 something on a hand and a heart paper cut-out and bring these up and place them on a cross at the front of the church, as a reminder to serve, love, and pray for others. During the service we shared that a group of our young people will be heading to Mexico this summer to help build a home for a family living in poverty. The young people spoke about what they are looking forward to and asked for the church’s support through prayer and giving as they prepare for this life-changing trip. 13 Company/Senior members joined members from across Enfield on a Weekend Away at Frith Grange Activity Centre in Barnet. A great weekend was had by all, with a range of activities including, swimming, laser combat, bonfire, devotions, quiz and Top Golf to mention just some of the activities. At the end of February, as part of our fundraising to support our young people heading to Mexico in the summer, 70+ people attended our Annual Quiz Night. It was particularly special this year, with our Seniors doing an incredible job setting everything up and cooking a fantastic meal, we raised over £900, all going to support their fundraising. Our Seniors 5-a-Side Football team went up to Nottingham in early March to take place in UK & ROI Finals. The team, who were undefeated in the previous round of the competition, and Champions of England, gave everything on the day, but were up against some tough competition from across Scotland and Northern Ireland. We are so proud of the boys who finished 6th place overall, out of 56 teams that started out in the competition. Our weekly programmes and residentials include opportunities for us to share the good news and get into the Bible, engaging with children and young people who otherwise wouldn’t come across the doorstep of the Church. We have continued to do this throughout the last 12 months, helping them to explore the Bible and providing them with opportunities to have a personal 35 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 encounter with Jesus. We have faith that through their journey with us, as leaders through the relationships we build and programme, we offer that we may be able to plant a seed, which will one day bear fruit (Mark 4). We are thankful for the prayers and support from the wider Church for all that goes on week by week. As an example of our weekly programme of activities, recently in the lead up to Shrove Tuesday all our age groups focused on the beginning of Lent, exploring the journey Jesus went on as we head towards Easter. Our Juniors have been exploring a number of parables over recent weeks, including The Good Samaritan (including acting it out in groups). Our Company/Seniors age group also continues to spend time exploring the bible through their devotional times, examples of this have included: Feeding 5000 (Matthew 14), Judging Others (Matthew 7:1) and Forgiveness (Matthew 18:22) As always, our weekly programmes contain a wide range of activities, and this is just a selection of what else we have been up to recently, including making Bacon & Cheese Twists (Juniors), (Company/Seniors), making onion bhaji’s (Company/Seniors), getting involved in UK Parliament Week (Juniors), taking on a Chocolate theme (Anchors), playing electronic darts on our new board (Juniors/Company), taking on World Record Challenges (Juniors/Company/Seniors) and a whole lot more. The Anchors age group meets on a Tuesday evening and continues to run a programme including games, crafts, devotions and other interests. The Anchors age group is led by Philip Norman and Tina Stanley. There are currently 7 boys and girls in Anchors. During the year we have had some of our Seniors helping as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s volunteering, including Jack and Cooper. 36 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 The remainder of the girls age groups (Juniors and Company) also meet on Tuesday evening, led by Jackie Norman and supported by Kevin Norman. There are currently 10 girls in this age group. The boys Juniors age group meets on Thursday evening and the programme includes games, crafts, devotions and other interests. The Juniors age group is run by Chris Norman, assisted by Philip Norman, Billy Melbourne and Sam Attaway. There are currently 8 boys in this age group. There are currently 24 boys in the Company and Seniors age groups. They meet on a Thursday evening, and their programme includes games, crafts, devotions and other interests. This age group is led by David Hann and Chris Norman with Philip Norman assisting. As well as all those leaders mentioned above, we also want to say a big thank you to Robin Baker, our Treasurer who behind the scenes supports us in