The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Helen with Holy Trinity, Kensington
Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023
St Helen’s is a UK registered charity, number 1134830
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
1. Legal and Administrative Information
Charity Name
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Helen with Holy Trinity, Kensington (St Helen’s North Kensington)
Charity registration number 1134830
Governing Documents Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 as amended; Church Representation Rules - contained in Schedule 1 to the Church Representation and Ministers Measure 2019 (No. 1). Independent Examiners Stewardship Services (UKET) Ltd, 1 Lamb’s Passage, London, EC1Y 8A
Bank HSBC, 69 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EY Correspondence Address St Helen’s Church St Helen’s Gardens London W10 6LP Telephone 020 8968 7807 Email info@sthelenschurch.org.uk Website www.sthelenschurch.org.uk
Context St Helen’s Church is situated in North Kensington and, as part of the Church of England, is located in the Diocese of London.
Incumbent Rev Steve Divall, St Helen’s Vicarage, St Helen’s Gardens, London, W10 6LP Other staff member Sasha Kumari Part-Time Administrator (9 hours per week) (until 9[th] May 2023)
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
Trustees / PCC Members serving during 2023
| Role | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Incumbent / PCC Chair | Revd Steve Divall | |
| Deanery Synod Member | Oness Williams | From 2023 APCM to 2026 APCM |
| Elected Members | Emrita Popoola | Elected 2021 APCM to 2024 APCM |
| Gifty Ofori | Elected 2021 APCM to 2024 APCM | |
| Jennifer Brown | Elected 2021 APCM to 2024 APCM | |
| Timothy Wells | Elected 2022 APCM to 2025 APCM | |
| Michelle Wu | Elected 2023 APCM to 2026 APCM | |
| Elliot Ford | Elected 2023 APCM to 2026 APCM | |
| Curate | Revd Mark Selby | From July 2023 |
Responsibilities of Trustees
Responsibility for setting policy and for determining the parameters within which the charity should operate rests with the PCC, which meets regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the charity is delegated to the incumbent.
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Statutory Duties
In pursuing the aims described in this report the Trustees can confirm that they have:
-
had due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance, as required by the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations
-
complied with their duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding & Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).
It is our intention that no one starts a role with children, youth, or vulnerable adults before they have received appropriate training and been taken through the DBS process. The Diocese has produced a basic level e-learning safeguarding training tool, which we ask all volunteers, staff and PCC to do. A copy of our safeguarding policy is on our website and also held within the church office.
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
2. Aims and Purposes
The charity is responsible for co-operating with the incumbent in promoting, to the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
The PCC is also responsible for maintaining certain church property situated within the parish, namely:
- St Helen’s Church and Hall
3. Vision 2023-2028
We finalised a fresh Mission Action Plan at the start of 2023, for the following five years, arriving at the following statement:
Vision Statement
St Helen’s Church is a vibrant, all-age community which loves Jesus, and welcomes all. We seek to grow deeper into God as we hear, receive and respond to his word; to be a prayerful church, where we support one another, grow as disciples, share the gospel, and reach out and care for the wider community; and to be a church growing in number, youth, and leadership across the ages.
As part of the Church of England and the Diocese of London we seek to play our part in Capital Vision 2030: For Every Londoner to Encounter the Love of God in Christ.
Priorities for 2023-2028
Goals in four key areas have been identified:
Prayer
Develop a culture of prayer at St Helen’s such that by 2026, 70% of regular members report that they are regularly praying privately, and 35% are attending prayer meetings/partnerships.
Outreach
Help at least 68 people who are not currently members of the church hear the good news of Jesus each year and for at least 9 people to be personally invited each time we run an enquirers course.
Pastoral Care
Establish a pastoral care structure during 2023 (drawing on lessons learnt during lockdown) so that every member of the Electoral Roll is included, whether currently attending on Sundays or not.
Developing Leaders And Volunteers
By the end of 2024, offer each regular church member the opportunity to serve, together with appropriate training. In 2025 50% of committed members will identifiably be involved in active service, increasing to 70% by the end of the MAP period.
68 is the number of members of the Electoral Roll at time of writing 9 is the number of PCC members at time of writing
[These two numbers will be updated each year after the Annual Meeting]
We will pursue these priorities over the next five years as we seek to be a church with Loves God and Loves People.
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
4. What we did in 2023
4.1 Ministry Review
2023 began progress towards some of the goals in our Mission Action Plan. During the year:
-
We met each Sunday and continued to stream services on YouTube
-
Three ‘Life Groups’ enabled people to deepen friendships, support one another and grow as disciples. Two of these met in person. One via Zoom.
