Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024
Incumbent
Sophie Chatten
Bank:
The Co-Operative Bank Skelmersdale WN86WT
Independent Examiner:
Tony Jopson & Co. 246 Peverell Park Road Plymouth PL3 4QG
Registered Charity Number:
1134139
The Parish Church of Charles with St Matthias and St Simons
‘St Matts Plymouth’
North Hill, Plymouth, PL4 8HF stmplymouth.org.uk
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THE EVANGELISATION OF THE NATIONS THE REVITALISATION OF THE CHURCH AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIETY
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
(presented Sunday 27th April 2025)
‘CHARLES WITH ST MATTHIAS AND ST SIMON ’
Diocesan ID - 9187 Registered Charity Number - 1134139
PURPOSE - St Matts is a City Centre Resource Church with a vision to play it’s part in the:
The EVANGELISATION of the nations; The REVITALISATION of the Church; The TRANSFORMATION of society.
MISSION - St Matts aims to fulfil this vision through four operating lenses:
KNOW GOD - We want everyone to come into a personal relationship with Jesus. We do this principally through our Sunday Services and encouraging people in their own personal faith journey.
FIND FREEDOM - We want everyone to grow in their relationship with God and to discover freedom and life. We believe this happens supremely in community with others in midweek Small Groups where we can grow in life, faith and friendship.
DISCOVER PURPOSE - We want everyone to discover their purpose in life. We do this through our Join the Adventure sessions providing people with an opportunity to learn how to get the most out of their faith and how God has made them.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE - We want everyone to get up and running living a life of service and blessing. Through our Dream Team of volunteers we hope to connect every person with an area of the church’s life that energises them, blesses others and spills out into other areas of their life.
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Background - The church was launched on 25 September 2016 by Revd Olly & Ali Ryder and a small staff & volunteer team, at the invitation of the Bishops of Exeter and Plymouth in partnership with Holy Trinity Brompton, London. As part of St Matts heart for revitalisation, the church agreed to pastoral reorganisation to include a neighbouring closed church leading to the new Parish of Charles with St Matthias and St Simon being formed on 25 November 2021 . Since 29 February 2024 St Matts has been led by Revd Sophie Chatten. Sunday services at the St Simons recommenced on 19 May 2024 headed up by Assistant Vicar Revd Mike Knight. St Matts and St Simon is part of the Plymouth City Deanery in the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. The parish’s administrative centre is based at St Matts at the top of North Hill, Plymouth, PL4 8HF.
Structure, Governance and Management - St Matts and St Simons is led by the PCC
(Parochial Church Council). The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church of England’s ‘Church Representation Rules’ . All church attendees who consider themselves as belonging to the worshipping community of St Matts are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll. All those on the Electoral Roll may stand for election on the PCC. The Church Council should reflect the diversity of the church and local community. PCC members are re-elected every three years. The Church Council has responsibility, alongside the Vicar, staff team, and lay pastors, of fulfilling the church’s vision. PCC members who served from April 2024 until the date this report was approved are:
PCC Members
Ex-Officio Members
Vicar and Chairman Sophie Chatten Assistant Curate Mike Knight Assistant Curate Liz Grier Assistant Curate James Harding
Church Wardens Elected annually up to six successive years Steve Campion Elected 2023 Sally Pearson Elected 2022
Deanery Synod Members Elected every three years Teressa Cornish Treasurer Elected 2022 Jeff Stephenson Elected 2022
Safeguarding Representative
Mark Pearson Appointed 2024
Other Members Elected every three years Neil Mawson Elected 2022 Sam Ansell Elected 2022 Jonny Wilson Elected 2022 Lizzie Philips Elected 2023 Amy McCusker Elected 2023 Peter Horton Elected 2023 Graham Stirling Elected 2024
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Alston Chan Elected 2024 Radu Ciubotarasu Elected 2024 Debs Marks Elected 2024 Vacant Elected 2023 Vacant Elected 2024
Co-Opted Members
Hannah Bowker Secretary Claire Worth Staff - Executive Director
[re-elected annually since 2017] [re-elected annually since 2017]
Staf Team - (as of April 2024)
Claire Worth Executive Director Mike Knight Associate Minister Teressa Cornish Ordinand Paul Worth Worship Pastor Amy Wheeler Kids & Youth Pastor Terri Jackson Kids & Youth Pastor Intern Zoe Wilson Student Pastor Hannah Bowker Church Coordinator & Executive Assistant
- ANNUAL REVIEW 2023/24
St Matts has completed its eighth full year as a ‘ HTB Network’ City Centre Resource Church with a vision to play its part in the ‘evangelisation of the nations, the revitalisation of the church and the transformation of society’ by helping people to know God, find freedom, discover purpose and make a difference. The church has grown from a small group of 30-50 to a post pandemic level of 300+ every Sunday.
This past year has been an exciting year of change for St Matts. We were delighted to welcome Sophie, Simon and their boys as Sophie took up the post of Priest-in-Charge. The licensing service was an immensely special occasion that provided a great opportunity to introduce Sophie to the church and community.
In addition to this, we also had the joy of appointing Revd Mike Knight to the post of Associate Vicar with particular responsibility for St Simons. Having been greatly blessed by Mike’s ministry during his time as training curate we were thrilled that he, Roxy and the boys would continue to minister as part of our church family.
St Matts - over the last year at St Matts we’ve continued to meet and provide a space for encounter and encouragement with our whole church family and visitors at our Sunday Services offering both ‘in-person’ and ‘online’ provision. In September we relaunched the evening service at the revised time of six o-clock. Over the year we’ve continued to have around 2-300 people gathering every Sunday in the building at the Ten and Five/Six, as well as around 50-100 online over the course of a Sunday and 40-50 children/ young people. We’ve also continued providing smaller midweek communities for people to grow in faith and friendship through our Small Groups - this term there have been 30 groups.
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In September we relaunched our vision priorities for the coming years: empowering young people, enhancing spaces, enriching community, engaging prayer. Each of these reflects our heart as a church and where we believe the Lord is calling us to invest our time, energy and resources in this season.
