1111 Evangelical Church Report and Accounts year ended 30 September 2024 ## WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH ## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 |ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE|ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE||Fulling Mill Lane||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||Welwyn||||| ||||Herts. AL6 9NH||||| ||||||||| |GOVERNING DOCUMENT|||With effect from 6th May 2010, the Church was registered||||| ||||with the Charity Commission (reg. No. 1135832).||||| ||||It is governed by a new Constitution dated 11th July 2009,||||| ||||(as updated by amendment dated 20 February 2019),||||| ||||and revised Rules of Practice which were adopted||||| ||||by the church in November 2009 and May 2022.||||| ||||Prior to this the church was an excepted charity, governed by||||| ||||the Trust deed dated|||12 November 1892, and the associated|| ||||schedule of Articles of Faith, The Rules of Practice,||||| ||||and The Procedures for the management and||||| ||||administration of the church as a charity.||||| |CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER|||1135832||||| |TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR|||Mostyn Roberts|||Elder and Pastor (to July 2024)|| |MANAGING THE CHARITY|||Jamie Campbell|||Elder and Pastor (from August 2024)|| ||||Chris Pountney|||Elder|| ||||Nigel Pountney|||Deacon|| ||||Anthony Hendley|||Deacon|| ||||Matt Jones|||Deacon (to August 2024)|| ||||Andy Ward|||Deacon (from November 2023)|| ||||Stephen Coombes|||Deacon (from November 2023)|| |HOLDING TRUSTEES|||||||| ||||Wendy Evers||||| ||||Andrew Ward||||| ||||Carolyn Clark||||| ||||Simon Barfoot||||| |BANKERS|||||||| ||||Barclays Bank||||| ||||The Welwyn Group||||| ||||12/12A The Howard Centre||||| ||||Welwyn Garden City,|||Herts. AL8 6ER|| |INDEPENDENT EXAMINER|||||||| ||||Archie McDowall BA,|||CA|| ||||Stewardship||||| ||||1 Lamb's Passage||||| ||||London||||| ||||EC1Y 8AB||||| |CONTENTS|||||||| |Page 1|Legal & Administrative Details||||||| |Pages 2-3|Report of the Trustees||||||| |Page 4|Independent Examiner's Report||||||| |Page 5|Receipts and Payments Account||||||| |Page 6|Statement|of Assets and Liabilities|||||| |Pages 7-8|Notes to the Accounts||||||| Page 1 ## WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH ## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 The Trustees are pleased to present the Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024. ## **Objects of the charity** The charity, which is a church, is governed by a _Constitution_ and is constituted as a Trust. The church's principal object, as set out in its governing document, is the advancement of the Christian religion as defined by the _Schedule of Articles of Faith,_ both in the Welwyn area and elsewhere. This purpose is achieved by: a) Regular meetings for public worship and for Bible teaching b) Financial support for our pastor and others so that they can devote themselves to the ministry of preaching, teaching and pastoral care; this includes support to train others for this work c) Evangelistic activities in the community d) Production and distribution of Christian literature e) Practical help to those in need, especially to fellow believers ## **Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements** To further the objects and vision, the charity’s main activities and achievements were as follows: The Church continued to meet for worship and “teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ”. It placed a strong emphasis on all the means of grace and regularly met for prayer and Bible study. The Sunday services were also Livestreamed and the midweek Bible Studies and prayer meetings used Zoom to include folk who were unable to attend. During the year, the church premises were used for the teaching programme including Sunday Bible classes, and weekday evening activities for children and young people. A number of other activities for different interest groups were arranged, and the Church continued to evangelise and to show the love of Christ to the local community. The Church took an active interest in missionary work at home and overseas by prayer and financial support. In planning the activities, the Trustees have applied the guidance given by the Charity Commission on public benefit. ## **Financial review** Unrestricted voluntary receipts were just over £103,000, which is similar to the previous year. Restricted voluntary receipts were lower at just over £4,000. Receipts from charitable activities were slightly higher than the previous year at just under £1,000. A sum of approx. £2,100 was received from interest on investments. Overall, the total receipts reduced by £1,600 compared to the previous year. Direct charitable activity payments were higher than the previous year by £10,000 at just over £79,300. Grants paid were lower at £21,900. Unrestricted support costs were higher by £2,200 over the year. Overall, total payments exceeded total receipts by nearly £9,000. ## **Future Plans** The key strategies for the church are to remain the same. ## **Grants Policy** In keeping with the Aims of the Charity, the Church supported a number of institutions and individuals both at home and overseas. The Church business meeting determined