managing our finances. We are really grateful to Robin for all his hard work and support. We would like to put out a special request for those that might be willing to offer some time to help with a specific activity. This could be leading a devotional time or sharing a skill or hobby with the boys/girls. Finally, we would like to say a special word of thanks to all those that support the young people and leaders throughout the year. We thank you for your time, thoughts and prayer in all that we do. ## _Chris Norman._ You can stay up to date with all that we are doing by following us Facebook (facebook.com/10enfieldbb). You can also visit our website at http://10enfield.boys-brigade.org.uk 37 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Prayer Chain** In John 15:16b Jesus promises his disciples that as long as they abide in him, they could ask the Father in His name, and they would receive from the Father an answer to their prayers. Also, Paul encourages the disciples not to be anxious about anything, but to bring everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving; Philippians 4:6 We now have a Prayer Chain WhatsApp Group with about 15 members plus two others who are on email. The prayer chain has been very busy this year with many and varied requests for friends and family members. We have been greatly encouraged by so many amazing answers to prayer and praise the Lord for His love and faithfulness in hearing and answering our prayers, often beyond that which we had imagined. I shall be relinquishing the role of Prayer Chain Coordinator at the Annual Church Meeting so if anyone feels that they could or would like to take over the role please feel free to ask me and I shall be happy to show you the ropes. Bless you all. _Jenny Lane_ ## **World Mission Committee** Jesus said “Go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19. Members of the Committee include Ebenezer Boakye, Keith and Barb Richardson and Jenny Lane. With a number of members having been away at different times and for various reasons the World Mission Committee has not 38 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 been as active as usual this year. However, we have continued to pray for and support the Peter and Janet Dallman in Japan with OMF and also Sandra Hlavnova in central Asia as she continues her language study and adjusting to the new language culture and climate. Both Janet and Peter and also Sandra have been grateful for our prayer support and financial support at times of need as well as the regular giving. We also support the Baptist Missionary Society now known as BMS World Mission and also the London Baptist Home Mission. Once again, we supported Operation Agri for our Harvest service. The 2025 Appeal was Trees, Bees and Seeds the Imarika project in Tanzania, and Sandra and Sonia encouraged the children in Kids Club to be actively involved as they sowed seeds, nurtured them and watched them grow. The amount raised for the harvest offering was £1975.94. Peter and Janet have continued to live and work in Tokyo and are scheduled to return to the UK for Home assignment in 2026. They are grateful to God for answered prayers. We look forward to hearing of what the Lord has done in and through their lives in 2025 which included member care, marriage preparation, effective evangelism, pastoral posture care women’s, ministry and church planting. Let us pray for fruit for their labours and the Lords leading and guiding during the Home Assignment. I shall be standing down from the committee at the Annual Church Meeting and pray that others may be called to fill the gap. _Jenny Lane_ 39 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 ## **Buildings Maintenance** The Maintenance Committee (Philip Norman, John Burridge) and many others who contribute to repairs and upkeep of our buildings, have been busy over the last year. With a generous donation from a member, we have fitted new windows to the front of the manse, to improve heat retention. We have also re-insulated the loft & boarded the floor area to reduce heat loss at the property. There are more items to be carried out at the manse, to ensure we keep the property in good repair. We carried out a workday at the church, where we were able to do many essentials jobs around the buildings, such as repairing & felting the roof on the front notice board, replacing bulbs, cleaning around the building. Thank you to everyone who spared time to come down & make this happen. We have been carrying out some improvement work to Carey Hall over the last few months, which has included the replacement of the main hall lights, including the lobby area & we are looking into