Bluntisham Baptist Church
Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022
Bluntisham Baptist Church
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name and Registration Number
Bluntisham Baptist Church - Registration number 1136939
Address
Bluntisham Baptist Church High Street Bluntisham Cambridgeshire PE28 3LD
Trustees who served during the year
Rev Tim Williamson Isabel Daniels Janet Harris Katy Horrocks Malcolm Lee Roger Orr Philip Taylor Lucy Thatcher Peter Thatcher
Property trustees
The Baptist Union Corporation Limited, Baptist House, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 8RT
Structure, Governance and Management
The Church is governed by the Constitution which was adopted on 19[th] June 2010. The Constitution can be downloaded from the Church’s website www.bluntishambaptist.org
The Charity Trustees are responsible for the governance of the Church. The Charity Trustees are the Minister, Elders and Deacons. The Elders and Deacons, who must themselves be Church members, are nominated and appointed by the Church members and must receive the support of at least two-thirds of the voting members at the relevant general meeting. The Elders and Deacons are appointed for an initial three year term with the opportunity to be nominated for reappointment at the end of each three year term.
Members’ meetings normally take place six times each year and have responsibility for the overall policy of the church. All members are encouraged to take part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charitable objective.
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Objectives and Activities
The Church’s mission is ‘To share the love of Jesus with everyone’.
The principal purpose of the Church is 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.
In fulfilling its principal purpose, the Church will engage in a range of activities either on its own or with others that will vary from time to time. The activities include:
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Regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching
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Baptism, as defined in the Union’s Declaration of Principle
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The Communion of the Lord’s Supper which shall normally be observed at least once a month
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Evangelism and mission, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally
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The teaching, encouragement, welcome and inclusion of young people
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The nurture and growth of Christian disciples
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Education and training for Christian and community service
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Giving and encouraging pastoral care
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Supporting and encouraging charitable social action in the United Kingdom and abroad
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Encouraging relationships with and supporting Baptists and other Christians
Notwithstanding the appointment of persons to accept responsibility for any of the activities, all individuals, organisations, groups, and committees operating within the life of the Church, and their leaders, are accountable to the Charity Trustees and also through any specific direction of the Church Members’ Meeting.
The Church operates systems to ensure that all people working with children and vulnerable adults are appropriately vetted with regard to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Church also adopts a Safer Recruitment policy for all volunteers working with children and young people.
The Trustees have read the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, and are satisfied that the activities outlined above clearly demonstrate that the Church is providing a benefit to the public.
Achievements and Performance
After more than two years of not being able to worship in, or use, our church building due to Covid restrictions and the Next Steps Building Project, on Sunday 15[th] May, we celebrated holding our first Sunday service in the newly refurbished building.
The successful building project took just over 13 months to complete and we are grateful to the Next Steps Project Team, the wider church family, our contractors, our architects, other professional advisers and grant giving bodies who have contributed to fulfilling our mission to create:
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An attractive, God-centred church building that is primarily a place of worship – an inviting place to meet with God and with each other.
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A building that is accessible to everyone and is welcoming, warm, comfortable and safe.
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A building that has been updated to modern standards and is equipped for the future, while remaining sympathetic to its history.
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
On Saturday 21[st] May we held a successful open day for the local community. In the morning, hundreds of people joined us to look around and appreciate the improvements made to the building, as well as taking time to enjoy refreshments, activities, and fellowship. In the afternoon, we held a celebration service, with the joy of a packed church building once again.
God is good.
Since being back in the refurbished building we have resumed holding live services only for our Sunday worship. We continued to record every sermon and make them available on the Church website. We are grateful to everyone who helped during the time of Covid restrictions in enabling Sunday worship to take place, in so many different ways and to meet so many people’s needs, both of our own Church family and wider afield in the UK and overseas.
Our children and youth activities on Sunday mornings have continued and it is a delight that the youth group can now meet in the warmth and comfort of the refurbished Fellowship Room and that the children now have the space in the hall to enjoy their weekly Sunday School activities. Our Church has continued to be blessed by the enthusiasm, commitment and gifts of all of our leaders and helpers in this important work.
Evening prayer meetings continued to be held on a monthly basis as well as the monthly prayers for schools. Homegroups continued to offer support and encouragement to each other. A number of these meetings are now being held in the Fellowship Room.
During the year, we organised and hosted a prayer meeting with other local churches to provide prayerful support and encouragement to each other.
