Tilehouse Street Baptist Church Annual Report 2020
Charity Registration Number: 1135132
The charity is governed by an Approved Governing Document which states that the Church engages in a range of activities for the purpose of 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.
Trustees (Deacons)
Revd. Jane Robson (Minister) Mrs Joyce Bleasby Mr Malcolm Mallett Mrs Margaret Granger Mr Andrew Turner (Treasurer) Mrs Sheila Hallas(Secretary) Revd. Ian Stears Handscomb Mr John Maguire
Motto Text Philippians 1 v.6
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Aims
The Church’s primary aim is to worship God, make known His love and to share the good news of the Gospel with local people and the wider world.
Governance
The Church is led by the Minister and the team of deacons. The diaconate, church members and other members of the congregation have met regularly to consider and discuss church affairs, both spiritual and practical.
The Church Members’ Meeting held on January 16[th] took the decision to invite all other regular members of the congregation to attend and speak at church meetings but they would not be entitled to vote on any matter.
Safeguarding
The Safeguarding Team has continued to work to ensure that policies and procedures which conform to the Baptist Union’s guidelines are in place and followed. Paul Chamberlain was appointed as the Designated Person for Safeguarding. A training session for volunteers was held in March.
The Church complies with General Data Protection Regulations. It also has Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Lone Worker policies.
Both the Church building and the Memorial Halls are Covid secure.
Membership
The membership of Tilehouse Street stood at 50 in January and rose by one during the year, as we were delighted to welcome a lady who transferred her membership from a Church in a neighbouring town.
There are seven members at our small but active daughter chapel in Lower Stondon.
Worship
The year began as any other with worship in the building, monthly prayer, deacons’ and members’ meetings and weekly events including ‘Open Church’, Bible Study and discussion groups.
All these events were brought to a sudden halt in March when the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic in the U.K. resulted in the introduction of restrictions.
Sunday services were then held via electronic means. People who were unfamiliar with technologies such as Zoom and You Tube soon gained confidence in using them and numbers accessing the services grew to between 40 and 45 most weeks.
As the year progressed, it became apparent that a return to in person meetings would not be permitted for some considerable time so other activities began to take place on line. Church Meetings resumed in July and the Annual Church Meeting, having been postponed from March, was held in September.
Prayer meetings have been well supported and there is a weekly Bible Study group. The Minister has worked very hard to maintain a strong feeling of togetherness, despite the physical separation. The services are always relevant and encouraging. During the year, Jane has led three series - The Giving Principle, Nehemiah and Mark’s Gospel. At times of celebration, such as Easter, Harvest and Christmas, the Church doors, windows and garden have been imaginatively decorated as a witness to people in the vicinity that Church life is continuing.
A highlight of the year was being able to hold the Christmas Carol service in the Church, during a period when restrictions had been relaxed.
Children
The youngsters with whom the Church has connections have not been forgotten. From time to time, they have been sent cards and small gifts.
The children who attend Pre-school and Nursery contributed some paintings for the harvest display.
Pastoral Care
This has mainly been continued by phone calls, letters or socially distanced conversations on doorsteps. Many folk have ‘gone the extra mile’ to keep the church family together.
The Church has continued to financially support a number of, local, national and international charities, including Phase, the Foodbank, Christian Aid and BMS World Mission.
Fabric
The facade and most of the window frames on the Church building are being redecorated – a project which is still awaiting completion in early 2021.
The community of Christians who have worshipped at Tilehouse Street for over 350 years have put their trust in God throughout the good and bad times. 2020 has undoubtedly been a difficult year for many but we continue to put our faith in the one who began a good work in us and we know He will bring it to completion in the fullness of His time.
Sheila Hallas Church Secretary February 2021
Minister’s Review
Alongside the efforts to keep the church community together and maintain worship and carry out various meetings via Zoom, 2020 has also been a year for looking ahead. Not only to the immediate ‘life after Covid’ but also to the long-term future. Many of the deacons meetings’ and church meetings’ agendas during 2020 have included the item ‘Looking to the Future’. It has been recognised that it will take time to come to the right decision and there will need to be an undergirding of prayer, but discussions have already led to a number of
options being considered. Just what will Tilehouse Street Baptist Church look like as we moved into the third decade of the 21[st] century? We hope and pray that in 2021 this will be revealed to us but in the meantime we wait upon the Lord.
