Trustees' Annual Report (year ended 31st March 2024)
The Trustees of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church are happy to present their annual report for the year ended 31st March 2024 in keeping with the requirements of the Charities Acts 1993 and 2006, the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice 2005 and Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church Constitution and Rules 2011.
Trustees:
Rev Stephen Darby Rev Alun Johnson Mr Peter Evans Mr Peter Martin Mr Marc Howells Mr John Morley
Bethel Chapel, Gelligaer Road, Cefn Hengoed, CF82 7HH Calvary Chapel, Penybryn Terrace, Penybryn, CF82 7GG Registered Charity 1143626 (Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church)
Structure, Governance and Management:
The governing documents of the Church are its Constitution and Rules 2011.
The Managing Trustees of the Church are the persons appointed as church officers in accordance with the Church Rules provided that a person may not be appointed as a Managing Trustee if he is disqualified from being a trustee of any charity under section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 or any amendment to it or new regulations under it unless such disqualification has been waived by the Charity Commission. There shall be not less than 3 Managing Trustees. The appointment of a Managing Trustee requires a 75% majority vote of those Church Members present at a Church Members' Meeting who will have been notified of the meeting three weeks in advance.
Objectives and Activities:
The purposes of the Church are the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Faith primarily but not exclusively within Cefn Hengoed and the surrounding neighbourhood and such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the Managing Trustees, further the work of the Church. The Church is a group of Christians committed to serving God in the local community by helping to address spiritual, social and practical needs. It is independently governed by its own church officers but is in fellowship with the Associating Evangelical Churches of Wales and its income is largely from gifts. Regular activities include Sunday Services, Sunday School, Prayer Meeting/Bible study, Toddlers’ Group, Children's Club, Friday Fellowship and Men’s and Ladies’ Breakfasts.
Developments during the year:
We are thankful to God that during the year the work at Hope Church has moved forward in a number of areas. Our Easter 2023 events were encouraging. On Good Friday we had hymn singing, coffee and cakes at Calvary Chapel, followed by a walk to Bethel, a picnic tea and a Good Friday Fellowship Service. The Easter Family Fun afternoon was attended by a large number of local families and the range of craft and games activities and Easter message were well received. Our Easter Sunday Family Service included a children’s song and all-age message.
The pastor’s monthly visits to Valley View Care Home with two services in different sections of the home and prayers with individual residents at their request have continued, but for the first time since the pandemic we were also able to bring a group of people from Hope Church for an Easter service in April 2023. Further services as a group were held on other occasions too throughout the year. There were good responses from residents and staff, many enjoying singing hymns and chatting with us after the services. A number of residents and staff have a personal Christian faith.
In May we held an afternoon tea to mark King Charles’ coronation and were glad to see a number of friends of church members at that event. Also in May we joined with local cluster churches for a shared prayer meeting at Mount Pleasant, Maesycwmmer with mission news from the Slavic Gospel Association. Those who were present greatly valued the opportunity to pray and share fellowship together as churches. Attendance at our men’s and ladies’ breakfasts has increased during the year and the messages from the speakers have been very much appreciated.
Using resources from the Open Air Mission, a Bible Exhibition took place during one week towards the end of May in collaboration with other local cluster churches. Members of the churches played the parts of Bible characters dressed in costume and presenting the whole Bible storyline from Genesis to Revelation. The children interacted well with the characters and completed worksheets using the display boards to answer questions. Nearly 500 children plus teachers and other adults passed through the exhibition during the week.
In early summer 2023 new internal sliding entrance doors were fitted at Bethel Chapel with a new partition wall including shelving for books. A grant was received from the Welsh Church Fund to cover this. Also, around the same time the installation of cabling and a new audio-visual system began, and this was completed in the Autumn, with a grant from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Community Empowerment Fund received in the previous financial year.