Regular leadership team meetings and Church meetings continued to be held. The flexibility of the refurbished worship area and Fellowship Room now allows for these meetings to be held in person in the church building.
During the year we have been able to start some new ministries and to restart some of our previous ones.
Little Fishes Toddlers Group, Beacon Café, Craft and Chatter and Ladies Fellowship have all recommenced meeting, with many new people attending.
New ministries include:
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Friday Fellas for men to meet one evening a month for social activities, chat and, of course, food.
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Friday Ladies for ladies to meet one evening a month for chat, social activities and food (although less food than the men!)
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Fishes for Dads. A chance for Dads and male carers with pre-school children to meet once a month to have some quality time with their children, have a chat and seek support from other Dads and parents, and to enjoy a free bacon roll while they are there.
Fellowship events for the Church family have recommenced and in December we brought in a Christian theatrical company to provide a free, community event telling the Christmas message in an entertaining way. We also held First Aid and Safeguarding courses for relevant people within our Church family.
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
The Beacon Money Advice Centre continued to provide vital support to people in our community who were faced with debt problems, working alongside the Bridge Church in St Ives.
The ‘Open the Book’ team continue to work alongside other local churches to take the gospel message into local schools.
A number of our members continued to preach and help lead worship at churches in the local area.
Our minister and one Church member continued to serve the wider Baptist community through the Eastern Baptist Association and the Cambridgeshire Baptist Missionary Fellowship.
Three Church members served as Street Pastors in Cambridge and other members were actively involved in leadership roles working with other local charities, including Cornerstone Pregnancy Advice Centre and Cambridgeshire Workplace Chaplaincy.
The Church continued to remotely support our Church Partners in Chad and North Africa while maintaining contact with our mission links in Russia, Armenia, Ukraine and Albania. As in the past few years, it was not feasible to go on any field mission trips due to the pandemic and travel restrictions however remote communications worked well. The delivery of clothes to Armenian Ministries was ongoing throughout the year plus a small team helped load three large containers prior to shipping. Tools with a Mission (TWAM) deliveries started up again although on a limited scale. Despite being a difficult year, mission continued to develop and our partners as always were very appreciative of our support .
We were pleased to be able to open our buildings once again for local community groups to use. We regularly welcomed music groups, keep fit groups and an educational organisation.
In September, we were delighted to host the Eastern Baptist Association Gathering.
Financial Review
Due to the continued generosity of the Church family in their regular giving and donations, together with the careful management of expenditure, the Church recorded a small deficit in general funds and so was able to end the year in a sound financial position.
The Next Steps Building project was funded by the Church family, grants and a loan from the Baptist Union Corporation. The loan is repayable in monthly instalments with the final instalment due in May 2033.
Reserves policy
The Church aims to maintain reserves in unrestricted funds equal to approximately three months’ total annual expenditure as a matter of general financial prudence. Additional reserves are currently being held to meet known, and anticipated, future commitments in meeting the Church’s planned mission activities.
Approval by the Trustees
This report was approved by the Trustees on 14[th] February 2023.
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Bluntisham Baptist Church on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The Church’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Church’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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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 examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the church 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 material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act, or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I 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.