In the coming year we hope to move forwards with our plans to redevelop the church halls with a view to making them more accessible and available to our local community whilst also opening up the possibilities for an increase in income through lettings. We have some major work needed following our Quinquennial Inspection, most notably repairs to the roof and the windows.
St Simons - 19 May 2024 marked the launch of Sunday services at St Simons. There had been a faithful and growing community worshipping mid-week for a few years and we were overjoyed to start worshipping on Sundays too. We saw over 150 people for the launch which included many people from the immediate local area. Mike's role changed early in the year to become Associate Vicar with responsibility for St Simons. He’s thankful for all your prayers and support and especially to the St Simons community who have given so much to make church possible in this new location. We have settled into a weekly rhythm of services with around 20-30 still attending on Tuesdays and around 40 on Sundays.
The first 6 months have been a time of growing a new community, teams and patterns (we especially love enjoying lunch together once a month) and there have also been some great opportunities to link up with people from the local community- especially with summer BBQ's and Christmas services. Lots of work has been done to the building including clearing tonnes of pigeon much in the bell tower, getting the heating working and redecorating the lower rooms which are now being used for our first St Simons kids group! Please be praying for us in 2025 as we look to connect further with the local community, start new things and seek God's way forward for the church hall site.
Staf team - during the year we had changes to our staff team, welcoming Paul Worth as Worship Pastor and Zoe Wilson as Student Pastor. With Lizzie Roberts successfully completing her year as a SWYM (South West Youth Ministries) intern in August we were pleased to have Terri Jackson start her SWYM internship in September.
Love South West - in a change to the usual pattern for LSW, we had three gatherings happening simultaneously in Liskeard (‘Love Cornwall’), Barnstaple (‘Love North Devon’) and Plymouth. Each venue hosted a Kingdom Come night on Fri 17th May where a total of 600 people from across the region gathered to pray for our churches, our communities, our country. At St Matts people were encouraged to run social action projects in their local communities on Sat 18 May; and to invite people to either ‘Try Church’ at St Matts or to head to the launch of St Simons on Sun 19 May. We loved running this event in collaboration with other areas of the South West and plans are already in place to follow a similar pattern on 6 June 2025. We’re proud to be hosting the Plymouth-based event at St Matts this year.
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Creation Fest - we loved heading to Creation Fest again with around 100 people camping on site and volunteering on teams. In addition we were able to welcome many more of our church family coming as day visitors and enjoyed a BBQ together on the Sunday. We will be going again as a church family in 2025 for an extended weekend with churches across the South West for worship, teaching, prayer, fun and time together.
As you read the rest of this report, we hope you enjoy and are inspired by all that God is doing in and through us and all that lies ahead. Thank you so much for being part of this family and this God-adventure by the sea!
- KNOW GOD Sunday Services
CONTACTS
| Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards | Database - ‘Join the Adventure’ cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| 2021 | 1246 | cleanse | - | - | 1250 | 1252 | 1256 | - | 1260 | 1374 | - | |
| 2022 | 1375 | 1402 | 1417 | 1446 | 1458 | 1483 | 1488 | *archivin g |
1353 | *archivin g |
1131 | 1138 |
| 2023 | 1138 | 1176 | 1191 | 1223 | 1227 | 1224 | 1226 | 1234 | 1235 | 1267 | 1309 | 1318 |
| 2024 | 1310 | 1323 | 1330 | 1335 | 1340 | 1346 | 1352 | 1368 | 1370 | 1372 | 1376 | 1387 |
| 2025 | 1390 | 1399 | 1406 | |||||||||
| Facebook - ‘Followers’ | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2095 | - | 2089 | - | 2128 | 2022 | 2025 | - | 2133 | 2144 | ||
| 2022 | 2144 | 2100 | 2086 | 2096 | 2102 | 2106 | 2110 | 2134 | 2146 | 2158 | 2166 | 2170 |
| 2023 | 2197 | 2206 | 2220 | 2227 | 2232 | 2235 | 2192 | 2250 | 2300 | 2368 | ||
| 2024 | 2399 | 2386 | 2381 | 2378 | 2375 | 2373 | 2378 | 2387 | 2393 | 2398 | 2403 | 2411 |
| 2025 | 2418 | 2419 | 2420 | |||||||||
| Instagram - ‘Followers’ | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | 1560 | - | 1580 | - | 1601 | 1608 | 1611 | - | 1,618 | 1651 | ||
| 2022 | 1667 | 1676 | 1680 | 1691 | 1697 | 1703 | 1700 | 1699 | 1710 | 1724 | 1738 | |
| 2023 | 1740 | 1741 | 1743 | 1752 | 1756 | 1767 | 1758 | 1763 | 1767 | 1770 | ||
| 2024 | 1765 | 1750 | 1747 | 1749 | 1748 | 1748 | 1748 | 1748 | 1748 | 1756 | 1760 | 1758 |
| 2025 | 1754 | 1759 | 1764 |
ELECTORAL ROLL - (members of the church’s official register) : 123 (as at 11th March 2025).
SUNDAY SERVICES - St Matts currently has two main Sunday services - THE TEN & THE SIX with an average weekly attendance of around 350 people across the two services - 300 adults & 50 children - and a further 50-100 for ‘Church Online’.
| Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance | Average Main Service Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
| 2021 | TEN | - | - | - | - | 104 | 74 | 63 | - | - | TEN | 150 | 272 |
| 2021 | SIX/Five | - | - | - | - | 83 | 70 | 85 | - | - | FIVE | 40 | 87 |
| SEVEN | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | SEVEN | 90 | 119 | |
| 2021 | Online | 69 | 89 | 97 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2021 | YouTube | 235 | 262 | 219 | - | 358 | 133 | 170 | - | - | YouTube | 280 |
114 |
| Total | 304 | 351 | 316 | - | 545 | 277 | 318 | -- | - | - | 560 | ||
| 2022 | TEN | 118 | 131 | 156 | 225 | 207 | 170 | 137 | 153 | 175 | 166 | 182 | 139 |
| 2022 | FIVE | 96 | 124 | 147 | 108 | 132 | 98 | 98 | 55 | 65 | 132 | 109 | 168 |
| 2022 | YouTube | 156 | 121 | 111 | 157 | 110 | 98 | 110 | 82 | 72 | 85 | 110 | 102 |
| Total | 370 | 376 | 414 | 490 | 449 | 366 | 345 | 290 | 312 | 383 | 401 | 356 |
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| 2023 | TEN | 159 | 175 | 138 | 197 | 144 | 136 | 148 | 136 | 118 | 138 | 152 | 131 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | FIVE | 88 | 100 | 105 | 71 | 70 | 100 | 96 | 86 | 96 | 73 | 80 | 179 |
| 2023 | YouTube | 72 | 70 | 79 | 109 | 133 | 138 | 103 | 88 | 88 | 110 | 120 | 119 |
| Total | 319 | 345 | 322 | 377 | 347 | 374 | 335 | 310 | 301 | 321 | 352 | 429 | |
| 2024 | TEN | 149 | 143 | 206 | 148 | 132 | 120 | 122 | 105 | 160 | 154 | 146 | 174 |
| 2024 | FIVE | 92 | 86 | 84 | 70 | 68 | 65 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2024 | SIX | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 95 | 70 | 75 | 120 |
| 2024 | YouTube | 79 | 82 | 103 | 70 | 70 | 60 | 86 | 107 | 96 | 99 | 108 | 89 |
| Total | 320 | 311 | 393 | 288 | 270 | 245 | 256 | 212 | 351 | 323 | 329 | 383 | |
| 2025 | TEN | 180 | 160 | 167 | |||||||||
| 2025 | SIX | 100 | 80 | 65 | |||||||||
| 2025 | YouTube | 108 | 100 | 91 | |||||||||
| Total | 388 | 340 | 323 |
BAPTISMS - It’s been a joy to welcome people into the Christian faith and join with them as they publicly affirm their faith in Baptism.
| Baptisms and Reafrmations of Baptismal Vows | Baptisms and Reafrmations of Baptismal Vows | Baptisms and Reafrmations of Baptismal Vows | Baptisms and Reafrmations of Baptismal Vows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Summer | Autumn | Total overyear | |
| 2021 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 17 |
| 2022 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 23 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
| 2024 | - | 12 | 8 | 20 |
CHILDREN & YOUTH - Amy Wheeler (Kids & Youth Pastor) and Terri Jackson (Kids & Youth Intern)
The vision of our Kids and Youth ministry is to love and serve the children and young people of St Matts and beyond, to enable them to become wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ. This is based on the scripture: ‘Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.’ (Proverbs 22:6). We focus on building faith, having fun and establishing friendships.
Age groups & curriculum.
Creche (0-2s with parents) meet in the downstairs office where the service is live streamed, age appropriate toys are available and parents can sit comfortably with their little ones.
Preschool (2 - 4.5 year olds) meet in the lower hall with an emphasis on play and creative based learning. We are still really enjoying the Scripture Union resources called Tiddlywinks.
Foundation - Year 4 (4.5 - 9 Year olds) meet in the upper hall with the objective of creating a foundation of knowledge in discipleship and fellowship. We started using a resource called ‘Faith in kids’ which has been well received. Year 5 and 6 (9 - 11 Year olds) meet in church for worship then all head up to the library. Our focus is to prepare the children for being a Christ-following young person. The ‘Faith in Kids’ materials are also being used in 5 & 6.
Our young people (11-16s) meet in the Church for worship then gather in the youth room. Our main objective is for young people to explore their own faith and solidify their relationship with God. Youth are currently using a resource from 24/7 prayer called ‘Origins’ which is a series on prayer.
Attendance
On an average Sunday we get between 30 - 50 children attending the 4 age groups. With 63 children and 22 young people regularly attending.
Our midweek youth gathering changed to be called STM Youth and to meet every Thursday in term time. The session includes activities such as a pool table and table football, plus our now legendary tuck shop and plenty of games. With all these amazing changes our attendance has gone from 8-10 to a regular 25 young people coming every Thursday. We are currently doing the Alpha Youth series which added 9 new young people. 4 of which are now regular attendees.
Team
We currently have 32 volunteers on the kids team. We will be looking to develop some of our under-18s as helpers over the coming months. In our Sunday Youth, we currently have 6 volunteers. We have 6 regular volunteers who come on Thursdays to serve at STM Youth.
Our inclusion team is running well with a team member most Sundays supporting children with additional needs. We’d love this to increase every week. Lorna Clarke has stepped into the role of Volunteer SENCo (Special education needs coordinator).
We have developed regular meetings as a team with monthly pre-service breakfasts and termly meetings for review and training. We also have termly ‘celebration’ gatherings where the team celebrates another successful term finishing!
Light Party
Our Halloween community outreach got a huge change this year. Amy successfully organised 3 light parties all on the 31st of October. Each had a talk about Jesus by Amy.
We had a Pumpkin patch party for the under 5s where we had a farm set up in the Upper hall with snacks, crafts, photo booth, messy play, soft play, ride on cars and refreshments for the adults. 37 families attended and it was a jam packed event!
After a quick turn around we hosted a Fun Fair party for 5-11 year olds. There was candy floss, glitter, tattoos, bouncy slide, popcorn machine, crafts and fairground games. 42 children, mostly from St Matts, came along to enjoy the fun!
Finally Amy designed an Escape room party for the 11-18s with puzzles to solve to crack a code to access the fun fair in the church. 24 young people came along to solve the mystery and they managed to solve it in 50 minutes!
Christmas
Our Family carols service was, once again, very successful. 15 children performed major roles and many more children played background roles. Amy gave a talk on grace and how we cannot earn it but Jesus came down from Heaven so that we can all be given his grace.
Schools
Amy has focused on the two schools right on our doorstep: Mount Street Primary School and
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Plymouth High School for Girls. Amy has successfully started a Christian Union in PHSG that meets fortnightly on a Wednesday lunchtime. We have a great relationship with Mount Street doing a termly assembly.