further improvements to the toilet areas. We have continuing issues with the hall floor raising up in patches, this has been mentioned at a few meetings, we are looking into ways we can resolve this, but is likely to cost a significant amount of money, so please bear this in your thoughts and prayers over the coming months, as we come up with solutions. Thank-you to those who have made special donations to the buildings fund over the last year. As a church we have agreed to spend money on our electrical systems. We have identified parts of works which need to be carried out, we also need to 40 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 continue to raise funds for these works. If you can help us financially, please speak to the Treasurer, if giving a specific donation please state which project you would like to support or just state building fund, and know that we are grateful for the funds that enable us to keep our buildings in good shape. As usual, it is not possible to name everyone who has contributed to the maintenance and upkeep work – there are far too many – but, if you helped in whatever way, please know that you have our sincere thanks…. and of course, the work doesn’t end! If you are able to help in any way, whether it be decorating, DIY or cleaning, please let us know as we often have days down at the church to complete maintenance jobs and would be more than happy for any assistance you can give – please don’t be reluctant to come forward. We have plenty of jobs that can be undertaken by individuals of all levels of skill and competence! Thank you for your continued support & prayers. _Philip Norman_ ## **Kids’ Club** This report provides an overview of Kid’s Club activities, achievements, and challenges throughout the past year. Our primary objective remains to provide a space for children in our community to have a relationship with God and learn about Him by grounding them in biblical teachings. Through dedicated volunteers and a diverse range of programs, we have strived to create an engaging and supportive environment for all participants. 41 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 We currently have 10 children on our roll ranging from age 4, to age 9 and as well as a child of nursery age. This has its challenges, as it is important to keep everyone engaged and teach them at a level appropriate to each child. Throughout the year, we have worked closely with Pathway whose material and themes we adapt and use in our Sunday sessions. This helps provide structure to our Kids Club sessions and the children enjoy learning about Jesus through bible passages, videos, songs and practical activities. The older children now share the readings of the bible passages, and we gauge their understanding of the message through questioning with the support of video for the younger members. In addition to these, the children have been encouraged to actively participate in church services notably, our Operation Agri service. The children learned about Operation Agri, a development charity that helps some of the world’s most disadvantaged people improve their lives. They gained an understanding of how communities in Tanzania save, invest and work together to improve their crops and soil to feed their families. The children helped lead and carried out readings in this service. They also help lead our Christmas service. While the past year has seen numerous successes, it is important to acknowledge both the strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths lie in the unwavering dedication of our volunteer teachers, whose commitment and passion are invaluable. However, we also face certain weaknesses, for example additional volunteers and equipment to enhance the learning experience. Hopefully, as the church grows, more volunteers will come forward. It is important that volunteers appreciate that they do not have to be an academic; to teach they just have to be able to talk to the children about their God. 42 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 As outreach to our community, every Friday Sonia Gumbs supports Pathway at Highfield Primary School, with their lunch club, where children learn about Jesus. We continue to celebrate Christmas with the school’s choir who sing at our annual Toy Service. The school also joined us in January when we supported their learning of different Christian practices. 