BURY ST EDMUNDS METHODIST CIRCUIT _(Registered Charity 1135971)_ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
## CIRCUIT MINISTERS
Reverend Canon Jason Vinyard 14 Well Street Bury St Edmunds IP33 1EQ Reverend Rita Carr 12 Shakespeare Road Stowmarket IP14 1TJ Reverend Ruth Ridge 4 Kedington Court Acton CO10 0XB
## CIRCUIT STEWARDS
Mr Francis Carr 12 Shakespeare Road Stowmarket IP14 1TJ Mrs Jane Brooker
Mr Andrew Walker 14 Horsecroft Road Bury St Edmunds IP33 2DU
## CIRCUIT TREASURERS
Mr Richard Meadows 16 Greene Mews Bury St Edmunds IP33 1QL Mr Richard Wild (Assistant) Palmers Cottage The Green Woolpit IP30 9RQ
THE TRUSTEES are those persons appointed by the Circuit Meeting under Methodist Church rules.
THE CIRCUIT is the primary unit in which local churches express and experience their interconnection in the body of Christ for the purposes of mission, mutual encouragement and help. The Circuit comprises 9 churches and had a team of two and a half Ministers covering a mainly rural area of some 500 square miles. There were 3 active supernumerary ministers and 11 local preachers. From time to time Sunday services are held on a local arrangement basis if no minister or local preacher can be found.
THE CHURCHES’ membership and attendance numbers were as follows:
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Church Membership Membership Attendance Attendance
November 2023 November 2024 November 2023 November 2024
Bradfield 7 4 9 6
Glemsford 8 8 12 14
Ixworth 12 12 7 7
Christchurch 34 34 22 22
Needham Market
LEP
Northumberland 18 17 25 25
Avenue
Old Newton 17 17 14 12
St John’s Sudbury 67 62 45 45
Stowmarket 33 38 29 32
Trinity Bury St 107 107 50 60
Edmunds
Totals 303 299 213 223
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Churches’ annual assessment contributions to Circuit expenses are set out in note 1 to the accounts.
Churches in the Circuit continue to be inclusive, welcoming and register to officiate equal marriage services; some circuit churches have officiated same-sex marriages, and some churches have
welcomed new families and new members. Across the circuit churches services of Baptism, Confirmation have taken place, and several funerals for local members and community. The Circuit Churches serve their local communities in several ways: from Old Newton’s craft groups; affordable lunch clubs and Trinity’s and Ixworth’s affordable weekly café days, St John’s family work, Northumberland Avenue Tots group, and some provide warm spaces. The circuit churches also provide community spaces an example, Trinity hosts a community choir., and community groups such as AA, Bury Drop In – that supports vulnerably housed and homeless which links with local organisations and NHS to provide support and routes to housing and employment and health care. Within some of the circuit churches, participation in Bible Studies and House groups has flourished, meaning new groups have been formed, and pastoral groups continue. There are continued programmes of improvements to properties for accessibility to premises and also during worship services and all the necessary annual checks. An example of works completed range from new fire alarm, underfloor heating, AV screens, sound baffles, to decorating.
## CIRCUIT ACTIVITIES
Circuit Newsletter: The circuit publishes a monthly newsletter covering its own activities it organises together with activities taking place in, or planned by, the local churches and ecumenical churches. This ensures that church members and friends know what is going on across the Circuit as a whole and can support the activities of other churches as well as their own. It also includes information for services and events across the East Anglia District, and links to other Methodist Organisations including the Joint Public Issues Team and Methodist Homes. Amongst other events there is a monthly environmental and eco article and gardening page fusing our spirituality and place in Suffolk. The front cover features artwork from people within the circuit supporting our local creativity, and theology of creation and incarnation, and the national Methodist Artwork collection bringing in wider theological perspective.
Continuing Local Preachers’ and Ministers’ Development: The Justice, Dignity and Solidarity report agreed and adopted at Methodist Conference continues to be the focus for on-going development; Unconscious Bias and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Training has been carried out by Local Preachers, Church Stewards and Ministers. The Local Preachers and Worship Leaders and ministers meet quarterly for business such as ongoing training, forward planning, and for pastoral support, and further development and learning fellowship and study. During the year a local church member gave testimony to become a preacher on note, exploring a calling to the ministry of local preaching, and a mentor and tutor from among the meeting was appointed. During this year the Local Preachers Meeting reformatted the agenda to give time to business and a more balanced time to worship, spirituality and wellbeing.
