## **South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit** ## **Annual Report from Trustees to year end August 2021** The South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit comprises eight churches and is located in South Somerset with one chapel just over the county border in Dorset. The Circuit covers Chard, Crewkerne, Combe St Nicholas, South Petherton, Kingsbury Episcopi, Ilminster, Broadway Hill and Netherhay. The congregations worshipping in the above named churches varies across the Circuit but each congregation meets for worship in their own chapel every Sunday. The Superintendent of the Circuit arranges the preaching plan which tells both congregation members and the public when services are to be held in each church and who has been allocated to lead that worship service. A Circuit website advertises both services and other events taking place in all eight buildings. Each church conducts the main part of its business through Church Council meetings held regularly and representatives from each church attend the Circuit meetings held quarterly. The Circuit meeting is responsible for collecting reports from all the churches and it is the Circuit meeting which explores and develops Circuit policy. In addition Circuit meetings are responsible for the review and implementation of staffing, finance, mission and training. Minutes of these meetings are kept on record. The Circuit Leadership Team oversees the day to day running of the Circuit and is made up of the Circuit ministers and lay representatives from a number of the churches. These meetings occur every four weeks. On occasions some decisions will be devolved to the CLT by the Circuit meeting as per the constitution of the Methodist Church. The Circuits link with the wider Methodist Church through the Plymouth and Exeter Methodist District and to the Methodist conference. The present superintendent is a member of the National Methodist Conference being elected by the synod to be a member of Conference. While each local church has its own Church Council the Circuit Meeting also supports work in each local church. Volunteers give their time in the annual production of local financial and building schedules which are brought to the Circuit meeting. The Circuit meeting produce an annual report and accounts. This year getting the accounts completed has been more challenging as our Circuit Treasurer passed away very suddenly in January 2022 and the Circuit Leadership Team has therefore been the Circuit Treasurer for a few months whilst a replacement Treasurer was found. All churches in the Circuit work with their local communities and neighbouring churches from other denominations to support mission and ministry where it is needed in the local context. A number of our Circuit churches are involved in local ecumenical groups helping to support holiday clubs for young people, chaplaincy to local care homes and food banks. Six out of the eight Circuit churches are registered for marriages and all churches undertake both baptisms and funerals. The Circuit churches provide valuable community buildings and are not used for worship alone. Various groups use our meeting spaces and halls, and all of our churches provide activities during the week for their local communities including coffee mornings and community lunches, women’s fellowship groups, Bible studies and men’s breakfasts. Our buildings include two busy church-based pre-schools which are OFSTED registered and in Ilminster, despite not having a church building, Methodist volunteers run a thriving mother and toddler group. Circuit ministers provide local care home services regularly and take part in local school assemblies across the Circuit. All this work is managed by the local Church trustees and is supported by the Circuit meeting. It is the Circuit meeting which provides oversight of safeguarding for both children and vulnerable adults through its lay safeguarding officers and the Circuit safeguarding officer. All safeguarding training is provided through the Plymouth and Exeter Methodist District and is governed by the Methodist Church at Connexional level. The circuit meeting encourage the local churches in affirming the historic nature