2021-03-31-accounts

Little Hill Church

Wigston

Trustees’ Report for the Year ending

31 March 2021

Little Hill Church

Launceston Road, Wigston, Leics, LE18 2GZ

www.littlehill.org.uk

Registered Charity (England & Wales) No. 1138737

HM Revenue and Customs (Charities) Reference: XN32811

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Governing Documents

The objects of Little Hill Church and procedures for its government are laid down in the Trust Deed of 16 May 1975 (amended on 20 January 1993) and the Constitution adopted about 1975

Trustees during the year:

John Eardley (Chair of Trustees)

James Harrison

Joshua Harrison

Peter Holmes

Andrew Irvine

Faqir Kallow Paul Linnell – until 31 Oct 2020

Mike Smith

Nick Stenfalt – until 31 Oct 2020

Elders :

Faqir Kallow (Chair)

John Eardley Paul Linnell – until 31 Oct 2020

Joshua Harrison

Deacons:

James Harrison

Peter Holmes (Chair)

Andrew Irvine

Mike Smith (Treasurer)

Nick Stenfalt – until 31 Oct 2020

Bankers:

HSBC, 9 Leicester Road

Wigston. Leics LE18 1NR

Independent Accounts Examiner

Melanie Smith

11 Tremaine Drive, Wigston, Leics., LE18 2GW

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Trustees’ Annual Report

The Trustees have pleasure in presenting this report of the church’s activities for the year ending 31 March 2021, which includes the information below and the attached Receipts and Payments Account.

Trustee Changes

Two trustees resigned this year and served therefore only up to 31[st] October 2020, namely Paul Linnell and Nick Stenfalt.

Purpose and Objectives

Little Hill Church is ‘an undenominational and evangelical work for the service of Almighty God and the education of young persons’ and for other purposes ‘incidental to or connected with the work of a Christian church in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures’ (Trust Deed clause (a)).

Little Hill Church exists for:

• a. the building up of Christians through preaching and teaching,

• b. bringing Christians together to love one another,

• c. the worship of God through prayer, praise and ‘breaking of bread’ (communion),

• d. baptising believers,

• e. fulfilling the commission to make disciples. (Constitution para.1)

Public Benefit Statement

Little Hill Church aims to provide public benefit through the advancement of the Christian Religion, in accordance with reformed evangelical theology, through the various activities highlighted below. The main area of activity has been Wigston and the immediate surrounding area, but Little Hill Church believes in a global mission in accordance with the command of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19 and 20. We have therefore provided support for members, other individuals and organisations, as resources permit, where such individuals and organisations are seen as sympathetic to our theological position and are themselves engaged in the promotion of Christian Religion.

Regular Activities

In pursuit of these objectives, the following regular activities have been undertaken during the year ending 31 March 2021. This period has been that of the worldwide Covid 19 Pandemic. During times when the church was legally able to meet morning services have been held at the church but simultaneously livestreamed via You Tube. These livestreamed services also served other local churches not yet set up on-line who were sent the link. At first these services were viewed by hundreds of households, reflecting a reported hunger for spiritual help being sought by anonymous surfers of the web. These figures settled into a regular pattern of 100-200 before reducing to around 100 as churches began to meet again in person. Evening services were introduced on-line from July 2020 via Zoom. Thursday meetings have consisted of a recorded message on the Little Hill You Tube channel followed by a live meeting on Zoom for prayer.

• These services have been open to all but attendance in the building has been overseen and numbers managed via a booking system on-line or by phone to ensure adherence to Government Guidelines for Safety. Morning congregations have generally numbered from a handful to around 40 as shielding ended and the vaccine programme progressed. Live primary

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age children’s activities during morning worship were suspended and an on-line ‘Lion’s Cubs’ has been held at 3.45 pm each Sunday via Zoom.

