2021-08-31-accounts

The MIDLANDS GOSPEL PARTNERSHIP TRUST

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31[st] August 2021

CONTENTS

	Page
Report of the Trustees	1
Receipts and Payments Accounts for year ended 31st August 2021	6
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees	7

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Charity Name The Midlands Gospel Partnership Trust Status Trust Registered Charity with effect from 12[th ] November 2010 Registered Charity Number 1138999 Registered Office Stapleford Baptist Church Albert Street Stapleford NG9 8DB

Trustees

Trustees who served during the year are set out below:-

Rev L Davison
Rev C Hobbs
Rev R Hopkins	(Chair)
Mr J James	(appointed 16-9-2020)
Mr J Russell
Mr P Selby	(appointed 11-3-2021)
Mr P Sweeting	(appointed 11-3-2021)
Mr A Upton

None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the Trust and all served without remuneration in their capacity as Trustees.

Administrator A Deane

Independent Examiner

Mr S Adam 1 Sherroside Close, Allestree, Derby DE22 2HN

Bankers

Lloyds TSB Bank plc - Commercial Banking P O Box 10000 Bexhill BX1 1LT

1

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

Trustees Annual Report for the period 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

The trustees are pleased to present this Annual Report and Financial Statements for The Midlands Gospel Partnership (charity number 1138999) for the year ending 31[st] August 2021.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document

The Trust is a registered charity governed in accord with its Declaration of Trust dated 25[th] May 2010. The Charity Commission granted registered charity status on 12[th] November 2010.

Organisational structure

The Trust is governed by a Steering Committee (Trustees) comprising of those involved in the leadership of evangelical churches across the Midlands. They meet on a quarterly basis to set policy and review the activities of the Trust.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

Trustees are elected by nomination and resolution of the existing Trustees.

Trustees Induction and Training

New Trustees are given training and an induction process that is overseen by the existing Trustees, who may delegate certain elements of the induction process to staff members.

Risk Management

The Trustees examine the major strategic and operational risks which the Trust faces at each of their quarterly meetings.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Trustees apply the income of the Trust in furthering the following objects, namely for the promotion and the advancement of evangelical, protestant, reformed Christian religion (“the Faith”) including in particular but not so as to limit the generality of the foregoing by:-

• i) The support and furtherance of the religious and other charitable work of congregations meeting for religious worship in the counties of Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire, and such other counties as the Trustees may from time to time determine;

• ii) The establishment, support and furtherance of new congregations meeting for religious worship in the said or such other counties by way of Church plants and otherwise;

• iii) The support of presbyters, deacons, youth workers, pastoral workers, teachers, evangelists, musicians, and administrators;

• iv) The advancement of religious education in accordance with the Faith by means of ministry, children’s and youth workers, and other training courses, classes, seminars, lectures, conferences, and other events, and otherwise;

• v) The holding of public meetings and assemblies;

2

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

• vi) The award of grants to, and otherwise supporting those training for the Ministry, or other religious positions as youth workers, pastoral workers, teachers, evangelists, musicians, and administrators;

• vii) The production, publication, and dissemination of religious work.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Review of activities and impact for Public Benefit

The Midlands Gospel Partnership is a network of local churches committed to expanding gospel ministry across the Midlands through training in biblical ministry, co-operating in evangelism and partnering in church planting initiatives.

The main activities of the Midlands Gospel Partnership Trust for the year ended 31[st] August 2021 included-

• i) A leaders’ conference held online in March 2021 (the Leaders’ Conference), which was open to senior ministers and leaders. This annually recurring event was designed to support and encourage those involved in Christian leadership, and other church members and to assist them in leading and building up the wider church family.

• ii) A partnership day conference held in September (MGP Partnership Day), which was open to senior ministers of partner churches, bringing one colleague. The day provides a chance for partnership members to get together and see our development in achieving our vision of seeing healthy local churches in every Midlands community.

• iii) An affordable Bible training course, the Midlands Ministry Training Course (MMTC). The course is designed to help church members, including ministry trainees, to better understand how to read and teach the bible.

• iv) Specific MGP Youth and Children’s ministry training day courses (Big Day Out, Growing Young Disciples) as well as an annual event for young people and their youth group leaders (Midlands Youth Convention). These are designed to support and encourage Christian fellowships across the Midlands and enable them to be more effective in their Christian ministry and their walk with God.

• v) Midlands Women’s Convention and Midlands Men’s Convention provide a place for men and women to hear God speak through His Word, to sing His praises and to think together what it means to live for Christ in today’s world.

• vi) Groups looking at areas like church planting and finding ways to encourage new congregations in areas where additional congregations may further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• vii) Involvement in national Gospel centred initiatives alongside other Regional Gospel Partnerships.

