## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From: 1[st] October 2020 To: 30[th] September 2021**
**Charity name: Strood Gospel Mission Church (SGMC)**
**Charity registration number: 1137729**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**The principal purpose of the Church is**
**the advancement of the Christian faith.**
**SGMC may also advance education and**
**carry out other charitable purposes in the**
**UK and/or other parts of the world.**|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|**Regular public worship, prayer, bible**
**study, preaching, teaching and baptism.**
**Education and training for Christian and**
**community service. Giving and**
**encouraging pastoral care. Supporting**
**and encouraging social action.**
**Supporting and caring for the local**
**community.**|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|**The Trustees confirm that they have**
**complied with their duty to have due**
**regard to the Commission’s public**
**benefit guidance when exercising any**
**powers or duties to which the guidance is**
**relevant.**|
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**The on-going COVID pandemic continued**
**to constrain our activities during parts of**
**the year. However, livestreaming Sunday**
**services and our mid-week fellowship**
**meetings via Zoom, proved very popular,**
**and led to a number of new members of**
**the fellowship joining us physically on**
**Sundays once we were permitted to meet**
**again. All of our groups and activities at**
**SGMC were finally able to open as the**
**year progressed, and we have retained**
**our livestream capability so that people**
**always have an opportunity to access our**
**Sunday services, either physically or**
**online. Given the enhanced sense of**
**loneliness, isolation and anxiety that**
**some people have felt during the**
**pandemic, we feel our use of technology**
**has allowed us the opportunity to meet**
**the needs of people, many of whom we**
**know are local to the area.**
**SGMC has also sought to engage with**
**the local community in a safe and**
**encouraging way by introducing a**
**number of initiatives. These have**
**included the distribution of “Advent**
**Bags”, which were bags of blessings**
**distributed to local families in advance of**
**Christmas. The free bags contained**
**small gifts, treats and activities to**
**undertake each day of Advent, around**
**the four themes of Love, Joy, Hope and**
**Peace. We repeated the initiative at**
**Easter, distributing “Lent Bags” and both**
**initiatives proved very popular. In**
**addition, we introduced a “Hope Hut”,**
**which is a converted wheelie bin store,**
**placed outside the church building,**
**which has a display inside with a**
**perspective front and lighting, and so the**
**display is visible 24 hours a day. At both**
**Christmas and Easter, we displayed a**
**series of tableaux representing,**
**respectively, the nativity story and the**
**message of Easter. This provided much**
**needed cheer on dull days and dark**
**evenings, and we received a lot of**
**positive feedback from our community.**
**Also at Christmas, we took our popular**
**Carol Service out onto the streets,**
**bringing live music and carols to people**
**living in many of the streets surrounding**
**the church building, as well as elsewhere**
**in Strood, particularly to those living**
**alone or house-bound. Finally at**|
**Christmas, we undertook a Christingle service via Zoom, which was open to all, for both children and families to enjoy. The year also saw the start of our “Grassroots” project, which is a clothing (and other small household items) project where clothes are donated, then laundered and made freely available to anyone. Anyone can come into the church building and take what they need, for free. If they choose to make a donation, these are collected and 100% of these donations are then given to local good causes, such as Medway Foodbank. SGMC covers all the costs of operating the project. The project is proving a great success; recycling clothing and helping people to obtain what they need, whilst also recycling any donations to other worthy local causes. SGMC was also used as a COVID testing centre during the year, with the church building being made available to assist the NHS and Medway Council.**
## **Financial Review**
||Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**The financial year produced a small**