• On Sunday evenings we used previous ministry recordings of our former Pastor David Gregson on key Bible Doctrines such as ‘Justification’ and ‘Election’. We then began to meet via Zoom in July 2020 and attendances at these services have been between 30-50 people. Guest preachers gave messages and then our own men have preached a series on the letter of James.

• On Sunday Mornings Joshua Harrison has continued to preach a series on the book of Exodus and a short series on Psalms 90-100.

• Thursday evenings have been times for Bible ministry and praying together as a church. You Tube recordings of ministry were viewed by around 250 households at first, reflecting usage by other churches not yet set up to broadcast their services on-line. These numbers reduced to a usual number of around 30-40 by March 2021. We have studied ‘What is a Christian’, ‘The Names of Christ’, ‘Bible Doxologies’ and ‘The Seven Sayings from the Cross’.

• We are grateful to God for the technology and those skilled in its use which have enabled us to continue worshipping, being fed from God’s word and to have fellowship together.

• During the period of Covid restrictions an email support group with over 40 ladies from the fellowship has been in operation. This has been used to encourage one another with hymns, poems and devotional thoughts, and to share prayer requests. We have sent out weekly Bible Study notes (online and through the post) for our ladies to reflect on in their homes, and we are pleased that new ladies have been able to join in these studies. This year has included series on ‘Women of the Old Testament’, ’The Sermon on the Mount’ and ‘Hope’, as well as special programmes for Christmas and Easter. We have also had a historical talk on YouTube. Each Tuesday morning we have had a Zoom prayer meeting, with 10-14 ladies present, which has been a time of great blessing and fellowship. We thank God for the long and faithful service of one of the group’s leaders, Jennifer Linnell, who has stepped down during this year.

• The fortnightly men’s meeting called The SHED (for Support, Help, Encouragement and Development) has continued using Zoom and has been attended by around 12 men. Each meeting begins with devotions and prayer. There are regular times considering medical and IT issues. Other activities have included photography, origami, baking, gardening, and quizzes.

• The church restarted its monthly Saturday Prayer Focus Meetings in July via Zoom to praise God and pray for the work of the gospel locally here in Wigston, nationally and internationally.

• In January 2020 we started a weekly meal with a devotional talk from the Bible, around Monday tea-time, for senior citizens in the fellowship and other friends. This had to be suspended due to Covid 19.

Evangelism

The church has held meetings for various age groups over the years. All the following meetings are provided at no cost to individuals and most are term-time activities. As stated in each report these meetings have been severely disrupted this year.

• Little Ones at Little Hill is for pre-school children (15-20 mums/carers and 20-25 children). Due to the pandemic, Little Ones has been unable to meet during the last 12 months. In order to maintain contact with both mums/carers and their pre-school children, packs of Bible story books, activity sheets, craft activities and 'keeping in touch' letters, have been delivered/posted every 6-8 weeks. Several parents/carers have expressed their appreciation and look forward to the group restarting when restrictions are lifted.

• Kids’ Club is for Primary School children and is normally held weekly. Due to Covid restrictions we have not been able to hold meetings but at regular intervals activity packs have been sent to children in order to maintain contact.

• Alpha is aimed at 10-14-year-old children. They are involved in sports, other games and craft activities, as well as trips, together with Bible stories and teaching. Currently over 25 children

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are on the register. We have not been able to run this activity this year due to Covid 19 restrictions.

• Each year during the summer months a group of four people from the church go out to the local parks to talk with mainly young people (aged 15 and above) to discuss the big questions concerning the purpose of life and to share the gospel. Due to Covid 19 we were unable to visit the parks this year.