those causes to which grants are made, based upon either an annual review of previous recipients or as a new cause. No ongoing commitment is given to any recipient prior to renewal. ## **Investments Policy** The Deacons have pursued an investment policy which provides shorter and longer term returns in vehicles specifically set up for Charities. Risk is reduced by spreading across different schemes. ## **Policy on Reserves** The Officers have agreed a policy on reserves such that unrestricted funds are maintained at a level to: a) Cover ministerial, care, local outreach, administration and support costs without which the Church could not function. b) Provide funds which can be designated to specific projects to enable these projects to be undertaken at short notice. At the year end, the unrestricted net reserves were in the region of £69,000. This sum is being held to Page 2 to provide funds for future use, including £20,000 for maintenance projects, and £20,000 for the ministry. The trustees believe the charity should aim to hold £69,000 to meet these requirements. The level of reserves is monitored and reviewed by the Charity Trustees twice annually. ## **Governance** The names of the Trustees who served since 1st October 2023 are listed on Page 1. They were elected by a majority of the Members in accordance with the provisions of the governing documents. The Trustees meet regularly to monitor and review activities in accordance with existing policy and decisions, and propose new or modifications to existing policy and decisions for adoption at the Church members meeting. ## **Organisational Structure** All Members subscribe to _the Rules of Practice_ , which cover the administration of the Church and its Officers. The roles of Elders and Deacons within the Church are described in that document and are based on the New Testament teaching. The scope of the authority of the Church Officers in the discharge of their legal responsibilities is documented in _the Procedures for the management and administration of the Church as a charity, Fifth Edition (March 2024)_ as amended. ## **Risk Management** All major insurable risks are subject to normal Churches' and employers' insurance. Contractual risks are reviewed before being entered into to assess that they could not significantly impact upon the Church's ability to fulfil its objectives. A review is undertaken during the year of the major risks to which the church is exposed. The officers have taken appropriate steps to mitigate these risks. ## **Trustees Responsibilities** Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. ## **Approval** This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by Jamie Campbell Jamie Campbell (Mar 21, 2025 06:29 GMT)Jamie Campbell Mar 21, 2025 Nigel Pountney N. D. Pountney Mar 21, 2025 N. D. Pountney (Mar 21, 2025 16:33 GMT) Page 3 ## **Independent Examiner's Report To the Trustees of** ## **Welwyn Evangelical Church** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Welwyn Evangelical Church (the Trust) for the year ended 30 September 2024 on pages 5 to 8 following. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity trustees of the Trust you 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 Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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 respect of the Trust as required by 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 this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ## Archie McDowall Archie McDowall (Mar 24, 2025 14:40 GMT) Archie McDowall BA, CA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage London EC1Y 8AB Date: Mar 24, 2025 Page 4 ## **WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024** |||||Unrestricted|Restricted|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||General|Funds|2024|2023|||| ||||Notes|£|£|£|£|||| ||**Receipts**|||||||||| ||_Voluntary receipts_|||||||||| ||Grants and gifts received||2a|103,045|4,083|107,128|110,276|||| |||||103,045|4,083|107,128|110,276|||| ||_Other receipts_|||||||||| ||Interest received|||2,069|-|2,069|923|||| ||Charitable activities||2b|485|500|985|589|||| ||Sale of Assets|||-|-|-|-|||| |||||||||||| ||Total Receipts|||105,599|4,583|110,182|111,788|||| ||**Payments**|||||||||| ||_Payments in furtherance of the church's objectives_|||||||||| ||Direct charitable activity||3|78,817|500|79,317|69,286|||| ||Grants paid||3|17,325|4,535|21,860|23,906|||| ||Support costs||3|17,970|-|17,970|15,747|||| ||Total Payments|||114,112|5,035|119,147|108,940|||| |||||||||||| ||Net Receipts/(Payments)|||(8,512)|(453)|(8,965)|2,848|||| ||before transfers|||||||||| ||**Transfers between funds**||6|(753)|753|-|-|||| ||**Net Movement in Funds**|||(9,265)|300|(8,965)|2,848|||| ||Cash funds as at last year end|||81,109|-|81,109|78,261|||| ||**Cash funds at this year end**|||71,844|300|72,144|81,109|||| The notes on pages 7-8 form part of these accounts. Page 5 ## **WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES** ## **AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2024** |**2. Other monetary assets**
Book Stock - valuation at cost
Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid
Other debtors
**3. Liabilities**
Employment costs due to HMRC
Fee for Independent Examination
Other creditors