Mini-Matts
Terri, Amy and Rachael have been running Mini Matts this academic year. Rachael loves to ensure the cafe is running smoothly, Terri ensures everyone has a cup of something hot and a sweet treat and Amy ensures everyone has someone to talk to and the children are having fun. It’s a great team! We have a regular 15 - 20 families that come every Thursday morning.
Outreach
Amy is part of a core team in collaboration with SWYM, Youth for Christ, Churches Together in Plymouth and several other churches in Plymouth, to organise a Youth gathering in Plymouth. We hope to use St Matts as the venue and this will be a mix of worship, prayer and a guest speaker for evangelism and deepening of faith but mostly for young people across the city to meet in a safe environment to connect with each other.
Vision/Next Steps
We hope to continue to have an intern in Kids & Youth with Terri’s internship due to finish in mid August.
Amy has been connecting with Transforming Plymouth Together to organise events in the school holidays to help with the issue of holiday hunger. We hope to launch something this Summer. This would be in the form of a holiday club where everyone attending will get a free lunch.
Terri is taking the Youth and Year 5 & 6 on a holiday camp called Spree South West in June. Last year our children and young people loved this trip so we are looking forward to doing it again!
We would like to run several courses over the year. Some for parents of faith and none, and some for kids & youth volunteers to equip them for their ministry.
SAFEGUARDING - All those working with children and youth are expected to have DBS disclosures . St Matts has a Child Protection Policy and an Equal Opportunities Policy. Any concerns regarding children’s safety should be referred to our Safeguarding Representative , Mark Pearson - safeguarding@stmplymouth.org.uk
| Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance | Children & Youth - Average Weekly Service Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| 2021 | 98 | 112 | 75 | - | - | 78 | 81 | 29 | 72 | 54 | 43 | 63 |
| 2022 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 48 | 58 | 51 | 57 | 36 | 48 | 45 | 52 | 28 |
| 2023 | 37 | 42 | 37 | 45 | 42 | 40 | 42 | 18 | 32 | 41 | 40 | 42 |
| 2024 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 36 | 39 | 37 | 42 | 35 | 35 | 45 | 49 | 46 |
| 2025 | 51 | |||||||||||
| Children & Youth - Total Contacts on Database | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | - | - | - | - | 637 | - | 649 | - | ||||
| 2022 | 668 | 673 | 676 | 680 | 688 | 707 | 711 | 592 | 602 | 604 | 606 | 612 |
| 2023 | 612 | 621 | 625 | 629 | 634 | 637 | 641 | 645 | 647 | 652 | 659 | 660 |
| 2024 | 664 | 666 | 668 | 672 | 687 | 691 | 695 | 699 | 705 | 716 | 724 | 725 |
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| 2025 | 727 | 728 | 730 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YOUTH NIGHTS | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | - | - | - | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | - | - | - | 9 | 9 |
| 2022 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | - | - | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | - | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | - | - | 15 | 16 | 14 | 17 |
| 2025 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
STUDENTS - Zoe Wilson -
We love students and are super thankful for the many who commit to being part of the St Matts Family.
Student Night - Student Nights have been the focus of student life at St Matts, and with the handover to a new student pastor we have continued this. We meet weekly on a Thursday evening with an average of 20 students for time to, worship together, hear from scripture or on particular topics and pray/respond in small groups. Highlights of the year so far include our 1920’s themed Christmas Party with a Charleston dance teacher, and a deep dive into what worship is, led by the student worship team. We said goodbye to a group for final year students in the summer, along with their current coordinator Hanne, so it has been a year rebuilding and exploring how God wants to shape and use our student group this year. We’ve loved seeing new freshers and other young adults join us this year, with numbers growing as the year has gone on. We have seen people join and continue on teams, serving and sharing as part of the church community.
Sundays – the Six service has been a place of real growth for students since the relaunch. There are still a number of students at the Ten but we are seeing a full church family in the evening with a majority of young adults, including students that do not come on a Thursday but regularly attend this service. We have had students giving Preach-tastics and responding to calls to be prayed with.
Vision/Next Steps – Even though the Student Pastor role has not yet run for a full year it is obvious of the great need for this post and the many opportunities available to reach out to the 35,000 students at Plymouth’s three universities. With developing connections with the Christian Union at Plymouth Uni, possibilities at the other 2 Plymouth universities are being explored through relationships with those studying there too. Amongst our regular St Matt’s students, there is an eagerness to go deeper with Christ, that could be met through one to ones and smaller study groups. We are looking towards the coming year, and asking how God will help us draw these students closer to Him and expand our capacity to do this.
St Matts holds an important position as we sit right at the heart of the student area of the city and so we are listening for God’s vision on how to shape our student ministry for the coming academic year.
| Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents | Instagram -@stmstudents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | - | - | - | - | - |
- |
- - |
- |
- | 401 | - | |
| 2022 | 419 | 422 | 430 | 433 | 439 |
439 |
439 |
436 |
434 | 445 | 469 | 471 |
| 2023 | 473 | 474 | 475 | 472 | 468 |
465 |
465 |
466 |
466 | 487 | 495 | 495 |
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| 2024 |
495 | 494 | 492 | 489 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 489 | 489 | 490 | 492 | 489 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
484 | |||||||||||
| Student Nights - Thursday nightgathering during term time for food, worship, message, discussion, prayer | ||||||||||||
| 2021 |
37 (online) |
40 (online) |
- | 50 | 52 | 46 | - | - | 40-60 | 40-60 | 40-60 | - |
| 2022 |
- | 40 | 45 | 45 | 49 | 49 | - | - | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| 2023 |
50 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | - | - | - | 30-40 | 30-40 | 20-35 | 45 christmas party |
| 2024 |
35 | 35 | 35 | 35-40 | 35-40 | - | - | - | 29-35 | 29-35 | 29-35 | 29-35 |
| 2025 |
29-35 | 29-35 |
- FIND FREEDOM Small Groups
SMALL GROUPS - Revd Mike Knight
Small Groups have one, simple purpose - to bring people together. We believe God created us to live in community with others and only then can we experience the full life he intends for us. Small Groups provide a place for us to connect with others , share life , and grow in faith together. We believe life-change happens in the context of relationships. Our belief and vision is that St Matts is a church of Small Groups, not a church with Small Groups.