90 children, together with their teachers, visited the church to find out about baptisms. Pastor Ebenezer and members of our team explained the meaning of baptism and the difference between immersion baptism and other types of baptisms. The children viewed the baptismal pool, and the full immersion was acted out to give the children a true experience of adult baptismal services. Moving forward, we are committed to building upon our strengths and address our weaknesses to support the spiritual development of our children. _Sandra Burt & Sonia Gumbs_ ## **Worship Team (WOWH)** Worshippers of Winchmore Hill leads the congregation in worship and praise: glorifying God through music and encouraging spiritual growth. The team includes: - - Vocalists - Musicians - Sound & Media Team Most of our goals for the previous year were not met, but as our theme for this year (2026) is “Unwavering Faith”, we trust God for more grace. 43 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 This report highlights our activities, achievements, challenges, and future goals. ## Regular Worship Services - Led worship for about 50% or more of our Sunday services. - Introduced new worship songs and hymns to enhance the congregation’s worship experience. - Led worship for special services: Easter, Christmas, Baptism, Crossover service, etc. - Introduction of the use of properly licensed Lyric Videos instead of YouTube videos ## Key Achievements - Spiritual growth: Engagement in personal devotions and involving in the church’s bible study and prayer meetings. And a prayer and fasting sessions. - New members: it was such a joy to welcome Tracey (from the kid’s club) to the team. (Matthew 21:16) ## Challenge & areas for improvement - Consistency & Commitment: Inability to lead worship regularly due to individual/personal commitments. - Physical/spiritual preparedness: Need for more structured rehearsal and prayer time. - Opportunity to enhance musical skills and worship leading. - Numerical growth: Need to have more gifted, skilled and spirit filled members join the team. ## Goals for the next year - Strengthen team unity: Organise prayer times and fellowship gatherings for the team. 44 Winchmore Hill Baptist Church Annual Report for 2025 - Enhance musical & technical skills: Conduct training sessions and workshops. - Improve worship experience: introduce new songs, improve transitions, and enhance stage presence. - Expand Outreach: Lead worship at community events or collaborate with other churches. ## Conclusion We’re grateful to God for the year 2025, and for all that He enabled us to do as a team. For experiencing His presence through our worship times. With God’s grace and support of the church, we look forward to a fruitful year. ## _Bennedicta Boakye_ 45 ## Independent Examiner’sH ’ Report on the Accounts Report to the trustees of Winchmore Hill Baptist Church on the accounts for the period ended 31 December 2025 ## Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: - e Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act ® To follow the procedures laid down in the general Direction given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145 (5)(b) of the charities Act - e To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## Basis of independent examiner’s statement My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## Independent examiner’s statement - In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1. | Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or - 2. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: **----- Start of picture text -----**
Name: Philip Stainer
Address: 50 Wright Street, Codnor, Ripley, Derbyshire DE5 9RQ
Date: 10° March 2026
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
IMPORTANT: PLEASE INSERT BELOWA SET OF THE ACCOUNTS AS EXAMINED
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page 1 of 1 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 0.00 0.00 ## **Winchmore Hill Baptist Church** ## **Accounts for the Year ended 31st December 2025** |**General Fund**
(unrestricted)||| |---|---|---| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Loose Offering
Regular Offering
Special Donations
Trusts
Lettings
Thank Offering
Reclaimed Tax
Interest
3
Miscellaneous Income
**Payments:**
Ministry
4
Mission
5
Premises
6
Organisation
7
Miscellaneous
**Fund Transfer**
Buildings Fund
Capital Accounts
Denning Trust
D Wisdom Funeral
Thank Offering
[25]
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
5,458.56
42,173.40
1,572.83
0.00
35,691.50
0.00
11,902.53
3,296.82
0.00
100,095.64
40,567.47
16,040.90
21,650.39
1,941.08
0.00
80,199.84
(6,000.00)
0.00
0.00
0.00
1,281.00
(4,719.00)
15,176.80
92,069.95
107,246.75|**2024**
5,781.44
35,169.00
8,315.99
1,425.00
36,183.00
0.00
12,890.65
3,202.01
0.00
102,967.09
38,616.68
13,879.42
20,843.25
2,196.73
0.00
75,536.08
(7,595.00)
0.00
0.00
42.07
202.40
(7,350.53)
20,080.48
71,989.47