Safeguarding and GDPR: The Circuit Safeguarding Officer, the Superintendent, Ministers and Safeguarding Officers within the Circuit churches ensure all DBS certificates are up to date, and also The Foundational and Advanced Module Safeguarding courses are completed. The Circuit Safeguarding Policy is reviewed annually and the September meeting and adopted and is on the circuit website, Annual GDPR checks have been completed.
## EDI and Unconscious Bias:
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Unconscious Bias has been completed by most of the Circuit’s Presbyters and Stewards. A positive step and it is good to see people engaging with this training. The training is undertaken by individuals online, and some ‘face to face’ training has taken place. Those who have completed the course are very positive about it, with the key take away being our use of language and the learning from legally protected characteristics and accessibility of worship and premises.
The Environmental and Eco Circuit Policy: Four Eco Church days were held at Bradfield Methodist Chapel to support the group, made up of representatives from each circuit church. This
Circuit initiative has the name B.eco.ME. Target is to widen participation and work towards planning for Net Zero by 2030, taking into consideration the recommendations for Methodist Church report and mission – A Justice Seeking Church. Creation services feature in each circuit church, led by our Eco lead and we have an annual Circuit Service around the Season of Creation, towards increasing awareness of ecological matters and the theology of this, while developing towards Net Zero targets as agreed at Conference. The Trustees of the church in which the Circuit Office is housed continue to apply Eco Church – some churches within the circuit have obtained silver and bronze certificates, and as this focus develops the Circuit identifies that over Net-Zero, the Circuit will focus on Eco-Church and Eco-Theology.
Circuit Office: progress towards Eco Circuit certification continues – during this year continued replacement to low energy LED lighting has taken place, and the building has underfloor heating and full eco insulation in roofs. Focus is towards low energy usage, sustainably sourced materials, carbon neutral papers, recycling. Circuit office continues working with A Rocha Christian environmental charity (Eco Church) and policy is to continue to develop this across the circuit. The Circuit Office uses a GDPR compliant shredder. During the year to fulfil the lone worker policy, new door locks were fitted, viewing glass to office doors, and a cctv system compliant with GDPR.
Circuit Website: The Circuit Website is continually updated and has resources available such as ‘the theology of safeguarding’ and information on circuit church events, services and links to partner organisations. The Circuit Newsletter and Preaching Plan is uploaded monthly, with GDPR compliance.
Circuit Services: are held for fellowship of all the circuit churches and have included a creation service, and a contemplative service with a meal afterwards, and Circuit Harvest service in which a local preacher received their 50 years of Local Preaching certificate, Ash Wednesday and Holy Week services.
Staff Meetings: The ministers in active appointment meet every two weeks, for fellowship, support, to share news from across the circuit churches, for strategic thinking, for plan making, and for time of prayer.
Circuit Leadership Team: made up of Circuit Ministers, Circuit Stewards, Circuit Treasures, meets regularly and before each Circuit Meeting to develop circuit policy and agreements on circuit matters, to recommend any conference policy and to continue to develop policies such as risk assessment and lone worker policies. It also meets to develop circuit strategy.
Children and Community Worker: Circuit contributes £2’000 to St John’s Children and Community Worker. The circuit assists in supporting a Community Worker at St John's, Sudbury, who works with a team to engage with the local community through a toddler group, after school club and drop in coffee and activities group. The team also runs regular Messy Church sessions.
Line Management: The circuit ensures line management of the Circuit PA/Administrator.
Supervision as set out by Methodist Conference: The circuit superintendent regularly meets presbyteral staff for Pastoral Supervision as agreed at Connexional Conference for formation and continued ministerial development.
Ecumenical work: is continued across all churches in the circuit, sharing acts of worship, Advent, Lent and Easter combined bible studies, World Day of Prayer, Week of Christian Unity, Good Friday Walk of Witness and mission events such as Messy Church, Open the Book in schools, and services at A Rocha Nature Reserve. Strong links have been developed with St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
Bradfield Retreat: The circuit has been exploring ways to make fuller use of its buildings. Bradfield chapel is situated in the countryside with good parking, meeting rooms and good transport links and the circuit has been exploring how this could be used to provide facilities for retreats and quiet days. The circuit Eco group, B.eco.ME have met here on a number of occasions and churches have used the premises for away days. At circuit meetings there has been agreement and plans develop towards the creation of a retreat centre and refurbishment of ancillary cottage at Bradfield Methodist Church to create a sustainable source of revenue for the mission of the circuit.