Small groups are a core part of our church life. We have had a solid number of small groups running through (around 25-30)- slightly lower than in previous years. Groups are quite diverse with a mixture of discipleship/ Bible study type groups, activity & support groups and serving groups. We would love to encourage groups to become more committed as places of ongoing life-on-life discipleship where everyone in our church family find a place.
| SMALL GROUPS | SMALL GROUPS | SMALL GROUPS | SMALL GROUPS | SMALL GROUPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | ||
| 2021 | GROUPS | 37 | 38 | 41 |
| LEADERS | 47 | 48 | 56 | |
| MEMBERS | 319 | 290 | 360 | |
| 2022 | GROUPS | 43 | 41 | 44 |
| LEADERS | 55 | 52 | 48 | |
| MEMBERS | 410 | 355 | 330 | |
| 2023 | GROUPS | 45 | 33 | 24 |
| LEADERS | 55 | 45 | 30 | |
| MEMBERS | 345 | 251 | 286 | |
| 2024 | GROUPS | 24 | 20 | 21 |
| LEADERS | 34 | 28 | 28 | |
| MEMBERS | 250 | 194 | 178 | |
| 2025 | GROUPS | 23 | ||
| LEADERS | 34 | |||
| MEMBERS | 164 |
ALPHA - We encourage members of the congregation to share their faith with others in their everyday life. We also run the Alpha course as a more intentional way of providing an opportunity for people wanting to investigate Christianity or are new to faith.
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This year we've settled into a regular attendance of about 25 people each week who are exploring the Christian faith. It's wonderful to welcome people to an Alpha course wherever they are in their faith exploration and it's been a particular joy to welcome those who have recently been baptised to continue exploring their relationship with Jesus. We've also had some new faces who have found us via the Alpha website, where we also advertise our upcoming courses.
We are hugely grateful to our team of volunteers who come each week and to anyone who has volunteered to help us with food - including Bishop James! Offering hospitality and a place to connect with people face to face is simply a gift. Many of our volunteers come straight from work into offering welcome to our guests - it certainly amplifies the sense that we rely on the Holy Spirit to turn up!
Do keep Alpha in your prayers and consider volunteering next time! Wouldn't it be amazing to live out an Acts 2:47 experience at St Matts: "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. "
| Alpha | Alpha | Alpha | Alpha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | Total | |
| 2021 attendees | 29 | ? | ? | 29 |
| 2022 attendees | 50 | - | - | 50 |
| 2023 attendees | 20 | - | - | - |
| 2024 attendees | 25 | |||
| 2025 attendees | 25 |
MAKE A DIFFERENCE - Every member of St Matts is encouraged to serve on the DREAM TEAM whether it’s helping with Kids Church, Worship, Welcome, Production, Cafe, Students, Youth, Small Group Leadership, Prayer Team.
GIVING - it is a privilege and a joy to be able to give to God as part of our worship. We encourage everyone who calls St Matts ‘home’ and is part of the DREAM TEAM to develop godly practices with their finances including giving to support the work of the church. We had an encouraging response to our Giving Sunday in October and we’re praying that we might continue to see an increase in our number of givers and total giving to enable us to move forwards with confidence into the exciting vision we have. We are very grateful to God for everyone who gives financially into the life of the church which enables us to flourish and grow as a church family and bless the city, region and further afield.
| GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | GIVING: Number of individual monthly givers & monthly amounts given | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | ||
| 2021 | Givers |
134 |
136 |
132 |
126 |
142 |
140 |
127 |
122 |
125 |
142 |
132 |
126 |
132 |
| Amount | 14273 |
18174 |
16933 | 13460 | 13210 |
15061 |
13,456 | 13,318 | 13,138 | 15,891 | 14782 |
15438 | 177134 |
|
| 2022 | Givers |
130 |
132 |
170 |
143 |
152 |
139 | 173 |
135 |
141 |
157 |
148 |
171 |
155 |
| Amount | 15450 | 14938 | 19089 | 15810 |
16913 |
14586 | 16,438 | 14,457 | 15634 | 17829 | 14660 | 13993 | 189797 | |
| 2023 | Givers |
135 |
131 |
130 |
139 |
130 |
131 | 126 |
115 |
112 |
131 |
113 |
107 |
125 |
12
| Amount | 14826 | 14166 |
13682 | 16347 | 14,231 | 15,083 | 13,420 | 13,041 | 13,352 | 13,617 | 13,338 | 12678 | 167781 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Givers |
111 |
104 |
104 |
95 |
89 |
89 | 91 |
105 |
111 |
127 |
106 |
102 |
103 |
| Amount | 13122 |
12664 | 12728 |
10834 | 12418 |
12141 |
13419 |
11128 |
11084 |
15767 | 14815 |
17015 |
157135 |
|
| 2025 | Givers |
110 |
109 |
|||||||||||
| Amount | 14837 |
17290 |
OTHER ACTIVITIES/REPORTS DURING THE YEAR
Soup Run -
It is now 5 years since the St Matts Soup Run team was formed, back when the first Covid lockdown came into effect, and a number in our church family felt an urgent desire to do something to help address the pressing needs that many in the city were facing, and most especially the homeless community.
5 years on some of the original team are still working hard doing the same thing and though we have thankfully moved on from those lockdown days, the needs certainly haven’t gone away. Here it would be good to make special mention of Sheena McCulloch who been the head cook for the whole of that time and barely ever missed a Soup Run session. We certainly could not have kept this up without her dedication.
Over the last year we have again been serving as a part of a wider organisation known as Plymouth Soup Run- made up of 11 churches, 8 businesses and 6 community or philanthropic groups in the city. How brilliant that the churches are so much a central part of a well respected secular homelessness food charity, being ‘salt and light’ in Plymouth. We feel the smile of God on us!
We have again been blessed with £1,526 in cash donations, and in addition St Matts has again generously made up the other £898 of the £2,424 we have spent this year on food, sleeping bags, toiletries, clothes etc that we offer on our visits to the 4 distribution sites across the city. We calculate that over the year around 2000 hot meals have been provided by the St Matts team not to mention snack bags, hot drinks, homemade soup as well as a range of surplus fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be binned and wasted.