Bethel Chapel, Gelligaer Road, Cefn Hengoed, CF82 7HH Calvary Chapel, Penybryn Terrace, Penybryn, CF82 7GG Registered Charity 1143626 (Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church)
One significant development in the life of the church this year has been the decision of the church to call Alun Johnson as a full-time co-pastor
to work alongside the present pastor Steve Darby. The ministry project is called ‘Grace to Serve’ and this ministry investment is to provide support and training, to develop the church’s ministries with a particular focus on evangelism, to increase our outreach into the locality with the gospel, to assist other local churches that are without a regular pastorate and help the church prepare for future ministry. With gifts and ministry grants the full funding for two years’ support for the additional pastor was secured by August, with the prayerful hope that the project can be further extended. This enabled the church to move ahead with a start date of 5[th] November 2023.
Pastor Johnson’s ordination and induction service took place on Saturday 4[th] November at Mount Pleasant, Maesycwmmer. It was a joyful occasion with a large congregation representing many gospel churches. There was a great sense of unity and fellowship, and a number of other pastors took part in the service, along with the church officers from Hope Church. We are thankful to God for blessings and encouragements since the shared ministry began. Pastor Johnson quickly settled into his pastoral work, and his ministry has been well received. He has taken on a new role of providing wellbeing support to staff and pupils at the Welsh language primary school where he previously taught and has taken assemblies there, and also jointly with Pastor Darby at two other primary schools where we already have a good connection.
A new ‘Cwtch’ coffee morning began from December and a second toddlers group in Penybryn Community Centre began from February. Both meetings have provided great contacts with members of the local community who regularly attend, in addition to those who come along to the toddlers group at Bethel Chapel. There were good numbers at our various Christmas events (around 80 people at the Candlelit Carol Service and about 60 at the Christmas Family Fun afternoon). Since Christmas, numbers attending the ‘Trailblazers’ children’s club have increased to around 20 children plus a number of parents who also stay and enjoy chatting over coffee.
Financial Review:
The church’s annual income (not including the ‘Grace to Serve’ project) for the year 2023/24 was £70,964, approximately £12,000 higher than the previous year. The church’s annual expenditure (not including the ‘Grace to Serve’ project) was £65,876, an increase of just over £9,000 from the previous year. These increases are largely due to grant income of £4,460 in October from the Welsh Church Fund and expenditure for the sliding doors, and also a further grant of £5,722 from Caerphilly Council Borough Council’s Community Empowerment Fund (received in two equal payments in February and March) to order coffee morning equipment and furniture; £2439 was spent on folding tables, the remainder was carried forward to the next financial year. Overall giving and HMRC gift aid reimbursements were also a little higher than previously.
Grants towards ‘Grace to Serve’ were received from Fieldsdene Trust, Deo Gloria Trust, Lauderdale Trust, Wales Leadership Forum and the Evangelical Trust plus various gifts making up an income of £35,026. Of this, £13,951 was spent on payroll costs for the additional ministry, with the remainder being carried forward for the following year’s support of the project. Taking these figures into account, the total annual income of the church was £105,990, and the annual expenditure of the church was £79,827.
Solicitors’ fees totalling £1,319 were paid for the ongoing work in relation to the revision of the church’s trust documents.
The balance in the Current Account on 31[st] March 2024 was £18,088 and the balance in Savings Accounts amounted to £60.876. This will be retained to meet committed expenditure on the ‘Grace to Serve’ project and other ministry and running costs.
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Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31" March 2024. Respertive responslbllltles 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 144121 of the Charities Act 2011 Ithe 2011 Act) and that an Independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to= examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act,. to follow the procedures laid down In the general Direttions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act,. and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes 8 review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those record5. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosure5 ill the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consèquently 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'5 Statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 111 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any matèrlal respect the requirements.. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act,. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accountlng requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met,. or 121 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandin8 of the accounts to be reached. Name.. Mlss Sarah Liverick Address= 49 Garden City Rhymney NP22 51Z Date= 2ElI 12 Signature: giuoi