Revd. Jane Robson Minister March 2021
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
Registered Charity no. 1135132
Income and Expenditure Account for the year
1st January to 31st December 2020
Page 1
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
Trustees
Rev J Robson Minister Mrs S Hallas Secretary Mr A Turner Treasurer Mrs M Granger Deacon Mr M Mallett Deacon Rev I Stears-Handscomb Deacon Mr J Maguire Deacon
Address
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church Upper Tilehouse Street Hitchin, Herts SG5 2EE
Property Trustees Baptist Union Corporation Limited Baptist House 129 Broadway Didcot Oxfordshire OX11 8RT
Main Bankers CAF Bank Ltd PO Box 289 West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA Baptist Union Corporation Limited Baptist House 129 Broadway Didcot Oxfordshire OX11 8RT
Santander Uk Plc 2 Triton Square Regents Place London NW1 3AN
Page 2
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
FUND ACTIVITIES for the year ending 31st December 2020
| FUND ACTIVITIES for the year ending 31st December | 2020 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| GENERAL FUND 2020 Income £ Offerings 36,096 Donations and fees 7,093 Gift Aid - Income tax recovered 9,318 HMRC JRS payments 4,545 Lettings 9,645 Outlook contributions 259 Grounds contributions - Cracker contributions - Holiday at Home contributions 154 Photocopying - Interest received 67 67,178 Expenditure Ministerial (including stipend, expenses pension & pulpit supply) 30,026 Manse expenses 3,023 BU pension deficit payment 2,993 Bright Sparks - Standing charges - Heat & light 4,996 Water 406 Insurance 4,701 10,103 Domestic - Cleaning 8,271 Grounds 5,076 Refreshments 73 13,419 Organist, licences & piano tuning 678 Outreach & publicity - General 235 Outlook 808 Cracker - Holiday at Home 186 1,229 Office - Administrator 5,460 Stationery & stamps 102 Computer supplies 420 Telephone & broadband 430 Photocopier 684 7,096 Equipment - Subcriptions & gifts 1,092 Professional fees 2,524 Conferences & Training 15 Donations 2,200 Sundries 129 74,527 Less transfer to Pastoral Care fund 300 Less transfer to Building maintenance fund 3,000 SURPLUS FOR YEAR (10,649) BALANCE 1st JANUARY 26,827 Reserve policy transfer (from Legacies fund) 9,000 BALANCE 31st DECEMBER 25,178 |
2019 £ 35,652 2,512 9,956 - 25,571 772 457 159 301 51 197 75,628 29,306 3,590 3,904 - 5,896 464 4,565 10,925 8,371 6,192 364 14,928 1,316 227 1,384 106 415 2,132 1,763 125 166 426 462 2,942 193 1,403 - 436 2,200 63 73,337 350 4,000 (2,060) 28,887 26,827 |
|
| 75,628 29,306 3,590 3,904 - 10,925 14,928 1,316 2,132 2,942 193 1,403 - 436 2,200 63 |
||
| 73,337 350 4,000 |
||
| (2,060) | ||
| 28,887 | ||
| 26,827 |
Page 3
| 2020 £ PASTORAL CARE FUND Balance 1st January 1,014 Income - Transfer from General fund 300 Interest 2 1,316 Gifts & Loans 312 Balance 31st December 1,004 BUILDING MAINTENANCE FUND Balance 1st January 1,998 Transfer from General fund 3,000 4,998 Expenditure - general 1,464 church & halls boiler maintenance 1,000 exterior painting 1,000 Balance 31st December 1,534 ORGAN FUND Balance 1st January 13,613 Donations - Interest 39 13,652 Expenditure - tuning - other - Balance 31st December 13,652 LEGACIES FUND Balance 1st January 82,937 Estate of Peter Bleasby 1,000 Estate of Stan Smith 5,000 Interest 247 89,184 Reserves (transfer to General fund) 9,000 Balance 31st December 80,184 |
2019 £ 2,901 900 350 13 |
|---|---|
| 4,164 3,150 |
|
| 1,014 | |
| 860 4,000 |
|
| 4,860 2,862 - - |
|
| 1,998 | |
| 14,014 - 98 |
|
| 14,113 300 200 |
|
| 13,613 | |
| 82,349 - - 589 |
|
| 82,937 - |
|
| 82,937 |
Page 4
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
| BADMINTON CLUB Balance 1st January Income - Subscriptions Expenditure - shuttles & sundries Donation to General fund Balance 31st December DONATIONS FUND (see notes on page 7) Balance 1st January Donations received Gift Aid claimed Other church group donations General fund donations Other church group donations Church donations paid Balance 31st December OUTREACH & MINISTRY FUND Balance 1st January 350th anniversary donations Interest 350th anniversary expenses Balance 31st December FLOWER FUND Balance 1st January Contributions - via church Expenditure Balance 31st December FRIDAY GROUP FUND Balance 1st January Income - charity donations Expenditure - food, etc. Donation to Stand By Me Donation to Tearfund Balance 31st December |