Signed:
Date:
Kinnaird Hill, Brunel House, 1 Archers Court, Huntingdon, PE29 6XG
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022
General Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Note Regular offerings Income tax recovered on gifts Donations and other income 2 Rents and contributions for use of premises Interest Total receipts Payments Ministry 3 Mission 4 Upkeep of church premises 5 Administration 6 Course fees for Minister in Training Total payments Net (payments) for the year General Fund at 1 January General Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 60,401 12,844 5,972 1,600 378 81,195 45,887 6,008 13,582 13,592 2,352 81,421 (226) 60,472 60,246 |
2021 £ 60,605 14,506 5,495 0 621 |
|---|---|---|
| 81,227 | ||
| 45,363 4,922 29,257 11,307 5,328 |
||
| 96,177 | ||
| (14,950) 75,422 |
||
| 60,472 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Next Steps Building Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Note Loan from BUC 7 Grants 8 Regular offerings Donations Income tax recovered on gifts Fundraising and other income Total receipts Payments Construction costs Professional fees Loan repayments BUC 7 Fixtures and fittings Other payments Total payments Net (payments) for the year Building Fund at 1 January Building Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 100,141 37,920 37,014 10,605 9,531 1,224 196,435 262,495 7,704 32,667 25,054 1,403 329,323 (132,888) 185,152 52,264 |
2021 £ 202,935 100,203 35,276 33,225 8,017 4,945 384,601 352,046 21,211 16,236 2,592 617 392,702 (8,101) 193,253 185,152 |
|---|---|---|
Home Mission Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year Home Mission Fund at 1 January Home Mission Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 933 (933) 0 0 0 |
2021 £ 803 (803) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 0 |
||
| 0 |
BMS Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year BMS Fund at 1 January BMS Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 1,666 (1,635) 31 0 31 |
2021 £ 1,210 (1,210) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 0 |
||
| 0 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Minister in Training Support Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year Minister in Training Support Fund at 1 January Minister in Training Support Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 2,387 (2,337) 50 0 50 |
2021 £ 8,030 (8,030) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 0 |
||
| 0 |
Youth Worker Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Youth worker salary and expenses Net receipts/(payments) for the year Youth Worker Fund at 1 January Youth Worker Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 2,605 0 2,605 1,500 4,105 |
2021 £ 2,560 (6,889) (4,329) 5,829 1,500 |
|---|---|---|
Emergency Support Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net (payments) for the year Emergency Support Fund at 1 January Emergency Support Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 0 (90) (90) 1,944 1,854 |
2021 £ 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 1,944 |
||
| 1,944 |
Music Group Training Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net (payments) for the year Music Group Training Fund at 1 January Music Group Training Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 0 (284) (284) 2,500 2,216 |
2021 £ 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 2,500 |
||
| 2,500 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Other Charities Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts/(payments) for the year Other Charities Fund at 1 January Other Charities Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 1,380 (896) 484 0 484 |
2021 £ 0 (95) |
|---|---|---|
| (95) 95 |
||
| 0 |
Little Fishes Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year Little Fishes Fund at 1 January Little Fishes Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 158 0 158 216 374 |
2021 £ 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 216 |
||
| 216 |
Ladies Fellowship Fund Receipts and Payments Account
Receipts Payments Net (payments) for the year Ladies Fellowship Fund at 1 January Ladies Fellowship Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 0 (60) (60) 420 360 |
2021 £ 0 (180) |
|---|---|---|
| (180) 600 |
||
| 420 |
Friday Fellas Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year Friday Fellas Fund at 1 January Friday Fellas Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 473 (87) 386 0 386 |
2021 £ 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 0 |
||
| 0 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Beacon Cafe Fund Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts Payments Net receipts for the year Beacon Cafe Fund at 1 January Beacon Cafe Fund at 31 December |
2022 £ 106 (71) 35 0 35 |
2021 £ 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 0 |
||
| 0 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 December 2022
| Assets Note Cash and bank balances Cambridge and Counties Bank Deposit Account Santander Current Account CAF Bank Current Account BUC 7 Day Notice Account Cash Total |
2022 £ 43,018 30,651 26,990 21,744 2 122,405 |
2021 £ 42,641 67,833 85,309 56,385 36 |
|---|---|---|
| 252,204 | ||
| Representing balances in these funds: | ||
General Fund |
60,246 | 60,472 |
| Next Steps Building Fund | 52,264 | 185,152 |
Home Mission Fund |
0 | 0 |
| BMS Fund | 31 | 0 |
| Minister in Training Support Fund | 50 | 0 |
Youth Worker Fund |
4,105 | 1,500 |
| Emergency Support Fund | 1,854 | 1,944 |
Music Group Training Fund |
2,216 | 2,500 |
Other Charities Fund |
484 | 0 |
| Little Fishes Fund | 374 | 216 |
| Ladies Fellowship Fund | 360 | 420 |
| Friday Fellas Fund | 386 | 0 |
Beacon Café Fund |
35 | 0 |
| Total | 122,405 | 252,204 |
| Assets held for church’s own use 9 Liabilities BUC Corporation Loan 7 BU Pension scheme 10 Creditor for equipment |
3,376,817 268,139 0 4,344 |
3,337,910 189,145 20,325 0 |
The Receipts and Payments Accounts and Statements of Assets and Liabilities set out on pages 6 to 11, together with the Notes to the Accounts on pages 12 to 14 were approved by the Deacons on 14[th] February 2023.