Grants to Circuit churches: During the year Circuit agreed grants for some Circuit churches towards property improvements and Children and Family work.
The Martins Methodist Homes Association: The senior circuit steward is the chaplain at The Martins and links continue to restore since the pandemic and Circuit Ministers and Supernumeraries offer Holy Communion to residents on a weekly basis and utilise Churches Together ecumenical links with other ordained colleagues from across Bury St Edmunds.
Culford Methodist School: A local preacher in the circuit is chaplain and head of RE at Culford and links continue to develop. The Superintendent is welcomed at Culford, shares in services such as The Annual Carol Service, presides at Holy Communion for school staff at start of term, and meets the chaplain and other staff, on a regular basis. The Circuit Superintendent worked with a student confirmation group and nine students were confirmed.
Circuit staff and Volunteers: We are incredibly grateful for the time, talents, gifts and prayers, overall strategic thinking, management and fellowship they share across the circuit.
## CIRCUIT PROPERTY MATTERS
Work continued on the refurbishment of the manse in Well Street, including major repairs, using traditional methods, to the boundary walls largely of flint and stone fragments from the dissolved abbey. Expenditure remained within the Budget of £100,000 authorised by Circuit Meeting.
Two years previously the annual report noted that the future of the closed Cotton church premises was under consideration. Proposals for retention, for example as a community facility, were considered but were not seen as capable of coming to fruition. The Circuit Meeting agreed that the church should go for sale on the open market and Cotton Methodist Church was sold with all legal compliance signed off by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes in August 2024. Quinquennials are up to date.
## FINANCIAL MATTERS
The Circuit's Financial objective remains to meet its day to day running costs from income on ongoing activities. These are mainly assessments received from the individual churches but also rental income on the Sudbury manse and interest income on reserves.
The accounts showed a surplus of £1,195 from ongoing activities compared to £9,059 the previous year. The lower surplus was due to continued expenditure on the Well Street Manse and Higher Administrative Costs coupled with general cost of living expenses.
Other costs totalled £21,888, including grants made to churches of £13,500 left us with an overall shortfall of £20,693 reducing the value of net current assets from £237,529 to £216,836
Although the Circuit remained in a strong financial position the Circuit Finances' continued to be closely monitored.
## RESERVES POLICY
The reserves shown within the Net Current Assets of £216836 are earmarked as follows:
|Description|Amount|
|---|---|
|6 months expenditure|£90,000.00|
|Eco Projects Etc.|£60,000.00|
|Mission Work|£30,000.00|
|Extra administration provision|£25,000.00|
|Removal Fund|£2,500.00|
|Manse expenditure|£7,500.00|
|Total|£215,000.00|
|||
## **BURY ST EDMUNDS METHODIST CIRCUIT 14/03 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024**
|**PART A ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
**INCOME FROM ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
Assessments
Rent from manse - net
Interest
Other
**TOTAL INCOME FROM ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
**EXPENDITURE ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
District assessment
_Ministerial support_
Ministers' stipends and pensions
District travel fund
Manse council tax and water
Manse maintenance
Manse insurance
Telecommunications
Supernumerary preaching fees
Removal costs
_Administration and other_
Administrator (part time)
Office expenses and TMCP fee
Quinquennial inspections
Donations and gifts
Bank charges
Examination fee
Other
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
**SURPLUS / DEFICIT ONGOING ACTIVITIES**
**PART B OTHER ACTIVITIES**
Annual District Advance Fund Levy
Ongoing costs - Cotton premises
Grants to Churches
Pension Reserve Fund refund
Mission initiatives
Gains on fixed asset valuations
Circuit Office works at Trinity