-
A small group met each Thursday for prayer, with a ‘hybrid’ setup allowing people to join via Zoom.
-
A Women’s Friendship Group met during the day on the first Thursday of each month
-
In the Autumn, a new format ‘Prayer Together’ Meeting began on the evening of the first Thursday of each month; starting with food together and then praying for our church, our city, our country and our world.
-
We ran ‘Friendship With God’ Outreach Events in February with the help of a team from the Cornhill Training Course. Events included:
-
Different team members sharing their faith stories with the regular Life Groups and Women’s Friendship Group
-
A Gala Dinner, comprising a meal and an after-dinner talk
-
A ‘Guest Service’ – a simple service with an accessible sermon on the topic of Friendship with God.
-
We screened the Coronation in the church building, with full sized programmes printed out, to enable us not only to watch King Charles III’s coronation, but also to join in with the hymns and prayers.
-
We also screened the Coronation Prom LIVE from the Royal Albert Hall that evening.
-
On the Sunday, as well as a Coronation themed service, we hosted a Street Party, to bring the community together, funded by a grant from RBKC’s ‘City Living Local Life’. All three events were attended by a mixture of regular church members and neighbours and friends from the community
-
We ran several ‘Bring & Share lunches after Sunday services and a Picnic in the summer.
-
We hosted a ‘Christian Life and Witness Course’ run by the BGEA, to encourage and equip people to talk about their faith. Several other local churches also attended.
-
We hosted a service to mark the 6th anniversary of the Grenfell fire, in partnership with other local churches with the theme of ‘Seeking God, Finding Hope’.
-
We developed a first attempt at a Pastoral Care Structure, to be implemented in early 2024.
-
We ran training meetings for service leaders and Sunday Club leaders.
-
A monthly Friday Club for secondary aged children was relaunched
-
In December we continued the tradition of recent years of taking a sound-system to different parts of the Parish and leading ‘Carols on Your Street’. We were encouraged by people thanking us for coming each time we did that.
-
We gave over £10,000 to our mission partners both to invest in gospel ministry and to meet immediate needs. (Some of this was a catch up on money that was set aside to be given in 2022, but because of an administrative oversight wasn’t transferred until 2023).
4.1.1 Cornhill students
We continued to have students placed with us from the Cornhill Training Scheme. We covered their living and travel costs (with a grant from a The Rock Foundation, of £6000, covering approximately a third of the overall amount). It has been a privilege to be able to support global gospel ministry in this way, as well as to learn from Christians from other cultures.
Bay Zie, who arrived in September 2021, from Myanmar, completed his time on the course at the end of June 2023 but had applied for a job in Eastbourne combining music ministry and pastoral
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
ministry, which seemed like a really good next step for him. Wanting to support him while he waited for the result of his visa application to be able to stay on in the UK, we used our remaining allocation to apply for a short term student visa to allow him to stay for continued (self-directed) study, with supervision, over the summer. This added to our costs, but at the same time Bay Zie continued to serve in practical, behind the scenes ways – for example, cleaning the Hall after children’s parties – as well as continuing to use his musical gifts to lead and bless us on Sundays. We were delighted when permission was given for him to stay in the UK for this new role, and continue to pray for him.
Subsequently, Ernest Mulenga arrived from Zambia, at the end of October 2023. His placement includes the opportunity to preach (approximately once per term), involvement in Life Group, helping with the Children’s ministry and some practical work to help the church function.
4.2 PCC Review
Our main activity during the year was to lead the church in the priorities identified in our Mission Action Plan.
The other major undertaking of the year was to seek to discern the appropriate response to the decision at General Synod in February 2023 to produce ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ to ‘bless’ people in same-sex couples, which were then authorised for experimental use by General Synod in November 2023. We unanimously agreed that this was not the progress that it was intended to be, but a departure from the historic teaching and practice of the Christian faith. As a prophetic protest we initially paused our Common Fund payments; then, having re-examined the calculation of the ‘Parish Standard Cost’ (£87,775 in 2023), worked out what we should contribute to cover the core costs of a minister, house, pension etc. together with essential central services such as safeguarding. We re-calculated what that would be for 2023 (£48,500) as well as looking ahead to 2024 (£51,200). We then asked our finance officer whether the London Diocesan Fund would prefer us to pay the full amount that we had pledged for 2023, and then make a significantly reduced pledge for 2024; or to pay the recalculated amounts. The answer was the latter of these options, which we duly did. We continue to seek to welcome all, and are delighted that LGBTQIA+ people are part of our church family, but pray that once this experimental period has concluded, Synod will find a better way to communicate both God’s love for all and his call to repent, as well as believe.