92,069.95| Page 1 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 |**Thank Offering**
(designated)[COMBINED - All 'THANK OFFERING' Funds]|**Thank Offering**
(designated)[COMBINED - All 'THANK OFFERING' Funds]|**Thank Offering**
(designated)[COMBINED - All 'THANK OFFERING' Funds]| |---|---|---| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
Loose Offering
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Disbursement
Fund Transfer
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**
10|**2025**
2,420.00
142.00
670.50
3,232.50
1,616.25
1,616.25
3,232.50
0.00
0.00
0.00|**2024**
2,595.00
382.00
404.81
3,381.81
1,690.91
1,690.90
3,381.81
0.00
0.00
0.00| |**Youth Fund**
(restricted)||| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Donations
**Payments:**
Expense
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**
8|**2025**
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
633.96
633.96|**2024**
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
633.96
633.96| Page 2 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 |**Fellowship Fund**
(restricted)||| |---|---|---| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
Trusts
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Expense
Gifts
**Fund Transfer**
Denning Trust
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
700.00
700.00
0.00
0.00
(700.00)
2,267.46
1,567.46|**2024**
0.00
475.00
0.00
475.00
0.00
200.00
200.00
0.00
0.00
275.00
1,992.46
2,267.46| |**Denning Trust**
(restricted)
[CLOSED]||| |||| |**Buildings Fund**
(designated)||| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
Fund Transfer
General Fund
Legacies
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Church
Manse
9
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
1,661.00
6,000.00
0.00
50.00
7,711.00
6,656.08
(31.10)
6,624.98
1,086.02
8,496.70
9,582.72|**2024**
341.17
7,595.00
0.00
100.00
8,036.17
1,514.66
1,324.55
2,839.21
5,196.96
3,299.74
8,496.70| Page 3 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 |**Manse Buildings**
(restricted)||| |---|---|---| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
Fund Transfer
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Expense
Fund Transfer
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
10,450.00
335.25
1,605.00
12,390.25
14,629.00
0.00
14,629.00
(2,238.75)
7,908.50
5,669.75|**2024**
6,420.00
1,488.50
0.00
7,908.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
7,908.50
0.00
7,908.50| |**Harvest**
(restricted)
[COMBINED - All 'HARVEST' Funds]||| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Loose Offering
Special Donations
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Disbursement
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
345.94
1,630.00
452.09
2,428.03
2,428.03
2,428.03
0.00
0.00
0.00|**2024**
293.34
1,555.00
110.50
1,958.84
1,958.84
1,958.84
0.00
0.00
0.00| |**Operation Agri**
(restricted)
[From 2024 INCLUDED UNDER HARVEST funds]||| |||| |**LBA Home Mission**(restricted)||| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Disbursement
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
100.00
25.00
125.00
125.00
125.00
0.00
0.00
0.00|**2024**
50.00
12.50
62.50
160.00
160.00
(97.50)
97.50
0.00| Page 4 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 ## **Special Collections Account** (not used - all allocated to separate funds) |**A Collins Funeral**
(restricted)||| |---|---|---| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Loose Offering
Special Donations
Reclaimed Tax
**Payments:**
Expense
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**|**2025**
0.00
0.00
321.24
321.24
0.00
0.00
321.24
1,334.96
1,656.20|**2024**
204.96
1,130.00
0.00
1,334.96
0.00
0.00
1,334.96
0.00
1,334.96| |**Legacies**
(unrestricted)||| |**Note**
**Receipts:**
Special Donations
**Payments:**
Expense
**Surplus (deficit) for the year**
**Balance brought forward**
**Balance carried forward**
11|**2025**
20,000.00
20,000.00
438.05
438.05
19,561.95
438.05
20,000.00|**2024**
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
438.05
438.05| |**Capital Accounts**
[CLOSED]||| Page 5 2025.xlsx Accounts Dated 14/03/2026 ## **Statement of Current Assets and Liabilities at 31st December 2025** |**Assets:**
**Note**
Cash at Bank
CAFBank Cash Account
CAFBank Gold account
HSBC Community Account
Investments
London Baptist Property Board Deposit Account
Sub-total
Debtors
13
Creditors
14
Non-monetary assets held for the Church's own use
15|**2025**
2,383.20
32,575.62
779.61
110,618.41
146,356.84
16,180.00
0.00
5,559,304.00|**2024**
6,654.22
40,260.05
3,122.51
63,112.80| |---|---|---| |||113,149.58
15,369.71