We also thank God for our incredible volunteers, who turn out cheerfully in all weathers, ready to pitch in and do whatever is required- be that washing up, making meals, or going out on the streets. Most but not all are members of St Matts and in total we have a pool of about 15-20 at any one time. We find that as one volunteer comes to an end of their stint with us that God provides another for us at just the right time.
So in conclusion, thank you again to St Matts PCC and Sophie in particular for the practical and financial support that has been demonstrated over the last year. As we said last year, Soup Run continues to provide an outlet for service and community for those in the church who are motivated to be involved in social action and keen to demonstrate Jesus’ heart of love for a broken world.
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We would be happy to talk to anyone who would like to contribute to this ongoing ministry.
MISSIONS - St Matts ‘tithes’ 10% of it’s income to other local, national and international charities and mission organisations including:
- 2% - Trevi House / Sunflower Project (https://trevi.org.uk/) - Trevi is a nationally award-winning women’s and children’s charity based in St Matts parish, Plymouth providing safe and nurturing spaces for women in recovery to heal, grow and thrive. - 2% - Shekinah (https://shekinah.co.uk/) - South West charity providing opportunities for people who are experiencing all forms of homelessness.
- 2% Creation Fest (https://creationfest.org.uk/) - regional Christian festival supporting and encouraging the church in the South West.
- 2% - Church Planting Fund - a fund to support and enable church planting in and around Plymouth through St Matts.
- 2% - St Matts ‘Missionary Fund’** - a fund providing small grants to support St Matts members with missionary endeavours.
- St Matts ‘Acts 4 Fund’ - a fund providing small grants for St Matts members in financial hardship
**If / when the balance of the hardship fund drops below £4,000, 1% of giving received will be allocated to this fund and giving to the St Matts missionary fund will be reduced to 1%.
BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE REPORT - Claire Worth (Executive Director) -
Church Roof - We have had 3 contractors come and assess the roof and provide us with some information about what we can do. The lead on the roof (on both of the side areas of the church) is very old and has basically come to the end of its life. Having now received the 3 quotes it looks like replacing both of the lead roof’s on either side of the church is going to cost upwards of £120,000. As such, we have also received a quote (from one of the lead specialists) who has recommended an interim solution which entails using a Hybrid Liquid Plastic System to ‘fill all the cracks’ in the lead which can last from a few years to 20 years. How long this will last is entirely dependent on case by case basis, the weather, temperature etc. The cost for this including the scaffolding, labour and materials is £3,500. It would be a more temporary measure at this time and we are currently looking at various grant opportunities to be able to plan for longer term solutions.
Hall roof - We have had work done on the roof which was causing significant leaks in the youth room and office. This was significantly less work than we thought we would need and as such, has cost significantly less to fix! We will need to have the damaged walls stripped and re- plastered and painted at some point.
Hall guttering - We have several gutters which need to be replaced or repaired. It would be helpful to do this at the same time as removing the old plaster which has been damaged by the previous leak and then begin redecorating the youth room and office. However, as we look to update the hall and invest in our space we may need to incorporate this into that
14
wider plan.
Church Heaters- Due to the age of the heaters and the lack of engineers able to work on them (due to their age) we are very limited as to what we can do. We have contacted an engineer who may be able to assist but it seems unlikely that repairs can be made due to the fact that parts are no longer available for the heaters we have. As part of the Carbon neutral initiative the Cof E are working towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030. It is doubtful that any external (green) funding would be applicable to replace our existing heaters and each one would cost £3,000. However, we are applying for National Lottery funding too which may enable us to replace our existing heating system with a more affordable and efficient green energy option. The new HIVE system is now fully functional and is really helpful for being able to set schedules for the church and also control the heating off site. This will ensure that we can set the heating times and should enable us to reduce costs by being able to remotely check that heaters are off.
Hall Fire alarm system- This has had its annual maintenance check and it is all fully functional.
Carbon monoxide alarms- I have added these to the church hall and office to ensure that the boiler is functioning safely.
Quinquennial Report - The inspection has now been completed and we are awaiting the report. The architect was surprisingly upbeat about the condition of the church. Other than the roof (which we are all aware of) the most significant issue is the stonework around a number of the windows. He is sending us contact details of a Stonemason he has worked with before.
Tree in the garden- We have been advised In the Quinquennial report that the tree has grown to a stage where it may start affecting the foundations, windows and roof of the church so we will be arranging for this to be felled in due course.
Electrical Certification- We have had this 5 yearly requirement done for both the church and hall. We had a new electrical circuit supplied to the cafe area which will hopefully stop the issues with tripping plugs etc.
FINANCE REPORT - Teressa Cornish (Treasurer) -
This year the charity received a total income of £283,787. The vast majority of this income (£206,506) was from voluntary giving and we were able to claim £33,234 in Gift Aid on this. Total income also includes £26,849 generated from the hire of the church and hall, a further £8,150 from sundry sources, £3,007 as donations for other purposes and £6,041 in backdated Gift Aid claims that we were able to make following an appeal to current givers who had not yet signed up to the scheme.
Expenditure in the year came to £309,506.
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Despite the significant cost saving and efficiency measures introduced in 2023 and despite the plan for a break-even budget, the accounts show a deficit of £25,718. This is made up of an operational deficit of £5,500 and a £20,218 charge for depreciation on fixed assets.
The deficit is accounted for by a shortfall in anticipated giving. Where we had hoped to see giving restored to a level similar to that before the period of interregnum in 2023, this was not the case. Looking ahead to 2025 a more conservative estimate of giving has been used but this leaves the church with a potential future deficit of £2,750/month.
The Endowment Funds that were released in 2023 from the charities that we dissolved are in the process of being allocated by the PCC. As far as possible the PCC intends to honour the purposes for which they were originally intended, although they are now unrestricted funds. In 2024, £2,380 of these historic funds have been used to provide a Student Pastor and £13,000 has been used to cover the 2024 general fund deficit.
