BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH
STOWMARKET
Charity No. 1136075
TRUSTEES’ REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH, STOWMARKET
CONTENTS
Legal and Administrative Information
Trustees’ Report
Independent Examiner’s Report
Receipts and Payments Accounts
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH, STOWMARKET
Legal and Administrative Information
| Address | BuryStreet |
|---|---|
| Stowmarket | |
| IP14 1HF | |
| Correspondence Address | MrJReeve |
| Stowmarket BaptistChurch | |
| BuryStreet | |
| Stowmarket | |
| IP14 1HF | |
| Trustees | MrJReeve (Treasurer) |
| MrTCordle | |
| Mr JWR Payne |
|
| Mr B Levett | |
| Mr H Yousif | |
| Bankers | Barclays |
| 19-21 Cornhill | |
| Bury St Edmunds | |
| Suffolk | |
| IP33 1DY | |
| Independent Examiner | MrSJWhayman |
| 51 CowperStreet | |
| Ipswich | |
| IP45JA |
BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH, STOWMARKET
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
For the year ended 31 March 2025
Constitution
The church was set up by trust in 1797 and is governed by Rules formulated in 1959 and amended on 15 November 1995, 5 April 2000 and 26 May 2004. The church was registered with the Charity Commission on 12 May 2010.
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There are no specific restrictions contained in the governing document that limit its activities or any specific investment powers given to the trustees.
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The trustees of our properties, for which we are the beneficial owner, is the Grace Baptist Trust Corporation (previous Trustees were the Association of Grace Baptist Churches (East Anglia) Ltd.)
Affiliations
The church is a member of the Association of Grace Baptist Churches (East Anglia) Ltd and a participating church of Grace Baptist Mission.
Objectives and activities for the public benefit
The purpose of the church is to provide a place of worship, instruction and fellowship for Christians and to carry out the command of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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This is primarily but not exclusively within Stowmarket and the surrounding neighbourhood and will include other such charitable purposes, as shallin the opinion of the church members in church meetings, further the work of the Church.
To this end our regular Sunday services of worship are maintained with two services each Sunday open to members and all visitors.
During school term times, various meetings are held to reach out to different age-groups.
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On Tuesday afternoons, the Ladies Meeting offered an afternoon service popular with ladies.
On Thursday afternoons the junior youth group met; and on Thursday evening intermediate youth group met.
On Friday mornings the mothers and toddlers’ group met; and on Friday evenings senior youth group met.
The youth meetings are designed to give opportunity for children to participate in organised activities, and to hear a talk from the Bible. This is intended to help the children gain a basic understanding of God's word.
During the week the church regularly met for prayer, Bible study and fellowship. Apart from the 3 church members’ business meetings and a few specific members meetings all our meetings for prayer and Bible study were freely open to the public to come and share in worship, prayer and the study of the word of God. From time to time visitors come and share in these services.
The church has been able to respond financially in some measure to specific requests for help both in the UK and overseas as brought to the trustees’ attention. We continued to provide ongoing prayerful and financial support for the work of the Gospel and the relief of poverty and hardship. Our provision of public benefit in this way is not limited to the UK as we support missionary organisations, especially Grace Baptist Mission and with the administration of direct support into churches in Kenya and those working with the orphaned and needy children associated with those churches.
All our staff and volunteers who work with children, young people or vulnerable adults have a cleared CRB/DBS enhanced check.
We operate with a child protection policy, vulnerable adults’ policy, employment of exoffenders policy, health and safety policy including risk assessment and evacuation procedures.
Achievements and performance
We are very grateful and thankful to God for our full-time staff member, the Pastor. Through this, allwho attend have been enabled to receive a message where the Bible or specific themes were expounded. This has proved to be a great help in many different ways; to some in furthering their biblical understanding, some in increasing their love for the Saviour and others in providing help, encouragement and comfort in times of need.
The interestwe have in overseas missionary work has been maintained with reports on the work of various missionaries and whenever possible we take the opportunity for a missionary while at home in the UK to come and visit us. People from other churches or organisations who also have a keen interest in that work, will often come and support these occasions.
Financial Review
We are grateful to God that He continues to bless His Church in Stowmarket in providing the financial resources for the ongoing work of the gospel.
To maintain the financial equilibrium, any assistance given for Gospel work and the relief of poverty both in the UK and overseas is reviewed on a regular basis and help is given when resources enable.
The work of maintaining all our premises both internally and externally continues.
These accounts have been prepared on a non-accrual basis.
The Trustees have reviewed the balances held at 31 March 2025 and they consider these to be sufficient to cover existing commitments and provide a sufficient level of reserves in line with our policies.
Reserve Policy
The church relies chiefly on its income from members from which it pays the running costs of the church. The Trustees have decided to not hold significant reserves as the Church is a member of the Association of Grace Baptist Churches (East Anglia). In the event of significant items of expenditure being incurred, the church would look to the Association for grants or loans to cover the expenditure.
Statement of trustees’ responsibilities in respect of the accounts
The charity’s trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the charity’s incoming resources and application of resources during the period of its state of affairs at the end of the year. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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« Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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e Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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e Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the provision and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved bythe trustees on 17 June 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
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J Reeve
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T Cordle
H Yousif
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Job Fo ie 2 >
JWR Payne ~ BLevett~
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Stowmarket Baptist Church
| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Stowmarket Baptist Church (the Trust) for the year ended 31° March 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
| 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, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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e the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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e the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and contents of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
| 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.
Signed:- Spo. Name:Mr SJ Whayman Address:51 Cowper Street Ipswich {P45JA
Date:- 15th May 2025
“CHARITY Stowmarket Baptist Church COMMISSION | Receipts. and payments accounts CC16a . For the period | Period start date Period end date . — from 01/04/2024 31/03/2025
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total funds Last year funds funds funds baa to the nearest £1 to the nearest £1 to the nearest £1 to the nearest £1 A‘ Receipts es Grants ee |eee a EP ss} | EE Ll CL lll eeee rs lll eses rs lh Ssub total (Gross income for es es rr AR) 89,671 95,484 100,938 A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). ee A3 Payments ers |Te |[isd)][ Ce] [ManseCosts | 8A |SF Pe dhl( ee |ee EE | eee es | eee ltoanrepayment Pe.es |ee ee ee Sub total|_ 90,828] 660g [| 96,027 97,229 A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table eee, eae Sub total| Net of receipts(payments)|-—_—=888 (Rie, BS 3,708 ASTransfersbetweenfunds |} |] A6 Cash funds last year end 46,107) |eet | | Cash funds this year end{___ 48.809 a oes 46,855 47,306
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
q
10/12/2025
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Categories Details Unrestrictedfunds Restrictedfunds Endowmentfunds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ asa| Total cash funds 45,509 see Ls 1 ene (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) i C Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds funds funds Details to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ ma — Details. Fundasset tobelongs which Gost(antionalmet (aptionel) Current valueoptional a= ; Details * Fundasset tobelongs which Cost ost (optional)(opti \ Current valueoptional B4 Assets retained for the ha. eee ; Details liabilityFund to whichrelates Amountoptional due Whenoptional due 7 == = Signed by one or two trustees on ; ; Date of behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name - CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 2 10/12/2025