• Three Women2Women events were held this year – all online via Zoom owing to the constraints of the Covid pandemic. In July 2020 we had “And now for something completely different”, a ‘magazine- style’ compilation of stories, poems, quizzes, recipes and crafts. Adzo Hamiel was interviewed and shared about her Christian faith and how this influences her life and work. ‘A Christmas Selection Box’ proved popular at the end of November with speaker Jenny Whalley. Again there was a great opportunity to share the good news about Jesus and to build friendships. In March 2021 we held an ‘ Easter Eggstravaganza’ which attracted around 60 participants. The speaker was Tanya Sperry who was working as a Covid helpline advisor and also at a vaccination clinic. The meetings gave those who had spent months in isolation a chance to meet together and hear a relevant and hopeful Christian message.

• No specific men’s events have been held this year.

• A Guest Harvest service also took place with International Students attending, and two Carol Services. All these above were widely publicised, open to all, and free of charge.

• Senior Citizens’ Teas: Activities for this most vulnerable group have not been possible due to Covid 19. A card was printed and posted out to those who had previously attended to keep in touch and reassure them they had not been forgotten.

• Our support for Simon Terry’s Door-to-Door Ministry on Little Hill Estate ended this year as he began his new role as Headteacher at Emmanuel Christian School.

• A member of the church usually meets with international students on a weekly basis at Globe Café in Trinity Hall in the city centre, along with Christians from other churches. Outings are arranged, mainly on Saturdays, giving opportunity to befriend and introduce international students to the gospel and have regular weekly Bible Studies. Globe Café comes under the auspices of Friends International, an organisation working with international students in cooperation with local churches

• During lockdown we were able to organise five on-line student visits attracting 62 students from 11 countries across the world. We were able to discuss the sermon together on Zoom after each service and although we couldn't invite students to homes for meals, we were able to distribute gifts and literature to those students living in Leicester. It was moving and encouraging to know that one Chinese student on a coach trip in China was listening keenly to the gospel whilst on a crowded coach. We hope our pattern of student visits will resume by the Autumn.

Worship and Ministry

• Joshua Harrison is the full-time pastor and he continues to bring a consistent, consecutive ministry. This year he has preached from Psalms and the book of Exodus. He continues his role as Chaplain for the local Police Service.

Encouragements

• Little Hill Church continues to support the Blythswood shoebox project though the collection point was moved to a member's house. Blythswood is a Scottish-based charity providing Christian care for body and soul to many in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. In spite of covid difficulties, 2200 boxes containing Christmas gifts and practical necessities for distribution to the needy in Eastern Europe were sent.

• Financial giving has been maintained for the support of our full-time Pastor Teacher and we have been able to continue support of our overseas partners in the gospel.

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• The church had a collection facility in the foyer for the Leicester South Foodbank which is managed by another local church. We have had to suspend this during the pandemic and members were directed to the local collection point.

• Lectures on Church History have once more been given (online) by one of our members, Dr Lesley Rowe (Associate Fellow in History, University of Warwick). The series ‘Ordinary People: Extraordinary God’, looking at the lives of three unremarkable 17th-century Christians, continued with the stories of William Okeley and Charles Doe. A new series, ‘Publishing the Gospel’, focusing on three evangelical best-selling books from the 17th century, commenced with an account of Arthur Dent’s ‘The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven’. An additional lecture with particular relevance to the current situation, on 'Leicestershire and the Plague of 1625’, has received a large number of viewings. Although we have missed the fellowship with those from other churches which we had when we were able to meet in the building, the use of YouTube has enabled the lectures to be heard by a much wider audience.

Practicalities

• Deacons and Elders have separate monthly meetings to consider their respective responsibilities. These have been conducted via zoom.

• Elders and Deacons continue to meet monthly at the Church Council via Zoom to conduct the business of the church. Here decisions are made and practicalities are discussed including church finances. Members of the church are invited to attend.

• Those working with children, young people and vulnerable adults have been DBS checked and continue to be rechecked after five years.

• A new church website has been launched this year proving itself vital in hosting the Livestream and Zoom links for all meetings. Attendance at Sunday morning services has been booked via the website. Information is available on Sunday and Thursday meetings with speakers, guest events and a link to a Little Hill Church sermon archive. It is updated regularly.