Signed
Deacon for Finance
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
Notes to the Accounts
1. Basis of preparation of the accounts
These accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with Section 133 Charities Act 2011.
| 2. Donations and other income Donations Fellowship event Other income Funeral and memorial fees |
2022 £ 5,455 438 79 0 5,972 |
2021 £ 5,180 0 0 315 |
|---|---|---|
| 5,495 |
| 3. Ministry Minister’s stipend and national insurance Pension contributions Manse costs Resources Minister’s travel expenses Visiting preachers Ministers’ conference |
2022 £ 28,007 9,131 4,971 1,696 1,380 542 160 45,887 |
2021 £ 26,387 10,497 5,078 2,430 791 150 30 |
|---|---|---|
| 45,363 |
The Minister acts as one of the church trustees and receives remuneration and other benefits in respect of his services as Minister, including the provision of manse accommodation owned by the church.
| 4. Mission Home Mission Fellowship events Alpha course Youth work Sunday school Home groups |
2022 £ 3,467 1,174 566 472 252 77 6,008 |
2021 £ 3,597 0 0 800 400 125 |
|---|---|---|
| 4,922 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
| 5. Upkeep of church premises Insurance Gas and electric Repairs and maintenance Equipment Cleaner Telephone Water rates |
2022 £ 3,205 2,665 2,654 2,312 1,540 853 353 13,582 |
2021 £ 3,213 4,155 20,310 149 225 831 374 |
|---|---|---|
| 29,257 |
| 6. Administration Administrator Publicity Miscellaneous Licences Subscriptions Training courses Printing and stationery Independent examination Website Bank charges |
2022 £ 7,326 1,680 901 855 743 617 582 540 193 155 13,592 |
2021 £ 7,096 1,021 351 947 759 0 652 0 353 128 |
|---|---|---|
| 11,307 |
| 7. Loan from Baptist Union Corporation Balance at 1 January Drawdown Repayments Interest Balance at 31 December |
2022 £ 189,145 100,141 (32,667) 11,520 268,139 |
2021 £ 0 202,935 (16,236) 2,446 |
|---|---|---|
| 189,145 |
The loan was initially granted for a term of 12 years and is repayable in monthly instalments. The final instalment is due in May 2033. The loan is subject to a variable interest rate which ranged from 3.25% to 6.5% during the year.
The loan is secured on the Church’s property and assets.
| 8. Grants Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme Norwood and Newton Settlement Garfield Weston Foundation |
2022 £ 37,920 0 0 37,920 |
2021 £ 60,203 25,000 15,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 100,203 |
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Bluntisham Baptist Church
9. Assets held for the church’s own use
The church is the beneficial owner (subject to the relevant trusts) of the following assets, the legal title to which is held by the church’s custodian trustee (the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd):
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Church and hall premises (High Street, Bluntisham PE28 3LD) which have an insurance value of £2,764,047.
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Church manse (5 High Street, Bluntisham, PE28 3LD) which has an insurance value of £472,499.
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A burial ground for which no meaningful value is available.
The church also owns fixtures, furniture and equipment with an insured value of £140,271.
10. Pension scheme liabilities
The Church is a participating employer the Baptist Pension Scheme (“the Scheme”), which is a separate legal entity administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Limited). The assets of the Scheme are held separately from those of the Employer and the other participating employers.
The Scheme, previously known as the Baptist Ministers’ Pension Fund, started in 1925, but was closed to future accrual of defined benefits on 31 December 2011. Prior to this date the main benefit provided through the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan was a pension of one eightieth of final minimum pensionable income for each year of pensionable service together with additional pension in respect of premiums paid on Pensionable Income in excess of Minimum Pensionable Income. Since 1 January 2012, benefits have been provided through a Defined Contribution (DC) Plan.
A formal valuation of the DB Plan as at 31 December 2019 by a professionally qualified Actuary using the Projected Unit Method. At the valuation date the market value of the DB Plan assets was £298 million, whilst the level of assets needed to pay benefits was £316m, giving a deficit of £18m (equivalent to a past service funding level of 94%). The Church and the other participating employers in the DB Plan are collectively responsible for funding this deficit. The next actuarial valuation of the DB Plan within the Scheme was due to take place not later than as at 31 December 2022.
On 30th June 2022 the Baptist Pension Scheme signed an agreement with the insurance company Just Group (“Just”) to secure DB Plan members’ pension benefits. “Just” are now providing financial backing for all pensions provided through the Scheme’s DB Plan and following this transaction, the Scheme no longer has a shortfall. An updated Recovery plan was then signed in August 2022 under which recovery contributions from each participating employer in the DB Plan reduced to £1 per month from August 2022.
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