Accrued expenses
**1. Cash Funds**
Barclays Bank General Account
Cambridge & Counties Bank deposits
Petty Cash - Bookstall|Unrestricted
Restricted
General
Funds
2024
£
£
£
2023
£| |---|---| ||21,625
300
21,925
32,973
50,203
-
50,203
48,134
16
-
16
2| ||71,844
300
72,144
81,109| ||| ||215
-
215
215
2,914
-
2,914
2,952
22
-
22
7| ||3,151
-
3,151
3,173| ||| ||4,111
-
4,111
1,867
950
-
950
840
-
-
-
10
428
-
428
612| ||5,489
-
5,489
3,329| ## **4. Assets retained for charity's own use** |The value of the assets owned are:||£|| |---|---|---|---| |Freehold Building||100,000|Historic cost as of 30/09/2024| |Refurbishments and improvements||130,200|At cost| |Plant/Machinery/Equipment||30,100|At cost| |Program related investment||80,000|See note below| |||340,300|| The Freehold property above comprises the Church premises at Fulling Mill Lane. The Program Related Investment is an advance made in September 1999 for £100,000 on a property for the Pastor who holds the registered title. The church made available an additional sum of £15,000 in March 2006 towards part-equity in the property extension. Subsequently, the new evaluation and redistribution in the share of ownership was calculated as 55.08% of the proceeds of sale in favour of the church. In March 2016 the Pastor increased his share of ownership by paying the church £35,000, thereby reducing the church's share to 48.72%. In Summer 2024, the Pastor advised the church that he would be selling the property, and at the current time the property is in the process of being conveyed. The expected return is approximately £340,000. The Trustees are confident that the current market value of the property is above cost. The accounts were approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf, Jamie Campbell Jamie Campbell (Mar 21, 2025 06:29 GMT)Jamie Campbell Mar 21, 2025 Nigel Pountney N. D. Pountney (Mar 21, 2025 16:33 GMT)N. D. Pountney Mar 21, 2025 The notes on pages 7-8 form part of these accounts. Page 6 ## **WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024** ## **1. Accounting Policies** The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities. |_Grants (see note 4)_
UK Missionary
International Missionary
_Support costs_
Property and repairs
Governance costs
Other administration
**2. Incoming Resources**
_(a) Voluntary income_
Gifts and donations
Tax recovered
Bequests received
_(b) Incoming resources from charitable activities_
Literature sales
Youth Work/ Ladies events
Sundry income
**3. Charitable activity costs**
_Direct charitable costs_
Ministry
Church Teaching & Pastoral
Local Evangelism
Youth/Adult work
Total|Unrestricted Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
83,579
4,083
87,662
91,310
18,466
-
18,466
18,966
1,000
-
1,000
-| |---|---| ||103,045
4,083
107,128
110,276| ||14
-
14
101
471
-
471
487
-
500
500
-| ||485
500
985
589| ||| ||Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
70,518
-
70,518
60,934
5,221
500
5,721
5,374
2,445
-
2,445
2,397
632
-
632
582| ||78,817
500
79,317
69,286| ||| ||14,825
4,535
19,360
19,245
2,500
-
2,500
4,661| ||17,325
4,535
21,860
23,906| ||| ||Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
15,433
-
15,433
13,488
943
-
943
878
1,593
-
1,593
1,381| ||17,970
-
17,970
15,747| ||| ||| ||114,112
5,035
119,147
108,940| Page 7 ## **WELWYN EVANGELICAL CHURCH** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2024** ## **4. Grants Paid** |Gospel Work
Missionary Work
Ministerial Training
Medical Provision
Hardship Relief|Institutions
Individuals
2024
£
£
£
8,965
500
9,465

7,020
-
7,020

1,340
-
1,340

4,535
-
4,535

-
-
-
21,860
500
22,360|2023
£
11,471
4,950
1,275
125
6,085
23,906| |---|---|---| The major grants paid in the year were: European Mission Fellowship £5,760 (Support of a Pastor in Spain and a Pastor in Italy who are leading church work, and for a conference in Ukraine) Mercy Ships £4,535 (Medical provision in Africa) Overseas Missionary Fellowship £2,625 (Gospel Work in Taiwan) United For Mission £5,100 (Gospel work in the UK and France, support of a Pastor in France) Gospel Grace Church, Sri Lanka £2,500 (Church planting work in Sri Lanka) Pastors Academy £1,340 (Ministerial training in the UK) ## **5. Employees** The Church has one employee, the Pastor (2023:1), with most of the church's activities being carried out by volunteers. The Pastor, JM Roberts, is both a church leader and a trustee, and retired from that role in July 2024. His gross salary, paid in his role as a church leader, is allowed by the governing document, and was within a salary band of £50,000 to £60,000. The Pastor Elect, JP Campbell, started employment in June 2024, and from August 2024 became the Pastor. He is both a church leader and a trustee. His gross salary, paid in his role as a church leader, is allowed by the governing document, and was within a salary band of £50,000 to £60,000. No remuneration was paid to any other trustee during the year nor to any person connected to them. No trustee expenses were paid to any trustee during the year. ## **5. Movement of funds** |Harvest 2023 - Mercy Ships
Sundry income
Harvest 2024 - Mombasa
Mission|Balance at
Balance at
30 Sept 2023
Receipts
Transfers
Payments
30 Sept 2024
£
£
£
£
£
-
3,783
753
4,535
-
-
500
-
500
-
-
300
-
-
300
-
4,583
753
5,035
300| |---|---| Page 8