**SURPLUS/DEFICIT OTHER ACTIVITIES**
**TOTAL NET SURPLUS/DEFICIT ON YEAR**
**ADD FUNDS START OF YEAR**
**FUNDS AT END OF YEAR**
**FUNDS AT END OF YEAR**
**EXCLUDING FIXED ASSETS (BUILDINGS)**|Notes|Unrestricted
2023-24
£|Restricted
2023-24
£|Total
2023-24
£|Total
2022-23
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||
||1
2
3
4
5
6
3|162,545
14,936
11,504
73||162,545
14,936
11,504
73|166,523
13,589
7,708
224|
|||**189,058**|**0**|**189,058**|**188,044**|
|||31,475
94,891
5,250
6,407
23,777
2,722
1,166
791
0
15,964
3,457
1,182
300
81
250
150||31,475
94,891
5,250
6,407
23,777
2,722
1,166
791
0
15,964
3,457
1,182
300
81
250
150|31,562
95,078
4,500
6,140
17,220
2,439
1,042
703
1,708
11,938
4,054
1,073
725
87
200
516|
|||**187,863**|**0**|**187,863**|**178,985**|
|||||||
|||**1,195**|**0**|**1,195**|**9,059**|
|||||||
||7
8
9
10|-2,483
-6,632
-13,500
3,582
-791
0
-2,064||-2,483
-6,632
-13,500
3,582
-791
0
-2,064|-2,472
-14,016
-9,372
0
-488
933,000
0|
|||**-21,888**|**0**|**-21,888**|**906,652**|
|||||||
|||**-20,693**
**2,187,529**|**0**
**0**|**-20,693**
**2,187,529**|**915,711**
**1,271,818**|
|||**2,166,836**|**0**|**2,166,836**|**2,187,529**|
|||||||
||11|**216,836**|**0**|**216,836**|**237,529**|
## **BURY ST EDMUNDS METHODIST CIRCUIT 14/3 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 AUGUT 2024**
||Notes|31 August 2024|31 August 2024|31 August 2024|31-Aug-23|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Unrestricted
funds
£|Restricted
funds
£|Total
£|Total
£|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**
Debtors and prepayments
Central Finance Board account
Model Trust Funds - held by TMCP
HSBC current account
Cash
**TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS**
Creditors due under 1 year
**TOTAL NET CURRENT ASSETS**
Fixed assets - Manses||15,587
121,293
101,800
16,492
0||15,587
121,293
101,800
16,492
0|4,932
162,690
99,323
8,562
0|
||12|**255,172**
38,336|**0**|**255,172**
38,336|**275,507**
37,979|
||13|**216,836**
1,950,000|**0**|**216,836**
1,950,000|**237,529**
1,950,000|
|**TOTAL NET ASSETS**||**2,166,836**|**0**|**2,166,836**|**2,187,529**|
|**REPRESENTED BY**||||||
|General fund
Model Trust Funds - held by TMCP
Manses titles - held byTMCP|14
13|115,036
101,800
1,950,000||115,036
101,800
1,950,000|138,206
99,323
1,950,000|
|**TOTAL**||**2,166,836**|**0**|**2,166,836**|**2,187,529**|
Signed:
Senior Circuit Steward
## **BURY ST EDMUNDS METHODIST CIRCUIT 14/3**
## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2023-24**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **Accounting policies**
_**Basis of accounting**_ These financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention, except as noted below in respect of the valuation of manses, and in accordance with Statements of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities, and applicable UK accounting standards and the Charities Act 1993. The estimated net realizable value of the manses has been incorporated in the accounts. There has been no change in accounting policies from the previous year.
_**Reserves**_ Total net current assets at the end of the year were £216,836. Circuit policy is to hold unrestricted reserves equivalent to about six month’s expenditure. The Circuit has drawn up a reserves policy which considers how funds in excess of that can best be used to meet its charitable objectives and these are reported in the annual report.
_**Incoming resources**_ All incoming resources are recognized once the Circuit has entitlement to them, it is certain they will be received and the monetary value of incoming resources can be measured with sufficient reliability.
_**Resources expended**_ Liabilities are recognized as resources expended as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation which commits the Circuit to the expenditure. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs relating to that category.
_**Irrecoverable VAT**_ Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the category of resource expended for which it was incurred.
_**Tangible fixed assets**_ Tangible fixed assets are capitalized if they have a cost in excess of £2,000 and can be used for more than one year. The only such assets are the manses in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Sudbury.