of faith which is lived out today in the Methodist tradition in the context of the communities of the 21[st] century. The chapels are community spaces and the policy of the Circuit is to develop their use in current as well as in new ways. The Circuit affirms the living Christian faith shown in all of the Methodist churches within the Circuit and continues to encourage the work locally with all of the 8 Methodist churches, and their surrounding communities, which are part of the South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit. CIRCUIT RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Glrcuit FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021 mouth & Ex Circuit no 24118 Reglstwed Charty. Ch•rlty R•gl8ti*iM numb•r 1139503 If not a reglstered chwity Her Mai￿$ Rwonw and c￿tOM$ Gfft Ald numlxr (The HMRC number ￿ equlvalent to a register&J charity number in lenns of evidence of charitabb st8tus and may be used to give to donors or grantfvnders ￿Sh1Nd to see evidenc2 of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist Char￿e8 in England aTrJ Wths that are not registered tharities are excepted from reglstratlon under Slaiutw Instrurnent 2014 No.242) Rev. Anna Flithll Cirait St8waTds: Banks PatF uie Wheatle 2015 R atsj Pjts 20Accouiifs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGLIST 2021 CirGull Totals last SECTION A 81 RECEIPTS 82 87.Cfj1 102.404 a3 Ca I rgcelpts Manse & O.S. Bank aThJ CF8 interesl 8r#J 411 441.fAO 2.093 Grants Other TE￿pts TOTAL RECEIPTS 2A85 1,142 105.639 a7 502.157 SECTION 3 bl b2 PAYPAENTS StikWLts. 8alaries, NIC. Pwffj•)n 8ThJ travel costs 46mJ 6m9 1.75B 73,339 6.206 b3 Manse Costs Atknlnistration etc 1.873 28,211 2,232 DistrK* A8SWnWrt 21,386 39.810 GRnts & donations O.S. Newma 5233 16.785 21018 b7 179 4W14t 2,￿8 Other paymwrts TOTAL PAYMEXTS b9 81,180 404926 S4Q160 {lJ9 114.811 SECTION C MET RECEIPTSPAYIIEWTS FOR THE YEAR c1 •749 31 003 Totsl funds 57.046 184.370 284.320 Sub total ¢1 131.190 17 264,320 Transfers and gj. 8) TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR 1¢3+c4 11907 220.317 I￿) W20 (¢6) SECTION D OR INFORIL4TIOII OMLY: RECEIVED AND PASSED 011 TO EXTERNAL ORGAMISAIIONS tho•9 •mounts Should not be includ•d in tol Bala￿e bro I ftxw8r(l fr￿￿ ￿￿1 dl d2 Offeri Offwing%JGffts. passed to extomal organtsalicns BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID dl+d2-d3 d3 d4 2015¢A￿AtR•I P.x E¢TI)N E ¢7 1*121 pw•2.lOtikn¢olwnnl isr 17 220,317 TOT $E¢Tf*l sy CLOSING ath 1.615 5S.481 207274 IS4.797 SUB TOT•L 220.317 el *11 264320 Ixl 220J17 31 6WR Name of Circuit gowTH PEJH* RTQP! KERpl No.2.f/.!$ Declarations and Scrutiny I t))nfimi thal these Recew arKI Paynent based accwnts for the to 31 August 2021 been prepared from the recon18 of the Circuit aNI ttst ttw tndude all funds unde¥ the (x>ntrol of the C￿cUlt Ir￿lir￿. Signature of treasuror . Name and address 0ftr￿ur8r...A.￿..f￿j￿￿ff￿L. ....Ik...6.<¥l.k . 14o4r Name of irthpendent WAaminer .. Relevant professional qualifi￿li0n of independent eXaMi￿r . C. r4ATH£ Name of fimi (where appropriate) /4 Address . Post CodeTf419 Date 2<[1122 delete or as appropriate Sep-21 2015c*￿#R￿Yp 1 of1 Name of CiKuit gc? vrH P FTH ro Al * C-PE L4J rfe Independent ExamineV8 Statsment I have completed my examination. I confimi that no malerial matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination that in, any material respecL ) which give rne cause to believe the accounting records 44Ere not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act: or the accounts do not accord wilh the accounting records. I have no coniwns 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 reache(l. Iha ave not" btained independent verificalK)n of all investments with the TrLSStees for Methodist Churth Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually In excess of £10.000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balan￿ sheet date. Signaiure of independent examiner Name of independent examiner ..f>hU If) H R w K i C Relevant professional qualification of irKlependent examinor C . +Y rtTHS Name of firm (vlhere appropTiate) J/A Add￿8 ...> H ITF4SR ..qcKS IL￿1￿£1£ PostCodeTAiq Ybq Date 2¥[1/22 delete or cirde as appropriate Sep-21 2015 CmJrÉ R PA•