0.00| ## **Long Term Liabilities:** There are no long term liabilities. Page 6 2025.xlsx Notes Dated 14/03/2026 ## **Notes to the 2025 Accounts** ## **1. Basis of accounts:** These accounts have been prepared on a 'receipts and payments' basis and accord with section 133 of the Charities Act 2011. ## **2. Previous years details:** Details for the previous year have been included for comparison and do not form part of the accounts. |**3. Interest/Investment income:**
Interest received from:
Banks
HMRC
LBPB Deposit Account
**4. Ministry:**
**Pastor**
Stipend ex General Income
Stipend ex CPJ Trust
Employer's Pension
Employer's NI
Manse Fuel
Other Allowances/Expenses
Training & Conferences
Relocation Expenses
**Moderator**
Ex Gratia Payment
**Other**
Pulpit Suppplies
Pension Deficiency
Kids Club
Youth
Miscellaneous
**5. Mission:**
**World Mission**
BMS World Mission
Home Mission
OMF International (UK)
Pathway
Outreach
Donations & Subscriptions
**6. Premises (Upkeep of) :**
Furniture & Equipment
Church Gas. Electricity & Water,
Church Cleaning & Refuse
Insurance, Church & Manse
Manse Council Tax & Water
Manse Fuel (Interregnum)|**2025**
791.21
0.00
2,505.61
3,296.82
**2025**
34,011.25
0.00
4,175.16
0.00
455.62
112.50
470.98
0.00
39,225.51
0.00
496.00
0.00
128.21
717.75
0.00
1,341.96
40,567.47
**2025**
1,599.96
1,599.96
9,375.00
12,574.92
2,624.00
91.98
750.00
16,040.90
**2025**
764.17
8,885.31
2,925.05
5,533.28
3,542.58
0.00
21,650.39|**2024**
787.15
0.00
2,414.86| |---|---|---| |||3,202.01| |||**2024**
31,465.00
1,425.00
4,050.24
0.00
415.42
0.00
270.02
0.00| |||37,625.68
0.00
300.00
10.00
0.00
681.00
0.00| |||991.00| |||38,616.68| |||**2024**
1,599.96
1,599.96
9,375.00| |||12,574.92
750.00
0.00
554.50| |||13,879.42| |||**2024**
220.13
9,316.53
2,437.96
5,364.23
3,504.40
0.00| |||20,843.25| |**7. Organisation:**
Administration
Advertising & Publicity
Fellowship Activities
Software, Licences & Music
Magazine
Telecoms|**2025**
347.62
119.58
50.99
971.89
0.00
451.00
1,941.08|**2024**
861.89
313.00
117.36
414.88
0.00
489.60| |---|---|---| |||2,196.73| ## **8. Youth Fund Balance** The balance reflects the amount remaining from a grant provided by the Jack Petchey Foundation. The grant was made as a contribution to the Church’s youth work and its use is restricted to the purchase of equipment or payment towards the direct costs of the youth work. ## **9. Buildings Fund Payments** Potential exists for a conflict of interest relating to payments to K & GN (t/a W J Norman and Son). The trustees adopt procedures to manage this & protect the charity. |**Summary of Payments:**
**2025**
Maintenance works: -
Work done by K & GN
2,721.60
Replacement Gas Heaters
0.00
Other Church/Manse works
2,144.18
total Maintenance Works
4,865.78
Regular Servicing & Inspection
1,759.20
6,624.98|**2024**
0.00
0.00
1,538.41| |---|---| ||1,538.41
1,300.80| ||2,839.21| The Buildings Fund is a 'designated' fund. In effect, this means that the church is free to re-designate amounts to the General Fund, if it so wishes. ## **10. Thank Offering** For 2025 the Church Members decided to distribute funds raised through the Thank Offering 50% to Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and 50% to the General Fund, (at the meeting on 25May25). Any balance showing will be disbursed accordingly, along with any receipts from HMRC, once claimed. ## **11. Legacies:** There are no restrictions and the funds remain available for the Church to use at its discretion. ## **12. Not Used** |**13. Debtors**
Gift Aid
Gift Aid: via GA Envelopes
Gift Aid: via GASDS
Premises Hire
Trusts (75% to General Fund)
**14. Creditors**
Amounts to be disbursed
Others|**2025**
9,850.00
50.00
1,255.00
4,050.00
975.00
16,180.00
**2025**
0.00
0.00
0.00|**2024**
9,827.00
220.00
1,148.71
4,174.00
0.00| |---|---|---| |||15,369.71
**2024**
0.00
0.00| |||0.00| Page 1 2025.xlsx Notes Dated 14/03/2026 ## **15. Non-Monetary Assets held for the Church's own use:** **2025 2024** The Church is the beneficial owner (subject to the relevant trusts) of the following assets, the legal title to which is held by the Church's custodian trustee the London Baptist Property Board Ltd. |Church Premises at an insured value, (as at Feb) of:|4,852,187|4,710,851| |---|---|---| |Church Manse at an insured value (as at Jul) of:|592,000|565,835| |The Church also owns fixtures, furniture and equipment with an insured value of:|115,117|111,764| ||5,559,304|5,388,450| Note: The insured values represent estimtated re-building costs. In both cases this is likely to be less than current market values. The accounts and statement of assets and liabilities set out on pages 1 to 6 relating to the year ending 31st December 2025 and these Notes are as approved by the Trustees. **Signed:** ## **Treasurer** **Date:** 14th March 2026 Page 2