• At the start of the national lockdown we were unable to use the church building for collective worship. Additional equipment was purchased enabling us to stream ministry from the church in the morning via You Tube and to meet on-line for other meetings via Zoom. For those unable to access these technologies we recorded and distributed the messages on both CD and DVD as requested. This has been a vital and much valued means of maintaining the teaching ministry, prayer ministry, fellowship and other meetings.

• The weekly welcome sheet was renamed the Little Hill Link and is sent out electronically to inform the church of forthcoming activities and is a useful prayer stimulus. Copies are printed and posted to those who are not on-line.

• A library of Christian books is available for members and visitors to borrow. This is in the process of being revamped to make it more effective.

Risk Management

• We have meticulously followed government guidelines when putting in place the necessary safety measures enabling us to open the church building again for worship with limited numbers. These measures included adequate signage, hand sanitiser dispensers at every entry/exit point, and stewards to ensure that the two metre rule was adhered to. Those wanting to attend the services were encouraged to notify the church beforehand in order to produce a seating plan each week that complies with current regulations. The names and addresses of all attendees were recorded and stored for test and trace purposes. Weekly contact with church members was made either by phone, Zoom, or other forms of social media to encourage and to be aware of any extra support that was needed.

• The Deacons conduct an annual inspection of the premises to identify and evaluate any physical risks to which the church and its attendees may be subject, and they are satisfied that

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appropriate measures are in place to mitigate or eliminate these. A system of annual Risk Assessments for activities is used.

• The church holds a comprehensive insurance policy with Ansvar Insurance which includes Public Liability, Employer’s Liability and Trustees’ Indemnity. The Public Liability cover includes activities of the church on or off the premises.

• We continued to review our Safeguarding Policy which now includes protection for adults. This policy was substantially updated last year and will be reviewed annually each May.

Management of Funds

• The attached Receipts and Payments Account shows a total income of £77,535. This is entirely made up of voluntary donations, mainly from members of the church. There are no fundraising activities. Many churches and other charities have suffered substantial reductions in income during the pandemic, so we give thanks that the effect on our resources has been relatively small – a fall of about 10% - in spite of the drastic reduction in meetings and attendance. Our responses to the pandemic described above have inevitably led to a significant increase in expenditure on electronic equipment and also postage and stationery.

• Day to day expenditure on activities is normally met by individuals within the congregation and reimbursed on production of an invoice or till receipt. Approximately 70% of payments are made by Direct Debit or Bank Transfer. Two deacons are authorised to conduct internet banking. All invoices are checked against the records after the end of each month and signed off by two trustees other than the treasurer.

• The church continues to support gospel work elsewhere. This year, £13,410 has been sent as gifts to individuals and organisations involved in evangelism, training leaders, children’s education and general relief work around the world. This is approximately 17% of the church’s income.