In December we advertised for a new administrator and had the privilege of interviewing three strong candidates and appointing someone with previous experience of church administration to start in January 2024.
5. Mission Partners
We continued to partner in mission with Notting Hill Churches Homeless Concern (the 240 Project); Churches Together in Notting Hill; Glass Door (formerly West London Churches Homeless Concern); London City Mission (ministering to ‘The Last, The Least and The Lost’ throughout London); UCCF London (student work); Eden London (youth work), Rose of Sharon (mission and ministry in rural South Africa).
In addition we bought paid for 5 nights in a hostel for a vulnerable homeless woman (£150) and an unexpected hospital bill for the son of our current Cornhill student (£300).
6. Financial Review
During the year, income decreased by £65,265 to £166,836, while expenditure also decreased by £48,418 to £133,172 – resulting in a surplus of £33,664. As a result, the cash held by the charity increased from £278,844 to £312,509, of which £97,509 is undesignated and unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
7. Reserves Policy
The PCC has determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £60,000, so that the charity could continue to operate should income and/or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted, undesignated cash of £97.5K.
8. Quinquennial Inspection / Building Maintenance
Routine maintenance on the boilers was carried out in the Autumn.
The Quinquennial Inspection of the building was conducted in November identifying urgent work that is needed on the gutters and sections of the roof to prevent water ingress. This will be further surveyed and addressed in 2024.
9. Structure, Governance and Management
Each area of the church’s life and ministry falls under the oversight of the Vicar, PCC and staff team. The PCC draws on the blessings of the skills of many members of our church family beyond the PCC in order to help it meet its responsibilities.
9.1 Parochial Church Council (PCC)
The PCC is a body corporate established by the Church of England and operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure and the Church Representation Rules. Members of the PCC are either ex-officio; elected representatives of Deanery Synod; or elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM).
The ex-officio members of the PCC are:
-
the Vicar (PCC Chair); the Curate
-
ordinarily two Churchwardens – elected each year at the meeting of parishioners, however this year we carried vacancies
-
our Deanery Synod representative
PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern to the parish including deciding how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. All PCC members are trustees of the charity. Elected PCC members serve for a three-year term, with three elected members standing down each year. All eligible church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll. Prior to the APCM, the congregation is informed of the forthcoming election to the PCC and the Deanery Synod. People are encouraged to stand for election and/or to nominate others. The congregation is informed of resulting appointments immediately following the election. Ongoing training is available to members of the PCC, particularly in areas of their responsibilities as trustees such as finance and child protection. All elected PCC members are asked to complete a DBS check, as confirmation of their suitability to serve, clergy having already done so, as an occupational requirement.
9.2 Standing Committee
This is the only committee required by statute. It has power to transact the business of the PCC between full Council meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. Its membership is determined by the PCC and ordinarily comprises the vicar, PCC secretary, treasurer, and the two churchwardens. In light of vacancies in all of these positions, excepting that of the vicar, there were no Standing Committee meetings in 2023.
9.3 Deanery Synod
Each church in a geographical area is part of a deanery. St Helen’s is part of the Kensington Deanery.
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
Elections to the Kensington Deanery Synod take place every three years with Mr Oness Williams duly re-elected at our 2023 annual meeting for a further three year period as our Deanery Synod representative. Rev Steve Divall and Rev Mark Selby are also members of Deanery Synod.
The main items covered in the synods during the course of the year were the three ambitions of the Diocese of London’s 2030 Vision, namely to see:
-
Confident Disciples
-
Compassionate Communities and
-
Creative Growth
10. Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by Steve Divall (PCC Chair) on 14 April 2024.