## **1 Assessments**
Assessments are based on perceived ability to pay as indicated by the average income of each church over the previous five years. Allowance is made for any extraordinary income such as bequests and grants. The total assessment required to support circuit is then shared between the churches pro-rata to income. Assessments received were:
|to income. Assessments received were:|||
|---|---|---|
||2023-24(£)|2022-23(£)|
|Bradfield
|6,968|7,298|
|Glemsford
|3,000|3,000|
|Ixworth
|5,780|5,825|
|Needham Market|6,510|9,184|
|Northumberland Avenue|12,564|12,316|
|Old Newton|11,328|11,636|
|St John’s Sudbury|44,416|44,940|
|Stowmarket
|14,208|14,404|
|Trinity Bury St Edmunds|57,771|57,920|
|**Total**|**162,545**|**166,523 **|
## **2 Rent from manse**
The figure is net - £16,200 less agent’s fees £1,264.
|**3**|**Staff costs**|2023-24(£) 2022-23(£)|
|---|---|---|
||Stipends and salary|83,919 81,260|
||Pension contributions|19,027 18,587|
||Employers N I|6,866 6,216|
||Allowances|582 536|
||Apprenticeship levy|461 417|
||**Total**|**110,855** **107,016**|
Number of full-time equivalents 3 3
## **4 District Travel Fund**
This is the Circuit’s contribution towards the Fund run by District (based on the number of Ministers in each Circuit) from which actual travel costs are paid.
## **5 Manse maintenance**
An allocation of £20,000 a year for manse maintenance was introduced on 1 September 2022 to be held as a designated fund within the general fund. The accounts show total expenditure of £40,997 in 202223 and 2023-24 meaning the fund was £997 overdrawn by 31 August 2024. This will be carried forward.
## **6 Removal fund**
A designated fund was set up on 1 September 2023, within the general fund, for Ministers’ removals. It contained £2,500 at 31 August 2024.
## **7 District Advance Fund**
A levy of 2.5% on the first £100,000, 5% between £100,000 and £250,000 and 7.5% above £250,000 is applied by the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP) to the Circuit Advance Fund as at 1 September and paid to the East Anglia District Advance Fund.
## **8 Cotton**
Expenditure was on the empty building insurance policy, and heating and maintenance to preserve the building’s fabric. The building was sold by auction on 25 September 2024 - £236,000 gross was realized.
## **9 Grants to churches**
Grants to churches were: £4,500 lay worker and repairs at Sudbury, £4,000 repairs at Ixworth, and £5,000 towards a new kitchen at Trinity.
## **10 Gains on fixed assets**
The gains on fixed assets in 2022-23 reflected a revaluation of the manses.
## **11 Funds excluding fixed assets**
This information has been included at the request of the Circuit Meeting. Members wished to see clearly the funds actually held by the Circuit excluding the estimated value of the manses.
## **12 Creditors**
This includes assessment payments from the churches as required by Standing orders of £36,112 made in August 2024 towards Circuit expenditure after 1 September 2024.
## **13 Manses**
The manses are owned by the TMCP but are managed on their behalf by the Trustees of the Bury St Edmunds Methodist Circuit. As such their value is only reported in these accounts as a convenience to the owners TMCP. As indicated in last year’s accounts the value of the manses had been reviewed in the light of local market conditions and the refurbishment of the Well Street manse and increased to £1,950,000. (See also note 10 above.)
## **14 General funds**
|Allocation of general funds:
Manse maintenance - designated (note 5) deficit
Removal fund - designated (note 6)
Other|- £997
£2,500
£113,533|
|---|---|
||£115,036|
## **15 Trustees**
None of the Trustees, or persons connected with them, received any remuneration or other benefits from the Circuit or any connected organization as a result of their office during the year.
## **DECLARATIONS**
## **1. TREASURER**
I confirm that I have prepared the accounts from the records of the Circuit and that they include all the funds under the control of the Circuit.
Signature R Sore Date 25.3.2005
pp Circuit Treasurer
## **2. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE BURY ST EDMUNDS METHODIST CIRCUIT**
This report is on the Circuit accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024.
## **Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the Examiner**
The Circuit’s Trustees are responsible for the preparations of the accounts. The Charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is required. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts under Section 145 of the Charities Act.
## **Basis of the Independent Examiner’s Report**
My examination comprised a review of the accounting records kept by the Circuit Treasurer and a comparison of the accounts with those records The procedures undertaken do not provide evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion in the view given by those accounts.
## **Independent Examiner’s statement**
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:
a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 46 of the Charities Act, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the Accounting Act have not been met, or b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signature J Knights
Date 8.5.2005
James Knights Eldo House Kempson Way Bury St Edmunds IP32 7AR
## **3. PRESENTATION TO THE CIRCUIT MEETING FOR APPROVAL**
I confirm the accounts have been presented to the Circuit Meeting on 12 March 2024 and were approved.
J Vinyard
Revd Jason Vinyard Superintendent Minister
Signature of the Chairperson of the meeting