St Matts allocated £55,000 from its church planting fund to provide starting costs to St Simons. St Simons received income of £50,100 from various other sources during the year and spent £22,800. The St Simons end of year fund balance is £90,414.
The Acts 4 Fund, which supports church members in financial difficulty, has paid out £4,123 in hardship grants and the end of year fund balance is £7,149. The Mission Fund, established in 2023 to provide small grants for those involved in mission activities at home or abroad, stands at £4,205. Information about these funds is available on the website and from the PCC.
Investment policy
In accordance with the charity’s governing document, the Trustees have the power to invest funds in any investments that they see fit. The policy is to adopt a low risk strategy while maximising returns. The Trustees are satisfied with the performance of the investments held and that the policy adopted remains adequate and appropriate.
Reserves policy
As is best practice, it is the policy of the Trustees to maintain unrestricted funds, which are free reserves, at a sufficient level to secure the continued provision of normal charitable activities for a maximum period of six months.
Teressa Cornish
Treasurer
Safeguarding - The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).
Trustees’ Responsibilities - Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the
16
end of the year and of the surplus or deficiency for the year then ended.
In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies, as described later in the accounts, and then apply them on a consistent basis, making judgements and estimates that are prudent and reasonable. The trustees must also prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Independent Examination
A resolution to appoint Tony Jopson & Co. as independent examiners for the ensuing year will be proposed at the next APCM during which the financial statements are approved in accordance with the Charities Act 2011
On behalf of the PCC
Sophie Chatten, Priest In Charge
Date
17
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Year Ending 31 December 2024
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (SOFA)
| Note Income from Donations and legacies: Regular giving 2 Other voluntary receipts 3 Church activities 4 Investments 5 Total Income Expenditure on Church activities 6 Total Expenditure Net income / (expenditure) before investment gains / (losses) Net gains / (losses) on investments Net income / (expenditure) Transfers between funds Transfers in of 3 charities Assets controlled by PCC Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 11 |
General Designated £ £ Unrestricted Funds |
General Designated £ £ Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds £ |
Endowment Funds £ |
Total Funds 2024 £ |
Total Funds 2023 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 187,790 396 39,119 3,956 |
49,524 576 0 0 |
2,426 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
239,740 972 39,119 3,956 |
216,830 0 53,170 52,118 |
|
| 231,261 | 50,100 | 2,426 | 0 | 283,787 | 322,118 | |
| 256,141 | 22,800 | 30,564 | 0 | 309,506 | 359,254 | |
| 256,141 | 22,800 | 30,564 | 0 | 309,506 | 359,254 | |
| -24,880 0 |
27,300 0 |
-28,138 0 |
0 0 |
-25,718 0 |
-85,870 48,734 |
|
| -24,880 -8,980 0 |
27,300 5,656 0 |
-28,138 3,324 0 |
0 0 0 |
-25,718 0 0 |
-37,136 0 0 |
|
| -33,860 | 32,956 | -24,814 | 0 | -25,718 | -37,136 | |
| 125,840 | 73,930 | 155,350 | 0 | 355,120 | 392,256 | |
| 91,980 | 106,886 | 130,536 | 0 | 329,402 | 355,120 |
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The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Year Ending 31 December 2024
BALANCE SHEET
| Note Fixed Assets 8 Freehold investment property Furniture, fixtures and fittings Audio visual equipment Investments Current Assets Debtors 9 Cash on deposit Cash at bank and in hand Creditors Falling due within one year 10 Net Current Assets Total Assets les Current Liabilities Creditors Falling due after more than one year Net Assets Funds 11 Endowment funds Designated funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Total Funds |
£ £ 0 19,534 22,816 0 42,349 19,095 256,960 18,753 294,808 7,755 287,053 329,402 0 329,402 0 106,886 130,536 91,980 329,402 2024 |
£ £ 0 27,493 32,374 0 59,867 11,616 263,030 27,691 302,338 7,085 295,253 355,120 0 355,120 0 148,930 80,350 125,840 355,120 2023 |
£ £ 0 27,493 32,374 0 59,867 11,616 263,030 27,691 302,338 7,085 295,253 355,120 0 355,120 0 148,930 80,350 125,840 355,120 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 355,120 | |||
| 0 148,930 80,350 125,840 |
|||
| 355,120 |
The financial statements were approved by the Parochial Church Council on 20/03/2025 and signed on its behalf by:
Rev S Chatten Vicar
Ms T Cornish Treasurer
20
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year Ending 31 December 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS 102).
The financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention, except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at fair value.
The PCC meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the PCC.
Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis. There are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubts upon the PCC's ability to continue as a going concern.
Funds
General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also not restricted.
Restricted funds are amounts which have been received by the PCC with specific directions concerning the way in which capital and any income arising are to be expended.
Endowment funds are sums which are held by or on behalf of the PCC and where only the income can be spent, with the capital being retained permanently, or at the PCC’s discretion, and invested.
The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of the church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.
Income
Donations and legacies: Planned giving, collections and general donations are recognised only when received. Gift aid recoverable on donations is recognised when the donation is received. Grants and legacies to the PCC are recognised as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount due is quantifiable and its ultimate receipt by the PCC is probable.
21
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year Ending 31 December 2024
Charitable activities: Income from church fee income is recognised when the fee is due. Income from activities is accounted for gross.
Other trading activities: Rental income is recognised when the rent is due. Where income is received in advance, it is recognised in the year in which the event takes place that it relates to.
Investments: Interest entitlements are accounted for as they accrue. Dividends are accounted for when due and payable.
Expenditure
Raising funds: Expenditure on raising funds is accounted for on the accruals basis. Raising funds includes the costs of the investment property.
Charitable activities: Expenditure on charitable activities is accounted for on the accruals basis. The diocesan common fund is accounted for when payable. Any unpaid amount at 31 December is provided for in these accounts as an operational (although not legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet. Grants are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC.