Steve Divall
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Helen with Holy Trinity, Kensington ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2023 on pages 9 to 13 following.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
S Crispin
Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 15 April 2024
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
| Notes Income receipts Voluntary receipts 2(a) Fundraising income 2(b) Investment income 2(c) Church activities 2(d) Total receipts Payments Church activities 3(a) Church expenses 3(b) Major Capital Expenditure 3(c) Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) before transfers Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Cash funds as at last year end Cash funds at this year end A |
Unrestricted Funds General Designated Funds Funds £ £ 33,801 - - - 854 - 125,466 - 160,121 - 95,058 - 29,322 - 2,078 - 126,457 - 33,664 - (33,560) 33,560 104 33,560 97,405 181,440 97,509 215,000 |
Restricted Funds £ 6,714 - - - 6,714 6,000 714 - 6,714 - - - - - |
2023 £ 40,516 - 854 125,466 166,836 101,058 30,036 2,078 133,172 33,664 - 33,664 278,845 312,509 |
2022 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48,690 - 404 183,007 |
||||
| 232,101 | ||||
| 112,393 38,372 30,825 |
||||
| 181,589 | ||||
| 50,512 - |
||||
| 50,512 228,332 |
||||
| 278,844 |
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
| A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access Notice deposits Petty cash B Other monetary assets CCLA Investment Interest to Q4 2023 Stripe Balance on 31 Dec 2023 Gift aid due to charity C Liabilities Falling due within one year Delayed Giving Fee for Independent Examination Total |
Unrestricted | Funds Designate d funds £ 190,012 24,988 - 215,000 - - - - - - - |
Restricte d funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - |
2023 £ 287,479 24,988 43 312,509 335 157 11,386 11,879 - 1,230 1,230 |
2022 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 97,466 - 43 97,509 335 157 11,386 11,879 - 1,230 1,230 |
||||||
| 254,598 24,211 35 |
||||||
| 278,844 | ||||||
| - - 6,500 |
||||||
| 6,500 | ||||||
| 3,207 1,175 |
||||||
| 4,382 |
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: Steve Divall
Steve Divall (PCC Chair)
Date: 14 April 2024
The notes on pages 11-13 form part of these accounts.
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
1. Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the PCC in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the PCC for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
| 2 a) Voluntary income Planned giving Collections at services Other donations Gift aid recovered Legacies Other grants b) Fundraising income c) Investment income d) Church activities Fees for weddings and funerals Rental Income Utility reimbursement Other incoming resources |
Unrestricted | Funds Designated funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - 6,714 6,714 - - - - - - - - - |
Total 2023 £ 25,351 3,769 4,682 - - 6,714 40,516 - - 854 1,630 954 119,722 - 4,790 125,466 |
Total 2022 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 25,351 3,769 4,682 - - - 33,801 - - 854 854 954 119,722 - 4,790 125,466 |
||||||
| 24,731 2,491 2,373 9,958 - 9,136 |
||||||
| 48,690 | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| 404 | ||||||
| 404 | ||||||
| 1,311 139,319 42,376 - |
||||||
| 183,007 |
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
| 3 a) Church Activities Mission Charitable Giving Common Fund plus Fees due Salaries, wages, honoraria Expenses |
Unrestricted Funds General Designated funds funds £ £ 10,897 - 49,190 - 33,414 - 1,557 - 95,058 - |
Restricted Funds £ - - 6,000 - 6,000 |
Total 2023 £ 10,897 49,190 39,414 1,557 101,058 |
Total 2022 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 10,897 49,190 33,414 1,557 95,058 |
|||||
| 1,283 85,200 24,239 1,671 |
|||||
| 112,393 |
Rev Steve Divall receives a stipend from the Diocese. The cost of this stipend is not included in the above payroll cost. However, some of the Common Fund contribution is used to pay the stipend and provide accommodation (which is customary for clergy). Rev Mark Selby also receives his stipend from the Diocese, which rebills St Helen's for this cost. This amount is included in 'Salaries, wages, honoraria'. St Helen's provides Mark with accommodation and the expenses incurred by Steve and Mark whilst serving as clergy are also disclosed in the above note.
| b) Church Expenses Mission and evangelism costs Church running expenses Utility bills Costs of trading Other outgoing resources c) Major Capital Expenditure Major repairs to the church building Major repairs to the church hall New building work |
925 14,250 12,447 1,698 2 29,322 2,078 - - 2,078 |
- - - - - - - - - - |
- - - - 714 714 - - - - |
925 14,250 12,447 1,698 716 30,036 2,078 - - 2,078 |
359 16,646 19,242 1,628 497 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38,372 | |||||
| 30,825 - - |
|||||
| 30,825 |
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2023 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE PCC OF ST HELEN WITH HOLY TRINITY, KENSINGTON
4 Movement on designated, restricted and endowment funds
| General funds Designated funds Building Development Emergency Building Curate Restricted funds Cornhill Students Grant Coronation Grant Total funds |
Opening balance £ 97,405 41,440 50,000 90,000 181,440 - - - 278,845 |
Receipts £ 160,121 - - - - 6,000 714 6,714 166,836 |
Payments £ (126,457) - - - - (6,000) (714) (6,714) (133,172) |
Transfers £ (33,560) 10,560 - 23,000 33,560 - - - - |
Closing balance £ 97,509 52,000 50,000 113,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215,000 | |||||
| - - |
|||||
| - | |||||
| 312,509 |
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