Trustees' Annual Report (year ended 31st March 2025)
The Trustees of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church are happy to present their annual report for the year ended 31st March 2025 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.
Bethel Chapel, Gelligaer Road, Cefn Hengoed, CF82 7HH Calvary Chapel, Penybryn Terrace, Penybryn, CF82 7GG Registered Charity 1143626 (Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church)
Trustees:
Rev Stephen Darby Rev Alun Johnson Mr Peter Martin Mr Marc Howells Mr John Morley
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’ Groups, Children's Club, Coffee Mornings, 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 continued to move forward in many areas. The ‘Grace To Serve’ ministry investment at Hope Church, Bethel and Calvary began in November 2023 to support and train a full-time co-pastor, develop the church’s ministries, extend evangelistic outreach into the local community and help prepare the church for future ministry. Pastor Alun Johnson now serves alongside Pastor Steve Darby in this work. The initial phase of two years has gone well, with the church hoping to continue the project for a further two years and beyond that, if funds allow.
Through the ‘Grace to Serve’ project, the church has been able to make many valuable connections with the surrounding communities. The ‘Cwtch’ coffee mornings, which began in December 2023, have continued to be a successful link with the locality, with around 20 people attending each week. Through a Community Empowerment Fund grant from Caerphilly County Borough Council (received in the previous financial year), we have been able to purchase equipment such as coffee machines, chairs and a TV screen to support these coffee mornings. Pastor Johnson has continued in his wellbeing role with a local Welsh medium primary school, regularly taking assemblies, playing games with the pupils and supporting staff. Pastor Johnson has been responsible for leading remembrance services and Christmas assemblies at this school. Both Pastor Darby and Pastor Johnson have good links with three local primary schools, taking assemblies in these places regularly.
The church continues to be busy in providing activities for children, young people and their families from the surrounding area, including family quizzes, family fun afternoons and a weekly youth club called ‘Trailblazers’, which has seen very high numbers in recent months - around 30 children and a number of parents who also stay and enjoy chatting over coffee. We continue to run two toddlers’ groups in Penybryn and Cefn Hengoed, which provide great contacts with members of the local community who regularly attend. Further afield, Pastor Alun is on the committee for a Youth Link, a monthly group that brings together church youth clubs in the Rhymney Valley, Tredegar and Merthyr Tydfil areas, giving opportunities for young people to make new friends and socialise in a relaxed, safe and fun atmosphere.
Using resources from the Open Air Mission, a Bible Exhibition took place during one week in June in collaboration with other local cluster churches. Members of the churches played the parts of characters from the book of Acts in the Bible, dressed in costume and acting out the main parts of the book. The children Bethel Chapel, Gelligaer Road, Cefn Hengoed, CF82 7HH interacted well with the characters and completed worksheets Calvary Chapel, Penybryn Terrace, Penybryn, CF82 7GG using the display boards to answer questions. Nearly 430 children Registered Charity 1143626 plus teachers and other adults passed through the exhibition during (Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church) the week, all receiving copies of the Gospel of Luke.
We had the privilege again of coordinating and leading a Community Remembrance Service last November at the Memorial Garden in the grounds of a local primary school. This involves community councillors, a local ladies’ choir, children from two primary schools, armed services personnel and others from the community. In addition to Pastor Steve leading this service in Cefn Hengoed, Pastor Alun was asked by community councillors to lead another Remembrance Service in the nearby village of Tir-y-berth and has been asked to do the same this November. There were good numbers at our various Christmas events (around 80 people at the Candlelit Carol Service and about 60 at the Christmas Family Quiz afternoon).
Pastor Darby’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. Further services as a group have been held on other occasions too throughout the year. There have been 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.
Attendance at our men’s and ladies’ breakfasts has continued to increase during the year and the messages from the speakers have been very much appreciated. With awarded ‘Welcome Space’ grants from CCBC for food and drink, we are able to purchase food from a local cafe for these breakfasts going forward - it has been good to support a local business in the village of Cefn Hengoed. Pastor Alun has also begun a ‘Men’s Fellowship’, which gives opportunities to the men in the church to invite friends and family to activities such as walks and meals, in order to make connections and form friendships. Pastor Alun speaks regularly at an animal therapy centre in the locality, which provides accommodation and support to people who have suffered through abuse and addiction. A large number of men from this centre attend our men’s breakfasts each month. Pastor Alun was also the chaplain at the ‘Good News Autumn Camp’ in October, which is attended by a good number of teenagers from the South East Wales Valleys. In March, we had the joy of baptising three of our young people, and have seen a number of young men showing an interest in Christianity and attending our services.
Financial Review:
The church’s annual income (not including the ‘Grace to Serve’ project) for the year 2024/25 was £63,853, approximately £7,000 lower than the previous year. The church’s annual expenditure (not including the ‘Grace to Serve’ project) was £64,998 a decrease of just under £1,000 from the previous year. This is accounted for by the fact that last year’s accounts included substantial grants from the Welsh Church Fund and Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Community Empowerment Fund.
Grants towards ‘Grace to Serve’ amounted to £17,464. This was £20,946 less than the £38,410 expenditure for this category. However, there is no actual shortfall since a large part of the funds required for this year’s GTS spending had already been received in advance during the last financial year, as can be seen from the GTS balance at the bottom of the account sheet. Taking the GTS figures into account, the total annual income of the church was £81,317, and the annual expenditure of the church was £103,408. This difference between the two figures was possible due to the additional GTS funds already received in 2023/24 and carried forward to 2024/25.
Solicitors’ fees totalling £8,199 were paid for the ongoing work in relation to the revision of the church’s trust documents. The £2,096 maintenance expenditure in January was significantly higher than in other months – this included an asbestos survey, encapsulation of boiler room panels and a safety certification.
The balance in the Current Account on 31[st] March 2025 was £5,734 and the balance in the two Savings Accounts amounted to £10,140 and £41,000. These funds will be retained to meet committed expenditure on the ‘Grace to Serve’ project and other ministry and running costs.
Signed (on behalf of the Trustees)
Date
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Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Bethel Evangellcal Baptlst Church I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 3151 March 2025. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The thartty'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 Charfcies Act 2011 Ithe 2011 Act) and that an independent examinatK)n is needed. It 15 my responsibility to: examine the accounts under settion 145 of the 2011 Act,. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Direttsons given by the Charity Commission under section 1451511bl of the 2011 Art: and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examinerfs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Dirertions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presentedwith those records. Italso includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanation5fromyou as trusteesconcerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the eviden that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is gwen as to whetherthe aCtt*unts present a 'true and fairvtew, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examinerfs statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention: 111 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respert the requirement5: 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 accounting 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 understanding of the accounts to be reathed. Name: Mis5 Sarah Liverick Address.. 49 Garden City Rhymney NP22 5JZ Date: Signature..