2020 £ 740 340 1,080 23 700 357 20 7,102 1,584 - 2,200 - 10,905 10,805 100 14,267 - 41 14,308 72 14,236 402 140 542 279 263 64 36 100 - 100 - - |
2019 £ 623 752 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,375 60 575 |
||
| 740 | ||
| - 7,777 1,530 295 2,200 - |
||
| 11,802 11,782 |
||
| 20 | ||
| 14,610 612 103 |
||
| 15,325 1,058 |
||
| 14,267 | ||
| 482 765 |
||
| 1,247 845 |
||
| 402 | ||
| 103 256 |
||
| 359 - - 295 |
||
| 64 |
Page 5
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
| STONDON CHAPEL FUND Income Offerings Donations Income tax recovered Furlough payments Grants Little Treasures Coffee mornings & fund raising Lettings Interest Sundry receipts for other causes Expenditure Pastorate Preaching fees Standing charges - Heat & light 596 Water 236 Building - Maintenance 420 Cleaning 672 Projects - Insurance, fire extinguishers 913 Music licence Outreach & publicity Trailblazers/Junior church Little Treasures Training Equipment Donations - Home Mission 600 BMS 600 Baptist Twinning 800 Appeals 1,258 Other 230 Sundries DEFICIT/SURPLUS FOR YEAR BALANCE 1st JANUARY BALANCE 31st DECEMBER |
596 236 |
2020 £ 9,677 240 1,718 323 - 206 17 270 125 1,012 13,587 6,768 120 832 2,005 271 46 - - - 52 3,488 18 13,600 (13) 53,158 53,144 |
641 397 |
2019 £ 12,323 115 2,135 - - 300 209 603 320 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16,005 6,624 262 1,038 2,587 233 405 - - 52 210 2,200 99 |
||||
| 420 672 - 913 |
930 673 - 984 |
|||
| 600 600 800 1,258 230 |
600 600 1,000 |
|||
| 13,710 | ||||
| 2,295 | ||||
| 50,863 | ||||
| 53,158 |
Page 6
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
| DONATIONS FUND NOTES | 2020 | 2019 | Notes (for 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Home Mission | 3,283 | 2,717 | see note 1 |
| BMS | 3,347 | 2,715 | see note 2 |
| Birthday Scheme | 191 | 156 | see note 3 |
| Relief Fund | - | 1,672 | Anniversary service 2019 |
| Operation Agri | 698 | 1,091 | Harvest offerings; see note 4 |
| CTiH Phase | 1,600 | 1,600 | donation from General Fund |
| Regents Park Baptist College | 300 | 300 | donation from General Fund |
| Garden House Hospice | 300 | 300 | donation from General Fund |
| Foodbank | 165 | Harvest offerings; see note 4 | |
| Stand by Me | 100 | Friday Group donation | |
| Garden House Hospice | 131 | Coffee morning | |
| Christian Aid (DEC Appeal) | 604 | see note 5 | |
| CTiH PHASE | 53 | Individual donations | |
| Garden House Hospice | 15 | Individual donations | |
| Knit for Peace | 67 | ||
| Tearfund | 295 | Friday Group donation | |
| Keech Hospice | 37 | Retiring collection | |
| Macular Society | 157 | Christmas card sorting | |
| Foodbank | see note 6 | 167 | Carol Service |
| Christian Aid | see note 6 | 194 | Christmas Day Service |
| Spurgeons Child Care | see note 6 | 335 | Toy & Gift Service |
Total: 10,785 11,802
Notes (for 2020):
-
includes £120.00 HM envelopes; £2,540.00 Gift Day; £643.13 gift aid
-
includes £131.00 BMS globes; £2,540.00 Gift Day; £625.62 gift aid
-
includes £36.25 gift aid
-
includes £122.25 gift aid
-
including gift aid - other members donated directly
-
members were invited to donate directly
Other notes:
-
i) 2019 Mission Gift Day total was £5,198.00 (including £956.25 gift aid)
-
ii) 2020 Mission Gift Day total was £6,306.25.00 (including £1226.25 gift aid)
Page 7
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31st December 2020
| Current assets CAF bank - Cash account CAF bank - Gold account Baptist Union - Deposit account Nat West bank - Badminton Club Cash in hand - Sunshine committee Friday Group Stondon Chapel - Santander UK Plc Baptist Unions deposit account Total at bank and in hand Sundry debtors Prepaid insurance Lettings Total assets Current liabilities None Net assets over liabilities Unrestricted Funds General fund Pastoral care fund Flower fund Friday Group fund Building maintenance fund Organ maintenance fund Badminton Club Donations fund Legacies fund Outreach & Ministry fund Stondon chapel fund Total funds - |
£ 8,541 7,555 116,222 357 3 - 15,238 37,906 |
|---|---|
| 185,823 3,830 - |
|
| 189,653 - |
|
| 189,653 | |
| 25,178 1,004 263 - 1,534 13,652 357 100 80,184 14,236 53,144 |
|
| 189,653 | |
Page 8
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church
Notes to the Accounts
Reserves Policy
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church has a reserves policy which is to retain a minimum of three months expenditure in the General Fund.