The Trust aims to continue to deliver services and benefits through the key activities outlined above, and to see growth in the number of partner churches. In the 2020-2021 we welcomed two new churches into the partnership and one church had decided to leave the MGP.

The Leaders’ Conference and MGP Partnership Day were well attended and were held online. The Partnership Day focused on raising the awareness of the upcoming A Passion For Life event, planned to take place nationally Easter 2022. Nick McQuaker was the speaker, and the topic was

3

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

Churches Partnering Together.

The Leader’s Conference, held online in March 2021, was exploring the subject of what it means to be thriving and healthy leader. Marcus Honeysett from Living Leadership was the speaker.

The MMTC course saw continuing delivery of MMTC East in Nottingham and MMTC West in Birmingham, albeit being held online. This, most likely, led to lower student numbers, in Birmingham particularly, than in previous years which reflected the global tricky situation.

The MGP Youth & Children’s team organised and successfully delivered online the ‘Growing Young Disciples’ conference (a day conference for those involved in Youth & Children’s work in the Midlands). The topic for 2021 was Jesus and Anxiety, supporting children and youth in anxious times , Helen Thorney from Biblical Counselling UK was the speaker. Big Day Out events and Midlands Youth Convention were cancelled.

The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. As set out in our objectives, we exist for the benefit of individuals primarily in the Midlands region of England through the promotion and advancement of the evangelical protestant Christian religion.

The Trustees are once again grateful for the immense amount of work done by our volunteers and Supporters alongside our staff members. We recognise that it is the gospel that truly changes people and brings them into relationship with Jesus Christ and from this life-changing relationship flows the generosity of so many which supports and sustains the ministry of the MGP.

We seek to make our courses and events affordable and make further concessions to ensure the courses are accessible to all.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Having regard to the size and turnover of the Trust, the financial statements for the year have been drawn up on a receipts and payments basis and should be viewed in conjunction with this Trustee Report.

Income is derived primarily from charges for events and training courses and through donations from partner churches and individuals. We are grateful to these organisations and people for their financial support.

Expenditure includes salaries, cost for running events, and the costs of general initiatives to support and encourage interested churches and individuals across the Midlands. We seek to make all events self-funding but will consider running events at a loss (supported by partner church and other donations) if it furthers the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ across the region or makes courses accessible to those who could not ordinarily afford to attend.

4

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

RESERVES POLICY

The Trustees are committed to establishing a level of reserves for General Funds that will cover three months of operational costs, subject to sufficient funding being available to achieve this, while not hampering the ongoing development of the ministry of the Trust.

This is designed to enable the charity to continue to operate its essential services, remunerate its employees and pay its necessary expenses in the event of an unanticipated reduction in donations or unforeseen expenditure.

At 31 August 2020-21, the reserves totalled £43,387.

DECLARATION

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above

Signed on their behalf by :

___ Date___ Rev R Hopkins, Chair of Trustees

5

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS for the year ended 31[st] August 2021

		Unrestricted	Restricted	2021	2020
		funds	funds	Total	Total
		£	£	£	£
Receipts
Donations, legacies and other similar receipts		13,180	-	13,180	11,623
Operating activities to further the charities
objectives		32,918	-	32,918	52,898
Operating activities to generate funds		-	-	-	-
Interest received		-	-	-	-
	Sub total	46,098	-	46,098	64,521
Asset and investment sales,	etc.	-	-	-	-
	Total receipts	46,098	-	46,098	64,521
Payments
Grants paid		2,000	-	2,000	-
Payments for generating funds		-	-	-	-
Charitable activities		2,696	-	2,696	12,001
Salaries and other costs incurred in
supporting charitable activities		30,037	-	30,038	37,902
Management and administration		1,533	-	1,533	2,903
	Sub total	36,266	-	36,266	52,805
Asset and investment purchases, etc.		-	-	-	-
	Total payments	36,266	-	36,266	52,805
Net receipts / (payments)		9,832	-	9,832	11,716
Transfers between funds		-	-	-	-
Cash funds last year end			-	33,555	21,840
Cash funds this year end		43,387	-	43,387	33,555
Cash funds
Lloyds TSB Bank plc			-	43,387	33,555
	Total cash funds	43,387	-	43,387	33,555
Other monetary assets	N/a
Investment assets	N/a
Assets retained for the charity’s own use
Data projectors (x2)		-	-	805	805
Liabilities	N/a
Signed on behalf of the trustees______			Date______
	Rev R Hopkins, Chair of Trustees

6

Midlands Gospel Partnership Annual Report and Accounts 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE MIDLANDS GOSPEL PARTNERSHIP TRUST

7