**deficit of £2,967.90. Whilst income**
**increased significantly from £47,779.34 to**
**£65,498.35, expenditure also increased to**
**£68,466.25 from £31,425.63, reflecting,**
**principally, the additional costs involved**
**in the appointment of our new Minister-**
**in-Training in September 2020, as well as**
**significant property maintenance costs**
**with work including renewing a**
**substantial part of the roof on the church**
**building and a new boiler being installed**
**at the Manse. SGMC owns the church**
**building and the Manse, together insured**
**for in excess of £1.3m.**
**The principal long-term liability of the**
**Church is its membership as a**
**participating employer of the Baptist**
**Pension Scheme, the Defined Benefit**
**Plan. At the last formal valuation of the**
**Plan in December 2019, there was a**
**deficit of £18m and the Church, and the**
**other participating employers in the DB**
**Plan, are collectively responsible for**
**funding this deficit. The pension scheme**
**liability amounted to £17,553.15 as at 30th**
**September 2021, and SGMC has been**
**advised that the estimated cost for the**
**Church to buyout its Pension Scheme**
**liabilities as at this date would be £46,800**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**(£54,200 as at 30th September 2020).**|
|---|---|---|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**When setting and/or reviewing the**
**appropriate level of reserves, the Church**
**takes into account the level of funds**
**required to cover immediate**
**commitments and planned expenditure,**
**as well as an analysis of future needs,**
**opportunities, contingencies and risks**
**that are not likely to be met out of**
**forecast income, and the consequences**
**of not being able to meet them. At just**
**over £120,000, the current level of**
**reserves covers approximately 18**
**months of expenditure assuming a full-**
**time minister. Given the ages of the**
**Church building and the Manse, and the**
**likely need of significant maintenance**
**expenditure over the coming years, as**
**well as the reliance on a relatively small**
**number of donors, the level of reserves is**
**felt appropriate to ensure that SGMC can**
**meet commitments when they fall due.**|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**Total reserves amount to £120,215.44.**
**We also hold reserves of £8,872.19**
**designated for use in Youth Work, and**
**£8,269.42 in a restricted legacy reserve,**
**held in a separate account, to be used for**
**Mission and Outreach.**|
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|**Constitution**|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**Charitable Unincorporated Association**|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.,
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**Trustees are appointed and removed by**
**the Church Members, as detailed under**
**the Constitution. This process is public,**
**clear and open, but the vote is**
**undertaken by way of a secret ballot of**
**the membership of the Church. The**
**Church membership will also vote for the**
**appointment to the roles of Minister,**
**Minister-in-Training, Church Secretary,**
**Church Treasurer, Elder and Deacon.**|
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Strood Gospel Mission Church|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|N/A|
|Registered charity number|1137729|
|Charity’s principal address|Brompton Lane, Strood, Rochester, Kent. ME2 3BQ|
|---|---|
|Correspondence address|58 King Arthurs Drive, Frindsbury, Rochester, Kent. ME2
3NB|
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||John Western|Interim Minister|1.10.20 to 31.3.21||
||Hayley Prestidge-
Briston|Minister-in-Training|||
||Stephen Gee|Treasurer & Deacon|||
||Diana Morgan|Deacon|||
||Rick Morgan|Deacon|||
||Kevin Jennings|Elder|1.10.20 to 26.11.20||
||Marion Hollebon|Deacon|||
||Mark Wicker|Deacon|||
||Karen Charles|Deacon|||
||GaryBell|Treasurer & Deacon|1.10.20 to 12.9.21||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s**
**Full name(s**
**Position (e.g., Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|**)**
**)**Stephen Gee
Treasurer & Trustee
5/05/2022||
|---|---|---|
||||
||||
## **STROOD GOSPEL MISSION CHURCH**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021**
## **GENERAL RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
|**Note**
**Income**
Sunday Offerings
Regular Giving
Rental Income
Designated Mission Giving
Sundry Income
Interest Received
Gift Aid Recovery
Legacies
**Total Income**
**Expenditure**
Payroll
Tithe Fund
Mileage
Designated Mission Gifts
Outreach & Publicity
Training & Teaching Materials
Preaching Gifts
Sundries
Phone & Website
Photocopier
Resources
Youth Work
Property Church
Utilities Church
Technology
College Accommodation & Travel
Pastor’s Discretionary Fund
Property Frindsbury
Utilities Frindsbury
Property Manse
**Total Expenditure**
**Net income / (expenditure) for the year**
1
**Transfers to/from Reserve Accounts**
**Balance at previous year end**
**Balance at current year end**|**2021**
**2020**
7,591.30
12,449.78
31,299.50
22,425.55
11,433.83
10,148.74
134.40
604.23
43.00
1,365.22
678.35
785.82
14,317.97
-
-
-
**65,498.35**
**47,779.34**
27,258.20
19,652.82
2,751.59
1,000.00
-
611.25
134.40
525.00
842.57
313.30
30.00
654.52