Approval

The Trustees’ report was approved by the Trustees at a meeting on 23.08.2021

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Notes to the Accounts

Note 1 2 3 4 * 5	Gifts and Donations Giftaided Gifts GASDS Gifts and Donations Other Offerings Designated Income Love Gifts Ministry Pastor's Salary, Nat Ins & Pension Pastor's expenses and training Other meeting costs Special Gifts Visiting Preachers Evangelism Evangelism - General Publicity Little Ones Kids Club Senior Citizens Alpha Women to Women Men's Events Holiday Bible Club Printing/Literature Catering Gifts Vinukonda Zambesi Mission Blythswood Care Simon Terry Thurlaston Chapel Friends International Answers in Genesis Platform 67 Open Air Mission Pilgrims Friends Society Christian Institute Our Daily Bread Ministries Association of Evangelists Shepshed Word of Light Church UFM Alan Davey Christian Witness to Israel Samson Ogalo SIM International Lydia King Good News for Everyone - Gideon Evangelical Movement of Wales FIEC Other Gifts	2021 £ 45,800.00 911.05 14,576.20 505.00 61,792.25 1,165.00 1,165.00 36,499.61 0.00 108.80 370.48 990.00 37,968.89 0.00 223.89 157.70 154.40 0.00 0.00 -30.00 0.00 0.00 727.69 14.25 1,247.93 2,250.00 800.00 1,000.00 500.00 240.00 1,350.00 500.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 0.00 500.00 120.00 500.00 1,000.00 150.00 150.00 600.00 500.00 250.00 300.00 700.00 0.00 13,410.00	2020 £ 52,766.00 2,831.05 8,980.00 7,700.85
			72,277.90
			0.00
			0.00
			35,802.27 0.00 553.59 336.50 1,180.00
			37,872.36
			111.00 0.00 137.00 223.63 24.00 154.42 502.71 864.80 705.41 784.95 1,181.60
			4,689.52
			1,750.00 1,845.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 0.00 1,375.00 500.00 1,100.00 1,000.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.15
			9,683.15

Notes to the Accounts

Note

Note 6 7 8	Designated Expenditure Designated Gifts: Love Gifts Accommodation Light & Heat Insurance Cleaning and Hygiene Building repairs & services Water Rates Administration Bank Charges Library Recording Equipment purchases Equipment repairs Printing/photocopying Postage and Telephone Stationery Advertising Audit Website Professional fees Affiliations and CRB checks	2021 £ 1,215.00 1,215.00 2,053.91 1,722.43 560.95 5,501.78 167.15 10,006.22 0.00 296.23 133.34 5,190.20 258.99 143.00 1,231.18 94.75 37.00 264.50 288.71 624.98 350.00 8,912.88	2020 £ 0.00
			0.00
			3,293.38 1,672.54 520.38 9,042.17 308.26
			14,836.73
			0.00 220.44 35.64 1,314.09 37.80 675.30 498.37 98.58 22.00 184.00 216.28 1,551.78 510.00
			5,364.28

• Negative figure due to writing back a cheque drawn in 2019/20 which has not been presented

Little Hill Church

Receipts and Payments Account y.e. 31st March 2021

Note Opening Balances Bank Current Account Bank Deposit Account Bank No2 Account Receipts Gifts and donations 1 Designated Income 2 Income Tax Refund Bequests and Legacies Interest Received Compensation Miscellaneous Payments Ministry 3 Evangelism 4 Gifts 5 Designated Expenditure 6 Accommodation 7 Administration 8 Closing Balances Bank Current Account Bank Deposit Account Bank No2 Account	£ £ £ £ 1,477.09 2,557.35 22,209.13 8,453.33 307.00 277.58 61,792.25 72,277.90 1,165.00 0.00 12,067.65 12,771.33 2,500.00 0.00 10.79 34.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 67.30 37,968.89 37,872.36 1,247.93 4,689.52 13,410.00 9,683.15 1,215.00 0.00 10,006.22 14,836.73 8,912.88 5,364.28 1,673.42 1,477.09 26,787.57 22,209.13 307.00 307.00 101,528.91 101,528.91 96,439.26 96,439.26 2020 2021

NOTE

No credit has been included in the accounts for a sum of £5,672 (2020 £6,196) which is due by way of an Income Tax Refund against Giftaid for the period.

AUDITORS REPORT

I have examined the Church's Books of Account and the Receipts and Payments Accounts which, in my opinion accurately state the Church's affairs.

CHANGE TO ACCOUNTING POLICY

The Church decided to change the way the accounts are prepared and presented with effect from 1st April 2019 from an accruals basis to a receipts and payments basis. The effect of this is that there is no longer a balance sheet showing the value of the church building, other fixed assets, current assets and liabilities.

………………………………………….

Melanie Smith

Qualified with CIPFA in 1976, (member between 1976-2013) but no longer a member of the Institute 5th July 2021