Tangible fixed assets
Consecrated land and buildings and moveable church furnishing: Consecrated and beneficed property is excluded from the accounts by s10(2)(a) of the Charities Act 2011. No value is placed on moveable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal since the PCC considers this to be inalienable property. All expenditure incurred during the year on consecrated or beneficed buildings and moveable church furnishings, whether maintenance or improvement, is written off as expenditure in the SOFA and separately disclosed.
Freehold property: Freehold property is valued at purchase price. In the opinion of the PCC members, depreciation of freehold properties would be immaterial and has not been charged. The members carry out an annual impairment review, and in their opinion no provision is necessary in respect of the value at which freehold properties are included in the financial statements.
Other fixed assets: Other fixed assets are recognised at cost. Individual assets with a purchase price less than £1,000 are written off when the asset is acquired. Depreciation has been provided on other fixed assets on a straight-line basis in order to write off the cost of the assets over the following estimated useful lives:
-
Fixtures and fittings - 10 years
-
Computers and equipment - 5 years
22
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year Ending 31 December 2024
Investment properties
Investment properties are included in the balance sheet at their open market value in accordance with FRS 102 and are not depreciated.
Investments
Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. The SOFA includes net gains and losses arising on revaluations and disposals throughout the year.
Debtors
Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for any amounts that may prove uncollectible. These are recognised initially at the settlement amount. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid, net of any trade discounts due.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, and other shortterm liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.
Creditors
Creditors are recognised when the PCC has an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors are recognised at the amount that the PCC anticipates it will pay to settle the debt, or the amount it has received as advanced payment for the goods or services it must provide.
Financial instruments
The church only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. All (including debtors and creditors) are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
23
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Year Ending 31 December 2024
| 2 Regular giving Planned giving inc. envelopes Collections at services Income tax recovered 3 Other voluntary receipts Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme Love Your Neighbour & Covid relief giving Donation to youth and media Hardship fund 4 Income from church activities Statutory fees - weddings, funerals, etc. Miscellaneous Gross income (solar panels) Gross income (hall lettings) Gross income (letting 18 Dale Gardens) 5 Income from investments Profit from sale of investments Dividends & interest Bank interest received Total Income 6 Expenditure on charitable activities Ministry: common fund Church running expenses Church maintenance Upkeep of services Music and production Parish hall – services and maintenance Events and other parish expenditure Youth / student work Maintenance costs – 18 Dale Gardens Salaries and fees Training External giving Depreciation Administration Accountant’s fees Total Expenditure |
General Designated £ £ Unrestricted Funds |
General Designated £ £ Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds £ |
Endowment Funds £ |
Total Funds 2024 £ |
Total Funds 2023 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153,297 6,393 28,100 |
44,822 0 4,702 |
1,994 0 432 |
0 0 0 |
200,113.10 6,392.87 33,234.37 |
183,060 3,473 30,297 |
|
| 187,790 | 49,524 | 2,426 | 0 | 239,740 | 216,830 | |
| 396 0 0 0 |
576 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
972 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 |
|
| 396 | 576 | 0 | 0 | 972 | 0 | |
| 1,119 9,048 2,103 26,849 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 |
1,119 9,048 2,103 26,849 0 |
372 20,722 5,214 25,996 866 |
|
| 39,119 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39,119 | 53,170 | |
| 0 0 3,956 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 3,956 |
48,734 1,859 1,524 |
|
| 3,956 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,956 | 52,118 | |
| 231,261 | 50,100 | 2,426 | 0 | 283,787 | 322,118 | |
| 57,400 14,995 5,403 6,729 6,782 16,414 3,705 2,888 0 121,000 2,014 9,419 0 8,991 400 |
0 4,462 7,386 10,092 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 860 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,223 0 4,123 20,218 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
57,400 19,457 12,789 16,821 6,782 16,414 3,705 2,888 0 127,224 2,014 13,542 20,218 9,851 400 |
67,637 17,061 64,913 4,809 8,716 20,001 3,643 5,089 866 125,649 1,098 11,784 19,948 7,640 400 |
|
| 256,141 | 22,800 | 30,564 | 0 | 309,506 | 359,254 |
7 Transactions with PCC members and related parties
-
None of the members of the PCC were remunerated or reimbursed for their expenses in their capacity as PCC members.
-
Hannah Bowker was paid £22,120 for her role as Church Centre Manager. Claire Worth was paid £38,625 for her role as Executive Director.
-
During 2024, the PCC received £38,999 in donations from Trustees. The donors did not attach any conditions to their gift which required the charity to significantly alter the nature of its existing activities.
24
The Parochial Church Council of Charles with St Mathias, Plymouth
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Year Ending 31 December 2024
| 8 Tangible fixed assets Cost or valuation At 1/1/24 Additions At 31/12/24 Depreciation At 1/1/24 Charge for the year At 31/12/24 Net book value At 31/12/2024 At 31/12/2023 9 Debtors Gift Aid reclaimable Prepayments Rent due Solar feed-in Other debtors 10 Creditors Fees due Other creditors Accrued expenses 11 Funds General unrestricted Designated for church planting Designated property investment Designated mission Restricted reserves Restricted youth & media Restricted hardship fund Restricted fixed assets Endowment funds - 3 separate charities |
Investment Property A/V & IT Equipment Furniture, Fixtures & Fittings Total £ £ £ £ 0 119,887 79,595 199,482 0 2,700 0 2,700 0 122,587 79,595 202,182 0 87,512 52,102 139,614 0 12,259 7,960 20,218 0 99,771 60,062 159,832 0 22,816 19,534 42,349 0 32,375 27,493 59,868 31/12/24 31/12/23 £ £ 2,852 2,175 0 0 7,291 7,551 0 0 8,952 1890 19,095 11,616 31/12/24 31/12/23 £ £ 0 229 4,008 1,846 3,747 5,010 7,755 7,085 Bal b/fwd Income Expenditure Transfers Bal c/fwd £ £ £ £ £ 125,840 231,261 256,141 -8,980 91,980 72,241 50,100 22,800 3,140 102,681 0 0 1,689 2,516 4,205 75,000 75,000 12,263 6,223 6,040 8,222 2,426 4,123 624 7,149 59,865 20,218 2,700 42,347 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 355,120 283,787 309,506 0 329,402 |
25