719.59
95.04
2,216.18
22.00
11,144.67
3,198.15
1,287.33
225.89
100.00
11,400.00
3,081.06
2,991.76
-
47.40
45.00
211.60
468.85
285.12
665.97
33.98
3,138.78
1,887.57
-
-
-
1,950.00
-
902.29
**68,466.25**
**31,425.63**
**(2,967.90)**
**16,353.71**
**-**
**-**
**25,591.26**
**9,237.55**
**22,623.36**
**25,591.26**|
|---|---|
Page **1** of **3**
## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITES AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2021**
|**Note**
**Assets**
Bank and other cash balances
Current Account
Reserves Account *
Restricted Legacy Account (Mission)
Charity Bank Account
United Trust Account
Other monetary assets:
Debtors
Loans made
Gift aid claimed but not received
Investment Assets
Assets Held for Church’s own use
2
**Total Assets**
**Liabilities**
Current Liabilities
3
Long Term Loans
Pension Scheme liability
4
Other liabilities
**Total Liabilities**|**2021**
**2020**
21,161.81
25,549.46
41,638.10
8,269.42
76,633.67
8,268.59
52,449.53
35,000.00
51,776.44
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,354,401
1,302,762|
|---|---|
||**1,512,919.86**
**1,464,990.16**
-
741.40
-
-
17,553.15
20,426.85
-
-|
||**17,553.15**
**21,168.25**|
* Included within the Reserves Account is a figure of £8,872.19 representing the outstanding balance from the closure of the Playgroup, and is to be used for Youth Work.
The accounts and statement of assets and liabilities relating to the year ending 30[th] September 2021 are as approved by the Trustees, and by the Members at the AGM of 5[th] December 2021.
Signed: Stephen Gee
Treasurer (authorised to sign on behalf of all the Trustees)
Date: 5.12.2021
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **1. Basis of accounts**
These accounts have been prepared on a ‘receipts and payments’ basis and in accordance with Section 133 Charities Act 2011.
## **2. Assets Held for the Church’s own use**
The Church is the beneficial owner of the following assets:
- Church premises at Brompton Lane valued in the accounts at £907,672 insured value.
- Church manse at 1 Weston Road valued in the accounts at £386,591 insured value.
- The Church also owns fixtures, furniture and equipment with an insured value of £60,138
Page **2** of **3**
## **3. Current Liabilities**
|**. Current Liabilities**||
|---|---|
|Utilities billed but not yet paid
Cheques written but not cashed
Other current liabilities
**Total Current Liabilities**|**2021**
**2020**
-
-
-
514.54
-
226.86|
||**-**
**741.40**|
## **4. Pension Scheme Liabilities**
The Church is a participating employer in 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.
There was 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 is due to take place not later than as at 31 December 2022.
Under the Schedule of Contributions, the Church makes a monthly payment in respect of the DB scheme deficit, currently £307.95, which will increase in line with increases in Minimum Pensionable Income. This figure was temporarily reduced to assist churches during the COVID pandemic but increased back again from January 2021. The Schedule of Contributions foresees these contributions continuing until June 2026. The pension scheme liability shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities is calculated as the current rate per month multiplied by the number of months remaining in the current Schedule of Contributions, which amounted to £17,553.15 as at 30[th] September 2021.
The Church has been advised that the estimated cost for the Church to buyout their Pension Scheme liabilities as at 30[th] September 2021 was £46,800 (£54,200 as at 30[th] September 2020)
Page **3** of **3**
Independent examiner's report on
the accounts
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
Lnarity Name
Strood Gospel Mission Church
On accounts for the year
ended
30 September 2021
Charity no
(if any)
1137729
Set out on pages
General Receipts & Payments Account and Statement of Assets and
Liabilities
remember to include the paqe numbers o
additiona
sheetsl
Respective
responsibilities of
trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation 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 ("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,
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
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 In connection with my examination,. no matter has come to my attention
examiner's statement 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect,
the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the
Charities Act; and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and
comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
have not be
met; or
inion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a
ing of the accounts to be reached.
2. to which, i
proper
Signed:
j14V
Date:
19 March 2022
Name:
Lionel Robbins
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body
(if any):
14@R