Basis of Accounting
These accounts have been prepared on a ‘receipts and payments’ basis and accord with Section 133 Charities Act 2011
Insured Value of Assets held for Church's own use
Property - The Church is the beneficial owner (subject to the relevant trusts) of the following, the legal title to which is held by the Baptist Union Corporation:
| Church premises Manse Stondon premises Other - Organ, Pianos, Fixtures, Fittings and Equipment Stondon, Pianos, etc. |
4,393,968 242,732 458,818 |
|---|---|
| 5,095,518 129,698 76,470 |
|
| 5,301,686 |
The Accounts and Statement of Assets and Liabilities set out on Pages 1 to 9 relating to the year ending 31 December 2020 are as approved by the Trustees
Treasurer ……………………………………. Date …………………………………….
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…………………………………….
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Page 9
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees of
Tilehouse Street Baptist Church, Hitchin
| Report to the trustees of | Tilehouse Street Baptist Church, Hitchin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages |
31stDecember 2020 | Charity no (if any) |
1135132 |
| 1 to 9 |
Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responsibilities of The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
-
examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement by the Charity Commission. 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 ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~
-
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
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have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
-
Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
IER
February 2021
1
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
IER
February 2021
2
Tilehouse Street Ba "st Church Accounts for the Year 1. Janua TSBC Inde endent Examination of 2020 to 31° December 2020 The examination followed the directions as per the Charity Commission's recommendations for accounts maintained on a "receipt and payment. basis. n1-Eli ibilrt for Ind endent examination. I checked the w•M.gov.uk websrte section on chanty accounts independent examinatK)n to ensure that l am eligible to carry out an examination. Accounts show total receipts for the year of £96,296, and net assets of £189,653. This puts TSBC above the £25,000 threshold where examination is required, but bebw the £250,0(YJ income1 £3,260,OCK) assets threshold where an examination by a professionally qualified person, or full audrt Is required. Receipt amunt includes Stondon Chapel ret5, a subsidiary of TSBC. Direction 2 - DIKumentation I have a letter of appointment from Janet Impey (former treasurer) dated 17 September 2009 stating that I have been unanimously appointed by the members of TSBC. I have confirmed that the minLrtes of the AGM on 17 September 2020 show that rt was agreed that I be appointed for year 2020. I have copied and will keep for 6 years the financial statement, balance sheet and general account P&L. I will keep a copy of both this wort(ing report and the summary report. Direction 3 - Understandin TSBC I have 2 copy of the Constitution for TSBC dated November 2(Y)9. 1 have looked through this and in particular section 26 which relaled to Record Keeping and Accounting. I have not seen anything that goes against the directions in the constitution. I have talked generally with Ihe current and fomEr Ireasurer and one of the Church Deacons. This is now the year I have been doing the Independent examination, and I feel I have an understanding of the organisation and finances of TSBC. Direction 4 - Accountin Records The accounts are kept in a dear, organised and detailed manner. The financbal statement is presented in summary fomi with supporting d¢nJmentation showing
individual Iransaction details Pr(Kedures in Directs'on 5 will verrfy whether or not the accounts are reasonably complete. Direction 5- Com arison of Accounts wth Accountin Records I first checked the statement of assets atNY liabilities in the financial report with the 31 Dernber balance sheet, these are in agreement. I looked for independent supporting duMentatiOn of the major assets in the balance sheet. End of year bank statements show these figures to be accurate. The smaller funds (Fnday club, badminton dub and sunshine committee) were accepted without detailed verrfication. checked that the opening balancES for all ac£ounts are the same as the dosing balanS of the same accounts in the copy for the 2019 financial report that I retained for my cOrdS. I Checked the movement of funds dunng the year, and that the balance sheet value for the end of 2019 plus rIPtS for 2020 less payments and current liabilities for 2020 equalled the balance sheet value for end of 2020. Direction 6- Anal ical Procedures Initi21 examination shows a decrease of just under £8,500 in total receipts for 2020 against 2019. This is Lqrgely due to the fact that a drop in rental income of just under £16,IKIO was mitigated by £4:545 Income trom the HMRC Corona Virus Sche arKd just over £4:500 increase in donations. Expenditure in 2020 of £74,527 was broadly similar to the amount of £73,337 spent in 2019. l also checked random payments to ensure there were invol$ to support them. Direction 10- Examinerfs Re I have signed a copy of the summary examineff s report as I believe the accounting requirements have been met. Dated 5 February 2021. Matters of Material Si nifican I have nol found any matters of materi81 Signfflcan that need to have attention drawn to them.